AskSwami Q&A - Swami Sarvapriyananda

Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Jan 23rd, 2022. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:53 - Is it possible to experience Turiya temporarily? 11:28 - Why does Drg-Drsya-Viveka indicate that only the avaccheda (limitation) theory explains the appearance of one consciousness as many consciousnesses? 28:28 - If there is ultimately no fre...

Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Dec 19th, 2021. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 02:02 - What is the relationship between the reflected consciousness and pure consciousness? 18:30 - When we obtain knowledge of true consciousness, how is it that we continue to experience the current reality? 27:00 - Are the scriptures useless with...

Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Nov 7th, 2021. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 05:10 - What happens to the reflected consciousness after death, and after enlightenment? 19:10 - What is my swadharma? 35:20 - What is the difference between the knower and the witness? 41:20 - Where does Sri Ramakrishna stand in the triad of Iswara,...

Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Oct 24th, 2021. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 03:35 - If the Self is the only reality, who is the doer? 12:05 - How can it be said that Self is free, and yet all beings are in the Self? 27:24 - What is the role of psychedelics in mystical experience? 39:30 - Why is the path of Bhakti supposed to...

Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on June 13th, 2021. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 02:05 - How can realization occur in the mind, if the mind is actually false? 06:51 - If I am pure consciousness, why do unwanted situations appear to me? 15:43 - Is it true that the "ego" consciousness sets the wheel of karma in motion? 20:2...

Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on February 21st, 2021. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:51 - What separates the individual soul from Brahman? 08:53 - Can the self be self-aware without mind or object? 16:26 - You have said that maya projects the universe and veils the truth. Is this the same as the Samkhya philosophy? 25:50 - Wha...

Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on January 3rd, 2021. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 02:02 - What is the role of the mind in self-realization? 41:03 - How can deep sleep be an experience? 49:42 - Is the "I" thought unique? How does investigating it lead to the Atman? ► To support the Vedanta Society of New York: http://www....

Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on December 6th, 2020. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:24 - How can we understand the real nature of the self? 14:25 - How can we develop detachment from material pursuits? 17:58 - How is moksha defined in Vedanta? 23:24 - What is Vedantic meditation? 32:45 - How do I choose my ishta devata? 37:30...

Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on November 1st, 2020. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 02:37 - How does consciousness appear in all things? What is needed to see this underlying truth? 19:00 - How can we say there is consciousness in deep sleep? 29:17 - Does the 7th mantra of the Mandukya Upanishad state that Turiya is not conscious...

Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on October 11th, 2020. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 02:03 - Is the awakening of the Kundalini and the recognition of our real nature as the spirit the same as Aparokshanubhuti? 11:08 - If you are already Brahman, what is the purpose of a appearing as a sentient being and finding Brahman? 18:35 - Ho...

We now have new channel - Vedanta New York Archives: https://www.youtube.com/c/VedantaNewYorkArchives Here you will find: • Audio lectures on Mandukya Karika and Bhagavad Gita given by Swami Sarvapriyananda Ji. • Audio lectures by late Swami Pavitrananda Ji and Swami Tathagatananda Ji (previous swamis of the Vedanta Society of New York) • Future uploads will also include audio lectures on Pancadas...

Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on June 7th, 2020. List of questions with timestamps: 2:30 - What is the difference between individual and cosmic consciousness? How can we realize the reality of one consciousness? 34:18 - Why is private spirituality not spirituality? 39:25 - I am in school and have lost interest in stu...

Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on May 3rd, 2020. List of questions with timestamps: • 6:25 -- How to know the Self when It cannot be objectified? Is inference sufficient? • 27:30 -- While we agree that waking, dreaming, and deep sleep are experienced in consciousness, why can't we say that they are real instead of...

Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on February 9th, 2020. List of Questions with Timestamps: 5:07 - 1) To whom does enlightenment happen if we are already Brahman? 2) How can we be responsible for all the pain and suffering if we are already Brahman? 3) How can Brahman have no characteristics? 37:50 - If we have family, f...

Swami Sarvapriyananda conducts a Q&A session followed by his discourse on 'Realization'. List of Questions with Timestamps: 0:08 - How do desires transmigrate after death? 11:50 - A step-by-step examination of the challenges one faces in grasping the ‘Witness’ 23:03 - The spiritual heaven in Vedanta. 25:16 - How to manifest the knowledge of Advaita? 46:00 - Who made God? ► To support t...

Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on June 2nd, 2019. List of Questions with Timestamps: 0:33 - Is consciousness present in non-living things? Are they also Brahman? 12:18 - What is the nature of bliss? Is it dependent on the mind? Does a pure being experience bliss all the time? 26:15 - Does your liberation depend upon y...

Questions for future talks can be sent to: askswami@vedantany.org Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on May 5th, 2019. ► To support Vedanta Society of New York: http://bit.ly/SupportVedantaNY List of Questions with Timestamps: 0:36 - Difference between the ego and the witness. Is consciousness a creation of the brain. 24:...

Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on April 7th, 2019. List of Questions with Timestamps: 0:00 - On Vedantic meditation. 9:20 - How to overcome the fear of unknown and revel in the silence. 19:36 - In Nirvanashatakam, bliss is first negated but then accepted. Which is it? Difference between Ananda and happiness. 28:47 - D...

Questions for future talks can be sent to: askswami@vedantany.org Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on March 17th, 2019. ► To support Vedanta Society of New York: http://bit.ly/SupportVedantaNY List of Questions with Timestamps: 0:33 - How can one remember their past lives? 6:43 - Are we many or one? Is ignorance in Brah...

Question and Answer session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on Jan 6th, 2019. Questions/times-stamps in comments. ► To support Vedanta Society of New York: http://bit.ly/SupportVedantaNY List of Questions with Timestamps: 2:35 - How does the One appear as the many? What is Maya? 21:19 - Is awareness experienced as an object? 34:19 - D...

Question and Answer session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on Sept 30, 2018. Questions in brief with time-stamps: 0:37 - Controlling the mind and turning it towards God. 33:37 - Understanding superconsciousness. 44:18 - Need of a Guru and spiritual initiation (Mantra Diksha). 54:30 - Thoughts and the Cosmic Mind. 57:50 - How do we kn...

Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on June 24th, 2018. List of Questions with Timestamps: Q.1-0:28 - What is the distinction between Mind and Intellect? Q.2-1:02 - Do I have any say in changing my character’s role in the world that is nothing but “God’s leela”? Q.3-7:45 - How can I determine the spiritual practices in acc...

Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on May 27th, 2018 List of Questions with Timestamps: Q.1- 1:05 – What is the recommended approach to teach “Vedanta” to the children? Q.2 – 5:16 – Is the concept “Ekajeevavada” connected to the “Hard problem of Consciousness”? Q.3 – 15:14 – Since it is a way to reach God by serving the s...

Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on Mar 25th, 2017. List of Questions with Timestamps: 1:00 -- a) Involuntary thoughts are mostly negative and bad. How do we uproot them? b) If we are what we think, will these negative thoughts bring us suffering/misery? If we become what we think, then how does karma come into play? So...

Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York on April 29th, 2018. List of Questions with Timestamps: 0:48 -- Acharyas repeatedly say You are That Infinite Existence, I am the Awareness Absolute etc. Who is the ""I"" and ""you"" that the teaching is referring to? Whom or what experiences whom or what?...