Just like every one else, I am continuously inspired by various people, phenomena, places, things etc. In these posts, I’d like to share/blog about those that inspire and motivate me in and drive me in various aspects of my life, work, thoughts.

When I was in my 12th (at the age of 17), I had all sorts of questions regarding life, universe and everything. Partly because of my stupid nature of questioning everything, and partly because of my mother’s teachings and brain-washing. The topics my mother used to discuss with me were of more of a spiritual nature rather than religious. And it is through her how I first came to know about Swami Vivekananda.

As I started looking for answers everywhere , my interest in philosophy, mysticism grew more and more. First I went to Theosophical Society (in Guntur) to read the books by various authors including Jiddu Krishnamurthy, Blavatsky etc.  I tried understanding the Bhakti movement by ISKCON, I even studied the books by Eknath and Swami Rama. All of them were above my level of understanding or failed to give me convincing answers.

During my engineering in Machilipatnam, I got a chance to read 8 Volumes of “Vivekananda Sahitya Sarvasvamu” (The Complete Works of Vivekananda) published by Ramakrishna Mission in Telugu. These books not only helped me understand the basics of hindu spirituality, but also the helped me forming the basic understanding of Advaita Vedanta. It is not just his writings that inspire me, it is his magnificent personality and his compassion and determination as well. Without his teachings, I would have never got the miniscule of knowledge that I have now about the spirituality and Vedanta. His ideas and explanation of the complex scriptures including his commentary on Patanjali Yoga Sutras and Raja Yoga left indelible impressions in my memory. I feel privileged to get a chance to read his teachings, and hopefully, I continue improve myself and live a meaningful life enriched by his teachings.