Question: How does one develop a personality that is not only soft and compassionate, but also hard and tough enough to deal with the world? Answer: There seems to be a contradiction. How can you be soft and compassionate, and yet hard and tough? You can. Because if you are soft and compassionate, you have…
“By the total surrendering to God with devotion, samadhi is attained. (11:45 Yoga Sutras of Patanjali) Very often, I am afraid of using the name “God” alone, for it is very much misunderstood and misinterpreted. The moment you say God, people think that there is somebody sitting in a corner and pulling all the reins…
How do we find the right work—the work that we are meant to do? The first thing to do is to look within. Ask yourself, “What is my natural aptitude, taste, temperament, and capacity?” You don’t have to do anything that does not feel natural. All you have to do is to look back over…
Question: In the Ramayana and Mahabharata, it’s clear that there was killing. The Gita itself takes place on a battlefield. How is this explained and justified in terms of ahimsa? Answer: In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna talks about non‑violence to Arjuna and says, “You should be a good yogi following non‑violence, so get up, go…
Question: Is it possible to develop spiritually while working in a highly competitive and hectic field such as show business? Swami Satchidananda: We call it show business. Why? Do you think that show business is to show somebody else something? No. Show business is to show you something: yourself. It will teach you about the…
The following talk was given by Sri Swamiji at his 61st Jayanthi (birthday) celebration 1974, which was held on December 22, 1974, at the Wilshire-Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles and attended by more than 1300 persons. I want to thank you all for having me. As I always say, every time I come to Los…
Many people ask this question: “Is Yoga a religion?” My answer would be, “No and yes.” How could it be both no and yes? Yoga is not a religion, so in that sense, the answer is no; but it is a synthesis of all the religions, so in that sense, it is yes. That is…
It was May 7, 1966, and Narayana Kiekens, President of Yoga Vedanta introduced Swami Satchidananda with the following words: “Gurudev Sri Swami Sivanandaji has sown in our hearts a little spiritual seed. May your presence, Swamiji, be the sunshine and the shower to make it grow into many beautiful flowers.” Here is an excerpt from…
Everybody has to die one day or another. Nobody can avoid death. That’s where we should know what death means. In death we simply lose our body, that’s all. But the soul is eternal. The real you is never born and never dies. It is only the body that dies. We all should try to…
Yoga is something that you live. If you want to be a Yogi you should be a Yogi always, not just while you are standing on your head. If you are a Yogi only when you stand on your head, then what are you when you walk on your feet? If you are a Yoga…
Work in your livelihood as Karma Yoga—selfless service. Do all work for the joy of doing it. Charge nothing for your labors; accept whatever you are paid. Choose work for someone or something that is worthwhile. Offer your work, your energy to God, the All, everyone. Tell the one who pays you to pay whatever…
Somehow my life has been continuously directed by a Higher Will. I didn’t have any interest in coming to America. I didn’t have any interest in going to Sri Lanka. Somehow, Providence put me in various places. It just pushed me here, there, here, there, one place after the other. As if some unseen hand…