Kali Mandir Satsang

"Reintroducing the Bhagavatam" Satsang with Swami Bhajanananda

Class by Rev Dr. Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati on Book X of Srimad Bhagavatam introducing the story of Brahma stealing the cows and cowherd boya given at Kali Mandir Ramakrishna Ashram on 19 May 2025.

Devi Gita (Class 40): "Self is Consciousness & Bliss" by Swami Bhajanananda

Scripture class by Rev. Dr. Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati on Devi Gita, chapter 2, verses 19-21, given to students of the Ramakrishna Seminary at Kali Mandir via Zoom on 16 April 2025.
 
अपरिच्छन्नताऽप्येवमत एव मता मम |
तच्चज्ञानं नात्मधर्मो धर्मत्वे जडताऽत्मनः || १९ ||
aparicchannatā'pyevamata eva matā mama |
taccajñānaṃ nātma-dharmo dharmatve jaḍatā'tmanaḥ || 19 ||
19. "Therefore I am regarded truly as an undivided whole, and that consciousness is not an attribute of the Self, for then the Self would be like an object."
 
ज्ञानस्य जडशेषत्वं म दृष्टं न च सम्भवै |
चिद्धर्मत्वं तथा नास्ति चितश्चिन्न हि विद्यते || २० ||
jñānasya jaḍaśeṣatvaṃ ma dṛṣṭaṃ na ca sambhavai |
cid-dharma-tvaṃ tathā nāsti citaścinna hi vidyate || 20 ||
20. "In consciousness no possible trace of the object state can be found. And so consciousness also has no attributes: consciousness is not a quality separable from consciousness itself."
 
तस्मादात्मज्ञानरूपः सुखरूपश्च सर्वदा |
सत्यः पूर्णोऽप्यसङ्गश्च द्वैतज्जालविवर्जितः || २१ ||
tasmād-ātma-jñāna-rūpaḥ sukha-rūpaśca sarvadā |
satyaḥ pūrṇo'pyasaṅgaśca dvaitajjālavivarjitaḥ || 21 ||
21. "Therefore the Self in essence is consciousness, and bliss as well, always, it is the real and complete, beyond all relation, and free from the illusion of duality."

Devi Gita (Class 39): "Love for the Self" by Swami Bhajanananda

Scripture class by Rev. Dr. Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati on Devi Gita, chapter 2, verse18, given to students of the Ramakrishna Seminary at Kali Mandir via Zoom on 9 April 2025.
मा न भूवं हि भूयासमिति प्रेमात्मनि स्थितम् |सर्वस्याऽन्यस्य मिथ्यात्वादसङ्गत्वं स्फुटं मम || १८ ||mā na bhūvaṃ hi bhūyāsamiti premātmani sthitam |sarvasyā'nyasya mithyātvādasaṅgatvaṃ sphuṭaṃ mama || 18 ||18. "The feeling "Let me not cease to be; let me exist forever," is rooted in love for the Self. Certainly there is no actual relations between me and all else, since all else is false."

Devi Gita (Class 38): "Consciousness is Eternal" by Swami Bhajanananda

Scripture class by Rev. Dr. Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati on Devi Gita, chapter 2, verses 15 through 17 given to students of the Ramakrishna Seminary at Kali Mandir via Zoom on 2 April 2025.
जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषुप्त्यादौ दृश्यस्य व्यभिचारतः |संविदो व्यभिचारश्च नाऽनुभूतोऽस्ति कर्हिछित् || १५ ||jāgrat-svapna-suṣuptyādau dṛśyasya vyabhicārataḥ |saṃvido vyabhicāraśca nā'nubhūto'sti karhichit || 15 ||15. "The visible world appears and disappears constantly in the various states of waking, dream, and deep sleep."
यदि तस्याऽप्यनुभवस्तर्ह्ययं येन साक्शिणा |अनुभूतः स एवाऽत्र शिष्टः संविद्वपुः पुरा || १६ ||yadi tasyā'pyanubhavastarhyayaṃ yena sākśiṇā |anubhūtaḥ sa evā'tra śiṣṭaḥ saṃvidvapuḥ purā || 16 ||16. "Even if this consciousness itself became an object of perception, then the witness of that perception would abide as the real pure consciousness, as before."
अत एव नित्यत्वं प्रोक्तं सछास्त्रकोविदैः |आनन्दरूपता चऽस्याः परप्रेमास्पदत्वतह् || १७ ||ata eva nitya-tvaṃ proktaṃ sachāstra-kovidaiḥ |ānanda-rūpatā ca'syāḥ para-premāspadatvatah || 17 ||17. "And so those versed in religious treaties regarding the real declare consciousness to be eternal. Its nature is bliss, for it is the object of supreme love."

Kālī Sahasranāma (talk 52): "She Who is Music" etc. by Swami Bhajanananda

Discourse by Revered Dr. Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati, on names 340 through 344 of verses 42 of the "Thousand Names of Kali", given at Kali Mandir Ramakrishna Ashram on 29 March 2025.
ऋक्सामाथर्वनिलया रागिणी शोभनस्वरा |कलकण्ठी कम्बुकण्ठी वेणुवीणापरायणा || ४२ ||ṛk-sāmātharva-nilayā rāgiṇī śobhana-svarā |kala-kaṇṭhī kambu-kaṇṭhī veṇu-vīṇā-parāyaṇā || 42 ||
340. रागिणी rāgiṇī341. शोभनस्वरा śobhana-svarā 342. कलकण्ठी kala-kaṇṭhī343. कम्बुकण्ठी kambu-kaṇṭhī344. वेणुवीणापरायणा veṇu-vīṇā-parāyaṇā

Devi Gita (Class 37): "The Seer and the Seen" by Swami Bhajanananda

Scripture class by Rev. Dr. Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati on Devi Gita, chapter 2, verses 9 & 10 given to students of the Ramakrishna Seminary at Kali Mandir via Zoom on 26 March 2025.
एवं नानाविधानि स्युर्नामानि निगमादिषु |तस्या जडत्वं दृश्यत्वाज्ज्ञाननाशात् ततोऽसती ||११||evaṃ nānāvidhāni syurnāmāni nigamādiṣu |tasyā jaḍa-tvaṃ dṛśya-tvāj-jñāna-nāśāt tato'satī ||11||11. Such are its various names found in the Vedic and other sacred texts. Since Māya is something we can perceive, it has the nature of non-conscious matter; since knowledge destroys it, it is not truly existent. 
चैतन्यस्य न दृश्यत्वं दृश्यत्वे जडमेव तत् |स्वप्रकाशं च चैतन्यं न परेण प्रकाशितम् || १२ ||caitanyasya na dṛśyatvaṃ dṛśyatve jaḍameva tat |svaprakāśaṃ ca caitanyaṃ na pareṇa prakāśitam || 12 ||=12. "Consciousness is not something we can perceive; what we perceive is indeed non-conscious. Consciousness is self-luminous; nothing else illuminates it."
अनवस्थादोषसत्त्वान्न स्वेनाऽपि प्रकाशितम् |कर्मकर्तृविरोधः स्यात् तस्मात् तद्दीपवत् स्वयम् || १३ ||anavasthā-doṣa-sattvānna svenā'pi prakāśitam |karma-kartṛ-virodhaḥ syāt tasmāt tad-dīpavat svayam || 13 ||13. It does not even illuminate itself, for that would lead to the fallacy of infinite regress. As an agent and the object acted upon are distinct entities, so consciousness itself, like a lamp...
प्रकाशमानमन्येषां भासकं विद्धि पर्वत |अत एव च नित्यत्वं सिद्धसंवित् तनोर्मम || १४ ||prakāśa-mānamanyeṣāṃ bhāsakaṃ viddhi parvata |ata eva ca nityatvaṃ siddha-saṃvit tanormama || 14 ||14. While shining brightly, illuminates what is other than itself. Know, this, O Mountain, for thus have I demonstrated that consciousness, belonging to My own nature, is eternal. 

Kālī Sahasranāma (talk 51): "She Who Resides in the Vedas" etc. by Swami Bhajanananda

Discourse by Pujya (Revered) Dr. Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati, on names 337 through 339 of verses 41 & 52of the "Thousand Names of Kali", given at Kali Mandir Ramakrishna Ashram on 22 March 2025.
337. यज्ञकर्त्री yajña-kartrī  338. यजुःप्रिया yajuḥ-priyā339. ऋक्सामाथर्वनिलया ṛk-sāmātharva-nilayā
 
भीमा भयानका भीमनादिनी भीः प्रभावती |वागीश्वरी श्रीर्यमुना यज्ञकर्त्री यजुःप्रिया || ४१ ||bhīmā bhayānakā bhīma-nādinī bhīḥ prabhāvatī |vāgīśvarī śrīr-yamunā yajña-kartrī yajuḥ-priyā || 41 ||
ऋक्सामाथर्वनिलया रागिणी शोभनस्वरा |कलकण्ठी कम्बुकण्ठी वेणुवीणापरायणा || ४२ ||ṛk-sāmātharva-nilayā rāgiṇī śobhana-svarā |kala-kaṇṭhī kambu-kaṇṭhī veṇu-vīṇā-parāyaṇā || 42 ||

"What I Learned from Scholarly Sadhus (Talk 2)" Satsang with Swami Chetanananda

Discourse by Revered Swami Chetananandaji Mahara, senior monk of the Ramakrishna Math and spiritual head of the Vedanta Society of St. Louis, given at Kali Mandir Ramakrishna Ashram on 25 January 2025.

Kālī Sahasranāma (talk 50): "She Who is the Goddess of Vibration" etc. by Swami Bhajanananda

Discourse by Rev. Dr. Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati, on names 334 through 336 of verse 41 of the "Thousand Names of Kali", given at Kali Mandir Ramakrishna Ashram on 15 March 2025.
भीमा भयानका भीमनादिनी भीः प्रभावती |वागीश्वरी श्रीर्यमुना यज्ञकर्त्री यजुःप्रिया |४१|
bhīmā bhayānakā bhīma-nādinī bhīḥ prabhāvatī |vāgīśvarī śrīr-yamunā yajña-kartrī yajuḥ-priyā |41|
 vāgīśvarī– She Who is the Supreme Ruler of All Vibrations |334 śrīḥ - She Who is Respect |335 yamunā– She Who Manifests Complete Control |336

Kālī Sahasranāma (talk 49): "She Who is Terrible" etc. by Swami Bhajanananda

Discourse by Pujya (Revered) Dr. Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati, on names 327 through 332 of verses 40 & 41 of the "Thousand Names of Kali", given at Kali Mandir Ramakrishna Ashram on 9 March 2025.
 
सत्यवती धर्मनिष्ठा श्रेष्था निष्ठुरनादिनी |
गरिष्ठा दुष्टसṁहर्ती विशिष्टा श्रेयसी घृणा |४०|
भीमा भयानका भीमनादिनी भीः प्रभावती |
वागीश्वरी श्रीर्यमुना यज्ञकर्त्री यजुःप्रिया |४१|
satyavatī dharma-niṣṭhā śreṣthā niṣṭhura-nādinī |
gariṣṭhā duṣṭa-saṁhartī viśiṣṭā śreyasī ghṛṇā |40|
bhīmā bhayānakā bhīma-nādinī bhīḥ prabhāvatī |
vāgīśvarī śrīr-yamunā yajña-kartrī yajuḥ-priyā |41|
 
śreyasī |327
ghṛṇā |328
bhīmā |329
bhayānakā |330
bhīma-nādinī |331
bhīḥ |332