Antaryami-Awareness & Implications

The word “Antaryami” translates as Antar-Inner; Yam-to cause movement; Yami-The One who causes movement. Therefore Antaryami is the inner One who causes expression of one’s will, in other words it means the One without whom thought, word & deed cannot be expressed. In the Mumukshupadi Sri Pillai Lokacaharya explains “Narayana” in the Bahuvrihi samasa as the one in whom everything resides and in the Tatpurusha Samasa as the one who resides in everyone. The Brahma Sutras  a component of the Uttara Mimamsa (elucidations of the Vedas or Gnana Kanda)the most authoritative work on the Upanishads also known as Vedanta Sutras believed to be written by Badarayana or Veda Vyasa, explains in verse 2.3.41-“Even the independence of the soul is dependant on the Lord”-“Parattu tat sruteh”. Therefore in the Vedantic traditions it is asserted beyond doubt that the Paratama dwells in each one of us without exception, as the Antaryami causing our thoughts, words & deeds to be expressed.

Naturally therefore any thinking human being will have a desire to understand the relationship with the Antaryami.

The primary characteristic is Saulabhya, that is ease of access and that too of the greatest intimacy. Is there anything or anybody that is more intimate & more instantaneously accessible than, to that without which you cannot think, talk and act. There is no distance to separate one from his or her Antaryami.

The more important characteristic is Antaryami’s suzerainty over one’s Self. Sri Ramanuja Acharya states that the sole purpose of one’s Self is to be in the service of the Paramatma that is the five senses are actually the input devices of the Lord serving Him through the of mechanism the individual. “Aimbulanum avan murthy”- states Nammalvar’s Thiruvaimozhi. If then the individual cannot but live & die solely in the service of the Lord what can be the problem. The problem is we are not aware of this undeniable truth.

So the question is, how do we become aware of this truth in such a manner that all our motivations including the innermost urge flows in this awareness seamlessly.

Luckily the Vedantic traditions offer practical & proven solutions. They have been doing so for the past 3000 years of known history and there is reason to believe they have been doing so well prior to that, though unknown to modern humanity. That is why they are perhaps known as revealed scriptures as against written by human beings in their limited perspective.

In the Upanishads there are 32 systems of meditation including Dahara Vidya propounded to attain enlightenment. One would readily agree, to live in the constant awareness of the Antaryami indwelling in us as an experiential reality is undeniably living in enlightenment.

SriVaishnavism propagates the chanting of the Mahamantra otherwise known as the Ashtakshara mantra-“Om Namo Narayana.” Great sages have no doubt of the efficacy of the mantra. For it to have the effect the Shashtras have designed it for, one need not know how. One needs only to invest an unshakeable belief. For example when you turn the TV switch on you need not know how it works. You just need to turn on the switch, in the belief your TV will display the image. Similarly the switch to enlightenment is the belief that you repose in the mantra. It will do what it has been designed to do. This belief is called Sadhya Bhakti; that is the belief that your very purpose of existence is achieved by uttering the mantra in your mind every time you do it. It is the termination of all anxieties for there is nothing more to achieve. As against Sadhana Bhakti which is undertaken to obtain some benefit worldly or other worldly. This unshakeable belief is the essential switch which you need to turn on. It taps into a higher & infinitely powerful medium freely available to all.

It would suffice here to say that the one who invests complete & unshakable belief grows aware of the Paramatma residing within oneself as the Antaryami and his or her whole orientation & motivation undergoes a transformation towards selflessness. One continues to engage in whatever activity one has always undertaken, only this is no longer self-centred.   The work at hand is done far more efficiently devoid of anxiety that only self-centredness can bring. It is done in the true spirit of nishkama karma as depicted in the Bhavadgita for in verse 3-27 SriKrishna states, “man clouded by egoism thinks he is the doer.”

An important aspect/anga of Prapatti in SriVaishnavism is Pratikulyavarjanam which is being aware of the Lord’s presence in every being one comes into contact with and engaging them with this awareness.  Such person or persons who are aware of the Antaryami within, will strive for the upliftment of society at large without considering caste or religion. An established principle of criminology informs us that when a person is repeatedly called a criminal and branded by society as one there is a high probability that  this person will become a criminal. Building positively on this principle if one were to be considered the temple of the Antaryami and dealt as such there is a high probability that one will become aware of this truth naturally.

This effect when allowed to multiply in a right thinking society would bring about a new glorious dawn of Divine awareness all over the world.

Gnaneshwar B.Pettukola