Atmeeyam : ( 22/10/2012. )

Vedas introduction continued:- To the Vedanta's, Veda is immortal and eternal.  This statement must necessarily grate against the modern educated view. They shall certainly raise serious objections against such a dictatorial declaration. But when we examine the statement closer, we shall discover that it is not after all such a dictatorial  belief thrust upon the faithful from the Vedanta platform. The word Veda comes from the root "Vid" meaning 'to know.' Thus Veda means 'knowledge.' To say that Veda is eternal is not to claim Indestructibility  to the text-books of the Vedas. The knowledge of the Self ( Atma ) is indestructible. Even this statement is not easily acceptable to many. From  the days of Newton's discovery, we know that there is a measurable quantity of force, called the gravitational force, with which the earth is ever attracting everything unto its own centre..Now, are we not right if we say that gravitational force is 

Vedas:-Introduction- Vedas are the eternal books of knowledge of the Bharatham and they are compiled and edited in the book form in four distinct volumes: the Rg-Veda, the Yajur-Veda, the Sama-Veda and the Atharvana-Veda. Each of these vedas has initself three distinct divisions as the Mantras, the Brahmanas, and the Upanisads. Of these divisions, made according to the themes discussed therein, towards the end of each of the four textbooks are appended the Upanisads. The contents of Vedas- They contain the fiery declarations of realised Truth, made by Great Masters (Rishies), who had tried to capture the Infinite in a web of finite words. These constitute the highest philosophical explanations that the superman have ever made in the world of creatures. These vital and vibrant Truth-declarations, compiled and added to the tail-end of each Veda textbook, are named also Vedanta, meaning "the end of Veda." Both metaphorically and literally it is true, for these repr

Yogah and Kshemah:- Yogah is acquiring when one does not have, and Kshemah is the preservation of it after having  Obtained................................ Acharya Swami Sankara.

Bhagavadgeeta:- To a Vedanta followers, the real Guru is the pure Intellect within. The purified, deeply aspiring mind is the disciple. This is represented for us in the unforgettable scene in our Bhagavadgeeta, where between the two opposing forces, in a chariot, the Absolute  Teacher is preaching the Geeta to the Eternal disciple,  Arjuna.  Today's Arjunas:- When a pure mind gets aghast at the negativity arrayed against  the comparatively smaller forces of positivity, in sheer despair it surrenders itself completely to the pure intellect, the Lord Krishna within. ALL such living Arjunas can even today hear the entire divine song in the inner Kurukshetra of their own bosom. Only we must make an earnest attempt and in faith wait for then critical hour when our minds glide into the voiceless state of true Vairagya---the true Arjuna Sthiti. Guru:- Thus, the most important thing is our own self-effort. In sincere Sadhana purify the equipment and the Guru necessary

Path of Devotion:-( Bhakti Marga)- Bhakti seems to be a later development: It is an achievement of the Puranas. In the Vedic period, we had a generation of mankind more serene, unexcitable, calm and deep. To whom were prescribed the various Upasanas. In fact the Bhakti Marga(Path of Devotion) and the Upasana processes are the same in their technical application. Though Upasana also the Upasaka attempts to gain a temporary escape from his circumscribed identity to the expense of the Universe. There are hundreds of Upasanas prescribed in the Karma chapters of Vedas, one of which is Prana Upasana or the Vital-air-worship. Here the worshiper deeply breath that vitalises  and keeps the entire community of living organisms vibrant with life. The individuals  mind  is thus trained to expand beyond the iron shackles of separate consciousness.     

Misconception:- Ignorance in us have provided today the superstitious belief in us that religion  or spiritual perfection is mostly available only for a few strange individual. Present generation:- Today's generation thinks that they should run away from life into the jungles, and that, in order to gain perfection, it is necessary that they must live 'inhuman'life there amongst strange bed-fellows, facing circumstances unnatural and superhuman! Religion is not an existence divorced from life. It is only a method of quiet searching and deliberate self adjustment, whereby an individual, so cultured and perfected, can come back to the world to face it more  efficiently  and more fully. Any practitioner:- In the four paths so far discussed, we need not be great philosophers or scientists or logicians, nor need we be great psychologists to understand that the attempt in all of them is to gain a greater control over the mind. Any practitioner in any one pat

Temple of Spiritualism:- Religious life starts when one, by intelligently living the experiences of life,  comes to feel the imperfections of one's own worm-existence. Atma-krpa, according to our sastras, is the last gate to the temple of spiritualism. But, unfortunately, "the sick hurry and divided aims" of our materialistic world  give us no mental or intellectual rest to estimate life and come to feel the completeness of it all. From desire to desire we are whipped along to groan down the path of life towards the abysm of death. Earning and spending, acquiring and hoarding, "we lay waste our powers," over seeking  but never finding an unbroken and perfect state of peace  or joy. The more the materialism encroaches upon our divine nature, the more we shall get into the kingdom of the animals, and further away shall we thereby move the bliss of perfection which is the true and rightful heritage of man. Man's eternal nature is Bliss. Bliss alone in his

1.) IGNORANCE, 2.) DESIRE, & 3.) ACTION. :-  If only man is fully aware of his all-perfect omnipotent, omniscient nature! But, he is ignorant of his real spiritual identity and, because of his ignorance, he feels himself imperfect, and the revolt against this sense of imperfection manifests itself as desires in the mental zone. Desires throw open the volcano-peaks of the mind, and they erupt to throw out the scorching lava of thought-currents. Without a desire behind it, no thought can rise. None of you, is thinking now either of a wheel-barrow or the National Flag. But, some of you may be thinking of a fan because in the sweltering heat, you may have the desire to have a fan for yourself ! Without desire, no thoughts can rise up; a thought-current means a desire behind it. And when a desire gets fully established in the mind, in the onward flow of thoughts generated by it, the very desire in self-expression manifests as our actions in the outer world.  THE CURE:- Thu

WHAT IS THE MIND:- Thoughts cannot be the mind because the quality, nature and identity of our thoughts never remain the same although we feel that our mind is ever the same. If thoughts were the mind, it would have changed as often as our thoughts! Nor can the mind  be 'desire'because desire has no existence apart from thoughts. Our Sastras are much more direct. For their crystalline clarity of expression, completeness of exposition, thoroughness  of explanation, no scientific literature in the world has yet come to compete with the perfections gained in these lines by the Hindu sastras in the hands of Rishies. According  to our sastras thought is but a manifestation of the mind, but the mind is a delusive nothing seemingly conspicuous, a delusive some thing created when thoughts flow. This is better understood if we take the example of a river. The river is not water, nor is it water with two banks. A river is there where waters flow; the flowing is the essen

SEARCH:- Next, the seeker comes to enquire how his mind works, how his intellect functions, and from where the joy-element bubbles forth in him. Thus, seeking on, from the gross outer world to subtler and still subtler inner Spirit, he moves  in the world. In Vedanta each of these grosser external coatings is called a 'Sheath' (kosa), and just as the sheath merely encases the sword-blade, here too the Reality within is untouched by the matter covering it Our body forms the grossest encumbrance, the 1. physical Sheath (Annamaya kosa),  and slightly subtler is the  2. Vital Air Sheath (Pranamaya kosa). 3. Subtler still is the Mental Sheath ( Manonmaya kosa). 4. Still more subtle than the mind is the Intellectual Sheath, 5. and subtler still is the Bliss Sheath, the seat of all joy-waves in us.( to be cont--d)

PANCHENDRIYAS (FIVE SENSE-ORGANS ):- A fit student of Vedanta would start his enquiries by asking from where the world had come and where will it go. When once we understand the outer world , our enquiry shall be about our body, the five sense-organs ( Indriyas ). Step by step the seeker slowly comes to the Center within himself from the outer world. To a man born blind there is no 'form'. To a deaf man it would appear that the cannon is only fuming but not roaring. In order to enjoy tastes and smells one needs the tongue and the nose; in their absence his world shall be without any taste or smell. Thus if we take away the five Indriyas there is no world at all for us. The world would appear as an existent nothing! Our conception of the outer world is gained through our Indriyas.

VAIRAGYA:- Cowards cannot progress in spiritual life. Spiritual life is meant for those persons who enjoy good health and have a healthy physical equipment. It is meant for that man who is alert in mind and intellect, and who has a deep 'craving for the soul.' Only such thirsty full blossomed human beings  who have lived life fully can come to 'vairagya'( detachment ).

RELIGION TO WHOM:- Truth is not a Factor thrust upon us. There is no force used at all. It is through logical reasoning and analysis of values of the external world and its conditions that we slowly  get away from the false sense-objects, step by step, and ultimately reach the Real.  Generally, there is a feeling that the Spiritual life of God-seeking is meant for those persons who are physically deformed or or mentally hysterical or intellectually abnormal, or for those persons who in life are ridden with disappointments and disastrous calamities. When we fall in life, we run frantically to Religion. There is a general belief that Religion is an open door for all scum  of society./ This is absurd. Those  who hold such views know not what Religion is. Religion is not for unworthy, unintelligent and abnormal. Religion is for the most level-headed and balanced men-spiritually, psychologically and physically sound men.[to be cont---d]

THE PATH:- The study of Upanishads is called Brahma vidya. It is no easy task to explain the inexplicable. It is only the gross objects that can be expressed and explained in words. In the Upanishads the Masters attempt to show us the Reality  only through the significance of of words. We should not go to the Upanishads with the idea that we shall grasp Brahma vidya with our mind and intellect. Mind and intellect are only two 'shoes'that we may wear, but at the doors of the Mightiest of the Mighty, we will have to keep them away, we shall walk in and reach the portals of God with bare feet. At His doors we leave them and enter in all reverence. Thus, we will have to progress in stages in our study, and hence, if we come here with the boastful attitude of collegian, we may miss the exact import of  Vedanta. We will have to come prepared with the mind and an intellect to work for a higher purpose.[to be cont---d]    

SUMMARY:- ---------------------------------/ It must be clear to you that all three schools of Hindu Philosophy: they are--  ( 1.Advaidam (non-dualism) of Sri Sankaracharya ( Jeevatma is the part of Paramatma and they are one.), 2. Dvaidam ( Dualism ) of Sri Madhavacharya {Jeevatma and Paramatma are separate }, 3. Qualified Monism [Paramatma (Lord)only]  are not compelling and contradicting theories, but that each explains a necessary stage we must pass through in our slow pilgrimage to the Peak of Perfection. It is only intellectual Pundits who quarrel  and seek to establish one or the other declaration and fight over them . In fact, the moment we step on to the path of Spiritual Sadhana we realize that these three are three way-side inns for spiritual pilgrims to rest and proceed ahead. Every pilgrim must first Madhava, from where he proceeds to worship Ramanuja and then alone can reach the portals of Vedanta and recognize himself to be no other than Sri Sankara himself.

PERFECT STUDENT OF VEDANTA:- -----------------------------------------------------------------------/ This student has reached the Master after discovering in his discrimination that nether his body nor his psychological personality can be sufficiently sacred and divine as to satisfy himself. He has come to feel that some power subtler than the mind and intellect is playing hide and seek with in him, and it is really the dynamic life center which vitalise the other coatings of matter that come to envelope and hide it. The Guru endorses the disciple's vague and accidental confusions. The vedanta seer provides the disciple with arguments and convictions and leads him to this seat of life, the Self, that lies within the seeker himself. When the disciple comes to understand fully the depth and significance to the Guru's mystical words and comes vitally and intensely to first hand experience the great grand truth that he is "THAT", he gains perfect knowledge.    

DUALISM  AND  MONISM:- Based on the above concept of the two classes of men, we have in our philosophy two views of life and approaches to Truth: the Dualism of Sri M adhavacaraya and the Qualified Monism of Sri Ramanuja. The former concludes that the Lord and the Devotee would ever remain two distinct entities and the relationship of the Devotee to the Lord is one complete surrender in love and reverence. The Supreme Goal of Man is in reaching His feet and Eternally remaining there ever in His Seva[Service]. The later, however, argues in a different line and arrives at the conclusion that the Devotee is a part of the Whole, the Lord. "MAN IS GOD:- It is only in the daring declarations of a perfect philosophy, the philosophy that discusses the vital and final experience of man in the realms of the spiritual,the Vedanta, that we find an unequivocal emphatic declaration that "Man is God". To a student of Dualism and Qualified Monism this may appear fantastic, f