Chintana
“Old age comes with a passage of time, maturity comes with deep reflection.”
“The values that you uphold in life determine the quality of thoughts, the quality of thoughts determines in turn the quality of actions.”
- Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda
Swami Aparajitananda shares his Chintana (reflections) on scriptures and values based on Pujya Gurudev’s quotes. May reading of Swamiji’s Chintana be instrumental in furthering our spiritual journey.
Chintana - 2022
July 2022 - All spiritual practices are to help us accomplish steady equipoise for meditation.
May 2022 - When we strive to identify with our real nature, that is Vaikuntham.
April 2022 - It is the Lord Himself who gives His faithful devotee the experience of His absolute, unchanging Truth.
March 2022 - Train your mind to keep one ideal in it and work towards it – the mind becomes single-pointed.
February 2022 - Every day is bursting with opportunities for us to do and to serve, to act and to express, to love and to live.
January 2022 - Human greatness is not muscular strength, but the greatness of character.
Chintana - 2021
December 2021 - If we accept and acknowledge the mistake, it is forgiven.
November 2021 - It is our bounden duty to do everything to make children grow into beautiful beings.
October 2021 - Mind at rest is a temple of joy.
September 2021 - We collect things because our hearts are empty.
May 2021 - To give love to all others is the only way to enrich life as nothing else can.
April 2021 - Yoga is not twisting the body, but straightening the mind. - Chinmaya
January 2021 - Overall power and adorability by all came to God because He never says ‘I’ even in forgetfulness.
Chintana - 2020
December 2020 - God’s creation does not bind. That which does so is Jeeva’s own creation.
November 2020 - Life is a piece of art which can be made beautiful and polished, chiselled and shaped, by your own careful self-effort.
September 2020 - Nothing in this world, which is but a two minutes’ dream, is worth worrying.
May 2020 - Not Published
April 2020 - Not Published
March 2020 - Submit to the will of the Lord and draw a lesson from every event.
February 2020 - The Lord is in our own heart. To deny Him is to deny ourselves. You may leave Him, but He will not leave you.
January 2020 - All the great Masters have constantly advised seekers to maintain perfect consistency between their thoughts and expressions.
Chintana - 2019
January 2019 - Every event in daily life is a silent proclamation of some profound truth.
February 2019 - Love of God is the highest and the best means to a person’s happiness here and hereafter.
March 2019 - So long as one remains a slave of one’s senses how can one concentrate the mind on God and serve Him?
April 2019 - Practical religion consists in living the philosophy one has understood.
June 2019 - Vedanta is the answer for the problems of the day; it is the only specific for the malady of the age.
July 2019 - Live in love for Him alone. That is the greatest fulfilment of all existence.
August 2019 - A serene mind is a mountain of strength.
September 2019 - To strive is given to us; success is always His. So never feel beaten out – STRIVE.
October 2019 - Education in a country must help to rebuild the character of its people.
November 2019 - Invoke the Mother to help us annihilate within all negative forces and all weaknesses.
December 2019 - The goal of teaching is to impart to the children the ability to make the right judgments.
Chintana - 2018
February 2018 - Not Published
March 2018 - Life is as light as a feather to one who has renounced his over-exaggerated pride.
May 2018 - If you cannot do great things yourself, remember that you may do small things in a great way.
June 2018 - Tolerate the world and its endless foolishness. Smile and keep on loving the people.
July 2018 - A face overflowing with inner warmth of peace and smile is a charm which none can resist.
August 2018 - The distribution of grace is not controlled by the Guru, but depends upon the capacity of the recipient.
September 2018 - The words of the Master can echo their message only in a bosom that has been stilled in complete love.
November 2018 - Without learning to live here, there is no hereafter to hope for.
Chintana - 2017
January 2017 - जगत-ईशधी-युक्त-सेवनं अष्टमूर्तिभृत् देवपूजनम् |
February 2017 - When you are born, you must die. Don’t die while living. Live after you are dead.
March 2017 - The prescription given is – surrender to Him and act on. What we do is act and then surrender.
April 2017 - The renunciation is not measured by things a man gives up. True renunciation is of the will and of desires.
June 2017 - Let the sleeping lion of adhyatmic fervour in thee wake up! Fight out thy enemies in the inner Kurukshetra.
July 2017 - Don’t search for the ideal person. Instead, search for the ideals in every person you meet.
August 2017 - Self Realisation is the experience of love in its absolute nature. Realise thy Self.
September 2017 - If we can allow an uninterrupted and faithful flow of His will, He shall ever keep us in His hands and never leave us even for a moment.
October 2017 - To the student of Vedanta, the Guru is the embodiment of his goal.
November 2017 - Every individual has the right to walk the spiritual path.
December 2017 - Infinite is our nature. We have to realise this, and we will find ourselves at our journey’s end.
Chintana - 2016
February 2016 - Even when threatened with death, don’t give in to dishonesty, deception, lust and passion.
March 2016 - Every surrender unto God is an elevation in the status of the soul.
April 2016 - Temperance is the law of all spiritual students.
May 2016 - Not Published.
June 2016 - Religion becomes dead and ineffectual if the seekers are not ready to live its ideals.
July 2016 - ध्यानमूलं गुरोर्मूर्ति: पूजामूलं गुरो: पदम् | मन्त्रमूलं गुरोर्वाक्यं मोक्षमूलं गुरो: कृपा ||
August 2016 - The Lord does that which is best for us always. Even sorrows mould us into better beings.
September 2016 - None gets bound by one’s possessions; it is the mental slavery to our possessions that shackles us.
October 2016 - If by studying the scriptures, one can become a sannyasin, by counting the King’s money one must become a billionaire.
November 2016 - Spiritual perfection is not to be created – it is in us already. We have only to remove what obstructs its manifestation.
December 2016 - The true sevak should not expect recognition of his work from either the people or from his own organization.
Chintana - 2015
January 2015 - Carefully navigate around the dangerous rocks of thy own lower nature. Thou shall reach the eternal heaven of peace and bliss.
February 2015 - Make your life a celebration of His presence.
March 2015 - The secret of success in life lies in keeping the head above the storms of the heart.
April 2015 - Silence the mind and listen; this is the final state of meditation.
May 2015 - Be regular.
June 2015 - Be cheerful within, and loving and peaceful outside.
July 2015 - Accept. Surrender. Let Him be the charioteer of your life.
September 2015 - Each shock is yet another knock to add to our spiritual stature.
October 2015 - Tranquillity is the innate nature of all; it is a self-existent reality.
November 2015 - Each of us has to awaken the sleeping saint within us.
December 2015 - Without the spirit of sacrifice, no service is possible.
Chintana - 2014
January 2014 - He who reigns supreme as master of himself alone becomes a servant of light unto others.
February 2014 - There is one ornament common to men and women – forgiveness.
March 2014 - A beautiful life does not just happen; it is built daily by prayer, humility, sacrifice and hard work.
May 2014 - What you meet in your life is Praarabdha (destiny); how you meet is your Purushaartha (self-effort).
June 2014 - He who empowers you to examine your own life and then wipe out your weaknesses is your preceptor.
August 2014 - The fewer one’s passion, the greater are one’s freedom and enjoyment.
September 2014 - Any attempt of the mind to rise from low values of its present existence to a healthier and diviner scheme of life is yoga.
October 2014 - Do your job well. Live straight. Devotedly pray and serve. The reward shall come to you.
November 2014 - There is no vessel to ferry man across the ocean of samsara except jnanam (Self-knowledge).
December 2014 - Human life has been given to us unasked. We are blasting it and blaspheming it in a thousand ways.
Chintana - 2013
January 2013 - Silence heals; silence soothes; silence comforts; silence purifies; silence revitalizes us.
February 2013 - To derive a sense of lasting joy, give the mind a new direction. Change the direction of your thoughts; make them divine.
March 2013 - Ethics is something we have to cultivate in ourselves. Its expression in the world becomes morality.
April 2013 - Man can change his destiny not by wishing for it, but by working for it.
May 2013 - Temples are the gymnasiums for the mind.
June 2013 - Beating one’s own drum is worldly outlook. Beating oneself into shape is spiritual effort.
September 2013 - No true seeker has the right to be pessimistic; he should ever be consciously optimistic.
October 2013 - The secret vein of energy that runs in every one of us is struck, not through pills and elixirs, but through dedicated actions.
November 2013 - Silently hear everyone. Accept what is good. Reject and forget what is not. This is intelligent living.
December 2013 - Brood less; smile more. That is the way to live.
Chintana - 2012
January 2012 - Tomorrow, we will be what we are now, plus what and how we have faced life’s challenges today. This is the Law of Cosmic Justice.
February 2012 - Religion is to become not a mere practice, but a faithful and constant atmosphere around our head and heart.
April 2012 - Our present work may be great or small. Yet the important thing is to do it well.
May 2012 - On the spiritual path, there may be lots of ups and downs, but never a fall.
August 2012 - Effectiveness of Japa to a large extent depends upon the spirit of surrender with which the seeker is practising it.
September 2012 - Contentment in anything that reaches him accidentally, unasked and unexpected should be the motto of all serious seekers of inward growth.
November 2012 - Watch in others for weaknesses which you should guard against in yourselves.
December 2012 - Every sunrise is a message from God and every sunset is His signature.
Chintana - 2011
January 2011 - We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them.
February 2011 - The action of today becomes the destiny of tomorrow.
March 2011 - Beating one’s own drum is worldly outlook. Beating oneself into shape is spiritual effort.
April 2011 - Success is not in the trophy won but in the race run.
May 2011 - Your life will be blessed if you need nothing until you have it.
June 2011 - ‘Renounce the ego’ is the Lord’s only request; ‘I’ll make you a God’ is the promise.
July 2011 - In introspection, the mind itself is the subject of study.
August 2011 - To restrain the vagrant mind and channel its enormous potential towards a given goal constitutes yoga.
September 2011 - Those who know, do not say. Those who say, do not know. The wise are therefore silent. The clever speak, the stupid argue.
October 2011 - A man who wants to do something will find a way; a man who doesn’t, will find an excuse.
November 2011 - Let us develop a sense of gratitude to the Lord by focusing our attention on what we have.
Chintana - 2010
January 2010 - The situation can hurt us only when the mind is weak.
February 2010 - The really poor man is not the one who lacks money, but who lacks the joy of the heart.
March 2010 - When Ram gives pain, Ram again gives us the power to suffer and provides people to look after us. Never worry.
April 2010 - “Desire to possess” when directed towards Narayana becomes the “burning spiritual anxiety of devotion for the Lord.”
June 2010 - “To dissipate our energies through the sense organs is the vulgar hobby of the thoughtless mortal.”
July 2010 - Thought by thought and action by action, we are sculpting our future.
August 2010 - He who believes that change is antecedent to rise will never give way to despair.
September 2010 - I leave all care with Him, seated in my heart, Whose love for me is endless and true.
October 2010 - Love creates and lust destroys peace in the heart of a man.
November 2010 - The impossible is achieved through the process of self-perfection called meditation.
December 2010 - The man who is not proud of his motherland and who is not true to his customary duties must be regarded as a base ungrateful fellow
Chintana - 2009
January 2009 -The day we rediscovered ourselves to be really something higher than our own ego, it is the beginning of a new era.
February 2009 - Lift yourself by yourself; nobody else can do it for you.
March 2009 - The attitude of egolessness is the secret of unveiling the nobler and the dynamic in us.
April 2009 - The suffering of each depends, not upon the factual happenings, but upon the texture of each one’s mind.
June 2009 - None gets bound by one’s possessions; it is the mental slavery to our possessions which shackles us.
August 2009 - Without I go only to come down; Within I go only to rise above.
September 2009 - Nothing worth achieving can be achieved without self-effort.
October 2009 - A happier tomorrow is built when we live today a life divine.
November 2009 - Let your hands and legs function but let a part of your mind steadily hold on to the Divine Essence in you.
December 2009 - Service in this world is the greatest prayer. Loving the people around is real devotion.
Chintana - 2008
April 2008 - To weep is folly and to smile is wisdom. Keep Smiling.
July 2008 -The right way of living is only living without hatred.
September 2008 - In life, it has always been observed that to solve a problem is to rise above it.
October 2008 - When I rest, I rust.
November 2008 - Which else shall beautify a home but the flame of a lovely lamp? Which else shall adore the mind but the light of wisdom deep?
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