The Kenopanishad stresses the unique chance given to each human being to get spiritually evolved and recognise the freedom that self realisation confers on one. It also warns people that failing to avail themselves of this opportunity to realise the self is destructive, pointed out Swami Sashishikananda in a discourse. Sadana is practice and upasana is individual effort that is to be directed inwards by which one can avoid future births and be determined to know the self in this very birth itself. No amount of spiritual classes can be effective unless there is an inner transformation. The effectiveness and value of the sadana depends on the sincerity of the sadaka and the intensity of the practice.
The greatest hurdle is the world of experience that takes hold of our entire being and invades one’s thought and word and deed. Our attention is caught in the unreal. In truth, Maya creates and manifests the world. It is the appearance and it influences most of our lifetime. Precious time is spent on many unrelated issues. Like watching cinema for instance, we should know it has no connection with us. To understand that the self in each individual is not attached in any way to one’s personal ego/identity, the example of the presence of the self in the three states of waking, dream and deep sleep is often quoted. The personal ego is present in the waking state and dream states. But the personal identity is annihilated in the deep sleep state.
Once the personal ego or the sense of ‘I’ and ‘Mine’ pertaining to the body is removed, one automatically realises the self as the witness/ consciousness existing without any relation to the three states that one experiences. Like the dream world experience vanishes when we get up, we have to wake up to the reality of our self existence.
