Vivekachudamani – 14

 

Select verses 68 to 73

Verse 68

sadbrahmakaryam sakalam sadaiva, sanmatrametanna tato’nyadasti |

astiti yo vakti na tasya mohah, vinirgato nidritavat prajalpaḥ ||230||

So too, the entire universe, being the effect of the Real Brahman, is Brahman itself and nothing else. It is of the essence of That and it cannot exist apart from That.  Anyone who says it does, is still under delusion like one talking in intense sleep.

Verse 69

brahmaivedam visvamityeva vani, srauti brutetharvanistha varistha |

tasmadetad brahmamatram hi visvam, nadhisthanadbhinnataropitasya||231II

Truly, this entire universe is Brahman—this is the declaration of the Atharva Veda. Therefore, this universe is Brahman alone, for a superimposition has no existence apart from its substratum.

    Brahman is the cause and universe is the effect.  This means that universe has no independent existence apart from Brahman and Brahman as the cause pervades the effect, universe. So for a man of realisation, the talk of universe as a separate entity apart from Brahman, appears as a meaningless prattle like talking in sleep.  Mundakopanishad (2.2.11), which forms part of Atharva Veda, says:

“brahmaivedamamrtam purastad brahma pascad brahma daksinatascottarenaI 

adhascordhvaṃ ca prasrtam brahmaivedam visvamidaṃ varistham II

That immortal Brahman alone is before, that Brahman is behind, that Brahman is to the right and left. Brahman alone pervades everything above and below; this universe is that Supreme Brahman alone.”

    Brahman being the cause forms substratum for the effect, the universe. Being a superimposition, universe does not have the same degree of Reality as the substratum though it may have experienceability, utility and transactability as dream-world also has experienceability, utility and transactability for a dreamer in dream and yet seen as unreal on waking up. Same way waking-world, the universe is seen as unreal on realisation after acquisition of Athma Vidya.  Universe has no independent Real existence apart from the adhishtanam, Brahman, which is one only without second.

Verse 70

satyam yadi syajjagadetadatmanah, anantatvahaninigamapramanata |

asatyavaditvamapisituh syad, naitat trayam sadhu hitam mahatmanam||232II

If the universe, as it is, is Real, the Self (Athma) would not be Infinite, the scriptures would be false, the Lord himself would be guilty of having spoken an untruth. None of these three is considered either desirable or beneficial by the Great Ones.

Verse 71

isvaro vastutattvajnah, na cahamm tesvavasthitah|

na ca matsthani bhutani, ityevameva vyaciklpat ||233||

The Lord, the knower of the Reality of all things, has expressly declared: "I do not abide in them, and nor do beings abide in Me."

    If one says that the universe is Real, there would be following contradictions:

1)    Destruction of limitlessness of Brahman – Brahman is All-pervading and Infinite as per Upanishads. If universe is Real, then it would condition Brahman rendering it limited.

2)    Falsification of scriptures – The scriptures declare that Brahman only is Real and the universe is unreal. If world is also Real, it will amount to falsifying the scriptures.

3)    The Lord becomes a liar – The Lord is the revealer of the truth of Upanishads. If the Upanishadic declarations are false, it would amount to dubbing the Lord who revealed them as liar.

Great rishis who are Brahma Jnanis will not accept the conclusions and so the world is not Real. Further Lord Krishna, who is an avatar of Iswara, declares in Bhagavad Gita (9-4,5);

mayaa tatamidam sarvam jagadavyaktamoortinaa;I

matsthaani sarvabhootaani na chaaham teshvavasthitah.II9-4II

All this world is pervaded by Me in My unmanifest aspect; all beings exist in Me, but I do not dwell in them

na cha matsthaani bhootaani--- (9-5); Nor do beings exist in me (in reality)---.

    That means universe is not independent of the Lord, but Lord is independent of the universe.  Lord establishes the mithyatva of the universe and satyatva of Brahman through this declaration, “I am not in them; They are not in me in reality”.  Universe is only apparently Real as superimposed on Brahman and as a superimposed entity is not Real in itself.  So,only Brahman is the only Reality.

Verse 72

yadi satyam bhavedvisvam, susuptavupalabhyatam |

yannopalabhyate kincid, ato’satsvapnavanmrsa ||234||

If the universe were real, it would have been perceived even in the deep-sleep state. Since it is not at all perceived, it must be unreal like a dream.

Verse 73

atah prthannasti jagatparatmanah, prthakpratitistu mrsa gunahivat|

aropitasyasti kimarthavatta, adhisthanamabhati tatha bhramena ||235||

Therefore, the world has no existence apart from the Supreme Self and the appearance of its separateness is false like the appearance of a snake in a rope. Can a superimposition have any real existence apart from its own substratum? Through delusion, it is the substratum itself which appears like that.

    The world is perceptible to one during the waking stage only.  The pluralistic world is no more perceived during dream state and deep sleep state. Satyam (Reality) is that which remains unchanged in all the three periods of “Time”, i.e. waking, dream and deep sleep. The pluralistic world ends in dream and deep sleep state and manifests again in the waking state.  Even in the waking state, where it is available for cognition, it is not constant but undergoes change. So the world is as real to a waker as the dream-world is to the dreamer in dream state. That means the waking world is also unreal and is a projection of one’s mind. The world does not have an independent existence apart from Brahman and is only a superimposition on Brahman.  Being a superimposition, world has no separate existence from Brahman, the substratum. Acharya gives the example of rope-snake to illustrate the point.  In dim light where a rope is mistaken for a snake, fear lasts until a bright light reveals the truth of rope.  Same way the mistaken delusion of world being real lasts until the guru with the help of sastra pramanam reveals to the sishya the nature of the world as superimposition on Brahman, the adhishtanam.  The world having dependant existence is mithya only in relation to Brahman, that is Real, without a second.

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