ISHAVASYA UPANISHAD : - 4. Swami Tejomayananda.

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Adi Shankaracharya, Swami Sivananda, Swami Tapovanji, Swami Chinmayananda.

SERVE  LOVE  GIVE  PURIFY  MEDITATE  REALISE

Reflections by Swami Gurubhaktananda on the 12 Lectures delivered by Guruji, Swami Tejomayanandaji, to the 15th Batch Vedanta Course at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, Powai, Mumbai : July 11th – July 16th, 2012.

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Monday, April 04, 2022. 20:00.

“The All-Pervading Reality” -4.

2. THE PATH OF KARMA YOGA :

1.3 THE PATH OF SORROW :

MANTRAM - 3: The Sunless Worlds :

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MANTRAM - 3: The Sunless Worlds :

1 "Asurya naama te lokah, 2 andhena tamasa 'vritah;

3 tagmste pretyabhi-gacchhanti, 4ye ke chatma-hano janah."

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Translation :

1 Asuryaah naama te lokaah,              =  Sunless (demoniac) are those worlds,

2 andhena tamasaa aavritaah;            =  and enveloped in blinding gloom,

3 taagm te pretya abhi-gacchhanti,    =  to which go, after death, those

4 ye ke chatma hano janah.                  =  people who are slayers of their own souls.

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Commentary :

It is interesting to note that in Shankaracharyaji’s Bhashya a comment is made that in comparison to the fit student for Vedanta who possesses all the Sadhana Chatushtaya, even some people who may be considered very respectable in the eyes of the world, would pass as “Asuric” beings on Shankaracharya’s scale of values!

What happens to such people? 

This mantram is devoted to answering this question in the hope that those reading it would take added care to avoid such a lifestyle.

1 From the Vedantic standpoint, Hell is where there is total forgetfulness of our true nature of Self-hood. The physical characteristics of hell commonly described are immaterial; hell is a mental condition of moral depravity. Poverty can become a positive contributor towards God-remembrance, in which case it would be considered to be a blessing.

2-3 Such people go to regions of blinding gloom on departing from the earth-plane. The Asuric worlds are blindingly gloomy and dark. It is not a very welcoming place to be.

Some even consider that this world itself is such a place. More pitiable than poverty-stricken conditions are the affluent conditions devoid of any spirituality.

4 There are several types of people who will qualify in this category:

i) The normally ignorant ones; 

ii) the very ambitious ones;

iii) as above but with the added vice of having arrogance and wickedness;

iv) the indolent and lazy ones, good for nothing, living only to eat and sleep;

v) the Asura who lives only to indulge himself in vile carnal pleasures that are demeaning, intoxicating, vulgar, destructive of one’s character and shameless. 

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Suicide – “Slayers of Their Souls”

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One who identifies only with his body is the one who is truly ignorant. However learned he may be in the eyes of the world, if he has no idea of the Self and no desire to know more about it, then he is an ignorant person destined to run out a wretched, meaningless life.

Such people, who are described here as “slayers of their souls”, are committing spiritual suicide. They are the real suicide victims, not just those who take their own life.

However, talking of suicide, Guruji said that it was an insult to the great opportunity they have been given to progress in this human birth. One may understand taking one’s life once, but to take it in the spiritual sense birth after birth was unpardonable. Some people falsely console themselves with the belief that once they have the human birth they will never lose it. That is only their belief. Guruji did not hide the fact that it was easily possible for one to be born in lower bodies if one misused the human birth. A priceless treasure has to be guarded, else it will be taken away. That is easy for anyone to understand.

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NEXT :

ISHAVASYA UPANISHAD

Wave 2: Verses 4-8 (5 No.)

MEDITATIONS on the Self

Mantram - 4: The Elusive Self or Atman

To be continued ...

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