For a limited time, we are granting viewers of Swamiji.tv on-demand streaming access to the Swamiji.tv archive. All videos are copyrighted by the International Sri Deep Madhavananda Ashram Fellowship. We invite you to support our social projects with a donation. With your support, the Fellowship carries out numerous social projects in India. To continue these activities, every donation is deeply appreciated. Please support us here: https://swamiji.tv/support
Don't be jealous
Respect for the sacred is a universal duty.Our spiritual longing seeks merger with the infinite, like a river to the ocean. Yet, our conduct often contradicts this reverence. Many print divine images from any religion on festive cards and cloth. These items are … read more »
The Power of Hatha Yoga and the Journey Within
Haṭha Yoga is the yoga of willpower and inner purification, far beyond mere physical postures.It requires great discipline, with the Haṭha Yogī enduring all difficulties without breaking their rules. This willpower manifests in four forms: the persistent insistence of a child, the unwavering determination of a woman, the absolute decree … read more »
Atma and the Soul
The essence is realizing the non-dual Self, Ātmā Anubhūti.Ātmā is the individual Self, identical to the supreme Paramātmā. Like space is one though occupying different forms, the one Ātmā is within all entities. What is commonly called the soul is individual, a mixture, but … read more »
Live a disciplined life
Yoga begins with discipline, observed in nature's order.Humans have lost this innate discipline through excessive materialism and uncontrolled senses. Collecting possessions becomes a burden, and unrestrained desires destroy human qualities. Running after speed and busyness leads to regret, stress, and a fractured life. … read more »
Karma
The name of the divine liberator is the vessel to cross the ocean of worldly illusion.We reside in a limited pond of ignorance, unaware of the surrounding dangers. Great saints have consumed the cream of divine expression, but the source remains. One must continually feed the cow of the heart with … read more »
Use your Viveka
Karma is action through body, breath, and thought; everything from digestion to thinking is karma.Past life karma is a dormant seed that sprouts into present destiny. Humans possess awareness and intellect to comprehend their actions. The mind's fluctuations, or vṛttis, generate karma and cause suffering, as they are known only … read more »
It's important to follow the principles
Sādhana must be understood and performed correctly, or one follows a blind guide.An elephant, a sensitive creature with profound memory, illustrates the principle that life is dear to all; non-violence is the highest duty. I witnessed this when an elephant stood menacingly near our vehicle, a direct experience … read more »
We are searching for Supreme Bliss
Śiva consciousness is the eternal reality within.This awareness is our true nature, beyond gender and duality found only on earth. The individual soul engages in worldly activities, often without true knowledge of good and bad. A yogī embodies this Śiva consciousness. Some … read more »
Vedic ceremonies can help us
The foundations of a blessed human life are found in ancient Vedic science.Modern living has caused the loss of essential traditions, defined as āhāra (nourishment), vihāra (association), ācāra (behavior), and vicāra (thought). From these, your thoughts arise. You must control the ten senses like horses and purify your … read more »
The fruit of immortality
The grace of dispassion is essential for true spiritual progress.Self-realization fundamentally changes life, often arriving at its end. The body and mind are composed of the five elements and ten indriyas. Karma operates regardless of one's understanding. True renunciation, or vairāgya, requires perfect dispassion without … read more »
Pilgrimage
The essence of pilgrimage is an inner journey, distinct from external trekking.Trekking focuses on gear and terrain, while pilgrimage is about devotion and inner feeling. The physical path is secondary to walking with mantra and spiritual intent. Preparation is not physical training but cultivating presence through sādhānā … read more »
Bhajan evening from Vep
The essence of Bhajan and Sandhyā is the devotional union with the divine.Bhajan means to adore and worship through meditation and song, an address to devotees to sing the Supreme's glory. Sandhyā signifies a merging, the meeting point like dawn, a time for such praise. This gathering is … read more »
Our practice should be successful
Steadfast faith and consistent practice are essential for spiritual progress.Many seekers fail by constantly changing paths when immediate results are not seen. They abandon one master for another, like digging many shallow wells but never reaching water. This searching stems from ambition and impatience, not … read more »
Flowing of prana and consciousness
The body must be kept whole for the free flow of prāṇa.The 72,000 nerves must be clear and undamaged; this state is called akhaṇḍa. Tattoos or wounds break this integrity, creating leaks in energy. A story illustrates that a physical blemish once saved a life by making … read more »
The Heritage of India: A Glimpse into Timeless Wisdom
The heritage of India is a living civilization based on eternal truths.Rakṣā Bandhan is an ancient tradition promoting love and protection, evolving into a festival of universal friendship. Indian civilization endures because its foundational principles are timeless, like the sunrise. The scriptures contain profound knowledge of the … read more »
Ask for the eternal love
The Ātmā is immortal, and the Jīvātmā, the individual soul, shares that immortality but is bound by karma in the cycle of saṃsāra.Our duty is to act with awareness. Every action has a form, and the intellect judges it, but the final choice is ours. True awareness awakens viveka, or discernment, which provides clarity but does not command. … read more »
The Path of Discipline: Kriyā Anuṣṭhāna and the Inner Chariot
The Kriyā Anuṣṭhāna is a profound sādhanā for spiritual development.This practice brings peace, balance, and self-awareness. The complete discipline lasts three months, requiring strict isolation, silence, and a pure diet. Most practitioners undertake a shorter, condensed version. Success demands rigorous physical and mental preparation, including … read more »
Keep your energies pure
This seminar is for purifying energy and retreating the body.Modern life fills us with stress and impure energies from electronics, pollution, and others. We must cleanse these through our practice. Maintain physical space from others to avoid exchanging foreign energies. Use natural materials like kuśa … read more »
Vairagya and Sadhana
Steady practice corrects our inner energy systems.Yogic kriyā repairs our chakras like an engineer fixes a machine. Modern life creates stress and retreats, but true balance comes from shared presence, not escape. The mind is an unseen server governing everything; its proper … read more »
Perfections
This gathering is a gurukul of the heart, a family for spiritual learning.Even divine beings like Rāma and Kṛṣṇa studied in a guru's household. Ancient wisdom contained profound science and sense, but modern mentality has lost this reality, causing suffering. Humans were created with divine abilities, but a … read more »
The mind is a cheater
The inner battle is governed by the polluted antaḥkaraṇa, making bhakti yoga the essential path in Kali Yuga.The antaḥkaraṇa consists of four principles: manas, buddhi, citta, and ahaṁkāra. These are polluted by malā, vikṣepa, and āvaraṇa. The mind is particularly greedy, tempted, restless, and a thief; it is a reflection one cannot correct … read more »
Questions and answers from Vep
Maintain conscious distance to preserve your spiritual energy.Every touch exchanges energy, like a bee transferring pollen between flowers. This exchange can impart impressions or drain vitality. During practice, maintain a space between hands, roughly an arm's length around your body. Sitting on natural … read more »
The mercy of Shiva
Śiva is the eternal, unborn consciousness from which all creation arises and into which it dissolves.He is both the creator and the liberator, not a destroyer but a renewing force. All manifested forms, from a hall to the cosmic cycles of yugas, are temporary. The law is Śiva, while the active … read more »
Memories
Memory is a foundational aspect of life, yet dwelling on the past is a waste of precious time.The past is gone like water that has flowed down a river; you cannot catch it again. Excessive attachment to past memories or to the dead body of a loved one is a sorrow for unreality. … read more »
Science of spirituality
The essence of Śiva, yoga, and satsa g is the path to higher consciousness.Śiva is Svayaṁbhū, the self-manifested source, the primordial sound Oṁ from which the light of life emerges. Physical yoga practices balance body and mind, but are preliminary. True yoga is the divine science of consciousness, requiring … read more »
Shiva has given us the human body
The soul originates from Śiva, the supreme reality beyond all gods and heavens.This world is a field of perpetual conflict between divine and demonic forces, yet even the heavens are transient. The human condition is one of constant change, oscillating between joy and sorrow, driven by endless desires … read more »
Spiritual name is important
The Pañcamukhī Rudrākṣa embodies the mantra Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya.Distribute it for health and balance. Wear it touching the body, ideally at the neck for the thyroid and vocal cords, or let it hang near the heart. Cleanse it with water while chanting the Tryambakam … read more »
Bhakti
Steady practice and satsang are essential for spiritual progress.Neglecting regular practice, even for a day, leads to significant loss. Initial enthusiasm often fades, replaced by distractions like television, which halt spiritual development. Do not blame God or the teacher for a lack of progress; … read more »
Culture gives us the human quality
Culture is the beauty and life of humanity, arising from the foundational education known as saṃskāra.This culture bestows human qualities, spirituality, and awareness. It is expressed through non-violence, peace, harmony, tolerance, and forgiveness. Every creature possesses its own culture, and to be without it is to be lost and unhappy. Culture … read more »
Shiva Tattva
The endless cycle of creation and dissolution guides the soul toward Śiva.Creation, Sṛṣṭi, and dissolution, Vilaya, repeat across Yugas. God incarnates in each age through Yogamāyā. Viṣṇu appears with symbols of blessing and destruction. The cycle cleans the field of existence before Śiva, the Svayambhū, manifests again. … read more »
Eat for living
The essence of prāṇa is living naturally.Modern life has lost this natural way, making us weak and ill. We consume far too much, eating for taste rather than need, while tribal peoples survive on far less with greater vitality. Our artificial foods … read more »
Devas and Asuras
The path of prāṇa leads to the nectar within.Prāṇāyāma consists of inhalation, exhalation, and breath retention. These practices affect the entire being. The story of the churned ocean reveals inner truths. Devas and asuras represent the qualities within us, churned by the mind. The … read more »
Ujjayi Pranayam
A guided practice of Ujjāyī Prāṇāyāma integrates breath, awareness, and movement.Begin with a personal mantra and breath awareness through a specific nostril. Practice the Ujjāyī technique with a focused breath pathway between the navel and the eyebrow center, feeling the cool inhalation and warm exhalation. This … read more »
There is prana in every creature
We continue our deep study of prāṇa, the vital force.Modern yoga is often reduced to mere postures and quick certifications, but true yoga is the ancient science of harmonizing body, mind, and soul. Our training aims to create masters, not just teachers. You learn the … read more »
Vajra Nadi
The Vajranāḍī is the root of immunity and the regulator of prāṇa.Yogic science describes a network of 72,000 nāḍīs through which prāṇa, or life energy, flows. Modern medical science often conflicts with this view, denying the existence of these channels and the central nāḍīs: Iḍā, Pi galā, … read more »
Prana and Kundalini
The Vajranāḍī is the foundational energy channel governing immunity and consciousness.Prāṇa flows through 72,000 nerves, with cosmic energy entering via the Sahasrāra and distributed by the Suṣumnā, Iḍā, and Pi galā. The Vajranāḍī, originating between the big and second toes, is the root stabilizing this entire … read more »
Three levels of the consciousness and prana
The nature of prāṇa and consciousness is explored.Consciousness shifts through waking, deep sleep, and dream states. The precise mechanism and the role of prāṇa in these transitions are subtle. Mastery over the dream state is a path toward samādhi, achieved through specific practices … read more »
Awakening of the consciousness
Consciousness is pure and cannot be manipulated.It manifests in three states. The waking state, jagrata, involves awareness of the external world. A deeper awakening is Self-Realization, where one knows the ātman. The deep sleep state, suṣupti, is essential for rest, yet a … read more »
How prana is functioning
The strength of prāṇa and the law of karma govern our life.Depression arises when awareness falls deep, creating feelings of hopelessness or guilt. The law of karma states you cannot run from problems; suicide does not solve them. One must go through difficulties, surrender, and pray for … read more »
Purify your prana
The nature of prāṇa is difficult to explain.Prāṇa is life, distinct from oxygen. When the soul leaves the body, the prāṇa departs as well; the body is declared dead. These two are very close, perhaps one within the other. Once prāṇa leaves, it … read more »
Pranayam brings you close to your soul
Prāṇāyāma is the spiritual science of life force.Prāṇa is the universal source of life, given freely by the divine to all creatures. True spirituality is equal vision towards all beings, not confined to religion. Humanitarian concepts often discriminate, focusing solely on humans while … read more »
The way Gurudev is teaching
True spiritual knowledge arises from practice and the Guru's grace, not from books or intellect alone.This wisdom flows through an unbroken lineage. The master, like a tree, provides shelter without seeking followers. Many practitioners are lost because they lack a true master or fail to follow instructions. Mere theory is worthless … read more »
Pranayama and spirituality
The science of prāṇa and the practice of Kriyā govern the journey of consciousness.Prāṇa and Apāna are two forces within the body. Their union in the Maṇipūra chakra during sound vibration allows consciousness to ascend. This pure prāṇa flow merges the Iḍā and Pi galā channels into the Suṣumnā, … read more »
Prana is life energy
Prāṇa is the vital force sustaining life beyond apparent death.A young man declared dead after a cobra bite was placed in the Ga gā, yet returned after fourteen years. His prāṇa entered a deep samādhi, halting breath so water could not enter his lungs, preserving … read more »
Chandra Bhedan Pranayam
Prāṇāyāma is a vital science for harmonizing body, mind, and soul.Many practitioners are unfamiliar with yogic terms like prāṇāyāma, mistaking yoga for mere physical exercise. A complete system includes āsanas, breathwork, and meditation for holistic health. Prāṇa is life force, inhaled through the entire body, not … read more »
Go back to Nature
The body is a composite of five elements housing the soul, which finds comfort within it.We fear death because the soul is not eager to leave this vessel. While we may intellectually know we are the eternal Self, we are attached to the physical form. Therefore, care for this body, which … read more »
Kayakalapa
Prāṇa is the vital force in all existence.Everything lives from prāṇa. Water needs prāṇa to flow and not stagnate. A sādhu should be moving, not attached to one place. Yet, it is also said water should stay in one place but be deep, … read more »
Practicing pranayam
Prāṇāyāma is the technique to calm the restless mind and achieve concentration.The vṛttis, or restless thoughts, prevent meditation. You cannot control these thoughts directly. By controlling desires and expectations through prāṇāyāma, the vṛttis are calmed. This practice involves focusing on the breath and the center of the … read more »
Pranayam and peace
Prāṇāyāma leads the practitioner to profound peace and samādhi.It calms the mind's waves, enabling deep concentration. This concentration becomes a steady flame, leading to meditation. In meditation, the knower, knowledge, and object merge into oneness. This process culminates in samādhi, a state of bliss … read more »
Prana in food
Prāṇa is the vital essence sustained through breath and nourishment.Prāṇāyāma regulates this life force. Do not practice breath retention without months of preparatory inhalation and exhalation, as it harms the respiratory system. This exercise fills the body's tissues with prāṇa, whose deficiency causes aging. Physical … read more »