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by
Sri Bimal Mohanty
VOL
No. 113
June : 2010
CHAPTER 113
BRAHMAN LIVES IN US, WE LIVE IN BRAHMAN
Based on lectures by Sri Bimal Mohanty
In sanatan philosophy as we know, exploration of Brahman has been the primary objective of life’s sadhana. How much research and wisdom has not gone into the subject from time immemorial and contributed by millions of intelligent minds. Yet they all admit, there is still more to know and the end to reach is beyond human capabilities. In all humility they declare that whatever is known is what Brahman Himself has revealed of Him and it is foolish to claim the knowledge to be anybody’s own.
Yet the soul has never stopped from its research and enquiry. The Brahmajnana or Brahman knowledge has that power to completely grip an evolving mind making living such a worthwhile experience.
Why is jivatma so attracted towards paramatma? Because even though trapped within the snare of Maya, the jiva is never delinked or separated from Brahman. A connecting link always exists like the umbilical chord connecting the fetus with the mother through which like the fetus, the jivatma continues to receive sustenance flowing into it nourishing it. When the sustaining grace stops the jivatma withers away as a branch withers away when detached from the tree. While in case of the mother and the fetus the umbilical chord eventually breaks separating them, in case of jivatma and paramatma the link never breaks. While the child has a world outside the womb to which it is delivered, the jivatma has no where else to go outside Brahman. There being nothing which is not Brahman, the jivatma’s coming into being, growth, transmutation and final dissolution, all take place within Brahman.
The moot question therefore arises; if everything happens within Brahman who is by definition benevolent to the jiva, why then we suffer? Why we are confronted with misery and pain?
The answer to this lies in our fallacious understanding of what indeed is ‘misery’.
The concept of misery is entirely a creation of the mind. The concept of pain is always at the ignorance level of a deluded mind. These are all experienced at the gross physical level at the dictation of our sense organs (indriyas)
A state of steady equilibrium is always pleasant. Any disturbance in that state is always resisted, because it demands on the body a movement – a new state of equilibrium. When the body senses the changed circumstances and environment disturbing the equilibrium through its sense organs, it reacts to oppose. That is because in its ignorance it does not understand why this change has become necessary. That is the root cause of resentment and what the mind perceives as misery.
But the Divine has other plans. In the divine scheme of things there is only one road to traverse- the road to satchidananda the truth knowledge, its realization and the perfect bliss. This progress can not be halted at any cost. Inertia and stagnation is purposeless. Incessant action or progressive movement is the inevitability of the creation. It is necessary for spiritual evolution.
Any change in the state of equilibrium which results from this movement is resented by the sense organs in their inherent ignorance. The sense organs including the mind fail to understand that this change is for the jiva’s betterment, for a higher ‘beingness’, for a higher level of happiness and bliss. Due to this dark ignorance and until the light of knowledge removes this darkness the mind perceives it as misery.
Misery and unhappiness are only at the physical levelof the sense organs including the mind. Here indeed is no real misery. Everything is in the mind. If one could transcend the influence of the sense organs, there would be no sense of misery. Misery being a product of the mind, with knowledge, understanding and application of mind one can overcome the pain of misery. This is what Yoga teaches us. Yoga is about going beyond the indriyas or sense organs. Once the sadhaka attains mastery over the sense organs, he feels no sense of misery. He acquires the knowledge that whatever is happening, is happening for his betterment. He is moving into a higher mental plane shedding the limitations of his ignorance. He goes beyond the reach of misery. No pain is felt. From a physical dimension he moves into a refined mental dimension on his way to the spiritual and psychic dimension.
Admittedly this is not easy. It takes long yogic practice and time to acquire that mental state. But the assurance of yoga is that whatever practice one does and how little mental control one achieves, the benefits get immediately felt. In ten given situations if someone was getting rattled ten times, he finds that in one two or gradually more situations he is able to withstand the loss of mental balance and is able to think a way out with a clearer mind. The benefits only keep increasing progressively with practice.
But until such understanding takes firm root and knowledge about the divine purpose has not dawned, the fight within us between the darkness of ignorance and light of knowledge shall continue and we shall alternate between misery and happiness.
Within each of us both these opposites like ignorance and knowledge, evil and good reside. No one is absolutely good or absolutely evil. Fighting the evil effects of ignorance is the preoccupation of all lives. Not of one life but lives after lives.
But our intrinsic nature being divine we do not tolerate demonic (asuric) character and the constant fight goes on within us to regain predominance of the good. For this purpose we come to this world, take births after births, and die many deaths.
We fight ignorance with knowledge. Knowledge or the opposite of ignorance is the defining character between Divine and Demoniacal – The Deva and Asura as we understand.
Since both these characteristics are embedded in our system we alternate between them all the time. When knowledge predominates it shows in our demeanor as advent of goodness or divine qualities. When ignorance predominates our behaviour becomes demonic.
We do Yoga to assist and cooperate with the Devas to defeat asuras within us. The defeat of asuras or demonic activities is vitally important for the sustenance of the creation. On no account demons are allowed to decisively win over devas. The Divine Brahman ensures it and whenever necessary intervenes to establish divine order. Dharmasansthapanarthaya sambhavami yuge yuge saidLord Krishna. To establish dharmic order Brahman manifests himself to establish his order and thwart all attempts for destabilization. Eventually dharma prevails.
But why does He not let it happen automatically if that serves the purpose? Why does He not unleash His supreme power to clean up all evil? Why the good has to fight its way to victory?
To understand this we must look at the nature of all beings in the creation. For all embedded souls remaining in continuous action is the very nature of his existence. We have understood earlier why it is imperative for each one to be engaged in action for its evolution and abandonment of action is impossible. No matter what is the quality of one’s nature – divine or demoniac, he has to act according to the dictation of his nature. One can act according to his nature but can not ever stop acting. Brahman makes this hypothesis to establish the creation at large. He makes every one act. An individual of divine nature acts in fighting the evil. Pandavas are made to fight Kauravas for the sake of establishing dharma. That is the world process.
This fight goes on not only at the larger canvas of the creation but also at individual level. Each of us has good and evil within us we said. And within us the constant fight between them is going on till good acquires predominance and facilitates our spiritual journey. And the whole process is orchestrated and directed by the Divine as Krishna directed the Mahabharat war. He HIMSELF did not fight but He empowered Arjuna to victory over Duryodhana.
An enlightened sadhaka understands this process as also his own process of sadhana.
Aham Partha dhanurdhara ahamchapi Duryodhana
Mamakshetra kurukkshetra tatreiva sarathy Krishna
I am the Arjuna the noble partha, empowered with my bow gandiva. I have also within me the wicked Duryodhana. My body is my battlefield where I constantly must fight the evil with the guidance of the divine also residing within me. That is my sadhana . With the divine guidance I shall also achieve victory.
