SOME THOUGHTS ON ATMA----25

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SAI RAM Dear Brothers and Sisters,

(continued from posting no.24)

 

What does a discerning man think about his birth? The answer is provided by Sruti. The Katopanishad declares, " A discerning man knows that he is neither born nor does he die; he has not come into being from anything; nor has anything come into being from him. The Self of man (ATMA) is unborn,eternal, everlasting and ancient " .

(Na Jayate Mriyate Vaa Vipaschit naayam Kutaschinna Babhuva Kaschit, Ajo Nityah Saaswatoyam Purano Na Hanyate Hanyamaane Sareere). Neither it kills nor it is killed(Na Ayam Hanti Na Hanyate),

declares that Upanishad. " Death is certain for one born and rebirth is inevitable for the dead " declares Lord Krishna in the Gita ( Jaatasya Hi Dhruvor Mrityuh Dhruvam Janma Mritasya Cha). As Atma is neither born nor dead, there is no question of rebirth for the Pure Atma

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Atma has no desire, grief,hatred,fear etc. in as much as it has no mind. The scriptures declare that Atma has no Prana, no mind and that it is pure etc. We have earlier referred to the theory of negation of the unreal. So far we have discussed as to how the world and the physical body are to be negated as not being the Atma. Let us take up the other material layers of human personality and see as to how they are to be disowned and discarded. The mind is made up of thoughts and emotions. Where there is mind, there is desire, grief,jealousy, hatred,fear etc. The Atma which makes us aware of our emotions is the illuminator of emotions. This being so, the Atma must be something other than the mind and its emotions. This truth is substantiated by the Mantra from Mundaka Upanishad which says that Atma is not the Prana,not the mind,it is pure etc. etc.

( Aprana Hi Amanah Subra Ityaadi). " Aprana " signifies that Atma is not the Pranamayakosa, the Vital air sheath. " Amanah' means that the Atma is not the mind and the Intellect. Thereby the Manomaya Kosa(Mental sheath) and Vigyanamaya kosa(Intellectual sheath) are negated. The word " Subra " (pure) indicates the negation of the Vasanas of an Individual. Atma is not the bliss sheath(Anandamaya Kosa). The three words viz., " Aprana, Amana and Subra " , therefore, suggest the negation of the four sheaths which constitute the subtle and causal bodies. Incidentally, Bhagawan Ramana Maharishi, talking of Atma saysin his Upadesa Sara, " I am the One Existence (

Ekam Sat) and not the body, senses,vital airs, intellect and ignorance as they are inert (jadam) and indeed Non-existance(Asat).

 

Atma is other than the changing bodies. It is other than the fears and passions that agitate the mind. Atma is Divine in nature. Its nature is not altered by the qualities of the mind in which it is embodied. Atma can be released from the meshes of these qualities by a realization of its own intrinsic divine nature.

(to be continued)

With Loving SAI RAMs,

G.Balasubramanian