You should express this Love

Before giving Darshan in Poland in May 2007 Sri Swami Vishwananda adressed the following words to his disciples and devotees:
It is lovely to be here with all of you.
I know that it might be difficult for you to sing the bhajans, but I hope that when you sing some Polish songs, you all sing very loudly and expressively!
I know you are all lovely people and you all have so much love inside of you.
When you love people, you always express yourselves, no?
So, as you are all lovely people with so much Love inside of you, you should also express this Love.

More can be read in this book Just Love

Beautiful video Love, Peace and Wisdom

Worship is what we express with our heart

Sri Swami Vishwananda: Well, this is what the song "Sabse oonchi prema Sagai" is about. [See also previous posts!]
It’s about the Love that we have for God.
Worship is not about the prayer, you know, it’s not about what we utter as words. It’s what we express with our heart that is the Love and Love is not quantity, it’s quality.

You will get more information by having a look at this great book: Just Love

Here is another nice version of the song Sabse oonchi prema sagai - Love is the greatest form of worship


The translation of the song is  the following:
Refrain: Of all forms of worship of the Lord, love is the best.

Rama, Lakshman and Sabari

1) Lord Krsna renounced the delicacies that Duryodhana offered, and ate vegetables at Vidura's house.
2) As Lord Ramacandra, He ate fruits which were already filled with love from Sabari.
3) Love is indeed the best way to serve and please the Lord.
4) In Maharaja Yuddhistira's Rajasuya Yajna sacrifice, Lord Krsna served the brahmanas and picked up their eating utensils.
5) Out of pure love for Arjuna, He took the position of being his charioteer, and He forgot that He was the Lord.
6) Such love did Lord Krsna portray in Vrndavana when He danced with the gopis in the rasa lila.
7) Sura Dasa asks, "In what way could I worship the merciful and magnanimous Lord?"

Surdas wanted to see only Krishna, nothing else

Sri Swami Vishwananda: One day Krishna appeared to Surdas and gave him his sight back.
He could see Krishna.
Then Krishna said “Now you can go; you can see.”
Then he said “No, my Lord, I don’t want anything.
No, what I would like you to do is take back the sight.
I have seen You, I don’t want anything.
I don’t want to see this world. I have seen You.
I don’t want to see anything else.”

This is a fragment of Just Love

Listen to another beautiful Bhajan by Surdas Drada Ine Charnana Kero Bharoso

Surdas was one with Krishna

Sri Swami Vishwananda: One day Surdas went to a temple and there, every day, although he was blind, he would describe how the Deity was dressed.
In the Hindu tradition it is like that: every day, when they bathe their statue, they dress their statue nicely with new clothes.
Now, everybody and even the priest were thinking “Oh, my goodness, probably he is just pretending to be blind.”
So one day they didn’t dress the statue at all.
They left the statue naked and then he sang “Oh my Lord in your nakedness, You are even more beautiful than with clothes.”
And such was his Love for Krishna that Surdas was one with Him.

This is a fragment of the wonderful book Just Love

There is a beautiful song called Shyama Thori Murali by Surdas

Tomorrow we will tell you more about the wonderful Saint Surdas

Krishna revealed Himself inside of Surdas

Sri Swami Vishwananda: Surdas was a great poet, actually.
He was blind and he would sing the Name of Krishna and he would sing the Name of God, dancing around everywhere.
Actually his story is like that: he was small and, because he was blind, nobody wanted to play with him.
One day he heard some people singing the name of Krishna, so he started following them and started singing.
And then he would sing, but of course, the group of people didn’t want him.
So they cast him aside and then he would sing by himself.
So Krishna, God, revealed Himself not in the outside, but inside of him, in his heart.
Then he would see Krishna inside of him, constantly.

More about the Hindu Mythology can be read here: Just Love

Listen to this poem by Surdas dedicated to Sri Krishna: Mein nahi makhan khayo

"I am unworthy, yet you have shown mercy on me" - Surdas

Sri Swami Vishwananda: Sūra krūra is lāyaka nāhī.
Sura Das is writing here, saying “Lord, I am unworthy of that Love.”
He’s saying: “I am unworthy. I don’t deserve that, but yet you have shown Your mercy on me.”
Sūra krūra is lāyaka nāhī | kaha lag karau baḍā.
So He is the merciful one.

Tomorrow you will learn more about the great poet Surdas.

Purchasing the book Just Love will also enable you to learn a lot about the Hindu Culture and many other interesting issues...

Listen to the nice Krishna Bhajan Tum Meri Rakho Laaj Hari

We all crave for the Universal Love

Sri Swami Vishwananda: In Vrindavan, Krishna showed by doing the Ras, doing the dance.
When He was dancing with all the girls from Vrindavan, He was the only one.
That shows that in the Love for God we are all passive.
He is the only One active.
We all crave for that Love, whether you are man or woman.
It’s beyond that concept, the Love that you are.
You crave for the Universal Love, which is the Love that is seated inside your heart.

Sri Swami Vishwananda's Talks are compiled in this wonderful book Just Love

Here is a beautiful video about the Rasa Lila Dance of Divine Love

Krishna and Arjuna

Sri Swami Vishwananda: During the war of Mahabharata, Arjuna didn’t have anything to offer to Krishna, apart from his Love.
But out of this Love that Arjun had for Krishna, He accepted to be the charioteer and ride the chariot for Arjuna and that’s the greatest Love that binds the soul to the Divine.

More can be found in this wonderful book Just Love

Listen to this Bhajan about Krishna and Arjun

Krishnas Love for Yudhistira

Sri Swami Vishwananda sings Rājasuya yajna yudhiṣṭhira kīno | tāmai jūṭha uṭhāī
There was a great fire ceremony, where all the kings and everybody, all the sages were sitting, but there was nobody to serve them, nobody to really serve.
Krishna, what did He do?
He went when they finished eating and He helped to clean, to pick up the rubbish.
Why was this?
It was because of the Love for Yudhistira – the leader of Pandavas.

This is an excerpt from Just Love

Listen to this beautiful Krishna Bhajan Govinda Jai Jai Gopala Jai Jai

Sabaris Love for Lord Rama

Swami starts to sing: Jūṭhe phala sabarī ke khāye.
Sabari was a great devotee of Rama.
In the time of Rama, Sabari everyday would collect fruits from the jungle and she would wait for Rama, since her youth.
Rama is one aspect of the Divine.
She would wait till Rama came to eat the fruit.
So every day, she would bring fresh flowers and she would bring fresh fruit and wait for Rama.
And she would chant all day: Ram, Ram, Ram, Ram, Ram, Ram. Eventually she grew old; she became a very old lady.
All her teeth fell out, you know.
She became so old that Rama finally came.
When Rama and Lakshman were on the way to Lanka, they came and they passed by the cottage of Sabari and there this old lady without teeth, just two teeth in her mouth, was waiting for Rama.
When Rama came, she was really joyfully welcoming Him.
She put Rama on the seat there, because every day she would write with fresh flowers the name of Rama.
So when Rama was there, she opened up her heart so much.
Her heart was so full with Love. Of course Rama was with Lakshman, who is His brother, His small brother.
Jūṭhe phala sabarī–jūṭhe is jujube, a fruit.
I don’t know whether you have it here.
So, she would first taste the fruit, whether it’s sour or sweet.
She gave Rama only the sweet ones to eat and then Lakshman said “Oh, my goodness, how can you eat this?”
And Ram said to Lakshman “You would not understand that.
This is between the bhakta and the Beloved, the Lover and the Beloved one.”
It’s the Love, you know, that the soul has, the soul connection and this is the Love that Sabari had for Rama.
So Rama would eat it, because of that Love.
That’s why we say: Jūṭhe phala sabarī ke khāye | bahu vidhi prema lagāī. That means: But he would feel great joy by eating that fruit.

More Hindu stories can be found in this book Just Love

Here you can watch the really beautiful scene of Sabari meating her beloved Rama: click here

Krishna eats Viduras food because of his Love

Vidura and Krishna

Sri Swami Vishwananda: Duryodhana was alive in Krishna’s time.
There were the good ones, who were Arjun and the Pandavas and there were the bad ones always fighting with them, who were the Kauravas.
Duryodhana was their chief. Duryodhana invited Krishna to eat.
Duryodhana was a king, so of course he would give the most delicious food, but Krishna refused it.
Instead He went to Vidura.
Vidura was Krishna’s uncle, but he was very poor.
And there, in his house, Krishna ate the most simple food: just rice and such simple food.
And He was very happy about it.
Why was He?
It was because of the Love of Vidura.

Vidura

Duryodhana had everything, had all the luxury, but he didn’t have Love.
It was just for pride to show off.
Whereas Vidura, in his simplicity, his humbleness, he was full of love.
And Krishna went there, because of that Love, not because of the food, you know.

There are more sweet stories about our Lord Krishna in this special book Just Love

Listen to this wonderful Bhajan Aaj Hari aaye, vidur ghar paavana which talks about Krishna going to Vidura's home. The meaning is:

Meaning: Today Lord Hari has visited and Vidur's home has been purified.
Vidur was away, only Vidurani (his wife) was at home. She saw Lord Krishna, the wielder of Sarang bow, coming.

Her happiness could not be controlled, she forgot everything else, she also started worrying what food to offer Krishna.
She very lovingly brought bananas, and (in being lost in bliss) threw away the pulp and gave the banana-skin to Lord to eat, and Lord finds them very tasty.
Just then, Vidurji came home, and seeing this, he scolded his wife saying "where have you lost your sense? you are giving the banana-skin to Lord?"
Vidur takes the bananas in his hands and starts giving the pulp to Lord Giridhari. But Krishna ji says "Listen Vidur! now that taste does not come. No matter what one may offer me, be it stale, dry, tasteless, I am only hungry for Love"
Lord Shiva, the Gopis, and Vidurani, all are dhanya (blessed), the Lord himself glorifies them (by giving them such importance).

Sabse oonchi prema sagai...

Mirabai praying to Krishna /Chaitanya

Sri Swami Vishwananda starts to sing with his devotees another bhajan: “Sabse oonchi, Prema sagai”
I will say Sabse oonchi and you will say Prema sagai.
Sabse oonchi means: What is the most greatest form of worship?
And then you say: Love is the greatest form of worship.
Prem means: Love. Sagai means: worship.
You know, this bhajan is one of my favorite bhajans.
It’s all about Love.
It describes the Love that Krishna had, that God has for humans.
That’s why He said “What is the greatest form of worship?”
And then you say: “Prema sagai.” Love is the greatest form of worship.
Love transcends all the barriers that we put up.
Even the mind can’t comprehend Love, so it transcends all.
And then you say: Duryodhana ko mevā tyāgo. In that form, Tyago means: Duryodhana invited Krishna.

Tomorrow we will continue with the explanation of this Bhajan.
This was an excerpt of the book Just Love

And now just lean back and listen to this wonderful Bhajan, one of Sri Swami Vishwananda's favourite Bhajans:Sabse Oonchi Prem Sagai

Choti Choti Gaya...

After Darshan, Brazil, November 2009

(Sri Swami Vishwananda is practising some bhajans with a few of his devotees)
Do you know the meaning of the song Choti Choti Gaya? It’s like:
Little, little cows, little, little boys. Around Krishna there were always little gopas, you know?
The cow-boys. He was a cowherd.
Choti Choti Gaya means: little, little cows.
(Singing) Little, little cows, little, little boys. Little is my sweet Krishna. Little is my sweet Krishna.
In front, in front is the cow. At the back is the boy.
In the middle is my Krishna. In the middle is my Krishna.
Cows are eating grass, boys are eating milk and Krishna is eating makhan, (Swamiji explains) buttermilk.
(Singing) Black, black cows, white, white boys. (Swamiji explains)
And Krishna, who is in the middle of them, is like dark, blue-sky colour.
He’s like a dark-coloured cloud. (Singing) Little, little anklets and little, little garlands.
And Krishna is playing the flute. Little, little girls and little, little boys are playing in the Madhuvan (Guruji explains) the forest of Vrindavan.
(Singing) And Krishna is dancing the Ras.


You can learn more about Krishna by purchasing this wonderful book Just Love


Enjoy this beautiful Krishna Bhajan Choti Choti Gaya

Asatoma Sat Gamaya....

Sri Swami Vishwananda: So, if you want to Realise your Self, focus more on what you have here inside of you.
You have a great treasure.
Each one of you is special.
Each one of you has special duty, dharma.
And pray that you realise the purpose of your incarnation.
That’s why we pray: Asato ma sat gamaya, Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, Mrityor ma amritam gamaya.
The sages have always prayed this mantra, have always chanted this mantra, which means: From untruth to truth, from darkness to light, from mortality to immortality.
This is who we are. When we have limitation, we are always in the untruth of ourselves, because we don’t see the reality.
We are always in the shadow.
That’s why we ask that the shadow of ignorance be removed and that we are in the light, in the wisdom of the Divine; that our mere mortality is transformed into
our immortality, which is our atma.

This is an excerpt of Just Love

Listen here to the Mantra Om Asatoma Sat Gamaya

Meditation with the Hridaya Mudra

Sri Swami Vishwananda: Meditation:

• Sit straight. Inhale deeply and exhale deeply, continuously without any break in between.
• And, if possible, put your hands in the Hridaya Mudra, which is the mudra of the heart.
Do you know it? Take these two fingers [middle and ring] and join them to the thumb. Put the index at the base of the thumb, here.
Can you see? Turn the index and touch the base. The little finger stays straight. The ring finger and the middle finger go together.
It looks like a deer, then the index touches the base of the thumb.
This is called the Heart Mudra - the mudra that opens the heart and awakes the Love inside of you.
It’s one of the most powerful mudras.
Do you know other mudras? The Gyana Mudra is famous. It is for knowledge.
So, the Heart Mudra is very important and this mudra is also very good for people who have physical heart problems. It heals.
For people who feel pressure, it helps them to heal.
And for people who have a heart that can’t love unconditionally, it helps them to love unconditionally. Simple, eh? It’s a flow of energy.
• So put your hand in the Hridaya Mudra and inhale and exhale.
• Close your eyes. Focus on your third eye and don’t listen to the music outside, but listen to the music inside, the sound of your inhaling and exhaling, the inner sound, the cosmic sound of OM.
• Now bring all your focus in your heart.
• Slowly open your eyes.
So this is one technique to calm the mind.
Of course, you will not get the effect just by practicing it once. You know you have to practice it regularly.

More meditations are described in Just Love

Watch this highly interesting Mudra Talk by Sri Swami Vishwananda: Mudra Talk

Happy Narasimha Chaturdasi!

This is an excerpt of Sri Swami Vishwananda's speech on Narasimha's appearance day 2009.
Sri Swami Vishwananda: Jai Gurudev!
Today we are celebrating the appearance of Lord Narasimha Dev who appeared approximately 30 000 years ago.
As you know, God always protects His devotees and He always manifests in different forms to protect His bhaktas.
So, in the form of Narasimha Dev, He took the form of a lion, or: half lion, half man and in the fullness of the Divine.
This is because of the demon called Hiranyakashipu.
He had prayed and got a boon that nothing could kill him – not a weapon, not a human, not God and also not an animal could kill him. So, in that way he had become invincible.
It was also promised that he couldn’t be killed during the day or night, and that he couldn’t be killed up or down.
So what was left?
He just became somehow immortal, and then he started to harass all the devotees. Wherever he would see a deity, he would remove the deity and put his own picture there instead.
Actually, it was both Hiranyakashipu and his brother Hiranyaksha who would put their statues there and then they would force people to pray to them.
Seeing that, the sages of that time addressed a prayer to Narayana which goes like this, “Lord, we are waiting for You, when will You come?
You have promised that whenever we would call in distress to You -- You would come to our rescue.”
Well, you see, God does everything according to it´s own time Sometimes we don’t comprehend things.
But what we can do is just to trust in His will; trust that whatever He does is right.
Listen to the Narasimha Kavacham sung by some Devotees of Sri Swami Vishwananda

Observing the mind

Sri Swami Vishwananda: So try to sit straight for the good flow of energy inside of you.
Leave your eyes open.
You see, when I say to meditate, the first thing people always do is to close their eyes. It’s a trap.
The moment you close your eyes, your mind jumps.
First, before doing this calming of the mind, let’s see in one minute how your mind is. OK?
Close your eyes and observe your mind.
Stop. Tell me without being ashamed or being shy, in this oneminute’s time where were you? Eh?
So, your mind ran outside?
How many were travelling around? Were you far away?
Were you very far, like India? Not so far, eh?
Well you see, so quickly we can travel.
Faster, even faster than lightning is the thought of men.
So, the easiest way, let’s try it now.

Tomorrow we  will provide here a guided meditation from the book Just Love

Have a beautiful day with this nice video A beautiful mind

Happy Sita Navami!

Today is Sita Navami- the appearance day of Goddess Sita...So have a wonderful and auspicious day!
Sri Swami Vishwananda: Take the name of Ram: we were singing before Jai Raghunandana Jai Siya Ram, Janaki Vallabha Sita Ram.
It is said that through the mere chanting of Ram Naam, one can attain Moksha - liberation.
One will be free from all karmic influences.
Such is the power of Ram Naam!
Such is the power of the Name of the Lord that it can instantly liberate you.

This is a fragment of Just Love

Remind yourself of Mother Sita- the consort of Lord Rama and listen to this beautiful Kirtan Sita Ram

The mind is like a monkey

Sri Swami Vishwananda: Sometimes, you are sitting here and you are already sitting in America.
So fast is the mind.
That’s why we say “It’s jumping like a monkey from tree to tree.”
So to hold this monkey, to tie it up is very important.
Otherwise, you will never be free.
You will be like this monkey.

More can be found here: Just Love

Enjoy this calming music: Indian Dreams- Sacred Spirit

The mind flow is always running ahead

Sri Swami Vishwananda: In all spiritual paths, wherever you go, in whatever culture, they have the controlling of the breath.
So we will do together now one easy example of how to control the mind.
There are many ways of controlling the mind.
Some are very easy and some are very difficult.
So, which one do you like?
The more difficult or the more easy? So, let’s do it.
The mind flow is always running ahead.
Even when I tell you to sit for meditation, where has your mind already jumped? It’s already thinking “Oh, how would it be?”

Please check out: Just Love

Here is a nice meditation music with wonderful quotes: follow this link

You can't live without breathing

Sri Swami Vishwananda: I will give you one simple way of calming the mind, which is
through the breath–the gift of life.
You can go on, you can live without food, you can live without drinking, but you can’t live without breathing.
That’s what Christ said: Give us our daily bread- the bread of life, which is the Pranashakti.

We recommend you Sri Swami Vishwananda's book Just Love

Some nice relaxing music for you: click here

How the Divine names are helping you

Sri Swami Vishwananda: The more you chant the Divine Names, the more you become the Divine Names and the more the mind ceases to trouble you.
Once the mind ceases to trouble you, it will be much easier in your meditation.
So, when you help others, you see this happiness, you feel this happiness and with the Divine Names you will realise that you are serving the Divine.
This helps you on your spiritual path.

You may want to purchase Sri Swami Vishwananda's book Just Love 

Listen to the Maha Mantra Hare Krishna sung by Krishna Das and Sting

Give the mind a game to play

Sri Swami Vishwananda: The more the mind is active, the more the mind is jumping like a monkey, give the mind a game to play.
And don’t give the mind a game that has a limit, but give the mind
an unlimited game.
Give the mind Divine Names.

You have just read an excerpt from  Just Love

Here is some meditation music with beautiful coral pictures: click here

How to calm the mind?

Sri Swami Vishwananda: You see, when we say, “Let’s sit and meditate,” what happens? The mind is very busy; we just have to learn to calm the mind.
And how do you calm the mind?
First, to calm the mind, chant the Divine Names.
It’s like giving the mind a toy to play with.
When a baby is very nervous and screaming always, what do the parents do?
They just give the child a game.
The moment the child gets the game the child will start playing and remain quiet.
The same is with the mind.

This is only an excerpt, more can be found in Sri Swami Vishwananda's book Just Love

Here is some nice Buddhist Meditation Music, which can support you in calming your mind: Click here

What opens the heart?

Sri Swami Vishwananda: What opens the heart, what makes love easy, is to share the Love, to help others and to see the happiness in somebody else.
That’s what makes the journey within much easier.

More precious wisdom can be found here: Just Love

Beautiful video: The Gift of Love

Share this happiness

Sri Swami Vishwananda: Once you have found this real happiness within you, you can express it; you can share it.
But one has to really want it.
How many among you really want that, sincerely?
That’s good.
So, and what would you do for that?
Eh?
Anything?

After reading this beautiful message you might be interested in purchasing Sri Swami Vishwanandas book Just Love

I would like to share with you this very sweet video the power of kindness

Find this eternal happiness within you

Sri Swami Vishwananda: All the great Masters have taught about Self-Realisation, about finding this eternal happiness–not in the outside, but within you.
Because with the happiness that we run to in the outside, we say we are happy about something, but the moment we get that thing our happiness changes into something else, until we find this real happiness within.

More is written in this special book Just Love

Beautiful song: There is a place

Christ was not only strict and severe

Sri Swami Vishwananda: Last week, no, actually, a few days ago I was in Israel.
I was there trying to feel how Christ felt.
Of course, you may read how the Church preaches about a Christ who is strict and severe, where you always have to be really like this and unhappy, but actually it was completely different.

More about Christ is written in this wonderful book Just Love

Listen to the beautfiul song Nada te turbe which we also sing very often in our Chapel.

Mahavatar Babaji- an expression of Love

Sri Swami Vishwananda: You know about Mahavatar Babaji.
How many of you know Him?
Oh, ok.
Babaji is a Master in India.
Actually He is about 5,000 years old, still alive.
Because He is my Satguru, I can tell you something; of course here is just a picture, a drawing, and He looks very strict, actually.
But I tell you, He is such an expression of Love that it’s difficult with words to express it.
Even the word Love is limited to express this Love.
And as He said to me once, if He achieved that, everybody can.

Mahavatar Kriya Babaji is the Sadguru of Sri Swami Vishwananda, whose book Just Love is available here

Watch here a beautiful video about Babaji made by some Devotees: please click here