Nayaswami Jyotish and Nayaswami Devi, the spiritual directors of Ananda Worldwide, led an inspiring inner renewal retreat last week titled “Finding Calmness and Joy in Turbulent Times.”
The retreat was particularly helpful because Jyotish and Devi provided context for why the world currently feels so chaotic, unstable, and seemingly devoid of a moral compass. Beyond that, they offered practical tools to help us attune to the rays of this new age of energy—Dwapara Yuga—and explained how we can benefit spiritually by uplifting ourselves and serving others.
Devi shared a few keys to living in Dwapara Yuga: fluidity, unity, self-effort, and personal accountability. On the final day, Jyotish offered the following qualities of an ideal citizen of this new age.
Qualities of an Ideal Citizen of Dwapara Yuga
- God-centered identity
- Commitment to universal brotherhood
- Cooperative, not competitive
- Four-fold responsibility: (Physically healthy, mentally strong, financially secure, spiritually awakened)
- Transcendence of animal instincts
- Balanced material and spiritual growth
- Moral courage and ethical leadership
- Redirection of war resources toward uplifting society
- Meditative life and divine attunement
- Ability to live in a connected world
- Universal spiritual vision: all are children of one God
- Balanced fulfillment of body, mind, and soul
Jyotish suggested taking just one of these qualities and integrating it into our daily lives. Let’s start with the first: “God-Centered Identity.”
What does it mean to live with a God-centered identity? First, ask yourself: Do you have a soul? Actually, you don’t "have" a soul—you are the soul. To live with the realization of God as our primary aim, we must first recognize that we are His children. That is our central and sole reality.
How do we reach that divine realization? This is where we need the ninth quality: “Meditative Life and Divine Attunement.” As Paramhansa Yogananda said in a chant, "Without meditation mind, hither thither wandrest thou..." Our minds will wander from one desire and whim to the next until we make the effort to attune ourselves to the Divine through an awakened channel of God, such as Jesus Christ, the Buddha, or Paramhansa Yogananda.
On Attunement
Yogananda shared a conversation in the Autobiography of a Yogi about his first meeting with his guru, Swami Sri Yukteswar. Yukteswar starts the conversation:
“Allow me to discipline you.”
“Why, Sir?” I inquired.
“When I encountered my guru, Lahiri Mahasaya,” he replied, “my will was guided by whims. But when I attuned my will to Lahiri Mahasaya’s wisdom-guided will, my own will became free, because guided by wisdom.”
“In the same way,” Yogananda continued, “I discovered that by attuning my will to Sri Yukteswar’s wisdom-guided will, my will, too, became free.”
Yogananda explained further the importance of obedience and attunement to the guru:
The aim of obedience to the guru is not to enslave the disciple, but to liberate his will from that which enslaves it truly: whims, and much more—bondage to likes and dislikes, and to desires and attachments.
Cooperation with the guru strengthens the will power immeasurably, for it attunes the disciple’s will to the infinite will of God.
Attunement means also listening for the guru’s inner guidance in your heart. In everything, ask him mentally what you should do; how you should behave; how you can love God more deeply. More than guidance, ask him to give you the power to develop spiritually.
A Centennial Celebration of Light
As we approach the Swami Kriyananda Centennial, we have a beautiful opportunity to deepen our practice and honor the legacy of a soul who dedicated his life to sharing Yogananda’s light. This 100th-birthday celebration is more than a milestone; it is a call to step more fully into the qualities of Dwapara Yuga.
To support us on this journey, Nayaswami Jyotish and Nayaswami Devi are releasing two profound new books that capture the essence of a life lived in divine harmony. We invite you to be among the first to welcome these teachings into your home.
Reserve your copies of Jyotish’s new book, The Heart of Service, and Devi’s new book, Divine Awakening, at the link below:
Reserve Your Centennial Copies Here
Through meditation and attunement, we can lead a God-centered life, navigating these turbulent times for our own awakening and the awakening of all humanity.
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