Podcast
Sunday Service at Ananda Village
Hosted by Ananda · EN
Live Broadcast of Sunday Service
Every Sunday, 11:00 am Pacific time • 18:00 GMT • 23:30 IST
Schedule and Lyrics
11:00 am Sunday Service
Click on this link to view a description of each part of the service, including song lyrics (in PDF format).
Past Sunday Services
43episodes
Episodes
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Opening the Door of Intuition
Mar 800:30:22Tap to summarizeNayaswami Devi shares the story behind a statue of Yogananda at Ananda and then focuses on the spiritual path from dogmatic belief to direct, intuitive experience of God.She explains that true understanding doesn’t come from blind belief or even reasoning alone, but from developing inner intuition through meditation and personal experience. By deepening this intuitive awareness, we can perceive God’s presence everywhere and gradually realize our unity with the divine. Watch this inspiring Sunday Service with Nayaswami Devi, recorded at Ananda Village on March 8 2026. The reading for this week from Swami Kriyananda's book Rays of the One Light is Dogmatism vs. Common Sense Truth is one and eternal. Realize oneness with it in your deathless Self, within. The following commentary is based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. In the Gospel of St. Matthew, Chapter 7, Jesus warns: Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Jesus here, as indeed many times during his teaching, counsels people to use their God-given common sense, and not to rely on high-flown but undemonstrable claims. Common sense goes beyond abstract reason, for it is rooted in actual experience. Even common sense, however, is deficient when the judgment called for goes beyond sensory experience. Ultimately, what he emphasized always, therefore, was intuitive perception. Thus, he expected more of his disciples than crude common sense, and often scolded them for being too literal-minded – as he did, elsewhere, when they thought his statement, “I have meat to eat that you know not of,” meant that he had steaks or sandwiches secreted about his person. His reference, of course, was to spiritual, not material, substance. Words, even though appearing in the scriptures, are no substitute for direct perception of truth. Therefore the Bhagavad Gita says, in the second Chapter: The sage who knows God has as little need for the Scriptures as one might have for a pond when the whole land is covered in flood. Thus, through holy Scripture, God has spoken to mankind.
Transcribe →Completing the Puzzle
Mar 100:23:53Tap to summarizeWatch this inspiring Sunday Service with Nayaswami Pranaba, recorded at Ananda Village on March 1 2026. Pranaba explains that the mind is a gift, not an obstacle, but negative thought patterns can shape the brain and reinforce destructive habits. Positive, expansive thinking and devotion help transform these patterns. True spiritual progress requires both clear understanding and the heart’s natural love, as emphasized by Swami Sri Yukteswar. Meditation—especially when combined with devotion—is described as a powerful, reliable path to spiritual growth, helping purify the mind and awaken the soul’s natural qualities such as kindness, compassion, and clarity. He also highlights the progression from sympathy to empathy to compassion, with compassion being the willingness to actively serve and bless others. Ultimately, the message is that through meditation, devotion, compassionate action, and inner awareness, we can overcome ego, transcend emotional reactivity, and realize our unity with the Divine. The reading for this week from Swami Kriyananda's book Rays of the One Light is By Thinking Can We Arrive at Understanding? Truth is one and eternal. Realize oneness with it in your deathless Self, within. The following commentary is based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. There are many places in the Gospels where we see Jesus in open conflict with the Pharisees – that is to say, with man-made as opposed to true, mystical tradition. In the Gospel of St. Matthew, Chapter 15, we see a good example of how they and he “locked horns.” Then some of the scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem came and asked Jesus, “Why do your disciples break our ancient tradition and eat their food without washing their hands properly first?” Jesus, after scolding them for their hypocrisy in observing lesser rules so carefully while ignoring the much more important ones, said, “Listen, and understand this thoroughly! It is not what goes into a man’s mouth that makes him common or unclean. It is what comes out of a man’s mouth that makes him unclean.” It wasn’t that Jesus counseled against such wholesome practices as washing one’s hands before eating. In an age, however, when lesser rules were given too much importance relative to the truly important observances – cleansing the heart of impure desires, for example – he emphasized the supreme importance of loving God and of communing with Him. The Pharisees – the orthodox religionists of his day, in other words – had brought true religion down to a level of intellectual hair-splitting. They mistakenly considered the way to understanding to lie through a mine-field of definitions, which they tried to refine to ultimate exactitude. Jesus taught, however, that the intellect alone can never lead one to truth. Without love, indeed, there is no ultimate verity. Without fixity of purpose, born of the heart’s devotion, the intellect wanders endlessly. It cannot settle for long on anything. As the Bhagavad Gita says in the second Chapter: The intellects of those who lack fixity of spiritual purpose are inconstant, their interests endlessly ramified. Thus, through holy Scripture, God has spoken to mankind.
Transcribe →Focusing on the Light
Feb 2200:26:22Tap to summarizeWatch this inspiring Sunday Service with Nayaswami Ananta, recorded at Ananda Village on February 12 2026. God cannot be seen with the physical eyes but can be perceived with the heart through love and devotion. Different seekers experience the Divine in different ways—through feeling, vision, sound, or inner guidance. Stories about Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita, St. Francis, and Paramhansa Yogananda illustrate that spiritual perception depends on having an open heart, not merely intellectual understanding. Ananta explains that through meditation, devotion, and spiritual practice, we learn to look beyond outward appearances and recognize the divine light within ourselves and others. Masters such as Jesus, Yogananda, and Swami Kriyananda saw the inner soul in everyone rather than focusing on faults or behavior. The central message is that God’s light and love exist in every being, and by focusing inwardly, practicing meditation, and cultivating love for others, we can gradually perceive that divine reality everywhere. The reading for this week from Swami Kriyananda's book Rays of the One Light is Can Man See God? Truth is one and eternal. Realize oneness with it in your deathless Self, within. The following commentary is based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. There is a saying in Chapter 1 of the Gospel of St. John that would seem to respond with a definite No to the question, Can man see God? The saying is: No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. Many great saints, however, claim to have seen God. If we ask, then, “Can God be seen?” rather than, “Can man see God?” the answer is, “Yes! Else those saints lied; and, else, the Scriptures themselves lie.” The point is, it is not man – this human body, these human eyes – that sees God. God can be seen only with spiritual vision – with the eye of the soul. As the Bhagavad Gita puts it in the eleventh Chapter: “Thou canst not see Me with mortal eyes. Therefore I now give thee sight divine. Behold My supreme power of Yoga!” With these words Hari, the exalted Lord of Yoga, revealed himself to Arjuna in His infinite form. Paramhansa Yogananda, in Autobiography of a Yogi, describes the supernal experience in words more readily comprehensible to modern minds than the poetic phraseology of the Bhagavad Gita. The chapter “An Experience in Cosmic Consciousness” is one of the most inspiringly beautiful in all mystical literature. Here is a brief excerpt: An oceanic joy broke upon calm endless shores of my soul. The Spirit of God, I realized, is exhaustless Bliss; His body is countless tissues of light. [I saw] the divine dispersion of rays pour from an Eternal Source, blazing into galaxies, transfigured with ineffable auras. Again and again I saw the creative beams condense into constellations, then resolve into sheets of transparent flame. By rhythmic reversion, sextillion worlds passed into diaphanous luster; fire became firmament. I cognized the center of the empyrean as a point of intuitive perception in my heart. Irradiating splendor issued from my nucleus to every part of the universal structure.…The creative voice of God I heard resounding as Aum, the vibration of the Cosmic Motor.” This, so the great masters aver, is what God is. And this also, they insist, is what we are in our deepest reality. Thus, through holy Scripture, God has spoken to mankind.
Transcribe →Tuning into Essence
Feb 1500:29:57Tap to summarizeWatch this inspiring Sunday Service with Tyagi Shyama, recorded at Ananda Village on February 15, 2026. Shyama begins with a powerful prayer by Paramhansa Yogananda, emphasizing that we should approach God not weakly, but with strong, loving determination. She reflects on why laws are necessary and how they can either feel restrictive or liberating depending on our understanding. Human-made laws help organize society but are limited. Divine laws—such as the Ten Commandments and the yamas and niyamas—are meant to guide us toward freedom and inner growth. When we focus rigidly on rules, results (“what”), or techniques (“how”), we can become dry, stressed, or ego-driven. Instead, we are encouraged to look deeper—especially at the “why” behind our actions. If our motivation is to draw closer to God rather than feed the ego, everything falls into place naturally. Through stories and examples (art, personal experiences, saints and masters), Shyama illustrates that when love and God-centered intention guide us, life becomes alive and inspired rather than mechanical. Ultimately, divine laws exist to help us transcend the ego and realize our true nature as beings of love and light. The talk concludes that law and love are inseparable: laws guide us, but love fulfills and perfects them. In the end, everything—work, relationships, meditation, and life itself—is perfected in love because love is our connection to God. The reading for this week from Swami Kriyananda's book Rays of the One Light is The Law Is Perfected in Love Truth is one and eternal. Realize oneness with it in your deathless Self, within. The following commentary is based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. In the Gospel of St. John, Chapter 1, we read: The law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Grace means the power to rise, spiritually. Truth means the experience of divine realities, not the application in the outer world of that inner experience. Divine love is the soul’s experience of oneness with God. Kindness is the human manifestation of that love. Grace is deeper than mere kindness. Wisdom is a divine experience. Justice to all is a human law, though divinely inspired. It follows as a consequence of the experience of wisdom. Truth goes deeper than mere justice. While following the law, we should strive always to trace it back to its origins in the vision of God. Therefore Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita urges the devotee not to be satisfied with spiritual precepts alone, but to go beyond them to the direct, inner experience of truth. In the eighteenth Chapter of that great Scripture he says: Nay! but once more Take My last word, My utmost meaning have! Precious thou art to Me; right well beloved! Listen! I tell thee for thy comfort this. Give Me thy heart! adore Me! serve Me! cling In faith and love and reverence to Me! So shalt thou come to Me! I promise true, For thou art sweet to Me! And let go those – Rites and writ duties! Fly to me alone! Make Me thy single refuge! I will free Thy soul from all its sins! Be of good cheer! Thus, through holy Scripture, God has spoken to mankind.
Transcribe →Illumination through Attunement
Feb 800:30:06Tap to summarizeWith Nayaswami Jyotish, recorded at Ananda Village on February 8, 2026. He discusses the central importance of attunement to God and the guru as the heart of the spiritual path. Using a prayer for illumination from Yogananda's Whispers from Eternity, he explains that spiritual progress comes not through outer knowledge alone, but through aligning one’s will with God’s will. The guru is described not as a person, but as a divine consciousness assigned to guide each soul back to enlightenment. While many teachings exist to guide life and meditation, the “skeleton key” to spiritual freedom is attunement—offering one’s love and self-will to God. The main obstacle is not lack of knowledge, but the ego’s resistance to surrendering its attachments and desires. God does not force anyone; through the law of love, He gently draws souls back when they are ready. True attunement is vibrational and intuitive, like tuning an instrument—not merely intellectual. By loving, serving, meditating, and inwardly offering oneself to the guru, one gradually aligns with divine guidance. Nayaswami Jyotish concludes that everything on the path comes down to this: freely offering one’s love and will to God. Through that attunement, divine guidance becomes clear, and the soul is led toward lasting fulfillment and union with God. The reading for this week from Swami Kriyananda's book Rays of the One Light: The Importance of Soul-Receptivity Truth is one and eternal. Realize oneness with it in your deathless Self, within. The following commentary is based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. Chapter 1 of the Gospel of St. John states: But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. This was a passage Paramhansa Yogananda often quoted to his disciples. “Be in tune,” he would tell them. “Delusion can’t touch you, if you will keep in tune.” “A few of you will fall,” he said once. “But it needn’t be, if you would stay in tune.” Of a disciple who became highly advanced, even though she didn’t meditate much, he said, “She got there by attunement.” To one who found meditation difficult, he said, “I will meditate for you, as long as you stay in tune.” Truth is a state of consciousness, not a well-worded definition. It is in that consciousness, above all, that our lives are transformed. Therefore the Bhagavad Gita says, in the tenth Chapter: To those who are ever attached to Me, and who worship Me with love, I impart discernment, by means of which they attain Me. Out of my love for them, I, the Divine within them, set alight in them the radiant lamp of wisdom, thereby dispelling the darkness of their ignorance. Thus, through holy Scripture, God has spoken to mankind.
Transcribe →Perfect Love Casteth Out Fear
Feb 100:29:03Tap to summarizeWith Asha Nayaswami, recorded at Ananda Village on February 1, 2026. Asha reflects on a prayer from Whispers from Eternity that emphasizes our divine birthright as God’s children: we do not beg, but rightfully demand wisdom, joy, and guidance—while learning to use our free will in harmony with God’s will. She shares how Swami Kriyananda deeply edited Whispers, feeling inwardly guided by Yogananda to clarify its meaning. The book, she explains, shaped Swami’s spiritual life because it teaches the right inner attitudes—not philosophically, but devotionally—especially the balance between surrender to God and the proper use of individual will. The talk expands into a broader reflection on divine guidance in history, especially the founding of America. The principles of equality, God-given rights, and freedom reflect spiritual truths aligned with self-realization. The masters work through historical movements and incarnations to create conditions for spiritual awakening, and souls connected to this work may have participated in these efforts across lifetimes. Ultimately, however, the outer achievements—temples, laws, communities, even revolutions—are secondary. What truly matters is love for God. Everything meaningful is built on that love. Life itself is temporary, like a passing shadow, and the only lasting achievement is to love God wholeheartedly. Asha concludes with a simple, powerful message: however we serve, whatever role we play, the essence is to love God deeply and faithfully. In the end, the only question that matters is: How much did you love? The reading for this week from Swami Kriyananda's book Rays of the One Light is The Mystery of Avatara, or Divine Incarnation Truth is one and eternal. Realize oneness with it in your deathless Self, within. The following commentary is based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. The Bhagavad Gita in the fourth Chapter states, as we saw last week: O Bharata, whenever virtue declines and vice predominates, I incarnate on earth. Taking visible form, I come to destroy evil and re-establish virtue. What is the mystery of this divine manifestation? Great avatars, such as Krishna and Jesus Christ, are born as babies even as we all are. They take human form, and go through normal human experiences as they grow from childhood to adulthood. They eat. They play. They may seem to suffer sickness and disappointment like the rest of us. In what way are they different from other human beings? The important thing to understand is that, even as they are like us, so are we also like them. Their realization can be ours, too. They come on earth to show us our own divine potential. The difference lies not in the manner of their manifestation on earth, but in the consciousness with which they are born. All things are condensations, so to speak, of the Cosmic Vibration – AUM, described by St. John’s Gospel as the Word. Most human beings, however, are unconscious of their divine origin. The avatars, on the other hand, come consciously as manifestations of that divine reality. As the Gospel says in the first Chapter: And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. Thus, through holy Scripture, God has spoken to mankind.
Transcribe →How to Be a Channel of Light in Turbulent Times
Jan 18Tap to summarizeIn this Sunday service talk, Nayaswami Parvati weaves together personal stories and spiritual teachings to explore the timeless battle between darkness and light. Beginning with a reading from Yogananda's Whispers from Eternity, she reflects on how divine light burns away ego, fear, and delusion from within. Drawing on experiences at Ananda, contemporary social tensions, and powerful historical examples—especially the story of Corrie ten Boom—the talk emphasizes practical spirituality: staying centered in the heart, consciously sending light instead of reacting with anger, and learning how to act with wisdom and love in dark or turbulent times. The core message is that true light begins from within and must be applied with compassion, discernment, and common sense to genuinely help others. Recorded at Ananda Village on January 18th, 2026. The reading for this week from Swami Kriyananda's book Rays of the One Light is Is God Present Even There, Where There Is Ignorance? Truth is one and eternal. Realize oneness with it in your deathless Self, within. The following commentary is based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. The Gospel of St. John, Chapter 1, makes a reference to the divine light that is obscure to the rational faculty, but that enlightens our higher nature: “The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not.” Reason recoils from this statement with innumerable questions. What is this darkness? Is it conscious, that it should comprehend anything? What sort of light would be capable of shining in darkness without transforming at least that part of the darkness in which it shines into light? Does this light shine only at night? And if so, why only then? The solution is that, to divine sight, even daylight seems darkness. The sun itself, like the moon which shines only by reflected light from the sun, is but a kind of reflection of the cosmic light, which, being immaterial, is invisible to the eyes but which is the Great Source of all material reality. In Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramhansa Yogananda describes his youthful visit to Ram Gopal Muzumdar, the “sleepless saint,” who lived in the vision of that hidden light. “Around midnight,” Yogananda wrote, Ram Gopal fell into silence, and I lay down on my blankets. Closing my eyes, I saw flashes of lightning; the vast space within me was a chamber of molten light. I opened my eyes and observed the same dazzling radiance. The room became a part of the infinite vault which I beheld with interior vision. “Why don’t you go to sleep?” “Sir, how can I sleep in the presence of lightning, blazing whether my eyes are shut or open?” “You are blessed to have this experience; the spiritual radiations are not easily seen.” The saint added a few words of affection. This is the “light that shineth in darkness.” It has been described variously in the great scriptures. In the Bhagavad Gita, the eleventh Chapter, the devotee, Arjuna, is given an experience of the infinite state and exclaims in awe: If there should rise suddenly within the skies Sunburst of a thousand suns Flooding earth with beams undeemed-of, Then might be that Holy One’s Majesty and radiance dreamed of! Thus, through holy scripture, God has spoken to mankind.
Transcribe →The Secret of Om: How Divine Vibration Shapes All Creation
Jan 1100:26:45Tap to summarizeIn this Sunday service talk, Nayaswami Maria explores the profound question: Did God create the universe, or did God become it? Drawing from the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi, and Hindu cosmology, she explains that creation is not a fixed, solid reality but a vibratory dream of consciousness, sustained by divine energy (Om/AUM). What we call miracles—such as materialization or instantaneous travel—are natural expressions of higher consciousness. Through meditation, especially attunement with Om and practices like Kriya Yoga, individuals can transcend time, karma, and limitation, gradually awakening to their true nature as expressions of the Divine. Ultimately, the universe responds to consciousness, and as we align with God, we help reshape the “dream” of reality with light, joy, and love. Recorded at Ananda Village on January 11th, 2026. The reading for this week from Swami Kriyananda's book Rays of the One Light is Did God Create the Universe – or Become It? Truth is one and eternal. Realize oneness with it in your deathless Self, within. The following commentary is based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. The Gospel of St. John, Chapter 1, contains a passage that explains the essential truth that creation is a process of becoming. The universe is not separate from God the Creator, but a part of Him even as our own dream-creations, during sleep, are figments of our consciousness. God’s is the life; God’s, the reality. Not a melody could be composed, not a poem written, were the melody and the poem not already there, simply waiting to be expressed. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. Ego-directed desire is like static; it distorts the radioed messages of Infinity. But the pristine impulse from the divine, undistorted by limitation and delusion, is the life that gives rise to all that is. As the seventh Chapter of the Bhagavad Gita states: I am the fluidity of water. I am the silver light of the moon and the golden light of the sun. I am the AUM chanted in all the Vedas: the Cosmic Sound moving as if soundlessly through the ether. I am the manliness of men. I am the good sweet smell of the moist earth. I am the luminescence of fire; the sustaining life of all living creatures. I am self-offering in those who would expand their little lives into cosmic life. O Arjuna, know Me as the eternal seed of all creatures. In the perceptive, I am their perception. In the great, I am their greatness. In the glorious, it is I who am their glory. Thus, through holy Scripture, God has spoken to mankind.
Transcribe →Be a Child of the Light: A Powerful New Year Message for Spiritual Awakening
Jan 400:33:14Tap to summarizeNayaswami Devi reminds us that our true identity is light, not our past mistakes, habits, or limitations. Drawing from Rays of the One Light, Songs of the Soul, the Bible, and Autobiography of a Yogi, she explains that true success and spiritual growth come not from striving alone, but from receptivity to divine light. The New Year is a fresh beginning—an opportunity to release old worries and plant seeds of joy, right action, noble desires, and spiritual aspiration in each new day. Through personal stories and examples from the life of Swami Kriyananda, Nayaswami Devi shows how offering our whole self to service allows divine energy to flow effortlessly, dissolving ego and bringing humility and peace. A powerful story of spiritual awakening illustrates how the light is always present, even in moments of confusion or darkness. She concludes with a call to live consciously as children of light, sharing kindness, compassion, and spiritual awareness with others. In a world experiencing growing tension between light and darkness, the New Year becomes an invitation not only to awaken ourselves, but to help awaken the light in everyone we meet. This inspiring Sunday Service talk with Nayaswami Devi was recorded at Ananda Village on January 4th, 2026. The reading for this week from Swami Kriyananda's book Rays of the One Light is At the Heart of Silence – the Eternal Word Truth is one and eternal. Realize oneness with it in your deathless Self, within. The following commentary is based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. In the Gospel of St. John, Chapter 1, these immortal lines appear: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. Human vision beholds individuality and separation everywhere. Divine vision beholds the oneness of cosmic vibration, of which all things, no matter how diverse, are manifestations. Cosmic Sound – the “Word” of God – and Cosmic Light: These are eternal. The world, as revealed to us by our senses, is illusory. In Autobiography of a Yogi, Paramhansa Yogananda relates an early experience he received of the divine aspect of reality: Sitting on my bed one morning, I fell into a deep reverie. “What is behind the darkness of closed eyes?” This probing thought came powerfully into my mind. An immense flash of light at once manifested to my inward gaze. Divine shapes of saints, sitting in meditation posture in mountain caves, formed like miniature cinema pictures on the large screen of radiance within my forehead. “Who are you?” I spoke aloud. “We are the Himalayan yogis.” The celestial response is difficult to describe; my heart was thrilled. “Ah, I long to go to the Himalayas and become like you!” The vision vanished, but the silvery beams expanded in ever-widening circles to infinity. “What is this wondrous glow?” “I am Iswara. I am Light.” The voice was as murmuring clouds. “I want to be one with Thee!” Out of the slow dwindling of my divine ecstasy, I salvaged a permanent legacy of inspiration to seek God. Wise are we if we meditate on that experience of Yogananda’s, and salvage from it even a breath of his inspiration. For, quite simply, there is nothing else! As the Bhagavad Gita says in the seventh Chapter: I make and unmake this universe. Apart from Me nothing exists, O Arjuna. All things, like the beads of a necklace, are strung together on the thread of My consciousness, and are sustained by Me. Thus, through holy Scripture, God has spoken to mankind.
Transcribe →The True Meaning of Christmas
Dec 2800:36:29Tap to summarizeIn this Sunday service talk, Nayaswami Jaya reflects on Christmas as both a social and spiritual experience, emphasizing that the heart must awaken before higher spiritual truths can be understood. Drawing on the Gospel of John, Christmas traditions, and stories like A Christmas Carol, he explains that Christ’s core teaching is not intellectual belief but active love and compassion for one another. By expressing kindness and service, our hearts expand, joy naturally arises, and we gradually come to experience Christ-Consciousness and God’s presence in all creation. Christmas, then, becomes a universal reminder that love in action is the true path to God and the foundation for spiritual growth in the new year. Recorded at Ananda Village on December 28th, 2025. The reading for this week from Swami Kriyananda's book Rays of the One Light is The Divine Ascension Truth is one and eternal. Realize oneness with it in your deathless Self, within. The following commentary is based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda. In the Gospel of St. John, Chapter 14, we read: I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. What is this “I,” when spoken by a master who has conquered every vestige of ego-consciousness? Therein lies the mystery of true Scriptural teaching. That “I” that is no “I”: Does it even exist? In what way is it different from the consciousness that animates other human beings? Jesus was not saying, “Look at me. Don’t look at other masters.” He was saying, rather, “Look at the divine Self that is the essence of who you are, your very Self. You are that ‘I.’ No man cometh unto the divine consciousness except by first recognizing his own intrinsic divinity, hidden behind his delusive ego.” The Bhagavad Gita, in the fourth Chapter, states: O Son of Pritha [Arjuna], in whatever way people accept Me, in that same way do I appear to them. For all men, in some way, pursue The Path to Me. Meditate on the divine incarnations. Their lives, and the consciousness animating them, will be your stairway to the Infinite. Thus, through Holy Scripture, God has spoken to mankind.
Transcribe →