Tapovan Shatkam

|| ´ÉÏ iÉmÉÉåuÉlÉ-xiÉÑÌiÉÈ || & || ´ÉÏ iÉmÉÉåuÉlÉ-wÉOèMüqÉç ||

Tapovan Stuti & TAPOVAN SHATKAM

“A Himalayan Master of Vedanta”

“THE SANDEEPANY EXPERIENCE”

Reflections by TEXT SWAMI GURUBHAKTANANDA

Sandeepany’s Vedanta Course

List of All the Course Texts in Chronological Sequence:

Text TITLE OF TEXT Text TITLE OF TEXT No. No. 1 Sadhana Panchakam 24 Hanuman Chalisa 2 Tattwa Bodha 25 Vakya Vritti 3 Atma Bodha 26 Advaita Makaranda 4 Bhaja Govindam 27 Kaivalya Upanishad 5 Manisha Panchakam 28 Bhagavad Geeta (Discourse -- ) 6 Forgive Me 29 Mundaka Upanishad 7 Upadesha Sara 30 Amritabindu Upanishad 8 Prashna Upanishad 31 Mukunda Mala (Bhakti Text) 9 Dhanyashtakam 32 Tapovan Shatkam (& Stuti) 10 Bodha Sara 33 “The Mahavakyas” – Panchadasi 5 11 Viveka Choodamani 34 Aitareya Upanishad 12 Jnana Sara 35 Narada Bhakti Sutras 13 Drig-Drishya Viveka 36 Taittiriya Upanishad 14 “Tat Twam Asi” – Chand Up 6 37 Jivan Sutrani (Tips for Happy Living) 15 Dhyana Swaroopam 38 Kena Upanishad 16 “Bhoomaiva Sukham” Chand Up 7 39 Aparoksha Anubhuti (Meditation) 17 Manah Shodhanam 40 108 Names of Pujya Gurudev 18 “Nataka Deepa” – Panchadasi 10 41 Mandukya Upanishad 19 Isavasya Upanishad 42 Dakshinamurty Ashtakam 20 Katha Upanishad 43 Shad Darshanaah 21 “Sara Sangrah” – Yoga Vasishtha 44 Brahma Sootras 22 Vedanta Sara 45 Jivanmuktananda Lahari 23 Mahabharata + Geeta Dhyanam 46 Chinmaya Pledge

A NOTE ABOUT SANDEEPANY Sandeepany Sadhanalaya is an institution run by the Chinmaya Mission in Powai, Mumbai, teaching a 2-year Vedanta Course. It has a very balanced daily programme of basic Samskrit, Vedic chanting, Vedanta study, Bhagavatam, Ramacharitmanas, Bhajans, meditation, sports and fitness exercises, team-building outings, games and drama, celebration of all Hindu festivals, weekly Gayatri Havan and Guru Paduka Pooja, and Karma Yoga activities. This series is an effort to promote the learning of Vedanta; it does not replace the Course, but hopes to inspire young people to spend two years of their life for an experience that is sure to make a far-reaching spiritual impact on their personal lives. Sandeepany is an all-round spiritual course that gives proper direction to the youth and to those approaching retirement. Hinduism is in dire need of a band of systematically trained teachers or Acharyas who can serve this Eternal Religion.

– The Author, 16th July, 2019, Sacred Guru Purnima Day

Om Namah Shivaaya!

Text 32

´ÉÏ iÉmÉÉåuÉlÉ xiÉÑÌiÉÈ & ´ÉÏ iÉmÉÉåuÉlÉ wÉOèMüqÉç TAPOVAN STUTI TAPOVAN SHATKAM “A Himalayan Master of Vedanta”

Composed by Sri Ananda Prakasha Vidyaprakasha

Reflections by Swami Gurubhaktananda on the Series of 3 Group Discussions assisted by Swami Advayanandaji Acharyaji of the 15th Batch Vedanta Course at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, Powai, Mumbai. Tapovan Stuti: December 6th, 2012 Tapovan Shatkam: December 27th – December 30th, 2012

Adi Shankaracharya Swami Sivananda Swami Tapovanji Swami Chinmayananda SERVE  LOVE  GIVE  PURIFY  MEDITATE  REALISE

Author: Swami Gurubhaktananda (ex Krishna Chaitanya, born Bipin R. Kapitan in Durban, South Africa) Email: [email protected]

About This Edition: Web Edition: 16th July, 2019, Sacred Guru Purnima Day Day Website: Chinmaya International Foundation: www.chinfo.org Series Title : The Sandeepany Experience Series Subject: Vedanta & Supportive Subsidiary Texts

Declaration by the Author: The material in this series is under inspiration of the Sandeepany Vedanta Course, but largely consists of the Author’s reflections on the Course. He is deeply indebted to the Chinmaya Mission for its excellent presentation of the Course by their renowned and dedicated Acharyas.

Personal Dedication

1. To my Late Parents, Smt Sharadaben & Sri Ratilalbhai Kapitan who inspired me to study in life, to stick to the path of Dharma and pursue the highest ideals; and swamped me with their abundant Love;

2. To Pujya Sri Swami Vimalanandaji Maharaj (1932-2019) the Late President of the Divine Life Society of Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India, who constantly encouraged and supported this effort;

3. To Pujya Sri Swami Tejomayanandaji (Guruji) for his boundless vision and inspiration to create a vibrant organisation;

4. To Sri Swami Advayanandaji and Sri Swami Sharadanandaji my Acharyaji and Upa-Acharyaji at Sandeepany, who imparted their bountiful knowledge and wisdom with rare selfless Divine Love, just as the Rishis of yore would wish to see them do.

*****

TAPOVAN STUTI & TAPOVAN SHATKAM

“A Himalayan Master of Vedanta”

TAPOVAN STUTI & SHATKAM “A Himalayan Master of Vedanta”

CONTENTS

Brief Life Sketch of Swami Tapovanji 2

A. TAPOVAN STUTI 4

Verse A1: “Renunciation” Finds a Home 4 Verse A2: The Call of the Himalayas 5 Verse A3: Austerity Comes to Join Renunciation 6 Verse A4: His Devotion, Service and Pilgrimage 8

B. TAPOVAN SHATKAM 10

Verse B1: IDENTITY With Brahman 10 Verse B2: REALISATION of Satchidananda Brahman 13 Verse B3: CONNECTION to the Supreme Brahman 15 A Note to Readers – from Theory to Practice 17 Verse B4: The SEARCH for Brahman 17 Verse B5: The ATTRIBUTELESS Brahman 20 Verse B6: DISCOVERY of Brahman 22

*****

TAPOVAN STUTI & SHATKAM “A Himalayan Master of Vedanta”

BRIEF LIFE SKETCH OF SWAMI TAPOVANJI

ACHARYAJI INFORMED US early in his talk that Swami Tapovanji and Swami Sivanandaji were very close friends. Swami Sivanandaji was the sage from whom Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayanandaji received Sannyas initiation, and Swami Tapovanji was the sage who taught him Vedanta.

Acharyaji began his life-sketch of Swami Tapovanji with a very emotional statement: He said, “If scriptures would permit me, I would say that Swami Tapovanji was greater than Brahman. But they say that Brahman is the Highest, so I have to restrain myself!” Acharyaji, when opening the one-lecture discussion of these verses said something which was very touching: “Of whom Gurudev himself never said a word because he felt too inadequate to do so, I am speaking today – fool that I am! Forgive me for doing so.” It was Mark Twain who said, “I did not allow my schooling to interfere with my studies!” Swami Tapovanji, too, said the same to his father. Fortunately, his father co- operated and permitted him the kind of training he sought. After a short while, the boy was found to excel in his studies of the scriptures and Samskrit. Soon he began undertaking the study of very difficult Vedantic texts. As a boy, he had written a great Vedantic commentary. But unconcerned with all the praises that were heaped on him, he continued unabated with his Sadhana. When his father passed away, he wrote Vishnu Yamakam in his memory and honour. He was about 21 at the time. The lad now spent more time in Sadhana and seclusion. He turned down several marriage offers. He felt that he had already been married to knowledge, and thus he could not take a wife. It was duty that kept him at home. He spent most of his time on his spiritual practices or Sadhana. At an early age, he started going on Tirthas or pilgrimages. This gave him an opportunity to meet other great Vedantins. He met Sri Shantanand Saraswati in Bhavnagar, Gujarat, and developed a very close bond with this saint. Swami Shantananda later was to become the Shankaracharya of the Dwaraka Peeth. Tapovanji studied a difficult text with him. Swami Shantananda was very impressed by the young student, and soon initiated him into the Order of Brahmacharis as Chidvilasa Chaitanya. Once he was invited by Swami Shantananda to Calcutta. Br Chidvilasa, while there, visited the Belur Math of the Sri Ramakrishna Mission. He met in person the great spiritual luminaries, Swami Brahmanandaji and Swami Shivanandaji, both senior Sannyas disciples of the Ramakrishna Order. There he prayed to Father Himalaya and Mother Ganga, “When will I have the opportunity to be at your Feet?” When he was 33, one day he gave a feast on Krishna Jayanti, and then left home with a note saying that he was going on a Tirtha. The young aspirant was to return home only 17 years later at the age of 50. He was gone to the Himalayas, his spiritual abode.

On the way, he took Sannyas himself on the banks of the Narmada River in Gujarat. He took the name Swami Tyagananda. Everyone who met him till then would say to him, “You are already a Sannyasin.” *****

Origin of the TAPOVAN STUTI We begin with a word on the origin of the Tapovan Stuti from its composer, Pujya Guruji, Swami Tejomayanandaji: “Chinmaya Mission, Tirupati, was organizing a Jnana Yajna by Pujya Gurudev. They planned to bring out a souvenir on the Life of Sri Tapovan Maharaj. They wrote to me at San Jose (U.S.A.) for an article. “As I sat to write, Tapovan Stuti, four verses in praise of Tapovanji Maharaj just came to my mind spontaneously. I was pleasantly surprised with it and wanted to share the joy with Pujya Gurudev, so I faxed the same to him at Sandeepany, Mumbai. What he wrote about it touched my heart; so I share it with you. “He said, ‘I came here tired; your Tapovan Stuti has rejuvenated me!’ ”

*****

Origin of the TAPOVAN SHATKAM The Tapovan Shatkam has been composed by Sri Ananda Prakasha Vidyaprakasha. Very little is known about this author. From Guruji’s commentary we read: “It is clear from the composition that he must have studied Vedanta deeply, was a great devotee of Tapovan Maharaj and had really understood his greatness. The author remembers, salutes and meditates on Tapovanji Maharaj as the Lord (Ishwara), the Supreme Reality (Parabrahman), the Guru and the knower of the Reality (Brahma-Jnaani). “The knower of the Truth is verily the Truth. Even when this essential Oneness is recognized, the devotion for the Guru continues. This beautiful attitude transcends even the transcendental Truth. This relation between the teacher and the taught, the Lord and the devotee, which remains even after gaining knowledge, gives inexplicable happiness and has great beauty. “These verses are meant for reflecting, meditating and reveling in the Truth.”

*****

A. TAPOVAN STUTI

4 Verses in Adoration of Swami Tapovanji

by Swami Tejomayananda

THE STUDY OF THIS STUTI was begun on Geeta Jayanti Day, which is also Swami Tapovanji’s Birthday according to the Indian calendar date, on 6th December, 2011. Whilst the Tapovan Shatkam describes the transcendent aspect of the saint Swami Tapovan, this Tapovan Stuti describes his human attributes (qualities and actions) which are more within the reach of his disciples and admirers.

Verse A1: “Renunciation” Finds a Home

||1.1|| ||1.1|| xÉÇlrÉÉxÉ kÉqÉÉåï aÉWûlÉÉå aÉpÉÏUÈ , sa¯ny¡sa dharmµ gahanµ gabh§ra¦ , AÉxÉÏSè ÌuÉÍcÉluÉlÉç mÉUqÉÉ´ÉrÉÇ uÉæ ¡s§d vicinvan param¡¾raya¯ vai MÑü§ÉÉmrÉmÉzrÉlÉç xÉ aÉiÉÉå ÌWû SåuÉÇ , kutr¡pyapa¾yan sa gatµ hi d£va¯ , eÉaÉÉS xuÉxrÉÉaÉqÉlÉxrÉ WåûiÉÑqÉç | jag¡da svasy¡gamanasya h£tum |

ÌuÉsÉÉåYrÉ ÌuÉµÉÇ xÉMüsÉÇ qÉWåûzÉÉå, vilµkya vi¾va¯ sakala¯ mah£¾µ, SSzÉï xÉÉkÉÑÇ rÉÑuÉMÇü cÉ MåüUsÉå dadar¾a s¡dhu¯ yuvaka¯ ca k£ral£ mÉëÏiÉÈ xÉ iÉÑrÉÉï´ÉqÉ-kÉqÉïqÉÉWû , pr§ta¦ sa tury¡¾rama-dharmam¡ha , aÉcNûÉ± iÉÇ uÉæ mÉÑÂwÉÇ pÉeÉxuÉ || gacch¡dya ta¯ vai puru½a¯ bhajasva ||

Sannyaasa dharmah gahanah The Virtue of Renunciation is unfathomable 1 gabheerah, aaseet vichinvan param and very profound. It was searching, aashrayam vai; as it were, for an abode for itself. kutraapi apashyan sah gatah hi devam, Not finding it anywhere, it actually approached the 2 jagaada swasya aagamanasya Lord; and explained to Him his hetum. purpose in coming to visit Him. vilokya vishwam sakalam Looking around all over the world, 3 maheshah, dadarsha saadhum the Supreme Lord chanced to see a noble yuvakam cha kerale; youth in the State of Kerala. preetah sah turya ashrama dharmam Pleased with him, the Lord said to Renunciation, 4 aaha, gacchha adya tam vai the fourth stage of Life, “Go today itself purusham bhajaswa. to that youth and implore him by worship.”

1 The symbolism of a personified Renunciation asking for a home for itself is one of those exquisite original ideas which flashed in Pujya Guruji’s mind when he wrote this Stuti. It makes a perfect start to a Stuti on the perfect renunciate, the very image of Renunciation. 2 There are many people who enter the religious path for the fulfillment of some desire. They hope to go to heavenly worlds after death so as to enjoy the pleasures of heaven. These are God-fearing virtuous people who adhere to the laws of Dharma but with the above purpose in mind. Almost all people on earth fall into this category. 3 However,there are the rare and exceptional few who wish to lead the spiritual path for the sake of liberating themselves from the wheel of rebirths or Samsara. These brave men take to the path of Renunciation or Sannyasa, which is the entry-point for this path. The Lord noticed one such person in Kerala, the birthplace of Swami Tapovan. 4 The scriptures prescribe taking the Sannyas Order as a matter of course for those who reach the age of 72. It is the fourth stage of Life. However, they also make a special exception in the case of eager aspirants who wish to take to this path at a much earlier age in life, while still in their youth. Swami Tapovan was one of these exceptions. He would make a perfect home for “Renunciation”!

Verse A2: The Call of the Himalayas

||1.2|| ||1.2|| xÉÇlrÉÉxÉ kÉqÉåïhÉ mÉUåhÉ rÉÑ£üÉå , sa¯ny¡sa dharm£³a par£³a yuktµ , ÌuÉUÉåcÉqÉÉlÉÈ mÉÑÂwÉÉå aÉiÉÉå ÌWû virµcam¡na¦ puru½µ gatµ hi ÌWûqÉÉsÉrÉÇ xÉuÉï-lÉaÉÉÍkÉUÉeÉÇ , him¡laya¯ sarva-nag¡dhir¡ja¯ , SÉiÉÑÇ rÉzÉxuÉxrÉ ÌlÉuÉÉxÉlÉålÉ | d¡tu¯ ya¾asvasya niv¡san£na |

MüÉzrÉÑ¨ÉUÉrÉÉgcÉ M×üiÉÉÍkÉuÉÉxÉÉå , k¡¾yuttar¡y¡²ca k»t¡dhiv¡sµ , aÉÇaÉÉ-iÉOåû rÉÉå rÉÌiÉUÉeÉuÉrÉïÈ ga¯g¡-ta¿£ yµ yatir¡javarya¦ xÉ uÉæ aÉÑUÉålÉÉåï aÉÑÂUÉerÉmÉÔerÉÈ , sa vai gurµrnµ gurur¡jyapÀjya¦ , lÉÉqlÉÉ mÉëÍxÉ®¶É iÉmÉÉåuÉlÉÇ uÉæ || n¡mn¡ prasiddha¾ca tapµvana¯ vai ||

Sannyaasa dharmena parena With the supreme virtue of Renunciation 1 yuktah virochamaanah and intellectual brilliance being endowed, this purushah gatah hi Himaalayam; young man felt impelled to go to the Himalayas, sarva nagaadhi-raajam, the most splendid of all mountain regions, 2 daatum yashaswasya thus adding to its great glory and fame. nivaasanena Kaashi-uttaraayaan Uttarkashi became his permanent dwelling place, cha kritaadhivaasah gangaa tate, and on the banks of the Ganges he made his abode. 3 yah yatiraaja varyah; He soon became the ‘King’ of the Sannyasis there. sa vai guroh nah gururaajya-poojyah, Indeed, he is the revered Guru of Pujya Gurudev 4 Naamnaa prasiddhah Chinmayananda, whose fame spread far and wide. cha tapovanam vai. Indeed, ‘Tapovanam’ itself (is equally famous).

1 Tapovan means “forest of asceticism”. In the first verse, the poet created the image of Renunciation finding its home in this youth of Kerala. The moment Renunciation settled down in the youth, the forest of asceticism in him was set ablaze. Something within him began to prod him to renounce all worldly pursuits. He lost interest in formal education and began yearning to study Samskrit and Vedantic texts instead. 2 It is said that holy men give sanctity to holy places of pilgrimage. It was Swami Tapovanji’s presence that drew many seekers of Truth to Uttarkashi. He used to teach a few sincere students who had the good fortune to find him – literally, hunt him out – and recognise his spiritual greatness. For he stood out among the Sannyasis of the area. 3 On reaching Uttarkashi, he found the place to be very congenial for intense spiritual Sadhana. Hence, he set up a small kutir on the right bank of the sacred Ganga. A small signboard on the roadside reads “Tapovan Kuti”. In winter, due to extreme cold in Uttarkashi, he used to go down to Rishikesh. That is when he would always visit his friend and fellow sage, Swami Sivananda, who had started the Divine Life Society there. It was Swami Sivananda who sent Swami Chinmayanandaji Maharaj to Swami Tapovanji after initiating him into the holy Order of Sannyasa in 1949. When Swami Chinmayanandaji arrived at ‘Tapovan Kuti’, Swami Tapovanji tested him severely. He asked the young initiate if he had a letter of introduction from Swami Sivananda. When the reply came “No”, Sri Tapovanji sent him back all the way to Rishikesh to get it! This was no problem for the determined young Swami, who walked back and returned! 4 Acharyaji introducd this line in the following words: “Guruji used to call Pujya Gurudev Guru-RAJA – ‘King of Gurus’ – because he had a great capacity to influence others. You all know how the whole of Chinmaya Mission ‘trembled’, as it were, before Pujya Gurudev. This very same Guru-Raja used to tremble in the same way before Swami Tapovanji!” It was Pujya Gurudev and his organisation, the Chinmaya Mission, who spread the fame of indrawn and withdrawn saint, Swami Tapovan, throughout the world.

Verse A3: Austerity Comes to Join Renunciation

||1.3|| ||1.3|| iÉmÉÉåaÉÑhÉÉåÅÎxqÉlÉç mÉUqÉiuÉqÉÉmÉ , tapµgu³µ:'smin paramatvam¡pa , xÉÇlrÉÉxÉkÉqÉïxrÉ cÉ xÉuÉïpÉÉuÉÉÈ sa¯ny¡sadharmasya ca sarvabh¡v¡¦ aÉÏiÉÉåmÉÌS¹Éå ½WûqÉåuÉ ÌlÉirÉ- , g§tµpadi½¿µ hyaham£va nitya- , xÉÇlrÉÉxÉÏ lÉ ²åÌ¹ lÉ MüÉXç¤ÉiÉÏÌiÉ | sa¯ny¡s§ na dv£½¿i na k¡±k½at§ti |

MüqÉÉïÍhÉ xÉuÉÉïÍhÉ qÉlÉxÉÉ ÌuÉxÉ×erÉ , karm¡³i sarv¡³i manas¡ vis»jya , ½ÉxiÉå lÉuÉ²ÉU-mÉÑUå cÉ xuÉÉqÉÏ hy¡st£ navadv¡ra-pur£ ca sv¡m§ AMüiÉ×ï-pÉÉuÉålÉ xÉSÉ xuÉÃmÉå , akart»-bh¡v£na sad¡ svarÀp£ , ÌiÉ¸irÉrÉÇ lÉæuÉ MÑüuÉï³É MüÉUrÉlÉç || ti½¿hatyaya¯ naiva kurvanna k¡rayan ||

Tapogunah asmin paramatvam aapa, The Virtue of Austerity reached its fulfillment in 1 sannyaasa-dharmasya cha him, and with it his Renunciation culminated sarvabhaavaah; with perfection in every one of its aspects. geeta upadishtah hi ayam eva: The Bhagavad Geeta indeed indicates this alone: 2 nitya sannyaasee  the eternal Sannyasi is he who has na dweshti na kaangshati iti. “no hatred nor any cravings”; karmaani sarvani manasaa visrijya,  who renounces all actions in knowledge, 3 hi aaste nava dwaara pure  who dwells in the “city of nine gates” (the body) cha swaamee; as its Lord, in complete mastery over it; akartr bhaavena sadaa  who is free from doership and ever 4 swaroope tishthati, abiding in his own Self – ayam na eva kurvatra kaarayan. “neither acting, nor causing others to act”.

Why was Renunciation described in Verse 1 as difficult, deep and unfathomable? The answer is now given – it is because true renunciation involves a great deal of Tapas or Austerity. 1 Austerity augments renunciation. Austerity is what completes and perfects one’s renunciation. It brings renunciation to the point of ripening so that the fruit ‘falls’. Sannyasa or abandonment of duties in the world is possible only for one who has the highest order of austerity in his conduct. Austerity is seen as Vairagya or dispassion, and as Mumukshutva or burning yearning for God. These two were present in Swami Tapovan from youth itself. He did not need to make an effort to acquire them; he was born with them. A simile for this would be as follows. We say food is eaten through the mouth. The mouth represents Renunciation. But a mouth without teeth cannot chew the food and is thus of no use. The teeth represent Austerity. Austerities are the ‘teeth’ of renunciation. What do these teeth masticate in the mouth of renunciation? 2 The teeth of renunciation are described in the Bhagavad Geeta as performing four main functions. These are summarised in this verse: 2a i) Freedom from Likes and Dislikes: There is no attachment to any object in the world, nor repulsion to any object. This state of freedom is due to the next function. 3a ii) Application of Self-knowledge: Tapovanji’s austerity was astonishing and fearless. He was fully centred in the Self. That is what made him go through every kind of experience with equanimity, just as described in the Geeta. 3b iii) Complete Mastery over Body: The power of Vairagya or dispassion gave him complete control over his senses, and thereby over his body. 4 iv) “Non-Doership” in all Actions: The power of detachment enabled him to develop fully the spirit of “non-doership” in all his actions. He did not feel that he (his ego) was doing anything. The Lord was acting through him. It is these four functions in his renunciation that are termed austerities. Without these, mere external renunciation is of no value. True to his name, Swami Tapovan was as abode of Tapas!

Verse A4: His Devotion, Service and Pilgrimage

||1.4|| ||1.4|| rÉxrÉæYrÉÌlÉ¸É oÉWÒûzÉÉåpÉqÉÉlÉÉ , yasyaikyani½¿h¡ bahu¾µbham¡n¡ , xÉÉMüÉUpÉYirÉÉ ÍzÉuÉÌuÉµÉlÉÉjÉå s¡k¡rabhakty¡ ¾ivavi¾van¡th£ | ¥ÉÉlÉmÉëSÉlÉålÉ cÉ sÉÉåMüxÉåuÉÉ , j²¡naprad¡n£na ca lµkas£v¡ , xÉSÉ M×üiÉÉ rÉålÉ xÉ¨uÉæMüuÉ×¨rÉÉ | sad¡ k»t¡ y£na sattvaikav»tty¡ ||

MæüsÉÉxÉrÉÉ§ÉÉ ½ÌiÉSÒaÉïqÉÉ rÉÉ , kail¡say¡tr¡ hyatidurgam¡ y¡ , mÉSèprÉÉÇ M×üiÉÉ uÉæ ÌWûqÉuÉÌ²pÉÔÌiÉlÉÉ padbhy¡¯ k»t¡ vai himavadvibhÀtin¡ | iÉqÉåuÉ pÉYirÉÉ cÉ mÉUqÉÇ aÉÑÂÇ uÉæ , tam£va bhakty¡ ca parama¯ guru¯ vai , lÉqÉÉqrÉWÇû xuÉÉÍqÉiÉmÉÉåuÉlÉÇ ÌWû || nam¡myaha¯ sv¡mitapµvana¯ hi ||

Yasya eka-nishthaa bahu-shobha- He whose praiseworthy abidance in the Formless 1 maanaa, saakaara bhaktyaa was matched by his devotional worship of Form shiva vishwanaathe; as Shiva, the Supreme Lord of the Universe; jnaana-pradaanena cha lokaseva, Giving Self-knowledge and Service of mankind – 2 sadaa kritaa yena both these he always engaged himself in sattwaika vrittyaa. with a pure and noble attitude of mind; kailaasa yaatraa hi atidurgamaa yaa, The extremely difficult pilgrimage of Mt. Kailas he 3 padbhyaam krtaa vai undertook with bare feet – indeed, by so doing, himavad-vibhootinaa; he became the real spectacle of the Himalayas! tam eva bhaktyaa cha paramam With great devotion to him who is my grand Guru 4 gurum vai, namaami aham (Guru of my Guru) indeed, do I humbly bow down. swami-tapovanam hi. Such, indeed, was the awesome Swami Tapovan!

1 Being a Vedantin and renouncing the world, Swami Tapovan was always absorbed in the Formless Self. He had once summarized 16 Upanishads in 16 verses, each one glorifying one Upanishad. Yet he also worshipped the Supreme Being in His manifested Form as Lord Shiva. To blend these two types of devotion was not a contradiction to him. 2 This blend of the form and the formless showed itself in practice in his service. He served keen students by teaching them the intricasies of Self-knowledge of the Formless Brahman. He shared his knowledge with sincere seekers. He was very strict in his teaching methods. He had a rule with his students: “I will teach once and you must catch it. If you do not reply to my question the next day, you must leave.” He also served the people of the Himalayan villages by helping to uplift them in whatever way he could. He did both these with equanimity of mind without taking any credit for it himself. 3 Swami Tapovan had travelled three times to Mt Kailas, each time by a different route. And each time he went bare-footed, even if that meant great hardship to himself.

Whether he walked on snowfields or on oven-hot plains, whether on stony or on thorny ground, he was bare-footed. His book, Wanderings in the Himalayas, describes his travels. It is true that he thoroughly enjoyed the beauty of the Himalayas. But another side of the beauty is this: The noble life of Tapovanji was itself the highest tribute to the Himalayas and Mother Ganga. In that way, he added to the beauty of the Himalayas! 4 Such was Swami Tapovan, a wonder in the world of Vedantins as well as in the world of Bhaktas. A bright jewel like him is rare to find in this world!

*****

LORD SHIVA Lord Saumyakashee, Maheshwara.

B. TAPOVANA SHATKAM

6 Verses on Swami Tapovan, the Vedantin

by Sri Ananda Prakash Vidyaprakash

THE LORD’S GLORIES ARE infinite and immeasurable. Any attempt in words to praise the Lord is bound to fall short of His actual glory. In this Shatkam, where Swami Tapovanji is considered by the author to be the Supreme Brahman Himself, the same difficulty arises.

Verse B1: IDENTITY With Brahman

||2.1|| ||2.1|| urÉÉmiÉÇ eÉaÉ±ålÉ ÍcÉSÉiqÉ-pÉÉuÉÉSè , vy¡pta¯ jagady£na cid¡tma-bh¡v¡d , UeeuÉÉ rÉjÉÉÅÌWûÌWïû cÉUÉcÉUÇ rÉiÉç rajjv¡ yath¡:'hirhi car¡cara¯ yat | xÉlrÉxrÉ xÉuÉïÇ cÉ xÉSÉiqÉ pÉÉuÉå , sanyasya sarva¯ ca sad¡tma bh¡v£ , xuÉrÉÇ xÉqÉxiÉÇ cÉ oÉpÉÔuÉ rÉxiÉÑ | svaya¯ samasta¯ ca babhÀva yastu ||

ÌlÉÈxÉ…¡û-ÌlÉqÉÑïÌ£ü-mÉSÇ mÉëmÉ± , ni¦sa±ga-nirmukti-pada¯ prapadya , oÉë¼ÉiqÉ-pÉÉuÉålÉ ÌuÉUÉÎeÉiÉÉå rÉÈ brahm¡tma-bh¡v£na vir¡jitµ ya¦ | ´ÉÏxÉÉæqrÉ-MüÉzÉÏzÉ-qÉWåûµÉUÉrÉ , ¾r§saumya-k¡¾§¾a-mah£¾var¡ya ,

iÉxqÉæ lÉqÉÈ xuÉÉÍqÉ-iÉmÉÉåuÉlÉÉrÉ || tasmai nama¦ sv¡mi-tapµvan¡ya ||

Vyaaptam jagat yena  By him the world is seen as pervaded chid aatma bhaavaad, by Pure Consciousness, 1 rajjvaa yathaa ahih just as the snake is by the rope, hi chara acharam yat; (‘world’ being) all that is movable and immovable; sannyasya sarvam cha  He renounced (negated or reduced) everything sat aatma bhaave, down to its pure state of Existence, 2 swayam samastam cha and then found that he himself was everything babhoova yah tu. that is manifested in this world! nihsanga nirmukti  In a state of total detachment and freedom, padam prapadya with firm conviction he abided 3 brahma aatma bhaavena; in his own Self, identical with Brahman; viraajitah yah; this (experience) is nothing short of Illumination! shree-saumya-kaasheesha- Such is the Lord of Saumyakashi, who is the 4 maheshwaraaya, tasmai namah Great Lord; to such a one do I give salutations; swaami-tapovanaaya. Such is the saint, Swami Tapovan!

This poem may appear to some as an exaggeration, but it has to be understood from the standpoint of the author’s vision of who his Guru is. We will share the same feeling with the author if we have the faith to accept that a God-realised sage is no different from God Himself. Whatever is being said in these lines is only a small fraction of His Divine Glory! Each of these six verses contains various epithets glorifying the Guru as the Supreme Brahman. It is hard to identify a particular theme for each verse. However, our discussion group has looked at each verse and identified a “predominant” characteristic in it, and used it as a title for each verse. The theme in this opening verse is taken as “IDENTITY”. The difference between a saint and the ordinary person lies simply in the identity of what or who he considers himself to be. Ordinarily, we are identified with our individual personality, called Jeeva, made up of body, mind, intellect and reflected consciousness. However, saints have raised their consciousness to a higher level. The highest level is to be totally identified with the Pure Consciousness, the ultimate Reality, called Atman with reference to an individual. The author of this Shatkam begins by seeing Swami Tapovan as having reached this highest level . . .

Pure Consciousness & the World 1 In the Science of Vedanta, the relationship between Pure Consciousness or Reality and the World is of prime consideration. We, of this world, are related to the Reality as something that is superimposed upon it – as a snake is superimposed on a rope. The snake is not really there but appears to be there; so also, we (the world) are not really there; but appear to be there. That, in a nutshell, is the Vedantic view of the visible universe; it is just a superimposition. Pure Consciousness has Reality status, and the world in relation to It is “Unreal”, philosophically speaking. When this statement is interpreted out of context, it leads to a perverted view of the world, which Vedanta is unfairly accused of by superficial scholars. Vedanta does not run down the world by saying it is ‘unreal’. Indeed, the true vision of the world in Vedanta is that it is the Form of God Himself! Looking closer at the word ‘world’, we see that movable and immovable things are included. Movable means living or sentient beings. Immovable means inert or insentient objects. Thus it is clarified that we, as living beings, are to consider ourselves to be part of this World; which means that we, too, are Unreal! Although we are founded on Reality alone, there is an unreal aspect to our appearance in existence. If the apparent is carefully scrutinised and “negated” (see next Pada), then we are left with just Pure Consciousness. That is our essence. In that lies our Identity with Brahman.

False Identification is Renounced to Discover the True 2 Swami Tapovanji began a serious enquiry into himself to discover who he really was. Applying all his knowledge of Vedanta, he began stripping off all that was unreal in his human make-up. He removed the unreality sheath by sheath until he was left with just bare Existence, which he could not break up any further as it is the Absolute Truth. What remained after negation is his true spiritual identity. The sheaths removed are, in order from the grossest to the subtlest, as follows:

i) Food Sheath: this is the physical body; ii) Life-Force Sheath: this is the Prana sheath which energises the body; iii) Mind Sheath: this sheath controls the mind; iv) Intellect Sheath: this sheath controls the intellect; v) Bliss Sheath: this sheath of Ignorance is the cause of all the other sheaths. Thus renunciation of all these sheaths means understanding that they are not what we truly are. We are beyond each one of them. This is the key Sadhana practised by the Vedantin. The intellect is the venue for this Sadhana. Strange as it may sound, by giving up all these sheaths, Swami Tapovan found that he was everything! The process of negation removed all that is ‘unreal’, leaving only the Reality behind. As this Reality is common to all, he found that he is one with everything and everyone else.

The Road to Illumination 3 How to achieve this identity? The first step is to free ourselves from all attachments to the world. This is called Renunciation in Vedanta. Attachment in this sense is bondage; and as a corollary, detachment is freedom or liberation. True renunciation is giving up everything all that is false or unreal in our personality. When this is taken to its limit, it is Liberation. As one becomes free from bondage to the world of objects, one gets closer and closer to one’s real identity with the spirit. Swami Tapovan practised this Sadhana in the solitude of the Himalayas. He became firmly established in his Self, and he soon came to see his identity with the universal Spirit or Brahman. He had become an enlightened sage.

The Line of Salutation 4 Common to all the six verses (‘Shatkam’ means a composition of six verses) is the last line saluting the great Guru as the Lord of Saumyakashi, who is Viswanath or Lord Maheswara Himself. This is the auspicious line which may be taken as the Mangalacharan of this Shatkam. It is essentially an emphatic declaration that the Guru is none other than the Divine Being, Lord Shiva Himself, whichever name one may prefer to use for the Lord. The Supreme Being has no name, as the author goes on to describe in the subsequent verses. There is a temple dedicated to Lord Saumyakashi at Uttarkashi, where Swami Tapovan lived for most of the time in the Himalayas. This is why this particular Name has been used in this poem. What was a very small simple dwelling-cum-classroom in Ujjaili, Uttarkashi, has now grown into a large Ashram, capable of hosting Jnana Yajnas of an international standard. A new seven-storeyed modern building has come up on the premises, which houses the Lecture Theatre and offices on the ground floor, and residences upstairs for visitors. The Ashram has a scenic view of the Ganges valley with its towering mountains on either side.

*****

Verse B2: REALISATION of Satchidananda Brahman

||2.2|| ||2.2|| AZÉhQû-pÉÉuÉÈ ÍzÉuÉÃmÉ-iÉ¨uÉÈ , akha³¢a-bh¡va¦ ¾ivarÀpa-tattva¦ , ÍcÉÌiÉ-xuÉpÉÉuÉÈ mÉUqÉÉiqÉ-xÉirÉÈ citi-svabh¡va¦ param¡tma-satya¦ | xÉirÉxrÉ xÉirÉÈ xÉÑÍkÉrÉæuÉ aÉqrÉÈ , satyasya satya¦ sudhiyaiva gamya¦ , mÉUÈ mÉëkÉÉlÉÉiÉç mÉUqÉåµÉUÉå rÉÈ | para¦ pradh¡n¡t param£¾varµ ya¦ ||

AÉ±liÉ-WûÏlÉÉå ÌlÉUmÉå¤É-SÏÎmiÉÈ , ¡dyanta-h§nµ nirap£k½a-d§pti¦ , xuÉiÉÈ xuÉÃmÉåhÉ ÌuÉTÑüÎssÉiÉÉå rÉÈ svata¦ svarÀp£³a viphullitµ ya¦ | ´ÉÏxÉÉæqrÉ-MüÉzÉÏzÉ-qÉWåûµÉUÉrÉ , ¾r§saumya-k¡¾§¾a-mah£¾var¡ya , iÉxqÉæ lÉqÉÈ xuÉÉÍqÉ-iÉmÉÉåuÉlÉÉrÉ || tasmai nama¦ sv¡mi-tapµvan¡ya ||

Akhanda bhaavah,  He is the Indestructible Existence; shiva roopa tattvah, whose essence is Auspiciousness; 1 chiti swabhaavah,  His nature is that of Consciousness, paramaatma satyah; as He is the Supreme Absolute Reality; satyasya satyah,  He is the Truth of all truths; sudhiyaa eva gamyah,  He is experienced by the Pure Intellect alone; 2 parah pradhaanaat,  He is beyond Nature (Prakriti or Maya); parama eeshwarah yah;  He is the Supreme Lord (of Prakriti); Aadi anta heenah,  He is devoid of beginning and end; nirapeksha deeptih,  He is the Light independent of any other light; 3 swatah swaroopena  by his very own nature, viphullitah yah; He is All-Bliss (Ananda) or ever cheerful; Shree-saumya-kaasheesha- Such is the Lord of Saumyakashi, who is the 4 maheshwaraaya, tasmai namah Great Lord; to such a one do I give salutations, swaami-tapovanaaya. Such is the saint, Swami Tapovan!

The theme for this verse is Vedantic REALISATION. These nine points cover as best as is possible in words, a description of the realisation of the Reality attained by a sage.

He is Sat and Chit (Existence and Consciousness) 1 The Truth is “unbroken” or homogeneous. In this grand vision of the sage, Existence alone exists. It seems that the world as we see it must be appearing to the sage as some kind of an “optical illusion”. That which is the essence of a thing defines it. Sweetness, the essence of sugar, is what defines sugar. Similarly, auspiciousness is the essence of Existence. A benevolent, benign principle governs everything in creation. What a reassuring vision this is! Consciousness is that by which we know something. It gives us the sense that we exist and will always exist. There is only one consciousness, not many. All life is One. 13

This means that all life is One, having Consciousness running through it. It makes everything active, alive and full of energy, health, beauty, auspiciousness. Our whole vision of this world and our life takes a sommersault in this very first line of description of the Reality. The new vision at once gives us a sense of our limitation as well as it tells us what we truly are in our essence, which is our realizable potential.

Experienced by the Pure Intellect 2 There are three levels of truth: i) the Supreme Reality or Paramarthic Satta; ii) the Relative, Empirical reality or Vyavaharic Satta; and iii) the Illusory reality or Pratibhasika Satta. The truth of a higher reality negates the truth of a lower reality. Absolute Reality, which is the highest of the three, has nothing beyond it that can negate it. The Absolute Reality can be experienced only by a pure intellect. It requires a perfectly clean mirror to reflect an image perfectly. Absolute or Pure Reality is totally beyond Nature. Reality is the Lord of Nature. Nature is the Shakti or power of Reality.

He is Ananda (Bliss) 3 Finally, we come to the third manner of expressing the Reality and that is its nature as Bliss or absolute cheerfulness, untainted by anything else. It is ever cheerful and joyful, not dependent on anything else for its blissful state. In this way, a definition for Reality is attempted. The poet uses his ingenuity to define that which is indefinable. Reality is defined by sages in many ways. Among them: 1. Sat-Chit-Ananda, i.e. Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute. 2. Satyam-Jnanam-Anantam, i.e. Truth-Knowledge-Infinity; and 3. Satyam-Shivam-Sundaram, i.e. Truth-Auspiciousness-Beauty. All these definitions are pointers to the same Truth. Truth is One, without a second.

*****

SRI HANUMAN “Embodiment of Matchless Surrender to the Divine Within & Without”

Verse B3: CONNECTION to the Supreme Brahman

||2.3|| ||2.3|| qÉliÉÑ³É zÉYrÉÉå qÉlÉxÉÉ MüSÉÍcÉSè , mantunna ¾akyµ manas¡ kad¡cid , uÉ£Ñü³É MåülÉÉÌmÉ iÉjÉÉ lÉ uÉÉcÉÉ vaktunna k£n¡pi tath¡ na v¡c¡ | oÉÉå®ÒgcÉ oÉÑSèkrÉÉÌmÉ iÉjÉÉ lÉ zÉYrÉÉå , bµddhu²ca buddhy¡pi tath¡ na ¾akyµ , oÉÑSèkrÉÉÌS-xÉÉ¤ÉÏ ZÉsÉÑ MåüuÉsÉÉå rÉÈ | buddhy¡di-s¡k½§ khalu k£valµ ya¦ ||

xÉuÉåïÎlSìrÉÉiÉÏiÉ-mÉSÎxjÉiÉÉåÅÌmÉ , sarv£ndriy¡t§ta-padasthitµ:'pi , xÉuÉåïÎlSìrÉ-mÉëåUÌrÉiÉÉ mÉUÉå rÉÈ sarv£ndriya-pr£rayit¡ parµ ya¦ | ´ÉÏxÉÉæqrÉ-MüÉzÉÏzÉ-qÉWåûµÉUÉrÉ , ¾r§saumya-k¡¾§¾a-mah£¾var¡ya , iÉxqÉæ lÉqÉÈ xuÉÉÍqÉ-iÉmÉÉåuÉlÉÉrÉ || tasmai nama¦ sv¡mi-tapµvan¡ya ||

Mantum na shakyah  He who can never be thought of manasaa kadaachit; (or contemplated upon) by the mind; 1 vaktum na kena api nor can he be described by anyone, tathaa na vaachaa; for the same reason, by the organ of speech; bodhum cha buddhyaa api  And, to know Him by the intellect, tathaa na shakyaa – is, for the same reason, also not possible. 2 buddhi aadi saakshee For, the Witness of all the above three khalu kevalah yah. is, indeed, He alone; sarva indriyaa teeta  Beyond all of these sense instruments, pada sthitah, is that state in which He is rooted. 3 api sarva indriya Even then, for all of these sense instruments, prerayitaa parah yah; He alone is the Supreme Propeller; shree-saumya-kaasheesha- Such is the Lord of Saumyakashi, who is the 4 maheshwaraaya, tasmai namah Great Lord; to such a one do I give salutations, swaami-tapovanaaya. Such is the saint, Swami Tapovan!

The theme of this verse may be taken as our CONNECTION to the Supreme. If we cannot reach Him with our body, mind and intellect, then what is our connection with Him? How is the Supreme connected to us? This verse takes great pains to explain this point.

Beyond Mind, Speech & Intellect is He 1-2a The Supreme Paramatman is beyond the reach of our sensory equipment of senses, mind and intellect. The instruments are used for information about the objective reality only. They cannot be used to investigate subjective Reality. Yet Reality is intimately connected to them. Without the Reality, these instruments become insentient. They cannot function without the support of the Reality, for they are superimposed upon It. The mind is the realm of thoughts and feelings. The organ of speech is the realm of words. And the intellect is the powerful realm of analysis, enquiry, creativity, reasoning, and

15 decision-making. All these are utilised to study the phenomenal reality of the world. But they are too gross to delve into the subtler Reality that is higher than them. The subtlest of all the Upadhis in the human individual is the intellect. Even that cannot know the Self. It is the instrument that is closest to the Self. It has amazing capabilities as just described, yet it has to content itself only with phenomenal investigation. That is the limit of its utility. However, the intellect is not totally useless in the spiritual pursuit. This verse gives the two clues which intellect can perceive in order to at least get some idea of what the higher Reality is. These clues are:

2b i) The Witnessship of the Self; and 3 ii) The Propellership of the Self.

Witnessship & Propellership Both these are acceptable to the reasoning and logic facility of the intellect. It is within the grasp of reason to understand that there must be some higher entity that is the witness of the intellect’s functions. It is even easier to understand that the same witness drives or propels the intellect, in the same way that the intellect drives or propels the mind and the speech functions. Even as the intellect oversees the mind and organ of speech which are subservient to it, so also, the Supreme Self witnesses and propels all three instruments from above the intellect. The knowing in the intellect is not a function of the intellect. This knower is the subject “I”. This sense of “I” is above the intellect. It is the Witness of the intellect. In our quiet moments, we sometimes have the experience of being a witness of our thoughts. At such times, one may say that the higher mind acts as an observer of the lower mind. We are thus able to isolate ourselves from the actual functioning of the three instruments and view them from the perspective of the Witness who is above them. This sense of “I” that is in supreme control of every function of the individual being has two aspects to it. In the unenlightened state, this “I” is the individual ego only, not anything beyond it. However, in an enlightened person, such as Swami Tapovan whom we are especially considering in this whole poem, this “I” has gone far beyond the ego that limits most of us. In the realised saint, the “I” is nothing short of the Supreme Consciousness that is the true Self free from all delusion or ignorance. The realised person who is established in this universal Consciousness must surely have access to enormous controlling power over the objective world, a power that is unimaginable to us who are still trapped in our limited ego. Understanding this verse in this light, we get a glimpse of insight into the rarefied heights reached by a God-realised sage! That, of course, is the very purpose of studying this extraordinary Shatkam of a man who has attained the highest spiritual realisation.

*****

A NOTE TO THE READER

We have come to the middle of the poem. The theoretical aspect was the focus so far. The key intellectual understanding of the state of the realised sage has been covered, which is crucial to help us understand and enjoy the remaining three verses. There is a distinct practical turn in the poem from this point onwards. The poem now deals with very important Sadhanas by which the student of Vedanta can prepare himself, just as Swami Tapovan had, to attain the same state of spiritual realisation. It is very helpful to the serious student to be aware of this change in emphasis.

Verse B4: The SEARCH for Brahman

||2.4|| ||2.4|| zÉÑ®ÉÌiÉzÉÑ®gcÉ xÉSÉ mÉëoÉÑ®Éå , ¾uddh¡ti¾uddha²ca sad¡ prabuddhµ , ÌuÉµÉåµÉUÉå ÌuÉµÉmÉUÈ mÉëxÉ³ÉÈ vi¾v£¾varµ vi¾vapara¦ prasanna¦ | urÉÉmÉÏ mÉU-oÉë¼ÍhÉ qÉÉåSqÉÉlÉÉå , vy¡p§ para-brahma³i mµdam¡nµ , uÉåSÉliÉ-xÉÉUÈ xÉÑÍkÉrÉÉÇ zÉUhrÉÈ | v£d¡nta-s¡ra¦ sudhiy¡¯ ¾ara³ya¦ ||

LMüÉå uÉzÉÏ xÉuÉïpÉÔiÉÉÍkÉuÉÉxÉÈ , £kµ va¾§ sarvabhÀt¡dhiv¡sa¦ , xÉuÉÉïÍkÉmÉÈ xÉuÉï-eÉÏuÉÉiqÉMüÉå rÉÈ sarv¡dhipa¦ sarva-j§v¡tmakµ ya¦ | ´ÉÏ xÉÉæqrÉ-MüÉzÉÏzÉ-qÉWåûµÉUÉrÉ , ¾r§ saumya-k¡¾§¾a-mah£¾var¡ya , iÉxqÉæ lÉqÉÈ xuÉÉÍqÉ-iÉmÉÉåuÉlÉÉrÉ || tasmai nama¦ sv¡mi-tapµvan¡ya ||

Shuddha ati-shuddham cha  Than the pure, He is the Purest; and sadaa prabuddhah; He is ever vigilant (in all the three states); 1 vishveshvarah, vishva-parah,  He, the Lord of the Universe, is beyond the world, prasannah; and ever happy and contented; vyaapee,  He is All-pervading, and para brahmani modamaanah; ever revels in the Supreme Reality; 2 vedaanta saarah,  He is the essence of Vedanta, and sudhiyaam sharanyah; the shelter of the man of pure intellect; ekah, vashee,  He is the One, the supreme controller, and sarva bhootaadhi vaasah; the indweller of all living beings; 3 sarvaadhipah,  He is the Master of all, and sarva jeevaatmakah yah; the very Self of all Jeevas (individual souls) – shree-saumya-kaasheesha- Such is the Lord of Saumyakashi, who is the 4 maheshwaraaya, tasmai namah Great Lord; to such a one do I give salutations, swaami-tapovanaaya. Such is the saint, Swami Tapovan!

The theme in this verse can be said to be the SEARCH for the ever-Pure and all- pervading Brahman. We find Him as the Indweller of our heart, the very Self of our being.

ATMAN: God as Seen Within 1 Shuddham: “purity”. This is one of those defining characteristics of the Supreme Brahman. Striving for purity becomes the prime Sadhana for the seeker of Brahman. If Brahman is the Purest principle that ever exists, then perfect purity is required to be totally identified with Him. This sets in motion all the Sadhanas which have purity as their immediate goal. Among them Karma Yoga opens the way, while Bhakti Yoga keeps one firmly on the track. Jnana Yoga gives us the direction to the goal, and Raja Yoga gives us the energy, strength and mental capacity to reach the goal. In the Self there is nothing that can render it impure. The whole highway to the Goal is paved with Purity! Prasanna: “cheerfulness and contentment”. One of the signs of growing purity is cheerfulness and contentment, to the very end of the journey. These are not qualities that are to be developed, but they are the natural outcome of purity of heart. To understand this we need to look at what impurity is. A substance that is mixed with another foreign substance is said to be contaminated. This is the onset of impurity. So, there needs to be some other thing for impurity to establish itself. If there is no other substance, the first substance will remain pure for ever. This is the case with the non-dual Brahman who is One without a second. It is Purity Absolute. There is no other thing existing to contaminate It. If such is the reason for Brahman to be pure, then the Sadhaka or seeker striving to become Brahman has to ensure that there is no desire in his mind other than that for Brahman. If desire is thus directed entirely to the pursuit of Brahman, then the Sadhaka attains purity very quickly.

BRAHMAN: God as Seen Outside 2 Vyapee: “All-pervading”. The implication of non-duality is that Truth must be all- pervading. And if It is all-pervading without any “competitor”, then It must also be ever in a state of Bliss. In terms of practical Sadhana, this means that the seeker has to raise his consciousness to include others. The big “competitor” of the Self is the pseudo-Self, namely, the Ego. The Sadhana must aim to root out all sense of individuality. This is the path to follow to reach the likeness of the all-pervading Brahman. Sharanyah: “shelter”. The Vedas are looked up to as our umbrella or shelter. In the same way, the sage who has realized the Self, becomes the umbrella for others of good, pure intellects who look up to him for guidance as they would to the scriptures. By the example of his life, Swami Tapovan proved the truths of the Vedas, and became their best protector, and a shelter for all students of Vedanta.

BRAHMAN: As Indweller & Master 3 Vaasah: “Indweller”. The Lord has the master plan. He knows everyone’s Karmas which directs the destinies of all souls. He is descrbed as the supreme controller or CEO in today’s language. A necklace is made up of a thread with many gems threaded on it. The Indwelling Atman in each being makes up the gems; the thread on which they are strung is Brahman. 18

We can either consider the Lord as dwelling in all beings, or all beings can be considered to dwell in Him. In the former case, the Lord is seen as the Substratum of all; in the latter case, the beings are seen as superimposed upon Him. There is no contradiction between these two viewpoints. Sarvaadhipah: “Master of all”. From this substratum-superimposition relationship between Atman and Jeeva, we derive the Master-servant relationship. The latter is one way of looking at the former. The superimposition is completely dependent on the Substratum; even so the Sadhaka is completely dependent on the Lord, his Master. This is also called the Sarvatma Bhava in Vedanta, and is a kingpin of practical Vedanta. It is the acid-test of true spiritual growth.

*****

LORD RAMA “The Perfection of a Human Being”

Verse B5: The ATTRIBUTELESS Brahman

||2.5|| ||2.5|| AzÉoSqÉxmÉzÉïqÉÃmÉuÉŠ , a¾abdamaspar¾amarÀpavacca , iÉjÉÉUxÉÇ ÌlÉirÉqÉaÉlkÉuÉŠ tath¡rasa¯ nityamagandhavacca | ÌlÉUgeÉlÉÇ ÌlÉirÉÌlÉUÏWûqÉåMÇü , nira²jana¯ nityanir§ham£ka¯ , oÉÑ®åÈ mÉUÇ ÌlÉaÉÑïhÉ-xÉSè-kÉëÑuÉgcÉ | buddh£¦ para¯ nirgu³a-sad-dhruva²ca ||

aÉÑ½Ç aÉpÉÏUÇ aÉaÉlÉÉåmÉqÉÇ rÉÇ , guhya¯ gabh§ra¯ gaganµpama¯ ya¯ , mÉzrÉÎliÉ ÌlÉkÉÔïiÉqÉsÉÉ rÉiÉÏlSìÉÈ pa¾yanti nirdhÀtamal¡ yat§ndr¡¦ | ´ÉÏxÉÉæqrÉ-MüÉzÉÏzÉ-qÉWåûµÉUÉrÉ , ¾r§saumya-k¡¾§¾a-mah£¾var¡ya , iÉxqÉæ lÉqÉÈ xuÉÉÍqÉ-iÉmÉÉåuÉlÉÉrÉ || tasmai nama¦ sv¡mi-tapµvan¡ya ||

Ashabdam asparsham  He is devoid of the qualities of sound, touch 1 aroopavat cha, tathaa and form; in the same way, he is arasam nityam agandhavat cha; ever devoid of taste and smell, too; niranjanam nitya nireeham ekam;  He is ever taintless, actionless, and uniform; 2 buddheh param, nirguna, He is beyond the intellect, He is attributeless; sad dhruvam cha. and, being the Truth, He never changes; guhyam gabheeram gaganopamam;  He is hidden, and is very deep, like space; 3 yam pashyanti nirdhoota  He is seen by those who have washed their malaah yati-indraah; impurities – i.e. by the great sages. shree-saumya-kaasheesha- Such is the Lord of Saumyakashi, who is the 4 maheshwaraaya, tasmai namah Great Lord; to such a one do I give salutations, swaami-tapovanaaya. Such is the saint, Swami Tapovan!

The main theme of this verse can be put down as ATTRIBUTELESS. Brahman is attributeless in contrast to an individual. In whatever Sadhana we are engaged, it is important for the Sadhaka to keep in mind that God is not perceived with the senses, mind or intellect, though we may use these in our worship of Him. This has already been theoretically explained in the Stuti, verse A3.

Devoid of Gross Elemental Qualities 1 Attributes or qualities become known to us through the five senses of perception. Each sense is related to each of the five elements, and the quality we perceive through a particular sense arises from that element. The qualities of space, air, fire, water and earth give rise respectively to sound, touch, form, taste and smell. Each subsequent element contains the qualities of all the preceding elements plus its own. Starting with one quality in space, air has two, fire has three, water four and earth has the qualities of all five elements. The Supreme Brahman, which has no dependence on these five elements, is free from all qualities. This is the logical explanation of the “qualityless Brahman”. In Sadhana, we may take the help of the senses, but aim to go beyond them. 20

Beyond the Senses of Action or Perception 2 This Pada concerns the five senses of action. Once the qualities are perceived, then the senses of action respond to them, each in their own respective way. They are compelled to respond as it is their nature. The point being made here is that Brahman is beyond all senses of action, and therefore He is actionless. Niranjanam: “taintless”. Every action carries with it a taint or colouring imparted to it by the mind. That colouring returns to the mind in a tainted form. It is the nature of all actions to leave a ‘scar’ on our mind. Selfish actions lead to some degree of tainting in our mind, while selfless actions remove some taints from the mind. Again, the point to be noted is that Brahman is taintless because He is free from actions. Ekam: “uniform”. Likes or dislikes arise due to taints in the mind. The mind sees the world in the colours of its own desires. This is why some people like a thing and others dislike it. Even the same thing can be liked at one moment and disliked at another. These fluctuating tendencies or taints do not arise in the Self. The Self remains uniform and consistent. Buddheh: “in the intellect”. As with bodily actions, so with intellectual activity. It is prone to think selfishly or selflessly, in accordance with its level of development. The former taints the intellect; the latter removes existing taints in the intellect. ‘Taints’ of the intellect are errors in judgement, incorrect decisions, imaginations, errors in perceptions, false notions, faulty inferences, etc. The Self, being beyond the intellect, is not subject to intellectual taints.

Going Beyond Superficial Perception 3 Hidden, deep, vast like space, and free of impurities – such is the Self. It requires a very clear intellect to grasp these ideas. Impurities in the mind and intellect make it impossible to grasp subtle spiritual truths and concepts. On the practical side, a course of Sadhana specifically aimed at purification of the mind is prescribed for Sadhakas before going deep into meditation. We notice that in the Bhagavad Geeta, Sri Krishna prescribes Karma Yoga to Arjuna, the beginner (Chapter 3). Only after much of the purification has taken place does He prescribe deep meditation or Dhyana Yoga (Chapter 6). The sage, Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh, advises that the Name of the Lord be chanted as much as possible to remind us of the Lord and increase the Chitta Shuddhi or mental purity. Such practices need to continue for a protracted period of many years before change can be noticed in the mind. Sadhana or spiritual practices are necessary to render our minds and intellects pure from their respective taints: Selfless actions clear the taints of Karmas; worship and devotional service clear the taints of the mind; and meditation clears the taints of the intellect. By these Sadhanas, one is thoroughly prepared to become a God-man like Swami Tapovanji. All this requires great effort. This is what Swami Tapovanji had been through during his years of travel through the Himalayas during which he spent many hours in silent contemplation of the Self.

***** 21

Verse B6: DISCOVERY of Brahman

||2.6|| ||2.6|| iÉåeÉÉåqÉrÉÇ ÌSurÉqÉqÉårÉzÉÌ£Çü , t£jµmaya¯ divyamam£ya¾akti¯ , xÉlÉÉiÉlÉÇ zÉÉliÉqÉlÉÉqÉrÉgcÉ san¡tana¯ ¾¡ntaman¡maya²ca | A²æiÉqÉÉ¶ÉrÉïqÉÍcÉlirÉÃmÉÇ , advaitam¡¾caryamacintyarÀpa¯ , mÉUÉimÉUÇ ÌlÉirÉqÉlÉliÉqÉÉ±qÉç | par¡tpara¯ nityamanantam¡dyam ||

¥ÉÉlÉ mÉëMüÉzÉålÉ ÌuÉzÉÑ®xÉ¨uÉÉå j²¡na prak¡¾£na vi¾uddhasattvµ rÉÇ mÉzrÉÌiÉ xuÉÉiqÉÌlÉ ÍcÉlirÉqÉÉlÉqÉç ya¯ pa¾yati sv¡tmani cintyam¡nam | ´ÉÏxÉÉæqrÉ-MüÉzÉÏzÉ-qÉWåûµÉUÉrÉ , ¾r§saumya-k¡¾§¾a-mah£¾var¡ya , iÉxqÉæ lÉqÉÈ xuÉÉÍqÉ-iÉmÉÉåuÉlÉÉrÉ || tasmai nama¦ sv¡mi-tapµvan¡ya ||

Tejomayam divyam, 1. He is that resplendent divine Reality; ameya shaktim, 2. He is of immeasurable power; 1 sanaatanam, shaantam, 3. He is eternal, He is peaceful; anaamayam cha; 4. He is untouched by disease, (faultless and flawless); advaitam, 5. He is the Non-Dual Reality; aashcharyam achintya roopam, 6. He is the incomprehensible Wonder; 2 paraat param nityam, 7. He is the Great Beyond that is permanent; anantam aadyam. 8. He is the primordial Being that is endless; jnaana prakaashena, Thus, with the light of knowledge, vishuddha sattwah the man of purified intellect prepares himself. 3 yam pashyati swaatmani Then he sees the Self within himself chintyamaanam; by meditating on the Truth in his own heart; shree-saumya-kaasheesha- Such is the Lord of Saumyakashi, who is the 4 maheshwaraaya, tasmai namah Great Lord; to such a one do I give salutations, swaami-tapovanaaya. Such is the saint, Swami Tapovan!

This final verse concludes with the theme of DISCOVERY of Brahman by plunging deeply into the practice of meditation. From the Sadhaka’s standpoint, the verse is all about cleaning out the intellect of all its false notions. Meditation may also be described as abiding in the Self. Our attention is drawn to the resplendence and wonder of the Self. Naturally the verse takes a very poetic turn to capture the intensity of being in close communion with Brahman.

1-2 Themes to be Meditated Upon The eight points in these two Padas can be taken as topics for one’s meditation Sadhana. They are designed to give powerful suggestions to the mind and to narrow its scope of thoughts to one theme or subject. Such meditations can be very fulfilling as well as take us to higher levels of consciousness when accompanied by other spiritual disciplines. 22

The spiritual quest will draw no interest if we had no way to actually discover God within. Without meditation, the quest cannot be culminated successfully. The characteristics listed in this verse are descriptive of the resplendence and glory of God. Anything that is brilliant is elevating, inspiring, above the ordinary, delightful and pleasing, having great beauty and poise, a marvel! This is what is captured in these words – attempt to track the marvel that is God! We have a flood of adjectives describing the breathtaking wonder of the Wondrous Lord! The touchstone of all this wonder could well be ‘Advaitam’ – that which is Non-Dual, second to none. Advaita is the life-breath of Vedanta. It is the exceptional thing about Vedanta which marks it out from any other philosophy. It is Non-duality that makes the description of the Self so enigmatic as to captivate our imagination. Our tongue is left gaping with wonderment at the Lord’s extraordinary heights.

Time for Serious Meditation 3 How can we behold this Wonder? Resplendence or brilliance can be seen in many levels of our personality, but most of all it lies in the intellect. All levels are influenced once the intellect becomes resplendent. Brilliance radiates through such a purified intellect. A world tour will take us to many of the natural Wonders of the world. The best libraries in the world will unravel the wonders of literature. A shopping spree will bring us the wonder conveniences of civilisation. Cinemas and movies will unfurl the wonders of the imagination of man. Similarly, meditation will unravel the wonders of God within! Only by plunging ourselves deep within in meditation can we behold the Wonder of all wonders – our own true Self. In the serenity and tranquillity of the early morning hours, we can plunge deep into the treasures of the Self and revel in all its Wonders! 4 We conclude this appreciation of the life of Swami Tapovanji, a God-realised Mahatma, by quoting from Pujya Guruji’s commentary: “Nothing pleased Sri Swami Tapovanji Maharaj more than the divine knowledge. It was the ‘thing’ of his heart. We therefore seek his blessings to walk this path and divinize all our activities with this great knowledge. “May the spiritual quest and spiritual vision be the foundation of our personal, professional, social and public life! May we enjoy even the struggles on this path and reach our goal in time!”

***** Om Tat Sat!