11. SATSANGAM

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11. SATSANGAM

(Read, Understand, Appreciate, Internalise and Assimilate to reach

the Ultimate)

 

TAT TVAM ASI

 

Tat is the real nature of the world, which is pure Existence. Tvam

is the real nature of the self, which is pure Consciousness.

Equating them both is the statement Tat Tvam Asi.

 

Same is the case with Ahambrahmaasmi. Brahman is the real nature of

the world, which is pure Existence.

 

Aham is the real nature of the self, which is pure Consciousness.

This describes Sat (Existence) nature and Chit (Consciousness)

nature of Reality. The realization of the equality of them leads to

the third nature - Ananda (Bliss).

 

There is an interesting discussion in this line in " Advaita Bodha

Deepika " . You can get the book from Sri Ramanashramam.

 

BONDAGE

 

If one thinks one is free, one is free; and if one thinks of oneself

as bound, one is bound. Here this saying " Thinking makes it so " is

true. You are really unbound and action less, self-illuminating and

spotless already. The cause of your bondage is that you are

resorting to stilling the mind. I am not the body, nor is the body

mine. I am not a living being, I am Consciousness. It was my thirst

for living that was my bondage. Who is to be compared to the great-

souled person whose mind is free of desire, free of expectation and

disappointment, and who has found satisfaction in self-knowledge?

How should a strong-souled person who knows that whatever is seen is

by its very nature nothing, how then consider one thing to be

grasped and another to be rejected? For one who has eliminated

attachment, who is free from dualism and from desire and from

repulsion, for such a one an object that comes of itself is neither

painful nor pleasurable. You are not bound by anything. What does a

pure person like you need to renounce? Equal in pain and in

pleasure, equal in hope and in disappointment, equal in life and in

death, and complete as you are, you can go to your rest. Bondage is

when the mind longs for something, grieves about something, rejects

something, holds on to something, is pleased about something, or

displeased about something. Liberation is when the mind does not

long for anything, grieve about anything, reject anything, or hold

on to anything, and is not pleased about anything or displeased

about anything. Bondage is when the mind is tangled in one of the

senses, and liberation is when the mind is not tangled in any of the

sense. When there is no " me " , that is liberation, and when there is

me there is bondage. Considering this earnestly, I do not hold on

and do not reject. The essential nature of bondage is nothing other

than desire, and its elimination is known as liberation. It is

simply by not being attached to changing things that the everlasting

joy of attainment is reached. Realising " I am not the body, nor is

the body mine, I am the consciousness " , one attains the supreme

state and no longer fritters over things done or undone. One who is

proud about even liberation or one's own body, and feels them one's

own, is neither a seer nor a mystic. Such a person is still just a

sufferer.

SIGNIFICANCE OF 108

 

Significance of 108 was previously discussed here a couple of times.

Here is some material I copied into a file at that time: There are

many explanations given for the mystic number 108, and its use in a

japa-mala [rosary].

 

One is from the yoga standpoint. The number of breaths in a day [24

hrs.] averages 21,600; in 12 hrs., the no. is 10,800; if one can

concentrate on the mantra at least 100th [= 108] of this time [7-10

min.], the mental strength and self-confidence will increase.

 

Counting the number of recitation, however, is to be done following

specified methods. Usually, one unit of recitation consists in

repeating the mantra 108 times. The question might immediately cross

one's mind: Does the number bear any spiritual significance? Well,

the number may not directly refer to anything spiritual, but it does

symbolize some mystic experience. The symbolic significance could be

understood with the help of some examples.

 

The sun that rises in the east represents knowledge. Thus, we are

reminded of sunrise or the rising of the sun of knowledge whenever

we remember east. Let us refer to another example. The needle of a

magnetic compass always points to the north. It may be turned to

different directions, but it always stops with its needle directed

to the north. In the same way, our mind must always be pointed

towards God amidst our duties in the world. Sri Ramakrishna would

say, 'A maidservant in the house of a rich man performs all the

household duties, but her thoughts are fixed on her own home in her

native village.' The needle of a compass reminds us of the northern

direction. The example of a maidservant points to a God-centered

life. Hence, the northern direction is a reminder of a life entirely

given to the quest of God. This, presumably, is the reason why the

scriptures instruct us to sit facing east or north for taking the

name of the Lord, practising meditation, doing ritualistic worship,

etc. These directions inspire a sense of sanctity in the minds of

the sadhakas.

 

The following incidents aptly explain how even apparently

inconsequential things can stimulate lofty ideas and principles,

through association.

 

The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna narrates an incident from Sri

Chaitanya's life. 'Once Chaitanyadeva was passing through a village.

Someone told him that the body of the drum used in the Kirtana was

made from the earth of that village. At once he went into ecstasy.'

Once Sri Ramakrishna paid a visit to the Kolkata zoo. On seeing a

lion, the Vahana (mount) of the Divine Mother, he was charged with

deep spiritual fervour and went into a trance. In his own words : 'I

was taken to the Zoological Garden. I went into samadhi at the sight

of lion, the carrier of the Mother Herself.' From what is stated

above it follows that there are certain things which are

representative of some mystical or spiritual truths. But what is the

significance of the odd number 108 which is believed to be very much

useful in uttering the sacred mantra? The reply in brief is: the

number 108 suggests total identification or oneness of the

individual self (jiva) with the supreme self (paramatman).

 

But this requires a little explanation. First of all let's turn to a

few evidences in the Upanishads. The Varahopanisad says: 'The height

of every human body measures 96 fingers (of one's own), placed one

above another (Shariram sarvajantunam shannavatandula atmakam).'

And, 'The seat of Paramatman in human body is just above the navel

at a distance of 12 fingers put one upon another (Adho nishtya

vitastyante nabhyamupari tishthati)', says the Mahanaryana Upanisad.

Hence, the total number adding 96 to 12 is indicative of oneness of

jiva and Paramatman. The spiritually illumined souls bear testimony

to the fact that the being of a jiva merges into Paramatman

gradually, as a result of repeating the name of the Lord with

sincere, single-minded devotion.

Sri P Gopi Krishna

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