Live Satsang (Q&A) with Swami Tadatmananda (7 July 2024)

Weekly satsang at Arsha Bodha Center for local and online students. Send your questions to [e-mail] Please include your name, location and indicate "Satsang Question" in the subject line. Past satsangs available here: • Satsang with Swami Tad...
0:00:00 Intro
0:02:30 How to resolve conflicts between family responsibilities and spiritual practice?
0:07:07 What do Vedantic teachings say about abortion?
0:12:08 What is the Vedantic view on living in the present moment?
0:16:42 What is the difference between Nirguna Brahman and Saguna Brahman?
0:18:40 How to teach religion to children?
0:26:00 Is Ishvara a dream of Nirguna Brahman?
0:29:10 Does Advaita Vedanta have a teaching equivalent to the Christian doctrine of salvation?
0:32:05 Is a good laugh as good as a prayer?
0:35:58 Can Brahman exist without Ishvara?
0:40:06 Is awareness a thought?
0:45:04 Isn’t there more to the world than just names and forms?
0:50:00 Aren’t subjective opinions based on raga and dvesha?
0:50:28 Aren’t opinions just subtle forms?
0:51:08 Don’t different subjective opinions belong to Ishvara?
0:52:41 Doesn’t the mind know the content of Consciousness?
0:56:08 Is it okay to stop shravana and just focus on nidhidhyasana?
0:58:53 Is there any chance of Arsha Bodha opening a branch in Bangladesh?
1:03:43 Outro

[@talukdar73]

Pronam Swamiji, for the lady who asked how to teach children about Iswara... my mother taught me God is Ishwara translated to English. Throughout nations, people believe God created this beautiful creation. For my mother, Mother Marry carrying the little Christ in her lap is nothing but Yashoda carrying the little Krishna. During our schooldays, when we were playing in our courtyard in the dusk and the Azan came floating from the nearby Mosque she instructed us to prepare ourselves for the evening prayer and then our studies... Regards.... Hiranmoy Talukdar.... Moldova

[@007witharvind]

पूज्य स्वामी जी, Your live satsang is a jackpot for us. So thank you very much for this beautiful program.

[@amitghildiyal3411]

Thanks Swamiji for your guidance as it helps us get greater clarity

[@nandamutalik7560]

Thankyou Swamiji for the wonderful insights,as usual. Your answers are always incredible in their clarity. We definitely are blessed to have this one addiction...The Satsang!

[@reversefulfillment9189]

Thanks Swamiji. 🙏

[@girishnanoti954]

Pranam Swami ji

[@Nana-Kunwar]

Pranam Swamiji. How I see living in the present is that one is not regreting the past nor anxious about the future. Doing so does not allow us to focus on the present moment. That would be free of frustration and anxiety. We can understand the cause and effect of our the karma that we are comiting can only be possible now, in the current moment. Like I said on your last video that I listen to your talks only when I am able to focus my full attention on them so I can just and only listen to understand & benefit better. 🙏🏻🌷🌱 at your lotus feet.

[@rsr9200]

Delighted and thankful for all the thoughtful questions about Ishvara vis-à-vis our true nature in this satsang as well as the two preceding ones. Also, I am grateful to Swamiji as well as other teachers like him on KZbin who graciously share their wisdom on this topic out of their compassion for us. As an online student, I find that these gifted teachers of Advaita Vedanta, typically, articulate the Upanishadic revelations about this topic in two different ways. According to the first articulation, the Upanishads declare “I am Ishvara” and, according to the second articulation, the Upanishads declare “I am that because of which Ishvara exists”. I prefer the first articulation for two reasons, presented below, and I hope that those on this forum who prefer the second articulation would present their views as well. Of course, I welcome comments identifying any errors in what is presented below. The first reason I prefer the “I am Ishvara” articulation over the alternate one is because I can find support in the Upanishads for the former but not for the latter. For instance, mantras in Chapter 6 of the Svetasvatara Upanishad (e.g., 6.16 - 6.19) reveal that partlessness and omniscience are the nature of Ishvara. Thus, since the proposition “I am a PART of Ishvara” contradicts the Upanishads, we must dismiss it. Furthermore, the proposition “I am NOT Ishvara” must be dismissed as well since it defies reasoned logic. This is because the assertion “I am NOT Ishvara” implies that the asserter knows what Ishvara is. Now, since Ishvara is partlessly omniscient, the knower of Ishvara must be omniscient as well to know Ishvara. However, this cannot be since that which is omniscient cannot, logically, exist with a countably second other. Thus, we can neither assert “I am NOT Ishvara” nor can we assert “I am a PART of Ishvara”. Consequently, we can only surrender to the Upanishads to discover what more they reveal about the nature of Ishvara, and, here again, Svetasvatara (e.g., via 3.13/5.8, 6.11) reveals that the assertion “I am Ishvara” is the non-negatable truth. The second reason I prefer the “I am Ishvara” articulation is because the Upadesha Sahasri, which is universally regarded as an authentic work of Sri Shankara, presents that articulation. In verses 3.1 and 10.8 of the aforesaid text, Sri Shankara asserts “I am Ishvara”. Also, in verse 13.18 of the same text, he asserts “I am Brahman”, thereby signaling that the terms Ishvara and Brahman are interchangeable.

[@skyguardianxy]

Yeah this is a good point when I asked my question at 51:10 your response adds to my understanding

[@rsr9200]

@@skyguardianxy I enjoyed your interchange with Swamiji during this satsang. I am on board with Swamiji’s observation that Ishvara is not a person. As I understand what the Upanishads reveal about Ishvara, Ishvara is not merely a person. Rather, Ishvara is non-dual reality appearing in the form of non-persons of various kinds (e.g., space, time, stars, planets, animals, plants, Upanishads, puranas, etc.) as well as persons of various kinds (e.g., samsaris, jivan mukthas, rishis, avatars, etc.). So, when we say “I am Ishvara” the referent of the pronoun “I” in that statement is non-dual reality and not just a person.

[@chrisaav100]

Shanti, shanti, shanti 🙏🏼

[@alukuhito]

Thank you for all of your answers, Swami-ji. Thanks to the questioners too. 🙏

[@kerrydubord5273]

The form of the pot is the mind and its thoughts, the clay itself is the consciousness that witnessed the form of thought. Ishwara is all our concepts that form this beautiful universe but when the Self is seen, all form becomes material such as the pot and that highest knowledge is the Brahman. Thus, ALL is from Brahman. ALL is Brahman.

[@EliAbramzon]

Great answer in 35:58. This actually means that a "philosophical" God is always manifest as personal - religious deity. It's concurrent with some Kabalist teachings.

[@sheelamurali2835]

Please refer chaptar 4 Bhagavad Gita

[@Aintmuchbuthonestwork]

Grandpa that I didn’t have 🙏😂

[@gokulmehta]

Hari Aum Swamiji Can it be said Mind + thought = consciousness Consciousness-(minus) thought = Mind Therefore Consciousness = Mind. Pranam Swamiji 🙏

[@adityaranjit9564]

@@gokulmehta the mind is the ciṭṭa/ antaḥkaraṇa. Thoughts (such as rāga, dveṣa, sukkha, dukkha) are modifications (vṛṭṭi) of antaḥkaraṇa. The Self is distinct from the antaḥkaraṇa in that it is the witness of all thoughts. The antaḥkaraṇa appears to be sentient owing to its ability to reflect the caitanya of ātman

[@sree18697]

Can you explain how Advaita Vedanta explains the concept of avatars? Brahman has no form, quality, or purpose. Then how can Brahman descend into an avatar to create social order and awareness among humans? That seems contradictory. Anyway great speech as always swami 🙏🙏

[@Jiv509]

There is Nirguna Brahman (without attributes) & Saguna Brahman (with attributes).

[@sree18697]

@@Jiv509 but ultimate truth according to advait is nirgun. so how can nirgun have a purpose to uplift humanity through avatars

[@dhyanadasa]

From the point of view of saguna, the universe, the jeva, you, me, Swami Tadatmananda, avatar like Rama, Krishna, ALL of that exists...

[@sree18697]

@@dhyanadasa but that all in Maya. right? So avatar is also not real?

[@dhyanadasa]

@@sree18697 Is real for the jeva, for the nama rupa, etc... But From the perspective of Brahman, isnt...