Table Of ContentRIGHT LIVING
The Teaching of Sri Shivapuri Baba
by Dr. Y B Shrestha
ISTITUTO CINTAMANI
Via S. Giovanni in Fiore, 24 – 00178 Roma Tel. 067180832
www.istitutocintamani.org [email protected]
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WHAT IS IN THIS BOOK
Everybody in this world wants to be happy. But while attempting to be so
he usually suffers. Why? Because he does not know the Art of Living and
the Art of Dying!
What is the Art of Living & the Art of Dying which make him happy?
Swami Govindananda Bharati, otherwise know as the Sri Shivapuri Baba,
tells us the Law of Truth.
This Law of Truth consists of the Right Living with its 3 DISCIPLINES -
Physical, Mental/Moral and Spiritual.
The First Discipline gives him a sound Body and an efficient Intellect. He
becomes healthy and a successful man and becomes fit to enjoy this material
world. He then attains happiness (Sukha). But the drawback in this is that
this happiness is temporary only because when he dies his happiness “dies”
too”!
The Second Discipline makes his Mind stable, steady and tranquil by
freeing him from Anxieties & Worries. As a result he become immune to the
“illegal” Desires (Iccha), Likes (Rag) and Dislikes (Dweshas). This makes
him a strong man so that he becomes capable of commanding & controlling
the whole world by his Psychic or Yogic Powers. Needless to say that he
becomes happy too because he gets great Contentment (Santosh). But this
also is perishable after death.
The Third Discipline, on the contrary, takes him beyond these two and
removes his Ignorance totally and makes him know what is what of
everything and Beyond. He then attains Peace (Shanti), Total Freedom, the
Highest Power and 100% Satisfaction. In other words he attains and
virtually becomes the Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute (Satchidananda)
Itself. In this way he fulfils the purpose of his life. His Father God then
allows him to enter His Kingdom, Heaven (as the Bible says), or His Abode
of No Return (as the Gita says). Nothing is left for him to enjoy or to know
or to achieve for he is Bliss itself, Knowledge itself and Achievement itself
personified!
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RIGHT LIVING
Being the Teachings of
Sri Govindananda Bharati.
Known as the
Sri Shivapuri Baba
Dr. Y. B. Shrestha
3
©
Copyright 2000,
DR YB SHRESTHA
Lajimpat, Kathmandu, Nepal.
P.O. Box - 181
Phone: 412435, 412239
E-mail [email protected]
Second Edition : September 2000 AD
Published by:
Mrs. Shobha Devi Shrestha
Dr. Rabindra Shrestha
Dr. Birendra Shrestha
Mr. Himalayaswor Kumar Thapa
Photo Courtesy:
Sridhar Lal Manandhar
Computer Setting by:
Er. Niran Kumar Manandhar
Pyukha, New Road,
Kathmandu.
Phone: 251091
Printed by:
Narayan Press
Yatkha Tole,
Kathmandu
Phone: 259052
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Dedicated humbly to
The Lotus feet of the
Sri Shivapuri Baba
TWADEEYAM BASTU GOVINDA,
TOBHYAMEBA SAMARPAYEE...
YBS
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Subject Page
Acknowledgements
Preface
Abbreviations
Part: 1
The Right Life As I Understand It
- Dr. YB Shrestha
Part: 2
A. Right Life – An Interpretation
B. From the Divine Heights of Shivapuri
- Thakurlal Manandhar
Part: 3
Interviews
- YB Shrestha
Part: 4
Questions and Answers
Various Devotees
Part: 5
Stray Notes
- YB Shrestha
Part: 6
Satsang or Group Discussions
- YB Shrestha
Appendix
- YB Shrestha
Bibliography
Glossary of Sanskrit Words
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
My humble acknowledgements are due to the following without whose help
and co-operation this labour of love would never have seen the light of the
day. They have helped me in the various stages of preparation to this small
book - from the conception to its birth. They are the following:-
Messers Man Das Tuladhar, Thakurlal Manandhar, Professor Renulal Singh,
Karkat Man Tuladhar, Sita Ram Regmi, Poorna Bahadur Manab, Gore Daai
(RPB Singh), Krishna Prasad Manandhar, Kanchha Daai (Jog Narayan
Dangol), Vijayanandan Joshi, Chayan Bahadur Rajbhandari, Bhabani
Shanker Rajbanshi, Giridharlal Manandhar, Sridharlal Manandhar, Madhav
Prasad Timilsina, Dr. Parameshwar Thakur Gorkha, Govindalal Singh, LN
Bhandari, Himaleswor Kumar Thapa, Satya Narayan Chitrakar, Er. Niran
Kumar Manandhar, my wife Shobha Devi Shrestha and my sons Dr.
Rabindra and Dr. Birendra Shrestha.
This book is available with the author
Dr. Y B Shrestha,
Mailing Address: PO Box No. 181, Lajimpat, Kathmandu, NEPAL.
Phone Nos. 412435, 412239.
E-Mail: [email protected]
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PREFACE
To the First Edition
This small book consists of some collections of the Teachings of a private
,
Teacher, Sri Govindananda Bharati popularly known as the Shivapuri Baba
to the devotees who asked answers to their questions for their guidance. But,
needless to say, these Teachings have their universal value and therefore are
of great use to other people like me who are interested in the search for the
Truth or the Right Life. When some like-minded and close friends came to
know about this document they urged me to publish this in the form of a
small book.
I have divided this book into five parts, .the special feature being the
INTERVIEWS which I took in the course of Satsang, since about 25 years,
,
of some Nepali devotees, who more or less visited the Shivapuri Baba
almost for the same period. I culled these nectars from them as a bee does
from numberless flowers.
I am a humble collector only. These interviews have inspired and helped me
very much. I am however especially grateful to the late Thakurlal
Manandhar, Prof. Renulal Singh and Karkat Man Tuladhar from whom I
learnt a great deal. May their souls remain in peace! To all those living
devotees also who inspired me and so graciously given their valuable time, I
must express my gratefulness. It is entirely their cooperation and patience
which have materialized in the form of this book. I am also grateful to
Giridharlal Manandhar and Govindalal Singh, able sons of Thakurlal
Manandhar and Prof. Renulal Singh respectively, who have kindly given
permission to include the materials concerned with their deceased fathers.
Like a student of Chemistry who uses his Guide Book in his laboratory for
conducting his experiments, so also a student of Right Life, must use this
,
document as a Practical Guide in the laboratory of Life, for the quest of God
or Truth or the Ultimate.
There may be some errors in this book. These will be removed later on if I
come know them. I also humbly request the readers to kindly help me by
their valuable suggestions.
Lastly, my humble felicitations to the holy feet of the Shivapuri Baba.
YBS
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PREFACE
To the Second Edition
WHO (World Health Organisation) has defined Health as “physical, mental
and social well-being of man and not only the mere absence of diseases”.
But, according to the Shivapuri Baba, this definition is not correct because
this fails to consider man’s most important health, i.e., Spiritual Health. He
says further that unless man attains his Total Health, he cannot be free from
all diseases. Therefore he must suffer the agony of sordid existence and its
results again and again.
HOW?
By living the Right Life.
WHAT are those diseases which man must suffer unless he lives the Right
Life,
Well, they are the Three Ills, the so called Tribidha Tapas, viz. Physical
(Adhibhautic), Mental & Phenomenal (Adhidaivic) and Spiritual
(Adhyatmic) Sufferings.
Stated differently, this means that man can very well become physically
healthy, materially prosperous, intellectually dexterous and socially well. He
can therefore become successful in all his works or assignments. Naturally
then he achieves happiness (Sukha). Again, by becoming free from Likes
and Dislikes and unlawful Desires, he can make his mind stable and tranquil
so that no Anxieties and Worries can “touch” him! In this way, he attains
Contentment (Santosh). And finally, he insures himself against Temptations,
Fears and Ignorance (The three powerful attributes of MAYA-God’s
Power): as a result of this, he attains Peace (Shanti) and thus achieves the
Spiritual Health. In this way he comes to know what is what of everything,
the purpose of Life in general and Human Life in particular. When he attains
all these three - Happiness, Contentment and Peace - he said to have attained
the Highest or Holistic Health.
Now, after coming to know this Truth, how can a sincere doctor of
Medicine, whose job is to remove the illnesses, satisfy himself
professionally simply by attending to the physical, mental and social ills of
his clients? If he limits himself in these illnesses only, he may be said to be
merely “scratching the side of the barrel” and therefore not doing his duty
properly! One may argue that it is sufficient for him to know all about them.
But knowing them alone does not mean attaining the Spiritual Health. So
that he is nowhere near the Goal, the Total Health! Therefore he or for that
matter his patients, must find a better doctor than himself, an Enlightened
doctor.
This particular Doctor therefore must be in a position to know all about the
diseases from which man is suffering: he must also have “seen” the Truth,
the Whole Truth, a true “Seer” in the highest sense of the word and
practically a Lighthouse who can show the Right Path to the wayward or
suffering mankind.
However such a person is very rarely found in this world!
As for myself, I am fully convinced that the Shivapuri Baba is such a man or
a Healer.
That was the reason why, I believe, this great man and his Teachings, like a
strong magnet, pulled me, a mere iron piece, towards him with such a great
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force that I became sufficiently motivated to devote enough time - not only
days and months but many years - to learn his “secret!” And, I am glad to
admit that this has proved extremely fruitful for me as well as my patients.
Gradually, a strange truth revealed itself to me: I found myself to be not a
doctor but a patient himself, suffering from the same diseases as my
patients! I then realized the truth of saying, “Physician, heal thyself first!
Know thyself first!”
You may then ask me, “What is so special about SB’s Teachings?
Well, SB Teachings are very simple, straightforward, practicable and
applicable to every person in this world - from the dullest to the most
intelligent—and most important of all, free from the prejudice of colors,
creeds, dogmas, rituals and so on. His Teachings take us straight to the root
of the problem, viz., Life Itself. Contrary to this, other so-called religions,
like so many political parties, deal with the problems of this Life only, or
prune only the “branches of the tree!” so that the “tree” keeps on growing
more and more! Therefore they, at their best, are in à position to offer only
palliative treatment whereas SB gives curative treatment to all of his
patients.
With this fact constantly in my mind therefore, I, like a bee, have tried to
collect the nectar and put in a container in the form of this book. I have
tasted this nectar and found it good, in fact the very best to me, so far! Let
others interested too taste it!
Regarding this publication:
I have revised this Edition thoroughly, removed the errors as far as
practicable and added some details in the INTERVIEWS, included a new
part - SATSANG - and also an APPENDIX. I consider them as parts of the
Applied Truth, which are very important to understand the Principles of
Right Life, the Pure Truth.
Lastly, I thank all my friends and seniors who help me to prepare this book
in so many ways.
YBS
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