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A Handbook of Hindu Pantheism - Sreemut Vidyaranya Swami, 1899 - Complete Book

English

To realise the Brahma without a second by concentrating the’mind which has assumed the shape of the Impartite, and by indivisibly resting its function there, with the distinction of knower and knowledge, that is to say, with the retention of the individual Consciousness. Then as in the instance of an earthen toy-elephant, the mind takes cognisance of the animal along with that of its composite clay, so there is the perception of the Universal Consciousness (Brahma) co+ existent with the Conscious Ego, or non-duality. As it has been said by the subject of such contemplation “I am that Secondless - Consciousneas, everpresent, pervading everywhere, good, light, without a beginning (unborn), undecaying, unblended, innate, and free,” 2. ‘Unconscious meditation’ is the resting of the Impartite mental function on the Reality Brakma without a second, and becoming one with it, by the destruction of the three integral constituents of the Conscious Rgo—the subject, the individual perception, and the object—Then as in asaline solution, the salt having been dissolved assumes the shape of the water, its separate existence is destroyed, but the water alone is left to be perceived, so to discover the Real Brahma alone by the mind after it has been moulded into the shape of the Impartite.— Dhole's Vedantasara, ?. 470 56 PANCHADASI. soverelgnty’ by pronouncing the mystic syllable ‘OM’* with fixed attention for a lengthened period. 62, Thus the sovereignty of the mind having been sub- dued, it comes to rest tranquilly, haviug no function to dis- tract it any more. On this subject the sage Bashishtha has given various illustrations to Ramachandra. 63. When the external objective world is shut out of the mind, by due reflection aud consideration ot the secondless Brahma, and that has been visibly perceived, the way for attaining Nirvana is made easy. Then after siudy of the Sacred Scriptures on spirituality [The soul and the Supreme soul} with particular attention to their logical inferences, fre- quent conversation with other persons on the same subject, and refraining the mind from the acquirement of material comforts, nothing is more proper than to cuminune with Self and stop speech aliogether or to become silent. 64. If a8 result of ‘fructescent worky’—actions done in @ prior birth but which have commenced to bear fruit— & Theosophist be subjected to mental distraction, it is only temporary in duration, for by repeated practice he has learned how to restore tranquility, and thus he merges into Brahma. 65. And that knower of Brahma whose internal organ is * This word is formed of A, uandm. The two first are con- verted into © according to the rules of Grammar. Each letter has a distinct signification. In the Mandukya Upanishad, ‘OM’ ig said to indicate the Self-luminous Protector of all,(é.e.,) Brahma. Hence ‘OM? is a predicate and Brahma its subject, and between them there is no distinction whatever. Literally speaking ‘OM’ can lay no claim to Brahma, but as in worshipping an ammonite (Saligram) a worshipper is 10 fix the form of Vishnu in his mind, though the stone has no likeness to him, similarly while medi- tating ‘OM’ s person is to dwell on Brahma mentally. 3? tever liable to meet with any Inipediment® frotn mental ‘dis- Yraction is fit to be tecognised as Brahms. For tt is the unanimous declaration of all devout sages “ Such a person Is hot a knower of Brahma, but is himself 2 Brahma.” 66. tn conhection with this non-difference of Theoso- phist with Brahma, Bashishta says, “He who rests on Brahme with his internal organ entirely merged in It, who has no more any knowledge of what the sacred writings teach, nor that of the objective material world, is himself a Brahma, He cannot properly be styled aknower of Brahma, for it is irrational to say that Brahma knows Itself, or is Ite own knower.” 67. Thus after the vast desires created by Jia have telinguished their hold from the internal organ, he is delivered in life, and with that purpose in view Duality has been divided into two classes of which the first form, ¥tva’s creation is. tceated here differently from the second—Iswara's creation. . © ‘Phore are eight ‘means! for uncorisciouis meditation and four Gbstacles, The means are (2) Forbearance, (5) Minor observe ances, (c) Ascetic posture, (@) Regulated breathing, (s) Restrain- ing the sensory organs, (/) Fixed attention, (¢) Contemplation, and (4) Conscious meditation. Mental igactivity, Mental distraction, Passions and desires; and Tasting of enjoyment are the fout obstacles. _ f a paren SECTION V. On the consideration of Transcendental Vedic Phrases. Tuprvipvat Intelligence centered in Boodht that helps the Cognition of all objects by sight, hearing, smell and taste, and enables us to speak, is the literal signification of the word Prajnana in ‘the “Prajnanam Brahma” cited in the Aitetys Upanishad of the Rigveda. Thatisto say, withe view of enabling a Theosophist desirous of release to establish his non-difference with Brahma, the four forms of Vedic expres- sions used as ® means to that end, are now being considered. The Rik Veda says “Intelligence is Brabme.” This is " proved in the following wise: 2, Since Parabrahma is all pervading, It is equally present in Brahmi, Indra, and other Devas as also in man, cow, horse, ‘and animals. Asan internal knower, Its pervasion fs universal, consequently it is present in me too, Thus then there being one receptacle for both the Intelligences, vis, Prajnana and Parabrehms, they are naturally identical, hence Individual Intelligence is non-different from the Intelligence of Brahma. 3. The phrase (Asam Srahmasm:) “1am Brahma” cited inthe Brihadaranyek Upanirhad of Vajuroeda is thus exe plained :-—That infinite Intelligence, the Supreme Self, residing in the body, composed of the five elements, by the inherent force of Maya, but discovered as a witness by passivity, self- control and other ‘means’ for attaining Self-knowlodge, is the ignification of ‘I’ (cham.) 4. ‘Brahma’ refers to the self-existent, all-pervading, Supreme Self. And ‘am establishes the non-differenve of the two intelligences expressed by ‘I’ and ‘Brabme.’ If, therefore, *¢he identity of the individual end universal Intélligence be emtablished, then the use of ‘Iam Brahma’(by one liberated PANCHADAS!. .) tn life necessarily implies no contradiction but am established ‘uth. g. In the Chhandogya Upanithad of Sama Veda the phrase (Zaéamasz) ‘'That art Thou” bears a like signification, Prior to the evolution of all this [visible objective world] there existed a secondless Reality without name or form, bat all-pervading and is yet existing in a similar condition ; this is indicated by ‘That.’ 6. The indwelling Intelligence residing in the internal organ of every individual, but quite distinct altogether from the physical body and the organs active and sensuous, {a the indication of ‘Thou.’ And ‘art’ establishes the non-difference of ‘That’ and ‘Thou.’ Hence it is but natural to conceive ‘them as one.* 7. The Atharva Veda has likewise a similar phrase with an identical signification, (Ayam Atma Brahma) “This self is Brahma,” Here the self-luminous visible Individual Intelligence is the literal signification of ‘This’ and as it * It is said ‘words’ are construed in one of three ways :—(a) Titeral, (2) indicated and (c) suggestive. The first is that which is at once known with its pronounciation, it is due to its energy, strength, or force. Now this force sometimes fails to convey a tignification, and we have then to construe according to what is called in Rhetoric cannons of Indication. There areas many as eighty Indications. But alf of them do not concern us 20 far as construction of the transcendental phrases go. Here we heve to do mainly with two varieties of them, ois., Indicative Indication Gakshya lakshan bhava), and Inclusive Indication, (upadana lake shana). Indication of abandoning @ part of the expreased signi- fication (bhaga [akshana) is a composite Indication, “That art Thou’? cannot be construed literally, but by abandoning the opposing elements of invisibility and visibility from the conse ciousness or Intelligence expressed by the words ‘That’ and ‘Thou’ respectively, the remaining non-conificting Intelligence is taeant in the same manner as ‘'That Devadatta is this,” “He PANCHADASI. Yesides within the bodily fabric, in all its components units from the ‘physical body’ to ‘egoism’ it Is spoken of aa Self. Hence the two words ‘This Self’ indicate the individual intelligence. 8. The one cause of the phenomenal world and its substratum, vig., the Universal Intelligence is indicated by ‘Brahma,’ It is Self-luminous too, therefore, the two Intelli- ences are identical. SECTION VI. Mlustration by similitude with painting. Lrxx t price of painting four conditions are present in the Supreme Brahma, . a~3. Now in painting, the four preliminary conditions are:--(a) Preparation of the ground, (4) stretching, and rab- bing the canvas, (c) drawing the outline, (d) finishing or filling it with color, Similarly in the Supreme Self we find present, (a) Intelligence, (4) Internal Knower, Thread soul, and Virat. They are explained as follows :—~ 4 The unassociated Intelligence of the Supreme Brabma is the first, and Iswara’s Intelligence associated with Maya, the second condition. The subtle astral body [as subject of one Intellect (Boodh2) and called the Thread soul, for it pervades ike a thread through all created beings; and as collective aggregate it is the subjective Intelligence of Hiranyagarbha,] is the third; and Intelligence associated with gross bodies catled Virat [for it is present in divers form] is the fourth con- dition, 5.