SOME THOUGHTS ON ATMA--99

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Loving SAI RAMs,

 

Ardent devotion steadily and continuously flowing towards the infinite Self, is the secret method of drawing upon the reservoir of a courage and determination, which alone can help the seeker at this stage of meditation. The ubroken ardency and love a true seeker must have for the Self can be comapred to say, the consistency, sincerity and enthusiasm with a drunkard craves for his drinks, or a man or woman pines for his secret love, or a miser dotes upon his wealth. The seeker who chooses the experience of the Self gains it by virtue of his ardent devotion and single-ponted meditation. The Atma in us, is constantly the witness of All and therefore, the ardency and sincerity of our love is never a secret from the Atma. The Atma is the very Consciousness in us , knowing everything at all times.

 

That the human birth is rare and that it is only in this embodiment one can strive and gain spiritual unfoldment is often repeated in all the Rishi-declarations. Acharya Sankara, in his famous Viveka Choodamani asserts this (Janttonaam narajanma durlabham atah pumstvam tato viprataa etc. etc.). In the Upanishads we find the Hindu Rishies tracing beautifully the divine path by which the evolved man can reach culmination of evolution in the Super-manhood. The Upanishads insist that man`s goal is to spring up to the top rung in the ladder of evolution. In the Kenopanishad, the Rishi pointedly declares that, " here, in case we realise this, the life is fulfilled: if not great indeed is the loss or tragedy. " The Upanishads bring home to us the urgency of realising the Atma in this birth itself. At various places we find expressions like " here only " (Ihaiva), right to-day (adyaiva), instantaneously(sadyaiva) etc. IN the Bhagavad Gita also the same urgency is resounding in the very mental atmosphere of the Divine Charioteer. We can go on quoting Scriptural texts in support of the urgency to realize the Atma in this very birth.

 

(to be continued)

G.Balasubramanian