Soundarya Lahari Sloka

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Preface - part - 5

If we don’t have happiness, it is better for us to read the saastraas or at least sing devotional slokas and try to find out; [if we want permanent happiness – Tripura Sundari; let us not be taken aback, let us not get angry- if so, it shows our ego, which will prevent us from getting the permanent happiness and it is not all affected by any other factor in the world. This ego, we can test ourselves, is just like the cobra-snake [moorkan paambu], which prevents us from getting moksha or realization.

We should try to separate this ego and the watching aspect of the consciousness and identify ourselves with the saakshee or witness and not as the ego, which may take a few years for us to practice - when we undertake to have a continuous study of the scriptures under the guidance of a competent master for a sufficient period of study, this problem will be fully solved.

We get lot of opportunities in the various fields for this, wherever we are. Because, in this world, there are many, at least one out of 1000 who know this, at least theoretically, trying to put into practice,though he may not be practically a perfect jnaani, but only a mumukshu. But he will be able to guide others who need his help which will serve the purpose to lift others and himself also in getting the required good result. Let us make a start; if already started, share with others this unbounded awareness and get more and more happiness.

Don’t think that the progress in the field in which we are working, or the house environment or the society environment will be obstructed – never it will; instead, it will accelerate the good effects. Let us recall the story of the great king Solomon and seventeen elephants which you must have read in your school days. But the wonderful principle behind it will be clear, only after a long period of time, [only if our intellectual conviction is perfect].

A king was having 17 elephants; He had three sons and wanted to distribute the elephants to the 3 sons in the following manner –
The eldest must get half of the total no of elephants. The second son must get one third of the total no of elephants.
The third son must get one ninth of the total no of elephants.
The elephants should not be cut; but the conditions should be fulfilled.
King Solomon came to the rescue; He brought his elephant, and put it along with the seventeen in row;
He asked whether there is any objection in including it for calculation purpose.
The three sons who were clever and calculative but intellectual conviction was not there for them;
The eldest thought that 17 by 2 is only 8 and part thereof; if the added elephant is counted the half of total becomes 9 and he will get 9 and get benefited. He got his share the 9 numbers and left immediately. The second son thought that 17 by 3 is only 5 and part thereof; if the added elephant is counted his share will become 6 and he will be benefited. He got his share the 6 numbers and left immediately. The third son thought that 17 by 9 is only 1 and part thereof; if the added elephant is counted his share will become 2 and he will be benefited. He got his share the 2 numbers and left immediately. The added elephant was still in tact, and remained without any change.

Divide and be undivided. This has got a similarity with our three states.
During waking and dream states, we are divided, and during sleeping state, we are undivided; which out of these states is real?
If you are unhappy and worried any time and blame any other person or object or the environment or nature, or the world – then your knowledge about yourself is thoroughly wrong, and due to this wrong notion, you never get permanent happiness.

The happiness we get in waking, dreaming and sleeping states are all due to the common unchanging factor, the consciousness – the Tripura Sundari; When this consciousness is removed, what is available is sorrow or [zero] only. In waking and dream states we get happiness mixed with unhappiness. In sleep state we get perfect happiness without any unhappiness. But the fact remains that in sleep state, we are unaware of the happiness or aananda. If we are able to get this awareness, while in waking state, it will solve the problem of removing all our unhappiness. But it cannot be done during sleep, we know; Instead it should be done in waking state only.It cannot also be done in dream state as we have no control since this state is just like the replay of our mind by the tape recorder; In this case, our mind recordings during the waking state are replayed. And we do not have control, normally.

To get the happiness, [if you are not happy] is –

To add the Consciousness or Brahman with anything and everything all the time, mentally and turning your mind from the wrong direction to the right direction. Because, anything in the world of objects consist of Consciousness or Bodha or Brahman plus a name plus a form of which only Consciousness or Bodha is permanent and name and form are perishable.

If name and form are removed, Consciousness – love - alone remains – you attain realization.

Then we will see that there is no hatredness towards anything or anybody and you will love everything in the world. If you want to get permanent happiness, follow the principle given by Sankara in his Prakarana grantha called Sarva Vedanta Siddhaanta Saara Sangraham wherein the author refers about a person who has entered the state- [we too can identify when we reach this state and until then, go on practicing sravana–manana-nidhidhyasana with the guidance from known people]

In the heart of the jnaani, Tripura Sundari rest always bestowing blessings to the good people around whom the jnaani comes across.

Sankara thus says in Sarva Vedanta Siddhanta Saara Sangraham

idam mameti sarveshu drisyabhaaveshu abhaavanaa
jaagrad jaagrad iti praahur mahaanto brahma vittamaah

viditwaa satchidaanante mayi drisyaparamparaam
naama rupa parityaago jaagrad swapnah sameeryate

meaning – the greatest among those great realized ones say thus – jagrat jagrat state is that in which a person – a jnaani who is in this state does never have the thinking that this BMI complex or any other objects or the world belongs to him. His intellectual conviction is very very strong. He has started enjoying the supreme bliss and nothing in this world gives happiness to him because, he is already happy. Jagrat swapna is that state in which a person or jnaani who is in this state, is mentally able to remove the delusory names and forms which are different and perishable and is able to enjoy the supreme bliss of aananda or consciousness; he knows for sure that only consciousness alone exist and that is his real nature and that all this delusory world of objects is only seeming to appear and disappear in this substratum of consciousness and that the aananda is in no way affected even by the seemingly appearing and disappearing of the world of objects

[ like the example given below by Bhagavan Ramana Maharishi ]– normally when the sun god appears on every morning, the moon and the stars disappear; on an evening, just before sunset, the sun is jubilant before setting in the west, and the moon and some of the stars are appearing in the sky in the opposite direction viz., the east. But the setting sun is in no way affected by the moon and the stars. Similarly, when the jnaana surya is there, the world of objects [the moon and stars] will never stand in the way of the jnaana surya. The mind of such a person witnesses the worldly objects, but is not all affected in any way. Any object in the world consists of three things – consciousness, name and form. If you mentally try to remove the name and form which is already illusory, you succeed in getting back your consciousness [which temporarily seemed to be hidden by the ignorance or avidya or maaya or ajnaana].

Two types of defects are to be corrected to get back this jnaana –

1. agrahanam - ignorance is to be removed; this is called non- apprehension of the reality.
2. anyathaagrahanam – wrong knowledge is to be corrected; this is called mis-apprehension of reality.

On getting the right knowledge, both the above will vanish. This knowledge is the prasada for removing the unhappiness for ever as Gita refers in chapter 2 – prasaade sarva dukhkhaanaam haani. A person who does get involved in everything, but having the feeling that this small I consisting of B-M-I and all other objects of the world are not mine, is a jnaani. Eventhough I see everything and act, I am the saakshee as the SunGod – who does not get affected by lighting of a lamp in his light or by the murder being committed by a person under his light.

You can have the outlook that everything is controlled by Iswara or God, until you get intellectual conviction; but once your intellect is tuned properly, you will never be worried about anything; you will be able to mend your mind gradually towards this goal and get permanent happiness which is moksha. It may take some years, but don’t discard it thinking that it is difficult and impracticable, you will feel sorry later.

Don’t postpone for tomorrow what you have to for today- you know.
So, why not try now, to get out of the problems?

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