The Spiritual Journey Within

Adhyathmika Yatra

(Based on the lectures of Swami Paramarthananda)

A spiritual seeker, seeking answers to the questions, “Who is God?” and “Who am I?” etc., needs to undertake a spiritual journey within to get the answers.  The starting sadhana for this spiritual quest is given as Karma yoga in scriptures.  Karma yoga is elaborately discussed in the third chapter of Gita and can be briefly defined as proper actions performed with proper attitude backed by proper values.  Swami Paramarthananda defines Karma yoga using an acronym “RIDE”, where each letter stands for an instruction.  R stands for ‘Reduce Adharmic activities’; I for ‘Increase Dharmic activities’; D for ‘Dedicate all actions to the Lord’; and E for ‘Experience everything as Prasada’.

Reduction of Adharmic activities: - Adharmic activities are the actions and responses that do not conform to Dharma, as laid down by the scriptures.  They act as obstacles to one’s spiritual progress and they must be reduced gradually over a period of time with commitment. Lord Krishna has given a list of qualities that gives rise to such actions as Asuri sampath in the 16^th chapter of Gita. In simple language it can be stated as avoidance of all actions and responses which one does not want from others towards oneself.  In short, don’t do unto others what you don’t want others do unto you, is the prescription. That means one should strive to be alert and watchful all the time to avoid all prohibited actions and responses completely.

Increase Dharmic activities: - Simultaneous with reducing Adharmic activities, one must try to increase the performance of Dharmic actions.  These are popularly known as Pancha Maha Yajna in the form of reverential attitude and worship/service of 1) deities symbolizing divinity (Deva Yajna); 2) sages and rishis and scriptures (Brahma Yajna); 3) parents and forefathers (Pitru Yajna);  4) society at large (Manushya Yajna); 5) animals and plants and the environment itself (Bhutha Yajna). 

Dedicate all actions to the Lord: - Doing all one’s actions as worship of Lord, treating material consequences as subservient to spiritual growth. This is also called Iswararpana Buddhi. 

Experience everything as Prasada: - To accept and experience the results of actions as Iswara Prasada, without complaint, and without question ‘Why me’.

Before the seeker starts on the spiritual journey, God is in one’s life, only for a brief moment during prayer at home or in occasional satsang or during a visit to temple, where he seeks something for himself or for people close to him or where he seeks to avoid something for himself or for people close to him.  He blames everybody else including God, for things going wrong with him.  He wants to change everything else and everybody else except himself.  As he progresses in following the ‘RIDE’ in Karma Yoga, God-consciousness underpins all his thoughts and actions. In fact the priority shifts away from material pursuits and his prayers also reflect it.  The seeker seeks Lord’s Grace only at all times for his spiritual advancement.  Even the material benefits he seeks are to equip him better for progress in the spiritual path.  And as he progresses in the practice of Karma Yoga, spiritual goal becomes the primary goal of life and he develops purity of mind conducive for the acquiring and absorption of Jnanam through Jnana Yoga

Jnana Yoga consists of three stages; Sravanam, Mananam and Nitidyasanam leading to acquisition, absorption and assimilation of Self Knowledge through the analytical study of Sastras. Of these Sravanam, the first stage is consistent, systematic study of Sastras under a competent Guru over a length of time where the Guru’s teaching of Sastras acts as a virtual mirror to discover one’s Self removing Self ignorance.  The subject is so subtle and truth it reveals is so ‘startling’ that Swami Paramarthananda advises one should prepare for it through PORT reduction where PORT stands for possessions, obligations or responsibilities, relationships and transactions, which with their demands on time and mental preoccupation will be an obstacle for deep study and contemplation.  So to get quality time for the study of Sastras and to benefit by it PORT reduction is advised. When one with PORT reduction goes through consistent and systematic study over a length of time one learns the Truth from the Vedantic scriptures that was termed ‘startling’ earlier.  This message Swamiji sums up in five capsules which run as: 

1)    I am of the nature of eternal and all-pervading Consciousness.

2)    I am the only source of permanent, peace, security and happiness

3)    By my mere presence, I give life to the material body and through the body, I experience the material universe. The word “body” includes the mind because the mind is also a subtle form of body

4)    I am not affected by anything that takes place in the material world and in the material body, including the material mind

5)    By forgetting my nature, I convert life into a struggle and by remembering my nature, I convert life into a sport or entertainment.

Consciousness, which is defined as oneself, has five features which are, again in the words of Swamiji:

1) Consciousness is not part, product or property of the body

2) Consciousness is an independent entity or principle which pervades and enlivens the body

3) Consciousness is not limited by the boundaries of the body

4) Consciousness continues to exist or survive even after the death of the body

5) The surviving consciousness is not accessible because of the absence of the body medium

When the seeker learns the five features of the Consciousness and relates it to “I” and tries to use the word ‘I’ in the meaning of Consciousness, several doubts assail him, which have to be cleared through Mananam.  Mananam is the process through which all the intellectual obstacles in the way of absorption of this knowledge is removed and the knowledge gets converted to conviction. Discussion with Guru and fellow-seekers and also self-contemplation helps the student to have the doubts clarified and be intellectually convinced. This doubt-free knowledge has to be assimilated deconditioning all the negative emotions developed in the ignorant mind so that it becomes his second nature, which turns him into a Jivan muktha.  This process of internalisation of knowledge is effected  through  Nitidyasanam, Vedantic meditation.  Chapter 6 of Bhagavad Gita discuses this meditation only.  Nitidyasanam involves meditation on Mahavakhyas that spell out the Jiva Brahma Ikyam.  With successful assimilation of Mahavakhya teachings, the Vedantic message “Brahma Satyam, Jagat Mithya, Jeevo Brahmaiva na Parah”, the seeker blossoms into a Jivan Muktha, with his views of world, God, himself and Moksha completely transformed. 

In the new mindset he no longer sees the world in the triangular format of Iswara, world and Jiva, but only in the binary format of athma and anathma where athma only is absolute Reality while anathma is only apparently Real.  His goal of Moksha at a future date is also changed as he sees himself as a Muktha Purusha all the time with the upadhi of body.  So in his view no bondage, no Liberation; no Jivan Mukthi, no Videha Mukthi applies to him.  If one after realization of his inner Divinity can stay steadfast like this with the inner conviction of the essential Divinity of one and all as well, then that person can be said to have arrived at the end of the spiritual journey. The journey that started at Aham (ego) and continued to Daso’ham (triangular format) now ends with the assertion, after Realisation, of So’ham (binary format).

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Guru Purnima

(Based on the lectures of Swami Paramarthananda)

Guru Purnima is an auspicious day for spiritual seekers who on this day worship the entire Acharya parampara starting from Aadhi Guru, Lord Siva, including their own Guru.  It is celebrated every year on the full-moon day that comes in the month of Ashada (June-July) of Hindu calendar.  In the current year this fell on Tuesday the 30^th of July, 2019. Not only Hindus but Buddhists, Jains and Sikhs also celebrate this day. For Hindus, it is considered the birthday of Veda Vyasa, who holds a pride of place in the lineage of Gurus and in his honour the day itself is called Vyasa Purnima also.  Further it is considered to be the day on which Aadhi Yogi, Lord Siva, taught Yoga to the Sapta Rishis (seven sages) and became Aadhi Guru as well.  For Buddhists, it is the day on which Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon at Saranath after attaining enlightenment under Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya. For Jains it is this day, Lord Mahavira had his first follower, Gautam Swami, and for Sikhs it is a day to honour their Ten Gurus.

The word Guru is derived from two words, gu and ru. The Sanskrit root gu means darkness or ignorance, and ru denotes the remover of that darkness. Therefore, a Guru is one who removes the darkness of sishya’s ignorance.  And a Brahma Vidya Guru is one who has not only realised his essential nature as Brahman but also guides the disciple to discover his true nature as infinite Brahman dispelling the disciple’s mistaken notion that he is a finite Jiva. So the Guru is praised in Guru stotram as follows:

Gururbrahma gurur Vishnu gurur devo Mahesvarah I

Gurureva Param Brahma tasmai Srigurave namaha II 3 II

Salutations to the Guru, who is the Brahma, Vishnu and Siva and the Supreme Brahman as well.

Vyasacharya is one of the most important Gurus in Hindu tradition, as he has given Moksha Upaya to the seekers through his three basic granthas (text books) called Prasthana thrayam. They are the Vedas called Sruthi Prasthanam; Bhagavad Gita called Smrithi Prasthanam and Brahma sutras called Nyaya Prasthanam.  Though he is not the author of Vedas, he collected them all, classified them into four Vedas Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharvana and arranged for their preservation after him by teaching one Veda each to his four chief disciples – Paila, Vaisampayana,  Jaimini and Sumantu respectively.  It was this dividing and editing that earned him the honorific "Veda Vyasa" (vyas = to edit, to divide), for his original name is Krishna Dwaipayana.  Bhagavad Gita forms part of Mahabharatha, which is written by Vyasacharya.  He is the author of Brahma sutras, also called Vedanta sutras that give logical support, reasoning and reinforcement to the teaching contained in Sruthi and Smruthi, clarifying all doubts and effectively countering all objections. He has also written the 18 Puranas, including the epic Bhagavatha purana and established the system of teaching them through ‘Upakhyanas’ or discourses.  He is considered as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and he is praised in Vishnu Sahasranamam thus:

vyasaya vishnurupaya vyasarupaya vishnave |

namo vai brahmanidhaye vasishtaya namo namah || 4 ||

I bow before Vyasa who is Vishnu, Vishnu who is Vyasa. And again and again bow before Him, who is born, in the family of Vasishta (being the great grandson of Vasishta) and is the treasure of the knowledge of Brahman

The Guru purnima celebrations also start with Vyasa puja, also called Vyasa Purnima puja. The Vyasa Purnima puja is amongst the duties required for a sanyasi. A vividhisha sanyasi, i.e the mumukshu sanyasi, has to perform this puja physically while a Vidwat sanyasi i.e the Jnani sanyasi needs only to perform a mental worship, i.e. Manasa puja.  For a sanyasi Chathurmasya Vratham starts this day. In olden days Chathurmasya Vratham required a sanyasi to stay in the same place for four months commencing from this day. Here he practices nitidhyasanam, does Vedanta vichara and holds satsangh inspiring lay people in and around the place with spiritual knowledge and kindling desire for Moksha. This was done as rainy season started around this day and during this season insects crawl all over the place and moving around one may step on them accidentally and harm them.  So to avoid it and practice Ahimsa as well they don’t move around.   Nowadays the Vratham is observed for two months but Vyasa puja is done besides the sharing of spiritual knowledge with ordinary people in satsangh. 

The distinction between Vividisha sanyasi and Vidwat sanyasi is not observed now.  But the significance and importance of Vyasa Puja and the observance of Guru Purnima day by sanyasis and Grahasthas as well is not lost even today. It still holds significance as an occasion for remembering with gratitude and reverence Vyasacharya and his contribution to the maintenance of Vedic Study and tradition through the preservation of Vedas. So we can say Guru Purnima is Vedic Teachers Day, a day to remember and glorify the teachers of Para Vidya as in modern Teachers Day one remembers and honours the teachers of Apara Vidya.

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