The ślokas from the īśāvāsyopaniṣad underline Sadguru Sri Madhusudan Sai’s twenty-sixth discourse of the Master the Mind series. Here, Sadguru reflects on how man can transcend the limitations of his worldly self by realising Oneness with the Divine. Indeed, the purpose of man’s journey on earth is to transform himself from being a roga jīvī or a bhoga jīvī to becoming a tyāga jīvī and ultimately, a yoga jīvī. When he does attain a state of yoga, he becomes completely equanimous, and all his sufferings and miseries disappear. However, the one who does not reach this state follows the repeated cycles of birth and death. Sadguru urges the spiritual aspirant to eschew a life spent in the pursuit of material attachments and sensory pleasures, and instead take to a path of mastering the mind to realise his Oneness with the universe.

Efforts in this direction, should however be taken up throughout man’s life and will eventually culminate in the attainment of ānanda. He cannot be redeemed by superficial repentance and prayers at the very end of his life if he has led a sinful life all along, for his karmas will finally get the better of him. Admittedly, taking the road to Oneness is an arduous task, but it is the only way to realise the Self. The misfortune of our present times is that since the collective consciousness remains ignorant, future generations are misled by those who would have otherwise been their role models, teaching them this wisdom. Notwithstanding this, Sadguru encourages aspirants with the message that the efforts of a few will eventually culminate in a global revolution that will reestablish the spiritual moorings and make the world shine once again in all its splendour.