01/02/2026
Upadesa Satsanga by Saccidānanda Ācārya
15th of November 2025 -From Devotion to Liberation: Maturing Your Vision of the Divine
Hariḥ Om. Beloved Śiṣyas,
please sit comfortably and bring your attention within. Let us share a profound truth today, a truth that will transform your entire understanding of God and your own Self.
My dear ones, the heart naturally seeks a form to love. In the beginning, this is beautiful and necessary. We see God as a divine person. The Bhagavad Gītā assures us: "patraṁ puṣpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayacchati"—"Whoever offers Me a leaf, a flower, a fruit, or even water with devotion, that I accept" [BG 9.26]. This personal God is the boat that carries us across the river of worldly sorrow.
But my children, if we are sincere seekers, we cannot remain in this beautiful beginning forever. The Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣad opens our vision: "eko devaḥ sarvabhūteṣu gūḍhaḥ"—"The one divine Being is hidden in all beings" [ŚvUp 6.11]. Every face is His face, every atom is His body. God is not just in the temple—God is the temple.
Yet even this glorious vision is not the final truth. The Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad declares: "neti neti"—"Not this, not this" [BṛUp 2.3.6]. The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad reveals this as Turiya: "advaitam caturtham manyante"—"The Fourth is known as the Non-dual" [MāṇḍUp 7]. It is pure consciousness, existence and bliss.
Now comes the heart of all teachings. The Chāndogya Upaniṣad thunders: "tat tvam asi—"that thou art" [ChUp 6.8.7]. The consciousness that you are is the same consciousness that pervades the entire universe. Śrī Śaṅkarācārya explains in Vivekacūḍāmaṇi: "brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā jīvo brahmaiva nāparaḥ"—"Brahman is real; the world is unreal; the jīva is none other than Brahman" [VC 20]. The Pañcadaśī reveals our true nature: "saccidānanda svarūpaṁ"—"Of the nature of Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss" [PD 1.20].
The great sage Aṣṭāvakra declares: "tvaṁ eva sarvam asi"—"You alone are everything!" [AG 1.11]. The Ribhu Gītā constantly reminds: "ahaṁ brahmāsmi"—"I am Brahman" [RG]. And Gauḍapādācārya in Māṇḍūkya Kārikā establishes: "na nirodho na cotpattiḥ... na badho na ca sādhakaḥ"—"There is no dissolution, no creation... no one in bo***ge, and no seeker after liberation" [MK 2.32].
My dear ones, all these glorious teachings have come to me through the infinite grace of my beloved Gurus. To my Pūjya Svāmī Paramārthānanda, who is the very embodiment of the teaching—"guruḥ sākṣāt paraṁ brahma"—the Guru is verily the Supreme Brahman itself. It is he who lit the lamp of knowledge in this heart with such systematic clarity and profound compassion.
And to my revered Guru-jī Śrī Saniddhānam of Śṛṅgeri, who in his infinite grace offered me dīkṣā without my even asking—just as the sun gives its light without being asked, just as the rain falls on the earth without being summoned. His spontaneous grace reminds me of the Lord's promise in the Gītā: "teṣāṁ satata-yuktānāṁ... dadāmi buddhi-yogaṁ taṁ yena mām upayānti te"—"To those who are constantly devoted, I give the yoga of understanding by which they come to Me" [BG 10.10].
I stand as a mere instrument between these great souls and you, my beloved śiṣyas. I pray constantly to be the right vehicle—clean, clear, and worthy—for these eternal teachings to reach all sincere mumukṣus. I seek to be a transparent window through which the sunlight of the Guru's wisdom may shine upon all seekers. May this knowledge flow through me for loka saṅgraham—for the welfare of all beings, for the preservation of our sacred tradition, and for the liberation of all hearts still seeking the light.
Therefore, my beloved śiṣyas, let your devotion mature into wisdom. Love God with form, but Know God without form. Worship the personal deity, but recognize the impersonal Reality. And understand that the worshipper, the worshipped, and the act of worship are all manifestations of the One non-dual Consciousness.
Sit quietly now, and let this truth resonate in your heart: "I am not this body, not this mind. I am the timeless, spaceless, actionless, non-dual Consciousness. I am That I am."
May this knowledge, flowing through the grace of my Gurus, dawn in your hearts and set you forever free.
With all the grace flowing from my Gurus' infinite compassion, with blessings for your steady progress on this sacred path, and with the love that sees the One Self in “all” of “you”...
Your ever-well-wisher in Ātma-jñāna,
Saccidānanda Sachidananda Acharya
Hariḥ Om Tat Sat.
