Slokam 9

Sri Bhattadri draws an analogy between the Parmathma walking around the Brindavan along with the Gopas and river Kalindhi following Him with her undulating curves, twists and turns. Sri Bhattadri speculates that perhaps Kalindhi was equally enamored of the Paramathma as much as the Paramathma was enjoying her contribution to the prosperity, well being and beauty of Brindavanam.

The ability to draw analogies is the basis of our capabilities to translate the maya of the external world into the reality of our inner self.

All of us want to reside in a place such as Brindavanam.  We are all given all that we need from a food and environmental perspective.  We come into this existence in an environment that has already been tailormade to suit our needs and meet our requirements.

Our primary requirement is to recognize what has been given,  and even more importantly, who has given all of this to us.  We have to recognize that our responsibility is to maintain what has been given in good shape and to build on it so that we are in a continuous evolutionary mode.  It is of utmost importance to recognize that we are the trusted custodians of what is the most unique treasure, which is the power of consciousness. As the custodians of the power of consciousness,  we are required to identify the rightful owner of this power, which is the Paramathma and hand over the control reins to Him.

Handing over the ownership is not as simple as giving up rights to a physical property.  Consciousness is our very being.  We have to have the courage to surrender our very being to the Paramathma.  This courage does not come naturally. Just as we cling to worldly possessions and relationships, we cling to our sense of awareness as though our existence depends on it.  If we cling to this possession, there is little chance that it will be handed over to its rightful owner.

Why are we afraid of losing something that we never had to begin with?  Maya plays tricks on our minds.  Maya depends on the false identity to propagate desires, fears and insecurities within us.  These desires, fears and insecurities are all based on misconceived notions of our needs.  Our needs have no limits and maya makes sure that our perceived needs gets us entangled inextricably in its web.

As Sri Ramana Maharishi says, focus the mind on the false identity and keep it there.  The false identity and all its ramifications will disappear in a puff of smoke, to reveal our true nature. 

Sri Bhattadri beautifully describes the intricate interrelationship between how our perception through the senses reflects our inner most feelings. Sri Bhattadri describes Kalindhi as accompanying the Parmathma in His walk on her banks with her undulating channels. 

This is exactly the way life behaves towards each and every one of us. The slokam brings out the fact that life will treat us exactly the way we treat it.  This feedback from life is what helps us correct our internal self.  Our intelligence converts the “external” perception into an analogy.  Our mind then converts the analogy into an understanding of itself.  Consciousness is awareness of the self.  In order for any transformation to occur,  awareness is a necessary ingredient. 

The transformation that the Paramathma is interested in is irreversible transformation into a higher state of existence.  The material transformation that we are all witness to in the form of rivers like Kalindhi, the winds that transform mountains, the earthquakes that transform landscapes, the meteors that cause craters may all seem like they are permanent changes.  They are only transient changes which will be repeated again and again as the Paramathma creates and destroys this universe. The cycle of creation and destruction is a long long one.  So no one is there at the beginning and no one will be there to witness the end.  However even today’s scientific knowledge points to an universe that is expanding at an infinite rate, only to shrink back into an infinitesimal point and then to expand all over again. 

The river Kalindhi was perhaps created and destroyed many many times over, and the same physical events perhaps reoccurred many times over…..with one difference.  Those that reached an exalted state would not reappear.  So if, say one of us managed to merge with the Paramathma prior to the end of the universe (or Pralayam), by the attainment of moksham,  our space in the next universe will be empty.  We would have become a part of the Paramathma and we would then be a part of His Krishhna Avataram, which provides guidance to humanity on elevating itself from ignorance to knowledge.   This transformation of the mind from waywardness to steady state is the transformation that has no reversal and is not repeated an infinite number of times. 

One very intricate and beautiful word that is used in the slokam to describe the river Kalindhi’s reciprocator feeling towards the Paramathma is “solitude”.  The implication is that without the Paramathma, Kalindhi would feel isolated and desolate.  She would feel so lonely that there would be no need for her existence. The slokam implies beautifully that without the Paramathma to dance with and flow along with, Kalindhi would not even care to come into existence !!!.  The slokam makes the very important connection between the physical illusory perception and the inner reality.  Physical perceptions need reciprocation.  This is the most intimate of all human feelings and goes by the all encompassing word “Love”.  It transcends boundaries between living and non-living, animals and man,  plants, trees, fruits and flowers and man.

In fact reciprocation represents the  ultimate connector.  Incidentally, reciprocation is what makes the entire internet, computer systems and communications possible.  In living beings consciousness is the basis of communication.  

The Paramathma is the universal connector between all objects that constitute the universe.  Whether we are aware or not, there is communication between each and every object in this universe.  If the earth goes around the sun that implies that there is communication between the Sun and Earth simply because there is reciprocation from the earth to the pulling forces of the Sun.  This reciprocation implies that there is awareness. Without awareness of the pull of the Sun, the Earth cannot remain in orbit. Does not awareness imply consciousness? Assuming that Earth is a non-living being,  how can it possess awareness or consciousness?  The conclusion is that awareness exists at the atomic level and is universal.  However that awareness is not awareness of the self. The awareness at the atomic level seems to be skewed towards external forces.  Nevertheless, that awareness of the pull of the external forces is also a segment of universal consciousness, which is the Paramathma Himself. 

Can there be an existence without consciousness?  We cannot even begin to answer the question. An object without awareness or consciousness, would not “exist”, in the physical realm.

So it becomes clear that all objects, living and non-living are connected.  The connection is via consciousness.  If we are conscious of a particular object or person, we are connected to them.  Consciousness is the channel of connection and of reciprocation and responsiveness.  This is also the only channel of connection and communication with the Paramathma.   In fact the Paramathma remains out of the realm of the senses so that we will connect with Him through pure consciousness alone.

Yoga is the means of attaining the state of pure consciousness.  All of the spiritual practices are only directed towards attaining this state of pure consciousness so that we can establish an eternal link with the supreme.

When we attempt to surrender to the Paramathma, we will be fully tested by being put into various life situations that will induce fear and insecurity within us.  The tests will have to be recognized by us in the correct perspective. These are severe tests,  and we cannot transcend them without being aware of the helping hand of the Paramathma.  For most of us, the withdrawal from life into an ascetic life will be

In a living being, the awareness of the self is more dominant than the awareness of the pull of the external forces.

Between one cycle of creation and destruction of this universe,  our Jiva Atma will undergo many many transformations, all of which have a predetermined life path (Karma).  When we gain realization of the self, Karma will no longer apply. We will not be reborn. If we do not transcend this existence prior to its ultimate destruction,  then it is likely that we will be again starting life from the very primitive forms such as bacteria etc. So at the time of the destruction of the universe,

The relationship between consciousness,  knowledge,  seeking, understanding, awareness, intelligence, rationality, illusion, reality, acceptance is an intricate one.

When Adi Sankara posed the question as to what our real identity is,  we have to also understand it from the perspective of who within us is actually attaining moksham? Is it us with all our mental attachments to things of this world including our body?  Is it our mind with its desires, fears and insecurities?  Is it our consciousness with all its conflicts?

The answer is probably that when we transform ourselves through spiritual practice,  all these elements in us most likely disappear,  leaving only the pure self.  Arjuna asks the Paramathma the question as to whether we will be able to transcend this existence in a shape, size and form that we are used to.  The answer to Arjuna’s question probably cannot be communicated in mere words.  The entity that is going to survive this body is going to be pure and uncorrupted, selfless and unattached.  Pure consciousness without any bonding is indeed hard to imagine.  Awareness is centered on itself.  Pure awareness permeates the entire universe with no physical or chronological boundaries.  There is no shape, form or size. There will not be even a mind. 

Key question that all of us have in our minds is that we would like to know if we will retain consciousness at the point of moksham.  We are all mortally afraid of a state of non-existence, wherein we have no identity, no consciousness.  Yet we are not the ones that is responsible for the creation of any of the faculties that we have.  We think we have in our possession a power that enables us into existence.  We call this power the life force within us and we cling to it as though our existence depends on it.  Until the realization sets in that our true form is universal and all encompassing, we will not lose our fear of death. We either think of physical death as the end of our existence or we think that because of all the pappam that we accumulated during our lives, we will take a life form that may put us through hell. 

If we can take out this fear of death and the fear of after life from our present existence much of our suffering will disappear. Preparing for death and the afterlife is the primary challenge of this life. There is no need to worry endlessly about worldly problems.  These are meant to only keep us on the correct path of realization.  Dispassionate discharge of karma,  and the inner devotion to the Paramathma will be all that is required to be practiced by us.  That is our role and our contribution to this existence. 

There is no other place for us in this life.  There is no need to assume imaginary roles and responsibilities and then feel victorious or disappointment at the results.  The feeling of success and failure and its ramifications are all false.  If we have those feelings and aspirations, it can only mean that we have not made progress on the journey of spiritual life.  None of these results matter. They are all organized by the Paramathma only to ensure our progress.

The reason that we all cling to our lives is the same reason that we cling to relationships, wealth, material possessions and most importantly, to our own self preservation.  The reason is the fear of losing.  The fear of loss is driven by the consequences of the loss. The consequences of the loss would be – material poverty (lack of basic minimum needs), and isolation (no friends or relatives to share or fears with).  The third fear of loss is that when we do not have dependencies, our illusion of our own usefulness will come into question. Our motivation to participate in everyday life will diminish and be restricted to only fulfilling our minimum needs. We will not seek adulation or try to belong to groups and seek illusory fulfilment in the form of illusory attainments and contributions.

The only real contribution that we will make in this existence is our own inner transformation through dedication to the Paramathma.

Transformation into an elevated state cannot happen without consciousness or awareness of the self.  Consciousness is galloping at very high speeds through the physical universe.  There is no corner of the universe that consciousness cannot or does not reach into.  This is why our ancient sanyasis could, simply by meditation, gain awareness of the planets and stars and gauge their impact on our lives.  The consciousness that drives the mind is also the same force that constitutes and drives the universe. 

Gnana Margam, Bhakthi Margam and Karma Yogam, all three paths have the same objective of gaining control of wayward consciousness and its manifestation, the mind.  

The paths are different and the methodology is also different. The common factors among all three paths are;

1.    Objective and Purpose – to transcend this physical existence which is temporary.

2.    Modus Operandi – Self realization is the tool for transcending this existence.

3.    Techniques – Develop selflessness in learning, working and relationships.

4.    Hurdle – gaining self control through balancing of Rajas, Tamas and Sattvic Gunas..

5.    Lesson from the Paramathma – Do not seek rewards for effort.  

6.    Ultimate knowledge gained – There is nothing that we can own or possess or call our own.

7.    Our role – Conflict free existence.

8.    Attainment – Complete surrender at the feet of the Paramathma.

No matter which path we try to follow, the only objective must be to transcend the needs of the self.  When we try to transcend the self,  All of the lessons of the Paramathma in the Bhagavath Gita will be the  source of guidance. 

Under the Paramathma’s guidance, fear of death, doubts about eternity, attachment and clinging to relationships and possessions, will all disappear in due course and leave us free to transcend this existence.