Meet Sumit K Pandit

Nārada approached Sanatkumāra and said, 'Teach me, Venerable Sir,' He said, 'Come to me with what you know. Then I will teach you what is beyond that.' Venerable Sir, I know the Ṛg Veda, the Yajur Veda, the Sāma Veda, Atharvaṇa as the fourth, the epic and the ancient lore as the fifth, the Veda of the Vedas, propitiation of the Fathers, the science of numbers, the science of portents, the science of time, logic, ethics and politics, the science of the gods, the science of sacred knowledge, the science of elemental spirits, the science of weapons, astronomy, the science of serpents and the fine arts. This, Venerable Sir, I know. But, Venerable Sir, I am only like one knowing the words and not a knower of Self. It has been heard by me from those like you that he who knows the Self crosses over sorrow. To him he then said, 'Verily, whatever you have here learned is only a name.' - Chāndogya Upaniṣad VII. 1. 1-3 (Translation by S. Radhakrishnan in The Princi...

Consciousness is a growing area of interest for Science today. Because it is relatively new to Scientist, they are still developing a perfect definition of the term. However, we already have loads of ancient texts all woven around this very thing. Today I came across a TED talk with the title "Your brain hallucinates your conscious reality". Have a look at it here: https://www.ted.com/talks/anil_seth_how_your_brain_hallucinates_your_conscious_reality I was glad to learn that finally scientific minds are coming close to accept the Advaita Vedānta Philosophy which asserts that the world we see is just our projection. However the speaker still thinks that consciousness is a construct of our brains while as per Vedānta it is something that enables you brain to construct understanding. The speaker acknowledges that the intellect is different from the consciousness but fails to keep the distinction all through the talk given he rules out distorted understanding as a possibil...

Place this salt in the water and come to me in the morning. Then he did so. Then he said to him, 'That salt you placed in the water last evening, please bring it hither.' Having looked for it he found it not, as it was completely dissolved. 'Please take a sip of it from this end.' He said, 'How is it?' 'Salt.' 'Take a sip from the middle. How is it?' 'Salt.' 'Take a sip from the other end. How is it?' 'Salt!' 'Throw it away and come to me.' He did so. It is always the same. Then he said to him, 'Verily, indeed, my dear, you do not perceive Pure Being here. Verily, indeed, it is here.' That which is the subtle essence this whole world has for its self. That is the true. That is the self. That art thou, Śvetaketu. 'Please, Venerable Sir, instruct me still further.' 'So be it, my dear,' said he. - Chāndogya Upaniṣad, VI. 13. i - iii (Translation by S. Radhakrishnan in The Principal Upaniṣad...

'Bring hither a fruit of that nyagrodha tree.' 'Here it is, Venerable Sir.' 'Break it.' 'It is broken, Venerable Sir.' 'What do you see there?' 'These extremely fine seeds, Venerable Sir.' 'Of these, please break one.' 'It is broken, Venerable Sir.' 'What do you see?' 'Nothing at all, Venerable Sir.' Then he said to him, 'My dear, that single essence which you do not perceive, verily, my dear, from that very essence this great nyagrodha tree exists. Believe me, my dear. That which is the subtle essence, this whole world has for its self. That is the true. That is the self. That art thou Śvetaketu.' 'Please, Venerable Sir, instruct me still further.' 'So be it, my dear,' said he. - Chāndogya Upaniṣad, VI. 12. i - iii (Translation by S. Radhakrishnan in The Principal Upaniṣads, p 462)