Watch this humorous and inspiring song by Swami Kriyananda from the Temple of Light at Ananda Village, recorded August 31, 2025.
Lyrics:
The way to perfection is narrow and steep.
The by-paths are many, the pitfalls are deep.
By theory alone many think to arrive:
Here’s one who could teach them—if he were alive!
A philosopher stepped into a boat,
The river to cross would he.
So learned was he, he thought no man
Could be half so clever as he.
Chorus: Singing wise, oh, with his books, oh,
Such a mighty scholar was he!
Singing wise, oh, with his books, oh,
Such a mighty scholar was he!
To the boatman he said, “Good man, pray tell,
Of the German philosophers three,
Schopenhauer, Hegel, and weighty Kant,
Whom you deem the wisest to be?”
Chorus
“Please excuse me, Sir,” the boatman said,
“I’ve not read your philosophers three.
All day I’m obliged to ply these oars
To support my family and me.”
Chorus
“In that case, my good man, your wretched life
Is as good as a quarter lost.
Why, without the writings of those three men
Not a shelf of books would I trust!”
Chorus
“Now then tell me, good man,” the scholar said,
“Have you studied the Frenchman, Descartes?”
“I’ve told you before,” the other cried,
“I’m unschooled. Hard work is my ‘art’!”
Chorus
“Hard work? What a waste! Sad, foolish man,
Half your life has been thrown away!
Yet—still a fragment might be redeemed:
Memorize one theory a day!”
Chorus
Of a sudden a storm with raging might
Did lash that river to foam;
Like a drifting petal it tossed their boat
Till it seemed they’d never get home.
Chorus
Then the boatman cried: “My learned sir,
Our chances are growing dim!
Two questions you’ve asked me so far this trip;
Now I’ll ask you one: Can you swim?”
Chorus
“I can’t swim a stroke!” the philosopher cried,
As he clung in despair to an oar.
“Then the whole of your life is lost, my friend;
You’ll not need those books anymore!”
Chorus
The boatman regrets to say his fare
Never reached the opposite bank.
All that ponderous learning inside his head
Gave him weight, you see, and he sank!
Chorus for last verse:
Singing wise, oh, with his books, oh,
Such a weighty scholar was he!
Singing wise, oh, with his books, oh,
Such a weighty scholar was he!
Watch the full concert here: • Music of Divine Joy and Inspiration - Conc...
ABOUT ANANDA WORLDWIDE
Ananda is a worldwide movement to help individuals realize the joy of their own higher Self. Ananda is based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda and was founded by his direct disciple Swami Kriyananda in 1968. Learn more at https://ananda.org.
___
HOW TO STAY IN TOUCH
Subscribe to our YouTube channel: / anandaworldwide
Follow on Instagram: / anandaworldwide
Like on Facebook: / ananda.org
Follow on Pinterest: / anandasangha
If you have been touched in your own journey by Ananda and our videos please consider making a donation so that we, as a spiritual family, may all continue to reach and inspire souls everywhere: https://www.ananda.org/support/
Dive into Yogananda’s spiritual teachings with Ananda Online: https://www.ananda.org/online-classes/
Learn to meditate with Ananda Course in Meditation: https://www.ananda.org/meditation/med...
Download the FREE Ananda Meditation app and watch guided meditations https://www.ananda.org/meditation/app/
Visit the beautiful Ananda Meditation Retreat in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada: https://meditationretreat.org/
Visit "The Expanding Light", Ananda's guest retreat: https://www.expandinglight.org/
Find an Ananda near you: https://www.ananda.org/find-ananda
If you have been touched in your own journey by Ananda and our videos please consider making a donation so that we, as a spiritual family, may all continue to reach and inspire souls everywhere: https://www.ananda.org/support/
Информация по комментариям в разработке