The world in which beings enter is full of misery and is impermanent, warns the Lord in the Gita. Still, many either fail to grasp the full import of this warning or easily forget it when they get drawn to the compulsive worldly attractions. Scriptures reiterate that a clear perception of the Paramatma jivatma relationship is the first step in the sadana to insulate oneself from the pulls of the world while being very much in it, pointed out Swami Anubhavananda Saraswati in a discourse.
A frog that is confined to the limited water in a well has no idea of the vast expanse of the water that the ocean stands for; whereas, the ocean dwelling fish experiences this sense of immeasurableness at all times. The Upanishads explain that before creation Paramatma alone existed. Through His Maya He became the world and entered into it as the Jiva, or the individual self. So He is the antaratma in every being, the eternal and imperishable aspect and is forever responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the entire universe. But He remains unaffected and distant at all times.
In every being, the atma is the eternal essence, though one is subject to various experiences in many births. So the present life is transitory and is connected to one’s past life and it determines the next life as well. This means all beings are part of continuous existence. When one awakens to the awareness of higher pursuits than mere worldly goals, and consciously takes up responsibility for his life and aims to purify the mind by unselfish acts, worship, etc, his sense of discrimination also develops. He can sift the real from the unreal and seek the real alone. This subtle mental exercise is carried over through various births, and finally he comes to realise the infinite nature of the atma within.
