Darshan of Swami Vishwananda in Cudrefin, Schweiz

Swami Vishwananda said" The essence of the mind are thoughts. The mind is always wandering. By nature and by habits it wanders. We can compare the mind with clay. With clay you can fashion whatever you want: a pot or the statue of a deity. With the mind it is the same; you can focus on the image you want. But the mind is always moving, it is difficult to control. As it wanders you have to bring it back again and again. Keep on trying. When the mind is absorbed in the Divine, the mind starts to take the quality, the form of the Divinity you are calling... For more please click HERE.

The Gift of Nothing

This sweet cartoon book was given to Swamiji for Gurupoornima. He was joyfully reading the story of the desperate dog Mooch who found finally peace again:

It was a special day and Mooch wanted to give his best friend, Earl, a gift.

But what to get him?

He had a bowl.

He had a bed.

He had a chewy toy.

He had it ALL.

Mooch thought and thought.

What do you get someone who has everything?

NOTHING!

He would give Earl the gift of nothing.

But in this world filled with so many somethings, where could he find nothing?

Mooch often heard Frank say there was „nothing on TV.“

But as far as Mooch could tell, there was always something on TV.

Mooch often heard Doozy and her friends say there was „nothing to do“

But as far as Mooch could tell, everybdoy was always doing something.

Milli came home from the store and said, „There was nothing to buy!“

So Mooch went shopping.

Mooch looked up and down every aisle.

He found many, many, many somethings.

The latest this, the newest that...

but as far as he could tell, nothing was not for sale.

So Mooch went home and sat on his pillow

and just stayed still (as cats often do).

And not looking for it, he found

nothing.

So he went and got a box

and put nothing in it.

Then Mooch thought, Hmmm … maybe Earl deserves more than this.

So he got a bigger box.

„Now that´s plenty of nothing!“

„For me?“ said Earl. „Mooch, you didn´t have to give me anything.“

Who told him? Thought Mooch.

Early opened Mooch´s gift.

„There´s nothing here,“ said Earl

„Yesh!“ said Mooch. „Nothing ….

„but me and you.“

So Mooch and Earl just stayed still

and enjoyed NOTHING

and EVERYTHING.

(Patrick McDonnell)

2011 Mahashivaratri with Sri Swami Vishwananda

Sri Swami Vishwananda: (after chanting Panduranga Hari & Panduranga Vittale Vittale with devotees) "I was saying, you know, after midnight that I will tell you about Shivaratri and that is Shivaratri."

SSV: "What is Shivaratri? Actually, Shivaratri is when you forget about your mind and what dwells only in your mind is the Divine. Actually, right now when you were singing and chanting Panduranga Vittale Vittale, Panduranga Vittale Vittale, you were not thinking. You were just chanting the Name of God and by the movement you didn’t think of anything. You were just concentrating on the vibration that was coming out from what you were chanting, no? And that’s what is Shivaratri, actually, which is uplifting you and really awakening what is deep inside of you.

(excerpt from Swamiji's talk "What is Shivaratri?")

Hear Swamiji chanting "Panduranga..." on his podcast channel: