Sandeha Nivarini - Post 12

Devotee: It exists in experience in the wakeful stage, so it is existence (sat); it doesn’t exist in the deep sleep stage, so it is non-existence (a-sat).

Swami: Oh! Existence, non-existence (sat, a-sat), did you say? These two words together give sadasat, right? This is what is spoken of by us as illusion (maya), do you know? 

Devotee: Is that illusion (maya) similar to magic?

Swami: Is it not? “All this is magician’s work (indra-jalam idam sarvam).” That is what the sages have been saying for ages. 

Devotee: Then there must be a performer of all this magic, right? 

Swami: Certainly, there is. That magician is God. He is endowed with countless auspicious attributes. The great sages have formed a name on the basis of each attribute and a form on the basis of each name and have attained Realisation meditating on those forms, making the Attributeless attributeful and the Formless formful. 

Is it not their experience that is being proclaimed through a thousand tongues? In the holy scriptures (Sastras), Vedas, and Upanishads haven’t they declared how they have realised God in their totally absorbed meditation (dhyana samadhi), each in their own way, according to their attitude and devotion and worship? Haven’t they declared how each has been blessed with the vision of the Lord and the actual consummation of union with Him? 

Devotee: Yes. Swami! I have understood that. But you said that name and form are based on attributes. Kindly explain this to me. 

Swami: Certainly. We must now pay attention to such important topics only because the others are beyond your powers of imagination. 

Listen carefully. Since the Lord pleases all, He is known as Rama. So also He is the embodiment of love (Prema-swarupa); He is full of affection to His devotees; He is the ocean of mercy. In each such name and form, He has vouchsafed direct experience of the Lord (sakshatkara) to devotees and blessed them with union with the Divine (sayujya). The formless God assumes all forms in order to bless devotees. 

Devotee: I am happy. I am indeed so happy, Swami! Through Your grace, I am understanding quite clearly. Just one doubt: You said that the formless Supreme Self (Param-atma) has countless names. Are all names and forms equal? Is there any difference? 

Swami: What a question! Certainly, all names and forms are equal. Whatever name and form are worshiped, the Lord is only of that unique real form (swa-rupa). It is possible to realise Him through that name and form. But, the devotee should pay attention to one matter. In whichever form the Lord is worshipped, the favour prayed for, the purpose, must be one. 

Devotee: What type of purpose, Swami?

Swami: Desire for liberation. The Lord alone should be loved, nothing else. Love That. Meditate on That. Con-cretise That. Finally, resolve to merge in That. You should have only this type of acute desire. 

Continued.....

Chinmayananda Saraswati

A strong mind is cultivated by living moral values. All outer actions start gathering a dazzling polish, once your mental values change. A morally strong person spends less of his mental powers in facing the day to day problems of life....Moral values and ethical principles adopted and accepted by you must be lived fearlessly, even in the face of death....Never compromise, under any amount of pressure. You will find God's help coming to you, to pull you out from even the direst situation.

- Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati

Sandeha Nivarini - Post 11

Dear All,

Swami goes on further to explain the most intense and difficult subject of Permanent and Impermanent in the most easier manner possible.

Devotee: But, Swami! I heard you say imperishable-perishable and permanent-impermanent. 

Swami: Yes, my boy! You were speaking now of pictures; do they have names and forms?

Devotee: Haven’t they? It’s only because they have names and forms that the story is understood. Only then do we recollect Ramayana and Bharatha. There is no formless name and nameless form.

Swami: Good! That is well said! Where there is form there must be name; where there is name, there must be form. They are connected with each other. When we say, “separable relationship”, it is to this relationship that we refer. Have you understood now the meaning of “cosmos (prapancha)”?

Devotee: I have grasped that it is identified with name and form. But Swami, I would like to hear you describe how it originated.

Swami: Do not fall into the tangle now. If we engage ourselves in describing that, it would be like getting into a mango garden without eating the fruit we have plucked —calculating the number of trees in the garden, the number of twigs on each branch, the number of fruits on each twig, and what the total price of all the mangoes would be if the price of one mango were so much. 

Instead of senselessly wasting precious time in the collection of this information, we should, like the person who eats the fruit, find out what is of primary importance, understand that thing first, and attain contentment and joy. Leave that alone.

What did you say is the nature of this world (prapancha)? 

This world has another name —do you know it? 

Devotee: I said that the world is identified with name and form. I have heard that it is known by another name,

creation (jagath).

Swami: This name-form world, this creation (jagath), is like magician’s art: it is real only as long as you see it. So too, the world is real only as long as you experience with your senses (indriyas). That is to say, anything not experienced in the wakeful stage is taken as non-existent. Under such circumstances, we say sat for existence and a-sat for non-existence. Now what do you say of this world? Is it existence or non-existence?

Continued......

Author's note:

We will try and arrive at essence of Swami's answers after we complete this series of Question and answer on the real and unreal/ Permanent and Impermanent/ Akshara and Kshara , in the next couple of posts.

Love.