The Upanishads declare, Nayam Atma Balaheenena Labhya, the Atma cannot be attained by one who is devoid of strength. Strength or bala means physical, vital, moral, intellectual and spiritual toughness. For all these are essential to establish mastery over the senses. (SSS Vol.8, p. 109)
‘Why fear when I am here’. ‘I am’ refers to the Atma, who is always everywhere. The Atma is like the lion, without fear. ‘Fear’ refers to the body, which is subject to worry, depression, trembling, fear. Body is like the sheep, wavering this way and that way. Body is always looking for information, gathering information, questioning, whereas, Atma, like the lion, is full of courage and without fear. ‘Atma’ is God. God is omnipresent. This ‘I’ is you. That ‘I’ is you. You are all. (CWBSSB, p. 96)
Atma is permanent. No one can suppress this permanent atma. No one can destroy this Atma. There is not death or destruction for Atma. As one changes a worn out garment for a new one, so also when the body is worn out; the Atma will get into another body. (SSB 1974, p. 180)
Atma is eternal; it cannot die or decay, diminish or disintegrate. Only those who have not realised the Atma principle suffer from the delusion that the body is themselves; until then, even the most learned are led into that error. Being enamoured of the body as if it is you is ‘ignorance’; being aware of the Atma, which you really are is ‘wisdom’. Getting the knowledge of the Atma is as precious a piece good luck as getting a diamond in the dust. The Atma is the gemstone embedded in this mass of flesh. The body carries urine and faeces, bad odours and bad blood; it is pestered by pests and problems. Its decay cannot be arrested; it must die some day. The achievement that one can perform through it is its justification. That is the crown of human life. (RKRV Part II, p. 105)
Though it is associated with the body, the Atma is unaffected by the Gunas and the Dharmas, that is to say it has no qualities and characteristics’. (GV, p. 27)
The Atma is beyond Shabda, Sparsha, Rupa, and Gandha; it knows no end. (UV, p. 17)
When the pool in the heart becomes clear of the slimy overgrowth, the Atma shines in its pristine splendour. He who acquires the knowledge of this Atma is to be revered, for he is liberated. He has become Brahman, that which he strove to know and be. (UV, p. 24)
Yama said ‘The Atma is agitationless, it is consciousness, infinite and full. He who has known the Atma will not be moved by the dual ideas of ‘is’ and ‘is not’, ‘Do-er’ ‘Not doer’ etc. Atma is not even an object to be known. It is neither Knower, Known nor Knowledge. Discovering this is the supremest Vision; informing one of this is the supremest instruction. The instructor is Brahman and the instructed is also Brahman. Realisation of this ever-present Truth saves one from all attachment and agitation and also it liberates one from birth and death. This great Mystery cannot be grasped by logic; it has to be won by Faith in the Smritis and experienced’.
The Atma is capable of being known only after vast perseverance. One has to divert the mind from its natural habitat - the objective world- and keep it in unwavering equanimity. Only a hero can succeed in this solitary internal adventure and overcome the monsters of egoism and illusion. That victory alone can remove grief. (UV, p. 16)
The Atman is Nishkala that is to say, it has no parts; it is Nirmala, blemishless, unaffected by desire, anger, greed, affection, pride and envy; it is Nishkriya, activty-less. (JV, p. 23)
The Atma does not kill, nor does it die. (GV, p. 33)
The Atma is always content and blissful. The attachment to the Atma will not undergo any modifications; even when the senses and the body fall, the Atma will remain and infuse bliss. It is unlimited and indestructible. (JV, p. 50)
The Atma is one; it contains all, and by knowing it, all is known. The Atma is the witness of the five koshas of the individual, the Annamaya, Pranamaya, Manomaya, Vijnanamaya and the Anandamaya. (JV, p. 51)
Christ declared ‘All are one’; be alike to every one. Hating an individual, or institution, or a religion is a low act. The Atma is immanent in everyone; it is the spark of Divinity which gives him light, love and joy. (SSS Vol.9, p. 15)
When we are able to realise and understand the significance of the statement that God in you and in me is the same, that oneness is nothing but the Atma Tattva and that the Atma is identical with Brahman, the ignorance in us will be removed. (SSB 1973, p.68)
The Atma in the Individual is the Atma in all; Shivoham is the Truth; and the Truth alone can make man free and full of Bliss. (SSS Vol.9, p. 32)
It is said, ‘the Atma is neither male nor female; nor cattle nor sheep nor horse nor elephant nor bird nor tree, it is beyond such categorisations, these distinctions and differences arise on the basis of activity; the Atma is incapable of modification, only one thing can be posited about it, viz. that it is. The sum and substance of all this is that the Atma is the Absolute, the Paramartha. The rest is all particular, insignificant, false, unreal, denotable, and identifiable. (DV, p. 19)
The Atma is One and Indivisible; Dharma based on That is genuine Dharma. (DV, p. 19)
The Atma is devoid of all difference as between men and women. It is Nitya, Suddha Buddha, Svayam jyoti; i.e., it is eternal pure consciousness itself, Self illumining. Women can reach the status of those holy women only when they become aware of the nature of Atma. The patron deities of Vidya (Saraswati) of wealth (Lakshmi) and Jnana (Parvati) are all women! (DV, p. 57)
The Atma is neither masculine nor feminine. It is not possible to impose these distinctions on It. They are merely physical attributes, pertaining to the body. When talking about the Atma, ideas, such as these, are but signs of delusion. They are relevant only when the physical body is under discussion. The discussion of ‘age’ is also a product of this delusion. The Atma is eternal. This ageless Entity is ever One and Only. How did the Atma get incarnated? In the Shastras, there is just one explanation. For all this encasement and bondage, there is only one reason - Avidya, absence of right awareness. Through Avidya, man gets bound; so, wisdom is the cure. (SSVahini, p. 113)
The Atma is described as a Vidyullekha, a streak of lightning, of the splendour of a crore of suns. (SSS Vol.7, p. 39)
Atma is the Sat-cit-ananda or Sat-cit-ananda, treated as one inseparable composite. Maya too is a composite of the three gunas or natural modes or qualities - Tamasika, Rajasika and Sattvika. They express themselves in Iccha shakti (Desire), Kriya Shakti (Deed) and Jnana Shakti (Wisdom). (SSVahini, p. 153)
The Atma is Effulgent, as Sun, is by its very nature. (UV, p. 38)
The Atma alone has to be loved; all other things are loved for the sake of the Atman. When the Atman is understood, everything else is understood. All effects are determined by Cause. (UV, p. 39)
The Atma is ever dis-entangled. It is ‘A-samsari’. ‘Not-bound by flux’. Its nature is purity, wholeness, joy, wisdom; where Ego is, there bondage persists. Where there is no ‘I’ there freedom holds sway. The ‘I’ is the real shackle. (UV, p. 78)
To see your face in a mirror
do you need anybody’s help?
Why do you need anyone’s
friendship for this purpose?
To view the moon in the sky
do you need a lamp?
To look at the moon shining in the sky
do you require any other source of light?
To know your own Atma
why do you need a Guru?
The Atma is your God,
your Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma.
One who has realised this,
why does he need any preceptor?
(SSS Vol.29, p. 120)
The children of Bharat (Bharatiyas) believe that they are, each one, the Atma. They are aware that the Atma cannot be cut in twain by the sword, that fire cannot burn it, that Atma cannot be wet, and that the wind cannot dry it. The Atma has no bounds. Its centre is in the body, but, its circumference is nowhere. Death means the Atma has shifted from one body to another. This is the belief that every Indian has firmly in mind.
The Atma is not subject to material or worldly limitations or laws. By Its very nature, It is Free. It is Unbounded. It is Purity. It is Holiness. It is Fullness. But since It is associated with material, inert bodies, It imagines that It is also a product of material composition. This is the wonder, the mystery, the miracle that It manifests! To unravel this mystery, and explain this miracle are beyond the capacity of anyone. (SSVahini, p. 25)
Nirguno Nishkriyo Nityo
Nirvikalpo Niranjanah
Nirvikaro Nirakaro
Nitya Mukto-asmi Nirmalah
Attributeless, unattached to actions, eternal, beyond all thoughts, ever pure, unsullied and formless (Bhahman) is accessible to all liberated souls.
There is one principle, which is attributeless, formless, eternal and beyond thought, word and deed. That is the principle of love. The Upanishads call this Love as the Atma. How can man understand this Love, which is attributeless and formless? This Love is not an intellectual exercise, nor is it a psychological phenomenon; nor a reflection in the dreaming state. It is the life principle of all living creatures. Noble souls propagated this principle of Love in various ways. Many elders, youngsters, scholars lecture on this principle of Love and sing its glory. But no poetry, no composition, no language can describe Love. Yato vacho nivartante aprapya manasa saha (It cannot be described by speech and is beyond the reach of the mind). So, it is beyond human comprehension and narration. (SSS Vol.31, p. 334)
The Atma has no definite name and form. Ek Prabhu Ke Anek Nam (the one Lord has many names). The Atma is the fundamental principle, which is pure, immutable, and unsullied. It forms the basis of the entire universe. Without the basis of the Atma, the universe cannot exist. The Vedas declare: Pashyannapi Cha Na Pashyati Moodho (He is a fool who sees yet does not recognise the truth). The same principle of Atma is reflected in all beings. (SSS Vol.31, pp. 335-336)
The Atman keeps warning each individual of its existence with its ‘I.’ The same ‘I’ insists on being recognized in childhood, youth, middle age, and old age. Through all these changes of the body, which is composed of the five elements, the ‘I’ as Being-Awareness-Bliss remains as the unaffected witness. Ignoring this reminder of the unity of all life, man flounders in hatred and greed. When there is only One Atman in all, how can hatred arise? Who is to hide from whom? All that exists is One (LD, p. 14)
Whether it is described as Chaitanya (Cosimic Consciousness), or the Kshetrajna (Indwelling Knower), or Jnana (Supreme Wisdom) or Ahamkara (I-am), or Ishvara (the Supreme Lord), or Vishnu, or ananda (Pure Bliss), or the Paramapadam (Supreme Abode), or Prakriti (Nature), or the Adi Shakti (Primal Energy) – all these are only different names given to the Atma (the Supreme Spirit). Originally It had no name. The effulgence of the Atma exceeds the splendour of a multi-faceted diamond. The diamond may have myriad facets, but it is one and the same. Likewise, the Atma radiates infinite number of rays, but is only One. (SSS Vol.24, p. 29)
Hanuman told Rama, ‘O Lord, when I identify myself with my body, you are my Master and I am Your servant. When I look upon myself as an individual soul (Jiva), you are the whole and I am the part. When I consider myself as Atma (Self), You are I, and I am You.’ (Uniq, p. 112)
It is the duty of everyone to live in the awareness of Truth. He who lives on Earth must become Man at first. Then, he has to learn the way to God, and discover the delight of the Spirit. This is the ‘Raja Yoga’ path that the Vedas teach. The Atma illumines all objects; it needs no other source of illumination to shine; It is the seer of the Universe.
For the Atma, the entire Cosmos is an object that is seen, even the eye that sees without the mind caring to see. And even the mind is an object, for the mind has to be prompted and kept alert by something else that wills and resolves. The warp and woof of the mind consist of ‘wills and wont’s’, of reaching out and drawing back.’ The reasoning faculty is itself a tool of the mind. The Atma has, as its apparent apparel, the body, the mind, reason, intellect and the inner tools of perception.
Though it seems to be the centre of all activities and agitations, the Atma is unaffected. It is consciousness, pure and unsullied. The body and its accessories and equipment have birth and death, they develop and decline. But the Atma is free from change.
The Eternal, with no birth and death,
No beginning, no middle nor end;
It does not die, it is not born,
It can never be destroyed;
It is the Witness, the Self, the Atma.
The man who strives to attain the awareness of this Atma has indeed fulfilled the destiny of man. (SSS Vol. 15, pp. 108-109)
Man’s reality is the Atma. Everything else is a trivial, things one share with the birds and beasts. This is the unique privilege of man. He has climbed through all the stages of evolution on earth to inherit this high destiny. If his life on earth is frittered away in seeking food and shelter, comfort and pleasure, as animals, man is condemning himself to a further life sentence (another incarnation)! The Atma is the sustenance, source of every being, and every organisation of beings. It is the only source. The Atma is God, no less. Therefore recognize in each being a brother, a child of God, and banish all limiting thoughts and prejudices based on colour, status, class.’ (EL, p. 227)
The sense of ‘doer’ and ‘enjoyer’ or ‘agentship’ might appear to affect the Atma but they are not part of the genuine nature of the Atma Things get mirrored and produce images but the mirror is not tarnished or even affected thereby. It remains as clear as it was. So, too the man of virtue might be subjected to some contaminating activities due to back-log of acts in previous lives, but they cannot mar or obstruct his present nature or activities: The Jiva or Individual has as his genuine, basic attributes: purity, serenity and joy. He is ebullient with these qualities. (Sutra Vahini, p. 17)
The Atma, the Lord, the Divine Happiness is not our ever-constant experience, for it is obscured by such activities of the mind as doubt, depression, hatred, jealousy, envy, craving attachments to objects and persons, and ignorance about oneself, about God, and about the world. In order to expel these dangerous and harmful tendencies from one’s life, one needs to engage in Sadhana. The objective of all types of Sadhana is purification of mind and heart. For this reason it is said that one should do good, see good and be good. (MBI, p. 181)
All Sadhanas (spiritual efforts) are not pursued for realising the Atma. There is no need to seek the Atma, which is all pervasive, and present everywhere. Sadhanas are performed to get rid of the ‘anatman’ (that which bars the vision of the Atma). Man forgets his real nature and loses himself in the consciousness of what he is not. He forgets that he is the Atma in reality. Man identifies himself with a particular name and form and builds up all relations on that basis. But how real and permanent are these names and forms? They are all projections of the mind and have an existence only as long as the mind and body remain.
The heart represents the Atma. It is self-effulgent. The light from the heart (Atma) illumines the mind and enables it to see the external world. Without this illumination the mind cannot comprehend the world. The mind is like the moon, which receives its light from the sun. It has no light of its own. It shines because of the light from the Atma. Where there is awareness of the Atma, the mind is not perceivable. The Atma is the basis of everything.
Men are naive in imagining that the Atma is in the body. The truth is: the body, the mind, the entire cosmos is in Atma. The Atma cannot be inside anything else. It is the All. It is everything. Those who perform japa, dhyana or puja conceiving God as separate from themselves, are the victims of dualism. Whatever their scholarship, they are ignorant of their own true nature when they alienate God from themselves. God is the heart of man. All spiritual exercises of man are at the mental level. By these means, the Atma cannot be realised. The Vedas have declared Yato vacho nivartante aprapya manasa saha- ‘Whence mind and speech turn back unable to reach it’. Neither the mind, nor speech can comprehend the nature of the Atma. The mind is turned towards the external by the sense organs. It is only by withdrawing it from sense objects that it can be made to develop an ‘inner vision’ (antarmukham). (SSS Vol.20, pp. 18-19)
The Atma is the unseen basis, the substance of all objective world, the reality behind the appearance, universal and immanent in every being. It is inherently devoid of attachment, is imperishable and does not die. It is the witness, unaffected by all this change in time and space, the immanent spirit in the body, the motivating force of its impulses and intentions. It is one’s own innermost reality, one’s divinity, the real self-the soul. The Atma cannot be grasped through metaphors and examples. No form can contain it; no name can denote it. How can the limited comprehend the unlimited; the now, measure the ever; the wayward understand the stable? The atma persists unchanged, however many changes the thing motivated by it might undergo change. It contacts the senses of perception and affects the mind; it awakens the intellect to discriminate and decide upon the lines of action. It activates the instrument of thought, speech and action, of expression and communication. The eyes see; but what force prompts them? You may have ears but who endows them with the power of hearing? Words emanate from the mouth; but what urges in and frames the manner and content of the speech? That force acts like the cell in a torch, which provide the bulb with the current to illuminate it. Doctors know that the body consists of cells, billions of them, alive and alert, busy and active. Each cell is motivated by the Atma; it is immanent, all over. The Atma is in each of them, as well as in every spot of space. When we realize it as such, it is experienced as effulgent, total, splendorous light; endless, incomparable, unique light. (S&M, pp. 120-121)
Many people aspire for grace, love, devotion and humility. All these are forms of the Atma. God is not different from faith. Faith and God are one and the same. Love is God, devotion is God. They are not different entities. What is the meaning of devotion? Devotion is that which enables the unmanifested divine principle to manifest itself in the inner vision of the devotee. Then for that devotee nothing else will exist other than He. To reach that stage you must discharge your duties keeping the permanent entity constantly in mind. You can cross the vast, deep ocean of worldly existence and enjoy the infinite Divinity that is its reality, with the help of a small boat. That boat is the Name of God. In the beginning of the spiritual journey the Name is the basis for progress but it should not become a lifelong support depending entirely on it alone. (SSS Vol.20, pp. 19-20)
The entire Cosmos has emanated from the Atma, is sustained by the Atma and ultimately merges in the Atma. This truth is expressed in a sutra in the Brahma sutras: Tat Ja-la-an (From THAT it is born, merges in it and is sustained by it). Man also comes from Brahman, grows in the Brahman and merges in the Brahman. Man (Nara) is like the water bubble that arises in the water, grows in it and merges in it. Narayana is like the water. The aim of spiritual sadhana is to make man recognise the unity that subsumes creation and enable him to realise the bliss of oneness with the Divine through the means of Karma, Upasana and Jnana (rituals, meditation and knowledge). (SSS Vol.21, pp. 98-99)
Atma is the basis for the manifested world and the original source of motivation for the internal world. Only when we recognise the cardinal role of the Atma as the root cause of everything, the deceptive and transient sense organs will cease to have dominance over us. (ICS , p. 56)
God is one; goal is one. The same is conveyed in the following statements: ‘I am in the light, the light is in me, I am the light.’ Here ‘I’ symbolizes love and devotion and light stands for wisdom. When you say ‘I am in the light,’ it means devotion is contained in wisdom. The statement ‘the light is in me’ reflects the truth that wisdom is contained in devotion. Light and love-you have to understand the unity of these two. Devotion is an essential prerequisite to know the reality. You should develop love more and more and ultimately transform it into wisdom. You should not follow the vagaries of the mind. Come what may, your vision must be firmly implanted on the Atma. With such one- pointed devotion, sages and seers of yore performed penance and experienced bliss. Today people chant mantras and perform Japa. They do so for the sake of their mental satisfaction. They want to attain peace. In fact, what they get out of such practices is not peace but pieces! In a rosary there are 108 beads, but the thread that strings them is one and the same. It symbolizes divinity.
Divinity is like a magnet that attracts the entire world. In some places this power of attraction is more. It is something very special. Here is an example. So many of you have gathered here. Who sent you invitations? It is the divine magnet that has drawn you here. This magnet is present not only here, but everywhere. Here, there and everywhere, divinity is present in the form of Atma. Here you can experience the power of divine attraction. Such power cannot be acquired for the mere asking. It can be acquired only through love. Love is something that originates from the ‘source’. It cannot be obtained by ‘force’. Worldly knowledge can be thrust on you but love has to spring forth from within in a natural way. Love is God. Love alone can confer true wisdom. Jnanadeva tu kaivalyam(wisdom leads to liberation). (SSS Vol.36, pp. 24-25)
The world is like a cinema and the Atma is a screen. The different projections that appear on the screen are transient, whereas the screen is permanent. The pictures in the form of projections on the screen, come and go, but the screen does not change. When the picture appears on the screen, the screen becomes invisible. When does it go? It is there within the picture, but it is invisible. Yet, without the screen, you cannot see the pictures.
Observation reveals the fact that the screen is not affected either by the innumerable visuals or by the sound effects. The screen depicts the scenes, but it is not affected by them. What is the reason? Floods, earthquakes, tempests that appear on the screen are not real, so the screen is not affected by them. It remains as the witness. Your heart is a big screen that is changeless. On the screen of your heart you see the sufferings, happiness and ordeals. All these emotions are transient scenes, like passing clouds. None of the scenes are permanent. Only the screen of your heart is permanent. That is divine. It is also called ‘Conscience’ which is eternal truth. (WLMG, pp. 343-344)
True friends are those who help in uplifting your life by cleansing your ideals and emotions. Those who drag you into pomp, pedantry, paltry entertainment and petty pranks are enemies, not friends. True friends cannot be won by social status, external scintillation or verbal assertions. A friendship knit by monetary bonds is disrupted as soon as you ask the loan to be repaid. So, when you oblige your friend with a loan, the friendship too is broken at that very moment. How can friendship be cemented by words or by coins? The feeling of friendship must activate every nerve, permeate every blood-cell, and purify every emotional wave; it has no place for the slightest trace of egotism. The companionship which seeks to exploit or fleece for personal benefit cannot be elevated into the noble quality of friendship. Perhaps, the only friend who can pass this rigorous test, is God. (SSS Vol.12, p. 51)
The Mind, the Reason, the Scholarship
The Ego, bawling, brawling—
When will these bend low and yield?
Then, Shiva is revealed as one’s Atman, Truth.
(SSS Vol. 15, p. 247)
Svabhode Naanyabodhe Cha
Bodha Rupa Atmanah
Sva Deepenya Deepa Cha
Yadaasvaatma Prakaashate
To search for a flame,
Another light is not required.
To know the omnipresent, effulgent Atma,
Another type of knowledge is not required.
(SSB 1995, p. 13)
There is beginning and end for everything else in this universe, except the Atma. (SSS Vol.42, p. 48)
You should understand that formless and attributeless Atma is the only truth. It pervades the whole universe. (SSS Vol.42, p. 96)
Devotion and morality are as important for physical health as they are for mental health. They free the mind from agitation, they feed it with joy and contentment; they quieten the nerves and help even bodily processes. The flowers of this garland were buds yesterday; they bloomed this morning; they have started to fade now and tomorrow they will rot and dry. But, the string that holds them together interpenetrating them, is not subject to such change; It was string yesterday, it is string now and it will be string tomorrow. The unchanging atma and the changing body – analyse them thus and be convinced of the eternal universal core of your being. As a thinking, discriminating human being, it is your responsibility to discharge this duty to yourself. And also to your country! For, India deserved the honour of the ‘World Teacher’ because her people always insisted on this great responsibility and tried to discharge it. But, when Indians neglected this and attached value to physical comfort and social status, the land fell into the morass of competitive struggle. (SSS Vol.4)