Vashta also acquainted me with the work of Swami Dayananda Saraswati of the Arya Samaj, which added another dimension to my perspective on the Vedas. Swami Dayananda was the first modern teacher to go back to the Vedas and to unfold a purely spiritual interpretation of the older Vedic mantras. I realized that there was an entire Hindu social movement based upon return to the Vedas, a motto that I could follow as well.

Vashta admired Sri Aurobindo and looked to Ramana Maharshi as one of his gurus. He had a special connection with the Kanchi Shankaracharya Math and Swami Chandrashekhar Saraswati. But he had a broad approach not limited to a particular teacher or based on any personality cult. While Vashta knew the spiritual aspects of Hinduism, he was also aware of its social and political problems. He had his own spiritual insight and ability to judge and understand people that could be quite astounding.