(June 11,2014) Spiritual Message for the Day – Dispel ignorance through Knowledge by Swami Krishnananda

 Dispel ignorance through Knowledge

Divine Life Society Publication: Chapter 7 – Commentary on the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda

The seven stages – namely, ignorance, veil, vikshepa or distraction, indirect knowledge, direct knowledge, freedom from sorrow, and attainment of bliss – these seven stages are the stages through which the jiva has to pass. They are superimposed on the jiva, and there is tadatmya adhyasa – mutual superimposition – between the condition of the jiva and the stages mentioned.

We may not argue that the stages are superimposed on the imperishable Brahman. That would be to argue that clouds are obstructing the sun. Thus, these processes, these seven stages – ignorance onwards until liberation – are conditioning factors of the jiva only and are not to be imagined as being superimposed on Brahman because in that case the whole universe is superimposed on Brahman. 

All these stages, such as the feeling, "I am samsari, I am bound to earthly existence" and "I am liberated, I am free, I am endowed with knowledge, I am now free from sorrow and I am enjoying bliss or happiness" – are subsequent stages of the jiva only. They are subsequent to the preceding stages, namely, ajnana and avarana, ignorance and veiling. They may appear to be superimposed on Brahman, yet they should not be considered as really connected with Brahman in any way whatsoever because the feelings "I am ignorant" and "I am free" cannot arise in Brahman. Even if there is an eclipse of the sun, the sun is not affected by it. The eclipse is only for us who perceive it.

Though nothing can exist here in this world – neither bondage nor freedom can exist without Brahman's existence – yet Brahman is uncontaminated with these processes. They are connected only with the jiva. 

The two types of knowledge, indirect and direct, dispel ignorance  (ajnana) and all the effects of ignorance (avarana), such as the wrong notion that God does not exist or that there is no proof for the existence of God because God is not visible. 

There are two kinds (phases) of ignorance, two phases of ignorance, rather: asattavarana and abhana avarana. Due to the avarana of maya, known as asattavarana, one has no consciousness of even the existence of Brahman. Avarana, or veil, instills the wrong notion into the mind so that one is made to feel it does not exist. The indirect knowledge which is obtained through study as well as instruction from a Guru is capable of destroying that secondary ignorance which makes us feel that God does not exist, Brahman does not exist, etc. 

The other kind (phase) of ignorance is abhana avarana, the veil that covers the consciousness of there being such a thing at all called Brahman. Direct knowledge or actual experience of Brahman dispels the other kind of ignorance which covers the consciousness of Brahman. That is to say, direct knowledge or experience makes one immediately conscious of Brahman as identical with one's own self.

The great problem of life, which is called samsara with all its concomitants like the feeling of agency in action, kartritva, and bhoktritva or enjoyment of fruits of action – all these appurtenances connected with the very existence of people in the world, samsara, all vanish in one minute when abhana avarana, the veil that covers the consciousness in respect of Brahman's existence, is dispelled by direct experience.

The light of Brahman illumines itself through the words of the Guru on the one hand, and manana – the intellectual investigative process – and nididhyasana conducted by the disciple.

Once ignorance has vanished, the happiness that we experience at that time, the bliss of experience, is indescribable, unthinkable, passing understanding.

The direct experience does not negate the indirect knowledge that we have already acquired. The earlier experience of the fact that Brahman exists will become more mature and get fructified in the subsequent experience, "I am verily that." Asti Brahma ("Brahman is") and Aham Brahma ( "I am verily that") – are not two contradictory experiences. The one leads to the other. 

One may feel that indirect knowledge is of not much use because it gives only partial knowledge. This is not true because if we have a partial perception of a pot that is placed in front of us, it does not mean that we are not seeing the pot. The partiality in perception does not negate the reality of the perception. 

Asattavarana and abhana avarana are the two kinds of veil. The asatta aspect, or the non-existence aspect of Brahman, which is a part of the ignorance, is dispelled by indirect knowledge. But the unknowableness of Brahman, which is caused by the other aspect of ignorance – abhana avarana, is dispelled by direct knowledge. Asattavarana and abhana avarana are the two veils which are dispelled respectively by indirect knowledge and direct knowledge.

Excerpts from:

Dispel Ignorance through Knowledege - Chapter 7 – Commentary on the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda

                                                

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(Oct 12,2013) Spiritual Message for the Day –The Seven Stages of Jiva – Ignorance to Liberation

The Seven Stages of Jiva – Ignorance to Liberation

Divine Life Society Publication: Discourse 40 - Commentary on the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda

The seven stages – namely, ignorance, veil, vikshepa or distraction, indirect knowledge, direct knowledge, freedom from sorrow, and attainment of bliss – these seven stages are the stages through which the jiva has to pass. They are superimposed on the jiva, and there is tadatmya adhyasa – mutual superimposition – between the condition of the jiva and the stages mentioned.

These seven stages – ignorance onwards until liberation – are conditioning factors of the jiva only and are not to be imagined as being superimposed on Brahman because in that case the whole universe is superimposed on Brahman. That would be to argue that clouds are obstructing the sun. The clouds are not obstructing the sun at all. They are obstructing our vision of the sun. The clouds are not superimposed on the sun so that the sun may be affected by the clouds. Hence, in spite of the fact that there is a complete darkness, as it were, as sometimes when there are thick monsoon clouds during the day, we cannot say that these clouds have affected the sun in any way whatsoever. The sun may not even be aware of what is happening in the world.

All these stages, such as the feeling, "I am samsari, I am bound to earthly existence" and "I am liberated, I am free, I am endowed with knowledge, I am now free from sorrow and I am enjoying bliss or happiness" – are subsequent stages of the jiva only. They are subsequent to the preceding stages, namely, ajnana and avarana, ignorance and veiling. They may appear to be superimposed on Brahman, yet they should not be considered as really connected with Brahman in any way whatsoever because the feelings "I am ignorant" and "I am free" cannot arise in Brahman. Even if there is an eclipse of the sun, the sun is not affected by it. The eclipse is only for us who perceive it.

Now, these seven stages are like processes. They cannot be considered to be moving as processes on Brahman as the base – though, in a way, we may say Brahman is the substratum for all things. To bring the analogy of the sun and the clouds - the movement of the clouds and the darkening that is caused by the movement of the clouds are all to be attributed only to the sun, of course. Yet nothing is to be attributed to the sun.

In order to consider Brahman as the ultimate source of all things, including the jiva and its seven stages, we have said that Brahman is the source of all; but when we say that Brahman is the source of all, we do not actually mean that it is contaminated by the seven stages. Neither is Brahman bound, nor does it aspire for liberation. It only has a relation with jiva. Inasmuch as ultimately everything has to be based on Brahman, we said everything, including the jiva and its ignorance, are also rooted in Brahman. But this is a theoretical concession. Practically, they are not related.

It is something like saying that the sun is the cause of theft taking place in a house. Because there was sunlight, the thief had free access into someone's house. If it was pitch darkness, midnight, it would have been difficult. The sun has contributed to the theft that took place in the house because without its light, the thief would not have succeeded. Can we say the thief has collaborated with the sun? Can we say that some part of the offense goes to the sun because he gave the light? Such is the argument here when we impose the qualities of jiva, such as the seven stages, on Brahman, though without Brahman the stages cannot be there.

The two types of knowledge, indirect and direct – that is to say, knowledge derived through study of scriptures and knowledge derived from instruction through a Guru, dispel ignorance and all the effects of ignorance, such as the wrong notion that God does not exist or that there is no proof for the existence of God because God is not visible. This kind of erroneous argument based on ignorance also gets dispelled when knowledge dawns in a person in both indirect and direct forms.

There are two kinds of ignorance, two phases of ignorance, rather: asattavarana and abhana avarana. Due to the avarana of maya, known as asattavarana, one has no consciousness of even the existence of Brahman. Even the remote idea of their being such a thing as Brahman cannot arise in the mind due to this avarana called asattavarana. Avarana, or veil, instills the wrong notion into the mind so that one is made to feel it does not exist. The proper instruction received from the Guru will dispel this peculiar secondary ignorance which is the cause of the feeling that God does not exist or Brahman is not there.

The other one is abhana avarana, the veil that covers the consciousness of there being such a thing at all called Brahman. Direct knowledge or actual experience of Brahman dispels the other kind of ignorance which covers the consciousness of Brahman. That is to say, direct knowledge or experience makes one immediately conscious of Brahman as identical with one's own self.

When the entanglement of the jiva in the world and the feeling that one is entangled in samsara vanishes on account of the other feeling that one is now free from all these entanglements, unlimited bliss arises inside because no sorrow can once again inflict the person. Once ignorance has vanished, it cannot come again. Then the happiness that we experience at that time, the bliss of experience, is indescribable, unthinkable, passing understanding.

The ignorance of the jiva is to be dispelled by indirect knowledge derived from scripture, Guru’s instruction, and direct experience.

The light of Brahman illumines itself through the words of the Guru on the one hand, and manana – the intellectual investigative process – and nididhyasana conducted by the disciple.

"God exists. God is inseparable from me." Asti Brahma means Brahman exists. Aham Brahma means I am verily that. After the assertion or the conviction that Brahman is, the other experience has to dawn in the person – namely, "I am that very thing. I am that."

This kind of experience which is for the time being designated as indirect knowledge is not to be shunned as of no utility, because this indirect knowledge itself gradually ripens into direct experience. The direct experience does not negate the indirect knowledge that we have already acquired. It only fructifies in a more mature manner. The earlier experience of the fact that Brahman exists will become more mature and get fructified in the subsequent experience, "I am verily that." Asti Brahma and Aham Brahma –"Brahman is" and "I am verily that" – are not two contradictory experiences. The one leads to the other.

Hence, the existence aspect of Brahman which becomes the content of indirect knowledge should not be considered as ignorance. Many people feel that intellectual knowledge, learning, are absolutely useless. It is not so because there is an organic connection between the lower knowledge and the higher knowledge. All knowledge which is rational, intellectual, scriptural and that which is obtained through the Guru is very useful. It will itself mature into direct experience later on. The lower knowledge becomes higher knowledge by growth in its dimension and in its quality.

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The Seven Stages through which the Jiva has to Pass - Commentary on the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda

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(Oct 5,2013) Spiritual Message for the Day – The Analogy of the Tenth Man

The Analogy of the Tenth Man

Divine Life Society Publication: The Philosophy of the Panchadasi – by Swami Krishnananda

A distinction between direct and indirect knowledge, as well as knowledge and ignorance, in the case of the Atman, is possible, as could be illustrated by the following analogy:

One of the ten persons that crossed a river, while counting the number among them that have safely reached the other bank, lost consciousness of one among them, namely himself, by forgetting himself in directing his attention entirely to the others whom he was counting. This state of not finding the tenth person out of the group, though he is really there, is Ajnana or ignorance of truth. The consequent feeling that the tenth person is not there, and is not seen, is Avarana or the veil that casts itself over one’s consciousness. The subsequent grief, due to the feeling that the tenth person is dead, is Vikshepa or the distraction that arises out of it. The faith that the tenth person is alive, which arises when they are told about the fact by a friend who passes by, is the indirect knowledge obtained through a teacher, that the object of quest is, after all, there. When the tenth man is told that he himself is the one whom he has been searching all the while, the knowledge that arises in him - the indirect knowledge or experience. This leads to the satisfaction that the object sought for has been gained, and all sorrow departs.

The Chidabhasa (the lower ‘I’) is in a similar position. It is the tenth man struggling in ignorance and its effects. It is engrossed in the perception of the world of objects, and as its attention is completely lost in them, it never realizes that there is the eternal Atman, which is itself in truth. This is Ajnana. It further feels that the Atman is not there, and is not seen. This is Avarana. It then feels, again, that it is the doer, enjoyer, and so on. This is Vikshepa. When a competent person instructs it that the Atman exists, it has Paroksha-Jnana, or indirect knowledge. When it is told that it is itself the Atman, and there comes about this realization due to intense meditation, there is Aparoksha-Jnana or direct knowledge. Then the grief-ridden world, with agency, enjoyment, etc., vanishes, and it arrives at the supreme satisfaction that on the realization of the Atman, everything necessary has been done, and obtained. Here the goal of life of the Chidabhasa is reached. (Verses 21-32)

Excerpts from:

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi – by Swami Krishnananda

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(Sep 28,2013) Spiritual Message for the Day – Practical Aspect of Meditation by Swami Sivananda

Practical Aspect of Meditation

Divine Life Society Publication: Meditation by Swami Sivananda

 

This world is full of miseries and sufferings. If you want to get rid of the pains and afflictions of this Samsara, you must practice meditation. Meditation leads to the knowledge of the Self, which brings about Eternal Peace and Supreme Bliss. Meditation prepares you for the integral experience or direct intuitive knowledge. Meditation is the flow of continuous thought of one thing or God or Atman. Meditation is the pathway to divinity. It is the royal road to the kingdom of Brahman. It is a mysterious ladder which reaches from earth to Heaven (Vaikuntha-Kailasa-Brahman), from error to Truth, from darkness to Light, from pain to Bliss, from restlessness to abiding Peace, from ignorance to Knowledge, from mortality to Immortality.

Truth is Brahman. Truth is Atman. You cannot realize the Truth without reflection and meditation. The mode of meditation differs according to the path adopted by the aspirant. A Bhakta practices Saguna Dhyana on the form of his Ishta Devata. A Hatha Yogi meditates on the Chakras and the presiding deities. A Jnana Yogi meditates on his own Self. He practices Ahamgraha Upasana. A Raja Yogi meditates on the special Purusha who is not affected by afflictions and desires.

The mind assumes the form of the object it cognizes. Then only perception is possible. A Bhakta constantly meditates on the form of his tutelary deity or Ishta Devata. The mind always takes the form of the deity. When he is established in his meditation, when he attains the stage of Para Bhakti or supreme devotion, he sees his Ishta Devata only everywhere. The names and forms vanish. A devotee of Lord Krishna sees Lord Krishna only everywhere and experiences the state described in the Gita "Vaasudevah Sarvam iti-Everything is Vaasudeva only." A Jnani or a Vedanti sees his own Self or Atman everywhere. The world of names and forms vanishes from his view. He experiences the utterances of the seers of the Upanishads: "Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma-All indeed is Brahman."

You must have a pure mind if you want to realize the Self. Unless the mind is set free and casts away all desires, cravings, worries, delusion, pride, lust, attachment, likes and dislikes, it cannot enter into the domain of Supreme Peace and unalloyed felicity-the Immortal Abode. A glutton or a sensualist, a dullard or a lazy man, cannot practice meditation. He who has controlled the tongue and other organs, who has an acute acumen, who eats, drinks and sleeps in moderation, who has destroyed selfishness, lust, greed and anger, can practice meditation and attain success in Samadhi.

You cannot enjoy peace of mind and cannot practice meditation if there is Vikshepa in your mind. Vikshepa is tossing of mind. Vikshepa is Rajas. Vikshepa and desires co-exist in the mind. If you really want to destroy Vikshepa, you must destroy all mundane desires and cravings through dispassion and self-surrender to the Lord.

If you apply fire to a green wood, it will not burn; if you apply fire to a piece of dried wood, it will at once catch fire and burn. Even so, those who have not purified their minds, will not be able to start the fire of meditation. They will be sleeping or dreaming-building castles in the air-when they sit for meditation. But those who have removed the impurities in their minds by Japa, service, charity, Pranayama, etc., will enter into deep meditation as soon as they sit for meditation. The pure, ripe mind will at once burn with the fire of meditation.

Mind is compared to a garden. Just as you can cultivate good flowers and fruits in a garden by ploughing and manuring the land, by removing the weeds and thorns and by watering the plants and trees, so also you can cultivate the flower of devotion in the garden of your mind by removing the impurities of the mind, such as lust, anger, greed, delusion, pride, etc., and watering it with divine thoughts. Weeds and thorns grow in the rainy season, disappear in summer, but their seeds remain underneath the ground. As soon as there is a shower, the seeds again germinate and sprout out. Even so, the Vrittis (modifications of the mind) manifest on the surface of the conscious mind, then disappear and assume a subtle seed-state, the form of Samskaras or impressions. The Samskaras again become Vrittis either through internal or external stimulus. When the garden is clean, when there are no weeds and thorns you can get good fruits. So also, when the mind is pure, when the mind is free from lust, anger, etc., you can have the fruit of good, deep meditation. Therefore cleanse the mind of its impurities first. Then the current of meditation will flow by itself.

If you want to keep a garden always clean, you will have to remove not only the weeds and thorns and other small plants but also the seeds that lie underneath the ground which again germinate during rainy season. Even so, you will have to destroy not only the big waves or Vrittis of the mind but also the Samskaras which are the seeds for births and deaths, which generate Vrittis again and again, if you want to enter into Samadhi and attain liberation or perfect freedom.

Without the help of meditation, you cannot attain knowledge of the Self. Without its aid, you cannot grow into the divine state. Without it, you cannot liberate yourself from the trammels of the mind and attain Immortality. If you do not practice meditation, the supreme splendor and fadeless glories of Atman will remain hidden from you. Tear the veils that cover the soul by practicing regular meditation. Rend asunder the five sheaths that screen the Atman by constant meditation and then attain the final beatitude of life.

Excerpts from:

Practical Aspect of Meditation by Swami Sivananda

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The Yoga of Synthesis by Swami Sivananda

The Yoga of Synthesis

Divine Life Society Publication: The Yoga of Synthesis by Swami Sivananda

Some maintain that the practice of Karma Yoga alone is the only means for salvation. Some others hold that devotion to the Lord is the only way to release. Some believe that the path of wisdom is the sole way to attain the final beatitude. There are still others who hold that all the three paths are equally efficacious to bring about perfection and freedom.

Man is a strange, complex mixture of will, feeling and thought. He wills to possess the objects of his desires. He has emotion and so he feels. He has reason and so he thinks and ratiocinates. In some, the emotional element may preponderate, while in some others, the rational element may dominate. Just as will, feeling and thought are not distinct and separate, so also work, devotion and knowledge are not exclusive of one another.

The Yoga of Synthesis is the most suitable and potent form of Sadhana. In the mind there are three defects, viz., Mala or impurity, Vikshepa or tossing and Avarana or veil. The impurity should be removed by the practice of Karma Yoga. The tossing should be removed by worship or Upasana. The veil should be torn down by the practice of Jnana Yoga. Then only is Self-realisation possible. If you want to see your face clearly in a mirror, you must remove the dirt in the mirror, keep it steady and remove the covering also. You can see your face clearly in the bottom of the lake only if the turbidity is removed, if the water that is agitated by the wind is rendered still, and if the moss that is lying on the surface is removed. So too is the case with Self-realisation.

The Yoga of Synthesis alone will bring about integral development. The Yoga of Synthesis alone will develop the head, heart and hand and lead one to perfection. To become harmoniously balanced in all directions is the ideal of religion. This can be achieved by the practice of the Yoga of Synthesis.

To behold the one Universal Self in all beings is Jnana, wisdom; to love this Self is Bhakti, devotion; and to serve this Self is Karma, action. When the Jnana-Yogin attains wisdom, he is endowed with devotion and selfless activity. Karma Yoga is for him a spontaneous expression of his spiritual nature, as he sees the one Self in all. When the devotee attains perfection in devotion, he is possessed of wisdom and activity. For him also, Karma Yoga is a spontaneous expression of his divine nature, as he beholds the one Lord everywhere. The Karma-Yogin attains wisdom and devotion when his actions are wholly selfless. The three paths are in fact one in which the three different temperaments emphasize one or the other of its inseparable constituents. Yoga supplies the method by which the Self can be seen, loved and served.

Excerpts from:

The Yoga of Synthesis by Swami Sivananda

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Obstacles in God-Realization by Swami Sivananda

Obstacles in God-Realization

Divine Life Society Publication: Obstacles in God-Realization by Swami Sivananda

Just as volunteers come in front and obstruct the path of those who want to enter a conference pandal without tickets, so also the old Samskaras of enmity, hatred, lust, jealousy, fear, honor, respect etc. , assume definite forms and obstruct the path of aspirants.

An intelligent and comprehensive understanding of the various obstacles that act as stumbling blocks in the path of God-realization is indispensably requisite for an aspirant. Then alone he will find it easy to conquer them one by one. Just as the sailor sails in and out of a harbor along a dangerous coast, so also a detailed knowledge of these obstacles and the methods to conquer them will act as a guide in steering clear the ocean of spirituality. Hence I have given a very lucid exposition of the various obstacles and the effective methods to conquer them. Aspirants are requested to go through them very carefully often when they encounter difficulties on the path.

Reference

RAJA-YOGA AND YOGA-KUNDALINI UPANISHAD

According to Patanjali Maharshi the following are the obstacles in God-realisation:

Vyadhi-styana-samsaya-pramada-alasya-avirati-bhranti

darsana-alabdha bhumikatva-anavasthitatvani chitta-vikshepaste-antarayah.

Diseases, remission of Sadhana, doubt, carelessness, laziness, worldly-mindedness, illusion, false perception, tossing of mind and inability to remain in the state of Samadhi on account of Vikshepa are the obstacles in the path of God-Realization. (I-30. )

YOU WILL FIND IN THE YOGA-KUNDALINI-UPANISHAD:

"Diseases are generated in one's body through the following causes, viz. , sleeping in the day time, late vigils overnight, excess of sexual intercourse, moving in crowd, the checking of the urine and feces, the evil of unwholesome food and laborious mental operations with Prana. If a Yogin is afraid of such diseases (when attacked by them), he says: 'My diseases have arisen from the practice of Yoga'. Then he will discontinue his practice. This is said to be the first obstacle to Yoga. The second (obstacle) is doubt; the third, carelessness; the fourth, laziness; the fifth, sleep; the sixth, not leaving of objects (of sense); the seventh, erroneous perception; the eighth, sensual objects; the ninth, want of faith; and the tenth, the failure to attain the truth of Yoga. A wise man should abandon these ten obstacles after great deliberation. "

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Obstacles in God-Realization by Swami Sivananda

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(Sep 9,2013) Spiritual Message for the Day – Three-Fold Defect of the Human Mind

Three-Fold Defect of the Human Mind - Mala, Vikshepa, Avarana

Divine Life Society Publication: Introduction to the Upanishads by Swami Krishnananda

Sometimes the mind operates like a prism which deflects rays of light in various forms and in various hues. It is up to each person to consider for one's own self, what the thoughts are, that generally arise in the mind from the morning to the evening. The thoughts which take you wholly in the direction of what you are not, and engaging your psychic attention on things which are not the Self – these things should be considered as a serious infection in the mind itself.

The mind of the human being is usually characterized by three defects called Mala, Vikshepa and Avarana.

Mala means dirt, something like a thick coating over a clean mirror, preventing reflection of light in it. There is some such thing covering the mind of the human being also, on account of which correct knowledge is not reflected in the mind, as a mirror that is covered over with dust will not reflect sunlight. So some step has to be taken in order to see that this dirt of the mind is scrubbed off.

The other defect of the mind is known as Vikshepa, that is fickleness, inability to concentrate on anything for a long time; instability is the basic nature of the mind. It will think twenty things in one minute and will not be able to fix its attention on one thing even for a few seconds. These are the superficial aspects of the defects of the mind.

But there is a deeper defect known as Avarana. It is like a thick veil over the mind, a black curtain, as it were, which prohibits the entry of the rays of light into itself totally. The Atman being pure subjectivity, the impulsion of the mind to move outward in the direction of sense objects, is an anti-Atman activity taking place in the mind, a movement towards the not-Self.

The tendency to move in the direction of what the Atman is not, the impulsion towards externality of objects, is the dirt or Mala as it is called. The impossibility of fixing the mind on anything continuously is the distraction or the Vikshepa. The reason why such an impulse has arisen at all is the Avarana or the veil. These three defects have to be removed gradually by protracted self-discipline coupled with proper instruction.

Usually, you must have heard, there are techniques of yoga practice known as Karma, Bhakti and Jnana; or Karma, Upasana and Jnana.

Dross – physical impurity, is removed by Karma Yoga or performance of unselfish action. The fickleness of the mind is subdued by Upasana or devout worship. And Avanara or the veil is removed by Jnana or wisdom of life. The Bhagavadgita is a standard gospel on the art of Karma Yoga, unselfish spiritual activity. The Epics and the Puranas highlight the path of devotion, Bhakti or Upasana, love of God. Upanishads deal with Jnana or wisdom of the ultimate reality.

By protracted practice of Upasana, by worship, by Japa Sadhana, by Svadhya, by Jnana, and your own notion of God whatever that notion may be, the fickleness of the mind comes down. It will be attentive afterwards. By practising these disciplines, the distraction of the mind is subdued and also the impulse towards sense objects is curbed, you can become a good student of the Upanishadic philosophy.

In the Upanishads, three disciplines are mentioned which are equivalent to what I mentioned to you as Karma, Bhakti and Jnana, namely sacrifice, austerity, and Gurupasakti, approaching a master for teaching.

Sacrifice in ancient Vedic terminology meant, of course, the offering of holy oblations in sacred fire, but sacrifice may also mean offering mentally anything that you would like to dedicate to God. There can be externally performed sacrifice or Yajna, or a mentally conceived Yajna or sacrifice. You can be charitable by a gesture outside, or you can be charitable in your own feeling. A charitable feeling is more important than a charitable gesture.

The first things you can do in your life towards performance of Austerity or Tapas is avoidance of luxury and keep with you only those things which are necessary for you. Also limit your eating, sleeping and comforts of any kind. Austerity is physical, verbal and mental. You have to be restrained not only in your physical appurtenances but also in the words that you speak and the acts that you do.

Any kind of suffering is to be avoided. Over-indulgence also is to be avoided.  Some angels were playing a stringed instrument and they were saying, "Tune not the sitar too high nor too low. If the string of the sitar is tuned too high, it will not give music, it may even snap. If it is too low, it will make a dull humming sound, it will not give music." Neither this extreme nor that extreme is the path of the spirit. Therefore, austerity is also a cautious exercise of one's demeanor in respect of one's own self as well as in respect of others.

So the Upanishad prescribes sacrifice, Yajna, as one method or means of self-discipline, and the other method being austerity, self-control. Self-control is actually taking all necessary steps available for oneself to enable the mind to fix its attention on the root of its own existence, the Self that is behind the mind, the real you that is so valuable to you.

Sacrifice and austerity is followed by the third one, study under a teacher, a competent master who has trodden the path, who knows the pitfalls, who knows the difficulties, who acts like a physician with you. With these methods the dirt of the mind is scrubbed off, the fickleness is brought down, and the veil covering the Atman is lifted gradually, and the light of the sun of the Pure Spirit will shed its radiance automatically from within one's own self; knowledge will arise from within you. This is why it is said when you know yourself, you know everything. Know thyself and be free: Atmanam vidhi.

Excerpts from:

Introduction to the Upanishads by Swami Krishnananda

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What is Maya? by Gurudev Swamiji Sivananda Maharaj

Maya is the illusory inscrutable power of Ishvara. Just as heat is inseparable from fire, so also Maya is inseparable from Ishvara. Maya is Ishvara’s Upadhi. Ishvara has Maya under his control. Maya is neither Sat nor Asat. So Maya is Anirvachaniya. This universe is all a display of Maya. All worldly experience is the effect of Maya. A sage who has realised his Self has transcended Maya.

Maya is Abhinna Sakti of Brahman. Abhinna means inseparable. Maya cannot be separated from Brahman. Just as heat is inseparable from fire, so also Maya is inseparable from Brahman.

You conclude by looking at the effect pot that there should be the cause for this pot. Even so, you will have to conclude by looking at the world that there should be a cause for this world. That cause is Maya, the illusory power of Brahman.

What is beyond explanation, what is incapable of being explained by its very nature is Maya. Maya is Anirvachaniya i.e., indescribable. It is an inscrutable illusory power of Brahman through which this world is projected.

Maya is cunning and deceptive. She is the illusory power of Ishvara. It is the finitising principle that creates finite forms in Infinite Brahman. She has got 2 powers, Avarna Sakti and Vikshepa Sakti. She hides the Truth through Avarana Sakti (veiling power). She projects this universe, creates false names and forms through Vikshepa Sakti (projecting power).

Avarana Sakti conceals the Atman and veils the Jiva. Through the force of this Sakti, he is not able to separate himself from the five sheaths. This Avarana Sakti is divided into Asat Avarana and Abhana Avarana. The former is the cause for the notion that there is no Brahman. People say: “If there is Brahman, will it not shine?” This idea is generated by Abhana Avarana. Asat Avarana is removed by indirect knowledge of Brahman, Paroksha Jnana, obtained through Sravana or hearing of the Srutis. Abhana Avarana is destroyed by direct knowledge of Brahman through meditation (Aparoksha Jnana).

Avyaktam, Maya, Mula-Prakriti, Pradhana (the chief or first), Gunasamya are synonymous terms. Avyaktam is the unmanifested state of Maya. Just as the tree exists in the seed in a subtle state, so also this world exists in a seed state in Avyaktam during Pralaya. Avyaktam and Pradhana are terms of the Sankhya philosophy. Mula Prakriti is a compound of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas like a three-stranded rope of white, red and black colours. In the Gunasamya Avastha or state, the three Gunas are in a state of equilibrium. This is the state of Pralaya or Sushupti. Just as men go everyday into the state of deep sleep, so also the world goes into its Sushupti state during Pralaya. In Pralaya countless Jivas get absorbed in Mula Prakriti with Samskaras like particles of gold that adhere to a ball of wax. The Karmas of the Jivas ripen at the end of Pralaya. Ishvara has to give the fruits of their Karmas. So He again projects this universe by mere willing.

There is excess of pure Sattva in Maya. The reflection of Para Brahman in Maya is Ishvara. Maya is the Upadhi of Ishvara. It is the causal body of Ishvara. Ishvara has the Maya under his control. Ishvara is also called by the names of Avyakrita and Antaryamin. Ishvara is the instrumental cause of the universe (Nimitta Karana). He becomes the material cause by commingling Himself with the Tamas, just as the spider produces the web out of itself. Avidya is impure Sattva. More Rajas is mixed with Sattva. This is the causal body of the Jiva. This is the Anandamaya Kosha. Jiva and Ishvara experience the Sushupti or deep sleep state through this Karana Sarira or causal body. This is the causal evolution.

This world is quite illusory and unreal and Atman alone is real and everlasting. A close study of Nature will induce Vairagya and Viveka and inspiration for realising Atman, the Lord of Nature.

Even if the sun becomes cool and the moon hot, even if the fire burns downwards and ice becomes hot, even if the faecal matter emanates the scent of Otto de Rose, a Jnani never gets astonished. He knows that this is all the fantastic work of Maya.

Unlike Maya, which is subject to change, transforming itself into universe, Brahman never changes. He is quite immutable, great and firm and unborn.

Because you cannot see the fire as it is covered by the ash, you cannot say that there is no fire. Even so, you cannot say that there is no Atman because it is concealed by body, mind, Prana and the senses.

Self-Knowledge by Swami Sivananda

(March 19,2013)“Man’s separation from God” by Swami Krishnananda

Man's Separation from God

from Chapter 2 -“Yoga as a universal science” by Swami Krishnananda

The stages of Yoga, as a practice, are actually in direct correspondence with the stages marked by the descent of the soul from God, which now become, in the reverse direction, the stages of the ascent of the soul to God or the Supreme Reality.

The whole of our experience in this universe is made up of two aspects, namely, Purusha and Prakriti, consciousness and matter, the seer and what is seen. The Adhyatma is the inward perceiving, seeing consciousness; lodged with the individuality of the seer. The Adhibhuta is the universe of objects, or what appears as the material expanse before us.

So, beyond the Adhyatma and the Adhibhuta, there is the Adhidaiva. The one infinite Being or the Adhidaiva appears as the two, namely, Purusha and Prakriti, or the Adhyatma and the Adhibhuta, the subject and the object. But it remains yet as a unity. There is only one God and this superintending Principle is the Adhi Devata, the very, very essential Reality without which no experience can be accounted for.

Now, normally, when a member of a family is away from home, he does not cease to be a human being. He is still the same, though he is not in the family. But, here, we have ceased to be, in quality, the thing that we were originally. Otherwise, we would be thinking like God in our little fractional bodies.

So, on the one hand, there is a total forgetfulness of our relationship to the Whole. This is Avarana. On the other hand, there is what is called Vikshepa or the distractedness of consciousness, which projects itself vehemently outward in space and time, and sees Reality as if it is outside consciousness. This reversal can be described as something similar to the reversal that we see in the reflection of our own body in a mirror. There, our right appears as the left, and our left appears as the right. Similarly, because of the reversal that has taken place on our separation from the Supreme, what is inside appears as being outside. The universe, the world, is not outside us; it is impossible that the nature of things can be external to consciousness.

Any consciousness of one's being separate from what one sees is called the individual sense or Asmita or self-sense. Grossly put, it is what we know as Ahamkara or egoism. The isolation from the Supreme is accompanied simultaneously with the reversal of perception, which means to say, that the universe appears as an outside object; and the universe appears as an object which is material, that is, bereft of consciousness. The truth is that the world is not outside us. This circumstance of the universe being outside us, or our being outside the universe, is a false situation. The desire to possess is a desire to unite. But, because of the reversal that has taken place, this union is not possible. The reflection cannot unite itself with the original, because the two are basically, qualitatively, different.

Yoga tells us that to know a thing, one has to be the thing, and not merely look at the thing. Yoga is not a contact physically with anything. It is a union of being with Being.

We rotate through the three experiences of sleeping, dreaming and waking. These three states are the modified conditions of the individual consciousness. They are capable of a further division into what are usually known as the sheaths, or the Koshas.

This is the descent that has taken place. We have come to the body. We look at the body as a very hard and solid substance. We have come down lower and lower; firstly separating ourselves, then looking outside, then manufacturing the three states of consciousness, then the five sheaths or the Koshas. Down further still, is the urge to connect with the other individuals (social life).

Yoga does not require one to renounce realities, but to transcend lower realities for the purpose of gaining the higher. It is attachment to things that is to be renounced, and not the things as such. But, basically, it is an absence of taste for things, which is called renunciation, and not an absence of the physical proximity of objects. If taste remains, true renunciation has not taken place, even if the objects are left physically far behind. Here, the problem is a problem of consciousness. The whole of Yoga or philosophy is a study of consciousness ultimately.

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Continue to read

“Man’s separation from God” by Swami Krishnananda

“20 Spiritual Instructions” by Swami Sivananda from DLSUSA.blogspot.com

“Freeing ourselves from entanglements” by Swami Krishnananda