Sunday, June 22, 2008
Story 50 – Story of Dwaraka Nirmaanam - 05
We learn yesterday as to that the Lord left Dwaraka after creating it, today we will try to discuss the witness-attitude of the Lord in which the Lord is completely detached to everything yet still is attached as well. This is the attitude of detached-attachment or witness-hood which we will discuss today.
Attachment/aversion to anything except the ultimate reality of Lord will only lead us to sorrow and finally destruction (this means making us take birth and death again and again in this ocean of samsaara). This is because the objects of the world (except the ultimate reality of Lord) are temporary. That which is temporary is ever changing and hence subject to birth-death. That which dies (meaning ceases to exist) cannot give us happiness; but since the object used to give temporary happiness when it existed, we get addicted to the happiness; once the object vanishes, we cry remembering the happiness that we had while possessing the object.
Is the Lord alone real and everything else is temporary?
Yes – the Lord is of the nature of Consciousness from which the world is created, in which the world exists and unto which the world vanishes during destruction. This clearly shows that the world is only an illusion and the Lord of the nature of Consciousness alone is real – it is this Lord who pulsates in each one of us as “I-exist, I-exist” at all times. This temporary nature of the world becomes clear if we take the analogy of dream – the dream world is always changing during dream. The dream world is created out of the dreamer, exists in the dreamer and merges unto the dreamer when the dreamer wakes up – thus the world is only an illusion in the dreamer – this means that the dreamer alone always exists, the world is temporary.
Thus the Lord alone is real and everything else is temporary. Since the world is temporary, it will only lead us to sorrow (as we saw earlier). In order for us to get eternal bliss, we have to concentrate on the real entity of Lord – as that alone can give us eternal bliss (since it is eternal).
Though we might contemplate on the ultimate reality of Lord, yet the world still goes on. We will experience the world or the duality as long as we don’t realize our very nature of Lord and ever abide in it. Thus while experiencing the world, we have to get attached temporarily to objects. If we are not attached (even little) to the computer in front of us we will not be able to discuss Vedanta through Bhagavatham mails. Thus attachment is inevitable while living in the world. The solution to having attachment and yet ever contemplating on the Lord is detached-attachment. Detached-attachment means attachment in a detached way. This is that state wherein one minute we are attached but the very next minute we can walk out of the attachment – this is possible when externally we are attached whereas internally our mind is detached completely.
An incident in the life of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa brings this out clearly. Once Mathur Babu told his servant to tell one of the devotee (who had come to see Ramakrishna) to get out of the place. The servant thought he was tell to Ramakrishna. Thus the servant told Sri Ramakrishna to get out. Sri Ramakrishna without any expression change folded his mat and keeping it under his arms started walking from the place. Mathur Babu saw this and regretted; he came running and told Sri Ramakrishna to go inside. Sri Ramakrishna, again with no expression change, walked back into his room.
Sri Ramakrishna was able to leave everything in one minute and be attached in the very next minute. This is possible only if we are detached internally while displaying attachment externally. This is very much possible for any person as the various film actors do the same – they are externally displaying attachment in the film whereas internally they are totally detached to the character, people around etc. It is this state of being detached internally while acting externally that Vedanta calls saakshi bhaava or witness-hood.
Bhagavatham is here telling us through the Lord’s saakshi bhaava that we have to develop this witness-hood by having detached-attachment instead of mere attachment. Attachment will lead us to sorrow whereas detached-attachment will make our life blissful (even when the object is there with us and it is not there with us). It is this attitude due to which the Lord was able to be blissful at all times from his birth till his death.
We will continue with the story in the next day.
Let us all try to slowly develop this attitude of detached-attachment so that we are able to rejoice in bliss through realization of the Lord in us which alone can make our life fulfilled.
Yavana came across the Lord of the yadus ( Krishna) who had taken the full form of Vishnu and was like a full-risen moon. Yavana decided that this was the Narayana mentioned by Narada.
Explanation
Though this portion seems to be something which is not that important or that which doesn’t seem to have any deeper import, yet there is some deeper significance over here with respect to Yavana’s identification of the Lord.
The deeper significance is that even a person who had devilish tendencies will very easily be able to find the divine power wherever it is and whichever form it is. It is for this reason that many people go to Mahatmas though these Mahatmas are like any normal being (even simpler than normal humans). Examples of this are Sadguru Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (commonly known as AMMA) and Prof. Balakrishnan Nair. AMMA wears white sarees and though is known throughout the world yet speaks only her native language of Malayalam. The way AMMA gives discourses itself shows that she doesn’t prepare like any great speaker and her discourses are as if she is conversing with a close person in colloquial language. Prof. Balakrishnan Nair is now quite old – wears a normal white shirt and white dhothi. He walks, speaks like any normal person.
Though these saints (who are ever residing in Brahman) live like any other human being, yet any person can clearly find them out in between a flock. It is for this reason that many people come to AMMA and they don’t agree that AMMA is God – but they say “there is some power”J.
The Lord beautifully explains as to why these Mahatmas stand out in a crowd of similar people:
Kaamakrodhaviyukthaanaam yatheenam yathachethasaam
Abhitho brahma nirvaanam varthathe vidhitaaatmanaam
One who is devoid of attachment and aversion; and has known the Self, around such person bliss dances (brahma nirvaanam).
It is this bliss which is the very nature of these Mahatmas wherever they are and whatever they are doing that attracts us quite a lot. This is because we seek bliss and that bliss is present in these Mahatmas. Thus unknowingly we are attracted to these Mahatmas though we may not believe them completely (even not believing their words that everything is Lord alone).
It is but a pity that most of fail to apprehend the reason for bliss being the essence and dancing around these Mahatmas. If only we apprehend the reason, we will also be able to become like those Mahatmas ever being blissful – this state of always being blissful is the goal of life (our life will be fulfilled and complete only we get to this realized state of being blissful).
The bliss emanating from these Mahatmas is due to their ever residing in Brahman or the ultimate reality of Lord. They are ever aware of the truth that everything (the duality that is perceived) is only an illusion of names and forms in the Lord which means that the Lord alone exists here, one without a second. This is not that tough as we think it to be; it is as simple as just remembering this truth whatever happens in life. Even as a lover remembers his love whatever happens – whether he is in office, whether he is happy, whether he is sad, whether his parents don’t like his love etc. Irrespective of the situation or surrounding, the lover always remembers his/her love. This is something that most of us have experienced or can imagine. If we are able to develop this love towards the Lord, it is called devotion and this alone is knowledge as well as we are aware of the truth that everything is the Lord alone (as the essence or substratum of names-forms). This devotion/knowledge always in our mind alone is enough to take us to the state of being blissful always.
Thus Bhagavatham here is pointing out that even a being with devilish tendency can recognize the Lord (which means that devilish tendencies can never overpower the person whose mind resides in the Lord).
We will continue with the story in the next day.
Let us all try to slowly day-by-day implement this devotion/knowledge towards the Lord irrespective of whatever we are doing externally so that we may be able to always rejoice in bliss like the Mahatmas.
Attachment/aversion to anything except the ultimate reality of Lord will only lead us to sorrow and finally destruction (this means making us take birth and death again and again in this ocean of samsaara). This is because the objects of the world (except the ultimate reality of Lord) are temporary. That which is temporary is ever changing and hence subject to birth-death. That which dies (meaning ceases to exist) cannot give us happiness; but since the object used to give temporary happiness when it existed, we get addicted to the happiness; once the object vanishes, we cry remembering the happiness that we had while possessing the object.
Is the Lord alone real and everything else is temporary?
Yes – the Lord is of the nature of Consciousness from which the world is created, in which the world exists and unto which the world vanishes during destruction. This clearly shows that the world is only an illusion and the Lord of the nature of Consciousness alone is real – it is this Lord who pulsates in each one of us as “I-exist, I-exist” at all times. This temporary nature of the world becomes clear if we take the analogy of dream – the dream world is always changing during dream. The dream world is created out of the dreamer, exists in the dreamer and merges unto the dreamer when the dreamer wakes up – thus the world is only an illusion in the dreamer – this means that the dreamer alone always exists, the world is temporary.
Thus the Lord alone is real and everything else is temporary. Since the world is temporary, it will only lead us to sorrow (as we saw earlier). In order for us to get eternal bliss, we have to concentrate on the real entity of Lord – as that alone can give us eternal bliss (since it is eternal).
Though we might contemplate on the ultimate reality of Lord, yet the world still goes on. We will experience the world or the duality as long as we don’t realize our very nature of Lord and ever abide in it. Thus while experiencing the world, we have to get attached temporarily to objects. If we are not attached (even little) to the computer in front of us we will not be able to discuss Vedanta through Bhagavatham mails. Thus attachment is inevitable while living in the world. The solution to having attachment and yet ever contemplating on the Lord is detached-attachment. Detached-attachment means attachment in a detached way. This is that state wherein one minute we are attached but the very next minute we can walk out of the attachment – this is possible when externally we are attached whereas internally our mind is detached completely.
An incident in the life of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa brings this out clearly. Once Mathur Babu told his servant to tell one of the devotee (who had come to see Ramakrishna) to get out of the place. The servant thought he was tell to Ramakrishna. Thus the servant told Sri Ramakrishna to get out. Sri Ramakrishna without any expression change folded his mat and keeping it under his arms started walking from the place. Mathur Babu saw this and regretted; he came running and told Sri Ramakrishna to go inside. Sri Ramakrishna, again with no expression change, walked back into his room.
Sri Ramakrishna was able to leave everything in one minute and be attached in the very next minute. This is possible only if we are detached internally while displaying attachment externally. This is very much possible for any person as the various film actors do the same – they are externally displaying attachment in the film whereas internally they are totally detached to the character, people around etc. It is this state of being detached internally while acting externally that Vedanta calls saakshi bhaava or witness-hood.
Bhagavatham is here telling us through the Lord’s saakshi bhaava that we have to develop this witness-hood by having detached-attachment instead of mere attachment. Attachment will lead us to sorrow whereas detached-attachment will make our life blissful (even when the object is there with us and it is not there with us). It is this attitude due to which the Lord was able to be blissful at all times from his birth till his death.
We will continue with the story in the next day.
Let us all try to slowly develop this attitude of detached-attachment so that we are able to rejoice in bliss through realization of the Lord in us which alone can make our life fulfilled.
Yavana came across the Lord of the yadus ( Krishna) who had taken the full form of Vishnu and was like a full-risen moon. Yavana decided that this was the Narayana mentioned by Narada.
Explanation
Though this portion seems to be something which is not that important or that which doesn’t seem to have any deeper import, yet there is some deeper significance over here with respect to Yavana’s identification of the Lord.
The deeper significance is that even a person who had devilish tendencies will very easily be able to find the divine power wherever it is and whichever form it is. It is for this reason that many people go to Mahatmas though these Mahatmas are like any normal being (even simpler than normal humans). Examples of this are Sadguru Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (commonly known as AMMA) and Prof. Balakrishnan Nair. AMMA wears white sarees and though is known throughout the world yet speaks only her native language of Malayalam. The way AMMA gives discourses itself shows that she doesn’t prepare like any great speaker and her discourses are as if she is conversing with a close person in colloquial language. Prof. Balakrishnan Nair is now quite old – wears a normal white shirt and white dhothi. He walks, speaks like any normal person.
Though these saints (who are ever residing in Brahman) live like any other human being, yet any person can clearly find them out in between a flock. It is for this reason that many people come to AMMA and they don’t agree that AMMA is God – but they say “there is some power”J.
The Lord beautifully explains as to why these Mahatmas stand out in a crowd of similar people:
Kaamakrodhaviyukthaanaam yatheenam yathachethasaam
Abhitho brahma nirvaanam varthathe vidhitaaatmanaam
One who is devoid of attachment and aversion; and has known the Self, around such person bliss dances (brahma nirvaanam).
It is this bliss which is the very nature of these Mahatmas wherever they are and whatever they are doing that attracts us quite a lot. This is because we seek bliss and that bliss is present in these Mahatmas. Thus unknowingly we are attracted to these Mahatmas though we may not believe them completely (even not believing their words that everything is Lord alone).
It is but a pity that most of fail to apprehend the reason for bliss being the essence and dancing around these Mahatmas. If only we apprehend the reason, we will also be able to become like those Mahatmas ever being blissful – this state of always being blissful is the goal of life (our life will be fulfilled and complete only we get to this realized state of being blissful).
The bliss emanating from these Mahatmas is due to their ever residing in Brahman or the ultimate reality of Lord. They are ever aware of the truth that everything (the duality that is perceived) is only an illusion of names and forms in the Lord which means that the Lord alone exists here, one without a second. This is not that tough as we think it to be; it is as simple as just remembering this truth whatever happens in life. Even as a lover remembers his love whatever happens – whether he is in office, whether he is happy, whether he is sad, whether his parents don’t like his love etc. Irrespective of the situation or surrounding, the lover always remembers his/her love. This is something that most of us have experienced or can imagine. If we are able to develop this love towards the Lord, it is called devotion and this alone is knowledge as well as we are aware of the truth that everything is the Lord alone (as the essence or substratum of names-forms). This devotion/knowledge always in our mind alone is enough to take us to the state of being blissful always.
Thus Bhagavatham here is pointing out that even a being with devilish tendency can recognize the Lord (which means that devilish tendencies can never overpower the person whose mind resides in the Lord).
We will continue with the story in the next day.
Let us all try to slowly day-by-day implement this devotion/knowledge towards the Lord irrespective of whatever we are doing externally so that we may be able to always rejoice in bliss like the Mahatmas.
# posted by vedanta : 6:41 PM
