Thoughts are a consequence of our senses, for they are the gates through which all information enters the mind. This gathered information, then, gets processed and stored by the mind. Some goes into short term memory and some into long term memory layer. Mind absorbs everything indiscriminately; the good, the bad and the downright ugly.

Dhi, dhriti and smriti are the prerequisites for any spiritual progress. The Sanskrit root word ‘dhi’ refers to the intellect. Whereas, ‘dhriti’ is the power to assimilate knowledge. And ‘smriti’ is the ability to retain the imbibed knowledge such that it can be accessed when one wants - something like a good memory.

Mind is like a jungle. You are standing in the middle of the jungle completely lost in the forest of your thoughts. But how to find the way out? Our sages showed the way. This is the path of dhyana. But this involves preparatory stages like pranayama, etc. Pranayama will prepare your body, breath, mind and energy, so that you can experience dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and finally the samadhi. There is a complete procedure to it. You cannot...

Human mind is so capricious, ever changing and such a complex, enigmatic entity. What could be more startling that none other than your own mind gives you grief, suffering. But it is very difficult to accept that we make ourselves unhappy. Instead, we keep looking outside, seeking to blame someone else for our troubles. The truth is that problems exist in one’s own mind and not in the outer world. But people tend to blame their pain and...

Every human being seeks happiness. Everybody wants to feel joy inside. We want to smile, laugh and dance. When we are happy, colours of the trees seem brighter, sky looks vaster and you are filled with so much energy that you could scale a mountain. We wish to be happy but because we are under a veil of māyā (an illusion) we mistake fleeting happiness for eternal bliss - and this is the source of all our miseries....

A child at birth is a little god – he is just who he is, pristine and pure. He loves himself, is utterly absorbed with himself. As a toddler he imbibes things like a sponge, soaking up everything around - ideas, beliefs and values taught to him. Then ‘training’ begins, ostensibly to make him a responsible adult but actually to make him follow the herd, and slowly, his untainted mind starts getting polluted. Rather than guiding, parents often nag their...