AUM NAMAH SHIVAYA VEDANTA DARSHANAM Feb 10

Vedanta Darshanam

Salutations to all.

We are currently in a world where nothing is in order. The entire world is running here and there trying to solve one problem after the other. When we thought the economy recession was the only problem, the winter storms are coming one after the other (in the west). And not to mention the big earthquake in Haiti which has left many people in the country suffering. It is not just the suffering that the people of Haiti faced that comes to mind but the news about such people taking resort to even stealing and other ways to get some food and other materials. When there are nations trying to help the country, the various nations themselves are arguing amongst themselves as to who will help first etc. Not to mention various religious people trying to convert the children of Haiti; thus the entire world is in a chaotic situation.

This incident of calm people of Haiti taking resort to violence shows us as to what all can we be lead to when we face dire situations in our lives. This should make us realize one as to how temporary life is and we could become the next suffering people in the world with one strike of nature (like the Tsunami few years back); and two is that there will no dearth for desires and when we face situations where our desires cannot be fulfilled through the righteous way, we will take resort to non-righteous way. This doesn’t mean that righteous people will realize and rejoice in bliss but that they will be in a better state to at least have a chance for realization in the future than non-righteous people.

Thus it is very important that we don’t waste this precious human birth given to us in order to realize our very nature of non-dual reality of blissful Brahman. We don’t have to renounce everything, shave our head and live on the streets in order to achieve this. We just have to constantly remember this entire world of names and forms to be just an illusion in the non-dual reality of Brahman as the pulsating Consciousness (pulsating inside us as “I-exist, I-exist”). This doesn’t require money, lot of time, effort etc. It just requires a desire for liberation from the sorrowful world and a resolution of implementing it in our lives whatever it takes.

At least remembering the goal to be achieved through this implementation, we should strive towards implementing it. If we start implementing Vedanta now, we will at least be successful by the end of this birth or at least in a couple of births. If we don’t realize it now, then it may be too late when we want to try to implement it. The older we grow, the lesser our sense organs and intellect will perform; thus we will not be able to analyze and assert this world to be an illusion in Brahman and will not be able to constantly remember Brahman in our minds.

Let us thereby not waste any more time in implementing this simple sadhana of remembering in our mind that this entire world is one non-dual reality of Brahman and Brahman alone thereby making us rejoice in bliss soon in this very birth itself.

Let us also pray for the welfare and peace of the entire world – let us take the resolution to keeping Haiti and its people in our prayers – let us also try to help in whatever way we can the suffering people of Haiti remembering that they are also our very Self of Brahman.

AUM NAMAH SHIVAYA

Feb 7th

Anukramaanika

Vedanta Darshanam

Guru Mahima

Mukhya Vishayam

Sankshiptha Vedanta

Gitaamritham

Upanishad Prachaaram

Raga Varsha

Madhuraamritham

Praadeshikam

Sthuthi

Charitham

Sanskritha shiksha

Sanatana Dharma Sameeksha - snatn xmR smI]a

Vedanta Pariksha

Karuna

Ghatanaa

Anukramaanika Nirdesham

Guru Mahima

Let us continue with the slokas of Gita popularly known today as “Guru Slokas”.

Akhanda mandalaakaaram vyaaptham yena charaacharam

Tat padam darshitham yena tasmai sree gurave namaha

Brahman which is of the form of this entire world; Brahman that pervades the moving and non-moving (objects of the world); he who shows us that goal of “TAT” or “Brahman”, to such a Guru my prostrations.

Sarva vyaapi chit – all pervasive Consciousness

We often hear about Brahman or Ishwara as pervading the entire world. Many times in discourses and other places, we hear this description of Ishwara as one who doesn’t just abide in the idol that we see in the temple but as pervading the entire world that we perceive (including the other world which we currently don’t perceive). Yama when questioned by Nachiketha in Katha Upanishad as to what is there beyond this world answered that whatever is there here is only present there (here means this world and there means the other world or world-after) and vice versa.

Though many of us know this description of Brahman as pervading the entire world, rarely will a person know as to why and how Brahman pervades the entire world. It requires some understanding of Vedanta to grasp the reason behind Brahman being all-pervasive. The reason is very simple and once we get a grasp of the same we will be able to remember it at all times (never forgetting this ultimate truth). The added advantage of remembering the reason behind Brahman being all-pervasive is that once we remember this truth, it is implementation of Vedanta which will give us the goal of blissful Brahman very soon (sama darshanam or equanimity is the way to realize Brahman as it is vision of truth – the truth that the world we currently perceive is Brahman alone).

Without much delay let us see the reason for Brahman being all-pervasive. The world that we perceive is constantly changing – each and every minute objects and people are changing. This changing world thus is an effect of a cause – the cause has to be non-changing as changes are possible only in a changeless entity. Thus the cause of the changing world is a changeless entity. This changeless entity is termed in Vedanta as Brahman or Lord – of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute. It doesn’t require much analysis to understand that the world requires the light of Consciousness to exist – without Consciousness, the entire world will cease to exist. Thus the source of this insentient world is sentient Brahman. Taking an example to analyze this cause-effect relationship, the cause of mud creates the effect of pot out of it. The cause of mud pervades the effect of pot – pot has mud throughout. Or in other words mud pervades the pot – the difference or that which differentiates pot from mud is the name of “pot” and the particular “form”. Names and forms don’t create a new entity but they just make it appear as if a new entity has been created. Thus mud alone exists throughout the pot. In a similar way, Brahman alone exists through the world as Brahman is the cause of the changing name-form world. Names and forms make it appear as if objects of the world are different from one-another and as if the world is different from Brahman – in essence, the world is Brahman and Brahman alone as without Conscious Brahman the world cannot even exist for one moment.

Thus the real-cause-Brahman pervades the illusory-effect-world. The effect of world is just an illusion of names and forms – not real at all. We saw in the previous issue that the Guru is one with Brahman. Thus Guru is all-pervasive with respect to the world – all moving and non-moving objects of the world are just illusions of names and forms in Brahman and hence Brahman pervades them.

This means that the entire world is filled in and out with the Guru. This also means that such a Guru thereby is a living embodiment of the truth of Brahman – that Brahman who is indicated through the word of “TAT” or “THAT” in the mahavakya of TAT TVAM ASI or THAT THOU ART. Therefore a shishya who is able to develop devotion and surrender to the Guru would be able to see the Guru as pervading the entire world – such a shishya would be thinking about the Guru, seeing the Guru in everything and remembering the Guru at all times. This constant remembrance of the Guru is constant remembrance of Brahman and such remembrance of Brahman as pervading this entire world is the direct sadhana for realization (termed as anusandhaanam or nidhidhyaasanam in Vedanta).

Sthaavaram jangamam vyaaptham yat kinchitsacharaacharam

Tvampadam darshitham yena tasmai sree gurave namaha

The Self which pervades the living and non-living, moving and non-moving; he who shows us that Self indicated through the word of “TVAM” or “YOU” in the mahavakya of TAT TVAM ASI or THAT THOU ART, to such a Guru my prostrations.

TAT TVAM ASI – THAT THOU ART

This mahavakya of TAT TVAM ASI is well known to most of us. This is from the sama vedeeya Chandogya Upanishad where the Guru-father of Uddhalaka instructs the Shishya-son of Svethakethu not just once but nine times with different analogies in order for the son to grasp it fully. This mahavakya is called upadesha vakya in that it is instruction given by the Guru to the Shishya asserting that the shishya isn’t different from the Brahman preached in the scriptures – that Brahman which alone exists here as the non-dual reality of Consciousness. Put in other words, the Guru is instructing the shishya that the Chit or Consciousness that pulsates inside you as “I-exist, I-exist” is Brahman alone and not different from Brahman.

The TAT in the mahavakya denotes Brahman and TVAM denotes the Self that pulsates inside as “I-exist, I-exist” – both are one and the same. This oneness is denoted through the word of ASI. What this mahavakya means is that we think currently that we are different from blissful Brahman as we are limited and suffering every moment of our lives. But in essence or reality we are one with Brahman – it is just an illusion of ignorance that makes us feel as if we are different from Brahman. Once we realize our very nature of Consciousness different and distinct from the body-mind-intellect complex, we will be able to rejoice in bliss (that bliss which is the very goal of life and seeking which we do all worldly activities and thereby take many births over and over again).

In the previous sloka Siva said that Guru shows us the term of TAT and in this sloka Siva says that Guru shows us the term of TVAM – this means that the Guru shows us the oneness of the term of TAT and TVAM through making us realize our very nature of non-dual Brahman (the state where the Guru already resides – only a person who is abiding as Brahman can guide another to realize Brahman). It is now easy to figure out that the next sloka would have the Guru defined as one who shows the term of ASI (meaning).

Chinmayam vyaapitham sarvam trailokyam sacharaacharam

Asitvam darshitham yena tasmai sree gurave namaha

That which is of the nature of Consciousness and pervades the three worlds of moving and non-moving objects; he who shows us that Brahman denoted by the term of “ASI” or “ARE”, to such a Guru my prostrations.

Three worlds

Scriptures speak about not three worlds but 14 worlds in total – seven of which are lower than Earth or Bhoo loka (which we reside in currently) and six are higher than Bhoo. Here Siva just speaks about three worlds alone – this means the bhoo loka where happiness and sorrow both are experienced, svarga or suva loka where happiness alone is experienced (temporary happiness and not eternal bliss) and pathaala loka (lower lokas) where sorrow alone is experienced. These three lokas are representatives of the 14 worlds – these worlds are attained by people due to the actions performed by them. The better actions a person performs with respect to the rules of the scriptures, the better or higher world will be attained. The bad the action is, the lower the world will be and thereby sorrow will be experienced. Thus going from lower to higher, a person experiences sorrow alone (temporary happiness is also a source of sorrow as it doesn’t stay for long). Thus performing actions a person goes from one birth to another – but this bhoo loka is the best of lokas as here we are experiencing both happiness and sorrow; it is like a neutral world. Such a neutral world or state alone can make us think, analyze and assert that all the pleasures of any world are temporary and thereby sorrowful. Thus analyzing we will be able to strive to achieve the eternal bliss which is always available to us in the form of our very nature of Consciousness and as the essence of the entire world of names-forms (TVAM as Self and TAT as Brahman).

Thus though all the worlds are pervaded by Brahman, the world that we currently are in is apt for realization and hence we often hear about the greatness of human life (bhoo loka). This is thus a wake-up call to us to utilize this human life to realize our very nature of eternal bliss thereby putting an end to these worlds and actions that take us to these worlds; but making us ever rejoice in bliss. May us until the next issue try to perform the sadhana towards realization of Brahman through seeing Brahman everywhere so that we don’t waste this precious human birth.

Mukhya Vishayam

Devotion

This is one term which has been misunderstood by majority of people in the world, so much that the original meaning is never understood; forget implementing it in our life. A proper understanding of this term is very essential towards our goal of eternal bliss as the very nature of Brahman (also termed in the puranas and other scriptures as Ishwara, Lord, Paramaatman etc.). Unless we understand this term of bhakthi or devotion, though we may learn a lot of scriptures and do many so-called spiritual or devotional activities we will not get the result or effect of eternal bliss in our lives. Even after seemingly following spiritual sadhanas we will end up with the same lack of peace in the mind along with many desires lingering in the mind which will lead to many more births to come. Thus continuing from birth to birth, we will end up in sorrows and sufferings never to experience the bliss that pervades the entire world and pulsates inside us as “I-exist, I-exist”.

Devotion – unconditional love to Ishwara

Devotion is unconditional love to Ishwara – this is the very apt and right definition of devotion as given by Narada in the bhakthi sutras (saa tu asmin parama prema rupa). If we have to understand this definition we have to understand the term of Ishwara. Ishwara is often considered as somebody living in sky or any other world like Vaikunta or Kailasa and at times who appears in temples to bless his followers. All these are wrong notions about Ishwara. The oldest of the Upanishads, Ishavasya Upanishad, defines Ishwara as one who pervades the entire world that we currently perceive. Not just this world but all other worlds are also pervaded by Ishwara. This makes Ishwara all-pervasive Consciousness. All-pervasiveness is not like Ishwara is present everywhere as objects of the world but Ishwara pervades the objects as their essence. Objects that we experience in the world are names and forms of Ishwara. Even as gold pervades all gold ornaments which are names and forms of gold, similarly Ishwara pervades the world which is name and form in Ishwara.

Unless this definition of Ishwara being the essence or reality behind names and forms of the world is remembered, we will not be able to develop unconditional love. It is this definition of Ishwara as all-pervasive reality which can give us eternal bliss while merely remembering him. If we consider Ishwara as just a being sitting in Vaikunta or Kailasa, we will ask for worldly objects rather than asking for the Lord himself – this would mean we will get all the benefits out of worldly objects including the benefit of sorrow which is what comes out of the objects in the long run.

Once we know the definition of Ishwara, next comes the aspect of unconditional love. Love is something which is commonly seen in the world amongst people and even other beings too. But those love that we witness in the world are out of some benefits or expectations whereas true love has to be unconditional. Though we can claim that such unconditional love does exist between true lovers or between a mother and her child, it is impossible to have unconditional love other than with Ishwara. This is because Ishwara alone is beyond all conditions (all-pervasive means beyond all limitations or conditions). If the object that we love is limited, our love also will be conditional or limited (if the object itself vanishes after some time, then how can we have unconditional love?). Thus unconditional means always, at all times and without fail – such unconditional love thus can be had towards Ishwara and Ishwara alone --- that Ishwara who pervades the entire world (Ishwara not being one who has a particular form and only serves his devotees alone).