“Sri Guru Gita:” Song of Love

This 8th century CE text describes a conversation between the Lord Siva and his wife, the Goddess Parvati, in which she asks him to teach her about the Guru and liberation. Siva answers her by describing the Guru principle, the proper ways of paying homage to the...

Guru Tattva: The Guru Principle

Through venerating our Guru, our lineage and traditions, we are connecting with the principle of Guru-tattva. This is summarized in Śrīgurustotram: akhaṇḍamaṇḍalākāraṁ vyāptaṁ yena carācaram  tatpadaṁ darśitaṁ yena tasmai śrīgurave namaḥ Salutations to that Guru, who...

Setting Aside Selfishness

My spiritual master, Swami Sivananda used to say, “The sannyas (swami/renunciate) ego is the worst kind of ego. You have renounced everything, but you have not renounced the egoism of renunciation itself.” That’s what you see when someone demands: “Do you know who I...

Take Care of Your Heart

The best way to take care of your heart is to not disturb it. Originally, the Creator programmed it to be a beautiful place for physical, spiritual, and emotional growth. But we don’t keep it that way; we disturb it. We don’t have to do anything to make the heart...

Be Love Now

On a beautiful and sunny late morning in Hawaii and a sunny (though perhaps less balmy) late afternoon in Virginia, Integral Yoga Magazine editor Rev. Prem Anjali had the opportunity to interview Ram Dass via Skype. Ram Dass’ latest book, Be Love Now, is the third in...

The Alchemy of Discipleship

Like a single warrior facing a king’s army, the spiritual seeker tries to subdue the army—one’s own ego. Armed with only a monkey mind, unrestrained sense organs, and a body subjected to nature’s control of the physical body, the spiritual warrior is left...