As narrated by Swami Sivananda.
Sri Rama was seated in his court at Ayodhya, after his return from Lanka. He was surrounded by wise and venerable rishis. Deva Rishi Narada, Vishwamitra, Vashishta and many others were present to advise Sri Rama. While discussing spiritual topics, Sage Narada said, “I request all of you to give your opinion on the subject of whether the Lord’s name (Nama) or the Lord himself (Nami) is superior. Continue reading
“At all times, in all conditions, in all places, with all one’s heart, in perfect devotion, let the Lord be worshipped quietly, serenely, and with a composed mind by those who have given up all worries and anxieties”. Bhakti Sutra, (VIII, 2:79) Continue reading
Swami Satya Dharma Saraswati was my first teacher at the Ashram. She was an American who came to the Ashram and never went back. She has written about the divine forms of Devi which were the subject of discussion between, the immortal Narada Muni and Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu spoke about the divine attributes of the Cosmic Mother, and the description is given in the Devi Bhagwatam (Book 1X). Continue reading
Free will. Making no choice and turning it over to ishvara.
Issue of free will: what values are determining your use of
free will? Those values are chosen by the gunas. If tamas
predominates fear will inform your choices. If rajas
predominates desire will inform your choices. The self has
no values. It is value-neutral. Reincarnation view: this
person will transmigrate and will be the same person in the
next incarnation. The person‘s karma is coming along with
them. But: when the body goes this person is never coming
back. The only thing that transcends time are the subtle and
the causal body. The circumstances of the next birth will be
different. You will have a new identity. The person that you
think you are is a conceptual person, no actual person. You
claim that subjective and objective events equal ‚I‘.
Transmigration: What reincarnates is the subtle body
powered by the vasanas. Your parents will be selected by
ishvara according to your vasanas. Non-eternal jiva. Eternal
jiva is consciousness. It is the same ‚I‘ for everyone and it is
eternal. Irrelevance of the personal story and the
experiences of the person when you know your nature. ISense
is an image or a reflection of the I. The reflection is
not the Self. Vedanta is a complete teaching. Since we are
multi faceted people we need to understand the self from
different angles. 360 ° knowledge of the self and the world.
Verse 51: „The essential nature of pure love of God is
beyond description.“ But you can know it. Verse 52: “Trying
to describe the experience of pure love of God is like a
mute trying to describe a particular taste.” Verse 53:
„Occasionally, pure love of God is revealed in a qualified
person.” In great souls you find this kind of love that is
totally different from worldly love. Verse 54: “Pure love of
God is devoid of material qualities and desires, manifests
more and more every moment, is uninterrupted and is
always experienced as one’s innermost consciousness.”
Verse 55 “Having discovered non-dual love, you see only
the self everywhere, hear the self in every word, speak only
of the self and think only of the self.” You can discover love
but you can‘t make it happen. You get rid of your concepts
and discover that you are love. The gunas influence the way
you experience love. Then it is love conditioned by the
gunas. Verse 56 “Secondary devotional service is of three
kinds, according to which of the gunas predominates at any
time or according to the motivation – distress, desire or
knowledge – that brings one to devotion.” Verse 57: “Each
succeeding type of devotee is superior to the preceding
type.” Rajasic devotees are superior to tamasic devotees,
sattvic devotees are superior to rajasic devotees and nondual
devotees are superior to sattvic devotees. You need
rajas to get out of tamas. Tamas means you live in a fantasy
world. In rajas you are driven by ambition. You need sattva
and knowledge to get out of rajas. Self inquiry renders the
gunas non binding, so you can overcome attachment to
sattva.
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Revision of verses 38-43. Vedanta is a method that the teacher
applies to your mind. You are always aware. Elimination of nonessential
factors. Bliss in deep sleep. Do you stop existing when
you go to sleep? Something that you can never dismiss is real.
The scripture is never wrong. The problem is in my
understanding. Consequences of association with negative
people. Verse 44: Association with materialists causes anger,
confusion, forgetfulness, loss of intelligence and total spiritual
calamity. Verse 45: Rising like waves from association with
objects, these bad effects amass into a great ocean of misery.
You get a big samskara. Verse 46: Only those who abandon
material associations, serves the sages and becomes selfless
crosses beyond maya. Verse 47: The one who avoids society,
loves solitude, lets go of the belief that there is security in worldly
situations and transcends the gunas crosses beyond maya. You
don’t want to change your state of mind. Gunas teaching.
Awareness and the creation of the world. Causal and subtle body.
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Swami Chinmayananda. Consciousness and matter. Four types
of devotees: Devoted to god because of suffering. Spiritual
materialism principle and Vedanta. Seeker of god or truth. Nondual
devotee. The lower and the higher self. Krishna, Arjuna and
the cosmic vision. Until you see the beauty in the ugliness you
are not free. Understand what is imperfect is perfect. You are
perfect.
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Short talk on the Bhakti Sutras of Narada, one of the important texts on devotion.
The essence is: All Joy comes from God. Awaken the inner love and knowledge by experiencing God. The Bhakti Sutra helps to reach it.
Click HERE to find Leela Matas seminars on the Yoga Sutras at Yoga Vidya Germany.
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Short talk on the Bhakti Sutra of Narada, one of the important texts on devotion. The essence is: All Joy comes from God. Awaken the inner love and knowledge by experiencing God. The Bhakti Sutra helps to reach it. Leela Mata gives Seminars on the Yoga Sutra at Yoga Vidya Germany.
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Short Podcast on Narada’s Bhakti Sutra. This classiscal text is of of the important texts on devotion, Bhakti . The essence is: All Lasting Joy comes from God. Awaken the inner love by devotion and knowledge by experiencing God. The study of the Bhakti Sutra helps to reach it. This Yoga Podcast is part of an interview of Sukadev with Leela Mata. Leela Mata gives Seminars on the Yoga Sutra at Yoga Vidya Germany.
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