April 21st, 2026

Vivekji is part of the Niagara Regional Police Services inclusion council, and Vivekji shared how their meetings are in cultural sensitivity (a form of sensitivity training), and regarding how a recent workshop was on ambient racism. Ambient means it is soft and is in the background (like ambient light or ambient noise).  Overt racism is assault. More soft than this is micro aggression. More soft than this is micro insults. More soft than this is micro invalidation (where someone makes you feel that your education or culture or religion is not worthwhile). The colonial system enacted all of this in terms of Bharatiya Samskriti – there was assault, there was aggression, there was insult and there was invalidation. Vivekji shared the reflection that ‘the less happy one is, the more racist one is’. For example, if i am happy then i don’t feel invalid, and i don’t invalidate anyone else. We are finding more racism in high school and so our high school students should learn more about happiness. Our course which has a Jnana orientation is focusing on Manah shodanam. Shodana means purity, this purity is not physical but it is mental, intellectual and metaphysical. Here i don’t see oneness but feel oneness. The more pure i become, the more i feel oneness! You cannot be racist against oneself! What we get to experience in this training is very long term! 

We are in the section of Manah Shodanam where Rishi Narada is sharing with Raja Yudhishtira on how to convert vices into values. If one follows through with this, the values become virtues. 

Throughout these 14 vices and 14 values, frameworks have been shared, like:

• There are 3 gates to hell (kama, krodha,lobha). 

Another framework:

• The acronym SAD comes to play in our lives as Stress (from Daiva), Anxiety (from Bhuta), Dejection (from Atma). 

The next framework relates to the Gunas: 

In the 12th vice which is nidra, one of the gunas or qualities of nidra is tamas. Kumbhakarna meant to share that he wished for Indra but the syllables were reversed and he wished for Nidra instead! So the 12th vice nidra is explained in a simple way as escapism. Moha is when we are confused  but we still try! Nidra is when the confusion is fermented and we stop trying and instead we just escape! We simply have to keep trying, but nidra is escapism. The way (value) to fight this vice is ‘good habits’ (localize). When we have a whole lot to do, try not to be overwhelmed , instead start! If there are 50 dishes in the sink, then start with one! Be present with what is right in front of you! 

In the movie ‘On a Quest’, Pujya Swami Chinmayananda shares – ‘Start walking and the path becomes clear!’ Bad habits are formed slowly, similarly good habits are also formed slowly. That is the power of continuity and consistency.

The 13th vice is rajas – aggressiveness. The way to fight this is to ‘hedge’ (protect and put parameters around whatever causes us to be aggressive). Philosophically – infinity plus Maya (power of expression) expresses as Gunas.  Gunas means there is Maya there. But there cannot be a ‘plus’ to infinity, so philosophically me having rajas in my personality is unhealthy. At a psychological level, the framework we are in where tamas (laziness), rajas (aggressiveness) is shared, the implication is that of evolution. Ashtanga refers to evolution, Pancha kosha refers to evolution as well (from outside to inside). Evolution means everyone is included. So we should keep striving and engage in this perpetual betterment. 

The 14th vice:

Sattvam cha, upashamena cha

Sattva has now become the vice! Upashamena means being beyond the gunas or qualities , beyond Maya (expression) and being one with oneness. From a philosophical perspective: In the Mahabharata , a life plan is shared. From 0 to 23, the training that one should be engaged in is seva. From 24 to 47, the training is in daana. From 48 to 59, which is the third phase of life, the training is Niyama. If one has checked off all three, then in the fourth phase of life which is 60 and over (60 to 72) , the training is in shama (independent quietude, inner world is quiet and still and silent). This is only possible through dhyana, Upashama is only possible through contemplation. A psychological narrative of how this goes from sattva to upashama: In Bhagavad Gita’s chapter 10, Sri Krishna constantly shares with prince Arjuna – ‘you are good, but look at that which is great’. For example, amongst all the bodies that are luminous, the sun is great, but beyond the great is God! He is trying to show prince Arjuna that it is not good enough to be good, it is not good enough to be great, enough is when you are God! So here, being Saathvik is not good enough. Psychologically we should know the ends, the big picture. Practically how we can start this fight against sattva is through inquiry. We should try not to take for granted our life and our experiences, but we should inquire as to what is the purpose of this life and this experience. Acharya Shankara helped by leaving this legacy of inquiry for all of us! Acharya Shankara’s parents had the option of having an exceptional child who will live until 16 years, or to have an ordinary child who will live for a 100 years and they chose the exceptional! One will only choose the exceptional or the path of shreyas when one inquires, otherwise one just follows the mob mentality of living ordinary. 

Summary: 

Vice is nidra (escapism), and weapon against this is localize. Rajas is aggressiveness, and weapon is to hedge. Sattva is the vice, and the weapon to fight this is to inquire. 

‘Happy slaves are the bitterest/worst enemies to freedom’ – this was shared by Pujya Swami Tejomayananda. When we reflect on the word ‘slaves’ or ‘slavery’, there is an externalization of this. When it comes to our own self-reflection and self-realization, the word that can replace ‘succumbing to slavery’ is dependent. Whatever we are dependent on, that is us being enslaved by that. This is not about functional dependence, but this dependence is on matters like faith, joy and completion. As long as we are dependent on an external entity (for faith, joy or completion), then we are enslaved by that and we become the bitterest enemy to freedom/moksha/purpose of life. What we do together in our Jnana class (Manah Shodhanam) is we are raising the expectation we have of ourselves. Then we feel the quote ‘happy slaves are the bitterest enemies to freedom’ applies to us! A great utility of increasing the expectation we have of ourselves is we decrease the expectation we have of others, and we accept others more.  In this course, we are raising the expectations of ourselves to not be enslaved by any entity. When we depend on ourselves completely, that is independence! The sign that one is flowing through all of this is acceptance. 

For verses 19, 20, 21 and 22 – the theme is ‘action’ (actively cultivating, actively practicing). 

Verse 20: 

ānvīkṣikyā śokamohau dambhaṁ mahad-upāsayā

yogāntarāyān maunena hiṁsāṁ kāyādyanīhayā

Recap of the two vices we explored:

When it comes to yoga (our development), that which holds us back (antarāyān) from our development is ‘heaviness’ (this is the vice). The value is ‘simplicity’. Heaviness is overthinking and over-complexity, so the antidote is simplicity. On Mahashivaratri, it is a period where we are to minimize what comes into the system (inputs through our ears, eyes etc). Since so little is input, the output is also little and we just feel lighter. We then come to the intense experience of being the observer/sakshi and at that level one starts to see Bhagavan Shiva in the form of awareness. Extreme simplicity is the design of Mahashivaratri. What Rishi Narada shares with Raja Yudhishtira is ‘mauna’. The origin of these verses is from Srimad Bhagavatam (specifically the 7th section). If we take the sanskrit verse and translate it, then it moves us a little. If we translate it and also interpret this in a traditional way – it moves us more. But we need to take this ancient teaching, reflect on the translation, the tradition and most importantly reflect on the transformation and we have to figure out what is best for us! The direct translation of ‘mauna’ is silence, but mauna has to bring this comprehensive practice of simplicity! 

The eighth vice is ‘himsa’ (harming). Rishi Narada says “kāyādi anīhaya” – control the body and equipments – however controlling the body is hard, more so is controlling the mind. So the way to make this transformative (so it is longer lasting and has a deeper impact), the value is ‘service’. Service is using and directing the body and mind. 

There is a beautiful teaching in the Upanishad – ‘ṣarīra mādhyama khalu dharma sādhanam’, which means the only purpose of this body(and equipments) is to serve. Just like nature is for all, the equipments belong to the totality , this body is made up of earth and so belongs to the earth. 

Verse 21:

kṛpayā bhūtajaṁ duḥkhaṁ daivaṁ jahyāt samādhinā

ātmajaṁ yoga-vīryeṇa nidrāṁ sattva-niṣevayā

Here, Rishi Narada is bringing up why we chant ‘shanti’ three times. The word duhkha applies to the first three quarters of the verse: 

Duhkha that comes from bhutas (beings that are around us)

Duhkha that comes from Daiva (nature’s forces or that which is far away from us)

Duhkha that comes from Atma (here it means our ego and inner equipments)

The vice is duhkha and it comes from nearby, far away and within. 

The way we will orient ourselves towards this duhkha is from the least impactful to the most impactful, from the ‘easiest to tend to’ to ‘hardest to tend to’. So we will begin with the duhkha that comes from Daiva. Another way to understand Daiva is ‘circumstances’. The duhkha that comes from circumstances causes us stress (this is the ninth vice). One should let go of this stress (vice) with balance (value). We are keen on the transformation, so here are some insights into what will help us practice this value of balance: Nature of circumstances is to change. Wherever there is change, there will be conflict. Wherever there is conflict, stress comes with that. But if we know that this is the nature of circumstances, then we won’t allow it to affect us as much. 

Vivekji shared that a father who was around the age of 45 asked about who will be affected more by insult, would it be the father who was 45 or his daughter who was 18 ( and was getting ready to go away to college). Vivekji’s response was that the daughter would be affected more because the father is used to being insulted in his 45 years and the daughter may not be so used to it. The father just has more experience, that this is how circumstances are, they keep changing! 

There is a riddle : ‘what do you say to a sad person that makes them happy, and what do you say to a happy person that makes them sad?’ The answer is ‘Even this will pass’.  So when we know circumstances keep changing, and that there is not always going to be easy times or hard times, it helps one to be more balanced. Being imbalanced does not help. 

In the first quarter, the duhkha referenced comes from bhuta. Bhuta means beings (mostly humans – friends, family). When Sri Hanumana is going over the ocean to find mother Sita, the very first vighna or obstacle that comes is ‘Mynakha’, and Mynakha is actually His relative. Mynakha tells Hanumanji to come and rest, and not work so hard! The duhkha that comes from beings is deeper than stress, it is anxiety. The value against this vice is compassion. When a friend or co-worker is not being reasonable, we have to try to be like Bhagavan Ganesha’s ears. His ears are like a sieve, meaning they are very big, He filters in that which is right and filters out that which is wrong. We should quickly bring this filter of self-criticism and self-forgiveness. If we are being unfair and not courageous, then we should accept that. If not, we should reject them. Too often, when someone shares something about us, we put out a defense mechanism and reject it, but what if they are right?! They are helping us! So we should find that balance of self-criticism and self-forgiveness. Also, not everyone knows how to fight against what is hurting them in life. Maybe they do not have a community where they have an exposure to insights and betterment, which means they don’t know how to fight what is bothering them. So for all of us who do have these tools, we should be more compassionate with them -’Everyone is going through their own fight’. So why make it harder on people?! Also, if we take into account vasanas, we also never know what kind of life one had in the past! So we should learn not to be hard on people. In this balance of self-criticism and self-forgiveness, if someone has treated us in a poor way and we don’t deserve that, we should just absorb that with compassion. 

When stress is not checked, it ferments to become anxiety. When anxiety is not checked, it ferments to become dejection. This comes from one’s own equipment, specifically from mind and intellect. So Rishi Narada shares that one should engage in Yoga Veerya, one should be intense when it comes to yoga. Here yoga veerya means self-development. It is through self-development that our mind bothers us less and our intellect loves us more! The greatest trigger of dejection is purposelessness. A reflective mind is a rich mind, a mind that is reflective has purpose and so gets to enjoy everything and feels rich. A way to come out of dejection is routine. As we are engaged in the routine, there will be faltering. If we expect otherwise, it will lead to failing. While teaching Bhagavad Gita chapter 6, Vivekji shared that as we are trying to contemplate and being distracted, we have to catch ourselves. Once we catch ourselves, we should lift ourselves. Here too, if we falter in our routine, we should catch ourselves and lift ourselves. Without that catching, we cannot lift ourselves and without that catching, the faltering becomes failure.

Summary of vices and values: 

Vice 7 – heaviness, value 7 – simplicity

Vice 8-harming , value 8- service

Vice 9 -Stress, value 9-balance

Vice 10- anxiety, value 10 – compassion

Vice 11-dejection, value 11 – self-development

March 24th 2026

More important than what is said is, who is saying. Vivekji shared how in the Vedantic leadership training, the students had the privilege to listen and learn from Dr.Kshama Metre (a Padmashree awardee). One of the main thoughts she shared was – more important than what you have is who you are! What we have tends to be flimsy. Who we are tends to be more firm. This can be put in the negative like our vasanas in terms of identifying with our body or it can be positive such as a habit of being punctual or disciplined. This does not go away quickly. We can either invest our efforts in Desha shuddhi or ManaH shuddhi. Desha shuddhi means investing in what we have (context) and Manah shuddhi is investing in who we are (our content). Pujya Swami Tejomayananda, Vivekji and Dr.Kshama Metre have shared we should invest in our content. 

In the verses from 19-22, Rishi Narada is sharing with Raja Yudhishtira (the one who wants to be better). In verse 19, the first way we hold ourselves back is shared, which is ‘Kama’ (desire). The remedy for this disease is observance. When we observe we are quiet. By being quiet we don’t allow our thoughts to become fertilized with wants and needs. A way to cultivate observance in the short term is to concentrate. We should concentrate like Ekalavya (he lived in the moment). A way to cultivate observance in the mid term is to collaborate. We should ask for help by chanting (japa). A way to cultivate observance in the long term is to contemplate.  Instead of fertilizing the thoughts we should watch them. Such observance is the way to fight back against kama. 

The second enemy that is shared is ‘krodha’ (anger). The way to neutralize this is acceptance. What precedes anger is annoyance. If annoyed we should keep it to ourselves or find a way not to be annoyed. If annoyance does become anger, then what should proceed from that is apology. Even if we cannot say it to someone’s face (example while driving), then we should put out our apology to the multiverse. It helps one to be less angry and not succumb to anger the next time. 

The third enemy is ‘lobha’ (greed). Our strategy to neutralize this is remembrance. Remembrance that all external security did not provide what we hoped this would provide. Pujya Swami Tejomayananda has shared that when one remembers the prayojana or purpose then money is used for dharma but if the purpose is forgotten one becomes a dasa to money. Vivekji shared the experience that by giving resources/funds/money we decrease the importance of that money. One is not so money-minded then. 

Verse 19 (Continued) and Verse 20:

Verse 19

asaṅkalpāt-jayet kāmaṁ krodhaṁ kāma-vivarjanāt

arthāmarthakṣayā lobhaṁ bhayaṁ tattvāvamarśanāt

Verse 20

ānvīkṣikyā śokamohau dambhaṁ mahad-upāsayā

yogāntarāyān maunena hiṁsāṁ kāyādyanīhayā

Verse 19, 4th quarter : The yamas are transformed through the niyamas. Here the yama is ‘fear’. The niyama to not succumb to fear is faith. The fourth hindrance (out of 14) is ‘bhaya’ (fear). Rishi Narada shares with Raja Yudhishtira that the way to dissolve this fear is by knowing that which is authentic and deep, the tattva. The opposite of fear is faith (in divinity, in Bhagavan). One has such faith through some understanding of Bhagavan. ‘Some jnana’ leads to shraddha which leads to full jnana. If we have ‘some clarity’ about Bhagavan Hanumana in our life, then ‘shraddhavan labhate jnanam’ – that somewhat clarity helps us to have enough faith and it is the faithful who then feel full knowledge.  Fear is really an expression of that which is different from ‘me’. I don’t fear myself but only fear that which is different from me. When we know that our nature is existence, awareness then we won’t have this fear any more. In summary, the methodology to grow out of fear is that ‘some clarity’ about the divine pulls faith in the divine which pulls conviction in the divine. Such a growth in faith is how we let go of fear. 

Verse 20, first quarter: The vice shared here is moha leading to shoka. This can be isolated into moha (confusion). For those who analyse Bhagavad Gita’s chapter 1 and specifically chapter 2, it is shared that Prince Arjuna rapidly went through three vices – moha (confusion), which devolved into bhaya (fear) which then devolved into shoka (sorrow). Stress when not checked ferments into anxiety , and that when not checked devolves into dejection. Here Rishi Narada has put bhaya before moha, these are interchangeable. Both make us feel sad and dejected. 

‘Anvikshikya’ means being able to have insight. There are lots of words that describe seeing like pashya, darsha, darshana, anudarshana, drishti etc. Here what Rishi is sharing is not a seeing with our eyes but rather an understanding of who i am and what i am supposed to do. When we start to engage in the right actions, that is us knowing what to do, and it helps to build a momentum for us to know ‘who i am’. If we are always engaged in wrong actions, we won’t have the quietude of mind to ever inquire into who we are! So right actions help us to know who we are, and once we know who we are, there is confidence in what we do. The right action is dharma, and it is the antidote to moha. When we know our responsibilities and we are responsible with them, then there is no confusion. The softest pillow is a clean conscience, and dharma (integrity) is the way to nurture a clean conscience. 

The three values for kama, krodha and lobha are observance, acceptance and remembrance, so that we don’t drift into the gates of hell. The next three virtues are faith, fortitude and firmness. 

The vice is fear and the antidote is faith. Confusion is the fifth vice and the value it is to be substituted with is fortitude. The way to get rid of confusion will not happen in just a day or hour but we need to keep trying ! Dambha means hypocrisy (the sixth vice). The lower our purpose, the higher our compromise. The higher our purpose, the lower our compromise. Compromise is an overt feeling of hypocrisy. We know what is right and what is our potential, but we give it up for that which is comfortable. Vivkeji shared about the famous song by Pink Floyd about complacency/compromise which is ‘being comfortably numb’ –  we are so used to being comfortably numb that it becomes our default and we don’t know what it means to sacrifice. So our purpose will be the facilitator of whether we compromise (give up the higher for the lower), or whether we sacrifice (give up the lower for the higher). 

‘Mahat upasaya’ – this is the value which is to be close to those who are great. ‘Asana’ means to sit. ‘Upa’ means near. We are not doing this for a short period of time or in a casual way. It is to be near those who are great, where near is not a temporary event but a relationship that we cherish and grow. When we are with the great, they humble us and inspire us! 

In reference to one’s guide, it is shared that one should be ‘like’ one’s guide but not ‘as’ one’s guide.  When are are near someone who is great, we can’t help but start to practice those same values. If we have reflected and made a decision, we need to be firm with that decision, starting with our alarm clock! 

Vivekji shared the story of a brother and sister where the brother has a solid job and is wealthy. For the sister, this was not so important so she did not have a strong job/career. As the brother became wealthier and the sister did not, the brother stopped inviting his sister to his home and gatherings. This naturally hurt his sister, but she understood him. Somehow eventually the sister also became very wealthy through good fortune. As she became wealthy, the brother started to invite her to his home and gatherings. One day, when she had gone to his gathering, she had all her jewelry on and while at the big fancy dinner table everyone is talking about shallow matters, she starts to take off all her jewelry, places them on the table and starts feeding dinner to the jewelry. Her brother is embarrassed by this and asks her what she is doing, and her response was ‘i am feeding who you invited’! The brother did not invite her, he only invited her wealth, so she was feeding who he invited! This helps us remember that whatever we are valuing, that is going to grow in our life! If we value valuables, that will grow. If we are valuing ‘values’, observance, acceptance, remembrance, faith, fortitude and firmness will grow. As these grow, desire,anger, greed, fear, confusion and hypocrisy will shrink! 

March 10th 2026

Vivekji shared about a movie that is playing in the theatres now called Hoppers, which is about humans that go into robotic animals to help the environment/nature. A line that is shared in the beginning of the movie is from a grandmother (that is aging and passing) with her grand-daughter who is struggling specifically from anger.  She shares that ‘it is hard to be mad when you feel like you are part of something big’. What decides if we ‘feel’ we are part of something or not is not forced but comes from the mind. It is our minds that make us feel included or excluded or confused. What we have engaged in for 21 weeks of this course so far is the training for our mind to feel like it is part of something bigger, and bigness (Brahma). Our mind is the most influential factor in our lives. When our mind is loud, all is tainted with badness , when our mind is quiet all is colored with goodness. This mind has to be worked with. We cannot bypass the mind. We cannot transcend the mind immediately, one has to understand the mind and work with the mind.  Selfish leaders have a lot of influence on certain organizations or certain countries and we cannot bypass them or transcend them immediately. We have to learn who they are and work with them so that there can be growth, although we do not need to agree with them. 

In verse 15, the theme is separation. Pujya Swami Tejomayananda is pointing out how presumptuous we are. We just presume that all we are interacting with is real. The way not to be presumptuous is to pay attention. When we pay attention, we start to presume less. If we say we sleep for 8 hours a day, then for one-third of our lives we are not this body. If we dream for half that time, then one-sixth of our day is not even in this realm. Then how can we be so presumptuous that ‘this is the absolute’!? By paying attention, we presume less and the separation starts to break up. 

In verse 16, the theme is exhaustion. We are presuming all of this is real, and not only real but also happiness. So we go about chasing happiness, and this happiness is a much faster runner than us! So we keep losing the race and get exhausted doing so. Our likes and dislikes start with pleasure. Then they become more toxic with possessions and then most toxic with position (people). The very first pleasure we engage in where likes and dislikes are felt and expressed is food. We should learn not to presume that ‘this food is good and this is bad, this is tasty and this is not’. Then we should keep putting fortresses around pleasure, so that one does not get seduced into this pleasure. Prince Siddhartha’s father created a pleasure palace for him. We should do the opposite and create a pleasure prison! There should be a strong fortress around a certain pleasure, so that there are a lot of barriers for us to engage in that pleasure. Then one is more attentive with it and less presumptuous. 

Verse 17:

The theme of verse 17 is decision. The main teaching is ‘it is our decision to live like this’. 

labhe sukhi tathā duḥkhī hyalābhe priya-vastunaḥ

saṁsāro ayaṁ mayā prāpto mithyādhyāsa-puraḥsaraḥ

Laabhe – to gain

Sukhi- pleasure

Tatha – then

Duhkhi – pain

Alaabhe – did not gain

Priya – dear

VastunaH – articles (beings, circumstances)

First we experience pleasure,  then built into that pleasure is pain. For example, the first plate in a buffet is pleasure, the second plate is more pleasure, but then there is a decreasing return and eventually results in pain. The pain comes from ‘alaabhe’ – because we either did not gain it, or we gained it and it started to slip. This is towards articles, beings and circumstances that we project to be ‘priya’.  When it comes to pleasure, we are always living ‘to’ this. We are planning to this, talking about this and running towards this. When it comes to pain, it is ‘from’ this. We try to move away from this and we try not to talk about this. Our days are really a ‘to’ and a ‘from’. 

Ayam – this

Samsara – that which is ever slipping away

Maya praptaH – this is what i have gained

Mithya – illusory

Adhyasa – to project

purassaraH – reasoning for us feeling samsara

Samasara is like a paper or ball that is being blown away by wind, ever slipping away! By deciding to be presumptuous and project, this is what we have gained and brought into our lives. Samsara feels like purposelessness. The feeling of purposelessness is deeper than anger or sadness. The depth to purposelessness almost feels like we cannot come out of it other than through grace (metaphysical support). We may have been born in samsara, but then it is our ‘decision’ to live in samsara. 

Verse 18: 

The theme for verse 18 is solution. 

upāyaṁ nāradaḥ prāha citta-doṣa-nivṛttaye

yudhiṣṭhirāya prāgeva taṁ smarāmi ca śreyase

Tu – indeed

UpaayaH – there is a means or path

Pura proktaH –  this means was spoken out

The theme for this verse is solution. Separation causes exhaustion. It is my decision to be like this and it is also my decision to not be like this. Hence the solution!

Puraana means ‘pura api nava’. It is ancient and applicable. This dialogue was experienced by Rishi Narada and Raja Yudhishthira. This dialogue is in Srimad Bhagavatam. In Mahabharata, there is a dialogue where Rishi Shaunaka is asking Rishi Ugrashava. And here, Rishi Ugrashava says ‘pura prokta’ meaning this was asked before (by Raja Janamejaya to Rishi Vaishampayana). There are many such references to, ‘this was asked before and this was taught before’. The reason for this is humility and efficacy. We are in a field where we are trying to feel less egotistical but sometimes when someone asks a question, they feel like they are so important! Sometimes the person answering also feels like that! So humility is important (that this was already answered before by Rishi Narada, by Pujya Swami Tejomayananda)  and so is efficacy. Raja Yudhisthira was great, Raja Janamejaya became quiet , Rishi Shaunaka became free – so if it worked for them, it can work for us. 

‘chitta dosha’ means impurity of the mind, ‘nivrutti artham’ means the purpose is to change/let go/freed of the impurities of the mind, and this is what they talked about. 

Smarami tam shreyase – means i am remembering them for my own growth. 

Our minds are filled with impurities , the dominant ones shared are likes and dislikes. These likes and dislikes can be purged only by being active. The impurities of the mind won’t be purged just because we get older. We need to be active towards the path of shreyas. Acharya Shankara’s commentary of the Bhagavad Gita begins at Chapter 2 verse 11, He shares a general introduction of the first 57 verses and shares that some people live for ‘abhyudaya’ (prosperity) but the Bhagavad Gita is not for those who live for abhyudaya, it is for those who live for ‘nisshreyasa’ (to be beyond the path of peace, which is peace). The only people who are not seeking happiness are those who are ‘happiness’. 

That is why Pujya Swami Tejomayananda is sharing that He is not doing this just to teach us but ‘i am doing this for me’ – but the beauty of self development is , it is a direct catalyst to societal development. 

February 24th 2026

Whenever we are presented with a decision, the decision most often flows through the filter of “what will the bottom line be”. This bottom line most often relates to finances.  Pujya Swami Tejomayananda has taught differently – when it comes to decisions, the filter that should be applied is “what will the top line be”. The top line does not have to do with finances but rather has to do with peace. To make decisions that lead to more peace! When one starts to make this transition from bottom line to top line, there is a very natural reorientation to why one lives, that being “sarva bhuta hitakara”. When we live for the bottom line, we live for “me and mine” but when we live for the top line which is peace, this is not selfish but is most development oriented. ‘Sarva’ means all, ‘bhuta’ means beings, ‘hita’ means that we feel for them and act for them, ‘kara’ means it becomes one’s purpose. For some of us this Manah Shodhanam course may be offering a utility (a utility where we don’t live by the bottom line as much) , but for some for who this is more than utility, this is transformative and a training for us to actually live for the top line. Depending on how open we are, this is either providing utility or it is providing us training. 

Vivekji asked the class to share the practicality of this course and the number was high. When Vivekji asked the class to rate how much we are practicing that which is practical, the number dropped. Vivekji reminded the class to apply more and give more of ourselves.

Review:

In verse 7 , the teaching is on resolution. Peace can only be felt if it is cultivated and not by accident. That is why one of the final words in this verse is vrata (to promise oneself that one will cultivate away from the bottom line to the top line).

In verse 8, the teaching is on inquiry. Purity is for the equipments, inquiry is for the ego. First purity is needed and then we engage in inquiry. When it comes to inquiry, it becomes real in one’s life through grace. When one is a sincere seeker (ripe and mature), inquiry is not abstract or part-time. It becomes who one is! People who are pessimists are critical rather than having a growth mind-set. When it comes to inquiry, for those who have grace in their lives and are mature, it is just what they do! 

In verse 9, the teaching is on revealing. For one to be deep, guidance has to come from that which is deep. That is why Pujya Swami Tejomayananda references Bhagavad Gita. 

In verse 10, there is a shift from inquiry to inquiring (from the scrimmage to the game). Vivekji shared that the Dakshina that can be offered to the tradition of teachers from this course is to make inquiring a part of our day! 

In verse 11, the teaching is on vices. A vice is a limit in our lives. The word ‘adaya’ is used two times in this verse. It means ‘this will continue on’ unless we actively try to be better. Vices will not fade when we get older or when we are working, it does not ‘just happen’. We need to work on these limits. 

In verse 12, the teaching is on locus. Vices don’t just float in the ether, there is a locus to the vices. These vices are within the equipments. The equipments are an effect, the ego is the cause. Likes and dislikes, desire and anger, are all effects which live in the equipment. If there is an effect then there is a cause. That cause is the ego, so the original vice is ignorance (forgetting that one’s nature is happiness). This results in desire, anger , likes and dislikes. 

In verse 13, the teaching is on beyond. Beyond the equipments is the ego, but beyond the ego is existence. Vivekji asked the class to reflect on “Past, Present and Potential”  – past is before we were seekers, present is we are seekers but that is not enough, our potential is to be a savior. There is a process that will take us from the present to our potential. What helps this process along is to start to feel what it feels like to be a savior. Those days when we feel light, are messages from the divine to keep encouraging us to follow the process. This is like  – for someone who is regularly healthy and is unwell for sometime,  and then there are glimpses of feeling normal , this feeling of glimpses of normalcy helps one to endure more. This is with our physical health, but the same goes for our mental health too. 

Verse 14: 

Effects have a cause. 

tasmād-ajñānam-evātra sarvadā duḥkha-kāraṇam

tatsvarūpaṁ hi jñātavyaṁ vicāreṇādhunā mayā

Tasmaat – there is a definitive conclusion that has come from being rational, from following this flow of thought. 

Ajnaanam – ignorance. Ignoring or forgetting ‘eva’

Eva – is that alone indeed

Atra – is here, with us right now

The divine (Bhagavan) has a very special quality which is ‘ahetuki’. The devotional way to understand ‘ahetuki’ is ‘the divine’s compassion for us’, ‘the divine’s sharing of grace’ is uncaused. Sanatana Dharma is a universal path. God’s grace is not calculated, it is causeless. This is why in our culture there are such strong teachings about prayer and serving and surrender. Shifting this to a knowledge-based orientation: the divine (Bhagavan) is uncaused. Scientifically then, the divine (Bhagavan) cannot cause. So everything we are experiencing right now, we are experiencing with a strong filter of ego, which leads us to this hallucination that ‘i am an individual’. It is ajnaana which makes us feel all of this. For the one who really reflects on the nature of the divine, ignorance is not possible and so all that has come from ignorance is not possible as well. One cannot jump into this revelation and this is a process, there are 3 touchpoints in this process. 

• For the beginner, their contact with this multiverse is one of fear. Multiverse is a scary place and so i don’t want to have any relationship with it. 
• For the one who is in the middle of their journey/evolution , their relationship with the multiverse is – ‘its there- its fine’, ‘its not there- its fine’
• For the one who is mature and near to the end of their journey, their relationship with the multiverse is that they are festive towards all of this because they understand that all of this is simply a leela. I fear the multiverse when i try to get from it, but if i am not trying to get anything from the multiverse, then i wake up with a smile, i sleep with a smile, and all is festive! We need to reflect on where we are in this game (fear, fine or festive) !

Sarvada – comprehensively

Duhkha – it can be experienced at three level – stress , deeper is anxiety and deepest is dejection

Karana – is the cause of 

Forgetting divinity and awareness is comprehensively the cause for any and all stress, anxiety and dejection. There is a famous teaching from Bhagavan Buddha – ‘Sarvam duhkham duhkham’. Those who don’t know bhagavan Buddha will feel that His message is one of fear. It is not one of fear, but the message is, if we interact with the multiverse with the hallucination of ignorance, then it is only going to lead to stress, anxiety and dejection. If we know that the multiverse is not separate from the creator, but is an extension of the creator, then the feeling of duhkha directs us to find the sukha. If we remember the first time we may have got burned by a stove, that pain protected us! If we did not sense that pain, then we could have been burned up! When we know ‘sarva duhkha duhkha’, it can guide us to find sukha! 

Forgetting makes us feel separate and when we don’t understand this, the fall continues where after the ‘forgetting’ there is ‘vasanas’ (personality prints) that make us feel small. Then we fall more into our intellect which makes us feel sad. It is the intellect from which desires come from, and the untrained intellect keep going into instructing (that we have to do this and that to be happy). So first we feel separate, then we feel small, then we feel sad! If there is no feeling of separation, then we will never feel sad. 

Tat – refers to the ajnaana 

Svarupa – understand that it is an entity (like a cup or paper)

Jnyaatavyam -indeed know more about this

If we know more about this, then we can do something about it otherwise we cannot do anything about it. We have to be open and ready to know this more and for the ignorance to go away. In chapter 7 verse 2 of Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna shares ‘yat jnyaatva na iha bhuyaH’ – for the one who know what Sri Krishna is teaching 

‘anyat jnyaatavyam avashishyate’ –  there is nothing else you need to know 

If we know ignorance, then we will know that ignorance is temporary. 

Vicharena adhunamaya – i am starting right here right now to inquire! 

‘adhuna’ means without pause or procrastination. 

In the Mahabharata, there is a scene where a bhikshu comes to Karna (Vasushena) and says ‘bhikshaam dehi’ and Karna who was resting picked up a bowl of oil and gave it to the bhikshu. The bhikshu accepted this and called him a ‘daanaveera’ and told him that in our culture we don’t give with our left , we give with our right. But Karna explained that he gave it with his left because by the time it would take to transfer the bowl to the right , he may have changed his mind! That is ‘aadhuna’ – no procrastination, hesitation or calculation. Just give yourself to inquiry! 

February 10th 2026

Vivekji shared how winter tyres are needed in some cars and when the switch happens from all-seasons tyres to winter tyres, a wheel alignment is needed. Without the wheel alignment, there is a slow deterioration of the tyres, wheels and brakes – this example was to highlight how our short-term and long-term goal need to be aligned. Pujya Swami Tejomayananda has shared that there has to be an alignment between our short term goals and long-term goal! Our long-term goal is freedom. Our short-term goals have to be aligned with that for us to realize this long-term goal, otherwise it will never be a reality. Swami Tejomayananda shared that so many live their lives based on bhoga (someone who is trying to find completeness externally – someone who buys too many clothes or someone who talks too much so that they can be heard) and they think that when they retire they can engage in yoga (they think their mind works just like a switch that turns on and off), but when such a person engages in contemplation or chanting, all one struggles with is roga (disease – physical disease and the disease of the mind which is loudness and lack of ease). So if one lives by bhoga then there is only going to be roga. But if we live by yoga (integrity) there will be experience of yukta (oneness). Our Jnana class using Manah Shodhanam, is a course in honesty – to be honest with the short-term goals to be aligned with long-term goal. The more honest we are, this becomes a course in accuracy, where we course correct our short-term goals to align with our long-term goals. 

Vivekji shared that later this year, a book called ‘Self Development Essentials’ is going to be released, which is based on the Thursday study group from last year. One of the frameworks that is shared from Pujya Swami Chinmayananda starts off with ‘introspection’ (getting to know oneself more). When we get to know ourselves more, it is like us going from inquiry theoretically to inquiring (in an application way). The next part of this framework is ‘detection’. We come to know our successes, and if we are authentic and deep we come to know our vices. 

Verse 11: 

rāga-dveṣa-ādayaḥ kāmaḥ krodha-lobhādayo api ca,

ahaṁkārastathā svārtho vividhā manaso malāḥ

The first set of vices relate to the mind – Raga, Dvesha, aadi (etc)

Raga or likes is when we are being moody. A moody person is one who has let go of the functional because they want what they like. 

Dvesha means dislikes. Pujya Swami Tejomayananda has shared ‘freedom is doing what we don’t want to do’. If we are doing what we don’t want to do with the right attitude, we become invincible and there is no context which can shake us or break us. 

Aadi or etc here refers to Abhinivesha. Abhinivesha is fear, specifically the fear of aging and dying. The more purpose we have, the less we will fear aging and dying. So the ultimate remedy to experience a fountain of youth, where we age and die but actually don’t age and die is to have purpose.

The next set of vices ,which is going deeper into us, , from the mind to the intellect – Kama, Krodha, Lobha aadi.

Kama means desire. Desire is a sign of incompleteness. It means that we are not happy with our life. This gets expressed as Krodha. 

Krodha means anger. Kama gets expressed as krodha because the probability of us getting what we desire or want is low. This makes us angry, we get angry at ourselves and we get angry at others. 

If we do get what we want, then it becomes Lobha or greed.

Desire comes fast like a tornado (Trinavarta) but greed comes slow (like Pralamba from Sri Krishna’s life).  So we have to be more careful with greed. 

The ‘etc’ here refers to Moha , Mada and Matsarya.  

Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada and Matsarya are known as the six enemies (shatripus). There are just three that are more internal and they get expressed more externally  as the forthcoming three. 

In Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna overtly shares that there are three gates to hell which are desire, anger and greed. Anything that is inside will come outside, so the fourth is moha (confusion). Someone who is struggling with inner desire, inner anger and inner greed just gets confused about what they should be doing! One is so consumed with the loudness of what is inside of them that they don’t know what to do. If they do know what to do, then comes ‘Mada’. Mada means arrogance. Anger and arrogance are very similar. An arrogant person is easy to anger. Matsarya is jealousy. If one who is confused thinks they know what to do then it gives rise to arrogance, but if they don’t know what to do they look at someone else and become jealous. Vivekji shared how jealousy is like a match stick, first you burn and then you burn others. 

The vices of the intellect come to be because of the more serious vices of the ego (which are more like Vasanas) – these are Ahankara and Svaartha. 

Svaartha means identification. Svaartha is me identifying with ‘some’ instead of ‘all’. If we love all people, then it is called detachment. When we love ‘some’ people, it is called attachment. 

Identification comes from ‘Ahankara’ which is separation. Only if an entity is separated can you identify with it, if it is not separated we cannot identify with it. The core of this text (Manah Shodhanam) is about ‘how to use the intellect’. The untrained intellect is ever instructing, the trained intellect is ever inquiring.

In verse 8, Pujya Swami Tejomayananda is sharing about ‘inquiry’, specifically the benefits. In verse 10, He is sharing about ‘inquiring’, specifically the practice. In verse 11, it is no longer theoretical, but it is the application of inquiry which will lead one to discovering these deepening vices. 

Verse 12:  

ete sarve hi dṛśyante citte calati jāgrati,

pralīnaṁ ca yadā cittaṁ naiteṣāṁ dṛśyate gatiḥ

First quarter:

Ete – refers to what was shared in the previous verse

Survey – all of these vices – likes, dislikes, fear, desire, anger, greed, confusion, arrogance, jealousy , ‘my’ness (svaartha) and ‘i’ness  (ahankara)

Drishyante – they are seen

Whenever we reflect on seeing, we tend to associate seeing with our eyes open. But the ‘seeing’ here can only be done with our eyes closed. 

After introspection and detection, what is coming in this verse is ‘negation’. What do we do about all the vices? A catalyst to all this is being alone more. 

One of the sadhanas Vivekji had shared earlier was ‘EAT’ – Eat alone time. At least one meal a day, we should eat by ourselves. During this alone time, we should close our eyes and see what is happening in our inner world. 

Second quarter:

Chitte- means in the mind

Chalati – when the mind is moving

Jaagrti – the mind is moving in the waking state

Pujya Swami Tejomayananda is sharing that all of these vices, whether light, medium or heavy are only experienced in the mind as thoughts when we are awake. 

The mind is made up of thoughts. Stress is a thought. When we go deeper into thoughts, thoughts are an expression of separation. We don’t fear ourselves, but fear everyone else – because we feel they are separate from us. When we feel an entity is separate from us, we have so many thoughts about it. 

Vivekji shared the following quote He came across: “You have never thought on what is a thought” (from Pujya Swami Chinmayananda) 

If there is separation, the automatic deduction or feeling towards this is – what precedes that or what is more fundamental than that is ‘oneness’ ! Separation can only be of oneness. 

Third quarter:

Praleenam – to dissolve

Yadaa- when

Chittam – the mind

When the mind is dissolved, then it means there are no thoughts. Then automatically none of the vices will be there as well. When we are asleep, there is no mind , no thoughts, no anger, no my-ness. This means that these vices only belong to the inner world but we are more than the inner world because we do have the experience of not having these vices. The nature of nature is that it does not change. For example, if sugar is not sweet, then it is not sugar! If the sun is not hot, it is not the sun! The nature of sugar is to be sweet and the nature of the sun is to be hot. It may be true that the nature of the mind is all the vices, but sometimes the mind is not there! Sometimes the mind is quiet. So we should not brand ourselves or limit ourselves to feel ‘i am like this and will be like this forever’ ! 

Fourth quarter:

Na etesham- none of these

Drishyate gatih – none of these mind games, or thoughts or separation is felt when we are not in the waking state

Vivekji shared that in a long-term relationship in general, people normalize stress. This course should be a message to not normalize stress. The message for this verse is to not normalize these vices. The deeper we are the less normal these vices are, the deeper we are the less we will be subject to these vices. 

January 27th 2026

In general, people do not tell the truth because they don’t want to hear the truth.  Such people who don’t want to hear the truth feel that everyone is too direct. The way to become a seeker who does not make matters personal is ‘purity’. Purity is a direct way to freedom and joy. The more pure one becomes, the more one is oriented towards directness. An auxiliary benefit to this is, ‘purity pulls priority’. The more pure our inner world becomes, the more we will be able to tell what is important and not, and accordingly say a hard ‘yes’ to certain things and a hard ‘no’ to certain things. 

In verse 6, the theme of our class related to ‘resolve’. Advaita (oneness) is all. Sociologists and psychologists say that humans are social animals, and so they like to look after each other. But there is much more to this, the divinity in you and the divinity in me is divinity! So our resolve should be to do all you can to follow this oneness. This following is called ‘vrata’ – to make a promise to oneself to be accountable to others, to follow through with following ‘oneness’. 

In verse 7, the theme is ‘resolution’. The first resolution is ‘tapa’. Tapa has many interpretations, one of them being ‘to focus’. It is to burn down the sense that ‘you are only a human’. The third level of bhakta is one who feels that Bhagavan is in a murti only. The second type of bhakta feels that Bhagavan is in ‘manavas’(human) only. But the best bhakta is the one that feels Bhagavan ‘is’, Bhagavan ‘is all’ (stones, plants, animals, humans) . So we need to burn down this sense that we are an individual. Vivekji shared that someone had asked how to not get annoyed when someone is not completing their responsibilities, and Vivekji shared that everyone is a ‘part’ and we can only do our part and not be concerned about what another person is doing in reference to their part. We just have to follow through with our part. So this connects with ‘we are not an individual’ , we are not separate. We are infinity and we are united! 

In verse 8, the theme is ‘inquiry’. The technical reason for inquiry: the purpose of shravana (active listening) is to dismantle ‘abhavana’ (meaning this is not possible). For most who are uninspired, for them to feel they can live without stress is not a possibility. But when we actively listen, we come to feel that this is the message i needed in my life. The purpose of manana (also known as vichara) is to dismantle ‘asambhavana’ (meaning this is possible, but i don’t think this is possible for me). Example: that person can run a half marathon but not me, that person can be a morning-person but not me). But when we start to engage in inquiry/vichara, we start to feel ‘this is possible for me also’. The way for us to know we are inquiring is, we start to feel it is possible for us! The message is personal. The purpose of nidhidhyasana (contemplation) is to dismantle ‘viparitabhavana’ (that is the wrong identification/identity). Only through contemplation do we unlearn our wrong identity and go beyond identity. So inquiry is a mandatory practice. 

In verse 9, the theme is ‘revealing’. When we inquire, ‘who i am’ and ‘what i am’ is revealed. In verse 9, the first line comes from Bhagavad Gita’s Chapter 4 verse 38. The second line is from Bhagavad Gita’s Chapter 4 verse 10. We should feel that everything that has happened in our life and will happen in our life is a ‘call’, it is divinity calling just ‘you’. Everything article, being and circumstance is being staged for us to listen to this call, to reflect on this call, to contemplate on this call – there is only Advaita. For those who actually come to feel this, for them it becomes very easy to unlearn that you are an individual. I am only an individual in reference to ‘you’, but if there is no ‘you’, then how can there be an individual?! 

Verse 10:

etad bhagavato vākyaṁ svātma-śiddhaikasiddhaye

vicāryate mayā samyak śri harirme prasīdatām

This verse is about ‘inquiring’.

Etat – this (referring to the previous verse)

bhagavataH – that which is belonging to God

Vakyam – these words come from the divine (divine’s call)

At the end of the Ramayana, the question put out is what is the greatest ‘papa’(demerit) and the answer is gossip! When one thinks negatively and then speaks the negativity out, then it keeps on spreading. The way gossip spreads, satsanga spreads too! 

Why did Sri Krishna not fight the Mahabharata war by himself and give Arjuna all the weapons? It is because all of that is limited by context. That is all dravya or physical. But by teaching, the teaching spreads! These teachings helped Prince Arjuna and these teachings will help us too! These are God’s words or Upadesha, but it should be felt as Adesha (instruction command).

Swatma – what i feel to be me

Shuddi – purified

Ekasiddaye – this is the only purpose  

This is the only way to become pure. This is me transcending the ego.

The more pure our inner world becomes (signs being we are more balanced, more focused, more reflective), the more we tune into reality. All that we are experiencing are names, but more than names are forms , more than forms are qualities and more than qualities is existence/awareness. So all that happens to us is an opportunity to purify who we feel we are. 

Vicharyate – engaging in inquiry

Ma ya – by me

Samyak – well

Here is the system for inquiry which has 5 parts.

Step 1: pratijna (teaching). Bring in to your heart the teachings from Sri Krishna. 

Step 2: hetu (rationale). What is the rationale behind this teaching?

Step 3: udaaharana (example). A similar experience or example. What does dreaming teach us?  It teaches us about maya. Sleeping teaches us about Advaita. A dream is not directly maya but it is like maya, sleeping is not Brahma but it is like oneness. These examples are important because we are already oriented towards the world and this helps us to learn more from the world. Another importance of ‘udaaharana’ is to have a role model who is following the same. 

Step 4: upanaya. Now that we have found the teaching to be rational and have an orientation to this, what is the application of this teaching? How am i supposed to live this? What is the utility of me actually implementing this teaching? 

Step 5: nigamana (clarity). If we have gone through all these processes, this teaching becomes real and personal. 

Srihari – Bhagavan Narayana or Hari

Meypraseedatam – May He/She/Multiverse be pleased with me, May they support me and grace me with courage.

What makes a sincere seeker a strong seeker is courage! The courage to follow what is important, the courage to practice and letting go of gossip, the courage to hold on to the processes of inquiry. We should rate ourselves and inquire into – are we growing in courage? If the answer is no, then we need to think about why that is! Pray for courage!

December 16th 2025

Vivekji started the class by telling us to imagine a scenario where we are on a plane that is about to take off on a long flight, we are on the window seat and the person in the middle starts to talk to us and wants to get to know us. They ask ‘how much of an open person you are’ – and Vivekji asked us to rate ourselves (keeping in mind who is asking us) how open we are on a scale of 1 to 100, 1 being completely closed and 100 being completely open. Next Vivekji asked us to imagine that Vivekji is sitting next to us and asks us the same question – what would our rating be? If we are rating ourselves in ‘openness’ when we are with someone who is challenging us to be our best, then we realize how closed we are! This is like, if we are around many indisciplined people, then our rating will be high, however if we are around a lot of disciplined people then our rating comes down. A solid sign of a solid seeker is how open they are, starting off with being open minded, open hearted and then being open handed. Open handed means that we have so much clarity that things keep coming and going out of these hands, and there is no need to hold on to what is coming and going. In our community, we train in this openness, and so much of what happens is a matter of feeling and flowing (with the divine will). Without openness the trust triangle is ineffective so we need to do a lot of Svadhyaya on openness. 

Manah Shodhanam’s verse 7 is the most important teaching:

Review of Verse 7:

manah shuddhi karāni iha, sādhanāni vadanti ha;

yajnah dānam tapaschaiva, japah theertham vratah tathā.

Our way to purify the mind starts with ‘tapa’ (to conserve). With what we have conserved we have to do ‘yajna’ (to channel). So tapa means don’t be an extrovert and yajna means go inside/be inward looking. ‘Dana’ means to create.  So for one who is more inward looking and has felt their center, that same center is ‘the’ center in all, so they ‘create’. 

The next part of this framework is ‘tirtha’ and ‘japa’. As we go about living by conserving, channeling and creating,  sometimes we need to be lifted up. A way to do that is ‘tirtha’ – this is when our context is uplifting. But we cannot be context dependent and so the next part is ‘japa’ where we are lifting up our content. Then we can be in any context! For example, Bhagavati Sita is in the most awful context of Ashoka vatika where there was only shoka, but all that she was thinking was ‘Sri Rama Jaya Rama Jaya Jaya Rama’, so that really became Ashoka vatika (a place where there is only Rama and no shoka). 

The final part of the verse describes ‘vrata’ – to make a promise to ourselves to engage in this Anushtana that we will take up all of these or atleast one of these! Vrata is a practice that we are tending to do less of as seekers, part of this is the nature of Kali. When life moves faster, it is harder to be committed. Another reason why vrata is going away is because we are very dependent on mobile communication, and this constant external communication inhibits us from being committed. This is a problem because commitment is the way to change the nature of the mind. Nature of the mind is ‘samshaya’ so commitment or vrata is ‘anti samshaya’. 

After one has sufficiently purified their mind through tapa, yajna, dana, tirtha and japa, one is ready for what is described in Verse 8 as the best means to purify the mind. This is a way to rise above the mind! While everything else is about rewiring the mind, Verse 8 is about transcending the mind! 

Verse 8:

vicārah sādhanam sreshtam varnyate atra yathāmati ;

mahattvam tasya vai proktam krshnena svayameva hi

Vichara – inquire

Sadhana – means

Sreshta – best 

The best means to purify the mind is vichara. 

Sadhana: We tend to use ‘means’ in our life unconsciously. For example, when we use an ATM, we just use it but we don’t really pause and think about details such as ‘this is a facility provided by the bank for me to access funds to buy coffee’. Our eyes are the means to see colors and forms, we cannot hear or taste with our eyes! So means are specific. An ATM is specific for cash, eyes are specific for seeing! Sadhana is a specific path for one to feel complete! If we are not feeling more complete, then what we are doing is not Sadhana. Sadhana is a specific path to feel the Sadhya (the ends or completeness). 

Varnyate – described

Atra – here 

Yatha – by

Mathi – mind

Pujya Swami Tejomayananda has shared that based on His experience, vichara is the best means as described here (in this quarter, in this line and in this book). 

The greatness of vichara is also spoken about and taught by Sri Krishna Himself. Pujya Swami Tejomayananda is bringing here how brilliant and transformative vichara is, and it is backed by Guru (Pujya Swami Tejomayananda) , Gita (Verse 9 is taken directly from the Bhagavad Gita)  and God (Sri Krishna). 

What is important when it comes to a system of feeling oneness is ‘precedent’. In the Ramayana and Mahabharata, when someone asks a teacher a question, the teacher will usually mention where that same question was asked previously by another seeker and to another teacher. This shows ‘Shaashvata’, meaning it is ancient but still applicable. Pujya Swami Tejomayananda is following the tradition of how questions are answered. More important than what is said is, who is saying that. 

Vichara: The root of the word vichara is ‘vich’, meaning to filter. The implication of a filter is that there are two substances.  We want to keep one and don’t want to keep another. This means that there is something that is not right, and here what is not right is our concept of reality. When we are dreaming we feel that it is a definitive reality but it is just a concept of reality, sleeping is the same way and waking is the same way too. Reality is conceptualized through three layers of projection. This projection is called ‘Adhyasa’. The first projection is called ‘Satta Adhyasa’. Most of what we touch is actually empty space, and there is only the probability that we keep hitting matter when most of it is space. The multiverse is mostly space, and everything is vibrating so keep hitting it. But when we pick up a paper weight, it is so real, but it is just a projection and is mostly space, mostly earth and is all existence. But we project it so differently that it is a paper weight, it belongs to me etc. The next layer of projection is ‘Sukha Adhyasa’. Now that we feel that the paper weight is real, we only want to have a relationship with that which brings us happiness. We start to project happiness onto that which we feel is real. 

The next layer of projection is ‘Shobha Adhyasa’. Shobha means one who is beautiful. But beauty lies in the eye of the beholder. Beauty is also just a projection. 

Vichara comes from ‘vich’ which means to filter, and a filter automatically applies that something is not right, and what is not right is how much we ‘project’ and how much we drown in this projection. Only God’s grace can make one shift from an ‘enquirer’ to an ‘inquirer’.

Some catalysts or encouragement on how to be one who practices vichara or inquiry: 

Slow down – When we slow down, we tend to pay attention more to what is outside of us and how we are actually processing that inside of us. In Kali, worse things are happening, so slowing down is anti Kali.

Step back – Once we slow down, it encourages one to step back. This is where vichara starts and we can tune into the fundamentals. What really brings power to this is being in satsanga. In satsanga this is all explained in a systemized way by a whole lineage of teachers. 

See more – Once we slow down and step back, we will come to see more. We will just see that we are projecting, we will just see that the states are just concepts of reality. The seeing gets accentuated by Sadhana. For those who practice ‘highest vocation’ or attend ‘silent retreats’ know the feeling of having a quiet inner world. That way when we go into our work or relationships and the mind becomes agitated, we know that this is not normal. Sadhana makes that filtering extreme. Vichara is the means and the ‘ends’ is that one accepts you are never separate from infinity. There actually is no ‘you’ and no possibility of separation in infinity. In tapa, yajna, dana , tirtha and japa, we are working on an entity that is presumed to be impure. But with vichara, the entity is dissolved! So naturally all impurities go too! Everything else is working on the Jivabhava (what the jiva does) , vichara works on the jiva.  

December 2nd 2025

A common word that we come across is ‘Avidya’ (ignorance). Most often this is described in the negative, however being ignorant about some matters can be in the positive as well. Example, if we are ignorant about someone gossiping about us, then we are not bothered by it. Vivekji shared that as per Quantum physics, everything is essentially alive and that the way we are feeling/being affects that which is around us (not just people, animals and plants, but the stones too). In the Yoga Sutras, Rishi Patanjali has shared that the mind is created extrovert, meaning that the ordinary mind is trying to know what is in front of it, but the extraordinary mind is that which is trying to know what is behind it. As per Quantum physics, i affect the marker that is beside me, however in Yoga sutra what is taught is that if we come to know what is behind the mind, we become that! This is dimensionally different. Me ‘affecting’ an entity versus me ‘becoming’ an entity is very different. Manah Shodanam is really training in empathy. 

If the way i am feeling affects that which is around me, the empathetic person would change how they feel to help those around them! Empathy is very much about feeling what another is going through, so if i become what is behind my mind, i have the power of becoming what another is going through. The utility of being in this course is really immeasurable! This is a course in training in empathy (especially since so many of us happen to be caregivers to aging parents, young children or siblings). 

Pujya Swami Tejomayananda has built out how important it is to have a pure mind! (Shodanam is to purify, and Manah is mind or inner world). Signs of the mind becoming pure is that there is more balance, more focus and more reflection. We all wish for this and need this. 

Now, Pujya Swami Tejomayananda shares specific practices on how to purify the mind. 

Verse 7:

manah shuddhi karāni iha, sādhanāni vadanti ha;

yajnah dānam tapaschaiva, japah theertham vratah tathā.

Karani – is what causes 

shuddha or shuddi – purity

manah – of the mind or inner world

Purity can really be assessed by how much one enquires and how much one inquires. One whose inner world is impure, it is ordinary, so they are enquiring – they want to know what is in front of the mind. Those who have been graced by the divine and those who are bhagya – they are not concerned about what is in front of the mind but more about what is behind the mind – they inquire. The more there is purity in one’s inner world, the more one comes to see what is behind their mind. 

Sadhana-  is the way to go from enquiry to inquiry. 

Vadanti – this has been spoken or taught 

Those who have practiced nurturing a pure mind, they feel this empathy for us who wish and need a pure mind and that is why they are guiding us! They have found the treasure and are now leading a trail for us! 

Iha means now! This is a powerful word – Though Manah Shodanam was written 35 years ago and the teachings of the verse are 5000 years old, iha means it is just as relevant here and now. 

Sadhana is not an action but it is an attitude. That means every action we engage in can be sadhana if we have the right attitude. With the wrong attitude, we can apparently be engaged in the best actions but it won’t help to purify one’s inner world. The point of a ritual is to become reflective, otherwise it is just mechanics. 

Sadhanas that are recommended by those who already have a pure inner world are: 

Yajna (dedication) – a sign of dedication is that we don’t know what we are sacrificing. 

In our samskaras, the very first samskara that we facilitate for ourselves is the 14th of the 16 samskaras. The 14th samskara is called Pancha Maha yajna. It means to be dedicated to the indebtedness that one was born with. We were all born with 5 debts (nature’s forces, nature’s beings, society, family, tradition of guides). Only those who are dedicated to these debts get to be free. For example, student debt or a mortgage is always holding us back, but once we pay off that debt we get to be free financially. So for those of us who wish to be free, yajna is an antidote to Rna. 

The second sadhana that is recommended for our inner world to be more balanced, focused and reflective is:

Dana – it is a powerful psychological engagement where we shift our security from the external to the internal. Those who depend on external security are internally weak. Those who depend on internal security are strong inside and outside. 

In a poem from Rabindranath Tagore, he describes a dream where he is a beggar and wandering around a desert, cursing himself that he was born like this and had nothing. All of a sudden, a silhouette appears in the horizon and he feels this silhouette could be his saviour. As the silhouette comes closer and closer, a majestic being appears with a crown, armour and gear. So the beggar feels that his prayer is being answered. Then the king like figure stops in front of the beggar and instead of giving to the beggar, the majestic being has its hands open not giving but rather asking. This stuns the beggar and so he reaches into his sack and finds the smallest bit of corn (kernel of corn) and gives it to this being. The being clasps it strongly and puts it near his heart and rides off into the distance. Now the beggar is even more frustrated. Eventually he finds somewhere to sleep and in his frustration throws his bag, and what comes out of the bag is a piece of gold which was of the same size as that kernel of corn he gave to the being. He gave nothing and so he got nothing. If he had just given everything, he would have gotten everything! When Rabindranath Tagore woke up, he realized this was a nightmare of his. He did not live like that and he is just trying to teach us the importance of shifting how we feel security. 

The third sadhana-

Tapa: The words yajna, dana and tapa are repeated again and again in Chapter 18 of the Bhagavad Gita. This is the valedictory chapter where Sri Krishna shares its ok to stop ‘this and that’, but we can never stop yajna, dana and tapa. Pujya Swami Tejomayananda shared the sequence of these words – the first practice is tapa, which is to conserve one’s energy (resources, time and effort). Yajna is to channel what we have just conserved. Dana is to create what we have channeled.  Conserve means slowing down in being an extrovert ( don’t go outside). Channel is speeding up in being an introvert (do go inside).  Next comes create – Dana is when we feel secure in ourselves and we become a catalyst to create security around us. So the order is tapa, yajna, dana. 

Tapa means to burn. (Tapa comes from tapati). The three burnings that have to happen to us from the deepest to the shallowest  (from third degree burn to the second to the first degree) are: 

The deepest level of tapa or third degree burn is to burn our identifications. Whatever we identify with, we are limited by ! As an example, Vivekji shared how when in high school there was a close friend who was from Cypress. In Cypress, once you graduate from high school one has to go to the army and serve for a while before carrying on with life. So one who is not a Cypriot is not limited by the fact that one has to serve in the army after graduating. So whatever we identify with – we are limited by. For many of us the primary identity is a ‘caregiver’. So we are limited by the same – and a familiar term for this is attachment. A way to burn our identification is to reorganize our inner world –  that our only identity is that of a seeker. When we lock in that being a seeker is our identity then we don’t get limited by other relationships! 

The second degree burn is to burn our comfort zones.  A way to do this is to treat every experience or every context we are in as an opportunity to learn. Instead of expecting ‘this or that’ from that context, going with what can i ‘learn’ from this context – this is how we burn our comfort zones. There is a shift from expectation to acceptance. 

The first degree burn is to burn our distractions. In Aparoksha Anubhuti, Acharya Shankara describes that tapa is to be focused. A way to practice this is – we are just a seeker, we are just learning and the final ‘just’ is to ‘just focus on the task in front of you’ (unitasking). 

The fourth sadhana-

Japa – janmanaH paati iti japa. janmanaH means to be born, paati means to be protected from being born. Japa is what protects us from any and every problem. When creation began, creation was integrated – meaning creation was feeling Dharma. Built into creation was positivity and negativity. In Satya yuga (beginning of creation), the suras (those who are integrated) and the asuras (those who are disintegrated) lived in different dimensions – Swarga and Naraka. During this period, because creation was so tight, the way to become free of creation and go to Consciousness, one engaged in Dhyana because people were able to contemplate. During Treta Yuga, the suras and asuras did not live in different dimensions but they lived in different countries. Sri Rama lived in Bharat and Ravana lived in Lanka. People no longer were able to engage in dhyana so they engaged in Yaga (a macro ritual) to tune into consciousness and become free. Time continues and atrophy continues. So in Dwapara yuga, when Sri Krishna was present, the devas and the rakshasas did not live in different dimensions or different countries, they lived in the same family. Kamsa (who was the worst) and Devi Devaki (who was the best) were brother and sister! During this period, people could no longer engage in contemplation or macro rituals, so the way to become free was puja (micro ritual). In Kali yuga, which is the age we live in, with so much selfishness, distraction and fastness, the rakshasas and devas live in the same personality! So our creator who is the most compassionate knew we cannot engage in contemplation or macro rituals or micro rituals so the sadhana to transform adharma to dharma is japa. Japa is the yuga sadhana. We should not take japa casually! Whether we know the meaning of what we are repeating or not does not matter, the comparison given is that of medicine – we may be ignorant about how the medicine that we take works, but it still works! Japa is the same way!

November 11th 2025

The motto for Vedantic leadership training is ‘Leading oneself to love all’. The way to do this is to nurture 16 divine qualities. One of these divine qualities is ‘Krtajnata’, which means to be grateful (grateful for all that has been done to us, for us). For every virtue, there is a sign to check whether one is actually nurturing that virtue or not. A sign of someone who is nurturing Krtajnata is that they are ‘useful’. For example those who are grateful for a gym membership use that gym membership, those who are grateful for food use it and not waste it. Bringing this back to our course on purity of mind, our mind is not the most important part of who we are. Our intellect is more meaningful and our ego is more powerful, so our mind is not the most important but is definitely important. If we try to bring this to our physicality, if we try to feel that the intellect is our brain, the ego is our heart, then the mind is our stomach in this example. The stomach is as valuable as the brain and heart. This is why we are working with the mind!

Class 9 was on Verse 5, and the teaching was on ‘Absolute’. There is an absolute, and the proof of that is the ‘relative’ that we are living in. Then why are we not experiencing the absolute? The mind has separated or divided the absolute and the relative and is not allowing us to merge or unite the relative with the absolute. This dividing is not just in the abstract but we experience this through stress, anger. This is why the impurities of our mind are called ‘shatru’. Shatru means enemy.  But philosophically, a ‘shatru’ is one who engages in ‘shaatanat’, which means one who is always bothering you. If we think of the human beings in our life, they certainly bother us, but they don’t always bother us. It is only the mind who can always bother us. We should invest in fighting inside more towards this ‘shatru’ who is always bothering us. 

Verse 5, Quarters 3 and 4:

nishthābhāvāt parānandah, jeevanmuktasya yoginah;

sādhakaih na anubhooyeta, viphalam tarhi sādhanam.

In quarter 3, Pujya Swami Tejomayananda is sharing with us that as long as we take the science of oneness (I am awareness) only at an intellectual level, then we will never try to be awareness (divinity). We are very strong in intellectualizing and that is why we don’t try to personalize it and so we don’t get established in it. So we don’t feel there is an absolute. So faith is very important! Faith is when we just try because someone who we respect asked us to try it. 

In quarter 4, we engage in practices but our practices are not backed by passion and so they are viphala (they don’t create the feeling that we hope they would). If we are not understanding the utility of being passionate about self-development then we should be clear about the consequences of lacking passion when it comes to self-discipline/self-development. This is why Vivekji had told us to visualize that the next time we get angry we may die, or that if we give into jealousy then we may get cancer. If we don’t understand the utility/benefits then we should atleast understand the consequences! In doing so, our spiritual practices and efforts to purify the mind would be more intense. 

Verse 6:

dṛḍha-niṣṭhaika-siddhyarthaṁ manaś-śuddhirapekṣitā,

tadarthaṁ sādhakāḥ sarve yatantāṁ dṛḍha-niścayāḥ

The broad teaching of verse 6 is ‘resolve’. 

Quarter 1:

Nishtha – to be established. 

Drdha – firmly or deeply

Ekasidhhyartham – there is only one way for this to become your reality and be deeply established, ‘siddhi’ means to develop this and ‘artham’ is methodology

The word abide is used again and again in Manah Shodhanam. Abide is synonymous with ‘naturalize’. When we don’t feel a certain experience is natural but we want it to be natural, then the way to nurture this is to prioritize. If we prioritize to be less body conscious then we naturally will be less body conscious. A sign of what we are prioritizing is where our time is going and where our thoughts are going. Pujya Swami Tejomayananda has shared that spirituality is not an action, it is the attitude behind all actions. So we need not be so concerned about the ‘verb’, but we should be more concerned about the ‘why’ and ‘intention’ of the verb.

Quarter 2: 

Manah- mind

shuddiH – purity of the mind

Apekshita – it is a requirement , only when the mind is pure enough then we can be naturally established in joy, awareness and fearlessness. 

As we go about our day, we should try to ask ourselves – how what we are doing is affecting our mind. Is it making it more lazy, more aggressive or more quiet. If the answer is that the mind is becoming less pure, then we should adapt and be more careful and intentional. If the mind is becoming more pure, then do more of it! 

Quarter 3:

Tat – everything that was just taught 

Artham – for the sake of purifying the mind 

sadhakaaH sarve – a seeker brings in all, their seeking encompasses everything that they do. ‘Sarve’ means all and no conditionings. 

When someone asked Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda how long one should meditate, Gurudev said ‘only 24 hours a day, seven days a week’ ! A sadhaka is one who engages in sadhana (seeker is one who engages in seeking). How do we know that our mind is becoming pure enough to be established? What are the three distinct signs or trajectories of someone who is applying themselves in all circumstances through all verbs? 

Shuddha – the mind is more balanced

Shikha –  mind is pointed or focused

Sukshma – reflective 

Quarter 4:

Yatantam – yatin comes from the root yati , one who works so hard, smart and saathvik. 

drdha-nishchayaH – one should exert with resolve. Nishchaya means to make a resolution.

In Drg Drshya Viveka , there is a verse that describes what the nature of the mind is , which is ‘samshaya’ (shady). The implication of a shady mind is that it doubts. In contrast, there is a verse that describes the nature of the intellect which is ‘nishchaya’ (determined and decision oriented). We should understand that it is the intellect that sets the ideals, so if we set the right ideals – then we will doubt ourselves lesser.