ATHMA SAKSHATKARA -- SELF REALISATION

SOME YEARS BACK HUGGING SAINT OF KERALA,
MATHA AMUTHANANDAMAYI  VISITED BANGALORE,
I WENT TO MEET HER. THE QUEUE WAS SO LONG 
THAT I COULD MEET HER ONLY AT 1.30 AM & SEEING
THE REMAINING QUEUE IT WOULD HAVE TAKEN TILL 
DAWN TO MEET ALL THE PEOPLE !! THAT MEANS 
SHE DID NOT SLEEP WHOLE NIGHT TO MEET 
PEOPLE INDIVIDUALLY !!

AS SOON AS I CAME IN FRONT OF HER, THE TERM
'ATHMA SAKSHATKARA' CAME FROM MY MOUTH ,
SHE SHOOK HER HEAD IN A POSITIVE NOTE  &
ASKED ME TO SIT ON THE DIAS BEHIND HER !
THIS SHOWS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE TERM
SPIRITUALLY.

IN REALITY, SAKSHATKARA OF ATHMA IS ALWAYS 
THERE, ONLY WE HAVE TO REMOVE THE HURDLES
IN BETWEEN LIKE, BODY CONSCIOUSNESS, 
RESTLESS MIND ie, ANTHAKARANA - MANAS, BUDDI,
CHITTA, AHANKARA. ONLY WHEN THE MIND 
BECOMES MINDLESS(AMANAS) OR MANO NASHA OR 
MIND MERGES WITH AHMA, WE CAN EXPERIENCE
ATHMA & REMAIN AS ATHMA !

RAMANA MAHARSHI ON ATHMA SAKSHATKARA 

ie, SELF REALISATION

Bhgvan, Arunachala Hill, Arunachaleshwara Temple Gopura

Question : What is the Self referred to in Atma samstham (fixing it in the Self)?

Ramana Maharshi : Do you not know your Self? You certainly exist. Or do you deny your existence? The question may arise “Who is this Self”, only if you do not exist, but you cannot ask anything unless you exist at the same time. Your question shows that you exist. Find out who you are. That is all.

Question : I have read many books. But my mind does not turn to the Self.

Ramana Maharshi : Because the Self is not in the books; but it is in you. Reading books makes one learned. That is its purpose and it is fulfilled.

Question : What is Atma sakshatkara (Self-Realisation)?

Ramana Maharshi : You are the Atma (Self) and that sakshat (here and now) also. Where is the place for kara (accomplishment) in it? This question shows that you think you are the non-Self. Or you think that there are two selves, the one to realise the other. It is absurd.

That you identify yourself with the gross body lies at the root of this question. Well, this question arises now. Did it arise in your sleep? Did you not exist then? Certainly you did exist in sleep. What is the difference between these two states that the question should arise now but not in sleep? Now you think that you are the body. You see things around you and you want to see the Self in a similar manner. Such is the force of habit.

The senses are mere instruments of perception. You are the seer. Remain as the seer only. What else is there to see? Such is the state in deep sleep. Therefore this question does not arise then. Atma sakshatkara (Self-Realisation) is thus only anatma nirasana (giving up the non-Self).


ATHMA SAKSHATKARA ie, SELF REALISATION

Mind & senses try their best to get you immersed in maya all 
the time, It is as difficult as making Ganga river to flow back to 
its source, to make the mind rest on Athma ! By repeatedly 
training the mind through OM-kara or Gayathri Mantra or Rama 
nama japa restless mind should be made to concentrate on 
Athma to achieve peace of mind,happiness,bliss in this life & 
also to avoid repeated birth-death cycle.

Shruthi says --
Athma va arae drstavya: shrothavyo manthavyo nididhyasithavya I 

Yajnavalkya tells to his wife Maitreyi that Athma only to be seen,
 heard , repeated in mind, concentrated on it. Take back the 
mind inside you to hridaya where Athma is seemingly located. 
Repeated effort, patience, determination, renunciation  and 
intense Bhakthi should take over you.

The Self is without thought,,make it impossible for the thought 
oriented mind to think at all,causing the mind to get settled on 
the Self.Let not the mind to think anything else. We have to 
meditate always on the Self which is beyond the reach of the 
mind and extolled as the Supreme Bliss !

We have been brought up from our childhood to pray GOD as 
if HE is outside us, as source of supreme power & he will 
grant whatever we pray for. This thought has to be wiped out 
& in its place 'I AM ATHMA ie, BRAHMAN', 'I AM SHIVA' has 
to be firmly established.

All places, all directions, all times are conducive  for the 
sadhana (practice) of yoga of Self.Differences of castes,
social status,gender cannot cause any difference in the 
progress, knowledge & experience of this yoga just as 
colour of milk is white, colour of cows many.

Now the question arises as to how ANTHAKARANA(Mind) 
is able to experience Self ?
Experiencing Self is definitely possible,as we have seen 
many saints talk about that experience & from their 
experience many others are getting guided towards this 
illumination.

Following sloka from karika of Sri Goudapadacharya
(Shankaracharya's guru's guru) says --

Athma sathyanubhodena na sangkalpayathae yada I

amanastham thada yathi grahyaa bhavae thadagraham II (3-32)

If one gets the knowledge that Soul is REAL(Sathya), mind will 
not give any sense of form, then mind becomes mindless
(AMANAS), because mind's sensing faculty & its result, both 
will vanish. There is no shape or form to sense when 
concentrating on Self, hence mind becomes incapable to grasp 
or stick to any form & becomes mindless. We can observe a 
similar situation during deep sleep also, when mind rests on 
Prana. Thus in mindless state every thing is  seen as Athma 
only & nothing else, which is called 'AMANASTVA'.Mind merges
in Athma, then the so called ATHMA SAKSHATHKARA takes 
place.

In the case of a Yogi who has accomplished KUNDALINI jagriti,
Samadhi State remaining as Athma is easy, as mindless state
is achieved instantly & repeatedly depending on his duration of 
meditation & frequency.

As mentioned earlier, Athma is always SAKSHATH(here & now)
'KARA'(accomplishment) is always there, hence irrelevant. As I
am only Athma & there is nothing in between blocking it, word 
SAKSHATHKARA gives wrong usage as 'I am experienced by 
myself !!'

Other forms of worship,bathing in holy waters, japa of name,
oblations to fire as sacrifice none of these are needed.Fruits of 
Dharma or adharma, water oblations to forefathers none of 
these are for him.

Highest level of purushartha(achievement in human birth) is 
the experience of Self please note.There is nothing else need 
be known or achieved other than this. The face of the person 
who has experienced Athma shines bright & remains peaceful. 
He is beyond Maya & not affected by it. Maya is the source of 
all action. No action need he perform,as he is action less & 
liberated. He has attained Awareness.

OM NAMO GURUDEVA