Lecture VIII: `Practical Vedanta', now resumes.
------------------------
Vedanta or knowledge of Self is not the sole property of Sannyasins or recluses who live in forests or caves of the Himalayas. Study the Upanishads and you will find that many Kshatriya kings, who were very busy in their daily affairs of life, were in possession of Brahma-Jnana. They even gave instructions to Brahmin priests.
Svetaketu Aruneya (grandson of Aruna), repaired to the assembly of the Panchalas. Pravahana Jabali (the king of Panchala, a Kshatriya) asked him: "Boy, has your father instructed you?" "Yes, Sir," he replied. "Do you know to what place men go from here?" "No, Sir," he replied. "Do you know how they return again?" "No, Sir," he replied. "Do you know where the path of the Devas and the path of the fathers diverge?" "No, Sir," he replied. "Do you know why that world (that of fathers) never becomes full?" "No, Sir," he replied. "Then why did you say that you had been instructed? How could anybody who did not know these things say that he had been taught?" Then the boy, troubled in mind, came to his father's place and said: "Sir, though you had not taught me, you said you had instructed me. That fellow of a Rajanya (king, Kshatriya clan) asked me five questions and I could not answer even one of them." The father said, "If I had known these, why should not I have told them to you?"
The Gautama (the father of Svetaketu) went to the king's place and when he reached the place, the king offered him proper respect. In the morning, he went to the king in his assembly. The king said to him: "O revered Gautama, ask a boon of such things as belong to the world of men." He replied, "Let such things as men possess remain with you. Repeat the same `speech' which you addressed to my boy." The king was perplexed. He commanded: "Stay here for some time." Then he said, "As to what you have asked me, Gautama, this knowledge did not go to any Brahmana before this; and therefore, this teaching belonged, among all the people, to the Kshatriya alone."
Sukadeva had to go to Raja Janaka to get confirmation of his knowledge and realisation. He was tested by Janaka in the Durbar.
Raja Janaka arranged for music and dancing, all around his palace, to distract the attention of Sukadeva. There were various kinds of shows and entertainments. Sukadeva was asked to carry in his hand a cup of milk that was filled to the very brim, round the palace and to make three such rounds without allowing even a drop to overflow and fall on the ground. Sukadeva did it successfully as he had one-pointedness of mind (Ekagrata). Nothing could distract his mind.
An Englishman, a district collector, saw a sick patient on the roadside in a dying condition. He was a very sympathetic man. He carried the patient to the neighbouring hospital on his own shoulders. Look at his feeling of oneness. He is a practical Vedantin, whether he knows Upanishads or not.
The sun, the flowers, the Ganges, the sandal, the fruit-bearing trees, the cows—all teach practical Vedanta to the world. They live for serving humanity in a disinterested spirit. The sun radiates its light alike over a cottage of a peasant and a place of a Maharaja. The flowers waft their sweet fragrance to all, without expecting any return. The cool refreshing water of the Ganges is drunk by all. The sandal tree wafts its aroma even to the man who cuts it with an axe. All fruit-bearing trees behave in the same manner. They please the gardener who nourishes them as well as the man who cuts them. The cows live to nourish babies, children, invalids and convalescents. Imagine for a moment that the world is devoid of cows for six months or the race of the cows has become extinct. How miserable and weak you will become! The world will abound with anaemic patients. O selfish ignorant man! Learn lessons from these practical Vedantins and become wise.
If a Yogi or a Sannyasi who is able to keep up serenity of mind while living in a cave in the forest complains of disturbance of mind when he lives in the bustle of a city, he has no control of mind. He has no inner spiritual strength. He is not a practical Vedantin. He has no Self-realisation. He has not attained the goal of life. He is still within the domain of Maya. A real Yogi or a practical Vedantin is one who can keep perfect calmness of mind while performing intense activities amidst the bustle of a city. This is the central teaching of the Gita. Lord Krishna says, "Remember me at all times and fight." Lord Krishna imparted his instructions to Arjuna in the battle-field. Though Arjuna was despondent in the beginning, he gained spiritual strength and fought in the battlefield with perfect tranquillity of mind. He became a practical Vedantin eventually.
O Nectar's sons! Behold the one homogenous Self in all. Mentally repeat the formula or Mantra `OM Ek Sat-Chit-Ananda Atma' whenever you perceive any form. Negate the illusory name and form and try to be one with the underlying immortal essence. Serve all with Atma Bhava. Melt all illusory differences. Annihilate separateness. Destroy all unreasonable dislikes or prejudices. Mix with all. Include all. Embrace all. Share what you have, physical, mental, moral and spiritual, with all. Never remain idle even for a moment. Lead a life of intense activity, but in the midst of it, keep always a calm mind and thus become a practical Vedantin. Glory to such practical Vedantins. May they radiate joy, peace and love everywhere! May they move about as torch-bearers of Truth, Divine Light and Divine Splendour! May they demonstrate a life of practical Vedanta by their very exemplary living!
LECTURE IX – VEDANTA IS LIVING EXPERIENCE
Vedanta is today a much abused term. All sorts of vanity, hypocrisy and self-conceit have been masquerading in its name. It has become the fashion of the day to pass for a Vedantin as it is then convenient to give up all sorts of responsibilities, rituals and restrictions of the Varnashrama Dharma and enables one to lead a happy-go-lucky life to ease, lethargy and inertia. The Punjab is full of dry, lip-Vedantins. Punjabi women have also taken to Vedanta and they take great pride in calling themselves Vedantins, whether or not they understand the philosophy, whether or not they do any practice. All retired officers who have not done any selfless service or any Sadhana or worship or charity take to Vedanta as a sort of fancy.
Thus Vedanta has become a very comfortable philosophy, because one can do whatever he chooses and eat whatever he likes. Licentiousness is mistaken for a life of expansion. If a man can eat anything in any hotel in any part of the world, if he can move socially with any man or woman, that does not mean, he is a Vedantin. There is much tall talk of Vedanta now-a-days. There is idle Vedantic gossiping. But there is no practical Vedanta. Nobody wants to do any real solid Vedantic Sadhana. Man feels ashamed to call himself a Bhakta, but he takes great pride in calling himself a Yogi or a Vedantin, because he foolishly imagines he will respected by the public. Many ignorant Vedantins have mistaken the body for Brahman and hence there is corruption amongst the so-called loose Vedantins. This is not only lamentable but also highly deplorable.
Wholesale preaching of Vedanta to the Masses is not advisable. It will result in chaos, bewilderment and stagnation. Grasping of Vedantic principles and a right understanding of the philosophy and Sadhana are very difficult. Vedanta is for a select few who are equipped with the four means of salvation or Sadhana Chatushtaya and who have removed the impurities of their minds and mental oscillation through constant practice of Nishkama Karma Yoga and Upasana. The path of Vedanta is not so easy as it is generally supposed to be. It is a sharp, razor-edge path. Therefore, those who preach Vedanta to the masses do more harm than any good. They are misleading the people.
It is very very easy to say, "Soham—I am He", "Sivoham—I am Siva", "Aham Brahma Asmi—I am Brahman"—like a parrot, but to live in the very spirit of Vedanta, to feel the oneness or unity of consciousness, to become `That' in reality and to radiate the Brahmic Bliss, Joy and Peace is an extremely difficult affair. While repeating `Soham', if his mind is easily upset when another utters a single harsh word, and if he begins to fight with that man vehemently, there is no use at all in that repetition. It is mere hypocrisy. He will not be able to influence others. People will take him for a cheat.
Vedanta is not merely a concept or a dogma. It is neither a theory nor a dry philosophy for contention and argumentation. It is the actual life of perennial joy in Brahman or Truth. A single practical Vedantin like Sankara could move the whole world. A practical Vedantin will outweigh a thousand and one Sandows when weighed in a balance. A practical Vedantin possesses tremendous inner spiritual strength. The whole world rejoices at the sight of a real practical Vedantin. Practical Vedanta is a living experience, the melting of the individual self in the ocean of consciousness or the Supreme Self. The experiencer exclaims with inexpressible joy, All indeed is Brahman. All differences, distinctions, qualities have vanished. I see Brahman and Oneness everywhere. I am Brahman.
LECTURE X – VEDANTIC CULTURE
The Being who is described in the Upanishads is Brahman or Atman or the Self or Absolute. He is the fountain-head of all scriptural knowledge. He is the source or womb for everything. He is existence absolute, knowledge absolute and bliss absolute. He is indivisible, all-pervading, self-contained, eternal and immortal. He is beyond time, space and causation. He is beginningless and endless. He is the indweller in all beings. He is the witness of the activities of all minds.
The Atman or the Self is all-pervading. He is beyond birth and death. He is undecaying, self-luminous, eternal, pure and self-existent. He is all-full, imperishable and infinite. He is the silent witness of the three states, viz., waking, dreaming and deep-sleep. He is beyond caste, creed or colour. Sin cannot touch Him because He is ever pure. Pain, sorrow and delusion cannot affect Him, because He is all-joy. Hunger, worries and tribulations cannot torment Him, because He is all-bliss. Lust cannot reach Him, because He is sexless. Wrath cannot approach Him, because He is mindless. Restlessness cannot agitate Him, because He is all-peace. Time cannot devour Him, because He is eternity.
What on earth can cause fear in you when you have realised your identity with such an Atman? What on earth can generate hatred, delusion, difference and sorrow in you when you behold the one in all and all in one? What on earth can cause agitation in you when you have transcended the mind and when you rest peacefully in your own Sat-Chit-Ananda Svarupa, that magnanimous ocean of bliss and stupendous silence?
The questions: "Who am I? What is this Samsara? Whence have I come? Whither will I go? What is the goal of life? What is Brahman or Atman? What is the relation between the individual soul and the supreme soul? How to attain the goal? Can I become immortal? Can I enjoy eternal bliss?"—will surely arise in the mind of every human being at one stage of his life or another.
He who seriously thinks over these questions and attempts in right earnest to reach the goal in a wise man but he who does not care to ponder over these vital questions, who leads a sensual life and who does not endeavour to attain the final beatitude of life, is a fool or a thoughtless person. He lives in vain. He is a burden on this earth. He is a slayer of his own Self. His life is indeed very pitiable.
He alone who is devoted to his parents, who has a calm mind, who has controlled all his senses, who has a one-pointed mind, who is equipped with four means, who is endowed with Sattvic qualities, who has purified his mind by constant selfless service, who has removed the tossing of the mind by Upasana or worship, Japa and Kirtan and, last but not least, who sits at the feet of a preceptor, who is enlightened and well-versed in scriptural knowledge, is able to grasp the Truth or the one Eternal Principle.
Worldly enjoyments are fleeting like the flashes of lightning. Human life is ephemeral like the bubble. The vigour of youth is short-lived. All these are illusory in this world. All worldly things are generative of pain only. There is not even an iota of bliss in this world. The wealth which you covet is only ephemeral. The longing for wife and wealth does but enchain you. One thing which is sweet and pleasant to you at one moment produces the very reverse of that sensation in another moment. Who has not experienced this in this world? Hence it behoves a wise man to concentrate his mind on the Atman or the Self and attain the supreme seat of Eternal Bliss and Supreme Quiescence.
Do not be afraid of difficulties and failures in the spiritual path. Failures are stepping stones to success. Difficulties will make you stronger and powerful. Difficulties will develop your will-power. Overcome the difficulties one by one. Use your intelligence, sagacity, discrimination and common-sense. Be bold. Stand adamant. Be cheerful. Dismiss fear and anxiety. March boldly in the spiritual path. Do not look backwards. Draw courage, strength and power from within. Tap the source. Go direct. Refresh yourself. Renovate yourself. Then march cautiously. Thou art invincible. Nothing is the three worlds can hurt you. Rest assured. Remain serene always. Smile and rejoice in the Atman.
Do not confine yourself to names and forms. Rise above them and realise the Truth. Just as bubbles, foam and waves come from the ocean, exist in the ocean and dissolve in the ocean itself eventually so also these illusory names and forms have come out of Brahman or the Absolute or the Ocean of Bliss and Knowledge, exist in Brahman and ultimately dissolve in Brahman. This world is nothing but Brahman. Behold the one Self in all forms. See the One in all and all in one.
You can dispel pain, sorrow, ignorance, fear, worry and anxiety only when you realise Brahman or the Self. This is the emphatic declaration of Vedanta. There is no other way to attain complete freedom from ignorance, fear, sorrow and pain. Verily it is true indeed! For how can you be subject to fear when you have realised the Self, when you have come to know that you are in essence identical with the non-dual Brahman and that there is no other seer but you, no other hearer but you, no other knower but you, no other thinker but you? Who is to be afraid of whom, when one feels oneness everywhere? Who is to hurt whom, when all dualities have totally vanished?
The music of the soul is within you. The kingdom of God is within you. The domain of peace is within you. The Light of lights is within you. Knowledge is within you. The three worlds are within you. The source of power, joy, bliss and life is within you. Heaven and hell are within you. The magazine of wisdom is within you. The fountain-head of beauty is within you. The ocean of bliss and peace is within you. Turn the gaze from sensual objects and look within. Collect the dissipated rays of the mind and meditate on the Self seriously. Hold communion with that supreme principle devoid of mental fancies and modifications. Merge yourself in the Light of lights within. Plunge yourself in the ocean of bliss. The great bondage of the mind will cease now. All doubts will vanish and all Karmas will perish. You are a Jivanmukta or liberated sage now. Move about fearlessly now. Roam about happily, my child, wherever you like.
You experience disharmony and discord when Rajas and Tamas prevail in the mind. Annihilate Tamas by increasing Rajas and destroy Rajas by increasing Sattva. There will be harmony and concord when Sattva prevails in the mind. Go beyond Sattva and hear the celestial music of the soul music that you never heard of before. It is the music of the meeting of soul with soul. It is the wonderful music that transcends all Ragas and Raginis. It is the unstruck music of the Infinite, that celestial melody which thrills the hearts of the meditator, that celestial melody which helps the aspirants to merge himself in Brahman. It is the music of OM or Pranava Dhvani. It is transcendental Anahata sound. It is the divine music of Krishna's flute. It is silence itself. Drown yourself in the bliss of the inner music of the soul. Its melody and sweetness are beyond description. You should experience it yourself.
You are the real master or governor of the whole world. You are bound to none. Feel the majesty of your Self. Whatever your circumstances and environment may be, keep peaceful and happy. Abandon all anxiety, fear and worry. Rest in your centre. Be self-poised, self-pleased and self-contained. Sing OM, chant OM and meditate on OM. Realise the Self. Know the Self and be free. Now the whole world will be a heaven or a paradise to you. You are the Lord of lords, the God of all gods, the Emperor of emperors. You are in possession of inexhaustible spiritual wealth. Sum-total of the pleasures of the whole world is a mere drop when compared to the bliss you enjoy now. You are the ocean of bliss now. What a magnanimous sate! Even the thousand-tongued Adisesha cannot describe it.
LECTURE XI – GARLAND OF VEDANTA
A Vedantin says, "Nothing is mine and everything is mine." As the world is a mere appearance he is quite right in saying, "nothing is mine." As he has realised the Self, as the world has no independent existence apart from Brahman or the Self, he says, "everything is mine." He has controlled the organ of smell and Prithivi Tattva and so all objects of smell and sense belong to him. He has controlled the palate or tongue and the Apas Tattva and so all objects of taste, fruits and other dainties belong to him. He has controlled the organ of sight or eye and Agni-Tattva and so all objects of sight and beauties and gardens belong to him. He has controlled the organ of touch and Vayu Tattva and so all objects of touch belong to him. He has controlled the organ of hearting and the Akasa Tattva and so all the sounds and music belong to him.
Identification with the body (Deha Adhyasa) brings pain. When one attains knowledge of the Self, he will experience no pain although there is some disease in the body. He is above body consciousness. A highly developed Hatha Yogi only, who has control over the atoms and Kaya Siddhi, can keep his body without ailment. Rise above body and always identify yourself with the painless, diseaseless Atman. You will be free from pain. When you are in deep-sleep there is no pain even if you are suffering from any disease. When you are under chloroform there is no pain even if the leg is amputated. It is the linking of the mind with the body that causes pain. If the mind is taken away from the body consciously and fixed on all-blissful Self through constant meditation, you will have no pain even if the body is subject to any kind of ailments. This is Jnana Yoga Sadhana. Prarabdha has to be worked out. Therefore the body will be subject to diseases. The Jivanmukta will not experience any pain. The on-lookers may wrongly imagine that the sage is also suffering. It is a serious mistake. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa had cancer in the throat. Buddha had chronic dysentery. Sankara had piles. But they experienced no pain. When doctors asked Ramakrishna Paramahamsa: "Why do you suffer like this? Can you not undergo the operation?" He replied, "I have given my mind to Mother Kali. How can I think of my body? How can I bring my mind back to the cage of flesh? I am always in bliss."
If you are deluded by a mirage for some time, you will not be affected by it again when you come to know that it is a mirage only but not water. Even so, the world will appear for a Jivanmukta but he knows that it is unreal. He will not be attracted a bit by the objects. It is no more the world of sorrow for him. He knows fully well that it is mere appearance owing to the play of Maya.
The will of a Jivanmukta becomes one with the cosmic will. He experiences the bliss of cosmic consciousness. He feels that all ears are his ears, all eyes are his eyes, all mouths are his mouths, all tongues are his tongues, all hands are his hands, all legs are his legs, all minds are his minds. This will be a magnanimous experience indeed. Words will fail to describe adequately the grandeur of this experience. Realise this experience and be free.
O man! In essence thou art the blessed divinity. Thou art the immoral blissful Self. Why are you attracted towards the physical beauty, the beauty of landscapes and flowers when you are yourself the Beauty of beauties, the fountain-source of all beauties? Why do you admire the sun, moon, stars and lightning—when you are yourself the Sun of suns, the Light of lights? Why do you say `I am 40 years of age', `I am at death's door', `Time has passed away'—when you are yourself the Eternity? Why do you say `I am fat', `I am 5 feet and 6 inches'—when you are the Infinite? Why do you say `I have no money', `I am very poor', `I am penniless'—when you are the Emperor of the Three Worlds, the Source of all wealth? Why do you say `I am helpless', I am your most obedient servant'—when you are the Director and Governor of the whole world? Why do you say `I am miserable', I am restless'—when you are the Embodiment of Bliss and peace? Why are you afraid of death or Lord Yama—when you are Existence Absolute? Why do you say `I am unwell', `I am suffering from a chronic disease'—when you are all-health? Why do you say `I am ignorant', `I know nothing'—when you are Knowledge Absolute? Realise the mysterious Sat-Chit-Ananda Atman through purification, concentration, meditation and identification. Rejoice in this wonderful Self and be free! Tat Tvam Asi, Thou art That, O dear Satyakama bold.
LECTURE XII – ATMA-SVARAJYA
The Infinite is Bliss. The infinite is Brahman or Atman or the Supreme Self. The Infinite is the Absolute. The Infinite is Bhuma or the unconditioned that is beyond time, space and causation. The Infinite is Immortality. Where one sees nothing else, hears nothing else, understands nothing else, there is Infinity. The Infinite abides in its own greatness. The Infinite is Supreme Peace. The Infinite is fearlessness. The Infinite is Existence Absolute, Knowledge Absolute and Bliss Absolute. The Infinite is all-full and indivisible. The Infinite is self-existent, self-contained and self-luminous. The Infinite alone is real. The Infinite alone exists in the three periods of time. You must search, understand and realise the Infinite.
The `oversoul' of the Western philosophers is the Brahman of the Upanishads or Atman of the Vedantins. The Supreme Soul or Paramatma which is the support for the individual is the `Oversoul'. The `oversoul' is the `Substance' of Spinoza or the `Thing-in-Itself' of Kant. The essence of Vedanta has slowly infiltrated into the minds of Western philosophers and they have accepted now the existence of one eternal principle or the immortal soul which is distinct from the body and mind.
Brahman is the Soul or Atman of man. He is the Soul of the Universe. Brahman alone is Infinite. There cannot be two infinities. If there are two infinities. These will be fighting among the infinities themselves. One infinite will be creating something, another infinite will be destroying it. There can be only one infinite. This Atman is the one Infinite Brahman. Everything else is its manifestation or expression.
Vedanta holds the first place amongst all systems of philosophies. It is a system of philosophy in which human speculation has reached its very pinnacle or acme. It is indeed a unique system of thought, which demands a subtle, sharp intellect to grasp its fundamental principles. It is unique in the boldness of its conclusions. It is absolutely free from all shades of dogmatism or pet doctrines.
Vedanta is very practical. It does not preach an impossible ideal. Vamadeva, Jada Bharata, Sankara and many others realised the Truth of Vedanta. You can also realise it if you will. What is wanted is regular and constant practice. You must have perfect faith in the utterance of the Srutis and in the words of the Guru. You must have perfect faith in yourself first.
Vedanta wants you to give up Moha for the physical body, wife, children and property. Vedanta wants you to abandon all worldly desires, cravings and longings. Vedanta wants you to eradicate the desire for power, name and fame. Vedanta wants you to break all ties and connections with the world mentally. Vedanta wants you to cut off ruthlessly all worldly attachments by the sword of discrimination.
Some ignorant people say that Vedanta preaches immortality, hatred and pessimism. This is a very sad mistake. Vedanta does not preach either immortality or even indifference to morality. The realisation of Brahman is not possible for the immoral. An aspirant who has ethical perfection and who is endowed with the four means can become a student of Vedanta. How can you expect an aspirant who possesses discrimination, dispassion, serenity, self-restraint, forbearance, endurance, faith, one-pointed mind and a burning desire for liberation to lead an immoral life? It is a quite absurd. Vedanta wants you to destroy Moha or selfish love and passion for the body and to develop pure, disinterested, cosmic love or the magnanimous divine Prem. It never preaches pessimism but it preaches the pinnacle of optimism. It preaches: Give up this little illusory pleasure. You will get eternal and infinite bliss. Kill this little `I'. You will become one with the Infinite. You will become immortal. Give up this illusory world.
------------------------
Lecture XII, `Atma-Svarajya', will continue .
Saturday, July 31, 2010
daily reading
WHAT IS SATYAM?
God is truth. He can be realised only by speaking truth and observing truth in thought, word and deed. Truthfulness, equal vision, self-control, absence of envious emulation, forgiveness, modesty, endurance, absence of jealousy, charity, thoughtfulness, disinterested philanthropy, self possession and unceasing and compassionate harmlessness are the thirteen forms of truth. Your thoughts should agree with your words and your words should agree with your actions. To think of one thing, say another and do a third is horrible - it is nothing but crookedness. By telling lies you pollute your conscience and infect your subconscious mind. The habit of telling lies will be carried on to your next birth and you will suffer in birth after birth. Have you ever thought of this?
If you are established in truth, all other virtues will cling to you. Penetrate more deeply into the kingdom of truth. Sacrifice your all for the truth. Die for the truth. Speak the truth. Truth is life and power. Truth is existence. Truth is knowledge. Truth is bliss. Truth is silence. Truth is peace. Truth is light. Truth is love. Live to realise the truth.
Truth is the law of life. Truth means the strength of will to abide by positive principles - a sense of justice, an unbiased mind and recognition of its subtle essence in all life. Truth is like a ladder leading to heaven, or a boat enabling one to cross the ocean of misery. Speak the truth, but let it not be unpleasant and speak not of any pleasing falsehood - this is eternal religion.
Fire burns everything; it is true to its nature. Water flows from a higher level; the seed sprouts and becomes a tree; the scorpion stings; these are all true to their nature. This is satyam. But man violates truth; he is ungrateful. He is not true to his essential nature. Wife poisons the husband; sons are not filial towards their fathers; sons murder their parents; this is not truth. To manifest one's essential divine nature, to manifest divine virtues is satyam or truth. To be true to one's own Self is satyam.
----------------------------------------------------------
A truthful man is free from worry and anxiety, he has a calm mind. He is respected by society. If you speak the truth for twelve years you will get vak siddhi - then whatever you speak will come to pass. There will be great power in your speech - you will be able to influence thousands.
God is truth. He can be realised only by speaking truth and observing truth in thought, word and deed. Truthfulness, equal vision, self-control, absence of envious emulation, forgiveness, modesty, endurance, absence of jealousy, charity, thoughtfulness, disinterested philanthropy, self possession and unceasing and compassionate harmlessness are the thirteen forms of truth. Your thoughts should agree with your words and your words should agree with your actions. To think of one thing, say another and do a third is horrible - it is nothing but crookedness. By telling lies you pollute your conscience and infect your subconscious mind. The habit of telling lies will be carried on to your next birth and you will suffer in birth after birth. Have you ever thought of this?
If you are established in truth, all other virtues will cling to you. Penetrate more deeply into the kingdom of truth. Sacrifice your all for the truth. Die for the truth. Speak the truth. Truth is life and power. Truth is existence. Truth is knowledge. Truth is bliss. Truth is silence. Truth is peace. Truth is light. Truth is love. Live to realise the truth.
Truth is the law of life. Truth means the strength of will to abide by positive principles - a sense of justice, an unbiased mind and recognition of its subtle essence in all life. Truth is like a ladder leading to heaven, or a boat enabling one to cross the ocean of misery. Speak the truth, but let it not be unpleasant and speak not of any pleasing falsehood - this is eternal religion.
Fire burns everything; it is true to its nature. Water flows from a higher level; the seed sprouts and becomes a tree; the scorpion stings; these are all true to their nature. This is satyam. But man violates truth; he is ungrateful. He is not true to his essential nature. Wife poisons the husband; sons are not filial towards their fathers; sons murder their parents; this is not truth. To manifest one's essential divine nature, to manifest divine virtues is satyam or truth. To be true to one's own Self is satyam.
----------------------------------------------------------
A truthful man is free from worry and anxiety, he has a calm mind. He is respected by society. If you speak the truth for twelve years you will get vak siddhi - then whatever you speak will come to pass. There will be great power in your speech - you will be able to influence thousands.
Friday, July 30, 2010
LECTURES ON YOGA AND VEDANTA
Lecture V – `Vedanta, Thy Birthright' – now continues.
------------------------
Why do you bleat like a lamb? Assert. Recognise and realise your Brahmic nature. I will tell you a small story. Just hearken with rapt attention. There was once a lion cub, left by its dying mother, among some sheep. The sheep took care of the lion cub. The lion cub soon grew into a big lion and bleated Ba-a-a when the sheep bleated Ba-a-a.
One day another lion came and heard the sheep-lion bleating aloud with the other sheep. He was struck with amazement. He asked the sheep-lion: "Brother! What is the matter with you? Why are you here in such an abject state?" The sheep-lion replied: "I am a sheep. I am happy here amidst my brothers and sisters." "Nonsense," roared the other lion, "Come along with me. I will show you. You are under a false delusion." He took the sheep-lion to the side of a river and showed him his reflection in the water. He said to the sheep-lion: "Look at your reflection now. You are a lion. I am a lion." The sheep-lion looked at the reflection and then said in joy, "What a terrible mistake I have committed! I am certainly a lion indeed. I am not a sheep at all." He made a terrible roar and went along with the other lion.
Brother! You are also bleating like the sheep-lion. You have forgotten your real divine nature. You are hypnotised by Maya. Dehypnotise yourself and roar OM OM OM. Become a lion of Vedanta. Thou art the immortal Self. Do not identify yourself with the perishable body. Identify yourself with the undying, eternal Brahman and be free.
There is a permanent reality behind the universe. There is a living truth behind these names and forms and all phenomena. That is Brahman. That is Atman. That is Self. The goal of human life is to realise the reality behind the changing phenomena. The summum bonum of human aspiration is to attain Self-realisation. Self-realisation alone can eradicate ignorance and miseries. Self-realisation alone can break the bonds of Karma. Self-realisation alone can make you absolutely free and independent.
There is only one reality, Brahman. This world and body are superimposed on Brahman, just as snake is superimposed on the rope. As long as the rope is not known and the idea of the snake persists, you are not free from fear. Similarly this world is a solid reality to you until Brahman is realised. When you see the rope with a light, the illusion vanished and the fear disappears. Even so, when you realise Brahman, this world vanishes and you are freed from the fear of births and deaths.
A Jiva-Koti Jivanmukta is one who has realised the Self through gradual evolution and by his own efforts. He has raised himself from Jivahood to Brahmanhood by meditation. He has taken many births. Anyhow he has managed to free himself from the round of births and deaths. He can help a few persons only. He cannot elevate many people. He can be compared to a bullock cart which can take 4 or 5 persons or a plank in a river. Whereas the eternally free Ishvara-koti-Jivanmukta is born in the world for establishing Dharma, for the protection of virtuous persons and for doing good to humanity. He does not practise any Sadhana or meditation in this birth. He is an Amsa of the Lord. He is a born Siddha. He is illumined from his very boyhood. He can elevate many people. He manifests and disappears when the Lokasangraha work is over. He can be compared to a train which takes a large number of persons or a big steamer in an ocean. Sankara was an Ishvara-Koti. Vamadeva was a Jiva-Koti Jivanmukta.
Still the waves of the mind. Hold the mind steady in Nirvikalpa Samadhi. This needs constant and protracted practice of meditation. There may be breaks in the meditation in the beginning. But practice can make you perfect. Later on you can remain absorbed in meditation. You can merge yourself in Samadhi with a mind steady like a flame protected from wind. Before getting sanguine success in meditation get victory over the Asana (pose) first. Sit on your seat with the steadiness of a rock for 2 to 3 hours. If the body is steady, the mind also will be steady.
The student of Vedanta puts the `Neti-Neti' doctrine into daily practice. He says: "I am not this perishable body. I am not this mind. I am not this Prana. I am not the Indriyas." `Neti-Neti' means not this; not this. This is the path of negation. But he tries to identify himself with the all-pervading Atman or Self. This practice culminates in the attainment of Self-realisation. It leads to the immediate intuition of the all-filling Brahman.
Perform worship of the Atman at all times. Live a regulated life. Mould your character. Develop noble and virtuous behaviour. Be righteous and work for the good of others. Be devoted to your preceptor. Live under life-long vows. Develop compassion and power of concentration. Be generous. Be charitable. You will soon attain Self-realisation.
Open your eyes now. Wake up from the deep slumber of profound inertia. Regain the lost divinity. Thou art Divine. Thou art Truth. Thou art Atman (soul). Realise this and be free. OM! OM! OM!
LECTURE VI – LIGHT OF VEDANTA
A student of Vedanta should study again and again the Upanishads, which are but mystical experiences of the soul gushing forth in an unceasing stream of beauty. You will find in the Upanishads instances of a sincere quest after Brahman, the Supreme Soul. Nachiketas learned the science of the Reality from Yama. Kabandhi, Bhargava, Kausalya, Gargya, Satyakama, Sukesa—all these devoted to Brahman and centred in Brahman, seeking the Highest Brahman—approached the revered sage Pippalada with fuel in their hands to know Brahma Vidya and realised Brahman.
A rich man keeps his valuable jewels in an iron safe hidden in the innermost chamber of his bungalow. One has to pass through five compartments before he reaches the compartment in which the iron safe is placed. Five walls screen the iron safe. Even so, this most valuable jewel of Atman is placed in the innermost recess of the heart. Five veils cover this Atman. In other words, you will have to pass through the five compartments formed by the five Koshas if you want to get at the jewel of Atman.
To look for God without, abandoning the God within, is like going in quest of a conch-shell after giving up the precious diamond in the hand. If you cannot find Him in your heart, you will not find Him anywhere else. Search Him within the innermost recess of your heart. He is subtler than the subtlest. Make the lotus of your heart as pure as possible. Withdraws the fuel of desires and extinguish the fire of Sankalpas. Realise the Truth now through your higher mind. Enjoy the perennial joy or divine Bliss.
You cannot separate the particles of sugar that are mixed with sand or dust; but an ant can separate them very easily. So also, if you want to taste nectar of Immortality or enjoy the Atmic Bliss, if you want to separate the Atma from the five sheaths, you must become an ant, i.e., you must kill your egoism, pride and vanity and develop humility.
If you are equipped with the four-fold discipline, viz., Viveka, Vairagya, Shad-sampat and Mumukshutva, you will be able to make an enquiry into Brahman. If you have proper ethical training only, you will be able to practise deep meditation. If you possess moral qualifications, you will be able to comprehend the deep truths of Vedanta. If you have moral stamina only, you will be eligible to approach Brahman or the Absolute. Ethical discipline is an indispensable pre-requisite to the study of Vedanta. You can be a wonderful scientist or a philosopher of great repute without any moral qualification but you cannot be a student of Vedanta without ethical perfection. An immoral man can never realise Brahman.
If you can maintain, when you are engaged deeply in some work, serenity of mind which cannot be ruffled, balance of mind which can never be disturbed, you have made considerable progress in the spiritual path. This indicates that you possess immense inner spiritual strength.
If you have a serene and composed mind only, you will be able to practise introspection and meditation. The four-fold discipline makes the mind steady, serene and one-pointed. It removes laziness, inattention, sleepiness and makes you ever vigilant. The senses are kept under perfect control by its practice. You will develop the power to discrimination between the real and the unreal. You will clearly perceive the extreme evanescence of all mundane objects. You will also develop a burning desire for liberation and a burning dispassion. If you now sit for meditation you will at once enter into Samadhi.
Self-control augments energy, vitality, vigour and mental strength. A man of self-control is always cheerful. He turns out much physical and mental work. He commands respect and influences people. He always keeps a balanced mind. He is always serene, collected and composed. He never wastes his energy. He sleeps happily. He attains quickly the highest beatitude.
If you are extremely virtuous, if you are very courageous, if you are ready to give up all possessions, even your very life for the sake of Truth, if you have equal vision, if you are solely engaged in the pursuit of divine knowledge, if you do sincere service to Mahatmas or your Guru, you can quickly attain Self-realisation.
Kill desires. Rise above desires. Abandon your beggarly attitude of mind. Feel the majesty of your Self. There is neither desire nor Vasana in the Self. It is very pure. It is all-full and self-contained. Identify yourself with the glorious Self. Then all desires will die. Then all desires will be fulfilled. This is the secret of the fulfilment of desires. Then nature will obey you. You can command the elements. All the eight Siddhis and the nine Riddhis will roll at your feet. They will stand with folded hands to carry out your behests. This is the sublime teaching of Vedanta.
Jesus commanded the waves to subside. They obeyed immediately. Shams Tabriez commanded the Sun to come down a bit. The sun obeyed. Nimbarka commanded the sun not to move beyond the line of a Neem tree that was in front of his house. The sun carried out his behest immediately. Jnana Dev commanded the wall and the Masjid to move. They obeyed him at once. Visvamitra said, "Let there be a third world for Trisanku." Then and there a world was created. Akalkot Swami commanded, "Let this dead man come back to life." At once the dead man rose up from the ground with new life. These sages were absolutely free from selfish desires. They simply willed at times to do good to the humanity. Everything came to pass instantaneously.
Give up identification of your Self with the physical body. Identification of one's self with the body is the greatest crime. Give up planning and scheming. Abandon speculation. Relinquish cherished hopes, expectations and worldly ambitions. Give up completely thinking about yourself. Do not expect appreciations or approbation. Burn the desire for name and fame. Scorch the fears of disease and public criticism. Do not hoard wealth or anything. Do not care for the morrow. Do not pay any attention to insults or stinging remarks or abuses. Become impervious to ridicules and rebukes. Give up your rights and claims to worldly possessions. Burn all worldly attachments. You can enter now the vast domain of eternal bliss or the kingdom of Truth. You will be the Emperor of the Three Worlds. All Devas will now pay homage to you.
Wake up from the dream of forms. Give up this clinging to false names and forms. Do not be deceived by these illusory names and forms. Cling to the solid, living reality only. Love your Atman only. Atman or Brahman is the living Truth. Atman only persists. Live in the Atman. Become Brahman. This is real life.
There is neither birth nor death for you. Thou art the immortal undecaying Self. Maya deludes you and you identify yourself with the perishable body. You foolishly imagine that you are subject to birth and death. Free yourself from the clutches of Maya. Soar high in the realms of Supreme Peace and reach the abode of Immortality through purification and meditation.
The mind should be scientifically trained to soar into higher regions of awareness and joy. You should march slowly and steadily in the spiritual path. You can ultimately reach the goal if you have patience, perseverance and constant vigilant and if you are very regular in your meditation. You should avoid over-zealous nature and spasmodic effort. Constant meditation on the Self will eventually lead to the ecstasy of beatific vision or Nirvikalpa Samadhi, wherein the individual soul has become one with the Supreme Soul.
Mind is compared to a wild wandering bull. Take up the rod and beat the bull severely. It will go back to its shed. You can tie it easily now to the post. So also thrash the mind-bull severely with the rod of Vairagya. It will go back to its original home or shed, Brahman. Now it will rest in Supreme Peace.
Mind is nothing but a bundle of Sankalpas. Even if you renounce the objects, even if you abandon sensual enjoyments, it will be thinking of objects, when you close eyes and sit for meditation. This is very dangerous. You must stop this sort of thinking with the help of discrimination, dispassion and Vichara or enquiry of `Who am I?' Fewer the thoughts, greater the peace. Complete extinction of Sankalpas brings Moksha or absolute annihilation of the mind or Manonas. Simple living will help you to control thoughts. If you lead a simple life, you have only very few wants and you will have to think a little only.
Do not think of the past. Give up memories. You will have no desire if you give up memories. Do not plan for the future. Do not allow the mind to build up images. Live in the present. Think of the Immortal Self. Now you will have a very quiescent state. You will be pulled up. You will become one with the Being. You cannot describe this sate. Self-realisation is beyond the range of speech. You will have to experience it yourself.
Believe in the glory of your own Self. `Thou art That'. Search. Hear. Understand. Reflect, meditate and realise the immortal Atman. This Atman was never born and will never die. Abandon all superstitions and doubts. Scorch out all wrong Samskaras and wrong suggestions. Man or woman can realise the goal of Vedanta. Burn all false differences. There is neither low nor high, neither great nor small, neither superior nor inferior, neither animate nor inanimate. Behold your own Self everywhere. There is nothing but Self.
O Ye of little faith! Wake up from your long sleep of ignorance. Get knowledge of the Self. O wanderer in this quagmire of Samsara! Go back to your original abode of eternal peace, the fountain of infinite joy and power, the spring of boundless ecstasy, the source of life, the origin of light and love, the immortal blissful Brahmic seat of illimitable splendour and pristine glory. Fill the mind with thoughts of Self. Saturate your feelings with purity and divinity. Let the Light of lights shine in every hair of your body. Let the infinite Godhead vibrate in every cell of your body. Let every breath sing the song of Infinity and Eternity with `Soham'.
LECTURE VII – THOUGHTS OF VEDANTA
Vedanta is that sublime philosophy which teaches that the individual soul is identical with the Supreme Soul and removes the illusion of the Jiva. Vedanta is the science of Atman that helps the aspirants to eradicate fear, sorrow, grief, delusion and to realise the Self. Vedanta is that magnanimous philosophy which raises the ignorant Jiva to the sublime heights of Brahmanhood. Vedanta is a panacea for all human ailments. Vedanta is a sovereign specific for the disease of birth and death. Mere theorising of Vedantic principles will not do. You should live in the spirit of Vedanta. You should become a practical Vedantin. You should realise this Atman which Vedanta treats of. Then only you will become a liberated sage.
Brahman or Atman or the Supreme Self is self-luminous. Brahman cannot be manifested by anything else. Brahman manifests everything. The doctrine of self-luminosity is one of the foundational tenets on which the entire edifice of Vedanta is constructed. Atman gives light to the sun, moon, stars, lightning, fire intellect and senses. By the light of the Atman all these shine but they cannot illumine the Atman.
The ultimate principle or Atman or Brahman which is formless, colourless, fearless, timeless, spaceless, limitless, attributeless, endless and beginningless shines eternally and everywhere behind the names and forms. Vedanta treats of this ultimate Truth or Supreme Principle.
This world of names and forms is constantly changing. Seas dry up and vast sandy deserts come into being in their place. Elevations become depressions and depressions become elevations. Sand becomes stone and stone becomes sand. Blocks of stones become lime and lime becomes dust. Forests become model towns and cities become deserted places. Grass becomes blood; blood becomes milk; milk again becomes blood; blood becomes flesh. A young man becomes an old man and a beautiful girl becomes an ugly woman. A fat man becomes thin and a thin girl becomes a fat woman. A zamindar becomes a beggar and a beggar becomes a zamindar. At the back of these ever-changing objects there is the changeless, eternal, immortal Brahman or the Supreme Self. He who realises this Brahman attains Immortality, Freedom and Eternal Bliss.
Naturally the mind runs towards objects of the world. The usual flow of the mental current is towards worldly objects. You will have to turn the mind inwards towards the Self through Vairagya and Abhyasa (dispassion and practice). In the beginning the mind will run towards the worldly objects again and again even if it is turned towards the Atman. Constant practice is necessary to make the mind rest in the Self for ever.
Tear into pieces the veil of ignorance. Catch the fickle deer `the mind' with the snare of enquiry and Brahma Chintan. Mount on the elephant of Self-knowledge and roam about freely in the hilly tracts on the highest peak of Supreme Wisdom of the Self.
Shake off the bonds of Karma through discrimination, dispassion and non-attachment. Know the secret of true bliss through concentration and meditation. Root out the passion. Embrace Peace. Enjoy the glory of Self-Bliss. Delight in the Self within.
Abandon thoughts of this little body. Rise above the worldly thoughts. Live always in the All-blissful Self. Thou art the sun, fire, sky, stars, mountains, oceans and rivers. The whole world is your body. The whole wealth of the world is yours. The whole world is your Lila. Maya is your illusory power. Exercise your power of Sat-Sankalpa. She is ever ready to fulfil your wishes. Thou art immortal, beginningless and endless. Death, sickness, sorrow, sin, old age, cannot touch thee. Feel the majesty of thy real nature. Feel, feel that thou art the all-pervading, imperishable, diseaseless, fearless Atman. Rest in that stupendous ocean of peace. Be perfectly happy.
Learn to discriminate between the permanent and the impermanent. Behold the Self in all beings and in all objects. Names and forms are illusory. Therefore sublate them. Feel that there is nothing but the Self. Share what you have, physical, mental, moral, or spiritual, with all. Serve the Self in all. Feel when you serve others that you are serving your own Self. `Love thy neighbour as thyself.' Melt all illusory differences. Remove all barriers that separate man from man. Mix with all. Embrace all. Destroy the sex-idea and body-idea by constantly thinking on the Self or the sexless and bodiless Atman. Fix the mind on the Self when you work. This is practical Vedanta. This is the essence of the teachings of the Upanishads and sages of yore. This is real, eternal life is the Atman. Put these things in practice in the daily battle of life. You will shine as a dynamic Yogi or a Jivanmukta. There is no doubt about this. There is no doubt about this.
OM is a symbol of Brahman. OM or Pranava is a sparkling ferry-boat for men who have fallen into the never-ending ocean of mundane life. Many have crossed this ocean of Samsara with the help of this ferry-boat. You can also do so if you will. Meditate constantly on OM with Bhava and Meaning and realise the Self.
That illumined sage whose mind is merged in his true nature of Sat-Chit-Ananda, who has conquered the enemy `ignorance', who is destitute of `I'-ness and `mine'-ness, who has rooted out pride, selfishness, love, envy and hatred, rejoices in the ocean of boundless bliss.
A cat made up of sugar is a real cat for a child. Sugar does not appear for the child as it is swallowed up by the cat. The cat has concealed the sugar. For an adult it is just sugar only. The sugar has swallowed up the cat. Even so, for a Jivanmukta or liberated sage, Brahman swallows all illusory names and forms. He sees only Brahman everywhere. All names and forms vanish. For a worldly man, the names and forms have swallowed up or concealed Brahman. He beholds the illusory forms only.
The Jivanmukta has his upper shoulder as his pillow, the sky as his covering, the earth as his bed. He embraces renunciation as his wife and sleeps fearlessly anywhere without any anxiety and enjoys the supreme bliss of the Self or the unalloyed felicity of the Atman.
O Ram! In essence thou art the Light of lights. Thou art the source for everything. Thou art the infinite power-house. Thou art the Beauty of beauties. It is thy effulgent light that lends life and lustre to the Himalayan snow peaks, sun, moon, stars, flowers and trees, the great scientists, poets, orators, politicians, scholars, philosophers and doctors. Thou art that power which moves the steam-engine, aeroplanes, steamers, railway engines, motor-cars, etc. Thou art the beauty at sunset, brilliance in the diamond, the sweet charming smile in young maiden, strength in athletes, endurance in ascetics and intelligence in geniuses. Thou art above, below, to the right, to the left, in front, behind and everywhere. Thy sweet effulgent, majestic, magnanimous presence shines. Feel this. Realise this. Rejoice in the Self. Move about with perfect joy. Get yourself saturated with deep abiding peace.
Thou art the peasant and the king. Thou art the rogue and the saint. Thou art the maiden and the youth. Thou art the child and the father. Thou art the seed and the fruit. Thou art the five elements and their combinations. Thou art the ocean and the rivers. Thou art ugliness and beauty. Thou art merit and demerit. The whole universe is within you. Feel this. Realise this through silent meditation.
Through thy light the sun shines, intellect functions and senses operate. Through thy power the fire burns. Through thy Shakti the wind blows, rivers flow towards the sea, magnet attracts the iron, flower blossoms and atoms move. Thou art electricity, magnetism and ultra-violet rays.
Feel your oneness with all. Feel your oneness with the sun, sky, wind, flowers, trees, buds, animals, stones, rivers and ocean. Realise the oneness of life, unity of consciousness. Behold the one homogeneous Self everywhere, in all beings, animals and plants.
Rise above the conventional distinctions of mundane life. Abandon the lower nature. Assume your true nature of Sat-Chit-Ananda. Meditate on the true principle of Brahman. Dispel the cloud of ignorance by the dawn of Jnana-Surya, the sun of knowledge. Extricate yourself from the three bodies and the five sheaths. Dwells in the abode of Supreme Peace. Revel in the ocean of boundless joy, O Ram!
LECTURE VIII – PRACTICAL VEDANTA
You must be a practical Vedantin. Mere theorising and lecturing is only intellectual gymnastics and lingual warfare. This will not suffice. If Vedanta is not practicable, no theory is of any value. You must put Vedanta in daily practice in every action of yours. Vedanta teaches oneness or unity of Self. You must radiate love to one and all. The spirit of Vedanta must be ingrained in your cells or tissues, veins, nerves and bones. It must become part and parcel of your nature. You must think of unity, speak of unity and act in unity. If you deliver a thrilling lecture on the platform on Vedanta and say, I am the all; I am the one Self in all; there is nothing but myself and show in action the next moment a different attitude of selfishness and separateness, you will not produce any impression on the public. You will be called as a dry Vedantin only. Nobody will care for you.
See how Raja Janaka lived. He lived the life of a practical Vedantin while ruling his kingdom. You cannot conceive of any man busier than Raja Janaka. He was ruling over millions of people and yet he was a sage, a deep thinker, a profound philosopher and a practical Vedantin. He had no attachment to his property or body or his family people. He shared what he had with others. He moved with all. He had equal vision and a balanced mind. He led a very busy life amidst luxuries. He was not a bit affected by external influences. He always kept up a serene mind. He held discussions with various sages on transcendental matters. That is the reason why he still lives in our hearts.
------------------------
Lecture VIII, `Practical Vedanta', will continue.
------------------------
Why do you bleat like a lamb? Assert. Recognise and realise your Brahmic nature. I will tell you a small story. Just hearken with rapt attention. There was once a lion cub, left by its dying mother, among some sheep. The sheep took care of the lion cub. The lion cub soon grew into a big lion and bleated Ba-a-a when the sheep bleated Ba-a-a.
One day another lion came and heard the sheep-lion bleating aloud with the other sheep. He was struck with amazement. He asked the sheep-lion: "Brother! What is the matter with you? Why are you here in such an abject state?" The sheep-lion replied: "I am a sheep. I am happy here amidst my brothers and sisters." "Nonsense," roared the other lion, "Come along with me. I will show you. You are under a false delusion." He took the sheep-lion to the side of a river and showed him his reflection in the water. He said to the sheep-lion: "Look at your reflection now. You are a lion. I am a lion." The sheep-lion looked at the reflection and then said in joy, "What a terrible mistake I have committed! I am certainly a lion indeed. I am not a sheep at all." He made a terrible roar and went along with the other lion.
Brother! You are also bleating like the sheep-lion. You have forgotten your real divine nature. You are hypnotised by Maya. Dehypnotise yourself and roar OM OM OM. Become a lion of Vedanta. Thou art the immortal Self. Do not identify yourself with the perishable body. Identify yourself with the undying, eternal Brahman and be free.
There is a permanent reality behind the universe. There is a living truth behind these names and forms and all phenomena. That is Brahman. That is Atman. That is Self. The goal of human life is to realise the reality behind the changing phenomena. The summum bonum of human aspiration is to attain Self-realisation. Self-realisation alone can eradicate ignorance and miseries. Self-realisation alone can break the bonds of Karma. Self-realisation alone can make you absolutely free and independent.
There is only one reality, Brahman. This world and body are superimposed on Brahman, just as snake is superimposed on the rope. As long as the rope is not known and the idea of the snake persists, you are not free from fear. Similarly this world is a solid reality to you until Brahman is realised. When you see the rope with a light, the illusion vanished and the fear disappears. Even so, when you realise Brahman, this world vanishes and you are freed from the fear of births and deaths.
A Jiva-Koti Jivanmukta is one who has realised the Self through gradual evolution and by his own efforts. He has raised himself from Jivahood to Brahmanhood by meditation. He has taken many births. Anyhow he has managed to free himself from the round of births and deaths. He can help a few persons only. He cannot elevate many people. He can be compared to a bullock cart which can take 4 or 5 persons or a plank in a river. Whereas the eternally free Ishvara-koti-Jivanmukta is born in the world for establishing Dharma, for the protection of virtuous persons and for doing good to humanity. He does not practise any Sadhana or meditation in this birth. He is an Amsa of the Lord. He is a born Siddha. He is illumined from his very boyhood. He can elevate many people. He manifests and disappears when the Lokasangraha work is over. He can be compared to a train which takes a large number of persons or a big steamer in an ocean. Sankara was an Ishvara-Koti. Vamadeva was a Jiva-Koti Jivanmukta.
Still the waves of the mind. Hold the mind steady in Nirvikalpa Samadhi. This needs constant and protracted practice of meditation. There may be breaks in the meditation in the beginning. But practice can make you perfect. Later on you can remain absorbed in meditation. You can merge yourself in Samadhi with a mind steady like a flame protected from wind. Before getting sanguine success in meditation get victory over the Asana (pose) first. Sit on your seat with the steadiness of a rock for 2 to 3 hours. If the body is steady, the mind also will be steady.
The student of Vedanta puts the `Neti-Neti' doctrine into daily practice. He says: "I am not this perishable body. I am not this mind. I am not this Prana. I am not the Indriyas." `Neti-Neti' means not this; not this. This is the path of negation. But he tries to identify himself with the all-pervading Atman or Self. This practice culminates in the attainment of Self-realisation. It leads to the immediate intuition of the all-filling Brahman.
Perform worship of the Atman at all times. Live a regulated life. Mould your character. Develop noble and virtuous behaviour. Be righteous and work for the good of others. Be devoted to your preceptor. Live under life-long vows. Develop compassion and power of concentration. Be generous. Be charitable. You will soon attain Self-realisation.
Open your eyes now. Wake up from the deep slumber of profound inertia. Regain the lost divinity. Thou art Divine. Thou art Truth. Thou art Atman (soul). Realise this and be free. OM! OM! OM!
LECTURE VI – LIGHT OF VEDANTA
A student of Vedanta should study again and again the Upanishads, which are but mystical experiences of the soul gushing forth in an unceasing stream of beauty. You will find in the Upanishads instances of a sincere quest after Brahman, the Supreme Soul. Nachiketas learned the science of the Reality from Yama. Kabandhi, Bhargava, Kausalya, Gargya, Satyakama, Sukesa—all these devoted to Brahman and centred in Brahman, seeking the Highest Brahman—approached the revered sage Pippalada with fuel in their hands to know Brahma Vidya and realised Brahman.
A rich man keeps his valuable jewels in an iron safe hidden in the innermost chamber of his bungalow. One has to pass through five compartments before he reaches the compartment in which the iron safe is placed. Five walls screen the iron safe. Even so, this most valuable jewel of Atman is placed in the innermost recess of the heart. Five veils cover this Atman. In other words, you will have to pass through the five compartments formed by the five Koshas if you want to get at the jewel of Atman.
To look for God without, abandoning the God within, is like going in quest of a conch-shell after giving up the precious diamond in the hand. If you cannot find Him in your heart, you will not find Him anywhere else. Search Him within the innermost recess of your heart. He is subtler than the subtlest. Make the lotus of your heart as pure as possible. Withdraws the fuel of desires and extinguish the fire of Sankalpas. Realise the Truth now through your higher mind. Enjoy the perennial joy or divine Bliss.
You cannot separate the particles of sugar that are mixed with sand or dust; but an ant can separate them very easily. So also, if you want to taste nectar of Immortality or enjoy the Atmic Bliss, if you want to separate the Atma from the five sheaths, you must become an ant, i.e., you must kill your egoism, pride and vanity and develop humility.
If you are equipped with the four-fold discipline, viz., Viveka, Vairagya, Shad-sampat and Mumukshutva, you will be able to make an enquiry into Brahman. If you have proper ethical training only, you will be able to practise deep meditation. If you possess moral qualifications, you will be able to comprehend the deep truths of Vedanta. If you have moral stamina only, you will be eligible to approach Brahman or the Absolute. Ethical discipline is an indispensable pre-requisite to the study of Vedanta. You can be a wonderful scientist or a philosopher of great repute without any moral qualification but you cannot be a student of Vedanta without ethical perfection. An immoral man can never realise Brahman.
If you can maintain, when you are engaged deeply in some work, serenity of mind which cannot be ruffled, balance of mind which can never be disturbed, you have made considerable progress in the spiritual path. This indicates that you possess immense inner spiritual strength.
If you have a serene and composed mind only, you will be able to practise introspection and meditation. The four-fold discipline makes the mind steady, serene and one-pointed. It removes laziness, inattention, sleepiness and makes you ever vigilant. The senses are kept under perfect control by its practice. You will develop the power to discrimination between the real and the unreal. You will clearly perceive the extreme evanescence of all mundane objects. You will also develop a burning desire for liberation and a burning dispassion. If you now sit for meditation you will at once enter into Samadhi.
Self-control augments energy, vitality, vigour and mental strength. A man of self-control is always cheerful. He turns out much physical and mental work. He commands respect and influences people. He always keeps a balanced mind. He is always serene, collected and composed. He never wastes his energy. He sleeps happily. He attains quickly the highest beatitude.
If you are extremely virtuous, if you are very courageous, if you are ready to give up all possessions, even your very life for the sake of Truth, if you have equal vision, if you are solely engaged in the pursuit of divine knowledge, if you do sincere service to Mahatmas or your Guru, you can quickly attain Self-realisation.
Kill desires. Rise above desires. Abandon your beggarly attitude of mind. Feel the majesty of your Self. There is neither desire nor Vasana in the Self. It is very pure. It is all-full and self-contained. Identify yourself with the glorious Self. Then all desires will die. Then all desires will be fulfilled. This is the secret of the fulfilment of desires. Then nature will obey you. You can command the elements. All the eight Siddhis and the nine Riddhis will roll at your feet. They will stand with folded hands to carry out your behests. This is the sublime teaching of Vedanta.
Jesus commanded the waves to subside. They obeyed immediately. Shams Tabriez commanded the Sun to come down a bit. The sun obeyed. Nimbarka commanded the sun not to move beyond the line of a Neem tree that was in front of his house. The sun carried out his behest immediately. Jnana Dev commanded the wall and the Masjid to move. They obeyed him at once. Visvamitra said, "Let there be a third world for Trisanku." Then and there a world was created. Akalkot Swami commanded, "Let this dead man come back to life." At once the dead man rose up from the ground with new life. These sages were absolutely free from selfish desires. They simply willed at times to do good to the humanity. Everything came to pass instantaneously.
Give up identification of your Self with the physical body. Identification of one's self with the body is the greatest crime. Give up planning and scheming. Abandon speculation. Relinquish cherished hopes, expectations and worldly ambitions. Give up completely thinking about yourself. Do not expect appreciations or approbation. Burn the desire for name and fame. Scorch the fears of disease and public criticism. Do not hoard wealth or anything. Do not care for the morrow. Do not pay any attention to insults or stinging remarks or abuses. Become impervious to ridicules and rebukes. Give up your rights and claims to worldly possessions. Burn all worldly attachments. You can enter now the vast domain of eternal bliss or the kingdom of Truth. You will be the Emperor of the Three Worlds. All Devas will now pay homage to you.
Wake up from the dream of forms. Give up this clinging to false names and forms. Do not be deceived by these illusory names and forms. Cling to the solid, living reality only. Love your Atman only. Atman or Brahman is the living Truth. Atman only persists. Live in the Atman. Become Brahman. This is real life.
There is neither birth nor death for you. Thou art the immortal undecaying Self. Maya deludes you and you identify yourself with the perishable body. You foolishly imagine that you are subject to birth and death. Free yourself from the clutches of Maya. Soar high in the realms of Supreme Peace and reach the abode of Immortality through purification and meditation.
The mind should be scientifically trained to soar into higher regions of awareness and joy. You should march slowly and steadily in the spiritual path. You can ultimately reach the goal if you have patience, perseverance and constant vigilant and if you are very regular in your meditation. You should avoid over-zealous nature and spasmodic effort. Constant meditation on the Self will eventually lead to the ecstasy of beatific vision or Nirvikalpa Samadhi, wherein the individual soul has become one with the Supreme Soul.
Mind is compared to a wild wandering bull. Take up the rod and beat the bull severely. It will go back to its shed. You can tie it easily now to the post. So also thrash the mind-bull severely with the rod of Vairagya. It will go back to its original home or shed, Brahman. Now it will rest in Supreme Peace.
Mind is nothing but a bundle of Sankalpas. Even if you renounce the objects, even if you abandon sensual enjoyments, it will be thinking of objects, when you close eyes and sit for meditation. This is very dangerous. You must stop this sort of thinking with the help of discrimination, dispassion and Vichara or enquiry of `Who am I?' Fewer the thoughts, greater the peace. Complete extinction of Sankalpas brings Moksha or absolute annihilation of the mind or Manonas. Simple living will help you to control thoughts. If you lead a simple life, you have only very few wants and you will have to think a little only.
Do not think of the past. Give up memories. You will have no desire if you give up memories. Do not plan for the future. Do not allow the mind to build up images. Live in the present. Think of the Immortal Self. Now you will have a very quiescent state. You will be pulled up. You will become one with the Being. You cannot describe this sate. Self-realisation is beyond the range of speech. You will have to experience it yourself.
Believe in the glory of your own Self. `Thou art That'. Search. Hear. Understand. Reflect, meditate and realise the immortal Atman. This Atman was never born and will never die. Abandon all superstitions and doubts. Scorch out all wrong Samskaras and wrong suggestions. Man or woman can realise the goal of Vedanta. Burn all false differences. There is neither low nor high, neither great nor small, neither superior nor inferior, neither animate nor inanimate. Behold your own Self everywhere. There is nothing but Self.
O Ye of little faith! Wake up from your long sleep of ignorance. Get knowledge of the Self. O wanderer in this quagmire of Samsara! Go back to your original abode of eternal peace, the fountain of infinite joy and power, the spring of boundless ecstasy, the source of life, the origin of light and love, the immortal blissful Brahmic seat of illimitable splendour and pristine glory. Fill the mind with thoughts of Self. Saturate your feelings with purity and divinity. Let the Light of lights shine in every hair of your body. Let the infinite Godhead vibrate in every cell of your body. Let every breath sing the song of Infinity and Eternity with `Soham'.
LECTURE VII – THOUGHTS OF VEDANTA
Vedanta is that sublime philosophy which teaches that the individual soul is identical with the Supreme Soul and removes the illusion of the Jiva. Vedanta is the science of Atman that helps the aspirants to eradicate fear, sorrow, grief, delusion and to realise the Self. Vedanta is that magnanimous philosophy which raises the ignorant Jiva to the sublime heights of Brahmanhood. Vedanta is a panacea for all human ailments. Vedanta is a sovereign specific for the disease of birth and death. Mere theorising of Vedantic principles will not do. You should live in the spirit of Vedanta. You should become a practical Vedantin. You should realise this Atman which Vedanta treats of. Then only you will become a liberated sage.
Brahman or Atman or the Supreme Self is self-luminous. Brahman cannot be manifested by anything else. Brahman manifests everything. The doctrine of self-luminosity is one of the foundational tenets on which the entire edifice of Vedanta is constructed. Atman gives light to the sun, moon, stars, lightning, fire intellect and senses. By the light of the Atman all these shine but they cannot illumine the Atman.
The ultimate principle or Atman or Brahman which is formless, colourless, fearless, timeless, spaceless, limitless, attributeless, endless and beginningless shines eternally and everywhere behind the names and forms. Vedanta treats of this ultimate Truth or Supreme Principle.
This world of names and forms is constantly changing. Seas dry up and vast sandy deserts come into being in their place. Elevations become depressions and depressions become elevations. Sand becomes stone and stone becomes sand. Blocks of stones become lime and lime becomes dust. Forests become model towns and cities become deserted places. Grass becomes blood; blood becomes milk; milk again becomes blood; blood becomes flesh. A young man becomes an old man and a beautiful girl becomes an ugly woman. A fat man becomes thin and a thin girl becomes a fat woman. A zamindar becomes a beggar and a beggar becomes a zamindar. At the back of these ever-changing objects there is the changeless, eternal, immortal Brahman or the Supreme Self. He who realises this Brahman attains Immortality, Freedom and Eternal Bliss.
Naturally the mind runs towards objects of the world. The usual flow of the mental current is towards worldly objects. You will have to turn the mind inwards towards the Self through Vairagya and Abhyasa (dispassion and practice). In the beginning the mind will run towards the worldly objects again and again even if it is turned towards the Atman. Constant practice is necessary to make the mind rest in the Self for ever.
Tear into pieces the veil of ignorance. Catch the fickle deer `the mind' with the snare of enquiry and Brahma Chintan. Mount on the elephant of Self-knowledge and roam about freely in the hilly tracts on the highest peak of Supreme Wisdom of the Self.
Shake off the bonds of Karma through discrimination, dispassion and non-attachment. Know the secret of true bliss through concentration and meditation. Root out the passion. Embrace Peace. Enjoy the glory of Self-Bliss. Delight in the Self within.
Abandon thoughts of this little body. Rise above the worldly thoughts. Live always in the All-blissful Self. Thou art the sun, fire, sky, stars, mountains, oceans and rivers. The whole world is your body. The whole wealth of the world is yours. The whole world is your Lila. Maya is your illusory power. Exercise your power of Sat-Sankalpa. She is ever ready to fulfil your wishes. Thou art immortal, beginningless and endless. Death, sickness, sorrow, sin, old age, cannot touch thee. Feel the majesty of thy real nature. Feel, feel that thou art the all-pervading, imperishable, diseaseless, fearless Atman. Rest in that stupendous ocean of peace. Be perfectly happy.
Learn to discriminate between the permanent and the impermanent. Behold the Self in all beings and in all objects. Names and forms are illusory. Therefore sublate them. Feel that there is nothing but the Self. Share what you have, physical, mental, moral, or spiritual, with all. Serve the Self in all. Feel when you serve others that you are serving your own Self. `Love thy neighbour as thyself.' Melt all illusory differences. Remove all barriers that separate man from man. Mix with all. Embrace all. Destroy the sex-idea and body-idea by constantly thinking on the Self or the sexless and bodiless Atman. Fix the mind on the Self when you work. This is practical Vedanta. This is the essence of the teachings of the Upanishads and sages of yore. This is real, eternal life is the Atman. Put these things in practice in the daily battle of life. You will shine as a dynamic Yogi or a Jivanmukta. There is no doubt about this. There is no doubt about this.
OM is a symbol of Brahman. OM or Pranava is a sparkling ferry-boat for men who have fallen into the never-ending ocean of mundane life. Many have crossed this ocean of Samsara with the help of this ferry-boat. You can also do so if you will. Meditate constantly on OM with Bhava and Meaning and realise the Self.
That illumined sage whose mind is merged in his true nature of Sat-Chit-Ananda, who has conquered the enemy `ignorance', who is destitute of `I'-ness and `mine'-ness, who has rooted out pride, selfishness, love, envy and hatred, rejoices in the ocean of boundless bliss.
A cat made up of sugar is a real cat for a child. Sugar does not appear for the child as it is swallowed up by the cat. The cat has concealed the sugar. For an adult it is just sugar only. The sugar has swallowed up the cat. Even so, for a Jivanmukta or liberated sage, Brahman swallows all illusory names and forms. He sees only Brahman everywhere. All names and forms vanish. For a worldly man, the names and forms have swallowed up or concealed Brahman. He beholds the illusory forms only.
The Jivanmukta has his upper shoulder as his pillow, the sky as his covering, the earth as his bed. He embraces renunciation as his wife and sleeps fearlessly anywhere without any anxiety and enjoys the supreme bliss of the Self or the unalloyed felicity of the Atman.
O Ram! In essence thou art the Light of lights. Thou art the source for everything. Thou art the infinite power-house. Thou art the Beauty of beauties. It is thy effulgent light that lends life and lustre to the Himalayan snow peaks, sun, moon, stars, flowers and trees, the great scientists, poets, orators, politicians, scholars, philosophers and doctors. Thou art that power which moves the steam-engine, aeroplanes, steamers, railway engines, motor-cars, etc. Thou art the beauty at sunset, brilliance in the diamond, the sweet charming smile in young maiden, strength in athletes, endurance in ascetics and intelligence in geniuses. Thou art above, below, to the right, to the left, in front, behind and everywhere. Thy sweet effulgent, majestic, magnanimous presence shines. Feel this. Realise this. Rejoice in the Self. Move about with perfect joy. Get yourself saturated with deep abiding peace.
Thou art the peasant and the king. Thou art the rogue and the saint. Thou art the maiden and the youth. Thou art the child and the father. Thou art the seed and the fruit. Thou art the five elements and their combinations. Thou art the ocean and the rivers. Thou art ugliness and beauty. Thou art merit and demerit. The whole universe is within you. Feel this. Realise this through silent meditation.
Through thy light the sun shines, intellect functions and senses operate. Through thy power the fire burns. Through thy Shakti the wind blows, rivers flow towards the sea, magnet attracts the iron, flower blossoms and atoms move. Thou art electricity, magnetism and ultra-violet rays.
Feel your oneness with all. Feel your oneness with the sun, sky, wind, flowers, trees, buds, animals, stones, rivers and ocean. Realise the oneness of life, unity of consciousness. Behold the one homogeneous Self everywhere, in all beings, animals and plants.
Rise above the conventional distinctions of mundane life. Abandon the lower nature. Assume your true nature of Sat-Chit-Ananda. Meditate on the true principle of Brahman. Dispel the cloud of ignorance by the dawn of Jnana-Surya, the sun of knowledge. Extricate yourself from the three bodies and the five sheaths. Dwells in the abode of Supreme Peace. Revel in the ocean of boundless joy, O Ram!
LECTURE VIII – PRACTICAL VEDANTA
You must be a practical Vedantin. Mere theorising and lecturing is only intellectual gymnastics and lingual warfare. This will not suffice. If Vedanta is not practicable, no theory is of any value. You must put Vedanta in daily practice in every action of yours. Vedanta teaches oneness or unity of Self. You must radiate love to one and all. The spirit of Vedanta must be ingrained in your cells or tissues, veins, nerves and bones. It must become part and parcel of your nature. You must think of unity, speak of unity and act in unity. If you deliver a thrilling lecture on the platform on Vedanta and say, I am the all; I am the one Self in all; there is nothing but myself and show in action the next moment a different attitude of selfishness and separateness, you will not produce any impression on the public. You will be called as a dry Vedantin only. Nobody will care for you.
See how Raja Janaka lived. He lived the life of a practical Vedantin while ruling his kingdom. You cannot conceive of any man busier than Raja Janaka. He was ruling over millions of people and yet he was a sage, a deep thinker, a profound philosopher and a practical Vedantin. He had no attachment to his property or body or his family people. He shared what he had with others. He moved with all. He had equal vision and a balanced mind. He led a very busy life amidst luxuries. He was not a bit affected by external influences. He always kept up a serene mind. He held discussions with various sages on transcendental matters. That is the reason why he still lives in our hearts.
------------------------
Lecture VIII, `Practical Vedanta', will continue.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
DAILY READING
THIEVES
Asteya is non-stealing. This is one of the five limbs of yama (self restraint). This is also another form of self restraint. Why does a man steal? He wants something. When he cannot get it by legitimate ways of earning, he begins to steal things. Desire (trsna) or want is the root cause for stealing. This is a deep rooted, evil trait in man.
Control desires or (trsnas) and cravings. Reduce your wants. Reflect and do vicara. Think of the evil result of stealing, namely, killing of conscience, dishonour, pin pricks, guilty conscience, unfitness for yoga, bad name in society, punishment through the law of karma and penal code. Think of the advantages of non theft (asteya) honour, clean conscience, reward in heaven, fitness for the practice of yoga. You will at once stop this stealing habit.
Man removes a thing secretly without the knowledge of the owner; he does not like that his act may be known by others. This is stealing. Taking blotting paper, pins, paper, pencil, etc., from the office is stealing. Hoarding money too much is stealing. Eating too much or gluttony is stealing. Ever thinking of objects by increasing the wants is also stealing in a comprehensive sense. Keeping more things than are actually necessary is also stealing. A yogic student must be free from all these forms of theft. He must have a very clean mind like the pure white cloth or crystal. Then alone Atman (Self) will shine in his heart.
Man is not very careful and conscientious. His mind brings up very clever arguments. Some secretly take away some old journals which contain some pictures or useful matter and say: "This is nothing. It is only an old copy. It will go into the hands of a shop keeper for packing." But the thing is, he has removed it without the knowledge of the librarian, so it is theft.
Even a sensitive mind becomes blunt gradually by continuous stealing, by jumping from stealing small things to big articles. Even a little dirt, a little theft affects the mind of a yogic student seriously. He will have to be very careful and vigilant. He must keep the mind as clean as a polished mirror. He must avoid even very little thefts in any form. Then alone will he have success in yoga.
__._,_.___
Asteya is non-stealing. This is one of the five limbs of yama (self restraint). This is also another form of self restraint. Why does a man steal? He wants something. When he cannot get it by legitimate ways of earning, he begins to steal things. Desire (trsna) or want is the root cause for stealing. This is a deep rooted, evil trait in man.
Control desires or (trsnas) and cravings. Reduce your wants. Reflect and do vicara. Think of the evil result of stealing, namely, killing of conscience, dishonour, pin pricks, guilty conscience, unfitness for yoga, bad name in society, punishment through the law of karma and penal code. Think of the advantages of non theft (asteya) honour, clean conscience, reward in heaven, fitness for the practice of yoga. You will at once stop this stealing habit.
Man removes a thing secretly without the knowledge of the owner; he does not like that his act may be known by others. This is stealing. Taking blotting paper, pins, paper, pencil, etc., from the office is stealing. Hoarding money too much is stealing. Eating too much or gluttony is stealing. Ever thinking of objects by increasing the wants is also stealing in a comprehensive sense. Keeping more things than are actually necessary is also stealing. A yogic student must be free from all these forms of theft. He must have a very clean mind like the pure white cloth or crystal. Then alone Atman (Self) will shine in his heart.
Man is not very careful and conscientious. His mind brings up very clever arguments. Some secretly take away some old journals which contain some pictures or useful matter and say: "This is nothing. It is only an old copy. It will go into the hands of a shop keeper for packing." But the thing is, he has removed it without the knowledge of the librarian, so it is theft.
Even a sensitive mind becomes blunt gradually by continuous stealing, by jumping from stealing small things to big articles. Even a little dirt, a little theft affects the mind of a yogic student seriously. He will have to be very careful and vigilant. He must keep the mind as clean as a polished mirror. He must avoid even very little thefts in any form. Then alone will he have success in yoga.
__._,_.___
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
