Ramakrishna Ashram | Discourse on kathopanishads Part IV
Published by Mysorean on Tuesday, August 15, 2006 at 6:55:00 am.
Continued from Part III
Extending the from the types of "sukhas" quoted in the Gita, to the types quoted in the "Kathopanishads". There are three types of "Ananda"s.
Vishayananda: Vishaya (Poisonous things) + ananda (Happiness) = Happiness that we find in doing mundane tasks referred to as poisonous things.
Bhajanananda: Bhajan (hymns sung in the praise of God) + ananda (Happiness) = Happiness that is derived from singing hymns in the praise of God.
Brahmananda: Brahman (The Lord) + ananda (Happiness) = A state of Happiness where one is united with one's own Divine Self. It is in this state of "Brahmanandam" that Ultimate Happiness lies.
For a person to perceive an object there needs to be sunlight (or light). And there is a limitation to our sensory perceptions since there are physical limits. The limitations vary from species to species. Human eye, for example, cannot see clearly beyond a few metres whereas the eagle's eye can see clearly upto several kilometres. The human eye can not perceive things in the dark whereas the cat/ owl can. Our eyes are not built that way. Physical dimensions of our sensory perception have limitations. And there is another added limitation without which we cannot perceive at all - "The Mind". Our mind can influence our perceptions completely.
Coming back to the first part of the sloka that's being understood it means that in the state where the sun does not shine and a person cannot perceive an object but preceives the "Ultimate Happiness" is this state of "Brahmanandam". Where the sun, moon, stars or even flashes of lightning are not present, only those minds "Antahakarana", that are free from all internal blemishes can perceive the Ultimate Happiness.
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa once said, "Pure mind and pure Atman is one and the same".
He was responding to a question from a devotee who spoke thus, "How can I perceive something that's transcedental through this mind?".
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa replied, "This mind keeps hovering around everywhere. mind when completely still is no longer 'Mind'. Our mind depends on our daily habits. The highest reality is something that has never been defined. It cannot be defined. If it can be confined to any 'naama-roopa' [Names and forms] then it is not the highest reality."
During the ritual of "Mangalarthi" in the Ramakrishna Ashram Temple we all sing "Namo nama prabhuvakyamanaateetha".
It can be broken into "Namo Nama Prabhu Vakya Mana Ateetha".
Which means "I bow to you (Namo) O Lord (Prabhu) who are beyond(Ateetha) names (Nama), sentences (vakya) and mind(Mana)".
These are the highest lines of praise that can possibly be. A Britisher on hearing these was lamenting how it took him hours to explain or make some one understand the deeper meaning of these words. Whereas in the Hindu way of life, it is a daily part of our lives. We sing them everyday. "Bhaja Govindam" that represents the highest truth that the Vedanta has to offer is sung with a simple arrangement of tabla and a harmonium.
All this means that the Hindu way of life was designed to achieve the "Bhajanandam" mentioned in the Kathopanishads. Through that we just had to take the next step that is towards "Brahmanandam". Sometimes during the stages of "Bhajanandam" the highest reality dawns on us but it goes off at a tangent because our minds are not fully prepared to receive it. All other realities/ forms of light that we come across are borrowed realities/ forms of light. This consciousness that we are trying to understand is the basis of and for Life.
Sometimes we see a star in the night sky. We also notice that it wasn't there yesterday. So, we give it a name and celebrate its deiscovery. But it's also possible that the star might not exist at all in reality. The star might have been present millions of years back and it's light might have been visible to us today. And our sensory perceptions only allow us to perceive, understand and believe it in a way that it's present even today. Hence, senses do not give us access to the Highest Reality.
Everything that we see is Brahman. Why we do not see Brahman is the subject of spirituality.
Swami Vivekananda was once asked, "Why do you make us believe that God is not visible to everyone? Why do you hypnotize us into believing that we are all ignorant?"
For which Swami Vivekananda replied, "I am in fact dehypnotizing you. I am creating an awareness in you that there is a world outside what we can perceive through our senses."
Spiritual Life is to know that which is beyond ouselves and begins with reforming ourselves. Spiritual Life is about cultivating an attitude of Divinity and through that bringing a change to oneself.
Extending the from the types of "sukhas" quoted in the Gita, to the types quoted in the "Kathopanishads". There are three types of "Ananda"s.
Vishayananda: Vishaya (Poisonous things) + ananda (Happiness) = Happiness that we find in doing mundane tasks referred to as poisonous things.
Bhajanananda: Bhajan (hymns sung in the praise of God) + ananda (Happiness) = Happiness that is derived from singing hymns in the praise of God.
Brahmananda: Brahman (The Lord) + ananda (Happiness) = A state of Happiness where one is united with one's own Divine Self. It is in this state of "Brahmanandam" that Ultimate Happiness lies.
For a person to perceive an object there needs to be sunlight (or light). And there is a limitation to our sensory perceptions since there are physical limits. The limitations vary from species to species. Human eye, for example, cannot see clearly beyond a few metres whereas the eagle's eye can see clearly upto several kilometres. The human eye can not perceive things in the dark whereas the cat/ owl can. Our eyes are not built that way. Physical dimensions of our sensory perception have limitations. And there is another added limitation without which we cannot perceive at all - "The Mind". Our mind can influence our perceptions completely.
Coming back to the first part of the sloka that's being understood it means that in the state where the sun does not shine and a person cannot perceive an object but preceives the "Ultimate Happiness" is this state of "Brahmanandam". Where the sun, moon, stars or even flashes of lightning are not present, only those minds "Antahakarana", that are free from all internal blemishes can perceive the Ultimate Happiness.
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa once said, "Pure mind and pure Atman is one and the same".
He was responding to a question from a devotee who spoke thus, "How can I perceive something that's transcedental through this mind?".
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa replied, "This mind keeps hovering around everywhere. mind when completely still is no longer 'Mind'. Our mind depends on our daily habits. The highest reality is something that has never been defined. It cannot be defined. If it can be confined to any 'naama-roopa' [Names and forms] then it is not the highest reality."
During the ritual of "Mangalarthi" in the Ramakrishna Ashram Temple we all sing "Namo nama prabhuvakyamanaateetha".
It can be broken into "Namo Nama Prabhu Vakya Mana Ateetha".
Which means "I bow to you (Namo) O Lord (Prabhu) who are beyond(Ateetha) names (Nama), sentences (vakya) and mind(Mana)".
These are the highest lines of praise that can possibly be. A Britisher on hearing these was lamenting how it took him hours to explain or make some one understand the deeper meaning of these words. Whereas in the Hindu way of life, it is a daily part of our lives. We sing them everyday. "Bhaja Govindam" that represents the highest truth that the Vedanta has to offer is sung with a simple arrangement of tabla and a harmonium.
All this means that the Hindu way of life was designed to achieve the "Bhajanandam" mentioned in the Kathopanishads. Through that we just had to take the next step that is towards "Brahmanandam". Sometimes during the stages of "Bhajanandam" the highest reality dawns on us but it goes off at a tangent because our minds are not fully prepared to receive it. All other realities/ forms of light that we come across are borrowed realities/ forms of light. This consciousness that we are trying to understand is the basis of and for Life.
Sometimes we see a star in the night sky. We also notice that it wasn't there yesterday. So, we give it a name and celebrate its deiscovery. But it's also possible that the star might not exist at all in reality. The star might have been present millions of years back and it's light might have been visible to us today. And our sensory perceptions only allow us to perceive, understand and believe it in a way that it's present even today. Hence, senses do not give us access to the Highest Reality.
Everything that we see is Brahman. Why we do not see Brahman is the subject of spirituality.
Swami Vivekananda was once asked, "Why do you make us believe that God is not visible to everyone? Why do you hypnotize us into believing that we are all ignorant?"
For which Swami Vivekananda replied, "I am in fact dehypnotizing you. I am creating an awareness in you that there is a world outside what we can perceive through our senses."
Spiritual Life is to know that which is beyond ouselves and begins with reforming ourselves. Spiritual Life is about cultivating an attitude of Divinity and through that bringing a change to oneself.
