Podcast details
About vairagya
Vairāgya is a profound longing for the divine, akin to a homesick yearning for God.
This longing is a singular, all-consuming desire where nothing else matters. A story illustrates this: a man rescues a calf, and his wife raises it, feeding it tortillas. The ox, later taken far away, becomes deeply homesick for her and those tortillas. It dreams of home and hears her calling. Despite comforts elsewhere, it embarks on a perilous journey home, escaping predators and temporary shelters. The ox perseveres, driven solely by that longing, until it finally returns to her kitchen window. This is like the soul's longing for God. The path is difficult, with temptations as dangerous distractions, but one must not give up. That unwavering desire is vairāgya, and it will ultimately lead to union.
"It was so homesick, so unhappy, that it could not eat; it only wanted to come home."
"Temptations are the cause of distractions. Those temptations are the greatest obstacles."
Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic
This text is transcribed and grammar corrected by AI. If in doubt what was actually said in the recording, use the transcript to double click the desired cue. This will position the recording in most cases just before the sentence is uttered.
The text contains hyperlinks in bold to three authoritative books on yoga, written by humans, to clarify the context of the lecture:
- Yoga in Daily Life - The System
Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda. Ibera Verlag, Vienna, 2000. ISBN 978-3-85052-000-3 - The Hidden Power in Humans - Chakras and Kundalini
Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda. Ibera Verlag, Vienna, 2004. ISBN 978-3-85052-197-0 - Lila Amrit - The Divine Life of Sri Mahaprabhuji
Paramhans Swami Madhavananda. Int. Sri Deep Madhavananda Ashram Fellowship, Vienna, 1998. ISBN 3-85052-104-4
