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|| SØaSØzrÉÌuÉuÉåMüÈ ||

DRIG-DRISHYA VIVEKA

“Seer – Seen” Discrimination

“THE SANDEEPANY EXPERIENCE”

Reflections by

SWAMI GURUBHAKTANANDA

Sandeepany’s Vedanta Course List of All the Course Texts in Chronological Sequence:

Text

No. TITLE OF TEXT

Text

No. TITLE OF TEXT

1 Sadhana Panchakam 24 Hanuman Chalisa

2 Tattwa Bodha 25 Vakya Vritti

3 Atma Bodha 26 Advaita Makaranda

4 Bhaja Govindam 27 Kaivalya Upanishad

5 Manisha Panchakam 28 Bhagavad Geeta (Discourse -- )

6 Forgive Me 29 Mundaka Upanishad

7 Upadesha Sara 30 Amritabindu Upanishad

8 Prashna Upanishad 31 Mukunda Mala (Bhakti Text)

9 Dhanyashtakam 32 Tapovan Shatkam

10 Bodha Sara 33 The Mahavakyas, Panchadasi 5

11 Viveka Choodamani 34 Aitareya Upanishad

12 Jnana Sara 35 Narada Bhakti Sutras

13 Drig-Drishya Viveka 36 Taittiriya Upanishad

14 “Tat Twam Asi” – Chand Up 6 37 Jivan Sutrani (Tips for Happy Living)

15 Dhyana Swaroopam 38 Kena Upanishad

16 “Bhoomaiva Sukham” Chand Up 7 39 Aparoksha Anubhuti (Meditation)

17 Manah Shodhanam 40 108 Names of Pujya Gurudev

18 “Nataka Deepa” – Panchadasi 10 41 Mandukya Upanishad

19 Isavasya Upanishad 42 Dakshinamurty Ashtakam

20 Katha Upanishad 43 Shad Darshanaah

21 “Sara Sangrah” – Yoga Vasishtha 44 Brahma Sootras

22 Vedanta Sara 45 Jivanmuktananda Lahari

23 Mahabharata + Geeta Dhyanam 46 Chinmaya Pledge

A NOTE ABOUT SANDEEPANY

Sandeepany Sadhanalaya is an institution run by the Chinmaya Mission in Powai, Mumbai, teaching a 2-year Vedanta Course. It has a very balanced daily programme of basic Samskrit, Vedic chanting, Vedanta study, Bhagavatam, Ramacharitmanas, Bhajans, meditation, sports and fitness exercises, team-building outings, games and drama, celebration of all Hindu festivals, weekly Gayatri Havan and Guru Paduka Pooja, and Karma Yoga activities.

This series is an effort to promote the learning of Vedanta; it does not replace Course, but hopes to inspire young people to spend two years of their life for an experience that is sure to make a far-reaching spiritual impact on their personal lives. Sandeepany is an all-round spiritual course that gives proper direction to the youth and to those approaching retirement. Hinduism is in dire need of a band of systematically trained teachers or Acharyas who can serve this Eternal Religion.

– The Editor, 9th July 2017, the Holy Guru Purnima Day

Om Namah Shivaaya!


DRIG-DRISHYA VIVEKA “Seer-Seen” Discrimination

by Sri Vidyaranyaji (The exact Authorship is not certain. See Introduction to the Text)

Reflections

by SWAMI GURUBHAKTANANDA on the 13 Lectures by Sri Swami Advaitanandaji, Director, Chinmaya Vibhooti,

to the 15th Batch Vedanta Course at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, Powai, Mumbai

2nd April, 2012 – 7th April, 2012

Adi Shankaracharya Swami Sivananda Swami Tapovanji Swami Chinmayananda

SERVE LOVE GIVE PURIFY MEDITATE REALISE

Text

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SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO

Sri Swami Vimalanandaji, (left) Late President of Divine Life Society, Rishikesh, India.

(Born 10 Oct 1932 – Died 9 June 2019)

Copyright & Author’s Details Author: Swami Gurubhaktananda, born Bipin R. Kapitan of Durban, South Africa.

Residence: Sivanandashram, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India. Email: [email protected] © 2019 All Rights Reserved. Copyright held by Swami Gurubhaktananda. About This Edition: Web Edition: 11th December 2019, the Holy Dattatreya Jayanti Day Website: Chinmaya International Foundation: www.chinfo.org Series Title : The Sandeepany Experience Series Subject: Vedanta & supportive subsidiary texts. Declaration by the Author: The material in this series is under inspiration of the Sandeepany

Vedanta Course, but largely consists of the Author’s reflections on the Course. He is deeply indebted to the Chinmaya Mission for its excellent presentation of the Course by their renowned and dedicated Acharyas.

Personal Dedication 1. To my Parents, Smt Sharadaben & Sri Ratilalbhai Kapitan

who inspired me to study in life, to stick to the path of Dharma and pursue the highest ideals; and swamped me with their abundant Love;

2. To Pujya Sri Swami Vimalanandaji Maharaj the President of the Divine Life Society of Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India, who constantly encouraged and supported this effort;

3. To Pujya Sri Swami Tejomayanandaji (Guruji) for his boundless vision and inspiration to create a vibrant organisation;

4. To Sri Swami Advayanandaji and Sri Swami Sharadanandaji my Acharyaji and Upa-Acharyaji at Sandeepany, who imparted their bountiful knowledge and wisdom with rare selfless Divine Love, just as the Rishis of yore would wish to see them do.

*****

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.chinfo.org/

|| SØaSØzrÉÌuÉuÉåMüÈ || DRIG-DRISHYA VIVEKA

“Seer-Seen” Discrimination

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DRIG-DRISHYA VIVEKA

Four Chapters: (31 Verses)

“Seer-Seen” DISCRIMINATION

INTRODUCTION

DRIG-DRISHYA VIVEKA IS A Prakarana Grantha – one of the introductory texts on Vedanta. Some examples of Prakarana Granthas are Atma Bodha, Aparoksha Anubhooti and Viveka Choodamani. This text specifically establishes the identity of the Jeeva and the infinite Reality by using a technique for discrimination between the Seer (Drik) and the Seen (Drishya). In this text Vivekah means to differentiate the Real from the unreal.

The logical development of thought in this book is compelling and irresistible. It is what makes this book such a favourite among seekers of Truth. It is sure to provide us with a firm foundation for engaging ourselves seriously in the meditative life.

Another name for this book is Vakya Sudha, which means “the nectar or essence of the Mahavakyas”.

The Authorship

There is a difference in opinion about the authorship of this book. On the original only the name “Shankaracharya” is written. All Heads of the 4 Shankaracharya Peethams in India are known as Shankaracharyas. This has created doubt as to the authorship.

Swami Vidyaranya’s book, the Panchadasi, is written in a similar style to this, and hence some consider him to be the author. He is accepted as author in the present edition. Some say that Bharati Tirtha, the Guru of Swami Vidyaranya, is the author. Both of them occupied the seat of Shankaracharya in their lifetime, and their styles are identical.

Definition of Discrimination

Viveka means “to separate”, “to tell apart”. For this, two things are necessary, for example, separating rice from wheat in a pile in which both grains are mixed.

Discrimination in modern usage carries a negative connotation. ‘Racial discrimi-nation’ is one such usage. In the workplace, discrimination on the basis of one’s gender is seen with disapproval. We notice that social discrimination on the basis of wealth, status, interests, religion, and many other categories is frowned upon.

In the present book the word Discrimination is used as a technical word meaning “differentiation between the Seer (Drik) and the Seen (Drishya)”. In Vedanta there are varieties of discrimination, such as between the Real and unreal; between the permanent and impermanent; between the changeless and changing, etc.

Everyone possesses this faculty in varying degrees, but it is generally used only in the realm of common objects or ideas in the relative plane. In this book the Viveka is applied to distinguish the transcendent realm of Brahman from the relative realm of Creation.

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The items to be differentiated could easily be misunderstood. Acharyaji gave this as an example: A person slipped while using the stairs and tumbled down. An onlooker asked him, “What happened, did you miss a step?” He replied, “No, I didn’t miss a single step – I hit them all!”

Viveka goes on endlessly in our intellect. All types of differentiation take place continually. Starting in childhood at a gross level, the Viveka develops into differentiation of ideas, emotions, morality, justice, governance, etc. At every level in daily conduct we unconsciously practise Viveka. If we do not do Viveka we encounter endless difficulties.

Different Kinds of Discrimination

There are many types of discrimination by which we can enter the portals of Truth. Some of them are:

i) Shareera Traya Viveka: discrimination between the three bodies, namely, the causal, subtle and the gross.

ii) Pancha Kosha Viveka: discrimination between the five sheaths that make up our individuality.

iii) Avastha Traya Viveka: discrimination between the three states of waking, dream and deep sleep.

iv) Kaarya Kaarana Viveka: discrimination between the cause and the effect.

v) Drik Drishya Viveka: discrimination between the seer and the seen.

The purpose of all these is to discover the Self within.

Level of Discrimination Applied Here

In this text, we are applying the last of the methods listed above. However, there is bound to be the unavoidable mention of aspects of some of the other methods also. After all, our interest is in the Truth, and not in the method used to discover it. An intelligence agency has many departments of intelligence services. Sometimes in a complex case, the services of two or more departments are needed to catch the suspect.

Usually, the seer and the seen are inextricably mixed up. I think of myself as the seer, a Sanghaata or conglomerate of mind, senses and body. I am one with this conglomerate. I say, “I know, I see, I experience.” Who is this ‘I’? On the basis of this experience, we shall move forward in this text. Our experience will determine the pathway to self-discovery.

The question we ask ourselves is, “Is there a deeper knower than the Sanghaata mentioned above?” By applying our discrimination we track down the knower, the inner experiencer. We need to be accurate in what we claim to be. We should mean what we say. By probing into ourselves in this text, we discover the truth of who we actually are. This is going to be the methodology applied as we study this text.

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Drig-Drishya Viveka “The Seer-Seen Relationship”

CONTENTS

Introduction: The Subject, Author & Purpose 1

Chapter 1: THE LAWS OF DISCRIMINATION 5

Verse 1: Three Levels of Seer-Seen Relationships 5

Verse 2: Level 1: Sense Organs with Sense Objects 6

Verse 3: Level 2: Mind with Sense Organs 7

Verse 4: Level 3: The Witness with the Mind 8

Verse 5: Qualities of the Sakshee (Witness) 10

Chapter 2: THE MANIFESTATION OF SENTIENCY 12

Verse 6: Reflection of Consciousness & Ego 12

Verse 7: What Produces Sentiency? 14

Diagram: “The Sentiency Chain” 16

Verse 8: The Ego & Its Identifications 16

Verse 9: Diagnosis of the Ego’s Identifications 17

Verse 10: Dealing with the Ego 18

Verse 11: Deaing with the Antahkarana 19

Verse 12: The Samsaric Experience of the Jeeva 20

Chapter 3: THE POWERS OF MAYA 23

An Introduction to Maya 23

Diagramatic Sketch for Chapter 3 24

Verse 13: Maya’s Projecting Power 25

Verse 14: Relationship Between Reality & Creation 26

Verse 15: The Veiling Power of Maya 27

Verse 16: Veiling of Jeeva – Individual Level 28

Verse 17: Strategy to Free Jeeva 29

Verse 18: Veiling of Creation – Total Level 31

Verse 19: Strategy to “Unveil” Creation 32

Verse 20: The Five Characteristics of Every Object 33

Verse 21: Distinguishing Real From Unreal 34

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Chapter 4: MEDITATION TECHNIQUES 37

Verse 22: Introduction to Meditation 37

Verse 23: Varieties in Meditation 38

Diagram: The Six Types of Meditation 39

Type A: INTERNAL - in the Microcosm

Verse 24: A1: “Drishya Anuviddha” Savikalpa Samadhi 40

Verse 25: A2: “Shabda Anuviddha” Savikalpa Samadhi 41

Verse 26: A3: Internal Nirvikalpa Samadhi 41

Type B: EXTERNAL - In the Macrocosm

Verse 27: B1: The First Type – Savikalpa Samadhi 42

Verse 28: B2: Intermediate Type – Savikalpa Samadhi 43

Verse 29: B3: The Third Type – Nirvikalpa Samadhi 44

Verse 30: The State of Perfection in Meditation 45

Verse 31: Supporting Verse from Mundaka Upanishad 46

Conclusion 47

Additional Verses in Some Editions (32-46) 48-50

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THE “MONKEY” FLOWER with its tail as well!

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Chapter 1: (Verses 1-5, 5 no.)

The Laws of DISCRIMINATION

Verse 1: Three Levels of Seer-Seen Relationships

ÃmÉÇ SØzrÉÇ sÉÉåcÉlÉÇ SØMçü iÉ¬ØzrÉÇ SØ£Ñü qÉÉlÉxÉqÉç |

SØzrÉÉ kÉÏuÉ×¨ÉrÉÈ xÉÉ¤ÉÏ SØaÉåuÉ lÉ iÉÑ SØzrÉiÉå || 1 ||

rÀpa¯ d»¾ya¯ lµcana¯ d»k tadd»¾ya¯ d»ktu m¡nasam |

d»¾y¡ dh§v»ttaya¦ s¡k½§ d»g£va na tu d»¾yat£ || 1 ||

1 roopam drishyam lochanam drik, Form is the seen, the eye is the seer;

2 tat drishyam drik tu maanasam; that eye is the seen, and mind is its seer;

3 drishyaa dhee-vrittayah saakshee thoughts in the mind are seen by the Witness

4 drik eva na tu drishyate. which alone is the Seer, but can never be the seen.

A Note on Invocation

No direct invocation is used in this text. However, it is usual in such cases that a direct reference at least be made to the Lord. Here, the word Sakshee, meaning ‘Witness’, provides such a reference. In the Geeta, Lord Krishna gives Sakshee as one of His Names.

Vastu Sangrah Vakya

This verse is termed a Vastu Sangrah Vakya because it is like a “Contents” for the verses that follow it. All the ideas to be discussed are listed in the four Padas of this verse. Each Pada will be taken up one by one and discussed immediately hereafter.

In this verse, the author begins by looking at the Four Levels of Existence. Presented in order of rising importance, they are:

i) Roopam – “form”, referring to all the physical sense objects of this universe.

ii) Lochanam – “the eye”, which stands for all the five sense organs of perception.

iii) Manas – “the mind”, which includes the entire inner equipment called Antahkarana (mind, intellect, memory and Ego).

iv) Sakshee – “the Witness”, refers to the Atman or supreme Self or Brahman, the universal Self. This is the highest principle in Vedanta.

The Seer and the Seen Relationships

The above four levels are linked by three relationships of the nature of the seer and the seen. The seer is always at the higher level from the seen. The relationships are:

1 i) The object/eye relationship: This is detailed in verse 2.

2 ii) The eye/mind relationship: This is detailed in verse 3.

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3 iii) The mind/Sakshee relationship: This is detailed in verse 4.

4 The inner Witness does not have any principle higher than It to relate to. Thus the Sakshee cannot ever become a ‘seen’ object of any other ‘seer’. The qualities of the Sakshee are detailed in verse 5.

Extrapolated from this verse are the following Six Principles which govern all of these three ‘seer-seen’ relationships. The first four have the status of being Laws:

SIX PRINCIPLES FOR SEER-SEEN RELATIONSHIP

i) The seer and the seen are always different from each other.

ii) The seer is always inside; the seen is outside.

iii) The seer is one; the seen are many.

iv) The seer is ‘sentient’; the seen, in relation to it, is ‘inert’.

v) Neither the seer nor the seen can see itself.

vi) The same thing cannot be both seer and seen at the same time.

Inertness in this context does not mean being immobile, having no life, etc, as it is commonly understood. ‘Inert’ here is a technical word referring to the ‘seen’ in relation to the ‘seer’. Other words used in its place are ‘insentient’ (when its seer is considered to be ‘sentient’) and ‘object’ (when its seer is considered to be ‘subject’).

The next 3 verses deal with each of the three types of seer/seen relationships, taken one at a time. The word Ekadhaa (“remaining the same”) is highlighted in each verse.

Verse 2: Level 1: Sense Objects with Sense Organs

lÉÏsÉmÉÏiÉxjÉÔsÉxÉÔ¤qÉ¾ûxuÉSÏbÉÉïÌS pÉåSiÉÈ |

lÉÉlÉÉÌuÉkÉÉÌlÉ ÃmÉÉÍhÉ mÉzrÉåssÉÉåcÉlÉqÉåMükÉÉ || 2 ||

n§lap§tasthÀlasÀk½mahrasvad§rgh¡di bh£data¦ |

n¡n¡vidh¡ni rÀp¡³i pa¾y£llµcanam£kadh¡ || 2 ||

1 neela peeta sthoola sookshma, Like blue, yellow, gross, subtle,

2 hrasva deergha aadi bhedatah; short, long, etc – on account of these differences

3 naanaa vidhaani roopaani, the forms are many and varied.

4 pashyet lochanam ekadhaa. The eye remaining the same sees them all.

The ‘Eye’ stands for all the 5 sense organs. Note it is the central organ in the list. Similarly, ‘Object’ or ‘Form’ stands for all the 5 respective sense objects for each sense organ. Each sense and its object are linked respectively to the 5 elements. These are placed in order of subtlety of sense objects. There are an infinite number of sense objects, but all of them fall into the above 5 categories.

The most important point is that the sense organ is always the ‘seer’ of the sense object, which is the ‘seen’.

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For completeness, the full table of relationships is given below:

Sense Object Element

1. ear sound Space

2. skin touch Air

3. eye sight Fire

4. tongue taste Water

5. nose smell Earth

1-2 We have already made reference to the infinite number of sense objects that can exist. New forms are being created all the time, by nature as well as by man.

Each sense organ has a vast range of objects to differentiate from and to experience.

Eye: In the verse only the variety that pertains to colour and form is mentioned. We can add the varieties in the other senses as follows:

Ear: Silent, soft and loud, whistling, gurgling, thunderous, thudding, clapping, etc.

Skin: Smooth, rough, tender, pricking, blunt, cool, hot, etc.

Tongue: Sweet, sour, astringent, saline, spicy, bitter, etc.

Nose: Earthy, foul, fragrant, inviting, repulsive, etc.

3-4 In accordance with principle 1, the object and the eye are always different. In accordance with principle 2, the object is outside and the eye is inside. In accordance with principle 3, the eye is one whereas the objects are many. And in accordance with principle 4, the eye is sentient and the objects are inert.

Acharyaji put forward a hypothetical case of many eyes and noses:

Imagine the difficulty that we would have if we had to use a different eye to see each different colour. We would have to carry spare eyes, spare noses, etc. Like the cameraman who has to keep changing his lens to suit different conditions in photography, we would have to keep changing eyes and noses.

Problem 1: Where will we keep the spares? We may keep them all in a suitcase and pull them out as required.

Problem 2: We may pull out a nose instead of an eye; then there will be a big problem.

Thank God that two eyes, two ears and one nose are sufficient for the whole range of objects presented to them!

Verse 3: Level 2: Mind with Sense Organs

AÉlkrÉqÉÉl±mÉOÒûiuÉåwÉÑ lÉå§ÉkÉqÉåïwÉÑ cÉæMükÉÉ |

xÉƒ¡ûsmÉrÉålqÉlÉÈ ´ÉÉå§ÉiuÉaÉÉSÉæ rÉÉåerÉiÉÉÍqÉSqÉç || 3 ||

¡ndhyam¡ndyapa¿utv£½u n£tradharm£½u caikadh¡ |

sa±kalpay£nmana¦ ¾rµtratvag¡dau yµjyat¡midam || 3 ||

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1 aandhya-maandya-patutveshu, Blindness, dullness and sharpness are the many

2 netra-dharmeshu cha ekadhaa; characteristics of the eye, but remaining the same

3 sankalpayet manah shrotra, is the mind which knows (these differences). The ear,

4 tvak aadau yojyataam idam. the skin, etc, also have varying characteristics.

We now go to the next level up. The mind as seer sees each sense organ, which becomes the seen.

1-2 The eye which was the ‘seer’ at the first level, now becomes the ‘seen’ for the second level. In the same way as objects were differentiated at the first level, we can differentiate the variety in the sense organs at this level:

Eyes: Varieties in the eye are blindness (0% vision); dullness (say 50% vision); and sharpness (100% vision).

Ears: Varieties in the ear are deafness (0% hearing); faintness (say 50% hearing); and loudness (100% hearing).

Skin: Here, too, we have zero touch sensation, moderate touch sensation and maximum touch sensation.

Tongue: The quality of tastes picked up by the tongue also has the same three variations. Some people cannot taste anything; some have moderate taste sensations; and some have very acute taste buds.

Nose: The power of smell varies from one person to another. During a cold, one cannot smell things; a normal person can smell things near him; dogs can smell things that are quite far away and out of sight.

3 The full information is obtained only by the mind. In this sense the mind is the master of all five sense organs. Mind is the seer and the senses are the seen. The mind is one. It integrates all these signals and forms the composite assessment of the particular object.

4 All the five sense organs have the mind as their master. They send their reports or signals to the mind for further action. There are five different sense organs which report to the mind. Each organ can receive only the signal that it is tuned to receive. The ear can only hear, the nose can only smell. From the same sense object, each of the five sense organs picks up the signal concerning itself and sends it to the mind.

In accordance with principle 1, the sense organ and the mind are always different. In accordance with principle 2, the organs are ‘outside’ and the mind is ‘inside’. In accordance with principle 3, the organs are many whereas the mind is one. And in accordance with principle 4, the mind is sentient and the organs are inert.

Verse 4: Level 3: The Witness with the Mind

MüÉqÉÈ xÉƒ¡ûsmÉxÉlSåWûÉæ ´É®ÉÅ´É®å kÉ×iÉÏiÉUå |

¾ûÏkÉÏïpÉÏïËUirÉåuÉqÉÉSÏlÉç pÉÉxÉrÉirÉåMükÉÉ ÍcÉÌiÉÈ || 4 ||

k¡ma¦ sa±kalpasand£hau ¾raddh¡:'¾raddh£ dh»t§tar£ |

hr§rdh§rbh§rity£vam¡d§n bh¡sayaty£kadh¡ citi¦ || 4 ||

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1 kaamah sankalpa-sandehau, The thoughts of desire, willingness or doubt,

2 sraddhaa asraddhe dhriti itare; belief or disbelief, fortitude or its lack,

3 hreeh dheeh bheeh iti evam aadeen, modesty, understanding, fear, and such others –

4 bhaasyati ekadhaa chitih. Consciousness, remaining the same, illumines them all.

This is at the third and highest level. The Witness is the ultimate ‘Seer’ (capital letter used in referring to this fact). The thoughts in the mind may be considered to be ‘objects’ seen by the Sakshee, the Witness or the Seer.

The mind can study each sense organs physically, but it cannot study itself. To know the mind, there has to be some factor other than it, and higher than it. What is that?

Varieties in Thoughts

1 Just as the qualities of sense organs were many at the second level, so also thoughts are as innumerable at the third level, ranging from 0% to 100%. Now at the third level, all these are further multiplied by the different interpretation given to each signal by the existing thoughts, feelings and emotions in the mind. Indeed, the count of the number of thoughts becomes astronomical!

The list given in the verse for the different types of thoughts arising is by no means exhaustive. There is an amazing variety of thoughts applicable to just one object, what to speak of all the countless objects that the mind knows. It is literally ‘mind-boggling’!

Mental Inclinations

2-3 Desires arise from imagination. Imagination begins to get active when one is not happy with the present condition. For example, hunger is a feeling of wanting to have food. It is natural. When hunger comes, the mind starts desiring food. When one is full and content, that desire goes down and another one comes up in its place.

Guruji used to say, “Desires are like the tissues packed in a box. You pull out one tissue and another rises up automatically to be pulled out next.” Desires wait in a long queue that is never-ending. Feeding desires is like pouring water into a bottomless bucket.

Hreer-Dheer-Bheer: Apart from being a list of more varieties in thought, these words together make up a rhyme which sounds like a car when it is taking off, turning or applying brakes! Craving presses the accelerator; when a doubt comes along, the brakes get into action; when desires start mounting upon each other, they are like a series of hairpin bends one after another!

4 Sakshee: “the Witnessing Consciousness”. The literal meaning of the word is “that which sees without any external help”. Only something external to the mind can know it. That is Consciousness. Only Consciousness can be called Sakshee – nobody helps it, it is an independent Seer, with no assistance from any other source. Consciousness is self-aware.

There cannot be two Consciousnesses. That will be be illogical. This means that Consciousness can never be labelled as the ‘seen’ with respect to any other knower. It is the ultimate Knower. More is said about it in the next verse.

An enormous amount of information gets produced in the mind. The mind itself cannot deal with it. The Seer of all seers, the Sakshee, has to come to its aid. However, in reality, very few people develop the awareness to know of the presence of the Sakshee; among those that do, only a few tap into its power and learn to observe their own mind.

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At the end of the ‘seer-seen’ chain is the Sakshee, the ultimate Seer. This is none other than the Supreme Being or Brahman, expressing Itself at the individual level, as the Atman. When It does so in relation to the body-mind complex, It is given the name Sakshee or Witness.

Atman and Brahman are non-different from each other; the difference in the names are due to that which is being associated with it. It is like the same man who is seen as brother by one person and as husband by another.

In accordance with principle 1, the mind and the Witness are always different. In accordance with principle 2, the mind is outside and the Witness is inside. In accordance with principle 3, the Witness is one whereas the thoughts in the mind are many. And in accordance with principle 4, the Witness is sentient and the thoughts are inert.

This brings us to the important conclusion – all sentiency arises from Consciousness. The other items below the Sakshee in the hierarchy borrow their sentiency from the Sakshee. More on this very important topic will be said in the next Chapter.

Verse 5: Qualities of the Sakshee (Witness)

lÉÉåSåÌiÉ lÉÉxiÉqÉåirÉåwÉÉ lÉ uÉ×Î®Ç rÉÉÌiÉ lÉ ¤ÉrÉqÉç |

xuÉrÉÇ ÌuÉpÉÉirÉjÉÉlrÉÉÌlÉ pÉÉxÉrÉåixÉÉkÉlÉÇ ÌuÉlÉÉ || 5 ||

nµd£ti n¡stam£ty£½¡ na v»ddhi¯ y¡ti na k½ayam |

svaya¯ vibh¡tyath¡ny¡ni bh¡say£ts¡dhana¯ vin¡ || 5 ||

1 na udeti na astam eti eshaa, This (Witness) does not rise, nor does It set;

2 na vriddhim yaati na kshayam; It does not increase, nor does It decrease;

3 swayam vibhaati atha anyaani, It shines by itself and then others

4 bhaasayet saadhanam vinaa. does It illumine, without any external aid.

The Theory of Abhava in Vedanta

1 The Self “not rising or setting” refers to it being unborn and undying. This makes it impossible to plot the Self on a Time axis.

Acharyaji said the Self does not have any of the Abhavas (non-existence of a thing) that objects possess. Abhava is ‘non-existence’ or ‘absence’. This theory appears in the Nyaya logic system, which is borrowed by Vedanta since it is one of the best in the field of logic. This verse shows the place of pure logic in Indian philosophy, and how well it was developed by the ancient Rishis.

Imagine birth and death as two points on a scale of time, running left to right. Then:

i) Prag-Abhav: is the period before the birth of an object. In this period, the object does not exist. This period has no beginning but has an end, namely when the object is born.

ii) Pradvamsa-Abhav: is the period after the death of an object. In this period also, the object does not exist. This period begins when the object dies, and it has no end.

iii) Anyonya-Abhav: is absence of one thing in another. An example will be: the absence of a ‘man’ in a cow in the way that there is a ‘calf’ in a cow.

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iv) Atyanta-Abhav: is absence of a thing in all 3 periods of time; something that is totally non-existent. An example will be the horns of a hare.

Since Atman does not have any of these Abhavas or non-existences, it is defined as Sat or Pure Existence itself. It has no birth and no death. It is Eternal.

2 This Pada says that it is also impossible to plot the Self along a Space axis. It is Infinite. Something infinite cannot increase or decrease.

3-4 It ‘shines of Itself’ means that it is self-knowing. It is Consciousness by which everything is known. It needs nothing else to know it. It is the very principle of knowing; it is Knowledge Absolute.

Not only that, but the implication is that for us to know anything in the universe, there has to be Consciousness. A very interesting scenario looms up as we go deeper into this subject. This becomes the topic of the next chapter.

*****

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The Manifestation of SENTIENCY

WE ENDED IN THE LAST Chapter with the fact that Consciousness is needed to know anything. It is the Ultimate Knower. This raises some fundamental questions: i) If that is so, then how does the mind know anything? ii) How are the eye and the other senses

knowing their objects? iii) Are there many knowers, independent of each other? iv) Is Consciousness common in all beings?

This gives rise to another chain of questions: What is it that makes certain things appear inert or dead, and others sentient or living? Who is the one who undergoes the experience of Samsara? To answer these, the question of Sentiency is taken up in this Chapter. The knowledge of the first Chapter will help us to grasp the contents of this one.

It has to be said that this Chapter deals with the internal aspect of Consciousness as it manifests in an individual as the Jeeva. The external aspect of Consciousness as it manifests in Creation is dealt with in the next Chapter. The methodology used in this Chapter is primarily Avastha-Traya Vivekah, discrimination between the three states.

We are laying a very interesting and absorbing factual base upon which the edifice of

practical spiritual life will be built in the final Chapter. This Chapter deals with the manifesta-tion of sentiency within man; the next Chapter deals with the manifestation of the entire subtle and gross Creation outside man; these two are then combined in the final Chapter by a grand tour of six insights into internal and external Meditation techniques.

Verse 6: Reflection of Consciousness & Ego

ÍcÉcNûÉrÉÉÅÅuÉåzÉiÉÉå oÉÑ®Éæ pÉÉlÉÇ kÉÏxiÉÑ Ì²kÉÉ ÎxjÉiÉÉ |

LMüÉWûƒ¡ÙûÌiÉUlrÉÉ xrÉÉSliÉÈMüUhÉÃÌmÉhÉÏ || 6 ||

cicch¡y¡:':'v£¾atµ buddhau bh¡na¯ dh§stu dvidh¡ sthit¡ |

£k¡ha±k»tirany¡ sy¡danta¦kara³arÀpi³§ || 6 ||

1 chit chhaayaa aaveshatah buddhau,

The reflection of Consciousness enters into the intellect,

2 bhaanam dheeh tu dvidhaa sthitaa;

and energises the whole “inner equipment”, Indeed, this has a twofold structure:

3 ekaa ahamkritih anyaa syaat, One part is the Ego; the other is

4 antahkarana roopinee. of the form of the “inner instrument” (Antahkarana).

Reflection of Consciousness

1 Chit Chhaayaa: “Reflected Consciousness.” Firstly, Consciousness is present everywhere and is reflecting off everything that is manifested, gross as well as subtle.

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However, gross objects cannot reflect it as well as the subtle. This may be compared to light which reflects very well off a surface of water but very poorly off a piece of wood. For this reason, the reflection off gross bodies can be ignored, and reflected consciousness can be taken to mean reflection off only the subtle body.

The intellect is the most subtle object in creation, in particular the intellect of man. In man we are dealing with the best reflection one can ever get. Man’s intellect is the best mirror in Nature to reflect Pure Consciousness. In this way, Vedanta has provided for us a magnificent simile to explain sentiency in all living beings.

Vedanta itself is said to be a philosophical mirror; it gives us a good look at ourselves.

When I say “I am happy or sad”, it is a thought of happiness or sadness that I am really referring to. A happy or a sad thought crosses my mind. I identify with it and say “I am happy or sad”. A closer look reveals that this is only a manner of speaking, a way of expression. The fact remains that “I” cannot be happy or sad. I do not change; I observe the thoughts in my mind that change. Those thoughts are conscious entities that make me appear to be a ‘conscious’, sentient being.

Then, can I say, “My mind is happy or sad”? Who or what is that entity in me that experiences happiness or sadness? Who is the experiencer? The Consciousness which we defined in the first Chapter as the inner Witness, cannot be the experiencer, as It is always constant, never fluctuating. Mind cannot be the experiencer either, for it is only an instrument that produces thoughts of happiness or sadness. Who, then in the entity that experiences happiness or sadness?

The answer to this question is unfolded step by step and revealed in the next verse.

The Origin of Sentiency

2a Bhaanam: “appears conscious”. The Consciousness reflected off the surface of the intellect is of such a high quality, that it makes the inert intellect appear to be conscious, sentient and alive. This is the first result of the reflection of consciousness in the intellect.

The Upadhis are inert by nature, as they are made up of the elements. Yet, they are functioning in the arena of knowledge. They are like little ‘knowers’, even though inert. Their sentiency comes from their association with reflected consciousness. The presence of Life is due to reflected consciousness at the level of the Mind (the subtle body).

Life does not indicate Consciousness; it indicates the presence of the subtle body. To have life, the subtle body is the essential ingredient. It is not sufficient to have only the gross body. The subtle body, made of Tanmatras, is able to hold the reflected consciousness.

The gross body and subtle body may be be compared to coal and diamond. Both are made of carbon atoms. However, in coal the carbon is in a gross state, while in a diamond it is in a subtle state. This provides a very useful way to understand the difference between the subtle and the gross body.

2b Dheeh: “the whole inner equipment”. This is the entire thought-producing factory composed of the Sattwic portion of the subtle elements. It is the heart of the subtle body. Dheeh is said to have four components – the Ego, intellect, mind and memory. Up to here, Sri Shankaracharyaji and Sri Vidyaranyaji are in agreement.

The Two Parts of “Dheeh”

First, let us consider Sri Shankaracharyaji’s terminology. The four components are jointly termed Antahkarana by him. He then groups the four components into two groups.

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Ego and intellect are in the first group; and mind and memory are in the second group. The first group is termed Aham Vritti and the second group the Idam Vritti.

3-4 Now we consider Sri Vidyaranya’s terminology. The four components are jointly termed Dheeh by him. He, too, groups the four components into two groups, but in a different way. This way of grouping the “inner instrument” is unique to Drig-Drishya Viveka.

Ahamkara is given an importance all its own by being separated from the other three functions. It alone forms the first group, and is named Ahamkriti. The remaining three components form the second group, which is named Antahkarana. [Note that Shankaracharya’s Antahkarana includes Ahamkriti, whereas Vidyaranya’s Antahkarana excludes it. This difference is further evidence that this book is authored by Sri Vidyaranyaji.]

Function of Each Part of “Dheeh”

The two parts of every thought have the following specific functions to play:

1. Ahamkriti: “The Ego”. This is Kartru Roopa, i.e. it is the ownership aspect of the thought. The basic component of the Ego is the Aham or the “I”-thought. This component is the self-arrogating thought that makes the claim that “I am the doer or owner”.

2. Antahkarana: “Intellect, Mind & Memory”. This is Karana Roopini, i.e. it is the part which is of the nature of an instrument. Except for the ownership, this contains the rest of the thought, i.e. the emotion, the feeling, the intensity of desire, etc. This is the part that controls one’s reactions.

In terms of the BMI Chart (Body-Mind-Intellect Chart) of Swami Chinmayananda, the Ahamkriti component is the Kartaa or Kartru, the doer of action, i.e. the PFT, the perceiver, feeler and thinker. The Antahkarana component is the Karana, the instrument of action, i.e. the OET, the objects, emotions and thoughts used by the doer.

[The relationship between these two parts has been elaborately described in Atma Bodha (Text 3) in verses 17 and 25, where it is termed “unholy wedlock” in the commentary by Swami Chimayanandaji.]

The next four verses deal with the Ahamkriti and discuss it in great detail.

Verse 7: Transfer of Sentiency to Ego and Body

NûÉrÉÉÅWûƒ¡ûÉUrÉÉåUæYrÉÇ iÉmiÉÉrÉÈÌmÉhQûuÉlqÉiÉqÉç |

iÉSWûƒ¡ûÉUiÉÉSÉiqrÉÉ¬åWû¶ÉåiÉlÉiÉÉqÉaÉÉiÉç || 7 ||

ch¡y¡:'ha±k¡rayµraikya¯ tapt¡ya¦pi³¢avanmatam |

tadaha±k¡rat¡d¡tmy¡dd£ha¾c£tanat¡mag¡t || 7 ||

1 chaayaa ahamkaarayoh aikyam The identity of the reflected Consciousness and Ego

2 tapta ayah-pindavat matam; is like that between fire and the heated iron ball:

3 tat ahamkaara taadaatmyaat Then the Ego, due to identification,

4 dehah chetanataam agaat. transfers to the gross body the same sentiency.

In this verse the first of the two parts of Dheeh is taken up – the Ahamkara Vritti or just Ahamkriti, as termed in this text. We are given a glimpse of the “unholy wedlock” by which reflected consciousness and Ahamkriti are related.

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Objects which have a suble body (i.e. Dheeh) respond well in the presence of the all-pervading Consciousness. They are like the TV sets which are well-tuned to receive the TV signals pervading the air, and which can thus reproduce the pictures transmitted. Equipment without the tuning-in apparatus cannot reproduce these TV pictures.

The Ahamkriti responds perfectly to the presence of Consciousness and thus gains the quality of being sentient from this interaction. The next verse explains how this happens. For now, we are interested in the sentiency gained and how it filters down into the denser layers of the human indtrument.

The Transference of Sentiency to Ego

1-2 The Ahamkriti’s relationship with reflected Consciousness is being considered. A simile is used to describe the nature of this relationship. We are familiar with the hot iron ball simile; it was encountered in Atma Bodha (Text 3, v.62). It is hard to find a better simile.

An iron ball is round and cold; fire is of no fixed shape and hot by nature. When the two come in contact, each one transfers its properties to the other. The cold Iron ball takes up the heat of the fire; and the shapeless fire takes the round shape of the iron ball. This is a mutual transfer of properties, called Anyonya Adhyasa.

A modern simile would be the inter-relationship between electricity (representing reflected Consciousness) and a light filament (representing the Ego). The filament displays the power of electricity as light, and the electricity ‘appears’ in the shape of the filament.

Now for the application of the simile: In the proximity of reflected Consciousness, the Ego appears sentient; at the same time Consciousness appears as if the qualities of the Ego are rubbed onto it. There is a mutual exchange of properties. Spirit and matter appear to get linked, united, fused into one inseparable entity. The “I-ness” which belongs to Consciousness gets inseparably fused with the Ego.

The appearance of sentiency in the Ego is of great significance. It provides the answer to the question we began with: “Who is the experiencer of Samsara?” The answer is a fictitious being called the Jeeva. The Ego, which is inert by nature, appears sentient simply by being in the company or the presence of reflected consciousness. That Ego develops its own identity as an individual being, the Jeeva. This new being with ego-consciousness is created. It is the knower, actor and the enjoyer of the Samsaric experience.

The Transference of Sentiency from Ego to Body

3-4 Now the appearance of sentiency gets extended: The sentiency that belongs to Consciousness first gets transferred to reflected consciousness. From there it is transferred to the Ego. From the Ego it gets further transferred to the mind (the Antahkarana), then to the senses and finally to the gross body itself. The gross body appears as a living body. This is the full chain of transference implied by ‘the body’ in this Pada.

We can now see the connection between the first Chapter and this Chapter. The “Seer-Seen chain” from Consciousness to external objects, when viewed in the above manner, becomes a “Sentiency chain” by which we see the Transference of Sentiency from Consciousness all the way down to the very objects that an individual works with.

*****

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Verse 8: The Ego & its Identifications

AWûƒ¡ûÉUxrÉ iÉÉSÉiqrÉÇ ÍcÉcNûÉrÉÉSåWûxÉÉÍ¤ÉÍpÉÈ |

xÉWûeÉÇ MüqÉïeÉÇ pÉëÉÎliÉeÉlrÉÇ cÉ Ì§ÉÌuÉkÉÇ ¢üqÉÉiÉç || 8||

aha±k¡rasya t¡d¡tmya¯ cicch¡y¡d£has¡k½ibhi¦ |

sahaja¯ karmaja¯ bhr¡ntijanya¯ ca trividha¯ kram¡t || 8||

1 ahamkaarasya taadaatmyam The identification of the Ego

2 chit-chaayaa-deha- saakshibhih;

with: i) reflected consciousness, ii) the gross body, and iii) Consciousness or the Witness,

3 sahajam karmajam bhraanti is natural, born of past actions, and delusion-

4 janyam cha trividham kramaat. born respectively – these are their three causes.

In the “Sentiency Chain”, seven items are listed to show the full chain. The same chain can also be viewed as the “Seer-Seen Chain” from another angle.

1 Presently, we are concerned with Item 3, the Ego-consciousness. The Ego’s connection with each of the other six items in the chain is under examination.

2 For brevity, only three key items are listed in the verse; they are items 1, 2 and 6. However, all six of them are meant to be included.

3-4 The nature of the Ego’s connection with these three is investigated. Their causes are given here, and examined in greater detail in the next verse:

2a i) With reflected Consciousness. 3a The cause is natural. 2b ii) With the gross body. 3b This is born of Karmas. 2c iii) With pure Consciousness 3c This is born of ignorance.

Each connection has to be handled in a different way according to the cause. The whole inter-connection is what makes up the Jeeva, or individual soul.

THE “SENTIENCY CHAIN” IN THE JEEVA

1. PURE CONSCIOUSNESS (Sakshee)

2. REFLECTED CONSCIOUSNESS

3. THE AHAMKRITI (EGO)

5. SENSE ORGANS

4. THE ANTAHKARANA

6. GROSS BODY

7. OBJECTS

JEEVA

ATMAN

JAGAT

Size indicates reducing

sentiency.

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Verse 9: Diagnosis of the Ego’s Identifications

xÉqoÉÎlkÉlÉÉåÈ xÉiÉÉålÉÉïÎxiÉ ÌlÉuÉ×Ì¨ÉÈ xÉWûeÉxrÉ iÉÑ |

MüqÉï¤ÉrÉÉiÉç mÉëoÉÉåkÉÉŠ ÌlÉuÉiÉåïiÉå ¢üqÉÉSÒpÉå || 9 ||

sambandhinµ¦ satµrn¡sti niv»tti¦ sahajasya tu |

karmak½ay¡t prabµdh¡cca nivart£t£ kram¡dubh£ || 9 ||

1 sambandhinoh satoh naasti i) The connection with reflected Consciousness

2 nivrittih sahajasya tu; cannot be eliminated, as it is natural;

3 karma-kshayaat prabodhaat cha

ii) (With the body), by exhaustion of Karma; iii) and (with Consciousness), by direct knowledge –

4 nivartete kramaat ubhe. thus the other two can be eliminated respectively.

How each connection is to be treated according to its cause is now discussed. Having identified the 3 causes of the 3 Ego identifications, each one can be dealt with in its own unique way, as dictated by logic. Through such analysis, the troublesome connection among them is diagnosed and a cure for it is prescribed. The 3 approaches are as follows:

1-2 i) The Jeevahood of Jeeva. This is a natural connection, which means it cannot be avoided. If a person stands in front of a mirror he cannot avoid his reflection in the mirror. Thus nothing can or need be done about this. This connection will go on from birth to birth.

ii) Bond with Karmas: The body lasts as long as Karmas still remain. When Karmas are exhausted, the connection ends. The thing to be done is to find ways and means of nullifying all Karmas. The science of Karma Yoga especially caters for this need.

iii) Non-recognition of the Self: This is due to delusion, the veiling power of Maya (discussed later in the book). This can be eliminated by direct knowledge of the Self. Basically the problem here is to establish the identity between the Jeeva (Ego) and Brahman (Atman, the Self) through Self-enquiry. As Ego is illusory, it can have no connection with Self.

The Strategy for Sadhana

From the above analysis of identifications and their causes, we can deduce the following strategy by which the problem of wrong identification can be resolved:

Step 1: We deal first with the third identification. By obtaining knowledge of the Self, we understand that our true nature is the Self, not the Ego.

Step 2: Then we go to the second identification. By working out our Karma, we weaken our identification with the Body (gross and subtle bodies).

Step 3: Finally, we come to the identification with reflected consciousness. When steps 1 and 2 are completed to the point of perfection, i.e. we attain perfect identity with our Self and all Karmas are worked out, then the identification with reflected consciousness dies a natural death. Self-realisation is the natural way to remove this identification.

In this book, the word Ego is used for Jeeva. This is done in order to emphasise the huge role played by the Ego in entrapping the Jeeva into the net of Samsara.

It is the reflected Self (Jeeva) that undergoes the experience of embodied life in all the three states. By using the word Ego instead of Jeeva, attention is drawn to the main problem area which separates Jeeva from Brahman.

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Verse 10: Dealing with the Ego

AWûƒ¡ûÉUsÉrÉå xÉÑmiÉÉæ pÉuÉå¬åWûÉåÅmrÉcÉåiÉlÉÈ |

AWûƒ¡ûÉUÌuÉMüÉxÉÉkÉïÈ xuÉmlÉÈ xÉuÉïxiÉÑ eÉÉaÉUÈ || 10 ||

aha±k¡ralay£ suptau bhav£dd£hµ:'pyac£tana¦ |

aha±k¡ravik¡s¡rdha¦ svapna¦ sarvastu j¡gara¦ || 10 ||

1 ahamkaara laye suptau i) When the Ego is in absorption in deep sleep,

2 bhavet dehah api achetanah; there is no consciousness of the body and mind;

3 ahamkaara vikaasa ardhah, ii) the Ego is in its semi-conscious state

4 swapnah sarvah tu jaagarah. in dream; iii) it fully manifests only in the waking.

We have come to the point where we now know that the Ego-consciousness is the very cause of the Jeeva’s encounter with Samsara. To get out of Samsara, the only way is to deal with and eliminate the Ego. When is the most opportune time to do so? With this in mind, the text moves forward to find the best ways and means to accomplish this task.

The ego is a specific thought modification in the mind; it is the most powerful component that is common to all thoughts. Our approach should be to track out when and where the Ego’s activities are at a maximum and deal with it in that realm. It is of no use attempting to deal with the Ego when it is not available to us. This verse pin-points the state in which alone the Ego may be dealt with in order to successfully eliminate it.

Ego in the Three States

1-2 In the deep sleep state, both the gross and subtle bodies become unconscious. The ego is completely unavailable. The Ego folds itself up, as though it has packed up and is ready to go out somewhere, leaving its house empty for a while. There is 0% availability.

3 In the dream state, when the gross body and part of the subtle body (the sense organs only) become unconscious but the mind is still partially available, the ego is said to be in manifestation only partially – say 50% availability.

4 The Ego is in full manifestation during the waking state – 100% availability. Clearly, this is the only and most opportune state during which the Ego can be dealt with.

Prarabdha & the Three States

Acharyaji now focussed on another important factor which has a bearing on when we can avail ourselves of the waking state. The factor is Prarabdha Karma. Our entry into the three states of waking, dream and deep sleep is governed by our Karma. We cannot sleep until we possess the good Karma to earn the sleep! Likewise, we cannot get up from sleep until our Prarabdha Karma permits us. This is a rather strange take on the three states.

We come into this birth with a particular packet of Prarabdha Karma. The Karma comes to us as a pulsar or burst of energy to engage us into interaction with the world. It also becomes dormant at particular times to give us a chance to withdraw from the world and take a rest. This toggling between wakefulness and sleep is essential for our health and functioning. It is enabled by ‘good Karma’.

In dream we have a portion of the subtle body available to us, but we do not have the intellect to determine and choose how to respond to dream. We are helpless in controlling our dream. The waking state is the only state in which we can make progress.

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Verse 11: Deaing with the Antahkarana

AliÉÈMüUhÉuÉ×Ì¨É¶É ÍcÉÌiÉcNûÉrÉæYrÉqÉÉaÉiÉÉ |

uÉÉxÉlÉÉÈ MüsmÉrÉåiÉç xuÉmlÉå oÉÉåkÉåÅ¤ÉæÌuÉïwÉrÉÉlÉç oÉÌWûÈ || 11 ||

anta¦kara³av»tti¾ca citicch¡yaikyam¡gat¡ |

v¡san¡¦ kalpay£t svapn£ bµdh£:'k½airvi½ay¡n bahi¦ || 11 ||

1 antahkarana vrittih cha Thought modifications of the inner equipment,

2 chitih chhaayaa ekyam aagataa; by their identity with reflected Consciousness,

3 vaasanaah kalpayet swapne, project impressions in the dream state.

4 bodhe akshaih vishayaan bahih. In waking, external objects engage with the eyes.

We now move to the second part of the Dheeh – the instrumental part called Antahkarana, “the inner instrument”. What role does this part have on our life? The most important fact about the Antahkarana is that it projects to our mind the multitude of impressions of the world. Unlike the Ahamvritti which comprises only a single thought of “I”, the Antahkarana’s function is to bring to us the variety that lies out there in the world.

Naturally, the Antahkarana has to function in tandem with the Ahamvritti. It cannot function without the latter. Hence, its function is entirely dependent on the availability of the Ahamvritti. This means it can project the world only during dream partially and during waking to the maximum degree possible. In deep sleep, it cannot project anything, and so deep sleep is not even mentioned in the verse.

The Sentiency for Antahkarana to Function

1-2 As with the Ahamkriti, so also with the Antahkarana – both receive their sentient power to function from reflected consciousness. There can never be the production of thought without reflected consciousness. The flow of sentiency to the Antahkarana is via the Ahamkriti, which we have seen gets it directly from reflected consciousness. The Antahkarana serves purely as an instrument or a tool in the hands of the Ahamkriti. It has no function independent of Ahamkriti.

The Antahkarana brings into play all the powers of the intellect, mind and memory to project before the Jeeva the world of objects that we see. Each person sees a different world, according to the inclinations built into his own mind and intellect. Each person’s world depends on his Karma. It is our Karma that delivers the right object to our Antahkarana at the right time. The world experience is thus determined by Karma.

We can only experience the thoughts produced by the Antahkarana, not the Antahkarana itself. We cannot know our mind and intellect as an object, except when we learn to identify ourselves with the Witness. This is as per the Laws applicable to the “Seer-Seen” relationships learnt in Chapter 1.

Antahkarana & the Three States

Generally, the activity of Antahkarana follows the same lines as that of Ahamkriti:

i) Deep Sleep: As there is no consciousness of the inner equipment in this state, i.e. the mind and intellect are not available, no thoughts can arise in this state. Hence there is no mention of deep sleep at all in this verse. Thought projection is 0%.

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3 ii) Dream: There is semi-consciousness of the mind and no consciousness of the body in dream. The small awareness of the mind makes it project the impressions it gathered during the waking state, but in a befuddled order, due to the semi-consciousness. Desires that have not been fulfilled in the waking state come forward in dream to fulfill themselves. Thought projection is down to 50%.

4 iii) Waking: There is full consciousness of both mind and body in this state. Hence, the play of the Ego is maximum during waking. It manifests on all fronts to the maximum degree. This shows in the projection of external sense objects. All the five senses can run riot in this state if the Ego is not held in check. Thought projection is maximum at 100%.

Antahkarana – Its Dependence & Independence

The same verb – Kalpayet – applies to the dream as well as the waking state. This is to tell us that as far as the Ego is concerned, it behaves the same in both states – completely forgetful of its true nature as the Self, and fully engrossed in delusion or ignorance. Much of what we do in the waking state is thus actually out of the imagination of the Ego. It is worth remembering this fact when we analyse our actions of the waking state.

The Ahamkriti is responsible for all the thoughts relating to “I”; the Antahkarana is then responsible for all the thoughts relating to “mine” in the external world.

The implication is that we are really not ‘present’ or alert enough in the waking state; we do not live in the NOW of the waking state. Almost all our actions are influenced by the imaginings of the Ego which draw from memories of our past or from anxieties of the future. We, the Jeevas, are trapped by the Ego which completely controls our inner instruments. We have no choice until such time we learn to understand that we are not Ego.

Verse 12: The Samsaric Experience of the Jeeva

qÉlÉÉåÅWûƒ¡ÙûirÉÑmÉÉSÉlÉÇ ÍsÉ…¡ûqÉåMÇü eÉQûÉiqÉMüqÉç |

AuÉxjÉÉ§ÉrÉqÉluÉåÌiÉ eÉÉrÉiÉå ÍqÉërÉiÉå iÉjÉÉ || 12 ||

manµ:'ha±k»tyup¡d¡na¯ li±gam£ka¯ ja¢¡tmakam |

avasth¡trayamanv£ti j¡yat£ mriyat£ tath¡ || 12 ||

1 manah ahamkriti upaadaanam Constituted of Mind and Ego (i.e. the Dheeh),

2 lingam ekam jadaatmakam; the one insentient subtle body, the index of Life,

3 avasthaa trayam anveti goes through the three states;

4 jaayate mriyate tathaa. it is born and it dies.

We are now ready to summarise our findings on the questions we set out to answer.

1-2 Firstly, by the words ‘mind and ego’ are meant the two divisions of the Dheeh as mentioned in Verse 6 at the very outset of this Chapter. All thoughts are the realm of the Dheeh or inner subtle body, i.e. Mind and Ego, where Mind stands for the “mind, intellect and memory”. The Dheeh is the locus of all thoughts, emotions and desires. It is also the spring of all actions.

This subtle body, like the gross body, is insentient. Yet, it obtains sentiency by its association with Consciousness, and acquires an identity of its own called the Ego.

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3 This apparently sentient entity, as the Jeeva or individual self, undergoes the experiences in all the three states in turn, as described in the previous verse. Avastha-Traya Vivekah was used to analyse the condition of the Jeeva in all the three states.

4 This entity takes birth and death. This means that all the other modifications of life between these two end-points of the gross body are included. The physical body goes through this experience birth after birth in cycles.

The subtle body also dies, but its death is a little different. The subtle body packs up at the time of death and leaves the gross body. Then it goes to its new body (the next birth) and unpacks all its components into that body to continue existing through that body. Its ‘death’ occurs only when all the Karmas connected with it get exhausted. That defines the death of the subtle body. That death represents ‘Enlightenment’.

Summary of Chapter

The question that needed to be answered in this Chapter was posed at the very outset: “Who undergoes the experience of Samsara?” We are now in a position to answer that question. My true Self, the Atman, is not the answer; it is constant, unaffected, unattached to the world, unborn and deathless. It cannot experience the variations we see in this Samsaric experience.

The mind is also not the answer. It is an inert instrument used in order to obtain information about the world and to interact with it. In this verse, ‘mind’ stands for the Antahkarana as defined by Sri Vidyaranya, namely, the conglomerate of mind, intellect and memory. At best, this has the status of an instrument of knowledge, action and enjoyment. But it is certainly not their knower, actor and enjoyer.

The composite equation which describes the Jeeva accurately is as follows:

JEEVA = CONSCIOUSNESS

+ REFLECTED CONSCIOUSNESS + SUBTLE BODY (Ahamkriti + Antahkarana) + GROSS BODY

Discussion: From the equation, the gross body may be dropped as it provides only a counter or venue for the experience of Samsara to take place. It keeps dropping off life after life, so there is no continuity in it. Consciousness is essential for without it there can be no reflected consciousness, but on its own it does not experience the ups and downs of life; it merely witnesses everything that happens. The subtle body is also essential, since without it there is nothing to produce the reflected consciousness. However, the Antahkarana can be dropped as it serves only an instrumental function. The Ahamkriti includes the reflected consciousness in it; it cannot exist without it. That leaves us with the single answer - the essential Jeeva is Ahamkriti alone. All other elements in the equation play their supportive roles in the existence of the Jeeva.

Therefore, the final equation may now be written as:

JEEVA = AHAMKRITI = Ego-consciousness

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Conclusion to this Chapter

We have examined two of the three ways in which the Ego is identified with an individual.

The first is its identity with reflected Consciousness. We have seen that this is unavoidable and natural, and nothing needs to be done about it.

The rest of this Chapter is devoted to the identity of the Ego with the Body, both subtle and gross. We found that this identity is due to the bondage of Karma. To break this identity with the body, the only way is to annul the load of Karma.

There is yet one more identification of the Ego to be dealt with. That is its relationship with the Self. This crucial problem of identity, dealing with root Ignorance in the human being, is taken up in the next chapter.

*****

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The Powers of MAYA

REALITY IN VEDANTA IS Brahman in relation to the macrocosm. In the last Chapter, the discussion centred around the individual Ego and the bondage of the Jeeva resulting from it. We have taken a look at the microcosm, the individual, and seen the hierarchy that

pertains to individual consciousness. We examined the Seer-Seen hierarchy. The methodology of Drig-Drishya Vivekah was used to differentiate the Atman from the Jeeva. We noted that Atman is the ultimate Seer, and all else within the Jeeva are the ‘Seen’.

The present chapter takes a look at the bigger picture beyond the individual. In the macrocosm, we use the methodology of Karya-Karana Vivekah to examine the relationship between Brahman (Reality) and Creation. There is a cause and effect hierarchy in the macrocosm. We note that Brahman is the ultimate Cause and all else within Creation are the effects.

INTRODUCTION TO MAYA

Chapter 1 taught us that the Seer is opposite in nature to the seen. The ultimate Seer is the Self, which is Existence-Consciousness (verse 5). The seen has been described in Chapter 2 as non-existent. This covers all that is inert or insentient. This inertness was seen to extend from the gross objects, through to the gross body, and then even the subtle sense organs, and finally to include the subtle mind, Ego and thoughts. In fact, everything that classifies as being the ‘seen’, has to be unreal ‘non-existence’ by definition.

This chain of Unreality has its origin in what Vedanta defines as Maya.

Acharyaji made it clear that Maya does not really exist. “It is postulated only to account for our experience of the world”. In Vedanta nothing other than Brahman is given Reality status. The word ‘Maya’ can be broken down into ‘Ya’ and ‘Ma’, meaning “that which is not”.

Acharyaji told us a nice story to illustrate the usefulness of postulating Maya. A King had left 17 horses to be distributed in his will to his 3 sons. The proportions were to be ½, 1/3rd, and 1/9th. How to do that? His wise minister added his own horse to the 17 and then worked out the distribution as 9 + 6 + 2 = 17. He then rode away on his own horse!

Both Brahman and Maya are said to be indescribable. From the perspective of the world, that is, from our perspective, Maya’s origin can never be explained. We can only know the truth about Maya when we realize the Self. And then, from the perspective of Truth, Maya simply does not exist!

However, to postulate Maya helps us considerably to make things easier to understand. In this ‘illusory’ world, it helps to accept Maya as our starting point, even though later the whole concept of Maya can be discarded. Brahman and Maya are really one, although in the beginning they are explained as being separate.

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Constant in Every Object Varies in Every Object

DIAGRAMATIC SKETCH FOR CHAPTER 3

BRAHMAN MAYA

AA

VR

ITI

Macrocosm

Microcosm JEEVA ATMAN

VIKSHEPA (Overview)

KARANA (Reality)

DRIG (Seer)

Macrocosm

Microcosm

KAARYA (Creation)

DRISHYA (Seen)

SAT NAME Macrocosm

Microcosm

FORM CHIT ANANDA

NAME FORM SAT CHIT ANANDA

AA

VR

ITI

AA

VR

ITI

VIKSHEPA (Details)

13

13

14

15

18

16 17

19

13

21

20

20

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Verse 13: Maya’s Projecting Power

zÉÌ£ü²rÉÇ ÌWû qÉÉrÉÉrÉÉ ÌuÉ¤ÉåmÉÉuÉ×ÌiÉÃmÉMüqÉç |

ÌuÉ¤ÉåmÉzÉÌ£üÍsÉï…¡ûÉÌS oÉë¼ÉhQûÉliÉÇ eÉaÉiÉç xÉ×eÉåiÉç || 13 ||

¾aktidvaya¯ hi m¡y¡y¡ vik½£p¡v»tirÀpakam |

vik½£pa¾aktirli±g¡di brahm¡³¢¡nta¯ jagat s»j£t || 13 ||

1 shakti dvayam hi maayaayaa Indeed, Maya has two powers –

2 vikshepa aavriti roopakam; that of projecting and that of veiling.

3 vikshepa shaktih lingaadi Projecting power begins with the subtle body right

4 brahmaanda antam jagat srijet. up to the highest world. It covers all that is created.

This verse serves the purpose of being a Vastu Sangraha Vakya, a “Contents” page, for the rest of this Chapter.

The second half of this verse and verse 14 describe the projecting power. The veiling is described from verse 15. It is explained at two levels: the microcosmic and macrocosmic; within and outside; individual and total. The microcosmic level is expanded in verses 16-17, and the macrocosmic aspect is expanded in verses 18-19. Finally, verses 20-21 teach us a practical method by which the delusion of the veiling can be removed, and our vision of the world can be rectified.

Maya’s Two Powers

1-2 There are two aspects to Maya’s power. They are the projecting power and the veiling power. In most other texts, the Veiling power is mentioned first, followed by the Projecting power. This is logical from the Absolute standpoint. The veiling happens first; following it and because of it comes the projection. Here, the reverse has been done. This is from our standpoint. We first see the projecting power in the world around us. Then, after a little understanding and knowledge, we are able to grasp that it is due to the veiling power.

Continuing with the explanation of Maya, Acharyaji mentioned that when we create anything, we do not see it as Maya. In fact, we are offended if anyone calls our work Maya. This is because we are used to seeing our creation outside of us. To us it is normal to think of a creator as being outside what he creates.

However, Brahman’s creation is different. When Brahman creates, He remains present in the whole of His creation. He creates within Himself. Hence His creation cannot be Real; it can only be described as an “appearance”.

Maya is the power of Brahman; She is non-different from Brahman; what She manifests appears to be different from Brahman; but in truth it is not different from Brahman. This is the inexplicable nature of Maya!

Vikshepa – Maya’s Projecting Power

3-4 In half a verse, the extent of Maya’s projecting power called Vikshepa Shakti is described. We note that it begins with the subtle body. This implies that the projection does not include the phase when the Tanmatras, the subtle elements, are created from Hiranyagarbha. After the Tanmatras are created, their innumerable combinations and permutations form the beginning of Vikshepa or projection.

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Vikshepa: This is defined as Vividham – “creation of the many”; one Consciousness appearing as many forms. It is just amazing to note the prolific and limitless nature of projection. This is all due to the work of Vikshepa Shakti.

Acharyaji attempted to impress upon us how prolific the projection really is. There are no two persons who are alike in the world. No two fingerprints are alike. The two palms in the same body do not have the same lines. What creative power must there be! There is an abundance of names and forms, an exuberance in the variety of manifestation. Within the same person there are so many different parts. There are so many categories of objects. Within the same category, there are so many varieties such as the different types of trees. Within fruit trees, there are so many types of fruits.

However, the projections may be divided into two major categories – the subtle and the gross projections. The entire subtle body (mind, intellect, ego, Prana, sense organs) comprises the ‘experiencer’ of creation. The entire gross body comprises the ‘experienced’ in creation.

Both bodies are considered to be inert or insentient on their own. As a principle, that which is created is always insentient. It is the Self that imparts sentiency to them, first to the subtle body, and from there it gets passed on to the gross body. This has already been covered in Chapter 2.

However vast and varied creation may be, it has to be considered as only an “appearance”. It has no intrinsic reality of its own. The whole of creation has no independent existence; it requires Something to support it. That is Brahman the Reality.

Verse 14: Relationship Between Reality & Creation

xÉ×Ì¹lÉÉïqÉ oÉë¼ÃmÉå xÉÎŠSÉlÉlSuÉxiÉÑÌlÉ |

AokÉÉæ TåülÉÉÌSuÉiÉç xÉuÉïlÉÉqÉÃmÉmÉëxÉÉUhÉÉ || 14 ||

s»½¿irn¡ma brahmarÀp£ saccid¡nandavastuni |

abdhau ph£n¡divat sarvan¡marÀpapras¡ra³¡ || 14 ||

1 srishtih naama brahma roope Reality in name and form is called Creation.

2 sat-chid-aananda vastuni; Existence-Consciousness-Bliss, is the Real entity;

3 abdhau phena aadivat sarva, like foam in the ocean, all

4 naama roopa prasaaranaa. names and forms are projected.

Acharyaji marked this verse out as a very important one, as it conveys the basic idea of the Reality-Creation relationship. We now go deeper into this relationship. Reality and Creation are not to be viewed as apart from each other, one being Real and the other Unreal. It is not as simple as that. They are inseparable from each other. Here we have a verse that teaches us to see both aspects in every part of Creation.

1 Brahma, Srishtih: Up till now, while we were dealing with the individual (the microcosm), the terms ‘seer’ and ‘seen’ have been used. As we shift our attention to the Totality (the macrocosm), the corresponding terms in the macrocosm are Brahman or Reality and Srishtih or Creation. Other books may use different terms for Srishtih, such as Jagat, Brahmanda or Samashti.

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Acharyaji gave a breakdown of the Jagat. Ja is for Jayate, Ga is for Gacchati, and Ta is for Tishthati. These words mean “that which comes at birth, which goes at death, and which stays for a while (between birth and death).”

Creation is the ‘seen’ and Brahman is the ultimate ‘Seer’. Creation is said to be the name and form of the Reality. Creation is the “appearance”; Brahman is the “essence”. How are we to recognise these two aspects in Creation?

2 Satchidananda is the direct way of defining the Reality, which is here described with the word Vastuni, meaning ‘that which stays always’. To recognise the Reality in Creation, we must look at its nature as existence-consciousness-bliss. These are not perceivable, but they are present in everything that is created.

3-4 A beautiful simile is introduced at this point. The external universe of names and forms is said to be related to Reality just as foam and waves are related to the ocean. Foam only appears different from water, but is actually only water and nothing else. The implication is that Creation is totally dependent on the Reality. Conversely, Reality is the support of Creation. This is a profound statement in Vedanta.

We also note the mention made in this verse of all five aspects of every object in the universe. These are Sat-Chit-Ananda which describe the Reality; and name and form which describe the Unreality or Creation. More will be said about these five characteristics later in the two concluding verses of this Chapter.

Prasaaranaa: “spreading out far and wide”. This word carries the whole meaning of Vikshepa Shakti. It carries with it the sense of creation being a proliferation of appearances only, like foam. If I take the water out of foam, can foam still exist? If I take cotton out of cloth, can the cloth still exist? Foam and cloth may have their specific uses, but their utility does not define them to be real. They remain appearances only, nothing more.

The message brought out is simply this: Reality has only one test – Does it have an independent existence? If it does, then it is Reality; if it does not, then it is an appearance.

Verse 15: The Veiling Power of Maya

AliÉSØïaSØzrÉrÉÉåpÉåïSÇ oÉÌWû¶É oÉë¼xÉaÉïrÉÉåÈ |

AÉuÉ×hÉÉåirÉmÉUÉ zÉÌ£üÈ xÉÉ xÉÇxÉÉUxrÉ MüÉUhÉqÉç || 15 ||

antard»gd»¾yayµrbh£da¯ bahi¾ca brahmasargayµ¦ |

¡v»³µtyapar¡ ¾akti¦ s¡ sa¯s¡rasya k¡ra³am || 15 ||

1 antah drik-drishyayoh bhedam The distinctions of Seer and seen within,

2 bahih cha brahma sargayoh; and of the Reality and Creation outside,

3 aavrinoti aparaa shaktih are veiled by the other power, (the Veiling Power).

4 saa samsaarasya kaaranam. This is the very cause of Samsara (worldly bondage).

At a deeper level than the projecting power, and the very cause of it, is the second power of Maya, the Avarana Shakti or the veiling power. This is now being explained. The discussion on the veiling power continues up to the end of the Chapter. Veiling is, indeed, the very root of the spiritual delusion that besets mankind.

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Veiling at Individual & Total Levels

1-3 What is the actual nature of the veiling? The differentiation between the seen and the seer is veiled at the individual level; so is the differentiation between the Reality and Creation veiled at the level of Totality.

The basic identity crisis we are experiencing is addressed. Since we are not able to know the Atman as our true nature, we take our Jeeva or ego-consciousness as our self at the individual level. In addition we cannot see Brahman as the Reality of the universe, and so we take the world as we see it to be the truth. According to Pujya Gurudev, “This non-apprehension of the Reality results in mis-apprehension of the world as reality.” In turn our false notion of the world results in our bondage to it.

Implications of the Veiling

Acharyaji said, “We know that we are, but we do not know who we are.” This is due to veiling. The veiling is sufficient to make us wrongly identify with the body, the subtle as well as the gross.

Not knowing who we really are means that we have installed the wrong person as the in-charge of the body system. In place of the Truth, we are compelled to adopt certain beliefs that are false. For instance, we ascribe knowership, doership and enjoyership to our Ego, not knowing that a higher power is at work which is superior to the Ego, and in whose Hands the Ego is only an instrument.

4 These ideas lay the foundation for a practical solution which will conclude in the last two verses of this Chapter. For the present, we note that veiling has great significance in causing all the problems which man faces in life. Here is one of these problems:

From the moment our identity gets misplaced, our involvement in Samsara begins. We are caught in this world of action due to the endless demands of the body and mind. The meaning of Samsara is “never steady”. Although the world is not a problem in itself, our attachment to it is, and we cannot get permanent happiness from it.

Verse 16: Constituents of the Individual Jeeva

xÉÉÍ¤ÉhÉÈ mÉÑUiÉÉå pÉÉÌiÉ ÍsÉ…¡Çû SåWåûlÉ xÉÇrÉÑiÉqÉç |

ÍcÉÌiÉcNûÉrÉÉ xÉqÉÉuÉåzÉÉ‹ÏuÉÈ xrÉÉSèurÉÉuÉWûÉËUMüÈ || 16 ||

s¡k½i³a¦ puratµ bh¡ti li±ga¯ d£h£na sa¯yutam |

citicch¡y¡ sam¡v£¾¡jj§va¦ sy¡dvy¡vah¡rika¦ || 16 ||

1 saakshinah purato bhaati Due to its proximity to the Witness, sentiency is

2 lingam dehena samyutam; imparted to both the subtle and gross body.

3 chiti-cchaayaa-samaaveshaat Due to the influence of reflected Consciousness,

4 jeevah syaad vyaavahaarikah. the Jeeva is taken as the empirical embodied self.

Verses 16-17 closely resemble verses 6-7, of the previous Chapter on Sentiency. The earlier verses focussed on the mutual superimposition of qualities between Ego and the Self. This verse focuses on the Veiling power, the non-recognition of the Self by the Jeeva. In the process, all the constituents of the Jeeva are mentioned in the verse. (see equation below)

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1-4 All the elements mentioned in this verse lead to the following equation:

4 JEEVA (the empirical embodied self, the individual self)

1 = Sakshee (inner Witness)

3 + Chit-Chhaya (Reflected Consciousness)

2a + Sookshma Shreera (all Subtle body components, esp. Ego)

2b + Sthoola Shareera (Gross body, does not transmigrate)

‘Subtle body’ is underlined because it contains the kingpin of the Jeeva, the Ego.

It may help if we revise the definitions of these terms here, since they are all mentioned together:

i) Jeeva: “the individual soul”, the empirical embodied self. This is the pseudo Self. It borrows its Light from the Self, and considers it to be its own, like a thief. It sets itself up as the boss of the individual being. It really is that which is ‘seen’ by the Sakshee, but it thinks that it is the ‘Seer’ of the Sakshee. This is due to the veiling power which obstructs the Self.

The Jeeva now establishes itself as the Jnataa, Kartaa and Bhoktaa, i.e. the knower, the doer and the enjoyer, of all experiences in Samsara. This is the mischief of Veiling.

ii) Sakshee: “the inner Witness”; the Self or Atman; the luminous Consciousness, which, with reference to the mind, serves the function of being its Witness.

iii) Chit-Chaaya: “reflected Consciousness”; Chidabhasa or Pratibimba are other terms for it. This is produced when Consciousness and intellect intersect. It is what enlivens all beings, i.e. it makes inert or insentient objects appear alive or sentient.

iv) Lingam: this is an alternative name for the “Sookshma Shareera” when the context is what the subtle body indicates. Here, the inner instrument is indicated, with Ego as its main component. It is made from the Sattwa content of the five elements, and is inert by nature. Its sentiency comes from its contact with reflected Consciousness, just as the filament’s light comes from the electricity flowing through it.

As we learnt that the Ego was the experiencer of the three states, so also it is the Jeeva that is the experiencer of Samsaric existence. That which thinks it is the body is the Samsari, the experiencer of Samsara.

v) Dehena: “by the Sthoola Shareera or gross body”. Made of the five gross elements, which are made of the Tamas content of the five subtle elements, the body is inert and the densest part of man. Its sentiency comes from its contact with the subtle body.

Verse 17: Strategy to Free Jeeva

AxrÉ eÉÏuÉiuÉqÉÉUÉåmÉÉiÉç xÉÉÍ¤ÉhrÉmrÉuÉpÉÉxÉiÉå |

AÉuÉ×iÉÉæ iÉÑ ÌuÉlÉ¹ÉrÉÉÇ pÉåSå pÉÉiÉåÅmÉrÉÉÌiÉ iÉiÉç || 17 ||

asya j§vatvam¡rµp¡t s¡k½i³yapyavabh¡sat£ |

¡v»tau tu vina½¿¡y¡¯ bh£d£ bh¡t£:'pay¡ti tat || 17 ||

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1 asya jeevatvam aaropaat The Jeevahood of the Jeeva, due to superimposition

2 saakshini api avabhaasate; actually appears transferred onto the Witnessing Self.

3 aavritau tu vinashtaayaam, But when the veiling is destroyed (by knowledge),

4 bhede bhaate apayaati tat. the difference is revealed and the false notion removed.

The Jeeva’s Bondage

We continue with the Jeeva In the microcosm. We have just seen how the Jeeva came to have its false existence under the veiling power and under delusion. That falsity in its existence leads it into all sorts of trouble in the world. The whole world appears in its eyes to be acting against it. This is actually due to a deluded vision that does not behold the world as it really is.

1 Jeevatvam: “Jeevahood of the Jeeva”. This is a poetic expression for the Ego. Just as the sweetness of a sweetmeat lies in the sugar it contains, so also the Jeevahood of Jeeva lies in the Ego, its main ingredient. The delusion usually attributed to the Jeeva as a whole, actually lies only in the Ego. Due to this delusion, the whole Jeeva gets bound. In a way, the Jeeva takes all the blame for the Ego’s ills. This shifting of blame goes even deeper . . .

2 Saakshini: “upon the Witness”. The Ego, as seen in the heated iron ball simile, takes for itself the identity of the Self, and in return trades in his own delusion to the Self. The limitations inherent in the Jeeva are passed on to the unlimited Self. The Pure Self takes the blame for the Jeeva’s ills, while the mischievous Ego goes away scot-free!

Every Jeeva is different; no two minds (subtle bodies) are alike. As is the nature of the mind, so is the nature of the Jeeva that is superimposed on the Atman.

Freeing the Jeeva From Bondage.

3 This is where the need for knowledge arises. The cause of this confusion of identity can be removed only through knowledge of the Self. Once we accept that there is a Self within who is the true ‘me’, then everything can gradually be put right once again. Until then there is no hope for the Jeeva of ever being liberated.

This knowledge comes to one via many sources. It could come from reading the scriptures ourselves with faith; it could come from associating with an enlightened saint; it could come from bitter experiences in life which drive us to the Truth.

4 When knowledge dawns it becomes clear that the Jeeva is totally different from the Self. Then the false notion that the Jeeva is the Self gets removed. This is the removal of the Ego, generalized as ‘mind’. Removal of Ego implies a complete purification of the mind.

Summary: This leads us to formulate the following strategy of spiritual Sadhana:

i) Purification of the mind through selfless acts (Karma Yoga); ii) Thinning out of the Ego through devotional acts (Bhakti Yoga); iii) Clear understanding of the knowledge of the Self (Jnana Yoga); iv) Removal of the false notion regarding the Jeeva (Dhyana Yoga); v) Experience of oneself as the Pure Self (Samadhi Yoga).

Tat: In the context of this verse, ‘Tat’ refers to all false notions. The main notion is “I am a limited Jeeva.” Finiteness is associated only with the limited view imposed on the Jeeva by the Ego’s identity with the body and mind. That is the foremost notion that has to be removed, and it can be done only through knowledge.

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Verse 18: Veiling of Creation – Total Level

iÉjÉÉ xÉaÉïoÉë¼hÉÉå¶É pÉåSqÉÉuÉ×irÉ ÌiÉ¸ÌiÉ |

rÉÉ zÉÌ£üxiÉ²zÉÉSèoÉë¼ ÌuÉM×üiÉiuÉålÉ pÉÉxÉiÉå || 18 ||

tath¡ sargabrahma³µ¾ca bh£dam¡v»tya ti½¿hati |

y¡ ¾aktistadva¾¡dbrahma vik»tatv£na bh¡sat£ || 18 ||

1 tathaa sarga-brahmanoh cha Similarly, the Creation and Reality

2 bhedam aavritya tishthati; distinction remains veiled; and

3 yaa shaktih tadvashaat brahma due to the influence of this veiling power, Reality

4 vikritatvena bhaasate. appears as though It is undergoing modifications.

1 We now move on from the microcosm (individual level) where Jeeva and Sakshi were the players, to the macrocosmic level where Creation and Reality are in the arena.

Influence of Veiling Power in the World

2 The same problem of Veiling is seen from the larger perspective. In the case of the Jeeva, the veiling brought about a state of delusion, resulting in non-recognition of one’s own Self. In the global situation the same veiling power affects us in two different ways:

i) Asatwa: “He is not there”. The Veiling is such that it makes us believe that God does not exist. He is not there; we cannot see Him. Many are the unfortunate souls who cannot acknowledge His existence; and many live well below their potential due to ignorance of what is truly available to them in the world in terms of divine experience. They just do not see any sign of there being the presence of Divinity out there.

ii) Abhana: “He does not shine; I do not experience Him”. The Veiling power that veils Brahman to the point where we cannot recognise Him, does something further than that: It veils our mind to such an extent that we do not even experience Him in our lives, let alone see Him. This is a veil upon a veil! We have no trace of what Reality could be.

3-4 As a result we cannot make head or tail of what we are expected to do in the world for our spiritual benefit.

The absence or non-manifestation of the Divine leaves us with no option but to mis-apprehend the world. We take Creation, with all its changes and modifications, to be the Reality. Reality is mistaken to be the ever-changing world. The world of modifications is superimposed on the changeless Reality.

Example – The Wooden Elephant

A sculptor once made a large, life-sized elephant carved out of wood. For fear of not letting his work get spoiled, he did not allow his little three-year old son to enter his workshop while he was working on the elephant. Finally the day came when it was complete. He called the little boy to take a look at his work of art.

The child toddled into the workshop and, seeing the elephant, got terrified by the sight of such the huge animal standing inside it. He ran out screaming and crying. The father, wanting only to delight his son and expecting to be complimented, received the very opposite reaction. He saw only wood where the boy saw a real elephant! Aavriti hid the wood from the son, as it hides the changeless Reality from us in the vast Creation.

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Verse 19: Strategy to “Unveil” Creation

A§ÉÉmrÉÉuÉ×ÌiÉlÉÉzÉålÉ ÌuÉpÉÉÌiÉ oÉë¼xÉaÉïrÉÉåÈ |

pÉåSxiÉrÉÉåÌuÉïMüÉUÈ xrÉÉiÉç xÉaÉåï lÉ oÉë¼ÍhÉ YuÉÍcÉiÉç || 19 ||

atr¡py¡v»tin¡¾£na vibh¡ti brahmasargayµ¦ |

bh£dastayµrvik¡ra¦ sy¡t sarg£ na brahma³i kvacit || 19 ||

1 atra api aavriti naashena In this case also, by the destruction of the veil,

2 vibhaati brahma-sargayoh; is made clear the Reality-Creation

3 bhedah tayoh vikaarah syaat, distinction. Of the two, the modification exists

4 sarge na brahmani kvachit. in Creation, never in the Reality.

Atra Api: “here also”. This has reference to the microcosm where Jeeva and Sakshee were being mistaken for each other, and it required Drig-Drishna Viveka to remove the delusion and see the Truth as it really is. The comparison that is about to made is with the macrocosm where Creation and Reality are being mistaken for each other, and it requires Karana-Kaarya Viveka to remove the wrong identity and behold the Truth about the world.

The Reality/Creation Distinction

1-2 The solution given in verse 17 for the microcosm to correct the Jeeva-Saakshi misapprehension, is also the solution that resolves the Reality-Creation distinction in the macrocosm. Nothing additional is being asked of us here. Our vision of the world gets adjusted when we are adjusted to our true nature.

The distinction becomes very clear when one has well received the knowledge of the higher Self. Sages who have got to that stage tell us that Reality can be seen in and through Creation. We do not have to go hunting far away for it. It is a matter of having the knowledge of who we really are. Correcting our identity resolves everything else.

3-4 A very important practical point is brought out here. How do we go about making the correction? If we keep in mind that we, as ignorant beings, are on the same side of the fence as Creation, then the adjustment is on our side, not that of Reality.

Reality does not need to be changed; indeed, it cannot! There will never be anything wrong with It for us to put right. All the flaws are with us, on the Creation side. We have to adjust only one switch, not two. And that switch is in our own intellect. Once that is adjusted with the right knowledge then we are assured that we will see Reality in Creation.

Another way to look at the method is this: In our ignorant state at present our intellectual “telescope” is focused on Creation. Reality appears completely blurred; It is out of focus. Like a scientist in his laboratory who has to properly calibrate and adjust his instruments of investigation, we also have to make our intellect keen and subtle so that Reality can come into focus, and a ‘blurred’ Creation merges into it. Then we shall clearly see that all the changes take place only in Creation and do not affect the underlying substratum of creation, which is Reality.

How does all this help us in practice? What is the wisdom behind solving the issue?

We learn to accept the world with all its pairs of opposites; it is never constant; and Reality alone is changeless. Much of our anxiety in dealing with the world comes to an end. We gain the maturity to handle the changing world better by not depending upon it for our happiness.

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Using the Intellect to Unveil the “Veiling”

Acharyaji spent time on a valuable discussion of what veiling means in practice.

The veiling power is so strong that it does not allow us to understand our sickness. It keeps us in ignorance, even of the nature of creation all around us. The Reality that is present everywhere in every bit of Creation, is completely shielded from our experience by the veiling power. Creation appears to us as the Reality. In fact, the truth is the very opposite – Reality remains constant, while Creation is ever-changing. The veiling power prevents us from seeing through the veil to behold the Reality behind Creation.

Acharyaji suggested the following perspective on Maya: The intellect is a creation of Maya. If we use its power wisely with the help of the Shastras, we are able to detect the veiling of Maya. But, being lazy to use our intellect to examine things in detail, we allow ourselves to be cheated, and then blame Maya for it!

Maya is not something mysterious that casts its spell over us. It is a double-sided coin; it deludes us with one face (Avidya Maya) and recalls us to God with the other (Vidya Maya). Acharyaji explained the role of the intellect very clearly with the following example:

The grain we purchase in the market is not ‘me’. When pounded, the flour is not ‘me’. When baked, the bread is not ‘me’. So, when eaten, how is it that the protein that forms my flesh becomes ‘me’? It is just an illusion. If we enquire like this very deeply, the illusion will go away. Knowledge has to drive ignorance away; it is the only thing that can.

The projecting power is not really troublesome; it is the veiling power that is much more troublesome, as it is more subtle and works in a clandestine manner. When the veiling power is “unveiled” through knowledge, we see the light at the end of the tunnel. Then, by following this light, we can go through the tunnel of Maya’s projections safely and reach the light.

Again, the same knowledge as was needed in verse 17 for the microcosm, is needed for the macrocosm as well to remove the veiling. Knowledge alone makes us see that Brahman is the support of Creation; knowledge alone teaches us how to recognise Him in the world, as Lord Krishna taught Arjuna how to see Him in His Glories in Chapter 10 of the Geeta.

The last two verses of the chapter give us a far-reaching practical helping hand to find out for ourselves how to behold creation and how to see the Reality that pervades it.

Verse 20: The Five Characteristics of Every Object

AÎxiÉ pÉÉÌiÉ ÌmÉërÉÇ ÃmÉÇ lÉÉqÉ cÉåirÉÇzÉmÉgcÉMüqÉç |

AÉ±§ÉrÉÇ oÉë¼ÃmÉÇ eÉaÉSìÖmÉÇ iÉiÉÉå ²rÉqÉç || 20 ||

asti bh¡ti priya¯ rÀpa¯ n¡ma c£tya¯¾apa²cakam |

¡dyatraya¯ brahmarÀpa¯ jagadrÀpa¯ tatµ dvayam || 20 ||

1 asti bhaati priyam roopam “It is, it shines, it is dear, it has form,

2 naama cha iti amsha panchakam; and a name” – are the five aspects (of every entity).

3 aadya trayam brahma-roopam, The first three belong to Reality;

4 jagad-roopam tatah dvayam. the latter two belong to the World.

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Verse 21: Distinguishing Real from Unreal

ZÉuÉÉruÉÎalÉeÉsÉÉåuÉÏïwÉÑ SåuÉÌiÉrÉïXçlÉUÉÌSwÉÑ |

AÍpÉ³ÉÉÈ xÉÎŠSÉlÉlSÉÈ ÍpÉ±åiÉå ÃmÉlÉÉqÉlÉÏ || 21 ||

khav¡yvagnijalµrv§½u d£vatirya±nar¡di½u |

abhinn¡¦ saccid¡nand¡¦ bhidy£t£ rÀpan¡man§ || 21 ||

5 kha vaayu agni jala urveeshu In space, air, fire, water and earth;

6 deva tiryang nara aadishu; in Deities, animals, man and all others;

7 abhinnaah sat-chid-aanandaah Existence, Knowledge and Bliss is no different;

8 bhidyate roopa-naamanee. only their names and forms differ.

1-2 This ready-reckoner is so simple that intellectuals are most likely to not believe it. This is an amazingly simple technique to get to the Reality of things. It clearly tells us what to look for and what to ignore, depending on whether we want to see Reality or whether we want to see Creation.

The Three Characteristics of Reality

3 Asti, Bhaati, Priyam: “Is-ness, awareness and dearness”. These belong to Reality. There are some very interesting features about these three qualities:

i) These three are the permanent characteristics in every object. ii) All objects have all three of them. iii) All objects have them in equal measure, regardless of the size of the object! iv) They are in the same proportion in every object. v) All three characteristics always come together. It is as if they are three inseparable

friends who cannot do without each other. vi) All three are found everywhere, in every atom of every object!

By now it sounds like a riddle in a children’s magazine – “What is it?”

If we can get the subtle answer to the riddle, then we have got Reality, something which every spiritual seeker wants to know. Yet, the answer is something that only a handful among humanity actually knows! This is the most puzzling part of this riddle.

Is it a matter of looking, and looking and looking again and again to try and see them? This is a case of Sri Shankaracharyaji coming dangerously close to teasing his readers. He, too, is lost for words to answer the riddle. Indeed, the Upanishads themselves answer this riddle in many couched ways. There is no direct answer – that is the solution.

The truth is that this is only a pointer to the Truth. The Truth of things is discovered only by sufficient purity to be able to see these three in everything. Every Upanishad wriggles out of the question by giving this apparently evasive answer.

The Two Characteristics of Creation

4 Let us ponder over the other two characteristics and see what lies hidden there.

Roopam, Naama: “form and name.” Anyone with five well-functioning senses and a good dictionary beside him will be able to find the name and form of any object in the universe. If there is something that has not been discovered yet, he can take the honour to give it a name of his own choice!

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The features of these two qualities are the opposite of the above list:

i) These two are the impermanent aspects of every object, known and unknown.

ii) All objects have both of these. In the case of subtle objects, the senses may not see them, but the mind, the king of all subtle objects, can if it has been well-trained.

iii) All objects have both these, regardless of proportion or size.

iv) These two qualities can constantly vary for every object. The sun’s form appears different times of the day. The name also is different – “rising sun”, “midday sun”, “setting sun”. People are different; their thought composition keeps changing. A person today is different from the same person we met yesterday. The same bread is staler tomorrow.

v) Name and form specifically differentiate objects from one another. To establish the uniqueness of an object, it is differentiated in name and form from all other objects.

vi) These two qualities are independent of each other, unlike the characteristics of Reality. The form of waves will vary but it will still be called a wave. Conversely, the same water (form) can be given a different name in different languages.

THE UTILITY OF NAMES & FORMS

This is the world we are all used to – the world of names and forms. We have no problem with identifying anything under the sun so long as we are given its name and its form. These are quite physical characteristics. They are easily identifiable. In the case of all objects and people, these two ‘unreal’ qualities are the only things we can know about them. We may have no idea about the other three characteristics showing their Reality.

The name and form of a thing are what we need to know in order to live in this world. They have their utilitarian value in transacting business in this world. By giving each form a name, we make it simpler to express ourselves in the world. Our communication is greatly simplified. Names and forms cannot be ignored. The verse is not saying we should ignore them, or that they are useless. It only tells us what their limitations are. It tells us that there is something beyond an object’s name and form.

The name and form becomes an obstacle when we view an object as having only these two qualities, i.e. we ignore the Reality behind them. In ordinary life, this is what we do all the time. And, sure enough, we soon run into difficulties.

Subtle & Gross Objects

5-6 Names and forms apply to all objects, be they gross or subtle. Gross objects are made only of gross elements. They do not have subtle elements in them. This means they do not have a mind of their own. Living beings have subtle bodies; that is what gives them sentiency or life. Among the living beings there are innumerable variations of names and forms, species and genetical features.

Firstly, there are distinct categories of beings, of which the three major ones are listed here – deities, animals and human beings, namely those who live in the higher worlds, this world, and those in the nether world. Deities are beings born with predominantly virtuous Karma. Animals are beings born with predominantly unfavourable Karma. Humans are beings in between these two, having mixed Karma almost in the same proportion.

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Reality is the Same in All, Creation Differs

7-8 This is the bottomline teaching in these two verses:

Within each of these categories there are an infinite variety of species, races, colours, etc. In all of them, the three characteristics of Reality are uniformly the same. And in all of them, the two characteristics of Creation are different.

Reality is uniformly present in everything in creation, whether it is in objects or living beings. The same Consciousness pervades everything. We came across this in the previous chapter for each individual, in whom Consciousness pervades in all three states as well as in all five sheaths. Here we are seeing the same truth in all Creation.

The main point to be picked up here is the indestructibility and unchangeability of Reality. The spiritual quest is for happiness that is independent of objects. That is the rare spiritual treasure we are in search of. If we remain focused on that which changes, i.e. the names and forms, then we can never find the source of true happiness. The greatest assurance we have in our search for happiness is the fact that it lies in something which is unchangeable and indestructible, and present in everything created. If our inner ‘eye’ can be trained to rest on the three permanent characteristics in every object, then the objective of spiritual yearning gets fulfilled.

In other words although God as Consciousness is equally present in all beings and things, due to an infinite number of differences in the subtle and gross body make-up, they all manifest Him in a whole range of multiple ways.

CONCLUSION TO THIS CHAPTER

We have taken a good look at the Jeeva and Brahman, and discovered that the only difference between the two is that due to Maya, the mysterious power of delusion. When minds are under delusion, the multiplicity of creation is projected.

Maya’s operations are divided into two: the major one is to veil the Truth from our perception. As a result of that we are left not knowing who we are. The second operation is that of projecting the universe. This power also projects our minds outward into creation in search of fulfillment.

The microcosm and the macrocosm were studied side by side. We found that in the former the relationship of Self to Jeeva is like that of the Seer and the Seen. In the macrocosm the relation between Reality and Creation is more comparable to that between Unity and Diversity.

The general lesson is to always move our focus of awareness towards the Seer in regard to ourself, and towards Unity in regard to the whole Creation.

This is the direction of the spiritual solution to the human dilemma.

*****

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MEDITATION Techniques

WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH three theoretical chapters on Viveka or Discrimination. They have equipped us for this final Chapter which introduces us to the practical side of Vedanta.

Chapter 1 gave us a good exercise for our intellectual muscles to be kept well toned for what is to come after. We applied it to the discrimination between the seer and the seen. This took us step by step all the way to the ultimate Seer of all, the Self.

Then in Chapter 2 we went through an intricate process of logic to understand how sentiency due to the proximity of the intellect with Consciousness. The resulting reflected consciousness became the Ahamkriti, a phantom entity called the Ego which usurped the power of the Seer. The Ego’s domination over the individual self was brought out.

Chapter 3 took us into a deeper understanding of the power of delusion, known as Maya in Vedanta. After learning how Aavriti hides the Truth from us, a strategy is developed on how we can distinguish between what is Real and what is unreal in all of Creation. It all boils down to the Sadhana of keeping our minds focused on the constant, indestructible aspect in everything.

Sadhana is often erroneously considered to be only meditation. The “marketplace” could be one of the reasons for this. The study and deep reflection (Sravana and Manana) are generally not included by many seekers as being part of Sadhana. This is a wrong notion about Sadhana. The truth is that mapping of the full Vedantic thought is essential for us to see our way forward in Sadhana. The whole thinking of Vedanta has to be mapped in our mind before we can do serious Sadhana.

In this final chapter we are ready for the meditation that most seekers wish to start at the very beginning when they are unprepared for it. Now we are led by a purified mind and intellect into the practice of meditation to discover our original true nature.

Verse 22: Introduction to Meditation

EmÉå¤rÉ lÉÉqÉÃmÉå ²å xÉÎŠSÉlÉlSiÉimÉUÈ |

xÉqÉÉÍkÉÇ xÉuÉïSÉ MÑürÉÉï®ØSrÉå uÉÉÅjÉuÉÉ oÉÌWûÈ || 22 ||

up£k½ya n¡marÀp£ dv£ saccid¡nandatatpara¦ |

sam¡dhi¯ sarvad¡ kury¡ddh»day£ v¡:'thav¡ bahi¦ || 22 ||

1 upekshya naama-roope dve Being indifferent to both name and form,

2 satchidaananda-tatparah; and devoted to the Truth,

3 samaadhim sarvadaa kuryaat one should always practice Meditation

4 hridaye vaa athavaa bahih. both within in the heart and outside.

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Six meditational techniques are taught in this Chapter. They are graded exercises, aimed to bring us to the highest state of effortless abidance in God-consciousness.

As a pre-qualification for entry into meditation, being proficient in distinguishing the five characteristics learnt in verses 20-21 are essential:

1 i) Upekshya: “indifference”; we are asked to be indifferent to the name and form of every object; and

2 ii) Tatparah: “devoted to Truth”; this refers to the three essential and common characteristics of truth in all objects, namely, ‘is-ness’, the ‘being-ness’, and the ‘dearness’.

3 With the above approach firmly in our minds, we are ready to begin the serious Sadhana of meditation. Meditation is prescribed so that we can have a practical means by which to experience the truth of what we have learnt. It is the best way in which a seeker can observe his mind as its witness without any disturbance from outside. The statements made about being in meditation at all times, even with eyes open and while walking, etc, should not be quoted out of context to dissuade the seeker from meditation. They are for the Siddha, the one who has perfected meditation.

4 Meditational practice has two sides to it:

i) Hridaye: an “internal” process of recognizing our true Self “in the heart”; and

ii) Bahih: an “external” process of seeing the same Reality in the outer world of names and forms called Creation.

The first is at the microcosmic level when we meditate to discover our true identity. The second is at the macrocosmic, when we meditate in a non-personal manner on Creation, aiming to identify ourselves with the Reality in it, and seeing ourselves as part of Creation.

Both these have been theoretically explained in previous chapters already. What remains now is for us to learn how to bring it to a practical experience and see in our own lives what it means to us.

A Word About Meditation

Meditation needs to be practised after being well informed as to what it is that we are attempting to achieve through it. Otherwise, it may end up being just another sleeping session or an aimless wandering session, giving full play to one’s imagination.

With correct understanding, meditation can become a constructive exercise from which we learn something about ourselves every time we sit to meditate. We can ensure that every session of meditation brings us closer to the Truth.

Acharyaji put it very humorously: “We are not being asked to meditate on ‘Torangatao’, i.e. something we know nothing about. We are meditating with a proper plan, with full knowledge and awareness of what we are doing, and systematically developing our spiritual abilities such as concentration and understanding until we reach our goal.”

Verse 23: Varieties in Meditation “Within”

xÉÌuÉMüsmÉÉå ÌlÉÌuÉïMüsmÉÈ xÉqÉÉÍkÉÌ²ïÌuÉkÉÉå ™ÌS |

SØzrÉzÉoSÉlÉÑuÉåkÉålÉ xÉÌuÉMüsmÉÈ mÉÑlÉÌ²ïkÉÉ || 23 ||

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savikalpµ nirvikalpa¦ sam¡dhirdvividhµ h»di |

d»¾ya¾abd¡nuv£dh£na savikalpa¦ punardvidh¡ || 23 ||

1 savikalpo nirvikalpah With duality and without duality – thus

2 samaadhih dvividhah hridi; the practice of meditation WITHIN is of two kinds.

3 drishya shabda anuviddhena Associated with the seen and with words – thus

4 savikalpah puna-dvidhaa. the practice with duality is again of two kinds.

What are the core varieties in meditation? The author here has carefully identified six basic techniques of meditation. This is a great help to meet the growing interest shown in this form of spiritual Sadhana throughout the world. Teachers of meditation may call their techniques by any name; they may even give it various forms. Of these names and forms there are any number available. But all of them should slot into one of the six that are described from the next verse onwards.

The following table assists us to get the full picture:

REMARKS

HRIDI INTERNAL

MICROCOSM

Type A

BAHIH EXTERNAL

MACROCOSM

Type B

The REAL factors – to be Asserted ATMAN

The Self, Inner Witness

BRAHMAN

Sat-Chit-Ananda

The UNREAL factors – to be Negated

AHAMKRITI Ego-consciousness

& all its Identifications

CREATION Names and Forms,

both Subtle & Gross

WITH DUALITY SAVIKALPA SAMADHI

Associated with

SEEN

DRISHYA ANUVIDDHA

Type A1: v.24

DRISHYA ANUVIDDHA

Type B1: v.27

Associated with

WORDS

SHABDA ANUVIDDHA

Type A2: v.25

SHABDA

ANUVIDDHA

Type B2: v.28

NON-DUALITY NIRVIKALPA

SAMADHI

Unassociated

& Unconditioned

NIRVIKALPA SAMADHI

Type A3: v.26

NIRVIKALPA SAMADHI

Type B3: v.29

TABLE SHOWING THE SIX TYPES OF MEDITATION

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There are two major categories in meditation: Hridi or Internal (microcosmic); and Baahya or External (Macrocosmic). This verse mentions the three internal varieties. A similar breakdown applies to the three external varieties that follow.

1 For each variety, the first divide is that between Duality and Non-duality. Meditation on Duality has to be done first before progressing to Non-dual meditation.

2 Hridi: The meditator keeps his focus within his “heart-centre”. 3-4 The meditation on Duality is further divided into two types: that associated with

the Seen, and that associated with Words only. This makes three techniques in the internal category, and three in the external category, i.e. six techniques in all.

Type A: INTERNAL - In the Microcosm

Verse 24: A1: “Drishya Anuviddha” Savikalpa Samadhi

MüÉqÉÉ±ÉÍ¶É¨ÉaÉÉ SØzrÉÉxiÉixÉÉÍ¤ÉiuÉålÉ cÉåiÉlÉqÉç |

krÉÉrÉå¬ØzrÉÉlÉÑÌuÉ®ÉåÅrÉÇ xÉqÉÉÍkÉÈ xÉÌuÉMüsmÉMüÈ || 24 ||

k¡m¡dy¡¾cittag¡ d»¾y¡stats¡k½itv£na c£tanam |

dhy¡y£dd»¾y¡nuviddhµ:'ya¯ sam¡dhi¦ savikalpaka¦ || 24 ||

1 kaamaadyaah chittagaah drishyaah

The thoughts of desires, etc, that arise in the mind are the ‘Seen’.

2 tat saakshee tvena chetanam dhyaayet;

As their Witness, one should meditate on Consciousness.

3,4 drishya anuviddhah ayam

samaadhih savikalpakah. “Meditation associated with the Seen” – this is Type A1 meditation in Duality.”

A1 Meditation: Microcosm, Duality, Seen

The first three meditations, A1, A2 and A3, are related to the INTERNAL BEING.

Of the two types in Duality, the easier is to use a form that is “seen”. The meditation begins with sense objects, senses, then mind each as the seen. This is A1 Meditation.

2a The Seer is the inner Witness, the Atman.

The practice is to just watch the thoughts as a witness. Let them arise, pass through, and then disappear. An example of this was given in class. It is like the President watching a march past of troops before him on Independence Day celebrations. The President is the Sakshee and the troops are the thoughts marching past him in the mind. The President is not interested in the troops at all. He just watches them as their witness.

3 We are not to fight with the thoughts; that gives them more energy to disturb us. We are also not to start labelling the thoughts, giving them a category, etc. Not only will that give them reality, but it will also engage our mind to do the labelling. If it does that then we cannot watch it as a witness. So, the more attention we give the thoughts the more real they will appear to us. We should not entertain them at all, but just let them pass.

4 This process forces the attention to shift to the Witness, the Seer. This is “Drishya-Anuviddha” Savikalpa Samadhi, “Meditation associated with the seen” in Duality.

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Verse 25: A2: “Shabda Anuviddha” Savikalpa Samadhi

AxÉ…¡ûÈ xÉÎŠSÉlÉlSÈ xuÉmÉëpÉÉå ²æiÉuÉÎeÉïiÉÈ |

AxqÉÏÌiÉ zÉoSÌuÉ®ÉåÅrÉÇ xÉqÉÉÍkÉÈ xÉÌuÉMüsmÉMüÈ || 25 ||

asa±ga¦ saccid¡nanda¦ svaprabhµ dvaitavarjita¦ |

asm§ti ¾abdaviddhµ:'ya¯ sam¡dhi¦ savikalpaka¦ || 25 ||

1 asangah satchidanandah “The unattached Satchidananda,

2 svaprabhah dveta varjitah; self-shining and free from duality,

3 asmi iti shabda viddhah ayam thus am I” – associated with words such as these,

4 samaadhih savikalpakah. is Type A2 meditation in Duality.

A stage above the A1 meditation is the A2 Meditation. All other things remaining the same, the difference is that instead of focussing on the seen – an external form – one focuses on an auto-suggestion from the scriptures using words, which leads one to the Truth. This is more effective than A1, and can only be done after A1 has been perfected.

1-2 The “unattached Satchidananda . . .” refers to none other than the same Witnessing Self within, free from Duality, even though one is still in Duality.

3 When the mind is relatively free from various thought-forms, the meditator can move on to this A2 type. The upsurge of thoughts is not present to disturb him, and so he can now make use of a suggestion like the one given in the verse. The suggestion is repeated slowly in the mind with great feeling as though it is actually taking place. By an effort of the will, the meditator makes his suggestion materialize.

He may use some Mantras or powerful words or auto-suggestions that bring his mind again and again to focus on the Self. Whenever the attention wants to drift away, he brings it back through repeating this Mantra or suggestion. Some suggestions given by Sri Adi Shankaracharya are: “Unattached am I”, “I am Satchidananda”, “I am ever imperish-able”, “I am self-effulgent”. Such words help to keep the attention abiding in the Self.

4 The meditator arrives at “Shabda Anuviddhah” Savikalpa Samadhi, “Meditation associated with words” in Duality. This state is a little more advanced than that reached in A1 meditation, as it is subtler, without any form arising in the mind, so there is deeper concentration on the Self.

This requires the mind to be pure enough not to raise disturbing thoughts. If disturbing thoughts still come up then one has to revert to the A1 meditation.

Verse 26: A3: Internal Nirvikalpa Samadhi

xuÉÉlÉÑpÉÔÌiÉUxÉÉuÉåzÉÉ¬ØzrÉzÉoSÉuÉÑmÉå¤rÉ iÉÑ |

ÌlÉÌuÉïMüsmÉÈ xÉqÉÉÍkÉÈ xrÉÉÍ³ÉuÉÉiÉÎxjÉiÉSÏmÉuÉiÉç || 26 ||

sv¡nubhÀtiras¡v£¾¡dd»¾ya¾abd¡vup£k½ya tu |

nirvikalpa¦ sam¡dhi¦ sy¡nniv¡tasthitad§pavat || 26 ||

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1 sva anubhooti rasa aaveshaat Complete absorption in the blissful experience,

2 drishya shabdau upekshya tu; beyond both the ‘seen’ and the ‘words’,

3 nirvikalpah samaadhih syaat is Type A3 meditation in Non-duality –

4 nivaata sthita deepavat. just as a flame in a place free from wind.

The transition from A2 meditation to A3 meditation is illustrated by this example: We make effort to sleep by giving the suggestion “I am going to sleep”. We repeat this until we just doze off naturally and the repetition stops on its own without any effort.

1 The meditator slides naturally into A3 meditation as he gets more and more absorbed in the experience of the Self.

2 The mental thoughts (the ‘seen’ in A1) and the auto-suggestion (the ‘words’ in A2) are gradually done away with. One arrives at the “thought-free” state in deep meditation.

3 This is the Nirvikalpa Samadhi state which is equivalent to Self-realisation. It is the Non-dual state, beyond Duality. There are no thoughts in the mind. There are also no images or attributes of the Lord.

4 The beautiful simile given here is from the Bhagavad Geeta – a flame in a windless place. This is how steady one’s concentration gets when reaching the highest state.

The main difference between the earlier Savikalpa state and this Nirvikalpa state is that here no effort is required anymore. It is an effortless abidance in the Self, the state of perfect Self-realisation. Effort implies Duality; effortlessness implies Non-duality.

At this stage it may happen that the meditator gets some fear of what will happen to him when he loses all ego consciousness. It may appear as ‘death’ to him. These fears are unfounded. The meditator arrives at Internal Nirvikalpa Samadhi, “Complete absorption in the Self” in Non-duality. Direct knowledge of the Self is obtained in this state. When one returns from it, he is a better person. The experience pushes him in his evolution. He is also able to continue all his transactions with the world from the higher viewpoint gained.

Type B: EXTERNAL - In the Macrocosm

Verse 27: B1: The First Type – Savikalpa Samadhi

™SÏuÉ oÉÉ½SåzÉåÅÌmÉ rÉÎxqÉlÉç MüÎxqÉÇ¶É uÉxiÉÑÌlÉ |

xÉqÉÉÍkÉUÉ±È xÉlqÉÉ§ÉÉ³ÉÉqÉÃmÉmÉ×jÉ‚×üÌiÉÈ || 27 ||

h»d§va b¡hyad£¾£:'pi yasmin kasmi¯¾ca vastuni |

sam¡dhir¡dya¦ sanm¡tr¡nn¡marÀpap»thakk»ti¦ || 27 ||

1 hrideeva baahya deshe api As in the heart, so in any external place as well

2 yasmin kasmin cha vastuni; that is associated with objects. This is Type B1 –

3 samaadhih aadyah sat maatraat the first type of meditation: From Existence

4 naama-roopa prithak kritih. the name and form of objects are well separated.

Type A or Internal meditation deals with the individual. Now we come to the next three meditations, B1, B2 and B3, which deal with the EXTERNAL CREATION. The focus is on

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the world outside. Type B or external meditation teaches one how to see Reality behind all names and forms. We begin with B1 Meditation, the external equivalent of A1.

1 The difference between internal and external meditation is this: In the internal meditation the practice is done with reference to oneself. In external meditation, the practice is with reference to the world perceived outside. The important point is to see that the Reality in both is the same.

2 Baahya: “external”. This meditation is associated with objects outside. External meditation has to be practised with eyes open and while one is moving and acting, walking or talking in the world. It is a training of the mind to behold the Reality instead of the illusion in objects.

3-4 In this practice, we start by ‘peeling off’ the name and form of objects. The objects are ‘seen’ outside. This is a counterpart of A1 meditation. In place of thoughts within, objects outside are negated. The meditator arrives at the first type, “Drishya Anuviddhi” Savikalpa Samadhi, “Meditation in which the name and form is well separated” from the external objects in Duality.

For example, let us take the ocean. We see on its surface waves and foam. Beyond the waves and the foam we see the water which is their basis. We meditate on the perishability of the waves and on the permanence of the water. The focus is on the water in the wave. Similarly, we do this with all other objects – go past the name and form and see the essence. This meditation leads one on to the next stage . . .

Verse 28: B2: Intermediate Type – Savikalpa Samadhi

AZÉhQæûMüUxÉÇ uÉxiÉÑ xÉÎŠSÉlÉlSsÉ¤ÉhÉqÉç |

CirÉÌuÉÎcNû³ÉÍcÉliÉårÉÇ xÉqÉÉÍkÉqÉïkrÉqÉÉå pÉuÉåiÉç || 28 ||

akha³¢aikarasa¯ vastu saccid¡nandalak½a³am |

ityavicchinnacint£ya¯ sam¡dhirmadhyamµ bhav£t || 28 ||

1 akhanda eka rasam vastu “Undivided and of the same essence is the Reality,

2 satchidaananda lakshanam; of the nature of Existence-Consciousness-Bliss.”

3 iti avicchhinna chintaa iyam is uninterrupted contemplation. This is Type B2 –

4 samaadhih madhyamah bhavet. the intermediate type of meditation in Duality.

1-2 In B1 meditation the attention is on trying to negate the name and form of the external object. In B2 Meditation a scriptural affirmation is repeated in the mind to fix it on Reality, such as “Reality is Indestructible (Akhanda)”. B1 has to be fairly well-mastered before B2 can be attempted with success. The B2 stage is the external equivalent of A2. It is subtler; an idea is subtler than an object. One takes the help of an auto-suggestion.

The words quoted in the verse help one to focus on the underlying Reality in the outer world. The meditator arrives at the intermediate type “Shabda Anuviddhi” Savikalpa Samadhi, “Uninterrupted Contemplation on Brahman” in Duality. The three qualities in any object that represent its Reality are the focus of attention, namely Sat-Chit-Ananda. This meditation can be done with open eyes in the midst of peaceful nature, to enhance the mind’s focussing power on its object.

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3 Both B1 and B2 meditation require effort in order to firmly establish the Truth in one’s mind. The effort is needed until such time as the meditation becomes uninterrupted.

4 Acharyaji expressed the simplicity of this meditation very beautifully in these words: “One does not become great or extraordinary by the practice of this meditation. One knows oneself as the greatest Truth which resides even in the most ordinary beings.”

The Reality is uniformly seen in all objects. Thus meditation does not make one stand out in a crowd as a ‘better’ person. There are other easier ways of doing that!

Verse 29: B3: The Third Type – Nirvikalpa Samadhi

xiÉokÉÏpÉÉuÉÉå UxÉÉxuÉÉSÉ¨É×iÉÏrÉÈ mÉÔuÉïuÉlqÉiÉÈ |

LiÉæÈ xÉqÉÉÍkÉÍpÉÈ wÉÎQèpÉlÉïrÉåiÉç MüÉsÉÇ ÌlÉUliÉUqÉç || 29 ||

stabdh§bh¡vµ ras¡sv¡d¡tt»t§ya¦ pÀrvavanmata¦ |

£tai¦ sam¡dhibhi¦ ½a¢bhirnay£t k¡la¯ nirantaram || 29 ||

1 stabdhee bhaavah rasa aasvaadaat Total Stillness due to the experience of Bliss –

2 triteeyah poorvavan-matah; This is Type B3 – the third type as described before.

Summary:

3 etaih samaadhibhih shadbhih In the practise of these Six Meditations

4 nayet kaalam nirantaram. one should engage himself at all times.

Nirvikalpa Samadhi – The State of Perfection

The culmination or perfection of B1 is B2, and of B2 is B3. B3 is the external equivalent of A3 meditation. B3 meditation is Nirvikalpa Samadhi experienced in the outer world. One sees Brahman or the Reality alone in everything.

1 Stabdhee: “total stillness”. The Nirvikalpa State is an experience characterized by this quality in the mind. Note, the outer world may continue with its hustle and bustle, but the realized saint experiences total peace within himself in the midst of the worst turmoil in his surroundings. There exists now no sense of separation between the individual and one’s environment. One feels that he is not just part of the world but the entire world itself!

The meditator arrives at the third type, External Nirvikalpa Samadhi, “Total Stillness in Meditation” in Non-Duality. This is the highest Goal of meditation. The test of the attainment of B3 is the total stillness and peace one feels with regard to one’s environment. This is due to the experience of Non-duality, wherein Creation merges into Reality. One feels total oneness with all creation. He feels that he is that same Reality. This is Nirvikalpa Samadhi, or absolute Oneness with the Divine.

When it is mentioned that there is the experience of Bliss, this should be understood as including the other two qualities as well, namely, Existence and Consciousness. These three are inseparable, not three separate qualities. The feeling of being the total Existence is itself the experience of Bliss. “Where there is no other” – that is the definition of Bliss.

2 As one recognizes the Self to be the true “I” in the A3 stage, so does one recognize Brahman to be the innermost essence of all Creation in the B3 meditation.

At this point, the description of the six meditations concludes.

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SUMMARY of the Six Meditations

3-4 These six meditations cover the whole range of different types of meditations. Whatever other names may be given to meditation – and there are numerous trademarked versions in the spiritual marketplace – all of them fall within the scope of the six varieties described here.

There is a verse quoted by Guruji from the Taittiriya Upanishad: “If this Self were not Blissful, who would want to breathe!” So absolutely blissful is this experience that it makes it worth living for. If such is the state of Nirvikalpa Samadhi, how can such a sage become bored? Where is the need for him to go searching for external entertainment?

Acharyaji told us of a question put to him once in a class: “Swamiji, are you not bored of lecturing on the same subject every day?” His immediate answer was, “Who can get bored about the Self?” and then he humorously added, “Who does not like to glorify Himself?”

Nirvikalpa Samadhi literally means “absorption in the absolute state that is free of all thoughts and attributes. It is beyond Maya and Her charms. Maya cannot delude one who has reached this pinnacle of Non-duality.

Verse 30: The State of Perfection in Meditation

SåWûÉÍpÉqÉÉlÉå aÉÍsÉiÉå ÌuÉ¥ÉÉiÉå mÉUqÉÉiqÉÌlÉ |

rÉ§É rÉ§É qÉlÉÉå rÉÉÌiÉ iÉ§É iÉ§É xÉqÉÉkÉrÉÈ || 30 ||

d£h¡bhim¡n£ galit£ vij²¡t£ param¡tmani |

yatra yatra manµ y¡ti tatra tatra sam¡dhaya¦ || 30 ||

1 deha abhimaane galite When identification with the body disappears

2 vijnaate paramaatmani; and the Supreme Self is known,

3 yatra yatra manah yaati wherever the mind goes,

4 tatra tatra samaadhayah. there one experiences Samadhi (or perfection).

This verse underscores the main objective of the practice of meditation.

1-2 Deha Abhimaan: “false identification with body”. In Acharyaji’s words, “The aim of meditation is not to quieten the mind or stop its functioning for some time. The aim is to remove our false identification with the body and to know the supreme Self.”

The great advantage of knowing the Reality of this world is that “the illusory Maya can no longer trap one with Her finery.” When we get to know a juggler’s tricks they no longer fascinate us.

3-4 “Wherever the mind goes” is intended to tell us that such a mind is not the same as the mind of the common person. We are speaking of a mind that has gone beyond its own individuality. The mind, bereft of personal desires and selfish thoughts, is a mass of Pure Consciousness which does not just “go everywhere” but is everywhere. That is why it experiences Samadhi in all conditions.

The realized sage sees the world as it really is – as the beautiful manifestation of the Lord Himself. How can he get entrapped in it when he has such a lofty vision of it?

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Unfortunately, partly due to the propaganda to make spirituality appear as mysterious as possible, the common image of meditation is that of a bearded anchorite sitting aloof from the world in deep contemplation in a Himalayan cave. This chapter would have blown away such stereotype misconceptions. To a sage, the vision of the Supreme is never lost even while he is conducting his actions in the world.

***** Verse 31: Supporting Verse from Mundaka Upanishad

ÍpÉ±iÉå ™SrÉaÉëÎljÉÎzNû±liÉå xÉuÉïxÉÇzÉrÉÉÈ |

¤ÉÏrÉliÉå cÉÉxrÉ MüqÉÉïÍhÉ iÉÎxqÉlÉç SØ¹å mÉUÉuÉUå || 31 ||

bhidyat£ h»dayagranthi¾chidyant£ sarvasa¯¾ay¡¦ |

k½§yant£ c¡sya karm¡³i tasmin d»½¿£ par¡var£ || 31 ||

1 bhidyate hridaya-granthih The knots of the heart are cut,

2 chhidyante sarva samshayaah; all doubts are resolved,

3 ksheeyante cha asya karmaani and all his Karmas get exhausted,

4 tasmin drishte paraavare. when one has the Vision of Him who is high and low.

Finally, the author Sri Vidyaranyaji brings in a verse from one of the major Upanishads to support his statements about what Liberation is. This verse is from the Mundaka Upanishad. The author shows us that what he has taught in this text is the same as what the ancient Vedas declared as the immortal Truth.

This verse spells out the threefold benefits of practising meditation:

1 i) The knots of the heart are cut: What are these knots? Here are seven of them, placed in a sequence from cause to effect. The first one is Ignorance, from which all other knots arise. Discontent or the feeling of incompleteness due to Ignorance, creates desires of various kinds by which it is hoped that the vacuum will be filled. To fulfill the desires, actions have to be done to the desired objects. This sets off the next tier of knots, namely, meeting with competition from others who aim for the same objects. Then come the Shad Ripus, namely, passionate desire, anger, greed, jealousy, pride and delusion. This is followed by compromising our morality, which incurs bad Karma. From this arises transmigration, the endless cycle of births and deaths in this world. This whole vicious circle, from Ignorance to transmigration, is referred to as “knots of the heart.”

2 ii) All doubts are resolved: Realisation eliminates all doubt from the mind. Doubts and fears only exist in a mind plagued by a feeling of separation. Realisation integrates us to the whole world, so doubts can never arise.

3 iii) All Karmas are exhausted: Karmas are payable only by the soul tied in bondage to this world. After Self-realisation, the individual is ‘dead’ and so the person accountable for payment of Karmic debts no longer ‘exists’. At one stroke he is freed from Karmas that had accumulated from time immemorial.

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4 Paraavare: “Him who is high and low”. We have seen in this text that God resides everywhere. The common human concept of greatness is shattered. It is not something possessed by the rich and the powerful. God sees all equally. He can work great things even among the poor and those placed in humble situations in life.

*****

CONCLUSION

This text essentially teaches us:

i) to appreciate the value of being disciplined in our thinking; ii) to use the power of discrimination to get us out of our bondage of delusion; iii) and to appreciate the value of logic and clarity in thought and thought-flow.

May this text assist all to tap into the power of the Sattwic intellect and be freed from the bondage of this Samsara!

|| SØaSØzrÉÌuÉuÉåMüÈ xÉqÉÉmiÉÈ ||

Here Ends the Text “Drig-Drishya Viveka”

Om Tat Sat!

*****

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ADDITIONAL VERSES IN SOME EDITIONS (32-46)

AuÉÎcNû³ÉÍ¶ÉSÉpÉÉxÉxiÉ×iÉÏrÉÈ xuÉmlÉMüÎsmÉiÉÈ |

ÌuÉ¥ÉårÉÎx§ÉÌuÉkÉÉå eÉÏuÉxiÉ§ÉÉ±È mÉÉUqÉÉÍjÉïMüÈ || 32 ||

AuÉcNåûSÈ MüÎsmÉiÉÈ xrÉÉSuÉcNåû±Ç iÉÑ uÉÉxiÉuÉqÉç |

iÉÎxqÉlÉç eÉÏuÉiuÉqÉÉUÉåmÉÉSèoÉë¼iuÉÇ iÉÑ xuÉpÉÉuÉiÉÈ || 33 ||

AuÉÎcNû³ÉxrÉ eÉÏuÉxrÉ mÉÔhÉåïlÉ oÉë¼hÉæMüiÉÉqÉç |

iÉ¨uÉqÉxrÉÉÌSuÉÉYrÉÉÌlÉ eÉaÉÑlÉåïiÉUeÉÏuÉrÉÉåÈ || 34 ||

oÉë¼hrÉuÉÎxjÉiÉÉ qÉÉrÉÉ ÌuÉ¤ÉåmÉÉuÉ×ÌiÉÃÌmÉhÉÏ |

AÉuÉ×irÉZÉhQûiÉÉÇ iÉÎxqÉlÉç eÉaÉ‹ÏuÉÉæ mÉëMüsmÉrÉåiÉç || 35 ||

eÉÏuÉÉå kÉÏxjÉÍcÉSÉpÉÉxÉÉå pÉuÉå°Éå£üÉ ÌWû MüqÉïM×üiÉç |

pÉÉåarÉÃmÉÍqÉSÇ xÉuÉïÇ eÉaÉiÉç xrÉÉ°ÕiÉpÉÉæÌiÉMüqÉç || 36 ||

AlÉÉÌSMüÉsÉqÉÉUprÉ qÉÉå¤ÉÉiÉç mÉÔuÉïÍqÉSÇ ²rÉqÉç |

urÉuÉWûÉUå ÎxjÉiÉÇ iÉxqÉÉSÒpÉrÉÇ urÉÉuÉWûÉËUMüqÉç || 37 ||

ÍcÉSÉpÉÉxÉÎxjÉiÉÉ ÌlÉSìÉ ÌuÉ¤ÉåmÉÉuÉ×ÌiÉÃÌmÉhÉÏ |

AÉuÉ×irÉ eÉÏuÉeÉaÉiÉÏ mÉÔuÉåï lÉÔ¦Éå iÉÑ MüsmÉrÉåiÉç || 38 ||

mÉëiÉÏÌiÉMüÉsÉ LuÉæiÉå ÎxjÉiÉiuÉÉiÉç mÉëÉÌiÉpÉÉÍxÉMåü |

lÉ ÌWû xuÉmlÉmÉëoÉÑ®xrÉ mÉÑlÉÈ xuÉmlÉå ÎxjÉÌiÉxiÉrÉÉåÈ || 39 ||

mÉëÉÌiÉpÉÉÍxÉMüeÉÏuÉÉå rÉxiÉ‹aÉiÉç mÉëÉÌiÉpÉÉÍxÉMüqÉç |

uÉÉxiÉuÉÇ qÉlrÉiÉåÅlrÉxiÉÑ ÍqÉjrÉåÌiÉ urÉÉuÉWûÉËUMüÈ || 40 ||

urÉÉuÉWûÉËUMüeÉÏuÉÉå rÉxiÉ‹aÉSèurÉÉuÉWûÉËUMüqÉç |

xÉirÉÇ mÉëirÉåÌiÉ ÍqÉjrÉåÌiÉ qÉlrÉiÉå mÉÉUqÉÉÍjÉïMüÈ || 41 ||

mÉÉUqÉÉÍjÉïMüeÉÏuÉxiÉÑ oÉë¼æYrÉÇ mÉÉUqÉÉÍjÉïMüqÉç |

mÉëirÉåÌiÉ uÉÏ¤ÉiÉå lÉÉlrÉ²Ï¤ÉiÉå iuÉlÉ×iÉÉiqÉlÉÉ || 42 ||

qÉÉkÉÑrÉïSìuÉzÉæirÉÉÌlÉ lÉÏUkÉqÉÉïxiÉU…¡ûMåü |

AlÉÑaÉqrÉÉjÉ iÉÍ³É¸å TåülÉåÅmrÉlÉÑaÉiÉÉ rÉjÉÉ || 43 ||

xÉÉÍ¤ÉxjÉÉÈ xÉÎŠSÉlÉlSÉÈ xÉqoÉlkÉÉSèurÉÉuÉWûÉËUMåü |

iÉSè²ÉUåhÉÉlÉÑaÉcNûÎliÉ iÉjÉæuÉ mÉëÉÌiÉpÉÉÍxÉMåü || 44 ||

49

sÉrÉå TåülÉxrÉ iÉ®qÉÉï SìuÉÉ±ÉÈ xrÉÑxiÉU…¡ûMåü |

iÉxrÉÉÌmÉ ÌuÉsÉrÉå lÉÏUå ÌiÉ¸lirÉåiÉå rÉjÉÉ mÉÑUÉ || 45 ||

mÉëÉÌiÉpÉÉÍxÉMüeÉÏuÉxrÉ sÉrÉå xrÉÑurÉÉïuÉWûÉËUMåü |

iÉssÉrÉå xÉÎŠSÉlÉlSÉÈ mÉrÉïuÉxrÉÎliÉ xÉÉÍ¤ÉÍhÉ || 46 ||

English Transliteration

avacchinna¾cid¡bh¡sast»t§ya¦ svapnakalpita¦ |

vij²£yastrividhµ j§vastatr¡dya¦ p¡ram¡rthika¦ || 32 ||

avacch£da¦ kalpita¦ sy¡davacch£dya¯ tu v¡stavam |

tasmin j§vatvam¡rµp¡dbrahmatva¯ tu svabh¡vata¦ || 33 ||

avacchinnasya j§vasya pÀr³£na brahma³aikat¡m |

tattvamasy¡div¡ky¡ni jagurn£taraj§vayµ¦ || 34 ||

brahma³yavasthit¡ m¡y¡ vik½£p¡v»tirÀpi³§ |

¡v»tyakha³¢at¡¯ tasmin jagajj§vau prakalpay£t || 35 ||

j§vµ dh§sthacid¡bh¡sµ bhav£dbhµkt¡ hi karmak»t |

bhµgyarÀpamida¯ sarva¯ jagat sy¡dbhÀtabhautikam || 36 ||

an¡dik¡lam¡rabhya mµk½¡t pÀrvamida¯ dvayam |

vyavah¡r£ sthita¯ tasm¡dubhaya¯ vy¡vah¡rikam || 37 ||

cid¡bh¡sasthit¡ nidr¡ vik½£p¡v»tirÀpi³§ |

¡v»tya j§vajagat§ pÀrv£ nÀtn£ tu kalpay£t || 38 ||

prat§tik¡la £vait£ sthitatv¡t pr¡tibh¡sik£ |

na hi svapnaprabuddhasya puna¦ svapn£ sthitistayµ¦ || 39 ||

pr¡tibh¡sikaj§vµ yastajjagat pr¡tibh¡sikam |

v¡stava¯ manyat£:'nyastu mithy£ti vy¡vah¡rika¦ || 40 ||

vy¡vah¡rikaj§vµ yastajjagadvy¡vah¡rikam |

satya¯ praty£ti mithy£ti manyat£ p¡ram¡rthika¦ || 41 ||

p¡ram¡rthikaj§vastu brahmaikya¯ p¡ram¡rthikam |

praty£ti v§k½at£ n¡nyadv§k½at£ tvan»t¡tman¡ || 42 ||

m¡dhuryadrava¾aity¡ni n§radharm¡stara±gak£ |

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anugamy¡tha tanni½¿h£ ph£n£:'pyanugat¡ yath¡ || 43 ||

s¡k½isth¡¦ saccid¡nand¡¦ sambandh¡dvy¡vah¡rik£ |

taddv¡r£³¡nugacchanti tathaiva pr¡tibh¡sik£ || 44 ||

lay£ ph£nasya taddharm¡ drav¡dy¡¦ syustara±gak£ |

tasy¡pi vilay£ n§r£ ti½¿hanty£t£ yath¡ pur¡ || 45 ||

pr¡tibh¡sikaj§vasya lay£ syurvy¡vah¡rik£ |

tallay£ saccid¡nand¡¦ paryavasyanti s¡k½i³i || 46 ||

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