Guru Atma Nambi is a contemporary spiritual master from Tamil Nadu, India. The core of his teaching, as he highlights in this interview with ALotusInTheMud.com, is Awakening the Self. He approaches this through a combination of ancient wisdom and modern, practical methods, often referring to his work as ‘life science’ to appeal to young people.
His approach is unique in that he adapts his teachings to the audience’s level, focusing on practical techniques for a conscious and prosperous life in harmony with one’s potential.
In 2010, he established the Upanishad Ananda Mandir (UAM) in Tamil Nadu, India, and his organization has since expanded globally with centers in the USA, Europe, and Brazil. His ultimate aim is to create a mass spiritual awakening and guide people to experience their true nature, which he says is ananda.
Born in 1955, Atma Nambi’s spiritual quest began in his childhood, leading him to study under various teachers who initiated him into different paths of yoga, including Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, and Raja Yoga. His journey of spiritual practices, or sadhana, culminated in his Enlightenment in 1994. Following this profound experience, he spent two years in complete silence before dedicating himself to teaching. Prior to fully immersing himself in his spiritual mission, Atma Nambi had a career in the corporate world, quitting a top managerial post in a major pharmaceutical company in 2008. He is a householder, is married and and father of twin sons.
Guru Atma Nambi was recently in New York, leading programs at Ananda Ashram in Monroe, Upstate New York. He graciously gave an exclusive interview on Zoom to Parveen Chopra, Founding Editor of A Lotus In The Mud. Excerpts:
Parveen Chopra/ALotusInTheMud.com: Guruji, I have browsed through your website, and it details many of your teachings and initiations. What is your core teaching?
Guru Atma Nambi: Yeah, the core teaching is AWAKENING. Awakening the self through various paths and various methods. For example, I’m using the paths called the karma yoga, bhakti yoga, jnana yoga, raja yoga and so on. Yet, our ultimate aim is awakening.
Lotus: In today’s world, many seekers feel overwhelmed by stress, distractions, and the frantic pace of modern life. So what is the first step you’ll recommend for somebody beginning the journey inward?
Atma Nambi: To start with, they have to go to their mind level and find out what is really causing the stress, tension, and anxiety. Study about the mind, their own mind.
“I am different from other gurus in the sense that others, as far as I know, are using a particular path again and again, whereas I just talk to my audience. I first study the audience, where they are, and then I guide them accordingly.”
~ Guru Atma Nambi
Lotus: But you also talk about moving from mind to being. So, can you explain how one can recognize this shift in daily life from mind to being?
Atma Nambi: Yes, it is possible. First, they have to do the homework – studying their own mind and the senses, what the mind contains, and how the mind is functioning. They have to know, first of all, through a competent teacher, master, or guru. And then they have to work on their own mind.
Lotus: The general impression is that young people these days are not interested in spirituality. But you say that among the people you come across, there are more young people.
Atma Nambi: Yes, it happens because I am not using spirituality in a conventional manner; I am using it in a modern way. I also used the term ‘life science’. When I talk about that, youngsters get interested.
Lotus: There are so many gurus and spiritual traditions and organizations and institutions, how is your teaching different from theirs?
Atma Nambi: I am different in the sense that others, as far as I know, are using a particular path again and again and again, whereas I just talk to my audience. I first study the audience, where they are, and then I guide them accordingly. For example, when I talk to young people, I discuss their lives, how they can improve them, and how they can live life to the fullest.
Lotus: Many of your students are in America, even in South America. Many must not be of Indian background. How do you find them different from Indians? Are their problems different? Are their attitudes different? How do you change your approach to teach them?
Atma Nambi: By and large, the mind is the same whether it is the Indian mind, the American mind, or the Australian mind. The mind is always doing the same thing, you know, faces same struggles. But when it comes to culture and the way people are brought up, those things are slightly different. The structure of the mind remains the same – anger, worries, and fear are the same whether you are Indian or American.
Lotus: You have been teaching for three decades. What changes have you seen in the world? Is the world becoming better or is it going downhill?
Atma Nambi: Yeah, the world is actually getting better as I see it. Because a kind of saturation point has been reached from the material point of view. Now it is the real wellness people are looking for. So many people suffer from one illness or another. They have money and every comfort, but they are not able to enjoy life. First and foremost, they now realize that a holistic approach is very important for them to live life happily and fully.
Lotus: On your website, I came across Atma Healing. What is this soul-level healing?
Atma Nambi: Yeah, I always say that the pharmacy is inside everyone, the inner pharmacy. One only has to know how to open and use this pharmacy. The interesting point is that in the same body, we have disease as well as the healing force. In other words, the doctor and the patient are inside the same body.
Lotus: Covid for the entire world, for everybody on this earth, was a massive calamity, a big catastrophe. How did that change the world or people’s attitudes toward life and health?
Atma Nambi: Covid turned out to be a guru, a real master to the masses. They learnt a lot from Covid’s destruction, especially in terms of acknowledging the importance of physical, mental, and emotional health as well as spiritual upliftment.
Lotus: You are a guru from India. What is the role of ancient Indian traditions, of Hinduism, or Sanatana Dharma, in guiding humanity through the global challenges today, challenges such as strife, violence, and war, and climate change?
Atma Nambi: Yes, Sanatana Dharma is the one and only way, the only key for the betterment of humanity all over the world. That way, India is a guru for the entire world.
Lotus: When you started teaching, you must have been alone. How have you multiplied yourself? Do you have teachers who take your programs further because you cannot do it alone?
Atma Nambi: Yes, in the beginning I started myself. By and by many, many friends started joining with me in this journey of spirituality. Now I am training them. I’m giving training in teaching to them. Now they have also started teaching by themselves. I am creating teachers and leaders, I call them spiritual pilots. For example, there are many spiritual pilots around me right now on this trip in America.
“Sanatana Dharma is the one and only way, the right key for the betterment of humanity all over the world. That way, India is a guru for the entire world.”
~ Guru Atma Nambi
Lotus: Which cities have you visited on your US tour this time, and what is next on your itinerary?
Atma Nambi: I’ve been visiting the US since 2016, almost every year. I would come here and visit many states, from east to west, from north to south. This time, I landed in St. Louis, and for five days we had satsangs and retreats there. I also visited the new Murugan Temple there to which I was invited. The temple’s consecration is going to happen soon.
After St. Louis, I came to New York to do programs at the Ananda Ashram in Monroe. My next stop is Washington, DC. I will go to Europe next.
Lotus: I read your profile, and it says that you are a family man. Tell us about your wife and two children.
Atma Nambi: Yes, my wife is a doctor; she practiced gynecology. She is a yogini by birth. Our twin boys have grown up and are into filmmaking in Chennai. They make ad films for big companies. Their names are Siva Sankar and Siva Kumar. They are not directly associated with my work, but they help me, especially in the media world.
Lotus: Guru ji, you have known and admired Life Positive magazine that I started in India as editor. Lotus is that magazine’s digital avatar. Please bless us, and give a message for our readers.
Atma Nambi: I am blessing you because, through Life Positive only I came to know about you and our common friend, D.R. Kaarthikeyan (former CBI chief associated with many spiritual organizations). Going through the magazine, I felt happy because it was a very useful magazine for people today. Now you have taken another avatar, which is a very elevated avatar. In the digital world of today, you jumped from print to digital, rightly at the right time. So you would be able to do much more, a greater job than before and we will support your effort.
Over the past two decades, I have spoken about various subjects, spirituality and other holistic subjects. They are all in video form on our website. Lotus readers can view them and benefit.
Contact: www.atmanambi.org, email: info@atmanambi.org/
