In Yoga, a self-giver

 ‘My God-Hunger-Cry’ Prayer for Feb. 12 

 “Believe it or not
I am still a beginner.
But, truly I am,
In Yoga, a self-giver.”

          Sri Chinmoy

This is very a special prayer for me for two reasons. The first reason
is that as I progress spiritually I seem to realize how vast and
eternal the knowledge and consciousness is that we are trying to grow
into. So it always feels as if I am a beginner each day. In that sense
we can humbly say that we have devotion to something so amazingly
beyond this worldly life that we are in a human way just children and
at the same time bound to grow up and reach our final destination.

The second aspect of the prayer is also special as it embodies the
meaning of my spiritual name. `Arpan’ essentially means `self-giving’,
and on a spiritual level that is what I truly try to identify with. Of
course it takes quite a bit of effort and discipline to embody that
truly valuable quality of self-giving on a spiritual level. Not just
giving in a human or material sense, but a surrender of sorts, to the
highest within us. This eventually brings us to Union with the
Highest, which is what Yoga actually means.

I this way I also feel like a beginner. When I see how much Sri
Chinmoy
gives to the world, especially to all his spiritual children
in so many ways that cannot even be described unless experienced on a
personal level, I feel that I still have far too go in order to truly
embody and live up to the self-giving quality of a true Yogi.

Whether we are eternal beginners and novice self-givers, as long as we
are on a path of Truth and Light, longing for the Highest, we are
doing our soul and the rest of the world a great service. That, I
think, is real Yoga.

Self-Givingly,
Arpan