By
Shri Lakshminarayan Aithal
(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.)
THE SOULHOOD APPEARS BECAUSE THE SELF IS NOT KNOWN.
Now, let us turn towards the
illustrated Self. We have
the selfhood because
we have not
understood our Real
Form of the
Self. In the
darkness, as the
people misunderstand the rope as
a snake; so
we have not
realized our Auspicious
Form ( Shiva-svaroopa ); and that
is why this
selfhood appears in
Him. Here, there
is a great
deal of similarity
between the illustration
and the illustrated.
For, the one
who considers the
Self as a
living being imagines
that he is
related with the
body, the breath,
the mind, the
intellect and the
ego. As a
short-sighted one, without
knowing the rope,
imagines a hood,
a tail, a
crooked form, etc.
of a serpent
in the rope;
similarly, the ignorant
imagines the relation
of body, etc.
and he entertains
misconceptions in the
manner: “ I
am born, I
grow, I grieve,
I die and
again I am
born” Thus, he
produces the worldly
illusion in himself
and suffers. Really,
there is not
even a little
part of the
serpent in the
rope. Similarly, the
Witnessing Self who
is of the Form of
Awareness doesn’t have a little
taint of selfhood.
After examining well,
the persons get
the knowledge of
the rope and
they get rid
of the fear
of the serpent.
Similarly, the seeker,
by the Awareness
of the Auspicious
Form, gets rid
of all evils
of the life
of transmigration.
(Objection: -) If awareness
of ‘ I am
a living being’
is a delusion,
what authority is
there to show
that the Awareness
of Auspiciousness is
not a delusion?
The awareness of selfhood is falsified by the deliberation. Similarly, is there any possibility to
falsify this Awareness?
(Relief: -) There is no
opportunity to have such a fear.
For, the awareness
of the self
occurs because of
the faith that
the relation of
body, etc. Of the wakeful or dream state is real one. But
the Awareness of
Auspiciousness doesn’t belong
to any state;
and this Awareness
is not time-bound;
and this Awareness
is an Intuitive
Experience of the
Eternally Unchanging One.
Any object that
is time-bound; there
may be a
fear of changing
its own form.
Who can predict
such a change
to the Supreme
Self who is
beyond the time?
BY THE PREACHING
OF VENERABLE PRECEPTOR
THE AUSPICIOUS FORM
IS KNOWN.
Here, a
doubt may be
raised: The Vedantins
declare, “ I am not
a living being”.
They, too, engage in the worldly activities like common people. Then,
what proof is
there to show
that the selfhood
has gone and
the Auspiciousness has
come?
A relief
for this doubt:
We have clearly
told in the
illustration of the
rope and serpent
that the serpent
doesn’t exist in
the rope and
after the dawn
of right knowledge
the serpent has
not really sneaked
away. Similarly, we
have told that
the selfhood is
created due to
delusion, hence, the
self hood doesn’t
really exist; and
the Auspicious Form,
itself, is the
Reality. It being
so, what is
the meaning of the following
statements: the selfhood
goes away and
the Auspiciousness comes
into being? We
are always in
the Form of
Auspiciousness; and this
is the Ultimate
Truth.
No proof
is needed to
show that we
are of the Form of
Auspiciousness. For, our Form is
not hidden. In the
semi-darkness, a person
misunderstands the rope
to be a
snake. Another person
who knows that
rope guides the
frightened one : ‘ that is
the rope, not
a snake’. This guidance drives away the doubt. Even
after obtaining the
guidance, the doubter
has to firmly
determine the rope.
It is not
so in the
case of our
Form of the
Self. Nothing is needed .to show
our Form. The Self,
itself, is in
the Form of
Light of Awareness.
It being so,
if the great
preceptor preaches: ‘ You are
not a body,
etc; you are
the Supreme Form
of Auspiciousness’; by
this preaching alone,
as explained in
the previous verses,
the seeker obtains
the Awareness that
he is the
Witness who sees
directly body, etc.
Many so
called Vedantins utter:
‘ I am not
the body, etc;
I am of
the Form of
Auspiciousness’. They don’t have the experience of the Divinity. They
have merely a
strong faith in
the scriptures and
the tradition. That’s all.
By the grace
of the great
preceptors, those who
really obtain the
Intuitive Experience of
the Self, their
case is different
from the former
Vedantins. The Vedantins
having faith alone
have excessive egoistic
attachment towards worldly
affairs. But, the
experiencers of Divinity,
are least attached
towards the worldly
affairs. They don’t
get sorrow and
delusion unlike other
Vedantins get. Such
wise persons preach
the Principle of
the Self and
their disciples also
are relieved of
sorrow and delusion.
We should not
take the examples
of those who
merely utter the
words of scriptures.
Those who have
practically experienced the
Principle of the
Self have the
ability to show
the Intuitive Experience
to the others
also. Such great persons should
be the examples. Such great are called
trustworthy persons. The words
of a trust-worthy
person who knows
the truth of
the rope become
an authority to
remove the fear
of the serpent.
Similarly, the words
of the great
teacher who knows
the Form of
Reality become an
authority to reveal
our Auspicious Form
and to remove
the fear of
the life of
transmigration.
(Objection: -) Many people
have listened to the
preaching: ‘ You are the
Universal Soul ( Ishvara ),
not a petty
self as you imagine’. Still, they
have the delusion
of the life
of transmigration !
(Answer: -) It amounts to say
that we have already answered.
There is a
rule that the
preacher of the
Reality should have
the Intuitive Experience
of the Divinity.
Similarly, the listeners
of the preaching
should have the
required eligibility. Not
only that, listening
Vedanta doesn’t mean
merely hearing a
few sentences of
the Vedanta. In
the world, in
order to know
the very essence
of any subject,
a student should
deliberate upon that
subject till all
of his doubts
are dispelled and
till he knows
that subject perfectly.
Similarly, in this
case also, the
preaching of the
great teacher should
be heard respectfully
by the wholly
devoted listeners; and
they should necessarily
deliberate well upon
the words of
the teacher in
order to arrive
at the opinion
of the preaching. One should deliberate and
experiment with the lesson that was heard- that alone leads to the final
conclusion.
If one who is
ignorant of the
rope, in spite
of listening to
the wise words
of his friend
is not ready
to look at
the rope; then,
how shall he
get the knowledge
of the rope? He will continue to imagine the rope to
be a snake.
Similarly, listening to the
sentences of Vedanta
and accumulating the
information of worldly
affairs together will
never yield the
fruit of listening.
By mere listening
of the Vedantic
sentences, people may
find its usefulness
in the due
course. But, they
will never obtain
the immediate Perception
of their Self
by mere listening
to the words
of the Teacher.
We are, everyone
of us, of
the Auspicious Form.
This is the
Reality which can
be obtained by
the Knowledge of the Self
alone. In order
to have this
Knowledge, the aspirants
should have the
qualities like: faith,
whole devotedness, sense-control, service
of the Teacher,
the deliberation on
the Reality, etc;
otherwise, they never
obtain the Knowledge.
Therefore, the seekers
of liberation should
be endowed with
the wealth of
these expedients and then,
if they listen to
the preaching of
an excellent teacher;
then, they certainly
obtain the fruitful
Self-Knowledge. There is no
doubt in it.
(to be continued in the next edition of Venugaanam)
