ATMA BODHA 59

 

ATMA BODHA 59

“TAD-YUKTAM-AKHIAM VASTU VYAVAHARA-TADAQNVITAH

TASMAD- SARVAGATAM BRAHMA KSHIRA-SARPIRI-EVA AKHILE.”

BRAHMA PERVADES ALL OBJECTS. ALL ACTIONS ARE POSSIBLE BECAUSE OF BRAHMAN. HENCE BRAHMAN PERMEATES EVERYTHING LIKE BUTTER PERMEATES MILK.”

Brahman is the substratum of everything in the world. It is Real and all other things are false. “Brahma Satyam Jagan mithya” declare the Upanishads. Nothing can escape the touch of Brahman as it is all pervading in nature. Brahman is the illuminator of all actions and thoughts within the body or without in the outside world. Without the grace of Brahman the sense organs in the body are mere holes on the flesh. The outer  world of objects are also gross and inert without any symptom of life. Thus Brahman is the all permeating  life giving fire of existence that flows through them all.

Sankara gives a beautiful example. Butter is already an ingredient and permeates milk though it is invisible for the naked eye. W e cannot see butter directly in the milk. Similarly Brahman remains invisible while IT is the substratum of every object in the universe. How do we get butter? It is through churning milk that we can extract butter.

Likewise, ATMAN can be separated  from the world of names and forms by serious and intense meditation. When Brahman is realized and experienced the plurality of world is no more.  Butter has no more milk in it!!

KENOPANISHAD brilliantly explains what Sankara has said in this stanza.  All the sense organs are mute and helpless contraptions on the body without the Atman that breathes life into them!

 

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

“That which is not heard by the ear, but that by which the ears are made to hear----know that as

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.” 

KENOPANISHAD   I (Up. 1.) 7, 8, 9

ATMA BODHA 58

 

ATMA BODHA 58

“AKHANADANANDA-RUPASYA TASYA-ANANDA-LAVA-ASRITAH

BRAHMADYAH-TARATAMYENA BHAVANTI-ANANDINO AKHILAH.”

“EVEN DEITIES LIKE BRAHMA AND OTHERS TASTE ONLY A PARTICLE OF THE UNLIMITED BLISS OF BRAHMAN AND ENJOY  IN PROPORTION THEIR SHARE OF THAT PARTICLE.”

None is capable of enjoying the total Bliss of Brahman. Absolute Bliss is the Truth and it is endless.The quantity of Bliss enjoyed is proportional to the capacity of the individual. It is immaterial if the person is an ordinary mortal or a man of merit or a righteous individual or a Deva. Even Indra, King of Gods can enjoy an infinitesimal part of the Infinite. Brahma the creator can taste only a particle of this limitless Bliss which is called Brahmananda.

The entire world depends on this small portion of Absolute Bliss. It is absolutely impossible for the mind and intellect to measure the magnitude of this immeasurable depth of ‘ swaroopananada.’ It is clear that even the celestial joy enjoyed by the creator is only a negligible fraction borrowed from that limitless Truth. A relative picture is given here of the Infinitude in terms of finite yardstick.

For example, if the management were to wind up their reports stating that the entire amount  budgetted for spending is but a mere 2% of the total profits, there will be no protests as everybody gets  a clear picture of the total profits made. This is the method adopted by Sankara in this stanza. An ordinary student cannot understand the quantitative concept of the Brahmananda. But every living being has its own share of limited enjoyment. If all the moments of joy were to be added up, the joy of all living creatures from the creator down to the blade of grass, would be the total joy (vishayananda) in the universe. This sum total of experienced joys by all living creatures, from the day of creation till today is “but an infinitesimal portion ( lava) of this Absolute Bliss. The student can get a rough idea of the Absolute Bliss when this much is told. This is the only available method for the teacher to impress the student  and offer a vague intellectual notion of the Infinite Bliss experienced by a man of realization who has transcended  all the limitations of his mortal existence.

 SIXTH ANUVAKA of BHRUGU VALLI of Taittiriya Upanishad clarifies what Brahmananda is. The renowned sage Bhrugu performed penance and found that Anna, Prana, Mano and Vignanamaya kosas do not fully qualify themselves to be called  the Brahman.  At lengthy, through his penance he recognized the all inherent ANANDA  or BLISS as the real BRAHMAN.   

 

ATMA BODHA 57

 

ATMA BODHA 57

“ATAT- VYAHRUTI-RUPENA VEDANTAIH LAKSHYATE-ADVAYAM

AKHAND-ANANDAM -EKAM YAD TAD-BRAHMETI-AVADHARAYET.”

“UNDERSTAND THAT BRAHMAN IS NON-DUAL, INDIVISIBLE, ONE AND BLISSFUL> VEDANTA INDICATES IT AS THE IMMUTABLE SUBSRATUM> IT IS REALISED AFTER THE NEGATION OF ALL TANGIBLE OBJECTS>”

The process of Negation has already been explained.  It is impossible to reach the All-pervading Eternal Brahman since it is not an object –of- cognition. On the other hand it is Itself the subjective Reality that illuminates all thoughts and actions. As It is One without-a-second ( ekameva advitiyam Brahma)it does not allow of any difference from similar or dissimilar objects. This Indivisible, Immutable Self is no longer an impotent factor but a positive state of Infinite Bliss. According to the Upanishads the Self is reached  by a process of negation (neti)  of what it is not and of assertion of what IT IS--- THE SUBSTRATUM OR BEDROCK of all existence.

Our minds are totally limited and thoughts impure and ever unsteady. All our objects of cognition ever changing and perishable. What is that changeless substance in the ever changing processes? What is that LIFE FORCE responsible for the manifestation of matter? How is the inert matter illuminated? What is the secret of the vigour and vitality of Life? What is behind all this pluralistic existence? Which is the Homogeneous and all-permeating spirit in all objects? What maintains all thing in unity like the string in a garland? That is the substratum, our own SELF which cannot be objectively followed but can be subjectively experienced  as the Pure Consciousness.( Atman)

In the earlier three stanzas, Sankara has indicated the SELF with a definition “ by differentiation yet in consonance with it” technically called as TATASTHA LAKSHANA. IN the next few stanzas we have a description of the LIFE SPARK in us by the direct method called  SWAROOPA LAKSHANA.

“ The Self which is free from sin, free from old age, free from death, free from grief, free from hunger and thirst, whose desire is Reality, whose will is Truth------it is that which one has to seek, it is that which one has to know. He who has found out that SELF and understands it---he obtains all worlds and all desires.” Thus spoke Prajapati ( Lord of creatures)   CHANDOGYOPANISHAD XXI ( Up VIII. 7.12)1  

ATMA BODHA 56

 

ATMA BODHA 56

“TIRYAK- OORDHWA-MADHAH-POORNAM SAY-CHIT-ANANDA-MADVAYAM

ANANTAM-NITYAM-YEKAM-YAD TAD-BRAHMETI-AVADHARAYET.”

“REALISE THAT BRAHMAN IS EXISTENCE-KNOWLEDGE ABSOLUTE. IT IS NON-DUAL, INFINITE, ETERNAL AND ONE. IT FILLS ALL THE QUARTERS-----ABOVE AND BELOW, AND ALL THAT EXISTS BETWEEN.”

 

The dynamic Reality, Brahman permeates everything, everywhere East and West, and all over the universe. The awareness of this Consciousness and living in that experience makes it impossible for me to experience the outer world of Consciousness. It is the perception of my limited body-mind-intellect material. When there is nothing but One Homogeneous mass of Consciousness, how can one see the front or rear, top or bottom of that? I cannot say the ‘front’—because the “front’ of what? Only a limited thing can have parts or sides.  In this manner we experience the ‘endlessness of Infinite Bliss. This is One without-a- second. (“ekameva adwitiyam Brahma”) All our attachment, misery and sorrow are because of our ignorance or avidya and delusion created by maya. Our mind is chiefly responsible for our joy, misery and suffering . ( “mana eva manushyanam karanam bandha mokshayoh”)

 

There cannot be any experience when there is the only One Reality. The nature of the PARAMATMAN in us is  SAT-CHIT-ANANDA. The experience of PURE BEING is indescribable because of the limitations of one’s speech. It is that Eternal Light that exists in you and everywhere you move about. Moments of perfect attunement with IT  are the moments of perfect SELF-REALISATION!