Swami Samvidaananda

Miraculously, I have found my way to a Shaktipat Guru. My Guru is Swami Nirmalananda Saraswati. We call her Gurudevi.  And today I write in celebration of her birthday.

A Shaktipat Guru is extremely rare.  She is someone who can awaken you to your Self.  I love this quote from Gurudevi that describes such a being:

One who knows the Self can simply up-vibe you to the inner knowingness of your Self. This is the Grace of the Guru, a person who has done their work and devotes their life to serving others.

“Up-vibe you to the inner knowingness of your Self” is a definition of Shaktipat. It’s the most informal, groovy way of describing it. “Up-vibe” sounds so effortless. And from all appearances, it is.  Gurudevi says it’s the easiest thing she does.  She lifts you up to a higher vibration.  

It’s the vibration of your Self, your inherent Divinity.  Your Self is Consciousness-Itself, pure Beingness, blissfully being everything that exists. Guru’s Grace up-vibes you so that you know the inherent wholeness, fullness and bliss of your own being. 

The effortlessness of Gurudevi’s capacity to give you Shaktipat belies what it took her to attain her state. The Guru is “a person who has done their work.” Gurudevi has done her work. Once she found her Guru, Baba Muktananda, she tirelessly dedicated herself to her own upliftment.  She made the most of what he gave her. She says it was out of desperation.

While I can certainly relate, I’ve always seen her as a beacon of light. She has always been at the forefront.  She is always blazing ahead of me on the path, showing all of us what’s possible. 

She shared that after she received Shaktipat, she found a spot to meditate in a corner of her family room, behind a big arm chair. She meditated there for three hours every morning.  She plunged into samadhi, a deep meditative immersion.

At the end of the three hours, she would open her eyes to find her three children curled up with her, a little head on each knee, and one in her lap. It touches my heart whenever she shares this story.

A key part of the story is, she jumped in to meditating three hours a day.  Right off the bat!  She has done her work.

And, a Guru is a person who “devotes their life to serving others.” Gurudevi could have taken what her Baba gave her and poured it into her job and her family.  She would have had a beautiful life, a happy life. A life that’s full of Grace. 

But she didn’t stop there.  She devotes her life to giving to others what she had been given.  Long before she became a swami, she radiated Grace and could easily up-vibe you.  But she waited until she was authorized to give intentional Shaktipat.

This was out of respect for Baba, and in deference to the teachings, which say you must be authorized.  And because she is authorized, she carries the Grace from every Guru in this lineage of Shaktipat Gurus. That is what makes the Shaktipat initiation she gives so powerful for you.

It’s an inner empowerment, the power of Consciousness. Once you receive it, every time you meditate, you invoke this power to arise within you. Guru’s Grace reveals your Self to you more and more— until one day you will live in the knowingness of your Divinity.

And you will recognize that same Divinity in everyone and everything.  That’s what Baba gave to Gurudevi. And out of gratitude to Baba, and her endless, compassionate generosity, that’s what Gurudevi gives to you.

Gurudevi does not celebrate her birth. She celebrates the day she received Shaktipat from Baba Muktananda. It was the day he gave her own Self to her. In the same way, Baba always celebrated the day he received Shaktipat from his Guru, Bhagavan Nityananda.

But I celebrate Gurudevi’s birth, because she is a glorious gift to the world. Without her, I would not be on this path of deepening into the depths of my Divinity.  Because of her, you can receive the awakening to your Divinity.

By Swami Prajñananda

I was waiting at my gate at the airport when a young mom came by with her toddler leading the way. Wobbling, walking and crawling around, the toddler came up to the different people sitting at the gate. 

She was very curious and full of life. And completely adorable in her pink onesie and white and pink shoes. But what made the biggest impression was her undeniable light. She emanated from the inside out. And everyone who saw her was affected. They too began to smile and shine.  

You know this feeling. It is important because so often we are missing it. In fact, a lot of the people waiting at the gate weren’t looking very radiant. They looked bored, preoccupied, some annoyed or worried. But when they saw this toddler, in an instant, their feeling changed. 

While this girl was certainly full of light, the change for each person came from the inside. It’s an instantaneous shift because the light is inherent to you. When you are at your best, you glow from the inside out. 

What is this glow? Yoga describes that your light shines from its source inside, your own inner essence, called your capital-S Self. Your own Self is the essence of who you are. It is the source of your joy, light and peace. 

We can see this pure essence shining from a child so easily. Yet this light is present within you as well, even when you don’t feel it. You know this is true for when you do feel the light and the joy, it is natural, effortless. You don’t question it. You are simply being you. 

Yet you don’t feel this way all the time. Why? The problem is you tend to look in the exact opposite direction of where your light is located. It is quite the paradox. You want to feel the light, the peace, the joy, yet you look away from where it is sourced — inside. 

This is why you look for things that will make you feel good. It could be spending time in your garden, taking a walk, time with a dear friend or family member, cuddle time with a pet or alone time with music or a good book. Whatever that thing is, the point is that it makes you feel — or you hope it will make you feel — a certain way. 

While this is important, why settle for feeling this way only some of the time? Why not go for all the time?  Your own essence is so great! The whole point of yoga and meditation is to help you realize your own greatness all the time. 

Gurudevi explains it this way: 

Gradually you grow into the greatness that has been hidden within for so long. Your inner light begins to shine. Let it shine, let it shine, all the time.

Gurudevi Nirmalananda, “No More Negativity”, August 2022

What a promise! This is the promise of yoga — that you grow into your own Self. 

Your essence is always there; it is who you are. Yet, as Gurudevi says, your greatness has been hidden within for so long. It’s like you put all your greatness in a little box and stored it in the basement. You tuck it away behind the shelves and a stack of other boxes. Once you leave the basement, you forget all about your box of greatness. 

Without remembering, you feel like something is missing. So you look around, go outside, go to your neighbors, to the store, to the park, but you just don’t feel satisfied. You lost the essence of who you are. But the thing is, it’s not lost, it’s right in your own home, right inside. 

However, your greatness is not limited to a tiny box; it is all of who you are. Your own Self is so close to you, all you need to do is turn within. It is so simple, yet it is not always easy. For you are so habituated to looking outward. You had good training in this. So what you need now is some re-training — how to look in the other direction.

This is the whole point of yoga and meditation. And this is the reason to have a teacher, a Guru who can support you in growing back into your greatness again. With the help of such a guide and utilizing the practices they give, you are fully empowered. You get to choose what you focus on and who you feel yourself to be. This is a great freedom that you expand into every time you choose you. 

By Swami Shrutananda

“I am right here!” I heard a gleeful voice say.  It was an answer to a question I had put out there, somewhere into the cosmos, just at the beginning of my meditation. 

I had desperately asked, “God!  Where are you?”  To my surprise there was an immediate answer.  A playful voice, my own voice, saying to me, “I am right here!”  

My mind was so surprised.  It is like when someone taps your knee to check your reflexes.  Your knee moves before your mind can register what happened.  In the same way my mind was surprised because the answer did not come from my mind.  It arose from a deeper place within.  

I didn’t have an image in my mind of some white bearded God up in the sky speaking to me in a big booming voice.  It was my voice.  “I am right here!” — which meant I am God.  

Right here, within my own body, God is being me.  Right here, within your own body, God is being you.  God is aways right here being me, being you.  Now I know what Gurudevi Nirmalananda means when she says, “God, the Self, is closer than your breath.”  

In the Vivekachudamani, the great sage Shankaracharya gives two names to that One Divine Reality:

When you see That Supreme Reality outside yourself, you know the One Existence which is called Brahman. When you know That Supreme Reality inside yourself, you know Atman, which is your own Self.  — Rendered by Gurudevi Nirmalananda

The name depends on where you are looking.  Most people look outside to find that Greater Reality, which in yoga is called Brahman.  Some look for God in nature, others somewhere out there, up there and so on.  

Yoga agrees that God is found outside.  Everything outside yourself from that One Divine Essence down to a single blade of grass is God — Brahman.

Yet yoga turns this around and says to look within yourself to experience that One Divine Reality.  When you look inside, that same Divine Essence is called Atman.  Shankaracharya is saying Brahman = Atman and Atman = Brahman.  

There is only One, whether you are looking inside or outside.  Is it easier to look inside or outside to experience, to know your own Divine Self? 

In another passage from the Vivekachudamani, Shankaracharya says:

Here, within your own body through your own mind… the “Self” shines in its captivating splendor like a noonday sun. — Rendered by Gurudevi Nirmalananda

To experience your own Divinity, you start with your body.  We do this in every yoga class.  Svaroopa^® yoga teaches you how to get embodied, to be in your own body.  This is why we start with Shavasana and the Guided Awareness.  We start with your toes and track through each area of your body in turn.  You feel the outer edges of your own individual form and then you look deeper within.  

The Guided Awareness at the end of class culminates with “Being aware of your whole body … or being aware of awareness itself … or follow awareness into its source … Rest in That.”  Now you experience something greater than your body, greater than your mind. Your awareness expands and deepens, and you experience your own Divine Essence.  Being here, within your own body, is a doorway into the inner infinity of your own Beingness.

Also, in meditation we start with your body.  You settle into your seat.  Allow your body to be in an easy upright position. Let your breathing be easy.  Once your body has settled, you apply your mind to mantra.  Now you can go “through your own mind.” With mantra, you go deeper than your mind to experience your innermost Self.  

In either case, in Shavasana or in meditation, you are applying your mind.  You are giving your mind a direction of focus. Yet your mind is not the goal.  You are not within your mind.  You are looking through your mind to go beyond it. You are within your own body looking through your mind settling deeper inside.

Your body and your mind are the outermost levels of your own existence.  When you look deeper inside your own body what will you discover?  You will discover That which has always existed — “The Self shines in its captivating splendor like a noon day sun.”  The Self, your own Self, is always shining fully within.

After I answered my own question about God, I contemplated my meditation. I thought how there are so many Gods in this world, yet they all don’t know they are God.  This is the goal of yoga — for you to know you are God.  To know you are the One Divine Reality.  To know your own Self. Everyone is shining with Divine light, for it is your own Self arising from within. 

Unfortunately, you are able to block that light with your mind.  Just like you can use your thumb to block the sun.  Who will help you to find your own Divinity? 

That is the function of the Guru.  The Guru is fully embodied, fully enlivened and know they are God: they are the Self, knowing their own Self.  

You can only learn from someone who knows, who lives in this state of Self-Knowingness.  This is why I have a Guru — Gurudevi Nirmalananda.  She has dedicated her life to helping you experience and know you are God, the Self.  You are already That.

By Gurudevi Nirmalananda

You put words to your most important thoughts. It would be impossible to speak everything that runs through your mind, so you say only the most significant things. Thus, when you say something, it matters.

Yoga would have you speaking Divine words, names of your own inherent Divinity. Repeating such mantras — better yet, chanting them aloud — changes you from the inside out.

Chanting was not part of Western yoga when I started teaching. In the background, we played classical music, then “New Age” music as it developed. As I had already discovered the beauty and power of the ancient Sanskrit mantras, I wanted to share them. Thus I made a few recordings, pacing them for our slower-paced yoga practice.

Yet you are born into this delusion by taking on the human condition of not-knowingness. Your job is to discover who you really are by looking inward to the deepest dimensions of your own Beingness. For this, you need the help of one who already knows.

I celebrated the advent of kirtan-wallahs, musicians traveling to yoga centers to share the traditional Hindu chants. I led chanting evenings for my students, which even attracted a few musicians. We captured that bliss in a recording I recently released, “Gurudevi Live! La Jolla ’02.”

Yet the trend was toward chanting the names of Gods or Goddesses, even of Rama and Krishna. I only wanted to chant to the Self. So I began writing the music for Sanskrit verses, adding more audios to my collection.

My Guru explained my inner feeling. He said that chanting to an external God has much less power and significance than chanting to God on the inside – God in the form of your own Self. While God is out there, along with all the gods, goddesses and celestial beings, it is on the inside that God is closest.

For your own Self is the One Divine Reality. The One is being you. However, you don’t know it, not yet, not all the time. But the Absolute Truth is that there is not the slightest difference between your own Self and the Supreme Being. To see them as different is delusion.

I got that help from my Guru. Thus I lead chants to the Self and to the Guru, for the Guru is the one who gives you your own Self. Remember, Guru is spelled “gee, you are you.” My newest release features songs to the Guru, “Honoring the One Who Needs No Praise.”

And I still sometimes like to chant to God, in the form of the gods, goddesses and incarnations – as though they were only on the outside. But the truth is that you will find them all inside. You just have to look in the right place.

By Swami Samvidaananda

A full moon’s luminous glow — it is beautiful and captivating. On the fullest full moon of the year, which happens in July, it is traditional in India to celebrate the Guru. It’s called Guru Purnima.

Purnima means full moon. Guru refers to your chosen spiritual teacher. Why celebrate the Guru then? It’s because moonbeams light up the darkness of night. In the same way, your Guru dispels the inner darkness (gu) and reveals your inherent light (ru).

There are so many Gurus who are a light in this world. Teachers who inspire and uplift you. I hope you have had many in your life. I know I have. Perhaps because I really needed the help! Teachers showed up and encouraged and inspired me when I needed it the most.

Their guidance led me towards the next steps on my life’s path. I honor each one. And I’m grateful because their help on my path took me to the one who takes my breath away. It’s been 25 years, and she still leaves me breathless.

Her name is Swami Nirmalananda Saraswati. We call her Gurudevi. She is my Guru. She teaches from yoga’s ancient mystical texts, which say there is One Divine Reality. That Reality is ever-blissful, all-knowing Beingness. Everything that exists is made of the same Beingness, including you. As a human being, you have the capacity to know the Divine Beingness that you are. It is your own Self.

Why would you want to know? Because when you know your Self, you experience the ever-arising bliss of your own Beingness. You discover that your Self is the source of joy, happiness, love, contentment and creativity. These are merely a few of your Divine qualities. Plus you recognize this world and everyone and everything in it as another form of your own Divinity. There’s only One. And it’s you. Wow!

Unfortunately, you don’t start off knowing this is who you are. At least, not enough of the time. But help is available. Gurudevi can awaken you to your Divinity. Gurudevi’s Guru, Baba Muktananda, puts it this way:

Every house has a lamp, and in the same way there are many Gurus,

but rare is that Guru who, like the sun, gives light to all.

Baba Muktananda, The Perfect Relationship, page 6

Gurudevi is such a rare Guru. Like the sun constantly radiates light and heat, she radiates the light of the Self. And she has the ability to give that light to you. It’s not her personal light. It’s the light of the Self. It’s a Divine energy.

With that energy, she sparks the flame of your own inner light in a mystical initiation called Shaktipat. She can do this because her Baba gave her this capacity. And he had a Guru, Bhagavan Nityananda, who gave him Shaktipat. And Nityananda had a Guru, who had a Guru, who had a Guru, in a lineage of Gurus that stretches back to the beginning of time. Gurudevi is a modern-day representative of this ancient tradition of Shaktipat Gurus.

Baba Muktananda gave Shaktipat to thousands and thousands of people. Once you receive Shaktipat, it’s up to you to bank the embers and keep the fire going. You do that by doing the practices your Guru gives you, especially meditation. Of the thousands that Baba initiated, very few dedicated themselves to the practices with the diligence and perseverance necessary to become Self-Realized.

Self-Realized means you know your own Divinity all the time. And of those who became Self-Realized, even fewer were empowered and authorized to awaken others. A Shaktipat Guru is extremely rare. Gurudevi is such a Guru. My gratitude is boundless.

Are you curious? Here she is, in Pennsylvania and online as well. She’s just a few clicks, or a few steps, or perhaps a short flight away. Are you ready to get lit up?

By Gurudevi Nirmalananda

You want to solve problems. You want to be creative. You want love and joy. You want to care and share. Where does all that come from?

It all comes from within. As you settle in deeper and deeper, you can base yourself in your own Divine Essence. It is Grace that gives you inner access, but it is your own efforts that give you the inner steadiness, the deep inner center that sets you free.

This is freedom, in Sanskrit — moksha. It means liberation. It means you won’t have to come back for another lifetime. You can if you want to, but you won’t be stuck in the repetitive cycle for eons. You’re free!

In honor of 4^th of July, the American holiday celebrating freedom, I focus on freedom. I do realize that July 4 is about political freedom – but I like to use it every year to celebrate spiritual liberation. That you really can become free:

* No more inner shadows.

* No more knee-jerk reflexes.

* No more need, greed and fear.

When you find your own inner essence, and when you base yourself in your own Self, you are free from everything that used to drag you down. It’s great!

And it’s a little strange.

* For your past is still your past, but it doesn’t drag you down.

* And your life is still your life, but it’s not weighty and constraining.

* And your future is still your future, whatever you think it could be or should be – it’s up to you, but you’re not holding your breath waiting to see.

You know what freedom is? That your sense of self doesn’t come from your past, nor your imagined future, and not even from the circumstances of your life.  Your sense of self is an inner sense, an inner knowing, a wordless Knowingness… of your own Beingness. 

In the Knowingness of your own Beingness, you have fulfilled life’s highest purpose – liberation! Freedom!

And you have the freedom to create, to care and share. To give without measure. Free to be without analyzing or strategizing, without making up for or trying to attain. And your mind becomes your greatest tool. Instead of having mental shadows that block your inner light, your mind shines with the light of Consciousness. Chetana, it’s called in Sanskrit.

Expanded mind. Divine mind. Your heart overflows. What a way to live!