| |
Philosophy of Salvation
|
Back
|
| 101. |
The decision of what should be done cannot come without wisdom. Without the decision of what ought to be done, even the undesirable deeds would be done which would stand in the way of one’s greatest good. Therefore, knowledge must be earned, which can be had through study and Satsang (association of Sants and hearing of spiritual talk).
|
| 102. |
The self-existence of the Pure Self, that is Supreme Sovereign God, is Infinite. There cannot be any space beyond a thing, which is Infinite. Therefore the argument that it may come from a certain place and go to another place cannot be accepted. Because there cannot exist two infinities. The Conscious Sphere (Upper Nature) is finite, it has space beyond it. Therefore, it must be in the form of flux as the sun’s rays and must possess the finite motion. That portion of the Infinite, where the concealments or forms disappear, is termed as liberated. The Gross physical body is a concealment composed of Non-conscious Nature. It lives till the consciousness dwells in it, without which, it vanishes.
It is evident with this instance that the three other concealments of Non-conscious Nature will also vanish if the stream of consciousness does not exist in them. By the practice of Naadaanusandhaan, the consciousness-force (i.e. individual soul) will transcend all the Non-conscious concealments or forms, will not exist in them and finally, being oriented to its centre, will merge in its centre, gravitated by the Primordial sound (word of the beginning). Thus all the non-conscious concealments would vanish. The possible existence of the portions of nature that forms a body (in the forms of oneliness, Supra-causal, Causal, Subtle and Gross) will vanish due to that stream of consciousness within the body, and with its vanishing, whatever portion of the Pure Self will become devoid of concealment or form, will be called liberated. Although the reality of Pure Self remains non-attached with the illusory pain and happiness in spite of being all pervasive but its association with chitta (the conscious) and Jar (Non-conscious) creates the existence of individual soul, whichever feels these pains and pleasures, this feeling should be annihilated, for being full of restlessness. This feeling can be removed only by removing the above mentioned association for only this association is the cause for this feeling and of the individual Self both who feels it.
|
| 103. |
The individuality of soul has come into existence, and so it can be destroyed also. But the reality of ' Self ' will not be destroyed by its destruction. The destruction of the Pure Self is beyond possibility, for the destruction of Infinite is beyond possibility. Whenever the individuality of soul would be vanished in the state of perfect Samaadhi (God-realized state) in any lifetime, only then the state of life-liberated would be attained and only then he can get salvation after death; otherwise he can never be liberated. If he does not attain salvation in the life-time, the spiritual practitioner constantly engaged in the practices for attaining salvation, will have his birth after death again and again in the good human race, for, other race expect human is unable to bear and develop his developed spiritual influences of previous birth for attaining salvation. Thus, the spiritual practitioner for salvation, attaining good human births again and again, will ultimately attain salvation.
There was a spiritual wave for creation in Supreme Sovereign. The Conscious Divine Wave cannot turn back to its original place (place of origin) from where it took its origin. For, that Creative Conscious Divine Wave inclined in whatever direction in Supreme Sovereign God, will not stop till the end of time, giving birth to creations in that very direction, but because He is Infinite, it will not have an end, and neither shall it turn back to its place of origin. So, it is impossible that whosever’s consciousness-force will be oriented towards the centre of that Wave may come down again. And, so it is also impossible that the portion of Nature which existed previously due to that consciousness-force or the stream of consciousness would exist again. It is also at the same time impossible that the portion of Self that was veiled or concealed due to its existence should again be veiled or concealed and individuality of soul as said above may rise again with the association of three elements as defined in article No. 102. The salvation described above is the only actual salvation. Except this, all other kinds of salvation are empty words, not real.
|
| 104. |
Neither can Supreme Sovereign God be realized, nor can Absolute Salvation be attained unless all the concealments are transcended. Therefore, there is only one means to attain both the ends. Call it, either means for devotion to God or means for salvation, there is no distinction between the two and they are one thing. Sant Tulsi Das deals the above statement----
As water cannot exist without earth even if any one tries so by countless means, so the happiness of salvation cannot exist apart from the devotion to the Supreme
--- The Holy Raamaayan by Sant Tulsi Das
|
| 105. |
Means for Attaining The Direct Knowledge (Realized Knowledge) Of Supreme Sovereign God ---
Before knowing the means for attaining the direct knowledge of Supreme Sovereign God, the indirect knowledge (intellectual knowledge) of the Essential Existence of Supreme Sovereign and of own self should be achieved by hearing and contemplating. And with the knowledge of the order of creation, it should also be known as to what cause prevents the direct knowledge of these two forms from being attained. After achieving knowledge of the Essential Existence of the Supreme by hearing and contemplating, it will be decided as to what is to be attained. Whether the knower of the body-field possessing the body-field would be able to attain Him or whether only the knower of the body-field will attain Him and whether He should be sought within or without: these necessary things will be decided and then the unnecessary waverings will be left. After having that kind of knowledge (intellectual knowledge) of own self (individual self), it will be settled whether the individual self is able to attain Him or not. If the intellectual knowledge of the order of creation, and of the Essential Existence of the Supreme and of one’s own self is achieved, that very support could be discovered by the help of which all the concealments of Nature could be transcended, and Supreme Sovereign God could be attained. For its definite knowledge, either of the Upanishads or Bharati Sants’ literature are searched or if it is decided by reasoning, ultimately, it will be settled that the Essential Existence of the Supreme is Unmanifest, Super-sensible, without beginning or end, Unborn, Imperishable, without Time and Space, Omnipresent and Beyond all. And as the sky of a jar (the space within a jar) is the indivisible part of the vast sky, so one’s own self (individual self) is also the indivisible part of Supreme Sovereign God. Essentially, both are one, but Supreme Sovereign God is eternally unveiled from the illusory concealments and one’s own self (individual self) or the indivisible part of the Supreme which lives in body is concealed (by the illusory concealments). The direct knowledge of both these existences is not attained because concealed by these four forms viz. Supra-Causal, Causal, Subtle and Gross of Sagun Aparaa Prakriti (the Qualified Lower Nature). The creation comes into being only when the Spiritual Wave for creation is raised in the Supreme by Himself. So the existence of the Spiritual Wave or vibration in the beginning of creation, must be accepted as inevitable. And the wave or vibration cannot exist without its inevitable sound. So, there is no way out then to accept the existence of sound inevitably in the beginning of creation. The evolution of creation has been coming down from the Subtle to the Gross. The sphere of creation, in which we exist, is called the Gross Sphere, above the Gross Sphere, there is the Subtle Sphere, above the Subtle Sphere there is the Causal Sphere and above the Causal Sphere there is the Supra-Causal Sphere, that is, the Ocean which contains the Causes, the undisturbed equilibrium of the three organs (Sat. Raj & Tam) of Non-conscious Nature in its origin (Kaaran Ki Khaani Saamyaavasthaa dhaarini Mool Prakriti) and even above this is the sphere of Conscious or Upper Nature of the Sphere of Oneliness (Pure Consciousness) free from Non-consciousness. The existence of these four spheres of the Non-conscious Nature is as certain as the Pole Star. Thus, the five spheres of creation with the Gross Sphere come vividly into knowledge. The Sphere of Oneliness (Upper Nature) is pure conscious and the remaining four spheres are the non-conscious spheres existing with the conscious. Before the creation of any sphere there must have been established first the centre of that sphere. The creation of any sphere could only come into existence when the current (Divine or Spiritual Wave or Vibration or Sound) for the creation of sphere flowed from its centre. In flowing the current there must inevitably have been sound (i.e. the sound which cannot exist without vibration). Therefore, the central sounds of the said centers must be accepted. It is evident that the sound has a gravitative nature. After comprehending the above description, it is already proved that the evolution of creation continues through sound and therefore, the most rational support with the help of which to go beyond all the concealments or forms, is nothing more than the described sounds. These described central sounds cannot be articulate; they are sounds (i.e. inarticulate sounds). The practice of Naadaanusandhaan or Surat-shabda-Yoga search only these very sounds and because of the gravitation of sound the ultimate end of Naadaanusandhaan must be that of being poised into the spiritual climax of upward state. This is quite rational and certain. The five spheres of creation described above are only the five concealments which connect the five spheres of the Macrocosm, contain the microcosm of human body with Macrocosm itself. Upper Nature or the Pure consciousness-force (Surat) or the existence of Pure consciousness of oneliness is perfectly suitable for realizing the Essential Existence of Supreme Sovereign God or for attaining His direct knowledge (realized knowledge), for being nearest to the Supreme. The Essential Existence of the Supreme is no doubt, of a higher rank and standard than this Conscious Reality (Upper Nature) and this Conscious body-field (see article 50) is the supreme among all the body-fields. Therefore, it can be said that Kshetrajna (the knower of the body-field) will have the direct knowledge of the Essential Existence of the Supreme along with the Essential Existence of its own self attached only by this unqualified paramount form of the body-field. But neither the direct knowledge nor the attainment of His Essential Existence can be obtained till the Self is either one of the four or with all other four forms of non-conscious Qualified body-field. It is doubtlessly and absolutely possible that the self (spirit) may have the direct knowledge of its own and of the Supreme or the self may have the attainment of its own and of the Supreme.
The sound of higher level reaches far down, naturally. The current of the Subtle element is naturally longer than that of the gross element and is contained in the gross element naturally. In the order of creation, the upper spheres are respectively subtler than their lower spheres. Therefore, the central sound of each of the upper spheres is respectively subtler than the lower central sounds and their spheres. Therefore, each central sound of the upper sphere would be held respectively by the lower central sounds which means that the central sound of the second lowest sphere will be grasped from the centre of the first lowest sphere; from the center of the second lowest sphere the central sound of the third sphere and so on till finally the central uppermost sound originated from the centre of the sphere of oneliness, that is, from Supreme Sovereign God, Himself will certainly be grasped at the centre of the sphere of the Supra-Causal. And being gravitated by that Divine Sound, the Pure Consciousness-force will lose its existence in Supreme Sovereign God and will be one with Him. This is climax (highest degree) of the means for attaining the direct knowledge of Supreme Sovereign God. This Original Divine Sound, originated from the Supreme, is sounding in the innermost hearts of entire Microcosm and Macrocosm, at all times, unbreakably and indivisibly and shall be sounding till the existence of the creation. For, the evolution of all the creations continues due to the origin of that Divine Sound and if it vanishes the creation will also vanish. This very Supra-cosmic and unequalled Sound has been called Om by the ancient sages and in the Bharati Sants’ literature, only this sound has been called by the various names like Nirgun Raamnaam (Unqualified All-pervading sound), Satyanaam (Eternal Sound or Name), Satya Shabda (Eternal Word), Aadinaam (Name or Sound of the beginning) and Saar-Shabda (Essential Sound). According to the above description, it is useless to search the streams of the spiritual sounds outside oneself. This can be had by internal practices within oneself under the guidance of the spiritual preceptor. It is possible to make one’s self or one’s own consciousness-force or the streams of consciousness more and more self-oriented (introvert) by the practice of meditation within oneself. The subtler meditation is impracticable at first for being unnatural, so it is absolutely possible to transcend the concealments or forms, from the bottom to the top, first concentrating mind a little through the practice of Maanas Jap, then making one self able to practise the subtler meditation through the practice of Maanas Dhyaan practising the subtler meditation of Drishti Yoga, being poised in the one-pointedness through this; and practicing Naadaanusandhaan or Surat-Shabda-Yoga. It has been described above that the said spheres or concealments of creation being specially connected with the Macrocosm and Microcosm, contains both completely, and to go beyond these concealments is to go beyond all the concealments. The said special connection lies in the fact that in whatever concealment or form of the microcosm (Body) one lives, one at the same time lives in the same sphere of the macrocosm (Universe) or whichever concealment or all the concealments one leaves, one at the same time, leaves that particular concealment or all the concealments of the macrocosm (Universe) as well. That is to say, he who has gone beyond Pind (the microcosm or Body) has also gone beyond Brahmaand (the macrocosm or Universe). There is no doubt about it. The Supreme Secret (the greatest of the secrets) of the Supreme Yoga, Supreme Knowledge and the Supreme devotion and the means to attain the Ultimate End (Salvation) has been described in brief.
|
| 106. |
For the knowledge of Om in detail, please read the comments (note) under the seventh hymn of the chapter one of the Swetaaswataropanishad in the first part of this book “Satsang Yoga” and in the 2nd part of this book, the thoughts of Swami Vivekanand on page 259 should be noticed. And how irrational it is to take Om not as the Original Divine Sound but as the sound of only Trikuti should be read article 71 of this very part of this book and the thoughts of Swami Sri Bhumanandaji Maharaj in the 3rd part of "Satsang Yoga".
Comment on the seventh hymn of the Swetaaswataropanishad.-
Rai Bahadur Babu Jalim Singh, village Akbarpur, District Faizabad, a famous commentator on Chhaandogyopanishad has written “When the Divine Will to create the universe is raised in Himself by the Supreme; at the very moment an extremely intensive great powerful sound comes out with an intense note without meaning; hearing that sound the life-liberated Sant (Rishi) grasp that sound in Om (A, U, M)”. -Printed in 1917 (Nawalkishore Press, Lucknow); See Chhaandogyopanishad with comments
The thoughts of Swami Vivekanand (page 259 of Satsang Yoga) --
"In the universe, Brahma or Hiranyagarbha or the cosmic (mahat) first manifested Himself as name, and then as form, i.e. as the universe. All this expressed sensible universe is the form, behind which stands the eternal inexpressible (Sphota), the manifester as Logos or Word. This eternal Sphota, this essential eternal material of all ideas or names, is the power through which the Lord creates the universe; nay, the Lord first becomes conditioned as the Sphota, and then involves Himself out as the yet more concrete sensible universe. This Sphota has one word as its only possible symbol, and this is the Om. And as by no possible means of analysis can we separate the word from the idea, this Om and the eternal Sphota are inseparable, and therefore it is out of this holiest of all holy words, the mother of all names and forms, the eternal Om, that the whole universe may be supposed to have been created. But it may be said that, although thought and word are inseparable, yet as there may be various word symbols for the same thought, it is not necessary that this particular word Om should be the word representative of the thought, out of which the universe has become manifested. To this objection we reply, that this Om is the only possible symbol, which covers the whole ground, and there is none other like it. The Sphota is the material of all words, yet it is not any definite word in its fully formed state. That is to say, if all the peculiarities, which distinguish one word from another be removed, then what remains will be the Sphota; therefore this Sphota is called the Naada-Brahma (the Sound Brahma). Now, as every word symbol, intended to express the inexpressible Sphota, will so particularize it that it would no longer be the Sphota, that symbol which particularizes it the least and at the same time most approximately express its nature, will be the truest symbol there of; and this is the Om, and the Om only; because these three letters (A, U, M) pronounced in combination as Om, may well be generalised symbol of all possible sounds. The letter (A) is the best differentiated of all sounds, therefore Krishna says in the Gita "I am 'A' among the letters". Again, all articulate sounds are produced in the space within the mouth beginning with the root of the tongue and ending in the lips--the throat sound is 'A', and 'M' is the last lip sound; and 'U' exactly represents the rolling forward of the impulse which begins at the root of the tongue till it ends in the lips. If properly pronounced, this Om will represent the whole phenomenon of sound production and no other word can do this; and this, therefore, is the fittest symbol of the Sphota, which is the real meaning of the Om. And as the symbol can never be separated from the thing signified, the Om and the Sphota are one. And as the Sphota, being the finer side of the manifested universe, is nearer to God, and is indeed the first manifestation of Divine Wisdom; this Om is truly symbolic of God. Again, just as the 'One only' Brahma, the Akhand Sachchidaanand, the undivided existence-Knowledge-bliss, can be conceived by imperfect human souls only from, particular standpoints and associated with particular qualities, so this universe, His body, has also to be thought of along the line of the thinker’s mind". [Extracted from Bhakti Yoga of Swami Vivekanand]
The thoughts of Swami Bhumananda of page 291 of Satsang-Yoga -
According to the Upanishad Amritnaad 'Om' cannot be rendered into pronunciation. Because it is not a vowel or consonant and is not uttered by the help of throat, lips, nose, tongue, teeth, palate etc; or by their striking each other.
“Aghosham avyanjanam aswaran cha
akantha taalvoshtham anaasikan cha,
Arepha jaatam ubhayoshtha varjitin
Yadaksharan na ksharate kadaachit”.
|
| 107. |
The conception, that someone serves Nirgun Brahma (the Unmanifest Unqualified Form of the Supreme) only, and someone Sagun Brahma (Manifest Qualified Form) only, and someone serves the Nameless Divinity (person-Anaami purusha), beyond both of these is not rational. Nirgun Brahma (The Unmanifest Unqualified Form of the Supreme) is Nameless, Super-illusion, Unmanifest, Super-sensible, Invisible, beyond wisdom (reasoning) and Incomprehensible, means-beyond the senses, mind and intellect. The service or the devotion will have to be begun only from the mind. Therefore, the devotion, first of all to the Unmanifest Unqualified Form cannot be done. And the Nameless person (Soundless state i.e. Supreme Sovereign God) is the Ultimate goal (end) not the means; it can be attained through the devotion to the Unmanifest Unqualified Divinity (see articles 62 and 63). The devotion will have to be begun from Sagun (the Manifest Qualified Form) only, but the devotee, according to the descriptions, in articles 59, 60, 61 and 62 will go spiritually higher and in the long run, being the devotee of Nirgun (Unmanifest Unqualified Form), will attain the Nameless (Super-Sound Divinity) Supreme Person and get himself gratified. To get an explanation of this in detail, the thoughts of Lokmanya Balganagadhar Tilak should also be noticed from page 240 to 243 of Satsang-Yoga (written below). It is wrong to know Sant Kabir Sahab and Guru Nanak Sahab and Sants like them as Nirgun Upaasak (the devotees of the Unmanifest Unqualified Form) only and Sant Tulsi Das as well as Sant Sur Das as Sagun Upaasak (the devotees of only the Manifest Qualified Form). Because, Sant Kabir Sahab and Guru Nanak Sahab instruct also for the meditation of the symbol of the spiritual preceptor which can only be placed under the devotion to the Manifest Qualified Form, that is, Sagun Upaasanaa. See page 120 Sthool Dhyaan i .e. the meditation of the Manifest Form and page 150 in the second part of Satsang-Yoga (excerpted below).
|
| 1. |
The thoughts of Lokmanya Balgangadhar Tilak of Satsang-Yoga.
Shreshtha Brahma Swaroop (the superior Supreme Reality) which has been described in the Upanishads, is Super-Sensible, Unmanifest, Infinite, Unqualified i.e. without the three organs of Nature viz. Sat, Raj and Tam and One without any second (Ekmevaadwitiyam), so, service or devotion to Him cannot be begun from that Existence. The cause is, that when the Superior Supreme-Reality is realized then the mind has no separate existence, rather Upaasak and Upaasya (the devotee and object of devotion), Jnata and Jneya (knower and the object of knowledge) become one. Nirgun Brahma (the Unmanifest Unqualified Form) is the ultimate goal (end), not the means, and so long the deserving ability to be one with the Supreme (to have an union with the Supreme) does not come into the mind by any means, till that time this superior Supreme-Reality can never be realized. Therefore, the Form, which has to be accepted for devotion with a view to obtain support, is of the second rank, i.e., in the relation of devotee and object of devotion that Form must be perceptible by mind that is, it is only Sagun (the Manifest Qualified From). Therefore, wherever it has devotion to the divinity has been spoken of in the Upanishads, it has been described to devote only, only to Sagun Roop (the Manifest Qualified Form).
|
| 2. |
'Asthool dhyaan' of page 120 of the second part of 'Satsang-Yoga'--
The meditation begins from the holy figure of the spiritual preceptor, the worshipping is begun from his service, Naam Jap (the repetition of name) with his given word and the actual devotion is begun from an unflinching faith in him.
--Sant Kabir
Know the spiritual preceptor as God Himself. Be engaged in obeying him, salute him humbly if met and keep him always in mind.
--Sant Kabir
|
| 3. |
Of page 150-(of the 2nd part of Satsang-Yoga)-
“Guru kee moorti man mahi dhiyanu.
Guru ke shabdi mantra manu maanu.
Guru ke Charan ridai lai dharu.
Guru paarbrahma sadaa namaskaaru.”
[Meditate the holy figure of the spiritual preceptor in mind, take his holy words as an incantation in mind, take his feet in your heart. He is the representation of the Supreme, salute him always.]
And where the Sant and Great Poet Tulsi Das sings the love-breathed story of Sagun Ram (Manifest Qualified Ram) and this significant glories in specification in a fine poetic tone in his greatest Epic 'Ramcharit Maanas' there, on the other hand, he also describes in it and 'Dohaawali' and 'Vinaya-Patrikaa' the other form, written below, of Ram. He instructs to serve (devote) Ram in the Turiyaavasthaa (Transcentdental Stage, poised perfectly in the one-pointedness). Again, he describes the state, Deshakaalaateetpad (beyond time and space) where there is the absolute absence of duality; and singing its glories, preaches the devotees to be extremely self-oriented (introvert) spiritually, and having reached the said state, root out the illusory doubts. He calls as Akath (Indescribable) and Nirgun (Unqualified) to Ramnaam (the name of Ram).
For instance-
“Ek aneeh arup anaamaa,
Aj Sachchidaanand pardhaamaa.”
[There is only one Nameless Being who is desireless, unborn, formless and beyond the Reality, Intelligence and Bliss (existence, knowledge and bliss).]
“Raam swarup tumhaar, vachan Agochar buddhi par.
Awigat Akath apaar, neti neti nit nigam kah..”
[O Lord Ram! Thy Essential Existence (Self-Existence) is beyond expression, super-sensible and super-intellectual, the Embodiment of all (Omnipresent), Indescribable and unlimited (Infinite), whom the scriptures (holy sciences) have called as Infinite, Infinite.]
[O Lord! Thou art the neutral observer of the Universe-scenery, the inspirer of the holy-trinity [(The Creator (Lord Brahma), the protector or maintainer (Lord Vishnu) and destroyer (Lord Rudra) -- they (i.e. the holy trinity) perform their actions on His inspiration]. Even they know not thine Supreme Secret, what to speak of others. O Supreme Lord Ram! Only he can know Thee spiritually to whom Thou reveal Thyself and as he knows Thee essentially, he becomes only that what Thou art. O Lord! Thou hast the body of Existence, knowledge and Bliss, and only the able spiritually one, free from the impurities of the Non-Conscious Nature, can know Thee essentially. Thou hast taken the human form (human body) to perform the works of the Sants and gods and Thou sayest and doest as a natural king.]
Quatrain Verse-
[The illusion, that has made all the world a puppet in its hands, the secret of which could not be traced by anyone, that very Maayaa (illusion) dances like an actress with its entire train on a single lifting of the eyes-brows of the Supreme Lord Ram. That Ram is the stream to the Self-Existence, Self-Consciousness and Self-Delight, Spiritually unborn, science itself and the Eternal Abode of Strength, Pervasive in the pervadable (or pervaded i.e. Nature), Indivisible, Infinite, Entire in itself, Infallible Power, Bhagwaan, without the three organs viz. Sat, Raj and Tam of Nature, Infinite (Perfect), Beyond the senses and Beyond expression, Seer of all, Indescribable, Invincible, Devoid of the impurities of the Non-Conscious Nature, Formless, Free from delusion, Eternal, Beyond Illusion and the Eternal Abode of Impossible Happiness. The Supreme Sovereign is beyond the sphere of Nature, dwells in the hearts of all, is Omnipresent, Devoid of desires, Purest and Imperishable (Eternal).
As the darkness can never remain before the sun, so in this spot (i.e. the Unmanifest Unqualified Ram, the sun-like Lord of the Universe) the darkness of delusion cannot stay.]
[Ram, the Lord of the Universe, for the exclusive devotion of the devotees, revealed Himself in the form of an natural king and performed the holy deeds as a natural human being. As an actor plays various parts of the various characters in the various artificial forms and acts, for the moment, just like the actual person whose character is being played, but does not actually become that person, he is truly now only that, nothing more than that, what he was before acting. Similarly, the Lord of the Universe, Ram (the Supreme) revealed Himself in the form of a natural king and performed the holy deeds as a natural human being but did not become the king objectively, He was Spiritually only that what He was before.]
[The Unmanifest Form of the Supreme is very easy to have faith in but the Manifest Qualified is unknowable for one; for, this aspect of Divinity (i.e. the Manifest Qualified, Sagun) has various plays which are simple and difficult to understand and which put doubts even into the mind of contemplative souls.]
[Place the Unmanifest Unqualified Form of Ram within your heart. See His Manifest Qualified Form with the eyes, keep the holy Raamnaam on your tongue (i.e. chat Raamnaam with your tongue). This is same as the precious gems well-kept in the case of gold.]
The Name of the Universal Being, Ram is ineffable and Unqualified. The quatrain verses of articles 4 deal with the above statement (See the article 4). And to get a description in detail of the Name (i.e. the Divine Sound of the Supreme) please read the articles 35 and 58. It becomes clear from the descriptions made above that Sant Tulsi Das had also the knowledge of this spiritual Pure Original Sound (i.e. the Divine Sound) and he was the devotee of this (Divine) Sound too. It is quite impossible to attain the Monistic State, beyond Time, Space and sound without this final devotion. That anyone attains the so-called state by any other kind of devotion than this, the Unique characteristic of Naadaanusandhaan or Surat-Shabda-Yoga loses its importance and as the unique characteristic of Naadaanusandhaan vanishes, the characteristics of Santmat also disappears. But this is impossible for, it is absolutely against reason. Sant Tulsi Das teaches to serve (devote) Ram as being poised in the Transcendental Stage (Turiyaavasthaa) and to attain Him only within oneself. The verses from his last work “Vinaya-Patrikaa” should be noticed from page 206 to 208 in the Second Part of "Satsang-Yoga" for the said verses deal with the above statement.
The verses of “Vinaya-Patrikaa” of the 2nd part of "Satsang-yoga" --
The substance of this poem is that though the devotion to the Supreme is said to be easy, yet to exercise, it is not so easy. It demands unlimited labour, only the master of this supreme sacred art can be successful in this. For the art of anything is easier to be done by him, who is expert in that particular art. The largest elephant is swayed by the current of the river but small fish moves easily in the opposite direction of the current. Sugar mixed up with sand cannot be easily separated from the sand but for an ant it is not a hard work, the small ant, having the keen sense of taste, separates and finds it (sweets) without much effort. The Yogi sleeps eternally without sleep, containing the whole panorama of the universe in his stomach, and enjoys internally, the impossible happiness of the state of the Supreme, being completely devoid of dualism. It is the state where there is no existence of sorrow, delusion, fear, momentary pleasure, day, night, time and space. Sant Tulsi Das says that without achieving this very state, the doubts can never be completely uprooted.
Serve spiritually the Supreme, leaving the three stages viz. waking, dreaming and sleeping (that is being established in the Transcendental Stage.
Sant Tulsi Das through this devotional poem has told the devotees his experienced knowledge with the help of various similes in the case of the devotion to the Supreme. He tells his experiences and warns the pilgrims on the path of the Ultimate Spiritual Abode by his experience. He says that he could not realize Ram, the Supreme Universal Being till he wandered far and beyond for Him (Ram). Except His abode within the body only, he searched Him out and out, so, he could not find Him really. Sant Tulsi Das says, "I had the animal-sense like the senseless deer, which on smelling the musk of its navel, wanders here and there in the hill, hedge, holes etc. out and out as to find out from which place the perfumes come; for, ignoring the Eternal Fountain of Impossible Happiness of the Supreme within my heart, I foolishly searched Him outside", (means, to search God in the outer world is a sign of extreme foolishness). Further, he teaches through his own experiences that he wanted to satisfy his thirst sitting on the bank of a pond full of pure water but covered with various weeds on it for which it seemed waterless; i.e. he wanted to satisfy his thirst for realizing God without piercing the four curtains of the Non-Conscious Nature concealing the conscious-water of the Supreme like the weeds on water.
When Sant Tulsi Das describes the human body as well as the body of Existence, knowledge and Bliss (i.e. reality, intelligence and bliss-Upper Nature) of Ram, it comes clearly to the mind that we should differentiate the body from Shariri (the Truth that exists in the body), which essentially, must be more paramount, elementally different and finer than the body. Therefore, it has to be taken for granted that Sant Tulsi Das pointed to more paramount to the Pure Self-Existence than even the body of Existence, Knowledge and Bliss (Upper Nature or Conscious Nature) of Ram. The pomes of Sur Das should be read in the second part of Satsang-Yoga. (See below)
|
| 1. |
The poems of Sur Das-
The self was realized only within the body. The very Divine Sound, from which the Divine light emerged, through which the self is realized, could be attained only by the spiritual sounds. The secret of this was pointed out by Sadguru (the Spiritual Preceptor). As the deer searches for its musk here and there in the outer world forgetting to search it in its navel for, the musk actually is in its navel, and, again when it becomes conscious of the real fact that the searched object is in itself, it sticks to itself deserting its wandering, so the human being also searches God here and there in the outer world forgetting His abode within himself, again when the intution emerges in him, he moves towards himself, having left wandering.
A prince becomes anxious for his necklace forgetting the real fact that it is already in his neck and says that he has lost his necklace, but when it is pointed out to him by a wise man that the searched object, that is, the necklace, is already in his neck then the suffering-sin of his delusion disappears.
The human being likewise forgetting God within himself thinks to find Him in the outer world, but when a wise man of higher knowledge makes him acquainted with his fault of delusion that God is in Himself, he moves towards himself being relived from the sufferings of useless wanderings. Just as a mother sees in her vision that her baby, sleeping besides her, has been lost somewhere, but on waking she finds her baby in the same condition, so a human being also in the vision of this material world thinks that he has lost God but when he rises from the world-vision, God is already present within him. Sant Sur Das says that when his understanding reached up to this point, he began to laugh heartily in the happiness of discovery and pressed by the utter delight of this State, he expresses his feelings that the greatness of the uttermost Happiness of this State cannot be described in words like the uttermost contentment of the dumb on eating sweets.
|
| 2. |
As long as the Eternal Self is not realized, the human being is like the deer which wanders here and there in the forest in search of the musk forgetting its navel, in which the musk actually lies; and like the person, who asks others for his necklace forgetting to search it in his neck. When a man of uncultured wisdom beholds his dirty face in the mirror, he tries uselessly, time and again, to clean the dirt of his face by washing the shadow there of which is reflected in the mirror. That is to say, the dirt of impurities is reflected in the mirror of inner heart and to clean this the shadow of gross or physical body is washed again and again. How can the darkness be removed by mere long talk of lamp, unless it is lighted with the help of necessary equipments for it viz, oil, cotton, lamp? It means to say that the internal darkness can be removed only by the desirable practices for it. Sant Sur Das expresses his regret, saying that before the emergence of such wisdom in him, his past life passed worthlessly. How can a completely blind man understand the significance of the sun? (That is to say, he, who is blind in the spiritual eye, cannot understand the significance of God.
|
| 3. |
In my knowledge, I tried much but O God! How Thine Supreme Blessing is attained, I could not understand. I wandered far and wide to see Thee, forgetting completely Thy Omnipresent influence. In my eyes, I could not grasp Thy Divine Figure (the Divine Figure is the point of Divine Light which is seen by the Yogies in practising Drishti Yoga i.e. the Yoga by eye-sight), which is inaccessible to the mind expression and unattainable by the performance of sacrifices etc. O God! Thou art virtuous without the three attributes (i.e. all the three organs of Nature viz. Sat, Raj and Tam) and Thy Self-Existence is without shape or form of Nature and I call Thee Black (of cloudy colour, by the name Shri Shyam). Thus, O sea of virtues, my crimes are innumerable, forgive me for all whatever I committed in ignorance.
After a careful study of the descriptions made above by these Sants, to take them as mere poets not as Sants, I think, is to disrespect them for no reason and the persons, who take them as Sthool Sagun Upaasak only (the devotees of the Gross Manifest Qualified), they instead of describing their perfectness of the deepest wisdom and uttermost meditation, shows them diminishing their highest positions.
|
|