(Shri Lakshminarayan Aithal has served for over 3 decades in Swami’s institution and is the former Principal of the Sri Sathya Sai Loka Seva Institutions at Muddenahalli. Inspired by Swami’s direct message to study the Upanishads, he first learnt Sanskrit and then studied the direct works of Adi Shankaracharya and Swami. Sincere perseverance led him to the reality of Aham Brahmasmi and He realized and experienced Swami’s words: “I am God and so are you”. He shares the import of the Upanishadic teachings with us in this series of articles.)
(In the last edition, we had discussed about the practice for the seekers of wisdom as advised by the Vedas and Upanishads. We carry forward this discussion to understand this).
REALLY EVERYTHING IS THE SELF ALONE
Meaning: Yasmin- in whom, ashesha-moortau- in Him who is in all forms, idam- this, ashesham- all, jagat- the world, rajjvaam- in a rope, bhujangama-iva- like a serpent, prati-bhaati- is seen, tam-vai- that famous, tamasah- to the darkness, param- beyond, arka-varnam- Him who has the colour of the Sun, poornam- He who is Full, sanaatana-padam- the eternal post, purushottama-aakhyam- He who is called as the Supreme Purusha, praataha- in the morning, namaami- ( I ) salute
This whole universe appears in Him who is in all forms as an imagined serpent appears ( for the ignorant ) on a piece of rope. He is away from the darkness of ignorance, for, He is the Sun of Knowledge; and He is famous as the Eternal-Post ( for the seekers ) ; and His name is the Supreme Purusha. In the morning, I salute Him, the Self...
THE NON-SELF IS ALSO THE SELF
(ASHESHA-MOORTAU)
35.Q: Sir, you have told that except the Principle of the Self , rest is the non-self; and it is not related to the Self. Then, whom does this non-self belong?
A: This also belongs to the Self. This is because; nothing appears apart from the Self.
Q: How does non-self belong and not belong to the Self?
A: We have already told that the non-self doesn’t belong to the Self. But, for the non-deliberating ignorant the whole universe appears only to belong to the Self.
Q: Why does it appear like that?
A: If the Form of the Self is not determined after deliberation, then invariably the world appears.
Q: Why should non-existing non-self should appear for the non-deliberator?
A: It is not that non-existing object appears. For the non-deliberators existing Principle of the Self alone appears as the non-self to the mind. Really, this seen and heard worldly forms belong to the Self alone. Know this.
AN ILLUSTRATION OF SERPENT AND ROPE
(YASMIN-IDAM JAGAT RAJJVAAM BHUJANGAMA IVA PRATIBHAATI)
Q: I haven’t understood clearly what you have told. You have told that the Self doesn’t have any special form. Now, you tell that all forms belong to the Self, itself. Are not these statements contrary?
A: No. It is because referring to the knower’s of the Self, the Self doesn’t have any speciality. Now, we are telling with reference to the ignorant that all forms are seen in the Self. The speciality that seen in the Self should be understood according to the illustration of serpent and rope.
Q: How is that illustration applied here?
A: This is explained thus: A serpent appeared on the rope doesn’t exist anywhere. Still, those who look at the rope in the semi-darkness; it may seem like a serpent, isn’t it? The imagined serpent apart from the rope doesn’t exist elsewhere; therefore, the imaginers consider the rope as the snake, isn’t it? Similarly, it should be understood that the non-self appears in the Self. Really speaking, the non-self doesn’t exist always; and there is no possibility of its existence also. This can be decided by the deliberation of the three states as narrated earlier. Still, those who don’t decide the True Form of the Self, for them, the Self, himself, appears as the non-self. Therefore, the non-self that appears is really the Self; and the non-self-form is the act of ignorance.
THE SELF, UNTAINTED BY IGNORANCE IS THE LIGHT OF AWARENESS
(TAMASAH PARAM- ARKA- VARNAM)
37.Q: Nothing exists apart from the Self, it is taken to be granted that the ignorance born non-self appears in the Self alone. Then, does the Self have ignorance?
A: Yes. Before deliberation the ignorance is found in the Self, himself; and the world too, appears in the Self. But, really speaking, neither ignorance exists in the Self, nor the world appears in Him. As the Self knows the rest of the non-self; similarly, He objectifies the ignorance. Therefore, it is proved that not an iota of the seen ignorance exists in the Self who is the Seer. That is why the Shruti tells: Aaditya-varnam Tamasah parastaat , the Self is in the hue of the sun and He is far away from ignorance ( Sve.3.8 )
Q: Sir, have you not told that the Self doesn’t have any colour in Him? Now, you tell that this Self has the colour of the sun. How do these sentences tally with each other?
A: The purport of the Shruti is this: As there is no possibility of darkness tainting the Sun, so, there is no possibility of ignorance tainting the Self. The ignorance has other names: Tamas ( darkness ), Avidyaa ( nescience ), Moha ( ignorance ), Bhramaa ( illusion ), etc. This Self, the Sun who has self-illumination, doesn’t have an iota of relation of the darkness of ignorance. This is the purport that the Self is in the hue of the Sun.
Q: Then, there is no chance to the world to appear !
A: With reference to the Self there is no world at all.
Q: Many Self-knowers are existing. They conduct worldly activities as we do. If they don’t see the world, how do they conduct the mundane activities?
A: We have already explained this in the first verse. According to that the answer is as follows: Those who the pure vision of the Self that is beyond the three states, they don’t see the following two aspects anywhere: ( I ) many wise and ignorant conduct the worldly activities; and ( II ) body, organs of sense, mind and objects apart from the Self. Those who have blindness due to cataract of ignorance, only see the above two aspects. Hence, there is no contradiction.
THE SELF IS THE WHOLE, THE ETERNAL THE SUPREME PURUSHA
(POORNAM SANAATANA-PADAM PURUSHOTTAMA-AAKHYAM)
38. Q: When, where, and how does this Principle of the Self exists?
A: This principle of the Self exists everywhere in the same Form. This Principle is called the Supreme Purusha.
Q: Will you please explain this again, in detail?
A: This is Sanaatana, the eternal one ; this Principle exists for ever. This is because, this Self does never have binding of the time. All that are created are bound to the time. But the Self is not a created one ; and the time also does never exist apart from the Self. Therefore, the Self is not time-bound, He is the Eternal One. The Principle of the Self is Poorna, the Whole One. This is because, the Principle of the Self is not limited by any place. A place can be located here or there in the space. But, the Self is the Whole One, who is not limited from places. This Principle is the Supreme Being, because, nothing exists apart from the Self to limit Him.
Q: If He doesn’t have any limitation from any object, why should he have the name Purushottama, the Supreme Being?
A: Please, listen to me. Whatever thing that is seen in the wakeful or in the dream states is called Kshara, the perishable; this is because, it has to be destroyed. But whichever object is destroyed; its seed remains to continue. People believe that seed exists even in the deep-sleep ( Sushupti ) and in the dissolution ( Pralayla ), really speaking, as we have shown earlier, it is reasonable to say that no non-self-object exists in the deep-sleep. Still, the people imagine that this world should be in the seed-form in the deep-sleep and in the dissolution; otherwise, there is no reason that this world appears in the wakeful state and in the period of its existence. This imagined seed of transmigratory-life will not be destroyed till the right Knowledge of the Self is dawned. This is because, falsely imagined imagination of an object will be lost only after the right knowledge of the object is had. Thus the imagined-indestructible seed of the transmigratory-life is called Akshara , the imperishable one. But the Form of the Self is neither perishable nor imperishable; hence, the Shrutis and Smritis call the Self as Purushottama, the Supreme Being . ( Cha. 12.3, Bhag. 15-8 )
Q: Sir, you have told that the Self doesn’t have any limitation from place, time and objects. But the rest of the objects seem to be bound by these three concepts. Each object remains up to either to a place, or time, or another object. While, in the midst of all such objects, how does the Self alone have no bindings?
A: Place, time and objects belong to the domain of the non-self. And, we have shown that the non-self is mere appearance like the appearance of an imagined snake on the rope ( Q.31). As the imagined snake doesn’t harm the rope; similarly, place, time and objects appear due to ignorance do not harm the Self.
THE SELF ALONE SHOULD BE SALUTED.
(PRAATAR-BHAJAAMI)
39.Q: Therefore what do you want to instruct them who have acquired the knowledge of the Self?
A: What does the knower of the Self do? If people obtain their desired object, they spend their time in the love of that object. Similarly, the knower of the Self, as soon as he gets up in the morning, he remembers and worship that Self alone and he immerses himself in the Self; and spends his time blissfully. None can instruct him either to perform certain activities, or to avoid some other actions. This is because, he has already reached the goal of his life after performing all his duties ( Krita-kritya ). That is why the Shruti tells: Sa Vaa Esha Evam Pashyan….Sa Swaraad Bhavati , He seeing thus, deliberating thus, knowing thus, he attaches to the Self, plays with the Self, enjoys with the Self; and he experiences the Self blissfully and he experiences the kingdom of the Self. Etad-bhuddhwaa , The knower of this Self becomes wise and the performer of all his duties. Thus the Bhagavad-Gita speaks.
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