Guru continues: “If remnants of prārabdha karma (karma meant for this birth) permits, you have to destroy all internal and external diversities; make all the names and forms merge into your Self. Meditate only on the ever blissful and eternal Brahman. You should never be careless or complacent about steadfastness on Brahman. Such carelessness is considered equivalent to death by Sanathkumāra, the mental son of Lord Brahmā. For the one, who has realized the Self, there is nothing more dangerous than being complacent after realization. If you slip from this highest point of human existence, it leads to serious repercussions such as delusion, rearing of ego, attachment, etc. all of which finally lead to melancholy (self-destruction). Even though you are intelligent (attained highest spiritual wisdom), still afflictions of buddhi could bring you down. Even if you remove green moss of weed (śaivala) from the surface of a pond, again it pervades the water surface.
Even though you have reached the highest spiritual level (jīvanmukta, etc), if you stop inquiring about the Self, you will still be afflicted with māyā. If you hold a ball carelessly (when removing attention on the ball), it slips from your hands and bumps down the staircase and reaches the floor. Similarly, if you divert your mind for a moment to the exciting material world, your goal of attaining Brahman will slip away. Once you divert your mind, it develops attachment, desire, etc. and is lured by the ever exciting material world and makes you to fall steeply from your spiritual attainment. Once you fall from your spiritual attainment, you cannot regain it again. Therefore, get rid of saṅkalpa (conception or idea or notion formed in the mind; will, volition, desire, purpose, definite intention or determination or decision or wish) which is the root cause of all these miseries. Therefore, understand that there is nothing more serious than deviating from your perpetual samādhi connected with Brahman. The one who steadfastly stays with Brahman is sure to get liberation. Hence, remain firm with Brahman through your meditation.
“The one, who attains the stage of kaivalya (kaivalya is the final stage of life of a living being. Nobody is there with that being during that time. He is all alone without any help around and he has to achieve on his own. This is the final stage of one’s evolution. The soul is about to leave its present body and getting ready to merge with the Brahman. Kaivalya is liberation or salvation and hence it is called the final stage. This final stage can be reached in two ways. One is the mundane stage associated with desires and attachments where soul gets ready for rebirth. The other stage is the stage of samādhi, where the soul gets ready for its union with the Brahman, not to be born again), continues to remain in the stage of kaivalya even after his death. This is known as videha mukti or kaivalya prāpti. If one sees fraction of difference (from the Self), he will continue to have inherent fear of not being liberated. Taittirīya Upaniṣad (II.vii) says, “When a person rests fearlessly in that Self, he is no longer afraid of anything. So long as he sees the least difference between himself and the Supreme Self, he is not totally free from fear”. If you by chance, indulge in any of the prohibited activities. as declared in śāstra-s, you are sure to be punished for your indulgence and you will experience terrible pains and sorrows one after another. You have to always stay with spiritual wisdom and with such spiritual wisdom, you should always remain with Brahman. This will make you experience perpetual bliss. When you stay away from the material world, your mind is purified and as a result, you realize Brahman in stages. When you are sleeping, you cannot remain awake and if you are awake, you cannot be sleeping. Both these are two different aspects and cannot co-exist at the same time. Similarly, when a person is with Brahman, he will not think about the deceptive material world.
“You should know who muktan is. He is the one, who has detached himself from both sentient and insentient beings, who always seeks the cause of everything, who has discarded all his material contacts and perpetually staying with the Self. Muktan means, one who is liberated. When one stays connected only with the Brahman, then this stage is called sarvātmabhāva. In order to attain liberation, there is no other way except remaining in sarvātmabhāva. This path is difficult. You have stay away from the material life and should stay with the Self always. This practice is called dṛśya-prapañca-tiraskaraṇa (veiling the visible world). After having carefully listened to the teachings of Guru, one should control his mind and senses and meditate on the Self and enter into samādhi. (Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (IV.iv.23) says, “This is the eternal glory of the knower of Brahman. Knowing Brahman, one is not touched by evil actions. Therefore he who knows it as such becomes self-controlled, calm, withdrawn into himself, enduring and concentrated and sees the Self in own body; he sees all as the Self. Evil does not overtake him, but he transcends all evil. Evil does not trouble him, but he consumes all evil. He becomes sinless, taintless, and free from doubts becomes Brahman himself.” Bhagavad Gītā (III.17) says, “He who takes delight in the Self alone is gratified with the Self and has no duty to perform.”)
“Ego is always powerful. Even a man with highest knowledge will find it difficult to destroy ego. Impressions of ego come from innumerable past births. Only those who are in the stage of nirvikalpa samādhi alone can completely destroy impressions of egoism. Vikṣepa śakti by using its āvaraṇa śakti takes possession of egoism and ultimately throw him out from the path for liberation. Unless āvaraṇa śakti is completely destroyed, it is difficult to conquer vikṣepa śakti. If the difference between the Self and the universe is properly understood, only then āvaraṇa śakti can be completely destroyed. When āvaraṇa śakti is completely destroyed, all the impediments to highest spiritual knowledge are removed and vikṣepa śakti is also destroyed. When realization happens out of pure spiritual knowledge, you will be able to understand the difference between the witness (Self) and the object (universe). When you understand this difference, all the influences of māyā are destroyed and you are relieved from the pains of transmigration. Beginning from ego to gross body, everything changes and therefore, they are deceptive in nature. Only the Self does not change and remains the same always. If you understand your ātmasvarūpa (I am Brahman), you will be liberated and will attain eternal peace.”
More related articles:
Jayanth Chandramouli
June 09, 2016 07:24 PM
Can you please explain what do you mean by "you have to destroy all internal and external diversities; make all the names and forms merge into your Self. " What is this diversity that is spoken about and does names and forms refer to different names for gods and goddesses that we have now?
How does the inherent fear arise when a person is convinced the Self is within, what type of fear is this? Does it create doubt in the persons mind?
Secondly it is said that we should have belief on steadfastness of Brahman, so here absolute faith is necessary for sometime which we have not yet experienced and dont know whether it exists?
Reply
Replies
MANBLUNDER
June 09, 2016 08:27 PM
External diversities mean the material world and internal diversities mean antaḥkaraṇa. Names and forms mean different beings, etc. Controlling the mind is important in Self-realization. Mind by nature, goes out seeks material desires and attachments. We have to withdraw our attention from the material world and fix it on the Self within. While withdrawing our awareness, both material world and antaḥkaraṇa are involved, as we are attached to the material world only through our antaḥkaraṇa (mind, intellect and ego). Fear is inherent nature of any being. Even though, one is realized, still he is bound to have fear on seeing a hungry lion before him. The human mind is always active. This fear comes, only when the realization is not total and affirmation of "I am That" is not total. As long as duality prevails, fear will be there. That is why it is said that you have to be with Brahman without any fear, which means that your affirmation is total.
Reply