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Shiva Sutra by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

Art of Living Universe presents syn-opsis of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s com-mentary on Shiva Sutra. A kite needs a string in order to fly through the sky.

In a similar way, Shiva Sutras offer threads to uplift our mind.

The Shiva Sutras describe the goal of life as radiating the light of inner joy.

Each sutra is complete, offering us a way to go deeper into our own na-ture, which is joy.

Note: This is just a synopsis of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar’s commentary.

For the complete version of Shiva Sutras, please visit the Art of Living Divine Shop

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hiva Sutra 1:

Chaitanyamatma

Essence: Your consciousness is yourself, from which everything has been created.

If one understands this and wakes up to this consciousness, one can reach the ulti-mate goal.

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hiva Sutra 2: Jnanam Bandha Essence: Limited knowledge creates bondage.

Without obtaining knowledge of the self, of “Who am I?” we go about acquir-ing knowledge of the world, of “What is this?’ and this causes bondage.

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hiva Sutra 3: Yonivargah kalasariram Essence: The whole world is one yoni, one body.

Within that, all different types of bodies have emerged from one consciousness.

This body is a piece of art; created out of the five elements and belongs to the uni-verse.

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hiva Sutra 4: Jnanadhisthanam matrka Essence: Go to the root of knowledge, si-lence. Words are the root cause of misery.

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hiva Sutra 5: Udyamao bhairavah E s s e n c e : “ U d y a m o ” m e a n s e f f o r t ; “bhairava” means he who nourishes and creates fullness.

When you invest 100 per cent of your en-ergy in any action, there is no regret, fear or anxiety.

The mind experiences completeness; turns inward and becomes peaceful.

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hiva Sutra 6: Shakti chakra sandhane vish-vasamharah

Essence: When you direct your atten-tion to the energy centres of the body, the world of worries and thoughts that trou-ble your mind will disappear.

There will be peace.

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hiva Sutra 7: Jagrat svapna susuptabhede tu-ryabhogasambhavah

Essence: The three states of consciousness are the awakened state, the dream state and the state of deep sleep.

Only when one distinguishes between these states , can one experience the fourth state.

It is the state where the mind is awake though the body is resting.

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hiva Sutra 8: Jnanam jagratah

Essence: The knowledge of the exter-nal world is available only in the waking state.

Although the eyes are open and the ears listening, the mind is somewhere else.

Such a state is not the waking state.

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hiva Sutra 9: Svapno vikalpah

Essence: The dream state is when we are not in the present and struggling either with the past or the future.

Dream means vikalpa and it drains the energy of our body.

We need to come out of this and only then we will be happy.

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hiva Sutra 10: Aviveko maya sausuptam

Essence: The state of deep sleep is lack of discrimination and lack of awareness. Sleep is not being aware of the present situation.

In sleep, no learning happens.

Instead, we repeat mistakes over and over again.

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hiva Sutra 11: Tritaya bhokta virshah

Essence: A brave man enjoys the three states of waking, dreaming and sleep with detachment.

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hiva Sutra 12: Vismayo yoga bhumikah

Essence: Wonder is the basis for union.

It is our nature and a sign of life.

Only knowledge that creates wonder in you is real knowledge.

Live life with wonder.

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hiva Sutra 13: Iccha shaktir uma kumari

Essence: The energy of desire never reaches its goal and desire remains a vir-gin.

When you honour desire, those desires that are necessary get fulfilled and those that are unnecessary fall away.

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hiva Sutra 14:

Drisyam shariram

Essence: The body is scenary or whatever is seen, all of that is the body.

Withdraw your focus from the scene, bring it to your vision and look at your body.

Transform your body into the scene.

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hiva Sutra 15: Hridaye chittasanghattad drisy-asvapadarshnam

Essence: Immerse the mind in the heart.

Then you will always feel that what you see belongs to you.

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hiva Sutra 16: Shuddhatattva sandhanadvaa pashushaktih

Essence: When you are absorbed in puri-ty, a sense of belongingness arises in you.

Only when you feel that everything is part of you can there be purity and sa-credness.

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hiva Sutra 17: Svapadam shaktih

Essence: You will find strength when you rest in your Self.

You are strength!

Your essence is strength.

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hiva Sutra 18: Vitarka atmajnanam

Essence: Knowledge of the Self is possible only through vitarka or special logic.

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hiva Sutra 19: Lokananda samadhi sukham

Essence: The happiness of samadhi radi-ates waves of joy to the world.

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hiva Sutra 20: Shakti sandhane sharirotpattih

Essence: A body comes into being by the union of energies.

It is not that either man or woman is su-perior.

Both energies are equal, and only through their union can bodies be created.

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hiva Sutra 21: Bhutasandhana bhutaprithaktva vishvasanghattah

Essence: This world is created by and moves due to the union and separation of five elements – water, fire, air, earth and space.

This world has come from God and it is God.

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hiva Sutra 22: Shuddha v idyodayachchakre shatvasiddhih

Essence: When pure knowledge dawns in you, everything belongs to you.

Look at every situation with pure knowl-edge and see the problems simply fade away.

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hiva Sutra 23: Chittam mantrah

Essence: Mind should become the man-tra.

When the mind becomes quiet again and again, this is called mantra.

There will be no difference between the mind and the mantra.

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hiva Sutra 24: Prayatnah sadhakadah

Essence: A sadhak should put good ef-forts and make these efforts a sadhana. Life itself becomes an effort.

Do any work and get involved in it so much that you do not feel tired, that is sadhana.

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hiva Sutra 25: Gururupayah

Essence: Guru is the means.

Once you accept someone as your Guru, in time you will be able to see the nature of the Guru in yourself.

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hiva Sutra 26: Shariram havih

Essence: The body is pure.

It is an offering in the flames of time and happenings in the world.

Life is an offering.

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hiva Sutra 27: Jnanamannam

Essence: Knowledge is food.

If you have knowledge, your pleasantness and enthusiasm will increase and over-flow.

The more you know, the more your mind will be full of happiness.

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hiva Sutra 28: Vidyam samhare taduttha svap-nadarsanam

Essence: When the knowledge is lost, dreams start.

In dreams you are either in yesterday or tomorrow.

Live in the present and be full of happi-ness.

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hiva Sutra 29:

Atma chittam

Essence: The mind itself is the Self.

The mind is part of the Divine.

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hiva Sutra 30: Kaladinam tattvanam aviveko maya

Essence: When we see a situation in a limited way, the knowledge obtained will also be limited, and we feel, “My life is only this.”

This is called maya.

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hiva Sutra 31: Mohavaranat siddhih

Essence: Perfection happens through a veil of attachment.

Attachment to knowledge brings you to listen to knowledge.

If attachment stays within limits, it will bring success.

But if it exceeds it’s limit, it brings mis-ery.

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hiva Sutra 32: Mohajayadanantabhogat saha-javidya jayah

Essence: With victory over attachment, you find unlimited enjoyment, natural-ness automatically arises in you, and you can succeed in any work without any ef-fort.

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hiva Sutra 33: Jagrad dvitiyakarah

Essence: The waking state is like our left hand.

All the situations that take place in the waking state are not so significant.

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hiva Sutra 34 & 35: Nartaka atma

Essence: The Self is like a dancer or an actor in a play. Rangontaratma Essence: The inner Self, the heart and the mind are the stage.

When you are established in the Self, new feelings and ideas come up and are ex-pressed at each moment.

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hiva Sutra 36: Dhivasat sattvasiddhih

Essence: Through the intellect comes pu-rity and balance.

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hiva Sutra 37: Siddhah svatantrabhavah

Essence: Our sense organs are spectators.

All the happenings in the world is wit-nessed by our senses.

A sage is free from the sway of feelings.

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hiva Sutra 38: Bijavadhanam

Essence: Nurture the seeds of peace, tran-quility, pleasantness and love.

Water them and ensure that they grow.

Do sadhana so that this happens.

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hiva Sutra 39: Asanasthah sukham hride ni-majjati

Essence: Sit down and soak yourself in the happiness that is experienced by your heart.

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hiva Sutra 40: Svamatra nirmananapadayati

Essence: Each one is responsible for rais-ing his own level of consciousness.

To the extent that one is centered and firmly established in the Self, that much he will find happiness in positive situa-tions.

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hiva Sutra 41: Vidyaa vinashe janma vinashah

Essence: When knowledge is permanent, one is established in unshakable truth, the eternal principle, and the mind will not go through restlessness, discontent and sadness again.

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hiva Sutra 42: Kavargadishu mahesvaryadhyah pashumatarah

Essence: The mantras we use for differ-ent purposes have limited strength.

Your actions are limited and the results of those actions are also limited.

Only consciousness has unlimited power. Understand this clearly and rest in your Self.

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hiva Sutra 43: Trishu caturtham tailavadasecy-am

Essence: The experience of the fourth state of consciousness pervades the other three states.

Watching all the experiences, thoughts and emotions as a witness, consciousness crosses over the three states.

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hiva Sutra 44: Magnah svachittena pravishet

Essence: One who is absorbed in his own mind, in his Self, enters into his peaceful nature.

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hiva Sutra 45: Pranasamachare samadarsha-nam

Essence: When you observe the prana, the subtle life-force, you will be equani-mous.

Life longs for equanimity, happiness and peace.

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hiva Sutra 46: Madhyeavaraprasavah

Essence: When you are doing spiritual practices, do not worry if obstacles come up. It is natural that they come.

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hiva Sutra 47: Shariravittirvratam

Essence: Looking at all the happenings in the body with love and care is an obser-vance.

The activities of the body are to be treat-ed with respect and kindness; that is vra-ta.

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hiva Sutra 48: Katha japah

Essence: ‘Ja’ means to be born and ‘pa’ means to care for.

That which is born in the mind, sustains our life and leads to an increase in spiri-tuality is japa.

Each word is spoken with love, like a prayer.

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hiva Sutra 49: Danam atmajnanam

Essence: The best gift is self-knowledge. A person comes out of his misery and up-lifts himself.

An enlightened person self-knowledge is seen in his every action and every gift he gives.

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hiva Sutra 50: Vidya shariram sattam mantrar-ahasyam

Essence: With a mantra, knowledge spreads throughout the body and the con-sciousness.

Everything is born from mantra, the ori-gin or root of creation is sound.

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hiva Sutra 51: Yo vipastho jna hetushcha

Essence: One who is established in the Self understands the origin of knowledge.

All knowledge originates in the conscious-ness, which is inside us.

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hiva Sutra 52:

Svashaktipracayoasya vish-vam

Essence: Everything runs through the power of consciousness.

Al l the act iv i t ies in our l i fe happen through the energy of consciousness.

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hiva Sutra 53: Tat pravrittavapyanirashah san-venribhavat

Essence: Even though an enlightened per-son is involved in action, he is beyond ac-tion and has attained a higher state.

Do not see an enlightened being through his actions, but feel his presence.

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hiva Sutra 54: Sukhadukhah yorbahirmananam

Essence: Look at happiness and misery as though it is happening outside of you.

Remind yourself again and again that they are happening outside your mind.

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hiva Sutra 55: Shivarpanamastu

Essence: Offer everything to Shiva.

Become the embodiment of knowledge; do not look for knowledge somewhere else.

Sit, meditate and see that you are knowl-edge.