Sunday, November 30, 2014
of Patanjali’s Raja Yoga" – Br. Shankara”]
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“Each soul is potentially divine. The goal is to manifest this Divinity within by controlling nature, external and internal. Do this either by work, or worship, or psychic control, or philosophy — by one, or more, or all of these — and be free. This is the whole of religion. Doctrines, or dogmas, or rituals, or books, or temples, or forms, are but secondary details.” — Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902)
When Vivekananda said psychic control, he was pointing to the aims and practices of Raja Yoga. Patanjali’s Yoga Aphorisms (Sutras) teach the practice of this yoga — spiritual aspirants learn, step-by-step, how to control the mind and achieve inner peace and freedom.
Swami Prabhavananda (1893-1976) wrote a translation and commentary on Patanjali’s aphorisms, titled “How to Know God.”* The swami said that, though these methods have been taught for over 2,000 years, they are “as alive and effective today as they have ever been.” He also said to a disciple, “I poured everything I am and everything I know into this book.”
Swami Prabhavananada served as Head of the Vedanta Society of Southern California from 1931 until his death on July 4, 1976. A disciple of Swami Brahmananda (“Raja Maharaj,” who was a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna), Prabhavananda also served and learned from many of the Master’s other direct disciples.
In this talk, Br. Shankara discusses “How to Know God” and its very practical lessons on yogic techniques of spiritual realization.
* This book is available in our Bookstore.