 How
Upanishads are Born
How are Upanishads born? They are born of the
Intelligence that becomes the Consciousness of the Divine. It is
no more "intelligence". The intelligence in the pure heart, the
intelligence in a disciplined, evolved spiritual soul becomes one
with the Consciousness of the Divine.
It becomes one with the Consciousness of the
Divine through protracted practice - practice of meditation,
concentration, concentration on the Object which is Supreme Light,
the Light of Life. When the pure intelligence concentrates on the
Divine Witness within day after day, year after year - a time
arrives that intelligence becomes one with the Consciousness of
the Divine.
The concentrating intelligence and the object
concentrated upon become one. The seeing intelligence in us is
being seen by the Divine within us. The Divine is the Supreme
Witness in all things. In all persons, above all persons,
everywhere, it is one Witness.
This Witness is the "I" in us. This "I" is one
in all. Your "I", or the "I" in you, the "I" in me, the "I" in
all, the "I" in everything is one and the same, though it seems to
be different in different forms. Though it is in countless forms,
it is one and the same. In one form it seems to be liberated,
knowing, all-knowing, and therefore that form is called a Mystic.
In another form it seems not to be self-knowing, it lives in a
separativeness, a life of division, and there suffers from dark
ignorance in consequence. But the "I" in the Mystic and in the
ordinary man is not affected by the states of the ordinary man nor
of the Mystic. It is beyond both, it is transcendent. OM is as
transcendent as also that which is present in all things and
everywhere as the Ultimate Witness, the "I". It is self-identity,
it is unity without any division, it is absolute. When the
inquiring spiritual intelligence rises to supreme states of
concentration, it becomes one with the Divine "I". In this state,
the seeker, the sought - that which has been sought - and the
process of seeking become one. The Seer and that which is seen,
and the process of seeing become one. In the deep-sleep-state also
you find a unitary experience. The person who wanted to sleep, the
person who attempted to sleep becomes one with that which is
experienced in deep-sleep-state. It is a condition of Happiness.
In this state, the person who wanted to sleep, the person who
searched for sleep, and the process of making efforts to sleep -
all this, and that into which he sleeps, have become one. It is a
unitary consciousness in that state, even though it is
unconscious. It is an unconscious state. But it serves our purpose
as an example.
In meditation, the meditator, the Absolute, the
Boundless Reality that is object of meditation, and the process of
meditation, all become one. In this state of experience one knows
the Truth, one is the Truth. And this experience has to be
sustained. When it is sustained, one knows, explores the Infinite,
understands Its endless treasures and wonders, and also Its state
where all these endless treasures and endless wonders mean
nothing, loose their value. It is a transcendent condition, it is
absolute and indescribable Perfection. One who has explored this
Divine Reality is under the pressure of the Perfection of the
Divine, pressure of the experience of the Divine, Joy of the
Experience of the Divine, Ecstasy of the experience of the Divine,
and expresses himself this experience in words. These words are
Upanishads. The subject of the Upanishads is the Infinite Reality,
the one God, the real God, the eternal God, a God behind and
besides whom there is not a God. And even if there are thousands
and millions of Gods, in all these millions of Gods one Supreme
God is present. He is one in all millions of gods, he is God of
gods. Besides this God of gods there is no other reality. It is
transcendent, it is immanent, it is beyond both. When one is in
touch with this, rooted in this, one discovers the source of
unending wisdom, the source of endless knowledge. One can speak of
this Divine Reality unendingly, and yet one can speak of it just
in one word. Not even one word is necessary. One syllable is
enough, one monosyllable is enough, and that is OM. By OM we can
describe the whole Reality, the All of God, and at the same time
the mystery of Creation, all of Creation, all of Man. You know all
about man, the human individual, you know all about the universe,
when you know the Truth.
 |
The Truth is all of this universe, the Truth is
all of the real Man. The Truth is in everyone and everywhere with
all Its Infinite Perfection. It does not become imperfect in the
human individual. It is absolute Perfection, present in the human
individual. What we mean by spiritual perfection is the outer
intelligence, the psychic being which has a past behind it of
birth and death and death and birth, and all memories and
potencies of actions and reactions, potencies of results of
actions. This Being evolves, but not the Divine Reality. When this
being in you evolves, is purified, uplifted, spiritualized,
divinized, then it is in a position to disappear, to sink into the
ocean of Divine Truth. When that happens, it becomes
indistinguishable from God. When you drop a drop of water in the
ocean, it becomes indistinguishable from the ocean, it is the
ocean.
The drop and the ocean, and the process of
falling into the ocean, all have become one here. There is no more
the drop, no more the falling into the ocean - it is one ocean.
This happens, and from there the Upanishads are born. Since this
happens in a person, a human individual, he becomes the channel
for the knowledge of the real nature of this Ocean of God. Does he
know this much which was mentioned now? No. He knows infinitely
more about this Reality. He can describe it in million ways.
 The Omkarananda
Upanishad
The one Truth can be presented in practically
infinite number of ways, and one can discover infinite number of
dimensions, in that which is dimensionless, and absolutely
perfect. All systems of philosophy, all religions, all cultures
can be founded on this basic experience, on this One Truth; in
fact, all great religions come from this Truth, from this Reality.
The differences in the outer forms are determined by the
differences in the temperament and the time in which this person
is born in human history and the type and nature of mankind in
which he is present, and the traditions that it has etc., and the
needs it presents. All these determine the manner in which the
Light of the Truth, the Wisdom of God, the experience of Supreme
Reality, the direct Knowledge of the Infinite is presented.
 This
is how our Upanishad is born. One sees what one says. What one
says is what one is experiencing. And this experience is
many-sided, it is perfect, it can see in all directions, it can
discover new meanings, new possibilities, and it also evolves or
puts forth, manifests many methods by which you can experience the
Divine. Now let us invent a method, a powerful method for
experiencing this unmanifested Divine Reality, the Supreme
Absolute Being which is so abstract, and which is to be touched
and known by inner meditation on the Supreme Witness in us. It is
not only a process of and in Wisdom, it can be also a procedure
that is characterized by supreme Devotion, Joy, Love. This One
Reality which we contact in ourselves as the Supreme Witness can
be made to stand before us and present itself to our
sense-experience. What we mean by sense-experience here? By the
sense-experience we mean here: visible to outer physical eyes,
audible to the outer ears.
How is this possible? It is possible. The
Supreme Witness in us, the One "I" everywhere that was always here
and everywhere, before the Creation, during the Creation, now and
forever it will be here and everywhere - this One Being -
formless, nameless, timeless, spaceless, imperishable, can be
brought into a form, can be asked to present Itself as a form for
our experience. It can be served, adored, loved. It can be a
companion like a human companion. Such a relationship with the
Supreme Unmanifest Reality we can develop.
This aspect is something new to most of the
Upanishads, and is found in Omkarananda-Upanishad. We have just
created it. And this is a theme which can fill numberless volumes.
It is experiencing the Divine Truth, the Divine Truth which is
formless, timeless, nameless, spaceless, as a Form, as a Name. We
can make OM the all-creative Consciousness of God, with dimensions
which go beyond the creation and are called "the Unmanifest
Being". This OM can stand before us as Narayana.
Know the Truth
What is Veda? Veda is Knowledge. What is
Knowledge? Knowledge is that which is true at all places at all
times, in all places, always, unalterable Knowledge, true
Knowledge, ever-the-same Knowledge, yet ever new Knowledge,
because every time it causes in you immense Joy and becomes the
source of every illumination, insight, perception. Knowledge here,
therefore, is Knowledge of the Truth.
As opposite to this Knowledge, there is
temporary knowledge. You say, "it is day now." Soon this knowledge
is contradicted by the night. So, this is temporary knowledge. It
is what is belonging to the space-time-universe, whereas the
Knowledge that Veda is, is eternal Knowledge, pertaining to the
Timeless. This eternal Knowledge is Veda. It is Self-Knowledge. It
is Truth-Knowledge. It is God-Knowledge.
Here, Knowledge and Truth are one and the same.
Veda is OM. OM is a mystical syllable. It is timeless. It is the
Heart of Truth. As such it does not matter whether you address the
Truth as a Divinity or as OM. OM and the Divinity are one and the
same. You can experience the Truth either by repetition of OM or
by supreme devotion to the Divine.
Veda says, and Veda shows, that Truth is the
very foundation of all that is manifest. It is the Foundation of
all life. It is the Essence of all Life, it is the Quintessence of
all that is. It is everywhere, it is Light of our intelligence, it
is the sustaining breath in our nostrils and lungs. It is the
sustaining life-force maintaining us.
The Nature of this Presence of the Divine is
Happiness, Peace, Supreme Happiness, Supreme Peace. It is Peace,
Joy, Truth, Knowledge, Beauty, Perfection, absolute Perfection. It
is Fulfilment, absolute Fulfilment. Here, there is no want and no
need. It is a condition of Perfection. In order you may understand
this condition better, we compare it to the deep-sleep-state.
There you are again in contact with Perfection. That is to say: In
the deep-sleep-state you don't have desires. You are identical
with Happiness.
 Truth is
Happiness. God is Happiness. Knowledge in the sense of being Truth
Itself is Happiness. Happiness is the goal of human life here on
earth, and Happiness cannot be had outside Truth, outside God,
outside OM. Only he is a true man who has Knowledge, and only he
has Knowledge who experiences God, who lives in Truth, who has the
taste of Timelessness and Spacelessness. OM
If you wish to be called as a rational being,
know Truth. All other Knowledge, whether it is scientific
knowledge, technical knowledge, psychological knowledge, psychic
knowledge, social knowledge, commercial knowledge etc. is no
knowledge. All this knowledge does not lead you to the experience
of Truth, the Experience of God. All this knowledge is alright in
its place only if we have first known the Truth. First Knowledge
of the Divine is essential. Anyone who pretends to possess the
power of reason should know the Truth, should experience God.
Nothing is more easy, more real, more direct than the experience
of God or the experience of Truth, for Truth is the basis of our
Existence, the soul of our intelligence. Without this
Truth-Presence in us, we cannot see, we cannot hear, we cannot
breathe. It is the centre of our Being. To touch it, is to find
supreme Joy.
In deep-sleep-state you touch it, and therefore
you are so happy in deep-sleep-state. After touching God, or
Truth, you must begin to live here on earth.
Serve all, love all, and show your fullest
usefulness to all! Therefore, experience of Knowledge as Veda,
Veda as Knowledge, and Knowledge as the Divine, the Divine as
eternal Truth, Truth as Joy, as a Source of all values, essential
for running the society, essential for maintaining a government
and pursuing happiness, perfection, fullness, is the first duty of
everyone. OM
 Now, with
this repetition of OM, let us be in tune with the Truth, with God,
the Light of lights, Light of intelligence, Light of the Soul, the
Light that is everywhere. This Light becomes visible when you
unfold the powers of your Soul, when the powers of the Soul are
unfolded with the devotion to God and with Knowledge of the Nature
of God. Let us express our devotion to God. He is Truth, and Truth
has million names, while it is nameless.
One of the names is Ganesha, another Narayana,
yet another Shiva, yet another Devi. Devi means Light. OM
Veda, we have seen, is timeless Knowledge. This
timeless Knowledge is recorded in highly inspired and inspiring
hymns. It is the speech of the Truth. It is recorded Veda. From
this Veda let us recite some hymns. These hymns touch our soul,
awaken the inner Light, and make us one with the Timeless Reality.
Even if you do not notice this, even if it
takes a long time to realize the benefits of this repetition, this
repetition has effects. Your inability to notice the results and
effects does not prove the non-existence of these results and
effects. The effects are always there. OM
OM Śrī Mahādevyai-ca vidmahe Viṣṇu-patnyai-ca dhīmahi
tanno-lakṣmīḥ pracodayāt OM
OM Śrī Gaṇeśāya Namaḥ OM
All these Mantras are in Sanskrit. It is the
language of God. It is a scientific language, it is the Mother of
many languages. It is an eternal language. It is a perfect
language, a language that expresses the Truth-experience
perfectly. It is the Truth-language. While we meditate, we reflect
intensively, concentrate intensively on the meaning of these
hymns.
When we concentrate on the meaning of these
hymns, our consciousness becomes what we contemplate upon. We
become during this time one with the Truth. We begin to see in the
finite the Infinite. We begin to see in the individual the
Absolute. We begin to see in time the Timeless. We begin to
experience here on earth - not through senses - but directly with
the spirit within us, and find supreme Happiness.
In deep-sleep-state do you experience with
senses? No. Senses are absolutely asleep there. You experience
sleep by becoming one with the Spirit in you. You become the very
Soul within you. It is a direct experience, without the
instrumentality of any sense-function, or sense-organ. It is
non-mediate knowledge, it is not knowledge that is got through
some medium. It is a direct knowledge. In waking-experience, you
have indirect knowledge. You experience everything through
instruments, senses, sense-organs. It is mediate knowledge.
Compare this mediate knowledge to the direct knowledge that you
have in deep-sleep-state. Compare it with the direct knowledge of
Truth you have in deep meditation by contemplation on the inner
content of the Veda, by supreme devotion to the Divine. Devotion
to the Divine purifies the heart, makes the mind concentrated, and
the concentrated power of the mind makes for illumination and
God-Experience.
A contemplation of the meaning of these hymns
that we are reciting also leads to experience of Truth. We have to
do it constantly, until we have the experience, until we are
established in this experience. Only he is said to be asleep
deeply who is sunk in the Soul. In the same way, only he obtains
supreme Happiness who is sunk in the Divine, the Truth, the Light
of the light of our Soul.
 The hymn
that we are now reciting is addressed to the divine Light. Why is
it divine Light? You know the physical light. It is day now. You
see the sun-light. This is physical light. Can this light show the
thoughts of the people in their brains? No. It is a limited light.
It is not the Light of Life, it is not a perfect light. Perfect
Light is the Divine Light. It is the Light of God, the Light of
the Truth.
The Soul within you, the Kingdom of God within
you is Light. It is the Light that shines through your
intelligence. It is the Light of all Life. It is eternal, it is
all-seeing. If you possess this Light, you really see everything.
It alone is real Light, and Light is God, that is Divine Light.
All religions speak of God as Light, for the very nature of God is
Light.
Now, we are contemplating with the recitation
of this hymn on Light, on the true nature of God, on the real Soul
of Truth. OM
Narayana in Sanskrit is the same as "Immanuel".
Truth is omnipresent. It is resident in all things. Truth is that
which is here, there, and everywhere, at all times. It was, it is,
it will always be. It is absolute, infinite, eternal, immortal. It
is all-perfect. Such a Truth is God. It is Shiva. It is Narayana.
OM Namo Nārāyaṇāya OM svāhā.
The strength of the human individual lies in
contacting this Truth. Only he is strong, indestructible,
immortal, perfect, peaceful, joyous, really rich who is in touch
with the Truth. Truth is the basis of every system of knowledge,
every conceivable perfection, every form of life, wisdom. OM
Guru is Master. Who is a Master? One who is one
with the Truth, one who has become the Light, one who lives within
the light as the Light, and therefore is in a position to lead the
creation towards the Perfection of the Divine Heaven. He is the
only light that can dispel the darkness of human ignorance. He
illuminates all minds, the minds that are seeking the Truth. He is
the Light of Life. He is ever-pure. He does not function through
the body. He lives as the Light, functions as the Light. He has no
desires, there is no enjoyment for him in the whole universe.
Why? Because his senses do not function.
Through his senses, the Light of the Divine functions. His object
of pleasure is the Truth Itself. This Truth is Supreme Beauty,
Supreme Wisdom, the Source of all powers and possibilities. It is
omnipresent. It alone is real Joy. Therefore, the Guru alone has
real Happiness, real Peace, real Freedom, and he enjoys eternal
life here and now. What cannot be experienced here and now cannot
be the Truth. Truth is that which is here and now. It is the basis
of all that we are. To sink into this basis and experience its
nature, its content, its Fullness, Plenitude, Perfection - that is
the Nature of the Guru, and that is the aim of human life on
earth. OM.
The same Truth that God is, that the Guru is,
is the Divine Mother. Truth as Love is the Divine Mother. Truth as
Light is the Divine Mother. Truth as Peace is the Divine Mother.
Truth as Perfection is the Divine Mother. Truth as Compassion,
Liberation, Relief from suffering is the Divine Mother. Truth as
Grace is the Divine Mother.
Universal Love
and Peace
The whole Universe is a pulsation of God's
Consciousness. The stars, the planets, they are the soul of God.
They are constantly influencing our lives. How to escape their
negative influence and receive from them positive influences,
influences which enhance our spiritual development? One wonderful
way of receiving positive influences from the planets is to adore
them, that is to greet them. There are special mantras, by which
we are in tune and in harmony with their soul.
 OM
Ādityāya-ca somāya maṅgalāya budhāya-ca
Guru śukra
śanibhyaś-ca rāhave ketave namaḥ OM
(OM Adorations to the
Sun, to the Moon, to Mars, to Mercury,
to Jupiter, to Venus, to Saturn, to
Rahu and Ketu. OM)
OM Sarveṣāṃ svastir bhavatu, sarveṣāṃ
śāntir bhavatu,
Sarveṣām pūrṇam bhavatu, sarveṣām maṅgalam
bhavatu.
OM Sarve bhavantu sukhinaḥ, sarve santu nirāmayāḥ,
Sarve bhadrāṇi paśyantu, mā-kaścid-duḥkha bhāg-bhavet.
OM
Śāntih śānti śāntiḥ OM
With this Mantra we have wished welfare for the
whole world. We have requested the Infinite Truth, that sustains
all life, fulfills all life, to grant to every breathing being
freedom from suffering, peace, happiness, prosperity. A true lover
of the Divine is a person of universal feelings, universal love,
who brings peace to all creation. OM
|
