Recorded at the Vedanta Society of Western Washington on December 18, 2011.

Swami Bhaskarananda speaks on Sri Sarada Devi—known in the Ramakrishna tradition as the Holy Mother—and explains why her life is honored as an extraordinary spiritual gift to the modern world. Using the image of a diamond discovered in a coal mine, he describes how rare illumined souls reveal what is possible when the mind becomes purified and centered in God. He emphasizes that such purity changes one’s vision of the world: hostility and “enemy” consciousness fall away because divinity is perceived everywhere, though manifested in varying degrees across beings.

The talk highlights Sarada Devi’s special significance as a living expression of the motherhood of God. Swami Bhaskarananda discusses the different ways people relate to the Divine—father, mother, friend—and notes how personal experience shapes these approaches. He recounts traditional stories associated with Sarada Devi’s compassion, humility, practical strength, and power to uplift devotees, including accounts of her guidance, her protection of those who sought refuge, and her role in steadying monastic life through motherly concern. He concludes by placing her example alongside Sri Ramakrishna’s teaching that sincere spiritual practice in any religion leads toward the same ultimate Reality, and that inner purification is the key to a clearer awareness of inherent divinity.

Recorded at the Vedanta Society of Western Washington on December 11, 2011.

Swami Manishananda reflects on what it means to anchor one’s spiritual life while moving through the changing currents of relative existence. Using the image of a sailboat secured in a safe harbor, he describes how human life is often tossed by shifting conditions—pleasure and pain, gain and loss, praise and blame—and how, over time, a longing naturally arises for a steadier refuge in God, whether understood personally or impersonally. He also notes that “anchors” can work in two ways: spiritual anchors steady and guide us, while worldly attachments can hold us back until we learn to loosen their grip.

He then outlines three enduring supports. First is faith (shraddha), which includes both trust in the spiritual ideal and confidence in one’s own capacity for growth, strengthened through lived experience and perseverance. Second are prayer, japa, and meditation—disciplines that gradually become inward supports rather than mere routines tied to a place or schedule. Third is a sense of belonging to a spiritual community, where good company and shared aspiration encourage steadiness of mind and deepen one’s orientation toward the highest goal.

Recorded at the Vedanta Society of Western Washington on December 4, 2011.

In this talk, Swami Bhaskarananda reflects on what it means to seek the ultimate truth, distinguishing between ordinary truths known through sense experience and reasoning, and the higher truth toward which spiritual inquiry is directed. He notes that human understanding often moves from “lower truth” to “higher truth,” as childhood beliefs and early worldviews give way to clearer knowledge. Drawing on the Mundaka Upanishad, he presents the ancient question: what is that, by knowing which everything else becomes known? Vedanta answers with Brahman, the highest reality, expressed in the Upanishadic great sayings that affirm the identity of the Self and Brahman and point to the awareness of inherent divinity in all beings.

Swami Bhaskarananda then outlines a classical Advaita method of discrimination between the knower and the known, showing how the body, vital energy, mind, and ego are objects of awareness, while the Atman is the witnessing consciousness, beyond change, parts, qualities, and action. He addresses common questions about creation and divine action through the concept of Maya—described as inexplicable—and uses vivid analogies to clarify how the world can appear real to us while remaining, from the standpoint of Brahman, untouched. He concludes by noting that in Advaita, the divine is understood as beyond past and future, abiding in an eternal present.

Recorded at the Vedanta Society of Western Washington on November 27, 2011.

Swami Atmajnanananda examines consciousness through both Vedantic teaching and contemporary Western inquiry, showing why the subject remains central in philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, and religious thought. He outlines Vedanta’s twofold use of the term: cosmologically, as a primary principle from which mind and the elements of matter evolve; and philosophically, as identical with Brahman—existence, consciousness, and bliss—by whose light the senses and mind function. Turning to Western discussions, he notes the ongoing difficulty of explaining how subjective experience arises from physical processes, highlighting the “hard problem” and the “explanatory gap” raised by modern philosophers. He also describes current research exploring unusual forms of perception and communication at a distance, and he surveys near-death experience reports as suggesting that awareness may not be confined to bodily function, including accounts of “life review” that resonate with the moral logic of karma.

Returning to Vedanta, he emphasizes ignorance (avidya) as the fundamental obstacle—mistaking the properties of one thing for another, and treating multiplicity as ultimate. The remedy is knowledge of oneness, cultivated through meditation, disciplined study, and guidance from an illumined teacher, so that awareness of the Self becomes clearer amid ordinary experience.

Recorded at the Vedanta Society of Western Washington on November 20, 2011.

Swami Brahmatmananda examines meditation as it is commonly presented in contemporary America—often for stress reduction or relaxation—and then turns to the deeper aim of Raja Yoga: training the mind for sustained concentration and, ultimately, absorption in the Divine. He notes that many sincere practitioners feel little inner transformation even after years of practice, and suggests that progress is hindered when the necessary foundations are overlooked. Drawing on Patanjali’s Yoga aphorisms and Swami Vivekananda’s explanations of pratyahara, dharana, dhyana, and samadhi, he emphasizes that meditation is not a casual technique but a disciplined science of mind.

The talk outlines the traditional preparations for effective meditation, beginning with ethical restraints and observances that quiet inner conflict: truthfulness, non-injury, non-stealing, and non-covetousness, along with purity, contentment, and austerity. He describes how modern life—constant information, endless choices, and “decision fatigue”—aggravates restlessness, making inward focus difficult. Spiritual study and, for those inclined, surrender to God are presented as supports that reorient life toward its highest purpose. He concludes with practical guidance on posture, breath regulation, and the steady withdrawal of attention from sense impressions, as steps toward deeper peace and awareness of inherent divinity.

Recorded at the Vedanta Society of Western Washington on November 13, 2011.

In this lecture, Swami Manishananda uses several striking statements from Swami Vivekananda to illuminate the standpoint of non-dualistic Vedanta. He begins by outlining the Vedantic distinction between the unchanging reality—Brahman—and the changing world of name and form, explaining why the sages call the world “unreal” in the specific sense of being impermanent. To make this practical, he draws on familiar analogies such as dream experience and the classic rope-and-snake illustration to show how ignorance of the underlying reality gives rise to mistaken appearance, and how knowledge removes fear and confusion.

From this foundation he explores Vivekananda’s definitions of nature, the universe, religion, and the devil. Nature is presented as a “book” that educates the soul through experience across many lifetimes, gradually weakening attachment and aversion. The universe is described as “the wreckage of the infinite on the shores of the finite,” suggesting both the poignancy of bondage and the possibility of using what is “salvageable” in life—spiritual discipline, worship, and inquiry—to move toward freedom. Religion, he says, is learning to “play consciously,” and the devil is not an external being but the world’s misery interpreted through superstition and projected fear. The talk concludes with Vivekananda’s “Song of the Free,” pointing to the courage and clarity that arise with knowledge of the Self and awareness of inherent divinity.

Recorded at the Vedanta Society of Western Washington on November 6, 2011.

Swami Avikarananda speaks on Swami Vivekananda’s teaching of Karma Yoga, clarifying that yoga in the Vedantic sense is union with our true divine nature, not merely postures or breathing exercises. Karma means action—and also the effects action leaves on the mind as tendencies and character. Much of human work is driven by the pursuit of pleasure, leading to attachment to results, possessions, status, and approval, and therefore to recurring dissatisfaction. Through a personal story of an overburdened school principal, he illustrates how attachment and blame can deepen suffering when life does not conform to one’s expectations.

Drawing on the Bhagavad Gita and Vivekananda’s lectures on Karma Yoga, he explains “right action” as work done without selfish motive and without obsession over outcomes. Such restraint strengthens the will, purifies the mind, and supports awareness of inherent divinity. For those with faith, the fruits of action are offered to God; for others, work can be offered in a spirit of service to humanity. He concludes by emphasizing Vivekananda’s ideal of integrating all four yogas—karma, bhakti, jnana, and raja—so that activity, devotion, discernment, and mental discipline support one another in the pursuit of knowledge of the Self.

Recorded at the Vedanta Society of Western Washington on October 30, 2011.

Swami Bhaskarananda explores the spiritual significance of music by beginning with the Vedantic view of sound itself. He explains that all manifested existence is Akasha—subtle matter—set into vibration by cosmic energy, and that every form is essentially vibrating sound. Drawing on the ancient teaching “Nāda Brahman,” he describes four levels of sound, from the gross audible level to the subtle “para” sound rooted in Brahman, and shows how the sacred syllable Om symbolizes the entire process of manifestation and return to the Divine. Music, as ordered and melodious sound, is thus not merely entertainment but can become a doorway to awareness of God when its direction is turned inward and upward.

Swami Bhaskarananda then considers how music relates to spiritual practice in different traditions, noting that while many Islamic traditions generally restrict music to avoid sensory distraction, Hinduism, Judaism, and Christianity have all developed rich devotional musical forms. He shares vivid anecdotes of monks and musicians whose sincere, heart-filled singing or instrumental playing created profound spiritual impact, illustrating that it is the inner attitude, not vocal perfection, that gives music its transforming power. He concludes by explaining how gentle, harmonious music can help quiet a restless, rajasic mind and prepare it for meditation, suggesting that when used wisely, music can calm, uplift, and support the search for knowledge of the Self.