Mountain Retreat Yoga Sangha

“That Absolute energy, in manifestation or movement, when it begins to work, is called Shakti. When it is in its potential form, absolutely at rest, without a single movement – That completeness is Shiva, the Absolute Being.” ~ Sri M

“For a Yogi Vijayadashami is celebrated when the energy or Shakti has reached the Sahasrara Chakra through the shushumna nadi, in the spine. This ecstasy is celebrated by the great Sanyasin Adi Shanakara in his text “Saundarya Lahiri” meaning the ‘Ecstasy of Beauty’.” ~ Sri M

“Nobody actually gives Sri Vidya Upasana to anybody without first giving the Bala Mantra. Let’s say Goddess Tripura Sundari is a fully developed lady, Bala is a little girl, eight years old, so the Bala is the gateway or doorway to enter into Sri Vidya Upasana. So only after a person does sadhana of the Bala Mantra for specific time, is the Sri Vidya usually given.” ~ Sri M

"If your mind is restrained and detached, it can work better. A calm mind has more power of attention and concentration than an agitated mind." ~ Sri M

"The ego is called Ahamkara, and the Atman is the Consciousness. The ego owes its existence to the Atman which is Consciousness. But it begins to feel at some point that it is a separate entity, it’s not. Without Consciousness the ego cannot function. But then the ego becomes very proud of itself and says it can do anything. When the ego becomes stronger than the Atman, we become egotistic." ~ Sri M

"If acute desire to be free of suffering arises in a human mind, that mind need not be extraordinarily intellectual. It can be just an ordinary person with that desire; then one can completely direct oneself towards that which one can be free.” ~ Sri M

"The world is what we make of it, but something excess, there is no doubt that, so the vedantin says ‘There is existence but the forms and ideas we have about that existence are very relative, since they are not absolute, they are not true. They may say that they are relatively real but since they are not absolute, they are not true. But the witness is there and that is true." ~ Sri M

"Self knowledge is the creeper which yields the fruit of cessation of craving, till then effort is required. It is only when the self is seen that the highest form of dispassion is firmly rooted in the heart. Not before that. Here one should try to behold the self through intelligent enquiry and try to get rid of the craving for pleasure." ~ Sri M

"Self realization and the cessation of craving should proceed hand in hand, simultaneously, through study of scriptures, service to the teacher and having dispassion as a constant companion." ~ Sri M

"For self realization self exertion is very important. Don’t blame it on god or angel or anything of that kind. If you are not making spiritual progress, you are certainly not putting the effort that is required. All dependence on external factors should be abandoned." ~ Sri M

"Satsangs and company of holy men bring about dispassion in us. It helps arise the spirit of enquiry and give contempt for the objects of pleasure." ~ Sri M

"How to chant AUM. How to catch on to this sound AUM, which is a bridge between this world and that which is beyond. If you want to have the maximum effect of moving forward on the spiritual path, when you start chanting AUM, start from down, bring it up and let it go. Give complete attention to it. After sometime, you will not be anywhere in the picture, only the sound of AUM will be there. If this happens then know that you are moving towards the centre of your consciousness. Also if you behave properly in the outside world following the Yama, niyamas then there is no doubt that you will reach the goal." ~ Sri M

"The sacred word AUM appears in all Upanishads and all sacred texts. Therefore AUM is very important. Chant AUM." ~ Sri M

"It’s only during the last incarnation of a human or an asura, that devotion arises in the heart. Devotion cannot be manufactured. It is a spontaneous occurrence in the heart. If it happens you can only say I am fortunate. If it doesn’t happen you can only say that I am unfortunate. There are ways and means to work towards it but you cannot manufacture it. You cannot pretend to have devotion." ~ Sri M

"If a person has achieved moksha, there is no going in and there is no coming out of that state, it is always there. It need not be there only when the eyes are closed or in Samadhi. It has to be there even when the eyes are open. When you have finally attained moksha, then you have to do nothing about it because it is always there." ~ Sri M

"Even in the greatest of samadhi(absorption) one can be brought back to normal consciousness, I mean to waking state, through either Pranava or through the conch sound or through some holy sound like the ringing of the bell. It is not like waking up the ordinary man who is sleeping because he will be the same man who went to sleep. But when one wakes up from a trance called samadhi. The person who wakes up will not be the same person who he was before samadhi. The wisdom is already in him therefore you cannot fake samadhi." ~ Sri M

"Shruti is something which is heard. Not what is studied, taken home and commented upon and discussed. Shruti is pure sound and therefore Vedas declared that the Shruti is the original voice of Truth. Therefore, when a student is perfectly prepared, Shruti once said is enough. There is no more need to attend the talks." ~ Sri M

“The whole exercise is to make the mind so sensitive that when the Shruti strikes, it has its effect. All Sadhana is done for that.” ~ Sri M

"When you meditate, keep your mind like a flame without any wind, no flickering, protected from all winds, make it steady." ~ Sri M

"Miracles can happen only if you change the attitude of your mind and implement your resolutions.” ~ Sri M

"Fear and depression are of no use to a human being. At turning points in life, have faith in the inner reality which resides in your heart and move forward.” ~Sri M

“If you want to delve deep into the layers of your consciousness and finally reach the essence, then meditation is a must.”~ Sri M

"Bhakti, the highest state of bhava, is when you declare that ‘I am completely helpless, so please take over.’ It’s all in God’s hands. We realize that however much we think we can, we are truly helpless. That is bhava. That is spiritual enquiry. Not that you shouldn’t do anything. Bhava is something that has to come spontaneously. Bhava is essential on the spiritual path.” ~Sri M

“The wise say that there is a stage in spiritual realization when the wheel stops turning. There is no more seeking, grasping or holding on. There is no fear of it being snatched away, hence there is no holding on. From the point of view of the highest spiritual experience, when the mind has become absolutely quiet, it is total and complete freedom. This is definitely accompanied by a surge of bliss and happiness that is so intense that nothing else compares to it in this world or beyond.” ~ Sri M

"A Yogi’s mind when it has reached the state of spiritual communion, there is no friend and no stranger. Everybody is a friend for him. A Yogi considers everybody as his friend because everyone carries the same Self. He does not have an enemy but if someone has enmity towards him, he still looks at that person with friendship, love and affection. In his heart there is no hatred." ~ Sri M

"A Yogi should constantly practice spiritual communion by residing alone in a solitary spot, desireless and position-less and be disciplined in body and mind. Consistent practice is very important for any Sadhana because you are trying to change the patterns of your mind and if you don’t practice consistently you will fall back to the same old pattern." ~ Sri M

"The inner self which is our true essence is something which is never born and therefore cannot die, it is timeless. This timelessness is real characteristic of our inner self, the body has time of course; it comes and it goes. Actually in deep meditation when you have touched the inner core of your being, there is no time, when you come out of it then you reckon time." ~ Sri M

"Solitude is very important for spiritual practice at least in the beginning. Once a week or twice a week if possible go to a solitary spot. The main problem is our phone!! Sometimes switch it off, nothing will happen believe me! You are not going to die if you switch off your phone. Switch it off for a while, sit quietly and do your Kriya and don’t have bad thoughts about anybody." ~ Sri M

"When you sit for meditation, do not allow your senses to indulge. Close your eyes, because they are also senses. Fix your attention on bhrumadhya; when you fix your attention on one point the mind also becomes one pointed. It needs practice, it is Abhyasa Yoga. The main action is happening in the spine. The spine should be kept erect. Keep the body and mind still." ~ Sri M

"A good disciple is a good friend, it is interesting, just like Arjuna is a great friend of Krishna but also his disciple." ~ Sri M

“Renunciation is same as yoga and so is selfless action. Any action which is not for oneself only but also for others is called in the Gita as selfless action. The mind gets purified in dong such selfless actions and such purified minds automatically becomes the mind of a Yogi. This is also yoga, not just standing on your head. That’s physical Yoga.” ~ Sri M