Vedanta Talks - Swami Sarvapriyananda

Swami Sarvapriyananda teaches Chapter 6 (Verses 22-23) of the Bhagavad Gita. In this series of talks, Swami Sarvapriyananda unfolds the highest truths of Vedanta through the study of the Bhagavad Gita (The Song of God).

Swami Sarvapriyananda teaches Chapter 6 (Verses 20-21) of the Bhagavad Gita. In this series of talks, Swami Sarvapriyananda unfolds the highest truths of Vedanta through the study of the Bhagavad Gita (The Song of God).

Swami Sarvapriyananda speaks on the path of devotion inspired by Swami Vivekananda's book, Bhakti Yoga, with a special emphasis on the chapter on "Triangle of Love".

Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on June 13th, 2021. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 02:05 - How can realization occur in the mind, if the mind is actually false? 06:51 - If I am pure consciousness, why do unwanted situations appear to me? 15:43 - Is it true that the "ego" consciousness sets the wheel of karma in motion? 20:28 - How can we make the leap from the individual to the universal consciousness? 40:33 - How is bliss the same as existence and consciousness? 50:00 - If Brahman through Maya becomes God, why surrender to God? 57:15 - How can I turn intellectual realization into a living reality? 01:07:27 - Can science lead us to the ultimate truth? 01:19:07 - The path of Raja Yoga allows us to "turn off" the world and see the ultimate reality. Is this superior to the path of Jnana Yoga?

How does one go from an intellectual understanding of the ‘Self’ to a living realization? Through the aid of Vedantic Meditation, Swami Sarvapriyananda shares methods that can be used to reach this ultimate spiritual goal. This discourse is inspired from a verse from the Brihadharanyaka Upanishad (Mantra 4.4.12) as taught in the book, Pancadasi by Vidyaranya: "If a man knows the Self as ‘I am this,’ then desiring what and for whose sake will he suffer in the wake of the body?" Mantra 4.4.12: आत्मानं चेद्विजानीयादयमस्मीति पूरुषः । किमिच्छन्कस्य कामाय शरीरमनुसंज्वरेत् ॥ १२

Swami Sarvapriyananda speaks on the fifth stage of knowledge (Direct Knowledge - Aparoksha-Jnana) as taught in the 7th chapter of Pancadasi (by Vidyaranya). This discourse is inspired by a verse from the Brihadharanyaka Upanishad (Mantra 4.4.12): "If a man knows the Self as ‘I am this,’ then desiring what and for whose sake will he suffer in the wake of the body?" Mantra 4.4.12: आत्मानं चेद्विजानीयादयमस्मीति पूरुषः । किमिच्छन्कस्य कामाय शरीरमनुसंज्वरेत् ॥ १२

Sage Uddalaka asks his son Svetaketu: What is that knowledge by which we hear the unhearable, perceive what cannot be perceived and know what cannot be known? Inspired from this story from the Chandogya Upanishad, Swami Sarvapriyananda teaches the great saying (mahavakya) - Tat Tvam Asi (That Thou Art). This discourse is also inspired from a verse from the Brihadharanyaka Upanishad (Mantra 4.4.12) as taught in the book, Pancadasi by Vidyaranya: "If a man knows the Self as ‘I am this,’ then desiring what and for whose sake will he suffer in the wake of the body?" Mantra 4.4.12: आत्मानं चेद्विजानीयादयमस्मीति पूरुषः । किमिच्छन्कस्य कामाय शरीरमनुसंज्वरेत् ॥ १२

“The tenth man counts the other nine, each of whom is visible to him, but forgets himself, though his Self is ever known to him”. Swami Sarvapriyananda expands on the allegory of “the Tenth Man” as taught in Chapter 7 of the book, Pancadasi by Vidyaranya. This chapter is inspired from a verse from the Brihadharanyaka Upanishad (Mantra 4.4.12): "If a man knows the Self as ‘I am this,’ then desiring what and for whose sake will he suffer in the wake of the body?" Mantra 4.4.12: आत्मानं चेद्विजानीयादयमस्मीति पूरुषः । किमिच्छन्कस्य कामाय शरीरमनुसंज्वरेत् ॥ १२

"If a man knows the Self as ‘I am this,’ then desiring what and for whose sake will he suffer in the wake of the body?" Based on this verse from the Brihadharanyaka Upanishad (Mantra 4.4.12) and the associated commentary from Vidyaranya Swami (7th Chapter of Panchadasi), Swami Sarvapriyananda provides inspiration and strength to help us cope with these difficult times. Mantra 4.4.12: आत्मानं चेद्विजानीयादयमस्मीति पूरुषः । किमिच्छन्कस्य कामाय शरीरमनुसंज्वरेत् ॥ १२ ॥ ātmānaṃ cedvijānīyādayamasmīti pūruṣaḥ | kimicchankasya kāmāya śarīramanusaṃjvaret || 12 ||

Swami Sarvapriyananda teaches the Vedantasara (Essence of Vedanta), which is a 15th-century Advaita Vedanta text written by Sadananda Yogendra Saraswati.