Swami Mukundananda

While we have received innumerable graces of God, this podcast delves deeper into 3 most significant among those and what needs to be done to progress quickly on your spiritual journey. Swamiji graciously explains that we have the human form as the first grace, we have some hunger for God that is the second grace and some have the guidance of a guru that is the third grace! Hear this lecture to the end on what we need to do to obtain the right benefit out of these immense graces.

This narration from the epic Ramayana is called the 'Kevat Samvad' or the Dialogue between Lord Ram & the Boatman - Kevat. Lord Rama with Sita and Lakshmana, while in exile, once had to cross the river Ganga. He approached a boatman, Kevat, for taking them across the river. Kevat wanted to wash Lord Rama's feet before letting them onto his boat. He said, Lord, I have heard that the dust from your feet embraced a stone in the forest and it became a woman. My boat is made of wood and if the dust of your feet fell on my boat, the boat will turn into a woman too. I am unable to take care of any more members in my house so I am requesting you to let me wash your feet and make it dust free before you step onto the boat. Lord Rama appreciated his pure and innocent faith. After that, Kevat ferried Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana across the river in his boat. Upon reaching the other side, Sita removed her ring and gave it to Lord Rama for paying the boatman for his service. Kewat however refused to be paid for the work and made such an amazing statement which pleased Lord Rama and he blessed Kevat. Boatman Kevat and his intense devotion to Lord Rama. He says, " Lord Rama and I do the same work"??? Listen to this beautiful clip of innocent faith of a devotee in God.

People often think that there is so much bad going around and feel why does God just sit and do nothing about it? People see suffering in this world, and then wonder if there is a God why doesn't he finish the suffering that exists? Pragyan Vaidya an advocate from Ahmadabad, Gujarat asks this question to Swami Mukundananda in this final episode of the question & answer session. Swamiji answers him and says that time and again people come to him and tells him the same. He gives an example of the 2013's flooding of Uttarakhand and says that the natural calamity has shaken many out of their belief on God, many have turned atheist. We can keep a lot of expectations from God. Forget about finishing sufferings, why does not God make one fully knowledgeable? Why does not God release me from the realm of material energy? Why does not he make me a God-realized saint? It's within His ability to do so. Swami Mukundananda asks back, "Are these demands that we put on God actually reasonable? Take God out of the picture for a while and consider the government of the country. We have prisoner, now if a prisoner says that it is within purview of the powers of the government to release me, why is the government not releasing me? The government will say it is within our purview and jurisdiction but the question is you take a look at what you deserve. You are in the prison house because that is what you deserve. Similarly, God's purview and jurisdiction is infinite. But we should look at what we deserve. It is said that the law of God is- you do not get what you desire but you get what your deserve. We are here in this material realm which is ultimately a place of suffering and here because that is what we deserve. Out of our free choice we made a decision that I wish to turn my back towards God and that choice of ours to turn away from God brought us here in the material realm." The world is ultimately a place of suffering. It is being created like the prison house of God. It is for souls who have not chosen God but have chosen to go away from God in our consciousness. For eg; if we go to a hospital and say why there is so much suffering here? Why are people so sick out here, why doesn't the manager do something? The manager will say this hospital is built with the purpose of housing sick and suffering people. Similarly, when we look in this material world where materially conditioned souls reside, it is natural that we find suffering. Do not blame God for it. If you want better, you deserve better. How? By turning around towards God, by becoming God conscious. This world is not God's only abode there are many other Divine abodes. Once a soul becomes God conscious and surrenders to Him, God will take the soul out of this material world and transcend him to His other Divine abodes. Swami Mukundananda who is a foremost disciple of Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharah quotes from The Bhagavad Gita and says that Lord Krishna told Arjun that having gone there once the soul never returns to this place of suffering again that is my (God's) Divine abode. Swamiji further says, "So if we want to see God's creation free from suffering, full of knowledge, full of love, full of bliss; He has His Divine abodes refered as Golok, Saket Lok, Vaikunth Lok, Shiv Lok, Devi Lok, Param Vyom Lok, etc." Swamiji at the end gives a new twist to the suffering and says that the suffering has purpose. What is the purpose of the suffering? Listen to the full answer.

Inspiration is the fuel that empowers our life. It empowers ordinary people to put in their best and become experts in their respective fields. Lack of inspiration transforms geniuses into ordinary people. If we are inspired, the biggest obstacles seem puny. If we are not inspired, the tiniest difficulty seems insurmountable. Listen to this amazing podcast by Swami Mukundananda to understand the sources of inspiration and find that inspiration within you to succeed in your goals!

Patanjali Yoga Sutras Part5 - Swami Mukundananda - You are not the body, you are the Soul. Swamiji quotes Swami Vivekananda “Thou are souls immortal; spirits free, blessed and eternal; Thou are not matter, Thou are not bodies; matter is your servant, not you the servant of matter.” Swamiji further explains we are the immortal soul. When the mind is not pure it is in the illusion and lives in bodily consciousness. When we start thinking I am the body all our computations go wrong. The soul forgets its divine nature and identifies itself with the body. When the mind is pure the soul is perceptible and we will be able to situate ourself on the platform of soul. The science of yog consist of controlling the mind, eliminating the material thoughts the vritti’s or the perturbations of the mind. The vritti’s are five namely, attachment, desire, greed, envy, ego. When the mind is purified of these vritti’s the perturbations of the mind stops. Maharshi Patanjali, one of the six sages who wrote Shad Darshan (the six-philosophical theses,) is a highly regarded Sanskrit scholar with multifaceted dimensions. His Yog Sutras(also known as Yog Darshan) that primarily deals with sadhana or spiritual practices is in the form of sutras. These sutras are “simple yet effective aphorisms that have strung the philosophy,” says Swami Mukundananda ji. The Yog Sutras are not only ancient but also very practical. Modern Psychologists too are discovering its utility in guarding or in regaining mental health. In this preamble to Patanjali Yog Sutras, Swamiji introduces us to one of the primary requisites for spiritual progress, while answering these questions in a lucid manner - Who is Patanjali? What was the purpose of his birth? How did Yog Sutras come about? What are the elements of Yog Sutras?

What is the secret to healthy relationships? How to build lasting relationships? Many of us struggle and fail to understand why relationships seem to lose their charm over time. Listen to this EYE-OPENING podcast on the secret to healthy relationships by Swami Mukundananda. Swamiji has graciously revealed the extremely simple to understand yet profound perspective that has the power to transform the way we look at our relationships.

Unable to deal with the immediate problem at hand, Arjun approached Shree Krishna for a palliative to overcome the anguish he was experiencing. Shree Krishna did not just advise him on his immediate problem but digressed to give a profound discourse on the philosophy of life known as the Bhagavad Gita. Chapter 12 of the Bhagavad Gita emphasizes the super-excellence of the path of loving devotion over all other types of spiritual practices. It begins with Arjun asking Shree Krishna whom he considers more perfect in Yog - those who are devoted to the personal form of God or those who worship the formless Brahman. Shree Krishna further asks Arjun to cultivate devotion through regular effort and also describes the wonderful qualities of God. - Read Bhagavad Gita Commentary by Swamiji in English or Telugu - www.holy-bhagavad-gita.org Like us on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: https://www.facebook.com/Swami.Mukund... https://twitter.com/Sw_Mukundananda https://www.instagram.com/swami_mukun... For Retreats Schedule, visit: https://www.jkyog.org/events/ Join "Daily Sadhana" your step by step guide in spirituality: https://mydailysadhana.org/ Read JKYog Blog at www.jkyog.org/blog Visit JKYog Online Gift Shop: www.jkyog.org/shop #Swami_Mukundananda #JKYog Join Swami Mukundananda Mailing list: https://jkyog.org/subscribe-our-newsletter For People in USA : Text JKYOG to 22828 to get started

If Nothing Seems to Be Going Your Way - LISTEN TO THIS Most Powerful inspirational podcast which will instantly motivate you. Are you too among the hundreds of passionate hard-working individuals who are working day in day out to achieve success in life, to achieve your dream? And yet after years of hard work and sleepless nights nothing seems to going your way in life? And it is seeming like you are still far away from reaching your goal and about to give up on your dream then this audio is a MUST LISTEN for YOU! We are 100% confident this Life-Changing Motivational audio by Swami Mukundananda will instantly inspire! Learn from the examples of many highly successful people in the history on how to handle failures and how to find success in life against all the odds. In this motivational podcast, Swami Mukundananda inspires us by suggesting ways to handle failures. To accomplish something significant, one should be able to tolerate repeated failures and rise above them. Swami Mukundananda gives examples of some of the success stories of this world like the planes invented by Wright Brothers and the telephone invented by Alexander Graham Bell. These endeavors dealt with multiple criticisms and obstacles before becoming a reality. The Bamboo tree grows under the surface of the earth for five years before rising several feet above. So the next time you deal with failures understand that you are not a failure. Keep Learning the lessons and move forward, until you succeed.

Is there such a thing as a Soulmate? | Swami Mukundananda In this podcast, Swami Mukundananda answers a common question regarding relationships - Is there such a thing as a Soulmate? When we think deeply, the soul is eternal, so our soulmate should also be eternal and everlasting. There would be no disagreements between eternal soulmates. Going by these criteria, God alone is our eternal soulmate. The Worldly relationships are all under the influence of the three modes of material nature - the mode of Goodness, Passion and, Ignorance. Depending on which mode dominates in a person, there will also be conflicts in such relationships. The Worldly relationships are all temporary. Therefore while being in worldly relationships, we should be in the complete consciousness that God alone is our eternal soulmate and the spouse or husband in the world will be our companion in this journey we are undertaking towards reaching the ultimate goal, which is to attain God.

What is True Love? What it Really means to Truly Love Someone? Love vs True Love - What is the Difference? Swami Mukundananda answers these questions by relating to us some real-life examples to explain his views about True Love. The key takeaway is this - True Love is above and beyond romance. In fact it doesn't need to be romantic.