Open your eyes wide and observe the Nature around you. There are multitudes of living creatures other than human beings plants, worms, birds, animals, etc. They are enjoying life with love and peace. Look up at the sky. There is countless number of stars, planets, suns, moons, nebulae, shooting stars, etc. They are enjoying every moment of existence and giving out peace and joy to all of creation. Amazing are these creations, beyond the knowledge of man!

Within all creations there is only one truth and that is the “maha chaitanya”, the ‘I’. ‘I am not this body’; ‘I am not this mind’; ‘I am not this intellect’; ‘I am beyond this body, mind and intellect’. The Aitareya Upanishad says “Prajnanam Brahma” that is “Consciousness is Brahman”; the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says “Aham Brahmasmi” which means “I am of Brahman”; the Chhandogya Upanishad declares “Tatvamasi” that is “Thou art that”; and the Mandukya Upanishad states “Ayam Atma Brahma” which means “The Self is Brahman”. All the Upanishads have under-lined only one truth and that is the “I” within.

Beyond the body, mind and intellect is the “I” the “maha chaitanya” within every person. Nothing can be achieved by talking; it is only through silence that anything can be achieved. The best method to experience this “I” is to practise silence and to be in silence. The experience of this Truth, this “I” is what we call ‘self-realisation’. Once this Truth is experienced, then there remains no question in the Seeker. The great Yogi and Seer, Sri Ramana Maharshi was a living example of this Truth.

Youngsters today are caught up in depression and sufferings due to wrong life-styles. We ourselves are the cause of our depression or suffering. Stop living a life of masks. Live truthfully, from moment to moment, live in the present. Engage yourself in activities of service, at the Ashram, or in your circles. Respect nature, respect the life around you. Nothing is the same as yesterday in nature, tomorrow is not the same as today, every day is a new day. Every second is a new second, and experiencing the change in nature from moment to moment, is meditation in itself.

Our Ashram encourages and helps people to lead a meaningful and spiritually rich life. In order to engage oneself in ‘sadhana’ or spiritual practices, it is advisable to remain in silence, more and more. Words are gems, preserve them. Preserve the precious “I” within you. “Brahma Vidya” is a technique of silence taught by our Ashram, for enhancing one’s ‘sadhana’ spiritual discipline. Our lives, between the events of birth and death, lie in our own hands. Conduct life in such a way that it promotes living with nature; engage yourself in spiritual practices and thus, enhance the quality of your lives.