Is Understanding Reality Complicated?
What we see as complicated may be the easiest thing, while what we assume we understand well may be the most complicated.
The Canvas, the Painter and the Painting
Vedanta teaches that the underlying reality of the world (Jagat), the individual self (Jiva), and the personal God (Ishwara) is Brahman — pure consciousness. This concept can be better understood through a simple analogy. Consider a painting. A painting requires three elements: a canvas, paint, and a painter. Before any brushstrokes appear, the canvas alone […]
Stress
What Is Stress? Scientifically, stress is the body’s non-specific response to any demand for change. It involves a complex reaction to perceived threats or challenges. Why is there a perception of threat? There is certain level of comfort in one’s current state and the new situation or experience threatens that comfort as it demands a […]
Coming Home
The space called the true self, or Truth, is your real home
Viveka & Vairagya
Merely possessing all the knowledge about Vedanta available in the world is insufficient unless one puts in the effort to realise what Vedanta teaches. While knowledge is important, it serves only as a guide towards real experience. Realisation is experiential, and knowledge alone cannot lead to it. The Initial Steps: The recommended initial steps in […]
Creation
Vedanta philosophy offers a profound perspective on the concept of creation. According to Vedanta, the Nirguna and Nirakar Brahman, which represents pure consciousness without qualities or form, manifests as the universe we perceive. Pure consciousness, when influenced by Maya (the cosmic illusion or creative power), takes the form of Ishwara, the personal God. Ishwara is […]
Communication
The purpose of communication is to have someone do something that you want, or someone wants you to do something, and you respond. It could be something as simple as wanting someone to just listen to you. There is no need for communication otherwise. When there is no need to communicate, our natural state should […]
The Real Vs Unreal
Verse 16 of Chapter 2 is one of the most significant verses of the Bhagavad Gita — which condenses the essence of Advaita Vedanta, the way of knowledge, into a single profound truth. Let’s carefully unpack this in layers: नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः । उभयोरपि दृष्टोऽन्त स्त्वनयोस्तत्त्वदर्शिभिः ॥ २-१६॥ nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo […]
The Only Question
A seeker starts with many questions. The questions that bother him initially tend to dissolve by itself not because there are definite answers but because the limited mind is simply not equipped to comprehend them. In fact, pursuing such questions does not necessarily assist in the quest for truth, which is more of a living, […]
Freewill and Divine will
Freewill can be defined as the power or ability to make one’s own decisions about life, rather than being under the control of any external influence. This concept raises a fundamental question: do we genuinely possess freewill, or is everything preordained by destiny, with only divine will operating in our lives? When we identify ourselves […]