by Sri Bmal Mohanty
VOL No. 30
July / August . 2003

ATTEMPTS TO DESCRIBE BRAMHAN - Part 3

"Based on lectures by Sri Bimal Mohanty"

  QUESTIONS FROM THE READERS

QUESTION 1 from - Sri K S Subramanian

I have read with interest your article about sanskrit language.Born a Indian . I feel an immense guilt and loss about not learning it. All the same . having reached 46years of age and developed belatedly a keen desire to progress spiritually . I am at a loss to invest more time on an academic pursuit for which I should essentially take time off from my Spiritual sadhana. Please advise me . if I should attempt to do so or just pray to the Almighty to make up for my deficiencies in this regard and proceed with my Sadhana.Incidentally . my sadhana consists of Japa . reading spiritual books of my spiritual master . written in English . associating with like minded devotees . attending lectures of Brahamacharies of my affiliation etc. This will leave me with little time for other pursuits . as I have also to attend to my professonal duties and family commitments.Please guide me.

ANSWER:.Please do not get disheartened. Since your problem regarding Sanskrt is also the problem of many of us in this age.

None of us possess all the strengths for sadhana in full measure. We all have strengths and deficiencies. The lord knows it very well. With abundance of love He in his own way, adds power to our strengths and remedies our weaknesses. Once he sees the sincerity in us He decides how and when things should happen to us. Did He not tell so in the Bhagavad Gita- yogakshemam vahaamyaham. -of those ever united in yoga, I secure what is not already possessed and preserve what they already possess.

Knowing Sanskrt would be a great assistance. But if one does not , he should cultivate other strengths that he has. However please maintain an abiding respect and interest in the language. Ponder over the spiritual words that you come across. Take assistance. Slowly but surely its meaning and influence will seep into your chitta.

Time is never a question. Whatever time, whatever effort one puts in towards one’s progress, brings benefits and strengthens the sadhana. No benefit is lost and is carried forward with us to our next life and adds on to our efforts. In this continuous journey towards our goal covering many many lives ahead of us, we have all the time that we need.

Further it is not a question of doing something at the expense of something, which you are doing. If what you are doing is for your gain, please continue to do so. Follow your routine. As I said, when The lord sees your sincerity, time to do what is further needed will be provided by the lord. If not in this life it will come in the next It can as well be in this life. One never realises what one is capable of. Just maintain faith in Him.

Thank you for sharing your yoga routine with me. I hope this is working for you well. All I can advise is that please carefully go through the articles "Preparations for sadhana" in the issues of AHWAN. Test yourself against the six abalambans. This will help you greatly. – God bless you.

QUESTION 2 from Sri Anurag

What is the significance of looking within, searching within- Others advise me to look outward and experience truth all around. Which is better?

ANSWER:-

Bramhan is both inside and outside us and we ourselves exist in Bramhan only. Therefore there is no question of which one is a better alternative. But your very interesting question should be appreciated in its proper perspective.

All our experience gathering, knowledge acquiring are through our sense organs. In this context mind is also a sense organ, often referred to as the sixth sense. They are the windows through which the first impressions are gathered. Then the viveka or our discerning power analyses, stores them in memory and uses them appropriately.

Sense organs work through direct perception only. Therefore they bring in gross experiences. Mind on the other hand can bring subtle experiences which are deeper than gross. It can be inward looking as well as outward. When outward it can not only experience gross feelings but can also understand subtle reasons hidden behind them. When inward it only sees what is already within i.e subtle.

Subtleness is the essence of all gross. Listening to music through your ears is a gross experience. But the ecstasy of feeling that different kinds of music produce within us is a subtle experience. All subtle experiences produce stronger effects and longer lasting impressions than gross.

Therefore searching within and searching without are both necessary to arrive at the essence of knowledge. We look for Bramhan in the universe around us and realise Him by meditating within.

QUESTION 3 FROM Mr KEVIN ROBINSON

What is Satchidananada?

ANSWER:

What an interesting question!
Please allow me to give a preamble, though longish, because it is necessary.
Satchidananda is the ultimate goal of all entities in this creation. It is the absolute final point of all aspirations. It is the state of Bramhatva or Bramhan realisation. If and when one comes to know and realise this state of Satchidananda, nothing further remains to know, remains to aspire.

Being the state of Bramhan, it is Bramhan itself. It is never fully understood, never in its totality. The tools in our possession, including our mind and our intellect are hopelessly inadequate to reach its expanse. We seek through yoga, the grace of truth itself to know the truth. Only Bramhan knows Bramhan. One verily becomes Bramhan when he knows Bramhan. (Bramhavit Bramheiva bhavati)

Therefore, the entire sanatan philosophy, nay the entire quest for knowledge and truth is about Satchidananda. All the scriptures, all the saints and seers of the past, all the beings who were born earlier, have strived in their own way to understand this. And all the present and future generations will also continue to pursue this goal- actively or passively.
Understandably each one, based on their perception has given its own interpretation of Satchidananda. All acknowledge the same basic truth, but each has his own personal level of consciousness of the subject.

One has to delve deep into the scriptures, meditate constantly on the contents to increase this consciousness. ( If you are regularly going through the articles in AHWAN, you must have acquired a fair idea already) For a beginner the following short explanation could be a great starting point.
Satchidananda is the combination of three words Sat, Chit and Ananda. Sat is truth, the one truth that defines all creations, their existence and actions, and finally their modification or mutation in their evolutionary process, evolution being the inherent nature of everything.
Chit is the realisation of this absolute truth in its essence, through constant yoga and tapas (purifactory efforts)
The resulting outcome of this realisation is Ananda or bliss unlimited. More the realisation develops, clearer becomes the doubts of mind, veils after veils of ignorance get lifted. All actions thereafter become perfect and more perfect. More and more one performs to his full potential. (Yoga karmasu kausalam).
What is the result? It is happiness and more happiness. You proceed towards unlimited bliss which is Ananda. After all Bramhan or The Lord or God is Ananda.
(Anando Bramheti vyajanat- It is understood that Bliss is Bramhan)

QUESTION 4 from Ms Madhulata

We are told, it is our mind that will take us to liberation. Then some speak separately of higher mind and supermind. Are we talking of some other faculty beyond the mind?

ANSWER:- No, a separate faculty is not meant here. It is the same mind but at different levels of consciousness. The development of mind, speaking both at individual level or at human specie level, is determined by its capacity to comprehend knowledge. Spiritually speaking, the true knowledge is the knowledge of Adhyatma or the Bramhan, which is the source for all other knowledge. As the mind grows stronger and stronger it is recognised as higher or superior. It is the evolutionary outcome of the same mind.

An example could be the evolution of human body from that of an ape. A man is a higher specie, but is indeed an evolved ape.