Vivek - Last Part

Ādhidaivik Tāp (आधिदैविक ताप)

Ādhidaivik Tāp stands for the inflictions on subtle body imposed after death. It is relieved after attaining liberation (Moksha, मोक्ष). Subtle body (Vāsanā-deha, वासना देह) is the main reason why a person gets caught in the cycle of rebirth and death. Vāsanā is a principle, it is an imprint on the mind. The unfulfilled desires from past births are rooted in the intellect (Buddhi, बुद्धी). Because of these imprints, Jiva suffers even after death. Jiva has to go through many births to fulfill incpmplete desires, which are stored from many past births. Desires (Vāsanā, वासना) are bondages. It is impossible to fulfill all of them in one birth. If these subconscious desires are completely eradicated, there is no reason for rebirth. Jiva gets liberated from the life-death cycle, and consequently there is no Ādhidaivik Tāp.

The idea of bondage is implicit when we talk about liberation. ‘I am body’ is a bondage. ‘The world around me is real, and it is mine’ is a bondage. ‘I am the doer and the enjoyer of worldly pleasures’ is a bondage. Liberation from these imaginary bondages is Moksha. Freedom from the chains of ‘I and mine’ is Moksha. All bondages are fictitious, we have only imagined them to be real. If these bondages were real, how could have they been broken with Pure Knowledge (Ātma-Jñana, आत्मज्ञान)? They must be imaginary since one can emancipate from them by acquiring knowledge about the real Self.

As a result of unfulfilled subconscious desires from many past births, we have tightly coupled ‘I’ with ‘my body’. Hence all pains, blows, miseries inflicted on the body are perceived to be ‘my own sufferings’, which result in unhappiness. A seeker can make a firm resolve, ‘I am not body.  I am Ātman or Pure Bliss that does not depend on anything or anyone. The world is illusory. It is being deceptively seen on the substratum of Brahman.’ With this conviction, agonies inflicted by the imaginary world on imaginary body are perceived as imaginary. Bondages and liberation become imaginary as well. For that, we should spend time studying scriptures of Vedānta and reflecting on them.  It is imperative to follow saints and seers such as Ādi Shañkarāchārya, Kabir, Tulsidās, Samarth Rāmdas, Tukārām and Dnyāneshwar. These saints have keenly studied the Vedic texts and followed them in life. The recitation of the Mañtra ‘Om Shāntiḥ Shāntiḥ Shāntiḥ’ will be meaningful only when scriptures are applied in everyday life.

The concept of Soham meditation needs to be learnt in the same manner. The word Soham includes ‘Saha, सः’ (Brahman) and ‘Aham, अहं’ (I). Verbal chanting of ‘Soham’ is neither sufficient nor effective. The utterance is supposed to lead to an internal resolve that ‘I am Brahman’. Usually, Soham remains only a ‘verbal commitment’ due to the lack of constant presence of Viveka. Jiva does not become one with Shiva (Ātman). Jiva does not get liberated.

Lord Krishna says in Bhagvad-Gitā –

Manushyāṇāṃ sahasreshu kaschidyatati siddhaye |

Yatatāmapi siddānāṃ kaschinmāṃ vetti tattvataḥ || (Gitā 7-3)

(मनुष्याणां सहस्त्रेषु कश्चिद्यतति सिद्धये |

यततामपि सिद्धानां कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वत: ||)

- ‘Out of thousands of people hardly one strives for Self-realization, and out of those so striving hardly one actually attains Self-realization and knows me (Lord Krishna or Brahman) for real.’

The scarcity of genuine seekers is a known and accepted fact. Spiritual pursuit is neither the highest priority nor necessity for most people. It is categorized as ‘good to do’, not ‘must do’. This precisely is the problem. People take refuge in spiritual shelter only when they are struck with miseries in life. Their Viveka stays intact while listening to discourses, reading texts and studying nuances in scriptures, but it doesn’t sustain in the long run.

Samarth Ramdas Swāmi says that ‘the impact and influence of Vedic texts recedes as soon as one gets away from the place where spiritual studies take place’. Attending workshops, listening discourses and reading texts are good habits that help in conditioning the mind. But mind reacquires its old habits as soon as we stop listening or reading the spiritual texts. Viveka tends to gradually subside in day-to-day life. The texts that get read or heard do not get internalized completely. We do not apply them in life. No significant change occurs even after prolonged spiritual pursuit. To avoid this, we need to carefully read, listen, understand, discern, assimilate the texts and repetitively study them. Profound and consistent meditative thinking is called as Nididhyāsana (निदिध्यासन). Without Nididhyāsana, Moksha cannot be attained. These processes are expounded very well by Upanishads. If they are studied and used pertinently, they provide expected results.

Insentient (Jada, जड़) entities are not constant, while sentient (Chetan, चेतन) Brahman is constant and perpetual. To be able to discriminate and choose ‘sentient’ Brahman is called as the discrimination between ‘perpetual and non-perpetual’ (Nitya-Anitya-Viveka). Sentient Brahman is the ‘meaningful core’ while insentient entities are ‘peripheral’. This is called as the discrimination between the ‘crux and peripheral’ (Sāra-Asāra-Viveka). Gross body is insentient. Ātman is sentient and it pervades gross body. To redirect outgoing thoughts from gross body inward towards Ātman is called as the discrimination between ‘real-self and non-self’ (Ātma-Anātma-Viveka). Scriptures constantly preach us to make use of these three types of discriminations and choose the Self-Effulgent, Eternal Ātman.

The theory of Advaita Vedānta is intriguing. It is a fascinating experience to learn just the theory. Consider an ocean where we find great pleasure just in playing with waves at the shore. Surely it would be much more joyous and exhilarating experience to swim deep in that ocean. Likewise, Vedānta is not meant to be verbally or superficially learnt, nor is it meant for boasting proficiency in it. There is immense pleasure in experiencing and realizing the message of Vedic texts, rather than just learning the theory.

Many people take refuge in the shelter of spirituality to change their destiny, or get quick results. They look at it as a mere hobby and perform many meaningless spiritual activities. Neither do they strive to learn the core message of Vedānta, nor do they conduct genuine spiritual practices. They succumb to superficial thoughts, and do not follow any path with resilience. Their approach is as casual as buying vegetables from a roadside grocer. So, they don’t get the prescribed results. The beautiful field of Spirituality is maligned due to such people. A genuine and inquisitive seeker should consciously search for what he desires, and contemplate on where he can find it. Spiritual pursuit is not meant merely for an extrinsic show-off. It is meant for implementation of authentic spiritual practices in day-to-day life. A seeker needs to do excellent groundwork for that purpose. It is imperative that Viveka, which is the first step in Sādhan-Chatushṭaya, is comprehended in a wholesome manner. Various processes have been explained in this article with the help of Peace-Mañtra for this purpose.

 

|| Hari Om ||

adaghbcb