Experience does not give self knowledge

Experience cannot give knowledge of the self. Per shruti, the self is attributeless, nameless, formless.
Any experience reveals only name, form or attribute of some kind. Hence self knowledge cannot be gained by experience.
In fact shruti negates the very "experiencer" status of the self as mithya.

This being the case, experience has nothing to do with how the self is, hence one needs a different kind of means of knowledge, namely the shruti.

Hence never put the burden of knowing oneself, or judging oneself, on any experience you may have, You are free to have a variety of experience based on your karma,s but that doesnt tell us anything about the self, it has no link to the nature of the changeless self, that is consciousness.

While experience cannot give self knowledge, no experience in itself contradicts self knowledge, in fact every experience proves that the words of the shruti are indeed true. This can be understood by exposure to traditional vedanta, where the guru uses veda as a pramana.

Self, the most intimate, closer than the closest

The self , I, or atman is the most intimate entity. Whatever one does in life, one does for the sake of the self. Hence the effect of ignorance is devastating, since one mistakes oneself, and runs or bases life upon this mistaken notion around oneself.

Thus the urgency of knowing oneself as limitless and self existent assumes not just importance, but a choice less necessity.

If one were to analyse the self using the shruti, which is the valid means of self knowledge, unfolded by a sampradayavid guru, the self is said to be attributeless, pure consciousness, always the subject, i.e. not available as an object, or non object. This self is purnaH or fullness.

The object is the self itself appearing to have attributes. Self itself appearing with name and forms.

By knowing the self as it is, then alone is a person satisfied with oneself, as one is.

The life is a journey towards gaining, assimilating this knowledge, gained from the right means of knowledge and strengthened using logic and experience.

Essence of upanishadic wisdom

Introduction

The Upanishads are the revelatory texts found in the vedas.

The vedas are series of mantras , verses that contain both ritualistic knowledge of means and ends, knowledge of karmas that are not available to direct perception or inference, but importantly also have various mantras and verses, that communicate the nature of reality.

As per the upanisadic knowledge, the reality is non dual, eternal, all pervading, limitless, complete, changeless, and of the nature of awareness or consciousness.

This reality is called “brahman” or “ishvara”, and the individual self, I, is none other than this reality brahman alone.

The upanisad communicates this knowledge , of oneness of the individual self, and the reality that is brahman, in a number of statements, the statements carrying this equation are called as ‘mahavakyas’.

The upanisads have a number of verses containing the mahavakya, and are mostly in the form of a question answer, between a guru and sishya.

A guru is the one who has received and internalized this knowledge of the upanisad, from his guru, in a traditional manner, which means by means of a teaching methodology. The upanisadic verses are not understandable by mere reading, but require teaching. The teaching involves a specific teaching methodology, wherein the teacher makes use of certain tools called as prakriyas which are meant to create the appropriate knowledge and communicate the reality conveyed by the mahavakya ( oneness of individual self and brahman). Hence the guru must be from a traditional parampara or teaching tradition.

A student is one who is interested in spiritual truth, or interested in knowing the reality. There are various levels of readiness for a student to gain this knowledge, a students readiness is called adhikaratvam.

A student maybe a uttama, madhyama or manda adhikari. Highly qualified, medium qualification, low qualification. There are also completely uninterested or unqualified who do not fall under the category of a student.

In order to achieve qualifications, the student has to live a disciplined life guided by values. The student must recognize moksa as a goal, and must understand that this goal is achievable via knowledge gained from guru and upanisad or sastra.

The bhagavad gita, which was taught by lord Krishna to arjuna, in the battlefield of the kurukshetra, is the greatest guide for every spiritual aspirant to gain this qualification, and ultimately this knowledge also.

What is this knowledge?

The upanisad teaches, that all that is here, is one vastu. This vastu is called brahman, or ishvara, or para vastu, parabrahman, paramatma, and so on.

The nature of this vastu is taught. This vastu brahman is :

a.       Limitless

b.      Of the very nature of existence

c.       Of the very nature of consciousness

d.      All pervading

e.      Non dual

f.        Changeless

g.       Attribute less and Formless

The individual self is indeed this brahman. Hence it can be said from standpoint of individual that brahman is :

a.       Non doer

b.      Non receiver of the fruits of actions

c.       Consciousness that happens to be the witness of 3 states of waking dreaming and sleeping

d.      Consciousness that is the truth of the subtle, and gross body as well as the causal body

The same brahman from the standpoint of the entire universe is parameshvara, or bhagavan, or maya devi. From total standpoint same brahman is:

a.       Cause of the universe

b.      Existence pervading all objects

c.       Conscious spark in all living beings

d.      Order that governs the entire universe

e.      Intelligence that puts together a functioning universe

f.        The truth of all names and forms, hence essentially it is every name and form

The difference between individual and universal self is only in terms of the bodies being an individual or universal body.

Per the veda, the names and forms are not intrinsic to brahman, rather superimposed on brahman.

This superimposition is not real, it is merely an appearance, such as the appearance  of a snake on a rope, or pearl in an oyster .

Same way due to ignorance of the true self that is attributeless, and partless whole, names, forms, and material attributes are superimposed on the self.

By understanding that the universal self, is attributeless consciousness, which is none other than self evident atma, I , the ignorance of there being an individual self goes away.

Since there is only the universal , non dual brahman, which is oneself, all names and forms are understood as functional reality, that is a superimposed , and not real, or mithya.

Brahman is the truth or satyam, and names and forms laden universe, is none other than brahman appearing to have these attributes, brahman appearing to be the individual and the total. This appearance is not real, and hence as good as non existent, being false.

The doings of a jivanmukta

The jivanmukta is a non doer, as there isnt a second thing, he is beyond action and inaction.

He is the absolute.

He is shiva the absolute.

He alone is, and besides him there isnt a second entity.

This transcendental entity alone is ishvara, as he alone becomes the controller with regard to the shakti maya.

This trancendental entity does without doing, creates without creating, mantains without mantaining, manifests without manifesting.

So all power, all wealth is non separate from the transendental self.

Experience of a mukta

A mukta is free from all experiences, a mukta us unborn, a mukta undergoes no experiences. A mukta is not related to anything that happens in the temporal world. A mukta is asanga.

What happens in the relative world remains relative, the experiences undergone remain experiential, in thier own lower degree of reality.  Remains untrue.

Mukta is non dual, for him there isnt a second thing.

Difference between mithya and non existent

The logical issues with advaita "seem" to arise, when we say THIS or IDAM jagad , or THIS maya jagad, or this jagad which has as its cause the maya shakti non separate from atma, "Doesnt Exist".

When we say "doesnt exist" or "non existent" its a problem, since on the one had we are pointing it out as "this" or "idam" which purports certain existence, while on the other hand we say "non existent".

Hence when we say in english, we need to translate correctly.

What we say is "mithya" which means, "negatable existence".
That which exists, but is negated, once it is negated, the negator, the one who negates, is also to be taken into consideration.

The negator in vedantic sense, doesnt exist. This is since, there is no operation on will in the case of vedanta. It is only a pramana. When the eye comes in contact with the object of perception, seeing happens.
Same way when the shrota comes in contact with mahavakya, knowledge happens and removes ajnana. When ajnana is removed, then mukti is not an event, rather bandha is negated by jnana.

Same way universe is resolved in its cause, and the cause is taken to be the self, then the mahavakya negates the causal status also, leaving the shrota as such as atma.

Thus it is found that there is no real process of mukti at all for the atma.


Hence swami paramarthananda says that the whole pursuit of moksa is negated.

Anirvachaniyam

That which is not present always, in all 3 periods of time, how can that be sat. As we transact in the waking state, we can see how the waking state is present only transactionally, its constantly changing, and there is not object which stays unchanged in all 3 periods of time. And in fact , when we analyse using the shruti, quite clearly this reality resolves in atma the absolute, existence. So that which can be negated, how can that be sat.

So our transactional reality is mithya only, it cannot be sat, it is not totally non existent also, not asat. Hence it is sat asat, anirvachaniyam.

Shivam Shankaram

Shivam Shankaram,
Shivam Shankaram , Tripura rishvaram
Namami Tadeva, Antara ishvaram
Shivam Shankaram,

Dayananda Rupam,
Dayananda Rupam, Parvati MAtaram
Sada satya sindhu purarishvaram

Vishvayonim prabhum, ardhanarishvaram
Sarva vedanta sambodha sarveshvaram

Shivam shankaram, tripurarishvaram
Namami tadeva, antara ishvaram

Shivam Shankaram

Hare VasudevAtmabodha pradam
PrasAdarpana budhida ishvaram

Dakshinamurti Devam, Shankaram Padmapadam
Asmadacharya vedanta, sampradaya prabhum tvam

Shivam shankaram, tripurarishvaram
Namami tadeva, antara ishvaram

Shivam Shankaram

Talk on Gita in Tamil + English

This is a 40 minute talk I recorded as an introduction to Gitas spiritual lesson, I recorded it in simple tamil + english. So mainly meant for anyone who knows tamil and interested.

My goal is to demistify yoga of gita, that there is nothing out of the world and how gita is relevant and speaks to every individual, if we are willing to simply listen.

Harih OM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=854r3_4h0_Y

Atma satyam

OM

Atma is satyam.

When we say atma, it is  understood through neti , neti.

मनो बुद्ध्यहंकारचित्तानि नाहम् न च श्रोत्र जिह्वे न च घ्राण नेत्रे
न च व्योम भूमिर् न तेजॊ न वायु: चिदानन्द रूप: शिवोऽहम् शिवॊऽहम् ॥

So this neti neti, the one who thinks, the thinker, the one who is aware of thoughts, is awareness.
To be aware is a function, while the functionless awarer is the atma. Oneself.

Oneself is also the same in waking , dreaming, sleeping. Oneself is not subject to birth or death, and is also beyond time and space.

One cannot locate oneself in time and space, hence is called as paramArtha satyam, not available as a separate entity, only as the truth of the awarer. Same truth of the awarer is the truth of all that is here.

Hence atma is satyam. All that is here is mithya.

How can I feel alone?

As the world cowers in fear
And hides its face in utter shame
Over heinous deeds, of greed and lust,
Why should I feel alone?

Why should I feel alone?
As I read Tagore
His call to freedom
He is with me
Why should I feel alone?

As I get inspired by Shankara
The ancient speech of the upanisads
Resounds in my heart
Why should I feel alone?

Am I not with the guru
The remover of darkness
The harbinger of light
The sun of suns

Why should one feel alone?

The impossibility of action

It is not possible for the self to exercise it's will and perform any action at all. Since essentially the self is free from all organs , it has no organs of action, no mind, no intellect, self is just pure awareness consciousness, vast , endless, eternal, and limitless real.

In this vast sky of chit, there isn't amy organ of action, no objects, no people, nothing. There isnt 3 states of waking, dreaming or sleeping, the manifest universe itself is not there, neither is there an unmanifest universe.  There is no seeker, there is nothing sought, only pure satchidanannda. Shivam alone is.

Reverential Attitude towards Material

Our tradition, imbibes a revertential attitude towards material. We look upon, and rightly so in keeping with the upanisadic vision, we look upon material as lakshmi. As brahman.

Material is worshipped and rightly valued in our cultural and traditional lineage.

A book is worshipped as saraswati, coins and cash are values as lakshmi. The home itself is worshipped, and homas are performed for the home. Before starting construction we do bhumi pooja. Then we have a festival called as 'ayudha pooja' in tamilnadu and southern states. We take all the instruments, vehicles etc. and worship them.Clothes and so on, new clothes , before wearing , we keep near Pooja altar, apply some turmeric or kumkum and only then we wear.

Farmers worship the crops, and the harvest. Rivers and water bodies are worshipped. Cows, birds and animals are also worshipped in various ways. There are temples for rats, snakes, and many animals are vAhanAs or vehicles of the lord. Matsya , kurma and varAha are in fact avatAras.

Food is worshipped before eating, we worship food.

Coming further, we do not at all shy away from worshipping the forms of gods and humans. Mother and father are worshipped by children, every person is valued , for their role.

During the marriage ceremony, both the bride and groom are considered as a god and goddess. During sandhya vandanam worship, we invoke the various devatas in our body parts.

We regularly worship the lord, ishvara in various forms. Forms such as shiva, visnu, bhagavathi, shAsta, muruga, ganapathi and so many more are worshipped.

Most famously , we do love to keep a picture of the gurus, our beloved gurus in the pooja room, and worship. When we meet them, we do pAda puja, and worship them.

The sun and the heavenly bodies are equally worshipped. Lord shiva is worshipped as all 5 elements space, air, fire, water, earth.

To all that is here, sthula, sukshma and kArana, matter and energy, known and unknown we say namaH. Time is worshipped, the lord is worshipped as kAla devata.

Both the worshipper and the worshipped is one non dual atman that is brahman.

GAYATRI MAHIMA - 7 POINTS

Prologue: 

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To perform a task well, and with concentration, we need shraddha, or basically should have good value for it.

We have excellent value for eating nice food, so we eat well, we eat with relish, not as a burden, "Oh my god, why am i eating, it is such a burden etc" this problem we dont have with eating, since we enjoy it, as it gives immediate value, immediate joy, immediate relish.

I want to analyse the value provided from chanting the gayatri mantra along these lines. I am listing a few facts about the gayatri mantra.

I am going to base these on swami paramarthanandas lecture on gayatri mantra.

Facts About Gayatri Mantra:
------------------------------------

1. Any mantra will be effective if we chant after remembering these three: rishi, metre, and devata

RISHI 
a. The Gayatri mantra was discovered by Vishwamitra rishi
b. Vishvamitra (viśvā-mitra) is one of the most venerated rishis
c. Author of most of Mandala 3 of the Rigveda
d. In Ramayana, Vishvamitra is the preceptor of Rama and Lakshmana
e. Vishvamitra gives them the knowledge of the Devastras guides them to kill powerful demons like Tataka, Maricha and Subahu
f. He also leads them to the svayamvara of sita mata
METREa. The shortest and most sacred of Vedic meters is the Gayatri metre
b. It consists of three octosyllabic feet (pada, 3x8) with 24 syllables
c. The mantra we chant in sandhya worship is nichrud gayatri, has one syllabel less, therefore 23 syllables
DEVATA
a. Gayatri, Savitri and Saraswati are different aspects of Sandhya Devi
b. ojo’si saho’si balamasi bhraajo’si devanaam dhaama naamasi , is said glorifying gayatri devi, this means
You are indriya shakti, you are manas shakti, and you are sharirah shakti, and the brightness or effulgence you are. You are the also the abode of gods as well as the effulgence of gods. Naamasi, all names are your names only.
c. Vishvamasi visjvaayuhu sarvamasi sarvaayuhu. You are the whole universe. You are the very life and sustaining principle of the whole universe. You are everything in the universe. And you are the sustaining principle of all beings in the universe.
d. abhi bhoo has two meanings. One is sarva vyapakah and another is one who conquers everyone. That is the one who is ever victorious.
e. By glorifying Gayatri we are implying and asking indirectly that SHE must confer us with all these qualities. That you must give me manas shakti, indriya shakti, sharirah shakti, you must give me ayuhu ( long life) and you must also give me victory. You are OM also. All these are praises (glories) of Sandhya Devi.

2. Gayatri is glorified as the essence of the Vedas:what we chant contains the whole Veda.
The pranava has three part: Aa, Oo, um. It has akara is rig veda saram, Ookara is yajur veda sara, and makara is sama veda sara. So is Bhoor which is Rig veda sara, bhuvah Yajur and SuvaH is Sama. Similarly tad svitur varenyam is Rig, bhargo devasya dheemahi is Yajur and dhiyo yo naH prachodayaat is Sama veda saram. So all three – pranava, vyakriti and gayatri – are veda traya saraH. So what we chant contains the whole Veda.
Brahma milked from the three Vedas and brought these three: OM, Vyakriti and Gayatri. Just as honey is taken from many flowers, the ghee is taken from milk, ....in the same way pranava, vyakriti and gayatri are the essence of the Vedas.
Brahmaji thought we may not have the time to chant the whole Vedas and so HE simplified them to Gayatri mantra with these three components. Some complained it was too long and so HE simplified to VyAkriti. Then again some people complained saying “bhoor-bhuvah-suvah” is too long. The lord simplified it to just OM. That’s why we have taken the essence in three parts: pranava, vyAkriti and gayatri. So gayatri mantra is Veda matha or Veda saraH. Therefore chanting of this mantra is equivalent to the chanting the whole Veda.
Even if a person cannot chant the whole of one Veda, he is supposed to know Gayatri mantra to claim he is a Hindu or Vaidika.

3. Minus Gayatri all other study is useless, with Gayatri no other study is required.
There is a story that Brahmaji brought a balancing scale to find out whether the Vedas are greater or Gayatri. All the mantras were kept in one pan and Gayatri in the other, Gayatri was found to be far, far superior. That is the reason that when the brahmachari is initiated in the upanayanam, Gayatri is taught. It is as good as studying the whole Vedas. That’s why Gayatri upadesa is called as Brahma Upadesa.

4. Another greatness of Gayatri is in the Vedas the Gayatri mantra is meditated upon as Brahman itself. It is veda upadesa and it is also para brahma upadesa. Second glory is it is Brahman itself.

5. Gayatri mantra is the best mantra for “Shudha Prapthi” and “Ashudhi Nivrithi”. It is excellent for purification, it is also excellent for removing all the impurities. Therefore it is often prescribed as a prayachita mantra.

6.There is no greater danam that annam and udagam (food and water), there is no greater vrittam than ekadasi vrittam, and what is relevant here is there is no greater mantra than Gayatri. And there is no greater god than mother.

7. Finally Gayatri mantra is also prescribed as a kavacham. A person who chants Gayatri regualarly has an armour of protection with him. Protection against amcharika karma like even black magic. So there is no need for a Gayatri chanter to go looking for other kavachams like Skanda Shasti kavacham or Shiva kavacham or Vishnu kavacham etc. All the other kavachams are required only when Gayatri is not there, if Gayatri is there then no other kavacham is required.

EPILOGUE

Therefore, the next time we chant the gayatri, let us relish the greatness of gayatri, which will automatically create the neccessary shraddha and concentration, whenever we chant gayatri. By understanding its value, we are able to easily relish it without any distractions, or higher priority.

Is it possible to become brahman?

The answer to this question is simple for anyone who is learning for a period of time from a traditional acharya. The answer is an emphatic no, it is never possible to become brahman!

Well, if so, you may ask, then what is all this business, what is everyone trying to achieve if you cannot become brahman, what does aham brahmasmi mean, hasnt the jnani become brahman?

Answer is no person can ever become brahman, since he is already brahman, In fact this brahman, that he is, it Alone is. There is not a second thing at all, and he is already that brahman.

If you are already sachin tendulkar, can you become sachin tendulkar. What does sachin tendulkar need to do, in order to become sachin tendulkar?

Krishna tells karna, hey karna, do you know there is a sixth son for kunti . I can produce the sixth son in front of you. Now karna may wait in expectation. Then krsna says "you are the eldest son of kunti, the jyesta putra". Now karna cannot ask for an experience of kunti putra, neither can he say that he has all of a sudden "become" kunti putra. What he already was, has now been brought to his notice, now has been communicated to him, in so many words by lord krsna himself. So what he was already, he has come to know.

Therefore the pursuit of a vedantin, is not to become brahman, which is not at all possible, rather it is
a. To understand what is brahman
b. To remove the misunderstandings sorrounding the self
c. To understand that brahman is oneself

Once this knowledge takes place, in the absence of obstructions, this knowledge is EVER available in the mind alone, called as sthithaprajna, and in the light of this knowledge, the mind is able to enjoy ones own true nature, the self evident , self shining brahman, shines even more brightly through the jnani upAdhi, the gurus upAdhi.

Needless to say, to gain this knowledge, one has to go to a shrortiya brahmanishta guru, and listen to the shAstras , for a period of time, while simultaneously gaining the adhikAratvam for knowledge.

Tasmai shri gurave namaH.

5 ways of changing attitudes

1. From the one who is always wanting, change to one who is always contributing

2. From the one who complains about situations, change to one who accepts and acts accordingly

3. From the one who is afraid of situations, change to one who can face them and conquer them

4. From the one who finds fault in others, change to one who sees the good in others

5. From the one who is controlled by anger and desire, change to one who is the master of anger and       desire.

16 Statements on Atma

1. Bhagavan is manifest as all that is here, in fact all that is here, is a manifestation of bhagavan.

2. This includes the laws, the natural laws, the various orders and the various beings within the order.

3. An individual jiva , is Given a body mind complex, in keeping with the law or order of karma.

4. Based on the actions performed by a jiva, this jiva aquires a body and is reborn in next janma

5. The other elements are also ishvaras manifestation, lawfully manifesting and performing their duties.

6. The sun, the moon, the heavenly bodies, the earth, and all the creatures of the earth effortlessly follow the natural order, in harmony.

7. The jiva in the body of a  human being is given a free will, which means one can go against the order

8. Performing actions enjoined on the human, the svadharma, he acquires what is known as punya. This leads to conducive situations and higher births , as well as purifies the heart

8. Not performing actions enjoined to him, or else performing other actions, or else going against the order and performing actions that are adharmic, earns papa. This leads to non conducive situations and lower births, which will have to be nullified through appropriate prAyaschita karmas, available in the vedas.

9. The free will can and ultimately will have to be used to achieve non limited goals, since the jiva is in fact searching for the limitlessness.

10. This limitlessness cannot be claimed in terms of the upAdhi, or the body, however can be claimed as ones own nature, since the being is consciousness.

11. The being is consciousness, atma. This atma is the witness of the three states of waking , dreaming and sleeping.

12. This witness consciousness, is not limited by space or time, being the awareness that is aware of space and time.

13. In fact this awareness, or consciousness or atma, is that bhagavan, which is the lord of the universe.

14. This is since the same consciousness , with reference to the universe, is the enlivener, intelligence, as well as the one who provides reality and existence to the universe.

15. The universe is a dependent reality, depending on atma , for existence.

16. Knowing that I am the atma, that is non dual, and which is in fact the universal bhagavan, is indeed declared to be the ultimate freedom by the vedas revealed by bhagavan.

VairAgyam

Vairagyam can be looked upon as knowledge.

Aham , the self is atma that is free from modification, or change, and is complete and full at all times, and in all places.
Atma is consciousness, or self that is not limited by a second entity, neither consists of any parts.

This atma w.r.t anything in the universe is satyam and the universe is non separate from atma.

All forms of ishvara, and ishvara as the srshti karta, and the srshti, are none other than this brahman alone, which is in the form of ishvara.

W.r.t the ishvaratvam, brahman is the abhinna nimitta upAdana kAranam.

This is the teaching of vedanta, based on which, one understands the status as self, atma or brahman.

Being brahman, one is desireless, and has no relation to actions and its results.

Mind is a tool

Mind is a tool, where thoughts take place. Mind is not responsible for thoughts, as thoughts just occur. Mind need not be afraid, need not be on the lookout, need not be always wary of any thought.
Every thought occurs, as the order of isvara. Mind IS ishvara.
Thoughts ARE ishvara. Atma is ishvara. With this understanding one can enjoy and stay as one is.

Mistaken Notions

If you think matter limits consciousness, then you are mistaken.
If you think matter is something independent of consciousness, then you are mistaken.
If you think you are matter, you are certainly mistaken.

Limitless

I such a limitless reservoir of happiness and knowledge, that anything and anyone can borrow from me.

The Householder --- Part 5

In the posts Householder parts 1 through 4, we attempted to understand that our life is a complex tapestry of woven fabric of knowledge, desires, actions and results, that seems to have an intelligent design, and intelligent orderliness.

Right from the natural order, to the personal life, there is a intelligent governing principle, that is common. Thats why we can study the natural order as a scientist, study human psychology as a psychlogist, study relationships as a sociologist, since there are giverning principles, and a universal desire for harmony.

All this is essential for a householder to appreciate while living, one can recognise the fact that as a householder, I am not a isolated phenomenon, but an organic participant, in this symphony orchestra of the organic whole.

Our forefathers, the vedic seers, studied this organic whole, this intelligence and understood and venerated it, or him, or her as ishvara, or bhagavan.

As visnu, who maintains and preserves the universal order of life.
As rudra who constantly resolves, and lets go the old.
As brahma, who constantly recreates.

And they all are not alone, they come with shakti, that shakti we worship in feminine form as lakshmi, durga and saraswathi.

In my first post I had said "A simple activity such as cooking involves so much KNOWLEDGE.Not only does each role and activity of a householder involve so much knowledge, it involves a lot of effort as well. And not to forget behind every effort there is a desire that drives the effort.So the householders life is three pronged living a life of pravartti, or activity, which involves knowledge, desire and effort."

This knowledge desire and effort is alone the 3 shaktis,gnana, icccha, kriya, and devi parameswari is the living order or reality of each of these. Bringing in this awareness of devi parameshvari, in every knowledge, desire and actions of oneself and everything+everyone else, is meditation.

Being aware of all these devatAs, and conduting ones life in awareness of the devata intelligence at play, the intelligent order itself being the devata of worship, one is able to live in appreciation of the divine intelligence that pervades one and all.

I become qualified to seek and undestand my oneness with this divine intelligence, which is what we call as moksa, the goal of every human being , limitless happiness.

All pervading

I am the all pervading, all encompassing , limitless , invisible, reality that is atma. Knowing this fullness, I am not the actor also. We rely on action and its result for happiness, but being all pervasive, how can a limited action in some small body bring about, me, the reservoir of infiniteness, into anything more than how much I already am, already being limitless. Knowing thus, atma is understood to be not related to action and its results, neither dependent on action and its results.Action and its results belong to the body, which is what we say in the kamokarishad japam.

The world of million names and forms

The names and forms are a million many,
Many a words and their varied meanings,
Some are seen, and others not,
Some are known , and others in part.

Functions are many, in forms unseen,
Many a great and powerful acts,
The power to create , the power to destroy,
The power to present, a dreamers dream.

Who wouldve thought, the dreamer is real,
Who wouldve thought, the reality is a dream,
Who wouldve thought, the dreamer is one,
Who wouldve though, the dreamer is dreamt.

I am the one pervading all and sundry,
Not a name without, neither a form,
Am I the heavens, or the sky , if you ask,
What am I not, do you know who YOU are?

Name and Form Cannot have independent existence

Name and form cannot exist independently OFF the vastu that is its the substance of every name and form. Hence there exists no name or form other than the vastu.

When we say space, space does not exist as a second entity , other than consciousness.

Mind - The instrument for self knowledge (Part 2)

Shrutis words are the means for self knowledge, this we came to understand in previous post.

One primary difference between other kinds of knowledge and self knowledge, must also be clearly understood.

This is the mode of operation of the knowledge.

In knowledge of worldly objects, what is involved is usually two things:

a. The vrtii takes place
b. The object of the vrtti is understood by me

For eg: when the organ of sight comes in contact with a ball,
a. the vrtti of the football shape and form etc. takes place in the mind
b. I make the conclusion, this is a football, I now know football.

Both these happen.

But for self knowledge, the second step is NOT REQUIRED.

This is a KEY understanding that is a MUST have to assimilate and understand self knowledge properly.


Why is the second step, concluding that I now know football  NOT REQUIRED?

The reason is simple, since the self is I oneself, it NEED NOT BECOME EVIDENT.

The football NEEDS to come in contact with organ of sight, a second knowledge that I am now the knower of FOOTBALL, HAPPENS.

Same way, when a bad smell occurs in the road, the organ of smell comes in contact with the fumes, and the fume vrtti is formed, then the "I now know this road has bad odour" knowledge happens.

However, in the case of the self, when the the ear and mind come in contact with the words of the shruti, the vrtti that reveals that self IS brahman takes place, however since I already am self evident , the one listening to this knowledge, there is no need for the second step.

That is what self knowledge is called praptasya praptaH, the self that one already is , is understood correctly, by removing the false misconceptions.

Mind - The instrument for self knowledge (Part 1)

Any knowledge has to take place in the mind. The mind is the seat of knowledge, or vrttis that lead to knowledge.

The knowledge of objects uses, instruments or means of knowledge.

The means of knowledge include

a. Pratyaksha
This includes the five sense organs namely
1. Sound
2. Touch
3. Sight
4. Taste
5. Smell

These organs of knowledge bring forth the experiences in the form of vrtti in the mind, that gives knowledge about the property or attribute of a particular object in space and time, as well as space and time itself.

b. Anumana, Arthapathi, Upama, Anupalabdhi are the different types of inferences etc. that produce indirect knowledge

c. Shabda is the words of the shruti, with respect to svarga and so on, as well as knowledge of means and ends that are adrsta.

Now for self knowledge also, the same mind is the seat of knowing, and one requires a means of knowledge, in this case it is shruti pramana, specifically the upanisad portion of the shruti.

Upanisadic words, when taught and the meaning unfolded by a sampradAyik teacher or guru, becomes a pramana for knowing the self as brahman.

The self is indeed revealed as brahman.

I am all pervading

When I own up to my true nature of pure consciousness that is all pervading and devoid of atteibutes, the one who gives presence and consciousness to the organs of action but is itself actionless, the b one who gives presence and consciousness to the organs of knowledge, instruments of knowledge,  but it itself not a pramana, the one who is pure chit and sat, who when looked upon with the Maya upadhi is called as parameeshwara, when I see myself as that, then I am relaxed and happy
Otherwise I am not contended.

This is the truth 

Limitless Subject

How is the subject different from an object.

Object

1. Object is available to the experiencer and is the known thing
2. Object is available in time
3. Object has attributes
4. Object is available in space
5. Object is subject to coming and going
6. Object is subject to change
7. Object grows and declines
8. Object is desirable or undesirable
9. Object is material in nature

Subject

1. Subject is the experiencer or knower
2. Subject is not limited in terms of time
3. Subject is attributeless
4. Subject is space wise not limited
5. Subject is not subject to coming and going
6. Subject is changeless
7. Subject does not grow or decline
8. Subject is neither an object of desire, nor a non desire, whereas, whatever is desired or avoided is for the sake of the subject
9. Subject is of the nature of consciousness, is conscious

I is the subject.

The body mind, as well as all the other objects, together are the objects.

The subject I is brahman.

From this brahman, the universe arose.

Into this brahman the universe retreats and resolves.

With respect to the universe, I is the creator and resolver.

With respect to the individual body mind, I is the witness.

I is mistakenly taken to be as good as body mind, when reflected via ignorance in the mind.

Since universe came from I, objects came from I from unmanifest into manifest.

This unmanifest and manifest is simply a projection.

It projects with I as the basis for existence.

If appears conscious due to I.

Hence body appears conscious.

Things exist.

Space, Time, Air water etc. exist.

Attributes, names, forms and functions exist.

I is existence.

Satyam.

Object is mithya, depends on I for existence.

The object projection alone superimposes, the status of subject to I.

I is free from subject object status.

I is free, moksa.

Limitless atma

Atma is the sakshi, witness of 3 states of waking dreaming and sleeping, on account of reflection on the mind.

Atma is hence of the nature of self shining, self evident consciousness principle.

Atma is homogenous, and has no attributes, no qualities, does not come in varieties of species or internal differences among atma itself, atma is non dually one.

Atma is one without a second.

Atma cannot be described as it is not subject to any attributes.

Atma is self existent.

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When looking at any object say space, space has name, form and function as well as existence.
Space IS.

Space is atma. Atma is not space.

Space is hence mithya, atma being satyam.

Atma and space belong to two different orders of reality hence have no direct relationship.

Space being mithya, is non separate from atma.

Atma being satyam is non dually one.

Space being mithya, and non separate from atma, even from mithya point of view, there is only one atma.

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When looking at any object say time, time has name, form and function as well as existence.
Time IS.

Time is atma. Atma is not time.

Time is hence mithya, atma being satyam.

Atma and time belong to two different orders of reality hence have no direct relationship.

Time being mithya, is non separate from atma.

Atma being satyam is non dually one.

Time being mithya, and non separate from atma, even from mithya point of view, there is only one atma.
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When looking at any object say air  , air has name, form and function as well as existence.
Time IS.

Air is atma. Atma is not time.

Air is hence mithya, atma being satyam.

Atma and time belong to two different orders of reality hence have no direct relationship.

Time being mithya, is non separate from atma.

Atma being satyam is non dually one.

Time being mithya, and non separate from atma, even from mithya point of view, there is only one atma.
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When looking at any object say fire , fire has name, form and function as well as existence.
Time IS.

Fire is atma. Atma is not time.

Fire is hence mithya, atma being satyam.

Atma and time belong to two different orders of reality hence have no direct relationship.

Time being mithya, is non separate from atma.

Atma being satyam is non dually one.

Time being mithya, and non separate from atma, even from mithya point of view, there is only one atma.
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When looking at any object say water , water has name, form and function as well as existence.
Time IS.

Water is atma. Atma is not time.

Water is hence mithya, atma being satyam.

Atma and time belong to two different orders of reality hence have no direct relationship.

Time being mithya, is non separate from atma.

Atma being satyam is non dually one.

Time being mithya, and non separate from atma, even from mithya point of view, there is only one atma.
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Atma is self evident

Atma is always self evident.

I am is atma.

Atma is self evident, but does not have any attributes, nor is an object of experience.
It is the subject I.

In atma there is no parts, there is no bheda , there is no attributes, there is no division.

Atma is partless whole.

Atma is not available as an object of experience.

Atma is not time wise limited or space wise limited like worldly objects.

The body and mind are objects, atma is the subject.

Atma does not have any of the features of body mind.

This is brahman, not limited, partless and self evident.

Atma is consciousness, it is chit, it is awareness, referring to I, referring to its difference w.r.t all known objects that are inert.

How do we explain then status of brahman w.r.t the experience of body mind?

What is this jagad, etc.?

All that is handled by shAstra as well.

The brahman is presented as the cause, with a shakti or power called maya shakti.

Maya shakti is power to manifest and unmanifest names and forms. Brahman is hence the non different cause both intelligent and material cause.

Hence the object world resolves in brahman the cause.

The subject I, is the subject w.r.t object and by itself is free from being both subject or object.

One is paramartha, another is lower order of reality , mithya, not as true as satyam.

Mithya is negatable, since when Mithya is Satyam IS. When satyam IS, there is nothing else.

Where pot is clay is. Where clay IS, there needs to be nothing but clay.

With clay buddhi all is clay.

with pot buddhi, pot is, and clay buddhi is by default.

The cause

Everything must have a cause, and causation hunting for an 'attributeful' cause leads to an infinite regress.

Causation hunting for a single cause leads us down the atomic route, where again its a play of dimensions and infinite regress.

Even if we look at trigunAtmika mAya, as the cause, and look at the sankya definition, that pradhana which is matter independent of chaitanyam is the cause, that is also not acceptable. Reasons being manifold, as highlighted in upanisad.

What is not available in the means of knowledge has to come from veda, so first of all that matter is independent and it is a cause is not the vedik purport.

Secondly it is even not acceptable to general logic. Since if matter were the cause, then how does subtle matter show consciousness of some form or other? So just matter independently existing cannot be a cause. It cannot have its own existence, even if we say both exist independently, then two say both we need to cognize two things. Anything that is cognized can be counted.  If we count two causes, one is me consciousness and other is anatma, then is anatma satyam or mithya?

If anatma exist independently we have to agree to a definition for independent existence. Now that which is self revealing alone can be self existent. We see that anything in nature in object world is not self existent. Also not self revealing, or self evident, it needs consciousness to reveal it.

To see this exist, consciousness is needed. But even then if we argue that it has its own existence and its just revealed, even then we need to understand that any revealed object is essentially knowledge.

Why? When we look at a tree, isn't it knowledge?
A tree entails knowledge, when tree is revealed to the eyes, some knowledge is also revealed about the tree.Can knowledge exist independently? What is knowledge? Knowledge entails there has to be a knowledgeable being. Can knowledge exist independent of a knowledgable being?

It is against ones general understanding. It is not in general understanding, neither does shruti say so.
Hence is it is not possible.

Now if the matter is indeed knowledge of a knowledgable being, then how about existence of that matter, is its existence independent, obviously not.

Reason being lets look at existence, B cannot exist without A, means B has no existence of its own.
For example the snake cannot exist without rope, which means snakes existence or being is on the rope alone.

We need to understand existence clearly, existence or sat has no gunas and neither is it an object . Existence is the subject, not subject to objectification.

Now the object world takes existence from sat, and has the duality of knower, known , knowledge.

This is the knowledgeable being, who is in the form of knower, known and knowledge all 3.
Brahman itself is pure chit, not subject to being knower, known or knowledge. So brahman that is limitless has to be all 3, all 3 being mithya, there is no other brahman.

Atma Viveka

Upanisad communicates the reality that is brahman, by separating out the maya component and leaving just the essence that is the truth.

This is done by looking at the truth from various angles.

Individual

The individual is looked at in various ways. Here individual refers to the person who says 'I', this person is what we call atma, or self.

This self is commonly identified as
a. Body Mind All the qualities of the body mind are taken to be as good as the self. Therefore the person is forever complex ridden, and looking to improve the body mind, and how he 'feels' about himself or herself.
b. Doer and Enjoyer The self is said to be a doer and enjoyer. Hence the person is attached to karma, and the results of karma.
c. Waker, Dreamer, Sleeper The person identifies himself with the waker dreamer and sleeper. He thinks he is a person with a body mind, who is waking, dreaming and sleeping.

Separating atma from anatma
In order to understand what atma or how atma or self really is some methodologies are adopted.

a. Sharira trayAtitaH

The one who is other than the 3 bodies. 3 bodies includes gross body, subtle body which is mind and the subtle organs of hearing and so on.
Atma is understood as the sAkshi or witness to the 3 bodies. I witness my body changing from young to old, I witness hunger and thirst, I witness my thoughts and so on.

b. AvasthA traya sAkshi

I am witness to the 3 states of waking , dreaming and sleeping.

Here atma is again understood to be a witness, and not the dreamer or waker or sleeper itself.

Witness is what we call as 'chit'

This witness is called as chit, or consciosness. Hence the very same, very well known atma, who I used to think I am as good as this body, vedanta questions this conclusion, and clarifies, that I am not as good as the body, but I am the consciousness principle.

Nature of chit

Vedanta talks a little more about the nature of chit.
a. Chit is self evident, nothing else is needed to make chit evident, it is that in whos presence anything that can ever become evident , becomes evident, but chit itself is that self evident entity
b. Being self evident chit is self existent
c. Chit has no attributes. It is nirgunaH
d. Chit is not limited by space, in fact space is evident to oneself
e. Chit is not limited by time
f.. Any sentient or conscious being reflects chit
g. Chit is the illuminator w.r.t any object that becomes evident, or reflects chit, such as mind reflects chit, and appears to be the 'knower', while objects become evident to chit. However chit itself is like the sun. In presence of suns light things are revealed, however light itself doesnt perform any action to illumine, simply in its presence things are revealed

Ishvara

Second angle in which we look at brahman is as ishvara.
Ishvara is the causal being for this jagad.

Jagad includes all that is here, includes my own body mind also.

Ishvara is the non dual cause.

How? How means, vedanta is the pramAna for this.

Vedanta reveals what is not known to our sense organs and other inferential means of knowledge. It is a revealing instrument, a means of knowledge.

Vedanta says, that this ishvara is a causal being. She is the non dual causal being, with creative potential or power, otherwise known as shakti.
Shakti can be looked at as 'isccha shakti', 'kriya shakti' and 'gnana shakti', the power to desire, to create and to know.
She is also looked at as the one who wields 3 gunas, sattva rajas and tamas.

The upanisad says that this causal being desired and from her arose the different worlds. From her arose the 5 basic elements , which evolved into the numerous lokas and its beings.

Now the question really is what is the nature of this being.

Is she inert , or conscious, or is she a combination of inert and conscious being?

What is her essential nature.

The veda says ishvara is

If her nature is inert, that is not possible since to know the inert being, another conscious being is needed.

Then is ishvara a combination of inert and conscious?

It is, but this combination has to be understood, since there are various types of combinations.

There is a combination where two entities are mixed. This means matter and consciousness are two entities and mix to form ishvara.

Again this is not possible, since if matter were to exist independently, it will not be only revealed to exist in presence of consciousness.

Also even if we assume it to exist, then ishvara becomes limited,then which one is ishvara? is ishvara matter or is it conciousness.

Brahma sutras in detail quash this logic that matter and consciousness are separate entities.

Hence the only valid combination is that of satyam mithya.

This means consciousness is satyam and matter is mithya.

Like a clay pot. Clay is satyam and pot is mithya.

Same way ishvaras 3 gunas of sattva rajas and tamas are her maya component, qualifying to be called as mithya, while her essential nature is consciouness which is satyam.

Therefore ishvara is called as satyam. The cause. Tat.

Tat Tvam Asi

The ishvara and jiva are equated. How can they be equal. They cannot be equal if we look at their attributes. One is limited attributes of body mind, other is limitlessly endlessly splendourous attribute of entire universe including the body mind.
However if you look at the essential being, it is none other than consciousness or chit, which is the cause satyam. Sat.

Chit and Sat are one and the same. This is the one being, the one atma.

That atma alone is I. I alone is atma or brahman which with gunas appears to be two , ishvara and jiva.

Why ishvara cannot be hidden?

What we say in vedanta is universe is of names and forms and behind names and forms is the reality.
Here it assumes that the thing with name and form whatever it may be is at first , we already know it.

Honestly we dont know anything. When we say any word, we only say the word, and know its meaning, but what is it? Do we have a word for what it is?

For eg: When we say tree, we know the tree form and trees function, but what is tree, then we get another word wood, what is wood we get another word cellulose, we keep on going into further names and forms, maybe atoms, then even smaller we say protons, even smaller then bosons, then we are simply limited by how much we can measure smallness.

Hence we never ever really know what the tree IS.

We have a word for anythings form, and its name and its meaning, which indicates its function, but do we have a means of knowledge for the very thing itself.

We DO have some vedantic words, such as truth. Or existence. Of course tree exists. Lets look at the same sentence differently, can we say existence has treeness.  ;)

We also have another vedantic word, jnanam, the truth of a known thing or of the knower.
A tree is a known thing. A flower is a known thing. But when we say tree or flower, we arent talking about the thing itself, rather we are talking about name and form of the thing.

Mere presence, itself, the universe itself, the thing itself, the reality itself, that which IS itself, for that which IS itself, we dont seem to have a word, but shAstra gives a word. Shastra calls it brahman, the non dual, that which is all, that which has various names and forms saguna brahman or ishvara.

But that which has a name and form is itself free from all names and forms, such as a clay is free of potness or mugness or jugness. hence truly speaking it is nirguna brahman.

Same way as that which IS, is free,That which I am is free.After I am also is a name and form and function w.r.t body mind.

I am free from all names and forms, from my own body mind.

In fact I am the truth of all things, that are called with a name and a form or just a name and a function. I am brahman which is ishvara.

It appears to be hidden, only due to ignorance, only ignorance can hide ishvara. What is here is ishvara, then how it can be hidden, only way is for someone to say I dont know what it is.

 That I dont know alone can hide it as though. I dont know makes the person say, It is, but what is it?
The knowledge reveals that the It and the searcher are one and the same

The seeker is what is sought.

5 features of bhakti

Blind thoughtless, emotional frenzy in the name of bhakti.
Therefore bhakti has been nowadays misunderstood as some kind of an emotional frenzy only.

Since this meaning has deviated from the original concept of bhakti found in the scriptures, it is worth knowing the important features of bhakti as visualized in our scriptures.

5 such important features of Bhakti --

1. Reverential appreciation of ishvara or bhagavan, as the cosmic intelligence behind the universe, because of which there is order, harmony and natural functioning of the entire universe of things and being.

Vedas our original scripture define this cosmic intelligence beautifully as the eternal, all pervading and the inherent intelligence, or consciousness principle. Since it is eternal all pervading, there is no specific form for ishvara. Which means ishvara should not be mistaken as a person, residing somewhere , with limbs like a human being. Such a specific form is not there for ishvara. Veda defines ishvara in several places and in mundaka upanishad , definition is given.

Bhagavan is the cosmic intelligence, for whom there are no limbs like eyes and ears, hands legs etc. Therefore reverential appreciation of this intelligence not in one place, but as inherent in the entire universe, is the first feature of bhakti.
And even though bhagavan in his original nature is formless, but for meditation, scriptures themselves give provisional form, for the sake of worship, but we should remember they are only provisional and temporary forms, to appreciate the formless one. Getting stuck and emotionally lost in any particular form, this kind of obsessive bhakti is considered an obstacle to transcending a form.
But later bhagavan should not be appreciated in one place, but must be recognized as the invisible intelligence pervading everywhere.

2. Reverential appreciation of the very universe itself, The universe must be the physical body of the lord, just as I am the conscious principle inherent in the entire body, bhagavan is the conscious principle inherent in the entire universe. Therefore appreciating the universe as vishvarupa ishvara. Not confining him to an idol, a photo or as a particular picture. And this reverential appreciation of the world is very very important. Because as even our appreciation of the whole universe consisting of good and bad, when I learn to reverentially appreciate my attachment and aversion will get diluted. Vishvarupa bhakti is the most important attitude which will help us reduce our attachment and aversion, which is more important for emotional balance . Neither attachement nor hatred, only attitude I have is reverential appreciation.
If the universe is called shiva, and visnu what is the difference?
Therefore the one who has called real bhakti, will not differentiate different forms. There is no question of comparison. Whichever compares deities, I will go to visnu and not shiva, strongly criticizes.

3. Reverential appreciation of ishvara as the source of the vedas, our primary scriptures.

Brhdaranyaka upanisad says. all the vedas, are like the breathing come out of the lord, bhagavan along with this creation has given out the scriptures also, this appreciation is very very important for a bhakta. Without scriptures we have no way of knowing god himself. All our instruments of knowledge are not able to come across or discover ishvara, indicating that bhagavan is not accesible using human instruments, if I have to know bhagavan only source is the scriptures, because god has given the scriptures to know bhagavan. In the absence of scriptures there is no possibility to know god. Therefore bhagavan is the source of the scriptures. Thats why we chanted dakshinamurit stotram. For a bhakta third feature is reverential appreciation of bhagavan as the source of scriptures.

4. Reverential appreciation of the scriptures themselves as a gift from the lord, which is very very important for a bhakta as a guidemap for his life. A bhakta is one, who uses bhagavans scriptures a guide map for his life. I should have full faith and trust in the validity of scriptures and that is why for developing the reverence, daily they had brahmayagna, means worship of the scriptures themself, a bhakta should not confine to worship of bhagavan only, but he should worship scriptures themself as a gift from the lord, as the GPS. In lives journey bhagavan has given Gods positioning system, I will use scriptures as my guide. Brahma yagna means veda yagna.

Nowadays the importance of scriptures is coming down, traditional bhakti includes worship of scriptures and using the scriptures a guide map.

5. Most important features is, if I have to use scriptures as a guidemap, I will have to study the scriptures systematically, so that I can follow the lifestyle and code of conduct given by bhagavan, prescribing the lifestyle and code of conduct, I can be called a bhakta , worth the name, otherwise it becomes a mere Vesham for sometime, to get into an emotional frenzy, bhagavan himself says.

I have instructed all the bhaktas to follow a particular lifestyle and code of conduct through the scriptures, if a bhakta doesnt follow the scriptures, I look upon him as my very enemy, and even though he claims to be my bhakta, he is only a vesha bhakta, he is neither a vaishnava, nor shaiva, therefore the fifth feature of bhakti is systematic study of the scriptures.
And if I have to study the scriptures we do face a difficulty, because the scriptural literature is very vast. Later many secondary scriptures have come, they are called smriti granthas. We dont have time to study the whole thing, therefore in bhagavan in krsna avatara, condensed all the scriptures, bhagavad gita, bhagavan krsna has given as the condensed version of the scriptures, a bhakta who wants to be a true bhakta will have to study the scriptures and follow the instruction given. Scriptures talk about sat karmani, the appropriate actions of the panchamahayagna, and the right values to be followed, wrong habits to be given up, sat karmani, sat gunaH, helathy attitudes all of them a bhakta has to know and he should attempt to follow. Merely doing nama sankeertanam alone, is not traditional, traditional bhakti involves taking instruction from bhagavan in the scriptures, one who follows these instructions are dear to me. Bhakta must be one who cannot afford to hate anyone.
Hatred must be abolished. Like that every value bhagavan gives, we have to follow them.
Reverential study of the scriptures, not only it will help me become a true bhakta, it will remove several misconceptions regarding bhakta, because people dont study scriptures. When it is not informed bhakti, there will be several misconceptions. One of them is bhakta will never have problems in life. Bhagavan will take away all our papa karma, everything will be fine is a big misconception, the scriptures never make such a promise. The prarabdha karma will have to be experienced by everyone. According to the law of karma I should reap the result of my own action,but keep my bhakti intact, so that I will have confidence and courage, with your grace I will be able to conquer. Karmas are going to come.

And the second widely prevalent misconception is, promoted all over in several bhakti programs, everywhere what they promote is this, that a bhakta can get anything, just by sending application from bhagavan. He is exempt from all efforts. Bhagavan is a slave of bhakta, the moment you send the application, instantaneously all the channels will be full of miracle stories only.
Goals can be accomplished only by following appropriate effort in appropriate direction.
Two types of karmas are available, wordly activities and vaidika karma also. Laukika and vaidika karma we would have to put effort.


Bhakti is not a replacement for karma or hard work. if this is not understood and I keep on praying to bhagavan , and then things dont happen, i think that bhagavan will do some miracle, miracle will not happen regularly, since it regularly happen it is not miracle.

Many bhaktas began to question the efficacy of bhakti, many bhaktas , they question the efficacy of bhakti, they question the fairness of god, and the bhakti becomes so fragile and shaky that many bhaktas question the very existence of god. Mere emotional obsession, without scriptural study will be fragile and shaky. Therefore bhakti must be informed bhakti which means study of scriptures is a must. Effort is required to achieve the goal along with bhakti.

And if I need moksa, If a person wants moksa, a bhakta will need appropraite effort.
And what is the effort, the scriptures talk about, the appropriate effort is knowledge alone, real nature of god, world and myself, the truth behind, that truth tattva gnanena, tattvabodhena moksaH bhavati.

Bhakta must to karma for wordly benefits, and gnanam for moksa.

Without spiritual knowledge you can get moksa under one condition, you have to roll the sky like a carpet, and you should roll from one end to another submit to bhagavan.

How does gnanam come? Onlyby studying scriptures, not by giving an application to bhagavan.

Paramarthika Satyam and Vyavaharika Ishvara

VyAvakahrika Ishvara

It is very important to understand the individual and his relationship with the vyavaharika ishvara.

Individual

I am an individual, and so are many others. When you see a child, you realise the child is an individual in his own right. He is indeed a new arrival into the world, and he is finding and learning about the world through HIS sense organs, every day. He has a certain individuality about himself, and as an individual, he is limited.

As an individual everyone is limited in terms of their capacities, and have limited knowledge, limited power and strength, limited capacities, and try to make the best out of those capacities.

Jagad

The individual jiva, is endowed with mind and a body, mind residing within the body.
This body mind, if you look at it, is a MEDIUM for the jiva to experience the jagad. Hence the jagad INCLUDES the body and the mind of the jiva to. However the difference being , the jiva has a special relationship with the specific body and mind. He is specially connected to the mind, and to its constituents.

Here the model of sukshma sharIra is essential to understand. In the sukshma sharirA, the individual carries the vAsanAs of past in the form of subtle mind, and all the subtle sense organs behind the physical sense organs.

There is also the kArana shariram, which is the cause of the other bodies, karana shariram is total ignorance only.

Now all of the mind and its constituents etc. perform actions as determined by the jiva in the intellect, and these actions have relationship with the external jagad.

DevatAs
There is a cause effect relationship of the jagad with the actions performed by jiva, and this relationship is managed by devatAs, who control the jagad. The devatAs are also conscious beings, who are also originally created by brahma, but are not equivalent to parameshvara, they need not have complete knowledge like parameshvara.

Vyavaharika ishvara or parameshvara

Parameshvara is the cause of everything, including devatas, the individuals and the jagad, he is both the maker and the material. In parameshvara there is no ignorance whatsoever, he is aware even of the ignorance of the jiva, and he also knows what the jiva doesnt know also.

Hence he is sarvajna, all knowing.

Paramarthika satyam

What we discussed so far was vyavaharika, what we observe in our life and what exists.

But vedas discuss also about paramArthika. PAramarthika means that which is More true than vyavaharika.

Per vedas, the jiva, the jagad , the devatAs and parameshvara, are all ONE non dual vastu, which appear to be different due to different upAdhis, or different appearances of name form and function.

The one vastu which is non dual, is nameless, formless, functionless.

However the important teaching is that this vastu is none other than the jivAtma himself.

The jivAtma appears to have the limitations of the 3 sharirams, but simple enquiry reveals that the jivAtma is the conscious knower, who is aware of the 3 sharirams, and is separate from the 3 bodies.

Since he is the knower, he is the non material consciousness principle, and the 3 bodies which are material in nature, gain their existence and appear to be conscious only due to the jivAtma.

This knower jiva also is a knower only w.r.t the mind, through which an object is known.
But by himself, he is pure knowledge or consciousness.

It is indeed the same jivatma, the consciousness, which is also the paramatma, which is the universal consciousness, w.r.t the upAdhi of sarvajna, all knowingness, that is the causal body of the jagad namely mAya.

Therefore if you look at the atman I, it is actually only 1.

The maya or the jagad , it doesnt have any reality of its own, and purely appears to exists only due to the existence lent by the jivatma or rather atma, which is also paramatma, which is the one non dual atma, chaitanya svarupa or brahman.

Hence atma is indeed brahman.

Differences

It is a fact that there is different names and forms.

The fact that there are names and forms, will obviously go alongwith the presence of differences.

Differences can be in terms of attributes, and also in terms of degrees of the same attribute.

For example glow is an attribute.
Shine is a degree of glow.

These differences are what make the jagad, however these differences are all existing, but share a common existence, they exist out of a common edifice, which is the attributeless being.

I am that attributeless being, which gives reality and existence to all the attributeful beings. In me there is no more or less, I am purnatvam.
When we say less glow and compare glow of a candle to a sun or star, we only look at the intensity or density of the attribute, but if you look at the truth of both, you will see the relative moreness or lessness is only in terms of the manifest attribute level differencr, but the truth of both candle light and suns light is light itself , which is fully light and in itself lacks nothing, neither is subject to growth or decline. It is pUrnah.

Parameshvara is an attributeful being, who is the cause of the universe of attributes, he manifests and withdraws the attributeful jagad into himself.

All the jivas are also within this parameshvara, but appear to have birth, death and are subject to laws of  karma.

The talk in this sphere is talk of duality or differences.

But the atman resides at the level of one being, which is the giver of being to both supreme being and the individual beings that take shape in this world, which is upheld by the supreme being.
So atma is pUrnah and this purna atma alone appears as both individual and supreme being.

The individual being itself, in that way can be considered an offshoot or a glory of the supreme being.

The individual being is an imagination of the supreme being, who manifests and pulls back the individual beings and is present as the supreme maintainer of the universe.

How experience along with reasoning will confirm the shAstra pramAna

When I see an object, and in the waker experience, there is

1. The mind as the knower of objects
2. The particular state of the mind which is the thought form
3. The object external to the mind

But if I look at 'I', I is giving existence and consciousness, to the limited mind, which has to know many things.

Now any object, it IS, but we see that through other means of knowledge, we are not able to understand what it is.

Like when we say sky or water, water and sky are name and form. The name and form IS.
But what IS that IS, what is its nature, that we can perhaps say that it  IS existence. But it looks highly likely that the sky has independent existence of its own.

This is false, because sky as we say sky, does not even have homogenous blueness, it is made of composites. Water is made of composites, so we will have to keep going to the atomic smallness to look for existence. But we are assuming many "small" existences combine to form a "big" existence.

This can be easily proven wrong. let us take infintely small existence.
If existence is infinitesimally wrong, adding infintesimally small numbers does not lead to any tangible value. The smallness also is infinite and is not limited only by measurement.

Therefore the fundamental error is to determine that existence can be measured or has a measurable dimension, while at the same time, we can certainly say, that anything that is measured DOES have existence.

Smallness or Bigness of existence- The limits of scientific theory

Let us take any substance say Water. Water is made of composites, so we will have to keep going to the smaller level to look for existence. We go down to a microscope and observe phenomenon that we call as atoms, which we further observe and infer and call them protons , neutrons electrons, then we durther go smaller and see bosons nuetrinos and so on.

But there is a fundamental mathematical issue here.

But we are assuming many "small" existences combine to form a "big" existence.

This can be easily proven wrong. let us take infintely small existence.If we go down the route of breaking existence down to its parts, and assume that existence is a small part, that combines to form a larger whole, then

If existence is infinitesimally wrong, adding infintesimally small numbers does not lead to any tangible value. The smallness also is infinite and is not limited only by measurement.

Therefore the fundamental error is to determine that existence can be measured or has a measurable dimension, while at the same time, we can certainly say, that anything that is measured DOES have existence.