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THE GREAT SAYINGS (MAHAVAKYAS)

The scriptures, the Vedas and the Upanishads , of the Sanātana Dharma are the eternal knowledge source to guide human beings about the nature of Reality and to awaken consciousness about the ultimate Truth without ever being perturbed by the evanescent and ephemeral nature of existence. According to Swami Sivananda , the Scriptural declarations can be grouped under three headings, viz., Vidhi-Vakya , or injunctions; Nishha-Vakya , or prohibitions; and Siddharthabodha-Vakya , or the  Mahāvākya , that proclaim the highest Truth. The first two exist to purify the deluded Jiva (soul) and make him fit to understand and assimilate the third; for only in a purified mind will intuition dawn, and with that alone can one attain the highest Knowledge. The Jiva , a metaphysical entity, has been variously described in the Bhagavad Gita and the Upanishadas .   na jāyate mriyate vā kadāchin nāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ ajo nityaḥ śhāśhvato ’yaṁ purāṇo na hanyate han...

SELF-ENQUIRY

The idea "I" assumes a dominant role in the space of the body, mind, and intellect (the tripod) cotinuum. The basic stages of self-inquiry are looking into the "I" feeling through the body and then into the mind; then having the feeling that one cannot go any further... a kind of impasse. You might see that you are the witness of your thoughts, but not be able to go any further. But the idea that you are a witness is also not true. Are you not aware that you are the witness? Yes. Then that fact cannot be you. The witness is just an idea. You cannot be an idea. You are that which is aware of all ideas.   1. OUTLINE "I-I" is a term used in spiritual traditions, particularly in Advaita Vedanta, to refer to the ultimate reality or the true nature of the self. It is also known as "Ā tman " or " Brahmān " in the Sanātana Dharma . That which rises as ‘I’ in the body is the mind. If one inquires as to where in the body the tho...

LIFE-DIVINE MYSTERY

The divine mystery is puzzling. The Supreme Divine is infinite, limitless, and fathomless. It is beyond the comprehension of a finite, limited, and measured one. Is it possible for a creature to know about the creator? Can a limited and finite mechanism having a beginning and an end comprehend the limitless, infinite, fathomless, and incomprehensible? More accurately, the mortal cannot comprehend the immortal, nor can the finite being contain the infinite. The divine mystery remains a puzzle and continues to remain so. The scientist who in the past proclaimed that there was nothing beyond this world now proclaims: "The more I know of phenomena, the more I am puzzled. Intellect is finite and cold. Behind these changing phenomena is the unchanging noumenon. Behind the dynamic, rotating electrons, there is the static, motionless something, or something beyond the intellect and the world".   1. Outline. The processes of nature and of life are mysteries. Everything moves,...

ETHICS AND MORALS

Human being since time immemorial has been subjected to certain behavioural pattern and governance by a set of ethical and moral standards. However, ethics and morality are sine qua nons for a civilised and normative society. It is for the human being to determine if he is speaking of ethical or moral acts as under the aspect of ethics or morality, as an act in its species, or as an act in a certain state of time, space, and situation. In the work of Thomas Huxley , the practise of that which is ethically best—what we call goodness or virtue—iinvolves a course of conduct that, in all respects, is opposed to that which leads to success in the cosmic struggle for existence. In place of ruthless self-assertion it demands self-restraint; in place of thrusting aside, or treading down, all competitors, it requires that the individual shall not merely respect, but shall help his fellows; its influence is directed, not so much to the survival of the fittest, as to the fitting of as many ...

VIRTUE OF ALL THE VIRTUES

The essence of being human is to get elevated. Whether the elevation is through the body-mind-intellect mechanism or through the realisation of the self. By nature, a human being’s life journey is towards the realisation of the supreme good. A journey towards self-awakening for the realisation of supreme consciousness, a life jouney is a journey inwards to inner conscience for identification of right pathways for the move. How does one make the right move? Virtuosity needs to be imbibed and inculcated in the character traits of human beings that manifest in every domain of life pursuits. Virtues are character traits that are central to a person, not everyday habits. Virtue is a trait that makes a person reason well for an orderly or righteous way of living, thinking, deciding, and correctly engaging emotions and feelings. 1. Outline Virtue is moral excellence and righteousness; goodness; rectitude (Theology) any of the cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance) ...