The foundation of Indian Philosophy, Vedanta, is the unheard sound, inner voice, anahata dhwani.It is the voice of the supreme Lord, Bhagavan uvacha, as stated in the Gita. These are the sounds heard in the transcendental meditative mode of great sages, and can be heard even now, if one tries! There is no wonder! The four pillars have been added to the four corners of the foundation by great sages Sri Ramana Maharshi, Sri Aurobindo, Sri Jiddu Krishnamurti, and Mahrishi Mahesh Yogi. There are the seven towering Gopurams of Consciousness above this Temple of Life of the jiva. The jiva can rise from peak to peak, conquering one after another, as stated in the Rk Veda. However, all of us live and work at the bottom three levels of muladhara (bhu), svadhishthana (bhuvah) and manipura (svar) and find difficult to reach the anahata level (where the unheard sounds are heard!).
Vedanta is the pinnacle with the foundation of sankhya and yoga. Puva mimamsa precedes it. There are the naiyyaya and vaisheshika in the middle. Few can master any one or two of these, but none in all these six (shad- darshana shastra) in a life time. Maharshi Ramana stressed the need for iquiry into the nature of the Self and his oft-quoted words are nan yaar? Sri Aurobindo and Mahrishi Mahesh Yogi gave an indepth analysis of the Veda and its forty divisions! But, the most significant contribution has come from Sri Jiddu Krishnamurti, an authority on Mind, popularly known as JK. It is this inquiry into the nature of the Mind that is of utmost importance. Our liberation, redemption, mukti from repeated embodiment depends on this!
JK asks us to observe our mind. Swami Shivananda Saraswati of Rishikesh, advises us to observe the quixotic behavior of the mind. He tells us that the turbulent mind cannot be controlled by any means, except by observation, meditation! He advises us to sit calm in a place and observe the mind, as well as, the breathing and experience the tranquility! By the term 'observe' the mind he means just see where the thoughts arise, where the images are formed and how your imagination works! But, the moment one observes the mind, it shuts up and its vibration stops! There is nothing one need to do when the vibrant mind stops vibration! An equanimous mind, a mind resting in a state of equilibrium is what all needed and that is accomplished! It is so simple as that! JK goes one stop forward. He says, the mind is a trash can, full of all memories acquired from birth, may be previous several births, too! It is almost a dead horse, and nauseating one, at that! Unless one takes steps to cleanse this trash can how can there be place for God, he asks. God occupies the mind when it is cleansed of all memories! But, how to cleanse the mind? It is better to know what is mind (manas) and where is it before the task of cleansing is taken up. Here again, Swami Shivananda helps us. He as given a treatise on Mind and how to work on it.
Mind is the manifest form of Space (Akasha). There is no difference between the outer space and the mind we possess; one is bahar (outer) and the other is dahar (inner). The earthen pot, the body separates the two. Akasha is also called Brahman for nobody knows its extent and depth. It contains everything! Sarvam khaluvidam brahmaa| said the sages quoting the Veda. Just as the akasha or space accommodates everything, the mind, too, accommodates everything. Everything starts and ends here. Hence, one has to study one'sown mind and know the beauty of creation. By conquering the mind, one can conquer the world! Conquering the mind is as good as cleansing the mind of all its trash. So also, controlling the mind is giving it into the hands of prajnya, consciousness. A conscious pure mind is pure consciousness only, says Shree Krishna in the Gita. A blemished mind, full of attachment, moha, is the cause of bondage. Hence discarding all blemishes, gunas acquired from birth will render the mind clean and pure. The job is done!
However, it is not that easy to either cleanse the mind or erase the gunas acquired at birth. These are all embedded in the soul, as upadhi, (a covering) that can be removed by a secret technique known only to a siddhi purusha, a guru, who takes interest in us, that too, only on the promptings of the Lord!
However, it is not that easy to either cleanse the mind or erase the gunas acquired at birth. These are all embedded in the soul, as upadhi, (a covering) that can be removed by a secret technique known only to a siddhi purusha, a guru, who takes interest in us, that too, only on the promptings of the Lord!
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