Advaita Anubhuti – Experience of Non-Duality in day-to-day life

What is the experience of Non-duality?

Non-duality means not two. We see multiplicity all around. We can see so much of difference everywhere - living,

non-living, matter, and consciousness. Does experience of non-duality means - all these differences vanish?

Experience of Non-duality in day-to-day life: Let us look at our body. We have five fingers - obviously they are sepa-

rate and different. But all of them are the part of the hand. There is oneness of the hand behind different fingers. Let

us look at the objects in the world. There is a separation between the seer and the seen. When you look at the tree,

tree is separate from you. Where is the separation? Where does the tree begin and end. Light from the tree enters

into the eyes and forms a image in the retina. This image is converted into biological impulses in the brain for inter-

pretation. Where is the tree really? Out there? Where is the separation between the Seer and the Seen? Similarly

where do you draw separation between the one who hears-hearing-source of sound? This is true for all our sensations

- touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound. Where do you draw a line and say this is where the sensation starts and this is

where it ends. Where is the boundary between one country and other country - only in map and human mind. All

the experiences - subjective and objective happen in consciousness. Objects seen, and experiences like touch, feel, ....

taste etc. all are happening in consciousness. Consciousness and objects of consciousness are called Shiva and Shak-

ti. Shiva and Shakti are one. This is the realization of non-duality.

Is Non-duality Special experience necessary?

Non-duality is a day-to-day living experience. It is a natural experience. It is not a special experience. .For example all

of us know that earth goes round the sun. But our day-to-day experience is to the contrary. Sun is going round the

earth as per our experience. But deep in our heart we know that this experience is not true. It is the earth going round

the sun not the other way due to our understanding based on principles of Science. .Similarly when we are going

through the experience of life of diversity, we can live in non-duality with our conviction derived from the spiritual

teaching of Vedanta. Don't wait for special experiences of non-duality but live with the conviction derived from the

teaching of Vedanta - bring non-duality into our day-to-day living. .There is no need of special experience called Non

-dual is necessary but, conviction in teachings of Vedanta is necessary..Live with a conviction that All that is there is

Consciousness.

How the life will be different with the conviction of Non-duality?

When everything is part of one whole, Universal love, compassion blooms in heart. With that comes the attitude of

service. Serving the creation. Conflicts within mind vanish.

Special Experience of Non Duality: There are cases of Individuals experiencing non-duality. We call them Sag-

es/Saints. Spiritual practices lead to this experience of non-duality. Spiritual practices lead to deeper silence of the

mind. Silent mind is able to perceive underlying unity. Meditation helps in direct experience of non-duality. Deep

routed belief systems about separation from the existence have to be dropped. This can be done through contempla-

tion on spiritual truths of Upanishads. Dropping of unconscious beliefs about separation is essential for direct experi-

ence of non-duality. Ocean is turbulent at the surface. As you go deeper, there is deep silence. Similarly mind, which

is contemplative and meditative, reaches deeper level of consciousness to experience Non-duality.

Prabhuji Speaks

P a g e 2 D i v y a J y o t h i

P a g e 3 D i v y a J y o t h i

Kurvate karma bhogya karma

kartum ca bhunjate|

Nadyam kita ivavartad avartam

tara masu te|

Vrajanto janmano janma

labhante naiva nirvrtim|| (30)

The jiva engages himself in

action for getting enjoyments

and does actions again for en-

joyment. They soon after get lost in the rebirth from

one birth to another, like the insect fallen into river is

swept from one whirl pool to another, and do not at-

tain liberation. (30)

The desire for getting enjoyments makes us act. When

there is a desire to see, the eyes are used; when the

desire is for feeling, through the skin the touch is felt;

when the desire is for taste, the tongue is used; when

the desire is for smell, the nose is used and when the

desire is for hearing, the ears are used. The five sense

organs are the organs of action that make us act. The

attraction towards the object is the subordinate to the

desire.

As said in Sri Bhagavad-Gita the desires of the mind

are insatiable and are compared to the fire. Any

amount of fuel we give to the fire will not satisfy it. We

can throw the whole world into the fire and at no

point will it say, ‘No thank you, I’ve had enough.’ This

is the nature of fire. This is the nature of desire, the

desire that has no destination. The more we feed it the

more its appetite increases, the higher and wider is its

sweep.

A honeybee starts the honey making process by visit-

ing a flower and gathering some of its nectar. Many

plants use nectar as a way of encouraging insects to

stop at the flower. In the process of gathering nectar,

the insect transfers pollen grains from one flower to

another and pollinates the flower. Similarly, our de-

sires start storing impressions and vasanas in the sub-

conscious mind. Just as the honeybee is attracted to-

wards the nectar we are also attracted towards the ma-

terialistic world. Just as many plants use the nectar as a

way to attract and encourage insects, many of the ma-

terialistic objects attracts us and encourages us to

achieve them. This is the desire of our formless mind.

Mind nature is to hold on to something all the time. If

it loses one, it will find something else to hold. Now

when you catch hold of changing one, which we do

very often, or all the time, then every moment you

should keep on changing whatever you are holding

onto. It never ends, how can we hold on a changing

object? You are handsome, you are beautiful, and you

feel happy. What are you holding? You are holding to

your body. Handsome and beautiful are for the body.

After a few years body becomes old and then you will

get hurt. Today, you are topper in class, you are proud

of your intelligence and when you go to the next

standard, you see that there are people who are more

intelligent than you and in next level a large number of

people are better than you. You are holding to the in-

telligence, how long you can hold on to the intelli-

gence?

You hold on to mind, which is happy one moment and

becomes unhappy the very next moment for some rea-

son. Can you hold on to the mind or the body or to the

intellect, which keep on changing? That holding on

gives you suffering. The desire to get something from

the world cannot be fulfilled, because it is a moving

target and every time it keeps on moving. ‘I will be

very happy if I get good marks, got good marks but

unhappy because need a good job. I will be happy if I

get a job, got job but still unhappy, why? I want a good

girl or boy to get married, married still unhappy. I

want a promotion. So this is s never ending list. Every

time a new target comes up. This will continue until

the last moment of your death. Still you have to get

something from life, something from outer world, the

desires are never fulfilled because new desires keep

sprouting up. Then what happens? Unfulfilled desires

lead to another birth. Punarapi Jananam Punarapi Ma-

ranam, again and again birth and death will happen.

How long can you hold on to something, which is

shifting, shifting and shifting to new one? So, only

those who hold on to permanent will become free.

What do they hold on to? What is permanent in you?

They hold on to the unchanging, the Sakshi inside

them which is permanent. That is called Parabrahma.

Panchadasi - Tattva Viveka 30

P a g e 4 D i v y a J y o t h i

If you are able to understand that I am not the body,

mind and the intellect, I am Pure Awareness, Witness

(Sakshi), then you will start becoming free, otherwise

life is full of hurts and those who hold on to Parabrah-

ma, they become free, get liberated, Muktas Jivan Muk-

thi.

ignorance and show deity in the heart.

Then what is jnana, there won’t be deities in jnana?

We have manas and chitta. Manas and chitta requires

deities to purify. Once that happens jnana shines in

buddhi. Outer deity has to become inner deity. That is

what Guru teaches in meditation. That is what Guru

teaches in Six Chakras. Jnana is mainly for Ajnachakra.

Some have a question if we can visualize a form in

chakra? Depending on our ability, we can visualize

form, qualities, colour and feeling. These are generated

consciously for the purpose of meditation. Ganesha is

a form given to Parabrahma for the purpose of medita-

tion and Bhakti. To become a good teacher, it takes lot

of tapasya.

Jnana and Bhakti

There is a popular belief that Jnana marga is dry, Bhakti

marga is enjoyable. The understanding of what is jnana

what is Bhakti has to come from Guru. Self-learning has

pitfalls. Most of the learning about Jnana/bhakti happens

through books or half-baked wisdom. It is misleading.

Even for Bhakti marga one has to follow an enlightened

teacher. The problem is, there are few really wise teach-

ers and to access them is very difficult. The moment

there is really an enlightened Guru there is no Marga.

The marga ends and wisdom shines. If one gets an en-

lightened teacher in Bhakti marga, one will have a vision

of deity fully and no more marga remains. Jnana and

Bhakti both are same. It is always for Inner Self. .To start

with, people are given outer form. You Get stuck to outer

form becomes there are great hurdles in spiritual life.

Enlightened teacher in Bhakti marga will remove that

Sanatana Dharma

P a g e 5 D i v y a J y o t h i

Mastery over words, Knowledge of science

Savitribhir vacham Chasi-mani-sila-bhanga-rucibhir

Vasiny'adyabhis tvam saha janani samchintayati yah;

Sa karta kavyanam bhavati mahatam bhangi-rucibhih

Vacobhi vagdevi-vadana-kamal'amoda madhuraii..(17)

Oh, mother holy, He who worships you,

Along with the goddess like Vasini,

Who are the prime source of words,

And you who are having the great luster,

Got by breaking the moon stone,

Becomes the author of great epics,

Which shine like those written by great ones,

And which have the sweet scent

Of the face of the goddess of knowledge. (17)

The Holy Mother – The Cradle of Wisdom

Vasini means knowledge. People of India -Bharatiyas

excelled in knowledge - outer in the form of science,

ayurveda, astronomy, and mathematics and through

Vedic knowledge - Para Vidya. But for contribution of

Bharatiyas world would not have achieved the progress

and prosperity we are seeing today. But for the contri-

bution of Para Vidya - the path of non violence

(ahimsa), love (prema), shanthi (peace) would have

disappeared from face of earth. Glory to the Holy

Mother.

Bharat or India is a land where since ancient times

people are spiritually oriented. The reason Sanatana

dharma and its principles are alive today is not be-

cause of Vedas but the knowledge and wisdom of ve-

das hidden in the stories of Ramayana, Maha Bharata,

Puranas, Bhagavata etc. And the credit for this goes to

Sri Vedavyasa to have protected the paravidya

Sri Vedavyasa: Sri Vedavyasa has compiled the four

Vedas, Puranas, Ramayana, MahaBharata, Bhaga-

vadgita, Bhagavata for the benefit of future generations

of people. While the stories of Purana may not be true,

there is truth in those stories. The stories are not sto-

ries, they are capsules of knowledge containing deep

spiritual messages. Bharata (Meaning Land of people

interested in wisdom) or India is a land where since

ancient times people are spiritually oriented. It has

weathered many brutal assaults on its spiritual herit-

age, culture, and dharma. Many wars has been con-

ducted against India by hostile forces destroying li-

braries, temples etc. The rea-

son Sanatana dharma and its

principles are alive today is

not because of Vedas but the

knowledge and wisdom of

Vedas hidden in the stories

of Ramayana, MahaBharata,

Puranas, Bhagavata etc. And

the credit for this goes to Sri

Vedavyasa to have protected

the paravidya (spiritual science) and aparavidya

(material science) of Vedas. Please do not mistake that

Vedas are related to religion. Meaning of Veda is

knowledge. All knowledge whether it is spiritual or

material science has origin in Veda. Modern science is

dependent on mathematics. Without Mathematics

there is no science. And the basis of Mathematics is

the concept of '0' zero. This concept of zero is coming

from Veda. Sri Vedavyasa is not mentioned anywhere

as the origin of all knowledge and todays generation

has almost forgotten the savior of mankind. Because of

Sri Vedavyasa, the knowledge is encapsulated in the

stories and passed on from generation to generation

and the wisdom survived, and it has been passed on to

the entire world. The Holy Mother is the cradle of wis-

dom. It supplies the knowledge and wisdom to the

world.

He who worships the Holy Mother along with the god-

dess like Vasini, Who are the prime source of words,

becomes the author of great epics, Which shine like

those written by great ones, And which have the sweet

scent Of the face of the goddess of knowledge.

Soundarya Lahari

P a g e 6 D i v y a J y o t h i

Sri Lalita Sahasranama – 11

Nija Sallabha Madhurya Vinirbhardista Kacchaphi

Mandasmitha prabha poora majjat Kamesha manasa

She who has voice sweeter than the notes produced by

Saraswathi Devis Veena (This is called Kachaphi)

She who has lovely smile which is like the river in which

the mind of cupid plays

Saraswathi is the Shakti (creative energy) of Brahma.

She is the Devata for Wisdom, music art and medita-

tion. Sharada is incarnation of Saraswathi. Saraswathi is

also the river flowing from Kashmir area where Vedic

wisdom flourished. Sharada is the form in which Saras-

wathi appeared to Rishis. Saraswathi is formless.

Sharada is with form (Saguna). Saraswathi is wor-

shipped as Sharada during last three days of Navaratri

beginning of winter (sharat ritu hence name Sharada).

Saraswathi is Brahma Vidya. Saraswathi is regarded as

the Goddess of knowledge and the arts. Saraswathi is

Nirguna Brahman attributeless and the absolute. Saras-

wathi represents consciousness and wisdom. She is also

regarded bestower of her own knowledge. Saraswathi

literally means as the one who gives 'swa' (own) her own

knowledge 'Sara'. Goddess Saraswathi dressed in the

color of purity and seated on a white Lotus represents

that she is represents supreme reality and knowledge.

The rosary signifies concentration and meditation. The

Veena in Her hands is the intellect. Saraswathi has a

vehicle called swan, swan has an ability to separate milk

from water that represents the discrimination. Viveka

and vairagya – discrimination and dispassion. Sharada –

Sharada is Brahma Vidya Rupini. Sharada is Goddess

Saraswathi herself. Sharada is Saguna Brahman means

with attributes. Sharada holds a mala representing

meditation with silence; a book that signifies

knowledge; veena represents viveka and vairagya, the

arohana and avarohana. Sharada represents Sadguru as

she is the bestower of the auspicious Knowledge. The

peacock represents the Soundarya or the Bliss/Joy of

Brahma Vidya. The difference between attributeless

and attribute is just how we perceive. The Holy Divine

Mother’s lovely smile which is like the river in which

the mind of cupid plays. Love that pervades this whole

Universe is nothing but Divine Mother. Everything in

the Universe is held together by Love. The pure love

expresses itself in many many ways. It is Sun’s love

that is expressed as sunlight in the whole Universe, for

all the living beings. Love is giving, and is an expres-

sion. It is out of pure love that Sun gives sunlight,

moon is expressing the delightful light in the form of

love, wind blows out of love, river flows, and every-

thing in nature is an expression of pure love. This love

is called Divine Mother. Now this love when it express-

es through human being, it narrows down. Infinite

love becomes finite. Mother says, “This is my child.”

Love gets restricted and expresses as love for “my

child”. When love comes through the human mind, it

narrows down. Now there is a possibility that we can

experience that infinite love when our mind becomes

purified. That infinite love is Divine Mother. We can

experience this Divine Mother in this lifetime with this

human body mind complex by a pure mind. A pure

mind does not say “me” or “mine” as it narrows down

the love. It is like this - there is sunlight, sunlight gets

reflected maximum or fully in the mirror, reflected

partially in the river and reflected very minimal in the

stone. Similarly divine love expresses completely in the

pure mind and pure heart. When mind becomes puri-

fied divine love expresses itself in full form, like infi-

nite waves through a human being who has purified

the mind and offered the mind to divine. That is what

realization is about, experiencing of divine love is the

peak of human evolution. Divine Mother Saraswati’s

smile is like the river flowing from Kashmir area where

Vedic wisdom flourished. Saraswati is formless; she is

Guptagamini. One can only be aware of her, she is the

Nirguna Brahma.

Lalitha Sahasranama

P a g e 7 D i v y a J y o t h i

The Flow of Cosmic Energy

Dhanurmasa starts with

Margashira shuklaekadasi

(the eleventh day in the

bright half of the lunar

month of Margashira) and

extends up to the end of

Dakshinayana. So, the

period extending between

Dhanus Sankramana and

Makara Sankramana is the

auspicious Dhanurmasa

Period. In other words,

the Devatas start waking up. In case of human beings

we speak of Brahmi muhurtam – the auspicious period

just before dawn. The mind is full of pure qualities –

satva during this period – very auspicious for medita-

tion. By analogy what happens in microcosm (humans)

happens in macrocosm (cosmos). The Dhanurmasa is

the brahmi muhurtam for cosmos! In other words, the

totality representing the cosmos is very conducive to

spiritual practices. Getting up early in the morning and

doing meditation and spiritual practices is recommend-

ed practice during this month to utilize the cosmic en-

ergies conducive to the spiritual upliftment. Sri Datta-

treya – a great realized soul was born in this month.

Vaikunta ekadasi and Geeta Jayanthi are also celebrated

in this month.

One Pointed Focus Towards Self - Atman

Ekadasi means eka – single; dasi – direction. Vaikunta

means vai – no; kunta – deficiency and Bhagavadgita is

the key to open the locks of gates of Vaikunta.

Vaikunta ekadasi is considered as most auspicious of

all the Ekadasis. It is said that the gates of Vaikunta

open on this day. One who fasts on the day of Vaikun-

ta ekadasi will reach Vaikunta - the abode of Lord Na-

rayana. Let us understand the spiritual significance of

the festival.

Fasting on Ekadasi is considered as one of the best

spiritual practices. Periodic fasting helps one to over-

come the deep routed impressions (vasanas) for food

and also cleanses the body. Ekadasi stands for eka-dasi

(one direction). 10 sense organs which are outwardly

directed towards food are directed with one pointed

focus towards Self - Atman.

Vaikunta Ekadasi.Vaikunta stands for Vai+kunta

which means where there is no deficiency (kunta). The

ego self "i" suffers from a feeling of deficiency. Because

of identification of infinite self with limited body mind

complex, the ego self always feels lacking. When the

ego self drops in total surrender to the Lord, we attain

Vaikunta - deep bliss and peace of the Spirit - Atman.

Vaikunta Ekadasi is the fasting done for attaining lib-

eration from the ego self. Vaikunta is our Real Home

The place we are at rest is called home. Place where we

are comfortable and peaceful. This is our inner Self -

Atman. When the mind drops ego sense and rests in

Atman, we have reached our home.

It is said that on the day of Vaikunta Ekadasi, gates of

Vaikunta open. On the day of Vaikunta ekadasi, Lord

Dhanurmasa Vaikunta Ekadasi

P a g e 8 D i v y a J y o t h i

Shri Krishna taught Bhagavadgita. Eighteen chapters of

Bhagavadgita present the moksha shastra - secrets of

Liberation. Through the path of Jnana, Bhakti and Kar-

ma, one reaches liberation. Bhagavadgita is the key to

open the locks of gates of Vaikunta. Study of Bhaga-

vadgita, teaching of Bhagavadgita, practicing Bhaga-

vadgita opens the Gate of Vaikunta.

terialism to spirituality. All these changes Yuga parivar-

tana was set in motion by Shri Ramakrishna Parama-

hamsa. On 1st January 1886 when Shri Ramakrishna

Paramhansadev had blessed his disciples with divina-

tion saying, Tomader Chaitanya Hoke (you all be

blessed with holy enlightenment) at Kashipur Garden

House in North Kolkata. The disciples blessed on the

day had described this incident as the transformation

of Swami Ramakrishna Paramahansa into a Kalpataru.

A Kalpataru, as per the Indian mythology is a magical

tree, which blesses a person with anything which he or

she desires. It is believed that Shri Ramakrishna Para-

mahansa cured the diseases of some people by just

touching them on that auspicious day. Since then all

devout Hindus are observing January 1st as the Kalpata-

ru Day by joining mass prayer meetings organized by

the Ramakrishna monks all over the world. Kalpataru

Utsav mark the metamorphosis of Swami

Ramakrishna Paramahansa into a Kalpataru

or magical tree. This festival is celebrated

every year to commemorate the divine trans-

formation of the great soul of India, Swami

Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, who is also fa-

mous as the Guru of Swami Vivekananda.

On the 1st of January 1886, Sri Ramkrishna

Paramahamsa made up his mind to go for a

short walk in the lawns of the garden since

he was feeling well after a long illness. Since

that day was not a working day, a number of

disciples of Swami Ramakrishna Paramahamsa started

to gather in the garden. Swami Ramakrishna Parama-

hamsa addressed all who were presented there that

they will gain cognizance and after that he went into a

trance. Then, one by one, all the disciples of the Thakur

started to take his blessings by touching the feet of the

Swami. In this phase of meditation the Thakur blessed

the disciples by providing them the sight of holy en-

lightenment. Overawed with this, most of the disciples

were speechless and continued to watch him with awe.

A number of his disciples called others to take the

blessings of their Swami while several other disciples

chanted hymns and prayed the Thakur with flowers.

Some of the disciples of Thakur like Sri Ramachandra

explained this incident as the transformation of Swami

Ramakrishna Paramahansa into a Kalpataru.

Kalpataru Utsav Metamorphosis of Swami Ramakrishna Parama-

hansa into a Kalpataru – Part 1

Swamy Vivekananda – Rama Bana from Shri Ramakrish-

na Paramahamsa. 1st January is a very special day. On

that day Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa made

Yugavatara - Setting in motion the Wheel of Dharma.

India was in bad shape with British colonization. People

had lost all their faith in Sanatana Dharma. On this day

He lit the flame of Dharma eventually bringing faith and

confidence in Indians. One arrow shot from Shri Rama-

krishna Paramahamsa was sufficient to destroy igno-

rance of Indian masses and rejuvenate faith. The name

of the Arrow was Swami Vivekananda. It was like Rama

bana - arrow from bow of Rama - eventually leading to

freedom struggle and freedom of India. Today on the

Threshold of 21st Century, India again stands rejuvenat-

ed - resurgent, confidant. Prior to Colonization world

was looking at India for Spirituality and wealth. During

colonization, it is the wealth of India, which fuelled in-

dustrial revolution in the world. At the end of 20th Cen-

tury as rest of the world is rediscovering the spiritual

roots, it is Mother India rejuvenated spiritually, materi-

ally who will show the way and lead the world from ma-

P a g e 9 D i v y a J y o t h i

The Holy Mother

December 13th is Sri Sharada Devi Jayanti. In the history of hu-

manity there has never been another woman who looked upon

herself as the Mother of all beings, including animals and birds,

and spent her whole life in serving them as her children, unend-

ing sacrifice and self-denial. Many people used to come to Maa

Sharada Devi and ask for mantra. She never used to give mantra

to everybody. When people asked her the reason for not giving

the mantra, she replied, “See, the meaning of giving mantra

means that the responsibility of that Shishya is mine from that

moment and that Shishya’s liberation is my responsibility. When

a Guru gives a mantra, it is a commitment from the Guru to the

Shishya. If I give the mantra to an undeserved person, I have to go behind him nine life times for him to get liberated.”

Mantra is such a severe commitment from Guru nine months, nine life times, ninety life times Guru will take the com-

mitment to come with Shishya, that is power of Mantra. Tat Twam Asi -That Thou Art may be learnt from several

books. But when the Master utters these words, the disciple immediately realizes the essential meaning and gets a

glimpse of realization. This is the power of Deeksha - Initiation. Presence of a Living Realized Master and Deeksha

from such a Master is a great fortune.

~ Prabhuji

Ma Sharada Devi

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