The “Head” of the Vedas:
The word Shirah means “head”. Shrutih Shirah means “the Head of the Vedas”.
If spiritual life, being the highest pursuit in life, requires the highest effort, then Mananam is that part of spiritual life that requires the highest intellectual effort.
After listening to the Upanishads, I may understand very clearly what Vedanta says. However, the understanding is not complete until what Vedanta reveals becomes my own vision.
The following examples enumerate that on one hand, I may be clear about the position of Vedanta, but on the other hand, what it says is not totally understood and assimilated by me:
· I don’t have any doubt that Vedanta says I am limitless. But, I still question how isit possible that I am limitless?
· I understand, that Vedanta talks about equation between I and Isvara, the cause of the universe. But, how can I be the cause of the universe?
· I know that Vedanta reveals that freedom (mokhsa) is gained only through knowledge, but I consider some statement of a saint who says that liberation is attained through devotion to Isvara to be equally true.
· I recognize that Vedanta talks about the self to be limitless, but I am unable to refute the contention of some philosopher, who claims that the reality is nothing but emptiness or a void.
If I cannot refute different contentions or reconcile different positions, then my knowledge is still shaky and vague.
Therefore reasoning to remove all these different kinds of doubts is employed by the teacher extensively.
During the teaching, many doubts discussed by the teacher are raised either by the Upanishad or the commentator of the Upanishad.
New doubts belonging to a contemporary thinking of scientists, philosophers which did not exist in past are brought by the teacher and answered.
Only when all doubts are discussed and resolved by the above methods, the knowledge becomes clear and free from any vagueness.
Regarding this effort (mananam - reflecting upon what has been heard from preceptor/read from Upanishads), the following points help us to see what it entails.
1. Focus of Thoughts: A magnifying glass brings to a focal point the sunrays falling on it, so that the rays can actually set a piece of paper alight. Our mind and intellect must also be so focused that the thought rays get intensified to achieve greater results.
2. Deep Enquiry: Our enquiry should always penetrate from the outermost level to the innermost level. It is at the inner core that we start seeing the identity. On the surface level there are many differences.
3. Correct Means: The correct means of knowledge must be used to obtain knowledge. This is covered in Sravanam, but has to be kept in mind in Mananam to get more clarity.
4. Unattended Doubts: An unattended doubt is like having a toothache - it will go on haunting us. We cannot afford to be casual in this matter, but need to attend to every doubt in a meticulous and thorough manner.
5. Perfect Preparation: Wisdom may come in a flash, in an inspired moment, but the preparation for it takes time. Preparation means doing all the Sadhana correctly, in the right sequence and to the point of perfection.
6. Merciless Manana: The Manana has to be “merciless”, like hunting down terrorists. To allow a single terrorist to slip through our fingers is too many.
The enquiry must be so merciless, that we must be prepared to have our most comforting ideas shattered to pieces. We need an intellect that is fearless and sharp – a scorching searchlight!
7. Piercing Honesty: Piercing honesty is required on this path of enquiry. At the end of enquiry, we must be logically convinced of the Truth. If I am not the body, then logically I cannot die. Can I feel this?
If I am limitless, can I be indifferent to being called either “an ignorant fool” or “a man of vast knowledge”? Both these belong to a limited state.
Brihadaranyaaka Upanishad submits that of the three instruments, Mind was the principal one, Vak and Praana following thereafter which Brahman provided for himself for his effulgence, the same are also intended for human beings on their Path to Perfection.
It is the Mind that hears, desires, discriminates, doubts, becomes receptive and non-receptive, resolute and irresolute, defiled, intangible, feared – all these are but the Mind.
Therefore, even when one touches the back, the Mind knows it.
Vak is nothing but the vehicle through which one communicates what one has desired. Prana is the energy which gives effect to what the Mind had desired and what the Vak had communicated.
Therefore it is said that one be receptive, reflective and meditative in mind before one expresses what one has been receptive, reflective and meditative, so that finally it may be put in action, through the power of the Prana.
One must first be receptive of knowledge of the Self from a qualified preceptor and from scriptures, then the knowledge should be reflected through reasoning and diligently mediated upon.
Only when these three are enjoined only then would the Self truly realized and the unity with Brahman will be established, not by merely hearing about the Self.
The proposition which vedanta considers as foundation are not to be only remembered, recollected and repeated mechanically but on them one should be receptive, reflective and meditative, since they represent what the seers had ‘seen’ ‘heard’ in their enlightened awareness, without any human effort. They are self–evident self-established and self-proved revelation of the Divine Intent without human ingenuity.
As the author has repeatedly pointed out in various talks / posts, once a spiritual aspirant is thoroughly convinced, beyond any doubt, beyond any wavering thoughts about the goal and the process for attaining the goal as taught by his Guru / by scripture, the battle is half won at that juncture itself.
More often, this “reflecting upon what has been taught” is missing in spiritual sadhana, getting 100% convinced about the goal is missing in spiritual sadhana and with the result, Mumukshatva is not lit up to the fullest extent.
With the result, the next process, Nidhidhyasana, meditating and contemplating on the single Upanishad revelation (SELF), lacks intensity, the required inner experience is not attained and sadhana does not bear the desired fruit.
In fact the root cause for the problem is that a spiritual aspirant, giving importance to spiritual sessions, gives equal importance to worldly pursuits and objective pleasure and with the result, "he is not able to convince himself about the conviction required on believing, confirming and then getting convinced about contemplating on that about which he is convinced".
So, most often, Sadhana starts and stops with Sravanam.
Love.
