Part1 - Sri Sadasiva Brahmendra's Atma Vidya Vilasam

Atma Vidya Vilasam, is a brief composition of 43 slokas by Sri Sadasiva Brahmendra.Sri Sadasiva Brahmendra,is a Brahma Jnani, who was walking on the fields and towns,without any dress.He was a Dikambara.This book of 43 slokas is about the state of a self realized person.He has also written another composition with the same title Atma Vidya Vilasam.This book is about the 43 verse compostion.

Introduction:-

Atman is the subtlest thing in the universe, for the seekers during their seeking stage.The Vedas describe That like this: The cow has tail, with tuft of hair on it.Pluck one hair from the tuft.Make hundred parts of it.Take that one hundredth part of the hair and make one thousand parts.Take one thousandth part of it and make again one thousand parts.That one ultimate part is the Atman!This imagery is to drive home the subtlety of Atman, during stage of meditation, looking for a Form for Atman.

Atman is all pervading, Pure Consciousnes and Infinite Bliss.It is cognized only through techniques of negation, as Not this,Not this.Atman is Ananda Swarupa.

Verse 1:- I salute Sri Dakshinamoorthy, who sits under a banyan tree and with a cinmudra sign, denoting the union of jiva and Brahman, and teaches the Brahma-Jnana through Infinite Silence!He dispels the ignorance of the seekers andreveals Brahman, in his own form.

Verse 2:-I meditate in my miind Sadguru Sivendra, who annihilates the illusion brought about by the Buddhistic cults, by his Advaita 'tejas' (light).He is the boat to cross the ocean of samsara, (wordly life), with all its miseries.

Verse 3:-I salute Sivendra Guru, who possesses the same name of Sadasiva.It is through his tremendous power and message flowing from his lips, I understood my identity with the all-pervading Brahman.With that Brahman within me , I am having infinite peace,which has not been brought by reading various scriptures.

Verse 4:- The Brahman is the causeless cause.For the purpose of creation, the Maya, which is the indivisible part of Brahman, breathed and then came the five elements of space,air, water, fire, and earth, like a potter brings about pots through his wheel.

Verse 4:- The Atman, which ever effulgent, with no one excepting himself, has no form.He is without sound and voice.He is untouched, (asparsa, as Gaudapada said).

He is without tendencies, vasanas.He is ancient but ever young and he is immortal.He cannot be visualized through your eyes, for he is experiential. He has no movement.He is neither provable or disprovable.He is the Present, the Past and the Future.For the seekers, to cognize, he is said to be within one's Heart cave.For the advanced souls, he is in the Space.He is also said to be in all the worlds of the universe.

Verse 5:- Atman is encompassed by the illusion, Maya, even though he is unrelated to anything. He is bound by ignorance,even though he is all Knowledge.Only through his mercy and grace, one can perceive him.Brahman lies like a dagger in the sheath.Unless you investigate this sheath, that is maya and ignorance, you can never mege with him.Poeple calling him with various names, have not understood him! He is like a seed, underneath the earth.Earth has no knowledge of it.Unless you water the earth, that is with your humble investigation, the seed does not sprout.

Verse 6:-The Jiva is masked by illusion that is Maya.Bound by Maya's spell, he is waking, dreaming, sleeping, suffers from poverty, amasses weatlh and suffers the horrors of wealth. He takes rebirth and once again suffers.All false perceptions appear when he recognizes that this bondage is of his own making.The awakening does not come about by reading scriputures but only by initiation given to the disciple by the learned and realized Guru.

Verse 7:-The Jeeva, by virtue of the great benevolence bestowed on him by his guru, the preceptor, and by his singular attention,achieves intellectual excellence, and become great. With that excellence, he sheds his illusion, that is body consciousness.By practice, he distinguishes his real identity and its relationship with his body.He becomes the Sat-Chit-Ananda.He is free from sorrows and momentary happiness.His mind is ever balanced,tranquil and suddha, pure.He becomes ever cheerful.He becomes the Peace.

Verse 8:-When the grace of guru descends on the disciple,that Jeeva ever immerses in the ocean of bliss.When his mind has annihilated, the universe also is annihilated for him.Having got rid of the blindness of illusion, he is able to 'see' and he become 'the seer'.Sucn awakened person becomes a Brhama-Jnani.

Verse 9:-Due to the intensity of the preceptor's benevolence,and in his flow of grace, one will get traanquility and perfect peace and enjoys immense bliss.All the troubles have vanished in this world for him.Atman means Hrudayam., hrud + ayam,so Atman resides in his Heart, whether he is in waking, dreaming or sleeping state.

Verse 10:-The great among the ascetics, with his guru's grace, like the cosmic sun, looks at the entire universe, so vivesected as the very image of Brahman, and conducts his usual worldly duties, engrossed in Samadhi.

verse 11:- All the five elements are said to have originated one from another, but one is not above the other in their cause.Only the power of Brahman has created all these.They are also not different from Brahman because Brahman and his power are one and the same.Contemplating at all times, in his way, the yogi enjoys incessant nirvikalpa samadhi.It is from the desire of Brahman, that all these creations have
originated.But again his desires are not different from him.

Verse 12:-The whole universe appears like a dream. Whatever be its composition, nothing stands in the realization of the Self.He, (the Jnani) moves about freely in all his acts, with this understanding undeterred.He has no fixed dislikes and likes and he harbours no ambitions. He never considers any other Jiva, as his enemy. He is above pride and pleasure, and he never enjoys any fleeting joys.He is unconcerned amidst wealth and comforts. He lives as renouncer amidst all material enjoyments and acquisitions.He develops no feelings amidst all difficulties and adversities. He is ever peaceful in the midst of foes.Even in insults, he is unaffected, and he has only forgiveness, even for those who have insulted him.

Verse 13:-This illusion followed by the consequences of grief or pleasure has nothing to do with a Jnani and they are totally absent in him.After realization the Jnani is internally happy and enjoys the bliss both within and outside.He concives no unhappy state and he exerts no revengeful action on anyone.

Verse 14:- The sage behaves like an innocent child unaffected by egoism and the belief of individual self.Whether honoured or insulted, rebuked, angered, he sees no distinction.Having immersed in the divine nectar of 'niratisayanada', he is totally unconcerned about any matter. Due to vasanas, the actions may come about for a while.But he transcends them.

Verse 15:-The sage abandons all duties.Even begging alms in the midst of people, he averts.He moves about in deserted places,taking only food that is made available to him.All thoughts have disappeared, since he has annihilated the mind. If anyone disturbs him, he leaves that place.Even the whole earth looks like an open yard of his own house and the ocean looks like a rivulet.

Verse 16:-Having tasted the eternal bliss, he will not move from his place, for anything else.Without mind, thought, intellect and ego, he becomes an introvertand prefers to be silent always.

Verse 16:-You are asking how to cross the ocean of samsara.What is there to do, excepting de-contaminating the Self,from the body, senses, breath and mind? totally negating mundane objects and pleasures.He may even abandon his daily duties.He remains a Witness or Spectator or Sakshi for happenings around him. The Brahma vaetta is one who is totally renounced but performs minimum daily duties.The Brahma vidwara deserts even these duties as per scriptures.The Brahma Vidwaryeeys is totally unaware of his surroundings.The Brahma Vidwarishta, is always in the bliss but only attending to his food and thirst, when called upon to do so.

Verse 18:- Since the entire universe is an illusion for him,the Jivan Mukta, keeps his cool and will not be wondered even if the sun becomes cool, the moon becomes hot and the water emits fire!Like a sperm and an ovum, before oraganogenesis,he has no worry and anxiety, ever free from fear and sorrow.

Verse 19:-The JIvan Mukta is ever without ego, but even devas,the celestial beings will worhsip for his power will shake the entire universe. In that blissful state all the periods of past,present and future merge in him.

Verse 20:-Enjoying at all times aboslute peace. he is Saya-jnana - ananda- roopa.He will not take any pride in his actions, even if the insentient objects like ornaments and the lamps, take pride in their actions!

Verse 21:-Further, the Jnani, in his Brahmic state engrosses in Self-Bliss, and stays indefinitely in one place in meditation freely, enjoys at sometimes, singing and dancing amusingly.

Verse 22:- The Brahma Jnani who has acquired the Brahman,in a thoughtless state, continues to remain without thoughts.He is liberated with Brahma Jnana and this Jnana is described as different from dhyana and vignana.Since he has annihilated the mind, he stands only as a Spectator, a Witness, a Sakshi,for all things happening around him.

Verse 23:-Some great people even from the very beginning of their practic, try to tame the mind.They make a lot of introspection.The mind is like a restless deer, wandering here and there in the jungle. He makes every effort to tame that mind, with his mind! But only who has tamed the mind with the mind can become a Brhama Jnani.

Verse 23:-The Self does not rise like the sun, nor does it set.It does not decrease, nor decrease, nor decay.It is the ever present Witness, which can be experienced if you remove the superimposition.

Verse 24:- The mind has to be controlled and it is like a wild tiger which has to be killed only by the arrow of knowledge.When one purifies the mind with his sinless actions and penance and by elminating the self aggrandisement and egoism through self knowledge, he merges with Atman.The mind can be annhiliated only by pure self knowledge to merge in the Self.He must be devoid of fear, since Abhaya or fearlessness is only Brahman. He will move anywhere in the universe, without any variation and differentiation without fear, in a thoughtless state.

Verse 25:-The Jnani by spreading his rays of wisdom and by his intellect, catches the imagination of the righteous people and awakens them.He is blooming without impurities, without the consciousness of day and light.His very Presence and his movements among the pious is bringing enlightenment to those people, who come and see him, from far and near.