VI
UNITY OF THE SELF
To illustrate the conclusion arrived at in our last lesson, I will read to you from one of the Upanishads, showing how these ideas were taught in India from the most ancient times.
Yajnavalkya was a great sage. You know the rule in India was that every man must give up the world when he became old. So Yajnavalkya said to his wife: “My beloved, here is all my money and my possessions, and I am going away.” She replied: “Sir, if I had this whole earth full of wealth would that give me immortality?” Yajnavalkya said: “No, that cannot be. Your life will be that of the rich, and that will be all, but wealth cannot give you immortality.” She replied: “That through which I shall become immortal, what shall I do to gain that? If you know that, tell me.” Yajnavalkya replied: “You have always been my beloved; you are more beloved now by this question. Come, take your seat, and I will tell you, and when you have heard, meditate upon it.” He continued: “It is not for the sake of the husband that the wife loves the husband, but for the sake of the Âtman (the Self) that she loves the husband, because she loves the Self. None loves the wife for the sake of the wife, but it is because he loves the Self that he loves the wife. None loves the children for the sake of the children, but because he loves the Self, therefore he loves the children. None loves wealth on account of the wealth, but because he loves the Self, therefore he loves wealth. None loves the Brahmin for the sake of the Brahmin, but because he loves the Self, he loves the Brahmin. So none loves the Kshatriya for the sake of the Kshatriya, but because he loves the Self. Neither does anyone love the world on account of the world, but because he loves the Self. None similarly loves the gods on account of the gods, but because he loves the Self. None loves anything for that thing’s sake, but it is for the Self of that thing that he loves it. This Self therefore, is to be heard, is to be reasoned, and is to be meditated upon. Oh my Maitreyi, when that Self has been heard, when that Self has been seen, when that Self has been realized, then all these things become known.”
What does this mean? Before us we find a curious philosophy. That the Self shines through all these various things which we call the world. The statement has been made that every love is selfishness in the lowest sense of the word; because I love myself, therefore I love another; it cannot be. There have been philosophers in modern times who have said that self is the only motive power in the world. That is true, and yet it is wrong. This self is but the shadow of that real Self which is behind. It appears wrong and evil because it is limited. That very love we have for the Self, which is the universe, appears to be evil, because it is seen through limitation. Even when a wife loves a husband, whether she knows it or not, she loves the husband for that Self. It is selfishness as it is manifested in the world, but that selfishness is really but a small part of that “Self-ness.” Whenever one loves, one has to love in and through the Self.
This Self has to be known. Those that love the Self without knowing what It is, their love is selfishness. Those that love knowing what that Self is, their love is free, they are sages. None loves the Brahmin for the Brahmin, but because he loves the Self, which is appearing through the Brahmin. “Him the Brahmin gives up who sees the Brahmin as separate from the Self. Him the Kshatriya gives up who sees the Kshatriya as separate from the Self. The world gives him up who sees this world as separate from the Self. The gods give him up who believes the gods to be separate from the Self. All things give him up who knows them as separate from the Self. These Brahmins, these Kshatriyas, this world, these gods, whatever exists, everything is that Self.” Thus Yajnavalkya explains what he means by that love. The difficulty comes when we particularize this love. Suppose I love a woman; as soon as that woman is particularized, is separated, from that Âtman (the Self), my love will not be eternal; it has become selfish and is likely to end in grief, but as soon as I see that woman as the Âtman, that Love becomes perfect, and will never suffer. So, as soon as you are attached to anything in the universe detaching it from the universe as a whole—from the Âtman—then comes a reaction. With everything that we love outside the Self, grief and misery will be the result. If we enjoy everything in the Self, and as the Self, no misery or reaction will come. This is perfect bliss.
How to come to this ideal? Yajnavalkya goes on to tell us the process by which to reach that state. The universe is infinite; how can we take every particular thing and look at it as the Âtman, without knowing the Âtman? “With a drum, when we are at a distance, we cannot conquer the sound by trying to control the sound waves, but as soon as we come to the drum, and put our hand on it, the sound is conquered. When the conch shell is being blown, we cannot conquer the sound, until we come near and get hold of the shell, and then it is conquered. When the vina is being played, as soon as we come to the vina, we can control the centre of the sound, whence the sound is proceeding. As when some one is burning damp fuel, all sorts of smoke and sparks of various kinds rise, even so from this great One has been breathed out history and knowledge; everything has come out of Him. He breathed out, as it were, all knowledge. As to all water the one goal is the ocean, as to all touch the hand is the one centre, as to all smell the nose is the one centre, as of all taste the tongue is the one centre, as of all form the eyes are the one centre, as of all sounds the ears are the one centre, as of all thought the mind is the one centre, as of all knowledge the heart is the one centre, as of all work the hands are the one centre, as of all speech the organ of speech is the one centre, as the concentrated salt is through and through the waters of the sea, yet not to be seen by the eyes; even so, oh Maitreyi, is this Âtman not to be seen by the eyes, yet He permeates this universe. He is everything. He is concentrated knowledge. The whole universe rises from Him, and again goes down unto Him. Reaching Him, we go beyond knowledge.” We here get the idea that we have all come just like sparks from Him, and that when we know Him then we go back, and become one with Him again.
Maitreyi became frightened, just as everywhere people become frightened. She said: “Sir, here is exactly where you have thrown a confusion over me. You have frightened me by saying there will be no more gods; all individuality will be lost. When I reach that stage shall I know that Âtman, shall I reach the unconscious state and lose my individuality, or will the knowledge remain with me that I know Him? Will there be no one to recognize, no one to feel, no one to love, no one to hate? What will become of me?” “O Maitreyi!” replied her husband, “think not that I am speaking of an unconscious state, neither be frightened. This Âtman is indestructible, eternal in His essence; the stage where there are two is a lower one. Where there are two there one smells another, one sees another, one hears another, one welcomes another, one thinks of another, one knows another. But when the whole has become that Âtman, who is to be smelled by whom, who is to be seen by whom, who is to be heard by whom, who is to be welcomed by whom, who is to be known by whom? Who can know Him by whom everything is known? This Âtman can only be described as “neti, neti” (not this, not this). Incomprehensible, He cannot be comprehended by the intellect. Unchangeable, He never fades. Unattached, He never gets mixed up with Nature. Perfect, He is beyond all pleasure and pain. Who can know the Knower? By what means can we know Him? By no means; this is the conclusion of the sages, O Maitreyi! Going beyond all knowledge, is to attain Him and to attain immortality.”
So far the idea is, that it is all One Infinite Being, that is the Real Individuality, when there is no more division, no more parts and parcels, no more such low and illusory ideas. And yet, in and through every part of this little individuality is shining that Infinite, the Real Individuality. Everything is a manifestation of the Âtman. How to reach to that? Yajnavalkya told us in the beginning that—“This Âtman is first to be heard, then to be reasoned, then to be meditated upon.” Thus far he has spoken about the Self, the Âtman, as being the essence of everything in this universe. Then reasoning on the Infinite nature of that Self and the finite nature of the human mind he comes to the conclusion that it is impossible for the finite mind to know the Knower of all—the Self. What is to be done then if we cannot know the Self? Yajnavalkya tells Maitreyi that It can be realized, although It cannot be known, and he enters upon a discourse as to how It is to be meditated upon. This universe is helpful to every being and every being is also helping this universe, for they are both part and parcel of each other, the development of the one helps the development of the other; but to the Âtman, the self-effulgent One, nothing can be helpful because It is perfect and infinite. All that is bliss, even in the lowest sense, is but the reflection of It. All that is good is the reflection of that Âtman, and when that reflection is less clear it is called evil. When the Âtman is less manifested it is called darkness—evil, and when it is more manifested it is called light—goodness. That is all. This good and evil are only a question of degree, the Âtman more manifested or less manifested. Just take the example of our own lives. How many things we see in our childhood which we think to be good, but which really are evil, and how many things seem to be evil which are good? How our ideas change! How an idea becomes higher and higher! What we thought very good at one time, we do not think so good now. Thus good and evil depend on the development of our minds, and do not exist objectively. The difference is only in the degree. All is a manifestation of that Âtman; It is being manifested in everything, only when the manifestation is very poor we call it evil, and when it is clearer we call it good. That Âtman Itself is beyond both good and evil. So everything that is in the universe is first to be meditated upon as all good, because it is a manifestation of that perfect One. He is neither evil nor good; He is perfect and the perfect can be only one. The good can be many, and the evil many, there will be degrees of variation between the good and the evil; but the perfect is only one, and that perfect One when seen through certain covering we call different degrees of good, and when seen through other covering we call evil. Our ideas of good and evil as two distinct things are mere superstition. There is only more good and less good and the less good we call evil. These mistaken ideas of good and evil have produced all sorts of dualistic delusions. They have gone deep into the hearts of human beings, terrorizing men and women in all ages. All the hatred with which we hate others is caused by these foolish ideas which we have imbibed since our childhood. Our judgment of humanity becomes entirely false; we make this beautiful earth a hell, but as soon as we can give up these false ideas of good and evil, it will become a heaven.
“This earth is blissful (‘sweet’ is the literal translation) to all beings, and all beings are sweet to this earth; they all help each other. And all this sweetness is the Âtman, that effulgent, immortal One.” That one sweetness is manifesting itself in various ways. Wherever there is any love, any sweetness in any human being, either in a saint or a sinner, either in an angel or a murderer, either in the body or the mind or the senses, it is all He. How can there be anything but the One? Whatever is the lowest physical enjoyment is He, and the highest spiritual enjoyment is also He. There is no sweetness but He. Thus says Yajnavalkya. When you come to that state, and look upon all things with the same eyes; when you see in the drunkard’s pleasure in drink only that sweetness, or in the saints’ meditation only that sweetness, then you have got the truth, and then alone you will know what happiness means, what peace means, what love means. But as long as you make these vain distinctions, silly, childish, foolish superstitions, all sorts of misery will come. But that immortal One, the effulgent One, He is the background of the whole universe, it is all His sweetness. This body is a miniature universe, as it were; and through all the powers of the body, all the enjoyments of the mind, shines that effulgent One. That self-effulgent One who is in the body, He is the Âtman. “This world is so sweet to all beings, and every being is so sweet to it!” But the self-effulgent One, the Immortal is the bliss in this world. In us also, He is that bliss. He is the Brahman. “This air is so sweet to all beings, and all beings are so sweet to this air.” But He who is that self-effulgent immortal Being in the air, He is also in this body. He is expressing Himself as the life of all beings. “This sun is so sweet to all beings, and all beings are so sweet to this sun.” He who is the self-effulgent Being in the sun, Him we reflect as smaller lights. What can there be but His reflection? He is in the body, and it is His reflection which makes us see the light. “This moon is so sweet to all beings, and all beings are so sweet to this moon.” But that self-effulgent and immortal One who is the soul of that moon, He is in us expressing himself as mind. “This lightning is so sweet to all beings and all beings are sweet to this lightning,” but the self-effulgent and immortal One is the soul of this lightning, and is also in us, because all is that Brahman. This Brahman, this Âtman, this Self, is the King of all beings. These ideas are very helpful to men; they are for meditation. For instance, meditate on the earth, think of the earth, at the same time knowing that we have in us that which is in the earth, that both are the same. Identify the body with the earth, and identify the soul with the Soul behind. Identify the air with the soul that is in the air and that is in you and so on. All these are one, manifested in different forms. To realize this unity is the end and aim of all meditation, and this is what Yajnavalkya was trying to explain to Maitreyi.