Vidya and Avidya

From the discourse of

Shrii Shrii Anandamurti

Nucleus

• Baba’s discourse in 1966

• Purusottama (Supreme Consciousness) is the nucleus

• Kendratiga – centrifugal - avidya

• Kendranuga – centripetal - vidya

Forces of ignorance - Avidya

• Force of ignorance - a centrifugal or eccentric force.

• Takes the mind from subtle to crude.

• Consisting of:– spirituo-psychic distraction:

• drifting away from the spiritual• delusion by mundane mental propensities

– psycho-physical distraction:• unwilling to see the spiritual• delusion like a black curtain cover

Forces of knowledge - Vidya

• Force of knowledge – a centripetal or concentric force.

• Takes the mind from crude to subtle.

• Consisting of:– physico-psychic attraction:

• moving from physicality towards the higher mental realm• creates an urge to do something noble for a higher

purpose– psycho-spiritual attraction:

• propels human beings towards the sublime realm of absolute peace or supreme beatitude

• inspires people to do intuitional or spiritual practice

Sanskrit equivalents avidya' shakti - centrifugal or eccentric force:

viks'epa shakti - spirituo-psychic distraction a'varan'ii shakti - psycho-physical distraction

vidya' shakti - centripetal or concentric force: samvit shakti - physico-psychic attraction hla'dinii shakti - psycho-spiritual attraction

Avidya

• Two aspects:

– viks'epa shakti;

– a'varan'ii shakti.

• When a microcosm is influenced by avidya' shakti, it always tries to go away from the Hub (Nucleus).

Avidya

• Due to viks'epa shakti it moves away from its Lord.

• Due to a'varan'ii shakti it cannot see its Lord.

Vidya

• Two aspects:– Samvita Shakti– Hladini or Radhika Shakti

• When a microcosm is influenced by vidya' shakti, it always moves towards the Hub (Nucleus).

Vidya

• Samvita Shakti:

• "I should do something. I have a human structure. I am a human being. I should do something. I should act like a human being. I should try to goad myself to the realm of divinity, it is my dharma. I should follow dharma, I should strictly adhere to the code of dharma."

Vidya

• Hladini or Radhika Shakti:

• "I should do something practical. Theory won't help me; I should do something concrete, I should do something practical."

From crude to subtle

• Progressive movement of mind is from crude to subtle:– mind ideates on the sublime.

• Regressive movement of mind is from subtle to crude:– mind ideates on matter.

• When mind moves from matter to Cosmic Consciousness (sublime), the thought waves of human beings are more of a spiritual nature.

How to get: Krpa

• Kr – to do

• Pa – to get

• Sadhana (spiritual practices – meditation) should be done

• Devotion is very important

From discourse of Shrii Shrii Anandamurti

- 9 December 1964, Salemfrom BRAHMA CAKRA

in A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 33

Now regarding the vidya' shakti, the concentric force, the centripetal force, the force moving towards the hub of the wave: A man following the path of vidya' shakti naturally will be decreasing the length of his radius, the radius of this Brahma Cakra (Cosmic Cycle). The radius will go on decreasing in length. But this vidya' shakti has also got two influences on the minds of individuals, on microcosms.

Discourse (continued)

Of these two expressions, the first one is called samvit shakti. Samvit means spiritual consciousness, spiritual awakening. A man engaged in bad things all of a sudden feels that "No, I shouldn't do all these things. No, I should be a good man henceforward." Such an idea all of a sudden comes in his mind. And this thing, this change of mental tendency, is brought about by samvit shakti of Vidya'ma'ya'. Do you follow? This is what is called samvit shakti. "No, henceforward I must be a good man. No, henceforward I must be a spiritualist. I must not encourage any depraving idea." Samvit shakti.

Discourse (continued)

And the second expression of Vidya'ma'ya' is hla'dinii shakti. After a man decides that "Henceforward I will be a good man, henceforward I will be a sa'dhaka [spiritual practitioner]," he gets the krpa' of that Almighty Lord. (Regarding krpa' I will say something afterwards.) And after getting His krpa' through some medium he gets initiation. After being initiated he is to move along that spiritual path. That movement along the spiritual path is brought about by hla'dinii shakti.

Discourse (continued)

This hla'dinii shakti is also known as Ra'dhika' shakti in Sanskrit. "Ra'dha'" means spiritual aspirant, "one who is engaged in a'ra'dhana'". One who is engaged in a'ra'dhana' is called "Ra'dha'" in Vaes'n'ava [Vaishnavite] philosophy. And Purus'ottama is called Krs'n'a. Ra'dha' moving towards Krs'n'a. So that hla'dinii shakti is called Ra'dhika' shakti. Clear?”

Verse (in the discourse)

Now in a particular shloka [couplet] it has been said:

Sarva'jiive sarvasam'sthe brhante tasmin ham'so bhra'myate Brahmacakre;Prthaga'tma'nam' prerita'rainca matva' jus't'astataste-na'mrtatvameti.

All unit entities, all unit structures, revolve around the Nucleus Consciousness in the Cosmic Cycle of creation. This rotation of theirs will continue as long as they think that they are separate from their Creator. When they become one with the Nucleus, they will attain immortality.

Verse explained in the discourse

• Sarva'jiive sarvasam'sthe:"With different structures and with different mental longings", so many creatures are hovering around that Purus'ottama (Cosmic Nucleus).

• Tasmin ham'so bhra'myate Brahmacakre:Ham'so means jiiva (unit consciousness).

Verse explained in the discourse (continued)

• And Prthaga'tma'nam' prerita'rainca matva':["This rotation of theirs will continue as long as they think that they are separate from their Creator."] Why do they hover round that Purus'ottama? Because in their minds there is a sense of separateness, sense of separation, from their Cosmic Lord. They think that they are separate entities from Purus'ottama. They do not feel their unison with Purus'ottama, that's why they hover round that Nucleus. And when they come to think that they are not separate entities from that Hub of the wheel, all of a sudden that radius will cease to exist, and with the help of Vidya'ma'ya' the merger will take place. And that merger is the unison of Ra'dha' and Krs'n'a. Do you follow?So, Prthaga'tma'nam' prerita'rainca matva':"They feel that they are separate entities from that Hub, and that's why they are hovering round."

Verse explained in the discourse (continued)

• Jus't'astatastena'mrtatvameti:

["When they become one with the Nucleus, they will attain immortality."]

Just now I said that by His krpa', that samvit shakti is awakened. Now, what is krpa'? Here the rs'i [sage who composed the shloka] says that "being benefited by Him, he becomes one with his Nucleus" -- the merger takes place, and he attains immortality.

From discourse of Shrii Shrii Anandamurti

- November 1966, Ernakulamfrom RADHIKA SHAKTI

in A'nanda Vacana'mrtam Part 23

Your progress in the realm of spirituality, in the realm of intuitionality, depends on His divine grace -- just say His special divine grace. The Vedas say that it depends on divine grace, Guru krpa'.

What is krpa'? You know, Ramakrishna Paramahansa was not a learned man in the mundane sense. Once upon a time a very learned man said, "Oh, Ramakrishna, people say everything depends on His krpa'." (What is the local pronunciation? Krpa'? Krpa'? Krpa'?" [pronounced in three ways]) "So, what is the meaning of krpa' ?"

Ramakrishna said, "You know, I am an illiterate fellow, but according to my view, krpa' is made of two syllables, kr and pa'. Kr means Karo, karo, karo -- 'Do, do, do -- Do your sa'dhana', do your sa'dhana', do your sa'dhana'.' And pa' means Pa'o -- 'Get'. 'Get it, get it, get it, get it.' That is, 'Get it by doing sa'dhana': Kr-pa'.'"

Discourse (continued)

Discourse (continued)

And I say, that divine bliss, that divine krpa', that divine compassion, is always being showered upon you, on each and every living being, on each and every animate and inanimate object -- but you do not feel it, you are not being drenched by that divine water, you are not being drenched by that divine shower, because you are holding the umbrella of vanity upon your head. If you want to be drenched by that divine shower of krpa', you have to remove the umbrella of vanity from your head; just remove it and be drenched. And what is sa'dhana' ? Sa'dhana' is just the action of removing this umbrella from upon my head.

Only the name of the Lord.

• Baba - the nearest and dearest, the beloved;• Nam – name, repetition of the name of God or kiirtan;• Kevalam - only.

Only the name of the Beloved.

BABA NAM KEVALAM