ESSAYS

We praise the "light," but rarely understand it. Sattva is not morality, though it favors goodness. It is not peace, though it brings...

Svadharma means “one’s own dharma”—the unique expression of duty, temperament, and action aligned with your inner nature and role in the total. It is not chosen, but discovered, and lived as an offering. In Vedanta, honoring svadharma is a preparation for freedom.

Vedanta is a wisdom tradition from India that reveals the nondual truth of the Self. It is not a religion or philosophy, but a means of knowledge that removes the ignorance which causes suffering. The teachings show that you are not a limited person, but limitless awareness itself.

There is a strange weather in the mind. Sometimes clear, sometimes agitated, sometimes heavy with fog. These fluctuations are not random—they are the play of the gunas, the three powers of maya: sattva, rajas, and tamas. These universal forces shape not only the cosmos but also our thoughts, emotions, and desires. Understanding them is key to managing the mind and stepping out of its spell.

Without desire, nothing stirs. Kāma is the heartbeat of creation — the fire that gives rise to life, and the fire that can bind it in chains.

Vasanas are subtle tendencies born of past experience; samskaras are the deeper impressions that give rise to them. Together they form the architecture of human conditioning, shaping how we think, feel, and act. Vedanta shows how these patterns arise, how they bind, and how they can be rendered powerless through Self-knowledge.

Upadhi is a limiting adjunct—something that makes the infinite appear finite. Just as a red flower near a clear crystal makes the crystal seem red, the body-mind makes the Self appear to be a person. But the Self remains untouched. In truth, it is never limited by what seems to limit it.

A rishi in Vedanta is not a prophet or philosopher, but a seer—one who intuits eternal truths rather than invents them.

Prakṛti, in Vedanta, is not a thing but a dance — the ceaseless interplay of sattva, rajas, and tamas. It is the subtle substance from which all experience and form arise.

Adhyāsa means superimposition—the fundamental mistake of confusing the Self with the body-mind, and the world with reality. It’s the root of all suffering in Vedanta. Like seeing a snake where there is only a rope, we live under projections born of ignorance. Vedanta doesn’t ask us to escape the world, only to see it clearly.

This article explores the meaning of guru in Vedanta, drawing from classical texts like the Guru Gītā and Vivekachudamani. It defines a true guru as one who dispels ignorance of the Self through scriptural knowledge, personal realization, and compassionate guidance.

The Causal Body or the subtlest layer of individual consisting of beginningless ignorance; the seed cause or manifestation of the gross and subtle bodies that veils the Self.

In the tradition of Advaita Vedanta, nididhyāsana is the ripening of spiritual knowledge into living realization. It is not about acquiring new information or achieving extraordinary mystical experiences, but about standing steadfast in what has already been seen: I am That. It is the third phase after śravaṇa (hearing the teachings) and manana (removing doubts through reflection) in Vedanta's method of Self-inquiry.

Cidhābhāsa is a compound Sanskrit word derived from cit (consciousness) and abhāsā (semblance; appearance; emanation).

Sannyasa, or “renunciation,” is often portrayed as a holy life free of duties and responsibilities in order to focus on the ultimate objecti

Sankalpa is the seed of desire—a thought infused with value. Learn how Vedanta teaches us to intercept thoughts before they bind us in suffering.

Learn how Advaita Vedanta uses prakriyas—structured methods of inquiry—to unfold the truth of the Self and guide seekers to lasting knowledge.

Om is the most sacred syllable in Vedanta, representing the totality of experience—waking, dreaming, and deep sleep—and the silent Self that underlies them all. It is both a symbol for the entire creation and a pointer to the formless awareness behind it.

Bhakti yoga isn’t just worship—it’s a progressive path that leads from duality to non-duality, ending in Self-knowledge and spiritual freedom.

Jnana yoga is the final phase of Vedanta—where the seeker becomes the knower. Learn how Self-knowledge removes ignorance and leads to freedom.