AUM NAMAH SHIVAYA VEDANTA DARSHANAM Apr 10

AUM NAMAH SHIVAYA VEDANTA DARSHANAM Apr 10

Vedanta Darshanam

Salutations to all.

Yet another eventful month has passed by. As Sankara beautifully puts it in Bhaja Govindam, Kaalah kreedathi gacchathi aayuh (time passes and aging happens); the only questions that a seeker should ask himself or herself is whether desires are getting reduced; at least are desires just staying the same instead of increasing; is our happiness level increasing or decreasing (happiness not based on external objects but happiness irrespective or independent of external objects/situations/environment).

These questions are what a seeker needs to ask constantly in order to remain focused on the spiritual path. If at any point of time, the happiness level is decreasing or desires are increasing then it means the seeker is not progressing but going down in the opposite direction. Already we have accumulated lot of vasanas and karma phalas in the innumerous previous births. It is easy to answer this through Vedanta saying that “I am not the body therefore there is no karmaphala or vasana for me” but do we really mean it? Are we able to remain blissful even when faced with physical troubles? If yes, then we have nothing to worry about. If no, then we are just using Vedanta as a shield and as an excuse to our miserable state.

Irrespective of whether we make such foolish and idiotic statement or not, we will be suffering here and in the future as well. Thus it all boils down to whether internally we are blissful or not. It is impossible to remain blissful without knowledge of the Self as all-pervasive Consciousness and this knowledge can be achieved through Vedanta alone.

Thus it is high-time that we as seekers seek out the Self through learning and implementing Vedanta so that even as another month passes by, we don’t remain in the same level as the previous month but are able to progress towards the ultimate reality of Brahman. The sooner we progress, the sooner we will be able to rejoice in bliss.

And since ultimately the goal of life is to rejoice in bliss untainted and unaffected by sorrow, therefore it is essential that we start in the path at least now. Starting now will ensure that we attain the goal of eternal bliss at least by the end of this birth or at least in a few births.

This is not the time to say “later” and give excuses. Already we see so many natural and manmade calamities happening in the world. It just takes one moment to be in one of those calamities and thereby will end our life. We don’t know whether we will get a spiritual environment or spiritual temperament in the next birth as births depend on our previous actions and knowledge accumulated (balance of both). Hence only a fool will try to take risk. A wise person will try to achieve the goal here and now itself so that yet another birth isn’t wasted in futile activities that we have been doing for many births and for many years in this very birth itself.

AUM NAMAH SHIVAYA

Apr11th

Anukramaanika

Vedanta Darshanam

Guru Mahima

Mukhya Vishayam

Sankshiptha Vedanta

Gitaamritham

Upanishad Prachaaram

Raga Varsha

Madhuraamritham

Praadeshikam

Charitham

Sthuthi

Vedanta Pariksha

Ghatanaa

Anukramaanika Nirdesham

GuruMahima

Let us continue with the slokas of Gita where a seeker offers prostrations to the Guru.

Yatsattvena jagatsatyam yatprakaashena bhaathi tat

Yadaanandena nandanthi tasmai sreegurave namaha

By whose existence, this world appears existent (real); who shining (or whose light) makes the world shine; whose bliss spreads into the world, unto such a Guru my prostrations.

World dependent on Guru

We have seen previously that Guru is one with Brahman. Brahman is defined in the scriptures as of the nature of Sat Chit Anandam or Existence, Consciousness and Bliss. Thus the Guru is of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss. The world that we currently perceive is just names and forms of Brahman or Guru – the differences in the world are due to names and forms which aren’t real at all but appear real due to Satchidanandam. If not for Sat, the world wouldn’t exist at all. It is very easy to understand this – the world is constantly changing whereas Brahman is changeless. As a variable depends on the constant for its very existence, similarly the changing world depends on Brahman for its existence. If not for Brahman the world would cease to exist. This can be understood through the analogy of water in desert – the water in desert doesn’t have any existence but for the desert. If the desert were to cease to exist, the water would also cease to exist instantly. Thus the world exists because of the existence of Brahman (since world is an illusion in Brahman even as water is an illusion in the desert).

Any existence requires a light to fall upon it or a light to illumine it. The light which always illumines temporary as well as permanent existence is the light of Consciousness – this is the light of all lights. Even the various lights that we see in the world like Sun, moon, stars, lamps etc. are depended on the light of Consciousness. But for Consciousness, all these lights will have no power to illumine anything (a person has to be Conscious in order to experience any existence). It is but a fact that Existence and Consciousness go hand in hand. If something exists, then a light is falling upon it – if a light is falling upon an object then the object exists.

Thus Ramana Maharshi says

Sattva bhaasikaa chit kvavetharaa

Sattaya hi chit chittayaa hi aham

Who can illumine existence other than Consciousness; since I exist (at all times) therefore I am Chit or Consciousness in nature as well.

Since the Guru is Chit in nature, therefore Guru illumines the entire world. The light that illumines the world is that of the Guru. The world doesn’t have any sentience or power of illumining anything of its own. It is the light of Guru which makes it appear as if the world has the power to illumine objects even as an iron rod kept in fire for a period of time might appear to be like fire (and it might seem to possess qualities of fire but it doesn’t really possess – it appears like fire because of being near to fire). Since the world is pervaded with Guru of the nature of Sat therefore the world appears not just existing but appears as if it is sentient (and has a light to illumine objects).

The objects of the world give us happiness even if the happiness is short-lived or temporary. The world which doesn’t exist at all cannot give us any happiness – thus the world requires a source of happiness from which the world appears to take a part of the happiness and give it to people who experience the world. The source of happiness is Guru. The Guru’s very blissful nature is imparted to the world but partially as the world limits the happiness (names and forms limit eternal bliss thereby making them temporary blissful and not eternally blissful). A seeker who is able to go beyond the names and forms of the world will experience the entire world as eternally blissful as the world is just names and forms of Brahman or Guru (remove names and forms and Guru alone exists).

To sum it, the world exists only because of the Guru; the world shines only because of the Guru; the world is a source of happiness because of the Guru; the world is nothing but the Guru with names and forms. Even as various objects made of gold are just names and forms of gold and thereby gold alone, similarly this world made of names and forms of Guru is Guru alone. This means that a seeker should constantly see this entire world as filled in and out with the Guru – this means respecting the world (not as the dual world but as Guru). If only we are able to experience the world as the Guru even for a little period of time, most of the problems that we experience today will instantly vanish.

This vision of the world as Guru is vision of oneness or samatvam when a seeker realizes that this entire world is Guru and Guru alone.

Yasmin sarvaani bhoothaani atmaivaa bhoot vijaanatah

Tatra ko mohah kah shokah ekatvam anupashyathah

When a person realizes that the Self (Brahman or Guru) alone has become this entire world then all delusions and sorrows will vanish due to vision of oneness.

When a person sees duality in the world, it leads to likes and dislikes. Likes and dislikes in turn lead to attachment and aversion which in turn leads to happiness and sorrow. Thus tossed around between happiness and sorrow, a seeker experiences nothing but sorrow and sorrow alone.

If a seeker desires to get rid of sorrow once and for all then the entire world has to be seen as the non-dual reality of Guru alone – Guru of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss. There is no other way to removing sorrow but this. If we think we can go to some pilgrimage places or some temples or some mahatmas and get rid of sorrow instantly then we are totally mistaken. Removal of sorrow is possible only through knowledge that this entire world is one Consciousness alone. This itself is knowledge; this itself is devotion; this itself is yoga of the nature of vision of oneness or equanimity.

This sloka of Guru Gita also gives us a way to act in the world while perceiving the entire world as filled in and out with the Guru. A seeker with a Guru doesn’t thereby need another ista devatha (favorite deity) – the Guru serves as the ista devatha. Since the Guru also stands for Brahman and imparts us knowledge about Brahman therefore whenever we remember the Guru (through seeing the Guru in the entire world) we will be implementing knowledge and thus this becomes a sadhana of jnaana thereby making us rejoice in bliss while taking us more and more towards the goal of eternal bliss (getting rid of sorrows and ajnaana once and for all).

Guru as everything

Though we saw this aspect of considering the Guru as everything in the previous issue, it is worth analyzing this again here. AMMA says that a person shouldn’t think that “my Guru doesn’t think of me” as the Guru is ever thinking about the disciples only. But in order for the Guru to help us out or guide us towards the goal of eternal bliss or take us away from the ocean of samsaara characterized by sorrows and sufferings, a disciple has to develop complete surrender to the Guru. When Draupadi called out to Krishna with one hand while holding on to her saree with the other hand, the Lord didn’t come to help her out. The Lord came only when Draupadi let go of her saree and called out to the Lord with both her hands denoting complete and total surrender.

Unless we have total surrender to the Guru, we will not have complete faith in Guru. Faith is everything in the spiritual path where logic and reasoning can only take us to an extent. Logic can be used to prove that the non-dual Self which is one with Brahman does exist and we are the Self. But logic can also be used in a hair-splitting way to prove the opposite to the same. Thus logic which is a product of Maya or the illusory world cannot lead us to the truth of Brahman. If we have to realize the non-dual reality of Brahman then we need faith. Without a Guru we will not be able to learn or understand that Brahman does exist – the Guru isn’t like mere books where Brahman is defined but the Guru is a living embodiment of Brahman showing us that Brahman does exist and that we can realize our very nature of Brahman here and now itself.

Without total surrender and faith, we will never be able to understand and appreciate the words of the Guru – hence it is essential to gain total surrender and faith unto the Guru. When we have surrender and faith on the Guru then we don’t have to seek or depend on anything else in the world. The problem with the way life is today is that we have to depend on a lot of things and people – today science is trying to make life automatic so that dependencies are reduced. Dependencies always pose a trouble as it is always limited and has conditions associated with it. We can never make our lives automatic because then one small error or mistake will turn life upside down. But if we are able to depend on one person who will never fail, then life will become very smooth and blissful. This one person on whom we can depend on at all times is the Guru – Guru is not like Brahman but Guru is in a human form like us (of course Guru can also be mental perception). The Guru will never fail us even if the Guru’s physical presence isn’t there to guide us any more (any form whether it is that of a normal person or the Guru or Ishwara himself will have to vanish from earth as forms are always limited in time). Thus if we are able to develop surrender and faith unto the Guru then we will always be protected by the Guru – we will no longer need any other dependencies in the world (it doesn’t hurt to have dependencies) and thereby our lives will become very blissful.

May we strive towards such a state where we are able to always depend on the Guru thereby making our lives very blissful instead of being filled with sorrow at all times.

Mukhya Vishayam

Sankalpa Nireekshanam

Each and every person in the world has a different experience with the world. Some have experiences of poverty; others have experience of money; yet others fame; yet others miseries; yet others very happy moments. Irrespective of all these experiences of the world, it remains a naked truth that no person who experiences the world, as it is,is content or satisfied; not even one such person can make claims of remaining very blissful. This is because of the very nature of the world – the world is beautifully described by the Lord in Gita as temporary and sorrowful (anityam asukham lokam).

The first step in spirituality or Vedanta is to accept this truth that the world we currently perceive is sorrowful and will lead to sorrow and sorrow alone. If we aren’t merely convinced with statements, logic too proves that the world which is constantly changing is sorrowful as anything which changes will give sorrow in the long run (though might seem to give happiness in the short run). That which changes will cease to exist at one point of time – when the entire world itself ceases to exist or doesn’t exist, how can we get any eternal bliss out of the entity? Yes, while the entity is present it might give us happiness but the happiness is temporary, short-lived and sandwiched between sorrow (sorrow while trying to possess the object in order to experience happiness and sorrow after the object ceases to exist). Hence the Lord says in Gita that wise people will never take resort to the temporary and sorrowful world.

Our very experience as well as experience of people in the world supports this scriptural truth (about the world) and logic (about world being sorrowful). There has been no king or chakravarthi or emperor or rich person or any person for that matter who has got eternal bliss from the world; on the other hand all such people have got sorrow and sufferings alone from the world whether it be Alexander, Napolean, Hitler or any other person. Even the great scientists of ancient times have faced sorrow and sorrow alone. Even today we see great presidents, scientists, rich people, bureaucrats, politicians etc. all facing sorrow and sorrow from the world.

One problem after the other starts to trouble the people of the world. Few years back it was terrorists; just a year ago it was economy (which is still down); and to add to this, weather calamities are a lot today. On one hand we see countries being affected by winter storms and on the other hand we see countries being affected by over-heat. Thus problem after problem starts to pound upon the people of the world and there has been and will never be found a permanent solution to these problems. When one problem is solved, another springs in its place – thus continues the sorrowful journey of man in this temporary and sorrowful world.

In order to eradicate these problems, we have to thus accept the truth that the world is temporary and sorrowful (this has been proved through sruthi or scriptural statements, yukthi or logic and anubhava or experience – our own and others). Only when a person realizes that the experiences he or she is having (experiences of or in the world) is sorrowful will such a person start seeking eternal bliss in places other than the world. This search then will end up in the non-dual reality of Brahman as the cause-substratum of the temporary world. More and more a seeker analyzes Brahman, more and more the seeker progresses towards Brahman. After thorough analysis a seeker will constantly remember Brahman in the mind – such constant contemplation of Brahman as the non-dual reality behind the temporary (illusory) world is the direct way to realization. As time passes by with contemplation of Brahman, the seeker will appear more and more blissful; until the seeker remains blissful (not just once a day or few hours in a day but through an entire day – not just for one day but beyond time, meaning at all times).