Reaching the Brahman: The Hindu

The Hindu, April 13, 2017

Faith

Reaching the Brahman

Uddalaka gives his son Svetaketu many examples to explain the nature of Brahman, said M.K. Srinivasan in a discourse. After explaining the subtle nature of Sath, Uddalaka goes on to explain what liberation means and also the need for an Acharya to give spiritual instruction.

Uddalaka says, “Suppose there is a person from the Gandhara country. He is taken to a forest and left there blindfolded. The forest has no human habitation. The man will shout that he has been left alone and is also blindfolded. He would shout out in different directions. If a person happens to be present, he will remove the blindfold and then guide the lost man, telling him how he can reach Gandhara. From then on, the man slowly will make his way to Gandhara, by making enquiries on the way.

Once he is told the right direction that he has to take to reach his destination, then he can make the journey alone. Likewise, a person who has a good Acharya will know the way to reach Brahman.” But when does a person reach Brahman? Only when he exits the body can he reach Brahman. Once he has served out the effects of his karma, his soul leaves his body.

Uddalaka further explains that when a person is on his death bed, his relatives gather around him asking him if he recognises them . He is able to recognise them, until his speech merges into manas, and manas merges into prana, and prana merges into tejas and tejas unites with the Supreme One. At that stage, he no longer recognises anyone. In other words, once the soul unites with Sath, he does not recognise anyone.

So the relationship with the body is impermanent. He who knows this will not be touched by the sorrows of samsara, for he knows that Sath is the atman of everything. He will meditate upon this Sath.