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AATMEEKAM
The base of all living beings and non living beings is THAT which is SAT, nameless, shapeless, colourless, indestructible, unchangeable, Truth, permanent, Bliss, Aananda, known as BRAHMAN, which manifests first as Omkar (SOUND) and then in figure (ROOPAM) Easwara, and then as Guru:
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Introduction
All of us are dealing with the world
outside with an extrovert vision and have lost our identity with
the REALITY. This is caused due to the effect of IGNORANCE
(MAYA) or AVIDHYA. This is due to our pre-occupation with
the materialistic aspect of living. We lose sight of our inner
nature which is PURE BLISS (SAT CHIT ANANDA). We are going
through the cycle of birth and death continuously and are not
enquiring about its truth nor are we bothered to overcome it.
It is because of our wrong identification with the sensual
objects and getting attached to them, believing (though wrongly)
that we get pleasure out of them. Pleasure and Pain are
the two sides of a coin. If there is one, the other is
also present. They will come one after the other in a
cyclic motion without end so far as we function with extroverted
vision. What is the remedy? Remove wrong
identification and our attachment to sensual objects and carry
on our work in the world outside without any ownership of the
work that we do or without any enjoyer-ship of the results that
we reap out of our actions. We cannot avoid action but we
can regulate it to our benefit. Our Vedas teach us
Sanatana Dharma, which is to be followed by every human being,
irrespective of caste and religions, which are only man-made.
Sanatana Dharma, which is ancient and known to the great seers
of the past in their saadhana, proclaim the Duties to be
performed by everyone (and the method), which is common to all
religions. Great masters of all religions proclaim the
same thing that is contained in the Sanatana Dharma.
Hinduism is not a religion, it is the basic scripture for all
religions, including Hindu Religion. Whatever is declared
in Vedas are the direct experiences (you may call it mystic) of
our great seers, which have come as Srutis and Smrutis on which
Bhashyams are given by our Rishis, who are well verrsed in
Vedantic revelations. It is for us to understand them and
practice, so that we can be liberated from our present
bondage and attain Mukthi.
What is Aatmeekam?
We are all constantly and
continuously engaged in multifarious activities at Body, Mind
and Intellectual level and are dealing with the world outside.
This is extroverted activity. We live and deal with
sensual objects at each realm for the pursuit of happiness.
"Happiness" is the aim of all living beings. What is happiness
and where is it available? Have we ever thought?
When we seek something and enjoy that something, we get some
pleasure - some satisfaction which we look for. This
pleasure or satisfaction is mistaken by us as happiness and
leads us to think that the happiness is in the object, which is
outside of us. To know this we should find out "does this
pleasure last long? Or, are we getting it at every time
we come in contact with it? Are we able to store it and
use it whenever we need pleasure?" Pleasure is a mental
status associated with its opposite "pain or sorrow" and
it is a relative term and should, therefore, be unreal.
"Happiness" is not a status but the very being and is ever
permanent. Our misconception of pleasure with happiness
can be removed by analyzing it thus: "If "Happiness" is
objectively attainable, we should be able to retain it, since it
is permanent. Anything that is a product of object should also
be tangible." But it is not? We get pain or sorrow afterwards.
If you take one Jangri, it is sweet and gives you satiation.
You take one after the other and end with 20, by which time your
appetite is gone and you get nausea and it affects your stomach.
The very Jangri which was sweetish becomes poison for you
because it leads to Diabetes and other diseases. If Happiness is
in the object, it should always be with you so far as the object
is with you and you deal with it. But that is not what you
get. Therefore, it should be unreal. We are wrongly
identifying with the pleasure as happiness. Then, if happiness
is not in the object, where is it coming from?
This is what we should find out.
Where to find out and how? One thing is clear, happiness
is not coming from outside of us. Therefore, it should be
within us. This is a logical conclusion every one will
accept. This leads us to the question of enquiry within us.
Where is the seat or source of happiness within us? What
is the characteristic of happiness? If these questions are
to be answered, we have to look into ourselves to know it
ourselves, because "Happiness" is not a relative term nor an
object and cannot be understood by sense organs.
Therefore, it cannot be searched through a question or enquiry,
since enquiry is a mental process. Then it should be the
basis of our life, which we have lost sight of . Yes, it
is the very nature of us and it is ever permanent. It is
the characteristic of the SUPREME REALITY, which is the very
basis of our existence. As it is not an object, it cannot be
seen or felt but only experienced, beyond any explanation.
How to experience it?
It
is a Saadhana (SELF Realization) everyone has to perform to get
a glimpse of the knowledge of the Sacred SUPREME REALITY - the
SELF - which is the basis of our existence, for which we have to
deface the ignorance (MAYA) that conceals the SELF from us and
get Mukthi from the bondage in this mundane life.
This is what I call as AATMEEKAM (realising the SELF).
To help you know more about this,
please refer to my contributions listed under "Author's
Contributions". I have given links to some "Vedantic
Websites(spiritual)" which may help you to compare what I
discussed in these articles with what is said in our Vedas,
Sanatana Dharma etc. "Others' Contributions"
may also be read as and when included.
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Contributions conforming to
the main objective stated above are invited from seeker/sadhak
writers for inclusion under "Others' Contribution section"
FREE. uthor reserves the right to edit, alter,
abridge the contributions.
Disclaimer:
The author disclaims the authenticity of the linked
websites under "Vedantic Websites (Spiritual) column " and
the articles under "Others' Contributions" column above
nor vouchsafes the opinions expressed therein and/or
information given therein.. It is linked/published
solely at the respective site owners'/contributor's own
risk and responsibility. The author is not liable to
any action or consequences that may arise due to copy rite
and other claims of outsiders.
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Appeal
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with more and more contributions that may come in future.
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needs clarification on any aspect, please do contact me with
specific questions through the "Contact" link above and I shall
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HARI
OM
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