What is Dukkha or sorrow? Lets start with understanding the root of the word. In Sanskrit, Su and dus are prefixes indicating good or bad. The word kha, in later Sanskrit means “sky,” “ether,” or “space,”. Hence Su+kha=Sukha means good or peaceful space, and Du+kha=Dukkha means bad or uncomfortable space. IOW, dukkha (दुःख) or sorrow really implies discomfort, or uneasiness within your being. Where does this unease come from? We all tend to attribute all our problems and sorrows to the outward world. We will attribute sorrow to relationships, to things, to states within the body. However, the reality is that, this unease fundamentally comes from the longing to be one…

This is my first attempt at sharing  poems, abhangs and bhajans from great enlightened sages. This one is called Nirvana Shatakam, or Atma Shatakam. Which means six verses for freedom, or six verses for Atman. This poem is a significant contribution by Sri Shankaracharya, a great sage that lived between 788 CE – 820 CE in Kaladi, the Chera Kingdom, which is present day Kerala, India. He describes what we are, and what we aren’t. That we are not this mind, body or anything external to it. We are pure, divine, cosmic consciousness or Shiva. This video that I’ve created, includes the translations with meanings, as subtitles. Also, for your convenience,…

We all are in a quest for Happiness. Absolutely everything we do is for this quest for happiness. Eternal boundless happiness without a moment of suffering. However, on the way to achieving this happiness, we suffer. Why does this happen? In this series, lets try to understand what suffering is. We often use the word suffering loosely. We confuse pain for suffering. Lets try to understand what the source of suffering is, why it arises and what can we do about it. Actually it is the Arishadvargas, the six negative characteristics of the mind: काम; kama (lust), क्रोध; krodha (anger), लोभ; lobh (greed), मोह; moha (attachment), मद; mada (pride) and मात्सर्य; matsarya (jealousy); that…

What is a Rishi / Sage / Saint? There is a misconception that a Rishi is a monk. A person who has achieved renunciation from the world, and has left society to live in the world in isolation, in a cave or in a jungle. This, however, is a mis-conception. What these spiritually accomplished people do before they are sages, is that they look for the truth about who/what they are. This does not require renunciation of life. This simply requires transcendence of desire for the world. Both good and bad. And all polar opposites in this world. This does NOT require one to be a monk.  Perhaps we will talk about this topic…

In the last article “जीव & शरीर; Jiva, its Microcosm & body” we saw how the three bodies in a human being, correlate to the PanchaKoshas or five layers/sheaths that are manifested from Brahman. Let’s dwell into much detail about these five layers. The Atman:  आत्मन्; Atman, also referred to as Sushuptatman, Antaratman, Parmatman, Brahman or ParaBrahman, is the true self. It is pure cosmic consciousness. It is the reality or the substratum behind the manifested universe. Anatman: The human being and all beings truly are the manifested reality of Brahman. The human being has essentially five sheaths or layers that we are made of. These layers are defined as the PanchaKoshas. By non-realisation of…

The above picture highlights what we call Jiva (a life) and its structure in the case of a human being. It also highlights the three main aspects of a Jiva. The gross body that is flesh, bones and the elements. The Subtle body that contains the mental faculties and energies. The Causal body which stores information that transcends lives. It also highlights the relationship between the bodies, and provides a much detailed view as 5 layers. The pancha kosha. The structure also shows how the 3 states of a being correlate to the bodies. The state of “Turiya” or the 4th state, transcends a being in all three states of waking,…