Tattva Bodha - Post 1

                                                    Adi Sankara

Born in Kalady, Kerala

Born in 8th century A.D., Adi Sankaracharya was the only son of a devout brahmin couple, Sivaguru and Aryamba. 

He grew up in Kalady, Kerala. The couple, childless for a long time, had prayed for a child at the Shiva temple. 

It is said that Lord Shiva appeared in the couple’s dream and promised them a brilliant son who would be short-lived or many sons who would be mediocre at best. The couple chose to have a brilliant son who would have short life.

Legend holds that one day Aryamba, the widowed mother of Sankara, fainted after walking three kilometers for her daily bath in the Periyar, then known as Purna river. 

Feeling helpless, Sankara prayed to Lord Krishna. The tears of the child moved Krishna, who blessed him thus: "The river will flow where your little feet marks". The Purna river took its new course in the place marked by the little boy's feet. That place came to be called Kalady. 

The Purna river began flowing through Sankara's home garden. Sankara then installed Krishna into the present temple, and marked the occasion by reciting his famous Achyutashtakam.

Took Sanyasa at young age

So great was Sankara’s thirst for the Truth that He took Sannyasa when He was eight years old. By age 16, He had not only mastered but also written commentaries on the Upanishads, Bhagavad-Gita and other prominent Vedic texts. These commentaries known as Bhashyas stand at the pinnacle of Indian philosophical writing.

Four Mathas established

Sankara established Mathas in the four corners of India to carry forward the wisdom of the Vedas. 

Sringeri in South India, 
Puri in the East, 
Dwarka in the West and 
Badri in North India. 

These Mathas exist even today as proof of the invaluable contribution Sankara made to Indian culture.

Sankara represented truths of Vedanta

He presented the timeless truths of Vedanta so that every man, woman and child would appreciate and live its high values. His contribution to Indian philosophy, in fact humanity, is so great and lasting that all the later philosophers have only tried to refute or elucidate His ideas. All over the world, Indian philosophy has come to be identified with the Vedanta that Adi Sankaracharya spoke of. He symbolizes the great Rishi-culture, prevalent in India, whose foremost exponent He was.

Acharya prostrated before Lord Shiva  

On his way to the Vishwanath temple in Kashi, the city of God and spirituality He came upon an untouchable and his dog. 

When asked to move aside by Sankara’s disciples, the untouchable asked: “Do you wish that I move my soul, the Atman and everlasting, or this body made of clay?” 

Seeing the untouchable as none other than Lord Shiva, Adi Sankaracharya prostrated before Ishwara the God, composing five shlokas (Manisha Panchakam).

The three categories of  Sankara's Works :

   

1) Bhasyas:

Acharya Sankara wrote Bhasyas on the 10 Upanishads, the Brahma Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita. They are indeed masterpieces. Today, study of Upanishads & Brahma Sutras is never considered complete without their study. 

The Upanishads on which He wrote his classic commentaries are:

Isavasya Upanishad, Katha Upanishad, Kena Upanishad,  Mundaka Upanishad, Mandukya Upanishad, Aitareya Upanishad, Tattiriya Upanishad, Prasna Upanishad,  Chandhogya Upanishad  & Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

Besides the above, Sankara also wrote the Bhasyas on the following:

Brahma Sutras, Bhagavad Gita, Vishnu Sahasranama,  Hastamalakyam, Sanat-sujatiya

2) Prakarana Granthas:

Prakarana Granthas are writings that explain complex concepts in a simple manner, in an easily understandable language/manner and explain the terms and terminologies employed in the Shastras (Shastras are primary texts like Brahma Sutras, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita etc.)  

Some of the Prakarana Granthas composed by Sankara are:-

Upadesha Sahasri, Vivekachudamani, Atma Bodha, Tattva Bodha, Aparokshanubhuti, Atma-anatma Viveka,  Prabodha Sudhakar, Prasnotarmallika, Brahma-gyanavalli, Vakya Vritti, Laghu Vakya Vritti, Drg-drshya Viveka, Shata Shloki, Swatma Nirupana, Sarva-vedanta-siddhanta-sar Samgraha

 3) Stotras:

Sankara also composed numerous Stotras, i.e., Hymns, in praise and worship of God in various forms.

Following is the list which has most of the Stotras composed by Sankara. 

Dakshinamurthy Stotram, Bhaja Govindam, Dasa Shloki, Nirvana Shatakam, Manisha Panchakam, Hari-meede Stotram, Sadhana Panchakam, Sadachara Stotram, Pratah Smaran Stotram, Dhanyashtakam, Shat-padi, Veda-rajastava, Yoga Taravali Stotram, Ganga Stotram, Narmada Ashtakam, Ganesh Ashtakam, Guru Ashtakam, Saundarya Lahari, Tripura Sundari Stotram, Annapurna Stotram, Kashi Panchakam, Shiv Panchakshar Stotram, Shiv-aparadha-kshmapana Stotram, Devi-aparadha-kshmapana Stotram, Meenakshi Pancharatna Stotram, Bhavani Ashtakam, Govinda Ashtakam

Teachings

Sankara teaches that from a non-dualistic, deep state, bondage and liberation from bondage are illusory. That state of highest emancipation (liberation, freedom) is had by yoga-meditation (higher yoga). He stands for a thorough knowledge of reality through direct realization, which is an actual experience. In it, the individual soul perceives the Supreme Self as itself, and this great insight is the highest goal, called Moksha (Sanskrit : freedom) or liberation.

Samadhi at young age of 32

Sankaracharya is believed to have attained the Sarvajnapitha in Kashmir. After a while, He withdrew to Kedarnath and attained samadhi at the age of thirty-two.

Tattva Bodha

Tattva Bodha is a work in prose form that has been attributed to Sankaracharya. 

Tattva Bodha is a fundamental and important work in understanding higher texts of Vedanta like Upanishads and Brahma Sutra. 

Tattva Bodha introduces us to important terms used in Vedantic scriptures which every ardent student of Vedanta should be aware of. 

We will take up this work from the next post onwards, verse by verse.

Love.

Upadesa Saram - Post 37

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.

Upadesa Saram - Post 36

Verse 30

(Continued…)

अहमपेतकं निजविभानकम् |

महदिदं तपो रमणवागियम् || ३० ||

 ahamapetakaṁ nijavibhānakam |

mahadidaṁ tapo ramaṇavāgiyam || 30 ||

Free from “I,” the innate Light,

This is great tapas; this is the saying of Ramana.

            

1) Self-enquiry

Enquiry is possible only when the reality is heard from a person who has realized the reality. This is the first step towards enquiry – this is hearing about the scriptures from a Guru or from the scriptures directly. Once the reality has been heard about, then starts mental reflection on the reality – the various doubts are removed through logic and arguments. This removes all the doubts and intellectual conviction is gained.

2) Transcending the ego - Avidya or ignorance (of one’s own real identity)

The Self is ever-realized but it is ignorance of one’s own real nature which obstructs the ultimate reality 'I am the Self' to be known. And as a result of this ignorance, sorrow and sufferings are caused.

This ignorance itself has no cause. It is only an illusion which seems to exist due to lack of knowledge of the reality.

The individual sees himself as the limited Ego, but in reality he is the Self which is one without a second and of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute. Once intellectual conviction is present, then through contemplation on the reality or holding on to the real “I” – the ignorance veil is removed. The ignorance is present only because the Self has been forgotten.

3) The Self luminous Atman shines 

Maharshi tells that it is the Self alone which is self-luminous and shines of its own. As Maharshi Himself proclaimed in the 23rd shloka that there is no other object which illumines other than Consciousness (Consciousness alone illumines everything in the world). 

Through the Pancha Koshas path and through the States of Consciousness path, we learnt that the Knower or the Drshta who knows or who is aware of all the 5 koshas and the same Knower who is witness to all the three states of consciousness, yet, He/That Knower is not limited to the 5 koshas/three states of consciousness and is the one who is the Eternal Knower. And, How He KNOWS?? Because He is Chaitanya, He is Self illumined. He does not need any means of knowledge to know. He/That is Jnanam itself. 

Thus, this SELF is of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute. Thus, Maharshi has pointed out that by knowing or realizing the Self alone one can get eternal bliss.

This ultimate reality can be realized only through knowledge but many people are not suitable or eligible to directly follow the path of knowledge. Even if it is followed, those who are attracted towards the worldly sensual pleasures cannot realize the Self and know the meaning of the subtle scriptures. Hence, the various other means or paths are propounded in the Vedas. These are the paths of devotion, action and yoga. These various paths also lead to the ultimate reality of oneness of the individual and Brahman or God or Ishwara. Thus, these are the various paths alone and the end is the non-dual reality and its knowledge.

In all the blog themes, especially in the following themes,

    - Purpose of Human birth

    - Creation of the universe

    - Karma

    - Atma Bodha

    - Veda and Vedanta

and now, in this Upadesa Saram, the author of the blog has tried to drill in the essence of Vedanta, the one Truth,

It has to be understood very clearly that Vedanta or the Upanishads is not a school of knowledge. It is the way of life. It is the ultimate Truth.

Ultimately what one would aspire for when he takes up Sadhana?? 

Answer is - Peace, Bliss, tranquility, eternal happiness. 

Author is 100% sure that there can be no two opinions about this.

And here, our Shrutis (Upanishads) bestow all these things wholly and eternally.

All the agitations, all efforts, all hatred, all attachment we suffer are due to one single factor - WE FEEL WE ARE INCOMPLETE AND WE WANT MORE COMPLETION. 

And, here, Vedanta, as sufficiently understood by readers of this Upadesa Saram verses with commentary that,

“I (the SELF) AM PURE, I AM SELF ILLUMINED, I AM BLISS”

What more completion is required? How can the whole world give you this completion when you realize, 

"Mayi eva sakalam jaatham mayi sarvam pratishtitham

Mayi sarvam layam yaathi tad brahma advayam asmi aham"

"Everything is created from Me, everything is supported or exists in Me, everything gets destroyed into Me – that Brahman of the nature of non-duality (one without a second) that I am."

Prostrations to Sai - the Eternal Charioteer, to Ramana, to all realized Masters and to all of you, revered beings, who, whether you have realized or not, are ever the pure essence, the pure existence, the “DIVYA ATMA SWARUPAS”!!

With this, we come to the end of this matchless treatise by the matchless Master - Ramana.

Love.

Upadesa Saram - Post 35

Verse 30

अहमपेतकं निजविभानकम् |

महदिदं तपो रमणवागियम् || ३० ||

ahamapetakaṁ nijavibhānakam |

mahadidaṁ tapo ramaṇavāgiyam || 30 ||

Free from “I,” the innate Light,

This is great tapas; this is the saying of Ramana.

Before even getting into a brief commentary on this verse, the author or this humble soul, with utmost reverence, is reproducing extract from Jnana Vahini, emerged from the God, the Guide, the Supreme Sadhguru, the Poorna Avatar, my Master, Bhagawan Baba. 

"All agitations will cease the moment one enters on the inquiry, "Who am I"? This was the Sadhana that Ramana Maharshi achieved and taught to His disciples. That is also the easiest of all the disciplines.

First, there must be the Subhechchaa, the desire to promote one's own welfare. This will lead to the study of books about Brahmam and its principles, the search for the company of the good, the withdrawal from sensory pleasure and the thirst for liberation.

Even the Mahaavaakya, "Aham Brahmaasmi", has a trace of ignorance sticking on to it, the Aham, considered as separate but identical. This Aham is so persistent that it will disappear only through ceaseless meditation on the implications of "Tatwamasi" and all-inclusive Atma or Brahmam.

The springs of egoism etc., arise from ignorance of the Basic Truth. When knowledge of the Atma dawns, ignorance with its brood of worry and misery will vanish. The mark of the Jnani is the absence of egoism, the extinction of desire, the feeling of equal Love for all without any distinction. These are the fundamentals of Atmajnana."

The author of this blog is filled with such inexpressible inner feeling even while he quotes his Swami above that he feels the whole commentary of all the 30 verses is over with the above quotes from Jnana vahini. 

In this verse, Maharshi does not mean the name and form of Ramana Maharshi who has written the work – but He says that Ramana is the Self which has spoken about Itself. 

The verse has 3 components and let us re-arrange the three to arrive at the essence as well as the sequence of spiritual sadhana.

    1) Mahad Idam Tapo - Through self-enquiry (the reading of  this work and intense tapas on the same).

    2) Aham Apethakam - Devoid of Ahamkara (the tapas or  the self enquiry has to be taken without Ahamkara and ultimately, the practice of this work results in annihilation of Ahamkara).

     3) Nija Vibhanakam - Self shines on its own.

   Let us get further into the above three in the next and the concluding post of Upadesa Saram.
   
Continued...

Love.

Upadesa Saram - Post 34

Verse 29

(Continued…)

बन्धमुक्त्यतीतं परं सुखम् |

विन्दतीह जीवस्तु दैविकः || २९ ||

bandhamuktyatītaṁ paraṁ sukham |

vindatīha jīvastu daivikaḥ || 29 ||

Beyond bondage and liberation, the Supreme happiness,

He finds here that the jiva is certainly the Divine.

Beyond bondage and liberation

Maharshi adds in this shloka that the Self is beyond bondage and liberation because the Self is ever-realized. There is no liberation for the Self. 

Both bondage and liberation belong to the 'Aham Vritti' or the ‘I-thought’. Bondage and liberation are only at the level of the mind. They are from the standpoint of the ordinary mind. The impulse to strive for happiness in the ordinary man is also mind-driven.

That is not the impulse that drives the sage. The sage has seen that the mind itself is an illusion, and has raised himself beyond it to the Divine Consciousness. His joy is therefore beyond the ideas of bondage and liberation. 

Divine state 

An Acharya of Chinmaya Mission explains the state of such a sage / saintly person / Jivanmukhta as ‘Divinity on two legs’, thus:

A person who has experienced the pure Self becomes a Divine person with divine qualities. Divinity pulsates through such a person, flows right through him without any obstruction. All noble virtues become part and parcel of him. 

There is not a trace of hatred for others in him, as there is no ‘other’ for him! He has a purity that transcends worldliness. His actions are spontaneous, not artificial. 

The personality of the sage has a special beauty that is not seen in ordinary humans. When we do not find the usual human weaknesses in a person, we call him Divine. 

The entire Cosmos takes care of him. Everything is taken care of for him. His needs are met in a mysterious manner. His work is taken care of by the Lord Himself. One observes a remarkable co-operation from cosmic forces which seem to lie at his disposal, eagerly waiting to be at his service. It is as though the whole universe is working in his favor.

To understand what divinity is, the only way is to see it in action in such a saintly person. He stands as ‘Divinity on two legs’.

The state of such a Jivanmukhta, liberated while alive, has been explained vividly in many treatises. Swami Dattatreya has dedicated a Gita itself, all about such a sage, titled “Jivanmukhta Gita”. Swami Sivananda has written beautiful commentary on the verses of Jivanmukhta Gita.

Author of this blog used to reach to an unimaginable ecstatic state while reading and absorbing this commentary by the Supreme Master Swami Sivananda. Sankara describes about such realized sage in Viveka Chudamani. And almost in all Vedanta works written by Sage Vidyaranya, Swami Sivananda etc., the state of realized Seer has been described in the best possible way, with available finite words.

Love.