Preface - part - 6

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

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 was temporarily seeming 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. Even though 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-

Actually, we know this consciousness principle Tripura Sundari already. But have temporarily forgotten, and we have to get back by the method given by the great Keralite poet Ezhuttacchan in his Harinama Keeratanam thus-
Aananda cinmaya hare gopikaa ramana
Jnaanenna bhaavamatu tonnayka venamiha
Tonnunnatakkil akhilam jnaan itenna vazhi
Tonnename varada naaraayanaaya nama

Aanand cinmaya – who reside the heart and bestow aananda
Hare – hare
Gopika Ramana – who is the lover of Gopikas
Jnaanenna bhaavamatu – the feeling of I – ness
Tonnaaika venamiha – should not come [to my mind]
Tonnunnataakil – if at all such a feeling comes [to me]
Akhilam jnaan – all the whole world is myself only
Itennavazhi – such a feeling
Tonnename – kindly let the feeling come
Varada – Oh! Bestower of vows
Narayanaaya namah – prostration to Sri Narayana

The meaning of the sloka is this- Oh! Lord Krishna! You are aananda giver; You are chinmaya; You are hare; You are gopika ramana; Oh! Varada! You please give me the state, in which I should never have the feeling that I do or I enjoy anything; If at all such a feeling come, you kindly be with me so that I should be able to see the whole world as mine; Prostrations to you Oh! Naraayana!

I don’t try to judge even myself because, without amma, the consciousness, the Tripura Sundari, nothing else is there.

How is this justified? I see with my eyes my body, other bodies and the sun, the moon and the sky, and all objects in the world. Hence all I see are mine only and I need not specially count my body alone – if so, all other bodies also have to be given the same importance – which is not practicable – [we may feel] – but we have to mentally and intellectually correct ourselves to remove our worries and no other way; if we are not ready for that, we have to go on worrying throughout life and again and again taking birth and death and suffer the pin-pricks of life repeatedly. But the Grace of God and Guru are always there; to know this for certain, is the only thing required for success. We can verify our status while practicing, whether we have achieved this state – [keep in mind, don’t judge others, but you judge yourselves as referred by the great Guruji Sri Sri Ravisankar].

During the 3 states of waking, dreaming and sleeping, Consciousness is there in tact, without undergoing any change, any time. This common state is called Turiya or Aananda devoid of sorrow which is represented by the Tripura Sundari. The Consciousness available in the Turiya state may be called as Tripura Sundari. In fact, only Turiya is there. All other three states sleeping, dreaming and waking states are superimpositions, which seem to appear, due to utter ignorance or maya or avidya, and vanish, the moment ignorance disappears.

In worldly life, We have 3 types of happiness, which are not permanent - Sukha – body, indriya pleasure; Santosha – mental pleasure; Aahlaada – intellectual pleasure; But really, there is the permanent happiness, aananda, which is inside us and not outside, as referred in one Tamil Bhajan song-
Tedi tedi engo odukinraar ulle thedi kandu kollalaame. Meaning – people are searching you in the whole world outside, But, you can be located inside our heart of hearts Aananda – the pleasure devoid of sorrow which remains for ever, is called Brahman or I or the pure consciousness, or purushottama. The study of Soundarya Lahari with proper attention will lift us to the level of a jnaani very easily, even if we are utmost bad now, as Bhagavat Gita says –

Api chetsuduracara: bhajate maam ananyabhaak
Saadhureva sa mantavya: samyag vyavasito hi sa:
Meaning – Even if a person has done the worst thing but still remembers Me while doing it, he is to be considered a sadhu or saint as he is established in me as the ultimate reality.

Let us enjoy this bliss contributed by Tripura Sundari, and part this, with those who are ready to take it, by immersing in the Soundarya Lahari and first understanding the Tripura Sundari theoretically, and then practically by sravana, by manana , and by nidhidhyasana as referred in Gita chapter 9 thus –
idam tu te guhyatamam pravakshyamyanasuyave
jnaanam vijnaanasahitam yad jnaatwaa mokshyase asubhaat
Meaning :–
Idam tu – this
Te - to you
Guhyatamam - most secret
Pravakshyaamy - reveal directly
Anasuyave - one who is devoid of jealousy
[One who gives an open mind to hear]

jnaanam vijnaanasahitam - with both theoretical and practical knowledge
yad jnaatwaa - by knowing which
mokshyase - liberated
asubhaat - from the bondage of sufferings

Let Almighty’s Grace be showered on all of us, to achieve this bliss. Let us surrender mentally all our
punya-paapa,
dharma-adharma,
sukha-dukha,
labha-nashta,
success-failure
all these to our own Divine Self which is also the Guru and Iswara, silently without wounding anybody, without hurting anybody, without troubling anybody, in our heart of hearts, without losing anything, which does not require any effort, any money, any environment, any power, any material, and thereby enjoy undivided bliss.

Let the Almighty’s Blessings be with all of us always.
Now, we will enter the sloka proper.