Drik
Drisya Viveka 4
Verse 13
Saktidvayam hi mayaya vikshepavrtirupakam
।
Vikshepasaktirlingadibrahmandantam
jagat srijet ॥13॥
Indeed, Maya
has two powers; of the nature of projecting and of veiling. The projecting power creates everything (world);
beginning from the subtle body (the experiencer) to the total universe (the
experienced).
Maya is
the illusory power of Brahman, the Supreme. There are two aspects to Maya’s power. They are
the veiling power and the projecting power.
At
the time of creation, at the level of Iswara, Brahman with Maya
manifest, only the projecting power operates and projects the entire universe. There
are two parts to what is projected by Maya – the subtle and the gross.
The entire subtle body (mind, intellect, ego, prana, sense organs) comprises
the ‘experiencer’ of creation. The total
gross universe comprises the ‘experienced’ in creation.
Verse 14
Srshtirnama brahmarupe sacchidanandavastuni
।
Abdhau
phenadivat sarvanamarupaprasarana ॥ 14॥
The manifesting of all names and forms in
Brahman, the entity that is Existence-Consciousness-Bliss, like the foams
etc. in the ocean is called creation
In
this verse there is a shift from microcosm to macrocosm, individual to the
whole universe i.e. from seer and seen to Brahman and universe. The
universe is described as a manifestation of names and forms only. This
manifestation is due to the projecting power of Maya which is potential
in Brahman from the causal standpoint. Both
names and forms are mere forms of thought only as can be understood by the
analysis of names and forms experienced in dream, which are nothing but the
projections of the mind. Brahman
is here defined as Existence-Consciousness-Bliss which is not Its attribute but
Its inherent nature. In this verse it is
pointed out that the names and forms that make up the external world are
related to Brahman, like the foams, waves and bubbles in the ocean to
the ocean. Foams, waves, bubbles etc. are not separate from the ocean, because
all these are made of the same stuff as water. But they are not identical with
the ocean, because one can always make a distinction between the ocean and the foam
etc. From the causal standpoint, Brahman
is both the material and efficient cause of the universe. The origin of the universe is the unfolding of Brahman through Its
inscrutable power, called Maya. As
the ocean appears in the form of foams, waves etc. so also Brahman
appears in the form of the world of names and forms.
Verse 15
Antardrikdrisyayorbhedaṃ bahisca
brahmasargayoh ।
Avrnotyapara
saktih sa samsarasya karanam ॥ 15॥
The
distinctions between the Seer and the seen within, and between Brahman and Creation without, is veiled by the other power,
the Veiling Power, which is the cause of Samsara.
After discussing the projecting power of Maya, Vikshepa
Sakthi, in the previous two verses, the author takes up the study of the
other power of Maya, Veiling power or Avarana Sakthi, in
this verse. This is the very root of the
spiritual delusion that besets mankind.
This verse addresses the basic identity crisis human beings experience
by discussing what is veiled from what. The
veiling is described to take place at the same two levels as the projecting:
i.e. microcosmic and macrocosmic; within and outside. Due to the Viksepa Sakthi,
the universe and I, the Jiva, have manifested. The universe is a mixture of Brahman
and nama-rupa. Brahman is satyam
and nama-rupa is mithya. So the universe is a mix of satyam
plus mithya, In the same way Jiva is also a mix of satyam
plus mithya as body and mind are mithya and Sakshi is satyam.
But due to Avarana sakthi, the other power of maya,the
distinction between sathyam part and mithya part is covered and Jiva,
lacking the sathya-mithya viveka, mistakes mithya to be real due to Avarana Sakthi
of Maya, and leans on mithya
world for security and experiences sorrow when unwanted things come and wanted
things go. Not knowing mithya from satyaṃ is the cause of samsara and
as a result one does not get
permanent peace and happiness.
Verse 16
Sakshinah purato bhati lingam dehena
samyutam ।
Chiticchayasamaveshat
jivah syad vyavahaarikah ॥ 16॥
The subtle body (Lingam)
which exists in close proximity to the Witness (Sakshi)
identifying itself with
the gross body becomes the embodied empirical self, due to the influence of reflection of Consciousness.
This verse explains Samsara as the cause of two mistakes, one at the
internal subjective level and the other at the external objective level. At the internal level one does not know that
one’s Real Self is Sakshi and mistakenly feels insecure, identifying
with body-mind complex. At the external
level one mistakenly believes that the world is Real and seeks support and
security from impermanent people. possessions, power etc. and this mistake
causes Samsara. Jiva is
called here “empirical embodied Self”. i.e. the empirical embodied Self, Jiva,
is Athma (Sakshi) + Chidabasa (reflected Consciousness,
called here as Chit chaya) +subtle body (lingam) +gross body. Jiva
with his real identity as imperishable Athma veiled by Avarana Sakthi
of Maya imagines the perishable mithya body-mind complex as Self
and seeking support and security from impermanent mithya world suffers Samsara
Verse 17
Asya jivatvam aropat sakshini api avabhasate
।
Avritau
tu vinastayam bhede bhate'payati tat ॥ 17॥
The Jivahood
of the Jiva, due to superimposition appears transferred onto the
Witnessing Self also. But when the
veiling is destroyed (by knowledge), the difference (between Jiva and
Self) is revealed and that (false notion) gets removed.
Because of the
ignorance of the fact that one is the Sakshi and the body-mind complex is
an object different from one, one identifies with the body-mind complex and
thinks and behaves as though he is the body-mind complex. This total identification leads to the status
of a Samsari. The Saṃsara problem of the body-mind complex is
wrongly superimposed on the Sakshi even though one as Sakshi does not
have those problems. This is called dharma-adhyasa, transference of the
properties of one object on to another object.
There is no solving the problem but only dissolving the problem by knowledge
(Athma Vidya). When the ignorant Jiva acquires Self-knowledge he gets over the veiling power of Maya. When the veiling power of Maya is nullified, the
identification with the mind and body is gone though the mind and body continues.
With the identification gone, the transference of Samsara also goes
away.
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