There's infinite grace out there that keeps on pulling you like a magnet at various intervals, most so when you're in great trouble, sAdhanA-wise. Its just like your Guru saying "Don't worry, I'm around, no matter what". The sad part is balancing the middle-path act. As it is things aren't getting any better with a place to settle down. To add to that pain, people want me to to take to one path or the other, but not both. What I want, I don't have the approval and blessings for. What they want, I couldn't care any lesser about. Now there are new set of them, who want me on the other side! These new set of people care a lot for my sAdhana, not that there weren't any earlier, but now the number has increased. Others seem to think that I want to be on the banks opposite to the sAdhakA's; opining that I want to get into grihastA's shoes! Thats quite contrary to what I'm targeting. However, I'm trying to develop a passion to keep me among the worldly, but not too much passion to cross the river across to the wrong side. My idea of passion is a hobby... such as learning music or teaching stuff (I think) I know; trekking, funding it with some earnings, some investments; gardening for a bit; an expensive hobby like driving a car, owning it; or photography; blah blah... I think you get the drift. If you don't, here's more clarity: a hobby that takes a chunk of time off my sAdhana, but doesn't involve me much with more people than "necessary"; all these also mean things I can *give up* anytime without any broken or held-back commitments. sAdhana goes in ups and downs due to these newfound habits and thats precisely what I want to do, keeping the surface outlook going up and down, while the undercurrent becoming strongly spiritual. However, this approach has its own grave losses.
Now for the whining on the losses; stop reading right here and skip this para, if you can't take it please. When I was ready to get into complete seclusion for intense sAdhana, I didn't get the right place. Now that I've taken a back seat on a middle path, developing newer interests to the happiness of all that are concerned with my "worldly" life, the ones concerned with my sAdhana are offering me great opportunities for spiritual upthrust, possibly for a sudden recovery of lost years. Of course, as usual, I've been driven incapable to take a bold decision to that effect, since I want to keep my family and friends happy with being in the world. I do know that I may even be blaming them for my incapability to factually jump ahead, but I can never be sure. The reason is understood better with some example... say, I'm like the cow that thinks that if she's untied , she would go out into the hills to graze, but she'd never know unless she's really let free. Its a funny life for her. Its a funny life for me. :)
Flashback: nearly a year and a half back, I bought a piece of village land to pursue my middle path in all seriousness. It turned out a joke just like all my pursuals so far. :) There wasn't much ego out there and thats why I was able to walk off the legal hassles with ease. Its like my Guru carried me out of it. Around the same time, even earlier to my getting myself into that land nonsense, I'd an interesting offer to get into seclusion. That was some place that I wanted to go, but couldn't till a few months back. Then too the middle path raised its hood again and warned me of my "commitments". Hah! Even so, things were totally different out there. I was at home right from the moment. Immense power of Guru's presence spoke unto me. It showered grace with an invitation to follow things the way I intend to. Hmm, I thought, and that was about it. The thought had, for some reason, vanished into the background for a long time. It resurfaced only during my visit few months back. This person, after our introduction and biographic background, made an extremely valid observation to my mind, almost a conclusive one at that! I confess that I'd come only close to it from another angle, but never did it occur in the clarity that he showed. It had to be Guru's grace, undoubtedly. I'll try to put the essence of that chat between Vishwanath (V) and me in a transcript:
V: You underwent so many problems on so many fronts in such a short time. Don't you think its for a good reason?
me: Yes, it is. Its all Guru anugraha working, my prArabdha is getting cleansed, rather washed away.
V: But don't you think that you're not destined to buy a piece of land, stay at Sagara and settle down there with a house?
me: Hmm... perhaps so. I don't know, only time will tell. kAlAya tasmai namaH.
V: Even the job you took recently didn't work well for you. It just occured to me that all these are indications that you're meant to join an ashram instead.
me: It looks like that, doesn't it? I'm not in a position to take that decision. In fact, I've stopped taking any decision since a while now. I go with the flow. However, I'm commited to my parents and they do not want me to join an ashram.
V: But its not working for you; what can you do?
me: Well...
[I went on with my boring middle path purANa :) concluding with possibility of hopping places and ashrams, but not joining any, or staying longer with saMnyAsis during cAturmAsa, but thats about it. None of that has happened yet... life passes by!]
Unscientific or unvedic?
Many times we hear the argument from the moderners that goes that the Vedas and Vedanta are invalid since they are unscientific! But that's usually what you get when you compare apples and oranges; the domains of science and Vedas are entirely different, although science is moving close towards Vedanta. I'd like to use an example to show whats actually happening out here. Suppose you have a friend visit you who comes from a totally different geography and background. Do you think he's going to feel at home with your way of living? I guess not. But then, if he goes ahead and says that your way of living is "wrong" or invalid since it makes no sense from his way of living. I take this argument further when applied to science coming into analyze Vedas and assert that Vedas are invalid since its unscientific. Note that Vedas existed beginninglessly before science started to walk. So from the domain of Vedas, science is to be rejected since its unvedic, not the other way round!
It sure does sound foolish for a scientist when such a statement is made, but the only other way to reconcile Vedas for scientists is to put it that Vedas are science, still unknown! In other words, if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. :)
It sure does sound foolish for a scientist when such a statement is made, but the only other way to reconcile Vedas for scientists is to put it that Vedas are science, still unknown! In other words, if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. :)
Thoughts 88-90
88. An unused constructive mind tends to destruct itself.
89. Walking the path of j~nAna without bhakti is like raising children without any love.
90. bhakta without j~nAna is akin to a pampered child.
pAdukArpaNamastu
89. Walking the path of j~nAna without bhakti is like raising children without any love.
90. bhakta without j~nAna is akin to a pampered child.
pAdukArpaNamastu
Thoughts 87
87. If we can hold on to that moment called the now, every now and then, continuously, that is what makes up as meditation.
Every other day
pramANas
pramANas or proofs that are accepted in Purva Mimamsa also stand valid in Uttara Mimamsa or Vedanta. These are fundamentally three (pratyaksha/ perception, anumAna/ inference & shabda/ Vedic testimony) as described by Jaimini, but were added to by Prabhakara (upmAna/ comparison & arthapatti/ implication) and Kumarila Bhatta (anupalabdhi/ non-apprehension). However, aitihya/ rumor & smr^ti/ recollection are not pramANa-s at all.
pratyaksha:
This pramANa includes everything that is perceived by the senses by direct contact. Common perception in day-to-day transactional world are a part of this pramANa. That fire is hot, red in color, etc, are examples of pratyaksha pramANa.
anumAna:
Whatever is inferred from two things perceived (ie. via pratyaksha pramANas), that have a fixed, permanent relation between them, form this category. Its further subdivided based on the relation between the two; viz. pratyaksha-dr^STa & sAmAnya-dr^STa. In the former division, the relation is quite a straightforward conclusion, such as that between fire and smoke, as seen in the kitchen fire, holds good for a mountain/ forest fire as well, when smoke is seen. The latter division calls for an abstract relation such as that of sun's motion and sun's changing positions in the sky, nonetheless valid.
Sabda:
The entire shrutI falls under this category, where the domain is quite different and totally imperceptible and not derivable either, owing to various limitations of time and space. eg. swargaprApti from performing the agniSToma. The Vedas are considered as apaurusheya, meaning that they are not a creation of the Purusha/ God. This is same as saying that the Vedas were created together with the God or preceded the creator! These are divided further into five categories as: vidhI/ injunctions, mantra/ hymns, namadheya/ names, nishedha/ prohibitions & arthavAda/ explanations. Also included under this category are trustworthy authors of the shAstras.
om tat sat
Supreme bhakti
If we recollect our happy childhood, more than anything else, we can look back on those fond memories of parents and grandparents loving us. Those special moments that tell each of us a different, yet a similar story, of our grand/parents parting with us whatever they valued most. Such stories of sacrifice for their beloved children... anything for them. As we grow up, we grow attached to things and other people. Marriage brings forth another great binding factor; but that, in turn, reduces the strength of the umbilical cord tied to parents. Offsprings reduce the attachment towards the spouse too, increasing the love towards children and vice-versa. Beyond this interesting story, we fail to look and thats where the fundamental problem lies.
The way a person looks at a mirror and appreciates, rather loves, his own self, so too parents procreate themselves unto children to love and be loved. Even so, the Supreme Self creates Itself around oneself to love its own Self! That is the original love or bhakti that we forget and owe, beyond those towards our children, beyond our spouse and beyond our parents. Abandoning children, spouse or parents is considered irresponsible and sinful, socially, morally and religiously, but whosoever even bothers of complete abandonment of one's own Creator? From such a crime, is there a way out? Then how can anyone term any act of abandonment as a sin, which is merely leaving behind all those came later: kids, spouse, parents (saMnyAsa) and submitting oneself unto one's own creator and creation? Even remembering Him within and without, such supreme bhakti is Atma bhakti and nothing other than that!
The way a person looks at a mirror and appreciates, rather loves, his own self, so too parents procreate themselves unto children to love and be loved. Even so, the Supreme Self creates Itself around oneself to love its own Self! That is the original love or bhakti that we forget and owe, beyond those towards our children, beyond our spouse and beyond our parents. Abandoning children, spouse or parents is considered irresponsible and sinful, socially, morally and religiously, but whosoever even bothers of complete abandonment of one's own Creator? From such a crime, is there a way out? Then how can anyone term any act of abandonment as a sin, which is merely leaving behind all those came later: kids, spouse, parents (saMnyAsa) and submitting oneself unto one's own creator and creation? Even remembering Him within and without, such supreme bhakti is Atma bhakti and nothing other than that!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)