“DaivadeShakam” mantRam two; as I understand IT; Part Four.

Now in this process of elimination, some people cannot see the Athman? Who are they? “who has no understanding and whose mind is never firmly held, her/his senses are unmanageable, like vicious horses of a charioteer.” And also, “who has no understanding; who is unmindful and always impure” also cannot reach the Athman (as they can never see the braHMan but enters into the round of ‘births and deaths’).

Then who sees the braHMan? “That Self is hidden in all beings and does not shine forth, but it is seen by subtle seers through their sharp and subtle intellect.” Also, “who has understanding and whose mind is always firmly held, who’s senses are under control, like good horses of a charioteer”, And “who has perceived that which is without sound, without touch, without form, without decay, without taste, eternal, without smell, without beginning, without end, beyond the Great, and unchangeable,” can “see the Athman and they shall be freed from the jaws of death, and attain mokSham, whence they shall not be born again.''

The wise one who seeks Athman ‘should restrain speech in mind; the latter (the mind) in the understanding self. The understanding self, should restrain in the Great Self; that they should restrain in the tranquil Self.' Also, “Remember and understand that the sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over; thus the wise say; the path (to the Self) is hard.''

To reach the Athman we must know where is the Athman? IT is, in a very secret and sacred place. 'Beyond the senses there are the objects (of the senses), beyond the objects there is the mind; beyond the mind there is the intellect and the Great Self is beyond the intellect.'' 'Beyond the Great Self, there is the Un-manifest, beyond the Un-manifest is the Purusha, the braHMan and beyond IT there is nothing and that is the end (of our journey); that Is the final goal, the highest road, we are seeking for.’

That is the reason, in Bhagavad Geetha; ShRee KRishna bhagwAn asked Arjunan to abandon “all forms of rights and duties and take refuge” in HIM alone and HE promised that HE shall free ARjunan from all sins. Remember here, HE means the parabrHMam not the shree KRishna bhagwAn in human form.

“The wise who, by means of concentration of the Self, realizes that ancient, effulgent One, who is hard to be seen, un-manifest, hidden, and who dwells in the buddhi and rests in the body, he, indeed, leaves joy and sorrow far behind.” “The mortal who has heard this and comprehended it well, who has extracted the essence from all qualities, and has thus reached the subtle (Athman), rejoices, having attained the source of joy. For them the abode of Brahman - (ബ്രഹ്മൻ) is open, I believe”.

The ‘I’ factor, the ‘ego’ accepted the experiences of the materialistic world and thus the “Athman” was lost under the cloud of the ‘ego’. However the search for it with the aid of “Thapasya” - (തപസ്യ), we trace back to the origin and thus understand the Truth. When this happens, the ‘Self’ alone shall shine. This will in turn help us to realize the ‘Absolute like ten thousand suns coming all at once’, which will cause to arise the modulation of the discriminatory power of ours and it will remove the veil of transience covering the fact of the Absolute. And that Absolute shall shine like a glowing raising sun which removes all the darkness. Thus, the ‘I’, born out of the paramAthman, returns to the same paramAthman; and merges into it thus attaining the Ultimate Bliss (മോക്ഷം). This is the stage Gurudevan explains in verse 97of (ആത്മോപദേശശതകം) admopadeShaShathakam.

അണുവറിവിന്‍ മഹിമാവിലംഗമില്ലാ-
തണയുമഖണ്ഡവുമന്നു പൂര്‍ണ്ണമാകും;
അനുഭവിയാതറിവീലഖണ്ഡമാം ചിദ്-
ഘനമിതു മൗനഘനാമൃതാബ്ധിയാകും.

AnuvaRivin mahimAvilangamillA-

thaNayumakhaNDavumannu poorNNamAkum;

anubhaviyAtaRiveelakhadamAm chid-

ghanamithu mounaghanAmrtAbdhiyAkum.

Meaning: The finite will disappear in the glory of infinite knowledge, leaving no trace of its finitude; on that day the infinite will attain perfection; without experiencing it, one does not know this boundless pure consciousness; it is the silence filled ocean of immortal bliss.

The jeevAtman, or the ‘I’ will disappear into the vastness of paramAthman, (the Absolute) leaving no trace of itself at the time of the attainment with an indivisible perfection. Just like the rivers merge into the ocean and loses its identity, in an undividable merger. Without direct experience one does not know or understand this unbroken consciousness; which is the solidified and endless immortal bliss. When we end the mantRam by declaring ‘dRukku pOluLLam ninnilspandamAkaNam’ (ദൃക്കുപോലുള്ളം നിന്നിലസ്‌പന്ദമാകണം) this is what we are asking the Absolute to grant us.

Shree Adi ShankarAchAryaR says “by a process of negation of the conditionings (upAdhis) through the help of the scriptural statement “it is not this, It is not this, the oneness of the jeevAthman and the braHMan as indicated by the great MahAvakyas, has to be realized.

This process of elimination will bring the “I” into a ‘stage of oneness’ with the Absolute. This is realized by the Athman which was nothing but the “I” or “ego” in us. So that ego has now realized as the Athman. At this stage of realization we will be able to understand that, there are only two true experiences and that are the ‘I’ the Athman, and the Ultimate Truth, which is the braHMan. {It will also be understood that in fact these both are not separate but one and the same.} This is known as savikalpasamAdhi (സവികല്പസമാധി).  Gurudevan calls this as kEvalathin mahima (കേവലത്തിൻ മഹിമ) in mantRam thirteen of admopadeShaShathakam. The utmost point the “I”, the ego can reach that is what kEvalathin mahima (കേവലത്തിൻ മഹിമ) is? Once it (the “I”; ego) is there, it realizes that every one of us can be at that stage and the “I” factor disappears on further Thapasya and this is where the “I” or the Athman merges into the Absolute and becomes one ‘with HIM’. This is the stage known as (നിർവികല്പസമാധി) nirvikalppasamAdhi. Here the ‘Athman’, the jeevAthman (“I”), and the collection of all the jeevAthman (all the “I”s) which is the ‘we’; all of us; becomes part of the braHMan without differentiation of individuality. No more me, you, he, she etc and it all becomes ONE; Ayam Athma Brahman, (This Self – Athman - is BraHMan); Tat Tvam Asi, (Thou art that); and Aham BrahMAsmi, (I am BraHMan) and PRajnAnam BraHMan, (Consciousness is Brahman).

(This translation and interpretation is only for the discussion within this group. Please do not circulate to any other group or individuals. Please do not mail to any other group. If needed for circulation, please contact the author. It is copyrighted and no one should reproduce or circulate it without author’s written consent. Anyone can print copy and distribute ‘as it is’ – that is without make any change.) (For more information contact the author at (udayabhanupanickar@yahoo.com)