Diwali symbolizes the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. The lamps we light signify that that we should cleanse ourselves and remain on the spiritual path. Continue reading
Diwali symbolizes the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. The lamps we light signify that that we should cleanse ourselves and remain on the spiritual path. Continue reading
A charm to hasten the coming of the rains.
(Atharva Veda; Book 4; Hymn XV)
What does Vidya mean? Vidya means correct knowledge in any field of science, learning, philosophy or any factual knowledge that cannot be disputed or refuted. Its root is Vid (Sanskrit) which means to reason upon, knower, finding, knowing, acquiring or understanding. Vidya is also the name of Saraswati. Continue reading
The Bhagwada Gita describes all the Upanishads as cows and the Supreme Lord Krishna as the cow herd boy and the devotee Arjuna as the calf. It is said that cows give milk only when there is affection for the calf. The cow has four udders, two are for the calf and two are for humans. The cow is described as one of the seven mothers of mankind in the Vedas.
The seven mothers are: Continue reading
Boons and blessings.
Ravana had been granted a boon from Lord Brahma that no God or demon could kill him. He thought that he was invincible. He also received a flying chariot and he could change his shape. He did not realize that the boon did not stretch to humans. And he could be killed by a mortal. Continue reading
Prasad, bhet, akshat and daan are different names for giving.
Daan means charity. Any giving by a householder is known as daan.
Prasad means an offering of goodwill. Any giving that happens in a temple, church or ashram is known as prasad. This offering or present carries good wishes for one’s health, happiness, prosperity and peace. Continue reading
The Chandogya Upanishad says that Bhuma is a celebration of the auspicious qualities of the Supreme One. When Bhuman is seen and heard, nothing else is seen or heard. When Bhuman is known, nothing else is known. Swaroopoham refers to realization of truth. Love and bhakti are within us. Pursuit of Bhakti with sincerity and genuineness is essential. Continue reading
The meaning of millennium is a period of great happiness or human perfection. So a millennium father is one who raises children free from fear. I have only taken fear as being free from fear is our oldest prayer as mentioned in the Vedas. Being fearless is the greatest gift our father can gift us. Continue reading
According to the Vedas, when a soul takes birth, it descends through the heavens and the atmosphere before reaching earth. It takes on heavier sheaths of material density. It can only take birth in the physical plane at a time karmically in accord with its nature and destiny. The birth chart represents the seed pattern of its life; how it develops depends upon the environment as well. Continue reading
Advaita Vedanta is the Philosophy of Oneness. It is unconditional non-dualism. It is supposed to be the zenith of all philosophies. Chandra Cohen explains in this short podcast what Advaita is. He gives insights into why everything in this manifested universe is nothing but a manifestation of the One, the Brahman. This Vedanta Podcast is taken from an Interview conducted by Sukadev, founder of Yoga Vidya, and Chandra, during a Vedanta Seminar in Germany at Yoga Vidya Ashram Meinberg.
More talks on Yoga and Vedanta
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS