INWARD MOVEMENT

A humble prayer of repetition as a mantra (mystical or ritual worship), mentioned in the Srimad Bhagavad Gita, to aspire the Purusha (Self). It is an inward movement to become conscious of the inner self and realise the Supreme Self on the way to moksha (liberation) and nirvāna (salvation).

na rūpam asyeha tathopalabhyate

nānto na chādir na cha sampratiṣhṭhā

aśhvattham enaṁ su-virūḍha-mūlam

asaṅga-śhastreṇa dṛiḍhena chhittvā

tataḥ padaṁ tat parimārgitavyaṁ

yasmin gatā na nivartanti bhūyaḥ

tam eva chādyaṁ puruṣhaṁ prapadye

yataḥ pravṛittiḥ prasṛitā purāṇī

This world does not comprehend this tree's true form, either in its inception, its demise, or its ongoing existence. But one must use a sharp axe of separation to bring down this deeply entrenched aśhvatth (sacred fig) tree. The next step is to find the root of the tree, which is the Supreme Being, from whom the universe's activities originated eons ago. One will never return to this world after finding safety in Him.

In his interpretation of the Bhagavad Gita, Swami Krishnananda compares this world to an inverted asvattha (holy fig) tree, or any other sort of tree, since the word asvattha can indicate "not lasting for long." Na svattham—asvattham: It won't last till the following day. Svastha, which means "that which can continue and last until tomorrow," denotes anything that will endure into the future. But because of its ephemeral nature, this will not last. It is an asvattha because it is not permanent.

1. Outline

The prayer is to realise the inner self, which is eternal, an extension of the Supreme Self, luminous, and self-effulgence. Consciousness of the self is the eternal goal of every being. However, realisation of the self is obfuscated by sensual desires and the intransigence of the conflict of the opposites, such as pleasure and pain, birth and death, young and old, attachments and jealousy, inward and outward, etc. However, the Jiva, a living substance of a living being, experiences multitudes of thoughts, events, activities, discernment, and so many others, consciously and non-consciously. It needs to get out of the pair of opposites with the strong willpower of detachment, equanimity, and self-knowledge.

This is by foregoing ego-based self-respect, insatiable desire, bondage, attachment, jealousy, and all those appended adjunct qualities that limit a person to the self, emanating from the body-mind-intellect complex. These propel a person to move outwards to satisfy the insatiable desires rooted in the world of objects, completely unaware of the root or subject. The outward propulsion makes him forgetful of his original root or inner self. He gets bewildered and is unable to find ways and means to realise his nature as pure consciousness. It is Ātman that is self, and self is Ātman. According to the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, this Ātman is itself the light that is pure intelligence and discloses everything with its own intelligence. According to the Upanishad, the Ātman is independent and unattached to any object, which frees it from ignorance, desire, and labour. The Sanātana Dharma (eternal order or righteousness) scriptures clearly establish this doctrinal approach. Unlike the gross, subtle, and causal bodies as objects, it is distinct as a subject. Beginning with the idea that the finite is finite and ending with the infinite being infinite, the explanation proceeds to explain the unknown by drawing on the known manifestations of perception, emotion, and thought that come from the body-mind-intellect complex. Against the Kshara, or perishable, elements of matter, the infinite is called Akshara, or imperishable. Sri Krishna, in the Bhagavad Gita, explains the significance of understanding Brahmān as the Supreme Person, the Supreme Being's superiority over "Kshara" and "Akshara," the reason He is called the Purusottama, or the Supreme Person, and the means by which He can be consciously realised. The Kshara Purusha (Kshetra, or the field), the Akshara Purusha (Kshetrajna, or the knower of the field), and the Brahmān are the references he uses to do this. He is the Spaceless, Timeless, the Absolute Being, the Imperishable Reality, and the Absolute Existence.

2. Scriptures

Evanescent is the world of objects, and eternal is the self, the subject, the part of the Supreme Self. All energies flow from the centre, heart, in all directions. Consciousness is becoming aware of the eternity of the self. All scriptural proclamations are made in this way to become conscious of the self that is immanent in the core of every being.

The objective world is insentient. It cannot do anything on its own, as it is devoid of consciousness and self-propulsion. It moves, acts, and is in motion because the Supreme Purush is indwelt in it, proclaims the Brahmandapurana.

The same is corroborated by Ishopanishad. It asserts that the Supreme Being, who resides in every Prakriti atom, is the source of all motion in the natural world. He is Prakriti's master, and the motion we perceive in matter is only His since He has penetrated it. Thus, he is the sole free agent. Be happy with what He has provided. No entity, no matter how exalted, can fully give anything to anyone else, since only He is completely free. As a result, go beg Him for assistance alone rather than going to others.

The Chandogya Upanishad highlights this aspect clearly:

evamevaiṣa samprasādo'smāccharīrātsamutthāya paraṃ jyotirupasampadya svena

rūpeṇābhiniṣpadyate sa uttamapuruṣaḥ sa tatra paryeti jakṣatkrīḍanramamāṇaḥ strībhirvā yānairvā

jñātibhirvā nopajanaṃ smarannidaṃ śarīraṃ sa yathā prayogya ācaraṇe yukta

evamevāyamasmiñcharīre prāṇo yuktaḥ || 8.12.3 ||

In the same way, the joyful self arises from the body and, upon attaining the light of the Cosmic Self, appears in his own form. This is the Paramātma, the Cosmic Self. He then freely moves about eating, playing, or enjoying himself with women, carriages, or relatives, not remembering at all the body in which he was born. Just as horses or bullocks are harnessed to carriages, similarly, prana remains harnessed to the body due to karma(activity).

The Srimad Bhagavad Gita assertively declares that I am transcendental to the perishable world of matter and even to the imperishable soul; hence, I am celebrated, both in the Vedas and the Smṛitis, as the Supreme Divine Personality.

So the Bhagavad Gita goes on to say that one should always think of Me, be devoted to Me, worship Me, and offer obeisance to Me. Having dedicated your mind and body to Me, you will certainly come to Me.

3. Remarks

How does one move inward to be conscious of self and of the Supreme Self, as well?

Swami Sivananda claims that there are three flaws in this misidentification of “I” with the body-mind-intellect system: avarana, or veil; vikshepa, or tossing; and mala, or impurity. Karma Yoga is a discipline that purges the mind of impurities through selfless service. Worship, upasana, japa, and dedication should drive out mental tossing. The practice of Jnāna Yoga, which includes studying Vedic literature, inquiring, self-analysis, serving the Guru (teacher), and deep meditation, should tear down the curtain. Self-realisation is only feasible at that point.

The Srimad Bhagavad Gita emphasises certain conditions for an inward trajectory for self-realisation.

nirmāna-mohā jita-saṅga-doṣhā

adhyātma-nityā vinivṛitta-kāmāḥ

dvandvair vimuktāḥ sukha-duḥkha-sanjñair

gachchhanty amūḍhāḥ padam avyayaṁ tat

Those who are free from vanity and delusion, who have overcome the evil of attachment, who dwell constantly on the self and on God, who are free from the desire to enjoy the senses, and who are beyond the dualities of pleasure and pain, such liberated personalities attain My eternal Abode. The conditions, according to Swami Krishnananda’s interpretations, are: 

Not respecting oneself as an independent entity based on self-ego and self-respect leads to a clouding of intellect and the ignition of jealousy, pride, arrogance, conflict, and anger. Through its misadventures, "I-ness" comes to identify with the "ego," or Ahamkara. This mistaken connection of oneself with the body, mind, and cognitive sensory systems gives rise to "I-ness."

Secondly, there is a lack of any sense of perceived attachments or detachments.

Thirdly, cultivation of the virtue of Atma Jnāna, or self-knowledge.

Fourthly, free from all attachments and desires in the world of objects.

Fifthly, free from the pairs of opposites such as raga (attachments) and dvesha (jealousy), like and dislike, and pleasure and pain.

One who is in tranquilly, free from the pair of opposites, can move inwardly to realise the imperishable Reality.

-Asutosh Satpathy