Approaching Brahma Jnana: The Fundamentals as I have Perceived It

He Krishna Karuna Sindhu, Dino Bandhu, Vishwa Pate

Gopesha, Gopika Kanta, Radha Kanta Namas' tu te

O my Krishna, You are the Ocean of Grace, friend of the distressed and the  source of creation.  You are the master of the gopis and the lover of Radharani.  I offer my respectful obeisances unto You.

Preface

The primary Goal of human life, posit the Upanishads is to attain Moksha.  It is a state of complete liberation or freedom, that is attained through Self-Realization, of knowing and actually living the Truth.  Of being a Jivan-Mukta.

An important question that needs to be answered is Why is Moksha important?  Well it promises what I feel we are all looking for through all our actions --  Cessation of Sorrow and Attainment of the Ultimate and Permanent Bliss.  In other words if you want to be really happy and on a high all the time, go for Self Realization.   

Do we have proofs that it works? Yes, the lives of our great enlightened saints and avatars, like Adi Shankara, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Ramakrishna Pramhansa,  Swami Vivekananda,  Prahamhansa Yogananda, Srila Prabhupada, are shining examples for us for us to get inspired by.  Of course no one should expect to reach that level in a single lifetime but it is also true that this great journey starts with a single step in the right direction. 

An important step in the path to Moksha is Brahma-Jnana, literally the Knowledge of the Absolute.  Before you can live the truth, you have to understand it.  And herein appears a problem: there are so many paths, philosophies, doctrines, rituals and sects that claim to be The One  True path to reach Brahma Jnana.  

Suddenly you are left wondering where to start and which thread to follow. Of course, Bhagavad Gita, is the best blueprint in existence to understand the Truth and I can say with confidence that if one understands those Divine words, no other knowledge is necessary.  However just reading the Gita like a novel is not enough, you have to understand the deep meaning that is hidden in each verse. I have seen people who have just read the Gita without preparation and haven't understood much beyond the words. Why, even after a lifetime of preparation and study, I feel I have just begun to understand what Lord Krishna is telling us through those 700 verses. 

What I try to present here, is the Fundamentals of Truth as I have understood so far and what, I hope, provides a working account of how to approach the core concepts step by step.  It is not the Truth for sure, because that would be beyond my capability to write about. However, I hope, it does contain the pointers to proceed should you choose to seek.  It remains an Work In Progress. Dear reader, I am humbled and honored that you are here and I really cherish this opportunity to share my understanding with you.  May I respectfully suggest that you glance quickly at my previous blog post because this one builds upon the concepts we encountered there.   

The idea here is not to propound a new doctrine, but to understand the Truth that has always been talked about and taught by our great seers. It would be my honor to learn from you, so please do share your thoughts and views in the comments section below. 

Truth as I know it

A picture is worth a thousand words.  If only the great seers who wrote the Upanishads have known this, perhaps advancing towards the truth would have been easier.  In absence of pictures however they left for us the Ithasas and the Puranas, to illustrate the Truth through narratives that were accessible to all.  I digress, so without further ado, let me present the summary of my understanding as a picture.

The Summary in Words

I must apologize if this looks the the architecture diagram of a software system with databases, micro-service and platforms where these service containers may be deployed.  The constructs of my profession have indeed helped me tremendously in understanding the concepts of the Upanishads.  Anyway here's the summary of what I am trying to say through this diagram.  Please do note the hyperlinks are more important then my writing and I would request you follow each of these for the unique perspectives they provide.

Step 1:  Know The One

The Ultimate and Only Reality is Krishna as Brahman.  Described variously as Sat-Chid-Ananda, the Alpha and Omega; one of the most complete description that I have found is Satyam Jnanam Anantam Brahman, in Tattiriya Upanishad explained masterfully by Swami Sarvapriyananda. (Please do see this, it is deeply enlightening).  And if you have grasped what the Swami explained, you can see why there can't be any other existence other than Brahman. Brahman is Advaita, without a second.  He is Satya, the only Truth. We encountered him as Entity 1 in the previous post. Do note that I use the pronoun He out of awe and reverence. Krishna in Brahman form is actually the highest Universal Principle and not a person per se.

Maya is veil or mirror of Space, Time, Causality through which Brahman Projects this manifested creation comprising of numerous worlds, universes, dimensions,  living and non living entities. This illusory, ever changing transient creation is called Jagat. It doesn't have an independent existence but borrows its existence from Brahman. Therefore it is called mithya.   The illusion can be best understood through the stock Vedanta example of Rope and Snake.  The Snake exists only as an error of perception.  Brahman Satyam Jagat Mithya is explained here.

Step 2:  Know Thyself

Jivas are limited manifestations of Brahman who are under the condition of Gunas.  They are the replicas we encountered last time who have appeared inside the Jagat as part of Brahman's Leela or divine play.  They are us, you and I.  They are the amoebas, the platypuses and lions. They also are the high gods,  like Indra, Zeus, Brahma, beings of higher dimensions but still limited by Maya and the Guna, their Karma and the cycles of birth and death that they go through until the point they achieve self realization or Moksha. 

If you want to know the answer to who you really are as a Jiva, there is no better or direct source than the Mandukya Upanishad.  In addition to explain the significance of Aum, it explains the four state of Consciousness.  The three states of Waking, dreaming and deep sleep, which correspond to the Gross body, Subtle body and Casual Body are well known from our own experience. But it also talks of a fourth state, the Turiya, which is the underlying Pure Consciousness that shines forth through the three other states. It is the underlying reality of who we are.  The second must watch video is an explanation of Who am I, explained in the context of Mandukya.

Step 3:  Know thy Lord

Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is non different from Krishna as Brahman. That is how we Jivas perceive Brahman, being on the other side of the big Maya divide.  It is not that Maya has any impact on Krishna and transforms in from one form to other.  Maya in her eternal kindness as the divine mother lets us perceive our Lord Krishna and express our adoration. 

Krishna as the Supersoul is the underlying reality of all existence, the master process inside which all threads exist. This is computer science jargon, but this is how I understood this concept. I found it easier to grasp than understanding the concept of fire that exists inside wood, which is how this very concept is explained in Srimad Bhagavadam.  That masterpiece was of course written in an different era.

Step 4:  Follow a Path

The primary reason of Human birth is to establish connection with Krishna. It is He, who is the Brahman the Absolute, He indeed is the Supreme Lord and indeed   Self Realization is Krishna Consciousness. Krishna Conciousness is Moksha and it is all that matters. Everything else is secondary and honestly not of much importance either. I have always explained it to my friends using the example of going to a Math Class.  If you go to a Math Class, the primary purpose is to understand Math, anything else you do, like arranging your chair, copying the sums in your notebook, playing tic-tak-toe or marbles inside the class, staring outside the window and waiting for lunch break is either secondary supporting activity or complete useless waste of time.  Similarly in the human birth anything that we do other than achieve Krishna Consciousness is either secondary  (going to Vedanta classes, discussing spirituality) or total waste of time (material pursuits as the only goal).

Krishna Consciousness can achieved through Bhakti of Krishna the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Establishing a personal relationship with Krishna gives one the highest level of bliss because nothing that the Jagat has can hold a candle to sheer delight a devotee gets in Krishna-Prem.  The third must watch video is from Vasudev Keshava Prabhu of Iskcon.  Sri Krishna Saranam Mamah is what the heart of the true devotee says.

Krishna Consciousness can be equally well be achieved through Jnana or Knowledge as He says Himself in Bhagavad Gita.  Here the focus is usually to know Krishna the Brahman and see that it Krishna who shines forth through us.  It is not that as Advaitins we think for a moment that we are God.  Our object of spiritual pursuit is our inner Witness Consciousnesses, Atman which is non different from Brahman. We are therefore One with Krishna, One in Him, for there is no second.  That is what is meant by Tat Tvam Asi.  That Thou Art.  That is what is self realization, which is explained masterfully in this fourth must watch video.  This contains the highest knowledge Advaita Vedanta can provide.

There is no difference between these two paths in terms of outcome, but Lord Krishna himself established the supremacy of  Bhakti.  But it is also true that when a Bhakta treads the path of Jnana, the pleasure multiplies manifold because now you know the Object of your love and adoration in a complete new way and realize He is not an object at all, but the sole Subject in which every other object appear, very much like the screen of movie theater upon which every movie plays. 

In my view once one truly understands each of the concepts described above, at an intellectual level, Brahma Jnana is obtained, i.e. one knows the theory.  That means not just surviving my inadequate writing, but following through each of the links that has been provided and all the references they contain until at least in your mind you are able to connect the dots conceptually and make sense of your own identity and your relationship with the Absolute.  

Until that happens, one just needs to go through the concepts again and again. I have seen from my own experience is that just revising what you think you already know gives immense amount of Joy.  And as Lord Krishna himself promised in Gita, none of the effort you spend in spiritual practices is ever wasted.

What happens next?

Depending on the path that appeals to you, the real work or Sadhana starts now.  

The Sadhana suggested in the Bhakti Marg, or the path of Adoration, is making every act and thought a service to the Lord.  Chanting of Mahamantra, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama Hare Hare, is the at once devotional service to the Lord and meditation of the highest order. 

The Sadhana  suggested in the Jnana Marg or the path of Knowledge favoured by the Advaitins is Sravana, Manana, Nididhyasana.  Listening, Understanding, Soaking oneself into the the Truth by repeated meditation.   No one becomes eligible for Jnana Marg however, without having as base on the purifying aspect of Bhakti.  Why would one want to understand something that one doesn't love and adore.

Become ready for any kind of Sadhana, take lifetimes of preparation, for unless our own mind has been purified (chitta suddhi) it is well neigh impossible to come out of the snare of material entanglements that literally entrap our minds, lust, greed, anger etc.   But these can't be wished away so what are we to do?   The scriptures of yore mention four prerequisites for making progress in spiritual life: viveka, vairagya, shat sampat and mumukshutva

Well, for starters start living a good life, pure life. Practice detachment. Understand the basics of Yama, Niyama etc.  Visit temples, listen to talks, associate with devotees and soon through His Grace you will feel the magic of Krishna-prem in your heart. And once that happens, you are well on your way.  No one can achieve liberation without His Grace, be it a Jnani, Yogi or Bhakta, it is His Grace which is supreme and it just takes a little effort to invite that into your life.  

Remember again the goal: freedom from sorrow, attainment of permanent bliss.  If the bliss is to be permanent, you have to be too. So this is the path to Joyous Immortality.  

So there it is.  A super short explanation of the core concept of Brahma Jnana and path to Moksha as I have understood it.

A few words of caution 

Don't expect instant results.  Chances that initially some of this concepts mayn't make sense as well.  I remember the first time I starting to comprehend what Sat-Chid-Ananda meant, I was completely unnerved that the Absolute could also be view as a non-person/non-object. It took a while before the idea settled.  So, if some thing is not clear, read or listen again. Discuss with someone. Meditate. Read up on the lives of great seers. But please don't give up.

There is no ONE right path.  Yatho Math Thatho Path. Step 4 intentionally says Follow a Path, instead of Follow The Path.  The two paths that I have spoken about are the two that I have myself some experience on.  There are other great paths that one could follow such as Raja Yoga, Kriya Yoga etc. However Bhakti supported by Jnana is something that appears to be in harmony with who I am, so that is why I presented this view.

The wisdom of thousands of years can't be understood in 20 years and the knowledge of 20 years can't be put in one blog post.  But I had to put this down as a starting point of an amazing journey, that my dear reader, I hope we are going to undertake together.

Jai Sri Krishna.