In this second episode of Nārada’s story, the focus shifts to Kailāsa—and we get to see what transpired during Nārada’s meeting with Śiva. What are the lessons we learn from this meeting? What were the lessons Nārada had not yet learned in this unfolding drama?

The phrase, “the razor’s edge” (kṣurasya dhārā), in the Kaṭha Upaniṣad (1.3.14), refers to the difficult and perilous path to the supreme Reality. The subtle obstacles that lie on the way are beautifully illustrated in a story of the sage Nārada.

Does God have form or is God formless? Is God compassionate and loving? Or is God beyond all such qualities? Is God a person—or is God impersonal? How do we determine this? Does it even matter?

In Vivekacūḍāmaṇi, Śaṅkarācārya’s masterly manual of Vedanta, we read of the three rare blessings which are received only through God’s grace. What are those blessings? What do we do with them?

Swamiji Vivekananda asks: “What is this universe? From what does it arise? Into what does it go?” And this is his answer: “In freedom it arises, in freedom it rests, and into freedom it melts away.” Swamiji’s words on the trinity of bondage and the trinity of freedom are useful springboards for our own personal reflections on the subject.

“Desire, ignorance and inequality,” Vivekananda said, “is the trinity of bondage.” What does this mean? How did it all start? How will it end?

Physical maturity comes with age. Psychological maturity may also come with age, at least in the case of most people. But spiritual maturity is an entirely different beast. What are the factors essential to acquire spiritual maturity?

Did the world come about gradually or did it manifest all at once? When a disciple asked this question to Holy Mother Sarada Devi, her answer was direct: “Everything came into being at once, not gradually.” What are the implications of that answer, keeping in mind the theory of evolution and the religious stories about creation?

Oneness may be an enticing idea, yet it is only an “idea,” not what we normally see or experience every day. What we have to deal with in our daily lives is not oneness, but its polar opposite—many-ness. Oneness is simple, many-ness is complicated. Unity is peaceful, diversity is noisy.

When hurt or offended by someone, do we resist the option to forgive them? When we say or do something stupid and are remorseful, do we apologize and hope to be forgiven? When and how does God forgive? When it comes to forgiveness, there is always a lot to think about.

Who is a Guru? What does the Guru do? Do I need a Guru?—these questions are perennial. A story is probably the best way to begin thinking about them.

We live in the midst of continuous change. It is everywhere—outside wherever I look and inside whenever I care to see. Is there anything I can do to not get swallowed by the change?

What are the benefits of studying the lives of saints? How will this make me a better person?

“You” is clearly whoever is in front of me. “Me” is myself, whatever my notion of “self” may be. “This” is whatever is relatively closer to me than “that” which is farther away. How are these personal and demonstrative pronouns employed in Vedanta?

When I look at a person, do I really see the person? When I look at myself, do I really see myself? Considering how little I know about others and about myself, I am not really seeing anything and anyone as they truly are. What’s the point of living a superficial life, skimming the surface and ignoring the truth that lies within?

The terms “worldly” and “worldliness” come up again and again in religious literature. What is worldliness and what is spirituality? Who is worldly and who is spiritual? A serious rethinking of these terms may be just what we need today.

None of us remembers the first day after we were born. Some of us may have a little idea from the photos and videos of that day. But what about the last day, the day before I die? Do I have any control over it? Is there something I can do to have a perfect last day of my life?

We visit a temple to have darśan and we stand before the altar to see the Deity. Are we aware of the fact that the Deity is seeing us too? In fact, God is seeing us everywhere, all the time, even when we are not even thinking about God. If I make it a habit to always remember that “God is seeing me”—how will that change my life?

When Śrī Rāma was exiled to the forest by his stepmother, he first went to the hermitage of Sage Vālmīki and sought his advice about a good place to stay in the forest for the next fourteen years. Vālmīki’s answer to Rāma’s question has become a luminous guide to devotees seeking to fill their hearts with God’s presence.

Masks are playing a big role in our lives in the last two years. Some like them, others tolerate them, and some others hate them. Some feel that masks are still needed, others feel it’s time to throw them away, and still others feel they were never useful. So what do we do with these masks? Today’s reflection is a deep dive into the world of masks, seen and unseen.

What is the third eye? Where is it located? What does it do that our two eyes don’t? Should I try to get one? (Don’t try Amazon, unless you are looking for a bunch of New Agey books on the subject.) It is time to take the mystery out of the third eye.

Everyone forgets things. But when we forget things that really matter, we pay a heavy price. No price is heavier than being condemned to a life of unstoppable aging, inevitable sickness, and eventual death, not to mention anxiety, stress and worry. Vedanta teaches that this is the result of forgetfulness, and it can be overcome.

2022 is here. 2021 is gone. From where has the new year come? Where did the old year go? How long would it take for the new year to be no longer new? Can anything be done to stop it from getting old? Is there a way to keep it new all the time?