Upadesa Saram - Post 37

ESSENCE OF UPADESA SARAM

Dear Readers, 

Though the Upadesa Saram theme ended with yesterday’s post where it is mentioned that the theme posts end with that post, still, a thought came to summarize the essence of the Essence where, Upadesa Saram itself is the Essence (Saram = Essence).

Hence one more concluding post on Upadesa Saram is given today.

What is the ultimate reality???

There is only one reality here. That reality is Self, of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute. There is no separate reality other than this. One may call this by different names of Bhagavan, Ishwara, God, Brahman, Atman etc., but all these mean the one same Consciousness alone.

This Consciousness is not something different to be attained or achieved either here or here after (in the other worlds). But it is one’s own nature. Everyone is Consciousness alone. A person is already Consciousness alone. Some people who are aware of this are called realized people and those who are unaware of it think that they are the body and the mind.

  

The various paths lead only to this final step of knowing that ‘I am the Self' because that alone is realization or liberation or Mukthi or Moksha or freedom.

Now with the above concepts in mind, let us try to analyze the various paths that lead to the end of non-dual Knowledge.

1. Karma Yoga – The path of action

Action has its cause in desire and desire arises out of ignorance of one’s own real nature (AVIDYA-KAMA-KARMA). 

Therefore, action has its cause in ignorance. Since ignorance is the obstacle for realization, action cannot give realization. 

  

However, as Maharshi says in Shloka 3,

ईश्वरार्पितं नेच्छया कृतम् |

चित्तशोधकं मुक्तिसाधकम् || 

Easwara arpitam na icchayaa kritam

Chitta shodhakam mukti saadhakam

Work done as an offering to the Lord and without any expectation purifies the mind & thereby leads to realization. 

This is the path of action wherein an individual performs action but remains unattached to it. 

Thus, when a person does all actions and remains unaffected by it, he becomes neither the doer nor the enjoyer – this is the nature of the Self – thus unknowingly he identifies himself with the Self (which is his real nature). 

Thus, to sum up – Karma yoga is doing action without expectations and as an offering to the Lord.

And such actions purify one’s heart, reduce the level of ego and thus lead to the next level/stage in Spiritual path.

2. Bhakthi Yoga – The path of devotion

Bhakthi yoga or the path of devotion is that in which the individual becomes a devotee of the Lord. He forgets everything and remembers just the Lord. Not a single moment passes by without remembering the Lord.

  

There are two types of Bhakthi – lower devotion or Apara Bhakthi, higher devotion or Para Bhakthi. In lower devotion, the devotee feels the difference between himself and the Lord whereas in higher devotion the difference vanishes & only the Lord alone exists. 

As Krishna has said in The Gita that God resides in the heart of all beings. God is the very nature of all human beings. When that God who is present in the heart is prayed upon, then the devotee knows nothing but the Lord alone. Thus, everything becomes the Lord alone. Thus, slowly the difference of devotee and Lord vanishes & Lord alone remains behind, of the nature of Self or Consciousness.

3. Raja Yoga – The path of control of mind

In this path the seeker gains control of the mind through control of the breath. The breath and the mind are interrelated – when the breath is controlled, the mind becomes controlled.

But here also the mind only becomes dormant at times of Samadhi (Mano Laya) whereas after some time it creeps up again. Thus, the only way to remove the mind is to destroy it (Mano Nasha) through the thought of One Self. 

Only when the mind is destroyed, the Self or its Source is realized. This is what the path of Raja Yoga does. Even in this path, after control of mind, the mind has to be destroyed through contemplation on the ultimate reality of 'I am the Self' or ONE ULTIMATE REALITY alone.

4. Jnana Yoga – The path of knowledge

In this path, the seeker studies the ultimate reality put forth in the scriptures. He realizes that the world is an illusion in the ultimate reality of Self or Consciousness. The world is nothing but Consciousness alone with names and forms. The names and forms are mere illusions in Consciousness. 

The example for this is the dream world where the dreamer sees a world and the objects which are nothing but the dreamer alone. 

Exactly, in waking state also, the objects seen/experienced are all illusions, i.e., it is like dreaming in a waking state, where, all the objects perceived in the waking state are also non-existent (exactly as they were non-existent in the dream).

Only one who/that exists is the eternal Knower, eternal Chaitanya, eternal and changeless, which were explained through the Pancha Kosha and the three states of consciousness talk posted in the group.

Maharshi, thus, in this small work of Upadesa Saram has propounded beautifully all of the above four paths and asserted that all these different paths lead to the non-dual knowledge, the non-dual reality that ‘I am the Self’ – one without a second.

Let us all try to implement whatever Ramana Maharshi has explained in this work of His so that it leads us to the real and natural state of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss Absolute.

  

Kayena Vaacha Manasa indriyer va buddhi atmana va prakrite svabhavaat

Karomi yad yad sakalam parasmai naaraayanaaya ithi samarpayaami

Whatever I do through action, words or thoughts with the Ego or the Intellect & out of inbuilt nature/tendencies, I offer all those to Narayana (the Supreme Lord who resides in the heart of all beings).

In a brief talk/post in a group, it was explained that not only our thoughts, words, actions but our mind, our intellect, our Vasanas or impressions - if these things are surrendered to the Lord, then, a day is bound to come when, like we take extra care to offer purest naivedyam to our Lord, our mind, intellect, senses - all these things which are being offered to Bhagawan, also are rendered pure. 

Mujhe Shakti do mere Sai Shiva, mujhe Bhakti do mere Sai Shiva, mujhe Mukhti do mere Sai Shiva!!!

Love.