The Brilliance of rishi Yajnavalkya

[Guest guest]

Hari Om

~~~~~~~~

Namaskar Satyakama's,

I thought perhaps I could share this post on the discussion of Sage

Yajnavalkya to his wife Maiteyi.  His brillance is profound, as he

points out a secret of spiritual insight that has rewarded me, 

reading it again and again. Perhaps you may wish to read the whole

chapter yourself.  Let me point out a few things for your

consideration.

 

Our sadhana consists of 2 fundamental roots, that of knowledge and

experience. Knowledge/experience is rooted in hearing, reflection

(or pondering, thinking) and meditation or transcending. This post

or your consideration is for the hearing and reflection part of this

Jnana-yoga ( Jnana is from the root 'jna' or to know).

 

According to Vedanta thought, ones true essence is Jnana-swarupa ,

or Knowledge-Truth embodiment. It is my delight to write about these

ideas, experiences, and principles and in some way hope that one or

two posts may in fact ring true with you and allow for an "ahhh

haa!" of insight along the way.

 

This post is about a sage that was a Garhasthya-(the married

householder) and said, it is for me to leave and I am choosing the

sannyasian way (or spiritual mendicancy), but his wife says hold on,

I have a question or two, can you help?

 

Sage Yajnavalkya, a guru of kings, told his wife(s) Maiteyi &

Katyayani it was his time for him to leave and take sannyas.

His 'withdrawal' is that of the wise, or the fully awake, and is

called vidat-sannyasa. Sage Yajnavalkya says, I am giving to you,

Maiteyi, as the eldest wife, all of the wealth and settlement of

property . To this, Maitreyi (from the root name of mitra or friend

and Maitri friendship and love) says " if this whole earth filled

with wealth were mine, would I be immortal thereby?".

 

Obviously Maiteyi is of the spirit and knows wealth has its limits,

and says "what shall I do with that (wealth you are offering)

then?". She says I wish to know "what indeed you know, that alone

tell me" - she wants to know of the 'wealth' Yajnavalkya posses in

knowledge. Yajnavalkya says come sit down and I will explain to you

this brahma-vida.

 

He starts by telling her 'not for the love of the husband my dear,

is the husband dear to his wife, but for the love of the SELF.' He

continues and says ' not for the love of the wife is the wife dear

to her husband, but for the love of the SELF.'

Sage Yajnavalkya uses this same context and includes, parents,

children, wealth, brahmana, kshatriya, worlds, and gods and beings(

He names 9 categories). All love is directed to the SELF.

This knowledge he gives is that of a love that knows not an Object

or  Subject. It's a love that is not directed, but is due to the

underlying, all encompassing SELF that is ubiquitous, and non-

different from any-thing and is at the core of our being.

It is the extension of ones own being that connects, and creates the

Unity the sages have been hailing for the millennium.

 

It is by the realization of the SELF that this insight becomes

real... This is accomplished by sravana ( listening-hearing i.e.

study), manana ( thinking-reflecting, with associations to man "to

think" and root of mantra) and nididhyasana ( contemplation that

takes one to subtler levels of thought and insight).

Doubts ( asambhavana) are removed completely by the revelation of

the SELF. Doubts are also removed by the guru, discussions,and with

those that know the writings of truth or a Sastri. Reality is

Knowlege itself. The sages call Pure Intelligence, Pure

Consciousness as it is the raw materials for life/creation and the

expression of Being.

 

 

This SELF is One-without-a-second. All 'this' is THAT, the sages

say. There is no duality, even between the Absolute and the

Universe, it is the same. Sage Yajnavalkya goes on to give Maiteyi

multiple examples (metaphors) of this Unity. He clearly indicates by

knowing this SELF all else is known. By grasping the Absolute-SELF

one 'owns' the totality of all fragmented knowledge and possesses

the 'wholeness' or basis for all else. This is the benefit of being

established in Reality, all else is an expression of Brahman.

 

I mention this because its the practical aspect of pursing the SELF.

One becomes established in the home of all knowledge and operates

from this level of Being. One then acts in accord with universal law

(some call Dharma, or that which upholds is the official definition).

 

The Sage in his greatness takes Maitreyi through the logical steps

of understanding this SELF, and ends with another example of how the

SELF permeates everything, he says - just as a piece of salt when

thrown in water permeates the total water, yet one does not see it

in any one place, but with one taste knows the salt is everywhere.

LIke that, the SELF is within and without, there is no place, time

or space IT does not permeate.

 

He says "So my dear, verily this infinite, unlimited great Being

(SELF) is indeed a solid mass of Consciousness".

 

Concluding remarks

Sarvam khalvidam brahma , all this is certainily the Absolute, says

Vedenta, (the end of the Ved or the last say). Sage Yajnavalkya

clearly points to a different operating model for the native that

realizes this. The sage talks from his direct cognition and how he

experiences the continunity of existence, and the genuine love

expressed for it.

 

Pranams,

yajvan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Discussion of Shankara's Advaita Vedanta Philosophy of nonseparablity of Atman and Brahman.

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