TOUCHING THE RED-HOT IRON ROD

TOUCHING THE RED-HOT IRON ROD!

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“The realized man is egoless; he has lost the capacity to identify himself with anything. He is without location & place, beyond space and time, beyond the world. He is beyond words and thoughts.” -- Nisargadatta maharaj.

The role of realized people is to set an example of perfection for others to admire and love. Beauty of life and character is a tremendous contribution to the common good. The most crucial use of knowledge and wisdom is to understand the importance of developing a good heart.

~The mind that is awakened to the serene joys of the Self will never hang on to sensuous objects and their fleeting joys. 

~The ocean doesn't complain about the dance and noise of uncountable waves. Similarly, the mind that's awakened too don't bother about the rise and fall of thoughts. 

~As a bee gathering nectar does not harm or disturb the color and fragrance of the flower; so do the mind that is awakened move through the world.

How can we know that our mind is awakened or not?

-There is litmus test that has been discussed in the Chandogya Upanishad, 6th Chapter. The teacher, Uddaalaka tells his son (disciple) Swetaketu – a story related to this....

-Once the security people arrested a person and brought him to the King to decide. The king asked the person, whether he was the thief who stole things. The person said that he was not. Then the King ordered to bring a red-hot iron rod and asked him to touch it with bare hands and added, 'if you are telling the truth, then your hands will not burn; If your hands burn, then it implies that you are not telling the truth.'

This test was prescribed in the context of self-realization. If the mind is awakened then our hands will not get burned, otherwise, they will. Meaning...When the realised person touches or transacts with the red-hot burning world, he/she will not get burned, influenced, shakened. He/she will be immune to the ups and downs of the happenings in the world since he/she knows everything is just mithyaa/appearance/not really real!

If one is getting burned while transacting in the world, it is a clear that one is not yet a jnaani or jnaana-nishita or awakened. Bhagwan Krishna calls that person as 'Sthitaprajna'-He who is unaffected by the turmoil in the world as he/she will see the world either as mithyaa or Iswara Vibhuthi or his/her own vibhuthi.

Those who have the knowledge and still get slightly feel the heat of the world implies that they have still remnant raaga-dweshaas( likes and dislikes) that affect his transactions in the world. The scripture recommends for him/her, constant nidhidhyaasana or constant remembrance of his/her real status and the unreal status of the world.