Seeking Answers
The best way to learn is to ask questions. The second best is to listen to what others are asking. The magic is in the listening.
Anila, Anala & the Vasus: Pure Elements and Their Hidden Meanings
This Q&A explains the deeper meaning of the Vasus—the pure forms of the eight elements of nature. Learn why pure air is called Anila, pure fire Anala, pure water Āpaḥ, pure earth Dharā, and how mind, intellect, and ego also have divine Vasudevata forms. The explanation also connects these ideas to Bhishma’s origin in the Mahabharata.
Jivanmukta vs Videhamukta: The Real Meaning of Vimukta and Vimucyate
What’s the difference between jivanmukti and videhamukti? This Q&A explains the key terms “vimukta” and “vimucyate”: one means freedom from inner distortions like lust, anger, greed, attachment, praise–blame, and rivalry; the other means freedom from body-identification (deh-bhān), the feeling “I am the body.” The answer also clarifies why King Janaka is described as videhamukta—while still ruling.
Aditi Devatamayi Explained
In Kathopanishad (2nd chapter, 1st valli, 7th verse), the phrase “Aditi Devatamayi” appears. This talk explains what Aditi really means—not a physical figure, but “Akhandit Chetna” (unbroken consciousness): knowing yourself as the Self and using the body as an instrument. From this wholeness, twelve divine qualities arise naturally—like desirelessness, acceptance, creativity, inner refinement, protection of goodness, and mastery over the senses.
Who Chooses Our Next Birth? How Karma’s Coding Decides Everything
A Q&A explanation on whether we choose our next birth or whether it is given according to karma. Our actions, thoughts, and attitudes create an inner coding that travels with the soul and determines the next body. Every good and bad deed gives its own result, and true awakening begins when we realize that we alone are responsible for what we do.
What “Suptesu Jāgarti” Really Means: Does God Stay Awake During Pralaya?
A Q&A explanation of the eighth śloka’s phrase “supteṣu jāgarti.” The verse does not refer to pralaya, but to the ever-awake nature of consciousness. The mind and body may sleep or dissolve, but the Self never does. Pralaya, like heaven and hell, is a symbolic idea used to explain deeper truths.
Are Heaven and Hell Real? The Truth Behind Punishments Like Boiling in Oil
A clear Q&A explanation on why the Purāṇas describe frightening images like boiling sinners in hot oil. These descriptions are symbolic and were created to guide people toward good actions when spiritual knowledge became difficult to understand. Today, science helps us see that such depictions and so-called miracles are not literal realities.
What is Jātavedas Agni?
A clear Q&A explanation of the eighth śloka and the meaning of Jātavedas Agni. This teaching describes the inner fire of knowledge that awakens after self-realization, using examples of aranis, pregnancy, and the churning of understanding. It shows how this fire becomes manifest only in awakened, conscious individuals.
The True Meaning of “Aṅguṣṭha-Mātra”: Is the Soul Really Thumb-Sized?
A clear explanation of the twelfth śloka and the phrase “aṅguṣṭha-mātraḥ puruṣaḥ.” This Q&A explores how the Vedas interpret the soul’s presence in the heart—not as a physical size but as essential existence, like a catalytic agent enabling all functions of the body and prakṛti.
The meaning of Animal Sacrifice in Yajna
This Q&A explains that animal sacrifice in ancient yajnas was never literal but symbolic. The “animal” represents the lower, instinctual nature within us, which must be purified and transformed. The yajna is an inner process of freeing the soul (jivatma) from its attachments (pāśas), not a physical ritual of killing.
The Inner Meaning of Curses and Blessings in Scripture
In this Q&A, the teacher explains that curses (shraap) and blessings (vardaan) in spiritual texts are symbolic. A curse represents the presence of impurity that needs purification, while a blessing indicates inner strength or virtue. Both point to our inner evolution — not external magic, but the inevitable movement of the soul toward higher consciousness.
Are Omens Real or Symbolic?
In this Q&A, the teacher explains that omens (shakun–apshakun) in the Ramayan are symbolic. Nature itself is neutral; omens have no real power. It is our thoughts, beliefs, and state of mind that create their effect. When we live in awareness, omens lose all influence — they are only reflections of our own thinking.
Why We Do Parikrama: Ritual Meaning and Inner Significance
A clear Q&A on the meaning of circumambulation—what parikrama signifies in ritual terms and how, philosophically, it reminds us of life’s cycles, constant inner churning, and keeping the Divine at the center rather than the ego.
How Do the Scriptures Explain the Origin of the Universe?
A clear, scripturally grounded overview of Indian philosophy on cosmic origins: Nyaya–Vaisheshika’s two causes, Samkhya’s root Prakriti and 23 tattvas, Vedanta’s seed–tree nonduality, and how the Puranas convey this symbolically—plus a practical takeaway on living well.
What Does “Hari Om Tat Sat” Really Mean?
A clear explanation of the mantra “Hari Om Tat Sat”: Hari is the Divine, Om the total existence, Tat the truth that the universe too is That, and Sat the eternal reality that never perishes. Together, these four words hold the complete remembrance of God, creation, and truth.
The Four Stages of Spiritual Practice Hidden in Rama’s Lineage
A profound conversation on how the Ramayana symbolically reveals the four essential stages of spiritual practice — from freeing oneself of desires to purifying the mind — leading to the inner awakening of Rama, the Self.
Why does Lord Ganesha Have an Elephant Head?
A clear symbolic reading of Ganesha’s form: subtle eyes (seeing the good), big ears (deep listening), trunk (handling the tiniest and largest tasks), one broken tusk (one clear goal), big belly (capacity to absorb and keep confidences), the mouse (quietly picking up essentials and using reasoning for protection), and four hands — axe, rope, blessing, and modaka — showing how discernment cuts vices, holds virtues, wishes well, and brings joy.
Do We Need Methods like Kundalini, or Is Thought-Churning Enough?
A Q&A clarifying whether practices like Kundalini, specific yogas, and kośa-focused methods are required, or if thoughtful inner churning alone can lead to Self-knowledge. Scriptures offer many valid paths—choose what suits you, then walk it.
Can a Glass Box Trap the Soul? A Gita-Based Response
A clear Q&A on whether the soul could be trapped in a glass box. Why the soul’s entry and exit aren’t objects of sensory proof, what the Gita means by “divine eye,” and why step-by-step witness-consciousness and self-knowledge are the true way forward.
Difference Between Sukha and Ānanda — Stability and Bliss of the Soul
A seeker asks about the difference between the soul’s two similar qualities — sukha-svarūpa (happiness) and ānanda-svarūpa (bliss). The teacher explains that sukha means inner stability — the stillness of the mind when established in the Self — while ānanda is the bliss that flows naturally from that stability. External things only trigger these states, but their source is always within.
Why Do Authors Write “Do Shabd” Before Their Books?
A reader asks why many Indian books begin with a small section titled “Do Shabd.” The teacher explains that it’s a symbolic, idiomatic way of saying “a few words” — a short preface meant to introduce the book, convey its essence, and spark curiosity in the reader.