The public wall plaque you see here can be found between Laxman Jhula and Ram Jhula in Rishikesh. It quotes yoga master Swami Sivananda (1887 – 1963).
He respected all religions, saints and sages. Every person - irrespective of their religion or country - was received by Swamiji with the same warmth and love. He advocated: "Mankind is one family. All beings are children of the one Divine. He believed that the fundamental principles of all religions are the same, and all saints teach us and lead us to the same Truth".
He gives the quintessence of all religions in a very simple, apt and appealing manner. He says:
"Serve, love, give, purify, meditate, realise; Be good, do good, be kind, be compassionate; Enquire 'who am I' know the Self and be free. Love all, serve all, serve the Lord in all. Speak the truth, be pure, be humble, Concentrate, meditate, attain Self-realisation. These are the essentials of all religions. Customs, conventions, ceremonies are non-essentials. Do not fight over petty non-essentials."
Swami Sivananda integrated various paths of Yoga and called this 'Yoga of Synthesis'. The terms 'Serve, Love, Meditate, Realise' denote the four main Paths of Yoga, namely Karma Yoga (Yoga of Action), Bhakti Yoga (Yoga of Devotion), Raja Yoga (Yoga of Meditation) and Jnana Yoga (Yoga of Knowledge).
As a practical philosopher, Swamiji instructed everyone – irrespective of his spiritual level - to be good and to do good to others. "Real happiness", he says, "is in making others happy."
Contributing to YOUR HAPPINESS is also one of our objectives here at Lily Yoga Rishikesh. Weather you participate in our Yoga TTC or an Ayurvedic Retreat.
While moderation certainly helps spiritual evolution, you do not have to live like an ascetic. An ashram stay has its place and purpose. And so has a full immersion into yoga practice in a retreat that supports you on every level of your beingness – including an empathic team, nutritious food, ayurvedic treatments to soothen your tensions as well as the actual surroundings of peaceful, lush nature, as available at The Lily Resort...
Check our website for further information on upcoming yoga ttc and retreats @ www.lilyyogarishikesh.com
