Amrita Putra!

[Guest guest]

Are you always peaceful? Are you noble? Do you possess self-

restraint? Are you endowed with divine virtues? Are you free from

ignorance? Do you possess knowledge of the Self? Have you got

illumination? Have you realised the immortal, pure Self? How do you

stand before these questions? If you have not got these things, then

come, sit down and listen! Here is the message of Amrita for you all!

Even if you practise a particle of this, you will go beyond death,

sorrow and pain.

 

Meditate always: " I am pure consciousness, I am Sat-Chit-Ananda

Brahman. I am immutable, self-effulgent, immortal Self. I am the

silent witness of the three states, viz., waking state, dream state

and deep sleep state. I am distinct from the body, mind, Prana and

senses. I am distinct from the five sheaths " . You will soon attain

Self-realisation. You will attain knowledge of the Self (Brahma

Jnana).

 

It is bondage when you are attached to your wife, son, property or

body, when you take the body as the pure Self. It is liberation when

you are not attached to any object of this world, when you identify

yourself with the pure, immortal Atman.

 

Whenever there is Kama (desire), there is no Rama; whenever there is

Rama there is no Kama. Whenever there is desire there is the world.

Therefore, go beyond desire by cultivating discrimination (Viveka)

and dispassion (Vairagya) and meditating on Brahman or the Supreme

Self and be happy.

 

Live without the feeling of 'I-ness,' and 'mine-ness' and attachment.

Restrain the senses. Observe the rules of right conduct. Get purity

of heart. Hear the truth. Abide in the Self. Be happy.

 

As soon as you realise that you are not this body, you become free

from sorrow and death. You are free from the bondage of Karma, from

the fetters of desires, from the mirage of this mundane life and its

concomitant evils and miseries.

 

'Soul' or 'Supreme Self' or 'Atma' or 'Brahman' is that abiding,

constantly existing and imperishable entity which is the basis of the

world, which is indivisible, self-luminous, unchanging and all-

pervading, which is the silent witness or SakShi of the three states,

viz., waking, dream and deep sleep. The knower of this soul or Atma

attains immortality and enters the abode of bliss and nectar.

 

Brahman is real and eternal. This body is unreal and perishable. From

the knowledge of Self (Atma) and not-self (Anatma) springs the stream

of immortality or the ancient wisdom of the seers of the Upanishads.

 

Atma is the immortal substance or essence in man. Atma is the origin

of thoughts, desires and reasonings. Atma is spiritual because it is

beyond matter and mind. It must be immortal because it is spiritual.

It is beyond time, space and causation. It is beginningless, endless,

causeless and infinite.

 

If you realise this immortal soul which is hidden in your heart and

all these forms, if the knots of Avidya (ignorance), Kama (desire)

and Karma (action) are rent asunder, if the chain of ignorance, viz.,

ignorance, non-discrimination, egoism, likes and dislikes, Karma,

body, etc., is broken, you will be freed from the rounds of births

and deaths and enter the city of deathlessness.

 

The ignorant man only runs after sensual objects and falls into the

mortal coils spread round him. He lives in the midst of darkness. He

falls again and again under the sway of the Lord of Death (Yama). The

way to Moksha is not apparent to him. He is deluded by the sensual

pleasures of this world. But the patient, thoughtful man of

discrimination and dispassion does not crave for the illusory

pleasures of this world. He meditates on the Supreme Self and attains

eternal bliss and immortality.

 

Moksha is the summum bonum of life. Moksha is the fulfilment of the

life's purpose. Life ends in the earth plane when you attain Moksha,

or liberation from births and deaths. The realisation of your real

object in life is freedom or Moksha. Moksha bestows on you eternal

life of undecaying bliss and perennial joy. Moksha is not

annihilation. Moksha is the annihilation of this little, self-

arrogating ego only. Moksha is realisation of the identity of the

individual soul with the Supreme Soul. By annihilating this little

self, you possess the whole of true universality. You attain life

eternal-a fuller life.

 

If you have purity of mind and concentration, you can make the mind

assume any Bhava you like. If you think of mercy, your whole being

will be saturated with mercy. If you think of peace, the whole being

will be filled with peace.

 

The spiritual path is doubtless beset with various difficulties. It

is a razor path. The walk in this path is like walking on the edge of

a sharp razor. You will fall down several times, but you will have to

rise up quickly and walk again with more zeal, boldness and

cheerfulness. Every stumbling block will become a stepping-stone to

success or ascent in the hill of spiritual knowledge. Every fall will

give you additional strength to rise up to a great height in the

ladder of Yoga. Do not lose sight of the goal. Do not miss the ideal.

Do not be discouraged. You will soon get spiritual strength from

within. The Indweller will guide you and push you up. All saints and

sages, all prophets and seers had to pass through tremendous

struggles and severe ordeals before they reached the goal. March

boldly, O fair youth, and reach the goal.

 

It is not true that only one attained Moksha or liberation, and none

else can. History bears evidence of many a Sankara having come into

this world. If the past could produce Sankaras, why not the future

also? What one has achieved, can be achieved by others, also. This is

the immutable law of nature. Whosoever would attain the knowledge of

Self like Yajnavalkya of Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, like Uddalaka of

Chhandogya Upanishad, will also attain Moksha or Immortality.

 

The way of the enlightened sages is sinless. The way to liberation or

freedom or perfect happiness and peace is through perfect purity of

mind and heart, of every act, of character and life, through self-

restraint and control of mind, and through regular meditation on the

pure self-luminous, indivisible, all-pervading Self or Atman.

 

If you attain Self-realisation, all doubts will be rent asunder.

Supreme contentment will ever dwell in your heart. You will be purged

of Rajas and Tamas. You will be ever peaceful and happy. Therefore

struggle hard to attain this rare state of supreme blessedness in

this very birth.

 

The flame of a lamp destroys immense darkness. Even so knowledge of

Self destroys ignorance or Avidya-the root-cause of human sufferings

and tribulations. Therefore, attain the knowledge of the Self, get

illumination and go about happily.

 

What is that by knowing which everything else will be known? What is

that by attaining which there will be no hankering after any other

thing? What is that by realising which one becomes immortal,

fearless, desireless and rests in everlasting peace and happiness? It

is Brahman or Atma or the ultimate Truth which is the summum bonum of

life. It is the Bhuma or intelligence or the unconditioned. You can

get real happiness, only by attaining this Bhuma or the Highest Self.

 

May you all live in the spirit of this message of Amrita! May you all

be equipped with the four means of salvation through the grace of the

Lord! May you all attain Self-realisation in this very birth!

 

(Source: Essence of Yoga by Sri Swami Sivananda)