To attain Parama Puruśa, to become one with the Supreme Reality, He must be made the summum bonum of human life. But the attainment of the Supreme Reality is not possible overnight. For that the sádhaka [spiritual practitioner] will have to undergo the systematic and methodical process of spiritual sádhaná for a long period, till every nerve-cell, nerve-fibre, every bit of his physical existence is divinized. Sádhaná, after all, is a scientific process by which the entire psycho-physical existence is divinized.

Those who are fortunate enough to have good spiritual saḿskáras [mental reactive momenta] due to their past karma can easily have a balanced mind that will slowly and steadily take them to their goal. But in most cases it does not happen like that. Citta nádii ubhayatah praváhinii – “The mind can have both spirit and matter as its object.” But it is difficult to make spirit the object because spiritual ideation is not possible through inferential vibrations (tánmátrik spandana). The senses do not help a person in spiritual sádhaná. On the contrary, the sense organs are always ready to help the mind to flow extroversially. Material objects, through their tanmátras (shabda, sparsha, rúpa, rasa, gandha),⁽¹⁾ always attract the mind.

Psycho-physical parallelism is very easy, while psycho-spiritual parallelism requires repeated mental efforts. That is why wise sádhakas superimpose Brahmabháva on physical objects and mental thoughts. At once they cease to be physical or mental, they become spiritual. After all, each and every object – physical or psychic – is nothing but an expression of Brahma. As a result, one will not have to reap the consequences of one’s actions. This is the only way by which one can prevent one’s mind from being crudified due to constant psycho-physical parallelism.

Ordinarily, people who are not on sádhaná márga [the spiritual path] look upon physical things as mere things. While they eat food, drink water, read books, talk to friends or perform any action, they get into bondages due to work. Their minds become assailed by karma bandhana. They won’t attain salvation till their saḿskáras are finally exhausted. Hence to get rid of this karma bandhana [bondage of action and reaction], one must take Brahmabháva [ideation on the Supreme].

Over a thousand years ago, there was a wise and devout Buddhist bhikku in Bengal, popularly known as Bhusuku. He was a good poet, a humourist, and a sádhaka of excellent category.

When the mind rises above body-consciousness and takes constant spiritual ideation, one enjoys the parama rasa [supreme taste]; one who, on the other hand, thinks of gross material objects gets the viśaya rasa [taste of objects]. The latter is only preferred till one experiences the former; once parama rasa is tasted, the other becomes tasteless. On this point Bhusuku humorously remarked: Áj báuṋálii haili [“I became a báuṋálii today” (Báuṋálii can mean Bengalee)]. Here báuṋálii means one who has risen above body-consciousness; the vauṋga, this state, he attained as he took Cosmic ideation constantly.

Bhu: At the time of bhojana (food), he used to think of Parama Puruśa.

Su: At the time of shayanam (lying down), he used to think of Parama Puruśa.

Ku: Before every karma (action), he used to think of Parama Puruśa.

One who always takes the name of Parama Puruśa while eating and drinking, sitting and walking – before every action – is called “Bhusuku”.

When one sleeps on a cot, one’s body comes in contact with the cot. When eating, one’s hand and mouth come in touch with rice, vegetables, etc. When thinking, the mind comes in touch with thought. Everything crude or subtle is His manifestation. In the process of taking constant Cosmic ideation, the sádhaka experiences great bliss within – this is called dharmameghánanda.

Demonstration

[Bábá called one sádhaka and told him to lie down. The sádhaka lay down and Bábá touched his lower four cakras with a stick. Then he asked the sádhaka:] Do you feel the presence of somebody, the touch of somebody? [The sádhaka replied yes. Then the sádhaka sat up.

Bábá again asked the sádhaka whether he was feeling His presence, His touch, His affection or not? The sádhaka’s answer was always in the affirmative; this time the sádhaka stood up.

Bábá again asked him:] Do you feel He is holding your hands, loving you? [Then the sádhaka began to mark time. Even then he felt His presence and affection.

Next the sádhaka was told to think of something mentally. He was told not to think of anything but Him. In his múládhára, svádhiśt́hána, mańipura, anáhata,⁽²⁾ he felt His loving presence all the while.

Next the sádhaka went deep into samádhi – in Vaekuńt́hadháma – maintaining the mundane, supra-mundane and spiritual link.]

Footnotes

(1) Tanmátra literally means “minutest fraction” of a given rudimental factor of matter. It is also translated “inferential wave”. These inferences radiate from objects and are received by the sensory organs, resulting in perceptions of sound, touch, form (vision) taste and smell. –Eds.

(2) First, second, third and fourth psycho-spiritual centres, or plexi, located respectively at the base of the spine, the base of the genital organ, the navel, and the mid-point of the chest. –Eds.