The material component of an individual is
inert by itself. They are body, mind and sense organs. The spiritual component
of an individual is called ‘ATMA’.
Atma is the nature of consciousness principle. Atma lends consciousness to
body, mind and sense organs. For ex. Moon doesn’t have a light on its own. It
borrows light from the Sun. So also body, mind sense organs are alive due to
borrowed consciousness. It is called ‘I’ or Agankara. ‘I’ refers to the body, mind and sense organs.
As per Vedanta this agankara is Kartha,
bhoktha, and travels from one location to another location. Agankara is the
material component of an individual. There is a spiritual component which is
called ‘Atma’. As per Vedanta every individual is a mixture of ‘Atma’ and
‘Agankara’. When we use the word ‘I’ both components are there. Both are
opposite in nature. Atma is one. Agankara are many. Atma is all pervading.
Agankara is located. Agankara is Kartha – doer of action. Atma is Akartha –
doesn’t do any action. Agankara has karma sambanda. It is associated with
temporary action and temporary inaction. Viz. Waking and Sleep. Waking means
action. Sleep means inaction. Birth and death. Death will be followed by rebirth
by taking another body which is action. Atma is not associated with Temporary
karma or temporary non karma. It is associated with permanent Akarma. Atma our
higher nature and real nature, is Akartha and Aboktha. Atma is unassociated
with karma and karma palan viz. Punyam and Papam. A common man doesn’t know
that he has two layers of personality. Only a Gnani knows this and discovers
agankara component and atma component. He learns to look agankara as only a
costume and not his real nature. For doing this he must do Nidhithyasanam. A
Gnani does not want to associate with agankara though it is active in him. Atma
is poornam all the time. Agankara can never become poornam at any point of
time. By discovering your real higher nature you claim poorna atma. Enjoy raising
the Children without expecting poornatvam through them. Gnani is an instrument
of god. He is called a wise person.
When things are abstract, examples may
clarify our doubts. Movie is called a movie because it moves you. Movie is
projected on a screen. The screen supports the movie. Screen is not affected by
the movie. It is non participant (does not move) but without the screen you
cannot see the movie. In the movie are Kartha, Bhokta characters and Akarta and
Aboktha is the non moving screen. Movie is a mixture of the non moving screen
and movie characters in the picture.
A wise
person
is one who knows temporary karma and temporary akarma. A wise man knows that his real nature is
‘Atma’. Agankara is a costume that I am putting on for a drama called life. It
is stage managed by Eswara from beginning less time (anadhikala).
By knowing the distinction between “Atma’ and
“Agankara’ we can understand what action in inaction and inaction in action is. Yesterday is a history. Tomorrow is a mystery.
Today is a gift. That is why it is called present. Let us start to discover our
‘self’ within us today and unravel the mystery called tatvam.
He who seeth inaction in action and action in
inaction, he is wise among men; he is a Yogi and performer of all actions.
In common parlance action means ‘movement of the body, movement of the hands and
feet’, and inaction means ‘to sit
quiet’.
It is the idea of agency, the idea I am the
doer that binds man to Samsara. If
this idea vanishes, action is no action at all. It will not bind one to
Samsara. This is inaction in action. If you stand as a spectator or silent
witness of Nature’s activities, feeling Nature
does everything; I am non-doer (Akarta), if you identify yourself with the action
less self, no matter what work or how much of it is done, action is no action
at all. This is inaction in action. By such a practice and feeling, action
loses its binding nature.
A man may sit quietly. He may not do
anything. But if he has the idea of agency or doership, or if he thinks that he
is the doer, he is ever doing action, though he is sitting quietly. This is
action in inaction. The restless mind will ever be doing actions even though
one sits quietly. Actions of the mind are real actions. “Nor can anyone even for
one moment remain really actionless, for helplessly is everyone driven to
action by the qualities of Nature”.
Inaction also induces the feeling of egoism.
The inactive man says, ‘I sit quietly; I do nothing’. Inaction like action is
wrongly attributed to the self. He is the performer of all actions who knows
this truth. He has attained the end of all actions, i.e., freedom or knowledge
or perfection.
When a steamer moves, the trees on the shore
which are motionless, appear to move in the opposite direction to a man who is
in the steamer. Moving objects that are very far away appear to be stationary
or motionless. Even so in the case of the Self, inaction is mistaken for action
and action for inaction.
The self is actionless (Akarta or non-doer,
Nishkriya or without work). The body and the senses perform action. The actions
of the body and the senses are falsely and wrongly attributed by the ignorant
to the actionless Self. Therefore the ignorant man thinks, “I act”. He thinks
that the Self is the doer or the agent of the action. This is a mistake. This
is ignorance.
Just as motion does not really belong to the
trees on the shore which appear to move in the opposite direction to a man on
board the ship, so also action does not really pertain to the self.
This ignorance which is the cause of birth
and death vanishes when you attain Self-realisation.
Be blissful.
S.SEKAR
Contact: sekrajc@yahoo.com
