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A Summary
Vivekachudamani
Contents
Introduction
Self-effort stressed
Bondage
Meditation on Brahman
Sri Sankara Bhagavatpada has blessed the world with an enormous legacy of
invaluable gems. These can be grouped under three broad categories. The first
category, meant for the intellectually most advanced, comprises his
commentaries (bhaashya) on the Upanishads, Brahmasutras and the
Bhagavadgita, known collectively as the prasthaanatrayam. The second
category consists of independent works, known as prakarana granthas, which
expound the gist of the upanishads in simple language. These vary in length
from half a verse to one thousand verses. In the third category fall devotional
hymns addressed to various deities. Through these devotional hymns also the
teachings of Vedanta are conveyed. There is a wrong impression among some
persons, particularly Western scholars, that Sri Sankara did not attach
importance to devotion to a personal God. On the basis of this view they
conclude that the devotional hymns cannot be works of Sri Sankara. This view
is belied by Sri Sankara’s own statements in his commentaries, which are
accepted by all to be his works. For example, in his commentary on the Gita,
2.39, he explains Krishna's words to Arjuna thus-"You will become free from
bondage by the attainment of knowledge through God's grace". Again, in 18.65-
"Knowing for certain that liberation is the definite result of devotion to God, one
should be intent only on surrender to God". Moreover, Sri Sankara is well
known for having re-established the worship of the supreme God-head in His
six aspects, and is referred to as the Shanmatasthapaka.
Unlike the Sankhyas who gave importance only to the Jnaanakaanda and the
Purva Mimamsakas who dismissed the Upanishads as mere arthavada or
eulogy, Sankara established in his bhaashyas that both the kaandas have
validity, though at different stages of the aspirant’s spiritual progress. In his
bhaashya on Br. Up. 4.4.2 he says-“All the obligatory rites serve as means to
liberation through the attainment of Self-knowledge. Hence we see that the
ultimate purpose of the two parts of the Vedas, that dealing with rites and that
dealing with Self-knowledge, is the same”. In many places in the Karma kanda
there are clear indications that the ultimate goal of life is liberation.
The core of Advaita is that Brahman is the only reality. ‘Reality’ is defined as
that which does not undergo any change at any time. By this test, Brahman,
which is absolutely changeless and eternal, is alone real. The world keeps on
changing all the time and so it cannot be considered as real. At the same time,
we cannot dismiss it as unreal, because it is actually experienced by us. The
example of a rope being mistaken for a snake in dim light is used to explain
this. The snake so seen produces the same reaction, such as fear and
trembling of the limbs, as a real snake would. It cannot therefore be said to be
totally unreal. At the same time, on examination with the help of a lamp it is
found that the snake never existed and that the rope alone was there all the
time. The snake cannot be described as both real and unreal, because these
two contradictory qualities cannot exist in the same entity. It must therefore be
said that the snake is neither real nor unreal. Just as the snake appears
because of ignorance of the fact that there is only a rope, this world appears to
exist because of our ignorance of Brahman. Thus the world is also neither real
nor unreal; it is ‘mithya’ or ‘anirvachaniya’, meaning ‘indescribable’. Just as
the snake is superimposed on the rope, the world is superimposed on
Brahman. Our ignorance of Brahman is what is called avidya or ajnana or
nescience. This nescience has two powers, the power to conceal the reality,
known as aavaranasakti and the power to project the unreal, known as
vikshepasakti. Because of these two powers, nescience not only covers
Brahman, but it further projects the universe and makes it appear real. The
world has no reality apart from Brahman, just as the snake has no reality
apart from the rope. When the knowledge of Brahman arises, the world is seen
as a mere appearance of Brahman. Another example may be taken to explain
this. Ornaments of different sizes and shapes are made out of one gold bar.
Their appearance and the use for which they are meant vary, but the fact that
they are all really only gold, in spite of the different appearances and uses,
cannot be denied. The appearance may change, a bangle may be converted into
rings, but the gold always remains as gold. Similarly, on the dawn of the
knowledge of Brahman (which is the same as the Self), though the different
forms continue to be seen by the Jnaani, he sees them all only as appearances
of the one Brahman. Thus the perception of difference and the consequences of
such perception, such as looking upon some as favourable and others as the
opposite, and the consequent efforts to retain or get what is favourable and to
get rid of or avoid what is not favourable, come to an end. This is the state of
liberation even while living, which is known as Jivanmukti.
In the first sloka Sri Sankara pays obeisance to God and his own Guru. The
sloka says: I bow down to Govinda who is the goal of all Vedanta, who is
beyond words and thought, who is supreme bliss itself and who is my Guru. By
the word Govinda the supreme Lord as well as Sri Sankara’s Guru Sri
Govindabhagavatpada are meant. It is laid down in our tradition that the Guru
should be looked upon as God Himself and not as a mere human being. In his
work entitled Satasloki, in the very first sloka Sri Sankara declares that the
Sadguru is incomparable in all the three worlds. He says:
“There is nothing in all the three worlds that can be compared to the
Sadguru who imparts the knowledge of the Self. The legendary Philosopher's
stone may perhaps be suggested as an apt comparison, because it has the
capacity to convert a piece of iron into gold, just as the Sadguru converts an
ordinary disciple into an enlightened person. But this comparison cannot stand
because, while the Sadguru makes the disciple another Guru like himself, the
Philosopher's stone does not have the power to convert a piece of iron into
another Philosopher's stone like itself. Therefore the Sadguru is incomparable
and his glory transcends the world”.
After paying obeisance to God and Guru, Sri Sankara says that birth as a
human being is difficult to get. A jiva goes through innumerable births in the
form of various other creatures before being born as a human being. Even after
birth as a human being, to have an inclination to study the scriptures, to
attain discrimination between the Self and the not-Self, and ultimately to attain
liberation, are the results of punya acquired in innumerable past lives.
Three things are very rare, and attained only through the grace of God: the
quality of being a human being in the true sense of the term (not mere birth as
a human being), an intense yearning for liberation, and association with a
great soul. A person who, in spite of having the advantages of birth in a
cultured family and study of the Vedas does not strive for liberation wastes his
precious life. Liberation cannot be attained through acquisition of wealth or
through mere performance of rituals laid down in the Vedas or through noble
deeds, as long as they are performed with the desire to get some personal
benefit. This should not be understood to mean that rituals and noble deeds
are to be discarded. On the other hand, Sri Sankara stresses in many places
that the actions ordained by the Vedas should be performed in order to attain
purity of mind. If the same actions are performed as karma yoga, that is,
without desire for any personal benefit for the performer and as an offering to
God, they will lead to purity of mind. Even a good action, whether ritualistic or
worldly, performed with the desire to derive some personal benefit or just
fame, creates bondage. Even the acquisition of punya by the performance of
good deeds produces bondage because the person has to be born again in order
to enjoy the results of his good actions. So a spiritual aspirant has to perform
actions in such a way that they do not produce even punya. The Gita says that
no one can remain without performing action even for a moment. Since the
performance of actions is inevitable, one has to perform them in such a way
that they do not produce either punya or paapa. The method of achieving this
is karmayoga. Sri Sankara explains in his commentary on the Gita that in the
word ‘karmayoga’ the word ‘yoga’ is used in the sense of the ‘means to attain
union with Brahman’. So ‘karmayoga’ means action performed in such a way
that it becomes the means to union with Brahman, which is liberation. The
statement in Bhagavadgita, 2.50, “yogah karmasu kaushalam’ is interpreted by
Sri Sankara in his Bhashya thus: Yoga is skilfulness in action. The skilfulness
consists in converting action which is by its very nature the cause of bondage
into a means for removal of bondage. This means is karmayoga. Karmayoga
purifies the mind. It is only a pure mind, that is, a mind free from desires,
greed, infatuation etc., that is fit to receive the knowledge of the Self. Liberation
is attained only through knowledge of one’s real nature and not by actions
alone, whether Vedic or worldly. For attaining knowledge of the Self one should
give up the hankering after worldly pleasures and approach a Guru who is an
enlightened person. He should then enquire into the nature of the Self, in
accordance with the instructions of his Guru.
A man who has mistaken a rope for a snake in dim light is frightened and
screams for help. His fear will disappear only if he finds out the real nature of
the object in front with the light of a lamp. No action to drive away the illusory
snake will help. Similarly, one should enquire into one’s own real nature by
hearing the scriptures from his Guru (sravanam), reflecting on what he has
heard to remove doubts (mananam) and meditating on the teachings
(nididhyaasanam).
The results of all actions fall under four categories only: production,
attainment, modification, and purification. Brahman is ever-existent and so it
is not something to be produced. We are always Brahman even when we do not
know it and so it is not something to be attained. Brahman ever exists as
changeless and so it is not something to be attained by modifying something. It
is ever pure and so it is not to be got by purifying something. As we know from
actual experience, anything brought into existence by action has a beginning
and has therefore an end also. But liberation is permanent. Because of all
these reasons liberation cannot be the result of any action. Liberation is
nothing but the removal of our ignorance about our real nature. Ignorance can
be remove only by knowledge and not by any other means.
(Saadhanachatushtayam)
In order that hearing, reflection and meditation may be fruitful, the aspirant
should have acquired the four preliminary qualifications mentioned below.
The four requisites are— (1) discrimination between the eternal and the non-
eternal (nitya-anitya-vastu vivekah), (2) detachment towards all enjoyments in
this world as well as in higher worlds like heaven (iha-amutra-phalabhoga-
viraagah), (3) possession of the six virtues commencing with control of the
mind (shamaadishatkasampattih), and (4) intense yearning for liberation
(mumukshutvam). Each of these is explained below.
(1) The firm conviction that Brahman alone is real and that the universe is
illusory (mithyaa) is discrimination between the eternal and the non-eternal.
(2) Detachment is revulsion towards all objects of enjoyment in this world as
well as in higher worlds, including one’s own body.
(3) The six virtues starting with shama are--- shama, dama, uparati, titikshaa,
shraddhaa, samaadhaana. These are explained below.
(a) Withdrawing the mind from all sense- pleasures by realizing their harmful
nature, and making it rest on one’s objective (namely, the Self) is shama.
(c) When the mind ceases to function through the external organs, that state
is uparati.
(d) Enduring all adversities without lament or anxiety and without seeking to
counter them is titikshaa.
(e) Firm conviction about the truth of the scriptures and the teachings of the
Guru is shraddhaa.
Of these, detachment and the yearning for liberation are the most important.
Only if these two are strong, will the others like shama, etc, be fruitful. If
detachment and desire for liberation are not very strong, the other qualities will
be unreal like the water in a mirage and will be of no use.
In this context the specific meanings of these three words, sravana, manana,
and nididhyaasana, as given in other authoritative works may be quoted
because these words have a very important place in Vedanta:--
Vedanta saara,ch.5. para 185—The term ‘ the beginning and the conclusion’
means the presentation of the subject matter of a section at the beginning and
at the end of the section. For example, in the sixth chapter of the Chhaandogya
Upanishad, Brahman, which is the subject-matter of the chapter, is introduced
at the beginning with the words, “One only without a second”, etc. (6.2.1). At
the end of the chapter Brahman is again spoken of in the words, “In It all that
exists has its Self”, etc. (6.8.7).
Para 186—Repetition is the repeated presentation of the subject-matter in the
section. In the same chapter, Brahman, the One without a second, is
mentioned nine times by the sentence “Thou art that”.
Para 187—‘Originality’ means that the subject-matter of the section is not
known through any other source of knowledge. For instance, the subject
matter of the above section, namely, Brahman, cannot be known through any
source of knowledge other than the sruti.
Para 188—The ‘result’ is the utility of the subject-matter. For example, in the
same section, we find the sentences” One who has a teacher realizes Brahman.
He has to wait only as long as he is not freed from the body; then he is united
with Brahman”. (6.14.2). Here the utility of the knowledge is attainment of
Brahman.
Para 189—Eulogy is the praise of the subject-matter. The words in this section,
“Did you ask for that instruction by which one knows what has not been
known, etc” (6.1.3) are spoken in praise of Brahman.
Para 190—Demonstration is the reasoning in support of the subject-matter,
adduced at different places in the same section. An example is—“My dear, as
by one lump of clay all that is made of clay is known, every modification being
only a name, and being real only as clay”—(6.4.1). This shows that the universe
has no reality except as an apparent modification of Brahman, the only
Reality.
‘Reflection’ removes the doubt whether Brahman and the jiva are identical or
not. This doubt is called prameya-asambhaavanaa, doubt about the subject-
matter.
Self-effort stressed
On hearing the questions put by the disciple the Guru tells him that by his
intense yearning for liberation he has sanctified his lineage. Now the Guru
stresses the importance of personal effort by giving several examples. If a father
has incurred debts, his sons and others can relieve him by paying off the debts,
but liberation can be attained only by one’s own effort and not by anybody
else’s help. Even the Guru can only show the way. If a person carrying a heavy
load is tired, some other person can take it over, but the suffering caused by
hunger can be assuaged only if the person himself eats. A person can get cured
of a disease only if he himself takes the medicine. The nature of the Reality can
be known only if the person himself acquires the knowledge free from all doubt
by his own effort by the practice of hearing, reflection and meditation and not
by merely hearing a learned person talk about it. The beauty of the moon can
be seen and enjoyed only through one’s own eyes and not by somebody else
seeing and describing it. This example shows that one should himself attain
the experience of the Reality and mere intellectual knowledge acquired from
books and teachers is not enough. Who, other than the person himself, can
liberate one from the bondage caused by ignorance, desire and actions even in
millions of years? Desire, action, and rebirth form a continuous vicious circle,
each being the cause of the next. This circle can be broken only by the
realization of the Self. Liberation cannot be attained through the Yoga of
Patanjali or the Sankhya of Kapila because they give only dualistic knowledge
and not the knowledge of the non-dual Brahman. Nor can liberation be
attained by any action including Vedic rituals, as already explained earlier.
Knowledge of the upasanas (meditations on Saguna Brahman) described in the
Upanishads too cannot give liberation. Only the knowledge of the identity of the
individual self with Brahman will give liberation. Even here it is wrong to say
that realization of Brahman is an effect of the knowledge of Brahman. If it is an
effect it will, like all effects, be subject to destruction at some time. Knowledge
of Brahman does not make one Brahman. It only removes nescience or avidya
and reveals the fact that he was always Brahman, which was not known
earlier. Scholarship in the Sastras and the ability to give brilliant discourses on
them can help to earn fame and a comfortable life, but not liberation.
As long as the supreme Self is not known, mere study of the Sastras is
fruitless. Once the supreme Self is known, the study of the Sastras does not
serve any further purpose. The idea is that the study of the Sastras is for
attaining Self-realization. Until it is attained the purpose of the study is not
achieved. After realization the Sastras are no longer necessary. Mere study of
the words of the scriptures only confuses the mind. One should, with effort,
learn the inner truth of the scriptures from a Guru.
For a person who has been bitten by the snake of ignorance the only
medicine is knowledge of Brahman. How can the Vedas, Sastras, mantras and
other medicines help? A person cannot be cured of a disease unless he takes
the appropriate medicine. Mere repetition of the name of the medicine cannot
cure him. Similarly, release from bondage can be attained only by direct
realization and not by merely repeating the word ‘Brahman’. Without negating
the world as unreal and without knowing the truth of one’s nature, how can
liberation be attained by mere repetition of words? In order to retrieve a
treasure buried under the earth one must first of all know the exact location of
the treasure from a knowledgeable person. Then he should dig and remove the
earth, stones, etc., that cover the treasure. Merely calling out to the treasure
will not make it come out. Similarly, the pure Reality which is covered by the
products of ignorance (the body, mind, and senses) can be attained only by
hearing the sruti from a competent person who has realized Brahman, and by
reflection and meditation and not by perverted logic. Therefore each one should
himself strive for liberation with utmost effort, just as a sick man strives hard
to get cured.
After stressing personal effort and explaining in detail what a seeker should
do, the Acharya encourages the disciple by telling him that the questions he
has asked are excellent, in accord with the scriptures, brief and full of
meaning. The answer to these questions should be known by all seekers of
liberation.
After this the Guru first takes up the fourth question, how can bondage be
got rid of, because this is the most important subject.
The first requisite for a spiritual aspirant is intense detachment towards all
things that are impermanent, i.e. everything other than the Self. Then come
control of the senses, control of the mind, etc. He should give up all actions
motivated by desire for his own benefit. That means that all actions should be
performed in the spirit of karmayoga. He should hear the teachings of the sruti
from a teacher, reflect on the teachings to remove all doubts, and meditate on
them. All these should be done continuously over a long period.
The seventh question asked by the disciple is now taken up. The Acharya
first takes up the physical body which every one knows about and which every
one refers to as ‘I’.
The physical body is made up of seven substances; marrow, bone, fat, flesh,
blood, skin and the cuticle. All these are the products of the food and drinks
consumed. This is explained in Chandogyopanishad as follows:--
The physical body is the basis of the delusion in the form of ‘I’ and ‘mine’. It
is made up of various components as stated above. Just as a house made up of
various materials is meant for its owner, so also the body made up of various
components is for the atma which is the owner of the body. So the atma is
different from the body. Moreover, the body is always undergoing changes and
is impermanent and so it cannot be the atma which is changeless and eternal.
The gross body is made up of the five gross elements. The process by which
the five subtle elements, namely, ether, air, fire, water and earth, become gross
elements is known as ‘pancheekaranam’ or quintuplication. The process is
described by Swami Vidyaranya in Panchadasi as below:-
The five essences of the subtle elements, namely, sound which is the essence
of ether, touch which is the essence of air, colour which is the essence of fire,
taste which is the essence of water, and smell which is the essence of earth,
become the objects of sense which are experienced by the respective sense-
organs. Human beings who are attached to objects of senses continue to
transmigrate. As long as there is attachment to sense-objects there is no hope
whatsoever of liberation. A person who attempts to cross the ocean of
transmigratory existence without acquiring total detachment is sure to be
seized by the crocodile of desire and drowned. One who has killed the crocodile
in the form of desire for sense pleasures with the sword of detachment can
alone hope to cross the ocean of samsara without obstruction. The aspirant for
liberation should follow the teachings of his Guru and cultivate detachment. He
should shun worldly pleasures, equating them to poison. He should cultivate
with great eagerness the virtues of contentment, compassion, forbearance,
honesty, straightforwardness, calmness and self-control. He who aspires to
realize the Self while continuing to indulge in sense pleasures is like a man
who tries to cross a river on the back of a crocodile, mistaking it for a log of
wood. He is sure to be swallowed up by the crocodile midway. For the seeker of
liberation attachment to his body, wife, children, etc., is as bad as death. He
alone deserves liberation who has completely rid himself of attachment. The
importance of detachment has been stressed in a number of verses by the
Acharya. In order to create dispassion it is pointed out that the gross body is
despicable because it is made up of revolting substances such as skin, flesh,
blood, blood-vessels, fat, marrow and bones and contains within it urine and
faecal matter. The gross body is produced by one’s own karma in past lives. It
is the instrument for all worldly experiences which the jiva has to undergo. In
the waking state the gross body experiences gross objects through the sense
organs. A person’s entire contact with the external world is through the gross
body. The gross body is to the jiva what a house is to its owner. The gross body
undergoes birth, old age and death. It is qualified by stoutness, leanness, and
the like. The ideas of caste and station (varna and asrama) apply to it. It is
afflicted by diseases. It is subjected to worship, honour, dishonour, etc.
The sense of hearing, the sense of touch, the sense of sight, the sense of taste
and the sense of smell are known as jnanendriyas or organs of perception. It is
through these organs that external objects are experienced. These organs are
produced from the sattva part of space, air, fire, water and earth respectively. It
must be noted that these are not the physical organs, such as ear, skin, etc, in
the physical body. These physical organs are known as golaka.The indriyas are
the subtle counterparts of these physical organs and form part of the subtle
body. The presiding deities of these five indriyas are, respectively,
the deities of the quarters, the deity of air, the sun, Varuna (the god of the
waters) and the two Asvini devas. (See also Panchadasi.1.19).
From the sattva parts of all the five subtle elements together is produced
the antahkaranam or internal organ which is known by four different names
according to the different functions performed by it. The four names are-
manas, buddhi, chittam and ahamkaara. (Sometimes only two
names, manas andbuddhi, are mentioned, as in Panchadasi.1.20, the other two
being included in them). These four functions are explained in
Vivekachudamani, verses 95 and 96 thus. When any situation arises, a person
first considers various alternatives to explain or understand the situation.
When the internal organ performs this function of cogitation it is known as
the manas or mind. When ultimately a determination is made or a decision is
taken, it is known as buddhi or intellect. The function of storing experiences in
memory is called chittam. Behind all these three functions there is the notion of
‘I’ in the form ‘I cogitate’, ‘I decide’, and ‘I remember’. This ‘I-ness’ or ego is
named ahamkaara. Very often the word ‘mind’ is also used to denote
the antahkaranam as a whole, when these distinctions are not relevant. We
shall use the word ‘mind’ in this sense hereafter.
Br.up. 3.9.26.S.B.—The force called praana would go out (through the mouth
and nostrils) if it were not held back by apaana. The force called apaana would
also depart (through the lower orifice) if it were not held back by vyaana. All
these three forces would go out in all directions, if they were not fixed
to udaana.All these four forces rest on samaana.
Taitt.up. 2.2.S.B. Praana is that aspect which goes out through the mouth and
nostrils.
(5) the four divisions of the antahkaranam (manas, buddhi, chittam and
ahamkaara),
(6) avidya,
is what is called the subtle body or sookshma sarira. This is also known as the
linga sarira. The word ‘linga’ is derived from the root ‘ligi’ which means ‘that
which reminds’. The subtle body reminds us of the atma and so it is called
linga sarira. The word ‘sarira’ is used in the sense of ‘that which perishes’. The
subtle body will cease to exist on the realization of the self and so it is also
called a sarira though it does not have any shape or form like the gross body.
The subtle body is made up of the five subtle elements as they exist before the
process of quintuplication described earlier. It has in it the impressions of past
actions. It is the experiencer of the fruits of actions. It is the beginningless
limiting adjunct (upadhi) of the atma. The dream state is the special state of
the subtle body. In this state the gross body is not active, but the subtle body
projects various objects and experiences based on the vasanas in it. In this
state the atma itself illumines the objects projected, since the sense organs do
not function then and there are no sources of light like the sun.
The intellect (buddhi) is the limiting adjunct of the atma. The atma is the
mere witness of all the modifications of the intellect, but is not tainted by the
modifications or their results. It is compared to the sun which enables all
creatures to act by providing light, but is not in the least affected by their good
or bad actions. The atma is therefore described as unattached. The subtle body
is the cause of all activities. It is the instrument of the self, just like the tools
for a carpenter. A carpenter cannot do his work without his tools. So too all
activities are possible for the atma only when it is associated with the subtle
body. In deep sleep the atma is not associated with the subtle body and so
there is no action. However, even in the waking state the atma does not
perform any action but is a mere witness; it is wrongly looked upon as a doer
and an enjoyer because of identification with the subtle body, as a result of
ignorance.
The qualities such as blindness, poor vision, clear vision, etc., belong only to
the eye and not to the atma. Similarly, deafness, dumbness, etc., pertain only
to the respective organs. Inhalation of breath, exhalation, yawning, sneezing,
secretion, departure from the body on death, hunger and thirst are qualities or
activities of the vital air (praana). It is the internal organ that experiences
sound, etc., through the respective sense organs. Because of the reflection of
the atma which is pure consciousness in the internal organ, the latter itself
appears to be conscious, like the moon appearing as bright because of the
reflection of the light of the sun on it.
Just as an emerald or any other gem, dropped into a vessel of milk, imparts its
lustre to the milk, so does this luminous self, being subtler than even the mind
and the intellect, impart consciousness to the whole body, mind and organs.
(When an emerald is dropped into milk, the latter gets a green hue. Similarly,
the self, being pure consciousness, makes the insentient mind, body and
organs sentient.)
The intellect, being transparent and next to the self, easily catches the
reflection of the consciousness of the self. Therefore it is that even wise men
identify themselves with the intellect first; next comes the mind which catches
the reflection of the self through the intellect; then the organs through contact
with the mind; and lastly, the body, through the organs. Thus the self
successively illumines with its own consciousness the entire aggregate of body
and organs. This is the reason why all people identify themselves with the
body, mind and organs, to a greater or lesser degree, according to the extent of
their discriminating capacity.
The ahamkaara or ego-sense is the internal organ (antahkarana) with the
reflection of consciousness in it. It identifies itself with the body and sense
organs and looks upon itself as a doer and an enjoyer. It assumes the states of
waking, dream and dreamless sleep by association with the three gunas. The
waking state is the result of association with rajoguna, the dream state with
sattva guna, and dreamless sleep with tamoguna, according to the commentary
of Sri Jagadguru Pujya Swami Chandrasekhara Bharati of Sringeri Peetham.
Though all the three qualities are present in all the three states, the particular
quality mentioned above predominates in each state.
When sense objects are favourable, the person is happy. If they are not, he is
unhappy. Happiness and unhappiness are the qualities of the ego and not of
the atma which is ever blissful.
All objects in the world are dear only for the sake of the atma; they are not
dear in themselves. But the atma is dear to every one by itself. This sloka in
Vivekachudamani (sloka 108) is based on Br. up. 2.4.5.
The atma is ever blissful. It never suffers misery. In dreamless sleep there are
no sense objects, but the bliss of atma is experienced then. This is testified by
perception, tradition and inference. This matter has been dealt with elaborately
in Chapter 11 of Panchadasi. Please see the summary of this chapter given in
this website under the head ‘Panchadasi’.
Maya will cease to exist for a particular individual when he realizes the pure
non-dual Brahman, just as the illusory snake disappears when its substratum,
rope, is known.
Maya is made up of the three gunas, sattva, rajas and tamas. There are
three powers in Maya: the power of concealing the reality (avaranasakti), the
power of projecting what is not real (vikshepasakti), and the power of jnana
(jnanasakti). The first two are the causes of bondage; the third leads to
liberation. The first is the result of the tamas part of Maya, the second is due to
the rajas part and the third is due to the sattva part. Isvara’s Maya is
predominantly sattvic and it is under His control. So there is no bondage for
Him. The jiva’s Maya is constituted of all the three gunas in different
proportions and so he suffers bondage. The rajoguna is the cause of
attachment, aversion, etc., in the jiva. All qualities such as desire, doubt, fear,
courage, resolve, faith, lack of faith, anger, avarice, pride, jealousy etc., (both
good and bad qualities) relate only to the mind and not to the atma. They are
superimposed on the atma because of lack of discrimination between the mind
and the atma due to ignorance. These qualities of the mind are the cause of all
the activities of the jiva.
The veiling power of Maya belongs to its tamasic aspect. It is only because
the reality, Brahman, is concealed by it that the projecting power of Maya is
able to function and project the world and make it appear real. Thus the veiling
power of Maya is the root cause of the jiva’s bondage and transmigration. Sri
Chandrasekhara Bharati Swami says in his commentary that even in the case
of a realized person the projecting power (vikshepasakti) continues to operate
as a result of praarabdha karma. Therefore he also sees the world as ordinary
persons do, but he is not affected by any happenings, good or bad, because his
knowledge of Brahman is not veiled and so he looks upon everything as
Brahman. An example may be given to illustrate this. A child looks at a lion
made of stone and runs away screaming in fear. An adult also sees it as a lion,
but is not frightened because he knows that it is only stone. So it is the veiling
power of Maya that is the cause of all misery.
Even a person who is learned in the scriptures does not realize the nature of
the self if he is overpowered by tamoguna. He considers the world, which is
only a superimposition on the self due to beginningless nescience, as real. This
delusion leads to sorrow. The power of Maya to delude has been described by
Sri Sankara thus in his Bhashya on Kathopanishad, 1.3.12:- “Alas, how
unfathomable, inscrutable and variegated is this power of Maya, that every
human being, though in reality identical with the supreme Brahman, and is
told this again and again by the upanishads, does not realize that truth, but
considers himself as the body, mind and senses, even though he is not told so
by any one”.
The veiling power of Maya produces four obstacles to knowledge in the mind
of man. These are, (1) the notion that the identity of jiva and Brahman and the
illusoriness of the world propounded in the upanishads cannot be correct
(known as abhaavanaa), (2) the idea that the body itself is the self
(viparitabhaavanaa), (3) notions contrary to the teachings (vipratipattih), and
(4) doubt (asambhavana). The vikshepasakti of Maya which projects the world
as a reality keeps the man in bondage.
Sattvaguna is very pure. But because of admixture with rajas and tamas
transmigration results. When a person is predominantly sattvic, with only a
tinge of rajas and no tamas, he is free from pride, and practises the disciplines
such as yama and niyama. Such a person has faith, devotion, yearning for
liberation, and divine qualities. He withdraws from the pursuit of worldly
pleasures. ‘Yama’ has five components: non-injury, truthfulness, not coveting
other’s possessions, continence, and non-acceptance of gifts. ‘Niyama’ also has
five components: purity of body and mind, contentment, austerity, study of the
scriptures, and dedication of all actions to God.
The causal body made up of the three gunas is unmanifest. Dreamless sleep
is its distinctive state. In this state the organs and the mind do not function.
The mind remains in seed form in this state. The absence of knowledge of any
kind in this state is evident from the fact that a person who wakes up from
sleep says that he did not know anything.
The not-self
The physical body, the sense organs, the vital air, the mind, the ego-sense,
all functions of these, all the sense-objects, pleasure, pain, etc., the five
elements, the entire universe upto the unmanifested (Prakriti)—all these
constitute the not-self. All this is mithya, what cannot be described as either
real or unreal. These are all the effects of Maya. On the realization of Brahman
these will be found to have no reality.
Sri Sankara says in Maayaapanchakam that Maya has the capacity to make
the impossible happen. It imposes on Brahman, which is eternal and devoid of
parts and which is pure Consciousness, the false distinctions as the world,
individual souls and God. It makes even those who have mastered all the
scriptures no different from animals by tempting them with wealth and the
like. It makes Brahman which is infinite bliss, pure Consciousness and non-
dual, struggle in the ocean of samsaara by associating it with the body made
up of the five elements. It imposes on Brahman which is devoid of qualities the
distinctions of colour, caste, etc, and attachment to wife, son, possessions and
the like. It creates even in non-dual Brahman distinctions such as Brahmaa,
Vishnu and Siva and deludes even the learned into thinking that they are
different from one another.
By realizing one’s real nature as identical with the supreme Brahman one
becomes free from the bond of samsara and attains liberation. All the effects of
Maya, from Mahat to one’s own body, are mithya, like a mirage. The Self is self-
existent (It has no cause). It is the substratum of the ego-consciousness. It is
the witness of all the three states of waking, dream and deep sleep and is
different from the five sheaths (which will be described later on). It illumines
the experiences in the states of waking and dream and also the absence of all
experiences in deep sleep. It perceives all the activities of the sense organs, but
the sense organs cannot know it. It illumines the intellect, but the intellect
cannot know it. It pervades the whole universe, but no object in the universe
can pervade it. Everything else in this universe is insentient and attains
sentiency only because of it. Because of its mere presence, the body, senses,
mind and intellect perform their respective functions, as if prompted by it.
This means that the Self does not itself do anything, nor does it cause the
body, etc., to act. It merely provides the sentiency for them to act by its mere
presence. The Self is therefore compared to the sun which provides the light for
every one to act, but is not the cause of their actions. Being of the nature of
eternal consciousness, everything from the ego-sense to the body, as well as all
objects, all emotions such as pleasure, pain etc., are known by it. They are all
objects of knowledge and the Self alone is the subject. The Self is innermost,
eternal, without a beginning, of the nature of infinite bliss, is always of the
same nature, and is behind every cognition. It shines in the cave of the
intellect.
The Self has no birth or death; it does not increase or decrease or undergo
any change; it is eternal. It is not destroyed even when the body is destroyed,
just as the space inside a pot is not destroyed when the pot is destroyed. it is
different from Prakriti as well as its modifications. It is pure consciousness. It
illumines everything, those with form and those without form. It is devoid of all
attributes. It shines in all the states of waking, dream and deep sleep as the
witness of the intellect and as the basis of the ego. One should realize this self
as identical with oneself by controlling the mind and making it pure. Thus one
can cross this ocean of samsaara with its waves of birth and death.
What is bondage?
The firm belief that one is the body, senses, etc., (the not-self) is bondage. It
is due to nescience, i.e. ignorance of one’s real nature. It is the cause of
repeated births and deaths and all sorrows. Because of it a person looks upon
the unreal body as real and identifies himself with it. He nourishes the body
and protects it by indulging in sense pleasures. Just as a silkworm builds a
cocoon of silk threads around itself and becomes imprisoned in it, man
becomes bound to his body.
( Note. When a person says 'I am stout', 'I am lean', etc, he is really referring to
his body as identical with himself. When he says 'I see', 'I hear', 'I taste' and so
on, he is identifying himself with his organs of seeing, hearing and tasting.
When he says 'I am intelligent' or 'I am dull' he identifies himself with his
intellect. All these identifications are totally wrong. The Self is ever pure,
untouched by the joys or sorrows of the body and mind).
An example is given here. Clouds arise when the heat of the sun makes
the water of the ocean evaporate. Thus the sun is the ultimate source of the
clouds. The clouds conceal the very same sun from our view. At the same time,
we are able to see the clouds only because of the sun behind them. Similarly,
Brahman is the source of the world, and the very same world conceals
Brahman from us. We are able to experience the world through our sense
organs only because of the light of consciousness which is itself Brahman. Just
as a wayfarer suffers when the sky is overcast and it is very cold, the man
whose self is hidden from him suffers misery.
The tree of samsaara is now described. Avidya is the seed of this tree. The
shoot is the wrong notion that the body is the self. Desire is the tender sprout.
Karma is the water. The body is the trunk. The praanas are the wind. The
contacts of the senses with the objects are the tendrils. The sense-objects are
the flowers. Suffering is the fruit arising from different karmas. The experiencer
is the bird on the tree which eats the fruit.
But it should not be thought that the rituals laid down in the scriptures are
futile. The performance of these rituals with full faith is essential for attaining
purity of mind which is the prerequisite for the dawn of knowledge.
The self is not clearly known because it is covered by five sheaths, which are
superimposed on it, like the water in a pond covered by a layer of moss. When
the moss is removed, the pure water becomes clearly visible and accessible. It
can quench one’s thirst and make him happy. Similarly, when the five sheaths
are negated the indwelling self which is pure, eternal bliss, homogeneous,
supreme, and self-effulgent shines unobstructed. Therefore one should
discriminate between the self and the not-self and negate the not-self for
attaining liberation from bondage. Realizing the self which is Existence-
Consciousness-Bliss one becomes blissful.
The three bodies of the jiva were previously named the physical or gross
body, the subtle body and the causal body. Now the same three bodies are
being described as five sheaths covering the atma or self within. The gross body
is the first or outermost sheath. It is named annamayakosha or the sheath of
food. The subtle body is made up of three sheaths, praanamayakosha or the
sheath of vital air, manomaykosha or the sheath of the mind, and
vijnaanamayakosha or the sheath of the intellect. These sheaths have to be
negated one by one in order to realize the self.
This is the physical body, known also as the gross body. It is born of food,
sustained by food, and dies if there is no food. It is made up of skin, flesh,
blood, and excreta. It is impure. It is always undergoing change. It has a birth
and a death. It is an object of knowledge like a pot. So it cannot be the atma
which, according to the upanishads, is pure, unborn, eternal, changeless, and
the knower of all changes and all objects.
The body has limbs such as hands, feet, etc. One is able to live even if any of
these limbs is damaged and cannot function. So the body cannot be the self
which is devoid of parts and is homogeneous. It is by the light of
consciousness, which is the very nature of the self, that all the limbs, the sense
organs and the mind are able to function. The Kathopanishad says that it is
not by the vital airs such as praana, apaana, etc., that creatures live, but by
the atma which enlivens them. The vital airs themselves are insentient, like the
physical body.
Because of ignorance the human being identifies himself with his body. When
a person says ‘I am tall, or short, or stout, or lean, etc.’ he looks upon his body
as himself. Such a person is not even aware that he has a subtle body which is
different from the gross body and which does not die when the physical body
dies, but goes to other worlds and is again born on this earth in a new body.
The person who has acquired intellectual knowledge about the nature of the
self from the scriptures knows that there is a subtle body which goes to other
worlds and is again born on this earth in a new physical body. In normal
worldly transactions he identifies himself with his physical body. But when he
performs vedic rituals such as yajnas for attaining heaven, he does not identify
himself with his physical body, because he knows that the physical body
cannot go to heaven and that it is only the subtle body that goes to heaven
after death. So he then looks upon the subtle body as himself. The man of
realization, however, knows that he is not either of these bodies, but is the
atma which is identical with Brahman which is devoid of all the three
limitations of time, place and other objects. (See Panchadasi of Swami
Vidyaranya--3.35, 36, 37—Being all-pervasive, Brahman is not limited by
space. Being eternal, it is not limited by time. Since all objects in the universe
are merely superimposed on Brahman, Brahman is not limited by any object,
just as a rope is not limited by the illusory snake superimposed on it).
This sheath, known as manomaya-kosha, consists of the mind and the five
organs of knowledge. It permeates the sheaths of vital air and food. It is the
cause of the sense of ‘I’ and ‘mine’. This sheath is very powerful because
bondage and liberation depend on the mind. Attachment of the mind to sense
objects is the cause of bondage and detachment towards them is the means to
liberation. The five organs of perception bring offerings to the mind in the form
of experience of sense objects. The sheath of the mind is described as the
sacrificial fire, the five organs of perception as the sacrificial priests, and the
sense objects are the oblations which are being continuously poured into the
sacrificial fire. The vasanas in the mind are the dry fuel for the fire. If there is
no fuel, there can be no lasting flame in the sacrificial altar even though the
oblation, clarified butter, is continuously poured into it. Similarly if there are
no vasanas, the mere presence of sense objects will not be able to produce
bondage. It is the vasanas that obstruct one’s spiritual progress. So it has been
said that the elimination of vasanas is liberation. When the mind is
functioning, as in the waking state, there is bondage in the form of
identification with the body and the sense of possession, which are the cause of
sorrow. When the mind is not functioning, as in deep sleep, there is no
identification with the body and so there is no experience of sorrow.
In dream there are no objects, but various objects and experiences are
created by the mind. Similarly the objects in the waking state are also not real.
They are only an expansion of the mind.
(Note. In this context Mandukya Karika, ch.2, verses 6 and 7 are relevant.
Verse 6 says that what does not exist in the beginning and at the end is unreal.
By this test things experienced in the waking state as well as those in dream
are equally unreal. Verse 7 points out that the objects of the waking state are
contradicted in the dream state. For example, a man goes to bed after a full
meal, but soon dreams that he is extremely hungry. A man who dreams that he
has eaten a hearty meal, wakes up feeling very hungry. Because of these
reasons, things experienced in both the states are equally unreal. But though
they are both unreal, it is admitted that there is a difference between the two.
In his Bhashya on Brahma sutra 2.2.29 Sri Sankara points out that there is a
difference between the dream state and the waking state. The difference
consists in the perceptions in dream being sublated immediately afterwards
and the other not. To a man who has woken up from sleep the objects
perceived in dream never had any existence at all, for he says “I falsely
imagined that I was in the company of great men. In fact, I never came in
contact with great men; this delusion arose because my mind was overpowered
by sleep”. But an object seen in the waking state, such as a pillar, is not thus
sublated under any condition. Moreover, dream vision is a kind of
remembrance, whereas the visions of the waking state are forms of perception.
The difference between remembrance and perception, consisting in the absence
and presence of objects, is well known).
The jiva is in reality the pure consciousness which is free from all
attachment, but the mind makes him forget his real nature and identify himself
with the body, mind, senses and vital airs. As a result he looks upon himself as
an agent and an enjoyer with the notions of ‘I’ and ‘mine’. Avidya by itself
cannot cause bondage without the association of the mind. Attachment to the
body, etc., is not there in deep sleep even though avidya is present, because
the mind does not function then. As the mind is the cause of samsaara, the
enlightened persons have declared that the mind itself is avidya. It is by the
mind that all jivas are tossed about like clouds by the wind. Therefore one who
seeks liberation should purify his mind by ridding it of desire, greed, anger,
and all other such emotions. When the mind is pure liberation becomes as
clear as a fruit in the palm of the hand. After getting rid of all attachments the
seeker should resort to sravana, manana, and nididhyaasana (hearing of the
scriptures, reflection and meditation) with faith. This will cleanse the mind of
rajoguna.
The sheath of the mind cannot be the self because it has a beginning and an
end, is always undergoing changes, is of the nature of sorrow, and is an object
of knowledge. The self is always the subject and never an object.
The intellect (buddhi) along with the five organs of sense, the modifications of
the mind (vrittis), and the notion of agency is known as the sheath of the
intellect (vijnaanamayakosha). Because of the reflection of pure consciousness
in it this sheath appears to have consciousness. Like the earlier sheaths, this
sheath is also a modification of prakriti, since it is a product of the five subtle
elements. It is characterized by knowledge and action. It is the cause of the
identification of the jiva with his body and organs. It is beginningless because
creation is beginningless. It performs various actions, good and bad, prompted
by its vaasanas. The states of waking and dream and the experiences of joy,
sorrow, etc., belong to it. (In these statements this sheath is identified with the
subtle body of which it forms a part.) Because of the identification of the Atma
with this sheath, the qualities of the latter are wrongly attributed to the Atma,
just as fire is said to be long or round according to the shape of the iron rod or
ball which has been made red-hot.
It has been said above that the sheath of the intellect, which is the limiting
adjunct of the Atma, is beginningless. The question arises, whether it is also
endless, in which case, no liberation would be possible. The answer is that this
limitation and the consequent identification with the sheath are only due to
delusion caused by ignorance. The Atma is unattached, actionless and
formless. It can have no connection with the objects of the world, just as
blueness has really no connection with the sky. Jivahood continues only as
long as there is delusion born of ignorance. When the delusion ceases on the
destruction of ignorance by knowledge, the jivahood ceases and there is only
Atma or Brahman.
Just as water is not clear when it is associated with mud, but becomes clear
when the mud is removed, the Atma is realized in its pure state when the taint
of identification with the body-mind complex is removed.
When all the five sheaths are thus eliminated one by one, what remains is
pure consciousness, which is the Atma.
The Atma which is self-effulgent, distinct from the five sheaths, the
unchanging witness of the states of waking, dream and deep sleep, which is
always of the nature of bliss, and is not tainted by the defects of the sheaths, is
to be realized as one’s self.
The disciple now raises a doubt-- when all the five sheaths are eliminated
there appears to be only void. So what is there to be realized as the self?
The guru answers that there is an entity that is the witness of the presence
as well as the absence of these sheaths and their modifications. This witness is
the self.
The self or Atma shines in the states of waking, dream and deep sleep. It is
behind the awareness as ‘I’. It is the witness of the ego-sense and of the
functioning of all the organs. It is self-effulgent, eternal and bliss itself.
A person of dull intellect thinks that the reflection of the sun in a pot of water
is the sun itself. Similarly, human beings, being deluded by avidya (nescience),
think that the reflection of pure consciousness in the mind is the Atma. A wise
man knows that the sun in the sky is different from the pot, the water in the
pot and the reflection, and that the sun illumines all the three of them.
Similarly the Atma is different from the mind and the reflection of
consciousness in it and it illumines them. The Atma has therefore to be
realized as different from the body, mind and organs, as self-luminous, eternal,
infinite, extremely subtle, and identical with Brahman. On this realization the
person becomes liberated from transmigratory existence. The realization of
one’s real nature as Brahman is the only means to liberation.
Meditation on Brahman
The identity of the jiva and Brahman has been affirmed by the mahavakya
‘That thou art’. Now Brahman is being described negatively, in order that the
disciple may give up his identification with the gross body. Brahman is not
gross, not short, not long, and has no attributes whatsoever. It is infinite pure
consciousness. It can be realized only by a mind which has been disciplined by
reflection and meditation. Just as any object made of clay is nothing but clay,
the entire universe, which is an effect of Brahman, is nothing but Brahman.
There is nothing other than Brahman. The guru tells the disciple, “You are that
supreme Brahman, ever full of peace, free from blemish, and without a
second”. The place, time, objects, and their knower, appearing in a dream are
all ‘mithya’. They have no reality. Similarly, the world experienced in the
waking state is nothing but a projection of one’s own nescience. Consequently,
the body, senses, ego, are all unreal.
In this way, one should merge the whole universe in Brahman and realize
himself as pure consciousness.
In the cave of the intellect dwells the supreme non-dual Brahman which is
the ultimate reality and is different from all gross and subtle substances. One
who identifies himself with this Brahman will not have any further birth.
Remaining established as Brahman
Even after a person has acquired from the scriptures and by reasoning the
knowledge that he is distinct from the five sheaths and is identical with
Brahman, the beginningless vaasanaas which make him look upon himself as
an agent and enjoyer, which are the cause of transmigration, remain strong.
These have to be removed with effort by turning the senses away from external
objects and fixing the mind on Brahman. The sages say that liberation is the
elimination of vaasanaas. The wise man should get rid of the notions of ‘I’ and
‘mine’ with regard to the not-self in the form of the body and senses by being
firmly established in the self. Realizing your innermost self, the witness of the
intellect and its modifications, by means of the modification of the intellect in
the form ‘I am Brahman’ give up the notion of ‘I-ness’ in the not-self. Give up
concerns about conforming to the ways of the world and concerns about your
own body; give up reading books other than those useful for the attainment of
liberation. By these means get rid of identification with the body, etc.
“Impure vaasana is of three kinds: desire for (unblemished reputation in) the
world (loka vaasana), obsession with learning (sasstra vaasana) and undue
attachment to the body (deha vaasana). The first one takes the form 'I want to
be always praised by everyone'. This is called impure because it is something
impossible of achievement. No one, however good, can always escape slander.
Even absolutely blemishless Sita was slandered. People speak ill of others
merely because of local peculiarities. The southern Brahmanas censor the
northerners, well-versed in the Vedas, as meat-eaters. The northern
Brahmanas retaliate by ridiculing the southern custom of marrying the
daughter of a maternal uncle and for carrying earthenware during travel. A
pure man is looked upon as a devil, a clever man as presumptuous, a man of
forbearance as weak, a strong man as cruel, an absent-minded man as a thief,
and a handsome man as lewd. Thus nobody can please everyone. So the
scriptures advise us to treat censure and praise alike.
The obsession with learning (sastra vasana) is of three kinds: addiction to
study, addiction to many scriptural texts and obsession with the mechanical
observance of injunctions with regard to the performance of rituals. The first
only is exemplified by sage Bharadvaja, who was not satisfied with having
devoted three successive lives to the study of the Vedas and continued the
same in his fourth life also. This is also an impure vasana because it is not
possible of achievement. Indra cured him of this by explaining to him the
impossibility of his undertaking and initiated him into the knowledge of the
conditioned Brahman for the attainment of a higher end.
Deha vaasanaa is of three kinds-- looking upon the body as the Self, concern
about making the body attractive and desire to remove defects in the body. The
first two are clearly impure vaasanaas because they are obstacles to spiritual
progress. The third is impossible of achievement because the body is
essentially impure and so it is also an impure vaasanaa).
As long as these three vaasanaas are there, knowledge of the Self cannot
arise. They are like iron fetters binding the legs.
Note. Gita, 5.15 says that knowledge is covered by ignorance and so all
creatures are deluded. The jiva is identical with Brahman and so knowledge is
his very nature. But this is obscured by ignorance. Kathopanishad, 2.1.1 says
that the creator has made the senses go only outward and so they cannot know
the indwelling self. But a rare human being withdraws his senses from external
objects and concentrates his mind on the self and realizes that he is Brahman).
The more the mind is concentrated on the self, the more the vaasanaas
relating to the not-self are destroyed. When all the vaasanaas are destroyed the
realization that one is the pure Brahman is perfect. When it is always
established in the self, the mind is stilled. This means that the mind gives up
likes and dislikes and remains calm whatever happens. Vaasanaas are the
propensity of the mind to react to situations by the rise of anger and other
similar emotions without any consideration of the consequences. When the
mind becomes calm it means that the raajasic and taamasic vaasanaas have
been eliminated. In this way the superimposition of the not-self on the self
should be removed.
One should get rid of superimposition by distinguishing between the self and
the body-mind complex and by the knowledge of the sruti statements such as
‘tat tvam asi’ which declare the oneness of Brahman and the Atman. This
process should be continued till the awareness of the jiva and the universe
becomes as false as a dream to one who has woken up from sleep. The Atman
should be constantly meditated on. As the space in a pot is dissolved in the
universal space, the individual self should be dissolved in Brahman. Like an
actor discarding his role after the play is over, one should dissociate oneself
from the gross and subtle bodies and remain as the pure Self. That which is
signified by the word ‘I’ is the witness of the ego, etc. It is found to exist even in
deep sleep. The sruti says that it is unborn and eternal. Identification with
one’s family, clan, name, and station in life, all of which relate to the gross
body should be given up. Similarly the qualities of the subtle body such as
agency should also be given up. The ego is the root cause of samsaara and is
the first to be superimposed on the self.