[Advaita-l] A Perspective - 18-2

[Kuntimaddi Sadananda]

tat tvam asi – IX-2



Hence realization is seeing the fact clearly and vividly. I am the
self-conscious and self-existent entity and illumine the mind through the
mind the objects in the world. In the processes of illumining the mind, I
lend both the existence and the consciousness to the mind. Anything is known
only because I am conscious entity and in the light of my consciousness only
everything gets illumined. In the deep sleep state, I exist all by myself as
saakshii, since mind is folded and therefore not available directly for
illumination or indirectly for illumining the objects of the world. As a
saakshii illumining the mind I am unaffected, but as ahankaara where I am
using the mind illumine the world of objects the impurities (raaga and
dweSha – likes and dislikes) of the mind can affect and get affected by the
world of objects. It is like the sunlight is directly illuming the mirror
but the reflected light from the mirror can illumine other objects – but
that intensity and abrasions of the reflected light depends on the quality
of the mirror. Cleaning the mirror helps to improve the reflection of the
sunlight.  Similarly cleaning or purifying the mind helps the beam the light
of consciousness to reflect fully with all its glory or vibhuuti.



Self-realization is seeing the presence of oneself in every perception and
in ever transaction with the world since without the light of consciousness
illumining the objects the knowledge of the existence of the objects cannot
occur. This is termed as aatma kriiDa or playing with myself in and through
every transaction with the world. This is meditation while transacting with
the world of objects. However, when I withdraw myself from the world of
object just see myself as the witnessing consciousness that is getting
reflected in the mind as chidaabhaasa, I am reveling in myself as myself –
called aatma rati.  This is meditation on himself. Thus jiivanmukti involves
realization of oneself in everything as the self of all and realization of
everything in oneself as all pervading existence-consciousness. The
continuous modification of the world of objects including the BMI forms a
vibhuuti or glory of that sat-chit-ananda that I am or that of Iswara. One,
who abides in this knowledge without getting lost in the superficial
changing world of objects that are getting illumined during the
transactions, is called jiivanmukta.  That is shifting our attention to the
sunlight using its reflection by the mirror as well that reflected light
getting further reflected in other objects.



Jiivan mukta is unique in advaita. Dvaita and vishiShTaadvaita do not
subscribe to jiivan mukta.  For them liberation is attained only after
leaving this body. One can never be independent of the Lord as they depend
on Him for their very existence and survival. Any notion of independence is
due to ignorance due to maayaa or delusion. Knowledge or jnaana is therefore
recognition that one is eternally dependent on Him and He is the controller,
sustainer and annihilator of the whole universe. By surrendering to Him
only, one can overcome the maayaa which is of divine origin – says Krishna.
Their often quoted sloka is:

daiviima yeshaa guNamayi mama maayaa duratyayaa|

maama evaye prapadyante, maayaam etaam tarantite||

Arjuna, this maayaa of mine is of divine origin. It is indeed difficult to
cross this ocean of samsaara; but it can be crossed over by completely
surrendering to Me; says Krishna. This sloka is often quoted by
vishiShTaadvaita to emphasize that SharaNaagati is the only way for
attaining moksha. Moksha is attained by going to VaikunTa which is called
divya vibhuuti where one can enjoy the infinite happiness along with
Narayana and with the other liberated souls, while serving the Lord. Only
thing that the liberated soul cannot have is the power of creation and power
of giving liberation – Narayana alone can do that and not even other Gods.
Therefore for moksha it is useless to go after other Gods.  Of course, in
VaikunTa, you will continue to serve Him as you did to gain that liberation.
There the jiiva-jiiva, Jiiva-Iswara, Jiiva-jagat (called divya vibhuuti) and
Iswara-jagat differences in VaikunTa also.  Remaining finite in size one
enjoys the infinite happiness being with the Lord as part of his total virat
shariira or cosmic body. How? That is how.



In advaita only liberation can be achieved right now and right here, since
it is the recognition that one is never bound and is ever free and both
space and time are notions in the mind. The bondage as well as liberation
both are part of delusion, since one is eternally free, nitya miktaH.  Gurudev
Swami Chinmayanandaji used to tell a story. In Himalayas the pahaaDies, the
local citizens, who are simple and make their living by selling and buying
while transporting their merchandise using mules. One such pahaaDi was
travelling with his mules carrying his merchandise. As he was passing
through a Himalayan pass, it started snowing. He decided to take rest for
the night and leave the next day morning when it becomes clear. He looked
around to see if there any shelters that he and his mules can rest.  He
found an ashram of a swami. He went to the swami and having prostrated
requested permission to take rest in his ashram. The Swami happily consented
asking him to tie his mules, feed them, have a bath and have something to
eat before he goes to bed.  The pahaaDi was happy and went to tie the mules.
To his surprise he realized that he forgot to bring pegs to nail to the
ground and ropes for tying the mules to the pegs. He was forcing them to lie
down on the ground but they refused to lie down. He rushed to the swami and
described the problem in hand. Swami suggested to him to pretend that he has
those pegs and the rope and pretend to nail the pegs and go through all the
motions of tying them with the imaginary ropes. He could not believe that it
would work but with full faith in the swami’s words he went through the
complete motion of tying them by the imaginary ropes to the imaginary pegs
nailed to the ground.  To his surprise the mules lied down without any
protest. He thanked the swami and took rest for the night. Next day morning
he took leave from the swami and tried to make the mules to get up. But they
would not, however much he tried. Again he rushed to swami who asked him
whether he untied the mules. PahaaDi said, maharaj, there were really not
tied, there were no ropes and pegs. They are just lying down.  Swami said,
that is your knowledge, but the mules think they have been tied to the pegs
and they have to be untied. You have to untie them removing the imaginary
ropes and the pegs that were used in the night. He did that and mules
immediately got up and recognize that they are free of the ropes that tied
them and were now able to move forward. We are essentially like the mules
who feel that we are tied down life after life and we need to go through the
process of getting untied. Teaching by other philosopher further reinforces
that the bondage is real. In order to overcome this misunderstanding our
minds need to be cleaned of wrong notions.  For that we need the four fold
qualifications to prepare our mind to recognize that we are ever-free, even
when we were thinking that we were bound. Thus according to advaita, both
bondage and liberation are only the deep rooted notions in the mind.  That
they are notions and not real can only be established only when one knows
the reality behind the notions or have a knowledge that both subject and
object or the whole universe is pervaded by the existence – consciousness
that I am.  This knowledge should be firm and abiding irrespective of the
changing external world or the BMI. The only proof of the pudding is that
the reactions or relations between the mind and the world of objects will
have no bearing since the attention of the jiivanmukta is shifted to the
saakshii level or to the original light of consciousness that is never
affected by nature of the reflecting media. The actions at the mind level
are not motivated by individual BMI likes and dislikes but by vibhuuti or
glory of the all pervading reality that can spread all over the world
without any contaminations.  This we call as loka kalyaanam.