{"id":1515,"date":"2024-06-22T14:58:50","date_gmt":"2024-06-22T14:58:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/?p=1515"},"modified":"2024-06-22T14:58:50","modified_gmt":"2024-06-22T14:58:50","slug":"conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\/","title":{"rendered":"Conversations With Ananda — Ch. 73, Nayaswami Dharmadas"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"<em>Nayaswami<\/a>
Nayaswami Dharmadas chants at Ananda Sangha in Palo Alto, California, November 2023.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dharmadas and his wife, Nayaswami Nirmala, are the spiritual directors of Ananda Sacramento.<\/strong> They provided invaluable service in the early days of Swami Kriyananda\u2019s efforts to make Paramhansa Yogananda\u2019s teachings known in his native India.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Tell us about your musical background, starting as early as you like.<\/p>\n

Dharmadas:<\/strong> Music has always been an important part of my life. In our home, my parents played beautiful music, often classical or sacred, and some popular, but it was always beautiful and uplifting, and I had a great love for it. Swamiji describes how, as a child, he would enter a kind of ecstasy by gazing at brilliant colors. For me, music did that \u2013 my spirit soared with holy, heavenly music.<\/p>\n

In the church that I was brought up in, music was a very big part of our experience. I\u2019ll never forget when an engineer came from Germany to install a massive pipe organ that actually made the floor rumble \u2013 you could feel the vibrations in your whole body when it was played, and it was thrilling.<\/p>\n

However, as is often the case for Americans, the teenage years represented something of a downturn spiritually. I listened to lots of rock-n-roll and became a little withdrawn and irritable, such is the power of music.<\/p>\n

I arrived at Ananda at the end of Spiritual Renewal Week in 1979. On the last day, a Sunday, I attended the service at the meditation retreat, and when the singers performed \u201cWalk Like a Man\u201d time stopped for me.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t only the melody and harmony; it was the words. They touched me deeply, because I had done exactly what they were saying:<\/p>\n

\u00a0Why court approval, once the road is known? <\/em><\/p>\n

Let come who will, but if they all turn home, <\/em><\/p>\n

The goal still awaits you \u2013 go on alone!<\/em><\/p>\n

Well, I jolly well was<\/em> \u201cgoing on alone,\u201d and it was a deep experience \u2013 I remember tears rolling down my face and I thought, \u201cThis is home.\u201d<\/p>\n

I picked up chanting fairly quickly because I had a musical background \u2013 I had studied piano and I\u2019d played French horn as a child, so I knew how to read music, and if someone played a chant, I could sit down at the harmonium and start playing it by ear. So chanting was my first real experience of singing Ananda\u2019s music, and it was very powerful and deep. I started chanting at sadhanas and meditations, and when I was in the apprentice program I would lead a chant when we meditated before lunch or at morning and evening meditations. Ever since those first days on the path, chanting has been precious and beautiful to me.<\/p>\n

Singing Swamiji\u2019s music came later. When Swamiji wrote the Oratorio in 1983, I was part of the first choir that he asked to learn and sing it. I could read music well enough, and I could sing well enough to hold my part. I sang tenor at first, then tenor or bass depending on what was needed.<\/p>\n

At the time there wasn\u2019t an easy way to join one of the very few groups that were singing the music, and unlike today the sheet music wasn\u2019t printed and organized, and there weren\u2019t any practice recordings to help you learn your part. So you had to show lots of interest, and you had to be a capable singer.<\/p>\n

About a year later, I was able to start singing in one of the small groups. The main group, the Joy Singers, were on tour and we needed a second group to stay home and perform at Sunday services, so Anjali Gregorelli held auditions, and I passed the test. That would have been around 1985.<\/p>\n

Our group would sing at every Sunday service, and we rotated our small repertoire so we weren\u2019t singing the same songs too often. Then, in the late 1980s, I moved to Italy where I sang in Italian and English. I had started learning guitar, and I found that I had to play more often because there weren\u2019t many guitarists. So I took a few lessons and got to where I could play the Festival songs, and for the better part of the next ten years I played the Festival music almost every week. Then for six or eight years it was every week without fail, at first in Italy, then at Ananda Village, and later Seattle.<\/p>\n

A highlight of that era was when we got to sing for the Pope in February 1989. We arrived at the Vatican long before the Pope would come out. There was a huge audience, about 13,000 people, and lots of groups were taking turns singing and playing. Most of them didn\u2019t have a large repertoire, but we did, so over the space of an hour we ended up singing fifteen or twenty songs. We sang \u201cThy Light Within Us Shining,\u201d and the Pope seemed to enjoy it. Not everyone in the audience could understand the words because they were from all over the world, but you could tell that they felt the vibration.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve now had the joy and privilege of singing Swamiji\u2019s music in India for nearly eight years. Most Indians are unfamiliar with the western musical form, with four-part harmony and guitar, but it\u2019s holy music and they can feel the vibration, and they love it.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve also noticed that our American accent can be fairly impenetrable for the Indians, so we\u2019ll often hand out the words before we sing \u2013 they\u2019re more familiar with the British accent, because of India\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

Something that we find particularly interesting is that they tune in very deeply to the message<\/em> of the songs. In addition to the vibration and melody, the message that Swamiji conveys through the words means a lot to them, and they\u2019re deeply touched by it.<\/p>\n

I was in Pune, visiting one of our devotees, and in a casual conversation while we were standing outdoors she quoted a phrase from Swamiji\u2019s song \u201cIf You\u2019re Seeking Freedom.\u201d She said, \u201cGod\u2019s sunlight on your shoulders, the wind in your hair.\u201d She said that the breeze meant a lot to her, \u201clike that song of Swamiji\u2019s.\u201d It was very sweet to feel that this part of the work was entering the consciousness of the people here.<\/p>\n

In February I joined a pilgrimage to Rishikesh and Hardwar, led by Daya and Keshava, and except for us three Americans the group was entirely Indian. They were from all over India, so there was nothing that united them \u2013 the only commonality was that they had all signed up to go on pilgrimage. They wanted to go to Rishikesh, and they had heard good things about our pilgrimages, so they signed up.<\/p>\n

But otherwise the group was pointed in every direction, and \u201cherding cats\u201d doesn\u2019t begin to describe the experience of trying to keep them pointed in the same direction. So every time we were together, we would start with chanting, and within a few hours of our first bus ride and first satsangs, the energy of the group became amazingly synchronized. By the end of our three days together, when we had our wrap-up meeting, the level of harmony in the group was astonishing.<\/p>\n

I had a strong feeling that the music had accomplished that, through our chanting and singing. It was quite striking, and I realized that in most Indian ashrams, if they have any music at all it\u2019s usually just one person chanting. Often it\u2019s mantras, and there may be some bhajans, but the music isn\u2019t usually a focus, and there\u2019s seldom much devotional feeling. It\u2019s sort of background noise \u2013 someone will be chanting, conversations will be going on, and people will be talking on their phones. So the people aren\u2019t connected with it. But with our group it was a focal point, and it drew people together in a lovely way.<\/p>\n

The music is one of the main influences that have helped our work in India grow dynamically and hold together. I recall Swamiji remarking years ago that Gregorian chant is what held the mediaeval Christian church together, because the power of that music united the monasteries and drew forth a certain spirit and a certain kind of energy.<\/p>\n

If you listen to those chants, you feel transported to the monasteries \u2013 it creates a palpable feeling, and Ananda\u2019s music and chanting does that, too \u2013 it draws us together, and it\u2019s the reason why, if you visit Assisi or Palo Alto or Portland, or anywhere Swamiji\u2019s music is a regular part of the life, there\u2019s a common spirit that you can feel very clearly.<\/p>\n

Swamiji sometimes says, \u201cIf you want to get to know me as I am, listen to my music.\u201d I would add a further thought \u2013 if you want to feel <\/em>Swamiji\u2019s consciousness, sing<\/em> his music. Let the music percolate through you and reorganize your molecules, which it will do. It\u2019s very deep and sweet. It\u2019s been a big part of my spiritual life, and a very precious one.<\/p>\n

Harking back to my first days at Ananda Village in the late 1970s, I had a cassette tape of the singers that I played to the point where it fell apart. I would play \u201cWell Done, Lord!\u201d and I knew exactly how far I needed to rewind the tape so I could listen to it again. I would often sit in the truck for an hour or longer, listening to that song because it was so beautiful and joyful.<\/p>\n

\"Nayaswami<\/a>I have lots of wonderful memories of the music. At this point in our work in India, we aren\u2019t personally involved with the music every day except for chanting, but we\u2019re helping others lead the singing groups, because we\u2019ve noticed that when the music is strong, the energy in the group is strong, and when the music isn\u2019t as strong the group energy begins to flag. The music is really, really important to what we\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n

We had the joy of being on TV in India every day for five years with our little singing group. It was just Lila, Nirmala, Kirtani, Anand, and I, and after the program been running for several months, we started getting feedback. One was a serious offer of marriage \u2013 \u201cto any<\/em> of the three ladies\u201d who were available! It didn\u2019t matter which one, but this fellow owned a hardware store, and it was a serious and genuine offer. In India, this is not just the stuff of melodrama \u2013 he really meant it, and he was putting his cards properly on the table.<\/p>\n

Several times we\u2019ve been traveling in India and people have said, \u201cI remember you from the television program.\u201d Obviously, they remember Swamiji, but the music was part of it.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> While Swamiji was in Los Angeles, he told the Ananda singers more than once that he feels it\u2019s time for the music to reach a wider audience. Ramesha remarked that he feels the music has a living consciousness, because of the divine source that it came from, and that it\u2019s God\u2019s hand reaching out into the world, and it wants to do what it will.<\/p>\n

Dharmadas:<\/strong> I agree. Now is the time, and the group in LA can do a tremendous service. It\u2019s a very important time. Every time we\u2019ve put our focus strongly on the music here in India, it has helped our work take a big step. It\u2019s a huge shortcut to creating group spirit, and to being able to manifest Master\u2019s work.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> If people have to read a book, it\u2019s a high wall that they have to climb over, or if they have to come to Sunday service and learn about Ananda by listening to lots of talks. Asha laughingly remarked that the singers can perform for three minutes and people will learn more about Ananda than if she talks for ninety minutes. It seems the music is the spearhead of Ananda, and that it\u2019s Swami Kriyananda\u2019s language.<\/p>\n

Dharmadas:<\/strong> It\u2019s true. In Assisi they begin every guest program with a little concert, and during the week there\u2019s a Thursday night concert as well. They may perform just four or five songs, but people are so much more open once they\u2019ve heard the music. It truly changes their perspective.<\/p>\n

With the high wall of reading a book, or climbing the philosophy mentally and intellectually, people just tend to have endless questions, but if you touch their hearts they\u2019re able to feel instantly \u201cOh, okay, this is what you\u2019re talking about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> What are your thoughts on drawing people into the music, or helping them perform well once they become involved? Is it something you address there in India?<\/p>\n

Dharmadas:<\/strong> I wouldn\u2019t say we\u2019ve done much explaining, but after a satsang or as part of a class we\u2019ll usually have a simple music program where we\u2019ll get several harmoniums together and we\u2019ll say, \u201cLet\u2019s all learn a chant,\u201d so everyone can sit down and play and learn a little bit.<\/p>\n

Or we\u2019ll say, \u201cLet\u2019s learn a song,\u201d and we\u2019ll sing a very simple song like \u201cLift your heart in strength once more\u2026\u201d Or \u201cMove All Ye Mountains\u201d \u2013 one of the children\u2019s songs, or \u201cAmalfi Coast\u201d \u2013 \u201cIs there anywhere on earth, perfect freedom, sorrow\u2019s dearth\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll sing it together several times and let people find their own way into it. In India we\u2019ve had singing groups of as many as thirty or forty people, mostly Indian, and at bigger events we\u2019ve had an international choir with people coming from Italy and America. But we do have groups that have been singing together for a while now, and it\u2019s great.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a different challenge in India, because they\u2019re not as familiar with putting their voices in that mode of blending, where you\u2019re singing and listening at the same time, and you\u2019re holding your part against the other parts in the right balance. Those things are a challenge anyway, and they take effort and attunement, but it\u2019s even more so here, because they may have beautiful voices, but they\u2019re used to going off on their own.<\/p>\n

I can tell you that in India listening is a skill that could be developed more! There\u2019s so much noise and commotion. And then culturally, people either feel that they\u2019re too young in the culture to expect them to have anything to say, or they\u2019re at a mature age where the whole society is supposed to listen to them, and they can carry on endlessly and you can\u2019t get them to stop. [Laughs] We\u2019ve learned to be very careful about who we hand a microphone to, because God Himself cannot pry it out of their hands once it\u2019s been given!<\/p>\n

But singing in harmony really does help people learn to blend their energies. It creates a harmony in the group, and that\u2019s why we\u2019ve worked a great deal with it. When Dharmini was here, she would teach people to chant, and Dhyana is doing that in Delhi and Gurgaon. In Pune we\u2019re doing as much as we can, but our community is so new that we haven\u2019t been able to do much. We have a wave of new residents arriving in the next six months to a year, and the music will be a very large part of how we create our life together. It\u2019s very important.<\/p>\n

Kirtan, for us at the moment, is the biggest part, in some ways more so than harmony singing, simply because it\u2019s more accessible for Indians.<\/p>\n

As Kriya is about using the breath to start a flow of energy in the spine, chanting awakens devotional energy that brings us inner communion with God. The words and melody are just the beginning. They\u2019re the outward form, but then you have to crack through to get to the heart of it.<\/p>\n

You observed that music is the language of Swami Kriyananda. I do feel that. Swamiji often emphasized that Yogananda brought a new form of chanting to the world. It\u2019s no longer about complicated mantras; it\u2019s individual chanting to God with real, heartfelt meaning. It\u2019s designed to help us have an individual experience of God in meditation. This new form of chanting isn\u2019t much known in India. Very few people here had ever chanted that way until they came to Ananda.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Isn\u2019t that strange, because chanting is such a strong part of the Indian culture. We have Yogananda\u2019s translation of \u201cWill That Day Come to Me, Ma?\u201d by Sri Ramprasad who lived in the 18th<\/sup> century, and it\u2019s completely in the spirit of individual devotional chanting.<\/p>\n

Dharmadas:<\/strong> Chanting here is so often connected with long, involved mantras, and there\u2019s usually not much of a heart connection. The mantras have a certain power, but the heart isn\u2019t so much there. When people start chanting in the new way, their lives open up amazingly \u2013 you can see it in just a day. Once the seed of chanting gets planted and they have their own experience, it makes a big difference.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> You\u2019ve been involved with chanting all along.<\/p>\n

Dharmadas:<\/strong> More so in the beginning, but now more with singing. In India, though, chanting is part of everything we do \u2013 every sadhana, every satsang. Our monks love chanting at the public kirtans. But it\u2019s been a continuous thread for me. The only thing that has changed is that I don\u2019t have as much time to chant on my own, because my sadhana tends to be with the group. I was able to chant the other day on my own, and it was delightful to be able to dive into a single chant for an hour.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s something I used to do when I was new to Ananda and I was a monk, where I could go off and chant for two or three hours alone. Or we would sing together at a long kirtan or stay up all night for Shivaratri. Those things were very common then. They\u2019re less common now, but still very precious to me.<\/p>\n

Q:<\/strong> Do you find that chanting prepares you to sing Swami\u2019s songs?<\/p>\n

Dharmadas:<\/strong> It helps by opening the heart. I\u2019ve sung bass and tenor, and occasionally even alto, if you can believe tthat \u2013 not well, but enough to get the notes out. When I\u2019ve had to sing high, I would find that I needed lots of warm-up, and chanting was a great way to warm up the voice. Getting the throat open and getting the heart and devotion moving allowed the high notes to come more easily and beautifully, where formerly it wasn\u2019t so easy.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dharmadas and his wife, Nayaswami Nirmala, are the spiritual directors of Ananda Sacramento. They provided invaluable service in the early days of Swami Kriyananda\u2019s efforts to make Paramhansa Yogananda\u2019s teachings known in his native India. Q: Tell us about your musical background, starting as early as you like. Dharmadas: Music has always been an important … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1515","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nConversations With Ananda — Ch. 73, Nayaswami Dharmadas - Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda reveals how he found joy in chanting and singing.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Conversations With Ananda — Ch. 73, Nayaswami Dharmadas - Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda reveals how he found joy in chanting and singing.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-06-22T14:58:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/952A1321-Enhanced-NR-crop3.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"runbei\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"runbei\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"15 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"runbei\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7297117c02b456f58126add9232d886f\"},\"headline\":\"Conversations With Ananda — Ch. 73, Nayaswami Dharmadas\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-06-22T14:58:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":3219,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/952A1321-Enhanced-NR-crop3.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\\\/\",\"name\":\"Conversations With Ananda — Ch. 73, Nayaswami Dharmadas - Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/952A1321-Enhanced-NR-crop3.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-06-22T14:58:50+00:00\",\"description\":\"A disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda reveals how he found joy in chanting and singing.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/952A1321-Enhanced-NR-crop3.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/06\\\/952A1321-Enhanced-NR-crop3.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Conversations With Ananda — Ch. 73, Nayaswami Dharmadas\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/\",\"name\":\"Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer\",\"description\":\"Completing a great work for his Guru, Paramhansa Yogananda\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/2008ish-Swami-Asissi-pclearcropped-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/06\\\/2008ish-Swami-Asissi-pclearcropped-1.jpg\",\"width\":960,\"height\":360,\"caption\":\"Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7297117c02b456f58126add9232d886f\",\"name\":\"runbei\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dc92d5f44de57fae95f6be74ce6c15a8c81470ba79f0e3cc2f2a7aaf3f958efc?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dc92d5f44de57fae95f6be74ce6c15a8c81470ba79f0e3cc2f2a7aaf3f958efc?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/dc92d5f44de57fae95f6be74ce6c15a8c81470ba79f0e3cc2f2a7aaf3f958efc?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"runbei\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\\\/story\\\/author\\\/runbei\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Conversations With Ananda — Ch. 73, Nayaswami Dharmadas - Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer","description":"A disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda reveals how he found joy in chanting and singing.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Conversations With Ananda — Ch. 73, Nayaswami Dharmadas - Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer","og_description":"A disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda reveals how he found joy in chanting and singing.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\/","og_site_name":"Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer","article_published_time":"2024-06-22T14:58:50+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/952A1321-Enhanced-NR-crop3.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"runbei","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"runbei","Est. reading time":"15 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\/"},"author":{"name":"runbei","@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/#\/schema\/person\/7297117c02b456f58126add9232d886f"},"headline":"Conversations With Ananda — Ch. 73, Nayaswami Dharmadas","datePublished":"2024-06-22T14:58:50+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\/"},"wordCount":3219,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/952A1321-Enhanced-NR-crop3.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\/","url":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\/","name":"Conversations With Ananda — Ch. 73, Nayaswami Dharmadas - Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"http:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/952A1321-Enhanced-NR-crop3.jpg","datePublished":"2024-06-22T14:58:50+00:00","description":"A disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda reveals how he found joy in chanting and singing.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\/#primaryimage","url":"http:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/952A1321-Enhanced-NR-crop3.jpg","contentUrl":"http:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/952A1321-Enhanced-NR-crop3.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/conversations-with-ananda-ch-73-nayaswami-dharmadas\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Conversations With Ananda — Ch. 73, Nayaswami Dharmadas"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/","name":"Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer","description":"Completing a great work for his Guru, Paramhansa Yogananda","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/#organization","name":"Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer","url":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/2008ish-Swami-Asissi-pclearcropped-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/2008ish-Swami-Asissi-pclearcropped-1.jpg","width":960,"height":360,"caption":"Swami Kriyananda: Lightbearer"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/#\/schema\/person\/7297117c02b456f58126add9232d886f","name":"runbei","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc92d5f44de57fae95f6be74ce6c15a8c81470ba79f0e3cc2f2a7aaf3f958efc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc92d5f44de57fae95f6be74ce6c15a8c81470ba79f0e3cc2f2a7aaf3f958efc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc92d5f44de57fae95f6be74ce6c15a8c81470ba79f0e3cc2f2a7aaf3f958efc?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"runbei"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/yoganandafortheworld.com\/story"],"url":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/author\/runbei\/"}]}},"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1515","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1515"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1515\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1521,"href":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1515\/revisions\/1521"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1515"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1515"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yoganandafortheworld.com\/story\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1515"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}