Meditation on Brahman

  The identity of the jiva and Brahman has been affirmed by the mahavakya �That thou art�. Now Brahman is being described negatively, in order that the disciple may give up his identification with the gross body. Brahman is not gross, not short, not long, and has no attributes whatsoever. It is infinite pure consciousness. It can be realized only by a mind which has been disciplined by reflection and meditation. Just as any object made of clay is nothing but clay, the entire universe, which is an effect of Brahman, is nothing but Brahman. There is nothing other than Brahman. The guru tells the disciple, �You are that supreme Brahman, ever full of peace, free from blemish, and without a second�. The place, time, objects, and their knower, appearing in a dream are all �mithya�. They have no reality. Similarly, the world experienced in the waking state is nothing but a projection of one�s own nescience. Consequently, the body, senses, ego, are all unreal.

   The disciple is now asked to meditate that he is Brahman which is devoid of distinctions such as caste, lineage, etc., is free from the limitations of name and form, and is beyond space, time and objects of sense. He should meditate that, being himself none other than Brahman, he is not affected by the six waves�hunger, thirst, grief, delusion, old age and death. Brahman cannot be apprehended by the senses. It cannot be known by the intellect. Brahman is the substratum of the universe which is superimposed on it by ignorance. Since it is not a substance, it cannot be described either as existent or as non-existent. It is existence itself. Everything in this world appears to exist only because they are all superimposed on Brahman which is existence, just as the illusory snake appears to exist only because the substratum, rope, exists. It is indivisible. Brahman does not have birth, growth, change, decay, disease and death. All these are only for the body-mind complex, but they are wrongly attributed to the Atma which is the same as Brahman. Brahman is the cause of the creation, sustenance and dissolution of the universe.

   Brahman is free from the three kinds of difference. The difference of a tree from its leaves, flowers, fruits, etc, is the difference within an object. This is known as svagata bheda. The difference of one tree from another tree is the difference between objects of the same species. This is known as sajaatiiya bheda. The difference of a tree from a rock is the difference between objects of different species. This is known as vijaatiiya bheda. None of these differences exists with regard to Brahman, because there is nothing else of the same species or of a different species and there is no internal difference because Brahman is homogeneous. This is what is affirmed in the Chhaandogya upanishad (6.2.1) by the words �ekam eva advitiyam�-one, only, without a second. The word �one� negates sajaatiiya bheda, the word �only� negates svagata bheda and the words �without a second� negate vijaatiiya bheda.

   Brahman is motionless like a waveless ocean. It is of the nature of existence, consciousness and bliss. It is ever free from bondage. It is the cause of multiplicity as the substratum, but is itself causeless. It is however only from the empirical standpoint that it is said to be the cause of multiplicity. From the absolute standpoint the multiplicity does not exist and so Brahman cannot be described as a cause. It is neither cause nor effect. The aspirant should meditate on Brahman thus.

   Brahman should be meditated on as devoid of internal variety, infinite, imperishable, different from the world as well as from Maya, supreme, eternal, of undiminishing bliss, and not tainted by avidya. Brahman appears as name, form, quality, and action because of delusion, but is really free from change, just as gold, though appearing in the form of various ornaments, is itself always the same. Thus the name, form, etc., are unreal and they are all nothing but Brahman .

   There is nothing before or after Brahman, because Brahman is infinite. It is devoid of activity.   It is higher than the highest. It is the indwelling self of the jiva. It is undecaying.

   If one meditates on Brahman in this manner with conviction, he will attain to the truth.

   In this way, one should merge the whole universe in Brahman and realize himself as pure consciousness.

   In the cave of the intellect dwells the supreme non-dual Brahman which is the ultimate reality and is different from all gross and subtle substances. One who identifies himself with this Brahman will not have any further birth.

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