Let’s indulge in some philosophy today. Advaita Vedanta.

What is Advaita Vedanta?

Advaita Vedanta is the Indian philosophy of non-duality which states there is only one
ultimate reality (Brahman), and the changing world is merely a temporary appearance.

It teaches that your individual self (Atman) is identical to this universal reality,
much like a wave is distinctive in form but identical to the ocean in substance.

Liberation comes from shedding the illusion of separation and realizing you are not
the limited body or mind, but that infinite, unchanging consciousness.

Concepts and Definitions

The philosophy is encapsulated in the phrase “Brahma Satyam, Jagan Mithya” (Brahman
is the Truth, the World is Illusion), offering a radical system upgrade for how we
view the world.

  • Mithya - Apparent Reality / Illusion
  • Satya - Absolute Reality
  • Gyaan - Realization of the Truth
  • Saakshi Bhaav - Spiritual practice of cultivating a detached, non-judgmental
    “witness” attitude toward your own thoughts, emotions, and the world around you

As a human progresses in life, their knowledge (Gyaan) evolves. What is only a
T-Shirt in childhood is realized to be cotton threads in adulthood. As this
progression happens, we realize that the object being a T-Shirt is a partial truth
or illusion; the truth is that it’s cotton threads. And then we learn that the
physical unit of thread is Trichome, polymer, monomer, and eventually the building
block would be glucose. So, apart from the eventual truth (whatever that structural
unit of existence is), everything else is just an illusion (Mithya)—it’s something
that is not untrue, but also not the purest form of truth.

Note: We won’t learn the entire philosophy today. We’ll use this as the base
information to apply to software development.

Tying this to Software Development

Even a senior software developer who has mastered the syntax of the coding language
drowns in the complexity of transient frameworks. That’s probably because the coding
language’s syntax is Mithya (apparent reality), but not the Satya (absolute truth).

Let’s apply Advaita philosophy to a senior developer who wishes to become an
architect.

Mithya: The Trap of “Implementation Details”

Mithya (Apparent Reality) describes things that appear real but change constantly
and have no independent existence (like a pot, which is just a form of clay).

Software Parallel: Frameworks and Languages are Mithya.

Satya: The Unchanging Architecture

Satya is that which remains valid in the past, present, and future
(Tri-kala-abadhyam).

Software Parallel: Design Patterns and SOLID Principles are Satya.

  • Specific frameworks die every 5 years
  • Architectural Truths persist. The concept of “Decoupling” or
    “Publisher-Subscriber” was true in 1970, is true in 2025, and will be true
    in 2050.
  • Implementation: An Architect builds systems based on Satya (stable
    principles), not Mithya (hype).
    • Example: A bad architect couples the entire business logic to a specific
      database (making the system dependent on Mithya). A good architect uses the
      Repository Pattern to separate the logic (Satya) from the database
      details (Mithya).

The Junior Developer’s Trap

A junior developer is obsessed with the “Pot” (React, Java 17, AWS Lambda).
They identify their worth with the tool: “I am a Python Developer.”

The Architect’s Realization

The Architect realizes these are just names and forms.

  • React is just State Management + DOM Rendering
  • Kafka is just a Log
  • AWS S3 is just a Hash Map over a Network

The Growth Hack: Meditative Abstraction

Extending the Mithya and Satya separation practice, abstraction becomes a way
of life.

To become an architect, stop looking at the “Pot” and look for the “Clay.”
Don’t just learn implementation details (syntax); learn the underlying
abstraction.

We all know what Abstraction is and can put it in practice when writing code.
However, the real art is to understand the implementation/architecture as an
abstraction leveraging generic design patterns and engineering principles.

Once a Staff Engineer or an Architect has mastered this art, they open up to
the opportunity of applying the same patterns to a bigger scope. And hence,
they bring more value to the system/organization and have a wider impact.

Look at it and ask: “If I remove the language-specific syntax, what remains?”

  • Replace ArrayList with “Collection”
  • Replace PostgreSQL with “Persistent Storage”
  • Replace React Component with “UI View”

And once they are able to find patterns in a wider architecture, the impact
of their solutions becomes multifold.

Exercise

When you learn a new tool, ask: “What is the Satya (core concept) here, and
what is the Mithya (syntax/sugar)?”

Saakshi Bhaava: The Witness Consciousness in Debugging

Saakshi Bhaava is the attitude of a witness—watching events without getting
emotionally entangled.

Software Parallel: Detachment from Code.

  • Ego-Identification: Junior developers often feel, “I am my code.” When a
    reviewer finds a bug, they feel personally attacked. This blocks growth.
  • The Witness: An Architect views the system with Saakshi Bhaava.
    • In Code Reviews: “This code has a bug” is a factual observation, not
      a judgment of self-worth.
    • In Debugging: When production is on fire, the Developer panics. The
      Architect enters “Witness Mode”—observing the logs dispassionately to find
      the root cause without fear.
  • Implementation: Practice “Egoless Programming.” Treat your code as an
    external object that you are observing, not as an extension of yourself.

Final Thoughts

I’ve realized that coding without architectural awareness isn’t creation;
it’s just syntax arrangement waiting to become technical debt. It’s time to
stop identifying with the “Pot” (the tools) and start mastering the “Clay”
(the patterns).

And then to have a wider impact, all bug fixes, improvements, etc. become
tribe/domain-wide improvement opportunities up for grabs.

It seems like Advaita Vedanta philosophy has a lot to offer, not just for
professional growth, but personal and spiritual growth as well.