The human frame will be an empty shell
If the soul within is lonely and unwell.If the soul is clothed in flesh that feels both soft and rough
It is to get a sense of what it means to love.The life lived in love is a gainer full twice over
On earth in joy and then in heaven’s clover.
Quotes from Tirukkural Continue reading
Thou art in the innermost depth of all being
Thou art in the hidden recesses of mind.
Thou art at all levels of every being
At all times thou art the glory I find.
Thou art in all beings that are
Animate and inanimate—thy force in all.
In all that exists there is always thee
In the stone, in the moss, the flower, the tree.
Thou art the source, the creator of all
Thine is the force of life which throbs in our veins.
Thine is the life force which gives us pains
We must suffer, to learn and rise up again.
Thou art the secret, thou art the life
Thou the commandment and ours is the strife.
We learn from our errors to profit by giving
To face up to life and the battles of living.
Thou knowest all, thou knowest rhyme
Thou givest freely in fullness, in time.
Thou art the golden bird that watches me
Till from my earth fetters break free.
And discover that thou art really me
And that I was also thee.
Thou has awakened the sleeper in me
Thou hast uncovered that me that is thee.
Thou art my prana, thou art my life
Thou my deliverer, the end of strife.
Swami Satyananda Saraswati. Yoga Magazine, September 1978.
Aim Hrim Klim
How do I surrender my ego? The most precious pearls of wisdom were given by my Guru Swami Satyananda Saraswati. He shares his experience of when he met Swami Sivananda. He felt his overwhelming influence. Continue reading
Turned into strife.
Water makes up 60% of our bodies. On Earth, it appears as lakes, rivers, seas and oceans and it covers 71% of the earth’s surface. Water also exists in the air as water vapor. Currently 44% of all wastewater returns to earth untreated. This means that all our waste (human, household sewerage, toxic and medical) is released directly into the planet’s ecosystems.
We have forgotten what water means. Continue reading
In the Hindu tradition, the real Guru is regarded as the divine him/herself. A Guru is the only one who dispels the darkness within one, and then leads one to the light which is burning within oneself. S/he guides one spiritually, without being didactic or dictatorial. A guru enables one to become a better human being and accept one’s flaws. A guru is blessed with divine grace. Continue reading
Dear ones, make a list of all your joys. You will be surprised as to how much we have to be happy for.
My greatest joy is that I came to Yoga Vidya 21 years ago and have a second home with people I love and respect. I cannot explain this feeling but I feel like crying when I leave.
I have been writing a daily blog as you my dear ones are aware. It is a troubled time. Cost of living has risen. The weather is unpredictable. In India, we are becoming toast and here we are freezing. There are air, train and bus strikes. We look around and life after Covid has changed for all of us. Continue reading
The practices of Ajapa Japa were given by Swami Satyananda Saraswati in 1963 in Cama Hall, Bombay.
In his talk, he has given six practices for the followers of Yoga. They are simple and easy to follow. What is essential is that the Ajapa Japa sadhana has to be practiced for a month. I have written the sadhana as he gave it and it is simply said by the Guru for all to follow. Continue reading
Ajapa Japa Sadhana as explained by Swami Satyananda Saraswati.
When we chant, we are uttering from the mouth, when we chant from the heart, it is called Ajapa. Ajapa Japa is a complete sadhana and through it one can have direct experience of samadhi. Continue reading
The power of the word lasts forever. It cannot fade away. I read that when we say something hurtful to someone intentionally, it never leaves the ether. Words are made of prana as we utter them by using our prana. They themselves have the energy and power which can heal, help, hurt, harm or hinder, humiliate and humble. Continue reading
The more I live, the more I become convinced everyday that every human being is divine. In no man or woman however vile, does that divinity die… You must know what you are, what your real nature is. You must become conscious of that infinite nature within. Then your divine bondage will burst. – Swami Vivekananda
The main idea in Tantra is having faith in oneself, which according to Tantra is equivalent to having faith in God because neither Tantra nor Vedanta views God as something different from the person. Therefore, if we leave aside the idea of God sitting somewhere up in heaven while we are down here faith in God simply means having faith in ourselves, in what we do and express and achieve to the best of our ability—slowly and slowly developing the creative aspect of our personality. – Swami Satyananda Saraswati
In Satyananda Yoga Asana and Pranayama are the first and second steps. These steps give one an understanding of annamaya kosha, the experience of matter and pranayama kosha, the experience of energy. The balancing of matter and energy is enabled through the practice of asanas and pranayama the third and fourth step, the practice of pratyahara and dharana are taught, in order to make the mind one pointed. Continue reading
What is our understanding of Yoga? Parmahamsa Satyananda Saraswati explains the misconceptions which many have. There are some points of view which are repetitive and are like a stuck record.
To be a practitioner of Yoga. Continue reading
Basant means one who bestows wishes and season of spring. Spring is about new beginnings and transformations. Panchami means the fifth day of the Hindu lunar month in the Hindu calendar marking the beginning of winter’s end and the coming of spring. And in the western calendar it is January—February. Continue reading
“Another name for God is bliss. No ego, no me, no you, no office. Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram.”
Life itself is a yogic sadhana.
Bliss is of two kinds; one is the bliss of worldly pleasures and the other is the bliss of Brahma, Brahmananda, which manifests and awakens from within, or of the self, atmananda. Worldly bliss is the result of external experiences and this bliss which is obtained from worldly objects is perishable and a womb of sorrow. Continue reading