The world confronts
you is consciousness. The whole universe is consciousness. Unless the world is there in one’s realization,
there is no Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana or Self-Knowledge. It is not enough to
see a mere blankness in Samadhi. One has to realize the body, ego and the world
as consciousness. The soul, the innermost self is free from ignorance not when one
sees nothing at all, as waking entity in Yogic Samadhi but only when one see all
this universe including his body and ego as consciousness. Hence you must ask the question
“What is this universe?” The attention must be drawn to the outer world to realize
the form, time and space which are present in the form of universe are also
made of single stuff, which is consciousness.
This
universe is common to all of us, therefore one must include the universe his
investigation in order to realize the ultimate truth or Brahman. It is only after one has inquired into the
nature of the objective universe, that he should inquire into who is the
knower. If, however one inquiries into the knower before the inquiry
into the universe, then it is mere mysticism. One must have the perfect understanding of
what is what.
- v What is the universe?
- v What is this ‘I’?
That is why Sri, Sankara
indicated in (VC):- 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.
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.
Self –Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana can be attained only if one
totally accepts the Self is not ‘I’ but the self the formless soul (‘I’-less)
or consciousness with
full conviction than one becomes aware of the fact that, the three states are
mere illusion created out of consciousness. The soul or consciousness is the
innermost self, which witnesses the coming and going of the three states. Through
Self-Knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana, one realizes the three states are non-existent as reality.
Self is that that which knows the coming and going of the three states. Thus
holding ‘I’ or ‘I AM’ as self which is part of the witnessed (mind or universe)
is erroneous. Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana– the nectar and by
drinking nectar one becomes aware of the immortal nature of the formless soul, the
innermost self. Thus a true seeker, by acquiring ‘Self –Knowledge
or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana’ transcends the illusory experience of the individual birth, life death
and the world(waking) and attains
immortality
