Thus Spake the Divine - Advaita

Thus Spake the Divine

Advaita

Are God (Brahmam) and Soul (Jeevatman) one
and the same? What if they are not so?

In this chapter, Poojyasri Maha Periyava explains to his devotees the concept of Advaita with his lucid and rationalised points of view. Let us now go through the experience of Advaita in the magical words of Maha Periyava.

Advaita is the doctrine advocated by Acharya Sri Adi Shankara Bhagavadpada. It advocates the unification of Individual Self (Jeevatman) with the Supreme Power (Brahmam). The Advaita School elaborates on the linkage between Brahmam and Jeevatman. According to the Advaita, Jeevan and Brahmam are one and the same; aham brahmasmi , I am Brahmam.

When Hiranyakashibu said “I am God!” he was highly egoistic. He said it with utmost arrogance that no other substance existed other than him. The outcome was that God himself took the avatara of Narasimha (Lion’s Head and Human Body) and killed Hiranyakashibu. Whereas, when Bhagavadpada said “I am God”, he said it in an entirely different connotation. According to him, in this Cosmos, there is no other substance exists other than God and thus he says, “We are God”. Bhagavadpada asserts that if the Jeevan abandons its ego completely, it will dissolve itself and transform into the Brahmam.

Here is a very beautiful metaphor that clearly explains the doctrine of Advaita. We, the Jeevan, possess very little amount of energy, which is equivalent to that of the quantity of water held in a spoon, whereas God (Brahmam, the Source of Everything), possessing Supreme Power, is akin to an expansive ocean. The source of water in the spoon is only from this ocean. Once the water in the spoon dissolves its ego into the ocean, that it is a separate identity, it unifies itself completely with the ocean.

What if God (Brahmam) and Soul (Atman) are distinct from each other?

In case we don’t identify ourselves with God (Brahmam), then we should be something else other than God. In such a case, it would mean that there are many other substances existing in this Universe other than God, the Paramatma. To put it otherwise, it would tantamount to saying that Paramatma is also one that exists among various other substances. It would also mean that many substances have got themselves created without the involvement of Paramatma. If that is so, how will He be considered the Paramatma or God? It is only because He is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent! In that case, can we be anything different from Him? So, when scholars practising Advaita say “We are God”, which may sound outwardly arrogant, in reality, they do not demean the eminence of God. There are the scholars, who say with humility that “Jeevan is not equivalent to God; Jeevan is mean-minded, whereas God is almighty and invincible, and hence Jeevan and God are two different things” are the ones who unconsciously dilute the prominence of God by blending Him with various other

substances. If He is everything, isn’t it true that we too form a part of Him?

He, who is in the form of an ocean, is also the one, who is in the form of the river water, pond water, well water, container water, pot water and the spoon water. Thus, He has branched out His power in small and tiny forms and takes the form of different living beings. In such a scenario, when He takes the form of human beings, he creates ways and means to experience the repercussions of Papa and Punya (Evil deeds and good deeds). Once the human being surpasses the stage of Papa and Punya, it is at that juncture when he transforms himself to God. When God creates the human being, He also creates in that human being the “Mind” (Manasu in Tamil), which indulges in Papa and Punya and subsequently experiences the implications of the same.

How does one attain the state of Advaita?

When the mind keeps on wandering without any control, it will be difficult for human beings to attain a state which is beyond the state of Papa and Punya, and reach a state of realisation that we are a part of God. Therefore, even though “We” and “He” are one and the same, to experience that magnificent feeling, we are required to surrender ourselves at the feet of God and seek His grace and benevolence. For that, to start with, we should practise Bhakti towards God, with the humble thought that He is a great ocean and we are just water in the spoon.

It is the “Mind or Manasu” given by God, which differentiates us from Him. The Mind is so enigmatic that it will not easily obey our orders. Therefore, at this stage, with this Mind, we should practise Bhakti and firmly hold on to Him alone. He has designed our Mind similar to that of a monkey and that monkey is clutching our body very firmly. But God has made our body perishable. This mind akin to the monkey should be capable of disentangling this body, which is a rotten fruit. When there is a fruit which is ever fresh, the monkey will automatically drop the rotten fruit for the ever-fresh fruit. Paramatma (Brahmam) is such an ever-fresh, sweet fruit. One’s mind should practise and hold on to that Paramatma by disassociating from the body. The various means available to human beings for doing this are Bhakti, Pooja and visiting religious places and temples etc. By becoming more and more conscious and matured at the mind level, attachment to the body and the associated ego will become extinct. The distinction that He is the Paramatma and we are the Jeevatma will also vanish and thus “we” become “He”, an embodiment of the philosophy of Advaita.

Let us now engross ourselves into the verse of Arunagirinathar, the great Tamil saint-poet, desperately praying to God saying “Let You and I be no different. You (Brahmam) and I (Jeevan) be unified into one.”

This article is a snippet from the Book Thus Spake the Divine, is available online at www.giri.in & across Giri Trading Agency Private Limited, A chain of Speciality Stores dealing in all kinds of products needed in Indian Culture & Tradition.

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