Jiva on its Errands?

Salvation is not a wishful thinking. It needs a practical approach through yoga. The only way to get rid of the whimsical nature of the mind is to tame it and use it for the purpose of liberation of the soul from eternal bondage. Some people say, the soul is always free and it is the ignorance that makes it feel. It is exactly, this ignorance that one has to remove with the help of divine knowledge (divya-jnyana) that is within the embodied soul that the seeker should find out. Salvation lies in transcending all the barriers of time, space, causality, influences of mind, buddhi, and ahankara, establish oneself in his true self, the atman. One who is established in his Self has attained his Self.

  Nobody knows, for certain, what is the ultimate truth. There is no well laid path to salvation, or for that matter, is there anything such as salvation, at all? Salvation for whom, some people ask?  Let’s make these points very clear from the sacred text of Bhagavad-Gita. This world is compared to an inverted Banyan, fig tree (urdhvamula ashvathha vruksha). All jivas, including the devi devata (Gods and Goddesses), tapo-janah inhabit this tree above and the insects and germs occupy below. By their good deeds, a man may go up the ladder to reach the realms of manes, devas, and Rishis and brahm, or go down the ladder to animal, insects and germs to be crushed any moment. The human being is stated to be a ‘blessed-one’ that reached this level by right thoughts and good deeds. However, nothing precludes the lower jiva from reaching higher and higher levels of consciousness and thereby attain to godliness. Even plants and animals, birds and things, such as, stones and metals attain to these divine levels and get worshiped!  For example, a mall plant like tulsi, bilva, or a tree like the fig tree (Oudumbra), the banyan (Peepul) are considered sacred and worshiped; so also, the birds and animals like cow and bull, rat, peacock, crow, lion, or tiger and even horses, pigs and dogs are divine creatures. There are the sandalwood carvings, stone sculptures in marble, Shalagrama or Basalt, copper, brass or alloy-metal (panchaloha) engravings of idols worshiped. These come under archavatara of Gods (Pancharatra). There are many animal-faced Gods/ devi devata like Narasimha, Varahi, Ganapati, and Hayavadana.

  Thus, nothing precludes living beings in this world from attaining to divine status. Divinity is inherent in all moving and non-moving beings. The purpose of creation of jiva is thus believed to be to bring out the divinity inherent in it and make it realize its true nature. However, there is yet another level of understanding here; it is either that of scepticism- what if, or ‘nothing counts’! This is ignorance. Ego rules the roost and diversities and dualities do not end. Hence the jiva should drop all its idiosyncrasies. There is nothing like good or bad here. Whether one does good or bad deeds, anyway, the jiva has to come back here to experience the fruits of its action. But, if the account is closed once and for ever, there is no need to visit this mortal realm. The Atman is free to roam about as a micron, an ionic energy particle, or a photon forever. Till the embodied jiva attains to this pristine state of purity it has to struggle on this earth. Hence, all the Jnyanis try to cleanse of their karma kleshas, remove the vasanas, samskaras, and memories and become pure like a crystal that can refract whatever light that falls on it and prove nothing as its own!

   The perturbed jiva now can look into its past with the help of this narration- journey of the soul, an autobiography, and try to get released from all bondage. All the Upanishad statements quoted here are intuitional knowledge of great sages derived in a transcendental state, samprajnya Samadhi. These are as good as one’s soul’s reverberations, antaratma dhvani. One has to remember the fact that as long as we possess a bank account we have to run to bank whether to pay back the loans with interest, or collect the FD/CD interest. So also, the jiva has to repeatedly take to birth again and again until all its karma kleshas are cleansed by yoga, dhyana, meditation and, even the good deeds here will only bring attachment and bondage. This is the reason why some saints and sages have given up worldly activities and take to solitary living. There is no gainsaying the fact that good deed and service will help liberation, mukti or moksha. Here lies the difference. Even the so called ‘self-lessness’ is inwardly strengthening ego that thwarts liberation. Nothing but the total abnegation of the self will help here. The blemished soul, smeared with karma kleshas, moha, lobha and antahkarana should revert to its pristine purity cleansing off all its stains.

     The soul is bound to acquire pollutants such as gunas-tamas, rajas and sattva, attachment, desire, anger, selfishness, greed, avarice, ego, etc. as long as it is attached to earth- depending on food, water and air. This has prompted many a yogins to stop taking food and water and controlling breath. This is the secret of advanced yoga. One cannot be here as well there; it is like riding the two horses- suti and the asuti, worldly and the other-worldly, aihika and the paramarthika or ‘Self’ and ‘the other’- one of total liberation, and the other an eternal bondage.

  In fact, when i set out on journey to earth, as a speck of stellar dust, many Great Sages who were shining Stars of different magnitude warned me to be careful as to where I am going. They too had visited this Mrutyu lok once. They got rid of this shackle with great difficulty. Dhruva is one such great who chanted the name of Narayana all the way to the heavenly abode. All others hold him as a model and follow him.

    In the following paragraphs the jiva reminiscences how it met the learned sages on its way, who advised him/it to be careful while visiting the earth. It says, “I met the three sages, Kapila, Jaimini, and Charavak, and, the first one Sage Kapila is said to be the most learned. Sri Krishna says, “I am Kapila” in Vibhutiyoga. Sage Kapila advised me thus,

   “My child, you are embarking on a dangerous journey, a journey of no return. Anyway, be careful. The world you visit is full of attractions and there are some such things that your eyes are riveted and cannot take out. There is plenty of food, drink, and opportunities to dine and dance. they enslaved you and make you an addict and a wreck. It is almost a glassware shop with variety of delicate things of dazzling colours, shapes and sizes. You touch you pay. Do not touch any of them. Just see, be happy, and come back at the earliest. Take to virtuous life, respect elders. Tread a moral path and take to yoga. Think you are visiting a zoo and come back.”

   “Then i met sage Jaimini who advised me likewise, but with a slightly different warning. He did not forbid me from enjoying, eating the forbidden apples. He only said, “My child, you are intelligent. You can think what is good for you. Use your discretion. Just taste a little bit and be happy. There is so much to see and experience that you cannot enjoy everything. Also, there is no end to this wandering spree and lust. Be aware! The earth is a land of hunger, thirst, misery, ageing, diseases and death. Don’t you ever indulge in sensuous life and be spoiled. The temptations are such that you will lose sense of discretion. You will be in eternal bondage and it will be difficult to escape the power of the invisible forces like attachment (moha), desires, miserliness, selfishness, egotism, jealousy, avarice, greed, etc. The knowledgeable ones try to take recourse to yoga, and return to their ‘Father in Heavens’ at the earliest”, whereas others forget Him.    

     The soul soon forgot all the advice given by higher Knowledge on its way down to earth. It reminiscences, “When i was just thinking about Kapila and Jaimini, i met Charavak. He is a very interesting person, albeit, a little different from the other two. He talks so sweet; you will be mesmerized. You are carried away by his philosophy and outlook towards life.” Further, he said, “My friend, you are so lucky! You are entering a heavenly abode where everything is available to spend a life-time in the company of your beloveds, friends and relatives. It is virtually a storehouse of food, drink and, there is no dearth for things for entertainment, including pets, servants, and sports. Enjoy as you like. Do not regret later.”

    Charavak went on to advise, “Dear, the inhabitants of the earth are all fools. It is a fools’ paradise. These stupid people do not know what is right and wrong. They believe in rebirth, karma, and worship the dead and idols. There is nothing like these karma or rebirth. Just enjoy whatever comes your way. There is no fear for the daring, go ahead!”

  The soliloquy of the soul continued: Which advice is the best? What should i do?

    “Finally, this last advice was so appealing that i fell for it and now i am in a state of extreme misery. I am paying for my indulgences in all sorts of physical and mental ailments. I know not how to get out of this miserable plight of my own making. What all i thought as happiness is a mirage. Whom all i thought as my best friends turned out to be worst enemies. The wealth i possess is the root cause of envy. Now, i realize what all Charavak said is to enslave me in my sensuous life and trap me in a world of lust, disease, ageing and death. There is nothing that is worthy of a great soul here and, i find it is a land of births and deaths with no end in sight.”

   “Suddenly, a flash came to me. ‘I am what i am’. Nobody can change me.” But, as soon i entered the earth’s atmosphere, clouds, rain drops and reached the water and soil on land, i lost all my memory of ‘who i am’. I blindly entered plants as their very essence, and entered animals, became food, strength, desire, blood, bone marrow, semen, and entered the jiva- as a microscopic germ, the spermatozoa, Germ-cell, the energizing aspect, to appear in different forms. Thus, the ‘Advent of the Soul’ begins. The jiva is now on its long, long, everlasting journey, with no goal, no exit in sight! An important question, often asked here is: “What makes the Jiva run its errand?” Is it the luck, destiny, fate, fortune, free will, or karma that is important?