Swami Vishwananda is a spiritual teacher. He was born on June 13th 1978 into a Hindu-family on the island of Mauritius. From earliest childhood his sole interest was in spirituality and religious practices. He would visit Christian Churches, Hindu temples and Muslim mosques because he felt drawn to the presence of the Divine and Sacred. At an early age he realized his true Self and the reason for his incarnation. Since then, many people came to him to seek his advice on spiritual and everyday matters.
After school, Swami began to be invited to travel to Africa, Europe and other parts around the world; and received those people who sought his advice. With his ability and vision to see into the hearts of people, he has helped and touched the hearts of many. By giving Darshan (Blessing), he helps people to open their hearts for the Divine.
In 2005, Swami Vishwananda founded the Brahmachari-Order “Bhakti Marga” (path of devotion). The Brahmacharis (Monks and Nuns) strive to live a life of devotion to God and service to their fellow human beings. The Bhakti Marga Order is a spiritual, monastic order that is influenced mainly by Hindu and Christian traditions
- What is your purpose of being on this earth at this time?
SV: The purpose of everyone’s life is to deepen the love for God and His creation. My “purpose” is in serving those, who have set themselves this very goal, to love and realize God.
- Is humanity evolving? Or is it going backwards?
SV: This depends on the point of view that you take… Seen from a higher perspective, all life is perfect and in absolute harmony. If one reaches that state of consciousness, one will realize that all the trouble in the world that man creates is mere illusion. The world is, however, going through different ages and cycles, and humanity is definitely evolving and advancing, even though there is confusion sometimes and it seems that we’re going backwards, but this occurs when changes happen.
- Are you an ever perfect being coming back to help?
SV: Everyone, without exception, is a unique expression of divine love and therefore in essence an ever perfect being. The more you advance spiritually, the more you may realize this perfection.
- What age did you have your realization?
SV: I was “realized” from the very beginning. However, I consciously “accepted” or took on my role when I was fourteen years old.
- Who is your guru? Have you always been aware of great beings from the other side assisting you?
SV: My Guru is Mahavatar Kriya Babaji. He has always been at my side guiding me. Of course there are many other beings from the other side that I can consult when I need them.
- Is Babaji the ancient Krishna? Rama?
SV: Babaji and Krishna are one.
- It seems like time has been accelerated at this time- our karmas have been speeded up- can you comment on that?
SV: As I said before, we are going through different cycles and ages and each one has its own “speed”. Obviously we can see that development very clearly when looking at the last 150 years and notice how life has “speeded up” during this time-scale. All happens according to divine plan.
- Is self-realization destined for each person at a specific time? What is self-realization?
SV: When a person is ready for self-realization, it will happen…
But back to your question what self-realization is: We are now consciously living as human beings. We have what we call a personality. This day-to-day personality consists of the sum total of all experiences we have made since birth. All the actions we have taken and the following reactions that we have experienced have shaped us into what we are now as a personality.
Now, where is the Self in that? The Self, or Soul, is, as we know from the great ones like Jesus the Christ or Sri Krishna, indestructible and immortal. Hence, the Soul or Self is divine. It is the source of everything what we are now. Sometimes we can see it shine through, we can feel it. We have to pursue that feeling, that “inner call” which we as a person hear from the Soul from time to time, and to finally merge and become one with the Soul/Self. This is self-realization, when we realize the true being that we are.
To describe the state of self-realization is quite a hopeless attempt. It is something so divine and blissful that it is beyond words, beyond our limited language… If you want to describe the taste of a cake to person that has never eaten one you could say: It contains sugar, chocolate, milk, nuts and when you take a bite it tastes very sweet, etc… The other person won’t really know what a cake tastes like unless he has tried it himself. The same with self-realization, you have to experience it yourself.
- How does an Avatar differ from a realized soul? What is an Avatar?
SV: The term Avatar is, simply said, used for an incarnation of God on earth. In Hinduism there are ten major Avatars, incarnations of Lord Vishnu, which are commonly accepted, such as Rama and Krishna. Some Hindus would also consider Jesus Christ as an avatar. Nowadays, especially in the new-age branches of Hinduism, the term Avatar got very common and is often also used by devotees for their Guru. To see ones Guru as God is a very old custom or tradition in Hinduism. The purpose for this is that the devotee develops devotion and humility towards God, by “training” it on his Guru. Depending on the viewpoint you take, you can either say, that there are only ten true avatars, or you can say that a Saint, a realized person is an avatar, or you could also call every human being an avatar, arguing that we’re all incarnations originating from the same God. Leaving the tradition and history aside, it is ultimately a question of definition and belief (viewpoint).
- There are so many Avatars on the earth at this time, would you comment on that?
SV: There are not more Saints now than any other time. There have been in the past 2000 years, for example, many, many Christian Saints that you probably never even heard of. Many of these souls are regularly incarnating, regardless of the time this world is in. Their help is always needed. There are many great souls living now that are not known to the public. Only a few have a mission in the world and attract many people.
- What does the second coming mean? Will Jesus be returning with a physical body? Will Christ return thru many hearts as the Christ consciousness? Or all the above?
SV: The life of Jesus Christ was unique in history and will not repeat itself as such. Through him the world experienced the way (of God-realization), truth and life in its perfection. Jesus was a pure incarnation of the Christ-consciousness. At the same time he was human too. He was the perfect human being. The second coming of Christ is the coming of Christ within each one of us. For this to happen, we have to follow his example (way) and become like him.
- Are the real teachings of Jesus, which were suppressed, coming out?
SV: As the minds of people slowly open up, people get more and more drawn to the truth. This has already led and will continue to lead to the discovery and publication of hidden scriptures and teachings. However, the teachings that we have now, even though partly incorrect due to the many translations and misinterpretations, are enough to lead to self-realization if applied on ones life. So the problem is not that we don’t know the truth, the problem is that we are too lazy to put it into practice and change our lives.
- Will the dark forces be defeated and will the earth go into a Golden age in the near future?
SV: The dark forces inside of you have to be defeated. Once everyone has accomplished that, we won’t be troubled by outer dark forces any longer.
- Why is there such a heightened awareness of Jesus and Mary Magdalene at this time?
SV: There is no special reason; I guess it’s because of the movie “Da vinci Code” ;)
- Are we moving towards purer and more whole relationships with the opposite sex? And what does that look like?
SV: An outer relationship will never give real satisfaction or complete happiness. One has to find the “opposite sex” within and let the two become one. That’s what ying and yang, shiva and shakti are about. We have to perform that unity within.
- What technique or techniques do you recommend for our growth?
SV: Any technique if practiced with sincerity will help with spiritual growth. But it is very important to use common sense and never force yourself in any spiritual practice that you do. Instead of looking for complicated and always new and newer techniques, rather stick to some simple ones and try to master them. Singing the name of God for example is very simple, yet very efficient. And always remember, it doesn’t help you to become a master in something if you are not even able to overcome your egoism and love your neighbor unconditionally! Love is the best and most important “technique” on the spiritual path.
- What can we do to help more beings to reach enlightenment?
SV: Become enlightened yourself first! Once you have achieved that you will help others by your presence and example.
- Do you ever transmute karma for your devotees?
SV: Yes, when it is needed and when the divine plan allows me to do so.
- Once we are human, can we be reborn as animals and vice versa?
SV: No.
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