Practical Vedanta

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Practical Vedantathis earth: all these are manifestations of that Self-effulgent One, the Atman." Allthat is bliss, even in the lowest sense, is but the reflection of Him. All that is goodis His reflection, and when that reflection is a shadow it is called evil. There are notwo Gods. When He is less manifested, it is called darkness, evil; and when He ismore manifested, it is called light. That is all. Good and evil are only a question ofdegree: more manifested or less manifested. Just take the example of our ownlives. How many things we see in our childhood which we think to be good, butwhich really are evil, and how many things seem to be evil which are good! Howthe ideas change! How an idea goes up and up! What we thought very good at onetime we do not think so good now. So good and evil are but superstitions, and donot exist. The difference is only in degree. It is all a manifestation of that Atman;He is being manifested in everything; only, when the manifestation is very thickwe call it evil; and when it is very thin, we call it good. It is the best, when allcovering goes away. So everything that is in the universe is to be meditated uponin that sense alone, that we can see it as all good, because it is the best. There isevil and there is good; and the apex, the centre, is the Reality. He is neither evilnor good; He is the best. The best can be only one, the good can be many and theevil many. There will be degrees of variation between the good and the evil, butthe best is only one, and that best, when seen through thin coverings, we calldifferent sorts of good, and when through thick covers, we call evil. Good and evilare different forms of superstition. They have gone through all sorts of dualisticdelusion and all sorts of ideas, and the words have sunk into the hearts of humanbeings, terrorising men and women and living there as terrible tyrants. They makeus become tigers. All the hatred with which we hate others is caused by thesefoolish ideas which we have imbibed since our childhood — good and evil. Ourjudgment of humanity becomes entirely false; we make this beautiful earth a hell;but as soon as we can give up good and evil, it becomes a heaven."This earth is blissful ('sweet' is the literal translation) to all beings and all beingsare sweet to this earth; they all help each other. And all the sweetness is theAtman, that effulgent, immortal One who is inside this earth." Whose is thissweetness? How can there be any sweetness but He? That one sweetness ismanifesting itself in various ways. Wherever there is any love, any sweetness inany human being, either in a saint or a sinner, either in an angel or a murderer,either in the body, mind, or the senses, it is He. Physical enjoyments are but He,mental enjoyments are but He, spiritual enjoyments are but He. How can there beanything but He? How can there be twenty thousand gods and devils fighting witheach other? Childish dreams! Whatever is the lowest physical enjoyment is He,and the highest spiritual enjoyment is He. There is no sweetness but He. Thus saysYajnavalkya. When you come to that state and look upon all things with the sameeye, when you see even in the drunkard's pleasure in drink only that sweetness,then you have got the truth, and then alone you will know what happiness means,what peace means, what love means; and so long as toll make these vaindistinctions, silly, childish, foolish superstitions, all sorts of misery will come. Butfile:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/Chitra%20Selva...oksBySwami/PracticalVedanta/PracticalVedantaPDF.html (76 of 113)2/26/2007 12:24:33 AM
Practical Vedantathat immortal One, the effulgent One, He is inside the earth, it is all His sweetness,and the same sweetness is in the body. This body is the earth, as it were, andinside all the powers of the body, all the enjoyments of the body, is He; the eyessee, the skin touches; what are all these enjoyments? That Self-effulgent One whois in the body, He is the Atman. This world, so sweet to all beings, and everybeing so sweet to it, is but the Self-effulgent; the Immortal is the bliss in thatworld. In us also, He is that bliss. He is the Brahman. "This air is so sweet to allbeings, and all beings are so sweet to it. But He who is that Self-effulgentImmortal Being in the air — is also in this body. He is expressing Himself as thelife of all beings. This sun is so sweet to all beings. All beings are so sweet to thissun. He who is the Self-effulgent Being in the sun, we reflect Him as the smallerlight. What can be there but His reflection? He is in the body, and it is Hisreflection which makes us see the light. This moon is so sweet to all, and everyone is so sweet to the moon, but that Self-effulgent and Immortal One who is thesoul of that moon, He is in us expressing Himself as mind. This lightning is sobeautiful, every one is so sweet to the lightning, but the Self-effulgent andImmortal One is the soul of this lightning, and is also in us, because all is thatBrahman. The Atman, the Self, is the king of all beings." These ideas are veryhelpful to men; they are for meditation. For instance, meditate on the earth; thinkof the earth and at the same time know that we have That which is in the earth,that both are the same. Identify the body with the earth, and identify the soul withthe Soul behind. Identify the air with the soul that is in the air and that is in me.They are all one, manifested in different forms. To realise this unity is the end andaim of all meditation, and this is what Yajnavalkya was trying to explain toMaitreyi.Practical Vedanta10. Soul, Nature and Godfile:///C|/Documents%20and%20Settings/Chitra%20Selva...oksBySwami/PracticalVedanta/PracticalVedantaPDF.html (77 of 113)2/26/2007 12:24:33 AM
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