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 

***