What is there in my Jukebox

Just wanted to provide info about Swami's that I have been listening to a lot in recent times

• Sri Sri Ravi Shankar:
• https://www.youtube.com/user/ArtOfLivingTV

• Sadhguru:
• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrlzk1AOX0dB9r5nf1TUsFA

• Swami Anubhavananda : 
• https://www.youtube.com/user/smilingswami

• Swami Sarvapriyananda
•  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwxGr_R4cbgn7cDBxWPbHfQ
• 
  

Here are some Adi Shankaracharya's poem that I like to listen to :

• Bhaja Govindam
• Full version
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvdiAiQAoHk
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tovb4QMfZaQ
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ox5eB3C2pfE
• Shorter version for chanting
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEPeD3HlKFE
• Shivoham Shivoham
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57XB8U8It2E
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzXzs-DKiec

Isha yoga getting started :

• Upa yoga
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jf5qUhz-FVk  (longer version)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjGF2MLdIz8
• Isha kriya
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAD53Ka9AOQ (with introduction)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjOVyCIXvXU (just kriya)

Fundamental questions about life

The four fundamental questions about life are as under:

1) Who am I ?

2) What is this world ?

3) Who is God ?

4) What is spiritual practice ?


1) Who am I :

• I am Sat, Chitt, Ananada. 
• I am self-effulgent. 
• I am one without second.
• I am nir-vikalypa. Vikalpa means choice. The more we move ourselves to not having choice ...accepting the present moment as it is ..the closer we come to ourselves. We should have no choice/preference between praise and criticism, no choice/preference between rich and poor, no choice between health and sickness. 
•  Any question that you have takes you away from yourself. The only thing about which you have no question is yourself. You have no question about your existence (sat). When you ask question, you go away from your existence and hence you become disturbed. That about which you have no question is you, yourself. Abode in that existence.

How do you know if your actions are just karma or karma yoga

The purpose of karma yoga is to purify your inner self.

There are three principles of karma yoga:

1)Whatever action I am doing if for myself only. The world does not care or need any of my action. The world will continue to operate even without me. All actions I do are propelled by my samaskars. I do not have any choice other than doing action

2) No action can give you happiness.By meditating, you need to realize that you are bliss and each action is done in happiness , to express happiness, and not to gain any happiness.

3) Observe your mind before, during and after the actions. If the state of mind does not change during these three phases of action, than that action is considered as karma yoga.

How to deal with thoughts

Whenever you have thoughts in your mind, take a moment to look into your thought and find out what are these thoughts regarding.

Every thought is about a role that you are playing. A mother will have thoughts about her child. A wife will have thoughts regarding her husband. As an employer, you will have thoughts pertaining to your job.

Once you identify that a given thought or a chain of thoughts is pertaining to  a particular role, surrender that role to Divine. Gradually , all thoughts will dissolve and you will be established in yourself.

There are two stages in spirituality. The first stage is to be nobody and the second stage is to become everybody from nobody. We can only work towards the first stage; we can surrender all the roles to Divine and empty our mind from all the thoughts. Once we are firmly established in that stage of being nobody, Divine takes us to the next step of being everybody ...where we become one with the entire universe. Effort is needed to get to  first stage and Divine grace takes us to second stage.
It is only when we give up all the different roles that we have taken up in life that we become nobody and as they say (only) nobody can be happy.


Surrendering the role does not mean not fulfilling your responsibilities associated with that role. On the contrary, it means fulfilling all your responsibilities depending only on Divine without expecting anything from anybody.

What does it mean to be Spiritual

• Spirituality begins when dharma ends. Dharma is about doing the right thing: being kind to others, helping others and doing good to society in general. 
• Spirituality starts after we understand that we are not the body. If we understand that we are not the body, than we give up worldly possessions and worldly relationships. 
• Spirituality is about being in the present moment. Being in the present moment is not about making a choice between being in present moment or oscillating in past or future; being in the present moment is about being in reality. We are in reality only when we are established in present moment. 
• If we learn from mistakes, than we do not create an impression of craving or aversion in mind. For example, during childhood , we probably got burned with fire. With that experience we learn that it is the nature of fire to burn. So, then we use that nature of fire to serve us ; rather than complaining that fire is bad...it burned my finger (or potentially could have burnt me if I had not protected myself.)

PanchKoshas

The panch kosha are as under:

• Annamaya kosha

Related to food we eat

• Pranmaya kosha

Related to vital air.  Pranayam is about working on this kosha.

• Manomaya kosha

The dualities of life including sorrow and happiness, likes and dislikes are about this kosha/layer of life

• Vgyanmaya kosha

Spirituality starts from this kosha. One who has overcome annamaya kosha, pranmaya kosha and manomaya kosha starts this journey about spirituality.

• Anandmaya kosha

Each kosha/layer is subtler than the previous one. Pranmaya kosha is subtler to annamaya kosha, which is suttler to manoomaya kosha....

Being subtler means three things
subtle means nearer, subler means support suttler means more pervasive

it is support
Each kosha is superior to the former one. Pranamaya kosha is superior to annamaya kosha. Manomaya kosha is superior to pranamaya kosha.

We understand that mind is inside the body ...but in reality body is in air and both body and air is in mind and body , air and mind are in I.

Lessons from Bhagavad Gita

Lessons from each of the 18 chapters of Bhagavad Gita.

1. Wrong thinking is the only problem in life
2. Right knowledge is the ultimate solution to all our problems
3. Selflessness is the only way to progress and prosperity
4. Every act can be an act of prayer
5. Renounce the ego of individuality and rejoice in the bliss of Infinity
6. Connect to the higher consciousness daily
7. Live what you learn
8. Never give you on yourself
9. Value your blessings
10. See Divinity all around
11. Have enough surrender to see the truth as it is 
12. Absorb your mind and heart in the Supreme Lord
13. Detach from Maya and attach to Divine
14. Live your lifestyle that matches your vision
15. Give priority to Divinity
16. Being good is a reward in itself
17. Choosing the right over the pleasant is a sign of power
18. Let go. Let's move to union with God

Check this out: https://www.curejoy.com/content/18-simple-lessons-bhagavad-gita-need-know-life/