by Sri Bimal Mohanty
VOL No. 34
December. 2003

ATTEMPTS TO DESCRIBE BRAMHAN - Part 8

"Based on the lectures by Sri Bimal Mohanty"

This first stage which is the waking state where he is aware of all gross objects. Vaisvaanara relates to every being around the universe- Viraat- and traps the mind in their midst, under the power of all our five senses, mind, intellect, and performing self - the ahamkaara. In fact, the senses are so awake and active that they do not release the jiva from their grasp and do not allow it to even look beyond their limited powers. The jiva is in the state of imprisonment in this cage of gross world around him. The vedantins call it the work of Maya.

But this state obviously is not Bramhan state, the experience is not Bramhan experience. Why? Because it is not really a sustainable state and is rather illusive. What I saw a moment back, now I see it to be different. The next moment it is still different. My senses have created this for me. It is not sustainable on its own. Since my senses have created this for me, when the senses vanish, the universe vanishes. They are impermanent or anitya. There is this characteristic of falsehood inherent in this.

But to remain confined to this is not the jiva's nature. To rise above the confines of the boundaries of the senses, and go higher and deeper to arrive at the tatva or the absolute essence, is jiva's nature. Ascent (and not descent or stagnation) is jiva's nature.

Why do we wish to ascend or improve or grow bigger always? Many great seers and saints including the modern philosophers have tried to explain why evolution and urge for it, is like the second nature of all beings. One such answer is in the sloka from Chandogya Upanishad which says:

Yo vai bhumaa tatsukham
naalpe sukhamasti
bhumeiva sukha bhumaa tveiva vijijnaasitavya iti

That which is without limit is bliss. There is no bliss in less. Limitless is bliss unlimited. That is worth knowing. That is to be known and realised.

This constant hankering for going beyond any limit, and always asking for more and more and further more, is an interesting nature implanted within everyone of us. Every one wants more. Once you have acquired one, you want two. Once two are acquired you want three, and it goes on. As you can see, this urge in us is in itself a great driving force indeed. Can this force, be used by us for our own good? Yes, it can. If wrongly used it can drive us down the hill, and if correctly understood and made use of, it can lift us to higher levels. It is all a matter of focus, a matter of attitude and understanding at the life's practical level. When this urge for more and more is focussed at the worldly objects, the objects to please momentarily our senses only, this is called greed or Lobha. You acquire one million and then you focus on the second million, then the third. That is greed. Greed as we all know from the Bhagavad Gita, is an open door to disaster. However, when this urge for more is focussed at the Divine grace, the Bramhan realisation, our sadhana takes leaps and bounds. Then we really realise that naalpe sukhamasti. In small measures there is no happiness. Bhumeiva sukham. Happiness lies in the limitless expanse. That is described as Bramhan and there only lies true happiness.

In its constant quest for happiness, the jiva surveys in its waking state or state of jaagarita or vaishvaanara, the great phenomenal world or vishva- the world of senses. What he finds there? There is some happiness here no doubt, but it does not last. You can not hold on to it. What happiness the senses bring, they are incapable of sustaining it. And when the senses can not sustain it and it depletes, unhappiness grips the jiva.

Who is interested in these little flickers of happiness? And is it happiness if it is invariably followed by unhappiness? What the jiva seeks is a state of total bliss, the state of satchidananda. It realises that it is not within the powers of the senses to give it the happiness it desires.

He then seeks it by other means- another ladder to help him ascend.

This ascent is possible only when the grip of the senses is overcome, when the senses become inactive and can not exert their power anymore. When their shackles are broken, only then further movement is possible.

Rising above the physical awareness, our consciousness, enters the mental world in trying to seek out the hidden meaning behind this physical manifestation. It is the subtle world, where there is a refinement of the consciousness.

In our practical day to day life how do we experience this? It is experienced in the next state which is the dream state.