There is a director for the ears,
eyes, tongue, mind and life-force who is distinct from the ear, mind and Prana.
The ears, eyes, mind and Prana exist for his use just as the house exists for
the use of the owner. The director is Brahman or Atman.
The eye and the organs cannot go
to the Brahman. They cannot approach Him for one cannot go to one's own Self.
How can the eyes see the seer of sight? The eye is an object of perception for
the mind and Atman. However clever and acrobat may be, he cannot jump on his
own shoulders. So is the case with the senses. The eye can only see the
external objects of the universe. That is its only function. How can it know or
reach its source which is extremely subtle? It is not possible to go to one's
own self. Similarly, speech cannot go there. When you utter the word cow, that
word enlightens the object 'cow' denotes by it. Then it is said that the word
goes to the object. The source or support or abode or resting place for the
word and the organ that utters it is Brahman. Therefore the word or the speech
or the mouth does not go there, i.e., approach Brahman.
The mind also cannot go there.
How can it know the knower? Just as fire that burns and enlightens other
objects cannot either burn or enlighten itself, so the mind which knows the
external objects through the avenues of the senses, cannot know the Atman or
Brahman, because Brahman is the source for the mind also, and the mind is
gross, inert and finite. How can the finite know the Infinite? The gross impure
mind cannot approach Brahman. But the subtle, pure mind only can go there, for
pure mind is Brahman itself.
Speech cannot reveal or illumine
Brahman. Brahman is beyond the organs of speech. The tongue speaks through the
power or light of Brahman. Speech is infinite. How can the finite speech reveal
the infinite Brahman. Brahman only illumines speech and its organ Vak which is
presided over by fire (Agni); so Brahman is speech of speech, tongue of tongue.
The Vajasaneyaka says, Brahma is within speech and directs speech. This Atman
is Brahman or Bhuma (infinite or the unconditioned). Brahman is unsurpassable,
big, great, highest of all, all-pervading. So He is called Brahman.
- Swami Sivananda