Hari Aum,
Prostrations at the Lotus feet of AMMA.
Sloka 49:
brahmaNaH sarvabhuutaani jaayante paramaatmanaH .
tasmaadetaani brahmaiva bhavantiityavadhaarayet.h ..
Meaning: Brahman is present in all beings in the world as paramatman. Hence Brahman alone is present in the world.
Explanation: Brahman is the paramatman, the supreme self, present in all beings in the world, the living and non-living. He alone pervades the whole universe. He is the Brahman as mentioned scriptures.
In Gita 15th chapter also Lord Krishna says in similar lines thus :
“Gam avishya cha bhutani dharayami aham ojasahPushnami osadhih sarvah somo bhutva rasatmakaha.” It means brahman has entered the whole universe, and having entered the universe as its essence sustains and nourishes the life on the earth.
As he alone pervades the whole universe, hence he alone exists .There cannot be an duality, or dual notions. Brahman alone exists. One of the attributes of Brahman is “ekam eva adviteeyam” , which is one alone and there is nothing else apart from it.
Thus its proved beyond doubt that everything is Brahman alone, hence there is no scope of presence of duality in the world. Nothing exists apart from the self. One is not different from anything in the universe .It is the indwelling self present in everything in the universe. The cause of the whole world is Brahman alone. He is the substratum of the world.
Sloka 50:
brahmaiva sarvanaamaani ruupaaNi vividhaani cha .
karmaaNyapi samagraaNi bibhartiiti shrutirjagau
Meaning: Brahman is the different forms and shapes , the various actions. He alone supports the whole world. This is as per scriptures.
Explanation: After explaining that whole world is pervaded by Brahman, the author now explains how the Brahman alone is the truth in the entire universe, how Brahman alone is present and nothing else exists as we have seen in the earlier sloka.
The names and forms, the different shapes we see in the world is also Brahman. Everything is verily Brahman. If everything is pervaded by Brahman, then the names and forms we see are also Brahman alone. The forms are different manifestation of the same consciousness. Even as different as all pottery made by the potter is made up of mud alone.
Even all the actions performed by a person are Brahman alone. Brahman supports all the activities in the world, all the various names , forms shapes we see in the world.
The lines of the sloka are as per the gita 15th chapter sloka.
Uttama purusha anyah paramah iti udahrtahYo loka traya avisya bibharti avyayah ishwarah
Here it says that Paramatman alone is responsible for creation and sustenance of the whole world.
As Brahman alone is responsible for the sustainance of the universe , he is alone is the doer and the controller of activities in the world.
Sloka 51:
suvarNaajjayamaanasya suvarNatva.n cha shaashvatam.h .
brahmaNo jaayamaanasya brahmatva.n cha tathaa bhavet.h
Meaning : As all gold ornaments are gold alone, so also all entities born from Brahman are Brahman alone.
Explanation: Author has explained in the earlier slokas that Brahman alone pervades the whole universe. He is the paramatman in all beings and that he creates and sustains the world. Now he explains with an analogy the same truth.
All gold ornaments have different sizes, forms and shapes but all are made of gold alone. All the ornaments are from solid gold alone. They have no existence of their own. A gold smith sees all gold ornaments as gold alone. We may like some ornaments we may not like another, but all are gold alone and the gold smith has the same vision towards all ornaments without distinction.He sees gold in all ornaments. To see all the gold ornaments as gold alone is termed as “kana eka maha buddhi”. The substratum of all gold ornaments is gold alone, so also the substratum of whole world is Brahman alone.
Similarly a jnaani sees every entity in the world as Brahman alone, Even though he sees many forms shapes and sizes , he is ever established in Brahman. To see all being as Brahman alone in the world is termed as “Brahma eka maha buddhi”.
A jnaani always abides in the self and sees his self in everyone. He treats others with love and compassion as he doesn’t see any difference between himself and other beings we perceive in the world.
As per a jnaani, there is nothing apart from his self or Brahman in the world .
Sloka 52:
svalpamatyantara.n kR^itvaa jiivaatmaparamaatmanoH .
yaH santishhThati muuDhaatma bhaya.n tasyaabhibhaashhitam.h
Meaning: Making a small difference between jeevatma and paramatman as a big difference , a ignorant person who is not contented .This creates fear in him.
Explanation: The author in earlier slokas has stressed upon the point that jeevatma and paramatman seem to be different but are the same. In the slokas from 52-55 ,author explains with quotations from brihadaranyaka Upanishad, how duality causes fear in person. He is explaining the consequences of considering once to be limited by the body mind , intellect complex.
If consciousness is removed from jeevatma , there is no existence. Hence jeevatma is chit or consciousness alone. Like the sruthi quotations
“Vadanti tat tatva vidaha tattvam jnaana advaiyam brahma ithi paramatha ithi ,bhagavan ithi shadhyathe”. As per scriptures atman or the supreme consciousness is called by various names and jeevatma is another term only .There are just many names like Brahman,bhagavan or paramatman, for the same consciousness.
Jeevatma once he realizes that he above all the body mind adjuncts , he identifies himself with the supreme self.
Ramana Maharshi in upadesha saram says thus “Isha Jeevayoh Vesha Dhee bhidaah Sat Svabhaavatah Vasthu Kevalam” . Meaning Ishwarah and jeeva are just different names and are sat or consciousness alone, hence they are one entity only. Ishwarah is Sarvagya or all knowing whereas jeeva has limited intellect .Ishwarah is sarvavyapi or all pervading whereas a jeeva is alpavyaapi i .e limited by body mind complex.But we all know that Brahman alone is the truth. So how can any difference persist? Who is the knower and what is to be known when everything is Brahman alone.Hence jeevatma and paramatman are one and the same.
As per sruthi “Dvitiyat vay bhayam bhavarthi”.It means duality is the cause of fear.A moodah or ignorant person only considers jeevatma as totally different from paramatman. He sees the small difference of name as big differences. This results in dual feeling that he is different from paramatman. He thinks that paramatman is the supreme self and everyone is different from that. Thus he sees duality also in the world. He sees many jeevatma’s in the world. This dual notion causes sorrow and sufferings in the world. He possess likes and dislike towards everything in the world. On the other hand a Jnaani identifies himself with the supreme self and is always in a blissful state without fear.
A ignorant person fears to do many activities in the world. He fears to go against powerful people, he fears to go against his parents , even though he is knows what he is doing is correct. Thus our lives are filled with fear every moment. All these are due to dvaita bhavana or Perceiving duality in the world. If we understand that lord alone is the creator and he alone is in everything our fears will vanish. . A person who is always established in the self is ever blissful. A person cannot be blissful if he has fear. Thus knowledge of the ultimate truth, removes all fears.
Thus sankaracharya says that he who perceives himself different from the supreme self a person is plunged into the world of sorrow.
Sloka 53:
yatraaGYaanaadbhavedvaitamitarastatra pashyati .
aatmatvena yadaa sarva.n netarastatra chaaNvapi
Meaning: Where ajnaana or exists, person sees others different from him. Person who sees his atman everywhere does not see anything different from himself.
Explanation: In the earlier sloka sankaracharya explained why a person is caught in fear in the world. Now he explains the reason behind how the fear is created. Also explains a jnaani’s state.
As long as a person perceives duality in the world he is in constant state of fear. Everything is created from Brahman , exists in Brahman and merges into Brahman, knowing this truth a jnaani doesn’t see anything different from his atman. Hence he doesn’t see anything apart from himself. He doesn’t perceive duality .He sees himself in everything. Hence as self alone is present, there is no reason for developing aversion or attraction towards anything in the world, thus he remains a “sthitapragya” , one who is unperturbed under any circumstances. Not an iota of doubt he has about his vision of non-duality.
While a ignorant person , sees duality in the world, each and everything as been different from him. Though both jnaani and ajnaani see the world and names and forms in the world, jnaani knows that everything is one entity and hence isn’t effected. Whereas a ajnnani sees the duality in the world. This causes the fear in him. He gets attached to entities and these attachments later lead to sorrow as everything is temporary in this world .He fears loosing what is dear to him, what he is attached to. A person might like his vehicle so much that daily he cleans it polishes it and maintains well. He desires it to be in perfect shape all the time. Hence he also fears for any damage to the vehicle .He cannot even bear to see small scratches done to the vehicle. so people fear about their possessions, the natural calamities etc.
Ignorance is the cause of duality. Ignorance of the reality of the world , that world is unreal and that the duality perceived , a person is all the time
Thus sankaracharya says that seeing duality only leads to sorrow in the world.
Hari Aum
Monday, March 17, 2008
Slokas 44 to 48
Hari Aum,
Prostrations at the Lotus Feet of AMMA.
Sloka 44:
rajjvaGYaanaatkshaNenaiva yadvadrajjurhi sarpiNii .
bhaati tadvachchitiH saakshaadvishvaakaareNa kevalaa ..
Meaning: For a moment if we forget the rope we perceive the snake .So also a person perceives the world in the consciousness people see the world.
Explanation: In the earlier sloka sankaracharya explained through an analogy the illusory nature of jeeva. Now he explains the illusory nature of the world and the substratum behind it.
For a moment a person forgets what ever he is seeing is rope , immediately he sees snake in place of the rope. Similarly the world is perceived by us , due to ignorance of the substratum of the world being consciousness or brahman. As we do not realize that the essence of all whole world , is the indwelling consciousness principle.
So in order not to get deluded by the world, one should always remember that the substratum of the entire world is nothing but consciousness or Brahman and what ever is perceived is only a name and form which is illusion.
The whole world seems to exist but actually doesn’t really exist. Thus the mithya world is clearly explained. That which is mithya is neither real nor unreal.That which doesn’t exist is asat. That which always exists is sat. World exists for a short period of time we live, hence its neither asat nor sat. One should negate the names and forms seen in the world and assert that Brahman alone is present everywhere. When one negates nama roopam , Brahman as the substratum alone remains. So if substratum of Brahman is present the world exists. World doesn’t exist without Brahman. Hence world is just an illusion in Brahman, the reality being the substratum. Once the illusory nama roopam is not seen, the only entity consciousness is perceived everwhere. This is the state a person attains, after negating nama roopam and asserting that Brahman alone is present in the whole world.
Sloka 45:
upaadaanaM prapaJNchasya brahmaNonyanna vidyate .
tasmaatsarvaprapaJNcho.ayaM brahmaivaasti na chetarat.h ..
Meaning: The material cause of the world is Brahman alone. Hence Brahman pervades the whole world and there is nothing apart from it.
Explanation: we have seen the nature of the Jeeva and world being explained in the earlier slokas. Now the material cause of the world is discussed in this sloka. This helps a seeker , to view everything in the world as Brahman.If we know that pot id made of mud, we wouldn’t see pot different from mud, likewise when we know that Brahman is the substratum of the world, dualities vanish.
Any effect has 2 causes the material cause and the efficient cause. For example for a mud pot the material cause is mud and the efficient cause is the potter. Likewise the material cause as well as the efficient cause of the world is Brahman alone. The names and forms we view are due to the power of maya in Brahman. Maya is the power of Brahman, due to which names and forms are seen and is the material cause of world. But as maya is part of Brahman we can consider that Brahman is the material cause.
As the substratum of the creation is Brahman the whole world is pervaded by Brahman. The whole world is nothing but Brahman alone. This helps a seeker to view the world he perceives as Brahman alone. Understanding the nature of the world and its substratum a person never gets deluded in the world of dualities.
Sloka 46:
vyaapyaavyaapakataa mithyaa sarvamaatmeti shaasanaat.h .
iti GYaate pare tattve bhedasyaavasaraH kutaH ..
Meaning: Pervading entity and entity being pervaded by both are illusion as there only exists atman everywhere. Knowing this great truth what is the necessity of showing the difference between the pervaded entity and the pervading entity.
Explanation: In the earlier sloka sankaracharya spoke about the illusory world and its substratum of Brahman. He has mentioned that world is an illusion in Brahman, the illusion being the effect in the cause of Brahman. In this slokas he contradicts the theory with reasoning.
Inorder to wake up a dreaming person , he should be told that the dream is only an illusion and truth is the waking state. This helps him to attain the waking state.
A person who is woken up needn’t be told about the dream state as dream state doesn’t exist. Once the ignrorance is removed there are no differences perceived. The same logic is used by the author to negate the cause and effect theory.
In reality there is no cause and effect , everything is Brahman alone. The world is not at all present. This is from the perspective of a Jnaani.
But for a person who sees the world ,this wouldn’t appeal , as he sees world as existing, hence the theory of cause and effect is useful. But once he realizes the truth , he doesn’t perceive the world but only Brahman.
Hence there is no entity which pervades the whole universe as mentioned earlier as Brahman and there is no entity being pervaded by the pervading entity i.e the world.
As there exists only ultimate truth of Brahman.
As world is an illusion in Brahman ,hence it really doesn’t exist. So as world is an illusion, there is no necessity of associating a cause to the illusory world, as its not real. Hence Brahman is not a cause of world that doesn’t really exist. Rather Brahman alone exists.
Sloka 47:
shrutyaa nivaarita.n nuuna.n naanaatva.n svamukhena hi .
kathaM bhaaso bhavedanyaH sthite chaadvayakaaraNe ..
Meaning: Sruthi themselves negate duality many many times. So how will the duality exist ? Only the non-dual Brahman exists.
Explanation: As proof to the statement made in the earlier sloka that there is no cause and effect theory and that everything is one entity of nature of consciousness, the author gives reference to the sruthi quotations.
As per sruthi its stated that “Neha nana asthi kincha” Meaning there is no trace of duality whatsoever.
The same point is reiterated in this sloka. As sruti proclaim that there is no duality at all. So how can there be illusionary world in Brahman. It means that there is no duality and only Brahman exists, which is one alone. So how can a person see duality in the world, when the scriptures clearly proclaim that the world is just an illusion. With clear proof from the scriptures and from the experience of the jnaani’s who have followed the path mentioned by the scriptures and perceive the world as Brahman alone, it removes all doubts from the mind of the seeker about the Brahman as the only entity pervading the whole universe.
Sloka 48:
doshho.api vihitaH shrutyaa mR^ityrmR^i.rtyu.n sa gachchhati .
iha pashyati naanaatvaM maayayaa vaJNchito naraH
Meaning : If a person sees duality sruti says that he will be born many many times.
The person who sees duality is deluded by maya.
Explanation: After explaining that nothing exists here but Brahman alone and providing the sruthi quotations to support the same, sankaracharya now mentions the consequences a person would face ,whose sees the duality in the world.
Author warns the about the consequences of not able to view the world as Brahman. According to sruthi, a person gets deluded in the world due to influence of maya , the power of brahman. He sees duality in the world. He sees various names and forms. He thinks the world is permanent. He seeks happiness in the world, as a result his life becomes full of sorrow and keeps running after wordly objects seeking them ,doing actions and thereby accumulating good/bad karmas and being born many times to exhaust the karma. Thus a person getting deluded and will end up in the chain of birth and death. Whereas a person who has the strong conviction, sees no duality in the world , he attains samabhavam, who has attained the state perceives only his self in all and all in his self. Such a person is a liberated soul.
The author warns people of the results of not seeing the world as pervaded by Brahman.
Given the consequences people might put an effort to seek the truth , rather than getting deluded in the world. Any amount of effort in this direction is always beneficial as its like a bank deposit .In the next birth one would start from where he has left in the previous birth.
Thus the author explains the nature of the world , through sruti and yukti and also mentions the consequences of getting deluded in this world.
Hari Aum
Prostrations at the Lotus Feet of AMMA.
Sloka 44:
rajjvaGYaanaatkshaNenaiva yadvadrajjurhi sarpiNii .
bhaati tadvachchitiH saakshaadvishvaakaareNa kevalaa ..
Meaning: For a moment if we forget the rope we perceive the snake .So also a person perceives the world in the consciousness people see the world.
Explanation: In the earlier sloka sankaracharya explained through an analogy the illusory nature of jeeva. Now he explains the illusory nature of the world and the substratum behind it.
For a moment a person forgets what ever he is seeing is rope , immediately he sees snake in place of the rope. Similarly the world is perceived by us , due to ignorance of the substratum of the world being consciousness or brahman. As we do not realize that the essence of all whole world , is the indwelling consciousness principle.
So in order not to get deluded by the world, one should always remember that the substratum of the entire world is nothing but consciousness or Brahman and what ever is perceived is only a name and form which is illusion.
The whole world seems to exist but actually doesn’t really exist. Thus the mithya world is clearly explained. That which is mithya is neither real nor unreal.That which doesn’t exist is asat. That which always exists is sat. World exists for a short period of time we live, hence its neither asat nor sat. One should negate the names and forms seen in the world and assert that Brahman alone is present everywhere. When one negates nama roopam , Brahman as the substratum alone remains. So if substratum of Brahman is present the world exists. World doesn’t exist without Brahman. Hence world is just an illusion in Brahman, the reality being the substratum. Once the illusory nama roopam is not seen, the only entity consciousness is perceived everwhere. This is the state a person attains, after negating nama roopam and asserting that Brahman alone is present in the whole world.
Sloka 45:
upaadaanaM prapaJNchasya brahmaNonyanna vidyate .
tasmaatsarvaprapaJNcho.ayaM brahmaivaasti na chetarat.h ..
Meaning: The material cause of the world is Brahman alone. Hence Brahman pervades the whole world and there is nothing apart from it.
Explanation: we have seen the nature of the Jeeva and world being explained in the earlier slokas. Now the material cause of the world is discussed in this sloka. This helps a seeker , to view everything in the world as Brahman.If we know that pot id made of mud, we wouldn’t see pot different from mud, likewise when we know that Brahman is the substratum of the world, dualities vanish.
Any effect has 2 causes the material cause and the efficient cause. For example for a mud pot the material cause is mud and the efficient cause is the potter. Likewise the material cause as well as the efficient cause of the world is Brahman alone. The names and forms we view are due to the power of maya in Brahman. Maya is the power of Brahman, due to which names and forms are seen and is the material cause of world. But as maya is part of Brahman we can consider that Brahman is the material cause.
As the substratum of the creation is Brahman the whole world is pervaded by Brahman. The whole world is nothing but Brahman alone. This helps a seeker to view the world he perceives as Brahman alone. Understanding the nature of the world and its substratum a person never gets deluded in the world of dualities.
Sloka 46:
vyaapyaavyaapakataa mithyaa sarvamaatmeti shaasanaat.h .
iti GYaate pare tattve bhedasyaavasaraH kutaH ..
Meaning: Pervading entity and entity being pervaded by both are illusion as there only exists atman everywhere. Knowing this great truth what is the necessity of showing the difference between the pervaded entity and the pervading entity.
Explanation: In the earlier sloka sankaracharya spoke about the illusory world and its substratum of Brahman. He has mentioned that world is an illusion in Brahman, the illusion being the effect in the cause of Brahman. In this slokas he contradicts the theory with reasoning.
Inorder to wake up a dreaming person , he should be told that the dream is only an illusion and truth is the waking state. This helps him to attain the waking state.
A person who is woken up needn’t be told about the dream state as dream state doesn’t exist. Once the ignrorance is removed there are no differences perceived. The same logic is used by the author to negate the cause and effect theory.
In reality there is no cause and effect , everything is Brahman alone. The world is not at all present. This is from the perspective of a Jnaani.
But for a person who sees the world ,this wouldn’t appeal , as he sees world as existing, hence the theory of cause and effect is useful. But once he realizes the truth , he doesn’t perceive the world but only Brahman.
Hence there is no entity which pervades the whole universe as mentioned earlier as Brahman and there is no entity being pervaded by the pervading entity i.e the world.
As there exists only ultimate truth of Brahman.
As world is an illusion in Brahman ,hence it really doesn’t exist. So as world is an illusion, there is no necessity of associating a cause to the illusory world, as its not real. Hence Brahman is not a cause of world that doesn’t really exist. Rather Brahman alone exists.
Sloka 47:
shrutyaa nivaarita.n nuuna.n naanaatva.n svamukhena hi .
kathaM bhaaso bhavedanyaH sthite chaadvayakaaraNe ..
Meaning: Sruthi themselves negate duality many many times. So how will the duality exist ? Only the non-dual Brahman exists.
Explanation: As proof to the statement made in the earlier sloka that there is no cause and effect theory and that everything is one entity of nature of consciousness, the author gives reference to the sruthi quotations.
As per sruthi its stated that “Neha nana asthi kincha” Meaning there is no trace of duality whatsoever.
The same point is reiterated in this sloka. As sruti proclaim that there is no duality at all. So how can there be illusionary world in Brahman. It means that there is no duality and only Brahman exists, which is one alone. So how can a person see duality in the world, when the scriptures clearly proclaim that the world is just an illusion. With clear proof from the scriptures and from the experience of the jnaani’s who have followed the path mentioned by the scriptures and perceive the world as Brahman alone, it removes all doubts from the mind of the seeker about the Brahman as the only entity pervading the whole universe.
Sloka 48:
doshho.api vihitaH shrutyaa mR^ityrmR^i.rtyu.n sa gachchhati .
iha pashyati naanaatvaM maayayaa vaJNchito naraH
Meaning : If a person sees duality sruti says that he will be born many many times.
The person who sees duality is deluded by maya.
Explanation: After explaining that nothing exists here but Brahman alone and providing the sruthi quotations to support the same, sankaracharya now mentions the consequences a person would face ,whose sees the duality in the world.
Author warns the about the consequences of not able to view the world as Brahman. According to sruthi, a person gets deluded in the world due to influence of maya , the power of brahman. He sees duality in the world. He sees various names and forms. He thinks the world is permanent. He seeks happiness in the world, as a result his life becomes full of sorrow and keeps running after wordly objects seeking them ,doing actions and thereby accumulating good/bad karmas and being born many times to exhaust the karma. Thus a person getting deluded and will end up in the chain of birth and death. Whereas a person who has the strong conviction, sees no duality in the world , he attains samabhavam, who has attained the state perceives only his self in all and all in his self. Such a person is a liberated soul.
The author warns people of the results of not seeing the world as pervaded by Brahman.
Given the consequences people might put an effort to seek the truth , rather than getting deluded in the world. Any amount of effort in this direction is always beneficial as its like a bank deposit .In the next birth one would start from where he has left in the previous birth.
Thus the author explains the nature of the world , through sruti and yukti and also mentions the consequences of getting deluded in this world.
Hari Aum
Slokas 39 to 43
Hari Aum,
Prostrations at the Lotus feet of AMMA.
Continuing with sankaracharya’s logical analysis of how atman is different from Deham.
Sloka 39:
liN^ga.n chaanekasa.nyukta.n chala.n dR^ishya.n vikaari cha .
avyaapakamasadruupa.n tatkatha.n syaatpumaanayam.h ..
Meaning: Linga shareera is associated with many parts and changes,it is an object and undergoes modifications.It is not all pervading, is insentient and hence cannot be same as the atman.
Explanation: Till now the author is comparing the atman with the sthoola shareera.So anyone can have a doubt that sooksha shareera can be atman, if not the sthoola shareera.To clarify this ,after negating the sthoola shareera , the author now explains about the sookshma shareera qualities, to differentiate the atman from the sookshma shareera.
Sookshma shareera is also called Linga shareera . Jeeva is the reflection of the kutastha in the intellect of the sookshma shareera. Hence sooksha shareera also is called linga shareera or where the atman resides.
Sookshma shareera or subtle body is said to have 17 or 19 parts. The 5 sense organs of smell ,touch,taste,seeing,hearing, 5 organs of action legs,hands,excretion,speech and genitals + 5 pranas prans,apana,samana,udana and vyana + mind+intellect+ego+chittam.
Hence subtle body is said to be associated with many parts. But Brahman is without parts or “niskalo” as we have discuused in earlier slokas.
If we analyse we can understand that We experience the mind as changing ideas,notions etc. Some times we are absent minded, some times we think a lot .This all shows that subtle body is ever changing. But Brahman is “nischalam” or not moving as its all pervading.
It is the object even though its not perceived, as we say that my mind is not working etc.
Hence it is an object and not a subject. Brahman is the subject which perceives all the objects. It is never an object of perception.
It undergoes modifications. We see that some people loose their sight due to some accident . This shows that subtle body undergoes changes. But Brahman is never changing , the I we identify with from birth is the same even after many years.
Subtle body is limited to the adjuncts of the body. But Brahman is all pervading. Once jeeva identifies himself with the kutastha atman , he identifies himself with everything in the universe. For him everything is one and the same consciousness. Mahatma’s reside in such a state and hence treat everyone as his or her self.
Subtle body is asat or insentient. Only if the consciousness exists in the body does a man think and do actions. A dead body doesn’t think. But Brahman is the consciousness principle behind the eyes which see the objects. It is the eye of the eye, the mind behind mind .
So given all these differences how can the subtle body be atman.
Karana shareera is also negated by sankaracharya here.Karana shareera is the body in the deep sleep state. The karana shareera manifests itself as subtle or sthoola shareera. karana shareera cannot be for a longer period in the same state. Negating the subtle and gross bodies also implies negating the karana shareera or cuasal body as causal body cannot be present without the other two. Hence sankaracharya doesn’t negate the causal body. But its indirectly implied that the karana shareera is also different from the atman.
Thus the author clearly proves beyond doubt that all the three shareera’s one experiences is beyond the experiencer , the atman. Hence we cannot say that atman is sthoola,sookshma or karana shareera.
Sloka 40:
eva.n dehadvayaadanya aatmaa purushha IshvaraH .
sarvaatmaa sarvaruupashcha sarvaatiitomahavyayaH
Meaning: Atman is above both the bodies and is the purusha or Iswhara.
He is present in all being in the world,he is present in all forms,he is beyond forms and is without parts.
Explanation: The author concludes the analysis of differentiating the atman from the sthoola, sookshma shareera’s with this sloka. Till now we have seen slokas showing that one is not the body. After clearly the author explains as to how the atman is the body ,a sadhaka would develop a strong conviction that he is not the body.
In this sloka he explains the nature of the atman and concludes the reasoning.
Atman is beyond the gross and subtle bodies. It is called the purusha as explained in the scriptures and also called Iswhara the sustainer of the universe.
Purusha is the essence of the existence in the universe. The indwelling self in all beings. He is also the name and form. Name and forms we see in the world are only illusions, but the substratum of all illusions in Brahman. Hence the illusions are also Brahman. As the water seen in the desert is desert itself. He is beyond the names and forms. As the desert is beyond the waves created in the water seen in the desert. He is all pervading and only reality present. He has no parts , as something with parts changes, but Brahman is changless, hence it has no parts.
Knowing that Brahman alone is present in the whole universe, that alone exists in all beings, the names and forms seen are nothing but Brahman , would remove duality in the world. The cause for sufferings in the world is due to the perception of the dual world. Seeing everything different from us. Hence this knowledge of our very essence of atman being the all pervading Brahman makes us identify with everything in the universe, thus removing bedha bahavana or dual notion.
Sloka 41:
ityaatmadehabhaagena prapaJNchasyaiva satyataa .
yathoktaa tarkashaastreNa tataH kiM purushhaarthataa
Meaning: The atman and body differentiation and the truth of the world that has been reasoned out ,how does it help the people?
Explanation: Sankaracharya has brought out the difference between atman and body and thereby also proving the illusionary nature of the world using reasoning.
Now in the coming slokas he dwells on the “Mithya” aspect of the world. This sloka questioning the significance of the conclusions drawn in the earlier slokas, helps us to understand the world is an illusion.
We have seen through the earlier slokas that two things are proved , that the body is insentient and temporary and so also the world and the only sentient being illumining or making the insentient entities look sentient is Brahman , the substratum of the world.
So there are two parts of the question here.1) How does the differentiation between the atman and the body help a person in this world? . The author proved that the body is temporary ,hence the names and forms in the world are also temporary. So the next question arises as to 2) How does the knowledge that the objects seen in the world are also temporary help a person?
These questions are answered in the next slokas. Thus the author enters into explanation of the illusionary world, in the next few slokas.
Till now we have seen the logical analysis of how the body is temporary and separate of the atman. The benefits from this understanding is explained next.
Sloka 42:
ityaatmadehabhedena dehaatmatva.n nivaaritam.h .
idaanii.n dehabhedasya hyasattva.n sphuTamuchyate
Meaning: Showing that the body and the atman are different the feeling of I am the body is removed. Also it clearly brings out that the body is unreal.
Explanation:nIn this sloka the author explains , the benefit of knowing that one is different from the atman. How this knowledge will help a person in his life.
Once a person knows that he is different from the body, he would treat the body as he would treat his pen, his laptop, meaning he would treat the body as not himself i.e separate from onself, thereby the happiness or sorrow arising due to the body will not be taken as his sufferings by the person. So his happiness sorrow doesn’t depend on the body. As he knows that the body is temporary and it just seems to exist for a short span of time. He has been taking many births and has had many bodies, but his atman is one alone. If a person is suffering from fever , he takes the needed medicines but still if it doesn’t cure soon, he doesn’t bother it. Externally he might appear as suffering, but internally he knows he is not the body, hence is always blissful.
So even when his comforts are less, even though he is injured , he is in pain, he will be blissful ,knowing the true nature of his self.
A person seeks happiness in the world without knowing the real nature of the world, or without giving a thought about the real nature of the world. He thinks that world is permanent and the objects of the world would give him permanent happiness. Hence he is always in pursuit of objects of the world.
As the body made of the pancha bhootas is asat or unreal and the purusha present as atman is the only truth, so also the objects of the world, the names and forms are asat or unreal and that purusha is present everywhere, pervading the entire universe. Once he knows this truth he will not go behind the worldly objects seeking happiness, instead he will be seek happiness inside.
Hence the duality of the world doesn’t delude him and bring him sorrow. Thus a person will be ever blissful. He develops samabhavam, that which is mentioned as the goal of life in Gita by Lord Krishna.A person through this difference of atman and body, realizes the nature of the world, understands the ultimate truth and never gets effected by the world, thereby he has no likes dislikes, no dvandha bhavam, which helps him to achieve samabhavam.Thus the understanding of the difference between body and atman makes him ever rejoice in the blissful nature of his self.
Sloka 43:
chaitanyasyaikaruupatvaadbhedo yukto na karhichit .
jiivata.n cha mR^ishhaa GYeya.n rajjau sarpagrahau yathaa
Meaning: Consciousness is one alone and has no divisions. Jeeva is a illusion similar to the illusion of the snake in the rope.
Explanation: After logical anlalysis of the body ,atman and the world, the author further gives analogies to explains the illusionary nature of the world. In this sloka the author through an analogy of snake and rope explains the perception of the world by ignorant people. Brings out the illusionary nature of the Jeeva.
Jeeva is the reflected consciousness in the intellect, that we all experience as “I”. Jeeva due to ignorance associates himself with body, mind adjuncts. He considers himself to be body. His happiness and sorrow depend on the body and the world.
Purusha or Atman as mentioned in the scriptures is beyond body and mind and is the essence of all the being in the world, Which is only truth in the world.
The author explains that consciousness is devoid of any bedha’s as we discussed earlier, the swagata ,sajateeya and vijateeya bedha’s and is one alone. So among jeeva and atman only one can be real and the other illusionary. As the snake is only a illusion in the rope, so also jeeva is only an illusion in the atman or purusha.
Once the jeeva come out of the ignorance and knows that he is the all pervading purusha ,he becomes Brahman,the fundamental principle of the entire universe. Until a person considers the rope as a snake he is scared. The very moment he realizes that snake doesn’t exist, his fear vanishes. So also when the jeeva realizes that he is the atman ,once he comes out of the notion that he is the body, once he leaves all the body consciousness behind, he becomes blissful. He always rejoices in the self.
Thus the author brings out the illusionary nature of the Jeeva, which is the cause of sufferings in the world, due to perception of dualities.
Hari Aum
Prostrations at the Lotus feet of AMMA.
Continuing with sankaracharya’s logical analysis of how atman is different from Deham.
Sloka 39:
liN^ga.n chaanekasa.nyukta.n chala.n dR^ishya.n vikaari cha .
avyaapakamasadruupa.n tatkatha.n syaatpumaanayam.h ..
Meaning: Linga shareera is associated with many parts and changes,it is an object and undergoes modifications.It is not all pervading, is insentient and hence cannot be same as the atman.
Explanation: Till now the author is comparing the atman with the sthoola shareera.So anyone can have a doubt that sooksha shareera can be atman, if not the sthoola shareera.To clarify this ,after negating the sthoola shareera , the author now explains about the sookshma shareera qualities, to differentiate the atman from the sookshma shareera.
Sookshma shareera is also called Linga shareera . Jeeva is the reflection of the kutastha in the intellect of the sookshma shareera. Hence sooksha shareera also is called linga shareera or where the atman resides.
Sookshma shareera or subtle body is said to have 17 or 19 parts. The 5 sense organs of smell ,touch,taste,seeing,hearing, 5 organs of action legs,hands,excretion,speech and genitals + 5 pranas prans,apana,samana,udana and vyana + mind+intellect+ego+chittam.
Hence subtle body is said to be associated with many parts. But Brahman is without parts or “niskalo” as we have discuused in earlier slokas.
If we analyse we can understand that We experience the mind as changing ideas,notions etc. Some times we are absent minded, some times we think a lot .This all shows that subtle body is ever changing. But Brahman is “nischalam” or not moving as its all pervading.
It is the object even though its not perceived, as we say that my mind is not working etc.
Hence it is an object and not a subject. Brahman is the subject which perceives all the objects. It is never an object of perception.
It undergoes modifications. We see that some people loose their sight due to some accident . This shows that subtle body undergoes changes. But Brahman is never changing , the I we identify with from birth is the same even after many years.
Subtle body is limited to the adjuncts of the body. But Brahman is all pervading. Once jeeva identifies himself with the kutastha atman , he identifies himself with everything in the universe. For him everything is one and the same consciousness. Mahatma’s reside in such a state and hence treat everyone as his or her self.
Subtle body is asat or insentient. Only if the consciousness exists in the body does a man think and do actions. A dead body doesn’t think. But Brahman is the consciousness principle behind the eyes which see the objects. It is the eye of the eye, the mind behind mind .
So given all these differences how can the subtle body be atman.
Karana shareera is also negated by sankaracharya here.Karana shareera is the body in the deep sleep state. The karana shareera manifests itself as subtle or sthoola shareera. karana shareera cannot be for a longer period in the same state. Negating the subtle and gross bodies also implies negating the karana shareera or cuasal body as causal body cannot be present without the other two. Hence sankaracharya doesn’t negate the causal body. But its indirectly implied that the karana shareera is also different from the atman.
Thus the author clearly proves beyond doubt that all the three shareera’s one experiences is beyond the experiencer , the atman. Hence we cannot say that atman is sthoola,sookshma or karana shareera.
Sloka 40:
eva.n dehadvayaadanya aatmaa purushha IshvaraH .
sarvaatmaa sarvaruupashcha sarvaatiitomahavyayaH
Meaning: Atman is above both the bodies and is the purusha or Iswhara.
He is present in all being in the world,he is present in all forms,he is beyond forms and is without parts.
Explanation: The author concludes the analysis of differentiating the atman from the sthoola, sookshma shareera’s with this sloka. Till now we have seen slokas showing that one is not the body. After clearly the author explains as to how the atman is the body ,a sadhaka would develop a strong conviction that he is not the body.
In this sloka he explains the nature of the atman and concludes the reasoning.
Atman is beyond the gross and subtle bodies. It is called the purusha as explained in the scriptures and also called Iswhara the sustainer of the universe.
Purusha is the essence of the existence in the universe. The indwelling self in all beings. He is also the name and form. Name and forms we see in the world are only illusions, but the substratum of all illusions in Brahman. Hence the illusions are also Brahman. As the water seen in the desert is desert itself. He is beyond the names and forms. As the desert is beyond the waves created in the water seen in the desert. He is all pervading and only reality present. He has no parts , as something with parts changes, but Brahman is changless, hence it has no parts.
Knowing that Brahman alone is present in the whole universe, that alone exists in all beings, the names and forms seen are nothing but Brahman , would remove duality in the world. The cause for sufferings in the world is due to the perception of the dual world. Seeing everything different from us. Hence this knowledge of our very essence of atman being the all pervading Brahman makes us identify with everything in the universe, thus removing bedha bahavana or dual notion.
Sloka 41:
ityaatmadehabhaagena prapaJNchasyaiva satyataa .
yathoktaa tarkashaastreNa tataH kiM purushhaarthataa
Meaning: The atman and body differentiation and the truth of the world that has been reasoned out ,how does it help the people?
Explanation: Sankaracharya has brought out the difference between atman and body and thereby also proving the illusionary nature of the world using reasoning.
Now in the coming slokas he dwells on the “Mithya” aspect of the world. This sloka questioning the significance of the conclusions drawn in the earlier slokas, helps us to understand the world is an illusion.
We have seen through the earlier slokas that two things are proved , that the body is insentient and temporary and so also the world and the only sentient being illumining or making the insentient entities look sentient is Brahman , the substratum of the world.
So there are two parts of the question here.1) How does the differentiation between the atman and the body help a person in this world? . The author proved that the body is temporary ,hence the names and forms in the world are also temporary. So the next question arises as to 2) How does the knowledge that the objects seen in the world are also temporary help a person?
These questions are answered in the next slokas. Thus the author enters into explanation of the illusionary world, in the next few slokas.
Till now we have seen the logical analysis of how the body is temporary and separate of the atman. The benefits from this understanding is explained next.
Sloka 42:
ityaatmadehabhedena dehaatmatva.n nivaaritam.h .
idaanii.n dehabhedasya hyasattva.n sphuTamuchyate
Meaning: Showing that the body and the atman are different the feeling of I am the body is removed. Also it clearly brings out that the body is unreal.
Explanation:nIn this sloka the author explains , the benefit of knowing that one is different from the atman. How this knowledge will help a person in his life.
Once a person knows that he is different from the body, he would treat the body as he would treat his pen, his laptop, meaning he would treat the body as not himself i.e separate from onself, thereby the happiness or sorrow arising due to the body will not be taken as his sufferings by the person. So his happiness sorrow doesn’t depend on the body. As he knows that the body is temporary and it just seems to exist for a short span of time. He has been taking many births and has had many bodies, but his atman is one alone. If a person is suffering from fever , he takes the needed medicines but still if it doesn’t cure soon, he doesn’t bother it. Externally he might appear as suffering, but internally he knows he is not the body, hence is always blissful.
So even when his comforts are less, even though he is injured , he is in pain, he will be blissful ,knowing the true nature of his self.
A person seeks happiness in the world without knowing the real nature of the world, or without giving a thought about the real nature of the world. He thinks that world is permanent and the objects of the world would give him permanent happiness. Hence he is always in pursuit of objects of the world.
As the body made of the pancha bhootas is asat or unreal and the purusha present as atman is the only truth, so also the objects of the world, the names and forms are asat or unreal and that purusha is present everywhere, pervading the entire universe. Once he knows this truth he will not go behind the worldly objects seeking happiness, instead he will be seek happiness inside.
Hence the duality of the world doesn’t delude him and bring him sorrow. Thus a person will be ever blissful. He develops samabhavam, that which is mentioned as the goal of life in Gita by Lord Krishna.A person through this difference of atman and body, realizes the nature of the world, understands the ultimate truth and never gets effected by the world, thereby he has no likes dislikes, no dvandha bhavam, which helps him to achieve samabhavam.Thus the understanding of the difference between body and atman makes him ever rejoice in the blissful nature of his self.
Sloka 43:
chaitanyasyaikaruupatvaadbhedo yukto na karhichit .
jiivata.n cha mR^ishhaa GYeya.n rajjau sarpagrahau yathaa
Meaning: Consciousness is one alone and has no divisions. Jeeva is a illusion similar to the illusion of the snake in the rope.
Explanation: After logical anlalysis of the body ,atman and the world, the author further gives analogies to explains the illusionary nature of the world. In this sloka the author through an analogy of snake and rope explains the perception of the world by ignorant people. Brings out the illusionary nature of the Jeeva.
Jeeva is the reflected consciousness in the intellect, that we all experience as “I”. Jeeva due to ignorance associates himself with body, mind adjuncts. He considers himself to be body. His happiness and sorrow depend on the body and the world.
Purusha or Atman as mentioned in the scriptures is beyond body and mind and is the essence of all the being in the world, Which is only truth in the world.
The author explains that consciousness is devoid of any bedha’s as we discussed earlier, the swagata ,sajateeya and vijateeya bedha’s and is one alone. So among jeeva and atman only one can be real and the other illusionary. As the snake is only a illusion in the rope, so also jeeva is only an illusion in the atman or purusha.
Once the jeeva come out of the ignorance and knows that he is the all pervading purusha ,he becomes Brahman,the fundamental principle of the entire universe. Until a person considers the rope as a snake he is scared. The very moment he realizes that snake doesn’t exist, his fear vanishes. So also when the jeeva realizes that he is the atman ,once he comes out of the notion that he is the body, once he leaves all the body consciousness behind, he becomes blissful. He always rejoices in the self.
Thus the author brings out the illusionary nature of the Jeeva, which is the cause of sufferings in the world, due to perception of dualities.
Hari Aum
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Slokas 34 to 38
Hari Aum,
Prostrations at the Lotus feet of AMMA.
Till now the author has explained the nature of Brahman. In the earlier slokas he refuted the thought that the body is the atman. In following slokas be provides proof to explain that the body is not the atman.
Sloka 34:
yasmaatparamiti shrutyaa tayaa purushhalakshaNam.h .
vinirNiita.n vimuuDhena katha.n syaaddehakaH pumaan.h ..
Meaning: The nature of Atman as supreme is what is mentioned in the scriptures which are written by people who are not ignorant.
Explanation: After saying that the atman is one alone and is the subject and which doesn’t undergo changes. The author gives a scriptural statements proof to prove that atman is different from the body.
As per scriptures it has been stated that the uttama purusha is supreme and is beyond intellect, body, mind, ego . Its the subtler than the subtlest. Great saints, rishis have proclaimed this through their experience .
Inspite of the proof from the scriptures , how can a person say that he is the body.?
Sloka 35:
sarvaM purushha eveti suukte purushhasa.nGYite .
apyuchyate yataH shrutyaa katha.n syaaddehakaH pumaan.h
Meaning: Everything is purusha as per purusha sukta. Even sruthi speaks about purusha as being present everywhere, i.e being the essence of everything in the world. So how is atman same as body?
Explanation:Adter proving through sruthi, that atman cannot be the body, Author gives the proof of purusha sukta where it is mentioned that everything is pervaded by Brahman.
As per purusha sukta ” sarvam purusha eva edagam sarvam yad bhutam yascha bhavyam”. Meaning purusha is alone present and is pervading entire universe.
The entire universe has substratum of Brahman alone. Whereas the body is limited and perishable. So the atman which is ever present and all permeating cannot be equaled to the body which is limited by space and time. Thus author refutes saying that the body is not the same as the all pervading atman.
Sloka 36:
asa.ngaH purushhaH prokto bR^ihadaaraNyake.api cha .
anantamalasa.nshlishhTaH katha.n syaaddehaka.H pumaan.h
Meaning: Purusha is unattached as per brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Body is full of impurities. So how can the body be the atman.
Explanation: Till now the author has mentioned supporting statements from sruthi and purusha sukta which say that the atman is different from deham or body. Now he mentions about the brihadaranyaka Upanishad statements.
As per brihadaranyaka Upanishad the purusha is “asangaha” meaning it is not attached or associated. Purusha is just a witness to all the activities performed by the body. It is not involved in the activities.
The body is made up of all the impurities ,here it also means that the body undergoes various changes.
Purusha is referred to as witness because, in all the 3 states of waking,dream and deep sleep states, the purusha is a witness. We experience all the 3 states means that we are the witness of all the 3 states.In the dream state, we are not aware of the waking state.The states are mutually exclusive, the only entity in common is the witness “I”.
Similarly in waking state we have the gross body, in dream state we have a subtle body. In dream state we can become an actor of bollywood and behave like that. So our dream body is totally different from the waking body. Similar is the case with deep sleep state.In all the 3 states the body keeps changing. The body even changes in the deep sleep state, hence we also wake up after deep sleep and we cannot be in that state for a longer time.
Only the witness , the purusha remains same in all the 3 states, hence we proclaim that we had good sleep or had a bad dream.
So the purusha is the witness and is unattached whereas body keeps changing and is made of impurities, how can one say that he is the body.
Sloka 37:
tatraiva cha samaakhyaataH svaya.njyotirhi puurushhaH .
jaDaH paraprakaashyo.aya.n katha.n syaaddehakaH
Meaning: Purusha is a self –luminous entity, whereas body is insentient entity depending on the self-luminous entity for its existence. So how can the atman be same as the body
Explanation: In the earlier sloka the author mentioned about the brihadaranyaka Upanishad supporting witness hood of the purusha. In this sloka we see the direct quotation from the Upanishad.
As per the Upanishad statement atman is self –luminous. A self –luminous object doesn’t depend on any object for llumination. Other objects are illumined in its presence.
As the purusha is self-luminous hence its “asangaha” as mentioned in the earlier sloka. Purusha is unassociated. Even in darkness a person says I exist, this shows that the consciousness in each one of us is self-luminous. This proves beyond doubt the nature of atman as mentioned in the Upanishad.
Whereas we cannot see any of our body parts in darkness. Parts of our body work in presence of purusha. Once this consciousness leaves the body the person is dead. We cannot expect a dead body to move. Hence body depends on the sentient entity of Brahman or purusha the all pervading entity.
Sloka 38:
prokto.api karmakaaNDena hyaatmaa dehaadvilakshaNaH .
nityashcha tatphalaM bhuN^kte dehapaataadanantaram.h
Meaning: As per the karma kanda atman and body are different. Atman will enjoy the fruits of the actions performed by the body after the demise of the body.
Explanation: In the earlier slokas author had given scriptural proof to distinguish between atman and body. He has negated the possibility of the gross body to be the atman. Now Sankaracharya in the slokas 38 and 39 negates the possibility of sthoola shareera and sookshma shareera being one with atman.
Sruthi has 3 parts. karma kanda, jnaana kanda and upasana kanda. Karma kanda explains the way the rituals need to be performed. Jnaana kanda is the knowledge behind by the rituals performed. Upasana kanda helps a person to practice the truth mentioned in the jnaana kanda. Vedanta is based on the jnaana kanda.So one can say that sankaracharya is referring to only the jnaana kanda portion of sruthi. Hence in this sloka he mentions that even the karma kanda of the sruthi mentions that both body and atman are different.
Atman enjoys the fruits of the actions performed by the body after the body falls off.
Meaning, the bad and good results of the deeds done are enjoyed by the atman in each birth.
Incase the atman is the body, then if the person dies , what happens to all the fruits of actions not enjoyed by the person in that birth?. This is called “krita haani”. we all know that we do not enjoy all the fruits of our action in the current birth itself. As per law of karma one should bear the consequences of his action. But if body is same as the atman , it goes against the law of karma, as when a person dies he would not reap the fruits of action in that birth.
Similarly when a person is born , he may be born in a rich family or a poor family, but he hadn’t done any actions at the time of birth to give him that fruit of action, if we consider the body to be the atman. This is called “Akrita abhyagamam”. This only shows that the atman attains a new body and reaps the fruits of karma or sanchita karma in the new birth. Hence the atman is not the body. Atman attains new body in each birth until he extinguishes all the karma.
Thus the author says that the sthoola shareera is not the atman.
Hari Aum
Prostrations at the Lotus feet of AMMA.
Till now the author has explained the nature of Brahman. In the earlier slokas he refuted the thought that the body is the atman. In following slokas be provides proof to explain that the body is not the atman.
Sloka 34:
yasmaatparamiti shrutyaa tayaa purushhalakshaNam.h .
vinirNiita.n vimuuDhena katha.n syaaddehakaH pumaan.h ..
Meaning: The nature of Atman as supreme is what is mentioned in the scriptures which are written by people who are not ignorant.
Explanation: After saying that the atman is one alone and is the subject and which doesn’t undergo changes. The author gives a scriptural statements proof to prove that atman is different from the body.
As per scriptures it has been stated that the uttama purusha is supreme and is beyond intellect, body, mind, ego . Its the subtler than the subtlest. Great saints, rishis have proclaimed this through their experience .
Inspite of the proof from the scriptures , how can a person say that he is the body.?
Sloka 35:
sarvaM purushha eveti suukte purushhasa.nGYite .
apyuchyate yataH shrutyaa katha.n syaaddehakaH pumaan.h
Meaning: Everything is purusha as per purusha sukta. Even sruthi speaks about purusha as being present everywhere, i.e being the essence of everything in the world. So how is atman same as body?
Explanation:Adter proving through sruthi, that atman cannot be the body, Author gives the proof of purusha sukta where it is mentioned that everything is pervaded by Brahman.
As per purusha sukta ” sarvam purusha eva edagam sarvam yad bhutam yascha bhavyam”. Meaning purusha is alone present and is pervading entire universe.
The entire universe has substratum of Brahman alone. Whereas the body is limited and perishable. So the atman which is ever present and all permeating cannot be equaled to the body which is limited by space and time. Thus author refutes saying that the body is not the same as the all pervading atman.
Sloka 36:
asa.ngaH purushhaH prokto bR^ihadaaraNyake.api cha .
anantamalasa.nshlishhTaH katha.n syaaddehaka.H pumaan.h
Meaning: Purusha is unattached as per brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Body is full of impurities. So how can the body be the atman.
Explanation: Till now the author has mentioned supporting statements from sruthi and purusha sukta which say that the atman is different from deham or body. Now he mentions about the brihadaranyaka Upanishad statements.
As per brihadaranyaka Upanishad the purusha is “asangaha” meaning it is not attached or associated. Purusha is just a witness to all the activities performed by the body. It is not involved in the activities.
The body is made up of all the impurities ,here it also means that the body undergoes various changes.
Purusha is referred to as witness because, in all the 3 states of waking,dream and deep sleep states, the purusha is a witness. We experience all the 3 states means that we are the witness of all the 3 states.In the dream state, we are not aware of the waking state.The states are mutually exclusive, the only entity in common is the witness “I”.
Similarly in waking state we have the gross body, in dream state we have a subtle body. In dream state we can become an actor of bollywood and behave like that. So our dream body is totally different from the waking body. Similar is the case with deep sleep state.In all the 3 states the body keeps changing. The body even changes in the deep sleep state, hence we also wake up after deep sleep and we cannot be in that state for a longer time.
Only the witness , the purusha remains same in all the 3 states, hence we proclaim that we had good sleep or had a bad dream.
So the purusha is the witness and is unattached whereas body keeps changing and is made of impurities, how can one say that he is the body.
Sloka 37:
tatraiva cha samaakhyaataH svaya.njyotirhi puurushhaH .
jaDaH paraprakaashyo.aya.n katha.n syaaddehakaH
Meaning: Purusha is a self –luminous entity, whereas body is insentient entity depending on the self-luminous entity for its existence. So how can the atman be same as the body
Explanation: In the earlier sloka the author mentioned about the brihadaranyaka Upanishad supporting witness hood of the purusha. In this sloka we see the direct quotation from the Upanishad.
As per the Upanishad statement atman is self –luminous. A self –luminous object doesn’t depend on any object for llumination. Other objects are illumined in its presence.
As the purusha is self-luminous hence its “asangaha” as mentioned in the earlier sloka. Purusha is unassociated. Even in darkness a person says I exist, this shows that the consciousness in each one of us is self-luminous. This proves beyond doubt the nature of atman as mentioned in the Upanishad.
Whereas we cannot see any of our body parts in darkness. Parts of our body work in presence of purusha. Once this consciousness leaves the body the person is dead. We cannot expect a dead body to move. Hence body depends on the sentient entity of Brahman or purusha the all pervading entity.
Sloka 38:
prokto.api karmakaaNDena hyaatmaa dehaadvilakshaNaH .
nityashcha tatphalaM bhuN^kte dehapaataadanantaram.h
Meaning: As per the karma kanda atman and body are different. Atman will enjoy the fruits of the actions performed by the body after the demise of the body.
Explanation: In the earlier slokas author had given scriptural proof to distinguish between atman and body. He has negated the possibility of the gross body to be the atman. Now Sankaracharya in the slokas 38 and 39 negates the possibility of sthoola shareera and sookshma shareera being one with atman.
Sruthi has 3 parts. karma kanda, jnaana kanda and upasana kanda. Karma kanda explains the way the rituals need to be performed. Jnaana kanda is the knowledge behind by the rituals performed. Upasana kanda helps a person to practice the truth mentioned in the jnaana kanda. Vedanta is based on the jnaana kanda.So one can say that sankaracharya is referring to only the jnaana kanda portion of sruthi. Hence in this sloka he mentions that even the karma kanda of the sruthi mentions that both body and atman are different.
Atman enjoys the fruits of the actions performed by the body after the body falls off.
Meaning, the bad and good results of the deeds done are enjoyed by the atman in each birth.
Incase the atman is the body, then if the person dies , what happens to all the fruits of actions not enjoyed by the person in that birth?. This is called “krita haani”. we all know that we do not enjoy all the fruits of our action in the current birth itself. As per law of karma one should bear the consequences of his action. But if body is same as the atman , it goes against the law of karma, as when a person dies he would not reap the fruits of action in that birth.
Similarly when a person is born , he may be born in a rich family or a poor family, but he hadn’t done any actions at the time of birth to give him that fruit of action, if we consider the body to be the atman. This is called “Akrita abhyagamam”. This only shows that the atman attains a new body and reaps the fruits of karma or sanchita karma in the new birth. Hence the atman is not the body. Atman attains new body in each birth until he extinguishes all the karma.
Thus the author says that the sthoola shareera is not the atman.
Hari Aum
Slokas 29 to 33
Hare Krishna,
Prostrating at the Lotus feet of AMMA, lets continue our discussion on Aparokshaanubhuti , the work written by sankaracharya.
Sloka 29:
Meaning: In our body resides the purusha mentioned in the scriptures, which was experienced by great saints. Oh murkha why do you think you are the body, when you are beyond the body.
Explanation: The atman of nature of satchidananda has been mentioned in the scriptures as the purusha. I am not the body, but “I “is the atman as mentioned in the scriptures.
How can person identify himself with the body, even though the scriptures reiterate over and over again that O!! murkha your not the body but the atman of the nature of satchitananda, the ever blissful self. Great saints who have realized the self have proven that we are of the nature of satchitananda, nature of eternal bliss. Inspite of scriptural guidance and examples of mahatmas who are in the state of self -realization, if we still cling to our body , then no one can save us.
Ignorant people associate themselves with the body, even though its very obvious and simple as per scriptures to identify that we are not the body. This leads the people into the suffering in the world, away from their blissful self.
Sloka 30:
Meaning : As per scriptures and reasoning atman is the purusha as mentioned in the scriptures. It is beyond the body , of the nature of sat and cannot be seen by people who have no discrimination.
Explanation: In the earlier sloka sankaracharya strongly says that only ignorant people consider themselves as body even though the scriptures and mahatmas say that we are beyond body. In this sloka he explains the nature of the self.
Author says “ O ignorant person, Listen to what scriptures say and what the reasoning would conclude it to be” As per scriptures the atman is the purusha, who is beyond the body, who is of the nature of satchitananda. But a person who is not interested in getting liberation , will not benefit.
Self of the nature of consciousness, existence and bliss is complete and full. When one considers himself to be the body then he sees others different from him. As a result, likes/dislikes , sorrow would arise in the world. When one realizes the truth that Brahman, which is all pervading and is the only existing reality in the world and all that is seen is only name and form of the reality of Brahman, one will never get deluded in the world and be in the nature of Brahman of eternal bliss. Thus disassociating himself from the body is the first step in the spiritual path of a sadhaka. Until he is convinced of the fact , he cannot progress any further.
Thus sankaracharya urges everyone to understand that we are not the body , but of the nature of sat ,once we realize that we become jeevanmuktas and we are ever blissful and liberated from the bondages of samsaara.
Sloka 31:
Meaning : The word “I” is different and is one alone . Whereas the gross bodies are many. So how can you be the body?
Explanation: In the earlier slokas , author has described the qualities of atman or uttama purusha, the Brahman and how to identify the atman to be different from body or deham. Starting from 31 to 37 he shows the differentiation between the atman and the body, through reasoning.We have seen the attributes of Brahman in earlier slokas, this would help us to differentiate between Brahman and the body.
We have seen in the earlier slokas that we are not the body but the purusha that scriptures talk about. Sankaracharya says that the “I” which is purusha is one alone. There purushas as per 15th chapter of gita are of 3 types kshara, akshara and uttama purusha. This uttama purusha is all pervading in the entire universe is what the author is pointing to. As sun is reflected in different pots containing water, so also uttama purusha is what is reflected in the intellect of each jeeva. The reflection may be different but the source of reflection , the sun is the same. The reflection is the akshara purusha or jeeva. Once the akshara purusha overcomes his limitations of mind and body, he becomes one with uttama purusha. As the limitations of a jeeva are due to his body- mind complex alone, the atman in all is nothing but the uttama purusha. Scriptures give many names to the same consciousness which is the satchidananda.
Hence author compares the uttama purusha and the body. So the atman or uttama purusha is the same in all beings but only the bodies are different. Each person gets a body made of pancha bhootas , based on his past karmas or actions.Body is acquired to exhaust the good and bad fruits of deeds accumulated over the past.
There can be only one uttama purusha as they cannot be two suns in the universe. Hence it is one alone.The names and forms are different, but the substratum of all the names and forms is Brahman alone.
So the author brings out the point that the atman is one alone whereas the bodies are many in the world, hence how can one say that the atman is the body, or I am the body.
Sloka 32:
Meaning: I am the witness or subject , who sees the object and the body is the object, that is seen .This is proved by own experience“This is mine” .So how can one say that I am the body?
Explanation: Continuing with the differentiation of the atman and the body, the author says that the subject i.e the atman which sees the object is different from the object that is perceived. We see our hands, we see our legs. Meaning they are objects of subject “I” , which is the atman or the purusha. The subject is always different from the object.
Similarly we cannot see our own eyes. As we see through the eyes. That which sees cannot be seen. It means the subject is never perceived. The subject perceives the object, but it itself cannot be perceived. We all know this through one’s own experience of seeing our body parts. Consciosuness is the witness to entire activities in the world. As it’s the only conscious entity present, nothing else can perceive it.
Hence the subject of “I” is different from the object of body. So how can one say that he is the body.
Sloka 33:
Meaning: I is devoid of changes, but the body is always changing. This is part of our experience. So how can one say that he is the body.
Explanation: We have seen that one of the attributes of the atman is “nirvikaro”, meaning which doesn’t undergo changes. We are the same existence or consciousness right from our birth till now. We call ourself to be the same right from birth. We always have identified ourself with the same atman. But the body has undergone huge changes over the years. We are not the same as we were in our childhood. Hence the atman , the illuminating factor, which is beyond mind, intellect is the same always and doesn’t undergo change, but the body undergoes the shadvikaras or the 6 different types of changes happening in a life span of a person, right from the time of birth.
We don’t need proof of it, as we have witnessed our body changes till day. Hence how can a person say that he is the body? These are very obvious differences we haven’t taken notice of until day and have always considered ourselves as the body with using our discrimination.
We shall continue with the other differences mentioned by sankaracharya in the next mail.
Hare Krishna
Prostrating at the Lotus feet of AMMA, lets continue our discussion on Aparokshaanubhuti , the work written by sankaracharya.
Sloka 29:
Meaning: In our body resides the purusha mentioned in the scriptures, which was experienced by great saints. Oh murkha why do you think you are the body, when you are beyond the body.
Explanation: The atman of nature of satchidananda has been mentioned in the scriptures as the purusha. I am not the body, but “I “is the atman as mentioned in the scriptures.
How can person identify himself with the body, even though the scriptures reiterate over and over again that O!! murkha your not the body but the atman of the nature of satchitananda, the ever blissful self. Great saints who have realized the self have proven that we are of the nature of satchitananda, nature of eternal bliss. Inspite of scriptural guidance and examples of mahatmas who are in the state of self -realization, if we still cling to our body , then no one can save us.
Ignorant people associate themselves with the body, even though its very obvious and simple as per scriptures to identify that we are not the body. This leads the people into the suffering in the world, away from their blissful self.
Sloka 30:
Meaning : As per scriptures and reasoning atman is the purusha as mentioned in the scriptures. It is beyond the body , of the nature of sat and cannot be seen by people who have no discrimination.
Explanation: In the earlier sloka sankaracharya strongly says that only ignorant people consider themselves as body even though the scriptures and mahatmas say that we are beyond body. In this sloka he explains the nature of the self.
Author says “ O ignorant person, Listen to what scriptures say and what the reasoning would conclude it to be” As per scriptures the atman is the purusha, who is beyond the body, who is of the nature of satchitananda. But a person who is not interested in getting liberation , will not benefit.
Self of the nature of consciousness, existence and bliss is complete and full. When one considers himself to be the body then he sees others different from him. As a result, likes/dislikes , sorrow would arise in the world. When one realizes the truth that Brahman, which is all pervading and is the only existing reality in the world and all that is seen is only name and form of the reality of Brahman, one will never get deluded in the world and be in the nature of Brahman of eternal bliss. Thus disassociating himself from the body is the first step in the spiritual path of a sadhaka. Until he is convinced of the fact , he cannot progress any further.
Thus sankaracharya urges everyone to understand that we are not the body , but of the nature of sat ,once we realize that we become jeevanmuktas and we are ever blissful and liberated from the bondages of samsaara.
Sloka 31:
Meaning : The word “I” is different and is one alone . Whereas the gross bodies are many. So how can you be the body?
Explanation: In the earlier slokas , author has described the qualities of atman or uttama purusha, the Brahman and how to identify the atman to be different from body or deham. Starting from 31 to 37 he shows the differentiation between the atman and the body, through reasoning.We have seen the attributes of Brahman in earlier slokas, this would help us to differentiate between Brahman and the body.
We have seen in the earlier slokas that we are not the body but the purusha that scriptures talk about. Sankaracharya says that the “I” which is purusha is one alone. There purushas as per 15th chapter of gita are of 3 types kshara, akshara and uttama purusha. This uttama purusha is all pervading in the entire universe is what the author is pointing to. As sun is reflected in different pots containing water, so also uttama purusha is what is reflected in the intellect of each jeeva. The reflection may be different but the source of reflection , the sun is the same. The reflection is the akshara purusha or jeeva. Once the akshara purusha overcomes his limitations of mind and body, he becomes one with uttama purusha. As the limitations of a jeeva are due to his body- mind complex alone, the atman in all is nothing but the uttama purusha. Scriptures give many names to the same consciousness which is the satchidananda.
Hence author compares the uttama purusha and the body. So the atman or uttama purusha is the same in all beings but only the bodies are different. Each person gets a body made of pancha bhootas , based on his past karmas or actions.Body is acquired to exhaust the good and bad fruits of deeds accumulated over the past.
There can be only one uttama purusha as they cannot be two suns in the universe. Hence it is one alone.The names and forms are different, but the substratum of all the names and forms is Brahman alone.
So the author brings out the point that the atman is one alone whereas the bodies are many in the world, hence how can one say that the atman is the body, or I am the body.
Sloka 32:
Meaning: I am the witness or subject , who sees the object and the body is the object, that is seen .This is proved by own experience“This is mine” .So how can one say that I am the body?
Explanation: Continuing with the differentiation of the atman and the body, the author says that the subject i.e the atman which sees the object is different from the object that is perceived. We see our hands, we see our legs. Meaning they are objects of subject “I” , which is the atman or the purusha. The subject is always different from the object.
Similarly we cannot see our own eyes. As we see through the eyes. That which sees cannot be seen. It means the subject is never perceived. The subject perceives the object, but it itself cannot be perceived. We all know this through one’s own experience of seeing our body parts. Consciosuness is the witness to entire activities in the world. As it’s the only conscious entity present, nothing else can perceive it.
Hence the subject of “I” is different from the object of body. So how can one say that he is the body.
Sloka 33:
Meaning: I is devoid of changes, but the body is always changing. This is part of our experience. So how can one say that he is the body.
Explanation: We have seen that one of the attributes of the atman is “nirvikaro”, meaning which doesn’t undergo changes. We are the same existence or consciousness right from our birth till now. We call ourself to be the same right from birth. We always have identified ourself with the same atman. But the body has undergone huge changes over the years. We are not the same as we were in our childhood. Hence the atman , the illuminating factor, which is beyond mind, intellect is the same always and doesn’t undergo change, but the body undergoes the shadvikaras or the 6 different types of changes happening in a life span of a person, right from the time of birth.
We don’t need proof of it, as we have witnessed our body changes till day. Hence how can a person say that he is the body? These are very obvious differences we haven’t taken notice of until day and have always considered ourselves as the body with using our discrimination.
We shall continue with the other differences mentioned by sankaracharya in the next mail.
Hare Krishna
Slokas 22 to 28
Hare Krishna,
Prostrations to the GURU and prostrations to all of you.
Sloka 22:
aatmanastatprakaashatva.n yatpadaarthaavabhaasanam.h .
naagnyaadidiiptivaddiptirbhavatyaandhya yato nishi ..
Meaning: The illuminating nature of atman , illumines the objects in the world. Its illumination is not like the illumination from the deepam or fire or sun , which are not present in the darkness of night.
Explanation:
Sankaracharya here brings out the difference between the illuminating nature of the atman and the illuminating nature of the illuminating bodies present in the world like deepam, fire , sun etc.
Atman has the nature of satchitananda. As deepam dispels darkness in the entire room , so also atman illumines everything in the world. It alone illumines everything in the world. The light behind all lights. The illuminating bodies like sun, fire derive their power from Brahman. The substratum being Brahman.
The sun, fire etc have limitations. Sun is not able to dispell the darkness of the night. But Brahman is present everywhere as nature of existence. The illumination of atman is not exactly like the illumination of the illuminating bodies in the world.
Here is a beautiful example to show the difference. When the power goes off, the whole house is plunged into darkness. Mother calls out to the kid in the house in a different room, asking them “Are you there?” .He answers “I am there”. Inspite of any means of light in the room, the kid knows that he is present. So that which is pulsating in everyone as “I exist” is the illuminating factor.It is the eye behind all eyes. This clearly shows the difference between the illuminating bodies we know and the illumination of the satchitananda.
Thus author brings out 2 major differences 1) That sat or existence is the light behind all lights 2) It is present everywhere. Its all pervading. It is present where sun, fire cannot reach.
Nature of atman is satchitananda , existence ,consciousness and bliss. Realizing this makes a person ever blissful. Realizing this truth one becomes jeevan mukta.
As per scriptures “Yovay bhooma tat sukham na alpe sukham asthi” meaning , Once a person knows that he is full and perfect , he is contented and is blissful.
Sloka 23:
deho.ahamityayaM muuDho dhR^itvaa tishhThatyaho janaH .
mamaayamityapi GYaatvaa ghaTadrashhTeva sarvadaa ..
Meaning: Ignorant people think they are the body. Even as they say this is my pot and this is my body.
Explanation: This sloka brings out the level of ignorance one has in this world about himself. Everyone would consider himself/herself as the body. The author negates this and gives proves as to how one is not the body.
Ignorant masses consider themselves to be the body. By saying “I” he means that he is the body.
We would call any other object we possess as “ my pen” , “my laptop” , so also we say “my body”. As “my pen” and “my laptop” are different from me and not me , so also what we call as “ my body “ is different from me. So I am not the body. Even though through the statement of “My body” its so obvious that one is different from his/her body or object of possession, people considers themselves to be the body. With discrimination and analysis one can understand the truth behind the statement of “My body”.
Person who lacks this discrimination is called “moodah” or ignorant person.
Understanding that one is not the body , a person would no suffer when the body suffers , as he is not the body. This happiness and sorrow doesn’t depend on the body. Thus he remains blissful disassociating himself from body.
Sloka 24:
brahmaivaaha.n samaH shaantaH sachchidaana.ndalakshaNaH ..
naaha.n deho hyasadruupo GYaanamuchyate budhaiH
Meaning: I am Brahman of the nature of steadiness ,peace and satchidananda.
I am not the body, which is insentient, wise people have this knowledge.
Explanation: Till now we have seen the nature of the atman, nature of the body, the differentiation between atman and body. Now sankaracharya talks about the nature of Brahman. From sloka 24 to 28 he emphasizes that atman is Brahman alone, by bringing out the nature of Brahman.
Wise people through the knowledge of Brahman, know Brahman as ones own atman.
They do not consider themselves to be the insentient body. Always reveling in the truth they are ever blissful.
Brahman is said to be of the nature of “samah” or steady ,without changes. That which is steady is without changes and is always peaceful or “shantah”. We have seen in the earlier slokas that the nature of Brahman is satchidananda, which is eternal, consciousness and bliss alone.
Jeevan muktha’s know their nature of atman to be Brahman of the nature as satchitananda and hence remain ever blissful. They do not acknowledge the body and the associated pains and sufferings.
Sloka 25:
nirvikaaro niraakaaro niravadyo.ahamavyayaH .
naaha.n deho hyasadruupo GYaanamuchyate budhaiH ..
Meaning: That which is without changes, without form, without blemishes or stains and which is indivisible. I am not the body, which is insentient, wise people have this knowledge.
Explanation: The author continues the explanation of few more qualities in this sloka.
“Nirvikaro” meaning without changes or modifications. We have seen in the earlier sloka that one of the qualities of Brahman is steady i.e without changes. That which is in stable state is said to be steady, one which is steady cannot have changes, as a result of which it is steady. If there is a change, anything cannot be stable. Hence Brahman is said to be without changes or nirvikaro.
Brahman is “niraakara” or without form. It is formless. That which has form is subject to modifications. As Brahman is without changes , hence it should be without form. So as Brahman is stable hence it cannot undergo changes and as it is changless, it cannot have form. As it has no form ,it has no blemishes or stains, Its pure.
That which has form, has no parts and hence is divisible. Space has no form and parts. Its not divisible. Similarly anything without form is not divisible. Hence Brahman is indivisible or “Avyayaha”.
So Brahman is without changes as its steady. As it has no changes or modifications ,hence it cannot have a form .As it has no form it cannot have stains and it is indivisible.
Sloka 26:
niraamayo niraabhaaso nirvikalpo.ahamaatataH .
naaha.n deho hyasadruupo GYaanamuchyate budhaiH ..
Meaning: That which is Without disease, which is beyond comprehension, which is without parts and which is all pervading. I am not the body, which is insentient, wise people have this knowledge.
Explanation: Sankaracharya continues the explanation of the nature of the atman in this sloka.
Brahman is of the nature of “niraamayo” meaning without any disease or decay. That which has form and undergoes changes is subject to decay or diseases. We have seen in the earlier slokas that Brahman is formless and hence changeless. So can it have decay?
It is “niraabhaso”. It is beyond comprehension. It is that which is self-luminous .It illumines everything. As it is beyond comprehension doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. As it is the subject, hence it cannot be apprehended by the objects of perception.
Brahman is “nirvikalpo” without any modifications. That which has form and parts has modifications. As Brahman is formless, its steady, it has no parts, it cannot undergo changes.
“Aatataha” means all pervading. It is of the nature of sat. It is all pervading. Brahman is said to be of nature of satchidananda. Meaning eternal consciousness and bliss absolute.
Brahman is without decay or disease as it is formless and is beyond comprehension as it’s the subject. It is without modifications as it is without form and without parts.
Thus wise people consider the atman to be Brahman and not the insentient body.
Sloka 27:
nirguNo nishhkriyo nityo nityamukto.ahamachyutaH .
naaha.n deho hyasadruupo GYaanamuchyate budhaiH ..
Meaning: That which is beyond gunas, without actions, which is eternal, which is ever liberated and which is imperishable. I am not the body, which is insentient, wise people have this knowledge.
Explanation: The author continues the explanation of the nature of Brahman in this sloka.
Brahman is beyond the three gunas of sattva,tamas and rajo guna. It is “nishkriyo” or without actions. Gunas as the cause of desires and thereby lead one to do actions. As Brahman is beyond gunas, it is devoid of action. It means actions cannot be associated to Brahman. It is witness to all activities which are done by the body-mind made of the gunas.
It is “nitya” or eternal . As it is of nature of satchidananda, it is eternal. It is present all the time. It has no constraints of time and space. That which has limitations of time , space and effect cannot be all pervading. As Brahman is all pervading it cannot have limitations. Hence Brahman is eternal.
Brahman does not have bondages. Gunas are the cause of desires. Desires lead us to actions. Actions create bondages, when we expect fruit from it. But as Brahman is beyond gunas ,it has no bondages, hence it is ever liberated. A person who realizes himself to be Brahman ,will be ever remain blissful, such a person is a jeevan muktha. He doesn’t associate himself with any bondages in the world.
Brahman is “Achyuta” meaning it is imperishable. That which has form shape and parts is perishable. Brahman is beyond all this, hence it cannot be perishable.
Thus Brahman is not from the three gunas and hence has no actions to perform and is imperishable and eternal.
Sloka 28:
nirmalo nishchalo.anantaH shuddho.ahamajaromaraH .
naaha.n deho hyasadruupo GYaanamuchyate budhaiH ..
Meaning: Without impurities, it is not moving, it is pure and it has no birth and death.
I am not the body, which is insentient, wise people have this knowledge.
Explanation: Continuing the nature of Brahman, the author says thus.
Brahman is “Nirmalam” ,that which has no impurities. That which has association has impurities. If ink is dropped on a paper the paper becomes impure. So the association of the ink with the paper caused the impurity. But when something is without parts, it cannot have association. If it cannot have association, it cannot have impurities. Therefore Brahman is Nirmalam.
Brahman is “Nischalam” meaning without movement. Brahman is all pervading .That which is present everywhere has no where else to move. Hence it is nischalam. Space is present everywhere. We travel in space. But space doesn’t travel.
Brahman is “Anantah “ is that which is all pervading. It is “shudhham “ or pure. Brahman is pure as it has no association. It remains a witness to all activities.
Brahman is without birth and death. Brahman is of the nature of sat. Meaning it is eternal. It is always present. That which is always present cannot have birth and death.
With this sloka sankaracharya concludes the explanation of the nature of Brahman.
We have seen that nature of Brahman to be “nirvikaro” or changeless , “niraakaro” or formless, “nirvadhyo” or without blemishes, “Avyayaha” or indivisible, “niraamayo” or without decay, “niraabhaso” or beyond comprehension,”nirvikalpo” or without modifications, “aatataha” or all pervading, ”nirguna” or without gunas, ”nishkriyo” or without actions, “nitya” or eternal, “nityamuktha” or ever liberated, “achyuta” or imperishable, “nirmalo” or without impurities,”nischalo” or without movement, ”Anantah” or all pervading, “shudhhah” or pure, “ajarahaamaraha” or without birth and death.
Always contemplating on the nature of Brahman as explained above and with the knowledge that he is the atman, slowly a person would come out of the body consciousness. Contemplating always that he is the atman of nature of Brahman, he realizes oneself. As the nature of Brahman is satchitananda, such a person is ever blissful. This is the state of jeevan muktha, who is beyond all attachments in the world, though he seems to do actions in the world.
Hare krishna
Aparna
Prostrations to the GURU and prostrations to all of you.
Sloka 22:
aatmanastatprakaashatva.n yatpadaarthaavabhaasanam.h .
naagnyaadidiiptivaddiptirbhavatyaandhya yato nishi ..
Meaning: The illuminating nature of atman , illumines the objects in the world. Its illumination is not like the illumination from the deepam or fire or sun , which are not present in the darkness of night.
Explanation:
Sankaracharya here brings out the difference between the illuminating nature of the atman and the illuminating nature of the illuminating bodies present in the world like deepam, fire , sun etc.
Atman has the nature of satchitananda. As deepam dispels darkness in the entire room , so also atman illumines everything in the world. It alone illumines everything in the world. The light behind all lights. The illuminating bodies like sun, fire derive their power from Brahman. The substratum being Brahman.
The sun, fire etc have limitations. Sun is not able to dispell the darkness of the night. But Brahman is present everywhere as nature of existence. The illumination of atman is not exactly like the illumination of the illuminating bodies in the world.
Here is a beautiful example to show the difference. When the power goes off, the whole house is plunged into darkness. Mother calls out to the kid in the house in a different room, asking them “Are you there?” .He answers “I am there”. Inspite of any means of light in the room, the kid knows that he is present. So that which is pulsating in everyone as “I exist” is the illuminating factor.It is the eye behind all eyes. This clearly shows the difference between the illuminating bodies we know and the illumination of the satchitananda.
Thus author brings out 2 major differences 1) That sat or existence is the light behind all lights 2) It is present everywhere. Its all pervading. It is present where sun, fire cannot reach.
Nature of atman is satchitananda , existence ,consciousness and bliss. Realizing this makes a person ever blissful. Realizing this truth one becomes jeevan mukta.
As per scriptures “Yovay bhooma tat sukham na alpe sukham asthi” meaning , Once a person knows that he is full and perfect , he is contented and is blissful.
Sloka 23:
deho.ahamityayaM muuDho dhR^itvaa tishhThatyaho janaH .
mamaayamityapi GYaatvaa ghaTadrashhTeva sarvadaa ..
Meaning: Ignorant people think they are the body. Even as they say this is my pot and this is my body.
Explanation: This sloka brings out the level of ignorance one has in this world about himself. Everyone would consider himself/herself as the body. The author negates this and gives proves as to how one is not the body.
Ignorant masses consider themselves to be the body. By saying “I” he means that he is the body.
We would call any other object we possess as “ my pen” , “my laptop” , so also we say “my body”. As “my pen” and “my laptop” are different from me and not me , so also what we call as “ my body “ is different from me. So I am not the body. Even though through the statement of “My body” its so obvious that one is different from his/her body or object of possession, people considers themselves to be the body. With discrimination and analysis one can understand the truth behind the statement of “My body”.
Person who lacks this discrimination is called “moodah” or ignorant person.
Understanding that one is not the body , a person would no suffer when the body suffers , as he is not the body. This happiness and sorrow doesn’t depend on the body. Thus he remains blissful disassociating himself from body.
Sloka 24:
brahmaivaaha.n samaH shaantaH sachchidaana.ndalakshaNaH ..
naaha.n deho hyasadruupo GYaanamuchyate budhaiH
Meaning: I am Brahman of the nature of steadiness ,peace and satchidananda.
I am not the body, which is insentient, wise people have this knowledge.
Explanation: Till now we have seen the nature of the atman, nature of the body, the differentiation between atman and body. Now sankaracharya talks about the nature of Brahman. From sloka 24 to 28 he emphasizes that atman is Brahman alone, by bringing out the nature of Brahman.
Wise people through the knowledge of Brahman, know Brahman as ones own atman.
They do not consider themselves to be the insentient body. Always reveling in the truth they are ever blissful.
Brahman is said to be of the nature of “samah” or steady ,without changes. That which is steady is without changes and is always peaceful or “shantah”. We have seen in the earlier slokas that the nature of Brahman is satchidananda, which is eternal, consciousness and bliss alone.
Jeevan muktha’s know their nature of atman to be Brahman of the nature as satchitananda and hence remain ever blissful. They do not acknowledge the body and the associated pains and sufferings.
Sloka 25:
nirvikaaro niraakaaro niravadyo.ahamavyayaH .
naaha.n deho hyasadruupo GYaanamuchyate budhaiH ..
Meaning: That which is without changes, without form, without blemishes or stains and which is indivisible. I am not the body, which is insentient, wise people have this knowledge.
Explanation: The author continues the explanation of few more qualities in this sloka.
“Nirvikaro” meaning without changes or modifications. We have seen in the earlier sloka that one of the qualities of Brahman is steady i.e without changes. That which is in stable state is said to be steady, one which is steady cannot have changes, as a result of which it is steady. If there is a change, anything cannot be stable. Hence Brahman is said to be without changes or nirvikaro.
Brahman is “niraakara” or without form. It is formless. That which has form is subject to modifications. As Brahman is without changes , hence it should be without form. So as Brahman is stable hence it cannot undergo changes and as it is changless, it cannot have form. As it has no form ,it has no blemishes or stains, Its pure.
That which has form, has no parts and hence is divisible. Space has no form and parts. Its not divisible. Similarly anything without form is not divisible. Hence Brahman is indivisible or “Avyayaha”.
So Brahman is without changes as its steady. As it has no changes or modifications ,hence it cannot have a form .As it has no form it cannot have stains and it is indivisible.
Sloka 26:
niraamayo niraabhaaso nirvikalpo.ahamaatataH .
naaha.n deho hyasadruupo GYaanamuchyate budhaiH ..
Meaning: That which is Without disease, which is beyond comprehension, which is without parts and which is all pervading. I am not the body, which is insentient, wise people have this knowledge.
Explanation: Sankaracharya continues the explanation of the nature of the atman in this sloka.
Brahman is of the nature of “niraamayo” meaning without any disease or decay. That which has form and undergoes changes is subject to decay or diseases. We have seen in the earlier slokas that Brahman is formless and hence changeless. So can it have decay?
It is “niraabhaso”. It is beyond comprehension. It is that which is self-luminous .It illumines everything. As it is beyond comprehension doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. As it is the subject, hence it cannot be apprehended by the objects of perception.
Brahman is “nirvikalpo” without any modifications. That which has form and parts has modifications. As Brahman is formless, its steady, it has no parts, it cannot undergo changes.
“Aatataha” means all pervading. It is of the nature of sat. It is all pervading. Brahman is said to be of nature of satchidananda. Meaning eternal consciousness and bliss absolute.
Brahman is without decay or disease as it is formless and is beyond comprehension as it’s the subject. It is without modifications as it is without form and without parts.
Thus wise people consider the atman to be Brahman and not the insentient body.
Sloka 27:
nirguNo nishhkriyo nityo nityamukto.ahamachyutaH .
naaha.n deho hyasadruupo GYaanamuchyate budhaiH ..
Meaning: That which is beyond gunas, without actions, which is eternal, which is ever liberated and which is imperishable. I am not the body, which is insentient, wise people have this knowledge.
Explanation: The author continues the explanation of the nature of Brahman in this sloka.
Brahman is beyond the three gunas of sattva,tamas and rajo guna. It is “nishkriyo” or without actions. Gunas as the cause of desires and thereby lead one to do actions. As Brahman is beyond gunas, it is devoid of action. It means actions cannot be associated to Brahman. It is witness to all activities which are done by the body-mind made of the gunas.
It is “nitya” or eternal . As it is of nature of satchidananda, it is eternal. It is present all the time. It has no constraints of time and space. That which has limitations of time , space and effect cannot be all pervading. As Brahman is all pervading it cannot have limitations. Hence Brahman is eternal.
Brahman does not have bondages. Gunas are the cause of desires. Desires lead us to actions. Actions create bondages, when we expect fruit from it. But as Brahman is beyond gunas ,it has no bondages, hence it is ever liberated. A person who realizes himself to be Brahman ,will be ever remain blissful, such a person is a jeevan muktha. He doesn’t associate himself with any bondages in the world.
Brahman is “Achyuta” meaning it is imperishable. That which has form shape and parts is perishable. Brahman is beyond all this, hence it cannot be perishable.
Thus Brahman is not from the three gunas and hence has no actions to perform and is imperishable and eternal.
Sloka 28:
nirmalo nishchalo.anantaH shuddho.ahamajaromaraH .
naaha.n deho hyasadruupo GYaanamuchyate budhaiH ..
Meaning: Without impurities, it is not moving, it is pure and it has no birth and death.
I am not the body, which is insentient, wise people have this knowledge.
Explanation: Continuing the nature of Brahman, the author says thus.
Brahman is “Nirmalam” ,that which has no impurities. That which has association has impurities. If ink is dropped on a paper the paper becomes impure. So the association of the ink with the paper caused the impurity. But when something is without parts, it cannot have association. If it cannot have association, it cannot have impurities. Therefore Brahman is Nirmalam.
Brahman is “Nischalam” meaning without movement. Brahman is all pervading .That which is present everywhere has no where else to move. Hence it is nischalam. Space is present everywhere. We travel in space. But space doesn’t travel.
Brahman is “Anantah “ is that which is all pervading. It is “shudhham “ or pure. Brahman is pure as it has no association. It remains a witness to all activities.
Brahman is without birth and death. Brahman is of the nature of sat. Meaning it is eternal. It is always present. That which is always present cannot have birth and death.
With this sloka sankaracharya concludes the explanation of the nature of Brahman.
We have seen that nature of Brahman to be “nirvikaro” or changeless , “niraakaro” or formless, “nirvadhyo” or without blemishes, “Avyayaha” or indivisible, “niraamayo” or without decay, “niraabhaso” or beyond comprehension,”nirvikalpo” or without modifications, “aatataha” or all pervading, ”nirguna” or without gunas, ”nishkriyo” or without actions, “nitya” or eternal, “nityamuktha” or ever liberated, “achyuta” or imperishable, “nirmalo” or without impurities,”nischalo” or without movement, ”Anantah” or all pervading, “shudhhah” or pure, “ajarahaamaraha” or without birth and death.
Always contemplating on the nature of Brahman as explained above and with the knowledge that he is the atman, slowly a person would come out of the body consciousness. Contemplating always that he is the atman of nature of Brahman, he realizes oneself. As the nature of Brahman is satchitananda, such a person is ever blissful. This is the state of jeevan muktha, who is beyond all attachments in the world, though he seems to do actions in the world.
Hare krishna
Aparna
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Slokas 16 to 21
Hare Krishna,
Prostrations to the Guru and to one and all.
Till 15th sloka we have seen the analysis that we are the nature of atman , which is witness to all activities performed, the cause of the world and is the creator. It is the substratum of the world of nature of satchidananda.
Next the author talks about the atman, the nature of the atman, so that our conviction about our nature gets deeply rooted.
Sloka 16:
ahameko.api suukshmashcha GYaataa saakshii sadavyayaH .
tadaha.n naatra sa.ndeho vichaaraH so.ayamiidR^ishaH .
Meaning: I am without parts, subtler ,knower of everything, witness,pure consciouness,indivisible. I have no doubt about my nature .Thus he thinks as above.
Explanation: As per scriptures,Brahman is “Ekam eva adviteeyam” . Here Ekam means without any parts, Evam means one alone and adviteeyam means there is no entity that exists apart from Brahman.
There are 3 types of bheda’s swagata ,swajateeya,vijaateeya bheda.
Swagata bedha is the differences in one’s own body. Human body has swagata bedham means it has many parts different from each other. But Brahman has no parts. As per scriptures Brahman has come from aakasha, it means Brahman has qualities of aakasha.
Space though is all pervading and has no parts. Any thing without parts cannot have association with anything else . Thus space is without parts and so also Brahman.
Swajateeya bedha is when differences between entities of same category. One body is different from another in many ways. It is our experience also. This is swajateeya bedha. As there can be no two sons, or two lights, so also there cannot be 2 brahman’s. Hence Brahman is dereft of swajateeya bedha. If there are two entities which are self-luminous, then one luminates another,as this is not not possible,so there cannot be 2 entities which are self –luminous.
Vijateeya bedha is difference between entities of 2 different types. Like a human body is different from a tree. But Brahman alone is real and everything else is illusion. Hence the possible of existence of a second entity is ruled out. Hence barhman has no vijayeetya bedha.
Thus Brahman is devoid of any bedhas.
Brahman is said to be subtler than the subtlest and greater than the greatest .As per sciptures “anor aniyaam mahato maheeyam” ,means smaller the smallest of atoms and bigger the biggest of objects.
As Brahman illuminates everything in the world, it is the all knower. It is the witness to all the activities. If one gets involved in any actions, he/she would be effected by the actions. But when one remains a witness to the actions, he is unaffected by the good and bad results of it. As sun illumines the world and remains as a witness to all the activities, so also Brahman is a witness. It is of the nature of existence
Brahman is indivisible as we have earlier the qualities of brahman without parts.
Thus after vichara a person would understand the nature of his self as explained above, there remains no iota of doubts about his nature of atman.
Sloka 17:
aatmaa vinishhkalo hyeko deho bahubhiraavR^itaH .
tayoraikyaM prapashyanti kimaGYaanamataH param.h
Meaning: Atman is without parts, is one alone , Body is many and with parts. If we say that both are the same, is there any ignorance greater than this?
Explanation : Till the earlier slokas , we have seen through vicahara how a person concludes “I am not the body” . From 17th to 21st slokas the author brings out the differences in nature of atman and the body. Though we are of the nature of atman alone by birth, we have been under the impression that we are the body from the beginning. Any lay man in the world thinks he is the body. Thus we have a vision of we are the body. This is called superimposition. Superimposition of the body over the atman leads to conclusion that we are the body. The natural state seems far away and the superimposed nature seems to be our nature.
To know that we are not the body wouldn’t help us to come out of the body consciousness. To know milk tastes good wouldn’t help us, until we taste it. A sadhaka has to assert himself all the time that he is not the body. By constantly contemplating on the nature of atman a person through practice over certain period of time comes over the notion that he is the body.
In this sloka sankaracharya brings out 2 differences in the nature of atman and body.
Atman is without parts. We have seen in the earlier slokas that atman does not have any bedhas i.e swagata bedha, swajateeya bedha and vijaateeya bedha. Also atman is come from aakasha and aakasha is without parts. space pervades everything but it has no parts. Likewise Brahman or atman has no parts.
Body on the otherhand body is made of many parts like hands, legs etc.
Atman is one alone. Atman does not have swajateeya bedha, i.e differences with entities of its kind as its one alone. As it is the only entity in its kind , it is one alone.
There are many bodies in the world. Various names and forms of Brahman, which are but an illusion. But the atman in all is the same , as the sun reflected in water in all the pots is the same. So how can person consider himself to be the atman? This is the greatest ignorance.
Sloka 18:
aatmaa niyaamakashchaamtardeho baahyo niyamyakaH .
tayoraikayaM prapashyanti kimaGYaanamataH param.h
Meaning: Atman is the controls the body and is subtle, whereas body is under the control of atman. . If we say that both are the same, is there any ignorance greater than this?
Explanation: In continuation to the above sloka , the author mentions few more differences between atman and body.
Atman is the controller. Atman through consciousness makes the sense organs and body work. Without consciousness one is dead person. Sense organs work for the atman. Atman is the illuminating entity , a sentient entity which makes the insentient objects look sentient. Its subtle and cannot be seen. Self beyond ones experience as it’s the subject.
Body is the gross, its visible. Body is controlled by the atman. The substratum of all the names and forms in the world is Brahman alone.
When we realize that names and forms are temporary and are under the control of the consciousness of the nature of satchidananda and we are of the nature of satchidananda, we will be ever blissful.
Knowing these differences as stated above, if a person still considers himself to be the body , Can there be greater ignorance than this?
Sloka 19:
aatmaa GYaanamayaH puNyo deho maa.nsamayo.ashuchiH .
tayoraikyaM prapashyanti kimaGYaanamataH param.h
Meaning: Atman is consciouness and is pure. Body is made of flesh and is impure.
. If we say that both are the same, is there any ignorance greater than this?
Explanation: Atman is of nature of consciousness. Atman is satchidananda. As per Upanishads “Pragyanam Brahmam”. Meaning atman is consciousness. Atman is pure. Anything that has association with something else can become impure. For example When we take red color powder and rub on our hands our hands turn red in color. Something which has parts can only have association. As atman is said to be without parts or “niskalam” hence it cannot have association. Hence it remains pure.
Body is an insentient entity made up with flesh ,blood etc. If the atman doesn’t illumine the body it is equal to a log of wood. Body needs an sentient entity to operate.
Body is full of impurities both outside and inside. We all know that human body has many bacteria,worms and other impurities inside. Body has 9 opening as said in Gita “Nava dvare pure dehi” .Out of these nine openings in the body all the impurities are expelled from the body.
Thus body has contradictory nature when compared to atman. So how can person consider the atman to be the body. Can there be greater ignorance than the vision that he is the body?
Sloka 20 :
aatmaa prakaashakaH svachchho dehastaamasa uchyate .
tayoraikyaM prapashyanti kimaGYaanamataH param.h ..
Meaning: Atman is self –luminous and pure. Body is of nature of darkness. . If we say that both are the same, is there any ignorance greater than this?
Explanation: Atman is self-luminous. It is the only sentient entity. As said in gita 15th chapter. “Yat aditya gatam tejo, jagat bhasayithee akhilam
Yat Chandramasi yat cha agnau tat tejo viddhi mamakam.”
It is the luminous entity that is substratum of the whole universe. It is the sentient entity in the sun and the moon. It is pure as we have discussed in the earlier sloka.
Body is of the nature of darkness. It is “jadam” or insentient.
Considering both the body and the atman to be same is foolishness. There cannot be any greater ignorance than this.
Sloka 21 :
aatmaa nityo hi sadruupo deho.anityo hyasanmayaH .
tayoraikyaM prapashyanti kimaGYaanamataH param.h .
Meaning: Atman is eternal and is of the nature of consciousness. Deham is temporary and is insentient . . If we say that both are the same, is there any ignorance greater than this?
Explanation: With this sloka the author concludes the differences between the atman and the body.
Atman is eternal. It is the only changless entity. It the substratum of the changing temporary world. It is present always and hence eternal. Nature of atman is satchidananda i.e of the nature of consciousness. It is the only sentient entity in the world. Body is insentient. It is only darkness, lighted up by atman.
Thus sankaracharya has brought out differences between atman and deham starting from1 7th sloka.
To summarize atman has following attributes -- vinishkalo or without parts, eko or one alone, niyaamakascha or controller ,antah or internal, gyaanamayam or consciousness ,punyo or pure, prakaashah or self-luminous, svachho or pure, nityo or eternal, sadroopo or consciousness.
Deham is bahu or many, bhiraavrutaha or has parts, bahyo or outside , niyamyakah or which follows order of, maansamayam or insentient, asuchihi or impure, taamsam or darkness, anityo or non-eternal ,asanmayaha or insentient.
Bearing all these differences in mind a sadhaka should reaffirm that he is not the body. Treading this path alone can a person come out of the adhyasam or superimposition that he is the body .Until he considers he is the body a person can never progress in the spiritual path. when he identifies himself to be the atman of nature satchidananda, then ignorance is removed and one is always blissful.
With this sloka the discussion on the differences between the atman and the body is concluded by the author.
Hare Krishna
Prostrations to the Guru and to one and all.
Till 15th sloka we have seen the analysis that we are the nature of atman , which is witness to all activities performed, the cause of the world and is the creator. It is the substratum of the world of nature of satchidananda.
Next the author talks about the atman, the nature of the atman, so that our conviction about our nature gets deeply rooted.
Sloka 16:
ahameko.api suukshmashcha GYaataa saakshii sadavyayaH .
tadaha.n naatra sa.ndeho vichaaraH so.ayamiidR^ishaH .
Meaning: I am without parts, subtler ,knower of everything, witness,pure consciouness,indivisible. I have no doubt about my nature .Thus he thinks as above.
Explanation: As per scriptures,Brahman is “Ekam eva adviteeyam” . Here Ekam means without any parts, Evam means one alone and adviteeyam means there is no entity that exists apart from Brahman.
There are 3 types of bheda’s swagata ,swajateeya,vijaateeya bheda.
Swagata bedha is the differences in one’s own body. Human body has swagata bedham means it has many parts different from each other. But Brahman has no parts. As per scriptures Brahman has come from aakasha, it means Brahman has qualities of aakasha.
Space though is all pervading and has no parts. Any thing without parts cannot have association with anything else . Thus space is without parts and so also Brahman.
Swajateeya bedha is when differences between entities of same category. One body is different from another in many ways. It is our experience also. This is swajateeya bedha. As there can be no two sons, or two lights, so also there cannot be 2 brahman’s. Hence Brahman is dereft of swajateeya bedha. If there are two entities which are self-luminous, then one luminates another,as this is not not possible,so there cannot be 2 entities which are self –luminous.
Vijateeya bedha is difference between entities of 2 different types. Like a human body is different from a tree. But Brahman alone is real and everything else is illusion. Hence the possible of existence of a second entity is ruled out. Hence barhman has no vijayeetya bedha.
Thus Brahman is devoid of any bedhas.
Brahman is said to be subtler than the subtlest and greater than the greatest .As per sciptures “anor aniyaam mahato maheeyam” ,means smaller the smallest of atoms and bigger the biggest of objects.
As Brahman illuminates everything in the world, it is the all knower. It is the witness to all the activities. If one gets involved in any actions, he/she would be effected by the actions. But when one remains a witness to the actions, he is unaffected by the good and bad results of it. As sun illumines the world and remains as a witness to all the activities, so also Brahman is a witness. It is of the nature of existence
Brahman is indivisible as we have earlier the qualities of brahman without parts.
Thus after vichara a person would understand the nature of his self as explained above, there remains no iota of doubts about his nature of atman.
Sloka 17:
aatmaa vinishhkalo hyeko deho bahubhiraavR^itaH .
tayoraikyaM prapashyanti kimaGYaanamataH param.h
Meaning: Atman is without parts, is one alone , Body is many and with parts. If we say that both are the same, is there any ignorance greater than this?
Explanation : Till the earlier slokas , we have seen through vicahara how a person concludes “I am not the body” . From 17th to 21st slokas the author brings out the differences in nature of atman and the body. Though we are of the nature of atman alone by birth, we have been under the impression that we are the body from the beginning. Any lay man in the world thinks he is the body. Thus we have a vision of we are the body. This is called superimposition. Superimposition of the body over the atman leads to conclusion that we are the body. The natural state seems far away and the superimposed nature seems to be our nature.
To know that we are not the body wouldn’t help us to come out of the body consciousness. To know milk tastes good wouldn’t help us, until we taste it. A sadhaka has to assert himself all the time that he is not the body. By constantly contemplating on the nature of atman a person through practice over certain period of time comes over the notion that he is the body.
In this sloka sankaracharya brings out 2 differences in the nature of atman and body.
Atman is without parts. We have seen in the earlier slokas that atman does not have any bedhas i.e swagata bedha, swajateeya bedha and vijaateeya bedha. Also atman is come from aakasha and aakasha is without parts. space pervades everything but it has no parts. Likewise Brahman or atman has no parts.
Body on the otherhand body is made of many parts like hands, legs etc.
Atman is one alone. Atman does not have swajateeya bedha, i.e differences with entities of its kind as its one alone. As it is the only entity in its kind , it is one alone.
There are many bodies in the world. Various names and forms of Brahman, which are but an illusion. But the atman in all is the same , as the sun reflected in water in all the pots is the same. So how can person consider himself to be the atman? This is the greatest ignorance.
Sloka 18:
aatmaa niyaamakashchaamtardeho baahyo niyamyakaH .
tayoraikayaM prapashyanti kimaGYaanamataH param.h
Meaning: Atman is the controls the body and is subtle, whereas body is under the control of atman. . If we say that both are the same, is there any ignorance greater than this?
Explanation: In continuation to the above sloka , the author mentions few more differences between atman and body.
Atman is the controller. Atman through consciousness makes the sense organs and body work. Without consciousness one is dead person. Sense organs work for the atman. Atman is the illuminating entity , a sentient entity which makes the insentient objects look sentient. Its subtle and cannot be seen. Self beyond ones experience as it’s the subject.
Body is the gross, its visible. Body is controlled by the atman. The substratum of all the names and forms in the world is Brahman alone.
When we realize that names and forms are temporary and are under the control of the consciousness of the nature of satchidananda and we are of the nature of satchidananda, we will be ever blissful.
Knowing these differences as stated above, if a person still considers himself to be the body , Can there be greater ignorance than this?
Sloka 19:
aatmaa GYaanamayaH puNyo deho maa.nsamayo.ashuchiH .
tayoraikyaM prapashyanti kimaGYaanamataH param.h
Meaning: Atman is consciouness and is pure. Body is made of flesh and is impure.
. If we say that both are the same, is there any ignorance greater than this?
Explanation: Atman is of nature of consciousness. Atman is satchidananda. As per Upanishads “Pragyanam Brahmam”. Meaning atman is consciousness. Atman is pure. Anything that has association with something else can become impure. For example When we take red color powder and rub on our hands our hands turn red in color. Something which has parts can only have association. As atman is said to be without parts or “niskalam” hence it cannot have association. Hence it remains pure.
Body is an insentient entity made up with flesh ,blood etc. If the atman doesn’t illumine the body it is equal to a log of wood. Body needs an sentient entity to operate.
Body is full of impurities both outside and inside. We all know that human body has many bacteria,worms and other impurities inside. Body has 9 opening as said in Gita “Nava dvare pure dehi” .Out of these nine openings in the body all the impurities are expelled from the body.
Thus body has contradictory nature when compared to atman. So how can person consider the atman to be the body. Can there be greater ignorance than the vision that he is the body?
Sloka 20 :
aatmaa prakaashakaH svachchho dehastaamasa uchyate .
tayoraikyaM prapashyanti kimaGYaanamataH param.h ..
Meaning: Atman is self –luminous and pure. Body is of nature of darkness. . If we say that both are the same, is there any ignorance greater than this?
Explanation: Atman is self-luminous. It is the only sentient entity. As said in gita 15th chapter. “Yat aditya gatam tejo, jagat bhasayithee akhilam
Yat Chandramasi yat cha agnau tat tejo viddhi mamakam.”
It is the luminous entity that is substratum of the whole universe. It is the sentient entity in the sun and the moon. It is pure as we have discussed in the earlier sloka.
Body is of the nature of darkness. It is “jadam” or insentient.
Considering both the body and the atman to be same is foolishness. There cannot be any greater ignorance than this.
Sloka 21 :
aatmaa nityo hi sadruupo deho.anityo hyasanmayaH .
tayoraikyaM prapashyanti kimaGYaanamataH param.h .
Meaning: Atman is eternal and is of the nature of consciousness. Deham is temporary and is insentient . . If we say that both are the same, is there any ignorance greater than this?
Explanation: With this sloka the author concludes the differences between the atman and the body.
Atman is eternal. It is the only changless entity. It the substratum of the changing temporary world. It is present always and hence eternal. Nature of atman is satchidananda i.e of the nature of consciousness. It is the only sentient entity in the world. Body is insentient. It is only darkness, lighted up by atman.
Thus sankaracharya has brought out differences between atman and deham starting from1 7th sloka.
To summarize atman has following attributes -- vinishkalo or without parts, eko or one alone, niyaamakascha or controller ,antah or internal, gyaanamayam or consciousness ,punyo or pure, prakaashah or self-luminous, svachho or pure, nityo or eternal, sadroopo or consciousness.
Deham is bahu or many, bhiraavrutaha or has parts, bahyo or outside , niyamyakah or which follows order of, maansamayam or insentient, asuchihi or impure, taamsam or darkness, anityo or non-eternal ,asanmayaha or insentient.
Bearing all these differences in mind a sadhaka should reaffirm that he is not the body. Treading this path alone can a person come out of the adhyasam or superimposition that he is the body .Until he considers he is the body a person can never progress in the spiritual path. when he identifies himself to be the atman of nature satchidananda, then ignorance is removed and one is always blissful.
With this sloka the discussion on the differences between the atman and the body is concluded by the author.
Hare Krishna
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