Five Things Difficult To Identify After A Period Of Disassociation

“Seeing Sita, like trying to decipher knowledge from the Vedas which has become barely perceptible after lack of use, his mind became doubtful. As Sita was not decorated, with difficulty Hanuman could recognize her, like understanding a text which has gotten a different meaning due to a lack of purity.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 15.38-39)

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तस्य संदिदिहे बुद्धिर्मुहुः सीतां निरीक्ष्य तु।
आम्नायानामयोगेन विद्यां प्रशिथिलामिव।।
दुःखेन बुबुधे सीतां हनुमाननलङ्कृताम्।
संस्कारेण यथा हीनां वाचमर्थान्तरं गताम्।।

tasya saṃdidihe buddhirmuhuḥ sītāṃ nirīkṣya tu।
āmnāyānāmayogena vidyāṃ praśithilāmiva।।
duḥkhena bubudhe sītāṃ hanumānanalaṅkṛtām।
saṃskāreṇa yathā hīnāṃ vācamarthāntaraṃ gatām।।

1. A seed

“Whoa, where did that come from? It basically covers the entire front yard. Do you ever sit underneath it and read a book? I believe that is the icon for one of the more popular e-reading apps on the market.

“You mean to tell me that this is the result of that seed you planted so long ago? From that tiny seed we have this giant tree? That is crazy to think about. How did the seed know in which direction to grow? Who programmed the seed to precisely and properly transform the elements of sunlight, water, and earth into something which provides so much value to the human population?”

2. The sun

“Whoa, what is going on? I cannot take that brightness. Are you trying to torture us? I must get into the darkness, and soon. This is too much to take.

“You mean to tell me that is the sun? I could not recognize it. We have been forced to remain indoors for so long. No windows. No computers. No smartphones. No access to the outside world. I guess I forgot what the sun looks like.”

3. A shloka

“Whoa, is that really true? This is a verse from an ancient Sanskrit text. Unless you are trained in that particular language, you would have no idea what the text says. It would appear to be an artistic representation, something to appreciate from a distance.

“You mean to tell me that this verse describes the fish taken out of water? You mean it could be said to be the origin of the saying that we use all the time today? Like a fish out of water is like Lakshmana and Sita detached from the physical association of Shri Rama.”

न च सीता त्वया हीना न चाहमपि राघव।
मुहूर्तमपि जीवावो जलान्मत्स्याविनोद्धृतौ।।

na ca sītā tvayā hīnā na cāhamapi rāghava।
muhūrtamapi jīvāvo jalānmatsyāvinoddhṛtau।।

“O Rama, You should know that just as fish cannot survive when taken out of water, neither Sita nor I can live without You for even a moment.” (Lakshmana speaking to Lord Rama, Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kand, 53.31)

4. A saying

“Oh, that’s what it means? I have heard that saying relating to eating cake. I might have used it a few times myself. But I never truly understood the meaning. I guess if you lack the context from the original time period, when the saying was first used, there is no way to know what it means. You need someone educated in the matter to inform you.”

5. The jiva soul

This is the basis of genuine spiritual life. Real religion should have accompanying philosophy, and the words of instruction should at a minimum enable recognition of the true identity of the individual. Otherwise, the vision is only through the lens of illusion. I cannot recognize who I am because I have forgotten my link to transcendence. This forgetfulness may span thousands of years and countless lifetimes.

बहूनां जन्मनाम् अन्ते
ज्ञानवान् मां प्रपद्यते
वासुदेवः सर्वम् इति
स महात्मा सु-दुर्लभः

bahūnāṁ janmanām ante
jñānavān māṁ prapadyate
vāsudevaḥ sarvam iti
sa mahātmā su-durlabhaḥ

“After many births and deaths, he who is actually in knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be the cause of all causes and all that is. Such a great soul is very rare.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 7.19)

Shastra informs me. There is the saying, aham brahmasmi. I am spirit soul. I am part and parcel of the Brahman energy. Brahman is something which transcends everything it encounters. It has endurance, whereas the temporary cannot remain in a fixed position.

नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः ।
उभयोरपि दृष्टोऽन्तस्त्वनयोस्तत्त्वदर्शिभिः ॥

nāsato vidyate bhāvo
nābhāvo vidyate sataḥ
ubhayor api dṛṣṭo ’ntas
tv anayos tattva-darśibhiḥ

“Those who are seers of the truth have concluded that of the nonexistent there is no endurance, and of the existent there is no cessation. This seers have concluded by studying the nature of both.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 2.16)

I can realize Brahman through the help of someone who knows. A tattva-darshi, someone who has seen the truth. They can look beyond the temporary covering. It may be with great difficulty that I finally make the identification. The situation may be so dire that it appears impossible for a jiva soul in a wretched condition to be considered sach-chid-ananda, but the truth is fixed; it is dharma. As much as we implicitly rely on the law of gravity, we should know that the jiva soul cannot be destroyed, vanished, or corrupted.

We see from an incident in the Ramayana history how an elevated being can make identifications under difficult circumstances. Shri Hanuman is able to discover Sita Devi, the beloved wife of Shri Rama. There has been a significant period of disassociation. Sita has been physically separated from Rama for a long time, but she is still the same person.

She is still brilliance personified. She is still trust, support, kindness, generosity, and dedication offered at the lotus feet of her husband, which are the greatest shelter any person can find. She is still kind to the saints and a cause of destruction for those who view her in an improper manner, who seek to exploit for personal enjoyment.

In Closing:

That a soul cannot believe,
Against direct vision to perceive.

But like on gravity relying,
Tattva of dharma applying.

From disassociation caused,
The yoga relationship paused.

But Shri Hanuman can see,
Like that princess Sita was she.