Vedanta Society of St. Louis

03/13/2026

M. was a farsighted Rishi -

M. was a farsighted rishi. By the Master’s grace he sensed what would happen in the future. M. wrote in the Gospel: The Master started for the Panchavati accompanied by M. No one else was with them. Sri Ramakrishna with a smile narrated to him various incidents of the past years of his life. Maste...

03/06/2026

Face the terrible, face it boldly! -

One morning, after visiting the temple of Mother Durga [in Varanasi], Vivekananda was passing through a place where there were a large tank of water on one side and a high wall on the other. Here he was surrounded by a troop of large monkeys. They were not willing to allow him to pass along that way...

02/28/2026

Dear Devotees and Friends:

VEDANTASTL March 2026 Bulletin Published
https://vedantastl.org/services-classes/

This Sunday, March 1, the lecture will be Inspiring Relationship Between Swami Vivekananda and His Brother Disciples, Part 12, by Swami Shivarchanananda. It will be available on or after 10:35 a.m. CST on YouTube. It is also available in the 2026 playlist.

The link is: https://youtube.com/live/ygzX5OBP0vM

The Q&A session with Swami Chetanananda this week follows the lecture at approximately 11:40 a.m. CST. (If you plan to participate in the Q&A, for a more inspiring session we encourage you to have some questions in mind for Swami.) You will need to register in advance to attend this zoom meeting at the link below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/PcZ98FLUR9CxyAzgIhZJOA

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Swami Shivarchanananda will have Tuesday and Thursday evening classes at 7:30 p.m. on March 3 (Uddhava Gita) and March 5 (Swami Brahmananda As We Saw Him).
Except March 10 .

The link to register for either or both of the classes is: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/sthC9F5DTGOsjPidZmiUSQ

SPECIAL TALK - Tuesday, March 10, 7:30 p.m.
Swami Prapannananda, the Minister in Charge of the Vedanta Society of Sacramento, will speak on “Swami Vivekananda and Our Future.”

Previous Sunday lectures and evening Arati are on our YouTube channel: VedantaSTL
https://www.youtube.com//playlists

GEMS OF SPIRITUAL WISDOM :
Quotes from Buddha
“However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?”
“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”
“A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity.”

02/27/2026

How to cure the restless mind -

... The mongoose bites the snake; the snake bites the mongoose. When bitten by the snake, the mongoose quickly goes away but then comes back and attacks the snake. The folklore is that at that time the mongoose goes to the jungle and smells some herbs that deactivate the snake’s poison. The mongo...

02/20/2026

There is nothing wrong with being in the world! -

Brahmo devotee: “Sir, can’t we realize God without complete renunciation?” Master (with a laugh): “Of course you can! Why should you renounce everything? You are all right as you are, following the middle path — like molasses partly solid and partly liquid. Do you know the game of nax?...

02/13/2026

Religion is to unite the mind and speech -

According to Vedanta, this world is a mixture of truth and untruth. In human interactions, people mix truth and untruth. For example, we cannot publicly express many things that we think because our minds are not 100 percent pure. If everybody expressed what they truly thought then social and family...

02/06/2026

Criterion for spiritual progress -

... Hankering after miracles cannot make people spiritual; rather it makes them weaker day by day in every respect. That which does not promote a steadfast intellect and strong character, teach people to establish themselves on the firm ground of purity and shun the whole world to seek Truth, and m...

01/30/2026

O maya, please come! -

Once Sri Ramakrishna stood on the semicircular veranda and called, “O maya, please come.” Gauri-ma was astonished and asked the Master why he was calling for maya. Then he explained that the natural tendency of his mind was to soar to a very high realm, and it was hard to bring it down. He was ...

01/26/2026

Dear Friends and Devotees,
VEDANTASTL February 2026 Bulletin Published
https://vedantastl.org/services-classes/

SPECIAL SERVICE :
February 15 Sri Ramakrishna As a Disciple
- By Swami Shivarchanananda

ANNIVERSARY SERVICE:
February 22 Sri Ramakrishna Anniversary Service (no lecture, YouTube or Q&A)
Singing, meditation, worship. Lunch 12:45 p.m.

Classes – 7:30 p.m. Swami Shivarchanananda
Tuesdays Uddhava Gita (Krishna’s final teachings to Uddhava) Thursdays Swami Brahmananda As We Saw Him

GEMS OF SPIRITUAL WISDOM :
Compassion to All
Sri Ramakrishna was very compassionate to the poor, destitute, and dejected. One year, on his birthday celebration, a poor woman devotee of Calcutta brought four rasogollas [cheese balls soaked in syrup] for him and gave them to Holy Mother at the nahabat. Other women devotees were also present there, and they told her: “The Master is now busy with the devotees. How can Holy Mother carry these sweets to him? Moreover, the Master has already finished his meal. He won’t eat anything more now. If he does, he will be sick.” These words pierced the heart of that poor woman, and tears came to her eyes. She mentally cried to him: “Master, you are the Lord of the poor and the lowly. Your rich devotees have arranged this festival spending a lot of money, and you are in a festive mood with them. I am a poor, simple woman. Somehow I managed to save four pice, and with that I bought these sweets for you. I don’t know what to do! I am helpless. Now I feel that you are not the Lord of the poor.” The Master was omniscient. He felt that someone was pulling him, and he immediately left the gathering, went to the nahabat, and ate the sweets that the poor woman had brought for him.
— Ram Chandra Datta in Ramakrishna As We Saw Him, pp. 311

01/23/2026

The Master came to simplify religion -

The Master came to simplify religion. People were being crushed under the weight of rules and regulations. According to the Master, no special time and place are necessary to repeat the Lord’s name and to worship him. In whatever condition one may be, one can repeat His name. The Master never gave...

01/16/2026

Helping the world -

This world is neither good nor evil. Each man manufactures a world for himself ... We are a mass of happiness or misery; we have seen that hundreds of times in our lives. As a rule, the young are optimistic and the old pessimistic. The young have life before them. The old complain that their day is....

01/09/2026

How can one surrender to God who is unseen? -

Another devotee asked a common question: How can we love God or surrender to Him, without seeing Him? Latu Maharaj answered: Don’t you send your application for a job to the manager of a company without ever having seen him? Your interview with the manager depends upon sending your application to ...