Sage Yajnavalkya, pt. 2

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(from:

http://www.ramakrishnavivekananda.info/vivekananda/volume_2/practical_vedanta_an\

d_other_lectures/yajnavalkya_and_maitreyi.htm)

 

 

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YAJNAVALKYA AND MAITREYI

 

We say, " That day is indeed a bad day on which you do

not hear the name of the Lord, but a cloudy day is not

a bad day at all. " Yâjnavalkya was a great sage. You

know, the Shastras in India enjoin that every man

should give up the world when he becomes old. So

Yajnavalkya said to his wife, " My beloved, here is all

my money, and my possessions, and I am going away. "

She replied, " Sir, if I had this whole earth full of

wealth, would that give me immortality? " Yajnavalkya

said, " No, it will not. You will be rich, and that

will be all, but wealth cannot give us immortality. "

She replied, " what shall I do to gain that through

which I shall become immortal? If you know, tell me. "

Yajnavalkya replied, " You have been always my beloved;

you are more beloved now by this question. Come, take

your seat, and I will tell you; and when you have

heard, meditate upon it. " He said, " It is not for the

sake of the husband that the wife loves the husband,

but for the sake of the Âtman that she loves the

husband, because she loves the Self. None loves the

wife for the sake of the wife; but it is because one

loves the Self that one loves the wife. None loves the

children for the children; but because one loves the

Self, therefore one loves the children. None loves

wealth on account of the wealth; but because one loves

the Self, therefore one loves wealth. None loves the

Brâhmin for the sake of the Brahmin; but because one

loves the Self, one loves the Brahmin. So, none loves

the Kshatriya for the sake of the Kshatriya, but

because one loves the Self. Neither does any one love

the world on account of the world, but because one

loves the Self. None, similarly, loves the gods on

account of the gods, but because one loves the Self.

None loves a thing for that thing's sake; but it is

for the Self that one loves it. This Self, therefore,

is to be heard, reasoned about, and meditated upon. O

my Maitreyi, when that Self has been heard, when that

Self has been seen, when that Self has been realised,

then, all this becomes known. " What do we get then?

Before us we find a curious philosophy. The statement

has been made that every love is selfishness in the

lowest sense of the word: because I love myself,

therefore I love another; it cannot be. There have

been philosophers in modern times who have said that

self is the only motive power in the world. That is

true, and yet it is wrong. But this self is but the

shadow of that real Self which is behind. It appears

wrong and evil because it is small. That infinite love

for the Self, which is the universe, appears to be

evil, appears to be small, because it appears through

a small part. Even when the wife loves the husband,

whether she knows it or not, she loves the husband for

that Self. It is selfishness as it is manifested in

the world, but that selfishness is really but a small

part of that Self-ness. Whenever one loves, one has to

love in and through the Self. This Self has to be

known. What is the difference? Those that love the

Self without knowing what It is, their love is

selfishness. Those that love, knowing what that Self

is, their love is free; they are sages. " Him the

Brahmin gives up who sees the Brahmin anywhere else

but in the Self. Him the Kshatriya gives up who sees

the Kshatriya anywhere else but in the Self. The world

gives him up who sees this world anywhere but in that

Atman. The gods give him up who loves the gods knowing

them to be anywhere else but in the Atman. Everything

goes away from him who knows everything as something

else except the Atman. These Brahmins, these

Kshatriyas, this world, these gods, whatever exists,

everything is that Atman " . Thus he explains what he

means by love.

Every time we particularise an object, we

differentiate it from the Self. I am trying to love a

woman; as soon as that woman is particularised, she is

separated from the Atman, and my love for her will not

be eternal, but will end in grief. But as soon as I

see that woman as the Atman, that love becomes

perfect, and will never suffer. So with everything; as

soon as you are attached to anything in the universe,

detaching it from the universe as a whole, from the

Atman, there comes a reaction. With everything that we

love outside the Self, grief and misery will be the

result. If we enjoy everything in the Self, and as the

Self, no misery or reaction will come. This is perfect

bliss. How to come to this ideal? Yajnavalkya goes on

to tell us the process by which to reach that state.

The universe is infinite: how can we take every

particular thing and look at it as the Atman, without

knowing the Atman? " As with a drum when we are at a

distance we cannot catch the sound, we cannot conquer

the sound; but as soon as we come to the drum and put

our hand on it, the sound is conquered. When the

conch-shell is being blown, we cannot catch or conquer

the sound, until we come near and get hold of the

shell, and then it is conquered. When the Vina is

being played, when we have come to the Vina, we get to

the centre whence the sound is proceeding. As when

some one is burning damp fuel, smoke and sparks of

various kinds come, even so, from this great One has

been breathed out knowledge; everything has come out

of Him. He breathed out, as it were, all knowledge. As

to all water, the one goal is the ocean; as to all

touch, the skin is the one centre; as of all smell,

the nose is the one centre; as of all taste, the

tongue is the one goal; as of all form, the eyes are

the one goal; as of all sounds, the ears are the one

goal; as of all thought, the mind is the one goal; as

of all knowledge, the heart is the one goal; as of all

work, the hands are the one goal; as a morsel of salt

put into the sea-water melts away, and we cannot take

it back, even so, Maitreyi, is this Universal Being

eternally infinite; all knowledge is in Him. The whole

universe rises from Him, and again goes down into Him.

No more is there any knowledge, dying, or death. " We

get the idea that we have all come just like sparks

from Him, and when you know Him, then you go back and

become one with Him again. We are the Universal.

 

Maitreyi became frightened, just as everywhere people

become frightened. Said she, " Sir, here is exactly

where you have thrown a delusion over me. You have

frightened me by saying there will be no more gods;

all individuality will be lost. There will be no one

to recognise, no one to love, no one to hate. What

will become of us? " " Maitreyi, I do not mean to puzzle

you, or rather let it rest here. You may be

frightened. Where there are two, one sees another, one

hears another, one welcomes another, one thinks of

another, one knows another. But when the whole has

become that Atman, who is seen by whom, who is to be

heard by whom, who is to be welcomed by whom, who is

to be known by whom? " That one idea was taken up by

Schopenhauer and echoed in his philosophy. Through

whom we know this universe, through what to know Him?

How to know the knower? By what means can we know the

knower? How can that be? Because in and through that

we know everything. By what means can we know Him? By

no means, for He is that means.

 

So far the idea is that it is all One Infinite Being.

That is the real individuality, when there is no more

division, and no more parts; these little ideas are

very low, illusive. But yet in and through every spark

of the individuality is shining that Infinite.

Everything is a manifestation of the Atman. How to

reach that? First you make the statement, just as

Yajnavalkya himself tells us: " This Atman is first to

be heard of. " So he stated the case; then he argued it

out, and the last demonstration was how to know That,

through which all knowledge is possible. Then, last,

it is to be meditated upon. He takes the contrast, the

microcosm and the macrocosm, and shows how they are

rolling on in particular lines, and how it is all

beautiful. " This earth is so blissful, so helpful to

every being; and all beings are so helpful to this

earth: all these are manifestations of that

Self-effulgent One, the Atman. " All that is bliss,

even in the lowest sense, is but the reflection of

Him. All that is good is His reflection, and when that

reflection is a shadow it is called evil. There are no

two Gods. When He is less manifested, it is called

darkness, evil; and when He is more manifested, it is

called light. That is all. Good and evil are only a

question of degree: more manifested or less

manifested. Just take the example of our own lives.

How many things we see in our childhood which we think

to be good, but which really are evil, and how many

things seem to be evil which are good! How the ideas

change! How an idea goes up and up! What we thought

very good at one time we do not think so good now. So

good and evil are but superstitions, and do not exist.

The difference is only in degree. It is all a

manifestation of that Atman; He is being manifested in

everything; only, when the manifestation is very thick

we call it evil; and when it is very thin, we call it

good. It is the best, when all covering goes away. So

everything that is in the universe is to be meditated

upon in that sense alone, that we can see it as all

good, because it is the best. There is evil and there

is good; and the apex, the centre, is the Reality. He

is neither evil nor good; He is the best. The best can

be only one, the good can be many and the evil many.

There will be degrees of variation between the good

and the evil, but the best is only one, and that best,

when seen through thin coverings, we call different

sorts of good, and when through thick covers, we call

evil. Good and evil are different forms of

superstition. They have gone through all sorts of

dualistic delusion and all sorts of ideas, and the

words have sunk into the hearts of human beings,

terrorising men and women and living there as terrible

tyrants. They make us become tigers. All the hatred

with which we hate others is caused by these foolish

ideas which we have imbibed since our childhood — good

and evil. Our judgment of humanity becomes entirely

false; we make this beautiful earth a hell; but as

soon as we can give up good and evil, it becomes a

heaven.

 

" This earth is blissful ('sweet' is the literal

translation) to all beings and all beings are sweet to

this earth; they all help each other. And all the

sweetness is the Atman, that effulgent, immortal One

who is inside this earth. " Whose is this sweetness?

How can there be any sweetness but He? That one

sweetness is manifesting itself in various ways.

Wherever there is any love, any sweetness in any human

being, either in a saint or a sinner, either in an

angel or a murderer, either in the body, mind, or the

senses, it is He. Physical enjoyments are but He,

mental enjoyments are but He, spiritual enjoyments are

but He. How can there be anything but He? How can

there be twenty thousand gods and devils fighting with

each other? Childish dreams! Whatever is the lowest

physical enjoyment is He, and the highest spiritual

enjoyment is He. There is no sweetness but He. Thus

says Yajnavalkya. When you come to that state and look

upon all things with the same eye, when you see even

in the drunkard's pleasure in drink only that

sweetness, then you have got the truth, and then alone

you will know what happiness means, what peace means,

what love means; and so long as toll make these vain

distinctions, silly, childish, foolish superstitions,

all sorts of misery will come. But that immortal One,

the effulgent One, He is inside the earth, it is all

His sweetness, and the same sweetness is in the body.

This body is the earth, as it were, and inside all the

powers of the body, all the enjoyments of the body, is

He; the eyes see, the skin touches; what are all these

enjoyments? That Self-effulgent One who is in the

body, He is the Atman. This world, so sweet to all

beings, and every being so sweet to it, is but the

Self-effulgent; the Immortal is the bliss in that

world. In us also, He is that bliss. He is the

Brahman. " This air is so sweet to all beings, and all

beings are so sweet to it. But He who is that

Self-effulgent Immortal Being in the air — is also in

this body. He is expressing Himself as the life of all

beings. This sun is so sweet to all beings. All beings

are so sweet to this sun. He who is the Self-effulgent

Being in the sun, we reflect Him as the smaller light.

What can be there but His reflection? He is in the

body, and it is His reflection which makes us see the

light. This moon is so sweet to all, and every one is

so sweet to the moon, but that Self-effulgent and

Immortal One who is the soul of that moon, He is in us

expressing Himself as mind. This lightning is so

beautiful, every one is so sweet to the lightning, but

the Self-effulgent and Immortal One is the soul of

this lightning, and is also in us, because all is that

Brahman. The Atman, the Self, is the king of all

beings. " These ideas are very helpful to men; they are

for meditation. For instance, meditate on the earth;

think of the earth and at the same time know that we

have That which is in the earth, that both are the

same. Identify the body with the earth, and identify

the soul with the Soul behind. Identify the air with

the soul that is in the air and that is in me. They

are all one, manifested in different forms. To realise

this unity is the end and aim of all meditation, and

this is what Yajnavalkya was trying to explain to Maitreyi.

 

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Gurorangripadme ManaScenna Lagnam tata: kim! tata: kim! tata: kim! tata: kim!?

Sarva Kartha, Sarva Dhartha, Sarva Hartha, Mangalam!

Satchidananda, Satchidananda, Satchidananda Mangalam!

Tasmai Sri Guru-murthaye Nama Idam Sri Dakshinamurtaye!

 

Ata Nityo Narayanaha, Brahma Narayanaha, Sivascha Narayanaha, Kalascha

Narayanaha. Disascha Narayanaha, Vidisascha Narayanaha, Urdwamscha Narayanaha,

Adhascha Narayanaha, Antar-bahischa-Narayana.Narayana Eh Vedam Sarvam, Yat

BhootamYacchha Bhavyam.Nish-kalango Niranjano Nirvikalpo Nirakyadhas,suddhho

Deva Eko Narayanaha, Na dwiteeyosthi kaschit,ya evam Vedas Vishnu reva Bhavati,

Sa Vishnureva Bhavathi, Etat yajur veda sirodeeyathe.

 

~*Om * Ayim * Hreem * Sreem * Siva * Rama * Anagha * Dattaya * Namaha*~