From the Human, to Brahman, through Brahmānd: Sadhguru, NASA astronauts explore the Infinite within and beyond

Boston: Under the quiet glow of shared inquiry and wonder, a rare confluence of minds unfolded at the “Consciousness, Science, Spirituality and Global Impact 2025” conference, where mysticism met the cosmos.

On the second day of the gathering, Sadhguru —founder of the Isha Foundation — sat in deep conversation with NASA Astronaut Commander Sunita Williams and NASA Space Scientist Dr. Kavya Manyapu.

The dialogue, aptly titled “Conscious Space Exploration,” was hosted by the Sadhguru Center for a Conscious Planet at Beth Israel Deaconess Harvard Teaching School.

The session was more than a discussion — it was a moment of reflection on the timeless human impulse to explore, to understand, and to unite the outer search for new worlds with the inner search for truth.

Sadhguru opened with a thought that bridged two seemingly distant realms —science and spirituality. “Exploration,” he said, “is a journey into the unknown  — either inside or outside. You go introverted to know, and extroverted to influence or benefit. Both are born from the same human longing to know. The only difference lies in how far we are willing to push our boundaries.”

Sharing the stage with two of NASA’s brightest women pioneers, Sadhguru praised their spirit of exploration saying: “These two amazing women in space exploration — Sunita Williams and Kavya Manyapu — represent the immense power of human potential and determination,” he posted later on his social media handle, X.

As the conversation deepened, Sadhguru offered a gentle warning about the future of humanity’s cosmic journey: “As you become more and more powerful, you need to become more and more united. Otherwise, you become a danger to yourself and others. If the divided mentality of ‘us’ and ‘them’ continues, we may carry our divisions beyond Earth into space. Cooperation is more important than competition.”

Commander Sunita Williams, who has spent over 608 days in space, responded with a reflection drawn from her extraordinary vantage point thus: “When you look at the Earth from space, you don’t see boundaries. You see a tiny ball of dirt floating in this vast universe, and that’s all we know. It makes you realize that we all share a home together.”

Her words, quiet yet profound, echoed through the hall — a reminder that what divides us on the ground disappears when viewed from the silence of space.

Dr. Kavya Manyapu, a space scientist devoted to human spaceflight, spoke of the balance between focus and awareness thus: “One of the greatest blessings of going to space and living there is the ability to focus intensely on the task at hand, in this moment. It’s a lesson not just for astronauts, but for all of humanity — to be fully present in whatever we do.”

In that moment, science and spirituality ceased to be separate pursuits — they became two wings of the same bird, lifting humanity toward higher consciousness. The astronaut who had floated among stars, the scientist decoding the laws of the cosmos, and the mystic who explored the inner universe — all spoke the same language: that of unity, awareness, and wonder.

The conference concluded with an unspoken understanding — that perhaps the greatest frontier humanity can explore is not space, but the vastness of consciousness itself.

As Sadhguru’s words lingered in the air, they left behind a resonance that transcended the hall: “The universe outside and the universe within are not two different things — they are reflections of the same infinite possibility.”