Podcast · Devotional & Spiritual

AskSwami Q&A - Swami Sarvapriyananda

by Vedanta Society of New York · English · Devotional & Spiritual

Question and Answer session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York.

Typical length: 1 hr 29 min
Language: English

Latest episode

1 hr 22 min

Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | Apr 12th, 2026

Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Apr 12th, 2026. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Invocation and opening 01:40 — Is enlightenment just a brain event, or different from dissociation and neurological experiences? 19:17 — How does one move from witness-consciousness to Turiya in practice? 29:31 — What should one do when mantra japa brings up disturbing thoughts and impurities? 40:41 — If awareness and experience seem mutually dependent, how can awareness be the ultimate reality? 51:22 — How should a student deal with pressure, competition,…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

1 hr 32 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | Mar 29th, 2026
Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Mar 29th, 2026. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Invocation and opening 01:32 - Why Vedanta first says you are consciousness and not body-mind if everything is Brahman anyway. 22:05 - How to distinguish pure Self from awareness that seems to arise through body and mind. 50:48 - If I am only consciousness and a witness, what is the meaning of life and experience. 01:00:48 - Why Vivekananda’s emphasis on service can seem different from Sri Ramakrishna’s teachings. 01:11:43 - Why profound inner experience…
1 hr 19 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | Dec 28th, 2025
Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Dec 28th, 2025. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 02:30 - How can there be "pure experience", if there is no object to experience? 17:19 - Does this enlightened one have the ability to manipulate time? 21:32 - Can consciousness truly be objectified and recognized directly? 33:32 - What should I do if I want this to be my last birth? Is God with form part of Maya? 53:06 - Who is experiencing qualia? 01:02:14 - It seems possible that AI could create conscious beings, but it could never create pure…
1 hr 32 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | Oct 19th, 2025
28,001 views Oct 31, 2025 AskSwami Q&A | Swami Sarvapriyananda Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Oct 19th, 2025. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:52 - If Brahman is the only reality, doesn’t “Neti, Neti” also reject Brahman? 17:52 - What is the link between Brahman and Jiva? 38:28 - Are not the theories you are discussing also limited? 41:54 - How do we apply Vedanta in our day-to-day life? 51:02 - Why is consciousness considered to be different from the mind? 01:09:24 - Is ChatGPT enlightened? 01:29:10 - Isn’t AI relative…
1 hr 20 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | June 15th, 2025
Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on June 15th, 2025. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:48 - What is the difference between the soul and awareness? 10:39 - How do we break the link between the real and reflected consciousness? 27:44 - How is knowledge different from experience? 36:02 - Is enlightenment obtained during meditation or while interacting with the world? 49:38 - Is artificial super-intelligence a feasibility? Could this lead to the end of humanity? 59:27 - Can we design a generalized template for Karma? How can I explain…
1 hr 27 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | May 11th, 2025
10,864 views May 25, 2025 AskSwami Q&A | Swami Sarvapriyananda Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on May 11th, 2025. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 05:02 - At death, does a fully realized Jivatman merge with Brahman, or does it maintain its identity? 16:11 - The Nasadiya Sukta says there is neither existence nor non-existence. But Swami Vivekananda said that creation is eternal. How can these be reconciled? 24:29 - What is this ignorance and where does it exist? 32:02 - I no longer believe in God or sadhana. What should I do? 38:27 -…
1 hr 30 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | Mar 23rd, 2025
24,905 views Apr 15, 2025 AskSwami Q&A | Swami Sarvapriyananda Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Mar 23rd, 2025. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:43 - Explain the two ways of approaching non-duality: “I am all of it” vs “I am none of it”? 15:24 - Is devotion (bhakti) merely an aid to knowledge in Advaita, or something more? 29:58 - Is the intense love of God (parabhakti) a form of insanity or mysticism? 36:16 - Is Advaita Vedanta falsifiable? 52:06 - The importance of asking questions in the study of Vedanta. 58:44 - Should we…
1 hr 34 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | Feb 23rd, 2025
40,831 views Mar 3, 2025 AskSwami Q&A | Swami Sarvapriyananda Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Feb 23rd, 2025. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 02:10 - How should we pray? What should we pray for? 07:19 - I intend to become a monk. How can I maintain inner peace in the midst of the world before joining? 14:48 - What is the best way to read through a text with others? 18:50 - Is reflected consciousness the same as witness consciousness? 30:28 - How do I apply Vedanta to day-to-day life? 38:23 - How can the world be an appearance to…
1 hr 42 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | Jan 26th, 2025
45,947 views Feb 5, 2025 AskSwami Q&A | Swami Sarvapriyananda Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Jan 26th, 2025. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 06:25 - How do I see myself as Brahman but still act ethically and lovingly in the world? 22:50 - How do I know that I, this Awareness, am Everything? 43:45 - If Consciousness is the ultimate reality, is God imaginary? 53:35 - How can I think of and worship God when I state that He is only Awareness? 01:12:30 - What is the connection between God and Brahman? What is the relationship…
1 hr 56 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | Dec 24th, 2024
Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Nov 24th, 2024. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 02:44 – How can Shri Ramakrishna’s statement “only God is your own” be reconciled with Holy Mother’s “everybody is your own”? 17:51 – Does stopping all thoughts reveal pure witness consciousness and lead to realization? 32:18 – Is the gap between two thoughts where pure consciousness shines, and can it only be noticed afterward? 38:43 – How to address fear of meditating after experiencing non-duality and loss of individuality? 49.36 – Why didn’t you…
1 hr 27 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | Nov 24th, 2024
Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Nov 24th, 2024. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:53 - How can I reconcile devotion and non-dual knowledge? 23:27 - If I realize I am pure consciousness, do I also have a vision of God with form? 31:21 - What is Mahat (universal intelligence) in the Samkhya philosophy? 34:24 - Is it possible to practice Bhakti without God or deities? 36:28 - Can you talk about your experience with the monk who said "we are missing it a thousand times every moment"? 54:03 - Can consciousness remain by itself…
1 hr 25 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | Oct 20th, 2024
Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Oct 20th, 2024. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 02:15 - What is the importance of earnestness and renunciation to progress in spiritual life. 13:37 - Do we need a Guru, and what is the relationship betwen the Gurua dn teh Advaitic Self? 19:31 - Is consciousness the controller of actions or is it just a witness? 31:09 - How do we go from reflected consciousness to ‘I am Brahman’? 41:17 - How can I cultivate a desire to meditate and to form a genuine enjoyment of the practice? 01:04:21 - How can I…
1 hr 25 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | September 29th, 2024
Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Sep 29th, 2024. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 02:04 - Can atheists achieve enlightenment? 09:17 - If the body is inert (jada), how is it able to generate thoughts? 19:03 - If our real nature is prakash (light) does prakash need to be self-aware? 33:57 - Does removal of ignorance require free will? 46:36 - If Brahman is fulfilled, why does it need to appear as Jiva, Jagat, Isvara? 58:19 - What proof is there of awareness in deep sleep? If deep sleep is the awareness of absence, what is death?…
1 hr 24 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | June 23rd, 2024
Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on June 23rd, 2024. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:09 - What is the difference between Vedanta, Samkhya, and Yoga? 12:54 - What should I do to make my buddhi accept the truth? 24:54 - Why are we told to practice dharma when Brahman is in everything? 32:10 - How can we recognize our true nature in everyday experience? 44:16 - Even with many practitioners, how many are really practicing Sanatana Dharma? 49:43 - If Brahman, which is real, appears as name, form and function, how can these be unreal?…
1 hr 37 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | April 21st, 2024
Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Apr 21st, 2024. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:50 - What is the nature of sorrow? 23:00 - What is the difference between Samsara in Buddhism and Vedanta? How does progress in modern medical science relate to Brahman? 32:06 - If I am Brahman then why should I worship God or do karma yoga? 38:32 - Does Advaita claim that it is evolving, or does it claim to be complete? 42:50 - When do we know that we are experiencing pure consciousness and not the reflected consciousness? 53:30 - How there can…
1 hr 36 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | March 3rd, 2024
Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on March 3rd, 2024. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 02:32 - Where is ignorance? Is it separate from Brahman? 23:41 - What is the difference between consciousness, awareness, and mindfulness? 32:10 - Is Vrittijnana the same as reflected consciousness? 32:29 - Is Consciousness static, or is it a process? 35:51 - Does existence manifest from consciousness? 37:24 - Who is it that goes from birth to birth; who attains realization? 47:53 - How does a layperson choose a life partner and still hold on to the…
1 hr
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | Dec 3rd, 2023
Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Dec 3rd, 2023. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:45 - How can a devotee of God say I am That? 18:34 - Can we say that God as consciousness is within us? 21:07 - Are Bhakti and Janna two sides of the same coin? Is one higher than the other? 32:21 - Can Nididhyasana be considered as a series of small awakenings? 37:44 - Is Advaita profoundly different from Western views? 46:02 - Is the ultimate goal of Nididhyasana to realize or to stabilize? 50:19 - If Atman and Brahman are one, why do they appear…
1 hr 29 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | June 18th, 2023
Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Jun 18th, 2023. List of questions with timestamps: 0:00 - Intro 04:17 - All knowledge depends on the knower, known, and instrument of knowledge, yet we are taught that we are none of these. How can this be reconciled? 19:48 - If science can be used to know the self, does this mean that Vedanta is not a unique instrument for self knowledge? How can science be used for the study of something without objective qualities? 30:24 - How can we remove doubt? How is one guided to know Brahman clearly and continuously?…
1 hr 30 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | May 28th, 2023
Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on May 28th, 2023. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 03:00 - Is it correct that Turiya is witnessing and illumining waking dreaming and deep sleep? 16:47 - Is enlightenment spontaneous? What is the difference between an enlightened and non-enlightened person? Can an enlightened person see past, present and future? 33:57 - What is the connection between the reflected consciousness and the ego, body, and real consciousness? 41:41 - How do I cultivate faith? 48:23 - How can Brahman be all-pervading, but…
1 hr 31 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | Mar 5th, 2023
Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Mar 5th, 2023. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:46 - Why do we need to search for the unchanging self? 13:06 - Is it ok to pray to God to satisfy our desires? 26:48 - If avidya (ignorance) is in Brahman, isn't it real? 32:07 - What is Vedanta's view on vegetarianism? 34:35 - How can I develop pure love? 40:07 - Can pure consciousness change the appearance of reality? 48:13 - Can God be both impersonal and personal? 56:01 - Is the anandamaya kosha (bliss sheath) really blissful? 01:02:19 - How…
1 hr 30 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | Feb 26th, 2023
Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Feb 26th, 2023. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 03:17 - How does one love consciousness? 20:04 - What is the purpose of professional ambition and duty? 28:46 - In our waking state, is there a way to find the unity of pure consciousness? 52:15 - Isn't consciousness interrupted in deep sleep? 57:01 - How do you overcome sorrow that comes from seeing the suffering of others? 01:04:28 - How has Karma manifested itself to give rise to the universe? 01:14:58 - If consciousness is universal, why aren't…
1 hr 37 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | Jan 22nd, 2023
Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Jan 22nd, 2023. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 02:22 - Can Brahman be equally immanent and transcendent? 21:37 - Who is the doer of action? 33:15 - Swamiji, what is your daily routine? 34:34 - Can art lead us to the infinite? What is the nature of abhyasa? What is the nature of vairagya? 54:20 - If Buddhism believes in reincarnation, why not the Atman? 01:01:40 - What do you mean by an appearance in consciousness? Is it permitted to think of consciousness with qualities? 01:06:36 - How can we be…
1 hr 17 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | June 5th, 2022
Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on June 5th, 2022. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 01:32 - How is it that the self is in all beings from the chit (consciousness) perspective? 18:37 - Where is my consciousness when I am sleeping? Can I use sleep as a spiritual practice? 26:55 - Will a realized person retain their individuality after enlightenment? 40:38 - Why do we call this world false? 55:53 - What does Sri Ramakrishna mean by going into the black water (in reference to samadhi)? 01:00:30 - If we want to take up a life of…
1 hr 23 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | Apr 10th, 2022
Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Apr 10th, 2022. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 02:24 - Isn't enlightenment part of Maya? 16:05 - The witness consciousness, sat, chit, ananda, the basis of all truths, cannot perform any action. The mind removes its own veil. How can we turn this understanding into meditation? 34:10 - In the Gospel, Sri Ramakrishna says to "dive deep". What does this mean? 50:05 - What does Sri Ramakrishna mean when he tells Naren "He who was Rama and he who was Krishna was born again as Ramakrishna, but not in…
1 hr 11 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | Feb 27th, 2022
Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Feb 27th, 2022. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:40 - How can I worship God if I am one with God? 12:58 - I find it easy to say "I am Brahman", but how can I say "I am Jesus"? 19:32 - When we pray for peace, who are we praying to? 26:38 - My dream borrows material from my waking experience. Where does my waking reality borrow material from? 36:03 - As our identities are ephemeral in dreams, aren't our identities also ephemeral in awareness? How is Advaita as expressed by Nisargadatta different…
1 hr 1 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | Jan 23rd, 2022
Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Jan 23rd, 2022. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:53 - Is it possible to experience Turiya temporarily? 11:28 - Why does Drg-Drsya-Viveka indicate that only the avaccheda (limitation) theory explains the appearance of one consciousness as many consciousnesses? 28:28 - If there is ultimately no free will, how is Karma applicable? 40:14 - Who created the universe, Iswara or Hiranyagarba? Why is it said that Hiranyagarba has maximum bliss? 53:05 - How is the witness consciousness really free, if it…
1 hr 31 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | Dec 19th, 2021
Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Dec 19th, 2021. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 02:02 - What is the relationship between the reflected consciousness and pure consciousness? 18:30 - When we obtain knowledge of true consciousness, how is it that we continue to experience the current reality? 27:00 - Are the scriptures useless with regard to swadharma? 32:46 - How can we keep children involved with spiritual concepts? 37:11 - If the universe is continuously rising and falling, is the universe something different from the Atman?…
1 hr 27 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | Nov 7th, 2021
Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Nov 7th, 2021. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 05:10 - What happens to the reflected consciousness after death, and after enlightenment? 19:10 - What is my swadharma? 35:20 - What is the difference between the knower and the witness? 41:20 - Where does Sri Ramakrishna stand in the triad of Iswara, Jiva, and Jagat? 51:15 - Is enlightenment a gradual process or a “wow” moment? 01:02:40 - What is Shraddha? 01:15:33 - Is there any overlap between psychotherapy and Vedanta? ► To support the Vedanta…
1 hr 8 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | Oct 24th, 2021
Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Oct 24th, 2021. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 03:35 - If the Self is the only reality, who is the doer? 12:05 - How can it be said that Self is free, and yet all beings are in the Self? 27:24 - What is the role of psychedelics in mystical experience? 39:30 - Why is the path of Bhakti supposed to be dualistic? 51:05 - Why is fear of God discussed in religion? 57:27 - How can we deal with thoughts of dispassion towards the world? ► To support the Vedanta Society of New York:…
1 hr 30 min
Ask Swami with Swami Sarvapriyananda | June 13th, 2021
Q&A session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on June 13th, 2021. List of questions with timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 02:05 - How can realization occur in the mind, if the mind is actually false? 06:51 - If I am pure consciousness, why do unwanted situations appear to me? 15:43 - Is it true that the "ego" consciousness sets the wheel of karma in motion? 20:28 - How can we make the leap from the individual to the universal consciousness? 40:33 - How is bliss the same as existence and consciousness? 50:00 - If Brahman through Maya becomes God, why surrender to God?…

About AskSwami Q&A - Swami Sarvapriyananda

Question and Answer session lead by Swami Sarvapriyananda as part of a spiritual retreat at the Vedanta Society of New York.

AskSwami Q&A - Swami Sarvapriyananda is a English devotional & spiritual podcast from Vedanta Society of New York. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Vedanta Society of New York
Language: English
Category: Devotional & Spiritual
Typical length: 1 hr 29 min
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1791817752

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