WAY TO RAMA RAJYA by Sri Swami Sivananda

Blessed Immortal Selves!

Out of the fullness of my heart and love for you all, I send a Message Divine to inspire you, to instantly elevate and to transform your life. It will transport you from weakness to tremendous strength, from failure to flaming success, from sorrow to blessedness and joy.

The most sacred Ramayana abounds with innumer­able life-redeeming lessons. But in receiving a message, the receiver eagerly looks for something therein which will throw light upon and guide him in the most pressing problems of the day. He seeks solutions for the crying questions of the moment. And at the present period, the one matter that is terribly agitating all minds and hearts is the wide­spread of Adharma—falsehood and passion, that is rampant everywhere in the world. To know the cause of it and the direct way to quickly remove it, is the thing needed now. And to this end, out of the countless lessons teeming in the Ramayana, I wish to awaken you all to the most important and timely ones for humanity now. All the main ills of the modern world will be removed if these two lessons from the ideal life of Sri Rama are adopted in our lives individually as well as nationally. They are the ideals of Truth and Purity. Let these twin flames of Truth and Purity burn bright upon your broad bosom.

The first of the many 70th anniversary celebrations of Divine Life Society of South Africa scheduled for this year, was hosted by the Westham, Newlands, Stonebridge and Rydalvale Branches of the Society. This well-organised and inspiring event took place on Sunday, 31 March at the A.M. Moolla Spes Nova School Hall in Phoenix. The Society is encouraged by the large attendance at 8am, with the commencement of the Havan. The Mantras that were so articulately recited by our pundits during Havan signified the following: "O resplendent glory, light of the universe, we light this fire to remove darkness from our midst. Thou dwelleth within our hearts, may we burn out all our sins and vices. Bless us O Lord, with kindness and generosity, knowledge and strength, food and wealth, good children and useful animals. O Almighty Lord, in Thy Name we offer all these ingredients into this sacred fire. O Lord, whatever we have received from Thee—food and wealth, happiness and prestige, are not ours—they are thine. Let not our education, strength and wealth, make us arrogant and conceited, for they are all thine." The 108 sacred Names of our Divine Master, Sri Swami Sivananda were recited thereafter. The powerful vibrations that radiated from this ceremony impacted on the large congregation that witnessed this Yagna

The Day of Descent of Divine Grace was celebrated on Friday, 1 March 2009 at Sivanandashram Reservoir Hills. About this auspicious day, Pujya Swamiji wrote: "I myself had the Grace of our Divine Master when an unusual power of his descended in me. It happened on 1st March this year. When the power descended there was a little disturbance in the beginning but within a few days it settled down. Now there is no change in the descent of the power. I could not believe that the Master would grant me such Divine Grace, a Grace that I do not deserve. If devotees saw my attitude some five years ago and my attitude now, they would be quite surprised that such a tremendous change could take place."

Mahasivaratri which means "the great Night of Siva" was observed at all Ashrams and branches of Divine Life Society of S.A on Monday, 4 March 2019. The programme at Sivanandashram, Reservoir Hills comprised messages from our Divine Master, Sri Swami Sivananda, an audio message from Pujya Swami Sahajananda, a DVD by the Master entitled, Wisdom of Sivananda, recorded Bhajans by our Master and Pujya Swamiji, Bhajans & Kirtans by devotees, chanting and offering of bael leaves to the sacred Siva Linga, video & power-point presentations, an audio recording of a play, "Old Drum New Palace" written by Sri Swami Sivananda, dances, readings, sacred Mantras in praise of Lord Siva and classical dances. The programme was further enhanced by the melodious Bhajans and Kirtans, classical dances and musical renditions by the following guest artists: Ketan Parshotam and daughter Jiya, Sri Solly Pillay & Troupe, Sri Manesh Maharaj, Kumari Roanna Moodley, Sri Jay Udith & team and Sivananda Dance Academy. We express our heartfelt gratitude to them for their divine outpourings and professionally executed presentations.
In the reading on the "Glory of Sivaratri" written by our Divine Master, Lord Siva told Parvati, "The hunter was able to enter My abode and ward off death by simple fasting and offering of a few Bilva leaves, however involuntary it might be, because it was the night of Sivaratri. Such is the solemnity and sacredness associated with the night!"

The Sunlit Path maintenance programme that was held on Thursday, 21 February 2019, at the Sivananda Sunlit Path Centre in Chatsworth, was attended by 53 learners from the following schools: Meadowlands Technical High School, Crossmoor Secondary and Woodhurst Secondary. In the welcome address, we informed learners that this programme will not only assist them to overcome drug addiction and other social ills, but will also contribute to academic success and enable them to enjoy a well-balanced life.