Moment to Speak

Birth, growth, decay, death and rebirth are inevitable cycles that come one after the other in a cyclical process in the Samsara Chakra (wheel of birth and death) in the world of perishability. The conception of the world remains in the mental sense perceptual state in states of waking and dreaming, but in deep sleep state there is no perception of the world, as the senses remain inactive or in dormant state. However, in Turiya there are no states of consciousness but only non-dual pure Consciousness and realisation of Brahman, or  Supreme Self. It is an experience where the mind horizontally moves inward from the objective dimension to the subjective one to realise Atman , or Self; and vertically the consciousness level is elevated from the finite psycho-physical level of identification, transcending waking, dreaming and deep sleep to unattached and non-dual Atman , or Self, of Pure Consciousness, the infinity of infinitude. It is of Brahman , or Supreme Self, the witness to othe...

In the Upanishads, Akasha (space) and Kala (time) are not just manifest dimensions but perspicacious philosophical concerns entwined with the unmanifest one, Brahman , or Cosmic Self, or Absolute Existence. Space is the repository form of all of the phenomenal dimensions, the source of potential. The unmanifest is seen as eternal and infinite and the very fabric of consciousness, with time as movement within space, both ultimately transcended by the spaceless and timeless Atman (Self). Sage Yajnavalkya describes space as the void that surrounds all things. It is the emptiness that allows for movement and change. It is the source of all creation and the infinite potential from which all things arise. Time is the sequence of events that unfolds in the universe. It is the measure of change and movement. Time is the underlying reality that imparts order to the universe. It is the fabric of the cosmos. The movement of time is cyclical and non-linear, as it constantly repeats itself in a ...

We are sold by none to anyone, and yet we remain as if enslaved to the world; and knowing this well, we are spellbound to opulence, knowing fully well that the enjoyments in this quintessence of this world are misery, and yet we are foolishly caught in its thoughts, as if clogged in honey like bees, terse statements by Yoga-Vasistha (1.12.12-13). The world of opulence, remarks Yoga-Vasistha (1.13.1-7) is reckoned as a blessing here is the cause of our troubles and errors, as it begets only evils in them (followers, princess, and ignorants) by their various acts of profligacy, as good milk given to serpents serves but to increase the poignancy of their poison. Enslavement to the world isn't about literal servitude but about being bound by Avidya  (ignorance), Ahamkara (ego), and Kama (desire), leading to suffering and separation from Brahman , or Supreme Self, or Absolute Existence. This bondage manifests as attachment to material possessions, the senses, and the illusion of a sep...

The mind is something which is really nothing but does everything, a lucid definition by Swami Sivananda (Mind and Its Mysteries, by Swami Sivananda, Divine Life Society, Rishikesh). This is the mind, a piquancy difficult to decipher. He goes on to say that the mind is a bundle of thoughts, a collection of Samskaras (impressions), desires, feelings and ideas gathered from different objects. These collections of desires, feelings and ideas of mind are constantly rebranded and resuscitated, as often the objects of contact change.  The mind is indeed a thought-manufacturing machine that non-stop manufactures thoughts in a two-state, Jagrata (waking) as well as Svapna ( dreaming), dimensional process. Sage philosopher Swami Krishnananda (Disciplining the Mind, Swami Krishnananda, Divine Life Society) views the mind as the finitude of the finite. He maintains that finitude is the nature of the mind, but infinitude is its aim and objective. The finite has to rise from its limited existe...

Brahman (Cosmic Self, or Paramatman , or Absolute Existence) is complete and full in every respect and beyond, according to the invocatory verse of Ishavasya Upanishad . Brahman is beyond the comprehension, imagination and purview of any finite being, as He is the infinite of infinitude. He is the origin, expansion, contraction, and culmination of all that is manifest and unmanifest. Everything is in relation to Him; there is nothing beyond and outside of Him. He is the Supreme Divine Personality, the Supreme Abode, the Supreme Purifier, the Eternal God, the Primal Being, the Unborn, and the Greatest (Śrimad Bhagavad Gita, 10.12-13). Sri Krishna in Śrimad Bhagavad Gita (10.2) articulates that neither gods nor the great sages know of My origin. I am the source from which the gods and great seers come. The same Bhagavad Gita (Chapters 9 and 10) pronounces that He is the origin of all creation. Everything proceeds from Him only. The progenitor of mankind, the seven great Sages, the four ...

The state of insensibility, or unawareness, refers to the state of deep sleep (Sushupti) , characterised by an absence of sensory or mental activity, or a highly advanced state of spiritual detachment (Samadhi) . The Vedantic tradition essentially makes a distinction between the transcendental consciousness of the liberated sage, which is a state of profound, tranquil, and detached awareness, and the unconscious state of insensibility, which is a type of ignorance. In this tradition, the term "insensibility", or "unawareness", refers to either a highly developed state of spiritual detachment (Samadhi) or deep sleep (Sushupti) , which is characterised by a lack of mental or sensory activity. It includes Sushupti , a state in which the mind becomes dormant and submerged in unconsciousness. Second, it describes a condition that is frequently connected to deep sleep or trance, in which the mind is oblivious to outside objects. Because it resembles the distractions brou...

The Self, or Atman , is an essence of Universal Consciousness. It is also Paramatman, Brahman , or the Supreme Self.  According to Kaushitaki Upanishad (1.2), during the conversations between Sage Aruni and his son Svetaketu with King Chitra Gargyayani, "I am You" denotes "I" because " Atman " is the same as " Paramatman ". The Upanishad expresses the Vedantic idea of Atman, or Self, and Brahman , Supreme Self, being one. The route to Brahman serves as the scene. After leaving the phenomenal frame in the worldly dimension, Atman , or Self, travels to the moon, where it may either continue its journey to higher elevations of consciousness up to the highest level of Consciousness, or Brahman , or be reborn in this world, according to Kaushitaki Upanishad (1.2). As one becomes more detached from the sense-perceived attachments of the phenomenal world, there is an increase in the ability to recognise Oneness, as expressed in various texts: "I a...