Purnaprajnapti Darshan- Shri Anandamayi Ma's Philosophy of Absolute Cognition

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Many books have been written on the life and teachings of Sri Anandamayi Ma in various languages, but none exists dealing with Her philosophy. Here is a humble attempt to fill this vacuum. How I was motivated to write this book has a brief history. It lies in three factors, vis

1. A sense of dissatisfaction with the existing doctrines and explanations of Reality.

2. A search for a new explanation; and its discovery in the life and teachings of Sri Anandamayi Ma.

3. A token of gratitude at the holy feet of Sri Anandamayi Ma through this offering.

Dissatisfaction with the existing explanations of Reality was caused by my perception of so much discrepancy among the theories as put forth by the exponents of different schools of philosophy. The controversy was so distinct that I found it rather impossible to reach some definite conclusion. Although I have come across many interpretations offered by some modern scholars suggesting a synthetic approach to various schools of Indian philosophy yet mostly all forward a progressive view which does not seem very convincing. Perhaps no founder and no exponent of any system would admit this situation.

Sri Anandamayi Ma tackles and solves the problem in a quite different way, which satisfies the reason and tallies with experience. This, however, we shall deal with in the main text; here, what we wish to point out is that although dissatisfied with the available interpretations of Reality, the attempt here is not to criticise any doctrine or to appreciate another. For, after considerable contemplation of the problem, we have reached the conclusion that it is only in direct realisation or mystic illumination and not through the discursive intellect that the problem of the nature of Reality can be solved in the most definitive way.

It may be added that it is this direct realisation or "seeing" that makes philosophy a "darshana" (vision of Truth). And it is this vision that turns the conception into perception and makes the cognition of Truth complete and absolute. The vision of Sri Anandamayi Ma stands for such a complete and absolute cognition of Reality, and as such, Her philosophy may rightly be called "the philosophy of absolute cognition" (Purnaprajnapti Darshana). Sri Anandamayi Ma has used the word 'Ya ta' for the Absolute and its cognition.' 'Ya ta' is a Bengali term which can be translated as "Purnaprajnapti" in Hindi and "Absolute Cognition" in English. There will be more about 'Ya ta' in the body of the text. The importance of this book is established by the fact that it is the first attempt that has been made to present systematically Sri Anandamayi Ma's philosophy on the basis of the revelations that occurred spontaneously in Her life and the answers She gave in response to the questions put before Her. The questions were so varied and manifold that one cannot hope to cover all of them in a treatise which is meant only to serve a specific purpose, yet whatever we found to be most essential to formulate Her philosophy, we have included in the text. Our attempt, however, is just a beginning, and the future may invite many others to work on the subject. The person we call Sri Anandamayi is like an Ocean the deeper one dives, the more one gets from it.

Shri Kedarnath Swamiji, through his compilation of Shri Shri Ma Anandamayi's utterances, has presented a unique philosophical vision. He has gathered together many scattered yet priceless gems and woven them into a rare and precious garland, giving it the name Purnaprajnapti Darshan. It is my good fortune to have been given the opportunity to write a few words for this book.

However much praise may be offered for Purnaprajnapti Darshan, it will still be too little. The depth and breadth of Swamiji's philosophical research are truly commendable.

India is a sacred land. Here, the tradition of inquiry into and realisation of the Supreme Truth (Paramatattva) as expressed in the Vedas remains unbroken. From a historical perspective, we see that, time and again, great souls have descended upon this earth to preserve and uphold this spiritual heritage. In the medieval era, Bhagavan Sri Adi Shankaracharya firmly established the wisdom of the Upanishads throughout the country. In the modern intellectual age, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa revealed the same eternal truths in his own uniquely simple and spontaneous language.

The present age is a mechanical one-an age of both advancement and decline simultaneously. On the one hand there is the height of material splendour, and on the other, humanity is struggling against disease, poverty, fear, and inner emptiness; the future of such a humanity appears shrouded in darkness. Science offers no means to resolve this paradox. The worldly progress and material attainments of our time cannot dispel the doubts of the modern mind, for to become fulfilled and truly happy, one must turn inward. The call of this restless and disordered age is for a divine voice capable of reaching the innermost depths of the human heart.

In modern India, Shri Anandamayi Ma represents that spiritual tradition whose very presence upon earth exists solely for the welfare of the world, never for any personal purpose. Such divinely fulfilled beings, whose desires are completely extinguished, live only for the good of all. In their lives, the ideal of "may all beings be happy" and "for the welfare of all" is spontaneously realised.

Along with this, Shri Anandamayi Ma also represents that dimension of religious and spiritual mysticism which forms the very foundation upon which the vast and magnificent edifice of philosophy is built. 'Experience' (anubhuti) is the life-breath of philosophy - its true vitality; without it, philosophy becomes merely a lifeless structure of words. Shri Anandamayi Ma stands among the foremost of the contemporary mystics of the world who have affirmed philosophical truths through their own realisation, thereby establishing them upon the plane of living reality.

She founded no sect, and propounded no personal doctrine for Her inner realisation is one of wholeness and universality. She is one with all. Her experience is of the Vedic tad-ekam ("That One"), and Her philosophy is of the Upanishadic ekatma ("One Self"). This realisation of oneness is the foundation of Her philosophical humanism.

She has clearly said, "I have nothing of my own to say or do not before, not now, and not in future. Whatever has been attained, is being attained, or will be attained, is only for your welfare. If anything can be called personal to this body, it is only that the whole world is its very own." (Matridarshan, 1995, p. 131)

Shri J. C. Ray writes about her: "Holding equal reverence and love for all religions, all orders, all races, and all forms of teaching, Ma embodies in Her life the great Upanishadic truth, 'All this indeed is Brahman'. She says, 'All religions flow in one single stream, and all streams are also one; we all are one."

When someone once asked her, "To which caste do you belong? Where is your home?" Ma, laughing replied, "From the worldly point of view, this body belongs to East Bengal and by caste is Brahmin; but if you remove all such artificial distinctions, this body belongs to your very own family."

The truly great souls who are entirely free from identification with the body and utterly devoid of individual consciousness have, in truth, no real identity apart from the Self. Yet the human mind, bound by material consciousness, always seeks to know a divine being in terms familiar to itself only then does it feel satisfied and fulfilled.