124 - Attaining Deathlessness | Swami Tattwamayananda

Bhagavad Gita | The Essence of Vedanta

Kshetra or the phenomenal world is constituted by 24 elements. These are Prakriti, Mahatattvam or cosmic intelligence, Ahamkara or ego-sense, the mind, the five senses of perception, the five senses of action, the five subtle elements and the five gross elements. The sixth verse adds seven other elements to kshetra - desire, hatred, pleasure, pain, body, intelligence and fortitude. With these, we live in this phenomenal world.
Within this material world is the divine spark, Kshetrajna. It is immanent in every being. All problems in the world arise because we identify ourselves with the kshetra. The one who identifies himself as kshetrajna, as distinct from the field, he is able to understand the impermanent nature of the world and its problems.
In the 13th verse, Lord Krishna says: “I am now going to teach you that supreme truth, which alone is to be known, and which alone is to be realized. By realizing that, you will become immortal and realize your deathless dimension. This supreme truth is anadi (beginningless), param (beyond tools of knowledge), and Brahma (all-pervading). It is beyond existence and non-existence.”
Atman is beyond the six changes: birth, existence, growth, evolution, degeneration and death. Atman does not come into existence as a pot comes into existence from clay. It is beyond the state of coming into existence. In fact, it is beyond time, space and causation.
Atman is param: it cannot be seen or known by the six tools of epistemology. Pratyaksha is perception. Anumana is inference. Shabda is verbal testimony. Upamana is comparison. Arthāpatti is presumption. Anupalabdi is the non-cognition. These are the six pramanas or tools of knowledge in Vedantic epistemology. Atman is beyond these six pramanas. None of these six instruments of knowledge can explain the Reality.
Atman is our own true nature and can only be experienced. The purpose of scriptures is to drive the wrong ideas from our mind, so we can experience this truth. We cannot really explain an experience. Even an empirical experience such as the taste of milk cannot be fully explained.
One cannot transcend death at the physical level. When we realize our true nature and its immortal dimension, we transcend death. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad has a profound dialogue between Yajnavalkya and Maitreyi on the topic of immortality.
To realize this supreme truth, one needs to attain 20 spiritual qualities that are described in verses 7-12. Per Shankaracharya, these characteristics should be acquired by those seeking to strive for spiritual enlightenment However, these same characteristics become second nature for the enlightened person. These characteristics are:
(1) Humility – not being too proud of oneself (2) Not pretentious – respects others but does not demand respect from them (3) Non-violence in thoughts, words and deeds, as he instinctively feels spiritual affinity with entire creation (4) Forbearance (5) Uprightness (6) Service mindedness (7) Mental purity (8) Steadiness (9) Self-control – the spiritual energy from his noble actions gives him steadiness and self-control (10) Sense of renunciation towards sense pleasures (11) Absence of egoism (12) Ability to look upon birth, death, sickness and old age as imperfections of this empirical life. (13) Non-attachment (14) Not being obsessively attached to near and dear ones (15) Equanimity of mind in happiness and unhappiness (16) Constant, unwavering devotion to the spiritual ideal (17) Inclination for solitary places (18) Aversion to mundane society (19) Constant reflection of spiritual knowledge (20) Realizing the ultimate purpose of knowledge.
When we acquire these spiritual qualities, we transform the whole world into a temple because we see the presence of the divine everywhere. These qualities describe a good human being. The greatness of Gita is that it gives a spiritual dimension to what we normally consider secular.
The next few verses describe the all-pervading nature of the divine reality.
14th verse: “That Divine Reality has hands, feet, eyes, heads, mouths, ears everywhere.” It is the poet’s language to put in words what cannot be put in words, as the absolute reality is indescribable. The poet uses a metaphor in this verse. The meaning is that the divine reality is present everywhere and in everything.
15th verse: “It expresses itself through the senses but is beyond the senses. It is unattached to everything, yet it sustains everything. It is beyond all characteristics.”
Whatever we do with our mind, and senses of perception and action, is an expression of the divine spark within us. The physical body and mind are only a tool for its manifestation. The senses are able to function because of the presence of this divine spark. Death is the withdrawal of this unseen divine spark from the body.
16th verse: “This Supreme Reality is inside and outside of everything, both moving and unmoving. It is so subtle that it cannot be known. It is very far but also very near.”
For those who are lost in worldly pursuits, this attainment of the highest truth is far away. For those pure in heart, it is very near.
17th verse: “The divine reality is present everywhere and in everything. It is indivisible but appears to be divided.”
The extent to which the divine reality manifests within us depends on our own accumulated samskaras and how ready we are for its manifestation.
18th verse: “It is the light of all lights; it is beyond darkness of ignorance; it is knowledge, the object of knowledge and the goal of knowledge; it is present as the divine spark everywhere and in everything.”
King Janaka asked Sage Yajnavalkya in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: “Endowed with what light does a person live in this world”. The first answer was sunlight. As each option provided in previous answers was eliminated, subsequent answers were moonlight, agni, and sound. When all four of these options were eliminated, the final answer was Atma-Jyoti, which is in all of us and that is self-revealing. It is the light of all lights - that enables all other lights, such as sunlight, moonlight, and agni to function.
Light is an important symbol in Vedanta. It symbolizes enlightenment and knowledge. God, as light or atma-jyoti, is already within us. The revealing power of the senses and mind is borrowed from this atma-jyoti. When we do our spiritual practices with sincerity, compassion and looking upon the whole humanity as one – then our mind becomes pure and this divine light within us reveals itself. When a person identifies with this light, he experiences spiritual freedom, happiness within, and illumined within.
19th verse: “I have now explained to you Kshetra and Kshetrajna. I have explained the nature of the empirical world, how to live in this world, acquire spiritual qualities, and realize your own deathless dimension. When you realize this, you transcend death.”