Upadesa Saram - Post 36

Verse 30

(Continued…)

अहमपेतकं निजविभानकम् |

महदिदं तपो रमणवागियम् || ३० ||

 ahamapetakaṁ nijavibhānakam |

mahadidaṁ tapo ramaṇavāgiyam || 30 ||

Free from “I,” the innate Light,

This is great tapas; this is the saying of Ramana.

            

1) Self-enquiry

Enquiry is possible only when the reality is heard from a person who has realized the reality. This is the first step towards enquiry – this is hearing about the scriptures from a Guru or from the scriptures directly. Once the reality has been heard about, then starts mental reflection on the reality – the various doubts are removed through logic and arguments. This removes all the doubts and intellectual conviction is gained.

2) Transcending the ego - Avidya or ignorance (of one’s own real identity)

The Self is ever-realized but it is ignorance of one’s own real nature which obstructs the ultimate reality 'I am the Self' to be known. And as a result of this ignorance, sorrow and sufferings are caused.

This ignorance itself has no cause. It is only an illusion which seems to exist due to lack of knowledge of the reality.

The individual sees himself as the limited Ego, but in reality he is the Self which is one without a second and of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute. Once intellectual conviction is present, then through contemplation on the reality or holding on to the real “I” – the ignorance veil is removed. The ignorance is present only because the Self has been forgotten.

3) The Self luminous Atman shines 

Maharshi tells that it is the Self alone which is self-luminous and shines of its own. As Maharshi Himself proclaimed in the 23rd shloka that there is no other object which illumines other than Consciousness (Consciousness alone illumines everything in the world). 

Through the Pancha Koshas path and through the States of Consciousness path, we learnt that the Knower or the Drshta who knows or who is aware of all the 5 koshas and the same Knower who is witness to all the three states of consciousness, yet, He/That Knower is not limited to the 5 koshas/three states of consciousness and is the one who is the Eternal Knower. And, How He KNOWS?? Because He is Chaitanya, He is Self illumined. He does not need any means of knowledge to know. He/That is Jnanam itself. 

Thus, this SELF is of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute. Thus, Maharshi has pointed out that by knowing or realizing the Self alone one can get eternal bliss.

This ultimate reality can be realized only through knowledge but many people are not suitable or eligible to directly follow the path of knowledge. Even if it is followed, those who are attracted towards the worldly sensual pleasures cannot realize the Self and know the meaning of the subtle scriptures. Hence, the various other means or paths are propounded in the Vedas. These are the paths of devotion, action and yoga. These various paths also lead to the ultimate reality of oneness of the individual and Brahman or God or Ishwara. Thus, these are the various paths alone and the end is the non-dual reality and its knowledge.

In all the blog themes, especially in the following themes,

    - Purpose of Human birth

    - Creation of the universe

    - Karma

    - Atma Bodha

    - Veda and Vedanta

and now, in this Upadesa Saram, the author of the blog has tried to drill in the essence of Vedanta, the one Truth,

It has to be understood very clearly that Vedanta or the Upanishads is not a school of knowledge. It is the way of life. It is the ultimate Truth.

Ultimately what one would aspire for when he takes up Sadhana?? 

Answer is - Peace, Bliss, tranquility, eternal happiness. 

Author is 100% sure that there can be no two opinions about this.

And here, our Shrutis (Upanishads) bestow all these things wholly and eternally.

All the agitations, all efforts, all hatred, all attachment we suffer are due to one single factor - WE FEEL WE ARE INCOMPLETE AND WE WANT MORE COMPLETION. 

And, here, Vedanta, as sufficiently understood by readers of this Upadesa Saram verses with commentary that,

“I (the SELF) AM PURE, I AM SELF ILLUMINED, I AM BLISS”

What more completion is required? How can the whole world give you this completion when you realize, 

"Mayi eva sakalam jaatham mayi sarvam pratishtitham

Mayi sarvam layam yaathi tad brahma advayam asmi aham"

"Everything is created from Me, everything is supported or exists in Me, everything gets destroyed into Me – that Brahman of the nature of non-duality (one without a second) that I am."

Prostrations to Sai - the Eternal Charioteer, to Ramana, to all realized Masters and to all of you, revered beings, who, whether you have realized or not, are ever the pure essence, the pure existence, the “DIVYA ATMA SWARUPAS”!!

With this, we come to the end of this matchless treatise by the matchless Master - Ramana.

Love.

Upadesa Saram - Post 35

Verse 30

अहमपेतकं निजविभानकम् |

महदिदं तपो रमणवागियम् || ३० ||

ahamapetakaṁ nijavibhānakam |

mahadidaṁ tapo ramaṇavāgiyam || 30 ||

Free from “I,” the innate Light,

This is great tapas; this is the saying of Ramana.

Before even getting into a brief commentary on this verse, the author or this humble soul, with utmost reverence, is reproducing extract from Jnana Vahini, emerged from the God, the Guide, the Supreme Sadhguru, the Poorna Avatar, my Master, Bhagawan Baba. 

"All agitations will cease the moment one enters on the inquiry, "Who am I"? This was the Sadhana that Ramana Maharshi achieved and taught to His disciples. That is also the easiest of all the disciplines.

First, there must be the Subhechchaa, the desire to promote one's own welfare. This will lead to the study of books about Brahmam and its principles, the search for the company of the good, the withdrawal from sensory pleasure and the thirst for liberation.

Even the Mahaavaakya, "Aham Brahmaasmi", has a trace of ignorance sticking on to it, the Aham, considered as separate but identical. This Aham is so persistent that it will disappear only through ceaseless meditation on the implications of "Tatwamasi" and all-inclusive Atma or Brahmam.

The springs of egoism etc., arise from ignorance of the Basic Truth. When knowledge of the Atma dawns, ignorance with its brood of worry and misery will vanish. The mark of the Jnani is the absence of egoism, the extinction of desire, the feeling of equal Love for all without any distinction. These are the fundamentals of Atmajnana."

The author of this blog is filled with such inexpressible inner feeling even while he quotes his Swami above that he feels the whole commentary of all the 30 verses is over with the above quotes from Jnana vahini. 

In this verse, Maharshi does not mean the name and form of Ramana Maharshi who has written the work – but He says that Ramana is the Self which has spoken about Itself. 

The verse has 3 components and let us re-arrange the three to arrive at the essence as well as the sequence of spiritual sadhana.

    1) Mahad Idam Tapo - Through self-enquiry (the reading of  this work and intense tapas on the same).

    2) Aham Apethakam - Devoid of Ahamkara (the tapas or  the self enquiry has to be taken without Ahamkara and ultimately, the practice of this work results in annihilation of Ahamkara).

     3) Nija Vibhanakam - Self shines on its own.

   Let us get further into the above three in the next and the concluding post of Upadesa Saram.
   
Continued...

Love.

Upadesa Saram - Post 34

Verse 29

(Continued…)

बन्धमुक्त्यतीतं परं सुखम् |

विन्दतीह जीवस्तु दैविकः || २९ ||

bandhamuktyatītaṁ paraṁ sukham |

vindatīha jīvastu daivikaḥ || 29 ||

Beyond bondage and liberation, the Supreme happiness,

He finds here that the jiva is certainly the Divine.

Beyond bondage and liberation

Maharshi adds in this shloka that the Self is beyond bondage and liberation because the Self is ever-realized. There is no liberation for the Self. 

Both bondage and liberation belong to the 'Aham Vritti' or the ‘I-thought’. Bondage and liberation are only at the level of the mind. They are from the standpoint of the ordinary mind. The impulse to strive for happiness in the ordinary man is also mind-driven.

That is not the impulse that drives the sage. The sage has seen that the mind itself is an illusion, and has raised himself beyond it to the Divine Consciousness. His joy is therefore beyond the ideas of bondage and liberation. 

Divine state 

An Acharya of Chinmaya Mission explains the state of such a sage / saintly person / Jivanmukhta as ‘Divinity on two legs’, thus:

A person who has experienced the pure Self becomes a Divine person with divine qualities. Divinity pulsates through such a person, flows right through him without any obstruction. All noble virtues become part and parcel of him. 

There is not a trace of hatred for others in him, as there is no ‘other’ for him! He has a purity that transcends worldliness. His actions are spontaneous, not artificial. 

The personality of the sage has a special beauty that is not seen in ordinary humans. When we do not find the usual human weaknesses in a person, we call him Divine. 

The entire Cosmos takes care of him. Everything is taken care of for him. His needs are met in a mysterious manner. His work is taken care of by the Lord Himself. One observes a remarkable co-operation from cosmic forces which seem to lie at his disposal, eagerly waiting to be at his service. It is as though the whole universe is working in his favor.

To understand what divinity is, the only way is to see it in action in such a saintly person. He stands as ‘Divinity on two legs’.

The state of such a Jivanmukhta, liberated while alive, has been explained vividly in many treatises. Swami Dattatreya has dedicated a Gita itself, all about such a sage, titled “Jivanmukhta Gita”. Swami Sivananda has written beautiful commentary on the verses of Jivanmukhta Gita.

Author of this blog used to reach to an unimaginable ecstatic state while reading and absorbing this commentary by the Supreme Master Swami Sivananda. Sankara describes about such realized sage in Viveka Chudamani. And almost in all Vedanta works written by Sage Vidyaranya, Swami Sivananda etc., the state of realized Seer has been described in the best possible way, with available finite words.

Love.