You are in that Brahmam
That Brahmam is in you
You are that Brahmam
And Brahmam is you
What greater truth
Can I convey to you?
The Vast Cosmos, with its myriad animate and inanimate objects, having countless names and forms, is a manifestation of Brahmam. It has emanated from the Brahmam, is sustained by it and dissolves in it. When the unmanifest Brahmam manifests itself, It is cognisable as Sat-Chit-Ananda (Being-Awareness- Bliss). Sat indicates that It is self-existing with no other basis than Itself. Chit indicates the awareness of Its self- existence as a self-illumining Consciousness. Ananda (Bliss) is the expression of that awareness. What is the reason for the Brahmam manifesting Itself ? It is for making known its infinite potencies by Self-evolution.
The physical form that is sustained by the food that we consume is the gross body. Thereafter we have the Pranamaya, Manomaya and Vijnaanamaya Kosas (subtle bodies) which together form the Lingaswarupa- the Within Body, or Sense Body. The third from is the Anandamaya Kosa, the subtle body which has " knowledge of the Real Self".
There is an entity which keeps under control the three subtle bodies- Praanamaya, Manomaya and Vignaanamaya Kosas. This is the Antharaatma- the Indwelling Spirit. This Antharaatma is also known as Chaitanya Purusha. The seat of this Chaitanya Purusha is a "cave in the heart" (Hridaya Guhyam). The "heart" referred to here is not the physical heart in the human body, but the spiritual heart- which is all-pervasive, all-knowing and boundless. The scriptures have called it Atma (the Soul) . The Isaavaasyopanishad has described the many forms of this Consciousness and the Chaitanya Purusha (the Indwelling Spirit).
This all-pervading Universal Consciousness has been called Chit-Tapas. It is the highest Consciousness which encompasses all other levels of consciousness and is the basis for all of them. That is the Suddha-Satva, the "All-effective Will", "The Super-Divine life" This is the Sai-tatva (the Sai Principle).
The Suddha Satva, which constitutes the Sai Principle, is omnipotent. There is nothing that is beyond its power. It is the embodiment of all powers. It should be everyone's aim to strive to recognize this Supreme Principle.
The first task is to develop awareness of the Divinity within. The next stage is realisation of the truth that the divinity that is within oneself is equally present in all others. One must recognize that the veil or barrier that appears to separate him from others is born of delusion and every effort should be made to remove it. Only then will it be possible to experience the oneness of all living things. "Aham eva idam Sarvam," says the Sruti. I am indeed all this. The realization dawns: "All this is contained in me." And then there is the consciousness, "I am Divine. The Divine is me. I am Brahmam. Brahmam is myself. There is no distinction between Brahmam and me. "Eko devah sarvabhootheshu guudhah." The One God is present in subtle form in all beings. That is the all-pervading Universal Consciousness which is present in diverse forms. Recognition of this truth is 'Realization of the Cosmic Divine.'
After attaining this stage, there is a third stage, which has been characterized as the Aarohana-Avarohana stage- the "Ascent-and-Descent " stage. Man has six different kinds of minds. They are
There is no difference between one kind of consciousness and another. All consciousness is alike because it is a manifestation of Brahmam (the Absolute) . It is Brahman that has manifested Itself as the Cosmos.
The doctrine of evolution is being discussed widely and widely accepted. But one should try to understand how evolution takes place in Nature. Evolution in Nature is really the gradual unfoldment of the inherent powers of Nature.
The next step in human evolution is the Super-Mind. But man has to go forward even from the Supra-mental to the ultimate stage of Sat-Chit-Ananda to realise his final destiny. The day when Man is able to experience the divine state of Sat-Chit-Ananda (Being-Awareness-Bliss) is really the holy day of Sivarathri. Till then, he is in perpetual darkness. Until a fruit ripens in a tree, its juice is not sweet. When the fruit is fully ripe, it drops from the tree. Attachment to the tree is gone. Likewise when a man achieves spiritual maturity he acquires automatically Vairagya (detachment). Man has to endeavour to reach this level of maturity by spiritual practices for transforming his consciousness. In the evolution of Consciousness several changes take place.
When a person is attached to the body and considers the physical alone as real, he is bound to remain ignorant. The gross body is sustained by food and is limited by its material basis. But there is a subtle body which transcends the physical. This is called the Lingadeha. After understanding the nature of this subtle body, men should try to proceed further to know the nature of the Causal body (which is subtler than the Lingadeha), which is the experiencer of Ananda (divine bliss). Everything has its origin in Bliss (Ananda) and is dependent on Bliss. Bliss is present in a subtle form in every object in creation.
You must examine where all your sadhanas are leading you. You have to proceed from the purely mental stage to the highest stage of Over Mind and experience oneness with the Universal Consciousness. You may regard this as extremely difficult. But if you have dedication and perseverance, it will be quite easy. There is nothing in the world easier than the spiritual path. But when there is no earnestness, it appears difficult. That is why the Gita has declared: Sradhaavaan labhathe Jnaanam (The earnest aspirant acquires the Supreme Wisdom). If you are deeply interested in anything, you will accomplish it.
Take, for instance, an egg. At first it appears as an inanimate object. Through incubation, life develops in it. Similarly, in all the objects you perceive, consciousness (Chaithanyam) is immanent. We have to recognize the omnipresence of this consciousness.
There is the Higher Mind in Man. It is present to enable Man to transcend the physical and mental and reach for the Divine. Ordinary life consists of Matter + Mind. But Matter + Being is beyond the mind. It leads to the Super Mind.
The mind attracts many objects that it sees. It promotes a variety of qualities, attitudes and attachments. Above all, it encourages the inflation of the Ego (Ahamkaara). Puffed up by his ego, man loses all powers of discrimination and forgets what is evanescent and what is permanent. He makes himself an object of derision. It is only when the ego is deflated and eliminated that Man can gradually realise his spiritual essence. Spirituality cannot be understood as long as the ego is dominant. And of what use are spiritual studies and discourses to one who has no understanding?
To go about describing the world as unreal, illusory and impermanent will amount to practicing a deception on the people and not proclaiming the truth. If the world is unreal, even the teaching that it is unreal is equally unreal and has no meaning. No. That is not so. This Cosmos is Real. It is not a question of seeing truth within the unreal or the unreal in the truth. It is the recognition of the Real in the Real Sathyamuloni Sathyamu. It is only when this basic truth is recognized that we shall be competent to grasp the nature of our inherent Reality.
The Cosmos is Real. The forms in it may change. Bodies may change. It is the nature of bodies to undergo change. Change is the characteristic of the evolutionary process. But what should be recognized is that at the core of all things is a fundamental Reality. This is the triple Principle: Asti, Bhaati, Priyam (Existing. Shining and Pleasing) or Sat-Chit-Ananda or Sathyam, Sivam, Sundaram, or Truth, Goodness and Beauty.
In the evolutionary process, the Brahman Principle existing in matter evolved to life. The mind evolved by a leap from consciousness in life. The mind should not stop there. It should evolve towards consciousness of the Divine and ultimately merge in the Universal Consciousness- the Sat-Chit-Ananda.
It may appear difficult to attain this state. But without making the necessary effort, it should not be treated as beyond one's capacity. Listen to my words. I shall show you the way. If merely you listen, but do not practice what I say, you will not reach the goal.
It is a natural process. In a bud, there is very little fragrance. When it grows and blossoms, it acquires fine fragrance. Likewise, when the human consciousness expands, it finds fullness in the state of Sat-Chit-Ananda. Starting with the ordinary mind, the Consciousness rises to the Super-Mind level. Then it moves up to the state of the Higher Mind. The next higher stage is that of the Illumined Mind, Through all these stages, the continuing entity remains the same, as the bodily changes from infancy to old age. That is the Universal Consciousness, which is present in everyone- the One in the Many. That Universal Consciousness is the Truth ( Sathyam ). It is Jnaanam ( the Supreme Wisdom . It is Anantham (Infinite).
Turn your minds towards the Divine. Repetition of the Names of the Lord has been prescribed as a spiritual discipline to turn your mind away from the things of the world. If you devote the whole of this night to thoughts about the Lord, your minds will be transformed, even if you are not able to reach the highest state of "Over-Mind. " Ever bearing in mind the triple characteristics of the Divine- Sathyam, Jnaanam, Anantham Brahma- strive to achieve the supreme goal of Man.