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.
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.
Maya, Attraction, and Ignorance: Are They Different or the Same?
In this Q&A, a seeker asks whether attraction comes from maya or maya comes from attraction. The answer clarifies that maya has no independent existence; our own ignorance of our true Self is what we call maya, avidya, or delusion. Through examples like mirage (mrig-marichika) and references to Krishna’s use of the word mudha in the Gita, it shows that terms like maya, ignorance, and illusion all point to the same fundamental inner unawareness.
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.
How to Act Without Attachment?
In this Q&A, the teacher explains how to act with awareness rather than attachment. Using the example of a train seat, she shows that duty performed from Self-awareness is not attachment. The Self — the conscious “I” — must awaken and take charge of the mind, intellect, and senses, becoming the true master and driver of life.
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 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.
Are Realms like Vaikuntha and Sutala Cosmic Worlds or Inner States?
A Q&A clarifying that realms like Atala, Vitala, Sutala, and Vaikuntha are not physical worlds in the cosmos but symbolic descriptions of inner spiritual states. Vaikuntha means the condition of being free from mental limitation and sorrow — a divine state within, not a place in space.
Why So Many Genealogies? Lineages as Stages of Practice in the Epics (Copy)
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.
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.
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.
If Viradha Can’t Be Killed by Weapons, What Do “Weapons” Mean?
A clear Q&A on the Viradha episode: if the asura is our negative thought, “weapons” are our inner tools—virtues and knowledge—like peace and forgiveness, rather than retaliating in kind.
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.