A FEW FACTS ABOUT BRAHMAN

The most important word used in the Vedas and the Upanishad is the word “ Brahman.” Most of us think that the word is a synonym for God.  It is wrong to equate Brahman to a God with a name and form. All the Upanishads proclaims the glory of Brahman in various ways which is really astonishing. In fact, one of the definitions of the Upanishads is that it is what is called ”Brahma Vidya”-“ Upanishaditi Brahma Vidya.” The Upanishads describe the nature of Brahman in various terms. It is interesting to see that every Upanishad explains the importance and nature of the Brahman in its own inimitable language. What exactly is this concept of Brahman? All the Upanishads stress again and again that the word Brahman cannot be explained in words. It is like a person describing the ocean to one who has never seen it and who can say that it is a vast sheet of water, a big expanse of water, water, water all around.  Vedas, Puranas, Itihasas, and other scriptures have been repeated a thousand times but no one has yet been able to express Brahman by speech! The Upanishad says, “ Satyam Jnana manantam Brahma.”Brahman is Truth; It is Knowledge; It is eternal, has no end. It is immutable Truth. It is the only Knowledge to be gained by a person. There is no other worthy knowledge. It is everlasting and has no end.

Brahman is unattached and indifferent to good or evil. Brahman is above and beyond all these. Brahman cannot be judged by any human standard of good and evil. Brahman is above and beyond both knowledge and ignorance, good and evil, Dharma and Adharma. It transcends all these dual throngs. Brahman is beyond mind and speech. The Taittiriya Upanishad proclaims: “ yato vacho nivartante aprapya manasa saha. Anandam Brahmano vidwan..” He who knows the bliss of that Brahman from which all speech, with the mind, turns away unable to reach it—he does not fear anything from anywhere. Brahman is above all concentration and meditation—(Dharana and Dhyana). It is also beyond the knower, the known and knowledge. It is also beyond the real and the unreal and relativity. Brahman is similar to air carrying good and bad odours. But It is totally untainted by them. Brahman, otherwise called the Absolute is above all attributes and beyond all things connected with Maya. When the Supreme Being is without action- not involved in creation, protection and destruction It is called Brahma or Purusha. But when It is actively involved in those, It is called Sakthi or Maya or Prakriti.

 Are Brahman and dynamic Sakthi different? No they are one and the same. Brahman is potential energy while Sakthi is kinetic energy, mobile and carrying out all activities. Both are embodiments of Existence- Intelligence- Bliss. Brahman is not different from personal God. A belief in the one implies a belief in the other. Fire cannot be imagined apart from its burning power. Thus absolute Brahman is always associated with the idea of God with attributes or Personal God. Brahman can be sometimes with  attributes and at other times without. When He is with attributes He is called Saguna Brahman in combination with Sakthi or Energy. He is called, then, Iswara or Personal God. God is formless as well as with attributes and form. For the sake of his devotees who love Him he manifests Himself in various forms. No limitation binds Him in taking any form or manifestation. Supreme Brahman is a vast incomprehensible ocean where one struggles and sinks. But Personal God grants peace like a sinking man being gently carried ashore. The Bhaktha visualizes  God in different form while the realized Jnani sees Him in Samadhi without attributes.

 “ God is in all men, but all men are not in God; that is why they suffer. Every object is Narayana. All things are His diverse forms and manifestations of His glory. Says God,” I am the snake that bites and the charmer that heals; I am the judge that condemns and the servant that inflicts the punishment.” Says Sri RamaKrishna. I give below a few quotations from different Upanishads on the nature and quality of Brahman or the Self or the Atman.

Isavasya- Upanishad: “ The Self is unmoving, indivisible; it is swifter than thought. The senses never reach it, as it is ever ahead of them. Though standing still, it outstrips those who run. And in it does the moving Spirit support the activities of man. It moves and it moves not; It is far and likewise near . It is inside of all this, and it is outside of all this.”

Kenopanishad: “That which is not seen by the eye, but that by which the eyes are made to see--- know that as the Brahman, and not what people worship here. That which is not inhaled by breath, but that by which breath is made to inhale—know that as Brahman and not what people worship here.”

Kathopanishad: “This syllable is indeed Brahman (OM) this syllable is indeed the highest; he who knows this syllable—whatever he desires will be his. The knowing Self is never born, nor does it die. It sprang from nothing, and nothing sprang from it. It is unborn, eternal, everlasting and primeval. It is not slain when the body is slain. (Bhagavadgita” nainam chindanti sasthrani nainam dahati pavakaha…..) Smaller than the small and greater than the great, the Self is hidden in the heart of every creature… The sun does not shine there, nor the moon and the stars, nor these lightnings. How then could this fire? When He shines, everything shines after Him; by His light all this is lighted.”

Mundakopanishad: “ Even as the spider sends forth and draws in (its thread), even as plants spring  out of the earth and hairs from the head and the body of a living man—even so does the whole creation arise out of the Imperishable. 

Taittriya Upanishad: “Having performed penance he understood that perfect bliss was Brahman. For it is from bliss that these beings are born. It is by bliss that, when born, they live, and it is bliss that they enter on passing away. 

Aitareyopanishad: “ In the beginning all this was Atman----one only. There was nothing active. He thought himself, “ Let me now create the worlds.” He created these worlds.

Chandogyopanishad: “ Verily, all this is Brahman. Let a man meditate on it in tranquility as that from which he came forth, to which he shall return and in which he breathes. The Self is a bank, a boundary that preserves these worlds. Day and night do not reach that bank---neither old age nor death, neither grief, not good not evil deeds. From it all evils turn back,  for the world of Brahman is one where sin is vanquished.”

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: “ The Self is dearer than a son, dearer than wealth, dearer than all else and is the innermost. Verily it is not for the sake of the  husband that a husband is dear, but for the sake of the Self is a husband dear. The Brahman rejects one who takes him to be different from the Self. An ocean is that one seer, without any duality. This is the world. Thus Brahman, O King. Thus did YAJNAVALKYA teach him. This is the highest goal, this is the highest treasure; this is the highest world; this is his highest bliss. All other creatures live on a fragment of this very bliss.” The heavenly voice of thunder repeats the same--- Da, Da, Da, that is, control yourselves, give to others, and be compassionate. Therefore one should practice the same triad—self control, charity, and compassion.

Swetaswatara Upanishad: “The Self which pervades all things, as butter is contained in milk, and which has its roots in self knowledge and penance---that is Brahman. That is the highest Upanishad. That which is beyond the world is without form and without suffering. Those who know it become Im mortal, but others suffer only misery. Know that Nature is Maya and that the wielder of Maya is the Great Lord. This whole world is filled with beings that are parts of Him. He is of the size of a thumb, but brilliant like the sun. He is endowed with a will and self consciousness. With the qualities of mind and qualities of the body he is seen small like the point of a goad”

MORE ON KARMA YOGA

 Yoga means union. Karma Yoga is communion with God through work! Karma means action physical or mental. So all actions or activities are the ways and means of reaching God or realizing Him. Karma Yoga is different from yogas like Bhakthi and Jnana yogas as it does not involve it sittng in a place or meditating or worshipping the deity. As the Lord says in the Bhagavadgita, all actions should be carried out without attachment. Any action performed without expectation of reward comes under Karma yoga. “ Karmanye vadhikarasthu ma phaleshu kadachana…” You have authority to act, not to expect the result!  Result will take care of itself depending upon the magnitude of your action. If one performs his duty properly, the result will be good. He need not bother about the result or have any doubt about it. This activity done without expecting any award or result or without attachment is called “ Nishkama Karma.” All duties of house holders, doing their duties without attachment for the glory of God come under Karma Yoga. Chanting the holy name of God and other pious duties, if done for the sake of God and not to fulfill one's desire is Karma Yoga. Is there any difference between the end of Karma Yoga and other Yogas like the Bhakthi and Jnana Yoga’s? The end of Karma Yoga is the same, namely, the realization of God, personal or impersonal or both.

The Karma Yogi has to attend to all worldly duties with total dedication to the Lord like servants in the mansion of a rich man. The secret of this Karma Yoga consists in chanting the ' name' of the Lord and meditating on Him as much as one can and at the same time attending to one's duties in sheer dedication. Whatever is offered to God would return thousandfold. At the end of all karma one has to pour a handful of water dedicating the fruit of the karma to Krishna! It is said that when Yudhistara wanted to offer even his sins to Krishna, Bhima warned and prevented his brother saying that the sins would come back to him thousandfold. Work without attachment is extremely difficult in this Kali Yuga and hence communion by prayer, devotion and love are recommended in preference to knowledge and philosophy. Work or Karma bereft of devotion to God is very unstable and cannot stand. Best suited for Kaliyuga is  Naradiya—Bhakthi or communion with God by love, devotion and self surrender as advocated by the great sage Narada. To work without any attachment is to work without the expectation of any reward or fear of any punishment in this world or the next. Work so done is a means to the end which is Good Himself.

Work as means should not be confused with the end. Work is not the be all and the end all, the ideal of human existence in the world. One should pray for devotion to God. We should never ask God for transitory things. On the other hand we should pray for Divine love which elevates man to the level of  God. We should realize that He is the eternal foundation of love and bliss. Unselfish work done in a spirit of dedication and devotion transforms the individual into one full of pure Sattva quality.  If Rajasa quality is mixed up, he changes direction and becomes egoistic and says, “ I shall do good to the world.” How can an ordinary mortal think of doing good to the entire world? It is highly hazardous. This attempt to do good, without any motive, for the benefit of others is allowed and has no danger in it. This kind of work is in essence called Nishkama Karma—work without Kama or personal desire or motive. Though desirable, it is very difficult and only a few calls think of it.

Is there any stage when you need not involve yourself in work? Is it possible? Renunciation of work comes by itself when there is a flood of intense  love of God in one's heart. Let those work who are allowed do so by God. When the time is right, one must renounce everything and “ watch the Divinity installed in the heart.” Sandhya loses itself in Gayatri; Gayatri loses itself  in Pranava; Pranava in the end  loses itself in Samadhi. So every karma ultimately loses itself in Samadhi.” remarks Sri RmaKrishna.

As long as the mind is not absorbed in God man has to do both—seek Him and attend to work in the world. As the mind is absorbed in Him, there is no need for any work. Much fuss is made about Karma but the more one proceeds towards God, the less the need for karma. Complete renunciation of work arrives finally followed by Samadhi. Great souls like Narada are moved with pity at the  trials and tribulations of the world. They are large hearted and not so selfish as to care only for the attainment of jnana for themselves!

THE JNANI AND THE BHAKTHA

 The Jnani and the Bhaktha are the most important characters that dominate the spiritual field. Both are in search of God in their own inimitable ways. Their ways, of course differ significantly. Jnani is concerned with the formless Absolute while the Bhaktha is a votary of the Divine form that is dear to him. Jnani is more intellectual, alone, and removed from the din and dust  of our humdrum life. The Bhaktha is very much in the midst of society exhibiting his inordinate love for his fellow beings. To a certain extent, the Jnani is selfish since he is interested in his own salvation or Mukthi. On the contrary, the Bhaktha is selfless and visualizes the omnipresent and omnipotent God in every living being. The Jnani is learned, scholarlly and egotistic. The Bhaktha is innocent, ignorant and selfless and loses his ego in the service of people in whom he sees the manifestation of the Supreme. His forte is purity, unselfish love for everyone in society. The Jnani is aloof, reserved and may be far from the madding crowd but the Bhaktha is very much on the ground and among the members of society. Is the Jnani a Bhaktha himself? Can we say that the Bhaktha is also a Jnani? It is bhakti that mellows and transforms itself into Jnana or Knowledge! The devout Bhakta is metamorphosed into a Jnani

The Jnani and the Bhaktha differ entirely in their approach to God and realization. The Jnani's approach can be termed as “ markatakisora nyaya.” The young one of the monkey strongly clasps its mother during transit. If it is careless and lets go the hold on its mother it falls down and is hurt. The Jnani has to depend on his own strength and effort to attain salvation. He cannot expect help from others. The Bhaktha's method is called “ marjarakisora nyaya. But the kitten runs no such risk. The mother carries it  from one place to another safely. The aspirant or the Bhaktha  who follows the path of  Love resigns himself entirely to His mercy with perfect confidence. God, now, takes over all the responsibilities of His dear devotee! The Jnani is conscious of his ego. He says, “ Aham Brahmasmi”—I am He, I am that pure Atman. But that ahankara is absent in the Bhaktha. He declares that all these are His glory! God realization can happen in one of these attitudes.1 All this am I. 2 All this art thou. 3 Thou art the Master and I am the servant. It is believed that one becomes a Jnani if he is born with the spirit of Siva! He thus believes that Brahman alone is real and this world is unreal or false. “ Brahma Satyam Jagan mithya”.  Faith and devotion never fail in one born of the spirit of Vishnu!

Jnani's knowledge  runs in one direction only. The universe, to him , is a dream. He resides always in his own Self. But the Love of the Bhaktha is multidirectional. It has its ups and downs. He laughs, weeps,  dances and sings in ecstasy. He desires to live in and experience  God's presence. He wants to be a part of the ocean of bliss and move like a ' block of ice' dancing in water tossing up and down. The Bhaktha, according to the Puranas, is separate from God. Man is separate from God. The body is considered as the vessel. The mind, the intellect, and the ego constitute the water in the vessel. According to  Sri RamaKrishna, Brahman is like the sun reflecting in the water. The Bhaktha thus recognizes the different manifestations of the Divine. But for the Jnani, Brahman alone is real and  everything else is Maya or illusion like a dream. Ego is like a stick on the surface of the sea of Brahman. The stick divides the water into two. If the stick is removed there is one undivided sheet of water. Sage Narada and others were Jnanis but they took to the path of Bhakthi for the good of the world. Sri RamaKrishna says, “ Jnana is like a man and Bhakthi is like a woman. Knowledge has entry only up to the drawing room of God. But Love can enter His inner apartments”. Jnani is similar to the husband who is not allowed freely in the zenana. But Bhaktha is like the darling child who can enter the inner apartments freely uncha okllenged.
The temperamental difference between the Jnani and the Bhaktha is well brought out in the following incident. A Jnani and a Bhaktha were moving along a forest when they saw a tiger suddenly. The Jnani, as usual, said, “ There is no reason why we should flee: the Almighty God will certainly  protect us. The Bhaktha remarked, “ No, brother, no, let us run away. Why should we trouble the Lord when we can accomplish a thing by our own exertion?”

REFLECTIONS ON BHAKTHI

Many of us call ourselves devotees or Bhakthas of some deity or other. We visit temples, important shrines, offer worship and return with family completely satisfied. Can visiting temples and shrines be called devotion or Bhakthi? In fact many go to temples to while away their time and meet their friends. When ladies meet at the temples they fall in to conversation about their issues in the families and other problems. Temples and pilgrim centers and shrines have turned into picnic spots for youngsters who revel in taking photos for their albums! The very purpose of visiting the temple or shrine is totally defeated by such actions. There is no proper understanding of the word Bhakthi among people in society. Bhakthi is a very serious affair. It cannot come to the person easily. Devotion and dedication to a particular form of chosen deity is absolutely essential. In these days, when the very existence of God is being denied how can they concentrate on God? We love many things during our stay on earth, our parents, wife and children, kith and kin, and property. Our love varies according to the importance that we attach to those material things. When there is extreme love for God in any form to the extent of avoiding and forgetting all other material things of the world Bakthi or devotion is established!

What exactly is Bhakthi? What is it’s definition? Bhagwan Sri Sri Satya Saibaba describes it beautifully.  “Bhakthi is love for God. The word Bhakthi is a combination of 'bha' in the word Bhagawan (God) and ‘kthi’  in the word “anurakthi” (love). Other features like virakthi (renunciation) and Mukthi ( Liberation) come in the travail of Bhakthi. Love for God should be the very life breath of man.” Love of God is a rare thing in the world. Bhakthi can sprout when there is whole hearted devotion to God similar to that of the chaste wife for her husband. Unalloyed and undiluted Bhakthi is still more difficult. It is achieved only when the mind and soul are absorbed in God which is a rare phenomenon. Devotion to God is directly proportional to the loss of attachment to the objects of the senses. Engulfed in the shackles of Maya, man aspires for transient pleasures and worthless mundane objects. It is only the pure and uncontaminated souls that can, with single aim, fix their mind on God. In true Bhakthi, the devotee, while chanting His holy name, is thrilled with joy! He need not strive for the control of senses. The control  comes of itself! God intoxicated Bhaktha can never think of sense pleasures. A real devotee of the Lord is one who enters into. The most intimate  relationship with Him! He should pray, “You must fulfil my prayer and reveal yourself to me.”

Mere acquaintance with God will not do. Closest relationship with God shall compel His presence.  Formal relationship should mature into intense intimacy when God has no other way but to present Himself before you! Too much attachment to an object or relation prevents a person from thinking of God. In such cases one should look upon his object of love as an image of God and serve him in that attitude. As love of God increases the pleasures of the senses become insipid. No devotional practices are needed when the devotee's heart is moved to tears at the mere mention of the ‘name' of God! Devotion to God is compared to a tiger that swallows all enemies of man like lust, passion, anger and others. The Gopis of Brindavan had attained that stage through their fierce devotion to Krishna. Why should  a Bhaktha abandon everything for the sake of God? A true devotee cannot refrain from clinging to God like the ant that loses its life in the syrup. The bliss of the presence of God compels the bhaktha to merge into Him and lose himself! It is also similar to the insect that flies to the light and dies. The ultimate aim of the real devotee is to merge himself in to God.

Similar to the three gunas embedded in individuals, Bhakthi has three shades, Satwa, Rajas and Thamas! Satwik Bhakthi is characterized by humility while Rajasic Bhakthi is ostentatious and the Thamasic type employs brute Force. The Satwik bhaktha's devotion is secret, his food simple and he is not affected by flattery. The Rajasic devotee has distinctive marks, has beads round his neck, wears silk during worship, and conducts worship with pomp and splendor. The Thamasic devotee has a fiery faith. He applies force to God in demanding things.

There are a few stages of devotional practice or Sadhana. First and foremost is the company of holy men, sages and sanths. Next is faith or Sraddha in and devotion to things relating to the Spirit. The third is single minded devotion or Nishta to one's ideal. The fourth is Bhakthi or intense love for God. Next stage is Bhava or the state of silent absorption in the thought of God. Intense Bhava  leads to the next stage, Mahabhava. The devotee sometimes laughs and sometimes weeps like a madman! There is no body consciousness in the devotee at this stage. This can be realized not by ordinary mortals but by Mahapurushas. The last stage is the most intense love of God or Prema equal to Mahabhava. Here the devotee forgets the world, his self and even his body. It is at this stage that he is face to face with God the final goal of his life!

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REFLECTIONS ON JNANA YOGA

The word ‘Jnana' is fmiliar to all. In our parlance it means Knowledge as well as wisdom. In spiritual context it has a different meaning. It is not mere knowledge of the mundane world and its complexities. It is the knowledge of the Supreme Brahman or Absolute Reality. The Upanishad proclaims “ Satyam jnanam Anantam Brahma.” Brahman is the embodiment of Truth, Knowledge and Infinity. In short, Jnana or Knowledge is not about the transient world and its ways but about the eternal Truth which is called Brahman. Hence Jnani is one who has established communion with God  by means of Knowledge. The very purpose of our birth is to realize God during our existence on earth. We have failed in that effort miserably. Mortal men as we are, Maya or illusion has cast its magic web on all of us and has led us away from the Real path.  It is the Jnani, here and there, that tries to think and meditate on God. The Jnani has no other aim in life but to realize Brahman. All his efforts are directed to the realization of the Divinity. How does he do this?  He leaves one unreal thing after another until he stumbles at the Real Thing namely the Brahman! He dismisses one unreal thing after another by saying “ neti”, “neti”—not this, not this and finally realizes Brahman in Samadhi!

The search of the Jnani for Brahman is analogous to the search of an expert thief for precious gold and diamonds in a palatial mansion! He enters the house and reaches the place where they are safely hidden. In the dim light, he sees and feels various other objects. Tables, chairs, boxes and other materials are felt by him but saying to himself , 'not this, not this' he proceeds further. Finally he lays his hand on the jewel box containing gold and diamonds! His joy knows no bounds and he is ecstatic! “It is here”, he exclaims and the search ends there! Jnana is of different degrees and kinds. That of the ordinary mortals, the worldly, is similar to a lamp that illuminates just the interior of a room. The Jnana of a Bhaktha or Devotee is  akin to the light of the moon that illuminates things both inside and outside the room. But  the Jnana of the Avatar is the most powerful and can be likened to that of the sun! His Divine Knowledge brushes aside the accumulated ignorance of ages according to Sri RamaKrishna. What is the method of Jnana yoga? How to make a beginning? Is it easy or difficult? What should be the first step?
Eschewing your ego is the first and the most significant step in achieving Jnana Yoga. There is no such thing as “I”. When the onion skin is peeled off we find no kernel in it! Identification of the body with the soul is the gross mistake that inhibits Jnana. Ultimate substance is God alone. A Jnani is expected to realize that he is not the Body but the Soul or Self. This self realization shall lead him to know other beings and God also. Divinity manifests itself as egotism melts away. It is ignorance that makes one think that God is outside and far away. True Knowledge consists in realizing God within. “ He who sees Him in the temple of his own soul, sees Him also in the temple of the universe.” Says Sri RamaKrishna. A man woke up at midnight and wanted to smoke. He went to the neighbor’s house for Fire. The neighbor was aghast at the foolish action of the man when he had a lighted lantern in his hand! It is also similar to a person searching for ghee when he has butter ready with him! What man wants is already within him but still he wanders here and there searching for it. It is knowledge that leads to unity while ignorance leads to diversity!

 Seeing a young disciple engrossed in going through books on Vedanta, Sri RamaKrishna pointed out the essence of Vedantic thought. “Brahma Satyam Jagan mithya.”—Brahman is real and the world unreal. The disciple felt that a firm conviction of those truths shall lead to the understanding of everything of Vedanta. Hearing, inquiry and meditation are the three important steps for the practice of the Jnani. After hearing that Brahman is real and the world unreal, inquiry comes into play and its truth has to be established by reasoning. Then comes the next step meditation which entails withdrawing the mind from the unreal world and concentrating it on Brahman. Knowledge is useless if there is no renunciation. Merely professing that Brahman is real but yielding to the temptations of the world cannot make one a Jnani! Why is Jnana Yoga very difficult to practice?

Sri RamaKrishna points out that Jnana Yoga is extremely difficult in this Kali Yuga because  our life depends totally on food which is termed “ Annagataprana”. Human life is too short in Kaliyuga for the practice of Jnana Yoga. The third obstacle is the total identification of the body with soul which is called “Dehatmabuddhi.” In short, man is under the illusion that body and soul are one! He does not realize that he is the eternal, indestructible Self or Atma embedded in the innermost recess of heart! Thus the Jnani must feel and realize that he is not the body but one with the Universal Soul or the Absolute Brahman! Since he is not the body, he should not be subject to the conditions of the body like hunger, thirst, birth, death and others. It is very rarely that we find real Jnanis in our society. According to the Bhagavadgita, “One among the thousands desires to know Him, and even among thousands of those who are desirous to know, one perhaps can actually know Him.” Less attachment  to the world particularly for women and gold leads to more Jnana or Knowledge of God! The Jnana Yogi says, “I” am He.” But what is the good of repeating the statement  without realization??