Mahavakya: The Essence of Vedanta

by Sarvapriyananda

Drawn from the illuminating lectures of Swami Sarvapriyananda, this book explores the Mahāvākyas—the great statements of the Upanishads that reveal the highest truths of Advaita Vedanta. This book delves into their profound meaning, exploring their implications on Consciousness, non-duality, and the unity of the individual self with the Absolute. Whether you are a spiritual aspirant or a scholar, this work offers a deep and accessible exploration of the Mahāvākyas ultimate wisdom.

86 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 9, 2025

About the author

Swami Sarvapriyananda, MBA (Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar), born Biswarup Mitra, is a Hindu monk (sannyasi) of the Ramakrishna Order, currently serving as the resident Minister and spiritual leader of the Vedanta Society of New York. Previously, he served as assistant minister of the Vedanta Society of Southern California, and held a Nagral Fellow at Harvard Divinity School.

Reviews

[Jaro · Rating 1 out of 5]

Alas, too many dimwitted meddlers obscure Sarvapriyananda's clarity. These people ruin the book by inserting intermediate headings every other pragraph. The insensitivity astounds me. The other two books are the same. The headings disrupt the natural coherence of the talks. Also, it is a misstake to try to "translate" these talks into a book-language, and insert things like "in this chapter..." when the natural thing would be to just give us his whole talk.

This is a reveiw of the book, not of Sarvapriyananda's talks which are beyond words.

Listen to his talks instead, until someone publishes his talks as talks.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sarvapriyananda unpacks the Upanishadic mahavakyas (“great sentences”)—like “Tat Tvam Asi” and “Aham Brahmasmi”—and shows how they point to the nondual truth of the Self, inviting the reader into an experiential inquiry.
Even so, I struggled with this a little. This is Sarvapriyananda in full academic mode, minus his characteristic humor and warmth.

[William Kuevogah · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent primer.