Realisation of SELF

The definition of “yourself” is the one that is “you(person)”, your normal and true behavior and “Self” is the pure consciousness(soul), which is invisible in every living being. Knowing and mastering oneself is the secret, we must free ourselves from ourselves, by our Self. SELF stands for the soul and until its realization if we say ourselves or yourself or myself, we are referring to our ego.

In olden days most people were interested in Self-Realization. Many saints and sages who were God realised viz:- Kardama, Janaka, Vasishta, Viswamithra, Kapila, Vysya, Pathanjali etc., left their guidelines for us to follow. But in the present days most people indulge in sense gratification, enjoying the pleasures that arise from the contact of the senses with their objects during their life time which are the cause of suffering.

Right living with noble thoughts and doing spiritual meditation makes the most practical and effective way to know the Self. Once you love your self, you love all living beings and things because you see all in your Self and your Self in all.

Realisation of Self means the same as the realisation of God and vice versa. The basic principle of self realisation is knowledge that the living entity is not this material body but it is the pure soul remains in a state of constant inner bliss.

Lord Srikrishna, in Bhagavath Githa Chapter-6 Verse 8 has taught the path of Self Realisation.

jnana-vijnana-trptatmakuta-stho vijitendriyah

yukta ity ucyate yogi

sama-lostrasma-kancanah

A person is said to be established in self-realization and is called a yogi [or mystic] when he is fully satisfied by virtue of acquired knowledge and realization. Such a person is situated in transcendence and is self-controlled. For him mundane scholarship and mental speculation, which may be as good as Gold to others, are of no greater value than pebbles or stones.

To experience this, we require to look for a self realized being who has the power to impart the knowledge of the self to others. Like a candle lighting another candle, this can only be accomplished by meeting an enlightened being and is bestowed the gift to help others achieve this too. One must be fortunate enough to associate with a person who is in pure consciousness.

Patanjali was a sage in India who is said to have written Yoga Sutras by compiling already existing teachings into a format easier to follow and understand during 200 – 300 B.C. He prescribed Astanga Yoga an eight fold method viz:-Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. to achieve Self Realization.

Sri Ramchandraji Maharaj founder of Sahaj Marg has taken up the same method in the name of Sahaj Marg(the natural path of Self-Realization) duly making certain changes. His system starts with Dhyana(Meditation) and proceeds to Samadhi, leaving the above first six-folds. He says that nowadays the whole life is not enough to take up all the eight folds in a sequential manner. So according to the changing times and the present life span of the people, he has adjusted the system to suit the present lifestyle. For the benefit of humanity he draws Divine Current(power) from the source(God) and transmits it to the heart of aspirants which saves more time and to achieve the goal(Self-Realisation)within a short period of life..

He advises to start the meditation on heart(where heart beat is heard) thinking that there is a Divine Luminance in it. In one way this state can be taken as Dharana because this supposition of divine luminance in the heart is nothing but bearing an idea taken up for meditation which leads to Dhyana and it further leads gradually to Samadhi, the absorbed condition. In this process the benefit of left over six folds of Astanga yoga will also be covered by  transmission.

So by this transmission(Pranahuthi) linked meditation, the Abhyasi crosses a number of spiritual phases and evolves. In this process of evolution, Abhyasi in his Samadhi state first comes to an absorbed stage having less concern with his surroundings, then he comes to the second stage in which he acts with semi consciousness i.e., he responds to the surroundings unconsciously. And thereon he enters into the third stage where he is fully cognizant and active in his worldly dealings like the bird with its two wings stretched, one representing the spiritual and the other the worldly dealings each not becoming obstacle to the other, but at the same time he continues with the thought of the divine at the heart and naturally begins to feel himself in touch with the Supreme Power in all his actions and works. When this state of mind is permanently established within, every act he does will then seems to be a part of devotion or Divine Offering and he shall thereby be in constant remembrance of God all the while. Thus the constant remembrance of God makes the mind disciplined and regulated, restores moderation in senses and faculties and creates a lightness of spirit resulting internal peace and calmness(Ananda-Hapiness).

Courtesy: Sri B.E.Sampath Kumar, Sri Ramchandraji Seva Trust, Kadapa.

Ref: Bhagavath Githa of Hon’ble Sri Sri A.C.Bhakthi Vedantha Swamy.

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