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Understanding Purusha and Prakriti in Consciousness

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The consciousness has a Purush tatva and Prakriti. Be it a man or woman every one has Purusha and Prakriti in it .

Consciousness or Brahman was unmanifested matter, Prakriti helped it to manifest in it’s evolutes.

  1. Tri Gunas i.e. Sattva, Rajas and Tamas are the evolutes of Prakriti
  2. The ego ( self identity) is the evolute of Prakriti
  3. The Cognitive Sense i.e. Jnanendriyas like hearing,touching,seeing tasting smelling is all evolutes of Prakriti.
  4. The Active instruments i.e. karmendriyas i.e speaking, holding, moving, procreation,eliminating are evolutes of Prakriti.

Prakriti or Shakti allows us to exhale and inhale …. We usually think it’s the breath which is the prana. But, it’s the prakriti or Shakti that allows the air to fill the lungs. This is why we breathe.

Anything in motion, behind it is the Shakti. The voice from the throat is Shakti in various forms: Para, Prashanti, Madhyama, and Vaikhari. Behind sleep is Shakti which allows us to feel sleepy.

Behind thinking is Shakti which allows us to think.

Without Shakti the cosmos cannot operate … Anything in motion in this Universe is Shakti … If we follow the Shakti/Prakriti we will reach the Purusha or consciousness.

The Samurai and the Mindful Monk: A Zen Tale

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In the earlier days in feudal Japan there were trained persons in martial arts those were called as “Samurai”. Once there was a Japanese Samurai well trained in martial arts , he was extremely overconfident on his skill .

Once he went to a village and started shouting loudly …

“Is there anyone in the village who can fight with me …”

All the villagers were scared of him as he was martial arts trained . So, no one has the courage to even respond to this guy . But , there was a young Monk in that village,  he was trained by a Zen master .

He stood in front of the Samurai. He said “listen, we don’t want you to fight with anyone. Violence is not good. Please go back.” But the Samurai was adamant. He started threatening the villagers.

So, this Young Monk finally came to fight with the Samurai. The Entire village was cheering for this Young Monk. But, deep down, they all knew that this young Monk will not last a minute against this Samurai.

Anyways, the fight started….

The young Monk had no training in martial arts. Still, he learned his lessons well from his Zen Master.

ZEN master explained to the young Monk, “Listen, my child. When you keep your mind empty, the thoughts of other people will start reflecting in your mind.” Then, you would know what the other person is thinking. 🤔 “

” Mindful means the mind is completely empty. Awareness comes to the forefront in that emptiness. In that awareness, the thoughts of others would reflect. Then you would know what the other is thinking.”

So, when the fight started this Monk knew what action Samurai is going to do and he would respond suitably. Samurai got shocked whatever action he is doing, how does the monk  knew beforehand…nevertheless Monk won !!

Moral of the story is …

If someone’s mind is full of ego …he can never be mindful, mindfulness means mind full of awareness and empty of thoughts. !!




About Vedas & Upanishads

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Shravanam – Hear the knowledge!

Mananam – Reason the knowledge!

Nidhi-Dhyasanam – Then meditate!

Introduction 

“Vedanta Nama Upanishad Pramana ~”. (Vedanta’s are the teachings of the Upanishads’s . The Philosophy based on the teaching of the Upanishads is Vedanta. 

Most of you are familiar with the term Vedanta and the Upanishad to some extent . The Upanishad presents the highest philosophical teachings of the Vedas. These are among the most ancient text known to the mankind. 

There is a long list of Upanishads . In fact , in one of the Upanishads called “Muktika Upanishads” we find a list of 108 Upanishads . 

But among all of these Upanishads there are around 10 or 11 “major ” Upanishads .

Why major??? Because Adi Shankaracharya  some 1200 or 1300 years ago chose these Upanishads to write his commentary  (“Bhashyam”) on these Upanishads and since then these Upanishads have become the central text of “VEDANTA”

Adi Shankaracharya interpreted these Upanishads in a non-dualistic fashion , So his teaching are called as “Advaita Vedanta” . 

Among all these Upanishad there is a one Upanishad which is the smallest and also regarded as the toughest and i.e. called as the “Mandukya Upanishad “. 

There is a saying – ” mumukshunam vimuktaye Mandukyam ekam eva alam “

For the liberation of those who want spiritual Enlightenment ‘ for them Mandukya Upanishad alone is sufficient. In the ‘Atharva Veda’ this Upanishad can be found with 12 mantras. 

In this Mandukya Upanishad the central Mantra is the 7th Mantra , which is the core mantra of the entire Upanishad which gives the highest possible and sophisticated answers. 

Mandukya Upanishad was commented by “Gaudpadacharya ” and he wrote verses on the Mandukya Upanishads called Mandukya Karikas !!

Best Spiritual books to Read

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  1. Bhagavad Gita translations by  Swami Swarupananda :
    • This book covers the translations from Bhagavad Gita which I found easy to understand . Recommending the Bhagavad Gita readers to refer this book , it has quite detailed and easy to understand translations by Swarupananda ji of Shri Ramakrishna mission publications .
  2. Raja-Yoga by Swami Vivekananda :
    • It covers the details of Sanskar’s or Habits and how it is formed , further details about Mind management techniques. This is beneficial for Office going people who have daily course of managing different types of people and people who want to change habits but unable to do it . This book is very useful in changing habits
  3. Karma-yoga by Swami Vivekananda:
    • Karma Yoga is the essence of Bhagavad Gita . This book tells us how to perform a duty in every situation for a common man and how that duty turns into a YOGA .
  4. DEATH : An Inside Story by Sadhguru :
    • This is very detailed book by Sadhguru where he has explained the various phases of death, karma and it types and various aspects of the body mind complex .
  5. The Third Eye by T. Lobsang Rampa :
    • This book gives details of how to activate third eye and what happens when the third eye is activated .
  6. YOU Forever by T. Lobsang Rampa :
    • This book gives insights of meditation techniques and Astral Travel. It also gives insights of how we could meet people from different astral worlds .
  7. An Intimate Note to the Sincere Seeker by Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar:
    • A seeker who is honestly seeking answers to who am I and how to live in this world and manage all problems , here’s this book which answers questions to all problems also give the way or Art of Living .
  8. Don’t Believe Everything You Think by  Joseph Nguyen
    • People who are struggling with Negative thinking , this book is a mind changer .
  9. Ikigai: Japanese secret to long and happy life by Francesc Miralles (Author), Hector Garcia (Author) 
    • IkiGai is good techniques came from Japan where people find solutions to small problems with an objective of wholesome benefit and share it with others . This helps is solving issues and contributing to society . This is applicable everywhere in a work place or home or in society.
  10. YOU CAN George Matthew Adams 
    • This book describes how to live a simple life , managing time , service to mankind and many more ways of living a healthy and successful life .

Verse 1.16: The Awakening from Maya

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Verse 1.16

अनादिमायया सुप्तो यदा जीवः प्रबुध्यते ।
अजमनिद्रमस्वप्नमद्वैतं बुध्यते तदा ॥ १६ ॥

anādimāyayā supto yadā jīvaḥ prabudhyate |
ajamanidramasvapnamadvaitaṃ budhyate tadā || 16 ||

I ( the viswa “waking state”) am asleep in Ignorance due to Maya since Beginningless!!

When did the Ignorance started??? Gaudapadacharya says ! it is from beginningless ….

Infact , all the ignorance is Beginningless !! How??

If I ask you - "Do You know German?", suppose you don't know German then you will say , "No , I don't Know German". 
So, You are ignorant about German!

Now again , If I ask you "Since when you are ignorant about German" ??

You say " since my birth I do not know German ! oh so, before your birth you knew German...? NO!! Hence You are ignorant about German from (अनादि) Beginningless..!!

But , Ignorance has an end … When does it end ??When we take up a book and start learning German!.

Similarly, Ignorance is actually Beginningless (अनादि ), but It can end . When knowledge comes it Ends !

अनादिमायया सुप्तो (anādimāyayā supto) – You cannot say since when you are in Ignorance!

यदा जीवः प्रबुध्यते (jīvaḥ prabudhyate) – when the jīvaḥ (जीवः ) awakens (प्रबुध्यते ) {Buddha came from here }

अजमनिद्रमस्वप्नमद्वैतं बुध्यते तदा ( ajamanidramasvapnamadvaitaṃ budhyate tadā ) – Then I realise

  • I am अजम (Ajam) i.e Unborn
  • I am anidram (अनिद्रम ) i.e Sleepless (without sleep) —-> referring that I am not prājñaḥ
  • I am asvapnam ( अस्वप्नम ) i.e. without dream —-> referring that I am not the Taijasa
  • I am advaitaṃ (अद्वैत) i.e. there is no second reality apart from me , I am the Viswa in waking state , I am the taijasa in the dream state and I am the prājñaḥ in the deep sleep state. Where “Viswa” , “Taijasa” and “prājñaḥ” are all appearances but the reality in all is “Turiya”

Another big questions comes in Mind is after realisation ,will this world disappear ??? will there be body after realisation?? will the body live after realisation ??

Refer next blog for the answer…..

Verse 1.15: Understanding Dreams in Spiritual Contexts

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Verse 1.15

अन्यथा गृह्णतः स्वप्नो निद्रा तत्त्वमजानतः ।
विपर्यासे तयोः क्षीणे तुरीयं पदमश्नुते ॥ १५ ॥

anyathā gṛhṇataḥ svapno nidrā tattvamajānataḥ |
viparyāse tayoḥ kṣīṇe turīyaṃ padamaśnute || 15 ||

What is a dream (Svapna) ? Its a wrong understanding or mistake (अन्यथाग्रहण )! { a rope is mistakenly seen as a snake }

“I donot know the reality (Turiya) and I see an Error or the ‘Dream world’“

निद्रा तत्त्वमजानतः / nidrā tattvamajānataḥ – Here , Nidra means doesnot know the reality (तत्त्वमजानतः )

विपर्यासे तयोः क्षीणे (viparyāse tayoḥ kṣīṇe) – It means when Ignorance goes away … how?? By knowledge then ….

‘turīyaṃ padamaśnute‘ (तुरीयं पदमश्नुते ) : i.e. you realise yourself as the pure consciousness “Turiya”.

Verse 1.11: Ignorance(Cause) and Error(effect) in Sleep

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Verse 1.11

कार्यकारणबद्धौ ताविष्येते विश्वतैजसौ ।
प्राज्ञः कारणबद्धस्तु द्वौ तौ तुर्ये न सिध्यतः ॥ ११॥

kāryakāraṇabaddhau tāviṣyete viśvataijasau .
prājñaḥ kāraṇabaddhastu dvau tau turye na sidhyataḥ

It means “Viswa” i.e. Waker and “Taijasa” i.e. Dreamer are associated to Karanam (Cause) & Karyam (effect) where Ignorance is the cause and Error is the effect.

In deep sleep there is Ignorance but there is no error. The nature of dream may be different for You and me i.e. every individual has different types of dream and are not same .

The nature of deep sleep is same for all beings whether it is a mosquito or tiger or elephant or monkey or human being or PHD or any successful businessman or an illiterate person, it is same for all beings !!

The reason is in deep sleep there is ignorance i.e. complete darkness , nothing to illumine by Turiya the pure consciousness!

Usually we do not experience any thing in deep sleep but “Advaita Vedanta” says –

Do you experience the lack of experience in “deep sleep”?

When we wake up we always say “I had a sound sleep”.

“How do you know you had a sound sleep ? if you experienced nothing in deep sleep .. who tells you that , you had a sound sleep ?”

The ‘who’ here is ‘Turiya’ .

Since ‘Turiya’ is the witness to all of the deep sleep blankness , hence when we wakeup we say “I had a sound sleep” .

Actually Turiya is witnessing this information updating in our conscious and subconscious mind that we had sound sleep . So ,when we wake up we know we had a sound sleep . This proves that Turiya exists and we are the Pure conscious beyond this body & mind !

It means “Viswa” i.e. Waker and “Taijasa” i.e. Dreamer are associated to Karanam (Cause) & Karyam (effect) where Ignorance is the cause and Error is the effect.

Verse 1.10: We are Pure Consciousness – Turiya

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Verse 1.10

निवृत्तेः सर्वदुःखानामीशानः प्रभुरव्ययः ।
अद्वैतः सर्वभावानां देवस्तुर्यो विभुः स्मृतः ॥ १० ॥

nivṛtteḥ sarvaduḥkhānāmīśānaḥ prabhuravyayaḥ |
advaitaḥ sarvabhāvānāṃ devasturyo vibhuḥ smṛtaḥ || 10 ||

“nivṛtteḥ sarvaduḥkhānām / निवृत्तेः सर्वदुःखानामी” – ‘You’ the Turiya are beyond all the dukkha’s (sadness). Right now we feel that ” I am in Pain” but one who has realized Turiya will say -” I am the witness of the pain in the body or mind”.

e.g. Same sunlight falls on the ditch , it falls on the ganga river and it falls on the Himalayas . But it is not polluted by the ditch or purified by the Ganga river, it illumines . Same way ‘Turiya’ the pure consciousness which we are illumines the sufferings of the waking world , nightmare or good dreams of dream world and nothingness of deep sleep.

īśānaḥ prabhuravyayaḥ / इशानः प्रभुरव्ययः – ‘You’ the ‘Turiya’ is God and it is Unchanging . Turiya is witness to all states

अद्वैतः सर्वभावानां देवस्तुर्यो विभुः स्मृतः– ‘You’ the Consciousness , you are the non dual (Advaita) with all the existing things . There is no second independent reality apart from Turiya (pure consciousness)

Understanding Turiya: The Fourth State of Consciousness

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I or Ego  or Knower ——————–> experiencing the “World” or “Prapanch”
Prapanch came from Sanskrit term ” prapancha prakrishtrain panch ” . The idea is out of the five elements (panch) this world is constructed ,so we use this term ‘prapanch’ for the world

  1. ‘I’ is the ‘Waker’ (who is awake ) ——> experiencing the  “Waking World” or “Jagrit Prapanch” in Sanskrit
  2. ‘I’ is the Dreamer ( who is dreaming ) —> experiencing the “Dream World”
  3. ‘I” is the Sleeper ( who is in deep sleep) —> experiencing sleep blankness or no dream & thought just a sound sleep.
  4. Turiya

Mandukya Upanishad mentions that there is a Fourth state which is called ” Turiya”. 
From the above story Ashtavakra Muni was trying to explain King Janaka there is a “Fourth State” i.e. “Turiya” which is witnessing 

  • King Janak as a ‘Waker’ experiencing the court room, courtiers , luxury, wealth etc.
  • King Janak as the ‘Dreamer’ Experiencing the battle field, sadness , hunger, misery
  • There is also a third state where there is no dreams and complete sound sleep , we usually experience nothing but Turiya is witness to sleep blankness .

Story of Ashtavakra & King Janaka!!

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One day King Janaka was sleeping peacefully and suddenly a commander came running to him shouting “Maharaj ji get up !!  we have been attacked by an enemy!! ” . 

King Janaka immediately got up and summoned all his generals, commanders and soldiers, put up his sword & armor and went off to fight the battle. 
And there was a fierce battle in which king Janaka was ‘Defeated‘ !! .
King Janaka was wounded, captured by the enemies , dragged before the enemy king and  the enemy king said  to king Janaka ” Your kingdom is now mine !! . Since you’re a King , I won’t kill you, but  I will Exile you!!  You get out of this Kingdom!!”
Poor king Janak was depressed , sad, tired & exhausted . Somehow he started walking to get some food & water and found that surprisingly! people in his own capital earlier refused to offer  him food or water as they were all afraid of the new King . The new King was very cruel and anyone who would offer even food and water to King Janaka would get punished . 
After walking for two days he came to the border of his kingdom and across the border was the next kingdom where he found that food was getting served  to poor people / beggars in a line. 
He joined that line and as he advanced in the queue when he came up to the place where the food was getting served by that time all food was finished !! 
He could not take it anymore , he was terribly exhausted ! and the person who was serving food said ‘just the starch lying at the bottom of the bowl is there , if you want it I can give you“. 
King Janaka said ” ok sure give me ” and the starch was served to his plate . As soon as the king Janaka lift the bowl and put the food in his mouth , a big kite bird dived and hit the bowl and knocked it out of the hands of king Janak.  All the left out food which he was about to eat spilled on the floor some of it the bird ate it.
Now, King Janaka was extremely exhausted and started crying & fell on the ground! 
Alas !! 
Suddenly king Janaka heard a voice ” Maharaj ji what happened , why are you crying ?? “
and …
King Janaka Woke up completely wet in sweat !!He looked up and realized that it was all a DREAM!!
Since the king Janaka had a very analytical mind he started thinking what is the “TRUTH” 
King Janaka asked his Commander ” Wo sachh …. ya ye sachh ” ? Commander was unable to understand so he called the Queen. 
Queen came in and asked the King what happened ?? King Janaka again said the same thing ” Wo sachh..Ya ye sachh! ”  But nobody could understand him. 
Next day in the morning this news spread in the city and people were talking about this ! On that day !
Ashtavakra muni came into the city and he was walking in the city & he heard all the talks going on between the people about this .. so he decides to visit King Janaka!
Ashtavakra muni went to meet king Janaka and as soon as he enter the court room he asked the King Janak ” How are you?? King Janaka replied the same thing he is repeating since he woke up i.e. ” Wo sachh.. Ya ye sachh“?
Nobody in the court room was able to understand this question of King Janak . 
But, Ashtavakra muni understood and asked the 
King Janaka ..” When you were in the battle field experiencing the defeat, hunger depression sorrow were you there??” 
King Janaka said “Yes, I was there and I experienced it all even though it was a dream but I experienced it …the defeat , the sorrow, the hunger everything… “
So, Ashtavakra muni again asked King Janaka ” At that time were all these things which you see now the court room full of courtiers , all this luxury , wealth , was this present at that time ?“
King Janaka said ” No, none of this was present in the dream… only defeat , depression, sadness , hunger was there in the dream ” then again, 
Ashtavakra muni asked  to king Janaka ” do you experience the depression , sadness , misery which you experienced in dream here Now when you are sitting in the court room with all your courtiers around with all the luxury and wealth , is it here?? “
King said ” No, here the experience of dream is not here ” . 
Then Ashtavakra muni said ..”Neither this is the truth nor that is the truth ” 
King Janaka was confused and asked the Ashtavakra muni ” Then, what is the truth???” 
Ashtavakra muni replied ” When you were dreaming… ‘YOU’ were experiencing the bad situations , Now ‘YOU’ are experiencing the good situation .’YOU’ are the witness experiencing both situation.
So only “YOU” alone is the TRUTH . Neither the dream was the truth, nor the present situation only “YOU” alone witnessing both situations is the TRUTH “