by Swamiji

Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha

On three sides roar the boundless seas, while to the north lie the imposing Himalayas, the tallest in the world. Bhaarateeyas, the human race who inhabited the land lying in between, were graced by the bounties and nursed by the vagaries of nature. This enabled them to achieve some rare distinctions and excellences right from the grand old days.

Countless are the features that adorn the wide world – small, big, beautiful, majestic and awe-inspiring. All these give rise to an endearing variety. Men and women look at it with wonder and admiration. But to some a question arises with regard to the very sight and the seeing process: Do the ‘things seen’ come first in the process of our vision, or the ‘one who sees’ the things?

The world is vast and complex, but can this factor hide the face of truth? Should the zealous quest of man be deterred by anything whatsoever? What is there to dissuade the human mind from its compulsion of enquiry, its passion for truth?

Man’s body is small and limited but not the intelligence it carries. Wisdom has untold power and scope. It can cross the oceans, fly across wind. In fact, anything can be attempted by it. Depth, height or expanse, nothing can frighten the spirit of adventure. In studying the process of seeing, in locating the merits and status of the seer and the seen, what then can be the fear or hindrance?

Reflecting upon the world and its contents, the first thinkers, finding no limit or boundary, naturally turned back their vision. And they struck happily at the inner chamber of the very seeing process. They held on to the inward gaze steadily. In that they found the clues to resolve the mystery of life and living. What initially began as a personal attempt to quench a timely thirst, soon grew to be a philosophical enquiry. It brought before them a full new horizon – the inner, subjective sphere. The more they looked and searched, it shone brighter and brighter as supreme and important. The bounties they perceived there grew more and more invaluable.

The external visibles are alluring and challenging; but the inner depths on which these fall and rest are even more so. The luster and potential of the inner magnitude are far greater. To any reflective intelligence, should not this be so? The perceiving source and substance is greater than the perceived things and perception itself. The container is bigger than the contained. The antahkarana thus displayed before them greater scope and compulsion for investigation as well as delight.

Naturally, the concern and effort for expanding and strengthening the mind and intelligence became immediate. This marked a significant transition in their religious and spiritual life.

The world is alluring, no doubt; but it also frightens. While its variety generates attractions, the sequence that follows gives rise to a variety of hindrances and competition. Desire verily sprouts in one’s own mind. But the effort to fulfill it has to be pursued outside. The external pursuit is always beset with a number of hurdles and hazards. A conflict between the ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ thus becomes inevitable. It continues as a steady duel. As days pass by, the mind, instead of growing stronger and stronger, becomes weaker and weaker. The experiences and maturity that life brings, suck the power of mind and its ability to survive. Like bodily youth, mental health too declines largely; a sense of servility overtakes.

Is this the reward that life in the world must bring and bestow? Cannot human intelligence change the fate? Human integrity, not given to accept defeat so easily, turned even more searching and investigating. It stood resolved to realize its objective, come what may.

The long pilgrimage you find in Vedic thoughts and exploration, is the outcome that followed this new determination. The mind which often got lost in seeing the worldly splendour, now began to reflect sternly upon the powers that lord over it. It was drawn to imagine variously about the causal powers, which are not visible directly. The awe and wonder that intercepted, added a mood of prayer and worship to the imaginative process. But the passion and fervour to uncover the religious mystery of the causal realm only increased at every step.

The emotion-surcharged mind, the will-filled intelligence, both together made the first investigator climb the steps of the great discovery, one after another, without doubt and fear, relentlessly, keeping disappointment away and making the chance of victory surer. Spiritual and moral qualities which religious fervour bestows helped him to march forward confidently.

The Upanishadic meadow is the vast land which the Vedic investigators uncovered in their new mission. On reaching the pleasant expanse, a new sight struck them. They found that the questions that agitated their minds, and the answers they looked for, were facing each other in beautiful fusion 

The world may be vast, extensive, variegated and even beginningless; so what? It is yet inert. It possesses neither head nor face nor mouth. Can it then hear the question raised before it? The mute world shows by its signals, if at all, that it is incapable of giving any reply to the questioners in front.

The quest is a creation of the human intelligence. It is a wave rising in the lake of intelligence. In the same surface must surge forth the reciprocal wave, the successional wave, as well. If the display of the external world is wide, the internal sheath of intelligence is wider and deeper. The inward sheath has multiple splendour. It is more brilliant than the pinnacle of brilliance even. Whether thought, reflection or enquiry, it is but a mere lighting wave let loose by the intelligence sheath, the sky of consciousness in the body. The intelligence is closer to you than your body. For any one, he himself is the closest. Then, is not the intelligence sheath, the consciousness, verily one’s self. Yes it is the Self.

The waves of enquiry then emerge from the self-depths, the aatmakosa. Once their source is clearly identified, the answers to the questions about the world, the seen, also begin to spring forth from there. The enquirer of truth, when he began to think of the truth he wished to unveil and found his stand on the Upanishadic meadow, instantly became introvert and became firmer and steadier.

When the external visibles lost their charm and faded away from the subject sphere of the Vedic enquirer, the aatmic essence shone in greater brilliance, like the sun coming out of a full eclipse. A hidden splendour now began to shine in his own being, without being heard or seen. Ah, it was the Self of the very enquirer, the Self of one and all. It is nowhere else; it is within one’s own being, deep inside. How come fear before its brilliance and might? Will competition, desire, resentment or hatred raise their hoods? This inward gain, this spiritual gain, this aatmic essence, is the great possession, which puts a stop to all kinds of desire and oscillation.

In the chamber of this inward existence, everything takes place – the desire to see, the power to perceive, the motivation for it, the very seeing, preserving the sights, everything and all. Fear is something that come in between it and the sight, between the world and oneself. Yes, it is a wave that intercepts or infiltrates in between. To dissolve such a wave, the deep inward ocean alone is needed. Yes, I must remain immersed in the rock bottom of myself.

The world exists covering vast infinitude. The eyes see it. The eyes that see, are linked with the mind, like the flower in the front of the leaf. The support for the leaf is the branch. The mind exists close to the intelligence. There is a support for that. One resting on another, each close to another, all together rests upon the inmost Self, the antaraatmaa.

For anything, the origin is the Self. Its dissolution or merger also is in the very Self. The aatmakosa is that in which fears dissolve and disappear. The world is that which frightens, and it has no power to remove fear. To obliterate fear, the Self alone has the might, the Self on which rest the mind and buddhi. Courage gets born from the Self. Brilliance emanates from the sun, heat radiates from fire, and ceaseless courage from the Self.

Aatmanaa vindate veeryam. This became the song which our Vedic thinkers began to sing, and delight and exult in. This Upanishdic song is one which removes timidity and makes man valorous, heroic and courageous. The Aatmaa, the Invincible, though Imperceptible, Self, is the fountainhead that showers strength and inspiration to march forward with out tremor, without deception, towards the objective set before us, by removing fear, imparting courage, setting aside obstructions and interceptions. All are embraced by the Self; but only on discovering this truth, one will find the necessary certitude and adventurous spirit.  

It was Aatmic strength that empowered Hanuman to leap over to Lanka. The same power made Harishchandra climb the supreme heights of truthfulness, hoist the flag of austere perseverance and make it flutter victoriously. It was the invincibility emerging constantly from Sita’s antahkarana that enabled her to remain alone in Lanka for twelve long months, facing repeated assaults of Ravana and the ogresses, thereby making their ferocity futile. Again, it was the spiritual excellence of Meera that created, in the form of fond thoughts and memories of Krishna, a constant festivity in her mind, making her sing and dance in supreme ecstasy, unmindful of all the torments and vicissitudes.

Do you need courage? Look at your own aatmakosa. Crossing the mind, reaching the other shore of intelligence, transcending sleep, delving into the very bottom of consciousness, leaving pride, if you investigate and search, Aatmamandala will be found shining – truer and brighter than anything else, perceivable without the help of senses. THAT is the immortal, eternal brilliance, the undying Sun. Look for it, search it out; reach There; swim and sport in the luminous waves roaring There.  Then indeed will this world stand powerless to generate fear, doubt and oscillation.

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