Jnana Vahini
Original in Telugu
Look at the clouds that wander across the sky; note that they have no intimate lasting relationship with the sky. Such is the relationship between your body and You, that is to say, You, who are of the nature of Paramatma (Godhead, the Supreme Self). The body is but a temporary passing phase. How can wakefulness, dream, sleep and other states of the body affect in any way the Paramatma, the real You?
What of your shadow? Is it not something separate from you? Does its plight have any impact on you in any way? Understand that the same is the relationship between the body and Your True Self, i.e., Paramatma. If you consider this body, which is made up of a bundle of flesh and bone, as real You, then where is that body which you call “mine”? Pondering over this is the beginning of Jnana.
This physical frame (body), built out of Pancha-bhutas (five elements – ether, air, fire, water, and earth) is only a contrived form, born out of Avidya (unawareness) and Ajnana (ignorance). Did this body exist before birth? Does it persist after death? No. It appears and disappears, with an interval of existence! Therefore, it is meaningless; it is merely a product of the trickster, known as mind. Your true nature is Sat-Chit-Ananda (Being-Awareness-Bliss).
What was clay that took the form of pot and pan and plate and after an interval becomes clay once again, shapeless clay. So too, because it is with names and forms, the purpose of the life that happens in a time frame interval is meaningless.
For the true being of Sat-Chit-Ananda, all forms are He; everything is He. Therefore, You are the Paramatma (Supreme Self), above and beyond the past, present and future. You are not this body which is bound to change with time. The one who is aware of this conception and dwells constantly in the thought that “I am Para-brahma” is regarded as a Jnani.
That mind is in bondage, which craves for objects, for the company of people, and prefers this location or that. That mind is liberated, which is not attached to any of these cravings. Therefore, Anuragam (attachment or affection) is bondage and death; non-attachment is liberation and living forever.
“Manayeva manushyanam karanam bandhamokshayoh”; for man, mind alone causes bondage and grants liberation. The mind runs after an object, gets attached to it, which leads to the agitation of the senses and eventually results into action.
Bhaya (fear) and Krodha (anger) are the closest comrades of Anuragam (attachment or affection), the comrades dearest to its heart! Where there is Anuragam, there is Bhaya and Krodha. They are, all three, inseparable companions, moving always together. That is why even Patanjali mentioned as follows, about Anuragam: “Sukhanushayi ragah” – It is Asakti (attachment) that attracts Saukhya (sensual pleasures or enjoyments). So, whatever gives Saukhya is all basically Anuragam. Adherence to objects that give sensual pleasures or enjoyments is the cause of Asakti (attachment). Asakti causes desires; desires lead to anger; all these together make one caught in the wheel of dualities of pains and pleasures, good and bad, and turns him distressed and anxious; and, this is what Ajnana (ignorance) is.
When impure gold is melted in the crucible, its impurities are removed and it emerges shining and bright. Likewise, through profound Viveka (discrimination) and Vicharana (inquiry), impurities of anger and desires, and delusions of Rajas (quality of passion and restlessness) and Tamas (quality of dullness and ignorance) are removed, and the vision of shining, brilliance of Atma-jnanam (knowledge of the Self) is attained.
Like the dark clouds that obscure the resplendent Sun are dispersed by gale-force winds, if the Vasanas (tendencies), Sankalpas (thoughts) and Trishnas (cravings) that blacken the mind are destroyed, it can merge in the splendorous Para-brahman (Supreme Self, Godhead).
Whatever the crisis, however deep the misery, do not allow your grip over the mind to get loose; tighten it further, fixing your eyes on the higher values. One should surrender to the Atma by attaining pure Antahkaranas [inner instruments or the collective name for the Manas (mind), Buddhi (intellect), Chitta (collection of notions, tendencies, ideas and memories) and Ahamkaram (sense of ego)]. Then, one can proceed from the Savikalpa Samadhi (a state of meditation in which there still remains a distinction between meditator, meditation and meditated) to the Nirvikalpa Samadhi (a state in which there exists no distinction between meditator, meditation and meditated). Delusion must disappear without even a trace. Then only can one attain Nirvikalpa Samadhi. And, that is the basis for the absolute Atma-jnanam (knowledge of the Self) to dawn. Once Para-brahma is attained through Nirvikalpa Samadhi, all bonds of Avidya (unawareness or ignorance), Karma (duties), Kama (desires), etc. fall away and one is genuinely, fully Free. Atma-sandarsana (vision or realisation of the Atma) is possible only through the mind that is engaged in Samadhi (complete absorption in Brahman, Godhead).
The snake shoves off its coil and has nothing more to do with it. Develop that attitude of non-attachment towards the body. Escape from the body-delusion. Only then can one become successful in his endeavour to experience Brahma-jnanam (awareness of the Absolute). The weak souls (who easily get deluded by worldly affairs) can never grasp this fact. By Atma-chintana (constant meditation on the Atman and its Glory), one can gradually come out of the tangles of the world and worldly affairs. This requires a lot of patience and incessant practice of the spiritual discipline. The Sadhaka (spiritual aspirant) who is earnest would divert all his attention and effort from the worldly affairs and sensory pleasures, and fix them on enquiring about the Eternal Brahman; he considers it as the highest Tapas (penance).
Man did not arise, merely to wallow in casual joy and fleeting happiness of this temporal world. It is insane to believe so. Identifying oneself with the “I” and getting attached to “Mine” – that Ahamkaram (egoism) is the root cause for such insane belief or attitude. Where there is no Ahamkaram, there will be no cognisance of the external world. When the external world is not cognised, the ego cannot exist. The wise one, therefore, will detach himself from the world by exercising his Vichaksana-shakti (power of discretion) and behave ever as an instrument or agent of the Lord.
Once, in the midst of conversation, for the benefit of the world, Sage Vashishta spoke thus to Lord Rama; “Listen, O, Rama, the Valiant! The Jiva (individual soul) is a bull reclining in the shade of Moham (delusion) of a vastly spreading tree in the forest, Samsara (cycle of worldly existence). It is bound by the ropes of desires and so, it is infected by the diseases of fleas and insects. It rolls in the mire of Papa Karmas (sinful deeds), while struggling in the dark night of ignorance and beaten by the blemishes of worldly desires only to slake the thirst of the senses. In such a scenario, it (the bull representing ‘Man’ here) can cross this dreadful forest of Samsara only through the help of the good company of noble and wise souls. So, through Viveka (discrimination) and Vichara (inquiry), one should achieve Vijnana (higher wisdom) and through Vijnana, one should grasp the Yathartha (Truth); this is what is called as Atma-saksatkaram (Realisation of the Atma) or Atma-jnanam (knowledge of the Atma). That Atma-jnanam is the ultimate goal of life, that is Turiyatita (the state of Witness-Consciousness which is beyond the four states of waking, dreaming, deep sleep and the fourth state – Turiya).”
But, one point has to be clearly noted and remembered always: mere giving up of infatuation towards external activities connected with the satisfaction of sensory desires is not enough; the internal cravings have to be completely uprooted. The word ‘Trishna’ covers both these, the internal and the external desires and cravings. The desire, which comes after the destruction of both the outer and inner desires and cravings, is called Mukta-trishna (desire and craving for liberation). So long as the Trishnas keep multiplying, the mind is filled with agitations and restlessness. Realisation of the Atma alone can destroy all Trishnas.
When such Jnani declares, “I am Brahman,” he is uttering the truth from the sincerity of his experience. When the gross and the subtle bodies are transcended, when the Manas (mind), the Buddhi (intellect) and the Prana (life-force) are sublimated and transcended, that is to say, when the Self is no longer bound by the feelings, thoughts, impulses and instincts, what remains is only Sat (Existence itself) or Para-brahman (Supreme Self). Hence, the Jnani feels one with the Omnipresent, the Omnipotent Lord, Sarveshvara. On the other hand, the one without proper training and practice of spiritual discipline considers his physical frame itself as the Ultimate, Para-brahman.
Sat-Chit-Ananda means, that which exists ‘Eternally’. Nirakara, means without Akara or Form. What form can we posit to Paramatma who is All-pervasive and All-inclusive? ‘Para’ or ‘Param’ means that which is greater than all. So, Para-brahman indicates that there exists nothing greater than This in the three worlds. He is Advaita, meaning Non-dual. The lesson that it teaches is, there should be only One thing that can be called ‘Eternal’ and so, ‘Two’ can never be eternal. If there are ‘Two’, differences arise. When there is a difference, conflict is inevitable. Brahman is All-pervasive; therefore, It is only of One Fundamental Unified Continuous Form (no second entity), which is Indivisible. Realising this is true ‘Jnanam,’ the ‘Highest Wisdom.’
Index
Preface
Four Obstacles to Realise the Atma
Control of Mind is Essential to have a Vision of the Atma
Four Types of Jnanis
Mind Alone Causes Bondage and Liberation
Knowing and Experiencing the Absolute Truth is Jnanam
Devotion to God is the First Step to Acquire Jnaana
The Triune of Bhakti, Jnana and Vairagya Leads to Liberation
The Greatness of a Jnaani
Vidya Spells the Doom of Maya
A True Jnani must Investigate into the Reality
Until the Mind is Destroyed, One Cannot Experience Reality
Four Qualifications Needed for Self-Enquiry
Mind Alone Causes Bondage and Liberation
Original in Telugu
Look at the clouds that wander across the sky; note that they have no intimate lasting relationship with the sky. Such is the relationship between your body and You, that is to say, You, who are of the nature of Paramatma (Godhead, the Supreme Self). The body is but a temporary passing phase. How can wakefulness, dream, sleep and other states of the body affect in any way the Paramatma, the real You?
What of your shadow? Is it not something separate from you? Does its plight have any impact on you in any way? Understand that the same is the relationship between the body and Your True Self, i.e., Paramatma. If you consider this body, which is made up of a bundle of flesh and bone, as real You, then where is that body which you call “mine”? Pondering over this is the beginning of Jnana.
This physical frame (body), built out of Pancha-bhutas (five elements – ether, air, fire, water, and earth) is only a contrived form, born out of Avidya (unawareness) and Ajnana (ignorance). Did this body exist before birth? Does it persist after death? No. It appears and disappears, with an interval of existence! Therefore, it is meaningless; it is merely a product of the trickster, known as mind. Your true nature is Sat-Chit-Ananda (Being-Awareness-Bliss).
What was clay that took the form of pot and pan and plate and after an interval becomes clay once again, shapeless clay. So too, because it is with names and forms, the purpose of the life that happens in a time frame interval is meaningless.
For the true being of Sat-Chit-Ananda, all forms are He; everything is He. Therefore, You are the Paramatma (Supreme Self), above and beyond the past, present and future. You are not this body which is bound to change with time. The one who is aware of this conception and dwells constantly in the thought that “I am Para-brahma” is regarded as a Jnani.
That mind is in bondage, which craves for objects, for the company of people, and prefers this location or that. That mind is liberated, which is not attached to any of these cravings. Therefore, Anuragam (attachment or affection) is bondage and death; non-attachment is liberation and living forever.
“Manayeva manushyanam karanam bandhamokshayoh”; for man, mind alone causes bondage and grants liberation. The mind runs after an object, gets attached to it, which leads to the agitation of the senses and eventually results into action.
Bhaya (fear) and Krodha (anger) are the closest comrades of Anuragam (attachment or affection), the comrades dearest to its heart! Where there is Anuragam, there is Bhaya and Krodha. They are, all three, inseparable companions, moving always together. That is why even Patanjali mentioned as follows, about Anuragam: “Sukhanushayi ragah” – It is Asakti (attachment) that attracts Saukhya (sensual pleasures or enjoyments). So, whatever gives Saukhya is all basically Anuragam. Adherence to objects that give sensual pleasures or enjoyments is the cause of Asakti (attachment). Asakti causes desires; desires lead to anger; all these together make one caught in the wheel of dualities of pains and pleasures, good and bad, and turns him distressed and anxious; and, this is what Ajnana (ignorance) is.
When impure gold is melted in the crucible, its impurities are removed and it emerges shining and bright. Likewise, through profound Viveka (discrimination) and Vicharana (inquiry), impurities of anger and desires, and delusions of Rajas (quality of passion and restlessness) and Tamas (quality of dullness and ignorance) are removed, and the vision of shining, brilliance of Atma-jnanam (knowledge of the Self) is attained.
Like the dark clouds that obscure the resplendent Sun are dispersed by gale-force winds, if the Vasanas (tendencies), Sankalpas (thoughts) and Trishnas (cravings) that blacken the mind are destroyed, it can merge in the splendorous Para-brahman (Supreme Self, Godhead).
Whatever the crisis, however deep the misery, do not allow your grip over the mind to get loose; tighten it further, fixing your eyes on the higher values. One should surrender to the Atma by attaining pure Antahkaranas [inner instruments or the collective name for the Manas (mind), Buddhi (intellect), Chitta (collection of notions, tendencies, ideas and memories) and Ahamkaram (sense of ego)]. Then, one can proceed from the Savikalpa Samadhi (a state of meditation in which there still remains a distinction between meditator, meditation and meditated) to the Nirvikalpa Samadhi (a state in which there exists no distinction between meditator, meditation and meditated). Delusion must disappear without even a trace. Then only can one attain Nirvikalpa Samadhi. And, that is the basis for the absolute Atma-jnanam (knowledge of the Self) to dawn. Once Para-brahma is attained through Nirvikalpa Samadhi, all bonds of Avidya (unawareness or ignorance), Karma (duties), Kama (desires), etc. fall away and one is genuinely, fully Free. Atma-sandarsana (vision or realisation of the Atma) is possible only through the mind that is engaged in Samadhi (complete absorption in Brahman, Godhead).
The snake shoves off its coil and has nothing more to do with it. Develop that attitude of non-attachment towards the body. Escape from the body-delusion. Only then can one become successful in his endeavour to experience Brahma-jnanam (awareness of the Absolute). The weak souls (who easily get deluded by worldly affairs) can never grasp this fact. By Atma-chintana (constant meditation on the Atman and its Glory), one can gradually come out of the tangles of the world and worldly affairs. This requires a lot of patience and incessant practice of the spiritual discipline. The Sadhaka (spiritual aspirant) who is earnest would divert all his attention and effort from the worldly affairs and sensory pleasures, and fix them on enquiring about the Eternal Brahman; he considers it as the highest Tapas (penance).
Man did not arise, merely to wallow in casual joy and fleeting happiness of this temporal world. It is insane to believe so. Identifying oneself with the “I” and getting attached to “Mine” – that Ahamkaram (egoism) is the root cause for such insane belief or attitude. Where there is no Ahamkaram, there will be no cognisance of the external world. When the external world is not cognised, the ego cannot exist. The wise one, therefore, will detach himself from the world by exercising his Vichaksana-shakti (power of discretion) and behave ever as an instrument or agent of the Lord.
Once, in the midst of conversation, for the benefit of the world, Sage Vashishta spoke thus to Lord Rama; “Listen, O, Rama, the Valiant! The Jiva (individual soul) is a bull reclining in the shade of Moham (delusion) of a vastly spreading tree in the forest, Samsara (cycle of worldly existence). It is bound by the ropes of desires and so, it is infected by the diseases of fleas and insects. It rolls in the mire of Papa Karmas (sinful deeds), while struggling in the dark night of ignorance and beaten by the blemishes of worldly desires only to slake the thirst of the senses. In such a scenario, it (the bull representing ‘Man’ here) can cross this dreadful forest of Samsara only through the help of the good company of noble and wise souls. So, through Viveka (discrimination) and Vichara (inquiry), one should achieve Vijnana (higher wisdom) and through Vijnana, one should grasp the Yathartha (Truth); this is what is called as Atma-saksatkaram (Realisation of the Atma) or Atma-jnanam (knowledge of the Atma). That Atma-jnanam is the ultimate goal of life, that is Turiyatita (the state of Witness-Consciousness which is beyond the four states of waking, dreaming, deep sleep and the fourth state – Turiya).”
But, one point has to be clearly noted and remembered always: mere giving up of infatuation towards external activities connected with the satisfaction of sensory desires is not enough; the internal cravings have to be completely uprooted. The word ‘Trishna’ covers both these, the internal and the external desires and cravings. The desire, which comes after the destruction of both the outer and inner desires and cravings, is called Mukta-trishna (desire and craving for liberation). So long as the Trishnas keep multiplying, the mind is filled with agitations and restlessness. Realisation of the Atma alone can destroy all Trishnas.
When such Jnani declares, “I am Brahman,” he is uttering the truth from the sincerity of his experience. When the gross and the subtle bodies are transcended, when the Manas (mind), the Buddhi (intellect) and the Prana (life-force) are sublimated and transcended, that is to say, when the Self is no longer bound by the feelings, thoughts, impulses and instincts, what remains is only Sat (Existence itself) or Para-brahman (Supreme Self). Hence, the Jnani feels one with the Omnipresent, the Omnipotent Lord, Sarveshvara. On the other hand, the one without proper training and practice of spiritual discipline considers his physical frame itself as the Ultimate, Para-brahman.
Sat-Chit-Ananda means, that which exists ‘Eternally’. Nirakara, means without Akara or Form. What form can we posit to Paramatma who is All-pervasive and All-inclusive? ‘Para’ or ‘Param’ means that which is greater than all. So, Para-brahman indicates that there exists nothing greater than This in the three worlds. He is Advaita, meaning Non-dual. The lesson that it teaches is, there should be only One thing that can be called ‘Eternal’ and so, ‘Two’ can never be eternal. If there are ‘Two’, differences arise. When there is a difference, conflict is inevitable. Brahman is All-pervasive; therefore, It is only of One Fundamental Unified Continuous Form (no second entity), which is Indivisible. Realising this is true ‘Jnanam,’ the ‘Highest Wisdom.’