Aparokshanubhuthi – 2

The nature of Vichara 

Verse 10

Uktasadhanayuktena vicharaḥ purusheṇa hi I

Kartavyo jnanasiddhyarthamatmanaḥ subhamicchata II

Only that person who is in possession of the said qualification (Sadhana Chathushtayam) should constantly reflect with a view to attaining Knowledge, desiring his own good.

Verse 11

Notpadyate vina jnanaṃ vicharenanyasadhanaiḥ I

Yatha padarthabhanaṃ hi prakasena vina kvacit II

Knowledge is not brought out by any means other than Vichara, just as an object is not seen without the help of the light.

What one should do after gaining the qualification is explained in these two verses. Those who seek liberation from the bondage of Self-ignorance, Moksha, must cultivate this qualification as a means to Self-Knowledge and start enquiring into the nature of the Self.  Ignorance can be removed through knowledge only and knowledge for removing Self-ignorance can be gained only through enquiry into scriptures with the help of a guru.  This enquiry is called here Vichara. Sri Sankara emphasises that Vichara is not one of the methods for Moksha but Vichara is the only method for Moksha through the example of darkness and light. Darkness can be removed only by light and not by any other means.  Similarly, only when one makes enquiry into the real nature of Self, Self-ignorance will vanish yielding ground to Self-Knowledge. The process of enquiry will be outlined in the succeeding verses.

Verse 12

ko'ham kathamidaṃ jataṃ ko vai karta'sya vidyate I

upadanaṃ kimastiha vicharaḥ so'yamidṛsaḥ II

Who am I? How is this (world) created? Who is its Creator? Of what material is this (world) made? This is the way of that Vichara.

Verse 13

Nahaṃ bhutagano deho nahaṃ chakshaganastatha I

Etadvilaksanah kascidvicharah so'yamidrsah II

I am neither the body, a combination of the (five) elements, nor I am an aggregate of the senses; I am something different from these.  This is the way of that Vichara.

Verse 14

Ajnanaprabhavaṃ sarvaṃ jnanena praviliyate I

Saṃkalpo vividhah karta vicharaḥ so'yamidṛsaḥ II

Everything is produced by ignorance, and dissolves in the wake of Knowledge. The various thoughts must be the creator. This is the way of that Vichara.

Verse 15

Etayoryadupadanamekaṃ sukshmaṃ sadavyayam I

Yathaiva mṛdghatadinaṃ vicharaḥ so'yamidrsaḥ II

The material (cause) of these two (ignorance and thought) is One, subtle and unchanging Sat, just as the clay is the material (cause) of the pot and the like. This is the way of that Vichara.

Verse 16

Ahameko'pi suksmascha jnata sakṣhi sadavyayaḥ I

Tadahaṃ natra sandeho vicharah so'yamidṛsaḥ II

As I am also the One, the Subtle, the Knower, the Witness, the Ever-existent and the unchanging, so there is no doubt that I am ‘That” (Brahman).  This is the way of that Vichara.

Verse 12 states on what line the Vichara should run through four questions on the three basic factors; Jiva, Jagat and Iswara.   First Vichara is on Jiva through the question, “Who am I?”.   Second Vichara is regarding Jagat with the question, “How is this world created”.  Third Vichara is on Iswara as Nimitta karanam with the question, “Who is the world’s Creator?”.  Fourth Vichara is on Iswara as Upadhana karanam with the question, “Of what material is this world made?”.  Answers to these questions are briefly discussed in the succeeding verses 13, 14, 15 and 16. 

In verse 13 the first question is answered indirectly by describing “Who I am not?”.  Here the experiencer and experienced are enquired on the basis of Drik- Drisya-Viveka enquiry.  The principle of this enquiry is “I, the experiencer as subject, is different from the experienced which is the object. The world is an object of experience; body is an object of experience; mind etc. is also an object of experience and therefore, I am different from world and the body- mind complex.  Further body-mind complex that is made of the pancha bhuthas; space, air, fire, water and earth – of their gross and subtle elements- are not sentient by themselves being matter only while ‘I’ am sentient.  What “I” am is discussed in a later verse 16.

In first line of verse 14 the second question is answered.  The world is born of our ignorance of the Reality behind the world.  This ignorance is called Ajjnanam at the vyeshti level and Maya at the samashti level.  Sometimes seeing something curled up on the road we mistake it for a snake and shrink back out of fear.  Later discovering it is a rope we approach it with confidence.  Just as the snake is born out of our ignorance the world is a creation of our Ajjnanam and through Jnanam only we can learn the true nature of the world as of Maya only.  Our ignorance is of the form of thoughts and so it is concluded in the verse that samanya karanam for creation is Maya and visesha karanam for creation is the various thoughts.

The fourth question is answered in the verse 15. Maya is the power of Brahman and Brahman is one without a second, subtle and without attributes or change and is of the principle of Sat, Chit, Aananda i.e. Existence, Consciousness, Bliss.  As clay is the material cause for pot and gold for golden ornaments, Brahman called here as Sat, is the material cause of the world.

Verse 16 takes up the Vichara from verse 13 which analyzed what “I” is not.  Now we shall see what “I” is in this verse.  I, the Athma, which is the ego stripped of all its limiting adjuncts, such as body and like, is “the One, the Subtle, the Knower, the Witness, the Ever-existent, and Unchanging, Consciousness”. This is Brahman as well.  Athma is Brahman only and its seeming limitations are that of the Upadhi only.  The limitations imposed on the Athma, the Real Self, will be discussed and refuted in the next 5 verses where Self-ignorance, Ajjnanam is discussed.

Verse 17

Athma vinishkalo hyeko deho bahubhiravṛtah I

Tayoraikyaṃ prapasyanthi kimajnanamatah param II

Athma is verily one and without parts, whereas the body consists of many parts; and yet the people see these two as one!  What else can be called ignorance but this?

Verse 18

Athma niyamakaschantardeho bahyo niyamyakah I

Tayoraikyaṃ prapasyanthi kimajnanamatah param II

Athma is the ruler of the body and internal, the body is ruled and external; and yet the people see these two as one!  What else can be called ignorance but this?

Verse 19

Athma jnanamayah punyo deho mamsamayo'suciḥ I

Tayoraikyaṃ prapasyanthi kimajnanamatah param II

Athma is all consciousness and holy, the body is all flesh and impure; and yet the people see these two as one!  What else can be called ignorance but this?

Verse 20

Athma prakasakah svaccho dehastamasa uchyate I

Tayoraikyaṃ prapasyanthi kimajnanamatah param II

Athma is the Illuminator and purity itself, the body is said to be of the nature of darkness; and yet the people see these two as one!  What else can be called ignorance but this?

Verse 21

Athma nityo hi sadrupo deho'nityo hyasanmayah I

Tayoraikyaṃ prapasyanthi kimajnanamatah param II

Athma is eternal, since it is Existence itself: the body is transient, as it is non-existence in essence; and yet the people see these two as one!  What else can be called ignorance but this?

While the external world is easily understood as anathma, it is difficult to reconcile oneself to the fact that the body is also anathma, not Self.  So in the above five verses Athma anathma Vichara is done with Athma and body as anathma.  After pointing the differences in the first line, the second line of the above five verses states that sorting them out is Jnanam and mixing them up is Ajjnanam.  What ignorance is greater than this ignorance asks Sri Sankara in each verse as Self-ignorance is the root of samsara.

In verse 17 it is pointed out that Athma is one and without parts and it cannot be equated with body as body has multiple parts and bodies are many.  In verse 18 it is pointed out that Athma is the controller in the sense it enlivens the body as Consciousness through its reflection and being the subject only is called internal and so is different from body as body is the receiver of sentiency and is object only.  Subject and giver are not identical with the object and receiver and so they are different.   Verse 19 points to another two distinctions i.e. Athma is sentient, being Consciousness principle while body is insentient by itself and Athma is pure and it does not decay or stink while body is impure that decays and stinks, if not washed regularly.  Verse 20 draws attention to the fact that Athma is the illuminator while body is the illumined.  Verse 21 points out that Athma being the Existence principle is Nithya while body is anithya.  Athma Vichara continues in the next few verses also which we shall see in the next blog.

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