Spiritual Import of Religious Festivals

by Swami Krishnananda

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The necessity which any religious adherent or spiritual seeker would feel for a book of this kind should be obvious. Generally, religion goes by rituals and performances of general routines come by way of tradition, but the mind of man, being what it is, also moves with the routine and does not always feel competent to visualize the vital role that religious observances play as vehicles which embody a deeper significance that may best be described as spiritual.

There is a meaning behind every act or ritual in the religious field, even as there is a hidden purpose behind the implementation of any project or the doing of any work. Rarely are religions seen to awaken themselves to the spirit that they are expected to convey – the living flame which they enshrine and without which they remain forms without content.

Here is a precious gift to everyone who seeks assistance in probing into the philosophical depths and spiritual values behind the injunctions of the religion of man.

Table of Contents:

• Publishers’ Note to the Third Edition
• Preface
• Introduction
• What is Religion?
• Sun - The Eye of the World
• Siva - The Mystic Night
• Rama - The Apotheosis of Human Perfection
• Sankara - The Genius
• Sivananda - The Fire of Sannyasa
• Knowledge As a Means to Freedom
• Veda Vyasa - The paragon of Power and Wisdom
• Sain - A Blend of Righteousness and Godliness
• Sri Krishna - The Purna- Avatara
• Lord Ganesa - The Remover of Obstacles
• Sri Radha - The Divine Mystery
• Gurudev Sivananda - Physician of the Soul
• The Esoteric significance of the Devi-Mahatmya
• The Sport of the Infinite
• Yajna - Quintessence of the Culture of India
• Lord Skanda - The Concentrated Divine Energy
• The Gospel of the Bhagavad-Gita
• Lord Dattatreya - Master par Excellence
• Christ - Consciousness
• The Significance of Ekadasi
• Appendix
  • The Awakening Message
  • The Purpose of Philosophy
  • To Thine own Self Be True
  • Philosopher and Administrator.

About the Author:

Swami Krishnananda was born on the 25th of April, 1922 into a highly religious and orthodox Brahmin family, and was given the name Subbaraya. At an early age, he had become very well versed in the Sanskrit language and its sacred texts. The longing for seclusion pulled him to Rishikesh, where he arrived in the summer of 1944 and met Swami Sivananda, who initiated the young Subbaraya into Sannyasa on the sacred day of Makara Sankranti, the 14th of January, 1946, and gave him the name Swami Krishnananda.

Swami Krishnananda is a highly respected philosophical writer, especially on metaphysics, psychology and sociology. Swamiji's books are known the world over as excellent presentations of answers to the daily questions that arise in the day-to-day confrontations of a human being. Swami Krishnananda was the General Secretary of The Divine Life Society from 1961 until 2001. Swamiji was a direct disciple of His Holiness Swami Sivananda, founder of this Institution. Swamiji attained Mahasamadhi in 2001.