by Sri Bimal Mohanty
VOL No. 49
March : 2005

UNDERSTANDING DEATHLESSNESS OR AMRITATTVA Part2 - (A practical approach to GOD concept)

"Based on the lectures by Sri Bimal Mohanty"

In the last chapter we learnt about the spiritual view point about the true meaning of deathlessness or amrtattva. A state beyond the fear and helplessness about death is the state of true gnosis, the knowledge of the Supreme lord, the Brahman. (Please revisit the February 2005 issue for continuity). But everything spiritual, must also take into cognizance the practical world around us and be part of our life. Otherwise it will not be useful knowledge.

In their profound wisdom, the scriptures were not oblivious to this aspect. And we shall see now, how painstakingly they advise us the translation of this concept into life- a true spiritual approach to life.

All around us in the creation we have two kinds of objects. The prAnis or the living, and the apparent lifeless matter or jada vastus. These material jada vastus are considered mrta or dead for all practical purpose. And these dead bodies apparently possess no knowledge or consciousness of the Brahman, even if they do, they are yet to find expression. Only the living, are Brahman conscious. Those who are fully conscious of Brahman are truly immortals and not those who simply exist for long years. It is worth repeating that to aspire for immortal life, which is devoid of knowledge or BrahmacetanA is foolishness.

Our wise seers of the past subscribed through their direct knowledge, to one of the profound truths that ‘life’ is not for just remaining in existence. Every ‘life’ is nothing but a temporary element in time and space, in the path of our journey to satchidAnanada. The pursuit of that knowledge of sat or truth, is the life’s only goal. It is foolish to seek long life for the sake of worldly enjoyment, but long life in the pursuit of adhyAtma jnAna or the highest knowledge ( the sat of satchidAnanda) is gladly granted by the Lord. The puranic stories of sages living for many many years, try to lay stress on this truth alone.

This wonderful world of deathlessness, this brahmaloka, the domain of Brahman, who is the source of all knowledge (as The kaivalya Upanishad says), this world of satchidAnanda, the world of truth and bliss, can only be reached through the gates of successive deaths or successive lives.

The individual soul must understand the state of ignorance as a state, incapable of his deliverance to liberation and must transform his state of ignorance into a state of gnosis that can reveal to him the world which is his final destination.

Let us not misunderstand this logic as an argument in favour of quick embracing of death one after another to reach the state of deathlessness. This is to be understood as imperativeness of constant embracing of knowledge as the means towards progress. The true immortality lies at the end of the journey. The end of the journey is ‘knowledge’.

But what does this pure knowledge mean to ordinary people like us? Such profound concepts like parAvidyA, adhyAtma jnAna, BrahmajnAna, vedavijnAna etc need to be reduced to practical steps for normal people to begin their journey, otherwise it will remain locked up in the pages of scriptures and the minds of evolved souls only. What purpose it will serve then?

Our learned seers did not overlook this aspect either. The simple lesson for beginners is that, knowledge starts from the first step where you start recognizing the Lord all around you. The first awareness of the jiva is this phenomenal world around him. The presence of all things around us provides us the most overwhelming experience. So the scriptures say that, begin by observing the presence of the Lord in everything and every object around you.

Simple, yet most effective is this lesson. Whatever your mind or your senses become aware of, begin by discovering the presence of The Lord in each and everything.

The importance attached to this lesson is so great that scriptures after scriptures, and practically all of them never got tired of repeating this in some form or other.

Yastu sarvAni bhutAni Atmani eva anupasyati
Sarva bhutesu ca AtmAnan tatah na vijugupsate (IU-6)

He who sees all beings resting only in the Supreme Self and the Supreme Self supporting all beings, naturally does not have doubts about his own existence. Why should he get perturbed about death. He ever exists in everything around.

The Kaivalya Upanishad sings the same tune:

Sarva bhutastham AtmAnam sarva bhutAni ca Atmani

Sampasyan brahma paramam yanti, na anyena hetunA. (KU -10)

The Lord in all and all in The Lord, are you experiencing the same self, dwelling in all beings? There is no other way to experience Brahman the knowledge supreme. No other way, na anyena hetunA

Take again the Bhagavad Gita. How many times the Lord Krishna drives home this point in different ways?

Sarvabhootastham AtmAnam sarvabhootAni cha Atmani;
Ikshyate yoga yuktAtmA sarvatra samadarshanah.

Exercising the power of Yoga, see the Self, abiding in all beings and all beings in the Self. See everything the same everywhere.

Further more:

Yo mAm pashyati sarvatra sarvam cha mayi pashyati;
TasyAham na pranashyAmi sa cha me na pranashyati.

He who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, he can not cease to exist nor do I allow him to perish. When the jiva (individual soul) gets interwoven so inseparably, how can one perish when the other is ever existing? Where is then the fear of death?

Then again:

Sarvabhootasthitam yo mAm bhajaty ekatwam Asthitah;
SarvathA vartamAnah api sa yogi mayi vartate.

He, whose unwavering belief is that I exist in all beings, he is the Yogi for me. Until this knowledge has been understood, what is the point of any Yoga practice?

Mayi sarvamidam protam sutre maniganA iva.

I run through every being as a thread runs through the necklace of jems holding them together.

Bijam mAm sarvabhutAnAm viddhi pArtha sanAtanam;

Recognise me, O Arjuna, as the eternal seed that produces all beings.

Sarvayonishu kaunteya moortayah sambhavanti yAh;
TAsAm brahma mahadyonih aham beejapradah pitA.

O Kaunteya, whatever forms are formed from any type of womb, I am the Brahman the great source and the seed-giving father.

One can go again and again, through the pages of the scriptures where this truth is repeated in hundreds of ways:

Mat sthAni sarvabhutAni.

All beings exist in Me.

Yat ca api sarvabhutAnAm beejam tat aham arjuna;
Na tat asti vinA yat syAt mayA bhutam charAcharam.

Whatever is the seed of all beings, whether moving or unmoving, that seed is me, O Arjuna! There is no being, that can exist without Me.

There is a design and profound purpose in repeating this concept, again and again and again. Until it settles firmly in the heart, yoga will be only mechanical.

The Svetasvatara Upanishad confirmed this point nearer home:

Tvam stree, tvam pumAn asi, tvam kumAra uta vA kumAri. Tvam jirnah dandena vanchasi, tvam jAtah bhavasi viswatamukhah.

Whether a woman or a man, youth or a maiden even that tottering old man with the walking stick, all are you only, come to exist in myriad creations.

The truth as revealed in the Tattiriya Upanishad is:

Sah akAmayat. Vahu syAm prajAyeyeti. Sa tapah taptvA. Idam sarvam Asrjat. Yadidam kinca.Tat srstva tadeva anupravisat. Tat anu…

Notice the expanse of research hidden in these sayings. He desired to create many out of Him. He acted upon it and all these and everything got released. It is He who then has entered into all these, in every minutest form.

The Bhagavad Gita finally says:

VAsudevah sarvamiti.

All this is Vasudeva, i.e. the Lord of all creatures, the Brahman.

That is the knowledge. The knowledge, knowing which one can understand that he is ever-existing. He is amrta, the deathless that ever exists in all beings. The pure, and absolute knowledge.

Sarvabhuteshu yena eikam-bhAvam avyayam eekshate;
Avibhaktam vibhakteshu tat jnAnam viddhi sAtvikam.

See the one indestructible Reality running through all separate beings—know that knowledge to be Satvic or pure.

In the midst of all these apparent perishable world of illusion, there exists the unperishable in myriad forms.

Samam sarveshu bhuteshu tishthantam parameshwaram;
Vinashyatsu avinashyantam yah pashyati sa pashyati.

The Supreme Lord, exists in all beings without discrimination, the imperishable within the perishables. He sees who can see it.

That happens to be the true meaning of deathlessness or Amrtattva.

Samam pashyan hi sarvatra samavasthitam Ishwaram;
Na hinasty Atmana AtmAnam tato yAti parAm gatim.

With this knowledge of the Supreme Self dwelling equally everywhere one can not see how that self can destroy the individual self. He reaches the final goal.

YadA bhuta prithak bhAvam ekastham anupashyati;
Tata eva cha vistAram brahma sampadyate tadA.

When one can see all varieties of beings as resting in the One, and extending from That alone, he then becomes Brahman.

He becomes Brahman, meaning thereby, he realizes his immortality as Brahman is immortal.

So the path to immortality is, understanding and practicing in life this knowledge that VAsudevah sarvamiti.

All this is Vasudeva, and all equally represent the Lord as he is. All differences are notional. Intrinsically all are parts of the same single entity.

So if the knowledge is what becomes the very essence of living, then at the practical level, this knowledge is translated into this simple concept of looking at everything and every one as one and the same, and having no discrimination between any two.