Atma Bodha - Post 58

Verse 48

आत्मैवेदं जगत्सर्वमात्मनोऽन्यन्न विद्यते ।

मृदो यद्वद्घटादीनि स्वात्मानं सर्वमीक्षते ॥ ४८॥

AATMAA EVA IDAM JAGAT SARVAM

AATMANAH ANYAT NA VIDHYATE

MRIDAH YADVAT GHAT-AADEENI

SWAATMAANAM SARVAM EEKSHATE

[This entire universe is verily the Atman Itself. Nothing whatsoever other than Atman exists.  Just as pots, etc, can be said to be only clay, so also, the wise one sees everything as his own Self.]

There is a vision which sees unity everywhere. The corollary to this of seeing diversity in this world is the origin of all our problems. A vision which sees ‘Unity in Diversity’ is the saintly vision that is upheld here.

  

An extreme example of universal vision - A Mahatma was in meditation in a forest. A tiger came and was dragging him away for its meal. The Mahatma remained in his state of meditation, going on with his chanting. This was actually witnessed by  Tapovan maharaj, as shared by a monk  of Chinmaya ashram in one of his writings.

“Mrido Ghatadini” Simile: The Clay Pots

Earlier we had come across a similar simile – gold and the gold ornaments. Here it is clay and the variety of clay pottery. The message is the same: They come out of clay, exist in clay and finally merge back into clay.

Just in the previous post, the author explained the same thing with wave and water example where, the wave come out of water, exist in water and finally recede and merge into water. 

In the 2 verses - 47 and 48, Acharya is explaining about a realized one. Acharya is here explaining about the yogi as one who sees the entire world through the eyes of wisdom as his own Self.

Lord explains this same import in many places in Gita while explaining about a Jnani, a Yogi and a Bhakta. 6th chapter 32nd sloka says:

aatmaupamyena sarvatra samam  pashyati yo.arjuna .

sukham vaa yadi vaa dukham sa yogii paramo matah ..

“Whoso, by comparison with himself, sees the same everywhere, O Arjuna, be it pleasure or pain, he is deemed the highest Yogin.”

Mundaka Upanishad III-ii-6 says: “Those to whom the entity presented by the Vedantic knowledge has become fully ascertained, who are assiduous and have become pure in mind through the Yoga of monasticism – all of them, at the supreme moment of final departure, become identified with the supreme Immortality in the worlds that are Brahman, and they become freed on every side.”

To a realized one there is no duality whatsoever and the entire world is but Self, the universe of names and forms appears to be a mere imagination just like the imaginary existence of the snake on the rope. Also since an imaginary object is the same as its substratum the entire universe and its diverse objects are perceived by the known as the same as Self.

Where there is but Self, how can there be duality and aversion towards anything else? 

This was explained in the context of "LOVE ALL SERVE ALL", in the previous post. 

Hence to such a realized one who perceives Self everywhere, everything is but Self and names and forms are just super impositions. 

If one gets an opportunity to watch the videos of Anandamayi ma / Paramahamsa Yogananda / Swami Sivananda and in this contemporary world, one visits Amma and experiences her supreme love when she draws them to her and hugs them, they can verily experience these saint's state where, they perceive the human beings not as human beings, but AS SELF / AS DIVINITY / AS GOD.

When one young visitor visited Swami Sivananda and stood adamantly without prostrating at the Master's feet, Sivananda smiled and prostrated at that young visitor's feet. We can imagine the plight of that visitor. More than that, we can know or at least imagine how the saint would be experiencing the divinity in that young visitor to be prostrating at his feet!

Long back, in old Sai Sadan building, when one child sang a bhajan very well, after the bhajan, the author went to that child, prostrated at the child's feet, to the utter disbelief and amazement of the child and its mother. 

They may not be reading this post otherwise, they can recall that scene easily. 

Thus, a real jnani loves the whole world as his own Self. Having incarnated in human form, Swami also radiates the same endless love to the entire humanity.

Each one present in the SK hall might have committed few / many / too many mistakes in their lives and they may be suffering due to various gradations of impurity within themselves but when Swami comes floating in to the hall and looks at the devotees gathered there, can any one in this world claim or prove or even say that Swami differentiates between a saint and a sinner seated in that hall?

Love.

Atma Bodha - Post 57

Verse 47

सम्यग्विज्ञानवान् योगी स्वात्मन्येवाखिलं जगत् ।

एकं च सर्वमात्मानमीक्षते ज्ञानचक्षुषा ॥ ४७॥

SAMYAK VIJNAANA-VAAN YOGEE

SVAATMANI EVA AKHILAM STHITAM

EKAM CHA SARVAM AATMAANAM

EEKSHATE JNAANA-CHAKSHUSHAA

[The perfect Yogi of Realization and Enlightenment sees “The entire world residing in his own Self” and regards “The entire world as his own Self”, thus does he behold with his “eye of wisdom”.]

The Yogi here stands for one who is united with his Self. The identity of Jiva and Paramatman is declared to be Yoga. The Yogi, having attained that state, sees with the “Eye of Wisdom”.

What is this eye? Does it make him see differently from the rest of us?

“Eekshate Jnana Chakshusha” - The Eye of Wisdom Simile

Yes, the Yogi’s enlightened vision is so different from the vision of ignorant souls like us that it is here even said that he has a third eye to behold this unique vision. It is very symbolic. There is no physical eye called the ‘third eye’. It is another of Sankara’s similes to convey to us the idea of an entirely new way of seeing the same world.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna bestows this ‘third eye’ to Arjuna to behold the Cosmic Vision. The Jnani is said to have a special eye using which he looks upon the same world as you and I, but sees it in an entirely different manner. How does he behold it?

Eekshate: which means “sees” also carries with it the sense of seeing effortlessly, implying that he does not behold this world with any sense of strain, anxiety, worry, fear, etc, as we do. What does he behold differently? – Everything. The Eye of Wisdom does not just refer to our vision. It includes all that we perceive through our senses.

All five sense organs of perception are bringing in their reports to the mind. In the case of the enlightened person’s senses, the reports are very straightforward. They are not twisted or slanted according to one’s likes and dislikes. No personal whims influence or bias their reporting. So a Jnani perceives the whole world as it really is from the standpoint of Truth.

What Does the Yogi See?

The Jnani sees the world residing in himself. This is called Sarvatma Bhava. He also sees his own Self as the Self of all. These two statements appear to be contradictory, but they are not so. When we understand that they are spoken from two different standpoints then we can reconcile the apparent contradiction. In Sanskrit there is a term used for such opposite statements. It is Daardyam, meaning “a thing is said in its opposite way to mean the same thing, for the sake of adding emphasis.”

The example here is, “The Jnani see all as his Self, and the Self as all”.

i) The first statement is from the macrocosmic viewpoint. The Yogi has expanded his Consciousness to include everything. Thus the whole world appears to him as Himself. He becomes the common substratum of the whole world and all beings in it.

ii) The second statement is from the microcosmic viewpoint. The Yogi realizes that he is just one individual like every other individual. Just as God dwells in him, so does He in all others, too. He recognizes that his individuality, as that of all other beings, is a superimposition on the common Reality within all beings. 

Dear All,

Both the above affirmations were explained in a session which was given to few sadhakas recently by the Author, taking the example of wave, ocean, bubble and water.

1.      SEEING ALL AS SELF

In an ocean where there are  numerous waves, bubble etc. a wave, with the grace of its Acharya / God, comes to realize that it is just nothing but the water, which has never risen, never existed for a short time as a  wave nor does it lose its identity at the end.

As clearly explained in the ghost and post, gold and ornament, snake and rope simile in previous posts, up to the point of it Acharya’s entry and His teachings, the wave had considered itself to be just a wave, which had emerged, which had grown and which is now receding and soon meeting its end / death, on reaching the shore.

But with the grace of Guru, it comes to realize that this emerging, sustaining and dying wave is not its real identity.

Even in these 3 processes, IT IS NOTHING BUT JUST WATER.

And, it is WATER THAT PERVADES THE ENTIRE APPARENT OCEAN (The SELF PERVADES THIS APPARENT OCEAN OF SAMSARA / CREATION)

2.     SEEING EACH ONE AS SELF, SEEING THE SELF IN ALL

The realization of that wave of its eternal truth as water does not stop there.

Upon realization, when it looks at each and every wave appearing on the ocean, it comes to realize that each and every wave is also nothing but the substratum water.

The entire human beings in this creation, with apparent diversity, with each one having his / her peculiar nature, peculiar shape, peculiar look, peculiar attitude, peculiar likes and dislikes etc. are all not what they appear to be, but in reality, all are THAT ONE SELF!!!!

A sincere reader would appreciate and understand that the second truth given above cannot be experienced unless one has experienced the SELF within him and has subjectively experienced the truth of Upanishads - “ISA VAASYAM IDAGM SARVAM”. Unless one exists verily as SELF, The pure consciousness, it is impossible for him to experience the SELF in people around him!!!

Swami gave us the mantra “LOVE ALL SERVE ALL”.

For loving all, one has to experience the SELF within Him first and exist verily as that LOVE himself. Without that, the expressions “LOVING ALL” or “SEEING SWAMI IN ALL” are all at superfluous level and are just mere sounds, without any substance!!!!

Only after experiencing divinity within yourself, can you effortlessly, naturally experience the same divinity in every one around.

The secret here is that you actually do not go about deliberating to experience the divinity in all and loving all.

You exist as a pool / ocean of Love and each and every one coming into contact with you physically or in your thoughts or in whatever way, as though, happily take a dip in you the ocean of Love or Ocean of SELF and absorb your divine existence, just like one gets wet when one enters water!!

The above expression can only be experienced when one exists AS SELF and abides IN SELF. Till that time, these expressions can at best be pleasing to a sincere reader!!

Love.

Atma Bodha - Post 56

Verse 46

तत्वस्वरूपानुभवादुत्पन्नं ज्ञानमंजसा ।

अहं ममेति चाज्ञानं बाधते दिग्भ्रमादिवत् ॥ ४६॥

TATTVA SWAROOPA ANUBHAVAAT

UTPANNAM JNAANAM ANJASAA

AHAM MAMA ITI CHA AJNAANAM

BAADHATE DIG-BHRAMA-AADI-VAT

[As a result of the experience of the Truth,  Self-knowledge is gained, and instantly  the ignorant notions of “I” and “mine”  are destroyed, just as wrong notions of directions (are destroyed by right information).]

To attain something that is not with us requires three things: knowledge, time and space. We need the (secular) knowledge of when and where to get it, the time to get it and to cover the space that separates us from it.

But the attainment of the Self is not in this category. It is already in us. To get it we need only Self-knowledge – no secular knowledge, no time and no coverage of space.

These two categories are given technical terms in Sanskrit by Indian Philosophers (these are not terms exclusive to Vedanta):

Apraaptasya Praapti: The former belongs to this category, which means “attaining that which we do not possess.” For this category, Action is required. The results of an action always come in the ‘future’ of the actual action, whether that may be just seconds away or centuries away.

With action comes the accompaniment of the whole train consequential to action, namely, the creation of merit or demerit (Punya or Paapa), the time when it will fructify, the actual fructification and the experience of the joy or sorrow. 

This is the cycle of Karma which, when looked at compositely and over the long term, is the same as the cycle of rebirth, of endless repetition.

Praptasya Prapti: This refers to the category of attaining “that which is already with us, but concealed from us.” Self-realization falls in this category. 

Here Karma is not necessary. We do not need to go through an endless cycle of births and deaths to acquire it. We simply need Knowledge to destroy the ignorance that conceals it. No action is required. 

“Digbhramadivat”: Wrong Notions About Directions

An Acharya takes great pains to illustrate why he considered this simile to be of outstanding quality. It is listed out so that the application can be compared to it thereafter. As usual it had its entertaining side:

1.        Patika: There is a traveler, who is journeying at night.

2.   Nagta Andhakara: He gets lost in the dense darkness and cloudy conditions.

3.       Dig Bhrama: He loses his sense of direction completely.

4.      Raja Marga: He loses the main road on which he was.

5.    Yatra-Tatra: He roams or wanders about here and there as a result.

6. Kantaka: He gets hurt by the sharp stones, he hits against trees, thorns, etc.

7.  Duhkham: He experiences great sorrows as a result of these.

8.      Surya Tejo: In the morning, at the coming of the dawn,

9.   Dig Bhrama: He is able to see his way again, and gets the proper directions.

10. Raja Marga: He finds the main road which he had lost.

11.  Anandam: He is ever happy that he has found his way once again.

The application of this simile, stage by stage, as laid out above is as follows:

1.        Jiva: The individual soul is also on a similar journey. 

2.     Avidya: He gets lost in the dense darkness of Avidya or ignorance.

3. Aham-Mama: He loses his true identity and gets identified with “I” and “mine”.

4.  Brahma Marga: He loses his path of going along the road to Brahman.

5.  Janma-Marana: So he gets knocked about and goes through endless rebirths.

6.    Vighna: These cause him to go through many a hardship or obstacle.

7.       Duhkha: He experiences great sorrows as a result.

8.  Jnana Tejo: Then at the right time he comes in touch with the spiritual teaching.

9. Sadhana: He does spiritual practices in earnest according to his Guru’s guidance.

10. Brahma Marga: He gets established on the spiritual path once again.

11. Moksham: He finally attains liberation and enjoys everlasting bliss.

One may view this as follows: Those aspects of the spiritual journey which require action are connected to the aspect of spiritual unfoldment needed to reverse and nullify the Karma accrued from the first category of Action.

In this Shloka, Acharya Sankara says when you experience your own form which is like the divine / Absolute (Tattva), there is knowledge that you are joy. The ignorance of “i” and “mine” is released.

Pay attention to your own experience that your happiness is from the Self. The more we reflect on this, the more we become independent of people’s words, success / failure and stress does not touch us.

With Right thinking (realizing that source of joy is myself), there is experience of joy and the more experience I have the more insight there is to the source of that experience. This can be reversed and understood as  —  with right thinking there is insight and with insight comes experience.

With enough reflection, contemplation becomes natural. “i” and “mine” is wrong thinking. Ignorance such as “i” and “mine” is released with right thinking, experience and insight just like being directionless is rectified when you are given one direction.

When we start to have Vairagya then we start to become independent of “Ahamkara” or ego. Renunciation of ego (“i”), and realizing that there is a deeper, higher “I” makes one free.

Love.