Vedanta Wisdom Journal july 2025

By Deepraj Dutta

Bhakti Yoga comprises two Sanskrit words, Bhakti meaning devotion and Yoga meaning union (with the Divine), thus Bhakti Yoga refers to the path of uniting with the Divine through devotion. We can see a lot of talk of Bhakti Yoga and its significance in the path towards the Divine on various platforms today (religious TV channels, podcasts etc.), each with their own version of Bhakti Yoga. In this article, we look at Bhakti Yoga through the lens of Vedanta and understand what is Bhakti and what is Deepraj Dutta is a mathematician by profession and has been a student of Advaita Vedanta since 2020 under the guidance of Dr. Janki Santoke....

By Dr Janki Santoke

Thanks to the efforts of the team, we have our next edition of the Vedanta Wisdom Journal, on the auspicious occasion of Guru Purnima. Guru Purnima is the birthday of the great and prolific sage Veda Vyasa so called because he divided the Vedic corpus into the four books we are familiar with today. His original name was Krishna Dwaipayana, Krishna born on an island....

By Mahesh Ursekar

The summum bonum of life according to the Bhagavad Gita is Self-realization. In many places in the book, Sri Krishna says that to reach this exalted state, one needs to drop all desires. This is possible if one reduces the vast bulk of desires by performing the three yogas – karma, bhakti and jnana and then takes to meditation in order to drop the last desire for Self-realization itself....

By Dhiraj Malik

Have you ever wondered what the ultimate, fundamental substance is that underlies all of reality? Artists, scientists, philosophers—and perhaps each of us at some point— grapple with these timeless questions: What is the world made of? What am I made At first, science seems to offer answers: atoms, molecules, subatomic particles....

By Meera Nair

The mystery of human suffering is deeply influenced by our vasanas or inherent nature, which, when manifested, appear as thoughts, desires, and actions. Vasanas are also the cause of our heterogeneous experiences, as well as the reason why we are born into a particular environment. Understanding this can help us navigate life's This article explores the intriguing concept of vasanas and their connection to suffering, drawing inspiration from the insightful teachings of Swami A Parthasarathy, particularly from his book, the Vedanta Treatise, and his enlightening commentaries on the Bhagavad Gita....

By Shivansh Sood

This essay examines love, cult, and the ego-self as distinct yet interconnected experiences. Through a Vedantic lens, each is revealed as an expression of avidya (ignorance) and as a veil obscuring the Self (atman). By analyzing their nature and resolution, the essay argues that true freedom arises not from clinging to love or cult, nor defending the ego, but through Self-knowledge (atma jnana), which reveals Brahman as the only reality....

By Dhiraj Malik

This article outlines a three-stage framework for understanding the ego’s role in spiritual development, challenging the common belief that progress requires “killing the ego.” Drawing on Vedantic teachings, it reframes the spiritual path as the ego’s own journey through distinct phases of growth: the conditioning stage, the cleansing stage, and the reorientation stage....

By Jayshree Makwana

This article details my personal journey toward intentional living through the precepts of Vedanta. Motivated by a need for purpose, I used constant self-inquiry to guide my choices. My search for meaning culminated at the Vedanta Wisdom Trust, where, in an epiphany, I discovered my purpose at the site of the proposed Vedanta Wisdom University....

By Moumeeta Mohanty

This article explores the intertwined rise of Nyaya and Vedanta as two of India’s central philosophical traditions. Nyaya codified in the Nyaya Sutra, made reasoning itself a discipline of liberation, while Vedanta, rooted in the Upanishads and Brahma Sutra, pursued ultimate meaning in the identity of Self and Brahman. Vedanta drew upon Nyaya’s logical precision to defend its non-dual vision, a synthesis exemplified by Gaudapada....

By Deepraj Dutta

Hedonism is the philosophical position that the purpose of life is the pursuit of pleasure or happiness and the avoidance of pain through sensory experiences. Interestingly, Vedanta doesn’t hold an opposing view; it acknowledges that the purpose of life is indeed the pursuit of happiness, in fact, not just any happiness but the ultimate happiness, paramanandam (the ultimate bliss)....

By Dr Janki Santoke

A new year and a new chance for us to renew our vows on our spiritual path. A new opportunity to engage in more progressive activities and minimise time wasters. And we have a new cover for the journal....

By Janki Santoke, Ph.D

“Cleanliness is next to Godliness,” we have heard. Keeping the environment clean has a calming effect on the mind. Therefore, it should be done frequently....