Sachidananda Acharya

17/11/2025

Upadesa Satsanga 17th of November 2025
by Saccidānanda Ācārya
The Dawn of the Self: Brahma Muhūrta Sādhanā for Jīvanmukti

Hariḥ Om. My Beloved Śiṣyas,

Come, sit close. Let us discuss a discipline that is as vital to your spiritual life as breath is to the body. I speak of the sacred practice of waking in brahma muhūrta—these precious hours before dawn—to dedicate yourself to śravaṇam, mananam, and nididhyāsanam. This is not merely about waking early; this is about creating the perfect vessel to receive the nectar of immortality.
The Kaivalya Upaniṣad declares this time as supremely conductive for spiritual practice. But why? Because during brahma muhūrta, nature itself is in a state of sāttvic purity. The Māṇḍūkya Kārikā of Gauḍapādācārya points to this predawn stillness as akin to the state of Prajñā in deep sleep—peaceful, unified, and free from the projections of the world. It is in this stillness that the mind is most receptive to the highest truth.
As the Bhagavad Gītā teaches us about the three guṇas, the early morning is dominated by sattva guṇa—the quality of purity, clarity, and peace. This is when "yesterday's worries have been diluted by sleep and today's worries have not yet started." Your mind becomes like a calm lake, ready to reflect the moon of Brahma Jñānam without distortion.
Now, let us understand why this sāttvic mind is absolutely essential for each stage of your sādhana:
For Śravaṇam (Listening): The **Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad begins with the teaching of Aśvamedha, symbolizing the sacrifice of the unruly horses of the senses. Śravaṇam is the process of receiving the Mahāvākyas like "tat tvam asi" [Chāndogya Upaniṣad 6.8.7]. To hear this profound truth, you need a mind that is not running in ten different directions. As our tradition says, "śravaṇam requires integration"—a one-pointed, absorbed attention that is most accessible in the pure silence of dawn.
For Mananam (Reflection): The Naishkarmya Siddhi of Sureśvarācārya emphasizes that mananam is the process of using logic and reasoning to remove all doubts about the teaching. It is here that you apply the method of anvaya-vyatireka—discriminating between the Self and the non-Self, as elaborated in Vivekacūḍāmaṇi. This subtle intellectual surgery requires a sharp, clear intellect, not one clouded by the day's rajasic activities. The Pañcadaśī calls this the "śuddha buddhi"—the purified intellect that alone can discern Reality from appearance.
For Nididhyāsanam (Contemplation): This is the final stage, where you dwell upon the truth "ahaṁ brahmāsmi" until it becomes your living reality. The Aṣṭāvakra Gītā proclaims, "tvaṁ eva sarvam asi"—You alone are everything! [1.11]. To assimilate this, you need a mind steeped in sattva. A rajasic or tamasic mind will either get distracted or fall asleep. As the Dṛg-Dṛśya-Viveka points out, contemplation is fixing the mind on the dṛk (the Seer) and withdrawing it from the dṛśya (the seen). This inward turning is most natural when the external world is still asleep.
Do not see this as a mere physical routine. See it as your daily sannyāsa—your renunciation of ignorance. Every morning, when you choose the scriptures over sleep, you are performing a powerful vairāgya—dispassion. You are declaring, as the Ribhu Gītā incessantly reminds us, that "ahaṁ brahmāsmi" is more real than any worldly pursuit.
This discipline is the sādhana catuṣṭaya sampatti in action. It is viveka (discrimination) choosing the eternal over the temporary. It is vairāgya (dispassion) letting go of comfort for liberation. It is ṣaṭ-sampatti (the six treasures) being cultivated through control of the mind and senses. And it is mumukṣutvaṁ (burning desire for freedom) manifesting as your alarm clock.
My dear children, this simple, consistent practice of waking early for sādhanā will transform you. It will create a samskāra of purity that will sustain you throughout the day. It is the foundation upon which the entire edifice of jīvanmukti is built.
Therefore, I implore you: Embrace this discipline with love, not as a burden. See it as your sacred appointment with your own Self. It is the most important meeting of your day.
As you sit in the quiet dawn, remember the words of the Mundaka Upaniṣad: "tadvijñānārthaṁ sa gurumevābhigacchet"—To know That, one must go to a Guru alone [1.2.12]. In these morning hours, you are sitting at the feet of the Guru-śāstra, receiving the wisdom that alone can sever the knots of the heart.
May this practice become your joy. May the peace of the brahma muhūrta dawn eternally in your hearts, revealing the ever-shining sun of the Ātman.
With the boundless grace of our Gurus, Pūjya Svāmī Paramārthānanda and Śrī Saniddhānam of Śṛṅgeri, and with all my blessings for your steadfast practice,

Your ever-well-wisher on the path,
Sachidananda Acharya

Hariḥ Om Tat Sat.

15/11/2025

Upadesa Satsanga by Saccidānanda Ācārya
15th of November 2025 -From Devotion to Liberation: Maturing Your Vision of the Divine

Hariḥ Om. Beloved Śiṣyas,
please sit comfortably and bring your attention within. Let us share a profound truth today, a truth that will transform your entire understanding of God and your own Self.

My dear ones, the heart naturally seeks a form to love. In the beginning, this is beautiful and necessary. We see God as a divine person. The Bhagavad Gītā assures us: "patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati"—"Whoever offers Me a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or even water with devotion, that I accept" [BG 9.26]. This personal God is the boat that carries us across the river of worldly sorrow.

But my children, if we are sincere seekers, we cannot remain in this beautiful beginning forever. The Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad opens our vision: "eko devaḥ sarvabhūteṣu gūḍhaḥ"—"The one divine Being is hidden in all beings" [ŚvUp 6.11]. Every face is His face, every atom is His body. God is not just in the temple—God is the temple.

Yet even this glorious vision is not the final truth. The Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad declares: "neti neti"—"Not this, not this" [BṛUp 2.3.6]. The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad reveals this as Turiya: "advaitam caturtham manyante"—"The Fourth is known as the Non-dual" [MāṇḍUp 7]. It is pure consciousness, existence and bliss.

Now comes the heart of all teachings. The Chāndogya Upaniṣad thunders: "tat tvam asi—"that thou art" [ChUp 6.8.7]. The consciousness that you are is the same consciousness that pervades the entire universe. Śrī Śaṅkarācārya explains in Vivekacūḍāmaṇi: "brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā jīvo brahmaiva nāparaḥ"—"Brahman is real; the world is unreal; the jīva is none other than Brahman" [VC 20]. The Pañcadaśī reveals our true nature: "saccidānanda svarūpaṁ"—"Of the nature of Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss" [PD 1.20].

The great sage Aṣṭāvakra declares: "tvaṁ eva sarvam asi"—"You alone are everything!" [AG 1.11]. The Ribhu Gītā constantly reminds: "ahaṁ brahmāsmi"—"I am Brahman" [RG]. And Gauḍapādācārya in Māṇḍūkya Kārikā establishes: "na nirodho na cotpattiḥ... na badho na ca sādhakaḥ"—"There is no dissolution, no creation... no one in bo***ge, and no seeker after liberation" [MK 2.32].

My dear ones, all these glorious teachings have come to me through the infinite grace of my beloved Gurus. To my Pūjya Svāmī Paramārthānanda, who is the very embodiment of the teaching—"guruḥ sākṣāt paraṁ brahma"—the Guru is verily the Supreme Brahman itself. It is he who lit the lamp of knowledge in this heart with such systematic clarity and profound compassion.

And to my revered Guru-jī Śrī Saniddhānam of Śṛṅgeri, who in his infinite grace offered me dīkṣā without my even asking—just as the sun gives its light without being asked, just as the rain falls on the earth without being summoned. His spontaneous grace reminds me of the Lord's promise in the Gītā: "teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ... dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ yena mām upayānti te"—"To those who are constantly devoted, I give the yoga of understanding by which they come to Me" [BG 10.10].

I stand as a mere instrument between these great souls and you, my beloved śiṣyas. I pray constantly to be the right vehicle—clean, clear, and worthy—for these eternal teachings to reach all sincere mumukṣus. I seek to be a transparent window through which the sunlight of the Guru's wisdom may shine upon all seekers. May this knowledge flow through me for loka saṅgraham—for the welfare of all beings, for the preservation of our sacred tradition, and for the liberation of all hearts still seeking the light.

Therefore, my beloved śiṣyas, let your devotion mature into wisdom. Love God with form, but Know God without form. Worship the personal deity, but recognize the impersonal Reality. And understand that the worshipper, the worshipped, and the act of worship are all manifestations of the One non-dual Consciousness.

Sit quietly now, and let this truth resonate in your heart: "I am not this body, not this mind. I am the timeless, spaceless, actionless, non-dual Consciousness. I am That I am."

May this knowledge, flowing through the grace of my Gurus, dawn in your hearts and set you forever free.

With all the grace flowing from my Gurus' infinite compassion, with blessings for your steady progress on this sacred path, and with the love that sees the One Self in “all” of “you”...

Your ever-well-wisher in Ātma-jñāna,
Saccidānanda Sachidananda Acharya

Hariḥ Om Tat Sat.

11/11/2025

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Advaita Vedanta - Ashram Europe

08/11/2025

Upadeśa Satsaṅga: The One Self-Luminous Reality
8th of November 2025
by Saccidānanda Ācārya

My beloved Śiṣyas,

Let us sit together and drink deeply from the well of the Upaniṣads. The great sages have one message, one song, sung in a thousand ways. That song is "Tat Tvam Asi"—That Thou Art. Let the voices of the scriptures themselves be your guide.
The Daśopaniṣads, the ten principal Upaniṣads, do not describe a distant God. They reveal your own Self.
From the Chāndogya Upaniṣad comes the thunderous declaration: "Tat Tvam Asi"—"That thou art" . You, in your essential nature, are not the limited body-mind. You are That—the limitless, all-pervading Reality.
The Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad confirms this with the grand proclamation: "Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi"—"I am Brahman". This "I" is not the ego. It is the pure "I am"-ness, the very Consciousness that is the Absolute.
The Kaṭha Upaniṣad points to the innermost Self, which is subtler than the subtlest and greater than the great: "Eṣa sarveṣu bhūteṣu gūḍho ātmā na prakāśate"—"This Ātmā, dwelling in all beings, is hidden and does not shine forth". It is hidden not in space, but by the veil of your own ignorance.
The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad reveals this Ātmā as having four quarters, with the fourth—Turiya—being the ultimate reality: "Advaitam caturtham manyante"—"The Fourth is known as the Non-dual . It is the silent, unchanging background of all states of experience.
Lord Kṛṣṇa, the supreme teacher, repeatedly pulls Arjuna's mind from the body to the immortal Self.
He declares the nature of the real "You": "Na jāyate mriyate vā kadācin... Nityaḥ śāśvato'yaṁ purāṇo"—"It is never born, nor does it ever die... This (Self) is eternal, everlasting, and primeval" .
He reveals that this Self is the only true knower: "Jñeyaṁ jñātva"—"Having known That which is to be known, you will not again fall into this confusion" . That which is to be known is your own Self.
He gives the ultimate instruction for abidance: "Brahmānandaṁ pravartate"—"Established as Brahman, the serene one does not grieve". This serenity is not an achievement; it is the nature of the Self, realized through knowledge.
The Pañcadaśī of Vidyāraṇya Svāmī systematically illuminates the path.
It establishes the one non-dual substance: "Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā"—"Brahman is real; the world is mithyā". The world is name and form, dependent on the reality of Brahman, just as a pot is dependent on clay.
It reveals the three aspects of the one Reality: "Saccidānanda svarūpaṁ"—"Of the nature of Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss" . You are that Sat (Existence), that Cit (Consciousness), and that Ānanda (Bliss).
Gauḍapādācārya, the guru's guru, presents the ultimate, uncompromising truth.
He establishes the non-dual nature of all reality: "Dvaitasya agrahamāt"—"From the non-apprehension of duality". Duality is never truly created; it is only falsely superimposed.
He proclaims the highest state, free from all conflict: "Asparśa yogaḥ"—"The Yoga of Non-contact". The Ātmā is untouched by the world, just as the sky is untouched by the clouds.
He gives the ultimate teaching on the world: "Ajāti vāda"—"The doctrine of non-creation" . Nothing is ever truly born. The world is a mere appearance, like a snake superimposed on a rope.
Bhagavatpāda Śaṅkara's words are a sword that cuts through ignorance.
In Vivekacūḍāmaṇi, he defines the seeker and the goal: "Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā jīvo brahmaiva nāparaḥ"—"Brahman is real; the world is unreal; the jīva is none other than Brahman" .
He gives the means: "Tattva jijñāsā"—"The desire to know the Truth" is the only boat that can take you across the ocean of saṃsāra.
In Ātma Bodha, he uses the classic analogy: "Sphaṭikaḥ yathā dhautaḥ"—"Just as a clear crystal appears red when near a red flower, the Ātmā appears conditioned by the mind". Remove the flower, and the crystal is seen as it is. Remove the false identification, and you are the pure Self.
Maharṣi Aṣṭāvakra speaks not to the seeker, but to the realized soul.
He commands: "Mana eva manuṣyāṇāṁ kāraṇaṁ bandha-mokṣayoḥ"—"The mind alone is the cause of bo***ge and liberation". Not the world, but your attachment to it.
He reveals the state of the Jīvanmukta: "Sukhaṁ vā yadi vā duḥkhaṁ"—"Whether pleasure or pain, honor or dishonor, the wise one remains established as the Self, satisfied by the Self alone" .
His most famous declaration: "Tvaṁ eva sarvam asi"—"You alone are everything". There is nothing other than the Self.
The Ribhu Gītā uses the power of repetition to drill the highest truth into the very core of your being.
Its central, recurring teaching is: "Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi"—"I am Brahman". It is not a statement to be made, but a truth to be recognized.
It constantly negates the world of names and forms: "Sarvaṁ Brahmeti"—"All this is verily Brahman". There is no second thing.
It instructs: "Nididhyāsana"—"Meditate constantly on 'I am Brahman'" until all sense of separation dissolves.
My dear ones, hear the one voice in this glorious chorus:
The Upaniṣads declare "You are That." The Gītā assures you "You are eternal." The Pañcadaśī analyzes and proves "You are the one Existence-Consciousness-Bliss." The Māṇḍūkya Kārikā establishes "You are the non-dual Turiya." Śaṅkara exhorts you to "Discern the real from the unreal." Aṣṭāvakra commands you to "Abide as the Self." And the Ribhu Gītā incessantly reminds you: "I am Brahman."
Therefore, my beloved śiṣyas, take this upadeśa not as a collection of quotes, but as a single, powerful mantra of your own being. Let it be the subject of your śravaṇa, manana, and nididhyāsana.
Contemplate this:
"I am not the body, nor the mind. I am the ever-free, self-luminous Ātmā. I am Brahman. Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi."
May this knowledge, which is your own nature, shine forth in all its glory, dispelling the darkness of ignorance forever.

I am able to offer this only due to the infinite grace of my Gurus, Pūjya Svāmī Paramārthānanda-jī and the eternal Śṛṅgeri Ācāryas. All credit is theirs; all errors are mine alone.

Hariḥ Om Tat Sat.

with love, grace and blessings,
YourSelf Sachidananda Acharya

07/11/2025

Upadesa Satsanga by Saccidānanda Ācārya
7th of November 2025

Hariḥ Om. Beloved śiṣyas,
please sit comfortably, with your spines erect and your hearts open. Today, we shall soak ourselves in the nectar of the one, non-dual truth. The teaching I wish to share is not mine, but the eternal wisdom flowing from the ṛṣis, through my beloved Guru, Svāmī Paramārthānanda-jī, and now to you. It is captured in my statement:

"The absolute truth is that there is only Knowing that is Knowing Knowing."

Let us unpack this, layer by layer, with the help of the great masters, so that it may move from an intellectual concept to a living reality in your heart.
First, we must be clear about what we mean by "the absolute truth." It is not a philosophical idea, but the very substance of your being.
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya proclaims in his Vivekacūḍāmaṇi the fundamental declaration: "Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā"—Brahman alone is real; the world is mithyā (relatively real, dependent) [1.5]. And what is that Brahman? He clarifies: "Jīvaḥ svayaṁ Brahmaiva"—The individual self is itself nothing but Brahman [4.1].
The Aṣṭāvakra Gītā, that direct and fierce scripture, cuts to the chase. It tells you that you are not the body, not the mind, but the ever-free Awareness in which they appear. This is the absolute truth you are to know [9.1].
The Pañcadaśī systematically leads you to understand that this one reality, Brahman, is of the nature of Sat-Cit-Ānanda—Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss absolute [11.1].
So, the "absolute truth" is You. Not the you that you think you are, but the You that is ever-present, unchanging Awareness.
Now, what is this "knowing"? It is not an action you perform. It is what you are.
This "knowing" is Cit , Pure Consciousness. It is the light of awareness that illuminates all your thoughts, emotions, and perceptions. It is the Sākṣī , the witness, which is actionless and unchanging [12.3].
Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad Gītā points to this when he describes the true knower: "It is said that the senses are great; greater than the senses is the mind; greater than the mind is the intellect; and greater than the intellect is He (the Ātmā)." (BG 3.42). This "He" is the silent, knowing principle behind all your faculties.
The Maṇḍūkya Kārikā of Gauḍapādācārya establishes this Consciousness as Asparśa Yoga—the "Yoga of Non-contact." It is untouched by any object, any thought, any experience. It simply is. It is the "knowing" that never becomes entangled with the "known."
Therefore, this "knowing" is not your knowledge of the world. It is the very capacity for any knowledge to arise. It is the screen on which the movie of life plays, itself unmoved by the drama.
This is the pinnacle of the teaching. It points to the non-dual, self-luminous nature of Consciousness.
"Knowing Knowing"means Consciousness is self-revealing (svaprakāśa). Just as a light does not need another light to illuminate itself, Consciousness does not need a second consciousness to know itself.
To doubt this—to ask "How do I know I am conscious?"—requires consciousness itself. This is what the great sage Ribhu imparts: the understanding that the knower, the known, and the act of knowing are all one in the absolute reality: Brahman.
Śaṅkara, in Upadeśa Sāhasrī, drills this home. The ultimate truth is jñātṛ-jñēya-jñāna-śūnyam—utterly devoid of the triad of knower, known, and knowing [12.5]. When you abide as that "knowing," where is a separate object to be known? Where is a separate process called knowledge? There is only kevala-akhaṇḍa-cinmātram—nothing but indivisible, whole Consciousness.
This is the essence of the Mahāvākya, the great statements of the Upaniṣads. "Tat Tvam Asi"—"That Thou Art." The "Thou" here is this very "knowing" that is your essence. The "That" is the supreme reality of Pure Consciousness. They are one and the same [11.1]. This is jīvātma-paramātma-aikyam, the oneness of the individual and the universal.
How do you, as a sincere śiṣya, make this your living reality? My Guru, Svāmī Paramārthānanda-jī, emphasizes a systematic three-fold process:
Śravaṇam (Listening): You are doing this now. Consistently expose yourself to this teaching from the scripture (śāstram) and a competent teacher (ācārya). This is not casual listening, but listening with a mind refined by Sādhana Catuṣṭaya Sampatti—discrimination, dispassion, discipline, and a burning desire for liberation [2.1][18.1].
Mananam (Reflection): After hearing, you must remove all intellectual doubts. Use logic and reasoning (yukti) to confirm that "I am this Consciousness, not the body-mind." Reflect deeply on statements like, "If I am the knower of the thoughts, how can I be the thoughts?" [12.3].
Nididhyāsanam (Contemplative Absorption): This is the final and most important step. As Śaṅkara advises in Upadeśa Pañcakam: "Ekaanthe sukham aasyathaam parathare chetha: samaadheeyathaam"—"Sit comfortably in a quiet place and fix your mind on the Self" [1.6]. Here, you withdraw your attention from all objects and gently abide in the subject, in the "I am," in that very "Knowing" which is your real Self/nature. You don't do anything. You simply are what you have always been.
My dear śiṣyas, do not make the mistake of thinking this knowledge is far away. It is the closest of the close. It is that by which you perceive distance and closeness itself.
As your Guru, my only command, echoing Śaṅkarācārya, is this: "May you soak in this syrup of wisdom like a rasagullā; may you soak yourselves in this wisdom, because this is what is done by all the great ācāryas of yore." [4.1]
Do not be discouraged by the mind's habits. Every time you remember, simply acknowledge: "I am that knowing. I am the actionless Witness. I am the Self-luminous Light of Pure Consciousness."

The credit for any clarity you gain belongs not to me, but to the infinite grace of the Guru-paramparā and to your own puṇyam [4.11]. I am merely a humble instrument in this glorious tradition.

May you all revel in the supreme bliss of your own true Self/nature. May you be established in the firm conviction that there is only Knowing, which is Knowing Itself.

Hariḥ Om Tat Sat.

With Love, Grace and Blessings,
YourSelf Sachidananda Acharya

05/11/2025

Abidance As Brahman is a series of spontaneous discussions between Advaita Vedanta Guru Saccidānanda Ācārya and his sisya Subodhananda. This week’s topics in...