Love, Heart, and Enlightenment: By Dr. Harsh K. Luthar

Sri Ramana Walking

Sri Ramana once said that many advanced souls get liberation after reaching higher planes and that a few rare ones attain mukti (liberation) right here and now. In such cases their Prana along with mind (Kundalini Shakti) gets fully absorbed in the Spiritual Heart and the individual identity is dissolved into Brahman, the Self, the universal Heart and consciousness.

When Sri Ramana’s body was dying, people were asking the Sage to not leave them. “Where can I go. I am here.” was the reply of Ramana Maharshi.

Where can I go? It means that the “I” having been absorbed in the Heart has become the Heart It Self. It is this universal Heart that is called Brahman. It transcends all time and space. Therefore the question of (the mind and Prana) coming and going is completely moot.

In Advaita Vedanta, Self-Realization is realizing the complete identity of Atman (individual soul) and ParamAtman (Supreme Soul). The Atman It Self is seen to be Brahman. That is exactly what all the MahaVakyas (the great sayings) found in the Upanishads are pointing to.

In relative terms, an analogy may be useful. We can think of the Atman (Individual Soul) as a circle with a center. When we enter this center or the Heart, we see that ParamAtman’s (Supreme Soul or Brahaman) center is exactly This as well. However, upon entering the center, the circumference disappears as if it never existed.

The Self or the Heart of ParamAtman is the same as that of Atman. Knowing the Heart, one becomes the Heart. Knowing  Brahman, One becomes Brahman. So declare the Upanishads.

In the Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna says to Arjuna, ” I am in the Heart of all O’ Gudakesha.” In Advaita Vedanta, to know God really means to know One’s Own Heart. Mysteriously, One’s Own “Personal” Heart turns out to be the Universal Impersonal Heart of the Lord. But there is nothing impersonal about it. It is all very Personal. That is why Sri Ramana used to say that God is the First Person.  Same Heart. Same Heart. God’s Heart. Your Own Heart. Same Heart.

Namaste