Atma Bodha - Post 61

VERSE 51:

BAAHYA-ANITYA-SUKHAA-SAKTIM

HITVA-AATMA-SUKHA-NIRVRITAH

GHATA-STHA-DEEPA-VAT SHASHVAT

ANTAH EVA PRAKAASHATE

(Attachment for the fleeting joys of the outer world – after having renounced these, and contented with the bliss derived from the Self, as a lamp placed inside a jar, forever  shines inwardly alone within himself.)

All joy is experienced within, not in the objects. However, because the joys are triggered by various tempting objects in the world, they are referred to as “fleeting joys of the world”.

In truth, even that which we experience as sensual pleasure comes only from the Self but it is reflected via the body’s mental equipment.

Giving up the external objects, the Yogi finds his joy directly in the Self, the spring of all joy.

“Ghatastha Deepavat” Lamp in a Jar Simile  

The most important part of this simile is that the light is placed inside an opaque pot and hence cannot be seen from outside. This is supposed to teach us that the state of  joy of the liberated sage is not something that others can know. It is deep in his heart and will always remain there.

Externally, the sage may appear to be a very busy person, if his Prarabdha Karma is to be such, but inwardly he is always centred in his Self. 

That gives him the poise and equanimity, which are described in the Geeta as the essential qualities of a Sthitaprajna, the sage of steady wisdom. 

Only the sage knows how much he is enjoying the state of inner bliss. It cannot be fathomed from outside. This is the special message given by this simile.

Does another Jivanmukta know that state? There is a Tamil saying, “The route taken by a snake is known only to another snake!” This suggests that, yes, another Jivanmukta will appreciate the state of a Jivanmukta. 

If both of them are actually conscious of everything else as their own Self, then surely this is not difficult to accept. There are, nevertheless, many clues by which a Jivanmukta’s inner state may be deduced. 

Earlier, we studied how a light placed in a pot illuminates things around, but this verse  goes deeper. It is not about illuminating outside but it’s about illumination. In our self-development it is just “being”. For one who is enlightened, there is only light.

The lamp referred in this verse, the Bliss of SELF or Pure existence or Atman, is lit within ever. It is the light which shines without the need of a vessel ( our body), oil ( our karma) and wick ( our mind).

It is only that when our ego manifest, it brings attachment/hatred, Raaga/Dvesha in our mind, and this attachment/hatred then cloud our SELF, make us ignore/forget that we are verily the light that shines within.

Once a sadhaka, through untiring sadhana, transcends these Raaga/Dvesha, he experiences the illumined SELF within his heart!!

His detachment, his reactions, his calmness, and his absence of any sense cravings, etc, all speak without words of his majestic inner state as Emperor of his inner kingdom. 

Love

Atma Bodha - Post 60

VERSE 50:

TEERTVAA MOHA-ARNAVAM HATVAA

RAGA-DVESH-AADI RAAKSHASAAN

YOGEE SHANTI-SAMAA-YUKTAH

AATMA RAAMAH VIRAAJITE

(After crossing the ocean of delusion, killing  the monsters of likes, dislikes, etc,  the Yogi who is united firmly with Peace  becomes “Atma Rama”, one who revels in Self.)

Atma Rama - Rama is verily that Supreme Brahman, the pure consciousness supreme, that Atman, which crystalized itself and descended on the earth as Sri Rama!

We sing “ Sri Rama charanam” Bhajan in Sai centre(s)

There is this line- Vaidehi Ramam Vaikunta Dhamam in that beautiful bhajan. 

That absolute consciousness, the Atman or the Brahman, is the one which is all pervading, which envelops this creation from vaidehi, the earth, upto Vaikuntam, the sky and the high heavens and beyond!!!

This all pervading Supreme SELF  is what is explained as “ Isa vasyam idagm sarvam” in the Isopanishad and “ Purnam adah, Purnam Idam” in the Brihdaranyaka Upanishad!!

By just a reference of Atma Rama in this verse, Sankaracharya pays the highest tribute to India’s precious spiritual heritage in the form of the Ramayana.

And here is how he does it… “Atmarama”: The Ramayana Story Simile

The entire Ramayana itself is the simile in this verse. And every bit of the beauty of this simile was brought out by a chnmaya ashram acharya, revealing to his student monks  his own great love for this scriptural epic.

1. Sitan Veshi Ramah: “Rama goes in search of Sita”, who has been kidnapped. This compares with the spiritual seeker or the Yogi who is lost in worldliness, but is desperately trying to find his way out of it.

2. Sugrivadi Krita Prayatna Samuttpannena Setuna: What did Rama do? “He obtained the help of Sugriva and others to build the Setu bridge” to Lanka to rescue Sita.

Sugriva and others represent the Sadhana of Sravana, Manana and Nididhyasana. Prayatna is all the effort and concentration put into that Sadhana. The bridge itself is Jnana or knowledge of the Self, which directs us and takes us over to the destination.

3. Samudra: “The ocean”, over which the bridge was built, i.e. the Gulf of Mannar between Sri Lanka and India.

This is the ocean of Samsara or delusion, spoken of in this verse. This is vast indeed. The whole of the microcosm in all its detail, as well as the vast macrocosm of the fourteen worlds, is included in the word.

The waters of the ocean represents both the waves of ups and downs we experience in this world, as well as the unfathomable depths of ignorance and delusion we struggle against.

In this ocean are the “monsters” of likes and dislikes which give rise to a few pleasurable experiences but a majority of painful ones. These are killed by the Yogi in the course of his treacherous journey to the Self.

4. Atithikshana Bana: “The very sharp and deadly arrows” used to attack the hoards of the demon-king who had kidnapped Sita.

These arrows represent the sharp intellect of the Yogi which possesses Viveka, and the strong Vairagya or dispassion that enables him to remain unattached to the world of temptations.

5. Ravana Harana: Rama “vanquishes Ravana” and all his hordes of demoniacal soldiers.

This killing stands for the killing of the Yogi’s Vasanas and desires; his Raga and Dwesha; and all the subtle tendencies that induce him to tread the fruitless path of sensual indulgence.

6. “The Discovery of Sita”: This stands for the discovery of Shanti or peace within one’s being.

It is a supreme peace that is independent of all external conditions. The very word ‘Seeta’ means calmness and peace. It is the state associated with great joy and bliss of the Self.

7. “The Return to Ayodhya”: Ayodhya is Rama’s own country, where He was born and grew up.

Similarly, where is our source or origin, our true home? The Yogi also goes back to his true home, his own Self. The word Ayodhya literally means “that state which is free from war and strife.” How apt is it!

The rule of Lord Rama (Rama-Rajya) in Ayodhya was a state where all lived in inner peace and contentment, free from the stress and struggle associated with any other outer pursuit. 

The return to Ayodhya is a return to our own heaven within where, there is ever  lasting peace and love. 

The effortless abidance in this inner realm where wars, discontent, revolutions, and so on have no place, is called Ramarajya.

Thus we see a complete parallel between the story of the Ramayana and the march of the soul onwards towards the discovery of its true nature.

The spiritual journey is what epics like the Ramayana symbolize, and such epics have soaked deep into the fabric of Indian culture..  Could there be a more fitting tribute to Indian culture than this glorious reference to the Ramayana!

May we go through all the stages explained above in the context of our spiritual journey and return to ayodhya, the supreme abode, from which we were born, in which we exist without the knowledge that we exist in and as ayodhya, the supreme abode of SELF!!!!

Love

Atma Bodha - Post 59

Verse 49

JEEVANMUKTAH TU TAT VIDVAAN

POORVA-UPAADHI-GUNAAN TYAJET

SAH SAT-CHID-AADI-DHARMATVAM

BHEJE BHRAMARA-KEETA-VAT

[The liberated soul, endowed with Self-knowledge, gives up the traits of his previous equipments. and verily becomes of the nature of Sat Chit Ananda, even as a worm would transform into a wasp.]

An acharya, in one of  his talks, captured fully the marvel of transformation from an ordinary being severely limited by his body and mind ‘prisons’, to the liberated sage who rises above these limitations and becomes a “super-man” far exceeding ordinary humans.

The simile is a striking one which shows how such a transformation is possible in actual life.

“Bhramara Keetavat”: The Worm and the Wasp

One has to be an enjoyer of Nature to appreciate this superb simile.

Have we  ever seen a wasp building its nest? With great difficulty it brings a tiny lump of clay, moistened with its saliva. It finds a suitable spot where no one will disturb it and places it there. With its legs it maneuvers the ball of clay firmly. Then it flies off quickly to get the next ball because it must return before this ball dries up, so that the next ball can be stuck to it. This is so interesting to see.

When numerous balls are in place, the wasp comes along one day with a small worm and places it inside in such a way that its eyes are facing it directly. Then the wasp takes its position at the entrance and just sits there, glaring intently on the worm.

The worm also stares at the wasp all the while, but out of fear, terrified by the sight of the wasp. If it takes its attention off the wasp even for a second, the wasp gives it a little sting and pulls it to attention once again!

And what does this intense concentration by the worm on the wasp bring about?

We  have to behold a marvel of nature – just the constant fixed attention on the wasp soon transforms the worm into another wasp.

Application of the simile

The spiritual seeker is the worm. As a worm he is helpless to do anything, severely limited by its cumbersome, ugly body to that pitiable state.

The stare at the wasp with such intense ‘fearful’ concentration is the practice of meditation on the Self. After a prolonged practice of this meditation, the seeker-worm emerges as a completely transformed being. He acquires the freedom of a new ‘body’, completely different from the one that limited him before. He can now fly into great heights of ecstasy he can behold the whole universe as himself; and he can now raise himself above all limitations that he suffered from previously. He is a free being, entirely different from his old personality-based existence.

The transformation of worm to wasp is a perfect comparison to what the meditator achieves through his meditation, when he becomes a Self-realized Jivanmukta.

Another aspect of this simile is that it resembles the Guru-disciple relationship perfectly. The wasp is the Guru and the worm the disciple. The nest is the Ashram.

The disciple comes to the Guru’s Ashram. He is placed under the discipline of the Guru. It may appear to be a fearful discipline with all the frightful glaring and the stings, but how appropriate it is to what the Guru has to do to achieve the transformation in his beloved disciple.

Dear All,

Only sincere sadhakas who are under a master and abiding by the master’s instructions can actually experience what is going to be shared by the author here.

“Even while a sishya, a sadhaka, while approaching a master who is realized and also can teach the supreme path to realization effectively to his disciple, feels that he / she is nowhere near the master, is afraid of their master, often look up at the master awestruck as to whether we will ever reach this master’s state or not,

The master’s mission is always only one, and, that is, to take the disciple to such a level where, there is never a distinction between Him the realized Guru and they, the dedicated disciple”

And,

“Only such a master is a true master, a true guru. 

Any one who endlessly expects the sishyas to hold on to his feet, to think themselves as inferior to their guru,  expects them to be always keeping themselves at a lesser platform,  such a master is not a true master. His intentions are not  genuine. He has still not transcended the worldly requirement of power, fame and may be even wealth etc " 

How well the above sharing aligns with the worm and the wasp similie, when taken subjectively and meditated upon!

A classic example often quoted by the author in his sessions to bring about the essence of this simile is – “ When Bharatha, soaked, immersed and completely merged with his Lord Sri Rama, walked on the streets of Ayodhya after the exile period of 14 years had got over and Rama was to return to Ayodhya with Janaki and Lakshmana, the radiance in bhrataha’s face was so much identical to Rama’s face that the Ayodhya vasis, for once, mistook him as Rama and started showering flowers on him”.

Thus, be clear, o devotees, bhaktas, if your devotion, only if your devotion is so sincere and so total and complete, then will you evolve to reach the Lord and exist verily as Lord Himself!!!

The final message is: The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman himself. It may seem an impossible transformation, but then who would have imagined that a worm could become a wasp? The emergence from the severe psychological limitation of an ignorant human to a God-realised saint is even more remarkable than a worm becoming a wasp.

Love.