Chapter 4 - Search after the Self

‘May all the functions of our minds, works of our bodies, and activities of our senses, please the almighty Brahman, who is described in the Vedanta; may we not forget Him; may we realize His presence in us; may we not be forsaken by Him; may all Divine qualities adorn our souls and bring peace to our minds’.

‘Peace, Peace, Peace be unto us all’.—(A hymn to Peace of the Chhandogya-Upanishad)

The ancient mythology of the Hindus, which resembles in many respects Greek mythology, describes how gods and demons took human forms and lived like human beings on this earth. Even in the earliest Upanishads, we find accounts of such devas (gods) and asuras (demons) living together and fighting. It is told that the first-born Lord of the universe, Prajapati, once said to the gods and demons: ‘Why are you fighting for power and supremacy? The knowledge of the Self alone brings peace to the knower. The Self or Atman is sinless, free from old age and death, sorrow and suffering, hunger and thirst. Its desires are true and never unfulfilled; and its thoughts are always true. This Self must be sought after by all. Whosoever realizes the Self, obtains whatever he wishes; his desires are fulfilled, all powers come to him, and he becomes master of all worlds and of all the realms that exist on this earth as well as in the heavens’.^[1]

The gods and demons, who were ambitious and unhappy, thought after hearing this that it was a very easy thing then to become lord of the world and master of everything. Here begins the story, given in the Chhandogya-Upanishad, one of the oldest and most authentic writings on Vedanta. It belongs to the Sama-Veda, that portion of the Vedas which laid the foundation of the science of music in India. The scale of seven notes was first used in the hymns of the Sama-Veda, which were put into music and chanted or sung during religious rites and sacrifices.^[2] The narrative tells that the gods and demons, being thus instructed by Prajapati, the first-born Lord of all creatures, were awakened to a desire to attain Self-knowledge. They inquired among themselves, how they could gain that knowledge, which would make them the most powerful of all beings, and they were determined to search for that Self (Atman), by knowing which all worlds are obtained and all desires fulfilled.

Here we should understand that demons are not evil spirits, but they are like human beings, strongly attached to the pleasures of the sense-world. They know nothing of the higher ideals of life, they are materialistic in their views, and think that the body is all in all, and that everything is finished with the death of the body. They wish to rule over the whole universe, and their desires are never satiated; they always want more and more, and struggle constantly for power and strength. Human beings with such tendencies are described in the Vedas as asuras or demons; while devas or gods are those who are spiritual, righteous, self-sacrificing, who do not consider earthly enjoyments and worldly pleasures to be the final aim of life, and whose ideal is to gain spiritual strength and spiritual power, and to realize the absolute Truth.

These devas and asuras thought that, if they could send their leaders to some seer of Truth, then from him they could gather Self-knowledge. So the gods and demons went to their respective leaders, Indra and Virochana, and requested them to go in search after Self-knowledge. Although they had all the pleasures and comforts of life and whatever human beings could wish for; although they possessed all psychic powers, property, wealth, luxury, and could get everything they desired, still they were not satisfied. They coveted more strength, more power, and when they heard from Prajapati that there was something through which they could really become masters of the whole universe, they longed for it and were anxious to obtain it immediately.

Indra and Virochana, the rulers of the devas and asuras, set out separately to seek for a knower of absolute Truth, who had realized the Self and who could impart his knowledge to others. They gave up their luxuries and pleasures, left their fine raiment and other possessions behind. With modesty and simplicity of manner, the two leaders, without communicating with each other, sought out the greatest of all the knowers of Self, and approached him, with offerings in.their hands in accordance with the custom of the country. For, in India people do not visit a temple, king, or spiritual teacher (guru) empty-handed. So they took fuel, butter, fruit with them, and with due reverence offered these to him, regarding him as their spiritual master. Having received his permission, they became his pupils and lived the life of purity and righteousness like Brahmacharins, or students, for thirty-two years,^[3] always serving him and obeying his wishes. One day, this holy master asked them why they had come to him and what they wanted. They replied: ‘We have heard from Prajapati, the Lord of all creatures, that Self-knowledge can make one extremely happy and bring all powers and all objects of desire to the knower; that the real Self is free from sin and old age, unborn, and deathless, unaffected by hunger and thirst; that its desires are ever fulfilled and its thoughts are true and perfect. This Self must be searched after and realized. We have come to thee, O Lord, to acquire Self-knowledge’.^[4]

The great master, wishing to examine whether the understanding of these pupils was purified or not, did not instruct them in the highest Truth at the outset, but gave some suggestions, by which they could search out and discover the real Self that dwells within all. The best teacher is he who directs his students step by step in the path of realization and who makes them investigate the Truth by their own exertion. So the Divine master, who was Prajapati himself in the form of a guru, said to them: ‘The person that is seen in the eye is the real Self (Atman). He is free from sin, sorrow, suffering, and birth; immortal and fearless. By knowing him one can obtain all worlds and all desires’.^[5] Hearing this, the minds of the pupils were confused. They could not understand what the master meant by the expression: ‘The person that is seen in the eye is the Atman, the true Self’. They thought that he must mean the shadow that is seen in the pupil of the eye. When we look at a person’s eye, we see in it the image of a small figure, the reflection of ourselves; the master, however, did not mean that. He referred to the real agent of seeing, the ruler, of all the senses, who is seen through the senses by the pure-hearted Yogis alone. Thus, misunderstanding the true meaning, the disciples asked: ‘Bhagavan, who is that which is seen in a mirror and perceived in the water? Is he the same person as the one who is seen in the eye?’^[6] The master, knowing that his pupils had not understood the true spirit, replied: ‘That real Self indeed is seen in all these’.^[7] Know it and realize it. Furthermore, to test his pupils’ power of understanding, he continued: ‘Go and look at yourselves in a bowl of water, and come and tell me whatever you do not understand about the Self.’^[8] The obedient pupils went and looked in the water, and, seeing the reflection of their bodies, they came back and said: ‘Yes, sir, we have seen what you meant.’ The master asked: ‘Have you seen the Self or what?’ The disciples answered: ‘We have seen ourselves altogether from head to foot, a perfect picture even to the hair and nails’.^[9] In order to bring them out of this confusion the master said: ‘After having your hair and nails cut, put on your best garments, adorn yourselves with ornaments and look again in the bowl of water’.^[10] Following his instructions, they cleaned themselves, and wearing beautiful dresses and rich ornaments, they looked at their own reflection in the water. The spiritual master then asked: ‘Do you see the Self?’ They said: ‘Revered sir, we see ourselves just as we are now, clean, well-dressed and well-adorned'. The master replied: ‘That is the Self, the immortal Atman, which is free from fear and sorrow’. Know it and realize it. The disciples went away satisfied in their hearts. Prajapati, seeing them at a distance, cried out: ‘You have departed without acquiring the knowledge of the true Self; whoever among you, whether gods or demons, will follow this doctrine will perish.’ But Indra and Virochana paid no heed to his words. They thought that they had realized the Self and went home feeling content.^[11]

Now Virochana, who had understood that the body was the Self, went to the asuras, the demons, and preached the doctrine which he had learned. He taught them the most materialistic ideas, like those of the atheists and agnostics: ‘The body is the Self; the body alone is to be worshipped and served. By glorifying the self and serving the body one becomes master of the worlds and obtains everything’. The demons, following his instructions, became absolutely materialistic in their views and began to decorate and worship their gross physical forms.

Even in the present age, many such demons are to be found in this world. Those who uphold atheistic, agnostic, and selfish doctrines possess demoniac tendencies. They care for nothing but their own bodies and do not feel for others. They are not charitable, neither do they give alms to the poor. They have no faith in anything higher than their own material form. The demons of today offer no sacrifice to God. They decorate the body of the living or of the dead with flowers, perfumes, ornaments, and fine raiment, and vainly imagine that, by thus worshipping the body, they will conquer the worlds.

The lord of the devas, Indra, however, had better sense than the ruler of the demons; he went home, but he hesitated to preach before the gods. Remembering what the Lord of all creatures had described, that ‘the Atman or Self must be free from hunger, thirst, birth, death, and sorrow, that it is immortal and fearless’, he said to himself: ‘This body cannot be the true Self, because it is subject to hunger and thirst, and is not free from any of these imperfections. How could the master have meant by true Self the shadow of this body, when the body is subject to birth, disease, and death? I see no good result from this doctrine.’ Thus dissatisfied, Indra determined to return to his master as a pupil with offerings in his hand. When he came again the master said to him: ‘You went away with Virochana satisfied in your mind that you had learned the truth and gained the knowledge of the Self; for what purpose have you returned?’ Indra replied: ‘Bhagavan, how can the shadow of the body be the true Self, when it goes through constant changes? If the body is well-decorated with flowers and beautiful costumes, the Self (shadow) has a different appearance. If one loses one’s eyes, the shadow (the Self) will look as though blind; that Self (shadow) will be lame if the body is lame; crippled, if the body is crippled; and will perish with the death of the body. Therefore, that changeable shadow cannot be the unchangeable self. I do not see any good result from such a doctrine. Please explain my difficulty and make me understand the true Self? The master replied: ‘O, Indra, so it is indeed. I shall explain to you the true Self. Live with me as my disciple for another thirty-two years’.^[12]

Indra lived with his master and served him for another thirty-two years.^[13] One day the master, being pleased with the purity, chastity, and devotion of his pupil, instructed him thus: ‘That which enjoys all dreams during sleep is the true Self. It is the immortal and fearless Brahman (the Absolute). Know, it, realize it, and be conscious of it’. Hearing this, Indra went home satisfied in his heart.^[14] But, before speaking to the devas, he found another difficulty. He understood, the Self (Atman) which enjoys dreams is not the same as the shadow of the body, it is not affected by physical changes. It is true that this Self is not blind when the body is blind, or lame when the body is lame, nor is it injured if the body be injured; but how can the seer of dreams be immortal, when it is subject to change and fear, and suffers pain in unpleasant dreams? Thus thinking, he said: ‘I do not see good in this doctrine; I must go again and ask my master concerning this perplexity’.^[15] Indra went to Prajapati, his spiritual teacher, the third time, and questioned him thus: “How could that changeable seer of dreams be the true Self, which is unchangeable, immortal, free from sin, hunger, sorrow, suffering, birth, and death?” The master replied: “O, Indra, you are right. I will explain to you again, stay with me another thirty-two years”.^[16]

At the end of that time the master said: “In sound sleep that which enjoys perfect rest and sees no dreams is the true Self or Atman, which is immortal”.^[17] Indra thought, how can that be the immortal Self, which is not conscious of itself or of anything else? No knowledge or consciousness remains in this state; everything is destroyed then. Did the master mean by Self the destruction of all thoughts, feelings, sensation, consciousness, and knowledge? In deep sleep state, we have neither feelings, nor dreams, nor sensations, nor consciousness of the body, or of the external world. He could not understand how that state of annihilation could be the true Self, so he came back and asked the question: “Bhagavan, dost thou mean that true Self is the state of absolute annihilation of consciousness, knowledge, sensation, and feelings?” The master answered: ‘No, that is not the true Self. Here we should notice how the great spiritual master gradually directs the mind of the disciple from the gross physical body, through the abstract to the Absolute. True Self is the Absolute which is beyond all comprehension. If we start from this state of dreamless sleep, rising above all feelings, thoughts, and sensations, and, if we can go still further, we shall find our true Self. Now the master was extremely gratified to see his return and said: “Your understanding is profound; I will explain to you what true Self is. Live with me for another five years and no more”.^[18]

At the end of the last five years the master imparted the highest knowledge to his faithful pupil: “This gross physical body cannot be the Self, it is subject to death; in fact, it is constantly attacked by death”. The life of the body is nothing but a series of deaths or changes. Every particle of the body is continually changing, and if that change stops for a second, the body will live no more. ‘By death this body is perpetually attacked; death is always working in the body’. The word ‘body’ here includes all the sense-organs. The organs of the senses are also subject to similar changes; consequently they are dying at every moment. ‘The body is the abode or instrument of the Self, which is immortal and without body.’ Through this instrument the Self or Atman comes in contact with the gross material world. If the true Self does not manufacture the body it cannot come in direct touch with the objects of the senses. The body, therefore, exists for the enjoyment of the Self; it is the medium with which the Self is wrongly identified, which thinks, ‘I am the body’, and experiences heat and cold, pleasure and pain. But the ruler of this body is the Self, while the body is its abode.^[19]

The real agent that perceives through the senses, is the true Self within us. Sensations are produced by the contact of material objects with the sense-organs. The gross objects, having forms, cannot directly come in close contact with the Self, unless it manifests itself through the physical form of the body. But formlessness is the true nature of the Self, who is the knower of this body, the enjoyer of sensations, and the doer of all actions. ‘The Self’, said the master, ‘has no particular form’. It dwells within the body Without having any special shape. We should bear in mind that our true Self is formless, although our body is with form, and then we should understand that the changes of the body do not affect the Self. Since the Self is formless, how can it be the same as the shadow of the body? The lord of the demons, having his intellect, covered with tamas or ‘darkness of ignorance’, and having an impure mind and an imperfect understanding, could not grasp the true meaning of the Self. The master waited for him to ask further questions, but as he went away satisfied in his heart that he had learned everything regarding the Self, Prajapati was not anxious to force upon him his knowledge of the absolute Self or Atman, which he was utterly incapable of receiving. Virochana, therefore, did not acquire the knowledge of the true Self, which is formless and immortal.

All the organs of the senses, all sensations, in fact, everything connected with the body, is transitory; if we can realize this, we can know that the immortal Self cannot be one with the body. This formless Self dwells in the body for a time, and after leaving it, remains formless. ‘So long as the Self (Atman) lives in the body and is identified with it, it is not free from pleasure and pain, but he, who knows the Self as separate from the physical abode, is untouched by pleasure and pain’. It may be asked: How can the formless Atman manifest itself through the body which has a form? Wind has no form, steam has no particular form, electricity is formless, but still they appear through forms.^[20] When the wind blows, although it is formless, it comes in direct contact with objects with form, and shows its form and power by moving them; so, also, steam is without form, but, think how it manifests its gigantic force through engines and locomotives. The atmosphere is filled with electricity, which is imperceptible to our eyes and senses, yet it takes various forms, such as lightning and thunder. We do not feel the presence of atmospheric electricity; it required a Marconi to make us realize the value and importance of this invisible current in the atmosphere. The forces of nature are always invisible and formless. No one has ever seen or touched a force per se. Its existence can only be inferred by seeing its manifestation through forms. As all the imperceptible forces can be perceived by the senses under certain conditions, so the Atman or true Self, although imperceptible by nature, manifests its power and intelligence through the form of the physical body. How can we know the power of thinking except by its manifestation as thoughts? In the same manner the existence of the powers of seeing and feeling is inferred from their expressions. If the sight remains unmanifested in a man, we call him blind; and he is known as an idiot, whose mental and intellectual powers have become latent; but, when the expression of these powers begins, we see their outward effects. No one could have inferred what powers exist in the Atman, if the true Self had not manifested through the body the powers of seeing, smelling, tasting, touching, moving, seizing, thinking, feeling, etc. They proceed from the Atman, the self-intelligent centre within us. In the state of ignorance these faculties of the soul appear as produced by the body, which is mistaken for the Self-; but, when the light of.Self-knowledge begins to shine, the Atman reveals itself in its true nature as separate from the body and possessing all powers and intelligence. As an ignoramus cannot distinguish the wind, clouds, and electricity from etherial space, so a self-deluded soul cannot distinguish the true Self from the material organism. He, who possesses Self-knowledge, realizes that the Atman is the highest Being (Purusha). He is always happy, enjoying the play of life’s sports under all conditions and never thinking of the material body, which is the mere abode of the intelligent Self.

The true Self,. as we have already seen, possesses prajna or intelligence, and prana or activity. These two will be found at the foundation of the phenomenal universe. When these are latent or potential, there is no evolution. Vibrations of all kinds, cosmic or molecular and all kinds of motion are but the expressions of the activity of prana. Intelligence is manifested by human beings, as also by lower animals, the difference being only in degree and not in kind of manifestation. Wherever intelligence, or life-force, or any kind of activity is to be found, there is the expression of the Self. No knowledge is possible without self-consciousness. First, we must know ourselves before we can know anything. We may not know our real Self on account of imperfect understanding, still we possess some kind of self-consciousness. In Vedanta, these two, prajna and prana are described as the ultimate generalizations of all phenomena of the universe, and they proceed from the cosmic Self or Brahman, which is the source of all knowledge and of the activity of mind and senses.

Indra said: ‘The Self is the greatest Being in the universe’. When properly understood we cannot separate this Atman or true Self from the universal or cosmic Being, because there exists only one ocean of the absolute Being which is called by various names like God, Brahman, Atman or Self. When that absolute Being expresses itself through our forms, it becomes our true Self, which is the source of mental and physical activity as well as of intelligence and consciousness. All desires are certain forms of mental activity, and they could neither rise nor exist, if the self-conscious entity were not at the foundation of all activities. He who has acquired Self-knowledge, can live in the world performing all kinds of works, enjoying all pleasures, and, at the same time, without being affected or disturbed by any unpleasant condition of this world. The knowledge of Self protects the soul (jivatman) from being agitated by phenomenal changes. ‘As a horse, being yoked to a carriage makes it move, so this conscious Self, being attached to the chariot of the body, makes it perform its functions by the power of prana and prajna.’ Or, we may compare the body to an automobile, the propelling power of which proceeds from the true Self. If the Self be separated or disconnected from the organs of the senses, the eyes will see no sight, the ears will hear no sound, the nose will smell no odour, the tongue will taste nothing, and the hands and feet will perform no work. Indra continued: “The eye itself is only an instrument, the seer is behind the pupil of the eye. The real seer and knower of sight is the true Self. The nose is the instrument, but the knower of smell is the true Self. The tongue is the instrument of speech, but the knower of speech is the conscious Self. The ear is the instrument of hearing, but he who hear’s is the true Self. He who thinks is the true Self, and the mind is his spiritual eye. Through this spiritual or divine eye the Self or Atman sees all pleasures and rejoices”.^[21] The mind, intellect, heart, are the instruments of the true Self, which is the knower of all mental activities.^[22]

“The devas who are in the highest heaven, worship and meditate upon this Self, and, therefore, all worlds belong to them and they have obtained the fulfilment of all desires. He, who knows this Self and realizes it, obtains all worlds and all desires”.^[23] He who possesses Self-knowledge, is master of the world and also lord of everything like the gods of the highest heaven (svarga). In him all desires are fulfilled. He no longer desires anything of the world, nor does he seek happiness from outside. He possesses all power. In short, he is omnipotent, omniscient, and ever blissful. Thus, the great master explained the mystery of the true Self; and the earnest, sincere, and pure-hearted disciple realized it through his blessing. Indra served Prajapati one hundred and one years, as it is said in the story. This shows that knowledge of the true Self cannot be easily acquired. Patience, perseverance, and earnest and sincere longing are the steps towards the attainment of Self-knowledge.

Indra became happy, and with gratitude in heart and salutations to his divine master, he went home and gave the fruit of his hard labour to the devas. All of them followed his directions, realized the Self and became masters of the world. Such is the power and greatness of Self-knowledge.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Chhandogya-Upanishad, 1.7.1.

[2]:

When a verse or Rik is sung by notes it is called Saman or Samagana.

[3]:

Chhandogya-Upanishad, 1.7.2-3.

[4]:

Ibid.

[5]:

Ibid. 1.7.4.

[6]:

Ibid. 1.7.4.

[7]:

Ibid. 8.8.1.

[8]:

Ibid. 8.8 2-3.

[9]:

Ibid.

[10]:

Ibid.

[11]:

Ibid.

[12]:

Ibid. 8.9.1-3.

[13]:

Ibid.

[14]:

Ibid. 8.10.1-2.

[15]:

Ibid.

[16]:

Ibid. 8.10.3-4.

[17]:

Ibid. 8.11.1-3.

[18]:

Ibid.

[19]:

Ibid. 8.12.1.

[20]:

Ibid. 8.12.2-3.

[21]:

Ibid. 8.12.4.

[22]:

Ibid. 8.12.5.

[23]:

Ibid. 8.12.6.