Guru continues: “There is a type of meditation called ‘nididhyāsa’, which means profound and repeated meditation. This type of meditation is on mahāvākya-s such as “I am Brahman or I am That”. This meditation is the result of listening and contemplating about formless Brahman. After this meditation, you will be convinced about Advaita. While practicing this meditation, one will experience both pleasure and pain and the reason for this is prārabdha karma (There are three types of karmas – sañcita, prārabdha and āgāmya. Sañcita is the sum total of all karmas. Prārabdha is that part of the karma which manifests in this life and prārabdha karma is carved out of sañcita karma). As long as one experiences pleasure and pain, it means that his prārabdha is still active. If a person is firmly convinced “I am Brahman”, he will not accrue further karmas and thus he will not have further karma accruals, which is called āgāmya (relating to future). Even though, he is Self-realized, he cannot escape from the remnants of prārabdha karma and he has no other way, except to experience it. But, his sañcita karma will be destroyed and he will not have āgāmya also. But he has to experience his prārabdha karma and he has no escape from this. But, such a jñāni will not give any importance to his sufferings; he will just suffer without even murmuring about it. You must understand that our body is created only to experience karmas. Karmas are accrued only because of actions and nothing to do with Brahman.
“Great sages and saints will never be attached to anything. They are completely detached from the worldly affairs and always stay with peaceful mind. They have worked very hard to reach this stage. They stay in perpetual bliss and finally they attain liberation after death (videhamukti). They merge with Brahman and will never be reborn. My valued disciple! Purify your antaḥkaraṇa and develop your spiritual knowledge and realize Brahman, which is one without a second. If one wants to get away from the pains of saṁsāra and to attain liberation, he has to study Scriptures that talk about Brahman (Upaniṣad-s). He should also listen to his Guru wholeheartedly. More than anything else, practice and personal experience are very important. Brahman is One without a second and this is repeatedly revealed through Sacred Scriptures (Upaniṣad-s).”
With this, Guru concludes his teachings to his disciple. Now the disciple describes his experience because of his teachings.
Disciple says: “After having realized that Brahman and my individual soul are one and the same, my buddhi is completely destroyed. What I see everywhere is Brahman and what I experience is only Bliss. I am not able to explain my present blissful state. It is beyond any reasonable explanation. What happened to this world? I have just seen this world and where it has gone now? It is pleasantly surprising!! In this state (after realizing the Self), I do not see anything, do not hear anything, do not understand anything. I only stay with my Self and always remain in blissful state.
“I prostrate before you Guruji. You are special in many ways. You are an ocean of compassion and love. You are the essence of bliss. Your blessings have relieved me from the pains of saṁsāra. I have reached this blissful state in no time. I am a free bird now. I have no attachment. I have no body. I am boundless. I am pure and I am peaceful. I am not the doer nor do I experience anything. I am devoid of any actions. I am an embodiment of knowledge. I am unique and always remain auspicious. I am not this and I am not that. I am Viṣṇu and I am Shiva too. I prevail in all beings. I have no sense organs. I have no mind. I have no shape. I am Brahman. I am the foundation for everything. I am the one who illumines everything. I alone prevail in all shapes and forms. I am omnipresent. I am satyaṁ-jñānaṁ-anantaṁ. I am everything. I repeatedly pay my obeisance to you. I repeatedly prostrate before you, the ever shining Brahman.”
Guru says his final words to this disciple. “In every situation and circumstance, you exist as Brahman continuously. Always understand this reality. If you look at this universe with your biological eyes, you will notice only the dual world. If you look at everything with your internal eye (spiritual eye or eyes of Brahman), you will know that the entire universe is pervaded by Brahman only. Once you begin to taste the bliss of Brahman, you will not look for anything else. You will never get any satisfaction from the material world. Therefore, lead your life by constantly remaining in bliss. Never get attached to your sense organs and always remain only as a witness. There is no need for you to go to holy places, no need for auspicious timings, no need for specific āsana-s (sitting postures), no need for niyama (part of aṣṭāṅgayoga, which means controlling, restraining, etc.), no need for goal, etc. You have no controls whatsoever. When the Self is always illuminating and there are no restrictions for this self-effulgence. Whether it is dark or bright, pure or impure, Brahman always shines. At this stage, you always know that you are Brahman. Self can only be realized through personal experience. Knowledge and practice are two important aspects to realize Brahman. The body of a jīvanmukta continues to undergo pain due to his prārabdha karma. But he is not affected by these pains. He will be just witnessing his pains. First a jñāni attains the state of jīvanmukta, living only to experience his karmas. After he has exhausted all his karmas, at the appointed time, he dies and becomes a videhamukta and merges with Brahman. His body has already been cremated by his wisdom. Further rituals for his body are of no use to him. A brahma jñāni attains kaivalya (absolute unity, perfect isolation and detachment from all other matter) and merges with the Brahman, not to be born again. His gross, subtle and causal bodies are burnt by his knowledge. Where is birth or death for the Self? There is no affliction to the Self. Both bondage and liberation are only due to māyā and guṇa-s. But spiritually ignorant people wrongly connect them to the eternally pure Self. Self is always Self and devoid of any dualities.
“My dear disciple, you are now devoid of all afflictions. I have taught you as if you are my son. I have imparted all the secretive teachings to you as you are seriously interested in realizing Brahman. I wish you all the best.”
Further reading on karmas: GURUJI SPEAKS
Further reading on Self-realization: SHIVA IN COVERSATION WITH SHAKTHI
Vivekacūḍāmaṇi concluded
June 12, 2016 07:59 AM
Is nididhyāsa meditation related to hamsa or soham. Why is this special that other type of meditation? Does it make self realization faster due to repeated chanting. What is this technique?
June 12, 2016 10:55 AM
This is like normal mantra japa. But instead of mantra japa, mahavakyas will be used. For example "Shivhoam" (I am Shiva) or "I am Brahman" can be used. In other mantra japas we are still with duality. In this, there is no duality. Repeated recitation of this will lead to realization. What you think, you become that.