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The Chhandogya Upanishad by Swami Krishnananda
155
such a mind thinks, the whole conglomeration of objects connected with that thought
appears at one stroke there in its presence. The archetypes of things are perhaps
visualised in Brahma-loka, not the reflections. The objects which we see in this world
are not the originals. They are only reflections. All the originals including those of
myself and yourself are in Brahma-loka. We are all reflections of the original. We are all
unreal bodies, apparitions in some respect, looking like very important persons. Our
importance is somewhere else and we are rooted in a higher realm. And we are even
now connected with that realm. Our legs are there though we appear to be moving here!
We are reflections and therefore distorted. We are partial and finite, on account of
which we are incapable of fulfilling our desires. The original which is the whole, the
infinite, alone can work. Reflections cannot really work as efficiently as the original. This
efficiency in working comes only when we reach Brahma-loka.
Now this Brahma-loka does not mean some other world which is several million miles
away. It is a state of consciousness. It is within these very walls of our room. It is only a
higher frequency of consciousness that is called Brahma-loka, into which one can raise
oneself even here. Really there is no question of here and there . These are only
inappropriate terms used in connection with sense experiences for want of better terms.
There is neither here nor there , neither then nor now . All these words cannot apply
in Brahma-loka. Wherever you are, there is Brahma-loka, if only you can tune up your
mind to the high frequency of its level of consciousness.
The great gods, having Indra as their leader who obtained this superior initiation from
Prajapati in the manner mentioned here, contemplate on this Atman. Therefore they are
able to fulfil all their wishes by mere thought. They establish contact with their inner
mind in respect of everything that they think at any moment of time. All the worlds are
comprehended by them. They can penetrate throughout the universe. Objects like huge
mountains cannot impede their movement. Physical bodies are no obstacles for them.
We sometimes hear in scriptures that angels fly and that gods easily move from plane to
plane. This is so because they are in their subtle mental bodies. They are not physical
vehicles, so they are not controlled by the power of the gravitation of the earth.
Everything is under their sway. They can have entry into every realm. They can move
anywhere. All desires of theirs are fulfilled on account of this permeating consciousness
which is not capable of being obstructed by anything.
This is a glorification of the knowledge of the Atman in respect of the gods who had it
through Indra. This is a knowledge which can be had not only by gods alone, but
anyone, including yourself and myself. It is not a prerogative of any particular person or
individual. Everyone is heir-apparent to this great knowledge, provided the necessary
discipline is undergone. We can imagine what hardship Indra had to pass through.
Perhaps our hardship will be much more. We must be prepared to pay the price of this
knowledge. Then it shall come. It can be the property of everyone, but first one has to be
ready to become a receptacle for it. As is the case with all those who have realised the
Self, so will be the case with everyone who attains this Knowledge. There will be
complete control over things and fulfilment of everything, even of a mere wish that
arises in the mind, at that very moment it arises. This is what Prajapati said in
conclusion.
So, we have here an analysis of the various states of consciousness, through this story of
The Chhandogya Upanishad by Swami Krishnananda
156
instruction to Indra by Prajapati. This analysis is actually the logical approach by way of
inference to the existence of a consciousness deep within every one of us. What Prajapati
actually wanted to drive home to the mind of the disciple was that the Atman is
ubiquitously present everywhere in all the three states. That is why he said first that It is
in the eye in the waking state, then in the dream state, then in the sleeping condition,
and finally as something transcendent. Now, all these definitions are correct, though we
should not take them literally. The implication or the actual intention behind the
instruction has to be understood. The Atman is in deep sleep state. Yes, it is true. It is in
dream. It is also in waking. It is reflected through the eyes and the senses. All these
statements are correct, because without the operation in some way or the other of this
consciousness, there would be neither sleep, nor dream nor waking. A compartment or a
wall, as it were, has been introduced by us between these various experiences, so that we
are unable to connect the deeper implications of these different experiences. When we
are in one condition, we completely forget the other conditions. When we are awake, we
cannot be dreaming or in deep sleep. When we dream, we cannot be in deep sleep or
awake. When we are in deep sleep, we cannot be awake or dreaming. This is our
difficulty, in spite of the fact that our consciousness is one with the same substratum
that is responsible for all these experiences. The difference arises on account of a
peculiar faculty in us called the mind. It is not the defect of consciousness which is the
same that is in me, in you, and in the Jivanmukta. The so-called mind is also not an
independent thing absolutely different from the Atman. It is a hybrid, as it were, born
from one side partially and belonging to another side partially. However, for all practical
purposes of analysis, we may say that it is the same consciousness that we call the
Atman which has somehow got twisted, as it were, and focussed in a single particular
direction and got obsessed with the view that that direction alone is real and that every
other direction is unreal and does not exist. This obsessed movement of consciousness,
the mind, in respect of a particular direction is what we call its target or the object of
sense. This is a creation of its own, due to its prarabdha and we cannot say how and
why it works. But the background is the Atman, the Consciousness. It does not vary. The
mind in waking, the mind in dream, the mind in sleep and the mind that has
transcended itself, all these are basically pervaded through and through, warp and
woof, by the same consciousness. The feeling that I exist is the Atman speaking in its
own language. This feeling is persisting even in dream, and you cannot say that it does
not exist even in deep sleep. So it is there always. Not only that, It exists as self-sufficient
awareness. We are aware in one way in the waking state and we are aware in a different
way altogether in the other two states. There is a difference in the structure of the
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