These are the preliminary instructions that are generally given by our fore-fathers and teachers in order to help us to expand our spiritual knowledge so that we can proceed on right path in this life. This is the surest path to liberation, mukti for those who desire it. We all utter the term I without ever clearly understanding what it means! Everybody uses this term ‘I’ to refer to the body, mind and ego. It is a pronoun of the Subject ‘I’, and the object of reference. But who this ‘I’ is/am? The moment one realizes this “I”, the ‘Self’, the journey ends. It is as if that i am born only to realize who i am!
If Shiva is consciously aware of Himself, the world ends! If He is aware of the other, the universe begins. All the scriptures, especially the Rk Veda says that it is Rudra who is the ‘I’ seated as Time (kaala), as Bheshaja (dhanvantari/vaidya/doctor), the Controller (yama) in all living beings. The ‘I’ that we all refer to is He, Rudra, in the strict sense. We all experience the Self. When we breathe, He breathes! He is the breath of the breath; the vital force (prana) of the prana. In fact, we all rest in Him- It, That (‘tyat’), the eternal Truth. It is the space within which the mind goes and finally rests along with all the restless sense organs at night in deep sleep (sushupti)- behind closed eyes, ears that cannot hear, nose which does not smell, tongue that does not taste, and the skin that does not feel the touch. The organs of action are peacefully resting. The Soul is the resting place for all that are tired. All names and forms, functions and sounds, words and speech rest in peace in soul at night only to reappear again (after a restful retreat). Everybody goes to sleep in ignorance every night only to get up in ignorance the next morning. Only those who keep a vigil all through night to find out how the jiva is resting in peace with its soul/Atman and experiences the peace and tranquillity of the Atman united with the super soul, paramatman instantly becomes a yogi. It opens up and goes about as a jnyani the next morn. There is no more darkness and no more the dualities of night and day, pain and pleasure, happiness, joy and misery, here and there, now and then, etc. to such a yogi. He has transcended time, space, causation. He is a liberated one- jivanmukta, sadyomukta- now, instantaneously, not after death.
What happens when the jiva finally comes to the end of its journey? It sheds off what all it has acquired since the beginning. With all its yogic practices and siddhi, it climbs higher and higher to reach up to Brahmn. There are several Vedic and Upanishadic statements in this regard. “That entity (the self), after enjoying himself and roaming in the dream state and merely witnessing the results of merits and demerits, hastens back in the reverse way to its former condition, the waking state. Just as a heavily loaded cart moves along, creaking, even so the self identified with the body, being presided over by the Self which is all consciousness (the Supreme Self), moves along, groaning, when breathing becomes difficult at the approach of death. When this body grows thin-becomes emaciated or disease-then, as a mango or a fig or a fruit of the Banyan tree becomes detached from its stalk, so does this infinite being completely detaching himself from the parts of the body, again move on, in the same way that he came, to another body for the re-manifestation of his vital breath (prana). Just as, when a king comes, the ugras appointed to deal with crimes; the sutas and the leaders of the village await him with food and drink and lodgings ready, saying: 'Here he comes, here he comes,' even so, for the person who knows about the fruits of his own work, there wait all the elements, saying: 'Here comes Brahmn, here he comes.' Just as, when the king wishes to depart, the ugras appointed to deal with crimes, the sutas and the leaders of the village gather around him, even so do all the organs gather around the self, at the time of death, when it struggles for breath.” [Yajur Veda, Brih. Upa. IV, III- Investigation of the Three States, 34-38]. But the journey continues until and unless it seeks total emancipation. But when is that total Liberation, mukti and how does it come? Does it come with Knowledge?
The Atman knows everything since it is the Jataveda who knows from the beginning everything. It is omniscient and omnipotent. The things lost inside the house cannot be found in the streets. The inner lamp only shows that is hidden within. One has to visualize the inner Light. There are many a great souls that are born jnyanis such as Ashtavakra, Raikva, Shuka, or Janaka. These are our guides.
As already pointed out, the para (Spiritual or the adhyatmic) vidya concerns the soul; the apara vidya (Material sciences) concerns the objective phenomenal world. The apara vidya is of mundane interest that is binding, while the para vidya lets the embodied soul free. The embodied souls are interested in apara vidya since it is endowed with the senses that are always out-going in search of food and entertainment. Nobody is interested in the supreme knowledge (para vidya) that opens up door to higher levels of Consciousness.
The jiva is ignorant of its true nature and foolishly depends on the fickle mind and goes after the ever-shifting sense temporal objects and sensuous attractions. In the process, its desire is fuelled by insatiable objects. This leads to a chain of reactions culminating in successive rebirths. There is no escape for the jiva from this eternal bondage. Only true knowledge, the knowledge of the Self can release the embodied soul from the shackles of the attractions of the phenomenal mundane world. When the jiva realizes the futility of the search for sources of happiness in worldly pursuits, sensual enjoyments, it gives up the chase. It realizes, sooner or later, the nature of the ever-fleeting temporal world. It finds fault with its own adjuncts such as the fickle mind and its dependence on the senses that are never tired of going out in search of the objects of desire.
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