Yogananda Podcast

This episode covers the next part of chapter 19 from: 
“As the room was rather dark, I moved nearer to a window...” 
to 
“...I had not been the victim of a hallucination.” 

Summary: 
Reva joins us as we break down the dazzling appearance of Sri Yukteswar to an awe-stricken Mukunda (Paramahansa Yogananda). Guruji provides infinitesimal detail about this divine experience, and we hypothesise why Sri Yukteswar might have been commanded to provide it!  

0:00 Prior episode; 
2:19 An Apparition or Reality; 
19:00 The Experience; 
41:25 The Science of Disappearance; 
51:38 Looking ahead 

Homework for next episode— Read, absorb and make notes on the last part of chapter 19 from: 
“A crestfallen Dijen soon entered the room...” 
to the end of the chapter. 
 
#autobiographyofayogi  #autobiographylinebyline  #paramahansayogananda 
Autobiography of a Yogi awake.minute 
Self-Realization Fellowship Yogoda Satsanga Society of India 
#SRF #YSS 

This episode covers the first part of chapter 19 from: 
“I am often beset by atheistic doubts. Yet a torturing surmise sometimes haunts me...” 
to 
“... Dijen made for the door and closed it noisily behind him.” 

Summary: 
As we gauge our expectations for this chapter, we ponder over the similarities between those that have come and those that are yet to come. We take another dive into the mindset of the different types of atheists and their relationship with God, the impact of trivial preoccupations in daily life, and the potential value of a postcard in today’s age!  

0:00 Expectations from this chapter; 
7:41 Untapped soul possibilities; 
14:42 Dijen becomes a regular at the hermitage; 
24:50 The telepathic message; 
38:25 You and your intuition! 
45:30 Looking ahead 

Homework for next episode— Read, absorb and make notes on the next part of chapter 19 from: 
“As the room was rather dark, I moved nearer to a window...” 
to 
“...I had not been the victim of a hallucination.” 
 
#autobiographyofayogi  #autobiographylinebyline  #paramahansayogananda 
Autobiography of a Yogi awake.minute 
Self-Realization Fellowship Yogoda Satsanga Society of India 
#SRF #YSS

This episode covers the next part of chapter 18 from: 
“Guruji,” I interrupted, “if Afzal could easily secure such things as gold...” 
to 
“... Farewell, world! I go to seek the forgiveness of the Cosmic Beloved.” 

Summary: 
The confessional story of Afsal Khan is one of remorse and sorrow, accompanied with a drop of transformation. We explore the themes of supernatural powers, desires, and spiritual development further in this section, along with theoretical and practical implications of astral manifestation, willpower, and the differences between spiritual and material wealth, drawing writings of Paramahansa Yogananda. The conversation concluded with reflections on the chapter and our wild theories on the complex and nuanced themes of the magic, links to karma, personal growth, and the importance of proper spiritual guidance. 

0:00 Prior Episode; 
2:00 The Astral Being; 
26:20 The Afterworld; 
31:26 Confession and penance; 
37:35 Afzal's Story; 
59:15 Reflections on this chapter. 

Links discussed in this episode:  
https://yogananda.com.au/gurus/yoganandaquotes05a.html#desires 
https://yogananda.com.au/pyr/pyr_mind.html 
https://yogananda.com.au/gita/gita0248.html 

Homework for next episode— Read, absorb and make notes on the first part of chapter 19 from: 
“I am often beset by atheistic doubts. Yet a torturing surmise sometimes haunts me...” 
to 
“... Dijen made for the door and closed it noisily behind him.” 
 
#autobiographyofayogi  #autobiographylinebyline  #paramahansayogananda 
Autobiography of a Yogi awake.minute 
Self-Realization Fellowship Yogoda Satsanga Society of India 
#SRF #YSS

This episode covers the next part of chapter 18 from: 
“Ignoring his master’s warning, Afzal began to misuse his powers...” 
to 
“...there was no sign of the glittering plates or the remnants of the meal.” 

Summary: 
The daunting task of analysing the character of Afzal and his supernatural abilities and their moral implications can only be done if you have some fun with it – which we did! We admit it was far beyond our intellectual grasp, even when referencing Paramahansa Yogananda’s teachings. We tried to explore the consequences of misusing our powers, drawing parallels to real-life situations and popular culture, as well as the potential karmic effects of Afzal’s behaviour. 

0:00 Prior Episode; 
3:35 Misusing his powers; 
11:52 Misguided teacher; 
30:31 Sri Yukteswar meets Afzal Khan; 
40:41 Babu’s sorry encounter; 
52:35 The feast; 
1:02:50 Looking ahead. 

Homework for next episode— Read, absorb and make notes on the last part of chapter 18 from: 
“Guruji,” I interrupted, “if Afzal could easily secure such things as gold...” 
to 
“... Farewell, world! I go to seek the forgiveness of the Cosmic Beloved.” 
 
#autobiographyofayogi  #autobiographylinebyline  #paramahansayogananda 
Autobiography of a Yogi awake.minute 
Self-Realization Fellowship Yogoda Satsanga Society of India 
#SRF #YSS 

This episode covers the start of chapter 18 to: 
“This invisible entity was able to fulfil the fakir’s slightest wish...” 

Summary: 
Chapter 18 is perhaps one of the most intriguing of the book, and we take a moment to explore why we feel that could be, before delving in! Sri Yukteswar visits Mukunda’s halls of residence (subtly exposing a very sweet relationship between the pair) while he tells the unlikely story of another disciple-guru relationship, defying the social societal norms, scientific understanding and logical reasoning.  

0:00 Expectations from the chapter; 
8:14 Synchronicity; 
16:12 Guru's promise; 
33:39 Diksha; 
1:01:15 Looking ahead. 

Links discussed in this episode: 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinn 

Homework for next episode— Read, absorb and make notes on the next part of chapter 18 from: 
“Ignoring his master’s warning, Afzal began to misuse his powers...” 
to 
“...there was no sign of the glittering plates or the remnants of the meal.” 
 
#autobiographyofayogi  #autobiographylinebyline  #paramahansayogananda 
Autobiography of a Yogi awake.minute 
Self-Realization Fellowship Yogoda Satsanga Society of India 
#SRF #YSS

This episode covers the the last part of chapter 17: 
“On his return from Puri, Sri Yukteswar...” 
to end of the chapter (and the long footnote). 

Summary: 
How did Sri Yukteswar intervene to enhance the academic offering of Serampore College (solely for the benefit of his principal disciple Mukunda)? An intriguing question, one which we discuss in this section along with the long footnote provided by Paramahansa Yogananda on the importance of spirituality in education, and the limitations of materialistic and scientific understanding. We also explored the concept of a Gurukula, a type of spiritual boarding school, and reflected on the significance of a captivating picture of Mukunda meditating (at the age of 16). The conversation ended with a discussion on the key learnings from chapter 17. 

0:00 Prior episode; 
3:34 Moving Mukunda to Serampore; 
10:41 The divine hand at work; 
15:40 That only which we see within...; 
28:37 Avidya - false knowledge; 
31:40 Schools in ancient India; 
39:10 Picture of Mukunda; 
46:05 Reflections on chapter. 

Links discussed in this episode: 
https://yssofindia.org/spiritual?srsltid=AfmBOooTAbLHGGwH0X2AjBZsjX5P-Cps67QgSeXRUHrEoJprxeF9IclY 
https://yogananda.com.au/gurus/yogananda_quotes_habits40.html 
Book – on Indian Culture: https://archive.org/details/indianculturethr029329mbp/mode/2up 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gurukula 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandipani 

Homework for next episode— Read, absorb and make notes on the start of chapter 18 to: 
“This invisible entity was able to fulfil the fakir’s slightest wish...” 
 
#autobiographyofayogi  #autobiographylinebyline  #paramahansayogananda 
Autobiography of a Yogi awake.minute 
Self-Realization Fellowship Yogoda Satsanga Society of India 
#SRF #YSS 

This episode covers the next part of chapter 17 from: 
“The first two years of my course at Scottish Church...” 
to  
“...mixed with ejaculations betraying their astonishment.” 

Summary: 
In this short and seemingly simple section of the chapter lies some gold dust, but you have to explore underlying meanings behind the narrative as experienced by Paramahansa Yogananda (and orchestrated by Swami Sri Yukteswar!). We weigh in by sharing our personal experiences and reflections on the importance of faith, perseverance, and balancing spiritual pursuits with academic responsibilities. We also felt it right to include some readings on concepts of success, hard work, and reincarnation, as well as the gleaning on some messages from the book Mejda.  

0:00 Prior episode; 
3:05 A controversial regularity; 
17:15 A lifeline; 
27:27 Art of Cramming; 
44:15 Scraping through an exam; 
59:00 Looking ahead. 

Links discussed in this episode:  
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Church_College 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_alumni_of_Scottish_Church_College 

Homework for next episode— Read, absorb and make notes on the last part of chapter 17: 
“On his return from Puri, Sri Yukteswar...” 
to end of the chapter (and the long footnote). 

#autobiographyofayogi  
#autobiographylinebyline  
#paramahansayogananda 
Autobiography of a Yogi  
awake.minute 
Self-Realization Fellowship 
Yogoda Satsanga Society of India 
#SRF #YSS

This episode covers the next part of chapter 17 from: 
“It was my proudest privilege to bring college friends to meet my guru...” 
to  
“...effect of stiffening his will and impairing his manners.” 

Summary: 
Using the example with Sri Yukteswar, Paramhansa Yogananda and Sasi - we delve into the significance of personal effort in spiritual growth, the pivotal role of faith and trust in our lives, and the profound concepts of spiritual healing, humility, and forgiveness. We also reflect on the importance of priorities, the role of astrology, intercession and fate in our lives – providing us with some key takeaways from this intriguing section of the book. 

0:00 Progress review; 
1:05 Prior episode; 
2:40 An introduction to Sasi; 
37:50 Woeful Sasi; 
47:20 Sasi is healed; 
1:11:40 Looking ahead. 

Links discussed in this episode:  
https://yoganandasite.wordpress.com/2019/01/09/the-gurus-help-mrinalini-mata/ 

Homework for next episode— Read, absorb and make notes on the next part of chapter 17: 
“The first two years of my course at Scottish Church...” 
to  
“...mixed with ejaculations betraying their astonishment.” 

#autobiographyofayogi  
#autobiographylinebyline  
#paramahansayogananda 
Autobiography of a Yogi  
awake.minute 
Self-Realization Fellowship 
Yogoda Satsanga Society of India 
#SRF #YSS

Priyank is asked to give a talk on his experiences of the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj. He speaks about its historical significance, why 660 million devotees attended and the link to Mahavatar Babaji and our lineage of Gurus.

0:00 Agenda;

1:55 Significance of Prayagraj;

6:23 Kumbh Legend from scripture;

12:23 Astrological timing;

16:23 Naga Babas and their Akharas;

20:47 Mahavatar Babaji;

23:33 What do you do during the mela?;

38:50 Organisation and Planning;

45:18 Maha Shivaratri

47:20 Q&A;

Image:

Samudra Manthan (The churning of the ocean of milk), Cambodia, 12th Century in Sandstone. Guimet Museum, Paris

This episode covers the start of chapter 17  
to  
“...boundless in his kindness when responding to an urgent prayer of a devotee.” 

Summary: 
This episode focusses on the different types of seekers, we share our personal strategies for engaging with them and how to handle situations where people show interest in our way of life, but actually use it against us! The ‘natural death’ paradigm inspires a discussion on the concept of destiny and free will, as well as the inevitability of death 

0:00 Expectations of this chapter; 
5:10 Casual interest; 
28:26 A dark prophesy and redemption opportunity; 
50:25 Prevention is better than cure; 
56:00 The mystery of death; 
1:08:04 Looking Ahead. 

Homework for next episode— Read, absorb and make notes on the next part of chapter 17: 
“It was my proudest privilege to bring college friends to meet my guru...” 
to  
“...effect of stiffening his will and impairing his manners.” 

#autobiographyofayogi  
#autobiographylinebyline  
#paramahansayogananda 
Autobiography of a Yogi  
awake.minute 
Self-Realization Fellowship 
Yogoda Satsanga Society of India 
#SRF #YSS