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Upadesa Sara

Sloka 16

Vision of Reality

 The following verse explains the method of contemplation and summarizes the topic of Ashtanga Yoga.

drsya-varitam cittam-atmanah,
cittva-darsanam tattva-darsanam.

drsya-varitam – withdrawn from the seen (objects); cittam – the  mind; atmanah – of its own; cittva-darsanam – vision of the  form of Consciousness (which is called); tattva-darsanam – the  vision of Reality

The mind withdrawn from the objects sees itself as Consciousness and that is the vision of Reality (Self-realization).

As explained earlier in verse 14, the objects of the world including the body, mind, and intellect are manifold and known, but the Knower – the Witnessing-Self, is the One Consciousness.

We should contemplate thus – many thoughts arise in the mind, ‘This is a book’, ‘This is a watch’, and so on. This can be expressed differently as ‘I see this book’ or ‘I know the watch and the time it shows’. The objects of such thoughts keep on changing, but the ‘Seer’ or ‘Knower’ does not change.

Generally, our mind is extroverted. When we see an object and a thought arises in our mind we start brooding over the object and our mind plays about with thoughts associated with the object. We never think of turning our attention to the Seer of the object or on our Self. In contemplation our attempt is to shift the attention of our mind from the object and turn it towards the Consciousness which illumines the object by the thought, ‘I am the Witness Consciousness’. When a continuous flow of the same thought is maintained, we experience that the mind withdraws from the objects seen and merges in the Consciousness. Consciousness being the Reality, the experience is called the ‘Vision of Reality’. The meaning of the words ‘experience’ and ‘vision’ is not to be understood literally. In this ‘experience’ or ‘vision’ the duality of the experiencer-experienced or seer-seen is not there. The abidance of the mind in its own nature of Consciousness is the ‘Vision of Reality’.

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Upadesa Sara

Sloka 15

State of Exalted Yogi

By patient and regular practice of contemplation on this one, non-dual Truth, man gains abidance in the Self. This is the goal of all spiritual seeking. Is there anything still left to be done thereafter?

nasta-manasotkrsta-yoginah,
krtyamasti kim svasthitim yatah

nasta-manaso – whose mind has been destroyed; utkrsta-yoginah – for the exalted Yogi (Sage); krtyamasti – anything to be done; kim – is there; svasthitim – he abides in the Self; yatah – how? or no;

What duty is there for the exalted Yogi whose mind has been annihilated? None, since he has gained abidance in the Self.

Mere practice of asanas and pranayama alone does not make a man a true Yogi. According to Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi, the best Yogi is the one who has destroyed the deep-rooted ignorance of the mind by contemplation on the Truth and who has gained firm abidance in the Self. For such a Yogi there is no compulsion to act, as there are no duties left to be performed.

Due to a feeling of incompleteness man desires objects. As long as these desires last, he has the feeling, ‘These are to be gained!’ This compels him to act. We act with a desire to enjoy the results of our actions and on enjoyment become happy and complete. Now, when a person realizes through direct experience that ‘I am Happiness itself’, what else is there left for him to gain? The false notion that I will become happy by gaining objects is destroyed. He has already gained the end result of all seeking-Happiness and owned it as his own nature. When there is nothing left to be gained, what is there left to be done? The Self-abiding exalted Yogi has no more duties. None can compel him to act.

That does not mean that such a Sage will not perform any actions. He may act. His actions, however, are not motivated by the desire to gain happiness as a result of action but are an expression of the joy and fulfillment he experiences within. Selfless actions pour out of him for the benefit of all beings. There is not an iota of selfishness left in his being, as his ego is destroyed. Seeing the Self in him, as the Self in all, he fills the world with his love which expresses as service to mankind.

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