by Sri Bmal Mohanty
VOL No. 18
April.. 2002

CHAPTER Nineteen- LOOKING FOR GOD BETWEEN REAL AND UNREAL - an approach

"Based on the lectures by Sri Bimal Mohanty"

Then why is this maya or illusion of the unreal? It is there because it has a purpose. It makes us realise the presence of a real entity. If the reflection in the water is there, then there has to be something behind that reflection. The anitya provides the direction to the nitya.

The reality of Bramhan as we have seen is beyond our normal perception level. So how will The Bramhan make Himself approachable by us? IT then creates something which is within the reach of our senses. Therefore if this unreal which is something within our perception range were not there, we shall remain ever groping in darkness. We are fortunate that the unreal is there, so that by looking at the unreal we can search out the real.

The above observations teach us that all apparent contradictions in understanding Bramhan are indeed subtle pointers towards that final stage where all contradictions resolve themselves. As we transcend above the limiting horizons of our sense organs, the mind acquires higher and higher potency. As the base mind reaches higher and higher levels of mind, higher and higher levels of consciousness, we proceed towards the absolute truth.

As we go along the lead given by the unreal, more and more of the real starts getting revealed. As the understanding grows more and more, the consciousness gets stronger and stronger mind becomes refiner and refiner. Bramhan reveals itself in clearer and clearer terms. (Esa Atma vivrnute tanu svam).


The study of this paradox should be a continuous endevour for the sadhaka, a constant subject for meditation. It is now easy to understand why. Each perception at its relative level of consciousness is appropriate and therefore is truth by itself even if it is limited . Only danger here is to accept this as the absolute and final truth and not exploring further. The next level of understanding corresponding to a more refined consciousness will come when the mind transcends beyond its limitations and becomes a higher and still higher mind.

How is this achieved? It is achieved by continuous sadhana, by the yoga of knowledge. By remaining a yogi all the time.

That is the truth behind all sat asat satya mithya nitya anitya relationship. The real provides credibility to unreal. The unreal ceases to be if the real does not provide the base. The real has to be there to begin with. Only when you see the sun in the pot, you will look up towards the real sun in the sky.

The unwise engage in endless arguments differentiating reality and unreality. The wise perceive the essentiality (tattva) of both. They recognise the dependency of unreal on real and the necessity of unreal to lead towards real.

If this mithya jagat (unreal world) were not there, the satya Bramhan (The real Bramhan) would have been difficult to grasp. The satya creates its own maya of mithya, so that satya can be understood. The light creates its own maya of darkness so that light can be cognized. That is the way of satya or real.

So it boils down to crossing the horizons of our knowledge, our sense perceptions to realize sat. Our present perceptory sense organs fall short of that distant truth.

That is what is the meaning behind the sloka from The Kena Upanishad

Na tatra cakshurgaccati na baggaccati na manah

The powers of eyes, speech or mind all prove inadequate to comprehend that.

What is true for physical world of material objects, logically, should also be true for subtle objects- i.e. the objects that are in the realm of consciousness.

Mind acts in different planes of consciousness - different planes of vijnana. Each plane has its own range - its own horizon.

To perceive this reality we need special perceptory powers. That is the concept of Divyacakshu- Divine Eyes or the divine intuitive power. It is an intution of intense consciousness , described in our scriptures as caitanyaghana - a power acquired after intense yoga practice. .

As the extent of consciousness grows or as the chetana becomes more and more ghana, i.e concentrated, not only we see more but even the same objects seen before appear entirely different by virtue of this newly acquired consciousness.

It is said that sat is revealed by its own power and it reveals itself to the seeker (sadhaka) . Yes the truth reveals itself to him who has acquired ghana cetana by virtue of intense meditation. Here again we have this beautiful similie of fire. How do we see fire? We see only when the fire itself gives out its own light. If the fire does not light up by itself we shall not know whether there is fire or not. Fire becomes its own revealer.

Satyam satye pratisthitam, yah pasyati sah pasyati. The truth is its own proof . He understands who understands this. t.

When this revealation occurs, what was understood as one thing with limited consciousness assumes a new meaning with the power of higher consciousness. We discover that what we thought as unreal is perhaps the real, nay, indeed the real thing seen under the smoke screens of poor visibility. The smoke screen which is borne out of inadequate knowledge.

Under such circumstances an inferior mind is easily deluded. But a higher mind sees the truth in both the things, and looks in them the essential quality that manifests itself in both states of mind.

When we bring the mind to that stage, it is the rise of gnosis, the rise of vijnana or caitanyodaya. That is how the mind ascends the knowledge ladder and approaches to reach, - to borrow Sri Aurobindo's words- infinite existence, consciousness and bliss of the Ishwara - the highest height of absolute knowledge and the force of Satchidananda.

What is that state? That state is when the unreal and real merge into each other.

The inferior knowledge - which is synonymous with Ajnanata loses itself (praliyate) inside the superior knowledge and becomes one with it.

However, when we are searching for the presence of God such statements do not make it any easier for simple worldly humans to comprehend the original riddle. It is nice to talk and listen to lofty metaphysical statements. But to reach that stage we need ladders from the ground. We have to find some simple explanations until our minds become developed enough to receive even small glimpses of the ascending levels of consciousness we talked about

Some thinkers visualise the universe - this creation- graphically referring to two lines crossing each other in the form of letter X. It was like an expanded form converging into a point and then expanding again.

Interestingly, this example of imagining the creation from an expanded form converging and expanding again is nothing new indeed in the context of our vedantic philosophy. Let us see how this can help us to understand the truth about reality and non-reality.

Bring to your mind the musical instrument Damaru in the hand of Lord Shiva. How is the shape of Damaru? In a figurative way it is one ever expanding form on one side, converging into a point and then ever expanding on the other side.

Does this signify anything?

We have this vast universe, the manifested creation rolled out around us. It is real, as anything real can be at our gross perception level.

In the beginning of spiritual journey, the questioning mind picks up every manifested object, examines it and enquires " Is it the real Bramhan?"

Looking at the inferiority, impermanency, limitations and defects in each, he discards every thing one by one. No, No, this can not be Bramhan, he declares neti, neti, neti. (not this, not this, not this)

The options become narrower and narrower. The mind goes on its search of the ultimate reality - the sat. The mind throws away layers and layers of observation uttering neti, neti, neti and goes to the subtlest of subtle points, the so called center point of Damaru or the crossing of the X.

It is the point where the mind will accept only the truth and nothing but the essential truth. Wise men have described this state as atyantabhava (the state of intense enquiry) and ananyabhava (the state of acceptance of nothing but the absolute) . This is the state of intense enquiry atyanta and the state of nothing else- na anya.

At this point the mind is ready to meet the truth. To borrow again Sri Aurobindo's words- it is the point of 'the rise of the gnosis, the rise of vijyana'

. At this point the mind now looks at the same expanse of creation all over again.

And discovers what?

The very same things which he discarded as neti, neti now appear in a new light of realization and consciousness.

He finds that all the things, that were discarded before are nothing but the projections of Bramhan and Bramhan alone.



He exclaims - Vasudeva sarvamiti.

All these are Vasudeva, indeed. All are Bramhan.

From neti, neti, at one end, it now becomes Vasudeva sarvamiti at the other end.

The new conscious knowledge, the luminosity of higher mind, the advent of knowledge - jnanoday or chaitanyoday makes him realize this truth. All are indeed The Bramhan in their essentiality. The real is nestling in the heart of unreal. Without the unreal the real can not be reached.

The journey from neti, neti, to Vasudeva sarvamiti is indeed the journey of knowledge, the very search of Bramhan

An ignorant man looks for Bramhan beyond the manifested phenomenon- in another world, in some distant heaven. The wise see the Bramhan in everything, here and all around him. All are Vasudeva.

Pick up anything. That is Bramhan. Think of anything. That is Bramhan. Behold the distant, behold the near. The mighty is Bramhan. The lowly is Bramhan. All are Bramhan. You are Bramhan, I am Bramhan, he is Bramhan even that is Bramhan

Vasudeva sarvamiti -happens to be the practical approach to discovering God.