Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda born as born Narendranath Datta in Calcutta in 1863 is considered to be a key figure in the introduction of the Indian philosophies of Vedanta and Yoga to the Western world. He is considered as one of the most influential people of modern India and Hinduism.
Raja Yoga is a book by Swami Vivekananda about “Raja Yoga”, his interpretation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. The book was published in July 1896. It became an instant success and was highly influential in the global understanding of yoga.
Raja Yoga contains transcripts of lectures by Swami Vivekananda & his interpretation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, and his commentaries. It presents Vivekananda’s understanding and interpretation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, “and a selection of Hatha yoga teachings on the basis of the beliefs that he shared with his students.
Swami Vivekananda’s other notable literary works include Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Jnana Yoga.
Latest Posts on Swami Vivekananda
Latest on Swami Vivekananda
Bhakti Yoga 2: Philosophy of Ishvara – Swami Vivekananda
This is the 2nd chapter of the series on Bhakti Yoga by Swami Vivekananda. Bhakti Yoga is one of the key literary works by Swami Vivekananda, where he has discussed the path of devotion (bhakti) in detail. Who …
Bhakti Yoga 2: Philosophy of Ishvara – Swami Vivekananda Read More »
Bhakti Yoga 1: Prayer – Swami Vivekananda
This is the 1st chapter of the series on Bhakti Yoga by Swami Vivekananda. Bhakti Yoga is one of the key literary works by Swami Vivekananda, where he has discussed the path of devotion (bhakti) …
Independence – Swami Vivekananda
This is the last and final part of the series by Swami Vivekananda from his work – Raja Yoga. The work of Raja Yoga is essentially an explanation of the Yoga Sutras (aphorisms) by Patanjali. …
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Key Literary Works by Swami Vivekananda
Raja Yoga
Raja Yoga
Raja Yoga is Swami Vivekananda‘s interpretation of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. It has been a seminal work on Yoga and has helped spread the ancient knowledge of Yoga.
The book is comprised of multiple chapters, which introduce the practice of yoga, and then subsequently explain the sutras (aphorisms) by Patanjali. At its core Raja Yoga has 4 chapters, which explain the 195 Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
All articles on Raja Yoga – Swami Vivekananda
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.…
Read more on World Yoga ForumConcentration: 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…
Read more on World Yoga ForumConcentration: 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…
Read more on World Yoga ForumGoing Back To The Absolute – Swami Vivekananda
The theory of eternal progression is untenable, for destruction is the goal of everything earthly. All our struggles and hopes and fears and joys, what will they lead to? We shall all end in death.…
Read more on World Yoga ForumWhy Should You Never Hate & the Importance of Love – SwamiVivekananda
Swami Vivekananda in his book Raja Yoga discusses the nature of creation and beautifully describes the positive effects of love and the problem with hate. This is an excerpt from one of the chapters. It…
Read more on World Yoga ForumRaja Yoga in Brief by Swami Vivekananda
The following is a summary of Raja-Yoga freely translated from the Kurma-Purana by Swami Vivekananda in his book Raja Yoga. The fire of Yoga burns the cage of sin that is around a man. Knowledge…
Read more on World Yoga ForumSuperconsciousness Explained by Swami Vivekananda
Superconsciousness and a means to achieve it have been beautifully explained by Swami Vivekananda in his book Raja Yoga. We see, as human beings, that all our knowledge which is called rational is referred to…
Read more on World Yoga ForumDharana Basics by Swami Vivekananda
After you have practised Pratyahara for a time, take the next step, the Dharana, holding the mind to certain points. What is meant by holding the mind to certain points? Forcing the mind to feel…
Read more on World Yoga ForumPratyahara Basics – Withdrawal of Senses by Swami Vivekananda
You know how perceptions come. First of all there are the external instruments, then the internal organs acting in the body through the brain centres, and there is the mind. When these come together and…
Read more on World Yoga ForumThe Monkey Mind – Swami Vivekananda
Swami Vivekananda in his classic Raja Yoga compares the mind to a mad monkey. There was a monkey, restless by his own nature, as all monkeys are. As if that were not enough some one…
Read more on World Yoga ForumPranayama Exercises and Rising of Kundalini – Swami Vivekananda
The exercises in Pranayama have been detailed out in the chapter titled The Control Of The Psychic Prana in the book Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda. We have seen that the first step, according to…
Read more on World Yoga ForumKundalini Basics – Swami Vivekananda
Kundalini is a coiled up energy at the base of the spine. According to the Yogis, there are two nerve currents in the spinal column, called Pingala and Ida, and a hollow canal called Sushumna…
Read more on World Yoga ForumBhakti Yoga
Bhakti Yoga
Bhakti yoga, also called the bhakti marga or the path of devotion is a spiritual practice within Hinduism focused on loving devotion towards any personal deity. It is one of the three paths in Hinduism which lead to Moksha (salvation), the other paths being Jnana yoga and Karma yoga. It has been discussed in detail by the Bhagvad Gita.
Bhakti Yoga is one of the key literary works by Swami Vivekananda, where he has discussed the path of devotion (bhakti) in detail.
The 4-4-8 Breathing Exercise Works!
There are a multitude of breathing practices and exercises that have been prescribed in many books on Yoga and meditation. Depending on the type of practice and your body, they tend to provide a lot of benefits. However, if you are a beginner, and are looking for a technique that can help you calm your mind try out the 4-4-8 breathing exercise. It has numerous mental and physical benefits. It has worked wonders for me every time I’ve done it. I had recently recommended this practice to a friend who was having constant headaches. These had started sometime after she …
Yoga Poses – 5 Essentials You Need To Know
You might have seen complex yoga poses on television or on the internet with yoga masters doing elaborate and complicated poses. In this post, I’ll share a few basics of Yoga poses or Yoga asanas based on what is mentioned in the original texts. 1. Yoga Poses are steady and comfortable The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali define the Yoga pose as “Sthiram sukham aasanam “, meaning ‘that position which is comfortable and steady’. Patañjali (पतञ्जलि) has been the author of a number of Sanskrit works and the greatest of these is the Yoga sūtras. Yoga Sutras is a text on …
What Should You Think While Meditating?
A reader of the World Yoga Forum asked us this question – “What exactly are you supposed to think when you try meditation?“. This question can exist for a lot of beginners. The mind is difficult to control and when you sit for meditation, it’s possible there are a hundred thousand thoughts that can come into your mind. The goal of meditation in the context of Yoga is simple – to still the mind! The answer to what should you think while meditating is simple – Nothing. You have to bring your mind to a non-active state. The next question …