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Sharing Teachings from Scriptures of Sanātanaḥ Dharmaḥ and Self Realised Masters. Owner - @Vasudevom #spiritual #sanatandharma #hinduism
A drop of water has all the qualities of the ocean. It needs union. You are like a drop of water, and the ultimate Truth (Brahman/Shiva), is like the ocean. You simply have to learn how to unite the drop of water with the ocean. You need to meet to become one.
Many of you are afraid of losing your individuality when you meet the ocean. No. You do not lose anything. Your individuality is expanded; you become the ocean. Once the river has met the ocean, there is no way of going back. You cross the boundaries of individuality and attain cosmic consciousness (Brahman) in which you become one with Reality.
- SWAMI RAMA
Samadhi the Highest State of Wisdom [pg 228]
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There are three dolls―
the first made of salt,
the second made of cloth, and
the third of stone.
If these dolls are immersed in water,
- the first will become dissolved and lose its form,
- the second will absorb a large quantity of water but retain its form, and
- the third will remain impervious to water.
The first doll represents the man who merges his self in the universal and all-pervading Self and becomes one with It; he is the liberated man.
The second represents the Bhakta or the true lover of God, who is full of Divine bliss and knowledge.
And the third represents the worldly man who will not admit even a particle of true knowledge into his heart.
~ Wise Sayings of Sri Ramakrishna.
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Depression:
Be cheerful and happy. There is nothing more infectious than depression. A depressed and gloomy person can radiate only unpleasant and morbid vibrations all around; he cannot radiate joy, love and peace.
Therefore never come out of your room, if you are depressed and gloomy, lest you should spread the contagion all around you. Live only to be a blessing to others. Radiate joy, love and peace.
Depression eats the very core of your being and havocs it like a canker. lt is verily a deadly plague. Depression manifests on account of some disappointment or failure, severe dyspepsia or heated debates, wrong thinking or wrong feeling. Separate yourself from this negative feeling and identify yourself with the Supreme Being. Then no external influence can affect you. You will be invulnerable.
Drive the feeling of depression and gloom at once by enquiry, singing divine songs, prayers, chanting of OM, Pranayama, a brisk walk in the open air, thinking of the opposite quality, viz., the feeling of joy. Try to be happy in all states and radiate joy only towards all around you.
~ Swami Shivananda Saraswati
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Satya means - Reality, Truth.
That which is eternal, unchanging, present at all times, immutable, undivided, infinite, knowledge is called as real. That is Brahman.
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Brahma Satyam Jagat Mithya
What is meant by Satyam and Mithya?
a. Satyam:
1- exists in all 3 periods of time, past, present, future
2- changeless,
3- and is independently existent—not dependent on anything for its existence.
b. Mithya:
1- is time bound; comes into being, exists for some time, and is destroyed.
2- is subject to change
3- has no independent existence/reality and draws it's being (existence) from its ‘cause’ satyam. 4- There is no mithyā without satyam, it's content.
5- Mithyā is not an illusion, like a snake projected on a rope.
The world we see is mithyā. It is available for transaction, like a clay pot, because it is Īśvara-sṛṣṭi.
Satyam is the reality or the truth. Mithya is also a reality, which means it exists. However, Mithya does not exist on its own.
The Existence of Mithya is based on Satyam and does not exist beyond its “birth-growth-death".
Mithya cannot exist without Satyam. Satyam exists without Mithya.
Example of a Clay Pot - Pot is a Mithya as it is born due to clay and if broken does not remain a pot. In comparison to Pot, the Clay is Satyam as it does not need Pot for its existence.
Example of Wave in Ocean - Wave is a Mithya because Wave cannot exist on its own seperately from water. In comparison to Waves, Water is Satyam as Water exists at all times of birth, growth and, death of Waves.
Brahman is the Satyam because it exists, and it exists without any other thing’s existence and does exist beyond the birth-growth-death cycle of the Jagat.
Jagat is Mithya because Jagat exists and it exists because of Brahman and undergoes the “birth-growth-death” cycle.
Jagat is a reality dependent on Brahman.
@guruvaakya
"Happiness is your nature. It is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside.
~Sri Ramana Maharshi
"The truth is that everytime our desire gets fulfilled, the mind, turning to its source, experiences only that happiness which is natural to the Self."
"You yourself are the source of all your happiness, whatever it may be, and not external things. Even when you imagine that some external object has given you the happiness, you are mistaken. What really happened is that unconsciously the object brought you back to your Self for an instant, borrowed the happiness, and thus presented it to you. The happiness came as a shadow to you; why not look to the source, to the Self, and realize it?"
~Sri Ramana Maharshi
Ramana Maharshi Jayanti today. May his grace and blessings be upon you all.
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Peace is the direct result of non-attachment. All the restlessness, frustration, ill-will, hatred, and struggle are caused by attachment to worldly objects and thirst for pleasures.
When the person discovers supreme bliss in Atma untainted by any disturbing factors, he finds no relish for the lower pleasures of the material world.
And this non-attachment leads to supreme peace.
So the aspirants should analyse the cause of suffering in the world, and when he analyses the problem, he would naturally find out that the attachments are the root cause for all the restlessness and disturbance in their minds.
Give up desire and attachment, peace is yours – This is the Lord’s message.
~ BG Commentary on 5.12 verse.
• The beginningless consciousness is Unborn, Whole and, residing forever in its natural home of the Heart-cave, is without form, world or impurity. It is beyond comparison and completely unattached. It cannot be comprehended by the mind nor can It be seen or felt by the senses.
• Repeatedly see thus: "I am He, the Eternal, Omnipresent Reality which is Brahman." Meditating thus for a long time, whoever abides imperturbably will become the Supreme Brahman, thereby attaining Immortality.
~ Lord Shiva
• Devikalottara, Verses 59, 60
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Atma is the witness of all phenomena.
Just as the sun is only a witness to the various human actions that take place in the light that it sheds, just as the lamp is only a witness of the actions taking place in its light, Atma is just a witness of the activities of the body, the senses, and the mind, which take place by its all-pervading life-force. It remains untainted by them, ever pure and ever perfect.
To realise one’s own identity with Atma is the perfection of Knowledge.
Out of Ignorance (avidya) Jiva (individual soul) assumes itself separate from Brahman or Atman.
It is like the wave imagining itself to be separate from the ocean.
The individual having imagined that he or she is a separate entity, identifies themselves with the body, senses and mind.
When the bodily organs are moving and acting, when the mind thinks and feels, he thinks that he is thinking and feeling.
When the senses function in their own respective sense objects, he thinks that he is functioning.
This body identification is caused by ignorance.
By spiritual sadhana and knowledge (direct experience of Atma), the wise person discovers the tremendous error of body-identification (dehatmabuddhi) and regains his or her original state of Atma.
When body identification is removed, Atma-buddhi is achieved.
In that state, the body, senses, and mind and all their functions and actions, are perceived as distinctly separate from the Self.
@guruvaakya
Who is the director of the mind?
Who impels the mind to alight on its object?
- Brahman.
At whose command does the Prana proceed to function?
- The command of Brahman.
At whose command do men utter speech?
- The command of Brahman.
What intelligence directs the eyes and the ears towards their respective objects?
- The Intelligence of Brahman.
Behind the Prana and the senses there is Brahman or the supreme Self.
He who knows this attains immortality.
Ignorant people identify themselves with the body, mind, Prana and senses on account of nescience or Avidya.
They mistake these false, perishable limiting adjuncts or vehicles for the pure immortal Atman, and so they are caught in the round of births and deaths.
~ Kenopanishad
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The entire creation exists within the time and space. There is no object outside of time and space.
Which means that every object is subject to birth and death.
It also means - creation is impermanent.
This impermanence is an intrinsic part of every aspect of creation, be it things, people, situation and relationships.
Thus there is no permanent object, permanent person, permanent situation, and most importantly there is no permanent relationship.
The ONLY permanent entity is Brahman (Shiva/Narayana).
Brahman is permanent, eternal, unborn, all-pervading, unchanging and who's nature is bliss and peace.
"Just as a thing made of gold
ever has the nature of gold,
so also a being born of Brahman has always the nature of Brahman.
Fear is attributed to the ignorant one who rests after making
even the slightest distinction
between the Jivatman and the Paramatman.
When duality appears through ignorance, one sees another;
but when everything becomes identified with the Atman,
one does not perceive another
even in the least.
In that state when one realizes all as identified with the Atman,
there arises neither delusion nor sorrow, in consequence of the absence of duality."
- Aparokshanubhuti. (51-54)
By Adi Sankaracharya,
Translated by Swami Vimuktananda
Since everything – the moving and the non-moving objects of the world -is pervaded by the Atman, the Self, which is present in the heart of every person, one should consider every object as the manifestation of the Atman and be full of love and kindness for all.
He should not commit any sin, since Atma, the Lord, is present everywhere. Since nothing can cause the destruction of Atma, one should contemplate and strive to live in Atma without any kind of doubt or fear.
Physical body is subject to death. You are not the body. You are Atma, the indweller, holding the body as a vehicle.
So no one should depend on the perishable bodies. You should hold on to Atma, till you obtain the consciousness of your identity with Atma, and cut off the false identification with the body.
Atma is not far away. It is in and pervading the body, but completely free and uncontaminated by all the modifications of the physical and subtle bodies.
Person should constantly cultivate his identity with Atma, and reject the identity with the body and remain as Atma.
Question: What is the nature of Atma?
Answer: Atma pervades the whole universe. It is imperishable. No one can cause its destruction.
According to the Advaita philosophy, there is only one thing REAL in the universe, which it calls Brahman; everything else is unreal, manifested and manufactured out of Brahman by the power of Mâyâ.
To reach back to that Brahman is our goal.
We are, each one of us, that Brahman, that Reality, plus this Maya. If we can get rid of this Maya or ignorance, then we become what we really are.
According to this philosophy, each person consists of three parts — the body, the internal organ or the mind, and behind that, what is called the Âtman, the Self.
The body is the external coating and the mind is the internal coating of the Atman who is the real perceiver, the real enjoyer, the being in the body who is working the body by means of the internal organ or the mind.
The whole universe is all one in the Self or Atman which is called Brahman. That Self when it appears behind the universe is called God. The same Self when it appears behind this little body, is the soul. This very soul, therefore, is the Self in person. There is only one Purusha, the Brahman of the Vedanta.
This is the Advaita conclusion. “I am neither the body, nor the organs, nor am I the mind; I am Existence, Knowledge, and Bliss absolute; I am He.” This is true knowledge; all reason and intellect, and everything else is ignorance.
Where is knowledge for me, for I am knowledge itself! Where is life for me, for I am life itself! I am sure I live, for I am life, the One Being, and nothing exists except through me, and in me, and as me. I am manifested through the elements, but I am the free One.
Who seeks freedom? Nobody. If you think that you are bound, you remain bound; you make your own bondage. If you know that you are free, you are free this moment. This is knowledge, knowledge of freedom. Freedom is the goal of all nature.
~ Swami Vivekananda on Advaita philosophy
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• Those who are not attached to external sense pleasures realize divine bliss in the self. Being united with God through Yoga, they experience unending happiness.
• The pleasures that arise from contact with the sense objects, though appearing as enjoyable to worldly-minded people, are verily a source of misery. O son of Kunti, such pleasures have a beginning and an end, and so the wise do not delight in them.
~ Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 5, verses 21, 22
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Lord Shiva's Panchakshara is a Mahamantra which is composed of five letters, Nama Sivaya.
A Mantra is that which removes all obstacles and miseries of one who reflects on it and bestows eternal bliss and immortality. Panchakshara is the best among seven crores of Mantras.
There are seven Skandas in Yajurveda. There is Rudradhyayi in the centre of the middle Skandha. In this Rudradhyayi there are one thousand Rudra Mantras. Namassivaya or the Siva Panchakshara Mantra shines in the centre of these one thousand Rudra Mantras.
Yajurveda is the head of Paramesvara, who is the Veda Purusha. Rudram which is in the middle is the face, Panchakshara is His eye, Siva which is in the centre of the ‘Namassivaya’ is the apple of the eye. He who does Japa of this Panchakshara is freed from births and deaths and attains eternal bliss.
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A person who have acquired Brahma-jnana see everything as Brahman. In all the varied manifestations of nature, they see the underlying substratum (i.e) Atma, and so they do not make any distinction between one thing and another.
For them, all that exists, whatever the name and form may be, is made of one substance – Brahman (Atma).
So they have love and compassion for all the creatures without distinction of high or low, caste and creed, and so on.
The Atma-Realized person looks upon both with an equal eye, because the background for the highest spiritual giant and the meanest wretch is Brahman and nothing else.
Each person is looking at things from a particular plane of vision.
The most ignorant person looks upon objects only from the physical plane.
He considers only the colour, stature, race, caste and so on.
This is bodily outlook, ‘deha-drishti’
They like or dislike according to these physical distinctions.
The second class of persons look upon objects from the mental plane.
They consider the character of a person, their mentality , his intellectual powers, and other talents which are exhibited in him.
The highest class of people look upon all things from the spiritual plane, and they find God or Brahman or Atman in everyone.
Their vision is that of the One Brahman (Atma) being the essence of all things. This is Atmic outlook (Atmadrishti).
All that exists is God. Out of that one substance called Brahman, all the apparent distinctions and differences of name and form are created by the power of Maya or ignorance.
Thus the sage see the all-pervading Atma everywhere. Hence they possess equal vision. This is Jnana.
Love for all is the highest attribute of God. The Jnani has such love extended to all beings.
All artificial limitations are transcended by the realisation of the Atman
He beholds the same Atman in all beings and all being in his Atman.
@guruvaakya
God, being the supreme, can't be at our level, his love is also the supreme and perfect.
He is beyond time, space and matter. Knowing this, we can't have worldly love towards Him. Bhakti is different from the conditional love we have for others, in the transactional world. We often give someone a favour or like them and then expect something in return and, this is what we call love, it is not love. It is a mere business transaction. We give and expect to get. This all happens because of selfish desires, and incompleteness within.
However, in Bhakti there is just love, no desire to get anything from Lord in return of devotional service. Bhakti is not to get something, but to selflessly praise the lord, love the lord, serve the lord. If one has this attitude towards God, his mind becomes pure, vasanas reduce and surrender comes.
The bliss of bhakti is so that the devotee remains absorbed in the love of his lord, and hence becomes perfect in the play of life. The nectar of bhakti makes one drown into it, and while singing, chanting, and remembering the lord, one attains immortality and hence, the ultimate peace, or satisfaction.
~ Narada Bhakti sutras, Commentary
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Creation:
Brahman is the singularity and the ultimate substratum for creation, sustenance and desolation, the Taittiriya Upanishad states like this:
yato vā imāni bhūtāni jāyante yena jātāni jīvanti yatprayantyabhisaṃviśanti tadvijijñāsasva tadbrahmeti [Tait. Up. - 3.1]
Meaning-
That from which all these beings are born, having born by which they live, That into which having departed they enter, seek to know That, That is Brahman.
So in the beginning Brahman alone was there. Then it desired to become many.
brahma vā idam agra āsīt [Brh. Up. - 1.4.10]
—Brahman, the absolute, was alone at the beginning.
so 'kāmayata . bahu syāṃ prajāyeyeti [Tait. Up. - 2.6]
— He desired. "May I be many, May I grow forth"
In the beginning--that is to say, before the manifestation of names and forms of objects and beings, time and space-- Brahman, alone exists.
Then it becomes conditioned by maya, Its own inscrutable power.
At that time Brahman is called Saguna Brahman-- Ishwara.
The idea of creation arises in His mind.
Sa aikshata--"He thought." says 'I am one; I shall be many.'"
tasmādvā etasmādātmana ākāśaḥ saṃbhūtaḥ ākāśādvāyuḥ vāayoragniḥ agnerāpaḥ adabhyaḥ pṛthivī pṛthivyā oṣadhayaḥ oṣadhībhyonnam annātpuruṣaḥ [Tait. Up. - 2.1]
Meaning
Verily from this Brahman arose the space; from space air, from air fire, from fire water, from water earth, from earth minerals, from minerals vegetation and from vegetation humans.
Then having created everything, it entered into everything and that single nondual Brahman became everything that there is:
tatsṛṣṭvā tadevānuprabiśat | tadanuprabiśya sacca tyaccābhabat | niruktaṃ cāniraktaṃ ca | nilayanaṃ cānilayanaṃ ca | vijñānaṃ cāvijñānaṃ ca | satyaṃ cānṛtaṃ ca | satyaṃbhabat yadidaṃ kinca | tatsatyamityācakṣate | [Tait. Up. - 2.6]
Meaning-
Having created it entered into it. Having entered it became manifest and unmanifest, defined and undefined, supported and unsupported, sentient and insentient, real and unreal. The Satya became all these that there is. Hence, That is called as Satya
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The true Self is a form of eternal bliss only; it is a form of eternal love.
Only due to that love for the true Self everything is precious to us.
Love is not separate from that true Self.
The love towards people and things is of low class.
But the true Self is nothing but love only.
~ Sri Ramana Maharshi
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Advice to the worldly-minded
MASTER: "Do your duty to the world after knowing God. With one hand hold to the Lotus Feet of the Lord and with the other do your work."
VAIKUNTHA: "Is the world unreal?"
MASTER: "Yes, it is unreal as long as one has not realized God.
Through ignorance man forgets God and speaks always of 'I' and 'mine'.
He sinks down and down, entangled in maya, deluded by 'woman and gold' (lust and greed)
Maya robs him of his knowledge to such an extent that he cannot find the way of escape, though such a way exists.
- The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna.
Question: How can the mind be purified?
Answer: Work without desire, egoism or attachment purifies the mind.
Question: How does the Nishkama karma Yogi act?
Answer: Abandoning all attachment, he works with the body, mind, intellect and senses.
Question: What is the result of such work?
Answer: Purity of mind.
Question: What is the fruit of Nishkama Karma and why?
Answer: The peace of the Eternal is the fruit and the reason for it is non-attachment.
Question: What is the fate of the person of desire and why?
Answer: they are bound by the wheel of samsara and the reason is desire.
Question: What then is the cause of liberation and bondage?
Answer: Non-attachment is the cause of liberation, and attachment is the cause of bondage.
Question: What is the way to supreme peace?
Answer: Desirelessness.
• Ribhu said, I shall now explain the characteristics of a jivanmukta. The one who abides solely in the Self or Brahman is called a jivanmukta.
• He who is definite of being
Consciousness only, who of the nature of Consciousness alone and who does not remember anything else at all is called a jivanmukta.
• There is not even a little of 'I' and 'mine', have no world, no time , no space. I have no objects, I have no being, there is no ablution or renunciation for me, such a one is called a jivanmukta.
• One whose mind is like a motionless rock, who completely discards all other ideas, is rid of all false multiplicity and exists without
differences (duality), is peaceful, is a jivanmukta.
• One who has the certitude of having no delusion, mind , intellect, wisdom, ego, life and various senses and has no enemies like anger, desire, defects or effects of intellect. One who has has the steadfast certitude that 'I am Brahman', is a jivanmukta.
• There is no birth, existence, growth, development, decay or death and no means of perception for me. There is neither childhood, youth, nor old age and no conditionings that can be experienced here for me. There is no non-duality or duality for me, I am the Supreme Brahman, one thus established is a jivanmukta.
• The attachmentless jivanmukta is one who has the undivided Realization that he is of the nature of Supreme Brahman which abides in itself as itself. He is established all by himself as himself in himself and who is enjoying the bliss of himself.
~ Ribhu Gita, Chapter 8
• Definition of a Jivanmukta (An enlightened one)
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Fifteen years later, again on our return from a pilgrimage, we stopped at Tiruvannamalai and enquired about the Swami. He was sitting on a couch in the hall. We sat in silence for about ten minutes before him. This gave me an unforgettable experience of mental stillness. Away from him, I spent most of the next year vainly trying to free myself from thoughts.
When I chanced to go to the Ashram again, I went to the hall. No one else being there, I gathered courage and asked,
“What is atma?” (the Self)
Bhagavan replied,
“To remain without thinking is atma.” (the Self)
Then he looked at me and I felt my mind melt away into nothing. No thoughts came. Only the feeling of immense unutterable peace was there.
~ Reminiscences of Ramana Maharshi – Subbalakshmi Ammal
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According to yoga there are three paths.
The path of Pingala (the right breath) is the path of the sun, light, and day; the path of Ida (the left breath) is that of night and darkness.
The yogi who knows how to change from ida to pingala and from pingala to ida has complete control over the course of these two breaths.
Such a yogi knows how to apply sushumna and thus attains a state of tranquility, of samadhi. That is the third path.
Only two of these paths are mentioned in the Bhagavad Gita: the path of light and the path of darkness.
The yogi who follows the path of the sun or light does not have to stumble through the dark path of ignorance. But one who does not have knowledge and does not practice yoga must go through the dark path.
In his desire for mundane objects of the world, his vision is obscured and his eyes remain blindfolded. His life is controlled by the gunas, for he does not practice the path of self-control. But the great yogi has self-control, and following the path of light, he reaches the highest abode of Brahman.
The ignorant man, however, is subject to rebirth and suffers as a result of his selfishness.
~ Swami Rama, Perennial Psychology of the Bhagavad Gita, Pp. 292.
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The Lord created the senses out-going: therefore, one sees outside and not the Self within. Some intelligent man, with his senses turned away (from their objects), desirous of immortality, sees the Self within.
~ Katha Upanishad 2.1.1
In his commentary on this above verse (Katha Upanishad 2.1.1), Shankara writes:
The perceiver sees the external objects which are not-Self/not the Atman, such as sound, etc., and not the Self within. Though this is the nature of the world, some (rare) discerning man, like turning back/ reversing the current of a river, sees the Self within.
The group of sense organs, beginning with the ear, should be turned away from all sense-objects. Such a one, who is purified thus, sees the indwelling self. For it is not possible for the same person to be engaged in the thought of sense-objects and to have the vision of the Self as well.‘
"When a man realizes that all beings are but the Self,
what delusion is there,
what grief, to that perceiver of oneness?"
- Isavasya Upanishad. Verse 7.
Astavakra said;
"You (Self) alone manifest as whatever you perceive.
Do bangles, armlets and anklets appear different from Gold?"
"The ornaments are different in names and forms, yet they are not different from gold, the material from which they are made.
The universe of names and forms has sprung from the Consciousness, which is your True Nature. Therefore, can there be anything in the universe which is not Yourself?"
~ Swami Chinmayananda
Knowledge of Brahman or Atman is the clearing away of all delusions and suffering which have been haunting person from time immemorial.
Atma, the Self, is alone real entity that exists. And apart from Atman, nothing exists.
To know this from experience is Jnana (knowledge).
How can that wise person be deluded again? He sees everything as his own Self and knows that there is nothing else but the Self.
All this is one indivisible ocean of Brahman
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Yoga and Advaita
Rig veda says -- "Truth is only one , different sages describe it in different ways". Let us see how different sages have described it in different ways.
In Bhakti yoga –
When Bhakti ripens, Bhakta disappears, God alone remains. (Bhava samadhi)
In Jnana Yoga-
When Jnana ripens, Jnani disappears, Self/Brahman alone remains. ( Jnana/Vedantic samadhi)
In karma yoga –
When selfless Karma ripens, Karmi disappears, I-less-ness alone remains. (Karma Samadhi)
In hatha yoga-
When prana stops, mind also stops, Kaivalya, the oneness alone remains. (Hathayogic samadhi)
In Raja yoga –
When Yoga happens, Yogi disappears, Samadhi alone remains. (Nirvikalpa Samadhi)
To summarize --When mind ripens, duality disappears, nondual awareness alone remains.
In other words, when individuality disappears, Universality/Eternity/God/Brahman/Atman/Paramatman/Purusha/Shiva alone remains.
Hence a Bhagwan Ramana Maharshi once said - "Reality is simply the loss of ego or individuality"
All forms of yoga are to help you realize “that”, the only truth which is described by different sages in different ways. Only the egoistic individuality which divides people into classes looks at it differently.
Yoga means “union”. A journey from separation of duality to the union of non-duality.
@guruvaakya
This self, neither knowable (cannot be known as in subject-object manner, as it alone IS) nor the instrument of knowing. It is neither reason nor the one to be reasoned about. It is beyond the reach of words. It is neither mind nor intelligence.
How can I speak this truth to you? I am the nectar of knowledge, homogenous existence, like the sky.
~ Lord Dattatreya
•Avadhoota Gita, Chapter 3, Verse 17
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