T Ram Sewak

JARH CHETAN

Kakabhushundiji introduces Garuda to Maya and its impact in Shri Ramcharitmanas 7.117

so mayabas gosain, bandhyo naiyn.

jarh chetanahi gayi, jadapi kathinayi

taba sansari, chhoot sukhari

"The jeev (atma/soul) has allowed itself to be dominated by Maya and has been caught in its trap. As a result, it has interlinked and knotted Matter (Jarh) and the Spirit (Chetan). This knot, though imaginary, is difficult to untie and mires the jeev in this material world. As a result, it can have no happiness unless this knot is untied."

The jeev- part of the Infinite (Ishwar), ever blissful and liberated, falsely identifies itself with the body and believes it to be the medium of its happiness in this world and the objects therein to be the source of its joy. Thus, it develops the erroneous sense of karta (doer) and also the bhokta (experiencer) of its karma (actions) in this world. This is the entrapment of Maya.

The jeev fails to recognise itself as atma, the consciousness, a particle of the Supreme, and instead mistakenly identifies itself with the insentient body. This is the knot of ignorance that Kakabhushundiji is referring to. Only when we discover our self (atma) the pure consciousness as our real self can we transcend all attachment to this body and the material objects of this illusionary world. Kakabhushundiji asserts that there can be no happiness or liberation for the jeev until this invisible imaginary knot is untied and the realisation dawns that discriminates the self (Chetan) from the insentient matter (Jarh).

Shri Krishna expounds on the subject of Matter (calls it Prakriti) and Spirit (Purusha) in Chapter 13 of the Gita and asserts in 13.24 that he who has realised and known the Purusha and Prakriti together with their gunas (qualities), whatever his life or conduct may be, is liberated and not born again! / DAILY WORLD /

The author is a former electrical Engineer and resides in the Himalayas. He can be occasionally reached at ramam.namami@gmail.com