Swami Prakashanand Saraswati

There were plenty of books on spirituality in our house which had built up over the years and I eventually started reading books by Edgar Cayce and others. Reading such books really didn’t mean very much to me and didn’t really apply to my life in a meaningful way. But I did like reading for reading’s sake and liked learning about things beyond the ordinary. Eventually, for the first time, my curiosity led me to start reading ‘The Shikchashtak’ by Shree Swamiji, and what I read in that book in terms of the devotion to God moved me to my very core and by the last page I had already decided that my life was solely for the realization of God. When you start a religious journey, you are required to have a certain level of blind belief. But for me, there was no ‘leap of faith’ required because I felt I was ‘experiencing’ Swamiji’s teachings and words in a way more profound than I ever dreamed possible, there was no ‘religion’ to follow because loving God is itself the religion, and experience of the love of God itself is the reward. It was a year or two later that the teacher from Barsana Dham stayed in my house.

I remember so vividly the feeling I had when I visited the Barsana Dham temple in Austin in 1999. A year earlier a teacher from Barsana Dham had come to my city and was invited to stay at my house and she gave me a small brochure of the temple as a present. For an entire year I clung on to it, and yearned, and repeatedly asked my father to take me there and eventually he did.

Although I was raised a Catholic, my parents had been interested in the teachings of India since long before my birth, which eventually led them to Shree Swamiji in 1992. In 1993 I first met Shree Swamiji personally, when he visited my city. I was just a kid at the time so I didn’t really know anything about religion and I wasn’t particularly drawn in any particular direction. I did notice that there was a great kindness in his look, softness to his voice, and fatherliness to his behaviour which put me at ease. Shree Swamiji visited my region once every year or two and I met him each time, and although it was a casual experience in meeting him, my sister and I would cry for days every time he left. We didn’t know why or how, but it just happened…. (To be continued)

Swami Prakashanand Saraswati has explained in further detail: "In brief our main scriptures teach the following: Vedas tell to become a good person; Upnishads tell to love God and don’t be attached in the world because it is illusion; the Gita tells to love God selflessly and reveals the secret of the spiritual practices that only through bhakti one can realize God; and then the Bhagwatam tells what is the most loving form of God that encharmed the heart of the topmost Yogi and Gyani, Shukdeo."

Author: J.L.

Swami Prakasanad Saraswati has explained frequently that the aim of human life is to attain God realization while doing good in the world; the means of God realization is bhakti and God’s Grace; and God, Who is omnipresent in His eternal Divine personal form, is all-kind, all-loving, all-Gracious and all-beautiful. Out of His extreme loving kindness to all the souls, He instantly reveals Himself to anyone whenever a person wholeheartedly surrenders to Him in total love and dedication. Thus, this theme of ‘God realization through bhakti’ has been the focusing point of all Bhartiya scriptures.

Author: J.L.

I once heard Swami Prakashanand Saraswati say these words at Barsana Dham:
Krishn Himself summarizes the teachings of the Gita in one verse and says, “O Arjun! You are very dear to Me. So, for your own good, I am telling you the greatest secret of the Divine world. Listen carefully. If you or any soul of the world desires to come to Me and be with Me forever, the easiest path is that he should worship Me, love Me, remember Me all the time and dedicate his life for Me. Then surely he will come to Me. It’s My promise.”

I believe this is the first promise I’ve really truly believed.

Author: J.L.

During His discourses at Barsana Dham, Swami Prakashanand Saraswati has revealed that the vast collection of Bhartiya scriptures are a systematic line of teachings. They provide the guidelines for all kinds of people, having varying levels of purity of mind and receptivity for God, and lead them towards God realization.

Author: J.L.

Swami Prakashanand Saraswati, founder of Barsana Dham, teaches the philosophy of the Hindu scriptures. The Divine scriptures of Hinduism include the Vedas, the Upvedas, the Vedangas, the Smritis, the Darshan Shastras, the Upnishads, the Puranas, the Itihas (Ramayan and Mahabharat), the Gita, the Bhagwatam and the writings of Jagadgurus, acharyas, and Saints. The philosophy taught by Swami Prakashanand Saraswati is the philosophy contained in these scriptures.

Author: J.L.

I had been in a funk for quite awhile. With the falling apart of our financial structure, the hurricanes in the air, the flood disaster in India, rising gas prices and the ugliness of political campaigning, my heart was aching and I didn’t know what to do about it.

When I learned about the one day workshop being organized by Swami Prakashanand Saraswati titled, "How Spirituality Can Sustain you During Difficult Times," I knew I had to attend. The state of our world certainly qualifies for difficult times. It was conducted by the JKP LA Center of Barsana Dham. The instructor was Swami Akhilanand, a student of Swami Prakashanand Sarawati from Barsana Dham.

The workshop turned my spirits around. The chanting was deeply heart consoling and Swami Akhilanand’s guidance and spiritual message changed my perspective. He spoke about simple devotional remembrance throughout the day, feeling a close presence with God and the power of chanting. We also watched some video discourses of Swami Prakashanand Saraswati himself. I wish I could explain the shift that happened as a result of my experience there but it feels beyond words. I am looking forward to more of these programs with Swami Akhilanand when he returns in January or February of next year and I am anxious to one day go to Barsana Dham and meet Swami Prakashanand Saraswati.

Author: L.F.

I fly from LA to Barsana Dham and enjoy the satsang of Swami Prakashanand Saraswati whenever I have a window of time in my busy life. As a business owner and teacher my life is very social. The gorgeous facility of Barsana Dham created by Swami Prakashanand Saraswati provides an oasis of peace for me and its the first place I run to whenever I can get away from my stressful schedule. The teachings and chanting of Swami Prakashanand Saraswati console my mind and heart. The atmosphere of Barsana Dham is so pure, and the feelings of safety and gentleness so sweet that I feel as though I’m in an entirely different world. When I return to my hectic LA lifestyle, Barsana Dham stays in my heart and mind and has become a resource for my meditation that has taken my spiritual practice to heights I never dreamed possible.

Author: L.F.

Welcome to the Swami Prakashanand Saraswati blog.