Vivekachudamani – 19

Select verses 105 to 108 (end)

Verse 105

iti srutva gurorvakyam, prasrayena krtanatih |

sa tena samanujnatah, yayau nirmuktabandhanah ||576||

Hearing the words of the guru, the disciple prostrated to him with reverence, and obtaining his permission, went his way, freed from bondage.

Verse 106

gururevam sadananda-sindhau nirmagnamanasah |

pavayan vasudhaṃ sarvam, vichachara nirantaram ||577||

And the guru, his mind immersed in the ocean of eternal Bliss, forever wandered about, verily blessing the whole world.

Having imbibed the teaching of guru, the sishya takes leave of him, saluting him with love and respect and grateful to be free of the bondage of samsara.  And the guru also, with his mind fully immersed in the ocean of eternal bliss, moves about blessing the whole world with his wanderings and guiding the seekers who approach him. He guides them and heaves no sigh of relief or shows no sign of sadness when they leave him and goes about “his wanderings”, happy in himself.

Verse 107

ityacharyasya sishyasya, samvadenatmalakshanam |

nirupitam mumukshunam, sukhabodhopapattaye ||578||

Verse 108

samsaradhvani tapabhanukirana-prodbhutadahavyathakhinnanam

jalakanksaya marubhuvi, bhrantya paribhramyatam|

atyasannasudhambudhim sukhakaram, brahmadvayam darsayanti

esa sankarabharati vijayate, nirvanasandayini ||580||

Thus, by means of a dialogue between the teacher and the disciple, the true nature of the Self (Athma) has been indicated for the easy comprehension of seekers after liberation.  For those who are afflicted in this samsara by the burning pains caused by the scorching sun rays of the three-fold sorrows (adhyatmika, adhidaivika, and adhibhautika), and those who, in delusion, roam in a desert in search of water, for them this is the glorious message of Sankara pointing out the Ocean of Nectar, the non-dual Brahman, within easy reach, in order to lead them to liberation.

             Guru’s teaching is over and the sishya has left.  Sri Sankara concludes here with the remarks that the Self-knowledge is unfolded for the easy understanding on the part of mumukshus seeking Moksha as the only purushartha.  This knowledge has been revealed with the help of reason so that one can easily assimilate the knowledge.  It talks only about what the Sruthi says and uses the reasoning followed by sampradaya and is in the form of guru-sishya samvada.  And the last verse of the work praises the work as showing the way to the spiritual seekers struggling in samsara, afflicted by the taapa-traiam; namely taapas of adhibhauthikam, adhidaivikam and adhyatmikam.  Taapas are like the rays of the tropical sun.  For those spiritual seekers wandering in the desert of samsara, scorched and dehydrated by the taapa-triam, this work of Sri Sankara serves as a guide to an ocean of nectar that will not only appease their thirst but also relieve them of all other afflictions.  In Swami Chjnmayananda’s words, “This book is all one needs to lead the spiritual life and bring it to its glorious culmination.”

Acknowledgement

While concluding the series of blogs on Vivekachudamani I wish to record my deep debt of gratitude to the speeches and writings on Vivekachudamani, of:

1)    Swami Dayananda Saraswathi

2)    Swami Chinmayananda

3)    Swami Paramarthmananda  &

4)  Swami Gurubhakthananda

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Vivekachudamani – 18

 

Select verses 97 to 104

Verse 97

Upadhitadatmyavihinakevalabrahmatmanaivatmani tisthato muneh|

prarabdhasadbhavakatha na yukta, svapnarthasambandhakatheva jagratah ||454||

For the sage who is ever absorbed in his own Self as Brahman, Non-dual and free from limitations---the question of existence of prarabdha is meaningless, just as the question of a man having anything to do with dream-objects is meaningless when he has awakened.

Verse 98

ajo nitya iti brute, srutiresa tvamoghavak |

tadatmana tisthato’sya, kutah prarabdhakalpana ||459||

The Self, “Athma”, is “birthless, eternal and undecaying”---such is the infallible declaration of the Sruti. How can prarabdha be attributed to one abiding in that very Athma?

Verse 99

sarirasyapi prarabdha-kalpana bhrantireva hi |

adhyastasya kutah sattvam, asattvasya kuto janih ||

ajatasya kuto nasah, prarabdhamasatah kutah ||461||

Only as long as one lives identified with one‘s body, can one accept that prarabdha exists. But no one accepts that a man of Realisation ever identifies with the body. Hence, in this case, prarabdha should be abandoned.

Verse 100

jnanenajnanakaryasya, samulasya layo yadi |

tisthatyayam katham dehah, iti sankavato jadan |

asamadhatuṃ bahyadrstya, prarabdham vadati srutih ||462-463||

If the effects of ignorance are completely destroyed by Knowledge, how can the body continue to exist? Sruti, from a relative standpoint, postulates the concept of prarabdha for the ignorant people who entertain such doubts. 

                    Body meaning body-mind-intellect, continues after Self-Realisation, no doubt, but prarabdha cannot be for the Jivanmuktha who knows he is Athma, the Self and Athma is asangha, free from the upadhis, and has no prarabdha.  Since a Jivanmuktha has no identification with upadhis and considers himself as Athma only, there is no prarabhdha for him.  Just as the dream experience to the waker, the prarabhdha karma has no relevance to the jivanmuktha.  Kathopanishad (1.ii.18) says that “Athma is neither born, nor does it die-----It is birthless, eternal, undecaying-----“.  The words of the scriptures are infallible and so prarabdha cannot be attributed to one who lives identified with that Athma.  Only those who identify with their bodies continue to enjoy and suffer the fruits of prarabdha.  But it does not apply to one who as Athma has disassociated himself from the body.  The Upanishads condescend to recognise the play of prarabhdha for a Jivanmuktha only out of their infinite grace to accommodate fools who are living in the world of plurality and do not have the total vision of the one Reality, Brahman.  Bhagavad Gita (4-37) says “--- The fire of knowledge reduces all karmas to ashes----“.   But this is from the standpoint of Brahman and is Ok when one has understood everything.  Until that time even Sruthi condescends to accept prarabdha for the Jivanmuktha, from a relative stand point.

Verse 101

vedantasiddhantaniruktiresa,

brahmaiva jivah sakalam jagacca |

akhandarupasthitireva moksah,

brahmadvitiye srutayah pramanam ||478||

The conclusive view of the Vedantic doctrine is this: that the individual self as well as the entire universe are in truth only the Brahman; that liberation means to be rooted in Brahman, the indivisible entity; the statement that Brahman is non-dual has its authority in Sruthi.

            Acharya concludes the teaching, summing up the Vedantic doctrine briefly as follows:

1)    Jiva, the individual, is Brahman alone.

2)    Jagat, the world of plurality, is also Brahman. 

3)    Moksha is being rooted in the knowledge of the essential oneness of Jiva and Brahman, the Supreme one without a second.

4)    Sruthi alone is the valid means of knowledge with reference to Brahman.

Verse 102

sishyah uvacha

dhanyo’ham krtakṛtyo’ham, vimukto’ham bhavagrahat |

nityanandasvarupo’ham, purno’haṃ tvadanugrahat ||488||

Blessed am I; I have reached the fulfilment of my life; I am free from the jaws of samsara. I am of the nature of eternal Bliss, I am the whole, all by your Grace.

Verse 103

svarajyasamrajyavibhutiresa, bhavatkṛpasrimahitaprasadat|

prapta maya srigurave mahatmane, namo namaste’stu punarnamo’stu||517II

By the supreme majesty of your Grace, I have gained the glory of the sovereignty of Self-effulgence. O noble Teacher, salutations to thee, again and again. 

            Sishya thanks the teacher for the teaching in verse 102, by offering the fruits of Realisation at the feet of the Acharya with the grateful remarks that this has been possible only due to the Grace of Acharya.  The fruits listed are:

1)    Attainment of the goal of human life

2)    Freedom from samsara

3)    Experience of eternal Bliss

4)    Feeling whole and fulfilled, lacking nothing

He further says in verse 103 that by the Grace of the Acharya that glory of mastery over one’s self (swarajya) and that over the world around him (samrajya) has been gained by him and offers his prostrations to the Acharya again and again addressing him not only as Guru but also as Mahathma.

Verse 104

sriguruh uvacha

svameva sarvatah pasyan, manyamanah svamadvayam |

svanandamanubhunjanah, kalam naya mahamate ||524||

O noble one, spend your time beholding your Self, Athma, everywhere; contemplating upon the Self, which is non-dual; and enjoying the Bliss of the non-dual Self.

            Acharya in his parting words addresses the student as a noble one recognising he has realised the Truth and advises him to spend his life seeing in all beings, at all times, in all conditions, the play of his own Self, Athma and contemplating upon his non-dual Real Nature.  He further advises “See the play of Self alone in the world as extrovert, keeping in mind the thought that world is nothing but Brahman.  As introvert, feel that the inner world is also Brahman in the silence of your mind.  Thus enjoy the Bliss of Brahman as your Self always.”  In short the final advice is “Behold, contemplate and enjoy your Self, Athma, all the time”

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Vivekachudamani – 17

 

Select verses 89 to 96

Verse 89

sadhubhih pujyamane’smin, pidyamane’pi durjanaih |

samabhavo bhavedyasya, sa jivanmukta ishyate ||440||

One who feels the same when his body is adored by the virtuous or tortured by the wicked, is considered a jivan-mukta.

            Continuing to describe Jivanmuktha, Acharya says that whether he is adored by good people or tormented by wicked people, he has a samabhava, sameness of mind, towards all of them. He is neither elated by praise nor depressed by abuse. Praise and abuse mean the same to him.  He does not react either positively or negatively to external world.

Verse 90

vijnatabrahmatatvasya, yathapurvam na samsrtih |

asti cenna sa vijnata-brahmabhavo bahirmukhah ||442||

For one who has realised the nature of Athma being Brahman, there is no reaching out for sense-objects any more. If there is, then one has not realized Brahman, being an extrovert.

            One who has realised Athma as Brahman, has no vasanas. Only when there are vasanas, mind and intellect turn towards objects, emotions and thoughts. When the mind and intellect are turned inward and there they discover the greatest of all happiness, then there is no samsara for the individual.  But if they run after the sense-fields of experience and one is subject to sukha and dukha, then one has not realized the svarupa of Brahman as his Real Self and he is not a Jivanmuktha even though he might have mastered the scriptures.

Verse 91

aham brahmeti vijnanat, kalpakotisatarjitam |

sancitam vilayam yati, prabodhat svapnakarmavat ||447||

With the Realization “I am Brahman”, the actions of a hundreds of crores of kalpas get destroyed, like the actions of the dream-life on waking up.

Verse 92

yatkrtam svapnavelayam, punyam va papamulbanam |

suptotthitasya kim tatsyat, svargaya narakaya va ||448||

Can the meritorious acts or sinful deeds that a person has imagined doing in a dream take one to heaven or hell when one has woken up?

              For a Jivanmuktha, the accumulated karma of all the past karmas, sanchitha karma, gets completely destroyed, just as results of activities done in a dream.  On waking up, the results of all dream-state activities completely cease to act upon the awakened individual.  Similarly, for one who has realised ‘I am Brahman’, all the accumulated karmas in the individual’s karmic account under sanchitha karma, is reduced to nil. This dream example is elaborated in verse 92. The punya karma done in a dream is not going to help the individual to gain punya to go to heaven, nor papa karma done will condemn him to hell.  Just as money won in a lottery in dream will not help him on waking up and crime committed in dream will not send him to jail on waking up.

Verse 93

svamasangamudasinam, parijnaya nabho yatha |

na slisyate yatih kinchit, kadachidbhavikarmabhih ||449||

Being unattached and indifferent, a Realised person is not tainted a little by the future actions like the sky

Verse 94

na nabho ghatayogena, suragandhena lipyate |

tathatmopadhiyogena, taddharmairnaiva lipyate ||450||

The space, because of its contact with the jar, is not tainted by the smell of the liquor in it. So too Athma is not affected by the attributes of the upadhis because of its contact with them.

            Agami karma is also destroyed for Jivanmuktha as he has neither karthrutva buddhi nor bhokthruthva buddhi in his actions.  The example of sky is given to show Athma is unattached and actionless. The Athma is described as being indifferent (udaseena) to indicate that in its presence all the activities take place but in none of the activities it is involved. Space is present everywhere.  The contents in space can never contaminate it. A pot of liquor may contaminate the air with its smell, but not the space. The space in the pot cannot be conditioned by the contents of the pot.  Similarly, though the Jivanmuktha lives in the body, the body cannot condition him as at all times he is conscious of his oneness with Brahman.  Jivanmuktha is no longer a ‘human being’ trying to live a spiritual life, but a ‘divine being’ trying to live a worldly life.

Verse 95

jnanodayat purarabdham, karma jnananna nasyati |

adattva svaphalam laksyam, uddisyotsrshtabanavat ||451||

Like the released arrow directed against the target, the karmaphala that has begun fructifying before the rise of Self-knowledge does not go away by self-knowledge without yielding fruits.

Verse 96

vyaghrabuddhya vinirmuktah, banah paschattu gomatau |

na tishthati cchinattyeva, lakshyaṃ vegena nirbharam ||452||

An arrow released with the idea of striking a tiger does not stop when it turns out to be a cow. It still strikes the target with full force.

            After talking about sanchitha and agami karmas in the previous four verses, guru takes up the prarabhdha karma.  Prarabhdha karma is the one that has given rise to this body and it has started fructifying before the rise of Self-knowledge. It does not get dissolved like the other two when Self-Realisation takes place. It continues to exist performing its role even after Self-Realisation just as an arrow already released runs its full course.  This example is further explained in verse no. 96.  While hunting in the forest a person shot an arrow at a target, mistakenly thinking it is a tiger. After shooting he realised it was a cow but this late realisation did not stop the arrow from striking the target. Similarly, the realisation ‘I am Brahman’ will not arrest the course of prarabhdha midway.

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Vivekachudamani – 16

 

Select verses 81 to 88

Verse 81

mrtkaryam sakalam ghatadi satatam, mrnmatramevabhitah

tadvatsajjanitam sadatmakamidam, sanmatramevakhilam |

yasmannasti satah param kimapi tat, satyam sa atma svayam

tasmattattvamasi prasantamamalam, brahmadvayam yatparam ||251||

All modifications of clay such as the pot are accepted by the mind as real but are, in fact, clay alone. So too, the entire universe which emanates from Brahman is Brahman alone and nothing other than Brahman, the Self-existent Reality, and one‘s very own essential Self. Thou art That, the Serene, the Pure, the Supreme Brahman, the non-dual.

Verse 82

nidrakalpitadesakalavisaya-jnatradi sarvam yatha

mithya tadvadihapi jagrati jagat, svajnanakaryatvatah |

yasmadevamidam sarirakarana-pranahamadyapyasat

tasmattattvamasi prasantamamalam, brahmadvayam yatparam ||252||

Just as the place, time, objects, their knower etc., in a dream are all unreal, so too is the world we experience in our waking-state, is projected due to our own ignorance. Since the body, the organs, the vital breath, the ego etc., are also thus unreal, therefore, Thou art That, the Serene, the Pure, the Supreme Brahman, the Non-dual.

                All things made of mud such as pots jars and cups etc., being the effects of mud, are nothing but mud.  They are all mud +nama, rupa only.  Same way all things born of Brahman, which comprise the world, are in essence nothing but Brahman only. So the whole universe, the subject-object world of one’s experiences and also the experiencer is only in essence Brahman who is prasanta, free from any kind of modification; amala, pure, free from punya-papa, raga-dwesha etc. and param, limitless.  Extending this to Jiva, Jiva’s essential Self, Athma, is Brahman only, validating “Tat Tvam Asi”.  This same idea is expressed in the next verse, but in a reverse manner.  Instead of affirming the Reality (as clay in pots), we look at the unreality of dreams and affirm that everything about a dream, all its individual components, are unreal. Just as the dream-world, the dream-equipments and the dream-experiences, which are true to the dreamer in dream are all seen as unreal as one wakes up, the waking world will be seen as unreal as one wakes up to a higher plane of Consciousness, with the internalisation of Athma Jnanam.  The waker, on waking, realises that in the dream, the dream-world and the dreamer is not different from him. He is both the subject and object in the dream.  Same way the Athma Jnani knows that just as in dream so too in the waking, the world of duality is not separate from the Athma, his Real Self.  He understands that the body-mind-sense complex, the world, and anything else that one experiences and can think of are only mithya as it was in the dream. Only the Brahman, the pure Consciousness, that does not undergo any change, is the same just as the Athma, the Real Self, that does not undergo any change in all the three states i.e. waking, dream and deep sleep and this Athma is that Brahman only as stated in “Tat Tvam Asi” 

Verse 83

brahmatmanoh sodhitayoh, ekabhavavagahini |

nirvikalpa cha chinmatra, vrttih prajneti kathyate ||

susthita sa bhavedyasya, jivanmuktah sa ucyate ||427||

The anthakarana-vriti whose object is oneness between Brahman and Athma (Brahman and Jiva), which is in the form of Consciousness, free from the subject-object duality is called prajna.  He, for whom this knowledge is firm, is called as a Jivanmuktha i.e. liberated while living. 

            Guru describes Jivanmuktha from this verse.  Jivanmuktha is one who feels liberated with the firm knowledge of the identity of his Real Self, Athma, with the Universal Self, Brahman, all the time.  This knowledge is not because of any physical or mental change but it is based on the svarupa of Athma, which is Brahman.  He is free from confusions such as; ‘I am kartha/bhoktha/sukhi/dukhi’ etc., as he is free from all the wrong notions about Athma.  He knows Athma is always free, whether he knows it or not.  Only he feels bound, if he does not know it and feels free, when he knows it convincingly.  Consciousness is the svarupa of Athma, which is Satyam, Jnanam, Anantham, Brahma, that is one's Self.  Ignorance with reference to the Consciousness is negated by the vritti, which is called knowledge, prajna.  For getting this vritti, one needs to do satra Vichara under the guidance of a qualified guru, sastra being the relevant Pramana.

Verse 84

yasya sthita bhavetprajna, yasyanando nirantarah |

prapancho vismrtaprayah, sa jivanmukta ishyate ||428||

One who has steady wisdom, who experiences endless Bliss, who has (more or less) forgotten the phenomenal world, that person is said to be a Jivanmukta i.e. liberated while living.

            A Jivanmuktha has a clear knowledge “I am Brahman” and he steadily holds to it in the background in all his relationships and dealings with the external world. This knowledge is reflected in his actions and attitude.  Being Sat-Chit-Aananda Svarupaha as Brahman all the time he has Aananda, which is continuous without any break.  This is possible because he feels he is happiness himself and does not require a particular situation to feel happy.  The world does not disturb him as he knows all the time the world is mithya and he as Athma is sathya and mithya cannot affect sathya.  For him the world exists only ‘as though’.  He may engage in worldly activity according to his prarabdha but then it will be with mental detachment only.

Verse 85

vartamane’pi dehe’smin, chayavadanuvartini |

ahamtamamatabhavah, jivanmuktasya laksanam ||431||

The absence of concepts of “I” and “mine” even in his body which persists like a shadow, is the characteristic of the Jivanmukta.

Verse 86

atitananusandhanam, bhavisyadavicharanam |

audasinyamapi prapte, jivanmuktasya laksanam ||432||

Not recollecting the past with guilt or regret, not concerned about the future and indifference for the present, are the characteristics of the Jivanmukta. 

                For the Jivanmuktha, the body is comparable to the shadow.  That means he is not affected by the limitations of the body even as a person is not affected by what happens to his shadow.  He continues to identify with his body, but there is no “I” sense and “my” sense with reference to it.  He has ahamkara and mamakara but they are sublated.  They are used merely for transacting with the world.  For the past he holds no regrets, nor does he ruminate over his enjoyments. He does not brood over what he did not do or what he did which he should not have.  The future holds no anxieties or worries for him as he has no expectations.  Whatever comes to him in the present moment he surrenders himself to it, accepts it as it is, without reacting against it or favouring it making him ‘carefree’ towards his experiences in the present.

Verse 87

gunadosavisiste’smin, svabhavena vilaksane |

sarvatra samadarsitvam, jivanmuktasya laksanam ||433||

Seeing everywhere with an eye of equality, this world riddled with elements possessing merit and demerit, characteristically different one from other, is the characteristic of the Jivanmukta.

Verse 88

ishtanistarthasampraptau, samadarsitayatmani |

ubhayatravikaritvam, jivanmuktasya laksanam ||434||

When confronted with things pleasant or unpleasant, to remain unperturbed in both cases, by maintaining equanimity, is the characteristic of the Jivanmukta.

                The Jivanmuktha has samadarsitva, same undisturbed calmness with reference to all situations.  He has got samathva born of Athma Jnanam.  The Jivanmuktha knows himself being Brahman and Brahman is always sama, without modifications.  As Samadarsi, Jivanmuktha is also not subject to changes.  Even if a reaction takes place in his mind, it does not stay.  It fades away even as it rises. For he knows that everything in the world comes and goes and is only transitory and not permanent.  Praise and censure, heat and cold, joy and sorrow – the pairs of opposites – have no power to perturb the Jivanmuktha.  He is able to remain calm and steady under the most fluctuating circumstances. These descriptions do not mean that he is an inert statue. This attitude arises from the fact that his mind is ever fixed on higher things, so much so that petty things of the world cannot disturb his peace of mind. His mind is anchored beyond their reach. He is free from being insecure and unhappy.  He is aware of his Self as Brahman all the time.  Because of this awareness, samadarsitva comes natural to him and there is no elation or depression for him in any circumstance.  The Jivanmuktha is described as sthithaprajna by Lord Krishna in Bhagavad Gita (2-55to72)

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Vivekachudamani – 15

Select verses 74 to 80

Verse 74

tattvampadabhyamabhidhiyamanayoh,

brahmatmanoh sodhitayoryadittham|

srutya tayostatvamasiti samyag,

ekatvameva pratipadyate muhuh ||241||

Verse 75

aikyaṃ tayorlaksitayorna vacyayoh,

nigadyate’nyonyaviruddhadharminoh|

khadyotabhanvoriva rajabhrtyayoh,

kupamburasyoh paramanumervoh ||242||

If Sruthi in its maxim “That Thou Art”, repeatedly establishes the absolute oneness of Brahman and the individual Self, indicated by the term “That” (Tat) and “Thou” (Tvam) respectively, then divesting these terms of their relative associations, their implied but not literal meanings are to be understood. The identity applies to their implied meanings, not to their literal meanings. The latter inculcates mutually contradictory or opposite attributes between the two; for example, between the glow-worm and the sun; or between the king and his servants; or between a well and the ocean; or between a tiny atom and Mount Meru.

        “Tat” and “Tvam” are the two words in the famous Mahavakhya “Tat Tvam Asi”, Tat referring to Brahman and Tvam referring to Athma.  The literal meaning of the Mahavakhya is, Brahman is you, the individual Jiva.  The literal meaning, vachyartha, appears incorrect as Brahman is immortal and infinite Bliss while Jiva is mortal, limited in Time and Space and bound in samsara.  But this Mahavakhya appears nine times in Chandogya Upanishad and elsewhere also scriptures reveal the identity of Jiva and Brahman.  So we resort to the implied meaning, lakshyartha, and the contradiction is resolved as Brahman is the self-evident Consciousness as even the true Self of Jiva, Athma, is. To indicate the obvious difference between Jiva and Brahman, when the vachyartha is taken, four examples are given – 1) the glow-worm and the sun; 2) the servant and the king; 3) the well and the ocean and 4) the atom and mount Meru.  In these examples the limited light of glow-worm (Jiva) and the unlimited light of the sun (Brahman); the ruled servant (Jiva) and the ruler king (Brahman); the limited space of the well (Jiva) and the vast expanse of the ocean (Brahman); the minute atom (Jiva) and the gigantic Meru (Brahman); explain their lack of identity.  These examples serve to illustrate the lack of identity between Jiva and Brahman on the basis of vachyartha and that identity is to established on the basis of lakshyartha.

Verse 76

tayorvirodho’yamupadhikalpitah,

na vastavah kascidupadhiresah |

isasya maya mahadadikaranam,

jivasya karyam srnu panchakosah ||243||

The difference between them is only created by the upadhi (adjunct) and is not real. The upadhi in the case of Iswara is Maya, the cause of Mahat etc. and the upadhi in the case of Jiva is the panchakosa, the product of ignorance.

Verse 77

etavupadhi parajivayostayoh,

samyannirase na paro na jivah |

rajyam narendrasya bhatasya khetakah,

tayorapohe na bhato na raja ||244||

These two (Maya and panchakosa) are the upadhis of Iswara and the Jiva. When their negation is done there is no Iswara, no Jiva. When the kingdom of the king and the shield of the soldier are taken away, there is neither the king nor the soldier.

        The difference between Iswara, the Lord, and Jiva, the individual, is great as brought out in earlier verses. But on examination one finds that the differences are due to the upadhis, the conditioning.  Iswara is Brahman, the Consciousness with the upadhi, Maya, and Jiva is Athma, the Consciousness with the upadhi, panchakosas that is equivalent to the three sareeras.  Maya is karana-upadhi and the panchakosas are karya-upadhi.  Upadhis do not have independent existence and they do not exist in essence.  Brahman expresses itself as Iswara through Maya and as Jiva, an individual entity, through a set of panchakosas.  When these equipments are removed through negation what remains is Brahman, the Consciousness, the one without the second.  An example is given to illustrate how the differences are set up by the upadhi and how there is oneness when the upadhis are negated.  A king has the upadhi of kingdom. A soldier has the upadhi of armour plate. When the upadhis are removed, king is revealed as a human being and the soldier is also revealed as a human being only.  Even though they are separate as individuals they are one only as human being. Similarly, though there are two entities as Iswara and Jiva, they are one only from the standpoint of Brahman. 

Verse 78

tatastu tau laksanaya sulaksyau, tayorakhandaikarasatvasiddhaye |

naalam jahatya na tathajahatya, kintubhayarthatmikayaiva bhavyam ||247II

Therefore, the two terms (Isvara and jiva), should be carefully considered through their indicative meanings in order to establish their absolute identity. Neither the method of total rejection, nor the method of complete retention will suffice. One must reason through a combined process of both.

            The method of deriving implied meaning is called lakshana in Sanskrit.  There are three types of lakshanas; jagad, ajahad and jagadajagad or bhagatyaga. In jagad-lakshana, some aspects of the direct meaning are rejected to arrive at the implied meaning.  In ajahad-laksshana something is added to the actual words spoken to arrive at the implied meaning. In the jahad-ajahad lakshana contradictory aspects are removed and non-contradictory aspects are retained to arrive at the implied meaning. It is the third type that is employed in arriving at the implied meaning in the understanding of Mahavakhya, ‘Tat Tvam Asi’.  The upadhis of both ‘Tat’ and ‘Tvam’ are removed and what remains is one and the same, Brahman.

Verse 79

sa devadatto’yamitiha chaikata,

viruddhadharmamsamapasya kathyate |

yatha tatha tattvamasiti vakye,

viruddhadharmanubhayatra hitva ||248||

Verse 80

samlaksya cinmatrataya sadatmanoh, akhandabhavah parichiyate budhaih|

evaṃ mahavakyasatena kathyate, brahmatmanoraikyamakhandabhavah ||249||

 “This is that Devadatta”—just as in this sentence the identity expressed is arrived at by eliminating respective contradictory portions, so too it is in the statement, “That Thou Art”.  The wise should give up contradictory elements on both sides and recognize the identity of the Lord and the individual Self, carefully noting that the essence of both is unlimited Consciousness. Thus, hundreds of scriptures declare the oneness and the identity of Brahman and the individual Self.  

            An example is given for jagadajagad lakshana, “sah Devadatta ayam” (“This is that Devadatta”). Devadatta is a hostel-mate of two others of whom one only is in touch with him later.  When all the three meet after forty years, the familiar one introduces Devadatta to the other who does not recognise him, with these words.  “sah Devadatta” referring to Devadatta of that time and place i.e. forty years ago and the hostel while “ayam” refers to Devadatta with them right then. The contradicting parts of “time and place” are dropped and only the common “Devadatta” is retained to recognise him.  In the sentence “Tat Tvam Asi”, the oneness is recognised in the same way by negating the contradictory parts in both “Tat” and “Tvam”.  Jiva identifies with a particular body that is created and Iswara is the cause of creation. This and other contradictory attributes listed in earlier verses when negated, reveals the oneness i.e. Brahman, the pure Consciousness, which cannot be revealed by words otherwise. This is understood as Jiva-Brahma-Ikyam by the discriminating Athma Jnani where Ikyam stands for undivided oneness.  Hundreds of declarations in the scriptures declare the oneness of Brahman and Athma as pure Consciousness, pointing out that the essential core in Jiva is the essential core in Iswara also.  In this sense of essential oneness of core, scriptures say that Athma, the Real Self in Jiva, is Brahman, the Reality behind the whole universe. 

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