chapter 6
Only Upaniṣads Create Incarnations
Provoking you to dissolve into the Truth, any spiritual book can do; but provoking the Cosmos to dissolve into you, only Upaniṣads can do. That is why Incarnations happen in Bharat, the holy land which ever breathes Upaniṣads.
Whenever you feel the fear, feeling threatened by something, in that agitation, you try to change the situation by your efforts. That is Yoga. And, you try to surrender to the highest intelligence, and requesting that intelligence to intervene and protect you. That is Bhakti.
Knowing, you can never be violated, being in the original space of Advaita, automatically making all the so-called fears and threats melt down, is Living Advaita. Upaniṣads stand for Living Advaita.
So many interpretations of Upaniṣads do not take away the sacredness and originality of Upaniṣads. Sometimes people ask about the fights and differences of opinion in Hinduism! Even the great Masters like Śaṅkara, Rāmānuja, Madhvā have so many differences of opinion. The top level Ācāryas are not in sync with each other. Then, how can we, the common people, understand anything? What can we take as right?'
A scientist discovers something and he gets a Nobel Prize. Within a few years, another scientist disproves what that scientist had discovered; he also gets a Nobel Prize. That does not mean both of them have a difference of opinion. It is a different angle from which the Truth is presented. It is not that the first scientist's discovery is wrong. Actually, because of the first discovery, the way he lifted us, the second discovery was even possible. In the field of knowledge, different opinions mean different thought-trends and multiple choices. Amazing freedom. Amazing possibilities! Each one explores in his own way, expresses in his own way. And, even when you read and internalize Śaṅkara, you will never become the follower of Śaṅkara; you will be one expression of Śaṅkara.
That is why, in Śaivism, we have a beautiful word—Śiva Gaṇa, who embodies Śiva. When you constantly cognize and radiate Śivoham, you will not become follower of Śiva, you will become embodiment, you will embody Śiva. Śiva Gaṇa! Gaṇa means 'who embodies, who is filled.'
So the differences of opinion and different commentaries on Upaniṣads should not take you away from Upaniṣads, but should inspire you to explore the original Upaniṣads. We may have thousands of opinions, ideas, but no one questions the sanctity of Upaniṣads, the authenticity of Upaniṣads, the authority of Upaniṣads. That is where everyone merges and comes together. Each scientist may have a different discovery, different theory and thesis, but they all uphold the spirit of the science. Same way, each Master may have different ideas, different theories and principles, but they all uphold the spirit of Upaniṣads.
Upaniṣads, the more you read, re-read, digest, and internalize It, the more It makes you beautiful from within; the more It makes your inner-space beautiful.
Every Truth which puts you in the Cosmic Cognition, puts Cosmos into your cognition. Brahmāṇda should enter into Pindāṇda, and Pindāṇda should enter into Brahmāṇda. The macrocosm should become part of the microcosm, and microcosm should become part of the macrocosm. Not only the drop should merge into the ocean, and the ocean should merge into the drop.
Drop merging into the Ocean is Enlightenment. When the Ocean merges into the drop, He is an Incarnation.
With Upaniṣads, the more you read, re-read, read, re-read your whole inner-space will become beautiful. Once you read and understand, you disappear into that concept. But, only by re-reading the concept disappears into you. Only when the concept disappears into you, you are secured that you will never be forgetting it, it won't be lost in your life; it has become part of you.
Microcosm becoming macrocosm is Enlightenment. Macrocosm becoming microcosm is Incarnationhood. You having the Cosmic Cognition and Cosmos having you in the cognition. You dissolving into these great Truths and these great Truths dissolving into you; both of them are totally different.
With Upaniṣads, not only those great Truths will provoke you to dissolve yourself into those Truths, even they will dissolve into you. Provoking your being to dissolve into the Truth can be done by any spiritual book; even by reading some stotras (devotional hymns) of Saints. That is what the great bhaktas (devotees) and Saints of the Vedic tradition preach as devotion; Mīrā, Jñānasambandar, Mānikkavāsagar, Rāmadāsa, Caitanya Mahāprabhu. They all used the intensity of the passion and emotion beautifully to merge, to dissolve with the Cosmos.
Provoking you to dissolve into the Truth, any spiritual book can do; but provoking the Cosmos to dissolve into you, only Upaniṣads can do. Only Upaniṣads can raise you to that height—you become so vast that Cosmos dissolves into you. The microcosm becomes so big as macrocosm, so macrocosm can just dissolve into it. To have the whole Universe in your mouth, your mouth has to open to the size of the whole Universe. If the Truth has to dissolve into you, you should grow taller than the Truth. That can happen only by Upaniṣads. That is why, Upaniṣads don't make just Enlightened beings, It makes Incarnations.
People ask me, 'Why only in Bharat so many Incarnations?' Bharat was, is, will continue to produce maximum number of Incarnations, because this country's literature, Upaniṣads only are capable of producing Incarnations! If at all Incarnations are to happen on Planet Earth, they can happen only in the country, Bharat, because Upaniṣads are lived only here. It is just because of Upaniṣads that this land is the most holy land. As long as this land is breathing Upaniṣads, and it will ever breathe the Upaniṣads, Incarnations will continue to happen in Bharat.
|| veda vedānta sāraḥ || Essence of Veda and Vedānta, are the Upaniṣads. Its ability to put you into the Cosmos, and Its ability to raise you into the Cosmos, Its ability to make you radiate into the Cosmos, is unquestionable, unimaginable.
Part 2: Upanishads - Akashic Records About Upanishads Revealed By THE SUPREME PONTIFF OF HINDUISM BHAGAWAN SRI NITHYANANDA PARAMASHIVAM