Let me tell you a beautiful story that has been adapted from the writings of Swami Vivekanand. Once upon a time, there was a sannyasi who had been practicing yoga and meditation for many years. As a result, he had developed many yogic powers. Once while he was meditating under a tree, a crow and…
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Namaste, the Indian way of greeting with folded hands, is beautiful and the most respectful and meaningful. In the simplest terms, Namaste comes from the Sanskrit words “Namah,” meaning bow or pray, and “te,” which means “to you.” However, who one is bowing to has a much deeper meaning. Hindus believe in one Supreme Reality, Brahman, the…
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One of the biggest reasons for disharmony on the planet is religion. Never a day goes by without some strife between different religious communities. Religion is supposed to be the pathway to God, but would it still be a religion if it leads to violence and wars? The religions are at loggerheads with each other…
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Narendranath Dutta, born on 12 January 1863 when India was under British rule, took the monastic name Swami Vivekananda after his Guru Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa gave up his mortal body in August 1886. Swami, meaning the Master of himself, is the monastic title after renunciation. Vivek in Sanskrit means the power of discernment. Narendra was…
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You might notice that focusing your mind on something is not always difficult. Do you ever have to put any effort to stay focused watching an exciting movie? No. Focusing the mind on anything that produces sensual pleasure of any kind does not require any effort. It seems to get focused without we giving it…
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Interestingly, the mind can stay focused on a distraction! As long as there is a distraction, the mind can stay focused on the activity that causes that distraction. As long as the activity engenders sensual satisfaction, the mind stays focused on it. Now, you may not find any sensual satisfaction in meditation. To meditate, one…
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Nature has bestowed upon us the abundance of resources that can be used as food and shelter and as cures for ailments that a body might develop. Being connected to Nature diminishes the chances of becoming sick, but getting hurt cannot be ruled out when fighting the battles of life.However, the battles of life sometimes…
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Prāna is associated with the movement of breath, but Prāna is not the breath itself. That is why it is incorrect to think of Prānāyāma just as a breathing exercise. When you breathe, you inhale and exhale. But what makes you breathe? Medical science tells us that the movement of the diaphragm muscle makes the…
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Hindu Dharma is not “Hinduism”, just like Christianity is not Christianism. Hindu Dharma is not a religion either. Hindu Dharma is a way of life. There are no restrictions or rules. The aim of Hindu Dharma is the realization of one’s Self. So the focus is not on just believing something written in a book…
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The word Veda in Sanskrit means knowledge. It is derived from ‘vid,’ which in Sanskrit means to know. The sacred Vedic knowledge is said to have been revealed to the Rishis. There is no human author of the Vedic knowledge. Instead, they transferred this divine knowledge to their disciples and descendants by oral instruction. ‘Veda’…
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