05/29/2026
Sri M concluded the 2026 spring retreat season at the Sacred Grove, Graham, after a profound series of five retreats, which featured discourses on the Tripura Rahasya, five major Upanishads, and two sacred Kriya Yoga initiations.
On the final day of this transformative gathering, he brought the teachings to a powerful close by weaving together the core essences of the Katha and Mandukya Upanishads.
Drawing from the Katha Upanishad, Sri M illuminated Lord Yama’s description of Brahman as the ultimate reality hidden within the heart of every creature. This divine essence is simultaneously smaller than the smallest and greater than the greatest. It does not exist in space; rather, space exists within it. As Yama beautifully notes, Brahman sits still yet travels far, and while lying down, it goes everywhere.
To show how a seeker can realize this unmoving reality, Sri M highlighted the Upanishad's famous chariot allegory:
* The Master of the Chariot is the true Self (Atman /Brahman).
* The Charioteer (driver) is the higher intellect (Buddhi).
* The Reins represent the mind (Manas).
* The Horses are the five senses (Indriyas).
* The Roads they travel are the objects of the senses.
The spiritual journey succeeds when a seeker masterfully aligns their intellect and mind to quiet the senses. By gaining control of the chariot, one safely navigates the roads of the material world to reach the ultimate destination: the supreme, deathless state of Brahman.
Transitioning to the Mandukya Upanishad — the shortest of the major Upanishads at just 12 verses — Sri M drove home the radical truth that our ultimate internal reality (Atman) is entirely identical to the absolute reality of the universe (Brahman).
The text maps this truth out through the sacred syllable AUM, revealing it as a precise phonetic tool for enlightenment:
* A represents the waking state (Jagrat), our outward-facing awareness of the physical world.
* U represents the dreaming state (Svapna), our inward-facing awareness of thoughts and desires.
* M represents the deep sleep state (Susupti), where all dualities temporarily dissolve into peaceful, unmanifest potential.
Sri M emphasized that the absolute truth lies in the silence that follows the chant. This silence is Turiya—the underlying, infinite reality. Turiya is not a fourth state to be reached, but the background screen of pure consciousness that witnesses the other three change and pass.
By shifting our identity away from the changing ego and realizing we are Turiya, the silent witness, we instantly realize our true nature: entirely free from the limitations of time, space, and suffering.
