Moment to Speak

Reflections on life and the mind prompt a question, "Who am I?." "I-AM-WHAT-I-AM," an aphoristic statement by sage philosopher Swami Krishnananda . He says that the maxim is that our lives and minds, in some way or another, are caged or moulded by our bigoted ideas and prejudices. They are also tremendously conditioned by our worldviews, religion, customs, culture, and linguistic backgrounds into which we are born. All these have no connection with the truths of life. Usually, we do not want to know the truth as it is. As long as our individuality is pre-oriented into a specific family, culture, tradition, morality, and worldview, we cannot break free from this habit. Aspirants must insulate themselves from preconceived and prejudicial notions of life. They need to meditatively search the knowledge of Brāhman (Cosmic Self, or Absolute Existence) through Self-knowledge and realisation. They need to imbibe the virtues by exercising tremendous control over the mind ...

Reality is ultimate, Truth is one, Existence is Absolute and Brahmān or Cosmic Self is the cause of all causes and the sublime reality of all that is perceptible and imperceptible, visible and invisible actuality and experiences.  Brahmān is Satyam-Jñānam-Anantam Brahma , which means Truth-Knowledge-Infinity. This is an aphoristic statement by Taittirya Upaniṣad (2.1.1). Realisation of Brahmān is really nothing but identity with the Self of all. Because the attainment or non-attainment of Brahmān is contingent on Its realisation or non-realisation. Human beings encompass themselves in a psycho-physical framework. He forgets his sentient essence and moves toward the insentient dimension to satiate his psychophysical needs. Humans perpetually crave security in the present state of nature. He feels insecure about the world's potential for chameleon-like transformations, which could occur at any moment, dimension and  context. Latency and a feeling of insecurity are the pred...

The heart, or Antaḥkaraṇa , is the internal organ of a being. It is the Self, or soul; the seat of thought and feeling, thinking faculty, mind, and conscience of a being. In Vedānta, the word Antaḥkaraṇa , meaning heart, describes the four parts of our inner mind. These parts are Buddhi , which is our intellect; Manas , which is the part of the mind that wavers; Ahaṃkāra , which is our sense of self or “I-ness”; and Chitta , which holds our thoughts and memories. Antaḥkaraṇa , or the soul in all its senses, external and internal, the inner and outer of a being. It is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms Antara , or within, and Karaṇa , or organ, that causes. It is the internal and spiritual part of a being, the seat of thought and feeling—the mind, the heart, the conscience, and the soul. The Sanskrit dictionary defines it as a conscience. It is a cognitive process that elicits emotion and rational associations based on an individual's moral philosophy or value system. Co...

Transmigration is Ātman's (Self, or inner spirit) migrational journey from its existing abode, upon its death, to another. The migrational journey begins from one form to another after its death, invalidation, or demise. According to the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (3.2.1-3.2.9), death encompasses the Grahas (organs) and Atigrahas (objects), bound by physical and elemental things and attached to ignorance. We must achieve liberation from this relative existence of means and ends; hence, we are elucidating the nature of death, as it is the individual in bondage who requires emancipation. Although we have delineated the characteristics of an emancipated individual, their physical form and possessions remain bound by mortality. A liberated person remains subject to mortality through their physical organs and material possessions. Death manifested through organs and objects represents confinement, along with avenues for liberation from it. Bondage encompasses the entire spectrum of ...

Everything emanates from Self and dissolves into Self. It is because Self  is Brahmān , or the Cosmic Self, or the Absolute Existence, or the Absolute Reality. Sri Adi Shankaracharya bluntly proclaims,  " brahma satyam jaganmithyA jIvo brahmaiva nAparahanena vedyam sacchAstram iti vedAntaDiNDimah" ( Brahma Jnanavali Mala , 20). It signifies Brahmān is the true reality;  it is impossible to categorise the world of appearances as real or unreal; and the Jiva (individual self) and Brahmān (Cosmic Self) are non-different. The crucible of all our searches, reasoning, endeavours, and destinations is to realise the Self through Self knowledge. Self is self-same, self-luminous, self-existent, eternal, complete, full, and imperishable. The essence is to remain free forever from illusions, attachments, desires, lust, greed, ego, bondages, and all other limited adjuncts. Every being is born free and cherishes his freedom because it is his birthright. Reasoning is right when it e...

Contentment is steady and everlasting. It is to Ātman (inner self or spirit) as happiness is to mind. Contentment strives for "enough," while happiness strives for "more," ultimately leading to insatiation. It remains in a steady state of inward consciousness no matter the outward situation. The practitioner of contentment remains always in equilibrium irrespective of the situational opposites of distress and happiness, hot and cold, pleasure and pain, etc. The Srimad Bhagavad Gita (2.56) endorses this by stating that a sage of steady wisdom is someone whose mind remains calm in the face of adversity, who does not crave pleasure, and who is free of attachment, fear, and anger. Contentment is one of the highest achievements of human beings and what the scriptures have already scripted. It emphasises finding contentment in the present rather than striving for more.  Contentment basically means that "right here, right now, everything is perfect as it is, regardl...