Pranams at the holy feet of Swamiji.
The Ekadasa Skanda is very inspiring. Could Swamiji throw light on how to practise ‘Sarvabhuteshu yaha Pashyeth’?
Pranams
E”
1Feb2012
Dear and blessed E,
The emphasis here is – God is only a synonym of the Self. Self is that which is present in your body, it is present from head to foot. Our body is consisting of panchabhootas. In the matter-energy aggregate of the body, like heat in hot water, the Self, the inner presence is there throughout. That means the Presence has to be subtler than all the panchbhootas, namely the solid earth, the fluid water the gaseous air, different forms of energy like fire and ultimately space. It is subtler that is why it is present from head to foot. If it is present in our body, by the same token because of its subtle and pervasive character, should it not be present in all the panchabhootas in the whole world?
Think, think and think! And get an answer and be confirmed in it.
Thus thinking about the presence of the subtle in the gross and the presence of the subtlest in all the gross creation, this is one way of growing in “sarva-bhootatma-darshana”. This is called Truthful introspection or tattva-vichara. This is the highest form of religious or devotional activity. We have 4 levels of activity, ranging from the sensory one - seeing hearing etc including holding, walking and the like. Then the second higher level of activitity is oral, where we use the tongue and the vocal system. These are the two visible forms of activity, external and gross. There are another two which are inner and relating to the mind and intelligence.
The mental activity consists of, thoughts, feeling, emotions, reactions, responses, memory and the like. Still further and highest is the intellectual activity wherein you begin to introspect with a view to fulfill your quest. It is in the form of an inquiry, examination, investigation, evaluation, discovery or the like. An evaluation of the effect of these four levels of activity will be physical is the lowest, oral activity is 100 times the physical one, mental activity will be 1000 times and intellectual activity will be 10000 times as effective.
That is why, the truthful introspection is so effective to everyone. Either you resort to this and try to find out how God becomes present everywhere. How and why, how and why, think in your own manner. Water becomes condensed, then it becomes white and solid ice, when the same water is heated it becomes vapour, it becomes invisible but much more powerful. In the same manner the most subtle substance, cannot be called substance, God, namely consciousness gets condensed by its own wonderful power to become the panchabhootas. So the panchabhootas are no other than consciousness. Every form of creation is permeated by God as is the Self permeating your body. God is only a name for the Self. See God as the Self in you as the Self in all the substances. If you cannot accept the reason and the logic of it, leave it, accept it by faith as I am telling you now and go on practicing to see God in everything, in every form of existence in every action, in every outcome in every result. Identify it as God. When you go on doing it in this manner it become a very effective and stunning practice and see how it grows in you. Do not doubt and do not stop.
Love and blessings.
Antaratma,
Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha