In Part 7 of this series, Ramaswamy (Swami Satchidananda’s birth name) had expressed his deepening spiritual yearnings to his parents and they agreed to not pressure him into remarriage. Instead, they gave him time to devote himself to religious study and meditation...
Integral Yoga Media is please to offer the newly mastered audio recording “Swami Satchidananda Teaches the Pūjā Ślokas.” These prayers are used in daily pūjā, a service of devotion. At Chidambaram (the Mahasamadhi Shrine of Sri Swamiji), the pūjā is offered to the...
The goal of Yoga is to realize the Divinity within. This can be explained in different ways. A devotee will say, “I want to know God. I want to commune with God.” The jnani will say, “Tat Tvam Asi. I am That. I want to know this Truth—this Self or Cosmic...
Sri Swami Sivanandaji was a great spiritual giant. India had four great spiritual giants at one time. These saints represent the four different Yogas. Papa Ramdas of South India represented the path of Bhakti Yoga. He was a great devotee of Lord Rama. Papa Ramdas...
Those who are realized beings, who have become enlightened, always must act responsibly. But, their only responsibility is to allow things to happen to them because they realize they are instruments of the Divine. As such, they are no longer creating any new karma....
Sometimes we talk a lot about God, about faith. We say we have faith, but our own life should prove that. If you have complete, absolute faith you will always be happy and joyful—even under severe suffering and severe handicaps. One of the four well-known Saiva saints...
Everything begins with a seed. The ancient scriptures describe this seed, or bija, as sonic in origin. They paint mystical pictures of a primordial sound from which the entire cosmos sprang. They describe planets, stars and galaxies as being magically strung together...
The word “bhakti” means devotion. Bhaktas are devotees whose goal is to attach themselves completely to God, or the Beloved. Our entire nature is based on such love. We are attached to so many things. From early childhood, we learn to cling to someone or...
Our whole experience of life is based on the stories we tell ourselves about what occurs. These stories begin with our mind’s interpretation of what it perceives. Swami Vivekananda describes this like an oyster making a pearl. A parasite gets inside the shell, and...
Sample from the Summer 2008 issue of Integral Yoga Magazine By Catherine Ghosh Ancient sages inform us that breath is the mirror of our ever flowing emotions. It reflects the way we each perceive and process external stimuli, and how we position our consciousness in...
The sincerity in seeking comes only when you know that you have a limited capacity. It's only when you say, “I can't do it anymore, please help me,” that the help comes. You then link yourself with an unlimited capacity. Sometimes God acts like a hard-hearted person....