The young Rama continues his questions to the Sage. He asks about the nature of reality, the perceived world. What is Truth in this world, and what is illusion?
Glossary:
prakriti: primordial nature, disposition; root-matter, the original or natural form or condition of anything, matter, form.
chitta: chitta San. noun. the mind (the seat of understanding and awareness, of intellect and will); memory, thought, reflection; the soul, heart. It is the individual consciousness, composed of intelligence and intellect (buddhi), ego (ahamkara) and mind (manas). In Vedanta, chitta is one aspect of Universal Consciousness (chit). The world hangs on the thread of consciousness – without consciousness, there is no world.
Paramatma: The Supreme Soul; the Supreme Being;
atmaswaroop: cf. atmaswarupa; Consciousness, the Self, original nature, our true essential nature. (embodiment, form of the Atma)
nirvikalpa: freedom from illusions or modifications or errors
karta: the doer of action
bhokta: a consumer of goods or a recipient of pleasures and suffering
tyag Hin. tyaga San. m. (from tyaj – to abandon, let go) renunciation; relinquishing, giving up, surrender. Renunciation of attachment to the world is the key to liberation; to renounce the fruit of action is tyaga.
Abhyasa: systematic, steady practice
Question 254: Sir, what is Unreal, and what is Truth?
Answer: Ramji, Atma is Truth. The universe of three planes with names and forms is unreal (mithya) and it is an illusion, and the Absolute Atma is not explicitly perceptible in it. The Atma-satta, that is the self of everything, manifests itself in diverse forms. The forms with names and attributes are not Atma, yet they exist with the potencies of Atma. Atma is not perishable among these, but the forms perish; these are just illusory ideations and are called by names such as ego, mind, jiva, intelligence, chitta, cosmic illusion (maya), nature (prakriti), sight (drishya) etc. Even though all these are perceived, yet they are non—existent, because they are of the nature of ideation (sankalpa). When the idea of the being of the objects vanishes and a jiva is established in Atma, then the universe of three planes with its names and attributes vanishes.
Ramji, it is the ego which by its ideation gives rise to the feelings of I am, but in reality ego, too, is a non-entity. It is called ego (ahamkar) because of ignorance. It ceases to exist after contemplation.
Ramji, when you are established in Atma, you will cognise nothing but Atma, and Atma will be your true state (atma-swaroop). How can the universe and the ego exist in Atma that is pure, unstained and self-independent? It shows that persons even with realisation (prajnanam brahman) do not recognise anything except Atma and the ignorant recognise the entire universe with names and forms.
Ramji, the modification or ideation—called the mind—arising in the primeval Paramatma manifests itself as ‘I’, ‘you’, and so forth. Or you can look at it this way: because of the extrovision, the ego-ideation arising in the primeval Paramatma, forgets its original nature of Atma — the non-ideational or unmodified state of consciousness — and due to the forgetfulness the universe manifests itself. In reality, however, the mind has not been created at all; it is only the glamour of Atma that appears as a creation due to the ideation. As long as the ideation is there, the universe does not vanish. When the modification or the ideation stops, then the universe vanishes. What is sustained thereafter is Atma only and that is Truth. At that stage the universe that is unreal becomes totally non-existent.
Ramji, be free from the ideation of multiplicity, renounce your ego and be established in the nirvikalpa (non-ideational) state of Brahman.
When you realise this state, you yourself will become the Universal Atma. Ramji, you should be a great doer (maha karta), a great consumer (maha bhokta) a great renunciant (maha tyagi) and abandoning all doubts, you should always remain in equilibrium.
“Do you feel that even this is beyond you? Then you will be made aware of the aftermath.” After saying this much, Krishna sat silent for a while.
Take note of this. The aspirant for grace must have before his mind the act and not its consequence, beneficial or otherwise. That is the reason why Gopala said that Jnana is superior to Abhyasa, Dhyana is superior to Jnana, and the giving up of attachment to the consequences of your acts is superior to Dhyana. Such non-attachment, Krishna said, will confer Santhi.
“Bhakthi and Dwesha are as fire and water; devotion and hate cannot dwell together. I love those who feel no difference between grief and joy, affection and dislike, good and bad. If hate, in whatever form, in howsoever slight a quantity, resides in the heart, that person cannot be a Bhaktha. The Bhaktha must be convinced that all this is Vasudeva, ‘Vasudeva sarvam-idam’. That is to say, one’s own Atma is everywhere in everything; this truth must be realised, acted upon and experienced. Hating another is hating oneself; scorning is but scorning oneself; finding fault with another is finding fault with oneself”, Krishna continued. Gita Vahini
Hamsa Gayatri
Om Hamsaaya Vidmahe
Paramahamsaya Dheemahi
Tanno Hamsa Prachodayat
“May we realise Hamsa that is our own Self as the Swan. Let us meditate on that Paramahamsa, the Supreme Self. May Hamsa illumine us.”