Vivekachudamani-Post 59

The actuality of things is to be known by a first-hand personal experience through the eye of clear understanding and not through the  report of learned men. The beauty of the moon is enjoyed through one's own eyes; can one appreciate it through the description by others? 

Sankara reinforces the idea in the above three examples with yet  another verse, hammering, as it were, the last nail on the coffin  of our doubts. 

The beauty, the brilliance, the soft glory, the queenly  dignity, the serene consolation, the message of love and leisure, of peace and quietude, which the moon sheds as it glides across  the springtime skies cannot, indeed, be captured in words but they  are experiences to be enjoyed subjectively only. 

The vision of its  majesty is to be perceived by one's own eyes and experienced in  satisfying suggestive silence. A blind man cannot enjoy the love  messages of a moonlit night. 

When the Self rises in the dark bosom of our ignorance and glides across the horizon of our experiences, that experience  cannot be described fully by us to another, even though he may  have experienced it himself. Each must experience it for himself, in himself. This analogy of moonrise is indeed the most poetic and by far the most appropriate example to indicate the soft silvery light  of knowledge that illumines, with its sublime peace and perfection,  the dark atmosphere in the bosom of the ignorant.

vasthu svarupam, vasthu means reality. The ultimate truth is called vasthu. So in Samskrit the word vasthu has got two meanings; one meaning is any object in the world is called vasthu.

But in the context of vedanta; the word vasthu has a specific meaning and this is paramarthika satyam; the absolute reality. And the corresponding opposite avasthu means mithya or unreal.

It is derived from the word  “vas”, to exist. 

vasathi; asthi, sarvadha asthi ithi vasthu; that which exists eternally. That which is unnegatable is called vasthu; in short satyam. So vasthu svarupam means the nature of reality 

svenaiva vedyam has to be known by oneself. The nature of reality has to be known by oneself through what means? 

Sputa bodhacaksusa; through the eyes of clear understanding; through the eyes of clear understanding; bodhah means jnanam, sputa bodhaḥ means clear jnanam, caksusa means eye; jnana caksusa  vedyam.

Many people think that there is a physical eye in the forehead and they try to open it; some people call it ajna chakram; and even ajna chakram is symbolic; there is no such thing called a physical or subtle eye; if at all you call it subtle eye it should be understood as antha karanam. 

Swami Sivananda writes on Grace (of Guru) and Self Effort.

“

Realization cannot come to you as a miracle done by your Guru.  Lord Buddha, Lord Jesus, Rama Tirtha have all done Sadhana. Lord Krishna asks Arjuna to develop Vairagya (dispassion) and Abhyasa (practice). 

He did not say to him, “I will give you Mukti(liberation) now”. Therefore, abandon the wrong notion that your Guru will give you Samadhi and Mukti. Strive, purify, meditate, and realize.

Guru-kripa-grace of a Guru-is very necessary. That does not mean that the disciple should sit idle. He must do rigid Purushartha, spiritual practices. The whole work must be done by the student. 

The Guru and the Shastras can show you the path and remove your doubts. Anubhava (direct experience) of the Aparoksha kind or direct intuitive knowledge is left for your own experience. A hungry man will have to eat for himself. He who has a severe itching will have to scratch for himself.

No doubt, the Guru’s blessing can do everything. But how can one have his blessings? By pleasing the Guru. A Guru can be pleased with his disciple only if the latter carries out his spiritual instructions implicitly. 

Carefully follow, therefore the instructions of the Guru. Act up to his instructions. Then only will you deserve his blessings, and then alone his blessings can do everything.”

Love

vivekachudamani-Post 58

51. A father has his sons and others to save him from his financial debts , but to redeem himself from his delusions , he has to resort to  none but himself.

52. Exhaustion and fatigue caused by carrying a load on the head can be  relieved by others coming to one's help. But none , save one's own self  can end the pangs caused by hunger and so on. 

53. The patient who faithfully follows the right diet and takes the proper  medicine alone is perceived to recover from his illness; no one recovers  because another undergoes the treatment. 

Since Chinmaya has dealt with the three verses together, the previous verse is also referred here again, though there was a detailed commentary on the same in the previous post.

Chinmaya writes,

“In these three verses, the Master is trying to drive home the  importance of self effort upon the student. Any amount of hearing, study, intellectual thinking and logical discussion cannot by themselves bring about Liberation from our misconceptions and  false evaluations in life. 

In order to impress this idea upon the student, the Teacher  gives three verses with three different examples. These homely analogies which fall within the experience of everyone are given  to remove any possible misunderstanding of the student regarding  the technique of Self-realization. 

All the objective sciences in the world can be mastered by merely studying them. The man who studies the law of the country  with all its implications can become a lawyer; he who studies the  symptoms of diseases and their cures can become a doctor. 

An advocate of criminal law need not be a criminal himself, a doctor  need not himself be a patient to know the science of medicine. 

But Atma-vidya is gained only when it has brought about a  complete regeneration of the individual who studies it. After gaining the objective knowledge there must also be a subjective achievement. 

Let us see the 3rd verse quoted in today's post, verse no 53.

The Teacher, not satisfied with these two striking examples, adds yet another verse to drive home to the student the necessity  for conscious personal effort. He says, 'Only those patients are cured of their ailments who faithfully follow the prescribed diet and take the right medicines themselves.' 

To come back to your natural healthy condition; which means removal of the unnatural condition; your sadhana is two-fold. What are the two sadhanas? 

Medicine taking is the main one to cure the disease, but as important as medicine is the pathyam (this a Tamil word) which means the discipline/diet we must observe, the Do’s and Don’ts we have to follow. 

Without pathyam , medicine is useless and there is another person who observes all the pathyam, but he does not take medicine. Then also it will not work. Therefore which is important if somebody asks, I should answer both are equally important. Both are equally important.

For getting moksha  also, two things are there; pathyam and oushada seva. 

Medicine in the context of Sadhana

Vedanta Sravaṇa Manana Nidhidhyasana, is the medicine. Without the study of scriptures moksha is never possible; whether the scriptural study is for long time or short time; that all depends upon the condition of sickness. 

But at the same time, sastra warns that any amount of  sravaṇa manana nidhidhyasanam you may do, it will not give you any benefit, unless you follow the pathyam also. Without the pathyam, all your study will make you a wonderful scholar. 

Pathyam in the context of Sadhana

Sadhana chatuṣṭaya sampatti is the pathyam.

What is the level of viveka? What is the level of vairagya? What is the level of sama, dama, uparama, titiksha  and finally and most importantly what is the level of mumukshatva?

It is observed by the author that even after decades of sadhana, few sadhakas are  unable to get closer to Self Realization. 

The problem is in their pathyam- Sadhana chatushtaya

Somewhere they are lacking in viveka or vairagya. Without viveka, vairagya, mumumkshatva is impossible and without 100% tivra Mumukshatva, even after 10/20 years of sadhana, one can be pulled by Samasara, by the objective world, by relations, by attachment and the sadhaka is pulled down to zero level in their sadhana/ in their purpose of God realization.

Coming back to the three examples, Sankara  has chosen such examples, that we are not acquiring anything new. We are only removing something. So therefore, hunger and thirst problem he has given. Here also our aim is what? removing the hunger and thirst and upon their removal,  health is the natural condition of a person. We never acquire health. 

Similarly, samsara   is unnatural; or struggle is only to remove the unnatural samsara and once the unnatural samsara  is removed; liberation is not acquired; you come back to your natural state of liberation.

In short, each one of us must walk the path by himself but properly guided by the instruction of the Teacher and the scriptures. 

Love

Vivekachudamani-Post 57

 

A father has got his sons and others to free him from his debts, but he has got none but himself to remove his bondage. (51)

Every human being has to fulfil the four purusharthas, dharma, artha, kama and moksha. So this is the duty; in fact, the intrinsic urge of every human being. 

So artha and kama is the fulfilment of the needs of the lower personality. Just to have physical security and also physical pleasure or entertainment, every human being needs from the level of one personality.

And if a person grows higher, a little bit more; he no more happy with the near fulfilllment; he feels that he has to do something to the society, something to the other people, the need for fulfilllment of certain values. 

These are all higher needs of an individual; they call need for self-esteem. I want to be a dharmic person; I want to tell the people that I have given so much money for the institution; these are the needs of the higher ego. The lower ego needs artha kama; the higher ego needs dharma. Everybody wants to present himself or herself as dharmic person.

And then still when you go to higher ego; there is the spiritual need which is called need for mōkṣa. They call it hierarchy of need. First security; then entertainment; then self-esteem; then self-actualisation; in our language, artha, kāma, dharma and moksha. Mokṣa is also a need in the sense that mōkṣa indicates the highest growth that a human being can achieve.

And this is also a need, because if you study any being in the creation, even a plant or animal, you find one thing common to all and what is that; everything is growing, growing. 

A plant. You need not request a plant to grow; it is natural urge to grow. And if there is any obstruction like ceiling or something, if you keep the plant inside the house, it will go through the window and grow. 

An animal also wants to grow. How much? maximum as much as it can grow. Therefore, growth is not something which you choose but growth is something which is intrinsically thought by all beings; it is a natural urge. But the only difference between animals and human beings is, in the case of animals, the growth is only physical.

But in the case of human being, the growth is not only physical but also emotional. By emotional growth I mean the capacity to love, care etc. for all the entire humanity. Love for all. Similarly, intellectual growth, i.e. knowing about everything. 

That is why science cannot remain quiet because they want to know what is star. they want to know; ‘they’ means what? the entire humanity wants to know. Knowledge wise growth and spiritual growth. All these are the innate urge of every human being. And moksha represents the highest growth possible; that is purnatvam; the infinitude.

Dharma Artha kama needs can be fulfilled by ourselves and we can fulfill these needs helped by other people also. I can fulfill by myself or even if I do not have time or capacity to fulfill; the other people can fulfill my needs.

For example, any ritual can be taken up by son, if father is aged and is not able to sit and perform the ritual. Within the family, one can earn and feed the other.

Whereas when the question of moksa comes, there is difference. What is that? For the sake of the father, son cannot say I will get knowledge on behalf of you. When son gets knowledge, who will get moksha?; son will get moksha, father is not going to get moksha; and son cannot even hand over.

Therefore Sankara says your moksha need you alone have to fulfil; therefore never give a complaint, I have no time; do not say; you have to fulfil dharma artha kama; you have to do your duties due to your family. Your children; your wife; your husband. But never say I do not have time for moksha;

As they say, seven people can take a horse to the water front; but the horse alone has to drink. Similarly, children may be ready to provide all the conditions for knowledge, but the father alone has gain it; nobody else can do. 

Therefore, Sankara says: bandamocanakarta; a person who releases one from bondage is svyam eva; oneself only; tasmat anyah kascana nasti; other than oneself nobody else can do that. And when we say nobody else can do; it includes even Bhagavan.

Even Bhagavan cannot give us mōkṣa. moksha is my very nature. God  can give the condition for discovering this fact. 

Easvara anugraha is manuṣyatvam; mumukṣutvam; and maha puruṣaḥ samsrayaḥ; moksha  is purely the  effort of the mumukshu sadhaka.

And therefore, you have to work for that. And whoever is working has to be congratulated. 

Love