In the Beginning

   In the beginning, my dear, this universe was Being (Sat) alone, one only without a second. Some say that in the beginning this was non-being (asat) alone, one only without a second; and from that non-being, being was born. Aruni said: But how, indeed, could it be thus, my dear? How could Being be born from non-being? No, my dear, it was Being alone that existed in the beginning, one only without a second. It (Being, or Brahman) thought: 'May I be many; may I grow forth.' It created fire. That fire thought: 'May I be many; may I grow forth.' It created water. That is why, whenever a person is hot and perspires, water is produced from fire (heat) alone.  Homage to Death, the end of life! Here rest your breath, both inward and outward! May the life of this man be maintained in the realm of the Sun, in the world of deathlessness! The power of God has raised him up, the heavenly Drink has raised him up, the powers of the Storm, of Heaven and of Fire, have raised him up to well-being. [Atharva Veda VIII, 1, 1-2].That water thought: 'May I be many; may I grow forth.' It created food (i.e. earth). That is why, whenever it rains anywhere, abundant food is produced. From water alone is edible food produced.[Samavda, Chandogya Upanishad VI, II - Brahman: the Cause of the Universe,1-4]

Of all these living beings, there are only three origins: those born from an egg, those born from a living being and those born from a sprout.[Sama Veda, Chandogya Upanishad VI, III - The Threefold Development, 1]

These glorious drops are my health and salvation: they strengthen my joints as thongs do a cart. May these droplets guard my foot lest it stumble and chase from my body all manner of ills.Make shine brightly like fire produced by friction. Illumine us, make us ever more prosperous. Enthused by you, Soma, I find myself rich! Enter within us for our well-being.With hearts inspired may we relish the Juice like treasure inherited from our Fathers! Lengthen our days, King Soma, as the sun causes the shining days to grow longer[Rig Veda VIII, 48,5-7]

"Jnyani is Very Dear to Me"

   Bhagavan says, "Jnyani, the man of knowledge, is very dear to Me". (Ch. 7 Verse 17). Who is a jnyani is also explained in this verse. The person endowed with 'Knowledge' (jnyan) is steadfast, single-minded, totally devoted to Him. Further, it is also stated that 'shruddhavan labhate jnyan...| Knowledge is available only to those who are devoted to Him totally, with focused attention, single-minded, always thinking of Him.

   'Knowledge (Jnyan) is stated to be the one pertaining to the Lord, not the materialistic world. The knowledge pertaining to the materialistic world is of lower type (apara vidya). But this superior knowledge is higher, 'para vidya'. The knowledge pertaining to worldly sensuous life is of no use since it is ever-changing and is of mundane nature. The joy and happiness obtained from worldly knowledge is temporal, disappointing, sooner or later. It will not give a lasting, permanent happiness. Higher knowledge, on the other hand, pertains to liberation, emancipation, mukti and breaks the shackles of births and deaths, and gives eternal happiness. The embodied soul, indeed, looks for liberation!
   A jnyani is one who has taken to yoga (at the earliest?) and steadfastly adhered to it. Thus, he has excelled the ordinary mundane worldly seekers.  He has realized the futility of mundane existence. He has attained to the 'turiya' and thereby transcended 'time-space' bondage, duality, crossed beyond causality and karma klesha. He is sarvasha, sarvabhava and sarvarambha parityagi, nirasakta, in the Lord's own opinion,as stated by him!

  Thus, all those who aspire for the higher knowledge are yogi, blessed and redeemed! They are dear to Him. 

The Self

   "He who inhabits the mind, yet is within the mind, whom the mind does not know, whose body the mind is and who controls the mind from within-He is your Self, the Inner Controller, the Immortal. He who inhabits the skin, yet is within the skin, whom the skin does not know, whose body the skin is and who controls the skin from within-He is your Self, the Inner Controller, the Immortal. He who inhabits the intellect (vijnana), yet is within the intellect, whom the intellect does not know, whose body the intellect is and who controls the intellect from within-He is your Self, the Inner Controller, the Immortal.He who inhabits the organ of generation, yet is within the organ, whom the organ does not know, whose body the organ is and who controls the organ from within-He is your Self, the Inner Controller, the Immortal. He is never seen, but is the Seer; He is never heard, but is the Hearer; He is never thought of, but is the Thinker; He is never known, but is the Knower. There is no other seer than He, there is no other hearer than He, there is no other thinker than He, there is no other knower than He. He is your Self, the Inner Controller, the Immortal. Everything else but Him is perishable. Thereupon Uddilaka, the son of Aruna, held his peace.[Yajur Veda, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad III, VII-Yajnavalkya and Uddalaka, 16]

   Accept the healing remedy your mother and your father bring together with your sister and your brother. I make you one who reaches ripe old age.Live on, O man, with your spirit unimpaired. Do not follow the messengers sent by Yama! Remember the cities where the living dwell! [Atharva Veda V, 30, 6]

  Come back hither in response to our calls, you who know the path that lies ahead, the way and the ascent of every living person!. [Atharva Veda V, 30, 7]

Seven Steps to Kaivalya Dham

   Kaivalya dham or Kailash and Vaikuntha are considered the abode of Shiva and Vishnu, respectively. Every jiva aspires to reach the param pada, the feet of Shiva or Vishnu. Once the jiva gets embodied on the earth as a mortal it undergoes trails and travails. It finally realizes the futility of its mundane existence. It is only after this realization of the futility of mundane existence that the jiva seeks guidance and looks for redemption. The learned sages have realized the 'truth'. They guide the seekers to find salvation. However, the jiva has to strive hard to attain its goal.

   The seven steps to kaivalya, attainment of moksha are declared in the Gita to be: jnyana, viveka, vairagya, yajnya, dana, and tapas. These are sure steps to liberation, mukti of the embedded, embodied, mortal jiva. The jiva should climb every step steadily, carefully, and hold on to firmly till the next step is reached. This is not easy. there is every chance of getting losing grip and falling back! The guidance and support of a guru is essential here.

   Jnyan is defined in the Gita. The jiva shall strive to realize its true nature, The Blessed Lord says, the "jnyani is very dear to Me." Here, jnyan, knowledge is not the information about the mundane collected from the material world. It is the para vidya, higher knowledge, supreme knowledge Vedanta- spiritual knowledge. This 'Knowledge of the Self', Atma-jnyan, cannot be obtained until and unless one closes the door to the external world and start the inner inner journey. This viveka, wisdom, churned out of right knowledge also comes with the help of a guru. So one has to start life of surrender to the higher self with all humility and live a life of simplicity, renunciation.
   The jiva should first realize its predicament, Unless it realizes that it is in a wrong place there will be no effort to seek the right one. If the jive rejoices in its mundane existence due to ignorance there is no problem. It will take repeated births and deaths until it seeks redemption, one day! 
   The jiva has to experience in full, with full awareness, what it is doing and what it wants. Then only, the right knowledge comes. But, such a knowledge will rarely come to a jiva running on errands due to its unending desires! Attachment to the mundane clouds its intelligence and it is very difficult to tutor the jiva and guide it on the right path, sat nyasa.

Hidden Secrets in the Gita

   As we have noticed in the previous blogs, the Bhagavad-Gita is full of secrets that will not be understood by ordinary readers. Bhagavan Himself says, "guhyatama guhyamam pravashyami, shrunomi | What is that secret" If Bhagavan says it is a secret can we, mortals ever understand it?  Arjuna is perplexed, so are we! We can never understand these secrets until our inner eye opens to the 'true self' by 'Atma bodha', Knowledge of the Self. 'Atma jnyan' is very important. It is essential to have the basic understanding of 'Who am I" to know what is this creation and who is the creator. It is almost impossible to know all these without a 'guru', an attained person, who will impart this to us. But why one should take the trouble of teaching us when we are not at all interested in going to him? It is by our earnest prayer to the Lord, that a guru is sent to us and we don not ask for one? Why should one bother about the other world when we are happy enjoying the sensuous world? We do not bother to hear the warning of the great sages like Ashtavakra, Avadhoota, or Raikva. They all warn that we are rejoicing when the poisonous snake of unending desires has bitten us and the poison is rising! Well, it is left to the sweet will and pleasure of the seeker?

   Now, the secret knowledge imparted to Arjuna is very important. The Blessed lord imparts the knowledge of 'brahmn', the ultimate seat, param pada. It is brahm vidya and yogopanishad. One can attain supreme bliss by acquiring the knowledge of the Self, Atma-jnyan, practicing yoga and pranayama.   

'Margashirsha'

   The month of 'Maharashtra' of the Hindu Calendar (panchanga) is a very auspicious month and Bhagavan Shree Krishna says, "I am Margashirsha'." The term 'marga-shirsha' is a sign board at cross roads and it points to the right path desired by the traveler, path-seeker! It is celebrated as Gita jayanti days, Gita abhiyana period, when the Bhagavad-Gits parayana is carried out.For a sincere seeker, the entire year is marga shirsha!

 Now, it is time to think of salvation. It is almost the end of Vaivasvata manvantara. Kali yuga is coming to a close sooner or later. The humanity is at cross-roads. There is viplava, confusion, turmoil in the weather conditions, restlessness in the minds of the people and people are revolting against the system everywhere. The Gita shows the path of redemption. Now it is absolutely essential for all to think of the 'purpose of life', 'purushartha', rather than go in mad pursuit of sensuous worldly attainments. Nothing counts at the end!
   The beauty of the Gita is that it shows not just one, but several paths of salvation. Every type of jiva is addressed here- tamasic, rajasic, sattvic, and it is not even necessary to do anything for this purpose of redemption!

  

Descent and Ascent of the Jiva

   As humans, we are endowed with certain intelligence, discerning, disseminating and discriminating ability. This inherent faculty can help us to understand how the jiva is a product of assimilation of many invisible gaseous elements shaped by forces that we may never know! For instance, our physical body is made up of Hydrogen and Oxygen that makes up water (almost seventy percent of our body!) and carbon, calcium, etc! These are almost invisible and appear gross in their appearance, but yet subtler! There are many other forces that constantly keep us moving, grow up, procreate and feel as if we are the real ones. Alas, these can die out, decay, disintegrate and disappear altogether!

   But, then, what is the reality of our existence? In fact, it is 'nothing'; nothingness is the reality! Nothingness appear as something only to disappear as is nothing. Someone asked, 'where do the ants come from when some sweets are kept in the open'? The answer is very simple. 'These ants were already there in the sweets in an invisible form as a part of the sweets! The scripture give details of creation, sustenance, dissolution and merger. Accordingly, the first emanate of 'brahmn' is space (Akasha). From Akasha emanates air (vayu) and subsequently, from both these emanate fire (agni); so also, the water and the earth emanate from combination of all these emerged elements. Thus all are part and parcel of the first emanate 'brahmn' which is nothingness for all practical purposes!

   Now, all that exist here on earth is just the combination, compounds, of simple elements! The body is made up of cells, tissues, and organs. The body disappears as and when the parts depart or disappear! However, the soul that enabled the body to live and work accumulated memories, experiences, fruits of action (karmaklesha), nature or qualities of the earth- of the food, water, and all sorts of desires, etc. condemns the jiva to struggle life after life without redemption, liberation, mukti, moksha, break off shackles or chain of births and deaths and rebirths, or release from eternal bondage! The soul gets enmeshed, tainted, or burdened with the loads of karma!
   The Rk Veda describes the nature of existence in the Mandala X. 'Purusha' is the person who occupies the body (pura). The human body is a physical entity made of flesh, bone and blood. But the life-force, prana, enters it to make it a living organism. The life-force is the oxygen derived from air is gross but the real energy aspect (entity?) is a 'non-entity'. It is a stellar dust particle, an ion, a photon, an unimaginably intelligent, self-effulgent, eternal, unborn, and undying aspect, The soul is the 'purusha', the intelligence aspect of the ignorant aspect- body entity! To expect the ignorant gross entity (borne out of the earth) to revert to the subtle-most intelligence aspect of the heavens is a tall order!

    Thus, the secret of the nature of our existence is revealed! We all are elemental bodies.We appear and disappear. The descent of the jiva is explained as the spiritual component and the body is the composition of the earthen material. The jiva is elemental at the gross level and spiritual at the core. The physical body may disintegrate but not the soul. The ascent of the jiva to its original natural non-elemental or spiritual state needs a concerted effort through practice of yoga. Ultimately, the jiva has to revert to its natural spiritual state. This is not an easy one.