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.