Consciousness & Reflection of Consciousness

Drik Drisya Viveka 2

Verse 5

nodeti nastametyesa na vrddhim yati na ksayam ।

svayaṃ vibhatyathananyani bhasayet sadhanam vina ॥ 5॥

This (Sakshi) does not rise, nor does It set; It does not increase, nor does It decrease; It shines by itself and then others does It illumine, without any external aid.

This verse describes the Seer 3, Consciousness or Sakshi.  Consciousness is not limited by time as it does not have origination or destruction i.e. it has no birth or death.  It is also not limited by space as It does not increase in space or decrease in space.  In short, it is eternal and all-pervading being time-wise limitless and space-wise limitless.  Consciousness is ever the Seer and is never illumined by anything because it is self-luminous.  Not only it is self-shining, it illumines all the other things also without requiring any instruments for illumination.  In Kathopanishad (2-2-15) It is described as, “Tameva bhantham anubhathi sarvam tasya bhasa sarvamidam Vibhathi (It shining, all these (sun,moon, stars etc.) shine; through its lustre all these are variously illumined.)”.   It needs nothing else to know It.  It is the very principle of knowing; It is Knowledge Absolute.

Verse 6

Chit chhaayaa aaveshatah buddhau bhanaṃ dhiistu dvidha sthita ।

ekahankrtiranya syadantahkaranarupiṇi ॥ 6॥

The reflection of Consciousness that enters into the Buddhi, makes it conscious. The (thoughts in the) Buddhi (intellect) are of two kinds: One is the Ego thought, and the other is of the nature of the anthakarana (mind).

Consciousness is present everywhere and is illuminating everything that is manifested, gross as well as subtle.  However gross objects cannot reflect it as well as the subtle. This may be compared to light which reflects very well off a surface of water and very poorly off a piece of wood.  The anthakaranam is the most subtle object in creation.  Anthakaranam is referred to here through one of its constituents, intellect (buddhi).  Anthakaranam is divided into four parts, the ego, the intellect, the mind and memory. Here these four have been re-grouped into two parts. They are:

i) Ego - Aham or the “I”-thought.

ii) Mind - The remaining three parts of the Antahkarana, intellect, mind & memory, are clubbed together and referred to as Mind.

Anthakaranam though insentient appears sentient on account of association with Consciousness in the form of its reflection and in turn becomes illuminator like the moon becoming an illuminator of earth through its association with the sunlight reflected on its surface. This anthakaranam being divided into two groups the associated thoughts are also seen in two groups and we now have two groups of thoughts Ego and Mind, for further study.

Verse 7 

chayaahankarayoraikyam taptayahpindavanmatam ।

tadahankaratadatmyaat dehaschetanatamagaat॥ 7॥

The identity of the reflected Consciousness and the Ego is considered to be like that of a heated iron ball (and of fire).  The Ego, due to identification (with the body), lends its consciousness to the body.

In this verse the first part of the two parts of thought is taken up – Ahamkara, the ‘I’ thought or just Ahamkriti, as mentioned in the previous verse and Its relationship with reflected Consciousness is being considered.  The simile employed in Athmabodha (verse 62) to illustrate how the Brahman pervading the world of creation totally, lends life and intelligence to the world of inert and insentient matter is used here. The simile is that of an iron-ball and fire. The cold iron ball coming into contact with red hot fire gets heated up, glows red like fire and heats up others in contact wth it. The insentient ego turns sentient due to its association with reflected consciousness and in turn makes the inert body sentient through its association with the body. The gross body now appears to be sentient as well.  The body includes the golakams of the sense-organs and so the sentient ahamkriti makes the sense-organs sentient as well. All the three components of the individual are thus sentient and so there is a live individual.  At the time of death, the anthakaranam quits the gross body and the reflected consciousness also leaves along with the subtle body housing the anthakaranam and the gross body becomes insentient because the gross body cannot borrow consciousness directly from Athma, though Athma is all-pervading.

Verse 8

ahankarasya tadatmyaṃ cicchayadehasaksibhih ।

sahajam karmajam bhrantijanyam ca trividham kramat ॥ 8॥

The identification of the Ego with the reflection of Consciousness, with body and with the Witness are of three kinds, namely natural, born of karma (past actions), and ignorance (delusion) respectively.

In this verse Ego identifications are grouped in three distinct categories according to the cause of each category.  The identification of the Ego with the reflection of Consciousness, the body and the Witness are of three kinds, namely, natural, due to (past) Karma, and due to ignorance, respectively. The identification of Ego with reflection of Consciousness is natural, permanent and inseparable as any reflecting medium and reflection cannot be physically separated and as long as the reflecting medium is present the reflection will also be present.  The Ego-body identification is temporary and the association is caused by Prarabdha karma and the association will last until the Prarabdha karma lasts.  No identification is possible between the Ego and the Sakshi because Sakshi belongs to a higher order of reality, and the Ego belongs to a lower order of reality. No connection or identification is possible between the higher and the lower orders of reality.  Further Sakshi is like space which is not connected to anything.  But due to ignorance, which is called delusion (branthi) here, one makes the identification of Ego “I” with the Sakshi, the Real ‘I’.

Verse 9

sambandhinohsatornasti nivrttih sahajasya tu ।

karmakshayat prabodhaccha nivartete kramadubhe ॥ 9॥

The connection (of Ego) with reflected Consciousness cannot be annihilated, as it is natural; the other two (connection with body and Sakshi) can be eliminated by exhaustion of Karma, and by enlightenment (knowledge of Sakshi) respectively,

The previous verse outlined the three identifications of the Ego and they are dicussed further here for their better understanding.  We can never separate the bonding between reflection of Consciousness and Ego which is natural. The relationship between them lasts as long as they exist. But the relationship is not eternal because in videhamukti, the ego gets destroyed and the relationship comes to an end.  Since the Ego-body connection is due to prarabhda karma, that relationship will continue as long as the prarabdha karma lasts and only at death. prarabhdha karma will be exhausted.  Even Athma Jnanam cannot extinguish the connection between the body and Ego, if Prarabdha karma is not exhausted. But Athma Jnanam gives a new perspective to such a person’s emotional reaction to the pain and sorrow. Naming such a wise person as Sthitha prajna, Lord Krishna  states in Gita (2-56):

Duhkheshwanudwignamanaah sukheshu vigatasprihah;

Veetaraagabhayakrodhah sthitadheer munir uchyate.

He whose mind is not shaken by adversity, who does not hanker after pleasures, and who is free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a sage of steady wisdom.

But with Athma Jnanam the bond between Ego and Sakshi will cease for with the Jnanam one realises that there had never been a connection and never could be a connection as Sakshi belongs to a higher order of Reality compared to Ego.  Hence Ego can no longer identify itself with the Sakshi after enlightenment.  So the  identification of the Ego with the reflection of Consciousness, which is natural, does not cease so long as they exist and the other  two identifications disappear after the wearing out of the result of Karma and the attainment of the knowledge of Brahman (enlightenment) respectively.

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Seer-Seen relationship

Drik Drisya Viveka – 1

Drik-Drisya Viveka is a Prakarana Grantha like Athma Bodha and Tattva Bodha which were dicussed in earlier blogs.  Prakarana Grantha is an explanatory text or a supporting text written by a later day Acharya for understanding the main source, the fundamental three works of Vedanta, Prasthana Triam, namely the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and Brahma Sutras. But unlike Tattva Bodha it does not deal with all the six aspects of Vedantic teaching i.e. jiva, the individual; jagat, the world; Iswara and Creation; bandha, the bondage; moksha, liberation; sadhana, the means by which the jiva can travel from bondage to liberation. Drik-Drisya Viveka, is a prakarana grantha that highlights the jiva-vichara i.e. Jiva, bandha, moksha and sadhanas.  The author of Drik-Drisya Viveka is not clearly known. According to some people, Adhi Sankaracharya is the author while some others say that Vidyaranya is the author. But there are quite a good number of people who say that Vidyaranya’s guru, Bharathi Tīrtha, one of the Sankaracharyas of the Sringeri Mutt in the 14th century is the author.  Drik-Drisya Viveka is a relatively smaller prakaraṇa grantha consisting of 46 verses.  The word ‘Drik’ in the title of this text means Seer or illuminator or experiencer; ‘Drisyam’ means Seen, illumined or experienced object; and ‘Viveka’ means discrimination i.e. resolving confusion in thinking leading to clear knowledge of both.  Confused thinking leading to deluded knowledge i.e. aviveka, also called moha or adhyasa which is the cause of samsara. To attain Moksha, this confusion has to be resolved and hence Drik-Drisya Viveka is necessary for Athma Jnanam.  This book is also called Vakya Sudha, which means “the nectar or essence of the Mahavakyas”.  With this brief introduction we will enter into the text proper.

Verse 1

Rupam drisyam lochanam drik taddrisyam driktu manasam ।

Drisya dheevrittayah sakshi drik eva na tu drisyate ॥ 1॥

Form is the Seen, the eye is the Seer; that eye is the Seen, and mind is its Seer; Athma (the Sakshi) the Seer of the thoughts in the mind is Seer alone and is never the Seen

In the first five verses the author is talking about the nature of the individual, Jiva, who is a composite entity consisting of three layers of Seer and Seen.  In Tattvabodha,  Jiva is presented as a composite entity consisting of three bodies, five sheaths, etc.  Here the author says that the individual consists of three types of Seers or experiencers.  Of these, two are relative Seers and the third one is the absolute one. The first Seer is the sense-organs, represented by the ‘eye’ and the Seen, the experienced object, is the external world represented by the ‘form’. Then the sense-organs themselves are seen or experienced and so they become the object, and from that standpoint the mind becomes the second Seer and the sense-organs the Seen.  The mind itself is experienced or illumined by Athma, the Sakshi Chaitanyam or Consciousness and so the mind becomes the object of experience, and Consciousness, the Athma, becomes the Seer. This Consciousness itself cannot be objectified or seen by anything else. Therefore consciousness is ever the Seer and never the Seen. Thus sense-organs are both the Seer and the Seen and therefore they are relative Seers. The mind also is both the Seer and Seen and therefore it is also a relative Seer.  But Athma, the Consciousness, is ever the Seer and never the Seen and therefore it is the absolute Seer. Thus two relative Seers plus one absolute Seer is the individual’s composition. The first verse is an introductory verse in which all the three Seers are introduced and also the three relationships:

1)    Eye - Object relationship

2)    Mind – Eye relationship

3)    Athma (Sakshi) – Mind relationship

These relationships are explained in the later verses

Verse 2

Nilapitasthulasukshmahrasvadirghadibhedatah।

nanavidhani rupani pasyellocanamekadha ॥ 2॥

The forms (objects of perception) are many and varied on account of the differences like blue, yellow, gross, subtle, short, long, etc.  The eye remaining the same sees them all.

The first Seer, eye, representing sense-organs, is explained in this second verse.  ‘Eye’ stands for all the five sense organs; eye, ear, nose, tongue and skin, and ‘Forms’ stands for all the 5 respective sense objects for each sense organ; sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Every sense-organ is a Seer and the relevant sense object is the Seen.  This verse takes eye for example and analyses Seer-Seen relationship,  Eye is one and the objects of perception are many and varied.  Without undergoing any change, remaining the same, the eye illumines all the varied sense objects. The forms, dimensions and colors of the sense objects are many and varied but the eye, remaining the same and single, observes all of them. Therefore while Dṛisyam is many, Drik is one only.

Verse 3

Andhyamandyapatutvesu netradharmesu caikadha ।

sankalpayenmanah sotratvagadau yojyatamidam ॥ 3॥

Blindness, dullness and sharpness are the many characteristics of the eye, but mind (being one) remaining the same knows (these differences).  The same thing applies to the ear, the skin, etc, (i.e. whatever is perceived through them).

The second Seer mind is discussed in this verse.  Though the eye, representing sense-organs is the perceiver (Seer) in respect of the various forms, yet it becomes the object of perception (Seen) in its relation to the mind. This is true of other sense-organs as well.  The mind is one, whereas there are five different sense organs which report to it. Each sense organ can receive only the signal that it is tuned to receive. The ear can only hear, the nose can only smell etc.  From the same sense object, all the five sense organs pick up the five signals concerning them and send it to the mind. The mind then integrates all these signals and forms the composite assessment of the particular object. The full information is obtained only by the mind and so the mind is the Seer and the sense-organs are the Seen.  The sense-organs are seen by virtue of their perceptual power in three different levels. Total perception, total non-perception and partial perception and partial non-perception are those three levels represented by sharpness of vision, blindness and dullness of vision in the case of eye.  The mind experiences or illumines these three conditions of the eye without undergoing any change itself.  Blindness of the eye does not make the mind non-functional, and the dull vision does not make the mind dull.  This principle can be extended to the other four sense-organs such as ear, skin, etc as well.   Here again we see the principle of the observed being many and the observer being one i,e Drisyam is many  and Drik is one. 

Verse 4

Kamah sankalpasandehau sraddha asraddhe dhrtitare ।

hrirdhirbhirityevamadin bhasayatyekadha chitih ॥ 4॥ 

Consciousness, remaining the same, illumines all the thoughts (mental states); thoughts of desire, willingness or doubt, belief or disbelief, fortitude or its lack, modesty, understanding, fear, and such others.

In the previous verse, the mind was introduced as Seer 2, the relative Seer. In this verse, the author says that the mind itself is ‘Seen’, experienced or clearly known. The mind goes through different emotional conditions like happiness, sorrow, jealousy, compassion, fear, etc., In addition, there are several cognition conditions of the mind like ignorance, knowledge, partial ignorance, partial knowledge, doubt, etc. These various conditions of the mind are known because they are experienced by something external to the mind. That is Consciousness, Seer 3 and mind is the Seen.  Consciousness was referred to earlier as Sakshi and it is also called Sakshi Chaitanyam or Athma as well and It is only a witness to the conditions of mind that It illumines without itself undergoing any change.  Sakshi's nature will be discussed in the next verse.  This Seer 3 is unlike the other two Seers. It is ever the Seer and never the Seen. It is ever the experiencer and never the experienced for Athma is never an object of experience.

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