[Advaita-l] Unmanifest and its Secrets

[Sony Krishna Swamy]

Please read the article: Unmanifest and its Secrets written by Anand V.
found here:
http://advaita-space.org/77-advaita-articles/189-the-unmanifest-and-its-secrets

We perceive the mundane world and live in it. We enjoy and suffer, get
excited and dejected, live and die in it. The lives of most people pass
away in their struggle to live in the mundane world. They never care to
enquire about the other world or life after death. They give it a passing
thought on encountering some failure or bereavement in their lives. But
some discriminative people seriously think of death and the after life.

Even most of them get satisfied with the description of heaven and hell,
believe in them, stop their enquiry. Only a very few are really inquisitive
of the Unmanifest. Their belief in the perceivable ‘Manifest’ is not firm,
is shaky. They doubt its reliability. They yearn to know the ‘Unmanifest’
that can put an end to all their troubles.

The sublime truth is that this ‘Manifest’ universe has for its substratum
the ‘Unmanifest’. The ‘Manifest’ includes all that can be perceived- the
world, the body, senses, mind, intellect, prana (vital breath), ego and
even Nescience or Avidya felt during deep sleep as ‘nothingness’. These can
be otherwise described as the three bodies- the gross (sthula), subtle
(sookshma) and causal (karana). The Unmanifest is pure consciousness or
awareness that is the witness of all these. That is the ‘Unmanifest’ is the
awareness that is simply aware of all these and their functioning. It is
the light that illuminates the mundane world together with the mind-body
–ego complex.


The Vedas (Purusha Sooktha) says that while the ‘Manifest’ is confined to
say ¼th of the creation, 3/4th of it is the ‘Unmanifest’. It further states
that this 3/4th fraction (Unmanifest) abides as immortal, self effulgent
divinity.
The Lord too says in the Gita-
“Or, what will you gain by knowing all this in detail, Arjuna? Suffice it
to say that I stand holding this entire universe by a fraction of My yogic
power. (10, 42) ”
This proves that the ‘Manifest’ emerges, is sustained, nourished and merges
back into the ‘Unmanifest’.
The real nature of the soul as well as God is ‘Unmanifest’ consciousness.
The Gita says on this-
“ This soul is unmanifest; it is unthinkable; and it is spoken of as
immutable. (2, 25)”
On the nature of God the Lord says-
“ Not knowing My unsurpassable and undecaying supreme nature, the ignorant
believe Me, the supreme Spirit beyond the reach of mind and senses, the
embodiment of Truth, Knowledge and Bliss, to have assumed a finite form
through birth.”
The Lord cautions us with His inherent great affection for us that we
should not mistake Him as a finite, conditioned Super –personality. We
should not confound Him to a finite being possessed of all powers. He can
never ever be limited; for He is infinite immortal awareness. Any other
belief contrary to this truth is self deception which is more pitiable than
suicide. You may accept a beautiful enchanting form for the Lord to worship
and meditate. But it should be carefully remembered that He is never
limited to that form alone. He pervades everything everywhere and yet
abides as the Transcendental Absolute never ever tainted by anything
whatsoever. The Gita too speaks of this sublime truth when it says in the
ninth chapter- 4th, 5th and 6th verses-
“The whole of the Universe is permeated by Me as Unmanifest Divinity, and
all beings rest on the idea within Me. Therefore, really speaking, Iam not
present in them.
Nay, all those beings abide not in Me; but behold the wonderful power of My
divine Yoga; though the Sustainer and Creator of all beings, Myself in
reality dwells not in those beings.
Just as the extensive air, which is moving everywhere ever remains in ether
(space), likewise know that all beings (who have originated from My
thought) abide in Me.”

In this same chapter the Lord again cautions us not to be deceived by His
human semblance.
“Fools, not knowing My supreme nature, think low of Me, the Overlord
(Master) of the entire creation, who have put on the human semblance. (9,
11) “
Finally Vedanta says that all creation (the Manifest) is unreal like the
illusory serpent imagined on the real rope in semi darkness during the
twilight period. Thus the ‘Unmanifest’ consciousness alone is real. All
other things are perceived due to delusion or want of knowledge of the real
nature of the Unmanifest. All creation appears due to the incomplete
knowledge of their substratum. In other words only ‘awareness’ or the
Unmanifest alone exists. The Gita voices this basic fundamental truth in
the following manner-



“The unreal has no existence, and the real never ceases to be.”
All the charm, beauty and attractiveness perceived in the Manifest creation
really come from the transcendental beauty of the ‘Unmanifest’. To be aware
of this fact itself is to cherish, admire and adore the ‘Unmanifest’. The
inspiring, enchanting beauty of any entity or object opens for us a portal
to the Divine Transcendental Unmanifest for the time being. A glimpse of It
is had. But to permanently abide in the Unmanifest conscious detachment and
dispassion are much needed. Even the ego or personality should not entice
oneself for that. This happens by the supreme grace of God. Till it
happens, till we retrace our source restlessness and dissatisfaction are
inevitable. Only the conscious knowledge of the ‘Unmanifest’ can bestow
Supreme fulfillment and eternal satisfaction that we are ceaselessly
hankering for. But the great paradox is that we are That even now. We ever
abide as That ‘Unmanifest’. Only we have to recognize this soul elevating,
sublime truth.


Regards,

Sony Krishna Swamy