Forms of Kripa - Atma Kripa (Continued)

In my last post, we tried to look at the message Shri Krishna, the Jagadguru, may have had for us in the context of Atma Kripa - backing oneself

The more we understand the aspect of Atma Kripa, we appreciate its merit and the important role it plays in Mumukshutwam - the yearning for liberation. 

Mumukshutwam is a stage in the journey of a Jiva, which is reached through a process of maturing, achieved by closely examining ones experiences. By proper Viveka or discrimination.

There are four categories that we can classify Astikaas - people for whom the Vedas are the primary sources of knowledge, in the context of Mumukshutwam. They are:

1. Amumukshus - People who don't want Moksha

2. Manda Mumukshus - People in whom the desire for Moksha is very feeble. Moksha is one among their goals in life. Probably the least priority, yet featuring in their goals list.

3. Madhyama Mumukshus - People in whom the desire for Moksha is the top priority. This mindset is a result of intense Pareeksha -examining their experiences and having a fairly good understanding of the permanent and ephemeral.

4. Teevra Mumukshus - People for whom Moksha is not only the topmost priority, but the only goal of life.

Let us try to examine each of these personalities.....

Amumukshus

These people are, to start with, Astikas, in that they have Veda Praamaanya Buddhi. They value the Vedas and its teachings and have the virtue of Shraddhaa. That the subject matter of the Vedas is the four Purushaarthaas - human goals, namely, Dharma - righteous living, Artha - seeking security , Kaama - seeking sense pleasures and Moksha - seeking freedom from Samsara, claiming ones true nature that is Ananda. (topics that we will look into later), is known to them.

This being so, they are interested only in Artha and Kama. Clearly not interested in Moksha - it not being seen anywhere on their goal radar!

Empty Goal Radar!

The Vedas understand the outlook of such people and encourages them to pursue their goals. One can observe the play of Ishwara Kripa clearly even at this level.
The Vedas are called Apaurusheya - a body of knowledge not derived by the human intellect.
They have been given out by Ishwara for the benefit of mankind. Clearly proving the hand of Ishwara.

Manda Mumukshus

The Vedic vision is that every human being must achieve the purpose of his or her birth, that is, achieving the highest Purushaartha, namely Moksha. For the Vedas teach.....

इह चॆदवॆदीदथ सत्यमस्ति न चॆदिहावॆदीन्महती विनष्टि: |
भूतॆषु भूतॆषु विचित्य धीराः प्रॆत्यास्माल्लॊकादमृता भवन्ति ||

An important Mantra that occurs in the Kena Upanishad (Saama Veda)- Chapter 2, mantra 5. The first line clearly says that if a person (human being) gets Atma Jnyanam - Self-Knowledge here, he / she is indeed fortunate. He who does not make it, loses the Infinite. 

With this in mind, it recommends that the individual, in addition to pursuing Artha and Kama, by performing Kaamya Karmas - selfish activities, they should also include Nitya, Vihita or Niyata karmas (compulsory, selfless activities) that form the core of Karma Yoga (a topic we will analyse later).

Since the individual is endowed with Astikya buddhi, he is confident that the Vedas, will definitely guide him correctly. With utmost Shraddha and Bhakti, he pursues the Vedic injunctions to the best of his capacity. After a while he finds that among other goals, the goal of Moksha - the search for Permanent Peace and Security - begins to feature on his goals list. It could be the 2,399th goal,

Hooray! Moksha on Radar!

at the end of his list! Hooray! Moksha is on the Radar!

At this point, I am reminded of the formula for Happiness that Swami Chinmayananda used to interestingly present, which is oft quoted by my Guru Swami Paramarthananda. 

HAPPINESS = number of desires fulfilled / number of desires!

It will be interesting to dwell on this equation a little. Let us assume that the denominator (number of desires) is 10. Let us also assume that in the numerator there is one desire that is fulfilled. Therefore, the degree of Happiness is 1/10. Progressing in this manner, when more desires are fulfilled, the happiness factor becomes 2/10, 3/10 etc, and finally 10/10, which is 1! ONE WHOLE HAPPINESS! Unfortunately, things are not as simple as they appear! 

As even desires get fulfilled in the numerator, there are more desires that get added to

the denominator! This means that the factor of happiness has gone from 1/10 to 1/20! which is a

far smaller number! Thus to the utter dismay of the person concerned, he has become 

more unhappy than happy! If the person is intelligent enough at this stage, he is likely to stop himself and think about it. If not, God, definitely takes him through a few more such experiences and teaches him that the level of happiness from experiences in life is infinitesimal. On account of his practice of Karma Yoga, he begins to, although feebly, think about the situation that he is in. He begins the process of examining his experiences. This is truly because of the Punyam - merits gained due to the practice of selfless actions. The desire for Moksha, begins to gain ground! It moves up the ladder! It gradually consumes (overtakes) the other desires one-by-one. It becomes a Bakaasura! - a demon known for his ravenous hunger.

Madhyama Mumukshu

On account of the diligent practice of Karma Yoga, he begins to accrue a lot of Punyam. He is able to feel the Grace of God, working in his life. His pace of life calms down, a certain serenity sets in, resulting in a closer and closer examination of his own life. A serene mind is always a learning mind. His quest for Moksha becomes more and more intense until Moksha has consumed all his other desires and has reached the top of his desire list! Even so, he is still a Madhyama Mumukshu!

Teevra Mumukshu 

The seeker of Moksha, has now matured, through a process of intense Viveka - Discrimination between what is ephemeral and what is relatively permanent, in terms of the peace and security he experiences, even at the Karma Yoga stage. He begins to achieve Vairayam - Dispassion towards the impermanent. His mind automatically gravitates more and more towards the permanent. At this stage, his yearning for Moksha is all consuming that it not only is his top priority, but the only priority! Phew! what a journey! He is a Teevra Mumukshu, Thank God! Of Course! It is Ishwara Kripa in action!

Thus, we have established the role that Ishwara Kripa plays in the aspects of Manushyatwam and Mumukshutwam. What remains is how Ishwara Kripa plays a role in the aspect of Mahaa-Purusha-Samshraya, which we will try to explore in the next post.

Aham Vande

Forms of Kripa - Atma Kripa

In my earlier post of the current series - Forms of Kripa - I had written about the role of Ishwara Kripa - God's blessing proving to be significant in deciding three aspects, namely, Manushyatwam - human birth, Mumukshutwam - the intense yearning for liberation and Maha-Purusha-Samshraya - association with a Guru who is a Brahmajnani.

Of these three aspects, I had dealt with Manushyatwam and mentioned that I would take up the topic of Atma Kripa in the current post.

I felt that the topic of Atma Kripa - compassion or blessing of oneself, represented by the aspect of Free Will, would be a logical extension of Manushyatwam, as human beings alone are gifted with a Buddhi - discerning intellect, by which he can exercise the faculty of choice, setting him heads and shoulders above the rest of creation.

I propose to weave the aspect of Mumukshutwam within this current topic of Atma Kripa.

It is a  consequence of a mental disposition, that is given to deep discernment between the permanent and impermanent - and choosing the permanent. A mental disposition that is founded on Sad Karmah - Good actions, Sad Gunah - Good qualities and Sad Bhavanah - Right attitudes.

The aspect of Maha-Purusha-Samshraya - association with a Brahmajnana Guru, I will deal with under the topic of Guru Kripa

=========================================================================

I now seek to present the current topic Atma Kripa

Shrimad Bhagawad Geetha spans 18 Adhyaayaas or chapters and is divided into three Shatkas - three sections, each of which contains 6 Adhyaayaas. 





The following significant verse, occurs in the Prathama Shatka - first section of 6 chapters, in fact the concluding 6th Adhyaaya of the section, namely, Dhyaana Yoga

Here, Shri Krishna emphasises the importance of self-effort, not only from the standpoint of 'doing' what needs to be done, but also the attitude that one must hold towards oneself.

It would be interesting to examine closely what Shri Krishna is conveying through His message.

1. To maintain a healthy self-opinion - The assessment stage - leading to an unconditional acceptance of ones current situation (especially when the assessment is not very conducive, which we shall see later in the post)

2. The Importance of Free Will - The action stage

Let us try and analyse the above points.

Maintaining a healthy self-opinion - The assessment stage

A healthy self-opinion immediately implies, maintaining a balanced approach about ones capabilities. It is important that we have a proper understanding of our strengths and weaknesses. This requires an introspective bent of mind, an available mind, and quality time spent. During these sessions, an honest assessment of where we stand, can provide us insights on the actions that need to be taken.

Improving upon our strengths by bolstering them with additional effort if required, and weeding out the weaknesses, if any, gradually, without self-deprecation. It is important that one takes care that the positives do not drift the mind into a superior mode, nor do the negatives into an inferior mode.

I am reminded of a popular analogy that is used in our Puranas - ancient literature - Samudra Mathanam - a process of churning the ocean that the Devas and Asuras undertook, which resulted in several positives such as Kalpatharu - the wish fulfilling tree, Amrutham - the nectar of relative immortality as also the Hala Hala poison! The positives and negatives!

The importance of Free Will - The action stage

The next step is to look at what needs to be done. Having assessed ourselves healthily, the next step is to act, like a sculptor would on the image he is carving.

A look into Newton's laws of motion would help our understanding, especially Newton's first law, namely the Law of Inertia.

Sir Isaac Newton FRS PRS (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27^[a]) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, theologian, and author (described in his own day as a "natural philosopher") who is widely recognised as one of the most influential scientists of all time, and a key figure in the scientific revolution. His book Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica ("Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy"), first published in 1687, laid the foundations of classical mechanics.  

Inertia!

Newton's First Law - The Law of Inertia 

It states, 

Every body continues in its state of rest or uniform motion, unless acted upon by an external force, to change its state of rest or uniform motion. 

This simply means that things cannot start, stop or change direction all by themselves. It requires some force acting on them from the outside to cause such a change. While this concept seems simple and obvious to us today, in Newton's time it was truly revolutionary.

Action on the positives

The positives - Daivi Sampat (as Shri Krishna defines it in Chapter 16 of Shrimad Bhagawad Geetha) that result out of the 'honest' assessment, need to be protected and nurtured, in order to prevent slipping back. There are few key prescriptions in our Shaastras that come to mind, which if used diligently, can promote the preservation of Daivi Sampat.

1. Pancha Maha Yagnyas (these will be dealt with in a separate context)

2. Patanjali Maharshi's Ashtaanga Yoga, especially Steps 1 and 2, namely, Yamas (the don'ts) and Niyamas (the dos), masterfully taught by my Guru, Swami Paramarthananda, as The Ten Commandments of Hinduism!

Can Newton's Law of Inertia find application here, in the context of Daivi Sampat? one may ask. A relook at the definition of the law, will bear it out. Yes, it does say, a body remains in its state of rest or uniform motion - this may lead to the feeling that once a Daivi Sampatti always a Daivi Sampatti, leading to a state of complacency. This is where we need to wisely look at the rest of the definition - unless compelled by an external force, to change the state of rest or uniform motion! Here, the external force could be in the form of negative tendencies, dark forces! creeping into the system, if one is not alert.

Hence the role of Atma Kripa - or grace from oneself, becomes significant in the maintenance of Daivi Sampat or positives.

Action on the negatives

Having assessed oneself, it is possible, just like in the Samudra Mathanam analogy above, that negative characteristics may emerge. Here is where one needs to be careful, careful not to get overwhelmed by the findings and not self deprecate.

If one is not watchful and alert, the arise of these tendencies could lead to a sense of, Helplessness, Anger, Frustration and Depression (HAFD) - as explained by Guru Swami Paramarthananda.

It is in fact, addressing such people, through Arjuna, Shri Krishna designs the message of the above Geetha verse.

Aatmaanam na Avasaadayet - Do not self-deprecate

He wishes to reassure them that with proper application of Free Will, a result of Atma Kripa, one can lift oneself from such negative tendencies, Asuri Sampat (As taught by Shri Krishna in Chapter 16 of Shrimad Bhagawad Geetha)

Newton's Law of Inertia comes handy here too! Again, applying the two parts of the law diligently,

Part 1 - Every body continues to stay in its state of rest or uniform motion - this could be taken by people with negative tendencies that nothing can really be done about it and that it is their fate etc (a never ending debate - Whether Fate or Free Will?!)

But.....a BIG but at that!

here is where the next part of the Law becomes their friend, if they look at it that way!

Part 2: Unless compelled by an external force to change that state of rest or uniform motion!

Some of the External Forces that could be employed are:

1. Prarthana - A sincere prayer to the Lord, seeking his blessings to help effect the change for the good.

2. Sankalpa - A firm resolve to change for the better.

3. Satsang - Company of the noble

4. Viveka - Discrimination - assessing the effect of the negative quality on ones life

5. Pratipakshabhavana - maintaining the opposite trend of thought (positivity)

(I will strive to write more on the above areas in a future post!)

Shri Krishna says in the verse above, Uddharet Atmanaatmaanam, lift yourself by yourself (by self effort), using any of the methods mentioned above.

Raise yourself, as Poojya Gurudev, Swami Chinmayananda would say, from being an Animal Man to Man-Man to God-Man!

Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati (born Balakrishna Menon; 8 May 1916 – 3 August 1993) was a Hindu spiritual leader and a teacher who inspired the formation of Chinmaya Mission, a worldwide nonprofit organisation,

Swami Chinmayananda

to spread the knowledge of Advaita Vedanta, the non-dual system of thought found in the Upanishads, which epitomise the philosophical teachings of the Vedas.

Thus the aspect of Atma Kripa is as important, in fact the most important of the four Kripas, the other three - Ishwara Kripa, Shaastra Kripa and Guru Kripa being available for the asking - proper asking.

Guru Swami Paramarthananda would ingeniously bring about the connect between Ishwara Kripa and Atma Kripa, in life's journey, with the following example:

Swami Paramarthananda

Imagine a train journey that involves a steep climb through mountains. I am reminded here of the travel between Mumbai and Pune, when we were young. There would be an engine attached in the front of the carriages and one at the rear. The power of both engines being required to traverse the demanding terrain.

Swamiji would equate the engine in front that's pulling, to our Prayatna or effort, Atma Kripa, and the engine behind, pushing, to Ishwara Kripa!

Forms of Kripa - Ishwara Kripa

Kripa or Grace is a very significant word, that signifies a sense of compassion, a sense of blessing.

In this series - Forms of Kripa - we will examine four forms of Kripa, namely,

1. Ishwara Kripa - God's compassion and blessing
2. Atma Kripa - Compassion and blessing of oneself
3. Shastra Kripa - Shaastra's compassion and blessing
4. Guru Kripa - compassion and blessing of ones Guru.

To start with we will examine, Ishwara Kripa

There is a verse in Shri Adi Sankara's famous work, 

Vivekachudamani - The Crest Jewel of Discrimination - that runs thus:

The above verse says that Ishwara Kripa is indispensable for three blessings that are verily rare, to materialise in a Jiva's (living being's) Yatra, (journey), namely: Manushyatwam (Human Birth), Mumukshutwam (the intense yearning for liberation from a life of becoming) and Maha-Purusha-Samshraya (the association with a realised soul, a teacher of Brahmajnanam).

Ishwara Kripa is a subtle idea, which is termed Adrishtam - literally that which is beyond the ken of human senses. It requires that ones mind be sensitised through a process of cognitive change, resulting out of awareful living. Sensitivity is achieved by choosing to live a life of Dharma, or righteousness, abiding by the code of conduct set out by primary sources of knowledge belonging to any culture.

In Hindu culture, Vedas are considered to be our Upajivyapramanam - Primary Sources of Knowledge. Any person who conducts his life, abiding by the injunctions of the Vedas, is said to be an Astika. Astikyam, or the quality of being an Astika, includes an attitude of Shraddha - the knowledge that our primary sources of knowledge have validity built into them. 

We will examine the aspect of Ishwara Kripa, in the context of the following, to start with:

Manushyatwam, or human birth, and in this context, to be endowed with a sensitive intellect is indeed a rare achievement, considering the 84 Lakh species in God's creation! It is a complex configuration that results having been paid for with the currency of Punyam (a unique concept in Vedic culture), simply understood as merits gained through righteous living. Ishwara, considered to  be the Karma Phala Dhata, the bestower of the results of our actions, blesses us with an appropriate body, in this case a human body. This is the ideal vehicle or boat that needs to be used to cross Samsara - the ocean of transmigration. 

There are two verses, one in Sanskrit and the other in Tamil, oft quoted by my illustrious teacher, Swami Paramarthananda, that bear out the importance of this rare phenomenon of human birth.

The Tamil song: 

Courtesy: http://narayanmurti.com/4_38_nanndhavanathil.php
I am reproducing the contents of the above page here, with all due respect to the authors of the content, being used purely with the intention of sharing the depth of Indian culture with humanity.

Gardener

"Nandhavanathil Or Aandi Avan
Naalaaru maathamai Kuyavanai Vendi
Kondu Vandhan Oru Thondi
Adhai Koothadi Koothadi Pottudaithaandi"

Siddhar Paadalgal is a very significant philosophical part of Tamil Devotional literature. They are centuries old, and extremely popular throughout Tamilnadu.. They were sung extemporaneously by wandering minstrels, who were realised souls. They communicated the fundamental truths of our shastras in a language the common man could understand and relate to.

Superficial meaning

The superficial meaning would look funny. It means that a poor man in the garden begged for a pot for ten months from the potter. He gets it finally, but the poor man carelessly misused the pot and  broke it. But there is an esoteric angle to it, which we will look into after understanding the meaning of the individual words. 

Nandhavam - Garden, Earth
Oru - one
Aandi - Man without any possessions (a poor man, beggar)
Avan - He
Naalaaru - Naalu + Aaru - Four + Six that is ten
Maatham - Month
Kuyavan - Potter, Creator
Vendi - Beg, Ask, Pray
Kondu - Bring
Vandhan - Refers to the Aandi
Oru - One
Thondi - Pot, Container
Adhai - Pronoun referring the pot
Koothadi - Play
Pottu - Drop
Udaithaan - Broke

Meaning

The actual meaning is as follows. Nandhavam means the Earth and Aandi refers to the human. A human born on the face of the Earth garden, comes empty handed, therefore is a poor man. He comes into existence on this earth after ten months. These ten months are interpreted as the human praying to the creator (God) for a physical body, human birth, on this Earth garden. His body is being referred to here as the pot that holds his life - the Potter being God. This penance of his is wasted if he fritters away this blessing, by not valuing it and not using it for the purpose it was meant for.

The greatness of this song is that it conveys a profound message using a simple analogy. 

Thus the importance of Ishwara's Kripa, or grace in the context of Manushyatwam is clearly borne out. It is for us to understand this blessing, and seek the path to Moksha or liberation from a cycle of limitations and the resulting lack of fulfillment.

This is the subject of focus for the topic of Mumukshutwam, which will be dealt with under the topic of Atma Kripa - ones own grace that is required for the Jiva Yatra - which I propose to address in my next blog.

AhamVande

Keywords:

Vivekachudamani, Ishwara Kripa, Jiva Yatra, Manushyatwam, Mumukshutwam, Maha-Purusha-Samshraya, Brahmajnanam, Adrishtam, Dharma, Upajivyapramanam, Astika, Astikyam, Shraddha, Punyam, Karma Phala Dhata, Samsara, Siddhar Paadal, Atma Kripa

Credits: 

Shri Dakshinamurthy: Picture shot at home of a photo frame bought from Sastraprakasika, a library run by my Guru, Swami Paramarthananda in Chennai. www.yogamalika.org is the website.

Vivekachudamani verse: https://www.arshabodha.org/adiShankara/Vivekachudamani-1.pdf
Gardener: http://moziru.com/images/garden-clipart-male-gardener-7.jpg

Tam Aham Vande

Tam Aham Vande is a very significant expression that one finds in one of the Dhyana Slokas, of Shrimad Bhagawad Geetha, composed by Shri Madhusudhana Saraswathy, a great Advaitin.

Here is the verse:

मूकं करोति वाचालं पङ्गुं लङ्घयते गिरिं ।
यत्कृपा तमहं वन्दे परमानन्द माधवम् ॥

Photo courtesy: http://www.greenmesg.org/stotras/krishna/mukam_karoti_vacalam.php

The verse essentially says, the Grace of the Lord makes the Impossible, Possible. It is both a necessary and sufficient condition.

This spontaneous outpouring of Bhakti bhavana, represented by the expression Tam Aham Vande, is a natural consequence of the conscious recognition of Ishwara's bountiful grace. The sincere Bhakta looks back at his / her life and takes stock of the distance traveled, the height climbed and contrasts it with his personal strength and capabilities. He is astonished at the what he has achieved, and becomes distinctly aware of Ishwara's Kripa, without which he couldn't have ever imagined to accomplish.

Having said this much, I would like to dwell upon the four types of Kripas, Grace, namely, Ishwara Kripa, Shastra Kripa, Guru Kripa and Atma Kripa, which I wish to take up in my next post.....

AhamVande