For Seekers by Seekers

In this line, Adi Sankara reminds us that the Atma is beyond the three states of our experience - waking, dream, deep sleep and is an observer of all these three

In conversation with two Vedanta followers, we explore what Vedanta has to offer in terms of how to interpret the current Corona pandemic situation, sharing our spiritual path & story, practical ways how Vedanta knowledge helped us in our work place, and an overview of spiritual practice (sadhana) each one follows.

In the second line Sankaracharya explains that the Brahman is Sat Chit Ananda, and is sought by people who have the wisdom to separate reality from unreal, and which is the awareness in waking, dream, sleep state.

Adi Sankara wrote ‘Pratah Smaranam’ a 3 verse Sloka with 4 lines in each verse that I use as my ‘wake up’ prayer to remind myself daily about who I am. This is explanation of verse 1, line 1

Humans use just 15% of their lung capacity. Knowing how to breathe right - the yogic 3 part breathing, we can increase the surface area for gaseous exchange by 8x and also flush out stale air from the lungs, making us more refreshed, immune to diseases. In these days of Covid 19 threat, spend ten minutes a day to breathe right and build immunity.

Yogic tradition says that if we eat twice a day, we are fit to practice asanas and begin contemplation practice; thrice then we are primarily an enjoyer /connoisseur of food and not yet ready for yoga/meditation; if we eat four times a day then we are likely to fall sick or carry some illness; and God forbid if we eat more than four times a day then we are over-eating and maybe ‘stealing’ the food meant for someone else!

Satchitananda is the name given to the Supreme Consciousness. If we realize the Brahman, then we overcome three limitations of death/ time, ignorance and pain/sorrow. Sat is eternal, implying no death; Chit is knowledge, implying no room for ignorance; Ananda is infinite happiness, implying no room for sorrow. Satchitananda is our nature that is why we can’t accept we are subject to death, ignorance or sorrow!

Namaste is an Indian tradition. In these days of Corona virus threat people have switched from shaking hands to doing a namaste. Namaste symbolism is simply - I recognize the supreme Brahman in you. It also is a reminder to subjugate our ego to the Brahman. It is a fallacy to think that we are equal to the other person only if we shake hands (and that too firmly!). Namaste is a sublime representation of the very goal of life we must strive for - to become that Brahman!

Vedanta teachers use two words - Jvatma and Paramatma to denote the ‘soul’ within each living being’s body and the universal consciousness. This can be confusing for a layman as they will immediately assume that there are two entities now - they & Him. But this is not true. With an analogy of a pot, the Upanishads explain: Just as how the space within and without the pot are the same., the jivatma and paramatma re one and the same - just because we are more aware of a grosser entity like body, we use two different words.

In the West, yoga means asanas/ postures. Period. In the East (India), it can mean anything - Bhakti (devotion), Dhyana (contemplation/ meditation), Raja (Spiritual practices), Pranayama (Breath control) or Karma yoga (doing our duties without expecting a particular outcome). But in this episode we present the definition of yoga as discussed in a book on Vishnu Sahasranamam: it is when we contemplate on the unity of the individual enlivening soul in us with the universal supreme consciousness Brahman!