Hinduism and the senses
There is a light that shines beyond all things on earth, beyond all of us, beyond the heavens, beyond the highest, the highest heavens. This is the light that shines in our hearts. ‘Chandogya Upanishad’ 3.13.7 (1)
This ‘light’ has many names and is perceived by different Hindu practitioners in various ways. The two prominent and
The broadest categories are the monistic and theistic conceptions of the divine. The monist sees the divine in impersonal terms,
while the theist regards the divine as a loving personal god. The perception of the divine can be a crucial factor in
determine the main method of approximation of the individual, of which there are traditionally three;
The path of devotion (Bhakti Marga); the path of knowledge (Jnana Marga); and the path of ritual / action (Karma Marga).
Although these three paths are not mutually exclusive, one may tend to take precedence over the others. For example, the monistic philosopher Sankara of the 9th century AD taught that the best way to approach the divine through knowledge, however, he wrote devotional songs. Even the theistic philosopher Ramanuja, who lived some 200 years later, taught that the divine was ultimately found through devotion, while recognizing the value of correct knowledge. Monism and theism present contrasting views of the “light” that dwells within and shines beyond. Monism, as its name suggests, sees light as ‘all God’, while theism makes a distinction between ‘internal’ and ‘external’ light designations.
The inner light is that of the individual, who is a distinct entity from the outer light, which is the intelligent creator God. Both ‘lights’, however, share a unified similarity. Both ‘lights’ shine as one. The following excerpt from the Upanishads can be understood from both monistic and theistic perspectives;
Put this piece of salt in a bowl of water and come back tomorrow. The son did what he told him and the father told
him: ‘The piece of salt you put in the water last night, bring it here.’ He groped for it but could not find it as there was
completely dissolved.
‘Now take a sip from this corner’, said the father ‘what does it taste like?’
‘Salty’
“Take a sip of the center, what does it taste like?”
‘Salty’
‘Take a sip from that corner, what does it taste like?’
‘Salty’
Throw it away and come back later. He did what he was told and found that the salt was always there.
The father told him: ‘Of course, you didn’t see it there, son; however, it was always there. ‘
‘The finest essence here – which constitutes the self of this whole world; that’s the truth; what is the self (Atman), and
this is how you are Svetaketu. ‘Chandogya Upanishad’ (2)
Here, the common unification of the divine essence is explained, by way of practical demonstration, given by a father to his son. Salt, when dissolved in water, is both immanent and transcendent. The father explains that it is like the “Being of the whole world”, the universal Atman, also known as Brahman. Just as salt is present in every drop of water, similarly, the Atman is omnipresent in reality. And as the father points to his son; ‘That’s the way you are’ (TAT TVAM ASI) too. And so the universal Atman, or Brahman, is said to be “one” with the Atman, or self, within.
Moksha can be said to be the realization of this inner Atman, or me, while still alive in this present body. This is known as ‘Jivanmukti, living freedom’ (3). From the perspective of theists, he is achieving “unity” or “conscious conformity with God” (4). From the monist’s perspective, he is realizing that “this is how you are” (TAT TVAM ASI) all the time, and does not recognize any distinctions. However, for the unenlightened, the Atman, like salt in water, remains invisible. and when the son ‘groped for him’, ‘he could not find him’. As Isa Upanishad explains; “The senses do not reach it, because it is always one step ahead” (5). Therefore, it would appear that the Atman is beyond the senses, which presents the seeker with one more obstacle to overcome. To penetrate the inner Atman, it is necessary to avoid the constant barrage of sensory information. In the Upanishads we are told that the Atman, or the self, is like the driver of a car; the body is like the car itself;
the mind like the kidneys of a car; while the senses are like the horses that pull the cart. The upanishad continues;
He who does not have the correct understanding and whose mind is never steady, is not the ruler of his life, like a bad driver of wild horses.
But the one who has the correct understanding and the always steady mind is the ruler of his life, like a good driver with well-trained horses.
He who does not have the correct understanding, is careless and never pure, does not reach the end of his journey; but he marvels from death to death.
But he who has the correct understanding, is careful and always pure, reaches the end of the journey, from which he never returns.
‘Katha upanishad’ (6)
Here we have a clear contrast between the individual who is caught in the wheel of Samsara, described here as wandering “from death to death”, and the one who has reached Mosksha, “From which he never returns.” Control of the senses is achieved through various Hindu spiritual practices such as meditation, the performance of rigorous physical austerities, and devotion. These approaches are collectively known as yoga. The Sanskrit root meaning of yoga is “to join” and it is the method by which an individual joins the divine. The Vedantist scholar Sri Aurobino (1872 – 1950) described the goal of yoga as the liberation and perfection of the inner “Atman”. It is moving beyond the mind and uniting with the divine source (7). So mastery of the senses is an imperative step to achieve final liberation from the cycle of rebirth, but the inner search does not end there. Yoga is not the end, it is the method or vehicle through which the Atman is reached, beyond the senses. It is the process that the turbulent waters of perception calm to see a clear, uninterrupted reflection of the true self. Another aspect of monism is Advaita or non-dualism. In contrast to the dualistic theory of the cosmos, which sees spirit and matter in direct opposition to each other, Advaita sees no such conflict. Everything is God and everything is one, therefore everything exists in complete harmony. Everything else is “Maya” or illusion, and liberation from the Samasara cycle is comparable to waking up from a dream. Maya was a vital component of Sankara’s philosophy. Furthermore, about a thousand years before Sankara, Krishna, the main character of the ‘Bhagavad-gita’, proclaimed;
I am not revealed to everyone,
be veiled by my magic trick of illusion;
he is deceived and does not recognize
I the unborn, imperishable – this world. 7.25 (8)
In the Bhagavad-gita, Krishna is portrayed as the absolute Brahmin (7.29), who dwells in the heart of all living beings and
supports the cosmos (18.61). He is the supreme unit of Sankara philosophy (7.4-7; 11.10-32) that transcends the illusion of opposites (7.28). He is also the personal God of Ramanuja (11.3) who waits at the end of the path of devotion with open arms and a loving smile (7.21; 11.54). Krishna tells us, regarding samsara, that it is a wrong concept (2.17-22.30), if we just withdraw our senses and let go of the wrong desires (2.55-58), and make it our true desire (7.11), through yoga (2.47-72), then we would achieve liberation (2.51) ‘from the doubtful and vulnerable character of human existence’ (9).
When the sage rests his mind in contemplation
in our God beyond time, who dwells invisibly
in the mystery of things and in the heart of
man then rises above pleasures and sadness. ‘Katha Upanishad’ (10)
When the senses are under control, the mind is at rest and the inner light dawns, then the individual is filled with the warmth of that inner flame and finds satisfaction. The irrepressible joy of life is unaffected by momentary pleasures and blackest anguish (bhagavad-gita 2.15). Like Saint Paul, the individual who has calmed his inner ocean and crossed to the other side into the ‘mystery of things’ has learned the secret of being content in any situation’ (Philippians 4:12). And having found his inner Atman, he is ready to cross the cosmic ocean towards ‘Our God beyond time’, never to return.
(1) Mascaro, Juan (trans.), 1965 ‘The Upanishads’, p.113 (Penguin Classics)
(2) Beckerlegge, Gwilym (ed.), 2001 ‘The World Religions Reader. 2nd edition ‘, p. 252 (Routledge)
(3) Swami Vivekananda, Beckerlegge, Gwilym (ed.), 2001 ‘The World Religions Reader. 2nd edition ‘, p.297 (Routledge)
(4) Swaman, K., Beckerlegge, Gwilym (ed.), 2001 ‘The World Religions Reader. 2nd edition ‘, p. 293 (Routledge)
(5) ‘Hinduism. Units 7-10 ‘2000 (Open University)
(6) Mascaro, Juan (translation), 1965 ‘The Upanishads’, p.60-61 (Penguin Classics)
(7) Beckerlegge, Gwilym (ed.), 2001 ‘The World Religions Reader. 2nd edition ‘, p. 298 (Routledge)
(8) Egerton ‘trans’, Beckerlegge, Gwilym (ed.), 2001′ The World Religions Reader. 2nd edition ‘, p. 269 (Routledge)
(9) Sivaraman, K., Beckerlegge, Gwilym (ed.), 2001 ‘The World Religions Reader. 2nd edition ‘, p. 291 (Routledge)
(10) Mascaro, Juan (trans.), 1965 ‘The Upanishads’, p.59 (Penguin Classics)