What is Paramapada?

What is Paramapada? Any new interpretation from you? 

Not from me. But from the Upanishads. 

From the Upanishads? What is that? 

It seems you are disturbed by the real meanings that are there told in Upanishads. 

No no it is all new to me. I thought that these terms carry the usual meanings of different worlds one attain after death and all that. For example , Sri Vaikunta, Maha Kailas and Brahma Loka and all that. 

It is the heart, that is, the limitless compassion, which is symbolically termed as heart, this very heart is called Maha Kailas. This very heart is called Sri Vaikunta. 

Oh Really.. your meaning or... 

Not mine. But from the Upanishads. If you go to Sri Ramakrishna Math stall you can get 108 Upanishads meaning by Sri Anna Subramanian. 

What is said there? 

"ருத்திரரே! (உள்ளமாகிய) கயிலையங்கிரியிலிருந்து கொண்டு உலகிற்கு இன்பத்தை ஊட்டுபவரே! சாந்த மானதும் , மங்களமானதும் , பாவம் நீங்கிய மோக்ஷ நிலையைப் பிரகாசப்படுத்துவதுமான உம்முடைய எந்த வடிவம் உளதோ அந்த உயர்நலமளிக்கும் வடிவால் எங்களுக்கு எங்கும் ஆத்ம தத்துவம் விளங்கும்படி. அருள்வீராக.” (ஸ்ரீஅண்ணா சுப்ரமணியன்) 

Meaning - Oh Rudra who resides in the heart which is otherwise called Kailas and gives happiness to the beings! Reveal thy form which will bestow on us the universal vision of Thyself residing everywhere in all beings. 

The mantra from Svetasvatara Upanishad - 

"yA tE rudra sivA tanU: aghOrA S pApa kAsinI | 

tayA nastanuvA santamayA girisantAbhichAkasIhi ||" 

"எல்லா முசுங்களையும் தலைகளையும் கழுத்துக்களையும் தனதாகக் கொண்டவனும் , எல்லா உயிர்களின் உள்ளக் கோயிலில் உறைபவனும் , அதனால் எங்கும் செல்பவனுமாகிய மங்கள வடிவினனாய் அந்த பகவான் விளங்குகிறான்." 

Meaning - All faces are His, all necks and all heads. He resides in the heart of all beings. He reaches everywhere. He is all blessedness. So shines that Bhagavan. 

Sri Vaikunta is this very heart. Says the Narayana Upanishad. 

"ஓம் நமோ நாராயணாய எனும் மந்திரத்தை உபாஸிப்பவன் வைகுண்ட லோகத்தை அடைகிறான். வைகுண்டலோகம் ஞானமயமான இருதய கமலமேயாகும். " (Sri Anna Subramanian) 

Meaning - One who chants Om Namo Narayanaya that person goes to Vaikunta Loka. Vaikunta is verily this heart which is Jnanamaya. (heart signifies love and compassion; when love is synchronised with Jnana it becomes Vaikunta) 

The mantra is - 

"Om namO nArAyanAya iti mantra upAsakO vaikunta bhuvanam gamishyati | tadidam pundarIkam vijnAnaghanam" 

When the desireless mind dissolves into the heart that is called Paramapadam. 

Where..? 

Wait. I am coming out with the mantra and its meaning from the Amrutabindu Upanishad. 

"விஷயப்பற்று முற்றும் நீங்கி எப்போது மனதானது இருதயத்தில் நன்கு அடங்கி நிலைபெற்று உன்மனி பாவத்தை அடையுமோ அதுவே பரமபதம் என்பதாம்.” 

Meaning - When the mind gets rid of all attachment and desires and begins to reside and resolve into the heart and completely becomes one with the heart that is called Paramapadam. 

The mantra is 

" nirastavishayA sangam sanniruddham manO hrudhi | 

yadA yAti unmanIbhAvam tadA tat paramam padam ||" 

Srirangam Mohanarangan 

***

A dialogue on Thinking and Tradition

You see, all the Gods are in your heart. All devas in there, in the heart. What does that mean? It is simply your heart must begin to feel, to expand, be inclusive. You must feel empathy with others. This heart-activity combined with the awakening of your intelligence is all what is meant by spirituality. All religion is about this. 

What.. you will say something. Having read some English books, you people will talk big about this and that. Do you know what is said in traditional scriptures? 

My friend! what I am saying is from your traditional scriptures... 

What?.. Where is it said like that? Come on tell me. 

In Brahma Upanishad these mantras are there. 

"hridisthA dEvatA: sarvA hrudi prANA: pratishtitA: | 

hrudi prAnascha jyOtischa trivrut sUtram cha tadvidu: | 

chaitanyE tishtati ||" 

meaning - "All devatas are in the heart. All life forces are stationed in the heart. The whole life and intelligence is established in the heart. According to great Jnanis the heart is the actual sacred thread. The great Paramatma resides in the heart as the living God, Life and Knowledge." 

Not only that, it also says and lays stress on this point, that the actual and real wearing of sacred thread is developing God-perception, seeing all things as containing God and things as forms having their essence in God. This universal perception is what is really meant by wearing the sacred thread. 

It is just your interpretation... 

Here is the mantra occurring in the very same Brahma Upanishad. 

"bahi: sUtram tyajEdvidvAn yOgam uttamam Asthita: | 

brahma bhAvam idam sUtram dhArayEdya: sa chEtana: || " 

meaning - The external thread is merely symbolic and unimportant. But the real meaning is the Brahma Bhavana that must be developed in oneself. One who develops this Brahma Bhavana in himself he is the intelligent person. 

Is the Brahma Upanishad available, translated by whom, any western educated...? 

It is available even in Tamil, text and translation by the great Sri Anna Subramaniam published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai. It comes under 108 Upanishads series. 

Sage Tirumular beautifully sings the whole concept in his Tirumantiram - 

"நூலும் சிகையும் நுவலில் பிரம்மமோ 

நூலது காற்பாசம் நுண்சிகை கேசமாம் 

நூலது வேதாந்தம் நுண்சிகை ஞானமாம் 

நூலுடை அந்தணர் காண நுவலிலே.” 

(காற்பாசம் (கார்ப்பாசம்) - பஞ்சு)

"The sacred thread and the Sika are physically just cotton and hair. They are just symbolic. The real meaning is Vedanta meditation and the Supreme Knowledge of the Divine that one should pursue. Whoever understands this really they are sages." 

Srirangam Mohanarangan 

***

Belief System a conversation

A conversation with a friend. Helping me to clarify a few things to myself. 

What is your belief system? or in other words your faith position or to ask in the usual way your religious subscription? 

May be I can write a long essay in reply. But I would like to give an one word answer. - Sri Ramakrishna. 

That means you believe that he is God and you subscribe to worship him. 

May be if you want to carry away that opinion by yourself, I don't have any objection. But if you care to understand how I understand my position, I can explain it, nuancing on some points. 

Yea sure. But don't elaborate too much. Don't mistake me. 

Yea nops. I understand. To think of Sri Ramakrishna as one's spiritual answer involves four positional statements. 

Four? so precise? 

Yea. First to come to an understanding in life that desire is in not a supreme, deciding factor. What is good takes precedence over what is attractive. Of course no condemnation of desire as such. But one's position of understanding never takes into account the desire as any deciding or motivating factor, not withstanding appreciating the aesthetics of desire. 

Second, trying to choose always the best, the good, the great over what is bad or peevish. Being able to distinguish between good and bad sides of things, good and bad aspects and features. 

Third, to go in passionately for knowing more and more and never being snobbish about knowledge. 

Fourth, to develop more and more in loving, compassion, sympathy meaningfully. 

What about God worship? 

Yea God-worship in any form, in any culture which promotes these four positions is aesthetic and joyful practice of life perception. If not, it is not relevant. This is what Sri Ramakrishna means to me spiritually. I think this is what Swami Vivekananda felt about his master. 

Srirangam Mohanarangan 

***