Seeker of truth should not to become attached to words as being in
perfect conformity with meaning, because Truth is not in the letters. When a
man with his finger-tip points to something, the finger-tip may be mistaken for
the thing pointed at; in like manner the ignorant, are unable even to the day
of their death to abandon the idea that in the finger-tip of words there is the
meaning itself. They cannot realize Ultimate Reality or Brahman because of their intent
clinging to words which were intended to be no more than a pointing finger.
Words and their discrimination bind one to the duality or birth, life and
death; meaning stands alone and is a guide to non-dual freedom. Meaning is
attained by much learning, and much learning is attained by becoming conversant
with meaning and not with words; therefore, seekers of truth have to avoid the
sticklers for particular words."
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 Brahman 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 scriptures: - 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 together. 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 realize 'what is
truth' and 'what is untruth'.
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 and yogic 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 Advaitic 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.
That
is why Sri Sankara
says 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 Shruti alone from which proceeds true knowledge.
The above proves that the karma is reality only on the base of false
self, where one thinks body and the universes as reality. 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.
