SELF_ THE SUPREME REALITY — Based on the Conversation between Yajnavalkya and Maitreyi

Today we are going to embark on a beautiful spiritual journey of SELF _ the Supreme Reality and the way to immortality through a wonderful enlightening conversation between a legendary couple– Yajnavalkya and Maitreyi.
Before gathering the pearls of this philosophical discussion, we should know about these two characters– Yajnavalkya and Maitreyi. Yajnavakya was a learned Sage whose initial Guru was Vaishampayana but due to Yajnavalkya’s pride his Guru asked him to return back all the knowledge which was given to him. Yajnavalkya realised his mistake, did upasana of SUN GOD who became his Guru and imparted him the knowledge of Shukla Yajurveda. He became a Rishi now.
Maitreyi was the daughter of the Mahirshi of Videha– a hub of learning in ancient India. Maitreyi’s maternal aunt ( Mausi) was Gargi ( great scholar and Brahmvadini) Maitreyi remained under the spiritual guidance of Gargi till the age of 18. As she was the seeker of truth and highly impressed by the knowledge of Yajnavalkya, Gargi got her married to Yajnavalkya so that her spiritual quest continues unabated.

This spiritual discourse of Yajnavalkya is endorsed in BRIHADARANYAKA UPANISHAD when Yajnavalkya decides to renounce the grihastha ashram and adopt the another mode of life i.e. Sanyasa. Sanyasa is the last order of life. According to Shastras, a married man has to seek permission of his wife before proceeding for Sanyasa. Yajnavalkya had two wives– Katyayani and Maitreyi so he had to take permission from both. Yajnavalkya said to Maitreyi, ” I have decided to divide my wealth equally between both of you so that you live happily and in peace after I leave the house.”
Hearing this Maitreyi exclaimed, ” My Lord even if the treasures of the whole Earth belong to me will I attain immortality?” Yajnavalkya replied, ” No Maitreyi. Worldly objects and pleasures are only the instruments of happiness, they don’t guarantee you the knowledge of ATMAN. All the material gains are within the fold of time. They will not remain forever. The only way one can gain immortality is to change the identification of “I” from personal to eternal transcendental Consciousness or Atman.” So Maitreyi asked Yajnavalkya, “Then why are you giving me this wealth? I am the seeker of immortality. You are renouncing this worldly life to attain your goal, Before leaving this place please impart me the knowledge of immortality.” Yajnavalkya replied, “Maitreyi you have been dear to me. Come, sit. I will explain to what is immortality but there is a condition—to receive it you have to be contemplative. I will reveal to you the truth but nididhyasana is essential for spiritual awakening.” Then Yajnavalkya started his explanation. He said, “Wife loves her husband not for his sake but she does this for the sake of her own self. Same is the case with the husband who loves his wife for his own self. We love our children and have high ambitions for them but when they don’t fulfill our expectations then they don’t give us happiness. We are always looking for happiness. The reason is that we are born with an insufficiency and we want to fill it with external sources be it good career, good spouse, good children, property, name, fame etc. Nothing from the world can make us fulfilled. Shastras say that Ananda or joy which we are looking for is the real nature of our SELF. Since birth we looking outwards but don’t look within us so we miss that Ananda or real joy.
Desires are unending and the mind is always dissatisfied even after achieving what it wants because it is always apprehensive of losing it. When we are successful in keeping the mind anchored in the SELF we will not lose the joy. In meditation also we feel joyous but this is also a temporary phase because the state of shunya (thoughtlessness) does not exist forever. Whatever joy we get in the world that is produced by the Atma only. It is only to pacify our mind that we want to fulfill our desires. If we understand the reality of Atma we will not be afraid of death. If we understand that “I’—Atma is everywhere then everyone will become equally dear to us and there will be no attachments and hatred. Atma has to be realised through Shravan, Manan and Nitya abhiyasana . After going through this process comes the realised state—no desire left for anything at all.
It is actually the MY and MINE which is the main problem. I like to be owned by others but I don’t want to own others. Whenever we want to envelop anyone within our Atmic enfoldment, we also become owned by that .When a person isolates himself from everyone then sometimes he is engulfed in suicidal thoughts. When we think we are not owned by others it is our fault, not the fault of others. For this we have to expand our circle of selflessness. We have to own but not cling to whatever we like. When we understand that our Atma is Universal Atma we become one with the Universe. When the body falls, the Individual Consciousness gets dissolved with the Universal Consciousness. When the body, mind and buddhi are silent, we get flooded with that Consciousness. Atma is imperishable which means it transcends time and casuality. Its characteristic is such that you cannot create any differentation anywhere. It can never be fragmented and this is its real swaroop. All the religious concepts—concept of God, Karma, Heaven and Hell, Re-birth can neither be proved nor disapproved but they are essential to keep the people on the righteous path. When truth dawns on us we have to transcend all our initial concepts.”
Yajnavalkya was helping Maitreyi to dive deep into the subtler truth and finally to the Ultimate truth. If SELF is something to be revealed then it is not the real SELF, it is only the knowledge of the SELF. Creation and destruction is the part and parcel of the Universe but the Atma is not affected by it. IT is not bound by anything because suffering comes from bondage. Just by thinking about the Soul, analyzing the Soul and contemplating on the Soul you become Soul yourself.
Yajnavalkya concluded his conversation with Maitreyi by saying;
“ One cannot know Atma, only one can become it. Amritattvam which you seek Maitreyi. This is all I can tell you about immortality.” Fulfilling his task, Yajnavalkya left for Sanyasa. It was a painless renunciation because whatever Yajnavalkya renounced was not real, it was just an illusion.
Vedanta says “ You are immortal blissful soul. The holding of drophood deprives it of becoming the oceanhood. Clinging to individuality prevents the Self from becoming the infinite reality.”
Yajnavalkya is not only the character of this divine conversation but he reminds us that the highest truth cannot always be spoken , it must be realised within. Behind this changing world, behind all our thoughts and questions, there is a silent presence. That presence is BRAHMAN—-ETERNAL, FORMLESS AND REPLETE WITH DIVINE LIGHT.