Swami Sivananda

The State of Jivanmukti

The Guru said: A Jivanmukta who has reached the Imperishable Turiya state can never be affected by the pairs of opposites. He always rests in his own Sat-Chit-Ananda Swaroopa. He roams about happily.

commentary

A Jivanmukta is a sage who is liberated from bondage even while living with a body. The perception of the material universe as such vanishes and he beholds the One Brahman appearing as the universe. 

The egoism of the Jivanmukta is like a burnt cloth which has got the appearance of a cloth but is actually reduced to the state of ashes. 

The individual consciousness of the Jivanmukta is powerful enough to maintain the existence of his physical body, but it is not capable of bringing to him another birth as an embodied being. 

His Sanchita-Karmas get fried by the fire of Brahma-Jnana or Knowledge of the Absolute Reality. He has no Agami Karmas to bring future births because he has no feelings of Kartritva and Bhoktritva. His actions are cosmic movements and not the instincts of the sense of egoism. The Prarabdha Karma which has given rise to Brahma-Jnana lasts as long as the momentum of past desires which constitute the present Prarabdha lasts. An illustration will make this fact very clear.

A hunter sees an animal moving in the forest and thinking that it is a tiger he shoots an arrow at it. After the arrow has left the bow-string he realises that the animal is not a tiger but a cow. But this subsequent knowledge will not save the cow from being affected by the arrow. The arrow will hit the object which lies within the sphere of its momentum.

The Jnani realises that the whole universe is Brahman only. But the desires which he had given rise to during the time when he thought that the objective world is real will not cease from demanding materialisation into effects as long as the momentum of their craving lasts. 

Hence these desires keep up the physical body of the Jivanmukta for some time even after his Self-realization. When the Prarabdha-Karma is exhausted the body drops off by itself and the sage becomes unified with the Infinite Brahman.

But, even while living with a body, the Jivanmukta identifies his consciousness with Brahman and is not affected by the pairs of opposites and the forces of nature. The whole universe is his body for he is in tune with all the forces of Nature due to his transcending all phenomenal relativities and resting in Brahman-Consciousness at all times.

(Verse by the Master Sivananda with commentary by the disciple Swami Krishnananda)

Essence of Vedanta - Part 27

Dear All,

Let us try and learn more on THE GOD as ANANTAM, in this post.

The famous sutra in Brahma Sutra is

Janmadyasyayatah (tat Brahmah)

(Brahman is that from which Creation (shristi) etc. (as also Sthiti and Laya) takes place)

Brahman is Utpathi shristi, sthiti, laya karanam. 

But being the cause of Creation etc. is not intrinsic to the nature of Brahman. 

However, these help us to distinguish Brahman from Jagat or jiva.

So this statement indicates the one indivisible Brahman. Every object in the manifested universe is an entity limited by it identity. 

Identity is a product of space and time. But each of these objects is also vested with the infinite possibilities associated with them. When identified with its current being an object is a finite thing. When identified with its infinite possibilities it is infinite. 

Actually, existence-consciousness means consciousness, which is – or existence, which is aware of its existence. In that state, which is called Brahman-knowledge or Brahman-experience, there is simultaneous experience of all things. 

Here, in this world, whatever freedom you may have is limited by the existence of other things in this world. Your freedom is limited by the freedom of another person and, therefore, your freedom is limited to that extent. You cannot have unlimited freedom in this world. But That (Brahman) is unlimited freedom. It is unlimited because anantam brahma: "Infinite is Brahman."

Brahman is sathyam  which has been understood by knowing that  brahman is the primal cause and is not an effect of any other cause.

Such a sathyam, the consciousness which is the substratum of the created world is also to be understood as anantham because, being the cvause of the whole creation and created and with nothing as cause for creation of Brahman, Brahman remains even after the creation and created dissolves during involution.

Thus, unborn and eternal, consciousness is infinite .

It should not be misunderstood or misconstrued that these three attributes- sathyam, jnanam and anantham are different from the seeker/ knower.

ANANTAM- SUMMARY POINTS

·       Satyam word is used but the limitation created by the word Satyam will be neutralized by Anantam. Likewise the limitation created by the word Jnanam will be neutralised by Satyam and by Anantam.

·       Though the objects keep changing with time, space and substance, the illumined knowledge with which the objects are pursued and perceived in all the states of consciousness, remains absolute 

·       Brahman-experience, there is simultaneous experience of all things. There is all-existence, a simultaneous knowledge of all things – omniscience, a simultaneous enjoyment of all things, and perfect freedom. It is perfect freedom because there is nothing to obstruct your freedom in that state. Thus, brahman  experience is perfect freedom, which is infinite (Anantam)

·       Sathyam - truth may be misconstrued as inert/Jada. (All objects created by human, will have a cause which is inert. Ex. A pot created by mud where mud is inert.)

·       Only the creator Purusha or Brahman and Prakriti are eternal truth and also not inert., because, Sathyam is elaborated as consciousness, i.e., the intelligent cause for  creation, but it remains as a cause which is unborn or caused by any other cause. 

·       To further clarify that the consciousness or Jnanam is a thing which will never come to an end, it is further explained as eternal truth, eternal consciousness, which is ETERNAL and INFINITE- ANANTAM.

·       A thing, which causes the termination of idea of the other thing, forms the limit of the other thing.

Love.

Sri Rama Krishna Paramahamsa

Extract from Gospel of Ramakrishna (Parama Hamsa)

Master about himself

"Therefore I feel that it is the Divine Mother Herself who dwells in this body and plays with the devotees. When I first had my exalted state of mind, my body would radiate light. My chest was always flushed. Then I said to the Divine Mother: 'Mother, do not reveal Thyself outwardly. Please go inside.' That is why my complexion is so dull now. If my body were still luminous, people would have tormented me; a crowd would always have thronged here. 

Now there is no outer manifestation. That keeps weeds away. Only genuine devotees will remain with me now. Do you know why I have this illness? It has the same significance. Those whose devotion to me has a selfish motive behind it will run away at the sight of my illness.

"I cherished a desire. I said to the Mother, 'O Mother, I shall be the king of the devotees.'

"Again, this thought arose in my mind: 'He who sincerely prays to God will certainly come here. He must.' You see, that is what is happening now. Only people of that kind come.

"My parents knew who dwells inside this body. Father had a dream at Gaya. In that dream Raghuvir said to him, 'I shall be born as your son.'

"God alone dwells inside this body. Such renunciation of 'woman and gold!' Could I have accomplished that myself? I have never enjoyed a woman, even in a dream.

Totapuri

"Nangta instructed me in Vedānta. In three days I went into samādhi. At the sight of my samādhi under the madhavi vine, he was quite taken aback and exclaimed, 'Ah! What is this?' Then he came to know who resides in this body. 

He said to me, 'Please let me go.' At these words of Totapuri, I went into an ecstatic mood and said, 'You cannot go till I realize the Truth of Vedānta.'

"Day and night I lived with him. We talked only Vedānta. The Brahmani used to say to me: 

'Don't listen to Vedānta. It will injure your devotion to God.'

Mathur Babu

"I said to the Divine Mother: 'Mother, please get me a rich man. If You don't, how shall I be able to protect this body? How shall I be able to keep the sādhus and devotees near me?' That is why Mathur Babu provided for my needs for fourteen years.

"He who dwells in me tells me beforehand what particular class of devotees will come to me. When I have a vision of Gaurānga, I know that devotees of Gaurānga are coming. When I have a vision of Ran, the Saktas come. 

"At the time of the evening service I used to cry out from the roof of the kuthi, weeping: 'Oh, where are you all? Come to me!' You see, they are all gathering here, one by one.

"God Himself dwells in this body. It is He who, of His own accord, is working with these devotees.

"What a wonderful state of mind some of the devotees have! The younger Naren gets kumbhaka without any effort, and samādhi too. Sometimes he stays in an ecstatic mood for two and a half hours; sometimes even more. How wonderful!

"I have practised all kinds of sādhanā: Jnāna yoga, karma yoga, and bhakti yoga. I have even gone through the exercises of hathayoga to increase longevity. There is another Person dwelling in this body. Otherwise, after attaining samādhi, how could I live with the devotees and enjoy the love of God? Koar Singh used to say to me: 'I have never before seen a person who has returned from the plane of samādhi. You are none other than Nanak.'

"I live in the midst of worldly people; on all sides I see 'woman and gold'. Nevertheless, this is the state of my mind: unceasing samādhi and bhava. That is the reason Pratap said, at the sight of my ecstatic mood: 'Good heavens! It is as if he were possessed by a ghost!' "

(Rākhāl, M., and the others were speechless as they drank in this account of Sri Ramakrishna's unique experiences.)

Love.

Essence of Vedanta - Part 26

ANANTAM

A king who is the ruler of this whole world may imagine that he has simultaneous happiness of the entire kingdom of the earth. "The entire earth is mine," the king may feel. But the entire earth stands outside the king. The experiencing consciousness of the king does not hold under his grip or possession this vast earth that he considers as the means of his satisfaction. 

So the king's happiness is a futile, imaginary pleasure; really, he does not possess the world. The world stands outside. If the object of experience stands outside the experience, the experience cannot be regarded as complete. Unless the object of experience enters into you and becomes part and parcel of your own existence, you will not be able to enjoy that object. 

All objects cause anxiety in the mind because they stand outside the experiencing consciousness. Even if you have a heap of gold in the grip of your palm, it cannot cause you happiness. It will only cause anxieties of different types – such as how to keep it, how to use it, how to protect it, how not to lose it, and how to see that it is not leading you to bereavement. 

The possessor of gold and silver is filled with anxieties, and that person cannot sleep well. Even a king cannot sleep well because of the fear of attack from sources that are external to him. To be secure under conditions which are totally external to yourself is hard, indeed, to imagine.

However, 

Brahman experience (The experience which is indicated in all theme posts)  is not an object of contact; it is an identity. The object is the experiencing consciousness itself. The content of awareness becomes the awareness.

You are not merely existing, minus the consciousness of existence. There is all-existence, a simultaneous knowledge of all things – omniscience, a simultaneous taneous enjoyment of all things, and perfect freedom. It is perfect freedom because there is nothing to obstruct your freedom in that state. 

Here, in this world, whatever freedom you may have is limited by the existence of other things in this world. Your freedom is limited by the freedom of another person and, therefore, your freedom is limited to that extent. You cannot have unlimited freedom in this world. But That (Brahman) is unlimited freedom. It is unlimited because anantam brahma: "Infinite is Brahman.

Readers,

Are you finding these posts theoretical?? 

If so, it is because you are not connecting the posts on satyam and jnanam and anantam with the questions with which we started these posts on satyam , jnanam , anantam.

After all the previous posts and also the intro to upanishads, we summarized the ending part of all theme posts and asked ourselves, what would be the experience of the essence of all theme posts which have been learnt so far. 

For example, We asked ourselves, 

"What would be the pinnacle of our experience when, as per the essence of the theme " purpose of Human birth" which was the 1st theme in this blog, we retrace, we listen to our Lord's call, leave this glittering world and experience the million times more intoxicating God consciousness"

In this context, we have given these SATYAM, JNANAM, ANANTAM posts. 

Sincere readers may once again keep the above italicized question in mind and then do a revised reading of the Satyam, Jnanam, Anantam posts in the next 2 days.

The author will then try to  explain as to how the above question and the posts on the three - Satyam, Jnanam, Anantam get aligned and completed!!

Hari Aum Tatsat.

Ananda Mayi Ma

RELEVANCE OF SATSANGH

By listening repeatedly to discussions and discourses on topics of this kind, the path to first-hand knowledge of what has been heard gradually opens out. 

You know, it is as when water uninterruptedly dripping on a stone finally makes a hole in it, and then a flood may suddenly surge through which will bring Enlightenment.

Be it the perusal of Sacred Texts, listening to religious discourses, engaging in kirtan - God must be the alpha and omega of whatever is done. When reading, read about Him, when talking, talk of Him and when singing, sing His praises. 

Take for instance the study of Vedanta. Some seekers become completely drowned in it.

Just as others may so lose themselves in kirtan as to fall into a trance, a student of Vedanta may become wholly absorbed in his texts, even more so than the one who gets carried away by kirtan. According to one’s specific line of approach, one will be able to achieve full concentration through the study of a particular Scripture, or by some other means.

First comes listening, then reflection, and last of all the translation into action of what has been heard and pondered over. This is why one has first pf all to listen, so that lat on each may he able to select Vedanta or kirtan or whatever else be in his own line.

Have you never come across people making light of kirtan, saying: "What is there to be gained by it?" Nevertheless, after listening to it for some length of time, they actually develop a liking for it. 

Therefore one must listen before one can reflect, and then later, what has been heard and reflected upon will take shape in action suited to the person concerned. To listen to discourses on God or Truth is certainly beneficial, provided one does not allow oneself to be moved by a spirit of fault-finding or disparagement, should there be differences of outlook to one’s own. 

Sat means True Being, the Good; satsang the company of the good, and also a religious gathering. Asal, the opposite of sat, means non-being, wrong, evil. Therefore to find fault (asat) in a religious meeting (saiang) is a contradiction in terms.)

Who is known as a Vaishnava? One who sees Visnu everywhere. And as a Sakta? One who beholds the Great Mother, and nothing save Her. In truth, all the various ways of thought spring from one common source - who then is to be blamed, who to be reviled or suppressed? All are equal in essence.

Thou art Mother, Thou art Father,

Thou art Friend and Thou art Master,

Truly, Thou art all in all.

Every name is Thy Name,

Every quality Thy Quality,

Every form Thy Form indeed.

Yet He is also where no forms exist, as pure unmanifested Being - all depends on one’s avenue of approach.

Is it not said that what is viewed by the Saivas as the Supreme (parama) Siva, and by those who inquire into the Self, as the One Self, is none other than the Brahman Itself? In reality there is no contradiction so long as the slightest difference is perceived, even by a hair’s breadth - how can one speak of the state of Pure Being?

While engaging in sadhana one must concentrate in a single direction; but after it has been completed, what comes then? The cessation of difference distinction and disagreement. Differences do indeed exist on the path, but how can there be a difference of Goal?

Sri Sathya Sai Baba

                                          Sathyam Jnanam Anantam Brahma.

(Truth, Wisdom and Eternity is God.)

Truth is jnana. What does jnana mean?

Adwaitha Darshanam Jnanam.

(The perception of Non-Duality is Jnana.)

It is not two. It is One. That only is Truth. Its meaning is: such a Truth will be gained through jnana. This jnana means: that which is infinite is jnana. 

The jnana that is read, this or that much, through books, is not jnana. Jnana is an infinite form. It has no beginning or end. That which teaches such an infinite nature of jnana is Truth. 

Hence, Truth is not what we experience physically, speak, or the inner meanings of words. The essence of the Vedas is Truth. The birthplace of the infinite Vedas is Truth. So the very form of the Vedas is Truth. 

Whatever meanings are taught regarding Truth is jnana. That jnana only is Truth. So if inquiry is continued in this way, there is so much inner meaning in Truth. Hence, if we give up Truth there would be no world. 

From ancient times numerous great sages, ones who achieved austerity, renunciates and yogis spent life by taking refuge in Truth spent their life with happiness. 

All prosperity, wealth and all sense pleasures are contained in Truth. Therefore, Truth doesn’t mean conversing worldly meanings. 

For such a Truth not only in the present day, from ancient times, in order to search for Truth sacred sages gave up all wealth and comforts, went to the forest, undertook austerity, and recognized the true form of Truth. 

( Extract from Divine Discourse - Oct 2002)

Essence of Vedanta - Part 25

Dear All,

We continue with the learning on the God / the state post God realization, as JNANAM.

Two kinds of knowledge exist -  conditioned and unconditioned knowledge. Conditioned knowledge is the knowledge about the objects in the world, which keep on changing from time to time.

Ganges water-filled in different bottles. The knowledge of water in different bottle are conditioned by the different shapes of the bottle but the essential ganges does not have a shape. 

Similarly, though the knowledge of objects vary, depending upon the changes in the objects but  THE KNOWLEDGE PER SAY, IS ABSOLUTE. 

The SELF is the light, the knowledge, which illumines itself and illumines various objects in the world, in various states of consciousness. 

Another example - sunlight - which blesses the entire world with its light, not discriminating between the qualities of different objects and rationing its light accordingly. 

Prajnana, Sujnana, Vijnana, Jnana



Prof. Anil kumar narrating his conversation with Swami in a book on Prajnanam Brahma.

  

Anil kumar : - This is also a Mahavakya (a Divine Axiom). It is not difficult to remember. I want all of you to keep this statement in mind and reflect upon it. It is a beautiful statement. 

I don’t need to learn a complicated language at this age and complicate my life, no. I can manage with my language. I can manage with my ideas. I can make God understand and get replies to questions I have. So, I don’t need to know Sanskrit except for certain statements, which are very simple and easy to remember, like ‘Prajnanam Brahma’. 



“Ah, Swami, please explain this Mahavakya, this great statement, a very profound statement, ‘Prajnanam Brahma’. What does it mean, Swami?” 



He asked, “How do you understand it?” 

He wanted me to explain in order to expose me to everybody. (Laughter) Very well, I take delight in this. Why not? If I am a source of entertainment for God and my students, what more could I want? (Laughter) If in my answering, everybody laughs at my expense, then very good! I want every evening to be like that, yes! At least I am not a killjoy. 

In fact, I am entertainment for God. God laughs and the boys laugh. Why not? If laughter is the remedy, seriousness is the sickness. Bliss is God; misery is the world. So, why can’t we laugh? 



Then Bhagavan said, “Tell me what you understand about ‘Prajnanam Brahma’.”
 





I said, “Swami, ‘Knowledge is God’. Prajnanam means ‘knowledge’ and Brahma is God. So it means, ‘Knowledge is God’.” 



Swami said in His usual way, “You are completely wrong!” (Laughter) 



Very good! I was not shocked, as I am always wrong. But I congratulated myself because my wrong answers provoked Him to speak further along these subject lines. Yes! So I always hope to give the wrong answers. Why not? All right, let Him say what He wants to. 



Bhagavan explained, “There are four forms of knowledge. First is Jnana, second is Vijnana, third is Sujnana and fourth is Prajnana.”

“Oh I see. I didn’t know there were four types of knowledge.” 



Swami began to explain, “First, Jnana, what is Jnana? All information, all knowledge, all worldly information is Jnana. Everyone has this. Material knowledge, secular knowledge, education, humanities, science, technology -- that is all Jnana.” 

“Second, Vijnana. Vijnana is the knowledge based on investigation, cause and effect, experimentation, observation and inference. So, Vijnana is science and technology. 

The third one is Sujnana. What is Sujnana? Sujnana is spiritual knowledge.” 

“The fourth one is Prajnana. What is Prajnana? Prajnana is your very being. Prajnana is your very Self. Prajnana is awareness. Prajnana is ‘Constant Integrated Awareness’. That Supreme Self, knowledge of the Self, awareness of the Self, the very core of your life, the very being of your life, that is called Prajnana. That Prajnanam Brahma, that Prajnana is Divine. That’s the reason why Vedanta says, ‘You are the Children of Immortality. You are the Children of Eternity. You are the embodiments of Divine Atma.”




Continued.......

Swami Krishnananda

Do you aspire for God Realization?

(A talk by Swami Krishnanada)

Do you aspire for God realization? What is your aim? Do you aspire for God realization? Do you want to enter into the bosom of the creator of the cosmos? What is it that you are thinking? What are you keeping in your mind? Suppose the Absolute calls you, saying, "Come on, I want you." Will you go? 

The Absolute calls every atom of the universe. This is what you call evolution, as scientists would say. Every atom is moving in some direction. This is the evolutionary process. It is a call from the almighty supreme that the world has refused.

We are restless; nobody has peace of mind. This restlessness is caused by the finitude of the personality. You feel limited. You are limited physically, intellectually, emotionally, socially, politically, and finally your span of life is also limited. So there is nothing unlimited in this world.

But there is a longing from inside to break this limitation, to break the limitation of space and time itself. You do not like to be confined to a little space. You would like to conquer the whole of space. You want to go to the sun and the moon and the stars and beyond even the limits of space itself. 

What you really want is to have the longest duration of existence, endless permission to live, together with the greatest of intelligence, not like a tree or a stone or a pig. And the greatest of intelligence implies the highest power also. 

The greater the knowledge, the greater the power. So omniscience, omnipotence and omnipresence is what you want. Here is the essence of the whole matter. 

Now, briefly, they say this is God. One word. It is impossible to describe what it means. It is a word connoting something which is indescribable and yet impossible to avoid. You are searching for that. In that you will never be cut off by the time process and you will not be limited to a little space. 

There will be all space and all time and all knowledge. This is attributed to what people generally call the Supreme Absolute. 

What do you call this condition? At all times everywhere everything. Can you contain this thought? If you can contain this you are a super-person, you are not a human being. And you will not be a human being after all. You are something different. The whole world will be reflected in you. 

The power of the universe is vibrating through every cell of our bodies. But through egoism, self-assertiveness, pride, foolishness, idiocy—whatever you call it—we repel the entry of the cosmic force into us. We have closed the windows of our house, and therefore the breeze of the cosmos does not enter. 

We're an organism. So there is some sense in people saying, "God only is." Many people say, "God only is; nothing else is." What does this mean actually? This whole universe is animated by one consciousness in which you are also included because you are not outside the universe. What exists finally? Neither I, nor you, nor anybody. But everybody still is. 

Millions of cells are operating in this body and many cells put together make one human being. But when I say, "Who is coming?" you don't say, "Many bundles of cells are coming." You don't say that. So likewise the multitudes of the universe, the trees and mountains and rivers, the sun, moon, stars, galaxies, whatever you can think of, are only part and parcel of the limbs of this cosmic organism which is animated by a supreme intelligence. 

That alone is, that's all. And nothing else can be, because everything is a part of the universal process. You cannot stand outside the cosmos. And that whole cosmic intelligence includes your intelligence, and your destiny is in its hands. And the more you love it, the more blessed you are. Here is the whole of religion, all philosophy, all bhakti [devotion], all yoga, or whatever you call it. Without using words like that, in simple language I told you what the truth of the matter is. 

Your heart will throb by hearing all this. 

God bless you.

------------------------------------------------------

Author's note

(Dear Readers, It was an herculean task for the author to reduce this talk, to remove many paragraph to bring the talk to the above , which itself may seem longer for few.

In Kaliyuga, in between 1900 to 2010, Swami Krishnananda is one of the VERY FEW saints who has not compromised in his writing/ works, who has not come down to the level of a normal human being. He roars from the sky, beckoning a sincere aspirant to fly and reach him, rather than coming down to the level of a jiva and trying to pull him to the level of sky. Salutations to this Saint who attained Self realization under the feet of Swami Sivananda of Hrishikesh)

Love

Swami Shivapadananada

Swami Shivapadananada

There's a stage when you take the Lord, singular, and meditate on him. Then it must [also] be in universal form - Vishwaroop. Your deity, whether it is Shiva, Kali, Krishna…because Krishna showed it practically. 

People only go for Krishna as a deity - but it's not just Krishna. [It's the same with] Any deity. First you meditate on the form. Then that form must be meditated on in universal form - Vishwaroop – and then it must become formless, nameless [Brahman]. Krishna gives you the three stages in the [Bhagavad] Gita. So that's how you reach the highest truth. 

First the formless, when the whole universe becomes God. You see it pulsating, then you find the universe has come out of something formless, nameless. It's not extracting anything but it's merging. Like a drop of water merges into the river and the river merges with the ocean. 

It's a wonderful meditation. Read between the lines in the scriptures and you'll see what I mean. Some people, when you tell them to meditate on the deity, they get so fed up [irritated], they think, "what this – this deity is not taking me any higher." 

But when you sit, inside here, you will know straight away, "no, it needs another step now, so it will push slowly." Until then, just get the intense yearning to know a little more truth and then the yearning will push you a little bit. 

Like Indra [king of the Hindu gods] came [to Prajapati] for the first time , Vairocana [king of the demons] came the first time. He made a mistake, He thought the body was everything. So he told his gang, "eat, drink and be merry." But Indra said, "wait a minute, that's not it, that doesn't die - this body dies." 

He came back to ask again. So intense yearning to know the truth [is essential]…and he came again…and each time he came to know a little bit more. Like that. I don't know how many times he came, three or four times or six times. And pushed and pushed until he got it. 

People make a mistake to think that ordinary people just touch and it happens like that. It won't happen. An Incarnation  will say, like Christ said, "behold!," and you could see it. Ramakrishna just touched – "wake up, Mother!" and the person got into samadhi [superconsciousness]. It can't happen to everybody. Others must go – pushing gear [working, struggling]