Atmānanda- Laharī

Mumukṣutvam- The  Caltrain to Mokṣa A timeless journey through a pathless land, The Cal-train may be fast or slow, Stopping often, or not at all, Yet always reaching the Bay. What is the purpose of life? To eat, sleep, drink, and work? To grow, earn, marry, and reproduce? To dream, wake, and sleep again? Dharma is to walk with ethics. Artha is to seek what secures. Kāma is to delight in pleasures. Mokṣa is to discover freedom. Independence is doing what you wish. Freedom is not the same. Freedom is a mind without fear, A heart unbound by urges. Freedom from insecurity, Freedom from sorrow, Freedom from worry, Freedom from dependence. Seeking this freedom is Mumukṣutvam. Seeking to know the truth is  Jijñāsātvam Do only nitya, naimittika karma Feel liberated now and here  The shadow’s concerns dissolve, The crumpled shirt is ironed smooth. The rough stone is polished, Śakti shines as the Śivaliṅga. May śravaṇam smoothen the tracks. May mananam clear the traffic o...

Samādhāna Flow of water is river, Flow of thought is mind. I watch the river flow, I witness the mind flow. Leaves drift, flowers float, Joy and sorrow rise and fall. The current may rush, Or move calm and slow. Mind may go here and there,  Searching security and wealth, Feeling inadequate and insecure, Indulging in pleasures and pain. I do not identify with the mind. I do not cling, I do not resist. I simply watch, Silent, clear, free. The river returns to the ocean, The mind rests in the Self. That still awareness is Samādhāna, Abiding in one's innermost self.

  Śraddhā: The Inner Progressive Lens for the Infinite ROI Eyes begin to blur at fifty, Reading glasses bring clarity. Śraddhā is the inner lens That clears the mist of saṃsāra. It is not blind belief, But suspension of judgment— Trust pending verification, An intense fire to seek the Truth. Śraddhā is the lens that shifts vision, Śraddhā dissolves the notion of division. Śraddhā lays the firm foundation, Śraddhā blossoms into appreciation. Śrad dadhāti —that which nourishes: Earnestness that fuels the journey, Energy to take the first step, Integrity to stay the course. Śraddhā has no contraindications. It is not for the ego’s display; The seeker dissolves in the timeless search, And only seeking remains. Let the seeking be of the Infinite, Not an infinite seeking of the finite. The ROI is immeasurable: A true ROI— Revolution on “I.”

Titikṣā – Endurance of Opposites The cosmos is filled with intelligence, Atoms and elements brimming with life. Beauty itself is divine awareness, Cosmic intelligence is God. Contact of senses with their objects Brings comfort or discomfort to mind. All is transient, like passing clouds— Sun or rain, heat or cold, all are blessings. Where do pleasure and pain arise? Not in family, work, or society. They spring from the mind itself— The source lies always within. Pleasure and pain are passing states, Ignorance clings and calls them “I.” Step back and watch the silent space, Rise above the pairs of opposites. Events unfold, day and night, Bringing results, expected and unexpected. Acceptance of results brings pleasure, Resistance to results brings pain. Stop over-celebrating pleasure, And you will stop complaining of pain. The barrier between them collapses, Opening the door to uninterrupted happiness Enduring the pairs with a smile Ensures life flows with happy miles. Life is not about ...

The Medicine of  Uparati - 'Letting go' - Navarathri Day 6 Self ignorance is the mother of ego, feeding the child, never letting go, First step is to drop wrong action, the next, to stop desire born reactions. The compulsion to act is raga; Freedom from that compulsion is Virāgya. Actions and results weave the chain, Samsara circles again and again. See what desire truly yields, a hook by which ego binds. Ambition thrives on comparison— stop becoming, abide in being. Let go actions that are adharmic, Let go actions driven by desire, Let go actions born of fear, Let go of fruits that fan the fire. Science of Karma is doing, the art of Karma is witnessing, together they become Yoga, action as seva, a labor of love Let jñāna guide your way Let prema inspire each day The disease of samsara is cured; The medicine is tyāga - 'Letting go' Graduate from theocentric worship, Transcend to homocentric vision. Let actions be spontaneous and effortless. Let natural things happen n...

Workout at Vedanta Gym - Dama- Navarathri Day -5  Vedānta Gym offers a shining six-pack, Tattvabodha explains it with ease and knack. Śama, dama, uparati, titikṣā, śraddhā, Samādhāna — six jewels stacked in dharmā. Dama is mastery of senses,  restraining cravings with fences,  When a desire knocks at the door, Pause, reflect, start workout at the core. Science uplifts, unites with discovery, Yet technology is an addictive maya, Gadgets and screens that never cease, Steal away silence, robbing our peace. How long eyes stare at the computer screen? How long ears stuck with AirPods? Silence the phone, silence whatsApp, Find the stillness, be lost in the Self’s map. May music soothe, not be an addiction, May no other pursuit be a distraction, Choose Self-knowledge above all gain, Prioritize wisdom, again and again. Let the day resound with three things: Brahmavidyā, Brahmavidyā, Brahmavidyā . Let the mundane things fall away, May the focus be on Brahman. Party food cannot gra...

Śama – Mastery of Mind  True Wealth What is true wealth? Is it a fat bank account? A vast house that holds a pool? A backyard bursting with fruit trees?  Or A chest of gold and diamonds? True wealth is a calm, quiet, and free mind. The mind is a restless machine, producing sparks of thought, igniting bonfires of activity, buzzing like a disturbed honeycomb.  Śama is mastery of the mind: Douse the fire with meditation. Meditation is the cool rain that quenches the blaze. The mind is a tape recorder: receiving, labeling, replaying— with endless commentary. Meditation silences the playback. Renounce what disturbs peace. Renounce the fruit of action. Be absorbed in the work itself— without distraction. No racing thoughts. No scattered multitasking. No restless hyperactivity. Just silence. A calm mind flows in one thought, again and again— sajātīya vṛtti pravāha, the steady stream of sameness. This is meditation. And when even that thought falls away, awareness alone remains— ...

Fasting the Desires - Vair ā gya   Desire burns,  when you add fuel. Stop the fuel, the fire fades. Watch desire rise, watch it fall. Like a wave — let it pass. Do not chase, do not fight. Simply watch, stay still. With practice, passion cools. With patience, peace blooms. Let dispassion come with ease. Not from sorrow, but from seeing. These nine nights, Let senses fast, let mind be still. Let ego drop. Be like the turtle, pull within, again and again. Seven tries to quit the smoke. Many lives to renunciate samsara. Renounce the anger,  renounce the greed, renounce the delusion, renounce the jealousy. Viveka and Vair ā gya,  two wheels of one cart, rolling inward, toward the Self. When "me" dissolves, when "mine" is gone, when Sankara’s wisdom is understood, when Buddha’s love is lived, The heart is full, joy overflows, the Self shines bright, all is One.

A Meditation in fivefold discernment- Viveka Pañchaka   Tattva Viveka - Discernment of the real from unreal Discern the real from the unreal The real is ever-present The real is unchanging The real cannot be negated The real was before, The real is now, The real will be forever The real depends on nothing The real shines by itself Mahābhūta Viveka- Discernment of five elements Discern the gross from the subtle All forms arise from the five great elements Toes, legs, and thighs — Prithvi Pelvis and abdomen — Āpah The fire of hunger — Agni Lungs and chest — Vāyu Sinuses and skull — Ākāśa Know the five subtle prāṇas: Circulation. Respiration. Digestion Elimination. Reproduction Know the five sense-objects: Touch, Smell, Taste, Form, Sound Know the five sense-organs: Skin, Nose, tongue, Eyes, Ears See how they chase their objects Know the five organs of action: Hands, Feet, Speech, Excretion, Creation They act — with and without will Pañchakośa Viveka - Discernment of five sheaths of m...

Navarathri -Day -1 Let “me and mine” fall from all — (Shumbha, Nishumbha) Let fullness, Mother Shakti, blossom for all. Let arrogance and aimlessness dissolve in all — (Chanda, Munda) Let oneness shine as truth for all. Be Brahman, appearing as all, Know Māyā, concealing as all. Be the still potential in all, Be the moving current for all. Be the formless, yet all forms. Be the flowing Shakti in all, yet the auspicious Śiva too. Be the existence ( Sat ) in all, Be the consciousness ( Cit ) in all, Be the love ( Ānanda ) for all, The absolute, non-dual truth. Be the hunger in all, Be the food for all. Be the thirst in all, Be the water for all. Be the power in all, Be the wealth for all. Be the wisdom in all, Be the breath for all. Be the beauty in all, Be the activity for all. Be the memory in all, Be the knowledge for all. Be the contentment in all, Be the consciousness in all. Be the compassion for all, Be the liberation for all. Be the five senses in all, Be the five elements for a...

I Am the Wilderness — A Half Dome, Whole Self Redwoods rise, tall and true Almost brushing the endless blue Wild mountain rocks erupt so high Majestically carving the Yosemite's sky Waters fall through the stones, unstoppable Valleys stretch wide, their beauty palpable Green and brown weave together Summer and fall singing forever Rustling leaves whisper in the breeze Making the air pure and at ease, Falling waters create a mystic roar Awakening the soul to something more Granite crest unfold a grand scope Half dome standing as eternal hope Cooling of magma in the earth's deep core Sculpting glaciers forever more Backpacks and camelbacks, hiking the steps to heaven bicycles, cars and buses  driving the winding roads of maya Birth after birth, the cycle repeats The journey within turns its course Water flows around the rocks Guiding the self back to the source I am the pure awareness  I am the sentience, watching the show I rock and roll, with life as a whole  I am the wil...

All You Can Eat — A Buffet of Silence In the world’s vast buffet of offerings— Māyā, Īśvara, ignorance, knowledge, student, teacher, retreat, reflection— all are served upon the table of Brahman. The wise begin with the appetizer called Meditation: a taste of silence before the feast of life. I make an appointment with my own self for contentment. I am not running away from life; I return to myself. In the marketplace of the Eternal Whole Foods an ancient soap is still sold: Om Namah Śivāya! It cleans the mind’s inside, washes the thicket of likes and dislikes, extinguishes the forest fire of desire, dissolves the vast ocean of notions. I sit upright, eyes gently closed. I externalize the secret invaders, retain only love and care. I let go of frozen needs, allow caregivers simply to be. I clear the hardened plaque of the heart with the stent of contemplation. Now, the flow of life is smooth. As though I have a life, as though I am a wife, as though I bear children, as though I love an...

  Oh Maya, the Elusive 18 th  Elephant! I am the eternal, incomparable Brahman, Indivisible, part less, pure consciousness. In me, the undivided essence resides, Yet you, Maya, dance ‘as though’ a power. ‘As though’ you delude, without a warning, ‘As though’ you divide, without a question. ‘As though’ you appear as names and forms, Creating an illusion of duality and plurality. Indeed, you are very skilled, In making the impossible seem real, In concealing and projecting A wondrous tapestry of gunas To worship Īśvara in form— The first step of our worldly school. Creating a routine from this devotion, Leads to the leap of self-inquiry. Śrava ṇ am is the worship, Mananam , is the alankaram Nidhidhyāsanam , is the Ārāti  I worship, I meditate, I connect. I see Īśvara in all around me, Within myself, within others, In every corner of the vast world- The divine thread woven through existence. Oh, Maya, you with no beginning, Like the elusive 18th elephant, ...

  A   Tale of two birds Old Īśvara had a farm, And on this farm He had a tree, And on this tree there sat a bird, With a  coo coo  here, and a  coo coo  there, Here a  coo , there a  coo , Everywhere  coo coo ! This bird eats the berries, Some are bitter, some are sweet. Fluttering here, fluttering there, Restless in its endless search. Old Īśvara had a farm, And on this farm He had a tree, And on this tree there sat a jīva, With a  glub glub  here,  and a  glub glub  there , Here a  glub,  there a  glub   , Everywhere  glub glub   ! The jīva whines in sorrow, The jīva whines in fear. Forgetting its true nature,  It suffers birth after birth. Old Īśvara had a farm, And on this farm He had a tree, And on this tree the jīva met the Guru, And the jīva turned into a bhakta. She asks, “Give me this, give me that,” She prays in sorrow and distress. She makes her bargains and deals Slowly c...