xatmaa

[xatmaa]

[xatmaa]

[xatmaa]

Sin is a Mistake Only

By Swami Sivananda

The ignorant man only says: "I am a great sinner." This is a serious mistake. Never for a moment think that you are a sinner. You are the most holy one. You are the ever-pure Atman. Sin can not touch you. You are above vice and virtue, Dharma and Adharma. Punya and Papa are mental creations only. Sins are mistakes only. An ignorant Jiva commits these mistakes during the course of his journey in this world on account of Avidya or ignorance. Through mistakes, he gains experiences and marches forward in his path of spirituality. Every mistake is your best teacher. One has to evolve through sins and mistakes. These mistakes are inevitable. Some people become prey to thoughts of sin. They ever brood: "We are great sinners. We have committed many crimes." This is a great blunder.

Whenever thoughts of this nature worry you, you should think: 'I am doing Japa of Om. This will burn all old sinful actions. This will purify my mind. I am doing Tapas, fasting and charity. These are all great purifiers. I am becoming purer and purer. Nothing can affect me now. I am like the effulgent fire. I have become a holy person.' Assert, whenever such negative thoughts of sin trouble you: 'I am the Nitya Suddha, ever-pure Atman.'

Hear the words of assurance of Lord Krishna in the Gita: "Even if thou art the most sinful of all sinners, yet shall thou cross over all sin by the raft of wisdom. As the burning fire reduces fuel to ashes, O Arjuna, so doth the fire of wisdom reduce all action to ashes. Verily, there is no purifier in this world like wisdom; he that is perfected in Yoga finds it in the Self in due season." Ch. IV-36, 37, 38.

"Even if the most sinful worships Me with undivided heart, he too must be accounted righteous, for he hath rightly resolved. Speedily, he becometh dutiful, and goeth to eternal peace. O Kaunteya, know thou for certain that My devotee perisheth never. They who take refuge in Me, O Partha, though of the womb of sin, women, Vaishyas, even Sudras, they also tread the highest path. How much more easily, then, the holy Brahmins and devoted royal saints (attain the goal); having obtained this impermanent and unhappy world, do thou worship Me. Fix thy mind on Me, be devoted to Me, sacrifice unto Me, bow down to Me, having thus united thy whole self in Me, taking Me as the supreme goal, thou shalt come to Me." Ch. IX-30

[xatmaa]

"The conception that there is a goal and a path to it is wrong. We are the goal or peace always. To get rid of the notion that we are not peace is all that is required."

Ramana Maharishi Day by Day with Bhagavan 16-9-45

[xatmaa]

[xatmaa]

** "As long as world appeals to you ‘as world’ it remains as a hindrance to realise the truth."

** “World is not world but Brahman” is not same as “World itself is after all Brahman”. Absolutely not.

** "As a sadhaka all one can do is negation of misconception but not appreciation or adoration of misconception!"

** “That snake is after all rope” means snake is not a snake but rope alone! And it DOES NOT mean literally that “snake (while it remains as snake) is rope”!"

** "Vedānta is not about expressing sentiment!"

** "Love, adore and respect everything around you is a call to “stop hating”, but it is not a call to keep “everything” as “everything” in its place (in your understanding) and start invoking love as a expression of sentiment or an attempt to seek value called shanti."

** "The ignorance is at the level of understanding - snake is at level of understanding - that wrong understanding (called snake) must be removed. Period."

** "Karmayoga is a practice to slowly remove our identity with enjoyerhood and thereby our identity with doership through practice (of works)."

** ”Karma-yoga is meant only for the unenlightened."

** ”For a knower of Self, the false knowledge ceases; and since karma-yoga is erroneous knowledge, it becomes impossible.”

** ”To a foolish observer, that which is truly inaction looks like action and viceversa.”

** "Karmayoga is:

1. NOT to positively influence world."

- it is to overcome wrong knowledge that, “there is a world where I act and enjoy the results of my action”. Nothing less nothing more.

2. NOT to appreciate or adore world around you in awe and wonder.

- its ultimate purpose is to help realise true nature of Self through application of śruti pramana."

***

Golden words that can be uttered only after a deep Understanding!

[xatmaa]

How Karma Yoga is meant to be understood in Vedanta - Prasanth Neti

After reading some comments which suggest to put forward karmayoga as that which enables appreciate the world around us in a positive way, I want to say, such appreciation and value seeking in the world is what ignorance is all about. As long as world appeals to you ‘as world’ it remains as a hindrance to realise the truth. World is ‘not world’ but Brahman. That negation i.e. ‘world is not world’ is the key. “World is not world but Brahman” is not same as “World itself is after all Brahman”. Absolutely not. As a sadhaka all one can do is negation of misconception but not appreciation or adoration of misconception! In the statement “All this is Brahman”, lies identity between “all this” and “Brahman” through negation of “all this”. This is called samAnAdhikaraNya through negation. “That snake is after all rope” means snake is not a snake but rope alone! And it DOES NOT mean literally that “snake (while it remains as snake) is rope”! Vedānta is not about expressing sentiment! Vedānta is about going beyond dualities of love & hate. Of course it is given as a step-1 to look upon everything as god and serve that everything around you with love, but that prescription is for sake of turning sadhaka away from hate. That much only. Love, adore and respect everything around you is a call to “stop hating”, but it is not a call to keep “everything” as “everything” in its place (in your understanding) and start invoking love as a expression of sentiment or an attempt to seek value called shanti. The ignorance is at the level of understanding - snake is at level of understanding - that wrong understanding (called snake) must be removed. Period. For removal of wrong understanding, nobody needs to “worship snake” or “adore snake”. Understanding that Snake is not real! is a must.

Karmayoga is a practice to slowly remove our identity with enjoyerhood and thereby our identity with doership through practice (of works). Here again “practice of works” or “positively adoring world around you expressing sentiment such as *though it is world, it is also somehow brahman too*, therefore nothing wrong to appreciate world while keeping it as world”, is not at all the intended outcome. If karmayoga is indeed intended to adoring world around you and if that adoration is indeed not wrong then “practice of karmayoga” would have been given by shastras as a lakShaNa of the enlightened man. Did Shastras ever gave karmayoga-acharaNa as either a modus-operandi or as a lakShaNa of enlightened man? The answer is No! Sri Bhagavatpāda in Gītā bhāshyam 3.6 says: साङ्‍ख्यानां पृथक्करणात् अज्ञानामेव हि कर्मयोगः, न ज्ञानिनाम् । ज्ञानिनां तु गुणैरचाल्यमानानां स्वतश्चलनाभावात् कर्मयोगो नोपपद्यते । तथा च व्याख्यातम् ‘वेदाविनाशिनम्’ (भ. गी. २ । २१) इत्यत्र॥ “”For Karma-yoga is meant only for the unenlightened, not for the men of Knowledge. Karma-yoga, on the other hand, is not pertinent for the men of Knowledge who, because of their not moving away from their own Self, are not shaken by the guṇas. This has been explained similarly in, ‘he who has known this One as indestructible’ (2.21).“” Sri Bhagavatpāda in introductory bhAShyam for Gita chapter-5 says: आत्मविदो निवृत्तमिथ्याज्ञानत्वाद् विपर्ययज्ञानमूलस्य कर्मयोगस्य असम्भवः स्यात् । “”For a knower of Self, the false knowledge ceases; and since karma-yoga is erroneous knowledge, it becomes impossible.”” आत्मतत्त्वविदः सम्यग्दर्शनविरुद्धो मिथ्याज्ञानहेतुकः कर्मयोगः स्वप्ने अपि न सम्भावयितुं शक्यते । “”Since karma-yoga is opposed to full enlightenment and is called by false knowledge, the realized soul cannot perform karma-yoga even in dream.”” Here some people may ask, “then how do you explain great realised masters teaching disciples, writing commentaries etc.?” Sri Bhagavatpāda says in Gita bhAShyam 4.18: अकर्म एव परमार्थतः सत्कर्मवद् अवभासते मूढदृष्टेः लोकस्य। “”To a foolish observer, that which is truly inaction looks like action and viceversa.”” He also clarifies in Gita bhAShyam 4.20 that: विदुषा क्रियमाणं कर्म परमार्थतः अकर्म एव, तस्य निष्क्रियात्मदर्शनसम्पन्नत्वात्। “”Actions done by a man of realization are inactions from the highest standpoint because he has realized the actionless Self.””

Therefore, Karmayoga is: 1. NOT to positively influence world. For positively influencing world what is needed is following pravRtti dharma as prescribed in Veda and dharmashastras. Following varna-ashrama-dharma ensures positive influence in the world. Karmayoga is nivRtti dharma (this nivRtti is actually setting forth in pravRtti with a single point agenda i.e. to go beyond all dualities). Therefore, intended outcome of Karmayoga is not to positively influence world - it is to overcome wrong knowledge that, “there is a world where I act and enjoy the results of my action”. Nothing less nothing more. 2. NOT to appreciate or adore world around you in awe and wonder. Looking upon world around you in awe and wonder is not and will not guarantee of removal of ignorance. Karmayoga is given for unenlightened and its incidental phala is calming down / reduction of identity with wrong knowledge and its ultimate purpose is to help realise true nature of Self through application of śruti pramana.

[xatmaa]

Whoever doubts the existence of the Atman, is the Atman of that very doubter.

[xatmaa]

If you've been so inclined.. dont beat yourself up.. it os not moving backward. One can never lose their spiritual advancement.

[xatmaa]

[xatmaa]

[xatmaa]

When you know beyond doubting that the same life flows through all that is and you are that life, you will love all naturally and spontaneously. Nisargadatta Maharaj

[xatmaa]

[xatmaa]

An overview of Meditation in Vedanta

51. The unique nature of Dhyana Yoga

(18-9-53)

Karma Yoga and Dhyāna Yoga: Outer and Inner Aids

Although the Self (Ātman) is inherently inactive (niṣkriya) in its true nature, it has already been explained that karma-yoga serves as the external aid (bāhya-sādhana) to knowledge for aspirants (mumukṣu) who still retain the notion of agency (kartṛtva-buddhi), while dhyāna-yoga serves as the internal aid (āntaraṅga-sādhana).

It has also been made clear that, in this world, beings are naturally endowed with either asura-sampatti (demonic qualities) or daiva-sampatti (divine qualities). Further, even one initially possessing asura-sampatti may, through the influence of puṇya-karma (meritorious deeds), develop daiva-sampatti. Those endowed with daiva-sampatti are eligible for the pursuit of either karma-yoga or dhyāna-yoga. Therefore, for such aspirants, the question of whether they must compulsorily perform or renounce actions (śāstra-vihita-karma) does not arise.

Until the mind is sufficiently purified (citta-śuddhi), these aspirants perform actions with the attitude of dedication to God (Īśvarārpaṇa-buddhi). Upon achieving purification, they become eligible for dhyāna-yoga.

Signs of Eligibility for Dhyāna Yoga

How does one know that the time for dhyāna-yoga has come?

• When a person no longer possesses any craving for sense-pleasures (indriya-bhoga)

• When all personal intentions (sarva-saṅkalpa) are entirely abandoned

• When the mind no longer seeks the satisfaction of the senses (indriya-tr̥pti)

Such a person is ready to ascend to dhyāna-yoga.

Analogy of the Flowing River:

Just as the water of the Ganges continues to flow and change while the river is still called "Ganga," similarly, though the senses and objects change, the deluded ego (ahaṅkāra) persists, thinking "I, I". Therefore, that which appears pleasurable at one time appears painful at another. A discerning aspirant (vivekī) does not depend on the fickle pleasures of the senses (indriyārtha), recognizing their impermanence, and instead strives for the bliss of the Self (Ānanda-Ātman) within.

Such a one becomes fit for dhyāna-yoga.

Misconceptions about Dhyāna Yoga

Today, many talk about dhyāna-yoga without actually practicing it.

It is akin to gossipy fools proclaiming, "The President spoke some secret words!"

Similarly, many elaborate on the secrets of dhyāna-yoga without any real inwardness.

Some even absurdly explain that when yogins become introverted, they somehow physically twist their faces!

Let us instead heed what the Bhagavad Gītā actually teaches:

śanaiḥ śanair uparamed buddhyā dhṛti-gṛhītayā |

ātma-saṃsthaṃ manaḥ kṛtvā na kiñcid api cintayet || (BG 6.25)

"With the intellect firmly held in resolution, one should slowly withdraw the mind; having fixed the mind in the Self, one should think of nothing else."

The Method of Merging

Thus, the seeker must:

• Gradually withdraw the senses into the mind

• Merge the mind into the intellect (buddhi)

• Merge the intellect into the ego (ahaṅkāra)

• Ultimately dissolve everything into the pure Self

Meaning of Merging:

Suppose one fixes attention on an idol made of nectar-stone (amṛta-śilā). By contemplating its substratum, the idol resolves into the stone. Similarly, contemplating that there are no independent senses apart from the mind leads to merging the gross elements into the subtler principle (sattattva).

This process of merging the external into the internal is called adhyātma-yoga in the Upaniṣads.

The ultimate culmination of dhyāna-yoga is thus: Everything dissolves into the Self.

The Self-Abiding Mind

What does it mean for the mind to become Self-abiding (ātmasaṃsthita-citta)?

• Through the teachings of śāstra and the instructions of the ācārya, one realizes that everything is the Self (sarvaṃ ātma).

• One recognizes that there is no mind, no senses, no objects separate from the Self.

This "becoming mindless of the mind" (manonāśa) is what Gauḍapāda Ācārya has described in his profound works.

Distinguishing Dhyāna Yoga from Patañjali Yoga

There is a significant distinction between the Dhyāna Yoga described in the Bhagavad Gītā and the system of Yoga taught by Patañjali. Many, failing to recognize this difference, mistakenly assume that the sixth chapter of the Gītā presents Patañjali’s Yoga.

What is the core of Patañjali Yoga? It is the restraint of the modifications of the mind (citta-vṛtti-nirodha). The mind naturally undergoes various types of modifications, and the aim of Yoga, as defined by Patañjali, is to prevent these modifications by cultivating ekāgra-vṛtti (one-pointed concentration), supported by abhyāsa (persistent practice) and vairāgya (detachment), and through disciplines like dhāraṇā, dhyāna, and samādhi. When one retains awareness—“I am not experiencing any mental modifications now”—this is termed samprajñāta-samādhi. When even this awareness dissolves, it is called asamprajñāta-samādhi. However, even then, latent impressions (saṁskāras) persist in the mind. By attaining samādhi, the aspirant comes to discern the distinction between Prakṛti and Puruṣa, which is considered the ultimate goal in Patañjali Yoga.

Like Sāṅkhya, Yoga Darśana accepts pradhāna (primordial matter) and other ontological categories. According to Yogic doctrine, the mind never fully dissolves; thus, Yoga is fundamentally a dualistic philosophy. Bondage (bandha) arises from non-discrimination between Prakṛti and Puruṣa, and liberation (mokṣa) is achieved through the clear discernment between the two. The Yogins say: "We explain Yoga so that this discrimination may be directly experienced."

The Distinct Aim of Adhyātma Yoga

However, the Adhyātma Yoga of Vedānta is of a wholly different nature. The Gītā instructs:

Ātmasaṁsthaṁ manaḥ kṛtvā na kiñcid api cintayet—

“Fixing the mind in the Self, one should not think of anything else.”

Here, the process is one of merging: the senses are to be absorbed into the mind, and the mind into the Self. Just as cloth, when analyzed, is reduced to thread, and thread in turn to cotton—revealing that the effect is not separate from its cause—similarly, the aspirant must observe the mind with subtle discernment until it is clearly understood that the mind is not distinct from the Self. This is subtle observation (sūkṣma-parīkṣaṇa).

Just as a gem expert examines a jewel with a keen and subtle eye, the Dhyāna Yogin attentively discerns that the mind and all else are fundamentally none other than the Self. Such sūkṣma-dṛṣṭi (subtle vision) is possible only when one’s senses, mind, and intellect are pure. For one who has attained steadfast focus (sthira-citta), even external suffering cannot disturb the mind’s absorption into the Self. This is the mind-control spoken of by Gauḍapāda Ācārya.

The fruit of this Yoga is the vision of Brahman everywhere—seeing no difference or superiority between Brahman and one’s own Self. The realization dawns that the Self is Brahman, and this Brahman is the Self of all beings. When this vision arises, as described in the Gītā (6.29–30), one has truly attained the fruit of Dhyāna Yoga.

Upāsanā and Dhyāna Yoga: A Key Distinction

In the eighth chapter of the Bhagavad Gītā, upāsanā (meditative worship) is described, which the Ācāryas refer to as Dhāraṇā Yoga. Texts like the Praśna Upaniṣad explain the meditative path involving contemplation on Omkāra (the sacred syllable Om) as a symbol of the Paramātman (Supreme Self).

What is a key difference between upāsanā and Dhyāna Yoga? Upāsanā involves imaginative meditation (bhāvanā), whereby the aspirant deliberately visualizes according to scriptural instructions. Dhyāna Yoga, by contrast, is direct seeing—discerning things as they truly are with subtle insight.

To illustrate: the Śruti declares, Mātṛdevo bhava—“Regard your mother as God.” Understanding one’s mother as mother is factual; thinking of her as God is a scriptural instruction that requires bhāvanā (intentional imagination).

The equipment and method for Dhāraṇā Yoga, as described in the eighth chapter, are as follows:

Sarva-dvārāṇi saṁyamya mano hṛdi nirudhya ca |

Mūrdhny-ādhāyātmanaḥ prāṇam āsthito yoga-dhāraṇām ||

Omity ekākṣaraṁ brahma vyāharan māṁ anusmaran |

Yaḥ prayāti tyajan dehaṁ sa yāti paramāṁ gatim ||verse?

“Having restrained all the sense gates, confining the mind in the heart, and fixing the life-breath at the crown of the head, one devoted to Yoga-concentration utters the single syllable Om—Brahman—and remembering Me, departs, casting off the body, to attain the supreme goal.”

Having firmly controlled all the sense gates, the mind should be steadfastly held in the heart, without allowing any mental modifications (vṛttis) to arise. Once the mind is thus mastered, one’s vital energy (prāṇa-śakti) should be directed upward, through the suṣumṇā-nāḍī, and established at the point above the middle of the forehead (nāḍu-neṭṭiya mele). Similar to what is described in Patañjali’s Yoga, focusing the mind on a fixed point and meditating upon it is here referred to as dhāraṇā.

Chanting the name of the Paramātman, symbolized by Omkāra (AUM), one should continuously remember Parameśvara (the Supreme Lord), who is its essential meaning. Through upāsanā performed in this manner—culminating in the realization of Īśvara—the aspirant, at the time of leaving the body, ascends via the arcirādi-mārga (the path of light), which is described in the verse: “agnir jyotir ahaḥ śuklaḥ...” (Gītā 8.24). Thus, he attains the Supreme Self and achieves krama-mukti (gradual liberation). This describes the path of upāsanā as set forth in the Gītā.

In contrast, the dhyāna yoga described in the sixth chapter leads to sadyo-mukti (immediate liberation) here and now. It involves an inner vision of subtle perception, wherein all external sensory activities are merged into the mind, and that mind, in turn, is merged into the Self—this is not mere conceptualization but direct experience.

Consider ordinary perception: objects appear one way to those who glance at them casually, but to those who observe intently—whether without blinking, using instruments like binoculars, or through scientific experiments—the same objects reveal new and deeper properties. Many of the discoveries in modern physics have arisen from such attentive observation. Likewise, just as physicists employ subtle observation to uncover hidden aspects of external phenomena, spiritual yogins use a purified and refined mind to inwardly perceive the ātma-tattva (the principle of the Self).

When seen through such subtle, discriminative vision, it becomes clear that the one Supreme Self alone exists in all beings, and that no action of the elements (bhūtas) occurs independently of this Self. This Self-knowledge arises as direct, immediate experience (anubhava). Since the yogin thus attains the knowledge of the essential oneness of Brahman and the Self (brahmātmaikyatva-jñāna) within this very lifetime, he need not await liberation after death—liberation (mokṣa) manifests directly and immediately.

SSSS, Universally Accepted Teachings of Shankara. draft translated transcription