viveka

 
Viveka
A firm conviction  that Brahman  alone  is reaiity,  and all else  is unreality, is Viveka.  It is discrimination  between  the  .real  and the unreal (Sat and Asat), permanent  and impermanent (Nitya  and Anitya), Self and not-Self ($tman  and Anatman).  Viveka  dawns  in a man on iccount  of the grace of God. The  grace  can come only when one has done incessant selfless service  in countless births  with the  feeling  of offering everything to the Lord. The door of the higher mind is flung open when there  is awakening  of discrimination.   This discrimination  is a strong  sword  to destroy  worldly  desires,  ambitions  and earthly attachments.  It is an agent of wisdom, a secondary, intuitive  eye  of wisdom. It is a spiritual faculty  that   annihilates  the clinging  of the mind to earthly objects. Discrimination  also  dawns through  virtuous actions  done  in past  births, holy company  or study of sacred  scriptures and selfless service  or work done without  the expectation of fruits and  without egoism. The body, mind, senses, intellect and the worldly phenomena  are  temporary.  Their value is impermanent.  They  are identified  with  the  pairs  of opposites,  therefore they  are unreal and not to be sought after.  Tiuth is  timeless,  causeless, enduringly  blissful,  one without a second, the only entity to be sought after,  the only thing  that  can give real happiness.

The five sheaths  are floating  in the universal consciousness  like straw in  water. The five changing  Kosas or the physical,  mental, vital, intellectual and bliss sheaths are mixed up with the eternal  Atman  or the Self.  There is childhood, boyhood, adolescence and  old age  for this  physical body,  but there  is an unchanging  background  for this ever-changing  body and mind, like the black-board  in a class  room  or screen  in a cinema on which  are  manifested  various forms  and  figures.

The witness or the silent spectator  of these changes  of the body  and mind  is'permanent  and unchanging.  He is like  the all-pervading  ether.  He  pervades,  permeates and interpenetrates  all these changing  forms  like the thread in a  garland  of flowers.  This eternal  essence  or Atman  is present everywhere  and in everything-atoms,  electrons, ants and mountains.  He dwells in the chambers  of your own heart.  He is the soul of this tree, stone, flower,  goat,  dog, cat, man and saint. He is the common  property  of all-a saint or a sinner' a king  or a peasant, a beggar  or a baron, a scavenger or a cobbler.  He is the very source  of life and thought.

learn to discriminate between  this  eternal  and unchanging  substratum  of all  objects  and the ever-changing  names  and forms.  seriously  engage  himself at all times to separate the eternal  unchanging  Self from these  names and forms.  try to separate himself from  the changing,  impermanent  five sheaths,  from the  passions,  emotions,  feelings, thoughts  and  sentiments  and from  the oscillating mind itself.   distinguish  betrveen the mind and the witness who moves and illumines the mind;  between  ordinary  sensation,  feelings and sentiments  and  perfect  awareness  of  pure consciousness  which  remains unaffected  and unattached;  between  personality  and individuality.

also separate  yrself from the false superimpositions  of the body-position,  rank,   avocation,  birth,  caste, stage and  order of life. These are all accidental  appendages  of the false personality. When u see  a fascinating  flower or any attractive form,  philosophise  within yrself:  "This  beautiful flower will fade within a day, however  sweet  it may be. It will be turned into dust tomorrow.  This  beautiful woman  also  will turn to dust.  Even  the mighty  Himalayas,  though they appear to be permanent,  are sure  to tumble down  like a pack  of cards  one day. The beauty in the flower,  the feminine  form  and   is only  a reflection  of that unchanging Self within  the infinite  undecaying  Beauty  of beauties."

Mind wants  repetition  of a pleasure  once enjoyed.  Memory  of pleasure  arises in the mind. Memory induces  imagination  and  thinking.  In this way, attachment  arises. Thiough  repetition  a habit is formed.  Habit causes  strong  craving. Mind  then exercises  its  rule over the poor,  helpless, weak-willed  worldlings. As soon as discrimination  arises,  the mind,s power  becomes  weakened.  It tries to recede  and retrace its steps to its original  home,  the heart.  Its poisonous  fangs are  extracted  by discrimination.  It cannot  do  anything  in  the presence  of discrimination.

The will becomes  stronger  and   stronger  when discrimination is awakened,  thus enabling us to get out of the miserable worldly life. When you are fully  aware of the magnitude of human  suffering in this miserable  'relative'  world, you will naturally  begin to discriminate  between what is real and what  is unreal.

Then  sincerity  or faith will develop  and  aspiration or keen longing to realise  God  will be felt. You will have  to remember the  Tiuth constantly  and assert repeatedly  'Aham  Brahmasmi  -I  am Brahrnan'.

By incessant practice name, form and thoughts will vanish and you will realise Brahman. This is Vedanta Sadhana. Discrimination,  sincerity, aspiration  and remembrance are  the various  stages for realisation  of Brahman. The ordinary man of the world identifies himself  with the perishable  body, impermandnt objects, wife,  son,  cattle  and property,  and hence gets attached  to these  external  names and forms. He develops  delusion, love  and hatred,  pride of caste,  position,  etc. He says:  "I am a Brahmin,  I am a rich man, I am a genius,  I am very  powerful, my wife comes from a noble  family and she is a graduate  of the Bombay  University,  and I myself am a member  of the Legislative  Assembly." He thus brags of his false beauty, false  possessions, intellectual  attainments,  etc. Thus  he is caught  up in the ever-revolving  wheel  of births and deaths. He  is born again and again in this world  of sorrow, undergoing  various sorts of miseries, troubles, sorrows  and pains  only on  account  of non-discrimination.

Discrimination  gives  inner strength  and mental  peace.  One  who has  discrimination  gets no troubles.  He is always  on the alert. He never gets entangled  in anything.  He has  far-sightedness  and knows the true value of the objects of this universe.  He is fully  aware  of the worthlessness  of these shallow  toys. Nothing  can tempt  him. Maya cannot approach  him now.
Viveka should be developed to the maximum degree; one should be well-established in it. It
should  not be an ephemeral or occasional  mood in
an aspirant, but become part and parcel
of his nature.  It  should  not fail him when  he is in trouble, when  any difficulty stares him in the face. He should exercise  it at all times  without  any effort.

Those who have done countless  virtuous deeds in their  previous  births will have the good fortune through  the  grace  of God to have Satsanga of Mahatmas, Sadhus,  Bhaktas,  Yogis, Jnanis  and Sannyasis.

If one is careless  in the beginning, Viveka  may come  and go,  so   live in the company  of sages  for a long time till it burns  in u  like a big steadY  flame.

Maya  is very  powerful.  She  tries her extreme level  best to lead the aspirant  astray. She throws many  temptations  and  obstacles  on the  path of young  inexperienced  aspirants. 
Therefore the company  of sages  and Mahatmas  is like an impenetrable  fortress  for the neophyte.   no temptations  can  assail  him. He will undoubtedly develop  true and lasting  discrimination  which will be  permanent and spontaneous.  Then  only  is he truly  and  perfectly safe.  The dangerous  zone is passed.

Only a true Viveki can claim  to be the richest,  happiest and  most  powerful  man in the world.  He is a rare spiritual  gem,  a beaconlight and  torchbearer.

If Viveka  is developed,  all other qualifications  will come  by themselves.   separate   self  from the Shad-Urmis  or six waves  in the  'ocean' of Samsara, viz.,  birth, death,  hunger, thirst, exhilaration  and grief.   Birth and  death belong to the  physical  body; hunger and thirst belong to the  Prana;  exhilaration and  grief are the attributes
of the mind.

The Soul is unattached.  These  six cannot  touch  the Atman which is subtle  like the all-pervading  ether.

separate   self from the senses.   do  not take  upon self the functions  of the senses.  stand  as a   spectator  and witness  of the activities  of the mind, Prana  and the senses.

The  senses  and the  mind  are like iron pieces  in contact  with  a magnet.  They function  by borrowing  the light  and  power  from the  source,  the eternal  Atman.

Meditation  on the following  verses  of the Bhagavad  Gita and  on the special formula  of Sri Sankara  will pave  a long  way in the development of  Viveka  and  in separating  self  from  the illusory  vehicles-the  Indriyas,  prana,  mind  and the five  sheaths. 

The formula  of Sri Sankara  is "Brahma  satyam  jagat-mithya;  jivo  brahmaiva  na aparah-Brahman  (the  Eternal)  alone  is Tiuth, this world is unreal;  the Jiva  is identical  with Brahman."

The Bhagavad  Gita says:
"The  unreal has no being,  the real  never  ceases  to be; the  truth about  both  have  been  perceived  by the seers  of the essence'of  things."  (I-16)

Reflection  on this verse  will infuse  discrimination. 

'do.nothing  at all', thus would  the harmonised  knower  of Tiuth think-seeing,  hearing,  touching,  smelling,  eating, moving,  sleeping,  breathing,  speaking,  givin!, grasping,  opening  and closing  the eyes_convinced that the senses  move  among  the sense-objects.,, (V-8,  9).

 separate  yourself  from  the senses by meditating  upon  the meaning  of these two verses.

"All  actions  are wrought  by the qualities  of   nature only. The self, deluded by egoism,  thinks,  'I am the  doer'.  But he, O mighty  armed,  who knows the essence of the divisions of the qualities  and functions, holding that  'The qualities  move  amid the  qualities',  is not attached." Bhagavad  Gita (lll-27,  28). 

By meditating upon this idea  you can separate  yourself from  the three gunas. "He who sees that Prakriti  verily  performs  all actions and that the Self is actionless,  he alone sees." Bhagavad Gita  (XIII-29). 

It  is  a  faculty  of  Sattva  (purity)  that differentiates  the  permanent  from  the impermanent,  the Atman  from the Anatman.  This means the ability  to do the right thing at the right time and in the right place. develop discrimination  through the grace  of the Lord, selfless  service,  enquiry  and study of scriptures. Keep  this faculty  bright and sharp. [t may become blunt  if you are careless  and non-vigilant,  if your dispassion  and  Sadhana  slacken, if you mix freely with worldly persons. Discrimination  acts  like a sieve.  It rejects  all undesirable  things  and  accepts or selects  the one desirable or real thing  (the Atman). If it is not well-grounded,  it will evaporate like ether very soon. Always  protect  and intensify discrimination. Inquiry  of  'Who  am I?'will proceed automatically.

This inquiry  is like the emanation  of scent  from  the burning  incense-stick  of discrimination. If you have  no discrimination and dispassion,  energy  will leak out freely like water from the holes of a pot. If you  are well-established in them,  they  will act  as a restraining  agent. In the beginning  there will be the need of deliberate  attempts in  the  practice  of discrimination  and inquiry.   Later on, through constant practise  they will become habitual  and you will be established in them. You can practise them  even while doing work. They  are not qualities  alone  but are regular  daily modes of practice as well.

practise  them  till they become habitual in you.  Meditate  constantly on the formulae  mentioned  earlier. Discrimination may  wane if you  are careless  and  not regular  in your  Sadhana.  If you have discrimination,  surely you  will have  lasting dispassion. 

The edifice  of wisdom is built upon  the strong foundation  of discrimination.

A Vedantin  never  goes  in for any sort of Hatha  Yoga practices  because they intensi$r  the false identification  with the  body.  He starts  boldly with Viveka. Viveka  is the corner  stone of the edifice  of Vedanta. lt is the most important,  vital qualification.