7.25.1 and 7.25.2
The infinite alone is below, is above, is behind, is in front. It is in all directions-to the south, to the north. That alone is all this. The empirical world is mithyA. There is no second entity supporting Bhuma. There is nothing else besides Him on which He can be established. It is self-supported, so to say. That the wave supports water is a misstatement. There is no wave other than water. In order to avoid a possible misconception that individual soul is different from the Infinite, the Upanishad gives instructions: “I am indeed below, I am indeed above, I am behind, I am in front, I am in the south, I am in the north, I am indeed all this”. Even then, non-discriminating people might conceive I as representing mind and body. Therefore, further instructions are imparted: The Self indeed is below, the Self is above, the Self is behind, in the front, in the south and in the north, and the Self is indeed all this.
Bhuma is the Self which is the common thread across all jIvas. The Self is pure consciousness which is non-dual and same for all jIvas. There is no distinction between a pot space and the space outside, because the distinctions are imaginary. So is the identity of the Self and Bhuma. By meditation on earlier principles i.e., name, speech, etc, as Brahman, one acquires freedom of movement to the extent of the respective principles including vital forces. The extent is finite and limited. Now with the instruction that the Self is infinite, the limited freedom of movement is negated, and the meditator becomes sovereign in absolute sense. It must be understood that Self does not mean body or mind. It is pure consciousness. A man who sees, reflects and assimilates this fact claims himself as the Happiness aspect of Self. In doing so he also enjoys the worldly pleasures because he knows that the worldly joys whether his own or others are mere reflections of Happiness which he really is.
7.26.1 and 7.26.2
NArada has been led to Bhuma by introducing 15 entities in stages beginning from name and ending with prAna as Brahman and negating each one to move to the next. Bhuma is Self. Self is the source of all the entities. At the time dissolution of one cycle of creation, the world resolves in Self. At appropriate time, the Self ‘multiplies’ and creation unfolds.
The Upanishad says: ‘He is one, becomes threefold, fivefold, sevenfold, ninefold, elevenfold, and so on to become a hundred-and-tenfold and further a thousand-and-twentyfold. It is interpreted: onefold as the one, non-dual Being. It is threefold, being adhyatmika, adhibhautika and adhidaivika or the three elements fire, water and earth. It is fivefold as the senses etc, and sevenfold as the constituents of the body. It is ninefold as the five sense-organs and the four subdivisions of the mind. It is elevenfold as the ten organs and the mind.
Gaining Self-knowledge is a tall order. However, one should not be discouraged provided he practices spiritual disciplines to purify his mind. It should be nourished with sattvic thoughts. A pure mind can reflect in pure manner and has higher understanding. The memory becomes strong. With strong memory, he abides in higher values and there is release from all knots of heart. In fine, with sincerity, a person becomes qualified for jnAna yoga. Mind is like a cloth dyed in craving, hatred and other evils. Purification of mind is a process like bleaching a stained cloth. NArada has become stainless and pure through the instruction of the divine preceptor and has crossed the ocean of samsAra. The message is that like NArada, anyone can reach the supreme goal. The divine preceptor is Sanatkumar. He is called Skanda which means a wise person.
A Self-realized person has universal vision. He does not see anything different from himself. He is present everywhere. Death, illness and old age have no meaning for him. He is a iIvanmukta who lives to exhaust prArabdha. But he is not affected by prArabdha because is defanged due to knowledge.
Contd Part 10