Essence of All Spiritual Disciplines

Essence of All Spiritual Disciplines...(continued)

Boyhood, youth, and old age - these three states (stages) are of the gross  (physical) body while attaining another body after death is the stage of the subtle and causal bodies.  At the death of the body, the gross body is left, but the subtle and causal bodies accompany the soul.  Unless a man is liberated, his affinity for the subtle and causal bodies persists.  It means that the self transcends the gross, subtle and causal bodies and their states.  The body and its states change but the self remains the same.  

Birth and death are related with the body, not with the self.  The age  of the self is beginning-less and endless, within which numerous detachment are axiomatic.  It is because of detachment (untaintedness) that in spite of acquiring numerous bodies we remain the same, but it is because of the assumed affinity and attachment  to the body that we acquire numerous bodies.   The assumed attachment does not stay but we grab hold of new attachments.   If we do not catch hold of new attachments, 

salvation is axiomatic.  

At the death of Bali, Lord Sri Ram tells Tara -  

"tara bikal dekhi raghuraayaa;
dinh gyaan hari leenhee maayaa chiti jal paavak gagana sameeraa;
panch rachit ati adham sariraa pragat say tanu tav aage sovaa;
jeeva nitya kehi laagi tumhe rovaa upajaa  gyaan charan tab laagi;
leenhesi param bhagati bar maagi(Manasa, Kiskindhaa.  11/2-3)   

"When Lord Ram saw Tara perturbed, lamenting the death of her husband, He having removed her ignorance, imparted her knowledge of the perishable nature of the body and the eternal nature of the soul.   He told her, "this body consisting of the five subtle elements - earth, water, fire, ether and air, is lying before you, while the soul is eternal,  so why do you lament?" When she  came to know the real nature of the body and the soul, she bowed to the Lord's feet and she prayed to Him to grant her the boon of having supreme devotion to Him."  

Space, time , objects, persons, states, circumstances and incidents etc. all change but self does not change. Self constantly remains the same.   The three states of wakefulness, sleep and sound sleep change but "self" remain the same in the three states.  Therefore the 'self" knows the three states and their change (beginning and end).  From the gross viewpoint there is an illustration.  We came from Haridwar to Rayawala to Rishikesh.  Had we lived only either in Haridwar or Rayawala or Rishikesh, how could we have come from Haridwar to Rishikesh.  Therefore we are not the permanent residents of either Haridwar, or Rayawala or Rishikesh.   We are different from them. Haridwar, Rayawala, Rishikesh are different, but the one who knows all three are one and the same.  Similarly we (self) remains the same in all states.  Therefore we should perceive the uniform self, instead of perceiving the changing body (world).

Rahataa roop sahi ker raakho, bahtaa sang ne bahije." 

As the three gross, subtle and causal bodies are not ours, so also the actions performed by the gross body, thinking and reflection performed with the subtle body and the steadiness and trance experienced with the causal body are not ours.  The reason is every action begins and ends.  Every thought appears and disappears.  After steadiness there is unsteadiness (volatility) and there is deviation (relapse) from trance.   Action, thinking  (reflection), steadiness and trance - no state persists continuously. They appear and disappear but we (the self) never appear and 

disappear, we exist at all times (continuously, uninterruptedly). 

 (to be continued) 
From book "Sab Sadhano ka Saar" in Hindi by Swami Ramsukhdasji

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If in doubt regarding the translation, please read the original Hindi message by Swamiji.
FOR MESSAGE IN HINDI PLEASE VISIT Date : 17th March, 2012 "Sab Sadhano ka Saar"

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