"Is This World Real?"

 This question about the 'Reality of our Existence and the true nature Objective World' is raised often, and it ends without a conclusion. The problem here is that of the 'true nature'. Pancharatra says, "This world is illusory" in unmistakable terms. Whatever the sense organs grasp with the help of mind and intellect is 'what is grasped', and may or may not be real, true. It is subject to the capacity of the individual to understand what is grasped. A person of worldly interests sees the world in a different perspective as compared to the one who grasps it after spiritual attainment. There are seven levels of consciousness and all of us work at the basic level of muladhara, svadhishthana and manipura prajnya only, day in and day out. A person who reaches higher levels at anahata, vishuddhi, ajnya  prajnya will get a different perception and realizes the reality.

 Whatever appears to be real or true may not be real or the truth and there may be something else that covers the truth! The world we live and work, exist for a short span of about 80 to 100 years, is not true at all! we know that nothing exists for long on this earth, mrutyu lok, where everything is subject to deterioration, dissipation. persons, things and matter appear and disappear, sooner or later! This is the natural order. what all we see is just a continuous drama in the background of the Mind-screen. If the screen goes, the drama ends! this is just like the movie where there is a Producer, Director, and Actors along with the personnel holding camera, light. sound recorders and Film rolls! there is nothing more or less than this. We all appear on the stage, doplay our ordained role  It is the sense organs that go on errand at the command of the ego taking clues from the mischievous Mind and project umpteen images. The mind has no intelligence or discretionary power to interpret and realize the true nature of things. This presents a complex picture of the objective world. Moreover, there are limitations and intervening factors like time, distance, and causalities that change the reality and thereby confuse us. We cannot see the truth unless we cross the borderline of the reality and myth.

 Sri Shankaracharya called this objective world a myth since it changes with times. Anything that 'did not exist before' and 'will not exist after' a certain time will not be true at all! In order to be real or true, it must always exist without any change. It should be immortal, everlasting, unborn and never cease to exist if it is to be declared as true. In that sense, neither the sun or the planets, nor even the stars are not true. They are passing events in the history of the expanding universe. Each and every object is moving farther and farther, more so in the case of our relations in family, social and other fields of life! Just like in a movie theatre, only the background screen is real. The white wall projects films with actors as if they are real. This background screen is so merging with the passing objects on it that we mistake the even the make-believe show as the true one! This curtain, the screen, that covers the true has to be torn apart by a pair of scissors of discretion and knowledge. The truth dawns when the curtain of ignorance is torn apart. Only the screen, the empty wall, remains when the film show is over. This is stated as the "brahmn sat and the jagat myth."

 Now, coming to the central point again, "Is this objective world real?" Yes. It is real to the ignorant who is unaware of his/her true self. The revelation comes with the knowledge of the self, atmajnyan. Nothing is true that changes with time and distance and that is bound by causality. This applies to everything that exists in time and space. "Neither I exist, nor the world exists" when we close our eyes for a sec., and more so in deep sleep or yogic trance, nirvikalpa samadhi. In fact, the reality dawns in transcendental meditative trance! A yogi realizes the true nature of this objective world as well as his own in this state. Thus, Lord Sri Krishna advises us through Arjuna, "tasmad yogirbhava! 

'Duality

 'Duality' is the real problem. It starts with 'I' and ends with realizing the true Self, 'I'. I and the objective world means duality. Realization of the fact that the world is a product of the mind, the senses and the ego will erase duality. Actually, there is no duality in this world. Everything is just 'Knowledge', or pure 'Consciousness'. The individualized consciousness starts observing this duality due to the discretionary power of the Mind. The Mind creates duality. where there is none. The moment the mind starts its mischief the duality begins. 'No Mind, no world' is the fundamental principle. There is no world of objects when mind goes to sleep. Nothing exists in deep sleep and in nirvikalpa samadhi. One has to learn to switch off the Mind just like the light and fan are switched off when not needed. A still mind is the pure state of 'brahmn'. Hence it is essential to control the whimsical mind or just make it still. A jnyani will stop the interference of the fickle mind and works through the soul. 

  However, it is very difficult to control the mind since it is a reservoir of bubbling fountain of energy. The only way to channelize the turbulent energy of the energy is to take to transcendental meditation, ateendriya dhyana, whereby the mind rises above the mundane and sits in a tranquil state! One should develop aversion to sensuous life and turn to higher spiritual levels by constant yogic practice, yogabhyasa.

  Yoga teaches us how to control the mind. It is the ego that makes the mind to operate the senses and make them go on errands to fulfil the insatiable wants! When the jnyani realizes the fact that wants are insatiable and comes to the futility of the exercise of the mind, the search for satiation ends! In fact, the sense organs have thousands of desires. The agama shastra tells us that 'it is the nature of man to seek what is not there and get disillusioned. It is true that nobody is happy even when one gets what one desires. Hence the earthlings are fooled by the evasive happiness.

  The solution for all problems, the panacea for all illness of mind is desist the temptations of the deceptive objects of desires in this make believe world. The real attainment lies in the realization of the fact that there is nothing, no duality of I and 'the other'. Everything is a drama that passes on. Close the ey, the world disappears! The reality is that 'nothing' manifests as 'something' to a deluded mind and, that makes the foolish mind run!   

  A really attained or knowledgeable person, a jnyani, will not be deluded by the glamorous or glittering world. He realizes the true nature of the Self and the nature of the world controlled by time, space and causality. Ultimately, it is the nature of the earthly existence of the jiva that makes it go round and round in cycle of births and deaths. This chain should be delinked by yoga sadhana. Desire is the seed that cases rebirth and it should be burnt by knowledge (jnyan).  

'Brahmn'

 'sarvam khaluvidam brahmn'

  This concept of 'Reality of Existence' is extremely a difficult one for common man to understand. There are some who question this very concept and ask whether we are all Brahmn. In a way, it's true that there is nothing that is not 'Brahmn'. But, what is this 'Brahmn'? The term 'Brahmn' means 'nothing, that also contains everything within IT'. 'IT' is the Brahman, 'IT' is the 'sat'. It is the 'tyat'. There are some pundits who question this very basic concept of 'sat', the very 'existence'! 'Sat' is Brahmn. Brahmn is the wall, the screen, the space,Mind or Akash that hold everything and present as such and such to the onlooker. It is pure consciousness that is aware of itself as well as the other. In the first place, the difference between the terms 'sat' and 'asad', Be and Being, 'exist' and 'existence' has to be clearly understood. 

  We are all human 'beings'. The level of existence from almost an unicellular amoeba to that of the gross human body level is a biological entity. All are  living beings, at that! This 'being is the problem. This being is the limitation! The limitation is the problem creaeted  by time and space. The passage of time creating changes along with the passing time is the problem. It is this endless change that causes the illusory nature of existence. Hence, it is essential to understand the 'changing nature' of our existence as also, the reality of the nature of existence. Those who realize the limitations and overcome all sorts of limitations by yoga will be emancipated.   

  All of us exists in jagrata, svapna, and sushupti and repeat the same cycle day after day. We never realize the true nature of the Self during all these states. If we can just observe our state of existence in sushupti and transcend it to turiya, we will be able t know our true Self. We are all passing several stages in life from the beginning as an impregnated cell in mother's womb to old age and death to take another gross form again. This is the predicament of the jiva! It can break the shackle, chain of rebirth, escape the clutches of karma and get liberated the moment we realize we are not the body, mind, intellectual combine, but an unborn, eternal, immortal Self. This is possible by the study of scripture and practice of yoga. Hence, it is advisable to take to yoga and realize the Self in the state of samadhi. 

"karmanyevaadhikaarastE"

 There is a beautiful statement by Bhagavan Sri Krishna Who says: karmanyeva adhikaaraste  ma phaleshu kadacana! Meaning, "Your adhikaara (authority) is just do your karma (ordained duty) only and, not to ask for anything in return"! This statement clearly states that one should not ask for the fruits of action .ince they naturally accrue and follow. There are people who ask, "why should we not ask for thr returns when it is our right to get our dues. But the Lord knows what to give to whom and when. He will not delay even a sec. and will not give less or or more than what is due. Moreover He , the Lord, is maintaining all our accounts and is judicious in awards. He may not spoil His devotees by creating greed, avarice, miserly and selfish cravings!, since He loves His devotees. Our repeated births and deaths in this tamasic gross physical body is by itself an example. It is to pay back or receive our dues that we take rebirth. There is no rebirth once the account is settled (punarjanma na vidyate!).

 This verse has been interpreted in many ways by many learned scholars without proper understanding, as it appears from the commentaries available to us! There is lack of dhyan, contemplation on the deeper secret meaning (gudartha) of the Lord's words. One may use all his worldly knowledge, perverted intelligence, fickle mind coupled with ego to interpret the Samskruta shloka and translate it, but never get to the hidden meaning! Only a person of spiritual attainment, atmjnyan (Knloeledge of the Sself), can understand it!. At one point, the Blessed Lord Himself states, "Arjuna, you cannot understand my words!" How can a mortal understand the words of the Lord unless one rises to the level of the Lord?" However, it becomes very easy to understand everything once the Lord bestows 'His (Deva's) Grace (anugraha) on us. 

 So, what the Lord means by His words ma phaleshu kadacana, 'not to expect results', is very clear. All mortals here on earth (earthlings) are just serving their prarabhda karma. It is just paying the old debts as karma, and enjoy or serve the fruits of previous action (karma phala). Those who have divested of their ego, selfish motive, greed and the desires for worldly accomplishments can understand the Lord's words. It is the ashtanga yoga sutras that one learns how to attain purity by satya, astheya, pratyahara and Ishvara pranidhana that one crosses the lower limitations and becomes qualified for higher spiritual attainments. Bhagavan is addressing such devotees and guides them here as to how to attain to Him.

  Finally, it is clear that what we enjoy or suffer here in our gross physical body, senses, mind and intellect oriented toward objective world is a prarabhda. The ultimate goal, however, is to develop spiritual attitude and bring out the divine power vested in us. One has to just do the worldly duties, attend to the routine, never losing the sight of Him. Never forget the goal of life, When a person surrender to the Lord, He takes over all our responsibilities, removes all our blemishes, shortcomings, and protects us! He assures liberation-." ... mokshayishyaami ma shuca!" Th Blessed Lord asks us to become a yogi- tasmad yogirbhavaarjunaa! yoginaam brahmaa bhavati saarathi !

  Thus, it is clear that a devotee of Lord Sri Krishna is relieved of all his worldly worries, troubles and turmoil. He is finally liberated, too! Just surrender to Him? Once we surrender to Him, He will bestow His grace giving what all that is good to us and protect us from all evil forces. So don;t beg Him, just chant his sacred name and praise His name. The magic will be done!

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Stithaprajnya

 There is a beautiful advice by Lord Sri Krishna to us through Arjuna as to how to live a life of joy, full of happiness, and finally attain to Him. The Blessed Lord says, be of equanimous mind (sama dheeH), self-controlled, of stable mind, and transcend (samaadhiH) the sensuous worldly state of existence. He, the Lord says, "Arjuna, be a sthitaprajnya." Arjuna, in turn, asks "What is this state of stitaprajnya and, what and how will be the attitude and behavior of such a stable-minded person (samaadhistha)?" |

 "sthitaprajnyasya ka bhasha samadhistasya Keshavaa | (Ch2. V.54).

 naabhinandati na dveshti tasya prajnya pratishtithaa"  A sthitaprajnya is neither elated by praise nor sorrowful when hated by others. This state of equanimity is what is called for in a learned person, jnyani. One should never indulge in likes and dislikes, appreciate or condemn others, should not bloat with praise or feel miserable when others curse or look down on us. One should always control the outward-going senses desiring for happiness from external objects, persons and interests. One should always remember that desires bring anger when not fulfilled and the sensuous objects will never bring happiness, The external objects are so created by the fickle mind that make the Indriyas (sense organs) run on errands without knowledge of the reality of the true nature of this world and its objects.    

  A person who realizes the fact that real happiness springs out from the soul (Atman) and there is no need for looking for happiness outside! He who is established in one's own Self is indeed the happiest person!

See Atmanyevaatmanaa tushtah sthitaprajnyasyastadocyate || (2. 55). A person of equanimous state of mind is said to be a muni. Sthitadhheermunirucyate |

Contemplation on the Self

 People often complain about sleeplessness not knowing that it is a blessing in disguise. Doctors advise exercise and do not bother about the age of the person complaining sleeplessness. It's the old people who normally complain and they are too old for physical exertion in the age group 75+. Moreover, they may be having problem like worries, tension, anxiety and ailments that cause restlessness. Hence, there cannot be a blanket solution to sleeplessness. However, old people who are free from all family problems, anxiety or tension may spend the time reading spiritual texts and meditation if they do not get sleep. 

  Contemplation or just recapturing the path of one's journey through life since childhood will be very useful. Much better is to think about how he/she has traversed from the heavenly state to the mortal state on this earth from almost an impregnated cell in mother's womb to a fully grown baby in 9 months! The Pranic energy that takes embodied state is a mysterious one that is worth thinking about when one does not get sleep!

  'Atmajnyan' or the 'Knowledge of the Self' is very important. One should spend much time on this aspect after 75 and live peacefully. Further, an inquiry into the true nature of worldly existence of the jiva is very very important for us. One should ultimately realize the fact that this earthly existence is one of limitation (maya) and there is nothing to enjoy here. It is thus better to prepare oneself for a return journey never to return to this death-knell again through yoga and samadhi. 

Happiness

 What is Happiness?

 'Happiness' may be defined as state of Mind. If the mind is satisfied, cheerful and the person is contented it may be a state of his happiness. However, this term defies any definite state since the person's happiness is subject to many a variable condition. Unfortunately, the human tendency is to search for happiness where it doesn't exist. The objects of the world are merely substance of varying quality and may or not suit everybody. Moreover, the human beings seek happiness in material world that is incapable of satisfying the senses, intellect, mind and ego. Hence seeking happiness in an objective tentative worldly existence with endless desires is futile. 

  In the real sense of the term, 'happiness' is a state of Mind. Mind decides whether it is happy or miserable, joyful or sorrowful depending on its likes and dislikes. Many a times, the mind is not happy even when it gets what it wants! The problem is one of 'Time' that weans away joy of fulfillment. There is a gap between the time of desire and time of fulfillment. Hence, happiness or joy from fulfillment of desires is ruled out. The real happiness or joy comes from heart that is already equipped with everything it desires. In fact, it is only a matching game. The heart or the soul is already happy since it is its basic nature to be happy, contented, joyful. It sprouts happiness. There is no need to instruct it whether to express happiness on fulfillment of desires. The Soul (Atman) is already happy whether the senses, mind, intellect and the ego are satisfied or not. One should see through the heart and feel through it in order to experience joy of life. Instead, the foolish people seek happiness in objects of desires that the fickle mind, bloated ego, perverted intelligence seek, not knowing the fact that the wants are insatiable. The ten sense organs (indriya) have ten thousand desires and none of these can be satisfied in an ever-changing objective world. So, seeking happiness on earth is like searching for water in a hot desert. Not knowing that it's a desert mirage, the humans keep on looking for happiness and finally feel disappointed.

  The Pancharatra Agama Shastra clearly states that the human beings as earthlings are destined to be miserable since the earth is a death-knell where everything is subject to deterioration and disintegration. Whatever is the desire of the human beings, whatever is the attainments, it is ultimately meaningless. What is important is this realization. Atmajnyan or the 'Knowledge of the Self' only will reveal this 'Eternal Truth'. A person becomes immensely happy when he/she realizes the fact that the earthly existence is one of maya illusion. Ma and ya become ya and ma when reversed! 'Ma' is time and 'Ya' is the controller ('Yama!). So, it may be surmised here that 'nothing will give joy or happiness here since these terms are mere illusory coupled with their opposite partners of sorrow and misery. These joy and happiness are followed by sorrow and misery like the day is followed by night.

  Real joy and happiness lie in the knowledge of the 'Reality' of the true nature of the world and our worldly existence. "The World is a Stage, and we are all actors and spectators, too" as William Shakespeare said. Let's learn to play our role and retire, as also, sit and watch the drama unfolding before us? This is the principle of 'Witnessing Self'. Hppiness lies here.

Varnashrama

The term 'Varna' has many connotations. It normally  means colour. akshara or syllable, and distinguishing character. When it is added to ashrama dharma, lifestyle of certain class of people, it refers to caste, creed, and sects. However, all these are subjective and hence. much confused by different religious groups. When it comes to the color of people all over the world, there are the whites of Europe, Red of Mongolia and China, and the brown and Black of Asia and Africa, respectively. It seems that the whites are like the half-baked cake and we see these whites lying naked in Sea Beaches to get their skin tanned in the sun. When Brahma was the Creator was baking these humn cakes the over-heated ones became the dark African, the brown ones of South Asia and the white skinned in Europe and North America. However, the color of the people has nothing to do with the religious faiths. The oldest is the Hindu dharma and it is eternal, oters may come and go! It is sanatana.

   Hindu dharma is the oldest of all that exist today and may be traced to almost a Hundred thousand years! There were large communities living in Bharata Khanda, the Indian Sub-continent when there were none in newly found lands like the Americas. They say Columbus discovered India, but it was not Bharata. They say, Magellan and Vasco da Gama went round in sailing boats and discovered lands! 

 Now, if we take the Great Mahabharata War of dwapara yuga, the number of soldiers accounted for, such as Eighteen akshohini can be imagined. These army units were supported by several other thousands engaged in supply lines, armory, and utilities. One can imagine what must be the total population of Bharata at that time when there were no other religions in other parts of the world (except in Egypt, Mexico, Peru, China, and Italy/Greece). We have Ramayana where some detailed geographical accounts are given. But very little is known about the krita yuga/ satyayuga. We definitely do not understand the history and geography of the previous manvantara, dated back to 4 320 000 years ago! Brahmanda purana is terse and difficult to interpret or understand.

   Thus, what do we know about these varnas or ashrama dharma?

The answer is simple. A careful Study and proper interpretation of the Veda might help us to some extent. The Veda gives us the varnashrama dharma,and so also, the Bhagavad-Gita where the four class of groups identified as Brahmana (the priestly class, teachers and Pundits), Kshatriya (Well-versed in warfare or protecting force), Vyshya (Merchant class), and the Shudra or agricultural or groups engaged in cultivation of crops, processing, and community services. None of these are considered either of high or low in esteem and all were equal and respectable. It is the advent of the Europeans who came to do business and started ruling the country that did not understand this scientific classification of occupational, economic social, or functional groups. It was a wonderful rural community where all worked for one and one for all. This was een in the community functions.

  The early rural communities were highly dharmic and centered around the Temple. The people were pious, God-fearing and highly civilized in the sense that there were no thefts, crime, and law and order problems. Common religious festivities marked the happy communities.

  What a contrast when we see the present day divisive tendencies like the ideologies of Communism, Leftists, Rightists, Extremists Terrorists and invading ISIS Missionaries converting innocent people, and other uncivilized brutal fundamentalists committing genocide! This is an indication of declining dharma and mark the end of Kaliyuga of the last quarter of the vaivasvata manvantara. This will end disastrously giving rise to a New Era of Sarvochisha Manvantara, next. The dooms day is nearing?