Bliss

I stand before you, bare and naked
As an offering you might like;
As nothing else could stand a chance
For worshipping your enchanting beauty.
I do not have the slightest courage
For seeking your blessings to embrace you,
For I cannot stand in the presence
Of the divine energy dazzling in your eyes.
Thus, I have shed my skin of torture
Renouncing the world of pleasures
To experience your spirit that pervades
The whole Universe of all creation.

Engulf me in your arms swaying the cosmos,
To help me vanquish my malicious thoughts
And be guided by the beacon of wisdom
Obscured within the depths of intuition.
Let there be a reminder in my conscience,
Every second of every day by introspection
That there is no other form of happiness
Than being in your abode of eternal bliss
Spanning throughout the universe.

While I am aware that my mind is blind
In ignoring your everlasting presence,
It doesn't leave me alone until I become a slave to it.
So, help me draw my focus back to yourself,
And lure me towards the touch of your ecstasy
When I lose my reins to the spurious exhibits of joy
Painted by the army of habitual offences led by desire.

It is ironic to give you up for the sake of dark forces
But your arms are always open for me upon my surrender.
I am left in an abyss of confusion that sucks me down
During the tug of war that ensues for choosing a side:
Either the body ruled by lust, limited by unrelenting ego,
Or the soul that reflects your Omnipresent Spirit.

Light the path again that leads to your shelter,
And I will tread it entrusting myself in your able hands.
My breath whispers your name as a prayer with every step
While I begin experiencing the Oneness with you.

Advaita

Advaita

To the seeker of truth,

Wake up from your dream;

The dream of false reality

Staged by your senses.

Wake up from your slumber;

The slumber of dreaming

With your eyes closed.

Free your mind,

Let go of the veil of illusion;

The illusion painted by

Your worthless ego.

The ego has blinded you and

Obscured the vision of reality.

Lose yourself; shed everything

That you think you have

To know that you have nothing.

Look inside yourself to learn

And realize that what you

See, hear, touch, taste,

Think and feel is one big lie.

Unlearn that this life is permanent

And learn about its fickle nature.

Let your thoughts transcend

Beyond the realm of your body

And discover that your soul

Is no different than

The Spirit of The Universe;

Where life comes and goes

Round and round in an endless cycle.

Believe that only this knowledge 

Of Self-realization is permanent.

Become aware that you are

An indivisible speck of dust

Within the infinite universe.

Still the mind; stop its clamor

From grief and desires.

Accept that you are nothing

And yet you are everything

Both within and without.

Even with your eyes wide open,

Pure consciousness pervading the cosmos

Since the beginning of time

Will be enlightened within you

To experience eternal bliss.

And this is The Ultimate Truth.

July 14, 2022

Beauty of Glory

Beauty of Glory

Even if you showcase the beauty you created,

It is not going to fetch the glory you expect.

Because you behave like everyone else;

While getting lost in pleasing others,

You lose your focus!

Then realizing the mistake with regret,

You come back to your true self

And do what you always love to do

And celebrate the glory inside you.

That is the beauty of glory.

Book Review: Adi Sankaracharya - Hinduism's Greatest Thinker

I came to know about this book when I read the review of it by Shashi Tharoor in the newspaper. I always wanted to learn about the religion I follow - Hinduism, not by the doctrine it preaches, but to get the substance of it. This book precisely does that. And I think Pavan K. Varma has done an amazing job in expounding the advaita philosophy of Hinduism as conceived by Adi Shankaracharya.

It is divided into three parts: The journey of the Great Guru, The thought of Upanishads according to Adi Shankaracharya, and the final part is the validation of these thoughts by modern science. The journey tells us about the background of the Guru starting from Kaladi in Kerala and goes on regaling the audacious expedition and establishment of the Peethas at the four corners of India.

The excitement begins in the second part. It starts with the contents of Bhagavad-Gita and Brahma Sutra and also how these ancient texts are structured. It emphasizes Nishkamakarma - the act without expectation of rewards from Bhagavad-Gita, and the idea of Brahman from Brahma Sutra.

The definition of Brahman in advaita (non-duality) philosophy is self: Tat tvam asi - That thou art (You are that), the Atman, the soul of human life is Brahman - the ultimate reality. This definition appears incomprehensible because, as I read it, the definition itself is not finite. It does not have form or boundaries as it transcends the physical world, beyond the comprehension of the brain with the information received by the five senses. The realization of Brahman is Brahmanubhava; i.e pure consciousness or cognitive wisdom. It is the ultimate reality with eternal bliss. Thus, according to Sankara, Brahman is sat (truth), chitta (awareness/consciousness) and ananda (bliss) - Satchidananda. Once the mind attains this state, it becomes one with God - the higher intelligence or cosmic energy. Pavan Varma backs this belief by sharing the real experiences of eminent personalities like Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev, Eckhart Tolle and the near-death-experience of Anitha Moorjani. It is after reading these experiences, I was able to feel the understanding of Brahman.

In order to experience this Brahman, the first and foremost step is to have a still mind - the mind without any activity, the mind in absolute peace. This is achieved through meditation. It is in this state that the mind opens the door to awaken intuitive consciousness.

It was a mere coincidence that, when I finished reading this book until this point, I was involved in a discussion on Atheism vs Theism where I presented the idea of Hinduism. Hinduism is not about Gods and the rituals and customs that come along with it. Gods are merely symbols of different energies surrounding us. The rituals are scientific methods to utilize these cosmic energies. This is clearly stated in the book. The discussion is posted here. (Please read through)

As a commentary to the discussion, there are a few more practical observations of my own. One: Nazar Utaarna - getting rid of the effects of evil sight; using rock salt, sugar or even with a few leaf-veins of a broom. We know all these methods work. We just don't know how. It is science. Second: the precise schedule of eclipses. If we take the calendars of ten years from now, they will correctly tell us exactly when eclipses occur. The mathematics behind this calculation is even before the existence of NASA or any space agency. Third: The solidification of mercury at room temperature - Rasa Vaidya. It is pure science. We witness the results of all these scientific methods. Thus, there is a presence of a higher intelligence and a higher form of energy. The common man with a limited capacity of understanding wanted to know about the existence of this energy. It was preached as God by the philosophers after Shankaracharya.

The last part of the book deals with validation of Brahman with modern science. Varma corroborates the idea of Brahman with postulated theories and experiments conducted by great scientists on astronomy, particle physics, quantum mechanics and even neurology. It's quite convincing. The research done by Varma in this regard and citing it in the book is really commendable. The epilogue describes the advent of philosophers after Sankaracharya namely, Ramanujacharya, Madhwacharya, Vallabha, and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. These philosophers deviated from Advaita and preached duality (sometimes called as qualified non-duality: Vishistha Advaita) where God and man are two separate entities.

This post is not a critique or feedback about the work. It is a small step to inspire others to read it for seeking spiritual enlightenment. I am sure it will plant a seed of thought for the atheists if they are not adamant in opening their minds! Finally, I will leave you guys with a quote:

When the religions are largely reduced to rituals, there is always the danger that the form will become more important than substance.

Further Reading:

1. Brahman - The Ultimate Reality
2. Kindle Notes & Highlights

Being Grateful

Be grateful to all the difficult people in life.

They teach what exactly you don't want to be.

The more you get hurt,

The more you learn how not to hurt others.

Don't be sad if they don't understand
Your feelings of love and kindness.

They never will.
Yes, it hurts; sometimes, terribly!

Don't fret that you can't help yourself

Because they never change.
And don't take such things to the heart.
Take a deep breath; stay calm;
Let your mind take control.

Here is the best thing to do:

First keep all those people at bay;

Let go of the past, look ahead and move on.

Then you will make peace with yourself.

Pain is temporary, but when you read it between the lines,

It will make you wise for the rest of your life.

Always remind yourself:
That there is a whole life ahead of you,
That's waiting for you to fill it up with the things
You love and cherish.
Don't get it wasted!

October 30, 2016