Aparokshanubhuthi – 4

 

Athma Swarupa

Verse 31

Ahamsabdena vikhyata eka eva sthitah paraḥ I

Sthulastvanekataṃ praptah katham syaddehakah puman II

The Supreme (Purusha) known by the word “I” is but one, whereas the gross bodies are many.  So how can this body be Purusha?

Verse 32

Ahaṃ drashtrutaya siddho deho drsyataya sthitah I

Mamayamiti nirdesatkatham syaddehakah puman II

“I” is well established as the subject of perception whereas the body is the object.  This is learnt from the fact that when we speak of the body we say, ‘This is mine’. So how can this body be Purusha?

Verse 33

Ahaṃ vikarahinastu deho nityam vikaravan I

Iti pratiyate sakshatkatham syaddehakah puman II

It is a fact of direct experience that the “I” is without any change, whereas the body is always undergoing changes.  So how can this body be Purusha?

Athma anathma Vichara is continued in the above verses with Athma being called the Purusha and anathma being the body.   In verse 31 it is pointed out Purusha is one and is without parts while body has multiple parts and bodies are many and so they cannot be equated.  In verse 32 an argument stated earlier is repeated.  It is that body is something “I” possess and so it is external to me.  So it cannot be identified with “I”, the Purusha.  In verse 33 it is pointed out that the body undergoes many changes and modifications over the years; in childhood, youth or old age and in happiness or misery while “I”, the Purusha remains the same without any changes and so Purusha is not the body.  So Purusha, the Self, is different from the body.

Verse 34

Yasmatparamiti srutya taya Purushalaksanam I

Vinirnitaṃ vimudena katham syaddehakah puman II

Wise men have ascertained the (real) nature of Purusha from that Sruthi text “(There is nothing) higher than He (Purusha),” etc.  So how can this body be Purusha?

Verse 35

Sarvam Purusha eveti sukte Purushasamjnite I

Apyuchyate yatah srutya katham syaddehakah puman II

Again the Sruthi has declared in the Purusha Suktham that “All this is verily the Purusha.”   So how can this body be Purusha?

Verse 36

Asaṃgah Purushaḥ prokto brhadaraṇyake'pi cha I

Anantamalasamslistah katham syaddehakah puman II

So also it is said in Brihadaranyaka (Upanishad) that “The Purusha is completely unattached”.  With its innumerable impurities how can this body be Purusha?

Verse 37

Tatraiva cha samakhyatah svayamjyotirhi Purushah I

Jadah paraprakasyo'yam kathaṃ syaddehakah puman II

There again it is clearly stated that “the Purusha is self-illumined”.  So how can the body which is inert (insentient) and illumined by an external agent be the Purusha?

Verse 38

Prokto'pi karmakaṇḍena hyatma dehadvilakshanah I

Nityascha tatphalam bhunkte dehapathadanantaram II

Moreover, the Karma kanda also declares that Athma is different from the body and permanent, as it endures even after the fall of the body and reaps the fruits of action (done in this life).

In the above five verses Sruthi pramanam is cited to prove that Purusha cannot be identified with body.

In verse 34 the sruthi text from Swetaswatara Upanishad (iii,9) is given as a pramanam for the nature of Purusha.   The Mantra runs as

Yasmat paraṃ naparam asti kimchid yasman naniyo na jyayo'sti kaschit I

Vṛksa iva stabdho divi tisthaty ekas tenedaṃ purnaṃ Purusena sarvam II 3.9 II

The whole universe is filled by the Purusha, to whom there is nothing superior, from whom there is nothing different, than whom there is nothing either subtler or greater; who stands alone, motionless as a tree, established in His own glory.

Quoting this Mantra, this verse asks how such a Purusha can be identified with this body

In the verse 35 the Sruti pramanam given is from Purusha Suktham of Rig-Veda. “Purusha evedagm sarvam (All this is verily Purusha)”.  As Purusha is all-pervading, He cannot be equated with the localized body.

In the verse 36 the Sruti pramanam given is from Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (4-3-15 &16) where it is stated among other things “Asngo hi ayam Purusha (This Purusha is unattached)”.  And body has relationship with another body as father-son relationship, husband-wife relationship etc. and so is sasanga.  So this Purusha cannot be identified with the body which has multiple relationships.

From the same Upanishad another passage is quoted as another Sruthi pramanam in verse 37.  “Atrayam Puruṣha svayamjyotih bhavati” is that text which means Purusha is self-evident and It does not need any pramanam to prove itself. So it is declared in the verse that the body which is inert and needs to be illumined by an external agent cannot be equated with the Self-illumining Purusha.

In verse 38 Karma kanda of Veda is quoted as Sruthi pramanam.  Karma kanda talks of previous, present and future janmas which only reveal that Purusha or soul which survives several janmas is not the same as the body witch perishes at death in this janma itself. 

Verse 39

Lingam chanekasamyuktam chalam drsyam vikari ca I

Avyapakamasadrupam tatkatham syatpumanayam II

Even the subtle body consists of many parts and is unstable.  It is also an object of perception, is changeable, limited and non-existent by nature.  So how can this be the Purusha?

In the previous verse while showing Karma-kanda also asserts that Purusha is different from body, Sri Sankara has taken sthula sareera only as body.  Here he is telling that Purusha is different from sukshma sareera as well. The sukshma sareera consists of seventeen parts, viz. the five karmendriyas, the five jnanendriyas, the five pranas, mind and intellect.  It is also an object of perception and is subject to movement, as it leaves one body at its death and enters another body at its birth. It is located in the sthula sareera and therefore limited, many and mithya. So it cannot be identified with Purusha which is without parts, the perceiver, all pervading, ekam and Sathyam.

Verse 40

Evaṃ dehadvayadanya Athma Purusha Isvarah I

Sarvathma sarvarupascha sarvatito'hamavyayah II

The immutable Athma, the substratum of ego, is thus different from these two bodies, and is the Purusha, the Iswara (the Lord of all), the Self of all; It is present in every form and yet transcends them all.

With this verse Athma-anathma-viveka discussion is concluded. Sri Sankara does not discuss karana sareera separately as karana sareera is only sukshma sareera and sthula sareera in potential form.  This verse sums up Athma Swarupa.  Athma, the Consciousness, is ekam obtaining in all bodies just like space is one in all rooms.  It transcends all bodies as well as it is all pervading and so is unaffected by anything.  It is different from the body and is the substratum of the ego as ego is “I” associated with body-mind complex. It is the Purusha, different from the sareera triam. It is changeless and is verily Brahman. 

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‘Tat’ pada analysis – Part 1

Vakyavritti – 5

Verse 28

Guruh uvaacha:

‘Tvam’ artham evam nishchitya ‘Tat’artham chintayet punah I

Atad vyavritti-roopena sakshaat vidhi mukhena cha.II

Guru continues:  Having thus ascertained the meaning of ‘Thou’, one should reflect upon what is meant by ‘That’; by employing both the method of negation, and also the method of direct, positive assertion.

Of the four questions asked by the student, guru has completed answering in the previous verse the first question, ‘who is jiva?’ through the ‘Tvam’ pada vichara of the Mahavakhya “Tat Tvam asi”.  From this verse he starts giving the answer to the second question, ‘who is Paramathma? through ‘Tat’ pada vichara of the same Mahavakhya.  Vachyartha of Paramathma is Iswara, who is saguna Brahman and lakshyartha of Paramathma  is Nirguna Brahman, simply called as Brahman.  In the sastras Brahman is revealed directly and indirectly as well.  Direct revelation of Brahman is by defining Brahman through its nature, as Satyam, Jnanam, Anantham i.e pure Existence, pure Consciousness and infinity.  Indirect revelation is through negating everything other than Brahman to arrive at nothingness and then reasoning that the Consciousness which is aware of this nothingness is Brahman. This verse is the introduction to ‘Tat’ pada vichara.

Verse 29

Nirasta ashesha samsaara doshah asthoolaadi lakshana I

Adrishyatvaaadi gunakah paraakrita tamohmalah II

Which is free from all impurities of Samsara or worldliness; which is defined as ‘neither gross nor subtle’; which has qualities such as ‘imperceptibility’, etc; which is beyond the taint of action and darkness (that is Brahman).

Guru is starting the ‘Tat’ pada vichara  with Brahman through nishedamukha lakshyartha that is Nirguna Brahman in a negative form, by negating other things It is not.  For the description of Brahman scriptures are the pramanam and he draws here heavily from Upanishads.  In Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (3-8-8), Yajnavalkya describing Brahman says” "That, O Gargi, the knowers of Brahman call that Imperishable. It is neither gross nor subtle, neither short nor long, neither red nor moist; It is neither shadow nor darkness, neither air nor akasa; It is unattached; It is without taste or smell, without eyes or ears, without tongue or mind; It is non-effulgent, without vital breath or mouth, without measure and without exterior or interior. It does not eat anything, nor is It eaten by anyone”.  Mundaka Upanishad (1-1-6) describes “.(By the higher knowledge) the wise realize everywhere that which cannot be perceived and grasped, which is without source, features, eyes, and ears, which has neither hands nor feet, which is eternal, ------ “.   Bhagavad Gita (8-9) describes Brahman as”---- effulgent like the sun, and beyond darkness---“   Further the veiling power, avarana sakthi of Maya does not function in Brahman, only the projecting power, vikshepa sakthi is operational. So Brahman is free from the problem of samsara, here called samsara-dosha. 

Verse 30.

Nirasta atishaya aanandah prajnaana vigrahah I

Sattaa vilakshanah poornah paramatma iti geeyate.II

Paramathma is defined as, having no greater Bliss than Itself; the embodiment of Existence and Knowledge and having Existence for its specific definition

In this verse vidhimukha lakshyartha for ‘Tat’ pada is given.  For this definition as well, scriptures are our only source.  Taittriya Upanishad (2,1) explains Brahman as Existence, knowledge, Infinity.  Chandogya Upanishad (6-2-1) states that in the beginning only Existence (Sat) was there, one only without a second. Further Taittriya Upanishad (3-6-1) says “He (Bhrugu) realized that bliss was Brahman (anando brahmeti vyajanat)”.  And this bliss (aananda) is absolute and not subject to gradation or fluctuation. So Brahman, the ‘Tat’ pada lakshyartha being Sat swarupa, Chit swarupa and Aananda swarupa can be directly described as Satchidananda swarupa. 

Verse 31

Sarvajnatvam para eeshatvam tathaa sampoorna shaktitaa I

Vedaih samarthyate yasya tad brahma iti avadhaaraya.II

Ascertain that Brahman is the Being that has been expounded in the Vedas as all-knowing, as all-powerful and as the Supreme Overlord of all.  

From this verse vachyartha of Paramathma is described,  Vachyartha of Paramathma is Iswara, Brahman with Maya sakthi i.e. Saguna Brahman, referred to as Brahman in the verse. In this verse and following verses I will be referring to the Vachyartha of Paramathma as Iswara only to avoid confusion. In the case of Iswara also, scriptures only are the pramanam. Iswara  is all-knowing as revealed in Mundaka Upanishad (1-1-9), “For him who knows all and understands everything-------“.  He is all-powerful as seen in Swetasvatara Upanishad (6-8), “----The Vedas speak of His exalted power, which is innate and capable of producing diverse effects, and also of His omniscience and might”.   He is the supreme overlord of all as stated in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (3-8-9), “Verily, under the mighty rule of this Imperishable, O Gargi, the sun and moon are held in their respective positions. Under the mighty rule of this Imperishable, O Gargi, heaven and earth are held in their respective positions. Under the mighty rule of this Imperishable, O Gargi, moments, muhurtas (about forty-eight minutes), days and nights, fortnights, months, seasons and years are held in their respective positions.------“.   Iswara is here referred to as ‘Imperishable’.   As Iswara is Sarvajna, He is the efficient cause of the universe.

Verse 32

Yad jnaanaat sarva vijnaanam shrutishu pratipaaditam I

Mridaadi aneka drishtaantaih tad brahma iti avadhaaraya II

That by knowing which all else becomes known and which has been explained in the scriptures through numerous similes such as mud, etc., ascertain That as Brahman.

Iswara is described in this verse as the material cause of the universe. As a result Iswara becomes the cause, karanam and universe,the effect, karyam.  Since karyam is only karanam plus nama, rupa and nama and rupa are without substance, through knowledge of karanam, knowledge of all its kaaryams can be known. This is explained by sage Uddalka to his son, Swetaketu in Chandogya Upanishad (6.1.4-6) through several examples two of which are as below:

“"Just as, my dear, by one clod of clay all that is made of clay is known, the modification being only a name, arising from speech, while the truth is that all is clay;”

"Just as, my dear, by one nugget of gold all that is made of gold is known, the modification being only a name, arising from speech, while the truth is that all is gold;”

So The Guru tells the disciple to bear in mind firmly that lakshyartha of ‘Tat’ is that Iswara knowing whom everything else becomes known.

Verse 33

Yad anantyam pratijnaaya shrutih tat siddhaye jagau I

Tat kaaryatvam prapanchasya tad brahma iti avadhaaraya.II

Know for certain that whom Sruthi tries to prove as limitless by showing the universe as Its modification, is Iswara (the lakshyartha of ‘Tat’)

This verse is a continuation of the description of world as a karyam, karanam being Iswara.   We saw earlier while discussing verse 30 that Taittriya Upanishad (2,1) describes Brahman as Existence, knowledge, Infinity.  A question will arise as to how Iswara can be infinite when there is world to limit it.  In this verse Guru explains that world being karyam cannot limit the karanam, Iswara.  As between karanam and kaaryam, karanam only is Satyam and kaaryam is mithya.  As mithya world cannot limit the Satyam Iswara, Iswara is limitless, infinite.

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The glory of Sanathana Dharma

(Based on Swami Paramarthananda’s New Year talk, 2018)

Sanatana Dharma is the original name of the ancient religion now popularly called Hinduism.  It has originated in the Indian subcontinent over 5000 years ago.  The people who lived beyond the Sindhu River were called Hindus by people of other countries and the term Hinduism later came into use to denote their religious system.  Sanathana Dharma is not a religious system like Christianity or Islam but is a value system embodying a code of conduct that has spiritual freedom as its core. The expression Sanathana Dharma is a combination of two expressions, Sanathana and Dharma, whose meaning we shall see first.

The word ‘Dharma’ can be defined in many ways. Three of them we shall see here.  The first definition of Dharma as given by Jaimini Mahaṛiṣhi in his purva mimaaṃsa sutras, is “codana laksanah  arthah Dharmah"  meaning ‘anything revealed by Veda is called Dharma‘, in short, Vedic teaching,   The second and third meaning denotes the benefit of adhering to Dharma, externally and internally.  The benefit at external level is, maintenance of harmony and peace at all levels, macro and micro.   The benefit at internal levels is the third meaning of dharma.   It is giving one peace and harmony within oneself.  A dharmic person can enjoy peace and joy in life at the material level while earning puṇyam at the spiritual level.   

Sanathana means eternal and everlasting i.e. valid for all times.  It is believed that these teachings have been given by the Lord Himself, through the medium of Rishis. Swethasvatara upanishad states (6-18):.

yo brahmaṇaṃ vidadhati purvaṃ yo vai vedaṃsca prahiṇoti tasmai I

taṃ hadevaṃ atmabuddhiprakasaṃ ṃummukshurvai saranamaham  prapadye II

(Seeking Liberation, I take refuge in the Lord, the revealer of Self-Knowledge, who in the beginning created Brahma and delivered the Vedas to Him.)

Therefore, it does not have a beginning.   The Lord is the maintainer as well of this Dharma.  In the Bhagavad Gita(11-18)  Arjuna tells Lord Krishna, "tvam avyayaḥ sasvata dharmagopta"  meaning ‘you are the protector of this eternal Dharma’. So it is eternal also, with Lord’s protection. So it is beginningless and also eternal and it is called Sanatanam.  The second meaning of the word Sanatanam is, that which is ever valid and therefore that which will never go out of date.  Therefore, the final meaning of Sanatana Dharma is eternal and ever valid Vedic teaching.  These teachings have been elaborated and clarified in several supportive scriptures like smṛti granthas, itihasas, puraṇas etc.

The main glory of Vedic teaching is that it helps us to appreciate that the world, in which we are born, is the most wonderful infrastructure that human mind can conceive of.   Not only it supports life; but also it supplies all the resources for physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual growth.  It is a well organised system with perfect physical and moral laws.  It has provision for the all-round growth of all; humans, animals, trees etc.  Taittriya Upanishad in its 7^th section of 1^st chapter describes how well the external world of objects and people and the internal world of individual body-mind complex are created and maintained.  Aadhi Sankaracharya in his Brahmasutra Bhashyam praises creation as a gift from the Lord endowed with inconceivable perfection and order.

The scriptures, while expecting one to appreciate the glory and value of this universe, they also prescribe some duties by the performance of which one acknowledges the contribution of the world and expresses one’s gratitude. The creation is not only a gift from the Lord’s but also His very manifestation.  So one should “appreciate, admire and be reverential to creation”.  Treating creation as divine itself is the foremost lesson of the scriptures.  Divinity has to be recognised as available within us and through our every perception. The first lesson Veda teaches is “Sarvam Brahmamayam”

The second lesson is to remember that the cosmic infrastructure itself has an inbuilt harmony and one should not disturb the harmony.  Threat arises only from the human beings and not from the rest like animals, plants etc.  So scriptural guidelines are meant for humans only. This basic guideline is twofold: 1) being helpful to others (paropakara) and 2) avoiding harming others.  In fact non-violence, ahimsa, at all levels, physical, mental and speech, is glorified as supreme value.  All other values are built on the above guideline.

The third lesson is one should take care to be a contributor to Nature and not remain a mere consumer.  The Vedas prescribe five avenues for offering this contribution, known as pancha maha yajnas.  The first is called Deva yajna, where ritual worship is offered daily to the Lord who has provided the wonderful infrastructure.  In worship one prays for the peace and joy for the entire creation with the words “Sarve janah sukhino bhavanthu” meaning ‘Let all be happy’.  The second is Pitru yajna. It is showing gratitude to parents, who brought one into the world and took care of that one in one’s growing period, by taking care of them in their old age and remembering them even after death through religious ceremonies.  The third is Manushya yajna wherein one acknowledges the contribution of other human beings through sharing one’s resources with others, which includes all types of social service and charity.  The fourth is Bhutha yajna wherein one takes care of the animals and plants. Fifth is Brahma yajna, wherein one expresses gratitude to the Rishis and Guru parampara who have brought this knowledge to the present generation, by doing one’s best to preserve this knowledge for future generations through study and propagation.

Understanding and assimilating the Vedic teaching and the principle relating to the cosmic infrastructure will help not only in leading a meaningful life while young but also in handling the emotional problems related to old age and death as one advances in age.  Scriptures and in particular Gita contain many passages highlighting the mortality of people and objects. Lord Krishna points out to Arjuna in Gita(2-27): “jatasya hi dhruvo mṛtyurdhruvamjanma mrtasya ca” meaning  ‘Death is certain indeed for one who is born; and (re)birth is certain for the dead’.   So death is certain but it is not the end and is only a transition from one body to another.  Just as birth is an event in time, death is also an inevitable event in time.  Lord Krishna compares change of body to change of clothes in Gita (2-22):

Vaasaamsi jeernaani yathaa vihaaya Navaani grihnaati naro’paraani;I
Tathaa shareeraani vihaaya jeernaani Anyaani samyaati navaani dehee.II

Just as a person casts off worn-out clothes and puts on new ones, so also the embodied Self casts off worn-out bodies and enters others that are new.

So at death only a worn out or diseased body is replaced by a new body. These thoughts can help to console and avoid the emotional turmoil related to anxiety over old age and death.  The scriptures also provide another solution for the problem of anxiety in the form of offering prayers to Lord and deriving strength from the very Lord to go through all these mental turmoils with emotional strength.  By learning, assimilating and following the Vedic teachings one can partake of the glory of Sanathana Dharma.

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