Smiles and Shanti

From Steps to Yoga & Yoga Initiation Papers, Swami Satyananda Saraswati

Letters to Swami Satyabratananda

29 September 1956, Katrasgarh

I love this life. I care to make this existence better. I wish to make this body hale and hearty, this mind quiet and peaceful. I love men more than they love stone gods. The more I mix with people, the more I have begun to love them. Love is a greater force than the law of religion. If water cannot cool your body, or food appease your hunger, love can do that.

28 December 1956, Fort Munger

Even those who hated spiritual life, but suffered physically, come to me and still come to get themselves yogically trained. You know what I do with them?

Iregulate their life itself. You see, I am bent upon reaching a 'way of life' - dharma I mean.

2July 1957, Raipur

Practise asanas, and side by side you can practise pranayama. You will have good appetite, cheerfulness, strength, courage, vigour, vitality and good concentration of mind.

Letters to Swami Dharmashakti

The great storehouse of knowledge and energy resides within you. Nature wants to express that knowledge in various forms. If you want to hear the voice of inner knowledge then you have to shut the doors of the external senses and turn within.

9 March 1957, Shiva Bhavan, Bhagalpur.

Reduce thinking, increase remembrance and stop worrying.

14 March 1957, Munger

I want to base the method of sadhana on pure spirituality and will endeavour to keep it absolutely free from politics, money and society.

9 December 1958, Burhanpur

Life, yes, worldly life is a cage of hope and despair, and spiritual life is a joyful playground. We get hurt, we win, we lose and we still laugh gleefully.

7 January 1959, Raipur (Rewa)

This is a real prayer. For a sadhaka every day is a new year, new lessons of life, a festival of new steps and new resolutions.

9 January 1960, Bombay

Yoga is another name for a well-regulated life and experience of God, self-knowledge.

Letters to Vishwaprem

20April 1957, Bhagalpur

The first step to spiritual life is to keep the mind ever busy. Every work is sadhana if done with concentration.

1May 1957, Delhi

Conflicts, struggles, worries, anxieties and passions should be calmed down by the virtues of love, sincerity and faith.

2August 1957, Raipur (Rewa)

Your self is noble and great. You inherit truth and purity. You have in you infinite capacities. You just have to assert what you are.

Waste not a single moment in laziness, brooding, dreaming, worrying and weeping. Become an incarnation of joy and happiness.

21September 1957, Mathura

You must become an incarnation of perceptible smiles and imperceptible shanti.