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The Guru is Brahma, the Guru is
Vishnu, the Guru is Shiva, the God of gods, the Guru is
verily the Supreme Brahman. Salutations to the adorable
Guru.
The Absolute Reality
which is the fundamental cause of the universe and all
beings is full (beyond all limitations which can be caused
by time, space, and material). It is pure, free indivisible
and homogeneous Consciousness. The individual self (jiva)
which appears limited by time, space, and material, or
name and form, is also full, pure, free, indivisible and
homogeneous Consciousness. The individual Consciousness
(self) which is full has come from that Absolute Consciousness
which is also full. Here comes a discrepancy. How can
something full come from something that is also full and
still both remain full? This disparity is solved by the
illustration of space. Space is recognized as full, free,
pure, boundless, unattached, all-pervading, indivisible
and homogeneous. When a barrier is erected in space, we
say the space is divided and call it "room space,
limited space," etc. If there is dust or contamination
in the room, we say the space in the room is dusty or
impure. We all know that space cannot be divided or become
impure. It is always full, free, pure and indivisible.
The divisions are assumed due to the barriers we construct
in space. Similar is the nature of the Absolute Consciousness
which is the Supreme Reality. Nothing can ever come from
It. It alone exists. The separate individuality which
one feels is due to the limiting adjuncts of body-mind
complex which are, in reality, illusory appearances like
dream objects or mirage seen in a desert or a rope mistakenly
seen as a snake in dim light. When viewed in its real
nature as Pure Consciousness alone, divested of its limitations,
the individual Self is known to be one and the same Absolute
Consciousness.
Vedanta is the teachings
of the Upanishads (the concluding chapters of the four
Vedas), the Brahma Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita, and their
commentaries by Shri Sankaracharya, the 8th century
philosopher saint. Veda means "knowledge"
and anta means "end". Thus Vedanta
means "the end of knowledge". Vedanta is that
highest spritual knowledge knowing which, there remains
nothing further to be known. It is Self knowledge (Atmavidya).
It is knowledge of the Absolute Truth (Brahmavidya).
Vedanta teaches the real or essential nature of God,
the universe, and the individual being (Self) and its
oneness with God. The quintessence of the teachings
of Vedanta is that Brahman (God) which is Existence,
Consciousness and Bliss Absolute is the only Reality
and that the universe is an illusory appearance like
a mirage seen in a desert or a rope mistakenly seen
as a snake, and that the individual being (self) is
essentially Brahman or God Himself. This oneness of
the self (jiva) with Absolute Consciousness
(Brahman or God) is the goal of Vedanta. For want of
the right understanding about his real nature, man remains
deluded and considers himself limited, unhappy, miserable
and beset with innumerable problems. Vedanta shows the
way to eradicate these problems once and for all and
enables man to attain the highest spiritual enlightenment,
peace, happiness and freedom (moksha)
from repeated births and deaths. Knowledge of the Self
(Atmavidya) and knowledge of the Absolute
Consciousness (Brahmavidya) is the highest
knowledge to be obtained. It is the highest of all human
pursuits.
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Yoga
Oneness of the Atman
(Self) and Brahman (the Absolute Existence, Consciousness
and Bliss) is the real goal of Yoga and Vedanta. Yoga
has been defined in the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita:
"When the senses are withdrawn from their respective
objects in the outer world, when the mind is controlled
and the intellect does not move, that state is called
the Supreme State or Yoga."
[ Katha Upanishad ]
"Ultimate happiness is the true message of Yoga.
Being established in this happiness, one is not shaken
by the severest of adversities. It is complete cessation
of the experience of pain. Yoga is equanimity of the mind
at all times and in all situations."
[ Bhagavad Gita ]
"Yoga is absorption
in one's True Self by the cessation of all mental activities."
[ Yoga Sutras ]
The means of attaining this
yoga are: Yama (sensory
discipline), niyama (observance of spiritual
vows and ethical values), asana (a comfortable
posture to sit in meditation undisturbed for a long period
of time), pranayama (proper and rhythmic
breathing), pratyahara (withdrawal of the
senses and mind from external objects), dharana
(fixing the mind on the True Self), dhyana
(unbroken and continuous meditation on the True Self for
a long duration), and nirvikalpa samadhi
(absorption in the True Self oblivious of the idea of
the meditator and the act of meditating).
"By nirvikalpa
samadhi, the real nature of Brahman is vividly
and decidedly realized, never otherwise. In other states,
the mind, being unsteady by nature, remains mixed up with
other thoughts." [ Vivekachudamani 365 ]
Karma yoga
(performing all actions as worship of God without seeking
their results), Bhakti yoga (loving
God wholeheartedly with unswerving devotion), and Jnana
yoga or Vedanta (discrimination and right
understanding of the Self and the non-self) are also the
means to attain yoga.
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Sanskrit
Culture is cumulative experience—experience
stored and transmitted from generation to generation.
Language is the tool which a culture fashions for the
communication and dissemination of its thoughts and experiences.
As a tool of cultural communication, Sanskrit holds a
unique place among the languages of the world. It is a
language which has come down to us from ancient times
without having been diluted. It is the only language which
has mothered and nourished a large family of world languages.
It is the only language which has developed a scientifically
evolved phonetic system and initiated the science of philology
very early in its development. On account of this, the
great Sanskrit language has been known as Devavani,
the language of highly cultured people. The word Sanskrit
stands for a language that is refined, cultured and grammatically
unsullied. It is Sanskrit that produced the first literature
of the world, the Vedas and the only language that presented
a scientific and logical philosophy and religion to humanity.
It contains a treasury of rich and precious literature
on various branches of knowledge handed down to us by
the ancient seers and thinkers of India. Sanskrit is the
foremost language in the field of spiritual enrichment
and true fulfillment of human life. In it one finds all
that is fascinating, elevating and nourishing in human
experience.
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Om. May all be happy; may all
be healthy ;
may all see good in all. May none experience misery.
Om. peace! peace! peace!
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