Ever since I started reading my Gurudeva’s books, especially Merging with Siva, I’ve found myself naturally drawing analogies between his teachings and computer science concepts. Almost every spiritual explanation had a counterpart in the digital world I studied.
As many of you know, I skipped 12th grade and entered PSG Tech directly into the BE Computer Science and Engineering program as a lateral entry student.
My journey with computer architecture began in my final year of the Diploma course and continued through the 4th semester of BE. The first language I ever learned was assembly language. I was fascinated by how colored letters could appear on a screen simply by placing values into the right registers and executing instructions.
But among all the concepts I learned, one stood out and stayed with me forever:
The Instruction Pointer (IP).
🖥️ Computer Architecture and Spiritual Insights
Studying computer architecture helped me visualize how a computer is designed — RAM, ROM, disk, boot records, operating system, cache memory (cognitive memory), and the instruction pointer.
Now, let’s turn to a question at the heart of spirituality:
“Who Am I?”
Each of us, at some point, wrestles with this timeless question. I’ve explored it in many of my earlier posts.
Gurudeva beautifully explains:
“You are pure awareness — not the body, not the mind, not even the emotions.”
For someone new to the spiritual path, this may sound abstract or hard to grasp. So here’s a simple analogy:
You are the camera lens — you don’t recognize or process what’s being seen; you just witness.
But for me, as a student of computer science, the concept of the Instruction Pointer (IP) made it even more relatable.
🧘 The IP Register and Conscious Awareness
Most of us live life reacting to our memories, emotions, and subconscious habits. When something happens, we instinctively judge, label, and act — often without conscious awareness. That’s where suffering begins.
In spiritual terms, this is karma in action — cause and effect.
Gurudeva emphasizes:
“Do not label experiences as good or bad — they are simply experiences.”
We are here on Earth not to chase pleasure or avoid pain, but to witness life, evolve, and eventually return to the source, with a deeper understanding of our true Self.
💻 Now Let’s Revisit the Computer Analogy:
When you run an application, here’s what typically happens:
- The executable code is loaded into memory
- The operating system sets the address of the loaded code into the Instruction Pointer (IP)
- The CPU executes the instruction pointed to by the IP
- The IP is updated to the next instruction
- The CPU executes the next instruction
- And the cycle continues…
Now, let’s ask:
❓Who am I in this analogy?
- Am I the code stored on the disk?
- Am I the application running in RAM?
- Am I the operating system?
🪞 The Realization
Many young souls believe they are the application — running, crashing, or ending someday. That’s how most of us see life.
But here’s my insight:
We are not the code. Not even the program. We are simply the Instruction Pointer.
We may not know what program is running, or even understand the logic —
but we are aware that something is happening.
We are witnessing it all.
That awareness — that ever-present IP —
is who we are.
Who are you now?
