Advaita Vedanta

In Vedanta, the word Satyam (Reality) is very clearly defined and it has a specific significance. It means, that which exists in all the three periods of time (the past, present, and future) without undergoing any change; and also in all the three states of consciousness (waking state, dream state and deep-sleep state). This is, therefore, the absolute Reality, birthless, deathless and changeless referred to in the Upanishads as Brahman.

The most obvious misconception about Hinduism is that westerners tend to think it as just another religion.

Snatan Dharma or Hinduism (as we know it today) is a way of life or Dharma. You do not convert, you just accept the Hindu way of life. Considering Hinduism as a religion is one of the most common misconception people have in today’s world. The word “Hindu” or “Hinduism” has no existence in ancient scriptures or texts. In fact, it was a term coined by foreign invaders.

To be more specific, it was used by the early inhabitants of Persia. They pronounced the name “Hindu” as it was the civilization that lived beyond the river Sindhu. The word Hindu and Hinduism thus have no origin from the land they truly belong to. Try asking around ten Hindus about the god they worship. You might get ten different answers to the same question and all of them will be surprisingly correct.

It is said that Hinduism has more number of Gods than any other religion in the world and that number is surprisingly more than the total number of Hindus. Another fascinating truth is that prior to arrival of Muslims and later on Christians, Hindus had no particular name by which they were called. Common people often called it just Dharma.

Snatana Dharma or merely Dharma was the term that was used in ancient scriptures. If we look into the entomology of the Sanatana Dharma, “Sanatana” means eternal and “Dharma” means Religion. If we look into other religions of the world, we can definitely track its origin or founder. But, this is not true in the case of Sanatana Dharma. Sanatana Dharma is eternal and universal in nature.

It is often referred to as the most ancient way of life or religion that is guiding millions of human beings till date. In Bhagavad-gita, As It Is, Srila Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada has beautifully simplified the meaning of Snatana Dharma

1) Hinduism is not a real name. This name was given by westerners. The real name is Snatana Dharma (eternal religion)
2) The foundation of this religion is based on Vedas.
3) There is no founder for this religion.
4) Vedas are timeless scripture.
5) It existed even before Indus Valley Civilization.
6) Vedas stats “Ekamevadvitiyam Brahma”(God is one alone without a second)
7) It believes in all religions as there can more than one path to reach the truth.It gives flexibility to people.It allows people to worship one god in different forms.It even gives space for atheistic philosophy.
8) And therefore earlier Pagan religion was nothing but Sanatana Dharma.

Hindu Snatan Dharma is Monotheistic, not Polytheistic.

Hindu Snatan Dharma is Eternal, means it has no beginning & end. It ultimately teaches pure spiritualism which is a pure devotion to the Supreme Almighty God. It is 100% scientific since it teaches both - spiritual & material science. Since, the foolish westerners could not understand the transcendental subjects of our Hindu Vedic Snatan Dharma, they started calling our religion, a Hindu mythology. We must not use the word “mythology” for our religion, since our religion is 100% scientific. Our Hindu Sanatan Dharma ultimately rejects all lower religious principles & accepts the Spiritualism as the ultimate truth. This is explained by the Supreme Almighty God Shri Krishna in Bhagavad Gita - 18.66 - “Sarva dharman parityajya mam ekam sharanam vraja.” - “Abandon all varieties of religion & just surrender unto Me.” There are innumerable Gods & Goddesses to manage the different affairs of the universe. They all should be given a proper respect but one must worship only one & only one Supreme Almighty God. ~ SHRI KRISHNA (NARAYANA). The beauty of worshiping Shri Krishna is explained in Srimad Bhagavatam as follows:- “yathā taror mūla-niecanena
tpyanti tat-skandha-bhujopaśākhā
prāopahārāc ca yathendriyāā
tathaiva sarvārha am acyutejyā”
(Srimad Bhagavatam 4.31.14) “By giving water to the root of a tree one satisfies its branches, twigs and leaves, and by supplying food to the stomach one satisfies all the senses of the body. Similarly, by engaging in the transcendental service of the Supreme Almighty God SHRI KRISHNA (NARAYANA) one automatically satisfies all the Devi, Devata and all other living entities.

Sanatana Dharma consider the Vedas to be apauruṣeya, which means “not of a man, superhuman” and “impersonal, authorless”. Vedas and Upanishads are not created through the human logical thought process. Those few beings who raised themselves to vibrate in the very frequency of the Cosmos, the very frequency of the Brahman, Universe, they disappeared into that.

When their “I” disappeared into the cosmic vibration, whatever truths they received, whatever truths oozed out and expressed through them, they got recorded as Vedas and Upanishads. Those rishis understood clearly that the revelations came from a space where no “I” existed. That is why they very clearly decided not to own those truths even by claiming authorship.

This core characteristic makes Upanishads as a very authentic scripture. When the Rishis expressed it, the only context to express was articulate the truths (satya) for humanity and there was absolutely no trace of vested interest or greed mixed in that. There is no discussion of “For Profit” or “Non-Profit” ideas - Just they did not record their names.

MIND IS INDEED THE SOURCE OF BONDAGE AND ALSO THE SOURCE OF LIBERATION. TO BE BOUND TO THINGS OF THIS WORLD: THIS IS BONDAGE. TO BE FREE FROM THEM: THIS IS LIBERATION.
~ Vedas

The cosmic order is controlled by a fundamental moral principle. An eternal law or unity, which can be conceived as the principle of rightness or justice, regulates all phenomena. In the Veda, this is called “Rtam”, which means the fixed way or course, in other words, the settled order of things. The whole universe is founded on Rtam and moves in it. It keeps all things and beings in their respective courses. Consequently nothing deviates from its own nature. Because of Rtam, fire burns, wind blows, water flows, plants grow and the seasons revolve. Rtam maintains regularity in the movements of the Sun and Moon, the planets and other luminaries. It manifests itself as the universal law of causation which finds expression in the human plane as the law of Karma. It establishes unity between the Cosmic forces and the individual powers. It is the basis of all laws, physical, biological, psychical, moral and spiritual. Rtam regulates Dharma, the principle of equity, the moral law that governs human life. because of this, right deed inevitably produces good result whereas wrong deed leads to evil consequences. There is no unmerited happiness or misery, gain or loss in man's life.
~ Rig Veda

There is an endless net of threads throughout the universe. The horizontal threads are in space. The vertical threads are in time. At every crossing of the threads, there is an individual, and every individual is a crystal bead. At every crystal bead reflects not only the light from every other crystal in the net, but also every other reflection throughout the entire universe.
~ Rig Veda

GOD IS PURE BLISS

The Embodiment of Supreme Bliss,
The Embodiment of Transcendental Happiness,
The Embodiment of Transcendental Wisdom,
The One beyond duality,
The One in Eternal Bliss,
The Embodiment of Oneness,
The Supreme One, The Eternal One,
The Unsullied One, the Ever-steady One, and
The Eternal Witness.

In the Anandavalli portion of the Rig Veda, there is a beautiful and poetic reference to Brahmananda or Supreme Bliss. Brahmananda refers to bliss that is limitless and beyond description by words; it is also something that cannot be comprehended by the ordinary mind. Unless one leads a calm, pure, noble, virtuous, peaceful, and unsullied life, one can neither understand nor experience this Brahmananda. Supreme bliss is beyond the physical, mundane, and transient world.

The universe is the outpouring of the majesty of God, the auspicious one, radiant love. Every face you see belongs to Him. He is present in everyone without exception.
~ Yajur Veda

In the whole world there is no study ... so beneficial and so elevating as that of the Upanishads ... (they) are products of the highest wisdom ... It is destined sooner or later to become the faith of the people ... The study of the Upanishads has been the solace of my life, it will be the solace of my death.
~ Arthur Schopenhauer

The Jiva, or individual, is none but Brahman, but because of identification with the body, mind and senses he looks upon himself as different from Brahman and as a limited being, subject to joys and sorrows caused by external factors. This identification with the body, mind and senses is what is called bondage. In reality the Jiva is the pure Brahman and is different from the body - mind complex. When this truth is realized as an actual experience, the identification with the body - mind complex ceases. This is liberation. Thus liberation is not the attainment of a state which did not exist previously, but only the realization of what one has always been. The illusory snake never existed. What existed even when the snake was seen was only the rope. Similarly, bondage has no real existence at all. Even when we are ignorant of Brahman and think of ourselves as limited by the body, we are really none but the infinite Brahman. Liberation is thus only the removal of the wrong identification with the body, mind and senses. The attainment of the state of liberation - in - life or Jivanmukti is the goal of human life according to the Upanishads.
~ S. N. Sastri

As is the human body, So is the cosmic body. As is the human mind, So is the cosmic mind. As is the microcosm, So is the macrocosm. As is the atom, So is the universe.

As the sun, revealer of all objects to the seer, is not harmed by the sinful eye, nor by the impurities of the objects it gazes on, so the one Self, dwelling in all, is not touched by the evils of the world.

In the finite there is no happiness. The Infinite alone is happiness.

Like two birds of golden plumage, inseparable companions, the individual self and the immortal Self are perched on branches of the selfsame tree. The former tastes of the sweet and bitter fruits of the tree; the latter, tasting of neither, calmly observes.

Never during its pilgrimage is the human spirit completely adrift and alone. From start to finish its nucleus is the Atman, the god-within... underlying its whirlpool of transient feelings, emotions, and delusions is the self-luminous, abiding point of the transpersonal god. As the sun lights the world even when cloud-covered, “the Immutable is never seen but is the Witness; it is never heard but is the Hearer; it is never thought but is the Thinker; it is never known but is the Knower. There is no other witness but This, no other knower but This.

The bird has no path; where the bird flies is the path. The fish has no path in water; wherever it swims is the path.

The little space within the heart is as great as the vast universe. The heavens and the earth are there, and the sun and the moon and the stars. Fire and lightening and winds are there, and all that now is and all that is not.

The Self is hidden in the lotus of the heart. Those who see themselves in all creatures go day by day into the world of Brahman hidden in the heart. Established in peace, they rise above body-consciousness to the supreme light of the Self. Immortal, free from fear, this Self is Brahman, called the True. Beyond the mortal and the immortal, he binds both worlds together. Those who know this live day after day in heaven in this very life.

Amritbindu Upanishad

That in whom reside all beings and who resides in all beings, who is the giver of grace to all, the Supreme Soul of the universe, the limitless being - I am that.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

Shukla Yajur Veda: He who knows this, having become peaceful, controlled, detached, patient and concentrated, sees the atman in himself and sees all in the atman. Evil does not overcome him, but he overcomes all evil; evil does not consume him, but he consumes all evil. Free from evil, free from passion, free from doubt, he becomes a knower of Brahman.

All the joys of the entire cosmos put together would be only a small drop of the bliss of the Supreme Being. Whatever little satisfaction we have, whatever pleasures we have, whatever joys we are experiencing, whatever be the happiness of life - all this is but a reflection, a fractional distorted form, a drop, as it were, from this ocean of the Absolute.
~ BRIHADARANYAKA UPANISHAD

He is never heard, but is the Hearer;
He is never thought of, but is the Thinker;
He is never known but is the Knower.
There is no other seer than He,
there is no other hearer than He,
there is no other thinker than He,
there is no other knower than He.
He is your Self, the Inner Controller, the Immortal.
Everything else but Him is perishable.
v He is never seen, but is the Seer.
~ Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

When the body and mind grow weak, the Self gathers in all the powers of life and descends with them into the heart. As prana leaves the eye, it ceases to see. "He is becoming one," say the wise; "he does not see. He is becoming one; he no longer hears. He is becoming one; he no longer speaks, or tastes, or smells, or thinks, or knows." By the light of the heart the Self leaves the body by one of its gates; and when he leaves, prana follows, and with it all the vital powers of the body. He who is dying merges in consciousness, and thus consciousness accompanies him when he departs, along with the impressions of all that he has done, experienced, and known.
~ Brihadaranyaka Upanishad

Chandogya Upanishad

You Are Pure Existence.

In the sixth chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad, we find a dialogue between a sage and his son, Shvetaketu. The enquiry here is, ‘What is that knowledge by which everything becomes known?’

When we enquire deeply enough, this Upanishad claims, we shall see that all existent things are nothing but existence itself or pure existence. Sat is the term used for pure existence.

One who meditates upon and realizes the Self discovers that everything in the cosmos - energy and space, fire and water, name and form, birth and death, mind and will, word and deed, mantram and meditation - all come from the Self.
The Self is one, though it appears to be many. Those who meditate upon the Self and realize the Self go beyond decay and death, beyond separateness and sorrow. They see the Self in everyone and obtain all things.
Control the senses and purify the mind. In a pure mind there is constant awareness of the Self. Where there is constant awareness of the Self, freedom ends bondage and joy ends sorrow.
Thus the sage Sanatkumara taught the pure Narada to go beyond bondage, beyond sorrow, beyond darkness, to the light of the Self.
~ Chandogya Upanishad Chapter 7

The Self resides within the lotus of the heart. Knowing this, consecrated to the Self, the sage enters daily that holy sanctuary. Absorbed in the Self, the sage is freed from identity with the body and lives in blissful consciousness.
~ Sama Veda, Chandogya Upanishad 8.3.3-4

Where one sees nothing else, hears nothing else, understands nothing else, that is the infinite. But where one sees something else, hears something else, understands something else, that is the small (ie. the finite). Verily, the infinite is the same as the immortal, the finite is the same as the mortal.
~ Chandogya Upanishad, VII.24.1

The Isa Upanishad says He is within all: "In the heart of all things, of whatever there is in the universe, dwells the Lord." Whatever we experience, whether through the inner or outer senses, it is a covering of the Lord (Isha).

All is perfect, so perfectly perfect! Whatever being lives, moves and breathes on earth, at every level from atom to galaxy, is absolutely perfect in its place. Precise and choreographed. Because ‘That’ flows from the Glory of God, The Lord, Consciousness, The Source, Awareness, Peace and Love, and is therefore perfect. When you have surrendered your ego To 'That’ you will find true happiness.
~ Isa Upanishad

3. To the seer, all things have verily become the Self: what delusion, what sorrow, can there be for him who beholds that oneness?
~ Isha Upanishad

He who sees everything and all beings in the Atman (Self), and the Atman (Self) in all beings, feels no hatred by virtue of that realization.When, to the man of realization, all beings become one with his own Atman, his own Self, then what delusion and what sorrow can there be for that seer of oneness? When one sees all beings in the Self, and the Self in all beings, he hates no one.Renunciation is renunciation of the ego, of selfishness and not of life.Who sees all beings in his own Self and his own Self in all beings, loses all fear.The whole creation is filled with Divinity.
TEACHINGS FROM ISHA UPANISHAD

INFINITE O Almighty! You are the infinite; the universe is also infinite! From infinite the infinite has come out! Having taken infinite out of the infinite, the Infinite remains! O Almighty! May there be Peace! Peace! Everywhere.
~ Ishawashya Upanishad

The knowing self is not born; it does not die. it has not sprung from anything; nothing has sprung from it. Birthless,eternal, everlasting and ancient, it is not killed when the body is killed.
~ Katha Upanishad

1. The self that is subtler than the subtle and greater than the great is seated in the heart of every creature. One who is free from desire sees the glory of the self through the tranquillity of the mind and senses and becomes absolved from grief.
~ Katha Upanishad

18. The knowing Self is not born; It does not die. It has not sprung from anything; nothing has sprung from It. Birthless, Eternal, everlasting and ancient, It is not killed when the body is killed.
19. If the killer thinks he kills and if the killed man thinks he is killed, neither of these apprehends aright. The Self kills not, nor is It killed.
20. Self, smaller than the small, greater than the great, is hidden in the hearts of all living creatures. A man who is free from desires beholds the majesty of the Self through tranquillity of the senses and the mind and becomes free from grief.
21. Though sitting still, It travels far; though lying down, It goes everywhere. Who but myself can know that luminous Self who rejoices and rejoices not?
22. The wise man, having realised the Self as dwelling within impermanent bodies but Itself bodiless, vast and all- pervading, does not grieve.
23. This Self cannot be attained by the study of the Vedas, or by intelligence, or by much hearing of sacred books. It is attained by him alone whom It chooses. To such a one Self reveals Its own form.
24. He who has not first turned away from wickedness, who is not tranquil and subdued and whose mind is not at peace, cannot attain Self. It is realised only through the knowledge of Reality.
~ KATHA UPANISHAD PART 1 – CHAPTER 2 18.

When the five organs of perception become still, together with the mind, and the intellect ceases to be active: that is called the Supreme State [Brahma-Vidya or Self Knowledge].
~ Katha Upanishad 2.3.10

Anup Gupta
Yadeveha tadamutra yadamutra tadanmiha - What is here, indeed that is there; what is there, that is also here.
~ Katha Upanishad, Vedantic scriptures of Sanatan Dharm

The Kena Upanishad begins with this question about consciousness—the inner experience of thinking, hearing, seeing, speaking. What is that shining within us which enables all these conscious experiences and functions? Who is that Being or what is that mechanism which makes these possible?

That which speech does not illumine, but which illumines speech: know that alone to be the Brahman, not this which people worship here.
That which cannot be thought by mind, but by which, they say, mind is able to think: know that alone to be the Brahman, not this which people worship here.
That which is not seen by the eye, but by which the eye is able to see: know that alone to be the Brahman, not this which people worship here.
That which cannot be heard by the ear, but by which the ear is able to hear: know that alone to be Brahman, not this which people worship here.
That which none breathes with the breath, but by which breath is in–breathed: know that alone to be the Brahman, not this which people worship here.
~ Kena Upanishad

Maitreya Upanishad

That which is the eternal, the pure, the ever vigilant, free from the nature (of delusions), the true, the subtle, the supremely powerful, the one without a second, the ocean of bliss and transcendent, that I am, the innermost essence (of all); there is no doubt about it.
~ Maitreya Upanishad 1-15

Mandukya Upanishad

One should wake up the mind merged in sleep; one should bring the dispersed mind into tranquility again; one should know when the mind is tinged with desire; one should not disturb the mind established in equipoise. One should not enjoy happiness in that state; but one should become unattached through discernment. When the mind established in steadiness wants to issue out, one should concentrate it with diligence.
~ Mandukya Upanishad Karika, 3.44–5

Mundaka Upanishad

That immortal Brahman alone is before, that Brahman is behind, that Brahman is to the right and left. Brahman alone pervades everything above and below; this universe is that supreme Brahman alone.
~ Mundaka Upanishad

2. This Atman, resplendent and pure, whom the sinless sannyasins behold residing within the body, is attained by the unceasing practice of truthfulness, austerity, right knowledge, and continence.
~ Mundaka Upanishad

Nādabindu Upanishad

Nādabindu Upanishad or Amitra Nada Bindu Upanishad Nādabindu Upanishad or Amitra Nada Bindu Upanishad is an ancient Sanskrit text which belongs to the twenty Yoga Upanishads of the four Vedas.

It is also one of the 5 Bindu Upanishads (Tejo-Bindu, Amrita-Bindu, Dhyana-Bindu, Brahma-Bindu) attached to the Atharvaveda.

Om ! May my speech be based on (i.e. accord with) the mind; May my mind be based on speech. O Self-effulgent One, reveal Thyself to me. May you both (speech and mind) be the carriers of the Veda to me. May not all that I have heard depart from me. I shall join together (i.e. obliterate the difference of) day And night through this study. I shall utter what is verbally true; I shall utter what is mentally true. May that (Brahman) protect me; May That protect the speaker (i.e. the teacher), may That protect me; May that protect the speaker – may That protect the speaker. Om ! Let there be Peace in me! Let there be Peace in my environment ! Let there be Peace in the forces that act on me!

1. The syllable ‘A’ is considered to be its (the bird Om’s) right wing, ‘Upanishad’, its left; ‘M’, its tail; and the Ardha-Matra (half-metre) is said to be its head.

2. The (Rajasic and Tamasic) qualities, its feet upwards (to the loins); Sattva, its (main) body; Dharma is considered to be its right eye, and Adharma, its left.

3. The Bhur-Loka is situated in its feet; the Bhuvar-Loka, in its knees; the Suvar-Loka, in its loins; and the Mahar-Loka, in its navel.

4. In its heart is situate the Janoloka; Tapoloka in its throat and the Satya-Loka in the centre of the forehead between the eyebrows.

5(a). Then the Matra (or Mantra) beyond the Sahasrara (thousand-rayed) is explained (viz.,) should be explained. 5(b)-6(a). An adept in Yoga who bestrides the Hamsa (bird) thus (viz., contemplates on Om) is not affected by Karmic influences or by tens of Crores of sins.

Svetasvatara Upanishad

Of all religions thou art the source, the light of thy knowledge shining. There is no day or night, nor being nor non-being. Thou alone art.

The soul is born and unfolds in a body, with dreams and desires and the food of life. And then it is reborn in new bodies in accordance with its former works. The quality of the soul determines its future body—earthly or airy, heavy or light.
~ Shvetashvatara Upanishad, 5.11–12.

Body, heaven and hell, bondage and freedom, as also fear, all these are mere imagination. What have I to do with all these — I whose nature is Pure Consciousness?
~ Ashtavakra Gita

Ashtavakra said:
1.2 To be free, shun the experiences of the senses like poison. Turn your attention to forgiveness, sincerity, kindness, simplicity, truth.
1.3 You are not earth, water, fire or air. Nor are you empty space. Liberation is to know yourself as Awareness alone, the Witness of these.
1.4 Abide in Awareness with no illusion of person. You will be instantly free and at peace.

Let yourself dissolve. You are one and the same in joy and sorrow, hope and despair, life and death. You are already fulfilled.
~ Ashtavakra Gita

My child, because you think you are the body, for a long time you have been bound. Know you are pure Awareness. With this knowledge as your sword, cut through your chains and be happy!
~ Ashtavakra Gita

One who knows for certain that this universe is but an illusion and a nothing, becomes desireless and Pure Intelligence, and finds peace as if nothing exists. In the ocean of the world One only was, is, and will be. You have neither bondage nor liberation. Live contented and happily.
~ Astavakra Samhita

You are pure consciousness, the substance of the universe.The universe exists within you. Don’t be small-minded.
~ Ashtavakra Gita

Your real nature is one perfect, free, and actionless consciousness, the all-pervading, unattached to anything, desireless, at peace. It appears through illusion as the world. Knowing that all this is an illusion, one becomes free from desire, pure receptivity and at peace, as if nothing existed.
~ Ashtavakra Gita

You're not the body, nor does the body belong to you. You're neither the doer nor the experiencer. You are Consciousness Itself, the eternal Impersonal Witness. Live in peace.
~ Ashtavakra Gita

The Avadhuta Gita is attributed to the sage Dattatreya, who spontaneously sang it after purifying himself in meditation and becoming absorbed in the uninterrupted bliss of Reality. It is regarded as one of the greatest treatise on Advaita Vedanta and some scholars date it as far back as 5000 B.C.

The word "avadhut" refers to one who has renounced all worldly attachments and connections and lives in a state beyond body consciousness. He has shaken off all cares and concerns, possessions and positions, along with all concepts and labels that interfere with his direct perception of Reality. He holds out no compromise with illusion, he offers no foothold on separation, he allows no semblance of duality at all to creep into his direct perception. He does not identify with his mind or body or "names and forms" and does not recognise a distinction between himself and the world around him. According to Dattatreya, an avadhut need not have any particular appearance, lifestyle, religion or social role. He may walk about naked or be dressed as a prince. He may appear pious or blasphemous, ascetic or hedonistic. Such a person is held to be pure consciousness in human form. He is the ever-free Reality [Brahman].

At the hour of death, when a man leaves his body, he must depart with his consciousness absorbed in Me. Then he will be united with Me. Be certain of that. Whatever a man remembers at the last, when he is leaving the body, will be realized by him in the hereafter; because that will be what his mind has most constantly dwelt on, during this life. Therefore you must remember Me at all times, and do your duty. If your mind and heart are set upon Me constantly, you will come to Me. Never doubt this. Make a habit of practicing meditation, and do not let your mind be distracted. In this way you will come finally to the Lord, Who is the light-giver, the highest of the high.
~ Bhagavad Gita 8:5-10

For one who sees with the eyes of the heart, rather than the senses, the world looks different; the blades of grass, the song of the birds, the drops of dew, all are seen to be none other than the One Life that surrounds us in every moment, proclaiming the Glory of the One. They see the One in every creature and every creature in the One… they see everything with an equal eye.
~ Bhagavad Gita 4:24

He who, before he leaves his body, learns to surmount the promptings of desire and anger is a saint and is happy.
~ Bhagavad Gita

I am the Atma abiding in the heart of all beings. I am also the beginning, the middle, and the end of all beings. If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky, that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One… I am become Death, the Shatterer of Worlds.
~ The Bhagavad Gita

One should gradually, gradually attain quietude with the intellect held steadfast and the mind sunk in the Self, allowing no thought to arise. To whatever side the restless, unsteady mind wanders away, one should check it and bring it back controlled to the Self.
~ Bhagavad Gita

The instrument of offering is the One; that which is offered is the One; it is the One who offers the sacrifice in the fire of the One; the One is attained by those who see the One in every action.
~ Bhagavad Gita 6:29

The man who sees me in everything and everything within me will not be lost to me, nor will I ever be lost to him.
~ Bhagavad Gita

These bodies are perishable, but the dwellers in these bodies are eternal, indestructible and impenetrable.
~ Bhagavad Gita

Truly there never was a time when I was not, nor you, nor these lords of men – nor in the future will there be a time when we shall cease to be.
~ Bhagavad Gita 2:12

When you keep thinking about sense objects, attachment comes. Attachment breeds desire, the lust of possession that burns to anger. Anger clouds the judgment; you can no longer learn from past mistakes. Lost is the power to choose between what is wise and what is unwise, and your life is utter waste. But when you move amidst the world of sense, free from attachment/craving (raga) and aversion (dvesha) alike, there comes peace in which all sorrows end, and you live in the wisdom of the Self.
~ Bhagavad Gita (Ch2.62-65)

Salvation of the Dawn
~ Bhagavad Gita

Look to this day for it is life, the very life of life.
In its brief course lie all the truths and realities of your existence;
The bliss of growth, the glory of action, and the splendor of beauty;
For yesterday is but a dream and tomorrow is only a vision,
But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness
And every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore, to this day.
Such is the salvation of the dawn.

Some may argue that this universe of duality (multiple existences) is a factual second reality, clearly seen by the senses operated by the mind. But then, are the senses anything apart from the mind? Can they function without the support of the mind in which they are imbedded? What is this mind except a bundle of thoughts? What are thoughts except evanescent ripples in the still, limitless ocean of pure Being-Awareness-Self, which is the sole Existence without a second.
~ Ribhu Gita

That which is known as Brahman or The Self is the timeless Truth. It alone is for all eternity, the unalloyed being and non-duality is its nature.
~ from the intro to the Ribhu Gita

The universe was neither born, nor maintained, nor dissolved; this is the plain truth. The basic screen of pure Being-Awareness-Stillness devoid of all the moving shadow pictures of name and form of the universe is the sole, eternal Existence.
~ Ribhu Gita

Lord Krishna said:
Arjuna, abandon all Dharma (duties) and just surrender unto me (the will of God). I shall deliver you from all bonds of Karma. Do not fear.

A person in full consciousness of Me, knowing Me to be the ultimate beneficiary of all sacrifices and austerities, the Supreme Lord of all planets and demigods, and the benefactor and well-wisher of all living entities, attains peace from the pangs of material miseries.
~ SHRI KRISHNA, Bhagavad Gita as it is 5.29

Shri Krishna said: After being situated in this yoga practice and vibrating the sacred syllable Om, the supreme combination of letters, if one thinks of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and quits his body, he will certainly reach the spiritual planets.
~ Bhagavad Gita as it is 8.13

It is never born, nor does it die: after coming to be, it does not cease to be; it is without birth, eternal, imperishable and timeless; it is not destroyed with the destruction of the body.
- Lord Krishna from the Bhagavad Gita

Shri Krishna said: O Arjuna, as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, I know everything that has happened in the past, all that is happening in the present, and all things that are yet to come. I also know all living entities; but Me no one knows.
~ ~Bhagavad Gita as it is 7.26

Shri Krishna said: The Supreme Truth exists outside and inside of all living beings, the moving and the nonmoving. Because He is subtle, He is beyond the power of the material senses to see or to know. Although far, far away, He is also near to all.

Sri Krishna said: Remembering me at the time of death, close down the doors of the senses and place the mind in the heart. Then, while absorbed in meditation, focus all energy upwards to the head. Repeating in this state the divine name, the syllable Om that represents the changeless Brahman, you will go forth from the body and attain the supreme goal.

That Light which is residing in the Sun and which illumines the whole world, and that which is in the moon and in the fire - know that Light to be Mine.
~ Lord Krishna in Gita 12

There was never a time when I did not exist, nor you. Nor will there be any future when we cease to be.
~ Sri Krishna, Bhagavad Gita

With their minds thus taken up by their own selfish desires for everlasting pleasure and power, they are not able to develop the utter concentration needed to reach union with God, which is mankind’s only real objective.
~ Krishna (Bhagavad Gita)

Some Krishna sayings:

Death is certain for anyone born, and birth is certain for the dead. Since the cycle is inevitable, you have no cause to grieve.

When he renounces all desires and acts without craving, possessiveness or individuality, he finds peace. This is the place of the infinite spirit. Achieving it, one is freed from delusion. Abiding in it even at the time of death, one finds the pure calm of infinity.

A man cannot escape the force of action by abstaining from actions. He does not attain success just by renunciation.

Knowing the self beyond understanding, sustain the self with the self. Great warrior, kill the enemy menacing you in the form of desire.

Whenever sacred duty decays and chaos prevails then I create myself, Arjuna. To protect men of virtue and destroy men who do evil, to set the standard of sacred duty I appear in age after age.

If you see me in all things and see all things in me, then you will never lose sight of me, and I will never lose sight of you.

Adi Shankaracharya

As the mind becomes gradually established in the Self, it proportionately gives up the desire for external objects. When all such desires have been eliminated, there is the unobstructed realization of the Self.
~ Adi Shankara

Give up identification with this mass of flesh as well as with what thinks it a mass. Both are intellectual imaginations. Recognize your true self as undifferentiated awareness, unaffected by time, past, present or future, and enter Peace.
~ Adi Shankara

He (Adi Shankara) wrote profuse commentaries on the Upanishads, Brahma Sutras and Bhagavad Gita. Sankara proclaimed, "It is the one Reality which appears to our ignorance as a manifold universe of names and forms and changes. Like the gold of which many ornaments are made, it remains in itself unchanged. Such is Brahman, and That art Thou."
~ Adi Shankara

I am blessed indeed! I have achieved life's only purpose. The dragon of rebirth can never seize me now. The Infinite is mine. I recognize my true nature in eternal joy.
~ Adi Shankara

Like different ornaments are made from Gold, all that is manifested in the world of things are imagined on the underlying substratum that is called as Vishnu, the all pervading.
~ Adi Shankaracharya

Neither by yoga, nor philosophy, nor by work, nor by learning but by the realization of one’s identity with Brahman is liberation possible, and by no other means.
~ Adi Sankaracharya

The form is seen, the eye is seer; the mind is both seen and seer. The changing moods of mind are seen, but the witnessing Self, the seer, is never seen.
~ Adi Sankaracharya, Vakya Sudha

The Vedas cannot show you Brahman, you are That already. They can only help to take away the veil that hides truth from our eyes. The cessation of ignorance can only come when I know that God and I are one; in other words, identify yourself with Atman, not with human limitations. The idea that we are bound is only an illusion [Maya]. Freedom is inseparable from the nature of the Atman. This is ever pure, ever perfect, ever unchangeable.
~ Adi Shankara’s commentary on Fourth Vyasa Sutra

To one who is bitten by the serpent of ignorance, salvation can come only from the elixir of Self-knowledge and not from the Vedas, scriptures, incantations or any other remedies. Just as a person’s sickness is not removed without taking medicine, so too his state of bondage is not removed by scriptural texts such as ‘I am Brahman’ without his own direct experience of the Self. One does not become a king by merely saying, ‘I am a king’, without destroying one’s enemies and obtaining the reality of power. Similarly, one does not obtain liberation as Brahman itself by merely repeating the scriptural text ‘I am Brahman’, without destroying the duality caused by ignorance and directly experiencing the Self.

A treasure trove hidden under the ground is not obtained by merely hearing about it, but only by being told by a friend who knows it, and then digging and removing the slab that hides it and taking it out from below the ground. Similarly, one must hear about one’s true state from a Guru who knows Brahman, and then meditate upon it and experience it directly through constant meditation. Without this, the true form of one’s own Self, that is hidden by maya, cannot be realized through mere argumentation. Therefore, those who are wise themselves make every effort to remove the bondage of individual existence and obtain liberation, just as they would to get rid of some disease.
~ Adi Shankaracharya. Vivekachudamani

Just as the cloth, when investigated, is seen to be nothing but thread, so also this world, when enquired into, is (seen to be) merely the Self.

Just as the foam, the waves, the dew and the bubbles are not different from water, even so this world which has come out of the Self is not different from the Self.

Just as the trees on the bank of a lake are reflected in the water, so also all these varied objects are reflected in the vast mirror of our consciousness.

Just as when the dirt is removed, the real substance is made manifest; just as when the darkness of the night is dispelled, the objects that were shrouded by the darkness are clearly seen, when ignorance [Maya] is dispelled, truth is realized.

Like clouds which suddenly appear in a clear sky and as suddenly dissolve, the entire universe (appears) in the Self and (dissolves in it).

Like waves rising up from the ocean the unstable mind rises out of the vast and stable expanse of the Supreme Self.

Neither freedom from sorrow nor realization of one’s real nature is possible as long as the conviction does not arise in one that the world-appearance is unreal.

One who has no idea of gold sees only the bracelet. He does not at all have the idea that it is merely gold. The world is full of misery to an ignorant man and full of bliss to a wise man.

The world is dark to a blind man and bright to one who has eyes. The bliss of a man of discrimination, who has rejected samsara and discarded all mental concepts, constantly increases.

This world, though unreal, appears to exist and is the cause of life-long suffering to an ignorant person, just as a (non-existent) ghost (is the cause of fear) to a boy.

To all who long and strive to realize the Self, Illumination comes to them in this very life. This divine awareness never leaves them and they work unceasingly for the good of all. When the lamp of wisdom is lit within, Their face shines, whether life brings weal or woe. Even in deep sleep they are aware of the Self, For their mind is freed from all conditioning. Inwardly they are pure like the cloudless sky, But they act as if they too were like us all. Free from self–will, with detached intellect, They are aware of the Self even with their hands at work. Neither afraid of the world, nor making the world afraid, They are free from greed, anger, and fear. When the waves of self–will subside Into the sea of peace that is the Self, The mind becomes still, the heart pure and illumination comes to us in this very life. When this supreme state is attained, They neither rise nor fall, change nor die. Words cannot describe the supreme state For it is fuller than fullness can be.

To one who is established in what is infinite, pure consciousness, bliss and unqualified non-duality, where is the question of bondage or liberation, seeing that there is no second entity?

The Divine State of Liberation
~ Rishi Vashisht, preceptor of the Divine Ram

The poison plant of the world's illusion springs from the mind entangled in sensuous enjoyment. But it is through mind alone, that the ills of mind can be cured and eradicated. Those who live in this world without attachment to worldly objects, like a duck in a pond, are the true conquerors of the mind. For what are they—but vermin—those who cling to the objects of the senses, and taste not of the fruit of renunciation? One ought to rid the mind of all thoughts of ego, and fix it on the Soul Supreme, according to the teachings of the Vedas (Four books of Wisdom), to attain complete bliss and harmony in life.

Even as one thorn removes another thorn, so the higher mind of a man, will remove the impurities from the lower mind of man. To cleanse the mind of its defilements and desires is the first step on the high road to salvation, trodden by the great Saint and Sages.

When the mind that wavers and flickers like a flame in the wind, is steadied and made one-pointed, as it were, through desirelessness, then alone is the Real Truth that sustains the Universe made manifest in all its refulgent majesty. May you tread this Sacred and Ancient Path (Yoga), O Ram, and by knowing the true nature of your own self, and freeing your mind from all worldly entanglements, attain to the highest bliss of salvation. May your mind, freed from hankerings and longings for the objects of the world, be merged in God-Consciousness. Past, present and future become as one, to he who has controlled his mind, and conquered his worldly desires. When all the shining tinsel of the world becomes a mere nothing. then alone is mind conquered. These thoughts of attachment and possession,—that this is mine, that is thine, etc., belong to the realm of the lower mind. When all such lower thoughts of differentiation are lost, and the Atma, One behind all, is recognized, then alone the sorrows of the world cease to exist. May you, O Ram, attain to that Divine State. When the mind is fully controlled and the desires arising from it are destroyed, then alone comes surcease from pains and afflictions that torment humanity. When the baser passions of the mind are slain, then one attains perfect peace, and becomes, as it were, the fountain head of peace in the world for the salvation of suffering humanity.

By meditating on the heart, spiritual Wisdom awakens, all doubts vanish, and the mind is contented. This mind of ours, is susceptible to all kinds of influences, hankering after worldly pleasures, and this is the greatest obstacle in the path of salvation. Control your. mind with the thought that these worldly objects are the merest tinsel compared to the liberation which is a veritable treasure-trove of all bliss and happiness. Then will you be freed from all worldly thoughts of possession and differentiation, arising from an overgrown ego.

The Divine State of liberation, where one is freed from the cycle of birth and death, confers untold bliss, and is everlasting like the Eternal One Himself.

To the rigorous logician bound in his narrow prison of verbal reasoning, the Upanishads seem indeed to base themselves on an initial and fundamental inconsistency. There are a number of passages in these Scriptures which dwell with striking emphasis on the unknowableness of the Absolute Brahman. It is distinctly stated that neither mind nor senses can reach the Brahman and that words return baffied from the attempt to describe It; more -that we do not discern the Absolute and Transcendent in Its reality, nor can we discriminate the right way or perhaps any way of teaching the reality of It to others; and it is even held, that It can only be properly characterised in negative language and that to every challenge for definition the only true answer is neti neti, It is not this, It is not that. Brahman is not definable, not describable, not intellectually knowable. And yet in spite of these passages the Upanishads constantly declare that Brahman is the one true object of knowledge and the whole Scripture is in fact an attempt not perhaps to define, but at least in some sort to characterise and present an idea, and even a detailed idea, of the Brahman.
~ Nature of the Absolute Brahman by Sri Aurobindo

The rooted and fundamental conception of Vedanta is that there exists somewhere, could we but find it, available to experience or self-revelation, if denied to intellectual research, a single truth comprehenshie and universal in the light of which the whole of existence would stand revealed and explained both in its nature and its end. This universal existence, for all its multitude of objects and its diversity of forces, is one in substance and origin; and there is an unknown quantity, X or Brahman to which it can be reduced, for from that it started and in and by that it still exists. This unknown quantity is called Brahman.
~ T H E UPANISHADS TEXTS, TRANSLATIONS AND COMMENTARIES by Sri Aurobindo

Just as a coil of rope Is mistaken for a snake, so you are mistaken for the world. Give up the illusion of the separate self. Give up the feeling, within or without, that you are this or that. You are flowing in all things, and all things are flowing in you. Desire only your own awareness.

Brahman is the only Reality, ever-pure, ever-illumined, ever-free, beyond the limits of time, space, and causation. Though apparently divided by names and forms through the inscrutable agency of Maya (illusion), that enchantress which makes the impossible possible, Brahman is really one and undivided. When a seeker is merged in the beautitude of Samadhi, he does not perceive time and space or name and form - the production of Maya. Whatever is within the domain of Maya is unreal; give it up. Dive deep in the search for Self and be firmly established in It through Samadhi. You will then find the world of name and form vanishing into nothing, and this puny ego merging into cosmic consciousness.
~ Totapuri

Establishing the mind in its native state (of quiet repose) in the space of the Heart is undoubtedly the essence of all yogas – karma, bhakti, raja and jnana.
~ verse ten of the Upadesa Saram

God is omnipresent, omniscient and all powerful to run this universe as per the divine laws which He too does not break or infringe. The Vedic Dharm does not subscribe to the theory of God deputing prophets to run His errands. There is a direct communication between God and man and there is no place for a middleman. That is why the treasure of Vedic knowledge made available to man through mantras does not envisage a godman who is different from a common man. Quran says become a Muslim. Bible says become a Christian. Only Vedas say 'मनुर्भव' - Be Human.
~ Brigadier Chitranjan Sawant, VSM
मनुर्भव

Hindus and Hindutva will one day rule the world, because this is a combination of knowledge and wisdom.
~ Leo Tolstoy

Hindutva will become the ruler religion in Europe, but the famous city of Europe will become the Hindu capital.
~ Nostradamus (1503 - 1566)

How shall I grasp it? Do not grasp it. That which remains when there is no more grasping is the Self.
~ Panchadasi

I owed a magnificent day to the Bhagavad-Gita. It was the first of books; it was as if an empire spoke to us, nothing small or unworthy, but large, serene, consistent, the voice of an old intelligence which in another age and climate had pondered and thus disposed of the same questions which exercise us.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

I read Hinduism and realized that it is the religion of all the world and all mankind. Hindutva will spread throughout Europe and in Europe, big thinkers of Hinduism will emerge. One day it will come that Hindus will be the real stimulus of the world.
~ Bertrand Russell

It is worth mentioning that unlike Brahman, Maya does have an end. Ignorance is removed, ended, eradicated by Self-knowledge. That is to say that while Maya on a macrocosmic level does continue to influence the apparent reality/universe throughout the millennia until the pralaya (the periodic cosmic dissolution), the jiva’s (apparent individual’s) avidya (individual or microcosmic ignorance) ends with the assimilation of the knowledge that I am whole and complete, limitless, actionless, ordinary, all-pervasive, non-dual Awareness.
~ Advaita-Vision. org

It stands to reason that if one realizes the absence of the personal self, all emotional afflictions, which have ego-clinging as their root, will be arrested. For it is certain that when it is perceived that there is no personal self, attachment, hatred, pride, and so forth—all of which arise therefrom—cannot occur.
~ Mipham from his commentary on the Madhyamakalankara

Knowledge is dependent on the knower for its existence. The knower does not require any tests for knowing his own existence. The knower therefore is the only reality behind knowledge and objects. That which is self-evident without the necessity to be proved, is alone real; not so other things.
~ Tripura Rahasya

Shri Ram said: “It is My promise and duty to give all protection to one who surrenders unto Me without reservation.
~ Ramayana, Lanka-kanda 18.33

Sit still, chant Om’ and then think Who is within you. All the Vedanta, nay all the philosophy of the Hindus is simply an exposition of this syllable Om.’ Om’ has a charm about it, an efficiency, a virtue in it which directly brings all feelings and all thoughts into a state of harmony, brings peace and rest to the soul and puts the mind in a state where it is one with God. Science may not be able to explain this, but this is a fact which can be verified by experiment. Woe unto science if it goes against the truth connected with the efficiency of the sacred syllable Om.’ The real Self which is knowledge absolute and power absolute is the only stern Reality, before which the apparent reality of the world melts away! Om’ is the name of this Reality.
~ Swami Rama Tirtha

The entire world will accept Hindu religion one day and if it can not even accept the real name it will accept it by name only. West will accept Hindutva one day and Hindu will be the religion of those who have studied in the world.
~ George Bernard Shaw

When the delusion which has veiled Self, the Light of Consciousness of unlimited Bliss [Sat-Chit-Ananda], is destroyed by the clear enquiry “Who am I?”, one’s own Nature will shine forth gloriously as the Atmakasha [i.e. Space of Self].
~ Guru Vachaka Kovai (The Garland of Guru’s Sayings) by Sri Muruganar

You are always the same, Unfathomable awareness, Limitless and free, Serene and unperturbed. Desire only your own awareness.

You are the One for all living beings, You are the master of the life force, of the body, of the soul and the senses. You are the Time, the Supreme Lord Vishnu, the Imperishable Controller. You as the Greatest One who are both the cosmic creation and the subtle reality, You consisting of passion, goodness and slowness, are the Original Personality, Overseer and the Knower of the restless mind in all fields of action.
~ Srimad Bhagavatam

You should know Krsna to be the original Soul of all living entities. For the benefit of the whole universe, He has, out of His causeless mercy, appeared as an ordinary human being. He has done this by the strength of His internal potency. Those in this world who understand Lord Krsna as He is see all things, whether stationary or moving, as manifest forms of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such enlightened persons recognize no reality apart from the Supreme Lord Krsna. The original, unmanifested form of material nature is the source of all material things, and the source of even that subtle material nature is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Krsna. What, then, could one ascertain to be separate from Him.
~ Srimad Bhagavatam 10.14.55-57

A visitor: Should I give up my business and take to reading books on Vedanta?
Bhagavan: If the objects have an independent existence, i.e., if they exist anywhere apart from you, then it may be possible for you to go away from them. But they don’t exist apart from you; they owe their existence to you, your thought. So, where can you go, to escape them? As for reading books on Vedanta, you may go on reading any number of them. They can only tell you, ‘Realise the Self within you’. The Self cannot be found in books. You have to find it out for yourself, in yourself. Hinduism is predicated on the idea that the eternal wisdom of the ages and of divinity cannot be confined to a single sacred book. While others might look to the heavens to find God, the Hindu looks within himself. There is no Hindu pope, no Hindu Vatican, no Hindu catechism, not even a Hindu Sunday. Hinduism does not oblige the adherent to demonstrate his faith by any visible sign. Instead Hinduism offers a smorgasbord of options to the worshiper: of divinities to adore and to pray to, of rituals to observe, of customs and practices to honor, of fasts to keep. Hinduism allows believers to stretch their imaginations to personal notions of the creative Godhead.

Aphorisms on Consciousness-without-an-object
1. Consciousness-without-an-object is.
2. Before objects were, Consciousness-without-an-object is.
3. Though objects seem to exist, Consciousness-without-an-object is.
4. When objects vanish, yet remaining through all unaffected, Consciousness-without-an-object is.
5. Outside of Consciousness-without-an-object nothing is.

Seeing Past the Illusions of the World
~ K. Nagori

The only truth is that God alone is real and all else is unreal. Men, universe, a shelter, rearing children—all these are magic composed by the Supreme magician.

The magician strikes his wand and says: “Come delusion! Come confusion!” Then he says to the audience, See past the illusion and let your wings take wind. But the magician alone is real and his magic unreal. The unreal exists for a second and then vanishes.

Shiva was seated on Kailas. His companion Nandi was near Him. Suddenly a terrific noise arose. “Revered sir,” asked Nandi “what does that mean?” Shiva said: “Ravana is born. That is the meaning!” A few moments later another terrific noise roared. “Now what is this noise?” Nandi asked. Shiva said with a smile, “Ravana is dead.”

Birth and death are an illusion. You see the magic for a second and then it disappears.

God alone is real and all else unreal. Water alone is real; its bubbles appear and disappear. They disappear into the very water from which they rise.

The Absolute or the Brahman alone is real and the individual self is the Absolute.
~ Acharya Pranipata Chaitanya

Brahman is undifferentiated Pure Consciousness, devoid of parts, attributes, form, changes or limitations whatsoever. It is self-luminous and all-pervading and one only, without a second. The Atmam (Self) is ever-free, pure consciousness. The empirical world is non-real, an appearance born out of Maya (illusion) or avidya (ignorance). The be-all and end-all of Advaita is the absolute non-difference of Atman and Brahman.

The term -Vedanta literally means end of Vedas (the sacred books of knowledge of Hinduism). It refers, within Indian philosophical tradition, to the teachings of the Upanisads, the Brahma-sutras, and the Bhagavad Gita. Advaita Vedanta is the non-dualistic system of Vedanta expounded primarily by an 8th century Indian philosopher called Sankara (Deutsch, 1973, p. 3). Advaita means not two, One only without a second (Ekamevaadvitiyam). The basic truth of Advaita is the Self which is of the nature of pure consciousness. This truth is self-existent and cannot be denied, for to deny consciousness is to actually prove its existence! The experiential realization of this truth is the goal of Advaita.

Advaita Vedanta postulates one single reality, Brahman, as the ultimate truth of the world. It then equates this reality with the sole reality of our individual self, called Atman. Advaita says that One alone exists, and the rest is all superimposition on that One, due to ignorance. Through a systematic inquiry into the nature of our self and the world around us, Advaita arrives at the position that the self which is of the nature of pure consciousness is constant and therefore real, while the phenomena constituting the world is constantly changing and therefore unreal. It finally concludes that, in essence, our essential nature (and the nature of the universe) is ‗Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute‘ - satchitananda.

The Self remains untainted
~ Shradhey Swamiji Shri Ramsukhdasji Maharaj

Our nature and the nature of the body are totally different from each other. Neither have we union with the body nor does the body have union with us. As the body lives in the world, likewise we don’t live in the body.There was never our union with the body, nor is, nor will be nor can be.

In fact we don’t need the body. Even without the body, we live in bliss. It means that without the body, we don’t lose anything.Till now we have acquired and cast off numberless bodies but has it made any difference in our existence? What loss have we sustained? We have remained the same -‘bhūta-grāma sa evāya bhūtvā bhūtvā pralīyate’ (Gita 8/19).

All people realize the absence of body, senses, mind, intellect and ego but no one ever realizes the absence of the self. For example in deep sleep we realize the absence of the body etc. But we don’t say that I didn’t exist in sound sleep, we don’t say ‘I died’. The reason is that even in the absence of the body etc.., we existed. So when we are awake, we say that I slept so soundly that I knew nothing.

It means that we existed the same in sound sleep. It proves that our existence does not depend on the body, senses, mind, intellect and ego. All-gross, subtle and causal bodies cease to exist but the self never ceases to exist. Our self is naturally detached- ‘Asango hyayam Purusha’ (Brhadaranyaka. 4/3/15), ‘dehe ’smin purua para’ (Gitā 13/22). Therefore we in spite of having assumed our affinity and attachment for the body, infact remain untainted and unattached.Therefore the Lord declares‘śarīra-stho ’pi kaunteya na karoti na lipyate’. (Gitā 13/31)

The self, in spite of dwelling in the body neither acts nor is tainted. It means that the self, when it assumes itself to be bound, is, infact liberated. The bondage is assumed while liberation is axiomatic. As darkness and light can’t meet each other, similarly the body (insentient, perishable) and the self (sentient, imperishable) can’t meet each other. The reason is that the body is an‘ansh’ fragment of the world while we are an‘ansh’inseparable part of God.

The Supreme Goal
~ Swami Shraddhananda

“Brahman”, Ramakrishna said, “is the only Reality, ever pure, ever illumined, ever free, beyond the limits of time, space, and causation. Though apparently divided by names and forms through the inscrutable power of maya, that enchantress who makes the impossible possible, Brahman is really One and undivided. When a seeker merges in the beatitude of samadhi, he does not perceive time and space or name and form, the offspring of maya. Whatever is within the domain of maya is unreal. Give it up. Destroy the prison-house of name and form and rush out of it with the strength of a lion. Dive deep in search of the Self and realize It through samadhi. You will find the world of name and form vanishing into void, and the puny ego dissolving in Brahman-Consciousness. You will realize your identity with Brahman, Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute.”

Quoting the Upanishad, Totapuri said: “That knowledge is shallow by which one sees or hears or knows another. What is shallow is worthless and can never give real felicity. But the Knowledge by which one does not see another or hear another or know another, which is beyond duality, is great, and through such Knowledge one attains the Infinite Bliss. How can the mind and senses grasp That which shines in the heart of all as the Eternal Subject?”

The Upanishad tells us that our experience of brokenness is ignorance. Really speaking, reality cannot be broken. Knowledge cannot be broken. Bliss cannot be broken. We have to discover this great fact. All the time we experience reality, but because the experience seems broken, we do not reach the experience of unity. In a moment this insight can come, but it quickly goes. It has to be stabilized. If we develop our understanding we will see that at the back of change there is unchanging reality, unchanging knowledge and unchanging joy. That is Brahman. Brahman is truth, a reality that does not change, that does not end. Brahman is an unchanging reality that is satyam jnanam anantam—eternal truth and knowledge. To find Brahman does not seem to be impossible because it is here all the time. We experience Brahman all the time, because Brahman is reality.

If we want to understand the deeper truths of life, we have to understand that when we reach that infinite goal we will be satisfied. We will know that everything is inside us. How can we reach outside and grab it? It would be like trying to grab our own shadow. In this vast supermarket of life, everything on the shelves has been projected from our Self. The projections are one with us. They are already ours, so why should we try to grab them?

The literal meaning of the word Brahman is the greatest, the all-inclusive. We have the ability to reach Brahman. When we are eating or sleeping, we are on the same level as a dog or a cat. But on the level of our understanding and reasoning, we are able to reach this highest goal of life. The supreme goal is higher than any other goal. All lesser goals, such as a goal for a bachelor’s degree, being the best secretary or the best cook, are included in that supreme goal. As long as we are connected with a body and a mind, we have to pursue these lesser goals, but ultimately there is no running away from the supreme goal.