Blog Posts - Sanskrit Studies

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Reflections on Rishi

Let’s clarify and understand what the word and concept of Rishi means rather than just settling for the gist. We’ve all heard it said: Rishi means Seer. But if...

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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….

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,…

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…

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…

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:…

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…

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…

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…

Seva: Healing Through Giving (Part III)

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…

Seva: Healing Through Giving (Part II)

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…

Seva: Healing Through Giving (Part I)

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…

Yoga Sutra Series: Adhmimatra Powerful Effort in Yoga Practice

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…

Quick & Sacred Sanskrit: Sparsha Tanmatra By Manorama

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…

The Dance of Shiva & Shakti: The Play between the Point & the Zero

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…

Quick & Sacred Sanskrit: Shabda Tanmatra

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…

What is the difference between an Invocation and a Mantra?

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,…

Quick & Sacred Sanskrit: Tanmatra

So, what is a tanmātra? A tanmātra is a subtle element, which is itself the essence of potential. There exist five sense perceptions. For example, seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and…

Soul Fire

Discipline as a Structure for Freedom As I mentioned in my previous blog Freedom Found in Yogic Rituals, as a child, I had an intense thirst for soul understanding. As…

Freedom Found in Yogic Rituals

Soul Inquiry When I was young I was introduced to the concept of the soul. I was told, “The soul is the most sacred part of you. It is the…

Kavi: The Vision of Vibration and Light

In classical Sanskrit, the word “kavi” generally translates as poet. However, during the Vedik period, kavi held a more mystical significance. In the Vedas, a kavi is referred to as…

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