YogVashisht little by little

Yog Vashisht covers topics like the nature of reality.

It’s a dialogue between sage Vashisht and Ram.
Sri Ram went through a period of dejection when he felt that, what was the point in ruling a kingdom and the pursuit of worldly pleasures, when everything was impermanent.
So His Guru Vashishta shows Him the path to spiritual freedom …
Yog Vashishta contains various stories that sometimes touches upon the absurd , which Vashishta tells Ram to make his point. These stories also talk about parallel Universes , the concept of time which varies for different dimensions and so much more…
Yet my dear Readers, most Bhaktas who believe in love and devotion to the Lord , achieve their aim with Bhakti ! So it is perfectly ok if you would not like to continue… 🙏😊

More soon !

There are lessons and stories in Yog Vashishta which teach us that time is relative and our perception of time is limited. They teach us that a few seconds in this world could be a lifetime in another dimension… and probably the other way round too.
They talk about the power of Maya or illusion , and their constant message is that there is not much to fret about in this make believe world !
And didnt Einstein speak about the relativity of time ?

And as we start a New year … let us think about the past year! what has passed is just dream like .
And If time is an illusion then what is the big deal about the past or the future?
And Scriptures have always spoken about ‘Living in the Now’
Osho says : Dive into the gap between two thoughts !
Or concentrate on the sky between two clouds !
But as for me the above thoughts do not make me stop living … Don’t worry! Just do your Best … and Leave the rest’
Happy New Year 🥳 2026!

Yogavashisht uses stories to illustrate that time is relative… It tells us the story of the king who lived a whole life in a dream.
King Lavana sees in a dream that he is a low caste person , lives a hard life and faces many struggles.
When he wakes up , he questions reality.
Was his life as a king real, or his struggles as the life of the commoner? The story of King Lavana makes us think about what’s real and what’s just a construct of our minds. It’s like, if our experiences can change so drastically in a dream, how sure are we about our waking life?
This ties back to the idea of Maya (illusion) and living in the present. If everything’s transient and perception-driven, why get too attached?

Quantum physics states that you do not ‘touch’ a table or anything in the ‘real sense’ as ‘atoms’ are mostly ‘empty space’ …
This leads to
What Yog Vashishta tells us … it says: Nothing is solid, reality is an illusion”_
Once all of you read the above note I shall send you a video of mine from one of the stories that appear in the Yog Vashishta … watching that video of mine, you will surely react by the following emojis 😵‍💫
😴😮🥹😅🙏

https://youtu.be/3rY46mYYGto

Aasha says:
🙏 I think to conquer these desires( Anger Jealousy Lust) is the highest form of detachment, in order to achieve enlightenment and thus achieve Heavenly Bliss 🙏
And Nisha says :
what the king left incomplete was his duties & responsibilities towards his family & kingdom ..it feels like abandonment for the people who are not deeply onto spirituality …
one can perform his duties without escaping reality …there is a reason you are planted where you are planted …this is where the whole cycle of learning responsibilities & karmas comes in …only cowards escape life …in the name of religion!
And I replied:
Yes and no! Not only cowards leave home, There are some that are genuine sadhus and are not meant for household duties… but the point here is that you do not need to leave home to achieve enlightenment. Even Buddha when questioned by his wife that : couldn’t you achieve Nirvana without leaving home he answered that … yes ! I could have!

Friends, I wonder how many of you watched the video and how many are confused and / or how many would like to know more… your answers come to me privately… so please do reply … but let me repeat that if you are into Bhakti , it is ok to remain there…
Let me tell you a story .
When Krishna left Vrindavan for Mathura , the Gopis were inconsolable.
Krishna’s friend Udho decided to go to Vrindavan and give some ‘gyan’ to the Gopis , calling them ‘uneducated’ Krishna solemnly replied : they are not uneducated , they are beyond education!
Anyway Udho went to Vrindavan and returned convinced that the Gopis Bhakti , their love , their total surrender was also a perfect ‘path’ to reach the Ultimate! What do you all think … I am a Bhakta by nature , but I am also curious and I have also heard that ‘Mukti Gyaan se hoti hai’ conflicting right? But at the moment , look deep into your souls and ask : Main koun hoon? Aur main kya karna chaahti hoon? Aur main kya karoon Prabhu ? 🙏

Some responses from readers :
Aasha Chandiramani says:
Yes by now we have realised this Life is Maya or Illusion and yes we have to play the game as advised by Krishna because we are an active presence in this illusion, we are the son who is not yet born in the nanny’s story. We are living in the palace without walls, so we are being watched and we are watching. We are ultimately just the seers not doers ! But we will continue our worship 🙏
Nisha Shahani says :
Mukti pyaar or sirf pyaar se hoti hai!
i am like the gopis …everything comes full circle with love compassion & without ego …knowledge is important too but Love stands the test of time!

So now I am going to tell you a story from YogVashisht which should blow your mind further.
Ready ? 😊
King Padma and Queen Lila lived an ideal life.
Queen Lila adored her husband Padma.
Lila wondered if when her husband died would his soul leave the world .
So Lila did a lot of penance until Saraswati Ma appeared to her.
Lila asked Ma for 2 boons:
1) when her husband Padma died , his soul should always live in the palace .
2) That every time that she should call Ma Saraswati with a pure heart, She should appear .
When her husband, the King died, Lila asked Ma Saraswati: Where is my husband .
Ma Saraswati replied that there are 3 types of Spaces:
1) The physical
2) The Psychological
3) The Infinite Space of Consciousness
Now think about this… we ofcourse live in the physical world , then we live in our mind in the world that we create for ourselves , in our imagination , in the way we think and then there is the Infinite Space of Consciousness.
There are realms which we are unaware of which probably exist in various dimensions … time and Space is relative … as we shall learn in the above story… we shall continue with the story of King Padma and Queen Lila tomorrow… until then take care and God bless 🙏

So as I told you yesterday that King Padma died and Queen Lila asked Ma Saraswati : Tell me where my husband is.
Ma Saraswati replied: What I shall show you will shatter your notion of reality !
Ma continued to tell Lila, the Queen:
As you wished, your husband’s soul has not left the palace, but this palace is not one reality.
Lila meditated again and she entered the Highest State of Consciousness.
She now saw the king looking much younger surrounded by his attendants .
When Lila returned to the palace, she saw the attendants in the palace too.
Lila wondered : How can the attendants be in two places at the same time?
Ma explained that is your husband ‘s next birth created by your husband‘s desires.
In this reality he is King Viduratha. ( not King Padma) Leela wondered how come he was in the palace dead and alive here Ma said that time and space are not absolute. They are constructs of the mind and they are relative to the conscious that experiences them…what may be a life for him here is just a moment in your world.
Quantum physics is also now discovering the above facts !
Doesn’t it make you marvel at our Scriptures and our Rishis ? My chest swells with pride and I think that yours should too 😊🙏 Do you know that our Scriptures state that we owe a debt to our Rishis for giving us this knowledge… and now, how do we clear that debt ?
And I say , by exactly doing what we are doing ie listening and understanding the words written in our Scriptures 🙏
More tomorrow

Maya Shahani observes:
So very true Shakun. Gyan Marg is leading me to Bhakti Marg. I never believed in blind faith earlier. I always used to question why we are asked to perform all those rituals.
Now that Science and Spirituality are coming together through quantum physics, I marvel at the wisdom of our Rishis who had this knowledge so many years ago.

After showing Lila King Padma’s next life as King Viduratha now Ma Saraswati takes Queen Lila to her past life .
In her past life Queen Lila was Arundhati, the wife of Sage Vashishta.
One day as Sage Vashishta saw a procession he wished to be a king.
This is how he became King Padma in his next life and Arundhati became Lila…
Ma Saraswati said: All these lives are lived simultaneously…Time and Space are not as are perceived.
An entire lifetime can be lived in the blink of an eye in one realm while centuries may pass in another…
Enough to think of, for today ?😊 More tomorrow

Ma Saraswati continued to explain :
All these lives are lived simultaneously within the ultimate consciousness called ‘The Chidakasha, the eternal space of the mind. A strong thought, an important desire can project an entire reality, complete within its own sense of time and space. King Padma, Rishi Vashishta and King Vidhuraraths are but all the same consciousness, playing different rules in different dramas created by its own subtle desires. And
Mani Gandhi writes :
‘Truly Mind-boggling and cannot truly visualise how all this is possible! ! But of course it is. And only when we have reached a certain level will all this fall into place and our understanding will be completed.’
And I say to Mani and those on the Bhakti path , who find the above knowledge perplexing , just store this knowledge in the back of your minds , have faith and persevere in your path be it , Bhakti Karma or Dhyaan and slowly but surely we shall one day wake up from this dream world that we live in!

My school friend, class mate 😊Mani Gandhi asks; Are all 7 planes of existence , or parallel universes, dreamworld? For the only reality is when you merge with the ultimate Divine , whatever that Is …
And I replied :
I believe that yes , all that we can explain in words is not ultimately Reality … because all Enlightened Ones say that ultimate reality cannot be explained in words , it can only be experienced. 😊🙏
I believe that Guru Nanak comes very close to putting it into words when after being enlightened he said ‘Ek Omkar, Satnaam, Karta Purukh …
On another note I asked Meta AI to explain if there is an experiment in Quantum Physics where atoms can be found in two places at the same time , and it replied :

In quantum physics_particles_ (like electrons or atoms) can be in two places at once…😊🙏

A friend asks:
I am still trying to understand Quantum Physics. Any simple explanation?
And I replied :
You may ask AI or Google to know about the experiments that prove the theories that appear in our scriptures but,
The experiments are not easy to understand… suffice to know that scientists have proven the above facts… the scientists speak about atoms , and aren’t we made of atoms… ?

In the last note we learned how an important desire can project an entire reality .
I , Shakun have also heard that to reach the Ultimate State, either all our desires are fulfilled , over lifetimes or are extinguished by ‘Gyaan’
So coming back to the story of Lila , when she returned to King Viduratha’s palace , she ‘saw’ that the king had a young wife who was ‘She herself, Lila! In a younger form! 😯
This happened because of King Padma’s attachment to Lila from his own past life!
Later King Vidhuratha died , defeated, in a battle with King Sindhu.
Why? How?
Ma Saraswati explained that they both got what they desired!
King Sindhu won because of his deep desire for Victory whereas King Vidhuratha had wanted Enlightenment!
The moral of the story is let’s ask ourselves: What reality are we creating for ourselves?

For those who have read, the above story , please think:
1) Does the story make me feel that there is more to Hinduism than i knew?
2) Does it make me feel proud to be born a Hindu?
3) Did I understand the story
4) Do I need to ponder upon it ?
5) Does it make sense to me?
6) it is just a story, a fairy tale to entertain.
7) What stood out in the above story for me
think about it! 🙏

And Maya Shahani replies:
This is definitely not a fairy tale. It makes a lot of sense to me. I am proud to be born a Hindu and this story made me realise there is more to Hinduism than I knew. It made me feel lighter and less anxious as I realised this world is conjured up by our consciousness which has so many different levels.
Thank you for raising our levels of consciousness Shakun. 🙏
And I reply to Maya:
Yes Maya I am so happy to note the above. Thankyou 🙏

Salome Roy Kapur says:
How do we break this never ending spiral
Through developing a feeling of no desire which is extremely hard to attain
But one can work towards it by
Repeating Neti Neti Neti
Not True and living completely in the present moment with no thought of yesterday or tomorrow.
My reply to Salome:
Yes you have it right, Neti Neti ( not this , not this) is the way and a constant asking : Who am I !

Mani Gandhi says:
The above story tells us of how our future lives are shaped as per our desire. But above and beyond that is the fact that it is only the projection of the ultimate reality that is what we call God. He is projecting himself into all this drama and between him and the drama he has put the curtain of Maya so that the play is authentic for his entertainment. So what we understand is that we have the freedom to shape our next lives, but beyond that is the larger drama which is being , controlled by God? I don’t know if my understanding is correct or I’m going wrong somewhere.
Therefore, if the whole thing is a dream and a drama, why do we have to be punished for our sins punishment at that time and in that life is very real even though in the largest sense it may be a dream ??
And my reply to Mani:
I agree with all you say… but you also say that if the the whole thing is a dream why do we have to be punished by our sins … I believe that that is the rule for the people who are ‘dreaming’ . It is very clearly mentioned that once awakened thr sanchit ( accumulated karmas) over the years get burnt away. So yes , I believe that in the larger sense , it is a dream … a Leela.

A young friend says:
Hi Aunty, hope you’re doing well. I struggle with what Mani is asking …We have to work through our Karmas I think, given our karma is likely ‘imprints that stay with us across our dreams/reincarnations’. Imprints = gene expression???!!!
And I replied:
Yes they remain as long as you really discover , your true Self… Karma and death is what our planet is known for . It is called ‘Mrityu Lok’and Karma Bhumi … these karmas or call it examinations are important to ‘cleanse’ ourselves to take a step higher 🙏
Nisha Shahani says:
Very right & appropriate, LIFE is a stage & we are all playing out part …so if you are participating in this drama by being a part of it & without being a part of it and by being an observer even for the part you are playing you will not be pulled down by any atrocities …i believe just lead your best life & everyday be a better version of yourself & do
your BEST & leave the rest to GOD ….SURRENDER .

Viveeta Khemlani says: I watched the movie twice for it to sink in and both times I felt that life is an illusion and it is all manifested in our desires . It is complicated but truly makes sense and if this is Hinduism I am proud to be one . 🙏
Veenu Deepak says:
And even though one believes it is all a dream, we still suffer pain and pleasure in life.
And I replied:
You say ‘we believe’ and I say: only when ‘we know’ do we stop ‘suffering’…

Today I shall share another story from Yog Vashishta
The story of Queen Chundalai and King Sikhitwaya
The king and the queen were reigning happily, but when the king advanced a little in age he felt: ‘ I have seen everything… now what?
when he looked at his wife he felt how come that she looks so youthful and radiant …so the king asked his queen that how come that in an advanced age you still look so beautiful and radiant and
the queen said :
I have realised God the Truth!
The king felt how could that be? She has lived in comfort and Rishis go to do ‘tapasya’ in the forest . Somehow the king did not believe his wife.
The queen explained : Just like you feel ‘Vairagya’
I also started to question myself who am I? Where did this universe come from? What happens after death? I kept meditating upon the above questions until I got enlightened.
The king was not convinced so he decided to leave his kingdom and become a Sadhu and take Sanyaas .

The king did a lot of Sadhana but also, so did the queen and the queen also acquired certain powers. However much the king did Tapasya the king did not really attain enlightenment.
The queen kept keeping a check on the king and realised that he had not attained what he had gone in search for.
The Queen felt bad that the king had not attained so she took the form of a Sadhu and went to see the king. The king was so impressed with the gyaan of the Sadhu , that he decided to make the Sadhu his guru.
Much more to the story … more tomorrow… what do you think? You think that the wife will be able to help the king?
More tomorrow!

So as we read yesterday, the queen by her power disguised herself as a sadhu, who came to where the king was, and the Sadhu who was actually the wife of the king, spoke such wise words that the king made her his guru.
The guru advised the king ask yourself: Who am I , also ask yourself how the world works.
The king said what more can I do? I have left my family and kingdom!
and the guru said that there was no need for you to leave your kingdom. You should have listened to your wife! the king said if you think I have not done enough I will get rid of my clothes and I will also get rid of my body and the guru explained: Can this body be real when it changes from childhood to middle age to Old age ? Reality is always Reality! Reality is constant. The guru then explained that, what has created the universe is pure consciousness.
The king sat in samaadhi. The king Now felt quite joyful and positive. The queen who was the guru went back to the kingdom to look after it and returned after some years to find that her husband had become just skin and bones, and she tried to wake him up, but when he did not wake up, she merged into him and saw that the king had still something left which was not yet quite complete.
What could that be ? I would think some subtle desires, what do you think? 😊
More tomorrow!

So yesterday we saw in the story how when the queen returned as a Sadhu to look at her husband’s state the queen saw that her King had become skin and bones . So she entered into him And noticed that that were some subtle desires in the king which had not allowed him to get to the ultimate state of enlightenment. The Queen Now exited from the king’s body and left for her kingdom to look after it. The queen returned after some time as a sadhu , ( his guru) and told the king that she had been cursed. The curse was that during the day she would be a man and during the night she would turn into a woman.
The Queen who had turned into a guru initially and then came back with a body as a man during the day and a woman during the night, told the king that as a woman she has some sexual desires.
So they had a small ceremony and consummated the marriage.
One day to test the king the Queen as a woman went out with another young man with whom she was flirting.
The king saw that. The king returned to the cottage but he was not at all affected by what he had seen.
The Queen asked the king that you must have felt bad about seeing me with another man, but the king said I felt nothing.
The queen then realised that the king was now truly enlightened.
So the queen transfers herself into her real identity.
The above story teaches us that lust anger, jealousy, are the last emotions to go before final enlightenment is achieved …
And the king conquered them…the story also teaches us that living in comfort is not an impediment to enlightenment. It also shows us the importance of Women and teaches the king the lesson that when a woman is wise one should listen to her.
The queen now transfers herself into her real identity and the king and queen returned to the kingdom. Another moral of the story is that woman are important and wise and spiritual.
So dear men do not underestimate them. And dear readers, what do you think of the story?

Roshni says : In my vedanta class we were told that for spirituality it is permissable to leave the family and home as that is the highest and noble dharma.
And I replied :
Yes and no ! Only a real guru can tell…
Because it is also true that many do that to escape life!
Shanti says:
This story has been repeated many times in our Satsang.it shows women empowerment n how sometimes a woman in her gentle nature can achieve more than a man.
And I reply : yes in our Sanatan dharma , God gave the best portfolios to women: Goddess Laxmi has the Wealth portfolio, Saraswati has the knowledge one and Durga has the Strength and Energy ! 😊
Maya says:
Everything in our scriptures is based on symbolisms. The Queen in the guise of a Sadhu, explains to the King that the body is not Reality. Everything is pure Consciousness and all matter is created by it.
So perhaps Ram, Buddha and the King did not actually physically go to the forest ( a symbolism of leaving this materialistic world) but in the quest for enlightenment strived to detach themselves from the physical world which after all is a Maya.
And I reply:
Not all, but well yes, many of our stories are depicted symbolically!

Taking a short break from Yog Vashishta stories , what is it that you heard or read that it changed the way you saw life … like for me the phrase ‘Do your best and leave the rest ‘ gave me a lot of peace .
Then someone asked me : how do you know what is your best… and I replied for today I know what is my best… maybe tomorrow or a few days later, my best may change. Krishna says this in the Bhagvad Geeta in the second chapter where he says that you only have the right over your actions not your fruits in other words you may have studied very hard for your exams, but if you fall ill then for all purposes, you have done your best and that Maybe was your karma to fail… because Maybe it was a lesson in life, perhaps! 🙏

Nisha says : My philosophy in life is to live and let live.
Anita says: Something that changed me was what you said .. Life never breaks you it only shapes you.
Aasha says :
My take on your note , Shakun is ,
Focus on doing your best today, results will follow 🙏🤞
And I replied: Results may not be as you expected. But if you do your best, in my mind, in the eyes of the Lord you awards are assured no matter what happens in the world.

Another saying that has helped many people is : This too shall pass !

Deepika says :
I believe in not wasting my precious energy on trivial matters … eg others weaponising in words and actions !
My belief is : if you waste your energy on trivial matters , you cannot pour ( your energy) from an empty cup , to more important ones!
Vanisha says:
Life is a journey and we need s lot of patience to bear the fruits of efforts like a tree also only blooms and gives fruits after waiting for so long.
And in the meantime we have to go through all our karmas and challenges to bear the fruit.
I believe that we Just should not get swayed…but to keep our focus…and spirituality helps immensely guiding us on the correct path.
Sapna says :
I feel the results are not in our hands
Time tells what we did was right or wrong but we shld try n put 💯 whatever we do
With sincerity, honesty and with our heart .
God is there to see our intention..
plus due to our karmas different results also come ..
in other words yes do the best n leave the rest !
Rani says : I believe in better late than never and also Don’t judge a book by its cover!
Roshni believes in ‘Life goes on ! ‘
Huri says : All passes ( or goes on) except Krishna!
And the note that made me chuckle because it is true is what Maya said:
Based on my name, my life’s mantra is “It’s all a MAYA”
And I say : true to all the above , nothing is worth fretting too much! As after all everything passes , nothing is permanent, neither khushi nor gum!

Viveeta concludes :
My belief is, since life is a dream live it in the best way possible with a clear conscience!
And I agree , that while we live in this world which may be a dream world, we still have to follow it by the rules …
And
Let me tell you about a story that does not appear in YogVashista but it is from the work of Plato ….
Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, describes prisoners chained in a cave since birth, who see only shadows on a wall, which they mistake for Reality. One prisoner escapes from the cave to see the True world, and suddenly sees birds, colours , sunset … and he returns to urge the prisoners , to escape from this illusory world where they only see shadows on a wall , to the true world of colours …
The above may be an allegory , but do you see the connection ? The sages tell us that Reality ,can be first realised by the knowledge of Vedanta… that a true world of Bliss exists ! … from the world of illusion to that of enlightenment!

Lately, we have been speaking a lot about Vedanta. But that is not to minimise the path of Bhakti Karma and Dhyaan. Let me tell you a story about Krishna and the gopis. The gopis couldn’t see beyond their love for Krishna. When Krishna went to Mathura, his friend Udho noticed that Krishna was remembering the gopis. When Udho asked Krishna about his beloved gopis, Krishna explained that his Gopis were very unhappy thinking about Him. Udho offered to go to Vrindavan and give the gopis some gyaan. Udho expressed to Krishna that the gopis were uneducated. To that Krishna replied that the gopis are not uneducated but are beyond education. Anyway Udho did go to Vrindavan. And the gopis refused to learn Vedanta from Udho.
Claiming that their love for Krishna was so supreme and that they were totally surrendered to Krishna, that they had no interest in learning Vedanta.
There is a lovely bhajan which you may look up on YouTube . The gopis sing : Hum prem diwani hain , Woh prem diwana, he Udho hume gyaan ki pothi na sunana .
Yes, Bhati is great, but it has to be unconditional and totally surrendered to God’s will .

We learned about ‘Be good, do good’ in our kindergarten, and that is the bottom line as to how to conduct our lives… Krishna does talk in the Geeta about how we should emulate 20 good qualities and the negative qualities to avoid. Yet I have heard that the knowledge of Vedanta, that in reality this world is an illusion and God and We in essence are One, is important to know about.
The paradigm shift can happen, I believe from ignorance that we are only the body to that of, I am blessed I am enlightened.
People often ask me: Shakun what do you talk about day after day week after week? Since the only thing to know is be good and do good. But is that only really , what we only need to know? What do you think?

So today let us do a new story from the Yog Vashishta. Today let us learn from the story of Karkati.
Karkati was frightening to look at. She was as big as the mountains. One day she was too hungry and she got the desire to eat all the people at once.
So she decided to do Tapasya. After doing Tapasya for 1000 years, Brahmaji was pleased.
Karkati said to Brahma: make me very very tiny so that I can enter people and eat them up.
Brahmaji said:
So be it!
From now on you shall be called Vishuchika, the disease called cholera, and you will enter people who are doing wrong and have to learn a lesson.
She realised that she could not harm those who are doing mantras or some kind of worship.
She would hide where there is dirt and in dirty hands.
But one day she realised that unnecessarily she had become so small and that what she had really wanted to achieve she did not.
So she did Tapasya again. Karkati now got Tatwa Gyaan. Brahmaji appeared and gave her, her huge body back even though now Karkati required nothing.
From then on Karkati started to give gyaan to people in her subtle form.
Later Karkati met a good and gyaani king.
Karkati turned into a beautiful lady and lived happily in the palace ever after!
What I would like to conclude from the above story is that we all have various desires. But when we got what we desired were they as fulfilling as we thought?
Think about it.
I have heard: be careful what you wish for, or strive so much to attain!
Another lesson that I learned from the Above story is, your desire to become so rich and powerful that you want to devour all the people, but in the end you realise when you become old and weak that that desire did not fulfil you the way you had wished it had.
What do you think?
Another thing that fascinates me about the above story is that they speak about Cholera entering where there is dirt, and dirty hands. In those days they knew about germs when in the west germs were only discovered a few hundred years ago!

I have told you various stories from the Yog Vashishta . Which besides teaching us some important lessons and making us feel pride at our culture, that knew so much, before the modern scientists stumbled upon it.
So then what else does Yog Vashishta teach us ?
It explains to us The Nature of the World as Illusion.
Gyan in the Yoga Vasistha implies realizing that the world is like a dream or a mental, temporary projection (Maya).
The Yoga Vasistha ultimately teaches that as soon as the “doer” (ego) permanently vanishes, knowledge (gyan) is established, and one becomes a Jivanmukta or Enliightened (liberated from joys and sorrows, and the cycle of birth and death, while alive).

The first step towards liberation is Jigyasa. Enquiry. Curiosity as to what the Scriptures tell us. In that phase ‘Satsang’ helps … which literally means keeping company of ‘Truth’
Satsang does not necessarily mean going for spiritual lectures. But to keep company of the wise of those who have studied the scriptures and that maybe your mother your sister or a good friend. the Satsang, though it may start with the study of the scriptures it ends with directly looking into oneself.
But more about that another day !

A wonderful exercise that is prescribed for serious students in Vedanta is : Ask yourself who am I ? You may have heard about the statement : Who am I ?
What does that statement mean?
Broadly it means to look at yourself the way you truly are and not the way that you project yourself to others… to be aware of your faults! But then it goes deeper than that! You say my body , my mind, my brain .., since you use ‘My’ and ‘My’ is a possessive pronoun it cannot be ‘You’
Think about it!
Your name was given to you, so was your sex and religion .., so that is not ‘You’ so who are You? Or rather ‘Who am I ?
You are not even your Beliefs and Conditionings … because they were given to you!
Now I would like you to think about what beliefs and conditionings you were given as a child… those are your Sanskaras !
I guess that these concepts must be difficult for you to understand if you are hearing them for the first time… but it is important that you do 😊❤️

Viveeta says: Our souls have been given to us by God and we are all part of God…once we realise and accept this (for which we need introspection) we will attain Enlightenment.
Salome says:
The pure consciousness or soul has occupied
The body to expend past karmas
One has to be conscious.
As a witness to be aware of whether we are accumulating more karmas or mitigating them.
Our souls are all divine .
We have to be like an onion and keep peeling off the skins to reach to the core of our souls,
Which is divine
Aham
Brahamasmi !
( Meaning ‘I Am Brahman. The Atman is identical to the Ultimate Reality)
Maya says :
For Scientific proof of this Vedantic philosophy, read Dr Tony Nader’s book “ Consciousness is all there is”
It is heavy reading based on quantum physics for those who understand this concept. But if you do understand, it becomes crystal clear why we are nothing but Pure Consciousness ! 🙏

Let’s think for a moment… nothing truly belongs to us , and even if they do for a while , nothing is permanent! Not even our body which we hold so dear ! It does not mean that we must not tend to what has been given to us for a while , and enjoy life to the capacity that we are able to , without stepping on someone’s toes ! But the only exercise to be done is to constantly remind ourselves that everything comes with an expiry date !
Also everything has been given to you , yes ! Sometimes you have worked hard for it, but your hands , legs, intellect , luck , was given ! By whom ? By the Universe ! You may call it God … so Shukrana during happy times and a reminder during hard times that : This too shall pass!
Yeh jeevan hai !
Is jeevan ka,
Yehi hai rang roop,
Thode gum hain , thodi khushiyaan ,
Yehi hai chhaon dhoop!
Live for the moment!
One day at a time !

Let us understand the mind. The mind needs to dream. The mind needs continuous creating illusions the mind not only dreams at night but dreams during the day. Isn’t dream a deception? Think about it. When Buddha was once asked, who are you? He replied I am Awake! We need to awaken from the illusion that we are the ‘Body’ As I said earlier one of the best exercises is to constantly ask ourselves: who am I?

Aasha says :
Just read this in today’s Times…sharing it.
‘Mind is conciousness which has put on limitations.
You are originally unlimited and perfect.
Later you take on limitations and become the Mind’
I think there’s a lot of clarity in this, if you keep reading it again and again!

Abha says:
Shakun
Thank you I always love reading your posts, often I re read them to understand.
This question. ..Who am I?. It Is very difficult.
On one side I can say I am the person with my name etc etc… On the other hand all these are not me… I am part of the Universe, God….. So how do u answer this question?
I replied :
There is a spiritual exercise in Hinduism called ‘Neti Neti’ meaning ‘not this’ not this…as one continues this exercise, one reaches the point of realisation that :
I am pure Consciousness, like everyone is ! We are One !

Talking about dreams. We are never in the
Here and now. we are either in the past or in the future and both do not exist in this moment. That is why the sages say to live in the present moment? I have also heard being said that we are the pure sky between two clouds or the gap between two thoughts think about it.

Vanisha says : Yes we lose our ‘this moment’ by being in past or future…..I have heard someone say why worry for what happened and why worry for what not has happened….. Live now Love now🙂🙂
Maya says: When I just become an observer and a gap between two thoughts, my blood pressure goes down and I get sound sleep immediately. 😊
Shanti asks: Will U do Neti Neti elimination with us?
I share: I was once speaking with a learned Swami and told him: I feel deeply attached to my children , what shall I do about it?
Swamiji replied : YOU are not attached , the MOTHER’ in you is attached”
I didn’t understand what he said at that moment, but slowly it is becoming clearer… Mother, Wife, Sister, Friend… are my roles in life , they are not Me!
So just keep thinking where you add add to ‘My’ is not Me! So that is ‘Neti Neti’ I am not this ! I am not this ! Then who am I !

I am going to go a little further … in order to reach the destination of the exercise of ‘Who am I? We have to look at our belief systems and our conditionings .
Say to yourselves :
My name was given to me , my beliefs and conditioning were given to me. So I am not my beliefs or conditioning? Then who am I?

Maya says: I am pure consciousness, which has no form, but is all pervading.
Salome says: I am silence
I am free of opinions
Likes or Dislikes
I am pure Conciseness
I am untouched by the opinions of others
Free of the sense of doership
Free of Ego
The storm may rage without but the inner self is Silent… and Salome adds:
This is what one aspires for!
And I Shakun says: Taking one step at time , slowly increasing the practice , of I am not this, I am not this ,one may reach of a state which is described as ‘Peace that is beyond understanding !🙏🙏🙏

We have been speaking a lot lately about pure consciousness. What is pure consciousness? Observe, that we are always conscious of our emotions of our physical, pains, likes and dislikes. We are also conscious of what we see, like I could say I’m conscious of the table and chair, I am conscious of my waking, dreaming and even deep sleep state. Who is it who is conscious even during a deep sleep state ?
Question when you wake up from a deep sleep state… you tend to say I slept so deeply. That means that there was a consciousness that was present even during your deep sleeping state.
What if we were to become witnesses of what is happening to us only.
Practising the state of becoming pure witness to ourselves .
The state of pure consciousness is : considered to be the ultimate reality and a source of bliss, as it is untouched by the anxieties of the mind.
Tough isn’t it?
Well , we are told that practice makes perfect! 😊🙏

One of the stories that appears in YogVashishta
Is about the universe.
How was it created? Brahma said as I woke up one morning, I prayed for morning to come. Brahma observed that in the emptiness that he saw, it was neither light nor dark.
In his mind Brahma saw various universes. In those universes he saw various living creatures and beings.
Seeing the above Brahma wondered how in his own empty mind he was able to see all these universes. Brahma then asked the Sun about it. The Sun replied : you are the creator. It is the mind that creates all this. And then the mind gets confused as to: is this the truth or, is that the truth?
Now I , Shakun ask: Aren’t we all creating our own world? Our own Universe? What have you understood from the above?