Indian philosophy is top

India has inherited vast and profound knowledge. However, it was not taught to students because the British did not want to let Indians know how profound their heritage is. They even told the students that it is not worth anything! It was a lie, which was intended to undermine their self-confidence.

Yet fortunately, the New Education Policy with its inclusion of the Indian Knowledge System (IKS), makes Indians again familiar with their profound and vast heritage which encompasses all fields – from philosophy, science, arts, music, economy, medicine, architecture, metallurgy, astronomy and down to food and even warfare.

I consider India’s Vedic philosophy, Advaita Vedanta, as the foundation of it all, because it is about our eternal Self from where true love and inspiration come. The other aspects of Indian knowledge are meant to help us during our lifespan in this world, which is of course also important, but ultimately this lifespan is more like a dream or Maya.

A lot of Indian knowledge (we don’t even know how much and what knowledge) has reached the West, often by looting, and it inspired science and philosophy in a big way. Many foreigners also have discovered Advaita Vedanta. There are now numerous videos on the net which claim that “the basis of everything is consciousness”. This claim has its origin in ancient Indian texts, but they usually do not mention it.

Also, the theory, that our universe is not real, but a kind of simulation, is now taken seriously in the West, since Elon Musk also stated it. The Rishis called this simulation ‘Maya’.

I wished, those foreigners would acknowledge that the ancient Indian Rishis had handed this knowledge down…

Here is an example from a ‘political’ German podcast where spiritual topics arose:

Before the German election on 23. February 2025, I watched an interview with a popular radio journalist and podcaster Kayvan Soufi Siavash (Ken Jebsen). He has a German mother and an Iranian father. Kayvan had become ‘controversial’, because he now endorsed the ‘right-wing’ AfD party. Earlier, he had supported the Left, and the interviewer wanted to know what made him change his views.

I had expected that he talks about politics. But surprisingly, he talked a lot about philosophy, more precisely, about Indian philosophy. He said that he believes we are like actors on a stage and, like Elon Musk, he also feels that our world is not the real thing.

He further said, the most important thing is to find out ‘who am I?’ and this cannot be done by thinking.

He said, like most journalists, he is thinking a lot, but he wants to give up thinking and explains: “for example, when I read something, afterwards, I try to forget it. But the knowledge is there of course. Now, when I speak on a podcast, I consciously take the risk to let my words flow without thinking. Then something higher takes over and I am myself surprised “did I really say this?” He stressed that there is something, which looks after us and which “stands behind you when nobody else stands behind you.”

“What do you mean? Do you mean God?” the interviewer asked. Kayvan replied, “You can call it God or Shiva. It is a higher level of consciousness, and it supports you, when nobody else stands by you.”

Kayvan is clearly familiar with Indian philosophy. And if it needed a proof, the fact that he mentioned Shiva is proof. He also mentioned that he is very intense on his yoga mat. This interview confirmed what I had noticed earlier: many are in search for the Truth also in the West. Many go back to Christianity, because they don’t know anything else, but many also discover India’s wisdom, like this podcaster, even though Hindus do not make much effort to spread this valuable knowledge.

But this interview also gave me pain. Because many Indian youths may not even understand what Kayvan was talking about, for example, when he said, that the most important thing in life is to find out “Who am I?”

Even today many Indians don’t know, that it is the knowledge of their Rishis when foreigners talk about ‘all is consciousness’ or ‘the world is Maya”. Many have never heard: ‘Brahman Satya Jagat Mithya’, which means Brahman is real and the world is an illusion. It is the core of Advaita Vedanta.

There is hope that the inclusion of this knowledge into the curriculum, will make Indians again familiar with their precious heritage and inspire them to do sadhana. The Bhagavad Gita gives many helpful tips regarding Jnana Yoga (yoga of knowledge), Bhakti Yoga (yoga of devotion) and Karma Yoga (yoga of action). A guru is also helpful. Bhakti surely is very helpful – to hold tight to one’s Ishta Deva for example with the help of a mantra. The different Devas are representations of the one Brahman within Maya.

Only intellectual knowledge of what we really are, is not enough. To lift our life to a higher level, we need to connect with our true Self. Then there is not only confidence in oneself as a person but, more importantly, confidence in one’s true Self which is always present and ‘stands behind us, when nobody else stands behind us’.

By Maria Wirth