New Book “Musings on Hinduism”

My new book “Musings on Hinduism” is available for purchase both as Paperback and as Kindle E-book.

The book was published in March 2017 by Rare Publishers, Chennai and includes a number of my writings on a variety of topics, especially related to General Hinduism, Vedanta, and Challenges facing Hindu society. It also includes a translation and commentary on few Hindu texts.

Some excerpts from the reviews of the book:

1. Dr. Shrinivas Tilak, PhD, History of Religions, Independent Researcher based in Canada.

"Because Musings carries the exuberance of wonder and the weight of experience, it is likely to provoke, startle, and even challenge the reader in many possible ways."

2. Dr. David Frawley, noted American Hindu teacher (acharya) and author-

"Nithin Sridhar’s book Musings on Hinduism provides an excellent introduction to Hinduism, taking a variety of thought-provoking angles of approach, like different facets of a vast gem. For those wanting to understand Hindu dharma at spiritual, cultural and intellectual levels from someone who has deeply studied and practiced the teachings, this book a great place to begin your inward journey. It does not simply present one branch or aspect of Hindu Dharma but provides a vision of the whole from transcendent Vedantic philosophy to the Hindu view of society."

3. Aravinda Rao K, Former DGP, Vedanta Scholar and Member of Council of Indian Council of Philosophical Research

"The book makes a rewarding reading, presenting a comprehensive picture of different aspects of the non-dual philosophy, besides sensitizing the reader to contemporary developments."

4. Surajit Dasgupta, Editor-in-Chief of SirfNews

"Musings on Hinduism is an excellent manual to the fundamentals (of Hinduism) right."

Book: Musings on Hinduism
Author: Nithin Sridhar
Cover Design: Pratyasha Nithin

Indian Edition (Both Paperback & Kindle): http://www.amazon.in/Musings-Hinduism-Nithin-Sridhar/dp/9383826304/

International Edition (Kindle): https://www.amazon.com/Musings-Hinduism-Dharma-Nithin-Sridhar-ebook/dp/B06XG9T6MG

International Paperback: https://www.createspace.com/6995737

Book Announcement: Sri Dakshinamurthy: Guru, Ishwara, and Atman

I am happy to announce that I have published my 2016 essay on Dakshinamurthy as ebook on Amazon Kindle. The book explores the various facets of the Hindu deity Sri Dakshinamurthy, who is not only worshiped as the First Guru, but also as the One, who imparts all knowledge through the medium innumerable number of human Gurus. The essay particularly focuses on the facet of Sri Dakshinamurthy as a Guru, as Ishwara, and as Atman. It is a must read for those interested to explore the importance of Guru tradition and the connection between Guru and Ishwara in Hindu tradition.

Indian Edition (Ebook)- https://www.amazon.in/dp/B01MU61Z0R

International Edition (Ebook)- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MU61Z0R

UK (Ebook)- https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MU61Z0R

Jnana, Bhakti and Karma

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Nithin Sridhar
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Karma, Bhakti and Jnana are the three main elements that are necessary for spiritual evolution. Every path to the supreme contains these elements- be it a Karma Yoga, or a Jnana Marga or a Bhakti. Moksha or Liberation is attained only through Atma-Jnana/Brahma-Jnana (i.e. Self-Realization), but one can attain Jnana through multiple paths like- Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti-Yoga, Raja yoga etc.

Every path involves two stages, the lower or preparatory stages through which one develops required qualities like- discrimination, dispassion, one-pointed concentration etc. And the second or higher stage wherein one is initiated and guided by a Guru towards Atma-Jnana.

Irrespective of the paths chosen, a person who wishes to attain Atma-Jnana, must develop dispassion towards worldly/sensory objects. He must renounce the sensory attachments and pleasures. He must develop firm discrimination between God who is real and eternal and the world which is temporary and unreal.Further, he should develop one pointed concentration, complete withdrawal from senses and external influences, faith in scriptures and complete surrender. These qualities that form basic qualifications for Jnana Sadhana or Moksha Sadhana is called as "Sadhana-Chatushtaya".

A person would be able to attain these qualities only through the practice of Karmas (Karma Anushtana) and Devata-Upasana (i.e.Apara Bhakti) as prescribed in the scriptures. Irrespective of the paths, one must learn the scriptures, live life according to them by performing the all Karmas and must practice meditation and other Upasana. Only in this way a person would be able to get rid of Shad-Ripus, the internal impurities like desire, anger, delusion, pride, jealousy and greed and hence attain purification of mind (Chitta-Shuddi). Only a purified mind would be able to develop the qualities like viveka, vairagya required for Moksha Sadhana.

A Karma Margi may give more stress on performance of Karmas and duties according to Shastras. A Jnana Margi may give more stress on learning, contemplating and implementing the essence of the scriptures. A Bhakti Margi may involve himself more in worship of his Ishta_Devata. A Raja margi may involve hismelf in implementing Yama, Niyama etc.But for sake of spiritual progress, they must incorporate tenets of other paths. A Jnana Margi, if he does not perform his prescribed duties and Karmas and does not practice Upasana, would merely remain as Scholar or Intellectual without being able to completely develop the qualities like Nishkaama dasha, Samarpana Bhava etc. Similarly, a person who practices rites and rituals alone, without cultivating Bhakti or Self-analysis, would not be able to develop viveka or ekagra-chitta. Again, a person who practices Devata-Upasana alone, would neither be able to develop viveka nor Nishkaama dasha fully. Hence, such people become stuck in their spiritual paths.

On the other hand, a genuine spiritual practitioner, studies the scriptures, contemplates and tries to imbibe qualities mentioned in it. He would perform faithfully all the duties and Karmas mentioned in it. Further, he would practice Worship of his Ishta-Devata and surrender all his fruits to Ishwara/God. By, such a practice of Jnana (i.e. Scriptural study/lower stage), Karma(i.e. Karma Anushtana) and Bhakti (i.e. Apara-Bhakti), one would develop Nishkaama Dasha and Samarpana Bhava. He would perform all his actions with sense of duty by surrendering the actions, fruits of action and the doership of action with a firm conviction that God alone is real and eternal. By, such a practice, he would achieve purification of mind and acquire qualities like discrimination, dispassion etc that are needed for Moksha Sadhana.

Having acquired the required qualities, a person becomes competent to practice Jnana Sadhana or Moksha Sadhana. This higher stage is also called as "Para-Bhakti". A Jnana margi, having developed a firm conviction that world is Unreal and Atman alone Real, will renounce the world and practice Atma Vichara-Self Enquiry and Atma Nidhidhyasa (SelfContemplation).

A Karma Yogi on other hand, would stay in the world and practice his duties with firm detachment and dispassion. He would perform actions without any sense of Doership and by surrendering everything to God with firm conviction that God alone is real and he inhabits everything in the Universe as their Innermost Self-Atman and a Jiva is merely an instrument through whom God/Atman manifests. Similarly, a Bhakti margi would practice "Para-Bhakti" by realizing that his Ishta Devata is not different from his own inner-most Self. Such, a Bhakta may completely renounce the world or may stay in the world. In both cases, having realized that Atman is God, he would be immersed in the Self Contemplation and worship.

Hence, by such Atma Vichara or Para-Bhakti or Karma Yoga or Samadhi one attains Atma Jnana and hence Moksha. Though the paths are many, the final destination as well as the intermediate milestone and the qualities required for them are same. Further, no path is a closed room distinct from the other. All the paths contain same principles and aim at developing same qualities. They only differ in practical implementation highlighting different principles in order to suite Sadhakas/spiritual-practitioners of different temperaments.

Nirvana Shatkam- A Translation and Commentary

______________________
Nithin Sridhar
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This is a beautiful poem written by Adi Shankaracharya, in which the state of Jnana, the Paramartika Satya is beautifully explained. Adi Shankaracharya explains how one should investigate into the true nature of Atman/Brahman by rejecting the Anatma’s (Non-Self) that are mere superimposition on Atman.

मनो बुद्ध्यहंकारचित्तानि नाहम् न च श्रोत्र जिह्वे न च घ्राण नेत्रे
न च व्योम भूमिर् न तेजॊ न वायु: चिदानन्द रूप: शिवोऽहम् शिवॊऽहम् ॥1॥

Meaning- I am not the Mind, Intellect, Ego and faculty of recollections (i.e. the 4 types of Antah-Karana); nor am I the faculty of hearing, faculty of taste, faculty of smell and faculty of sight (i.e. the Jnanendriyas- the faculties of perception). Nor am I the space, the earth, nor the fire/light nor the air (i.e. the Mahabhutas-the great elements). I am Shiva (Auspiciousness) of the nature of Consciousness and Bliss.

न च प्राण संज्ञो न वै पञ्चवायु: न वा सप्तधातुर् न वा पञ्चकोश:
न वाक्पाणिपादौ न चोपस्थपायू चिदानन्द रूप: शिवोऽहम् शिवॊऽहम् ॥2॥

Meaning- Neither am I (that which is called as) Prana (i.e. Mula-Prakriti), nor am I the five vital airs (i.e. Pancha Prana/Pancha Vayu), nor am I the seven-fold material (that make up gross body), nor am I the five sheaths. Neither am I the faculty of speech, nor the faculty of grasping (i.e. hands) nor the faculty of moving (i.e. legs), nor the faculty of procreation, nor that of excretion. ). I am Shiva (Auspiciousness) of the nature of Consciousness and Bliss.


Analysis of Verse 1 & 2- In the very first and second verses, Adi Shankaracharya proclaims that Atman is different from the gross/Stula, subtle/Sukshma and the casual body/Karana sharira of a Jiva.

न वा सप्तधातुर्- I am not even the Seven-fold material. सप्तधातु:- represents the seven type of materials that make up the gross body/Stula Sharira. They are Rasa/lymph or plasma, Rakta/blood, Mamsa/flesh, Meda/fat, Asthi/Bone, Majja/Marrow and Sukra/Semen. These seven Dhatus make up the Gross body/Stula Sharira of a Jiva. Here, Adi Shankaracharya is saying that, Atman is different than the Gross Body.

मनो बुद्ध्यहंकारचित्तानि नाहम्- I am not the mind, intellect, ego and the faculty of recollection.
अहम्-here represents the Atman, the one True Self. मनः-manas/mind, बुद्धि-buddhi/intellect, अहंकार- ahamkara/Ego and चित्त-chitta/faculty of recollection are the four-fold aspects of Antah-Karana (Totality of Mind). Manas is the lower mind that thinks about/discriminates between pros and cons of a thing and is always in indecision. Buddhi- is the higher mind that determines the true nature of an object and takes decision. Ahamakara is that which identifies itself with body as its own self. Chitta- is that which contemplates/indulges in things of interest/attraction or the faculty of memorizing and recollecting things. So, the verse is saying that, Atman is not the Antahkarana. Atman is neither the mind nor the intellect, ego and the chitta. Atman is different from all these.

न च श्रोत्र जिह्वे न च घ्राण नेत्रे- Neither am I the faculty of hearing, nor of taste, nor smell nor sight.
श्रोत्र-Faculty of hearing, जिह्वे-faculty of taste, घ्राण नेत्रे-faculty of smell and sight. These four faculties along with the faculty of touch form the Pancha Jnanendriyas/the five faculties of perception. त्वक्-faculty of touch/feeling though not mentioned in the verse explicitly, it is implicitly included as the other four Jnanendriyas are mentioned. So, the verse is saying that Atman is different from the Pancha-Jnanendriyas.

न वाक्पाणिपादौ न चोपस्थपायू- Neither am I the faculty of speech, nor of grasping nor movement nor procreation nor excretion. वाक्पाणिपादौ- Faculties of speech, of grasping (hands), of movement (feet). उपस्थ- faculty of procreation (genitals), पायू- faculty of excretion (anus). These five together form the Pancha Karmendriyas- the faculties of action. The verse is saying that Atman is different from these faculties of action.

न वै पञ्चवायु:- I am not even the five vital airs. पञ्चवायु-Five vital airs are Prana, Apana, Vyana, Udana and Samana. Prana causes respiration, Apana is the force that causes excretion, Vyana causes circulation,  Udana is the force that, at death carries Subtle body out of Physical body, Samana causes digestion and assimilation. The verse is saying that Atman is different from these Pancha-Vayus.

In short, Adi Shankaracharya is saying that Atman is different than the Subtle body/Sukshma Sharira that consists of the Antahkarana, Jnanendriya, Karmendriyas and the Pancha-Vayus.

न च व्योम भूमिर् न तेजॊ न वायु:- I am not the space, nor the earth, nor light/fire nor the air. व्योम-Space, भूमिर्-Earth, तेजॊ-Light/Fire and वायु-Air. These four along with अपः-water constitutes the Pancha Mahabhutas-the Five great elements. The water element is implicit in the verse. From the Sattvic and Rajasic portions of these elements are formed the Sukshma Sharira/ Subtle body of a Jiva. From the Tamasic portions of these elements, after they undergo a process of Panchikarana/ Quantuplication (1) the Stula Sharira/Gross body of a Jiva is formed. So, the verse is saying that Atman is different from these great elements, the Pancha MahaBhutas from which the Gross and the Subtle bodies are formed.

न च प्राण संज्ञो- I am not that which is called as Prana (i.e. Mula Prakriti). संज्ञो-is a noun, it is a designation. Hence, प्राण संज्ञो means “that which is called as Prana”. What is it that is referred as “Prana”? It is the Mula-Prakriti or Maya. (2). Hence, by saying that Atman is different from Mula-Prakriti, it is saying that Atman is distinct from the Karana Sharira/Casual body. Mula Prakriti which is the cause of this entire universe is called as Maha-Karana- the great cause. In context of a Jiva, it means that Atman is devoid of even the Casual body/Karana Sharira.

न वा पञ्चकोश:- I am not even the five sheaths. पञ्चकोश:- The five sheaths are the five layers of bondage and Ignorance that bounds a Jiva. The five sheaths are- Annamaya Kosha, Pranamaya Kosha, Manomaya Kosha, Vigyanamaya Kosha and Anandamaya Kosha.

Annamaya Kosha is the limitation placed on an individual in the form of gross existence/gross body. Anna denotes gross matter in general and food in particular. Hence, a Jiva in a gross body/Stula Sharira is ever dependent on gross external food for survival and is limited by the gross Universe. He is always subjected to birth, death, ill health, disabilities etc.

Pranamaya Kosha is made up of Pancha Vayus and the Karmendriyas. The Manomaya Kosha is made up of Manas and the Jnanendriyas. The Vigyanamaya Kosha is made up of Buddhi and the Jnanendriyas. There together represent the Subtle body/Sukshma Sharira. And a Jiva in the Pranamaya or Manomaya Kosha is subjected to limitations placed by subtle existence like fear, sorrow, illness, limited powers etc. But, a Jiva in Vigyanamaya Kosha though free from limitations of gross and subtle existence like hot and cold, sorrow and fear etc he is still limited by his attachment to his subtle existence in the sense that he cannot transcend it.

Anandamaya Kosha represents Mula-Prakriti or the Karana Sharira, the store house of all Karmas. Even, here an Individual is limited by his Karana Sharira/casual body. Hence, the verse is saying that Atman is different from and is devoid of these five sheaths that cause bondage.

If, Atman is neither the 3 bodies nor the 5 sheaths, then what is Atman? Adi Shankaracharya answers this thus.

चिदानन्द रूप: शिवोऽहम् शिवॊऽहम्- I am the Auspiciousness (Shiva), which is the very nature of Consiousness and Bliss. शिवोऽहम्- Atman is being defined as शिव- Auspiciousness. Why the Atman is called Auspiciousness? What does it mean? It means that Atman is Pure-Shuddham, devoid of any impurity. The worldly objects are called as “Ashuddham”-impure. Here, impurity or “Ashuddhi” refers to the property of an object to cause a feeling of good, bad or disgust towards it. The objects of the Universe, as they are able to cause feeling of happiness when attained, of sorrow when unable to attain and of disgust when one has no liking for it are called as “Ashuddha”. On the other hand, “Atman” is “Shuddha/pure”, that is free from impurities, free from any dualities. it causes neither a sense of pleasure nor a sense of pain or disgust. Instead, everyone feels drawn towards. Atman is “Ananda Svaroopa”- the very nature of supreme bliss. Further, it is” Chit-Svaroopa”, the very nature of Knowledge. Hence, Atman is called as “Shiva”- pure and auspicious which is of the nature of Knowledge and Bliss.


Summary of Verse 1 & 2- The whole Sristi/Jagat/Cosmos can divided into two categories- The Karana Brahman/Unmanifested source also called as Mula-Prakriti and the Karya Brahman/the Manifested Cosmos. Now, this Karya Brahman or Manifested Cosmos consists of subtle universes and the gross Universes. Hence, we have three state of existence-the Gross Existence, Subtle Existence and the Unmanifested state. A Jiva exists and experiences the Gross Universe through his Gross Body-Stula Sharira. Similarly, he experiences the Subtle Universe through his subtle body-Sukshma Sharira. In the Mula Prakriti, he exists in an Unmanifested state. This is called as Karana Sharira/Casual Body which is the store house of his Karmas and which causes the manifestation of subtle and gross bodies.

The Gross Body is made up of the blood, flesh, bone, marrow, plasma, semen and fat called as Sapta-Dhatu. A Jiva experiences the Gross Universe, in the Waking state/Jagrata avasta. The Subtle body is made up of Antahkarana, faculties of action and perception and the five vital-airs. In a Svapna avasta/Dreaming state, a Jiva will experience the subtle worlds through his Mind and subtle body. In a Deep Sleep/Sushupti avasta, in which a Jiva does not remember anything on waking except that he had a nice sleep, in such a state, a Jiva is experiencing his Casual body, the unmanifested state. The gross, subtle and the casual existences together form the Jagat. The five sheaths are nothing but five layers of limitations that are superimposed on Atman, because of Atman’s Self-Identification with the three bodies.

Hence, in the very first two verses, Atman is shown as being distinct from the gross, subtle and the casual body of a Jiva. Due to Avidya/Ignorance, a Jiva Self-Identifies himself with gross, subtle and casual body and thinks that (i.e. the bodies) to be True Self/Atman. Hence, he becomes engulfed by the five sheaths that limit his existence. But, in reality, Atman is devoid of all three bodies and hence devoid of all limitations. Atman, by his own power of Maya, manifests this Universe by covering itself with five sheaths of limitations and Self-Identifying with the three bodies-casual, subtle and gross. Hence, a Jiva who wishes to attain Moksha, must investigate into the nature of Atman/his own True Self and understand that Atman is different from and is devoid of all limitations, all bodies and sheaths. Atman is devoid of any Movement. It is of the very nature of Knowledge and Bliss and it manifests this entire universe not through Real creation or transformation but only as an appearance or imagination through its power of Maya.
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न मे द्वेष रागौ न मे लोभ मोहौ मदो नैव मे नैव मात्सर्यभाव:
न धर्मो न चार्थो न कामो ना मोक्ष: चिदानन्द रूप: शिवोऽहम् शिवॊऽहम् ॥3॥

Meaning: Neither have I hatred nor desire (for anything), neither have I greed nor delusion, nor pride and nor even the feelings of jealousy. Neither have I (a need for or obligation towards) Dharma (i.e. practicing duties and righteousness), nor (towards) Artha ( i.e. procuring material wellness), nor towards Kama (i.e. fulfilling desires), nor towards Moksha (i.e. attaining Liberation-freedom from birth and death). I am Shiva (Auspiciousness) of the nature of Consciousness and Bliss.

Analysis of Verse 3: After explaining that Atman is devoid of any bodies or any sheaths, now Adi Shankaracharya explains about the state of Jnani who has realized Atman.

न मे द्वेष रागौ न मे लोभ मोहौ मदो नैव मे नैव मात्सर्यभाव:- Neither have I hatred nor desire (for anything), neither have I greed nor delusion, nor pride and nor even the feelings of jealousy. Lust, hatred, delusion, pride, jealousy, and greed these six are called as Arishadvargas- the six passions of mind because, all these feelings have their source in mind and also affect one’s mind. They are also called as Shad Ripus- the six internal enemies because, they are the impurities present in an Individual which makes an Individual act in a wrong and adharmic way. A person under the influence of these internal enemies commits Papam-Sins and hence would suffer as a result sorrow and pains (Dukka) thereby increasing the bondage to Samsara/World. But, Atman being devoid of any limitations or any bodies is also devoid of these six passions. Hence, a Jivanmukta, who has achieved Atma Jnana-Realized the Self, would be free from these internal passions of mind. A Jnani neither acts out of lust, nor out of hatred, or pride or jealousy. A Jnani having realized that the whole world is in his Atman and his Atman is in whole world (3), he always maintains Sama-drishti i.e.same-sightedness towards everyone.

न धर्मो न चार्थो न कामो ना मोक्ष:- Neither have I (a need for or obligation towards) Dharma, nor (towards) Artha, nor towards Kama nor towards Moksha. Dharma, Artha Kama and Moksha form the four-fold Purusharthas, the objectives of Human life. In context of an individual, Dharma refers to living one’s life according to tenets mentioned in the Shastras like Satya/Truthfulness, Asteya/Non-stealing, Ahimsa/Non-violence, Shaucha/cleanliness etc and performing Karmas and duties towards family and society as enjoined in the Shastras to the best of one’s ability and avoiding those actions that are prohibited in the Shastras like homicide, stealing etc. “Artha” refers to the wealth (both material and heavenly) one must attain through proper dharmic means, free from corruption and dishonesty. “Kaama” refers to any desires and dreams an Individual has. Those desires must be fulfilled through Dharmic means and not by resorting to adharmic means. These three refers to the goals pertaining to one’s immediate life. The ultimate goal of life is “Moksha” or liberation from Karmic cycle of birth and death. The practice of Dharma, Artha, Kaama sincerely by performing all Karmas prescribed in the Shastras (Karma Anushtana) and the practice of Bhakti (meditations etc) as advised in the Shastras would eventually lead a person to purification of his mind and then through the practice of Jnana-Sadhana, one would achieve Atma Jnana and Moksha. 

Hence, these objectives of life are prescribed for an individual who is living in the Samsara, and bound by it. On the other hand, a Jnani who has attained Atma-Jnana and has realized that Atman is everything and nothing else is left to be attained. Hence, a Jnani is no longer bound by any obligations to perform or attain any of the Purusharthas as he has already attained everything that was there to attain.

न पुण्यं न पापं न सौख्यं न दु:खम् न मन्त्रो न तीर्थं न वेदा: न यज्ञ
अहं भोजनं नैव भोज्यं न भोक्ता चिदानन्द रूप: शिवोऽहम् शिवॊऽहम् ॥4॥

Meaning: Neither have I Punyam (Good Karmas), nor have I Papam (Bad Karmas), (hence) neither have I happiness, nor sorrow. Neither have I (a need for or obligation towards) Mantra (i.e. practice of Mantra Sadhana/Vidya Upasana), nor (towards) visiting holy places, nor (towards) studying Vedas, nor (towards) performing Yajnas (i.e. Karma Anushtana).  I am neither the food (i.e. the object), nor the act of eating the food (i.e. the interaction between subject and object), nor the enjoyer/consumer of food (i.e. the subject). I am Shiva (Auspiciousness) of the nature of Consciousness and Bliss.

Analysis of Verse 4: Now this verse continuous with the explanations about Jivanmukta and state of Jnana.

न पुण्यं न पापं न सौख्यं न दु:खम् - Neither have I Punyam (Good Karmas), nor have I Papam (Bad Karmas), (hence) neither have I happiness, nor sorrow. As Atman is devoid of any Karmas or Limitations. there is nothing that can be called as Punya/good Karmas or Paapa/bad Karmas for a Jnani. A Jivanmukta having realized Atman, is also devoid of any bondage or ignorance. Hence, he is neither bound by the Karmas nor bound by Karmic fruits. Hence, he neither has Punya nor Paapam and correspondingly, he neither experiences Sukha/happiness nor experiences Dukka/sorrow. A Jnani is ever situated in Ananda/eternal Bliss.

न मन्त्रो न तीर्थं न वेदा: न यज्ञ- Neither have I (a need for or obligation towards) Mantra, nor (towards) visiting holy places, nor (towards) studying Vedas, nor (towards) performing Yajnas. Similarly, a Jnani is neither obliged to nor bound to perform any Mantra sadhana nor visit any holy places as he has become verily the Atman, which is everything that exist and is the nature of supreme bliss. मन्त्रो- refers to Mantra Sadhana or “Devata Upasana”. यज्ञ- refers to performance of fire-rituals (Yajnas) and other rituals enjoined in Shastras called as “Karma Anushtana”. तीर्थं- refers to visiting various holy places that are considered as “Punya Karmas”. वेदा- refers to study of Vedas by those who are competent for it. This is enjoined as a Duty of such a person in the scriptures. A person in the Samsara, who desires spiritual progress and attainment of Moksha, is instructed by the Shastras to perform the Karma Anushtana, Devata Upasana etc. But, a Jnani who having attained Moksha and have realized his own Atman, has already achieved whatever there was to achieve. Hence, he is devoid of all such obligations to performing any Karmas.

अहं भोजनं नैव भोज्यं न भोक्ता- I am neither the food (i.e. the object), nor the act of eating the food (i.e. the interaction between subject and object), nor the enjoyer/consumer of food (i.e. the subject). Here, the verse is again describing what Atman is not. The object that is enjoyed is the subtle and gross Universe. The Subject who is enjoying the Universe refers to the Prajna identifying itself with Mula-Prakriti. The act of enjoyment refers to the act of creation of Universe. The Brahman through his Maya imagines himself to be the cause of the Universe. This Brahman that is endowed with and identified with Maya/Mula Prakriti and is the cause of the Universe is called as Prajna/Ishwara/Karana Brahman/MulaPrakriti. This Prajna is the eater of the food, the subject, the enjoyer of the Universe. The whole Universe, both subtle and gross that manifest out of this Mula-Prakriti is called as food, the object of enjoyment. This Prajna exists as Hiranyagarba and enjoys the subtle Universe and as Virat enjoys the gross Universe. Hence, the verse is saying that the Atman is Turiya-the fourth state (i.e. Paramarthika Satya) beyond the three states of gross, subtle and the unmanifested. Atman is devoid of this duality of Subject and Object i.e. of Karana and Karya. Similarly, a Jivanmukta who is permanently rooted in Turiya or Paramartika is neither bound by subject nor by object. He is beyond all dualities. He perceives Atman alone everywhere.

न मे मृत्युर्शंका न मे जातिभेद: पिता नैव माता नैव न जन्म:
न बन्धुर् न मित्रं गुरुर्नैव शिष्य: चिदानन्द रूप: शिवोऽहम् शिवॊऽहम् ॥5॥

Meaning: Neither have I fear of death, nor caste distinction. I have neither father, nor mother, nor even birth. Neither have I any acquaintance, nor friends, nor any Guru/teacher, nor any Shishya/disciple.I am Shiva (Auspiciousness) of the nature of Consciousness and Bliss.

Analysis of Verse 5: This verse too continues with the description of a state of Jnana.

न मे मृत्युर्शंका न मे जातिभेद:- Neither have I fear of death, nor caste distinction. A Jnani who has gone beyond birth and death and attained Immortality, does not have any fear of death. Having realized his true Self, he is ever free without fear or sorrow. Further, a Jnani just like he was not bound by Purusharthas or the Karmas Anushtana, so also he is not bound by the distinction of caste. He is devoid of any restrictions, obligations and bondages that is present in Samsara.

पिता नैव माता नैव न जन्म: न बन्धुर् न मित्रं गुरुर्नैव शिष्य:- Neither have I father, nor mother, nor birth, nor acquaintance nor friend nor teacher nor disciple. A Jnani has no worldly attachments or relationships. Having realized that everything is his Atman alone, for him everyone is his own. There are no special bonds, special relationships with any. He is free from any Rina-Bandha, the Karmic bond that binds people. He remains as ever free.

Summary of Verse 3, 4 & 5: After explaining that Atman is devoid of the three bodies and the five sheaths and hence devoid of any limitations, Adi Shankara now explains the state of Jnana-the Paramarthika Dasha. He says that, a Jnani having realized his Atman, having realized that Atman alone exist and everything is Atman, he is neither affected by happiness nor sorrow. He neither craves for anything nor avoids anything. A Jnani is free from the mental feelings like Lust, hate, greed, jealousy etc. A Jnani remains Same-Sighted towards everyone. He is neither bound by duties of Varnas (i.e. the duties related to four-Varnas) nor bound by the obligations of Ashramas (i.e. the duties related to four stages of life) not even the Purusharthas or the Vedas bind him. He neither has birth, nor death. Having attained immortality, he is devoid of all fears including the fear of death. He has neither acquaintance nor any special rina/bond with anyone. Having transcended all the bondages, he is ever free. He is devoid of the duality of subject and object as Atman is Homogenous One without a second and without parts.
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अहं निर्विकल्पॊ निराकार रूपॊ विभुत्वाच् सर्वत्र सर्वेन्द्रियाणाम्
न चासंगत नैव मुक्तिर् न मेय: चिदानन्द रूप: शिवोऽहम् शिवॊऽहम् ॥6॥

Meaning: I am the Changeless one without a second, without a form, All-powerful, Omnipresent who inhabits all the senses. I am not Un-related (i.e. related to everything as their Atman/Inner Self), neither do I have Liberation, nor do I have Limitation. I am Shiva (Auspiciousness) of the nature of Consciousness and Bliss.

Analysis of Verse 6: Now, after explaining what Atman is not, now the last verse explains, what Atman is.

अहं- I. Here it means “Atman”.

निर्विकल्पॊ- Changeless one without a second. It refers to One Truth without an alternative, without a second entity. That is, Atman alone exists and whatever exist, it is Atman alone. Further, निर्विकल्पॊ means “without change or modifications”. The Universe or Jagat/Srishti is subjected to six stages of changes called as “Shad-Vikaras”. They are Potential form, Birth, Growth, Transformation, Decay and Death. But, Atman being Eternal and Birth-less, is without these changes i.e. Atman is not subjected to these modifications. Hence, it implies that Atman is devoid of Srishti. In the Paramartika state, there is neither creation nor dissolution. Hence, no Universe exists in Reality. The whole Jagat manifested by Brahman through his power of Maya in the form of imagination or mirage.

निराकार रूपॊ- Of the nature of formlessness. The Jagat or Srishti/Universe is full of forms. The Manifested Universe has infinite number of names and forms. The Unmanifested Prakriti is in a state of Unmanifestation or Seed i.e. a state of form-fullness where all the infinite forms are in seed state. Hence, by निराकार it is meant that, Atman is devoid of both Karya Brahman (Manifested Universe full of forms) and the Karana Brahman (Unmanifested seed in a state of form-fullness). Hence, in Paramartika dasha, state of Absolute Reality, the Atman is devoid of Jagat i.e. Jagat does not exist. In other words, the existence of Jagat is only through Maya in the form of mirage or imagination.

विभुत्वाच् सर्वत्र सर्वेन्द्रियाणाम्- All-powerful, Omnipresent who inhabits all the senses. In the Vyavaharika dasha (the state of Duality or Samsara) i.e. in the Jagat/Srishti, the Brahman/Atman is Omni-present and Omnipotent. It is He, who inhabits everything and everywhere including the senses as their True-Self.

न च असंगत (4) - I am not Un-related. Atman is not Un-related means, Atman is related to everything as their Inner-most Self. In the Jagat, in Vyavaharika dasha it is Atman alone who inhabits everything as their own Self (5). Hence, he is related to everything.

नैव मुक्तिर् न मेय:- Neither do I have Liberation, nor do I have Limitation. In Paramartika Dasha, there is neither creation nor dissolution, neither liberation nor limitation. Atman is eternal and free from all kinds of limitations.  मेय:- means measurable or finite. It refers to the Upadhis or Limitations present in the Jagat/Universe like time, space and form by which an object is limited by and also is measured/determined in reference with. Atman is being described as devoid of these defining./measuring parameters i.e. Atman is Infinite beyond any limitations. Similarly Atman is devoid of Liberation. When, there is no Bondage or Limitation on Atman, no question of Liberation or freedom from bondage arises for Atman.

चिदानन्द रूप: शिवोऽहम् शिवॊऽहम्- I am Shiva (Auspiciousness) of the nature of Consciousness and Bliss. As explained before.

Summary of Verse 6: After explaining what Atman is not and explaining about the state of Jivanmukta, Adi Shankaracharya now explains what Atman is. In the Paramartika Dasha, Atman is one, without a second, without parts. It is without any limitations of time, space or form. It is one Changeless, that is eternal, infinite and Birth-less. It is devoid of the Universe/Jagat and all its limitations. Yet through its power of Maya, it manifests the Universe as a mirage or imagination. And in such a state of manifestation or Vyavaharika Dasha, Atman inhabits every object, everything in the Universe as their own Self. It is omnipresent and omnipotent and both the material and intelligent cause of the Universe. Adi Shankaracharya concludes the Nirvana Shatakam by repeating that, Atman is Shiva-Auspiciousness which is of the nature of Knowledge and Bliss.

Footnotes:

1.    Panchikarana is the process of Grossification/Quantuplication from which the Physical Universe is created. The five great elements in Subtle form undergo Panchikarana process and create the Gross elements and hence the Physical Universe. The Tamas portion of each of the five subtle elements divides itself into two halves. The one half is reserved for that element and the other half is further divided into four parts to be associated with the other elements. Hence, each gross element is formed by combination wherein its one half is made up of its own element and the other half consist of one-eighth of all the other four elements. Panchadashi Verse no-26-27.

2.    Chandogya Upanishad 6.8.2. For detailed discussion on why Prana is Mula-Prakriti, refer Shankara Bhashya on Gaudapada Karika on Mandukya Upanishad, Agama Prakarana, Verse 2.

3.    Isha Upanishad Verse 6 & 7.

4.    Some interpret it as- न च संगत- Without attachment. In that case, it means that Atman is unaffected, untouched by the limitations and impurities of the Universe. Atman is pure and unattached towards the sensory objects.

5.    Isha Upanishad Verse 1.

A deity can either be God or god or both

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Nithin Sridhar 
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(A shorter version of the article has been published in July 2013 issue of Hinduism Today Magazine under the title "God's the Answer".)

The basic philosophy of any religion (1) relies on the acceptance of the existence of God and that of atheism on the rejection of such existence. Among theists, there have been lengthy debates, arguments and fights regarding what this God constitutes if it exists? Whether God is one or many? Whether it is God or it is god (Upper case and lower case "G")?

In an Indian scenario, we have on one extreme Monotheists claiming presence of one absolute God separate from world and on the other we have polytheists believing in presence of multiple gods, goddess and demi-gods. And apart from this, we also have Monists who claim the presence of "Only God" (denying even an existence for world separate from God). But Hindu religion as a whole has always been consistently assimilating all these apparently divergent streams of thought into a coherent and all-embracing philosophy of life. This has been possible because there is an inherent awareness in the society that every person is on the same path seeking same goal, some ahead and some behind. This truth is best illustrated in the words of ancient Rishis of Rigveda. While speaking about the “Vishwadevas” (all the gods and goddess), they boldly proclaim-

“They call him (God) Indra, Mitra, Varuṇa, Agni, and he is heavenly nobly-winged Garutmān.
To what is One, sages call by many names like Agni, Yama, Mātariśvan” (2).

In modern times, a similar message was given to mankind by Swami Vivekananda. According to him, "Man is not travelling from error to truth, but climbing up from truth to truth; from truth that is lower to truth that is higher (3).”  The realization of this simple truth among people has been best expressed in the concept of deity and its worship.

Our scriptures say that God (Brahman) which is formless manifests itself into infinite number of forms. And each such form represents a specific aspect of the Brahman. A deity is a specific aspect of Brahman which has a rupa-form and Shakti-power associated with that aspect. For example, If Brahman/Para-Shakti is divided into 10 aspects, we get the ten Mahavidhyas. If the Para-Shakti is divided into 64 parts, we get the Yoginis. In other words deities are the personification of the various forces that drive the Cosmos. Also they are personifications of the various phenomenon’s that happen throughout the universe.

For example, when the Brahman manifests the Universe, He becomes Shiva-Gowri. When the Brahman absorbs back the Universe, he becomes MahaKaLa-MahaKaLi. Shiva is personification of the sum total of all manifestation and Gowri is that aspect of Shakti which causes the manifestation/projection of the Universe. Shiva and Gowri are White as white represents Purity and the manifestation/Cosmos. Shakti takes the form of KaLi when the projection is drawn back into Brahman. KaLi causes Laya/absorption of manifestation back into Brahman. KaLi is black which represents her ability to absorb everything into herself.

From the view-point of society, we have Grama Devatas, Kula Devatas, Gruha Devatas and Ista Devatas. Grama Devatas are basically the guardian deities of the villages. Kula Devatas are the guardian deities of a clan, lineage or a bloodline. The Gruha Devatas refers to the guardian deities of the family. Finally the Ista Devata refers to the deity a person choose based on his personal inclination. A person may take any one among the Grama, Kula and Gruha devatas as his own Ista or he can also choose some other deity which attracts him most.

The concept of deity, especially the “Ista devata” can be considered in many senses as a unique contribution of Hindu religion to whole world not only in terms of its theological and spiritual value but also in terms of promoting world harmony. In simple words, any person can connect with God/Cosmos (4) in the way he feels inclined to or is comfortable with. This world view will completely remove any cause for troubles and intolerances because the conception of a deity is completely dependent upon the devotee who worships it. And no two people ever conceptualize or approach a deity in an exactly same manner.

Some people may conceptualize their deity to be Nirguna-Nirakara Brahman (Formless and Attributeless God). For some other the deity may be one of the manifestations of the formless God which does have a roopa-form and guna-attributes. For some, the deity may be only a maintainer (Vishnu-god) or a destroyer (Shiva-god) of Universe. For others the same deity may be the ultimate God whom they call as “Narayana/Sada-Shiva”. For some the deities may be just the forces of nature like fire-Agni or wind-Vayu. And for some other’s they may be mind-manas or soul-atman. A deity can either be God or a god or at times both and at times neither depending upon what a devotee seeks.

The deity-devotee relationship is an intimate connection that heavily depends on the spiritual clarity and mental earnestness of the devotee. The more is the longing and Bhakti-love a devotee has, closer he is to the deity and clearer will be his understanding of Universe. Every devotee perceives his deity according to his tastes and inclinations. Hence, this perception would be very limited. The devotee then projects this limited perception on the the limitless God. Hence, the God projects to the devotee as a deity with limitations. The closer a devotee gets to the deity, the purer his mind will become and his perception will start losing limitations. The only way this is possible is through Sadhana.

Sadhana in general may refer to any action put to achieve a desirable goal. Swami Chidananda of Divine Life society defines sadhana as “the active effort to obtain that which is possible of being obtained through effort (5)”.  And this goal for which Sadhana is done defines the nature of relationship between the Sadhak and the Deity. A person may desire to have unlimited wealth, health, prosperity, offspring etc and he will do sadhana just to obtain them. This is called Kamya Sadhana. Such a person will invoke and worship a specific god who could fulfill their desires. A deity is a god for these people. For example, a Lakshmi-Kubera Homa is done only for purpose of getting wealth. A Mahamrityunjay Homa is done to ward of diseases and deliver long life to a person.

Further, even among the people who desire only for God Realization, most cannot contemplate on Formless one. Hence, they perfect their sadhana of a particular deity who will in-turn lead them to the Ultimate Formless one. In Tantras they say, first worship the Mother, reach her; then, she will lead you to Father. Such sadhaks worship Deity as God with form. It may be Ganesha or Durga, Shiva or Tara, they worship it as Saguna Brahman itself.

Take the example of Lord Ganesha. From the puranic stories we come to know that, Ganesha is the son of Parvati and Shiva. Further, he is the leader of Ganas (the fierce followers of Shiva, hence the name Ganesha) and that he is the remover of obstacles. Most people would love to worship Ganesha in his child form who loves to eat sweet food. They worship the deity with above mentioned attributes and pray to him to solve their problems. For them, Ganesha is only a “god” with limited attributes and power. Hence, by their worship, they are connecting with the limited aspect of this Cosmos/God who has the power to remove obstacles in their path.

Then, there are sadhaks (Spiritual practitioners) who worship “Ganesha” as the lord of Muladhara chakra (located at the perenium) who governs “Bhu” loka (The Physical/Material realm of existence). For them, worship of Ganapathi is the key to awaken Kundalini and to make her rise through the Sushumna Nadi (Channel). Hence, they connect with the God/cosmos through their worship and gain power-Shakti to raise their Kundalini. For these Sadhak’s too Ganesha is only a “god”.

Further, there are also those people who worship Ganesha as the Nirakara-Nirguna Brahman. They recognize Ganesha as God, the Ultimate truth, the whole Cosmos. For them, Ganesha is the creator, Maintainer and destroyer of Universe. This view about Ganesha can be found beautifully expressed in the following lines from Ganapathi Atharva shirsha-

Twameva Pratyksham Tatvamasi | (You are the Only Truth)
Twameva Kevalam Kartasi | (You are the creator of the Universe)
Twameva Kevalam Dhartasi |(You are the maintainer of the Universe)
Twameva Kevalam Hartasi |(You are the destroyer of the Universe)
Twameva Sarvam Khalvidam Brahmasi | (You are the Brahman/God who exists everywhere)
Twam Sakashadatamasi Nityam (You are the eternal soul present inside everyone).

It further says-

Twam Gunatrayatitaha | (You are beyond the three gunas-Tamas, Rajas and Sattva)
Twam Dehatrayatitaha | (You are beyond the three bodies- Sthula, Sukshma and Karana)
Twam Kalatrayatitaha | (You are beyond the three time periods- past, present and future)
Twam Brahmastvam, Twam Vishnustvam Rudrastvam Indrastvam Agnistvam
Vayastvam Suryastvam Chandramastvam Brahmabhurbhurvaswarome||
(You are Brahma, You are Vishnu, You are Rudra, You are Indra, Agni, Vayu, Surya, Chandra, You are the Brahman/God who exists in everywhere)

Next comes the category of people who neither worship God nor worship any god. For them, a deity is just Shakti (Energy/Power). They are the Aghoris- the Shakti Sadhakas, people who do sadhana to gain powers. They occupy themselves in understanding different aspects of the working of the cosmos and gaining power to control them. They dive deep in the darkness to reach light. Each deity represents a specific aspect of Para-Shakti. They do sadhana of the said deity to achieve that Shakti. In case of Ganesha, many use the sadhana of him to understand the workings of Bhu-Loka (Physical realmn) and control it. There are also a small section of tantriks who does indulge in Shat Kriyas like Vashikarana (Controlling) and Marana (Killing) and use these Shakti’s wrongly. But, others use their Shakti’s to ultimately merge with the Cosmos/Para-Shakti.

Few people like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa exist, who even after having experiencing the Brahman in Nirvikalpa Samadhi (The highest state of Samadhi), continued to worship his Ista Devi KaLi Bhavatarini. For him, KaLi was both the God and the god. She was both with form and without form.
Hence, a devotee who may at first see Ganesha as just a remover of obstacles, with spiritual growth will come to realize that Ganesha is also the Lord of Physical realm. If the devotee keeps walking on the path of sadhana, he will realize that Ganesha is not a god with limitations and attributes, but Formless Omnipotent God. Deeper if he proceed, the devotee will realize that Ganesha is both the God and the god. That the formlessness and the forms are both his own manifestation and hence equally real.

Another simple example that illustrate this phenomenon could be that of Sandhya Vandana-The worship of Sun. The Sandhya worship at its outset appears like a prayer to the Sun who gives the warmth and Light to earth. This appears as a show of gratitude towards nature. If one digs deeper, one will understand that the Sandhya worship is not just a prayer to the external sun which is the center of our solar system and emitting the heat and light using nuclear fusion. But the worship also entails an understanding and a prayer towards this whole cosmos which is at every moment keeps changing, evolving and dissolving. On a deeper level, it is a prayer towards the whole existence, the multiple cosmos that exist and the source, the energy that manifests the Whole. Ultimately, it is worship towards the Innerself, The atman which is the very “Whole” present inside the each of its particle.

In both cases, one can see how a devotee proceeds from his “Limited” understanding of God into “Direct experience of Limitless truth”; how his understanding of deity changed from being limited god to being Omnipotent God who existed as formless and yet manifested infinite number of forms. This spiritual insight about the nature of Cosmic truth (Satya) and its infinite ways of expression has been the very foundation of the “all-embracing and tolerant way of life” that Hindu Dharma propounds. This truth has been imbibed into every Shastras-scriptures that were composed, every rituals that were codified, into every art forms that found its expression. It manifested into every aspect of life making Hindu society, a most diverse yet relatively harmonious one in whole world.

Footnotes-
(1)The term "religion" here used specifically in the sense of "theistic religions" and it does not refer to atheistic systems like Buddhism and Jainism.
(2)इन्द्रं मित्रं वरुणमग्निमाहुरथो दिव्यः स सुपर्णो गरुत्मान | एकं सद विप्रा बहुधा वदन्त्यग्निं यमं मातरिश्वानमाहुः || - Rigveda 1.164.46.
(3)Sister Nivedita, “Our Master and his Message”, Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, http://www.advaitaashrama.org/cw/content.php
(4)According to Hindu Philosophy, God is sum total of All existence. He is the whole existence. Hence, God and Cosmos are not different.“Isa vasyam Idam Sarvam” (Ishopanishad)
(5)Swami Chidananda, “Special Insights Into Sadhana No-1”, http://www.dlshq.org/download/insight_sadhana1.htm

The Two Aspects of Creation- Maya and Lila

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Nithin Sridhar
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One of the questions that seekers, philosophers, scientists and theologian’s world over have involved themselves from time immemorial is about the origin of the universe. The views vary from our Universe coming out of Big Bang to creationist views of world being created one fine day by God. It is only in Hindu religion that one finds a comprehensive analysis and explanation of various aspects and realms of Cosmos and its origin.

To understanding about the Creation/Origin of the Universe, it is important to understand the relationship between World and God according to Hindu philosophy. God and World, the Creator and the Created are not two distinct entities but only they appear to be so. In the Vyavahrika plane(1) (the Mundane/Relative), the Man, World and the God appear and function as distinct from one another, but in Paramarthika plane (The Absolute plane) there is only One, call it God or Brahman or Atman. In other words, God is the sum total of all existence.

Chandogya Upanishad proclaims “Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma(2)” meaning “Everything is Brahman/God”. All the existence, the entire cosmos, everything that ever existed is nothing but Brahman. The same has been more explicitly mentioned in Taittiriya Upanishad-

“yatO vA imAni bhUtAni jAyantE
yEna jATAni jIvanti
yat prayant-yabhi-sam-vishanti
tadvijigyasasva tad brahmeti” (3)

“From which all the creatures (bhUta) are born, being born by which they sustain and into which they merge back, Know that as Brahman”.

The world/cosmos with all its multiplicities are not separate from God but have their origin in him and they sustain in him and merge back into him. Brahman is both the material and intelligent cause for this universe. To accomplish any work (Karya) - For example creating a pot, a base material (Soil) called as “Upadana” in scriptures and a person (the potter) who accomplishes the task called as “Karta” is needed.

Shastras term this as “Upadana Karana/material cause” and “Nimmita Karana/Intelligent or Efficient cause”. In case of the Universe, Brahman is both the Upadana Karana and the Nimmita Karana. That is, God does not create any universe separate from it but only has manifested it out of his own-self in other-words God has himself become Cosmos.

To the question, “How exactly does Brahman manifest Universe?” The Shastras explain two ways in which an already existing entity (Karana/Cause) has become another entity (Karya/Effect) - The Parinama Vada and the Vivarta Vada. “Parinama vada(4)” refers to a real transformation of an object into another object, Ex: Milk turning in Curd, mud becoming pot etc. “Vivarta vada” refers to an apparent transformation of one object into another, Ex: a rope being mistaken for snake, a mirage in a desert etc.

In the case of Universe, the “Parinama vada” does not hold. If God has indeed undergone complete and real transformation and become Cosmos, the way milk becomes curd, then there would have been no difference between God and World in Vyavaharika state. Then in Vyvaharika State, there would not have been any God instead only sensory world. Just as once Milk turns into Curd, it ceases to be milk and cannot turn back into milk, so also God will cease to exist once it transforms completely into Universe.But such a materialistic view is not supported by Hindu Shastras which proclaim Brahman as being- “Nithya(Eternal), Nishkalam(Without parts/divisions), Nishkriyam (without action) Shantham(Calm), Niravadhyam (Flawless), Niranjanam(Stainless)”. Instead, Vedanta Philosophy explains that the Brahman manifests Universe, just as rope appears snake (Vivarta vada). That is, there is only an apparent transformation of God into Universe. In case of snake, rope was the Upadana Karana/Material cause and in case of universe, Brahman is the Upadana Karana. This phenomenon of Apparent Manifestation is termed as “Maya” and the Power of Brahman to achieve it is termed as “Maya Shakti”. Adi Shankaracharya in Maya Panchakam says-

“nirupama nithya niramshakeepyakhande
mayi chiti sarva nikalpanaadishunye |
ghatayati jagadeesha-jeeva-bhedam
tvaghatita ghatanaapatiiyasi maaya ||”(5)

In Brahman who is Unique, Eternal, without parts, Absolute, It is Maya which creates the distinctions of Man, World and God. There is nothing impossible for Maya.

Hence, it is Brahman who creates/manifests this universe using his power of Maya. Hence, Lord Krishna was described as Mayapati- Lord of Maya.  In Bhagvad Gita, Lord Krishna says-

“ajo ’pi sann avyayatma
bhutanam isvaro ’pi san |
prakritim svam adhisthaya
sambhavamy atma-mayaya ||”(6)

Though I am birthless, undecaying by nature, and the Lord of beings, (still) by subjugating My Prakriti, I take birth by means of My own Maya.

Lord Krishna, an Avatara of God himself is proclaiming that he creates the whole universe by his power of Maya. But now a question arises, why did Brahman need to manifest this Apparent Universe? To achieve what goal?

The Shastras say that for God, the whole manifestation is just Lila/ a Divine play. It is a spontaneous manifestation for Brahman. This manifestation is not an activity/kartattva as in Paramarthika state, there is no duality of Karta and Karya. Brahman himself is Karta-doer, Karana-cause and the Karya-activity. Hence, the whole manifestation of Universe has been described as Lila- a spontaneous play. Further, because it is a Lila and not a Karya, there is no end goal or results to achieve because Brahman intends to achieve nothing as he is everything. It is Brahman’s very Svabhava/nature to continuously manifest and dissolve and re-manifest the cosmos. Hence, God is also called as “Lalita” meaning “She who plays” by Shaktas stressing the fact that playing Lila is God’s very own Svabhava.

Many people have this misconception that Maya and Lila are different and at times contradictory. But it is not so. They both refer to same phenomenon but only stressing on two different aspect of it. Whereas the term “Maya” stresses that Brahman is the Upadana Karana of this Universe, the term “Lila” stresses that Brahman is the “Nimitta Karana” of the Universe. “Maya” answers the question “How the Universe was created” and “Lila” answers the question “Why the Universe was created”.

References-

1.For detailed explanation of Vyavaharika and Paramartika states, refer my article “The Two Realities”.
2.Chandogya Upanishad 3.14.1.
3.Taittiriya Upanishad 3.1.3.
4.There is one more doctrine called “Arambavada/Asat-Karya-vada” which says that, an object which was non-existant before was newly created. This view about Universe is held by Nyaya School which propounds that Universe was created by Ishwara by using Anu/atoms. Here, Anu is the upadana karana and Ishwara is nimitta karana. But, Vedanta Shastras and Upanishads does not accept this doctrine. According to the Shastras, World existed in potential/sukshma form in Brahman from before.  Hence, Brahman only manifests Universe and does not actually create it.
5.Maya Panchakam Verse 1
6.Bhagvad Gita 4.6

The Two Ways of Performing Action

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Nithin Sridhar

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“Karma” or “Action” is the very foundation of our existence. A second does not go by without anybody performing any action. People are continuously involved in performing one or the other tasks- eating, drinking, talking, driving etc. But action does not refer to physical activity alone. Every word, every thought that arise in the mind represents an action being performed. The whole universe works on the principle action and reaction.

The Hindu Shastras/Scriptures call this phenomenon which forms the very basic functioning principle of the cosmos as “Karma”. Every situation, good or bad a person faces in his life is the fruits of his past actions (Karma Phala). Every person or animal, a person encounters or comes in contact with, is result of some Karmic bond (called in scriptures as “Rina Bandha”) present between them. Many people often understand this negatively to mean “Destiny” or “No-free Will”. But, that is only a misconception. On the other hand, Karmic Law is based on complete Free-Will a person has to make choices, to take decisions in every situation he faces. The Karma Phala (Fruits of action) one gets is entirely depended on the Karmas one performs. As the saying goes, “As you sow, so you reap” the whole Universe is based on this Karmic law of action and its fruits.

The Shastras speak of the two ways a person can perform the Karmas- Sakaama and Nishkaama. “Sakaama” refers to performing an action with an eye towards the fruits that action will bore. Such action may lead a person to temporary happiness/Sukha or to temporary sorrow/dukka depending upon whether the Karmic fruit was as per the expectation of the person or not. On the other hand, the Karmas performed in Nishkaama way, i.e performing an action with the sense of duty without expecting any result, such a person will find inner contentment irrespective of the Karmic fruits.

“Sakaama Karmas” increases attachment to the sensory world. As there is no end to the desires of the person, he will be eternally pursuing one desire after another performing countless number of Karmas. He will be ever-struck in this Karmic cycle of Sukha-Dukka. Brahmavaivartha Purana (1) says thus-

Avashyam eva bhoktavyam krutakarma shubha ashubam |

Naa bhuktam kshiyate karma kalpa-koti-shaitairapi ||

A person will definitely enjoy the fruits of his action; it may be good or bad; for without giving the results, an action does not die out even after billions of years.

Hence, these karmas are also called as “Bandhaka Karmas”, actions that increases the bondage to the sensory world. If the same Karmas that cause Bandhana/Bondage are performed in Nishkama way, surrendering the fruits of action to God, giving up one’s sense of doership of action, such Karmas will become “Mochaka”-a way to Liberation from this karmic cycle of birth and death. Shastras say-

Krutena Karmana | Akrutena Mokshaha ||

Performing action leads to Karma, Performing Actionless action leads to Moksha.

“Krutena” means “performing action”. Any activity performed with the sense of identification with doing it, will invariably lead to the bondage of Karmic cycle. Even though literally “Akrutena” means “Not performing Action”, the real meaning is not “Inaction” but what can be described as “action-less action”, i.e performing an action without Ahamkara-sense of I-ness of performing it. In other words, surrendering to God the Action, its fruits and the sense of doership of it.

In Bhagvad Gita, Sri Krishna describes this Nishkaama Karma as “Yogah karmasu kausalam(2)”- Yoga is the action perfected. Further he explains what he means by Yoga as thus-

yoga-sthah kuru karmani sangam tyaktva dhananjaya |

siddhy-asiddhyoh samo bhutva samatvam yoga ucyate ||(3)

O Arjuna, abandon all attachment to success or failure and perform your duty by being steadfast in yoga. Such evenness of mind is called yoga.

“Samatvam Yoga Uchyate” means “performing action in a detached manner”. Krishna is asking Arjuna to become a “Stitahprajna”- one who is not affected by external factors. This yoga is called as “Nishkaama Karma” or “Actionless action”. No spiritual progress is possible for a person without him giving up his Ahamkara(I-ness) and Mamahkaara (mine-ness) and learning to perform Nishkaama karma with the sense of Dharma (Duty) and Tyaga (sacrifice).

“Moksha”or Final Liberation is not possible without attaining “Atma Sakshatkara”. But this cannot be attained without the Karmas. Sage Agastya in “YogaVashishta” lucidly explains this thus-

ubhabhyam eva paksabhyam yatah khe paksinam gatih |

tathai va jnana karmabhyam jayate paramam padam ||(4)

Just as a bird flies with its two wings, so also an enquirer flies to goal of Self-Realization through the co-ordination of two wings of Jnana and Karma.

Whatever may be the path, a spiritual seeker takes but he must develop Samabhavatva (treating everything in same manner without likes and dislikes) and perform Nishkaama Karmas. Only when a person performs the Karmas prescribed in Shastras (vihita karmas) in such a Nishkaama way, will he achieve Chitta Shuddhi-purification of mind and be able to develop the competencies necessary for Jnana Sadhana.

Shastras classify Karmas into four categories- Nithya, Naimitta, Kamya and Nishiddha. Nithya Karmas refer to daily activities that a person is supposed to follow like Sandhyavandana. Naimmitta refers to Karmas performed on specific occasions. Kamya refers to Karmas done to fulfill specific desires. Nishiddha refers to Karmas that are prohibited like Killing etc. A person must first practice Apara/Bhedha bhakti (5) by implementing the Karmas prescribed in the Shastras in a Nishkaama way and by avoiding the Karmas prohibited by the Shastras. Only such a practice will make him develop the surrendering required to be able to give up his Ahamkara and Mamah-Kaara. This results in Chitta-Shuddhi. Without performing Nishkaama Karma, Chitta Shuddhi is not possible.

A person who has thus purified his mind will develop qualities like Viveka(spiritual discrimination), Vairagya(dispassion), Titaksha(forbearance)(6) etc. Only such a person is eligible for practicing Jnana Sadhana. He should then approach a Sadguru and practice the Sravana Chatushtaya (the four fold spiritual practice)- Sravana ,Manana , Nidhidhyasa  and Atma-Sakshatkara.

Sravana and Manana refers to listening and internalizing the teachings imparted by one’s Guru. A shishya is expected to do further reading of the Shastras on the said subject and get cleared of the doubts that arises in his mind. The Guru will guide the disciple slowly towards Jnana by clearing one by one all the doubts that arise inside the disciple. After intellectually understanding the Guru’s words the shishya must practice Nidhidhyasa- Meditation and Contemplation as instructed by his Guru. By sincerely practicing the Sadhana’s instructed by the Guru, the Shishya will attain Atma-Shakshatkara.

Many people have this misconception that performing rituals alone (Karma Anushtana) can lead a seeker to Moksha and practice of Jnana Sadhana is not needed. But it is not so. In Vivekachudamni, Adi Shankara clears this doubt thus (7)-

Cittasya shuddhaye karma na tu vastupalabdhaye |

vastusiddhirvicharena na kincit-karma-kotibihi ||

Actions cause purification of the mind but they do not, by themselves, cause the attainment of Reality. The Self-Realization is brought about only by Self-Enquiry/Jnana Sadhana and not in the least by even ten million acts (alone).

Hence the Karma Anushtana of the rituals and practices done in a Sakaama way does not lead to Moksha but instead it will increase the bondage to the material world. But if these Karmas are done in Nishkaama way, it will lead to the purification of the mind of the sadhaka who will attain the qualities like Viveka etc. And these competencies will enable him to perform Jnana Sadhana Anushtana and achieve Atma Sakshatkara and hence Moksha.

Footnotes-

1. Brahmavaivartha Purana 1.44.74

2. Bhagvad Gita 2.50

3. Bhagvad Gita 2.48

4. Yoga Vashista 1.1.7.8

5. For more information about classification of Bhakti, refer the article “The Two Stages of Devotion”.

6. For more information on Sadhana Chatushtaya-Four Competencies, refer the article “The Two Paths of Life”.

7. Vivekachoodamani, Verse 11 

The Two Stages of Devotion

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Nithin Sridhar

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Bhakti or devotion is a concept which is found throughout the world in one form or the other. From Christian prayers and Islamic namaz to Hindu puja and bhajans, elements of Bhakti are present in all the religions. Hindu scriptures define Bhakti as “Parama Prema-rupa Amruta Svarupa cha” (1). “Prema” means “Love”. Every person has loved someone or experienced love in one form or the other. Love between two people creates a bond, an attachment between them. It results in a person experiencing both happiness and sorrow. But, Bhakti is not just normal love but it is “Parama Prema rupa”-“Supreme form of love”. It is called “supreme” because it neither causes attachment to sensory world nor traps a person in a never ending cycle of happiness and sorrow. Instead it fills his life with Bliss (Ananda). Hence Bhakti is called “Amruta Svarupa”. A Bhakta/devotee is one who completely and selflessly surrenders himself to his object of devotion. 

Hindu scriptures speak about two stages of Bhakti-

  

                         1. "Apara Bhakti” is the “lower” stage of Bhakti. It is also called as “Bheda Bhakti”. 

                         2. "Para Bhakti” is the “higher” stage of Bhakti. It is also called as “Abheda Bhakti”.

“Bheda” means “difference”. Bheda bhakti refers to devotion wherein the Bhakta-worshipper and Ishwara-the object of worship are distinct. A devotee considers God as the creator and the Man and the World as the created. He is completely rooted in Vyavaharika Jnana(2). Hence such a Bhakti is also called as Dvaita Bhakti. On the other hand, the “Abheda Bhakti” which is higher stage of Bhakti is exactly opposite to the lower stage. “Abheda” means “No difference”. As the name states, in this stage, there is no duality of Bhakta and Ishwara. A devotee has developed an understanding of Paramarthika Satya(2) and sees no difference between his True self and God.

Prahalada, the son of Hiranyakashipu speaks about nine of types of devotional services that can be practiced as follows-

sravanam kirtanam vishnoh smaranam pada-sevanam|

arcanam vandanam dasyam sakhyam atma-nivedanam||(3)

“Hearing, chanting, remembering, serving the feet, offering worship, offering prayers, serving as a servant, becoming the best friend and surrendering one’s ownself to Vishnu (God).”

Sravanam, Kirthanam and Smaranam refer to Hearing, chanting and remembering about God. People in Bhakti will always love to hear about God and his play-Lila and indulge in chanting mantras and singing songs praising the God and his various manifestations. They spend every moment of their life remembering God. They try to see God in everything they do. “Pada sevanam” and “Dasyam” literally means serving at feet of God and serving God as his servant respectively. They refer to performing all the action as a service to God by surrendering at his feet. “Archanam” and “Vandanam” refers to offering worship and prayers to God with proper rituals and offerings. The offerings (4) may be five (Panchopachar) or sixteen (Shodashopachar) in number. “Sakhyam” refers to treating God as one’s best friend. The devotee here shares a bond of friendship with his deity whereas the bond is as that of master and servant in Dasya Bhakti. These eight devotional services involve external symbols and expressions. A bhakta while practicing these services see’s God in everything except his own self and he desires to be near God, at his feet. These kind of devotional services are called Bheda Bhakti.

Prahalada also speaks about a Ninth type of devotional service. He calls it “Atma Nivedanam”-Offering one’s own True Self to God. In this Bhakti, a devotee is not satisfied by staying near God. He wants to completely merge his identity in God. Just as a river merge in ocean, so also a devotee wishes to merge in God. Such Bhakti where there is no duality of a worshipper and worshipped is called Abheda Bhakti.

Similarly, Sage Narada speaks about 11 forms of Bhakti in his Bhakti Sutras as follows-

Gunamahatmyasakti, rupasakti, pujasakti, smaransakti, dasyasakti, sakhyasakti vatsalyasakti, kantasakti, atmanivedanasakti, tanmanyasakti, paramvirahassakti, rupaekadhapiekadashdham bhavati || (5)

“Although Bhakti is one, it becomes manifested in eleven forms- devotion towards God's glorious qualities, devotion towards His form and beauty, worshiping Him, to remembering Him, to serving Him, to love him as a friend, to caring for Him as a parent, to dealing with Him as a lover, to surrendering one's whole self to Him, to being absorbed in thought of Him, and to experiencing pain of separation from Him.”

 “Gunamahatmyasakti” refers to Bhakti wherein a devotee is enamored with different qualities manifested by God. He likes to listen to, contemplate and talk about God’s various Lila. “Rupashakti” refers to Bhakti wherein, a Bhakta is attracted to some specific form of God. He does upasana on particular form like that of Krishna or Shiva and perceives the whole cosmos as manifestation from that specific form. “Pujasakti” is nothing but “Archanam” that Prahalada speaks about. To Prahalada’s “Dasyam” and “Sakhyam”, Sage Narada adds two more forms- “Vatsalya” and “Kaanta”. “Vatsalyam” refers to perceiving God in the form of a child or that of a Mother/Father. It is the Love and attachment present between that of Parents and Children. “Kaantasakti” refers to loving God as a lover/spouse. 

These Nine forms of Bhakti are lower stage of Bhakti i,e Bheda Bhakti. “Atmanivedanasakti”, “Tanmayasakti” and “Paramavirahasakti” belongs to higher stage of Bhakti i,e Abheda Bhakti.

As explained earlier, “Atmanivedana” refers to “complete surrendering of everything including one’s ownself to God”. “Tanmayata” is the final stage of “Atmanivedana”, it refers to complete merging of Self in Brahman, the Two becoming one. The Bhakta merging and becoming one with Ishwara is Tanmayata. “Viraha” refers to “separation/pain of separation”. The Bhakta faces extreme pain because of his separation from God. He continuously desires to become one with the object of his devotion. Such Bhakti where a devotee continuously bears the pains of separation and desires to be united with God is “Paramavirahasakti”.

For a spiritual practitioner both Bheda Bhakti and Abheda Bhakti are very important. Many modern day Bhakti proponents concentrate only on lower stage of Bheda Bhakti while completely rejecting Abheda Bhakti. Similarly Neo-Vedantins seem to ignore the Bheda Bhakti concentrating only on Abheda Bhakti. But, both sides fail to understand that Bheda and Abheda are two stages of same Bhakti and both are very vital for one’s spiritual progress.

Bheda Bhakti facilitates a person to purify his mind and give up his Aham-kaara and Mamah-kaara. A person by practicing devotion by using external symbols and rituals will learn to surrender his actions, the doership of actions and the fruits of action to God. These qualities in turn will create a transformation in a person’s svabhava (internal and external behavior). He/she will develop qualities like Viveka(discrimination), Vairagya(dispassion), Indriya Nigraha(self-control), Titaksha(forbearance) and Mumukshutva (burning desire for Liberation) without which no further spiritual progress is possible.

The ultimate goal of life according to Hindu scriptures is Moksha-liberation. And Bheda and Abheda bhakti are two stages that ultimately lead a person to Moksha. Without the practice of Bheda bhakti and Nishkama Karma it is impossible to develop an understanding (viveka) that Jiva and Brahman are in essence one and not two separate things; one’s True self is identical with God. Without the development of this viveka-spiritual insight, it is not possible for a devotee to practice Abheda/Para Bhakti and hence cannot achieve Moksha. Adi Shankaracharya in vivekachudamani describes Para Bhakti as follows-

Moksha Kaarana Saamagryam Bhaktireva Gariyasi |

Svasvaroopaanusandhanam Bhaktirityabhidhiyate || (6)

“Among things conducive to Liberation, devotion (Bhakti) holds the supreme place. The seeking after one’s real nature is designated as devotion.”

Here, Bhakti is defined as “Svasvaroopaanusandhanam” meaning “seeking after” or “contemplating on” one’s own “True Self”.  A person cannot gain Moksha without practicing Abheda Bhakti-contemplation on True Self/Atman. And it is not possible for him to practice Abheda Bhakti without developing viveka and other qualities. Bhakti leads to Jnana and this Jnana in turn leads to Bhakti which finally leads to Jnana and Moksha. Jnana is “Viveka” in first case and “Atma Sakshatkara” in latter case. Bhakti is “Bheda Apara Bhakti” in first case and “Abhedha Para Bhakti” in the latter case.

Footnotes: 

1.       Narada Bhakti Sutra, Verse 2-3.

2.       Vyavaharika refers to Relative reality, Paramarthika refers to Absolute reality. For information refer to my article- “The Two Realities”.

3.       Srimad Bhagavatam, Verse 7.5.23.

4.       Panchopachara puja- offering of five items-Gandha(sandalwood paste),Pushpa (flower), Dhoopa(insense), Deepa(lamp), Naivedhya (food). Shodashopachara puja- offering of 16 items- Dhyana(meditation), Avahana(invocation), Aasana(seat), Padhya(water to wash feet), Arghya(sprinkling of water),Snana(water for bath), Vastra(clothes), Yagnopaveeta(sacred thread),Gandha(sandalwood paste),Pushpa (flower), Dhoopa(insense), Deepa(lamp), Naivedhya (food), Taambola(beetle leaves), Neerajana(camphor/aarti), Pushpaanjali(flower).

5.       Narada Bhakti Sutra, Verse 82.

6.       Vivekachudamani, Verse 31.