Are You Ready to Call Yourself a Modern Rishi?

The Modern Rishi does not escape life, but transcends illusion.

For many years I have said that Vedanta is not blind belief, ritual repetition, personality worship or spiritual entertainment. It exists to produce clarity. It helps us examine what we have assumed, see the forces that shape our thinking, and recognise what is real beneath inherited identity, fear and conditioning.

The Modern Rishi Movement is the next step in that work.

It is for people who question what others repeat, who examine what others merely believe, and who would rather face an uncomfortable truth than live inside a convenient illusion.

This movement is not for everyone.

If you repeat mantras daily without ever asking what they mean, you will find nothing here. If you prefer inherited belief to direct understanding, or want another guru to follow, another personality to worship, another comforting system to tell you what to think, look elsewhere. And if you are unwilling to question your own assumptions, identities, loyalties and conclusions, you are not ready for this yet.

A mantra is not a mechanical refuge from thought. A teaching memorised while life continues unchanged has achieved nothing. The words of Vedanta and the Srimad Bhagavad Gita have to be examined and understood before they can mean anything at all. They exist to transform perception, bring clarity to action and free the mind from confusion.

Who is a Modern Rishi?

A Modern Rishi lives fully in the world without being ruled by its noise, acts with awareness rather than reaction, and values truth above emotional convenience.

There is no withdrawal from responsibility here. The Modern Rishi works, creates, leads, protects and serves, but is not imprisoned by status, praise, fear, ideology or the demand for approval. Divisions of gender, religion, nationality, class and wealth are recognised as conditions of human life, not as the truth of what one is.

None of this means passivity, detachment or indifference to suffering. It means living with greater attention, discipline, courage and compassion.

Why this movement now?

Information has never been more abundant. Clarity is still rare.

People inherit beliefs before they are capable of examining them. They are taught whom to admire, whom to fear, what to defend and what must never be questioned. Political identity, religious identity, social labels, media narratives and group loyalty colour perception until people can no longer separate what they see from what they have been trained to see.

The Modern Rishi Movement begins with the willingness to examine that colouring. It asks:

What do I actually know?
What have I only repeated?
What has shaped the person I take myself to be?
Am I seeing clearly, or through filters handed to me?

How Tavamithram Led to the Modern Rishi Movement

Through Tavamithram, I have presented Vedanta and the Srimad Bhagavad Gita as instruments of understanding and freedom, never of religious authority or blind faith.

The Modern Rishi Movement carries that work into a wider space. It examines perception, identity, social conditioning, inherited belief and intellectual courage, and how these forces shape the way we think, react and live. Its foundation is Vedanta; what it addresses is life as it is lived now.

The movement formally begins on 15 August 2026. Until then, the new Modern Rishi site will introduce its vision, principles, films and reflections.

Are you ready?

You do not need to agree with me, accept a doctrine or surrender your intelligence to anyone. You do need to be willing to look. Question what you have inherited, investigate what you repeat, and examine whether your convictions arise from understanding or from conditioning.

If you are ready for that, enter.

Atma Bodha: A Complete English Rendering of the 68 Shlokas

Many people spend years looking for guidance, blessings, secret methods, special experiences, and spiritual personalities to follow but somehow never take the small step of reading the texts that actually contain the teaching.

The Srimad Bhagavad Gita, at least a few of the principal Upanishads, Nirvana Shatkam, and Atma Bodha are not hidden. They are freely available. They do not require theatrical devotion, emotional dependence, or loyalty to a personality. They require a serious mind.

Atma Bodha, said to have been composed by Shri Adi Shankaracharya about 1400 years ago, is short enough to be read in about half an hour. Yet, if approached with an open mind, it can give extraordinary clarity. Its purpose is not to create a believer. Its purpose is to remove confusion and delusional beliefs, including religious ones. The 68 Shlokas can be divided in thre movements, which I have compressed the three sections in this post on Substack. CONTINUE READING ON SUBSTACK.

This video is for those who want to approach Vedanta with clarity, seriousness, and direct enquiry.

Watch the full video here, or if you want the compressed version first, you may go to the Substack post.

Don’t believe. Know!

Self-Enquiry in Advaita Vedanta: What Remains?

Sometimes you identify with your body and say, ‘I look good,’ ‘I am fat,’ ‘I am getting old,’ ‘I am sick.’ Other times, you identify with your mind and say, ‘I am excited,’ ‘I am depressed,’ ‘I am angry.’ When life is going well, you say you have a great life, and when you feel low, you say your life is terrible.

Your body changes. Your mind changes. Your story changes.

What are you, then, when everything you call yourself keeps changing?

Give me less than ten minutes.

CONTINUE READING ON SUBSTACK

Timeless Vedanta – Don’t Believe. KNOW!

Introducing “Timeless Vedanta” – A Channel Dedicated to Non-Dual Wisdom

The Timeless Vedanta Channel on YouTube

Dear Readers,

“It brings me immense joy to announce the launch of my new YouTube channel, Timeless Vedanta – a space dedicated solely to sharing the pure essence of Advaita Vedanta in a clear, rational, and practical manner.

“In today’s world, which is saturated with noise, confusion, and often superficial spirituality, there is a deep hunger among thoughtful seekers – especially young minds – for clarity and truth. Timeless Vedanta is a space to gain such understanding

“This channel is not about religion, dogma, or blind belief. It is about direct exploration, deep inquiry, and the timeless truth of non-duality – the understanding that your innermost Self is not separate from the reality that pervades all existence.

What You Can Expect:

  • Thought-provoking explorations of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, and Brahma Sutras
  • Connections between Vedantic thought and Western philosophies, including Spinozism and Stoicism
  • Simple, logical explanations of profound topics such as consciousness, existence, and the nature of reality
  • A firm rejection of superstition, ritualism, and unnecessary complexity
  • Content that encourages critical thinking, self-reflection, and most importantly, direct understanding

Why “Timeless Vedanta”?

Because truth does not age. It is not bound by culture, belief, or time. The teachings of Vedanta, when stripped of layers of tradition and theological interpretation, reveal a science of consciousness that is as relevant today as it was thousands of years ago.

This channel is open to people of all cultural and religious backgrounds who have an open mind and a sincere desire to seek clarity.

This channel is an invitation to rediscover that wisdom, to see clearly, and to live freely.


📌 Subscribe to Timeless Vedanta today
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💬 Join the conversation, share your thoughts, and grow with a community of sincere seekers

Where Vedanta Begins, War Ends: How This Ancient Wisdom Can Transform The World

From Dogma to Direct Experience: The Practical Power of Vedanta

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Most people live their lives filled with noise, dogma, and contradiction, making sense of life a challenging task. They have unanswered questions, such as, “Who am I?” or “What’s the point of all this?” They are either caught up in beliefs and rituals, have no inclination to engage with such questions, or, due to their beliefs, are afraid to question traditions, or simply too busy to stop and think.

Religions and ideologies claim to offer answers, but more often than not, they leave us confused and divided. They demand belief, but fail to encourage true understanding.

Vedanta is not another belief system. It offers a unique method – a way of seeing – that helps you distinguish between what is real and what is assumed. It doesn’t require blind faith. Instead, it invites you to look within and engage with your own direct experience.

The power of Vedanta lies in…READ ON SUBSTACK

Religion Failed You – Vedanta Won’t

VEDANTA DOESN’T NEGATE ‘GOD’, IT ….. (READ ON AND WATCH THE VIDEO)

Vedanta gets you out of DELUSION.

READ ON SUBSTACK. JOIN MY SUBSTACK. HURRY UP! THIS SITE WILL SOON MOVE TO SUBSTACK!

What if everything you’ve been taught about ‘god’, worship, and salvation is just the kindergarten of the path of the rational philosophy of Vedanta?

The ancient Rishis (wise, selfless sages) spoke in metaphors and extensive analogies—not to hide the truth, but because ultimate reality must be directly experienced. It cannot be handed to you as dogma or belief.

Yet what do the ignorant masses do? They take the allegories literally and spin them into entire new cults, sects, and traditions! Haven’t you seen all those ‘I-know-it-all’ bearded men in flowing robes strutting around like proud peacocks who spin yarns about being reincarnations of some old sages who existed 50,000 years ago and so on? Where does all that come from? How do those people even get there? One reason: The IGNORANCE of the masses strengthened by the disease of DUALITY infused into them – or rather, the lack of knowledge of NONDUALITY or universal oneness in them.

Watch the video presentation below to understand why such profound analogies exist in the Puranas, Itihasas, and Vedantic scriptures at all.

It is indeed comforting to believe in a ‘divine father’ watching over us—listening to our prayers, changing all his plans only because we were ‘good children’ or fasted sincerely, rewarding good, punishing evil. Temples and prayers sustain this. A necessary beginning, maybe, but it is like ‘spiritual kindergarten’. True awakening requires quitting kindergarten and progressing toward Vedanta’s university.

Below are a few points why Vedanta stands apart:
• It rejects all blind belief in any supernatural being or other such unintelligent stuff in favour of direct knowledge
• It transcends ritual worship through Self-inquiry
• Through studying the master-disciple dialogues, seekers systematically remove ignorance to recognise their true nature – which the Srimad Bhagavad Gita reveals as the highest state of consciousness – SBG 2:72

What we call “spiritual seeking” often becomes mental chasing. Vedanta ends this by revealing:
✓ The illusion of separation between seeker and sought
✓ That rituals cannot give what you already are
✓ How to recognise the eternal presence beyond birth and death
✓ That the ultimate goal isn’t conceptual – it’s a transformed state of mind (what the Gita calls “sthita-pragnyaa”) SBG 2:55

This isn’t about new beliefs – it’s about realising the truth that:
• Liberates from all mental conditioning
• Establishes one in natural peace
• Reveals consciousness as your fundamental state

This is not about adopting new beliefs—it’s about transcending belief itself, to know truth directly.

📽️ Watch “Vedanta vs Religion: The Truth Will Set You Free”
(For those ready to move from concepts to direct realisation)

The wave need not believe it is the ocean—it need only look and realise that it is the ocean.

Aum Tat Sat.

This knowledge isn’t “enlightenment” — it’s what remains when all illusions fall away.

🔄 I know few will read this or watch the myth-shattering video – truth tends to terrify the comfortable. But if these words stir even the faintest doubt in some corner of your conditioned mind, share it with someone still trapped in ‘spiritual kindergarten’. They might just deserve their first taste of freedom.

Monk Mindset, Modern Life

The myth of needing perfect conditions for peace

READ ON SUBSTACK

What does true peace look like?

Is it a secluded beach at sunset? A mountaintop retreat? The moment after you achieve a long-sought goal?

A photography contest once asked this same question—and the winning answer stunned everyone.

It wasn’t the most beautiful image. It wasn’t the most dramatic. But when the judges saw it, they immediately knew: This is it. This is real peace.

What did they see that moved them so deeply?

And more importantly – how can you access that same unshakeable calm, no matter your circumstances?

I explore this in my new video, “The Essence of Peace: A Journey Beyond Fear and Attachment.” It’s not what you might expect.

You’ll discover:

  • The hidden trap in how we chase peace (and why it keeps slipping away)
  • The 2-word mental shift that dissolves worry instantly
  • What predators, bouncing cups, and your deepest fears all have in common
  • Why “preparing for the worst” is actually the key to fearless living

This isn’t theory. It’s a revelation hiding in plain sight—in a poor village, in life-threatening crises in my life, and in the quiet space between your thoughts.

Peace isn’t something you find. It’s something you stop losing.

Watch here:

“The battle was never with the world. It was always in the mind—and the mind was never really you.”

P.S. The most extraordinary truths often wear the disguise of ordinary moments. This one might catch you by surprise.

Kenopanishad – The Path Beyond Perception

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What if everything you worship, think, and perceive is not the ultimate truth?

The Kenopanishad shakes the very foundation of our understanding by revealing that Brahman—the ultimate reality—is not what the senses perceive, nor what the mind can grasp. It is that by which all perception happens, yet remains beyond perception itself.

I am pleased to share my English explanation of the Kenopanishad, now available on the new Vedanta channel, Timeless Vedanta. This Upanishad is a profound text that explores the nature of ultimate reality, the limitations of perception, and the essence of Brahman—the supreme truth that is beyond the grasp of the senses and intellect.

This video presents a clear and insightful analysis of the Kenopanishad, encouraging deeper reflection and self-inquiry. Watch, learn, and break free from blind beliefs to embrace the wisdom of Vedanta.

Your engagement helps spread the knowledge of Advaita Vedanta and enables more seekers to benefit from these ancient yet ever-relevant teachings.

Summary of the Kenopanishad

The Kenopanishad from the Sama Veda’s Talavakara Brahmana is a profound exploration of Brahman, the ultimate reality that transcends sensory perception and intellectual comprehension. It is structured into four sections, addressing the nature of consciousness, the limitations of the mind and senses, and the necessity of realisation beyond mere knowledge.

I. The Nature of Brahman

The text begins with fundamental inquiries: What is the force behind the mind, speech, and senses? What enables perception and cognition? The answer given is that Brahman is the unseen power that enables all faculties yet remains beyond their grasp.

  • Brahman is the “ear of the ear, the mind of the mind, the speech of speech, the life of life, and the eye of the eye.”
  • The wise attain immortality by renouncing identification with the senses and realising this truth.
  • Brahman is beyond thought, speech, and sight, yet it is that by which the mind thinks, speech expresses, and the eyes see.
  • “Nedam-yadidam-upaasate” – That which is worshipped as an object is not Brahman; the real Brahman is that which enables perception itself.

II. The Paradox of Knowing Brahman

The Upanishad asserts that Brahman is not fully knowable, nor is it completely unknown. It is beyond dualistic comprehension:

  • If one thinks, “I know Brahman,” they have only a partial understanding.
  • Brahman is known by those who realise they do not fully know and remains unknown to those who think they know it completely.
  • True knowledge of Brahman leads to immortality, strength, and ultimate fulfilment.

III. The Parable of the Gods and Brahman’s Revelation

The Upanishad illustrates the ignorance of the gods through a symbolic story:

  • After a great victory, the gods (Agni, Vayu, and Indra) assume their triumph is solely their own.
  • Brahman appears as an unknown Yaksha (divine being) to humble them.
  • Agni, the fire god, fails to burn a blade of grass; Vayu, the wind god, fails to lift it—revealing their limited power.
  • Indra, seeking answers, meets Uma (Parvati), the embodiment of wisdom, who reveals that their victory was due to Brahman alone.
  • Indra, being the first to realise this, is praised above the other gods.

IV. The Flash of Realisation

  • Brahman is realised like a lightning flash or a blink of an eye—sudden and beyond conceptualisation.
  • The seeker must meditate on Brahman as “Tadvana” (the most desirable).
  • Austerity, self-restraint, and righteous action serve as the foundation for realisation.
  • One who attains this knowledge becomes established in Brahman, free from ignorance, confusion, suffering, and Karma

The Kenopanishad asserts that Brahman is the essence of all experience but cannot be objectified. It must be known intuitively, not intellectually. The Upanishad leads the seeker away from external worship to direct self-inquiry, revealing that the ultimate truth is not in what is perceived but in that which enables perception itself.

Click here for the complete text of the Kenopanishad in English

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How to Destroy the Illusion of False EGO in 5 Minutes?

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Can an Eye See Itself? Understanding the Nature of the Self

[This is a continuation of the post “Not Your Body? Quick Tips to Discover Your True Self!”]

Many seekers struggle with the concept of the Self, often expressing confusion and frustration over their inability to “connect” with it. I’ve heard people saying things like, “I feel the disconnect with my own self,” and so forth. The fact is that such statements are logically flawed. Why? Because the Self is not something to be seen or grasped—it can only be realised. CONTINUE READING AND WATCHING THE VIDEO ON SUBSTACK.

11 Years of Vedantic Wisdom: A Special Gift of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita Audiobook

11th Anniversary of tavamithramsarvada.com

It was after one of the many miracles in my life that I started this blog back in 2014. My intention was not only to share my knowledge of Vedanta, but also to walk alongside fellow seekers on the path of self-inquiry and truth. I created a website dedicated to the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, featuring Sanskrit Shlokas, transliterations, and my own English translations. Over the years, thousands have visited my blogs, and I have published accessible translations of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita along with hundreds of videos.

Today, as we begin the 12th year of this blog, and as a gesture of friendship and affection, I am releasing my latest audiobook as a YouTube video. The video is as long as a typical feature film, but the difference is profound—the three hours you invest in this audiobook can transform your entire outlook on yourself, others, and life itself.

All you have to do is press play and listen to it. I have explained the entire text in an easily relatable manner.

As someone deeply devoted to sharing the wisdom of the Srimad Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishads, I have never promoted rites and rituals in my work. Anything or anyone that obstructs one’s realisation of truth or delays their pursuit of true knowledge is best avoided. All dualistic beliefs and attachments inevitably lead to suffering. The only path to liberation is the pursuit of the ultimate non-dual truth—beyond which nothing more remains to be attained.

Despite offering free copies of this audiobook through promo codes, many still do not complete the book. It is this widespread ignorance that religious figures exploit, building their own cults and keeping followers perpetually ‘drugged’ on beliefs, myths, and rituals.

The Srimad Bhagavad Gita itself states that the supreme truth is easy to attain. What is required is ‘Jignyaasa’—curiosity, inquisitiveness, and a sincere desire for knowledge.

Since this audiobook is now available on YouTube, all that is required is to start the video and listen.

With affection and best wishes, I urge you to watch the entire video without skipping or missing any parts.

Stay blessed

Jai Shri Krishna