[Advaita-l] [advaitin] akartaaham abhoktaaham -3

[kuntimaddi sadananda]

How come we don’t know this? How will we be able to realize the Self? The Self can be realized when we eliminate the ignorance through proper knowledge.
 
ज्ञानेन तु तदज्ञानं येषां नाशितमात्मनः |
तेषामादित्यवज्ज्ञानं प्रकाशयति तत्परम् || १६ ||
jñānena tu tad ajñānaṃ yeṣāṃ nāśitam ātmanaḥ
teṣām ādityavaj jñānaṃ prakāśayati tat param 5.16
 
This ajnana can be eliminated through jnana – knowledge. If I don’t know something then only knowing can eliminate that ‘not knowing’.
There is no object called ‘not knowing’ but it can create a lot of problems.  Suppose someone asks me ‘who are you?’ I say ‘I am a man or a woman’.

What I am saying about myself is not right thing. The scriptures say that I am that pure Brahman. ‘I am Brahman’ is not known. Because of this ignorance there is a wrong understanding about myself.

 There is an example given in Vedanta of mother of pearl is mistaken for silver.
Let analyze this example :
I look at the shining object lying on the beach. It reminds me of silver that I had seen before. I assume that to be silver. I want to pick it up. I go closer and observe. Then I come to know that it is not silver but it is mother of pearl which also shine like silver. The notion that ‘It is silver’ goes away. Similarly, there is Self and there is body, mind, intellect. When I look at myself I don’t know exactly who am I. I superimpose the idea of body, mind, intellect on myself. Just like the idea of silver is superimposed on the mother of pearl.. This example will make us realize the meaning of ajnana – ignorance and how that ignorance is causing misunderstanding.

This superimposition is called adhyas. It can go away only when I come to know my real nature through the study of the scriptures and through contemplation and meditation. The superimposition and the ajnana will go away when I come to realize myself as Brahman.

The ajnana of Atman will go away with jnana then it will reveal everything. Objects seem to be mixed up in darkness. But when Sun rises everything can be seen clearly. The knowledge of Self which is like the brilliant Sun will reveal everything. I will know who am I. I will know the nature of the Self as clearly as we see clearly when the Sun rises.

This is the path of karmasannyas. We have to gain this knowledge and gain more and more abidance in that knowledge.
 
तद्बुद्धयस्तदात्मानस्तन्निष्ठास्तत्परायणाः |
गच्छन्त्यपुनरावृत्तिं ज्ञाननिर्धूतकल्मषाः || १७ ||
tadbuddhayas tadātmānas tanniṣṭhās tatparāyaṇāḥ
gacchanty apunarāvṛttiṃ jñānanirdhūtakalmaṣāḥ 5.17
 
Bhagavan says that this person who gains the knowledge of the Self , his buddhi enters his Self. We come to understand the nature of the Self first with the buddhi. We do shravan with the help of senses (ears). I listen to the teacher and the understanding happens in the antahkaran, buddhi. The thoughts keep on coming in the intellect about the Self.  The buddhi keep on meditating on the Self. That is called tad-buddhaya, buddhi entering the Self.  At present, our buddhi is in the sense objects or in some place or some person. When we contemplate on the Self, the buddhi starts moving towards the Self. All the thoughts and ideas are about the Self.
Tad- Atmanah – that seeker consider Brahman as his own Self. One tries to identify with that which is understood by the buddhi.

The stick dipped in the water appears bent but we should keep the understanding firm in our buddhi that the stick is straight. Similarly, our experience at the level of senses may say one thing but buddhi firmly holds on to the understanding that I am Brahman. We have to maintain the understanding that this Atman is Brahman.
Brahman is Satyam, Jnanam, Anantam, Anandam and that am I. To maintain that understanding is called tad-atmanah. One will start gaining more and more abidance in the Self is called tan-nishtha. This is the sadhana of nididhyasana.
You have to understand with the help of buddhi and we have to surrender to that understanding. Other contrary ideas should not be entertained. Tat-parayanaH - That alone should be considered as ultimate goal.

Let us analyze the deep sleep state. What is your understanding of the deep sleep state? We do not know anything about the deep sleep state when we are there. It is such a strange experience. All of us have that experience. But at that time we do not know anything. When we wake up and someone asks about it, we say I was there. We do not deny our presence. Nobody says ‘I was not’. I had no connection with my body, senses, buddhi or mind. Now in waking state using my tongue and intellect I am talking about it and I say that ‘I was there’. I was there. There was no limitation of any kind. I was in an unlimited state. There was no confinement of any kind.
I was there.
There was not limitation of any kind.
I know that nothing was there. The knowledge that nothing is there happened.
So there was knowledge
I was there – satyam. Isness.
I have the knowledge of the absence – jnananm
There was no limitation of any kind – anantam.
Satyam, Jnanam and Anantam are the lakshanas of Brahman. I was there in the form of Satyam, Jnanam, Anantam. I am the same even now. That is sakshad Brahmarupa.

The scriptures say that you become one with Brahman in sushupti awastha –the deep sleep state.

I contemplate on it with the help of scriptures and get convinced that I am that Brahman. To hold on to that conviction, to move only in that direction is called the practice of nididhyasana.

Tad – BuddhayaH - Keep your intellect there. Tad – AtmanaH – consider that as your own Self. Tan – nishtha – get established in that. Tat – parayanaH – consider that as your supreme destination. This is the practice of nididhyasan.

Once I gain abidance in my own Self, once I realize my own Self, I will not be born again. I will attain my Self and there will be no birth for me in a limited body. पुनरपि जननं पुनरपिमरणं पुनरपि जाजनी जठरे शयनं will not be there for me.

Why will I not be born? All the kalmasha, vasanas, impurities will get washed off. They are negated through knowledge that I am Brahman.

An ignorant person is born again because of his desires. His sukshma sharira is not destroyed. I am associated with the sukshma sharira and there are many desires. To fulfil those desires I am born again.

Our Scriptures say that as a person approaches death, first his karmendriyas get withdrawn. A person is talking and then he stops. But his eyes are still seeing. Then the organs of perception also get withdrawn. They get withdrawn into the mind – antahkaran. All the indriyas form a mass and get withdrawn into the mind. They form an impression before withdrawing called Vac-vritti. The antahkaran also get withdrawn into pranas. Before withdrawing antahkaran form an impression called mano-vritti. Then the pranas get withdrawn and form an impression called prana-vritti.
Vak-vritti, mano-vritti and prana-vritti is formed. One leave the body with the pranas. According to those last vrittis or impressions another body is acquired by this jiva. यथा मतिःसा गतिर्भवेत्| the future gati is obtained as per our last mati.

An ignorant person dies and is born again. A jnani leaves the body and there are no vac-vritti, mano-vritti and prana-vritti. Such a jnani is not born again because all his impurities get cleaned up through knowledge. He remains as Brahman. There is not going here or there. He is present everywhere. A jnanji is Brahman who is present everywhere. Such a jnani is not born again.
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