No Greek Goddess
Thank you for the clarification. For me, you are a Greek goddess. I read your satsangs so much that my spouse feels I neglect her presence! When I read some of my satsangs I laugh heartily. Isvara through my family takes care of basic needs so that I constantly do nididhyasana. I stopped sharing Advaita with ignorants and have lost discriminating between rich and poor, intelligent and full, good and bad. I just write whatever comes to my mind to you and you always respond.
Sundari: This email made me laugh! My goodness, a Greek Goddess, that is a new one. Thank you for your kind words, much appreciated. I enjoy your questions, and I answer them even when I know you know the answer! We have other inquirers who tell us that their spouses feel a bit threatened by Vedanta, it can be a bit of a problem for them. It is up to you to reassure her. A sure sign that Self-knowledge is firming up is when we stop discriminating on the basis of duality, and we start seeing everyone with non-dual vision. The subject/object split disappears.
GS: I thought of sharing Advaita with intellectuals and neuroscientists then realized that they don’t have qualifications. Some of your satsangs are so scholarly that scholars can’t digest them.
Sundari: It is not that I am so clever, it is just that Vedanta is a flawless teaching, and it has nothing to do with me. Even the cleverest people on the planet are ignorant if they do not know the Self. We are very blessed to have the punya karma in this life to find Vedanta. I feel equally grateful to my guru, Ramji, who represents the sampradaya for me.
GS: Jiva is getting thinner and thinner and as good as non-existent, the inquirer is coming to end. You were there throughout that journey.
Sundari: I am so happy for you GS, your motivation for moksa has always been strong and now you are reaping the fruit of self-inquiry – Self-knowledge. It is grace and grace is earned.
GS: When I open the newspaper and read it, I see so much ignorance in the world. At one point in time there was a desire to change the ignorants then I realized that this is how it must be as per the needs and deeds of jivas. Apparent ignorance is replaced by Apparent knowledge and then both are gone!
Sundari: Yes, both ignorance and knowledge are objects known to you. You are right, it is best not to disturb the minds of the ignorant, leave that to Isvara. Only Isvara has knowledge of the Total and contrary to what it seems from the jiva perspective, Isvara does not make mistakes. Trying to do Isvara’s job is not only contrary to karma yoga, it is a very bad idea. We are all the Self but only Isvara knows when it is time for avidya to go.
GS: I must have done punya that is why I have access to you. Pranamas. I can’t say that I will stop writing to you. You never know when residual ignorance shows up!
Sundari: Thank you, and you are always welcome to write, I will always reply.
GS: The desire to teach Advaita is svadharma. I have been professor or teacher. Even though I was teaching Engineering, my heart attraction was for spirituality and sharing it and this used to cause problems as the audience had no interest in spirituality. When you read what I write you can objectively look at and correct me making me realize that I am under the illusion that self-actualization has taken place. I realized that there is something where effort can’t work.
Sundari: It is good that you see this as many inquirers get stuck at this point. Some inquirers don’t want to believe that the process of self-inquiry takes as long as it takes. As I have said to you before, and quite often recently, the last stage of inquiry is the subtlest. Even when you ‘know it all’ and have understood, even assimilated all the teachings, there may still be residual ignorance that will go when it goes. That is by the grace of Isvara. You cannot rush the process or use willpower to ‘make’ this happen, or ‘work harder’ because that only reinforces the doer, ignorance. Just surrender the jiva and nididhysana to Isvara knowing that everything is taken care of. You are never not the Self.
GS: I am happy for you couple as you cleared your loan through the grace of Isvara.
Sundari: Thank you, we are very happy that this bit of karma has been wound up as this is the first home either of us has ‘owned’. We now have an established base. We work tirelessly for Isvara trusting that our needs will be taken care of, we do not charge for our time. Though very few people donate to us for our service, luckily some do, and we are able to continue serving inquirers.
Much love
Sundari
