Life

There is a well-known analogy of a chariot in the Kathopanishad . It says that our body is like the chariot, the emotional mind is like the horses, the rational mind is like the charioteer who is giving direction to the horses, and the soul is like the owner of the chariot who gives direction to the charioteer. If the owner is aware, he will direct the charioteer to take the chariot to the correct destination. However, if the owner is asleep, the charioteer will drive the chariot according to his own whims and fancies. Similarly, if the charioteer is also weak, the horses will become uncontrolled and take the chariot aimlessly from one place to another. Horses are very powerful, provided they are given the right direction. Similarly, a charioteer is very skilled, provided he knows where the owner wants to go. It is unfortunate that in today's world, we are too busy taking care of the chariot as well as the horses. Slowly, the charioteer's function is being handed over to the A...

 When we sit in Vipassana , we experience different sensations in different parts of the body. Itching, vibration, heat, heaviness, pain, and so on. We sit for long hours in Vipassana, and that's why I normally feel pain in my legs and back. Sometimes the neck becomes stiff. Initially, we react a lot, and one hour of sitting becomes painful. In fact, we change our posture many times during a one-hour sitting. Then comes the real test. We have Adhistana for 1 hour when we don't have to change posture. We realise how painful that posture looks. The more we feel pain, the more we feel the urge to change our posture. But the instructions have to be strictly followed. We just have to observe the sensations rather than react to them. That seems quite difficult at first, and one hour feels like a lifetime. In fact, we give up after some time and make a slight movement to feel that little comfort. However, there comes a stage when we decide that we will not react to the pain. We conce...

One of the most fundamental discussions in the world of spirituality is the difference between love and attachment . Pandavas "love" Draupadi to the extent that they fight the battle of Kurukshetra to take revenge for the insult to Draupadi. They kill the Kauravas , Karna and all the people who caused the insult to Draupadi. We may call it a perfect example of love. But the question is: "Whether it is love or attachment?"  When Arjuna enters the battlefield of Kurukshetra, he gets confused. He wants to run away from the battlefield because he feels that killing his own cousins, teachers, and elders will send him to hell. He feels quite anxious, and then Krishna rips apart his logic. Krishna helps him see reality from a broader perspective and, in the process, answers many of Arjuna's questions. When Arjuna is still not convinced, Krishna shows him Vishwaroop to make him realise the vastness of the universe and the limitations of the body. He makes Arjuna r...