The Light Of Spirituality Reveals The Atma

In the ancient Gurukula (tutelage under a realised Guru) tradition, a function known as Snatakotsava was held at the end of the educational period of the disciples. This function was presided over by the Chief Acharya or Guru of the Gurukula who imparted valuable advice to the disciples before they entered the Grahastha A_shram_ or the married life with the role of a householder.

This advice in the form of a code of conduct and ethics is contained in the Shiksavalli, which forms part of the Taittiriya Upanishad. During the Snatakotsava, the Shiksavalli is recapitulated, wherein Dharmic principles (code of conduct with regard to right and righteous pursuit of life) are enshrined for the benefit of a householder. In the present times, the universities are organizing convocations for awarding degrees only. But they are not imparting human values that are important for leading a happy life.

Spiritual Practices Purify The Mind

One may have studied the Vedas and other sacred texts thoroughly, one may have acquired command on prosody and poetry, but when purity of mind is lacking, one is bound to perish. No amount of worldly knowledge is of any use in understanding the nature of Divinity. Even a great scholar of science cannot perceive worldly objects during sleep. Is it not a kind of blindness? Lack of knowledge of spirituality is similar to this kind of blindness. Spirituality involves practical knowledge. Those who cannot enjoy the inner bliss are blind, too. Even a blind man is able to perceive the world around him, as he can listen to all happenings. The Vedas and Vedangas (branches of Vedas) speak of all that is sacred in man’s life. One can learn from them and realise Divinity through Swanubhuti (one’s own experience). These sacred texts help us to acquire purity of mind. Tapas (penance), Dhyana (meditation), Yoga, Bhajans, etc., are all meant for purification of mind. The true nature of Atma, however, cannot be realised merely by these spiritual practices.

Just as clouds cover the sun, ash covers fire, and moss covers water, the principle of Atma is unrecognisable as consciousness is covered by passion and hatred. The principle of Atma is beyond all measures and comparisons, most mysterious of all mysteries, and is incomprehensible. Scientists have been striving hard to know its form and features. They want to know in what form the Atma exists. It should be realised that anything or any object that has a form or shape will have the quality of decaying and perishing. The Atma has no definite form or a particular shape. It has to be recognised within one’s own being, not outside. Each and every individual refers to himself or herself by the word ‘I’. A young man refers to himself in terms of I. An old man also uses I. Even though the body is undergoing changes, the ‘I’ does not change. This changeless nature connotes the Atma. I is not confined to any particular individual. It is present in everyone.

Divinity Permeates The Entire Creation

There is water in a pot. There is the reflection of an object in the water. The reflection moves as water moves, even though there is no movement of the object. You may or may not see the reflection, but the object is there which you can see. So, this water is what is known as Upadhi or the medium of the reflection.

The human body has three forms or levels – Sthula (gross), Sukshma (subtle), and Karana (causal). Prana (life principle) is subtler than the gross body, mind is subtler than the life principle, Buddhi (intellect) is subtler than the mind, and Vijnana (discriminatory intellect) is subtler than the intellect. Vijnana is very important in the life of man. As one goes on shedding mental modifications and objective perceptions with the help of Vijnana, the Atma gets revealed.

The entire creation is composed of Pancha Bhutas (five elements). They are: earth, water, fire, air, and space. Earth is possessed of all the Tanmatras (attributes in subtle form) – Shabda, Sparsha, Rupa, Rasa, Gandha (hearing, touch, sight, taste, smell) and so it is the grossest of all the five elements. Next is water. It is associated with four attributes, sans the quality of smell, and hence it is endowed with the capacity to move. Fire contains three attributes of sound, touch, and form. So, fire is capable of moving upwards. The fourth element is air, which has only the attribute of sound and touch, and hence it is free to move in all directions. The fifth element is Akasha or sky. It has sound as its only attribute and is bereft of all the other four attributes. So, it pervades all over. God is beyond all attributes, and at the same time, He is the repository of all of them.

The Same Divinity Is Present In Microcosm And Macrocosm

Earth, which is gross, is called Bhutakasha. Literally, it means space in gross form. There is Chittakasha (space in mental form) in it. There is Chidakasha within Chittakasha. Chidakasha connotes consciousness in the form of space. If you look at this description in the reverse order, you can realise that consciousness is contained within the endless space, mind is contained within the consciousness, and gross bodies such as earth, planets, stars, etc., are contained within the mental domain. When you look at this description in one direction, you find evolution, and in the other direction, it is involution.

All those things perceptible to senses, without any exception, come under the domain of Bhutakasha. The earth is vast and measures 8,000 miles in diameter. The sun is far bigger than earth. The solar system extends to 800 million miles. A galaxy (Nakshatra Mandala) is far far bigger than the solar system. The sun is at a distance of about 93 million miles from the earth. It is the nearest star to earth. A ray of light travels at a speed of 1,86,000 miles per second. It takes several years for a ray of light to reach earth from a distant star. No ray of light has reached earth from many distant stars as yet. All that is contained in Bhutakasha is vast.

As explained by the Upanishads, all these clusters of galaxies come under the domain of Bhutakasha. All this Bhutakasha is but a small fraction of Chittakasha. You are seeing innumerable sights and countless stars. But when you recollect, all those planets, etc., are accommodated in a small fraction of your mind. You are sitting here and are looking at the group of people at Kodaikanal. When you go back to your place and try to recollect this gathering, the entire group occupies a tiny fraction in your mental domain, is it not?

Dakshinamurti described Chittakasha as a reflection of the universe in the mind. The cosmos has a very small occupancy within Chittakasha. But even such a vast Chittakasha is considered to be a tiny fraction of Chidakasha (the domain of consciousness of the Self). Chitta means mind. Chit is the primordial consciousness, from which Chitta emanated.

The upanishads describe God as Anoraniyan Mahato Mahiyan (subtler than the subtlest and vaster than the vastest). The same Divinity is present in microcosm as well as in macrocosm. Names may be different, but essence is the same. You may draw a circle within a bigger circle. Both are different in volume, but their value is the same zero. The Atma is equally present all over, in all types of bodies, whether seen or unseen. It is beyond time and space. There is a reflection of the moon in oil. The reflection is destroyed when the oil is burned; but this act has no effect on the moon. All that you perceive through the senses is but a reflection, and not the reality. When you travel in a train and look out through the window, you feel all trees moving. In fact, you are the one who is moving. The earth is rotating at a speed of 1,000 miles per hour. It is also revolving around the sun. The moon appears to be moving while clouds are moving. Sitting on a boulder, how can you attempt to remove it at the same time? Having been immersed deeply in body consciousness, how can you realise Divinity? You should be able to discriminate between an object and its basis. A cart moves well when the horse draws it from the front. Will it move when you put the horse behind the cart?

Body Attachment Is The Cause Of Illusion

Right from morning till night, you are striving to groom and pamper your body with bath, smears, and decorations, and feeding it with the petrol of food intermittently. It is not the cart (body) but the horse (mind) which should be groomed properly. One morning, Alexander was riding on a horse and going in the western direction. Looking at its own shadow, the horse got frightened, and became erratic. Alexander understood the situation well, and he directed the horse eastwards. As the shadow was now cast behind, the horse was rid of fear. You find many people moving always in the wrong direction, whereby a figure of five feet casts a shadow of eight feet.

The Purusha S_uktam_ says, Chandramā Manaso Jātah Chakṣo Sūryo Ajāyata Mukhādindraścāgniṣcha Prāṇād Vāyurajāyata (the moon was born out of the mind, the sun out of the eyes, the fire and Indra from His mouth, and the wind god from the breath of the Supreme Being). Vedāhametam Puruṣam Mahāntam Adityavarṇam Tamasaḥ Parastāt (I have visualised the Supreme Being who shines with the effulgence of a billion suns and who is beyond Tamas – the darkness of ignorance). In this description, Lord Indra is said to have emanated from the mouth of the Virat Purusha (the cosmic form of Divinity). Indra is the Lord of Indriyas (senses). In your body, you find all these sense organs – eyes, ears, nose, and tongue. Improper use of senses is the cause of delusion and suffering of man. When you stand facing the sun, your shadow falls behind you. Similarly, when you turn your attention towards God, you will be rid of ignorance or delusion. In a Shiva temple, you will find the Nandi, Shiva’s bull, always looking at Shiva, unmindful of everything else. That is why the animal Nandi came to be revered at par with God. In the Rama temple, you find Hanuman looking only at Rama (the Supreme Soul) in full attention. That is why Hanuman is being revered at par with God. Look at a rat, which is despised by one and all. But the same rat is revered when it is in the proximity of Lord Ganesh. A snake is generally feared and despised. But the snake adorned on the statue of Shiva is revered as a divine being. When associated with God, even a tiny object gets glorified. So, one’s value varies in keeping with one’s association.

One day, Lord Vishnu sent Garuda (the Lord of eagles who serves as Vishnu’s vehicle) to the abode of Shiva to convey some important message to him. Just as Garuda, the enemy of snakes, appeared before Lord Shiva, the snake which adorned the body of Shiva, hissed at him in anger. Then Garuda said, “Oh the arrogant snake! No doubt your writ runs here because of your proximity to Lord Shiva. You just come out and see what could be your fate.” Such is the value and power of Satsang (good company). In fact, good company implies that one should always remain in Tadatmya Bhava (total immersion in thoughts of God). Always remember that Divinity permeates everything. If the world is the effect, God is the cause. The entire creation is a play of cause and effect. Who is Ishvara? The one who has sway over everything is Ishvara. There is no one above Him to command. We believe all that we see in the world as truth or reality. This type of delusion is because of our attachment to the body, sans understanding of its essential nature. It is like a day dream. We know that any dream is false. This illusion about the world falls off only when we acquire true knowledge.

– Bhagawan’s Discourse in Sai Sruthi, at Kodaikanal on 26th April 1992.