Friday, January 18, 2008

Body as the Abode of Inner Spirit

A body is a field of cause and effect. The inner spirit resides in all bodies and keeps them alive. The residence of the inner spirit in a body is being explained now.

Puramekadashadvara/jesyavakrachetasah
Anushthaya na shochati vimuktashcha vimuchyate etadvai tat

A physical body is like a city with eleven gates occupied by the inner spirit that was never born, and hence has no death, motivated directly by divinity. The eleven gates of the body are the five sense organs, the five organs of action and the opening at the crown of its head through which it receives inspirations from higher beings. A person interacts with the universe through these gates. When one identifies with the inner spirit that dwells in the body, and not with the body that provides a dwelling place for the inner spirit, he is freed from all traumas associated with impermanence. He is freed of all anxieties and enjoys total liberation. It is this inner spirit to which one turns to when he withdraws his sense organs and mind from the external world.

Hamsah shuchishad vasurantareekshad hota vedishad atithir duronasat
Nrushadadvarasadrutasad vyomasadabja goja rutaja adrija rutam bruhat

The inner spirit expresses itself as the brilliance of purity in the spirit of discrimination. It expresses as the treasures of rare resources that is available in the atmosphere for extraction. It expresses itself as the fire that consummates all offerings in alters of sacrifices. It expresses itself as the visitations that connect the vessels that mortal beings to the surrounding universe. It expresses itself as humaneness and idealism. It expresses itself in the all-pervading emptiness in which everything exists. It is the active ingredient in the moisture of sensibilities. It is the active ingredient in all processes. It is the active ingredient in the dense presences that keep this world anchored. It is the direct connection to divinity experienced by all beings.

Oordhvam pranam unnayati apanam pratyagasruti
Madhye vamanamaseenam vishvedeva upasate

A living being imbibes life forces. It also gives out life forces. When there is perfect balance between the life forces flowing in and the life forces flowing out one experience the state of Vamana, the ideal for a brahmachari. The apparent insignificance of Vamana comes from his enlightened state where he wears his existence without any effort. In the perfectly balanced state there is hardly anything to signify one’s presence. Vamana occupies the three worlds as well as transcends them all at the same time. All the other ideals are auxiliaries to this main ideal.

Asya visramasa manasya shareerasthaya dehinah
Dehadvimuchyamanasva kimatra parishishyate etad vai tat

The inner spirit resides in the body, but remains detached from it. When the focus is on the body one cannot experience it. One gets glimpses of the inner spirit when he grows out of the identification with the body. The substance that remains when body consciousness is removed is the inner spirit. It is this inner spirit to which one turns to when he withdraws his sense organs and mind from the external world.

Na pranena napanen martyo jeevati kashchana
Itarena tu jeevanti yasminnetavupahritou


Flow of life forces in any single direction cannot sustain life. Neither the process of drawing in the life forces nor the process of giving out the life forces by itself can sustain life. There is something higher that transcends these two and on which these two depend. It is this higher state, which is the inner spirit, which sustains the identity of a living being.

Hanta ta dam pravakshyami guhyam brahma sanatanam
Yathacha maranam prapya atma bhavati gautama


What happens to the inner spirit when death embraces a living being? This question is being addressed now. When the inner spirit is separated from the body that was acting as its host it is totally identified with the subtle eternal principle of Brahman, the essence of the universe. It is totally free from the apparent limitations ascribed to the identification with a personality. It now becomes the seat of effulgence with the potential to identify with infinite varieties of processes.

Yonimanye prapadyante shareeratvaya dehinah
Sthanumanye/nusmyanti yatha karma yathashrutam


What happens further depends on the residues of the actions and the acquired culture of the being at the time of death. If the life was lived in a perfectly satisfactory manner leaving no residues, and if one had got the enlightenment by the refinement of awareness, then the inner spirit remains established in Brahman. If this is not the case and there are residues of actions and imperfections in awareness the inner spirit gravitates to another field of cause and effect determined by the residues and imperfections.

Sa esha supteshu jagarrti kamamkamam purusho nirmimanah
Tadeva shukram tad brahma tadevamrutamuchyate
Tasmimllokah shritah sarve tadunatyeti kashchanah etadvai tat

The inner spirit pervades the states experienced by a living being without being affected by them. It remains awake in the state of dormancy of a living being as the spirit of virility engaged in generating the passions that cause dreams which propel the living being into actions. This spirit of virility is the primordial cause of being. It is verily the Brahman, the spirit of the universe. All domains of transactions depend on it. It is above everything and nothing in this world can transcend it. It is this inner spirit to which one turns to when he withdraws his sense organs and mind from the external world.

The Inner Spirit as the Source of Empowerment

The ultimate ideal is the realization of Brahman through the transcendence of all dualities. Power becomes true and beneficial only when it helps one to move towards the realization of this ideal by following the path of dharma. The power bestowed by the inner spirit is the purest as it aligns one for the transcendence of dualities.

Yadeveha tadamutra yadamutra tadanviha
Mrutyoh sa mrutyumapnoti ya iha naneva pashyati

Whatever exists in this world is a projection of the inner spirit in the plane of this world. So all the things that one sees around is actually a part of oneself. Also, whatever is there in the inner spirit is manifested in this world in some form or other. When the perception is deep and perfect one grasps the perfect correspondence between what is in this world and what is in the world that transcends this world. When this correspondence is known one is liberated from any form of finiteness. He transcends the duality that keeps asunder this world and the world that transcends this world. Till this happens for him this world and the world that transcends this world are separate and he sees a tremendous discontinuity between the two. For him every transition from one to the other is a traumatic experience. He keeps experiencing the trauma of death again and again.

Manasi vedamaptavyam neha nanasti kinchana
Mrutyoh sa mrutyum gachchati ya iha naneva pashyati

The traumas of change are experienced in the plane of mind. So the knowledge about the oneness of what is here and what is there in the world transcending this world is to be imbibed by the mind. When the mind feels this non-duality the pluralities vanish. As long as the feeling of plurality persists one is subject to the traumas of change. For him every transition is a traumatic experience. He keeps traveling from death to death.

Angushthamatrah purusho madhya atmani tishthati
Eashano bhootabhavyasya na tato vijugpsate etadvai tat

The inner spirit manifests as the spirit of virility, which is of the nature of a thumb. The other fingers on one’s hand can operate effectively only in conjunction with the thumb. The thumb is thus the agent of empowerment for the other fingers. Similarly the spirit of virility is the agent of empowerment. It is seated in the midst of one’s identity presiding over all that is past and all that is going to happen. It holds within it the memories of all that is past and contains within it the sprouts of all that is going to happen. When one identifies with this spirit of virility his identity expands to embrace everything around him. He sheds the desire to differentiate himself from others. It is this inner spirit to which one turns to when he withdraws his sense organs and mind from the external world.

Angushthamatrah purusho jyotirivadhoomaka
Eashano bhootabhavyasya sa evadya sa ushsvah etadvai tat

The spirit of virility is of the nature of a thumb. It is the agent of empowerment. The manifestations in this world are wisps of smoke emanating from this spirit of virility. The spirit of virility remains as the fire hidden in the midst of a column of smoke. It is the cause of the manifestations that has already come into being, and contains within it the potential for the creation of all future manifestations. When one sees through the smoke and identifies with the fire that causes the smoke he becomes one with the spirit of eternity. He becomes the master of all that has happened and all that is going to happen. The inner spirit is imminent here today. It will also be there for ever. It is this inner spirit to which one turns to when he withdraws his sense organs and mind from the external world.

Yathodakam durge vrushtam parvateshu vidhavati
Evam dharmam pruthak pashyamstanevan vidhavati


Sensibilities rain as water on the exalted heights of subtle essentiality that stand out as a solid mountain. They flow down the slopes of the mountain as different streams. These streams are the different paths of dharma. One who is not able to see the unity of the source of the streams runs after the different streams and is confused by their plurality.

Yathodakam shudhe shudham asiktam tadrugeva bhavati
Evam munervijananata atma bhavati goutamah


When pure water is poured into a clean vessel it remains as pure water. A sage who remains detached from worldliness is like a clean vessel. He is able to perceive the unity of the source of all dharmas. His self becomes the seat of effulgence with the potential to identify with infinite processes.