Spiritual Enlightenment

 

(Adapted from Swami Paramarthananda’s talk)

Spiritual knowledge is the knowledge revealed by the scriptures and when one imbibes and personalises this knowledge, he is said to be spiritually enlightened.   In the case of advaita Vedanta, the central message is “Brahma Sathyam; Jagan mithya; Jivo Brahmaiva na para (Brahman is Absolute truth. The Universe is apparent/transactional truth; Jiva is none other than Brahman ”.  Knowing this message as such is spiritual knowledge.  But understanding this as ”Brahma  Sathyam; Jagan mithya: Aham Brahmaiva na para (Brahman is absolute truth; Universe is apparent/transactional truth; I am none other than Brahman ” where the message is personalised to oneself having absorbed it, is “spiritual enlightenment”.  While clear understanding and absorption of this three part message is spiritual enlightenment,  clear doubt-free knowledge of the first two parts, ‘Brahma Sathyam; Jagan mithya’ is called Paroksha jnanam, indirect knowledge and clear doubt-free knowledge of the third part ‘Jivo Brahmaiva na para’ relating it to oneself  is Aparoksha jnanam.  We can translate Paroksha jnanam as spiritual knowledge and Aproksha jnanam as realisation which also means spiritual enlightenment.

The difference between Paroksha jnanam and Aparoksha jnanam is the involvement of “I”.  We can see it from an example.  One reads a lot about Mount Kailas, sees pictures of Mount Kailas and also hears ardently the account of pilgrims who have undertaken pilgrimage to Mount Kailas.  His knowledge of Mount Kailas is only Paroksha jnanam as these are all third party accounts and he has no direct first-hand experience.  One day he visits Mount Kailas, does parikrama and then with his personal, first person experience, his knowledge of Mount Kailas becomes Aparoksha jnanam.  So the nature of spiritual enlightenment can be stated as the combination of Paroksha and Aparoksha jnanam of the vedantic teaching: “Brahma Sathyam; Jagan mithya; Jivo Brahmaiva na para”

Now let us explore the process of this knowledge.   Any knowledge, prama, involves three factors- pramatha, knower; prameyam, the object to be known and pramanam, the instrument of knowledge.  Knowledge takes place when the pramatha, prameyam and pramanam come together.  When pramata, pramanam and prameyam come together, a relevant thought modification takes place in the mind which is called prama.   So we can say process of any knowledge is: pramata + pramanam + prameyam that generates prama which is a thought modification.  Sastras declare that depending upon what one wants to know, one should use the appropriate or relevant pramanam.  Thus, we have to use a relevant pramanam. Therefore, the process of knowledge is nothing but a thought modification which rises when pramata, relevant pramanam and prameyam come together. 

In the spiritual field the spiritual seeker is the pramatha, Brahman or Athma is the prameyam and the teaching of sastras by Guru, called Guru-sastra-upadesa is the pramanam.  Mundaka Upanishad verses, 2 – 12 &13 nicely reveal as below:

Pareekshya lokaan karma-chitaan brahmanah,

nirvedam aayaan na asti akritah kritena I

Tad vijnanaartham sah gurum eva abhigacchet,

samitpanih srotriyam brahma-nishtham II

After thoroughly examining the worlds gained by Karma, let a seeker free himself from all desires by reflecting that things Eternal cannot be had by (temporal) actions, In order to obtain the knowledge of the Eternal (Brahman), let him approach a Guru, who is well-versed in the scriptures, and who is always established in the Brahman, in the prescribed manner with fuel in hand. (2-12)

Tasmai sa vidvan upasannaya samyak,

 prashanta-chittaaya shamanvitaya I

 Yena aksharam purusham veda satyam,

 provaacha taam tattvatah brahma-vidyam II

To that person who has duly approached him, whose mind is completely serene, and whose senses are controlled, the wise teacher should indeed rightly impart the knowledge of Brahman, as expounded in the Vedas (2-13)

The verbal communication coming from the Guru as the systematic teaching of Vedas constitutes the pramanam.  In Kathopanishad (1-2-9) Lord Yama also points out to Nachiketas “Na eshaa tarkena matih aapaneyaa proktaa anyena eva sujnaanaaya preshtha (Not through reasoning can this knowledge on the Self be attained. But when taught by the one who knows Non-duality, it leads to sound, thorough knowledge)".  The Guru-sastra-upadesa is a pramanam applies to both Paroksha and Aparoksha jnanam. That is Guru-sastra-upadesa is a pramanam for the liberating knowledge “Brahma  Sathyam; Jagan mithya: Aham Brahmaiva na para”.  If one then wonders what is role of meditation, one should remember that meditation is not a pramanam for knowledge. Before coming to Vedantic teaching, meditation is practiced as upasana for refining the mind and making it subtle to receive the teaching.  After receiving the teaching and making it doubt-free through mananam, meditation is practiced as Nitidyasanam to remove one’s entrenched habitual body-mind identification as Self and replacing it with identification with Brahman as his true Self at all times through internalising the teaching and ridding the mind of residual vasanas.  So a spiritually enlightened person is feeling ever liberated with a clear understanding of “Brahma  Sathyam; Jagan mithya: Aham Brahmaiva na para”.   To such an enlightened person Moksha is not something to be sought, a sadhya vasthu, but it is something always acquired, a siddha vasthu.

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