In the humdrum of everyday life, we rarely have time to ask the fundamental question about our existence—Who am I?
Who Am I? Scientific Spiritual Search—a blend of spirituality and science—attempts to reclaim that forgotten inquiry and present itself as a cinematic meditation.
Produced by Vandana Khaitan’s Vande Krsna Foundation, the over one-hour film is a step-by-step guide that helps viewers to walk inward, from the restless outer world to the subtle inner layer of consciousness.
The central thesis of the 3D animation film, based on the book by Yogi Protoplasm (Swami Prajna Aranya Ji), disciple of Ramana Maharshi & Yogi Rama, is simple yet profound—human unhappiness stems from an impure, extroverted, and gross mind. According to the film, life is purification, concentration, and introversion.
The film raises many pertinent questions and provides answers, too. Interestingly, each answer is substantiated by scientific evidence.
For instance, it says that one of the easiest ways to purify the mind is through meditation and selflessness. To walk the spiritual path, the film says, one needs two virtues—Viveka (discernment) and Vairagya (detachment). A purified mind becomes a “passport to bliss,” even calling such a person a “bliss billionaire.”
The essence of the film lies in its attempt to explain meditation in scientific terms.
Instead of relying solely on scripture, it scientifically explains how meditation influences brainwave activity—alpha, beta, gamma, theta, and delta waves—explaining the neurological shift that corresponds to calmness and awareness. This integration of neuroscience provides a modern scaffolding to ancient practices, making it easier for viewers seeking empirical explanation with spiritual insight.
Directed by Sachidanand Harsh Anand, the film delves deeper into genetics, pointing out that humans have thousands of genes that determine physical characteristics and 46 chromosomes, 23 from each parent. The movie raises the big question: who controls this methodical change if life starts with a single cell that multiplies with startling accuracy? Who created the millions of species and the genetic code?
Its answer aligns with yogic philosophy: the cosmic intelligence, Sat-Chit-Ananda Parmatma, is directing this vast movie of existence.
Ambitious both conceptually and visually, Who am I? Scientific Spiritual Search is more of a reflective journey than a traditional documentary. Screened at the International Spiritual Film Festival Ujjain in 2016, It provides an organized introduction to Vedantic philosophy and inspiration for viewers who are spiritually inclined. Some claims may seem more metaphorical than empirical to audiences with scientific training.
The movie is beautiful not because it provides a definitive answer to the question, “Who am I?” but rather because it encourages the audience to pose the query and possibly start the internal search.
Click here to watch the movie:
Click here to know more about Vandana Khaitan and her Vande Krsna Foundation: https://vandekrsnafoundation.org/
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