Thursday, December 18, 2008
Story 53 – Story of Baana Yudha - 07
Chitralekha replied to Usha “Friend! Wherever in the three worlds the man you saw in your dream is, I will find him out and remove your sorrow.”
Explanation
We can find a reflection of ourselves in Chitralekha when we or people around us face troubles in life. We generally think we can achieve quite a lot in life. AMMA following the scriptures says that nothing happens in the world without the will of the Lord. The Lord is the magician who has created the magic world. Even as the magician’s world is under the control of the magician, the Lord’s world is controlled by the Lord. Nothing in the entire world goes unnoticed by the Lord – the Conscious principle in all beings (Consciousness that pulsates as “I-exist, I-exist”) is the Lord without which the world will not even exist.
AMMA says that few countries will tell that “If I press this button, the entire world will be destroyed” but for them to move even that one finger, the Lord’s will is essential.
There was once a famous heart specialist who went on stage to speak about heart-attacks. While he was speaking he suddenly had an attack and passed away.
This is the same case with most of the things in the world. A fool thinks that everything happens due to his power or might whereas a wise person remembers that everything happens by the will of the Lord. The wise person thus considers himself just an instrument in the hands of the Lord. He remains a mere witness to all the activities that are happening in the world all the while remembering that the world is a divine play of the Lord (lokavattu tat leela kaivalyam – says Brahma Sutras).
We may have a doubt here that if everything is controlled by the Lord then why doesn’t he make it a good place? Even as a director can make everything in his movie good but still doesn’t do it, similarly the Lord also waits for karma (which controls the world at the empirical plane) to do its job. When there will be situations where a person’s ego goes beyond control the Lord will ensure that the ego is completely destroyed. Until then the Lord just enjoys his own divine play even as a director enjoys his own play. All the time the play of the Lord is continuing, he knows that there is no play at all and this is just an illusion like the magician’s magic.
Then what can we do in this illusory world? Since we are suffering in sorrow, we can surrender unto the ultimate reality of Lord rather than trying to deal with problems on our own. The moment a seeker surrenders unto the Lord by remembering the Lord as the non-dual reality behind the illusory world and who pervades the dual world, that very moment all sorrows vanish as the seeker knows this world to be an illusion. Thereby the seeker relishes each moment of this divine play all the while playing his part/role to perfection.
Let us unlike Chitralekha, try to surrender unto the ultimate reality of Lord by remembering that the Lord alone is present here as the substratum of the illusory world so that we don’t end up in sorrow trying to solve the non-existing problems of the non-existing world.
After consoling Usha, Chitralekha gave a representation of devatas, asuras and manushyas. In manushyas she drew the vrishnikas and Rama, Krishna, Pradhyumna who are the foremost among vrishnikas. Seeing Pradhyumna Usha shyly changed her gaze. Following this Chitralekha drew Aniruddha and immediately Usha exclaimed “this is the person”.
Explanation
“This is the person” – if only we could find out the one person in this way who is capable of removing all the sorrows of our life and bestowing ever-lasting bliss upon us, life will become fruitful and complete. But often it is very tough to find simple things. We all very know the story of “Kucchu and his glasses” – in a similar way, the blissful Lord is ever residing inside ourselves as own our Consciousness (that pulsates as “I-exist, I-exist”). But since the Lord is very close to us it is very tough to realize the Lord. Add to this the nature of the indriyas (sense organs) and the mind to be always extroverted, the inner Lord will be completely forgotten until a compassionate master comes and makes our mind introverted thereby making us realize our very nature of Lord.
It is for this reason that the Upanishad says “taddure tat u anthike” or “it is very far yet very near”. It is very near to those who know the Self and it is very far for those who don’t know that it is the Consciousness that is constantly pulsating as “I-exist, I-exist”.
Man goes on searching for Ishwara in the entire world trying out many things in the way to the quest for eternal bliss (even trying out marriage and marriages, child and children, job and jobs, country and countries). If only a seeker is able to understand from the scriptures that the blissful Lord doesn’t reside in heaven but he resides as the essence of all beings (Self of all beings). The first thing thereby a seeker has to do in order to fulfill his quest for bliss is stop seeking the external world and its objects by knowing that the world is constantly changing and thereby sorrowful. Once the world is known as sorrowful, the seeker has to seek the blissful Lord in one’s heart and who pervades the entire world. This is exactly what Krishna says in Gita thus:
Anityam asukham lokam imam praapya bhajasva maam
Having attained this temporary and sorrowful world, seek me as the ultimate reality of non-dual Lord.
The Lord again speaks about bliss being in the Self and not the world thus in the 5th chapter of Gita:
Baahyasparsheshu asakthaatma vindathi aatmani yat sukham
Sa brahmayoga yukthaatma sukham akshayam ashnuthe
One who becomes detached to the external sensual pleasures finds that bliss in the Self (the Lord) which is non-decaying through being ever-focused on the Lord.
Kaama krodha viyukthaanam yatheenaam yathachethasaam
Abhitho brahmanirvaanam varthathe vidhithaatmanaam
A person who is devoid of attachment and aversion (dual notion) and is ever focused on the Lord thereby realizes the Lord and bliss dances around such a person.
The Lord thus gives the easy and simple way to realize bliss as ever-focusing on the ultimate reality of Lord and remembering that the entire world is only an illusion of names and forms in the Lord who alone exists here, one without a second. When a seeker continues this constant contemplation of the non-dual Lord, the statement of “this is the Lord” not as an external entity but as an intuitive internal experience will ensue which will make the seeker’s life blissful, perfect, peaceful and complete in all aspects.
We will continue with the story in the next day.
Let us to try to always contemplate on the ultimate reality of Lord as the non-dual reality behind the illusory world so that we are not whirled into dual notions and finally fulfill our lives with bliss.
Explanation
We can find a reflection of ourselves in Chitralekha when we or people around us face troubles in life. We generally think we can achieve quite a lot in life. AMMA following the scriptures says that nothing happens in the world without the will of the Lord. The Lord is the magician who has created the magic world. Even as the magician’s world is under the control of the magician, the Lord’s world is controlled by the Lord. Nothing in the entire world goes unnoticed by the Lord – the Conscious principle in all beings (Consciousness that pulsates as “I-exist, I-exist”) is the Lord without which the world will not even exist.
AMMA says that few countries will tell that “If I press this button, the entire world will be destroyed” but for them to move even that one finger, the Lord’s will is essential.
There was once a famous heart specialist who went on stage to speak about heart-attacks. While he was speaking he suddenly had an attack and passed away.
This is the same case with most of the things in the world. A fool thinks that everything happens due to his power or might whereas a wise person remembers that everything happens by the will of the Lord. The wise person thus considers himself just an instrument in the hands of the Lord. He remains a mere witness to all the activities that are happening in the world all the while remembering that the world is a divine play of the Lord (lokavattu tat leela kaivalyam – says Brahma Sutras).
We may have a doubt here that if everything is controlled by the Lord then why doesn’t he make it a good place? Even as a director can make everything in his movie good but still doesn’t do it, similarly the Lord also waits for karma (which controls the world at the empirical plane) to do its job. When there will be situations where a person’s ego goes beyond control the Lord will ensure that the ego is completely destroyed. Until then the Lord just enjoys his own divine play even as a director enjoys his own play. All the time the play of the Lord is continuing, he knows that there is no play at all and this is just an illusion like the magician’s magic.
Then what can we do in this illusory world? Since we are suffering in sorrow, we can surrender unto the ultimate reality of Lord rather than trying to deal with problems on our own. The moment a seeker surrenders unto the Lord by remembering the Lord as the non-dual reality behind the illusory world and who pervades the dual world, that very moment all sorrows vanish as the seeker knows this world to be an illusion. Thereby the seeker relishes each moment of this divine play all the while playing his part/role to perfection.
Let us unlike Chitralekha, try to surrender unto the ultimate reality of Lord by remembering that the Lord alone is present here as the substratum of the illusory world so that we don’t end up in sorrow trying to solve the non-existing problems of the non-existing world.
After consoling Usha, Chitralekha gave a representation of devatas, asuras and manushyas. In manushyas she drew the vrishnikas and Rama, Krishna, Pradhyumna who are the foremost among vrishnikas. Seeing Pradhyumna Usha shyly changed her gaze. Following this Chitralekha drew Aniruddha and immediately Usha exclaimed “this is the person”.
Explanation
“This is the person” – if only we could find out the one person in this way who is capable of removing all the sorrows of our life and bestowing ever-lasting bliss upon us, life will become fruitful and complete. But often it is very tough to find simple things. We all very know the story of “Kucchu and his glasses” – in a similar way, the blissful Lord is ever residing inside ourselves as own our Consciousness (that pulsates as “I-exist, I-exist”). But since the Lord is very close to us it is very tough to realize the Lord. Add to this the nature of the indriyas (sense organs) and the mind to be always extroverted, the inner Lord will be completely forgotten until a compassionate master comes and makes our mind introverted thereby making us realize our very nature of Lord.
It is for this reason that the Upanishad says “taddure tat u anthike” or “it is very far yet very near”. It is very near to those who know the Self and it is very far for those who don’t know that it is the Consciousness that is constantly pulsating as “I-exist, I-exist”.
Man goes on searching for Ishwara in the entire world trying out many things in the way to the quest for eternal bliss (even trying out marriage and marriages, child and children, job and jobs, country and countries). If only a seeker is able to understand from the scriptures that the blissful Lord doesn’t reside in heaven but he resides as the essence of all beings (Self of all beings). The first thing thereby a seeker has to do in order to fulfill his quest for bliss is stop seeking the external world and its objects by knowing that the world is constantly changing and thereby sorrowful. Once the world is known as sorrowful, the seeker has to seek the blissful Lord in one’s heart and who pervades the entire world. This is exactly what Krishna says in Gita thus:
Anityam asukham lokam imam praapya bhajasva maam
Having attained this temporary and sorrowful world, seek me as the ultimate reality of non-dual Lord.
The Lord again speaks about bliss being in the Self and not the world thus in the 5th chapter of Gita:
Baahyasparsheshu asakthaatma vindathi aatmani yat sukham
Sa brahmayoga yukthaatma sukham akshayam ashnuthe
One who becomes detached to the external sensual pleasures finds that bliss in the Self (the Lord) which is non-decaying through being ever-focused on the Lord.
Kaama krodha viyukthaanam yatheenaam yathachethasaam
Abhitho brahmanirvaanam varthathe vidhithaatmanaam
A person who is devoid of attachment and aversion (dual notion) and is ever focused on the Lord thereby realizes the Lord and bliss dances around such a person.
The Lord thus gives the easy and simple way to realize bliss as ever-focusing on the ultimate reality of Lord and remembering that the entire world is only an illusion of names and forms in the Lord who alone exists here, one without a second. When a seeker continues this constant contemplation of the non-dual Lord, the statement of “this is the Lord” not as an external entity but as an intuitive internal experience will ensue which will make the seeker’s life blissful, perfect, peaceful and complete in all aspects.
We will continue with the story in the next day.
Let us to try to always contemplate on the ultimate reality of Lord as the non-dual reality behind the illusory world so that we are not whirled into dual notions and finally fulfill our lives with bliss.
# posted by vedanta : 6:53 AM
