In the service of God and humanity
Pujya Swamiji speaks of Thanksgiving & Christmas, Jesus, forgiveness, sacrifice, Chanucha, shopping. A funny and rousing speech! Filmed at Golden Bridge Yoga Center....
Listen to Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji give a beautiful message on the meaning of Diwali while you have His darshan....
Listen to Pujya Swami Chidanand Saraswatiji give a beautiful message on the meaning of Diwali while you have His darshan....
There is a famous story in our scriptures of Eklavya who dreamt of becoming a great archer. He went to the best and most famous Guru of archery, Dronacharya, and humbly begged Dronacharya to teach him archery. However, for various reasons, Dronacharya refused. Unfazed, resolute in his devotion, Eklavya did not despair. Rather, he went deep into the forest for his sadhana of learning to be an archer. There, he created out of clay the image of Dronacharya. Each day, he offered devout, pious prayers and love to this image of his Guru. His faith...
Ram Navami is the birthday of Bhagwan Shri Rama. On this beautiful birthday of Bhagwan Rama, let us ask ourselves the meaning of his birth. What lessons do we learn from the Ramayan, from the glorious example of Bhagwan Rama’s life? Bhagwan Rama exemplified the perfect person; he showed us how to embody the divine on Earth, how to live our lives in accordance with dharma and the divine principles. The story of the Ramayan is a classic, eternal, universal message of dharma versus adharma, of deva versus demon. Ravana was a brahmin;...
The time of Diwali is one of the most festive and beautiful times of the year. Diwali literally means a “Row of Lights.” It is a time filled with light and love; a time when Indians all over the world rejoice. Diwali is celebrated on the thirteenth/fourteenth day in the dark half of Kartik (October – November); it is also known as Krishna Chaturdashi. It is the darkest night of the darkest period, yet it is a celebration of light! Diwali is heralded as the triumph of good over evil. The...
Dear Divine Souls, I hope that — by God’s grace — this finds you and all your loved ones in the best of health and happiness. We are now at the divine and glorious time of celebrating Krishna Janmasthami.This is the celebration of the day that Bhagwan Krishna incarnated in human form upon the Earth. The day is celebrated by worshipping Bhagwan Krishna, fasting and chanting devotional kirtan and bhajans until past midnight. The Gita says that whenever there is darkness in the world, whenever strife and ignorance prevail, the Lord incarnates...
Dear Divine Souls, I hope that — by God’s grace — this finds you and all your loved ones in the best of health and happiness. It is the divine time of year when we celebrate Guru Purnima, the day in which we offer our thanks, love and devotion to the Guru. The Guru Gita says that the Guru is Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Verily, the Guru is the Supreme Brahman itself. But what is a guru in practical terms? While in the West, the term has taken on myriad, frequently derogatory connotations, the...
The festival of Navaratri is a glorious time of the year, filled with joy, celebration, and also with great lessons for our lives. Navaratri means “nine nights.” This festival occurs twice a year, at the change from winter to summer in the Spring, and again at the change from summer to winter in the Autumn. The Autumn festival is celebrated from the first day to the ninth day of the bright half of Ashvina/Aswayuja (September-October), while the Spring Festival is celebrated in Chaitra (April – May). The two Navaratri celebrations are known...
This month we celebrated the sacred day of Buddha Purnima. There are so many beautiful lessons to learn from the life of the Buddha. His life is the epitome of enlightenment in action. When he was born, an astrologer told Buddha’s father that his son would either be an emperor or a sanyasi (holy renunciant). The king understood that in order to prevent his son from renouncing the material world in favor of the spiritual world, he would have to keep him sheltered and protected. Thus, Siddharth (the young Buddha) was raised...