When you study Sanskrit, you engage two subjects at the same time: The scholarly and the mystical. In my classes, I often share that Sanskrit is a meeting place of high grammar, which includes mental gymnastics of the intellectual world, and it’s also a doorway to the world of mysticism. Learning Sanskrit shows the practitioner […]
On The Subject of Baba Bhagavan Das
Baba Bhagavan Das was the Sad Guru of my teacher, Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati. When I travelled with my guru in the 1980’s and 90’s, whenever he spoke of his own teacher, his eyes would well up, and he would be filled with emotion, as he attempted to say something about the man he knew. It […]
THE MYSTERY OF DURGA MATA & THE SACRED LINK BETWEEN GURU & SHISHYA
When I first met Shri Brahmananda Sarasvati, I remember being amazed at how beautiful his teachings were. At the time, I couldn’t believe anyone had a clue the way he did. During those initial months of learning from him, it was as if he read my mind and was teaching everything that I had been […]
How to Work with Karma
Contrary to popular understanding, karma is not a cosmic retribution scale. Karma is not you messed up and now (whatever bad there is) is comin’ for you. Karma is a field of energy. An energetic field of balance. Most people move about in life taking actions unconsciously and justifying the need for them. Yet every […]
The Importance of Satya
The Sanskrit word for truth is Satya. In our current climate, individually, politically, socially and spiritually, it feels more than ever that satya is to be studied. But how do we do this without asserting that our views, our perception, is better than the other guy? How can we be sure that we are on the side […]
The Gift of the Kena Upanishad
The Kena Upanishad is called a mukhya, which means a Principle Upanishad. It centralizes around the first word in its title, ‘Kena,’ which, in Sanskrit, means ‘By Whom?’ The focus of the Upanishad asks the reader to ponder what is the force that is up underneath everything? ‘By Whom’ is everything moving, growing and decaying? […]
Three Kinds of Yogic Vision in the Upanishads
The Upanishads form some of the oldest Yogic teachings. Within their verses and stories, the reader will discover the vision of the Rishis. It is this vision, a kind of Supra-Understanding, that the student wants access to. When you read the Upanishads and work to align with the vision of the rishis, you begin to […]
Five Key Sanskrit Terms Used in the Atmabodha
Luminous Soul Definitions 1. Ātmā Ātmā the Self, the Absolute Reality. Manorama’s Commentary: Atma is your highest Self. In the Atmabodha text, Shankaracharya lays out non-dualistic, Advaita Vedanta philosophy for coming into union with your highest Self or Atma. 2. Sākshī Sakshī means the witness, the observer, Eternal. Manorama’s Commentary: In yogic dialog, the Sakshi […]
Is Sanskrit the Oldest Language in the World?
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 […]
How to Approach Sanskrit
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 Upanishads: Oral & Written Tradition
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 […]
A Story and a Simple Goddess Puja
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 […]
Discovering The Infinite Brahman
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 […]
Shanta Claus & 5 Sanskrit Gift Ideas for Yogis-in-Training
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 […]
How to Relate with a Crazy Parent
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 […]
The Unifying Nature of Sanskrit
There is a term that gets used when you learn Sanskrit it is called ‘The Sanskrit Tradition.’ When I first heard it, it caught me and I thought “Hmmm ‘The Sanskrit Tradition,’ what does that mean?” What is this emphasis on the word ‘tradition’? Those immersed in The Sanskrit Tradition will call it that. The […]
Kalidasa, Luminous Poet
“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 […]
Mantra Meal 101
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 […]
How to Work With Mālā & Mala
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 […]
Mantras Contain Secret Messages
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 […]
