We Are Deluded When We Believe Atma is Doer

[Guest guest]

Jaya Guru Datta,

 

Here is today's saying:

 

"Q: What you say should be consistent with experience. Everyone will be having

experiences like 'I caused this to happen', 'I was responsible for his victory'

, etc. (in other words, I am the instigator). Why do you want to present some

complicated logic to disregard experience? Is it proper to do so?

A: Who takes the role of the 'doer'? - this question had come up in the previous

lessons. Even there you had brought up similar doubt. Let us recapitulate that

answer now. It was then made clear that the doership of the Indriyas was

superimposed on the Atma due to adhyaasa. The present situation is similar to

that. When a rose is kept behind a pure crystal Lingam, the Lingam itself

appears red. Why? Because the proximity of the rose with the Lingam and because

the Lingam is so pure that it reflects everything and because we did not know

that someone had placed a rose behind the Lingam. Because of all these reasons,

we attributed the red colour of the rose to the Lingam and got ourselves deluded

to think that the Lingam was red in colour. This is nothing but adhyaasa.

 

Similarly, because of the proximity of Raga and Dvesha to the Atma, because we

do not have proper understanding of Raga and Dvesha and because Atma is pure

just like the pure crystal Lingam, we tend to impose doership on the Atma, while

it belongs to Raga and Dvesha. This is the reason why people make statements

such as 'I am getting a house built', 'I am getting the field ploughed' etc.,

thereby feeling as though the Atma is the instigator. This is only an assumption

and is not the reality. It is not proper to keep the false experience (which

resulted due to delusion) as the basis to come to conclusions. Therefore we have

to accept that the instigator-ship belongs to Raga and Dvesha.

 

 

Sri Swamiji

Lessons in Vedanta - 37 part VIII

Bhakti Mala, February 1999

 

Sri Guru Datta,

Swamiji Says

 

 

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