In our last installment, Ramaswamy (Swami Satchidananda’s birth name) realized that the next step in deepening his spiritual practices would be to travel sixty miles from his birthplace of Chettipalayam to the ashram of the family Guru, Sri Sadhu Swamigal, in Palani....
Every year on his birthday, as we gathered to honor Sri Swami Satchidananda, the tables would turn in the most profound way. Rather than our offerings of gratitude and celebration taking center stage, Gurudev would bless us with a birthday message brimming with wisdom...
When asked to reflect upon his life, Swami Satchidananda once said, "It’s hard to summarize a long life in a few words. But I can just say I am fortunate, in a way, to be born in a family of pious parents. They were my first Gurus. They instilled faith in God in my...
A dialogue between Sri Ramana Maharshi and a disciple, as recounted in Maharshi's Gospel: The Teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, 1939. Devotee: How is the Guru found? Maharshi: God, who is immanent manifests, through Grace, according to the devotee’s development. The...
The Cosmic Guru is the only Guru. All the rest is just comic. The real Guru is everywhere. Within, without. The Guru is above all the qualities, at the same time you see every kind of quality there. Sometimes the Guru is all sattvic, sometimes very rajasic, sometimes...
Integral Yoga's beloved Parameshwari Mary Dinsmoor, an early disciple of Swami Satchidananda (Sri Gurudev), passed away on May 29, 2024, from cancer. Born on Oct. 6,1940, she was a true embodiment of love and selfless service and leaves behind a legacy of devotion,...
We all need teachers in life; not everything can be learned from a book. According to Hindu tradition, there are four main teachers: Mata, Pita, Guru, Deva: Mother, Father, Guru and God. The mother is the baby’s first guru; she is everything to the baby: unconditional...
Let us know that in Truth you are the Divine Image, the image of God. Somehow the veil of the ego prevents you from realizing this. Just remove that veil. It is that veil that is the basis for all these mental dramas. It creates all kinds of problems, troubles,...
In this new book, The Guru Within, from Integral Yoga Publications the classical tradition of the Guru-disciple is explored. Additionally, the book discusses another important aspect of this subject: Guru Tattva, the Guru Principle. Throughout history there have...
Let us try to understand that large-hearted person who as it were, at one stroke showered unutterable good fortune on all the seekers. Gurudev [Sri Swami Sivanandaji] was a person on whom honor, homage, tribute, high praise, veneration, respect, etc., were no burden....
Those who have been blessed to call themselves disciples and devotees of His Holiness Sri Gurudev Swami Satchidanandaji know the special grace of having a Satguru. Not only a Satguru, Sri Gurudev is a Tamil Siddhar (Siddha in other regions; realized saint) and what is...
Mahasamadhi (a realized saint’s conscious final exit from the physical body) and thus prepared his disciples brilliantly well in advance. He left the physical body in August 2002 in South India. Here are some of his words in relation to Mahasamadhi—his own and other...
Reciting praises of 108 or even 1000 Holy Names dedicated to God or great sages is a time-honored tradition. Each and every manifestation of Brahman is thus given a series of Holy Names. This garland of 108 Holy Names, compiled and translated by Swami Yogananda...
In this short video "The Inner Guru" from 1998 during Guru Poornima, Swami Satchidananda speaks about the true meaning of "Guru" and also about attuning oneself to the inner Guru. Using examples from his own Guru (Sri Swami Sivananda), the Bhagavad Gita and South...
Guru Poornima is when, during the full moon in July, we celebrate the ancient tradition of guru-sishya (Guru-disciple). Since time immemorial, traditional knowledge and teachings have been passed down from one generation to another through sacred texts and teachings...
Recently, someone was asking me about the connection to the Guru. Words are limited. Whatever “under-standing” I have on this matter comes from the experience of “standing-under” God’s Presence through Sri Gurudev Satchidananda’s loving guidance. Today I am far from...