102 – Family life

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I know some of you will think that I share a great deal about my outside cats. What surprises me and makes me think is their behaviour. I have always had a dachshund and only after his passing after 15 years, we are not keeping any more pets. The dachshunds in my life have been around since I was a child. The sum and substance of this is they were all cat chasers. I love cats also but once our cat passed away after twelve years, the rest behaved like dogs and went for walks. The outcome was they were fearless and imagined that all dogs were their friends and they were killed by stray dogs. So we stopped keeping cats. Moral is if you keep cats and dogs together, keep a cat first and then a dog. Continue reading →

101 – Change the quality of your mind

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Swami Satyanananda Saraswati visited Mount Kailash, when he was still in Tibet. Lake Mansarover is at the foot of the mountain. There was no sign of life there. No chanting, no prayers, just total silence. Since eternity it had been like this. He was the only soul present thereon that day. His pony and his Tibetan guide were with him. He took his bath in the clear, blue freezing water. After his bath, he thought to himself what do I do next. His mind stopped functioning. Continue reading →

100 – To forgive and try to forget

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It is not easy to forgive and forget. Kshama is forgiveness and it is a very important part of our Sadhana. Take a memory of an experience, from the past. You were very hurt, angry and disturbed. Whenever you think about it, you grit your teeth and cry with frustration. How long have you been holding on to it? It is influencing your life. Continue reading →

099 – Do you know your own self

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Do you know your own self as well as you know your own house. You know where everything is in place in your home. You know your bookshelves, what is in your kitchen, in your cupboard. When you lay the table, you take the cutlery out of the drawers, place the plates, etc. There is no confusion in your mind. If you invite someone for a meal, you may take out your grandma’s lace tablecloth and your mother’s silver. Your writing desk, what is in the drawers, your files, your clips, stapler, everything is in place. You know where your cheque books are kept, have an idea how much you have in the bank. You are very familiar with your home. Continue reading →

098 – Why are we intolerant about young people

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Why are we criticizing the young all the time? One of the major factors is that Covid has made us judgemental and irrational. Whenever I meet people, their favorite subject is that the youth are behaving so irresponsibly and carelessly. Our main concern is that they may infect us. We forget our own youth. Continue reading →

096 – Are you a snorer

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Swami Satyananda has a very different view of snorers. We all know people who snore and we can laugh at them, or get mad at them, but they continue to snore unrelentlessly. Once I was travelling in the night train and two compartments away there was a man snoring. He was so loud, we could hear him over the chugging and whistling of the train. My teenage son was with me. We started imitating him, but it had no effect. My son, shouted and said bro please stop. It had no effect. We passed the night sleepless and our neighbor woke up bright eyed. Continue reading →

094 – How to handle distractions

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Distractions are part of our life. We cannot avoid them. Wherever you are, even in the midst of solitude, you will have distractions. I remember once I was sitting in a place which was so silent that the only sound was of my breath. This was at a height of 12,000 feet in a forest. I closed my eyes and then I heard the sound of dew drop. In the silence it was so loud. Of course I was distracted but I was so happy to hear the sound. Continue reading →

093 – In search of yourself

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There are three attitudes that control our actions. These are the three gunas, which are sattwic, rajasic and tamasic. When our mind is changing, it goes through these phases. These three gunas interface in our universe and with us all the time. Our mind in its infancy is tamasic and its ultimate experience is sattwic. Our nature goes through trials and tribulations and these result in the development of the gunas. Continue reading →

092 – How does the Maha Mritunjaya mantra help us

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Young beautiful woman meditating in lotus pose.

The Maha Mritunjaya mantra is a verse from the Rig Veda which is considered to be the most powerful way to gratify the highest power, the Shiva power. What is the meaning of this mantra? It means that we worship the three eyed One (Lord Shiva) who is fragrant and who nourishes all beings. Like the fruit falls off the bondage of the stem, may He liberate us from death, for the sake of immortality. The cucumber is given as an example. We pray to Shiva to grant us liberty from confinement of death just as a cucumber gets plucked very easily from its roots. Continue reading →

090 – Space in my head and heart

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This morning I had an argument with my husband. He was complaining that there was no space in the house. He prefers to practice his sadhana downstairs and I practice upstairs. Our home is full of books and they are everywhere. I responded to his remark by saying that you must have space in your heart and head. Space is relative. You can feel crowded in a mansion and free in a tiny room. Continue reading →

089 – Need of a Guru

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“In 1943, my Guru Swami Sivananda gave me a mantra and told me to practice five malas every day. The practice took me no longer than three minutes in all. I practiced five malas regularly every day and during this period the most important link in my life was formed in those three minutes. Had I renounced my link with the mantra, I would never have achieved what I have today. These five malas saved me so today I can stand firmly as a swami, holding the torch of a spiritual culture.” Swami Satyananda Saraswati.

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088 – Why are we distressed and frustrated in the times of the Corona Virus

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The meaning of Corona is rings of coloured light surrounding the luminous source, usually the moon or the sun. These rings are strikingly coloured. The classic corona consists of a bright aureole, bluish in the center and brownish on the periphery, surrounded by one or more rings of lesser intensity that are bluish on the inside and red on the outside passing through green and sometimes yellow on the way. Usually one ring is visible, but up to three rings have been observed. It is a breathtaking sight. Continue reading →