Many obstacles hurl us mercilessly into the wheel of transmigration and change. This is called samsara. This means continuously failing in a class and repeating the academic year again and again. None of us wants to fail right? In life too, it is ideal to have a natural liking to pass and get promoted. What is that pass percentage? It’s realising who we truly are. Once you know this, you will pass this school of life.
Sri Adisankaracharya in Vivekachoodamani says that many obstacles make us fail, so we repeat the class of samsara repeatedly. Just as a student has obstacles such as a notorious group of friends, lack of attention towards studies, obsession with social media, video games and other diversions, leading him to fail in class, human beings at large have six obstacles. These are a desire for finding happiness in objects, anger, greed, delusion, pride and jealousy.
It’s important to be cognisant of the fact that pampering the body is an obstacle, because there is ego involved. Ego is a false sense of ‘I’—I am the doer of actions and I am the enjoyer or sufferer of the results. This is an illusion.
The cause of this false projection is ignorance or an inert mind, that’s hasn’t yet bathed in the light of consciousness.If these two false thoughts don’t preoccupy the mind, then the compulsive thought patterns called vasanas, which are the result of our ego-driven actions, cannot hold its grip on us.But here comes the statutory warning: As long as there is even a little connection with the ego, liberation is not experienced. There is no question of giving up the ego 99.9 percent. It has to be gotten rid of completely.
Out of dull intellect, if anyone is holding on to this ego that manifests as I am short or tall, I am hungry or thirsty, I like this or hate this, I am feeling ecstatic or miserable... there is the complete disintegration of the personality.
For the one who is free from the grip of ego, his true self shines bright. There is an experience of the light of the ‘self’, besides limitless joy. A state of oneness with oneself and the cosmic self is experienced instantly and wholeheartedly, minus any obstacles. It’s like the moon that has been covered by the clouds finally shines bright when the dark ones disperse.
The writer is Sevika, Chinmaya Mission, Coimbatore
(www.chinmayamission.com); email: sharanya.chaitanya@chinmayamission.com