For return of peace and harmony.
We celebrate Ram Navami after Spring Navratri. Chaitra (Spring) Navratri Pooja grants satisfaction and a joyous life. All the Shakti’s are honored and prayed to. By such prayers one recognizes the Shakti within oneself. One prays for forgiveness for all of one’s sins. Continue reading
Abandon all luxuries, go back to transparent and natural living. In order to enjoy real and lasting happiness lead an uncomplicated life. Immortality can only be attained by realizing the Self through plain living, practice of Yoga, self-control, mental discipline and meditation. Sadhana is the way. One has to reach a realm where there is neither light nor darkness, neither easy nor west, neither gain nor loss, a realm which can never be reached either by the mind or the senses. Sincerity in one’s spiritual sadhana, can enable one to evolve quickly. – Swami Sivananda.
What is spiritual knowledge? Who seeks it? We seek it. Animals are not interested in it and that is why they are animals. There would be no difference between man and animals if one lived only to eat and procreate. We must rise from this level and the pursuit of Yoga is the way. We enter the earth as humans after 84 million births. Continue reading
Simple life is a veritable blessing, because it makes one free from cravings and desires, which cause suffering and pain.
Bhakti is a force that will influence our civilization, culture and relationships.
Empty yourself. Tune your radio. Unite your mind. The rest will take place when the proper time is due.
By Swami Sivananda Saraswati.
To transmute the brutal instinct and to become divine is the goal of life. If you control anger, eradicate selfishness and develop tolerance, compassion, selflessness, generosity, courage, forgiveness, you will become divine. Continue reading
(i carry it in)
i carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart) i am never without it (anywhere i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my darling) i fear
no fate (for you are my fate, my sweet) i want
no world (for beautiful you are my world, my true)
and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows (here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than a soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that’s keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart (i carry it in my heart) – By E. E. Cummings
Eat a little, drink a little,
Talk a little, sleep a little,
Mix a little, move a little,
Serve a little, worship a little.
Do asana a little,
Pranayama a little,
Reflect a little, meditate a little.
Do japa a little, do kirtan a little,
Write a mantra a little,
Have satsang a little. – Swami Sivananda
The infant Rama.
Today is a very special day. It is the Pran Pratishtha ceremony at Ayodhya, the birthplace of Rama. The deity is called Ram Lalla, which means the infant Rama. Pran Pratishtha means the establishment of life force. The ceremony permeates energy into the murti (statue) of Rama Lalla, transforming it into a deity. This bridges the gap between devotees and the object of their adoration and unites the divine with the material. The deity is now invited as a resident guest by invocations of hymns and mantras. And the deity’s eyes are opened for the first time. The deity is blindfolded until the ceremony and then the deity is all seeing. Continue reading
For want of a nail the shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For the want of a horse the rider was lost.
For the want of a rider the battle was lost.
For the want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail. – Anonymous
“For the want of a nail,” is an ancient proverb. The meaning is that something of great importance may depend on an apparently trivial detail. What do we consider important and what do we consider trivial? Continue reading
Swami Satyananda asked God to help him only twice.
In 1963 and in 1989, he asked for help from the Divine. He had been told by Swami Sivananda to spread the message of Yoga and to present it in a logical and effective way. From 1956 to 1963 he travelled all over Asia as a wandering sannyasin. On his travels he found that it was almost impossible to become a Seer. Continue reading
When we think and speak about hygiene, what do we mean? Hygiene is physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and pranic cleansing of the body. This cleansing is possible if we disinfect our thoughts. Our thoughts are the influencers of our health in every aspect. And that is why we must learn the gentle sadhana of Sanyam. Continue reading
Dear ones, many of you must have read this pretty poem. How many of us have tried to be like her, or do we want to be the queen Bee? I am sorry about the gender, but the hard workers are the female bees. All of us can still emulate the attitude, whether we are female, male or trans.
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’ve no water or air,
I am a ball of fire. Don’t come near.
You can’t live here.
Here, it’s no fun,’
So said the hot Sun.- ‘I’ve no water or air,
You can’t stay here.
But for the Sun’s light,
I won’t shine bright.
I’m but stone and mud.’
The Moon cried and said.- ‘I’ve no water or air.
Will your life can bear,
With nothing for sustenance,
My hollow existence?
Stay where you’re,’
Said the planet Jupiter.- ’We’ve no water or air.
What’s there to share?
Nothing but the death,
With no further birth,
The Venus, the Mars and the Saturn.
Said in their turn.- ‘Admission only for Angels,
And not for body, but souls,’
Said the sign board,
Kept aside the road.
The Heaven said, ‘Sorry,’
When I went with my body.- ‘Why do you go elsewhere,
When I’m down here?’
Said my mother earth.
‘To you, I’ve given birth,
With your body and soul,
To enjoy and play your role.’- Yes, Mother, what isn’t there,
For us, on this earth, to share?
Free food, water and air,
Everything looks so fair,
Thank God, for what we have
And grieve not, for what
We don’t have. – Rajaram Ramchandran
Is the loss of mobile phones, and loss of the internet a calamity? How many of us can survive without our phones and the internet. I see myself and I see others around me. I am unashamed to say that I rely on the internet for information and details. The phone is also essential. However, the question is how necessary is the mobile. Continue reading