Some Thoughts on Atma----6

March 22, 2007

Sairam Balasubramaniam & All Members, I have been reading very keenly your articles on Atma. Of late Swami has been giving a lot of emphasis on this very topic. If you read or listen to his discourses, he has been asking or telling all the people to discover one's own divine core (divinity). My understanding on this subject as per the directives of Swami and all other spiritual gurus is that the Atma or one's own self is God itself. For example the Atma in me , you and all other people in this entire universe is same. The one self reflects in all beings. So that means when you help other beings you are essentially helping yourself. In contrast when we hurt or harm others we harm ourselves. Now this includes the animals, birds, the marine life, insects etc. If this is true then the self or Atma exists everywhere even in rocks, mountains, space, virtually everywhere. So it is so true

when Swami states that the self or divine is above you, besides you, around you, below you. There is no place or thing where it does not reside. It is the mind that differentiates among people based on ones own perception. We tend to differentiate people due to their caste, creed, colour and status in societies. Animals and birds are being slaughtered for ones own taste and appetite. Negative thoughts and lower impulses plunge mankind into doing things which are derogatory in nature. Hatred is rampant in today's world. This is all due to the reason that man is looking externally for happiness. Selfishness is on the rise. Nobody seems to look within oneself and seek true happiness. There are scores of individuals with the grace of Swami who are able to put into practise the very essence of the Vedas. The one question I had for all in this regard is how does one look within oneself. How can one visualize the Atma? I know it is a tough question to answer. What I meant here was as we look at the sun and we somehow know the form and nature of the sun, we experience its warmth, similary we look at the ocean and we get the feel of the ocean in our minds like the vast expanse of water. Similary we can visualize the rivers, the mountains, the moon etc. How does one visualize on the Atma or self ? We cannot see this by our naked eyes. All that human mind can percieve is that what we see in life. When we explain things to a child about something, we always show the child what we talk about else it will not understand. Although we cannot see pain, we feel pain so as to realize it. We do not see happiness but we certainly experience it. We do not see heat or cold, but we definitely feel it. Some people see God in idols or photos or temples. But here again we are limiting ourself to a finite

form. Swami has been stating that we need to look beyond his physical form itself. There are lots of definitions given for the Atma such as "Being awareness and Bliss" or Satchithananda. If one can clearly understand this concept or principle then only the true realization can be engrained in every human being. This is only the ONE knowledge that can illumine the intellect so that mankind could proceed towards the ultimate goal of self realization. I would greatly appreciate feedback and inputs on this. Suresh "G. Balasubramanian" <gbsub1 wrote: SAI RAM Dear Brothers and Sisters, We have seen that Atman is the substratum upon which everything is superimposed. Let us understand this in some details. Somebody calls himself a Brahmin; somebody else Kshatriya or Vaisya or Sudra. These are the castes in Hindu religion. Sometimes we refer to people, as Whites, Blacks etc. etc. Again there are also four divisions in HIndu system which are called as stages in life or as Ashramas viz., Brahmacharya(celibate or unmarried), Gruhasta(the house-holder), Vanaprastha(recluse) and the Sanyasin(mendicant). These divisions are created by the difference in quality and texture of the human equipment( Upadhi) viz., the

gross, the subtle and causal bodies. We know that the physical structure, the emotional texture and intellectual calibre differ from person to person. But Atman which functions through these Upadhis is one and the same. It remains changeless and unaffected by the external divisions of caste, color and position or Asrama. Just as different flavours, colours etc., are superimposed on water, these diverse factors are superimposed on the one Atman. Now, water acquires different flavours and colours, when it is mixed with objects possesing those flavours and colours. Everyone of us is aware that water is colourless and tasteless. Water retains its properties even when it is mixed with flavour and colour. Nevertheless, taste and colour are attributed to water by virtue of its association with those

extraneous substances. Similarly, Atman is immaculate and ever the same in all beings. The gross, subtle and causal bodies associating with it project their qualities upon the pure Atman. If we withdraw our identification with our matter equpment, and establish our identity with our pure Self(Atman), we will experience the homogeneous nature of the infinite Self. Thus the properties of and limitations of the equipment are superimposed on the immutable and illimitable Atman because of its identification with them. The Upadhis are temporary. They come and go. The Chandogya Upanishad proclaims that the Atman , the Divine, the immortal is the self of every being. It is the true nature of man. This is the pure and perfect , the birthless and deathless reality in which we all are one. Soham Asmi ( I am He) and Aham Bramhasmi ( I am Brahman)are the Vedantic declarations leading

to the highest equation of all. (to be continued) With Loving SAI RAMs, G.Balasubramanian