Episodes
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Pick One Small Thing
Success on the spiritual path is built from thousands of small steps: little insights and good decisions. Gradually we free ourselves from the entanglements that bind us to the wheel of delusion.
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Back to the Beginning
One question she asked stopped me in my tracks: “On your lifelong spiritual journey, what has surprised you?” My answer was unexpected even by me: “It has been a journey from knowing, to unknowing, to knowing.”
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God Feels So Close
Paramhansa Yogananda told Swami Kriyananda that his life would be one of intense activity and meditation. It was no accident that he put service first, and until now our own life has followed the same pattern. Now we feel ready to reverse it: an intense search for God, with activity flowing from...
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Every One of You
What do I want to say to sum up all the talks we have given over these past months? What have I learned?
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Imagine That!
Our rational minds might immediately object: “But Devi doesn’t speak twelve languages.” Yet dreams are the soul’s way of touching the astral world. Across all our past incarnations, who is to say how many languages we have spoken? Dreams have the power to change a life. Let me share two of my own.
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Seeing Behind the Curtain
Some moments in life seem ordinary at first glance, but if we’re attentive, they can reveal God’s hidden presence. We’re in India now, and a friend here shared a story that describes just such a moment.
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Our True Potential
Devi and I recently gave a talk to a standing-room-only audience of nearly seven hundred people in Delhi. It was called “How to Achieve Your Highest Potential,” a vital subject for all seekers, whether new or experienced. I thought you might enjoy exploring some of the themes we discussed.
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Journey of a Lifetime
But for me, the most inspiring transformation of all was watching the journey of Swamiji’s life. These are some of the aspects that I witnessed.
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Escaping from Prison
There is no release except by going within and finding spiritual freedom. Yogananda incarnated to show us how to escape our cells, and gave us meditation, service to others, and right attitude—the tools we can use to open our prison’s doors. If we employ them well, we will come to realize that we...
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The Magic Cloth
Recently I had two experiences that helped me understand the hidden truths in his words. The first occurred one night after a disturbing dream in which people were treating me cruelly and abusively. At first I felt agitated and upset, but then the verse came into my mind, and I thought, “These…
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The Essential Elements of the Spiritual Path
What is the purpose of life and, specifically, of my present incarnation? What is the essence of the techniques of our path?
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Proof of Things Unseen
How can we draw answers to our problems and find solutions to every challenge before us? The more we practice faith, the more we can experience God’s hand in every aspect of our life.
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Wisdom-Born Intuition
Here is the method Paramhansa Yogananda recommends for developing wisdom-guided intuition: When you have the urge to do something that might be unwise, stop for a moment and mentally list the reasons you shouldn’t do it. If you do this, he says, you will gradually develop your intuition, and then...
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Devotee, Beware!
How do we rise above egoic self-identity? Swami Kriyananda said that the secret to dissolving the ego is longer, deeper meditations, and seeing God as the Doer in everything
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Divine Mother, Divine Power
To the extent we realize that God is the doer, we are given the capacity to be channels of His power.
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The Age of Miracles
Miracles are happening around us all the time; we simply need to open our eyes to see God’s constant presence in our lives. In the past week alone, two friends shared with me extraordinary experiences of their own.
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The Leap of Faith
Can’t many of us relate to his yearning, where a life without God no longer holds our interest, where unfulfilled desires no longer motivate us? If we haven’t yet reached the state where we are ready to take the final leap of faith, we can at least see that high state shining on the horizon. We...
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The River of Life
As we sat by the river each day to meditate in the early dawn hours, we began to feel that the Mississippi is a conscious being with much to teach us.
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Riding the Wave of Grace
How do we hold on to the inspiration we experienced during those precious days? This question implies broader vistas—how do we hold on to the inspiration of a particularly deep meditation, an uplifting sensation, or a peak experience?
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The Power of Thy Light
By the time you read this, dear friend, we will already be well into the Centennial Celebration week at Ananda Village. The week preceding the event has been its own inspiration, with volunteers coming from all over the world to help prepare for the arrival of the guests. I’ve been mentally…
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The Art of Friendship
How did Swamiji radiate this magical quality of divine friendship, and how can we follow in his footsteps?
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The Guiding Hand of Love
Swamiji’s guiding love didn’t end with his passing — it remains available to anyone who reaches for it inwardly.
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Miracles—Big and Small
We live in a sea of miracles, though we recognize only the big ones and ignore the small ones. In fact, most people can accept only the big ones as true miracles at all. One of these occurred with Swami Kriyananda, and we have several woven together in the tapestry of life that were smaller, but...
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Standing Unshaken
Paramhansa Yogananda said that a yogi should be able to stand unshaken amidst the crash of breaking worlds. In celebrating the centennial of Swami Kriyananda’s birth, I want to share a few episodes from his life that illustrate exactly this quality. During Ananda’s first years, Swamiji’s classes...
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Happy Birthday, Swamiji
As I write this, it is the one-hundredth anniversary of Swamiji’s birth. People from around the world of Ananda are sharing stories and photos and expressing their gratitude to him. Devi and I shared many birthdays with Swamiji. One of my most memorable birthdays was in 1985.
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Swamiji’s Guidance
I’d like to share three stories in which Swamiji gave me simple advice that changed the course of my life.
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Our Joy-Filled Swami
Swamiji was always expressing joy in one way or another. It effervesced from his very being like a spring bubbling up from the depths of the earth. Here are a few ways I saw that fundamental essence expressed.
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Through Your Eyes Only
Paramhansa Yogananda would sometimes gaze lovingly at his disciples and say, “If you only knew how beautiful you are. I see you all as beings of light.”
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My First Day
I went to work for Swami Kriyananda in 1968, and my first day was an absolute disaster!
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God’s Protecting Presence
Over the years, I’ve witnessed or heard many stories of miraculous protection. Yet there’s another, subtler form of divine intervention. One example is from Babaji’s life, recounted in Autobiography of a Yogi.
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Fifty Years—How We Did It!
It’s hard to describe the feeling of upliftment and joy: Many people have told us, “It feels like we’re in the astral world here!”
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Lessons in Divine Love
The days to experience this all knowing Divine Love did not end with Swamiji’s passing. His presence is always within reach for those who sincerely call on him, for he was a channel for Master’s all-encompassing, eternal love. Each of us is a little sparrow in God’s sight—this is His greatest…
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The Early Days
What were they like? Stories from my time with Swamiji...
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Lessons I Learned from Swami Kriyananda, Part 1
Here are some lessons I learned during my first few years at Ananda, and offer ways you might apply them in your own life.
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The Courage to Begin Again
This blog is about the courage to begin again when we experience loss or change—something we all face on a regular basis. We need to look beyond loss and ask the harder spiritual question: What actually makes a fresh start possible?
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The Call
It’s puzzling to me why this choice to prioritise our spiritual path is so difficult to make—but I suppose that is the central challenge: the state of ego-consciousness feels familiar, while soul awareness seems uncertain. And so we hesitate to surrender into it.
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The Web of Awareness
As we grow in self-awareness, we come to realize that we are made of infinite light and perfect joy. But how far does this web of self-awareness extend? Is it only humans and a few of the most evolved animals that are self-aware?
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The Lost Diamond
Have you ever had a series of seemingly random events that, taken together, carried unexpected significance? Recently I had just such an experience.
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Identifying the Challenge
Have you ever felt the nagging sensation that you need to change something in yourself, but you don’t quite know what it is? The first step in overcoming a challenge is to bring it to the surface of your awareness and clearly identify it. If we don’t do this voluntarily, life will find a way of...
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Follow the Light of Truth
Truth is the light that shows us the way forward. More than ever, we need the guidance of truth to navigate today’s world and to find ways to be of help to others. Yet, given current circumstances, many ask themselves: Is there really anything I, as an individual, can do to help in these…
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Be a Dwapara Yuga Citizen
When one looks at the news, it is hard to make sense of what is happening in these turbulent times. Yet the more we focus on current events, the harder it becomes to see the bigger picture. Is there a deeper reason for this choppy sea we’re trying to navigate? Last week, during the classes at our...
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Hamlet’s Dilemma
Practical tips for ego-transcendence.
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Attunement
When we open our heart to the guru, as our friend had done, the guru really does enter and take charge of our life. Devi and I have heard many such stories over the years. When we place our full faith in God, seemingly magical things begin to happen. I
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Jivan’s Journey
For whenever a soul reaches the journey’s end, he leaves behind a trail of light for others to follow.
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Conscious Bathing
We bathe not only to rid ourselves of something we don’t want, but also in order to infuse ourselves with something we do want — extra energy or prana. When we are attentive, we draw more prana from nature.
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Four Steps to the Light
Four steps to the light that will offer you a roadmap toward God—and toward bringing His transforming light to a world that sorely needs it now.
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Stealing Magnetism
Every thought, word, and deed—positive or negative—creates a magnetic vibration that is sent into the ether. Like radio waves, we are continually bombarded by this force. More important is the constant exchange of magnetism with our environment and, especially, the people we connect with.
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Remember the Fox
God is talking to us all the time, but we need to learn His language. Sometimes He speaks to us through words we perceive within, but often it’s in beautiful moments when time seems to stop. All too often we forget these moments, feeling only His absence in our life, but nevertheless His presence...
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New Year, New Start
As 2026 rolls around, it’s important to review the past year and make plans for the coming one. For those of us who are part of the Future Saints Club, this is a perfect time to rededicate ourselves to our spiritual quest.
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A Letter to Master
I’m going out on a limb here, sharing something quite personal.
About this show
A weekly podcast dedicated to spirituality in daily life, inspired by the revolutionary teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda.
Hosted by
Ananda
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