The Centrifugal Soul: Finding Your “Centre” in a Simulated World

We are living in the age of the ‘Digital Paradox’. We have never been more “connected,” yet we have never felt more untethered. For most of us, the line between the real and the simulated hasn’t just thinned; it has effectively dissolved.

Our lives are spent in hyper-personalised digital silos. We are fed algorithms that tell us what to think, how to feel and who to follow. The result? The loss of the “Quiet Mind” and ending up in a scroll-hole. In this frantic chase for external connection, we must stop and ask a fundamental question:

“Who” is doing the chasing and with “whom” are they trying to connect?

The Wisdom of Being “Swastha”

In many Kashmiri households, the standard greeting for health in the good old days was “Swasth roz” (May you be healthy) or “Swasth chuka?” (Are you healthy?). Growing up, most of us assumed this simply meant the absence of a fever or a cold. But the etymology holds a much deeper secret.

The word Swastha is a composite of two Sanskrit roots:

-Swa: Self

-Astha: Established or situated.

To be Swastha is to be “established in oneself.” It describes a state of being where you are so rooted in your own internal centre that the external storms of the world—the notifications, the war updates, the social pressures, a silly argument—cannot knock you over. True wellbeing isn’t just a physical metric; it’s a spiritual anchor that keeps your inner strings in tune with your core.

The Centrifugal Force of Modern Life

Think of your mind like an object moving in a curved path. In physics, centrifugal force acts on an object moving in a circle, pulling it away from the centre of rotation.

The farther we drift from our “Swa” (our True Self), the more agitation we experience. This isn’t just “stress”—it is the literal friction of being off-centre. When we live solely in our digital personas, our professional titles and physical appearance etc, we are living at the jagged edges of the circle. We feel the “pull” of anxiety because we have lost our axis.

The more we chase external validation to fix this feeling, the faster the circle spins, and the harder the counter force throws us away from our centre/self and straight into chaos.

Enter Kashmir Shaivism: The Path of Recognition

How do we stop the spinning? This is where the ancient wisdom of Kashmir Shaivism offers a radical, ancient “tech support” for the soul.

Unlike many philosophies that ask you to “renounce” the world or “fix” yourself, Kashmir Shaivism teaches the concept of Recognition (Pratyabhijna). It suggests that you don’t need to become peaceful or attain enlightenment. You simply need to recognise that your true nature is already vast, conscious and whole.

It views the entire universe as Spanda—a divine vibration or “throb” of energy. When we are “off-centre,” we are out of sync with this vibration. Kashmir Shaivism provides the tools to move from the chaotic edge of the circle back to the still point at the centre. Even sitting still for a few minutes and meditating can bring some order in the chaos we create around us. A simple act of making our body still (Kaya Sthairyam ) for just 10 minutes can help to still the mind.

From Survival to Sovereignty

Staying centred all of the time is a tall order in this day and age. However, through the practice of self-awareness, we can shorten the time it takes to return to our centre.

We transition from being a victim of the “centrifugal force” of life to being the sovereign of our own experience. By becoming ‘Swastha’, we don’t just survive the digital age; we explore our true nature within it. We realise that the “connection” we were chasing through a glass screen was waiting for us at the centre all along.

May you discover your Swastha state and remain seated in it.

A short Swasti mantra from the Rigveda to bring peace to our minds.

ॐ स्वस्ति न इन्द्रो वृद्धश्रवाः।
स्वस्ति नः पूषा विश्ववेदाः।
स्वस्ति नस्तार्क्ष्यो अरिष्टनेमिः।
स्वस्ति नो बृहस्पतिर्दधातु॥
ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः॥

Om Swasti Na Indro Vriddhashravaḥ: May Indra, who is of great fame/wisdom, bless us with well-being (Swasti).

Swasti Naḥ Pūṣā Viśva-Vedāḥ: May the all-knowing Pūṣā (The Sun God) bless us with well-being.

Swasti Nas Tārkṣyo Ariṣṭa-Nemiḥ: May Tārkṣya (Garuda), who protects from danger, bless us with well-being.

Swasti No Bṛhaspatir-Dadhātu: May Bṛhaspati (Lord of wisdom) grant us well-being.

Oṃ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ: Om Peace, Peace, Peace.

Jai Gurudev.

-by Abhinav Dhar