Saturday 28 September 2013

The Divine Soul




The Divine soul is unique and immobile. It is swifter than the mind. The senses cannot attain it. The divine soul never moves. And yet, it can overtake all those who are swift. It is because the divine soul is present that the wind blows and spurs all beings to action.

The divine soul moves. And yet it does not move. It is far. And yet it is near. It is inside this universe. And yet it is outside the universe.

He who is truly learned sees the divine soul (paramatman) in all objects and objects in the paramatman. Such a person rise above all fear and hatred.

(The word used for the divine soul in the verse is atman. But we have used the word paramatman to draw a distinction with the individual human soul or atman.)

He who realises the identity between all objects and the paramatman is truly learned. He knows no illusion or sorrow. Such sentiments become meaningless for him.

The divine soul is radiant and omnipresent. It has no form and cannot be harmed. It has no veins and is pure. It is not touched by sin and sees everything. It is the ruler of the mind. The paramatman is supreme, it created itself. The divine soul is always present. It is the paramatman who decreed the rules that the universe follows.


Wednesday 25 September 2013

Isha Upanishad




The Isha Upanishad is unique in two senses. It is a very short Upanishad, consisting of only eighteen shlokas or verses. It is also the only Upanishad that forms part of the last chapter of the Shukla Yajur Veda. It is known as the text is isha, which means, by the supreme godhead. The motif of the Upanishad is, someone who knows the identity of the human soul with the divine soul is learned. In contrast, an individual who lacks this knowledge is ignorant. The text is composed entirely in verse.

Every object in the universe is transient. And all such objects are encompassed by the supreme godhead. Give up all these transient objects and look to the eternal. Do not lust for the wealth of others. Wealth belongs to no one.

He who desire to live on this earth for a hundred years, pursues the path of action (Karma). There is no other prescribed path for one who aspires for a long life. Deviation from this norm leads one to tread the path of sin.

The worlds where the demons (asuras) dwell, are shrouded in impenetrable darkness. Individuals who commit suicide are destined for those worlds after their deaths.