Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Jan 18th, 2026.
List of questions with timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction and opening chants.
01:40 - How is there oneness in Vedanta if the "seer vs. seen" method creates duality?.
10:15 - How does Advaita explain the emergence of a unique first-person perspective from non-dual Brahman?.
26:48 - How does one reconcile "busy hands, quiet mind" with the difficulty of sitting still for meditation?.
31:20 - Is desire tamasic, or is it necessary to fuel spiritual progress?.
41:45 - Why did Swami Vivekananda dismiss the "design theory" of God's existence as childish?.
56:41 - How does meditating on a form or personified ideal lead to the formless pure consciousness?.
01:04:15 - How can the dream state analogy be understood as a conclusion rather than just a hypothesis?.
01:12:38 - How does consciousness continue after death if the individual "I" disappears?.
01:23:27 - Does karma apply to transcendental pursuits, how is "good" defined, and does the law of karma actually work?.
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📙 *Books by Swami Sarvapriyananda*
* vedantany.org/swamis-books
*Lecture Series by Swami Sarvapriyananda*
📓 Introductory Lectures: vedantany.org/introductory-lectures
📚 Vedanta Scriptures: vedantany.org/by-scriptures
🧩 Lectures by Topics: vedantany.org/by-topic
💬 AskSwami Q&A: vedantany.org/ask-swami-qa
📖 *Scriptures Taught by Swami Sarvapriyananda*
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🪔 *About Vedanta*
Vedanta is among the world’s oldest spiritual philosophies and one of its most inclusive. Rooted in the Vedas, India’s sacred scriptures, Vedanta upholds the unity of all existence, the divinity of the soul, and harmony among religions.
🏛️ *About This Channel*
This is the official channel of the Vedanta Society of New York, a spiritual institution affiliated with the Ramakrishna Order of India and holds the distinction of being its first established Center, founded by Swami Vivekananda in 1894. Swami Sarvapriyananda currently serves as the Resident Minister and Spiritual Leader of the Vedanta Society of New York.
📜 *Content Use Policy*
vedantany.org/content-policy
Q&A session led by Swami Sarvapriyananda at the Vedanta Society of New York on Jan 18th, 2026.
List of questions with timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction and opening chants.
01:40 - How is there oneness in Vedanta if the "seer vs. seen" method creates duality?.
10:15 - How does Advaita explain the emergence of a unique first-person perspective from non-dual Brahman?.
26:48 - How does one reconcile "busy hands, quiet mind" with the difficulty of sitting still for meditation?.
31:20 - Is desire tamasic, or is it necessary to fuel spiritual progress?.
41:45 - Why did Swami Vivekananda dismiss the "design theory" of God's existence as childish?.
56:41 - How does meditating on a form or personified ideal lead to the formless pure consciousness?.
01:04:15 - How can the dream state analogy be understood as a conclusion rather than just a hypothesis?.
01:12:38 - How does consciousness continue after death if the individual "I" disappears?.
01:23:27 - Does karma apply to transcendental pursuits, how is "good" defined, and does the law of karma actually work?.
🙏 *Please Support the Vedanta Society of New York*
vedantany.org/donate
🌐 *Please Visit Us*
* Website: vedantany.org
* Apple & Spotify Podcasts: vedantany.org/media-channels
* YouTube (Main Channel): youtube.com/@VedantaNY
* YouTube (Archives): youtube.com/@VedantaNYArchives
* Facebook: facebook.com/VedantaNY
* X / Twitter: twitter.com/VedantaNY
📙 *Books by Swami Sarvapriyananda*
* vedantany.org/swamis-books
*Lecture Series by Swami Sarvapriyananda*
📓 Introductory Lectures: vedantany.org/introductory-lectures
📚 Vedanta Scriptures: vedantany.org/by-scriptures
🧩 Lectures by Topics: vedantany.org/by-topic
💬 AskSwami Q&A: vedantany.org/ask-swami-qa
📖 *Scriptures Taught by Swami Sarvapriyananda*
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDqahtm2vA710Q4PA2yKn8kqS0y-SZNo7
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDqahtm2vA72IzPW1nuJohTvoTGCJUKGR
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDqahtm2vA73NOlD1HNiwOLmRejE2HkMx
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDqahtm2vA728mT-GFH6F-vN2YsS1h72x
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDqahtm2vA72j9p84IDBh66Bw4U-niMxN
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDqahtm2vA70hSl24vJq8tNj07X0Fo65x
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDqahtm2vA72naWj1foEqGFQiN_bRI5my
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDqahtm2vA714ymJsH9cqxoK-sJFMtsJU
youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2imXor63HtRJbtP4mMt-Q2ke8XOkL7pX
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDqahtm2vA70JIuPYDyWpNBIcRhb7DGCL
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDqahtm2vA70ccqIRFR_lipqKvxrHBRRw
🪔 *About Vedanta*
Vedanta is among the world’s oldest spiritual philosophies and one of its most inclusive. Rooted in the Vedas, India’s sacred scriptures, Vedanta upholds the unity of all existence, the divinity of the soul, and harmony among religions.
🏛️ *About This Channel*
This is the official channel of the Vedanta Society of New York, a spiritual institution affiliated with the Ramakrishna Order of India and holds the distinction of being its first established Center, founded by Swami Vivekananda in 1894. Swami Sarvapriyananda currently serves as the Resident Minister and Spiritual Leader of the Vedanta Society of New York.
📜 *Content Use Policy*
vedantany.org/content-policy
