The Basics of Vedanta
The Search for the Self
Lesson – 2

Teacher:  Can you please summarize what we learned in lesson one?

Student:  I learned lots of things. Let me try to recall the main points.

As colors are made out of primary colors, all music is made out of seven notes, all sounds are combined in the sound of OM, and all positive integers are made out of 1 (0 is the absence of 1). Rishis, the scientists of the inner truth, searched for ‘something’ from which all people and the objects of the world are made out of. Through inner search, logic, and direct realization of the Ultimate Truth, they found that everything in the universe is made out of “Pure Consciousness” which they call “Brahman”.

As golden ornaments, though different in names and forms are made out of gold, clay images are made out of clay, and all different waves of an ocean are nothing but water, all various beings and objects of the world are made out of “Pure Consciousness”  or Brahman. Rishis, sages, saints, as well as other people, have realized this Ultimate Truth. Anyone who follows this well-researched path described by these Rishis, Sages, and Saints can realize this Ultimate Truth. When we realize this Truth, we become connected with all beings and objects of the world as one entity.

Teacher:  Do you recall anything else about what we discussed?

Student:  Yes, I remember more. You have said that all the spiritual laws (findings related to the Ultimate Truth) were compiled into “Vedas.” The Rishis did not claim that they had created these laws. But they said they had realized these truths.

Oh, I also have something more to say.

Teacher:  Please go ahead.

Student:  The philosophical parts of the Vedas (related to the existence and functions of our life and the universe) were compiled into Upanishads. Sage Badarayana had composed 555 sutras or formulas to systematize the revelations and the realizations of the Rishis on a rational basis. The book that consists of these sutras is called the “Brahma Sutras”. And the practical expressions and applications of these truths have been written in the form of a dialogue between Shri Krishna and Arjuna in The Bhagavad Gita, a part of the great epic Mahabharata.  We can also learn these truths from the lives and teachings of the realized souls.

Teacher:  Anything else?

Student:  Yes. “Pure Consciousness” or Brahman cannot be described in words as words are incapable of expressing infinity. But, the closest description of the nature of Brahman has been expressed through the word Sat-Chit-Ananda (Existence, Knowledge, and Bliss Absolute). Brahman is the support of our Existence, the basis of our awareness (which gives us knowledge), and the source of our happiness.

Teacher:  Excellent. In the spiritual path, it is always good to go back and remember what we have learned and reflect upon it. The more we do that, the more we understand these fundamental thoughts of Vedanta. The books of the Vedanta Philosophy are not like the kinds of novels that we read once and know their stories and then need not read again. We must realize the Ultimate Truth by repetitively reading, reflecting, and practicing these thoughts as described in the Vedanta books.

Student:  Does that mean that the spiritual knowledge is not an intellectual knowledge?

Teacher:  Exactly. You understand the point.

Remember one more thing I had said in the last lesson. I mentioned that Shri Shankaracharya wrote commentaries on the Upanishads, Brahma Sutras, and the Bhagavad Gita. Then, based upon the truths described in these books and his own direct experiences, he taught his disciples “Advaita Philosophy.” Later, based on the life and teachings of Sri Ramakrishna and Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi, as well as his own studies and revelations, Swami Vivekananda expounded upon these truths through his lectures and writings. This is what most people consider to be the foundation of the Vedanta Philosophy that we know today. We can also find many other books in the literature based on the experiences and teachings of Saints and Sages which are also helpful to learn about the Vedanta Philosophy.

Student:  Thank you for reminding me of that point. I have a question: Besides Sat-Chit-Ananda are there any other names or expressions that are used to describe Brahman?

Teacher:  Good question. In the Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, and Brahma Sutras, various words and expressions are used to provide the reader with some understanding of Pure Consciousness or Brahman.

You know that the Bhagavad Gita is considered to be the essence of all Upanishads.  I will cite a few of them from the Bhagavad Gita.

In Chapters two and twelve of the Bhagavad Gita, Pure Consciousness or Brahman has been described as follows:

Student: It seems that several of these expressions can be interpreted as having a negative connotation, like birth-less, does not perish, does not move, cannot be burnt, cut, or drowned, or Indefinable.

Teacher: You are right. Initially, one tries to understand “what is not Brahman.” It is called the process of elimination. In Sanskrit it is called “Neti, Neti” – not this, not this. For example, whatever perishes is not Brahman. Thus, the body and mind cannot be Brahman. Whatever is subject to change is not Brahman. We look around and find that everything is changing. We do not perceive anything that is permanent. Ultimately we find that whatever we perceive through our senses is not Brahman.

Student:  But, through this process, we will then eliminate everything in the universe and ultimately nothing will remain that can be called Brahman!

Teacher (with a smile): That is not the case. At the end of the elimination, the One who inspired the search definitely remains.

See, in a process of searching three things are needed: (1) The subject: the person who searches, (2) the object: the objective or goal of the search and (3) the process: the act itself of searching.  In this case, the Pure Consciousness is guiding the mind of a person (subject) to the search for Itself. Then, how can it find Itself? Here, the subject is looking for itself as an object!

Suppose a king named Bhimsing forgot that he is the king Bhimsing.

Now, suppose he begins to ask everyone “Are you king Bhimsing?” Everyone will definitely say ‘no, he or she is not’.  Ultimately, when the king realizes that ‘he himself is king Bhimsing,’ then his search ends, and he is happy with himself. Thus, by eliminating everything that is not Brahman, we ultimately realize our true identity which is Pure Consciousness and the search ends. Then, the subject, the object, and the process of the search all become one.

Student: Is it then true that whatever has been denied is not Brahman?

Teacher: Good question. In this case, there are three steps: (1st) One denies that everything that is grasped by the senses is Brahman, (2nd) One realizes the “Pure Consciousness” or Brahman by becoming one with It, and (3rd) After realizing Brahman, one finds that everything that has been denied was also Brahman, but one was not aware of it.

For example, when we are so aware of various names and forms of people with their different personalities, we forget that there is one life force behind them all. When we become aware of the same life force, the outer differences start melting away.

It is the same with the golden ornaments. When we are aware of the gold, then the names and shapes of the ornaments fade away, and we realize that everything is gold. It is same with clay images.

Sri Ramakrishna explained this in a very simple way. He said that in a house there is a staircase which takes one to the terrace. We climb on the first step and ask, ‘Is this the terrace?’ The answer is ‘no’. Then, we go on the second step and ask, “Is this the terrace?’ The answer is ‘no’. Thus, denying all the steps we finally reach to the terrace. Then, we find out that the terrace is made out of the same material that the steps have been made out of. Similarly, in the beginning, we negate that which does not appear to be Pure Consciousness. After negating everything, when we do finally realize Pure Consciousness, then we understand that everything actually is Pure Consciousness. The only difference is that before this realization, we saw all these things as various, separate objects.

Student: This is great. The names and forms of people divide us all. In order to realize the life force behind every being, we have to go beyond their names and forms. Once we realize the common life force behind everything, we start seeing all things connected by a common thread.

Teacher:  Excellent. That is the goal of the spiritual search for the Ultimate Truth or Ultimate Reality, also known as Pure Consciousness or Brahman.

Let us go back to the words I cited from Bhagavad Gita which refer to Brahman. They are all inter-connected. One that is imperishable should be birth-less because anything that has a beginning must also have an end, and therefore, it cannot be imperishable.

The imperishable should be infinite and omnipresent, or all-pervading.  That which is omnipresent is unique. Thus, there can be no two Brahmans.  Infinite cannot manifest because whatever manifests is, by definition, finite. Thus, the infinite is un-manifested. It is also unchangeable and immovable.

Student:   I have a question. If Brahman or Pure Consciousness moves through all beings, then how can It be immovable?

Teacher:  I admire your thinking and your question. Let me tell you an incident from my life. Once I was traveling in a New York Subway. It was a rush hour. The subway car was packed with people. I was standing in the middle of the car surrounded by people. The train makes turns on its way and the riders get thrown around. I was holding a strap which was a short distance away. I had to stretch my hand out to hold onto it, and so my hand was hitting the faces of several people. One passenger told me to let the strap go. I said, “If I let go, I will fall.” The passenger smiled and asked me, “Where are you going to fall?”  I then understood the situation. In order to fall, I needed a room. But I had no room to move, so, how could I fall? This analogy taught me about Brahman being immovable. In order for Brahman to move, it needs some space where Brahman does not exist. But, Brahman is everywhere. Therefore, It has no room to move, and as such, Brahman is immovable as a whole.

Student: That was a good explanation of how Brahman is immovable. A similar question comes to my mind about how to understand Brahman being un-changeable even though all things in the universe are changing.

Teacher:  Changes are relative. I told you in lesson one, if you have several photographs taken from your childhood up until now at various stages of your life, they will surely all look different. But you feel that you are the same person in all of those pictures. Who is ‘you’? Your body and mind keep changing, but, the one ‘you’ who see all changes is not changing. There is something behind your body and mind which does not change. Relative to that unchanging personality, you perceive all changes.

The same thing holds true for movement. I move my hand and you see the movement of my hand because behind my hand something is not moving. Imagine that I am standing in an elevator of a 500 story building. The elevator is at 500^th floor and it is going down to the 1^st floor. Now, suppose the machinery of the elevator breaks and the elevator car falls with gravitational force. During that time, if I hold a pencil in my hand and let it go in the air, the pencil will not fall on the ground until the elevator hits the ground. The pencil floats in the air because the pencil in the air and floor of the elevator are going down with the same speed. Thus, we do not see the pencil moving because the elevator and the pencil are moving together at the same speed. If the background against which the pencil fell remained steady, then we would see the pencil moving.

Student:  It is amazing to know that several hundred years ago when the Bhagavad Gita was written, all these appropriate words were selected to describe Brahman. The Rishis and Lord Vyas must have been very thoughtful and deeply research-minded.

Teacher: The Rishis were research-minded and also very poetic in their expressions. A Rishi told a story in the Kena Upanishad in order to express that Brahman or Pure Consciousness cannot be destroyed by any weapon, fire, water, or wind.

Once, the gods and demons had a war. The gods won the war and they were boasting about their powers. Among the gods, there was the fire-god, the wind-god, and Indra, the king of all gods. At that time, Brahman appeared in a celestial form called a Yaksha and presented a straw to the fire-god to burn it. The fire-god tried with all his might, but he could not burn the straw. Similarly, when the piece of straw was presented to the wind-god, he could not move the straw. The fire-god and the wind-god were embarrassed by their defeat. They asked Indra to go and find out who that Yaksha was. When Indra went to find out, the celestial being disappeared and he saw a divine goddess Uma in its place. When Indra inquired about the celestial being, Uma told him that it was Brahman, who came in that form to inform people that because of the power of Brahman, the gods had won the war. The gods were just the instruments of Brahman.

Student: That is a very interesting story. I am amazed to hear that it was told several thousand years ago. It really highlights the message that Brahman is indestructible, and cannot be burnt by a fire or blown away by the wind.

I think I am finally getting an idea about Pure Consciousness or Brahman.  You have explained to me that Brahman is infinite and our finite mind cannot comprehend it. But I cannot help but wonder: ‘Why can Brahman not be known? Within the last several thousand years, we have learned so much and advance so far, so one day we will be able to know Brahman. Is that true?’

Teacher: Is there a limit to knowledge? The sky is the limit for learning.

For example, look at the bottom chart.

The area inside the circle represents all the knowledge that exists between all human beings on the earth. The area outside the circle represents our ignorance.  Suppose the radius of the circle is 2 units. Then, the circumference will be C = 2 x (Pi) x (2) = 4 (Pi).

Suppose after some time, through research and learning, we acquire more knowledge. Then the area of the circle of knowledge increases. Now suppose this new circle has a radius of 3 units. Then, its circumference will be C = 2 x (Pi) x (3) = 6 (Pi).

 Do you agree that 6 (Pi) is bigger than 4 (Pi)? What do you see? As our knowledge increases, the circumference of the circle of knowledge also increases.  This is actually the awareness of our ignorance. Thus, the more we know, the more we are aware of our ignorance.

Student: This is wonderful. I never thought it that way. I figured we just know more and more every day so that one day we will know everything that we are supposed to know. But, it is not true.

Teacher: You know that tons of research papers are being published every day. If you look at a few scientific research papers more closely, you will find that they solve one problem, but create more questions or inquiries. It is good. It shows that the awareness of our ignorance is increasing with our increase in knowledge.

Student: I remember that the wise man Socrates said a similar thing. If someone claimed that he/she had some knowledge about any subject, then Socrates would start asking questions of that person until a point came when the person was forced to admit that he/she did not know the subject. I think Socrates’ intention was not to insult that person but to help him/her realize that there is a limit to one’s knowledge.

I also remember another thing about Socrates. He once said that some respectable person had been going around saying to others “Socrates is the wisest person around.”Socrates began to wonder why a respectable person would say such a thing. Socrates knew that many people knew more about many subjects than he did. But, upon pondering this more deeply, he realized that many people claimed that they knew more than they actually knew, while he himself was actually aware of what he knew and what he did not know.

From this, we can conclude that the sign of a wise person is that he/she is fully aware of what he/she knows and does not know.

Teacher: That is a very nice connection you made.

Student: But, I find it depressing to know that we are limited in our abilities such that we cannot know everything. It makes me feel helpless.

Teacher: Let me tell you a few important things the Upanishads teaches us about knowledge

The first point is from the Chhandogya Upanishad (7.1.1 – 3).

A great sage Narada went to another Sage and Teacher named Sanatkumar and told him, “I came to learn from you. Please guide me.”

Sanatkumar asked Narada, “Please tell me what you already know. After knowing it, I will have a better idea what I have to tell you.”

Narada said, “I know all the four Vedas, the Puranas, Grammar, Mathematics, Economics, Logic, Ethics, the Science of Archery, Astronomy, the Performing Arts, and much more. I know all these things, but I have not overcome my dissatisfaction and sorrows. I think to myself, ‘I am only Mantra-Vit (the Knower of the Mantras) and not Atma-Vit (the Knower of Atman).’ That is why I am not fully satisfied and happy within. I have heard that an Atma-Vit person has obtained complete satisfaction and experiences bliss within. So, please guide me in obtaining the Knowledge of Atman.”

So the Great Sage and Teacher, Sanatkumar, taught Narada the Knowledge of Atman.

There is another similar but more important teaching we find in the Mudaka Upanishad (1.1.3-5) about knowledge.

Once, Sage Shaunaka, who was the head of a large university, went to another great Sage, Angira, and respectfully asked him, “O Respectable Sage, what is it by knowing which everything is known?”

Sage Angira said, “The Knowers of Brahman say that there are two kinds of knowledge: The Inferior Knowledge (Apara Vidya) and The Superior Knowledge (Para Vidya).  The Inferior Knowledge (Apara Vidya) includes, but is not limited to the knowledge of all four Vedas, Chanting, Rituals, Grammar, Poetry, the Planets and Stars, and others. The Superior Knowledge (Para Vidya) is the one by which the Imperishable Brahman is realized.”

Student: Wow! So, both the Upanishads say the same thing! I keep wondering again, and again, how, several thousand years ago, these great Rishis thought to attain the highest knowledge that a human being ought to attain?

Teacher: Yes, it is amazing. More importantly, these thoughts and the truths these Sages realized are not bound by time and space. As the laws of science are true in all countries, for all people and for all the time, these truths of the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Brahma Sutras are true for all people everywhere and for all of the time.

The Rishis tell us that the knowledge of worldly objects or materials is limited. The knowledge of “I,” the One who is inquiring, Pure Consciousness (Brahman), is most important. When we realize Brahman, our true divine identity, then we find that our life and the world become meaningful, and all our fundamental questions of life are answered. We acquire a clear understanding of ourselves and our relationship to others, attain fearlessness and fulfillment in life, and experience infinite bliss within. This does not depend on any object in the world.

Student: After knowing this, I wonder who would not want to try to realize one’s true divine identity. Thank you for sharing these wonderful eternal truths with me.

 Teacher: My pleasure.

(Thanks to Sheela Krishnan and Ben Baker for editing this post.)

The Basics of Vedanta
The Search for the Self
Lesson – 1

Teacher:  Write down as many colors you can think of in two minutes and tell me their names.

Student (after two minutes): There are hundreds of colors. But, in two minutes I wrote down the following colors which came to my mind: Red, Green, Purple, Chocolate, Amber, Blue, Apricot, Beige, Black, Pink, Brown, Burgundy, Peach, Yellow, White, Violet, Gold, Orange, Crimson, Lilac, and Maroon.

Teacher:  Excellent. You wrote names of many colors. Now, I have a Yellow color and if I mix it with Blue color, then what happens?

Student:   It will be green.

Teacher:  What if I mix Red and Yellow?

Student:   It will be an Orange color.  Are you talking about the primary and secondary colors? I have learned that in one model Red, Yellow, and Blue are primary colors and Green, Orange, and Purple are secondary colors which are made from the combination of the primary colors. There are also tertiary colors which are made from the primary and secondary colors.

Teacher:  Very good. Now, who told you that Red, Yellow, and Blue are the primary colors and all other colors are made from these colors?

Student (after some thinking):   I guess, my school teacher.

Teacher:  Who told that teacher?

Student:   I guess, her teacher.

Teacher:  Now, let me sing a couple of bhajans and dhoons.

(After singing a couple of bhajans and dhoons, the teacher continued)

Teacher:  What are all these made from?

Student:   I think they are made from tunes.

Teacher:  What are the tunes made from?

Student:  Musical notes.

Teacher:  How many musical notes are there?

Student:   There are seven main notes: Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha, and Ni in Indian Music and in Western Music, they are Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, and Ti.

Teacher:  You are right. All music made from these seven notes. Do you know what all the sounds made from?

Student:  There are so many kinds of sounds. How can we find a sound from which all sounds are made?

Teacher:  Try to remember if you have learned about this in some class.

Student:  Oh yes, I remembered Swami Vivekananda talked about the sound of Om in his lecture on “The Mantra: Om”.

Teacher:  I am glad you remembered this. Swami Vivekananda said that the Lord first becomes conditioned as the Sphota (or Word) and then evolves Himself as the yet more concrete sensible universe. This Sphota has one word as its only possible symbol, and this Word is  Om.

Swami Vivekananda further said that these three Sanskrit letters –  – pronounced in combination as Om, may well be the generalized symbol of all possible sounds.

The letter covers all the sounds that originate and starts at the navel level and goes up to the end of the mouth, the letter covers all the sounds that start at the beginning of the mouth up to the lips, and the letter covers all the sounds that end with closing the lips.

(The teacher pauses.)

Okay! Now, let me write a positive integer 47,589,013,726. I don’t want you to read that number. But, I want you to tell me what this integer is made from?

Student:  Yes, it is made from the integers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 0.  I can say that every positive integer is made from these 10 integers.

Teacher:  Let us go further. What these 10 integers (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 0) made from?

Student:  I did not understand the question. These are 10 integers and all positive integers are made from these integers.

Teacher:  How the number 2 is made?

Student:  Yes, it is 1 plus 1.  Now, I know that integers 1 through 9, each one is made from 1. But, what can we say about 0?

Teacher:  Excellent answer and the question. One can think that 0 as the absence of 1. Thus, all positive integers are made from 1.

Now, suppose someone asks you, “Who are you?” What would you say?

Student:  I will tell my name, my birthdate, my grade, my residence, the name of my parents and family members, my achievements, my dreams, my thoughts and many other things of myself.

Teacher:  Suppose you can write all this information down on papers, like writing down your resume, would that resume capture all of you?

Student:  I guess not.

Teacher:  Why not?

Student:  Because I am more than whatever I write down about myself.

Teacher:  Suppose I ask this question “Who are you?” to Jack, Jane, Vrinda, and Yogesh, and many others and suppose they all write something about themselves, would you be able to find any common thing or things among them?

Student:  Maybe they have similar interests or maybe they have nothing in common among themselves.

Teacher:  What are all these people made of?

Student:  I guess the body and mind.

Teacher:  Well, their bodies and minds will be different. Even twins and triplets have differences among themselves. Is there anything common among them?

Student:   I think ‘life’ is common among them.

Teacher:  Very good. Now, you see, the way human beings searched and found that (1) all colors are made from three primary colors, (2) all music is made from seven notes, and (3) all positive integers are made from 1, the same way “Rishis” who were scientists of the inner world of our mind searched for the true identity of human beings and found out through their reflections, introspections, and meditation that all beings have one common thing and it is consciousness. They called this “Pure Consciousness” or “Brahman” compare to the individual consciousness that we commonly refer to. They realized that all beings, animals, fish, trees, vegetation, and even all matter is made of this Pure Consciousness or Brahman. Many Sages, Saints, and great teachers directly experienced or vision that the same Pure Consciousness is being expressed through various forms.

Student:  But, when I close my eyes and think of myself, I feel that I am my body and my mind. I do not see anything beyond!

Teacher:  You are right. Most people think that they are nothing but their body and mind. But, think for a while.

If your parents have taken your photos from the time you were born till now and if I lined them up chronologically, what will you find? You look different at various stages of life. Ten or twenty years from now you will look different than you are now. Our body is constantly changing. Our body cells are changing. But, we feel that we are the same people! If you were just the body, then you are not the same person. But, why do you feel that you are the same person?

Now, let us talk about our mind. Our interests are changing. You might not be playing with your toys that you enjoyed playing with when you were a child. Youngsters have different kinds of toys to entertain themselves and so do the grownups.  Thus, our interest and thoughts, our likes and dislikes and our views of many things change, but amazingly we feel that we are the same!

Rishis with their introspection and logical and scientific inquiry realized that we are not our body and mind. We are something beyond our body and mind which does not change and having it in the background we see all the changes of our body and mind. This true identity is the same in all beings which they called it “Pure Consciousness” or “Brahman”.

Student:  Wow! I have never thought it that way. How do we know that these Rishis found this out?

Teacher:  Good question. As I told you, these Rishis were the scientists and they realized that the common thing behind all beings and things is “Pure Consciousness” or Brahman. They even realized that “Pure Consciousness” or Brahman has become everything. After their realization, they taught these truths to their students and later these truths were collected into books called the Vedas. These Rishis did not claim that they found the truths, but they said that they realized or directly experienced these truths and therefore no Rishi claimed to be the founder of the truth or the author of the book.

Do you know how many Vedas are there?

Student:  Yes, I have learned their names. They are Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, and Atharva Veda.

Teacher:  Good that you remembered their names. Now, know more about them. It is good to know how Swami Vivekananda talked about these Vedas to the American audience on September 19, 1893, in his lecture “Hinduism” as one of the famous Chicago Lectures delivered at the World Parliament of Religions.

Swami Vivekananda said, “They (the Vedas) mean the accumulated treasure of spiritual laws discovered by different persons in different times. Just as the law of gravitation existed before its discovery and would exist if all humanity forgot it, so it is with the laws that govern the spiritual world. The moral, ethical, and spiritual relations between soul and soul and between individual spirits and the Father of all spirits were there before their discovery and would remain even if we forgot them.

The discoverers of these laws are called Rishis, and we honor them as perfected beings. I am glad to tell this audience that some of the very greatest of them were women.”

Here spirit means the “Pure Consciousness” or Brahman and the spiritual means everything related to the “Pure Consciousness” or Brahman.

Student:  Please tell me more about Brahman or Pure Consciousness.

Teacher:  As I told you before, Rishis, Sages, and Saints realized that Brahman or Pure Consciousness alone appears as the whole universe. The following analogies can give you some idea of that expression.

Imagine an ocean. In the ocean there are various kinds of waves arise and merge back into the ocean. All these waves are nothing but the water of the ocean. Similarly, the Brahman or Pure Consciousness is appearing as various things of the universe; the sun, the moon, the planets, the stars, the earth, and all beings and the matter on the earth.

On a beach of an ocean, kids make various things from the sand. They look different and one can give them different names, but they are nothing but the sand.

Let us see another analogy.  Several ornaments are made from gold like a necklace, ring, earrings, bracelet, and others. All the ornaments look different and have different names, but they are nothing but the gold. The gold appears as different ornaments.

From clay, one can make the sun, the moon, the planets, the stars, the earth, people, animals, houses, mountains, the whole universe, but it is all clay. Children make many things out of Play-Doh. These things look different and we can give them different names, but it is all Play-Doh!

Have you seen a wax museum? It has varieties of people, but it is all wax. Similarly, One Brahman is appearing as varieties of objects and beings of the universe.

Student:  Wow! What an experience! Whoever had such an experience feels that the whole universe is “One”.  With that experience, one feels that he/she is related to all. More correctly, one can feel that “everything in the universe is the extension of Myself”. Such a person feels connected with everyone. If I find out that a boy or a girl whom I meet is a son or a daughter of my beloved Uncle or Aunty, then I feel great joy meeting him or she and I feel a loving bondage between two of us.  With that experience, no one remains a stranger in the universe.

Can I have that experience?  Is it true that such experience is exclusively for Rishis, or Sages, or Saints and not for all people?

Teacher:  Rishis, Sages, and Saints who had experienced this fact tell us that anyone who follows a proper guideline that they had followed can have that experience. It is not exclusively for selected people.  In science books, it has been described that a certain way hydrogen and oxygen are combined then it produces water. If anyone anywhere in the world follows this method, then he/she can produce water. Similarly, if one follows proper guidelines, then one can have that experience. There are people living now who have such an experience. They do not advertise about their experience. Such people are humble. Only people who had such experience or those who are sincerely trying to have that experience can know them.

Sri Ramakrishna had an intense desire to realize this truth through the worship of Mother Kali. He spent days and moths worshipping Mother Kali, singing Her glories, meditating, and crying like a child who was separated from his mother in order to have Her vision. One day he even thought that his life is useless without this vision. Then, he realized this truth.

In Sri Ramakrishna’s biography, we can find such vision described in his own words: “…suddenly the blessed Mother revealed Herself. The buildings with their different parts, the temple, and everything else vanished from my sight, leaving no trace whatsoever, and in their stead, I saw a limitless, infinite, effulgent Ocean of Consciousness. As far as the eye could see, the shining billows were madly rushing at me from all sides with a terrific noise, to swallow me up!… What was happening in the outside world I did not know; but within me, there was a steady flow of undiluted bliss, altogether new…”

Later, on many occasions in the state of Samadhi (the same experience – Being One with Brahman) he realized that Pure Consciousness has become the whole universe. He guided his young disciple Narendra (later known as Swami Vivekananda) to have this experience and encouraged him to serve all beings seeing God (Pure Consciousness) in them.

Sri Ramakrishna’s experiences matched with what has been described in the Vedas.

Student:  Should I then study all the Vedas in order to have such an experience?

Teacher:  You can study the Vedas if you have time. But, know that each Veda consists of four parts (1) the Samhitas (consists of hymns), (2) the Brahmanas (deal with rituals), (3) the Aranyakas (theologies) and (4) the Upanishads (philosophies). The Upanishads deal with the fundamental questions of life, like “is there life after death?”, “By whose power, everything is working?”, “What is the most important knowledge?”, “What is the goal of life?”, “What is the Ultimate Reality?”, “What is the nature of an individual?”, “What is the nature of the universe?”, and others.

The culmination of the truths of the Vedas or we can say the essence of the Vedas is called “The Vedanta Philosophy”. Shri Shankaracharya wrote commentaries on the following books (called Prashtanatraya) and out of the truths of these books he systematically developed “Advaita Philosophy” which became the foundation of “The Vedanta Philosophy”.

(1) The Upanishads: In the Upanishads, we find the Vedic thought and quest for the Ultimate Reality reaches its culmination and is known as the Vedanta. Shri Shankaracharya wrote commentaries on the following ten Upanishads: Isha, Katha, Kena, Mundaka, Mandukya, Prashna, Brihadaranyaka, Chhandogya, Aitareya, and Taittiriya.  Some also include Svetasvatara Upanishad as the eleventh important Upanishad.

(2) Brahma Sutras: This book consists of 555 sutras or formulas. It systematized on a rational basis the various spiritual revelations and realizations of the Rishis that are recorded in the Upanishads and strings them together into a coherent philosophy of Brahman, the Ultimate Reality.

(3) The Bhagavad Gita: This book consists of 700 shlokas. It is a part of the great epic Mahabharata written by Shri Vyasa. It gives the practical expression to the Vedanta Philosophy by showing the paths to the realization of the Ultimate Reality. It also brings our everyday life into harmony with the truths of the Vedanta Philosophy.

Student:  Then, I must study the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, and the Brahma Sutras.

Teacher:  Yes, you may study in that order. There are also several Saints and Sages who have realized the Ultimate Reality, and we can learn many things from studying their lives and teachings too.

I want to share my personal experience with you that the lives and teachings of Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi, and Swami Vivekananda helped me to understand the truths of the Vedanta Philosophy and made the philosophy more practical. From their lives, we can learn how to apply the truths of the Vedanta Philosophy in our day-to-day life and realize the Ultimate Reality. The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna, the teachings of Holy Mother, and Swami Vivekananda’s lectures help us understand the Vedanta Philosophy in the language of this time.

Student:  I love reading biographies. I will definitely read the lives and teachings of Sri Ramakrishna, Holy Mother Sri Sarada Devi, and Swami Vivekananda.

Teacher:  It will be good for you.

Student:  You told me that Brahman is the common ground of all beings and matter in the universe and that Brahman has become everything. Is there one word which can tell me about the nature of Brahman, the Pure Consciousness, or the Ultimate Reality?

Teacher:  It is very difficult to describe Brahman.

Sri Ramakrishna said that everything in this universe has become “Jutha”, meaning half-eaten by the mouth, but Brahman has not become “Jutha”. What he meant that we can describe limited things through our mouth, but infinite Brahman cannot be described by our mouth.

Sri Ramakrishna again said that one cannot put ten gallons of milk in a one-gallon container.  Whatever our mind grasps is limited. Our finite mind cannot comprehend something infinite. We can realize Brahman and become one with it, but that time we are not separate from Brahman. In order to comprehend an object, we have to be different from the object.

Knowing this difficulty in describing Brahman, the Rishis gave a hint to grasp a sense of Brahman. They said that Brahman is Sat-Chit-Ananda, the Existence Absolute, the Awareness (Knowledge) Absolute and the Bliss Absolute. We can say that Brahman is the support of our existence, the basis of our awareness which gives us knowledge, and the source of all our happiness.

Student:  Thank you for your guidance.

Teacher:  Now, reflect upon what you had learned today. We will continue to learn further about the Vedanta Philosophy and make our life meaningful and blissful.

(Thanks to Sheela Krishnan for editing this post.)