Para Vidya (Higher Learning) Vs. Apara Vidya (Lower Learning)


The Mundaka Upanishad divides knowledge into two streams. Apara Vidya embraces all sciences and arts—the brilliance of mathematics, the sweep of history, the beauty of literature and philosophy. These disciplines teach us about the world of names and forms, yet remain within the realm of duality. Para Vidya, by contrast, points only to the essence—Brahman, Consciousness, the clay beneath all pots. The first refines the intellect, the second liberates the self. To honor both is wisdom: to study the many with care, and to seek the One with devotion.

When Philosophy Meets Poetry and Laughter


Schopenhauer once wrote that there are only two real escapes from the suffering of existence: asceticism and art. In my own life, I touch both paths. I live simply, asking little of the world, yet I seek refuge in songs, laughter, poetry, and the wisdom of philosophy. These moments of art dissolve the restlessness of desire, as if time pauses and the weight of striving falls away. Between simplicity and beauty, I find not escape, but a quiet harmony with life itself.