Bøger udgivet af Shanti Mandir

Mahamandaleshwar Swami Nityananda is from a lineage of spiritual teachers in India. While carrying the traditional teachings, he makes spirituality a practical part of modern daily reality, guided by the prayer "May all beings live in peace and contentment." Swami Nityananda was trained from childhood by Baba Muktananda and initiated into the mysterious path of the Siddha Gurus. He learned the various yogic practices, including meditation and Sanskrit chanting, and studied the philosophies of Vedanta and Kashmir Shaivism. He was initiated into the Sarasvati order of monks in 1980, and in 1981, Baba Muktananda declared Swami Nityananda would succeed him to carry on the lineage. In 1987, Swami Nityananda founded Shanti Mandir as a vehicle for continuing his Guru's work. In 1995, at the age of 32, he was installed by the acharyas and saints of the Dashnam tradition as a Mahamandaleshwar of the Mahanirvani Akhara. Currently Swami Nityananda, also known as Gurudev, travels the world, sharing the spiritual practices in which he has been trained. Conversations with Gurudev features question and answer dialogues that occurred over the years between Gurudev and his students and that shed light on the philosophy and practices of yoga.

Jnaneshwar (1275-1297) is a favorite saint of Maharashtra, India wroteover a thousand abhangs, or unbreakable devotional poems.Twenty-eight of his abhangs were written as a collection calledHaripath (meaning "Sing Hari, study Hari [God]").Jnaneshwar, his siblings, and many others started on the twenty-eightday journey from Alandi to Paithan to obtain the shuddhi patra("purification document") from the Paithan pandits. Each day,Jnaneshwar wrote an abhang about the importance of singing Hari'sname.The Haripath has been popular in Maharashtra for seven centuries, andits daily recitation is considered a complete spiritual practice. Mostof the poems consist of four lines; they have a theme, Each abhang hasits own character and unique flavor. Their messages are simple,direct, sublime, and even implosive. The most subtle, lofty teachingsof the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and Bhakti Sutras are offered to usfreely-as Jnanadev says, "like fruit in the palm of our hand."He extols devotion as the most essential quality in spiritual life,and perhaps, most importantly, he sings to us about the importance andthe impact of the company of the saints. In every verse, like a lovingmother, he encourages us to take up the repetition of God's name andhold God close to us. He says, "As one repeats the name of God,millions of sins drop away. Hold onto the thought of Rama Krishna.Extricate all your negative tendencies, cut off all attachments. Don'thide behind the senses. Have faith in the holy places and rituals andalways cultivate tenderness, peace, and compassion. In this way, youwill make Hari your guest" (abhang 27).This book contains the 28 abhangs of the Haripath in Marathi with transliteration as well as English and Hindi translations.The English translation has been made as literal as possible by Umeshand Chitra Nagarkatte, and was edited by Dana Wilkinson. The Hinditranslation was jointly composed by Umesh Nagarkatte and Ashok Vyas.

What sets humans apart from animals? Undoubtedly, it is the intellect's ability to reflect on life, death, and beyond. Only we can ask: "What power gives life to my body?" The Kena Upanishad is a sacred text that deeply explores this existential question. With his unusual background combining a rigorous education in science and a committed practice of yoga wisdom, Vivek Desai brings to light the relevance and practical application of this ancient scripture, making it accessible to the modern reader without compromising its sublimity.The focus of this translation and reflective commentary is on guiding readers to find fulfillment in their lives.In Who Thinks? Who Breathes? Reflections on the Kena Upanishad… • An accessible English translation • Lucid reflections, relevant to modern life • Pragmatic interpretations of sublime revelations • Simple diagrams to help understand esoteric concepts • Short but powerful meditations to give a firsthand experience of our true nature