Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 9 verse 26 OM Patram Pushpam Phalam Toyam Yo Me Bhaktyā Prayacchati Tad Aham Bhaktyupahrtam Aśnāmi Prayatātmanah He who offers to Me with devotion a leaf, a…

The Mandukya Upanishad is the shortest Upanishad consisting of just 12 verses. This Upanishad is associated with the Atharva Veda and is also considered fifth among the canon of the…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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….

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…

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,…

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….

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,…

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…

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 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:…

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…