by Sri Bimal Mohanty
VOL No. 36
February. 2004

ATTEMPTS TO DESCRIBE BRAMHAN - Part 10

"Based on the lectures by Sri Bimal Mohanty"

This is then how the sadhaka progresses towards the realisation of the Bramhan, by transcending the waking, dreaming and deep sleep states.

Is it within the reach of normal human beings like you and me? Reaching Bramhan after renouncing all desires, subduing the mind, intellect and ego, and then after exhausting all karmic influences, sounds very lofty indeed. But it also sounds too difficult a task. A normal human being is easily discouraged. What then is the practical way to look at the practice of this knowledge? Is there anything people like you and me can follow?

Indeed the task is quite difficult. But the object of knowledge, and The Lord's will is not to abandon us with a difficult task in front of us. In sanatan philosophy, the very practice of an ideal is considered as important as the ideal itself. The path of spiritual progress is such that, every single step taken, in the direction of the goal, is enough to shower benefits on the practitioner. If one is sincere about one's deliverance from misery, if one genuinely searches happiness, then every step of the ladder brings a refreshing state of happiness. Sadhana is the only unfailing remedy known to this creation for cessation of misery and the only key that opens the door to happiness. Nothing else is there in the three worlds. Naanya pantha vidyate.

So willy nilly, every being is eventually driven towards Bramhasadhana.That is because, there is none who does not seek happiness.
And what happens then? Even a little progress that the jiva makes, a tiny little step it takes, produces results. Misfortune is staved off before it strikes. Dukham heyam anaagatam.

If the sadhaka engages himself in the sadhana- which in any case is its natural behaviour, then even the smallest effort produces great results and protects against great misfortunes.

Swalpam apyasya dharmasya traayate mahato bhayaat.

Why it happens that way? Because once we have decided and started our sadhana, then more than we, it is the Lord who takes the responsibility of our sadhana. He not only takes the responsibility but protects and dispenses all the rewards of our efforts.

Yoga kshemam vahaamyaham. He has assured this to all of us in Bhagavad Gita.

All that one has to do is to lose oneself naturally and cry out of the heart towards realisation of Bramhan. It is akin to the behaviour of the child who unconditionally surrenders himself to the mother and cries his heart out for the mother to pick him up. Then all the miracles happen.

So all along with this journey, passing through the physical consciousness, mental consciousness, and psychic consciousness we were searching to find Bramhan, and until we reached the state of Turiya we discarded everything that was offered to us. Because, everything offered, was unstable, unsustainable and impermanent. Everything was anitya. Now there, and now not there, all subject to constant change. Everything was an illusion. An illusion has no real existence. So by the very definition, something which does not exist always, can not be Bramhan. So our search for that which exists all the time goes on. We are looking for that which is nitya, or permanently existing.