A Journey into the Heart of Vedanta
In January, Amrita Virtual Academy will start the scriptural study series Knowledge of the Truth: An Introduction to Vedanta on the text Tattvabodha with classes led by Br. Sachinmayamrita Chaitanya. I’m excited for it, partly because I’ve been able to hear a few of his previous talks before on other topics, and partly because this is a text that provides a framework for all of Vedantic thought.
The first time I got to hear him talk was at the beginning of the Amrita Gita course. I had no idea how thirsty I was for information on the Indian scriptures until I heard this talk. I had wondered vaguely: “What is the relationship between the Upanishads and Vedanta? Are the Upanishads part of the Vedas, or separate? Was the Bhagavad Gita written before or later than the Upanishads? What do you study? Where do you start? How are they all related?” When I heard his talk, I hung onto every word and relistened with my notebook in hand, a few days later. It was profound, precise, and so full of devotion I wept a couple of times.
I know his series on Tattvabodha will be at least as good as his previous lectures, and needed in ways I’m not even aware of yet. Every bit of extra understanding I receive is absorbed deeply into me in ways that are hard to explain. I’ve seen more and more that I need to study the scriptures, to properly absorb the things Amma teaches us, as well as to properly absorb the things that happen to me in my life and how I respond to them. This understanding is intellectual and far beyond the intellect at the same time.
In his talk, Br. Sachinmayamritaji mentioned that the Sanskrit word Upanishad is composed of three syllables: “upa“, to come near; “ni“, to have focus, dedication, sincerity; and “shad“, to sit. Br. Sachinmayamritaji also mentioned that “shad” means to destroy, as in destruction of ignorance. It is yummy to imagine a group of dedicated students sitting by a sacred river or mountain with the teacher and this is in fact the surface meaning. Part of the deeper meaning is to let go of assumptions, leaving the cup of the mind as empty as possible, to take in and be nourished by the wisdom of the guru.
Contemplating this lecture gave rise to other dimensions beyond the concept of “upa”, or sitting down near the guru. It has begun to mean to me that I’ve prepared my mind to receive Amma’s teachings. To come close is not to be next to Amma’s body, but to be close enough in my mind and heart to receive what she is giving. Part of this preparation is to be versed at least a little bit in scriptures. Versing in them makes me alert to things Amma does and says.
For example, during a recent satsang the brahmacharini (nun) who was speaking, expressed that Amma had once teased her a little about her accent, saying that Amma had trouble understanding what she was saying. The brahmacharini said it made her afraid that Amma might even ask her to leave the ashram over it. By the way she chanted Amma’s Dhyayamo Shlokah at the beginning of the talk, it appeared to me that she was very self-conscious and self-judging about her speaking and singing voice. Of course Amma would never banish someone from the ashram because of their accent! Somehow during the interaction, Amma caused her to spontaneously sing part of a bhajan, forgetting her self-consciousness completely. It was beautiful, and seemed to me to heal the bramacharini’s lifelong fears, at least for a few moments in Amma’s divine presence.
There are too many scriptures discussing fear to even begin to describe here, but I’ll mention a couple. Bhagavad Gita Chapter 16, Verses 1–3 lists fearlessness as one of the virtues of people who have realized their divinity. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (1. 4. 2) talks about how realizing the nature of our true self is a vital step in transcending fear. Several Upanishads discuss fear as a consequence of the false belief in ourselves as separate from the unity, from God.
Watching that interaction, I saw Amma take the brahmacharini’s deep fear and turn it on its head. Those moments of fearlessness surely caused the brahmacharini to experience life without fear for a few precious moments, allowing her to experience the truth underlying it. For me, knowing a little about the scriptural take on fear, was part of what helped me see what it was Amma was doing, at least from my perspective. The other thing that helped me appreciate the interaction was my attitude toward Amma—of drawing close by having learned that there is a deeper meaning to everything she does and says.
Without that knowledge, it could have looked like a self-conscious brahmacharini spoke, sang a little, had a quick conversation with Amma, and then it was time for bhajans. But because I knew a little, and also have come to understand that everything Amma does and says is a living scripture, I was able to clearly grasp more depth than I would have been able to otherwise. This is a tiny bit of the power of knowing a little about the scriptures, and therefore, some of what we could gain from participating in this Tattvabodha course.
Coming back to Br. Sachinmayamritaji’s satsang from the Amrita Gita course, there was a part of his talk that made me weep. He described how the guru is like a sculptor who sees the finished art in a block of wood or metal and then removes what is NOT the art. This is something many of us have heard before, but the way Br. Sachinmayamritaji put it was so full of devotion on top of his precision in language. The guru sees us as divine, as the guru itself, and lovingly works to remove whatever in us is not a reflection of this. I have come to see that knowledge of the scriptures allows me to collaborate internally with the guru in this process. Knowledge of the scriptures allows me to see where I’m going and what is in the way.
“Knowledge of the scriptures allows me to see where I’m going
and what is in the way.”
But I cannot study the scriptures haphazardly and still be effective. Hearing a great line here or there out of context isn’t as helpful or impactful as a structured study. The Tattvabodha provides an essential framework for all of Vedantic thought. It answers deep questions about who we are, those questions many of us have had since childhood.
In Tattvabodha, the author discusses the creation, composition and characteristics of our mind, intellect, memory and ego. He talks about the three different types of bodies we possess during waking, dreams and sound sleep. Along the way, he shows that these things are not what we actually are, and how our reality is beyond all bodies and definitions.
The series of talks from Br. Sachinmayamritaji will clarify the Tattvabodha and prepare the groundwork and a framework for receiving that.
Thanks to Kamala for sharing her inspiring experience with Amrita Virtual Academy.
We encourage you to try out the upcoming new course Knowledge of the Truth with Brahmachari Sachinmayamritya Chaitanya, starting on January 5, here. It is a self-paced course with weekly commentaries on the scripture as well as regular live sessions (with replay access) for doubt clearing.
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