The Eternal Way - Audio Book

The Yoga of the Despondency of Arjuna

As the story begins, the unenlightened soul is confronted by a challenge which it perceives as being of immense proportions, yet which affords an exceptional opportunity to learn of the dynamic processes of life and to outgrow conditioned limitations. Because the confusion and despair that some devotees experience during early stages of spiritual growth may indicate that necessary transformative changes must occur if the devotee is to be restored to right understanding, this temporary phase of despondency is also called yoga.

44 minutes

The Yoga of Knowledge
of the Imperishable

In the second chapter, instruction in matters essential to understanding the facts of life and awakening to Self-realization and liberation of consciousness begins. The original title of this chapter is Samkhya Yoga. Samkhya philosophy enumerates the categories and aspects of cosmic manifestation, explaining the difference between imperishable Consciousness and transient cosmic manifestations and forms of nature. When knowledge of Supreme Consciousness is flawless, erroneous beliefs are banished, enabling soul awareness to be restored to its normal state of wholeness. This chapter has been called the heart of the Gita.

44 minutes

44 minutes

The Yoga of Action

Although the final state of spiritual practice is soul tranquility because awareness has been restored to wholeness, to awaken to liberation, actions are necessary to ensure harmonious relationships with life’s processes and to facilitate necessary adjustments of states of consciousness. Well-intentioned but misguided actions often only further complicate our lives. What is needed is enlightened or knowledgeable action.

31 minutes

The Yoga of Knowledgeable
Renunciation of Action

While the devotee is encouraged to perform necessary actions, attachments to actions and their results are to be renounced so that a more cosmic understanding of life’s processes can be apprehended. The purpose of spiritual practice is not to produce a condition of human fulfillment and happiness—although this side-benefit is acceptable if it does not detract from spiritual growth endeavors. It is to provide the means for ultimate discovery of the soul’s relationship with the Infinite. In this chapter it is explained that knowledge of The Eternal Way is revealed from the core or heart of Consciousness.

30 minutes

33 minutes

The Yoga of Renunciation

Renunciation is accomplished by seeing ourselves in our true relationship to our thoughts, feelings, actions, and circumstances, and living without compulsions or attachments of any kind. The end result of successful yoga practice is unwavering realization of ourselves as spiritual beings in relationship to the Infinite.

27 minutes

The Yoga of Meditation

Meditation is the most helpful spiritual growth procedure for sincere devotees of God. It should be correctly learned and faithfully practiced for the purpose of awakening to superconscious (samadhi) states which allow spontaneous unfoldment of cosmic consciousness, God-consciousness, and transcendence. Some writers who stress the devotional approach to Self-knowledge often overlook the message of this chapter, or err in considering it to be only of minor importance. The story of Arjuna’s awakening to truth is the spiritual biography of every soul that aspires to freedom in God. The contest between tendencies and habits rooted in mind and the impulse of the soul to have awareness restored to wholeness, occurs within the body-mind of the devotee.

44 minutes

The Yoga of Discernment and Realization

Because every person is a soul expressing through a mind and personality, at the innermost level of their being they want to know the truth of themselves and the complete reality of God. What is not generally understood, or accepted, is that it is actually possible to awaken to this knowledge and fully actualize it in everyday circumstances and relationships. The final solution to all human problems which puts an end to confusion and misfortune, is conscious knowledge of ourselves as spiritual beings in relationship to God that is allowed to be expressively influential. In this chapter, discernment of the truth about God and the importance of realizing God directly is emphasized.

25 minutes

25 minutes

The Yoga of the Absolute Reality

The permanent, self-existing aspect of Consciousness is known as the Absolute because there is nothing beyond it. It cannot be comprehended by the mind because the mind is produced by the gunas or qualities of nature. Its reality can be intuitively apprehended and directly experienced.

29 minutes

The Yoga of Royal Wisdom
and Royal Mystery

The theme of the previous chapter is continued, with insightful explanation of higher realities and how the awakening soul can more fully know and realize them.

32 minutes

The Yoga of Divine Manifestations

More information about Supreme Consciousness and its various aspects and manifestations is now revealed to the soul as meditative contemplation continues.

30 minutes

The Yoga of Universal Revelation

The aspiring soul has been informed about the reality of the Absolute without name or form and is convinced of its supremacy. Now, not content with memories of partial cosmic conscious realizations as described in the preceding chapter, the soul yearns to know the many aspects of the one Being, Life, Power, and manifesting Substance of God.

31 minutes

The Yoga of Devotion

The awakened soul, now informed of basic philosophical principles and having had a glimpse of the boundless reality of God, further inquires about the most suitable approach to unfold innate potential and realize the Absolute Truth.

24 minutes

The Yoga of Discernment of the Field
of Actions and the Knower of the Field

In chapter one, the first verse announces that self-serving mental characteristics and tendencies are confronted by soul qualities and virtuous tendencies on “the field of righteousness-the field of unrighteousness.” Now, in chapter thirteen, the first words attributed to Krishna, the indwelling Spirit of God of every person, describe the body to be the field where spiritual growth occurs. In the physical realm, the body includes the astral and causal bodies, and the mind. Since spiritual growth can continue in astral and causal realms after the soul’s transition from the physical body, there, the astral or causal bodies would be designated as the field in which transformative processes and illumination of consciousness can occur.

41 minutes

The Yoga of Discernment
of the Qualities of Nature

It has already been explained that interactions of Spirit and nature cause individualization of souls and produce the universe. More specific details are now revealed to describe how the constituent qualities of nature regulate cosmic forces and influence soul awareness, personal behaviors, and circumstances. What are the gunas? How do they affect mental processes and states of consciousness? How does one become free from nature’s influences? What are some of the characteristics of a liberated soul? These questions are answered in this chapter.

26 minutes

The Yoga of the Supreme Reality

In this chapter, an explanation is given regarding the persistent, successive, flowing transformations and expressions of life (samsara) in the manifested field of nature and how to be removed from their actions. The inner message is that we are not to be passively fixated in conditioned self-conscious states only hoping for salvation; we are to use our powers of intellectual discernment to see through and beyond the surface level of ever-changing appearances and awaken to knowledge and experience of the changeless Reality which is their cause.

23 minutes

The Yoga of Discernment Between
the Higher and Lower Natures

More information about the human condition is now revealed so that the devotee might choose the higher way.

13 minutes

The Yoga of Discernment
of the Three Kinds of Faith

It is helpful to be aware of higher realities and to know how to practice meditation and contemplate the Infinite. It is also of practical value to know how to live effectively. In this chapter, guidelines supportive of total well-being are provided.

Faith, in the chapter title and in some of the verses, refers to respect or deferential regard for, to depend upon or trust, to sincerely believe to be productive of desired results.

31 minutes

The Yoga of Liberation
by Surrendered Renunciation

The first chapter of this drama introduced the theme and described the soul’s confusion about itself and its relationships and duties. In this final chapter, Arjuna (the now nearly enlightened soul) speaks twice. In the opening verse, inquiry is made about a subtle metaphysical point the soul needs to understand. As the dialogue ends, the soul affirms its now fully self-revealed knowledge and surrenders to its destiny.

40 minutes

41 minutes

This link is to a zip file that contains the entire unabridged audio recording of The Eternal Way - all 18 chapters in mp3 files. Download link

It is 330 megabytes - download time will vary depending on your internet connection speed - at 1.5 mbs it should take about 5 minutes.

Total playing time is 12 hours.