Discourse - Part III
Published by Mysorean on Wednesday, August 24, 2005 at 9:30:00 pm.
Sloka 17:
In this infinite Brahman which is beyond time, five types of souls reside. They are
The Rishi who has realized the Brahman is the Soul. The Soul and the Brahman are one and the same. The point of contact with the Brahman is inside us - our Atma. All our Atmas are connected to the Brahman. Sage Yagnavalkya (who is the originator of this Sloka) says, "I am considering myself as the immortal Brahman".
When we know the immortal Brahman we become the Brahman. This is the difference between knowing material and knowing Self. On knowing the Self we become the enlightened Soul. Youngsters believe in the Atman. That's why they say I can do everything.
Knowing Brahman is becoming Brahman. Sage says, when you meditate on God, you will get the nature of God. You will get Divine nature. When you meditate on God, you find yourself improving because you are God yourself. When we realise God, we become God.
This was Swami Vivekananda's philosophy too. He said, "Every soul is potentially Divine".
Tomorrow: An excerpt from "I am a Voice without a Form"
In this infinite Brahman which is beyond time, five types of souls reside. They are
- Gandharvas: Celestial Singers
- Pitrs: People who have departed from this World.
- Devatas: Constitutional and law abiding souls like Indra, Brahma
- Rakshasas: Unconstitutional
- Asuras: Unconstitutional like the Rakshasas. For eg. Ravana and Indrajit.
The Rishi who has realized the Brahman is the Soul. The Soul and the Brahman are one and the same. The point of contact with the Brahman is inside us - our Atma. All our Atmas are connected to the Brahman. Sage Yagnavalkya (who is the originator of this Sloka) says, "I am considering myself as the immortal Brahman".
When we know the immortal Brahman we become the Brahman. This is the difference between knowing material and knowing Self. On knowing the Self we become the enlightened Soul. Youngsters believe in the Atman. That's why they say I can do everything.
Knowing Brahman is becoming Brahman. Sage says, when you meditate on God, you will get the nature of God. You will get Divine nature. When you meditate on God, you find yourself improving because you are God yourself. When we realise God, we become God.
This was Swami Vivekananda's philosophy too. He said, "Every soul is potentially Divine".
Tomorrow: An excerpt from "I am a Voice without a Form"
