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.
The Inner Dialogue Between Jatayu and Ravana
This Q&A explains the symbolic conversation between Jatayu and Ravana. Jatayu represents the pure, awakened mind that warns the ego not to harm inner purity, while Ravana symbolizes pride and desire. Their dialogue mirrors the constant struggle within us — between integrity and temptation.
Pulastya Lineage and Kakutstha Lineage
This Q&A explains the inner meaning of two symbolic terms — Pulastya-vanshi (for Ravana) and Kakutstha-vanshi (for Rama). Ravana’s lineage signifies consciousness turning toward the body, creating ego, while Rama’s lineage represents awareness established in higher, noble thought, leading to true self-realization.
The Secret Behind the Unequal Distribution of the Divine Nectar
A thoughtful Q&A explaining why the payas was divided unequally among Dasharatha’s queens. Spiritually, the distribution symbolizes the hierarchy of four inner qualities — Rama, Lakshman, Bharat, and Shatrughna — rather than any material inequality.
The Inner Meaning of Lakshman, Bharat, and Shatrughna
A profound Q&A exploring why Lakshman, Bharat, and Shatrughna were born with Rama — revealing the deep symbolism behind these names. Lakshman represents mastery over thoughts, Bharat the sharing of soul’s virtues, and Shatrughna the power to destroy inner vices.
Kaikeyi and the Emotive Power: Why the Ramayana is Needed to Teach Inner Truths?
Kaikeyi personifies the emotive/will faculty of the mind. The Ramayana’s characters are inner qualities; the forest represents our inner depths. For many readers the epic functions as a living pedagogy: it translates terse Upanishadic truths into images and scenes that lodge in the heart, making subtle spiritual knowledge teachable — even to children.
Ram, Bharat, Lakshman, and Shatrughna - what do they symbolise?
In this Q&A, the speaker explains that Dasharatha’s four sons are not just historical figures but symbols of inner awakening. Ram represents Self-knowledge; Bharat the bliss and love that arise from it; Lakshman the awareness that “I create my own thoughts”; and Shatrughna the power to dissolve them. The Ramayana is revealed as a story of our inner spiritual journey.
Ram, Lakshman, and Sita - what do they symbolise?
In this Q&A, the discussion explores the symbolic meaning of Ram, Lakshman, and Sita in the Ramayana. Ram represents Self-knowledge, Lakshman the ever-awake power of discrimination, and Sita our pure thinking. When thinking becomes captivated by illusion (moh), even awakened intellect can only recognize but not act—showing how awareness must arise before attachment takes hold.
Is Deceit Part of Moh?
In this Q&A, a seeker asks whether deceit and trickery are separate vikaras or part of moh, which is usually understood as attachment or ignorance. Through the example of Ravana, Maricha, and Sita in the Ramayana, the answer explains how moh is attachment to “mine”, and how ego uses moh to make us act deceitfully, subtly distorting pure thinking through attractive forms.
Why Ram’s Virtues and Shurpanakha’s Vices Are Described Together
In this Q&A, the teacher explains that Ram and Shurpanakha symbolize two inner states within every person — Self-awareness and body-attachment. The sage describes both together to show that we must use our higher awareness (Ram) to overcome the lower tendencies (Shurpanakha) that still rise from within.
Cutting Off Shurpanakha’s Nose and Ears
In this Q&A, the teacher explains that Shurpanakha’s nose and ears being cut is not a physical act but a symbol. It means making the force of attachment powerless through awareness, thought, and willpower. Using daily life examples, the talk shows how self-knowledge and clear thinking weaken the hold of ego-based attachment.
The Inner Meaning of Ram and Sita’s Marriage
In this Q&A, the teacher explains that Sita represents our pure, sacred thinking — born when knowledge plows the field of the mind. Ram is the conscious Self, and their marriage symbolizes the union of the soul with purity, not a physical relationship.
Who Is Kadru and What Do the Nāgas Symbolize?
A Q&A explaining the symbolic meaning of Kadru and the Nāgas: Kadru represents our tamasic or negative nature, and the Nāgas are the negative tendencies buried deep in the subconscious mind — not physical snakes. The Purāṇas use these symbols to describe inner states of consciousness, not outer worlds.
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.
When Control Becomes Effortless: Living Knowledge in Daily Life
A Q&A on applying Self-knowledge in daily life. Real control isn’t forced; it happens naturally when we are established in awareness. Through steady practice—using each Ramayana story as a step—we grow from reaction to effortless peace.
Why Bharadwaj Says, “I Heard You Were Sent to the Forest”
A Q&A explaining why Bharadwaj says he “heard” about Ram’s exile. The conduct-oriented mind acts on what it has learned but hasn’t yet directly realized. The Ramayana, being a mahākāvya, naturally includes such narrative and cultural details alongside its spiritual meanings.
Why Bharadwaj Says, “I’ve Been Waiting for You”
A Q&A explaining the deeper meaning behind Bharadwaj’s long wait for Ram. The conduct-oriented mind (Bharadwaj) comes alive only when Self-knowledge awakens; without it, true conduct cannot exist.
What Does “Forest” Mean in Ram’s Journey?
A Q&A explaining that “Ram going to the forest” doesn’t mean entering a literal jungle. The vana symbolizes the unseen inner world — the conscious and subconscious mind. Only Self-awareness (Ram) and mastery of thought (Lakshman) can explore that inner forest.
Why Lakshman Builds the Hut: The Inner Meaning of the Parṇaśālā
A Q&A exploring why Lakshman, not Ram, builds the hut in Chitrakoot. Ram symbolizes Self-awareness; Lakshman symbolizes the creator of thoughts; Shatrughna the destroyer of vices; and Bharat the spread of soul’s virtues. The parṇaśālā is the constant exchange between mind and consciousness, built by the power of thought itself.
“Kill the Aggressor”? Krishna & Rama Point Inward—Destroy the Inner Enemies
A pointed Q&A clarifying that the Gita and Ramayana urge us to destroy inner aggressors—lust, anger, greed, pride—not external communities. Literalizing the texts breeds cruelty; true understanding births compassion and self-work.