Depth of Silence

   Some of the verses of the Bhagavad-Gita remain a secret despite the fact that Bhagavan says, shrunomi arjuna, guhyatama guhyamam pravashyaami | If it is a secret, rahasyam, to Bhagavan, it is really difficult to understand what the Bhagavan says. 

  Now, coming straight to the point, the greatest secret lies in silence. Silence is much deeper than the sounds that traverse the entire cosmos. It has its beginning at the deepest seat of 'atyantabhava'. There is no spandha, vibration, here. It is the state of absolute peace, nirvana, shantata, and Bhagavn Shree Krishna advocates this level of attainment to all His devotees. There is absolutely nothing here. There is no duality, not even unity, ektavam, samyam, samatvam. It is all a state of total rest. The soul of the jiva, jivatman, aspires for this and it is not possible to attain to this state since it is fully blemished of a hundred and odd avagunas- moha, svartha, krodha, mada, matsarya, etc. It may be well said, the soul is divine, the atman is pure and unblemished! But the avarana, the covering, the upadhi is such that 'it is' and 'it is not'! It is only when the jivatman rests in peace, rests in absolute peace at this level of atyantabhava it attains mukti, moksha. It has reached its primordial state. The moment ichha, desire, starts in the jiva, the vibration begins (anyonayabhva, prdhvamshabhava and pragbhava- three levels of silence leading to prapanch or disturbannces). Finally, these vibrant energetic particles brings it(the jiva) to level of sounds (shabdha), akshara or varna, pada, and padartha or the material world! All these stages can be observed in a child's first few weeks after birth! 

    Bhagavan Shree Krishna advocates jnyana, viveka and vairagya, followed by yajnya, dana and tapas to reach the state of samadhi. Thus, the Gita as yogopanishat leads us from darkness to light, untruth to truth or ajnyan to jnyan, and finally, death to immortality.

    Hence, it is extremely difficult to reach the depth of silence, nirvana without the help of a yogacharya.. 

'To Do' or 'Not To Do'

    "To do or not to do, that is the question".This oft-quoted phrase is from William Shakespeare's Hamlet. In the Bhagavad-Gita, too, the same question arises. Arjuna lays down his Bow and Arrows and says, "I shall not fight". The question is, again "To fight or not to fight". Bhagavan Shree Krishna explains in great detail that, "No one can keep quiet and has to do his ordained duty." The ordained duty of a Warrior (Kshatriya) is to fight. To fight is his nature, svabhava. One cannot go against his nature. But, then He, the Bhagavan, does not insist that Arjuna should fight. He goes on to explain the various options given tpo the jiva to face the problems in life. The jiva can just abandon everything (sanyas) and surrender to the Higher Power (paramatman). Bhagavan says, "sarva dharman parityajya maamekam sharanam vrajaa ||
   There is also a phrase that may surprise everyone who is always addicted to some work or the other. sarvarambha parityagi, one who is not interested in anything and does not desire to do anything and thereby does not even begin to think is very dear to Me! It is just nirasakti yoga. It is the desires that prompts one to resolve and act. The desire and the subsequent action brings the fruits of action, karma phala. There is no other go but to spend or eat the fruits of action in one life, or, may be, repeated births!   

  Should one abandon everything and surrender to the Lord? Yes. It seems so! He, the Bhagavan, assures that He will redeem the jiva. maam upetya tu kounteya... sarva paapebhyo mokshayishyami... punarjanma na vidyate |

    But, it is difficult to give up everything such as ego, the frivolous mind, perverted intelligence, the worldly interests and the involvement of the senses in all and sundry and to surrender to Him!

   Thus, various steps are enunciated in the Bhagavad-Gita- a brahma-vidya, a yogopanishat, a handbook of attainment to the highest param padam.

   It is left to the jiva to pick and choose any path that suits to his nature and attain to Him.

Why Shankaracharya said, "This World is Illusory?"

   "Any relational existence is unreal". Swamy Krishnananda, Advaitashrama, Hrishikesha.
    The discussion about the illusory nature of this world is going on for almost 1300 years since Shankaracharya.  The simple fact is that the objective phenomenal world is fleeting- subject to time and change is the inherent nature of all that exists here. The moment electromagnetic waves radiate from the stars and the sun time is created and wherever these rays reach space is created.Thus, everything comes withing the shadow of the Sun and limitations of time and space.Further, the effect is already an in-built phenomenon in the cause of creation! This cause and effect is also an illusion since all the objects occupy the illusory space and come within the grip of time.

   Further, we all live ina relative world. The absolute abstract is 'the brahmn' and there is no duality there. All that manifests from the absolute as the relative is also an illusion, a wave, like the waves of the sea! This Relative world  exists as long as one relates himself/herself to it! The moment one disconnects, does not relate the world disappears! If the son or daughter does not respond to parents, they cease to exist. So also, the worldly objects cease to exist when we do not relate, show interest in them? Thus, the relative world is so illusory that everything disappears when we just close our eyes.  Things disappear even when we look this side or that side or when we change our focus of attention. In fact everything disappears in deep sleep!

   Now, what is this we are talking about as family, friends and relatives? If one does not pick up the phone, the relation ends in a fit of anger? one wrong word at the wrong time, relation becomes sour?There are instances of brothers building wall across the living room in the ancestral homes? There are thousands of instances where the parents and children, siblings, close friends do not talk to each other due to one wrong utterance?? We are all under the principle of 'niyati', limitations of time, space, and causality. We grow and change. Every thing comes under the Law of Entropy and Laws of Thermodynamics. The very fact the world is ever-changing, nothing is certain in this world. Let's remember one thing- "When a person is established in his/her Self, established in a state of 'samadhi' (sama dheeh-equanimous state, of non-duality), that is the real state of existence. It is the only 'truth'.
  'Relationship' is a ship like the one described in the Gita as "A leaky boat caught in a stormy sea" where each one has to live in constant fear! No help can come from within and one has to look up for divine help? Under these circumstances, there is no hope for the living beings. Living is so delicate as such that it needs a careful review time and again. This prompted Shankaracharya to proclaim the unreliability of this worldly existence and also called for the prayer as in Bhaja Govindam. He said, nahin nahin rakshati dhukrum karane | Govindam bhaja moodhamate |
    

Bondage and Liberation as per Scripture and Transcendental Meditation

   The spiritual scriptures have emphasized the need for sadhana, practice to get emancipation, liberation. But, the real bondage is not of release from worldly worries, sickness, poverty, hunger and loneliness causing depression, suicidal tendency, etc. All that is born have to suffer and die, at the end. jatasya hi maranam dhruvam | Some are prone to think that death will solve all problems. On the contrary, it is the birth and death that are the real problems!  Birth and death take place on the earth in a cyclic way and the cause of rebirthh after death is said to be 'desires' and actions to fulfill the desires leading to karma klesha.

    A jiva takes birth in some form or the other to fulfill its desire. No desire, no life is the doctrine of Life and death. Even death is not possible without the jiva deciding to put an end to it! Birth of a jiva, in the first instance, is said to be the desire of the Lord, daivechhe !  The Lord willed!  

   Having born, it is the action that is prompted by desire that brings fruits of action, karma phala. The jiva has to run the full cycle of life and death due to the accumulation of the fruits of action. The jiva cannot escape this cysle untill all the karma- carry-over (prarabhdha), accumulated (sancjita), and prevent the on-coming (agami) karmaphala! So, it seems there is no end!

   However, the Scriptures suggest some ways and means of attaining to salvation, mukti, moksha. These scriptures are not the final! There is need for an enlightened guru who can not only show the way but 'take one out of the leaky boat caught in a turbulent sea (sansar)', as stated in the Gita. Divine grace is a must here!

  The learned pundits have devised means of getting some relief from the troubles and turmoils of sansar through devotion to God (bhakti) and true knowledge of God (jnyan), and realization of the Self (atma-sakshatkar) and God visioning (parameshvara darshan)! Thus, it may be said, "Liberation is possible through attainment!

   But the most beautiful technique of attaining liberation, mukti or moksha and enjoying peace, prosperity, joy and happiness without any hurdles is coming from the Transcendental Meditation proposed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. He assures, 'one can attain to the th highest divine consciousness by expanding ones own mind in a transcendental meditative mode, have the darshan of the Lord, and get self-realization'. This will ensure all happiness and final redemption from the repeated embodiment of the soul!

Bandhana and mukti in Spiritual Scriptures.

   The Bhagavad-Gita ends every chapter with the words, "Om tat sat iti bhagavad-gitaasu upanishadsu brahmavidyaaya yogashastre ... yogah | The guhyatama guhyam, the secret of the secrets, revealed to us through arjuna is this brahma vidya and yoga shastra that gives us liberation, mukti. All the Upanishads reveal the secrets that cause our bondage and methods of release from it. One such story in the Upanishad is that of Shunashyepa. Here, Shunashyepa is crying for loosening the rope that is tied to him to the yajnya kambha and release from the altar!

  As usual, we do not know the entire story. However, it is stated that, there was a rich man who wanted a son and prayed for it. He was blessed with a son with the condition that he should offer him at the altar of the sacrifice! First he agreed, but later on his attachment prevented him from offering his child to sacrific. So he thought of a plan and offrerred money in exchange for any person who would take his son's place at the altar. Finally, they found a poor boy Shunashyepa who offerred himself and took money for the sake of his aged poor parents. Hence, the prayer!

   Now, our problem is that we are all Shunashyepas. We are all tied to the pillar of altar at the grand sacrifice (maha yajnya). Here the Sun is the agni, yajnya deva and we are all Shunashyepas. We are all tied by the invisible ropes of desire, ego, jealous, anger, worldly attachments, miserly and greedy attitudes and behavior, etc. We cry for liberation. Our greed is the cause of our bondage. Our attachment is the cause of our bondage. Who will redeem us?   

What is so Esoteric about Spiritual Texts?

   Most of the spiritual Texts go back to origin of 'Silence' and 'Sound' emerging out of it! There is the secret of creation in every GAP (sandhi) between sound and sound. The alphabet (alpha and beta) of the 'Sound of Breath' of Devi Sharada, the Deity of Knowledge, Who breathes unto others without Herself breathing. This gives us the Bijakshara, the seed letters that create the mantrakshara (potent letters) and the mantra which are powerful enough to create the material world. How can one write or understand these abstract things, that involve the very creation?  The absolute abstract is the source of all creation, the Brahmn.
   Thus, the term sa ukta', 'thus spake the Lord' comes. This Bhagavan Uvacha, as stated in the Bhagavad-Gita is a most important esoteric aspect; it says, "Arjuna, I shall relate to you the most secret of the secrets"- guhyatama guhyamam pravashyaami | 

   In the first instance, the spiritual texts of Agama Shastra like the Narada samhita, sanaka, skandha, sanatsujata and other samhita (shastra, almost 200 of them) are believed to be older than the Veda.no a are divine laws codified by the learned sages as dictated by the very Devi Devata. Normally, we do not understand what is that the Lord says, when they say, 'Bhagavan Uvacha' as in the Bhagavad-Gita. We have to understand the words of the Lord as heard by his devotee Arjuna, or as narrated by the Learned Amatya Sanjeeva to King Dhrutarashtra, or as dictated by Veda Vyasa to Lord Ganapati. Actually, these are spiritual aspects, very abstract, and not coming within the grasp of uninitiated students. In fact, there is neither a Veda Vyasa (Veda and Vyasa means radius and circumference meaning wholeness or entirety?) since it is the pen-name or attribute to Shree Krishna Dvaipayana, nor there is a Ganapati, who is the deity of muladhara prajnya, basal plexus? When they say that the Veda is an unwritten script,many Rks heard in samadhi state (Transcendental Meditative state) we cannot understand. However, these are now written down in words that do not match the original spirit of the text.Many words like The Atman, jivatman,paramatman, Prana, Prajnya, life-breath and the nerves and neurons cannot be properly described. The source of all that is called 'anthahkarana'- the mind, the intellect, the ego, are all beyond physical domain. When does spirit turn into matter and whether gross matter can be turned into spirit are the eternal questions. The texts we read or hear are not what they appear to be, and there is more for that. That is the esoteric aspect of the ancient spiritual scripts. The Shakta and the tantra shastras are the most mystic ones. The practices are not at all rational and scientific, at the outset. But, one cannot deny the fact that there are terrific forces operating behind these tantra, mantra and yantra?