"He who considers himself free is free indeed, and he who considers himself bound remains bound" (AV. I. 11).
This may sound a little strange for those who have no knowledge of Bhavanopanishat. Bhavanopanishat explains how the universe (bhava) is the creation of our mind and the world we experience depends on our feeling, bhavana. yad bhavam tad bhavati. whatever happens, wish fulfillment, is the result of our desire, dreams and aspirations. So, where there is no want or desire there is no need for any worry. No desire, no world!
Bondage is created by the mind that feels, that desires, that aspires for something.The desire of the jiva is the seed that causes bondage, repeated births and deaths. The Buddha said, "Desire is the cause of bondage." As the mind is full of desires, the jiva suffers; it is ignorant of the fact that there is a time lag between the time of desire and its fulfillment, causing the erosion of the joy of fulfillment; this causes disillusionment. Those who do not desire (for the transient, things bound by time, space and causation, as also, things made of parts that fall off) will always be free. Thus, our bondage, bandhana, is our own creation.When our mind is still, calm, peaceful, the jiva is happy.
The jiva suffers due to the mind that creates all sorts of relations (sambandha), attachments (moha). Is it not strange that if some child is born in India somebody in Australia or USA or England feels that he has become a distant cousin, nephew, or an uncle or an aunt? So also, a person is elevated to the status of a grandfather or mother if their son or daughter get a son or daughter! It never occurs to the jiva to get out of this mischief created by the mind.
But, the most intriguing problem is that of parents and their children. Little do we understand that the supreme Lord only takes a visit to this Planet Earth to see whether 'what he has created is functioning right or not. The Lord has got power and prerogative called 'tirodhana' to appear wherever, whenever, and in whatever form He wants. He may appear in the same form everywhere! This is what is stated in Purusha Sukta of Rk Veda as "sahsraksha, sahasra bahu, sahasra paat | And, as such, what all we see is His different forms only. Besides, we are all an ion, a microcosm, of His magnificent form, the macrocosm. Hence, it is a gift, a present, given to us when a child is born in our family. The birth of this child gives the man and his wife to whom it is born the status of parents and all others develop affinity and establish relation to it!
Hence, it is this concept of 'One (the Absolute) only becoming many (Relative) has to be clearly understood. Thus, Ashtavakra says, "The very thought of an other is ignorance; where is the problem when one only exists and there is no other besides it? he asks."
But, the most intriguing problem is that of parents and their children. Little do we understand that the supreme Lord only takes a visit to this Planet Earth to see whether 'what he has created is functioning right or not. The Lord has got power and prerogative called 'tirodhana' to appear wherever, whenever, and in whatever form He wants. He may appear in the same form everywhere! This is what is stated in Purusha Sukta of Rk Veda as "sahsraksha, sahasra bahu, sahasra paat | And, as such, what all we see is His different forms only. Besides, we are all an ion, a microcosm, of His magnificent form, the macrocosm. Hence, it is a gift, a present, given to us when a child is born in our family. The birth of this child gives the man and his wife to whom it is born the status of parents and all others develop affinity and establish relation to it!
Hence, it is this concept of 'One (the Absolute) only becoming many (Relative) has to be clearly understood. Thus, Ashtavakra says, "The very thought of an other is ignorance; where is the problem when one only exists and there is no other besides it? he asks."
Sri Krishnanandaji of Shivananda Ashram, Hrishikesha says, "All relational existence is unreal".
Contemplation on brahmn will bring total enlightenment and liberation.
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