by Sri Bimal Mohanty
VOL No. 40
June. 2004

ATTEMPTS TO DESCRIBE BRAMHAN - Part 14

"Based on the lectures by Sri Bimal Mohanty"

QUESTIONS FROM THE READERS

QUESTION 1 (rephrased) FROM Pt.RAVINDER NATH WATTS, California

Scientists traced the roots of Civilization to 35000 years ago to Europe Now they conclude that it was Africa around 250000 to 40000 years ago. Is it not true that the light of Knowledge dawned on human beings in India….in the period of our Rishis ….to the time immemorial…..

ANSWER: I am not a history researcher. Hence I am not competent to address your question with authority. However what I believe from the spiritual point of view based on sanatan philosophy ( and this is not without reasoning) is as follows:

This question or the subject of research is like the speculation about the origin of the creation. The modern scientists pick up a particular event, aspect or character and try to find out from material evidences like, when such a thing first came to be noticed or could have been noticed etc. For them that is its origin in the time frame of our own concept. All scientific research rest heavily on material evidence.

Where as the spiritual approach is to look at everything from a holistic view point.

If you please refer to AHWAN Vol38 April 2004 issue, we understood that no real beginning or starting point can be ascribed to the creation – inter alia the Bramhan.

‘Knowledge’, civilization, all these are indeed part and parcel of the same creation.

As the creation is inseparable from the Bramhan, so is ‘knowledge’. The Vedas (meaning the knowledge) were not created. They were all there as part of the creation, as part of the Bramhan. They were only revealed to some who “saw” it and they came to be known as seers.

No one created knowledge as no one created Bramhan.

Who were the first seers? Well, although our scriptures and puranas mention such entities, unfortunately material evidence is not yet conclusive. Scientists rely only on material evidence. Why fault them? Each one to his own belief and conviction. What is the point in quarrelling?

We believe that such civilized entities were indeed there, otherwise how could we receive this knowledge? Having said that, the primary concern for the humanity is to realize this knowledge and spread it amongst all. Everything else is secondary.

At the end of each life, it is important only to know how much of this true knowledge has been realized by one, which only determines his progress in the evolutionary process.

QUESTION 2 from Ms MALLIKA VEERAMALAI

Thankyou very much for your email. Its very informative and useful website.

What is the relationship between mind, brain, knowledge, thoughts and feelings? I know all of them are interdependent...but which one is primary? Is it possible to control any or all of them? How?

ANSWER: The biological and physiological reference to ‘mind’ does not adequately express the sanskrt word ‘manah’ when referred in the spiritual context. A fair idea can be obtained when one looks at mind as the domain where the ‘desire’ to think first takes root. To desire something, one has to have a prior consciousness or acquire new consciousness. The domain for all consciousness is the brain. To give a somewhat crude example, if we compare the brain with a computer, it is the mind where a file is created, but the file is processed in the brain. ‘Thoughts’ and ‘feelings’ are like the output from the brain after the desire has been processed.

However the field and movement of thoughts is a very complex exercise. In this entire gamut of thought processing, there are other extremely powerful elements that play their role. They are, memory (smrti), intellect (viveka) and performing ego-self (ahamkara). As you rightly said they are all interdependent and none can function in isolation.

The inseparable elements mind (manah), intellect (viveka), and ego-self (ahamkara), are together referred to as antahkarana, or internal instrument. Antahkarana is the instrument of thinking.

When a desire arises the ego self (ahamkara) must give its consent to proceed with it. Without this consent, all desires will wither away and die. So it is 'I' who must decide that I should think.

The Viveka or intellect is the discerning power. Its input is to say whether the pursuit of this desire and its effects will bring beneficial or harmful effects. Whether it will be pleasant or unpleasant.

In this, the viveka is assisted by smrti (memory) and the inner voice within, which is the voice of the atma residing within everyone.

Smriti is the memory of the past experiences stored in the brain. It serves as the reference for the decision to think or act. The sense organs (indriyas) are our sensors and through their experience we build up smrti. New experiences from everyday life add to our bank of smriti and stored in the brain to be used when situation arises.

The inner voice, which is the voice of Lord inside, is ever vigilant to our well-being and our higher development. It constantly tells us what is preyas (temporary pleasure giving and later a source of regret), and shreyas (may not be initially pleasant but is for our ultimate good). The inner voice acts through viveka.

When the ahamkara listens to this inner voice, it eschews the preyas thoughts right at the mind stage and protects us from the incoming pain and misery. But in its ignorance, when it fails to listen, we head for trouble.

The understanding of the working of each of these elements is necessary to know the power and limitations of each and able to exercise control over them.

The antahkarana, (manah, viveka ahamkara) or internal instrument or tool is in our hands. Like any tool it can be controlled, sharpened and made more effective. It can be controlled and sharpened by yoga sadhana, and made effective by listening to the inner voice. To know more about all these, please go through the articles in www.ahwan.com , Listening to inner voice (May 2001 issue), On Meditation (July to Nov 2001 issues) etc. You will get a fair idea as to how to proceed.

The golden rule for mastering everything is to recognize the inner voice and surrender to it without any reservation. .

QUESTION 3 from Ms LISA ROBINS.

Why go to so many satsangs, listen to so many people? They are so very repetitive.

ANSWER:We do not go to satsangs to listen to new things really. As far as the spiritual knowledge is concerned, the ‘truth’ is only one. It is eternal and has not been created or recreated by any one. It has not changed nor will ever change since the time it was revealed to mankind. But the mankind at large, with its limitations of understanding is yet to realize this ‘truth’ in its fullness. However, the effort to realize this knowledge that will take us to the glory of satchidananda (the truth, its full realization and the ensuing bliss), is ever alive in the minds of men and will remain so until the final goal is reached.

This is the yoga in which the mankind, nay the entire creation is ever engaged. Every life and every action is yoga.

This endevour is not merely an individual exercise. We all collectively try to unravel that single truth, by assisting and sharing our achievements with each other, directly and indirectly.

The satsangs are indeed forums where we analyse that single truth from its myriad angles, assisting our mind to comprehend a little more than what it already knows.

They say satyamekam viprah vahudha vadanti. That one truth is interpreted by the wise in many ways. There is one jewel that lies in the center of the mansion with thousands of windows. The Guru or the teacher beckons you to look through a new window for you to see a newer facet.

Often they seem repetitive, but by the very repetition we come nearer to the truth. The mind catches on to a point which it had missed earlier. That is why a Christian reads The bible over and over again. A hindu goes on repeating the scriptures. A muslim or a sikh does the same with the Koran or the Granth. This is part of the abhyasa yoga referred to in the Bhagavad Gita.

Further our mind is never in the same mental condition all the time. External circumstances colour its character. What we realize under one condition is again very different under different conditions. The appeal of what we hear or read is not the same always. Different view points at different times and circumstances open up a different facet. All added up makes up our knowledge.

Wise persons never miss out an opportunity of satsang, where the Lord is the subject of discussion.