Sunday, 22 May 2022

Vivekachudamani – 12

 

Select verses 57 to 61

Verse 57

anandapratibimbacumbitatanuh, vrittistamojrmbhita

syadanandamayah priyadigunakah, svesṭarthalabhodayah |

punyasyanubhave vibhati krtinam, anandarupah svayaṃ

bhutva nandati yatra sadhu tanubhrd-matrah prayatnam vina || 207 II

The Anandamaya-kosa (bliss-sheath), is that modification born of avidya; pervaded by the reflection of the Self, which is Bliss Absolute.  Pleasure etc. are its attributes and it springs into view at the time of experiencing punya. At that time everyone who has a body rejoices well without effort, becoming that very Ananda itself.

Verse 58

anandamayakosasya, susuptau sphurttirutkata |

svapnajagarayorisad, istasandarsanadina ||208||

The anandamaya kosa is fully manifest in the deep-sleep state. While in the dream and waking states it is only partially manifest depending upon the sight of desired objects etc.

The above two verses give the definition and function of anandamaya kosa.  In Tattva Bodha, anandamaya kosa is described as established in avidya, which is the form of karana sareera.  Anandamayakosa consists of 3 types of vrittis or conditions or states, known as priya, moda and pramoda. These are three degrees of intensity of the happiness. Priya is the least intense and is experienced when the object is merely seen; Moda is a little more intense and is experienced when the object is possessed; and Pramoda is the most intense, experienced when the object is actually in contact or being enjoyed.  Anandamaya shines for people who have done punya karmas.  When punya arises because of the punya karma done in this life or earlier lives, there is happiness and anandamaya shines.  At that time, the Jiva having become the very Ananda itself rejoices well without any ahamkara. There is no effort or will in this state.  Will or effort is needed to reach that state only.  The anandamaya is a kosa, as though, for it covers the nature of Athma which is one of permanent bliss.  The anandamaya kosa is fully manifest in deep sleep - as ahamkara is resolved in deep sleep; as there is no identification with the body etc. and so free from problems related to body etc.; and as Ananda is unaffected by any other vritti.  All Ananda, including the one in deep sleep is svarupananda only.  In waking and dream states, there are other vrittis as well that curtail the quality and duration of Ananda.  Ananda takes place in the waking and dream state whenever one is in an environment which is conducive to one’s vasanas, when the mental agitations are temporarily quietened. 

Verse 59

naivayamanandamayah paratma, sopadhikatvat Prakrtervikarat |

karyatvahetoh sukrtakriyayah, vikarasamghatasamahitatvat ||209||

The anandamaya-kosa cannot be the Supreme Self because it has attributes which are ever-changing. It is a modification of Prakriti, is an effect of good actions of the past, and it lies embedded in the other sheaths which are themselves all modifications.

            The anandamaya kosa cannot be the Athma because:

1)    Anandamaya has a upadhi.  A particular vritti of the mind is the upadhi of anandamayaAthma does not depend on any upadhi for its existence

2)    The mind itself is born of Maya. In the mind Ananda reflects itself in a particular type of vritti which is called anandamaya.  So it is Prakriti-vikara, a modification of Prakriti. But Prakriti itself is dependent on Athma.

3)    Anandamaya manifests as a result of good and meritorious actions of the past. So it belongs to the realm of the effect, not of the cause. As an effect it cannot be the Athma that is cause only.

4)    Depending upon conducive situation, anandamaya is born of the senses and mind that are an assemblage of modifications.  Being born of various forms of modification, the anandamaya cannot be the Athma.

Verse 60

panchanamapi kosanam, nisedhe yuktitah sruteh |

tannisedhavadhih sakshi, bodharupo’vasisyate ||210||

When the five sheaths have been negated through reasoning based upon Sruthi, then at the culmination of the process what remains as substratum, is the Sakshi in the form of knowledge, the Self.

Verse 61

yo’yamathma svayamjyotih, panchakosavilaksanah |

avasthatrayasakshi san, nirvikaro niranjanah |

sadanandah sa vijneyah, svatmatvena vipaschita ||211||

This Athma is Self-effulgent and distinct from the five-sheaths. It is the witness of the three states, is Real, is without modifications, is unsullied and bliss everlasting. The wise one should realize It as one‘s own true self.

            When all the five sheaths viz. annamaya, pranamaya, manomaya, vijnanamaya and anandamaya, are negated as anathma through Sruthi based Viveka, what remains is the Sakshi, Athma, as something other than the five kosas which constitute sareera triamAthma is the changeless substratum for all the changes in the body-mind complex, pervading all the five sheaths. Athma has no form as It is in the form of knowledge and remains as Sakshi when all the five sheaths are negated as anathma through scripture based logic.  Athma is of the nature of the light of Consciousness, Self-effulgent.  Athma is present in all the three states of waking, dream and deep sleep as the witness.  It is always pure, not tainted by any association. It is always of the nature of unalloyed Ananda and a wise one with Athma Jnanam will realise It as one’s true Self.

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Thursday, 19 May 2022

Vivekachudamani – 11

 

Select verses 50 to 56

Verse 50

jnanendriyani ca manasca manomayah syat,

koso mamahamiti vastuvikalpahetuh |

samjnadibhedakalanakalito baliyan,

tatpurvakosamabhipurya vijrmbhate yah ||167||

The organs of perception along with the mind form the manomaya kosa which is the sole cause of the “I” and “mine” sense and of the diversity of things. It is powerful and is endowed with the essential faculty of creating differences of names etc. It pervades the pranamaya, the kosa preceding it.

            The mind together with the five Jnanendriyas viz. eyes, ear, nose, tongue (sense of taste) and skin, constitute the manomaya kosa, the mental sheath.  It is subtler than pranamaya and annamaya and pervades them both.  The various objects of the world are divided by manomaya into ‘mine’ and ‘not mine’.   Therefore, there is mamakara and ahamkara with respect to the physical body.  The mind identifies with one body alone and in the manomaya there is ‘aham buddhi’.  Except for the involuntary functions, the voluntary functions performed by pranamaya kosa and annamaya kosa are controlled by the manomaya kosa.  Manomaya is that powerful force which creates all the apparent differences in the world of pluralistic experiences.  Manomaya includes all forms of emotions as well, as every emotion is a mental modification, vritti, and manomaya is also a cause for all adhyasa.

Verse 51

manomayo napi bhavet paratma,

hyadyantavatvat parinamibhavat |

duhkhatmakatvad visayatvahetoh,

drasta hi dṛsyatmataya na drstah ||183||

The mental-sheath cannot be the Supreme Self either, for it has a beginning and an end. It is subject to modifications; pain and suffering characterize it and it is an “object” of cognition. The “subject” can never be the “object” of knowledge. [Or the seer (subject) can never become the seen (object)].

            Acharya gives five reasons to prove that manomaya cannot be the Athma, the Self. They are:

1)    The mind has a beginning and an end.  When one wakes up from the sleep, the mind begins to function.  When in deep sleep it ceases to function. Athma has neither beginning nor end.  It is eternal and infinite.  So the ephemeral, finite mind cannot be Athma.

2)    Even while it exists, the mind is fickle, ever-changing.  At one moment sorrowful, at another it becomes joyful, now peaceful, now agitated. So the changing mind cannot be changeless Athma, whose nature is eternal bliss.

3)    The very fabric of the mind is joy and sorrow, while Athma’s nature is one of eternal, infinite Bliss.

4)    Manomaya is an object of cognition. Whatever happens to one's mind is known to the one, is seen by the one. So it is only drisya, seen, while Athma is ever drik, seer, and cannot be objectified at all.

5)    The mind is identified with the objects.  Through the world of objects mind looks at itself.  Athma being the knowing principle does not identify with objects.

Verse 52

buddhirbuddhindriyaih sardham, savrttih kartrlaksanah |

vijnanamayakosah syat, pumsah samsarakaranam ||184||

The buddhi, intellect, with its thought modifications and the organs of perception together form the intellectual-sheath (vijnanamaya-kosa). It has the characteristics of the doer and is the cause of samsara for the person.

            The intellect, buddhi, together with the five Jnanendriyas viz. eyes, ear, nose, tongue (sense of taste) and skin, constitute the vijnanamaya kosa, the intellectual sheath.  The Aham vritti, “I am”, is produced in the intellect.  This “I-thought” becomes a component of every other thought that passes through the mind.  Vijnanamaya being the locus of “I” thought, becomes the subject - knower and doer. Everything else is idam-vritti or object.  Again vijnanamaya is kartha and manomaya is karana and so vijnanamaya is interior to manomaya, not physically, but with reference to a situation.  Being the kartha, it becomes the cause for samsara for the person.  It is the cause for both the perpetuation as well as the elimination of samsara, which is rooted in Self-ignorance.

Verse 53

anuvrajaccitpratibimbasaktih,

vijnanasamjnah prakrtervikarah |

jnanakriyavan ahamityajasram,

dehendriyadisvabhimanyate bhrsam ||185||

Accompanied by a reflection of the light of consciousness, the vijnanamaya kosa is a modified form of Prakriti having the function of knowledge and action and is always completely identified with the body, sense-organs, etc., as “I”

Verse 54

anadikalo’yamahaṃsvabhavah,

jivassamastavyavahravodha |

karoti karmanyapi purvavasanah,

punyanyapunyani ca tatphalani ||186||

It is without beginning, is of the nature of the ego (I-sense), and is called the Jiva, embodied self, which carries out the entire range of activities on the relative plane. It performs good and evil actions according to its previous latent tendencies, and experiences their results.

Verse 55

bhunkte vicitrasvapiyonisu vrajan,

ayati niryatyadha urdhvamesah |

asyaiva vijnanamayasya jagratsvapnadyavasthah

sukhaduhkhabhogah ||187||

It comes and goes, up and down, taking birth in various bodies. The waking, dream and other states, and the experiences of joy and sorrow, belong to this vijnanamaya kosa

Pure Consciousness is everywhere as the substratum of everything that exists. Vijnanamaya has the capacity to reflect the Consciousness and the vijnanamaya with reflected Consciousness becomes sentient and is conscious of everything.  So it becomes a knower-doer, acting through the body and sense-organs.  When the vijnanamaya uses the word ‘I’, it is not confined to the buddhi alone. But it extends to the manomaya, which is its instrument and with which it identifies. It identifies with pranamaya and annamaya also, which are also its instruments only. The vijnanamaya alone identifies with other kosas and the identification is total and complete, resulting in it being mistaken for Athma until one gains the Athma jnanamAnd, vijnanamaya is a product of the samashti satvaguna of the 5 subtle elements, which themselves are products of Prakriti.   It is beginningless like the Prakrithi, that is Maya, of which it is a product.  As the essential Jiva – the “I-sense” – is produced in the intellect, from where it spreads to all the other kosas, vijnanamaya kosa itself is spoken of as being Jiva itself, who is undergoing the entire human experience, birth after birth from beginningless time.  The vijnanamaya does various karmas and experiences the results in the form of sukha and dukkha and also carries the baggage of karma from janma to janma as vasanas that influence fresh karmas.  The vijnanamaya undergoes the waking experience, dream experience and deep sleep experience as well that makes one say on getting up “I slept well”.  It is vijnanamaya that owns up these states of experiences.

Verse 56

ato nayaṃ paratma syat, vijnanamayasabdathah |

vikaritvajjadatvacca, paricchinnatvahetutah |

dṛsyatvad vyabhicharitvad, nanityo nitya isyate ||206||

The intellectual sheath, vijnanamaya kosa, cannot be supreme Self, because It is subject to change, it is inert and insentient, it is limited, it is an object of perception and it is not constant. The non-eternal, indeed, cannot be considered to be the eternal.

            Vijnanamaya kosa cannot be the Athma for the following reasons:

1)    Vinanamaya kosa is subject to change (vikaritvat).  Its roles keep changing from seer to hearer, thinker, doer, enjoyer etc.  Athma is changeless and ever the same

2)    Vijnanamaya kosa is insentient, inert (jada).  It becomes sentient only with borrowed sentiency. Athma is sentient and self-effulgent

3)    Vijnanamaya kosa is limited (paricchinna), in the sense that it is not all-pervasive, being limited to one body. Athma is all-pervasive and is not limited in terms of time, space and object.

4)    Vijnanamaya kosa is drsya, seen, being the object of the sakshi. Athma is the sakshi that illumines the intellect and is the subject.

5)    Vijnanamaya kosa is not constantly present (vyabichari). In deep sleep intellect is not available and also in conditions like swooning or under chloroform. Athma is always present.

6)    Vijnanamaya kosa, even though anadhi, is anithyaAthma is eternal.

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Thursday, 12 May 2022

Vivekachudamani – 10

Select verses 45 to 49

Verse 45

munjadisikamiva drsyavargat, pratyancamatmanamasangamakriyam |

vivicya tatra pravilapya sarvam, tadatmana tisthati yah sa muktah ||153II

The person who separates all sense-objects, perceived, felt and thought of, from the subjective, unattached, actionless Self—like the enveloping sheaths separated from the tender core of the munja grass— is free, for having resolved everything with the Self, through knowledge, that person remains ever established in the Self (Athma)

            In answer to the seventh question, “How is the discriminative analysis between Athma and anathma to be done?”; Acharya starts discussion on the process of Self-enquiry, from this verse. So this verse is an introduction to the whole Athma-anathma-viveka.  Jivathma is a mixture of Athma and anathma.  Athma is the true Self i.e. Consciousness and anathma is the pancha kosas, annamaya, pranamaya, manomaya, vijnanamaya and anandamaya kosas that is the equivalent of sareera triam. The process of differentiating the Athma from the pancha kosas is called pancha kosa Viveka.  There is no physical segregation involved but only an intellectual exercise of separating the Athma from the pancha kosas with whom It is closely involved, is to be done. The care to be exercised is compared to taking the stalk out of the Munja grass without breaking it. Munja is the name of a long grass that has very fine and sharp edges. If one carelessly handles it, it will cut one’s fingers. So one cannot just pluck it casually, but do it very carefully.  This comparison is also given in Kathopanishad (2-3-16):” ----One should separate Him (Athma) from one’s body like a stalk from the Munja grass---.”  The process of separation, pancha kosa Viveka, will be explained in succeeding verses. Once he separates the actionless, unattached eternal Athma from the anathma and identifies one’s Self with the Athma and internalises this knowledge then one will be established in the knowledge as “Aham Brahmasmi” and be a liberated person.

Verse 46

deho’yamannabhavano’nnamayastu kosah,

cannena jivati vinasyati tadvihinah |

tvakcarmamamsarudhirasthipurisarasih,

nayaṃ svayam bhavitumarhati nityasuddhah ||154||

The body is a product of food. It constitutes the annamaya kosa. It exists because of food and dies without it. It is a bundle of skin, flesh, blood, bones, and filth. Never can it be the self-existing, eternally pure Self.

From this verse starts pancha kosa anathma – Athma Viveka, shortly pancha kosa Viveka. Here the enquiry that the kosa is not the Athma is done at every level starting from annamaya kosa, the gross body.   The body is called annamaya kosa because it has come into being from the assimilated food of the parents and it is nourished by the food it consumes.  Further the body is not a single entity.  It is an assemblage of skin, flesh, blood, bones and the filth of excretions.  Athma is pure and eternal while the body is mortal and impure needing regular cleaning of its parts. So the anitya asuddha body cannot be the nitya suddha Athma.  Therefore, annamaya kosa is anathma only and not the Athma.

Verse 47

purvam janerapi mrteratha nayamasti,

jataksanaksanaguno’niyatasvabhavah |

naiko jadasca ghatavat paridrsyamanah,

svathma katham bhavati bhavavikaravetta ||155||

Before its birth it does not exist, nor does it continue to be after its death. It lasts only for a short period. Its qualities are fleeting and by nature subject to change. It is diverse and inert and a sense-object, seen like a jar. How then can it be the Self—the Witness of all changes in all things?

            The vast distinction between the unchanging Athma, the Self, and the ever-changing body, the annamaya kosa is made more clear in this verse. This body did not exist before the birth and even after birth keeps on changing every moment, even as it breathes in and out.  Athma as sakshi, the witness, is the knower of all the modifications of the body i.e. asthi, exists; jayate, is born; vardhate, grows; viparninamate, undergoes changes; apakshiyate, declines; and vinasyati, perishes; but by Itself does not undergo any modification or change.  Again the body is insentient, while Athma is sentient. The body is drisya, seen, like a pot.  Being drisya it is vikaravat, subject to changes.  Athma is one aware of all the changes as sakshi and is not subject to change.  In short, body, the annamaya kosa, is anathma and not Athma, the Self because

1)    Body is insentient; Athma is sentient.

2)    Body continuously changes; Athma is changeless.

3)    Body consists of several parts; Athma is part-less.

4)    Body is mortal; Athma is eternal.

5)    Body is impure; Athma is always pure.

Verse 48

karmendriyaih pancabhirancito’yam, prano bhavet pranamayastu kosah|

yenatmavanannamayo’nupurnah, pravartate’sau sakalakriyasu ||165||

The prana along with the five organs-of-action, constitutes the pranamaya kosa, pervaded by which the annamaya kosa (physical body), becomes alive and performs all the activities of the physical body.

            This verse describes the pranamaya kosaPranamaya kosa consists of pancha pranas viz.prana, apana,vyana, udana and samana, and the five karmendriyas viz. speech, hands, legs, anus and genitals. Prana keeps the body alive and in its absence the body becomes dead. It pervades the body and is present in every cell of the body.  So the pranamaya pervades the annamaya and makes the activities of body possible supplying energy to all its activities whether the activity is physical or mental.  But the pranamya also is not Athma, which will be explained in the next verse. 

Verse 49

naivatmayam pranamayo vayuvikarah,

gantaganta vayuvadantarbahiresah |

yasmatkincit kvapi na vettistamanistam,

svam vanyam va kincana nityam paratantrah ||166||

The pranamaya cannot be the Self (Athma) because it is a modification of the air (vayu).  Like air it enters the body and goes out of it, never knowing its joys or sorrows or those of others. It is ever dependent upon the Self (Athma).

            Pranamaya is anathma only and not Athma, the Self, for the following reasons:

1)    Prana is a modification of air, air representing pancha sukshma bhutani. whereas Athma is free of any modifications.

2)    Prana comes in and goes out during breathing and so it keeps moving and has movement.  Athma is all pervading and is free of movements

3)    Prana is inert, it has no sentiency.  It cannot think; thus it cannot know anything of the joys and sorrows which drive the Jiva to utilize Prana for its own purposes.  Athma is sentient

4)    Although subtler and therefore in control of the physical body, the Pranic sheath has subtler sheaths that control it and it is not independant.  Athma is independent and self-illuminating.

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Monday, 9 May 2022

Vivekachudamani – 9

 

Select verses 40 to 44

Verse 40

akhandanityadvayabodhasaktya, sphurantamatmanamanantavaibhavam |

samavrnotyavrtisaktiresa, tamomayi rahurivarkabimbam ||139||

The veiling power, whose nature is ignorance, covers the Self whose glories are infinite, which is Indivisible, Eternal, and One-without-a-second, just as Rahu covers the sun during a solar eclipse.

In this verse Acharya starts answering second of the seven questions asked by sishya.  The question was – How did I become bound?   Maya, when it is manifest, has two-fold powers, avarana sakthi, power to cover and vikshepa sakthi, power to project.  The word ‘Maya’ is used with reference to Iswara and ‘avidya’ with reference to Jiva.  The only difference between them is that the veiling power does not cover Iswara and Maya is under His control while Jiva is under the sway of both the powers of Maya. The eternal, unchanging, all-pervasive Athma is covered by the avarana sakthi under the sway of avidya like the veiling of sun by the shadow-planet, Rahu, at the time of eclipse.  So under the influence of avarana sakthi, the indivisible Athma appears as though divided and each one takes oneself to be a limited, mortal being and also all forms of duality, sajathiya-vijathiya-svagatha bhedha become absolutely real. This ignorance and misconception gets compounded under the influence of vikshepa sakthi which will be discussed in the next verse.

Verse 41

tirobhute svatmani, amalataratejovati puman

anatmanam mohad, ahamiti sariram kalayati |

tataḥ kamakrodha-prabhrtibhiramum bandhanaguṇaih

param viksepakhya, rajasa urusaktirvyathayati ||140||

When Athma which is of the nature of pure Consciousness free from any impurity, is eclipsed, the person considers the anathma, body, as Athma.  Then the strong power of vikshepa, born of rajas, afflicts him much with the binding qualities of desire, anger and the like.

Athma is not known as to what it is, due to the avarana sakthi and then one recognises body as Athma because of the vikshepa sakthi.  The vikshepa sakthi projects the body, sareera triam, as the Self.  The vikshepa sakthi is born of rajas and afflicts the person with desire, anger and the like.  Actions born of desire and anger and the like produces papa and punya and so these become the bhandhanagunaih, ropes of bondage as, in Sanskrit, guna means a rope also.

Verse 42

etabhyameva saktibhyam, bandhah pumsah samagatah |

yabhyaṃ vimohito deham,matvatmanam bhramatyayam ||144||

This bondage has come about for the person due to these two powers alone, deluded by which the person mistakes the body as Athma and wanders from life to life.

            Jiva mistakes the body for Athma under the influence of the two powers of Maya, avarana sakthi and vikshepa sakthi.  So the Jiva who is svayam-purna, Full by nature, forgets its true Self and is afflicted with the problems of the body due to the six types of emotions; kama (desire), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (delusion), mada (passion) and matsarya (jealousy) and wanders from one life to another, from body to body, trying to escape samsara, ignorant of its innate Fullness. 

Verse 43

bijam samsrtibhumijasya tu tamah, dehatmadhirankurah

ragah pallavamambu karma tu vapuh, skandho’savah sakhikah |

agranindriyasamhatisca visayah, pushpani duhkham phalam

nanakarmasamudbhavam bahuvidham, bhoktatra jivah khagah ||145||

For the tree of samsara - ignorance is the seed; the sense of ‘I’ in the physical body is the sprout; desires are the tender leaves; actions are the water; the body is the trunk; the Pranas are the branches; the sense-organs are the twigs; the sense-objects are the flowers; and different types of miseries born out of the varieties of actions are the fruits. Here Jiva is the experiencing bird.

            In this verse, Acharya answers sishya’s next question on bondage i.e. “How this bondage persists”.  Acharya answers this question through an example of a tree. The tree comparison is used in Kathopanishad (2-3-1) and also in Bhagavad Gita (15-1) as well. The seed of samsara vriksha is ignorance as the ignorance of one’s true Self as Athma causes samsara. The manifest form of the seed is the sprout, the dehathma buddhi, the ‘I’ sense in the physical body. The foliage for this tree is raga, the likes that include dwesha, the dislikes, as well. The water for this tree is karma, the action.  One through actions gains punya and papa that lead to next birth and so on.  That way karma nourishes the samsara tree.  For this tree, the jiva’s body is the trunk and the pancha pranas are the branches.  The indriyas which function only when there is prana are compared to the twigs that emerge from the tip of branches.  The flowers are the sense objects and the fruits are the different type of sorrows.   Jiva is the bird that eats the fruits of the samsara tree.  The fruits are the results of Jiva’s own karma. So this Jiva, who is Paramathma, mistakes the body to be Athma due to avidya and suffers a sense of limitation.  To get free of the sense of limitation, Jiva does karma and gains punya and papa as karma-phala which results in another birth and the samsara cycle of janma, karma, punya-papa,and again janma and so on, goes on and on.  Teaching on how to get out of the cycle is done in next verse. This simile also conveys the idea that there is no end to growth potential of the tree, unless voluntary steps are taken to arrest and uproot it.

Verse 44

srutipramanaikamateh svadharmanistha tayaivatmavisuddhirasya |

visuddhabuddheh paramatmavedanam,tenaiva samsarasamulanasah ||148

One who has Sraddah in the Scriptures as a means of knowledge and is firmly established in one‘s own duties (svadharma)—for these actions alone contribute to the purity of his mind—and is of pure mind realizes the supreme Self. By this knowledge alone is samsara destroyed, root and branch.

            Acharya answers the final question on bondage in this verse i.e. “How can I free myself of the bondage?”  Bondage is the result of one’s ignorance of one’s true Self.  Out of this self-ignorance, misconception has arisen and resulted in bondage. So it could be removed only by the correct knowledge of the Self, Self-knowledge i.e. Athma Vidya.  Vedas only are the Pramanam for Athma Vidya.  To absorb the Vedic knowledge and benefit from the knowledge, two requirements are stated.   One is Sraddah in Vedic teaching and the other is purity of mind.  Mind can be made pure through the adherence to the principles of Dharma as laid down by the scriptures, scrupulously and self-lessly. When with the pure mind and Sraddha in Veda as the Pramanam for Athma Vidya, one studies under the guidance of a competent Guru, one gains Athma Vidya with the grace of God.  As one internalises the Self-knowledge, Self-ignorance is destroyed and with it the bondage that binds one to the cycle of samsara is destroyed resulting in videha mukthi at death. This means the samsara tree is totally uprooted for the enlightened one.

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Tuesday, 3 May 2022

Vivekachudamani – 8

 

Select verses 36 to 39

Verse 36

yo vijanati sakalam, jagratsvapnasusuptisu |

buddhitadvrttisadbhavam, abhavamahamityayam ||126

That which knows everything that happens in the waking, dream, and deep-sleep states; That which is aware of the presence or absence of the mind and its thoughts; That which is the essence behind the ego; That is “This”, the Athma.

Verse 37

yah pasyati svayam sarvaṃ, yam na pasyati kaschana |

yaschetayati buddhyadi, na tadyam chetayatyayam ||127||

That which sees all but which no one can see; That which illumines the intellect etc., but which they cannot illumine; That is the “Athma”.

Verse 38

prakrtivikrtibhinnah suddhabodhasvabhavah,

sadasadidamasesham bhasayannirvisesah |

vilasati paramatma jagradadhisvavasthasu,

ahamahamiti saksat saksirupena buddheh ||135||

The Paramathma shines directly as “I”, “I” in all the three states of experience like waking etc., as the witness of the mind, illumining without exception all this –elements and elementals- with forms and the formless, itself remaining changeless.

In the previous verse no 35, Acharya explained partly the svabhava of Athma.  In these verses unfolding further he states first in verse 36, “Athma is the one that lights up the three states of experience – waking, dreaming, deep sleep and the distinct experiences in all of them”.  In all the three states of experience the Athma is invariable.  That invariable presence of Athma is said as sakshi.  As sakshi, it is a passive knower contributing consciousness to every knowing act. It is a knower of the presence of mind and its thoughts in the waking and dream state and also the absence of mind in the deep sleep state through its mere presence. Kenopanishad(I.6) describing Brahman, that is Athma, the Real Self, says: “That which cannot be apprehended by the mind, but by which, they say, the mind is apprehended—That alone know as Brahman----“.  Again Brihadharanyaka Upanishad (3.4.2) says: “You cannot see the seer of seeing; you cannot hear the hearer of hearing; you cannot think of the thinker of thinking; you cannot know the knower of knowing. This is your Self (Athma)that is within all----“.   Athma, the Self, which is same as Brahman, the Paramathma, is the Pure Consciousness, the five features of which is summarised by Swami Paramarthananda as below:

1)    It is not a part, product or part of the body.

2)    It is an independent entity which pervades and enlivens the body

3)    It is not limited by the boundaries of the body

4)    It continues to exist/survive even after the death of the body

5)    It is not accessible after the death of the body because of the absence of the body-medium.

Athma is different from prakrithi, the cause and vikrithi, the effect, but prakrithi and vikrithi are not separate from Athma.  Maya is prakrithi and the universe made of five elements is the vikrithi. Of the five elements, three have form viz. fire, water and earth; and two elements viz. air and space are formless. Athma, as Paramathma illumines all these elements and elementals without itself undergoing any change. Athma is the aham “I”, which does not undergo any change and remains the same always and not the ego, ahamkara that is subject to change.  Even though Athma seems to play the role of seer, hearer etc., and that involves some kind of a change, that change is with reference to the ego and not the Athma.   Athma illumines the ego as well just as it illumines all the three states of experience as sakshi aham.

Verse 39

atranatmanyahamiti matih, bandha eso’sya puṃsah

prapto’jnanajjananamarana-klesasampatahetuh |

yenaivayaṃ vapuridamasat, satyamityatmabuddhya

pushyatyuksatyavati visayaih, tantubhih kosakrdvat ||137||

Due to ignorance, a person identifies Athma, the Self with the anathma, not-Self.  This is the bondage and brings in its wake the miseries of birth and death. Through this, one considers the unreal body as Real, identifies with it and nourishes, bathes and preserves it with the help of sense-objects. Thereby, one becomes bound like the silk-worm in its cocoon woven by its own threads.

    Acharya answers the first question of sishya in this verse, after talking about Athma and anathma.  The first question was – What is the nature of bondage?  The eternal, unchanging Athma, the pure Consciousness is the Real Self. The mortal, changing body-mind complex i.e. the three-fold body is the anathma, not-Self.  One in ignorance identifying one’s Self with anathma instead of with Athma is bondage. Body by itself is not bondage, only the mistaken identification of one’s Self with the body is the bondage.  Athma and anathma are not two parallel entities.  Anathma is mithya depending entirely on Athma.  The ‘I’ sense in anathma, the gross, subtle and causal bodies, is the mistake which is the cause of all problems, and is the bondage.  The bondage which is in the form of Self-confusion is the cause for samsara, the afflictions in the form of birth, death etc.  Looking upon the body as Self, ‘I’, one nourishes it, anoints it and protects it, but in spite of one’s care and attention, body falls ill, ages and grows old; making one sad.  The one who thinks that he is protecting the body with the objects is only setting a trap for himself like the silkworm.  The silkworm spins a cocoon around itself for safety, but the very cocoon becomes the cause of its death. Human beings weave a cocoon of objects for their protection and get trapped into the cycle of birth and death.  The Athma-buddhi in the anathma is the bondage. 

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