Introspection makes individual and Divine one single unit

 

I am given to introspection by temperament Naturally, therefore, sometimes I brood on this simple question as to how many persons there are in all. Then I calculate and come to the conclusion that there are only three persons, I and you, who are conversing with each other and of course he, who is the subject of this conversation. This is true in worldly ways as also spiritually. When you and I are talking to each other, obviously the topic will be someone related to us, or our friend or acquaintance or some well-known personality or someone in the news. We exchange our views about him, discuss his vices and virtues and narrate everything good and bad about him or the treatment meted out by him to us or others. So, in this story there are three prominent characters, you and I, between whom the dialogue is taking place and of course he around whom the conversation revolves. In schools we have the teacher, the taught and the subject being taught. This forms a trio. The third person in this case could be an that he is the doer abstract matter, a fact or fiction, reasoned and logical subject or a historical truth

In the spiritual field also there are usually three persons, the preceptor, the disciple and the Divine The preceptor is explaining the Divine to his curious pupils and trying to guide them how to know Him. All the time the preceptor is conscious of the fact that there are three persons, he, his disciple and God Almighty who is being described and discussed The disciple also is vividly aware of the presence of these three identities, he, who is curious to gain knowledge, his benign preceptor, who is enlightening him and the indescribable God, whose reality is being analysed and examined. The God on the other hand must be amused at the foolishness of both these persons, the preceptor and the disciple, amused that they do not realise that only He is there, no trio, for He alone is in the form of these two as well.

But we cannot fault them for this ignorance The journey of life in search of the Supreme Truth must necessarily start with This I may appear to be arrogant because when he does something, he says, 1 have done this' In other words he claims that he is the doer or executioner When he desires something he says. 1 desire this or this is what I want. Thus he exhibits his capability to desire and wish. When he refers to anything material, even his body, he says, This is mine or this belongs to me In this way he depicts his sense of possession. He makes something or creates something he declares. This is my creation. In course of time if he helps someone he claims credit for that. If he harms anyone, he is not prepared to take the blame unless he wants to boast of his might and power. All this is natural at that stage of life when a person is ignorant and unaware, even devoid of consciousness. Shri Gila says Kartaaham i manyate-At that stage he believes that he is the doer.

Slowly his bent of mind turns to spirituality His interest in introspection develops. The four basic questions begin to set him thinking; who am I, who is my creator and what is our mutual relationship as also what for I am here He thinks, contemplates, reads scriptures and listens to wise men and sages. He embarks on this journey of introspection and goes through a phase of dualism where he sees himself and his creator as two separate and distinct entities. It is here that he may like to go into the tutelage of a preceptor and seek his guidance. At this stage he sees three distinct persons, his mentor, himself and the Divine There are so many schools of philosophy, so many paths leading to the desired goal and so many spiritual methodologies to choose from. He is guided to one of these paths according to his calibre, inclination, capacity and acumen. Thereafter he engages in the spiritual pursuit on that particular path and adopts that particular exercise and slowly rises to higher levels. At a particular stage of his ascent he begins to feel that he is none other than the divine as has been stated. Jeevo Brahmava na parah-individual being is Divine himself and none else in the parlance of our scriptures he begins to say, Aham Brahmaasm-I am the Divine So saying the number of persons reduces to two, the Divine, the sought after and he himself, the seeker.

Eventually this journey of life culminates again at T This 'I is, however, different from the oe that it was when the journey started. At the beginning of the journey it was arrogant, ignorant and in dark. Now it is self-aware, self-realised, self-conscious and enlightened. It has known its reality: The seeker and the sought after have merged into one. The seeing that what is seen and the seer have all become one. There is no You, there is no He and there is only one person and that is T. At this stage it is clear that the creation is not something different from the creator but it is in reality his manifestation. It is the ocean that appears in the form of waves and these waves eventually again merge with the ocean. It is here that the seeker experiences non-duality His introspection leads him to a level where he knows that he is existence consciousness and bliss, (Sat Chit, Aananda). He is truth, benevolence and beauty (Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram. He is one and he is many for at some point of time he had himself felt the need to become many when he said, "Ekoham bahu syam-1 am one, I shall become many

Introspection is a form of yoga, the Dhyana Yoga or the contemplation. By this process the seeker embarks on self-realization which ultimately turns into God realisation, for when the realisation is achieved, the self itself becomes God. This may take many a life and birth. Shri Gita says 'Aneka janma sansiddhah tato yanti paean-galim-After achieving perfection through multiple births, the seeker attains the supreme position. The supreme position is the one where this realisation of oneness dawns. The Bhagavad Gita has described it with reference to the sacred fire thus: Brahmaarpanam brahma havi, brahmana brahmana hutam, brahmava tenia gantavyam brahma karma samaadhinah -the oblation is Brahman, the ghee is Brahman, offered by Brahman in the fire of Brahman, one who cognizes Brahman alone in his action goes to Brahman only .

All our activities are normally exterior. We are basically extroverts. We see others' faults and ignore our own. There is a verse in Sanskrit, "Khalah sarshapamatraani para chhidrani pashyat, aatmaanam tu belvamatraani pashyan-api na pashyati -A bad person sees others' minutest faults, his own glaring ones even he sees but ignores We see others wealth and feel jealous. We see others' achievements and become envious. We see others' wisdom and knowledge but downplay that because we have false ego about our own intelligence. Introspection, however, is a different cup of tea. It makes us introvert and we begin to analyse ourselves We become conscious of our faults, shortcomings and deficiencies This makes our conscience rule over us and gives us impetus to correct ourselves and remove our vices and imbibe virtue Whatever we achieve we treat that as the divine grace Whatever we lose we ignore thinking that that was not beneficial for us. We strive to go from known to unknown from apparent to hidden, from transient to permanent and from fragment to whole. We open the doors of our head, heart and mind and explore the height of the intellect, the depth of the heart and the vastness of the mind. Introspection opens new vistas of knowledge and light for us and uncovers the hidden secrets before us It takes us to limitless and boundary-less areas where our vision is vast and clear The great Kashmiri saint poetess Lal Ded too has said, 'Goran dopnam kunuy vatsun, ninebark dopnam ander atsun-My preceptor told me just one thing, he told me to go from without to within)

The Divine has been defined in multiple ways. It is like a bunch of blind men describing an elephant, each according to the part that he is in touch with or which he holds. The most abstract description of the Divine is that He is consciousness (Samvity. That being so, introspection is the best method to reach Him, perceive Him and feel Him. Because after all a being is also consciousness but limited one at that and when this limited consciousness goes into introspection, it is easier, smoother and more practical for him to become limitless and, thereby, attain merger with the Supreme. An Urdu poet has described this situation in a beautiful way thus: "Kuchh dyno aur takhayul mein mujhe rahlaney de rafta rafta teri tasveer banaa jataa hoon-let me remain imagining you for some days more for slowly and gradually I am becoming your replica

(The writer delves deep into the recesses of mind, consciousness and ways of ascending the ladder of spirituality)

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Courtesy:- T.N. Dhar Kundan" and Koshur Samachar 2018, January