सत्येन लभ्यस्तपसा ह्येष आत्मा
सम्यग्ज्ञानेन ब्रह्मचर्येण नित्यम् ।
अन्तःशरीरे ज्योतिर्मयो हि शुभ्रो
यं पश्यन्ति यतयः क्षीणदोषाः ॥ ५॥
satyena labhyastapasā hyeṣa ātmā
samyagjñānena brahmacaryeṇa nityam .
antaḥśarīre jyotirmayo hi śubhro
yaṃ paśyanti yatayaḥ kṣīṇadoṣāḥ .. 5..
This Atman, resplendent and pure, whom the sinless sannyasins behold residing within the body, is attained by unceasing practice of truthfulness, austerity, right knowledge and continence.
Commentary:
The Atman is attained through truth, penance, correct knowledge, and brahmacharya (self-control), observed continuously without break. The Atman is beheld within in the form of light and purity by the austere ones who are freed from all kinds of sins.
Truth is adherence to fact, whether absolute or relative. It is proceeding along the way of the unity of existence. Relatively, it takes the form of acting in conformity with facts that are experienced through the process of individual knowledge. Absolutely, it is living in the light of the fact that Existence is absolute and indivisible. Falsehood is the opposite of truth, and is the result of clinging to the falsehood of individuality. Truth is the way of disintegrating the individual personality through presentation of the good and not the pleasant. Truth is that which is universally good; but falsehood, when it is deliberately resorted to for the fulfilment of a definite purpose, appears pleasant only to an individual or certain individuals. Falsehood, therefore, fattens the individuality, whereas truth breaks open the individuality and enables one to realise the Atman.
Tapas, or penance, in its true sense, consists in the withdrawal of the senses and the concentration of the mind. Austerity, or penance, is only a means to the end, and not the end itself. It is a means inasmuch as it disciplines the individual functions and directs them to meditation, which leads to wisdom and realisation. By tapas, what is meant is not merely bodily mortification, because bondage does not consist in the body, but in the mind that animates the body. The cause of bondage is the mind alone, and therefore the discipline of the mind is tapas.
Proper knowledge is equal vision, or perception of the one Atman in all. This is a function deeper than that of speaking truth or practising tapas. It is a function of the spirit which realises itself in every form of existence.
Brahmacharya is the method of the abstraction of sense-energy from the externals, and the conservation of the same for the sake of steadying the mind and giving it the energy necessary for the practice of concentration and meditation. Though the popular meaning of brahmacharya is continence, it really means leading a life befitting the nature of Brahman. It is, in other words, charya, or moving or acting or conducting oneself in accordance with the law of Brahman, which is the unity of existence. Such control is not merely the abandonment of objects, but is the absence of the taste for objects. Bondage is not caused by the existence of objects, but by the connection of the mind with those objects. In short, self-control is absence of sense-experience, giving rise to mental equilibrium, light, consciousness and joy.
These observances should be practised continuously without exceptions to the rules, and not practised for some time alone and with certain exceptions. These should be practised until the realisation of the Self, because the stoppage of such practices may lead to the assertion of individuality and impede the process of Self-realisation. The Upanishad says that the Atman is attained by those in whom there is no crookedness, no falsehood and no play of tricks.
This Atman is realised within oneself, and not outside oneself. Though the process of realisation is an inward one, the goal that is attained includes the outward also. Sadhana starts with an introversion of the mind, but in the end, the result achieved is not simply internal but is infinite. From the point of view of the individual, it is said that this Atman is realised in one’s own heart in the form of a splendid effulgence, perfectly pure and limitless in its nature, which is realised only by those who are free from attachments, sins, desires, and all kinds of greed. This realisation is effected through the practice of virtues such as truth, enumerated above. Sankara was of the opinion that only a Sannyasin—that is, a person of complete renunciation—will be able to achieve this Supreme End which requires of the aspirant a total transcendence of the universe.
Sri Ramakrishna Says —
MASTER (to the Marwari devotees): “You see, the feeling of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ is the result of ignorance. But to say, ‘O God, Thou art the Doer; all these belong to Thee’ is the sign of Knowledge. How can you say such a thing as ‘mine’? The superintendent of the garden says, This is my garden.’ But if he is dismissed because of some misconduct, then he does not have the courage to take away even such a worthless thing as his mango-wood box. Anger and lust cannot be destroyed. Turn them toward God. If you must feel desire and temptation, then desire to realise God, feel tempted by Him. Discriminate and turn the passions away from worldly objects. When the elephant is about to devour a plaintain-tree in someone’s garden, the mahut strikes it with his iron-tipped goad. ……….
The Marwari devotees generally brought offerings of fruit, candy, and other sweets for the Master. But Sri Ramakrishna could hardly eat them. He would say: “They earn their money by falsehood. I can’t eat their offerings.”
MASTER: “You see, one can’t strictly adhere to truth in business. There are ups and downs in business. Nanak once said, ‘I was about to eat the food of unholy people, when I found it stained with blood.’ A man should offer only pure things to holy men. He shouldn’t give them food earned by dishonest means. God is realised by following the path of truth. (Source: Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna)
Related Articles:
- Truth alone prevails, not falsehood. By truth the path is laid out, the Way of the Gods, on which the seers, whose every desire is satisfied, proceed to the Highest Abode of the True. (Mundaka Upanishad 3.1.6)