Apparent Duality and Real Unity
यथोदकं दुर्गे वृष्टं पर्वतेषु विधावति ।
एवं धर्मान् पृथक् पश्यंस्तानेवानुविधावति ॥ १४॥
yathodakaṃ durge vṛṣṭaṃ parvateṣu vidhāvati .
evaṃ dharmān pṛthak paśyaṃstānevānuvidhāvati .. 14..
As rainwater falling on a mountain peak runs down the rocks in all directions, even so he who sees the attributes as different from Brahman verily runs after them in all directions.
Commentary:
When rain falls, water is poured on the peak of a mountain. If there is a large depression, like a valley on a mountain of great height, the rainfall will channelise itself through that valley, and there will be a concentrated rush of water in one direction only. But if there are many such little crevices and cracks on the mountain, the downpour of water that falls as rain will be distracted in many directions. Some water will flow here, some water will flow there. Everywhere there will be a scattered movement of the water from the rainfall.
In the case of a distracted mind, this is what happens. The rain of wisdom, which actually falls from the essential soul of man, is distracted in many ways, as the water on a mountain is split in different ways, because of the movement of the five sense organs and the millions of thoughts and feelings. Endless thoughts and endless feelings are the channels through which consciousness manifests itself, so that there is a tremendous inconceivable multiplicity of the manifestation of the soul consciousness when it actually reveals itself through the conditioning factors of the mind and the sense organs. When a person sees many things, thinks many things, feels many things, the consciousness will also be diverted along the same channel of diversity in a manifold manner, so that there would be no concentration in life. There will be no sense of unity in personality. There will be no alignment of the psychic modes of operation. There will be unhappiness and a kind of impossibility to choose even what is good and proper, or is the aim of one’s life.
Swami Vivekananda Says —
As rain falling upon a mountain flows in various streams down the sides of the mountain, so all the energies which you see here are from that one Unit. It has become manifold falling upon Maya. Do not run after the manifold; go towards the One.[Source]