Divya Jyothi
Page 2
Prabhuji Speaks Advaita Anubhuti – Experience of Non-Duality in day-to-day life What is the experience of Non-duality? Non-duality means not two. We see multiplicity all around. We can see so much of difference everywhere - living, non-living, matter, and consciousness. Does experience of non-duality means - all these differences vanish? Experience of Non-duality in day-to-day life: Let us look at our body. We have five fingers - obviously they are separate and different. But all of them are the part of the hand. There is oneness of the hand behind different fingers. Let us look at the objects in the world. There is a separation between the seer and the seen. When you look at the tree, tree is separate from you. Where is the separation? Where does the tree begin and end. Light from the tree enters into the eyes and forms a image in the retina. This image is converted into biological impulses in the brain for interpretation. Where is the tree really? Out there? Where is the separation between the Seer and the Seen? Similarly where do you draw separation between the one who hears-hearing-source of sound? This is true for all our sensations - touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound. Where do you draw a line and say this is where the sensation starts and this is where it ends. Where is the boundary between one country and other country - only in map and human mind. All the experiences - subjective and objective happen in consciousness. Objects seen, and experiences like touch, feel, .... taste etc. all are happening in consciousness. Consciousness and objects of consciousness are called Shiva and Shakti. Shiva and Shakti are one. This is the realization of non-duality. Is Non-duality Special experience necessary? Non-duality is a day-to-day living experience. It is a natural experience. It is not a special experience. .For example all of us know that earth goes round the sun. But our day-to-day experience is to the contrary. Sun is going round the earth as per our experience. But deep in our heart we know that this experience is not true. It is the earth going round the sun not the other way due to our understanding based on principles of Science. .Similarly when we are going through the experience of life of diversity, we can live in non-duality with our conviction derived from the spiritual teaching of Vedanta. Don't wait for special experiences of non-duality but live with the conviction derived from the teaching of Vedanta - bring non-duality into our day-to-day living. .There is no need of special experience called Non -dual is necessary but, conviction in teachings of Vedanta is necessary..Live with a conviction that All that is there is Consciousness. How the life will be different with the conviction of Non-duality? When everything is part of one whole, Universal love, compassion blooms in heart. With that comes the attitude of service. Serving the creation. Conflicts within mind vanish. Special Experience of Non Duality: There are cases of Individuals experiencing non-duality. We call them Sages/Saints. Spiritual practices lead to this experience of non-duality. Spiritual practices lead to deeper silence of the mind. Silent mind is able to perceive underlying unity. Meditation helps in direct experience of non-duality. Deep routed belief systems about separation from the existence have to be dropped. This can be done through contemplation on spiritual truths of Upanishads. Dropping of unconscious beliefs about separation is essential for direct experience of non-duality. Ocean is turbulent at the surface. As you go deeper, there is deep silence. Similarly mind, which is contemplative and meditative, reaches deeper level of consciousness to experience Non-duality.
Divya Jyothi
Page 3
Panchadasi - Tattva Viveka 30 Kurvate karma bhogya karma kartum ca bhunjate| Nadyam kita ivavartad avartam tara masu te| Vrajanto janmano janma labhante naiva nirvrtim|| (30) The jiva engages himself in action for getting enjoyments and does actions again for enjoyment. They soon after get lost in the rebirth from one birth to another, like the insect fallen into river is swept from one whirl pool to another, and do not attain liberation. (30) The desire for getting enjoyments makes us act. When there is a desire to see, the eyes are used; when the desire is for feeling, through the skin the touch is felt; when the desire is for taste, the tongue is used; when the desire is for smell, the nose is used and when the desire is for hearing, the ears are used. The five sense organs are the organs of action that make us act. The attraction towards the object is the subordinate to the desire. As said in Sri Bhagavad-Gita the desires of the mind are insatiable and are compared to the fire. Any amount of fuel we give to the fire will not satisfy it. We can throw the whole world into the fire and at no point will it say, ‘No thank you, I’ve had enough.’ This is the nature of fire. This is the nature of desire, the desire that has no destination. The more we feed it the more its appetite increases, the higher and wider is its sweep. A honeybee starts the honey making process by visiting a flower and gathering some of its nectar. Many plants use nectar as a way of encouraging insects to stop at the flower. In the process of gathering nectar, the insect transfers pollen grains from one flower to another and pollinates the flower. Similarly, our desires start storing impressions and vasanas in the subconscious mind. Just as the honeybee is attracted towards the nectar we are also attracted towards the materialistic world. Just as many plants use the nectar as a way to attract and encourage insects, many of the ma-
terialistic objects attracts us and encourages us to achieve them. This is the desire of our formless mind. Mind nature is to hold on to something all the time. If it loses one, it will find something else to hold. Now when you catch hold of changing one, which we do very often, or all the time, then every moment you should keep on changing whatever you are holding onto. It never ends, how can we hold on a changing object? You are handsome, you are beautiful, and you feel happy. What are you holding? You are holding to your body. Handsome and beautiful are for the body. After a few years body becomes old and then you will get hurt. Today, you are topper in class, you are proud of your intelligence and when you go to the next standard, you see that there are people who are more intelligent than you and in next level a large number of people are better than you. You are holding to the intelligence, how long you can hold on to the intelligence? You hold on to mind, which is happy one moment and becomes unhappy the very next moment for some reason. Can you hold on to the mind or the body or to the intellect, which keep on changing? That holding on gives you suffering. The desire to get something from the world cannot be fulfilled, because it is a moving target and every time it keeps on moving. ‘I will be very happy if I get good marks, got good marks but unhappy because need a good job. I will be happy if I get a job, got job but still unhappy, why? I want a good girl or boy to get married, married still unhappy. I want a promotion. So this is s never ending list. Every time a new target comes up. This will continue until the last moment of your death. Still you have to get something from life, something from outer world, the desires are never fulfilled because new desires keep sprouting up. Then what happens? Unfulfilled desires lead to another birth. Punarapi Jananam Punarapi Maranam, again and again birth and death will happen. How long can you hold on to something, which is shifting, shifting and shifting to new one? So, only those who hold on to permanent will become free. What do they hold on to? What is permanent in you? They hold on to the unchanging, the Sakshi inside them which is permanent. That is called Parabrahma.
Divya Jyothi
If you are able to understand that I am not the body, mind and the intellect, I am Pure Awareness, Witness (Sakshi), then you will start becoming free, otherwise life is full of hurts and those who hold on to Parabrahma, they become free, get liberated, Muktas Jivan Mukthi.
Page 4
ignorance and show deity in the heart. Then what is jnana, there won’t be deities in jnana? We have manas and chitta. Manas and chitta requires deities to purify. Once that happens jnana shines in buddhi. Outer deity has to become inner deity. That is what Guru teaches in meditation. That is what Guru teaches in Six Chakras. Jnana is mainly for Ajnachakra. Some have a question if we can visualize a form in chakra? Depending on our ability, we can visualize form, qualities, colour and feeling. These are generated consciously for the purpose of meditation. Ganesha is a form given to Parabrahma for the purpose of meditation and Bhakti. To become a good teacher, it takes lot of tapasya.
Sanatana Dharma Jnana and Bhakti
There is a popular belief that Jnana marga is dry, Bhakti marga is enjoyable. The understanding of what is jnana what is Bhakti has to come from Guru. Self-learning has pitfalls. Most of the learning about Jnana/bhakti happens through books or half-baked wisdom. It is misleading. Even for Bhakti marga one has to follow an enlightened teacher. The problem is, there are few really wise teachers and to access them is very diďŹƒcult. The moment there is really an enlightened Guru there is no Marga. The marga ends and wisdom shines. If one gets an enlightened teacher in Bhakti marga, one will have a vision of deity fully and no more marga remains. Jnana and Bhakti both are same. It is always for Inner Self. .To start with, people are given outer form. You Get stuck to outer form becomes there are great hurdles in spiritual life. Enlightened teacher in Bhakti marga will remove that
Divya Jyothi
Soundarya Lahari Mastery over words, Knowledge of science Savitribhir vacham Chasi-mani-sila-bhanga-rucibhir Vasiny'adyabhis tvam saha janani samchintayati yah; Sa karta kavyanam bhavati mahatam bhangi-rucibhih Vacobhi vagdevi-vadana-kamal'amoda madhuraii..(17) Oh, mother holy, He who worships you, Along with the goddess like Vasini, Who are the prime source of words, And you who are having the great luster, Got by breaking the moon stone, Becomes the author of great epics, Which shine like those written by great ones, And which have the sweet scent Of the face of the goddess of knowledge. (17) The Holy Mother – The Cradle of Wisdom Vasini means knowledge. People of India -Bharatiyas excelled in knowledge - outer in the form of science, ayurveda, astronomy, and mathematics and through Vedic knowledge - Para Vidya. But for contribution of Bharatiyas world would not have achieved the progress and prosperity we are seeing today. But for the contribution of Para Vidya - the path of non violence (ahimsa), love (prema), shanthi (peace) would have disappeared from face of earth. Glory to the Holy Mother. Bharat or India is a land where since ancient times people are spiritually oriented. The reason Sanatana dharma and its principles are alive today is not because of Vedas but the knowledge and wisdom of vedas hidden in the stories of Ramayana, Maha Bharata, Puranas, Bhagavata etc. And the credit for this goes to Sri Vedavyasa to have protected the paravidya Sri Vedavyasa: Sri Vedavyasa has compiled the four Vedas, Puranas, Ramayana, MahaBharata, Bhagavadgita, Bhagavata for the beneďŹ t of future generations of people. While the stories of Purana may not be true, there is truth in those stories. The stories are not stories, they are capsules of knowledge containing deep spiritual messages. Bharata (Meaning Land of people interested in wisdom) or India is a land where since ancient times people are spiritually oriented. It has
Page 5
weathered many brutal assaults on its spiritual heritage, culture, and dharma. Many wars has been conducted against India by hostile forces destroying libraries, temples etc. The reason Sanatana dharma and its principles are alive today is not because of Vedas but the knowledge and wisdom of Vedas hidden in the stories of Ramayana, MahaBharata, Puranas, Bhagavata etc. And the credit for this goes to Sri Vedavyasa to have protected the paravidya (spiritual science) and aparavidya (material science) of Vedas. Please do not mistake that Vedas are related to religion. Meaning of Veda is knowledge. All knowledge whether it is spiritual or material science has origin in Veda. Modern science is dependent on mathematics. Without Mathematics there is no science. And the basis of Mathematics is the concept of '0' zero. This concept of zero is coming from Veda. Sri Vedavyasa is not mentioned anywhere as the origin of all knowledge and todays generation has almost forgotten the savior of mankind. Because of Sri Vedavyasa, the knowledge is encapsulated in the stories and passed on from generation to generation and the wisdom survived, and it has been passed on to the entire world. The Holy Mother is the cradle of wisdom. It supplies the knowledge and wisdom to the world. He who worships the Holy Mother along with the goddess like Vasini, Who are the prime source of words, becomes the author of great epics, Which shine like those written by great ones, And which have the sweet scent Of the face of the goddess of knowledge.
Divya Jyothi
Lalitha Sahasranama Sri Lalita Sahasranama – 11
Nija Sallabha Madhurya Vinirbhardista Kacchaphi Mandasmitha prabha poora majjat Kamesha manasa She who has voice sweeter than the notes produced by Saraswathi Devis Veena (This is called Kachaphi) She who has lovely smile which is like the river in which the mind of cupid plays Saraswathi is the Shakti (creative energy) of Brahma. She is the Devata for Wisdom, music art and meditation. Sharada is incarnation of Saraswathi. Saraswathi is also the river flowing from Kashmir area where Vedic wisdom flourished. Sharada is the form in which Saraswathi appeared to Rishis. Saraswathi is formless. Sharada is with form (Saguna). Saraswathi is worshipped as Sharada during last three days of Navaratri beginning of winter (sharat ritu hence name Sharada). Saraswathi is Brahma Vidya. Saraswathi is regarded as the Goddess of knowledge and the arts. Saraswathi is Nirguna Brahman attributeless and the absolute. Saraswathi represents consciousness and wisdom. She is also regarded bestower of her own knowledge. Saraswathi literally means as the one who gives 'swa' (own) her own knowledge 'Sara'. Goddess Saraswathi dressed in the color of purity and seated on a white Lotus represents that she is represents supreme reality and knowledge. The rosary signifies concentration and meditation. The Veena in Her hands is the intellect. Saraswathi has a vehicle called swan, swan has an ability to separate milk from water that represents the discrimination. Viveka and vairagya – discrimination and dispassion. Sharada – Sharada is Brahma Vidya Rupini. Sharada is Goddess Saraswathi herself. Sharada is Saguna Brahman means
Page 6
with attributes. Sharada holds a mala representing meditation with silence; a book that signifies knowledge; veena represents viveka and vairagya, the arohana and avarohana. Sharada represents Sadguru as she is the bestower of the auspicious Knowledge. The peacock represents the Soundarya or the Bliss/Joy of Brahma Vidya. The difference between attributeless and attribute is just how we perceive. The Holy Divine Mother’s lovely smile which is like the river in which the mind of cupid plays. Love that pervades this whole Universe is nothing but Divine Mother. Everything in the Universe is held together by Love. The pure love expresses itself in many many ways. It is Sun’s love that is expressed as sunlight in the whole Universe, for all the living beings. Love is giving, and is an expression. It is out of pure love that Sun gives sunlight, moon is expressing the delightful light in the form of love, wind blows out of love, river flows, and everything in nature is an expression of pure love. This love is called Divine Mother. Now this love when it expresses through human being, it narrows down. Infinite love becomes finite. Mother says, “This is my child.” Love gets restricted and expresses as love for “my child”. When love comes through the human mind, it narrows down. Now there is a possibility that we can experience that infinite love when our mind becomes purified. That infinite love is Divine Mother. We can experience this Divine Mother in this lifetime with this human body mind complex by a pure mind. A pure mind does not say “me” or “mine” as it narrows down the love. It is like this - there is sunlight, sunlight gets reflected maximum or fully in the mirror, reflected partially in the river and reflected very minimal in the stone. Similarly divine love expresses completely in the pure mind and pure heart. When mind becomes purified divine love expresses itself in full form, like infinite waves through a human being who has purified the mind and offered the mind to divine. That is what realization is about, experiencing of divine love is the peak of human evolution. Divine Mother Saraswati’s smile is like the river flowing from Kashmir area where Vedic wisdom flourished. Saraswati is formless; she is Guptagamini. One can only be aware of her, she is the Nirguna Brahma.
Divya Jyothi
Dhanurmasa The Flow of Cosmic Energy Dhanurmasa starts with Margashira shuklaekadasi (the eleventh day in the bright half of the lunar month of Margashira) and extends up to the end of Dakshinayana. So, the period extending between Dhanus Sankramana and Makara Sankramana is the auspicious Dhanurmasa Period. In other words, the Devatas start waking up. In case of human beings we speak of Brahmi muhurtam – the auspicious period just before dawn. The mind is full of pure qualities – satva during this period – very auspicious for meditation. By analogy what happens in microcosm (humans) happens in macrocosm (cosmos). The Dhanurmasa is the brahmi muhurtam for cosmos! In other words, the totality representing the cosmos is very conducive to spiritual practices. Getting up early in the morning and doing meditation and spiritual practices is recommended practice during this month to utilize the cosmic energies conducive to the spiritual upliftment. Sri Dattatreya – a great realized soul was born in this month. Vaikunta ekadasi and Geeta Jayanthi are also celebrated in this month.
Page 7
Vaikunta Ekadasi One Pointed Focus Towards Self - Atman
Ekadasi means eka – single; dasi – direction. Vaikunta means vai – no; kunta – deficiency and Bhagavadgita is the key to open the locks of gates of Vaikunta. Vaikunta ekadasi is considered as most auspicious of all the Ekadasis. It is said that the gates of Vaikunta open on this day. One who fasts on the day of Vaikunta ekadasi will reach Vaikunta - the abode of Lord Narayana. Let us understand the spiritual significance of the festival. Fasting on Ekadasi is considered as one of the best spiritual practices. Periodic fasting helps one to overcome the deep routed impressions (vasanas) for food and also cleanses the body. Ekadasi stands for eka-dasi (one direction). 10 sense organs which are outwardly directed towards food are directed with one pointed focus towards Self - Atman. Vaikunta Ekadasi.Vaikunta stands for Vai+kunta which means where there is no deficiency (kunta). The ego self "i" suffers from a feeling of deficiency. Because of identification of infinite self with limited body mind complex, the ego self always feels lacking. When the ego self drops in total surrender to the Lord, we attain Vaikunta - deep bliss and peace of the Spirit - Atman. Vaikunta Ekadasi is the fasting done for attaining liberation from the ego self. Vaikunta is our Real Home The place we are at rest is called home. Place where we are comfortable and peaceful. This is our inner Self Atman. When the mind drops ego sense and rests in Atman, we have reached our home. It is said that on the day of Vaikunta Ekadasi, gates of Vaikunta open. On the day of Vaikunta ekadasi, Lord
Divya Jyothi
Shri Krishna taught Bhagavadgita. Eighteen chapters of Bhagavadgita present the moksha shastra - secrets of Liberation. Through the path of Jnana, Bhakti and Karma, one reaches liberation. Bhagavadgita is the key to open the locks of gates of Vaikunta. Study of Bhagavadgita, teaching of Bhagavadgita, practicing Bhagavadgita opens the Gate of Vaikunta.
Kalpataru Utsav Metamorphosis of Swami Ramakrishna Paramahansa into a Kalpataru – Part 1
Swamy Vivekananda – Rama Bana from Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. 1st January is a very special day. On that day Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa made Yugavatara - Setting in motion the Wheel of Dharma. India was in bad shape with British colonization. People had lost all their faith in Sanatana Dharma. On this day He lit the flame of Dharma eventually bringing faith and confidence in Indians. One arrow shot from Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was sufficient to destroy ignorance of Indian masses and rejuvenate faith. The name of the Arrow was Swami Vivekananda. It was like Rama bana - arrow from bow of Rama - eventually leading to freedom struggle and freedom of India. Today on the Threshold of 21st Century, India again stands rejuvenated - resurgent, confidant. Prior to Colonization world was looking at India for Spirituality and wealth. During colonization, it is the wealth of India, which fuelled industrial revolution in the world. At the end of 20th Century as rest of the world is rediscovering the spiritual roots, it is Mother India rejuvenated spiritually, materially who will show the way and lead the world from ma-
Page 8
terialism to spirituality. All these changes Yuga parivartana was set in motion by Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. On 1st January 1886 when Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansadev had blessed his disciples with divination saying, Tomader Chaitanya Hoke (you all be blessed with holy enlightenment) at Kashipur Garden House in North Kolkata. The disciples blessed on the day had described this incident as the transformation of Swami Ramakrishna Paramahansa into a Kalpataru. A Kalpataru, as per the Indian mythology is a magical tree, which blesses a person with anything which he or she desires. It is believed that Shri Ramakrishna Paramahansa cured the diseases of some people by just touching them on that auspicious day. Since then all devout Hindus are observing January 1st as the Kalpataru Day by joining mass prayer meetings organized by the Ramakrishna monks all over the world. Kalpataru Utsav mark the metamorphosis of Swami Ramakrishna Paramahansa into a Kalpataru or magical tree. This festival is celebrated every year to commemorate the divine transformation of the great soul of India, Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, who is also famous as the Guru of Swami Vivekananda. On the 1st of January 1886, Sri Ramkrishna Paramahamsa made up his mind to go for a short walk in the lawns of the garden since he was feeling well after a long illness. Since that day was not a working day, a number of disciples of Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa started to gather in the garden. Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa addressed all who were presented there that they will gain cognizance and after that he went into a trance. Then, one by one, all the disciples of the Thakur started to take his blessings by touching the feet of the Swami. In this phase of meditation the Thakur blessed the disciples by providing them the sight of holy enlightenment. Overawed with this, most of the disciples were speechless and continued to watch him with awe. A number of his disciples called others to take the blessings of their Swami while several other disciples chanted hymns and prayed the Thakur with flowers. Some of the disciples of Thakur like Sri Ramachandra explained this incident as the transformation of Swami Ramakrishna Paramahansa into a Kalpataru.
Divya Jyothi
Page 9
Ma Sharada Devi The Holy Mother December 13th is Sri Sharada Devi Jayanti. In the history of humanity there has never been another woman who looked upon herself as the Mother of all beings, including animals and birds, and spent her whole life in serving them as her children, unending sacrifice and self-denial. Many people used to come to Maa Sharada Devi and ask for mantra. She never used to give mantra to everybody. When people asked her the reason for not giving the mantra, she replied, “See, the meaning of giving mantra means that the responsibility of that Shishya is mine from that moment and that Shishya’s liberation is my responsibility. When a Guru gives a mantra, it is a commitment from the Guru to the Shishya. If I give the mantra to an undeserved person, I have to go behind him nine life times for him to get liberated.” Mantra is such a severe commitment from Guru nine months, nine life times, ninety life times Guru will take the commitment to come with Shishya, that is power of Mantra. Tat Twam Asi -That Thou Art may be learnt from several books. But when the Master utters these words, the disciple immediately realizes the essential meaning and gets a glimpse of realization. This is the power of Deeksha - Initiation. Presence of a Living Realized Master and Deeksha from such a Master is a great fortune. ~ Prabhuji
Divya Jyothi On the Web All editions of Divya Jyothi can be downloaded from the following links http://atmajyothi-satsang.org/html/downloads_ezine.html http://issuu.com/atmajyothisubbu/docs
Contribute Divya Jyothi invites Atmajyothis to contribute articles before 10th of every month. Contributions to be sent to xsubbu@gmail.com or gayatri.kadiyala@gmail.com
www.atmajyothi-satsang.org www.lightofself.org atmajyothi.satsang@gmail.com