Who Am I ? (Naan Yaar?) - Part 2

[Amritha Varshini]

5. Will there not be realisation of the Self even while the world is taken for real?
There will not be.

6. Why?

The seer and the object seen are like the rope and the snake. Just as the knowledge of the rope which is the substrate will not arise unless the false knowledge of the illusory serpent goes, so the realisation of the Self which is the substrate will not be gained unless the belief that the world is real is removed.

7. When will the world which is the object seen be removed?

When the mind, which is the cause of all cognition's and of all actions, becomes quiescent, the world will disappear.

8. What is the nature of the mind?

What is called 'mind' is a wondrous power residing in the Self. It causes all thoughts to arise. Apart from thoughts, there is no such thing as mind. Therefore, thought is the nature of mind. Apart from thoughts, there is no independent entity called the world. In deep sleep there are no thoughts, and there is no world. In the states of waking and dream, there are thoughts, and there is a world also. Just as the spider emits the thread [of the web] out of itself and again withdraws it into itself, likewise the mind projects the world out of itself and again resolves it into itself. When the mind comes out of the Self, the world appears. Therefore, when the world appears [to be real], the Self does not appear; and when the Self appears [shines] the world does not appear. When one persistently enquires into the nature of the mind, the mind will end leaving the Self [as the residue]. What is referred to as the Self is the Atman. The mind always exists only in dependence on something gross; it cannot stay alone. It is the mind that is called the subtle body or the individual self [jiva].

9. What is the path of enquiry for understanding the nature of the mind?

That which rises as 'I' in this body is the mind. If one enquires as to where in the body the thought 'I' rises first, one would discover that it rises in the Heart. That is the place of the mind's origin. Even if one thinks constantly 'I-I', one will be led to that place. Of all the thoughts that arise in the mind, the 'I' thought is the first. It is only after the rise of this that the other thoughts arise. It is after the appearance of the first personal pronoun that the second and third personal pronouns appear; without the first personal pronoun there will not be the second and third.

10. How will the mind become quiescent?

By the enquiry "Who am I?". The thought "Who am I?" will destroy all other thoughts, and like the stick used for stirring the burning pyre, it will itself in the end get destroyed. Then, there will arise Self-realisation.[/div]

[Narayanaswamy Iyer]

"When one persistently enquires into the nature of the mind, the mind will end leaving the Self [as the residue]. What is referred to as the Self is the Atman. The mind always exists only in dependence on something gross; it cannot stay alone. It is the mind that is called the subtle body or the individual self [jiva]........ That which rises as 'I' in this body is the mind. If one enquires as to where in the body the thought 'I' rises first, one would discover that it rises in the Heart."

There appears to be thorough confusion between "mind", "Self", "Athman", "body", "Heart", "jiva", and "I", their inter-relationship, even their identity. Further confusion appears to exist between the Paramaathman and the Jeevaathman.

When a baby is born, it only senses the nearness of the breast-feeding mother, experiences thirst and hunger, the need to evacuate, the need to be wrapped comfortably, the need to sleep. It does not have any thought of "I", "you", "he, she, it, we, you, they". The youth with a malleable mind and tender heart, ready for upanayanam, starts to differentiate between strangers and relatives, danger and safety, right and wrong, knowledge and ignorance, activity and idleness, loyalty and betrayal, even truth and falsity.

The married family man probably represents the highest achievement of human birth. Without him the human race will end (and all sanyaasis will also end). His is the onerous responsibility to lead an exemplary life for his spouse, his children, his grandchildren, his neighbours, his acquaintances, his community. He must perforce lead a full and active life, be the reachable reservoir of wisdom, knowledge, skill, courage, piety, courage, action.

To tell him to abandon all this and look for the "Heart" from which originates the "mind" which depends on "something gross" but is also the "subtle body" and at the same time the "jiva", and to tell him to get rid of the "mind" to achieve the dual "Self-Athman" (when the "Self-Athman" resides in him at the moment of conception, and will remain with him till death) -- is to inject into him the confusion of the preacher, and to make him feel guilty of placing his duties to spouse, family, God, and community before himself, which is his bounden duty according to the laws of gruhasthaashrama dharmam.

It is to defy Bhagavaan Mahaa- Vishnu's command to all mankind through Lord Sree Krishna to reject all false preachings and surrender only to him: aham tvaa sarva paapebyo mokshayishyaami ma shucha.