Swami Shivapadananda on the final Yamas

SWAMI SHIVAPADANANDA

DAILY READINGS

From Mother Radha's recordings of Swamiji.

Day 499

 
 

Swamiji continues talking on Yama and Niyama:

Five: Abstain from greed. If you eat over-limit [excessively] you are greedy. If you accumulate a lot of money you are greedy. In the Bhagavad Gita it is said, 'Lust, anger and greed are open doors to hell.' This means it is natural for human beings to do those things, and human beings will go on doing them. They are open doors and to close them needs effort. From the time you are born lust is there, greed is there and anger is there too.

Wanting is also lust – wanting this, wanting that, wanting wife, wanting children, wanting everything except God. That is why Sri Ramakrishna said, 'Lust is a good thing – just turn it. Instead of wanting the things of this world, yearn for God.' The highest quality one can have as a sadhaka [spiritual aspirant, or practitioner] is intense yearning for God.

These five [see previous posting for the others] are called yama and are good for all people.

Niyama or observances

One: Purity. 'Blessed are the pure at heart for they shall see God.' Purity, where? Only in the body? Some people are so pure that they keep putting on deodorant. [laughter] Their own bodies are telling them what they are but they want to hide it. No sannyasi should use scent – only the gods can use it: Idam gandham samarpayami. [meaning: I offer scent (incense) to the gods] Deodorant or incense will not hide it so try to wash the body. In India some have a bath three times a day. This is because they do sandhya [ritual worship] three times a day.

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