Just as in the case of a rope mistaken for a snake, the rope constitutes the basis; so also for all the creation we see around us, the basis is Paramatma, the Lord. One aspect is to find that reality is covered by something called Avarana. For this process, there are three states of our body, one is the gross body, the other is the subtle body and the third is the causal body. In creation there are two methods - One is the individual purpose and the other is the collective purpose. A tree represents an individual form and the forest indicates the community, the totality of trees. The house is an individual form. A village consisting of several houses is a total form. Here one human body becomes an individual form.
The combination of several such individual forms becomes a total community. Without an individual form, we cannot have a total group form. The most important characteristic of the human form is the blood, the life blood that flows from head to toe. The total life flow that is contained in all the individuals that make up the community gives you the total group. The causal body is the third aspect of the body. The totality of all such forms constitutes the jiva. The totality of the subtle forms is called ‘Hiranyagarbha’. The individual form of the subtle is called Taijasa. The totality of the gross body is called ‘virata’. The individual gross body is ‘Vishva’. The aspect of Atma has been taught to us by presenting one and the same individual in three different forms, the gross, the subtle and the causal form. It has become common for us to hide the connection that exists between the five elements that constitute the basis of creation and of the atma. Because ignorance covers the reality here, it has been called Avarana. This ‘avarana’ is of two kinds. One is called ‘asat’, related to untruth and the other is called Error! Reference source not found. related to wrong ideas. The idea that sprouts from the feeling that the particular thing does not exist is represented by untruth of ‘asat’. If there is a feeling that one does not know whether that particular item exist or does not exist, it is referred to as ‘abhava’. This type of ‘abhava’ is responsible for ‘Samsara. ‘Vikshepa’ is the main path for liberation moksha. ‘manana’ and ‘nidhidhayasana’ are two other processes by which this ignorance of ‘asat’ can be got rid of. ‘Manana’ consists of thinking over or contemplation of what you listen to and Nididhyasana consists of digesting what you have taken in the form of the listening. By just ‘shravana’ or listening, one can understand only to a limited extent the nature of the item. It is only after going through those three steps ‘shravana’ ‘manana’ and ‘Nididhyasana’ that one can remove this ignorance of ‘asat’. (SSB 1977, pp. 196-198)
Do not feel proud of your learning and think that you are a very knowledgeable person. To think that, because of the limited education you have had, you are better than others is a matter of unwarranted pride and ego and you have to give up. In truth you are an embodiment of ignorance. (SSB 1974, p. 1)
Ignorance so fundamental and so deep can destroyed only by the sword of Satya or truth. (SSS Vol.8, p. 216)
Oh man; just as you cannot see the stars shining during the day, as a result of your ignorance you are not able to see God who gives you prosperity and just because of this, do not think that God does not exist. You are not being able to see Him is a result of your ignorance. There is no death for the two great qualities Satya and Dharma, truth and righteousness. (SSB 1974, p. 265)
The fundamental ignorance, my dear fool, is the identification of yourself with something that is not you viz. the body. Deha is Anatman; you believe that it is the Atma! (GV, p. 24)
Ignorance or Ajnana, has to be transformed first. That Ajnana does not exist alone; it has an offspring,ahamkara, selfishness. This Asura, again, has two children, Raga and Vasana, Passion and Craving respectively. Raga means attachment. (DhyV, p. 54)
Ignorance is the basis of the misapprehension. (SV, p. 161)
Ignorance is like the fire. Fire may be extinguished almost completely, except for just a few glowing embers. But if a breeze comes up, sparks from these few coals may develop into a huge conflagration. Therefore, there should not even be a remnant of fire left. Ignorance is also like sickness. Suppose your disease is almost cured but there is only a small vestige of it left. If, after coming home from the hospital, you give up the proper diet, it may quickly develop and spread again. There should be absolutely no remnant of disease left. You can also compare ignorance to being in debt. Suppose you have discharged all your debts; there is only one small loan of a thousand Rupees left. But if you let the interest accumulate, what will happen? The debt will start piling up again. Therefore, you should discharge your debts completely. In the same way, if there are any latent impressions of attachment and desire left in your heart, your sorrow is likely to flare up and grow. That is why Krishna admonished Arjuna. ‘If you retain even the smallest bit of attachment in your heart, whatever I teach you will become useless. You must completely destroy all your attachment, which has been fed for so long by the ignorance that is beclouding your heart. To help you do this, I am teaching you the Samkhya Yoga.’ (DBG, p. 110)
Ignorance is very deep, it covers the inner truth. It is impossible, whatever efforts you make, to remove this thick ignorance, as it is. In the early morning at 7’0 clock, although you may be only 5 feet tall, your shadow will be 50 feet long. How can you reduce the length of this 50 feet shadow? Is it possible to fight with it? If you admonish it, will it listen to you? If you criticize it, will it be reduced? Whatever you do, its length will not come down. But as the sun goes on steadily rising, the length of the shadow diminishes automatically. Once the sun occupies the position overhead, the shadow, by itself, will have come down to your feet and have merged itself in them, disappearing from view. You may be 5 feet tall but your ignorance is 50 feet long! Therefore you will have to develop inner inquiry so that your wisdom will grow. As long as the sun of wisdom goes on rising, ignorance will go on diminishing, in this way your ignorance can be totally destroyed. This is one method. There is another method, where you also see that your shadow is 50 feet long. You realize that you can not conquer it by turning towards it and trying it and trying to run over it, you realize that by facing it, your shadow, you turn your face towards the sun, then your shadow will automatically behind you and however big it is, you will not be aware of it anymore because it will continuously remain out of sight. Therefore, instead of thinking of this ignorance, always think of the sun of wisdom, that way you keep the ignorance behind you and the sun in front of you, and you will not be affected by this shadow anymore. This means always turning your vision towards God. Both methods should be employed. Always turn your vision towards God and use your intelligence to increase your wisdom. If you do not turn towards God and increase your wisdom, but continue to turn towards the world, then as with the shadow and the setting sun, your ignorance will go on increasing and you will get lost. ‘Therefore’, Krishna warned Arjuna,’ ‘Use your intelligence to increase your wisdom and that way your ignorance will be destroyed. The moment your ignorance is destroyed, duality will vanish. Once duality goes, your hatred and attachments will disappear. Once your hatred and attachments disappear your body - consciousness will also disappear. If there is no body-consciousness then there is no sorrow.’ (DBG, pp. 141-142)
mamaivamso jiva-loke
jiva-bhutah sanatanah
manah-sasthanindriyani
prakrti-sthani karsati
(Bhagavad Gita, 15:7)
mamaivamso jiva-loke jiva-bhutah sanatanah, says Krishna in the Gita. ‘The eternal I, a part of Me, has manifested as all individuals.’ This is what that statement implies. ‘Shrinwantu Vishwe Amritasya Putrah’ is what Mother Veda declares to all the worlds. Since a person is limited by a body and entangled in the senses, he is bound by ignorance and led to believe he is a mere man. He is a child of immortality. Ignorance is caused by attachment. Attachment results in identification of the I with the body, senses, mind etc. Attachment leads to desire; desire results in anger; anger blinds reason and promotes ignorance. Ignorance breeds dualities, mine and thine, good and bad etc. these lead to activities to make gains and avoid losses etc., these lead to activities to make gains and avoid losses etc; these produce consequences merit and demerit; they have to be consumed in this life or future lives; so one has suffering. Dukham (suffering) is caused by Janma which presupposes Karma due to belief in duality (dvaita). Krodha is the child of Raga and Moha is the parent of Raga. (SSS Vol.11, pp. 264-265)
Ignorance is not the inherent characteristic of man. There is no room for aberrations in him. Egoism is out of place. He should revel in the ecstasy of Jnana (the consciousness of the Divinity). His true form should be Bliss. Discrimination should be natural to him. Today this true nature of man is being forgotten. It may be asked whether Truth and Love have begotten only a son (Jnana) and not a daughter. There is a daughter who can be identified as Shanti (Peace). Hence, wisdom should be the characteristic quality of men and peace and serenity should be the distinguishing quality of women. (SSE, p. 196)
For, the question, how was the Universe created, is on a par with the question, how is a dream created? The dream original from sleep or Nidra; the Universe originates through illusion or Maya. Just as the dream has no order or law, the Universe also is too full of mystery and Maya. There is only One, not two as often happens in a dream. This is the doctrine of Advaita. Very much like the question of the origin of creation, another problem that generally worries man is, how did this ignorance happen? The solution has been provided by the sage-preceptor, Vashistha, to Ramachandra. ‘Rama! ‘ he said, ‘Rather than entangling yourselves in the inquiry regarding how Ignorance entered Man, I would exhort you to be engaged in efforts to rid of it’. This lesson is directed not only to Rama but to all mankind. It helps all who do not possess the realisation of the Truth behind the objective world. Ajnana or Ignorance is the name given to ignoring what is one’s own inner experience- that the universe is an ever-changing phenomenon. (SSVahini, p. 160)
By actions, done with all care, the Vision gets clarified. Man is blinded by the objective world and he believes that world to be real, meaningful and worthy of pursuit. The cataract grows in the eye and robs it of its efficiency. The cataract is the enemy of the eye. Ignorance, the cataract of the inner eye, blinds the intellect and robs it of its efficiency. So, it cannot see the Divinity that is your real nature. It misleads you into the impression that you are a man (Manava), whereas you are really God (Madhava). (SSS Vol.4)