Chapter 1, Stanza 3

How do we awaken the power (Kundalini) that is within each of us? It is possible to awaken this power by bringing energy upward through spiritual practice to the brain. We possess a tremendous power that can be harnessed when we learn to be lions of self-control.

No matter the background or religion, it is a general recommendation to avoid those things that cloud and dull the mind (lowers the energy). The entire battle of life is in the mind. Kriyananda shares that as children of the One God we have the power to become exactly what we want to be.

 

Swami Kriyananda reflects on Arjuna’s hesitation in the Bhagavad Gita, where he laments giving up long-cherished qualities and attachments, even if they hinder spiritual growth. People often cling to self-definitions—strength, intellect, talents—accumulated over lifetimes, resisting change. Arjuna questions whether it’s better to surrender than to fight those who symbolize his old nature. Kriyananda notes how the mind justifies avoiding necessary action. True progress requires guidance; he recounts meeting his Guru, Paramhansa Yogananda, who asked for unconditional love and obedience, promising to only request what God willed. Though Kriyananda sometimes resisted assignments, such as teaching or intellectual work, he found they developed essential qualities. Rather than destroying talents or traits, the spiritual path redirects them toward higher purposes. Without guidance, one may choose a comfortable but limiting path. The key is willingness to release attachments, trust divine direction, and transform all abilities into tools for God-realization.

Chapter 1, Stanza 2

Swami Kriyananda discusses the Bhagavad Gita, focusing on the symbolism of Duryodhana as representing material desires and Dronacharya as habit. He explains that our senses create the illusion of a real world, but it's essentially a dream. The goal is to realize our true nature as Satchidananda (ever-existing, ever-conscious, ever-new bliss).

We are born into a world where desires and habits pull us down, making it difficult to realize our divine potential.

Habit is a powerful force, initially helpful but can become a curse, hindering spiritual progress.

Overcoming habits and understanding the illusory nature of sensory experiences are crucial steps in the journey to realizing our true, blissful self, which is one with the infinite.

Reincarnation gives us infinite chances to learn our lessons.

Swami Kriyananda, continuing his reflections on Krishna’s teachings in the Bhagavad Gita, explains that yoga is the practical application of universal spiritual principles, not bound by religious labels. Concentration at the point between the eyebrows, he says, is natural—saints across traditions instinctively focus there in ecstasy. This spot, linked to the brain’s frontal lobe, represents higher intellect, which must be refined alongside devotion rather than suppressed.

Kriyananda critiques dogmatic rejection of yoga, noting that truths like the uplifting effect of happiness or the calming of breath are universal, transcending culture or creed. Drawing from Christian, Islamic, and yogic examples, he illustrates that union with God—spiritual marriage—is described in all great faiths. He recounts the Sufi saint Rabia’s teaching that true love for God forgets suffering entirely in contemplation of the Beloved. Ultimately, inner freedom comes from non-attachment, selflessness, and recognizing divinity in all, as saints naturally do across traditions.

In this talk, Swami Kriyananda reflects on stanza 18 of Chapter 1 of the Bhagavad Gita, where positive qualities are symbolized by warriors blowing their conches—representing inner vibrations and spiritual power. He explains that deep meditation can awaken sacred inner sounds within the chakras, which help focus the mind. The key themes discussed include extreme dispassion and self-mastery.

Extreme dispassion doesn’t mean being cold or joyless, but realizing deeply that lasting fulfillment cannot come from the world. This realization can bring initial sadness but ultimately leads to joyful detachment and divine fulfillment. Self-mastery means overcoming desires for anything less than God.

Kriyananda shares his personal journey, describing how reading Autobiography of a Yogi transformed his life, awakening a deep yearning for truth and renunciation. He emphasizes that true joy comes not from rejecting the world, but from embracing God as the only source of lasting happiness and from helping others find that same truth.

Swami Kriyananda talks about the critical significance and blessings of finding and having a guru. The disciple/guru relationship he explains, is ultimately one of deep attunement that allows the individual to transcend limitation and delusion so that they can find their one true essence. Kriyananda explains that the ego (our bundle of self-definitions) is the one thing we ultimately need to get rid of.

You cannot free yourself on your own. The guru knows God and passes that understanding onto the disciple. The guru gives the power for us to understand that the ego is not the true Self – if we can accept and receive that blessing. Kriyananda reassures us that if we allow God to work through us, there is no limit to what we may accomplish.

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Swami Kriyananda, explaining Krishna’s words on yoga in the Bhagavad Gita, emphasizes that mixing with uplifting people is vital, since all experiences are neutral and it’s our reactions that determine positivity or negativity. True equilibrium between pleasure and pain is not dullness but a dynamic center—symbolized by the spine and the *sushumna*, through which kundalini rises toward God. He illustrates how movements, posture, and art influence consciousness, noting that energy in the lower spine leads to unhappiness, while upper-body and upward movements inspire upliftment.

Refinement of consciousness—removing mental and emotional “dross”—brings clarity, success, and joy. In yoga, breath control (*pranayama*) governs the upward and downward flow of energy in the spine; mastery over breath leads to calmness, detachment, and interiorization (*pratyahara*). In Kriya Yoga, intense magnetization of the spine draws energy inward for deeper awakening. Kriyananda stresses that all eight limbs of yoga should be practiced simultaneously, each supporting the others, with the ultimate goal of union with the Divine.

This passage reflects on the conclusion of Bhagavad Gita’s first chapter, where Arjuna, overwhelmed by grief, lays down his bow—symbolizing abandoning his meditative focus. The lesson highlights how discouragement, like Arjuna’s slump, often clouds spiritual progress. Life’s difficulties, like crashing waves, are best met by flowing with them rather than resisting. A story of a man who overcame despair by learning from a fragile seashell illustrates this principle: surrendering to life’s flow brings strength and resilience. Spiritual growth, however, also requires balance—patience, contentment, and sometimes fierce determination against harmful tendencies. Failure should not bring anger or self-condemnation, but calm persistence. True victory lies not in strain but in aligning with the higher self, guided by humility and openness to Spirit. With perseverance and divine grace, faults can be overcome, and inner freedom emerges as one learns to flow harmoniously with God.

Chapter 1, Stanza 7

Swami Kriyananda reflects on stanza seven of the Bhagavad Gita’s first chapter, where Duryodhana addresses Dronacharya as “O flower of the twice-born.” Kriyananda explains that being “twice-born” refers to a spiritual rebirth—first through the body and then through the Spirit, as Jesus also described. This second birth involves awakening through divine contact, such as the inner sound of Aum. He shares a personal story about choosing his guru over family expectations, emphasizing that spiritual awakening may require painful choices.

Kriyananda elaborates on the soul’s evolution from the atomic level through countless lives until reaching human consciousness. He underscores that all matter is imbued with life and consciousness, evolving slowly toward God-realization. He also highlights the importance of reverence for life and nature. Ultimately, to be twice-born means to live with spiritual awareness and devotion to God, rejecting worldly delusion and embracing inner truth as the path to liberation.

Swami Kriyananda, discussing Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2, explains that Krishna shifts from the Sankhya philosophy, which defines the need to transcend delusion and duality, to Yoga, which teaches the method to reach higher truth. The Gita integrates India’s ancient philosophical heritage, rooted in the Vedas, Upanishads, and centuries-old wisdom—not recent poetic speculation as some Western theories claim. Misinterpretations, such as the “Aryan Invasion” myth and literal readings of symbolic Vedic terms like “cows” (light), have obscured their depth. The Vedas are said to contain all knowledge, condensed in the Upanishads and ultimately in the Gita. Kriyananda notes that Krishna’s teachings in verses 26–27 are not always a strict logical sequence; each stanza offers a distinct point. While urging Arjuna to fight, Krishna also emphasizes inner warfare—overcoming fear of losing lower tendencies. Central to this teaching is even-mindedness: avoiding grief or elation in life’s dualities to achieve calmness and clarity of perception.