ATMA BODHA 68

ATMA BODHA 68

                        “DIG-DESA-KALADY-ANAPEKSHYA SARVAGAM SEETADI-HRIT- NITYA-SUKHAM

YAH-SWATMA-TEERTHAM-BHAJATE-VINISHKRIYAH SA-SARVAVIT-SARVAGATO-AMRUTO-BHAVET”

                                                          ETYA-ATMA BHODHAH-SAMAPTAH

“HE SHOULD RENOUNCE ALL ACTIVITIES AND BE FREE FROM ALL LIMITATIONS OF TIME, SPACE AND DIRECTION. HE SHOULD WORSHIP HIS OWN ATMAN WHICH IS PRESENT EVERYWHERE AND WHICH IS THE DESTROYER OF HEAT AND COLD. IT IS ETERNAL BLISS AND STAINLESS.SUCH A PERSON BECOMES AII-KNOWING AND ALL-PERVADING AND ATTAINS IMMORTALITYTHEREAFTER.”

The sun always shines on the sea whether it is stormy or calm. Similarly the pure ATMAN, the Truth behind time, space and causality is the One Consciousness which illumines the entire creation. IT is All-pervading an has no duality. It is the pure –Consciousness in all awareness. It is the substratum on which all this pluralistic things play about. Without IT nothing will exist anywhere. Know that to be your own SELF.

One has to give up all his desires and activities, attachments, likes and dislikes, and his very contact with the ephemeral world of objects. He should be ever at the shrine of the ATMAN striving with determination to enjoy the bliss of his own SELF. Then alone that” Mahatman”  shall become ALL-Knowing All-Pervasive Brahman Itself. Immortality is guaranteed to him then. It is because he has reached that and begun to experience that which has no beginning and end. He too becomes IMMORTAL. The dreamer, when he ends his dreams and wakes up becomes himself the waker. The limited ego or ‘ ahankara’  when it transcends the mind-intellect equipment becomes itself the IMMORTAL BRAHMAN.

                                       THUS CONCUDES ATMA BODHA OF SRI ADI SANKARA

I took upon writing on Sri Adi Sankara’s ATMA BODHA with a view that it will be useful for those who are interested in Knowing about the eternal Self or Atman or the Brahman. Common man has many doubts regarding the nature of SELF or Brahman. The Upanishads glorify the nature of the Self or Brahman. It is very difficult to understand and requires special attention and understanding. Modern man has no time to think of the in-dweller Atman or Self!  He is totally drowned in the shoreless sea of samsara and is incapable of detachment. He thinks that the body is more important than the Soul. He identifies the body with the Soul which is entirely wrong. Atma Bodha disabuses the mind of the seeker and explains the wonderful nature of the Atman and how it is within the body but untouched by the various actions of the senses.  I have given, here and there, a few relevant quotations from famous  Upanishads  regarding the nature of Brahman and Atman or Self! I consider myself blessed and fortunate to have this  rare opportunity to write blogs on Sri Adi Sankara’s Atma Bodha!  I hope and trust  the readers have benefitted by the explanation given for Sankara’s Atma Bodha!

 

   

 

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ATMA BODHA 67

ATMA BODHA 67

“HRUDAKASO- UDITO HI- ATMA BODHA-BHANUTAMO-APAHRIT

SARVANYAPI SARVADHARI BHATHI BHASAYATE- AKHILAM”

“ The Atman, the Sun of Knowledge  that emerges in the sky of the heart, terminates the  darkness of the ignorance. It pervades and sustains all and shines and makes ana makes everything to shine.”

The word Hridaya  means Heart. It does not mean the biological heart here. Here it means that arena in the mind from where the humane thoughts gurgle up and flow. The term heart here is used in the same sense in which we call a man of love and goodness as a man of heart.

It is only when there is ethical purity and moral goodness that the bosom can realize spiritual unfoldment and the consequent divine experience.

As at the ushering of dawn the darkness disappears and the light of its own glory brings everything clearly to our cognition so too at the Dawn of Wisdom, all Knowledge  bursts up to our awareness.

“ HE IS MY SELF WITHIN THE HEART, SMALLER THAN A GRAIN OF RICEOR OF BARLYOR A MUSTARD SEEDOR AGRAIN OF MILLET OR EVEN THE GRAIN OF MILLET----HE IS MY SELF WITHIN THE HEART, GREATER THAN THE EARTH, GREATER THAN THE SKY, GREATER THAN HEAVEN, GREATER THAN ALL THESE WORLDS.”       (CHANDOGYOPANISHAD)  

 

ATMA BODHA 66

ATMA BODHA  66

“SRAVANADIBHIH UDDEEPTAH GYANAGNI- PARITAPITAH

JEEVAH SARVA-MALAN-MULTAH SWARNAVAT DYOTATE SWAYAM”

“THE ‘JIVA’ FREE FROM ALL IMPURITIES, BEING HEATED IN THE FIRE OF KNOWLEDGE KINDLED BY HEARING AND SO ON, SHINES OF ITSELF LIKE GOLD.”

The three requisites for obtaining knowledge on Vedanta are (1) listening to the truth from the scripyures as explained by the teacher (Sravana) ; (b) reasoning of the truths heard(Manana) and (2)deep contemplation on what has been heard and reasoned out(Nidhidhyasana)

Spiritual discipline isis of great significance and is intended to clean the mind of its impurities. Therefore removal of the ignorance (avidya) alone enables the revelation of the Absolute Truth. It is one’s own spontaneous experience of one’s own SELF. An earnest seeker after Truth, who is able to kindle the fire of knowledge in his pure bosom and who is free from doubts and fears realizes the SELF in him. Hence the ego-centric personality (Jivatman) has to rid himself off his own limitations and rediscover his real nature as the Eternal SELF.

The ore as it comes up from the gold mines is mixed up with a lot of impurities. When the washed off Gold is heated and poured in, its molten brilliance acquires for itself its real glory and beauty. So too the individuality when heated in meditation and the molten SELF is poured out,  it radiates in its essential  immortal contents.  

  

ATMA BODHA 65

 

ATMA BODHA 65

“SARVAGAM SACHCHIDATMANAM GYANA- CHKSHUR- NIRIKSHITE

AGYANA-CHAKSHUR-NA-EEKSHETA-BHASVANTAM-BHANUM-ANDHAVAT.”

“Despite the fact that ATMAN is Pure Consciousness and ever present everywhere, IT is perceived by the eye of wisdom alone. But IT is not seen by one whose vision is obscured by ignorance. It is similar to the blind who cannot see the resplendent sun.”

Just as the blind man cannot see the radiant Sun, one who is incapable of grasping the Truth can never hope to see IT! One who has not developed the eye of wisdom  cannot perceive IT! One should be discriminative enough to reject the unreal from the real in order to perceive the Truth! He should have a pure mind and be bestowed with the serene light of knowledge within him to illumine the right judgment of things! He should havs single pointed devotion and penance. He should not super impose the finite qualities of the outer world of objects on the Infinite Self! It is only on such conditions that one can experience the presence of the Eternal Self as his own true nature.Though the ATMAN is SUPREME, it is the limiting factors in the seeker after Truth that veils and distorts the beauty of the Absolute Reality! It is the blndness in man that makes the sun dark though the sun  shines ever bright and brilliant!

The Vedantic teachers hold in theory that on transcending all equipments all seekers will realise the SELF, the Truth. Students, in the beginning try to follow the teacher only with their intellect.Carrying this impression, he student asks as to how one can experience the Truth when once the3 body-mind- intellect-equipment is transcended. It is here that the Rishis import the idea of the faculty of intuition—Gyana Chakshu for the benefit of students.

Contemplative power alone can understand the Reality! “This is not an objective experience. It is an uncompromising and total Becoming.”

A mind fully involved in feeling and thinking of the objects of the world  is so agitated and restless  that the Supreme cannot be capture in experience! The mind is slowly and intelligently withdrawn from its  outward fascinations. It is trained to turn inward and develop in itself the power to apprehend the Reality! Hence the intuitive power  ( Gyana Chakshu) is nothing other than a mind turned inward and held in attention! According to the Gita, such a prepared mind is a true vehicle to reach Knowledge and in itself is called  Gnanam!!  

 

ATMA BODHA 64

 

ATMA BODHA 64

“DRUSYATE SRUYATE YAD-YAT BRAHMANO- ANNYAT-NA- TAD BHAVET

TATVA-GYANAT-CHA TAD-BRAHMA  SACHIDANANANDA-MADVAYAM”

“ALL THAT IS PERCEIVED OR HEARD IS BRAHMAN AND NOTHING ELSE.AFTER ATTAINING THE KNOWLEDGE OFTHE REALITY, ONELOOKS AT THE UNIVERSE AS THE NON-DUAL   BRAHMAN. EXISTENCE-KNOWLEDGE- BLISS ABSOLUTE.”

Whatever one sees or hears through the sensory organs cannot be anything other than the Brahman. It is similar to whatever one sees in his dream state cannot be anything other than one’s own waking -state mind. It is the Consciousness that presides over lending its potentiality in all our activities of  perception, feeling and thinking. The awareness in us illumines the knowledge, ignorance, anger, love and many other feelings and emotions in us. But for the Consciousness that gives life to the “Prana” in us there is no existence.

One must realize, therefore, that  whatever exists in this mortal body, mind, and intellect (microcosm) or in the external world ( macrocosm)  are all Its own manifestation and nothing else. When this Truth is  totally realized and experienced one cannot but see the entire universe as a huge play-ground where the PARAMATMAN alone revels as  SAT-CHIT-ANANDA  ABSOLUTE for ------ It is One and one only “EKAM  EVA ADVITEEYAM  BRAHMA.”