​Cosmos has always seemed like a final frontier for man. This is not just the case for astronomers and space scientists, but for each one of us. Since time immemorial, when man has looked up at the night sky, he has wondered about the many stars, galaxies and the 'world beyond'. 

After the initial questions such as what is out there… and who runs this 'whole show' and so on… other questions come up- questions such as about our own essential nature! Who are we? Where did we come from? Where do we go after death… 

It is the nature of man to explore the nature of our universe- our external Universe as well as our internal Universe, the universe that is housed within each one of us, as the Conscious presence… the Divine witness which seems to exist and observe even when we are deep asleep or even unconscious!

At one level, these may seem like spiritual topics which philosophers and other intellectuals have mulled over for centuries and written myriads of volumes… but on another level, these are core questions that we need to answer, so that we can truly appreciate our time here on earth. Not simply read the answers that others have arrived at, but to actually experience the answer by ourself… as our very own understanding of our intrinsic essential nature.

Rishis and sages from ancient India formulated a Maha-Vaakya (special spiritual idiom), also sometimes written as Maha Vakya, that states-  
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It means:   The workings of this Universe (ब्रह्माण्डे- Brahmande) can be understood by studying the workings of an individual being (पिण्डे- Pinde)... because an individual is a mere reflection of the entire cosmos!

In the Vedas, an individual being is called as the microcosm and referred to as the 'Pinda'. The Cosmos or the Universal presence is called as the 'Brahmanda' and is referred to as the macrocosm. Here we find the Rishis indicating that the individual microcosm is complete in its representation of the larger macrocosm. Almost as if, we are like a piece of a holographic creation- where each piece, every individual, has all the information that is needed to become the larger hologram, the entire cosmos.

This Maha Vakya nudges us to explore our own essential nature and by that be able to comprehend the nature of our own individual being, so we can understand the very nature of our Universe.

​​Ganesh is one of the widely known Hindu deities. This joyously happy and extremely benevolent elephant-faced God is revered and cherished not just by Hindus but also by many people of other spiritual faiths.

All Hindu deities represent cosmic energies that are part of the Divine Universal Energy or the Supreme God-head.  In this regard, Ganesh represents the energy that is capable of removing obstacles and obstructions. 

Due to this, he is revered and paid obeisance before starting any auspicious or important work. His blessings are sought before starting travel to ensure safe, smooth journey and successful completion of work.

This famous aarti (devotional song) जय गणेश, जय गणेश,जय गणेश देवा, is sung to honor and cherish Lord Ganesh- particularly during Ganesh Chaturthi as well as other times in the year.

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​Not that which the eye can see, but that whereby the eye can see: know that to be Brahman the eternal, and not what people here adore. Not that which the ear can hear, but that whereby the ear can hear: know that to be Brahman the eternal, and not what people here adore.

Not that which speech can illuminate, but that by which speech can be illuminated: know that to be Brahman the eternal, and not what people here adore.

Not that which the mind can think, but that whereby the mind can think: know that to be Brahman the eternal, and not what people here adore.

-  Kena Upanishad

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Most people who are interested in the Vedic Culture or Hinduism have heard about the Upanishads, but not many are aware of what is really an Upanishad. This short video explains What an Upanishad is and also provides list of the 13 primary or Mukhya Upanishads.

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​The word Upanishad comes from the combination of three words- ‘Upa’ meaning near-by in Sanskrit, ‘ni ‘which means at the proper place and ‘sad’ which means to sit. I.e. Upanishad means the knowledge that is gained by sitting near and obtaining instructions and information from a teacher. 

Thus, most of the Upanishads were originally conveyed via an Oral Tradition called Sruti; which means the details were remembered and conveyed by the teacher to the student thru oral dialogues (speech).  It was much later that these texts were written down under the Written Tradition called Smriti. 

There are supposed to be more than 200 known Upanishads out of which 108 are recognized as being “true” Upanishads. Out of these 108, there are 13 Upanishads which are considered as the main- i.e. Primary Upanishads. 
These classic Vedic scriptures are time immemorial and are meant to be read, re-read and studied to understand the true nature of our consciousness and existence.

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