Meditations on Transcendence

 In the language of the Veda and Yoga, manas, buddhi, and dhī are three distinct but interrelated functions of inner cognition. Manas is the sensory mind, the coordinator of inputs. It gathers impressions, reacts, doubts, oscillates, compares. In modern neurological terms, it resembles the distributed sensory processing networks along with limbic reactivity, constantly evaluating stimuli and generating internal commentary. Buddhi is the discriminative faculty, from √budh “to awaken.” It decides, judges, concludes. Neurobiologically, this aligns most closely with higher cortical processing, especially the prefrontal cortex responsible for evaluation, inhibition, and executive decision-making. Dhī, however, is subtler. While often translated as intellect, it is better understood as illuminated cognition, inspired insight. It is not just deciding but perceiving truth directly. In the Gayatri Mantra, when we pray “dhiyo yo naḥ pracodayāt,” the request is not for more reasoning but for ...

 In the Bhagavad Gita , light unfolds in layered brilliance. Krishna speaks of the supreme reality as self-luminous in 15.6 : “ न तद्भासयते सूर्यो न शशाङ्को न पावकः ” na tad bhāsayate sūryo na śaśāṅko na pāvakaḥ “That realm is not illumined by the sun, nor the moon, nor fire,” where √भास् reveals a light that needs no external source. Then in 10.11 , he declares, “ ज्ञानदीपेन भास्वता ” jñāna-dīpena bhāsvatā “With the shining lamp of knowledge,” invoking √दीप्, the light that is kindled within the heart by divine grace. And in 14.11 , describing the rise of sattva, he says, “ सर्वद्वारेषु देहेऽस्मिन्प्रकाश उपजायते ” sarva-dvāreṣu dehe’smin prakāśa upajāyate “When illumination arises in all the gates of the body,” where √काश् as prakāśa signifies clarity and lucidity of awareness. Thus the Gita moves from the Absolute Light that simply is, to the kindled flame of inner transformation, to the serene radiance of purified perception, guiding the seeker from outer glow to inward ignitio...

Desire begins as Smara, a quiet remembrance rising from the storehouse of impressions; it becomes Manobhava, mind born and shaped by imagination; soon it turns Manmatha, churning the mind until calm waters ripple; then it swells into Madana, the intoxicating wave that warms the senses; armed as Pushpabāṇa, it releases its soft flower arrows toward action; if left unchecked it becomes Māra, the destroyer of clarity and discipline; yet even when its body is burnt by the fire of awareness, it survives as Ananga, bodiless and subtle, influencing from within; all these are but shimmering facets of Kāmadeva, the many named current of longing that can bind the mind or, when illumined, be transformed into devotion.

Tolerance toward difference is the heartbeat of Tattvavada. We often try to polish the world into our own reflection, expecting everyone to think like us, speak like us, worship like us. When someone differs, we sharpen criticism instead of widening understanding. Yet the doctrine of Madhvacharya stands firmly on the reality of distinction, declaring “pañcabhedaḥ satyaḥ,” the fivefold difference is real and eternal. Among these shines jīva–jīva bheda, the sacred diversity between soul and soul. No two beings are copies from a cosmic mold; each is a distinct note in the grand raga of existence. To resent difference is to resist reality itself. To appreciate difference is to align with truth. A true Madhwa follower does not merely tolerate diversity but reveres it, recognizing that harmony is not sameness but coordinated plurality. When we celebrate jīva–jīva bheda, we honor creation as it is, not as our ego wishes it to be.

  ಪ್ರಕ್ಷಯಂ ಯಾಂತಿ ದುಃಖಾನಿ ಯತ್-ನಾಮತಃ When you serve the sound, the miseries start travelling, the existing ones which are being suffered do not sit still anymore; they begin movement. The potential ones which will come in one's lifetime also receive direction. Nama will push them towards destruction. Some leave halfway, suddenly miseries stop, as though a decree has been issued in the invisible court of order. Tapa trayas move in procession, other living beings, one's own bodymind complex, nature, prakrti, adidaiva. Dukhani yaanti prakshayam, Nama; they travel towards total destruction; dukha travels towards total destruction. Difference between kshaya and prakshaya becomes crucial: kshaya is decay, slow thinning; prakshaya is decisive undoing, structural collapse. Nama is so powerful; prakshayam is an amazing word. Sufferings gets destroyed; miseries gets destroyed; they move towards destruction just by serving his Nama. Yanti, yatra, prayana, dukha yanti; the travel of the duk...

CAN YOU FEEL HIM IN SOUND? God’s presence in sound, are you crazy? Can you really find Him there, in sound itself? Yes. That is exactly where He waits. Being conscious, being aware of Krishna in sound is Krishna consciousness. It begins there. Not in imagination, not in philosophy first, but in sound. What a wonderful gift it is, to have access to Him in sound. Sound ko kaise touch karega? With the tongue and the ear. These are not ordinary senses anymore. They become doorways. Through them, you can touch God, feel God, receive God in sound. The tongue vibrates His name, the ear drinks it, and consciousness slowly bends, softens, and opens. Allow Him deep into your consciousness by hearing deeply. Not mechanically. Not casually. Hear as if your life depends on it. Sound enters where the mind cannot guard. It slips past logic, past resistance, past pride. He will enter deep and rob the butter of love hidden in your heart, just as He always does. You will not even realize when it happ...