Swami Kriyananda unveils the nature of the Divine Mother as a loving, ever-present consciousness that guides us through both joy and hardship. Drawing on stories from Paramhansa Yogananda (his guru), the Bengali saint Ramprasad, and the Sufi saint Rabi'a, Kriyananda illustrates how God/Divine Mother communicates through subtle signs and answered prayers. He includes the story of a personal blessing of receiving unexpected funds that allowed him to travel to India.

Kriyananda teaches that suffering isn't punishment but a natural consequence of the spiritual law of karma meant to redirect us toward God rather than a focus on worldly attachments. The talk emphasizes approaching the Divine with intimate confidence rather than fearful reverence. Through the parable of Saint Anthony and reflections on impermanence, Kriyananda encourages listeners to be grateful for both pleasure and pain, recognizing life's trials as invitations to remember our true spiritual home and deepen our love for the Divine.

Find out more at https://www.swamikriyananda.org

In this heartfelt talk Swami Kriyananda reflects on his spiritual journey from a young aspiring playwright in Charleston to a devoted disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda. He shares how his search for truth began with a late-night walk when he was pondering the nature of God.  On that walk, he rejected a punitive, distant image of divinity in favor of one that is omnipresent and deeply personal.

Kriyanada recounts key moments on his journey; discovering Hinduism's teachings through a book on comparative religion, his mother's quiet support despite her religious hopes for him, and the pivotal moment when he found Yogananda's Autobiography of a Yogi. Woven throughout are stories illustrating divine love; a young girl's surprise gift, the "little cup" and the ocean, and Anandamoyi Ma's discernment of true devotion.  Each lesson points to the same truth - that God is present in all beings and relationships. Kriyananda closes by encouraging listeners to turn daily rituals and even ordinary interactions into inner offerings, recognizing divine consciousness in themselves and others.

Swami Kriyanada explores what it means to see God in everyone and everything, using the metaphor of waves and the ocean to describe the relationship between individual souls and the divine. Drawing on personal memories of his guru, Paramhansa Yogananda, he shares stories illustrating divine humor, firmness, and unconditional love.  He tells details of a humorous encounter when British police tried to entrap Yogananda in India, and shares moments of playful scolding that masked deep compassion.

Kriyananda touches on themes of free will, spiritual testing, and how great masters sometimes appear stern to help disciples grow, much like a parent correcting a child out of love. Woven throughout are intimate anecdotes: receiving an apple from his Guru, cleaning a muddy window, and communing with the saint Anandamoyi Ma.  Throughout the talk, Kriyananda illustrates how true connection to the divine happens inwardly, through the heart, rather than through outward appearances.

Find out more at https://www.swamikriyananda.org

In this inspiring talk, Swami Kriyananda reflects on the nature of God as Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, explaining these as vibrational aspects of Aum rather than separate beings. He describes how his guru, Paramhansa Yogananda, embodied all three qualities: creativity, steadiness, and the fierce dismantling of delusion, while remaining the most perfect human he ever knew.

Through personal anecdotes, including a vivid story about Yogananda's speed and humor, and a poignant reflection on a complicated relationship with a fellow disciple, Kriyananda explores subtleties of the guru-disciple bond. He explains that true spiritual guidance works through inner attunement rather than words alone.

He recounts writing his own memoir partly to help readers separate his imperfect humanity from his guru's greatness, and to make Yogananda's teachings feel alive. He invites us all, even when facing life's darkness, to cherish the sweetness, kindness, and beauty in others.

Find out more at https://www.swamikriyananda.org

Maintaining inner equanimity amid life's inevitable ups and downs is the focus of this talk by Swami Kriyananda, a direct disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda. Drawing on the metaphor of ocean waves and an ocean liner, he teaches that spiritual maturity means neither being swept up in triumphs nor crushed by setbacks since both are part of the natural rhythm of maya (illusion).

Kriyananda shares personal stories including an RV accident, a painful eye injury, and dental work without anesthesia to demonstrate how inner joy can remain untouched by outer circumstances. He shares Yogananda's teaching that spiritual progress depends not on how long one has walked the path, but on the intensity of our devotion.  Kriyananda reflects on cosmic consciousness, the illusion of separate identity (ego, nationality, body), and the ultimate truth that each person's true Self is one with the Infinite, God experiencing creation through countless forms.

https://ananda.org/kriya-yoga

https://ananda.org/autobiography/

https://www.swamikriyananda.org

Swami Kriyananda reflects on his 56 years as a disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda, describing the impersonal, divine love he witnessed in his Guru. He talks about Yogananda's joy without ego, even amid pain, and illustrated this trait of great masters through a parallel story about Ramakrishna's calm acceptance of terminal illness.

Kriyananda stresses the spiritual importance of absolute truthfulness, recalling a lesson from Anandamoyi Ma and an anecdote about a broken promise. Kriyananda also explores karma's inescapable nature, using Hitler's crimes as an example of collective versus individual karma, and urges listeners to remain dharmic regardless of outcomes. He illustrates this through two personal stories: a devastating forest fire at Ananda Village and a temple fire, both met with joy rather than despair by refusing to seek revenge or wallow in loss.

Find out more at https://www.swamikriyananda.org/

Like on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nayaswamikriyananda

Swami Kriyananda uses Gulliver's Travels to illustrate how countless small desires, not just one dramatic attachment, tie us down and bind the soul to repeated rebirth. He recounts asking his guru why suicide doesn't bring liberation, learning that escaping the world isn't enough without a positive desire for God.

Through personal stories, including grueling "tests" set by his guru, Kriyananda illustrates the practice of even-mindedness: accepting whatever comes, pleasant or unpleasant, without preference. He shares how, even during a period of intense personal suffering, he discovered an unshakable current of joy beneath the pain. Kriyananda guides us to offer every desire and action to God, trusting that habits and attachments dissolve through devotion rather than force.

https://ananda.org/kriya-yoga

In this inspiring talk Swami Kriyananda shares intimate memories of his Guru, Paramhansa Yogananda, focusing on the mastery of pain and the deeper workings of karma. He recounts his own experiences enduring dental procedures without anesthesia, alongside stories of Yogananda consciously controlling physical pain after a foot injury, and enduring astral torment during his final illness.

Kriyananda illustrates how masters absorb disciples' karma, referencing the paralyzed hand of a man who struck his Guru, and the poisoned drink swallowed unharmed by Trailanga Swami. He warns that karma cannot be escaped, even sins washed in the Ganges "wait in the trees." He urges reverence in the presence of saints, since spiritual power amplifies both blessings and consequences. The talk closes with a devotional Bengali chant translated by Yogananda, reinforcing themes of surrender, divine love, and the transformative discipline required on the spiritual path.

https://www.swamikriyananda.org

https://www.facebook.com/nayaswamikriyananda

https://www.ananda.org/autobiography

 

Swami Kriyananda weaves together several threads of yogic wisdom in this instructional talk about the spiritual life.  He dives into the physical and energetic meaning behind bowing in reverence, the connection between chakras and everyday language about feeling "high" or "low," and the importance of singing and chanting with conscious awareness rather than mere words.

Kriyananda shares several key stories from his book Conversations with Yogananda including teachings on balancing medical care with reliance on God, and the danger of over-identifying with illness. Kriyananda recounts his own experience giving a lecture while gravely ill, illustrating the power of willpower over affirmation of weakness. He closes with reflections on the caste system, reframing it, not as hereditary, but as a spectrum of consciousness, revealing that true spiritual identity comes from one's inner state and devotion to God, not birth or worldly status.

https://www.swamikriyananda.org/

https://www.facebook.com/nayaswamikriyananda

https://www.ananda.org/autobiography/

https://www.ananda.org/kriya-yoga/.

In this reflective talk, Swami Kriyananda explores why gurus traditionally ask disciples to keep their spiritual practices private.  This teaching is not out of a need for secrecy, but to let a newly received practice take root and grow strong, like a seedling needing protection before it can withstand the world.

Kriyananda shares personal stories from his decades with Paramhansa Yogananda, including lessons on avoiding spiritual fanaticism, facing public criticism and family resistance with equanimity. He reveals that he wrote the book, Out of the Labyrinth, by engaging honestly with philosophical skeptics rather than dismissing them. Through anecdotes about mountain hikes, gnats at Lake Shrine, and a rainy drive that inspired a song, Kriyananda illustrates a central theme: true spiritual growth comes not from physical austerity but from cultivating purity of heart and unwavering devotion amid life's inevitable ups and downs.

https://www.swamikriyananda.org

https://www.swamikriyananda.org

https://www.facebook.com/nayaswamikriyananda

https://www.ananda.org/autobiography