Monday, August 21, 2006

Story 35 – Story of King Chitrakethu - 3

Angiras continued:
O King! All the worldly objects give delusion, sorrow, greed and fear. And the sensual pleasures are like gandharva nagaram, dream etc. After analyzing the same, renounce the delusion that dvaita is real. See everything as the ultimate reality of Lord. The people from time immemorial have been provided with this path and they have followed the path. If you follow this mantra of seeing everything as the Lord and knowing that the duality is unreal then you will realize the ultimate reality of Lord in seven days.

Explanation

Here we find Bhagavatham briefing and giving the direct path to realization. One thing a seeker should constantly remember is that the duality which is being currently perceived is only an illusion in the ultimate reality of Lord. There is nothing here apart from the Lord. Whatever exists is only the ultimate reality of Lord who is the substratum of all existences. This reality that there is only one thing here has to be constantly remembered by the seeker.

Bhagavatham here points to us that the worldly objects can give delusion, sorrow, greed and fear only. The main point to be remembered is that these objects cannot give us happiness – that happiness for which we are seeking these objects. Even if they don’t give happiness, it would have been fine if they don’t give sorrow. But in the long run, these objects delude a person from the ultimate reality of Lord – the underlying substratum of all illusory objects. These objects give sorrow when they cease to exist or go from one person to another person (a person loses them). Greed occurs when a person wants to either constantly maintain the worldly objects or get more of such objects. Fear is caused when a person thinks that he might lose those objects.

Thus the worldly objects are not capable of giving eternal bliss to the seeker. Instead they give only sorrow and sorrow alone. Bhagavatham encompasses the essence of all scriptures by the statement that “everything is but the Lord”. This is from the famous sruthi statement that “Sarvam khalu idam brahma” and “sarvam brahma mayam jagat”.

Yoga Vasistha speaks thus about the reality:

Sarvam khalu idam brahma sarvam aatmedamaatatham
Aham anyad idam cha anyad ithi braanthim thyaja anagha

Everything is verily Brahman – everything is the Atman alone. Renounce the delusion that “I am different and this is different”.

Here we might have a doubt as to whether this path of seeing oneness everywhere will lead to eternal bliss. Therefore bhagavatham says that from time immemorial, sages have been following this path and have attained the ultimate reality of Lord. Thus it is an assertion of what Lord says to Arjuna that this has been given to the Sun Lord by Lord Krishna and that many sages have attained the reality through this path.

Bhagavatham also gives the mantra to attain realization instantly. It is but wrong to think that realization can be attained in a second or minute. But we have to remember that realization is not something to be attained new but it is one’s own very nature itself. We all are the ultimate reality of Brahman at all times. We never are different from Brahman in order to become Brahman. It is only that we have forgotten our own very nature of Lord and when we follow the mantra given by Bhagavatham, the forgotten nature will be again remembered.

Bhagavatham says that a person will realize the ultimate reality of Lord in seven days if he follows this mantra. Parikshit’s life itself is an example for the same. Parikshit was totally immersed in the ultimate reality of Lord for seven days when Suka was propounding the ultimate reality. Thus Parikshit was following the mantra and thereby realized the ultimate reality of Lord on the seventh day. We would have heard in our childhood as to that Parikshit died at the end of the seventh day but Bhagavatham shows us what really happened on that day. Bhagavatham clearly points out that Parikshit realized the ultimate reality of Lord and that the snake Thakshaka never really killed Parikshit who was not the body but the ultimate reality of Lord alone.

What is the mantra that Bhagavatham is giving here????
The Mantra is remembering that the duality perceived is only an illusion in the ultimate reality of Lord & thereby seeing everything as the ultimate reality of Lord. Whenever the seeker sees any object, he has to constantly remind himself that the object is only an illusion in the reality of Lord & that the object is nothing but a name and form of the Lord. Thus remembering continuously, dvaita bhaava or duality concept will vanish. When dual perception vanishes from the mind, what remains behind is the non-dual reality of Lord. When the mind is rid of dual perceptions, it becomes calm and without thoughts. Such a mind verily merges into the ultimate reality of Lord. Thus there is nothing but the ultimate reality of Lord who is one’s own very nature of Consciousness. This is what is called as Moksha. Any person who constantly follows this mantra for seven days continuously will realize the reality of Lord. This is not a mere statement of Bhagavatham but a fact which can be very well experienced by any seeker. But we have to constantly remember the Lord during the 7 days. If we don’t do that, we will not be able to realize the Lord instead we will just be getting the bliss of the Lord for some particular time.

After instructing Chitrakethu, the sages called the prince (the child of Chitrakethu who had died) and requested him to enter into the dead body so that the relatives among others will be happy. The jeeva (the soul of the child) proclaimed thus “As a result of various karmas, I roam having born as animal, human, bird etc. As a result of the flow, I was once born as the child of Chitrakethu. As items in the grasp of a person keep changing, similarly jeevas keep changing. All these are just names and forms in the ultimate reality of Consciousness or Brahman. As long as there is bondage, there will be the notions of “I” and “mine”. This illusion of Maya (which creates names and forms in the ultimate reality of Lord) doesn’t affect the ever-pure Self. Therefore I cannot stay here”. Saying thus, the Jeeva left the place. Seeing this amazing incident, everybody renounced sorrow and the sages also left from that place.

Explanation


Srimad Bhagavatham here gives a beautiful incident through which the ultimate reality of Lord has been expounded clearly and as concise as possible.

A seeker must constantly remember that there is nothing here apart from the ultimate reality of Lord. Whatever is there, whatever was there and whatever will be there are nothing but mere illusions of names and forms in the ultimate reality of Lord. Without the ultimate reality of Lord, there is no existence at all as the Lord is of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute. Without consciousness, there cannot be any existence at all as consciousness is the light that illumines all existences. The Consciousness which pulsates in each one of us as “I-exist” is nothing but the ultimate reality of Lord. Thus without the Lord, there can be no existence at all. Thus whatever seems to be existent is nothing but the ultimate reality of Lord.

If everything is the Lord, then why do we see things as different from one another?
This is what is called as Maya or illusion. Whatever we see is nothing but name and form of the ultimate reality of Lord.

Drig Drishya Viveka explains the experience of the world and its objects thus:

Asthi bhaathi priyam roopam naamam cha ithi amsa panchakam
Adhyatrayam brahmaroopo jagadroopo tatho dvayam

The objects that we perceive has five components of Sat (existence), Chit (consciousness), Ananda (bliss), naama (name) and roopa (form). The first three of Sat, Chit and Ananda denote the ultimate reality of Lord whereas naama and roopa denote the world.

Naama roopa never creates any new entity but they are just mere illusions in the ultimate reality of Lord. As the various gold ornaments are nothing but names and forms of gold, similarly the dual world which we perceive is nothing but names and forms of the ultimate reality of Lord.

Naarayana Sookta proclaims thus:
Yatcha kinchit jagat sarvam drishyathe srooyathe api vaa
Anthar bahischa tat sarvam vyaapyan naaraayana sthitah

Whatever is seen in the world through sense organs are filled in and out by the ultimate reality of Lord.

Thus the dual world that we see is nothing but names and forms of the ultimate reality of Lord who alone exists. These names and forms are mere illusions in the reality of Lord – illusion is termed in Vedanta as Maya or that which never really exists but merely seems to be existent. Since the names and forms are mere illusions in the reality of Lord, therefore they don’t affect the Lord in any way as the various gold names and forms don’t affect gold at all.

Even though everything is but the Lord alone, why doesn’t everybody realize it and why are people bonded to actions-fruits?
This is what is called as anirvachaneeya or inexplicable. This question is like a person asking as to why he dreamt about himself being a king. The question is futile because there never was any dream at all but it was just a mere illusion in the dreamer. Similarly the dual world as well as the concept of bondage-liberation is but an illusion in the ultimate reality of Lord. There is neither bondage nor liberation because there is nothing apart from the ultimate reality of Lord. Thus everybody is realized as each and everyone is nothing but the ultimate reality of Lord.

But so long as a seeker doesn’t realize his own very nature of Lord, the names and forms will seem to be real even as the dreamer who hasn’t yet woken up finds the dream world as real. So long as a person is bonded in the world, there will be actions and fruits. As the Lord proclaims in the gita “Karma is inevitable” – a person overcomes action only through the knowledge that there is nothing here but the ultimate reality of lord. There is no other way to overcome actions. As long as a person doesn’t gain knowledge about the ultimate reality of Lord, actions will be binding the person. Thus the way out of action-fruits is also very clear – it is knowledge of the ultimate reality of Lord as one’s own very nature which negates all actions.

As long as there are actions, there will be births and deaths. Thus those are fools who brood over death of relatives or friends because death is but a beginning to another birth. This cycle of birth and death will always be there until the seeker realizes that there is neither birth nor death but only the ultimate reality of Lord exists. As Yudhisthira answered to the Yaksha that the most strange and amazing thing in the world is that each person sees other person dying but still thinks that he is going to be eternal in the body and this birth.

Death is but a way of the Lord to point out to each one of us that time is nearing and we shouldn’t thus waste the precious human birth by getting deluded into the illusory world. Instead we should try to realize the ultimate reality of Lord by learning the scriptures and implementing them in life as soon as possible. As Sankara says in Bhaja Govindam, death is always waiting at our doorstep and hence we should seek the ultimate reality of Lord. The cycle of birth-death is so strange that we never know whether we will be born as humans next – which is purely determined by actions and fruits. But if we start now itself to seek the ultimate reality of Lord amidst the illusory names and forms, then there will no turning back. As Bhagavatham gives many stories like jada bharatha etc. where knowledge of the ultimate reality of Lord was carried from birth to birth, if we start now to seek the Lord – we will at least be assured of realization at least in a birth or two.

Remembering that the human birth is sacred and not to be wasted on futile things, let us all try to seek the ultimate reality of Lord amidst all illusory names and forms.

Once the sages left, Chitrakethu did tapas with concentration and focus for eight days. Thus he was able to experience sankarshana saakshaatkara which is nothing but realization of the praana devataa and this happens just before poorna brahma anubhava. Chitrakethu thus prayed to Bhagavan who appeared in front of him thus:

“O Lord! Those who are devoid of any desires attain you instantly. The world consisting of creation, protection and destruction is nothing but manifestation of you in the form of praana. You alone are the beginning, middle and end of the world. Without knowing this reality, people go behind other vibhuthis and worship them. Therefore they are taken to destruction alone. He who sets aside the king and goes for the servants of the king is led to destruction. Sages attain moksha in the form of complete cessation of sorrow through your worship. I prostrate to you who are the substratum of creation, protection and destruction.”

Explanation

Moksha or liberation is nothing but complete cessation of sorrow. This is but the goal of each and every being in the world. This complete cessation of sorrow is accompanied by eternal bliss which is ever-lasting and full in all aspects. Liberation is achieved through removal of ignorance of one’s own very nature of Lord. This ignorance is termed in Vedanta as avidya. As long as avidya is there, there will be sorrow and sufferings or a person will continuously be immersed in the ocean of samsaara. In order to come out of this ocean of samsara, a person has to do sadhana. Nothing in the world whether it is removal of ignorance or other worldly motive is achieved without any actions. Thus when a person does sadhana to remove ignorance, ignorance vanishes. Thus sorrow is totally removed and a person realizes his own very nature of non-dual Self.

What is the sadhana to remove ignorance????
Knowledge is the sadhana to remove ignorance. Knowledge is nothing but being totally focused on the ultimate reality that there is nothing here but the Lord alone, one without a second. This is otherwise called as Tapas or austerity. Tapas is nothing but being totally focused onto the ultimate reality of Lord so that all sins, actions etc. are burnt in the ashes of knowledge. The word TAPAS means that which is burning. When the knowledge of the ultimate reality of Lord is burning in the mind of the seeker, the actions and all sins are totally burnt. Thus ignorance completely vanishes and realization of one’s own very nature of Lord happens.

Thus the sadhana to realize the ultimate reality of Lord or for moksha is one-pointed concentration on the ultimate reality of Lord – always thinking about the Lord, seeing everything as the Lord and offering all actions unto the non-dual substratum of Lord.

Chitrakethu followed this sadhana and thereby got sankarshana saakshaatkaara. Sankarshana is none other than Praana or the cosmic hiranyagarbha who controls the entire world. This is termed as Brahma or Vishnu or Siva who all are but three parts of the ultimate reality of Lord doing specific activities of creation, protection and destruction respectively. When a person does intense sadhana, he gets the glimpse of the Lord. This glimpse is not a real glimpse or is not realization because the Lord is beyond all forms – he is the formless reality behind all forms. Thus Bhagavatham here tells that Chitrakethu attained sankarashana saakshaatkaara which is different from moksha or poorna brahma anubhava. Poorna brahma anubhava is when duality totally vanishes. But in this case where Chitrakethu saw the Lord and prayed to the Lord, there still exists the difference between him and the Lord. And since the Lord appeared in a particular form, therefore it is not realization of all-pervasive Lord.

But this form of the Lord is benign and good for the seeker. As a seeker sees the Lord, he then sees the Lord everywhere and pervading in and out of each thing in the world. Thus in his vision there is nothing other than the Lord alone. Thus a glimpse of the ultimate reality of Lord leads to more intense sadhana which directly leads to moksha or realization.

Chitrakethu prays to the Lord and tells that those who go behind the vibhootis of the Lord are like going behind the servants of the king. The Lord is the greatest vibhooti being of the nature of eternal bliss. There is no greater magic or power than eternal bliss which we all are seeking every moment. The Lord alone is of the nature of eternal bliss. All other things that we perceive are illusory existences in the reality of Lord. Thus they cannot be eternal bliss. Thus he is to be considered a fool who goes behind worldly pleasures and not the ultimate reality of Lord. Here Bhagavatham is pointing out to each one of us to seek the ultimate reality of Lord and not go behind siddhis-powers in the world. Whether it is the siddhi of entering into other bodies or traveling through space, they are all temporary and cannot confer eternal bliss. Eternal bliss alone can satisfy the seeker as that alone can totally remove sorrow and sufferings. This eternal bliss is achieved only by seeking the ultimate reality of Lord who is the substratum of all existences & the only being that really exists.

Thus through Chitrakethu, Bhagavatham is strongly advising each one of us to constantly seek the ultimate reality of Lord through the intense sadhana of constant contemplation of the Lord at all times, at all places and in all situations.

We will continue as to what happened to Chitrakethu after sankarshana saakshaatkaara in the next day.

Having heard the prayer of Chitrakethu, Bhagavan thus said to him:
“O King! By hearing the words of the sages, you have become established in the Self & hence you have been able to see me. I who am of the form of Prana am the objects of the world. I am the person by whose sankalpa these objects come into existence and it is I alone who separates them from the Self. Sabdha Brahman and Bodha Brahman – these two are my eternal bodies.

Explanation

Bhagavatham here through the Lord propounds the subtle reality behind the entire world. It is but Consciousness or Bodha which is the substratum of the entire world. Without Consciousness, there is nothing at all. Everything is thus an illusion in the reality of Consciousness. This ultimate reality of Consciousness is termed as Bodha or Para Brahman – that which alone exists, one without a second. It is this reality that is termed as Lord or Bhagavan in the puranaas. As scriptures point out, before creation there was nothing but the Lord alone – creation is nothing but a sankalpa of the ultimate reality of Lord.

We shouldn’t doubt as to how can the Lord think or have sankalpa. Sankara anticipates this and says in his Aitareya Upanishad commentary that the Lord who is all-pervasive and all-knowing can think or create things out of imagination. If normal human beings like us can create a world in our dream, the ultimate reality of Lord can create the entire world that we are currently seeing. But it is also illogical that the Lord thought – because for thinking, there should be some motive. This motive is possible only if there is some desire for perfection. The Lord is ever perfect & hence there cannot be any desire in the Lord. Since desires are ruled out in the Lord, the Lord cannot think. Since the Lord cannot think, there cannot be any creation. Thus the creation of the Lord is but an illusion and not real. Creation seems to be present only for the ignorant seeker. For the person who knows the ultimate reality of Lord, there is no creation at all – there is no duality but only the non-dual reality of Lord exists.

Remembering that the creation is only an illusion, let us see how the Sankarshana Devata or Prana (who is instructing Chitrakethu here) has two eternal bodies.

As explained, Consciousness is the very essence of any existence. Thus Consciousness is the first body of the devata. From Consciousness thoughts are born. Thoughts are nothing but words or sounds. This is what is termed in Sanskrit as Sabdha. We find in many vedantic works the mention of Sabdha Brahman. Sabdha Brahman is nothing but prana spandana or energy in scientific terms. Thus sounds are also eternal with respect to the creation and the creator.

So long as there is the creator of Sankarshana, there has to be the creation as well. Thus the creator has the two eternal bodies of Consciousness and Words or Prana. It is praana or energy which gets transformed into the gross objects that we perceive. Science also does accept the fact that matter is full of energy. It is but a pity that ages before itself, Vedantic seers have proclaimed the same – and that none of the so-called scientists have been able to either appreciate this or go beyond the creation through the study of vedantic scriptures.

Consciousness gets reflected in each of the praana spandana. Prana spandana starts from the subtle organs and ends up in the gross objects. This reflection of Consciousness on the inner equipment or antah karana is called Jeeva. Jeeva gets his existence on the sound of “I” or “I-exist”. This “I” is different from the real Self or Consciousness in that this “I” is related to a particular organ or body as such. Thus from Consciousness and the subtle organs comes the sound or sabdha.

Thus the very base of any jeeva is sadbha or praana and bodha or Consciousness. Vedanta proclaims that there are as many jeevas or individual beings as the inner equipments. Thus we have the jeeva of Rama different from the jeeva of Krishna. The inner equipments are different and hence the sadbha or prana or jeeva also is different. But the inner essence of Consciousness whose reflection is the jeeva is one alone. Consciousness is not multiple but one alone. As long as the jeeva sees duality through the various inner instruments and external objects, so long will there be multiple existences. But once a jeeva progresses beyond the sadbha or praana and goes towards the ultimate reality of Consciousness, the duality that he was perceiving just sublates. This is what is termed in Vedanta as realization or moksha.

As explained previously, viewing the form of Sankarshana or Vishnu or Brahma or Siva is not brahma anubhava because it is also as illusory as the other names and forms of the world. So long as there is duality, it is only an illusion in the non-dual reality of Consciousness or Lord.

Lord himself proclaims in Uddhava Gita thus:
Pumsoyam ayuktasya nana artho brahmaa

The duality that is perceived by a not fully developed intellect is only an illusion and not real.

We have to thus constantly remember this ultimate reality that there is nothing here but the Lord alone, one without a second. Any name and form cannot limit the limitless Lord. Thus whether it is the form of Chaturbhuja Vishnu or Chathurmukha Brahma, it is only an illusion and not eternally real. The eternal reality of Lord is formless as he is all-pervasive and the substratum of all illusory names and forms that we currently perceive.

We will continue with what the Lord proclaimed to Chitrakethu in the next day.

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