B. Bhooma Vidyaa : Science Of Bliss
The self alone is existence brahman, this conclusion was made in the sixth chapter of the Chhandogya. After the existence element, there arise many transformation-formed other elements, which have not been described. Now, beginning with name, and upto the vital force, listing all the elements, now the essence element will be explained. Showing another through another, this is called "branch moon logic" (shaakhaa chandra nyaaya). There is also an objection - after realizing the existence element, there is nothing else that remains to be known. This objection also ends. Another thing is known - just like we sequentially ascend upon a ladder, we enter into subtler and subtler objects, and ultimately transcend them using the sequence of name etc. Name, speech, mind etc. are specific elements, but the most supreme and special entity is the bhooma element. Therefore, after the science of existence, the science of bhooma is now commenced.
Just like the conversation between Shvetaketu and Aaruni is in the human realm, the conversation of Naarada and Sanatkumaara is in the sage realm. The science of brahman is required everywhere. Without it, the ignorance, pride, sorrow, delusion and subservience of humans cannot be removed. This is the reason why even the mental son of Lord Brahmaa, Naarada, was afflicted with sorrow. He is a divine sage, he has attained all sciences, and also observed all his duties. But, his sorrow could not be removed on the strength of action and science alone, since he was devoid of the knowledge of the self nature. When, without knowledge of the nature of the self, even such a divine sage is affected, then when a human who has limited merit, limited knowledge gets affected by sorrow, what is the suprise? Therefore, humans should definitely have this knowledge of supreme bliss. This knowledge alone is the means to attain the unsurpassed glory of the self. What did Naarada not have? He was none other than the son of Lord Brahmaa. He was endowed with good conduct, he had learned all the Vedas by heart, he was rich in all kinds of powers and wealth. Also, he did not have any pride generated by all of this. Like an ordinary human, he went to the refuge of Sanatkumaara, and requested the knowledge that would end his sorrow and attain glory. This narrative is intended to praise the science of the self.
Sanatkumaara asked - Naarada, what have you studied so far? What wisdom have you gained? First, tell me all of this, then I will tell you what comes next. Naarada took the names of all kinds of sciences and said that he knew all of them very well, that he remembered them. But O Lord! I an the knower of mere words. All words are in name only. It is through them alone that actions are generated. But even while knowing all of this, I do not know my self. If you say - if you take the names of all the sciences I have spoken of also included the science of the self, why did you not know it? Then here is what I will say - word and meaning, all these are transformations, transformations are not the self. I have also heard of and read about the word "self", but just like a king is concealed by the flags and armies of his kingdom, the self remains concealed for me. Without a teacher, there is no knowledge. Only with knowledge does sorrow vanish. By seating me on the boat of self knowledge, help me cross over the ocean of sorrow, make me content, make me fearless.
Sanatkuamara said - Naarada! Whatever you have learned so far is name only. In transactions, transformations only are primary. One name in place of another. What is the real difference between a pot, a jar or a jug? Unfortunately, the whole world is caught in this trap. People are trapped in this magic-net. Prior to education, the three-fold afflications cause sorrow, and after that, the burden, forgetting, pride and the fear of losing education come. Therefore, you leave the refuge of scripture and take refuge in the one name. The name alone is brahman. Without seeing pure-impure, day-night, inside-outside, qualified-unqualified, it stays with you. You drop all other names and worship the one name brahman. You will attain all objects by which that is named.
Naarada said - Lord! The utterance of name happens through action. If there is something bigger than name, please teach me that from the viewpoint of brahman, since by accepting name as brahman and worshipping it, sorrow will not go away.
Sanatkumaara started telling Naarada one after another. Another is bigger than the one. In them, what is the result of doing brahman vision, he taught that as well. But both discrimination and dispassion had dawned in Naarada. That is why he saw finitude in both the means and its result. So then, he asks for another means, and expresses lack of interest in the result. Sanatkumaara gave the following teachings of brahman vision sequentially: speech, mind, will, memory, meditation, strength, food, water, fire, space, memory and hope. In this, he pointed out that one was greater than its predecessor. And by conducting brahman vision in hope, all desires are fulfilled. Also, wherever hope goes, one becomes unbounded there, this result was also shown. But Naarada felt that all these means were endowed with cause-effect relationship, and yielded transient results. He said - Lord! If there is something even greater than this, please teach it.
In reality, both Sanatkumaara and Naarada are sons of Lord Brahmaa. Both have reached the pinnacle of knowledge-dispassion and equanimity. Sanatkumaara is cessation-oriented whereas Naarada is a scholar of all sciences. This combination of a cessation-oriented teacher and inquisitive student is quite rare.
Sanatkumaara taught to see brahman in vital force. Vital force is everything, this is self evident. He who keeps vision of brahman in vital force rises above all debates, and transcending everything between name and hope, he says "I am the vital force". If people call him an excessive talker, he should accept it and openly say "I am the all-Ishvara vital force".
Naarada understood that he alone was the unsurpassed all-self vital force. Therefore, Naarada did not want to know what was higher than vital foece. Seeing his contentment, Sanatkumaara's heart was filled with compassion. He thought that Naarada has imbibed illusory knowledge and yet is satisfied, since vital force is a transformation, it is false, it is ignorance, there is no bliss in it. Therefore, Sanatkumaara said - Naarada! The real excessive talker is one who becomes one through truth. Naarada said - Lord! I do want to become an excessive talker through truth, therefore I inquire about the truth from you.
Sanatkumaara siad - he who obtains the science of the absolute truth, he casts off all false transformations of commencement of speech, and comes to know of the one truth inside all of these transformations. He can become an excessive talker through truth. Here, a question arises. Even transformations are real, since the shruti says that "name-form is real, and due to them, this vital force has been cloaked". Shruti also says that "vital force alone is truth". Therefore, it is correct that the shrutis mention that transformations are the truth, but only in relation to sense objects, not in an absolute sense. The truth gained by pulling something from the senses from outside into the intellect is one thing. The truth gained by experiencing the self illumined substratum behind the intellect is another thing. The doors to attain the absolute truth are also called the truth. Here, in very clear terms, Sanatkumaara raises Naarada from the illusory knowledge that vital force alone is the truth, and aims to give him the knowledge of the "bhooma" truth. He who does not have the science of the existence entity, he considers the existence form to be present as fire, water and food also. But, the absolute truth is beyond these three, only that science is required.
Naarada asked - Lord! Reveal that knowledge alone. Sanatkumaara said - he who contemplates receives knowledge. "Mati" or mind means contemplation, thinking about a revered topic. Argumentation and debate about an object is not called contemplation, but respectfully and positively mulling it over is called contemplation. When does contemplation happen? When there is faith, which means accepting the almighty. Only through faith is the mind fulfilled. When does faith happen? When there is "nishthaa" or devotion. It means the service and care of the teacher for the attainment of the science of brahman. In devotion, there is an abundance of alertness. When does devotion happen? When something is done. What is done? Control of the senses and focusing of the mind. Therefore, the sequence of means is - thought-flow, devotion, faith, contemplation and science. Only this science can illumine the truth.
When do all these means happen? This technique is general. If one needs to experience the joy of worldly results in this world, then one has to engage in action, no one engages in action for sorrow. Similarly, one who desires to attain supreme happiness, by which all sorrows are permanently removed, that supreme happiness comes in through the afore mentioned means (thought-flow, devotion, faith, contemplation and science).
Naarada said - Lord! I now commence the inquiry into supreme happiness. Now Sanatkumaara described - that which is the bhooma, that which is great, that which does not have anything bigger than it, in which there is no bondage of time-space-object, of the three kinds of differences, that alone is happiness. Of those transformations that are of a lower grade than that, there is always something bigger than them. Therefore they are minor. There is no happiness in the minor, since minor happiness increases hankering. Hankering or trishnaa is the seed of sorrow. Therefore, that bhooma which has nothing bigger than it, that alone is the real happiness. There is no possibility that hankering or any other seeds of sorrow will arise in the bhooma.
What is this bhooma? In daily dealings, this is the process of experience. The seer is different from the seen. That seer sees an other object with an other instrument, hears it, contemplates it and knows it. But in the bhooma element, this does not happen. There, there is no other which seen an other through an other instrument, nor hears, nor contemplates, nor knows (Chhandogya Upanishad 7.24.1).
Wherever there is the seeing of another by another through another instrument, hearing, or knowing, that is minor (Chhandogya Upanishad 7.24.1).
Bhooma is immortal, but the inferior always dies. If you seek the resting place of that bhooma, then it is your own resting place, for its resting place it does not need anyone else, it is without resting place (pratishthaa) and without refuge.
One needs another for a resting place, but there is no other than bhooma. Bhooma alone is down, it is up, it alone is in front, it alone is on the left. Whatever is seen as "this", all that is bhooma (Chhandogya Upanishad 7.25.1).
Ok, then that which is denoted by the word "that", is that bhooma any different than the soul? No. Therefore, now its teaching, its indication and its pointing is given through arrogation: I alone am down, I alone am up, I alone am in front, I alone am in the back, I alone am in the left, I alone am all this (Chhandogya Upanishad 7.25.1).
Ok, but the ignorant people call this hand-leg-endowed body as their "I". So to prevent that kind of understanding, the word "self" is now added. The self alone is up, it alone is above, it alone is behind, it alone is in the front, it alone is on the left and right, it alone is all this (Chhandogya Upanishad 7.25.2).
It is an unborn, space-like, completely full, ever liberated from everything - he who experiences this becomes self-joyous, self-sporting, self-loving and self-bliss. In his lifetime alone, he becomes established on the throne of independence. Even after the body drops, he remains independent (sva raata). Those who are devoid of this experience are subservient and sad, they are dependent or anya raat.
In the science of existence or sad vidyaa, it was explained that the creation came out of the existence entity alone, and it was taught that you are the existence entity. But when the brahman-form of the self is immediately and directly experienced, then vital force, hope, memory, space, fire, water, arising, declining, food, force, science, meditation, memory, will, mind, speech, name, mantra and action - all these happen from the self alone. For the knower of the self, all transactions are the of the form of the self alone. In his vision, there is no death, sickness or sorrow. There is not even the distinction of seer and seen. He alone is the 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 100, everything (Chhandogya Upanishad 7.26.2).
In the life of a seeker, whatever objects he takes in through his senses and mind and establishes it in his mind, those become his intake or "aahara". If the intake is pure, then the internal organ also becomes pure. Only in a pure internal organ does the light, pulsating and reflection of the self happen. After seeing that, we recognize who we are. After that, we do not have any further know with the seen entity. The connection with space, time and object disappears. There is no more geographic or historic insistence. The mine-ness and infatuation (moha) with objects and people vanishes. When there is no other object to begin with, then what does one tie oneself up with? In this manner, Lord Sanatkumaara crossed the pure-minded Naarada over the darkeness of ignorance (Chhandogya 7.26.2). In reality, sorrow is an effect of ignorance alone. When the cause is gone, how can the effect remain? Sanarkumara is the Lord himself.
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