The Real You

10/02/11


" THE  ONE  LIGHT  :   

 Behold the globe of the universe, and the myriad pin-holes on it.
The brightly shining Lamp is its Center.
Oh ye mind !  Delude not thyself that those are a myriad lamps. 
It is the  One  Divine  Light  that shines thru the myriad outlets !  "

 . . . .   K M G   ( from  'Random Musings' )

          Hello to you all !      Somvaar  Suprabhaath !

       At the outset,  let me herewith convey my Heartfelt  Greetings  and  Best Wishes  to you all, on the Auspicious  and  Happy  occasion of  Durga Ashtami,  Mahar Navami  and  Vijaya Dasami,  on the coming three days !  

       Well,  today I wish to elaborate on the Advaitic concept of the true nature of the  ' Real You '  :

                              

                                         T H E    R E A L    Y O U 

       There is a  ' Real You '  and a  ' false / pseudo  you '  in you.  The same in everyone.  The chronic, crucial and  vexing  problem  is,  we identify our ' pseudo-self' with our ' Real Self '.  This indeed leads to all sorts of problems - - - -  limitations,  transformations,  attributes,  ephemerality, 'pairs of opposites' - - - - - in short, all the glaring anxieties and despairs  of the ' samsaara'.

       Look at the necklace of beads, or, the garland of flowers.  Different colors and sizes of beads or flowers.  The beads my split and drop down.  The flowers may wither and fall off.  Beads and flowers can change, may come and go.  But the thread on which they are strung  or  assembled, does not change. It is ever the same.  'The Real You'  is that  ' string '  and not the  ' beads  or  flowers ' .  

       See the  cinema show.  On the screen are  projected various characters, of different hues and qualities.  Good and bad ones.  Heroes and villains.  All sorts of beings. Animate and inanimate.  Ever changing and colorful. All come and go.  But the white static screen on which all those are projected,  does not change.  Ever static,  ever white,  unaffected by any that appears on it.  The problem is .. you identify yourself with those ephemeral, ever-changing images that come and go. the innumerable characters  that make you laugh or weep, and keep your mind in perpetual agitation.  'The Real You' is not those fleeting images, but the very  Screen Itself ! 

       There are many types of electrical equipments.  Fans, heaters, coolers, lights, TVs, blenders . .  But, all are futile if no current in them. In Vedantic parlance, theyt are all  'upaadhi-s' (media).  the 'Adhishtaana' ( Substratum ) is the 'electric current'.  'The Real You' is that  electric current, and not those equipments !  

       To put it differently,  'The Real You'  is not those various pots, vessels, pans, lids and utensils  that are shaped from mud,  but the very 'mud' itself, that appears in all those forms. 

       You have the sun's rays  which, as they traverse a transparent glass prism, split into a spectrum of beautiful colors.  So also, the  'Brahma Tattwa' ( Divine  Principle )  traversing Its own medium of  'Maaya', gets transformed into the grand diversity and multiplicity,  Its own ' Vibhooti ',  the names and forms, qualities and attributes.  'The Real You' is that One Divine Principle,  and not that 'Vobhooti'.   

       Everything in this world  changes, including all beings.  The feelings, responses, experiences, activities ... all change. However, to know that things are  'changing'  there has to be an  Unchanging Agency  to notice all the changes.  ' The Real You '  is that  'Changeless  Fixed  Entity,  the Ever-Witnessing Agency',  and not that ever-changing phenomena.  

       Things exist in the universe. All that you 'observe' exists. Things animate and inanimate, the five primal elements, and the yonder  galaxies.  then, apart from all those outside of yourself in the outer world, there exist the innumerable organs and functioneries  within your physical body, including the subtle existences of mind and intellect.  'This' exists, 'that' exists, everything exists, all widely different. ... But  'The Real You'  is not those  'existing' items,  but the 'Existence' Itself (Generalized and Universal).  'The Real You' is that 'Existence', the  'Awareness  of that  Existence'', and not the mere 'existing' things.   

       Now, after delineating the 'Real You',  in so many paras, the next interesting revelation is that the 'Real You', 'Real Me', 'Real He' or the 'Real She' ...  are all just the only One 'Real Reality'. The One appearing as many. It is like entering a Hall of Mirrors, a million mirrors. You carefully look into them. You see yourself in all of them. That is ' The Real You '. 

       'You' are thus the very Subject, not the world of objects. The Eternal One. Not the kaleodospic  many. the Immortal, not the meek  mortal.  The  Nitya, Niraakaara, Nirmala, Niranjana, Nirvikalpa, Nirvisesha, Nirguna, Nir-vibhakta, Nirahankaara  (Eternal, Formless,  Un-agitated ,  Impurityless,  Changeless, Beyond particulars, Attributeless, Indivisible, Ego-less) Supreme  Existence, Consciousness  Bliss.  The One without a second.  That is what Advaita Vedanta tells us.  Such a Realization is said to be the supreme objective of human existence. 

    

        Well, now perhaps comes an unexpected communication.  Somvaar Sandesh messages have come to a close with this dispatch.  With this  'Ashtoattara  Sata  Sandesha' ( 108th),  now, turning the beads in the japa-maala, would cease, after its full traverse.

        Wishing you all a very pleasant time, not merely the week ahead as hitherto,  but always and ever.  Not merely Somvaar Suprabhaath as hitherto, but Suprabhaath every morning everyday !           

Adieu !   Bye-bye !   Sayonaara !

Krishna  M.  Gutala