Moment to Speak

Brahma Satyam jagan-mithya , an assertion by Adi Shankaracharya to the declaration of "There are no others" by Sage Ramana Maharshi profoundly enunciates the non-duality of existence, reality, and truth. There are no second but only one. The subject and objects are one only. The entire cosmos is a projection or manifestation of Brahmān , the Absolute Existence or the Cosmic Self. Paramaguru Gaudapadacharya, Adi Shankaracharya, Sage Ramana Maharshi, Swami Vivekananda, and Swami Sivananda, among others, are the leading lights of non-duality. They advocate that Brahman is Real and the rest are illusions. The doctrine of Ajativada (no change), propounded by Gaudapadacharya (Parama Guru according to Adi Shankaracharya) in his Karika (commentary) states that this world does not exist in the past, present, or future. Brahmān ( Cosmic Self, or Absolute Existence) is not subject to being and becoming, nor to birth, change, and decay. This world is a mere collection of Samskaras cr...

The person is a consciousness centre labelled by imperfections such as limitation, birth, growth, change, decay, and death. Sage philosopher Swami Krishnananda lucidly states that thought is the objectified form of awareness. The higher the objectification, the denser the ignorance, and the more aggravating the suffering. Truth does not shine as brightly as it might because of the inner instruments, the obstructing psychological changes. Crossing the barrier of these restricting adjuncts appears to lead to a larger reality, better freedom, and a more fulfilling life. Every being has a shared desire-impulse to exist indefinitely, to know everything, to dominate everything, and to experience the greatest bliss. Despite individualised appetites that may attempt to hinder it, sage philosopher Swami Krishnananda underlines that every form of cogitation flows, propelled by an undetectable power that progresses towards the recognition of the indivisibility of existence and the discovery o...

The manifestation of the universe is a projection of Brahmān , or Cosmic Self, the Absolute Existence. Creation is nothing but the projection of the externality of something as part of the cosmic will of Cosmic Being, the Subject. Something is a thing, or an object, i.e., the creation of the universe, is not the manufacture of a new thing but a manifestation from a state of unmanifestation. It manifests out of Brahmān , the Cosmic Self and the all inclusiveness of subjects and objects as Absolute Existence. The word ' Brahmān ,' according to sage philosopher Swami Krishnananda , is derived from the Sanskrit root ' brhm ', which means to expand, be comprehensive, include, or be flawlessly. He refers to it as bhuma , the All-inclusive Absolute, or Plenum, which includes everything. He goes on to say that it is inappropriate to call Brahmān creates the universe because Brahmān is eternity, complete, indefinable, infinite, perfect existence par excellence. It has no nec...