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by
Sri Bimal Mohanty
VOL
No. 68
October 2006
DIMENSIONS OF OUR EXISTENCE- (Gross and Subtle bodies) Part II
Based on the lectures by Sri Bimal Mohanty
QUESTION 1 FROM Ms GOURI CHATTOPADHYAY
Why do Jeevanmuktas have to continue leading human lives and stay in the world? In what way then he/she is mukta?
ANSWER: In
simple language, the concept of Jeevan Mukta (literally meaning one who
has attained freedom in this life) is one who has atoned all the effects
of karma, thus eliminating further need for his own sake to go through
the cycles of birth and death. It is a state when all the delusions of
duality borne out ignorance has been cleared, when total gnosis (purnacaitanya) envelops the jiva resulting in a state of pure bliss and the jiva is fit
for his union with Brahman.
Jeevanmukta is the highest definition of sainthood and culmination of
the sadhana process.
So why a Jeevanmukta still continues to be associated with life and carries
a physical existence?
As we have discussed in these pages of AHWAN, this divine enterprise or
the creation, moves by the interconnecting actions
Every each one of us descending from Brahman carry his power to be able
to do this duty. But succumbing to maya and different levels of acquired
ignorance that we have, we fail to uphold dharma or partially carry out
dharmacaran. As a result, by every constituent, every jiva that forms
the part of the creation. The principle of control of the creation is
dharma which has to be protected and exercised at all costs. Logically
under normal circumstances, every created being in the lord’s creation
including you, me and everyone is expected to continuously work for the
upliftment and establishment of dharma. That is everyone’s bounden
duty, the undercurrent of our purushartha. duscritas (evil doers) acquire
strength and dharma starts getting depleted.
The world then needs more efforts to set things right. The higher powers
of The Lord are endowed with Jeevanmuktas.
Thus we have the descent of saints as reformers. They with their higher
levels of consciousness and again endowed with the grace from the Lord,
are able to achieve so much more. dharma regains strength and gets reestablished
in the minds of more people.
A Jeevanmukta represents and acts out the Divine ordained task by continuing
to remain in this world and living as a part of this world, not for his
own sake but for the sake of strengthening the rule of dharma. With the
job completed he also departs.
But in every Yuga, there comes a time, the powers of evil gets uncontrollably
strong and dharma gets almost wiped out from the minds of majority of
‘beings’. The task is beyond the powers of normal human beings
as well as the saints.
Then the world needs the intervention of the Divine Himself to descend
and reestablish dharma conquering all the powers of evil. That is the
descent of purna avatars. What is needed, that is done. And when that
is done, they also discard their mortal bodies and leave.
(Further suggested reading: Qustion answer sections of AHWAN May 2005,March
2006 and April 2006)
QUESTION 2 FROM SRI S K DAS
It is suggested to surrender ourselves to God and our each work(karma) will be an offering to HIM (God). but these ideas(surrender) are not clearly coming to my mind. kindly explain the term and how to surrender
ANSWER: Please
be assured that the problem you have mentioned is even faced by great
saints and wise men. It takes time. Please do not be upset with yourself
as that will not help.
The pre-requisite for developing an attitude of constant surrendering
to God is first to develop the simple attitude of constant awareness of
God. Go on doing your daily worldly duties as usual but in the back of
your mind try to keep telling yourself that God is beside you always and
is your constant companion and guide. As often as you can, keep thinking
that all your activities are being overseen by God and are being done
in His presence. Keep also this in mind that you can not do anything that
might offend Him.
You need not have to recite constantly his name or do japa. Just go about
your normal life but remain aware of His presence at the back of your
mind.
Take the example of a family man. He is devoted to his family but does
not have to keep remembering his wife children and others all the time.
They are always present in the back of his mind.
Will the family man ever do anything that will harm his wife or children.
His natural instinct is to control himself.
The same attitude has to be developed towards God. You keep him in mind
and control all your actions, which you think, will not be approved by
Him.
The surrendering of all actions, then come very naturally and smoothly.
P.S. You may like to go through the articles “Preparations for Sadhana”
especially Part 3 in AHWAN.
.
QUESTION 3 FROM SRI SATYABRATA MISHRA
How does one get into Spiritualism
ANSWER:
I myself am often asked this question. When and how did I get into spiritualism?
I do not really know the answer as to when? Does any body know?
In spiritual context we should understand that, contrary to what people
may believe, God consciousness (what spiritualism is all about), is never
a sudden flash of awakening. We hear so many stories such as ‘sudden
touch of a Guru’, ‘a flashing psychic experience’, ‘a
great turn of events in life’ etc that is publicized as a turning
point. This is poor understanding.
The nature of the jiva (the individual soul in the body cage) is such
that it has been, and shall continue till the end to be part of the spirit.
Being spiritual is the essential nature of all. The spirit and the being
are never separated. So long as the spirit within, keeps this nature or
svabhava alive, all remain connected with the spirit. The link may be
strong or weak, but the connection is never snapped.
Spirit never abandons the ‘being’. Hence all are spiritual
by nature all the time.
It may not have found expression with some one yet, and may be quite noticeable
already in some, but it is latent in each and every one. The veils of
ignorance born out of our succumbing to Maya, lie between spirit within
and the Lord. We have discussed this in some detail in the pages of AHWAN.
It is like a man, pining for freedom but caught in the mess and snare
of thousand desires. The presence of The Lord within each jiva is continuously
reminding us of our ultimate aim of satchidananda – the truth knowledge,
its realization and the unlimited bliss that flows on realization. Most
of the time we do not hear it strongly enough because of our preoccupation
with the desire bound environment.
But the inevitable process of cutting off the knots of the snare goes
on. Day after day, life after life, that feeble inner voice is getting
stronger and stronger in every jiva. We all are heading at our own pace
to that state of complete freedom. When the voice becomes audible enough
to stir our conscience, some say it is revealation. But there is no suddenness
or specific point of time about it. It is a process that has been going
on through out our entire past spanning many lives in the path. The journey
from here to the ultimate is indeed a continuous process of development.
It is as Sri Aurobindo implies it, is a case of evolution and involution
of mind.
Therefore to say that after such and such time or such and such event
one has turned spiritual is a baseless statement. One is, was and will
remain in God all the time.
QUESTION
4 FROM SRI ANIL KUMAR TEWARI
Please give me some knowledge about Sanskrit derivations of the terms "Cit," "Citta," "Manas," "Vijnana," Can we conveniently render them as "consciousness?"
ANSWER:
Let us start from the word Manah (loosely
translated into english as mind). In its basic explanation Manah is a
tool. It is one constituent of the collectively known antahkarana, or
the internal tool, along with intellect (viveka) and the performing self
or ego (antahkarana). We use this antahkarana for all our actions and thoughts.
The origin of all thought process with us starts when Manah attaches itself
to any object or feeling. (It is this Manah which dhyayate- attaches itself-
to visayAn- objects as described in The Bhagavad Gita 2.62). Thereafter
viveka (intellect) analyses, ego condescends the action and thus it goes
on.
Manah has very little independent judgement except some rudimentary reflex
actions. By nature it is uncontrolled and has very little discerning power
about good or bad – shreyas and preyas.
The discerning power of judgement is provided by viveka. When the power
of this knowledge is imposed on Manah, it becomes ‘conscious’
of what is good for the jiva or the individual soul.
A conscious Manah is chittah. This is another dimension of the Manah.
This is dealt with in more detail in May 06 issue of AHWAN in the context
of a similar question. I would request you to please read that.
Chit or chittah are from the same root (dhatu) with same meaning.
chittah is endowed with knowledge or awareness (chaitanya). A conscious
Manah or chittah then moves towards whatever is ultimately for the good
of the jiva, provides the strength and impetus for its journey to the
final destination. That is satchidananda, - the ultimate truth (sat),
its realization (chit) and the bliss or Ananda that flows from that awareness.
Vijnana is vishesa jnana or special knowledge, or that dimension of knowledge
where it acquires the special status of realization. What is jnana?
Adhyatma jnana nityatvam tatva jnaanaartha darshanam
Etat jnaanamiti proktam ajnaanam yad ato anyathaa
The knowledge of the true reality and perception of the true source of
knowledge is said to be real knowledge. And what is opposed to it is ignorance.
And what is the true source of knowledge ? It is The Brahman
Hence realization of Brahman is vijnana.
