gunas and kaala

Contemplate on the following:

  "In the foetus-like condition of the manus in the energy (shakti) of God there exist the entities of guna (prakruti- sat, rajas and tamas) and kaala (Time). Through the operation of supreme energy or will of God (vishnu sankalpachodita) there springs up from time-energy (kaala-shakti) the subtle destiny (niyati) which represents the universal ordering elemental (sarva niyamaka). kaala (Time) and Guna (quality) exist in the womb of the shakti. " (Ahir. sam.)

 [Note: Time is also Energy. The 'Wheel of Time' is "Sudarshana Chakra", personification of Lakshmi, the power (Shakti) of Vishnu. None can ever know what is hidden in the womb or wheel of time, kala-garbha.  The entire universe comes under the control of time, niyati, kaala miti, limitation of time. 'Kaal' is also ya ma or maya. Time is illusion and there exists nothing like time once we leave the earth and fly at the speed of time (186000 m.p.s). Time on earth is the result of the relative movement of the earth (revolution in relation to moon and the sun and rotation of the earth on ts axis). all these are not visible to us since we already in it. Moreover, what all we have as 'time' is the ingenuity of dividing what is indivisible and that which has no beginning or end! Hence everything is an illusion here!] 

Think It Over

What is Self? The Self is a self-manifesting Intelligent Entity:
   "All things require for their manifestation another category that does not belong to their class, but since also there is nothing on which the self can depend for its consciousness, it has to be admitted that the self is a self-manifesting intelligent entity ". (Yamunacharya's doctrine of Soul).

Who identifies objects as this and that?

  "The states of consciousness have thus to be regarded as being the states of the self, which by its connection with the different objects manifests them as this or that consciousness. Knowledge of this or that subject is thus but different states of consciousness, which itself is again a characteristic of the self, the soul." (ibid,)

Think It Over

   The following selected quotations from various sources are put up here for a careful study and deeper thinking by every spiritual seeker. This is the practical way to spiritual development. It is said that chintana (deep thinking), manthana (repeatedly thinking about the subject and finding the deeper meaning), and nidhidhyasana (focused attention and contemplation on the subject) and study of scriptures are the preliminary steps. the scriptural part is supplied here. These are also subjects of deeper study and meditation.

Think it over

   "With the evolution of the 'mahat' the 'manus' descended into it. From the mahat and in the mahat there spring the senses by which the objects are perceived as existent (sada) and non-existent (asada)". (Ahirbudhnya Samhita VII. 9) 

   "Like water or clay, the prakruti is the evolutionary or material cause, the purusha is the unchangeable category that contributes  to the causal operation merely by its contiguity. The category of time is the internal dynamic pervading the prakruti and the purusha. The trinity of prakruti, purusha and kaala is the basis for the development of all the succeeding categories." (Ahir. Sam.,) .

[Note: Each one of the above statements are for contemplation and they constitute the basic principles, moola tattva, that leads one to Atmajnyan,  the 'knowledge of the Self' and finally realization(of the Self) and liberation. Some of these concepts have already been described in the previous blogs].  

yogasu karma koushalam |

    Happiness and joy comes from doing action in an intelligent way as per the advice of Lord Sri Krishna. All actions bring forth certain results and fruits of action in their wake. This cause and effect are inborn traits of prakruti, maya ('ma' and 'ya' (that which can be measured). Time and distance are also involved in this intricate relationship between cause and effect. This link, inevitably causing end result, is prompted by 'desire' that become seed for next birth has to be cut asunder in such a way that the action will not bring bondage. Every jiva is endowed with intelligence and this should be used to eliminate the consequences of actions. This can be done by abnegation of the self, offering the fruits of action to the Lord, or working for common good selflessly (loka sangrahartha) .

   There is another angle or perspective to this. One can be happy and joyful without doing anything. This seems absurd in the beginning since everybody works to get something, attain something that give joy and happiness.This desire and action (iccha and sankalpa) runs the jivas on errands from pillar to post. This running after things desired by the mind and the senses, prompted and goaded by the ego stops the moment the jiva remembers the doctrine of maya. The world is a stage on which every jiva plays a role and acts with a mask! The role of a jiva may end but the play never ends! The jiva has to get behind the screen once its role is over. This is the rule. But many jivas do not understand this and get into trouble to continue even after its role is over! This is the reason why the jiva suffers. 

    The stages of life are well marked as childhood, adolescence, youth. maturity, and senile or old age. These are also marked by brahmacharya, gruhastha, vanaprastha and sanyasa ashrama states. A person should understand this and gradually drop one by one this states as he/she grows older and older and should be mature enough to take to sanyasa at the end. Little does the jiva know these when it takes birth as a human and runs the mill. Most of the jivas never mature enough to drop these earlier states and move on to higher and higher ones. Thus we see even old people behaving like kids! The Gita clearly state that one should take to study of scriptures and develop higher knowledge (paraavidya) paramarthika jnyana and attain to moksha (liberation of the embodied soul) through wisdom (viveka) and renunciation (vairagya).

   The secret of attaining joy and happiness without depending on the external world is the central theme of the Gita. It is difficult to understand the secrets revealed by Bhagavan Shree Krishna in this regard. He, the Lord, no doubt says that He is revealing the secret of all the secrets (guhyatama guhyam) how to be permanently happy and joyful without any external support (upadhi). We are drawn by the attractions of the world due to the senses, mind, buddhi and the ego on the one hand and due to attractiveness and the power of attraction of worldly objects. Each and every sense organ has Devi or deity called Akarshinis, that controls both the attractiveness and the drawing power of objects as well as the outgoing power of the senses. Once we appeal to these Devata through mantra japa and gain their grace we will be able to overcome the worldly attractions. Each Devata has a mantra and the most powerful mantra is the Tarika- Om aim hreem |

   There are also different mantra for different Devata such as the Days and nights.Each Day and each night of the Lunar days and nights has a specific name of the Devata and Her mantra. By chanting these regularly, the spiritual seeker can overcome the powers of attraction of the material world and conquer 'kaal' (Time) and  days and nights disappear for such siddhi purusha (attained persons)! 

   When Bhagavan Shree Krishna says "sarvaramabha parityagi" meaning, one who does not work or even desire is dear to Me He means a yogi who is totally averse to worldly ambitions and desire to possession or enjoyment is dear to Me. He means vairagya and advises Arjuna to take to yoga to attain to samadhi and thereby merge in Him (in nirvikalpa samadhi). It is the attained persons who can keep quiet and enjoy all the joy happiness as explained in the Vedic verse on dva suparna (Two golden-feathers falcons)  No amount of struggling in this world will ever bring ultimate happiness since what all one attains is subject to time, space and causation here. This will make the jiva realize the futility of worldly attainments and makes him/her turn towards the Lord.

Cognizance

   'Taking cognizance' means giving attention to a subject that may otherwise go unnoticed. Thus, we have to take cognizance of a certain subject that would otherwise go unnoticed. How many things go unnoticed every day is something very important and we never know that! The Mind can do one thing at a time. It can think or act and cannot do both at the same time. Many thinkers never act; so also many activists never even think what for they are fighting, arguing or working. This is the problem. Now coming to this task of  'taking cognizance of' requires a lot of attention, conscious one, at that.it is the Consciousness that is the datum line here. Cognizance is the product of 'chit-shakti. Chit or Consciousness is brahmn. prajnyanan brahmn |

   Now, who is cognizing of what? The Atman or the soul is the cognizer and cognizance is the function of the One who resides within us , ie, brahmn, paramatman. The jiva is only re-cognizing what it has already experienced during the several previous births. In this way, it is recognition, pratyabhijnyam that the jiva does in its long journey of life. When the jiva recognizes its true nature the search ends. The jiva stops all its search the moment it realizes who it is! This is pratyabhinjya hridayam eulogized in Kashmir Shaivism.  

  The most significant aspect of this pratyabhijnyam or recognizing or rediscovering (that is lost or untraceable?) is that the knowledge is there but it is covered by some envelope. Generally, one loses sight of one thing when attention is diverted  or something more pressing draws his attention. It is also our greed, avarice, desires and attachment that make lose sight of the truth. This is how jiva gets into trouble. Whoever hears the inner voice, advice of the heart and not the fickle mind and perverted buddhi, will get over the troubles and turmoils of sansara, bhava sagara. A yogi or jnyani is unperturbed by the distractions of the senses, mind, buddhi and ahankar and concentrates on the soul, Atman and there by attains the highest, param padam.

Cognition

The phenomenal objective world is said to be illusory, in the sense it is transient, ever changing, impermanent and maay disappear anytime! What we see we believe. But, we do not know wwhether what we see is there is real or not. It is like the 'Golden Deer' behind which even the learned Sri Ramachandra ran and got into trouble. Apart from things like the silver in the conch-shell or the rope appearing like a snake in dark, there are real life disappointments, too. What we so eagerly sought after turns out to be very disappointing.  The world appears yellow to jaundiced eye. It is the defect of the eye, a disease due to bile emission that causes things to appear yellow and the things are actually not that! The error is correct with improvement with the health. The eye can see what lies ahead provided there is the focused attention and mind is the instrument behind this cognition; along with the mind there is intelligence (buddhi), ego (ahankar) that determine what tone sees. There are a number of factors besides the person's eyes, mind, buddhi and ahankar and capacity to understand what one sees. There is a stage in everybody's life that decides what one sess and understands! At young age as a child, the capacity starts from almost nil to some what limited; this may not improve through out life in some people's case.Some go on improving their ability and reach as high as possible and even get recognition for this ability. So nothing is certain about who sees, what he understands and whether it is the whole truth. 

    Howverm, tehre is something else that we are speaking about here. It is about the subtler aspects that detrmine what appears! Even the sciene has come to the conclusion that what we see as solid is not solid since it is made of insignificant invisible parts! The spiritual texts describe the evolution of the universe the same way as science does; physicists dealing particles, waves, sounds and biologists speaking about cells and chemists speaking about enzymes and amino acids and DNA all come to the same fundamental truth. There is some indefinable secret power behind this creation. There is some catalyst that turns H2 and O into water. There is an unending chemical activity entering in and coming out that decides the diverse objective universe. Behind all these lies only one supreme power, shakti. In fact, our body is nothing but a bundle of cells, chemical bonds, and a vibrant energy principle.

   Hence, we can never know what is ahead of us! We blindly run after fulfilling our desire and feel disappointed when we attain them. Leave the house locked for a month and see that everything has deteriorated; however clean you have left them, dust has covered. The Law of Entropy works. There are a number of factors working behind our thoughts, ideas, images and imagination, and by the time what we see and experience everything has come to naught! This is the cause of illusion. Nothing is real for certain here.Expectations bring disappointment. However, our happiness does not dependonany extraneous things, persons or issues, but the Self.The Atman, the Self, is always happy and contented since it needs nothing! Rather it supports all that weare seeing and experiencing!

Appearances are Deceptive?

  The contentious issue in philosophical teachings is the deceptive world appearing as real and people feeling disappointed even after achieving what they desired. But,this is not so in spiritual experience since the spiritual seekers get the clear idea about the 'true nature' of the phenomenal transient world and feels happy discarding it. There is no question of disappointment to any spiritually attained person.There are volumes and volumes of literature on this contentious issue. Ever since the doctrine of 'neti, neti' ('not this, nit this') was presented by Sri Shankaracharya, there has been an unending discussion and many have criticized this view of 'The illusory world'. In fact, when one discards all that is an adjunct, a part, a support or upadhi what remains is the truth, 'brahmn'. Brahmn is the only sat existence and all else exist as the manifest forms of 'brahmn' only. sarvam khaluvidam brahma |. 

   What exactly is meant by "illusory world"? It is the transient, ever changing nature of the objective world that comes within the grip of time, space, and causality. It is.the phenomeanl objective world, including the jivarashi, that are subject to continuous change.All that is found on this earth  goes on changing from time to time and, finally gets dissipated. We know how uranium becomes lead and how a person grows old and dies! Almost all the people have died in a state of total disappointment despite occupying highest position in public offices. Nothing is certain here since everything is subject to change.This transient nature is called 'maya'. The syllables 'ma' and 'ya' also mean that which comes within measurement (of time and space). It also means that which is reduced to nothingness by time (ya and ma)! There is nothing certain about anything we see, touch, feel here! Thus, the Upanishadic doctrine of 'neti neti' is based on practical experience. 

   What the protagonists of  'a areal world' argue that there is nothing illusory about the world that appears to us and what we experience is real. There is absolutely no doubt about this since our understanding about the material world is definitely real. This is called idam sat. This is true now and here; however, this is not true for all times to come. A person feels disappointed when he finds that anything he so ardently desired and worked for turns out to be not that he wanted. Then what is that he desired? We do not realize the fact that there is a time gap between the time we desired and the time when we achieved or attained it. This time eats away all the joy of attainment!

   What is true, real, permanent or eternal is that which gives a joy for ever. This joy is true since it does not end with time! All the joy and happiness that we get without any external support, upadhi, is real and true happiness. This is the joy, happiness that sprouts from the heart for no reason.