Solar and lunar paths of liberation
We cannot think without
words; words are the essential material for thought. When the individual drops
the body, the words enter the mind, the mind enters the life force (prana), and the life force merges in the
Atma.
The embodied soul (jivatma), when it liberates itself,
rushes to the region of the solar principle (the surya-loka). From there, it reaches the region of Brahma (the Brahma-loka). Having reached that
region, the individualized Atma has
no more concern with nature (prakriti).
It will exist there till the end of time. It will experience boundless delight.
It will have all powers except the powers of creation.
The authority to rule
over the cosmos is exclusive to God. God is free from desires of all varieties.
One’s duty is but to offer Him love and to worship Him through love. This
raises one to the highest status among beings.
Those who are unaware of
this status or are incapable of discharging their responsibilities belong to
other categories. They also offer and worship; they also engage themselves in
beneficial activity. But they crave the fruits they hope to gain; they perform
acts motivated by a desire to benefit from the results that emerge
therefrom.
“We have helped the
helpless, so our path will be smooth and safe. We have uplifted the
downtrodden, so we can avoid troubles on our road. We have busied ourselves in
singing the Lord’s Glory in chorus, so we are sure of Heaven.” These are the
calculations of people of this nature who engage themselves in “good acts”.
When such people give up
their bodies, that is to say, when such people die, their words will merge in
their minds, their minds will merge in their life force, the life force
thereafter will merge in the soul (jivi),
and the soul will travel to the region of the moon principle (chandra-loka), that is to say, the world
(loka) of the presiding deity of the
mind — suggesting that they have to enter again the realm of the mind, with all
its agitations and turmoil of wants and wishes.
In this region, such
souls experience some satisfaction and delight as long as the consequence of
the good acts lasts. That is why the scriptures say, “When the acquired merit
is spent, they reenter the world of mortal people (Ksheene punye, marthya lokam visanthi)”. The soul encases itself in
a body equipped with sense organs, etc. appropriate to the earned consequences
of the deeds of the previous body and starts another life career.
Heaven and Hell
The residence of the
soul in the world of the moon is what the Hindus refer to as the time spent as
a god (deva) in Heaven, or as an
angel according to Christian and Islamic religions. The name Devendra, given to
the Lord of these devas, is an indication of a position of authority. Thousands
have risen to that position.
According to the Vedas,
when the highest good is observed, that person is elevated to the position of
Devendra-hood. The soul raised previously to that position will descend to the
earth and resume its career in human form. Just as on earth monarchs change, so
in Heaven rulers cannot escape rise and fall. The residents of Heaven are also
subject to the law of ups and downs. Only the region of Brahma is free from
birth and death, rise and fall, ups and downs. This is the basic doctrine of
Indian thought, its eternal nectar, administered to humanity.
When the individual soul
is as a god (deva) in the region of
the moon, it cannot manifest any karma. Only humanity can express itself
through action (karma) that binds by
its consequence. Karma means activity undertaken with desire, with an eye on
the result.
When the soul is in the
region of the moon as a god, it is content and satisfied, so it will not crave
activity for earning pleasure or achieving some success. Residence in that
world is the reward the soul has secured for good deeds done by it in the past,
or it may be the prize won for such goodness. When the delight emanating from
the good deeds is experienced and spent away, the balance of the consequence
accumulated has to be suffered, so the soul has to come as a person on
earth.
Then, attaining the
highest good and engaging in acts of highest potency for merit, the person can
cleanse the heart and reach the world of Brahma (Brahma-loka), whence there no is coming back.
Non-dualism posits neither Heaven nor Hell
The word Hell (naraka) cannot be found in the Vedas.
The conception of Hell is foreign to the spiritual thought of the Indians (Bharathiyas). The idea of Hell and the
various descriptions of Hell are all later additions in the scriptures (sastras) and ancient tales (Puranas). The authors of these texts
believed that religion would be incomplete if it did not posit Hell. They laid
down diverse tortures as part of Hell, but they laid down one limitation to the
pain Hell inflicts. They declared that there can be no death in Hell. Hell was
created only to incite fear among people, in order to make them desist from
sin.
But non-dualism (adwaitha) does not posit Heaven or Hell.
It is concerned only with bondage and liberation, ignorance and illumination.
It is known as Vedanta. There is no faith higher than what Vedanta stands for.
Essence
Swami reveals the
difference between those who have exhausted their karma and have got liberated
and those who continue to lead a life of desires and still have accumulated karmas
Those who are liberated,
says, Swami, “The embodied soul (jivatma),
when it liberates itself, rushes to the region of the solar principle (the surya-loka). From there, it reaches the
region of Brahma (the Brahma-loka).
Having reached that region, the individualized Atma has no more concern with nature (prakriti). It will exist there till the end of time. It will
experience boundless delight. It will have all powers except the powers of
creation”
About those who
have desires, undertake activities with expectation of fruits/benefits, says
Swami, “When such people give up their bodies, that is to say, when such people
die, their words will merge in their minds, their minds will merge in their
life force, the life force thereafter will merge in the soul (jivi), and the
soul will travel to the region of the moon principle (chandra-loka), that is to say, the world (loka) of the presiding deity of the mind — suggesting that they
have to enter again the realm of the mind, with all its agitations and turmoil
of wants and wishes.
After dealing briefly
about Hell and heaven, Swami says, “Non-dualism (advaitha) does not posit Heaven or Hell. It is concerned only with
bondage and liberation, ignorance, and illumination. It is known as Vedanta.
There is no faith higher than what Vedanta stands for”
Why and how? Because, in
advaita Vedanta, a Jiva is not
recognized as an embodied person but as Jivatman,
the pure SELF.
For the pure SELF, there
is no papa or punya, there is no hell
or heaven.
Love.
