AUM NAMAH SHIVAYA VEDANTA DARSHANAM Oct 09

AUM NAMAH SHIVAYA VEDANTA DARSHANAM Oct 09

Vedanta Darshanam

Salutations to all.

This week Obama, the president of the United States, received the Nobel Peace Prize award. This is an award given to people who work for the peace of the world. But does this mean there is peace in this world? Does this mean that all the problems of the world have vanished? Does this mean that peace is as simple as winning an award through our actions?Sankara in his Brahma Sutra bhashya says that it is not so. Actions can never give us eternal bliss. Actions are born out of desires – the primary desire being the desire for perfection, satisfaction and bliss. This desire for bliss itself is caused out of ignorance, the ignorance of one’s own very nature of bliss. Therefore removing ignorance is the way out of all sufferings. But can ignorance be removed by action which is caused out of ignorance itself? Definitely no. Therefore only knowledge can get rid of ignorance and all our problems. This means that just by actions or awards, we cannot get bliss.

Though there are people like Obama and others doing very good actions for the entire world, trying to get rid of terrorists and trying to uplift people yet the world is in total chaos. Towns get submerged into water; earthquakes hit; terrorism is at its peak – thus everything is in a chaotic situation. But a sadhaka should remember that the very nature of the world is chaos – anityam asukham lokam or the world is temporary and sorrowful. Understanding this nature of the world, a sadhaka should strive for perfection through realizing blissful changeless Brahman which is the substratum of this illusory world.

The day until a sadhaka strives and achieves Brahman there will be chaos and chaos alone in the world. Even the Lord himself couldn’t avoid chaos in the form of Mahabharatha war as well as when the yaadavaas killed each other. Once a person realizes that this world is just a divine play of Brahman, there will only be bliss – externally the world will still be in chaos but life will be blissful at all times. As Sankara points out, “nandhathi nandhathi nandhathi eva” or “rejoices, rejoices and verily rejoices”. May we as ardent sadhakas strive to achieve that state of bliss amidst all the chaos of the world.

AUM NAMAH SHIVAYA

Oct10th

Anukramaanika

Vedanta Darshanam

Guru Mahima

Mukhya Vishayam

Sankshiptha Vedanta

Gitaamritham

Upanishad Prachaaram

Raga Varsha

Praadeshikam

Sthuthi

Charitham

Sanatana Dharma Sameeksha

Sanskritha shiksha

Vedanta Pariksha

Ghatanaa

Anukramaanika Nirdesham

GuruMahima

Anything that we achieve in life has a set of pre-requisites to be followed before trying to achieve. Vedanta talks about the four-fold qualifications or pre-requisites to gaining knowledge as viveka (discrimination between real and unreal), vairagya (dispassion towards the world and passion towards Brahman), shamaadi shatka sampatti (the six qualities of mind – shama or calmness, dama or control of sense organs, uparathi or restraint of sense organs, titiksha or forbearance, sraddha or faith in the scriptures-guru and samaadhana or tranquility) and mumukshutva (burning desire for liberation).

We saw in the last month as to the importance of devotion towards Brahman or Ishwara. We find Siva reiterating this by saying that faith in Ishwara and Guru is essential in order to gain and apprehend knowledge to its full. This is an oft-quoted famous sloka.

Yasya deve paraa bhakthih yathaa deve tathaa gurau

Tasyethe kathithaa hi arthaah prakaashanthe mahaatmanah

Who has supreme devotion to Ishwara and similar devotion to one’s Guru, to such a person alone will the knowledge, about to be imparted, be fruitful.

This is quite simple to understand – devotion can be replaced with the term of faith. We require absolute faith in someone who is going to guide us to the non-apprehensible Brahman. Even in worldly cases where we know the goal to be achieved clearly, we still need faith in whatever is guiding us whether it is a sentient being or an insentient entity like maps or itinerary etc.

In the spiritual path, the Guru who guides us and the goal of Ishwara (who guides us through everything in this world as the world is pervaded in and out by Ishwara) are very important – our faith/devotion to the Guru and Ishwara is essential in order to achieve the goal of eternal bliss or moksha. It cannot be argued that there are people who have realized without a Guru as such people either might have followed a Guru in the previous birth or are guided by Guru not in physical form but in other forms that we are unaware of. We know that there are books that at times guides us and the authors of these books instantly become our Guru during those times. Faith in Ishwara is essential as without seeking a fruit no one does any action at all – faith in Ishwara or desire for the state of Ishwara (moksha or eternal bliss) is what drives a spiritual seeker to follow the spiritual path (even as worldly people follow certain path in order to achieve certain goal).

There can be a doubt here as to whether it is very essential to know about Guru’s Mahima. Though we saw as to how secretive this knowledge is, yet it may not be very important to know it. CIA is the most secretive organization in the world and this doesn’t make it knowable. Siva next explains in few slokas as to the necessity of this knowledge – mostly the necessity of Vedanta is by proving that moksha cannot be achieved through any others means but by Vedanta alone (tameva vidvaan amritha iha bhavathi, na anyah panthaa vimukthaye – knowing Brahman alone a person attains immortality, there is no other way to liberation).

Japasthapo vratham teertham yajno daanam tathaiva cha

Gurutattvam avijnaaya sarvam vyartham bhavet priye

Chanting, austerity, penances, taking bath in sacred places, sacrifices and donations etc. are of no use without knowing about the Guru (and his Mahima).

Gurubudhyaatmano naanyat satyam satyam varaanane

Tallaabhaartham prayatnasthu karthavyascha maneeshibhih

Know that there is no truth other than the Guru and knowledge about the Guru is true knowledge; it is the duty of human beings to strive for this knowledge.

Knowing about the Guru alone can save us from bondage

Without a Guru it is impossible to tread the spiritual path without straying off and achieve the goal of moksha. Hence the scriptures say “aachaaryavaan purusho veda” or “only a person who has a Guru will know”. Bondages are caused because of ignorance – the ignorance that is manifested in the form of “I am the body”, “These people and objects are different from me” etc. which are all duality (duality considered real is the essence of all manifestations of ignorance) is the cause of sorrow. Duality causes a person to either like or dislike objects (and people who are different from oneself). Likes and dislikes in turn leads to attachment and aversion. Attachment and aversion in turn leads to happiness and sorrow. Happiness and sorrow in turn leads a person to do actions in order to get rid of sorrow and always be happy. Actions lead to results and results are obviously either happiness or sorrow – if results are happiness then more actions are performed in order to maintain the happiness and if results are sorrowful then more actions are performed in order to negate the sorrow, thus the never-ending chain of action and results continues (kurvathe karma bhogaaya, karma karthum cha bhunjathe – man does action for enjoyment and he enjoys in order to do more actions). Action-result chain cannot be contained in one birth and hence the chain of birth-death continues (punarapi jananam punarapi maranam punarapi janani jatare shayanam – again birth, again death and again in the womb of the mother). Thus a person suffers over and over again with no end to his suffering and no sight of eternal bliss.

Ignorance can be removed only by knowledge even as darkness can be expelled only by light. The ignorance of one’s own very nature of Self or Brahman or Ishwara is what causes one to believe one is the body and there is duality present; this can be removed only through knowledge that non-duality alone is real and duality is just an illusion in the non-dual reality of Brahman who is our very nature of pulsating “I” (totally unaffected by duality). Knowledge can be gained only from a person who already has knowledge (though learning from books is possible it isn’t possible to realize except for exceptions without the guidance of a Guru – books are indirect knowledge whereas Guru is direct knowledge and living embodiment of books). Since Guru is the way to gain knowledge and knowledge is essential to get rid of bondage, therefore Guru is essential in order to get rid of bondage.

Guru is knowledge (Guru is Brahman)

Guru has knowledge and is a living embodiment of knowledge. Hence such Guru is himself knowledge – he or she doesn’t need any book-knowledge as knowledge is not an intellectual property for the Guru but a constant living experience. Even as a person who has tasted milk has experience of milk, similarly the Guru is constantly experiencing Brahman unlike an ignorant person who might have gained intellectual knowledge but no experience of Brahman (similar to a person who has known about milk but never tasted it). Such a living embodiment of knowledge is therefore the first step towards realization. Hence we find in the scriptures all seekers trying to first find an apt Guru after creating a strong desire for liberation.

Siva through making the point about essentiality of Guru is thus telling us to seek a Guru in order to progress in the spiritual path quickly. In order for a seeker to seek a Guru, it is important to understand the greatness of the Guru (till now we have seen the greatness and essentiality of the knowledge of a Guru’s Mahima). Is there a way to understand the greatness of a Guru without even knowing the meaning of the word Guru? Definitely not and hence Siva gives a few meanings of the word Guru (defining the word Guru) which we will see in the next month before entering into the greatness of a Guru being elaborately explained.

Until then may we try to understand and convince our intellect about the essentiality of a Guru and before that the Guru’s Mahima in the spiritual path towards eternal bliss.

Mukhya Vishayam

Last month we learnt Adhyaasa from Sankara’s adhyaasa bhashya. To give a short recap, adhyaasa or superimposition is the cause of all problems in life (sarva anartha hetu). Adhyaasa or superimposition includes two terms – one is drik or Brahman and two is drishya or jagat. The words that Sankara uses for both of these are atman (Self) and anatman (not-Self) along with their dharmas or qualities. Atman’s dharma is sat (existence), chit (consciousness) and ananda (bliss). Anatman’s dharma is naama (name) and rupa (form).

Asthi bhaathi priyam rupam naamam chethi amsha panchakam

Adhyatrayam brahma rupam jagadrupo thatho dvayam

Any object that we see in the world has five components – Existence, Consciousness, Bliss, name and form. The first three are the nature of Brahman and the last two are the nature of the world.

Name and form are only illusions – the examples of gold ornaments and mud pots can be remembered here.

Ghata kudhyaadhikam mritthikaa maatrameva hi

Tadvad brahma jagad sarvam ithi Vedanta dindimaa

Even as pot, wall and other objects made of mud are mud alone similarly this world is filled with Brahman – thus roar the lions of Vedanta.

Initially we consider the Anatman (world) to be real whereas the Atman to be unreal. Thus their nature is inter-mixed. This is called superimposition. What would happen if we thought we have a job when we don’t really have a job? It will definitely lead to sorrow and suffering which exactly happens with respect to not knowing the Atman and Anatman properly. Adhyaasa or superimposition is indescribable as the Atman and Anatman are entirely different from one another, yet they are mixed. It is impossible to figure out as to where adhyaasa came from as the Anatman doesn’t even exist – therefore a sadhaka should do apavaada or negation to get rid of adhyaasa.

Apavaada includes two steps – first is negation of oneself to be the Anatman and asserting the Anatman to be unreal (neti neti prakriya). Second is asserting oneself to be whatever remains behind after negation which is the non-dual reality of Brahman (I am Brahman).

Apavaada I – NETI NETI (not-this, not-this)

We will have to call NETI NETI as NAAHAM NAAHAM (not I, not I) as we never experience objects as “this” but only as “I” or “mine”.

All objects have to be negated until we reach the not-able-to-negate Subject of Self. External objects can be easily negated as not-me or not-mine by repeating again and again their very nature of being temporary. They are so temporary and hence only a fool will call them “mine” and stick on to them. Even as a person doesn’t stick on to his dream-world possessions, similarly a sadhaka shouldn’t stick on to the waking-world possessions or objects as well.

Svapna maaye yathaa dristam gandharva nagaram yathaa

Tathaa vishwam idam dristam vedanteshu vichakshanaih

Even as a dream world is seen; even as a castle in space is seen; similarly do the knowers of Vedanta see this waking world.

World or objects of the world are constantly changing whereas “I” am eternal – hence it is easy for a sadhaka to negate the external world (negation is generally considered as external renunciation but Vedanta doesn’t talk about external renunciation but internal renunciation wherein a sadhaka remains a mere witness to the activities of the world knowing that the world is an illusion like the dream world).After objects are negated, then comes the pancha koshas of annamaya or physical body, pranamaya or vital forces of pancha prana, manomaya or the mind (plus sense organs of perception), vijnaanamaya or the intellect (plus sense organs of perception) and anandamaya or temporary happiness.

Deho naaham (I am not the body)

I am not the body. The body keeps continuously changing and is subject to birth-death whereas from the day of birth till the day of death “I” remain the same. The height, weight etc. of the body changes whereas “I” am ever the same. Even at times unconsciously we use the body as “this” or “mine” rather than “I”.

To negate oneself as the body, Vedanta uses the logic of kritha haanih akritha abhyaagama prasangaat deho naaham or “I am not the body because if I am the body then that would lead to kritha haani and akritha abhyaagama”. Kritha haani means loss of whatever actions we have performed (loss of fruits). Akritha abhyaagama means getting the fruit for actions we haven’t performed. These two reasons have to do with re-birth. Of course there are people who don’t accept re-birth – it is but very simple to accept re-birth through desires. If desires are there, re-birth has to be definitely accepted as nothing that is started can be terminated abruptly. An arrow that has been shot from the bow cannot be stopped or terminated abruptly – it will reach its target irrespective of whether it reaches its desired target or something else that comes in its path. Taking this example it is pretty easy to understand as to how compassionate Ishwara is able to nullify or reduce our bad actions (by changing the desired target and putting something else, which in this case is themselves, as the target). Actions and fruits are not to do with the body – if we consider “I” as the body then the actions performed by “I” (in this case “I” is Ego or jeeva and not the Self) will end with the body. This means that whatever we actions we have performed in this birth should give us the fruit here itself which is not what we see – hence loss of fruits of actions we have performed will ensue (this is against even newton’s law of every action has an equal and opposite reaction which is obviously a take from the scriptural karma-phala relation). And we are born with certain fruits like some are born in reach family and others in poor – all these cannot be properly explained unless we accept oneself as not the body. In this case, we get fruits for actions we haven’t performed which also goes against the rule of karma that one who does karma gets the phala – if this is false, then one person can take a tablet and another person’s disease will vanish, Obama can do actions and Osama can get the nobel prize!

Thus “I” am not the body as we experience actions-fruits chain to go beyond the body. Another simple reason would be that the body is insentient whereas I am sentient – the body ceases to exist, at least temporarily, in dream and deep sleep whereas I am there in both the states (reasons can be more but due to not getting carried away into writing many pages, we will stop here).

Prano Naaham (I am not the Prana or vital forces)

I am not the pancha pranas (or dasha pranas as some consider five more secondary pranas). Pranas or vital forces that help in breathing and other related activities are obviously acting due to “movement” or “spandana” as Vedanta calls it. Movement itself means a kind of change. Such change is not seen in the Self or “I”. Moreover prana is insentient (movement itself means it requires a sentient or changeless entity for it to move) whereas “I” am sentient (sentience is as simple as experiencing oneself without any other proof – “I” as Consciousness is self-proving, self-existing and self-illuminating unlike a rock which requires a sentient being to say that it exists).