श्रीः
ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीरमणाय
Pointers
for mananam based on Vivekachudamani (shlokas 127 to 138) – Based on discourses by Swami
Ramanacharana Tirtha
The Kenopanishad says -
न विद्मो न विजानीमो यथैतदनुशिष्यात् । अन्यदेव तद्विदितादथोऽविदितादधि । इति शुश्रूम पूर्वेषां ये नस्तद्व्याचचक्षिरे । (1.3) - we do not know the aatma and we do not know how to instruct about it. It is different from the known and above the unknown. We have heard this declared by preceptors who taught us.
The aatma is beyond the scope of words as the Taittiriya Upanishad (Brahmanandavalli) says – यतो वाचो निवर्तन्ते अप्राप्य मनसा सह । Words and the mind turn back without reaching it.
If it cannot be taught, how do we attain the state?
With Ishvara’s and Guru’s anugraha, using the indicators that the shastram
shows us, as we keep rejecting the anatma and moving inwards towards the aatma,
we find it. Ishvara, Guru and aatma are the same, the Guru turns the mind
inwards, from where the aatma draws us in.
Broadly the two spiritual paths are:
In Vivekachudamani,
the Guru tells the shishya the indicators of aatma. We should use these indicators
for dhyanam in solitude.
Keeping the
mind calm, keeping mental traffic out, one must do contemplation of
these indicators.
We should keep
asking who am I, what is my svarupam ? This can be asked of ourselves in
each and every ordinary worldly experience. Who is seeing, who is hearing, who
is upset, who is happy, etc. On persistent enquiry, the goal can be reached,
Who is Adhikari
for aatma vichara ?
परीक्ष्य
लोकान् कर्मचितान् ब्राह्मणो निर्वेदमायान्नास्त्यकृतः कृतेन। says the
Mundakopanishad 1.2.12. the importance of viveka and vairagyam are brought out
here – the two qualities which were most obvious in the young seeker Nachiketa
as well.
The one who has examined the world, its objects and
activities, and has got vairagyam / detachment, has let go of desires, has reached
the firm conclusion that the worldly things cannot bring permanent happiness or
end sorrow.
The object
that one is looking for is not outside, it cannot be attained by doing something,
the only way to reach it is by turning inwards, it is hidden inside. It is my
own svarupam. It is most intimate to me.
Contemplating
/ doing vichara entirely on one’s own is difficult because the mind is usually unsettled.
Satsanga helps the sadhaka to stay anchored and keeps reminding him to turn
inwards. The state of स्वास्थ्यम् / steady and natural state is found inside the
seeker. He has to seek it out.
Repeated
Vedanta shravanam keeps the mind churning until the goal is reached. With
limitless compassion, Shankara Bhagavadpadacharya has given us clear shlokas to
indicate what we are searching for.
Having attended the upanyasas on this topic by Swami Ramanacharana Tirtha, (who was very obviously speaking out of his direct experience of the truth), I have tried to capture the significant points that I could gather from the talks.
परमः क आत्मा ? (What is the aatma ?)
- The path of devotion - the ahankara / ego is surrendered to Ishvara. I exist for Ishvara, is the bhaava. Here we surrender the mind.
- The path of knowledge - due to ignorance, the aatma is obscured and the anatma/non-self is projected as the aatma. This ignorance is done away with, by knowledge. This is accomplished by enquiry into the anatma and thereby its falsification. Only the aatma exists. All else is a projection of it. Here we explore and do away with the ego. The emphasis on the ego here, is because it is the most powerful driver of wrong knowledge of the self.
The aatma is always being experienced, but I am not
aware of it. Shruti says सर्वानुभूः – ever-experienced by everyone.
The scope of mind and sense organs, is limited. They only show worldly experiences. This is why the experienced world of duality is limited. I must reject duality.
Bhagavan Ramana asks Arunachala to not let himself identify with anyone as ‘you’, ‘I’, etc –
நீ நான் அறப்புலி நிதம் களிமயமா
நின்றிடும் நிலை அருள் அருணாசலா (அ) 56 Aksharamanamalai (AMM)
O Arunachala ! Embrace me so that differences like you, I, etc, do not appear, and grant me eternal bliss.
When the difference between you and I vanishes, then I become the same as you. The word ‘களிமயமா’ describes the svastha state, without interruption. This is the state he asks for.
- Aham-vrutti (the I thought) is the ego / self-image
/ ahankara – it is the thought which is behind all experiences.
The scope of mind and sense organs, is limited. They only show worldly experiences. This is why the experienced world of duality is limited. I must reject duality.
Bhagavan Ramana asks Arunachala to not let himself identify with anyone as ‘you’, ‘I’, etc –
நீ நான் அறப்புலி நிதம் களிமயமா
நின்றிடும் நிலை அருள் அருணாசலா (அ) 56 Aksharamanamalai (AMM)
O Arunachala ! Embrace me so that differences like you, I, etc, do not appear, and grant me eternal bliss.
When the difference between you and I vanishes, then I become the same as you. The word ‘களிமயமா’ describes the svastha state, without interruption. This is the state he asks for.
Ahankara:/ego
- I am not the ego. It is the chidabhasa /
reflection of the aatma. It is an anya-vastu, it is not me.
- It keeps changing, depending on what I
identify myself with – I am a mother, wife, daughter, etc, at different times.
Therefore it impacts rational thinking.
- On close enquiry, one finds that it is
not real – for example, it is extinguished during deep sleep.
- The experience of no body, no mind, no ego – is seen every day during deep sleep. Only the self is there at this time. One does not need an extraordinary or mystical experience to understand this. This is observed every single night by all of us.
- In waking state as well, when we observe the ego, it vanishes, says Bhagavan Ramana. It is elusive. But it is an object of our experience. We should enquire into it like an actor looking at himself playing different roles in a movie. He knows that the person on the screen is not himself, he isn’t deluded by the happenings on the screen.
- Why does the ego appear and what makes it powerful ? The primal thought behind every thought is I, but in the transactional world, when the ‘you’ appears, the I / aham-vrutti awakens and becomes stronger. The ego is called hrudaya-granthi (knot of the heart). It leads to problems and sorrow because we try to control what is not us, due to the belief that it belongs to us, and we superimpose it on ourselves.
- This is also why solitude helps vichara especially in the initial stages of sadhana – when there is no second person / you. In this state, ego / aham-vasana becomes vilaya / gets diluted.
- If the ego is not real, then what is real ?
The aatma which is pure chaitayam exists by itself as the adhishtanam / substratum of this aham-vrutti. It is the witness of the 3 states and it is different from the koshas. (body, prana, mind, etc). This is the true ‘I’. It is permanent, it is intimate to me. It does chetani-karanam of all upadhis - It enlivens everything else like the body, mind etc. Enlivened by aatma’s presence, the body etc, operate in their respective objects. This is the relationship between koshas (body, mind etc) and the aatma.
The aatma is not born, it does not die, does not grow or decline. When the body perishes, it remains, like the space in the pot, even on destruction of the pot. Since this is the real I, I do not have to fear death.
Problem - Adhyasa:
By adhyasa / superimposition, I attribute body, mind, and the world on myself, and I suffer due to this. The snake is not on the rope, it is merely imagined. This ignorance of the substratum (rope), triggers emotion / action. The problem with the strong force of ahankara is that the aatma is hidden by this vrutti,
The body is the instrument using which the world is experienced. Because we are connected to the body and mind, we experience the world (outside the body). When we let go of these, chaitanyam manifests. Ahankara/ego is where the world begins, and the body is where it ends. The key is to disconnect from this.
The world does not pose a problem, the issue is in identifying with it – identifying with vruttis and thinking that I am that – शैलूषवत्वेषमुपात्तम् (like actor identifying with the roles he plays on screen, and feeling various emotions). When we identify with the body and thought waves, we are samsaris. When we separate ourselves we are free.
Desired state – peace:
Svasthataa is restfulness / stillness – Maharshi Patanjali calls द्रष्टुः स्वरूपेऽअवस्थानम् – resting in the svarupam which is unchanging. This is the desired state, one of peace.
For svasthataa, the mind has to enter the realm of the aatma and stay there. This is called प्रत्यक्चेतनाधिगमः. In practical terms, it means that thoughts subside and the mind is in the realm of pure chaitanyam – this is the true state of samadhi. It brings peace because the waves have stopped.
Means of getting to this knowledge:
नियमितमनसाऽमुं त्वं स्वमात्मानमात्मनि अयमहमिति साक्षाद्विद्धि बुद्धिप्रसादात् ।
जनिमरणतरङ्गापारसंसारसिन्धु प्रतर भव कृतार्थो ब्रह्मरूपेण संस्थः ॥ VC 138
These beautiful words are an asheervachanam from the Guru - Be a kritartha (one who has accomplished his goal) by crossing over samsara; having attained what has to be attained – as a direct experience, not as theoretical knowledge. How ? Use the help of a controlled mind and clear intellect. And thereafter, remain as brahman.
The means for realisation are primarily two-fold – mind and intellect.
A. Controlling the mind and withdrawing it inwards, keeps sense organs under control, stops the spiral of desires, greed, and distraction. The state of no-mind / falsification of the mind has to be reached.
Kathopanishad says –
मनसैवेदमाप्तव्यम् नेह नानास्ति किञ्चन मृत्योः स मृत्युमाप्नोति य इह नानेव पश्यति (2.4.11) – the aatma can be obtained through the mind alone. If one sees multiplicity he goes from death to death.
The mind is the vehicle for God-realisation, says Swami Chinmayananda. It has to be trained through its controlled and regulated application to minimise its activities to zero, when it dies off itself. This is called mano naasha. Mind can be annihilated by tools such as meditation until the realisation that there is no other.
B. Buddhiprasada – a clear intellect -
- getting rid of raaga/dvesha – रागद्वेषवियुक्तैस्तु विषयानिन्द्रियैश्चरन् । आत्मवश्यैर्विधेयात्मा प्रसादमधिगच्छति॥ says Bhagavan Sri Krishna in the Gita (2.64) – the realised one is serene and operates amongst sense objects without attachment or hatred. He does not need to withdraw physically and live in a Himalayan cave.
- The intellect is clear- without samshaya (doubt), viparita bhavana (understanding something wrongly), abhavana (intellect not getting grounded in the teaching). This is the prasada that we need.
Kathopanishad says –
एष सर्वेषु भूतेषु गूढोत्मा न प्रकाशते दृश्यते त्वग्र्ययया बुद्ध्या सूक्ष्मया सूक्ष्मदर्शिभिः (1.3.12) – the aatma is hidden inside all beings, it can be perceived only using a sharp and subtle intellect.
To discover oneself and all the beings around oneself as God / Brahman, is true realisation of the aatma. This realisation seems difficult because of obstacles such as an impure and scattered mind, outward-inclined sense organs and ignorance.
The Guru tells the shishya - साक्षाद्विद्धि - know ‘I am that’ as your direct experience.
Holding on to this knowledge, is nidhidhyasanam. After getting clarity on what the shastram says, sadhana should transform to Nidhidhyasanam - meditation coupled with knowledge – the purpose is to convert the knowledge into one’s own anubhava.
Bhagavan Ramana, with utmost compassion, asked anyone who came to him with a doubt, ‘who is asking?’. He kept directing people inwards. That was his only upadesha. This is the key to vichara. The purna vastu is locked up, the key of aatma-vichara is needed to unlock it.
- We have to take a decision to be free of the mind. Vedanta, bhakti etc come next. The first decision is to free oneself from the mind. Letting go is tapas. The more we let go, the more free we are.
- getting rid of raaga/dvesha – रागद्वेषवियुक्तैस्तु विषयानिन्द्रियैश्चरन् । आत्मवश्यैर्विधेयात्मा प्रसादमधिगच्छति॥ says Bhagavan Sri Krishna in the Gita (2.64) – the realised one is serene and operates amongst sense objects without attachment or hatred. He does not need to withdraw physically and live in a Himalayan cave.
- The intellect is clear- without samshaya (doubt), viparita bhavana (understanding something wrongly), abhavana (intellect not getting grounded in the teaching). This is the prasada that we need.
Kathopanishad says –
एष सर्वेषु भूतेषु गूढोत्मा न प्रकाशते दृश्यते त्वग्र्ययया बुद्ध्या सूक्ष्मया सूक्ष्मदर्शिभिः (1.3.12) – the aatma is hidden inside all beings, it can be perceived only using a sharp and subtle intellect.
To discover oneself and all the beings around oneself as God / Brahman, is true realisation of the aatma. This realisation seems difficult because of obstacles such as an impure and scattered mind, outward-inclined sense organs and ignorance.
The Guru tells the shishya - साक्षाद्विद्धि - know ‘I am that’ as your direct experience.
Holding on to this knowledge, is nidhidhyasanam. After getting clarity on what the shastram says, sadhana should transform to Nidhidhyasanam - meditation coupled with knowledge – the purpose is to convert the knowledge into one’s own anubhava.
Bhagavan Ramana, with utmost compassion, asked anyone who came to him with a doubt, ‘who is asking?’. He kept directing people inwards. That was his only upadesha. This is the key to vichara. The purna vastu is locked up, the key of aatma-vichara is needed to unlock it.
- We have to take a decision to be free of the mind. Vedanta, bhakti etc come next. The first decision is to free oneself from the mind. Letting go is tapas. The more we let go, the more free we are.
Cause of bondage = Adhyasa – Specific pointers for
mananam
1. In reality we are not seeing anything external. If we understand the vastu properly, without superimposing anything, we will see only the aatma.
2. The feeling of I and mine lead to अनर्थव्रातः / difficulties. This was his state when Arjuna received the Gitopadesha.
3. Anything that feeds the ego, binds us. Eg – external objects, fame, excess wealth.
4. We need to have several gaps during the day, in which we do not feed the ego. Dhyanam helps in this area specifically.
5. I think my body is I. the body never claimed that it is I. it is jada. It does not have consciousness.
6. Jada-shakti is maya, it pushes us outwards. Chit-shakti is the guru, who turns us inward. The jada shakti is the reason for adhyasa.
7. We should use objects (anitya), take refuge in Ishvara / aatma (nitya). However we do the reverse. This has to change. आश्रययोग्यं नित्यवस्तु । अनित्यवस्तु व्यवहारयोग्यम् ।
8. As we let go of things and people, we get free.
9. The fact that I depend on an object, is the cause for my sorrow. The object itself is not the cause. My attachment to it causes spiritual death.
10. The mind is also an object - it must be used for its specific purpose and then let go of.
11. Sanyasa is not for everyone but its essence (asangata / detachment) is needed for everyone. One can remain a householder and reach the desired state.
Summary - key points for contemplation
2. One has to be on an uninterrupted quest for
the jnanam, while at the same time, performing ordained karma without kamana,
as a dedication to Ishvara. Aatma vichara should always go on.
3. Vedanta shavanam, satsaga and Vedanta vichara are
all required. Karma, bhakti and upasana are all means to God-realisation.
4. What does deep sleep show us ?
After deep sleep – we feel ‘I felt happy, I did not know anything’. (सुखमहम् अस्वाप्सम्, न् किञ्चिदवेदिषम्). This is neither an inference (since it was experienced directly) nor smriti (because the memory is no longer alive). It is anubhava. The same anubhava is present in all states but we are unable to recognise it. We are dreaming even when we claim to be awake. The 3 states are not in water-tight compartments. Deep sleep is at the background in the other two states. The consciousness which is fully present in this state, is obscured in the other states – self-image / aham vrutti is absent in deep sleep state but the experience is there. Reflecting on the deep sleep experience, makes the goal clearer. Can I get to that experience while awake ? This is what we should keep asking ourselves.
After deep sleep – we feel ‘I felt happy, I did not know anything’. (सुखमहम् अस्वाप्सम्, न् किञ्चिदवेदिषम्). This is neither an inference (since it was experienced directly) nor smriti (because the memory is no longer alive). It is anubhava. The same anubhava is present in all states but we are unable to recognise it. We are dreaming even when we claim to be awake. The 3 states are not in water-tight compartments. Deep sleep is at the background in the other two states. The consciousness which is fully present in this state, is obscured in the other states – self-image / aham vrutti is absent in deep sleep state but the experience is there. Reflecting on the deep sleep experience, makes the goal clearer. Can I get to that experience while awake ? This is what we should keep asking ourselves.
5. To be happy, we do not need a second object
(anya-vishaya). The first ‘anya-vishaya’ is ‘ahamvrutti’ (limited jeeva-bhaava),
then mind, sense organs, and the world. Beneath this chaos, we are unable to
recognise the substratum. We see the movie but not the screen. We should
look at the screen because the movie creates many emotions.
6. I am ever experiencing the aatma. I am not
experiencing the world.
7. Sureshwaracharyapada says ahankara is like a
gooseberry fruit which is balanced on the nose – it has a fragile existence. Moksha is easy, but bandha has to be maintained
with difficulty, needs a lot of effort, he says.
But we still nourish the anatma and keep it alive. Like a नासाबदरम्, the body and ahankara need support on all sides, and they vanish when we sleep / die. This process of managing the anatma, creates a cobweb around us, and we live in fear. It is like living in a luxurious jail – trapped inside with all the facilities.
8. We are holding on to the unreal thing and trying to
get happiness from it, while ignoring the permanent substratum.
We try to protect ourselves in many ways, like the puranas tell us about Ravana and Hiranyakashipu. We only end up binding ourselves. The gooseberry will fall anyway, irrespective of all our steps to prevent it.
We try to protect ourselves in many ways, like the puranas tell us about Ravana and Hiranyakashipu. We only end up binding ourselves. The gooseberry will fall anyway, irrespective of all our steps to prevent it.
9. Letting go of all anatma vastus (non-self),
including ahankara, is sanyasa.
திரும்பி அகந்தனைத் தினம் அகக்கண் காண்
தெரியும் என்றனை என் அருணாசலா (அ) - 44 AMM
O Arunachala! You taught thus: ‘Turn the ego within and look constantly with the inner eye, and you will see.’
In the Arunachala Ashtakam, Bhagavan Ramana says the upadesha he received from Arunachala when he had the first vision of the hill while travelling to Tiruvannamalai from Madurai, was - ‘who is seeing ?’ கண்டவன் எவனெனக் கருத்தினது நாட, கண்டவன் இன்றிட நின்றது கண்டேன் – When I turned inwards and asked ‘who is seeing?’, I saw the real self without ahankara. Since he had no aavaranam, the aatma manifested automatically as a result of knowledge given to the mind, which had been made pure and one-pointed over several purva-janmas.
10. Fear exists only when there is dvaita – Dvaita begins with the ego. The ego sustains duality.
In Ulladu narpadu (Saddarshanam in Samskritam) # 27, Bhagavan Ramana says நான் உதியாது உள்ள நிலை, நாம் அதுவாக இருக்கும் நிலை – the state of no ahankara, is the state of existence in svarupam. (We are “that” only when ego does not arise.) How does one reach one’s true state when the ego is still there ?
11. Stay detached from the mind. I am not the mind. I have to reach a deeper plane of existence. I have no freedom in the plane of the body, mind or intellect. Chaitanyam is eternally free (nitya-svatantram).
12. Do Nidhidhyasanam – with the bhaava that this is about me, not as an object to be understood theoretically – निदिध्यासनविषयः = अहम्शब्दवाच्यं चित् – the meaning of the word I.
13. Even if you wish to know Ishvara, it can happen only if you see Him as chaitanyam – prajnanam brahma. An external Ishvara / an Ishvara in the mind or intellect, is impermanent – will be forgotten in sleep, or due to loss of memory.
திரும்பி அகந்தனைத் தினம் அகக்கண் காண்
தெரியும் என்றனை என் அருணாசலா (அ) - 44 AMM
O Arunachala! You taught thus: ‘Turn the ego within and look constantly with the inner eye, and you will see.’
In the Arunachala Ashtakam, Bhagavan Ramana says the upadesha he received from Arunachala when he had the first vision of the hill while travelling to Tiruvannamalai from Madurai, was - ‘who is seeing ?’ கண்டவன் எவனெனக் கருத்தினது நாட, கண்டவன் இன்றிட நின்றது கண்டேன் – When I turned inwards and asked ‘who is seeing?’, I saw the real self without ahankara. Since he had no aavaranam, the aatma manifested automatically as a result of knowledge given to the mind, which had been made pure and one-pointed over several purva-janmas.
10. Fear exists only when there is dvaita – Dvaita begins with the ego. The ego sustains duality.
In Ulladu narpadu (Saddarshanam in Samskritam) # 27, Bhagavan Ramana says நான் உதியாது உள்ள நிலை, நாம் அதுவாக இருக்கும் நிலை – the state of no ahankara, is the state of existence in svarupam. (We are “that” only when ego does not arise.) How does one reach one’s true state when the ego is still there ?
11. Stay detached from the mind. I am not the mind. I have to reach a deeper plane of existence. I have no freedom in the plane of the body, mind or intellect. Chaitanyam is eternally free (nitya-svatantram).
12. Do Nidhidhyasanam – with the bhaava that this is about me, not as an object to be understood theoretically – निदिध्यासनविषयः = अहम्शब्दवाच्यं चित् – the meaning of the word I.
13. Even if you wish to know Ishvara, it can happen only if you see Him as chaitanyam – prajnanam brahma. An external Ishvara / an Ishvara in the mind or intellect, is impermanent – will be forgotten in sleep, or due to loss of memory.
14. I am aatmasvarupam but am under bondage because I
have attached myself to anatma. I am eternally free but I refuse to be
free. Nobody can bind me or free me.
15. The Buddha saw a sanyasi and realised that he was fearless, happy and contented – that gave him a clue that such a svatantryam is there to be had.
15. The Buddha saw a sanyasi and realised that he was fearless, happy and contented – that gave him a clue that such a svatantryam is there to be had.
16. Once svarupam has been reached, there is nothing
more to be done or achieved.
சோம்பியாய்ச் சும்மா சுகம் உண்டு உறங்கிடில்
சொல் வேறு என்கதி அருணாசலா (அ) - 37
O Arunachala! Without doing anything, remaining quiet, if I enjoy happiness and sleep, which is the way other than this? Please tell me.
The jnani stays in his svarupam. His body is of no use to him. He does whatever karma has been ordained by guru or shastram, but he has no desire to perform any karma for himself. So Bhagavan Ramana asks, what else is there for me to do ? the only upadesha he gave was ‘chumma iru’ / sivanenu iru’ – they all mean the same - abide in the self, the body and mind can perform their activities but you are unimpacted. Bhagavan Ramana himself performed a lot of karma but without the sense of ego. This can be seen in the lives of all jnanis – Swami Vivekananda, Bhagavan Sri Krishna etc.
சோம்பியாய்ச் சும்மா சுகம் உண்டு உறங்கிடில்
சொல் வேறு என்கதி அருணாசலா (அ) - 37
O Arunachala! Without doing anything, remaining quiet, if I enjoy happiness and sleep, which is the way other than this? Please tell me.
The jnani stays in his svarupam. His body is of no use to him. He does whatever karma has been ordained by guru or shastram, but he has no desire to perform any karma for himself. So Bhagavan Ramana asks, what else is there for me to do ? the only upadesha he gave was ‘chumma iru’ / sivanenu iru’ – they all mean the same - abide in the self, the body and mind can perform their activities but you are unimpacted. Bhagavan Ramana himself performed a lot of karma but without the sense of ego. This can be seen in the lives of all jnanis – Swami Vivekananda, Bhagavan Sri Krishna etc.
17. This state of abidance in the self, is the same for
everyone. There is no gradation. In Ulladu narpadu # 2 -
உலகுமெய்பொய்த் தோற்றம் உலகறிவாம் அன்றென்று உலகுசுகம் அன்றென்று உரைத்தென் – உலகுவிட்டு தன்னையோர்ந்து ஒன்றிரண்டு தானற்று நானற்ற அந்நிலை எல்லார்க்கும் ஒப்பாம்.
The world is an illusion, it is true, it is false, it is happiness, it is grief – what is the use of this discussion ? to do self-enquiry, let go of the world, and know the self, go beyond the thoughts of one and two, this state of egolessness is the one common goal for all, it is a common state for all. This is the state of bliss and peace.
உலகுமெய்பொய்த் தோற்றம் உலகறிவாம் அன்றென்று உலகுசுகம் அன்றென்று உரைத்தென் – உலகுவிட்டு தன்னையோர்ந்து ஒன்றிரண்டு தானற்று நானற்ற அந்நிலை எல்லார்க்கும் ஒப்பாம்.
The world is an illusion, it is true, it is false, it is happiness, it is grief – what is the use of this discussion ? to do self-enquiry, let go of the world, and know the self, go beyond the thoughts of one and two, this state of egolessness is the one common goal for all, it is a common state for all. This is the state of bliss and peace.
18. Bhagavan Ramana says in Upadesha saram # 26 –
आत्मसंस्थितिः स्वात्मदर्शनम् । आत्मनिर्द्व्ययात् आत्मनिष्ठता ॥ – the self is non-dual, to abide in the self, is to see / know the self. This is understood by recognising the element within as oneself. The one who sees, cannot be the object of vision. When the limited ‘I’ idea is renounced, the aatma manifests.
आत्मसंस्थितिः स्वात्मदर्शनम् । आत्मनिर्द्व्ययात् आत्मनिष्ठता ॥ – the self is non-dual, to abide in the self, is to see / know the self. This is understood by recognising the element within as oneself. The one who sees, cannot be the object of vision. When the limited ‘I’ idea is renounced, the aatma manifests.
In what is one of the most beautiful declarations by Bhagavan
Bhashyakara in the Gita bhashyam, abidance in the self is the highest bhakti –
सेयं ज्ञाननिष्ठा आर्तादिभक्तित्रयापेक्षया परा चतुर्थी भक्तिरित्युक्ता । तया
परया भक्त्या भगवन्तं तत्त्वतोऽभिजानाति । यदनन्तरमेव ईश्वरक्षेत्रज्ञभेदबुद्धिः
अशेषतो निवर्तते । … प्रत्यगात्मविषयप्रत्ययसन्तानकरणाभिनिवेशश्च ज्ञाननिष्ठा (BGB
18.55) – this state of jnananishta / abidance in knowledge, is the most supreme
form of bhakti. By this bhakti, the sadhaka knows Ishvara as He is, all
awareness of difference between himself and Ishvara disappears. It is an intent
effort to establish a continuous current of cognition of the aatma. This is the
goal of all vichara.
यत्र योगेश्वरः कृष्णो यत्र पार्थो धनुर्धरः । तत्र
श्रीर्विजयो भूतिर्ध्रुवा नीतिर्मतिर्मम ॥
सर्वं
श्रीकृष्णार्पणमस्तु