Srimad Bhagavatham

Srimad Bhagavatham - A Spiritual Insight - Story 22 - Vidura questions Sage Maitreya (the path to realization)

After having explained that the Self is not at all attached or affected by things in the illusory world, Maitreya stated the path to realization as thus:

Sa Vai nivritthi dharmena vaasudeva anukampayaa
Bhagavad bhakthi yogena tirodhatthe shanairiha

A person gets relief from all illusory sorrows and sufferings by contemplation on the ultimate reality of Vaasudeva and through devotion to the ultimate reality of God (the sorrows slowly vanish).

When thus a person contemplates on the ultimate reality of Lord, all sorrows and problems vanish. This is what is the aim of each person in the world. Thus each person who wants to realize his own very nature of Lord and realize the ultimate reality that “I am not affected by anything in the illusory world” should contemplate on the ultimate reality of Lord with devotion and complete surrender.

Explanation

Here Maitreya gives the seeker an easy and direct path to realization of the ultimate reality of Lord knowing which everything becomes known.

What is Nivritti or liberation???
Liberation is complete cessation of sorrow. Each and every person in the world has just the single aim of removal of all obstacles and sorrows & to rejoice in the eternal bliss. There is no other goal for any person or being in the world. Everybody is knowingly or unknowingly searching for this goal of eternal bliss and complete cessation of sorrow.

This is what is termed as Moksha or liberation in Vedanta. Liberation is not possible from the external world and its objects because they are temporary and illusions like the dream world. They seem to exist currently and will surely vanish tomorrow as they were not present yesterday also. The body that we see will vanish tomorrow (which we call as death). If this be the case of the temporarily existing objects in the world, how can a seeker get eternal bliss from the temporary objects? Eternal bliss can be got only from the eternal object – that object which is permanent and never ceases to exist. There is only one thing in the world which is eternal. That is termed as God, Self, Atman, Ishwara, Brahman, Consciousness etc. All these are mere synonyms or representations of the ultimate reality which is eternal. There are no many eternal things – but there is only ONE eternal thing which is God or Lord. There is no other eternal thing apart from the Lord. Since the other things which are currently perceived are not real (meaning that they are not permanent and only seem to exist for the time being), they are called illusions which cannot give a person happiness but in turn will give only sorrow (when they cease to exist).

IF a person craves to get happiness from the body, then he will not get it because the body will surely die one day and then he will be sad about it. Also since the body is always changing, there will be times when the body will undergo bad conditions or situations – at those times, the person will be sad as he wants to get happiness from the body but he gets only sorrow from the body.

Then, how is it that I feel myself as suffering from pain in the leg???
This is again a wrong notion due to ignorance of the real nature of “I”. I am Consciousness or Self and not the body which seems to exist now, is not present in the dream and deep sleep state and will die off. But “I” am always present – even while sleeping “I” am there. Hence I cannot be the body – hence I am not the body. The body is only temporary whereas I am permanent. It is “I” who gives light to the body. But due to ignorance about the reality that “I am the Self and not the body” a person identifies himself with the body. This wrong identification is the cause of sorrows and sufferings – all the miseries in the world. This superimposition is to be removed by the right knowledge that “I am not the body but the Self and one with the ultimate reality of Lord”.

Thus, the place where happiness is being searched (in the external world) is wrong. There is no happiness but only sorrow in the external world. This doesn’t mean that one has to renounce and go to a forest and stay there. But it only means that one has to remember the reality that the world cannot give eternal happiness and act accordingly in the world. This is important because all sorrows arise when happiness is sought in the external world and one doesn’t get it.

Thus, happiness is present only in the ultimate reality of Lord. This reality that “I am not different from Lord” is realized through constant contemplation of the ultimate reality and by devotion to the reality.

Mere contemplation of the ultimate reality is of not much use – but what is required is constant remembrance of the reality and total surrender to the reality. Whenever any action is done, one has to offer it to the ultimate reality of Lord and perform it thus without any expectations. This should be followed under all circumstances and not only when one goes to the temple. Here it is important that one has total and unconditional surrender to the Lord. This is what is termed as Bhakthi or devotion in Vedanta. Bhakthi is not mere singing of bhajans or uttering of the Lord’s name or visiting any temples weekly or daily. But bhakthi is constant remembrance of the Lord which includes total and unconditional surrender to the Lord at all times.

When the Lord is remembered at all times, then the sorrows and sufferings slowly vanish as the seeker realizes the futility of the objects & the happiness that is got from the objects. Therefore, he doesn’t crave for any sensual pleasures but is always engaged in remembering the ultimate reality of Lord. Slowly thus his ignorance of the reality that “I am the Lord” is removed and thereby dawns the realization that “I am the Lord – whatever is present is the Lord alone, one without a second”. When thus the devotee sees nothing but the Lord alone (and doesn’t have any difference between himself and the Lord), there remains no hatred or attachment to anything (as there is nothing but Lord alone). Thereby there is no sorrow and happiness – but the devotee always is immersed in the eternal bliss inherent in the Lord. This is what is called liberation or Moksha or Nivritti or complete cessation of sorrow. This is the aim of every being in the world. But very few achieve it as others are ignorant about the place where eternal bliss is present. When it is known that bliss is present in the ultimate reality of Lord, then a learned and discriminative person will not hanker after worldly pleasures which are temporary. Instead he will strive for the higher bliss which is inherent in the Lord who is his own very nature and residing in the heart of all beings.

This is what is the aim of every being and let us all try to contemplate on the Lord and develop total & unconditional surrender to the ultimate reality of Lord—thereby rejoicing in the eternal bliss inherent in the Self.

Srimad Bhagavatham - A Spiritual Insight - Story 22 - Vidura questions Sage Maitreya (contd)

Maitreya explained to Vidura how creation to the world that is perceived came into existence. He also stressed the fact that the world and its objects (including the body, sense objects, the mind, the intellect) all depend on the Lord for their very existence. They cannot even live for a second without the presence and power of the Lord which his acting through them thoroughly.

Hearing this, Vidura got a doubt. He asked Maitreya thus: “How come the Lord who is of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and bliss absolute have any desire to create this world – he is perfect and hence he cannot create anything out of himself (unless desire is there, there will not be any action itself). If it be said that it is his leela or play, it will be highly illogical as the all-pervading and perfect Lord cannot have any desire to perform any leela. Please do answer this question as to how the world came from the Lord who is perfect and one without a second.”

Maitreya answered thus:

The creation is impossible from the ultimate reality of Lord who is perfect and cannot have any desire to create things. But still one perceives the world – this is called Maya – the illusory power of the Lord (which accomplishes the impossible things). The jeeva who finds himself as bonded is not at all in bondage but is the Lord himself. This bondage is illusory and creation of Maya alone. The Anaatma or the insentient objects are seen in the sentient Self or Atma and they seem to affect the Self or jeeva (the sorrows and sufferings) but in reality there is no suffering for the Self as there is nothing apart from the Self. The sorrows and sufferings seen in the Self are like the reflection of moon getting affected by impure water (where it is reflected) and is not affected by the shakes in the water. It is only an illusion and not real – the real moon is never affected – similarly the Self is not at all affected but it is one with the ultimate reality of Lord and hence ever blissful in nature.

Explanation

Here we find Vidura as a real seeker who is raising the most important question in Vedanta – the question which if asked and the answer known, then there remains no sorrows, no sufferings, no problem but only bliss.

The world that we see is not real but only an illusory appearance in the ultimate reality of Lord. Vidura was first told that the Lord is ever blissful and one without a second. Such a Lord can never create anything either out of himself or from anything else. The Lord cannot create things from other than himself as there is nothing other than him. Lord cannot create from himself also as any action is propelled by desire. When a person does the action of “eating”, it is propelled by the desire to work. Similarly any action is propelled by desire (here actions performed with the sense of doership is mentioned – the moment a person renounces the Ego and offers the work to the Lord, then he ceases to be the actor or doer and therefore there is no desire behind such desireless or nishkaama karma). Therefore, if Lord created the world or the world came from the Lord, it means that the Lord has some desires. Any person who has desires is not perfect – this would make the Lord imperfect which is not right as the Lord is perfect or poorna – as he is one without a second & the only thing present (imperfection can come due to limitations in space or time or any other thing but since Lord is one without a second, he doesn’t have any limitations or imperfections).

Therefore, it is impossible or illogical that Lord created the world. Now an answer that can be given for the creation is that it is part of God’s play or leela. This theory is also illogical as play will come only when there is any desire for the same – which again will have the fault of considering God as imperfect. Hence, one can conclude that there has been no creation. But Vidura’s doubt here is that the creation is seen but still it cannot have any existence (as it doesn’t any cause from which it came or was created). Hence, Vidura puts this question to Sage Maitreya.

Maitreya mentions that it is Maya or illusory power of Lord which makes the world as existing. The dream world that one sees exists during dream – nobody can question its existence at that time but still the reality is that there is no dream world at all. Similarly this waking world doesn’t exist at all but still it seems to exist as an illusion. The world is like water seen in desert which doesn’t really exist but is perceived due to ignorance of the reality of desert. When the reality of Lord, one without a second, is not known then the world seems to exist. The moment a person realizes the ultimate reality of Lord as one’s own very nature, the world ceases to exist and whatever exists is only the Lord or Self of the nature of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss absolute.

Then, is there any jeeva or individual Self who is suffering and in bondage??
There is no jeeva or individual Self. Whatever exists is only the Lord – the substratum of the illusion of the world whose seer is the jeeva or Ego or individual Self. When the world itself vanishes, its limited seer of jeeva also vanishes and what remains is only the Lord. This is the ultimate reality that the jeeva who seems to be in bondage and suffering is not suffering at all but is one with the ultimate reality of Lord who is blissful in nature. The bondage and the feeling of bondage is only an illusion caused out of Maya or the illusory power of Lord.

Srimad Bhagavatham gives a beautiful example to show how the Self is not affected by the bondage and sufferings (this example has been stated by Hastaamalaka in Hastaamalakeeya Gita also). The moon gets reflected in water. The water is impure and hence moon seems to be impure. The water shakes and the moon seems to be shaking. But in reality the moon is unaffected by impurity as well as the shakes in the water. Similarly the Self or Lord gets reflected in the intellect and becomes the Ego or jeeva. This jeeva is nothing but Lord alone – only an illusion in the reality of Lord. The intellect is only an illusory product of illusory Maya. The jeeva seems to be affected by the movement or changes in the intellect but the real Self is not at all affected by the movement of the intellect. The Self is one’s own real nature, the jeeva is nothing but the original of Self or Lord only. It seems to be different from Lord when the intellect is present. The moment the illusory intellect vanishes by knowledge and offering all work unto Lord, the jeeva vanishes and one identifies himself as the Lord alone – there remains Lord alone at that time. This is the ultimate reality that there never is any jeeva born or any jeeva that will be born – whatever is really present alone is present (which is the Lord alone).

Now, the question comes as to how can one realize one’s own very nature of Lord and how can one eliminate the illusory intellect???
This is being answered by Maitreya which will be dealt next.

Let us all try to remember the reality that we are not different from Lord but one with the Lord, we are not in bondage but ever liberated and of the nature of eternal bliss.