Sunday, May 12, 2013

A Summary of Indian Spiritual Wisdom of Sages/Rishis/Jnanis

A Sage/Maharshi deeply immersed in Meditation/Samadhi
 To whatever and wherever the restless and unsteady mind wanders this mind should be checked then and there and gently brought under the control of the Self alone. [Bhagavad Gita - Chapter 6, Verse 26. The core of ANY spiritual practice for God/Self Realization]


பற்றுக பற்றற்றான் பற்றினை அப்பற்றை
பற்றுக பற்று விடற்கு -- திருக்குறள், அறத்துப்பால், துறவு.


  • All worldly pleasures/happiness are certainly doomed to end in Pain because the objects of sensory pleasures (including wealth, wife, children and one's own body-mind) are ever subjected to change (e.g. destruction, lost, degradation, changing mind etc).
  • One's own Self/Aathmaa (the all encompassing, the only universal existence/consciousness-being -- Brahman) is the real source of absolute, immutable peace and contentment; not affected by any external situation.
  • Inturned ego-mind surrendered to God/Self reveals lasting Peace (Self-Realization/Sahaja Sthithi/Natural State/Brahma Jnana). Outgoing ego-mind seeking worldly pleasures will always find itself restless, worrying, stressed, discontented and fearful because it depends on external transient objects for its pleasure/happiness.
  • The outgoing selfish ego-mind fears when its desires or attachments are threatened because the ego-mind ignorantly believes that without these desires or attachments the survival of the body to which it clings to and itself is difficult or in danger. But in reality one always exists as immortal Self without the body or ego-mind or its desires/attachments, for example, as in Deep sleep state (but this Truth is practically realized after Brahma Jnana).
  • Only by cultivating steadfast (1) Bakthi to God/Self, (2) Discrimination between real (God/Self) & unreal (transient worldly attractions) and (3) consequent Detachment without hate (towards worldly attractions) can the mind be gradually turned inwards with the help of spiritual practices/sadhana such as japa of God's Name/mantra, self-enquiry etc.
  • Deeper and deeper a mind turns inwards, more and more it will be peaceful and contented with its current worldly life along with the faced difficulties. Learning to accept everything as God's Will and forgoing the notion of notorious, trouble bringing free will.
  • One should not harm others through selfish actions (using thoughts, words or deeds) in violation of applicable dharmic rules (e.g. for rulers, ordinary citizens, children towards parents etc) as laid down by Vedic seers/rishis on Divine ordinance. One's own Self (i.e. Brahman) has manifested as this changing Phenomenal Universe and every good or bad action rebounds on the initiator for sure as Divinely ordained fruits of such action.
  • Following dharmic rules, one gains disciplined life, purity of mind necessary for peaceful and contented living as well as making the person fit for Self-Realization. Without following dharmic rules, one lives uncontrolled and undisciplined life harming oneself as well as the members of one's family, society and country. Examples of dharmic scriptures in Tamil include Thiruvalluvar's Thirukkural, Avvaiyar's Aathichudi and Aachaarakkovai.
  • One's own accumulated karmas (fruits of actions) and desires force an embodied individual being to take birth after birth to enjoy them until the dawn of Self-Realization puts an end to this exhausting Samsaric cycle.

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