Sage Wisdom (contd.)

The world scenario at present, is so disturbing that no body is happy. There is  anxiety, fear, terrorism, insecurity, etc. affecting community, besides lots of physical and mental ailments affecting individuals. Sometimes it is bewildering to see that some people suffer, what appears to be, for no reason, or fault of theirs. Suddenly, a family member develops severe headache that is later diagnosed as a brain tumor! Another person develops severe stomach pain and it is later diagnosed as something like ulcer and, worst of them is sudden blockages discovered in the arteries! All these leaves the family in quandary, helpless and no amount of money is enough if it is cancer. How to combat these situations? Will philosophical stances or even spiritual attainments help? Let's discover the solution for these problems from the sayings of the learned sages.

  Ashtavakra says, "If a person realizes the transient, evanescent, ever-changing nature of things, one is no longer attached to them and thus finds peace. Mental disturbance and pain are caused by our attachment to transitory objects, love of the mundane, taking them to be permanent."

   Nobody will ever think that "Everything exists, changes, and is destroyed. This is the nature of everything that exists (in time and space) here on this earth. Nothing is permanent. "

  One day, a person listed about 15 life-threatening problems facing him and felt much disturbed. However, by the next morning 3 or 4 of them had disapperaed and, by the next evening almost all of them! He could attend to the remaining peacefully. This is how, one gets disturbed!

  There are certain problems, such as, death in the family, that cannot be solved by humans. What cannot be cure has to be endured. The best solution for such serious problems is meditation. Meditation keeps the mind cool and reveals the inevitability of the jiva. However, Ashtavakra goes to the extent of advising the person 'to kill the mind' (manonasha) ! The real meaning is very simple; "just realize the transient nature of existence and be peaceful".

    When a person realizes that this world existed before our birth and continues to exist even after our death. Our birth and living through will not make any difference! How many of us realize the fact that a loved wife may suddenly leave her husband and the family even without bothering about the kids! This may be true of husbands deserting the family, or untimely death of one of them! Divorce is common these days and children running way from home is not something unheard of. Hence, what is the truth? In this sense of the term, Sage Ashtavakra says, "All that you think as 'my possession, my loved ones, my precious things like house, car, bank balance, etc are not yours. Develop a sense of aversion to worldly possessions as poison. Everything here has a tendency to suddenly disappear, part with, and leave you wondering- 'what is ths?'!"

   Thus there is no other way but to develop disinterestedness and perform one's function without attachment, without expectations of favor or profit in return; perform your duty as an ordained duty and be happy and peaceful. Sri Krishnanada of Shivananda Asrama says, "All relational existence is unreal" 

  Contemplate on the sayings of the learned sages and realize the truth.  

(to be contd.)

"  

   

Sage Wisom (Contd.)

Speaking about 'Quietude', Sage Ashtavakra says,

   "Kingdoms, sons, wife, children, friends, physical bodies (and pleasures enjoyed) have all been lost to you birth after birth, even though you were attached to them."  This experience of futility of all that we cherish may drive one towards realization of the true nature of this earthly existence and the consequent emergence of wisdom (viveka) and renunciation (vairagya).
   Further, the Sage says, "(Just think) how many times you have worked so hard (physically, mentally and by thoughts, words, and deeds, and experienced the meaningless of all these exercises! Enough, enough, of these name, fame, wealth, prosperity, doing good to others (with the hope of getting something in return like rewards, praise?), etc. and running after the golden deer, reaching to the 'gagana kusuma', or searching for the 'fish with horns', and struggling for fulfillment of dreams and aspirations and desires, since all these have failed you. At least, now, you stop all these meaningless exercises (in samsara)". It is an illusory world and everything is subject to change. Time eats away all fervor, zeal, and joy of happiness of achievements. Mind is never happy with worldly attainments. Its nature is to jump from one desire to another and leave you tired and exhausted. Do not fall prey to worldly attractions. (Ch.X, Verse 6-8).

   In this sense, all this struggle to keep others happy, sacrifice, good deeds, and indulging in pursuits of pleasure and profits, indulging in sensuous life, working hard with hope against hopes that 'tomorrow will be better', etc. have all gone waste!

   Hence, realize the futility of this earthly mundane existence and try to attain to the 'highest truth', nirvana, quietude, brahmn be happy forever.

(to be Contd.)

  

Sage Wisdom (contd.)

The Great Sages, rather, a certain height of Conscious thinking, intuitive knowledge will lead us to the unpalatable truth and, a few of them are quoted here from the Texts of "Vedantasara" by Sadananda (By Swami Harshananda of Ramakrishna Ashrama, Mysuru), Avadhuta-Gita, Yogavashishta, Ashtavakra-Gita, Bhagavad-Gita, Uddhava-Gita, and others (see Bibliography at the end). All these scriptures tell us the same truth that, "This World (Sansar) is illusory and the jiva has to look within for salvation (in order to get rid of repeated births and deaths). All the ailments, troubles and turmoils that the jiva suffers is of its own making due to avidya. This illusory world covered by the curtain of maya, avidya, has to be discarded by shuddha-vidya, knowledge of the Self. 

   This ancient wisdom concerning the reality of our existence is not for all, definitely not for the 'newly-weds', or those who have just begun their adult life. These jivas are like the invitees who have just arrived at the party. The invitees have to be given a warm welcome, treated well with welcome drinks, lunch or dinner and then say Good-bye, or send them them with gifts. We cannot straight away give them gifts and send them away without food and drinks. Thus, there is a time when we should take to renunciation; for some jivas this situation may not arise at all! However, the Sages proclaim that the jiva has to seek emancipation, mukti or moksha some time or later.

  What the learned Sage Ashtavakra says, briefly, thus:

  "Cultivate indifference to everything, having given up desire (kama), worldly acquisitions (artha), and even good deeds (dharma?) that is the enemy of the jiva, in the sense 'do not help the jiva for emancipation'. Look upon friends, lands and houses (wealth), wife and children (samsara), and, even good fortune (adrushta) as a dream or a juggler's show lasting a few days only. Desire and attachment create bondage. Liberation lies in non-attachment, disinterestedness, non-involvement and sakshi bhava (witnessing self).  Realization of the Self or Atmasakshatkaara is the panacea of all ills of jiva."  (Ch.X).

     Desire is the cause of all evil, rebirth, and troubles, misery of life; 'artha', meaning, wealth or worldly acquisitions condemn us for eternal rebirths due to attachment (moha). Even good deeds will become rebirths after the fruits of good deeds are experienced! Thus, there is no escape from the eternal cycle of births and deaths and the accompanying misery of the jiva.

     Whatever we do here in our daily life begets the karma phala- good as well as bad ones.There is no other way but to keep ourselves engaged in karma and acquire these prarabhda and sanchita karma phala. Bhagavan Krishna suggests that "the only way to escape this bondage (karma) is to surrender to Him and do all work in his name saying, Sree Krishnarpanam astu | He relieves us from bondage and takes care of us He assures; yogakshemam vahamyamam | He also says, "Whoever prepares tasty food for himself is a thief; it becomes poison when not offered to Me. One should offer all to Me (naivedyam) and then eat it. It becomes the elixir of life."

   Total surrender (sharanagatim) of the jiva to the Higher Self (Paramatman) is the easiest, surest and the best way of emancipation,

    

Sage Wisdom (contd.)

   When we drop the name and form what remains is an amorphous entity, nameless, formless and achintya. The truth, 'sat', or brahmn is nameless, formless, and achintya. The jivatman is chit-shakti. It has the capacity to grasp the truth and realize it. But, the embodied jiva is covered by a number of envelopes-  thick, thin and invisible layers, too. These kosha or envelopes are: the subtler aspects of rajas, tamas, and sattva gunas, and subtle, gross and grosser aspects of vital force (prana), food (annam), manas, vijnyana, ananda as well as ahankara, buddhi, and chittavruti. All these, coupled with the name and form make the jiva an object that is perceived, but does not exist in the real sense of existence, bliss, 'sat' and 'chit' (sacchidananda). It is a gross body that is subjected to growth, disintegration and disappearance anytime; it comes within the grip of maya- time, space and causation. It exists and does not exists; this is the true state of the jiva. It undergoes all sorts of dualities, joy, happiness, and misery in a fraction of time; it does not know what is the truth, its true nature of existence. it suffers innumerable births and deaths. it is enamored by the glittering worldly objects and ignorantly pursues the unreal. It is totally disillusioned at the end.

    The wise sages forewarn us. They advise us to look inward, search within for the true nature of existence; on the contrary, we look outward and always run after somebody and get disappointed. Nobody who is in search of his own self will be ever able to guide others; and in fact, nobody is interested in the search of truth. Truth is beyond the jiva for it has come far away from truth, from sat (light) to asat (darkness). The light at the end of the tunnel is visible only when the jiva contemplates on the words of wisdom of the great Sages. These words are the essence of 'sat'.

(to be contd.)   

Name and Form

   Time and again we are harping on one thing and that is about the illusion of name and form impressed on the mind. Whenever we hear a name we try to remember it so that we will not ask him/her again and embarrass the person; also, we try to remember the form such as color, height, face-cut, mannerisms, etc. Thus, all that  we have is just, an impression on our mind and nothing else. Everything in this world is just the impression we get and, the reality is just the memory, not the reality. Memory is a dead horse, one of the past! Hence we carry all dead carcasses or what?

    Now, the Sage Wisdom we are discussing in these blogs are also slightly weird. There are quotations from old scriptures attributed to so and so, like Vashistha, Avadhuta or Ashtavakra or Agastya and the like. It is amusing to note that Pancharatra gives almost 125 Samhitas and some of them state that the Gods and Goddesses spoke to the learned sages, or learned sages spoke to learned Kings, and the like until one day it was realized that all kings referred to are Janaka only. It all starts like the Teacher told his students.....
    As already stated in these blogs earlier, whether it is Galileo, Einstein, David Bohm or Stephen Hawking, or for that matter, Sage Vishvamitra, Bhrugu Muni, or Shankaracharya, Buddha, or Krishna- are all just names and impressions and memories. People go into the past and try to dig their antecedents, write about their history and biographies. The most surprising thing is that a person drops all his past in his/her grushasthashram and assumes a new role in the vanprasthashram like Sri Raghavendra Swamy; he or she becomes an ascetic and drops all his associations and assumes a new name (like some Anandajis of various Missions). But, the foolish people hold on to that new name and adore him/her! In some cases, these names are just characters in a fiction as in the great epics. There are no such persons living or dead ever!  William Shakespeare has created more such characters than what even the Creator Lord Brahmaji could ever think off! By the way, the name Lord Brahma itself stands for the creative power and nothing else. The truth is that whether these names existed or not, they stand for the genius, the height of certain intellectual attainments, that is all; in this sense, it is just the height of one's level of understanding, consciousness that revealed certain truth at that part of time! Each person can understand to his ability and so far none can ever understand his Self as 'brahmn'.
   The scientific advancements may erase what has been presented at one time at a later date what all impressions these names have created become obsolete. Thus, Galileo goes and Newton comes, and Newton gives place to Einstein and Stephen Hawking. Nothing is certain. However, there is a larger truth, and that is the Self. No one can erase the truth arrived at by the Self and "Self is the Truth".

    We use the names, forms, and functions in our discussions here in order to impart the truth, not about the contributions of the person; It is the knowledge, 'chit', consciousness- the only truth and all else its vibration, sometimes aberrations, too. Ultimately, the jnyata, jnyeya and jnyana become one; the preceptor and the perceived are one.
    We will not arrive at the truth, chit, light, unless we drop the names and forms, and the impressions created by them. The names that are used here may be symbolic and, may be, there is a deeper meaning and connotation to all these. For instance, Vishva Mitra is the friend of the world. From the childhood days to the ripe old age one may attain several states in journey of life and display different levels of consciousness and attainments in the worldly sense. But, all these are of no avail unless the jiva has realized the Self. Whether a person is recognized as a Nobel Laureate, or a distinguished person in public life with honors showered for the achievements or a person dies incognito it does not matter. But, it definitely matters whether the jiva has realized its Self or not before its stipulated time on this earth expires!

manonasha (contd.)

   The term manonasha is not a suitable word in the sense that Mind cannot be destroyed. The right word should be laya yoga where the mind control is achieved by sadhana. Manas (Mind) is the mainstay of human existence; once mind is destroyed, there is nothing to live for! Mind only creates the world and our existence is depending up on the vibration of mind, chittavrutti. However, it should be clearly understood that mind is the creator of ideas, images, imagination, desires, aspirations, dreams, hallucinations, etc. and takes steps to idealize, fantasize and mesmerizes the jiva and destroy it! Hence, mind is the culprit and it has to be destroyed, in a sense! But Mind cannot be destroyed since it does not exist independently by itself. It rests on maya, the curtain of avidya, like the silver screen on which a movie film is run in a theater. The moment current goes off the movie stops! It is the white screen on which the color film creates an illusion of reality. Pancharatra makes this point clear.

   Pancharatra says, it is the nature of the jiva to run after things which do not exist; the world is a mirage. The jiva, due to its vidya, knowledge covered by desire and attachment, creates dreams, images and runs after them, only to be disillusioned! The jiva is in fact a bundle of desires; desires are the seeds of birth and whatever is born has to die in this mrutyu lok. Sage Vashsishtha makes this point clear by saying: Anything made of parts has to give way sooner or later; the earthlings made of the five great elements (pancha mahabhutas) suffer from the three elements- vata, pitha and kafa (air, fire and water, respectively) and any  imbalance in these three elements cause ailments and sickness. The embodied jiva finally dissipates and dies!

  What is the remedy?

  Since the manas (Mind) cannot be destroyed it has to be tamed, tutored to serve the jiva. The Mind (chitta) is designed to serve the jiva, but due to its associated buddhi and ahankara (ego), it dominates the jiva. Thus the jiva suffers. The mental waves are no different from the sea waves. The sea is calm when the wind is calm; only a storm creates strong waves, so also, the desires and attachments, anger and selfishness, ego and envy, etc cause strong mental waves and destroy the calmness, balance of mind. Hence, yoga helps to calm down a perturbed mind. A mind which is guided by buddhi that gets the light from prajnya can keep the mind in its track and work towards total emancipation, mukti. The Mind works for the welfare of the jiva only when it is guided by the buddhi and this buddhi should seek guidance from pure consciousness (prajnya). Ahankar (ego) tries to disturb the buddhi and leads it to destruction. Ego (ahankara) has to be made subservient (humble) to prajnya. Then only the jiva is redeemed from its cycle of repeated births and deaths.
   It may be of interest here to note how Jiddu Krishnamurti  (J K, for short) advocated elimination of Mind altogether.He insisted that the mind should be cleansed of all pollutants such as impressions, memories, desires, dreams, and the person should experience the supreme bliss of that mindless state!
  Yoga helps to still the mind and realize the 'oneness' devoid of all dualities, 'unity consciousness' (samyak prajnya). A man of stitha dheeh, equanimous mind, or balanced or equilibrium state of mind is a yogi -sthita dheeh muniruchyate | (Gita). Sage Patanjali treats yoga as chittavrutti nirodhah |
   In the yogic trance, the person is totally devoid of his body consciousness; he transcends the jagrata, svapna and sushupti states and establishes himself in the turiya (the fourth state). In fact, deep sleep state (sushupti) is one of both existence (sada) and non-existence (asada) as stated in the nasadiya sukta of Rk Veda.  The jiva is 'aware' as well as 'not aware' of its existence- aware of its existence in total bliss (ananda) of nether world- lying unaware of the physical and mental existence here, and unaware (ignorant) of its true nature, too! However, the moment the jiva experiences this bliss of being totally aware, and realizes its true state of supreme bliss (mahat ananda), it is instantly redeemed. This is mukti to the embodied soul. Here lies the secret of emancipation.

manonasha

In brief, manav is manas and man is the third state of evolution from the earliest anna and prana; the fourth state is jnyan and and the fifth anand. Both these are yet to evolve out of this manas. Only when manas is destroyed the jiva will gain true knowledge (jnyan) and bliss (anand). Sage Vashsishtha makes these points clear in the secret of manonasha or annihilation of the mind.

   The five kosha or layer that covers the atman (soul) are thus, anna, prana, manas, jnyana and ananda. All these have to be discarded in order to attain to the brahmn.The evolution of life from the plant, aquatic, amphibian, arboreal and the reptiles and the mammals are the representative species. Most of these have tried to evolve and attain to divine status within their ambit and have come to be worshiped by man. However,only a few of the million have attained to such divine status by annihilation of mind within human history. Even if ten out of the seven billion attain to divine status, it is more than enough for the next manvantara will start again with the Sun, its paraphernalia of planets and satellites, air, fire, water and earth followed by the great seven sages (saptarshi), devatas and the like. 

   What is this mind? And, how to annihilate the mind? 

This secret is revealed to Ramachandra here. Sage Vashishtha says,

  "Consciousness is immutable and eternal; it can never be tarnished. However, it is called 'mind' when it is blemished, covered, or tainted like a colored crystal decked by a colored flower; remove the flower, the crystal appears in its true form. Hence, what  is perceived by the mind is the colored one! It is the blemished mind. Remove the blemishes like attachment (moha), anger (krodha), desire, etc. Bhagavan Krishna, too, teaches Arjuna the same thing. He says, "Arjuna, you are covered by moha; get rid of this foolishness, you and I are the same."

  Sage Vashishtha teaches Rama (Ch. IV) how to annihilate the mind. He says, "Anything that is produced by something is also destroyed by that, just as the fire generated by air is also extinguished by air. This Samsara (sensuous world) created by the desire (iccha) and resolve (sankalpa) to experience is also destroyed by the burning of desire and resolve to experience the sensuous."

   The entire life of the jiva in human form is managed by the manas (Mind). The soul (Atma) remains unattached to it and the physical body does not think or act on its own. The pranic sharira will maintain supply of energy and thus plays its vital role; it is ultimately the manas that makes a hell or a heaven of the jiva's life. Unless the mind is controlled by buddhi with the help of light received from the prajnya, it is bound to go astray due to the ego ruling its whims and fancy using the senses for its purposes.  

  "O Raghava, considering non-Self as the Self is avidya, false knowledge. The manas only becomes samsara due to its capacity to imagine, dream and experience the unreal as real due this avidya. When jnyana and viveka dawns on it the sensuous world disappears along with the desire and resolve to experience the unreal. As soon as the jiva thinks that it is not the body, it is not the blemished mind, it is not the objective world, it becomes pure consciousness only. The mind is the world and the mind is the bondage since it is the creation of the images and imagination. The jiva suffers from all this weaknesses, such as, attachment (moha), mada (ego), matsarya (envy), irshya (jealousy), lobha (miserliness) and krodha (anger) due to this avidya. "Oh Rama," Sage Vashishtha says, "The mind creates bondage due to its avidya creating desires, and becomes free when its drops all desires due to enlightenment!" 

   The true nature of the sensate world is revealed as soon as the curtain of maya is removed by jnyan and viveka. The jiva realizes the transient nature of the jagrata, svapna and sushupti (the deep sleep) states and transcend to the fourth state of turiya. The true state of mind is thus experienced in this state of pure consciousness and the jiva realizes its true nature as pure consciousness and drops off the curtain of maya, the mind. The mind is the maya.!      

  Contemplate on these words of wisdom and attain to brahmn! This is within the reach of all jivas. This can be attained by dhruti, steadfastness, and unswerving faith. 

Jivanmukta

Sage Vashsishtha defines a liberated soul, jivanmukta, as one who is free from all knots of ignorance, here and now.  He is completely free from all doubts about brahmn. He has attained nirvana and shines like an oil lamp in a painting! He has no desire whatsoever!  He performs all actions as if in a sleep, in the sense, without any ego. (YV III1 13-16).

   These line of Yoga Vashishtha are really disturbing to any ordinary person engaged in mundane worldly pursuits. The jivanmukta, i.e., the liberated soul, "dreads human company as though it were a snake, considers disease and enjoyment to be the same, thinks of women as unattractive as straw, and who has same attitude toward both enemies and friends, enjoys well-being here as well as hereafter. He is ever-free.  (YV III-18). 

Rather, an enlightened person is the knower of brahmn. He is totally detached from worldly existence; he is, he is not engaged in worldly affairs. He looks normal for all practical purposes but always turned inward. We have a number of cases like Ramana Maharshi, Bharat Ratna Bhimsen Joshi, or Ranade who are great souls totally merged in their Self, mentally detached from any kind of company. It is extremely difficult to sit quiet even for a few seconds without any thoughts! It requires regular practice and finally it, quietude, becomes the very nature of the person. Such a yogi remains like a cloudless sky, Ishvara, as if it were! (YV III 18-19).

   Ultimate liberation is achieved from the realization of the truth- that the perceptual world is non-existent, not real, in the sense that it is transient, ever-changing, hence unreal; and the conviction that the perceptual world does not have any existence whatsoever!

  Ultimately, Brahmn is Infinity, pure Consciousness, mahat anand (pure bliss) and beyond all mutation and change; it is the one and only reality, like a vast ocean and its waves, a reflection, at that!  

 "The liberation or moksha doe not exist in the sky or the earth; it exists in the annihilation of the mind that is frivolous, full of desires, and mischievous creating problems for the jiva. O Rama, the mind enters into bondage when it is playful and restless. Therefore, when the mind is annihilated there  remains only the state of liberation, moksha. (YV III 22-25)

 

Sage Vashishtha continues,

While imparting the knowledge of Brahman and Atman to Prince of Ayodhya, Ramachandra, the Sage says,

  "This knowledge of brahmn and Atman is like a fire that alone can burn the straw of all cravings for sense objects. Samadhi (sama dheeh), an equanimous state of mind, or for that matter, contemplation on brahmn, just not sitting quiet, is an indication of this." (YV III. 1).

  Here, the problems becomes more complicated and it becomes very difficult for the mortals to understand what the Learned Sge means by Samadhi. It seesm even the samadhi attained after the successful completion of ashtanga yoga sadhana is much inferiors to what the sage really means!

   The eternal truth that "Everything is brahmn" should be experienced by the spiritual seeker, prajnyanan brahmaa | After the realization of this eternal truth, the 'sat', the undisturbed 'chit', the person contemplating on brahmn realizes the fact that there is nothing else but the pure Consciousness as the datum line, the basis of all the exists; the seeker is merged in brahman and there exists nothing thereafter!

   The Sage continues, "One should think that this world is nothing but 'brahmn', Divine Consciousness. There is nothing else here but this brahmn and all else that is seen, heard, experienced is the manifest form of brahmn only. A realized soul as such is brahmn by itself like the cool moonlight! such a yogi is unaffected by the dualities of this world." (YV III 2-3).

   It is interesting here to know how karma affects us, as instructed by the learned Sage. Every action begets a reaction and the fruits of such actions and reactions accumulate over time as the sanchita karma. This accumulated fruits of action (karma phala) matures over time like a seed sprouts in to a huge tree bearing flowers fruits and seeds to propageate further, endlessly. an Apple becomes an apple garden over time. The karmic forcs in this kinetic form is called 'prarabhda karma'.  This prarabhda is the cause of our repeated births and deaths, all the intervening miseries, sickness, old age and death.  A jiva cannot die peacefully until the force of this prarabhda karma is exhausted by spending it. It is like the credit and debit account in a bank and unless the account is closed, the liability lingers on. 

   On the other hand, a yogi who has attained to brahmn is not perturbed by the happenings in this mundane world. He surrenders to the Lord (Ishvara pranidana) and escapes the brunt of the maya.  

  

Sage Vashishtha continues,

"All kinds of secular knowledge (apara vidya) acquired by people gets destroyed by loss of memory or lack of practice; however, the spiritual knowledge (para vidya) keeps on growing leading to 'brahmn'. (Y V I-13)

   It is important to note here that worldly knowledge is of no use as far as spiritual advancement is concerned. The very purpose of human evolution from that of the animal, bird and other creations where the mind is not developed and discretionary power is absent, is to attain divinity. "Divinity is inherent in man" says, Swamy Rama Krishna. it has to manifest through yoga. The entire life is a waste unless this divinity manifests in man within a short span of life of 50 years. We have given a Chart to depict these states of human life (from childhood I and II to adult, mature and old age) in these 50 years of one's life in these blogs. Unfortunately, it takes several lives to attain full maturity, These things have also been addressed  in the previous blogs here. 

   Sage Vashsishtha continues,

   "An ill-fated person without knowing his own divine nature enjoys sense objects like food mixed with poison." Further, "In spite of knowing extremely distasteful nature of worldly objects goes in search of them like a donkey". The worldly objects, created by maya, in the sense, subject to deterioration and disintegration, death and decay, attract and draw the sensuous people towards them. Even a piece of plastic or glass or spit by a sick man shines under the street light or moonlight like a diamond! The foolish man runs to grab it!! A yogi, on the other hand, does not bother to look at anything lying in front of him, whether it is a piece of gold or stone! (YV I.15-16).

  He, the yogi, who is undisturbed by worldly attractions, who is free from likes and dislikes, remains calm, cool, and peaceful is blessed indeed! He remains a witness, a sakshin. 

Sage Wisdom (contd.)

Sage Vashishtha continues,

  "O Rama,when maya, the basis on which the phenomenal world exists, gets destroyed there arises 'divine bliss' (divya ananda). The moment one tries to understand this maya, it disappears!"  (Y V II.6)

   This 'maya' is the avidya or ignorance (not absence of knowledge but buddhi covered by attachment/moha) that is the basis, upadhi, of the sensate world. It is difficult to know what this maya is since it will not come within our grasp. 'Maya' is inexplicable since it does not exist, just like darkness in the presence of the Sun, ignorance in the presence of knowledge, and the fear of a snake that disappears as soon as the light falls on the rope (mistaken as the snake).  For instance, all our knowledge, objective world, relations, possessions, etc disappear as soon as deep sleep takes over us; so also, nothing exists when we are unconscious! Enlightenment, 'Realization of the Self' (atmasakshatkar), acts as the light/knowledge that removes darkness/ignorance.. 

  "Dear Rama, see how bewitching is this world of maya. One forgets his Self (atman) under its spell." (Y.V. II 7)

   There is no difference between the backdrops and the settings of a Theater showing the forests and rivers, street scenes, etc on a screen for a drama and the real world of theatrics, masks worn by people, or the tricks played by people in real life! For example, a police officer in his/her uniform will never realize that he is playing a role in the drama of life just as he/she was playing hide and seek, police and thief, teacher and student games in childhood! The day he/she retires and nobody salutes him/her the realization dawns!! Some people remain in a daze and still call themselves a retired police officer even though nobody cares for him/her; so also is the case of a judge or a principal of a college or a minister in the Government! Such is the foolishness of the humans. Maya is deluding. 

  The learned Sage continues,
   "All visible things are mere reflections on the vast mirror of 'chit' or Consciousness, knowledge of the self-existent Eternal Being (Paramatman)- like the reflections of the moon in a lake, or a thousand moons in a thousand water-filled pots on a moonlit night! (YV II 8-9).

  "The illusory sansar bondage, (samsara bandhana) becomes stronger with the desire of the jiva for community life, attachment, communication, social contacts, and desire for sensuous objects in the absence of the reality of the nature and the 'Knowledge of the Self'. The moment this desire disappears, the sensuous world also disappears! (Yoga Vashsishtha, II 11-12).

  "The mind always indulges in various kinds of imaginations swiftly and willfully, thereby creating an imaginary world  that looks real and attractive." (YV II 14)  In reality, there exists no such world but for this imagination by the mind. It is the desire, resolve (sankalpa) of the foolish jiva that drives it to action like running after a mirage in the desert. Fools do not realize the underlying brahman just as the fool who has not seen gold sees only the golden ring, but not the underlying gold in it, says the Sage Vashishtha!

   A yogi, jnyani, an enlightened person, sees brahman in everything; the illusory world disappears as soon as the enlightenment dawns on him. He realizes the truth- 'brahman', and the fact that 'only brahmn exists and all else are its manifestations in diverse forms and functions only like the shadow under the light.

  It is this 'knowledge of brahman' (brahm jnyan) that makes the prince of Ayodhya, Sri Ramachandra, a divine being like the Buddha who enters nirvana (brahmn) on enlightenment! Brahmn is nothing but nirvana, a still mind- unwavering, thoughtless, or a still state. Nothing exists thereafter! This is the 'Realization of the Self'.

[Note: These simple words of Sage Vashishtha can be contemplated upon for the rest of life and a flash of Light may suddenly appear anytime during this transcendental meditative state! Try this only if you are free from all family and social responsibilities.]

Sage Vashishta's Instructions

    Before continuing with Ashtavakra sayings further, let us check up with the sayings of Sages Vashishtha and Avadhuta, an attained soul, an incarnate of Dattatreya, regarding the ultimate realization for a clear idea about these secrets of spiritual scriptures.

Sage Vashishtha tells his disciple Raghava, Sri Rama:

     A person who thinks “I am in worldly bondage (Samsara bandhana), yet I am determined to be free,” and at the same time, though not a knower of Brahman, is not totally ignorant either is worthy of studying this scripture. This serves as the minimum qualification for a spiritual seeker according the Sage Vashishtha. This eagerness, zeal, desire is not forthcoming in ordinary mortals who are busy enjoying life. The learned Sage says, “Until one has God’s grace it is not for one to get the help of a proper teacher (sadguru) or to have the correct understanding of the right scripture (Vedanta).”

   "O Rama", he continues, "just as one gets a seaworthy vessel only from a seasoned soldier, so also the means of crossing the ocean of sansar can be known from an illumined teacher, an attained soul.

  The learned Sage goes on to instruct the prince of Ayodhya about the ‘Knowledge of the Self’. He instructs about the  reality of this nature, svabhava, of the prakruti, rather the phenomenal objective world and the nature of the true self, 'the Atman'.

  Anyway, the desire to move in this direction, sat nyasa (path of truth), requires jnyana (study of scriptures (svadhyaya), association of learned/good/satvik people (satsang), and contemplation (nidhidhyasana). Jnyana / Knowledge should be culled into wisdom (viveka), and this should lead to renunciation (vairagya). Thus, a wise-person (viveki) will have a high degree of discrimination and will not hanker after worldly life and only such persons come to spiritual path. He/she realizes the truth and discards all that is not helpful for emancipation, release of the embodied soul. These great sages are talking of higher self (para vidya) and, not othe lower one (material world). Hence, we, the mortals dabbling in sensuous worldly life cannot understand their sayings.

   The essential requirements for liberation is, thus, viveka and sadhana (yoga).  All the Upanishads deal with this aspect. However, we, the so-called intellectuals do not understand the purpose of the sayings. We learn the Upanishads and write a book or two and go to preach others, not knowing that it is meant for self-realization (not for preaching others). A guru will not even look at us unless we go with folded hands and fall at his feet and wait for his glance at us! In fact, we return saying that he is a man of pride and not fit for teaching if he does not entertain us. It is to submit ourselves and burn our ego that we go to a guru, and our ego will not permit such submission. Only a humble soul will ever attain to the highest and souls are rare. 

   

Ashtavakra (contd.)

   There is another verse in Ashtavakra Samhita (III.11) that says, "A person established in his Self is neither pleased when feted, praised, adored, nor will he be angry, feel sad, disappointed when abused and tormented." This state of equanimity of mind, sthitaprajnya, of a yogi is something we cannot understand. It looks, well, familiar, not at all strange, or difficult to understand when these words are read in the Bhagavad-Gita (See BG- sthitaprajnyasya ka bhasha samadhistatya keshavaa... sthita dheehirmuniruchyate). Lord Krishna says, "A person of balanced (sthita) mind, sthitaprajnya, or a mind set in an equilibrium state, without vibration (chittavrutti), will be free from attachment (moha), likes (raga) and dislikes, envy (dvesha), Profit (labha) and loss (nashta), success (jaya) and failure (apajaya). It is not possible to overcome the terrific forces of shad-vargas like lobha, moha, krodha, mada, matsarya, raga, dvesha, etc. which are our foes (ari/shatru)These are the forces that bind us to the objective world. We cannot overcome desire and desire (kama/kamana) bequeaths anger (krodha)But, don't we know the episode of angry Durvasa Muni who kicked Lord Vishnu on His chest? If an enlightened sage like Durvasa cannot get rid of anger, how can a mortal attain the state of equanimity? Lord Krishna goes on elaborately describing the state of equanimity. A jnyani, yogi is not perturbed by the goings-on in this mundane world and will never bother or get entangled in it. But, how?

   The state of equanimity or sthita prajnyata comes only when a person experiences the futility of the worldly existence, or for that matter, fully experiences life and finds himself/herself fully satiated, fully satisfied, becomes happy and contented, realizes that there is nothing much to enjoy here on this earth, a mrutyu lok which riddled with aging, diseases, sickness, and death; the yogi feels or remembers (abhjnyana) that there is something much, more, happier, a sort of supreme bliss that he has already experienced than the insatiable sensual life here. 'The soul knows everything' and remembers everything is the fundamental principle and, as such, the jnyani remembers that he has already experienced this bliss. Embodied soul, as he is, now he/she hankers after that higher life- a life of a sage, Rishi, devarishi or a Brahmarishi- tapojana, without a physical body, A jnyani is always established in a higher state of consciousness beyond the body, mind and ahamkar and thereby is always in a state of bliss.
   We all know how a microscopic germ or a virus can attack and devour the body and kill it. If such an insignificant creature or an elemental body can have such a power, how about a person 6 ft. tall weighing over 80 kg.? He too can exercise the power vested in him/her provided he is aware of it. This awareness will not come without the help of yoga- dhyana, dharana, and samadhi. Any spiritual seeker can attain this state of samadhi and reach the state of sthitaprajnyata. 

Ashtavakra (contd.)

   The words of Ashtavakra are so abstract that it is beyond the ability of a common man to understand them. Let's take for example, the Verse VII. 5. where he says, "I am really Consciousness and the world is juggler's show" and asks, "How can one think of or where is the thought of acceptance or rejection?" 

  This is something we cannot understand. How can there be a statement "The world does not exist" although everything we see, hear, touch, smell or feel actually exists? What is actually meant here is that a jnyani, yogi is not interested in the objects of the world since he has no desire for them. He knows well that these are false, illusory, and the objective, phenomenal world is a magical one subject to disintegration, wear and tear, and change with the time (and hence unreal). 

  As an attained soul is established in his self (sva stha), experiencing divine bliss, param anand, the ordinary mundane worldly objects do not attract him. The yogins are just living till their mortal body (parthiva sharira) falls off like an old leaf falls off in winter.

   These few words are just enough for a spiritual seeker, sadhaka, to contemplate, meditate, and experience the reality of the nature of this world. It may take years and years by the time a flash occurs and things become clear!