The Duty of a Spiritualist
It has been said that Bhágavat Dharma stands on four legs. The first leg is Vistára (expansion) and the other legs are Rasa (flow), Sevá (service) and Tadsthiti (establishment in the Supreme Entity). Love for the Great, causing one to move ahead towards Him is the basis of “Vistára”. Suppose…
Service to God Is Devotion
The fundamental idea behind action is expressed in the following sloka: “Karma brahmeti karma bahu kurviita”. The fundamental idea behind knowledge is: “Satyam jiṋánam anantaḿ Brahma.” But the main underlying idea of devotion is: Bhaktirbhagavato sevá bhaktih premasvarúpiniiBhaktiránandarúpa ca bhaktih bhaktasya jiivanam. On the paths of action and knowledge, Parama…
The Science of Action
What is action? Action is the relative change of position or place of an object. When an object is transferred from one place to another, or when an object acquires a new position temporarily or permanently leaving its former position, we call it an action. When an overweight person loses…
Acoustic Roots
Do you know what a saying is? It is a collection of words. And what is a word? A collection of syllables. And what is a syllable? A collection of letters. And what is a letter? A [sound having a] particular wavelength, or a particular acoustic expression. Everything comes out…
On the Nature of Vrittis (Emotions) and Cakras – The Phenomenology of Tantra (Excerpts)
by Vishal 3-Sept-1996 “Vrttis set the mind in motion (hence the name emotion) so as to understand, act, and react to various external and internal cues as it passes along it’s evolutionary journey from animality to humanity and eventually, to divinity. The actional expression of the vrttis unfolds in pairs…
The Ascent of the Mind
Everything in this universe, manifest or unmanifest, abstract or matter, is the playful creation of Prakrti. All entities are the different expressions of the endless dance of Shakti (Supreme Creative Principle) on the vast body of Shiva. Is Puruśa a mute witness in this playful creation of Prakrti? Is it…
Struggle and Progress
The centrifugal movement that starts from the Macrocosmic Nucleus and moves towards crudity is called the process of Saiṋcara. What influence does the centrifugal force of Saiṋcara exert on the microcosmic body and Macrocosmic body? In the process of Saiṋcara (the first half of the Cosmic cycle) the centrifugal force…
The Base of Life
A finite entity requires a base for its existence. The base shall not only preserve its “I” feeling in physical form, but it shall also nourish the same every moment with vital energy for that entity. The subtle entity requires a base in exactly the same manner as a physical…
Why Are People Afraid of Intuitional Practice?
Intuitional practice, sádhaná, is the fundamental duty of everyone. Yet very few people perform this duty. Ordinarily people are afraid of doing sádhaná. It is fear that keeps them from doing intuitional practice. But how far their fear is justified remains to be seen. At the very outset they consider…
What Are the Noble Truths?
The subject of today’s discourse is, “What Are the Noble Truths?” Ánandádhyeva khalvimáni bhútáni jáyanteÁnandena játáni jiivanti ánandaḿ prayantyabhisaḿvishantiiti. This universe has emanated from the Supreme Bliss or Ánandam; it is being maintained in Ánandam, and will finally dissolve in Ánandam. Some people say that this universe is full of…