WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MAHAT TATWA?WHAT IS VIJNANA YOGA?

WHAT IS PRADHANA?-

05 FACTS;-

The material creation in its very first stage is called pradhana –Pradhana is sometimes also related to as saguna-Brahman, since it is basically Brahman but with the presence of the three modes of material nature.The pradhana contains the following 24 elements in a dormant state: 1- FIVE Gross Elements (ether, air, fire, water, earth)

2- FIVE Subtle Elements (sound, touch, form-color,taste)

3-FIVE Knowledge aquiring senses (ears, skin, tongue, nose)

4-FIVE working senses (tongue-mouth, hands, legs, genital, anus)

5-FIVE Pran (pran, apan, saman,vyan udan) ;

FOUR Internal, subtle senses (mind, intelligence, ego, contaminated consciousness/Chid)

WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MAHAT TATWA?-

09 FACTS;- 1-Time is considered to be the 25th element.The mahat-tattva is the breeding source of all varieties and brings forth all the different material bodies and material objects; it contains all the universes and is the root of all cosmic manifestations.

2-The mahat-tattva is annihilated at the time of the annihilation, the end of Brahma’s life.The mahat-tattva is directly connected with the supreme consciousness of the Supreme Being, but still it appears as matter.

3-The mahat-tattva, or shadow of pure consciousness, is the germinating place of all creation. It is pure goodness with the slight addition of the material mode of passion, and therefore activity is generated from this point.

4-Mahat Tattva is the subtle matter created outside the Brahmanda from the Satva, Rajas and Tamo gunas. Lord Brahma is the Abhimani (Controller) of this Mahat Tattva. His body is said to be created from this very Mahat Tattva. 5-Mahat Tattva is formed by the conglameration (collection ) of 3 Parts of Rajo Guna and 1 part of Tamo Guna. By this, one should not mistake that there is no Sattva guna in Mahattatva. As Rajo guna and Tamo gunas themselves are mixtures of the three gunas, Rajo Guna and Tamo Guna contain portions of Sattva Guna also.

6-In fact Satva portion is present in more quantity in Rajo Guna than Rajo portion itself. Similarly, in Tamo Guna, Sattva portion is more than the Tamo portion. So, why call a guna as Rajas or Tamas if Sattva portion is considerably present in both of them? 7-The answer to this question is common factor,,,A Guna which has great portions of Rajas than Tamas is called Rajo Guna. And a Guna which has greater portions of Tamas than Rajas is called Tamo Guna. Taking into account even the Sattva portions present in the Mahattatva, the overall composition of Mahat Tattva is 10 S: 1 R:1/10 T (S = Satva Guna R = Rajo Guna T = Tamo Guna) 8-That is if there are 10 parts of Satva Guna in Mahat Tattva, one part will be Rajo Guna and 1/10 part will be Tamo guna. This is the reason why it is also called as Shuddha Sattva.

9-Sri Brahma is the controller of this Tattva.The disturbance in the equilibrium of the Gunas was the cause of the manifestation of Prakriti. Out of Prakriti was evolved (to develop gradually )the Mahat-tattva(=buddhi,’intellect”). Mahat is all light. It swallowed the darkness which had enveloped everything during the great annihilation, the great Deluge during the previous Kalpa....

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MAHAT-TATTVA,PRADHANA & PRAKRITI?

These are theree different stages of the development of material creation. When material energy is non manifested and and non differentiated is called Pradhana.When is manifested but non differentiated is called Prakriti.When is manifested and differentiated is calles Maha-tattva.

WHAT IS VIJNANA YOGA?-

18 FACTS;- 1-Knowledge of the Supreme Self is Vijnana. It is direct intuitive perception of the Self through Nirvikalpa Samadhi. Jnana is theoretical knowledge of Brahman through study of the Upanishads and Vedantic literature.

2-Maya is dependent on the Lord. She is from the Lord. She is called the Shakti or energy of the Lord. When the Maya covers Brahman, who is devoid of attributes, then She is called by the Vedantins as the Avyakrita or unmanifest. Some call Her the Mula Prakriti (the primordial energy).

3-She is also styled Sansriti (the world process), Bandha (limitation) and the like.Impelled by the Lord, She creates Mahat-Tattva (the great intelligence). Impelled by the energy of the Lord Mahat creates Ahamkara or the principle of egoism. Covered with Mahat-Tattva, the Ahamkara becomes threefold, viz., Sattva (goodness), Rajas (action) and Tamas (darkness or inertia).

4-From the principle of Tamas are produced the five subtle Tanmatras. Thence come the five primeval gross elements, viz., ether, air, fire, water and earth, each partaking the attributes of the one preceding.From the attribute of Rajas coupled with Ahankara, are produced the organs of action. From the attribute of Sattva, coupled with Ahankara, are produced the deities presiding over each organ of sense, together with the mind.

5-Coupled with the attribute of Sattva, the Lord is known by the name of Vishnu, the sustainer of the world. Associated with Tamas, He is known as Rudra.The conditions of wakefulness, dream and deep sleep are due to the attributes of the Buddhi or intellect. They are not in the Atman or the Absolute. The Atman is their witness. He is of the nature of intelligence itself, and undecaying.

6-The Maya always appears to be twofold, viz., Vidya (Knowledge) and Avidya (Ignorance). Those who are under the intelligence of Avidya are attached to the path of action. Those who are given to the study of Vedanta take to the path of cessation from action, only after their heart is purified completely.Maya flies away from those who are given to the recitation of the names of the Lord.

7-Those who are under the influence of Avidya or ignorance, are always wandering in the Samsara(the cycle of death & birth). Those who are given to the practice of introspection, Japa, Kirtan, meditation, and study of holy scriptures, are always emancipated.

8-Knowledge of Self reveals itself to those who are the devotees of the Lord and who worship daily. Those who are possessed of devotion are undoubtedly emancipated. Those who are destitute(extremely poor) of the nectar of devotion, cannot achieve emancipation even in dream.The company of the saints is declared to be the cause of emancipation.

9-Saints are those whose minds are unruffled, who are free from avarice, who have conquered desire, who have brought their senses and internal nature under control, who are devoted to the Lord, who have no longing for anything, who are the same in pleasure and pain, who are free from attachment, who are ever devoted to the Lord, who have the attributes of self-control, and who are content with whatever comes in their way.

10-If somehow or other one gets into the company of saints, then he is inspired to love hearing of the deeds of the Lord. From it develops devotion to the Lord. When devotion is attained, knowledge appears in all its fullness.The idea of Self in the non-self, the body and the rest, is verily Maya. This world exists through Maya. This illusion of the world is only due to the action of the mind. It has no existence in reality.

11-There are two forms of Maya, viz., Avarana Shakti (veiling power) and Vikshepa Shakti (perspecting power). The former envelops all knowledge. The latter creates the world wheel by dividing into the gross and the subtle, from the Mahat-Tattva and Brahma, down to the blade of grass. This world is superimposed upon the Supreme Self by Maya, like a snake on a rope.

12-Brahman is without duality. In reality nothing exists save Brahman. All that is heard, seen or remembered is like the creation of dream or reverie(daydream).The body alone is known as the deep-seated root of this tree of world. Attachment to husbands/wives and sons, has its root in it. If there is no body, these objects cease to exist. 13-The body, or Kshetra, is gross and subtle. The gross is that which is composed of the five elements, viz., ether, air, fire, water and earth. The subtle is that which is made up of the five subtle elements, viz., egoism, mind, intelligence, and the organs of perception and action.

14-The reflection of Chaitanya is Chidabhasa or Jiva.The Supreme Self is devoid of disease and decay. He is self-luminous, birthless, deathless, eternal, all-pervading and indivisible. He is one without a second. When ignorance is destroyed, the Jiva begins to identify himself with Brahman.

15-Different from the intellect, the vital airs, the body, egoism, is Brahman. He is ever pure. He is the witness. He is Intelligence itself. He is everywhere full. He is supreme bliss itself. He is above all limitations of Buddhi and the rest. He is changeless, timeless and spaceless. He illuminates the body and the rest by his own light. He is uncovered by anything else. His nature is Truth and Knowledge.

16-That by which the Supreme Self is known, is Knowledge. The same Knowledge, when realised, becomes direct cognition. Unattached is the Self-luminous Seer. He gets realisation through knowledge. When knowledge of the unity of the individual soul and the Supreme Soul arises, through the teachings of a realised sage, then, the root ignorance together with its effects and instruments, is merged into the Supreme Self. That condition is said to be emancipation.

17-The removal of wrong notion of duality is emancipation. It is not attainment of anything new, but realisation of the Atman as it is.Knowledge is difficult of attainment by those who are devoid of devotion to the Lord. Just as in the night even those having eyes cannot see their way, but those carrying a lamp can, so also, to those possessed of devotion to the Lord, the Atman appears in its real nature.

18 -Intense love for the Lord arises in those who are ever

devoted to the Lord.Then the person who is endowed with love unto the Lord attains non-attachment, knowledge and Self-realisation, or the final emancipation.The man of wisdom who is endowed with single-minded devotion to the good, who keeps constant company of those who are devoted to the Lord, who meditates on the Lord, who possesses a pure heart and a calm mind, and who always finds delight in serving the humanity is a liberated sage or a Bhagavata or a dynamic Yogi. . .........SHIVOHAM..........