Vivekachudamani - Post 12

 Verse 6 

वदन्तु शास्त्राणि यजन्तु देवान्  

कुर्वन्तु कर्माणि भजन्तु देवताः ।

आत्मैक्यबोधेन  विना विमुक्तिः न

र्न सिध्यति ब्रह्मशतान्तरेऽपि ॥ ६॥

 

Vadantu sdstrdni yajantu devan 

kurvantu karmani bhajantu devatah, 

Atmaikyabodhena vina vimuktih na 

sidhyati brahmasatantare'pi. 

 

(Let erudite scholars quote all the scriptures, let gods be invoked  through sacrifices, let elaborate rituals be performed, let personal gods be  propitiated - yet, without the experience of one's identity with the Self,  there shall he no Liberation for the individual, not even in the lifetime  of a hundred Brahmas put together.)

 

A sage says,

 

“A disciple who has come to the feet of a Master of Vedanta, is expected to already know some of the traditional techniques of the religious world wherein, for purposes of training the animal-man into the man-man, various methods of discipline have been advised such as study of the scriptures, performing sacrifices, making offerings, worship of a personal God and even selfless seva. 

A devotee, who has been through kirtana, puja, japa and dhyana, developing his devotion for a personal God for a number of years, will not leave his daily routine, even if he were asked to do so by the greatest living Master in the world. 

Just as one gets addicted to a false way of living, so one can easily become habituated to whatever is accepted as a good way of living. To live in a routine will never yield the secret of living in inspiration. 

To get habituated to any method is to get into a rut and baulk at all progress. We must have the freedom, at every moment, to change our pattern of living and seek new methods of keeping the mind and intellect occupied in lively warmth of love and cheer. Else, even our worship becomes mechanical and in the end, stultifying.”

 

For one who has not got glimpse of Self, Sankara says brahmasatantarepi; he shall not attain. Liberation even in 100 Brahmas put together.

 

For Brahma, one calendar day is supposed to be 2000 chatur yuga; One chatur yuga is supposed to be 4320000 years. Like this, imagine 100 Brahma days!!

 

Sankara does not condemn all rituals, prayers, worships etc. But, with all these things followed to perfection, if desire / mumukshatva for liberation is not there, if intense nidhidhyasana is not taken up by a seeker until he gets subjective experience of SELF, Sankara says, all other rituals are of little use.

Generally, in a congregation of devotees/ human beings, if it is asked , “ What is the purpose of  your Life? “, then hardly anyone would be able to answer.

Further, if one is asked, Why do you do all these rituals, these yagnas, pujas etc? 

Answer could be- “this is followed in our home for hundreds of years”, or, it could be “I do them for my inner peace”

So, for 50 years, one has been doing all the rituals for peace and still he has not got peace??

Inner peace, inner tranquility, inner bliss is only possible if one gets the glimpse of SELF within. 

A little peace/ happiness derived from all other actions, even spiritual pursuits, will come and go.

Sankara roared the same essence in Nirvana Shatkam in the line, “ Na Mantro Na Teertham Na Veda Na Yagna:” and then declared what he really is, “ chidananda roopah Sivoham, Sivoham”

After realizing SELF, even if one engages in kirtan, in puja, in yagna, there is no duality between him the SELF and the God on whom he sings, for whom he does puja etc.

 

Love.