SOME THOUGHTS ON ATMA-----51

May 3, 2007

SAI RAM Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This humble self has recived an interesting mail from one of the members of a . The mail reads as follows:-

" Respected sai brother. You have stated in your postings that the whole world of things and beings is pervaded by the Reality. From our childhood we are told that God is everywhere. You have quoted scriptural texts in support of this;yet, strangely, we see Him nowhere. Why is it so? "

Let me share my understanding of the reply to this query as follows:-

Generally, a thing is not experienced because of one or more of the following reasons:-

1.It does not exist at all. This is called as vastu abhavat in Vedanta. e.g. horns of a man.

2. We might not be in possession of the means to know it(Pramaana Abhaavat) e.g. a blind man can not see a sunset.

3.It may not be revealed or taught to us (Upadesa abhavaat) or we might not be having knowledge of it(janaabhavaat) e.g. I might have seen a pink-coloured flower but I do not know that it is called a lotus till I am told about it.

4.My mind is too distracted or clouded to understand or know it.

Truth or Reality exists everywhere. Vedanta is the means to know It and the Guru is the one who reveals it. With a subtle, pure and single-pointed mind one can recognize It to be all-pervading. The world is pervaded by Reality as Pure Consciousness. By consciousness we do not mean sentiency. Life is a manifestation of Consciouness in the medium of the subtle body. The entire gross and subtle world is pervaded by Consciouness in the form of Existence even though it manifests as life only where there is subtle body. Truth pervades the world as rope pervades the snake vision. sometimes we mistake a rope for a snake . In this case, the vision of the snake is superimposed on the rope. The snake has no independent existence. The rope is the substratum, and the snake the superimposition. On deeper thought we will realize that the snake is not really seen on the rope. What actually happens is that we become aware that something 'is'. On that awareness of the substratum(rope), the object(snake0 is superimposed. The substrstum pervades the superimposed.

Similarly,on the substratum of Pure Existence Consciouness(Atma), we superimpose the world of objects and beings. When the world is seen , the substratum is missed by us and hence we do not Reality or god anywhere. The world is an intrinsic illusion seen on Pure Consciouness. The truth is not experienced due to ignorance. God can be compared to a screen in a theatre on which a movie is projected. As we watch a movie , we totally forget that it is really only the screen that we see because we are so involved with the names and forms projected on the screen. Similarly, our involvement with the things and objects in the objective world is so deep we miss God who is omnipresent. Thus as long as our mind is obsessed with the phenomenal world of objects and things we are unable to cognize or experience the ever-present, all-pervading Reality (God). Rid your heart of all the filth covering it and fill it with Love, Compassion, Truth, Dharma, Ahimsa, Santi etc. etc. You will experience God then and there.

Trust this clarifies the doubt of the member.

With Loving Sai rams,

G.Balasubramanian