All individual beings, whether awake or sleeping, have in them an essence called Brahman that never changes ̶ the essence of all beings is the same Brahman. It is the one all-controlling unitive principle that supports the individual beings and the entire universe. As an ever-glowing lamp, Brahman, through Its inherent intelligence and power, oversees all beings and the universe round the clock and ensures their working as intended. The changeless one essence present in every being is our true nature, although in our normal life no one realizes the truth. When (and if) we do chance to experience the essence called Brahman, we enjoy the supreme ‘value’ or ānanda we can ever aspire to; it is perfect bliss or śānti (perfect peace). We cannot perceive Brahman with our sense organs, but know It only as an intuitive experience.

The invisible Brahman expresses or presents Itself as the cosmos and life, which are held in place or supported by the inherent power of Brahman. Brahman acts as a perfect self-operating system, holding the cosmos in its proper order. The self-operating system is the dharma in the domain of Brahman or absolute dharma. The dharma system supports life and all other phenomena we experience. If we understand and align our life with absolute dharma, we are said to be leading a righteous life. Only then will we enjoy perfect happiness, peace, and harmony. Otherwise, our life is one of adharma (opposite of dharma). A way of life that is not in harmony with absolute dharma causes all worldly sufferings.

Our active body receives life-giving energy from Brahman. That energy which animates the body is the soul, spirit, or sometimes called the individuated self. The individuated self in us has always an urge to return to the pure being of the universal Self (Brahman) to which it belongs. Pure Self is nothing but Brahman, which also means the individuated self is impure. The impurity is the accumulated coloration or conditioning owing to its interactions with the external world. The mind and sense organs of every person have accumulated a lot of worldly stuff (conditioning). Influenced by the accumulated stuff or conditioning, the individual always acts to match his/her likes and dislikes. In effect, the impurity that surrounds the self becomes the hindrance to experience a person’s true nature, which is Brahman. This happens because one always works to cater to the necessities of the body. In this case, the individuated self is performing the relativistic dharma. The inner urge of a human being to transcend the limitations of the body is the influence of absolute dharma or Brahman within. (Many factors attenuate the strength of this urge to go back to Brahman and therefore not prominent in most people.) Thus, the individuated self has both its absolute dharma and relativistic dharma. An individual lives most of the time performing his/her relativistic dharma.

Consciousness always seeks liberation, but the limitations of the body-mind complex are its constraints. The human memory system automatically records a summary of every physical experience in the world, whether pleasant or unpleasant. The storage of those records is the coloration or conditioning we have mentioned. Such accumulated coloration makes the individuated self ‘impure’, so to say. This process, which keeps happening always, hides our true nature, Brahman (pure Self). When consciousness (individuated self) is free of its impurities (coloration), it unites with the pure Self (It is Yoga); rather, what happens is the realization that the individual self and the pure Self are the same Brahman.

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