PERSPECTIVES

Even Intelligence is a Construct of Maya: The Advancement of AI as Proof of Intellect as Avidya or Maya  An exploration through the lens of Advaita Vedanta In the labyrinth of Advaita Vedanta, the ultimate reality is Brahman—unchanging, infinite, and the sole substratum of all existence. Everything else, including the material world, sensory experiences, and even the human intellect, is but a projection of Maya, the cosmic illusion. This doctrine challenges the essence of human intellect, suggesting that even the sharpest intelligence is entangled in the fabric of illusion, veiling the ultimate truth. The advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI) provides a contemporary prism to reflect on this profound Vedantic insight. AI, a creation of human intellect, mirrors the intellect's limitations and underscores its entrapment in Maya, or Avidya (ignorance). Understanding Maya and Avidya Maya, in Advaita Vedanta, is the force that projects the unreal as real. It is responsible f...

Tommy’s Mysterious Appearance (A Recreation of a Fictional Story by Ram Mohan) Growing up in Kalyan Sadan was like living in the heart of a shared universe, a world brimming with love, laughter, and an unspoken kinship that bound us all. It was no ordinary house but a haven, a joint family enclave where cousins of all ages collided and coexisted. My mother, one of thirteen siblings, brought with her a teeming crowd of cousins who painted our days with vibrant chaos. We shared everything—meals, stories, secrets, and the peculiar magic that comes from knowing you belong to something larger than yourself. Even amid the lively tumult of Kalyan Sadan, there were figures who stood apart. My eldest cousin, Rammohan, was one of them. He had a gift for spinning tales, and his stories would leave us wide-eyed and speechless, even long after the fireflies disappeared into the night. One of his stories, "Tommy’s Mysterious Appearance," became a legend among us—a tale that blu...

Through the Mist: A Journey Beyond Time The night was still, wrapped in a cloak of silence, as we arrived at Mettupalayam station. My brother Shank, my cousins Satyan and Hrishi, and I carried the sort of youthful resilience that makes scarcity seem like an adventure. The Nilgiri Mountain Railway train stood quietly on the tracks, a dormant steel creature awaiting dawn. We were the only souls on the platform, the echoes of our footsteps swallowed by the station's emptiness. A guard, perhaps moved by our predicament or the simplicity of our request, allowed us to sleep in the very train we were to board the next morning. As we stretched out on the wooden seats, their solidness seemed oddly comforting. The rhythmic ticking of the station clock merged with the occasional creak of the train, becoming the lullaby that carried us to sleep. Morning arrived softly, with the air cool and the first light of the sun painting the horizon. The canteen beckoned us with the aroma of c...

Title: "The McDonald’s Queue as a Reflection of Life’s Journey: Exploring Shrishti, Sthiti, Samhara, and Purushartha through an Advaithic Lens"I Image Description: A thought-provoking illustration of a McDonald's outlet with a lively queue of customers waiting at the counter. The scene has a subtle overlay of four symbolic stages: Dharma (an orderly queue with customers respecting the line), Artha (a worker handing an order, representing prosperity), Kama (customers enjoying their food), and Moksha (a customer departing with a satisfied look). Above, a subtle cosmic design represents Shrishti (creation), Sthiti (sustenance), and Samhara (dissolution) with faint cycles and symbols that suggest the cycle of life and Advaitic philosophy. The whole image evokes the interconnectedness of life’s journey and spiritual pursuits within the everyday scene of a fast-food queue. In Advaita Vedanta, the cycle of Shrishti (creation), Sthiti (sustenance), and Samhara (dissol...

In the Star Wars universe, "The Force" operates across space and time, connecting all beings through an energy field that permeates every moment and place. Yet, not everyone is aware of its presence. Here, Avidya, or ignorance, mirrors this unawareness. In Advaita Vedanta, Avidya is the veil that obscures one's true nature, creating an illusion of separateness that binds beings to the cycle of life and death. This veil keeps individuals from perceiving the ultimate reality—Brahman, or universal oneness—just as beings unaware of the Force remain bound by their limited perceptions. Karma, or the principle of action, is another common thread. In both Star Wars and Vedanta, every action taken, every choice made, imprints on the cosmic fabric, carrying consequences that shape one’s future. For Jedi and Sith, the choices aligned with either the light or dark side echo across time, influencing not only personal destiny but also the balance of the universe. In Advaita...

Bliss consciousness, often associated with states of deep meditative awareness or spiritual transcendence, is generally considered beyond the material body and universe in many spiritual traditions. In Advaita Vedanta and other non-dual philosophies, bliss (ānanda) is seen as a fundamental aspect of our true nature, which is beyond the physical form. It is thought to arise from the realization of the self as not confined to the body or mind but as the infinite, unchanging reality that permeates everything. In this view, bliss is not a product of the body or brain, which are considered transient and impermanent. Instead, bliss consciousness is an innate state of being that becomes accessible when the mind transcends its usual identifications with the material world, ego, and sensory experiences. It is an experience of unity, where dualities like subject-object dissolve, and one connects with the deeper truth of existence, which is often described as blissful in its essence. ...