In the following verse Krishn as Consciousness says:
[Bhagvad Gita, Chapter 12, Verse 8]
Meaning: Apply mind in me and apply intellect in me only; subsequently you will reside in me only, there is no doubt in this.
Comment: Bhakti goes beyond the blind following of rituals if one is seeking Self.
Q: I do not seem to be aware at all in deep sleep. If awareness never goes then where does my awareness go in deep sleep?
A: When you say, “my” awareness you are referring to the reflected/personal awareness. A stone may have no reflected/personal awareness at all but stone is within the impersonal/pure awareness which never goes. Stone is an expression of pure awareness. When we say awareness never goes, we refer to the pure awareness, not the reflected one. Incidentally, even “your” awareness does exist in dormant form in deep sleep. Had it not been the case then nobody would get up from the deep sleep after hearing a loud noise or nobody would get up from deep sleep due to mosquito bite. Also, consider the following verse:
[Panchadasi, Chapter 11, Verse 39]
Implied Meaning: If there is no comfort in deep sleep then why great effort is made to set up soft bedding and other conveniences?
The word Vedanta can be looked at from two angles:
From the perspective of the core source texts (Prasthānatrayī) Upanishads, Brahma Sutras and Bhagavad Gita jointly can be referred to as Vedanta. However, there are very large number of texts that are studied in the tradition of Vedanta.
A teaching tradition has developed out of the work of several sages over a span of last 3000 years or so based on Upanishads which is also known as Vedanta. Vedanta is a proven systematic teaching method of Self Realisation. Since, one can know oneself directly (if qualified) by following the teachings of Vedanta, it is not really a philosophy but is a direct means of Self knowledge.
[Bhagvad Gita, Chapter 3, Verse 27]
Implied Meaning: In reality, all work in all respects in done by the gunas (sattva, rajas & tamas) of the nature (prakrati). In spite of this fact whosoever’s inner mind is attracted by pride, such ignorant believes, “I am the doer”.
Comments: The body which is responsible for appearance and other qualities is made of atoms all of which are provided by nature so there is no need to feel proud about it. A person obviously does not choose his/her parents after birth. How much intellect he/she has by birth is beyond anybody’s control. Even thoughts that pop up come from causal body and hence are beyond anyone’s direct control. And eventually, the end result of any action is beyond anyone’s control considering natural calamities, accidents, circumstances, luck etc. So, it is wise to do away with the doership.
Bhagvad Gita is a conversation between Consciousness (Krishn) & Jiva (Arjun). The following verse spoken by Krishn talks about bhakti with mind.
[Bhagvad Gita, Chapter 8, Verse 14]
The above implies that whosoever always and constantly thinks about Self with undivided mind, to that Yogi ever absorbed in Self, the Self is easily attainable.
Bhakti does not necessarily mean following certain ritual. There is no pointing chanting AUM a thousand times just for the sake of doing it. There is no point in just watching breath or dissolving in meditation samadhi or having epiphany if Self Inquiry is not made to find out the seer. Many people even after NDE (near death experience) are unable to know that they are pure Consciousness because they get immersed in the amazing experience of unconditional love etc. and do not do Self Inquiry. It does mean something useful if chanting AUM brings mind back to think about the Self. Self inquiry is the direct method of Self Realisation which involves doing no ritual whatsoever. A seeker always needs to inquire, “Who is the seer?” or, “How do I know what I know?” or “Who am I really?” and engage in negation.
Kabir says, “Kar ka manka dari de, man ka manka pher” which means drop the beads of rosary and rotate the beads of mind.
PS: Some rituals can be useful if their symbolisms are understood. For example, every time you apply bindi or tilak remember that your final goal is Self Realisation and apply the mind to Self Inquiry.
| Vaikhari Vaani | Vocal/Verbal speech. |
| Madhyama Vaani | Internal mental speech like self talk or inner talk or dream state. This happens when verbal speech settles deeper. |
| Pashyanti Vaani | When there is the absence of attachment with vocal or inner talk (like saakshi chaitanya or witness consciousness). Here, the voice is in its potential/seed form (like dreamless deep sleep state which has no expression in itself but has the potential to move either to the dream state or to the waking state). This happens when mental speech settles even deeper towards non-duality. |
| Para Vaani | Beyond speech like in nirvikalpa samadhi or when the body is unconscious like in near death experience (NDE) or in an epiphany. In this state the Self can possibly know itSelf. |
[Panchadasi, Chapter 9, Dhyandeep Prakraran, Verse 37]
Meaning: Just like cultivation and pregnancy etc. obviously don’t get ready immediately, but it does take some time for them in ripening; likewise self inquiry too gradually matures with time.