Monday, July 30, 2007
Story 46 - Story of Bala Krishna's plays - 06
Let us today analyze on the Maya power of the Lord which deluded none other than Brahma himself. Maya is the illusory power of the Lord which creates the various worlds as well deludes everyone into the world created.
Even as the magician creates an entire world and deludes people, similarly the magician of Brahman or ultimate reality of Lord creates the entire world and deludes everybody into the world.
What is delusion?
Delusion is thinking that the world is real and thereby not able to see beyond the illusory names-forms into the ultimate reality of non-dual Lord. The reality is that the entire world of names and forms is nothing but a mere illusion in the ultimate reality of Lord even as various gold ornaments are mere illusions in the reality of gold. Even as a spider weaves the web out of itself, similarly the ultimate reality of Lord creates the world out of himself. In reality this explanation of considering the creation as real or something which really happened or is happening is only in order for us to understand it. Considering the world as an illusion is very tough to apprehend and understand. But once we compare this with various other analogies, this becomes quite clear that the world is an illusion and thereby ultimately unreal. The waking world is often compared with the dream world where everything is but an illusion in the dreamer. In fact the dream world and objects of the dream world are none other than the dreamer but still while dreaming it seems as if real. Similarly until we are under the delusion of Maya, the waking world will seem to be real but it is as unreal as the dream world.
When a person doesn't realize his very nature of Consciousness, he is deluded into thinking that he is the body-mind-intellect complex. This further makes him think that the objects of the world are real and that he needs them for survival. Though at all times there is a search for happiness and bliss into the natural state of Self, still the person goes out seeking bliss in the external world. Even as a spring out of its natural state is always in a state of tension and restlessness, similarly we all are out of our natural state of Self or Lord and thereby in state of tension. Tension can give us nothing but sorrow alone. Thus each moment in our life we suffer through sorrow from one reason or the other. For some the reason is money; for others it is profession; yet others it is relationship. One way or the other, we suffer in the world. We think that this suffering is due to external problems but as AMMA beautifully says that it is not the external world that has to be changed but our mental attitude. So long as we search the external world seeking solutions, we will not get the solution to our problems as the problem is in the mind and its attitude towards the illusory world. This is what is in short termed as being deluded in Maya.
Maya is nothing but an illusory power which makes us suffer in the ocean of samsaara thereby taking birth and death again and again. The way out of Maya is by realizing that everything that we see is only an illusion in the reality of Lord. Thus we have to see the Lord everywhere and surrender at all times to the ultimate reality of Lord. This alone can save us from the delusion of Maya. If Brahma himself was deluded into Maya, what to speak of normal beings like us? Hence it is very important that we surrender to the Lord remembering that whatever is present is nothing but the ultimate reality of Lord alone.
When Brahma was seeing, the various gopas and the calves after wearing golden clothes got converted to one Krishna each. After this each one of this took the form of Vishnu and thereby shone as forms of Satchidananda (Existence, Consciousness and Bliss). Brahma could see each of them as the Paramatman (who is indivisible Consciousness) – this is the vision of the rishis which Brahma was able to see. Brahma became speechless. Brahma repented his mistake and realized the truth behind the entities of the world. He immediately jumped out of his carriage and fell at the feet of Krishna.
Explanation
As we learnt in the previous day, when the Ego surrenders to the ultimate reality of Lord then the reality behind the illusory world is revealed to the seeker. The seeker then realizes that everything is but the Lord alone. The Lord is of the nature of Sat Chit Ananda or Existence, Consciousness and Bliss.
The Lord exists beyond time and hence he is termed as of the nature of SAT or Existence. Anything that exists cannot exist unless there is something illumining the existence. The only entity in the entire world which can experience its own existence as “I-exist” is Consciousness. If the Lord is not of the nature of Consciousness, then he will not be able to experience his existence or he will cease to exist. Thus the Lord is of the nature of Existence and Consciousness. Since the Lord always exists and is of the nature of Consciousness which is indivisible, eternal and infinite therefore the Lord is also of the nature of bliss. That which is infinite or beyond all limits alone is blissful. Bliss is unlimited happiness. Unlimited happiness arises only when we go beyond all limits. Since the Lord is infinite, therefore he is blissful in nature. Thus the nature of the Lord is Existence, Consciousness and Bliss. Since everything apart from the Lord is only relative whereas the Lord is beyond all relations, therefore the Lord is absolute. Thus the Lord is of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute.
Such a Lord who is indivisible alone can give us bliss as all other happiness (achieved from limited entities) is limited itself. Limited happiness is momentary or temporary and therefore will lead us finally sorrow. But the Lord is blissful and hence when the Ego surrenders to the Lord, we will get bliss. This is because when the Ego surrenders, the seeker totally merges into the reality of Lord from whom everything has come and in whom everything seems to exist (as everything is but an illusion in the absolute Lord even as all relations are an illusion in the absolute).
This is what see in this part of the story – when the Ego of Brahma surrendered to the Lord (forced to surrender), it merged into the Lord and everything that was seen was nothing but the Lord alone. This is the main essence of this story of Brahma with Krishna that if we don’t surrender to the ultimate reality of Lord first itself we will be forced to surrender by the Lord. It is upto us whether we want to surrender without trouble or we surrender after being forced into defeat and sorrow.
We will see as to what Brahma does after surrendering to the ultimate reality of Lord.
Even as the magician creates an entire world and deludes people, similarly the magician of Brahman or ultimate reality of Lord creates the entire world and deludes everybody into the world.
What is delusion?
Delusion is thinking that the world is real and thereby not able to see beyond the illusory names-forms into the ultimate reality of non-dual Lord. The reality is that the entire world of names and forms is nothing but a mere illusion in the ultimate reality of Lord even as various gold ornaments are mere illusions in the reality of gold. Even as a spider weaves the web out of itself, similarly the ultimate reality of Lord creates the world out of himself. In reality this explanation of considering the creation as real or something which really happened or is happening is only in order for us to understand it. Considering the world as an illusion is very tough to apprehend and understand. But once we compare this with various other analogies, this becomes quite clear that the world is an illusion and thereby ultimately unreal. The waking world is often compared with the dream world where everything is but an illusion in the dreamer. In fact the dream world and objects of the dream world are none other than the dreamer but still while dreaming it seems as if real. Similarly until we are under the delusion of Maya, the waking world will seem to be real but it is as unreal as the dream world.
When a person doesn't realize his very nature of Consciousness, he is deluded into thinking that he is the body-mind-intellect complex. This further makes him think that the objects of the world are real and that he needs them for survival. Though at all times there is a search for happiness and bliss into the natural state of Self, still the person goes out seeking bliss in the external world. Even as a spring out of its natural state is always in a state of tension and restlessness, similarly we all are out of our natural state of Self or Lord and thereby in state of tension. Tension can give us nothing but sorrow alone. Thus each moment in our life we suffer through sorrow from one reason or the other. For some the reason is money; for others it is profession; yet others it is relationship. One way or the other, we suffer in the world. We think that this suffering is due to external problems but as AMMA beautifully says that it is not the external world that has to be changed but our mental attitude. So long as we search the external world seeking solutions, we will not get the solution to our problems as the problem is in the mind and its attitude towards the illusory world. This is what is in short termed as being deluded in Maya.
Maya is nothing but an illusory power which makes us suffer in the ocean of samsaara thereby taking birth and death again and again. The way out of Maya is by realizing that everything that we see is only an illusion in the reality of Lord. Thus we have to see the Lord everywhere and surrender at all times to the ultimate reality of Lord. This alone can save us from the delusion of Maya. If Brahma himself was deluded into Maya, what to speak of normal beings like us? Hence it is very important that we surrender to the Lord remembering that whatever is present is nothing but the ultimate reality of Lord alone.
When Brahma was seeing, the various gopas and the calves after wearing golden clothes got converted to one Krishna each. After this each one of this took the form of Vishnu and thereby shone as forms of Satchidananda (Existence, Consciousness and Bliss). Brahma could see each of them as the Paramatman (who is indivisible Consciousness) – this is the vision of the rishis which Brahma was able to see. Brahma became speechless. Brahma repented his mistake and realized the truth behind the entities of the world. He immediately jumped out of his carriage and fell at the feet of Krishna.
Explanation
As we learnt in the previous day, when the Ego surrenders to the ultimate reality of Lord then the reality behind the illusory world is revealed to the seeker. The seeker then realizes that everything is but the Lord alone. The Lord is of the nature of Sat Chit Ananda or Existence, Consciousness and Bliss.
The Lord exists beyond time and hence he is termed as of the nature of SAT or Existence. Anything that exists cannot exist unless there is something illumining the existence. The only entity in the entire world which can experience its own existence as “I-exist” is Consciousness. If the Lord is not of the nature of Consciousness, then he will not be able to experience his existence or he will cease to exist. Thus the Lord is of the nature of Existence and Consciousness. Since the Lord always exists and is of the nature of Consciousness which is indivisible, eternal and infinite therefore the Lord is also of the nature of bliss. That which is infinite or beyond all limits alone is blissful. Bliss is unlimited happiness. Unlimited happiness arises only when we go beyond all limits. Since the Lord is infinite, therefore he is blissful in nature. Thus the nature of the Lord is Existence, Consciousness and Bliss. Since everything apart from the Lord is only relative whereas the Lord is beyond all relations, therefore the Lord is absolute. Thus the Lord is of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute.
Such a Lord who is indivisible alone can give us bliss as all other happiness (achieved from limited entities) is limited itself. Limited happiness is momentary or temporary and therefore will lead us finally sorrow. But the Lord is blissful and hence when the Ego surrenders to the Lord, we will get bliss. This is because when the Ego surrenders, the seeker totally merges into the reality of Lord from whom everything has come and in whom everything seems to exist (as everything is but an illusion in the absolute Lord even as all relations are an illusion in the absolute).
This is what see in this part of the story – when the Ego of Brahma surrendered to the Lord (forced to surrender), it merged into the Lord and everything that was seen was nothing but the Lord alone. This is the main essence of this story of Brahma with Krishna that if we don’t surrender to the ultimate reality of Lord first itself we will be forced to surrender by the Lord. It is upto us whether we want to surrender without trouble or we surrender after being forced into defeat and sorrow.
We will see as to what Brahma does after surrendering to the ultimate reality of Lord.
# posted by vedanta : 8:16 PM
