Bhoomananda Foundation

In this track, Swamiji shares with his listeners his own love for chanting Sanskrit hymns and shlokas. Right from childhood, the practice of chanting had a purifying and elevating effect on his mind. Swamiji exhorts everyone to take to the austerity of chanting Vishnusahasranama or Bhagavad Gita. This austerity has its sublime and creative effect on the mind, whereby the mind goes on becoming puri...

In this track, Swamiji emphasizes the importance of Austerity in the life of a seeker. It empowers one to penetrate into the mental and intellectual plane and bring refinement and moderation. Defining austerity, Swamiji says that Austerity is an effort to bridle, reform and refine the mind and removing all the undesirable elements in it. Austerity may begin from the sensory, oral and mental level....

What is Spiritual Austerity? Swamiji, in this track, throws light on this subject saying that whatever a seeker does, it has to be with attention, attunement, sublimation and refinement. When these are had, the mind changes its quality, it becomes pure. And as the mind becomes pure, the thoughts, responses and reactions become different. They become purer, more and more sublime, more and more divi...

In this talk, Swamiji emphasizes that the Mind and intelligence can be constantly enriched by austerity. A seeker must ensure that every action he/she performs is done with great attention. One has to constantly analyze whether the action is performed in a pure manner, without any clinging to it. A seeker needs to ensure that he performs all activities–secular, religious, social– in an austere man...

In this beautiful talk, Poojya Swamiji discusses the importance of austerity in the life of a seeker. Each spiritual aspirant will have to examine himself/herself to find out whether he/she is austere enough. Quoting relevant verses from the Bhagavad Gita, Swamiji exhorts everyone to reflect over the Bhagavad Gita verses and make sure that they embody ample austerity in their own lives. Shlokas ch...

Poojya Swamiji speaks about the inner and sublime process of renunciation. This renunciation is not meant to be practiced by austere monks alone. It is to be practiced by everyone, in every walk of life. Swamiji says that real renunciation is the renunciation of Sanga (delusional clinging) to everything. A seeker has to diligently find out where the Sanga, attachment is hiding in his own personali...

A boy asks Swamiji what is sannyasa. Poojya Swamiji goes on to explain how the wholesomeness in spiritual pursuit culminates in sannyasa and describes the two types of sannyasa. Slokas chanted in the track ब्रह्मविदाप्नोति परम् । (Taittiriya Upanishad 2.1.1)

The Vishnusahasranama chanting is a form of oral austerity. The namas are a variety but in reality all of them are addressing one’s own mind, intelligence and heart. PR 03 May 2013

The entire Bhagavad Gita speaks and delineates only Tyaga and Sannyasa, Poojya Swamiji says. Then he goes on to explain the triple practices of yajna, dana, and tyaga, and how all three are tyaga alone. Slokas chanted in the track कार्पण्यदोषोपहतस्वभावः पृच्छामि त्वां धर्मसम्मूढचेताः । यच्छ्रेयः स्यान्निश्चितं ब्रूहि तन्मे शिष्यस्तेऽहं शाधि मां त्वां प्रपन्नम् ॥ (Bhagavad Gita 2.7) सन्न्यासस्य महा...

In this talk, Swamiji says that the body is animated and activated by the power within. The power of animation can be felt only in our living body. Thus, the focus of a seeker must be within. This animating power is the Self, indicated by the term ‘I’. Our shastras are verdicts of the people who have gone into this subject. A seeker must read the shastras, which are guides and pointers to him and...

Swamiji says that every part of life (whether spiritual or non-spiritual) is manifested by God. The jiva in us, is the Lord himself. The Sadhana is to remove the differential and divisional feeling from one’s own mind. The scriptures, which were written by no one specific person, is the binding force of India. They were evolved by our common ancestors. All scriptures incorporate values relating to...

Shraddha means assiduous attention and application. Shraddha is extremely important, says Swamiji. There is no product anywhere in creation which is not made up of the three gunas-Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. The Shraddha that is manifest in the individual – that also will be governed by what kind of a guna is pronounced in him. Through the Srimad Bhagavatam, Swamiji illustrates each of the three guna...

In the entire Srimad Bhagavatam, what is being spoken about is Jnana (Knowledge), says Swamiji. Although it is considered to be devotional text, it only speaks about Bhakti which leads to Virakti (dispassion) and Bhagavat Prabodhah (Realization of God). In Bhagavatam, Suta muni is asked to explain the essence of all scriptures. He says, “The knowers of Truth say that the essence of all scriptures...

In this talk, Swamiji speaks about the great epic Mahabharata, written by Vyasadeva. In his great epic, Vyasadeva conveys deeper meanings through the characters of Karna, Duryodhana etc. He presents how they were inextricably bound by their emotions. Swamiji shares the example of Karna, a complex character from Mahabharata. Karna was great, dangerously charitable and courageous. But he also had th...

In this talk, Swamiji speaks about the inestimably glory of our great country, India. Our two great epics Ramayana and Mahabharata have instilled values in countless generations and continue to do so. Ramayana portrayed the great, noble king Sri Rama and through his showed that any human mind has the potential to rise to any lofty level. Mahabharata speaks about the decline of Kuru dynasty and how...

Sri Krishna speaks about Varnashrama dharmas in Srimad Bhagavatam. Every human is born with some characteristic traits and tendencies inherited biologically, from both parents. Shastras help us to understand the characteristics of each human. They prescribe work according to each person’s Svabhava (Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Sudra). Hindu Dharma also classifies the four stages of life of eve...

In this Talk, Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha, shares his reflections on the Bhikshu Gita, from Srimad Bhagavatam. He emphasizes how Hindu Dharma is absolutely rational, totally filled with reason. The intelligence is ever enriched and enlightened by the knowledge of the Supreme Truth. In Spirituality, the intelligence must empower the mind to apply this knowledge to tackle all mental plights, responses...

Swamiji details how the Epics are not mere historical descriptions, but actually give through them, the values and inspiring lives of all the characters. Ramayana was composed by Sage Valmiki, who got transformed from the dacoit Ratnakara into a saint. Through the close association of the saints, he got free from all his sins. Through the poetic composition of the Ramayana, Sage Valmiki depicts th...

In this Talk, Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha reveals how Hinduism is extremely rational, whether it is through devotional or logical paths. Quoting from the supreme devotional text the conversation between Uddhava and Sri Krishna, or the mento-intellectual supreme knowledge regarding Brahman / Self and the world being a display of Consciousness or even the instructions given to Arjuna by Sri Krishna in...

In this track, Swamiji urges that we should try to find out the essence of the shastras. We should sift the essence of shastras and hold on to it. Sukha and dukha are the only 2 experiences the entire world provides. A seeker must never foster a preference to one and prejudice to the other, as they follow each other. This is irresistibly had by us due to our interactions with the world. Then what...

Swamiji speaks on Mahabharata, mainly on the characterization of a few individuals to bring forth an understanding of the human mind and personality. Our body is a biological aggregate which we look after by food, nourishment and exercise. Our inner personality comprising of the mind and intelligence undergoes all the changes, improvements, enrichments. This inner personality defines our character...

In this beautiful talk, Swamiji gives the examples of some of the epic characters from Mahabharatam–Draupadi, Arjuna, Bheeshma and Drona. In different times and situations, they had to face intolerable mental challenges and agony. Spirituality says that whether it is a physical torture or a mental torment there is a way of transcending both. There is something called the way of transcendence, the...

Ashtavakra Samhita, is a conversation between King Janaka and Ashtavakra Maharishi. King Janaka asked sage Ashtavakra to enlighten him on Jnana, Mukti and dispassion. Spirituality is a psycho intellectual science. All panchabhutas are inert but we are sentient. Is the mind the final truth or is it a function of something else? Spirituality takes up this probe. When we take up this probe, we realis...

In this track, Swamiji emphasizes that spiritual seekers require love, devotion, and association to a living guru to progress in their spiritual practice. The initiation and blessings from a guru holds great importance, as sādhana revolves around the guru’s guidance. Scriptures, such as the Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita, serve as guides to realizing the truth. However, mere reading of scriptures wi...

The Sadhana of studying scriptures must be diligently practiced by a seeker, says Swamiji. Scriptures speak about devotion, restfulness in God, ephemerality of the world, dispassion, God, Self etc. They discuss how a seeker should do Sadhana to attain his goal. Scriptures throw light on the wholesome pursuit of the seeker. After reading or listening to the scriptures, one must absorb some of the c...