Brahmanubhuti – Talk 16
(What is Reality)
Today let us contemplate on ‘What is reality?’ ‘Are there grades in reality, are there parallel realities?’ Let us understand. ‘Are there multiple realities?’ Reality is something which doesn’t change over time. That is called ‘Sat’ or ‘Satya’ which means reality.
Let me ask you a question. “You are seeing a wall or you are seeing a flower here. Are they real? Are they Satya? Or are they false?”
It is real until something which is more real than that wall or flower comes into picture. Reality is a relative word. There is something which is absolutely real and there is something which is relatively real. For example, this is a cup. Is this cup real? Yes, the cup is real; otherwise, I can’t drink a cup of coffee. But this is a paper cup. Paper has taken the shape of a cup. Cup is relative reality and paper is absolute reality. Paper can also take the shape of a boat or anything else. Whereas the cup cannot take any other shape. Cup is a relative reality, and paper is an absolute reality.
(Satya and Mithya)
In Sanskrit, relative reality is called “Mithya”. Mithya doesn’t mean false or an illusion. And Satya means absolute reality. In other words, Mithya means dependent reality and Satya means absolute reality. So, paper cup is dependent reality and that is why it is Mithya. Paper is Satya, absolute reality. Paper can take the shape of many things, cup cannot take. Paper is Satya and paper cup is Mithya. Now, you have understood Satya and Mithya. Many people misunderstand Mithya as false or unreal or an illusion. No, it is a dependent reality. If there is no paper, there is no cup. But on the other hand, if there is no shape of cup, still paper can be there. So, what is dependent on what? Cup is dependent on paper. That is why paper is absolute reality and cup is relative reality. Paper is Satya, cup is Mithya.
Now, let us look at paper itself. Is paper absolute reality? Paper is made up of molecules. So, molecules are Satya, paper is Mithya. Let us go one step further. Is molecule Satya? Molecules are made up of atoms, and atoms are Satya, then molecules are Mithya, paper is Mithya and paper cup is Mithya. Because Satya is more fundamental reality. Is molecule Satya? Is Atom Satya? So again further go back. Atom is nothing but energy. Energy is Satya and atoms are Mithya. Is energy Satya? Energy is nothing but movement in Consciousness. Consciousness is Satya and energy is Mithya. Like that, absolute reality and dependent reality.
(Consciousness is Absolute reality)
Now, what is beyond Consciousness? Nothing. You cannot find anything beyond Consciousness. Consciousness is absolute reality and Consciousness alone is Satya. Everything else is a relative reality, so it is Mithya. Mithya can go and anything can happen to Mithya, but nothing will happen to Satya.
Let us take another example. There are gold ornaments; there is a gold ring, gold necklace etc. Ring is Mithya, gold is Satya. Is gold Satya? No, Consciousness is Satya, by the same logic stated above. So, any logic you take, Consciousness alone becomes the Satya. Everything else becomes Mithya. So, we should go after Satya, because Satya alone doesn’t change over a period of time. Satya alone doesn’t destroy. Mithya can change in shape, Mithya can get destroyed, but nothing will happen to Satya. That is why, we say, we have to catch hold of truth – Satya. If you catch hold of Satya, then you will become eternal and immortal. So, go after Satya, which is Consciousness.
(Other viewpoints)
Now, people don’t take up the Consciousness as fundamental reality. There are various viewpoints, philosophies. Some people say, there are two realities, Consciousness, and matter. There are two parallel realities. That means two parallel Satyas or realities which are Consciousness and matter. Advaita Vedanta view is that there are no two parallel realities, there is only one reality. That is Consciousness. Then you will ask, ‘Oh! There is a world I can see which appears to be solid and I am conscious. The world is separate from me. There are two realities. Somewhere, there must be something that is not correct.’ There are no two realities.
(Consciousness is the only reality)
The world as a reality is an ‘appearance’ in Consciousness, but it is not a parallel reality, it is Mithya, in that sense. World is not a parallel reality, there is no other or one more reality, there is only one reality. That is called Consciousness. That is Advaita. There is no two. There is nothing other than Consciousness.
For us, it appears that I am Conscious and the stone is dead, it is unconscious. We feel that there are two realities, conscious reality and unconscious reality. There is Consciousness and unconsciousness, which I can see. There is sentience and insentience. There are 2 parallel realities. But the second reality is not absolute, it is only a dependent reality. It is dependent on Consciousness. That is why it is called ‘Advaita’ or ‘non-dual’.
How is that, I shall explain in my next talk.
Pranams