According to the Brihadaranyak Upanishad Maitrei asked her husband who was a great saint to tell something about immortality. Her husband Yajnavalkya replied that self is the only thing which is worth seeing, hearing and thinking. By knowing the self everything is realised because it is the dearest thing in the world.

Yajnavalkya described - it is sure that for fulfilling the requirements of husband, husband is not dear, for fulfilling self requirements husband is dear; for wife's requirements wife is not dear, for self requiremensts wife is dear; for son's requirements son is not dear, for self requirements son is dear.

When one tells that one loves one's wife or husband, one tells the partial truth. Love is very good to be seen and heard of in stories or in films. In reality husband loves his wife or wife loves her husband for his/her own fulfilment. Parents nurture their children for their future security. They think that their wealth shall be secure in the hands of their future generations.

He further described - for fulfilling the requirements of wealth, wealth is not dear, for fulfilling self requirements wealth is dear; for animals' requirements animals are not dear, for self requirements animals are dear; for priest's(brahmin) requirements, priest is not dear, for self requirements priest is dear; for soldier's(ksatriya) requirements, soldier is not dear, for self requirements soldier is dear; for world's requirements world is not dear, for self requirements world is dear.

One loves wealth or animals for one's own comfort and luxury. One loves priests, fathers or moulvis thinking that they may liberate one from pain and misery. Further they may secure a berth for him in heaven. One loves this world, because every enjoyable thing is available here.

Yajnavalkya described - for fulfilling the requirements of Gods, Gods are not dear, for fulfilling self requirements Gods are dear; for scriptures'(vedas) requirements scriptures are not dear, for self requirements scriptures are dear; for beings, requirements beings are not dear, for self requirements beings are dear; for the requirements of all, all are not dear, for self requirements all are dear. So oh Maitrei! self(atman) is only worth seeing, hearing and meditating.

In most religions one or more Gods are worshipped. People worship God not for fulfilling the requirements of God, but for fulfilling self requirements. They think that by worshipping God, they may prosper further in fame and wealth. God may liberate them from pain and misery. Even God may take beloved devotees into heaven. Similarly those who claim that they revere and worship scriptures, in reality, they try to influence others or even try to rule over others. All scriptures have been written by men. No God has ever dictated them. To say that God and scriptures are above arguments, is to keep masses in utter ignorance and to rule over them.

So whatever one claims to love intensely, in fact, one loves oneself. Why one loves oneself so intensely? It is because self is one's real identity, real home and real friend. It is the only truth in the world; it is unchanging and eternal. Everything is changeable and momentary. The real peace and bliss lies in the self. For this after a day's enjoyments outside, one returns to sleep and gets immersed in the self. In this state father is not a father, mother is not a mother, son is not a son, thief is not a thief, noble is not a noble. There is no difference between virtue and vice or joy and pain. Self remains in a blissful state.

Author Premansu Chand is a desciple of Late Munishvar Shiv kumar Shastri. He teaches Patanjali Yoga. Those who want to know more about spiritualism and yoga may go through his book 'Quest for truth: the spiritual and yogic way'. http://www.bookstobelievein.com/questfortruth.php
premansu_chand@rediffmail.com