The Story of Prajapati and Its Meaning (Contd)

Sri Ramakrishna

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By Super Admin

Wednesday, July 20, 2011, 12:33

Now let us follow Indra. As a result of living a right type of austere life, Indra became endowed with intelligence, the power of discernment. On his way back he reflected, 'If the Atman becomes lame if the body is lame, and blind if the body is blind, and is well-dressed if the body is well-dressed, and is destroyed if the body is destroyed—I see no good in this teaching.'

So he went back to Prajapati who asked him to live a life of celibacy for another thirty-two years. Then he said: 'He who moves about as the Lord in the state of dream, is the Self, the Atman.' Indra, again reflected on the way back: 'Though this dream Purusha is not affected by any damage to the body, yet at times he is being chased or hurt or that Purusha feels pain or weeps. This certainly cannot be the Self.'

Again he went back to Prajapati. After thirty-two years more of celibacy, Indra was told, 'The Self in the state of deep sleep is the Atman, immortal, fearless, he is Brahman'. Indra again expressed doubt: 'The Self is not affected by dream, or damage to or destruction of the body, but it seems not to know itself, and is, as it were, dead in this state of deep sleep (sushupti). I do not see any real good in this.'

He again went to Prajapati and was told to practise celibacy for five more years. Thus he lived a spiritual life for a total of one hundred and one years. This indicates one should devote, if necessary, one's whole life for spiritual practice.

At last Prajapati found Indra fit to receive the true teaching and instructed him: 'O Indra, mortal indeed is this body, held by death. But it is the support of this deathless, bodiless Atman. Verily, the embodied self is held by pleasure and pain. Surely, there is no cessation of pleasure and pain for one who is embodied. But pleasure and pain do not indeed touch one who is bodiless.

'Bodiless is air; and white cloud, lightning, thunder, these also are bodiless. Now as these arise out of the yonder sky, reach the highest light and appear each with its own form, even so this serene one rises out of this body, reaches the highest light and appears in his own form. He is the Highest Person. There he moves about, laughing, playing, rejoicing with women, vehicles or relations, not remembering this body in which he was born. As an animal is attached to a chariot, even so is the life attached to this body.

Now, where the sight merges in space (inside the eye, i.e., the black pupil of the eye), there exists that which is the person in the eye; and the eye is only for seeing. And he who knows 'I smell this' is the Atman; the nose is for smelling. And he who knows 'I speak this', is the Atman, the organ of speech is for speaking. And he who knows 'I hear this' is the Atman; the ear is for hearing. And he who knows 'I think this', is the Atman, the mind is his divine eye. Through this divine eye of the mind he verily sees these desired objects which are in the Brahman-world, and rejoices. Verily, this is the Atman whom the gods worship. Therefore all the worlds and all the desired objects are held by them. He obtains all the worlds all the desired objects, who having known that Atman (from the teacher and the scriptures) understands it.'

About the author

Swami Dayatmananda is the Minister-in-charge of Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre, Buckinghamshire, UK.