Mystic Powers Of The Yogi – Swami Vivekananda
We have now come to the chapter in which the Mystic Powers of the Yogi have been described. This is the 3rd part of the Yoga Sutras (aphorisms) of Patanjali as explained by Swami Vivekananda. In the first two parts, Swami Vivekananda describes the spiritual uses of concentration. These are the first 51 sutras by…
Latest This Week – Blessed am I that I was born!
This month continues to be exciting. Last week the World Yoga Forum was featured among the top blogs and websites on Yoga in India. This week as committed last week has marked the completion of the second part of the Yoga Sutras (aphorisms) by Patanjali as described by Swami Vivekananda in Raja Yoga. These are…
Can The Soul Be Unhappy? Are You Free? – Swami Vivekananda
In Raja Yoga, Swami Vivekananda decodes Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and comments on the soul being unhappy and the soul being free in the 72nd & 73rd Sutra (aphorim). Swami Vivekananda Says, Then how does the soul appear to be happy or unhappy? By reflection. If a red flower is put near a piece of pure…
Why Build Places of Worship? – Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda in the book Raja Yoga is deciphering and explaining Yoga Sutras by Patanjali. While explaining these in the 70th Sutra (out of 195 Sutras), Swami Vivekananda has made a very important & interesting argument on places of worship and holy people. He also questions, why is it important to worship god (if at…
Can Meditation Help With Anger? – Swami Vivekananda
We’ve at some point all experienced anger and even rage. We might have also encountered people getting angry and seen them doing ghastly things in the heat of the moment. It can almost be undisputedly said that anger is not good for anyone. Swami Vivekananda in Raja Yoga while deciphering Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras has clearly…
Concentration: Its Practice – Swami Vivekananda
The practice of concentration is the second part in Swami Vivekananda’s Raja Yoga and a continuation of the first part, which describes the spiritual uses of concentration. The first part has the first 51 sutras of Patanjali where the uses of concentration have been described. The second part discussed below has the next 55 sutras…
Does The Soul Love? – Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda in his book Raja Yoga while explaining the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali talks about experiences – experience of the mind and experience of the soul (purusha). He describes the soul and identification with experience. The question arises- Why does the soul experience misery? And does the soul experience love? The excerpt from his…
World Yoga Forum Featured in India’s Top Blogs & Websites on Yoga
This week has been an exciting week for me. I’m happy to share that the World Yoga Forum has been featured in India’s Top Blogs & Websites on Yoga by Feedspot. I’m thankful to Anuj, the founder of Feedspot and his team for this kind gesture and considering World Yoga Forum to be a part…
Should You Argue? – Swami Vivekananda
There are two sorts of scriptural knowledge — vada (the argumentative). Arguments only disturb the mind. Do not argue, he says; if one forces arguments upon you, be silent. Do not answer any argument, but go away calmly.
International Day of Yoga 2021 – 7 Things You Should Know About Yoga
The International Day of Yoga since its inception in 2015 has proved to be extremely useful in propagating Yoga. It was proposed at the United Nations by India’s current Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi. The benefits of Yoga on the body, & mind are well known and widely documented. However, it is important to know…
Which requires the greater strength, letting go or restraining?
In this post, I would like to share an excerpt from Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda where he is interpreting the second sutra from Patanjali’s 195 Yoga Sutras. He compares the mind with the lake and describes the states of mind. The bottom of a lake we cannot see, because its surface is covered with…
Concentration: It’s Spiritual Uses
This post is from Swami Vivekananda’s Raja Yoga and includes the first segment of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras interpreted and translated by Swami Vivekananda. This chapter from Raja Yoga essentially lists the first 51 Yoga Sutras from Patanjali’s 195 Yoga Sutras. Swami Vivekananda has explained these Sutras through four separate chapters in the book. The first…