Vedanta Talks

Swami Sarvapriyananda teaches Kena Upanishad in this series. The Kena Upanishad (Sanskrit: केनोपनिषद्) (also alternatively known as Talavakara Upanishad) is a Vedic Sanskrit text classified as one of the primary or Mukhya Upanishads that is embedded inside the last section of the Talavakara Brahmana of the Samaveda. It is listed as number 2 in the Muktikā, the canon of the 108 Upanishads of Hinduism. Kena Upanishad has three parts: 13 verses in the first part, 15 paragraphs in the second part, and 6 paragraphs in the epilogue. These are distributed in four khaṇḍas (खण्ड, sections or volumes). The first Khanda has 8 verses, the second has 5 verses. The third Khanda has 12 paragraphs, while the fourth khanda has the remaining 9 (3 paragraphs of main text and 6 paragraphs of the epilogue).

Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Oct 20th, 2024. List of questions with timestamps:00:00 - Intro02:15 - What is the importance of earnestness and renunciation to progress in spiritual life.13:37 - Do we need a Guru, and what is the relationship betwen the Gurua dn teh Advaitic Self?19:31 - Is consciousness the controller of actions or is it just a witness?31:09 - How do we go from reflected consciousness to ‘I am Brahman’?41:17 - How can I cultivate a desire to meditate and to form a genuine enjoyment of the practice?01:04:21 - How can I overcome doubts in spiritual life?01:09:45 - How can dream state be considered equivalent to the waking state?

🔆 Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 13 Verse 7:अमानित्वमदम्भित्वमहिंसा क्षान्तिरार्जवम् |आचार्योपासनं शौचं स्थैर्यमात्मविनिग्रह: || 7||amānitvam adambhitvam ahinsā kṣhāntir ārjavamāchāryopāsanaṁ śhauchaṁ sthairyam ātma-vinigrahaḥ || 7||🔴 Freedom from self-importance, unpretentiousness, non-violence, patience, straight-forwardness, service of the teacher, cleanliness, steadfastness, and self-control;

Swami Sarvapriyananda teaches Verses 3-6 from the Thirteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita. This series of talks unfolds the highest truths of Vedanta through the study of "The Song of God".🔆 Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 13 Verse 3:तत्क्षेत्रं यच्च यादृक्च यद्विकारि यतश्च यत् |स च यो यत्प्रभावश्च तत्समासेन मे शृणु || 3I|tat kṣhetraṁ yach cha yādṛik cha yad-vikāri yataśh cha yatsa cha yo yat-prabhāvaśh cha tat samāsena me śhṛiṇu || 3I|🔴 Hear from Me in brief what the Ksetra is, of what nature it is, what its modifications are, and from what causes what effects have sprung. Also know who the Ksetrajna is and what his powers consist in.🔆 Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 13 Verse 4:ऋषिभिर्बहुधा गीतं छन्दोभिर्विविधै: पृथक् |ब्रह्मसूत्रपदैश्चैव हेतुमद्भिर्विनिश्चितै: || 4 ||ṛiṣhibhir bahudhā gītaṁ chhandobhir vividhaiḥ pṛithakbrahma-sūtra-padaiśh chaiva hetumadbhir viniśhchitaiḥ || 4 ||🔴 In many and different ways have the Rishis sung about this subject in metres of varying description. The well-reasoned and definitive aphorisms of the Brahma-sutras too have discussed it.🔆 Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 13 Verses 5 -6:महाभूतान्यङ्ककारो बुद्धिरव्यक्त मेव च |इन्द्रियाणि दशैकं च पञ्च चेन्द्रियगोचरा: || 5||इच्छा द्वेष: सुखं दु:खं सङ्घातश्चेतना धृति: |एतत्क्षेत्रं समासेन सविकारमुदाहृतम् || 6||mahā-bhūtāny ahankāro buddhir avyaktam eva chaindriyāṇi daśhaikaṁ cha pañcha chendriya-gocharāḥ || 5||ichchhā dveṣhaḥ sukhaṁ duḥkhaṁ saṅghātaśh chetanā dhṛitiḥetat kṣhetraṁ samāsena sa-vikāram udāhṛitam || 6||🔴 The five great elements, the I-sense, the intellect, and the Unmanifested (Root Matter); the ten organs along with the mind as the eleventh, and the five objects of the senses; desire, hatred, pleasure and pain; the body, consciousness, and will -such is a brief description of the Ksetra with all its modifications.