Sunday, 13 September 2026

Stardust and starlight

Hari Aum.
 
Om Namo Narayanaya. 

I recently visited a science museum with some of my relatives and saw an amazing virtual reality show about our cosmos. It was based on real astronomical data gathered from various observatories. It made one feel as though one was walking through space, seeing stars, planets, galaxies and even black holes.

It was magical. Breathtaking. Absolutely stunning.

(My favourite childhood memories include visiting the local planetarium to watch shows about the stars. They are so beautiful. But this was even more special due to the virtual reality aspect —we were not sitting looking up at the stars; we were walking among them!).

As this science show explained, we are all literally made of star stuff. We are all physically made of stardust or cosmic dust.

As many of you will know, the nebulae (which are the ‘nurseries’ where stars are born) are filled with gas and materials that create not only stars, but also their surrounding planets and the beings that live on them.

We are, therefore, literally born of the stars (physically). The materials in our bodies are ancient, made of recycled matter (that existed in the soil, and in the plants and other substances we eat). 

When a star dies, it may form a supernova which leads to an enormous explosion that scatters starry material over vast distances in space— this material is used for the creation of new stars (and their associated planets).

At the end of the show, my relatives and I felt a sense of extraordinary wonder, of awe, of joy, a thrill — at living in such a cosmos. 

How vast is the cosmos. How small is our Earth. And, how tiny and microscopic are we in the grand scheme of things.

Yet, our little Earth is very unique. It is described as being in the ‘Goldilocks zone’ in the cosmos— a spot at just the right distance from a star, our Sun, which leads to a temperature that sustains life as we know it here (not-too-hot and not-too-cold).

So, today, as we go about our daily routines, let us take a moment to remember that we are, all of us, made of stardust. Born from the stars, we were made to reach the stars. Not just the light of the physical stars (in terms of space travel in the future) but very importantly, the light within—the light of awakened consciousness.

Each of us is truly a little light in ourselves, a little spark made from the great lights in the sky above us— physically. And in terms of our consciousness, we are a little spark of the great Light, that immense power that created this immeasurably vast universe and ourselves.

It is easy to forget this reality in the midst of our busy daily lives— but when we look up at the night sky, glowing with stars, we can remind ourselves of this wonderful truth. 

We are very fortunate to be here. On our own little Goldilocks planet, our Earth, having the opportunity to live our lives, spend time with our loved ones, and reach out for the ultimate star—the Divine that created us all. 

So, let us take care of this Earth, our shared home. It is so beautiful, so very precious. And, let us chant a little mantra daily for peace within and without. The mantra is our guiding light; a manifestation of our inner star, our inner light. Let this light shine bright in our lives.

Om Parameshvaraya Namah. 
Om Namo Narayanaya 

P.S. After watching this stunning show on the cosmos, I purchased a simple, portable handheld telescope and am excited about doing some more star gazing. Many of our neighbouring planets (e.g. Venus, Mars) are visible in the night sky with the naked eye. I am hoping to get a slightly better view with my mini-telescope. 

P.P.S. We are all made of star stuff. In the world of spirituality and twin souls in particular, it is said that some of us are also ‘starseeds’—beings who lived in other worlds in the past (it is likely that many of us on this Earth have lived elsewhere before we were born here, especially as the cosmos is vast, and we have been born many times).

Starseeds are said to be one type of being who are interested in spiritual growth (their own and encouraging that of others). This is some further information on star seeds: https://www.yourtango.com/self/things-feel-true-might-be-starseed-soul-originated-from-another-world

I’d never heard of starseeds until a couple of years ago when I realised that I was on a twin soul spiritual journey. I have had dreams of the stars on a few occasions (often for no particular reason), specifically the constellation Orion (this is one of the constellations associated with star seeds). In some of these dreams, my twin soul was also present. 

Based on the description of starseeds associated with Orion, and certain features of my life (including dreams, distinctive birthmarks, and other life experiences), I feel it is a possibility that my twin soul and I are starseeds connected with this constellation.

And one specific task of Orion starseeds is to recognise the connection between science and spirituality—something which I’ve discussed in previous posts and will continue to write about (as a spiritual seeker and practicing doctor). This is an interesting description of Orion starseeds (which fits with my experience): 

I may write more about this topic of starseeds and their spiritual journey later (Pradnya, the twin soul I’ve mentioned elsewhere on this blog, has also shared some information on this subject online).

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Thursday, 10 September 2026

Message to my twin soul

 Hari Aum.

I do not know what you are going through currently. But I want to say that I feel this connection with you is real.

I hope you and I can have friendly bond one day. 

I also want to say that you mean much more to me than you realise. Please trust the universe that everything will turn out as it is meant to, and all will be well in the end. 

I do not want us (and other twin souls) to carry sadness throughout our lives at the way this connection played out. The universe does everything for a reason which will ultimately be for our wellbeing.

I want you to know that I love you. And always will. 
There was a bereavement in my social circle recently which reminded me that people do not express their feelings for each other often enough, and it can then be too late. I do not want it to be too late for us.

Our circumstances may be typical for twin souls, it is true. But so is the love. 

I feel the love is real and at least I feel the need to recognise it. 

I hope you are well. I also hope your spiritual life is going well (as that seems to be the main purpose of this twin soul journey). Take care and may the universe keep you well. I do miss you. 

Om Sri Lakshmi- Narayanabhyam Namah.
Hari Aum Tat Sat.

P.S. If the mirror numbers is the only communication you feel capable of, that’s ok. I would be happy to see them.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Friday, 4 September 2026

Janmashtami greetings

 Hari Aum.

I would like to wish all readers a very happy Janmashtami. May Lord Krishna bless us all, our families and the world at large.

One of the best ways to worship the Divine, aside from mantra japa, is donating to worthy causes. One worthy cause that I would like to suggest is supporting the relief work in Nepal. The horrific flooding that affected that portion of Himalayas last week has left many people in need as entire communities were washed away. There are various aid agencies that are working to provide relief to the people there and I would suggest that donating to support their work would be a good way to celebrate the birthday of Lord Krishna.

I was watching the Mahabharata online recently (the 2013-14 version). I had watched it years ago in Hindi, but this time I am watching it in Malayalam (as I am presently learning this language--which is my mother tongue spoken by my ancestors in Kerala-- and my teacher told me to watch some programmes in the language). Although it has elements of the usual Bollywood drama, it is actually very well made in my view. It truly brings to life the various aspects of human nature, and most of all, the futility of war.

It also shows that there are no real winners in any war-- either on a small scale between people, or on a large scale between countries. We are all parts of a single Divine being. It is not truly in our nature to fight with each other. 

We do fight because of our individual egos, something that we each have to deal with all our lives until we attain Self Realisation. But, it is important to keep our egos in check-- otherwise, we will find ourselves in the middle of a Mahabharata war in our own lives. And that would very unfortunate.

While tackling our own egos, we also have to deal with other people's egos all our lives-- whether at home, or at work, or in society at large. The best way to deal with our own ego, and those of others, is of course to invoke the Divine. And, in my view, one of the best forms of the Divine to invoke is Sri Krishna, the playful yet serious avatar of Narayana.

Some years ago, I wrote some books on His Lilas as described in the Bhagavatam. However, a substantial portion of His life is described in the Mahabharata-- I have read condensed versions but not the full original one. I am hoping to get hold of this and read it in the coming months. I might then write about bits of it (as I did recently with regard to the bond between Draupadi and Krishna). (As you might have noticed, my reading of the Ramayana has been paused currently; I will return to this again later).

On Krishna's birthday, I just want to say that He is truly a very unique avatar of the Divine. I have read books about many divine avatars and their divine Lilas-- but, in my view anyway, there is no avatar quite so extraordinary and interesting as Him.

Every word, every action of His from birth till His departure involved blessing His devotees, teaching them important lessons about life and protecting them. Although, He is said to have withdrawn His physical form from this planet five-thousand years ago, many people still feel His blessings and protection daily.

Our Gurus tell us that it is not very difficult to connect with Him and to obtain His grace (and many of us who follow their teachings have experienced the truth of their words on some level). All is takes, they say, is to repeat one of His mantras daily, and try on some level to be a decent person (to keep one's own ego in check, and be restrained when dealing with the egos of others). It is very strange but true. He is here today, just as He was all those years ago. 

Regarding my own spiritual practice, I am plodding on with my seventh purascharana at a very gentle pace (have committed to 5-9 malas a day based upon my circumstances). I am in the midst of my life as a householder-- there are plenty of responsibilities related to both home and work. 
Yet, in some ways, after all these years of being a householder, He has on some level made a sannyasi out of me. I feel more of a sannyasi today than I did many years ago when I was contemplating formal vows of sannyasa. 

The reason is very simple. It is one thing to choose God over the world when one has not really experienced what the world actually is. It is quite another to choose God over the world after one has experienced a great deal of it-- both the highs and the lows. (When I say 'sannyasa' here, I am talking about an internal state, not the external robes and lifestyle of sannyasa).

Ultimately, when one has been walking the spiritual path for some years, it becomes very clear to most spiritual seekers that God alone is one's true refuge in life. We see that we cannot find true peace and bliss anywhere else. Not in ourselves, and not in others. It is not our fault and it is not the fault of others either. This is just the way we are all made. 

All our minds, filled with the three gunas of Prakriti (sattva, rajas and tamas) are designed to be ever-moving, ever-changing and ever-restless on some level. They are not designed to produce lasting peace and happiness-- to ourselves or anyone else (looking for happiness here is like looking for water in the mirage of a desert-- a complete waste of time).

This is the reason Krishna tells Arjuna 'Abhyasena tu Kaunteya!' (Keep practicing, Arjuna/son of Kunti!) when the latter declares the mind is impossible to control (in the Bhagavad Gita). And that is what we all must do if we wish to attain the spiritual goal of life-- abhyasa or practice, every single day. 

On that note, I will conclude this post and go off and do some more abhyasa of my own. As usual, the Krishna books that I wrote and published on Amazon Kindle will be available for free download around Janmashtami-- the dates this year are Sunday September 6 to Thursday Sept 10 inclusive (starting midnight PDT); I hope you find inspiration from them for your sadhana. 


Shri Krishna sharanam mama. Om Namo Narayanaya, dasoham tava Keshava (the mantra recited in the Sivananda centres).

Hari Aum Tat Sat.