Living with Śiva - Himalayan Academy

1002 Pages·2015·81.69 MB·English

by  Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, the year 2000 awardee of the prestigious United
Nations U Thant Peace Award for his two decades of publishing Hinduism Today mag-
azine, guided the spiritual life of millions, teaching them the ancient ways of Sanâtana
Dharma so they would live well in a challenging modern era.
•
How do Hindus deal with spouse and child abuse, addiction and divorce?
•
What is the responsible use of television, computers and the Internet?
•
How do Hindus arrange marriages? How are marriages sustained?
•
Why are daily disciplines so central to human spirituality?
HINDUISM’S CONTEMPORARY CULTURE
Living with Íiva is remarkable in its directness, profoundly useful in its counsel and
unflinching in its assessments of difficult issues that people on the inner path face in Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
this twenty-first century. It is an invaluable asset to any home and family.
Satguru Sivaya
Subramuniyaswami
THE MASTER
.
The Master Course Trilogy
COURSE
 daily lessons based on ancient Vedic laws, disclosing
Yoga/Metaphysics/Religion
] xHSKJOFy497936zv;:&:*:*:; BOOK how to approach family, money, relationships, technology,
Himalayan
food, worship, yoga and karma to live a truly spiritual life
Academy
USA/India ISBN 0-945497-93-8
&
5 REVIEWS COMMENTS 5
the individual reader to live up to it. ¶I warmly con-
Swami Chidananda Saraswati
President of the Divine Life gratulate revered Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
Society, Rishikesh, India for this gift to 21st-century mankind and wish the
All the Hindus of our global book the widest possible circulation that it richly de-
Hindu brotherhood are verily serves. May God bless you. Aum Namah Sivaya.
indebted to Satguru Sivaya Su-
bra muni yas wami for his super Karan Singh, Ph.D.
compendium of Hinduism, so Member of Parliament
(Rajya Sabha), former Indian
carefully compiled, classifi ed, carefully arranged, ed-
Ambassador to the US,
ited and published. Today it can be unhesitatingly
Chancellor of the Banaras
proclaimed that he is a genius of Hinduism. He has
Hindu University and son of
put millions under a deep debt of gratitude by his un- Kashmir’s last Maharaja,
precedented literary work. This marvelous practical New Delhi, India
guidebook is a most comprehensive and almost com- With the publication of Living with Siva, Hinduism’s
plete summary. True, books have been produced to Contemporary Culture, Sri Sivaya Subramuniya-
present to the public knowledge of our religion, but swami has completed a remarkable trilogy which
most of them have been limited in scope. ¶This sec- includes Dancing with Siva and Merging with
ond edition of Living with Siva is a super publication Siva. These three volumes taken together comprise
which will doubtlessly girdle the globe. Once upon a rich and invaluable source of inspiration for Hin-
a time the saying that was current declared, “The dus around the world. Written with great depth of
sun never sets upon the British Empire.” Even so, the thought, clarity of exposition and based upon his
light of Hinduism will never stop shining all over the personal experience, these volumes should fi nd an
world as long as this great book remains in circula- honored place in Hindu homes around the world.
tion. The very praiseworthy feature of this book from In addition, they are a valuable source material for
the Hindu Monastery of Kauai is the interesting way studies in Hinduism and comparative religion and
it has been presented in four parts and in the form will, therefore, be of considerable value for universi-
of 365 lessons for a systematic perusal which makes ties, academic institutions and public libraries around
for easy reading. Satguru Sivaya Subra muni ya swami the world. I warmly commend this book to all seekers,
has broken new ground and become a pioneer in the students and sadhakas around the world.
fi eld of religious and socio-cultural literature, even as
Sir Edmund Hillary and the renowned Sherpa Tensing Swami Asimatmananda
Norkay in the fi eld of mountaineering and scaling of for Srimat Swami
Ranga nathanandaji,
unscaled peaks. Nevertheless, inspite of the greatness
President of the Belur
of this achievement, it is inspiring to note his great
Ramakrishna Math and Mission,
humility as a chela, or disciple, of his worshipful guru,
West Bengal, India
Satguru His Holiness Sri Siva Yogaswami of Jaff na, Sri
Lanka, who was a living guru even till the year 1963
when he attained mahasamadhi. ¶What greatly en- Maharaj found the praise of Siva presented in the
hances the value of Living with Siva is that its pages book very inspiring. He himself has been a devotee of
do not merely constitute a learned dissertation upon Siva from his boyhood days when he regularly used
a subject, but rather they address themselves to the to visit the beautiful cave temple of Siva in the village
reader, i.e. the devout religious minded Hindu indi- of his birth. Maharaj hopes that Living with Siva will
vidual living his life in the framework of Hindu society inspire many people in their devotion to Siva. Maha-
as well as human society as a whole and carrying on raj conveys his love to Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyas-
his daily duties and activities as a brahmachari, or a wamiji as also to all other mathavasis of the Hindu
grihastha, or a retired vanaprasthi, or as a monas- Monastery at Kauai. He remembers his meeting with
tic sannyasin even, in the true spirit of Saivism and Satguru Yogaswami, whom he had visited along with
of Hinduism. The ideals of all four of these stages, or the late Swami Prematmanandaji, the then Head of
ashrams, just mentioned are brought and presented the Ramakrishna Mission, Colombo, during one of his
in a nice manner so as to constitute a guideline for visits to Jaff na, many years ago.

ixavaena sah jaIvanama<
rptndhL thH;jy;
Second Edition
Copyright © 2004
Himalayan Academy
Living with Íiva, Hinduism’s Contemporary Culture was fi rst published by
Himalayan Academy in 1991. All rights are reserved. Th is book may be
used to share the Hindu Dharma with others on the spiritual path, but
reproduced only with the prior written consent of the publisher. De signed,
typeset and illustrated by the sannyâsin swâmîs of the Saiva Siddhanta
Yoga Order and published by Hima la y an Academy, 107 Kaholalele Road,
Kapaa, Hawaii 96746‒9304 USA. www.Gurudeva.org
Published by
Himalayan Academy
India • USA
printed in malaysia by sampoorna printers sdn bhd
by arrangement with uma publications
Library of Congress Control Number 2001-131929
isbn-13: 978-0-945497-98-1 (hardcover) 978-0-945497-93-6 (softcover)
isbn-10: 0-945497-98-9 0-945497-93-8
ISBN-13: 978-0-945497-19-6 (softcover 3 volume set)
ISBN-10: 0-945497-19-9
Art Descriptions
Cover Art: Artist S. Rajam depicts life in a South Indian riverside village. Under Lord Íiva’s
blessed gaze, children play near a tulsi tree shrine, a cowherd brings his animals from the forest,
women draw water at the well, and families carry on their household duties.
Ga∫eßa Dancing: Famed Indian artist Indra Sharma paints a gleefully dancing and somewhat
portly Lord Ga∫eßa to bless the book’s opening, mimicking in earthy tones the stone carving
style of images found on temple walls throughout India.
Half Title Page: S. Rajam takes us inside a shrine room where husband and wife are worship-
ing a crystal Íivaliˆga. He passes the fl ame and will soon set the Liˆga on a metal base, as she
prepares to bathe Íiva with fresh water. Both have Íiva alive in their hearts.
Hinduism’s
Contemporary Culture
ixavaena sah jaIvanama<
ihnduDama* samak[alaIna sa\sk&[ita
rptndhL thH;jy;
,e;J rkaj;jpd; jw;fhy fyhr;rhuk;
Satguru Sivaya
Subramuniyaswami

AUTHOR’S DEDICATION v
Dedication
Samarpa∫am
samapa*Nama<
URSTING FORTH ON THE POWER OF DIVINE INSPI-
RATION, LIVING WITH ÍIVA WAS WRITTEN FOR THE
BENE FIT OF THE HIGHEST ATTAINMENT, PARAÍIVA,
FOR ALL OF ÍIVA’S FOLLOWERS. WE DEDICATE THIS
PROCLAMATION OF CULTURE TO SATGURU SIVA YO-
ga swami (1872-1964) and to all who pre ceded him in the holy Kailâsa
Paramparâ. We have received the blessings and authorization from Lord
Ga∫eßa to proceed at a very special time in a very special way. We have
received the power, the lightning flash, from Lord Murugan and His per-
mission to proceed. May all souls live in the Grace of our Supreme God
Íiva—creator, preserver and de stroyer of all that is good, bad, confused
and indifferent, the source of grace, the author of dharma, the giver of
all good things, the light and love of the world—who has always, does
always, will always spread His goodness and glory everywhere. The spirit
of Living with Íiva was succinctly conveyed 2,200 years ago by weaver
saint Tiruvalluvar in the following verses from his famed ethical scripture,
the Tirukural:
Attach yourself to Him who is free from all attachments. Bind your-
self to that bond so that all other bonds may be broken (350).
It is said that all good things are natural to those who know their
duty and walk the path of perfect goodness (981).
Love, modesty, propriety, kindly look and truthfulness—these are the
five pillars on which perfect goodness rests (983).
Indra Sharma captures the powerful grace of Satguru Siva Yogaswami of Jaffna, Sri Lanka
(1872-1964). He is proudly bearing the three lines of holy ash that every Íaivite honors and a
simple, hand-woven cloth which he always wore.

TABLE OF CONTENTS vii
Contents
Vishayasûchî
ivaSayasaUcaI
Dedication—Samarpa∫am .................................. v
Author’s Introduction—Granthakâra Bhumikâ ............xiii
The Master Course—Pradhâna Pâ†hyakrama˙ ............. xix
Hindu Family Life—Hindu G®ihastha Dharma˙ .......... xxv
For World Peace, Stop the War in the Home ......... xxxix
PART ONE: DANCING JOYOUSLY
chapter ................................................................... page
1 See God Everywhere ......................................... 3
2 Noninjury and Truthfulness ................................ 17
3 Nonstealing and Other Virtues .............................29
4 Compassion, Honesty and Diet .............................43
5 Purity and Remorse ........................................ 55
6 Contentment and Giving ...................................69
7 Faith and Worship .......................................... 81
8 Scriptural Study and Cognition ............................95
9 Vows, Incantation and Austerity ...........................109
10 Celibacy and Fidelity ...................................... 121
11 Physical, Mental, Emotional Foods ........................ 133
12 Chemical Chaos ........................................... 145
13 Discipline for Self-Transformation ........................ 157
14 The Meditator ............................................. 171
15 Obstacles to Meditation ................................... 183
16 Harnessing Willpower ..................................... 195
17 Life Is Meant to Be Lived Joyously ........................ 207
18 The Power of Penance ..................................... 221
PART TWO: LIVING DHARMICALLY
19 The Hand that Rocks the Cradle Rules the World ..........239
20 Her Power, Her Domain ................................... 251
21 Marriage and Family Life ..................................263
22 Family Togetherness .......................................275
23 The Wisdom of Early Marriage ........................... 289