EE7.5 - Guru Prańáma

Guru Prańáma

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Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 3

Notes:

official source: Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 3

this version: is the printed Ánanda Vacanámrtam Part 3, 2nd edition, version (obvious spelling, punctuation and typographical mistakes only may have been corrected). I.e., this is the most up-to-date version as of the present Electronic Edition.

This is Discourse 68 of the Ánanda Vacanámrtam series.

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I think all of you are well acquainted with one shloka. It is a shloka for Guru Prańáma, but its import was never explained. It is;

Nityánandaḿ paramasukhadaḿ
Kevalaḿ jiṋánamúrttim,
Vishvátiitaḿ gaganasadrshaḿ
Tattvamasyádilakśyam.

Jiivas enjoy nityánandam and viśyánandam. When one acquires something worldly, something mundane, one feels a sort of happiness which is known as “viśyánandam”, and when, by dint of one’s spiritual practices and the grace of the Supreme, one enjoys spiritual happiness, it is known as “nityánandam”.

But for what reason is Parama Puruśa creating the world? Why is He doing so much for created beings? Certainly for ánandam. And He Himself is also ánandam. So His ánandam is created within, merged within, enjoyed within.

For Parama Puruśa there are two kinds of ánandam: nityánandam and liilánandam. What is nityánandam? Nityánandam is His self-satisfaction. The bliss that He enjoys from Himself is nityánandam. He was in nityánandam, He is in Nityánandam, and He will be in nityánandam. When there was no world, at that time also there was nityánandam. And when, in theory, there will be no creation, He will still be in nityánandam.

And what is liilánandam? When Saguńa – Attributional Consciousness or Attributed Consciousness – was created, He wanted liilánandam. He wanted to enjoy liilánandam. And what is liilánandam? He creates so many things, so many animate and inanimate objects, so many sons and daughters. And while playing with His sons and daughters, He gets a sort of pleasure. That pleasure is His liilánandam.

And spiritual aspirants who are intelligent know this fact. They know that everything in this world is His liilánandam. He is playing for liilánandam, so there should not be any worries and anxieties in this world – all things are different phases of His liilánandam.

In this shloka the first word is “nityánandam”. “O Lord, who art always in nityánandam.” “Nitya” means “of permanent nature”. Therefore, ánandam which is of permanent nature is nityánandam.

The next word is “paramasukhadam”. The happiness that a created being enjoys from mundane objects is called “sukham”, and all this sukham comes from that Nityánandam Entity, so He is Paramasukhadam for the Jiivas. Here the word is not “sukhadam”, the word is “paramasukhadam”, that is, sukha of the maximum degree, sukha to the zenith of its efficiency.

“Kevalaḿ jiṋánamurttim”. What is the meaning of “kevalam”? “Kevalam” means “the only entity”, the “non-dualistic entity”. That is, in His realm, in His jurisdiction, there is no second, external entity. There is no scope for any Satan to be there, that is, there is no Satan. He is everything. He plays with His vidyámáyá and avidyámáyá. That is kevalam. Kevalam means “the only entity”, “the only existence”. And when one becomes one with Him, one is said to be ensconced in “kaevalya”. Kaevalya means “nirvikalpa samádhi”. That is when one acquires kevala-hood, that is kaevalya.

You should remember that the conception of Satan is against the non-dualistic philosophy. If we recognize a Satan, we are indirectly recognizing two Parama Puruśas – one a good Parama Puruśa and the other a very bad Parama Puruśa – which is absurd. So there is no Satan. There are only the misdeeds done by avidyámáyá. And that Satan, as avidyámáyá, is part of máyá, the left hand of máyá.

Daevii hyeśá guńamayii mama Máyá duratyayá;
Mámeva ye prapadyante Máyámetáḿ taranti te.⁽¹⁾

“This divine force, Máyá, is My Máyá, is my power – ‘Shaktih Sá Shivasya shaktih.’ And those who have taken My shelter will easily surmount this Máyá.” Without divine help or divine aid, this máyá remains insurmountable. So in order to cross this máyá, one will have to take the shelter of Krśńa, that is, Parama Puruśa.

“Kevalaḿ jiṋánamúrttim.” “Jiṋánamúrttim” means “Cognitive Faculty personified”, “personified Cognition”.

“Vishvátiitam”. What’s the meaning of “vishvátiitam”? When, as the objective counterpart of the Supreme Consciousness, something concrete is created, something under the strict supervision and bondage and fetters of the static principle, then that created being is called “vishva”. So vishva is His objective counterpart. And because vishva is His counterpart, He is above the jurisdiction of vishva – He is vishvátiitam. And just as there cannot be any spatial demarcation in the sky, so there cannot be any spatial demarcation within the Macrocosm. That’s why it has been said, “Gaganasadrsham.”

“Tattvamasi”. Now, when a spiritual aspirant contacts Parama Puruśa and asks Him, “Who am I, who am I?” – when this eternal question is placed before Him, His reply is, “Tattvamasi”, “Thou art That,” that is, “Thou art the Supreme Entity.” As I have said so many times, human sadhana is a movement from electronic imperfection to nuclear perfection. The nuclear perfection is That, and this electronic imperfection is you. You are That. The stage of “are” is your spiritual practice. Your are That, you – That – are. This “are” is the gap to be bridged by sádhaná. So you are That. The Guru’s words, the Guru’s secret instruction, or gospel, or text, or sermon, is, “O my little boy, O my little girl, thou art That.”

“Tattvamasyádilakśyam”. Now the entity who always reminds you, “O my little boy, O my little girl, thou art That,” is the Guru. I think you understand.