The Atman (Soul)***

The Atman (Soul)

As a lighted lamp does not need another lamp to manifest its light, so the Atman, being Consciousness itself, does not need another instrument to illumine itself. The Soul regains fearlessness by realizing that It is not a Jiva (human body) but the Supreme Soul. The tangible Universe is verily Atman. He is the knower of the Self to whom the ideas 'me' and 'mine' have become quite meaningless. The Self is always the same in all beings and free from old age, death and fear. The Self is pure which the mind and speech do not reach. The pervading Self is the same in waking, dream and deep sleep. One's actions come to an end when the Self is seen. There is no ignorance in Self, as It is the nature of eternal Knowledge. The Self should be regarded as Brahman. The intense desire for the realization of the Atman after renouncing all others, is alone the means for the attainment of the Atman. 

Brahman (God)

Realize that the formless soul, which is present in the form of consciousness, is ultimate truth.  The ultimate truth is Brahman which is Existence, awareness non-dual and infinite, eternal and One and which fills all that exists.

After realization, the attainment of which leaves nothing more to be attained, the Knowledge after which nothing needs to be known. When seen, there is nothing more to be seen. Having become after which one is not born again in the world of object.

Consciousness permeates everything. Consciousness by which everything is illumined, including Sun and the Moon. The consciousness pervades the entire Universe outwardly and shines of itself, as the fire that permeates a red-hot iron ball both inwardly and outwardly shines of itself.

There exists nothing that is not consciousness. People perform all their actions in and through consciousness, but they are ignorant of this. The soul, the innermost self therefore, are consciousness. Not being a consciousness is a mere illusion. From illusion springs separation wherein all sorrows has root. 

For the wise who realize everything as consciousness, what is there to meditate or not to meditate, what to speak or not to speak, what to do or not to do? Those who give up the highest and purest Brahmic awareness live in vain and though human, are like unto beasts.

Having turned the visible into the invisible, one should realize everything to be consciousness itself. The wise man should then dwell in eternal bliss with his mind full of the essence of pure awareness. The ever-existent consciousness shining in the depth of the heart cannot be realized by the external senses, but by the light of that gracious awakening which comes from Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana; the  formless  soul  innermost self  indeed are this consciousness , not the phenomenal universe that appears around'. 

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: - As an eagle, weary after soaring in the sky, folds its wings and flies down to rest in its nest, so does the shining Self enter the state of dreamless sleep, where one is freed from all desires.

Kena Upanishad (3-4) Chapter I - The eye does not go thither, nor speech, nor the mind. We do not know It; we do not understand how anyone can teach It. It is different from the known; It is above the unknown. Thus we have heard from the preceptors of old who taught It to us.

Kena Upanishad (5) Chapter I - That which cannot be expressed by speech, but by which speech is expressed-That alone know as Brahman and not that which people here worship.

Kena Upanishad (6) Chapter I - That which cannot be apprehended by the mind, but by which, they say, the mind is apprehended-That alone know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.

Kena Upanishad (7) Chapter I - That which cannot be perceived by the eye, but by which the eye is perceived-That alone know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.

Kena Upanishad (8) Chapter I - That which cannot he heard by the ear, but by which the hearing is perceived-That alone know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.

Kena Upanishad (9)- Chapter I -That which cannot be smelt by the breath, but by which the breath smells an object-That alone know as Brahman, and not that which people here worship.

Kena Upanishad (1) Chapter II - If you think: "I know Brahman well," then surely you know but little of Its form; you know only Its form as conditioned by man or by the gods. Therefore Brahman, even now, is worthy of your inquiry.

Kena Upanishad (2) Chapter II - The disciple said: I think I know Brahman. The disciple said: I do not think I know It well, nor do I think I do not know It. He among us who knows the meaning of "Neither do I not know, nor do I know"-knows Brahman.

Kena Upanishad (3) Chapter II - He by whom Brahman is not known, knows It; he by whom It is known, knows It not. It is not known by those who know It; It is known by those who do not know It.

Kena Upanishad (4) Chapter II -Brahman is known when It is realised in every state of mind; for by such Knowledge one attains Immortality. By Atman one obtains strength; by Knowledge, Immortality.

Kena Upanishad (5) Chapter II - If a man knows Atman here, he then attains the true goal of life. If he does not know It here, a great destruction awaits him. Having realised the Self in every being, the wise relinquish the world and become immortal.

Ultimate Truth is nowhere written and cannot be expressed through words and thoughts, because words and thoughts are created out of consciousness, which is the ultimate truth or Brahman.

The seeker has to start afresh by realizing the fact that, the belief, and faith and all the dogmas in the name of god and religion are part of the illusion. Then there is possibility that he may find and grasp the nondual truth.

The truth does not belong to any religion. Religious truth is an individual truth based on the false self. The intellectuality is based on the individuality and in duality belongs to duality and duality is not reality from the ultimate standpoint. Thus the understanding based on the form is limited to form alone is just skin deep because one is not included the time and space. Thus, when the understanding is limited to the form to the form is imaginary and leads to a hallucination. Thus perfect understanding is ‘very much necessary what is what’ in order realizing the truth beyond the form, time and space. 

Sage Sri, Sankara: - VC- Let erudite scholars quote all the scripture, let gods be invoked through sacrifices, let elaborate rituals be performed.*****

A Gnani imparts Knowledge to others. A Yogi lies in Samadhi like a wooden log so he does not know yogic Samadhi is not wisdom.  Gnani is fully aware of the about all things, either permanent or perishable and he has realized both permanent and perishable to be consciousness.  Thus, consciousness alone is real and eternal all else is merely an illusion.

The one, who realizes Brahman becomes a Gnani.  A Gnani would be there to show the way to freedom from experiencing the duality as reality. A Gnani does not identify himself as Guru or swami or yogi or sadhu.

A Gnani imparts Knowledge to others. A Yogi lies in Samadhi like a wooden log so he does not know yogic Samadhi is not wisdom.  Gnani is fully aware of the about all things, either permanent or perishable and he has realized both permanent and perishable to be consciousness.  Thus,  the consciousness alone is real and eternal all else is merely an illusion.

Sage Sri, Sankara:~VC-  Let erudite scholars quote all the scripture, let gods be invoked through sacrifices, let elaborate rituals be performed, let personal gods be propitiated---yet, without the realization of one‘s identity With the Self, there shall be no liberation for the individual, not  even in the lifetimes of a hundred Brahmas put together (6)

It is clear that the liberation cannot be the result of good works, for Sruti itself declares that there is no hope for immortality by means of wealth.  (-7)

Actions help to purify the mind but they do not, by themselves, contribute to the attainment of Reality. The attainment of the Reality brought about only by Self Inquiry and not in the least by even ten million acts. (11)

The fear and sorrow created by the delusory serpent in the rope can be ended only after fully ascertaining the truth of the rope through steady and balanced thinking. (12)

Neither sacred baths nor any amount of charity nor even Hundreds of pranayamas* can give us the knowledge about our own Self.  The firm experience of the nature of the Self is seen to proceed from inquiry along the lines of the salutary advice of the wise. (13)

Ultimate success in spiritual endeavors depends chiefly upon the qualifications of the seeker.  Auxiliary conveniences such as time And place all have a place indeed, but they are essentially secondary. (14)

He alone is considered qualified to enquire after the supreme Reality, who has discrimination, detachment, qualities of Calmness, etc., and a burning desire for liberation. The four-fold qualifications ( 17)

Great sages have spoken of four qualifications for attainment which, when present, succeeds in the realization of Brahman and In the absence of which the goal is not attained. (18)

(While enumerating the qualifications), first we count the ability to discriminate between the Real and the unreal; next comes a spirit of detachment from the enjoyment of the fruits of actions here and hereafter; after that is the groups of six virtues beginning with  Calmness, and the last is undoubtedly an intense desire for liberation. (19)

 A firm conviction that Brahman alone is Real and the phenomenal World is unreal is known as discrimination between the Real and the unreal. (20)

They have crossed the dreadful ocean of (embodied) existence through their own efforts and without any (personal) motives; they help others to cross it. (37)

Swami Vivekananda:~ The Higher your ideal is, the more miserable you are,' for such a thing as an ideal cannot be attained in the world — or in this life, even. He who wants perfection in the world is a madman — for it cannot be. How can you find the infinite in the finite?

It has not been possible to preach Advaitic Truth entirely free from the settings of dualistic weakness it has not been more operative and useful to mankind at large because only few will be able to grasp and realize it.

'To realize the Advaitic Truth a freer and fuller scope the seeker has to realize the form, time and space are one in essence. And that essence is consciousness. And the soul, the innermost self is present in the form of consciousness.    

To realize the Advaitic truth the seeker has to be free from all superstitions and orthodox contaminations. The seeker has to be dedicated to acquiring Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana   alone.':~Santthosh Kumaar 

Sage Sri, Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom is one of the 'most majestic structures.*****

From the standpoint of the formless soul, the innermost self, the effect is non-different from the cause. However, in the realm of duality cause is different from the effect. The non-difference of the effect from the cause has to be grasped perfectly to realize from the ultimate standpoint there is neither the cause nor the effect because the cause and effect are one in essence. That essence is consciousness.

 Sage Sri, Sankara says: - If the cause is destroyed, the effect will no longer exist. For example, if from the effect, cotton cloth, the cause, threads, are removed, there will be no cloth, i.e., the cloth is destroyed. Similarly if in the effect, thread, the cause, cotton, is removed, there will be no thread, i.e., the thread is destroyed. (Brahmasūtra Bhashya, commentary on the Brahma Sutra, ^[9] 2.1.9)

Despite the non-difference of cause and effect, the effect has its self in the cause but not the cause in the effect. The effect is of the nature of the cause and not the cause the nature of the effect. Therefore, the qualities of the effect cannot touch the cause because the cause and effect are present only when the duality is present. The duality is present only when there is an illusion. The illusion is there only when there is ignorance. When there is no ignorance then there is no illusion. When there is no illusion then there is no duality. When there is no duality then there is no cause and effect. When there is no cause and effect then there is the nondualistic reality.    

Sage Sri, Sankara says:~ During the time of its existence, one can easily grasp that the effect is not different from the cause. However, the cause is different from the effect is not readily understood. As to this, it is not really possible to separate cause from effect. But this is possible by imagining so. For example, the reflection of the gold ornament seen in the mirror is only the form of the ornament but is not the ornament itself as it (the reflection) has no gold in it at all. (Chāṃdogya Upaniṣad Bhāṣya, commentary on the Chandogya Upanishad, 6.3.2)

All names and forms are real when seen with the Sat (Brahman) but are false when seen independent of Brahman. This way the seeker of truth establishes the non-difference of the effect from the cause.

In the context of Advaita Vedanta:~ Jagat (the world) is not different from Brahman; however, Brahman is different from Jagat.

It has not been possible to preach Advaitic Truth entirely free from the settings of dualistic weakness it has not been more operative and useful to mankind at large because only a few will be able to grasp and realize it.

'To realize the Advaitic Truth a freer and fuller scope the seeker has to realize the form, time and space are one in essence. And that essence is consciousness. And the soul, the innermost self is present in the form of consciousness.   

To realize the Advaitic truth the seeker has to be free from all superstitions and orthodox contaminations. The seeker has to be dedicated to acquiring Self-knowledge or Brahma Gnana or Atma Gnana   alone.'

A  Gnani will easily appreciate the high flights of Sage Sri, Sankara’s Advaitic wisdom is one of the 'most majestic structures and valuable products of the Genius of the man in his search for ultimate truth or Brahman or God. :~Santthosh Kummar