The ultimate goal for a vedic mystic is moksha or liberation. This is harder than becoming the CEO of the largest corporation, becoming the President of the richest country, or becoming the most famous celebrity in the world. If we look back at human history you will probably find less than ten universally accepted liberated […]
The Upanishads follow a standard pattern. They have a teacher, a student, and the student’s questions. We will explore the Upanishads, teachers, students, and questions for the most important Upanishads. The Vedas are broken into four parts. Samhitas are the collection of mantras or hymns. Brahmanas explain how to use the mantras in rituals. Aranyakas […]
Nirvana Shatakam is a composition by Sri Adi Sankara. The back story is remarkable. When Sankara was 8 years, he set out to find a guru. At the banks of the Narmada river he met Guadapada how asked Sankara “Who are you”? Sankara responded with the six stanzas that make up Nirvana Shatakam. Guadapada accepted […]
Mandukya Upanishad Turiya Atma, asserts that our true nature, Atma, is the “Turiya” state. In this state there is no “Mind”. So, how do you describe a state that is beyond the Mind? This is the paradox that the Upanishad wants us to reflect on. The Mind imagines anything that we can imagine. The Mind […]
Part I provides the summary of the Mandukya Upanishad. This part focuses on the fact that Mandukya Upanishad states life is but a dream. Part II delves deeper into verses 3 and 4, describing the waking and dream states. Mandukya Upanishad asserts that waking state is as illusory or as real as the dream state. […]
Mandukya Upanishad is part of the Atharva Veda. It is the shortest among all Upanishads. The 12 terse verses provide the essence of all vedanta. In fact, Muktiko Upanishad states that Mandukya alone is sufficient to realize the state of liberation. This blog covers the Mandukya Upanishad summary. There are many posts on the web […]