God Consciousness in human awareness

There is nothing to be achieved or attained in God consciousness. It is not something outside; it is all here within us. If we think we should go towards God who is somewhere away from us then that idea has to be shunned. Again if we say “within us “somewhere at the back of the mind we sound “not outside”. Neither up nor down, inside nor outside, here nor there none of these notions apply to the Omnipresent God. It is impossible for a human mind to remain a human mind and at the same time understand God. Only God’s mind can understand God. Only when the human mind is so relieved of its ego then it becomes God’s mind and that mind is capable of understanding God. The human mind has always accepted many forms of God and failed to understand that He is above names and forms. Mankind has built places of worship for the convenience of adoring him but out of ignorance he has limited the existence of God to the four walls and forgotten about His aspect of Omnipresence. Poet sage Kanakadasa who believed God as omnipresent failed to eat the fruit given to him by his Guru Sri Vyasaraja Thirtha on the condition that he has to consume it without any one being a witness.

In Vedanta philosophy, the highest word used for god is “OM” and word only slightly below that is Brahman. The word Brahman should not be translated as God, according to Vedanta this universe that has manifested is in reality not different from Brahman. All this manifestation of the universe is one single expansion of the infinite Brahman. The modern physicist also view that the universe is the expansion of a primordial atom. The highest exponent of Vedanta philosophy Sri Shankara says that the knowledge of Brahman alone is not sufficient but an equal amount of Viveka {Power of Discrimination} is also necessary. Viveka is the first among the four virtues {Sadhana Chatustaya} required for an aspirant of Yoga. It is an important element for the human mind to understand the vastness of Brahman.

There is a story in Vedanta, which illustrates requirement of Viveka without which the knowledge of Brahman is of little use. Once in an ashram a disciple had mastered in various texts of Vedanta from his Guru for many years. After getting proficient in the philosophy and learning the logics of it, he was immersed in the knowledge of Brahman. Once his Guru sent him to the city for the first time to face the world. It so happened that an elephant that was intoxicated and a bit angry was running down the street. The mahout sitting on the elephant was trying to control it and was shouting a warning to everybody in the street. “Watch out! Stay away! Watch out” But the disciple who had taken the lesson of Vedanta philosophy and knew all to be Brahman, thought to himself “I am Brahman and so is the elephant” How can a Brahman hurt a Brahman? Thus contemplating he walk his way reciting the sentence “Sarvam Khalvidam Brahmaa” – All this is Brahman. The rushing elephant gave one blow from its trunk and the poor disciple fell on the side of the road. He got up shaken and his Guru who was watching all this stood there so the disciple asked his Guru “You thought me that all this is Brahman. How could a Brahman hurt a Brahman? “That is true, my boy. the Guru explained, “A Brahman can never hurt a Brahman. But that one who was shouting all the time to watch out and stay away why didn’t you hear to that Brahman.

Sreeram Manoj Kumar