asangOham asangOham asangOham punah punah
sacchidanandaroopOham ahamevaahamavyayah II
Unattached, unattached, unattached am I, again and again; of the nature eternal Existence-Knowledge-Bliss am I; I am That. That am I, which is the irreducible, immortal, endless factor.
At the end of every meditation session, Guruji (Sri Sri Ravi Shankar) recites the verse above in his soft and lilting voice. During my first Part 2 course, I used to eagerly await this part since it meant a momentary respite from hurting knees and numb feet. But even amidst the throes of pain, this verse struck me as so totally beautiful and empowering. Don’t you think so? It feels so eternally uplifting. Above all, it assures me that I am as boundless and eternal as I could ever imagine. Yes, I am That. That which is unchangeable, immortal and endless.
I attended my second Part 2 course of Art of Living this weekend and all the missed calls, unchecked emails and voice mails seem well worth it. It was such an experience and as always, it left me *curiouser and curiouser*. Of course, my dream is to attend a course with Guruji… That will be one helluva experience, I am sure! Most of the course is conducted in silence and that is such a different experience. Everyone works together with perfect co-ordination and sync, in silence. The feeling of family and belongingness that the course instilled in all of us was so utterly beautiful. There were a few course participants from Auburn University, Alabama. A couple of them were university professors, old and respected. On the last day of the course, one of them who happens to be the HOD of the Computer Science Dept. in Auburn told me, “Agli baar jab janm logi, tab mere ghar mein janm lena.”
Wow!
99kanitas says:
Don’t you think so?
sure do 🙂
Is AoL partly based on Gita teachings?
December 6, 2004 — 11:11 am
Lakshmi says:
Not really… The course does just what it says… teaches you about the art of living! Go take the course, Anu…:-)
But seriously, it encompasses a lot of things, not just the Gita.
December 6, 2004 — 11:15 am
tomlinsonian says:
Beautiful…
I have always had a inherent distrust of people trying to tell me how to live my life….and thus, the Chicken soupses and the AoLs, i’ve shied away from..
However, I am not averse to learing from anyone – just people who claim to know better.
In this case, if locks says this, I might have to rethink my thoughts.
PS. Watching Matrix 3, with asatoma sadgamaya( Pillaged and plundered no doubt) playing, my hackles stood on end..I always like to see sanskrit in Devanagri script…its so much more appealing..
December 6, 2004 — 11:33 am
Lakshmi says:
Re: Beautiful…
I have always had a inherent distrust of people trying to tell me how to live my life…
Me too. I thought that I had my own way of leading my life, a very specific tailormade pattern of my own. I was extremely wary of all these *feel good* philosophies and such stuff. But about 10 months into AOL, I am so much at home! And as for mindless philosophising, there are enough individuals who do it anyways… AOL does not do that. Frankly, you must take a Basic course – that’s the best way to make up your mind. Don’t listen to what others say – their explanation is limited to their perception and their ability to articulate.
December 6, 2004 — 11:45 am
Tom says:
I feel the same way. But I’ve found there’s a difference between a seeker looking for guidance and someone simply gathering information—like we would when asking a coach for advice on how to handle something in business.
The same applies with Art of Living teachers. They won’t seek you out, but if you come with a genuine desire to learn, they can show you processes that are skillfully designed to guide you through all seven layers of existence.
The only direction anyone truly needs is already within them. Once the stress is removed, we see who we are: love, joy, contentment—and that’s what answers everything. Not the teacher.
I see it like stepping onto a giant racetrack. Some reach the finish line faster; others take a bit more time. But once we learn how to take the turns and handle the G-force of the race, we move forward with more ease.
In the Art of Living, the finish line isn’t some external goal—it’s your smile, deep rest, and a true sense of self.
June 5, 2025 — 4:29 pm
Lakshmi says:
Thanks for writing, Tom! I don’t think we have ever met but your name is familiar to me. Hope you are well.
Lakshmi
June 6, 2025 — 12:00 pm
arunshanbhag says:
thats very interesting. The quote reminded me of Jonathan Livingstone Seagull proclaiming essentially the same thing, “what your wingtips remind you is limitation…’ Very nice.
The AoL courses seem interesting. Amazing, they have several in our neck of the woods. Will look into it!
the only other time I did something like this was a few years ago, I went on a retreat to a Trappist Monastery in Gethsemani. As you may know, the trappists are a catholic monastic order characterized by their frugal lifestyle and ‘vow of silence.’ I loved it and it changed me for ever. I have it on my CV not only as an accomplishment, but it should give the reader an insight into my mental makeup.
I always felt that destiny brings you to where you have to go next.
Vijaya Laxmi!
December 6, 2004 — 12:07 pm
Lakshmi says:
Vijaya Laxmi!
Huh?
Btw, that’s my Mom’s name. Vijayalakshmi, to be precise.
December 6, 2004 — 12:12 pm
arunshanbhag says:
used it in the spirit of ‘viva la france’
funny though d/o vijayaL
🙂
and you didn’t even read the intense stuff i wrote? it was one of those rare moments, you know.
December 6, 2004 — 12:22 pm
Lakshmi says:
Intense stuff? Ok, the experience with the Trappist monks… I did think that it was something different…Would like to know more about what you felt if you can share.
December 6, 2004 — 3:02 pm
shri says:
That ‘vow of silence’…seems similar to Vipassna. Ever done that?
However,am curious to read about your experience.
December 7, 2004 — 2:14 am
arunshanbhag says:
sorry, have not done ‘vipassna.’
The Trappist monastic experience was a life-altering event at a critical time of my life. I don’t know if I can describe it – it is completely a part of all that I do. 🙂
December 8, 2004 — 10:49 am
Lakshmi says:
I don’t know if I can describe it – it is completely a part of all that I do. 🙂
Clearly words fall short when it comes to describing such life-altering experiences.
December 12, 2004 — 7:06 pm
lalunadiosa says:
My Mom will be very glad to know that you did the second course as well – did Pinchoo attend as well???
December 6, 2004 — 12:15 pm
Lakshmi says:
Yeah, he did. He missed the first day since he flew in late but he resumed Day 2 onwards… Did your Mom do the course too?
December 6, 2004 — 12:21 pm
lalunadiosa says:
Yup – Mom and Dad both….
December 6, 2004 — 12:25 pm
Lakshmi says:
Did they like it? Do they practise the Kriya regularly? I also did the Sahaj Samadhi course some 3 months back.
December 6, 2004 — 12:28 pm
lalunadiosa says:
They did like it – don’t think Dad practices kriya regularly but I think Mom does….
December 6, 2004 — 1:25 pm
ruchikapoor says:
WOW man…WHAT a compliment!!!
December 6, 2004 — 6:57 pm
Lakshmi says:
You bet… I was blown!
December 7, 2004 — 6:14 am
shri says:
That verse is so beautiful. 🙂
As for AoL courses, have heard so much about them and how good they are, etc; am curious about such courses. I am a skeptic when it comes to AoL,meditation, Vipassna and such things. I can’t even explain why I am such a skeptic when it comes to these things!! Maybe, one day, I will give them a try and decide for myself. 🙂
December 7, 2004 — 2:18 am
Lakshmi says:
If you are curious, you must go ahead and take it. No one can actually explain to you what the course does. It’s a very personal and deep experience. Seriously, give it a shot, Shri…
I was a skeptic for a long time myself before I took this course this year.
December 7, 2004 — 6:16 am
Uma says:
Thanks a lot for posting the meaning. I took silence course last weekend. This song sung by Gurudev just got stuck in my head and is still giving me so much peace. I didn’t want to know the meaning as his voice gives deeper meaning. Yet wanted to understand and stumbled upon your blog… Just couldn’t find a better word to say Thanks!
Jai Gurudev!
May 26, 2015 — 4:54 pm
Lakshmi says:
Wonderful. I love hearing that verse by Gurudev. This post is 10+ years old! So interesting that you found it amid the millions of posts out there. 🙂
Jai Guru Dev!
May 26, 2015 — 9:29 pm
Rebaone says:
Just finished an art of silence course a week and a half back.
I always welcomed that chant by Guruji signaling the end of a meditation. Even after doing so many part 2 courses.
This recent course somehow the mantra and Guruji’s talks hit home and made want to understand what it meant!
December 7, 2016 — 3:48 pm
Lakshmi says:
That’s my experience too, after all the Silence programs.
December 16, 2016 — 11:14 am
Kman says:
Very nice! I landed here searching “Asangoham …” as I listen to a wonderful musical rendering of this full slokam in U-tube every day during meditation. It is very uplifting. If you are interested you can use this link to hear the wonderful song so beautifully done
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4DIsTyL7AE
April 6, 2018 — 7:47 pm
Sanjay Kapoor says:
Dude Auburn! I am in Alabama!
January 30, 2021 — 11:19 am
Ramesh Hariharan says:
https://open.spotify.com/track/7xcwAWfwlpLD2GRpfJ7ujP?si=9PcgIX5ASry5niIn5LAAeA
Adi Shankara’s verse – Bramha Jyanavali Mala đź’•đź’•
June 2, 2024 — 7:47 am
Lakshmi says:
Is it? I didn’t know… thank you!
July 15, 2024 — 9:34 am