SOME THOUGHTS ON ATMA----50

[Guest guest]

Sai Ram Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Frankly speaking, when this humble self started submitting postings on this topic at the request of a group member, it was not known as to how many postings will be made. The situation remains the same even now. It is some invisible hand that is behind these postings even though physically the keyborad might have been pressed by the fingers of this humble self. That must be the Pure Consciousness,the Chid, the Omniscient.

 

In the previous submissions, we tried to understand that the Supreme Reality----which is neither Existence, nor Non-existance has expressed itself differently as world, ego and God. That Atma is indescribabale, It being something transcending the world of objects. Experience of the Self(Atma) is not a theme easily describeble. Language, which is a medium or vehicle of expression for describing the relative world and its objective experiences, can not truly bring out the glories of the Infinite Atma. Words can express only names

(nama), properties (Guna), action(Kriya), adjectives and adverbs(Visesha), and mutual relationship(sambandha). Words in all the kown languages can express only the factors stated above. Therefore, that which is illuminating these five, and naturally therefore , something other than the illuminated factors, It must necessarily escape the grasp of Language. The Taittariya Upanishad declares, " Words come back(can not reach) along with the mind from Atman(Yato Vacho nivaratante appraapya manasa saha) " . Hence God is talked of as one indescribabale Existent Reality.

 

We have already seen that Atma is all-pervading. It is One without-a-second(Ekameva Advithiyam). And yet, Atma expresses itself as a different individuality in each different set of equipments. Through the total gross names and forms, the same Reality expresses as the world. Expressing Itself through the

vasanas in me, It functions as the Lord of my thinking, feeling and perceptions. I am thus limited by my Vasanas. The Infinite conditioned by my Vasanas is the Lord in my heart. Similarly, the Infinite functioning through the total

Vasanas is the Lord of the phenomenal world.-----God. Atma conditioned by the Vasanas in me(the causal body), the microcosm is called in our scriptures as Pragna, while the same Infinite expressed through the " total causal body " , the macrocosm, is called Iswara. Thus when the same Atma expresses Itself through the " total gross body " , the world(Virat), is manifested. The same Reality functioning through an individual`s (microcosmic) mind and intellect, expresses Itself as the individuality(

Jiva). The very same Eternal Reality expressing through the " total Vasanas " (macrocosmic) is the God-principle(Iswara).

(to be continued)

With Loving SAI RAMs,

G.Balasubramanian