|| प्रातः स्मरणीय प्रथमगुरु पं. श्री मुरलीधर जी मिश्र ||
I, Acharya Agyaatadarshan Anand Nath sa-shaktikaayai bow down at the lotus feet of my first Guru, my revered father Pandit Shri Murli Dhar ji Mishra, Vidya Guru Kaul Shiromani Shri Shivanand Nath ji, Yoga Guru Paramhamsa Shri Balendu Giri ji Maharaj, Tantra Guru Shri Shri Anta Devji Maharaj, Vama Guru Shri Kaleshwaranand Ji Maharaj and all the compassionate Masters, divine souls of Gurumandala.. I pray for their love, support and guidance always..
Shivoham!
नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः ।
उभयोरपि दृष्टोऽन्तस्त्वनयोस्तत्त्वदर्शिभिः ॥ २-१६॥
na-asato vidyate bhaavo na-abhaavo vidyate sataḥ|
ubhayorapi drishto ’anta-stvanayos tattva-darshibhih||
Of the transient (asat, unreal or absence of Truth) there is no endurance (permanence), and of the eternal (sat, real or Truth) there is no cessation. This has been experienced by the knowers of the truth, after analyzing and understanding the nature of both.
Krishna continues.. He first says ‘Na asato vidyate bhavah’ there is no existence of Untruth (asat). Then he further sayd ‘na abhaavo vidyate satah’ there is never ever absence of the quintessence, truth (sat) or the reason. This word ‘bhaava’ and ‘a-bhaava’ are apt here.. for experiencing through your senses goes to the mind and whatever you intellect perceives is a state of mind. State of mind means state of your screen on which the objects are reflected. And when the perceived object disappears the screen of mind has ‘a-bhaava’ means absence.
Satya or Truth is always present, complete, full, ever powerful, self-illumined and unchanging. Even in this so called asat it is ever-present for it is the root, primordial cause in this manifestation.
This shloka of Gita is extremely important to understand before we proceed any further because it is pertaining to the definition or The Truth, Essence, Moolakaaran or ‘Tattva’ (Tattva here means the root or everything or cause of everything). It’s importance should be evident from the fact that even Krishna will further elaborate this definition in coming next two shlokas. So lets dwell upon the definition.
In Gajendra Moksha it is said –
यस्मिन्निदं यतश्चेदं येनेदं य इदं स्वयम् |
योऽस्मात्परस्माच्च परस्तं प्रपद्ये स्वयम्भुवम् ||गजेन्द्र मोक्ष – 3||
‘That’ which is supports and sustains this creation, ‘That’ from where this has emerged, ‘That’ which has created it, ‘That’ which has become or manifested as all this creation (individuals, you and I are part of creation itself), ‘That’ which has no ’cause’ or ‘reason’ or ‘root’ for its own existence is that Truth and I take shelter in Him (‘Him’ has been used for Godhood MahaVishnu here but in reality it is the ‘Truth’ being defined here).
Even this is confusion and it feels as if ‘Truth’ is somewhere outside or above. ‘Truth’ seems like archetype ‘God’ sitting above.. creating and watching over this creation. Isn’t it? But it is not so. तत्त्वदर्शिभिः – Those who have seen the ‘Tattva (the highest Tattva- ParaBrahmn, ParamShiva or ParamaaShakti)’ have described the nature of ‘Truth or Tattva’. As per them ‘Tattva’ or ‘Truth’ is that which –
- Never ceases to exist
- Never changes
- Is perceived by self (Self-illumined)
- Is Sat-Chit-Ananda
- Is cause of everything
Can you find something like this in this creation? In fact whatever you put your fingers on is subject to change. Has been created (is result of) by some cause preceding it. In external world there is NOTHING that matches the qualities (the first two in bold are taken up here by Krishna as representative, though there are innumerable qualities of that Truth yet it is beyond all the qualities or adjective).
Truth (aatma or chantainyam or self) can not be perceived through physical organs (karnas) of senses (gyaanendriyas) or even the inner organs (antahkaranas) because it the power (shakti) of ‘That’ which gives power of sensing, perceiving to that senses. It is just like the light which helps us see.. it is the light or power of the ‘sense of vision’. Also because ‘Truth’ does not exist in the domain of sense-experience or simply ‘Truth’ is not the subject matter of senses. Again I refer back to Gajendramoshka where it says-
स वै न देवासुरमर्त्यतिर्यङ्ग् , न स्त्री न षण्ढो न पुमान् न जन्तुः |
नायं गुणः कर्म न सन्न चासन् , निषेधशेषो जयतादशेषः || गजेन्द्र मोक्ष – 24||
‘That’ is neither Deva, Asura, Man, Lower creatures nor ‘That’ is female, male, eunuch or any life form. Neither it is Guna (properties of something), act, action or reason for action. ‘That’ is obtained as the ‘Grand Remainder’ by taking away (negating) all these (known or perceivable aspects).
Well, even with this analogy and language it seems too difficult to understand what is the ‘Truth’ and in a way it is difficult because whatever language is being used can not reach ‘That’ for this language, the mind, the intellect.. all have their powers rooted in ‘Truth’.
नम आत्मप्रदीपाय साक्षिणे परमात्मने|
नमो गिरां विदूराय मनश्चेतसामपि ||गजेन्द्र मोक्ष-10||
It says.. I bow down to that ‘Truth’ which can not be expressed in words and it is beyond mind and modifications of mind.
We can clearly see that it is still difficult to perceive the nature of ‘Truth’ by just defining it as always present (never changing) in contrast to ‘Untruth’ that is never present (or false presence) or is subject to change.
You should know that this the way of Gyaan Yoga (or Yoga of knowledge) and surely the subject matter for those who have the highest possible intellect. For ordinary mind and even for Arjuna, Lord will have to elaborate it further to make it little more clear. That we will see in next post for sure. Till then take some homework..
Find out ‘That’ which never changes.
Shivoham!
-Acharya Agyaatadarshan Anand Nath
Its all about you! 