Adi Shankara asks, "Who are you, who am I, where did I come from, where am I going, what is the nature and purpose of all this movement and change, is there any stable base, any goal, direction or director (Kasthwam, koham, kutha ayatah)? Do not brush aside these questions from your mind. Each one of you gets this and it harasses you, when you are alone with something grand and awe-inspiring in Nature, or with some terrible or shocking incident in your own experience. It is unwise to forgo these precious moments and turn again to the humdrum of life, without pursuing the inquiry to which you are prompted. Guru comes to warn and awaken. He reveals the truth and encourages you to progress towards it. Unless you have the yearning, the questioning heart, and the seeking intelligence, he cannot do much. The hungry can be fed; the one without hunger will discard food as an infliction.

- Divine Discourse, Jul 14, 1965.