Devi Mandir

Temple of Divine Mother

Current Class by Swami Satyananda SaraswatiIn this eclectic collection of video clips, you will find Swamiji at his thoughtful best, providing answers to viewers' questions with the right blend of insight and gentle humor.

There are also stories from the puranas, and Swamiji masterfully weaves the magic, retelling these with his own brand of wisdom.

 

Story of Vindhya

  ~~OM~~ Vindhya is the name of a mountain range which indicates knowledge, which begets humility. Because remember, Vindhya, he had a very interesting story, he did tremendous tapasya. He said to Shiva, “I want to be taller than Mount Meru.” And Shiva said, “What would you want that for?” And he said, “Well I’m […]

Story of How Ganesha was Born

~~OM~~ Shiva said to Nandi, “Go tell Parvati that I need to see her immediately.” And Nandi came into Parvati’s room and said, “Shiva is calling you.” And Parvati said, “Oh my goodness, you came in here without even knocking. This is terrible, I need some help. I need someone who is going to protect […]

Story of Disciple Seeking Darshan

~~OM~~ The disciple went to the Guru and said, “Guruji, How can I see God?” And the Guru said, “Take a bath.” So the Guru and the disciple went down to the bank of the river, and they went under the water and they started to take a bath. And just as the disciple was […]

Story of Shankaracharya and Trotakananda

~~OM~~ This whole Guru Gita is the king of mantras, because without devotion to the Guru you will never learn any other mantra. This is primary education. We want to fall in love with our teachers so we soak up their knowledge like a sponge. We want to become worthy of their knowledge. And we […]

Story of Vedavyasa’s Conception

~~OM~~ Now the son of Parasara Rishi, who is Vedavyasa. You know, Parasara came to the river where he met Matsyagandha. She was Dasaraj’s daughter. Dasaraj was the king of the fisherman. And he had this daughter, Matsyagandha, who smelled like a fish. So she said to her father, “Father, what seva can I do […]

Story of Arjuna and Concentration

~~OM~~ You all know the story of the Gurukul at Dronacharya’s ashram. Dronacharya was teaching all the disciples how to shoot the weapon, the bow and arrow. And he called his son Ashwathama, and he said, “Ashwathama, see there is a bird in the tree. What do you see?” And Ashwathama said, “I see the […]

Story of Keshab Sen and Ramakrishna

~~OM~~ Keshab Sen went to Ramakrishna and he said, “Thakur, Why don’t you build hospitals and schools, and be a benefactor to society?” And Ramakrishna got mad and He said, “Oh, Hospitals and schools! You’ll always have sick and you’ll always have ignorant. That’s not going to change the course of humanity. Let me realize […]

Story of Vashishta

~~OM~~ Vashishta completed the education of Ram and Lakshman, Bharat and Shatrughna in the Gurukul. On the day of graduation (it was called the Samavartan – the returning home after graduation when the snatak becomes an initiated member of society; no longer a student supported by society, but now entering into society ready to make […]