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All our scriptures and all Great Spiritual Teachers regard God Realization or Oneness with God as our ultimate goal. Soul Realization is different than God Realization. Read on to grasp this difference, the path beyond and additionally to know the methods by which you can achieve them.
The Planes of Manifestation
The field of manifestation of our humanity and other kingdoms of nature has 7 planes. They are Adi, Anupada, Atmic, Intuitional or Buddhic, Mental (divided into Higher Mental/ Causal and Lower Mental), Emotional and Physical (including Etheric) planes.
- The Paramatma or the Divine Spark is at the Adi and Anupada planes.
- The Paramatma, like a parent, extends down into many Atmas or Higher Souls at the Atmic, Buddhic and the Higher Mental planes.
- Each of these Atmas descends down to the lower worlds of Mental, Emotional and Physical planes as a Jivatma or an Incarnated Soul (from Higher Mental plane and downward).
We have to continuously understand and remind ourselves that we are the Higher Soul using the bodies, the physical, etheric, emotional and mental, for the purpose of the Divine. In the process of upgradation, the Higher Soul becomes a developed Soul or a Mahatma. The process continues. In this process, our bodies or vehicles are supported by all kingdoms of nature, Mother Earth, Sun and so many others. Therefore, we must have deep gratitude to them all. We must live with an attitude of gratitude!
The Super Human Kingdom
As per the ancient studies, we have moved from one kingdom to another kingdom and have finally come to the human kingdom. It is natural that we must to go to the next kingdom, the superhuman kingdom. What is the meaning of superhuman kingdom? The human kingdom has manifested into the mental body – the thinking body; emotional body – the feeling body; etheric and physical bodies. From the Supreme, you have come down successively, stepping down at each step, till the mineral kingdom and then moved up to the plant and animal kingdoms. Presently you are in the human kingdom as an Incarnated Soul. This is equivalent to the electricity coming from the power house which is stepped down before reaching homes. The power also gets stepped down, as you get into denser and denser planes till the physical plane. Correspondingly, you gain power as you connect or move to the higher and sublime planes.
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The Path of Return
The platform for this Incarnated Soul to evolve is the Karana Sharira or the Causal Body in the Causal Plane, or the Higher Mental Plane. From there, we extend into the various vehicles and go back. Like, coming to school and going back home. Each incarnation is like one day. You progress, learn your lessons and go back. This is a continuous process. One day schooling will be over. Now you will move up from that platform to the higher planes; that is stepping into the super human from the human kingdom! This stage when the schooling is over is called Soul Realization or becoming a Paramahansa.
There are several options for a Paramahansa and higher, for further progress. This is similar to the options available after schooling. The work can be down here in the manifested world or on the higher planes in various ways, as a channel of the Divine.
This Atma continuously acquires power to manifest and to bring change on the physical, emotional, and mental planes to a greater degree. At some stage, it no more requires to come down to acquire powers. Now, such an Atma has power to come back again as per choice, when required. The Teachers and other great beings come down for helping us. They have already acquired the capability to transit this world, but they are here for helping. Hence, the Teachers, especially, those who are Holy Masters or Asekas, are actually superhumans already.
They ascend further up to become Chohans. And subsequent development makes them Avatars. They become Bodhisattvas and Buddhas. These Avatars need not come down, but still they do so out of compassion to help us. They do so rarely, based on the requirement. The word Avataran means “they manifest”. From the Divine, as a spark they manifest down, as a direct channel of God. We also manifest as part of our own spark which is called the Divine Spark or Paramatma. However, the Holy Masters have a super developed spark, and are in the process to continue their progress to become Chohans and further Avatars.
There are certain number of Avatars connected with the evolution of our planet Earth. In the process of our development, they are present along with the spiritual hierarchy to guide humanity. The hierarchy consists of the Supreme Parabrahman, the Planetary God, the Avatars, the Great Chohans, the Asekas, the Paramahansas and the Initiates. We also have to move up along this path. This path of moving to the Spirit or Paramatma is called Spirituality. We have discussed about it in an earlier article.
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Soul Realization and God Realization
Conquering and moving up above the Causal plane is the first step which is called Paramahansa or Soul Realized. To be more explicit, you, the Incarnated Soul or Jivatma, experience Oneness with your own Higher Soul or Atma.
A stage higher than that is where you connect substantially to the Paramatma or the Divine Spark. The Paramatma is always connected with God. Therefore, anyone touching this stage experiences God’s Love. Such a person is known as an Aseka or Holy Master. That is the beginning of God Realization. It doesn’t mean that you have become God. It only implies that you have realized the presence of God by coming in touch significantly with the Paramatma. This is because the Paramatma is always connected and One with God.
Before achieving that stage, you must manifest your greatness as a Paramahansa by continuing your state of deeper inner Peace, Bliss, and Oneness. You must motivate more people to move up and tread the path. This is called the Bodhisattva path. As mentioned, there are other possible areas of work for Paramhansas, by which they progress further.
Paramatma means beyond Atma! In Christian tradition, Paramatma is referred as Father and Atma as Son. Hence, the Paramatma extends into many Atmas or individual Higher Souls. This is identical to a father having many sons. That is why your individuality has to be broken at that level of Atma, when you align extensively with the Paramatma. That is also known as Nirvana. You experience Oneness with other Atmas and also with your Paramatma.
However, without realizing the Atma, you cannot realize the Paramatma. Many think that they can straightaway experience Oneness with the Paramatma. Without realizing your Higher Soul nature of peace, bliss, and Oneness, how can you realize the Tatwam or Essence or Shunya or Khung from which everything came, that is the Paramatma?
This Paramatma or Divine Spark or Human Monad is also known as the child of God. In our affirmation, we say, we are all children of God. In Christianity, they say we are the children of the Most High. So, we are all children of God, connected with God, One with God and One with all.
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An Analogy to Understand the Manifestation
All transformers, like, Paramatmas, come from the same power house. And from the transformer, come the meters which are like Atmas. The meters are connected to the respective houses, which are like the Incarnated Souls or Jivatma. The effect of this electricity is seen in the house, i.e., manifestation into the bodies.
So, when your consciousness is at the meter, you know that you are the Atma. When your consciousness moves up to the transformer, you find that all meters are actually One. Which implies, spiritually, as a Paramatma, we are One. At the level of Atma, we are separate but experience Oneness with other Atmas when we reach the Intuitional plane, during meditation, healing and other practices or Sadhana. In case of Parmahansa this experience is continuous.
What is the meaning of spiritually we are one? There are many levels. All this electricity which is coming into the meter is coming from the same transformer. Likewise, there are many transformers. We are One with God indicates that all these transformers are coming from the same substation or powerhouse. Further, there are many sub-stations. Manifestation of God has many levels, planetary level, solar level, galactic level, universal level, maxi universal level and higher. The first level is planetary level. That is the substation.
All the people on Earth are from the same substation, namely, the Planetary God. The aspect of Parabrahman in the planet is called Planetary God. Through Him we have come. He is not separate from the Supreme Parabrahman. Also, the Paramatma is not separate and experiences oneness with the Planetary Parabrahman all the time. So, when you substantially touch the Paramatma, you become God Realized and experience God’s Love (through Paramatma). When you maintain that connection, you achieve Nirvana. You know your essence! Your essence is your transformer, the Paramatma.
Affirm, “I am One with my Paramatma”. Likewise, there are other Atmas who are One with the same Paramatma. You are affirming this, but you must realize it. Affirming is like putting a seed, realizing it corresponds to reaping the fruit. The Teachers who have realized this, have given you the seed and they have shown that they have got the fruit. In their presence you experience what they have experienced! How did the Teacher experience God’s Love? He is connected to the Paramatma. And as Paramatma is always One with God, he experiences God’s Love all the time.
Very important note from the above discussion: When you are connected to a Teacher who is an Aseka, you experience God’s Love, because he is experiencing it. He has planted the mango seed, and is reaping mango fruits. He is making you taste the fruit. Even you can make this experience eternal, by planting the seed and further reaping the fruits. Remember, you have to share them, like the Great Teachers have done it with many.
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Aligning with the Purpose of the Divine
The Holy Master or Teacher is connected up significantly and is helping you to connect to that stage. That is why, the purpose of the Divine can be understood through the Holy Masters. The statement in the Great Invocation, “the purpose which the Masters (or Holy Masters) know and serve”, shows that they are already serving that purpose. You must identify such a Master or a Teacher, who is aligned with the purpose of the Divine. Then, you will be aligned to the purpose! Sooner than later, you will achieve all that he has achieved, because he is the one who is lifting you up, inspiring others to follow, and making you also motivate others.
To synopsize, you are the Higher Soul, extending into the Incarnated Soul in the Causal plane and extending down into the vehicles of mental, emotional, etheric and physical. In the process, you are developing. The Incarnated Soul experiences Oneness with the Higher Soul at the Causal plane. This is the beginning stage of an Arhat or Paramahansa. The Higher Soul, is further developing in the Intuitional and Atmic planes. The Arhat at these levels is more developed and is becoming a Full Arhat. And when he substantially connects to the Divine Spark or Paramatma, he can say “I am the child of God”. But who is known as the child of God? The Paramatma is the child of God. When you are experiencing Oneness with your Paramatma, you can also say, “I am the child of God”. Hence, when you are saying that you are Paramatma and you are One with God and One with all, it signifies “Aham Brahmaswi”, and “Prajnanam Brahman”. That is, everything is part of Brahman, all are One, there is no separation! Everyone is evolving, all consciousness is One, so there is only Oneness.
We experience this state towards the end of Planetary Peace Meditation. In that particular moment, at the time when your consciousness is up, and it can be taken up further, you can say that we are all children of God. So, these Great Beings who have developed, are God realized, have moved further up and become Avatars, like, Lord Krishna, Lord Rama, Christ, Tirthankaras, Bodhisattvas, Buddhas, are all highly developed Paramatmas!
Development of Paramatma
How long you will be a child of God? The child of God grows from infancy. As the child of God grows, he becomes little independent, handles his own affairs, manages his own job. This child who is independently developed and is taking full responsibility, is now matured to become a Son of God. However, this takes a long time.
This Son of God is recognized as an Avatar. Thus, all these Avatars are actually like our elder brothers. They have no choice but to help us because we are also children of God. He is only a developed child of God. He has a responsibility to help all of us. Therefore, the Nirmanakayas, Bodhisattvas and Buddhas who need not incarnate (but incarnate occasionally for a purpose), who can move up, are still waiting for our development. There are many highly developed ones who are not transiting further for the sake of humanity. That is a great sacrifice by them. The Love aspect makes them hold on. There is a great difference between a child of God and a Son of God, in terms of the evolutionary process, but still all are children of God.
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Take this Opportunity to Help Others
You must understand that the Divine is there with you, you are not alone on the path. Everyone around is a child of God, manifested down into the physical incarnation. The highest developed manifestation of God on the physical plane is the human kingdom. It is a great opportunity to serve others and to meet their needs. Kill the sense of separateness now! Spiritually we are all one!
Each and every person has to evolve and manifest goodness one day. Your contribution is to address others’ need and lift them so that they manifest goodness sooner. Instead of criticizing and calling names, see what you can do and help them. When you do service or meet the requirement of somebody, you are actually doing it to God because all are connected to God. And so, it will come back to you many, many times. What you give is what you receive, but when it comes back, it gets multiplied. In nature, everything multiplies. When you sow one mango seed, you don’t get back only one mango. Besides, you reap it for many years, depending on the seed. Therefore, you must be careful to sow only right things. Additionally, there is a lag time after sowing.
The good news is that multiplication is higher for good seeds because they are supported by the higher. That is how we get protected! Which means our good seeds have more manifestation capability than the not so good ones.
Reiterating that there is no separation. Spiritually there is only oneness! The Spirit is Paramatma. Trying to move towards that direction by purifying, uplifting, contributing, multiplying is the process of Spirituality.In our daily live sessions, we practice these techniques of purification through exercises; breathing exercises; reflecting within, getting aware of all that is undesirable and removing them; replacing such tendencies with positive affirmations; getting purified further by practicing the channeling meditations, like, Planetary Peace Meditation, Metta Meditation or the prayer on Great Invocation, etc. With such tremendous purification, your aura becomes subtler and refined, your consciousness expands and you lift up to experience that state of Oneness that a Paramahansa or a Holy Master experiences. You will come back again, as you may not be able to maintain that state for a very long time. However, with regular practice, that state is possible to be maintained for an extended time, slowly aiding you to move first towards Soul Realization. Later, with consistent effort, practice, compassion to help, empathizing and motivating many along this path and urge to develop and upgrade others, propels you forward to achieve God Realization or Nirvana!
You may also try our YPV Sadhana app which is available for free in various languages. It has guided audios for the said breathing exercises, Forgiveness Sadhana and Planetary Peace Meditation. These techniques boost and sustain your immune system too.
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YPV Sadhana App
Download YPV Sadhana app to boost immunity, emotional balance and positive attitude towards life.
Yoga Prana Vidya Ashram Sri Ramana Trust Hosur – Thally Main Road Near Ubbanur Lake Thally, Krishnagiri Dist Tamil Nadu – 635118, INDIA
