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
We are all one
The essence of spiritual practice is connection, which is fundamental for everything to function.Like an equation expanding before simplifying, the spiritual journey begins with a small inner question that grows complex through practice and self-exposure before resolving into a simple answer. The core knowledge from ancient texts like the … read more »
The Living Light of God - Indian Saints
A saint provides light for the path, but disciples must apply the brakes of self-discipline.A wandering saint walked a dark road with a torch. A motorcycle approached rapidly with no light. The saint, wishing to help, shone his torch and offered his battery, shouting warnings. The rider passed and shouted … read more »
He Is Not Far If We Have Inner Connection
On this auspicious Guru constellation, remember the Master.The inner connection determines nearness to the Guru. Openness is key to receiving guidance. The answer needed may not be what is wanted, but trust allows acceptance. Bowing is a practice of flexibility and receiving. One … read more »
YIDL Teacher seminar Strilky 3
Śrī Śa karācārya, embodiment of Lord Śiva, restores dharma and Advaita Vedānta.His parents, childless Brahmins, receive a son from Śiva destined for a short, brilliant life. Born in Kālaḍī, he masters the Vedas by age five. A poor woman blesses him, and his prayer brings golden rain. … read more »
Speaking out about our master
Nāhaṁ Kartā—the attitude of “I am not the doer”—is the most important principle for yoga and daily life.Ego is the greatest danger. Nāhaṁ Kartā serves as a shield. Swamiji expressed gratitude for being chosen as a channel for the divine. His commentary on the Yoga Sūtras discloses personal samadhi experiences. Early 1969 brought … read more »
Find the cause of your problems, Part 1
The discipline of observation is a spiritual and practical guide for self-knowledge.A physiotherapist assesses by asking specific questions to find a cause, often a small, accumulated habit. This method is directly applicable to yoga and spiritual practice. One must observe one's own actions and reactions to learn. … read more »
Yoga breathing
The breath is a bridge between unconscious function and conscious control.It belongs to the autonomic nervous system yet can be willfully directed. Observing the natural breath is the essential foundation. A consciously maintained breathing pattern influences the heartbeat and other autonomic functions, explaining prāṇāyāma's profound effects. … read more »
What Is Love?
Love is a fundamental power, with both conditional human forms and an unconditional divine essence.Love is a positive emotion that, like all emotion, can narrow awareness yet also grants immense strength. We first experience it as essential nourishment in childhood. Human love evolves through relationships with family, friends, and partners, … read more »
Time in Ashram is time for change
The ashram environment accelerates spiritual transformation by removing worldly comforts and escapes.Staying for an extended period, such as five years, is a rare tapasya. One faces constant interactions and friction with others, which serves as a mirror for inner work. This friction generates the heat necessary for … read more »
Children Are The Future Of The Country
Simplicity defines genuine practice.A visit to a school on Children’s Day revealed this through the children’s decorations. The children dressed as deities and farmers, painted, and created ra golī. The ra golī principle uses whatever is found nearby. The … read more »
Are We Open Enough To Listen?
The art of listening is a profound spiritual practice.A common claim is that the younger generation lacks spirituality, being interested only in money. This view fails to listen. Their expression of compassion and care may differ from traditional forms, but the essence remains. We … read more »
Find The Point Of Stillness
The primary purpose of āsana is to cultivate an inner stillness within physical movement.This stillness is accessed by moving through the body's layers from the outer form inward. The practice is defined by the balance of steadiness and ease, being solid yet relaxed, strong yet not tense. This cultivated … read more »
Search for direction
Quality in sādhanā is more important than quantity.A man taught the principle of quality to a nation known for poor manufacturing. He emphasized that creating excellence is more important than profit. The entire industrial culture transformed, achieving tremendous success. This concept resonates with … read more »
We Have Karmic Relations
The law of karma governs all beings through action and consequence.All beings are that Śiva. Dharma must be protected; if it is not protected, it cannot protect you. The soul in a human body is with the creatures, who must go through their past without decision. … read more »
Bharat Is The Holy Land
Bharat is the holy land where divine incarnations and sages manifested.Its soil is sacred, a place of austerity where every village is a tapobhumi and every individual reflects the divine. Self-realization is realized here; all sages hope to incarnate on this soil. Spiritual practice performed here … read more »
Love, Serve, Meditate and Realize
The essence is Śrī Pūjā Dīp Dayālu Dātā, the merciful light guiding realization.Human life is given to serve, meditate, love, and realize. Discriminate against none, not creatures nor nature. The cycle of rebirth in 8.4 million forms is escaped through human qualities. Blessings and guidance at the guru’s … read more »
Festivals remind us to share
The main topic is the spiritual foundation of festivals, culture, and the five debts that guide human life toward liberation.Festivals bring society together and connect to their spiritual background. Culture is the acknowledgment of the person, passed as tradition. All cultures share a single root, Sanatana Dharma, the eternal cosmic law. This law applies to … read more »
This is it. Voices from the Ashram
The ashram is a place of intensive learning and self-discovery where life is both beautiful and demanding.Students engage in a holistic routine of yoga, meditation, study, and selfless service. The environment fosters deep self-inquiry and the facing of inner weaknesses. The presence of saints and the holy land of India provide a … read more »
Mahasamadhi Day of Sri Swami Madhavananda Ji
The Guru is the supreme refuge and the source of all grace.The world and the body do not move with the living being; only consciousness moves. The company of saints purifies the soul and removes all attachments. When the spiritual guide sleeps, the nation sleeps; one must … read more »
Go slowly but continuously
The path to the celestial abode is narrow and demands careful navigation.As long as there is a path, the destination is not reached; upon arrival, the path ends. The Satguru functions as a navigator, providing direction and cautioning against haste. Mahāprabhujī’s teaching states: walk slowly, the streets … read more »
Only Love Can Lead You
Clarity gives life meaning; its absence creates complication and suffering.Human life faces two situations. Ignoring past karmas allows them to torment you later. Awakening these dormant seeds makes life turbulent and hard to master. This turbulence often increases when one begins spiritual practice through prayer, … read more »
The world is full of miracles
The moon's cycles govern the mind and vegetation, illustrating spiritual balance.The mind is restless and greedy, constantly changing like the moon's phases. Do not act according to its whims. Use intellect for discernment. The breath, through prāṇāyāma beginning with the left nostril, connects to this lunar … read more »
Closing Satsang from Diwali seminar
The Guru’s glory and the destiny of a sacred land.The Guru’s eternal principle is the same as the ātmā in all beings, yet the flame burns faintly. The bhajan “Barahu bhāga” celebrates the Guru’s incarnation and the land’s fate. Bhāga means karma become destiny, applying … read more »
Maharishi Valmiki and Swami Tulsidasji
The authors of the Rāmāyaṇa are Maharṣi Vālmīki and Gosvāmī Tulsīdās.Maharṣi Vālmīki composed the original Sanskrit epic and appears within it as a sage who sheltered Sītā and taught her sons. Born a brāhmaṇa, he became a bandit named Ratnākara. Ṛṣi Nārada transformed him by revealing … read more »
Removing obstacles
Spirituality is the path to crystal-clear purity and realization of one's true nature as light.The aim is to become like a clear crystal, revealing the light of knowledge and true nature as existence, consciousness, bliss. The spiritual path resembles climbing a high mountain toward divine consciousness. First, one determines the … read more »
Master and Disciple
The sacred bond between master and disciple is the path from darkness to light.The first gurus are mother and father, forming a complete, confident personality through early responsibility and love. When this foundation is missing, children develop fear and insecurity. The teacher then imparts knowledge, but the relationship differs … read more »
Mahaprabhuji Divine Incarnation
A bhajan reveals the hidden nature of a divine incarnation and the challenge of recognition.The divine light incarnated in human form, a riddle for the mind. Many met him but could not understand. Recognition is not intellectual but a deep heart realization—to see God in the human form. This is … read more »
The Spiritual Significance of Dīvālī and Mahāsamādhi
Dīvālī, the festival of lights, signifies the victory of inner light over ignorance and the celebration of divine incarnation.The darkest night marks the birth of Mahāprabhujī, bringing light to the world. External lamps are lit to honor this, but the real lamp is the soul’s light within. The festival recalls Rāma’s return from exile, … read more »
Find the way to the light
The festival of light reveals the truth of Brahman, the light within all existence.Brahman is truth, and ignorance causes suffering, fear, and negative emotions. Humans struggle with emotions, but pure love leads to supreme bliss. In Kali Yuga, a time of drought and suffering, devotion offers hope. Brahman incarnates … read more »
The Light of Diwali and Joy of Life
Diwali celebrates the eternal light of love, consciousness, and unity.God Rāma incarnated to protect dharma and all creatures. Light signifies love, consciousness, wisdom, and life. This festival marks the victory of light over darkness. God possesses equal love for all beings. Spirituality entails equal respect … read more »
The Light of Diwali: Symbolism, Stories, and Spiritual Significance
Diwali is the festival of light symbolizing the victory of good over evil and the inner light of the soul.The five-day festival represents renewal, clarity, and the Ātman. It begins with Dhan Teras, honoring prosperity and Dhanvantari. The second day, Naraka Caturdaśī, commemorates Satyabhāmā defeating the demon Narakāsura, preserving Dharma. The primary day, Amāvasyā, is … read more »
Diwali satsang from Jadan
Deepavali is the realization of the Brahman Jyoti, the cosmic light that is truth, love, and self-realization.Light leads from darkness to suffering; Brahman itself is the light. All creatures move toward light. Many fires exist: Jñāna Agni (wisdom) guides to Brahman. Krodhāgni (anger) and Kāmāgni (passion) torture and destroy. Jāṭharāgni (hunger) was … read more »
Mudras and Bandhas
The inner fires shape human consciousness and destiny.Perceptions imprint on the mental space, carrying joy or hate throughout the day. Human identity is defined by protective qualities: understanding, forgiveness, love, and mercy. Various fires exist within. Physical fire manifests as flame, volcanic lava, … read more »
Spirituality and Religion
Yoga is the ancient science of body, mind, and consciousness, connecting to spirituality.The universe began from a central point of cosmic consciousness, a vibration of sound called nāda. This sound is life, present in every cell. From this resonance awoke a blue light and energy, the golden embryo … read more »
Swami Gajanand in Bratislava
Prāṇāyāma techniques are categorized into preparatory purification, classical methods, and other practices.Preparatory techniques like Nāḍī Śodhana and the six kriyās, including Kapālbhāti, purify the body for stronger prāṇāyāmas. Classical techniques include Bhastrikā, Ujjāyī, Brahmārī, Śītalī, Siddhakārī, Plāvinī, Mūrchā, and Sūrya Bheda. Nāḍī Śodhana purifies the blood and … read more »
Manipulating the Time is like Jetlag
The eternal wisdom of the Vedas reveals how memory and inner harmony sustain spiritual life.The four Vedas contain all universal knowledge, originally passed orally from master to disciple. In Satya Yuga, memory was strong; by Kali Yuga, memory declined drastically. Dependence on writing and recording devices eroded the natural capacity … read more »
Pranayama Part 2
Prāṇāyāma's spiritual aims are to control the prāṇas, achieve motionlessness of prāṇa and mind, and awaken the Kuṇḍalinī.These are pursued through specific techniques. Prāṇāyāma is often combined with mantra repetition, termed Sagarbha, which greatly increases its effectiveness. Mudrās and Bandhas are typically integrated with these breathing practices to direct energy. The practice of … read more »
Pranayama Part 1
Prāṇāyāma is the conscious regulation of breath, the vital link between the physical body and meditation.It influences autonomous bodily functions through the breath, which is uniquely both automatic and controllable. By establishing a rhythmic breathing pattern, one indirectly affects the heartbeat, nervous system, and other processes, enabling profound effects. Prāṇāyāma's essence … read more »
Lead a Life without Stress
A life without stress is achieved by ceasing to create inner obstacles.The individual self within is a witness to all experience, yet we forget this and create stress through our own thinking and fixed ideas. We fabricate problems from minor issues, like the dentist who created immense … read more »
Yoga teacher seminar with Gajanand
Observing the natural breath is the essential foundation before practicing prāṇāyāma.We must first know how we breathe without interference, as modern life often creates unnatural patterns. Start by lying down and relaxing the entire body. Observe the speed and depth of your breath—whether it is like … read more »
Discipline is the Key to Success
Self-purification through yoga and perception leads to stillness of the seer.Information taken deep into subconscious becomes desire, surfacing for intellect to judge. Perception shapes reality: as one sees, so the world appears. All problems are self-created, like a spider trapped in its own web. Discipline is … read more »
Prana - our life energy
Prāṇa is the universal life force, subtle and omnipresent, which cannot be reduced to mere breath or physical energy.It is the essence of consciousness and divinity, manifesting in all forms. Western science does not comprehend it, as prāṇa is known only through direct experience and practice. It pervades the cosmos, accumulating in objects and … read more »
Meditation - Practice and Theory Part 4
Meditation is the seventh limb of Rāja Yoga, leading to Samādhi.Yoga begins with discipline. Consciousness expands with each thought, drawing from an inner dictionary built by the five senses. These impressions are recorded in the subconscious by the mind, which later brings them to the conscious … read more »
Self-Inquiry Meditation
The path is self-inquiry and human dharma.Life is a journey of the soul through time, experiencing happiness and suffering across many lives. By grace, one obtains the human form. The human is created as a protector, not a destroyer; this duty is … read more »
Meditation - Practice and Theory Part 3.
Meditation reveals what it means to be human.Upon opening eyes in the morning, view a harmonious image. Recognize the human state; then step out of bed with a salutation to Mother Earth. When touching water, feel gratitude for the element. Within every person … read more »
Meditation - Practice and Theory Part 2.
Meditation is the door to the inner self and the key to cosmic oneness, leading to a harmonious life.Active meditation means keeping the divine name in speech while performing one's duties with hands. Dharma is realizing one's relation to the Supreme. The human tools are intellect and heart, with the heart's treasure being mercy. … read more »
Suche nach der Wahrheit
The search for truth and the practice of honesty form the foundation of spiritual life.Truth is a vast concept, varying between individuals and across time. Our path begins with cultivating authenticity in daily life, not with grand spiritual claims. Honesty manifests in keeping one's word, describing events accurately, and expressing … read more »
Meditation - Theory and Practice, Part 1.
Meditation is the path to enlightenment.All great saints achieved enlightenment through meditation. Buddha meditated and saw his past lives, traveling from mineral forms through vegetation and animals to human birth. He saw a future beyond individual existence into pure oneness and … read more »
Human Dharma is Protection
The human journey is for self-realization through dharma, bhakti, and yoga in daily life.The soul is an individual reflection of the cosmic, eternal Ātmā. This soul enters life through forms made of the five elements, cycling through 8.4 million types of creatures. Human life within this cycle is rare … read more »
Remembering Holy Guruji
The Guru's grace is realized through devotion, discipline, and the master's protective presence.A disciple's experience reveals the Guru's nature. Communication with the master transcends language, occurring through bhajans and silent understanding. The Guru fulfills the disciple's sincere wishes, often through divine arrangement. Spiritual practice, or sādhanā, is the … read more »
