Miscellaneous - Religion   

Removing the curtain

CHENNAI: It is the mind that keeps us from realising God. It is like a curtain that keeps the Atma veiled; it is like a thick, opaque curtain. We do not have even a glimpse of the Atma. From here, we have to progress to the next stage, where the mind is translucent, and from there to the point where the mind is transparent.

Now the Atma is seen, but there is not the complete anubhava that is required. Once the mind becomes transparent, a taste for the Atma appears. But the curtain has to go completely for the Atma to be enjoyed, said B. Sundar Kumar. Once the curtain is removed completely, we can know the Atma.

The mind is like a mirror, which shows one Atma as many. If you remove the mirror, you will find that there are not many images.

The mind is not just a mirror, but a mirror covered with dirt; it is also a shaky mirror. So we have to stop the wavering of the mind too.

How does one clean up the dirt ? Karmanushtanas help us get rid of the dirt, and bhakthi helps us end wavering. Where did all the dirt come from? It is the result of our acts in previous ‘janmas.’ The dirt in our minds is caused by our karma, and this dirt can be removed only through the karmas prescribed by the Vedas.

In the past, before scouring powders and cleaning liquids came into existence, grime on cooking vessels would be removed through mud or sand, which are good cleaning agents. Even now if one goes to Kasi, one can see how brass vessels used in rituals are brought to the banks of the Ganga and scrubbed with mud, and then rinsed in the water.

They shine as if they were newly polished. The mud gets rid of the dirt. A good scrub with the mud removes the grime. A rinse with water makes the vessel clean. A wipe with a muslin cloth completes the job.

Our mind is like the dirty vessel. Karmanushtanas would be the equivalent of the mud. Bhakthi is like the water and gnana is the equivalent of the cloth used to dry the vessel.

Thus the dirt caused by karma is erased through karmanushtanas.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Cartoonscape
The Hindu Crossword No. 9579
Solution No. 9578
Removing the curtain
dated July 8, 1959: Convention of new party
dated July 8, 1959: Pre-partition debts
dated July 8, 1959: Mystic wedding painting
Weather

Copyright © 2009, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu