What is spirituality

Once swamini svatmavidananda was asked what is spirituality. I think she gave an exemplary answer that befits a follower of shnkaracharya.
She said, it is a change in vision, wherein what we generally consider as mundane, ordinary and boring, is understood to be ishvara in terms of knowledge. Hence we appreciate our ordinary life, for being the extraordinary grace of the lord.

People world over are seeking and looking for 'spirituality', as something other worldly, external, to be experienced in some meditative state, some special experience etc.
However the indian sage says, whatever you do, going to office, cooking, etc, is karma yoga, an act of devotion to bhagavan and the results are received from bhagavan.

Whatever you encounter in your life situation is karma phala, from bhagavan.

Whatever simple life you lead, is blessed with bhagavans presence in every step of it.

Hence strictly speaking, there is no need to look for something spiritual outside of your daily life. Your daily life, is resplendent with the glamour of ishvara.

Our culture and practices, teach us to consider everything as sacred, and ishvarise our life. Hence we consider all relationships, etc. as filled with love, devotion and a positive sense of sacredness ( sacredness does not mean a fearful devotion, rather a loving devotion).

It teaches us to maintain the dharma of a relationship.

Krishna with kuchelan, taught us how to be a good friend, there is ishvara in friendship.How to be a good father and King was taught to us by Janaka.
How to be a good mother was taught by yashodha. How to be a good warrior by Arjuna. How to be a good brother by bharatha and rama. How to be a good son by shri rama. Seeta mAthA is a great example of a loving wife, responsible mother and a queen.
There are stories where Umadevi or Parvati becomes angry and even shiva could not stop her anger when he cuts ganeshas head in haste.

So this effort to lead a responsible, loving, productive , positive and contributive life is really speaking true spirituality. And we do that by invoking bhagavan in our ordinary life, by recognising his presence in situations, relationship and in life itself.

Why dharma is non negotiable for a vedantin, even from knowledge point of view

For a vedantin the understanding of ‘jagath mithya’ is equated to the understanding that ‘jagat is ishvara’ or isavasyam sarvam idam.

This is really the pinnacle of vedantin, the knowledge that all that is here is ishvara svarupa.
Dharma is ishvara. In the way the individual relates to the world, the individual has to recognize the presence of dharma, therefore actions must confirm with dharma.

Dharma means to act appropriately in a situation. Do do what is to be done, and to avoid what is not to be done. Since in all of waking state, man is either engaged in action or inaction, strictly speaking dharma governs every single moment of ones waking state, one has to either choose to do the right action, or else avoid a particular action. ( this perhaps means no procrastination)

Now unless a vedantin commits oneself to dharma, the gnanam does not stand firm. The reason being, a vedantins actions when not in conformance with dharma, are in opposition to the knowledge itself, which affirms that what is here is ishvara. Adharma is possible only from the point of view of the karta. To the vedantin who has assimilated that akarta is the truth and any actions appear to be so only due to the three gunas , which is ishvara, really speaking, there is no karma. There being no karma, there is no possibility of adharma as well. So what the gnani does, is dharma (from standpoint of agnani, since from the gnanis standpoint there is no karta karma etc. really speaking) , gnani being akarta. That is why we as a civilization have always taken advice on what needs to be done, from great gnanis and mahatmas.
The attempt of a mumukshu is to assimilate the vision of Vedanta, that ‘aham akarta, abhokta’, and till that vision is firmly held one must deliberately avoid adharma through purusharta nishchaya, which is sheer determination and effort. There is no shortcut around it.

Typically calling out , the neo vedanta wherein, this isnt affirmed. the new vedantin person says I am akarta, so doesnt matter what I do. We have heard instances where some guru fools his disciples / exploits and then says , I didnt do any of this. Really speaking this is a form of self delusion. If you are saying it doesnt matter what you do, you are already a doer. Understanding that I am non doer, can only be deemed complete with the firm understanding that action itself is impelled off the gunas as well as the prarabdha which is in essence ishvara or mithya. And what is satyam is the non doer. We cannot bypass ishvara and reach satyam, since satyam is ishvara alone, there doesnt exist an alternate satyam. And we cant understand ishvara without acknowledging dharma, since for the karta, dharma IS the primary introduction to ishvara.
Saying bye to dharma is like entering the building called ishvara ( 5 star hotel), meeting the watchman and saying hi to him and leaving. Saying, I have seen the watchman, i know what the building is now. One has to enter the building. Stay in there for a while and for that one has to keep the watchman happy to be able to continue the stay. Only after staying in the five star hotel of ishvara for a while, does he gain the necessary vairagya, viveka and atma bala to assimilate brahma gyanam. And for that one has to follow the rules of the 5 star hotel, otherwise the watchman will get you. This is dharma.
hara namah parvati pataye
hara hara mahadeva

Atma vichara is shastra vichara

When we do shastra vichara, to know the atma, we rely on the guru to unfold the meaning of words of the shastra.

Take for instance the meaning of the word satyam. Satyam is sometimes translated into english. And understood as substratum. Any english translation can be used, but it is crucial to understand the appropriate meaning of the word used. If I use the word substratum, many meanings are possible for substratum.
Substratum can mean that, the soil is the substratum of a lawn. So there is soil as substratum, and grass grows on top of the lawn. So is that the same as satyam. Answer is NO. That is not what we mean by satyam as used in shastra. So what does satyam mean in shastra.

Shastra gives example, one of which is gold and chain and bangle etc.
If you take any form of gold, say a bangle. Here the bangle is all in all GOLD. It is fully gold alone. However the bangle is still present. we cant say there is no bangle, there is only gold. No I can wear the bangle, so something called bangle IS. The bangle has no existence of its own. Bangle draws its existence from gold. Bangles existence is gold, but bangle has a certain meaning. Shastra calls the bangle, the chain, the earring as mithya. And gold as satyam. As you can see the bangle, chain, earring all are gold, all are satyam alone. You dont need to FIND the substratum , deep inside, there is no need to go underneath. If we go underneath, break down gold further, we will get atoms of gold, we wil get electrons, protons, neutrons etc.
This doesnt say anything , simply says even gold is not satyam. Gold is also mithya. So how to define satyam, what is the lakshana (unique definition) for satyam?
Simple, satyam is 'that which does not draw its existence from anything else', 'is 'self existent'.
Shastra uses another word gnanam. Gnanam means that which IS, the knower, known knowledge all the three is gnanam. The gnanam is from the root word 'gna'. Gna is the root for gnata, gnanaa and gneya all the three. The content of knower, known, knowlege is gna. This gna is conscious. Is there any source of consciousness other than atma, other than you? NO, only source of consciousness or gnanam, or gna dhatu, is you. So you are the gnanam, and you are self evident, self existent, you do not need to become evident to yourself, yo uare self evident. You are self existent, you ARE, hence you meet the definition of satyam. So you are satyam. So are you the substance of all that is here, as satyam. Answer is YES.
So is the tree you?
Yes! Since the tree is satyam. The treeness is an attribute of satyam alone. We have already seen the need for a 'self existent' ISness. And that is you alone. So you are the tree as well.
How can you say that? I cant be a tree...

Arre, when it is being said you are the tree, it is implied we are talking about you are the satyam, and tree is satyam, Hence you are the tree.
We know already that the attribute tree IS, attribute Mind IS. But what Is is satyam alone, which is you.

By being the sky, does satyam become less satyam than it is being the tree? So is there two satyams? the tree satyam and the sky satyam? Arre when you count satyam, there is only one. Advayam brahma. this is non dual.

Words have to be understood, shastra is all about shabda pramana. Words are unfolded by guru and understood by sishya, in same way as understood by guru. Which is gnanam. Which is atma gnanam.

Harhara parvati pataye
harahara mahadeva.

An ode to a sanyasi

Perhaps here
in a sound old family
I spend my years
wondering how

The saffron robed
solitary master
How does
he live without

Perhaps the earth is his mother
The sun his father
The trees are his friends
And night his lover

The birds are children
The sky his heart
The stumbling jeeva
A friend in need

Love is his job
And wonder his income
Blessing his expenditure
But incurs no loss

Truth his embellishment
Ahimsa his crown
Vaidika dharma
His passion abound

I really do wonder
From my sacred pond
His oceanic grace
Are those drops of rain.

Assimilating the spiritual vision of reality

When we say the mind, we refer to the thinking person I.

We do not refer to just some organ called brain in our head, physically located. Why? Since the thinking person is the entire human being. Without brain of course he cant think, but if his organs arent working , his thinking is affected. Even an unhealthy person, cant think well. So in general instead of saying mind, let me say the thinking person, oneself.

This thinking person, faces a problem of ignorance. This much has been established for any vedantin, that the problem of ignorance plagues the thinking person. So upanishads offer knowledge, a gift to the thinking person, a gift which makes him see his own beauty based on this knowledge. The thinking person can use the words of the upanishad, well understood as a means to dwell one ones own beauty, ones own wholeness, purnatvam.

This wholeness is not limited, wholeness by definition is not limited. In fact wholeness is ishvara.

Thus the words of the shastra, are a means for the thinking person to appreciate wholeness in every thought, since wholeness alone pervades all thoughts. 

So the thinking person, becomes an appreciate person, appreciative of oneself, and of the entire ishvaras manifestations, of all the names and forms and glories of ishvara. Sad darshana ( knowledge of truth) in the form of prayagatma ( oneself atman, chit, or I) empowers the person, to appreaciate jagadishvara, the parameshwara, in every thought and action.

Earlier if you thought of a tree, it would be just a tree, either useful or not useful to you, since the person is plagued with ignorance and seeking joy through material means, through karma.

Now if you think of a tree, you can appreciate tree, for what it is, to be ishvara. 

The reality we live in is a spiritual reality. Our thoughts are spiritual, and thoughts lead to actions, so our actions are also spiritual.

This is the vision of our gurus which he seeks to transfer to us and for that we must prepare ourself as well as dedicate ourself through:

1. Chitta shuddhi through svadharma anushtana ( purify self through right actions)

2. Exposure to shastra ( listening to shastra)

3. Shastra vichara ( dwelling on shastra )

These three help us to understand we live in a spiritual reality, and be accomplished in the true sense in life.

har hara parvati pataye,

hara hara mahadeva.

No teaching is complete without ishvara

Ishvara has to be understood, since this world has to be understood.

This 'has to be', when i say 'has to be', I do not say it because it is 'my' desire or wish, or it is some moral code to be followed, however it is a reality that every human is faced with.

We are faced with the reality, that we are ignorant. That we do not know the answer to , where did this world come from?, who created it?, who am I? etc. we do not know, and we want to know.

It is a default setting, to want to know is a default setting, every human wants to know, we cant escape it forever though we can postpone.

So if this creation has to be understood, my place in it has to be understood, the creator also has to be understood.

Jiva, jagat and ishvara have to be understood.

Vedanta says 'isavAsyam' idam sarvam. All that is here is ishvara. It is non dual, ishvara alone exists. In fact there is no difference between jiva, jagat and ishvara, it is one, non dual reality. Hence that which you want to know is yourself.

This has to be unfolded, its appears to be a brave statement, not believable, but it is true.

This is not left unto faith, it can be taught, you can be taught that you are ishvara, and all that is here is ishvara.

Shastra teaches that, our sampradaya teaches that. Our gurus have taught this alone. It can be passed on through teaching, Through guru sishya.

harih om.

The one who is ever accomplished loved and loving is the self

The self is ishvara.

Ishvara is the self.

The one who is the cause of this universe,

The one who is the creator of this universe.

The one who is present in the very creation as the very creation,

The one who accomplishes the unaccomplished with ease

The one who is the victory in every victory

The one who is desired as victory in every defeat

The one who is the loving creator

The one who is the loving creation

The one who is desired for

The one who is loved

The one for whose sake there is love

The one who is love

Is the ever accomplished self

One oneself

is chitanananda rupaha

Shivoham Shivoham

All that is here is ishvara

Non separate from ishvara

Just as an actor is every role he plays

ishvara is all that is here

And that ishvara is satchitananda svarupa

And that is none other than you.


HaraHara PArvathi pathaye
hara hara mahadevA