Spiritual Questions - Part 7 (Why one gets bored on Spiritual path after some time?)

Q. Why one gets bored on Spiritual path after some time?
A. Because there is nothing encouraging for the mind. There will be no entertainment for the mind. Since mind does not find anything exciting, it gets bored. It will give the feeling of boredom so that the individual will try to search or look for something that is more exciting and entertaining. The height of boredom will be the death of the mind. The death of the mind will be the death of the ego. This is what it means, what the saints say it as - die before you really die. The death of the ego is the real death. The physical death is not death at all. It is only a transformation from one form to another. The ego continues to live even after the physical death or transformation of the body. It is the ego which gives rise to re-birth. There is a small catch here. The mind can play many tricks. One of the trick that mind plays while in meditation is sleep. The aspirant can feel sleepy after some time, when mind does get some rest or when it gets bored. Sri Ramana Maharshi used to say, "observe even while you are sleeping or just before going to sleep. Who is that actually going to sleep?"  In short it's a mind game, so just ignore it. Ignore the mind which says that and ignore the boredom also. Just keep practicing whatever you are practicing without anticipating any thing.

Q. Why should I opt for spiritual path?
A. Hmmm....... pretty difficult question to answer.

Q. Why is it difficult to answer?
A. Because, there is nothing you can gain on spiritual path. You will lose everything, including your identity. This loss is not at all physical or materialistic. The loss is only related to the causal. All the causes are lost. When there is no cause, then there is no effect. So, if someone has to show you that spiritual path is very exciting, then they will tell you only the part of the journey and not the end of the journey. Because, at the end of the journey there is nothing you gain. Of course the journey could be exciting, and it will be exciting as long as the mind exists. Once the mind is gone or the attachment towards the thoughts is gone, then there is nothing. In fact what remains is nothingness. The nothingness cannot be expressed. Since it cannot be expressed, others who are attached to thoughts will get bored. And, how can you ask an individual to opt for   spiritual path? When you tell the Truth that there is nothing what will you say? You have to tell the individual to opt for nothingness on the spiritual path. And, how will you say that to an individual who is so much attached to his/her thoughts?

Q.People say that one get powers on the spiritual path, how far it is true?
A. Anything which is manifested is impermanent, temporary and will perish in time. So, all the powers that one get or obtain on the spiritual path are impermanent, temporary and they will perish in time. In fact an aspirant should not show even an iota of interest on to such things.

Q. What about service to others? Don't you think it is necessary?
A. There are two ways of looking at this point.

1. When you say I do service to people - then you feel that you are different from that individual and hence get into an egoistic state - saying that "I have done this and that." Such things will not do any good. Instead they will spoil you further.

2. When you feel that you are not different from others, in fact you are the same spirit as the others, then there is no service. By talking to other person, you are talking to your own self in others. By giving food to others, you are giving food to your own self present in others.
This you will say as - "I am existing here in this body in the same way as in that body also."

Q. What is advaita vedanta (अद्वैत वेदान्त)
A. Both the words have same meaning and both mean One.

Q. Can you elaborate?
A. Advaita means non-duality. It means there is no two. So, when there is no two, there is no three also. Hence there is only one.

Vedaanta (वेद + अन्त) means - the end of knowledge. Now, where knowledge ends, there the mind stops. Where the mind stop its existence, there - there is nothingness. Where there is nothingness, there is no duality. Where there is no duality, there it is only One that is present.

Q. Is it good to follow, and is it the right path for everyone?
A. It all depends upon the conditional thinking of the individual. Initially it may be pretty difficult for anyone to come on to this path, but eventually one has to come to this path of advaita or non-duality, for it is not a path, it is the Truth.

Sāṅkhya yoga (साङ्ख़्य योग)

Sāṅkhya yoga (साङ्ख़्य योग)

Given below the flow chart of sāṅkhya yoga for easy understanding.

For pdf file of the above flowchart please click here

Explanation:

The ONE which is ever present is called as Purusha which is Universal Awareness and Universal Consciousness. This is the unmanifested form of the Universe. This when gets expressed into manifested form is called as Prakruti which will have limited consciousness and hence called as unconscious. (The word consciousness here should not be considered as the word that we use in general forms that of related to mind.)

The Prakruti gets expressed into the Cosmos that we perceive and see. For this Prakruti to get expressed in various forms, it splits into three characteristics called as Triguna - Sattwa, Rajas and Tamas. While the Rajas characteristic takes care of activity, the Tamas characteristic takes care of the inertia. The Sattwa characteristic takes care of the equilibrium of activity and inertia. What ever we see, perceive and experience in this cosmos is a combination or recombination of these three characteristics.

While the three characteristics makes the framework for the manifestation of the cosmos, it is further manifested into 23 elements. The first is the Mahat tattwa which forms the basis for the Buddhi or Cosmic Intelligence. The Buddhi gives rise to Ahankara. Ahankara with the help of Sattwa characteristic expresses into the subtle substance of thoughts called as Mind, 5 organs of perception called Jnanendriyas, 5 organs of action called Karmendriyas. The same Ahankara with the help of Tamas characteristic expresses into the 5 gross elements called Pancha Bhutas and 5 subtle elements called Pancha Tanmatras. The Rajas characteristic provides energy for the evolution and existence of these 21 elements.

Since the most subtle part of these 21 elements is mind, the Saints advice to quieten the mind and prescribe various methods of practices. While the Yama, Niyama, Asana methods of practice reduce the effect of Rajas characteristic; the Pranayama, Pratyahara reduces the effect of Tamas Characteristc and makes the aspirant to look into its mind through Dharana. During the Dhyana the mind is perceived as something else. And, during Samadhi the mind is treated as nothing but a bundle of thoughts and is just a wave which is part of the ocean, hence is completely ignored. This rises to Atma Jnana where the aspirant (henceforth called as Spirit) clearly realizes that It (He/She) is not only different from Prakruti and also a part of it which was its temporary existence and is beyond the three characteristics or Triguna and goes beyond duality. Then Once the Spirit completely realizes the transitoriness and the impermanence of the manifested cosmos as only an expression of the Purusha or Unmanifested, It merges into That - rather is constantly in that Universal Awareness.

Spiritual Questions - Part 6 (Birth of Vinaayaka)

Q. In the Vinaayakotpatti - Birth of Vinaayaka: I feel that there is completely an esoteric meaning and it goes like this. If we consider Parvati as Prakruti and Shiva as Purusha, then Vinayaka who is made by Parvati/Prakruti will not recognize Shiva/Purusha which could be the ego and Shiva removes that head - ego of Vinayaka and gives him the head of Elephant. What do you say?

A. Your thought process is on the right track. Let us slightly go into it in a more detailed way.

The story goes as follows:
Parvati makes an idol with flour/mud (actually from the dirt of her own body) and puts life into it. After placing life into it, She keeps the idol on guard and tells him to not let any one in and She goes to have a bath to get ready to greet Shiva.

When Shiva comes and tries to enter Kailasa (His abode), He is not allowed inside by Vinaayaka and out of anger He slews the head of Vinaayaka and after persuasion of Parvati, He bestows the head of an Elephant (which is the head of Gajaasura).

Now let us look into the meanings of these names.
vinAyaka (विनायक) = one of the meanings is remover
but when we look at the same word as an adjective the various meanings are = removing, impediment, obstacle
Parvati (पार्वती) = of Parvata or of mountain
Shiva (शिवा) = Final emancipation
kailaasa (कैलास) = particular form of temple

Now let us look into the esoteric meaning behind this story.
Consider Paarvati as prakruti or nature as you said. So the nature creates an image Vinaayaka (by the help of Trigunas) and tells it to guard so that unwanted elements are prevented to enter its abode. Considering Vinaayaka as ego, ego does not realize that Shiva is not an unwanted element but is the Master of Prakruti (husband of Paarvati) and He (Bliss) is the One which Paarvati/Prakruti (in this case the aspiratnt) is always waiting for so that She gets emancipated.

So, when a human being is born - it is the ego that rules the human being and thinking that he is the one who can stop everyone entering into its mind, he stops the thought of emancipation also because of the ignorance and gives high importance to the external nature there by he makes merry only with the nature. To get emancipated the ego has to be removed and by getting the elephant face one's perception of the nature completely changes. Let us look into this incident also. The elephant face is not the real face of Vinaayaka. When we reverse the word gaja (गज), we get jaga (जग) which means world. So, the elephant face tells us about the temporariness of this world.

So, in the vinaaykotpatti (विनायकोत्पत्ति) we have to understand that the world is temporary and should not listen to the external nature completely. We have to overcome all kinds of external nature's influence on our mind which have become as impediments from attaining liberation and let in the zeal for emancipation or mumukshtvam (मुमुक्षत्वं)- the yearning zeal for liberation so that we attain final emancipation.

An aspirant understands the transitoriness of the external world goes within and after performing intense saadhana awakens Kundalini in a highly regulated manner and goes beyond the avasthatraya (the trifold nature of the world) and finally gets emancipated. This is the esoteric meaning of birth of Vinaayaka.

After getting the elephant face Vinaayaka He is called as Gajaanana (गजानन) and after obtaining ganaadhipatyam (गणाधिपत्यं) He becomes Ganapati (गणपति). We can learn more about Ganapati in Ganapati Upanishat which clearly says, Ganapati is the one who abodes the coccygeal center or the moolaadhaara chakra and when an aspirant follows the yogic method how Ganapati becomes everything, in turn how a human being can attain liberation.

Some day we will look into Ganapati Upanishat also.

Ganapati Upanishat - गणपति उपनिषत

गणपति उपनिषत (गणपत्युपनिषत)

यं नत्वा मुनयः सर्वे निर्विघ्नं यान्ति तत्पदं ।
गनेशोपनिषद्वेद्यं तद्ब्रह्मैवास्मि सर्वगं ।।

ॐ  भद्रं कर्णेभिः श्रुणुयाम देवाः । भद्रं पश्येमाक्षभिर्यजत्रा: ।
स्थिरैरन्गैस्तुष्टुवा  सस्तानूभिरव्यशेम देवहितं यदायु: ।।

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ।।

Spiritual Questions - Part 5 (What is stillness and doing nothing mean?)

Q. When I went to a certain temple, it draws me irresistibly...like a magnet. What does it mean or what does it tell me?
A. The one that stays only for a brief time because of some external object is not Truth. The one that stays permanently is only the Truth.

Q. How to overcome the veil to go into stillness?
A. Just do nothing.

Q. What do you mean, by doing nothing?
A. Just do no-thing. No thoughts, no emotions, no vibrations, just observe. Then automatically you will be in stillness.

Q. Is God satchidananda or stillness?
A. It is both and not also.

Q. How come so?
A. When you say God as stillness, yes He is that. When you say God as satchidaananda, He is that too.

Q. Then why do you say, He is not also?
A. Because the Truth is beyond the stillness and satchidaananda. One of the expressions of God is stillness and one of the expressions is satchidaananda also. Now when you are in satchidaananda or in stillness, how are you able to sense that you are in that state?

Q. I don't know.
A. You will not know when you are in that state. You will be able to know only when you come out of that state. In reality the Truth is that awareness that by which you are able to undergo through the experience of stillness or satchidaananda. And, that awareness is telling you that you are undergoing such and such experience. Hence, it is only the awareness that exists, nothing else. There is no experience, experiencer and the object that is being experienced.

Spiritual Questions - Part 4 (Difference between Purusha and Prakriti)

Q. Three doesn't have mrityu (मृत्यु) or damage - naasha (नाश); 1. Purusha (पुरुष), 2. Prakruti (प्रकृति),  3. Gnana (ज्ञान); and when the Purusha and Prakruti combines, it forms Gnana. Is it correct?

A. No

Q. Why?

A. You have to understand what Purusha means. Can you say what Purusha means?

Q. Not exactly.

A. Well, if you look into Purusha Suktam, it clearly explains what Purusha means. ....purusha evedagam sarvam, yat bhootam yaccha bhavyam... Purusha is the One which is everything. It is the one which is present in everything (this is only the implied meaning, not the exact meaning).

Q. So, do you mean to say Purusha is also present in the Prakruti?

A. Yes, there is no presence of Prakruti without Purusha. Purusha and Prakruti are different sides of the same coin. Prakruti cannot exists without Purusha. While Purusha is avyakta swarupa (अव्यक्त स्वरूप); Prakruti is vyakta swarupa (व्यक्त स्वरूप). As long as one sees them as different, then it is dvaita and that is duality, then one is said to be in maya (माया). The moment one does not see any difference between them then it is advaita (non-duality), then one is said to have gnana. So your 2nd part of the question of Purusha combining with Prakruti and that being called as Gnana needs to be slightly modified. Because there are no two, so you cannot combine. Only Purusha is present, there is no Prakruti. Prakruti is only an expression of thought of Purusha.

Now coming to the first part of the question. When there are no two, three does not exist. When there is no more than one, there is no mrityu or damage. There is only change that exists or transformation from one thought process to another thought process which is expressed in the form of Prakruti.

The moment one enters into the state of non-duality or advaita, that state is called as gnana. So gnana is only a state. We cannot consider it as a proper noun and say that it doesn't have mrityu or damage. It is only a state of awareness of non-duality. So if only the first part of the question is considered, then it is right. Since three does not exist (because two itself does not exist, so there is no question of three). The one which does not exist cannot have mrityu or damage.

Q. Then what is that which exists?

A. It is that Universal Consciousness that exists. And, because of the veil of maaya we perceive it as Purusha and Prakriti. In reality neither the Purusha nor the Prakruti exists. Both are there only as a thought. When that Universal Consciousness gets projected then we are calling a part of the Universal Consciousness which is yet not expressed as Purusha and a part of that Universal Consciousness which is expressed as Prakruti.

So ignore the vyakta swarupa (manifested form) and go beyond it and when you go beyond the vyakta and enter the avyakta (unmanifested form), then you become that itself. Because you are already that.

Q. How can I become that, when I am already that?

A. You don't become that. You get into that awareness, that you are already that. Tat-tvam-asi (तत्वमसि).

Spiritual Questions - Part 3 (What is nothing-ness?)

Q. What is it like, when there is nothing to do, nothing to seek, no desires, no wants, etc?
A. Then it is being in that Nothing-ness.

Q. When there is no experience of being also?
A. Then it is only existence in that Nothing-ness.

Q. Who exists in Nothing-ness?
A. The One which is ever existent.

Q. The One which is ever existent, can we call that it is existing?
A.



    (Silence. Metaphorically no, Silence is the answer)

Q. How do you feel that the One which is ever existent is existing?
A.





(Silence)

It is not felt. It is only awareness.

Q. Are we truly independent?
A. No we all are completely dependent upon the cosmos.

Q. Are we dependent on the Cosmos?
A. Yes. As far as this five elemental substance is concerned. When one goes beyond that, then that one is not dependent on the Cosmos.

Q. How come so?
A. The whole Cosmos exists only as a expression of thought. Hence, in reality it is only a thought. Thought exists as long as the mind exists. The moment one is beyond mind, then it does not exist.

Metaphysical Interpretation of the Rāmāyaņa

The Rāmāyaņa (श्री रामायण) 

 Rāmāyaņa = Rāmā + āyaņa =  it is the journey that has been walked by Rāmā. The word Rāmā means: ramayate iti rāmaH (रमयते इति रामः) which means the one who is always ever effulgent in Bliss. The word āyaņa means path. It is a path on which one can travel. There is one more meaning of āyaņa and it means advancing. If we look into the characters in the  Rāmāyaņa as only persons, then we cannot learn anything from that except that certain incidents happened in history and we can use it only to tell bed time stories to our children.

The Rāmāyaņa and Mahābhārata are called as itihāsa's (इतिहास) which mean in simple terms as history. If they are just epics of history then what is the use?

If we look at the word itihāsa (इतिहास) the amarakosha (अमरकोश) says itihAsaH purAvR^ittam (इतिहासः पुरावृत्तम्) that means it is related to the events of the past. Now, when we mean past - is it the past which is some years earlier, or some centuries earlier, when is it? To what extent we have to look into the past? Are the Rishis indicating only at the past as a historical events that happened in one's life, or are they indicating somewhere else?

When we go deeper into this, it ends at the origin of the cosmos, i.e., it is very clear that the past in this sense is nothing but age old or sanātana dharma (सनातन धर्म). So, it is nothing but the age old dharma or duty of a soul or consciousness. Here I am forced to use the word soul just because if I don't use the word soul and use only the word consciousness, then readers may not understand it clearly. Hence, request the readers not to misinterpret the soul as some kind of object. Coming to the point,  itihāsa  means - the one which tells about the manifestation (vyakta व्यक्त ) of the consciousness (chaitanayam चैतन्यम्)  from the unmanifested One (avyakta अव्यक्त). So Rāmāyaņa is the journey or the path that is taken by the individual consciousness to merge into the Universal consciousness. Rāmāyaņa depicts that the consciousness can dwell and be in the Bliss and none else and shows us the way that we all can travel so to effuse ourselves with that eternal Bliss and merge into Universal consciousness.

Rāmāyaņa tells us about how the individual consciousness manifests into many forms and how each part of the consciousness that is present in every manifested form is making an attempt to go back and merge into the unmanifested. This is the path of the every drop of ocean that has evaporated from its surface and the path it travels to merge into the ocean.

The three main characters in Rāmāyaņa and their meanings:

1. Rāmā (रामः) = ramayate iti rāmaH (रमयते इति रामः) which means the one who is always ever effulgent in Bliss
2. Sitā (सीता) = spirituous liquor (it is that drink of Nothingness in which Rāmā always dwells in)
3. Hanumān (हनुमान): Life force that connects the Individual Soul with the Universal Soul.

When the aspirant (saadhak साधक) learns Pranayama (प्राणायाम) and understands the control of life-force, then by proper methodology (pranayama technique that allows to still the mind and takes beyond mind) unites Sitā (सीता) with Rāmā (रामः). The whole of  Rāmāyaņa tell us about how an individual by learning life force control can return the consciousness from the manifested world (vyakta व्यक्त) to the unmanifest (avyakta अव्यक्त) or that eternal Nothingness (shunya शून्य).

Spiritual Questions - Part 2 (What is sadhana / practice ?)

Q. What is sadhana / practice?
A. Sadhana / practice is part of the maya (माया = illusion) by / through which one wants to overcome maya.

Q. Can we overcome maya through practice?
A. No it is not possible. Because as long as you are in maya, the thought of overcoming it will be there and it cannot happen. It is something like you are in quicksand and the thought of coming out of quicksand is there, through which  you can never come out of it. Once you are out of the quicksand then there is no thought or purpose of coming out of it.


Q. Do you mean to say that, no practice is required?
A. The thought of practicing some spiritual practices occurs as long as you are in maya. The moment you are out of it, it does not exist. Once you are out of illusion, the thought of practicing does not exist.


Q. I could not understand.
A. In reality maya does not exist. It is only an illusion. It is present in you as only a thought. So how can you overcome the one which does not exist at all. You have to simply overcome the thought - that's all.

Q. How to overcome thought?
A. To overcome thought, you just go beyond thought. To go beyond thought, you ignore every thought and do not give any importance to any of the thoughts. Like a non-entertained guest leaves faster, the unrecognized thought does not stay and does not bother you at all. When there is no thought, there is nothing to overcome and the One which is ever present automatically reveals itself.

Q. Can I call "ignoring thoughts" as a practice?
A. It is up to you.

Q. What happens when thoughts are not there?
A. When ripples are not there in the pond, then one can see one's image very clearly. When thoughts are not there one can see one's True Self.

Q. What happens when one sees one's True Self?
A. Everything dissolves in It. Beyond this there is no explanation. Then only the Silence and Stillness prevails.