WE have seen that Ishvara is Thought, Power and Bliss, and man, as His child, has also these characteristics. When the Jivatma becomes wrapped in dense matter, the aspect of his nature which is Bliss, is ever going outwards in search of satisfaction, trying to realise itself by uniting itself with the outer world. The impulses outwards are called desires, and when they unite the Jivatma to an object that gives him pleasure, so that he desires to be again united to such an object, the resulting emotion is called love, or liking. When, on the contrary, they unite the Jivatma to an object that gives him pain, so that he desires to avoid union with such an object again, the resulting emotion is called hate, or dislike. The first makes an attraction between the Jivatma and the object; the second makes a repulsion.
The Jivatma thinks over these likes and dislikes, and gradually trains himself to direct his emotions rightly; emotions thus guided by reason in accordance with the will o f tshvara develop into Virtues, and thus the culture of the emotions forms the ethical development of man. As he cultivates the emotion called love he unites himself to an ever-widening circle of beings, the family, the community, the nation, the race, loving them as himself and this love becomes a continually increasing expression of the Bliss aspect of his nature, which finds satisfaction in union.
We have seen that evolution is now leading us towards union, or, in other words, that the will of Ishvara is guiding the separated selves towards union with each other and with Himself. In this union is Bliss; therefore the Right and the Happy are inseparable. Over and over again the Sanittana Dharma leads us to this one conclusion.
“Brahman is bliss” therefore the Jivatma, being of the nature of Brahman, is also bliss, and unhappiness only arises when he goes against evolution, against the great Will, goes, in a word, wrong.
ब्रह्मैवेदं सर्वं सच्चिदानन्दरूपं
सच्चिदानन्दरूपमिदं सर्वम् ।
“All this is Brahman— Sachchidananda; Sachchidananda is this all.”
पराञ्चिखानि व्यतृणत् स्वयम्भू-
स्तस्मात्पराङ् पश्यति नान्तरात्मन् ।
The self-born pierced the senses outwards; therefore (the Jiva) looketh outwards and not (towards) the inner Self.”
यदा वै सुखं लभतेऽथ करोति नासुखं लब्ध्वा करोति
सुखमेव लब्ध्वा करोति… ।
यो वै भूमा तत्सुखं नाल्पे सुखमस्ति भूमैव सुखम् ।
यत्र नान्यत्पश्यति नान्यच्छृणोति नान्यद्विजानाति
स भूमा अथ यत्राऽन्यत्पश्यत्यन्यच्छृणोत्यन्यद्विजानाति
तदल्पं यो वै भूमा तदमृतमथ यदल्पं तन्मर्त्यं… ।
“When (the Jiva) obtaineth pleasure, then he engageth in action ; never doth he enter on action without having obtained pleasure ; only when he hath obtained pleasure doth he engage in action.
“That which is infinite, that is (the true pleasure) happiness : there is no happiness in the finite. This infinite alone is happiness.
Where (the Self) seeth not another, heareth not another, knoweth not another (than the Self) that is the Infinite. Where (the Self) seeth, heareth, knoweth another (than the Self), that is the finite. That which is infinite is immortal; that which is finite is mortal.”
सुखचैतन्यस्वरूपोऽपरिमितानन्दसमुद्रोऽविशिष्टसुख-
स्वरूपश्चानन्द इति ।
Joy and consciousness, a limitless ocean of joy, than which there is no greater happiness-such is Ananda.”
इष्टविषये बुद्धिः सुखबुद्धिरनिष्टविषये बुद्धिर्दुःखबुद्धिः ।
“The consciousness of pleasure is the consciousness of an object desired ; the consciousness of pain is the consciousness of an object undesired.”
सर्वाणि भूतानि सुखे रमन्ते
सर्वाणि दुःखस्य भृशं त्रसन्ते ॥
All beings revel in pleasure ; all shrink greatly from pain.”
इच्छाद्वेषसमुत्थेन द्वन्द्वमोहेन भारत ।
सर्वभूतानि संमोहं सर्गे यान्ति परन्तप ॥
“By the delusion of the pairs of opposites, 0 Bharata, sprung from attraction and repulsion, 0 slayer of foes, all beings walk this world, wholly deluded.”
इच्छा द्वेषः सुखं दुःखं सङ्घातश्चेतना धृतिः ।
एतत्क्षेत्रं समासेन सविकारमुदाहृतम् ॥
“Desire, aversion, pleasure, pain, the compound (organism), intelligence, firmness, these, briefly cjescribed, constitute the Field and its changes.”
काम एष क्रोध एष रजोगुणसमुद्भवः ।
It is Kama (desire) and it is Krodba (anger), arising out of Rajas.”
इन्द्रियस्येन्द्रियस्यार्थे रागद्वेषौ व्यवस्थितौ ।
तयोर्न वशमागच्छेत्तौ ह्यस्य परिपन्थिनौ ॥
“Affection and aversion for the objects of sense abide in the senses ; let none come under the dominion of these two ; they are obstructors of the path.”
रागद्वेषवियुक्तैस्तु विषयानिन्द्रियैश्चरन् ।
आत्मवश्यैर्विधेयात्मा प्रसादमधिगच्छति ॥
“But the disciplined self, moving among sense objects with senses free from attraction and repulsion, mastered by the self, goeth to peace. ”
यः शास्त्रविधिमुत्सृज्य वर्तते कामकारतः ।
न स सिद्धिमवाप्नोति न सुखं न परां गतिम् ॥
“He who, having cast aside the ordinances of the Shastras, followeth the promptings of desire, attaineth not to perfection, nor happiness, nor the highest goal.”
एको वशी सर्वभूतान्तरात्मा
एकं रूपं बहुधा यः करोति ।
तमात्मस्थं येऽनुपश्यन्ति धीरा-
स्तेषां सुखं शाश्वतं नेतरेषाम् ॥
The One Who controlieth all, the inmost Self o£ all beings, Who maketh many forms of one form— they who see That One in the Self, only to those rulers of intelligence belongeth the Eternal Happiness, u none else.”