Swami Sarvapriyananda teaches Kena Upanishad in this series.

The Kena Upanishad (Sanskrit: केनोपनिषद्) (also alternatively known as Talavakara Upanishad) is a Vedic Sanskrit text classified as one of the primary or Mukhya Upanishads that is embedded inside the last section of the Talavakara Brahmana of the Samaveda. It is listed as number 2 in the Muktikā, the canon of the 108 Upanishads of Hinduism.

Kena Upanishad has three parts: 13 verses in the first part, 15 paragraphs in the second part, and 6 paragraphs in the epilogue. These are distributed in four khaṇḍas (खण्ड, sections or volumes). The first Khanda has 8 verses, the second has 5 verses. The third Khanda has 12 paragraphs, while the fourth khanda has the remaining 9 (3 paragraphs of main text and 6 paragraphs of the epilogue).

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 Mar 23, 2021.

Swami Sarvapriyananda teaches Verse 15 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 15:

बहिरन्तश्च भूतानामचरं चरमेव च |

सूक्ष्मत्वात्तदविज्ञेयं दूरस्थं चान्तिके च तत् ||15||

Bahir antaśh cha bhūtānām acharaṁ charam eva cha

sūkṣhmatvāt tad avijñeyaṁ dūra-sthaṁ chāntike cha tat ||15||

🔴 He is within and without all beings. Though unmoving, He looks like one moving (because He is everywhere). He is both far and near. - far to the ignorant and near to the knowing ones. Owing to subtlety, He cannot be known like gross objects.

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 Mar 16, 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 Mar 9, 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 Mar 2, 2021.

Swami Sarvapriyananda teaches Verses 13-14 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 13:

सर्वत: पाणिपादं तत्सर्वतोऽक्षिशिरोमुखम् |

सर्वत: श्रुतिमल्लोके सर्वमावृत्य तिष्ठति ||13||

Sarvataḥ pāṇi-pādaṁ tat sarvato ’kṣhi-śhiro-mukham

sarvataḥ śhrutimal loke sarvam āvṛitya tiṣhṭhati ||13||

🔴 His hands and feet are everywhere. His eyes, ears and mouth grasp everything. His face is in all directions. He is the transcendent Spirit, enveloping all that exists in the world.

🔆 Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 13 Verse 14:

सर्वेन्द्रियगुणाभासं सर्वेन्द्रियविवर्जितम् |

असक्तं सर्वभृच्चैव निर्गुणं गुणभोक्तृ च ||14||

Sarvendriya-guṇābhāsaṁ sarvendriya-vivarjitam

asaktaṁ sarva-bhṛich chaiva nirguṇaṁ guṇa-bhoktṛi cha ||14||

🔴 By his powers the faculties of the senses function, but sense organs He has none. He is the support of all things, but they do not affect him. He transcends Nature and its functions, but these constitute the objects for His enjoyment.

Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Jan 26th, 2025. List of questions with timestamps:

00:00 - Intro

06:25 - How do I see myself as Brahman but still act ethically and lovingly in the world?

22:50 - How do I know that I, this Awareness, am Everything?

43:45 - If Consciousness is the ultimate reality, is God imaginary?

53:35 - How can I think of and worship God when I state that He is only Awareness?

01:12:30 - What is the connection between God and Brahman? What is the relationship between Consciousness and Existence?

01:25:09 - Can you speak about free will?

01:33:50 - Can we succeed without the fourfold qualifications in Jnana Yoga?

Swami Sarvapriyananda teaches Kena Upanishad in this series.

The Kena Upanishad (Sanskrit: केनोपनिषद्) (also alternatively known as Talavakara Upanishad) is a Vedic Sanskrit text classified as one of the primary or Mukhya Upanishads that is embedded inside the last section of the Talavakara Brahmana of the Samaveda. It is listed as number 2 in the Muktikā, the canon of the 108 Upanishads of Hinduism.

Kena Upanishad has three parts: 13 verses in the first part, 15 paragraphs in the second part, and 6 paragraphs in the epilogue. These are distributed in four khaṇḍas (खण्ड, sections or volumes). The first Khanda has 8 verses, the second has 5 verses. The third Khanda has 12 paragraphs, while the fourth khanda has the remaining 9 (3 paragraphs of main text and 6 paragraphs of the epilogue).

Swami Sarvapriyananda teaches Verses 11-12 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 11:

अध्यात्मज्ञाननित्यत्वं तत्वज्ञानार्थदर्शनम् |

एतज्ज्ञानमिति प्रोक्तमज्ञानं यदतोऽन्यथा ||11||

adhyātma-jñāna-nityatvaṁ tattva-jñānārtha-darśhanam

etaj jñānam iti proktam ajñānaṁ yad ato ’nyathā ||11||

🔴 Constant application to the study of spiritual texts and practice of spiritual disciplines, and a clear comprehension of the goal of spiritual enlightenment and the destiny of man - all these described before constitute knowledge; what is opposed to it is all ignorance.

🔆 Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 13 Verse 12:

ज्ञेयं यत्तत्प्रवक्ष्यामि यज्ज्ञात्वामृतमश्रुते |

अनादिमत्परं ब्रह्म न सत्तन्नासदुच्यते ||12||

jñeyaṁ yat tat pravakṣhyāmi yaj jñātvāmṛitam aśhnute

anādi mat-paraṁ brahma na sat tan nāsad uchyate ||12||

🔴 I shall now declare the object which ought to be known, by knowing which one attains to immortality. It is the Supreme Brahman, the eternal Being who cannot be described either as existent or non-existent (in the way sense-bound material objects are described)