Sachidananda Acharya

07/11/2025

Upadesa Satsanga by Saccidānanda Ācārya
7th of November 2025

Hariḥ Om. Beloved śiṣyas,
please sit comfortably, with your spines erect and your hearts open. Today, we shall soak ourselves in the nectar of the one, non-dual truth. The teaching I wish to share is not mine, but the eternal wisdom flowing from the ṛṣis, through my beloved Guru, Svāmī Paramārthānanda-jī, and now to you. It is captured in my statement:

"The absolute truth is that there is only Knowing that is Knowing Knowing."

Let us unpack this, layer by layer, with the help of the great masters, so that it may move from an intellectual concept to a living reality in your heart.
First, we must be clear about what we mean by "the absolute truth." It is not a philosophical idea, but the very substance of your being.
Śrī Śaṅkarācārya proclaims in his Vivekacūḍāmaṇi the fundamental declaration: "Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā"—Brahman alone is real; the world is mithyā (relatively real, dependent) [1.5]. And what is that Brahman? He clarifies: "Jīvaḥ svayaṁ Brahmaiva"—The individual self is itself nothing but Brahman [4.1].
The Aṣṭāvakra Gītā, that direct and fierce scripture, cuts to the chase. It tells you that you are not the body, not the mind, but the ever-free Awareness in which they appear. This is the absolute truth you are to know [9.1].
The Pañcadaśī systematically leads you to understand that this one reality, Brahman, is of the nature of Sat-Cit-Ānanda—Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss absolute [11.1].
So, the "absolute truth" is You. Not the you that you think you are, but the You that is ever-present, unchanging Awareness.
Now, what is this "knowing"? It is not an action you perform. It is what you are.
This "knowing" is Cit , Pure Consciousness. It is the light of awareness that illuminates all your thoughts, emotions, and perceptions. It is the Sākṣī , the witness, which is actionless and unchanging [12.3].
Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad Gītā points to this when he describes the true knower: "It is said that the senses are great; greater than the senses is the mind; greater than the mind is the intellect; and greater than the intellect is He (the Ātmā)." (BG 3.42). This "He" is the silent, knowing principle behind all your faculties.
The Maṇḍūkya Kārikā of Gauḍapādācārya establishes this Consciousness as Asparśa Yoga—the "Yoga of Non-contact." It is untouched by any object, any thought, any experience. It simply is. It is the "knowing" that never becomes entangled with the "known."
Therefore, this "knowing" is not your knowledge of the world. It is the very capacity for any knowledge to arise. It is the screen on which the movie of life plays, itself unmoved by the drama.
This is the pinnacle of the teaching. It points to the non-dual, self-luminous nature of Consciousness.
"Knowing Knowing"means Consciousness is self-revealing (svaprakāśa). Just as a light does not need another light to illuminate itself, Consciousness does not need a second consciousness to know itself.
To doubt this—to ask "How do I know I am conscious?"—requires consciousness itself. This is what the great sage Ribhu imparts: the understanding that the knower, the known, and the act of knowing are all one in the absolute reality: Brahman.
Śaṅkara, in Upadeśa Sāhasrī, drills this home. The ultimate truth is jñātṛ-jñēya-jñāna-śūnyam—utterly devoid of the triad of knower, known, and knowing [12.5]. When you abide as that "knowing," where is a separate object to be known? Where is a separate process called knowledge? There is only kevala-akhaṇḍa-cinmātram—nothing but indivisible, whole Consciousness.
This is the essence of the Mahāvākya, the great statements of the Upaniṣads. "Tat Tvam Asi"—"That Thou Art." The "Thou" here is this very "knowing" that is your essence. The "That" is the supreme reality of Pure Consciousness. They are one and the same [11.1]. This is jīvātma-paramātma-aikyam, the oneness of the individual and the universal.
How do you, as a sincere śiṣya, make this your living reality? My Guru, Svāmī Paramārthānanda-jī, emphasizes a systematic three-fold process:
Śravaṇam (Listening): You are doing this now. Consistently expose yourself to this teaching from the scripture (śāstram) and a competent teacher (ācārya). This is not casual listening, but listening with a mind refined by Sādhana Catuṣṭaya Sampatti—discrimination, dispassion, discipline, and a burning desire for liberation [2.1][18.1].
Mananam (Reflection): After hearing, you must remove all intellectual doubts. Use logic and reasoning (yukti) to confirm that "I am this Consciousness, not the body-mind." Reflect deeply on statements like, "If I am the knower of the thoughts, how can I be the thoughts?" [12.3].
Nididhyāsanam (Contemplative Absorption): This is the final and most important step. As Śaṅkara advises in Upadeśa Pañcakam: "Ekaanthe sukham aasyathaam parathare chetha: samaadheeyathaam"—"Sit comfortably in a quiet place and fix your mind on the Self" [1.6]. Here, you withdraw your attention from all objects and gently abide in the subject, in the "I am," in that very "Knowing" which is your real Self/nature. You don't do anything. You simply are what you have always been.
My dear śiṣyas, do not make the mistake of thinking this knowledge is far away. It is the closest of the close. It is that by which you perceive distance and closeness itself.
As your Guru, my only command, echoing Śaṅkarācārya, is this: "May you soak in this syrup of wisdom like a rasagullā; may you soak yourselves in this wisdom, because this is what is done by all the great ācāryas of yore." [4.1]
Do not be discouraged by the mind's habits. Every time you remember, simply acknowledge: "I am that knowing. I am the actionless Witness. I am the Self-luminous Light of Pure Consciousness."

The credit for any clarity you gain belongs not to me, but to the infinite grace of the Guru-paramparā and to your own puṇyam [4.11]. I am merely a humble instrument in this glorious tradition.

May you all revel in the supreme bliss of your own true Self/nature. May you be established in the firm conviction that there is only Knowing, which is Knowing Itself.

Hariḥ Om Tat Sat.

With Love, Grace and Blessings,
YourSelf Sachidananda Acharya

05/11/2025

Abidance As Brahman is a series of spontaneous discussions between Advaita Vedanta Guru Saccidānanda Ācārya and his sisya Subodhananda. This week’s topics in...

02/11/2025

https://swarajyamag.com/books/before-space-science-there-was-mahsalilam-rediscovery-of-indias-oldest-astronomical-text

Mahāsalilam – A Vedāṅga Text on Astral Sciences (Vṛddhagārgīya Jyotiṣa 24th Aṅga). Prof. R N Iyengar. Central Sanskrit University. Pages: 321.

29/10/2025

Special Upadeśa Satsaṅg with Śrī Sacchidānanda Ācārya-jī.
29-10-2025
"The Mind is Not the Enemy: Why Enlightenment Happens Through Understanding, Not Through Stopping Thoughts"

My dearest children, my precious seekers of Truth,

Come, sit close. Let your Ācārya speak from the depths of a heart overflowing with gratitude and love for each of you.

With folded hands and a heart brimming with devotion, I confess to you first:
I, Sachidananda Acharya , stand before you today ONLY because of the infinite grace and light that has flowed to me through the compassionate Hearts of my Gurus! It is through the blessings of His Holiness Śrī Śanidhānam of Śṛṅgeri Śāradā Pīṭham, who graciously accepted me through dīkṣā, and through the patient, systematic teachings of Pūjya Svāmī Paramārthānanda-jī, that I am able to speak these words to you tonight.

My daily prayer, my only aspiration is this:
"May I be a right vehicle. May I be a clear channel for our sacred Guru-paramparā. May no distortion of ego color this pristine teaching."

For as our tradition beautifully reminds us:
If I enjoy enlightened and lightened intellect, the credit goes to my Gurus. If it is daytime, world is lighted clearly the credit goes to Sūrya Bhagavān. Similarly the credit to make my mind enlightened, the credit goes to my Gurus!

Now, my precious children, let me share the essential truth about what enlightenment truly is...

The Great Misunderstanding About Enlightenment

Many of you come with this burning question: “Guruji, when will I transcend my mind? When will I experience that thoughtless state of enlightenment?"

My children, listen with your entire being:
This very seeking for a thoughtless state is what keeps you from recognizing the Truth that is already, always here.

What Our Sacred Scriptures Reveal

From the Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (1.15):
O, the mind, you have been troubled about nothing for ages. Take no thought, remain yourself, in your own glory, and be happy.

The sage doesn't say "destroy the mind" – he says "take no thought" – meaning, don't take yourself to be the thinker!

From the Bhagavad Gītā (2.16):
“nāsato vidyate bhāvo nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ” "The unreal has no existence; the real never ceases to be."

The mind comes and goes – it is asat. But you, the Awareness in which the mind appears and disappears – you are Sat. Why seek to become what you already are?

The Essential Understanding from Our Paramparā

Listen carefully, my children, to what our tradition emphatically teaches:
"nirvikalpaka Samādhi is utterly useless with respect to gain jñānam because in Samādhi, buddhi is not functioning"

And why is this so crucial to understand?
"In Samādhi, Sākṣi is there but that Sākṣi is not useful in gaining knowledge because Sākṣi is not the one which gains knowledge but buddhih"

As Śrī Śaṅkarācārya declares in Vivekacūḍāmaṇi (169):
"brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā jīvo brahmaiva nāparaḥ"
"Brahman is real; the world is unreal; the jīva is none other than Brahman."

This knowledge happens in the buddhi! Not by destroying the buddhi!

The Mandūkya Kārikā (3.36) reveals:
"ajātim advayaṁ śāntaṁ nirvikalpam anāmayam | ekam eva advitīyaṁ brahma turyaṁ pracakṣate"
"They declare Turīya to be that which is unborn, non-dual, peaceful, non-conceptual, and free from disease – the One without a second, Brahman."

This "non-conceptual" doesn't mean "without thoughts" – it means "free from the concept of being limited!"

The Ribhu Gītā (15.21) proclaims:
"I am of the nature of eternal bliss, consciousness, and existence. I am Śiva, I am Śiva."

This recognition happens through understanding, not through stopping thoughts!

The Practical Truth for Every Sādhaka

My beloved children, understand this clearly:

When you sit for meditation seeking thoughtlessness, who is seeking?
The mind itself! The mind seeking to destroy itself is like a thief pretending to be a policeman.

The Beautiful Revelation

You don't need to go beyond the mind to find yourself. You need to use the mind to understand that you were never in the mind!

As the great sage reveals in Aṣṭāvakra Gītā (1.4):
"If you wish to be free, know you are the Self, the witness of all these, and be happy."

Not "become" the witness – "know you are" the witness!

My Final Heartfelt Plea

Therefore, my precious śiṣyas:

Stop seeking thoughtless states. Start recognizing the Thinker.
Stop trying to transcend the mind. Start understanding what the mind truly is.
Stop chasing experiences. START abiding as the Experiencer of all experiences.

The ocean doesn't need the waves to disappear to know it is ocean. IT KNOWS it is ocean WHETHER waves are crashing or the surface is perfectly still.

Similarly, you don't need thoughts to disappear to know you are Consciousness. You are Consciousness whether thoughts are raging or the mind is quiet.

This understanding, this clear conviction in the buddhi – this is what liberates.
Not by destroying the instrument, but by using the instrument correctly to understand its true nature.

Therefore, my beloved children – study! Reflect! Contemplate!
Let the buddhi receive this knowledge: "I am not the mind. I am the AWARENESS in which the mind appears and disappears."

When this understanding dawns in the buddhi, you will smile at both thoughts and silence, knowing neither defines you, neither limits you, neither contains you.

You are FREE. You were ALWAYS FREE. You ONLY forgot.

Through the grace of my Gurus, through the Light of our paramparā, I pray this understanding dawns brightly in each of your hearts.

Now, remember.

Oṁ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ

YourSelf
Saccidānanda Ācārya

FREE PRIVATE SATSANGA

Private Satsanghas [always for free] with Saccidānanda Ācārya are ongoing. If you would like to request a private Satsanga, please send an email to:

ashramingreece@gmail.com

Private Satsanghas are accepted ONLY if the śiṣyas are truly sincere and committed to the path of śravaṇam (deep listening), mananam (contemplation), and nididhyāsanam, (the firm and natural abidance in one’s true nature as revealed by the Mahāvākyas, not as a mere act of contemplation, but as effortless Being established AS That-Brahman, the Self) and are willing to lead a dhārmic lifestyle rooted in self-discipline, devotion, and inner purity.

The tradition strongly emphasizes that Vedantic knowledge must be imparted through a formal teacher-student relationship (guru-śiṣya saṃbandha), which is traditionally established through a process called upasadanam or upanayana viddhi.

For this sacred journey to truly begin and flourish, the grace of the Guru and the Guru Paramparā is indispensable.

This is not a casual transaction but a sacred commitment. As the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad points out, "You cannot casually stand aside and ask for knowledge".

The knowledge is a gift (dānam), but it requires the student to formally approach the teacher as a disciple.

If such sincerity is present, then I, Saccidānanda Ācārya, will bestow the Deekṣā that was graciously given to me by His Holiness, the Sringeri Jagadguru, during our first sacred encounter — purely through His infinite compassion, without even my asking.

I do not teach on my own. I am only able to teach because I have been blessed with the most profound Upadeśas from my beloved Gurus, and especially from Pujya Swami Paramarthananda, whose illuminating clarity and steadfast compassion have shaped my entire path. This Deekṣā and these teachings are not mine — they belong to the unbroken tradition of the Guru–Śiṣya Paramparā. I am merely a humble instrument, striving to be a vehicle of their Grace and Light.

GURU DAKSINA

In alignment with our sacred Guru Paramparā, the nectar of Vedantic knowledge is offered freely, as it has been since beginningless time. This teaching is a gift (vidyā dānam), given without expectation, by a teacher who is a causeless ocean of compassion (ahetuka dayāsindhuḥ).

A student's role is to receive this knowledge with a heart of gratitude and reverence. An essential part of this sacred exchange is dakṣiṇā – an entirely voluntary offering given according to the student's capacity. This is a purifying act that completes the learning process, transforming it into a sāttvic (pure) endeavour.

Dakṣiṇā is a sacred contribution that supports the preservation of this eternal tradition – helping sustain the teaching lineage and creating opportunities for this wisdom to reach future generations.

We currently have two donations campaigns:

A Home for the Guru: Support the Gurukulam’s Heart
https://chuffed.org/project/142754-bringing-the-guru-to-the-gurukulam

Bringing Light to the Gurukulam
https://chuffed.org/project/135227-bringing-light-to-the-gurukulam

ABOUT US:

We are part of the authentic Guru Paramparā of Advaita Vedanta. 🙏🕉️

Saccidānanda Ācārya has received the Blessing of his Guru, Swami Paramarthananda, to teach from Swami Ji’s transcripts.

Saccidānanda Ācārya received Deekṣā (a sacred Śiva mantra in May 2021, in his first Darśan) from Sri Vidhushekhara Bharati Swamiji — the 37th Jagadguru of Sringeri — with permission to pass this Deekṣā on to his qualified students.

In 2023, H.H. Sannidhanam, the 37th Sringeri JagadGuru, entrusted to Saccidānanda Ācārya and his best śiṣya Subodhananda two blessed mūrthis — one of Adi Shankaracharya and one of Śāradāmbā — to be placed in our upcoming temple and Gurukulam.

Our official AVAE website has been reviewed and approved by Pujya Swami Paramarthananda, who conveyed that the write-ups are complete and extends his full blessings for our programs.

We also received the blessings of Swami Sakshatkritananda, the head ācārya at Swami Dayananda’s ashram in Rishikesh, after we completed the property payment; he offered his good wishes for the project.

DISCLAIMER:

Find an authentic Guru and an authentic Guru Paramparā. The scriptures and the sacred tradition warn: never study or practise alone. The Advaita Vedanta Teachings are very profound and abstract; mistakes in understanding can mislead. Seek a living line and a living teacher.

If you want to find out more about our noble vision to establish an authentic gurukulam (ashram) in Greece / Europe, please visit our website:

https://www.advaitaashrameurope.com