Jivatma and Paramatma

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Enquiry into Atma – Methodology

 

There are various methods adopted by the Upanishads to reveal the Consciousness aspect of Brahman and to show that while this original consciousness cannot be objectified, it can be recognised as the witness-consciousness behind the mind

 

a. The known is not yourself. This method is called “Drk Drsya Viveka”. . Whatever you perceive or know as an object cannot be yourself, because you are the ultimate witness or subject and no object can be the subject. Cf. Brhadaranyaka Upanishad III.8.xi - (Also III.vii.23) – “Verily, this Absolute, O Gargi, is never seen, but It is the Seer; It is never heard but It is the Hearer; It is never thought but It is the Thinker; It is never known but It is the Knower. There is no other seer than It, there is no other hearer than It, there is no other thinker than It, there is no other knower than It.” (Sankaracarya’s commentary – “Being the consciousness Itself, It is not an object of the intellect.”) Brhadaranyaka Upanishad III.4.ii - “…… ‘Tell me precisely about that Brahman only which is immediate and direct – the Atma that is within all’ ‘ This is your Atma that is within all.’ ‘Which is that within all, Yagnavalkya?’ ‘You cannot see the Seer of the seer ( the witness of the vision), you cannot hear the Hearer of the hearer, you cannot think the Thinker of the thinker, you cannot know the Knower of the knower. This is your self that is within all. Everything besides this is unreal (mithya)….” Kenopanishad II.2.- “ I don’t say that I know Brahman nor do I say that I don’t know Brahman. I know and do not know as well. He among us who understands that utterance ‘not that I do not know, I know and I do not know’, knows that Brahman Kenopanishad II.3 - “ He who says that he does not know ( Brahman) knows; he who claims that he knows ( Brahman) does not know……It is unknown to those who know and known to those who do not know ( The meaning of these intriguing Mantras is that that the atma, the original consciousness, cannot become the object of the pramata. The example just as fire cannot be consumed by thee consuming fire. Pramata is antahkarana cum reflected consciousness. How can reflected consciousness illumine its source? It being the original consciousness Itself, there cannot be dependence on another consciousness, just as light does nor depend on another light. But as it is said in Kenopanishad II.4, Brahman (atma, the original consciousness) is “pratibhotaviditam” – Brahman or Atma is the consciousness recognized as the witness of all cognitions. In this connection we can also refer to the discussion in Sankaracarya’s introduction to his commentary on Brahmasutra, where he refutes an opponent who says that study of Sastra is futile. The opponent’s argument is ‘if Brahman is known, there is no need to study Sastra and if Brahman is unknown, no definition or description of an unknown thing is possible. Sankaracarya’s answer is that Brahman is neither totally unknown nor totally known. No one denies that he exists and that he is a conscious being. Thus, the consciousness that is the real I is known , but we are under the spell of the ignorance that we are limited individuals. It is necessary to study Sastra to understand that we are Brahman, the infinite Existence-Consciousness-Infinite.

 

b. Inward enquiry. Another method is “ Panca Kosa Viveka” which we learn in Taittiriya Upanishad Brahmananda valli. It talks of “aannamaya kosa” corresponding to the sthoola sarira, “I” corresponding to that part of the sukshma sarira consisting of the five vital airs – prana, apana, vyana, udana, and samana – together with the five organs of action (karmendriyas), “manomaya kosa” corresponding to that part of the sukshma sarira consisting of mind, i.e.,. the faculty that receives stimuli from the outer world through the organs of peception (jnanendriyas) and which is the seat of emotions and feeling, together with the five organs of perception (jananendriyas). “vijanamaya kosa” corresponding to that part of the sukshma sarira consisting of the intellect,, i.e., the deciding faculty as well as that which creates a sense of doership (ahamkara), together with the jananendriyas ( - the mind and the intellect are really two aspects of the same thinking faculty; the nature of the intellect is cognition and of the mind volition.), and “anandamaya kosa” corresponding to the karana sarira of the seep sleep state in which a person experiences ignorance and bliss.. The kosas are introduced one after the otter as Atma. First, the Upanishad describes the annamaya kosa and says it is Atma. Then, saying that there is something interior and subtler than that, namely pranamaya kosa, negates the annamaya kosa (that is, dismisses it, saying that it is not Atma – it is anatma) and so on, until it negates even anandamaya, describing its parts as “priya”, moda” and “promoda” which are grades of experienced happiness and, ultimately, reveals the ultimate conscious principle and avers that that is Atma, Brahman.

 

c. The constant consciousness of the waking, dream and deep sleep states

 

(i)Another method which we learn from Mandukya Upanishad is “Avasthatraya Viveka”. This Upanishad deals with the waking state ( “jagrat awastha”), the dream state ( “ swapna awastha”) and the deep sleep state ( sushupti awastha”) and establishes that the consciousness that is Atma or Brahman is constantly there in all the three states, the jagrat, the swapna and the sushupti awasthas, as the constant conscious principle. It is only in the presence of Atma that, in jagrat avastha, the mind which is part of the apparent creation perceives, with the aid of the reflected consciousness, the apparent external world; it is in the presence of the Atma that, in swapna avastha, when the mind itself has become the dream world, the dream world is witnessed by the Atma through cidabhasa. In the sushupti awastha , though the mind is resolved, the Atma continues as the unchanging witness ( sakshi caitanyam); the absence of experience and absence of mental activity and feeling of happiness are registered in the dormant ahamkara , to be recalled by the active ahamkara on waking up (and we say “I did not know anything; I slept happily”.

 

(ii) In this connection we can refer to the following passage in “Upadesa Sahasri” of Sankaracarya: - The disciple is asking “But at no time Your Holiness, have I ever seen pure consciousness or anything else”. The teacher answers , “ Then you are seeing in the state of deep sleep; for you deny only the seen object, not the seeing. I said that your seeing is pure consciousness. That [ eternally] existing one by which you deny [ the existence of the seen object] when you say that nothing has been seen, [ that precisely] is the seeing, that is pure consciousness. Thus as [it] does not depart [from you] [its] transcendental changelessness and eternity are established solely by Itself without depending upon any means of knowledge.” The pupil said, “….And there is no apprehender different from this apprehender to apprehend it.”

 

(iii) That consciousness continues even during the deep sleep state when all instruments of knowledge including the mind are dormant is expressed poetically in Brhadaranyaka Upanishad IV.iii.23 to 30 – “ That It does not see, smell, taste, speak, hear, think. touch, or know is because although seeing, smelling, tasting, speaking, hearing, thinking, touching and knowing then (the reference is to the continued presence of the original consciousness as witness of the non-functioning mind) it does not see, smell, taste, speak, hear, think, touch or know (the reference is to the fact that since ahamkara is dormant, there is no experience of an external world of objects or an internal dream world. It is only when the sense organs and mind are functioning that one perceives an external world of objects and it is only when the mind is active, even though the sense organs are dormant, that one sees a dream world) ; for the vision of the witness can never be lost, because it is imperishable( - the reference is to the fact that the original consciousness is eternal – there is no interruption in the presence of the original consciousness as the witness of the mind, whether the latter is active or dormant. ). But there is not that second thing separate from it, which it can see. ( i.e., since the mind cum cidabhasa are dormant, there is no triputi and there is no particular experience.)”

 

Section 19 –Brahman as Bliss

 

1. Brahman is described as Sat Cit Ananda. Ananda is translated in English as Bliss. But the word ananda used to define Brahman’s nature, does not refer to experiential happiness. It should be equated with anantatvam i.e. infinitude – infinitude not only space wise, but time wise and entity-wise – indicated by the word “anantam’ occurring in the Taittiriya Upanishad mantra II.i – “ Satyam Jnanam Anantam Brahma”. This anantatvam (or poornatvam) is reflected in the pure, calm mind of a Jnani who has identified himself with the infinite nature Brahman. And so, he has a sense of utter fulfilment and such a sense, we can say, is supreme happiness. Thus, we have to distinguish between “swaroopa ananda”, ananda as the nature of Brahman and “kosa ananda”, the ananda experienced by a jnani. (The ananda experienced by a jnani is unconditional happiness. happiness experienced by others is conditional and graded.) The word ananda to define Brahman is used as such in some places in the Upanishads.–Brhadaranyaka Upanishad III.ix.28 (7) –“vijanam anandam Brahma ....parayanam tishtam anasya tat vida’ (“Knowledge, Bliss, Brahman ......the supreme goal of him who has realised Brahman and is established in It.”- Taittiriya Upanishad III.vi.1 – “anando brahma iti vijanat” (“He knew Bliss as Brahman”). Taittiriya Upanishad II.v.1– “ananda atma” (“Bliss is Atma” ,i.e., Brahman) Taittiriya Upanishad II.vii – “ ko hi eva anyat pranat yat esha akasa (Brahman) ananda na syat” (“Who indeed will inhale, who will exhale, if this Bliss be not there in the supreme space within the heart) - Taittiriya UpanishadII.iv.1 and II.ix.1 – “anandam bramano vidwan na vibheti kadacaneti - kudascaneti” (“The enlightened man is not afraid of anything after realising that Bliss that is Brahman”) Chandogya VII.xxiii.1 “yo vai bhooma tat sukham” (“ The Infinite alone is Bliss”). – Brhadaranyaka IV.iii.32 “Esha Brahmalokah....esha asya parama anandah. Eta anandasya anya bhootani matram upajivati” (“This is the state of Brahman....This is Its supreme bliss. On a particle of this very bliss other beings live.”) Kathopanishad II.ii.14 refers to Brahman as supreme bliss (“paramam sukham.”) . Kaivalya Upanishad 6 refers to Brahman as consciousness and bliss (“cidanandam “).

 

2. The ananda which a Jnani derives from his sense of utter fulfilment or desirelessness is brought out in certain places in the Upanishads. In the “Ananda mimamsa” portion in Taittiriya Upanishad ( Chapter II, Valli 2, anuvaka 8 and in Brhadaranyaka Upanishad mantra IV.iii.33, it is equated with the absence of desire for the happiness available in the highest world, the plane of Hiranyagarbha, which is the highest plane of the vyavaharika satyam. In Taittiriya Upanishad Chapter 2, Valli 2, anuvaka 7 (mantra 2), the name for Brahman is “ rasah”. “Rasah”, in Sanskrit, in such contexts is the synonym for ananda . The mantra says, “The One described as Self Created (i.e. Unborn) in the previous mantra, is indeed rasah (ananda swaroopam). Attaining that rasa (identifying himself with that ananda, the Brahman) the jivatma becomes anandi (enjoys supreme happiness.).

 

3. The logic of saying that Brahman’s nature is Ananda is contained in Brhadaranyaka Upanishad in the second chapter, fourth section, fifth Mantra. Here, Yajnavalkya tells Maitreyi, his wife ( who is such an expert in Vedic lore that she carries on a long and wonderful debate with her husband who is a Jnani) “ Verily the husband is dear ( to the wife ) not for the sake of the husband, my dear, but it is for her own sake that he is dear. Verily the wife is dear ( to the husband) not for the sake of the wife, my dear, but it is for his own sake that she is dear. Verily sons are dear ( to parents) not for the sake of the sons, my dear, but it is for the sake of the parents themselves that they are dear. Verily wealth is dear not for the sake of wealth, my dear, but it is for one’s own sake that it is dear. ……..verily worlds are dear not for the sake of the worlds, my dear, but it is for one’s own sake. Verily gods are dear not for the sake of gods, my dear, but it is for one’s own sake that they are dear. Verily beings are dear not for the sake of beings, my dear, but it is for one’s own sake that they are dear. Verily all is dear not for the sake of all, my dear, but it is for one’s own sake that all is dear………” The argument is that everyone ultimately loves only oneself and all other love is only because it subserves the primary love of oneself. And one loves only that which is a source of happiness. So, it is conclued that Atma is the source of happiness and, therefore the nature of Atma is ananda. (Atma is none other than Brahman.)

 

4. The nearest example to the ananda aspect of Brahman is our state of deep sleep. Cf. Brhadaranyaka Upanishad IV.3.xxi - Just as a man embracing his beloved wife becomes one with her and does not know anything at all, external or internal, so does this Infinite Jivatma fully embraced by the Paramatma does not know anything at all, external or, internal, (such as ‘I am this’, ‘I am happy’ ‘I am miserable’). By talking of Jivatma and Paramatma becoming one, Upanishad is referring to the fact that since ahamkara is suspended, there is no idea of difference. Since there is no perception and there are no thoughts, there is no desire; there is no mental disturbance at all. It is a state of happiness, though it is not evident at that time. Since there is no desire, there is no grief. In the next mantra, it is said, “ in this state, father is no more father, mother is no more mother, worlds are no more worlds, gods are no more gods, Vedas are no more Vedas”. ( i.e., all relationships and the consequent samsara are due to the notion of individuality. Since ahamkara is suspended during sushupti, there is no notion of individuality and there is no notion of relationships. There is no notion of means and ends, either. Vedas are means for moksha. There is no idea of wanting to have recourse to Veda.) However, sushupti should not be mistaken to be moksha. Sushpti is only a rough example for the state of liberation. In sushupti, empirical dealings (vyavahara) are suspended. In the state of liberation, empirical dealings are seen as mithya. Hence one is permanently free from all empirical dealings..

 

Section 20 – Benefit of identification with Brahman

 

All over the Upanishads, we get statements mentioning the benefit of the knowing, “I am Brahman” and”All that there is is Brahman” (“”sarvatmabhava”) i.e., the understanding that even though the nama roopas are unreal appearances, they are not separate from the substratum, Brahman that is myself; the substance of everything is Brahman only, that is myself.) A few quotations would not be out of place. Taittiriya Upanishad II.i.1 “The knower of Brahman attains Brahman. (“Brahmavid apnoti param”. Mundaka Upanishad III.2.ix. – “Anyone who knows that supreme Brahman becomes Brahman indeed. ….He overcomes grief, rises above punya papa; and becoming freed from the knots of the heart (i.e., overcoming self-ignorance), he attains immortality.” Kathopanishad II.ii.12 – “Eternal peace is for those who recognize the Paramatma that is the Atma in all beings and as the homogenous consciousness available for recognition in oneself through its manifestation as knowledge in the intellect, like a face appearing ion the mirror – not for others.” Kathopanishad II.ii.13 – “Eternal peace is for those who recognize the Paramatma, the eternal among the ephemeral, the consciousness among the conscious (i.e., it is owing to the fire that water, etc, that are not fire, come to be possessed of the power to burn, similarly the power to manifest consciousness seen in others is owing to the consciousness of Atma)....in their hearts – not for others. (The paraphrase of Kathopanishad mantras III.ii.12 and 13 are based on Sankaracarya’s bhashyam.) Chandogya Upanishad vii.i.3 – “The knower of Atma goes beyond sorrow.” Kathopanishad I.iii.15 – “ One becomes freed from the jaws of death by knowing That (i.e.,Brahnan) which is soundless, colourless, undiminishing, and also tasteless, eternal, odourless, without beginning, and without end, distinct from mahat, and ever constant.” Taittiriya Upanishad II.vii – “whenever an aspirant gets established in this unperceivable, bodiless, inexpressible, and unsupported Brahman, he reaches the state of fearlessness.” Svetasvatara Upanishad II.14. –“Knowing the Atma, one becomes nondual, fulfilled and free of sorrow.” Svesvatara Upanishad II.15 – “when one knows Brahman as Atma, i.e., knows “I am Brahman” (“the original consciousness in me is the infinite Brahman”), the Brahman which is unborn, whose nature is immutable, which is unaffected by avidya and its products and which is effulgent, one becomes freed from all bonds.” Svesvatara Upanishad III.7 – “Knowing that Brahman that is beyond the universe and Hiranyagarbha and is infinite, that is the indweller of all beings, that encompasses the universe, men become immortal.” Brhadaranyaka Upanishad IV.iv.23 -“This ( Brahman described as ‘not this, not this’) is the eternal glory of a knower of Brahman. It neither increases nor decreases through work; therefore one should know the nature of that alone. Knowing it one is not touched by evil action. Therefore he who knows it as such becomes self-controlled, calm, withdrawn into himself, enduring and concentrated and sees the Atma in his own body; he sees all as the Atma. Papa does not overtake him, but he transcends all papa. Papa does not trouble him but he consumes all papa. He becomes free of papa, taintless, free from doubts and a Brahmana ,i.e., knower of Brahman.” Svesvatara Upanishad IV.17 - “Benefited by the teaching that negates the Universe discriminates between Atma and anatma and reveals the unity of Jivatma and Brahman, he who knows that Brahman becomes immortal.” Taittiriya Upanishad II.ix.1 - _ “He who knows ananda that is Brahman has no fear.” _ Taittiriya Upanishad II.1.i. – “Brahman is Existence-Consciousness-Infinity; he who knows that Brahman as existing in the cave-like space of the heart (i/e., mind) (i.e., as the consciousness behind one’s own mind) and thus having identified himself with that infinite Brahman, enjoys, simultaneously, all the desirable things.” (“Simultaneous enjoyment of all desirable things” implies sarvatmabhava.) Mundaka III.i.3 – “ When the seeker recognizes the effulgent Sakshi as the all pervading Brahman, who, in the form of Iswara, is the creator of the universe, becomes free from punya papa, becomes taintless and attains total identity with Brahman.” Mundaka Upanishad II.i.10 – “He who knows this supremely immortal Brahman as existing in the heart destroys, here, the knot of ignorance.” Brhadaranyaka Upanishad IV.iv.12 – “If a man knows the Atma as Brahman, then desiring what and for whose sake will he suffer when the body is afflicted? “(Since he, as Brahman, is the Atma in all beings, there is no other seer than he and there is no other knower than he; as Atma, he has nothing to wish for and Atma being all, there is none other than himself for whose sake he may wish anything). Kathopanishad II.ii.11 – “ Just as the sun which is the eye of the world is not tainted by the ocular and external defects, similarly the Atma that is one in all beings is not tainted by the sorrows of the world, it being transcendental.” ( it is through avidya superimposed on Atma and, consequently, by superimposing false notions of karma, karta and karmaphalam, like the superimposition of snake on rope, that people suffer the sorrows arising from desire and work and experience the misery of birth, death etc.) Prasna Upanishad IV.10 – “he who realizes that shadowless, pure, immutable attains the supreme immutable itself.” Kaivalya Upanishad 4 – “Through a life of renunciation, the pure minded seekers clearly grasp the meaning of Vedantic teaching. Having become one with the Infinite Brahman (while living), all those seekers get totally resolved into Brahman at the time of final death.” ( “Vedanta vijnana suniscitartha sanyasa yogat yataya suddhatatva; te brahmalokeshu parantakale paramrutah parimucyanti sarve.” Kaivalya 9 –“He alone is everything which was in the past , which is in the present and which will be in the future and He alone is eternal. Having recognised Him, one crosses immortality. There is no other means for liberation.” Kaivalya Upanishad 10 – “Clearly recognising oneself to be present in all beings and clearly recognising all beings in oneself, the seeker attains the supreme Brahman, not by any other means.” Kaivalya Upanishad 23 – “ Thus having recognised the nature of Paramatma which is manifest in the mind , which is partless, non-dual, the wines of all, distinct from cause and effect and is pure, one attains the nature of nature of Paramatma.”. In one of the Upanishads, it is said that the jnani does not want to protect himself even from Iswara. That is because even Iswara is of a lower order of reality than Brahman and the Jnani has identified himself with that Brahman.. Cf. Brhadaranyaka Upanishad I.iv.2 – “From a second entity only fear arises.”.

 

Section 21 – Benefit of knowing that I am all

 

“Sarvatmabhava” is not different from the realisation, “ Brahmasatyam jaganmithya”. “The existence part of everything is Brahman and I am Brahman. In this sense everything is myself. Since everything is myself, I have no sense of lacking anything. So I am without desire. Since all cidabhasas are reflections of my original consciousness, I can regard, as a matter of intellectual attitude, all glories and all happiness as my glory and happiness. At the same time, there is the understanding that the nama roopas superimposed on the Existence-Consciousness-Infinity which is myself, are of a lesser order of reality and I cannot be disturbed by any untoward phenomena. Moreover,.” This is the position of one who has known ‘aham brahmasmi” and that there is no world, in essence, other than Brahman. Cf. Isavasya Upanishad mantra 1 – “This entire universe must be clothed with Brahman (which means that what you think is the world should be seen as Brahman; the world should be dismissed as unreal, as mere nama roopa.) Protect yourself from samsara by renunciation (the renunciation consists in the dismissal of mithya. The moment Brahman is known as the only reality the world is renounced as mithya.) (Commentary of Sankaracarya – “As the indwelling Atma of all, He is the Atma of all beings and as such rules all. All this is to be covered by one’s own Atma that is nondifferent from Brahman, with the realisation, ‘as the indwelling Atma of all, I am all this’. All that is unreal, whether moving or unmoving, is covered by Brahman. The unreal world of duality characterised by the sense of doership and enjoyership and other effects of ignorance superimposed on Atma will be abandoned through the recognition the supreme Truth. He who is thus engaged in the thought of Atma as Brahman renounces desires for worldly objects.”) After “Protect yourself through renunciation of desires.”, the mantra says “ Do not covet anybody’s wealth – your own or of others – Whose is this wealth?” (This is interpreted as saying ‘you as Atma nondifferent from Brahman is everything; do not hanker after the unreal.) Isavasya Upanishad 6 – “He who sees all beings in the Atma and Atma in all beings feels no hatred.” (“yastu sarvani bhootani atmani eva anypasyanti sarvabhhoteshu ca atmanam tato na vijupsate.”) Isavasya Upanishad 7 – “When one understands all beings to be his own Atma, for that seer of oneness what sorrow can there be?” (“yasmin sarvani bhootani atma eva abhoo vijanatah tatra ko moha kah sokah ekatvam anupasyata”). Kaivalya Upanishad 10 - “Clearly recognising oneself to be present in all beings and clearly recognising all beings in oneself, the seeker attains the supreme Brahman; not by any other means”. (“Sarva bhotastam atmanam sarva bhootani ca atmani sampasyan paramamyati na anyena hetuna”). .

 

Section 22 – Purpose of teaching about Gods with attributes

 

1. The absolute reality of Advaita Vedanta is not even a single personal god, not to speak of many gods. It is pure existence, i.e., an eternal all pervading presence without form and without attributes which is also pure consciousness; with that as the substratum, there is, as a lower order of reality, a superimposition of manifold forms which appear to us as concrete objects. What makes this possible is the power called Maya which is the unevolved form of Nama roopas. Brahma caitanyam is reflected in Maya and that entity is called Iswara. Iswara designs creation in accordance with the requirements of the karma of jivatmas and impels Maya to unfold as manifest nama roopas; it is the manifest nama roopas superimposed on Brahman that is existence that we experience as objects of the world including our own bodies and minds. Cf. Kathopanishad II.i.11 - “There is no diversity here.” (“na iha nana asti kincana”). Brhadranyaka Upanishad II.v.19 – “Even though Brahman is the nondual divisionless consciousness, he appears to be many on account of the false identification with Nama roopas. (“indro mayabhih pururoopa iyate”) Y.xxxi.19 “ Though unborn it appears to be born in diverse ways”. (“ajayamano bahudha jayate”). While maintaining that on the paramarthika plane (i.e. as absolute reality), there is only the nondual atrributeless Brahman (“nirguna Brahman”) Advaita Vedanta accommodates, on the vyavaharika plane, (as a lower order of reality), Brahman with qualities (“saguna Brahman”). Uncreated saguna Brahman is called Iswara. “Uncreated” means, that, on the vyavaharika plane, Iswara is always there, without beginning or end.. Iswara is omniscient ( “sarvajnah”), omnipotent (“sarvasaktiman”) and omnipresent ( “sarvagatah”). Controlled by and as aspects of Iswara, on the vyavaharika plane, Hindu religion talks of various deities performing specific functions relating to and presiding over various aspects of the cosmos with various powers of Iswara. Thus various aspects of forces and nature are personified as gods, such as Brahmaa (pronounced with an elongated to distinguish from Brahman), i and Siva, the creator, sustainer and destroyer of the universe described in Hindu puranas and other gods like Indra (the presiding deity of thunder and lightning), Agni (the presiding deity of fire and eyes), Varuna ( the presiding deity of fire and eyes), Vayu (the presiding deity of air and pranas.) etc. Incarnations of Iswara, (called “avataras”) like Rama, i etc. are also accepted as phenomena on the vyavaharika plane. Avataras are Iswara descending in various worlds in various forms and with various manifestations of his powers on critical occasions when restoration of cosmic harmony is called for. The bodies and minds of avataras are also mithya ( vyvahaarika satyam.) It is made clear in certain Upanishads that there is only one absolute reality; that is called Brahman, and gods are only manifestations - Nama roopas – on the vyavaharika plane. Mahanarayana Upanishad III.12, talking of Brahman, say that he is Brahmaa (‘a’ elongated ), Siva and Indra. In Brhadaranyaka Upanishad III.ix.1 to 9, in the dialogue between Vigadha and Yajnavalkya, read with Brhadaranyaka Upanishad III.ix.xxvi, it is made clear that the various gods mentioned in Vedas , like Vasus, Rudras, Adityas, Indra, Prajapati, Hiranyagarbha are only manifestations of the one absolute non-dual, attributeless Brahman. Svetasvatara Upanishad VI. 7 – “He is the ruler of all the rulers; he is the god of all gods…” Mundaka Upanishad II. I. 7– “ From him take their origin the numerous gods, the heavenly beings……..” Kaivalya Upanishad 8 - “ He is Brahmaa, he is Siva, he is Indra, he is the imperishable, the supreme majesty, the self-effulgent; he is Vishnu, he is prana, he is time, he is fire, he is the moon.” – Aitereya Upanishad III.i.3 – “This one that is essentially consciousness is Brahma (‘a’ with elongated a); he is Indra, he is Prajapati, he is all these gods. And he is the five elements – earth, air, space, water, and fire – and he is all the beings in subtle seed form and all beings born from eggs, wombs, sweat, and the soil, horses, cattle, elephants and human beings. Including all these, whatever there is in this universe, flying beings, those moving on the ground , those that are immoveable – have their existence only in consciousness and everything is functioning in their own field of work or role only by getting the requisite power and knowledge only from that consciousness. That consciousness is the substratum of everything. (Consciousness is the one reality in which all phenomenal things end, just as the superimposed snake ends in its base, the rope, on the dawn of knowledge.) That consciousness is Brahman.”(Based on Sankaracarya’s commentary.) According to Sastra the gods like Indra, Varuna, Agni, Vayu, Surya, Candra etc are only exalted jivas, i.e., those whose prarabdha karma is so punya-predominant that they deserve to enjoy life in the higher worlds for certain periods; when the period is over they take rebirth on the earth or lower worlds, depending on the punya-papa proportion of the prarabdha karma assigned for that particular janma.

 

2. On analysis, it will be seen that the purpose of teaching saguna Brahman is only to enable man to go through worship and meditation of saguna Brahman and graduate to jnana yoga (study of Upanishads) and gain knowledge of jivabrahma aikyam. Cf. Sankaracarya’s statement “citta avatara upaya matratvena”. Saguna Brahman and the various presiding deities and avataras are unreal. A jnani has no need of saguna Brahman worship or saguna Brahman meditation, but, as an example to those in the lower stages of spiritual progress, he may do saguna Brahman worship and saguna Brahman meditation. In this, a jnani who has gained knowledge through the teaching of Advaita Vedanta does not make any distinction between gods of one religion and another. He can accept Jesus and Mohamed as he does Rama and Krishna as manifestations of saguna Brahman or as avataras in the vyavaharika plane and he can happily worship in a church or a mosque as he does in a temple. The idea is that, in religion, meant as the teaching of preparatory, purificatory disciplines that qualify a seeker of liberation, there can be many paths. But when it comes to philosophy, the Advaita Vedanta follower will adhere to his faith that the direct means of liberation is only one and that is the knowledge of jivahbrahma aikyam. Cf. Svetasvatara Upanishad III. 8 - (“I know that Paramatma (Brahman) that is infinite, that is effulgent and that is beyond avidya. Knowing that, men go beyond death, i.e., gets liberation from the bondage of births and deaths; there is no other way.” (“Na anya pantha vidyate ayanaya”) – - “Liberation is only through knowledge.”(“Jnanat eva kaivalyam.”) (The source of this statement is unknown.) The jnani may also do worship in a temple or pray to god, but he does so with the knowledge that the mithya sarira and the mithya antahkarna are worshipping the mithya god.

 

Section 23 - Process of obtaining knowledge of identity with Brahman

 

The sadhana or process for obtaining the knowledge “ i am Brahman” consists of “ sravanam”, , “ mananam” and “nididhyasanam”. Cf. the passage in Brhadaranyaka Upanishad II.4.5 – “atma vai are drashtavyah srotavyah nididhysasitivyah.”.

 

a) Sravanam is study of sastra by listening to the teaching of a competent teacher who can interpret the scripture properly, i.e., a teacher belonging to the teacher-student lineage of Vedantic teaching – the guru sishya parampara. Upanishads are full of seeming contradictions and obscurities. The problem is that any part of the upanishadic lore can be subjected to harmonious interpretation only by a person who knows the whole; since no student will know the whole until he reaches the end of his study, studying by oneself will only lead to misconceptions. Also, seeming contradictions and obscure portions can be clarified only through study of commentaries that analyse the purport of the passages in accordance with the rules of harmonious construction called mimamsa. There are countless commentaries and sub-commentaries and explanatory works and there are works containing arguments and counterarguments among philosophers of different schools of thought and only a teacher who has himself studied under a competent teacher in a course covering the original works, the commentaries and important prakarana granthas and works of disputations can convey the purport and meaning of Upanishadic passages. An ideal teacher is defined as “ strotriya brahmanishta” i.e., one who has himself learnt under a competent teacher belonging to the guru sishya parampara and has also got the clear and fully assimilated knowledge that he is Brahman. The idea is that unless he himself has learnt under a competent teacher how can he teach and unless he himself knows without any mental reservation that he is Brahman (“aham bramasmi) how can he tell the student sincerely, “Thou art That” (“Tattvamasi”)? The mahavakya, “Tattvamasi” (which means “You are Brahman”) should ring true in the student’s ears when uttered by the teacher. If one cannot find a teacher who is himself a jnani, (the difficulty is that only a jnani himself knows whether he is a jnani, there being no valid external signs to indicate whether one is a jnani.), the next best thing is to approach one who may or may not have reached the final stage of assimilating the knowledge but has acquired all the knowledge necessary to teach, having himself learnt under a competent teacher. ( i.e., a mere srotriya).

 

b) Mananam is the process of getting doubts arising in the course of the study clarified by one’s own cogitation and by discussion with the teacher.

 

c) Even after Mananam has eradicated intellectual doubts; the habit of emotional identification with the body mind complex acquired through the countless past janmas may remain. Nididhyasanam is meant for the destruction of this habit.. It is of no use if one part of the mind is saying, “ I am Brahman” while other parts are really saying, “i am a miserable, limited individual” “ I am a husband”, “I am a father”, “This is my house” “ I am afraid I will die” “ I want to go to heaven (‘swarga’)” etc. To remove these notions which are related to the wrong identification with the body mind complex ( called, “dehatmabhava”) one has to dwell on the various important aspects of the teaching, such as, “ I am the infinite Brahman”, “ Brahman is relationless (‘ asanga’); I am Brahman; so, I have no wife, no children, no house. They are all nama roopas superimposed on me, the Brahman. Since, in this janma, this particular nama roopa of a body has married that nama roopa called wife and given birth to certain other nama roopas called children, this nama roopa has to discharge its duties to those nama roopas but there is no place for sorrow, worry or anxiety.” “ I am the immortal, changeless Brahman; where is the question of any fear of death or any grief worry or anxiety? Brahman is everything and everybody; I am Brahman. So what do I lack? Where is the question of desire for anything? Where is the question of hatred toward anything or anybody? I may have preferences, but I have no needs.”.. Ultimately, the entire mind has to be saturated with the knowledge “ I am Brahman” and even while experiencing things, transacting with persons and handling situations in the world , the “ I am Brahman” thought should be running as a constant undercurrent in the mind and should surface immediately if there is the slightest tendency of intrusion of any notion related to dehatmabhava (identification with the body mind complex).

 

 

[maadhav 0]

<< I am Brahman” thought should be running as a constant undercurrent in the mind and should surface immediately if there is the slightest tendency of intrusion of any notion related to dehatmabhava (identification with the body mind complex). >>

 

yes, krishna said to arjun about the soul:

 

nainam chhidhanti shastraaNi

nainam dahati paavaka.

 

he said to arjun that arjun - aatma - is eternal.

no fear if the body dies.

just fight adharma and adhrmis,

keeping that in mind.

 

 

[barney 0]

The Jivatma and the Paramatma are one and those who have realized this are as followes:

 

The seventh century South Indian sage, Thirumoolar in his classic, Thirumandiram, an esoteric masterpiece of 3000 verses, explains man's path to immortal divinity. In verse 2709 he declares that the name of God, Siva, is an alchemical vehicle that turns the body into immortal gold. His poetry resonates with the deathless nature of spiritual attainment.

Another great South Indian saint, Ramalinga Swamigal (1823-1874) dissolved his perfected body into blinding white light just as another earlier sage, Manickavasagar had done in the seventh century. As a child Ramalingar delivered brilliant scriptural discourses and commentaries without any formal education. He too claimed direct knowledge bestowed by divine grace. In his classic testimony, The Divine Song of Grace, Ramalinga describes the transmutation of his dense physical body into a body of light:

"Oh God! The Eternal Love, just to bestow upon me the golden body, You,

Universal Love, have merged with my heart, allowing yourself to be infused in me.

Oh Supreme Love, You with the Light of Grace have alchemised my body".

Canto 6, Chapter 1, Verse 480

This verse resounds with the import of the gesture of alchemical projection where a minute quantity of the philosopher's stone transmutes molten base metal into gold. Ramalinga's body cast no shadow and attempts to photograph him revealed only his clothing. The esoteric level of accomplishment defies any attempt at vain academic analysis. There are those HK’s and some of them here may not understand the above truth but to proof my point here, the above Saints have achieved what some people here deny of such. It is because they are separating the Jivatma from the Paramatma who is in all living entity as Prahalathan said “ He is in the pillar, as well as in particles, he is in a fly as well as in an ant, he is in you as well as in me” Wiil they deny what Prahalathan said before Lord Narashima appeared crashing through the concrete pillar?

 

Barney.

 

 

[Guest guest]

He is in the pillar, as well as in particles, he is in a fly as well as in an ant, he is in you as well as in me” Wiil they deny what Prahalathan said before Lord Narashima appeared crashing through the concrete pillar?

•••narsimha, as an avatara, comes from ksirodakasay vishnu.... and ksirodakasay vishnu is paramatma, the manifestation of vishnu/baladeva/krishna who lives in every body, atom or cell close to the jivatma

 

so narasimhadeva appears in the pillar not because he comes from brahman, but because he comes from paramatma.. vishnu... baladeva.... krishna

 

brahman has no qualities, narasimha has infinite qualities.. he's the source of brahman, not the opposite

,

,

,

" to proof my point here, the above Saints have achieved what some people here deny of such"

……the saint, with all due respect, has not given any demonstration, he has expressed a sentiment, feeling

[maadhav 0]

<< The Jivatma and the Paramatma are one and those who have realized this are as followes: >>

 

unlike Hk's i would not argue.

you and me both will find out when we reach there.

 

for now my sadhana is bhakti.

when i realise god and see him in peson,

and then if i see you merge in god,

even then i would prefer to not merge,

and would serve him.

 

i wish you success in your advaita sadhana.

just do not try to confuse vaishnavas/bkahtas, please.

 

 

[Guest guest]

 

god is purna(complete) to merge in him has no sense

 

and if one's merging, he's annihilating, interrupting his independent existence

 

but being us parts and parcels of god we cannot annihilate ourselves even if we want, it is not possible for the absolute to lose one part, atom, spark, drop of him

 

so merging is not logic

[barney 0]

Only one saint has acheived that stage and that is Valladur Ramalinga Adikahal. The others only acheived samidhi. Leaving the body is one thing while vanishing in thin air with your body is another. Read the life history of Valladur Ramalingam Adikhal and you will know what I am trying to explain. Most of us can only realize the Supreme Bhraman but not merege with the Surpeme Being coz that takes a different kind of approach whic is explained by Ramalingam Adikhal.

[Guest guest]

merging is not logic simply because every feature of god or of his parts is eternal, so individuality is eternal, it is not possible to lose it

[Guest guest]

Jiva And Brahman

 

Analogy of the Spark and the Fire

 

The Jivas are not effects. They are Amsas or parts of God. They issue from Him spontaneously as sparks from fire. Brahman is the whole. The Jiva or the individual soul is part; but, there is no real difference between Brahman and the individual soul, because the individual soul is of identical essence with Brahman.(According to Ramanuja, the parts are really different from the whole.) The soul is one with Brahman. It is as real and eternal as Brahman.

The individual soul is not Brahman screened by the veil of Avidya. It is itself Brahman, with the attribute ‘bliss’ being obscured or suppressed. Ananda or bliss is suppressed or obscured in the individual soul. Ananda and consciousness are suppressed or obscured in matter or the inanimate world. When the soul attains bliss, and the inanimate world attains both consciousness and bliss, the difference between Brahman and these vanishes.

The soul is both a doer and an enjoyer. It is atomic in size, but it pervades the whole body by its quality of intelligence, just as sandalwood pervades even the places where it does not exist by its sweet fragrance and just as a lamp, though confined only to a part of a room, illuminates the whole room.

 

God-The Only Being

According to Sri Vallabhacharya, God is the Absolute or the Purushottama. He is perfect. He is Sat-Chit-Ananda. He is infinite, eternal, omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. He has all the auspicious qualities also. The Sruti texts which say that He has no attributes, mean only that He has not the ordinary qualities.

God is real. There is no other reality besides Him. He is the only Being. He is the source for this universe and all souls. He is the first cause and the only cause. God is the material as well as the efficient cause of the universe. He creates the world by the mere force of His Will. Brahman manifests Himself, of His own Will, as the universe and the individual souls, but He does not undergo any change in His essential nature. Things come out of the Akshara (Sat-Chit-Ananda), like sparks from fire. Brahman is the Creator of the world. He is also the world itself.

God is personified as Krishna, when He possesses the qualities of wisdom and action. He appears in various forms to please His devotees.

[Guest guest]

is not that god personifies as krsna, the ultimate aspect of god is the supreme person and he expands himself in personal (vishnu tattvas and jiva tattvas) and impersonal aspects

 

krsna in gita says: "i am the source of impersonal brahman".. not the opposite

[gokulkr 1]

if you have more doubts regrding my post then visit www.pushtikul.com and post ur doubt. Many scholars are there & they will clarify you.

 

[Guest guest]

no doubts on this subject.. but thanks

[Guest guest]

Classification Of Souls

There are three kinds of souls: (i) The pure (Suddha) Jivas. The divine qualities (Aisvarya) are not obscured in these souls by ignorance. (ii) The worldly Jivas (Samsarin). These souls are caught in the net or clutches of Avidya or ignorance. They experience births and deaths on account of their connection with gross and subtle bodies. (iii) Mukta Jivas or liberated souls. These souls are freed from the bonds of Samsara through Vidya or Knowledge. When the soul attains the final emancipation, it recovers its suppressed qualities and becomes one with God or Brahman. The world appears as Brahman to one who has realised the Truth or Brahman.

There is another classification of souls, viz., Pushti souls, Maryada souls and Pravahika souls. All these are different from one another in their origin, nature and final end. They all issue from God with their differences.

The Pushti souls are the highest, as they issue from the Ananda-Kaya or the bliss-body of God. These souls are the Amsa (parts) of His body. God is the Amsi (the whole). These are the souls of grace. They have the divine seed in them which bears fruit in the end. They ultimately reach the goal through the grace of the Lord. They have communion and fellowship with Lord Krishna. They develop Bhakti through the grace of the Lord. Bhakti is the means and the end in itself.

The Maryada souls are generated from the Vak or the Word of God. They are governed by law, not by grace. They perform their ritualistic duties, at first with selfish interests. Later on, they develop Nishkama-Bhava (unselfish attitude) and do their ritualistic routine without any self-interest. This purifies their mind. They reach the Akshara, which is a kind of vestibule to the abode of God. Afterwards they attain the supreme abode of God.

The Pravahika souls issue from the mind of God. They are the Samsaric Jivas. They are souls neither of grace nor of law. They are in continuous motion (Pravaha).

These three kinds of souls have further sub-divisions and cross-divisions into Pushti-Pushti, Pushti-Maryada, Pushti-Pravahika, Maryada-Maryada, Maryada-Pushti, Maryada-Pravahika, Pravahika-Pravahika, Pravahika-Pushti and Pravahika-Maryada.

 

[Guest guest]

SASTRAS in Hindu leanguage means SCRIPTURES, documented articles, paper or papyrus medium, written by highly evolved SCRIBES who can describe the ULTIMATE TRUTH in LIFE.

SCRIBES are us and those who left great prints which are the source of information regarding this UNIVERSAL TOPIC: The Religion of Manu, the father of Mankind.

And what RELIGION if I may ask, my KRSNA devotees, do we SUBSCRIBE?

In my home, Cebu, Philippines, the word SASTRA is understood by her citizens as SASTRE, meaning, a STORE where one goes to have their bodies, of various sizes and shapes, fitted with CLOTHES or DRESSES.

The JIVA or SOUL who is not KRSNA conscious are just like us Bisayans, when tired of our worn out bodies, go to the SASTRE for perfect fits.

The PARAMATMA or SUPERSOUL is unchangeable and transcendental. He has a body fit of His own, a DRESS so to speak, TAILORMADE by His pure devotees.

THAT`s the difference between the JIVA and PARAMATMA.In SHORT , what you are reading here is a form of SASTRA or in Bisayan language, SASTRE.