Kali Mandir Satsang

Class by Rev Dr. Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati on Book X, Chapter 14 of Srimad Bhagavatam, given at Kali Mandir Ramakrishna Ashram on 7 June 2025. 

श्रीब्रह्मोवाच

śrī-brahmovāca

Sri Brahma said:

अस्यापि देव वपुस्̣ओ मदनुग्रहस्य स्वेच्छामयस्य न तु भूत-मयस्य कोऽपि

2. "Lord, Your body (asya api deva vapuṣaḥ), which is the instrument of grace to me (mat-anugrahasya), appears by Your will (sva-icchā-mayasya), and not by the power of the material elements (na tu bhūta-mayasya). Even with my mind withdrawn in meditation (manasā antareṇa sākṣāt) I cannot grasp its glory (kaḥ api na īśe mahi tu avasitum).  What to speak then of understanding Your blissful Self (ava eva kim uta ātma sukha anubhūteḥ)."

Scripture class by Rev. Dr. Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati on Devi Gita, chapter 2, verses 22-26, given to students of the Ramakrishna Seminary at Kali Mandir via Zoom on 28 May 2025.

स पुनः कामकर्मादियुक्तया स्रीयमायया |

पूर्वानुभूतसंस्कारात् कालकर्मविपाकतः || २२ ||

sa punaḥ kāma-karmādi-yuktayā srīyamāyayā |

pūrvānubhūta-saṃskārāt kāla-karma-vipākataḥ || 22 ||

22. "This Self, however, by its own power of Maya conjoined with desires, actions, and the like, through the influence of prior experience ripening in time in accord with the law of karma, ..."

अविवेकाच्च तत्त्वस्य सिसृक्षावान् प्रजायते |

अबुद्धिपूर्वः सर्गोऽयं कथितस्ते नगाधिप || २३ ||

avivekāc-ca tattvasya sisṛkṣāvān prajāyate |

abuddhi-pūrvaḥ sargo'yaṃ kathitaste nagādhipa || 23 ||

23. "And by confounding the primal elements, being desirous to create, begins to bring forth. The resulting creation, devoid of intelligence, will be further described to you, O Mountain King."

एतद्धि यन्मया प्रोक्तं मम रूपमलौकिकम् |

अव्याकृतं तदव्यक्तं मायाशबलमित्यपि || २४ ||

etaddhi yanmayā proktaṃ mama rūpa-malaukikam |

avyākṛtaṃ tadavyaktaṃ māyāśabalamityapi || 24 ||

24. "This extraordinary form of mine which I have mentioned is unevolved and unmanifest, yet becomes segmented through the power of Maya."

प्रोच्यते सवशास्त्रेषु सर्वकारणकारणम् |

तत्त्वानामादिस्भूतं च सच्चिदानन्दविग्रहम् || २५ ||

procyate sava-śāstreṣu sarva-kāraṇa-kāraṇam |

tattvā-nāmādis-bhūtaṃ ca sac-cid-ānanda-vigraham || 25 ||

25. "All the religious treatises declare it to be the cause of all causes, The primal substance behind the elements, and as having the form of being, consciousness, bliss."

सर्वकर्मघनीभूतमिच्छाज्ञानक्रियाश्रयम् |

ह्रीङ्कारमन्त्रवाचयं तदादितत्त्वं तदुच्यते || २६ ||

sarva-karma-ghanī-bhūtam-icchā-jñāna-kriyā-śrayam |

hrīṇ-kāra-mantra-vācayaṃ tadādi-tattvaṃ taducyate || 26 ||

26. "It is the condensation of all karma; it is the seat of will, knowledge, and action; it is expressed in the mantra Hrim; it is the primal principle—so it is said."

Class by Rev Dr. Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati on Book X of Srimad Bhagavatam introducing the story of Brahma stealing the cows and cowherd boya given at Kali Mandir Ramakrishna Ashram on 19 May 2025.

Scripture class by Rev. Dr. Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati on Devi Gita, chapter 2, verses 19-21, given to students of the Ramakrishna Seminary at Kali Mandir via Zoom on 16 April 2025.

अपरिच्छन्नताऽप्येवमत एव मता मम |

तच्चज्ञानं नात्मधर्मो धर्मत्वे जडताऽत्मनः || १९ ||

aparicchannatā'pyevamata eva matā mama |

taccajñānaṃ nātma-dharmo dharmatve jaḍatā'tmanaḥ || 19 ||

19. "Therefore I am regarded truly as an undivided whole, and that consciousness is not an attribute of the Self, for then the Self would be like an object."

ज्ञानस्य जडशेषत्वं म दृष्टं न च सम्भवै |

चिद्धर्मत्वं तथा नास्ति चितश्चिन्न हि विद्यते || २० ||

jñānasya jaḍaśeṣatvaṃ ma dṛṣṭaṃ na ca sambhavai |

cid-dharma-tvaṃ tathā nāsti citaścinna hi vidyate || 20 ||

20. "In consciousness no possible trace of the object state can be found. And so consciousness also has no attributes: consciousness is not a quality separable from consciousness itself."

तस्मादात्मज्ञानरूपः सुखरूपश्च सर्वदा |

सत्यः पूर्णोऽप्यसङ्गश्च द्वैतज्जालविवर्जितः || २१ ||

tasmād-ātma-jñāna-rūpaḥ sukha-rūpaśca sarvadā |

satyaḥ pūrṇo'pyasaṅgaśca dvaitajjālavivarjitaḥ || 21 ||

21. "Therefore the Self in essence is consciousness, and bliss as well, always, it is the real and complete, beyond all relation, and free from the illusion of duality."

Scripture class by Rev. Dr. Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati on Devi Gita, chapter 2, verse18, given to students of the Ramakrishna Seminary at Kali Mandir via Zoom on 9 April 2025.

मा न भूवं हि भूयासमिति प्रेमात्मनि स्थितम् |

Scripture class by Rev. Dr. Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati on Devi Gita, chapter 2, verses 15 through 17 given to students of the Ramakrishna Seminary at Kali Mandir via Zoom on 2 April 2025.

जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषुप्त्यादौ दृश्यस्य व्यभिचारतः |

यदि तस्याऽप्यनुभवस्तर्ह्ययं येन साक्शिणा |

अत एव नित्यत्वं प्रोक्तं सछास्त्रकोविदैः |

Discourse by Revered Dr. Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati, on names 340 through 344 of verses 42 of the "Thousand Names of Kali", given at Kali Mandir Ramakrishna Ashram on 29 March 2025.

ऋक्सामाथर्वनिलया रागिणी शोभनस्वरा |

340. रागिणी rāgiṇī

Scripture class by Rev. Dr. Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati on Devi Gita, chapter 2, verses 9 & 10 given to students of the Ramakrishna Seminary at Kali Mandir via Zoom on 26 March 2025.

एवं नानाविधानि स्युर्नामानि निगमादिषु |

चैतन्यस्य न दृश्यत्वं दृश्यत्वे जडमेव तत् |

अनवस्थादोषसत्त्वान्न स्वेनाऽपि प्रकाशितम् |

प्रकाशमानमन्येषां भासकं विद्धि पर्वत |

Discourse by Pujya (Revered) Dr. Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati, on names 337 through 339 of verses 41 & 52of the "Thousand Names of Kali", given at Kali Mandir Ramakrishna Ashram on 22 March 2025.

337. यज्ञकर्त्री yajña-kartrī  

भीमा भयानका भीमनादिनी भीः प्रभावती |

ऋक्सामाथर्वनिलया रागिणी शोभनस्वरा |

Discourse by Revered Swami Chetananandaji Mahara, senior monk of the Ramakrishna Math and spiritual head of the Vedanta Society of St. Louis, given at Kali Mandir Ramakrishna Ashram on 25 January 2025.