Earlier, Keshava was talking about the pilgrims coming and of course being concerned about their health when they arrived, because of the Delhi smog, and when they came back the smog was much worse than the day after Diwali, and then you ask yourself has anything changed for them during the pilgrimage? Even though, at the end of the pilgrimage, … Read More
Many Faces of Divine Mother
Nayaswami Jaya During this season of Navaratri and this time of year especially is a good time to be speaking about God in the aspect of Divine Mother. The approach that we take to God can sometimes be as father, it can be as friend, as beloved but I think one of the sweetest ways to approach God is as … Read More
The Nature of Right Action – Humility
In the Bhagavad Gita – Chapter 2, The Nature of Right Action, Verse 60, Krishna says: “O son of Kunti, Arjuna, even the wise man devoted to self-control may sometimes be swept away by the turbulent senses”. This is an important warning that Krishna gives Arjuna here. Note the use of the words, he says “the wise man devoted to … Read More
Lahiri Mahashaya – An Example for the Truth Seeker
Lahiri Mahasaya’s birth is so significant because without his birth and without his life, we would not be here, meditating today. We would not have the Kriya yoga technique. Not only was he so integral in getting Kriya available to many people, but he was also an example of how Kriya yoga is applied in our daily life. He was … Read More
The Inner Kingdom
“The legend of Adam and Eve is allegorical. It describes how the first human beings dissipated their spiritual energy centred in the spine. The spine is the channel through which flows the river of baptism and of spiritual life. The Bhagavad-Gita tells us, the wise speak of an eternal Ashwatha tree with its roots above and its branches below. The … Read More
The Gita is compassionate towards us
The verse we will focus on today is verse 11 of Chapter 12 from “The Essence of the Bhagavad Gita”. However, we will also be looking at some of the preceding verses because they are connected. These verses highlight how kind and compassionate Gita is towards the devotees. All devotees like us are trying our best to find God. Paramahansa … Read More
The Mystery of Avatara, or Divine Incarnation
Avatar – “the descent of God into human form”. In English, avatar literally translates to “descend – coming from above”. God’s intention behind sending an avatar is to fulfill a divine mission. People need help and God wants to help them. So he has to send someone who is already free and who already has the answers. Just as when … Read More
Inner Transformation
Swami Kriyananda once said, “Self-transformation is the first and foremost thing that has to happen…” Many people wonder, “Is it really possible to change ourselves in a fundamental way? No matter what we do, do we eventually revert to where we started, to our old habit patterns—like the dieter who loses weight and then repeatedly gains all of that weight … Read More
A Tale of an Ancient Monastery
Once upon a time there was a remote monastery in the desert. The temple was carved out of the stone. There were a dozen simple monks who spent their days in prayer and meditation. One evening they were having dinner in silence as usual. Suddenly the silence was shattered with a cry of agony from the head monk. His eyes … Read More
Overcoming Harmful Emotions
Emotions are harmful if they keep us from what we really want. Very often jealousy destroys love. Very often fear destroys the ability to succeed. All emotions in a sense are harmful if they upset the mind. Therefore, what we need to understand is that emotions themselves are upset or ruffled feeling. Feeling is the intuitive part of our nature, … Read More