Make That Decision, You Got This I once had a dear teacher named Dr Sharma ji, say to me, “Manorama, you must make a decision.” He saw I was strugglin’ to decide the best course of… Read more
6 Essentials Ya Gotta Know About Sanskrit Here are 6 Essentials ya gotta know about Sanskrit. These 6 keys I’m sharing with you are so helpful to effectively learn the language. After reading these, go ahead and… Read more
Devotion in the Bhagavad Gita 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… Read more
Guides & Living a Remarkable Life After my mom passed, my sister became the keeper of the family photos, drawings and such. Now whenever I visit my sister Jen’s home, I feel like I’m simultaneously… Read more
The Mandukya Upanishad 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… Read more
The Beautiful World of Sanskrit 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… Read more
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… Read more
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… Read more
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… Read more
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… Read more
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… Read more
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… Read more
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… Read more
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… Read more
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…. Read more
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… Read more
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,… Read more
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…. Read more
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,… Read more
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… Read more