k Siva Prasad

Gita Acharan

(The writer is a senior IAS officer in the Punjab Government. This column on spirituality appears every Sunday).

Krishna says (2.29) some see ‘this’ (atma) as a marvel, some speak of ‘this’ as a marvel, others hear of ‘this’ as a marvel, and even then none know ‘this’ at all.

‘None’ refers to an observer who is using his Indriyas (senses) to understand the observed (atma). Lord Krishna says that as long as there is a separation between these two, the observer cannot comprehend the atma.

Once a salt doll wanted to explore the ocean and it set about its journey. Through violent surface waves, it enters the deeper parts of the ocean and slowly starts melting into it. By the time it enters the deepest part, it melts completely and becomes part of the ocean. It can be said that it has become the ocean itself and the salt doll is no longer a separate entity.

‘Observer (salt doll) is the Observed (ocean)’, which is essentially ending the division and bringing unity.

The Salt doll is akin to our Ahankaar ( Aham-kartha ; I am doer), which always tries to keep us distinct and separate from reality with our possessions, thoughts and actions. Essentially nobody wants to be nobody or ordinary.

But the journey is one of unity and oneness; and that happens only when Ahankaar ceases to be, like the salt doll, which means putting everything we own, both things and thoughts, at stake. It is the journey where the destination arrives the moment we cease to be; where ‘I’, ‘Me’, ‘My’ and ‘Mine’ remain disposable instruments, not identities.

At the peaks of polarities of pleasure and pain, we get a glimpse of nir (sans)- ahankaar. In these moments of realisation, we get the glimpse of what we are and that it doesn’t matter what we know, what we do and what we have.

— The writer is a senior IAS officer in the Punjab Government. 

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