Part 2 of the Retreat on Adi Shankaracharya's Vivekacūḍāmaṇi taught by Swami Sarvapriyananda. This retreat was held at Vivekananda Retreat Ridgely in April, 2025: https://ridgely.org

Part 1 of the Retreat on Adi Shankaracharya's Vivekacūḍāmaṇi taught by Swami Sarvapriyananda. This retreat was held at Vivekananda Retreat Ridgely in April, 2025: https://ridgely.org

Swami Sarvapriyananda reads and discusses the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna is an English translation of the Bengali spiritual text Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita by Swami Nikhilananda. The text records conversations of Ramakrishna with his disciples, devotees and visitors, recorded by Mahendranath Gupta, who wrote the book under the pseudonym of "M."

Swami Sarvapriyananda reads and discusses the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna is an English translation of the Bengali spiritual text Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita by Swami Nikhilananda. The text records conversations of Ramakrishna with his disciples, devotees and visitors, recorded by Mahendranath Gupta, who wrote the book under the pseudonym of "M."

Swami Sarvapriyananda teaches verses 29-34 from the Thirteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. This series of talks unfolds the highest truths of Vedanta through the study of "The Song of God".

🔆 Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 13 Verse 29:

प्रकृत्यैव च कर्माणि क्रियमाणानि सर्वश: |

य: पश्यति तथात्मानमकर्तारं स पश्यति ||29||

prakṛityaiva cha karmāṇi kriyamāṇāni sarvaśhaḥ

yaḥ paśhyati tathātmānam akartāraṁ sa paśhyati ||29||

🔴 He is the real seer who perceives that Prakrti (i.e., one's body-mind born of Prakrti) alone is doing all works and that the Atman, the true spiritual self, is the actionless witness.

🔆 Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 13 Verse 30:

यदा भूतपृथग्भावमेकस्थमनुपश्यति |

तत एव च विस्तारं ब्रह्म सम्पद्यते तदा ||30||

yadā bhūta-pṛithag-bhāvam eka-stham anupaśhyati

tata eva cha vistāraṁ brahma sampadyate tadā ||30||

🔴 When one perceives the manifold objects as centred in the One and as evolved from It as well -- then he attains Brahman.

🔆 Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 13 Verse 31:

अनादित्वान्निर्गुणत्वात्परमात्मायमव्यय: |

शरीरस्थोऽपि कौन्तेय न करोति न लिप्यते ||31||

anāditvān nirguṇatvāt paramātmāyam avyayaḥ

śharīra-stho ’pi kaunteya na karoti na lipyate ||31||

🔴 That highest Self, being the immutable and unoriginated Spirit beyond Nature, is free from all action and stain, though dwelling in the body.

🔆 Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 13 Verse 32:

यथा सर्वगतं सौक्ष्म्यादाकाशं नोपलिप्यते |

सर्वत्रावस्थितो देहे तथात्मा नोपलिप्यते ||32||

yathā sarva-gataṁ saukṣhmyād ākāśhaṁ nopalipyate

sarvatrāvasthito dehe tathātmā nopalipyate ||32||

🔴 Just as the all-pervading Akasa, because of its subtlety, is not stained by anything, so this Atman, though abiding in all bodies, is never affected by any impurity.

🔆 Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 13 Verse 33:

यथा प्रकाशयत्येक: कृत्स्नं लोकमिमं रवि: |

क्षेत्रं क्षेत्री तथा कृत्स्नं प्रकाशयति भारत ||33||

yathā prakāśhayaty ekaḥ kṛitsnaṁ lokam imaṁ raviḥ

kṣhetraṁ kṣhetrī tathā kṛitsnaṁ prakāśhayati bhārata ||33||

🔴 Just as the single sun illumines the whole universe, so the (One) Indwelling Spirit enlivens all bodies (with self-consciousness)

🔆 Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 13 Verse 34:

क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञयोरेवमन्तरं ज्ञानचक्षुषा |

भूतप्रकृतिमोक्षं च ये विदुर्यान्ति ते परम् ||34||

kṣhetra-kṣhetrajñayor evam antaraṁ jñāna-chakṣhuṣhā

bhūta-prakṛiti-mokṣhaṁ cha ye vidur yānti te param ||34||

🔴 Whoever perceives by spiritual insight the distinction between Ksetra (Nature) and Ksetrajna (Spirit) as also the freedom of the Spirit from the hold of Nature, they reach the Supreme.

Swami Sarvapriyananda teaches Verses 26-28 from the Thirteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. This series of talks unfolds the highest truths of Vedanta through the study of "The Song of God".

🔆 Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 13 Verse 26:

यावत्सञ्जायते किञ्चित्सत्वं स्थावरजङ्गमम् |

क्षेत्रक्षेत्रज्ञसंयोगात्तद्विद्धि भरतर्षभ ||26||

yāvat sañjāyate kiñchit sattvaṁ sthāvara-jaṅgamam

kṣhetra-kṣhetrajña-sanyogāt tad viddhi bharatarṣhabha ||26||

🔴 O thou the best of the Bharata clan! Whatever there is born - whether moving or unmoving - it has come into being due to the union of Ksetra (body) and Ksetrajna (spirit).

🔆 Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 13 Verse 27:

समं सर्वेषु भूतेषु तिष्ठन्तं परमेश्वरम् |

विनश्यत्स्वविनश्यन्तं य: पश्यति स पश्यति ||27||

samaṁ sarveṣhu bhūteṣhu tiṣhṭhantaṁ parameśhvaram

vinaśhyatsv avinaśhyantaṁ yaḥ paśhyati sa paśhyati ||27||

🔴 He really sees who perceives the Supreme Lord alike in everything -- as the Imperishable Substance abiding amidst perishing phenomena.

🔆 Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 13 Verse 28:

समं पश्यन्हि सर्वत्र समवस्थितमीश्वरम् |

न हिनस्त्यात्मनात्मानं ततो याति परां गतिम् || 28||

samaṁ paśhyan hi sarvatra samavasthitam īśhvaram

na hinasty ātmanātmānaṁ tato yāti parāṁ gatim || 28||

🔴 For, he who perceives the Lord's presence alike everywhere no longer works against his own spiritual well-being (by mistaking the ego for the true spiritual Self as men in ignorance do). He therefore attains to the Supreme Goal.

Swami Sarvapriyananda reads and discusses the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna is an English translation of the Bengali spiritual text Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita by Swami Nikhilananda. The text records conversations of Ramakrishna with his disciples, devotees and visitors, recorded by Mahendranath Gupta, who wrote the book under the pseudonym of "M."

This session was recorded on Jun 15, 2021.

Swami Sarvapriyananda reads and discusses the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna is an English translation of the Bengali spiritual text Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita by Swami Nikhilananda. The text records conversations of Ramakrishna with his disciples, devotees and visitors, recorded by Mahendranath Gupta, who wrote the book under the pseudonym of "M."

This session was recorded on Jun 8, 2021.

27,697 views Apr 15, 2025 AskSwami Q&A | Swami Sarvapriyananda

Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Mar 23rd, 2025. List of questions with timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

01:43 - Explain the two ways of approaching non-duality: “I am all of it” vs “I am none of it”?

15:24 - Is devotion (bhakti) merely an aid to knowledge in Advaita, or something more?

29:58 - Is the intense love of God (parabhakti) a form of insanity or mysticism?

36:16 - Is Advaita Vedanta falsifiable?

52:06 - The importance of asking questions in the study of Vedanta.

58:44 - Should we always practice unconditional love?

01:11:14 - What is the real meaning of ‘jada’ (insentient) in Advaita?

01:20:30 - What is the relationship between Maya and Chit (consciousness)?

Swami Sarvapriyananda reads and discusses the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna. The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna is an English translation of the Bengali spiritual text Sri Sri Ramakrishna Kathamrita by Swami Nikhilananda. The text records conversations of Ramakrishna with his disciples, devotees and visitors, recorded by Mahendranath Gupta, who wrote the book under the pseudonym of "M."

This session was recorded on Jun 1, 2021.