The Journey
Our story starts with a wave in the ocean. He is the hero of our story. Let’s name him Greg.
Greg was born in the mid-ocean as a small ripple. Imperceptible initially but holding immense
potential. As a small wave, Greg has
other wave friends and spends time frolicking around the vast ocean. Greg loves
his friends. As time goes on, our little
Greg gathers more water and grows. And
in the process of noticing his own growth, Greg also discovers conceit and
envy. There are some waves that are
bigger than him, he is envious of them.
There are some which are smaller, he feels superior to them and treats
them a little condescendingly.
In general, our Greg is a nice, good-natured wave. Happy go lucky sort of chap who means well, has
faith and devotion to Ocean - the Lord of All waves and is generally liked by
fellow waves.
There are pleasant days and there are stormy days, through all
this Greg grows and travels in and through the ocean, joyful, intoxicated,
unconcerned.
One day he gets up and at a far distance on the horizon
notices something new and different. A long unmoving black ribbon with a thin
white patch towards the bottom that stretched as far as eyes could see. Coming toward him.
***
He called out to his buddy -- “Hey, Warren”
“Yo, Greg”, Warren replied cheerily.
“I spy that big black ribbon, yonder. What be that?”, Greg asked.
“That be the shores of the Holy Puri Dham, Greg ol’
buddy. We all be headed there.”
“Why be that?”, Greg was confused.
“That’d be the end our journey old fella. We shall fall at the
feet of Lord Jagannath on the holy shores.
I will cease to be Warren, and you will cease to be Greg. Our beautiful journey would thus come to an
end. We are lucky that it concludes in
such as amazing place.”
Greg looked with horror at the ribbon inching towards
him. It was already abit closer than a
few minutes earlier. And even though “this shore” was still quite some distance
away, Greg could see wave after wave, in front of him hit the sandy shores and disappeared
into nothingness.
"Help, Ocean
Lord! I’m going to die!" Greg screamed, froth bubbling from his crest in
sheer panic.
He trashed around a bit and tried to change his direction to
go back to the ocean, but much as he tried the shore kept getting closer.
Seeing his turmoil, Warren spoke to him calmly.
“Greg, ol’ buddy, Relax.”
“What do you mean Relax.
We are all going to die. Asking
me to Relax is such a heartless thing to say.
If you know how I can escape this impending death on the shores of Puri,
tell me Warren. Greg whispered, defeated. “Is there no escape?”
“Maybe I should gather some more size, then when I hit the
shore, I will not die. Yes, that’s what
I will do.” He suddenly said in a
resolute manner, more to himself than Warren.
But even as he made the comment, Greg noticed that waves
that were way greater than he could ever be, were crashing and
disappearing.
It was hopeless.
Greg started to cry.
Would Lord Ocean not help him in this time of his need?
***
“You won’t die. Relax”, Warren repeated.
Greg was startled to hear Warren’s voice behind him.
“What do you mean?”, Greg asked.
“There’s a secret. If you know that, it will remove the
sorrow that you feel right now and turn your life into a never-ending
bliss. What’s more, it gives you instant
immortality.”
“Quickly, tell me what it is.” Greg asked with sudden hope and interest.
“Hmmm, tell me who are you”, Warren asked.
“What sort of question is that? You know I am your friend Greg.”
“No, who are you really”
Greg thought a bit and said, “I know what you mean. Ok, I am a wave”
“Ok. Go deeper”
“I am a wave in Indian Ocean. My height is 1.5 meters, and Ocean Lord has
given a crazy friend called Warren who asks me silly questions”, Grey managed a
short laugh even in his state of fear.
“Interesting. Who is this your Ocean Lord of yours?”
“Ocean Lord is our Lord God.
The creator of all waves, including you, Dear Warren. Everything belongs
to Him. He is the ultimate owner of all.
He is infinite and we are infinitesimal.
It is by His grace that we exist and by His laws that we live. Hail
Ocean Lord! Please save me.”
“Good. But go on
please. How is Ocean Lord connected to you”, Warren prodded further.
Greg Paused an instant and continued, “I have always looked
at Ocean as something different, but in my last minutes, I am starting to see I
was never apart from Ocean. Ocean was never far from me. Ocean is the whole and I am the part. Even as I say this, a strange peace envelops
me. Though I know my end is near, it
doesn’t feel like that much like an end. I am part of the Ocean and the Ocean
never ends. Hail Ocean Lord!”
“But you can go deeper still Greg, ol’ fellow. You are still looking at the surface level,
at appearances. Close your eyes and look
inside, look deeper”, Warren’s voice was calm, peaceful.
“Inside?! Wait a minute
…” Greg closed his eyes.
“You and the Ocean. Both are appearances in water. The Water
in the only reality, Greg, That water Thou Art. Tat Tvam Asi.” Warren continued calmly.
On hearing that Greg fell into a deep meditation.
After what seemed like an eternity, but was just a few moments,
Greg opened his eyes, calm and contained.
Warren happily noticed that his friend had achieved enlightenment.
Greg spoke again, but this time quietly, with the wisdom of
the Ocean manifesting through him. “I
see now Warren; I see it all. The water was always the only reality, Greg,
Warren, and all the other waves are just appearances that come and go. The water remains water. Why the Ocean Lord itself is an appearance in
this water, a special appearance of course, but the underlying reality of the
ocean and the waves is just the same water,”
Point to himself, Greg continued, “This small wave Greg, is just
a name and form that appeared transiently. Its only role is to play the part
that Ocean has given it. But in reality,
the wave is just a localized expression of me, the water. I, the water, have no shape, no form, I am
without beginning, without end. Waves
can come and go, it doesn’t matter. But I the water am eternal, I am forever”.
As Greg finished speaking, he and Warren realized that they had
reached the shores of Puri Dham.
With the calmness and surrender to divine will, that can
only come to the enlightened, both the friends prostrated themselves to the
Lord.
“Jai Baba Jagannath”,
they shouted in unison with happiness and bliss.
And with that they stopped being Greg and Warren.
***
The Philosophy
This is my expansion of an example Swami Sarvapriyananda
often cites in his lectures. As examples
go, it explains the underlying concept of Vedanta nicely.
The Wave Greg is the Jiva.
The Ocean is Ishwara. The Water
is Brahman. The journey of Greg is the
journey of Sadhana. Warren is the enlightened teacher, who can come in any
form, here he came as Greg’s friend.
Greg’s journey, if you discern carefully, has four distinct phases.
- At the beginning he is agnostic. He knows Ishwara is there, but he is more concerned with the world and his role here.
- The second stage, he becomes aware of his utter dependence on Ishwara, he realizes the ocean is his Lord. This is philosophy of Dvaita Vedanta.
- The third stage is where he realizes that he is part of the Ishwara. Ishwara is the whole of which he is an infinitesimal part. This is the Philosophy of Visista-advaita Vedanta
- The final stage is when he realizes that in reality, he is Brahman, the One witness consciousness that is the only reality and in which all appears. It is the same Brahman that shines forth through all existence that appears due to the magic of Maya. There was never a separate I. Only Brahman Is.
This realization bestows unto Greg, the best fruit of Sadhana
– Saranagati – Surrender.
Sri Krishna speaks these Glorious words in Bhagavad Gita
BG 18.66: Abandon all varieties of
dharmas and simply surrender unto Me alone. I shall liberate you from all
sinful reactions; do not fear.
Jai Sri Krishna
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