All Is Truth-Part II

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Thus, three kinds of relationships with Truth are possible as explained in the Ramayana, where Hanuman, the greatest devotee of Shri Ramachandra, describes his relationship with Sri Ramachandara.

Hanuman says, "0 Lord, at moments when I am steeped in my body consciousness, I am thy slave; when I identify myself with the mind and intellect (as ajiva), I am a part of Thee; and when I am in my svarupa (natural form, or essence) as the Spirit, I am Thyself".

Hence our relationship with the absolute can be explained in three different ways according to the level of our identification with ourselves. There are moments when even the greatest seer is conscious of the sorrows of physical pain and the inclemency of outer elements. At such moments, even the realized master (jnam), falls prostrate at the feet of the Lord and mentally seeks the Lord's mercy. Again, there are moments when the jnani is conscious of some inner mental agitation or irresistible emotional outburst or high intellectual flight and recognizes within himself a might and a power almost equivalent to that of the Lord.

It is only during the rare moments of bliss and peace in Samadhi, when the Jnani has completely moved himself from the false outer covering of matter to the subtlest of the subtle spirit within, that the Jnani recognizes his true nature and cries forth "Shivoham,Shivoham, Iam That" the individual and the absolute constitute 'One Perfect Whole'. It must therefore be noted that all of these three relationships of man with Truth are not competitive and contradictory theories, but that each explains a necessary stage all must pass through on the slow pilgrimage to the peak of perfection.

It is only the so called intellectual pundits who quarrel and seek to establish the one or the other declaration and fight over them. In fact, the moment we step onto the path of sadhana (spiritual practices), we will realize that these three points of view are like three wayside inns for the spiritual pilgrims to rest and proceed ahead.

Every pilgrim must first visit Shri Hanuman, from whence he proceeds ahead to worship Shri Rama, and then alone can he reach the portals of Vedanta and recognize himself to be none other than Shri Shankara himself, the one Supreme Truth. Let us therefore put a stop to our misunderstandings. Let us embark on the pilgrimage and see for ourselves what our relationship is with the 'Absolute'

About the author

Swami Chinmayananda

Swami Chinmayananda the great master's lectures were an outpour of wisdom. He introduced the Geetha Gnana Yagna. He wrote a lot of books on spirituality, commentaries to Vedantic texts, children books etc. He then started spreading His teachings globally.....