I am Shiva

[atanu]

Aparokshanubhuti

51. Just as a thing made of gold ever has the nature of gold, so also a being born of Brahman has always the nature of Brahman.
52. Fear is attributed to the ignorant one who rests after making even the slightest distinction between the Jivatman and the Paramatman.
53. When duality appears through ignorance, one sees another; but when everything becomes identified with the Atman, one does not perceive another even in the least.
54. In that state when one realizes all as identified with the Atman, there arises neither delusion nor sorrow, in consequence of the absence of duality.
55. The Shruti in the form of the Brihadaranyaka has declared that this Atman, which is the Self of all, is verily Brahman.
56. This world, though an object of our daily experience and serving all practical purposes, is, like the dream world, of the nature of non-existence, inasmuch as it is contradicted the next moment.
57. The dream (experience) is unreal in waking, whereas the waking (experience) is absent in dream. Both, however, are non-existent in deep sleep which, again, is not experienced in either.
58. Thus all the three states are unreal inasmuch as they are the creation of the three Gunas; but their witness (the reality behind them) is, beyond all Gunas, eternal, one, and is Consciousness itself.
59. Just as (after the illusion has gone) one is no more deluded to see a jar in earth or silver in the nacre, so does one no more see Jiva in Brahman when the latter is realized (as one’s own self).
60. Just as earth is described as a jar, gold as an ear-ring, and a nacre as silver, so is Brahman described as Jiva.
61. Just as blueness in the sky, water in the mirage, and a human figure in a post (are but illusory), so is the universe in Atman.
62. Just as the appearance of a ghost in an empty place, of a castle in the air, and of a second moon in the sky (is illusory), so is the appearance of the universe in Brahman.
63. Just as it is water that appears as ripples and waves, or again it is copper, that appears in the form of vessel so it is Atman that appears as the whole universe.
64. Just as it is earth that appears under the name of a jar, or it is threads that appear under the name of a cloth, so it is Atman that appears under the name of the universe. This Atman is to be known by negating the names.
65. People perform all their actions in and through Brahman, (but on account of ignorance they are not aware of that), just as through ignorance persons do not know that jars and other earthenwares are nothing but earth.
66. Just as there ever exist the relation of cause and effect between earth and a jar, so does the same relation exist between Brahman and the phenomenal world; this has been established here on the strength of scriptural texts and reasoning.
67. Just as (the consciousness of) earth forces itself upon our mind while thinking of a jar, so also does (the idea of) ever-shining Brahman flash on us while contemplating on the phenomenal world.
68. Atman, though ever pure (to a wise man), always appears to be impure (to an ignorant one), just as a rope always appears in two different ways to a knowing person and an ignorant one.
69. Just as a jar is all earth, so also is the body all consciousness. The division, therefore, into the Self and non-Self is made by the ignorant to no purpose.
70. Just as a rope is imagined to be a snake and a nacre to be a piece of silver, so is the Atman determined to be the body by an ignorant person.

[atanu]

Aparokshanubhuti

71. Just as earth is thought of as a jar (made of it) and threads as a cloth, so is Atman, etc.,
72. Just as gold is thought of as an ear-ring and water as waves, so is the Atman, etc.,
73. Just as the stump of a tree is mistaken for a human figure and a mirage for water, so is the Atman, etc.,
74. Just as a mass of wood work is thought of as a house and iron as a sword, so is the Atman, etc.,
75. Just as one sees the illusion of a tree on account of water, so does a person on account of ignorance see Atman as the body.
76. Just as to a person going in a boat everything appears to be in motion, so does one, etc.,
77. Just as to a person suffering from a defect (jaundice) white things appear as yellow, so does one, etc.,
78. Just as to a person with defective eyes everything appears to be defective, so does one, etc.,
79. Just as a firebrand, through mere rotation, appears circular like the sun, so does one, etc.,
80. Just as all things that are really large appear to be very small owing to great distance, so does one, etc.,
81. Just as all objects that are very small appear to be large when viewed through lenses, so does one, etc.,
82. Just as a surface of glass is mistaken for water, or vice versa, so does one, etc.,
83. Just as a person imagines a jewel in fire or vice versa, so does one, etc.,
84. Just as when clouds move, the moon appears to be in motion, so does one, etc.,
85. Just as a person through confusion loses all distinction between the different points of the compass, so does one, etc.,
86. Just as the moon (when reflected) in water appears to one as unsteady, so does one, etc.,
87. Thus through ignorance arises in Atman the delusion of the body, which, again, through Self-realization, disappears in the supreme Atman.
88. When the whole universe, movable and immovable, is known to be Atman, and thus the existence of everything else is negated, where is then any room to say that the body is Atman?
89. O enlightened one, pass your time always contemplating on Atman while you are experiencing all the results of Prarabdha; for it ill becomes you to feel distressed.
90. The theory one hears of from the scripture, that Prarabdha does not lose its hold upon one even after the origination of the knowledge of Atman, is now being refuted.

[atanu]

Aparokshanubhuti

91. After the origination of the knowledge of Reality, Prarabdha verily ceases to exist, inasmuch as the body and the like become non-existent; just as a dream does not exist on waking.
92. That Karma which is done in a previous life is known as Prarabdha (which produces the present life). But such Karma cannot take the place of Prarabdha (for a man of knowledge), as he has no other birth (being free from ego).
93. Just as the body in a dream is superimposed (and therefore illusory), so is also this body. How could there be any birth of the superimposed (body), and in the absence of birth (of the body) where is the room for that (i.e., Prarabdha) at all ?
94. The Vedanta texts declare ignorance to be verily the material (cause) of the phenomenal world just as earth is of a jar. That (ignorance) being destroyed, where can the universe subsist ?
95. Just as a person out of confusion perceives only the snake leaving aside the rope, so does an ignorant person see only the phenomenal world without knowing the reality.
96. The real nature of the rope being known, the appearance of the snake no longer persists; so the substratum being known, the phenomenal world disappears completely.
97. The body also being within the phenomenal world (and therefore unreal), how could Prarabdha exist ? It is, therefore, for the understanding of the ignorant alone that the Shruti speaks of Prarabdha.
98. “And all the actions of a man perish when he realizes that (Atman) which is both the higher and the lower”. Here the clear use of the plural by the Shruti is to negate Prarabdha as well.
99. If the ignorant still arbitrarily maintain this, they will not only involve themselves into two absurdities but will also run the risk of forgoing the Vedantic conclusion. So one should accept those Shrutis alone from which proceeds true knowledge.
100. Now, for the attainment of the aforesaid (knowledge), I shall expound the fifteen steps by the help of which one should practice profound meditation at all times.
101. The Atman that is absolute existence and knowledge cannot be realized without constant practice. So one seeking after knowledge should long meditate upon Brahman for the attainment of the desired goal.
102-103. The steps, in order, are described as follows: the control of the senses, the control of the mind, renunciation, silence, space, time, posture, the restraining root (Mulabandha), the equipoise of the body, the firmness of vision, the control of the vital forces, the withdrawal of the mind, concentration, self-contemplation and complete absorption.
104. The restraint of all the senses by means of such knowledge as “All this is Brahman” is rightly called Yama, which should be practiced again and again.
105. The continuous flow of only one kind of thought to the exclusion of all other thoughts, is called Niyama, which is verily the supreme bliss and is regularly practiced by the wise.
106. The abandonment of the illusory universe by realizing it as the all-conscious Atman is the real renunciation honored by the great, since it is of the nature of immediate liberation.
107. The wise should always be one with that silence wherefrom words together with the mind turn back without reaching it, but which is attainable by the Yogins.
108-109. Who can describe That whence words turn away ? Or if the phenomenal world were to be described, even that is beyond words. This, to give an alternate definition, may also be termed silence known among the sages as congenital. The observance of silence by restraining speech, on the other hand, is ordained by the teachers of Brahman for the ignorant.
110. That solitude is known as space, wherein the universe does not exist in the beginning, end or middle, but whereby it is pervaded at all times.

Om Namah Shivayya

[atanu]

Aparokshanubhuti

111. The non-dual (Brahman) that is bliss indivisible is denoted by the word ‘time’, since it brings into existence, in the twinkling of an eye all beings from Brahman downwards.
112. One should known that as real posture in which the meditation on Brahman flows spontaneously and unceasingly, and not any other that destroys one’s happiness.
113. That which is well known as the origin of all beings and the support of the whole universe, which is immutable and in which the enlightened are completely merged … that alone is known as Siddhasana (eternal Brahman).
114. That (Brahman) which is the root of all existence and on which the restraint of the mind is based is called the restraining root (Mulabandha) which should always be adopted since it is fit for Raja-yogins.
115. Absorption in the uniform Brahman should be known as the equipoise of the limbs (Dehasamya). Otherwise mere straightening of the body like that of a dried-up tree is no equipoise.
116. Converting the ordinary vision into one of knowledge one should view the world as Brahman itself. That is the noblest vision, and not that which is directed to the tip of the nose.
117. Or, one should direct one’s vision to That alone where all distinction of the seer, sight, and the seen ceases and not to the tip of the nose.
118. The restraint of all modifications of the mind by regarding all mental states like the Chitta as Brahman alone, is called Pranayama.
119-120. The negation of the phenomenal world is known as Rechaka (breathing out), the thought, “I am verily Brahman”, is called Puraka (breathing in), and the steadiness of that thought thereafter is called Kumbhaka (restraining the breath). This is the real course of Pranayama for the enlightened, whereas the ignorant only torture the nose.
121. The absorption of the mind in the Supreme Consciousness by realizing Atman in all objects is known as Pratyahara (withdrawal of the mind) which should be practiced by the seekers after liberation.
122. The steadiness of the mind through realization of Brahman wherever the mind goes, is known as the supreme Dharana (concentration).
123. Remaining independent of everything as a result of the unassailable thought, “I am verily Brahman”, is well known by the word Dhyana (meditation), and is productive of supreme bliss.
124. The complete forgetfulness of all thought by first making it changeless and then identifying it with Brahman is called Samadhi known also as knowledge.
125. The aspirant should carefully practice this (meditation) that reveals his natural bliss until, being under his full control, it arises spontaneously, in an instant when called into action.
126. Then he, the best among Yogis having attained to perfection, becomes free from all practices. The real nature of such a man never becomes an object of the mind or speech.
127-128. While practicing Samadhi there appear unavoidably many obstacles, such as lack of inquiry, idleness, desire for sense-pleasure, sleep, dullness, distraction, tasting of joy, and the sense of blankness. One desiring the knowledge of Brahman should slowly get rid of such innumerable obstacles.
129. While thinking of an object the mind verily identifies itself with that, and while thinking of a void it really becomes blank, whereas by the thought of Brahman it attains to perfection. So one should constantly think of (Brahman to attain) perfection.
130. Those who give up this supremely purifying thought of Brahman, live in vain and are on the same level with beasts.


Om Namah Shivayya

[atanu]

Aparokshanubhuti

131. Blessed indeed are those virtuous persons who at first have this consciousness of Brahman and then develop it more and more. They are respected everywhere.
132. Only those in whom this consciousness (of Brahman) being ever present grows into maturity, attain to the state of ever-existent Brahman; and not others who merely deal with words.
133. Also those persons who are only clever in discussing about Brahman but have no realization, and are very much attached to worldly pleasures, are born and die again and again in consequence of their ignorance.
134. The aspirants after Brahman should not remain a single moment without the thought of Brahman, just like Brahma, Sanaka, Suka and others.
135. The nature of the cause inheres in the effect and not vice versa; so through reasoning it is found that in the absence of the effect, the cause, as such also disappears.
136. Then that pure reality (Brahman) which is beyond speech alone remains. This should be understood again and again verily through the illustration of earth and the pot.
137. In this way alone there arises in the pure-minded a state of awareness (of Brahman), which is afterwards merged into Brahman.
138. One should first look for the cause by the negative method and then find it by the positive method, as ever inherent in the effect.
139. One should verily see the cause in the effect, and then dismiss the effect altogether. What then remains, the sage himself becomes.
140. A person who meditates upon a thing with great assiduity and firm conviction, becomes that very thing. This may be understood from the illustration of the wasp and the worm.
141. The wise should always think with great care of the invisible, the visible, and everything else, as his own Self which is consciousness itself.
142. Having reduced the visible to the invisible, the wise should think of the universe as one with Brahman. Thus alone will he abide in eternal felicity with mind full of consciousness and bliss.
143. Thus has been described Raja-Yoga consisting of these steps (mentioned above). With this is to be combined Hatha-Yoga for (the benefit of) those whose worldly desires are partially attenuated.
144. For those whose mind is completely purified this (Raja-Yoga) alone is productive of perfection. Purity of the mind, again, is speedily accessible to those who are devoted to the teacher and the Deity.



Om Namah Shivayya

[atanu]

From a discourse by Sathya Sai Baba

Strengthen the Belief that all Objects belong to God

To teach the unity behind the appearance of multiplicity Shankara, established four seats of practical philosophy called Mutts in the four regions of India. The very first step in the endeavor to realize this unity was, according to him, Upaasana or worship of the concrete symbol of God, which gives one the experience of the ecstasy of union.

One day, Shankara while seated in meditation on the bank of the Ganga River exclaimed, "Lord! I am yours; but, surely, you are not mine." His pupil, Thotakacharya was astonished. So, he asked Shankara how he could ever declare any distinction between I and you?

Shankara replied, "The waves belong to the ocean; but, the ocean does not belong to the wave. The wave is the ocean, but the ocean is not the wave."


Om Namah Shivayya

[atanu]

Lord is adorable to all. No form endowed deity can be adorable to all. Many will not know the form itself. But everybody knows the indwelling Self and it is adorable to all. He is thus called tadvana -- that delight. The Self of all.The Self -- one without a second in whom the world disappears, the good, the best.



Om Namah Shivayya

[sarabhanga]

I am not mind or intellect, ego, or any mental state,
I am not hearing or taste, smell or sight,
I am not space or earth, fire or air,
The embodiment of blissful consciousness: I am Shiva! I am Shiva! [1]

I am also not vital breath nor the five winds,
Not the seven substances, nor the five sheaths,
Not the tongue or hands, not feet, genitals or rectum,
The embodiment of blissful consciousness: I am Shiva! I am Shiva! [2]

I am not attraction nor repulsion, greed nor delusion,
I am neither pride nor vanity, jealously nor envy,
I am not righteousness, nor wealth, nor pleasure, nor liberation,
The embodiment of blissful consciousness: I am Shiva! I am Shiva! [3]

I am not virtue nor vice, not pleasure nor pain,
I am not prayer nor pilgrimage, not scripture nor sacrifice,
I am not the enjoyer nor the enjoyed nor the enjoyment,
The embodiment of blissful consciousness: I am Shiva! I am Shiva! [4]

I am not fear, not death not caste distinction,
I am not father, not mother, not birth,
Not family, not friend, neither guru nor disciple,
The embodiment of blissful consciousness: I am Shiva! I am Shiva! [5]

I am beyond thought and beyond form,
I am in all things, everywhere, in all senses,
I am impartial to all, neither attached nor detached,
The embodiment of blissful consciousness: I am Shiva! I am Shiva! [6]

Download: AtmaSaTkam

[atanu]

This universe, all that I see -- sun, moon, stars, others, and this so-called body of mine -- constitute my universe. It is there since I perceive it. These are there since I am there. If someone, such as Sudarshan comes and tells me: Universe exists, that also is possible since I exist and perceive. I only perceive Sudarshan existing.

Now what is this I? It is the pure intelligence that perceives and interprets and cognizes. Further, since nothing can be out of this awareness, all things of this universe also exist in this awareness only.


This I is absolutely alone. All other things that appear to exist, exist only because this lonely I exists. If one can perceive this much then Vichara can proceed very fruitfully for him.

This unlimited I, which has arisen in the truth as AHAM has considered the body (which is just another object of this universe) as I. This is the only ignorance resident in mind, which is a conglomeration of thoughts and not real. The substratum, from which the AHAM arises, has no feeing of qualified I and is ever free.


This is the prasad of Shiva given to me in his infinite mercy, through my Guru.


Om

Shiva alone is. There is no seer, seeing, and seen.


On enquiry "Who AM I?", the I is found to be pure light full of peace and joy. It is the same Self that is superimposed by objects (gross and subtle in waking and dream states respectively) and is hidden by tamas in deep sleep (where I becomes bodyless and egoless on account of desirelessness). When, being in the state of that limitless light, one further enquires "Who am I? and/or "Who is making these enquiries?", one is illuminated that the "I" is not localized and limited.

It is pure peace.

Om Namah Shivayya

[atanu]

Shiva alone is. There is no seer, seeing, and seen.


On enquiry "Who AM I?", the I is found to be pure light full of peace and joy. It is the same Self that is superimposed by objects (gross and subtle in waking and dream states respectively) and is hidden by tamas in deep sleep (where I becomes bodyless and egoless on account of desirelessness). When, being in the state of that limitless light, one further enquires "Who am I? and/or "Who is making these enquiries?", one is illuminated that the "I" is not localized and limited.

It is pure peace.

Om Namah Shivayya

VEDIC SCRIPTURES: ON LORD SHIVA...

• The Surpreme Lord is not two. To me belongs the glory of meditating that I, His devoted servant, am He. As one imagines, so one becomes. Therefore, practice the meditation of "I am He." Then all your actions will become His action. (Natchintanai)
• He is the Surpreme Brahman, the Self of all, the chief foundation of this world, subtler than the subtle, eternal. That thou art; thou art That. (Atharva Veda)
• Him who is without beginning and without end, in the midst of confusion, the Creator of all, of manifold form, the One embracer of the universe--by knowing God, one is released from all fetters. (Yajur Veda)
• He is the never-created creator of all: He knows all. He is pure consciousness, the creator of time, all-powerful, all knowing. He is the Lord of the soul and of nature and of the three conditions of nature. From Him comes the transmigration of life and liberation, bondage in time and freedom in eternity. (Yajur Veda)
• All this universe is in the glory of God, of Siva, the God of Love. The heads and faces of men are His own, and He is in the hearts of all. (Yajur Veda)
• God is, in truth, the whole universe: what was, what is and what beyond shall ever be. He is the God of life immortal and of all life that lives by food. His hands and feet are everywhere. He has heads and mouths everywhere. He sees all, He hears all. He is in all, and He is. (Yajur Veda)
• He is the God of forms infinite, in whose glory all things are, smaller than the smallest atom, and yet the creator of all, ever living in the mystery of his creation. In the vision of this God of love there is everlasting peace. (Yajur Veda)
• Fire is His head, the sun and moon His eyes, space His ears, the Vedas His speech, the wind His breath, the universe His heart. From His feet the earth has originated. Verily, He is the inner Self of all beings. (Yajur Veda)
• He the Self, is not this, not that. He is ungraspable, for He is not grasped. He is indestructible, for He cannot be destroyed, He is unattached, for He does not cling to anything. He is unbound, He does not suffer, nor is He injured. (Yajur Veda)
• Love of Siva's feet eradicates bad karma. Love of Siva's feet grants you the clarity of mind. Love of Siva's feet imbues the heart with gladness. Love of Siva's feet is consciousness itself. (Natchintanai)
• The inspired Self is not born nor does He die; He springs from nothing and becomes nothing. Unborn, permanent, unchanging, primordial. He is not destroyed when the body is destroyed. (Yajur Veda)
• Pure consciousness, taking form as knowledge and action, is present in the soul everywhere and always, for the soul is universal in its unfettered state. (Mrigendra Agama)
• A goldsmith fashions several ornaments out of gold. So God, the great goldsmith, makes many ornaments-different souls-out of the one Universal Spirit. (Natchintanai)
• Desireless, wise, immortal, self-existent, full of bliss, lacking in nothing, is the one who knows the wise, unaging, youthful atman. He fears not death! (Yajur Veda)
• I pray Thee for undying love. I pray Thee for the birthless state; but were I to be born again, for the grace of never forgetting Thee. Still more do I pray to be at Thy feet singing joyfully while Thou dancest. (Tirumurai)
• The Life of my life, whose nature'tis to hold the fire in His hand, essence of Truth of purest gold, who neither comes nor goes, the Mighty One who doth all souls pervade-in this great world, for those who thus meditate on Him, all future births will end. (Natchintanai)
• When cease the five (sense) knowledges, together with the mind, and the intellect stirs not-that they say, is the highest course. (Yajur Veda)
• Never does a man attain moksha by his own skill; by no means other than the grace of Siva, the dispeller of evil, is such an attainment possible. (Paushkara Agama)
• The One Entity-blissful, entire and all pervading-alone exists, and nothing else; he who constantly realizes this knowledge is freed from death and the sorrow of the world-wheel. (Natchintanai)
• When a man knows God, he is free: his sorrows have and end, and birth and death are no more. When in inner union he is beyond the world of the body, then the third world, the world of the Spirit, is found, where the power of All is, and man has all-for he is one with the One. (Yajur Veda)
• As one not knowing that a golden treasure lies buried beneath his feet may walk over it again and again yet never find it-so all beings live every moment in the city of Brahman yet never find Him, because of the veil of illusion by which He is concealed. (Sama Veda)
• O, ye, my men and woman! Try to get into the habit of meditating and praying to Siva, the Surpreme. All your sins will disappear as the filmy dew evaporates as soon as the sun shines. (Tirumuari)
• Turn away from confusion, ignorance, delusion, dream, sleep or wakefulness, for the Surpreme is different from the gross body, from the subtle prana, from thought or intellect or ego. Meditate on consciousness and become one with it. (Devikalottara Agama)
• When, to a man who knows, all beings have become one with his or her own Self when futhermore he perceives this oneness, how then can sorrow or delusion touch him? (Yajur Veda)
• I go for refuge to God who is One in the silence of eternity, pure radiance of beauty and perfection, in whom we find our peace. He is the bridge surpreme which leads to immortality, and the spirit of fire which burns the dross of lower life. (Yajur Veda)
• Only by a tranquil mind does one destroy all action, good or bad. Once the self is pacified, one abides in the Self and attains everlasting bliss. If the mind becomes as firmly established in Brahman as it is usually attached to the sense objects, who, then, will not be released from bondage? (Yajur Veda)
• He who sees that the Lord of all is ever the same in all that is-immortal in the field of mortality-he sees the truth. And when a man (woman) sees that the God in himself is the same God in all that is, he (she) hurts not themselves by not hurting others. Then we go indeed, to the highest path! (Bhagavad Gita)
• Let us now invoke for our aid the Lord Of Speech, the Designer of all things, the inspirer of wisdom! May He, the ever-kindly, be well disposed to our summons, and may He, whose work is goodness, grant us His blessing! (Rig Veda)
• Of Lords the Lord Supreme, of kings the King, of Gods the God, Him let us worship-transcendent, Lord of all worlds and wholly worthy of worship. (Yajur Veda)
• A myriad of times are they born and die. In a million follies they forgot this; and in the darkness of mala are enveloped. When at last the hidden Grace of Siva bursts forth and chases the night away, then is the moment for the soul to renounce. When it does, a radiant light it becomes. (Tirumantiram)
• In the one who has conquered his self and is peaceful, the Supreme Self, in heat or cold, joy or pain, honor or disgrace, abides in serenity. He who is full of wisdom an understanding, calm and controlled, to whom a clod, a stone and gold are the same, is in truth a "yogin". (Bhagavad Gita)
• On those who wholeheartedly surrender their possessions, souls and bodies, Nataraja, the Gracious Giver, will at once bestow His golden lotus feet. That is the truth! (Natchintanai)
• Within him is fire, within him is drink, within him both earth and heaven. He is the sun which views the whole world, he is indeed light itself, the long-haired ascetic. (Rig Veda).

He who has realized by himself his soul's Self will be worshiped by all other souls. (Tirukural)