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Divine Life Society

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Divine Life Society
Formation1936
FounderSwami Sivananda
TypeReligious organisation
Legal statusFoundation
PurposeEducational, Philanthropic, Religious studies, Spirituality
HeadquartersRishikesh, Uttarakhand, India
Location
  • 300 Branches
Area served
Worldwide
Websitewww.dlshq.org

The Divine Life Society (DLS) is a Hindu spiritual organization and an ashram, founded by Swami Sivananda Saraswati in 1936, at Muni Ki Reti, Rishikesh, India.[1] The Society has branches around the world, with its headquarters in Rishikesh.

History

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Sivananda Kutir at Sivananda Ghat, and Sivananda Ashram above, Rishikesh
Interior of the Sivananda Samadhi temple, Muni Ki Reti, Rishikesh
Sivananda Jhula Bridge across the Ganges at Muni Ki Reti, built in 1980s, close to Sivananda's kutir

In 1936, after returning from a pilgrimage, Swami Sivananda stayed in an old hut on the banks of the Ganges in Rishikesh. The King of Tehri Garhwal granted him a plot of land to construct the present day Shivanandashram.[D 1] Chidananda Saraswati served as president of the society from August 1963 to 28 August 2008, while Krishnananda Saraswati served as the General-Secretary of the Society in Rishikesh from 1958 until 2001.[D 2]

Sivananda's disciples have started independent organizations in Mauritius, the United States, Australia, Canada, Malaysia, South Africa, South America, and Europe.[2][3][D 3]

Vegetarianism

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Sivananda insisted on a strict lacto-vegetarian diet for moral and spiritual reasons, arguing that "meat-eating is highly deleterious to health".[4][5][D 4][D 5] Divine Life Society thus advocates a vegetarian diet.[D 5]

Teachings

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Sivananda outlined 20 spiritual instructions for people of any religion:[D 6]

  1. Brahmamuhurtha: Waking up early in the morning during
  2. Asana: Sitting in an appropriate asana for half an hour to three hours
  3. Japa: recitation of a mantra
  4. Dietetic Discipline: Eat sattvic food
  5. Meditation: Have a separate meditation room or area in the home
  6. Svādhyāya: Study religious books from half an hour to an hour daily
  7. Elevate the Mind: Recite shlokas before performing japa
  8. Brahmacharya: preservation of the vital force
  9. Charity
  10. Have Satsang: "association with holy people"
  11. Fast: Fast on Ekadashi or the appropriate days for one's religion
  12. Japa Mala: Keep a rosary and chant at every opportunity
  13. Observe Mouna: Be silent for a couple of hours daily
  14. Discipline of Speech: Speak a little, what is true, and what is sweet
  15. Be content: have mental detachment and share with others
  16. Practice Love: control anger and serve the sick and poor
  17. Be self-reliant
  18. Have self-analysis: understand one's mistakes and try to correct them
  19. Do your duty
  20. Remember God: remember God at all times

The teachings of yoga are explained at length by Swami Sivananda. Yoga is "the process by which the identity of the individual soul and the Supreme Soul is realized by the Yogi."[D 7]

Departments

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  • The headquarters for Divine Life Society is Sivananda Ashram in Uttarakhand.[D 8]
  • Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy trains aspirants in yoga and provides knowledge of Indian culture to develop integrity[D 9]
  • Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy Press prints the cultural and spiritual books as well as the journals and other literature of the Divine Life Society.
  • Sivananda Publication League is the publishing arm of the Divine Life Society.
  • Sivananda Charitable Hospital renders free medical service to the public and conducts periodical medical relief camps freely.[D 10]

See also

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References

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Primary

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This section lists citations to the Divine Life Society for basic facts about itself.

  1. ^ Introduction Archived 26 October 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "His Holiness Sri Swami Krishnananda Saraswati Maharaj". The Divine Life Society.
  3. ^ Swami Shivananda Religion and anthropology: a critical introduction, by Brian Morris. Cambridge University Press, 2006. ISBN 0-521-85241-2. Page 144.
  4. ^ "Meat-Eating". sivanandaonline.org. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Vegetarianism". dlshq.org. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  6. ^ 20 Important Spiritual Instructions. The Divine Life Society. Retrieved 28 May 2023.
  7. ^ "Yoga". The Divine Life Society. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  8. ^ "The Divine Life Society - Member Institutions of Indian Yoga Association". Indian Yoga Association. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  9. ^ "The Divine Life Society". The Divine Life Society. Retrieved 26 March 2023.
  10. ^ "Sivananda Charitable Hospital". www.sivanandaonline.org. Retrieved 26 March 2023.

Secondary

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  1. ^ Miller, David M. (1991). "The Divine Life Society Movement". Religion in modern India. New Delhi: Manohar. pp. 81–112.
  2. ^ Divine Life Society Britannica.com
  3. ^ Divine Life Society Divine enterprise: Gurus and the Hindu Nationalist Movement, by Lise McKean. University of Chicago Press, 1996. ISBN 0-226-56009-0. Pages 164-165.
  4. ^ Rosen, Steven. (2011). Food for the Soul: Vegetarianism and Yoga Traditions. Praeger. p. 22. ISBN 978-0313397035
  5. ^ McGonigle, Andrew; Huy, Matthew. (2022). The Physiology of Yoga. Human Kinetics. p. 169. ISBN 978-1492599838

Further reading

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  • Ananthanarayanan, N. (1970). From man to God-man: the inspiring life-story of Swami Sivananda. Indian Publ. Trading Corp.
  • Fornaro, Robert John (1969). Sivananda and the Divine Life Society: A Paradigm of the "secularism," "puritanism" and "cultural Dissimulation" of a Neo-Hindu Religious Society. Syracuse University.
  • Gyan, Satish Chandra (1979). Swami Sivananda and the Divine Life Society: An Illustration of Revitalization Movement. Temple University (PhD thesis).
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