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.
