Unknown are the ways of the unknown
Unknown are the means of the unknown
Unknown is the means to attain the unknown
Unknown is the indwelling
Unknown is the Avijnaatha
Unknown is the Antaryaami
Unknown is the Paramaatma
Unknown is the eternal guide
Unknown is the eternal activator
Unknown is the eternal master
Unknown is the Supersoul
Unknown are the ways to realise that unknown
Unknown cannot be known by the knowledge of material sciences
Unknown is unknown to be attained by the mundane
Unknown is the driving force behind everything
Unknown is unknown to the body
Unknown is unknown to the senses
Unknown is unknown to the mind
Unknown is unknown to the intellect
Unknown is unknown to the intelligence
Unknown is unknown to the ego
Unknown is unknown to thoughts feelings and actions
Unknown is transcendental
Unknown is beyond the modes of material nature
Unknown is enigmatic
But…
Unknown is to be known
Unknown is supreme consciousness
Unknown is eternal everlasting
Unknown is to be attained
Understanding towards that unknown is real knowledge, all else is nescience
Unknown cannot be attained by speculation jugglery and pseudo-mysticism
Unknown can be attained only by directing and listening to our own inner voice by shutting out the external noises
Unknown can be obtained only by solitary pursuits and through purification of body mind and intellect by thoroughly understanding the transient nature of material existence and slowly getting detested detached through knowledge of revealed spiritual literatures from a spiritual master (alive or not alive taking the master and the matter by heart)
Unknown can be attained only through tolerance of bodily and mental pain inflicted through the three sources 1. Adhyatmik 2. Adhibhautik 3. Adhidaivik ((miseries inflicted by the body and mind itself, those inflicted by other living entities, and natural disturbances).
Unknown can be attained only through alignment and in cooperation with mother nature and not by senseless exploitation
Unknown can be only realised when we understand there is a supreme controller who is the source of everything
Unknown can be attained only through surrender to that supreme, totally understanding our helplessness in the hands of material nature and the illusory energy of the Lord
We cannot get to that unknown residing in our heart…
Only the unknown has to be made to activate our intellect to our pursuits towards the absolute truth by directing our mind inwards through surrender and proper application of intelligence attained by the mercy of the Lord
Unknown is to be understood to be already doing its designated duty and functions in a subtle manner by dwelling in the body of every living entity
Unknown is the one that activates the consciousness to awaken ourselves from sleep
Unknown is the one that activates our vital organs to perform its functions
Unknown is the one that controls the fire of digestion that digests four types of food stuff – Bhagavad Gita 15.14
Unknown is the own that activates the five prana
Unknown is unknown…no one knows how it does these activities for our survival in the material world
Unknown needs to be reached to give directions to elevate the atma to eternal bliss by making the process to start from inward to outward, while it has been the reverse all through – atma is being endowed with minute intelligence and discretion – either to align with the permanent supreme reality or trying to dominate the material nature and in the process forget its original identity and get entangled in material existence.
Unknown is the eternal well-wisher that gives directions only to the atma residing in the form of a human body that thoroughly understands the futility of material existence and want to give it up.
Human soul is endowed with all faculties in full strength the five sense organs the five organs of action the mind the intelligence and a highly evolved consciousness for discrimination.
You see the answer is already there…
Mind is the best friend as well as the best enemy – Bhagavad Gita 6.6
To control the mind is more difficult than controlling the wind – Bhagavad Gita 6.34
…but controlling the mind controls everything
Controlling the two basic urges of tongue and genitals controls the mind
This is just a hint…
Whether we continue our existence in the category of other species of life and remain in four-folds of misery (birth, death, old age, disease) or to elevate ourselves to the highest destination is our own discretion…
This is the inference that is to be gathered from the Puranjana saga in Srimad Bhagavatham – Canto 4 chapters 25-29.
A detailed exemplary treatise of the Puranjana Saga is in the blog Hints to the Ancient Wisdom in the posts: Myth or a Symbol? – Story of Puranjana Part 1 and Part 2
To summarise, Human life is a misery at every step, confronted with dangers due to the propensity of the soul to lord it over material nature through the deluding power of false ego, injecting the concepts of I and mine, having lured by the unsurmountable illusory potential of Maya (at least in theory) to get entangled perpetually through the attractions of opposite sex, progeny and wealth thereby remaining in the trap of material existence perpetually.
A self-realised soul understands this and sees every difficult moment as a step to God realisation to move to next step towards the ultimate purpose of our existence.
Sage Narada describes about himself on his earlier life to Ved Vyasa: ”I don’t have any caretaker except my mother who was a maid-servant, when she had to quit the world to a snake bite when I was a mere child of 5 years, I took It as a special mercy of the Lord and decided to travel North to realise the Absolute Truth!” (How much of us can do that? That is why Narada is Narada and we are we!) – Srimad Bhagavatham 1.6.6 – 1.6.10
The supreme Lord has a purpose for all of us depending on our pre-disposition and our spiritual evolution continues that way. Even a small step in this direction has a permanent effect and can protect one from the most dangerous type of fear. (Bhagavad Gita 2.40) and (Bhagavad Gita 6.40)
This special mercy of the Lord is beautifully summarised by Srila Prabhupada:
“Confidential devotees of the Lord see in every step a benedictory direction of the Lord. What is considered to be an odd or difficult moment in the mundane sense is accepted as special mercy of the Lord. Mundane prosperity is a kind of material fever, and by the grace of the Lord the temperature of this material fever is gradually diminished, and spiritual health is obtained step by step. Mundane people misunderstand it.” – Srila Prabhupada purports to Srimad Bhagavatham – 1.6.10
Notes:
- Avijnaata is the main character behind the scenes in the Puranjana Saga – the Supersoul that comes in the end of the Puranjana Saga, being the observer all through, as the king Puranjana continues his material existence and becomes a woman in his next birth due to his own injunctions, and when he begins to lament for his (her) husband’s death, Avijnata makes a grand appearance and explains to Puranjana(who is a well-situated woman full of good character), the futility of what (s)he has been doing and undergoing all through. That passage alone is enough for us to awaken our dormant spiritual consciousness – Srimad Bhagavatham – Canto 4 – Chapter 28 – Puranjana becomes a woman in the next life – Slokas 51-65.
- It Is also to be noted that Avijnaata (Name 483) is a name of Lord Vishnu as mentioned in Sri Vishnu Sahasranamam. The meaning is “One whom not a single person has realized fully” which is condensed to a single word as “Unknown”
- Puranjana Saga can also be considered to be the explanation of concepts and is a commentary of what is mentioned in Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 15 (Verses 7-11)
Spirituality is the only way to solace 