Lord describes the Supreme being with reference to the microcosm as the in-dweller is dwelling in the city of eleven gates. It is not born; there is no birth or death to Atman. It is even-minded because the Brahman within us is mentally renouncing all actions. Having meditated on this Self, one grieves not. Grief arises out of egocentric identification and ignorance of the Self.
Liberation implies that there is a feeling of bondage. A spiritual seeker should feel this suffocation of being bound. The mundane pursuits of life should give you a sense of incompleteness. There is a greater purpose to life. Your life should not be consumed merely by animal instincts. The only way one can come out of this suffocating feeling is to work for a higher goal.
As the sun dwells in heaven, as wind dwells in the sky; as fire dwells in the sacrificial altar; dwells in a house as a guest, dwells in man, in the Gods, dwells in sacrifice, and in space. He is born in the water, born on earth, born in the sacrifice, born on the mountains, is true and great.
Brahman is being described through the macrocosm.
SAT – EXISTENCE – INERT OBJECTS
CHIT – KNOWLEDGE Waking state
LIVING BEINGS Dream state
ANANDA – BLISS Deep-sleep state
Inert, dead matter is existence. Brahman is there in every lifeless matter. Existence refers to all inanimate objects.
All animate things fall under living beings. Chit and Ananda refer to living beings that go through the waking, dream, and deep-sleep states. A waker does not know the dream world, and a dreamer does not know the waking world. In deep sleep, there is the experience of silence. So, Brahman is there in waking, dream, and deep sleep.
The world consists of living beings and inert, dead matter, which covers the entire range of the macrocosm. This mantra describes Brahman as SAT CHIT ANANDA, with reference to the macrocosm.
This mantra describes various forms and living organisms in the world. In the performance of ritual, Brahman is in the offeror, offering, the produce, everything in Brahman. Ref: Bhagavad Gita – Chapter 4, verse 24:
ब्रह्मार्पणं ब्रह्म हविर्ब्रह्माग्नौ ब्रह्मणा हुतम् ।
ब्रह्मैव तेन गन्तव्यं ब्रह्मकर्मसमाधिना ॥ 24 ॥
brahmaarpanam brahma havir brahmaagnau brahmaNaa hutam ।
brahmaiva tena gantavyam brahmakarmasamaadhinaa ॥ 24 ॥
The act of offering is Brahman, the oblation is Brahman, offered by Brahman, in the fire of Brahman, by seeing Brahman in action, Brahman verily shall be reached by him.
Atman in the form of a Brahmana, carrying on his duties in his home. ‘Dwells in a man’ refers to the purushatvam in a human being. Purushatvam is the ability to explore the unknown without being complacent. You have the yearning to know what that unknown Truth is.
‘In the Gods’ refers to all the various gods who are invoked when you perform the yajna.
Atman is the world and is in every object of the world. It is like water is the wave and water is in the wave.
‘Born in the water’ are the aquatic creatures, shells, and plants.
‘Born on the mountains’ refers to water streams, rivulets…
The sadhana is to see Brahman where we cannot identify. You should not resist any negativity that comes to you. Resisting will become an impediment in what you are going through in life. As Christ says, ‘Judge not others, resist not evil’. Our past actions present us with certain fruits. When one is subject to profit or loss, pleasure or pain, let’s accept it, as it is the fruit of one’s own actions. It can come through any source, but it’s dishing out one’s past actions. You have to put in your current effort. If you can do something to nullify it, erase it, please attempt. If you cannot, please accept it. It is not passively accepting or complaining, but gracefully accepting it.
True: Atman is the absolute Satyam. The world is opposite to Brahman. Any activity in the world will not be able to uphold this concept of Satyam. Every transaction in the world is not true. From the absolute point ‘Brahma Satyam jagat mitya’.
From a relative point, actions that are towards the Self, sattvic, selfless actions are truth. When we do not speak the truth, there is a feeling of guilt. Relative level Satyam is defined, where there is an absence of feeling of guilt. Satyam – actions supported by the Conscience. Conscience points towards the Atman. Anything other than Atman is false. Any actions that you perform for material acquisition and enjoyment are asatyam. Conscience will not support when you lead a life of selfishness, rajasic, and tamasic nature. Sattvic actions, nature-driven to the attainment of Atman, will uphold the definition of Satyam because they do not prick the Conscience.
Conscience is the messenger of God. It is like the compass guiding us to reach the Atman during the course of our life. So when your actions are not for the larger good, it alerts you that you are going off course. When I am acting in the world, are my actions towards worldly attainment or to seek Brahman? Any action that does not take you to the attainment of the goal is asatyam. As long as your actions are sattvic in nature, your conscience will support.
Satyam is that which persists in the past, present, and future.
Every sattvic action need not be seeking the Atman. If you are reveling in happiness, to that extent, you are seeking the truth. Whatever I am doing, is my conscience supporting it? One cannot judge others’ actions as right or wrong.
‘It is great’ means it is all-pervading.
Lord Yama has given different descriptions where one can identify Brahman in the macrocosm.
