Day 5 Reflection Questions

ANSWERS to REFLECTIONS QUESTION 5.
ANSWER 1. THE LADDER OF SPIRITUAL PROGRESS. First we have to connect with people with NOBLE THOUGHTS. This is called A. SATSANGATVAM. Here like-minded people share their noble thoughts and our MIND gets PURIFIED.. They make us see the FOOLISHNESS of our SUPERFICIAL existence.
This creates B. PRATIPAKSHA BHAVA in us and seeing our life from a different angle, we now generate DETACHMENT and WITHDRAWAL from useless pursuits.
This is C. NISSANGATVAM.This vairagya frees our mind for pursuit of higher goals, which can be achieved by SRAVANA(LISTENING to spiritual discourses), MANANA(REFLECTION on the concepts heard so far)and finally NIDIDHYASANA(CONTEMPLATION on the SELF and ABIDING IN IT).
This removes our DELUSION. The sense of individuality is lost and
D. NIRMOHA sets in. At this point one ABIDES IN THE SELF. Being absorbed in the SELF is achieved as the next step and is called
E. NISCHALATVAM. This is also the STITHAPRAGNYA of Krishna’s Bhagavad Gita. When firmly established in this state, one
attains F. JEEVAN-MUKTI. When he then SHEDS HIS BODY
he attains G. VIDEHA-MUKTI.

ANSWER 2. END OF SAMSARA. Samsara can end only when the TRUTH is known. When the SELF is REALISED. When one becomes the SELF and loses the individuality.Then everyone and every living creature is seen as the ALL-PERVADING SELF. The world and everything in it, is a manifestation of the ONE AND ONLY CONSCIOUSNESS. When this is experientially REALISED, one is free from DESIRES and the atma does not need to take another birth. Samsara or the never-ending “cycle of birth and death” FINALLY ENDS.
This can be said as:
JUST AS When old age sets in, of what use is LUST ?
When the water has evaporated, where is the LAKE?
When the wealth is gone, the RELATIVES, don’t linger.
so also, When the BRAHMAN is REALISED, where is SAMSARA?
Samsara has Ended of course !!

ANSWER 3. EVERYTHING IS MAYAAMAY SANKARA tells us not to take pride and be overconfident about one’s WEALTH and about one’s YOUTHFULNESS. All this can be LOST in a jiffy. The BODY ages and falls prey to diseases. WEALTH can be lost any minute. All things in this world are subject to CHANGE.Realise this, says SANKARA. The world can be seen with our EYES, but it is not be what it seems to be. This is MAYA. It is UNREAL. i.e. It is IMPERMANENT.The only REALITY IS BRAHMAN, the SELF, the ALL-PERVADING CONSCIOUSNESS. That is the TRUTH. WE MUST REALISE THIS and ABIDE IN IT, AT ALL TIMES. says SANKARA. Everything we SEE wuth our EYES, is MAYA(UNREAL, IMPERMANENT).

My Pranams to you Swamiji.
Hari Aum,
Prema amma.

1. Ladder of spiritual progress:Satsangatvam(Company of seeker/Jnani), then we see true happiness is not in the world (Pratipaksha bhavana) ->Nisangathvam now delusion goes away then we do Shravana,Manana, Nidhityasana about our nature ->Nirmohatvam after we are intellectually convinced about our true nature SatChitAnanda( I am not body,mind )then we absorb (Samadhi) in that truth ->Nischalatatvam after we are absorbed there is no individuality so freedom here and now->Jivanmukti then no desire so no birth Videhamukti.
2. End of Samsara:When we get into Satsang , we see the temporary nature of world ,start enquiring & realise our true Self.When we see ourself as one with the universe , no individuality remains, so no desire-> no selfish action -> no results-> no birth to experience those results.Hence no samsara.
3. When we analyse any object in universe , it is made of atoms then when we divide further it disappears only space remains.Also everything such as youth, wealth is temporary there is no guarantee that next moment it will be there.Even when world appears it can’t exist without consciousness.Like there is no lake without water.This temporary unreal world looking like real is मायमय.