It is said that while tomorrow you can forget what you hear today but you seldom forget cycling or swimming. Self-Realisation/Aparokshanubhooti is the direct knowledge of the Self. It is not a bookish knowledge, epiphany without true realisation, belief or faith.
The above implies that once the intellect develops to recognise the truth of the Atman then any behaviour/false-identification involving/caused-due-to body, mind, energy, intellect, bliss does not cause the loss of this intellect. To live in the apparent reality, false identification has to be done. The enlightened person does respond when called by a name. He/she still signs cheques and does all the routine jobs involving false identifications. But, just like an actor does not remain character of the play after the act, the enlightened person can get rid of these false identifications. Aparokshanubooti (direct knowledge) is generally irreversible in the long run.
It is the nature of the mind to wander. It slips into the past or to the future every now and then. When mind slips into the past it often causes worry and when it slips into the future it often causes anxiety. Intellect has to be used to keep it in present as intellect controls the mind.
Here are 3 steps to live in the present according to Swami Anubhavananda Saraswati:
Meaning: Whether my body worships the Gods, takes bath, goes to the toilet or goes begging, whether my voice does AUM japa or chants Vedantashastra, whether my intellect wishes to remember Vishnu or disappears in bliss, I am neither the doer nor the owner of all these acts. I am the witness to all these.
Atman (Self) is often defined as Sat-Chit-Aanand. Sat implies forever/permanent/existence, Chit implies self revealing consciousness and Aanand generally implies bliss. Definition of something means all conditions should be satisfied at all time.
Emotions come and go so how can an emotion like bliss always be permanent? For example, bliss cannot be experienced while watching horror movie or while watching a bad dream. Also, Atman is everywhere whether we speak of living beings or non-living objects. How can bliss be associated with a non-living entity like stone? How can bliss be associated with living entity not capable of experiencing bliss for example certain microbes/insects/animals etc. Also, Atman is the knower of everything including bliss, how can it itself be bliss?
If Aanand is considered as Anant which means limitless/infinite, this confusion would not be there and Atman indeed is limitless/whole/infinite. The word bliss when used in the context of Atman should be seen in this light. It is true that the more mind abides in Self, the happier it is. So, the words bliss & aanand can be used in their general sense also but they cannot be the direct representative of permanence when used this way.
Perhaps a Sanskrit scholar can look into the origin of the words Anant & Aanand.
Pure Consciousness does not judge, so there is no external judgement after physical death. It is not that there is somebody above the sky who sends different people to heaven or hell depending on who does good act and who does bad act as per the laws created by Him. Heaven and hell are states that out past/current/future choices create for ourselves. Then what is good and what is bad? What gives rise to deepening of vasanas* causing binding# vasanas and what causes creation of more vasanas in the long run is bad karma and what exhausts vasanas in the long run is good karma. If Mr X has diabetes but wants to have chocolate against the instructions of his doctor, in short term he may enjoy it but after eating he may feel guilt. Moreover, this experience may deepen the craving for the chocolate, making the vasana stronger. So, this is bad karma. Deepened vasanas lead to binding/attachment. Binding vasanas drive us just like puppets are driven. It is much more difficult to burn binding vasanas.
Sanchit Karma: Vasanas accumulated due to the past acts/choices/karmas
Prarabdha Karma: Current situation in life due to Sanchit Karma
Aagami Karma: Current acts that will create new vasanas in future or will exhaust existing vasanas in future
With regards to the question, “How everything got started at the first place?” the detailed answer is provided here.
*Vasanas: Feelings/desires/tendencies popping up from the causal body. #Binding Vasanas: Deep rooted tendencies governing behaviour and character.
PS: There is some technical difference between the words vasana and samskara. For the sake of simplicity this minor difference has been ignored and the two words have been considered to imply the same.
Subject is the seer/knower, object is the scenery. I am the subject who witnesses the object and its properties. Anything that can be objectified cannot be me.
Eyes see computer screen, eyes are subject and the screen is the object. Screen may have many properties like brightness, colour, size, resolution etc. Intellect knows about eyes, here eyes are object and intellect is the subject. Eyes may have many properties like colour, size, eyesight etc. Intellect knows about various emotions. Here, intellect is the subject and mind is the object. However, intellect is not present in deep sleep but I am always present. I am the knower of the absence and of the presence of the intellect. So, I am the subject and intellect is the object. Intellect has the properties of reading the signals sent by various senses, reading various emotions etc. Since, intellect has been objectified it is not me. The only thing that can never be objectified is Impersonal Awareness. That is me, so are you.
Thumb – Consciousness Index Finger – Jiva Other Three Fingers – Body (Tamas), Mind (Rajas), Intellect (Sattva)
Variation I
Index finger separating from other three fingers and bowing to the thumb – Jiva surrenders to the Consciousness.
Variation II
Index finger separating from other three fingers and meeting the thumb at the top – Jiva recognises that it is different from body, mind, intellect and realises unity with the Consciousness.
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