|| Shree Hari ||

Manas Mein Naam Vandana - 2

मानसमें नाम-वन्दना

‘जग पालक बिसेषि जन त्राता’‒  He is the nourisher of this entire Universe,  and He takes extra care in the protection of those who are devotees of the Lord.  The nature of the saints is also the same.   Now let us see about the nature of the wicked ones    ‒

बयरु अकारन    सब  काहू सों ।

जो कर हित अनहित ताहू सों ॥

(मानस, उत्तरकाण्ड, ३९ । ६)

bayaru akaarana saba kahu soun ।

jo kara hita anahita taahu soun  ॥ (Manas,  Uttar,  39/6)  

     They bear enmity towards all without rhyme or reason;  nay, they behave inimically even with those who are actively kind to them.   

But the devotees of God see to everyone’s supreme good,  and they shower their grace even on those who harm them

Pride of Wealth

It is difficult to attain salvation for two kinds of men,   the rich man and a very educated-scholarly men.  A rich man has pride of his wealth and a highly educated-scholarly man has pride of his knowledge.   Pride is harmful in every respect ‒‘अभिमानद्वेषित्वाद्दैन्यप्रियत्वाच्च ।’ Shri Goswamiji Maharaj has also said ‒

संसृत   मूल   सूलप्रद    नाना ।

सकल सोक दायक अभिमाना ॥

                               (मानस, उत्तरकाण्ड, ७४ । ६)

Samsruti mool soolprad nana | Sakal sok daayak abhimaana

(Manas 7/74/3)

All devilish tendencies, bad qualities, evil actions, operate under the umbrella of "Egotism." (Arrogance, conceit).  (Manas 7/74/3)

The main cause of being bound in the birth and death cycle is pride only.   ‘नाना सूलप्रद’ (Nana soolprad) ‒ Not just one evil tendency, but several kinds of problems arise from pride (egotism).   When man has pride of riches and pride of being scholarly,  man does not listen to anyone or care about their point of view.   On acquiring wealth,  they think that many great scholars and great spiritual persons come to visit them,  and take food from them -  this attitude gets to their head,  which does not let the devotion for the Lord be awakened.   The heart becomes hardened.   As such it is not a rule,  but frequently it is seen to be so.    A poet said something extra-ordinary  ‒

अन्ध रमा सम्बन्ध ते होत न अचरज कोय ।

कमल  नयन  नारायणहु  रहे  सर्प में सोय ॥

There is no surprise that man is blinded by his association with Shri Lakshmiji (Goddess of Wealth).   Lord Pundarikaaksh has big eyes like the lotus flower.   One with such big eyes too,  went and slept on the snake.  He who has eyes,  would not dare to place his feet on a snake,  but the Lord went and slept on a snake.  What is the reason for doing this ? It is due to association with Lakshmi.   In association with Lakshmiji (Goddess of Wealth),  even He who has big eyes becomes blinded.  ‘अन्ध मूक बहरो अवश कमला नर ही करे’‒  When Lakshmi comes,  it makes a man blind, deaf and dumb.   This is such a surprising thing.   The surprising thing is that ‒‘विष अनुजा मारत न, बड़ आवत अचरज एह’ ‒   that on eating poison, a man dies,  but even though being a younger sister of poison,  she does not kill.   This is Her grace,  or else, on the arrival of Lakshmi,   man dies;  because she is a sister of poison.   

From  Book in Hindi “Manas Mein Naam Vandana”  by Swami Ramsukhdasji   

|| Shree Hari ||

What is Knowledge of Reality

(Knowledge of Self or Knowledge of God)

तत्त्वज्ञान क्या है ?

But, the mere conscious dominion (chinmai sattaa) remains the very same. If we remain in That conscious Dominion (chinmai sattaa) as such, there cannot be anything such as favorable-unfavorable etc. except the very dominion. Just like a baby would like to remain in the mothers hug filled with love and would start weeping unable to tolerate if it is let down for any reason, if we remain in the dominion (chinmai sattaa),  we remain at peace; if we let ourselves out of it, we would instantly become despondent. Whether one faces favorable circumstances or unfavorable circumstances, one takes birth or enters death, one remains hail and healthy or ailing and sick, one joins or departs, one gains wealth or looses the same, one gains tremendous profits or looses everything one had, one becomes a millionaire or a street dweller, what difference could afflict the mere conscious dominion? Nothing can really happen in the dominion (chinmai sattaa). Nothing happened there in the past, nothing is happening there now, nothing will happen there in the future, nothing can ever happen there. If something happens, it can never stay and the dominion can never disappear. Our true state is ever established in that dominion (chinmai sattaa).

Our presence is self-established in the is-ness, not in the not-ness that we have accepted. I am man, I am woman, I am boy, I am youth, I am old, I am strong, I am weak, I am intelligent, I am ignorant, etc. – all these are notional conditions that we have accepted. Actually, our true presence is always in the “IS”. There is no dominion of whatsoever other than that “IS”. Nothing can have a dominion as established as that of “IS” now, nothing was there in the past, nothing will be in the future, and nothing can ever be there. That (“IS”) is ever-present as is all the time everywhere. It is openly accessible to anyone; it is not hidden to anyone ever. This is the awareness of The Self, The Brahman. One who is established in the “IS” (the mere conscious state) is verily the realized one, the liberated one, the great one. Gita says,

Samam sarveshu bhooteshu tishThantam parameshvaram |

Vinashyatsvavinashyantam yah pashyati sa pashyati || (Gita 13/27)

“One who realizes the imperishable and the equanimous presence of The Supreme Self in every being that is going through apparent destruction (one who sees only the “IS” and never the “NOT”) actually realizes the truth.”

Samam pashyanhi sarvatra samavasthitameeshvaram |

Na hinastyaatmanaatmaanam tato yaati paraam gatim || (Gita 13/28)

“Because, one who sees the equanimous presence of The God everywhere in an equanimous manner can never torment oneself on his/her own; and, therefore, attains the state of Supreme Self as such.”

Narayan !   Narayan !!  Narayan !!!  

From  Book in Hindi “Tattva Gyaan Kaise Ho?”  by Swami Ramsukhdasji   

|| Shree Hari ||

What is Knowledge of Reality

(Knowledge of Self or Knowledge of God)

तत्त्वज्ञान क्या है ?

Question: How to mitigate such confinement (confined outlook, identification with this body, mind, intellect, ego etc.)?

Answer: One has to quieten oneself to merge in the Existent (dominion) by dropping even the demand “let the confined outlook be mitigated”. On being silent, all the behavioral qualities of the mind-intellect-ego cluster mitigate on their own. When a slab of ice is floating on the ocean, one need not do anything particular to melt it away; it melts away on its own. Similarly, one need not make any attempt to keep or throw away the body, senses, mind, intellect, ego, etc. in the mere conscious dominion. On becoming silent or unwavering (nirvikalp), they dissolve away on their own*.

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* There is subtle difference between ‘nirvikalpa avasthaa’ (unwavering state) and ‘nirvikalpa bodha’ (unwavering awareness). There is a seeking for action in the unwavering state while there is no seeking for action in unwavering awareness. In other words, the unwavering state belongs to the mind-intellect and the unwavering awareness stays on its own when the relation with the mind and intellect is severed. The silence attained in the unwavering state is not absolute and is bound to end eventually. However, the silence of the unwavering awareness is absolute and can never end. Detachment in the unwavering state also reveals the unwavering awareness.

If you carefully look at the mere Existence (dominion), it is never bound in any manner and is always free. If that is bound then it can never be free and if it is free then it can never be bound. There cannot be any notion of the presence of bondage or absence of liberty. There is just an acceptance of bondage (in us). Once we drop such an acceptance, liberation is ever-established.

Every human is entitled for the knowledge of mere awareness because everyone is equal in its dominion. That dominion is present even amongst the brutal-of-the-most-brutal demons, ghosts, devils, goblins, etc. as much as amongst the kind-of-the-kindest saintly, benevolent, devotional, realized and emancipated ones. The mere consciousness is inseparable from the dominion of the supreme self. One has to just face that dominion. What practice can be there to do that? What effort can be required for that? What hurdles can stop one from that? How can any difficulty pose itself in attaining that? What mystery can hinder one from attaining that?

The mere dominion remains the same even in the most favorable situations as well as in the most unfavorable situations. The same dominion presides the life as well as the death, the ambrosia as well as poison, the heaven as well as the hell, the health as well as the sickness, the knowledge as well as the ignorance, the realized one as well as the ignorant one, the friend as well as the foe, the rich as well as the poor, the strong as well as the weak.

to be continued......

From  Book in Hindi “Tattva Gyaan Kaise Ho?”  by Swami Ramsukhdasji   

|| Shree Hari ||

What is Knowledge of Reality

(Knowledge of Self or Knowledge of God)

तत्त्वज्ञान क्या है ?

The self awareness (Aatmagnyaana) and the universal awareness (Paramaatmagnyaana) are synonymous because they both are the same dominion of mere presence that is one. They appear as different from each other only due to the individual opinions. Lord says,

Mamaivaamsho jeevaloke jeevabhootah sanaatanah | (Gita 15/7)

‘The self that enables all the beings in this world has always been essentially an element of my own spirit.’

An individual soul is said to be a fragment (of The Bhagavaan) because of its dependence on the ego which is an element of the world. If it does not latch on to the ego, it is the one mere dominion (existence) as such. Anything other than mere presence (being) is mere imagination. That dominion of mere awareness is the basis of all the imaginations; it enables their very presence; it reveals them; it is their shelter; their very life is granted by That only. In That Dominion, everything is in perfect balance with no traces of bias. The dominion of mere awareness is all-pervasive. Entire creation (objects as well as activities) are incorporated within That. The creation undergoes the cycles of birth and death perpetually; but The Dominion remains as is. Gita says,

Yathaa sarvagatam soukshmyaadaakaasham nopalipyate |

Sarvatraavasthito dehe tahtaatmaa nopalipyate ||  (Gita 13/32)

‘Just like the all-pervasive ether (space) is not tainted, being extremely subtle, so the Self (aatma) permeated everywhere, in the body, is not tainted.’

In other words, the mere conscious dominion is not limited to any specific thing such as a body; just like the space, it pervades all the bodies and remains complete in and out of all the creations everywhere. Our true nature is this all-pervasive existence (sattaa, dominione) which is the essence of the supreme self as such. In summary, the existence (sattaa) is one and only one. Seeker’s focus should be always on this existence (sattaa).   

Question: What is the reason for the apparent specificity (localization in one place)  in such an Existence (sattaa, dominion) ?

Answer: One would imagine specificity (localization in one) in the Existence (Sattaa, Dominion of Real) by assuming it to be an object of the intellect or by attempting to characterize it with mind, intellect and ego. In reality, the Existence (sattaa, dominion) cannot be confined in mind, intellect and ego. Actually, it transcends all of them as it remains the basis for their very presence. In the Existences (sattaa, dominion) of mere consciousness, there is no mind, no intellect and no ego.

to be continued......

From  Book in Hindi “Tattva Gyaan Kaise Ho?”  by Swami Ramsukhdasji   

|| Shree Hari ||

What is Knowledge of Reality

(Knowledge of Self or Knowledge of God)

तत्त्वज्ञान क्या है ?

A seeker has to pay attention especially toward the ‘Sat’ (The Truth) and ‘Chit’ (The Consciousness). The nature of The Truth is mere existence and the nature of The Consciousness is mere awareness. The Existence (Sattaa) is the basis for creation while The Awareness (Chetan) is the basis for the life. Our true nature is the mere existence and awareness and is often referred to as ‘Chinmaya Satta’. For example, when one utters “I had an excellent sleep”, it is implicit that ‘I was there’; one’s mere presence in one’s deep sleep is The Existence. Similarly, when one continues to say, “I had no idea of anything then”, it is implicit that ‘I was aware of not being aware’ – that is The Awareness. In other words, one’s self-presence and awareness of the absence of one’s ego (awareness that ‘I weren’t aware of anything’) are evident in deep sleep. Though everything is seen through one’s eyes, the eyes cannot be seen through the same eyes. Therefore, one can say that ‘an eye’ is that in which everything is revealed. Similarly, the one who experiences the presence, as well as, the absence of the ego is the dominion of the mere cognizant presence (The Self). One can never experience the absence of such mere consciousness. The consciousness alone appears in the form of knowledge in one’s intellect and in the form of illumination in the physical world (in front of the eyes). Knowledge, as well as, ignorance remains in the intellect; and visibility, as well as, invisibility remains in the world. Just like the whole universe is completely established within single existence, all the reading, hearing, learning, understanding etc. remain completely within single awareness. The existence and awareness are directly accessible to everyone; nothing remains hidden. Except the existence and awareness, all other things that are unreal can never stay; the inert can never stand on its own. The absence of awareness (Chit) and existence (Sat) can never be possible. Similarly, presence of the unreal and inert can never be possible either. The existence and awareness was present before everything; will be present after everything; and are totally there everywhere as of now.

For the ones who regard the concept of time, the scriptures say that the dominion of supreme self is ever present across the time, over the past, at present, as well as, over the future. But, in reality, neither the past nor the present and future are of any relevance. It is The Absolute essence of The Supreme Self that is ever relevant and real. The Supreme Self is verily the Supreme Time that devours all the time as such:

(1) Brahma agani tan beechme, mathkar kaaDhe koy |

  UlaT kaalake khaat hai, hariyaa gurugam hoy ||

(2) Navagraha chousaTh jogiNee, baavan beer prajant |

  Kaal bhaksh sabko karai, hari sharaNai Darapant || (KaruNaasaagar, 64)

(1) ‘Brahmaa (The Creator), Agni (The Fire) and Tan (the body) are all transitory; they are all churned and extricated from something else. Our Hari is the ultimate and encompasses everything who would gobble up even the time (that gobbles up everything else).’

(2) ‘The nine planets (the 9-fold world), the sixty-four mendicants (the 64-fold knowledge) and the fifty-two intrepid brothers (52-fold years) – the time devours everything with no exception. Therefore, one who is weary of the perpetual fears would verily take refuge in Hari (The Essence of Life that consumes even such time).’

The time can consume only those who have taken birth. One that is not even born can never be subjected to its appetite. That supreme essence of life is eternal in all the beings. The omnipotent essence of The Self is not capable of disengaging itself from anything or of being inaccessible to anyone as such. That ever-present essence is always present as is and hence is ever-attained everywhere by everything at all the times. That is the awareness of The Supreme.

to be continued......

From  Book in Hindi “Tattva Gyaan Kaise Ho?”  by Swami Ramsukhdasji   

|| Shree Hari ||

What is Knowledge of Reality

(Knowledge of Self or Knowledge of God)

तत्त्वज्ञान क्या है ?

The mere presence (IS) remains the same in everything such as the world and netherworld, the fourteen worlds, the seven islands, the nine continents, etc. The whole world keeps changing; in fact, it changes so fast that one cannot see the same again. A new building becomes an old one after years pass by i.e. it keeps changing every moment and hence becomes old. This perpetual change is the one that is often known in terms of past-present-future, creation-sustenance-dissolution, the four eras (Satya-Treta-Dwapara-Kali yuga), etc.   Even though it is changing perpetually,  the reason it appears as existing “IS”, because we have put an allegation on the Reality (IS-ness) that is above the changing,  as “This IS”.

  Whereas,  in fact it “IS NOT,”  rather in the “IS”   is all this.   This is perpetually changing,  but “IS”  remains as-is.   The extent to which “IS”   is self-evident,  to that extent the world is evidently NOT (non-existing).   That which is perpetually  changing,  how is it evident?  “IS”  is so evident,  that it never ever changes,  it will never change,  it can never change,   there is no possibility of it ever changing.  Therefore it has come in the Gita ‒

Naasato vidyate bhaavo naabhaavo vidyate satah | (Gita 2/16)

‘Presence of unreal is impossible and absence of the real is impossible as well.’

In other words, whatever keeps altering can never have any expression of its own (and hence can never claim its presence); and whatever does not change can never lose its presence either. The ‘IS NOT’ can never become the ‘IS’ and the ‘IS’ can never become the ‘IS NOT’. There can not be existence to the unreal and the ‘IS’ remains present forever.

One needs to renounce the one that has no presence and attain the one that is ever-present. Can one ever do anything other than this? Can there be anything else other than this? The essence of all the knowledge and the purport of all the Vedas (and scriptures) is, “the ‘IS NOT’ needs to be renounced and the ‘IS’ needs to be attained”.

Whatever is the existence (the ‘IS’), that verily is The Truth (SAT). Whatever is the awareness of That, that verily is The Consciousness (CHIT). That state in which all the miseries such as grief, agony and deficit are entirely absent is verily The Bliss (AANANDA). The Awareness fills in at The Truth and The Bliss floods at The Awareness. The Truth is numb in the absence of The Awareness and The Awareness is a void without The Truth. And, The Awareness naturally oozes out contentment – The Bliss is inseparable from The Awareness. The Essence of Life (Paramaatma Tattva) is of the form of the trinity – Truth-Awareness-Bliss (Sat-Chit-Aananda). That blissful, awareful and truthful essence of the Supreme Self remains as is in its absolute completeness everywhere.  

to be continued......

From  Book in Hindi “Tattva Gyaan Kaise Ho?”  by Swami Ramsukhdasji