In Quest of Truth - Q&A with Shri Babaji

Shiva Rudra Balayogi

Anyone interested in meditation will find this series of questions and answers of interest. A Realized Meditation Master, Shri Babaji (Shri Shivarudra Balayogi Maharaj), answers questions from people around the world on meditation and spirituality. His spontaneous answers are based on the wisdom gained from his own direct, first-hand experience of years of intense meditation (Tapas) and the teachings of his Guru, Shri Shivabalayogi Maharaj. He explains how meditation works and the purpose and benefits of spirituality in clear, simple terms. These recordings are taken from a live online meditation class that Babaji holds every Saturday. They are precious opportunities to receive direct guidance from a Realized Master. To register please visit: https://www.shivarudrabalayogi.org/en/online-satsang

  1. 2D AGO

    Time and Space | In Quest of Truth - Babaji Q&A, No. 260

    Send a text Register your free place for the live online meditation and Q&A with Babaji: https://www.shivarudrabalayogi.org/online-satsang  Time and Space | In Quest of Truth - Babaji Q&A, No. 260 Recorded on 7 February 2026 with worldwide participants 0:00 Intro 0:27 Are time and space two different things, or are they thoughts and perceptions? 2:41 Can the mind go beyond time? 3:59 The story of Leelavati from the Yoga Vasistha in the context of the discovery of entangled particles in quantum mechanics. 15:00 Is the mind, consciousness and space one and the same thing? 19:21 When a Yogi attains Self Realisation, how is that awareness beyond time and space? 21:44 What is the status of the mind of the Self-Realised Yogi? 23:43 When one becomes space, where is god then? 26:34 The universe is expanding, so the space is also expanding? 28:54 How does this existence of pure consciousness take the form of an object? 31:25 What is the cause of the separation from the pure consciousness and how to go back? 34:21 Is our existence the same as the supreme conscious energy, but because of the mind we suffer in duality? 37:04 As there are fewer thoughts in meditation, is the perception of time less? 39:45 In Tapas is it a thrilling thing as one becomes aware of the Self? 41:50 Is it true that the past, present and future occur simultaneously - and we cannot change the predetermined incidents in our life.  Thus what is the purpose of time and space? 45:35 Is the mind and the consciousness the same entity, and who or what creates the illusion, is it a different entity or is it the mind itself? 48:19 How do we understand that the universe is timeless? 51:00 Is there a need to study science as it has increased understanding of the universe? 55:22 Science as a quest for the truth of existence. 57:07 If god is the god of love, what is left of love in the space of silence? 58:27 What is the state of the mind in a dreamless deep sleep? ___ Website: http://www.srby.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shivarudrabalayogi Twitter: https://twitter.com/SRBYmission Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shivarudrabalayogi/ Register your free place for the live online meditation and Q&A with Babaji: https://www.shivarudrabalayogi.org/en/online-satsang Website: http://www.srby.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shivarudrabalayogi Twitter: https://twitter.com/SRBYmission Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shivarudrabalayogi/

    1h 37m

  2. FEB 21

    The mind and the Self | In Quest of Truth - Babaji Q&A, No. 259

    Send a text Register your free place for the live online meditation and Q&A with Babaji: https://www.shivarudrabalayogi.org/online-satsang  The mind and the Self | In Quest of Truth - Babaji Q&A, No. 259 Recorded on 17 January 2026 with worldwide participants 0:00 Intro 0:07 The feeling that we exist, beyond the thoughts. 3:30 Your existence beyond your thoughts. 7:05 Applying the mind to itself, the infinite entity. 10:17 How is the imagination within the Self, but also away from the Self? 15:38 The vastness of the universe is only in relativity. 17:15 Why there is a feeling of individual consciousness, within the all-pervaded consciousness. 20:36 To be quiet in the mind, does the ego have to completely disappear? 23:56 Only because of the existence of the brain, the consciousness gets sucked into it, and then it becomes an obstacle. 29:15 Science does not understand what anything is. 30:26 You can be your best friend or your worst enemy. 33:01 Once Self Realisation is achieved, how is the connection between the consciousness and brain maintained?  Why does the body not drop? 40:28 If one is not supposed to react to anything during meditation, why did Babaji interact with the manifestations of HIs Guru during Tapas?  How did He know not to ignore them? 42:13 Does meditating regularly help to eradicate fearful thoughts? 43:07 How can we develop wisdom to differentiate between true and false and moral versus immoral? 44:08 Did Babaji face challenges when He started on His meditation journey and how did He overcome them? 45:16 Is ok to tell myself to 'just watch' during meditation? 45:56 Does karma of our last birth affect this birth if we are going for Self Realisation? 47:04 After the Self has been experienced, do we have to make effort everyday or only have to sit still and calm the mind and Self will be experienced again? 48:09 Does the boundless space also only have appearance value? 49:05 The diffenrence between the mind and the brain and how they diffently play upon the consciousness. 50:23 When you are asleep and dreaming, is the power of creation the energy part of the consciousness? 51:09 Is the awareness of the Self the same for all human beings? ___ Website: http://www.srby.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shivarudrabalayogi Twitter: https://twitter.com/SRBYmission Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shivarudrabalayogi/ Register your free place for the live online meditation and Q&A with Babaji: https://www.shivarudrabalayogi.org/en/online-satsang Website: http://www.srby.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shivarudrabalayogi Twitter: https://twitter.com/SRBYmission Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shivarudrabalayogi/

    52 min

  3. FEB 8

    Special Instruction - Ashtavakra Samhita | In Quest of Truth - Babaji Q&A, No. 258

    Send a text Register your free place for the live online meditation and Q&A with Babaji: https://www.shivarudrabalayogi.org/online-satsang  'Special Instruction' - Ashtavakra Samhita | In Quest of Truth - Babaji Q&A, No. 258 Recorded on 4 January 2026 with US participants 0:00 Intro 0:10 Desire is the root of indiscrimination, Chapter 16, verse 7 3:54 What causes attachment? 5:42 Why does desire arise in the first place? 6:45 So desire is not the problem, it's the attachment to the desire? 7:45 Is a Self-Realized Yogi free of desire or just free of attachment? 8:57 What use is the body for someone who is free of attachment? 9:47 Chapter 16, verse 7.  A Yogi is free from the dualities of likes and dislikes. 13:44 A Yogi is not attached to interesting places 15:00 How did Babaji get on this call without a resolution in the mind? 16:49 When you're completely in the moment, there is no resolution. There is just awareness of the present. 17:21 When you make a resolution, consciousness seems to automatically provide to fulfill that resolution.  18:57 Chapter 16, verse 9 "One attached to the world wishes to give it up in order to avoid its miseries, but that One who is free of all attachment is free from those miseries, even if he is moving in the world." 20:51 How the world appears as a dream for the Yogi. 26:46 So we have to quiet the mind, silence the mind, and then what's left is your own consciousness of existing? 27:37 Chapter 16, verse 10 "True knowledge is that state where the imagined individual self, the ego, no longer exists." 29:32 Does "the knowledge" mean Self knowledge—awareness that you're the Consciousness of Existence? 31:16 Chapter 16, verse 11. "Even if the gods, Shiva, Vishnu or Brahma, become your teacher, until you forget everything, you cannot become settled in the True Self." 42:20 "The yogi who is liberated while alive, after dropping the physical body, will become one with the ultimate Truth." Wasn't he already one with the ultimate Truth? 43:57 Somebody who hasn't attained Self Realization may not be able to imagine a level of Supreme Peace. They might think they are enjoying their body and the world fully, so they might not want to give them up. 46:15 Did the creation or bodies, these humans and all of creation come as a result of a desire, or was it just a spontaneous uncaused manifestation?  46:37 Baba, is desire something for a more evolved nervous system? Did creation begin with desire? 52:06 Imaginations eventually develop into desires, and eventually reach the desire that we want to know the Self, and if it is strong enough, we dedicate ourselves to discovering the Truth. ___ Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6YHFKcPK_XT96VO7xuk6RQ Website: http://www.srby.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shivarudrabalayogi Twitter: https://twitter.com/SRBYmission Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shivarudrabalayogi/ Register your free place for the live online meditation and Q&A with Babaji: https://www.shivarudrabalayogi.org/en/online-satsang Website: http://www.srby.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shivarudrabalayogi Twitter: https://twitter.com/SRBYmission Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shivarudrabalayogi/

    54 min

  4. JAN 23

    Thoughts | In Quest of Truth - Babaji Q&A, No. 257

    Send a text Register your free place for the live online meditation and Q&A with Babaji: https://www.shivarudrabalayogi.org/online-satsang  Thoughts | In Quest of Truth - Babaji Q&A, No. 257 Recorded on 11 January 2026 with worldwide participants 0:00 Intro 0:06 What does Babaji mean when He speaks of thoughts? 1:22 Is there a seed that starts the thoughts? 2:00 Are thoughts the act of creation itself? 2:48 Do thoughts spring up in relation to the imprints from previous experiences  6:08 Why can't we control our thoughts if they are in 'my mind'? 12:52 A study done by the national science foundation suggests that 80% of our thoughts are negative and 95% of our thoughts are repetitive.  Can Babaji speak about this? 20:09 Western neuroscience suggests that thoughts are caused by electrical activity in the brain.  Could Babaji discuss this? 24:08 Are thoughts always about the world? 24:50 What is the space in-between the thoughts?  Is that the Divinity? 28:29 Does the purification process that happens in meditation also happen in other sadhanas like karma yoga or bhakti marga? 35:30 Some people experience their mind's becoming quite when in the presence of Babaji - is this a long term effect or a temporary tranquilliser? 38:05 Is the mind being quiet the same as the mind being concentrated? 40:13 A feeling of emptiness when meditating. 43:01 What is the difference between Akasha and Brahman? 43:53 When we sit for meditation, external sounds trigger more thoughts. 45:15 Where should focus when chanting mantras? 45:54 The feeling of merging with god before sleeping. 46:58 My practice is progressing but the feeling of doership is still there and fear arises? 50:44 ASMR and meditaiton 52:30 Consciousness and the brain 53:20 There is an awareness of 'I am meditating' during meditation - where should we put our main focus when meditating? 57:27 Why is meditation only taught in a positive way, not the negative aspects? 59:30 Not knowing if one if meditating or not. 1:00:23 If due to busy life, one skips a day of meditation, does it affect progress? 1:01:30 The closer you are to the Self, the quicker desires are manifested if those desires are beneficial - so why are my prayers not being answered? 1:03:49 Does there need to be a problem in life first for it be solved and only then one can achieve happiness?  ___ Website: http://www.srby.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shivarudrabalayogi Twitter: https://twitter.com/SRBYmission Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shivarudrabalayogi/ Register your free place for the live online meditation and Q&A with Babaji: https://www.shivarudrabalayogi.org/en/online-satsang Website: http://www.srby.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shivarudrabalayogi Twitter: https://twitter.com/SRBYmission Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shivarudrabalayogi/

    1h 5m

  5. JAN 11

    Yoga Vasistha - Creation | In Quest of Truth - Babaji Q&A, No. 256

    Send a text Register your free place for the live online meditation and Q&A with Babaji: https://www.shivarudrabalayogi.org/online-satsang  Yoga Vasistha - Creation | In Quest of Truth - Babaji Q&A, No. 256 Recorded on 3rd January 2026 with worldwide participants. 0:00 Intro 0:11 When grace meets maturity of discrimination then dispassion is generated within the heart. 1:18 The relation between non-dual point of view of the Self - everything is within the Self, and how the mind has started creation with thoughts. 4:15 Why has creation happened? 6:56 Why is it almost impossible to achieve Self-Realization if this creation is just a play of the Self? 11:49 Simply denying the notion of 'I' does not mean that it gets destroyed. 14:02 How can the Creator come into an apparent relative existence to create and what is the relationship between karma and death? 17:09 This Creation's nature is thought, it doesn't have any materiality. 20:34 What is the trigger point for the Consciousness to start creating at the beginning of everything? 22:18 The Creator was never created but is the creator of everything. 24:30 Shakti is the reality of all inevitable events in the future. What is the role of our efforts in relation to the nature we carry due to this Shakti? 26:35 The creation in the mind is an agitation in the consciousness.  How can we prevent that agitation to go on and on, how can we diminish it with our consciousness? 34:04 If the agitation in the consciousness stops us to know who we are, what is the meaning of doing anything in this world that is not related to achieve this? 45:12 Is this state of no-mind and being Self-Realized the same thing, and what does that look like in Bhakti Yoga? 47:55 What is the similarity and difference between Jangaam Dhayan and Trataka? 48:52 When all vasanas are dropped, how then is creation perceived as the external world? 49:52 Does Babaji's experience during Tapas align with scriptural descriptions of cosmic creation? 50:38 How to use intelligence power of discrimination in such a way that it does not bind to ego and judging others, but simply to transcend the unreal and awaken to the real Self? 52:53 Experiences within a dream of being aware that one is dreaming. ___ Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6YHFKcPK_XT96VO7xuk6RQ Website: http://www.srby.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shivarudrabalayogi Twitter: https://twitter.com/SRBYmission Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shivarudrabalayogi/ Register your free place for the live online meditation and Q&A with Babaji: https://www.shivarudrabalayogi.org/en/online-satsang Website: http://www.srby.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shivarudrabalayogi Twitter: https://twitter.com/SRBYmission Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shivarudrabalayogi/

    58 min

  6. JAN 2

    Karma Yoga | In Quest of Truth - Babaji Q&A, No. 255

    Send a text Register your free place for the live online meditation and Q&A with Babaji: https://www.shivarudrabalayogi.org/online-satsang  Karma Yoga | In Quest of Truth - Babaji Q&A, No. 255 Recorded on 27 April 2024 with worldwide participants. 0:00 Intro 0:07 What is Karma Yoga? 1:00 Is Karma Yoga the same as Dhyana Yoga, but in activity? 13:40 Do we need to lose the idea in our imagination that an outcome of our action is either good or bad? 17:02 Babaji's natural love and surrender to Swamiji that allowed Karma Yoga to happen. 24:21 Wouldn't it be better to treat from the world after Tapas to avoid getting dragged into politics between human beings. 27:10 How to achieve having our work and duties converted into Tapas, like Babaji's selfless service was converted into 7 years of Tapas. 31:37 "It is not enough just to be good, you have to be wise also." 36:29 Do not let the mind go into agitations when active in the world  40:09 Dedicating our actions in life to the Guru 41:11 A quote from the Bhagavad Gita on giving up doership. 44:50 Is there a possible state where there are no thoughts in the mind, but there still exists an imagination or an ego? 45:41 From desires we take action, so if we don't have desires then we won't take any action? 47:35 During Tapas, is it continuous 14-16 hours in day at a stretch? 47:57 Do we slowly increase our meditation from 1 to 2 to 3 etc like that, to eventually reach Tapas? 49:11 Did Swamiji need to do His Tapas in the graveyard?  Could they not have found a more sheltered place for Him? 51:27 Was the Karma Yoga that Babaji did a preparation to strengthen him to develop the necessary quality to do Tapas, or could Realization have happened through continuous Karma Yoga? 54:03 What should be a mother or wife's Karma Yoga while still supporting the other family members' Karma Yoga? 56:28 Through meditation and prayer can you impact on your family's Karma Yoga? ___ Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6YHFKcPK_XT96VO7xuk6RQ Website: http://www.srby.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shivarudrabalayogi Twitter: https://twitter.com/SRBYmission Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shivarudrabalayogi/ Register your free place for the live online meditation and Q&A with Babaji: https://www.shivarudrabalayogi.org/en/online-satsang Website: http://www.srby.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shivarudrabalayogi Twitter: https://twitter.com/SRBYmission Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shivarudrabalayogi/

    58 min

  7. 12/26/2025

    Purpose of Life | In Quest of Truth - Babaji Q&A, No. 254

    Send a text Register your free place for the live online meditation and Q&A with Babaji: https://www.shivarudrabalayogi.org/online-satsang  Purpose of Life | In Quest of Truth - Babaji Q&A, No. 254 Recorded on 6 December 2025 with worldwide participants. 0:00 Intro 0:06 Does like have a purpose, and if so what is it? 2:55 In our society a purpose is generally not clearly defined, or they say it is to be a good citizen, have a good life etc.  Is this wrong? 5:23 Is grace of God or Divinity necessary to know this purpose of life? 10:18 The vast majority of people do not have the wisdom to have the purpose of life that Babaji talks of.  How can they get out of this trap? 15:39 Is there an ideal age when we should start striving for this purpose in life? 21:04 In India there is a notion that one goes for Self Realization and God only in old age.  Is this a right or wrong cultural norm? 28:18 If one is unlucky, having only started on the right purpose later on in life, what should we do in this situation? 31:34 Is there an advantage depending on the situation, ie what nationality, religion, gender, wealth etc you are born into? 35:26 Is the purpose of life common for all, including animals, plants and all living beings - is there an advantage in being born as a human being? 40:52 If the purpose of life is to know the truth of one's existence, should we drop everything else and concentrate just on this? 44:15 Is this purpose to know our true Self a purely selfish pursuit or is there a value to others also? 46:53 If death claims the body before we are able to achieve this purpose in this lifetime, is this effort wasted? 49:29 Can one achieve worldly things through the power of positive thinking? 51:45 How to balance the inner journey and the outer journey? 53:43 Practice of Yoga Asanas to help body to sit for longer periods. 54:39 Does Brahmacharya arise through willpower or sadhana? 55:42 If there are 172 people here, are there 172 different imagined universes meeting with you here? 56:43 What did Babaji experience in Tapas that gave him a firm conviction that reincarnation exists? 57:34 Is putting effort to achieve silence in the mind the path to the highest possible purpose and the meaning of life? 58:14 How to cultivate a non-corrupt mind? 59:40 How long do you need to keep a mind without thought in order to become Self Realized? 1:00:50 What is the diffference between the brain and the mind? 1:02:00 What is the relationship between your consciousness and the thoughts? 1:02:45 How to counsel someone who is suffering from trauma, loss and hardship and wanting an escape through unhealthy habits like addictions? 1:04:03 How do we know that we are on the right path and we will reach Self Realization in this lifetime? ___ Website: http://www.srby.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shivarudrabalayogi Twitter: https://twitter.com/SRBYmission Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shivarudrabalayogi/ Register your free place for the live online meditation and Q&A with Babaji: https://www.shivarudrabalayogi.org/en/online-satsang Website: http://www.srby.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shivarudrabalayogi Twitter: https://twitter.com/SRBYmission Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shivarudrabalayogi/

    1h 7m

  8. 12/20/2025

    "The Universe in a hair" from the Yoga Vasishtha | In Quest of Truth - Babaji Q&A, No. 253

    Send a text Register your free place for the live online meditation and Q&A with Babaji: https://www.shivarudrabalayogi.org/online-satsang  "The Universe in a hair" from the Yoga Vasishtha | In Quest of Truth - Babaji Q&A, No. 253 Recorded on 22 November 2025 with worldwide participants. 0:00 Intro 0:38 "Universe in a hair" - Universe is how you perceive it. 3:51 Is there a separation in consciousness to make an individual consciousness? 8:06 So is the world a projection of the mind? 9:28 Is the mind a separation from the higher consciousness? 11:13 Is it possible to experience the undivided space with the mind? 13:43 Is it possible to live in the world but at the same time being unaffected by the duality of the world? 14:16 How can one be in the world, unaffected by the world? 17:32 Does it help to be indifferent to the world in order to be detached? 23:18 If you pray to someone else then you become separate from that entity. 24:19 What should we have faith in? 25:33 So there is only one consciousness of existence? 26:22 It is there all the time in the purest conscious form? 26:22 Is that pure consciousness, god? 27:34 Why did the droplet separate from the ocean of consciousness? 31:10 So the universe expands according to my mind's capacity? 35:09 If the individual 'I' is removed, the universe also disappears? 38:25 'The salt doll, wanting to know the depth of the ocean, jumped into the ocean and become one with it." 39:22 'Watching' in Jangama Dhyana. 42:10 Out of body near death experiences or seemingly spiritual experiences due to psychedelic drugs. 46:17 What is the relationship between our mind and the pure consciousness? 47:59 What about physical space and time, how does that relate to consciousness and our perceptions? 49:48 Does time and space exist? 50:31 The doubt arising of why do I bother to do things in life if they don't matter? 54:08 Who's consciousness is expanding when the universe expands?   54:52 When we see someone else suffering is it necessary to show our compassion to them? 56:15 How to be that sakshi, a witness to this world? 57:15 How does a Yogi dream but still be a witness to it? 58:00 So a Yogi never sleeps? 58:25 The 'watching' in meditation. 59:41 Can we use the breath in meditation? 1:00:23 When we use the breath in meditation, should we keep the breath between the eyebrows? 1:00:52 Is it our perception whether time and space is a prison or a portal? 1:01:54 Are all positive characteristics the same in a greater sense? 1:02:57 And are all negative characteristics also the same thing? 1:04:09 Is it necessary that devotees wear white and also chant a specific mantra? 1:05:25 In all techniques of meditation do we observe the sensations in different places? 1:07:10 Once we reach a higher level are all meditation techniques the same? ___ Website: http://www.srby.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shivarudrabalayogi Twitter: https://twitter.com/SRBYmission Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shivarudrabalayogi/ Register your free place for the live online meditation and Q&A with Babaji: https://www.shivarudrabalayogi.org/en/online-satsang Website: http://www.srby.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shivarudrabalayogi Twitter: https://twitter.com/SRBYmission Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shivarudrabalayogi/

    1h 8m
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About

Anyone interested in meditation will find this series of questions and answers of interest. A Realized Meditation Master, Shri Babaji (Shri Shivarudra Balayogi Maharaj), answers questions from people around the world on meditation and spirituality. His spontaneous answers are based on the wisdom gained from his own direct, first-hand experience of years of intense meditation (Tapas) and the teachings of his Guru, Shri Shivabalayogi Maharaj. He explains how meditation works and the purpose and benefits of spirituality in clear, simple terms. These recordings are taken from a live online meditation class that Babaji holds every Saturday. They are precious opportunities to receive direct guidance from a Realized Master. To register please visit: https://www.shivarudrabalayogi.org/en/online-satsang

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