04/01/2026
SATSAṄGA UPADEŚA 26th of November 2025
On the Ultimate Truth: Only Knowing that Knows Itself
For Beloved Śiṣyas
by Saccidānanda Ācārya
I am able to teach due to the Grace of my beloved Gurus H.H. Śrī Śaṅkarācārya of Śṛṅgeri Maṭha, and Pūjya Svāmī Paramārthānanda. I have received their Light through the eternal guru-śiṣya paramparā and hope to be a vehicle of their Grace and the śāstric wisdom they preserve.
My beloved śiṣyas,
Sit with me in stillness.
Not as a listener of words, but as the very Awareness that hears all words.
Do not strain to achieve anything new.
Do not search for what you already are.
Simply remain as the presence that you are.
You are here. And you know you are here.
Pause for a moment and feel this simple certainty: I AM.
Before your name, before your history, before every story you believe about yourself—there is Knowing.
The Upaniṣads declare through the eternal paramparā:
Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi — I am Brahman.
Ayam Ātmā Brahma — This Self is Brahman.
Tat Tvaṁ Asi— That Thou Art.
This Knowing is not an action to perform.
It is not an effort to make.
It is the Self-luminous Awareness that never sleeps—svayaṁ-prakāśa caitanyam.
As Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad proclaims: Prajñānaṁ Brahma — Consciousness ITself is Brahman.
And Gauḍapāda, in Māṇḍūkya Kārikā, reveals: There is no creation, no destruction, no bo***ge, no seeker, no liberation. This is the ultimate truth known through śāstra pramāṇam.
But my dear śiṣyas, this recognition doesn't come through mere listening or intuition alone. Our tradition provides the systematic three-fold process:
Śravaṇam — systematic study of śāstra under a qualified teacher
Mananam — removing doubts through reasoning
Nididhyāsanam — abiding in this recognition until you abide as That.
So I ask you gently, with the precision of our tradition:
What is It that knows your thoughts yet remains unchanged by them?
What is It that witnesses your breath yet doesn't come and go with it?
What remains when all thoughts fade in deep sleep?
That silent Presence is not an object to attain.
It cannot be seen, for it is the Seer—dṛk Itself.
It cannot be grasped, for It is the very grasping power.
Ṛbhu Gītā sings: I am not the body. I am not the mind. I am pure Consciousness, eternal and unborn. There is nothing but Me.
Aṣṭāvakra Gītā whispers: You are free now. You always were.
But remember, my beloved ones—these beautiful declarations are confirmed by śāstra pramāṇam, not merely experienced. As our tradition teaches: "Śāstra pramāṇad eva brahma jñānaṁ"— Self-knowledge comes Only through scriptures.
Ādi Śaṅkarācārya declares: Brahma satyaṁ jagan mithyā jīvo brahmaiva nāparaḥ
Brahman alone is real. The world is appearance. The individual Self is not different from Brahman.
And Śrī Kṛṣṇa assures from Bhagavad Gītā: Know Me as the Knower in all the apparent bodies.
The Self is unborn, eternal, indestructible.
Beloved one, that Knower is YOU.
Not the doer—akartā.
Not the thinker—asaṅgaḥ.
Not the suffering entity—asaṁsārī.
But the Awareness “IN” Which all these appear—sākṣī caitanyam.
Tell me now, quietly within:
Who are you when no thought arises?
Who are you when the world dissolves in sleep?
Who are you when even "I" disappears?
This is not emptiness to achieve.
This is pūrṇatvam — Fullness beyond comprehension—that śāstra reveals.
The Kena Upaniṣad proclaims: That Which cannot be known by the mind, but by Which the mind knows—that is Brahman, That is your true nature.
So do not chase experiences.
Do not cling to visions.
Simply recognize through śāstra: You are already the Witness.
Observe the mind, but know you are not the mind—asaṅgaḥ.
Observe emotions, but know you are not emotions—akartā.
Observe the body, but know you are not the body—asthūlaḥ, asūkṣmaḥ.
You are the unchanging Knower—kūṭasthaḥ nityaḥ.
And as Bhagavad Gītā concludes: Abide in Me alone. Surrender all concepts of the illusory self.
Surrender not as weakness, but as recognition of what śāstra reveals:
You are already free—Nitya Muktaḥ.
The ego will resist.
The body-mind will tremble.
But return again and again to this śāstric truth:
I am not the story.
I am the Awareness in which the story appears—adhiṣṭhānam.
Sit with this daily, beloved ones, through nididhyāsanam.
Not as discipline, but as abidance in what śāstra has revealed.
Let your life flow outward, but your Being remain as the inner Knower.
I do not give you something new.
I only point you back through śāstra to your eternal Reality.
This is what our paramparā has preserved.
This is Satsaṅga.
This is Grace.
This is That.
Remain as Knowing—Jñāna svarūpaḥ.
Be as You Are—yathā sthitaḥ.
With infinite tenderness and the silent love that flows from śāstra to śiṣya through Guru paramparā,
Sachidananda Acharya
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
