Dear All,
We just now read these lines once again in today's post.
“There was only one God (Purushottama / God / Brahman/ Parameswara). He then willed that there be diversity (The Aitareya Upanishad verse last line- “LET ME CREATE” (Purusha).
This (thoughtless) thought separated Him, the Purusha from Prakriti or we may say, with this thought, He himself (purusha) became prakriti (Maya Shakti)
Thereafter, Lord infused individual objects with individual consciousness as needed (this can be understood in the manner how air enters lungs).
Let us see how the above lines exactly apply for human beings as far as their involvement / association with the world.
- As long as one is in meditation/ in Godly thoughts, one is as though in the state of Purushottama explained above. We are only ONE, without a second, ALONE!
- This can be best understood in an easier context- When we are in SK Hall, when we are seeing Swami, is there any world for us? Are we not ALONE, cut off from the world?
- As soon as we open our eyes, we as though say without saying through words "LET ME CREATE" and slowly we start creating ( creating here means recognizing) the world around us.
- Like the 5 elements that came up one after the other, THE 5 Kleshas that we learnt in the MBCA session, come up one by one or together- Avidya, Asmita, Raga, Dvesha, Abhnivesha ( Ignorance that I am divine, Sense of MY ness, Attachment, Hatred, Fear)
- Thereafter, actions and then impressions as a result of actions, then Karma as a result of actions and then we are caught up in this vicious circle of birth and death.
What is the solution or what is the way out?
The solution is God-realization and ONLY God realization!
Upon God realization, How does a Jnani or a Jivanmukhta ( liberated while alive) lead their life? How their waking up to the world is different from our waking up to the world as described above?
- Whether asleep, whether awake, whether active, whether inactive, whether in society, whether in ashram, whether in crowded street, whether in Himalayas, they are in exactly the same state of equanimity.
- When we see the world, we perceive human beings with coloring of our own impressions about them.
- When a Jnani sees human beings, only his eyes see, only his ears hear, only his mouth utters words. Since He is eternally tuned to God/ SELF, He is never ever able to come out of that state and He is never ever infected with the first ignorance / Avidya ( ignorance of the truth that He is God). So He exists eternally as God man.
- Apparently, He may appear to be an ordinary human being just like others. But the real change, the real transformation is within.
- When you interact with Him, it seems he is speaking to you, knowing you. But He is awakened to God eternally and in that awakened state, He does not recognize your past or present or future. He is not what you see him with your eyes.
Thus, in essence, a Jnani does not create his world around him, so he does not perceive any world around him.
Sankara describes the state of a jivasnmukhta in viveka chudamani thus-" He is asleep when the world is awake and awake when the world is asleep"
This may not be understood in literal sense.
We will conclude this post with the real essence of Sankara's description.
" A Jivanmukhta is asleep ( unconcerned, unaware) to all those things, ego, vasanas etc. to which the world is fully awake ( fully aware, fully recognizing, fully acting)
AND
He is fully awake ( awakened, Realized God) when the world is asleep ( totally ignorant, totally in dark like you are in dark when you are asleep, totally away from God)
Love
Love