Devi Mandir

Temple of Divine Mother

Stormy Night Arati

For spiritual aspirants, stormy days and nights are sure to occur, and Mother Nature makes no exceptions for devotees at the Devi Mandir. One of these storms had just enough strength and persistence to knock out the power to the whole complex. In a display of devotion and steadfastness, Shree Maa made her way to […]

The Key to Giving Up Attachment

Often on our spiritual journey, we hear the instructions, “Just give up all of your desires; give up all of your attachments.” If you have ever attempted to do this, you have quickly realized this is easier said than done. Yes, it looks good on paper, but how do we actually do this? Renunciation requires […]

Universal Love, Mitra, and the Essence of Christmas

In this joyful video, Swamiji discusses Christmas as a celebration of Christ – the embodiment of Universal Love. Like Jesus, every being has the capacity to experience and manifest Universal Love, and there are so many methods of worship that are designed to open our hearts to the reality of Christ Consciousness. The great 19th […]

Christmas Sankalpa

As we prepare for Christmas, and the arrival of Jesus, our beloved Shree Maa has given a special sankalpa: to recite the mantra, “I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” This mantra was derived from proclamations found in the Bible, which essentially express the realization that “I am one with God!” […]

Onze Pagina’s in het Nederlands

Ontmoet Shree Maa   Ontmoet Swamiji   Ontmoet Sri Ramakrishna   De Navarna Mantra en het Pantser van de Godin   Holi Festival 2013

Love Finds a Way

When life places obstacles in our way to God, the sincere longing to manifest divine love transforms the obstacles into opportunities. Every difficulty becomes a creative exercise of offering our devotion to God. The objects used in worship are only important insofar as they inspire love and provide upliftment. When we do puja just for […]

Satya Narayana Vrat

In this extraordinary video, Swami Satyanada Saraswati conveys the meaning of the Satya Nārāyaṇa Vrat Puja, which will be performed by devotees around the world each month on the Full Moon day. The word “Satya” means truth and “Nārāyaṇa” is the Manifestation of the All Pervading Consciousness, represented as Lord Vishnu. Maha Vishnu (Maha means […]

2013 New Year’s Celebration

Namaste Friends and Family, Blessings for the New Year! On New Year’s Eve, December 31st, we will recite the Chandi Path beginning at 10:00 PM and slay the Great Ego at midnight. The following morning we will sing the Sundar Kanda at 10:30 AM. You are all invited to join the celebrations at the Temple, […]

Navaratri 2012

On Saturday night during Sharad Navaratri (20th Oct 2012), we had a great satsang with our Pujya Guru Shree Maa. All of us sang ‘Jai Maa Jai Maa’ during evening Aarti accompanied by vibrant percussion along with melodic stringed music. Later we did 15 minutes meditation followed by bhajans led by Shree Maa. A devotee […]

Satsang in Swami Swaswarupananda’s Cave

We felt so blessed to be welcomed for satsang inside the small cave house of a pure and gentle soul, Swami Swaswarupananda. Swami Swaswarupananda originally studied in Belur Math in Kolkata before moving to Uttarkashi some 15 years ago. Here he built his one room house as an extension from a natural cave in the […]

Natural Beauty in Uttarkashi

The beauty of Uttarkashi’s natural environment provides a harmonious and supportive setting for the spiritual way of life which persists since ancient times. There is an abundance of wildlife, the water and air are clean and clear, and the extensively terraced hills are cultivated by local farmers as they have been for centuries. Terraced hillsides […]

Visiting Swami Premananda at the Shivananda Ashram

About seven kilometers up the river from Uttarkashi is the Shivananda Ashram led by Swami Premananda. Swami Satyananda and a few devotees dropped by for a joyful visit. The Shivananda Ashram provides medical care, education and other social services for the neighboring villagers, but even more impressive was the radiant bliss of Swami Premananda whose […]

Swami Satyananda Visits Uttarkashi – Nothern City of Light

Swamiji led a few devotees on a journey from Rishikesh to higher (and cooler) ground, the ancient city of Uttarkashi. The name Uttarkashi contains a reference to Benares, also once known as Kashi, or the City of Light, with its ancient Vishwanath Temple. Uttarkashi which has the Northern Vishwanath Temple can be translated as the […]

Wild Elephants take a dip in the Ganga

As Rishikesh sweltered under rising temperatures, the wild elephants from the Rajaji National Park headed to the river to drink and cool off. The National Park provides habitat for a variety of wild animals including tigers and lions, which local children claim to have seen. Shree Maa and Swamiji enjoyed watching the elephants, who visit […]