“Beheld the mother on THEE THAT DAY.
Could perceive the BRAHMAM in THOU today,
Could witness AMMA and THE BRAHMAM in YOU equally ever” Raju.
Thus, sang Brother Mannava Buchiraju Sarma, the well-known bard of ARKAPURI.
During AMMA’S physical form most people, for that fact, even one and all could relate to AMMA as one’s own natural mother. Yet as they neared AMMA, they were at once exposed to the deeper mystique of HER presence. This is the experience of the seekers, as also those aware and such who are in pursuit of the truth timeless. Those who were eager to know, gain an inkling of the other worldly or the so called ‘PARA’ domain. This coexistent and simultaneous MOTHERHOOD and BRAHMAM in AMMA has been well cognized by Brother Raju incredibly in the very early days prompting him to put forth the same in his inimitable lyrics.
AMMA referred to the aspect of BRAHMAM in her tender childhood evidently in HER dialogues with an old man who was nearing his end unknown to him. In course of these talks, AMMA very terse defined that “BRAHMAM IS SANS ILLUSION”. To paraphrase the same in HER inimitable vernacular Telugu “Bhranthi Lenide Brahmam”.
To clarify, to be more precise, BRAHMAM is beyond delusion, illusion or even the oft cited nothingness, the MITHYA of our ancients. In AMMA’S reckoning even the early concept of ‘MITHYA’ does not construe nothing, nonexistence or total cessation but verily implies the ever going, ceaseless change.
BRAHMAM is all pervasive, all over, everywhere, endless, and timeless yet beyond human physical vision. To illustrate this fact, when one disciple queries Bhagvan Satya Sai Baba, “Bhagvan, what is this Brahmam?”. The revered Satya Sai Baba responds, “Bangaru, Brahmam is that your eyes cannot see, yet verily Brahmam is that which enables your eyes to see”.
The fact is that Brahmam is formless, timeless, and not manifest in the real physical terms. The seeker must pursue the same, eliminating all other visible aspects, obtaining physical reality, the tangible ambience and look for the same beyond all these barriers. This needs a persistent approach and a consistent well guided effort to know the eternal Brahmam.
The worldly reality that is often seen all over is that the individual is lost in the frenzy of forms, tangible aspects, material benefits which are pursued relentlessly till the very end. Often, he never comes out of this worldly run, chasing that overpowers and engulfs the being. The temporal, physical bondage is too difficult to break for most, also for one and all.
The esteemed Adi Guru Sankaracharya in his lyric Brahma Jnanavali Mala conveys that the individual shall give up his fixations of the body and mind to access Brahmam. The knowledge of Brahmam is abstruse and beyond all these bondages.
These verses scripted by the revered Adiguru Sankaracharya pick up each attribute, parameter of existence, the ones that are seen and even those that are unseen. He excludes one after the other the form, name, size, mode, and all. These factors are excluded by him one after the after due verification. Brahmam is neither attached, connected, bound by these nor in any way confined by any of these.
Then the other factors like life, existence, feelings, emotions, qualities of right and wrong; good and bad, are also duly investigated. The other dualities of comfort, discomfort, happiness, grief, peace, awareness, ignorance, Avidya, and so on are also thoroughly examined by the revered Adi Guru in his quest, the definition of Brahmam.
Then the Pancha Kosas of the individual, the core of his existence, the life force within, the calm spirit and all are examined in detail. He concludes Brahmam is none of these, well beyond these detached, boundless, and unconnected. BRAHMAM is the transcendental truth beyond the physical reality and subjective concerns that are verily transient, passing off in the fleeting time.
Granting this thorough verification, the individual seeking Brahmam shall look beyond or seek farther above all these fixed entities that are changing and time bound.
The person shall overcome the senses, instincts, limited affiliations obtained around him and the other temptations. He shall rise over the instinct, impulse and all other physical lures. The fact is Brahmam is beyond all these yet all permeating and all over not manifest in name and form or a local entity to be seen ordinarily.
BRAHMAM is the very infinite not subject to form, size, shape, dimension and even location. Virtually is beyond any scale and measure to benchmark and understand by the lesser mortal. Brahmam is the infinity all over, all pervasive, all permeating both within and without which cannot be grasped or cognized by the limited sensory apparatus that man is endowed with.
Without, that is externally to the individual it is the vast expanse that is unmanifest, intangible and subjective. To reach the same, to perceive the individual shall empty himself of all other restraints and constraints. He ought to get out of the body and mind fixation and sensory limitation. At this juncture he is merely ready, say prepared for the glimpse of Brahmam and not certainly, so. This is a mere prelude to the setting.
Within the individual being is confined within the being in all his living states though unknown. To be more specific, by definition, infinity of Brahmam implies such veiled truth beyond ordinary perception. It is only an issue of perception and deeper understanding. Virtually nothing in this universe or creation be out of the boundless ‘Brahmam’, as also the concept that is construed and by the very definition of Brahmam. by the five sheaths, the much cited ‘Pancha Kosas’, the food, life, mind, thinking and the bliss sheaths. This is the encasement or the trappings for every individual that is to be overcome to glance, to attempt the infinite reality that is way beyond his ordinary physical and sensory perceptions.
The paradox is Brahmam is also within the being in a subtle form. That is the latent kinetic force that vibrates from within and prompts all his activity during the lifetime. Yet it is unseen, unfelt, not cognized by the person. Thus, Brahmam is within and without; yet coexists all over unseen and unknown.
In the threefold state of the living being, the wakeful, dreaming and the non dreaming deep sleep; the individual is said to be in the state of ‘Pragnanam’. This is the deep, dreamless sleep where the man is almost with his maker every night and gets back, wakes up in the morning fully renewed to his given worldly reality.
Our scriptures view this state of ‘Pragnanam’ akin to the concept of Brahmam. While AMMA did not query this, it raised the deeper poser that “If Prajnanam is Brahmam, why not Agnanam, too that is ignorance, Avidya be ‘Brahmam”. The core issue is when Brahmam is the infinity that encompasses all the ambience, the living and the material universe seen and unseen, how can even ignorance, say ‘Avidya’ be out of the purview of the overall ‘Brahmam?”.
This poser conveys that despite our lack of awareness, Brahmam persists This journey, the pursuit of ‘Brahmam’ by the individual begins from within and culminates without. The reason being the awareness, the understanding of Brahmam is merely an intangible, subjective perception and not a physical feel of the conceptual form. Granting that the individual makes earnest efforts such perception beyond the mind and body (avan manasa gochara), is bestowed by grace be he the Guru or some other divine force, could be even the divine motherly manifestation of AMMA.
Once this perception is bestowed upon the individual by an overwhelming grace, he understands, gains a glimpse of the ubiquitous Brahmam all over, everywhere, as also within himself as a minuscule touch, the point yet beyond direct reach. Granting such state, he realizes that even in the case of those unaware, that Brahmam is within and without, in the state of ignorance, equally so of awareness which is akin to what AMMA cited, ‘If ‘Pragnanam’ is Brahman, why not Ignorance (Agnanam, Avidya) be Brahmam too?”. Thus, ‘BRAHMAM’ is simply a state of totality, absolute with little exception.
The paradox of truth is that the initial attempts of perceiving BRAHMAM ought to begin with the exclusion or elimination of the obtaining physical reality and material facts in reaching the ultimate truth of BRAHMAM. Once the awareness of BRAHMAM emanates within the individual, the concept of the very same BRAHMAM enlarges in its wider connotation of the all-pervasive BRAHMAM covering, encompassing the entire existence, the whole, the aggregate ‘SARVAM’. This concept of BRAHMAM, such intangible construct elevates within to the boundless, universal level by gradation.
As the awareness within rises, or as bestowed by Grace, the individual understands that the infinite Brahmam is within his being, over the earth and covers the whole universe. Brahmam is perceived as the aggregate, whole, integrated infinity with little exception or exclusion. The understanding of BRAHMAM as AMMA once summed up all that is seen, felt and experienced is not bereft of Brahmam or out of its overwhelming coverage. Such perception, comprehension of ‘BRAHMAM’ frees the individual from all bondage of all kinds.