Who am I ? This is the question mankind has been asking from times immemmorial.
Am I the body-mind-intellect complex ? Have I any reality beyond the senses five ? Is there a God ? Is there a God outside ? Or is He inside ?
And what is this Bhakti or devotion ? The best definition of Devotion comes from Sankara, who defined it as Self Enquiry. ( Swa Swaroopasya Anusandhanam Bhakthiriti Abhidheeyate ).
In the Upanishads Reality is defined by a series of negatives because the negative is less limiting than the Positive. To arrive at Reality, the Upanishadic Rishies prescribed the Method of Negation !
The Upanishadic Method of Negation is Neti Neti, meaning that this is Finite, that is Finite, whereas Reality in Infinite. When everything is denied, there is one thing which no man can deny - " I ", " Self " or Consciousness.
Thade Kova Shishtah ( that which remains after Negation ) Sivah Kevaloham ( I am Consciousness Bliss ).
I am neither the mind nor the senses The Fourfold Veds nor Sacred Places, I am not the the Elements Fivefold The Concentric Sheaths Five The Tissue Elements Sevenfold Neither Time nor Space Exist in Me ! Nor the Four Goals of Life The Fourfold Yog or Tantra great I have neither pleasure or pain I am pure Being By whom all things be ! Neither Ego nor any sense of Mineness Integral Consciousness am I
Neither father nor mother am I Of the nature of Transcendence That which remains after Negation That Sole Consciousness am I !
This is Nirvana Shatakam or six verses composed by the Master of Oneness, Bhagavan Sankara. Listening to these verses can definitely elevate our Consciousness !
In every human, Conscience exists as Vox Dei or the Voice of the Self. This poem is the Voice of the Self. This Voice of the Self can be heard during Meditation. Srooyathe ithi Sruthi or that which was heard in higher states of Consciousness came to be known as the Vedas. Be still and Know. You can hear this voice. This is the Voice of your own Self ! This is your Song !
This is reminiscent of Swinburne's Hertha
I am that which began Out of Me the years roll Out of Me God and Man I am equal and whole
For Truth only is living Truth only is whole His for only giving Man's polestar and pole !
Let us hear this Eastern Swinburne. Or was Swinburne the Western Sankara ?
Mano Buddhyahankara Chittani Na Aham Na Cha Shrothra Jihve na cha ghrana nethre Na cha Vyoma Bhoomir na tejo na vayuh Chidananda Roopah Shivoham Shivoham
Who am I ? Neither the mind, intellect or ego Nor ear, tongue or the eyes Space, light or wind I am not I am of the nature of Consciousness He am I, He am I !
Na cha pranasamjno na vai Pancha Vayuh Na cha Saptha Dhathur na va Pancha Koshah Na Vak Pani Padam na cho Pastha Payu Chidananda Roopah Shivoham Shivoham
Neither the fivefold winds nor Life-Force The Sevenfold tissue elements I am not Nor am I the sensory organs Nor the organs of generation and excretion I am of the nature of Consciousness He am I, He am I !
Na Me Dhvesha Ragau Na Me Lobha Mohau Madho naiva me naiv matsarya Bhavah Na Dharmo Cha Chartho Na Kamo Na Mokshah Chidananda Roopah Shivoham Shivoham
Neither hatred or love I possess Nor attachment or greed The Four Goals of Life I am not ( Wealth, Ethics, Love , Liberation ) I am of the nature of Consciousness He am I, He am I !
Na Punyam Na Papam na Saukhyam Na Dukham Na Manthro Na Theertham Na Veda Na Yajnah Aham Bhojanam Naiva Bhojyam Na Bhoktha Chidananda Roopah Shivoham Shivoham
I am devoid or sins or merit Pleasures or pain Sacred chants I am not Nor the holy waters I am not the Vedas Nor Yajnas or Homa I am not the eaten Nor the eating Nor the eater I am of the nature of Consciousness He am I, He am I !
Na Mrithyur na shanka na me Jathi Bhedhah Pitha Naiva Me Naiva Matha Na Janma Na Bhadhur Na Mithram Guru Naiva Shishyah Chidananda Roopah Shivoham Shivoham
I am devoid of caste or creed The fear of death is not in me No birth, no parents, no birth No friends, no relatives No Guru, no disciple
I am of the nature of Consciousness He am I, He am I !
Aham Nirvikalpo Nirakara Roopo Vibhuth Vacha Sarvathra Sarve Indriyanam Na Va Sangatham naiva Mukhtir Na Bandhah Chidananda Roopah Shivoham Shivoham
Formless am I Without any agitations Transcending the senses Transcending the mind I exist for ever Boundless as Space No bondage, no release
I am of the nature of Consciousness He am I, He am I
The mere theoretical statement that we are potentially divine does not save us from the problems of life., when Life's problems overwhelm us!
There was a student who learnt Vedanta, the Science of Being and declared somewhat egotistically Aham Brahmasmi, that I am the Universal Truth and all this is My mental image. After some days an excruciating stomach ache gripped him and he began to cry. We are like him. Crying Brahmams, crying Universal Truths !
Jesus was crying on the Cross " Eli, Eli, Lama Sabachthani " " My God, My God. why hast Thou forsaken me?." One unkind gentleman therefore defined Christ as one who cries. He who cries is Christ !
Life is difficult, life is strife, said Buddha and the first truth is of Sorrow, so be not mocked.
So we all need an Escapist Heaven and only three options are left for us. Alcohol, suicide or Enlightenment. Alcoholism and suicide have been widely condemned as negative. ( Freud discovered that all accidents are not accidents, but suicides. But suicide is sin, a violation of the Law " Thou shalt not kill". ) Enlightenment is the only positive escapism !
Ayur Ksheenam na janathi Thasmat Jagrata Jagrata ( Sankara )
No one is aware of the loss of Ayus ( longevity ) Therefor strive, strive for Enlightenment !
Be not egotistic with wealth, people or youth In a second, Time, the All Devourer can destroy all ! Know that all this is a dream in Mind Cosmic Therefore seek thy Self, O Noble One !
Ma kuru dhana jana youvana garvam Harathi Nimeshath Kala Sarvam Maya mayam idam akhilam hithva Brahma padam thvam pravisha vidithva
( Sankara )
We are human beings, composite creatures. Buddha is our positive aspect, Mara is our negative aspect. Let us realise, like Lord Buddha, that Mara is an aspect of ourselves. Let us overcome him !
Buddhist Philosophy is similar to Advaita. Sankara was known as the hidden Buddhist as he said the even God is Illusory.
There is no Bhakti Yoga or Bridal Mysticism in Buddhism. It is the path to Enlightenment
When asked of God, Buddha maintained a dignified silence. He said
Om Amithya ! measure not with words The Immeasurable; nor sink the string of thought Into the Fathomless; he who aks errs He who answers errs, say nought ! ( The Light of Asia )
The First Noble Truth, said Buddha, is Sorrow. Sorrow is the Existential Force of this world. Sarvam Dukham, Sarvam Shoonyam, Sarvam Kshanikam, everything is Sorrow, everything is Zero, everything is evanescent.
The First Truth is of Sorrow, be not mocked The Life that ye prize is a long drawn agony Only its pains abide, its pleasures are Like the birds which race and fly
Ask thee of the sick, the mourners , ask of him Who tottereth on his staff, lone and forlorn Liketh thee life ? These say the babe is wise That weepeth being born ! ( The Light of Asia )
The Second Noble Truth is Sorrow's cause.
The second is Sorrow's cause Which grief spring not from itself, but from desire? Senses and things perceived mingle and light Passion's quick spark of fire. ( Light of Asia )
It is desire that binds man to the sublunar world, desire which is the real cheat.
The third Noble Truth is Sorrow's ceasing. The solution is Enlightenment, as man withdraws within himself and overcomes his negative aspect.
The Fourth Noble Truth is Enlightenment. Unto Nirvana ! In Nirvana you curl yourself up in Being, in the stillness of the stillness that stillness is !
The Purusha is the Divine Spark in the human body. ( Puram vasathi ithi purushah ). He is the enjoyer of both happiness and sorrow. He is the Being and She, Prakriti, is the Becoming.
The Purusha Sooktham is one of the best hymns about Purusha, the Supreme Being, who along with His consort, Prakriti, is all this.
It is said that Purusha enveloped the earth on all sides, with thousands of heads, feet and hands.
All this is Purusha only, all that has been and all that will be. The visible and invisible Universes are He. His greatness is that He is more than the visible. The visible Universe is only one fourth of Purusha. Rest are like the invisible part of a submerged iceberg.
In the beginning, Purusha lay submerged in Inconscience. Says the Rig Veda " In the beginning darkness was hidden by darkness and all this was one big ocean of Inconscience. Universal Being was concealed by fragmentation".
Sree Sooktham is a Hymn to Becoming, to Nature, to the Mother of all that is. She is Sree or Lakshmi, the wife of the Preservative Aspect of Godhead. She is Prosperity Personified. Listening to Sree Sooktam is believed to bring in unexpected prosperity, while listening to Purusha Sooktam can elevate one spiritually.
These two Sookthams are superbly sung by B Vasanta.
Happy hearing and may you be blessed by Prosperity !
This is an octet to the Remover of Obstacles, Ganesha. His elephant head symbolises the Macrocosm and human body, the Microcosm. That which is on Above is that which is on Below ! He represents the Miracle of Unity.
The deities of the Hindu Pantheon are the impulses of Creative Intelligence. He is the remover of all impediments and He can easily remove all hindrances and grant victory to the devotee. We are all battling the barriers to success every day and He can effortlessly remove those barriers and grant success to us. Hence He becomes an important Deity !
This Octet has the power of not only arousing the Kundalini, but of removing obstacles in our daily activities and granting success.
May He remove all obstacles in your life.
Yatho Anantha Shakthir Anathascha Jeeva, Yatho Nirgunadha Aprameyaa Gunasthe, Yatho Bhathi Saravam Tridha Bhedha Bhinnam, Sada Tham Ganesam Namamo Bhajama.
Yathaschaviraseej Jagath Sarvametha, Thadhabjasano Viswgo Viswagoptha, Thandendradhayo Deva Sanga Manushya, Sada Tham Ganesam Namamo Bhajama.
This sacred divine Verse, Should be recited always As it is the bestower of Grace And destroyer of enemies manifold !
This Great Song of Songs Describes the Glorious Inner Sun ! He is Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, He is the creator of the seasons, He is Sol, He is Soorya When rising He is Brahma At Mid Day He is Shiva At Dusk He is Vishnu He is the lord of Trinitarian Unity
He destroys Darkness The darkness of Nescience The Ignorance which is destructive The Ignorance which is this world ! The Light shines not in Ignorance It will only shine by His Grace !
He is the Infinite Sky of Consciousness He is the Sun of Self Realisation !
He destroys all enemies The hostile forces that lurk in Man He conferreth Self Actualisation He is the lord of the Logos entire !
With His Grace, thou shalt overcome Ravana and his legions ! He is the Judge supreme Who judges all by merit !
By listening to these 31 verses, we can activate our Kundalini and destroy our enemies, both internal and external ! Sacred Music is Nada Yoga !
These verses deal with the Absolute Self. Written by the ace philosopher, Sankara, these verses are the verses of Enlightenment, the Voice of the Self that It is the Sole Witness Consciousness which transcends the triune states - waking, dreaming and dreamless sleep.
Na Bhoomir na Thoyam na Thejo na Vayu, Na Kham Nendriyam vaa na Thesham samooha, Anaikanthikathwath Sushupthyeka Siddha, Thadekovasishta Shiva Kevaloham.
Earth and water I am not Neither wind nor light Not ether nor the organs of sense I am not a combination of these Because they are only relatively real That which remains after Negation That Consciousness, Absolute Self, I am
Na varna, na Varnasramachara Dharma, Na me dharana Dhyana Yogadhayopi, Anathmasrayo aham Mamadhya Sahanath, Thadekovasishta Shiva Kevaloham.
I am not the Caste rules, nor caste itself I am not the Stages Four of Life I dont personify rules nor just conduct Meditation I am not nor Yoga They are illusory before Self That which remains after Negation That Consciousness, Absolute Self, am I
Na matha pitha vaa na Deva na Loka, Na veda na yagna na Theertham Bruvanthi, Sushupthou nirasthadhi Shoonyath Makathwath, Thadekovasishta Shiva Kevaloham
Mother and father are not me Neither Earth nor Heaven Not the Vedas me, nor the sacrifice of Fire Nor the holy waters Which they say exist in dreamless sleep Void also is not in sleep That which remains after Negation That Consciousness, Absolute Self, I am
Na Sankhyam na Saivam na Thath Pancha Rathram, Na Jainam, na Meemamskader Matham vaa, Visishtanubhoothya Vishudhath maka Thwath, Thadekovasishta Shiva Kevaloham.
I am not the wisdom of Sankhya Nor the path of Shaiva Pancha Ratra principle I am not Nor Jainism personified I am not Vedanta, I am not Karma Self alone is Absolute Realtiy That which remains after Negation That Consciousness, Absolute Self, am I
Na shuklam na krishnam na Raktham na Peetham, Na Peenam na Kubjam na Hruswam na Deergam, Na roopam thadajyothir akara thathvath Tade kova shishtah Shiva Kevaloham
White nor black, Red nor yellow I am not ! Large or thin not I am Neither tall nor short Formless, beyond all shapes I am the essence of Light ! That which remains after Negation That Consciousness, Absolute Self, am I
Na jagranna me swapnako vaa sushupthi, Ne viswo na vaa thaijasa pragnako vaa, Avidhyathmakathwath trayanam thureeyam, Thadekovasishta Shiva Kevaloham.
The relative states triune Waking, dreaming & dreamless sleep I am not Earthly feelings I am not Nor the exalted feelings in dreams The feelings of wakefulness in sleep I am not, as these are Nescience The Fourth, Transcendence, am I That which remains after Negation That Consciousness, Absolute Self, am I
Na sastha na sasthram na Sishyo na Siksha, Na cha thwam, na cha aham na cha Ayam Prapancha, Swaroopavabadhadhi vikalapa sahishnu, Thadekovasishta Shiva Kevaloham.
The Origin of Knowledge I am not Nor Encyclopedia itself I am neither Teacher nor disciple I am not this world Nor you nor me Inner Realisation is something else That which remains after Negation That Consciousness, Absolute Self, am I
Na chordhwam na chadho na cha Andhar na bahyam, Na madhyam na thiryang na poorva paraddik, Viyad vyapakathwath Akandaika Roopa, Thadekovasishta Shiva kevaloham.
I am neither Below nor Above I am not Inside or Outside Middle I am not, nor across Neither the west nor east In pervade everywhere Like ether omnipresent That which remains after Negation That Consciousness, Absolute Self, am I
Goal oriented, all pervasive Depending on its own nature Than anything external World appears ephemeral Different as it is from Self That which remains after Negation That Consciousness, Absolute Self, am I
Na chaikam thadanyath Dwitheeyam kutha syath, Na chaa kevalathwam na vaa kevalathwam, Na soonyam na chaa soonyamadvaidhakathwath, Kadam sarva vedhatham sidham braveemi
Unique nor not unique It is not Vaccum or different thing it again is not The Essence of Non-dual Reality Can it be defined ? Which is established by Wisdom That which remains after Negation That Consciousness, Absolute Self, am I
Is there a consolation in Philosophy ? In the mirages of Metaphysics ? If not, why do people turn to Wisdom ?
Boethius wrote the Consolations of Philosophy, De Consociation Philosohiae. It is Wisdom which alone can comfort Man !
Why do people read Books ? Do they find pleasure in reading ? Is there a Reader's Heaven, which scholars averr ?
Longfellow defended this view. He wrote
The scholar and the world, the endless strife The discord in the harmonies of life, The love of learning, the sequesterd nooks, And the sweet serenity of books The Marketplace, eager love for gain Whose aim is Vanity, whose end is pain !
So it is better to be a scholar curled in his books than a bizman, who knows not what is mental peace !
Four major doctrines, Christianity,Freemasonry, Capitalism and Communism originated from the Jews.
Jesus was a Jew. He contradicted the Mosaic Law and founded Christianity.
Freemasonry is based on Gnosticism, which is Christian Mysticism. And Gnosticism is derived from the Kabbalah, which is Jewish Mysticism.
About Kabbalah, General Pyke wrote " All dogmatic religions originate from the Kabbalah and return to it. One is surprised while entering the Sanctuary of the Kabbalah, at finding the doctrine so simple, so logical and at the same time so absolute. " Freemasonry exists today as a Royal Science and as a Noble Art.
Capitalism - You will find some of the greatest capitalists amongst Jews. The Rockefellers, the Reynoldses, the Rothschilds, the Warburgs. the Soros et al.
Marx and Trotsky were Masons and Jews. International Communism was built up, so that its strength equalled the united strength of Dogmatic Theology.
The father of the Atom Bomb ( Oppenheimer ) was a Jew. So was Einstein. So was Ben Franklin, the man who founded the American Philosophical Society.
The world owes a lot to the Jews. Judaism is the Original Religion from which Chrisitanity and Islam originated.
" The priest is a scoundrel ", said Khalil Gibran. The priesthood indoctrinate their flocks with fanaticism. " Our Religion is the greatest", "Our Prophet is the greatest" and our " Book is the greatest " are their slogans.
So no wonder we find a lot of fanatics today. People believe the mythological tales to be historical, with the result they clash amongst themselves over allegorical and symbolic stories.
Books like " The Davinci Code", " The Love in the East" and " The Satanic Verses " serve a good purpose. They give a clear message to the people, telling them to get rid of their fanaticism.
The God of the philosophers is not the God of Theology.
The priesthood talk about a jealous and vengeful God, sitting in some antisceptic corner of the cosmos, an extra-cosmic Deity. The Yogis talk about an Indwelling Presence, a principle which works from within and a Principle which gives Divine guidance
There is conflict when Philosophy meets Theology. " We are dealing with a full size World Mystery here and a fight between the Black and White Brotherhoods ". said Frater Achad.
We are all one, according to this Theory. All human beings are the same.
It is an " us against them" mentality which is responsible for all wars. We have forgotten that all are our brothers and sisters.
We think we are good and our enemies are bad. Such a mentality will plunge us in war.
Remember what Shakespeare said " There is nothing good or bad in this world, but thinking makes it so ". It is our erroenous thinking that " we are right and they are wrong" which is the cause of all wars.
Only the Theory of Global Oneness can save humanity ! Remember what Plato said " Those who are caught up in the morasses of multiplicity are not philosophers ".
When we survey World Philosophy, we find that there are four major world views.
Secular Humanism
Egalitarianism
Cosmic Humanism
Evangelism
Secular Humanism consists of Atheism and Agnosticism. Atheists are people who deny God. Agnostics say that Reality is Unknown and maybe Reality exists, but That is not known to the human mind.
Egalitarianism - This is Marxism, aiming at an egalitarian society. According to Marx, society is an organic unity that is dialectially interrelated to the economic conditions. The materialistic conception of history indicates the struggle of Being for Self- Realisation through the well known three phase dialectic - of Thesis, Antithesis and Synthesis.
Cosmic Humanism - This doctrine is similar to Secular Humanism. The only difference is the postulate of a Self, which exists in all human beings.
His great transparent mirror, Self !
We are all parts of the One Universal Substance which constitute the universe. The mystic tie binds all men into Brotherhood. Also all the elements of the Universe into the Unity behind diversity.
Evangelism - This doctrine states that some "Religions are superior" to other "inferior Religions" and people belonging to the " inferior religions " should be converted into the "Superior Religions ". There are millions of evangelists and these people create schism in soceity. All dogmas belong to Evangelism, which is the bane of this world. Those who follow Evangelism becomes fundamentalists and fanatics and they are the problem causers of this world. They label the earlier Universal Philosophy ( which existed even before the birth of their religions ) as " Paganism" and their theological doctrines as " Anti-Paganism". This Anti Paganism is responsible for the world's present malady. They also talk about Love, but then Love without Scientific Philosophy is superstition.
Philosophy without Love is madness Love without Philosophy is superstition.
This is where Universal Love steps in, along with Universal Wisdom. The world can only be united under Universal Love & Brotherhood. The salvation of the world is in Love and through Love !
Theology states that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh The priesthood do not believe in the Law of Evolution, which states that man evolved from the apes. This transvaluation instigated by Charles Darwin robbed man of the privilege of having been specially created.
From a broader philosophical perspective, we can say that the Lord did not create the world. He became this world. He is all this. " All this is Brahman alone, all this magnificent Universe" averrs the Upanishads.
The sum total Energy in the Universe is an absolute constant and does not change. This is the Universal Being, which knoweth no destruction. " Know that to be imperishable by which all this is pervaded" says the Geetha.
Dr Erasmus Darwin drew inspiration from the Theory of Reincarnation and the Theory of the Ten Incarnations of Lord Vishnu. The first incarnation was that of a fish, indicating that life came from the sea and that our ancestors were aquatic. The summum bonum is the Enlightened One, the Buddha. Finally Charles Darwin, his grandson, established the Law of Evolution in his Origin of the Species.
While on the absolute plane there is no destruction, forms are changing on the relative plane. Matter exists in three forms - solid, liquid and gaseous. Nothing ever begins to be. It only undergoes a transformation into conditions which preexisted in other conditions. Ice when heated becomes water, which when heated becomes steam, which when cooled becomes water, which when cooled becomes ice again. So on the relative plane, forms only undergo transformation.
The Theory of Reincarnation - Symblic of the Evolution of Consciousness
The Theory of Reincarnation states that the Soul takes successive births and evolves to the Absolute, the Godhead, through the Evolution of Consciousness. Life does not, at physical birth, begin to be. It merely enters physical conditions and assumes physical guise.
There are three types of men
The Animal Man - Here Consciousness is on the animal level. Hence we find criminals and crackpots in society.
The Human Man - Here Consciousness is on the human level. Man is all mixed, viz, Virtue and Vice are mixed in him
The Divine Man - Here Consciousness is on the Divine level. He had achieved union with the Absolute Self.
The Evolution of Consiousness begins from Animal Man and ends in Divine Man.
The Theory of the Ten Incarnations is also symbolic. It depicts the journey of the Soul from the unicellular amoeba to the Enlightened Man.
Be the Enlightened Man, the Divine Man, is the message of Transcendental Wisdom !
Kanada, the father of Visheshika system of Indian Philosophy, propounded the Fivefold Atomic Theory long before Dalton and the Ninefold Elemental Theory.
The Ninefold Elemental Theory
The entire Universe is made up of Nine Elements - The Elemental Five - earth, water, fire, ether, air plus the four elements - Time, Space, Self and Mind.
Mind is finer matter in vibration. What is Mind ? Never matter. What is Matter ? Never Mind !
Mind is a steady stream of thoughts. Mind creates Reality, yet Mind veils Reality. Indeed Mind is omnipotent.
Everything is internalised and externalised By that arch villain, Mind ! From the Macrocosm to the Microcosm All this is Mind ! Know all this to be Non Self Know all this to be Non Being Like the blueness in the sky Like the water in the mirage So is this visible Universe In Self Supreme, Absolute !
Self is an utter Being and all these are its Becomings
This visible Universe Is verily the Self !
What Nature hath buried Is the living lordly Self The unfolding of this Self Is the process of Education
The Fivefold Atomic Theory
Matter is made up for five types of atoms - the aerial atoms, the igneous atoms, the aqueous atoms, the etheric atoms and the terrene atoms.
Our negative aspect is always in conflict with our positive aspect. Hence this maxim " Know Thyself" assumes great significance.
Atmanam Viddhi is the message of the mighty Upanishads. In Latin Nosche te ipsum !
What is the use of anything in this world if we dont know the Self ?
It is not for the husband's sake that husband is loved. It is not for the wife's sake that wife is loved. It is for the sake of the Self !( Atmanasthu kamaya sarvam priyam bhavathi ).
This Self is to be known and experienced. The Self, when known, everything is known ! (Atmano va are sravanena darshanena matya vijnanena idam sarvam viditham ).
Berkeley denied the existence of Matter. Esse est percipii, perception is essence, Mind is the Substance !
Mentalism postulates that all this is Mind !
Mentalism is essentially Illuisionism, as Mind can conjure up only Illusions ! It is Mind alone which veils Reality !
Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi's philosophy can be called Illusionism or Mentalism. He advised everybody to abide as the Self. ( " In the infinite sky of Consciousness, the Sun of Self Realisation shines bright and brilliant. Disperse the cloud of Ego obstructing the moonlight of Consciousness and the bud of Truth begins to blossom. It is the only Absolute. There is no other. The Absolute Brahman becomes so the say the Cosmic Mind and spreads this world. As it thinks, so it becomes. It is the Lord of Creation. Dissolve the Mind by thinking about its real nature. Be beyond the dualities of attraction and repulsion. The Self fills the Universe, being colourless, timeless and spaceless"- Paul Brunton. )
Aurobindo was a Realist. He asseverated that Maya is Real. " Maya is real, because it is the Self's experience of the Self". He averred that Leela, meaning the cosmic play of the Divine, is a better term than Maya. "Leela includes the idea of Maya and exceeds it ", said He. Leela is His play, Himself the play, Himself the player, Himself the playground ! His play which creates and recreates Himself in Himself for the sheer bliss of that self-creation !
This Art is about the dance of Nature, symbolised by the daughter of the Mountains, the mythological Parvathi, the consort of Lord Shiva. It is said that Nature cannot exist without Her Lord and She emparadised His mind !
She flings forth from Him in ecstasy, only to find Him playing in Time, She and He, two in one, inseparable. The entire Universe is nothing but She ! "Sarvam Khalvidam eva aham, nanyadasthi sanathanam" declared She in the Devi Bhagavatam. She deludes even the minds of the Rishies or the Seers and is divine in Her infinite origin. Jnaninam api chethmasi Devi Bhagavathee hi sah !
You can enjoy all Kerala music and arts at Kerala Heritages , a site which deals with the heritage of Kerala !
Kurt Godel's Incompleteness Theorem in Maths points out that Reality cannot be represented by any finite, symoblic structure and that it is transcendental ! Truth goes beyond the finite to Infinitude ! He has reached across the ages to the Seer Poets who proclaimed that the Infinite Reality can be experienced as I AM THAT !
There are definitions for Self, Non Self and the Discriminative Intellect in the First Science.
The Non Self is defined
Everything from the Macrocosm, the Universe To everything in the Microcosm, Man ! All emotions, all thought processes, Is called the Non Self, O Noble One !
The Discriminative Intellect is Prajna and it is defined thus
That which distinguishes the Real from the Unreal That which recognises the Self ultimately That which differentiates Being from Non Being Such an intellect is Prajna, O Noble One !
The Self is defined thus Attributeless, actionless, eternal Devoid of thoughts, forms Without emotions, without persona Ever liberated is the Self Absolute !
These three definitions are the base of the First Science, the Philosophia Prima
