From ultimate standpoint
the karma theory has no meaning, because the soul the innermost self is prior
to the body and the world. The body and the world are impermanent; whereas the
soul is in the form of consciousness is permanent. The self is
neither the waking entity nor the self is the dream entity but the self the
formless soul. The soul is the formless substance and witness of the three states.
Waking and the dream are insentient.
Consciousness gives sentient to the waking or dream. Without the consciousness
the waking or dream are nonexistent. The
dream is nonexistent when waking takes place. Similarly the waking is
nonexistent when the soul wakes up in its formless non-dual true nature. The
waking or both are illusion on the standpoint of the
soul or consciousness.
The whole illusion is created, sustained and finally
dissolves as consciousness; therefore there is no second thing exits other than
consciousness. Thus consciousness pervades in everything and everywhere in the all
the three states. Hence it is non-dual. Thus limiting the self to the waking entity or
ego is the cause of the ignorance. And
ignorance is the cause of duality. Duality is the cause of experiencing the illusion
as reality.
Orthodoxy accepts the concept of god in many forms. Sages
of truth declare the Atman is Brahman.
That is soul, which is in the form of consciousness is ultimate truth or
Brahman. That is ultimate truth is God. And ultimate truth itself is worthy of
godhood.
In Vedas the God has been described as:-
Sakshi (Witness)
Chetan (conscious)
Nirguna (Without
form and properties).
Nitya (eternal)
Shuddha (pure)
Buddha
(omniscient)
Mukta
(unattached).
All these qualities are of the Atman (soul), which is the
innermost self. It indicates clearly all the gods with form and attributes are
mere imagination based on the false self. Thus all individualized gods and goddesses are
non-Vedic Gods.
And also in Yajurved says:-
Translation 1.
They enter darkness, those who worship natural things (for
example air, water, sun, moon, animals, fire, stone, etc).
They sink deeper in darkness those who worship sambhuti.
(Sambhuti means created things, for example table, chair, idol etc.)
[Yajurved 40:9]
Translation 2.
"Deep into shade of blinding gloom fall asambhuti's
worshippers. They sink to darkness deeper yet who on sambhuti are intent."
[Yajurveda Samhita by Ralph T. H. Giffith pg 538]
Translation 3.
"They are enveloped in darkness, in other words, are
steeped in ignorance and sunk in the greatest depths of misery who worship the
uncreated, eternal prakrti -- the material cause of the world -- in place of
the All-pervading God, But those who worship visible things born of the
prakrti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like) in place of God
are enveloped in still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely
foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a
long time."
[Yajur Veda 40:9.]
So, Yajur Veda indicates that:-
They sink deeper in darkness those who worship sambhuti.
(Sambhuti means created things, for example table, chair, idol etc [Yajurved 40:9]
Those who worship visible things born of the prakrti, such as
the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like) in place of God are enveloped in
still greater darkness, in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into
an awful hell of pain and sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time." [Yajur Veda 40:9.]
When the religion of the Veda knows no idols
than why so many gods and goddesses with different form and name are being
propagated as Vedic gods. Why these conceptual gods are introduced when Vedic
concept of god is free from form and attributes.
Who introduced concept
of god with attributes and attributeless gods, when Yajur Veda says: - those who worship visible things, born of
the prakrti, such as the earth, trees, bodies (human and the like), in place of
God are enveloped in still greater darkness.
When Yajur Veda itself declares that:- "They are
enveloped in darkness, in other words, are steeped in ignorance and sunk in the
greatest depths of misery who worship the uncreated, eternal prakrti -- the
material cause of the world -- in place of the All-pervading God, But those who
worship visible things born of the prakrti, such as the earth, trees, bodies
(human and the like) in place of God are enveloped in still greater darkness,
in other words, they are extremely foolish, fall into an awful hell of pain and
sorrow, and suffer terribly for a long time." -- than why believe and worship non-Vedic Gods and fall into an awful hell of pain and
sorrow.
Ish Upanishad declares: -
Those people
who have neglected the attainment of Self-knowledge and have thus committed
suicide
10/11/12
Those people who have
neglected the attainment of Self-knowledge and have thus committed suicide, as
it were, are doomed to enter those worlds after death.
This is a condemnation
of people who do not try to attain Self-knowledge. They are, in a real sense,
committing suicide, for what can be worse than being a slave to sense
enjoyment, completely oblivious of the real purpose of life, which is to be
one’s own master?
In order to be one’s own master one has to realize the fact that, mind is identical
with soul, which is Pure Consciousness, ever free, without name and form, and
unconditioned.
The soul the innermost self is not subject to any modification,
without beginning and end, beyond thought and speech. Soul is Existence
Absolute, Knowledge Absolute, and Bliss Absolute. When soul know this it is free
from ignorance. It is no longer experiences the birth, life, death and the
world as reality.
If one does not try to
know the truth of his true existence, he indeed experiences the illusory birth,
life, death and the world as reality. The soul or consciousness the innermost self,
is one without a second, complete in itself.
Soul never moves. Soul is
always still, always the same. All the moments are within the illusion. Within
the illusion one feels moves everything and it makes the whole world go the way
it does. It gives those who mechanically perform rituals go into darkness that
is like being blind. But those who worship gods and goddesses remain permanently
in ignorance experiencing the illusory experience of birth, life, death and the
world (waking) as reality.
As per the Ish Upanishad: - those who worship gods and goddesses go into a deeper
darkness because they seek rewards for their worship.
As long as there is
the sense of "I' and "mine' within us, there can be no
Self-knowledge. When one says "me' and "mine' you automatically
identify himself with his body or ego. This shows that he is ignorant of the
innermost Self, which is soul or Consciousness and which is also the Self of
all.
An ignorant person
uses the words "I' and "mine'. He says: "I am so and so. “I AM GOD”,'
and so on.
An ignorant person has
many desires in his mind, and because of these desires he remains in the realm
of duality. He has to have a body; otherwise he cannot satisfy his desires. But
the more he tries to satisfy them, the more they grip his ego. This goes on
endlessly. But it is given to a human being to think, reason, and discriminate.
Thus he soon comes to realize that the path he has been following cannot give
him satisfaction. He understands that he has to choose another path the path of
wisdom or path of truth. As long as he does not take the path of Gnana or
wisdom, he gropes in the ignorance and experiences the illusory waking experience
(universe) as reality.
Orthodoxy is path of
ignorance. And ignorant worships
mechanically perform the prescribed sacrifices without any thought as to why
they are doing them.
That is why Ish Upanishads says: - such people no wonder they grope in the dark. They are
doomed unless someday the truth dawns on them that to save themselves they must
seek Self-knowledge.
And also it says :- Worse,
however, is the situation of those who worship vidya. The word vidya ¸ usually
means "knowledge', but here it is used to mean "gods and goddesses'.
Some people worship gods and goddesses so that they may someday attain the same
status. They may get their desire fulfilled, but this will only delay their
liberation. That is why the Upanisad says that they will be in deeper darkness.
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 worshiping gods and
goddesses. By worshiping 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 karma 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.
In pursuit of truth the ultimate truth has to be proved, not
assumed. Pundits who take scriptures for granted are not Gnanis.
Pundits teach that all is your-self, but none of them can show
that this is so, none has analyzed it scientifically, and none can prove it.
Rational proof is needed, so that one arrive at knowing truth i.e. wisdom;
punditry is mere dogma, parrotism, repetition of what they read in scripture. Scriptures are not yardstick and scriptural truth is not proof. Pundits take scriptures as authority. Authoritarianism merely assumes as true what
another says, but what has yet to be proved.
Pundits have to test truth in this world not in the next
world. There is no proof other than
blind belief based on the scriptures, belief is not truth. So, doctrines are not the means to realize
the ultimate truth. There is no need to follow them.
Gaudapada says: - the merciful
Veda teaches karma and upaasana to people of lower and middling intellect,
while jnana is taught to those of higher intellect.
For those who are incapable of inquiring and not
yet ready for Self-Knowledge, the worship and glorifying of god and gurus is
recommended.
Even, 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.
So they clearly indicate rituals and theories
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 orthodoxy is not for realizing the Advaitic
truth or Brahman. 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 Moksha [liberation]. But
religious based Adavaita is not the
means to acquire self –knowledge or nondual wisdom. Those who are seeking truth have to do their
own homework in order to acquire self-knowledge.
