आत्मा यः केवलः श्र्वस्थह शान्तः सूक्ष्मः सनातनः ,
अस्ति सर्वान्तरह साक्षा - च्छिन्मात्रस्तमसः परः /
सोन्तर्यामि स पुरुषाह स प्राणः स महेस्वरह ,
स कालोग्नि -स्तदव्यक्तं स ये वेदमिति श्रुतिः /
अस्माद विजायतेय विश्वमस्चैव प्रविलीयतेय ,
स मायी मायया बद्धः करोति विविधास्तनुः /
(Vedas affirmed that ‘Atma’or The Soul which was Unique or Singular, Vigorous,Wholesome, Tranquil, Tiny, Ancient, Intrinsic and beyond Tamo Guna was the Purusha,the Praana or Life and Maheshwara himself as also Agni, Kaala and the Unknown! This Samasara or the Universe was created by Parameshwara who also absorbed it into him;the Maha Maya which surrounded lesser layers of Maya created various Beings; indeed,the Pure Atma was not subject to changes nor features; it neither allowed transformation nor was prone to motivation).
न चाप्यं संसरति न च संसारयेत प्रभुः ,
नायं पर्थि न सलिलं न तेजः पवनो नभः /
न प्राणो न मनो –व्यक्तं न शब्दः स्पर्श येवच ,
न रूप रसघन्धास्च नाहं कर्ता न वागपि /
न पानि पादोव् नो पायुर्न चोपस्थं ड्विजोत्तमाह् ,
न कर्ताच न भोक्ता वा नच प्रकृतीन उरुशौ ,
न माया नैव च प्रानश्चैतन्यं परमार्त्थः /
(The Supreme Atma was neither Earth, nor Water, Tejas / Radiance, Wind nor Sky. It was neither Life, nor Mind, nor the Unknown, nor Shabda /Sound-Rasa/ Taste-Gandha/Smell; it was not the feeling of the Self nor of the Voice. One coud not identify the Soulas hands, feet, nor the Marmaavayaas; neither the Kartaa the Performer nor Bhokta- the one who experienced the performance; The Atma was not Prakriti and Purusha; not the Maya /Illusion and Life; in fact the Universe and Paramatma are clearly separated entities!
यथा प्रकाश तमसोः संबन्धो नोपपद्यतेय ,
तद्वैक्यं न संबण्ठः प्रपञ्च परमात्मनोः /
छाया तपौ यथा लोकेय परस्पर विलक्शनौ ,
तदः तस्य भावेन मुक्तिर्जन्मान्तर शतैरपि /
पश्यन्ति मुमनयो युक्ताः स्वात्मानम् परमार्धतः ,
विकार हीनं निर्दुःखा मानान्द -अत्मानव्ययं /
अहं कर्ता सुखी दुःखी कृश स्थुलेति या मतिः ,
सा चाहङ्कार क्रुत्वादात्मन्य रोप्यतेय जनैः /
( Just as darkness and light were clearly distinctive, Samsara and Paramatma had no relevance of each other. Purusha and Prapancha too were quite different like sunshine and shadow. If Atma were unclean, diseased and full of malices by nature, then it could never have been purified even after thousands of lives and Yogis or Sages could never have visioned a spotless, blissful, indestructible and eternal Soul otherwise!) Paramatma therefore emphasised thus:
अहं कर्ता सुखी दुःखी कृशः स्थुलेति या मतिः ,
सा चाहङ्कार कर्तुत्वा दात्मा -अत्मन्या रोप्यतेय जनैः /
वदन्ति वेद विदवाम्सहा साक्षिणां प्रकृतेयः परम् ,
भोक्तार -मक्षरं शुद्धं सर्वत्र समवस्थितं /
तस्मादज्ञान मूलो हि संसारः सर्व देहिनां ,
अज्नानाद्यन्यथा ज्ञानं तच्च प्रकृति संगतं /
( Human Beings tend to attribute their feelings as per their own mind-set and
Ahamkaara/self- pride as though they were the Kartas or the responsible persons for their happiness, unhappiness, thinness or stoutness and so on; accordingly they reflect their emotions and sentiments to their inner consciousness and Atma (Soul). But those who were enlightened and learned with the knowledge of Vedas and Scriptures would indeed realise that there was a force beyond them and their nature and that indeed was the Eternal and All-Pervasive Para Tatwa; ignorance of that Reality which was far different from the illusion was the High Divider.)
नित्योदितः श्र्वयम् ज्योतिः सर्वगः पुरुषः परः ,
अहंकारविवेकेन कर्ताहमिति मन्यतेय /
पश्यन्ति रिशयोव्यक्तं नित्यं सदसाद –मकम ,
प्रधानं प्रकृतिं बुद्ध्वा कारणं ब्रह्म वादिनः /
तेनायं संगतोःयत्मा कुतस्थोपि निरञ्जनः ,
श्र्वात्मानमक्शरम् ब्रह्म नावबुध्येत टत्वथ् /
अनात्मन्यात्मा विज्ञानं तस्माद दुःखं तथेतरं ,
आगद्वेशादयो दोषाः सर्वेय भ्रान्ति निबन्ध –नः /
कर्मण्यस्य भवेद दोषः पुन्यापुन्यमिति स्तितिः ,
तध्षा देव सर्वेषां सर्व देव समुद्भवः /
(Due to one’s own ego and ignorance, human beings tended to confuse themselves as Parama Purusha -the Self-Illuminated one- and declared that whatever was achieved or not was due to their own effort or lack of it. Brahmavaadi Rishis would clearly distinguish the Supreme, the Prakriti, and the Cause as also the Truth and Fallacy and thus seek ‘Saakshaatkaara’or Ready Realisation. The dormant, invisible and unfelt Truth would indeed co-exist with the illusions of life vis-à-vis the Eternal which got camouflaged! In the ‘Anaatma’ Tatwa or of the Non-Soul, even Atma Vijnana too woud get polluted due to ‘bhranti’ or illusions as likings and dislikings were produced leading to Depravities or Moralities.This was the reason why Paapa-Punyaas got generated and different kinds of human beings came into existence.)
नित्यः सर्वत्रगोःयात्मा कुतस्थो दोष वर्हितः ,
एक स भिद्यतेय शक्त्या मायया न स्वभवतह् /
तस्मादद्वैतमेवाहुर मुनयः परमार्ताः ,
भेदो व्य्कसवभावेन सा च मायात्मसंश्रया /
यथा हि धुमसंपर्कान्नाकाषो मलिनेय भवेत् ,
अन्तःकारण जैर्भावैरात्मा तदत्र लिप्यतेय /
यथा स्वप्रभया भाति केवलः स्पतिकोमलः ,
उपाधिहीनो विमलास्तथैवात्मा प्रकास्तेय /
ज्ञान स्वरुपमेय्वाहुर् जगतेतद विचक्षणाः ,
अर्थ स्वरुपमेवाज्नाह् पश्यन्तन्ये कुदृष्टयः /
( That was also the reason why the Unique Partamatma was displayed in variegated types of Beings due to Maya Shakti or the Power of Illusion. Munis therefore believed firmly that Atma by itself was ‘Advaita’ or Singular but due to interaction with Maya looked as several entities, just as hot sunshine would pollute the Sky and hence the Purity of Atma was affected).
यदा सर्वाणि भूतानि श्र्वात्मन्येवभि पश्यति ,
सर्व भूतेषु चात्मानं ब्रह्मा संपद्यतेय तदा /
यदा सर्वाणि भूतानि समाधिस्थो न पश्यति ,
एकीभूतः परेनासौ तयदा भवन्ति केवलः /
यदा सर्वेय प्रमुच्यतेय कामा येस्य हृदि स्थिताः ,
तदासावंरुतिभुतः क्षेमं गच्छति पण्डितः /
यदा भूत प्रुधक्भावमेकस्थ मनुपश्यति ,
तत एव च विस्तारं ब्रह्मा संपद्यतेय तदा /
यदा पश्यति चात्मानं केवलं परमार्थतः ,
मया मातरं जगत कृत्स्त्नं तदा भावै निवृताः /
(When Yogis could view all the Beings as existed in their own selves, that would become the achievement of Brahma Bhava. When Yogis reached a Samadhi Position or an Elevated Status of Enlightenment perceiving that all Beings in the World were just the same then they would have reached Atma Darshana or the Vision of the Soul and Brahma Bhava or the feeling of Oneness. Yogis woud then have no further desires and reach a stage of Fulfillment; then they feel equality of all Beings and sincerely reach a sensation of Oneness or Brahma Prapti. When Yogis vision ‘Paramaartha’ and the Uniqueness of the Supreme then Maya or Illusion would have been destroyed and the entire Universe would look as a Single Entity.)
यदा जन्म जरा दुःखव्याधीना मेक भेषजं ,
केवलं ब्रह्म विज्ञानं ज्ञायतोसोव् तदा शिवः /
यथा नदी नदा लोकेय सारेनैकतां ययुः ,
टदात्माखरेनासौ निष्कलेणै -कतं व्रजेत /
( When Yogis realise that birth, old-age, misery and disease would happen due to ‘Karma’ or previous actions and of the awareness of that Brahma Gyan, then Shiva Rupa would have been realised. Just as Rivers and Rivulets would reach the Ocean finally, the individual ‘Jeevatmaas’ would get submerged into Paramatma.)
तस्माद विग्ज्ञानमेवास्ति न प्रपञ्चो न संसृतिः ,
अग्ज्ञानेनावृतं लोको विग्ज्ञानं तेन मुह्यति /
तद ज्ञानं निर्मलं सूक्ष्मं निर्विकल्पं यदव्ययं ,
अग्ज्ञान मितरत सर्वं व्ग्ज्ञानमिति मेय मतं /
एतद वः परमं संख्यां भाषितं ज्ञान –मुत्तमं ,
सर्व वेदान्त सारं हि योगतस्त्रैकचित्तता /
योगात् संज्ययतेय ज्ञानं ज्ञानाद योगः प्रवर्ततेय ,
योगी ज्नानाभि युक्तस्य नावाप्यं विद्यतेय क्वचित् /
यदेव योगिनो यान्ति सान्ख्यैस्तदधिगम्यतेय ,
एवं साङ्ख्यं च योग च पश्यति स तत्ववित् /
(Hence, Vigjnaanaa was ever-existent and not Samsara; Vigjnaana / Knowledge was surrounded by Agjnaana/ignorance. In other words, what ever was Nirmala, Sukshma and Avyaya was Jnaana and the rest was worthy of discarding. Sankhya Yoga was that Jnaana only and was the Essence of Vedas. That was what worth concentrating about.) Having explained the above, Parameswara told the Brahmavadi Maharshis further as follows:
एष अत्माःअमव्यक्तो मायावी अरमेश्वरह् ,
कीर्तितः सर्व वेदेषु सर्वात्मा सर्वतो –मुखः /
सर्व कामः सर्व रसः सर्वगन्धोजरामरः ,
सर्वतः पानिपादोहमन्तर्यामि सनातनः /
अपाणि पादो जवनो ग्रहीता हृदि संस्थितः ,
अचक्षुरापि पश्यामि तथा कर्णः श्रुनोम्याहं /
वेदाहं सर्वमेवेदं न मां जानाति कश्चन ,
प्राहुमर्हान्तं पुरुशं मामेकं टत्व दर्शनः /
पश्यन्ति ऋषयो हेतुमातोपनः सूक्ष्म दर्शनः ,
निर्गुनामल रूपस्य अत्तद्दैश्वर्यमुत्तमम् /
यत्र देवा विजानन्ति मोहिया मम मायया ,
वक्ष्ये समाहिता यूयं ष्रुनुध्वम् ब्रह्म वादिनः /
नाहं प्रशस्ता सर्वस्य मायातितः स्वभवतह् ,
प्रेरनामि यथापीदं कारणं सूरये विदुः /
यस्मेय गुह्यतमं देहं सर्वगं टत्वदर्शनह् ,
प्रविष्टा मम सायुज्यं लभन्तेय योगिनोव्ययं /
तेषां हि वशमापन्ना माया मेय विश्वरूपिणी ,
लभन्तेय परमां शुद्धिं निर्वाणं तेय मया सह /
न तेषां पुनरावृत्तिः कल्पकोति शतैरपि ,
प्रसादान –मम योगीन्द्रा एतद वेदानुशासनं /
नापुत्र सिष्य योगिभ्यो दातव्यं ब्रह्म -वादिभिः ,
मदुक्तमेतद विग्ज्ञानं सांख्ययोग समाश्रयं /
(I am Antaryami, Avyakta, Maayavi , Parameshwara, Sarva Veda Swarupa, Sarvatma, Sarva Kaama, Sarva Rasa, Sarva Gandha, Ajara, Amara, Sanaatana and full bodied with hands and feet, although I can move without hands and feet. I am fully aware of the insand- outs of the Prapancha but none knows about me. Some call me Adviteeya and some ‘hetuvaadaas’ claim that they are aware of the Cause of their existence, but for sure even Devas are not aware of my Reality as they are all steeply immersed in Maya. Now, listen to me carefully: Even being fully independent of and distinct from Maya, I provoke Maya to create situations due to reasons of such situations and accordingly Maya generates the
specific situations. My all-pervasive ‘deha’or Physique [which certainly not the outcome of Pancha Buthas or Gunas or Tatwas which were my branded products] is perhaps partly visioned by Tatva darshis and Maha Yogis and some selected few are even absorbed into me which is called Sayujya! Such handpicked ones would not have ‘Punarjanma’ for even crores of Kalpas; indeed that would be my Directive and Discretion. The Atma Tatwa or ‘the Saankhya Yoga Samanvita Vijnaana’ that I am now indicating in a hazy form may be taught to Brahma Vaadis to their sons, dicsiples or trusted Yogis only and to none else!)
[Essence of Kurma Purana]
