AUTHENTIC TRAINING TO STRENGTHEN YOUR KNOWLEDGE OF SANSKRIT, YOGA & LUMINOUS SOUL TEACHINGS
The often mis-quoted idea in Yoga is that Sanskrit is the oldest language in the world. When I ask students, “What is their understanding of Sanskrit?” Someone will often say confidently, “Sanskrit is the oldest language in the world.” Though Sanskrit is very old. It is not the oldest language. One of the oldest forms […]
It sounds like a funny question, but it’s been on my mind lately. How should one approach Sanskrit? Below I’ve listed Sanskrit Studies Method’s Five Key Principles For Approaching Sanskrit well. Sanskrit Studies Method Key Principle 1: How you approach the subject Many people feel daunted by Sanskrit. That’s because Sanskrit is likened to this very […]
The word Upanishad means to sit in proximity to. Upanishad is a Sanskrit word that derives from the elements upa + ni + sad. Upa + ni = proximity or nearness and sad = to sit. Sanskrit was an oral language for a long time and even today it is impossible to learn Sanskrit without […]
The Durga Devi Puja was my teacher, Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati’s, favorite festival. He often ate very light during the festival and would remain absorbed in deep contemplation. Each morning he, and we, would chant mantras to the cosmic mother in all of her many aspects. Culminating in over 700 verses being chanted by the end […]
Two months after I met my guru, Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati, I heard the Ātmabodha by Shankarācarya. I was in a car, with one of my teacher’s oldest students, George B. As he drove, George popped a cassette into the stereo and off we zoomed down the highway. I remember how somber we were, as we […]
I’ll never forget the time I taught a visiting Sanskrit scholar from India about Christmas. He visited for a month, which happened to be December. Since the festivities were beginning, I decided to explain what all the holiday hype was about. I explained the religious significance, as well as the secular way in which we […]
What is a healthy parent? I define it as a protective force, a guide, a support, a place of profound unconditional love and nurturance. Not all people have experienced this with their parents. What is a crazy parent? In this sense, a crazy parent doesn’t mean a clinically or mentally ill person. Nor is this […]
There is a term that gets used when you learn Sanskrit it’s called ‘The Sanskrit Tradition.’ When I first heard it, it caught my ears and I thought “Hmmm ‘The Sanskrit Tradition,’ what does that mean?” Those immersed in The Tradition will refer to it as such. The term ‘The Sanskrit Tradition’ refers to the […]
“Kalidasa is the Shakespeare of Sanskrit poetry.” This is the quote often repeated about the great kavi, Kalidasa. He is the author of numerous Sanskrit works including two epic poems: The Raghuvamśa and Kumarasambhava. The Raghuvamśa chronicles the kings of the Raghu dynasty, while the Kumarasambhava offers the story of Parvati’s birth, early years and […]
Chant Mantras Over Your Meal & The Elegant Art of Vegetable Picking I knew nothing about cooking. I grew up in the 1970’s where the main dishes in our house consisted of canned this and processed that. Later when I was in direct training with Guru ji I learned the art of cooking. Guru ji […]
Question: Dear Manorama, Can you help me with the word mala? How it is used, as well as what does it mean when I hear the three malas, impurities? Thank you always for your wisdom and graciousness. Love, Vanessa Manorama: Dear Vanessa, Thanks for your question. The first word, mala, is a Sanskrit word written […]
Sound is powerful – it has effect. Listen to a harsh tone and watch your body recoil, hear the upbeat sounds of African music and notice how you feel enlivened and joyful, listen to the steady sounds of the ocean waves and find your heart and breathing becoming steady and soothed. Sanskrit mantras profoundly affect […]
Connection with love leads to seva. Seva is the seventh Pillar in the Luminous Soul Method. It is the pillar that follows after Bhakti, devotion. To engage Seva after Bhakti is a natural progression. The more you connect with your sense of love and devotion the more you will see those around you as part of your very […]
In part 1 of the Luminous Soul Seva Series, I spoke about how you can engage seva in a variety of short ways. I shared how you can work with this Luminous Soul Pillar of seva in your daily life through quick connects or medium connects. But what about when you feel called to perform seva in a more substantial […]
In the Luminous Soul Method, Seva is the seventh pillar and is a Sanskrit word which means selfless service. As a practice, seva nourishes and supports both the receiver, as well as the one making the offering. Seva creates a healing channel of energy. Here’s how to use your Luminous Soul Practice to make these connections every day: […]
Yoga Sutra Series Adhmimatra Powerful Effort in Yoga Practice with Manorama In the context of reviewing what is needed for the yogic practice to have full fruition. We were looking at Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras 1.21 and 1.22. PYS 1.21 Tīvra-Samvegānām Āsannah The full fruition of Samadhi in the yogic practice is nearest to those whose […]
The root energies for the Mahā Bhūtas are subtle energies known as the Tanmātras. The second tanmātra to be aware of is Sparsha (spelled Sparśa). Sparśa Tanmātra is the primordial unmanifested form of touch. Sparśa is connected with the essential element, Vāyu, Air. Touch and air are inter-connected and as such the associated organ of the skin […]
My teacher, Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati spoke often in his yogic lectures about what he called ‘the play between the point and the zero.’ He would draw a circle on the large chalk board to represent the zero and then he’d place in the very center of the circle, a point. In those early years, I […]
What is Śabda? Śabda means sound, word or vibration. Śabda is a tanmātra, a subtle element. Tanmātras are themselves the essence of potential. Śabda is the essential vibration that exists underneath manifested sound as well as the manifested sound itself. Śabda is said to be eternal. The eternal aspect of Śabda is called sphotam, which […]
Question: Dear Manorama, Recently, a student asked me the difference between an Invocation to Lord Patanjali and a mantra like the Gayatri Mantra. Can you explain this to me? Love, Śivā Manorama: What a lovely question. Ok let’s start with understanding a few pieces first: What is an invocation verse? An invocation verse is a […]