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Managing Mental Conflict and Inner Governance Through Ancient Insight

In a competitive world driven by productivity and performance, the most overlooked skill is the ability to govern oneself, both at personal and professional levels. Despite the abundance of technological tools, strategic frameworks, and organizational systems, many professionals experience stress, burnout, indecisiveness, and emotional turmoil. Beneath polished roles and sharp intellects often lies a quiet inner unrest, surfacing during conflict, failure, or even in moments of success that feel strangely hollow. Modern discourse may label this as a mental health crisis. Ancient Indian wisdom, however, sees it as an imbalance in our inner constitution, an unrest born from the dynamic interplay of the three gunas and five kleshas that shape our thoughts, emotions, and actions. These concepts, though ancient, offer powerful tools for navigating the complexities of modern life. When properly understood, they serve not only as aids for self-regulation but also as guides to clarity, resil...

Being, Becoming, and Doing: A Journey From Within

In today’s world, we often begin with doing. We perform tasks, chase goals, and measure life by how much we accomplish. We remain caught in the cycle of doing and becoming, often forgetting that beneath every action lies something more fundamental: our state of being. Being is not about doing. It is who we are before any action begins. It is the silent space of awareness, the inner stillness that simply observes. It is effortless, yet fully alive. In this space, we are not trying to become anything. We are simply present, aligned with our true nature. The Upanishads describe this as sakshi bhava , the witnessing presence. It is the unchanging core within us, beyond roles and reactions. Being flows naturally. It is not about striving to become something. It emerges through awareness, reflection, and stillness. In that space of being, we start becoming what we truly are. Taoist wisdom calls this Wu Wei , the path of effortless action that flows in harmony with the Tao, or the Way. Becomi...

The Co-creator Within

Both science and spirituality now suggest something profound: reality is not fixed or independent; it is observer-dependent. In other words, reality arises through observation. There is an intrinsic relationship between the observer and the observed. What we focus on is what we experience, and in doing so, we participate in shaping our own reality. This understanding is beautifully echoed in Hindu philosophy through the ancient dictum “Yatha pinde tatha brahmande” , which means "as is the microcosm, so is the macrocosm." It implies that the laws governing the universe are mirrored within us. Concepts from quantum physics like superposition and entanglement, often seen as abstract or external, are deeply relevant to our inner lives as well. We are, after all, made of atoms. Just as a quantum particle exists in multiple states until observed, a phenomenon known as wave-function collapse, our attention and intent influence how potential becomes reality. Our focus opens up poss...

Why Doesn’t Consciousness Dominate the Mind?

We often hear that consciousness is fundamental, the unchanging, passive witness behind all experiences. It is said to be the Atman, the true self, and in Vedantic understanding, non-different from Brahman, the Supreme Reality. Yet in lived experience, we rarely operate from this space of pure awareness. Instead, we are governed by the restless mind, analytical intellect, and self-absorbed ego. These seem to overshadow the quiet presence of consciousness, distorting our perception and separating us from unity and peace, what is known as Maya, the illusion born of Prakriti. If consciousness is the source and substratum of all, why doesn’t it overrule the mind, intellect, and ego? Why does it allow their dominance, letting illusion flourish while truth remains hidden? Advaita Vedanta describes consciousness as sākṣī chaitanya, the silent witness. It is luminous, untouched, and free. Like the sun that shines on all without discrimination, consciousness reflects all that arises, whether...

Life as a Living Portal

They say life is a mirror. It reflects back our moods, emotions, moments of joy and sorrow, and the people we gather along the way: friends, acquaintances, and family. But perhaps life is more than just a reflection. What if life were a portal? Imagine an inner portal that holds everything we experience — our memories, dreams, emotions, aspirations, and relationships. Some memories are sweet, others painful. Emotions rise and fall, some empower us, others leave us hollow. There are dreams we see in sleep, and those we nurture in wakefulness. There are friendships that uplift, and moments of love that linger. Life, like a living portal, holds them all. Just as we browse through sections of a website, we too can periodically visit the different chambers of our inner world. We can pause to reflect, to upload new insights, to archive lessons learned, and gently delete what no longer serves us. This process is not just reflective, it is healing. It gives us clarity on what to hold close,...

Reflections in Stillness: Seeing Beyond the Surface

The ancient seers often compared the human mind to a lake. When agitated, its muddy waters obscure the depths below. But when still and clear, the lake reveals what lies beneath. The Upanishads use this image to convey a timeless truth: in inner stillness, the Self is revealed. In this metaphor, the muddy water represents the restless mind, clouded by desires and distractions. The lakebed symbolizes the true Self, pure, undisturbed consciousness. The message is clear: when the mind grows quiet, the deeper truth becomes visible. Yet something curious and deeply significant happens when the water becomes still. We not only begin to see the bottom of the lake, but we also see reflections of the sky, the moon, the sun, and even our own face. Do these reflections distract from the truth, or do they carry meaning of their own? When the mind becomes quiet, it does not fall into emptiness. Instead, it begins to reflect a more expansive reality. These subtle impressions are not like the no...