Vivekachudamani - Post 14

 Verse 8 

अतो विमुक्त्यै प्रयतेत्विद्वान्
संन्यस्तबाह्यार्थसुखस्पृहः सन् ।
सन्तं महान्तं समुपेत्य देशिकं
तेनोपदिष्टार्थसमाहितात्मा ॥ ८ ॥ 

ato vimuktyai prayatetvidvān
saṃnyastabāhyārthasukhaspṛhaḥ san |
santaṃ mahāntaṃ samupetya deśikaṃ
tenopadiṣṭārthasamāhitātmā || 8 ||

(Therefore, the learned seeker who is striving to gain this freedom within and who has renounced all his desires for pleasures in the sense objects should duly approach a good and generous Master and must live attuned to the true significances of the words of the Master.) 

 

We have here a positive declaration of what exactly a seeker should  do in order that he may be well-established on the path of Truth. 

 

A seeker in Vedanta is not a nonentity who has walked into the sanctum of a temple or has casually thought of sitting in prayer or visiting a sacred place. These constitute but the very primary steps in spiritual life. 

The word Vidvan' is used here to indicate a  rue seeker. When, therefore, a student having a cursory knowledge  f life and its meaning realises the futility of running after sense  objects, he comes to a certain amount of renunciation of desires and  thus he approaches his Master. 

Sankara in this verse also lists the special qualifications necessary for a seeker on the spiritual path. 

 

santam - The word 'santa' is often used in vernacular to indicate a  sannyasin, but rarely does one realise what exactly the term means. 

He is a santa who is firmly established in the consciousness of pure Existence (Sat). A Guru must not only be a Man of Realisation and experience but he should be a 'mahanta', a large-hearted, sympathetic, kind person. One can be a Guru only if one has the required magnanimity, intimate personal experience of the Divine and great familiarity with scriptures. 

 

A competent teacher's   qualification is given in Mundaka Upanishad as,  

"stotriyam Brahmanishtam".

Brahmanishtah means the one who abides in Brahman. That is what he preaches and what he is, both are not different. What he teaches is Brahman and he himself is Brahman. If the teacher has to reveal that Brahman as yourselves, as not something of an object to be realised in later time, then alone the student would be able to say Ahaṁ Brahmasmi. Only if it is Ahaṁ Brahmasmi for the teacher, then alone he can be a Tat Tvam Asi, then alone the student would also say Ahaṁ Brahmasmi. Therefore he is called Brahma Nishtah. Brahma Nishta is one for whom the subject matter and himself are identical.

 

And the second qualification is stotriyaḥ; he should have the methodology of communication; which is uniquely designed and developed in the scriptures. A particular method of communication, in which you introduce a concept and go to the next higher concept and negate the previous concept; then go to the next one and then negate the previous one and when everything is  finally negated; and what should be left behind? I, the negator, alone should be left behind, the unnegatable-I; which is unobjectifiable; that unnegatable; and unobjectifiable consciousness alone will be left behind; this is designed and developed in the scriptures alone.

 

Even if a seeker discovers such a perfect Master, he will not be able to react favourably in the Master's presence or even to his discussions, if he has not the necessary mental attitude, denoted by the word 'samupetya'. 

The divine attitude of full receptivity is the aroma of a heart, which has reverence for and surrender to, faith in and love for the Guru.

Again, even with all the prescribed qualifications, if a seeker were to reach the feet of a perfect Master, the transferred knowledge cannot take root in the student, unless he is himself ready to strive along the path. 

The major part of the work depends  upon our own efforts to rehabilitate ourselves. Thus, it is said, the individual should try to live the deep significances of the precepts  of the Master. 

 

Swami Sivananda says,

“He alone who sits at the lotus feet of a preceptor, who has knowledge of the Self and who is also well-versed in scriptural knowledge is able to grasp the Truth. In the Gita also, Chap. IV-34, Lord Krishna says: "Know it by means of prostration to the Guru, interrogation and service. The wise who have cognised the Truth will instruct thee in that knowledge of the Self."

Initiation into the mysteries of Brahman will fructify only in that disciple's mind who is desireless and will produce Jnana in him.

It takes a long time for the charcoal to catch fire but gun powder can be ignited within the twinkling of an eye. Even so, it takes a long time for igniting the fire of knowledge for a man whose heart is impure. But an aspirant with great purity of heart gets knowledge of the Self within the twinkling of an eye, within the time taken to squeeze a flower by the fingers.

Unless you are pure, you will not be able to realise the true greatness of a liberated sage. When he appears before you, you will take him for an ordinary man only, and you will not be benefited. You will try to find out defects in him on account of your fault-finding nature (Dosha Drishti). Even if Lord Krishna or Sri Sankara remains with you, He will not do anything for you, unless you are fit to receive Him, unless you are ready to receive the spiritual instructions.”

 

Love.

 

Vivekachudamani - Post 13

 Verse 7 

अमृतत्वस्य नाशास्ति वित्तेनेत्येव हि श्रुतिः ।
ब्रवीति कर्मणो मुक्तेरहेतुत्वं स्फुटं यतः ॥ ७ ॥

 

Amrtatvasya nasasti vittenetyeva hi srutih, 

Bravlti karmano mukterahetutvam sphutam yatah. 

 

(It is clear that Liberation cannot be the effect of good works, for Sruti herself declares that there is no hope for immortality by means of wealth.)

 

Moksha cannot be attained through wealth, If moksha cannot be attained through karma, what is accomplished through wealth? Shruti refers to karma as not a means of giving liberation, as being capable of giving liberation. 

 

One line in the verse says no moksha through money. Another line says there is no mokṣha through karma.  All the karma phalams are the end product of a process or a series of processes whether it is physical process or mental process; it is an end product. If it is an end product, it has got a beginning. If it has got a beginning it will certainly have an end. 

 

And that is why word phalam is split as phalgutaya dhiyate iti phalam. That which rots and perishes is called phalam. From that very derivation it is very clear that whatever karma phalam you acquire, they will get rotten. 

 

A sage says,

“Amrtattvam is the goal indicated in all the Upanisads. When it is translated as merely immortality, readers are apt to misunderstand it to be a profit that can accrue to a man only after his death. 

This misunderstanding then must take away the edge from religion and dry up all enthusiasm for spiritual living, especially from the modern man who wants immediate gains. He is not ready to invest even a thought in a proposition that will yield to him a great profit only at a future time. 

 

Correctly interpreted, the 'immortality' promised  by the Srutis is not a state or condition that comes to us after our  departure from this world. It is a perfection that can be lived here and now. By the term 'immortality' the rishis indicate a state of continuous existence, which has in it no experience of finitude. 

 

All Acharyas, irrespective of their philosophical beliefs accept the declaration of the scriptures as absolute and as having unquestionable authority. This attitude is not acceptable to the modern youth, who, in his colossal ignorance thinks himself daring enough to question even the rishis. 

 

The Acharyas accepted the declarations of the Srutis because of the bonafide character and temperament of the rishis who declared them. They lived in complete contentment and happiness in their self-discovery and it was for the seekers to make a footpath and reach them with their questions and doubts upon life and its meaning, the goal and the path.

 

To those seekers, out of sheer kindness, these Men of Realisation declared the Truth of their own experiences, in a burning spirit of inspiration and love. They had no intentions to misguide these precious young hearts of the generation.”

Immortality is impossible with any action. Avidya, Kama Karma - Actions are born necessarily out of ignorance of one's real divine identity and hence, when the source of actions is ignorance, such acts can never get immortality or liberation, says Sankara in Atma Bodha.

Immortality is possible only when there is death of "Avidya", when one's ignorance or Ego is transcended. Ignorance has to die, for one to exist as Immortal SELF.

 

Love.

 

Vivekachudamani - Post 12

 Verse 6 

वदन्तु शास्त्राणि यजन्तु देवान्  

कुर्वन्तु कर्माणि भजन्तु देवताः ।

आत्मैक्यबोधेन  विना विमुक्तिः न

र्न सिध्यति ब्रह्मशतान्तरेऽपि ॥ ६॥

 

Vadantu sdstrdni yajantu devan 

kurvantu karmani bhajantu devatah, 

Atmaikyabodhena vina vimuktih na 

sidhyati brahmasatantare'pi. 

 

(Let erudite scholars quote all the scriptures, let gods be invoked  through sacrifices, let elaborate rituals be performed, let personal gods be  propitiated - yet, without the experience of one's identity with the Self,  there shall he no Liberation for the individual, not even in the lifetime  of a hundred Brahmas put together.)

 

A sage says,

 

“A disciple who has come to the feet of a Master of Vedanta, is expected to already know some of the traditional techniques of the religious world wherein, for purposes of training the animal-man into the man-man, various methods of discipline have been advised such as study of the scriptures, performing sacrifices, making offerings, worship of a personal God and even selfless seva. 

A devotee, who has been through kirtana, puja, japa and dhyana, developing his devotion for a personal God for a number of years, will not leave his daily routine, even if he were asked to do so by the greatest living Master in the world. 

Just as one gets addicted to a false way of living, so one can easily become habituated to whatever is accepted as a good way of living. To live in a routine will never yield the secret of living in inspiration. 

To get habituated to any method is to get into a rut and baulk at all progress. We must have the freedom, at every moment, to change our pattern of living and seek new methods of keeping the mind and intellect occupied in lively warmth of love and cheer. Else, even our worship becomes mechanical and in the end, stultifying.”

 

For one who has not got glimpse of Self, Sankara says brahmasatantarepi; he shall not attain. Liberation even in 100 Brahmas put together.

 

For Brahma, one calendar day is supposed to be 2000 chatur yuga; One chatur yuga is supposed to be 4320000 years. Like this, imagine 100 Brahma days!!

 

Sankara does not condemn all rituals, prayers, worships etc. But, with all these things followed to perfection, if desire / mumukshatva for liberation is not there, if intense nidhidhyasana is not taken up by a seeker until he gets subjective experience of SELF, Sankara says, all other rituals are of little use.

Generally, in a congregation of devotees/ human beings, if it is asked , “ What is the purpose of  your Life? “, then hardly anyone would be able to answer.

Further, if one is asked, Why do you do all these rituals, these yagnas, pujas etc? 

Answer could be- “this is followed in our home for hundreds of years”, or, it could be “I do them for my inner peace”

So, for 50 years, one has been doing all the rituals for peace and still he has not got peace??

Inner peace, inner tranquility, inner bliss is only possible if one gets the glimpse of SELF within. 

A little peace/ happiness derived from all other actions, even spiritual pursuits, will come and go.

Sankara roared the same essence in Nirvana Shatkam in the line, “ Na Mantro Na Teertham Na Veda Na Yagna:” and then declared what he really is, “ chidananda roopah Sivoham, Sivoham”

After realizing SELF, even if one engages in kirtan, in puja, in yagna, there is no duality between him the SELF and the God on whom he sings, for whom he does puja etc.

 

Love.