VedantaWorks recently released their third podcast series: The Raja Yoga classes of Swami Vivekananda. VedantaWorks is dedicated to the teachings of Vedanta, the basic philosophy of Hinduism as expressed through Swami Vivekananda. Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902) was an...
A questioner asks: Swamiji, what about Gurus like Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa? We read that he touched his disciple Swami Vivekananda and Vivekananda had a spiritual experience. Was Vivekananda just opening up something from within himself or did Sri Ramakrishna...
From its opening in 1893, the Parliament of the World's Religions has been recognized as the birth of formal interreligious dialogue worldwide. During this Parliament, Swami Vivekananda addressed 5,000 assembled delegates, greeting them with the words, “Sisters and...
Question: Can you please talk a little bit about chanting, the path of Bhakti Yoga, and developing oneness with God. Swami Satchidananda: Bhakti means heart. That’s what God wants. Being in the head alone is egoistic; the head is a hard nut to crack. Chanting...
There is a pretty Indian fable to the effect that if it rains when the star Svati is in the ascendant, and a drop of rain falls into an oyster, that drop becomes a pearl. The oysters know this, so they come to the surface when that star shines, and wait to catch the...
Swami Vivekananda gave at talk at the World Parliament of Religion's opening session on September 11, 1893. His participation at the Parliament was considered an historic occasion in the history of Yoga in America. In this famous speech, Swami Vivekananda spoke of his...