820. The Cosmic Consciousness….everywhere!!!

There is nothing to be achieved or attained in Iswara Chaitanya (Cosmic Consciousness). It is not something outside; it is all here within me. If I think I should go towards Iswara which is somewhere away from me then that idea has to be shunned. Again if I say “within me “somewhere at the back of my mind I sound “not outside”. Neither up nor down, inside nor outside, here nor there none of these notions apply to the Omnipresent Iswara. It is impossible for my mind to remain a human mind and at the same time understand Iswara. Only a Cosmic mind can understand Cosmic Consciousness. When my mind is so relieved of its Ego then my mind is capable of understanding Iswara.

Mankind has built places of worship for the convenience of adoring Him but out of ignorance we has limited the existence of Iswara to the four walls and forgotten about His aspect of Omnipresence. My human mind has always accepted many forms of Iswara and failed to understand that He is above names and forms. 

In Vedanta philosophy, the highest word used for the Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Omniscient entity is “Brahman” (Absolute Consciousness) and word only slightly below that is Iswara Chaitanya (Cosmic Consciousness). Iswara is Brahman with attributes. 

According to Vedanta this universe that has manifested is in reality not different from Iswara. Here the seeker will understand the “Oneness”. All this manifestation of the universe is one single expansion of THAT infinite. The modern physicist also view that the universe is the expansion of a primordial atom which our Vedanta refers to as Hiranya Garbha.

The highest exponent of Vedanta philosophy Sri Sri Sankara says that the knowledge of Iswara 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 a seeker. It is an important element for the human mind to understand the vastness of Iswara.

There is a story in Vedanta, which illustrates requirement of Viveka without which the knowledge of Iswara 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 Iswara. His Guru once sent him to the city for the first time. It so happened that an elephant that was in musth was running down the street. The mahout sitting on the elephant was trying to control it and was warning 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 Iswara, thought to himself “I am Iswara and so is the elephant” How can a Iswara hurt another? Thus contemplating he walk.

The rushing elephant gave one blow from its trunk and the poor fellow fell on the side-walk. He got up shaken and his Guru who was watching all this stood there. The disciple asked his Guru “You thought me that all this is Iswara. How could a Iswara hurt another?

“That is true my boy”, the Guru explained, “Iswara can never hurt another. But that one who was shouting all the time to watch out and stay away, why didn't you listen to that Iswara?”