Dualism and non-dualism

My question is about dualism and non-dualism. I know dualism refers to physical and mental consciousness and non-dualism refers to concentrating on the Brahman, the Absolute. I do know both lead to Brahman, then why the divide?  – Arun

|Shivoham|

Beloved Arun,

You might be knowing the definition of Advaita (non-dualism), Dwaita (dualism) and for that matter you may find many scholars who would further be able to debate endlessly upon their knowledge on further refinements (better call it individual interpretations) like Visishtadvaita, Achintya Bheda Abhed, Shuddhadvaita and so on.. however this knowing is NOT knowing and thus not liberating or enlightening. You can vouch for it, I am sure for knowing Dualism and Non-dualism has done no good to you either except creating a serious scholarly interest in understanding these concepts even more from different point of views or may be from different people in different languages. And knowing is not liberating in that sense in which any spiritually inclined person would want it to be.

Arun, The Truth is undivided it is only your experience which divides it. The day intellect was born the relativity and logic entered the psyche of humans and since then in order to understand the world and its law he has been continuously breaking things in to smallest of identifiable, definable pieces on one end and also taking pleasure in arranging those pieces in a unique fashion to be able to create the whole once again. This works well in reality outside and there is need too but the inner reality or the experience of Truth, which is all-inclusive doesn’t require it rather it becomes the biggest roadblock to your spiritual growth.

The divide will always be there because the undercurrent of relativity of experiences would not cease to exist. You are born with eyes to see the world outside and your first experience is “World” but when you become contemplative then you realize there is a “Seer” too and on that very moment divide has happened. Your experience says you are not the world. But when you go deeper in your being by travelling the path shown by your Master your distinctions start disappearing and then depending upon the individual’s taste, capability, intelligence and emotional state one deciphers things in one’s unique way. And that is the reason what worked for Madhavacharya did not work for Chaitanya and what worked for Nanak did not work for Mahavir but whatever way they walked or the recipe which worked for them was given a logical sounding name however the Truth they touched upon, the bliss they experienced, the light and love they felt is all the same.

What do you think now divide exists for?

Love and Light

- Ach. Agyaatdarshan

How can I forgive…

Master, I am hurt and I dont know how to overcome this feeling. Someone has cheated me and I feel like retaliating. Can you please help me with your soothing words?

-  Vivechana

|Can you forgive me please?|

Beloved Vivechana, There are so many readymade recipes available… each one of you would have read it in some or the other form. Every enlightened Master has spoken about forgiveness in his unique way. They spoke so because they recognized the value of forgiveness and underlying principles.

Mohammed Paigambar (MPBUH), is asking to forgive. He says “Be quick in the race for forgiveness from your Lord, and for a Garden (paradise) whose width is that of the heavens and of the earth, prepared for the righteous – Those who spend (freely), whether in prosperity or in adversity, who restrain (their) anger and pardon (all) men – for God loves those who do good.” – Holy Qur’an

Who is listening?

Kind words and forgiveness are better than charity followed by injury.   —Holy Qur’an

Who is preferring forgiveness over charity.. I know it is otherwise for Charity is easy. It is about throwing away but forgiving means you will have to assimilate the hurt and convert it to sweetness. Throwing away some coins and signed cheques is rather easy.

“Hold to forgiveness, command what is right, and turn away from the ignorant.” – Holy Qur’an

But I see you yourself are ignorant then how will you recognize what is right? Neither you can start from Forgiveness and lead to knowledge of oneness of all nor you can start from Knowledge to culminate in Forgiveness. I don’t think it is possible for you to forgive.

When the Holy Prophet Muhammad defeated his enemies in Mecca and returned to that city as its conqueror, he forgave them in the following words:

“No reproof be against you this day; Allah may forgive you, and He is the most Merciful of those who show mercy.”  – Holy Qur’an

He could do so because he was messenger of the supreme light of the universe; the light which lights up every tiny particle of this world and your heart too. If you have not seen even spark of that light ever you can not forgive and if you did, staying in the state of hurt and revenge will not be possible. All spirituality is about being ‘ultimate selfish person’ of the world – if you wish to stay in peace and create goodness in your life and for that you are spiritual I can see you are utterly selfish. Are you really selfish? If you are then there is still some hope and I can teach you something but it seems you are ready to sacrifice your peace out of your love for the other.

In Hindu scripture Mahabharata it is mentioned that –

“One should forgive, under any injury. It hath been said that the continuation of the species is due to man’s being forgiving. Forgiveness is holiness; by forgiveness, the universe is held together. Forgiveness is the might of the mighty; forgiveness is sacrifice; forgiveness is quiet of mind; forgiveness and gentleness are the qualities of the self-possessed. They represent eternal virtue.”  – Mahabharata

Have you ever enlisted what inner qualities you wanted in you? You were always so particular about what degree, which stream and what specialization and which company, which institute, what color of clothes and all.. If we do not value virtues there is no need to forgive. Revenge is better.

In Holy Bible we have following verses hailing forgiveness –

“Forgive us the wrongs that we have done, as we forgive the wrongs others have done us.”

This is a real good barter only if YOU succeed in doing what you want. I don’t know if that is possible for you at this moment because at this moment your hurt is because the other one is happy and that too without you. At this moment you want his unhappiness.. I don’t think you really want to forgive and if you want that would probably it would be so because you fear doing what is coming to your mind. May be fear of law, fear of losing your self-image… Dive within and find out, if you would have come to me even if you had strength and choice of walking someone over. Think!

“…Forgive, and you will be forgiven” – Holy Bible

Did all these words help? Did these words from Masters could soothe you? If not then why are you bothering yet another one? I am tired and I am sure you too would be exhausted by now. Go and sleep until you have courage to wake up to my love for you, His love for you Vivechana.

Love & Light

- Agyaatdarshan

The Gita: Srimad Bhagwadgita: श्रीमद्भगवद्गीता : Chapter 1:12 – 1:19

प्रथमोSध्यायः… (Continued 1:12 – 1:19)

तस्य संजनयन् हर्षं कुरुवृद्धः पितामहः॥

सिन्हनादं विनद्योचैः सङ्खं दध्मौ प्रतापवान् ॥१२॥

ततः संखास्च भेर्यश्च पणवानकगोमुखाः ॥

सहसैवाभ्यहन्यन्त स शब्दस् तुमुलोsअभवत ॥१३॥

ततः श्वेतैर् हयैर् युक्ते महति स्यन्दने स्तिथितौ ॥

माधवः पाण्डवश्चैव दिव्यौ शन्खौ प्रदध्मतुः ॥१४॥

पाञ्चजन्यं हृषीकेशो देवदत्तं धनञ्जयः ॥

पौण्ड्रं दध्मौ महाशङ्खं बीम्कर्मा वृकोदरः ॥१५॥

अनन्तविजयं राजा कुन्तीपुत्रो युधिष्ठिरः ॥

नकुलः सहदेवश्च सुघोषमणिपुष्पकौ ॥१६॥

काश्यश्च परमेष्वासः  शिखण्डी च महारथः ॥

धृष्टद्युम्नो विराटश्च सात्यकिश्चापराजितः ॥१७॥

द्रुपदो द्रौपदेयाश्च सर्वशः पृथवीपतेः ॥

सौभद्रश्च महाबाहुः शङ्खान् दध्मुः प्रथक् प्रथक्॥१८॥

स घोषो धार्त्रराष्ट्राणां हृदयानि व्यदारयत् ॥

नभश्च पृथ्वीं चैव तुमुलो व्यनुनादयन् ॥१९॥

|| परमपूज्य, प्रातःस्मरणीय पं. श्री मुरलीधर जी मिश्र||

Beloved Souls,

I bow down to the divine seated in your heart.. please accept my salutations.

Many of my friends and disciples have been continuously following up with me over this month long silence here on cyber space. I know you all had no intentions of disturbing me but only wanting to receive more of what they get from here. I am thankful to all of you who bore this period of lull and silence and am sure you would have used this time to contemplate more on what is already available with you. For all those whose missed calls could not be reverted and mails did not see a reply I wish to inform that this happened owing to certain engagements which included two tightly spaced special sessions of “World Religious Parliament (विश्व धर्म् संसद्)” and a seminar marking the beginning of ’150th birth anniversary year’  of Swami Vivekananda. I must thank you all for your forbearance and confess that it was only with your supportive energies emanating from the divine within you that I could contribute well to these events. I once again thank you for your unconditional love and faith in me. Now back to “The song of Divine – The Gita”…

Thus as Duryodhana concluded his anxiety laden effort of describing both the sides to Dronacharya, Pitamah Bhishma assumed the role of the lion-hearted warrior. He roared like a lion and blew his conch-shell announcing the beginning of the war!

His act was also directed towards taking the anxiety off Duryodhana and he successfully did achieve that. So far Duryodhana wasn’t sure if pitamaha (great grandfather) Bhishma would actually be ready to take up this responsibility at hand but when Bhishma announced the beginning of war by blowing his conch he felt relaxed and comforted. This act of Bhishma sounded to him as the approval to his decision to opt the war instead of compromise with Pandavas. Bhishma declared the war but you must keep in mind that Bhishma is great-grand father of Pandavas as well. For him Kauravas and Pandavas, both are equally affectionate but for a man of his caliber the truth is most affectionate. So when he blows his conch he is in fact declaring “let the righteous win”… Though bound by his promise of loyalty to the throne of Hastinapur, Bhishma is not an ignorant, biased man. He is great ascetic of his times and he knows what is going to be the outcome of this war, he understands the design of Lord Krishna and Krishna’s presence on Pandava’s side and that joy he is expressing in his roar.

Just as Bhishma blew his conch many conches, kettledrums, cymbals, drums and trumpets were sounded together from Kaurava’s side. This commotion was tremendous.

The war has symbolically begun now.. and Lord Krishna and Arjuna, seated in a grand chariot yoked with white horses, blew their celestial conches. Some of you can notice that the first one to blow conch from Pandava’s side is Krishna. This should be sufficient for everyone to understand who was leading the side of Pandava; that the Kaurava’s army was standing against a born Yogi, an Avatar.. a Celestial Master. Whenever a Master is there to protect someone one can be sure of his mercy. You should have faith in him for whatever he is deciding for you will be for your growth. Victory or defeat is transitory and immaterial here what matters the most is the choice of being on his side – the side of the enlightened one. But in your individual capacity you can not choose to be on his side, behind him for you don’t have the capacity to decipher the psyche of master, you are not capable of differentiating between an ordinary man and a master. It is the master who chooses his side. Here also in the same purpose for which Krishna has come (And his purpose he clearly tells Arjuna later in Gita - यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवतिभारत) has chosen Pandavas to become his instrument in annihilation of the wickedness and disorder from this plane. It is he He who reserves the rights of admission.

So what you can do in that wait..? You can work on yourself, purify yourself.. develop yourself to be able to receive his grace, a chance to be on His side. Needless to say that it will be only Master’s revelation which will make you understand His plan… you can NOT know it yourself. This doesn’t sound very comfortable to your ego… you think you have the capacity to identify a master, judge his deeds. I repeat none of your egoistic thinking is going to change the fact.. it is always the Master who chooses you. It is just not possible for a kindergarten kid to assess the ability of her teacher who is teaching him how to hold the pencil right and how to draw a circle. You are not more than a kindergarten kid.. it is only for your good that you empty yourself, throw away the feeling of ‘knowing all’ because only then you will be able to receive the true knowledge. A kid is able to learn because he does not questions.. because he does not judge. With this attitude keep working on yourself.. Don’t be impatient. The Master is always watching compassionately and you will have your chance to be on His side.

Krishna blew his conch, Paanchjanya, followed by Arjuna who blew his conch, Devadatta; and Bhima, the doer of formidable deeds, blew his conch, Paundra. Then a series of conches were blows by Yudhishthira (Anantvijaya), Nakul (Sughosha), Sahadeva (Manipushpaka).. The king of Kashi, the mighty archer; Shikhandi, the great warrior Dhrashtadhyumna, Virata, the invincible Saatyaki, King Drupad and sons of Draupadi; and the mighty son of Subhadra. The tumultuous uproar, resounding through earth and sky tore the hearts of Kauravas. 

The fear of sound is the very basic fear and that is the reason when someone is not agreeing to you or confronting you; you tend to raise your voice. This is a psychological programming of millions of years rooted in the “fear of sound”…  you can not refrain yourself from raising your voice while you are trying to rundown someone.. when you are trying to subdue someone. You are subconsciously using the power of sound to create fear in the other person. And this is also true that if the person would be weak in his heart (by virtue of impurity of his intentions or deeds) he will give up. He will surrender. In early days during wars this power of sound was used to test the intentions of the enemy. Even in some martial arts (having roots in spirituality) the practitioners are trained to growl and yell in specific way to create fear in the opponent.

Here also when Pandava’s side made a tumultuous sound the hearts of Kauravas shivered… in fact the enemy is as strong as his purity of intentions and the side he takes. Kaurava’s are on the wrong side and they deep down know it (though may not accept) and thus this uproar creator a terror in their army while the same uproar filled Pandava’s side with zeal, energy and enthusiasm for upcoming event.

Enough for today..

- Ach. Agyaatdarshan