समानुभूति
Samānubhūti


June 24, 2022

Commentary by Ami Bansal and Garima Borwankar

Part I

The most anandatse, the most blissful, of all days—the day of June 24— holds an inestimable and cherished place in our hearts and in the hearts of all Siddha Yogis. It is the birthday of our beloved Shri Guru, Gurumayi Chidvilasananda!

It’s in honor of Gurumayi’s Birthday that the whole month of June is celebrated as Birthday Bliss on the Siddha Yoga path. One of the main teachings we’ve learned from Gurumayi is that our true essence is nothing but pure bliss and that our mandate on this planet is to realize that. In the abhanga, or devotional song, Anandatse dohi, ananda taranga, the poet-saint Tukaram Maharaj says, “In the great flood of bliss waves are surging, and they too are nothing but bliss, for bliss is the nature of every particle of this body of bliss!”

As many of you are aware, throughout the month of June all Siddha Yogis and new seekers receive one virtue a day from Shri Gurumayi. Gurumayi began this tradition in 2013. We who know about this tradition look forward to it each June, finding that these same virtues take on new meaning as we continue to study and imbibe their essence. New seekers, meanwhile, make many amazing discoveries as they learn for the first time what these virtues mean on the Siddha Yoga path.

And then on June 24, every year, we receive from Gurumayi a birthday surprise. What’s a birthday celebration without a birthday surprise, right? Typically, when it’s someone’s birthday, everyone else gives them gifts. So it’s remarkable that on Gurumayi’s Birthday, year after year after year, she gives us the incredible gift of a teaching in the form of a virtue. It’s a beautiful illustration of what we have learned from Gurumayi: that the giving and receiving which takes place between Guru and disciple is multidimensional. It does not follow a linear path; instead, it happens in 360 degrees. As this giving and receiving continues to take place, its energy, its benefits expand out concentrically, filling the world with saundarya, beauty; with sādhutā, goodness; with prakāsh, light.

This gift from Gurumayi is invaluable for us, as her students, because studying and practicing her teaching leads us to the experience of divinity within. Continuing on our path, diligently and determinedly, in pursuit of the goal of sadhana, is a gift that we can then give back to the Guru. We may also be inspired to give in other forms, such as seva and dakshina—both a kind of giving that stems from a deep understanding and knowledge of the transformational power of the Guru’s teachings.

Anything we receive from the Guru is guru-prasad—a sacred gift from the Guru. The giving of prasad by Shri Guru is an act of unparalleled generosity and compassion. Prasad from the Guru is a form of the Guru’s grace bestowed upon the disciple. In fact, guru-prasad is synonymous with guru-kripa, the Guru’s grace.

Guru-prasad is not necessarily a material object. Prasad from the Guru, in whatever shape and form it takes, is metamorphic for a disciple in their sadhana. Think of the amazing transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly. Through the process of metamorphosis an earthbound insect that once crawled on the ground will grow wings and soar into the sky.

So, Shri Gurumayi is giving us a precious gift: a virtue that is significant at the moment we receive it and whose value increases exponentially over time. The significance that it holds and the blessings it bestows upon those who embrace, study, and imbibe it continue to bear fruit in their sadhana.

In the year 2022, the virtue that Shri Gurumayi has imparted to us in honor of her birthday is:

समानुभूति

Samānubhūti

At this point, we wish to ask that you read this word, samānubhūti, aloud.

As you say it out loud, do focus on the long a vowel in samaa.

Also focus on the long u vowel in bhooti.

And the t at the end of the word is a soft t, like in the Spanish word tío, the French tout, and the Italian tu. It’s called a “dental” sound because the tip of your tongue touches the back of your upper front teeth in saying it.

And now repeat it silently—samānubhūti.

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Thank you for lingering with this exquisite virtue. We imagine that many of you are wishing to take more time to admire its beauty; to appreciate its structure, maybe even mentally tracing your fingers around its contours; to listen to its sound again and again, paying close attention to the syllables and the short and long vowels. As you do so, you will become increasingly familiar with its character, relishing the rasa inherent in it.

In our own study thus far, we have discovered many dimensions of samānubhūti. However, this is not to suggest by any means that these are the only meanings you will find to be inherent in samānubhūti. The orb of samānubhūti is vast and mysterious in how it manifests. There are myriad ways in which to understand and experience it. We feel certain that in the course of your own study of the virtue, as you hold it in your awareness through your days and nights and let it reflect in the actions you take in your life, you will have revelations and come to insights of your own about the meaning and blessings of samānubhūti. In fact, this is still a journey for us too, and we are excited about continuing to discover more and more about this virtue through reading the shares on the Siddha Yoga path website, through having conversations with like-minded people, and through whatever our own engagement with this prasad will reveal to us in the coming days, weeks, and years.

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So, what is the meaning of samānubhūti, a word which exists in both the Sanskrit and Hindi languages? In the broad sense, samānubhūti corresponds to the English word empathy, which the dictionary defines as our ability to share the feelings and emotions of other people as if they are our own. Its English synonyms include understanding, rapport, appreciation, and compassion. At the same time, samānubhūti has additional layers of meaning that lend it an extraordinary depth and richness, making it sparkle like an iridescent gem.

As we said just a short while ago, samānubhūti is a word in both Sanskrit and Hindi. It has similar meanings in both languages, and its origin is in Sanskrit.

It is a compound word made up of two parts: sama + anubhūti.

The Sanskrit word sama has multiple meanings: equal; same, identical; balanced, similar, resembling; constant, unchanging; impartial, fair; and full, complete, whole.

Anubhūti refers to perception, experience, realization, and knowledge.

When these two words are put together as the compound word samānubhūti, it denotes these multifaceted meanings:

  • cognizance of equality, nondifference, and oneness with everything
  • knowledge and perception of wholeness and completeness
  • experience of balance and equipoise
  • awareness of parity that leads to deep empathy, compassion, and understanding
  • responding to others with gentleness and nonjudgment

Samānubhūti is the cognizance of equality and oneness.

Samānubhūti is a virtue that arises from the fundamental belief that everyone and everything come from the same essence and are therefore equal to, and not different from, everyone and everything else.

Speaking about this ultimate Truth, the Mandukya Upanishad says:

सर्वं ह्येतद् ब्रह्म अयमात्मा ब्रह्म

sarvaṁ hyetad brahma ayamātmā brahma

All this is Brahman, the Absolute, and this Self is that Brahman.1

This Self, which is Brahman, is the Self that pervades everything and everyone. Even though you may not always be conscious of this truth, if you think about it, you often have the experience of the oneness inherent in samānubhūti. For instance, you may hear that someone whom you once met briefly has received widespread recognition for their work or their other contributions to society. Your immediate response is “Awesome. How wonderful!” You hardly know this person, yet now their joy is your joy, their achievement is your achievement. You feel a sense of pride and connection. The Brahman in you is in resonance with the Brahman in that person. It is irrelevant how much or how little you may know the person—you’ve already felt the light of Brahman in them.

Let’s look at another example. On a bright sunny day, you are walking behind someone on a busy sidewalk. All is well, when suddenly, the person walking in front of you trips and falls down. Your immediate response is to help; you reach out and gently pull them up, ensuring that they are not hurt. You don’t think, “Should I help them? Should I not?” You lend your support without even thinking. The Brahman in you feels what the Brahman in the other person is experiencing.

Samānubhūti is the name given to the realization of the ability we have to connect with the world around us. It names what may otherwise seem to be an amorphous feeling for some of us, something we may find difficult to explain or define. Samānubhūti is this feeling.

Samānubhūti is the knowledge of wholeness.

From the sense of unity with the world, from the recognition of nothing being different from the supreme “I,” you begin to see how all beings on this planet are interconnected, forming a collective whole that is this universe. What happens in one part of the earth or to any one species sooner or later impacts the rest of the world and the lives of all species.

A theory in physics called “quantum entanglement” describes how two subatomic particles can be interconnected despite the fact that the distance between them could be measured in billions of light-years. Even while this gigantic expanse of space separates them, a change brought upon one affects the other.

Additionally, other theories of atomic physics have described the interconnectivity among subatomic particles, atoms, and molecules. For example, charged particles in an atom bind together and, in fact, atoms can’t even exist without this bond connecting the particles with each other. Here again, a change in one effects change in another.

Planetary scientists have also discovered that we can trace the origin of almost all chemical elements present in the human body—such as calcium, sodium, iron, copper, hydrogen, and oxygen—back to distant stars. Through several supernova explosions, and over eons and eons of time, these elements made their way into our solar system, onto the earth, and eventually into our own bodies. In this way, we are a part of the cosmos and the cosmos, quite literally, is a part of us.

Science describes everything as pulsating with energy—at the atomic level, at the molecular level, at the level of a living being. And everything pulsates with its own characteristic vibration. Two things exchange energy when they resonate with each other. This energy that pulsates through all of the universe—in every atom—creates a harmonious consonance.

The Sanskrit word for atom is aṇu. Aṇu is also a name for Lord Shiva, and a noun meaning “individual soul.” Supreme Shiva takes the form of each individual soul, both contracting and multiplying himself to become everything in this world. What a divine concept this is! Don’t you agree?

When you recognize and understand this cosmic interconnectedness, this global interdependence, and you gradually become established in this knowledge of oneness, then not only do you begin to live in a state of harmony within yourself, you also start to resonate with all beings in this universe.

On the other hand, when you see yourself as separate from others, the environment around you, and the world, this limited perspective brings discord and disharmony both within and without, leading to a disruption in the cosmic order.

This reminds us of a teaching by Baba Muktananda, Gurumayi’s Guru, who often used to say, in his endearing mix of the Hindi and Marathi languages:

उपकार नको मगर उपद्रव नहीं चाहिए

upakār nako magar upadrav nahīṁ cāhiye

It’s fine if you cannot help others, but at least don’t be a nuisance.

Baba often spoke in pithy, sutralike statements that held a depth of meaning. In this statement, what he is saying is, “Don’t get in the way; don’t put obstacles in the path of those who are trying to help.” What these words of Baba’s also reveal to us is that we must endeavor to be the agents of harmony in the cosmic order.

Imbibing the wisdom of Baba’s words, how can you then restore harmony to your world and the world beyond you? One way to do this is by connecting to the virtue of samānubhūti and practicing it by looking at the world as one interwoven whole. Practicing samānubhūti requires conscious effort.

Click here to read Part II

1Mandukya Upanishad, 2; English translation © 2022 SYDA Foundation.

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    Gurumayi’s gift of the virtue samanubhuti has been both revelatory and transformative for me.
     
    As the commentary reveals, the word anu in Hindi means “atom” but is also a name for Lord Shiva, who pervades both the sentient and insentient world at both the atomic and the macroscropic level.
     
    Before I read this commentary, while repeating the mantra Om Namah Shivaya, I used to focus on its translation as “I bow to the divinity within.” But with my new awareness, now I repeat the mantra with the understanding of “I bow to the divinity both within and without, the divinity in everything.”
     
    Just thinking about this shift in my awareness leads me to a sense of wonder, where my mind stops momentarily. For me, that is an experience of grace.

    New York, United States

    After reading this commentary on samanubhuti, I went to the pharmacy to pick up my heart medication. After waiting about thirty minutes, I learned from the service person that the prescription had still not been filled.
     
    Upon hearing this, I felt both annoyed with the service person and worried because it’s a medication I need to take daily. Then, thinking about this commentary, I reshaped how I thought about the service worker; I recognized that it wasn’t her fault and that we were in this together.
     
    With that thought firmly in mind, I hoped she would at least give me several pills until the prescription could be filled. Several moments later, she returned to the window, and said, “Here are three pills you can take until we can refill your prescription.”
     
    I drove away feeling grateful to the woman for filling my prescription, and to myself for being able to see the bigger truth of the situation by practicing samanubhuti in my daily life. I knew this was Gurumayi’s prasad.
     

    Pennsylvania, United States

    After reading this commentary, I feel that up until now my understanding of the word “empathy” has been narrow. 

    I was either taught, or concluded on my own, that empathy was a faculty that gave support in response to other people’s distress signals. 

    Yet, exploring the nuances of meaning in the commentary on samanubhuti has led me to look at this virtue in a different light. It has inspired me to ask myself whether the quality of empathy could also manifest when signaled by happiness.

    I did some research and found that certain studies on this subject have shown that the same parts of the brain that activate empathy when signaled by others’ distress also do so when we witness their joy. 

    This knowledge has felt like throwing open a window and breathing in fresh air.

    Since this discovery, I have been making an effort to see and treasure the profusion of joy that is always present in my life. I am finding joy in nature, in my memories, in all the small comforts that I take for granted, and in the laughter I share with friends.

    Texas, United States

    Today I had a disagreement with someone about a small matter. I decided to talk to the person again about the issue with the intention of creating harmony. As I did so, I realized that I was practicing samanubhuti. It was not completely easeful, but nevertheless I managed to feel a sense of unity, and this created a feeling of understanding and harmony between us!

    I was delighted with my first small success and will definitely continue to practice samanubhuti. To me this is a way I can contribute to a more harmonious world.

    Unterlangenegg, Switzerland

    As I read this rich commentary, I was touched by the gold and blue tapestry behind the Sanskrit letters of samanubhuti that accompanies it. This beautiful tapestry represented for me the precious and delicate teachings of the Guru.

    I realized that the Guru’s gift does not open from the outside. It opens from inside, from the intimate space of the heart, layer after layer, as it expands into the infinite space of Consciousness.

    And so, I began to engrave samanubhuti in my heart and mind, relishing the rasa of the Sanskrit pronunciation and beginning to assimilate its myriad of meanings. Just by “responding to others with gentleness and nonjudgment“—which is one of the meanings of the word—I strengthen my connection to my heart.

    Practicing this virtue enables my being to flourish even when existence seems to be somewhat dry.

    Rodez, France

    I am truly grateful for this exquisite commentary on samanubhuti. It beautifully illumined some misunderstandings I’d had about the virtue of empathy, and opened me to a new experience of our shared essence and common source, the one flavor of all being, life, and love.
     
    I loved seeing my own misconceptions dissolve, laughing at my mind’s limited interpretations, and watching a greater understanding guide me step by step back to my own true nature. What amazing grace this is!
     
    I also love listening to the sound of this beautiful word over and over—it is so balancing and nourishing for me.
     

    Washington, United States

    When reading the commentaries on the virtues that appear each June on the Siddha Yoga path website, I have always loved learning the meanings of the various constituent parts of each word and the flavor that they lend to the overall meaning of each virtue.
     
    This morning, after reading the commentary on samanubhuti and contemplating the virtue of empathy, I noticed that the English word path is at the center of the English word empathy. It came to me that the Siddha Yoga path is at the heart of empathy. By studying the teachings and performing the practices, I can experience true empathy.
     
    The letters in path also come between the letters m and y in empathy. And so the Siddha Yoga path breaks apart the limited feeling of “me” and “my” and further expands my understanding of empathy.
     

    Hazelbury Bryan, United Kingdom

    This morning I had an inner conversation with myself: I wanted to invent something helpful and harmonizing for nature and humanity. The answer that arose from within: “Every true invention is based on empathy. You have to dive deep within and connect to the universal essence.”
     
    I recently read a book in German about wholeness, completeness, and individuality in the sense of being neither divided nor divisible, but instead similar to atoms and to God. Then, after reading this commentary, I felt so touched that I shed tears of gratitude. It meets a deep yearning within me to understand, feel, and experience oneness—even with the different terms and notions found in modern science and in ancient knowledge, even with noncongruent words in different languages—and to connect and unify the puzzle parts that my brain is trying to integrate into one whole.
     
    This commentary is itself a form of empathy and a valuable guide to samanubhuti.
     

    Hindelang, Germany

    I have long marveled at how Gurumayi has guided and enhanced our appreciation of nature, where the cosmic order is so apparent. The fruit of that perception is to perceive and feel one with the beauty of God’s overflowing bliss in the form of the world around us. 
     
    Now, with this new gift of the virtue samanubhuti, we have the opportunity to consciously practice “looking at the world as one interwoven whole,” “to resonate with all beings in this universe,” and to be “agents of harmony in the cosmic order.”  
     

    New York, United States

    After studying the rich and valuable commentary on samanubhuti, I realized how I could nurture my beginner’s mind.

    My mind has a tendency to think in complex ways and then hold on to its insights. But when I study nature, all I see is flow and endless change; nothing is the same as yesterday as virtually everything is constantly changing! For me, a beginner’s mind is open, awake in the present moment, and surfing on the endless waves of divine creation. 

    This insight helps me to nurture my beginner’s mind and to calm my mind when it wants to hold on, convinced that it already knows what it’s all about.
     

    Unterlangenegg, Switzerland

    As I read through this beautiful commentary, I am reminded of an experience I had recently while traveling abroad. I was in a city I did not know, and I needed to purchase adaptors for my electronic devices. I also had to catch a train and I was concerned about finding my way to the train station on time.
     
    The young woman in the store who assisted me with my purchases was the essence of samanubhuti, as this commentary has defined it. She slowed everything down in order to help me, explained how the appliances worked, and gave me clear directions to the train station.
     
    May I become such a person for others as I strive to embody this virtue that Gurumayi has so generously given us to contemplate and imbibe.
     

    Virginia, United States

    I feel so grateful to have this commentary on the virtue of samanubhuti. After reading this commentary and contemplating this profound virtue, I was better able to connect with the virtue of worthiness, something I have struggled to understand.
     
    When reading the commentary, I better understood how “everyone and everything comes from from the same essence,” so there is no genuine duality in this world. This new awareness of oneness made me realize the worthiness that I and everyone else have on this planet, which inherently also connected me back to samanubhuti.
     
    I am very excited at the prospect of further contemplating, understanding, and applying this virtue in my daily life.

    New Jersey, United States