Vivekachudamani - Post 8

Atmanatma vivecanam svanubhavo brahmatmana saṃsthitih

Discrimination between the Real and the unreal, a personal experience of spiritual glory and ultimately to get fully established in the living consciousness that the Self in me is the Self in all

 

When a man-man, having developed his powers of concentration through selfless actions, studies the scriptures properly, he gains discrimination between Spirit and matter, the Real and the unreal. Soon he comes to realise that the Self in him is the Self in all and then he gets established in his experience  of godhood. 

The Ultimate Brahman is free from the limitations of place, time and objects and such freedom from limitation cannot be predicated of the saguna Brahman. 

"Brahmatmana samsthitih:" means being free from connection with all imagined limitations and remaining in one's true state of fulness as ever pure, intelligent, free and non-different from one's inner self. This is called kaivalyam. This is being alone, free from every taint or upadhi. This is liberation. 

 

Brahmatma rupeṇa avasthanam. It is known as Brahma nishta; otherwise called atmanishta; otherwise called jnana nishta; otherwise called in the Gita, “Brahmi sthithihi”; otherwise called “sthita prajnaḥ”; otherwise called “jivan mukthih”;

 

What is the difference between nidhidhyasanam and jivan mukthi?. 

 

In Nidhidhyasanam also the effort is involved in remaining in this knowledge; in Jivan mukthi it has become spontaneous; effortless; normal; natural. This is the difference between nidhidhyasanam and jivanmukthi. 

 

In nidhidhyasanam “aham brahmasmi” requires will; in jivanmukthi. “aham brahmasmi” does not require will at all.

 

Muktirno shata janma koti sukrtaih puṇyairvina labhyate

This kind of a perfect Liberation cannot be had without merits earned in hundred crores of lives, lived intelligently

 

We require or we should have hundred manuṣya janmas previously, because pashu cannot do punyam. Therefore we should have punya hundred crore manuṣya janma and in all those manuṣya janmas, we should have done punyam. 

 

This explains why, Jivas leading life with both papa and punya karmas, both spiritual and worldly life are not able to get glimpse of that Brahma Anubhuthi or Glimpse of SELF in their meditation. One should  have cleared all the effects of all Papa karmas and should be leading life of Punya karma in several births. Then only, one attains liberation in one birth.

 

Love.

 

Vivekachudamani - Post 7

 

Vidvattvam

Even after gaining all these rare chances , to have steadfastness on  the path of spiritual activity as explained in Vaidika literature is yet rarer; much more so , to have a correct knowledge of the deep significances of the scriptures.

 

And after getting sadhana catuṣṭaya sampatti, what is the next stage? Vidwatvam asmatparam. Vidvatvam means vedanta śravaṇam. Vedantic learning. So first line viprataḥ came, now vidvatvam has come now.

 

Viprataḥ means dharma sastra jnanam and vidvatvam means brahma sastra jnanam.. Viprataḥ if you follow sincerely, then they can come to vidwatvam. So vidwatvam corresponds to sravaṇam.

 

Sravaṇam requires a guru. Sravaṇam is not possible without a guru. How to find out who is a guru. Scriptures say “sthoriyam Brahmaniṣṭam”, one who has attained Brahma Jnana and is also capable of imparting Jnana to his disciple. The Lord alone has to send such a Guru  out of his infinite source. 

 

To get a guru and get an opportunity to do the Sravaṇam is still rarer. Manuṣyatvam and then viprataḥ then vaidika dharma margaḥ paratha and then vidwatvam and as you go higher and higher it becomes rarer and rarer.

 

When a man-man, having developed his powers of concentration through selfless actions, studies the scriptures properly, he gains discrimination between Spirit and matter, the Real and the unreal. Soon he comes to realise that the Self in him is the Self in all and ere long he gets established in his experience of godhood. 

 

Sankara in enumerating these stages of self-development gives us in a nutshell the unwritten chapter in Darwin's half declared theory of evolution. Here we have all the various stages through which man consciously, by right living and self-progress,  climbs on to the lap of the Lord, there to merge with Him, there  to become Siva. This is called mukti - the full and final Liberation of a mortal from all his limitations. 

 

Love.

 

 

Vivekachudamani - Post 6

 

vaidika dharma margaparata 

 

Even after gaining all these rare chances, to have steadfastness on the path of spiritual activity as explained in Vaidika literature is yet rarer; 

 

When one has a human body along with the serener qualities of the heart and the sattvika attitude of the intellect, one is indeed blessed with all the preliminaries for his evolution. 

 

But all these can run to waste if not properly harnessed and intelligently applied. So Sankara declares that even after gaining all the above qualifications, rarer still are those who will find the energy to apply themselves faithfully to the methods of integration as suggested in the literature of the Vedas. 

 

A person can become an academic scholar; he might know what is dharma; what is adharma; but is utterly useless, if a person does not follow the lifestyle prescribed in the sastras. 

 

Parata means commitment for pursuit of dharma margaḥ; righteous way of life; In Brahmacharya asrama a person studies the vedas and in grahastha asrama and vanaprastha asrama he is supposed to practice the veda purva bhagaḥ or dharma sastram. 

 

If a person follows that he becomes fit for veda anthaha. In short, he will attain jnana yogyata. Till that he has to follow. Study maybe over in 10 years or 15 years. But there afterwards he has to practice the religious life for a length of time until he gets sadhana catuṣṭaya sampatti. 

 

Selfless karma, rituals and practices of devotion, japa, puja and so on, alone can purify the inner personality and bring more and more integration to it. Concentration increases through desireless actions and a person who has greater concentration (ekagrata), has necessarily a finer antahkarana. 

 

So, a steady      concentration must be the initial attempt of all seekers, especially those on the path of knowledge. Steadfastness on the path of spiritual activity is the culmination/ final fructification of Sadhana Catushtaya Sampatti, which is “Mumukshatva”!! 

 

 

Love.