Complete works of Swami Abhedananda

by Swami Prajnanananda | 1967 | 318,120 words

Swami Abhedananda was one of the direct disciples of Sri Ramakrishna Paramhamsa and a spiritual brother of Swami Vivekananda. He deals with the subject of spiritual unfoldment purely from the yogic standpoint. These discourses represent a study of the Social, Religious, Cultural, Educational and Political aspects of India. Swami Abhedananda says t...

Chapter 5 - Realization of the Self

May the Divine Self protect the teacher and the student. May he feed our souls with the nectar of eternal Truth. May he grant us spiritual strength. May our studies bring the realization of the Absolue [Absolute]!

Peace, Peace, Peace be unto us and to all living creatures’.—(A hymn to Peace of the Kena-Upanishad)

A seeker after Self-knowledge, having performed all the duties of his life, discovered that the performance of duty could not bring peace to his mind. He had worshipped all the Devas or bright spirits, and had served the gods, but he had not received the knowledge of his real Self. Nor had he found satisfaction, although he had spent most of his time in devotion to the Supreme. Thus, learning that happiness, peace, and knowledge cannot be obtained from sense objects, or from earthly relations, and, realizing the ephemeral character of the phenomenal world, he could no longer remain content with the pleasure of a worldly life. So he renounced all his attachment to earthly things.

He also gave up studies, because he had discovered that the reading of the scriptures could not give Self-knowledge or absolute happiness, for, books and scriptures simply remind us of the higher truths, but they cannot bring the highest Truth within the reach of our soul. Those, who think that spiritual realization will come from the study of the scriptures and sacred books, are mistaken. The scriptures describe certain spiritual truths, such as the existence of God, divine love, salvation, but, by squeezing the pages of the book, no one can gain the realization of these truths any more than can get a drop of water by squeezing the pages of the almanac, in which the annual rainfall is mentioned. Before we can comprehend the spirit of any scriptural text, we shall have to realize the truth described in it.

Therefore the seeker after Self-knowledge abandoned all studies, and went to spiritual teacher who had known the Self. He approached him like a humble pupil, longing to acquire Self-knowledge. He had no other desire; he did not care to go to heaven or to enjoy celestial pleasures, and his sole aim and ideal in life was to know the true nature of the Self. Nothing else could please him, or make him happy. His heart was longing for that nectar of wisdom which flows in the soul of a knower of the Atman. Though he had come to understand that the physi-

cal body was not all in all and that the mind, the director of the senses, was not the unchangeable Reality, but was subject to constant change yet his thirst for knowledge was unquenched. Now he was eager to search after that unchangeable and absolute Truth, which is the soul of our souls and the ruler of all. Having bowed his head with deep reverence at the feet of the great spiritual teacher, the pupil asked: “Revered Sir, who is it that governs the mind, and by what power is the mind directed to perform its functions? What force guides the prana and the sense-powers? Why is it that we are so active, what is the cause of our activity? Who is this speaker of words? Who is the seer of sights? Who is the heater of sounds? What power controls the organs of sight, hearing, and the other senses”?[1]

With this inquiry begins the Kena-Upanishad, which had been handed down through memory for generations before the art of writing was known in India. It shows how old and sublime are the teachings of Vedanta. Think of the antiquity and the deep meaning of these questions! We know that our mind is constantly active, and new thoughts and ideas are rising and going down. Mind wanders from here to there: sometimes it is in England, or in India, and sometimes it runs to the sun, moon, stars or other planets; hence, the seeker after self-knowledge asked: “Who is the director of this constant activity of the mind?” The master answered: “That which is the hearer of hearing, the thinker of thoughts, the speaker of speech, the mover of all activities of the sense-organs, the seer of sights”.[2] Let us understand the meaning of “that which is the hearer of hearing”. First of all we must inquire: What is meant by hearing? Hearing signifies that power, by which we perceive the existence of what we call sound, or, in other words, that organic activity which illumines the vibration of sound. So the hearer of hearing refers to the illuminator of the power of hearing, without which no sound can be heard. The spirit of the master’s reply was: “The director of the mind is that which illuminates the powers of hearing, seeing, thinking, and of speech, as well as the knower of all the activities of our senseorgans”.

The power of seeing, again, means that organic function, by which the object of sight is illuminated, or made known to us. The organ of sight, however, has not the power to produce consciousness or intelligence. The power of seeing exists so long, as there is self-consciousness behind it. The organs of vision like the eyes, the ratinae [retinae?], the optic nerves, and the brain cells, together with all their activities, do not produce the consciousness of colour or any of the object of vision. In a dead person, all these organs may be in a perfect condition, but the perception of sight or the sensation of colour will not be felt by the body. The body itself has not the power to see or perceive any external object. Thus, by analyzing our perceptions, we can understand that the activities of the sense organs are unconscious by nature. The conscious Self, which illumines the organic functions, is the seer of sights, the hearer of sounds, the knower of all sensations, and the thinker of thoughts within us (drasta, shrota, jnata and manta). That intelligent Self, which is the source of consciousness and knowledge, must be known as the director of the mind and senses. When we have realized the cause of self-consciousness, we have understood the power which directs the mind.

According to Vedanta, mind is finer matter in vibration. The vibration of the mind substance produces perceptions and sensations, and reveals things which cannot be revealed by vibrations of grosser matter. In fact, functions of the mind are nothing but the vibrations of the finer particles of the etherial substance, called in Sanskrit sattva. But the vibration of this substance does not produce intelligence or consciousness (prajna or jnana). It is insentient and inert (jada) by nature. The mind substance appears as intelligent, when it is in close contact with the conscious Self or Atman, just as a piece of iron, having absorbed the heat of a furnace, appears as red-hot and is able to bum. The conscious Self may be compared to a magnet, which attracts the iron of the mind substance. When a piece of iron, being attracted by a magnet, moves, that motion is not natural with the iron, but is caused by its proximity and close contact with the magnet. As the very presence of the magnet produces activity in the iron, so the very presence of the Self (Atman) creates the activity of the mind substance. But the Self is not confined within the limits of the mind substance, because the true Self is beyond all relations of space and time.

The master continued: “Knowing this Self, the wise, being freed from this world, become immortal”. Those who have known that source of intelligence, the true Self, attain to immortality (amritatva) but those who have not known it, remain attached to the material body and senses, and, are, therefore, subject to birth and death. This is one of the results of Self-knowledge,—knowing our true Self we become immortal. Although the true nature of the soul, according to Vedanta, is immortal, and immortality is our birthright, still we do not attain it until we have become conscious of our immortal Self. So long as we think that we are mortal, we have fear of death. When the consciousness of the immortal Self is gained, all fear vanishes. Fear of death rises from ignorance, which makes us forget our immortal nature, and identify ourselves with the material body, which is subject to death. Thus, becoming one with the mortal body, we begin to fear death, and suffer from anxiety and misery. How can we expect to be free from fear of death, when we have identified our Self with the body, which will surely die? This fear, however, ceases to trouble him, who has realized that the body is like a shell, or a house, or a receptacle of the soul, which is deathless and immortal by nature. The soul manufactures the physical body, in order to fulfil certain desires and purposes of life. He who has known this truth, has risen above all fear. Therefore, it is said: “Those who have obtained the knowledge of the real Self, are called the wise and after the death of the body, they transcend the realm of birth and death”.[3] This is the greatest object to be achieved in this world of relativity.

We have come here to fulfil a certain purpose. At present we may think that the highest purpose of earthly life is to gain material prosperity, success in business, fulfilment of ambition, and sense desires, but the time is sure to come when we shall realize that all these are momentary, and that the real purpose of life is much higher and more permanent. It is very difficult to understand the true purpose of life. Few people, in this world, have found a perfect standard, by which they can measure correctly whether or not they have fulfilled that purpose. Each one of us will have to find out what the highest ideal of life is. It is the attainment of Self-knowledge.

Self-knowledge brings to the soul absolute freedom and happiness. It is by Self-knowledge that we can obtain everything we desire. In this world, there is nothing higher than the knowledge of the true Self. The knowledge which we now possess at present, is imperfect. It is only a partial expression of the all-knowing nature of the divine Self. That imperfection is due to the limitations or imperfect conditions of the buddhi or intellect, which reflects the divine wisdom. But, when the limitations are removed and the intellect is purified, true and perfect wisdom begins to shine within. As for example if the mirror be covered with mud, it will not have the power to reflect the light of the sun, so, when the mirror of the intellect or buddhi is covered with the mud of worldliness, it does not reflect the light of wisdom which emanates from Atman, the divine Sun. In order to learn this truth and the method, by which our intellect and heart may be purified, we need the help of a Guru or spiritual master. It should be remembered that knowledge is one, and not many. The same knowledge which we now possess, will be the highest knowledge, when it will reveal our immortal Self. Therefore, the wise men, who know the true Self, attain to immortality, even during this lifetime.

The pupil desired to see that Self, which is the director of the mind and the seer of the sight, and by knowing which, one becomes immortal. The master said: “The power of seeing cannot reveal the Self”. The disciple thought: “If the eye cannot reveal the Self, its nature may be described”.[4] To this the teacher replied: “Words fail to describe it; the mind cannot reach it. We cannot know it by mind, intellect, or understanding, how can anyone teach it?”[5] The Self is the thinker of thoughts. Mind can only think, when directed by the Self, who is beyond all thoughts. The very act of thinking presupposes self-consciousness, and all thoughts are only possible through self-consciousness; therefore, that which is above and beyond all thoughts, cannot be revealed by the mind or intellect. When the mind cannot think of it, how is it possible for the eye to see the true Self? The power of sight can reveal that which is in relation to our eyesight. The true Self can never be brought within the reach of sense perceptions. The master continued: “It is far from the known and also it is above the unknown. Thus we have heard from the ancient sages who taught us this.”[6]

From ancient times the great seers of Truth have declared that the real Self is neither known, nor knowable, and yet it is neither unknown, nor unknowable. Ordinarily we say: “We know a thing”, “the knowledge of this book”, etc. In this sense the Atman can never be known or made an object of knowledge.

Let us understand this dearly. When we speak of knowing a thing, we mean relative knowledge by intellect, and we convey the same idea when we say ‘we do not know a thing’. Again, intellect can reveal those things which are related to the senses, or are subject to sense perception. It is more or less dependent upon sense powers, and, consequently, its sphere is very limited, for the senses can reach only within a small and limited circle. For instance, we hear sound through our ears, and the sound is audible within a certain degree of vibration. If the vibration of air be above or below that scale, we cannot hear; and although there may be a tremendous noise, still our ears are deaf to it. The same may be said of the eye. The range of sight is equally narrow. Now, we can see how very limited that intellect must be which depends upon these powers of perception. Therefore, that intellectual knowledge, which is related to sense-perceptions, is secondary knowledge. It cannot reveal the Self; hence, it is said that the ‘Self is far from the known'. Furthermore, when we say ‘we do not know this thing’, we mean that we are conscious of our ignorance, we have the knowledge of the fact that we do not understand it, or know it by intellect. This ignorance is nothing but the lack of the intellectual apprehension of the thing, which we have called secondary knowledge. It is, however, revealed to us by another knowledge, which does not depend upon intellect or upon senseperception. That apperception, by which we know that we do not know this thing, proceeds from the Self. Therefore, the Self is neither known nor unknown, but beyond relative knowledge and ignorance. ‘We have heard it from our great masters who passed away before us.’[7] Although this Upanishad of the Sama Veda is very old, still the teacher here refers to the authority of other seers of Truth who preceded him and from whom Self-knowledge had been handed down through generations.

The master said: ‘That which cannot be expressed by speech, but which is the speaker and director of speech, know that alone as the highest Self (Brahman); not that which people worship here.’[8] Every attribute that we give to God, is not His attribute in reality. We call Him good, but He is not merely good; strictly speaking, He is beyond good and evil. We project our idea of good, mentally separate it from evil, and increasing its dimension, attribute it to the infinite Being and call Him good. At the same time we forget that, what is good demands something better, and that better again requires something, which is best. This shows how foolish we are, when we seem to be contented after calling Him good. God is in reality beyond our conception of good, which is relative and limited. In this manner, it can be shown that every attribute which we can think of, nay, every word which we can utter, is finite in its meaning and idea. Yet, if we go a little deeper, we shall find that no thought can exist and no word can be uttered, unless there be the self-conscious thinker and speaker behind. This self-consciousness is caused by the light of intelligence which proceeds from the Self. Therefore, the Self is the absolute Truth, inexpressible by speech. It is the illuminator of speech, but it can never be illumined by words.

Is Self (Atman) the same thing which is worshipped by all the great devotees and worshippers of God? Is it some personal God, dwelling outside of us and directing our minds and senses by will and command? Is Self the same Being, who is called by different names, as Father in heaven, or Allah, whom we worship with prayers and offerings? Is the Atman the same as an angel or bright spirit? What is it? Reading the mental question of his pupil, the master said: ‘Not that which people worship here’. The worshipper of a personal God with a name and form is not the worshipper of the absolute Truth, because he worships the phenomenal God. Name and form being both phenomenal, our conception of the Divinity with a name and form, is phenomenal and anthropomorphic, or, in other words, we create an ideal God, by projecting our ideas, and give Him attributes, according to our conception, and, then, worship Him by offering Him our prayers. Prayers are nothing but words. We send these words to the personal God (saguna Brahman) in order to obtain certain results; but, He, to whom we pray with words, is not the director of speech. That Self which is in us and makes us speak and pray, is different from that which we worship with prayers. The personal God, with a form and a name, is not the highest. This may seem strange to us, but we cannot deny it. God, with a name and a form, who can be described by words and thought, or by our minds, is not the Absolute. There is a saying: ‘When God is known, He is no longer God, He is our imagination’. The absolute Divinity is different from that which is worshipped.

Again, that which can be thought by the mind, is not the absolute Truth or Brahman. Therefore, the master said: ‘That which cannot be cognized by the mind, but by which all mental functions are cognized; know that to be your true Self (Brahman), but not that which people worship.’[9]

‘That which cannot be perceived by the eye, but by which the eyes are made to see, know that to be the Self (the absolute Brahman), not that which people worship.’[10] ‘That which cannot be heard by the ear, but by which the ear is made capable of hearing a sound, know that to be the Self (the absolute Brahman) not that which people worship.’[11] ‘That which cannot be perceived by the power of smell, but by which the organ of smell perceives odour, know that to be the Self (the absolute Brahman), not that which people worship.’[12] These verses show that the true Self, who is the director of the mind and senses, is not the same as the personal God whom people worship, but it is one with Brahman, the absolute Truth.

Having heard this, the seeker after Self-knowledge went into meditation and searched for the illuminator or director of the mind, that which is beyond the reach of our thouhgts, words, and sense-powers. He spent some time in samadhi or the superconscious state, and realizing the Self, he returned to the ordinary plane of consciousness and said: ‘I have known and realized the absolute Truth, I have known the Self.’ The master replied: ‘If you think that you know the Self, then you know very little of it.’[13] If you believe that you have known the absolute Brahman perfectly, you have known very little of the Truth, which dwells in you as well as in the universe. Because Truth is one. When you begin to think that you have known the Truth, you are using your secondary knowledge of the intellect, which cannot reveal the Absolute. If you imagine that you have known the Self or Brahman, who is the director of the mind, you have comprehended very little of it. If you think that you have realized it as dwellingin your body, you have not understood its absolute nature. If you believe that you have cognized it as dwelling outside your body, still you have not realized the Truth. If you have known the Self as God, the Creator of the universe, you have apprehended very little of it.

Here the question arises: ‘Why is it that we have known very little of the Self, if we have known it as dwelling in our body?’ Because, that something, which is the director of the mind, does not dwell in one place; it is beyond the space relation. Therefore, when we have known it as dwelling in a particular place and not anywhere else, we have not realized the Truth. Again, if we have perceived it as dwelling outside of us and not in us, then also we have not known that this Being is all-pervading and beyond the relation of time and space; but we have known only that much of the Infinite, which is limited by time and space, and conditioned by their relations.

Then the disciple sat in meditation once more, and his soul, rising above the plane of thoughts, entered into the superconscious state. Having remained there for some time, he came back to the plane of sense-consciousness and declared: ‘I do not think I know the Self well, nor do I know that I do not know it at all. The Self is neither to be known nor is it the same as that which is absolutely unknown; he who has known this truth, has realized it (the absolute Brahman).’[14] What he meant by this was that’ Self-knowledge is beyond relative knowledge and ignorance. Whatever we know by the understanding, is only possible through the light of intelligence, which proceeds from the true Self; there is no other knower of the Self, who is the illuminator of mind and thoughts. The Self is, in reality, the eternal knower, and there is nothing in the universe that can know the true Self, yet it is the source of all the true knowledge that we possess. It is always the subject of knowledge or consciousness, but never its object. Furthermore, the disciple said: ‘He who thinks that the Self (Brahman), can never become an object of knowledge thinks rightly; but he who thinks, ‘I have known it’, has not realized its true nature. The Self (Brahman) is not known by those who think it is known; but it is realized by those who think it is not known.’[15]

This seems an enigma; what does it mean? If we analyse our perceptions, what do we find? When we see a colour, we find that the sensation of colour is produced by light, which is a certain kind of vibration of the ether. A ray of light, coming in contact with the retinae, causes some kind of molecular change in them, and this being carried by the optic nerves into the brain cells creates certain molecular vibration in those cells. It requires a conscious ego to translate this vibration into a sensation, which we perceive, and call colour. If the conscious ego be not there, then these vibrations may be carried to the brain centres, where they may produce other changes, but, still we shall not see the colour. For instance, when we are looking at a colour, if our mind be suddenly distracted or concentrated on some other object, the colour may remain before our eyes, yet we do not see it. Although the vibration of light has been carried to the brain centres, the molecular changes have been formed, and all the physiological conditions are fulfilled, still we have no sensation of colour, because, there is no one to translate the molecular vibrations of the brain cells into the sensation of colour. The ego who translates them, is concentrated on something else. But, when the changes are translated by the ego into sensations, we perceive it.

Now let us go a little deeper. Behind this intellectual perception, there is the self-consciousness of the ego. If the ego be unconscious and, if there be no sense of ‘I', these vibrations will come through the senses and pass away, without producing any sensation in the mind. Again, if the mind be separated from the source of apperception and intelligence, the sensations will remain in the subconscious mind, without affecting the conscious ego. This source of consciousness in us is the knower. It is our true Self.

We know that we are sitting here; when we walk, we know that we are walking; when we perform an act, we know that we are performing it; this knower of all acts and thoughts is the director. Is that knowledge different from our true Self? No, it is inseparable from our Self. Our true Self is like a sea of intelligence. Some people say that knowledge proceeds from the Self, or in other words, that from which this knowledge proceeds, is the Self. This would imply that the Self is separate from knowledge and would raise the question: ‘What is, then, the nature of the true Self?’ According to monistic Vedanta, the true nature of the Self or Atman or Brahman is absolute knowledge or absolute intelligence, which never changes. The functions of the intellect and mind are changeable, but Self-knowledge is unchangeable. Suppose- you have a feeling, when it rises, you feel it and know that there is that feeling. When it subsides and another takes its place, then also you know that the new feeling is there. The knowledge, by which you cognize each feeling, cannot be known by any other knowledge, for there is only one knowledge in the universe; consquently, the knower of that knowledge cannot be known by any other knowledge. That, by which you know the existence of a feeling or a sensation, cannot be revealed by intellect, understanding, or any other faculty. Upon it depends intellectual understanding. Whenever we perceive any object through the senses, that knowledge is a partial expression of the Self or absolute knowledge, which directs the mind and senses to perform their functions.

The nature of the Self is all-knowing. Its knowledge does not depend upon the relation between the knower and the object of knowledge (jnata and jneya), but it remains unchanged even, when all the objects of knowledge have ceased to exist. The all-knowing Self may be compared to the self-effulgent sun. As the nature of the sun is to illumine himself as well as other objects, so the light of the Self illumines its own nature, as also the phenomenal world. The sun himself can illumine everything as well as his own form. We do not need a candle or a torch to see him; therefore, we call him self-effulgent. Self-effulgence (svayamjyoti) does not need any other light to illumine its nature. For the same reason, the Atman is said to be the self-effulgent sun of knowledge. That knowledge, by which we perceive all sensations and feelings, organic functions, intellection, understanding, and other activities of the mind as well as external objects, the sun, moon, stars, is the light of the self-effulgent Atman or Self, which is the source of intelligence and consciousness.

This self-effulgent Atman is the knower and director of the mind and senses. The mind and senses will not perform any function, if they are separated from the self-effulgent light of knowledge. Mind, as we have already seen, is ‘finer matter in vibration’. Vedanta does not teach that mind is the same as the Self or Spirit. There is no intelligence in the vibration of the mind substance. It is not the source of consciousness. All the activities of the mind may stop, still we shall remain conscious of our Self. In the state of samadhi, there may not be any feeling, like fear, anger, or any other modification of the mind substance, such as, volition, desire, emotion, will, determination, cognition, or understanding, but still one does not lose self-consciousness, or become absolutely unconscious in that state. This will prove that pure consciousness or pure intelligence is separate from and independent of mental functions.

All these functions and sensations can be stopped, by entering into superconsciousness; in short, one can cut off all connection with the body and mind and still continue to be conscious on the higher plane. It will be difficult for those who have not realized in samadhi to grasp this truth. Intellectual knowledge will not reveal the Self. We must learn the method of going beyond intellect, and rising above the realm of thoughts, if we wish to realize the absolute Self or Atman, we shall be free from the bondage of ignorance. Intellectual apprehension, being relative and imperfect, cannot transcend the limits of phenomena, and cannot reach the sphere of the Absolute. Therefore, it is said: ‘He who thinks, he knows the Self, knows it not’.

Self-knowledge precedes even the conception of God. If the thought about God, which is in our mind, be separated from self-consciousness, it instantly vanishes, and becomes nonexistent. We know God, because there is knowledge in us, and because the light of the Self reveals the existence of God. If this be so, we ask: which is higher, the personal God or the Self, it must be said that the Self is higher, because it illumines the existence of God. This source of all knowledge, which is the absolute Truth, is higher than a personal God, since the personal God, who can be described by words and thought of, by the mind, becomes subject to mind and speech, consequently, to the Self or Atman, which is the director of mind and speech; and that which is subject to a thing, must be lower or less than that which governs it. So, when we try to know our true Self, we do not attempt to know it, as we know the existence of a book or a tree, because that kind of knowledge will never reveal it. We must not try to see any form, ‘because there is no form in the Self. We must not make the objects of the senses like sound, colour, odour, touch, the starting point of our search after Self. For, these are on the relative plane, while the Self is the absolute Being.

Thus, we can understand the difference between the relative plane and the absolute one. So long as we are on the relative plane, we cannot reach the Absolute, because the Absolute or absolute knowledge, by which we know the existence of things which are related to one another, is beyond all relations. All relative phenomena exist in and through the Absolute, but the absolute Atman is independent and self-existent. If we were unintelligent beings and did not possess Self-knowledge, then these sensations and perceptions would have no relation to us. The pure knowledge of the absolute Self may be compared to the thread, which goes through the pearls of percepts, ideas, and thoughts that rise in our minds, and strings them together into one harmonious whole, forming a garland of our daily experiences. This pure knowledge must not be confounded with the relative knowledge which is finite and related to ignorance, or non-knowledge. The Self, being the knower of ignorance, is higher and greater and its light of absolute knowledge is that, by which we realize that we know this or do not know that.

In Vedanta it is said: “The Self is the knower of that which sees, hears, thinks, or perceives. It is the knower of the body, senses, mind, intellect, and heart with which we identify our Self. Through this identification, when the Self appears as the ego, we say that we are the hearer, seer, perceiver, and thinker; but the ego sees, hears, thinks, and perceives, being dependent upon the pure knowledge of the Self. In fact, the ego cannot exist without Self-knowledge. Self-knowledge and existence are one and the same. We know that we are here; if for a moment we forget that we are in this place, or, if we become unconscious of our surroundings, we shall remain non-existent, as it were, in relation to our environments. Thus, although we may try to separate our Self-knowledge from our existence, we can never do it, for pure knowledge or consciousness and existence are inseparable. When we have realized Self-knowledge, we have understood our existence, and discovered that the director of the mind is all-knowledge and all-existence. We say that the sun exists, because we are conscious of him. When we are not conscious of the Self, as in trance, it does not exist in relation to us. Self-consciousness is, therefore, the standard of all relative knowledge and relative existence. Herein lies the beginning and the end of the existence of all objects, which we can think of, or perceive. The moment that we are unconscious of our body and everything of this world, they will cease to exist in relation to us. We all experience this truth during our sound sleep, when our conscious connection with the body being cut off, it ceases to exist, and, consequently, we do not claim anything of the material world as belonging to us. But, as our consciousness returns to the body, instantly the body together with everything related to it, appears as belonging to us. Therefore, it is said that knowledge and existence are one.

Vedanta gives these two attributes to the absolute Self, who is the director of the mind. The first is absolute existence, in Sanskrit sat; and the second is absolute knowledge or intelligence, chit, in Sanskrit. These two, as we have already seen, are one and inseparable. A third attribute, however, is also given by Vedanta. It is called in Sanskrit ananda, meaning pure happiness or blissfulness. Where absolute knowledge and absolute existence prevail, there is also absolute happiness or blissfulness. It is different from changeable pleasure or relative happiness. Unchangeable blissfulness again is always attended with absolute peace. Wherever there is true happiness, there must be absolute peace, and the mind will not seek anything else, but will enjoy it and will try to possess it and never be separated from it. The ordinary pleasures which we mistake for true happiness, may be agreeable for the time being, but, in the next moment, we dislike them and try to get away from them. Think how transitory are the pleasures that can be derived through the senses. They last only for a short time and in the reaction make us miserable. True happiness, however, is unchangeable. It brings no reaction and is everlasting. In the state of absolute existence and pure knowledge alone, can be found absolute peace and true happiness. Such is the realm of our true Self, which is above all relativity and beyond all conditions of this earth. This indivisible sat-chit-ananda, absolute existence-intelligence-bliss, the disciple realized in samadhi, as the director of the mind and the source of all the phenomena of the universe.

He then said: ‘Whosoever realizes that which manifests within us as the conscious Self, attains to immortality’.[16] Death means a change of the body. The body may die, the mind may die, the senses may die, but pure knowledge can never die. When we know that something is dying, and, if we do not identify ourselves with it, but become conscious of our absolute Self, then we are sure to attain to immortality. If we once grasp the idea that we are the absolute Being, how can we ever be changed by death into a non-being? As being cannot come out of non-being, so it cannot go back to non-being. Pure existence can never become non-existence, and this is the proof of immortality. The absolute Self or Atman is the immortal Being. It is also Brahman, the beginning and the end of the universe. The same eternal Being is worshipped as God, under various names and forms. He is the Being who dwells in us and is inseparable from our true Self. The absolute Being is not many but one. If there were many absolute Beings, they would be limited by each other, and, consequently, not absolute. That one absolute Being alone is immortal and deathless, and by knowing it, we become immortal. No divine incarnation can give us immortality, if we do not possess it already. The Christian belief that immortality can be obtained only through the grace of Jesus the Christ, is not founded upon the knowledge of the immortal nature of our true Self. The students of Vedanta are not deluded by such statements; they try first to know the real Self and, then, they realize that immortality, which is their birthright.

Since the true Self is the source of all strength, the disciple said: ‘We gain strength and immortality by Self-knowledge.’ Real strength comes to us, when we have known that which is changeless and immortal. The spiritual strength, which is gained through Self-knowledge, is greater than material, physical, mental, and moral strength together. All other powers, except spiritual strength, are subject to change, and death. Few people understand the meaning of ‘spiritual strength.’ By the word ‘spirit’ is not meant a disembodied spirit, but the absolute Spirit or Self or Atman or Brahman. Spirit is that Self, which is the source of absolute intelligence, and which is the absolute Being. Knowing it, one attains to spiritual strength, which is higher than physical or psychic strength. With physical strength a man can kill a tiger or destroy thousands of mortals, but it will not protect him from death. He may possess material strength, but it will not save his life at the last moment. He may gain psychic power and do wonderful things, but that will not stop the changes of body and mind. Spiritual strength, however, which Self-knowledge brings, makes one free from birth and death. He who has gained physical and phychic [psychic?] powers, will remain subject to birth and death, but, if he can know that immortal Being, he becomes master of the universe. The gigantic forces of nature serve and obey the command of him, who has acquired Self-knowledge. ‘If a man knows this Self here, he has gained the Truth’.[17] In this world of imperfection he, who has known the Self, has realized the absolute Truth and has fulfilled the highest purpose of life. He has attained absolute freedom, perfect peace and true happiness in this life. But ‘if he do not know this here, for him there is great suffering’.[18] He who does not realize the Self, comes back to this earth again and again, and, remaining in ignorance, seeks sense-pleasures and suffers great sorrow and misery. He docs not escape the law of karma and reincarnation.

‘The wise ones, who have realized the all-pervading absolute Self (Brahman) in all animate and inanimate objects, become immortal after departing from this world’.[19] The knower of the absolute and immortal Self becomes one with it and remains as the immortal and perfect Spirit for ever and ever.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Kena-Upanishad, 1.1

[2]:

Ibid. 1.2.

[3]:

Ibid. 1.2.

[4]:

Ibid. 1.3.

[5]:

Ibid. 1.3.

[6]:

Ibid. 1.4.

[7]:

Ibid. 1.4.

[8]:

Ibid. 1.5.

[9]:

Ibid. 1.6.

[10]:

Ibid. 1.7.

[11]:

Ibid. 1.8.

[12]:

Ibid. 2.1.

[13]:

Ibid. 2.2.

[14]:

Ibid. 2.3.

[15]:

Ibid. 2.4.

[16]:

Ibid. 2.5.

[17]:

Ibid. 2.5.

[18]:

Ibid. 2.5.

[19]:

Chhandogya-Upanishad, 7.23.1; 7.25.2.

FAQ (frequently asked questions):

Which keywords occur in this article of Volume 1?

The most relevant definitions are: Brahman, Atman, soul, Vedanta, samadhi, Sanskrit; since these occur the most in “realization of the self” of volume 1. There are a total of 28 unique keywords found in this section mentioned 91 times.

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Yes! The print edition of the Complete works of Swami Abhedananda contains the English discourse “Realization of the Self” of Volume 1 and can be bought on the main page. The author is Swami Prajnanananda and the latest edition is from 1994.

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