Other Scriptures

When your Lord said to the angels, “Indeed, I will make upon the Earth a successive authority.”

They said, “Will You place upon it one who will cause corruption therein and sheds blood, while we declare Your praise and sanctify You?”

God answered,” Indeed, I know which you do not … read_more

“Knowledge is Bondage“

~Shiv Sutra(1.2)

Acharya Prashant: Second sutra says, “Knowledge is bondage.” To know too much is hell!

Listener 1: Ignorance is bliss!

A.P: Ignorance does not exist; only knowledge exists. Great knowledge is called ignorance. When you know a lot, then you are called ignorant. There is nothing… read_more

Questioner (Q): I read some couplets by Saint Kabir and they touched me deeply. He wants to become one with God or Truth so much, but he is pained that he is unable to do that. At times I feel like meeting Him is the only thing left for me… read_more

ज्ञानाधिष्ठानं मातृका

Translation: The basis, the foundation, the substratum of consciousness, which is knowledge, is the mother, the origin.

~ Shiva Sutra: (1.4)

Acharya Prashant: Atman is the mother of mind.

Awareness is the mother of consciousness.

The Source is the Atman.

The manifestation is Prakriti.

Prakriti — this existence,… read_more

जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषुप्तभेदे तुर्याभोग्सम्भवः। (1.7)

Knowing what looks like, as the difference between the three states of consciousness, one finds himself located in the joy of the fourth.

This is a little technical, so we will have to…

This is state of consciousness (pointing towards the whole surroundings). This is Jagrati; the… read_more

A teacher is one, who is well versed in the scriptures, pure, unaffiliated by desire, a perfect knower of the supreme, who continuously abides in the supreme, who is as calm as the fire that has burnt-up its fuel, who is a spontaneous ocean of mercy that needs no cause … read_more

Only when you drink from the river of silence,

shall you indeed sing.

Only when you have reached the mountain top,

then you shall begin to climb.

And when the earth shall claim your limbs,

then shall you truly dance.

Khalil Gibran

Acharya Prashant : “Only when you have reached … read_more

Even when you want to worship Shiva, you only worship him with his eyes half-closed, deeply absorbed in meditation. You do not want to look at the tāṇḍava mudra (dance of destruction form) of Shiva. Yes, there are a few temples, there are some infrequent references, but largely you do… read_more

Acharya Prashant: Shiv Sutras are the basic, canonical aphorisms of Advait. They come from a ninth century sage called Vasugupt from Kashmir. Very brief, very secant, they contain everything that there is to the understanding of non-duality. The first sutra says:

Chaitanyam aatma

Consciousness is the Self.

If we go… read_more

The source and the manifestation-the progeny

and the material, the body

and the actions of the body-the kala,

are all one.

Shiv Sutra(1.3)

Acharya Prashant: The source and the manifestation-the progeny and the material, the body and the actions of the body-the kala, are all one.

The ‘source’ refers to… read_more

“अविवेको मायासौषुप्तम् ”

(Unconsciousness and lack of self-awareness create the illusion of deep sleep )

~Shiva Sutra (1.10)

Acharya Prashant: Tenth Sutra, “अविवेको मायासौषुप्तम् ” – Unconsciousness and lack of self-awareness create the illusion of deep sleep. That which we called as ‘deep sleep’ is the final… read_more