Swami Satchidananda Quotes

Death can come at any minute, in any way. We do not know what is in store tomorrow, or, whether there is a tomorrow, or even a tonight! But still, we have the golden present. Now we are alive and kicking. What should we do now? Love all, serve all.

The cause of bandha and moksha (bondage and liberation) is our own minds. If we think we are bound, we are bound. If we think we are liberated, we are liberated ... It is only when we transcend the mind that we are free from all these troubles. (117)

Just as a little bird cracks open the shell and flies out, we fly out of this shell, the shell of the body. We call that death, but strictly speaking, death is nothing but a change of form.

Peace comes not from doing, but from undoing; not from getting, but from letting go.

If your heart is beautiful, your face will be beautiful, your life will be beautiful, everything will be beautiful.

The stones of a river start out rough, but with the current continually bumping and polishing them, they end up being beautiful.

Food should be a love offering.

It's a fact. Fear of the disease kills more people than the disease itself. So make the mind strong. After all, what is it that we are afraid of? One day we are going to die. If death comes, say, "Oh, you have come. You are going to take away this garb and get me a new one? Okay, take this and get me a new model." If you only have right understanding, there's no room for fear.

The five points of yama, together with the five points of niyama, remind us of the Ten Commandments of the Christtian and Jewish faiths, as well as of the ten virtues of Buddhism. In fact, there is no religion without these moral or ethical codes. All spiritual life should be based on these things. They are the foundation stones without which we can never build anything lasting. (127)

[O]ur own bodies are changing every second. Yet we take the body to be our Self; and, speaking in terms of it, we say, "I am hungry" or "I am lame"; "I am black" or "I am white." These are all just the conditions of the body. We touch the truth when we say, "My body aches," implying the body belongs to us and that therefore we are not that. (87)

The moment you understand yourself as the true Self, you find such peace and bliss that the impressions of the petty enjoyments you experienced before become as ordinary specks of light in front of the brilliant sun.

Yoga is not only learning to stand on your head but also learning to stand on your feet.

Give up the drop and gain the whole ocean.

As you are, you see everything else.

Don't depend on something that comes from outside. Outside things are never going to make you happy.

We don't exhaust the Bible even after reading it hundreds of times. Each time we read it we see it in a new light. That is the greatness of the holy scriptures. They are that way because they were created by holy prophets who experienced the truth. Each time we read these works we elevate ourselves to see a little more. (81)

When you win and the other fellow loses, what do you see? A losing face. There is great joy in losing and making the other person win and have a happy face. Who will be the happiest person? The one who brings happiness to others.

Our own true nature is Infinite Joy!
Always happy, Always peaceful, Always free.

Any kind of expectation creates a problem. We should accept, but not expect. Whatever comes, accept it. Whatever goes, accept it. The immediate benefit is that your mind is always peaceful.

You are not given the light by anyone - not even by a spiritual teacher. You are that light.

Calming the mind is yoga, not just standing on the head

Every pain has a gain behind it

Begin with little things daily and one day you will be doing things that months back you would have thought impossible.

Devotion gradually progresses to higher levels ... One type goes to God and asks Him to remove his suffering. Another one will ask for money or material things. A third will request liberation or release from his bondage. And the fourth will not ask for anything. He will just enjoy praying and praising his Lord. That is the highest form of prayer. (Beyond Word, 119)

The greatest victory you can win is over your own mind.

Never give up; nothing is done overnight. Anyone who achieved anything in life always did it after many failures. Don't give up hope.

The purification of the mind is very necessary. (72)

When your intelligence is shaken by the conflicting opinions of others don't get upset over it, because you know the truth. Just accept their opinions as mere words. You simply feel, "Yes, that's what they feel. Let them feel that way." It may appear to be conflicting, but you give the freedom to others to think the way they want and say what they want. The enlightened person is not affected by that.

Yoga began with the first person wanting to be healthy and happy all the time.

You are the cause of your own joy or your own misery. You hold that power. You are your own friend and your own enemy.

If we only look within, we will see he Light as if we were seeing our own image in a mirror. (122)

Everything begins in the mind. If you want to see clearly, you need clear vision.

Yoga says instinct is a trace of an old experience that has been repeated many times and the impressions have sunk down to the bottom of the mental lake. Although they go down, they aren't completely erased. Don't think you ever forget anything. All experiences are stored in the chittam; and, when the proper atmosphere is created, they come to the surface again. When we do something several times it forms a habit. Continue with that habit for a long time, and it becomes your character. Continue with that character and eventually, perhaps in another life, it comes up as instinct. (92)

Yoga believes in transforming the individual before transforming the world. Whatever change we want to happen outside should happen within. If you walk in peace and express that peace in your very life, others will see you and learn something.

The light is within. It is already there. Take your time to see it.

We are not going to change the whole world, but we can change ourselves and feel free as birds. We can be serene even in the midst of calamities and, by our serenity, make others more tranquil. Serenity is contagious. If we smile at someone, he or she will smile back. And a smile costs nothing. We should plague everyone with joy. If we are to die in a minute, why not die happily, laughing? (136-137)

Not only does charity begin at home. Everything begins at home, including spirituality.

Temples and churches have become social centers. They have lost their original purpose because the minds of the people are more attracted to worldly things than to prayer. The lips repeat the prayer mechanically like a phonograph record, but the mind wanders to other places. (23-24)

We can be serene even in the midst of calamities and, by our serenity, make others more tranquil.

Let us accept all the different paths as different rivers running toward the same ocean.

[T]he period between four and six in the morning is called the Brahmamuhurta, the Brahmic time, or divine period, and is a very sacred time to meditate. (140)

Anything that you throw comes back. All your actions are echoes.

Ust do, leave it there, if it comes let it come, but don't look for it.

If you are that patient, your mind is more settled, and what you do will be more perfect. If you are unsettled and anxious to get the result, you are already disturbed; nothing done with that disturbed mind will have quality. So, it is not only how long you practice, but with what patience, what earnestness and what quality also.

One truth, many paths.

Truth is the same always. Whoever ponders it will get the same answer. Buddha got it. Patanjali got it. Jesus got it. Mohammed got it. The answer is the same, but the method of working it out may vary this way or that. (115)

There is one Cosmic Essence, all-pervading, all-knowing, all-powerful. This nameless formless essence can be approached by any name, any form, any symbol that suites the taste of the individual. Follow your religion, but try to understand the real purpose behind all of the rituals and traditions, and experience that Oneness.

I feel we don't really need scriptures. The entire life is an open book, a scripture. Read it. Learn while digging a pit or chopping some wood or cooking some food. If you can't learn from your daily activities, how are you going to understand the scriptures? (233)