THE IMMORTAL OBSERVER (Part-3)

If you haven’t read the first two parts of this article then, I recommend you to read those first for better understanding of the subject.  Read here –: Part-1, Part-2

8^th verse says -:

“Iya mātmā parā nandaḥ para premāspadaṁ yataḥ,

mā na bhūvaṁ hi bhūyā sam iti premāt manī kṣyate”||8||

Explanation-:

The objective of the verse says -: We ourselves as the source of our own greatest joy.

Let us go into the arguments.

First we need to understand the concept of happiness and unhappiness.

From the figure (fig.-1) below; we can understand that when we are happy with something we tend to like that object and as we like that object we want to be with that object.

The object can be anything; it can be a person, a smart phone, a dress of specific brand etc.

For example -: if some new  smart phone launch into the market with some new features ; some people start buying that mobile phone because they like the phone and its features and  it makes them feel happy. 

Therefore, after buying that smart phone they tend to cling to it and wherever they go, they used to take it with them and gave it utmost care.

A quite similar phenomenon happens when we are unhappy with some object, i.e., unhappiness leads to disliking and when we dislike any object we want to get rid of it as soon as possible.

For example -: The same person who used to give utmost care to his phone will eventually get bored with that when a new smart phone with more features come into the market. The disliking towards the old phone makes him feel unhappy and unsatisfied and therefore the person wants to get rid of the old smart phone by replacing it with the newly launched smart phone.

This also happens in case of relationships also.

But, the verse here says that-: There exists one thing which nobody wants to get rid of ever and that thing is “oneself” or, “I”.

Yes; no one wants to get rid of “oneself (himself/herself)”.

Now, one may ask; if this is the case, then “how can you justify cases of suicides?”

Here is the explanation-:

There exists a cause behind suicides and the moment that “cause” will be omitted from his/her life, nobody will ever want to commit suicide.

The causes of suicides may be;

• Object or, Object of experience -: Poverty, Unable to pay debt, a girl (girlfriend/wife), a boy (boyfriend/husband) etc.
• Observer or, The body -: Pain, sickness etc.
• Mind -: Depressions, tensions etc.

Therefore, if we carefully look at these causes, then, we can find that nobody will ever want to commit suicide if his/her associated cause (poverty, sickness etc.) will go away.

                         Hence, in natural course of events; nobody wants to get rid of oneself. So, when, someone never wants to get rid of something, then, it means he/she always wants to hold on to it, i.e., they like it.

Therefore, if I always like myself then, I will be a source of joy to myself. This explains that, I am the source of permanent happiness to myself.

9^th verse says -:

“Tat premāt mārtham anyatra naiva manyārtha mātmanah,

atasat paramaṁ tena paramā nandata’tmanaḥ”||9||

Explanation-:

In the previous verse we are able to know that “I am the source of happiness to myself” and In this verse we will know that “I am not only the source of happiness but, I am the source of greatest happiness to myself”.

Here is the explanation-:

From the below figure (fig-2), it can be understood that;

“The mother” loves her “child” who loves his “toy” very much.

If someone take away the “toy” from the child then, child will become unhappy and will start crying and as the mother loves her child, she can’t tolerate this.

Therefore, “mother” also loves “toy” for the sake of “child”. Thus, “Mother” also loves the “toy” belonging to her “child”.

It is also true that; Mother’s love for the toy is much less than that of her child because it is her child who makes the toy important for the mother.

Similarly, in this verse; it has been said that-: “EVERYTHING IS LOVED FOR ONESELF AND ONESELF IS NOT LOVED FOR ANYTHING ELSE”.

This may sound “selfish” but, actually it is the concept of “not being selfish” because, even a social worker and/or; a martyr, who is sacrificing himself/herself for the sake of country or, welfare of humanity is not because they dislike it, but, they like doing it and it gives them happiness.

For illustration; take this sentence of a mother -:

“I LOVE MY CHILD BECAUSE HE GIVES ME HAPPINESS “or, “I FEEL HAPPY TO LOVE MY CHILD”.

Notice here; a mother loves her child as the child makes her happy.

Maybe, we never thought like this previously but, If we think closely; everything is loved for the sake of self and self is never loved for anything else.
                       Therefore, if we look at our ranking then, it is “I/self” which not only gives us “permanent happiness” but also “greatest happiness”.

The most honest answer once given by “Swami Vivekananda”, when he was asked by a person that, why did he became a monk?

Swami Vivekananda

Swami Ji answered -: I became a monk because I like it, maybe, I am doing work for you and serving my country, but all these makes ME happy.”

That permanent and greatest happiness/joy that we got from previous arguments is called as “ANANDA”.

10^th verse says -:

“Itthaṁ saccitparānanda ātmā yuktyā tathāvidham,

paraṁ brahma tayoś caikyaṁ śrutyan teṣū padiśyate”||10||

Explanation-:

In the verse, it says -: By series of arguments & reasoning alone (Which meaning of “yuktyā tathāvidham”) we found that -:

“I AM THAT UNCHANGING CONSCIOUSNESS (CHIT), WHICH HAS AN INTRINSIC EXISTENCE (SAT) AND HAS A NATURE OF ULTIMATE BLISS (PERMANENT & GREATEST JOY, I.E., ANANDA)”

In Sanskrit, it can be termed as “SAT-CHIT-ANANDA” and so in the verse it is termed as “saccitparānanda”.

Again, the verse says -:  As per Upanishads “GOD IS SAT-CHIT-ANANDA”

In the verse; the word “Upanishads” is termed as “śrutyan teṣū” . 

This is because-:

Śrutyan teṣū = Śruti + Anta = Veda + Anta = Vedanta = Upanishads

{“Vedas” are also called as “Srutis” and the other name of “Upanishads” is “Vedanta”. Refer Part-1}

And also the phrase “paraṁ brahma tayoś caikyaṁ” means “Brahman is ultimate reality” or, “Brahman is Sat-Chit-Ananda”. Here the word “Brahman” means “God”.

Again we found that -: “I am Sat-Chit-Anand”.

Therefore, it can be concluded that;

Brahman = God = Universal self = Individual self = I = Atman

Hence; Adi Sankaracharya said -: “Aham Brahmosmi” which means “I am Brahman (God)”.

Just like the water in glass is not different from the water in an ocean; similarly the true nature of self is not different than God.

Extra notes-:

It is the ignorance (Maya) which makes us feel that we are the summation of our body and mind but, when this ignorance will be removed one can know the true nature of self; which is “Sat-Chit-Anand”.

Legends like “Adi Shankaracharya”, “Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha)” etc. were able to remove this ignorance and hence got “Enlightenment”.

Well, anyone can attain enlightenment and can remove this ignorance if they follow any of the four paths prescribed below by the Upanishads and they are -:

1. Jyana Yoga (Path of knowledge)
2. Raja Yoga/ Dhyana Yoga (Path of meditation)
3. Bhakti Yoga (Path of devotion)
4. Karma Yoga (Path of duty)

To know what these yoga means and how to practice stay tuned to this website and also you can purchase separate books for each yoga from “Ramakrishna mission” near you. It was written by Swami Vivekananda.

I collected this information from various books and lectures of Swami Sarvapriyanand (Monk in Ramakrishna mission, USA)


Go to -: Part-1, Part-2


Thank you
Quantum X