॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
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Jnana Yoga
Every created thing in this universe is a material product of the Gunas, is subject to sensory perception, and is essentially unreal.
It is better to avoid condemning or praising anything or anyone of this world because doing so simply entangles one in the material world of Prakriti and deprives one of the higher goals of spiritual life.
As long as there is a relationship between the bodily senses, which are comprised of matter, and the Atma, which is the only ultimate reality, one will continue in false perceptions and remain entangled in the cycle of birth and death because of one's absorption in sense gratification. By learning to distinguish between the soul and its opposite, matter, one can destroy this false identification.
There is a single Absolute Truth present at the beginning and end of this world. During its interim, or sustenance phase, the cosmic manifestation is also founded upon the same Absolute Truth. This Absolute, Brahman, exists everywhere, both positively by its manifestations and negatively by its aloofness. Brahman is unique in being self-sufficient, whereas this world is the expansion of Brahman produced through Rajas.
By the mercy of a bona fide spiritual master, one can understand the Absolute Truth and come to appreciate the nonspiritual nature of the material body and its extensions. Desisting from engagement in material sense enjoyment, one then becomes satisfied in the ecstasy of the self. Just as the sun remains untouched by the coming and going of clouds, the discriminating, liberated person remains unaffected by the activities of his senses. Nevertheless, until one becomes perfectly fixed in Bhakti Yoga, pure devotional service to the Supreme Lord, one should carefully avoid contact with material sense objects.
If, during the immature stage of spiritual practice, one suffers physical disease or other disturbances, the Vedas enjoin that one should certainly take proper measures to eradicate the problem. The prescribed remedies for lust and the other enemies of the mind are Bhakti Yoga and Satsang.
Without Bhakti, one may accomplish Siddhis through Yoga, but one will be even more entangled in this world.
श्रीभगवानुवाच
परस्वभावकर्माणि न प्रशंसेन्न गर्हयेत् ।विश्वमेकात्मकं पश्यन् प्रकृत्या पुरुषेण च ॥
T: Bhagavan said: One should neither praise nor criticize the conditioned nature and activities of other persons. Rather, one should see this world as simply the combination of Prakriti and the Purusha, all based on the one Absolute Truth. This appreciation of good and bad is the root of attachments! In reality, even death is an illusion as it does not affect the Atma.
वाचोदितं तदनृतं मनसा ध्यातमेव च ॥
T: Whatever is described in words, whatever is thought about in the mind, belong equally to this world of illusion! The illusion of shadows, echoes and mirages tells us how false one's perceptions can be. This falsity only causes fear of death!
आत्मैव तदिदं विश्वं सृज्यते सृजति प्रभु: ।त्रायते त्राति विश्वात्मा ह्रियते हरतीश्वर: ॥
तस्मान्न ह्यात्मनोऽन्यस्मादन्यो भावो निरूपित: ।निरूपितेऽयं त्रिविधा निर्मूला भातिरात्मनि ।
इदं गुणमयं विद्धि त्रिविधं मायया कृतम् ॥
T: Paramatma creates and sustains this world, and dissolves it finally. He is present everywhere, yet separate from this world of illusion. Thus the Prakriti made up of Gunas has no real independent existence. This is conjured up by Bhagavan by his sweet will as a Leela! One who has properly understood this process does not indulge in or get attached to praise and criticism, wandering freely like the sun in this world. Scriptures and personal reflection can reveal how this world is impermanent and hence illusory.
Uddhava now asked a very pertinent question.
श्रीउद्धव उवाच
नैवात्मनो न देहस्य संसृतिर्द्रष्टृदृश्ययो: ।अनात्मस्वदृशोरीश कस्य स्यादुपलभ्यते ॥
T: Uddhava said: My dear Lord, On the one hand, the Atma or soul is innately endowed with perfect knowledge, and on the other hand, the Deha or material body is not a conscious, living entity. To whom, then, does this experience of material existence pertain? So in this world, who is it that actually undergoes the experience of material life?
श्रीभगवानुवाच
यावद् देहेन्द्रियप्राणैरात्मन: सन्निकर्षणम् ।संसार: फलवांस्तावदपार्थोऽप्यविवेकिन: ॥
T: Bhagavan replied: It is the Jiva! Jiva is the Atma falsely entangled with this body and mind, senses and the Prana, elements and so on. So it is the Jiva who is deluded. It is like a man who dreams and experiences many things which are indeed unreal. This entanglement is a part of Leela, or Kaala, as you wish to interpret. This can be cut only by the sharp sword of personal knowledge. He then realises that the Atma is like pure gold, taking different forms etc., but retaining always its purity of gold-ness. He realises all experiences are superpositions on the mind like the waking dreaming and deep sleep states, but the one unaffected witness is consciousness.
नात्मा वपु: पार्थिवमिन्द्रियाणि देवा ह्यसुर्वायुर्जलम् हुताश: ।
मनोऽन्नमात्रं धिषणा च सत्त्वमहङ्कृति: खं क्षितिरर्थसाम्यम् ॥
T: The material body made of earth is not the true self; nor are the senses, their presiding gods or the air of life; nor is the external air, water or fire or one’s mind. All these are simply matter. Similarly, neither one’s intelligence, material consciousness nor ego, the elements of ether or earth, the objects of sense perception, nor even the primaeval state of material equilibrium can be considered the actual identity of the soul, i.e. Atma. For one who knows this, it no more matters if his senses are controlled or wandering about in the world of objects! He is like the sun shining amidst moving clouds.
Until this realisation is full and permanent, the Jiva suffers. It is like a disease that continues to afflict man until eradicated. But the good news is that the seeker, within the core of his being, keeps making progress and will finally reach the goal of transcendence, in future births. This is also programmed by Bhagavan in his Leela!
एतावानात्मसम्मोहो यद् विकल्पस्तु केवले ।आत्मनृते स्वमात्मानमवलम्बो न यस्य हि ॥
T: Whatever apparent duality is perceived in the self is simply the confusion of the mind. Indeed, such supposed duality has no basis to rest upon apart from one’s own soul misperceived as the Jiva.
Yogic practices like Asana, Pranayama, Dhyana, and Mantra Japa, even sacred herbs, are all aids to get rid of the influence of sense cravings and mind distractions. But the best recourse is Nama Sankirtana – constant chanting of the Bhagavan’s holy names. This has been proven by the great Yogis.
The Yogis who pursue Siddhis and attain longevity and so on are indeed on the wrong path as they allow themselves to get entangled in this world. The true seeker in Bhakti Yoga avoids this trap.
POSTSCRIPT
I am making a departure this time and sharing a beautiful message from my Guru, Sri Ishwar Puri, who explains the process of realising the truth in brief.
I am making a departure this time and sharing a beautiful message from my Guru, Sri Ishwar Puri, who explains the process of realising the truth in brief.
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