Taatiche Abhang: Abhang 6

 Taatiche Abhang 

Abhang 6

६ – एक आपण साधू झाले

एक आपण साधू झाले ।
येर कोण वाया गेले ? ॥१॥
उठे विकार ब्रह्मी मूळ ।
अवघे मायेचें गबाळ ॥२॥
माया समूळ नुरे जेव्हां ।
विश्व ब्रह्म होइल तेव्हां ॥३॥
ऐसा उमज आदिअंतीं ।
मग सुखी व्हावे संती ॥४॥
चिंता क्रोध मागे सारा ।
ताटी उघडा ज्ञानेश्वरा ॥५॥

When one attains to real sainthood 

How could he possibly let another soul waste away his life?

He recognizes that all creation has arisen as an apparent distortion( mess)in the changeless Reality through the magical effects of Maya

Seeing through and thus having eliminated Maya

For him the entire universe becomes the divine truth, Bramha! 

Thus gaining an understanding of the beginning and end of all creation 

The saint attains bliss. 

Let go of all worries and anger ( to attain that bliss) 

And open the door oh Dnyaaneshwara!

एक one

आपण himself 

साधू  saint

झाले became 
येर As a result 

कोण who

वाया futile, worthless 

गेले turned
उठे arises

विकार fault 

 ब्रह्मी Divine principle 

मूळ root
अवघे all encompassing, everything 

मायेचें pertaining to Maya, the illusory power of God

गबाळ clutter, mess
माया God’s illusory or projection power 

समूळ complete

नुरे non existent, abolished

जेव्हां when
विश्व universe

ब्रह्म divine reality, God principle

होइल will become 

तेव्हां then
ऐसा such

उमज realization, understanding 

आदिअंतीं of beginning and end 
मग subsequently 

सुखी happy, content, peaceful 

 व्हावे become

संती saints
चिंता worry

क्रोध anger

मागे behind

सारा push, move aside
ताटी उघडा ज्ञानेश्वरा open the door o wise one

एक आपण साधू झाले ।
येर कोण वाया गेले ? ॥१॥

Treading on the spiritual path is not for the weak hearted. It needs determination to walk steadily in one direction, overcoming resistance both within and outside. Once all opposition is defeated and the individual steadies himself on spiritual ground, it is but inevitable that he will lend a hand to everyone within his reach to also rise above lowly existence. He is awakened and vigilant. He will not allow anyone who comes in view to fall. He will show them a better way to live. Thus when a single person turns towards sainthood the entire community around him benefits. When there is a bright star leading the way it is unlikely that anyone with basic understanding of good and bad would deliberately walk in the opposite direction and waste his life. Besides, the saint has experienced firsthand all the tribulations in the path and knows the pitfalls. His natural instinct for mercy will make him protect the new seeker along the way.

Spiritual realm is common to every being. Hence it has universal relevance as well as appeal. This is not so in other contexts. When a young player like Sachin Tendulkar first appeared on the national and international cricket scene and went on to create new records he became a role model for several thousands of aspiring cricket players and fans. But not every person in his country or in the world cares for cricket or Sachin Tendulkar. Even if they hear about him they are unlikely to learn anything after watching him play because cricket has no relevance to them. If another man like Bill Gates makes a fortune and becomes a billionaire he can use his wealth for the benefit of many but he certainly can’t help the entire world citizens become rich like him. A saint’s life can serve as a perfect guidepost for anyone wanting to reach perfect spiritual enlightenment. There is no barrier here related to religion, nationality, language, gender, social status, wealth or formal education. If they have a will, he has laid down the way and done half the work. Even for the other half of the task that remains, his hands, either physical or invisible, are always going to be there to help move forward.

In this context one of Tukaram Maharaj’s abhang proves very apt.

Kaay Sango aata santanche upkar 

Maj nirantar jaagaviti 

Kaay dyaave tyaasi vhaave utaraayi

Thevitaa haa paayi jeeva thodaa

Sahaj bolaNe hita upadesh 

Karuni saayaas shikaviti 

Tuka mhane vatsa dhenu veche chitti 

Taise maj yeti sambhaLit

What can I say about the generosity of the saints? 

They continue to awaken me( from ignorance) without fail.

How do I ever repay their kindness? 

Laying down my life at their feet would prove inadequate.

Even their casual talk is a highly valuable lesson.

They take extra efforts to enlighten.

Just like a cow holds her calf close to the heart

In a similar way these saints are around to care for me.

एक आपण साधू झाले ।
येर कोण वाया गेले ? ॥१॥

This line can be interpreted in another way.

It cannot be emphasized enough how easily and frequently seekers tend to acquire a certain arrogance when they gain knowledge. They begin to look down upon others. They draw the conclusion that I made good use of my life and most others wasted theirs. Muktabai could be cautioning Dnyaaneshwar or spiritual aspirants to be careful to not arrive at such false conclusions. Every person strives within his own limitations to improve their lives. Hence being judgmental or comparing our progress with another is not appropriate. 

उठे विकार ब्रह्मी मूळ ।
अवघे मायेचें गबाळ ॥२॥

At the heart of all spiritual endeavor is the mystery to be unraveled about the creation of the visible universe. Here Muktabai confidently explains this mystical truth. At the beginning there was the undisturbed, eternal Bramha (ब्रम्ह)or divine consciousness. In that arose a tremor, a movement, a disturbance or fault ,so to say. This modification superimposed upon an unmodifiable reality is its power of projection known as Maya. From Maya first rose the Creator Bramhaa( ब्रम्हा) or Father of the Universe. From the communion of the Creator and his feminine better half Adi Shakti came other beings and the entire universe. Whatever lies in front of the eyes, all (अवघे) multiplicity,diversity and complexity, is this seemingly infinite mess(गबाळ) created by Maya.

Another way to look at it is, once the seeker arrives at the core of his existence which is pure awareness and stands aloof from sensory experience around himself, he can recognize how the world of experience( thoughts, emotions, physical objects) is a modification or alteration that occurs out of the pure center. उठेविकार ब्रह्मी मूळ.

Muktabai has very succinctly described the state of the visible universe with one word: गबाळ. Anything that is a mess carries an implication that it needs to be cleared up.That it is not supposed to be there. 

To digress a bit here, when we talk of clearing up the mess created by Maya, it is important at two levels. First to intellectually arrive at the source of Maya. Secondly to physically and mentally start reducing the clutter in our lives. This latter consequence becomes relevant to the earlier discussion about dispassion.

When one understands the origin of this universe which is nothing but the illusory effect of Maya he is able to disregard the illusion and see the source. As an inevitable consequence, life( thinking and living) begins to simplify as pure awareness begins to shine through.

माया समूळ नुरे जेव्हां ।
विश्व ब्रह्म होइल तेव्हां ॥३॥

When Maya vanishes the Universe will be seen as the Divine Reality or Bramha (ब्रम्ह).

The same truth can be stated a bit differently thus:

Bramha only knows self !

Maya knows everything except self!

Maya is like a mirage where you get a perception of water when there is none. However to even get the perception of the water in a mirage it requires consciousness. That same consciousness persists even after one realizes that there was no real water that was perceived earlier. 

The substratum which is pure consciousness is easily overlooked while the attention is fixed on the water. Only after the realization that the water was mere appearance does one become aware of consciousness.

Another example one could use to understand this superimposition is a movie screen. We hardly take notice of the blank screen when we are in the movie theater. Our mind is focused on the expected entertainment even before the projection begins and on the experience after the movie ends. The truth is that the only thing steady before, during and after the movie was that screen which we did not take notice of. Yet without that screen it would be impossible to see the movie.

Sant Sohiroba declares:

दोरीच्या सापा भिवुनी भवा ।

भेटी नाही जिवा-शिवा ।

अंतरीचा ज्ञानदिवा मालवू नको रे

The idea of a snake is superimposed on the appearance of a rope. Rope is used as analogy for the universe of objects, thoughts and emotions created by the illusory potential of Maya. When you have not understood and experienced the pure consciousness that lies at the core, you cannot understand the alteration that has occurred in it. Which implies you don’t recognize Maya. In that situation you only perceive the world of objects, thoughts and emotions without any knowledge of what it really is and how it has appeared. Because you lack this understanding your mind considers it as foreign to itself and is afraid of the world. The mistaken understanding of the universe is equated with the serpent in the analogy. 

Sohiroba’s metaphor can be also interpreted as follows. We ordinarily do not have full understanding about the manifest world. With that half baked knowledge we observe visible objects and then attach feelings to them such as fear, dislike, like, love, hurt etc.. Our life gets complicated and entangled with this involvement. In this circus we fail to grasp the pure consciousness within us upon which everything is superimposed. 

The minute one gains full understanding that only the consciousness within himself is real and rest is a projection, he knows there is nothing to fear, want or avoid. He then entertains no baseless emotions to complicate matters. 

ऐसा उमज आदिअंतीं ।
मग सुखी व्हावे संती ॥४॥

 आदिअंतीं refers to beginning and end of the universe. Both are one and the same. What lies in between is an illusion.

ऐसा उमज आदिअंतीं 

 One who has perfectly understood the illusion is no longer fooled by it.

With this sound understanding he is then able to disentangle his identity from that illusory universe.

With deep contemplation on the mirage created by Maya in the form of all perceptible universe, a man of clear thinking can arrive at the conclusion of the reality that underlies the world of our perception. He is entirely identified with, and only with, the awareness which exists irrespective of all appearances or perceptions.

What effect would that have? 

मग सुखी व्हावे संती.

How many of us are filled with terror when watching a horror movie or cry when watching a tragic scene? Those who remain fully aware that everything they are seeing on the screen is fake do not get much affected by it.

Pulling oneself out of the emotional roller coaster and intellectual jumble to reach a steady ground that is indestructible, even in the face of all destruction, confers incomparable relief and lasting peace.

The four key requirements to reach that state are :

1.Burning desire to achieve that state.

2.Immense faith in the words of the teacher/ saint who has experienced this firsthand. 

3.Deep contemplation on the words.

4.Grace of the teacher

अज्ञश्चाश्रद्दधानश्च संशयात्मा विनश्यति |
नायं लोकोऽस्ति न परो न सुखं संशयात्मन: || 

ajñaśh chāśhraddadhānaśh cha sanśhayātmā vinaśhyati
nāyaṁ loko ’sti na paro na sukhaṁ sanśhayātmanaḥ

Bhagwad Gita Chapter 4, verse 40

In the context of the above discussion it becomes clear why Shri Krishna told Arjun that those who are skeptical, lack faith and cannot put trust in the words of a good teacher/ saint can never get past their ignorance and free themselves from the clutches of suffering in the mortal world. Thereby they are unable to arrive at the state of lasting peace and happiness.

चिंता क्रोध मागे सारा ।
ताटी उघडा ज्ञानेश्वरा ॥५॥

While desire to attain knowledge, faith in the teacher and grace of the teacher may be there, the remaining requirement is just equally important and essential. That is deep contemplation. For this the mind needs to be clear, stable and focused. Presence of anxiety and/or anger clouds thinking and thus poses a big hurdle for contemplation. 

It is simply amazing how logically, in a step by step way Muktabai has explained the means to reach the goal of self realization. She is slowly convincing Dnyaaneshwar with sound reasoning why he should let go of his mental block and regain the focus and effort towards the goal.

Qualities:

Finding true self and resting there

Overcoming anxiety and anger

Lifting others 

Recognizing true and fake saints

Recognizing and resting in the reality which precedes creation and persists after dissolution of creation. 

Further things to ponder:

Understanding the shelf life of all things allows grief to be more contained. 

Several times people who are committed to serving the larger community face hurdles and pushback. Their desire to do good is selfless yet it is a desire and therefore when it faces obstruction in the way of fulfillment it can cause frustration, disappointment, worry and even anger. If however the person is equipped with firm knowledge that even though he is working hard for betterment of the world, the world is merely a projection on reality. Other people are caught up in the world, he is not. Hence he takes his task with a grain of salt. The roadblocks do not bring him frustration, disappointment or anguish.

माया समूळ नुरे जेव्हां

When Maya is permanently and entirely uprooted !

The understanding and experience must be lasting and complete that all sensory experience is a projection on consciousness. Only then will the process of enlightenment be complete.