Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Story 16 - Glory of the Lord - description of cosmic form
Srimad Bhagavatham – A Spiritual Insight - Story 16 - Glory of the Lord - description of cosmic form
Having been questioned by Parikshit, Shuka starts answering thus:
Your questions are welcome as they are for the welfare of the world (the people will be benefited by your questions which are about the ultimate reality and the means to realization of the ultimate reality). A person who wishes to realize the ultimate reality of one’s own nature of Self will be always willing to hear about the glories of the Lord and this will lead him to realization of the ultimate reality.
But those who are busy with other works of looking after family etc. will not find time for the ultimate reality. During day times, they will be working for their family and during night times they will either be enjoying or sleeping.
Such people don’t see the ever-existing Lord in their very hearts.
O Great King! Therefore, you seek the Lord who is the Self of all beings and who is ever endowed with the six qualities termed as Bhagas and who is the destroyer of bondages and ignorance through hearing, singing and remembering his glories. This will destroy fear and you will become immortal.
Remembrance of the Lord at the final moment of one’s life is what is to be achieved through either karmas or through knowledge. There is no greater thing to be achieved than this (meaning that remembrance of the Lord at the final moment of life alone is the goal of human life)
Explanation
These are some of the most beautiful slokas which are full of import. The last sloka mentioned above is alone enough to show one the path to the ultimate reality.
It is very known fact that a person cannot get away from action (or doing action). Actions always continue whether the individual wants it or not. If one action is not done, then another action will automatically be done. Thus, the individuals are always immersed in the ocean of action where one doesn’t have any choice as to act or not act. This is mainly because of the reason that the world in which we are living is termed as Karmaloka (the prithvi or bhoo loka).
As Krishna says in Gita Chapter 15
Karmaanubhandheeni manushya loke
Bonded by actions (controlled by actions) in the land of humans.
Thus, everybody is forced or compelled to act. The moment a person says that I will not act, he will acting internally in the mind (various thoughts) and these thoughts will be turned to actions within no time. This is the reason why people are unable to stay even for a second without any work. An initial seeker always requires something to do else he will be carried over by other impulsions.
If everyone is compelled to act (actions arise out of ignorance alone), then how is the way out of the ignorance which causes actions?
The way out of action is to identify oneself with the witness to the action. Any action requires a doer. Without the doer, there is no action at all. The doer of all actions is not the real “I” or Self or the Lord, but it is the individual Self called as Jeeva or Ahamkaara or Ego. Ego is the doer whereas the Self is the mere witness to all actions. The Self is never affected by all actions but it remains ever-free and ever-blissful. This is the reason why in deep sleep, everyone experiences bliss of the Self. In deep sleep, there is only the Self. The ego vanishes in the state of deep sleep. Since there is no Ego, therefore there is doer and hence there are no actions. All sorrows and sufferings arise out of actions alone. When actions themselves vanish, then there is nothing but bliss of the Lord alone.
What is required by the seeker to identify one’s own real nature as the Self – the witness to all actions. Thus, the doer will be there and the doer will be doing actions but “I” will not identify itself with doer. Only this identification or superimposition of the Self on the doer causes all problems. When an action is performed, its fruits are expected by the doer which is the Ego. If the fruits are not got, then the doer becomes sad. When the real “I” (which is our very nature) identifies itself with the doer, the sufferings of the doer are also superimposed on “I” and therefore “I” seems to be suffering. Thus, it is very clear that sufferings are not for ME but only for the Ego. The Ego doesn’t have any existence apart from “I”. If “I” is not there, there is no Ego, no doer, no actions. Thus, it is clear that Ego is only an illusion in the reality of “I”.
The simplest way of removing ignorance and actions is to identify oneself as the Self and distinguish between the Ego and the I. This seems to be very simple but instead is very tough to follow. As Ramana Maharshi says this is the toughest stage of a seeker where he tries to split the real “I” or Self from the “I” or Ego. When this is done, all actions will continue even as dreams continue even after knowing them to be illusions. But the Self will know them to be illusions and hence will not be attached to them. Therefore, there will always be eternal bliss of the Self experienced.
Another simple way of overcoming the actions is to offer all actions unto the Lord. This is what is described by Shuka in the Bhagavatham. Who is Lord or God? Lord or God is he who alone is present. Whatever is present is the Lord alone – all other things are mere illusions in the ultimate reality of Lord. When the devotee offers the works and actions unto the Lord, he ceases to be the doer. Thus, he is not at all affected by the fruits of the actions. Thus, when a devotee offers all actions to the Lord, he remembers the Lord at all moments. Only that which is remembered at all times can be remembered at the last moment of life (just before death). This means thus that a person who has remembered the Lord throughout his life alone will remember the Lord at the time of death. And such a devotee merges into the Lord (and thereby resides in the eternal bliss inherent in the Lord). He never returns back into the cycle of birth-death which arises out of ignorance of the ultimate reality of one’s own nature of Lord.
Thereby the final aim of human life is to become immortal – realize one’s own nature of immortality. This is what Shuka says to Parikshit as Anthe naarayana smrithi – to remember the Lord at the final moment.
Who is Narayana?
Naaram means knowledge. Ayana means residing. Thus, Narayana is one who resides in Knowledge or one’s very nature is Consciousness or Knowledge. Therefore, the ultimate reality of Consciousness is to be realized by the seeker or devotee. Since ultimate reality is knowledge, one has to realize the ultimate reality through knowledge that everything is Lord alone. This knowledge when mixed with offering all work unto the lord purifies the mind (through offering of the work) and realization of one’s nature happens (through knowledge that everything is the Lord alone).
Thus Shuka that when a person remembers the Lord at all moments, he remembers the Lord at the time of death. This alone is to be achieved through any of the various paths mentioned in the Vedas (karma, yoga, jnaana etc.). Remembrance of the Lord at the time of death is possible only when the Lord is remembered at all times. Thus, the sole aim of a seeker (if has to realize the ultimate reality) should be to remember the Lord at all times.
Shuka here also criticizes the people who say that they are busy and hence can not remember the Lord. Shuka says that such people find time to earn money for the family during day and enjoy during night. Those are to be considered as animals alone as they do nothing except eating, drinking, sleeping and mating. Human beings are those who use their intellect to discriminate between what is real and what is unreal and to decide what to do and what not to do. Therefore, the wise should always think about the Lord and always try to remember the Lord and to offer the actions unto the Lord. This alone is using the discriminative nature which is specific to human beings among other living beings. Humans have the right of choosing whether they want to be bonded to actions or whether they want to be free of all bondages.
Therefore, the starting slokas of the 2nd skanda says that remembrance of the ultimate reality alone is the means to realization. Whether this is termed as jnaana or bhakthi or karma, it is one and the same only. This remembrance alone is capable of removing ignorance and thereby making one realize the ultimate reality of the Lord.
Then, what is it that Shuka mentions as at the end of life (at the time of death – to remember the Lord)? This is to emphasize that at the end of life, a person can think the Lord only when he has been thinking about the Lord during other times also. Therefore, here what Shuka means to say is that a person should always remember the Lord.
Such a devotee always listens to the glories of the Lord, sings the glories of the Lord and always thinks about the Lord alone. This is the main theme of Srimad Bhagavatham – thinking of the Lord alone at all times (here lord is not someone who has a shape and is limited to a body but here Lord is the ultimate reality of Brahman or Self or Consciousness and is one’s own very nature).
Srimad Bhagavatham – A Spiritual Insight - Story 16 - Glory of the Lord - description of cosmic form (Contd)
Shuka continued:
I will explain to you Srimad Bhagavatha Purana which my father Dvaipaayana Vyaasa taught me in the Dvaapara Yuga.
When a person contemplates on the Lord, all fear vanishes as the Lord is the ruler and the ultimate reality of the world and its objects.
What else is required other than knowing the ultimate reality of Lord? All other things even if known are of no use unless the Lord is known.
Therefore, a person should contemplate on the Lord at all times – so that
During the last times of life, a person should with discrimination and the sword of Asanga or detachment, cut off all attachments and bondage by contemplating on the ultimate reality of Lord.
He should sit in a good posture and in a clean place. All thoughts should be eliminated and just the thought of Lord alone should be present. Only this thought has to be contemplated on.
Explanation
Before entering into the description of the cosmic form of the Lord for meditation, Shuka here emphasizes that a seeker should contemplate on the Lord getting rid of all other thoughts.
Just to recap, the ultimate reality behind the changing and temporary (hence illusory) world is called Brahman or Paramaatman or Lord of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute. This reality is what is truly present here. Whatever is being seen as the world is nothing but the Lord alone. This is very well known from shruthi statements which state that the Lord is he from whom the world has come, in whom the world remains and unto whom the world merges (at the time of destruction). This shows that the world is a mere illusion and hence it is the substratum of the Lord alone. Thus everything is Brahman alone.
The Naraayana Sooktam says
Yatcha kinchit jagat sarvam drishyathe srooyathe api vaa
Anthar bahischa tat sarvam vyaapya naaraayana stithah
Whatever is present here in the world and is known through sight or sound --- is filled inside and outside by Narayaana.
As mentioned earlier (in last posting), Narayana is one who resides in Knowledge and therefore one who is Consciousness in nature. Since he is knowledge in nature, he has to be known through knowledge of one’s own nature alone.
Therefore, the Lord who is Consciousness in nature is the ultimate reality behind the illusory world. Therefore, the “I” or jeeva is nothing but Narayana alone – Jeeva cannot be different from Narayana as jeeva is also of the nature of Consciousness.
It is ignorance of the real nature of the Lord and one’s own real nature which causes one to think that “I am bonded and different from Lord”. All efforts are to remove this ignorance which will make the Narayana who is sitting in the heart shine as one’s own very nature.
This reality has to be remembered at all moments that there is only one thing here – which is termed as Narayana, Vishnu, Brahman, Atman, Chit, Ishwara, Lord, God etc. There is no other reality apart from this absolute and ultimate reality.
The aim or goal of human life is what Bhagavatham stated as “Anthe naaraayana smrithih” – thought of the reality at the last moment of life in this body. If a person has to remember something suddenly this very moment, he has to remember it for the past few years – then only he can remember that thing suddenly.
This is the reason why we see that a lover sees his love for 1 year daily and gets attached to her. Therefore, he cannot even live without seeing her the next day. This is what happens – if one thinks about his love for years, then the same love will be thought at the last moment of life or at the time of death (of the body as the Self never dies as it is immortal).
Hence, a seeker has to always contemplate on the Lord so that at the last moment, he remembers the Lord, contemplates on the Lord and gets liberated here itself.
It is also important to remember that the Lord which is being spoken of is not the form Lord but the formless and all-pervading Consciousness. Any form is subject to birth and death. Therefore there have been times when the Saivites and Vaishnavites were fighting amongst themselves about the superiority of the form whereas in Puranas it is mentioned that both Vishnu and Siva are one and the same. Vishnu and Siva are nothing but forms of the ultimate reality of Lord of the nature of Consciousness. Forms are meant only as a means for contemplation – for getting concentration. It is tough to contemplate on the all-pervading Lord as the human mind is always used to forms. Therefore for easier purpose, the forms are propouned (33 crore devatas are there in Hindu philosophy). None of these forms are real but they only are meant for contemplation. Once a person sincere contemplates on the form of Vishnu by seeing Vishnu everywhere, the form vanishes and the seeker realizes the all-pervading Consciousness as the Lord.
Thus, contemplation of the ultimate reality of Lord is the final goal of human life. When a person contemplates on the Lord, he becomes the Lord (rather realizes his own very nature of the Lord). This is what is termed as liberation as the Lord is without any sorrow and delusion – there is nothing but Consciousness and Bliss in the absolute reality of Lord.
Thus, Shuka here stresses contemplation on the Lord.
A person might get money by contemplating on IIT exam or GMAT exam or by staying in US. But these are all temporary only, they never will give permanent bliss and satisfaction to the individual. This is very well known by the fact that millionaires are never satisfied with what they have but they want more!!!! This is what has been beautifully expressed in the puranaas in the form of various stories. These stories are not myths but are real incidents happening around us daily. We find people fighting for promotions, salary hikes, transfers, power, money etc. But they end up dissatisfied alone. Satisfaction can never be got from the external sense objects and the pleasure arising out of them is temporary like the water drop in the leave of a lotus. One moment you see it, the next moment it vanishes.
We see that within moments people die due to either Tsunami or earthquake or blasts (as happened in London recently). This shows that the worldly pleasures cannot give permanent bliss and contentment.
The only in the world which can give contentment is the reality of Lord and realization of the reality. This alone can confer eternal bliss on the seeker. This is the reason why great Mahatmas like Sankara, Madhva, Ramana Maharshi amongst others did not have any possession but they were ever blissful and gave bliss to the world (still giving in the form of their teachings). Shuka Brahmarishi himself is an example of this type (who has nothing with him, not even a single piece of cloth on his body but still ever blissful and conferring bliss to each one of us in the form of Srimad Bhagavatham).
A person can contemplate on the Lord only when the attachments to worldly things vanish. Unless the child leaves the toffee in its hand, it cannot get the 100 rupee note that its father is about to give it. Similarly the eternal bliss of the Lord can be attained only when the temporary sensual pleasures are renounced or detached. Thus, Shuka says that a seeker should through discrimination shake off all bondages by the sword of detachment. Discrimination is knowing that the ultimate reality alone is capable of conferring eternal bliss and other things are temporary & hence will give sorrow only. When this is known, then the seeker doesn’t crave for the sensual pleasures instead all his efforts are diverted to the ultimate reality and its realization. This is what is called the sword of detachment (the individual remains detached to everything but remains attached to the ultimate reality of Lord). This detachment itself is mentioned in the Upanishads as Vairaagya or dispassion (this definition of dispassion is a wrong definition as such – the seeker renounces the objects not because he is displeased with them but because he knows something which is greater than the sense objects – something which is permanent and eternal).
This quality of Vairaagya is very important for a seeker. If a seeker doesn’t have it, then there cannot be progress in spirituality even though he might be following some spiritual practices. The seeker should have such dispassion that each moment he craves for the thought of Lord and he cannot live for even a second without the Lord (even as the fish cannot live without water even for a second).
Once all bondages are cut off with the sword of detachment and dispassion, the individual should contemplate on the Lord in his mind. Contemplation is constant remembrance of the Lord without any other thought creeping in. Let’s say a person is contemplating for 5 minutes, for those five minutes – there should be only the thought of Lord and no other thoughts.
Contemplation becomes easy if a form is there for contemplation. This is explicitly mentioned by Sri Krishna in Chapter 12 of Gita where he says that contemplation on form-God is more easier than contemplation on Nirguna and formless-God.
In order to give a form for contemplation, Shuka elucidates the cosmic form of the Lord – the world itself is the cosmic form of the Lord (this has been elaborated by Sri Krishna in the vibhoothi yoga 10th chapter of Bhagavad Gita). We will see the cosmic form of the Lord tomorrow. Until then, let us try to contemplate on the Lord as filling each and ever place that we can think of – so that there remains nothing but the Lord alone here & thereby eternal bliss is rejoiced as one’s own very nature of Lord.
Srimad Bhagavatham – A Spiritual Insight - Story 16 - Glory of the Lord - description of cosmic form (concluded)
Parikshit asked Shuka:
O Lord! Tell me on what should I meditate and what is the object of meditation (or concentration) as per the scriptures. Also tell me how can the mind of human be made pure and all desires are destroyed (when desires are destroyed, the effects of sorrows and sufferings are in turn destroyed).
Having thus been questioned by Parikshit, Shuka answers giving the description of the cosmic form of the Lord:
After having controlled the senses and sitting in a place (without any disturbances), the seeker should contemplate on the gross or cosmic form of the Lord. The world which has come out of the Lord is the Lord alone. The world is nothing but the cosmic form of the Lord who is termed as Viraat or Vishwaroopa (one who is seen as the world – the world and its objects are the body of the lord).
(There are seven upper worlds and seven lower worlds – the upper worlds are Bhooloka, the world that we live in now, Bhuvarloka, Suvar loka, maharloka, janaloka, tapoloka, satya loka – the lower worlds are atala, vitala, sutala, mahataala, talaatala, rasaatala, pataala).
Pataala is the soles of the feet of the Lord.
Rasaatala is the hinder and front part of the feet of the Lord.
Mahatala is the ankles of the Lord.
Talaatala is the shanks of the Lord.
Sutala is the knees of the Lord.
Vitala and Atala are the thighs of the Lord.
Earth or bhooloka is the loins of the Lord.
Bhuvarloka (land of manes) is the navel of the Lord.
Indra loka (heaven) forms the chest of the Lord.
Mahar loka is the neck of the Lord.
Jana loka is the face of the Lord.
Tapo loka is the brow of the Lord.
Satya loka is the head of the Lord.
The four varna ashramas of Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Sudra are respectively mouth, hands, thighs, feet of the Lord.
Thus, Shuka elaborates on the things in the world and tells that each of the thing are one or the other part of the Lord. This means that the Lord itself is manifesting as the world. Everything that we see in the world is the Lord alone – one without a second.
(How does contemplation that the world is the Lord alone help and where does it lead to – Shuka answers this)
When the Lord who is present in all the beings (inside and outside) is realized even as the dreamer realizes after waking up that the dream world was nothing but the dreamer alone (each object in the dream world was the dreamer alone), at that time the treasure of eternal bliss and immortality is realized --- if a person doesn’t realize this, then he leads to the downfall of the Atman and thereby he enters into sorrow and suffering.
Explanation
With the description of the cosmic form of the Lord, the first adhyaaya of the 2nd skanda ends.
Shuka in this part elaborates on each and every object in the world and says that these are the parts of the Lord. The world which we see has a cause or creator from which it has come. This creator is what we call as God or Lord and which Upanishads proclaim as Brahman. As Srimad Bhagavatham itself explained previously, Brahman and God is one and the same thing only. God is thus the creator of the world. The world has thus been born out of the Lord.
After birth, the world requires a place where it has to stay, it requires a substratum, and it requires a support. This support is the Lord alone. This is very well known by experience that everything happens not by the will of the individual but by the grace and wish of the Lord (who considers the various actions done by the individual and impartially gives effects for the particular action – if a person does good actions, he reaps good benefits – if a person does bad actions, he reaps bad benefits because of the bad actions – thus we know that if a person smokes, he reaps the bad effect of health trouble, shorter life, cancer etc. – but if a person does the good action of remembering the Lord at all times and singing his praises, he reaps the good benefit of getting success in all undertakings).
Therefore, the Lord is the support of the world. The world resides or abides in the Lord. Without the Lord, there is no world at all. The world ceases to exist if the Lord is not present. Hence, the world is supported by the Lord who is the substratum of the world.
When the world is destroyed, the world merges into its source of Lord who is the creator of the world. We all experience the temporary destruction of the world in deep sleep (where we don’t see any dream but are sleeping). In that state of deep sleep, the world ceases to exist but still the “I” exists as we say after waking up that “I slept well, I did not know anything”. This happiness in that state of deep sleep is permanent throughout the state. That happiness is liked evenly by a beggar and a millionaire, a saint and a householder. This happiness is because during the state of deep sleep, the individual “I” who is limited to the body and the mind merges into the Lord (the creator who is present as the world that we see). Hence, we experience that the destruction of the world will be into the source of the Lord.
Thus, the world is created from the Lord, stays in the Lord and merges unto the Lord. This means that the world cannot be different from the Lord. The pot is created from mud, stays in mud and merges unto mud when it is destroyed. This means that pot is nothing but mud alone with a name of pot and form of a particular shape. Similarly, thus the world is nothing but the Lord alone.
The Lord pervades each and every space and thing in the world. He is all-pervading and hence omniscient.
Even though Lord is all-pervading and hence without any form like space (which is also all-pervasive), it is tough to apprehend such a formless Lord. Therefore various forms have been propounded. One of the form which is found in the scriptures and in Bhagavad Gita is the Vishwaroopa form (cosmic form). This cosmic form describes the Lord as having the body of the world. The various things in the world are parts of the Lord. This is very useful because the moment a person sees the earth, he remembers that this is a part of the Lord. As my hand is not different from the body, similarly the part of the Lord is not different from Lord. Hence through such cosmic form meditation, the seeker is in fact remembering the Lord whenever he sees anything in the world.
This remembrance is what is required for the individual. When the Lord who is blissful and all-pervasive in nature is remembered, the seeker gets the benefit of eternal bliss which is present in the Lord. When the individual thus prays to the Lord as present everywhere, he realizes that the Lord is not sitting somewhere else but he is present in the heart of the seeker itself. Then, the seeker realizes that the Lord whom he was searching is not different from himself – the “I” which is distinct from the body and the mind. “I” am not the body as the body becomes dead but I don’t die, the body vanishes in the dream state but still I remain. Therefore this “I” is pure Consciousness and blissful in nature. When the Lord is contemplated on, the individual removes the ignorance veil which veils his own very nature of Lord and thereby he rejoices in the eternal bliss inherent in the Lord who is his own very nature.
This is the ultimate aim of contemplation of the Lord as present in each and every part of the world. The world that we see has the power of Lord working through it even as the dream world has the dreamer manifesting in various forms.
“I” see a dream. In the dream, I see a world and various objects. Those objects seem to be different from Me at the time of dream. But once I wake up, I realize that there neither was a dream world and the various objects but only I was present. In dream, I was seen as the various objects.
Similarly the world which has come from the Lord is the Lord alone – the Lord alone exists – the dual world that we perceive is not the reality – the reality behind the seemingly appearing differences is the absolute reality of Lord or Consciousness. This is the ultimate reality which alone can confer eternal bliss to the individual. There is no other path than this to permanent and eternal bliss. This is what Shuka emphasizes by telling in the concluding sloka that if a individual doesn’t realize this ultimate reality, he enters into sorrow and sufferings.
If a person imagines the dream world to be real, he will enter into sorrow and suffering based on the experiences in the dream state. But once a person realizes that the dream world was a mere illusion like water seen in desert, he will not get affected by the experiences in the dream state.
Similarly, if a person doesn’t realize that the world that is seen is the Lord and therefore, there is nothing here but the Lord alone, he enters into sorrows and sufferings based on the dual experiences in the world which is also an illusion in the Lord only. We see many people in the world thus suffering and crying like anything. All this is because the ultimate reality of Lord is not known. If something good is happening, it is the grace of the Lord. If something bad happens, it is the wish of the Lord. Everything happens for the good only. The lord who is present everywhere will never do bad to himself (which is our own very nature – everyone is the Lord only). Therefore, a person has to realize that the Lord is present in the heart and remembering him will remove all sorrows and sufferings. Even though there might be problems in life at the empirical level, those will vanish when the thought of Lord is maintained. And the thought of Lord alone will help the seeker in the long run, by making him realize his own very nature of eternal bliss so that all sorrows and sufferings vanish completely.
And in this part, Shuka explains the various parts of the Lord as the various worlds and beings etc. This is only to show that everything is the Lord alone. Thus when a person sees a monitor, he realizes that it is not the monitor that he is seeing but it is the Lord who is manifesting as the monitor. When the person sees the keyboard, he realizes that it is not the keyboard but it is the Lord himself. When thus everything is seen as the Lord, there is nothing to get attached or averted; there is nothing which is sorrowful or happy as all these happen when a person sees duality or differences in various objects.
Thus, everything is seen as the Lord alone – and since Lord is blissful in nature, everything is blissful in nature. Thus, there is only bliss in the eyes of the seeker. When the Lord alone is seen, the world of duality vanishes and thereby vanishes its effects of sorrows and sufferings. Thereby the seeker rejoices in the eternal bliss inherent in the Lord who is his own very nature of Self or Consciousness.
Let us all try to contemplate on the cosmic form of the Lord who is all-pervading and who is present as the world of duality so that we may rejoice in the eternal bliss which is our own very nature.
Having been questioned by Parikshit, Shuka starts answering thus:
Your questions are welcome as they are for the welfare of the world (the people will be benefited by your questions which are about the ultimate reality and the means to realization of the ultimate reality). A person who wishes to realize the ultimate reality of one’s own nature of Self will be always willing to hear about the glories of the Lord and this will lead him to realization of the ultimate reality.
But those who are busy with other works of looking after family etc. will not find time for the ultimate reality. During day times, they will be working for their family and during night times they will either be enjoying or sleeping.
Such people don’t see the ever-existing Lord in their very hearts.
O Great King! Therefore, you seek the Lord who is the Self of all beings and who is ever endowed with the six qualities termed as Bhagas and who is the destroyer of bondages and ignorance through hearing, singing and remembering his glories. This will destroy fear and you will become immortal.
Remembrance of the Lord at the final moment of one’s life is what is to be achieved through either karmas or through knowledge. There is no greater thing to be achieved than this (meaning that remembrance of the Lord at the final moment of life alone is the goal of human life)
Explanation
These are some of the most beautiful slokas which are full of import. The last sloka mentioned above is alone enough to show one the path to the ultimate reality.
It is very known fact that a person cannot get away from action (or doing action). Actions always continue whether the individual wants it or not. If one action is not done, then another action will automatically be done. Thus, the individuals are always immersed in the ocean of action where one doesn’t have any choice as to act or not act. This is mainly because of the reason that the world in which we are living is termed as Karmaloka (the prithvi or bhoo loka).
As Krishna says in Gita Chapter 15
Karmaanubhandheeni manushya loke
Bonded by actions (controlled by actions) in the land of humans.
Thus, everybody is forced or compelled to act. The moment a person says that I will not act, he will acting internally in the mind (various thoughts) and these thoughts will be turned to actions within no time. This is the reason why people are unable to stay even for a second without any work. An initial seeker always requires something to do else he will be carried over by other impulsions.
If everyone is compelled to act (actions arise out of ignorance alone), then how is the way out of the ignorance which causes actions?
The way out of action is to identify oneself with the witness to the action. Any action requires a doer. Without the doer, there is no action at all. The doer of all actions is not the real “I” or Self or the Lord, but it is the individual Self called as Jeeva or Ahamkaara or Ego. Ego is the doer whereas the Self is the mere witness to all actions. The Self is never affected by all actions but it remains ever-free and ever-blissful. This is the reason why in deep sleep, everyone experiences bliss of the Self. In deep sleep, there is only the Self. The ego vanishes in the state of deep sleep. Since there is no Ego, therefore there is doer and hence there are no actions. All sorrows and sufferings arise out of actions alone. When actions themselves vanish, then there is nothing but bliss of the Lord alone.
What is required by the seeker to identify one’s own real nature as the Self – the witness to all actions. Thus, the doer will be there and the doer will be doing actions but “I” will not identify itself with doer. Only this identification or superimposition of the Self on the doer causes all problems. When an action is performed, its fruits are expected by the doer which is the Ego. If the fruits are not got, then the doer becomes sad. When the real “I” (which is our very nature) identifies itself with the doer, the sufferings of the doer are also superimposed on “I” and therefore “I” seems to be suffering. Thus, it is very clear that sufferings are not for ME but only for the Ego. The Ego doesn’t have any existence apart from “I”. If “I” is not there, there is no Ego, no doer, no actions. Thus, it is clear that Ego is only an illusion in the reality of “I”.
The simplest way of removing ignorance and actions is to identify oneself as the Self and distinguish between the Ego and the I. This seems to be very simple but instead is very tough to follow. As Ramana Maharshi says this is the toughest stage of a seeker where he tries to split the real “I” or Self from the “I” or Ego. When this is done, all actions will continue even as dreams continue even after knowing them to be illusions. But the Self will know them to be illusions and hence will not be attached to them. Therefore, there will always be eternal bliss of the Self experienced.
Another simple way of overcoming the actions is to offer all actions unto the Lord. This is what is described by Shuka in the Bhagavatham. Who is Lord or God? Lord or God is he who alone is present. Whatever is present is the Lord alone – all other things are mere illusions in the ultimate reality of Lord. When the devotee offers the works and actions unto the Lord, he ceases to be the doer. Thus, he is not at all affected by the fruits of the actions. Thus, when a devotee offers all actions to the Lord, he remembers the Lord at all moments. Only that which is remembered at all times can be remembered at the last moment of life (just before death). This means thus that a person who has remembered the Lord throughout his life alone will remember the Lord at the time of death. And such a devotee merges into the Lord (and thereby resides in the eternal bliss inherent in the Lord). He never returns back into the cycle of birth-death which arises out of ignorance of the ultimate reality of one’s own nature of Lord.
Thereby the final aim of human life is to become immortal – realize one’s own nature of immortality. This is what Shuka says to Parikshit as Anthe naarayana smrithi – to remember the Lord at the final moment.
Who is Narayana?
Naaram means knowledge. Ayana means residing. Thus, Narayana is one who resides in Knowledge or one’s very nature is Consciousness or Knowledge. Therefore, the ultimate reality of Consciousness is to be realized by the seeker or devotee. Since ultimate reality is knowledge, one has to realize the ultimate reality through knowledge that everything is Lord alone. This knowledge when mixed with offering all work unto the lord purifies the mind (through offering of the work) and realization of one’s nature happens (through knowledge that everything is the Lord alone).
Thus Shuka that when a person remembers the Lord at all moments, he remembers the Lord at the time of death. This alone is to be achieved through any of the various paths mentioned in the Vedas (karma, yoga, jnaana etc.). Remembrance of the Lord at the time of death is possible only when the Lord is remembered at all times. Thus, the sole aim of a seeker (if has to realize the ultimate reality) should be to remember the Lord at all times.
Shuka here also criticizes the people who say that they are busy and hence can not remember the Lord. Shuka says that such people find time to earn money for the family during day and enjoy during night. Those are to be considered as animals alone as they do nothing except eating, drinking, sleeping and mating. Human beings are those who use their intellect to discriminate between what is real and what is unreal and to decide what to do and what not to do. Therefore, the wise should always think about the Lord and always try to remember the Lord and to offer the actions unto the Lord. This alone is using the discriminative nature which is specific to human beings among other living beings. Humans have the right of choosing whether they want to be bonded to actions or whether they want to be free of all bondages.
Therefore, the starting slokas of the 2nd skanda says that remembrance of the ultimate reality alone is the means to realization. Whether this is termed as jnaana or bhakthi or karma, it is one and the same only. This remembrance alone is capable of removing ignorance and thereby making one realize the ultimate reality of the Lord.
Then, what is it that Shuka mentions as at the end of life (at the time of death – to remember the Lord)? This is to emphasize that at the end of life, a person can think the Lord only when he has been thinking about the Lord during other times also. Therefore, here what Shuka means to say is that a person should always remember the Lord.
Such a devotee always listens to the glories of the Lord, sings the glories of the Lord and always thinks about the Lord alone. This is the main theme of Srimad Bhagavatham – thinking of the Lord alone at all times (here lord is not someone who has a shape and is limited to a body but here Lord is the ultimate reality of Brahman or Self or Consciousness and is one’s own very nature).
Srimad Bhagavatham – A Spiritual Insight - Story 16 - Glory of the Lord - description of cosmic form (Contd)
Shuka continued:
I will explain to you Srimad Bhagavatha Purana which my father Dvaipaayana Vyaasa taught me in the Dvaapara Yuga.
When a person contemplates on the Lord, all fear vanishes as the Lord is the ruler and the ultimate reality of the world and its objects.
What else is required other than knowing the ultimate reality of Lord? All other things even if known are of no use unless the Lord is known.
Therefore, a person should contemplate on the Lord at all times – so that
During the last times of life, a person should with discrimination and the sword of Asanga or detachment, cut off all attachments and bondage by contemplating on the ultimate reality of Lord.
He should sit in a good posture and in a clean place. All thoughts should be eliminated and just the thought of Lord alone should be present. Only this thought has to be contemplated on.
Explanation
Before entering into the description of the cosmic form of the Lord for meditation, Shuka here emphasizes that a seeker should contemplate on the Lord getting rid of all other thoughts.
Just to recap, the ultimate reality behind the changing and temporary (hence illusory) world is called Brahman or Paramaatman or Lord of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute. This reality is what is truly present here. Whatever is being seen as the world is nothing but the Lord alone. This is very well known from shruthi statements which state that the Lord is he from whom the world has come, in whom the world remains and unto whom the world merges (at the time of destruction). This shows that the world is a mere illusion and hence it is the substratum of the Lord alone. Thus everything is Brahman alone.
The Naraayana Sooktam says
Yatcha kinchit jagat sarvam drishyathe srooyathe api vaa
Anthar bahischa tat sarvam vyaapya naaraayana stithah
Whatever is present here in the world and is known through sight or sound --- is filled inside and outside by Narayaana.
As mentioned earlier (in last posting), Narayana is one who resides in Knowledge and therefore one who is Consciousness in nature. Since he is knowledge in nature, he has to be known through knowledge of one’s own nature alone.
Therefore, the Lord who is Consciousness in nature is the ultimate reality behind the illusory world. Therefore, the “I” or jeeva is nothing but Narayana alone – Jeeva cannot be different from Narayana as jeeva is also of the nature of Consciousness.
It is ignorance of the real nature of the Lord and one’s own real nature which causes one to think that “I am bonded and different from Lord”. All efforts are to remove this ignorance which will make the Narayana who is sitting in the heart shine as one’s own very nature.
This reality has to be remembered at all moments that there is only one thing here – which is termed as Narayana, Vishnu, Brahman, Atman, Chit, Ishwara, Lord, God etc. There is no other reality apart from this absolute and ultimate reality.
The aim or goal of human life is what Bhagavatham stated as “Anthe naaraayana smrithih” – thought of the reality at the last moment of life in this body. If a person has to remember something suddenly this very moment, he has to remember it for the past few years – then only he can remember that thing suddenly.
This is the reason why we see that a lover sees his love for 1 year daily and gets attached to her. Therefore, he cannot even live without seeing her the next day. This is what happens – if one thinks about his love for years, then the same love will be thought at the last moment of life or at the time of death (of the body as the Self never dies as it is immortal).
Hence, a seeker has to always contemplate on the Lord so that at the last moment, he remembers the Lord, contemplates on the Lord and gets liberated here itself.
It is also important to remember that the Lord which is being spoken of is not the form Lord but the formless and all-pervading Consciousness. Any form is subject to birth and death. Therefore there have been times when the Saivites and Vaishnavites were fighting amongst themselves about the superiority of the form whereas in Puranas it is mentioned that both Vishnu and Siva are one and the same. Vishnu and Siva are nothing but forms of the ultimate reality of Lord of the nature of Consciousness. Forms are meant only as a means for contemplation – for getting concentration. It is tough to contemplate on the all-pervading Lord as the human mind is always used to forms. Therefore for easier purpose, the forms are propouned (33 crore devatas are there in Hindu philosophy). None of these forms are real but they only are meant for contemplation. Once a person sincere contemplates on the form of Vishnu by seeing Vishnu everywhere, the form vanishes and the seeker realizes the all-pervading Consciousness as the Lord.
Thus, contemplation of the ultimate reality of Lord is the final goal of human life. When a person contemplates on the Lord, he becomes the Lord (rather realizes his own very nature of the Lord). This is what is termed as liberation as the Lord is without any sorrow and delusion – there is nothing but Consciousness and Bliss in the absolute reality of Lord.
Thus, Shuka here stresses contemplation on the Lord.
A person might get money by contemplating on IIT exam or GMAT exam or by staying in US. But these are all temporary only, they never will give permanent bliss and satisfaction to the individual. This is very well known by the fact that millionaires are never satisfied with what they have but they want more!!!! This is what has been beautifully expressed in the puranaas in the form of various stories. These stories are not myths but are real incidents happening around us daily. We find people fighting for promotions, salary hikes, transfers, power, money etc. But they end up dissatisfied alone. Satisfaction can never be got from the external sense objects and the pleasure arising out of them is temporary like the water drop in the leave of a lotus. One moment you see it, the next moment it vanishes.
We see that within moments people die due to either Tsunami or earthquake or blasts (as happened in London recently). This shows that the worldly pleasures cannot give permanent bliss and contentment.
The only in the world which can give contentment is the reality of Lord and realization of the reality. This alone can confer eternal bliss on the seeker. This is the reason why great Mahatmas like Sankara, Madhva, Ramana Maharshi amongst others did not have any possession but they were ever blissful and gave bliss to the world (still giving in the form of their teachings). Shuka Brahmarishi himself is an example of this type (who has nothing with him, not even a single piece of cloth on his body but still ever blissful and conferring bliss to each one of us in the form of Srimad Bhagavatham).
A person can contemplate on the Lord only when the attachments to worldly things vanish. Unless the child leaves the toffee in its hand, it cannot get the 100 rupee note that its father is about to give it. Similarly the eternal bliss of the Lord can be attained only when the temporary sensual pleasures are renounced or detached. Thus, Shuka says that a seeker should through discrimination shake off all bondages by the sword of detachment. Discrimination is knowing that the ultimate reality alone is capable of conferring eternal bliss and other things are temporary & hence will give sorrow only. When this is known, then the seeker doesn’t crave for the sensual pleasures instead all his efforts are diverted to the ultimate reality and its realization. This is what is called the sword of detachment (the individual remains detached to everything but remains attached to the ultimate reality of Lord). This detachment itself is mentioned in the Upanishads as Vairaagya or dispassion (this definition of dispassion is a wrong definition as such – the seeker renounces the objects not because he is displeased with them but because he knows something which is greater than the sense objects – something which is permanent and eternal).
This quality of Vairaagya is very important for a seeker. If a seeker doesn’t have it, then there cannot be progress in spirituality even though he might be following some spiritual practices. The seeker should have such dispassion that each moment he craves for the thought of Lord and he cannot live for even a second without the Lord (even as the fish cannot live without water even for a second).
Once all bondages are cut off with the sword of detachment and dispassion, the individual should contemplate on the Lord in his mind. Contemplation is constant remembrance of the Lord without any other thought creeping in. Let’s say a person is contemplating for 5 minutes, for those five minutes – there should be only the thought of Lord and no other thoughts.
Contemplation becomes easy if a form is there for contemplation. This is explicitly mentioned by Sri Krishna in Chapter 12 of Gita where he says that contemplation on form-God is more easier than contemplation on Nirguna and formless-God.
In order to give a form for contemplation, Shuka elucidates the cosmic form of the Lord – the world itself is the cosmic form of the Lord (this has been elaborated by Sri Krishna in the vibhoothi yoga 10th chapter of Bhagavad Gita). We will see the cosmic form of the Lord tomorrow. Until then, let us try to contemplate on the Lord as filling each and ever place that we can think of – so that there remains nothing but the Lord alone here & thereby eternal bliss is rejoiced as one’s own very nature of Lord.
Srimad Bhagavatham – A Spiritual Insight - Story 16 - Glory of the Lord - description of cosmic form (concluded)
Parikshit asked Shuka:
O Lord! Tell me on what should I meditate and what is the object of meditation (or concentration) as per the scriptures. Also tell me how can the mind of human be made pure and all desires are destroyed (when desires are destroyed, the effects of sorrows and sufferings are in turn destroyed).
Having thus been questioned by Parikshit, Shuka answers giving the description of the cosmic form of the Lord:
After having controlled the senses and sitting in a place (without any disturbances), the seeker should contemplate on the gross or cosmic form of the Lord. The world which has come out of the Lord is the Lord alone. The world is nothing but the cosmic form of the Lord who is termed as Viraat or Vishwaroopa (one who is seen as the world – the world and its objects are the body of the lord).
(There are seven upper worlds and seven lower worlds – the upper worlds are Bhooloka, the world that we live in now, Bhuvarloka, Suvar loka, maharloka, janaloka, tapoloka, satya loka – the lower worlds are atala, vitala, sutala, mahataala, talaatala, rasaatala, pataala).
Pataala is the soles of the feet of the Lord.
Rasaatala is the hinder and front part of the feet of the Lord.
Mahatala is the ankles of the Lord.
Talaatala is the shanks of the Lord.
Sutala is the knees of the Lord.
Vitala and Atala are the thighs of the Lord.
Earth or bhooloka is the loins of the Lord.
Bhuvarloka (land of manes) is the navel of the Lord.
Indra loka (heaven) forms the chest of the Lord.
Mahar loka is the neck of the Lord.
Jana loka is the face of the Lord.
Tapo loka is the brow of the Lord.
Satya loka is the head of the Lord.
The four varna ashramas of Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Sudra are respectively mouth, hands, thighs, feet of the Lord.
Thus, Shuka elaborates on the things in the world and tells that each of the thing are one or the other part of the Lord. This means that the Lord itself is manifesting as the world. Everything that we see in the world is the Lord alone – one without a second.
(How does contemplation that the world is the Lord alone help and where does it lead to – Shuka answers this)
When the Lord who is present in all the beings (inside and outside) is realized even as the dreamer realizes after waking up that the dream world was nothing but the dreamer alone (each object in the dream world was the dreamer alone), at that time the treasure of eternal bliss and immortality is realized --- if a person doesn’t realize this, then he leads to the downfall of the Atman and thereby he enters into sorrow and suffering.
Explanation
With the description of the cosmic form of the Lord, the first adhyaaya of the 2nd skanda ends.
Shuka in this part elaborates on each and every object in the world and says that these are the parts of the Lord. The world which we see has a cause or creator from which it has come. This creator is what we call as God or Lord and which Upanishads proclaim as Brahman. As Srimad Bhagavatham itself explained previously, Brahman and God is one and the same thing only. God is thus the creator of the world. The world has thus been born out of the Lord.
After birth, the world requires a place where it has to stay, it requires a substratum, and it requires a support. This support is the Lord alone. This is very well known by experience that everything happens not by the will of the individual but by the grace and wish of the Lord (who considers the various actions done by the individual and impartially gives effects for the particular action – if a person does good actions, he reaps good benefits – if a person does bad actions, he reaps bad benefits because of the bad actions – thus we know that if a person smokes, he reaps the bad effect of health trouble, shorter life, cancer etc. – but if a person does the good action of remembering the Lord at all times and singing his praises, he reaps the good benefit of getting success in all undertakings).
Therefore, the Lord is the support of the world. The world resides or abides in the Lord. Without the Lord, there is no world at all. The world ceases to exist if the Lord is not present. Hence, the world is supported by the Lord who is the substratum of the world.
When the world is destroyed, the world merges into its source of Lord who is the creator of the world. We all experience the temporary destruction of the world in deep sleep (where we don’t see any dream but are sleeping). In that state of deep sleep, the world ceases to exist but still the “I” exists as we say after waking up that “I slept well, I did not know anything”. This happiness in that state of deep sleep is permanent throughout the state. That happiness is liked evenly by a beggar and a millionaire, a saint and a householder. This happiness is because during the state of deep sleep, the individual “I” who is limited to the body and the mind merges into the Lord (the creator who is present as the world that we see). Hence, we experience that the destruction of the world will be into the source of the Lord.
Thus, the world is created from the Lord, stays in the Lord and merges unto the Lord. This means that the world cannot be different from the Lord. The pot is created from mud, stays in mud and merges unto mud when it is destroyed. This means that pot is nothing but mud alone with a name of pot and form of a particular shape. Similarly, thus the world is nothing but the Lord alone.
The Lord pervades each and every space and thing in the world. He is all-pervading and hence omniscient.
Even though Lord is all-pervading and hence without any form like space (which is also all-pervasive), it is tough to apprehend such a formless Lord. Therefore various forms have been propounded. One of the form which is found in the scriptures and in Bhagavad Gita is the Vishwaroopa form (cosmic form). This cosmic form describes the Lord as having the body of the world. The various things in the world are parts of the Lord. This is very useful because the moment a person sees the earth, he remembers that this is a part of the Lord. As my hand is not different from the body, similarly the part of the Lord is not different from Lord. Hence through such cosmic form meditation, the seeker is in fact remembering the Lord whenever he sees anything in the world.
This remembrance is what is required for the individual. When the Lord who is blissful and all-pervasive in nature is remembered, the seeker gets the benefit of eternal bliss which is present in the Lord. When the individual thus prays to the Lord as present everywhere, he realizes that the Lord is not sitting somewhere else but he is present in the heart of the seeker itself. Then, the seeker realizes that the Lord whom he was searching is not different from himself – the “I” which is distinct from the body and the mind. “I” am not the body as the body becomes dead but I don’t die, the body vanishes in the dream state but still I remain. Therefore this “I” is pure Consciousness and blissful in nature. When the Lord is contemplated on, the individual removes the ignorance veil which veils his own very nature of Lord and thereby he rejoices in the eternal bliss inherent in the Lord who is his own very nature.
This is the ultimate aim of contemplation of the Lord as present in each and every part of the world. The world that we see has the power of Lord working through it even as the dream world has the dreamer manifesting in various forms.
“I” see a dream. In the dream, I see a world and various objects. Those objects seem to be different from Me at the time of dream. But once I wake up, I realize that there neither was a dream world and the various objects but only I was present. In dream, I was seen as the various objects.
Similarly the world which has come from the Lord is the Lord alone – the Lord alone exists – the dual world that we perceive is not the reality – the reality behind the seemingly appearing differences is the absolute reality of Lord or Consciousness. This is the ultimate reality which alone can confer eternal bliss to the individual. There is no other path than this to permanent and eternal bliss. This is what Shuka emphasizes by telling in the concluding sloka that if a individual doesn’t realize this ultimate reality, he enters into sorrow and sufferings.
If a person imagines the dream world to be real, he will enter into sorrow and suffering based on the experiences in the dream state. But once a person realizes that the dream world was a mere illusion like water seen in desert, he will not get affected by the experiences in the dream state.
Similarly, if a person doesn’t realize that the world that is seen is the Lord and therefore, there is nothing here but the Lord alone, he enters into sorrows and sufferings based on the dual experiences in the world which is also an illusion in the Lord only. We see many people in the world thus suffering and crying like anything. All this is because the ultimate reality of Lord is not known. If something good is happening, it is the grace of the Lord. If something bad happens, it is the wish of the Lord. Everything happens for the good only. The lord who is present everywhere will never do bad to himself (which is our own very nature – everyone is the Lord only). Therefore, a person has to realize that the Lord is present in the heart and remembering him will remove all sorrows and sufferings. Even though there might be problems in life at the empirical level, those will vanish when the thought of Lord is maintained. And the thought of Lord alone will help the seeker in the long run, by making him realize his own very nature of eternal bliss so that all sorrows and sufferings vanish completely.
And in this part, Shuka explains the various parts of the Lord as the various worlds and beings etc. This is only to show that everything is the Lord alone. Thus when a person sees a monitor, he realizes that it is not the monitor that he is seeing but it is the Lord who is manifesting as the monitor. When the person sees the keyboard, he realizes that it is not the keyboard but it is the Lord himself. When thus everything is seen as the Lord, there is nothing to get attached or averted; there is nothing which is sorrowful or happy as all these happen when a person sees duality or differences in various objects.
Thus, everything is seen as the Lord alone – and since Lord is blissful in nature, everything is blissful in nature. Thus, there is only bliss in the eyes of the seeker. When the Lord alone is seen, the world of duality vanishes and thereby vanishes its effects of sorrows and sufferings. Thereby the seeker rejoices in the eternal bliss inherent in the Lord who is his own very nature of Self or Consciousness.
Let us all try to contemplate on the cosmic form of the Lord who is all-pervading and who is present as the world of duality so that we may rejoice in the eternal bliss which is our own very nature.
# posted by vedanta : 9:39 AM
