People are unaware of the fact that
there is no God can exist, apart from soul or consciousness, the innermost self .
If there is no soul or consciousness, the innermost self, then there is no body, no world and no belief of
god. people think that there must be a creator of this universe. If one thinks
body or ego as self, then there is a creator, but if one thinks the formless soul or consciousness as the
true Self, then there is nothing exists other then the formless soul or consciousness.
If one objectifies and sees a universe, then he is bound to see
many things beside himself and postulate a God, the creator. Body, idea of God and
world rise and set together from, and into, the formless soul or consciousness, the innermost self. If God is apart from
the formless soul or consciousness , then He would be Self-less, that is, outside existence, that is,
non-existent.
All the
scriptures indicate that Atman is Brahman, and Brahman is ultimate truth. Ultimate truth is God. Therefore the soul, which is in the form of consciousness, is the innermost self is ultimate truth or Brahman.
Thus self realization is truth realization. And truth realization is God realization. there is no God other than Atman. Atman is brahman. Thus to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman is the prime goal. A
well-directed inquiry, analysis and reasoning will lead one to his non-dual
destination.
The
orthodox Advaitins Gurus argue:-
The rituals mentioned in the karmakanda of
the Vedas are sought to be negated in the jnanakanda which is also part of the
same scripture. While the karmakanda enjoins upon you the worship of various
deities and lays down rules for the same, the jnanakanda constituted by the
Upanisads ridicules the worshipper of deities as a dim-witted person no better
than a beast.
This seems strange, the latter part of the
Vedas contradicting the former part. The first part deals throughout with
karma, while the second or concluding part is all about jnana. Owing to this difference, people have gone so
far as to divide our scripture into two sections: the Vedas (that is the first
part) to mean the karmakanda and the Upanisads (Vedanta) to mean the
jnanakanda.
Vedanta it is that Lord teaches us in the
Gita and in it he lashes out against the karmakanda. It is generally believed
that the Buddha and Mahavira were the first to attack the Vedas.
It is not so. Sir Krsna Paramatman himself
spoke against them long before these two religious leaders. At one place in the
Gita he says to Arjuna :"The Vedas are
associated with the three qualities of sattva, rajas and tamas.
You must transcend these three
qualities. Full of desire, they (the practitioners of Vedic rituals) long for
paradise and keep thinking of pleasures and material prosperity. They are born
again and again and their minds are never fixed in Samadhi, these men clinging
to Vedic rituals. “In another passage Krishna declares : "Not by the Vedas
am I to be realised, nor by sacrifices nor by much study. . . . "
Does not such talk contradict all that I have
spoken so far about the Vedas, that they are the source of all our dharma?
With some thinking we will realise that there
is in fact no contradiction. Would it be possible for us, in our present
condition, to go beyond the three gunas even to the slightest extent and
realise the true state of the Self spoken of in the Upanisads? The purpose of
the Vedic rituals is to take us, by degrees, to this state. So long as we
believe that the world is real we worship the deities so as to be vouchsafed
happiness. And this world, which we think is real, is also benefited by such
worship.
Thinking the deities to be real, we
help them and in return we are helped by them. Living happily on this earth we
long to go to the world of the celestials and enjoy the pleasures of paradise.
So far so good. But if we stopped at this stage would it not mean losing sight
of our supreme objective? Is not this objective, this goal, our becoming one
with the Paramatman? Would it not be foolish to ignore this great ideal of ours
and still cling to mundane happiness?
In our present state of immaturity it is not
possible to think of the world being unreal. Recognising this, the Vedas
provide us the rituals to be performed for happiness in this world. Because of
our inadequacies we are unable to devote ourselves to a formless Paramatman
from whom we are not different.
So the Vedas have devised a system in which a
number of deities are worshipped. But, in course of time, as we perform the
rituals and worship the deities, we must make efforts to advance to the state
of wisdom and enlightenment in which the world will be seen to be unreal and
the rites will become unnecessary. Instead of worshipping many deities, we must
reach the state in which we will recognise that we have no existence other than
that of our being dissolved in the Paramatman. We must perform Vedic sacraments
with the knowledge that they prepare us to go to this state by making our mind
pure and one-pointed.
If we perform rituals with the sole idea of worldly
happiness and carry on trade with the celestials by conducting sacrifices
(offering them oblations and receiving benefits from them in return), we will
never come face to face with the Truth. Even if we go to the world of the
celestials, we will not be blessed with Self-realisation. Our residence in
paradise is commensurate with the merit we earn here and is not permanent.
Sooner or later we will have to return to
this world and be in the womb of a mother. The ritual worship and other
sacraments of the Vedas are to some extent the result of making an adjustment
to our present immature state of mind. But their real purpose is to take us
forward gradually from this very immature state and illumine us within. It
would be wrong to refuse to go beyond the stage of ritual worship.
If, to begin with, it is not right to refuse
all at once to perform Vedic rites, it would be equally not right,
subsequently, to refuse to give them up. Nowadays, people are averse to ritual
to start with itself. "What? " they exclaim. "Who wants to
perform sacrifices? Why should we chant the Vedas? Let us go directly to the
Upanisads. " Some of them can speak eloquently about the Upanisads from a
mere intellectual understanding of them. But none has the inward experience of
the truths propounded in them and we do not see them emerging as men of
detachment with a true awareness of the Self. The reason for this is that they
have not prepared themselves for this higher state of perception through the
performance of rituals. If this is wrong in one sense, refusal to take the path of jnana from
that of karma is equally not justifiable.
Sri, Sankara says in VivekaChudamani :-
56. Neither by Yoga, nor by Sankhya, nor by work, nor by
learning, but by the realization of one's identity with Brahman is Liberation
possible, and by no other means.
58. Loud speech consisting of a shower of words, the skill in
expounding the Scriptures, and likewise erudition - these merely bring on a
little personal enjoyment to the scholar, but are no good for Liberation.
59. The study of the Scriptures is useless so long as the
highest Truth is unknown, and it is equally useless when the highest Truth has
already been known.
60. The Scriptures consisting of many words are a dense forest
which merely causes the mind to ramble. Hence men of wisdom should earnestly
set about knowing the true nature of the Self.
61. For one who has been bitten by the serpent of Ignorance, the
only remedy is the knowledge of Brahman. Of what avail are the Vedas and
(other) Scriptures, Mantras (sacred formulae) and medicines to such a one?
62. A disease does not leave off if one simply utter the name of
the medicine, without taking it; (similarly) without direct realization one
cannot be liberated by the mere utterance of the word Brahman.
63. Without causing the objective universe to vanish and without
knowing the truth of the Self, how is one to achieve Liberation by the mere
utterance of the word Brahman ? — It would result merely in an effort of
speech.
64. Without killing one’s enemies, and possessing oneself of the
splendour of the entire surrounding region, one cannot claim to be an emperor
by merely saying, ‘I am an emperor’.
65. As a treasure hidden underground requires (for its
extraction) competent instruction, excavation, the removal of stones and other
such things lying above it and (finally) grasping, but never comes out by being
(merely) called out by name, so the transparent Truth of the self, which is hidden
by Maya and its effects, is to be attained through the instructions of a knower
of Brahman, followed by reflection, meditation and so forth, but not through
perverted arguments.
66. Therefore the wise should, as in the case of disease and the
like, personally strive by all the means in their power to be free from the
bondage of repeated births and deaths.
67. The question that thou hast asked today is excellent,
approved by those versed in the Scriptures, aphoristic, pregnant with meaning
and fit to be known by the seekers after Liberation.
Chandogya
Upanishad
"When
a person is sleeping soundly, free from dreams, with a still mind, that is the
Self, fearless and deathless. That is Brahman, the supreme."
They alone in this world are endowed with the highest wisdom who
are firm in their conviction of the sameness and birthlessness of Ataman. The
ordinary man does not understand their way. [Chapter IV — Alatasanti
Prakarana 95-P-188 in Upanishads by Nikilanada]
Seeker of
truth has to direct realization of the true self, through deeper self –search through
reasoning based on formless self and avoid losing precious time and effort
loosing himself in philosophical studies. Both modern science and religion offer
hypotheses and theories but there is one vital difference--science begins with
facts which it collects; religion begins with fancies. Science evolves its
hypotheses from such facts, religion from fancies.
Science declares that oxygen combines with hydrogen to give water. And
it also declares oxygen is protons or electrons. But in pursuit of truth the
whole physical existence [universe or mind] is considered as illusion and
science and their inventions, which are based on the physical existence is
limited to physical existence. The truth is within but it is beyond the physical
existence. The science demands physical proof. But the physical
proof is part of the illusion. Hence science cannot go beyond physicality
because the truth cannot be traced with laboratory conditions.
Deeper
Inquiry, analysis and reasoning is required if one wants to push its quest
deeply enough.
Common people and primitive minds fall into faulty thinking through
their inherited conditioning , such faulty thinking and reasoning makes
them accept the experience of birth, life and death as reality ; taking what
one sees through the senses as real, taking what is apparent
obvious and superficial as true because it is less troublesome.
Many People adopt the attitude that what they know is truth.
And what others say id false. This attitude makes them not to verify
anything other then what they know. One needs to be rational, not
merely logical. Logic is has its value only in physical plane.
As one advances towards spiritual plane he sees the logic underlying
experience and becomes more rational. His reasoning is two-fold--implicit and
explicit.
There is a need of facts of physical proof in scientific invention,
whereas in pursuit of truth the proof has to be grasped mentally and realized.
Therefore, the truth is realized only by few who take this mental
pursuit. “Whatever facts revealed, which is un-contradictable has to be
accepted as truth.
The truth based on the formless soul/self is worthwhile; without it, one
has something else, not truth. Most people refuse to venture into pursuit
of truth; because they do not want to go into the root of things.
The seeker of truth has to study, inquire and reason in the beginning of
the pursuit of truth, because it is absolutely necessary in pursuit of truth.
One has to
know the true self is not physical but the formless spirit. The spirit or
soul or the self is in the form of consciousness. Consciousness gives
one the awareness of the three states.
The ignorance of the true self is the
cause of experiencing the duality as reality. The ignorance vanishes through
realization of the true Self, which is the soul/spirit.
The true
the Self does not lie in our body, in our brain, or our ego, but it
is the essence of the dual and non-dual experiences, which comes and goes as
waking dream and deep sleep.
The path of orthodoxy is path of karma is not the path of
truth. Rituals and theories of orthodoxy are not
meant for those who are searching for the higher knowledge or wisdom. The path of wisdom is the only means.
All the orthodox Advaitins indulge and
immersed themselves in ritualistic oriented life style and follow the path of
karma and upasana which is meant for lower and middling intellect and not
for realizing the Advaitic truth. Many
chose these orthodox scholars as their gurus. But these gurus are good to learn
the conceptual Advaita meant for those orthodox who believe their conduct
oriented life style leads to Moksha [liberation]. But religious based Advaita is not the means to acquire self –knowledge or non-dual wisdom. Those who are seeking
truth have to do their own homework in order to acquire Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.
The orthodoxy
has to be dropped if one has chosen the path of wisdom.
The orthodoxy is greatest hindrance in pursuit of truth because it makes
the inborn samskara or conditioning more and stronger. Until this
conditioning prevails it is impossible to grasp, assimilate and realize the
non-dual truth. The orthodoxy is egocentric and egocentricity is greatest
obstacle in path of truth. The orthodoxy is indulging
non-Vedic rituals because of add-ons and adulteration and such rituals leads
one nowhere and it is waste of time and effort. Thus orthodoxy is
not for those who are seeking truth nothing but truth. Mixing orthodoxy
and preaching non-duality is foolish venture.
Rituals and
theories are not meant for those who are searching for the Brahman or ultimate or wisdom.
All the
orthodox Advaitins indulge and immersed themselves in ritualistic oriented life
style and preach theoretical philosophies which are obstacle in realizing the
Advaitic truth. Many chose these orthodox scholars as their gurus. But
these gurus are good to learn the conceptual Adavaita meant for those orthodox
who believe their conduct oriented life style leads to liberation. But
those who are seeking truth have to do their own homework in order to acquire
self-knowledge.
That is why Gaudapada says: - the merciful
Veda teaches karma and upasana to people of lower and middling intellect, while
jnana is taught to those of higher intellect.
Thus orthodox based Advaita is not meant for
those seeking ultimate truth or Brahman but orthodoxy is meant for people of
lower and middling intellect. Those who
are seeking Advaitic truth have to drop orthodoxy in order to realize the
ultimate truth or Brahman.
Advaitic orthodoxy blocks the realization of
ultimate truth or Brahman. Thus if one wants to Advaitic truth or wisdom he has to drop path of Advaitic orthodoxy,
which is meant for the traditionalists who takes the practical life within the practical
world as reality. The pure Advaita is
nothing to do with religion, scriptures and conceptual Gods. The self, which in the form of consciousness
is Brahman or ultimate truth, is beyond form, time and space or birth, life,
death and world. Thus one has to religion,
scriptures and conceptual god has to be bifurcated from the path of Gnana or non-dual wisdom.
Even Sri Sankara indicates in Aparokshanubhuti:-
88.
When the whole universe, movable and immovable, is known to be Atman, and thus
the existence of everything else is negated, where is then any room to say that
the body is Atman?
89. O enlightened one, pass your time always contemplating on Atman while you are experiencing all the results of Prarabdha; for it ill becomes you to feel distressed.
90. The theory one hears of from the scripture, that Prarabdha does not lose its hold upon one even after the origination of the knowledge of Atman, is now being refuted.
91. After the origination of the knowledge of Reality, Prarabdha verily ceases to exist, inasmuch as the body and the like become non-existent; just as a dream does not exist on waking.
92. That Karma which is done in a previous life is known as Prarabdha (which produces the present life). But such Karma cannot take the place of Prarabdha (for a man of knowledge), as he has no other birth (being free from ego).
93. Just as the body in a dream is superimposed (and therefore illusory), so is also this body. How could there be any birth of the superimposed (body), and in the absence of birth (of the body) where is the room for that (i.e., Prarabdha) at all ?
94. The Vedanta texts declare ignorance to be verily the material (cause) of the phenomenal world just as earth is of a jar. That (ignorance) being destroyed, where can the universe subsist?
95. Just as a person out of confusion perceives only the snake leaving aside the rope, so does an ignorant person see only the phenomenal world without knowing the reality?
96. The real nature of the rope being known, the appearance of the snake no longer persists; so the substratum being known, the phenomenal world disappears completely.
97. The body also being within the phenomenal world (and therefore unreal), how could Prarabdha exist ? It is, therefore, for the understanding of the ignorant alone that the Shruti speaks of Prarabdha.
98. “And all the actions of a man perish when he realizes that (Atman) which is both the higher and the lower”. Here the clear use of the plural by the Shruti is to negate Prarabdha as well.
99. If the ignorant still arbitrarily maintain this, they will not only involve themselves into two absurdities but will also run the risk of forgoing the Vedantic conclusion. So one should accept those Shrutis alone from which proceeds true knowledge.
The above
proves that the karma is reality only on the base of false self within the
false experience, where one thinks practical life within the practical world as
reality or the universes as reality whereas the practical life within the practical
world is mere illusion from the ultimate standpoint. When
one becomes aware of the fact that, the true self is formless soul, then the
karma becomes part and parcel of illusion.
My
point is that, if one accepts the karma theory as reality, he will never be
able to come out of the ignorance. And ignorance makes him believe the cycle of
birth, life and death as reality. Thus the freedom which one is
seeking will remain distant dream. For the one who accepts the birth life and
death as reality, Self-knowledge is impossible.
Sri, Sankara himself has warned us not to use ambiguous words,
and to practice semantic analysis in his book "Definition of one's own
Self. [" Page 199, v.24 of "Sankara's
Selected Works]
Sri,
Sankara founded his Advaita Vedanta either on reason independent of sruti or on
sruti confirmed by reason." Sri, Sankara's commentary on the
Mandukya Upanishad, II, 1: This [the unreality of duality] is borne
out by the Srutis ... But it is possible also to show the unreality of the
object world even from pure reasoning, and this second chapter is undertaken
for that purpose.
Sri, Sankara himself had often said that his philosophy was based on Sruti,
or revealed scripture. This may be because Sri, Sankara addressed the
ordinary man, who finds security in the idea of causality and thus in the idea
of God—and Revelation is indispensable to prove the latter. He believed
that those of superior intelligence, have no need of this idea of divine causality,
and can therefore dispense with Sruti and arrive at the truth of
Non-Dualism by pure reason.
Non-duality does not need the support of any Scripture or Revelation like the Veda. For it
is based, not upon the varying theological fancies, which are as numerous as
the sands of the sea, but upon reason, the common heritage of all mankind,
irrespective of colour or creed or clime.
When Upanishad itself declares:- sarvam khalvidam brahma - all this (universe) is verily Brahman.
By following back all of the relative appearances in the world, we eventually
return to that from which it is all manifest – the non-dual reality [ Chandogya Upanishad].
Mundaka Upanishad:- The rituals and the sacrifices described in the
Vedas deal with lower knowledge. The sages ignored these rituals and went in
search of higher knowledge. ... Such rituals are unsafe rafts for crossing The
sea of samsara, of birth and death. Doomed to shipwreck are those who try to
cross The sea of samsara on these poor rafts. Ignorant of their own ignorance,
yet wise In their own esteem, these deluded men Proud of their vain learning go
round and round Like the blind led by the blind.
Yoga and religion are not the means to acquire
Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana.
Ultimate truth has no
connection with end-gaining, belief, path or process. It cannot be taught but
is continuously shared. Because it is everyone’s inheritance, no-one can lay
claim to it. It needs not to be argued, proven or embellished, for it stands
alone simply as it is, and can only remain un-recognised and rejected, or realized
and lived.”
The ego is not the self.
When one limits the ‘I’ to physical entity, it is called ego. The ego, body and world appear together and
disappear together. Therefore, limiting
the ‘I’ to the physical entity is creates the ignorance of the truth/reality.
To understand “What is truth” and “What is untruth” one has to know the fact
that; whether the mind/’I’ is within the body, or body and world are within the
‘I’/mind to get Self-realization.
The higher standpoint is to
realize the fact that, mind and soul are one in essence. The mind rises from
consciousness and dissolves as consciousness. When investigated ... one becomes
aware of the fact that, there is no second thing exist other than consciousness
because everything is consciousness.
Consciousness without division is Ultimate Reality
defies all description or characterization." "All characterizations
of consciousness, in short, are intended in their experiential dimension to aid
those who are searching for ultimate truth or reality but have not yet realized
it."
"Human language has its source in phenomenal
experience; hence, it is limited in its application to states of being that are
beyond that experience; logic is grounded in the duality as it relates to the
phenomenal order; hence, it is unable to affirm, without at the same time
denying, what extends beyond that order." Whatever is expressed is
ultimately non-Brahman, is ultimately untrue."
When the practical life within the practical world are
part of the illusion ,than the karma theory based on the false self within the
false experience is bound to be false hood. The karma theory and individual
conduct are nothing to do with self, which is ever formless.
Panchadashi:
- The Atman is the witness-consciousness that experiences the
action, the actor, and the world of separate things. It is like a light that
illuminates everything in a theatre, revealing the master of ceremonies, the
guests, and the dancers with complete impartiality. Even when they all depart,
the light shines to reveal their absence.
The karma theory is meant for those who are immersed in worldly
life thinking the individual life within the particle world as reality. In path
of truth the karma theory becomes a great obstacle in realizing the truth.
The reincarnation is based on the
karma theory. The karma theory is based on the birth, life and death. The
birth, life and death are reality only on the base of the false self. Thus
whatever based on the false self is bound to be false hood. By accepting karma
theory is accepting the falsehood as reality. Thus whatever is based on the
birth identity will not yield any truth. If one accepts the karma theory then
it is impossible to treat the world as illusion. All the pundits’ explanation
of karma theory carries no weight on realm of truth from the ultimate
standpoint.
When the self is not form but the self is formless soul, how the
karma will affect the birthless self.
That Karma which is done in a previous life which produces the
present life is mere religious theory.
‘Ego’ [I] is not the self, and the true self is birthless entity,
because it is formless. Karma theory has no value in the realm of truth,
because self has no birth. The one which is born, lives and dies is the false
entity within the false experience.
Essence of scriptuers: - Dehum-
Nahum-Kohum –Sohum – which indicates the body is not the self – the self is
that. Which clearly indicates the self is without the body. Therefore, the self
is the formless knower of the body and the world. Without the body and the
world, the self is free from birth life and death. Therefore, karma
theory, which is based on the idea of birth, life, death and rebirth are part
of the illusion from ultimate standpoint. Thus one has to learn to view and
judge the worldview from ultimate standpoint to know what is truth and what is
not truth.
When the self is neither the body nor the ego, neither the
waking entity not the dream entity, then how the karma based on the false self
within the false experience can yield fruits.
Therefore, karma is a religious fable.
The karma theory is reality only for those who believe their
present physical identity [ego] as real, and world as reality. When the Sri,
Sankara declares the world itself is illusion, and Brahman is real, then what
value the karma theory has when the world is illusion, because man is part and
parcel of the illusory world. Therefore, one has to view and judge the
worldview on the standpoint of Brahman [Atman/true self] in order to overcome
the duality, which he is experiencing it as reality. The individuality is reality within the
illusory world. Therefore, all the theories created within the illusion on the
base of false entity, within the false experience, has to be the part and
parcel of the illusion. Thus it is
necessary to realize the fact that Atman is the true self and all else is
illusion, to overcome the illusory concept of cycle of birth, life and death. Thus to understand and assimilate Sri,
Sankara’s Advitic truth, seeker has
to do his own home work through inquiry,
analysis and reasoning on the true base, without mixing religion, scriptures,
theories concept of god and yoga.
Self-Realization
is direct realization of the ultimate truth or real god, in contrast with
traditional paths, which are indirect. And the other paths cannot lead to the
ultimate destination because they are based on the false self, which they hold
as real self and false experience as reality.
Until and unless one overcomes
physical shackle it is impossible to understand and assimilate the non-dual
truth, which is beyond the physical existence or the universe. Consciousness itself is lord of itself though
not of the universe. And having nothing it has all.
Seeker of
truth has to take the direct path and avoid losing precious time and effort
loosing himself in philosophical studies.
It is high
time for the intellectual orthodox Advaitins
who are seeking ultimate truth or Brahman to realize the physical shackle of orthodoxy blocking their realization
because the orthodox Advaitic path is meant of those who are stuck with the reality of illusion of experience of birth, life, death
and the world. But who are seeking Gnana or Advaitic wisdom
has to become more rational by using their own reason and realize the ultimate truth
or Brahman.
Even In Isa Upanishad indicates that : -
MANTRA 10
Scholars
say that the path of Avidya [performing Aganihotra and other sacrifices] and
the path of vidya [worshipping gods and goddesses] produce different results.
Wise men confirm this. [X]
Vidya
and Avidya both are hindrances to Self-knowledge, but Vidya is even worse than
Avidya. The word Vidya is used here in a special sense; here it means
worshipping gods and goddesses. By worshipping gods and goddesses you will go
after death to the world of gods and goddesses. But will that help you? The
time you spend there is wasted, because if you were not there you could have
spent that time moving forward towards Self-knowledge, which is your goal. In
the world of gods and goddesses you cannot do that, and thus you go deeper and
deeper into darkness.
Avidya
is Karama and therefore a hindrance.
You perform Avidya - i.e., you perform Agnihotra and other sacrifices. This is
a roundabout way of purifying the mind, and it is also groping in the dark. But
it may not have as heavy a toll on your time and energy as the other.
The
final advice by sankara is: combine both work and worship. Together they may
quicken your pace towards Self-knowledge, because it will lead to Chitt
shuddhi, purification of the mind. When this happens your desire for enjoyments
will become less and your sense of "I' and "mine' will subside. This
is the way to Karama-Mukthi, gradual, or progressive, liberation, according to
Sankara.
MANTRA 11
He
who worships gods and goddesses [Vidya] and also performs sacrifices [Avidya]
attains immortality by sacrifices [Avidya] and attains bliss by worshipping
gods and goddesses [Vidya]. [XI]
The
condition in both cases worshipping gods and goddesses and performing
sacrifices is that the person should have no motive for personal gain. He
should not desire the fruits of his actions, such as going to the heaven of
gods and goddesses.
As
earlier explained, the word Vidya ¸ has a special meaning here. It means
worship of gods and goddesses. Similarly, Avidya ¸ also has a special meaning.
It is Karma that is, performing Aganihotra and other sacrifices. Such karamas
are obligatory, but if they are done without any attachment to their fruits,
they help purify the mind. Combining karama and worship is a path to gradual
liberation. Sankara approves this for those who are not yet ready to renounce.
But
suppose you follow the two paths separately. If you perform Avidya ¸ you will
go to Pitra loka (the world of your ancestors). This is a dark region, because
it is far removed from Self-knowledge. In fact, you will have to wait a long
time to attain Self-knowledge. But if you worship Vidya ¸ - that is, gods and
goddesses you go into still darker regions, and your attainment of
Self-knowledge is even further delayed.
True,
you go to Dev loka (the heaven of gods and goddesses), but you are caught in
the pleasures there, and you remain there until the fruits of your worship are
fully exhausted. You are then reborn as a human being, and your struggle
resumes from where you left off. This is why Vidya ¸ is considered worse. But
if you combine the two that is, perform the obligatory karmas without any
attachment to the fruits and at the same time worship gods and goddesses, again
without any desire to go to heaven - then you can get the benefit of both,
liberation and bliss. For those who are not yet ready to renounce, this path is
recommended.
It proves that the concept of god,
karma, heaven and hell are ideas created by religion, to help for those who are
incapable of grasping. The concept of god and goddesses and karma are part of
the ignorance. By worshiping god and goddesses one accepts the false self as
true self, thus he is unfit for self-knowledge. Therefore concept of god is not
the means to acquire the self knowledge. That is why Buddha rejected concept of
God.
Why go round and
round, by various tortuous paths
When the Vedas and Upanishads declare that Consciousness or Atman
is actually nothing but Brahman, then why go round and round, by various
tortuous paths, like the blind led by the blind. One has to realize the fact
that, the mind is in form of universe.
Trace the source of mind and realize that source is consciousness. The
mind rises from consciousness as waking or dream and subsides as deep
sleep.
In Mandukya Upanishad Brahman and Atman are defined as same:-
सर्वं ह्येतद् ब्रह्मायमात्मा ब्रह्म सोयमात्मा चतुष्पात् / sarvam hyetad brahmaayamaatmaa brahm soyamaatmaa chatushpaat –
Mandukya Upanishad, verse-2
All indeed is this Brahman; This Atman is Brahman; He, this
Atman has four steps/quarters.
While Brahman lies behind the sum total of the objective
universe, some human minds boggle at any attempt to explain it with only the
tools provided by reason. Brahman is beyond the senses, beyond the mind, beyond
intelligence, beyond imagination. Indeed, the highest idea is that Brahman is
beyond both existence and non-existence, transcending and including time,
causation and space, and thus can never be known in the same material sense as
one traditionally 'understands' a given concept or object.
Imagine a person who is blind from birth and has not seen
anything. Is it possible for us to explain to him the meaning of the colour
red. Is any amount of thinking or reasoning on his part ever going to make him
understand the sensation of the colour red? In a similar fashion the idea of
Brahman cannot be explained or understood through material reasoning or any
form of human communication. Brahman is like the colour red; those who can
sense it cannot explain or argue with those who have never sensed it.
Brahman is considered the all-pervading consciousness which is
the basis of all the animate and inanimate entities and material. (brahmano hi pratisthaham, Bhagavad Gita
14.27)
In Advaita Vedanta: - Brahman is without attributes
and strictly impersonal. It can be best described as infinite Being, infinite
Consciousness and infinite Bliss. It is pure knowledge itself, similar to a
source of infinite radiance. Since the Advaitins regard Brahman to be the
Ultimate Truth, so in comparison to Brahman, every other thing, including the
material world, its distinctness, the individuality of the living creatures and
even Ishvara (the Supreme Lord) itself are all untrue. Brahman is the effulgent
cause of everything that exists and can possibly exist. Since it is beyond
human comprehension, it is without any attributes, for assigning attributes to
it would be distorting the true nature of Brahman. Advaitins believe in the
existence of both Saguna Brahman and Nirguna Brahman; however they consider
Nirguna Brahman to be the absolute supreme truth.
Katha Upanishad says:
Fools dwelling
in darkness, but thinking themselves wise and erudite, go round and round, by
various tortuous paths, like the blind led by the blind. [Ch II-5 P-14]
It indicates
that the one who is ignorant [darkness] of the true self [formless
witness/Ataman] searches truth by accumulating knowledge of every path and
practice and uncertain about the truth, and thinks every path leads towards
reality. The ignorance of the true self leads one towards unreality or
hallucination.
This Atman cannot be attained by the study of the
Vedas, or by intelligence, or by much hearing of sacred
books. It is attained by him alone whom It chooses. To such a one Atman reveals
Its own form. [Katha Upanishad Ch-II -23-P-20]
This Atman cannot be attained through study of the
Vedas, nor through intelligence, nor through much learning. He who chooses Atman—by
him alone is Atman attained. It is Atman that reveals to the seeker Its true
nature. [3
–page-70
Mundaka Upanishad Upanishads by Nikilanada]
The above
passages further proves that: self-knowledge cannot be attained by study of the
Vedas and intellectual understanding or by bookish knowledge. Therefore there is no use of studying the
Vedas and other scriptures in order to acquire the non-dual wisdom. That is why Buddha rejected the scriptures,
and even Sri, Sankara indicated that, the truth lies beyond religion, concept
of god and scriptures.
For the same reason Raman Maharshi said fortunate
are the one who do not lose themselves in the labyrinths of philosophy. Bhagwan
says: Take Vedanta, for instance: it speaks of 15 pranas the names and
functions of it which the student is asked to commit memory. Will
it not be sufficient if he thought only one prana does the whole work of
maintaining the body? Again the antakaran is said to think, to desire, to will,
to reason etc. Why all these details? Has anyone seen antakarana, or all these
pranas? Do they really exist? They are conceptual divisions invented by
teachers of philosophy by their excessive analysis. Where do all these concepts
end? Why should confusion created and then explained away? Fortunate is the man
who does not lose him self in the labyrinths of philosophy, but goes straight
to the source from which they all arise. (GURU RAMANA .By S.S Cohen -vii Danger
of philosophy-Page -58-59)
Raman Mahrshi further explains [in page 111/112-
practical guide to know your self]:-
Q: D: Is it not necessary to study the Vedas or at
least Prastnatraya[Bagvad gita.Dasoponishad and Brahma Sutra all with
commentaries] to ensure firm reazation?
A: Bhagvan: - No. Do you need all that to see
yourself? All that is intellectual wealth, useful in explain doubts and
difficulties if others rise them if you yourself encounter them in course of
thinking. But to attain realization, all that is not necessary. You want fresh
water to drink, but you do not require all the water of the river Ganges to
quench your quest.
They alone in
this world are endowed with the highest wisdom who are firm in their conviction
of the sameness and birthlessness of Ataman. The ordinary man does not
understand their way. [Chapter IV —
Alatasanti Prakarana 95-P-188 in Upanishads by
Nikilanada]
This passage
indicates the fact that everything is Atman. or consciousness The one who views and
judges the worldview on the base of his birth or body will not realize the fact
that, the man including the world is created sustained and finally dissolves as Atman. Thus Atman or consciousness alone is, and all else is mirage.
Thus Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana is the aim of every human being.
Since everyone thinks the physical body is the self their aim is misdirected
and they focus their attention on materiality which makes one feel the duality (waking) as reality.
Millions are in search of the ultimate truth, and only one in million
will be able to grasp and realize it. By focusing more attention on Atman by
talking, writing, discussing only of Atman, the conviction grows and becomes
firmer and the duality will fade away as reality. Atman or consciousness , which is
one’s true identity will prevail as
birth-less and deathless, eternal substance and witness of the mirage called
duality.
Therefore there is no need to study scriptures, or
indulge in god and guru glorification or performing religious rituals in
pursuit of truth. Since, they are not
the means to acquire non-dual wisdom. It is only waste of time and effort to
indulge in those things.
Gaudapada’s
rational exposition of Advaita: -
that whatever is
seen, whether external or internal, whether by the ordinary persons or yogis,
is unreal.
The essence of Mandukya's is: Do not
be satisfied with rituals, yoga etc. which are good in their own way, but
Inquire in to the nature of the mind. ? Brahman and Atman are things one can
never see. So seeker should not inquire into them. He has to inquire into
the world around him, which he can see. Analysis tells him it is
passing away every second. Everything is dying repeatedly. Where is it going?
Thus he follows up his investigation into what he can lay hands on. How can he
inquire into Atman which he cannot see? So first he must deal with the known
and seen, this inquiry leads up to the unknown in the end.
Thus it is necessary for the seeker of truth to know the fact
that, the body which is born, lives and dies is not the self. Since he is
taking the body to be the self, he is experiencing the duality as reality.
As Sri,
Sankara says: When the
whole universe, movable and immovable, is known to be Atman, and thus the
existence of everything else is negated, where is then any room to say that the
body is Atman.
If body is not the
Ataman/self, then the karma theory has no meaning on the standpoint of the
truth. Thus no second thing exists other than Ataman, therefore why to view the
worldview on the standpoint of the body as self [I] when the body [I] is the
false self, and the soul/Atman is the true self.
If body is not the self,
then the birth, life, death and the universe are bound to be illusion. If birth, life and death are illusion then
all conducts actions and their fruits are mere illusion. If body is not the
self, then the existence of god, heaven and hell is mere illusion. If body is not the self then all religious
beliefs of god is mere illusion. If body
is not the self but the Atman [soul] which is in the form of consciousness is
the true self, then there is no scope for second thing other than
consciousness, therefore
consciousness, which is Atman is Brahman or ultimate truth. The Brahman alone is real and eternal. Thus whatever is real eternal has to be
identified as god. To identify the real and eternal, one has to overcome the
ignorance caused by the illusion. To overcome the ignorance one has to acquire
the Self-Knowledge.
The
individual life within the dream is reality with in the dream. Therefore waking
reality is also is reality within the waking. This waking is parallel dream and
dream is parallel waking. Only when self-wakes up in waking the dream becomes
unreal. When the self-consciously wakes up in its formless non-dual true nature
in the midst of waking experience then
all the three states are mere mirage
created out of its formless non-dual true nature.
The
form time and space within the dream are falsehood when waking takes place.
Similarly the form, time and space of the waking are also falsehood when wisdom
dawns. The wisdom dawns only when one realize the self is neither the waking
entity nor the dream entity. Thus it is erroneous to judge and reason and
conclude the ultimate truth on the base of waking entity and waking world
because waking experience itself is illusion.
A Gnani is one who attains the non-dual tranquility in the midst of duality. A Gnani is in self –awareness and
he is fully aware of the fact that the form, time and space are mere mirage
created out of consciousness.
