Moment to Speak

The world is the Self's aberration away from itself, toward what it is not. This is what sage philosopher Swami Krishnananda asserts again and again. How can one become what one is not? It is logically an indefensible position; yet this is what happens. That is why they call it Maya —a kind of delusive operation, an illusion that is cast before us, an appearance of something that cannot happen at all. Yet, it still occurs in some inexplicable manner. The whole thing is a mystery. We refer to this mystery as Maya. This is what he says about the way of consciousness of the Purusha from its self. The essential nature becomes, Swami Krishnananda expounds, the more the Purusha (Cosmic Self, or pure consciousness) ramifies its rays towards objects or the forms of Prakriti (cosmic matter, insentient) externally, the less it remains as the Purusha and the more it appears to be the Prakriti , having imbibed the characteristics of Prakriti . Purusha becomes the Prakriti , as it were...

This phenomenal universe is not real, expounded by Swami Sivananda . It has a mere appearance, like a snake in the rope or silver in the mother-of-pearl. It has no independent existence. Therefore, there cannot be any Vijatiya Bheda (difference between members of different classes or kinds). Ātman is Brahmān . That, according to Adi Sankaracharya , clearly manifests itself in the states of wakefulness, dream, and profound sleep, which is inwardly perceived in the mind in various forms as an unbroken series of egoistic impressions, which witnesses the egoism, the Buddhi , etc., which are of diverse forms and modifications, and which makes itself felt as the Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute; know thou this Ātman , thy Self, within thy heart (Vivekchudamani, Verse 217).    Ātman is beyond words and definition, and to define it is to limit it. It is limitless, self-luminous, imperishable, eternal, and non-ascribable. Ātman, according to Swami Sivananda , can provisionally b...

Spiritual state is eternal. It is newer. processes of experience, consciousness, and realisation of Ātman as an integral aspect of Brahmān , Cosmic Self or Absolute Reality revealing through a newer sense of values in the infinity of the infinity dimension. Sage philosopher Swami Krishnananda provides a clear explanation of the spiritual nature of experiences. According to him, a spiritual state of experience is not a sudden emergence of an existing experience that gives way to an entirely new type of consciousness, but rather a newer interpretation and a newer reading of meaning in the existing experiences. It is often asserted that truth does not originate. Truth is not a future event that is yet to take place but an eternity revealing itself with a new sense of value. Reality is the Cosmic Self in the eternity of the infinity of the infinite dimension. It is not a futuristic event or experience that takes place on a future date; rather, it is an in-depth expression of the horizo...

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...