Ome, Asatom, Asatom,

satamah,

Jotyrgamaya, Mreatyurma, Amritam Gamaya.

Ome, Shantay, Shanty, Shanty, Shanty.

Ome, lead us from the unreal to the real,

lead us from darkness unto light,

lead us from death to immortality

Ome, peace, peace, peace.

Good morning and namaste. Good to be back and good to be back and good to see so many brave souls on this rather cold New York morning.

I saw in the news in the morning, the Google News it said, New York frozen.

So this morning, you can see the very poetic title of the talk. The vast mirror of consciousness, is actually a translation from the Sanskrit,

which we will read today.

What I have for us this morning is a reading from a little known text, actually, which is based on a very well-known text.

This is this book, The Yoga Varshita Sara.

Let me tell you a little bit about it

before we plunge into it. So I was introduced to it by a wonderful old monk. He had presented

this to me actually. Swami Shiva Vrathananda, we knew him as Kalipadha

Maharaj. I saw him in his old age in Belur Mutt. He had spent many, many years in our

center in Mumbai. And then he was in the last years, he was in Ballur Mutt. Now, he was unique.

Those who, if you ask any of the monks of the Ramakrishna order,

especially the senior ones,

they'll all tell you that he was unique in this sense.

...