Spiritual Enlightenment

Author(s): Yogindu Deva, A N Upadhye
Publisher: Radiant Publishers

Page 71

Summary of Paramatma Prakash
space, principle of motion and principle of rest. Atman is control (sanyam), chastity and austerity; Atman is faith and knowledge; and Atman is the seat of eternal liberation, when he is realized. Different from Atman, there is nothing as faith, knowledge and conduct. Ignoring the pure self one should not search after some holy place, serve some other teacher, and think of some other divinity. Atman represents absolute Darshan, and all other descriptions are formal, being true from the ordinary point of view only; when the pure Atman is realized, the highest state of liberation is reached within a moment. Religious treatises, sacred works and austerities do not bring liberation for him whose mind is not occupied with (the reflections on) the pure self. When the self is known, the whole world is known; because it becomes reflected in the knowledge of the self. That both physical and super-physical worlds are seen (reflected) neither Atman is a privilege of those who are merged in selfrealization. Undoubtedly it is a natural phenomenon that the Atman enlightens himself and others like the light of the Sun in the sky. The vision of the world reflected in the self is like that of stars reflected in clear water. The saint by the strength of his knowledge should realize his self whereby he knows himself and others. (92-102)
When Prabhakara requests that he should be instructed in the great knowledge, he is thus addressed. Atman is knowledge, and he who knows his Atman pervades the whole space with his knowledge, even though ordinarily he is limited to the body. Whatever is different from the self is not knowledge; so leaving aside everthing one should realize the self which is a fit subject for knowledge, As long as a Jnanin does not know the self, which represents knowledge by means of knowledge, he will not, being an Ajnanin, realize the highest, Brahman who is an embodiment of knowledge. By knowing one's self ParaBrahman is visualized and realized whereby the highest realm of liberation is reached (103-108)
When Brahman is seen and realized, the world other than Samsara (paraloka) is reached The lofty divinity, the embodiment of knowledge, residing therein is meditated on by saints,