LIFE AND LIVING

LIFE AND LIVING EXIST TOGETHER SO LONG AS LIFE WILLS IT SO.

THERE IS NO LIVING WITHOUT LIFE. EVEN WHEN LIVING IS DISSOLVED LIFE
REMAINS.

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LIFE AND LIVING CAN BE UNDERSTOOD ONLY BY
REALIZING THE ABSOLUTE HIDDEN IN THAT RELATIONSHIP.

LIFE IS EXISTENCE; LIVING IS SENSE OF EXISTENCE.

LIFE IS PURUSHA; LIVING IS PRAKRITHI.

LIFE IS SHIVA; LIVING IS SAKTHI.

LIFE IS AKSHARA; LIVING IS KSHARA.

LIFE IS KSHETRAGNA; LIVING IS KSHETRA.

LIFE IS 'I - CONSCIOUSNESS'; LIVING IS 'I AM' THE APPEARANCE.

LIFE IS SIMILAR TO OCEAN; LIVING IS SIMILAR TO WAVES.

LIFE IS ATMAN; LIVING IS MIND.

LIFE IS SIMILAR TO DANCER; LIVING IS DANCING.

LIFE IS NO-PHENOMENA; LIVING IS PHENOMENA.

LIFE IS PARAMARTHIKAM; LIVING IS VYAVAHARIKOM.

LIFE IS SATYAM; LIVING IS DHARMA.

LIFE IS DIVINE TRUTH; LIVING IS COSMIC TRUTH.

LIFE IS PARA; LIVING IS PASYANTHY.

LIFE IS SIMILAR TO LIGHT; LIVING IS DAY-LIGHT.

LIFE IS KNOWER; LIVING IS DOER.

LIFE IS 'BEEJA JAGRAT; LIVING IS JAGRAT.

LIFE IS SUBJECT; LIVING IS OBJECT.

LIFE IS ISHWARA; LIVING IS MAYA.

LIFE IS AVYAKTHA; LIVING IS VYAKTHA.

LIFE IS ATHISHTANAM; LIVING IS ABHASAM.

LIFE IS SUBSTRATUM; LIVING IS APPEARANCE.

LIFE IS BEYOND CONCEPTS; LIVING IS PROJECTING CONCEPTS.

LIFE IS SWAROOPHA; LIVING IS SWABHAVA.

BHAVAM, ANUBHAVAM, ANUBHOOTHY.

BHAVAM IS IMAGINATION; ANUBHAVAM IS EXPERIENCE AND ANUBHOOTHY IS CONTEMPLATIVE AWARENESS.

After acquiring extensive and intensive knowledge (gnanam and vignanam) about the reality vis-a-vis appearance - Life & Living, an individual constantly imagines Life in every activity and relegates Living to the background. This is similar to imagining water in every wave. Although living aspect only comes to the forefront with name and form and time and space, one should remember that it is LIFE which projects as Living. LIFE is Brahman, Life is Consciousness, Life is Atman, Life is the Base (Aadharam). Thus 'Bhavam' is 'imagining' and 'remembering'. After acquiring Gnanam and Vignanam, 'bhava adwaitham' is the initial step in the spiritual progress.

Next to "bhavam' is 'anubhavam'i.e. experience. The imagination shall fructify into 'Experience' throughout the 'living'. At this stage of Anubhava Adwaitham the individual experiences Happiness outliving pleasure and enjoyment. While in 'bhava adwaitham' Happiness is imagined, in 'Anubhava adwaitham' Happiness is experienced. At this stage, the individual is blessed with Equanimity of Vision - Sama darshanam. In his living there is no conflicting concept nor he is a slave to emotions. He attains the stage of "Samgnanam" above gnanam and vignanam.

Enjoyment and Pleasure are connected to senses, mind and intellect, and are reflection and deflection in the "Living" field, whereas Happiness is the expression of Life in Living.

Next to "bhavam' and 'anubhavam' is "Anubhoothy". This is 'Contemplative Awareness' above the stages of imagination and experience. In Contemplative Awareness, PEACE shines. This Peace is Life, Consciousness, Shanti, Atman and Brahman. This is beyond imagination and experience. This is beyond pleasure, enjoyment and Happiness.

From birth to death, we breathe in Life - Peace, and breath out Living - Happiness. One should not allow Happiness to be covered by likes and dilikes (two faces of Enjoyment) and pleasure and pain. While Happiness, in its true spirit, expresses Universal Love and Yagna spirit, enjoyment and pleasure are shadows shadowing Happiness. Ultimately, PEACE (SHANTI) is the Absolute Truth, Happiness is the relative truth and likes/dislikes, pleasure/pain are illusory and deceptive truth.

In Bhavam, Happiness is imagined, in Anubhavam, Happiness is experienced and in Anubhoothy, PEACE prevails. It is PEACE that alone expresses as Happiness, reflects as Enjoyment and deflects as Pleasure. PEACE is the BASE (Aadharam), Happiness is the substratum (Athistanam) and Enjoyment and Pleasure are reflections and deflections with dual and conflicting Concepts and Emotions.

A THOUGHT ON THOUGHTS

All our observations and our reactions in Life/Living, relate to Emotions or Concepts, in one way or other. Emotions and Concepts invariably present themselves in duality or in conflict. This dual and conflicting nature of emotions and concepts are only apparent. As we think deep into it, we shall realize that the source of Concepts and Emotions is "Thought".

Thoughts arise from perceptions which in turn emanate from a 'sense of Existence'. In deep sleep there is no 'sense of Existence' no perception; no thoughts; hence no concept and no emotion.

Still deeper, we shall realize that the 'sense of Existence' has its origin in "EXISTENCE".

A baby in its mother's womb, has no sense of existence, but all the same, it has Existence. The journey of Life has already started for the baby, in its mother's womb. As the baby comes out, it expresses a 'sense of existence'. Perceptions enter into it, thoughts arise and concepts and emotions follow.

Why is it that each one entertains different thoughts over one and the same situation? It is so because of the "Vasanas" with which each individual is shaped. Certain individuals derive pleasure/pain, certain others derive Enjoymwnt - likes/dislikes, and a few others experience happiness, according to the make-up of each group, based on "Vasanas".

The perceptions, vasanas and thoughts jointly and severally determine the reactions in each individual, over one and the same situation. Reactions, as already mentioned, are either pleasure/pain, enjoyment - likes/dislikes or happiness.

The highest stage in the 'sense of Existence' is "Happiness" in its pure sense. and this happens when the individual developes an ATTITUDE of "Acceptance" with a vision of "Equanimity". This Happiness only dissipates as Enjoyment (likes/dislikes) or pleasure/pain. Thr ATTITUDE is based on Gunas with which one is moulded. Thus Vasanas and Gunas are the two factors in our living - Vasanas determine the Events, and Gunas determine the Attitude i.e., how an individual reacts to the event. While Vasanas influence the karma and desire, Gunas shape the character and attitude of the individual to face the events.

Vasanas are well determined and come out as Prarabdham. Man has no escape from it. Gunas, on the contrary, have scope for improvement with the individual's effort. Effort is another name for Divine Grace acting through the individual as effort. All the same, it should be remembered that both vasanas and gunas form part of Prakrithy which is a reflection of Purusha. While Purusha is the Witness, Prakrithy is the doer. While Purusha is Kshetagna, Prakrithy is Kshetra. While Purusha is Life, Prakrithy is 'Living'. While Purusha is "I" Consciousness, Prakrithy is "I AM" bringing out thoughts. Purusha is Existence and Prakrithy is 'Sense of Existence'.

The knot of mind can be untied with the effort of Mind (with Divine Grace) "Mana Eva Manushyanam Karanam Bandha mokshayo". All our so-called efforts (Diivine Grace) can shape our attitude towards events in our living; but events determined by vasanas cannot be altered. The very appearance of a baby in mother's womb has the desire and karma of the parenta as directed by vasanas, behind, and the same is under the control of Prakrithy.

The attitude of an individual - say with thamasic and rajasic gunas dominent, can be shifted and lifted to Satwik character through Effort (Divine Grace). A Witness is blessed with Satwik character - a vision of Equanimity. One should have trust (beyond mere faith and belief) that it is Divine Grace that reflects as individual's Free Will/Effort. This Free Will act in each individual, in the form of 'intellectual understanding' and 'Wisdom Knowledge'.

One pill remedy for the ever wavering mind (wavering thoughts) is "Fill the Mind with God-Thought. Satwik guna shall enter; an equilibrium of gunas would prevail to face all events and to do all karmas, with an Equanimity of Mind. This is Yoga - Samatwam Yoga Uchyathe - as said in Bhagavad Geetha.

PRAGNANAM BRAHMAN

Agnanam is the first off-shoot of Brahman. Becausse we are in agnanam, we cannot know why there is agnanam. Within the field of agnanam we analyse samashti, vyashti, vidya, avidya, maya, mitya, 'bramam', Gnanam, Vignanam, Samgnanam etc.

Samashti agnanam is macrocosmic whereas vyashti agnanam is microcosmic. The former relates to cosmos and the latter relates to the 'individual. From Agnanam there arises a sprout 'Maya'. Maya constitutes three gunas viz Satva, Rajas and Thamas. Pure satva relates to God and malina satva relates to Kudasta (Pratyagatma). Pure Satva is 'vidya roopini' and malina satva is avidya roopini.Thus Maya has two faces viz Vidya and Avidya. Maya as Vidyaroopini is God (both Shiva and Sakthy). Maya with the Avidya-face is the cause for mitya (illusion) and bramam (delusion).

As above mentioned, Maya in samashti agnanam is vidyaroopini and it entertains Concepts without conflict. Maya in vyashti agnanam is avidyaroopini and it views concepts in conflict resulting in mitya (illusion) and bramam (delusion). To put it in other words, "I AM" is samashti agnanam entertaining concepts without conflict. "I AM THE INDIVIDUAL" is vyashti agnanam - avidya roopini viewing concepts in conflict. " I AM THE DOER AND ENJOYER" is Ego personality under 'bramam' (delusion) causing emotional conflicts. Thus vidya roopini has a unified vision of concepts, and avidya views the concepts as if they are contradictory and conflicting. Maya as vidya roopini has only vikshepam - projection of concepts, whereas Maya as avidya has both avaranam and vikshepam . Because of the avaranam, the projection gets dissipated and appears as if in conflict. Mere concepts are 'yadharthiyam' and concepts projected in duality and contradiction are 'sankalpams'. To understand differently, Concepts without duality are 'yadharthiyam' and concepts in dual appearance (illusion) are 'sankalpams'. These 'sankalpams added with ego, are the cause for 'bramam' - delusion. Thus concepts are the appearance, concepts in duality are illusions, and reaction of the ego mind to conflicting concepts, is delusion. In the popular analogy of 'rope and serpant', the rope - yadarthiyam - itself is a concept, the serpant is an illusion and the fear entertained by the mind is a delusion.

Further analysis of Vidya-Maya brings in the concept of Gnanam, Vignanam and Samgnanam. Gnanam and Vignanam together form Apara Vidya; and Samgnanam is 'Para Vidya'. While Gnana and Vignana relate to concepts in duality and emotions thereto, Samgnanam relates to a unified vision of concepts (equanimity' 'samatwam' 'yoga') devoid of emotions. Samgnanam is above illusion (mitya) and delusion (bramam). Samgnanam is the last step to cross over 'Agnanam' and to be with Pragnanam. The mahavakya "Pragnanam Brahman" becomes reality when one crosses over avidya (mitya and bramam) and vidya (gnana and vignana i.e. extensive and intensive knowledge of apparent dual concepts). Both vidya and avidya are erased when one attains 'samgnanam). There is a saying "Avidyamanthare varthamana swayam dheera panditham manyamana; danthrabhyamana pariyanthimooda; anthenaiva neeyamana yadantha" (Fools steeped in ignorance, wise in their own conceit and regarding themselves as learned go about staggering like blind men led by the blind - kadopanishad)

HAPPINESS, ENJOYMENT AND PLEASURE

There is already another post "Peace and Happiness", This post is an addition to it. As already discussed Pleasure is that of the senses and mind. Pleasure has another side Pain hidden in it. Similarly "Enjoyment" is that of the senses, intellect and mind. This has also another side of repulsion, hatred and dislike. Happiness is that of the "inner Self" witnessing the functioning of senses, intellect and mind. To put it precisely, Pleasure is at the gross level (emotional level); Enjoyment is at the subtle level (conceptual level); Happiness is at the subtler level (equanimity of vision, viewing harmony between apparently conflicting emotions and concepts). This is the highest stage in the sense of existence i.e. "I AM". This is otherwise known as 'Witness stage'. PEACE is the subtlest- not an experience as in the other three levels. There are no emotions and no concepts; devoid of mind, senses and intellect, and beyond the witness stage. PEACE represents "Paramatma", HAPPINESS represents "Antharatma"; Enjoyment and Pleasure represents the sensual and intellectual level. All represent one and the same Truth - an Adwaithic Truth. This journey from Pleasure to Enjoyment, from Enjoyment to Happiness and Happiness to Peace is possible only through "Divine Grace" expressed in human effort. Pleasure and Enjoymwnt are influenced by gunas in one way or other, whereas Happiness stands aloof, and at that stage, gunas remain in a state of equilibrium. PEACE is the ultimate and is above all the states and gunas. In this context, two slokas of B.Geetha may be recollected: "Sama-duhkha-sukhah svasthah sama-lostasamakanchana; tulya-priyapriyo dhiras tulya-nindatma-samstutih"; "Udddhared atmamatmanam atmanam avasadayet; atmaiva hyatmano bandhur atmaiva ripur atmanah." To my humble understanding, in the first sloka, sukha and dukka represent pleasure, pain (emotional aspects) priya-apriya represent Enjoyment - likes and dislikes (conceptual aspects) lostasmakanchana relates to 'possession-abhimanam, and ninda-stuthy relates to ahamkaram (ego self); All the four represent, manas, buddhy, ahanthai and mamathai. The second sloka emphasises the truth that only through 'Divine Grace', expressed as 'earnestness', the lower Self (I AM) gets absorbed in higher Self ("I"). "I AM" joining its source "I".

ETHICS AND RELIGION

Ethics is Character. When practiced it becomes conduct. Ethics is closely related to Religion. Religion often becomes emotional whereas ethics stand on reason. The conduct of a truly religious person is cent percent ethical. Religion without ethics is a blind religion with blind faith. Both religion and ethics go hand in hand. There is no question of one preceding the other. Ethics cannot replace religion. An ethical person without religious faith tend to develop ego. When connected with religion, ethical life gets a different dimension. Ego is replaced by Godliness. Man alone is blessed with a Will. He has to utilize the same to correct and regulate his birth tendencies. This Will is absent in other species. They simply lead a life of instinct and impulse.

Yama and Niyama of Ashtanga Yoga and Shad-sampatthy of Vedanta lead one to ethical life. Abstaining from violence, falsehood, theft, sexual immorality and avarice are known as Yama. Purity, serenity, austerity, Tatva-vichara, and worship of God are known as Niyama. Similarly shad-sampatthy are chamam, dhamam, uparathy, titiksha, sraddha and samadhanam (self-control of inner and outer organs, minimizing actions, endurance, trust in God and attentiveness)


In the Bhagavad Geetha karma is classified under three gunas viz. satwa, rajas and thamas. Satvic actions are recommended by Geetha. Some of the satwik qualities recommended in Geetha are: Free from malice, friendliness, compassion, free from egoism, contentment, absence of pride, freedom from hypocrisy, non-violence, forgiveness, straightforwardness, purity of mind and body, fearlessness, charity, non-violence, truthfulness, geniality of speech, absence of anger even on provocation, refraining from malicious gossip, kindness to all existence, sense of shame in doing things not sanctioned by scriptures, abstaining from idle pursuits, sublimity, forgiveness and fortitude.

Arjuna’s varna dharma dictates that as a kshatriya it is his duty to fight the war. At the same time, ethics passes moral judgment that non-violence, forgiveness etc would be violated in war. In the circumstances, Sri Krishna had to advice the highest Truth which absorbs both dharma and adharma.

A situation had arisen where war was inevitable. The war was as per Nature’s (Prakrity) mode and was beyond the control of an individual like Arjuna. Sri Krishna advices him to act keeping in mind the highest Truth and to be conscious of his real swaroopa i.eAtma,and to act as a mere instrument in the play of Prakrithy, and not entertaining the idea of a ‘doer’. Here, ethics and dharma have been revalued and synthesized in the highest Truth i.e. Param. In the normal course, when one is forced to act against ethical value, his conscience would be pricked in the absence of a highter knowledge – Wisdom Knowledge about the highest Truth. The situation of Arjuna is a typical example and Sri Krishna had to teach him the Wisdom-knowledge.


Worship, prayer, observance of religious rites, reading scriptures etc., are enjoined in religion which are absent in pure ethical life. As already observed , ethics and religion should go hand in hand to enrich each other. When ethics is connected to religion it becomes a moral law. The supreme Truth is above all these moral laws. Morality in its true sense is the outcome of internal feeling and not influenced by external conduct or forms.


In Vedanta there are terms like Param, Satyam, Rhythm, dharmam, acharam. Acharam denotes customs which differ from group to group, place to place and they are bound to change from time to time. Dharma is those karmas prescribed by Vedas to regulate the karmas in a rhythmic way. When rhythm is applied to the karmas of men, it is known by the name dharma. Rhythm denotes the rhythmic functioning of the universe (of elements which bring borth seasonal changes etc) Satyam is above all these – acharams, rhythm and dharma. Satyam is another term for God, Consciousness, Parameswara, Existence etc. There is no duality in it. There is something beyond Satyam which is beyond our comprehension and is inconceivable.That is the Supreme Absolute known by different names such as Brahman, Awareness, Akanda bhodam etc. ThisSupreme Absolute is the base i.e. mooladharam and satyam is the athishtanam and on that satyam the phenomena with the rhythm, moral law and acharam exist.



Jainism enumerates dharma as a safeguard for jeeva not to get entangled in karma. Forgiveness, sweetness, simplicity, cleanliness, truth, self-control, penance, sacrifice, indifference to mundane matters, celibacy – these are the dharma enumerated in Jainism. Similarly Buddhism prescribed eight-fold path i.e. the middle path as a way for Enlightenment. Right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration are the eight-fold path.

M I N D

Mind is a peculiar instrument subjected to study by the eastern as well as the western psychologists. There are a number of books on the subject such as "How to control the mind?" "How to outlive the mind? etc. Vedantins consider the mind as one of the four constituents of "anthakaranam". The other three are 'chittam' 'buddhy' and 'ahamkara'. Chittam is the storehouse of vasanas - impressions -total sum-up of the past lives. Buddhy, as we generally understand, is the discretionary power and its function is to analyse the thoughts transferred from the mind. The function of the mind is similar to a transmitter and receiver. Impressions (vasanas) from the chittam enter the mind as thoughts which are transferred to buddhy for analysis and as commanded by buddhy actions take place. So also impressions gathered from outside world are comverted as thoughts in the mind and trasferred through buddhy to chittam to store as vasanas. The mind is thus a continuous flow of thoughts caused both from inside impressions (vasanas) and outside impressions. It acts with two faces like Janus.


Mind transfers thoughts thus gathered from inside and outside to the buddhy for analysis. Buddhy, as such, is pure like a ray of light and it reflects consciousness (bodham) in the pure form. We have analysed what is mind, what is chittam and what is buddhy.. Let us examine the fourth factor viz., ahamkaram later. Before that, the above mentioned "Consciousness' has to be analysed. Consciousness is the first outburst of the Supreme known by the names Brahman, Truth Absolute, Noumenon etc. Consciousness being the first expression of that Supreme, brings out "I". This "I" is neither male nor female, neither denotes a particular individual, nor has a form, nor with a name, nor touched by time and space, nor has cause and effect. Vedantins personify this "I" the first expression, as all pervading 'bodham', Iswara, Witness, Consciousness etc.The 'light' of this Consciousness reflects in the individual as 'atman' which lights up buddhy and spreads the light to other instruments - gnanendriyas, karmendriyas and other constituents of anthakaranam. The consciousness is felt in the prana as well explicitly.


Now coming back to 'anthakaranam' we have to examine the fourth factor viz., 'ahamkara'. In tamil it is called 'anavam'. Some scholars have interpreted that the name 'anavam' has originated from the word 'anu' - atom. This 'ahamkara' has three important factors i.e. 'I', "I am" and 'mine' . This 'I' of the ahamkaram should not be confused with the "I" discussed earlier as the first expression of the Supreme.. The 'I" of the ahamkaram - we may name it as 'phantom I' is the feeling of individuality which expresses as 'Iam" (attaching to the individual body with name and form) and 'mine' such as 'this is my family', this is my possession' a kind of abhimanam. So, the phantom I with the off-shoots of 'I am' and "mine' is collectively known as 'ahamkara' and this is the mischief maker in every individual. We may wonder whether this phantom I can be eliminated.


To put it in simple language, let us take the example of the Ocean. Water expresses as Ocean and ocean brings forth waves. The individual wave represent the ego and the waves collectively represent the Cosmic Ego. Virat Purusha as we see in 'Purusha Suktham" is the secondary creation of Purusha (Purusha being the primary creation i.e. the first expression of Brahman.). The said Sukthan beautifully brings out the process of creation. Purusha manifested Himself as Virat and also manifested Himself as five elements. He let Himself be sacrificed by rhe devas (centers of Power in the body of Purusha) to bring out the secondary creation. From the mind , emerged moon out of eyes emerged sun. Indra and Agni emanated from his face and mouth , etc.


Again, reverting to our topic anthakaranam with particular emphasis on 'mind' let us examine how this phantom I works in each individual? what is its origin? How it influences the buddhy and mind? and How to do away with it? It is next to impossible to explain "why the phantom I - ego?" we can at best examine how it works and in what way it harms an individual's peace ? how it perpetuates and how to eliminate it?


It is next to impossible to explain "why the ego" This is similar to the situation of a man standing in darkness and asking why this darkness. When once he comes out of the darkmess there is no more darkness to him and the question becomes superfluous. When we go nearer to the desert, the mirage disappears; when we get the understanding of the 'rope', the snake superimposed on it disappears. The ego in us is a superimposition. Once the understanding of our real swaroopa dawns in us, there is no more ego.


When the thoughts are transmitted to buddhy , the latter could take correct decision if only it is devoid of the influence of ego. Ego colours the buddhy and in such a situatioin the decisions are biased and such biased thoughts bring out activitiy and not action. In a thoughtless mind, ego subsides, buddhy shines in its full glory, mind has no work, chittam for the time being sleeps. If only we could extend this thoughtless state and attain fulfilment it is great indeed. Unfortunately we are bound by our thoughts and as a result we have been experiensing pleasure and pain. Admittedly the mind will be still in a thoughtless state. Practically it is impossible except for a short period during meditation . Meditation is good; but the question is on what we should meditate eliminating all other thoughts and retaining one thought! Here again ego would interfere and remind "I am meditating"!

As an alternative, one could lift himself up to the Witness stage from where the functioning of the mind, buddhy and chittam could be watched as a detached observer. Probably Jiddu Krishnamoorthy"s master key "Passive Awareness" denotes this witness stage. As already discussed 'witness is another name for Consciousness, Iswara and bodham. We have necessarily to live through prarabdham and we have no control over the events caused by that. From the Witness stage, the thoughts can be watched, the events can be watched the functioning of the buddhy can be watched. In this stage, the chittam, mind and buddhy act as instruments and actions take place; but the ego - phantom I is replaced by Real I the witness. Actions take the shape of spontaneous action and not activity with the attached attraction and repulsion. The latter take place when ego reigns, and the former is guided by the light of Consciousness which stands as a witness.


Mind becomes a cause for bondage and sorrow when it is camouflaged with ego. Mind turns out to be a mere instrument when it is freed from ego. "Mana eva manushyanam karanam bandha mokshayo"

S A T Y A M

The term Satyam is generally used to mean truth, and the opposite of truth, as we all know, is falsehood. But Satyam has a deeper meaning. The term Satyam has come from SAT i.e. Existence. There is a popular saying “Ekam Sat, Vipra bahudha vadhanthy”. Satyam is described as Sat-Chit-Anandam. This Sat-chit-anandam is the substratum on which the phenomena gets expression as a mere appearance. This substratum has a base which is beyond our comprehensioin and concepts. However we name the same as “Brahman”. This Brahman is the adharam (base) and Sat is the athistanam and the phenomenal appearance is prathibhasam.It should not be misunderstood that adharam, athishtanam and prathibhasam are staked one above the other. By an analogy it can be understood more clearly. In the Ocean, water is the adharam, ocean is athishtanam, and waves are prathibhasam. Ultimately everything is water. Adharam, athishtanam and prathibhasam are to be understood that way.


Among the seven lokas viz. Bhu, Bhuva, Swah, Maha, Jana, Tapa and Satya, as we see, the Satya loka is placed on the top of the other six lokas. Similarly among the yugas viz. Kritha yuga (also known as satya yuga), tretayuga, dwapara yuga and kali yuga, the satya yuga stand on the top. It is believed that the moral standard was cent-percent perfect in the period of satya yuga and it gradually deteriorated in the subsequent yugas. Thus, in the present kali yuga where we live in, the moral standard is only 25 percent! The popular sloka “dharma samsthapanartham”is to mean that to restore dharma, the Supreme comes in the form of archavatharam,whom we worship as God.


Truth-falsehood, good-bad, virtue-vice – all these dual aspects appear and relevant in the moral field of phenomena; but in the non-phenomena sphere there is no duality. All the apparent opposites dissolve in Satyam which is the athishtanam for the phenomena. This understanding does not give sanction to behave bad and practice vice. The positive qualities such as truth, goodness and virtue and all positive qualities influenced by satwa guna should necessarily be practiced since they are closer to Satyam and they would ultimately lead us to Satyam. A man walking in the opposite direction of lighted lamp is afraid of his own shadow cast in front whereas when he walks towards the light, the shadow hides behind and ultimately there is no more shadow as he becomes one with the light. The path of dharma is the path towards light and the path of adharma is the path in the opposite direction. The popular sloka “sarva-dharman parityagna expresses this truth of outliving both dharma and adharma.


“Satyam-sivam-sundaram” and “satyam-gnanam-anandam-brahma” are upa-vyakyanam to Sat-Chit-Ananda, the primary expression of the Noumena. The worshippers of Sakthy personify the Supreme Truth as Parasakthy and according to them. Parasakthy expresses as Adhi-sakthy which in turn expresses as Icha-Kriya-Gnana sakthies to bring forth the phenomena. Adhisakthy is Mahamaya and Icha-Kriya-Gnana sakthies together is jagan-maya. Saiva siddhanthies – worshipper of Shiva as supreme believe that Paramashiva is the supreme and Parasakthy is the power in Him. Vedantins describe “sa eva satyam Brahma-swaroopam”. Further they being in Pranava OM and exclaim “OM tatatma, OM tatsatyam OM tat sarvam. In another place they describe “satyam param paragu, satyahum satyena” – Satyam is the Para-tatwam.


To sum up: Brahmam is the Supreme beyond our comprehension and Satyam is the first expression . Dharma, Upasana, Pooja, Yagnam etc., are subordinate to Satyam and are relevant in the vyavaharic field whereas Satyam is the paramarthik Truth.
whom we worship as God.

A V A S T H A T H R A Y A M

The term "Avasthathrayam" means three 'avasthas' commonly used in the vedantic texts to indicate three stages viz Jagrat, Swapna and Susuhpthy (waking, dream and deep sleep stages). Each stage is apparently distinct. There is continuity for the experience in the waking stage, and also we can express the experience even while we are in that stage. This is not possible in the other two stages. Only after coming to the waking stage we could express the experience of the dream and also about the deep sleep.


In the waking stage all the indriyas - karmendriyas as well as gnanendriyas, anthakarana and prana, are active. Thoughts arise in the mind, intellect analyse the thoughts, and indriyas act as per command from the mind/intellect. In the dream stage, the intellect and the indriyas sleep and only the mind and the prana are active. In the absence of the intellect, the thoughts arising in the mind in the dream stage, have no cogency. They resemble an echo of the waking experience. Echo cannot be deciphered. The dream-thoughts have no clarity. In the deep sleep stage, neither the intellect, nor the mind, nor the indriyas are active. Only the prana does its function. Thoughts are dormant in the chittam. This is a stage when 'atman' is said to be dormant covered by ignorance (agnanam) and there wont be any vikshepam. In samashty (in the collective sense) this deep sleep stage is connected to Iswara without vikshepam - a stage of Yoga-nidra of Iswara..


We do not recollect all the dream thoughts when we wake up. Mind cannot record any of the thoughts without the help of the intellect. The intellect, as already discussed, sleeps in the dream stage and slowly waking up when we awake from the dream stage to the waking. A lunatic has no control over the thoughts . He expresses them as they come in the mind and act that way without any cogency. In our dreams we are more or less lunatics. Dreams have no meaning, no cogency. Luckily, indriyas sleep in the dream and therefore, no outward action comes as a result of the lunatic thoughts.


In the waking stage also we dream. Further not all thoughts come out as action. Day-dreaming i.e. jagrat-swapna is one of the seven steps in the Agnana-bhoomi. In the dream, sometimes, we dream as if we are awake and we take active part in the dream. This is known as swapna-jagrat, another step in the agnana bhoomi. The seven steps of the agnana bhoomi are : Beeja-jagrat, jagrat, Maha-jagrat, jagrat-swapna, swapna; swapna-jagrat and sushupthy. Correspondingly there are seven gnana-boomi namely 'subecha; vichara, asanga bhavana; vilapini (vasanas submerging), satwapatthy (bhodananda bhava), pathartha bhavna (experiencing ananda;) and turiya (mukthy).


In ancient times, rishies have thought over all these stages and analysed them in detail. They have al;so declared that proper understanding of the different avasthas and the base on which these avasthas appear , would change our perspective and bring us nearer to Truth. The pleasure and pain we have been experiencing during the three stages would be replaced by Bliss which is real nature of that Base - the supreme Truth.


One of the Upanishads namely "Mandukya upanishad" exclusively discuss these stages connecting the same with the Pranava "OM" and the devas for each of the stage Viswan &Vaiswanaran; taijasan,& Hiranyagarbhan; Pragnan,& Iswaran, - these three pairs are connected to waking, dream and deep sleep respectively. The first one in each of the pair s vyashti and the second one represents samashty. For e.g. Iswara is samashty bhavam connected to deep sleep. It would only mean that Consciousness - bhodam is dormant in deep sleep and Iswara without vikshepam is God in yoga-nidra stage. The three sylable of the Pranava 'OM' i.e."A", "U", and "M" and the non-sylable following that respectively represent Jagrat, dream, deep sleep and Consciousness in its total expression. The Consciousness in its total expression is the fourth stage (not actually a stage) known by the name "Tureeyam"While describing this fourth stage Tureeyam, it is declared "That which does not cognise (i.e. confined to) internal or external objects, which is not a mass of cognition (like matter) which is neither cognitive nor non-cognitive, that which cannot be seen, which has no occupation, whichn cannot be grasped, which has no distinctive marks, which cannot be thought of , which cannot be designated by any name, that of which the essence of the knowledge of the Oneness of the Self, that in which the world ceases to exist, the peaceful, benign, the non-dual Atman."


The above described Consciousness is the first expression of that Ultimate, and known by different names as Iswara, bhodam, Consciousness , Witness etc. All the three stages - waking, dream and deep sleep emanate, exist and dissolve in that Consciousness. Any logician would accept that when there are three stages apparently different, repeated everyday and there is continuity for the waking stage, there should necessarily be a connecting link - a base - adharam, for these stages to exist. Rishies have found out that and named it as Tureeyam

THE ART OF LIVING

When we hear the term "Art of Living". we naturally connect it to the meditation technique preached and practised by Shri Shri Ravi Shanker. His mission has gained so much popularity that Art of Living centers are spread all over the world, and irrespective of different religious faiths the followers belong to, they find solace and peace in practicing the meditation technique.

Now, let us analyse independently what is "Art of Living"? There are two terms "Life" and "Living" we should remember before proceeding further. While "Life" denotes the Akshara Brahmam, "Living" denotes the kshara aspect. In the language of physics, one is latent equilibrium and the other is dynamic equilibrium. They are also known as non-phenomenon and phenomenon.

Life is the expression of Consciousness. Consciousness is the first outburst of the Supreme known as Noumenon, Brahman, Purushottaman, Truth Absolute etc. Consciousness expressed in Life is explicit in all animated beings whereas in inanimate objects like mountains etc it is dormant. This Life Power dances in "Living". The Cosmic dance of Lord Nataraja is symbolic of this truth. Each individual in his own way expresses himself in the 'living-dance'. Here comes the importance of the knowledge about the 'Art of Living".

"Art of Living" is "Witnessing" i.e. Life witnessing the Living. Dancer witnessing his own dance. Consciousness witnessing its own creativity. Life principle is the Consciousness personified in Ishwara. So, God is the witness of Prakrity i.e. creativity of its own. We are a part in the creativity and the Life principle in us is the reflection of Consciousness. The terms such as Maya, Ishwara, Kudastha, Atma, Jeeva etc., are used to analyse and understand “Consciousness”, which, as already mentioned, is the first expression of that Supreme. The Supreme is known by different names such as “Brahman”, “Purushottaman” although the Supreme cannot be expressed in words. Once we attempt to speak of Brahman, actually we bring that Power down to the level of Consciousness, Ishwara, Atma etc.

Reverting to the main theme “Art of Living” under discussion, we have so far analysed ‘what is life’, ‘what is living’ and also defined ‘what is ‘witnessing’. We may discuss something more about this ‘witnessing’. As already mentioned , Consciousness is witnessing its own creativity without interfering with the play it has begun on its own Will. We may explain it further with illustration. A child full of energy jumps all around, sometimes in its joyous mood or sometime in its unhappy mood. This is the everyday happening the parents witnesses. In each individual this dancing is happening within as well as in the activities outside. Sometimes we are overjoyed with pleasure, sometimes we are in pain. All pairs of opposites – likes and dislikes, attraction and repulsion are expressed as dance of living in each one of us.

How to witness the dance? First of all, we should realize our own Self – Real “I” and differentiating the same from the phantom “I”. The phantom I is dancing and the Real I is witnessing. The story of two birds sitting on tree – one eating fruit and the other witnessing, used by vedantins may be recalled here. The irony is that forgetting our swaroopa – Real I, we identify ourselves with the swabhava – prakrity – phantom I.


The meditation technique, study of philosophy, vedantha vichara etc., are some of the exercises we adopt to realize our Self – Real I. Once we succeed in this realization we could observe the dancing of the phantom I objectively; Life could observe the living objectively, Consciousness could observe the Nature objectively. Here comes the importance of meditation, a technique by which we realize our own Self. Starting with Raja Yoga of Sage Patanjali, different methods of meditation are prevalent such as sahaja yoga, sudarsana kriya, kriya yoga, Transcendental meditation, kundalini yoga, Nada yoga, Yoga-nidra, yogic gazing, Pragna yoga etc. etc. The Life principle and Prana are closely related and so by regulating the prana we attempt to realize the Life principle.Customs (acharams), vedic injunctions, pooja, homam, yagna, chanting of mantras, singing bhajans, visiting pilgrim centres and worshiping in temples are all good so long as they lead us to that goal of self-relisation i.e. realization of the Real I.

The constant jumping of the child cannot be stopped altogether and so too the activities of the grown up, mental activities as well as outside activities. The child is sent to a dance master who teaches the technique of dance and the rhythmic steps. So too, religious leaders, philosophers, saints and sages teach us the rhythm of living. As we know, there is a rhythm in the functioning of Nature. When this rhythm is applied to mankind it is known by the name dharma. Rhythm, dharma, acharams, vedic injunctions etc., regulate our living whereas the Life-principle remains without change wherein Satyam alone prevails.

As already mentioned Life is different from Living. We are forced to dance (meaning engage in activities) from birth onwards. Dharma regulates those activities similar to dance-master regulating the jumping of the child in a rhythmic way in the form of a dance., Once we have understood the Being and Becoming, Life and Living, Akshara and Kshara, Static and dynamic, we can lift ourselves to the witness stage and view even our own thoughts and actions leave alone the outside world, objectively. This Witnessing is the Art of Living. Our practicing meditation so as to identify ourselves with our Real I (otherwise known as Life-principle; Akshara, Being, Consciousness, Ishwara) should not be limited to a few hours. The meditation should be throughout the day contemplatively established even while we are engaged in karma.

To sum up, Atma-anusanthanam (constant rememberence of the Life-principle)would lead us to the realization of the Witness in us (Atma-sakshatkaram) and in that stage our personality would change and we develop an attitude of detached attachment and watch our activities with least emotional disturbance.

The attitude of the child - a kind of restlessness – is due to its ignorance from our point of view. In our case also we feel the same restlessness because we attach ourselves to the Living without realizing the Life principle which is Akshara; Atma; Consciousness; Ishwara etc. On realization of our real swaroopa – Real I, equanimity (samathwam) would prevail in our attitude to face any event in our living.

Remember: “Art of Living” is “Witnessing” Let us find out the Witness in us which is our real swaroopa. Let the Life witness the living; let the Atma witness the functioning of the anthakarana. Let Consciousness witness the functioning of Prakrity – Nature. Let God be viewed as a Witness and not a dispenser of justice or bestower of results. “Eko Deva Sarvabootheshu kooda Sarvavyabhi Sarvabhoodantharatma Karmathyaksha Sarva bhoodathivasaSakshi Cheta Kevalo Nirgunacha. This is the true definition of God. May we realize Godliness in us and bring Godliness in all our actions. May our unrhythmic activities become rhythmic, may Equanimity replace raga and dwesha. May Shanti prevail in our Living through the Light of Life.

YOGA

Yoga in its true meaning is connecting the individual to the Universal. Karma yoga, bhakthi yoga, gnana yoga, ashtanga yoga, kriya yoga, sahaja yoga, sudarsana yoga, transcendental yoga, kundalini yoga, nada yoga, yoganidra, yogic gazing etc are the off-shoots of this YOGA.
Let us try to understand something more about this YOGA without deviating from its true meaning – ‘connecting the individual to the Universal’. Individual is apparently a jeeva ;In reality he is Atmachaitanya, Iswara and Brahman, the Absolute . Individual with body consciousness is jeeva , jeeva is a reflection of atmachaitanya and atma chaitanya is an integral part of Iswara chaitanya and Iswara is the reflection of that Brahman. In the state of individuality as a jeeva there is tension and restlessness. Man’s aspiration is to come out of this state and regain his real swaroopa. Here comes YOGA.
That which exists is Brahman – AWARENESS –This is the swaroopa of man and swabhava is superimposed on him. In reality there is only swaroopam and there is no second to it. True knowledge of that Reality – swaroopa is attainable through Cosmic Consciousness. This Cosmic consciousness (personified as Iswara)with sat – Existence – and chit - absolute knowledge – similar to two wings of a bird (remember it by the name Garuda – seat of Cosmic consciosness with Existence and Absolute knowledge as wings) soars high in that Reality. Cosmic Consciousness is only a reflection of Brahman the Reality.
Karma yoga, bhakthi yoga, gnana yoga etc., need to be understood from the above stand point. Mere karma binds the individual again and again with vasanas of likes and dislikes. If karma is attuned with atmachaitanya and is performed without likes and dislikes and free from sense of individuality (jeevahood), it becomes karma yoga. Similar is the case with other yogas too – to be practised without likes and dislikes and without sense of individuality. In Geetha, Sri Krishna advises “merge your mind and intellect in Me” This is exactly the spirit of Yoga.
In the Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali there are eight steps, the first four are outward steps and the next four are inward. Abstinence(from immoral deeds)) Observance of good conduct, correct posture and correct breathing are the first four steps and withdrawal of senses, concentration, meditation and samadhy (integration)are the next four relating to the subtle field. Concentration and meditation are mental processes whereas samadhy is bereft of subject and object. Thus the Astanga yoga shows us the vertical path from yama to samadhy through meditation. Philosophical contemplation (tatwa vichara)using the intellect is a must to arrive at an ideal on which concentration and meditation are to take place. Concentration is a mental process to keep the particular ideal steady and meditation (dhyana; nididhyasana) is a process attempting to immerse it in Consciousness. Samadhy is a stage (strictly not a stage) where consciousness and the ideal merge in the Reality i.e.AWARENESS. Contemplation (tatwa vichara) at the intellectual level ,Concentration at the mental level and Meditation at the consciousness level can be remembered by the analogy of : ‘churning the curd (contemplation) collecting the butter with all attention (concentration), tasting the butter (meditation) and no more churning, no more butter and no more tasting (samadhy)’!!
The ideal on which one has to concentrate and meditate, as mentioned above, has three expressions viz., word (mantra); meaning of that word; and the idea attached to it. For e.g., the mantra ‘Sivoham’ or ‘Soham’ is arrived at after tatwa vichara through contemplation. The meaning of that mantra is concentrated upon through mental process and the idea conveyed by that mantra is kept alive in meditation. In the samady stage the idea kept alive in consciousness (not in mind or intellect) is immersed in Awareness leaving no trace of separate identity.
There is a concept of Chakras - mooladharam to sahasraram through which the kundalini shakthy(Consciousness?) is raised .These chakras are at different levels from where the consciousness functions. The chakras can be easily remembered as physical (mooladharam), sexual (swathishtana), psychological (manipura) sense of equanimity (anahatha) spiritual (visuddha) and spiritual transcended (Agna or sahasraram).
The philosophical truth from individual to Universal , from man to God, from separateness to Oneness etc., has to be understood and the object of meditation to be established convincingly so that Ashtanga Yoga or kundalini yoga can be practised effectively raising the individual consciousness to cosmic consciousness. Meditation is not the act of sitting with closed eyes for specific hours. On the contrary it should be throughout the waking stage.Study of Vedantic truths and contemplation of the same are auxiliaries to meditation. Sravana (hearing; listening) of puranic stories interspersed with spiritual truth, is also a help to meditation. Concentration is a prelude to meditation. Meditation is not cleansing the mind or bringing a thoughtless mind. One should fill the mind with God-thoughts throughout. If this is possible by sheer bhakthy in its true sense, it is well and good. But the fact remains that bhakthy doesn’t get perfection without tatwa vichara. . Nama sankeerthana, nama japa , worship etc., are means to develop bhakthy. Bhakthy in its true sense becomes bhakthy-yoga.Different stages in the development of bhakthy are Sameepyam, sarupyam, sayujyam etc.
It will be beneficial if we know something about the three stages of doing, witnessing and being . As we all know, majority of us are in the doing stage with ego in front and likes and dislikes in every action.At this stage one is advised to practise karma yoga. In Karma yoga there is a sense of doing – jeeva considered to be karmahethu and Iswara considered to be karmaphalahethu. When one has reached the meditation stage as per Ashtanga yoga or one has risen to the anahata chakra as per kundalini yoga, we can assume that he has reached the witness stage. At that stage one outlives the likes and dislikes and also the ego sense, and he witnesses all doings in and around him,from the level of consciousness, as if an observer. In the witness stage every doing and the result thereon are Iswara sankalpam or Iswara prasadam and jeeva sense is completely lost. In witnessing, one feels disidentified with the mind and identifies with cosmic consciousness. In the third stage i.e. BEING (which is not actually a stage) there is neither a doer nor a karma yogi, there is neither a witness nor an object witnessed upon. It is pure AWARENESS. Thus one progresses from doer stage to karma yogic stage and from there to witness stage and from there to Being.
Contemplation of philosophical truth, observance of yama and niyama (moral disciplines) are essential pre-requisite to attain perfection in meditation. While contemplation and concentration are in the level of mind and intellect,meditation lifts one to the level of consciousness and samadhy is an integration of these three viz., contemplation, concentration and meditation. Mere practice of yoga or meditation – call it by any name – wont cure man’s problems. Ultimate remedy lies in studying the root cause of the problem and finding out a permanent solution. This is possible only through Gnana – Understanding - which is one of the wings of the Consciousness, the other being Existence. Sat-Chit-Anandam (Total Existence ,Total Understanding, and Bliss) is in reality both the swaroopam and swabhavam of AWARENESS.

SREE RUDRAM

Sree Rudram forms part of Yajurveda-Taitreeya samhita. Sree Rudram consists of namakom and chamakom - names derived fromn the repetitive 'namah' and 'chama' in the mantras. In Rigveda also Rudra samhita finds a place. Sree Rudram is the outpourings of rishies by observing Nature and recognising identity of the Supreme in everything in Nature. Sree Rudram is also known as satarudriyam because it has been fomed out of 100 mantras of Yajur veda and other vedas. The word meaning of Rudra is 'terrible' 'terrific' 'dreadful'. Rudra represents a group of Gods 11 in number and Lord Siva is said to be the head of that group.Sri Sankara has said that Rudrah is one who makes all beings cry at the time of cosmic dissolution or it could also mean one who gives 'rud' or speech or one who drives away 'ru' or sorrows. In Sivapurana it is stated that Siva the Supreme Reality is called Rudra in as much as the Lord removes all sorrows and their causes. Siva also means 'pure one' - gunatheetha.

Rudra is described as omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. He is also described as the implicator to destroy eveil forces and a Divine warrior to protest us from danger. He is also known as Triyambaka among many other names such as Avyaya, Mahadeva, Pasupathy, Shambu, Shankara, Mayaskara, Ugra and Soma.

The chanting of Sree Rudram by focussing on the meaning would be more beneficial. Also the swara has importance and it is to be chanted without break, in a comfortable pace (neither very slow nor fast) In Lahunyasam it is said that one should meditate himself as Siva - Sivoham, and place the devadas in different organs of the body.This is the crux of the vedanta darsanam - adwaitha bhava and Aham Brahmasmi.

Brahman, the Supreme Spirit - appear as Trinity, Viswam,and jeeva in different forms such as fisherman, gambler, cheater, thief and highway robber.. In the Nyasa portion of Rudra prasnam, it is declared that Lord Sankarshana only has expressed Himself as Lord Rudra. (sankarshana means attracting each other;drawing together) In Srimad Bhagavatha, in two places, in the story of Banasura war and in the story of Chitrakethu, there is mention about 'sankarshana'. By the term 'sankarshana' we may surmise that it is attracting and drawing together Siva and Sakthy. The Supreme Truth expresses in the dwaitha form as Siva and Sakthy which the wise should see as One. The form Ardhanareeswara also conveys the same meaning.


The first aunuvaka of Sree Rudram is an appeal to Lord Rudra to cool down his anger against the enemies ; from 2nd to 9th anuvaka, His omnipotence, Omniscient and Omnipresence is praised and in the 10th there is prayer to fulfil one's desire and in the 11th it is propitiation to Rudra ganas. Thus there are 11 anuvakas of namakam as well as 11 anuvakas of chamakam. Namakam is followed by chamakam in the ordinary course when chanted once. Otherwise after chanting namaka once, the first anuvaka of chamakam is chanted. Thus when namakam is chanted 11 times, chamakam is chanted once. This chanting of 11 times is known as rudraekadasi. 11 such rudraekadasi is lahu rudramand 11 lahurudram is maharudram and 11 maharudram is adhirudram.

In the very first anuvaka there is a prayer to grace us with atma tatwam.The various epithets with which Rudra is meditated upon are analysed below in brief:

Bhishak (1-5) Rudra is praised as Bhishak (Doctor-par-excellence). Even the very rememberance of Him would releive us of all diseases - physical as well as psychological. "Yetasya dhyana mathrena sarva roha upachamanath ayam chikitsa". There is a tmil poem - a free translation is: Even if our body is cut open by (surgical) knife we have utmost respect for the surgeon" Similar is our love and respect towards the Universal Doctor Rudra whose apparent punishment is for our ultimate good..

Udainam gopa athrisan: (1-8)Even the uneducated yadava clan devoid of any knowledge of veda or sastra get the darsan of Lord Rudra when they have sradha and bhakthy.

Stenanam pathy - Leader of the thieves; thaskaranam pathy - leader of the highway robbers. He is allegorically a thief to steal our possession of ego and mind. Another interpretation is even in a thief we have to see Iswara. Thief in the vyavaharic sense is jeeva bhava with malina guna and in the pararamarthika sense he is Iswara
"Acceptance" is a great understanding to be developed in order to have peace of mind. "Accept others as they are. Don’t pass opinion; even don’t attempt tp correct ; don’t entertain the 'holier than thou attitude" Only to drive this point Rudra is described dwelling even as a thief and high-way robber.
Coveting the wealth of others is to be discouraged so as to maintain a healthy society; but the covetor should not be hated.In this context we may recollect the Isavasya Upanishad "ma gritha kasya siddhanam" which is interpreted in two ways - as 'whose is wealth' or 'covet not others wealth'. Material wealth is not brought along with us when we take birth nor can we take that possession when we depart. In that sense 'whose is wealth' has to be understood.

Gratsebhya (4-3) meaning:attached to sensual pleasure;

Virubhebya - Viswaroopebhya (4-6) He is seen as distorted as well as He is seen covering the entire Universe (A great philosophiocal truth) In the analogy of Ocean and waves, waves are the distorted appearance and Ocean a cosmic appearance - viswaroopam. He is vyakthi (individual wave) vyaktha (ocean) and avyaktha (Iswara).

Punchishtaya (hunter catching birds by his net); Nishathebya - fisherman; Mrigabhya - hunting animals; swabhya - dog; swapathy - protector of dogs - B,Geetha 5-18 conveys the same thought which described atmagnani who has the vision of equanimity towards a brahmin, an elephant, a dog and also who eats the flesh of the dog.

Neelagreeva: The story of Lord Siva drinking the poison is well known. The interesting aspect of it is that despite consuming it, Siva is eternally living whereas Devas although had amritham to consume, were destroyed when the kalpam came to an end.

Grisvaya cha- vamanaya cha; brigade cha: Vamana as we know is one of Vishnu's incarnation, Brigat is the cosmic formand Grisva meaning very small so that He can be accommodated in our heart.

Urmayaya cha (5-4) He exists as waveas well as "avasvanyaya" - exists in calm water. In the analogy of Ocean and waves, water is the Absolute Reality and Ocean is the relative reality and the wave is a delusion - prathibhasam. Brahman - Iswara and Jeeva respectively represented as water, ocean and wave.

Katyaya (7-1), soothyaya, sarasyaya, koopyaya, varshaya, megyaya - all these are very beautifully depicting that Reality existing as water in a meadow, in the river, in a tank, in a well, in the rain, in the cloud etc.

Pasupathy: Pasu-pathi-pasam is the core of the Saiva siddhanta; Pasu representing the mortal beings, pasam representing the three doshams - ego, maya and karmaand pathy representing Siva - personification of that Supreme Spirit (Brahman as per Vedantic concept). Pasupathy is therefore the sentient intelligent and blissful master leading the mortals to His Will. Mortals are bound by ego, maya and karma (mummalam) which is also His Will!

Chambhave cha - Mayobhave cha - sensual pleasure and eternal happiness (moksham)

Nama Sivaya: (8-1-11) This panchakshara mantra is extolled as jewel of Sree Rudram. It is aptly placed in the middle of sree rudram.

Atharyaya cha: Action caused by desire and anushtana karmas as prescribed in sastras: Karmas are done through anthakarana which is enlivened by jeeva. Jeeva instead of standing aloof as a jeeva skshy (after giving lifre power to anthakarana) gets attached to anthakarana and suffer consequently. Here Rudra is praised as karma with desire and karma with disciplined desire. Both are bondage only.

Kaparthine cha - with braided and matted hair (Sivas followers prefer to appear with matted hair; it is said that this is due to a curse caused by sage Brigu ( who pronounced a counter-curse to that of Nandideva) that all the devotees of Siva would be known as kapalis appearing with matted hair and roaming half-naked wearing skulls as garland.
Siva and Sivaa (Siva and sakthy)representing Being and Becoming - Being has its expression in becoming and becoming attaining perfection in Being. Both Being and Becoming are synthesized. "Siva-sakthya yukto yathi bhavathy (sowndarya lahari) emphasizes the power of Sakthy although Sakthy and Siva are not two.In the Arthanareeswara stotra, both Siva and Sakthy haveen praised giving equal importance!
"sambheya gowrartha sareerakayai; karpoora gowrartha sareerakaya - Tammilakayai cha jadadharaya;namasivayai cha nama sivaya."

In the 10th anuvaka one prays for the protection of children, for long life, for protecting one's possessions
such as cows and horses. Then in the 11th aunvaka, prayer to Rudra ganas - "thebya namasthe mridaganthu (let Him make us happy)Then in the concluding part of six verses "triyambakam yajamahe…. Tryambakam is that Lord with three eyes of Gnana, vignanana and pragnanana. The ordinary meaning of the mantra is 'as the fruit urva gets ripe it gets detached from the stem; similarly one gets freed by physical death and attains immortality by His grace (mrithyor ma amritham gamaya)Another meaning is that when the ripe fruit falls down, immediately the spring stem gets coiled to the main stem - jeeva shedding the bondage joins the source - Brahman.

Ayam me hastha - ayam me bhagavatha - my hand is Bhagavath swaroopam; it is more important than Bhagavan Himself because it is instrumental for doing pooja to the Lord.

Namakam is followed by Chamakam. Here it is not actually a prayer to get this and that. It is an expression of gratitude and contentment of what one has been blessed with. 'I have enough to propitiate you with yagnas; I have the mental readiness to offer food; I have purity; I have enjoyment; I am blessed with a healthy body; I have material wealth in abundance; I have trust in you ; Indras in different forms bless me; Then certain numbers like 'eka chame' 'thisra cha me' are mentioned. They denote the tatwams for e.g. 1 prakrithy; 3 gunas; 5 elements; 7 gnanendriyas, mind and intellect; 4 purushartham' 20 gross elements, tanmatras etc.

Madhu manishye; madhy janishye… I shall do everything sweet; let devas help me lest should I slip from the virtues. Let my pitrus also help - peace peace peace.

Satyojadam prapatyami…..In this mantra the last three epithets Rudra, Maheswara and Sadasiva represent the elements fire, air and eather and their functions are samhara, thirodanam and Anugraham respetively. In the Pranava OM they represent makaram, nadam and bindhu. (akaram and ukaram relate to Brahma and Vishnu and their functions are creation and sustenance)

In the Sivakavasa stotram, Lord Siva is praised as the Ultimate Reality. Some of the praises: mooladharaikanilayaya, tatva--ateethaya , niramayaya , nissangaya, nirvikalpaya, sakala lokaika sakshine
Paramashantha swaroopaya, tejoroopaya, Nitya-suddha-buddha-paripoorna satchitanandaya - OM NamahSivaya.

Although there may be different opinions whether Siva is a dravidian God worshipped by Saiva siddantins or Siva is another name for Rudra adopted by vedic aryans, one truth is accepted by both that Siva represents the ultimate reality . Siva linga is the expression of rupa-aroopa of that Ultimate. As we continue to meditate on that Lingam, the form enters the formless. There is a view that Brahman the formless expresses as Siva a reflection in Maya and that Siva is the first cause of the prapancham. Apart from Siva the Prapancham is not. Siva is the first cause, Sakthy is the instrumental cause and Maya is the material cause.

S A K S H Y

Sakshy is a term not catching the attention of many.At the same time we are familiar with Karma yoga, bhakthy yoga and gnana yoga which are repeatedly mentioned in Bhagavad Geetha and sometimes we get confused as to which path is really considered superior by Lord Krishna. This confusion can be cleared if only we understand the relative position of these three in relation to Sakshy which unfortunately we overlook. As we all know, BEING is the Absolute Truth and we are in the 'doing' stage. In the doing stage we are in trouble due to likes and dislikes. These likes and dislikes are the sankalpas of the insturment MIND. Ego is the instrumental cause for Karmam and the karmam is coloured by likes and dislikes of the mind. Maya has created the field for the ego to do karmam with sankalpams. Thus the ego, karmam, mind and maya have distinct functions in the 'doing stage'. With this introduction, let us examine the term 'sakshy'.

As mentioned in the introduction, we are in the 'doing' stage facing turmoils of likes and dislikes and resultant sukha and dukka. Our aim is to outlive these temporal values of sukha and dukha and to have eternal happiness. The yogas - karma yoga, bhakthy yoga and gnana yoga have relevance in our search for the eternal happiness. As we progress from the 'doing' stage towards 'being' these yogas help us in our journey. Now let us examine the part of 'karma yoga' and how far this karma yoga helps in our journey towards the Absolute Truth.


We act with a desire and purpose and many a times we have the experience that the results of our action are different from what we expect and this leads to disappointment and frustration too. On such occasions we start thinking that there is some force beyond our comprehension which has control over the course of action. We personify that force as God and relegate the results of our action to that God. We get consoloation that God is the dispenser of results and our volition is limited to performing action. When the results are either to our expectations or not, our ego does not claim merit or demerit . We are grateful to God for he has fulfilled our desires or in the event of negative result we comfort ourselves that it is His will that has a final say in respect of all our actions.In the karma yoga stage, ego is still there so also the sankalpas of likes and dislikes. However, the ego is subdued for there is a higher power Ishwara. Our sankalpas which emanate from vasanas and prompt us to act stop with the performance of action and leave the result of such actions to God. Our belief that we have only the right to act and not for the results is the first step in the path of our progress. Here the first step of worship or reverence towards external God begins. 'Karmanyevathikaresthe ma phaleshu katachana' is the philosophy for the Karmayogi

While in the state of karma yogi one can probe and contemplate more about the nature of God and His powers in bestowing results. By doing tatva--vichara in this respect one realises that even the actions believed to have been performed by him are actually not his volition. It is the anthakaranam - mind, chittam and ego which act according to vasanas which are stored in chittam. Thus slowly he realises the difference between the jeeva and anthakaranam. He also finds out the source of jeeva in one's own atma chaitanyam. This understanding of the relationship between jeeva and atma-chaitanyam lifts him to the next stage of progress i.e. from the karma yoga stage to jeeva-sakshy stage. At this stage jeeva is convinced that it is only a witness to the actions performed by anthakarana and jeev's part in such actions is limited to the life power it gives to anthakarana. Further jeeva is convinced of its source as atmachaitanyam (kudastha) whose reflection in the form of chitabasan only has brought jeeva into existence. Thus as one stands in the jeeva-sakshi stage, he does not own likes and dislikes and also does not own actions consequent thereon. Here 'samatwam yoga uchyathe' (an attitude of equanimity) is the philosophy. The power of external God (Ishwara) in bestowing results of action is recognised in the jeeva-sakshi stage also. Only the karmas are shifted from jeeva to anthakarana.

Atma-chaitanya (kudastha) in due course comes out of avidya and starts understanding distinctly the position of chitabhasa, jeeva and anthakaranam. Avidya which has shaped the individuality and confines the atma-chaitanya in the micro-cosmic field gets lost with the dawn of knowledge and as a result, atma-chaitanya realises its identity with Iswara in the macro-cosmic field. Karma which was hitherto attributed to anthakaranam and the idea of Ishwara as the bestower of results for the karmas are replaced. Karmas as well as their consequences are recognised as Nature's play and Ishwara is only a sakshy - sarva-sakshi. He is no more concerned either with karma or with the results thereof. Thus, kudasthan identifies with Ishwara, and in that position there are only two aspects one Ishwara as a witness and another Nature (Maya or prakrithy). This Nature (Maya) takes care of anthakaranam and the entire prapancham.'Prakrithe kriyamanani gunai karmani sarvacha' is the philosophy for that individual who has Iswara sakshatkaram'.In due course the individual ego, mind and intellect turns into Cosmic ego, Cosmic mind and Cosmic intellect. Chittam is no more there.It turns into Ishwara prasadam and karmas turned into Iswara pooja. Jeeva sakshi turns into sarva-sakshy.'Eko deva sarva bhootheshu kooda; sarva vyaphi sarva boodantharatma; karmathyaksha sarva boodhativasa; sakshy chetha kevelo nirgunacha' is the philosophy in the sarva-sakshy stage.

In the stage of sarva-sakshy, as already indicated, there is Iswara as well as Nature . Nature (otherwiswe known as Maya) has no control over Iswara whereas Iswara can at any time cast away Maya and remain in its swaroopa as BEING. Maya is only a vivartham like a mirage. The mirage disappears when the outside sun sets and the inside sun dawns! 'Asavadhityo Brahma - Brahmaiva Satyam - Brahmaihavasmi' is the possible expression of that Being which is beyond expression. From anthakaranam to jeeva, from jeeva to atmachaitanyam from atmachaitanyam to Ishwara and from Ishwara to Brahman; From ahambhavam to jeevabodham, from jeeva bodham to atmabodham, from atmabodham to akanda bodham and from akanda bodham to suddha Brahaman!!

Bhakthy bhava is developed in the karma yoga stage when one has the reverence to God for He is the bestower of results. In the Jeeva-sakshy stage one starts realising his atma-chaitanya. Thus he brings God within. In the sarva-sakshy stage the individual merges with Iswara and no more individuality (body consciousness) is felt. All karmas and results thereof take place in the curtain of Nature. There is neither within nor with out. Only Bodham (consciousness) is. Thus to begin with, there is outside worship - aham-bhavam recognises an outside power; next there is meditation within - recognition of atmabodham which is the source of jeeva; then there is realisation of the unity of atma-bodham and Iswara, when avidya is erased.Thus stage by stage there is progress - from the doer stage to karma yogi and from that to jeeva-sakshi and from jeeva-sakshi to sarva-sakshi. Ultimately Iswara casts aside the curtain of maya and remains as Brahma swaroopam

Thus it can be seen that throughout this journey we develop an attitude of reverence first to outside God; then to atma-chaitanya; and realises the identity of chaitanya with Iswara.We call this reverence as bhakthi which is functioning in the field of karma as well as gnana. Bhakthy becomes perfect when merges with gnana and bhakthy has the prime place in the path of acquiring gnana. At every stage bhakthy acts as an anti-dose to
Ego.
CERTAIN EXCERPTS

You are neither earth, nor water nor fire, nor air, nor space. In order to attain
liberation, know the self as witness of all these and as consciousness itself.
(Ashtavakra samhitha)

You do not belong to the Brahnmana or any other caste or to any asrama.
You are not perceived by the senses. Unattached and formless and witness
of all are you. Be happy.(Ashtavakra samhita)

Having given up external and internal modifications and the illusion 'Iam
the reflected individual self'', meditate on the Atman as immutable
Consciousness and non-dual. (Ashtavakra Geetha)

In the sakshi-bhava, prapancha drisyam appears in the pure all pervasive
Consciousness as if reflected in a mirror. (Yoga Vasishta)

The Lord does not create agency or actions for the world. He does not
create union with the fruits of action. Nature does all this (B.Geetha 5 - 14)

That Consciousness which shines the jagat as Sakshi connects every object
from Brahma to an ant (Maneesha panchakam of Sri Sankara)

I am consciousness which is standing apart from body and anthakaranam
and at the same time gives life to them. (Adwaitha pancharatnam of
Sri Sankara)

I stand apart from the three gunas of Maya. I stand as a witness and am
blessing the trinity gods (BrahmaGnanavalimala of Sri Sankara)

I am only a witness to the apparent multiplicity . I am the non-changing
Truth. I am what I AM. (Brahmagnanavalimala of Sri Sankara)

KUMARA SAMBHAVAM

On the prayer of devas Lord Shiva brought forth Lord Subhramonya through His six powers viz Satyojadam, Vamadevam, Tatpurusham, Isanam, Agoram and Adomugham. Adhomugham represent the adharam from which the nadam OM, bindu and the five elements emanated. . Six children each representing each of the above six powers were taken care of six damsels representing Karthigai star. Lord Shiva's above blessing to bring forth Lord Subhramonya happened on Vaikasi-vishakam day. The element Vayu was commanded to take the children to the River Ganga and accordingly the children were brought to Saravana Poigai in the Himalayas and were taken care of by Karthigai damsels.Lord Subhramonya thus got the names Gangeyan, Karthikeyan, Agnugarbhan, Saravanabhavan, shanmughan, Vishakan etc. On Devi Parvathy's embracing the six children they transformed as shanmuga - one cgild with six faces and 12 arms. There is also a belief that the six faces represent shad-chakra.
Lord Subhramonya married Amrithavalli and Sundaravalli - both came out from the eyes of Lord Vishnu. Later in the subsequent yuga, one of them took birth in deva loka as deyvanai and another in the bhoo-loka as Valli. In this later yuga also they prayed Lord to marry them . Lord with the blessings of His parents and with the power - Sakthyvel given by Devi Parvathy, killed the demon king Sooran and his brother and thus released all the devas who were imprisoned by Sooran. When Indra regained his kingdom, as a gesture he gave his daughter deyvanai in marriage to Lord. Valli was brought up in Bhu loka as the daughter of a chieftain in Vallimalai. Valli was bent upon marrying Lord. Lolrd played tricks on her. He disguised Himself in different forms and approached her to test her sincerity and found her earnest desire. Ultimately their marriage took place in Thirutani.

The temples in tamil nadu viz Tirupparamkuntam, Tiruchendur, Palani, Swamimalai, Kuntuthoradal and Pazhamuthircholai are known as 'Arupadai veedu' of Lord. Since Lord Muruga is depicted as the chieftain of army the six places are aptly named as 'padai thavalam' meaning 'warriors camp'.. There is another story connected with the name. Tirumurugattupadai a great work of Nakkeerar was composed after the poet visited all these divine places and worshipped Lord. Attupadai is used in the sense that the rememberence of the songs enables one to get rid of hatred and to bring in happiness (Attuthal meaning consolation, soothing etc). The 'Attupadai' only later on turned out to be 'Arupadai'. Actually there are more than six padai veedu. The fifth one viz Kuntuthoradal represent more than one place viz Surulimalai, Ilanchy, Kuntakudy, Viralimalai, Vayalur, Vaitheeswarankoil and Tiruthani. Only the last one is mentioned to count Arupadai veedu. Tiruthani is the place where Lord took rest after a fierce fight against Sooran.. In the Valli 'episode' Lord Ganapathy helped Lord Muruga by appearing as an elephant. To remember this He is worshipped as Apath sahayaga Vinayakar in Tirithani. This is the place Lord married Valli. His marriage with Deyvanai was in Tirupparamkuntam. His giving the meaning of OM and impressing Lord Shiva was in Swamimalai, His fight and killing Sooran was in Tiruchendur and He appeared in Palani when he got disappointed by the 'episode' of a fruit which His elder brother took away wisely from their parents outwitting Lord Muruga.



In Pazhamuthircholai there are two temples one for Lord Vishnu and the other for Lord Muruga. While Poet Nakkeerar praised the place and Lord Muruga with his songs, Thirumangai alwar composed songs in praise of Vishnu and His abode in Pazhamuthircholai. Both Vaishnava and Saivite belief are synthesised here. Avvai pratti was tested by Lord Muruga in this place to bring out her talent. In answering Lord, Avvai pratti explained in the form of songs the meaning of pverty, happiness etc. The most horrible experience is 'poverty'; the most happy feeling arise in Aloneness and in worshipping Lord and to have company of wise persons.

The biggest she says is Prapancham created by Brahma who came from Vishnu who in turn rests on the Ocean and finally she declares that bhakthas are the biggest because they are one with Lord. For the question 'which is most rare' she answers "to be born as human being is rare that too without deformity, also endowed with the qualities of charity, austerity and gnanam.

THAI POOSAM is the day when Lord Shiva visited to see (gave dharsan to) Lord Muruga and on this day worshipping one is a worship of both the Lords.

PANGUNI UTHIRAM: On this day Lord Muruga married Daivanai.

VAIKASI VISAKAM: Avadhar of Lord Muruga.

SHASHTI; On this day Asura king Soora was absorbed.

KAVADY; Two hillocks Shivagiri and Sakthygiri were brought by Idumbhan - a disciple of Sage Agasthya. On the way Lord Muruga disguised as a king intercepted and asked Idumbhan to place the hillocks on the ground and take rest. After resting for some time when he attempted to lift the hillocks to proceed further he could not lift the hillocks. There was a fight between Lord and Iduimbhan in this issue. Idumbhan accepted defeat. Sage Agasthya came to know the play of Lord and later became a disciple of Lord Muruga to learn and master the tamil language. After gaining knowledge he wrote aphorisams about Iyal-Isai-Natakam and this work "Agastyam" is known to be the first tamil literature. On the hillocks brought by Idumbhan, Lord stands as Bala Dandayudhapani. Bhakthas come here with Kavady on their shoulders and this is symbolic of Idumbhan's episode.

EXPRESSIONS

Absolute: ABSOLUTE is beyond concept.

Acceptance:

Accept others as they are. Then, there is no conflict. Don't try to improve others. If others expect you in a particular way, it is their worry and suffering, and not yours.
Don't condemn because every condemnation is a condemnation of God.
Drop condemnation, judgement, and evaluation.
Accept life as it is and live in utter simplicity and naturalness. No denial, no suppression, no ego.
Our strong religious belief stands in the way of accepting values of other religions.

Action
Action in inaction and inaction in action mentioned in "Geetha " can be better understood by the analogy "dancer and dance" and "ocean and waves". Dancer without movement and ocean without waves represent inaction (or unaction) and the other pair represents action.
Absence of ego and volition means spontaneity of action- acceptance of whatever comes our way- being not a separate part of the total functioning, but the total functioning itself.
Act without emotional involvement.
Action is a sequence to desire. Not all desires emerge as action outwardly.
Action is not mandatory. It is permissive when it emanates from needs. It is avoidable when it emanates from desire.
Action of a mad man and a realised man sometimes look alike. Mad man has no control over mind whereas the realised man has outlived the mind and his actions are least influenced by the mind.
Activity minus the sense of doing is action.
Any action you perform with the slightest tinge of ego has its reaction and accounted for in the ledger of 'vasanas'.
Desire converted as love causes action like dancing, painting, and singing. Happiness derived through such action is intrinsic.
Doing is only a sankalpa-imagination-not a reality.
Even while doing the work, you enjoy doing it. Happiness is the intrinsic value and other benefits derived through such action, are incidental.
Everything happens, as they should. Even the minute expression in existence has been meticulously programmed.
If only awareness comes to the forefront relegating thoughts behind, action will have spontaneity and such actions will be efficient and perfect.
In the drama-stage, actors express emotions without involvement. They are witnesses to the emotions expressed. Can we practise this in our real life?
It is not what you do that matters, but what you stop doing that matters.
It may be better to suffer from abstaining rather than to suffer from indulging.
Let action slow down in due course. Do not attempt to suppress.
Mind is not required for performing action. When mind interferes, it is only for mischief (fear, sorrow, anxiety, jealousy, ego, sense).
Once you understand that there is no question of an individual assuming choice of action, you will see that all phenomenal actions take place spontaneously.
Our so-called efforts/actions are similar to fluttering of wings of a caged bird.
Over-flow of energy (as the river Ganges flow from Himalayas) dancing out of enjoyment, and actions such as singing, painting, without the ego sense, are spontaneous.
So long as we have a healthy body, we are least conscious of their functioning - digestion, circulation of blood, elimination process etc., the same should be the case with a healthy mind (i.e.. Mind free of anxiety, fear, attraction and repulsion). Actions take place spontaneously direct from consciousness.
The ideal thing is action and not activity.
The stage-actor's mind gets elevated to the witness stage even while expressing emotions through the karmendriyas.
Think of the confusion in the drama stage where the actor-policeman considers himself, for a moment, to be the real police.
To act from desire and fear is bondage. To act from love is freedom.
What is preferred is action and not activity.
Whatever attempts we make to realise the truth, they would only block the possibility of whatever was there to express it.
Whatever you do is lower than you. It cannot be higher than you. Action cannot be higher than the doer.
When "one" is the ultimate reality how can action be possible except in the form of sankalpa?
Whether you like it or not you must function.
Let go means allow action to take place through you. Don’t be a doer.
Stop doing with ego; then all actions become play.
In a drama, an actor acts as an angry man. In reality he is not so.
Action motivated by love needs no special efforts. It is spontaneous. Action through ego consumes lot of energy. Action is not mandatory. It is only permissive. When the mind and intellect are properly tuned to the knowledge and consciousness, action becomes perfect.
When ego is absent while performing action, consciousness has its full expressions, and along with the total under- standing, action becomes perfect.
A truly religious man cannot be a man of much activity. He does only essentials for the upkeep of the body.
So long as we are bound to act let us develop the attitude that all our actions are Easwara vrithi and not Jeeva vrithi.
‘Sarva dharman Parithyajya’ means, “sacrifice all dharmas-Kula dharma as well as Asrama dharma”.
Adwaita

The greatest gift of science is that it has reduced the entire cosmos into one single energy- an adwaithic truth.
Act not your Advaita in conduct ,but have it always in mind. This is ‘Bhavadvaitam’
As we develop Bhavadvaita, our activity in the day-to-day world gets reduced. A drama actor becoming more and more conscious of his real personality cannot do justice to the acting.
As we develop Advaita Bhava, all our actions, mental as well as physical, take the shape of Pooja (action connecting the divine) and ultimately when Advaita is established, action drops off.
Bhavadvaita is the contemplative presence of the supreme, which alone appears as base (Bodham) throughout our thoughts and action.

Alertness
As you watch a pick-pocketer / thief closely, lest he should rob you, watch the tamasic and rajasic thoughts in you.

Aloneness

Birds fly from alone to Alone. They do not leave a track for others to follow.
Great man is he who, while in the midst of crowd, keeps with perfect sweetness, the independent of solitude.
It is not loneliness that is desired, it is aloneness.
As far as possible keep aloof from mundane things.
You are not alone. You are with God. Don’t feel lonely.

Anger

We try to justify our anger, and in the process, we fumble into more and more errors. Instead, if we separate the anger and analyse it, it disappears.
The irony is that God has blessed us with more passion than reason with the result that anger and lust prevail over reason.

Anxiety
Don't be anxious about future. The unexpected is bound to happen, while the anticipated may never come.

Appearance
Don't take interest in the ripples that appear on your true, whole, and homogeneous state.
In one way or other, all men are hypocrites for they don't express what they are; they only exhibit what they think they are.
In our dress, we make ourselves appear other than ourselves. Everybody dresses for everybody else.
Some say that wave is an attribute (vibhuthy) of water. Some others proclaim that water is a substance of the wave and wave is only an appearance (vivarta).
The expression in physical forms is only a psychosomatic appearance of that one Energy, similar to water expressed as wave.

Astrology:
Astrology becomes a religion when it helps to melt the ego.

Atman
Atma is overshadowed by the sense of individuality, which is known as jeeva wherein all the experiences take place.

Attachment
It is much more difficult not to be attached to things you possess than to possess nothing.
You get attached to anything you create. You create the world, and so you get attached to it.
In non-attachment, one goes beyond likes and dislikes and in that one can accept or renounce everything.
It seems highly impossible to abandon the love one bears towards ones body.

Attitude:
The more you have a” let go”attitude, the more you have peace of mind.

Austerity:
In austerity you prove the superiority of consciousness over the body and mind.
Budha rejected the path of senseless austerity and followed the middle path.

Avyaktha:
‘maht’ is the cosmic mind.Greater than the ‘mahat’(gross) is ‘Avyaktha’(subtle)

Awareness:
Awareness is infinite. It is not bound by space and time.
Awareness is detached observation.
Awareness is the alert witness of the cosmic dance- drama happening within itself.
Constant awareness that death is before us will help increase detachment.
Every event is the effect and the expression of the Whole, and is in fundamental harmony with the Whole.
From the speech to the vital breath; from the vital breath to the mind and from the mind to the consciousness; from the consciousness to awareness. (From the wavelets to waves, from waves to the ocean, from the ocean to the deep sea and from the deep sea to the water).
The earth is fixed as stationary on its own axis even when it is moving around the sun at a great speed. Fix yourself in Self even while engaging in action.
The manifestation-expression of life-consciousness takes place in Awareness as ‘I’ and a step forward the first thought 'I am' occurs with the consciousness taking a pseudo-subjectivity-body and considering itself independent with power of volitional action. ie.From I to Iam and from Iam to Iam so and so.From ‘Beeja jagrat’to ‘jagrat' and from ‘jagrat' to ‘maha jagrat’.
The philosophy of clothes is the philosophy of apparent world.
We should try to develop the awareness that everything that happens around us is His Will.
Whatever you think, say or do, the sense of immutable and affectionate Being should remain as the ever-present background of the mind.
You know you are alive. You do not ‘think’ you are alive.
Once it dawns in you that nothing is to be understood, Awareness alone remains.
Consciousness at rest is Awareness.
Existence and knowledge are the two wings of the bird ‘Consciousness, which takes off to awareness.
Awareness is something that transcends the mind and intellect whereas the existence and knowledge are the total mind and intellect.
The bird Consciousness once off the ground with the help of its two wings-ie. existence and knowledge –can float at a higher level without fluttering the wings.
The total mind and the total intellect are existence and knowledge.
Name and form ,time and space,cause and effect are the nature (distortion).Only one fourth part of the ‘Awareness’ or ‘Cosmic energy is covered by this distortion.Who is causing it ? It is awareness itself.The same awareness releases us from the bondage of nature (distortion).Every thing is ‘Leela play’.

Beauty
Beauty is in the oneness of existence.

Being
Being has its expression in becoming and becoming has its perfection in Being.
Being is the truth. Doing comes out of Being.
It is not in "doing", you achieve anything. It is in knowing your "being", you achieve everything.
Being is the only reality. All doings come out of our ego.
The real rest is not sleep; but the expression of “Being” even while acting, the rest is felt if you are conscious of your Being.
It is only the Being that sometime expresses as”witness”and some other time as “doer”.
Being and becoming are one.Becoming apart from being is zero.Being apart from becoming is remote and incomprehensible.
From the concept ‘Iam the doer ‘ the concept ‘Iam the witness’ should arise and from the witness stage it should reach being and experience unexplainable.It is nature which causes doing.It is consciousness which witnesses the doing .It is being which encompasses the doing and witness.
Being has come from non being,that is ‘Sunya’. This is the view of some thinkers.The counter argument is that out of nothing nothing can come. It is 'Poornam' and not 'Sunya'.

Big Bang:
Time and space materialised with the ‘Bigbang’. Bingbang is just a phase in the great play of creativity –an event in the stream of consciousness.

Bhakthi
When you say namashivaya, it is an expression of bhakthi. When you meditate as shivoham, it is a path of gnana.
When compared to Karma Yoga and Gnana Yoga,Bakthi Yoga is the easiest to practice and it has a direst link to God realisation.
All Gnanis are bakthas ,but all bakthas are not necessarily gnanis.
The thirst for God is bakthi.It is not however always accompanied by gnana.
The contemplation of ones own real self is bakthi,says Sri sankara.
The irony is that even the highest Saguna Baktha is one personality when he is in the temple and another when he is outside.
Bakthi marga is as easy as crossing the ocean by a boat,whereas Gnana marga is compared to swimming and Karma marga is similar to catching a log and crossing.
Bakthas have a subtle desire to retain the semblance of separation of God from themselves,so that He can be loved.
Knowledge is the field and devotion is the seed.The field should be good enough for the seed to grow.
In Naradha Bakthi suthra ,bakthi has been defined in different ways such as Smarana bakthi,Dasya bakthi,Vatsalya bakthi,Kantha bakthi,Parama vihara bakthi.
According to Kapila Bakthi falls under three categories as per Gunas.
Prahladha has categorised Bakthi in to nine such as Sravana,Keerthana,Smarana,Archana,Vandana.
Chaithanya has defined Bakthi as Santham,Dasyam,Sakhyam,Vatsalyam,and Madhuram.
Bakthi has its culmination in Trigunatheetham .
For intellectulals ,bakthi is grace;for emotional type bakthi is anantharoopam and for karmayogis it is service.



Body
Physical form is an appearance created by and out of consciousness like the waves 'created' by the ocean.
Body is the vehicle of the mind as the wave is the vehicle of the water.
Our bodies are also a mixture of five elements.
Our physical body is only a projection of the mind, and the mind is a poor reflection of the consciousness.
The body is not the least interested in values, much less a value-system. It is only concerned with intelligent moment-to-moment survival.

Brahman
The blissful nature of Brahman(Atman)is seen as pleasure and pain in jeeva.In one sense jeeva has all the characteristics of Brahman, in topsy-turvy manner as in reflection.
The moment we speak of Brahman, He ceases to be Brahman and becomes Iswara.
Till such time realisation of oneness of Jeeva and Brahman is attained,the individual soul should subjugate itself in all humility before the Universal goal.
Brahman is changeless and there is no question of its becoming transformed in to Universe.Space and other elements are only in the nature of appearance in Brahman,like a mirage .They have no existence apart from Brahman.
Consciousness minus concept is the eternal Brahman.
In the maha vakya “Tatvamasi” , Tat denotes Iswara and Twam denotes Jeeva.Both tat and twam have to be outlived to experience the Nirvikalpa Brahaman.’Asi’ is the ultimate truth ( You are the same Devadatha I had seen in Bombay years back.Here time and space have ben outlived to know the’ is-ness’ of Devadatha.)
Imaginary truth and relative truth are only vivartham in Brahman.Jeeva ,Iswara and Brahman are explained by the analogy of wave ,ocean and water.

Breath
Every breath-in is birth and every breath-out is death.
Focus your attention on the vital breath.
The thought-servants take possession of the house and pretend to be master.
Conscious breathing can help and correct the improper balancing of the autonomic nervous system.
Vital breath is the link between the intellect mind and consciousness.
The mind finds its resting place in the vital breath.
Big-bang theory is a cosmic inhalation and exhalation like the microcosmic breath-in and breath-out.
Conscious, slow and deep diaphragmatic breathing is preferable to chest breathing. This is what Pranayama teachers advice. Scientists give importance to breathing exercise from the viewpoint of oxygen intake.
Normally we breathe in and out through one nostril-left or right-alternately. Can we breathe through both the nostril at the same time?



Chance
It is Chance (With capital "C") that befalls on you. If you say you have lost a chance it is not true. You have not lost the chance. It was not a chance for you. If you say you have chosen, actually it was not your choice. There also, only Chance works.
The choice of the Ultimate appears as Chance for us.

Children
Your children are through you and not by you. They have their own destiny. You cannot shape their destiny.

Chakras:
The six charkas are explained as physical (Mooladhara);sexual (swathishtana);psychological(manipura);equipoise(anahatha);spiritual
(visudha) and spiritual transcended (Agna)

Choice
Accept life as it is. Don't impose any choice of your own.
We have no choice over our birth. On all events from birth to death, there is no choice for you.
You have no choice of action or volition.
You have no volition. Can you do away with sleep, food, and excretory movement and above all breathing? What freedom you have over these?
To live without Choice is to live in full.

Concept
"I do not know my real nature" is only a concept. Similarly " I know my real nature" is another concept.
Five elements, three gunas , time and space, three stages of waking etc.. are all concepts as we analyse manifestation from the relative standpoint.
In the rope-snake analogy, snake is a concept (or misconcept) and rope is also another concept.
What is the sound of one hand clapping? What was your face before your parents were born? These are some of the axe-blows against conceptualisation.
Whatever we think about the so-called "absolute stage" is only a concept. In deep sleep where is the concept?
Don't bother about God, religion, rituals, philosophy and what not, in the name of God. These are only concepts created by thoughts.
You and me are concepts in consciousness.
Get out of all Concepts. Then “Beingness “shines in you.
All your attempts towards realization of the so called truth would only block the way and lead nowhere since realization is only a concept and your attempts are also out of some other concepts.
The basis of all knowledge is a concept.
Knowledge and ignorance are only counterparts in the concept.
Children have no preconcepts.That is why they enjoy the surroundings in fullness and confront us with questions which look stupid to us.
Preconceptions limit our world.
The concept that brahma is the cosmic mind (existence) leads to the idea that Vishnu is the cosmic energy and siva is the bliss consciousness .Brahman is the ultimate truth awareness.

Confidence
A bird on a tiny leaf of a branch of a tree has confidence not on the leaf but on its wings.

Consciousness
Conscience and consciousness are different. Conscience is a mental make-up, a trick of the society.
Consciousness as a whole is all right. It is the individual mind, a split in the consciousness, which brings problem.
Consciousness is also a concept .
Consciousness is ever present which expresses as life.
Consciousness is the base, and thoughts are the ripples thereon similar to ocean and waves.
Consciousness is the dancer and the entire world is a dance.
Consciousness is the expression of Awareness, the Ultimate.
Consciousness is the mind of Awareness. Man is the projection of Consciousness.
Consciousness is the nature of the physical body like sweetness in sugar.
Consciousness with form and impersonal consciousness are one and the same.
Do not think you are an individual. You are Universal Consciousness.64 consciousness, 'I', which is not stained by individuality.
It is not that each individual being possesses a separate consciousness. It is consciousness which possesses millions of forms through which noumenon objectify as phenomenon.
It is not the body that possesses consciousness. It is consciousness that projects as body.
It is the total functioning of consciousness that reflects in each individual.
Not that I am angry; but I am the anger; Not that I am suffering; but I am the suffering; Not that I desire; but I am the desire. Everything has its place in the total functioning of consciousness. Then where is the conflict?
Once thoughts calm down, consciousness comes to the forefront of our awareness.
One has to outlive the limited consciousness, and experience his oneness with the whole of Existence.
The sea creates clouds out of it and then accepts the cloud back as the rain. This is the sort of thing that happens with consciousness.
The source of ignorance is also only consciousness. Only with consciousness, ignorance can be cognised.
There can be no consciousness without Awareness; but there can be Awareness without Consciousness.(water and ocean)
It is not that an individual possesses consciousness; but the consciousness assumes the form of individual (like the water assuming the form of wave).
The Universe is the expression of consciousness; but you are not the consciousness. You are beyond that.
It is one and the same consciousness that expresses as ego, intellect, and mind and also appears in physical form.
Our so-called body is not a casing nor it is caging the consciousness. On the other hand the physical appearance is only a psychosomatic appearance of consciousness.
Absolute consciousness is the God-principle and creativity is God’s imagination.
That which has arisen from the consciousness cannot be other than consciousness. Where then, there is duality?
It is consciousness that expresses as name and form and time and space. Again it is the consciousness that constitutes the five elements and three gunas.
Consciousness is not conscious of itself in deep sleep whereas in the stage of turiya , there is neither cognition nor non-cognition.
The story of two birds-one at rest and other in movement is symbolic of consciousness in static and in movement-Iswara and Jeeva.
Without consciousness where is delusion? Without water where is the wave? but of course without delusion consciousness alone can remain.
Consciousness connected with the body is”Vyakthi”,as a witness it is Vyaktha and in its purity it is Avyaktha.Remember all these are only concepts.
Consciousness dwelling in all beings is not similar to man dwelling in a house or bird dwelling in a nest. It is like gold in a bangle, thread in a cloth, water dwelling in waves.
The source of consciousness is cosmic, but its expression is individual.
The falsity of the dream is felt in the waking stage. Therefore, there is continuity of consciousness which alone is the base for the three stages of waking, dream and deep sleep.
By understanding the positive and negative forces of consciousness, one can develop the positive and bring down the negative.
Consciousness when individualised suffers from ego and emotions.
Conditioned consciousness is the dress man puts on while consciousness is the man himself.
Consciousness functions as grace and effort simultaneously.
Bhakti movement and Bhajan in the pure sense are the expressions of the consciousness and because of non-duality, there is no conflict.
The reality pervades the cosmos as consciousness .
Pure consciousness and jeeva function as ocean and waves.
Concsiousness is the base on which thoughts come and go;but consciouness ever remain the same.
“I” consciousness ie.Iswara is expressed as cosmic mind,comic intellect and five elements.There is no blemish in it in as much as it covers the totality.
Only in bodham there arises a concept of jagat.Bodham is ever present even when jagat is absent.
Atmabodham takes the shape of Jeeva bhavam when it is shaded by raga and dwesha.
If and when there is bodham there is jagat.If there is no bodham there is no jagat.
Even when there is no jagat there is bodham.
All that is seen as jagat is bodham only.
Atmabodham cannot be experienced through objects.It is self knowledge.
Even the apparent unconscient stage of the mountains conceals the innermost dormancy of consciousness (if mountains were to move and fly there shall be chaos every where on the earth))
Consciousness is partaking of the fruits of its own action on account of imagining Karma. Freed from the imagination of Karma it does not partake of the fruits of action.
Consciousness with a blemish of imagination has the appearance of manifestation then indeed it is existing as the mind.
Consciousness is never experienced in plural.It is singular ;it has no plurality.
Consciousness is the first and direct experience.All else is remote inference.

Contradiction
Contradiction is a low degree of intelligence.
Explanations appear to be contradictory and inconsistent due to the fact that some are from the relative stand-point and some others from the ultimate stand-point.


Creativity
There is neither a creator nor a creation. It is only creativity that is going on.

Creation:
When you are in yourself the entire creation is in you.When you consider yourself as the body you become part of the creation.
‘Srishti’ is not a creation.It is projection,a vivartham as per advaitham.

Crime
There is neither crime nor punishment in the world of Nature. Mass killing in a war is rewarded; murder in a society is punished.

Culture:
The nearer we approach the middle life,better we extricate ourselves from our personal stand point and social position.Money making,social position and family are nothing but plain nature,not culture.Culture lies beyond the purpose of Nature.

Dance
Cosmic dance of Nataraja and “half-male-half-female” form of Ardhanariswara, have symbolic meaning.
Don't dance for happiness. Do dance out of happiness.
God is a dance-master and we are the learners. We have to dance to his tune. Once he stops the 'Natuvangam' our dance should stop.
Dancer should not be overshadowed by the dance.
Rasaleela of Krishna with Gopis represents the cosmic dance of Purusha and Prakriti.
(What does the cosmic dance of Nataraja represent?)

Dharma
Dharma is that by which the existence is upheld.”Dharayathi idi Dharma”.
Karma when performed without ego becomes dharma.
Twofold is dharma.Through pravirhti (without ego) one attains ‘sree’ and through nivirthi one attains ‘Amritha’

Death

As we grow old, attachment fades away out of disillusionment, and nature erases the memory. What remains is the fear of death.

Because of separation of a dear one, (by death), as an expression of grief, can you stop your breath for 5 minutes, can you remain without food for a day? These are the needs of the body. They will take place till the vital force in you, is alive.
Death is a left over of Existence. Nothing really dies. Even death does not die.
Death is nothing else other than the dissolution of the elements.
Death means "no mind" for every deep sleep is a taste of no- mind.
Everything has to die and has just so long to live. This is true even with a teacup.
Fear of death comes out of the accumulation of life to which you cling.
How many of us welcome death as we welcome sleep?
How much more suffering is caused by the thought of death than by death itself?
In death, breath gets freedom from the body-cage.
In this age of fast -food we desire everything to happen fast, except death.
Life (eternal) is imprisoned in the body, and every death is the release of life on parole, to comeback to the prison-body on rebirth.
The causes of death are many. Who is causing them?
The game of action and desire ends only with the death. According to Hindu concepts, 'vasanas' still linger to prepare for another game.
The man who is dead, does not know he is dead and gone.(a man entering dream stage does not know that he has stepped into the dream stage).
We are afraid to face death, which is parallel to sleep.
We are frightened of death because of our too much of attachment to the known things, family and people around us.
We were dead before we were born. Then why are you afraid to go back to the original state?
Why can't we welcome death as we welcome sleep, if we conceive of a rebirth?
Death of death happens on the realisation that the phenomenal world has really no existence apart from Brahman.
The Ultimate, which has given me birth, will absorb me at death.
Always remember that death is over your head like Damocles’ sword.
Only to the man who claims himself to be somebody, there is death.
Man wants a hold when the fear of death haunts him. Depending on the circumstances and the man’s mental makeup, chant God’s name and let the dying man listen to it.

Delusion
In the rope-snake analogy, the rope is the primary delusion, and the snake is the secondary delusion. Both are delusions of the mind.
Mind feels alien to the source and poses to be independent and free to act.
This living itself is illusory, the characters in the living dream are illusory, the bondage in which characters imagine themselves to be is illusory, and so is the imagined liberation.

Desire
Desire not small things. Desire God. Fill not the mind with non-essentials. Fill the mind with love.
Desires emerge according to one's 'vasanas' which has the mixture of three gunas.
Feeling of imperfection causes desire, and desire motivates action.
Freedom from desire means: the compulsion to satisfy the same is absent.
I have what I don't want. I want what I don't have. Change the above attitude. I have what I want; I don't care for what I don't have.
If we desire something big, something universal- say God, then the desire becomes Love.
If you wish to make your children rich, do not give them more money, but diminish their desires.
It is not desire that is wrong; but its narrowness and smallness. Transform desire into love.
Action emanates from desire.
By knowing oneself, one understands the entire process of desire and action.
Desires emanate in plenty; but the urge to fulfil the desires varies from individual to individual depending on guna.
Even in respect of spontaneous action, at the root, there is desire.
One cannot wipe off his desires or do away with actions (nor activity) so long as his destiny commands so.
We have umpteen desires, which we think are our needs.
“If I were” to live again is the feeling many entertain in retrospect. This is a kind of dream of unfulfilled desires and past mistakes.
The nectar of life goes as vapour by the heat of desires.
Learn to know what is desire and what is need. Also learn to know what is urge and how you can stop or control the urge.
Desire and action are sequence of vasanas.
Desire with much agitation and anxiety brings in disappointment,anger and jealousy in the event of non fulfilment of the desire-expression of ‘Rajasic’nature.
Deire out of satwic tendencies won’t bring in disappointment,anger or jealousy in the event of non fulfilment of the desire,and the non fulfilment is attributed to the law of Karma.
Desire arises even after the realisation of the truth,but the urge to fulfil the same is absent and therefore no action follows; there is no expectation,no disappointment and no agitation.
Desire and attachment cannot be totally eliminated .Instead of desiring material benefits and attaching ourselves to the desired objects,we should redirect our desires and attachments towards God.
Mirage in the sandy desert disappears at the close of the day.Similarly desire is destroyed when discrimination sets in.
When a thing distinct from the self is admitted to be true,desire arises there.Where nothing whatever exists distinct from ones own self,what possibly can the self run to or reach,desiring what and remembering what ?
Desires are of different categories.Desires confine to needs,desires confine to needs and wants,desires to meet needs ,wants and greediness,and desires in the form of indulgence.
The first two to be exercised with caution.The last two to be eliminated with proper understanding and controlling the urge.

Destination
A river reaching its natural destination, ocean, is symbolically the same as the self-arriving at the Absolute.

Destiny
Destiny is a series of psychic knots.

Detachment
Cultivate the attitude- to be in the world and not of the world, free from greed, intellectual pride, and blind obedience to customs.
Detached - attachment should be the attitude in your relation with others.
Always remember that death is at your doorstep. This remembrance will bring great benefit in developing detachment.

Determinism
When a boy or girl is born he/she brings in his/her cell the whole program of life and even the details of the program.
The momentum of my past Karmas which is like that of an arrow shot ,carries me forward through all thick and thin, ups and down ,good and bad.It must run its momentum and so I am what I am.
Everything in this world follows a law and order, so also the reprisal that is meted out to me must have some basic law.
Discipline
Discipline is a measure of defence; outer shell protecting the seed.
If you merely discipline yourself without understanding the Eternal truth you are creating only barriers.
Self Discipline must be born out of truth eternal.
Self-discipline is nothing but a balancing between indulgence and renunciation.

Dissimilarity
No two persons' dreams are alike. No two persons' world is alike. No two persons are alike. No two waves in the ocean are alike. No two leaves in the tree are alike. How dare you expect others to be like you?

Divine
One is nothing; one can do nothing; One can understand nothing. Everything is of the divine, by the divine and for the divine.(Iswara sanklpa)
When undesirable thoughts come, seek the source of it. It will disappear in the divine.(principle of ‘maha karthrtvam,)

Doer ship
Bondage is the bondage of the false concept of independent entity assuming doer- ship (Individual wave assuming doer- ship).
Abandon all sense of being the doer.
Enjoyment of fruits arises from doer-ship.

Doing
When there is no doing, you become aware of being.

Dream
Cosmic Dreamer is conscious of his cosmic dream.
A man who is aware that he is dreaming (even while dreaming) is great indeed. Dream has no effect on him.He becomes a witness.
Dream thoughts have their own logic and reasoning.
Fear caused by dream events sometime shocks you and brings you to waking stage. Such dreams are remembered and stored in the memory.
Have you any control over your dream stage? No. Similarly you have no control over your waking stage.
How do you know you had a dream? Only a very few dreams are remembered/recollected in the waking stage.
I dream this universe and all that is dreamt is I.
We are dreamers in the cosmic dream.
Dream is the echo of the waking stage.
In the dream stage we are more or less like mad men since there is no reasoning or discrimination on our dream thoughts.
In the dream, what awaken the dreamer is not the objects. The awakening happens in the disidentification of the dreamer from the objects. In both the stages (dream and awakening) his true nature is not affected. (Some times a tiger in dream brings you back to waking).
One can welcome dream for it is a pass-time to the mind. As we roam around a park and enjoy ourselves without any specific purpose, mind enjoys the dream.
The dream mind gets shocked in the dream and runs to the waking stage when the intellect laughs at it. A child runs to the mother out of fear, for protection.
We cannot avoid dream as we cannot avoid sleep.
Dream thoughts are the result of Vasana, and they are splashed like muddy water in the dreaming consciousness.
Even a realised person cannot truly claim that he has won over the dreams.
We do not have control over our dreams or for that matter, over the waking state.
If and when the dreamer realises that he is dreaming, he can separate himself from it and dream loses its value. The same is the situation with the waking stage also.
In our dream, our dream thoughts are not controlled by the intellect. Similarly during the waking stage also many of us are only day dreaming and there is no functioning of the total intellect.
The dream stage declares our helplessness in controlling our thoughts. Can you do away with your dream?
It is our experience that we don’t want to disturb the dream and come to the waking stage unless the dream is shocking and dreadful. The same is applicable to waking stage also which we don’t want to outlive.

Duality
Good and evil are there so long as there is duality.
If you say 'be a witness' you are still in duality. 'I am that' also implies duality.
(Duality)- The subject-object exist so long as there is distinction between eye and form, ear and sound, nose and smell, tongue ans taste, body and sensation, cognisance and thought.
The sense of duality continues to remain in the practise of karma yoga and bhaktiyoga.
Duality, the dialectics of life has to be accepted and has to be transcended to arrive at the truth.
Realisation cannot be perfect as long as there is a sense of duality.
The sense of duality disappears in deep sleep as well as in samadhi.
It is only the dualists who fight with one another. Adwaithins fight with none.

Education
Know thyself must be the most precious education, and then you can become acquainted with everything else.

Effort
There is absolutely nothing to be attained - neither enlightenment nor anything else.
The tenkalai vaishnavaits believe that no individual effort is needed for the dawn of divine grace.(Kitten and the cat nyaya).

Ego
Ego does not exist when " I" is alone.
Ego is a phantom creation, the illusory result of identification of what we are with what we think we are.
A realised person remaining in Self, can witness the ego playing its part according to 'Prarabdha'.
Absence of volition is absence of ego.
Because of our selfishness there is ego; because of our ego, there are thoughts; because of our thoughts there is misery.
Boredom is the greatest suffering. This is the trick of the ego. Ego is afraid to be alone.
By compassion, half of your ego is killed; and by love, the other half is killed.
By regulating the breath, we may slow down the flow of thoughts; forget the ego-sense. Then we are entering a higher status of consciousness.
Collectively, consciousness has no ego-sense. Individually the thought "I am" enters into it, and flow of thoughts forms the mind, and storage of thoughts forms the memory.

Ego, the small self should dissolve in the big Self.
Ego goes on creating misery. When one misery is dropped another is created by ego. Destroy the ego, misery disappears.
Ego is nothing but condensed unawareness.
Ego wants its presence to be felt.
Egolessness brings equipoise in you. In situations where you are abused, equipoise will help you to face it.
I am only an object of His will whereas I consider myself as subject and others as objects and each one considers that way.
Intervention of individuality only distracts the real nature of phenomenon.
Just like waves, egos clash forgetting their real nature and oneness.
Many would rather give up their lives than give up their ego.
Mind dominated by ego requires an object to perpetuate the ego. Ego cannot remain in isolation.
Most of the time we are not communicating with the person, but with his ego.
One simple advice to everyone. "Shed the Ego”. "Express Compassion and Love without emotional involvement ". No other philosophy/religion is required.
Only an egoistic creature feels the need to talk.
Self-enquiry is the only means to destroy the ego. All other means retain the mind, and ego takes subtler forms in the process.
The cause of misery is ego.
The ego is very deceptive. It has made soldiers and butchers proud of their profession.
The greatest illusion is our opinion about ourselves.
The more egoistic a person is, the less he is aware that he is so.
The ocean is vast. You are just a drop in it. The whole ocean is salty and you are trying to be sweet. The ego wants to do the impossible.
The way of the ego is to magnify everything.
Those who possess ego get emotionally hurt.
To be practical, try to keep the mind free of emotions and ego-sense to the extent possible.
To remain in one's Self means to remain without ego.
When the ego is there, you are not sure you have done the right thing.
Whenever our desires are not fulfilled, our ego is hurt or rather destroyed.
A man without vanity feels himself being loved by everyone.
My ego always insists that I am somebody whereas the truth is that I am nobody.
Ego stands between you and the Ultimate and obstructs the light.
Existence is the total mind and Understanding is the total intellect. When they are individualised they become ego.
I cannot claim that I know God because it is my small self-ego which claims it.
Ego state comes by limitation and self-division from the ONE, and the ego can only accept a certain number of experiences since it can understand and assimilate only that much because of the artificial limitation.
We should practice perceiving things in a wider perspective relegating the ego behind.
Go is he feeling of individuality opposed to universality;feeling of separateness opposed to oneness ,imprisoning the all pervading self to the cage of body and mind.
Krishna’s demanding Gopis to come out of the water (water indicates flirtation of the mind) and beg for their dress is indicative of the “philosophy of dress”.Man covers his reality with the ego dress and hesitate to shed the same .
Ahankara (Ego) is Aham + Kriti.It has two aspects,one is ahantha and the other is mamata.
Surrender your ego before the divine.
The life of the person shines for whom there is no feeling of egoism.
As one has the conviction of the Chaitanyam with in ,he is free from the fetters of ego.Ego, the shadow,has no place where Chaitanyam expresses in full .
Ego is a mental disease caused by man and cured by God for purpose not known to the small human mind.

Emotion
Live in this world without emotional involvement (Like an actor in the drama).
Man of understanding considers the emotions as fast- moving clouds. He doesn't store them in memory.
Emotions arise because of ego-the feeling of individuality.
Anger is a negative emotion and praise is a positive emotion. Don’t react to either of them if you happen to be the recipient.


Enlightenment
As you go to the opposite direction of the light, your own shadow in the front will babble you.
One should live mindfully in each moment. There is no enlightenment outside of daily life.
Without self-realisation no virtue is genuine.
An enlightened person has the psychological freedom. He doesn't come under the influence of emotion.
An enlightened person has the uni-vision while an ordinary person has multi-vision.
Not all Sanyasins are enlightened and not all common men are mundane.
There is general notion that an enlightened person would consider everything in the world as illusion. I don't think it is so.
Enlightenment is nothing but realising oneself in his true nature.
Enlightenment brings in an adjustment thereby individual existence is no more there. Only existence remains. No feeling of doing, only happening-a change from the doer ship to the witness stage.
The Zen proverb” Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water; and after enlightenment chop wood and carry water” is to mean that enlightenment need not change outer actions. Our perceptions and motivations only change.
Acceptance, nonjudgemental, egolessness, silence, meditation, love-these are the expressions of the enlightened.
All men of realisation do not conduct themselves in the same way aftyer realisation because of the vasanas still functioning through them (Budha,Sankara,Mahaveera,Ramana,Vivekananda)
A baby prince lost in the jungle is brought up as a beggar.Once truth is known and is crowned as the prince ,if goes out in disguise as beggar;the experience of the former and the latter are entirely different.The experience of a person before and after realisation is like this.

Entirety
Enjoy the flower in its entirety; not bit by bit; not petal by petal.
In all our thinking and actions let us find out their places in the entirety.

Essential
The essential is your soul and not the ego. The essential is your being and the non-essential is your doings.

Eternal
You must have the root of your ideas in the Eternal.

Ethics
Ethical qualities like yama,niyama,protect you from asuric forces.

Events
The mind desires events that are not meant for us. Then, the mind is caught in problems.
Events are well determined. Problems arise when we react to the events through the mind.
Respond to events: don't react. Then, events remain as incidents and not experience.
There are events like birth, marriage, disease, and death in the family or in close circle. Don't take them to the mental level and convert them as experience. See them as events and on demand, act without activity.
Understand that the events have a definite time and place in the whole scheme of manifestation.

Evil
Evil cannot be destroyed, but can only be merged with that from which it arose.
Evil forces appear to function in the totality. Don't expect everybody to be a sage and everybody to be good at all times.
Evil is a superstition, the name of a shadow.
Evil is not a proof of God; yet evil is a premonition of God.
Evil is not opposed to goodness. Absent of goodness is evil. Dark shadows and bright light complement each other in the life painting.
Whenever anything in nature seems to us ridiculous, absurd or evil, it is because we have only a partial knowledge of things.

Evolution
The so-called sinner is not evolving. It is wrong concept to say that one day he becomes a Buddha. The truth is that potential Buddha already exists in him.

Existence
Existence is the passage between life and death.
Existence is almost an echo of your being. If you are in anxiety, everything around you becomes tense; and if you are silent, everything around you becomes a silent music.
Existence needs everybody the way he is. Never try to be somebody else.
Five elements, three gunas and the thought-sphere bring you forth into existence.
In the dance-drama, consciousness is the dancer and the dance is the existence.
Life is dance; Existence is a celebration, joy, not a journey.
Our existence is a fight against our own shadow to find out the source of it
The walls around you should be demolished to feel the universality of existence.
Our personality is only a bubble in the total existence.
I should ever remember that existence is breathing through me.

Experience
Don't turn incidents into experience.
An accident, a death or a suffering in the neighbourhood is only an incident for you, not an experience because you are not emotionally involved.

An event becomes an experience only when I am emotionally involved.
Experience is only conceptual and it is the effect of reacting to stimulus.
It is not "I" who undergoes an experience, but a "Me”.

Explanations
While explaining truth, exponents confuse the audience by changing-over sides frequently between relative and absolute standpoint, without specifying the frame of reference.
Reflection theory (Viswam-Tharpana) indicates that Prapancham is only a reflection of that reality as if our face is reflected in the mirror.
Pot-Space theory indicates the limitation we have attributed to that limitless reality.
Serpent-Rope and the Mirage-desert are the two popular analogies to explain the ‘Adwaithic’ truth .There too ,Serpent –Rope seems to be more apt .Here we do not see the serpent on realisation whereas in mirage-desert even after realisation mirage continues to be seen.
Ocean and wave analogy is recommended to be remembered for the beginners treading the path of realisation.

Extremes
The most important thing in life is, never to have too much of anything.

Faith
Behind the veil of each night, there is a smiling dawn.
Even while facing a calamity, a man of faith consoles that he is saved from a more serious calamity. Rarely, a theist turns into an atheist.
Faith in God is to strengthen your faith in you, faith in your own self. i.e.. Self-confidence.
It is enough if you have faith in you. If you don't have faith in you, then there is not much to gain even if you believe in God.
Our faith in personal God increases as our wishes and prayers get fulfilled.
Tagore has said that faith is similar to a bird feels the light and sings while the dawn is still dark.

Fate
Fate is the child of free will.
The source of free will and fate is beyond your comprehension.
Lethargic persons assume that everything is fate .Egoistic persons think that everything is their will (effort).Satwic persons place fate subordinate to free will.The ultimate truth is self determinism.ie.Iswara sankalpam.
One has to enact his role assigned .To this extent fate decides.While acting fools assume the action to be real and suffer while knowledgeable persons rise to the witness stage (free of ego) contemplating their real nature and differentiating the action from the actor.

Fear
As we grow old, we live in the past and look into the future with fear.
Fear is caused by the perception of existence of a second entity beside oneself.
Fear will not cease so long as there is the sense of duality.
The very idea of fear in you creates the opposite idea in the other.

Feeling
Animals and infants communicate through feeling, the silent language, which we must rediscover.
It is not the body that unites us, but our feelings.

Food
The benefit that comes from choosing not to eat certain foods is greater than enjoyment of eating everything.

Freedom
Will, as a whole is free. Impersonal consciousness has the freedom but every part of it is well determined by the whole (Individual wave's movement is decided by the ocean).
All decisions come from the whole. It is foolishness to think that we are the decision makers.
Freedom to do what one likes is bondage, while being free to do what one must, is real freedom.
Give others the freedom to be him or her.
Man has no command over the five elements. At best, he may control or manipulate them to a limited extent.
It is a delusion for man to think that he is free and independent. This thinking is similar to the thinking of the wave in the ocean.
I shall be free only when I shall cease to be.

Free Will
Freewill and fate are only concepts. The truth is beyond these two. Assuming that Free Will is the maker of fate, can't we also assume that Free Will can modify or destroy fate at any period of time even after fate has started functioning.
It is His Freewill that act as fate in me. It is His Choice that acts as chance in me. I have neither Freewill nor Choice.
Fate is imitation of chance and freewill is an imitation of choice. In reality, there is neither freewill nor fate. Only self-determinism ;Iswara sankalpam works.
When one becomes more conscious of the chaitanya within the freewill and fate express in him as Daiva sankalpam,the result of which is felt as Awareness inwardly leaving the role of fate to the outward actions only.


Gayathri
Invocation of gayathri helps to gain power of not only the intellect but of the mind as well thereby the total consciousness and total knowledge dawn in you.

God
A Bhaktha surrenders himself to God. A Gnani finds out God in himself. Ultimately in both the cases God and Man merge into one.
God is not a person, but only a presence, not a flower, but fragrance.
Before seeing God everywhere, are we not to see God in ourselves first. He who sees God in all beings and all beings in himself, is a true 'Bhaktha'
Don't indulge in arguing about God. You are God and be God.
God being perfection, His creation cannot be other than perfection.
God can be found only when your being is utterly naked, free from the mask of all kinds of concepts.
God is a response. God is a resounding of your being.
God is aware of your presence; but you are not; God is perfectly happy with you. But you are not happy with yourself.
God is dialectical. Everywhere opposites are meeting; birth-death, thorn-flower, man-woman, youth- old age. Only opposites can cerate a symphony.
God is god only to the individual labouring under ignorance; God never feels himself as God.
God is no capricious personality absorbed in the private affairs of his devotees but the invariable sustaining order of the universe.
God is not the creator, but creativity.
God is not unknown. He is unknowable.
God is nothing but 'you' realised.
God is only an idea in your mind. The fact is 'you'.
God is the totality of all values beyond mind.
God, Love, Life and Bliss all mean the same.
Gods and Goddesses that supervise the world may be most wonderful and glorious beings; yet they are like the gorgeously dressed servants who proclaim the power and riches of the Master.
God's relation to the world is that of the dancer and the dance.
Oh! God I remember you because you remember me first.
The concept is that God created 'Dharani' in feminine gender, and He appeared as the male counter part.
The gods are neither Hindu nor Greek, being creations of our mind; they behave as we make them.
The most efficacious among the concepts of god is the eternal couple.
The true God is one who had created you; the false God is one that you have created.
The very idea that God looks after you is a great relaxation.
To relax into things as they are, is trusting God.
We measure people by their utility. Even Gods, we measure sometimes, that way.
God is one whom you love most for ever (Who can be that 'one' other than the Self?).
Without me there is no God. God has created me and entered into me. Without realising this I search for Him outside.
God is dumb man’s candy. He can enjoy it but cannot communicate to others.
God is like a log of wood one gets while struggling in the mid sea.
God is God only to Jeeva. God never feels Himself as God since avidya does nod operate on Him unlike on Jeeva.
The idea that God and men are different, God represents purity and man represents sin and that through religion man could approach God, is good, but not the ultimate truth.
God is quite happy with man; but man is not happy with himself nor with God.
God slept in mineral kingdom, dreamt in vegetables, became conscious in animals and realised Himself in human beings.
For the question” Is there a God?”, the answer of the enlightened is that there is nothing except God.
God is shadowed by ego. When ego is removed god is visible. Dancer is shadowed by the dance and water is shadowed by the waves.
Notice His hand in every action.
You are in the form of a wave in the ocean of God. All that is seen, heard, smelt, felt and tasted is god.
Don’t say God has no form. You are God and don’t you have form? God has innumerable forms like the waves in the ocean.
The worship of God is to protect ourselves against obstructions in the way of sadness.
Just because you are in meditation God is not denied.
The moment you are with self ,you are with God.
God is fragrance and he can only be felt as we feel the fragrance of a flower.
The heart cannot accommodate both God and Ego together.
The connection between god and consort Lakshmi is similar to letter and word.
Muslim saint Refia when asked ‘Do you love God ?’ ‘O Yes’ she replied. But do you not hate the devil ? was the second question. ‘My love for God does not give time to hate’ was the answer.
Emerson has said “every man is God playing the fool”

Good
A good man does not argue.
A man, who claims to know what is good for others, is dangerous.
Even to think that we are good is wrong.
The greatest good is the knowledge of the union, which the mind has with the whole of nature.
We deceive ourselves when we say that we work for the good of others.
What we call 'evil' is as much necessary as what we call 'good'.
A person may be wrong but not bad.
Goodness is our basic instinct. You can, therefore, never indulge in harm without suffering due to it.
Whatever is, is good.

Grace
It is only through God's grace we are drawn towards Him.
Grace is totality. There is no fragmentation.
We don’t take stock of what is given to us by His grace. We only complain of what is not given.
Just as we cannot see the force of gravitation that pulls us to Earth, we cannot know the working of the Grace.
With the umbrella of ego spread over your head you cannot feel the grace.
The saying that it is only through grace one can realise the Truth is very much acceptable since there is only one truth and nothing can be outside it and we are in that truth.Even our ‘Agnananm’ is inherent in it.Only through grace one can come out of ‘Agnana’.

Greed
Birds and animals do not build mansions. Man's lust for luxury robs him of his peace.

Guna
Caste is decided by the predominance of Guna.Parasurama, by birth a Brahmin, showed rajasic quality.Viswamithra, by birth a kshathriya, became gnani because of the dominance of satvik Guna.

Guru
A Guru is one who tells us to throw away all crutches. He would ask you to walk and if you fall he would say you would rise and walk.
A new definition for “Gurur Brahma .. .. Thasmai sree Gurave namaha”. Brahman kindles the light of knowledge; Vishnu leads us in that light; Maheswara dispels the ignorance. 'Param Brahma' in the shloka , encompasses the above three.
By repeating the name of the place written on the sign- board or prostrating before it, you don't reach the destination. Guru is only a signboard.
Guru is both external and internal. From the exterior, he gives a push to the mind to turn inside and from the interior he pulls the mind towards the Self.
Guru is none other than the consciousness.
Guru, as we explain from the relative standpoint, is a person; from the absolute standpoint, your own self is your guru.
If and when we notice that our ideals are not personalised in the outer guru, we lose faith in him.
In a guru what you see is not his limitation, but yours. The ideals you cherish and you expect from others, are your limitations.
Life itself is your Guru. When you personalise your ideals you find an outer Guru.
There is no difference between God, Guru and Self.
Those who desire to have followers, highlight the importance of Guru.
When we consider our own inner self as Guru and in case if we go astray from the ideals we cherish, we take it as a weakness and determine not to repeat the same.
Your own self is your ultimate teacher. The outer teacher is merely a milestone. The outer teacher is merely a signboard in a junction to indicate direction.
True love for Guru is without the feeling of duality.
Don’t approach a Guru with the idea that he would give you liberation from bondage.
A true Guru gives only a lamp with which we have to find our own path.
Some persons consider Supreme reality as their Guru. Some others consider their Guru as the Supreme reality.Another group consider Guru as a guide to know the Reality.

Happening
All of us find only what we do not crave and do not find what we crave.
Everything in between the so-called birth and death is happening spontaneously. Nothing is your doing.
Everything is done to you. You do nothing.
Let 'let go' be the only goal and it is not a goal at all.
There is neither giver nor receiver. Birds cast their shadows on the water and the water reflects the same.
There is neither ego nor sense of gratitude. Bees suck honey from the flower; roots of the tree suck water and the tree receives nourishment.
There is not a single need to do anything on your part. Everything has already been done for you. Simply accept it and float.
Water that flows down the mountain does not think that it flows down the mountain. The cloud that leaves the valley does not think it leaves the valley. Everything happens.
What is not meant to happen will not happen however much you wish it. What is meant to happen will happen, no matter what you do to prevent it.
Whatever is essential, it happens to us- Birth, Love, Old age, and death.
When something does not take place as we desire, we should understand that it is not to happen in the totality of the scheme.
You were not consulted before you were born nor you will be consulted before your life extinct.
Everything is happening spontaneously. Nothing is your doing.
We relate favourable time with providential grace and misfortune with fate.
Whatever happens happens by itself.
Everything is just happening, but the individual “I” takes credit as if it is doing things.
Events happen as they should and not as we desire.

Happiness
Happiness is our nature. We don't experience it because of the feeling of individuality.
Real happiness comes out of doing something useless- Poetry, Painting, Love, and Meditation.

Harmony
We should always be conscious of the harmony prevailing in the apparent inharmony.

Heart
Observe others through your heart and not through the intellect.

Holistic approach
Be natural and remain whole without fragmentation. This is the holistic approach.

Hope
Everyday is a new day, thanks to the movement of the earth.
The charm of a thing lies more in hoping than in possessing.

Humility
Humility comes with acceptance.
It is out of false humility we say that he causes all good things and for all false I am responsible. The truth is that God is beyond this duality.
Humility comes only on realisation that I am only a wave in the ocean.
Humility is lost when one says that he is Humble.

Hurt
How can I hurt something that is one with me?
One must not inflict a deliberate hurt- physical or mental-on anyone for the simple reason that it would disturb one's own equanimity.

Hypocrite
It is better to be a plain worldly man than to be a religious-hypocrite.
The irony is that for man to be unnatural has become natural.

I
The duality starts with the first thought ‘I’
‘I’ is closest to the Absolute and the highest God in the manifestation.
"I am" the primary illusion brings a notion as if it has a separate, independent identity.
All thoughts are formed on the basic thought "I am".
Find out the source of I am.
For no apparent reason, the thought ‘I AM' spontaneously stirs into existence- like a gentle wave on an expanse of water.
“I am” is the first thought that comes with the manifestation.
I amness is a puppet in the play of the five elements.
“I” with the dress of ego, becomes 'I am'.
It is not the phenomenon that causes problem. It is phantom 'I' which claims individuality as 'I am' that brings objectification of you, and me and there follows all concepts.
That which you like most is " I am" - the conscious presence.
I amness is the first concept in Existence.
I amness is there till the vital breath is there.
“I” is the intellect. I is the first thought. “I” is the mind.” I” is the subject.” I” is the object. It is non-dual ‘I’, which is Truth-Absolute.
Never can you escape that "I"
“I am” is the first entry post and the last outpost of illusion.
“I amness” is the product of five elements as well as the creator of the said elements.

Identification
Consciousness forgets its true nature and assumes the identity of a particular form.
Identification of I with me is what bondage is.
Identification with body will remain till we breathe last and this identification does not cease.
It is because of ignorance we identify ourselves with only appearance. (Appearance of waves).
Whatever unhappiness you have, whatever fear you have, is based on identification with the body, memory and concepts.

Idol worship:
Idol and worship cannot go together ;in true worship the idol should disappear.

Ignorance
I am a blind man. I have no authority/ability to say how an elephant looks like.
There are two types of ignorance; non-understanding and misunderstanding. One is the veiling power and the other is the projecting power. By misunderstanding, the phenomenal world is perceived, and along with that, attachment is developed.
I have a very poor knowledge about my body leave alone the inner organism. I cannot see even my own face except in reflection.
We know not anything.We are like infants crying in the night for the light and with no language but cry.

Illusion
Our image about ourselves and relation with the world, are false.
Say, " yes " to the shadow. The moment you say " yes “ you forget it; it disappears from the mind Even if it remains with the body, don't get puzzled, disturbed, by the sight of your own shadow.
The illusion of action is the greatest illusion of human nature.
We are deceived by our senses. The senses only scratch the surface.
We surrender ourselves to illusion and yet some-where in some part of ourselves, we contemplatively know that it is an illusion.
World, as we experience, is only a distortion and we describe it as illusion in comparison to reality.
You are not separate from the illusion. You are the illusion. Physical death is the only way-out.
God, man, and world - these three constitute Maya.
Our shadows have taken possession of us and we are afraid of them.
You cannot escape the illusion till death.
Ignorance is the beginingless chain of illusion in which each succeeding illusion is the effect of the preceding one.
This universe is a refracted appearance.Even as a stick is immersed in water it appears to be broken at the level of water,the world is a refracted appearance of some thing else.

Illness
Illness is the catalyst for making changes in our lifestyle.

Image
Man sees only his image in the mirror. When can he see his real face as he sees others?

Imagination
Do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Imagination such as concepts, desires, fear, anxiety, opinion, troubles the mind and stains it.
Life is short. Don't waste time in metaphysical speculations.
Man gets bored because he imagines that there is some thing more interesting.
The world is nothing but a creation of sankalpas .

Independence
Always remember that you, as an independent entity, cannot exist.

Individuality
There is no individuality left. So long as this body is part of the total functioning, whatever comes in the total functioning has to be suffered.
Emotions are knitted together with actions. It is the feeling of individuality-absence of oneness-that triggers action. Along with that, there arise emotions like desire, fear, anxiety etc.
Your individuality is a localised disturbance in the universal consciousness.
Forget the individuality. That is the ultimate aim.
There is no room for the individual in the totality of manifestation.
It is the feeling of individuality that expresses as ego, intellect, and mind etc. causing restlessness.
Man, a combination of five elements, three gunas and name and form, feels as if he has individuality and roams around in his own creation of time and space.
The individual is not destroyed by the detachment ,but grows into largeness and fullness.

Indulgence:
Un controlled thought is self indulgence.
Indulgence is inversely proportional to awareness.

Innocence
Innocence is destroyed by knowledge. God can be felt through innocence and not through knowledge.
Innocence springs from undoing the knowledge acquired.

Inner voice
Only enlightened persons can listen to the inner voice-God’s voice-vividly.

Intimacy
Horizontal intimacy through acts of altruism develops connections and relationships between ourselves and others, while vertical intimacy through meditation develops connection between ourselves and the higher Self.

Intuition
Intuitive knowledge is like enjoying/experiencing a cup of tea even while drinking it. Other knowledge comes from the memory to describe your experience only and not the actual experience.
One should free oneself from the mind and intellect; then, intuition will take care of one's action.
Intuition is directly from consciousness. Intellect suffers from accumulation of knowledge, which obstructs the direct flow of consciousness.

Jeeva:
Because of non apprehension of truth ,we consider Jeeva as distinct from ‘Brahman’ , and by mis apprehension we attach jeeva to the body.
The identification of the ego with the reflected consciousness is known as ‘sentient ego’ or Jeeva.The sentient ego (Jeeva) identifies with the gross body and enlivens it.
Jeeva assumes itself as the doer and enjoyer.

Journey
While we come to the Earth, our Journey is in the opposite direction showing our back to God. Our return Journey starts in His direction.

Joy
Low and high tides apparently affect the waves and not the ocean. Joy and sorrow are the high and low tides in the life.

Judgement
All wrong opinions should dissolve within oneself (nothing should be viewed as wrong).
Don't pass judgement on others.
It becomes a problem when you are always judging and thinking critically.
Abstain from judgement and evaluation.

Karma
Bhajan, Pooja etc.. melt your mind, whereas other activities like cinema, drugs etc.. strengthen your mind in the adverse direction.
Karma i.e.. Activity is only a delusion. In the phenomenal existence, Karma is permissive and not mandatory.
There is none who gives pain or pleasure. It is wrong understanding if it is attributed to any force other than him. If one claims it to the capacity of his ego-centered self that is misplaced pride. Really the world is knit together by the thread of one's own karma.
Whatsoever you do, will be returned to you. This is the law of karma.
The physical body being insentient cannot by itself do any Karma nor the sentient being has any need for Karma.
The theory of Karma is incomplete unless you resolve the puzzle “how the first vibration took place?”.
Karma without ego sense and bhakti with the attitude of saranagathy bring you closer to reality.
The movement of the pendulum in the clock is due to prarabda.Sanchita is the remaining portion of the key ready for moving the pendulum. The winding of the key even while the pendulum swings, is the preparation for agami.
It is a vicious circle when men experience the result of past Karma.They not only suffer as a result of the negative past Karma, but also in the process accumulate fresh negative vasanas to pave way for a birth in the lower realm. (What is the way out?)
The law of Karma operates and binds an individual only when he lives a life of seperation distinct from the Reality as a whole.

Knowing
The seeker can come to only one conclusion: " I do not know”.

Knowledge
A man with half knowledge is a pseudo swamy- neither a saint nor a sage.
As the light removes the darkness when the room is opened, so ignorance is removed by the dawn of knowledge.
As the man gains knowledge he loses his innocence, and ego takes the place.
Ignorance and darkness have no separate existence without connecting themselves to knowledge and light.
It is in knowledge you know a thing, not in seeing or hearing. All things and thoughts and perceptions merge in knowledge.
Knowledge has a tendency to enrich the ego unless knowledge fructifies as wisdom.
Knowledge is useful to you to know what you are not.
Knowledge minus ego and emotions turn to be wisdom.
Man of half knowledge alone is confused whether the manifested appearance is real or unreal.
Through knowledge, you can only pretend to know.
To know that you do not know anything is knowledge.
Truth is beyond knowledge.
We are often imprisoned by our knowledge, prejudices, habits, language etc…
Whatever you don't know is perfect. Whatever you know is partial.
Where knowledge is, ignorance becomes knowledge.
You know what you are not; what you are, you cannot know.
You know what you think; you don't know what you are.
Man's problems start with acquiring knowledge and developing memory (Be child-like).
The knowledge "I am" is not a thought, but observes the thought.
Intuitive knowledge, which is non-dualistic, choiceless and spontaneous, is the true knowledge.
Intuitive knowledge is like a balloon and it can rise anywhere to any height.
To know everything from the relative standpoint is gnana whereas experience of the reality is vignana.
Gnanam, Vignanam and Pragnanam denote loka tathwam, Brahama tathwam and Brahmam –‘Pragnanam Brahmam’

Laughter
Unlike dancing and singing, laughter does not require training. It is spontaneous and most natural. In a real deep laughter, the mind disappears.

Law
Animals are governed by natural law and man is governed by civil law.
Civil law regulates natural law.
Law can be the foundation of the building, but you cannot live in it.
Nature has the unwritten law by which the World is sustained.


Learning
Remain always as a learner; never be a knower.

Let go
In our realising that all efforts are futile the attitude “Let go” develops.

Life
Love life as God's manifestation.
Hardness and stiffness are the companions of death. Softness and gentleness are the companions of life.
Life force does not seek permission from anyone to come and go. It comes spontaneously. We call it birth and death. None is born and none will die.
Life force is imprisoned and contaminated in you by mind, concepts, imagination etc.,
Life has excitement and ecstasy because the future is unknown. The unknowability of the future is the most beautiful phenomenon. One does not know about the next moment.
Life is a bridge between birth and death. As you enter the bridge so you have to depart.
Life is a flower and the honey in it, is the love.
Life is a continuous jump from awareness to Awareness like a straight line from point to point
Life is full of events and do not convert them as experience.
Life is much more intelligent than we care to understand.
Life is only a bridge to pass on. Don't make house on it.
Life is the functioning of manifestation.
Livelihood is not your life.
No self-realisation, no enlightenment need be desired. Love, Egolessness, feeling of oneness, acceptance of everything which is apparently opposite- these are certain practical hints for peaceful life.
The child comes with the palm closed and the dead man goes with palm open.
The child is tender, the aged man is rough and the dead man is stiff.
The irony is that we realise the hollowness of life only after having lived it.
The life of a flower is for two or three days and the life of man is for some more period, in the space and time concept.
The present has life. The past is dead. The future is yet to be born. Live with the present and flow with the life.
The wheel of life turns low and high.
There is more to life than what the senses tell us.
Wave seeing itself is water. Water is the meaning of life.
We buy and sell from/to Existence in the life market. Gain and loss are nullified.
Whether we like it or not, we are put in the wheel of life - some are in the Giant-wheel and others in the Merry-go-round. We shall consider lucky to be in the merry-go-around.
Wisdom lies in knowing what life is. Instead of simply living in life, let us try to know it.
Life is not a problem; it is a mystery.
Act as if it is real life and live as if it is acting.
Life is a comedy for those who think and tragedy for those who feel.
Live life in abundance in preference to austerity.
Find abundance in contentment.
All of us should cultivate a kind of resignation-detached attitude, even while young. Then, at our old age, this would become our nature.
Approach life as if you speak your language to a foreigner, in a spirit of simplicity, sympathy and clarity.
Every moment we are at the door of the unpredictable. Every moment, the unknown is the guest
The ultimate purpose is not going away from the world, but in the coming back, acting in a world of love and compassion.
The fact is not that you are living, but you are being lived.
Live in this world with artificial excitement outwardly and free of excitement in the mind –as a doer outside and non doer inside.
By losing life at the outer level we gain it in its inner depth.We lose life which is finite and trivial and gain life which is infinite and immortal.

Light
As you go towards light, your shadow is behind. As you go in the opposite direction, your own shadow in the front causes fear.
Have the sun forever on top. Shadow is neither behind nor in the front. It is no more.

Loneliness
The main affliction for men is loneliness.
There won't be loneliness if you have the feel of your own presence.

Love
As sweetness is to sugar, so love is to life.
Any expression of love needs duality.
By food you gain energy; by sex you spend energy: By sleep you come to normal state of being. In love there is no gain or loss.
Cloud-water and cloud-rain denote the stage of a sage and act of love.
Cloud-water is the compassion and the cloud-rain is Love.
Earthly love is nothing but the manifestation of heavenly love.
Hate and love are two poles of the same energy.
I love all others because I love myself (He who sees his self in all being and all beings in his self shrinks not).
If you have love, you can be lawful also.
Law is for the society and love is for the individual.
Love alone can kill passion.
Love and compassion come pure from the source, while emotions are through mind distorted by thoughts.
Love is a positive act while compassion is an expression to encounter calamities, sufferings and negative emotions.
Love is food for the soul just as food is food for the body.
Love is Godly and sex is manly. Love is vertical and sex is horizontal. Sex is only a fraction of the expression of love at the cross section where the vertical and horizontal meet.
Love is not a relationship; it is a state of being.
Love is not what one gives to another. It is what one gives to oneself. Love is just to be.
Love is the common language of all creatures.
Love is the essence of life like water is the essence of waves, and sweetness is the essence of sugar.
Love is the expression of life. True love shines only where there is no ego and emotional disturbance.
Love is the warmth that melts the ego.
Love is understanding; love is feeling; love is bliss; love is infinite; love is God.
Love itself is the lover and the beloved.
Love others as if you love the SELF. In this process the lover and the loved merge into love.
Love should be familiar to anyone who has been mother to a child.
Mankind gets fulfilment only on love and not in desires and not in our attempt to fulfil the same.
Matter and energy merge in love.
Nobody can love another. Love can never be a movement, a feeling or an act. All that acts can only be of the body or the mind or the ego.
Only our experience prevents us from experiencing Love.
Reading gives us an intellectual understanding of love; but love is not of the intellect; love is in the heart.
Replace self-love by love of the self.
There is harmony and rhythm in everything created by nature, and only with love, can we experience it.
Those with ego cannot experience love.
True love is that which has no room for conflict.
We cannot experience love without the feeling of oneness.
We often confuse physical love (sex) and emotional love (selfishness) with true love (bliss).
You cannot love anything truly, which you consider separate from you.
Don’t be a slave to that love which is conditioned by the body-mind.
Love and compassion express truly only when they encompass the entire universe.
Sacrifice, service and Love are the three-cardinal principle to live with.
What is known as Prema in the daiveeka stage is Kama in the bowtheeka stage.
Lust emerges as love through tapas of marriage.

Mahavakyas:
Tatwamasi (that thou art) chandokya –samaveda’s advice.
Ayamatma Brahman – (This self is Brahman) –Manddokyo Upanishad-Adharva vedam’s practice.
Aham Brahmasmi –I am Brahman-Brahadaranyaka –Yajur veda-Knowledge –experience.
Pragnanam Brahma (Consciousness is Brahaman)-Aithareya Upanishad –Rig veda –definition.

Man
A wise man who has outlived the mind does not need reasoning and discrimination. His actions are spontaneous and guided by life energy.
Fear, Anger, Sorrow, Sympathy are inbuilt in your personality. Even after understanding your real nature, these emotions would continue to express.
In your dream, you are a dream person. In your waking-stage, you are a waking person. In deep sleep, you are yet a different person. What really you are is different from these three.
Man composes of five elements with different identification such as body, senses of perception, senses of action, mind, intellect, thought, brain, ego and consciousness.
Man considers himself 'super' in God's creation since he is possessed with memory. Yet he wants to attain a stage of no-mind, no-thoughts, no-memory, and no-knowledge!
Man is not in the World. It is the other way- World is in the man.
Reasoning and discrimination are unique to human beings. These two regulate thoughts.
With a mad man, reasoning and discrimination do not function. Thoughts and actions are uncontrolled.
Man has no more importance than a mosquito has in the existence.
Man the known is plural and man the unknown is singular.Behind the known is the unknown.

Manifestation
Manifestation is a play, which the Ultimate is acting for Himself and with Himself.
Manifestation is not illusory (Nomenality is very much immanent in the phenomenality).
Manifestation is only a 'Sankalpa' (imagination) in the mind of the Ultimate.
See the total manifestation with the total mind.
The ancients were wise enough to put everything in manifestation, within the time-space, name & form, and the personalities of human beings in the combination of three gunas.
The functioning of manifestation takes place in consciousness.
There is nothing religious or reverential about the process of Manifestation.
When objectification ceases , Manifestation ceases.
The entire Manifestation is the functioning of Consciousness.
All activities are part of the total Manifestation.
You have no real answer to the question as to why a dream occurs. Similar is the position with the question as to why there is manifestation.
An actor enacts a role by his sankalpa. Similarly by His own sankalpa the Ultimate manifests as prakriti.
Ultimate manifests itself out of sheer bliss (Anandam brahma Divya janath)
As per Advitic concept ,the manifestation is unreally real and really unreal.This can be better understood by the analogy –desert and mirage.
The totality of cosmic manifestation is only a part of Him.Much more lies beyond-immortal in the heavens. (“Pathotsya viswa boothani …………..)

Manthra
As we use a big stick to stir all rubbish in the fire, 'manthra' has to be used to extinguish all thoughts and finally the stick ('manthra') also has to be put in the fire.
To erase all thoughts from the memory, repetition of a 'manthra' may be useful. ('Mananath thrayethe ithi Manthra').
The wandering of the trunk of an elephant can be stopped by giving a bamboo stick to be held firmly in its trunk.Mantra is the bamboo stick for the mind.

Maya
Within Maya, there cannot be an island of existence, which is free of phenomenality.
God is the Lord of Maya whereas Jeeva is troubled by maya.
Maya is described as Satya swarupini by some people.Some others say ‘Maya’ is anirvachaneeyam.Yet others say ‘Maya’ is vidya roopini.

Meditation
Concentration is a choice and meditation is a choiceless awareness. In concentration, you don't go beyond the mind. In meditation, there is relaxation-acceptance of life as it comes-allowing things to be as they are - transcending the mind.
Futile is meditation in the realised state; Needless as man's statement "I am man".
Intense concentration would sharpen the power of memory, which is the main block to meditation.
Mindlessness is not meditation. Mindfulness is meditation (ie.. Emptying out with awareness). In the process, consciousness replaces thought.
The irony is that I do not have the discipline to meditate, and because I do not meditate, I do not have discipline.
To be free from thought itself is meditation
You can get the knowledge of” what you are” without much difficulty; but to experience that, meditation is the only way.
By “meditation” what I mean is “sit quiet and watch yourself”.
The right meditation is without concept. Beingness absorbs into beingness in meditation.
Meditation is something like fasting mind.
Let me meditate on “Brahman” from which I have come forth, to which I shall return and in which I breathe. Verily all this is “Brahman”.sarvam kalvidham brahma.
At the time of practising meditation one should have the discipline of “chitha nirodham”.In the realised state one can allow the chitha to play its part and can at the same time remain a witness(like an actor or dancer).
“Samavrithi Pranayama”(uniformity in the duration of all the four stages), nirbheeja dyanam(where one does not have to repeat the mantra, and sukhasana(comfortable posture)
are best suited for meditation.
The bird “Meditation” with its two wings understanding and existence kicks off and flies in the sky of Awareness.
Deep sleep stage is the best resemblance of meditation; no mantra, no control of breath, no particular mudra , no specific posture and above all no thoughts.
Contemplation is something similar to diving deep and chanting of mantra is like swimming on the surface.
Valmiki of ancient time and Ramana of recent time entered into meditation direct. They did not require any religious/philosophical knowledge /study, before entering into meditation. These great men are exceptions.
Observe the thoughts interrupting your meditation. They run away like pick-pocketer once they realise that some one is closely watching.
Suggestions like counting exercise followed by remembering a mantra and observation of breath are all good to give a trial, for meditation.
Contemplation, concentration and meditation are the three stages to be practised one followed by the other. Jumping straight to meditation may only bring out some physiological change.
Contemplation is an intellectual process, concentration is a mental process and meditation is a state beyond mind and intellect.
One cannot meditate. One can at best be in meditation.
Budha’s Vipasana meditation is the technique of dissolving mental chatter through awareness of breath.
Can anyone say that sleep, which is devoid of any activity, is useless? Similarly sleeping-wakefulness or passive-awareness or meditation cannot be termed as useless.
Once you had the taste of meditation you would long for it forever.
Meditation, like sleep, will come automatically, spontaneously. Even without your being conscious you are in meditation many times.
Meditation and mind cannot go together.
Meditation is “to be in Awareness”. Only Awareness remains. You are lost.
Understanding should precede meditation. Otherwise it is as good as any other physical yoga.
Yoganidra of Lord Ananthasayana is the perfect form of meditation.
Meditation means to be comfortable with ourselves.
The prelude to meditation is the analysis of our own thoughts without passing judgement and recognising them as they are.
Meditation is not a negation of experience ,but to learn how to respond to the thought.
Meditation is a constant awareness of yours self and that is God in you.
By meditation the life force is purified thereby the light of the self is fully expressed.
Non indulgence is meditation;Relaxation is meditation;To remain comfortable (mentally) is meditation. Contemplative Awareness is the Ultimate Goal.

Memory
Brain and intelligence essentially relate to the body whereas memory and thoughts relate to the mind.
Forgetfulness is a boon. Man would become mad if every event is remembered.
Memory is the storehouse of thoughts, whereas intelligence is the life force to act.
There is nothing wrong with memory. We can remember facts, but we should not store opinions.
With regard to future, unexpected and unpredictable are real. Imagination based on memory is unreal.
We can exist even without memory.
Keep memory uncontaminated by prejudice/opinion.

Metaphor:
The metaphor ‘snake and rope’ should not be stretched beyond the breaking point.
Mind
Control of breath and control of speech help to cleanse the mind.
What you call as “mind” inside you, is matter outside.
As the child is interested in toys, mind is interested in happenings. The child is after the toy but the mother watches the child, not the toy, lest it should do mischief.
Based on one's mental make up, his subsequent birth takes place.
Body is functioning from moment to moment. Mind cannot function that way.
Both the tying and untying are happenings within the consciousness, and are only imaginary.
Constant use of mind for no purpose destroys the intelligence.
Do not disturb your mind with affirmations and negations.
Don't expect any help from the mind; but, at the same time, watch it closely, as if you are watching a thief, lest he should overpower you.
During sleep there is no mind and hence there is rhythmic breathing.
Expressions of grief are from the mind, not from the intellect.
If only human beings are endowed with the capacity of reading the mind of one another, how disastrous it would be !
It doesn't matter whether he be a beggar, a king, a sanyasi, a house-holder, or a gentleman and howsoever he differs in the field of action, he can be termed a realised person so long as his mental make up is free from ego and free from emotional experience.
It is the mind, which puts the knot, and it is the same mind, which untie it also. Until mind releases us, we cannot be free.
Man (or mind) finds pleasure in creating problems and under the pretext of solving them he (it) creates more problems to ensure continuity.
Mental outbursts cause physical disturbance also. Sometimes, they affect the intellect adversely.
Mind - the collective thoughts - always need something to depend upon.
Mind always goes somewhere else without remaining right in the present here. If the mind is here it is no longer needed. Mind is needed in the future, in the past and not in the present.
Mind assumes the form of subjecthood whereas it is only an object (in the relative sense) to the subject-Consciousness.
Mind is a forbidden fruit, which we eat and revolt against ourselves.
Mind is a devilish advocate, which argues for and against a thing at the same time.
Mind is interested in sensuality but the body is not interested in it. Body only responds to the stimuli.
Mind is a mere ripple in consciousness. Consciousness is Awareness reflected in nature.
Mind stopped is God; Mind working is man; mind slowed-down is master; mind working fast is mad.
Mind teaches you only what you never need to know.
Our eyes get focused to different visions without being affected by the scenes. Our mind has to be tuned that way.
Our mind should understand that we are not interested in them. The moment we assert it , our thoughts go away.
Self-confidence is nothing but mental balance, courage and control over your mind to confront the problems of life.
Stimuli, response, sensitivity and action are one unit with which the body functions. Mind changes the stimuli as re-action, sensuality and activity through its interference.
The death of mind is the birth of wisdom.
The language of the vital breath is mind; The language of the mind is thought and the language of the thought is speech.
The mind does not grasp the whole. It sees fragments only and fails to perceive the picture. Mind's focus is very narrow.
The Mind full of thoughts is ignorance; the same mind devoid of thoughts is Atman.
The mind is the forbidden fruit that is tormenting humans and setting them against God.
The more the mind knows, the better it understands the mind's forces and the order of nature. The more the mind understands its forces, the better the mind will be able to direct itself and lay down the rules for itself. The more the mind understands the order of nature, the more easily it will be able to liberate itself from useless things.
The narrower you are, the more powerful the mind feels.
The split - i.e.. the split of the mind brings subject and object and all inter-dependent opposites, love -hate etc..
The very instrument we are using to free ourselves from the thing called "Mind”, is the mind. (Sometimes it may dawn in you that there is no such thing as "Mind").
There is no such thing as peace of mind. Mind means disturbance. Restlessness itself is mind.
Things are simple. Somehow we want to make them unnecessarily complicated. This is the trick of the mind for its survival.
To set up what you like against what you dislike- this is the disease of the mind.
When the mind is tagged on to something higher, mind will be absent to the world.
You are merely a point in space and a moment in time. All space and time are in your mind.
You cannot keep the mind blank ie.. no-mind situation, except in deep sleep.
Not mere perception with senses, but observation with a mindfulness (consciousness i.e.. mind of higher status) leads to perfection in action.
All our questions and answers are from the mind. To find out the truth, which is beyond the mind, we have to outlive it and not go on playing within it.
In order to keep the mind quiet, focus it to the vital breath.
Go beyond the mind. Always be conscious that you are the master and mind is your servant. Don’t allow the servant to boss over you.
Mind has no existence without consciousness. Where is the existence of the servant without a master?
Kill the mind by the mind.
Mind has a tendency to run here and there off and on the track. To discipline the mind we formulate a track, which includes a rosary, a picture, and a lamp. The ultimate aim is, however to stop the mind and not make it runs either off the track or on the track.
With an unquiet mind, neither exercise nor diet can be of much use.
The mind is like chewing gum. As you go on chewing it, it pains you; it does not help you otherwise.
Leave decisions to the Universal Mind.
Mind in the gross level is physical and in the subtle level it is consciousness.
Mind when translucent cannot transmit the light of consciousness in full. Mind has to be transparent.
The Universal consciousness wills a mysterious spell upon itself by creating the mind. (e.g. ocean and wave).
Mind, like a pair of shoes, is required only when you go out. Keep aside the shoes as you enter into your home.
Mind always interferes with the heart and distorts natural expression of heart like love and compassion.
While watching a cinema, our mind is fully absorbed and the scenes emotionally affect a few. In such situations intellect is overpowered by mind.
We are unable to observe men and things as “they are” because of the clouded mind (mind clouded by vasanas).Yogis claim that the cloud can be wiped off through meditation.
Mind has a dual function. One is that it produces desires which is lead to action.Another is that it responds or react to situations.When ego is in the fore front it reacts.When consciousness in the fore front it responds.
Individual mind should merge with universal mind.Similarly indivdual intellect with cosmic intellect and ego with consciousness.
One should identify his mind with the absolute mind .Then his action ceases to be characteristic of himself and they would be of an intelligent and moral being in the same position.
While Vishnu is the cosmic energy ,Brahma emanate from him is the cosmic mind.Similarly Siva is the cosmic energy and sakthi the cosmic mind.

Money
Money is useful; but one should not be used by it.
When money possesses you, you are caught in the web.

Moralist
A moralist lives in conflict viewing situations as good and bad.

Mystery
Even the ‘most powerful God' is stolen or the temple is caught in fire or submerged in flood. ‘Innocent persons’ are put to suffering. Calamities one after another follow. What is the explanation for such things?
It is an irony that pious men suffer. Does it mean that piety is of no value?
Knowledge must leave room for mystery.
Who is selecting the 23 pairs of chromosomes out of the 46 pairs supplied by the parents together?
Ponder over how many cells are functioning in each living organism and how cooperative they are to each other? Is it out of love and compassion or out of the necessity of survival, they act so?
Philosopher dreaming himself a butterfly or butterfly dreaming itself a philosopher, though said in-joke, is something to ponder over. Who is real, philosopher or butterfly?
We are both spectators and actors in the great drama of existence.Man is thus his own mystery.He does not understand the vast veiled universe into which he has been cast.
The mystery of the universe is over shadowed by the mystery of man himself.

Natural state
In the natural state nothing will be disturbance. The objects of disturbance so called disturbance such as noise etc will appear as means. You will visualise truth in all beings.
Live naturally. Emotions are natural, do not suppress, and understand them. Automatically they get rid of you. If you suppress they come with double vigour.
Enlightened persons enjoy a very ordinary, plain natural life. No ego, no showmanship, no rules.

Nature
In the total scheme of happenings, there is no good or bad, no morality. All these are concepts of the mind. Whether it is God or man, it does not matter. Nature has its own law of functioning.
A flower need not try to be beautiful because by its very nature, it is beautiful (in the look of the seer)
Can man bring mind at his command? What control has he over nature?
He who has controlled his speech has gained a step forward. He who has controlled his breath has gone another step forward.
He who has gained control over hunger, sex, and sleep has gone a step forward in understanding his true nature.
Hunger, sex, breath, speech and sleep represent the mixture of five elements.
Many Krishnas, Ramas, Jesus and Buddhas have appeared in manifestation. In spite of their being with us, we continue to live in darkness.
Wakeful sleep is your real nature.
Unconsciously we desire problems to live with. If we don’t have a problem on hand, we get bored and create one. That is the human nature.
Nature is manifest God and God is unmanifest nature.
Nature is the phenomenalism of the Ultimate.
The concept is that from Nature everything manifests-Three gunas, maya, avidya, Iswara, Jeeva, five elements, time and space, stoola sookshma karana sareera and vasanas.
The substratum of prakriti is purusha and with the inducement of purusha the three gunas emanate from prakriti.
Don’t get caught in nature. Don’t be against nature. Aim to live above nature. Till then use discrimination and live on nature.
Lord Siva has been described as having eight expressions-five elements,sun ,moon and purusha.
Sun and moon are symbolic of the cosmic mind (moon) and the cosmic intellect (sun)
To undestand nature is to understand you.To dive deep in to the nature is to reach the divine.

Need
We need many things in life; but the greatest need is to be needed.
Majority of our needs are met with, without the interference of mind or intellect. For e.g.. breathing, eating, digestion, sleep etc.. These are common to all animated beings.
Inner strength and needs are conversely proportional. The less you need the more power you have and vice-versa.

Non-resistance
Non-resistance to disharmonious events although appears to be defeat, it only increases our strength and defeats the disharmony.
Non-resistance is something similar to going “through” the wave to overcome it.

Object
Each of us exists as an object in another's consciousness.
The wonder of wonders is that we perceive one another as objects assuming subjectivity for oneself.
The supposed cogniser and cognised (subject and object) are both objects in consciousness.
When ' I ' objectivize, it becomes you and me.
Objectivity ceases to exist in deep sleep.
Objects are phenomenalised in consciousness as if a dream.

Observation
Analysis cannot lead us to understanding or insight, whereas observation does.

Ocean
"I" and the Absolute are not two. It is just like ocean and water. In the Water-Absolute the Ocean-Consciousness arise.
Individual wave forgets its oneness with the ocean, and conceptualise subject-object and other dualities like good bad.
Ocean determines the movement of the waves and their life -span.
If you try to lift up a wave you will only lift the water.
On the surface of the water there arises a stirring (for no reason) and the waves are formed. Each wave feels individuality and considers itself as the subject and the others as objects.
The fact is not that the waves form the ocean; it is the ocean that expresses as waves.
The twist and whirls of the waves over-shadow the water.
The wave assumes individuality and this is the cause of bondage.
The waves have no nature of their own other than that of water.
Water is eclipsed by the waves when waves only are seen as such. The noumenon (Absolute) is eclipsed by the phenomenal manifestation. In reality there is no "two", only "one" .
What is wrong if water without losing its nature, can express as waves.
The entire ocean decides the course of an individual wave.
Feeling of individuality is jeeva similar to a particular wave in the ocean. The reality behind jeeva is Atman similar to the water contents of the wave. The ocean with innumerable waves is Iswara i.e. consciousness reflected in Maya. The ultimate reality is beyond the manifestation similar to water without the appearance as ocean and waves.

Omkara:
The celestial globes are singing the song of the divine as they spin round and round.’Omkara’of the Brhaman is the music of the spheres.

Oneness
A man of totality creates a harmony between the lower and the higher. Lower and higher become one. Lower is essential like the roots of the tree.
All things in creation exist in you and all things in you exist in creation.
As the understanding of ONENESS develops, action drops out automatically.
Beneath the apparent opposites, there lies the fundamental unity.
By understanding the reality, the world of phenomenon does not disappear, but the discrimination-duality-subject-object, imagination, concepts, anxiety and above all individuality, disappears.
Desire, Pain, Pleasure, Anger, Worry, Anxiety, Pain-Suffering all these merge in the Oneness along with their respective counter-parts.
Experience reality in every movement, in every action with every one. The only difference between the common man and the enlightened is that the latter has the understanding of oneness, which is absent in the former.
Experiencer, Experienced and Experiencing merge into one in the blissful state.
Eye and flower are subject and object. When seeing takes place, the object merges with the subject.
If you develop universal vision you will not find any fault in others.
In the waking stage you are a dualist, in the dream stage you are a qualified non-dualist and in the deep sleep you are a non-dualist. Why quarrel when 3-in-1 is understood.
It is through your ignorance alone that the universe exists. In reality you are ONE. There is no individual self or Supreme self other than you.
Just as word and meaning are binomial, indeed Parvathi and Siva be.
Life must be looked upon wholly and not individually.
Life painting is complete only with a number of black dots and shades along with other attractive colours and designs. Don't see black dots and shades in isolation. Enjoy the painting as a whole.
No amount of prayer will make jasmine a rose. Even no two roses are similar. There is resemblance, but variation. But the essence of roses, different in size and colour, is the same.
Remove the sense of separateness; then there is no conflict.
Shorten the space outside and widen the space inside. Then gradually there is no inside and outside.
The Gods alienate one who thinks the Gods to be different from Self. One should realise that all are one's Self.
The purpose of the individual is only part of the Universal scheme.
We should constantly remember our relationship to the Universe.
When my left hand is itching my right hand goes to help. There is no conflict between the right and the left and similarly with each other parts of the body.
When you arrive at the sea you do not talk of the tributaries.
Words are imperfect to express the oneness of Yang and Yin.
You have come out of the whole; the whole knows better than you. Don't bring your ego to fight.
Your heart should beat in the same rhythm as the heart of the whole.
Fragmentation brings in conflict. Oneness has no conflict.
When my right leg kicks my left leg I don’t get angry with the right or feel sorry for the left. The legs left to themselves have no volitions.
Multiplicity must become conscious of its oneness. Oneness embraces its multiplicity. (waves and ocean).
Sympathy, widening love, compassion, social work etc are the initial movements in self realisation. Real knowledge begins with the perception of essential oneness.

Opinion
Remember facts; Forget opinion.

Pain
Pain and suffering are not experienced in deep sleep since the body-mind attachment is absent and the consciousness alone is.
Pain is of the body. Body has the inbuilt mechanism to endure the pain. Pain is a healing process.

Passions
The more we know of our passions, the less they control us.

Path
The grand-old woman chanting the name of 'Rama' in complete faith, and the philosopher breaking his head with philosophical thought - each one is happy in his/her own way.
Upasana is advised by the guru, but the anushtanam has to be practised by the individual.Upadesa is given by the guru,but the anusandhanam to be done by the individual.

Peace

In the statement "I want Peace ", the 'I' and the 'want' have to be removed i.e., the ego and the desire; what remains is Peace.
Peace is priceless, invaluable. Lose anything, however dear it may be, for the sake of peace.

Perception:
Perception takes place on its own .I am not the perceiver.

Perfection
Everything is going on perfectly. Don't become too much concerned with small issues.
Perfection comes about through joining with the whole of existence.

Personality:
Personality is only a convenient provisional delusion.


Phenomena
As we create a world in our dream, the Supreme creates the universe in His will.
In the dance pose of Nataraja we find the dancer and the dance together. This is the case with the Universe and the Ultimate.
In the rope-snake concept, there is a snake to frighten you, but not to bite you or kill you.
To concentrate on the phenomena is like taking an X-ray, which catches the outline and not the spirit.
The phenomenal universe is the mirror’s image; the appearance of noumenon (awareness reflected in nature) is consciousness.
Just as water sports with itself in the form of waves, Awareness sports in the form of phenomenal manifestation.
Phenomenon is noumenon conceptualised. There is no duality.
The presence of phenomenon is the absence of noumenon and vice-versa.
The world of phenomenon cannot be separated from noumenon in the same way that waves cannot be separated from water.
What I am and what I think to be I am, make the difference between noumenon and phenomenon.
When the phenomenal world is not eternal it is unreal. When the world is true for all practical purposes, it is real.

Physical body
Psychosomatic appearance of consciousness is referred to as body.

Physical needs Sex, Hunger and sleep are the physical needs with every animate being. Physical body with its intelligence will take care of this and there is no need for the mind to interfere with it.

Planets:
The planets are only servants.They react as we behave towards them.Don’tbe a slave to them.Don’t fight against them.Don’t be afraid of them .Your aim is to reach the master.What ever impediments are there in your journey don’t get stuck by them.The power of planets are felt only in the bowthika stage and not in the daiveeka stage.

Pleasure
Physical pleasure does not do you good in any way. If it doesn't harm you, you are lucky.
The pleasure experienced in sense objects also represents the Bliss with the only difference that it is only for a split moment, a point of time and space where The cross-section of the horizontal and vertical meet.The sculptors in the corridors of the temple depicting arts in kamasutra strike a balance between conjugal pleasure and divine happiness.

Polarity
The extreme can never be whole; it is only one polarity.

Possession
Even the last piece of cloth covered on the dead is removed before the body is placed on the pyre. Why all these hubbub while living, for possessions?
Possessions don't matter. You should not be possessive, i.e., don't become attached to it.
I do not advocate you to give away your material possessions. Enjoy without being possessed by them.

Prakriti
Prakriti with satwa guna is described as Adhidaivam, with rajo guna it is adyatmam and with thamoguna it is adhi bhootam.Five gnanaindriyas,five karrmaindriyas,mind,intellect,ego and chitta constitute adyathma,their functioning adibhoota,vayu,soorya,Varuna etc are adi daivam.
Happenings in the anthakaranam or adyathmikam ,happenings through elements are adi daiveekam and happenings through physical body are adibowdheekam.
Sankyas maintain dualism between purusha and prakriti and also maintain plurality of purusha.Nevertheless sankya philosophy is mentioned in many of the vedantic tests with some modifications.
The irrationality in the puranic stories is only indicative of the irrationality of the prapancham.When viewed from the absolute stand point,prapancham is only an appearance-vivartham.
The vision of pitrloka,gandharva loka,brahma loka etc. are considered only as imaginary ie.prathibasikam by vedantins.

Prayer
A word of compassion to the deserving is nobler than prayer.
In moments of contentment, prayer is a sense of gratitude. In moments of distress, it is an introspection to gain strength.
Our needs are taken care of as those of the child by the mother. Prayer to fulfil our needs is unnecessary.
Apparently prayer is dualistic and meditation is non-dual
The wave says to the ocean” O Lord, although there is not the slightest difference between thee and me, yet it is I who belong to thee, thou do not belong to me.
Don’t go to the temple to say your complaints. Go to the temple to express your gratitude for what you are.
Prayer should be private affair. There should not be any exhibitionism.
The heart yearns to repeat the prayer, but the head questions it.
Even learning is a kind of prayer.
When I consider my body I am your servant.When I consider my mind I am part of you. When I consider my ‘Atma’, you and I are one. (A saying of Baktha Hanuman)

Prediction
When there is no birth or death for the enlightened, what is the need for horoscope and predictions?

Present
The present seen as present could never be chaos.
'I ' sense (I am) loaded with the memory of the past and fear and anxiety of the future, fail to live the present.
The present is the consciousness and it is ever there weather one cognises or not.Past and future are the distorted vision of consciousness as seen through the mind and intellect.

Problems
You create problems because you are not capable of enjoying the unoccupied moments.
The irony is that if there is no problem that itself becomes problem – boredom.

Progress
A child learns to read by mastering the alphabets. When he can read words, he retains the knowledge of letters and reads the whole word. If he were to concentrate upon letters he would be handicapped by what was useful at an earlier stage. Both words and letters should now have a more settled perspective.
As one grows old, he gets disillusioned. This is the hard way under which one is taught.
Some learn things in the normal way; Some others are taught in the hard way. Ultimately both reach the stage of awareness.
The possibility of animals evolving, as human beings in the course of numerous births and deaths cannot be ruled out so long as we find the world population is ever on the increase and we have no census of other species.
Control over asuric forces is similar to caging the lion. Next stage is letting the asuric forces free and protecting oneself in the cage of altruism. Final stage is accepting the asuric forces and without control or protection, both roam together without being hurt.

Puranas
Puranas etc., are containers. Man, who has already experienced the content, has no use for the container.

Purity
You can never be pure. You have to be purity. When there is purity there is no 'you'.

Purusha:
The Purusha alone is all this Universe (“purusha evedagum sarva")

Quality
Be gentle, you can be courageous; be frugal, you can be liberal. Avoid putting yourself before others; you can become a leader among them.
We should possess those qualities, which we expect in others.

Reaction
Reaction is automatic. Somebody smiles; you smile. Somebody is angry; you become angry. The other creates it. You simply react.

Realisation
As a child, you are dependent; as an adult, you become independent and selfish; as a married individual, you share the life with family members and you are selfless to that extent. If only you can expand the term family to cover the world around, you can realise the self in all beings and all beings in yourself.
Childlike innocence combined with saintly wisdom are expressed in the actions of a realised person.
For the realisation of truth the only requirement is you - yourself. No God, no scriptures, no Guru.
Self-remembrance is the mind and self-realisation is beyond the mind.
The man of realisation does not stoop to evil actions even though he is quite indifferent to all prescribed laws of conduct. An expert dancer never takes a wrong step.
The more we know of a particular thing the more we know of God.
Is there any need for you to learn the art of sleeping? It comes in its course spontaneously .You will have the realisation that way.
Once we have the realisation that every thing within and without is only consciousness, and nothing other than consciousness is, feeling of individual existence disappears and only (Existence) remains.
The knowledge of Brahman in the dualistic sense won’t stand in the way non-dualistic realisation of that ultimate.
We are part of the ultimate. How can we have the knowledge of the ultimate except through knowing ourselves?
Patanjali’s astanga yoga , Ramanuja’s saranagathi, Ramana’s”who am I” vichar, Aurobindo’s integral yoga, Mahesh yogi’s transcendental meditation, all these lead to the same goal of self realisation.
Realised persons are constantly listening and enjoying God’s music. How can they explain it to a deaf person?
God is in all men as water is in all waves.But all men do not feel God in them.
For me, to know God I must be very He and He very me.
The One remains ,the many changes and pass.Realisation is not the changeful aspect of existence. But the knowledge of the eternal Reality behind the world of change.
With the death of the old man within us ,new man is born in us ie.Universal man ,non separable from all existence.
Realise that Brahman is the only Truth.Contempalate that everything is God’s will.In your relations with outside world respond.Don’t react.

Reality
Either you believe that you exist- and so the world or the world exists and so you. The former is Vedantic and the later is materialistic.
Understand the principle I am what I am and you are what you are. I am not what I appear to be nor you are, as you appear to be.
We are temporarily out of contact with the total reality. We conceive (misconceive) that our day-to-day life is the total reality.
An actor, as he is becoming more and more conscious of his true being, cannot do justice to the act; he has ultimately to quit the stage.
An earthen pot, however much it wishes to be a silver pot, cannot evolve that way. At best it can understand its nature and be proud of the space it holds which is the same as held by silver pot.
'Bhakthi' is a mirror and Knowledge is another mirror. When placed against each other, which is reflecting what? This is the ultimate state of bhakthi and knowledge.
By negating “You” and “me”, I shall remain as “ I ”.
Enjoying is the truth. There is neither the subject nor the object in it.
Every river reaches the ocean one day or other.
For the man of understanding, the world is an appearance on the real. For the ignorant the world alone is real.
“I” is the Absolute. I is the impersonal consciousness. “I” is the personal consciousness. “I” is the Ego.
'I' is born out of conceptualisation. The state before that is beyond our comprehension.
In one drop of water, the secret of the entire ocean of water is known.
In reality, mind is nothing but the self. There is no difference between the wave and the ocean both of which manifests in water and remain as water forever.
In the drama-stage however serious one enacts his roll, at the bottom, contemplatively, he is ever conscious of his true person.
In the world of reality, there is no Self; no “other-than Self ”. All that can be said is no duality.
It is one entity, which is projected as mind inside and as matter outside.
Life, Death and Love are the three mysteries beyond the mind.
Ocean, waves and individual wave - different from these three and yet the source of these and encompasses these three, is the reality - water.
Once your external energy is exhausted for the family and society, you feel empty and you feel that you are unwanted. Enrich your inner being which is the source of energy and which shall be your companion till the end.
Only those who are able to see their faces without a mirror will perceive their true nature.
Perception of manifestation as a whole is the realisation of one's true nature.
Place the intellect in front to overcome the emotions; then understand the reality by introspection.
Reality is not a concept. If you cling to a concept, you lose the reality.
Sainthood is only identification. Worldly man identifies himself to the Serpent and the saint identifies himself to the Rope. The real has no identification. Rope is no rope to itself.
See things as they are and not as they appear to be.
So long as the idea of separate entity with independent doership remains, the mystical experience of the reality, behind the manifestation, cannot occur.
Spare 5 % of your attention to the bottom where there is neither thought nor action. Can't you?
The fact is not that you are living; but you are being lived.
The knowledge, the understanding, that water is the essence of wave appearing in the ocean should be strongly established and constantly kept up.
The naked truth is that there is no evolution, no involution; no one is bound; there is no aspirant after liberation; and finally, there is nothing called a liberated soul.
The ocean is not only hidden behind the waves; it is also manifesting in the waves.
The reality of life is life itself whose beginning is not in the womb nor its ending is in the grave.
The Universe is real as well as unreal. It is unreal as it appears. It is real as it is.
The unreal is possible only because the real is.
The World can be said to appear and not to be.
There can be no self-realised person. There can at best be self-realisation.
Traditionalism is only a reflection of the reality.
Vedantins don't ask you to negate the world. Realize the real nature of it.
Waves are real as well as unreal. They are unreal as they appear as waves. They are real since they are nothing but water.
We are searching for the ox, while riding on it.
We should practise viewing things not as separate entity but as a complete manifestation of reality.
We want everything to be arranged according to the dictates of our own reason, although in fact, what our reason pronounces bad is not bad as regards the laws and order of the universal nature, but only as regards our own nature taken separately.
We wrongly consider the world as alien and we are afraid of it. The reality is that the world is myself. Why should I be afraid of it?
'What a man is' contributes more to his happiness than 'what he has'.
Whatever you are is unlimited. By limiting yourself to the body, you have closed yourself to the unlimited potential.
When we try to grasp the reality of the Universe we find it to be our own self, which is pure intelligence itself.
You and I are two mirrors placed one opposite the other. What reflects whom?
You are what you were before body-cum-consciousness came into being.
Think - Ponder over- how did you look like before your mother and father were born?
Our true state is prior to knowledge.
While entangling ourselves in the branches we forget the truth.
In the sleep of ignorance there arises a dream –life force. The said life force is beyond sleep, dream and waking.
“What we are” is the absolute absence of all concepts and the presence of absolute potentiality, which is beyond cognition and non-cognition.
Due to ignorance we think that the apparent world is the reality. Then we are taught that there is a substratum, which is the only reality. Finally we reach a stage to recognise both of them in the true perspective (simile of waves and water).
When the mind feasts, reality disappears and when the mind fasts, reality enters.
Being, doing and acting denote respectively the Ultimate, Ego and the Witness.
Our forgetfulness about our true nature is only temporary like the omission of counting oneself as the tenth man.
The ultimate reality is silence, which has to be realised directly.
Objects appear to be object only to the knowing subject. Where there is neither knower nor known, only knowing remains.
Analyse the source of your thought. Ultimately your mind, intellect, memory, and ego everything merges into one reality.
Reality and maya cannot go together. In self-realisation, Maya disappears.
At one time, we say that we are the instruments and He is the doer. At another time we say that He is only a witness. The truth is there is neither doing nor witnessing. There is only Being.
Garuda spreading the wings of ‘sat’ and ‘chit’ and experiencing ananda is the vehicle for Vishnu-The Being, the Supreme Reality, Brahma, and Awareness.
A common man knows the gold ornaments as ornaments only with different names whereas a goldsmith is concerned only with the gold content in it. Everyone sees His sports but none sees Him.
Don’t seek reasons from the shadows, from the waves or from the mirage.
In the Kurukshetra battle field Arjuna is representing mind and Sri Krishna is representing Supreme reality.
Remembrance of Reality is as important as Sruti is for the music.
Budha’s Sunya and Sankara’s Poornam pointout the same truth from the absolute standpoint.
To have the foot firm on the ground and have the head high in the heaven is the correct conduct laid down by the Vedas.The two synonyms of Veda ie Sree and Amrita signify the material glory and the spiritual immortality.

Reasoning
Drop the reasoning and you will see that there is no contradiction at all.
To finish off reason is the place of reasoning in spirituality.
You can analyse how a thing happens. Yo cannot find out why it is happening.
You don't understand anything by your reasoning and logic. They are only adding colours to the memory, which is already coloured by the individuality.

Rebel
The rebels fly in the sky where there are no footprints and they make their own path.
Buddha,Sankara,Ramanuja,Jesus,Ramana,none of them followed the injunctions of the smrithis. Being rebels , they chose their own path to realise truth.

Rebirth
I wonder whether the theory of rebirth is applicable to other creatures, when they have no mind and thought and accumulation of 'vasanas'.
At the same time when the population of human being is on the increase what reason we can attribute to it ?

Refuge
Guru Nanak says that the grain that takes refuge in the centre of the grinding mill is saved.

Relationship:
To understand ourselves we must be aware of our relationship with people,with property,with ideas,and with nature.

Religion
Religion is the understanding of one's self by oneself.
To be religious is to know thyself. (He who is religious has no separate religion).
Rama, Krishna, Jesus or Buddha never established a religion. Their followers only institutionalised them.
Religion is a shell covering the kernel.
Religion is not to go to God by forsaking the World, but by finding Him in it.
Religion commences with the fear of God and culminates in the love of God.
In spite of various” dos and don’ts” prescribed by various religions, the basic instincts of man have never changed.
Unless you are religious you cannot be moral. To be religious is to know thyself.
Relax in whatever you are. Don’t try to be somebody else in the name of religion, society etc.
The so-called religious men constantly think of good and bad. In the process they lose the solemnity, build up ego and arrogance and thereby forget to rejoice life.

Remembrance
If you don’t know your own self, how can you remember Existence?” Who am I” ”from where am I” are certain techniques recommended in order to remember your own self and existence.
We must constantly remember death as well as God reminding us of the impermanence of the deceptive universe and the permanence of the ever present Reality..

Renunciation
Renunciation of action and renunciation in action are different.
Renunciation of the possessive spirit is the path to growth.

Resignation
An attitude of resignation helps you a lot in your life struggle.

Respect
God is neither concerned nor unconcerned nor has an ego to gratify Him, while we offer our prostration.
To show our sense of gratitude, sense of respect, we prostrate with all humility and reverence before elders/Guru/God.

Response
All responses from the whole must be right, effortless and instantaneous. Delayed response is a wrong response.
Respond to external stimulus without the intervention of the mind (Sensorial apparatus responds).
Respond to life; don’t react.
Respond. Don't react to the happenings. By reacting, it will multiply into mind-modifications. (Respond without emotional involvement).
Response is conscious. One may be angry with you; but you decide whether to get angry or not.
The flowers have opened their petals not because of any order; it is not a duty; it is a response, a response to the sun.
If I respond to your emotions instead of reacting to them, the emotions merge with my total mind i.e. consciousness, and dissolve.

Responsibility
Either you take the responsibility for all the doing or you don't own any responsibility for the happenings. Don't choose a 50-50 attitude. (Playing tricks with God!).

Restrain
Even if you don’t do physical exercise, you should exercise restrain.

Richness
Only a man, who is psychologically integrated, is rich, and not a millionaire.

Rituals
All teachings, rituals, concentration etc make use of the mind and play externally. They won't lead you to know yourself.
Disciplinary practices and the expected liberation are not related as cause and effect. They can at best purify the psyche and create a condition favourable for the mysterious to happen.
Regulation of life such as getting up at a fixed hour, bathing, doing manthra Japa etc., observing rituals, all these are for people who do not feel drawn to self inquiry or are not capable of it. For those who practice self-inquiry, rules and discipline are secondary.
The ritualistic practices are given to keep the mind- body busy.
For an enlightened person, religious rituals are recreations.
Rituals and meditation seldom go together although the former may be a step for the latter.

Sage
A saint is a man with a sane mind and sane body whereas a sage has outlived the body- mind level.
An ordinary person gets tempted by a money-purse found on the road and wants to possess it. A saint shows eagerness to find out the owner of the purse. A sage is never tempted to possess nor concerned to find out the owner.
The Sage talks, but does not criticize (within the limits of external world). Beyond the limits of the external world, he does not talk. With regard to ancient wisdom, he recommends but does not interpret or explain.
Attempt to achieve a sane body and a sane mind to begin with. The stage of a sage from sainthood will come in due course.

Shakti
Shakti is a part of the Ultimate similar to the imagining power in man.
‘Ichcha’ shakthi ‘Kriya’ shakthi and ‘Gnana’ shakthi are for regulating the function in the doing stage in the phenomenal plane.These three together are worshipped as Devi otherwise known as Maya.Maya is also described as Vidya roopini.Maya is an upadhi for iswara for the purpose of creation.Maya is not affected by avaranam.Whereas avidya (individuality) is affected by avaranam and vikshepam (non understanding and misundestanding)

Sat-Chit-Ananda
The term Sat-Chit-Ananda describes the Absolute in its three aspects, existence, subsistence, bliss. The term Satyam, Sivam, Sundaram , describes the Existence as Truth, Goodness and Beauty.

Scriptures
Scriptures are like referees in the play of life where we play with the sense-objects.

Seeking
The effort to seek reality is a big joke. In reality the seeker himself is the sought.
What you are seeking is what you already are.

Self
Replace self-love by the love of self.
Self-projected through the mind, is world. Everything takes place as if a dream.
We are leading a life without foundation or weak foundation. The knowledge of one's self is the true foundation.
All thoughts merge in the first thought 'I' and ultimately 'I' merges in the Self.
Everything is dear for the sake of the self.
'I' disappears in Self and man disappears in God. This is Advaitha.
'I' should be dissolved in Self. Let us start with the understanding 'I'. ‘I’ is an appearance of the Self just like ocean and water.
Instead of Self-taking possession of thoughts, it is the latter that pretends to possess the Self.
Man struggles to find life outside unaware that the life he is seeking is within him.
One should be self-conscious, not selfish.
Since individual 'I' is the first thought, let us contemplate on the source of the 'I'.
The small 'self' should be expanded to ‘SELF’.
There is no difference between the Absolute and the individual self. Similarly there is no difference between the self and the universe cognised.
We should consciously dive into the Self, which only bestows lasting peace-bliss.
We try to know many things about the world. But seldom try to know about us.
While the individual 'I' is ego, the collective 'I' is Self.
The self is to the world as gold is to the ornaments.
The world is a projection of the Self. You forget the self (remembering only the projection)
When ‘I’ goes out it is ego and when it is withdrawn it is self.
The foremost means of self knowledge is self enquiry.

Selfishness
Selfishness is a wall between you and truth.

Service
Before you start serving humanity, you should learn the art of “being” so that service becomes divine.

Shiva
Lord Shiva wearing a snake, consuming poison, Wearing human skulls, clothed in elephant skin, all these denote that even the extremes in Nature wont affect Him being the creator of the same.
Siva linga is the expression of Rupa-Arupa of the ultimate.As we continue to meditate on the Lingam form our mind reaches the formless.
Siva is the ultimate reality under conditions of self limitation.Maya (Shakthi) is the power through which H e manifests himself.Apart from Siva the Prapancham is not.Siva is the first cause,sakthi instrumental cause and Maya is the material cause.


Silence
The unsaid sound is more true than the formulated, the uttered (Mounam vyaakhyaanam).
The language of consciousness is silence i.e action without doer ship and knowledge without words.
Remain silent since that which can be said is not worth saying and that which is worth saying cannot be said.
It is only in utter silence that Reality comes into being.
You start praying to God to bestow all sorts of material benefits. Realising the foolishness of it, in due course, you enter into silence. In your silence you can listen to His voice everywhere. God has only one language i.e. silence.


Sin
We are punished by our sin, not for our sin.

Sincerity
Act not seriously; Act sincerely.
When Iam sincere to myself Iam naturally sincere towards god.

Sleep
Only after waking up from deep sleep, we express that we had enjoyed a good sleep.
There is no ego in deep sleep. It is, therefore, only a super-imposition on the Self in the waking and dream stages. What is super-imposed is separable.

Society
The society, in which we live, is a cobwebbed net of obligations.
Free your selves from the social structure that is operating in you,without becoming antisocial ,without becoming a reformer and without becoming anti-thesis.Don’t find against the society/culture. Be unconcerned.
That society is the greatest where the highest truth becomes practical.

Solitude
If you can feel your own presence in solitude, why do you need the presence of others?
It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion. It is easy in solitude to live after our own. But the greatest man is he who in the midst of crowd, keeps with perfect sweetness, the independence of solitude.

Soul
Geeta rejects both violence and non-violence and hold the immortality of the soul as the ultimate truth.
Body is the visible soul and the soul is the invisible body.
Like the smoke that covers the fire the samsara envelops the soul and eclipses its lustre.There is already perfection in the soul,but the perfection is covered by nature.When the wheel of nature is taken away the soul manifests itself in its purity.

Space
The space inside the cup is more important than the cup.

Speculation
Why bother so much to explain existence, subsistence and bliss? The mango in front of you is existence; the substance of the fruit is subsistence and the enjoyment you derive by eating is its value - bliss.
A seeker after truth should not get too much attached to grammar, philosophy, terminology etc.

Spirituality
Spirituality is like a fruit covered by the religious skin.
Sexuality is only one of the many instincts possessing man.The instincts are continually colluding with some thing called spiritual.we are ignorant of the instinct as well as spirituality.Only the spirituality can free us from the bondage of instincts.

Spiritual force
Our life is a play of hidden forces. At best you may call it mystery.
At times, a doubt arises whether there is a spiritual force at all apart from physical and mental force collectively known as the life energy.
The life energy and the so-called spiritual energy-are they not one and the same? Is there a hidden unknown energy, which is supra, and is the basis of life energy?
In retrospect when we realise that events have happened beyond our control, then we start thinking of some hidden forces. That I am not aware of a spiritual force does not mean that the force has no existence.
The road roller is not aware of the force, which moves it. Man should be better than the road roller to realise at least a glimpse of that force which gives expression to him.

Spontaneity
If you have any goal to attain, you cannot be spontaneous.
Spontaneity means you don't interfere. You are in a let-go. You know it is happening; but you don't jump into it and you don't try to change its course.
Ordinarily we are not conscious of our bodies. Yet bodies function in their own way. Similarly don't be conscious of the mind and thought. Actions take place spontaneously.

Shreyas:
Shreyas has two levels ie. Dharma the good and Amritha the divine immortal life.Preyas is pleasure arising out of material satisfaction.

Subject
Cognizer posing as subject suffers because of his own making.
Instead of assuming subjectivity and viewing manifestation as objects through space and time, can’t you view everything as 'subject'?
It is not that I am the subject and you are the object nor vice-versa.
Once the objectivity ceases it is only the true 'I' that remains.
Pure subjectivity is not aware of its existence; such awareness comes about only with the arising of consciousness.
The so-called cognizer has no independent entity. But he assumes himself as independent.
The ultimate subjectivity is prior to conceptualisation and objectification - it is the absence of all objects.
We both are the objects of the same subject 'I'.

Suffering
Don't provoke itching by scratching. If you pay attention, pain turns into suffering.
I am the suffering and pain and not that I suffer and feel pain.
It is the you and I who are experiencing suffering.
Mind creates suffering for its existence and continuity.
Pain and suffering are different. One is that of the body and the other is that of the mind.
Pain is felt by the body and suffering is experienced by the mind and consciousness neither suffers nor feels pain.
Suffering is the part of the total functioning. When mind suffers, it is the split consciousness that suffers. When body feels pain it is there again the physical apparatus assumed by consciousness that feels the pain.

Surrender
Surrender is a great understanding that 'I am not'.
Surrender to God. Don't attempt to possess him. God is life, existence.

Sympathy
Sympathy is not love. If you seek sympathy, you become a beggar.

Talking
One must talk less: even to oneself.
Talk; do not comment.

Temporal
Our life here is something like the footprint of penguins on the ice, which lasts only for a moment.
The same is the case with every situation in life.

Thought
One thing is clear that even without 'thoughts' or without 'conscious of what we do' actions can take place. For example, digestion and breathing. Can we apply this to every action?
Our thoughts go elsewhere while eating, walking, and sitting, taking bath or taking rest. Can't we eliminate those unwanted thoughts.
Act without the interference of thought.
Eliminate unwanted thoughts. 95 % of our thinking is unwanted.
Everything that is thought and expressed in words, is one-sided; only half the truth; it lacks totality, completeness, unity.
In the ultimate analysis "thinking" is also an aspect of the potential energy of the one Absolute. (It is an appearance like waves in the ocean).
It is thought that is creating all our problems; can we not use it as an instrument to help us solve the problems created by itself.
It is thought that is separating us from the totality of things.
Man is born with a bundle of thoughts and in the process of dispensing with that, he accumulates more thoughts.
Man thinks that spirituality would help him to become part of the whole again. Here again the "thought" - the mischief-maker - only functions.
Moment to moment living means responding to stimuli without the interference of thought.
One cannot erase thoughts; He can at best fill the mind with God-thoughts.
Other species (other than human) have also the expression of 'I'; but they do not have conceptual thoughts and memory as storage.
Problem arises because of splintered thought and thereby objectification of 'I' and 'Me'.
The process of thought creates the thinker and not vice-versa.
The source of speech is thought and the source of thought is consciousness.
The very first thought arising out of consciousness is "I am”.
There is thought sphere in which we all are functioning. It is not clear whether the thoughts come from outside or they are transmitted through the genes, or both.
Thinking serves only mundane purpose. Recognize this limitation of thinking and outlive it.
Thought cannot be transcended but it has to be merged in that which is the background of thought.
Thought is opposed fundamentally to the functioning of the living organism.
Thoughts and actions are on the surface on the tip of the iceberg.
Watch your thoughts. Watch yourself watching the thoughts.
We should bring in the thought of God in the place of the thoughts of the world. Thereafter God-thought will also disappear and we are free from all thoughts.
What is the source of thought? The first thought is 'I' (Beeja Jagrat) and it is the consciousness .
Without identifying with what we think we should know what we are.
All the thought are movements in consciousness; they emanate, exist and dissolve like waves in the ocean.
At best, if your are blessed, you may fill the mind with God-thoughts and good-thoughts.
By avoiding thoughts, perceive things directly.
Crowd of thoughts can be eliminated by meditating on a single thought, be it a Mantra or for that matter any single concept to help the elimination.
If we fill our mind with God-thoughts, it is then enlightenment. Even otherwise, it is of-course light, but passed through splintered glass.
If you are indifferent to the process of thought, they will disappear.
More than 90 % of your thoughts are not essential and can be done away with.
Most of us are not aware of what we are doing. Thoughts interfere.
Our thoughts are the product of the ego.
So long as the thought "I am" is alive, a mindless state is impossible. In deep sleep, this may be possible.
Thought waves can be brought to the minimum by meditation-relaxation of the mind-thereby consciousness gets fully expressed.
Thoughts of the past and fantasies of the future are shadows preventing us from entering into the present.
Thoughts only bring the feeling of individuality-ego- and as a sequence, feeling of pleasure, pain, desire, sorrow, anxiety etc.
To a great extent, we can eliminate the unwanted thoughts, if only we concentrate our mind on breathing, which is a harmless practice.
We make the world with our thoughts.
You can't flush out the thoughts from the mind since your very birth is out of ‘vasanas’, which express as thoughts and actions, and 'vasanas' are again carried forward to a future life.
Realised persons have also thought flow. But they give them only that much value as if they are idiosyncrasies of the servant mind.
Thought interferes in our natural state, biological, neurological and physical and creates problem.
Only by a miracle you can be free from the thought structure. No amount of religious practise nor philosophical study could help you to this freedom.
Although thoughts emanate from me I am different from thoughts.
Thoughts have no existence apart from me whereas I do exist without thoughts.
The “thought sphere” is a cloud in the “atma-sphere”(atmosphere) .
Thoughts emanate from jeeva,(Chitta) not from the Absolute. However in the ultimate reality jeeva and Absolute are not different.Jeevo Brahmaiva napara.
Deep below is ocean the infinity and thoughts are only on the surface. Don’t attempt to measure the ocean with the thoughts.
According to scientists nothing in this universe can travel faster than light.But thoughts can beat the speed of light.Thought is nothing but energy functioning with in time and space.Let thought cease,there is neither time nor space.
If a thought is about the out side world,it is functional.No thought is a distraction in meditation.
We can either succumb or not ,to our thoughts.Thoughts are only servants and not masters.
If there is a thought movement it is in your self-the awareness.If you are one with your self the thought movement has no meaning .
Thoughts arise from the cosmic mind and accumulate as knowledge.Knowledge perpetuates thoughts.When understanding dawns on you life power handles everything in an easier way without the interruption of thoughts.While thoughts react life responds to situations.

Time
Even nature and space can be controlled; but we have no control over the time.
Past and feature are bound by time whereas the present is the reality beyond time.Man imagines himself to be bound by time and space .

Totality
Life has to be lived in its totality. Neither become an indulgent nor become a renunciate.
When we experience separateness from the totality of life, there occurs self-consciousness. The demand to be part of the totality of life is the demand for the "ultimate".
Our sense of limitation ,of isolation ,of alienation should go .We are one with totality.



Trust
Don't demand; just trust. Nature will bestow you with more and more from its abundance.

Truth
Is-ness is the truth. OM tat-sat.
The ultimate truth is that there is only 'Being' and 'Becoming' is only an illusion.
There is neither creation nor destruction; neither destiny nor free will; neither path nor achievement. This is the final truth.
Truth must be simple natural and sweet.
Wise men never argue. They place other’s views in the respective position in the vertical path of truth.
All religions, Philosophy and yoga aim at the proper balancing of the different functions of the same energy through different instruments like mind, intellect and body.
Alcohol, drugs, cinema, gossiping etc are counterfeits, which will land you in trouble. Music, dancing, painting, worship in temple, bhajans etc are shadows in the mental level. As Photostats of the genuine currency, they wont give you neither trouble nor they can help you to meet all situations in life. Intellectual exhibitionism is often interfered with ego (soiled currency note). Ultimate reality is the genuine currency valid in all situations and safe with you.
The body does not have the sense of ‘I’ . The truth is that I have a body and not that I am the body.
From ‘ I am’ remove the I then we realise “isness” is the truth (‘Om Tat-sat’)
If only you can comprehend a thing without the concept of name and form and time and space,you are comprehending the truth-rather you become one with it without a second.
Once image is reflected in the mirror Drik and drisyam arise. In the mirror of Agnanam, Brahman is reflected .Once Agnanam is removed only Drik remains.
Man’s travel is from truth to truth ie.lower trrth to higher truth,relative truth to absolute truth ;not from falsehood to truth.
Mind is conditioned by space,time and causality.Its release from this limitation would discover the grand unity of space,time continuum. Beyond this unity is ‘Avyaktha’
One bird eating the fruit and the other sitting there calm –the bird in movement is only a reflection of the other reflected through nature.
Vedanta insists that true spirituality is a waking experience with the waking awareness annexing all other states.

Ultimate
Both in nama japa and in meditation, the ultimate result is sayoojyam of the mind with the ultimate.

Understanding
A man does not say, "I think I am alive”. A man with understanding of his true nature seldom talks.
All the movement that drag you down must be put in contact with the higher understanding.
An ordinary person can only see things as objects seen by a subject. Man with some understanding sees objects as illusory. Man with full understanding sees no difference between subject and objects.
As your consciousness starts moving higher, more and more things are standing under. You go on dropping them as unnecessary. This is “understanding”
Even as young, if one understands the reality behind the illusary nature of manifestation there is no chance for his disillusionment.
Once the understanding that "there is nothing to understand” dawns in you, the very demand to be free from anything even from the physical demand, won't be there.
The very understanding of the origin of Karma and the different yogas help oneself to overcome the entire process and to BE.
The demand to bring about a change in us is the cause of suffering (Try to understand what you are; Don't try to become somebody else).
There is nothing to achieve, nothing to strive for. Understanding of oneself will do.
Trouble arises when you see multiplicity and it ends with your understanding the unicity.
Ultimately there is nothing to understand. When we try to understand, we are only indulging in the acrobatics of the mind.
Don’t deny anything. Try to understand everything.
Religious man leading pious life sometimes loses his balance when confronted with undesirable events. Proper understanding of life and its forces alone can help him to face such situations.
The first lesson of understanding is Acceptance.
As you develop understanding, you become more and more conscious of your being and become a witness.
Understanding is an intellectual process. The culmination of understanding is that there is nothing to understand.
Your understanding should stand the test of daily life and should help you in moments of crisis.
In our relationship with others ,we can discover how we talk,how we think and how we react.This will help us to understand our selves.
As we separate milk and water by heating we can separate mind and intellect by the fire of knowledge and understanding. As the milk some times over flows and quenches the fire, the intellect takes the form of ego and shadows the true understanding.
Cosmic mind is the ‘Prapancham’ where as cosmic intelligence is the total understanding.
Knowing ones own emotions as they happen is the first step in self understanding .Once we have the understanding that thinking cannot solve problems ,we yield ourselves to life power and start responding to all living circumstances instead of reacting .
Raising of Kundalini from mooladharam to sahasraram is suggestive of the progress in the understanding of truth.Lotus has its root in the mud and its expression above the water level attains its fulfilment.

Unique
Everyone is unique. Nobody is superior; nobody is inferior; nobody is equal either.
When everyone is unique how can you advice to view every one alike?
Krishna ever smiling and playing the flute, Rama with his bow and arrow ready to destroy diabolic forces, Jesus on the cross, Buddha in meditation with closed eyes, Mahvira standing naked, each one is great in his own way.

Universe
'Dharani' is feminine and 'Dharma' which sustains 'Dharani' is masculine.
In every event the entire Universe is reflected.
The universe as we perceive is as unreal as the waves and as real as water.
The universe (manifestation of the Absolute) is analysed into twenty-eight categories-prakriti, purusha, mahat, ahamkara, mind, five gnanaindriyas, five karnaindriyas, five elements, five functions of gnanaindriyas and three gunas.
The entire universe is nothing but thought-flash projection and the play of all pervading consciousness.
Jagat (Jayathi-Gachathi- Thishtati – iva) means that which is born and changing.“Thisthati iva” means as though existing in between.
Sri Sankara and other Adwaitins have only emphasised the ultimate unreality of the Universe.They have not condemned it to be utterly unreal.

Value:
Vertical values such as truth,knowledge and happiness are eternal whereas horizontal values such as pleasure and pain are ephemeral.

Vasanas
Vasanas accumulated in one's life are carried over and brought forward in the next birth. So long as the root of the tree remains unimpaired, the tree grows again even though the branches have been cut.

Vedathri Maharshi:
He says that space is the ultimate truth .Space is fullness ,energy and consciousness. By self compressive force ,space produces atoms and magnetic energy .The magnetic energy spent through the senses has to be recycled (recycling process of bio magnetism) Through meditation the rotation (14 to 40 times per min. in the normal course has to be brought down to to the level of 1 to 3 per min.

Virtue
If you practice virtue, it is no longer a virtue.
There may be virtue in sin.
Virtue in a rich person is the ability to give; in a poor man, it is the refusal to beg.

Will
The dancer dances out of potential energy. The entire movements come out of His Will.
The eye cannot choose but see. We cannot bid the ear be still. Our bodies feel wherever they are, against or with our will.
Will as a whole is free; but each part of the universal will is determined by the whole.
It is our lack of knowledge that we attribute certain action to our free will and certain others to fate.The truth is that beyond the two and untouched by the two there is a supreme will which expresses as fate and free will.On our realising the truth we never argue about fate or free will.
Only when we have the feeling of individuality the thought of free will arise.Otherwise every thing is Iswara sanklpam and not jeeva sankalpam.

Wisdom
He who knows many things need not necessarily be wise.
We require intelligence to make money; but wisdom for spending it.
Wisdom comes from being honest; not from being intelligent.
Increase in wisdom is achieved when men transcend the little separate self and move towards the true self.
Increase of knowledge without increase of wisdom will only result in sorrow.

Witness
While watching a cinema, always remember you are a witness. Don't get emotionally involved.
In the witness stage, who is witnessing whom? Probably water is witnessing its own formation as wave. Dancer is witnessing his own movements in his dance.
In the witness stage there is duality. Witnessing stage comes between being and doing. You can lose the witness stage by either entering into being or by becoming a doer.
I become the witness and doer alternatively.
Renounce and enjoy (Isavasya Upanishad) means renounce the doership and enjoy as a witness.
The life of a person shines who indeed sees the world like a witness with an intellect that is cool within and freed from love and hate.

Work
Anything one does whole-heartedly becomes a vehicle for self-realisation.
Attentiveness, Awareness, Mindfulness is all expressions of sincerity.
Even while doing a work, enjoy doing it.
Negative mental state saps your energy; anxiety tires you, not the actual work.
One's daily work is one's meditation.
What is required towards work is sincerity, not seriousness.
The maxim “while doing a work enjoy doing it” does not literally mean enjoyment, but sincerity.

World
Don't see the world as separate from you and then there is nothing to desire or fear.
None can condemn this world as unreal. He who does it, is not qualified to do so and he who is qualified to do so will not do so for he would have risen above language and thought.
The whole world is a cosmic dance.
World turns divine when love permeates it.

Worry
If you can solve a problem, there is no need to worry; and if you can't, there is nothing gained by worry.

Worship:
The highest form of worship is the union with the ultimate ie Brahman.The middle path is the meditation on Brahman.The lower is the praise of the Lord and recitation of hymns.Lowest is the external worship.

Worthiness
If you know your own worth, what need you care about the acceptance or rejection of others?

Wrongdoing
In your realised state you are no longer caught in the dichotomy of good and bad, right and wrong, you can never do anything wrong.

Yoga
Bhakthi, Yoga, Karma-yoga etc. are only different expressions of activity to attune oneself to a higher ideal.
Patanjali’s yoga show you the vertical path from Yama to samadhi through dhyana.
Ashtangayoga can better be remembered by the simile of a tree.Yama-moral code is the root; Niyama-individual discipline is the trunk. Pranayama is the leaves. Pratyaghara i.e. the withdrawal of the mind from the senses, is the bark. Darana i.e. concentration is the sap ,Dhyana is the flower and samadhi is the fruit.
Anapana –sati yoga means just be a witness to your incoming and outgoing breath.
Mere Bakthi ,Karma and knowledge won’t help us in the event of any crisis in our life.They should be attuned to the truth thereby they become ‘Yoga’.
Different paths –Bakthi,karma and Gnana are meant for people of different temperament according to the predominance of gunas.
According to vedantic concept “Pranayama” is negating the prapancham in ‘Rechakam’ bringing the thought of ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ in Poorakam and remaining quite without vrithis is “Kumbakam’. For those without tatwa Gnanam it is only an exercise on breath.


Vedanta: Iswara sankalpa has no likes and dislikes whereas Jeeva sankalpa has

Maya by itself is vidhyaroopini. Because of our vasanas and sankalpas maya becomes avidyaroopini in the microcosmic state

Ego, chittam and manas should be under the control of buddhi

This Universe is Iswara sankalpam whereas each jeeva claims it as its own.

Jeeva is only a reflection of the chaitanyam which in turn is a reflection of Brahman in Maya.

Anthakaranam has to become akandakaram covering causal, subtle and gross fields

Maya in the forms of vidya and avidya would automatically disappear once we have the knowledge and experience of reality.

We see only our reflection in the mirror and not ourselves. Thus we become witness. The witness has to discard the mirror and the shadow and see itself by itself.

Let the desires be curtailed to your dire needs. This is possible only with the knowledge of your reality that there is nothing apart from you.

The notion that 50% of effort is mine and the other 50% is of Iswara is not correct. This notion comes because we don’t see Iswara in full. We should constantly remember that Iswara sankalpam alone is the truth.

The difference between kudasthan and Chitabasan is that the former is a sakshi – a re
flection of Brahman in vyashti agnanam (avidya) and the latter is a reflection of sakshi in
in anthakarana and comes to be known as jeeva.

Sakshi simply sees the jagat. But Jeeva knows the taste and desires. It is similar to eye seeing a fruit and tongue tasting it.

Vritti is not Maya’s nature. Vritti emanates from Jeeva. Jeeva attaches itself to vritti because of avidya. Once jeeva eliminates vritti, avidya has no place

A bell, however much we shake, cannot produce sound unless it has a tongue in it. This is the stage of muktha.

Self-realisation and self-knowledge are not different. They are synonym

Bhakthi yoga is not a separate path. It is an attitude that goes with the performance of action or the pursuit of knowledge.

Self-knowledge is not another aspect of experience; but it is the correction of error and recognition of the invariable Self as the truth and basis of all experience.

Free Will is not totally free. Will is constrained by our likes and dislikes. Prayer is the only action that has got the total free will to back it up.

Experience does not have to include knowledge. But knowledge includes experience and perception.

Karmahethu is backed up by jeeva sankalpa. Karmaphalahethu is backed up by Iswara sankalpa.

By surrendering myself to the order that is Lord I can see that future unfolds itself in keeping with the order which includes my previous karma.

Develop a cushion based on knowledge – an attitude based on understanding. Accept result of action as coming from Lord (Prasada buddhi)

See yourself as a pleased person. When you look at sky, stars, birds and mountains, you are pleased with them. Develop this attitude with persons and situations you meet.

Thinking as such does not create a problem, but creating a nightmare (fear, anxiety) out of thoughts is the problem.

Thoughts come and go; but awareness remains the same.

I relax in the order of Iswara when I am in His lapse.

Lord’s order pervades my inner life, my external expression and the world wherein I express myself.

Even when the truth of oneself is recognised, the ego does not go. Ego has to be negated by knowledge.

The ego depends for its existence on the Self. Self (atman) is the truth and the ego is the doer.

Understanding the truth about myself is vedanta. Understanding itself is the end to be accomplished.

There are things in life that are achieved by mere knowledge. And then there are ends that cannot be accomplished by knowing them alone; they have to be practised.

Real thinking is thinking about realities. Otherwise we are dealing only with the shadows. A person with wisdom uses his intellect to know his true self..

Oh Lord ! May I have the maturity to accept gracefully what I cannot change, the Will to change and the wisdom to know the difference.

Right thinking comes from knowledge. Meditation and techniques like that to arrest thinking for a while cannot shake off wrong thinking. When thinking returns the wrong thinking will return itself..

Experience itself does not give knowledge. It does not give me the vision of the whole. Knowledge of the truth of me, of the world alone forms the true knowledge.

Experience escapes from the perception of duality. In knowledge I face duality and see there is no duality.

Two types of super-imposition viz rope & snake and mirage & desert. Mirage continues to remain even after knowing the truth i.e savikalpa. Snake disappears for ever when knowledge dawns i.e. Nirvikalpa.

In Nirvikalpa, there is a dissolution of thought. When thought returns, that state is gone.

Knowledge cannot destroy an objective thing that has already started because that thing is in Lord’s creation.

Music (in the absence of spiritual maturity) enables at best, to experience for the time being, the oneness with the Lord.

Avidya is beginningles and does come to an end with the wake of knowledge.

Recognise that every thought is you; but you are not the thoughts.

Witnessing one’s breathing g can bring about inner quietude so long as witnessing continues.

The cognitive recognition of the truth of oneself is not a process of becoming. It is a process of removing wrong notions,; Error and ignorance about oneself must be removed.

To see the truth of yourself you require the mirror of vedanta.

Reflection of chaitanya (kudastha; sakshi) in Anthakaranam is chitabasan (jeeva) This reflection in buddhi is gnana i.e. chitabasa vritti.

Vishaya agnanam is eliminated by vritti gnanam.

Mind is basically satwic; but rajas and tamas penetrates into it.

Jagat disappears in samadhy and samadhy disappears in sakshatkara.

Iswara and gnani are on par provided gnani is free from ahantai and mamathai completely.

Meditation with desire brings siddhi. Meditation without desire brings mukthy.

Dehi which is immortal is sat and deham which is mortal revolves in the cycle of births and deaths.

One’s son is dearer than the wealth he acquires. One’s own body is dearer that his son. Indriyas are deare than body. Jeeva is dearer than the indriyas. Gudasthan is dearer that jeeva. Atma is the most dearest.

Brahmavid is the witness stage. In the other two stages of varan and vareeyan action is less, sufficient to meet the dire needs, and the fourth stage varishtan is samadhy where action is completely absent.

When once we could see ourselves, as we are, the reflected maya drisyam disappears.

Maya stands in between Brahman and prapancham. It has no independent existence.

The basis of Karma is ego whereas the basis of knowledge is the ultimate reality.

Meditation is a process of imagination of one thing as something else whereas viveka gnanam is direct realisation.

Dhyana yoga is an imagination of what we have heard whereas viveka gnana is seeing that which we have heard.

Vedas have put restrictions in man’s sexual instinct, animal instinct, habit of drinking , eating non-veg food etc. It has not permitted any of them.

Nishkamyakarma brings in chitta suddhi whereas vichara leads to understanding.

While Iswara is the creator of Nature jeeva is the creator of emotions like raga, dwesha and ego.

Misunderstanding is preferable to non-understanding since the former would lead to understanding (A lion seen in dream wakes you up to the understanding whereas deep sleep (avaranam) cannot do that!)

Prana tatwa: There is a concept that mukya prana (kundalini; vital force) is the electromagnetic radiation emanating from sun, stars etc, reach the atmosphere after a very long period of time and enters the body through mooladharam and from there to sushumna and brainn. The rays react with the atoms (in sodium, potassium, calcium deposits in the body) Consequently, electrons are rearranged , positive and negative ionising channels are formed and electrical impulses are produced. This impulse is known as jeeva. All mental and physical diseases are due to imbalance in the flow of vital force. During full moon days and during performance of yagnas, homa, pooja etc, the flow will be more.

Tantric philosophy has two school of thoughts – one based on veda and the other non-vedic. While the former gives equal importance to Siva and Sakthy, the latter believes that sakthy is always predominant. The latter group is known as “kaulas” and the sakthy is “kaulini” These names are adopted in Lalitha sahasranamam. Again nada and bindu are the two tatwas (among the 36 adopted from sankya and saivite school) Nada denotes the thrill of the first impulse and bindu symbolizes the infinite potentiality of the universe to be unfolded. Tantrics have the upasana pf panchakshariii, practice of kundaliniyoga and sreechakra pooja . Lalitha sahasranamam has predominant influence of tantric philosophy and sadhana


Saiva siddhanta: Pathy, pasu and pasam are the three basic concepts of saiva siddhanta philosophy.

Pathy in its swaroopa stage is Paramasivam and in its expressive stage it is parasakthy. A part of sakthy’s power creates the universe. That part is known as Aadhi sakthy. Maya is the instrumental cause for the creation.

Pasu is the atma . It is both Chit and Achit and sat and asat depending on its attention towards pathy and pasam respectively. Atma is guilty of carrying ego (aanavam)with it because of its association with pasam. Atma should turn its attention towards pathy, outliving pasam.

Pasam has three aspects viz aanavam, karmam and maya. Maya is the instrumental cause for creation and creates the field of action. Aanavamm (anu, atom) brings a microscopic view to the macroscopic atma. Maya is the field of action and aanavam is activating karma through jeevatma

Aanavam is responsible for karmam (not maya or pathy) Karma determines the course Maya creates the field of action Maya indirectly helps atma to get rid of anavam (Maya is vidyaroopini and it gives tatva gnana to the individual. Arul gnanam of Pathy then releases atma from the bondage of anavam. Thus pasu obtains mukthy from pasam by merging with pathy.


Wisdom: Para-vidya is wisdom knowledge and Apara-vidya is intellectual knowledge.
Akshara: Akshara purusha is Iswara and Kshara purusha is that which is seen as Prapancham.
OM: OM is the synthesis of saguna and nirguna upasana.
Avyakta: Vyakty is vyashti and Vyakta is samashti and Avyakta is Ishwara.
Aparoksha: Paroksha gnanam is knowing the Reality through vedanta vichara and Aparoksha gnana is experiencing the Reality.
Samady: Savikalpa samady has the status of Ishwara and Nirvikalpa samady is one with Brahman.
Virat:Cosmic mind and Cosmic knowledge represent Virat.
play over the feelings.

Free Will: One has no freedom over the course of action which is already stored in the form of vasanas; but one has the freedom over the feelings. Intellect, however much it attempts, cannot alter the course of action.
Bhakthy: Bhakthy becomes perfect through para vidya and not through intellectual knowledge.

Gnanam: Agnanam of the intellect is wiped out through gnana - intellectual knowledge.
Gnanam: Gnana get perfection through tatwa gnana (spiritual knowledge) and it leads to wisdom knowledge (Arul Gnana)
Bhakthy: In the ultimate sense, bhakthy, bhaktha and bhagavan are one without any distinction.

Mind : Mind functions as a receiver and transmitter of thoughts. Mind transmits inner thoughts to intellect. Ego interferes and pollutes the intellect.
God-thought: We can fill the mind with God-thought by chanting mantras, by doing bhajans, by visiting temples and worshipping God, by attending/hearing religious discourses, by doing tatwa vichara, by meditation etc.
Heart: The heart has its reason which reason doesnt know.

Realisation: It is not that easy to realise the truth that keeping quite is the infinite fullness.

Prayer: Prayer in its true sense emanates from the heart and not from the mind.
Bhakthy: Either bring God in you or merge yourself in God. Former is the way of Gnana and the latter is the way of bhakthy.
Prayer: Remembering the grace of that Supreme Power is the expression of Bhakthy.

Hitam: What we generally desire is priyam whereas God dispenses Hitam.
Life: Life is a dream in the sleep of ignorance.
Free Will: Guna mandalam is permanent. Jeeva travels through it. Jeeva has the freedom to decide in which guna mandalam it should remain.

Noumenon: From the point of view of Noumenon there is no phenomenality at all.
Knowledge: The statement that ignorance exists needs knowledge to be intelligible.

Shiva-Sakthy: Shiva-Sakthy are as close as water and waves.
Shiva-Sakthy: Each brings out the prominence (expansion) of the other by restricting His/Her own influence.
Shiva-Shakthy are non-phenomenon and phenomenon They synthesise in Awareness i.e., Noumenon
Shiva is similar to ocean and shakthy appearing as waves on the ocean.
Shiva-sakthy: The manifest--wave should trace back its origin - its true nature as water through the ocean - the unmanifest.

Truth: Only by negating the waves and ocean the source (water) can be located.
Witness: The witness stage is the stage of non-phenomenon - Consciousness
Insight: What is required is insight i.e. seeing from within and not mere seeing inside.
Manifestation: However quickly the Noumenon may consume the manifested phenomenon, the ever-changing phenomenon keeps being created and the Noumenon keeps consuming it.
Truth: Initially one views the world as the only reality. When spiritual knowledge develops one views the world as illusory. Finally in self-realisation one views the world in a different perspective - an expression of Being.
Awareness: Bhodam is consciousness at rest. Awareness is beyond Consciousness and silence is the only explanation for It.
Truth:: Belief in what we think 'we are' is bondage. Realisation of 'what we are' is liberation. Conceptualisation is Maya and the realisation of illusoriness of Maya is the state of jeevanmukta.

Consciousness: Consciousness arises in Pure Being for no particular cause or reason other than it is its nature to do so like ocean arising in water.
Awareness: There is only one state -untainted Supreme the Absolute (Awareness). It is expressed as Consciousness. When corrupted by self-identification it is known as vyakthy.

Swaroopa: While Awareness is thought of as Swaroopa, the sense of being i,e, Consciousness can be termed as 'swabhava'. When Consciousness is considere as swaroopa the sense of mulktiplicity and individuality has to be thought of its swabhava.
Consciousness: Consciousness cannot exist without a physical structure for expression. When the physical form disappears, consciousness merges with its source.
Consciousness: Constantly bring to your mind the presence of Consciousness - a sakshibhava to the apparent manifestation of multiplicity.
Intuition: Thought and Intuition are different. I know "Iam alive"; no thinking is needed for that knowledge. This is intuition.
Awareness: Awareness, Consciousness and Manifestation are explained as Impersonal, Super-personal and Personal.
Concept: No Truth remains as Truth the moment it is given expression. When expressed it becomes a concept.

Meditation: There should be sufficient preparation at the intellectual level to dis-identify oneself from the body consciousness before indulging in meditation
Phenomenon: You are not a phenominal object. You are the animating Consciousness giving sentience to the phenominal object. Phenomenal objects are only appearance with a feeling of individuality-ego
Consciousness: Consciousness in its totality cannot suffer. It is a Witness. With a physical structure a psychosomatic appearance, consciousness appears to be suffering.

Illusion: Water-screen itself is illusory. The images reflected on that are much more illusory. There is neither a water-screen nor images. Only the water projects as screen and forms for some time and ultimately absorb everything within.
Concept: Everything is a concept. In the samashty - totality - Maha-akash, Chidakash and Parama-akash represent physical, mental and infinite aspect. In the vyashti, deham, anthakaranam and kudasthan represent these three viz physical, mental and indinite aspect.
Consciousness: Awareness expresses as consciousness (i.e. a sense of being) Consciousness manifests as the sentient aspect in the elements, gunas, and karmas in all animate and inanimate beings.Consciousness witnesses the show of manifestation. The entire manifestation is illusory.

Duality: You are the Subject. Subject alone exists. Once you have the concept of an object you are caught in duality and you shrink yourself as a phantom subject. Each one of us consider ourself as phantom subject and view others as objects.
Consciousness: Consciousness is the highest conceivable expression as Ishwara..

Virtue: Without self-realisation no virtue is genuine. This is applicable to all virtues such as sacrifice, charity, austerity and even love.

Guru:
External Guru pushes you from the manifested consciousness towards consciousness of being. Inner Guru pulls you from within

Life
: Life is dialectical. The manifestation is through duality.

Witness
: Your ego is the doer. Your being (non-becoming ie., consciousness) is the witness.
Witness: The art of living in this world is witnessing.
Awareness: Awareness (Being) mirrorize as consciousness (similar to water mirrorising ocean)

Ego: On the surface of Consciousness, ego appears similar to individual waves.
Ego: What I am is the Reality; what I want to be is Ego.
Soul: Through the language of the heart you come to know the soul of the world. Through the soul of the world you come to know the soul of God. Through the soul of God you realise 'Jeevo Brahmyva napara' your soul is not different from God.
Insight: Insight or intuition is the language of the heart. Reasoning is the language of the intellect. Emotion is the language of the mind.

Mind: Our mind uses us and not that we use our mind - this is the problem we face.
Emotion: Emotion is disturbance. This word has come from the latin word 'emover.
Consciousness: Power of Now is the power of our presence i.e. consciousness free of thought forms.

Surrender: Surrender of the false self is not weakness.
Consciousness: Consciousness is like a flash light which cuts through the fog (life situations) and create a space to walk through.

Action: Action should be turned into surrendered action/egoless action

Prakrity: Prakrity gets light from atmaprakasa. Gunas forming part of prakrity respond to that Light. Satwa reflects the light in full; Rajo guna instigates action with the help of that light. Thamo guna has not gained the power to reflect light or instigate action and therefore it leads to moham.

Namaskar: The merging of the mind in the Self is namaskar.
Mind: Mind is only as useful as a moon when the sun is not shining.
Thought: Thought is disturbance and not our real nature

Phenomenon: Fire, Water etc are phenomenon on the screen of Non-phenomenon and and the Non-phenomenon is the first expression of Self the Noumenon.
Search: Either ask yourself 'who am I' or surrender to the Supreme. These are known as gnana and bhakthy.
Reality: Satchitananda is not quite a correct description. Reality cannot be described.

Ishwara: Heart is thy name, In thee the universe is formed.
Heart: ' I 'is the first expression in the Heart-consciousness. Ego is the' phantom I' limiting the' real I'.

Self: Self is that where there is absolutely no 'I" thought.
Self: Self is the Noumenon, Heart is the non-phenomenon and Mind is the Phenomenon.
Meditation: Meditation denotes understanding of the Reality. Thought is disturbance.

Supreme: Depend on the Supreme and deal with the worldly affairs and it should not be in the reverse order.