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INTRODUCTION
Ixix
Aajatasatru: Verily it is contrary to course of things that a Brahmin should come to a Kshatriya with the object of gaining Brahma knowledge! But anyhow Gargya was willing to be instructed by Aajatasatru. Balaki was taken to a man who was asleep. But when he was touched with the hand he arose. From this object lesson Aajatasatru drew the following conclusion. When this man was fallen asleep thus then the person who consists of intelligence having taken to himself, the intelligence of these senses rests in that place which is within the heart. When that person restrains the senses he is said to be asleep. The breath, the voice, the eye, the ear and the mind are all restrained. When he draws in his senses the worlds are all in him. Then he becomes a great Brahman as it were. Verily as a youth, as a great king, or a great Brahman when he has reached his summit of bliss so he rests now. As a spider might come out with its thread as small spark come out from the fire even so from this Soul come forth all vital energies all worlds, all Gods, all beings. The mystic meaning thereof is the real of the real. Breathing creatures are really the Real, but He is their Real. Thus according to Aajatasatru the self in the movement of sleep is not only the custodian of the senses of the individual but is also indentical with the soul of the world. All breathing things are real but He is their Real. Continuing the discourse Aajatasatru speaks of the two forms of Brahman Murta and Amurta-the formed and the formless-the mortal and the immortal, the actual and the beyond. This doctrine of duality of Brahman is interesting in this way. The ultimate reality includes both the actual concrete experience and the transcendental principle which expresses itself in this. The transcendental is described by negatives. The actual and the normal portions of reality are recognised to be real and are described by the positive designation. This section lends support to that particular school of Vedanta-Visishtadwaita. The organic world consisting of breathing things is real and not Maya. It represents the Murtha form of Brahman but this does not exhaust the complete Brahman because there is the Amrutha, the formless aspect of that on account of which he is called the real of the real.