From a list I subscribe to:
Q.199) Is it not correct to say that we realize
Brahman when the ignorance disappears as told by
Sankara?
Ans.) Sankara told ‘Jnanadevatu Kaivalyam’, which
means that one can achieve the grace of the Lord
through the divine knowledge. Ignorance regarding the
real form of the goal (Brahman), the path and the
individual soul should be removed by the real
knowledge of these three items. People think that if
the ignorance is removed the world and the body
disappear and the soul remains, which is Brahman. This
is not correct angle of understanding Sankara. The
world is created through ignorance of Brahman. But
Brahman is aware of itself through out the ignorance.
Such ignorance is only an apparent artificial cover of
Brahman used for its entertainment. The world is the
imagination of Brahman, which is completely in the
awareness. It is the daydream of a person imagining in
the awakened state for entertainment. It is not the
night dream that comes in the sleep. In such dream the
dreamer is controlled by the dream. But Brahman
controls this creation dream. It is true that the
ignorance of Brahman is the essence of the creation.
But Brahman is not in the grip of the ignorance
whereas the ignorance is in the grip of Brahman. Veda
says that the wind and the Sun function due to the
fear of Brahman (Bheeshasmaat…….). This means that
during the period of creation also in which Sun and
wind exist, Brahman controls the creation. When you
are watching the T.V., you can enjoy only when you are
under the ignorance that a cinema in it is really
happening. If you look at the screen and the T.V.Box
and realize that the entire cinema is only just false
imagination, the entertainment disappears. While
watching the cinema you must not know the future
story. The ignorance of the future story can only
create anxiety and interest in the cinema that leads
to the real entertainment. The soul is not the Lord
since Veda says that the souls are controlled by the
Lord (Aatmeswaram…….). When the ignorance of the soul
disappears, the daydream of the human being disappears
and not the world. It is contradicting the practical
experience. The human being caught in the grip of the
night dream reveals the real state of the individual
soul. When the Lord dissolves the world, this world
disappears but remains in the subtle state (Avyaktam).
When the cinema is stopped the scene on the screen
disappears, but the scene in the film remains the
same. The cinema can be again produced in the same way
if the film is protected. Veda says the same (Dhataa
Yatha Purvam…).
Veda says that you can get salvation only through
ignorance and you can attain God only through
knowledge (Avidyaya Mrityum Teerthva…..). The
salvation means the breakage of these worldly bonds.
You have to break these worldly bonds only while
ignorance continues. The ignorance makes you believe
1) that the world is real and the bonds are real. 2)
that the human incarnation is only a human being and
not the Lord. 3) the human being has to sacrifice the
hard earned fruit of work, which is real and belongs
to him or her. 4) That the work done by the human
being consumed the own energy of that human being. 5)
that this entire world is not the wealth of the Lord
and even if it is the wealth of the Lord, this human
being is not the Lord. When all these factors are real
the ignorance of the human being is full and the
sacrifice to God by the human being is also real. The
Lord also forgets that He is the Lord and feels
Himself as a human being only. Then only the Lord can
enjoy that sacrifice. If you are out of ignorance and
think that what ever you have earned is the wealth of
the God including yourself, then the sacrifice done by
you is only returning back ones own wealth. In such a
case it is not sacrifice at all. Therefore, the
sacrifice becomes real only when the world becomes
real and the ignorance continues. For the individual
soul the world is real and so the sacrifice done by
any human being is real. The Lord enjoys the love of
His devotee through that sacrifice. Then only the Lord
is pleased. Therefore, salvation means surpassing the
worldly bonds under the influence of the bond with the
Lord. The same mantra says that you should recognize,
achieve and also please the Lord by the real
knowledge. The foremost step in this is recognizing
the Lord. The true path is sacrifice and inseparable
identity is the divine knowledge of the Lord. By such
identity only one should recognize the Lord.
After recognition you must serve the Lord through
sacrifice, which can happen only under ignorance. You
should continuously serve and please the Lord
continuously. But the Lord is pleased only under the
ignorance.
