A mantra is a special sound or word. By mentalizing (manana) the sound by which one finds salvation is a mantra. The right meaning in the mantra is the guru. The meaningful perception or feeling in it is consciousness (caitanya) or the deity (iSta). Putting this mantra, guru and deity together makes the consciousness of mantra emerge. Let me explain this with an example. Let us say, that ‘tamarind’[1] is a word. This word is like a mantra. As long as one does not know the meaning of the word, so long it is a dead word. Repeating it a thousand times will not bring any knowledge about it. Then someone comes and explains the shape and taste etc. of tamarind. Then one learns the meaning of the word; this meaning is the guru. Now, pronouncing the word ‘tamarind’, the knowledge about its acidity appears. Then, when you see that on reciting that word, the perception of it appears, that is, on saying ‘tamarind’, your tongue waters, then you will understand that the word has gained consciousness. Similarly in other cases. You say ‘kind Mother'. Immediately, your heart is filled by the feeling of kindness. When this happens, you will know that the word ‘kind’ has been pronounced right. You are saying ‘Mother’, but you do not know who it is, you do not know the meaning of the word; as long as you say ‘Mother’ in this fashion, it will remain a dead mantra. Then, someone explains to you, that the word Mother means ‘source of complete affection, an universal consciousness, which is your Self’. When one understands this, by the grace of the teacher, then, on saying ‘Mother’, one arouses the perception of a condensation of affection, an universal consciousness. Then one will know that the mantra ‘Mother’ has acquired consciousness. Without understanding the meaning, without feeling and perceiving the mantra according to its meaning, only by reciting them, do not bring proper results. Only because of the lack of mantra consciousness, the spiritual quest looks difficult and dark. So, reciting any hymns or repeating any mantras, or chanting the holy names, should be done by understanding the meaning and being aroused by that feeling; only then will the results be perceived quickly.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
RtambharA: Ch 1: Truth by Sri Bijoy Krishna Chattopadhyaya
satyameva jayate nAnRtM satyena panthA bitato devayanaH.
yenAkramamRySyo hyAptakAmo yatra tat satyasya paramaM nidhanam [1].
Only truth triumphs, not untruth; by truth is paved the divine path,
traveling by which the sages self fulfilled, attained supreme truth.
Truth triumphs, it is garlanded by victory. Whether in the realm of the spiritual or in the world of action, that which is false can never embrace victory. Specially, advancing on the path of the Self (AtmA), towards the face of the Self, one has to travel on the brightly lit path of truth. With footsteps of truth, desiring truth, traversing the paths paved by truth, can one reach the free temple of truth. Traveling in the direction in which even the shadow of what is false does not fall on the heart, where one does not take a step on what is false, no false views falls on ones eyes, the existence of anything false does not touch any corner of awareness, even the word 'false' by the light of truth, becomes truth, or what is false becomes totally false, in that direction is established the munificent temple of truth. Even if a drop of falsity arises in the soul, or has the opportunity to rise in the soul, we have to understand that we are that far away from the truth.
What is this weariness? What are these soul rending cries? What is this poverty- this sad loss? Why this comatose obsession? Why this horrific fear? Why this weakness, this self poverty, mind without strength, this life without light, this slavery of nature, this narrowness, this groveling on the ground? It is from untruth, false knowledge, false feelings, false views.
Everything of yours is false. You have learnt, known and understood that this life is false, transient; these fruits, flowers, moon, sun, fire, wife and children, parents, this external world, the internal world, all - all filled by untruth, a mirage of a false world. With your weak eyes, you see the edges of life with the change of scenery by death; your life begins at birth and ends in death. This much, this observable, keeps awake a fear of immediate damage in the layers of your lives. With great care, like protecting a fragile object, with great trepidation we try to save it, less we lose it. With great concern, like thieves, we step softly, to keep it as long as we can. In this way we try to keep our grasp on the things outside and inside, and even upon ourselves. You understand all this to be false- you behave as if they are true, but you call them false. On top of this, your education is, 'Brothers, all this is false, throw away the illusion of this false world, break this dream, discard the delusion of life, leave it, run away from the mirage of this illusory world- from this painful world of mAyA.
mAyAvad [2] : Whether you can escape or not, the feeling that you are truly immersed in untruth, is made more clear by the doctrine. The pain is increased, the darkness covers more completely, the world becomes false and poisonous, burning in the fires of hell, you cry for relief. But what you will use to rise and escape, what you will hold to stand, a rope that true, a staff of truth, you do not have. Far, far away has that staff vanished, un acknowledged, unformed, silent, beyond word and mind. If you can escape then you can find him, if you put aside the darkness, then will you find light! What astounding teaching.
vishiSTAdvaitavad [3]: You have other teachings too. "Go on calling Him to be saved, take care of Him, He is everywhere; the world is transient, all this insentient objects are parts of Him. Love Him, respect Him, sing his praises; you will pass this transient world, you will be free from this false universe." At least the previous teaching said that this world was a false dream, a mirage like inexistence, entirely false. This teaching makes it more lively, enshrines the truth of the constant existence of the insentient, an eternal cover of non-self to engulf in a false dream. Before, the AtmA was covered by a dense storm, now comes before it a impenetrable mountainous wall. You, bereft of truth, learning about One, being truth yourselves, become blinded by untruth. By the advice of others, although you are the truth, you become entombed by an wall. of unconsciousness.
Not false, you are not false- this universe is not false; it is the true play (lila)[4] of the true energy of the true paramAtmA5, a whirling self-enjoyment of name, form and action. Like in a surging ocean, we can say that there is nothing but water, but we cannot call the waves to be false; like the waves that are a movement in the water, and like how we see the characteristics of name, form and action of the water in the movement of the waves; deem all of it to be true; whether as material, or as name or action, we perceive and feel water, so is this world. It is not a cover of untruth or a mix of truth and untruth on the ultimate being (brahma). The characteristics of atma with name and form are just characteristics of the sentient atma; it is the atma. It has no coverings, it has no inert material that is not atma- it is the atma that with characteristics of name, form and actions, exalts in its own self. Only atma; it is self expressed, entirely limitless (bhumA), entirely undivided, entirely without untruth, not unconscious, exudes the greatness of the actions of prANa and perception, perceptive, freedom of perception; the true self.
But this that we see and feel that the world is insentient, death is death, birth is birth; that I am happy, I am sad, I am needy, sick, I am great, I am a human, that we exist with these perceptions, are they false? As long as we exist with the perceptions of earthly beings (jiva), the divine perception, the true play of name, form and actions, will be reflected as such. What is bondage, pain and non-knowledge, as an earthly being, after vision of the paramatma is divine play (lilA) the true games of truth. This is the true luxury of the strength of truth.
You may call this a partial vision of the truth- a fallacious game of truth. You may call the feelings developed by your perceptions as non-knowledge (avidyA) or fallacious as long as you do not know that this is the play (lilA) of your atma, that by his divine play have you been awakened as a being. The play of the paramatma becomes the rule for an earthly being, and this happens as long as one does not recognize this world as the divine play of the energy of the self-existent (chit shakti). The divine play of the ultimate awareness (chinmayi)[6] rising in your perceptions, is para-knowledge (avidyA) , so long as you do not recognize the knowledge of this ultimate awareness as its only reason; as long as you cannot break thorough the separateness of this awareness. This knowledge, this glory is really that of truth, the real nature of the truth. In you, in your ignorance, this knowledge appears as avidyA, as falseness. So, this falseness is only a partial truth in your dealings with this world, not untruth; a true play of the truth. If you perceive the truth, the universe will not vanish, you will see the universe of the atma, the non-unity will vanish, the illusion of its bondage will vanish. This is the middle-freedom (madhya mukti) or the freedom of the being (jivanmukti). The sense of non-unity is avidyA.
That is why the sages (RSi) have repeatedly asked to cover the transient, turbulent, posture of name, form and actions of this world by divine knowledge. That which is covered, is the radiance of the play (lilA) of truth, it begins in truth and end of its purpose is in the play of truth. The sages have advised to envelop the knowledge of this world (avidyA) from beginning to end with the divine knowledge.
Wipe away the false visions, banish from your life the word false. Your speech is truth, your mind is truth, your life is truth, your behavior is truth; this vision, this feeling, live by this rule of truth, be truth. Wipe away the kohl[7] of falsity from your eye of knowledge. My your vision of this temple of joy as a prison of ignorance end forever. Become a visioneer of the truth. See that this universe is the true play of the percept (bodh) of true atma; not false. Even the smallest shadow of untruth will prevent the complete vision of the truth; never forget this.
1 mundaka upanishad 3.1.6
2 the doctrine that the world is illusory (mAyA)
3 the doctrine of special non-duality
4 divine play
5 the ultimate soul
6 as formed of absolute awareness (used in the feminine gender)
7 used as eye-liner
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