Tejomoyee Ma discusses how people are given certain roles to play in life. These roles changes constantly, and people have to adjust accordingly. When things are going well, we are happy, but as soon as the sequence changes and situation turns against our wishes, people become miserable, longing for the happiness they had before, and desiring to end the current situation. But the roles are given by the director - God. If we understand this then we won’t take it so seriously. When director says to cry - you cry, when director says to smile - you smile. Accept it as it comes. Actors accept the roles that come from the director. So people should accept the roles coming from God. If we understand this, then life becomes easy. No need to be so serious. People always ask for bigger and better roles. Bhagavan related a story from his younger theater days when one of the young boys in his play wanted a bigger and better role. Bhagavan agreed. But then the boy died on his way home, neve...

Shiva Tandava is a legendary divine dance of Shiva, representing the cosmic cycle of creation, preservation and destruction, the primal rhytmic energy. In this video, devotees are heard chanting "Hara Hara Mahadev" which is the name of Shiva. In this video, Sri Sri Bhagavan and devotees in International Vedanta Society play the kirtan , sing and dance at the November 2014 Convention for World Peace & Oneness.

The chanting of the Guru Vandana mantra at a public event presented by International Vedanta Society in the Kolkata city center. This video was recorded in May of 2018. Guru Vandana is recorded in the Guru Gita (the Song of Guru), that is a part of the Skanda Purana (a sacred text from the Shaivite  tradition). Guru Gita is a treatise on finding one's true Guru and then surrendering to him with the totality of one's being. At IVS, devotees sing this chant several times per day, and concentrate on our guru Bhagavan.

The chanting of the mahamantra (Hare Krishna Hare Rama) with Sri Sri Bhagavan. This video was recorded at the Mayer Bari ashram of International Vedanta Society in Birati, Kolkata one evening on May of 2018. The tradition of singing the mahamantra in IVS stems began in the year 2004 from a divine command. On April 17th, 2004, at 10:30am, Bhagavan was sitting in his daily morning samadhi , when a somber divine voice came out of the depths, saying: "Become mad and madden the world, say 'Hare Krishna'." This was the message ordained by the Infinite to Bhagavan to engulf the whole of humanity in a single thread of Oneness. Swami Prajnananda- ji writes in the IVS book The Living God: "At IVS, the Mahamantra is chanted not to propitiate Sri Krishna but to mingle with one and all, to feel others as our own Self. This indeed is the essence of Advaita, where the Self is seen in everything, and everything is seen in the Self. The Mahamantra is the platform wher...

Bhagavan's teachings are firmly rooted in Truth and Love. He has always adhered to these values and taught his students the same. There is great strength in these words. One can come to rely on them after getting acquainted with Bhagavan's life , with the history of International Vedanta Society (IVS) and its teachers, and through realizing these things in one's own practice. Bhagavan's teachings have generally come to be organized under the 12 points  sadhana  (spiritual practice) below. These guidelines are not a replacement to the direct instructions received by one's Guru or teacher, but a helpful reminder of the components that your spiritual practice should contain and the ideals you want to be striving for as you make progress towards Self-Realization. Check out the Teachings posted on this website, they are sorted by Post Topics and can be accessed in the drop down menu on the upper right hand corner of the website. These lessons address the various...

A rare footage of Sri Sri Bhagavan inspiring a devotee to attain the state where they no longer feel separate from Him. This is not an intellectual exercise, Bhagavan says but a heart experience. Know the guru to be all, as God, and know that you are one with Him. Otherwise you will continue to feel disturbance of separation.

Sri Sri Bhagavan narrates the early part of the Buddha's spiritual life, who upon coming out of His sheltered palace, for the first time saw the worldly realities of old age, illness and death. What made the Buddha different was that He wanted to find a way to overcome these sorrows, to put an end to them. Bhagavan explains that "Buddha" or "Bodha" means total knowledge. Bhagavan draws a comparison to our contemporary life, including His own, pointing out that these struggles are very much present in our lives today as well. We should become aware of them, and their inevitability; try not to shun them, but face them .

Bhagavan talks about why the great masters come to earth. The enlightened beings always say “Know Thy Self”, “Know the Truth”, obtain Knowledge. They are not saying go get money in the world. But what is knowledge? It is the way things actually are, not just how they appear. The masters have been sharing knowledge with us for our benefit. They want to help us become more perfect, get more peace. Bhagavan gives the example of the Buddha. He is loved by all people of the world. Why? Because of the love and knowledge he gave to all beings, including animals. Similarly, with International Vedanta Society , all the work we are doing are for the people. The people in turn should understand that the world is not just for them, but for all beings, including the animals.