Atma Bodha is a text attributed to Adi Shankaracharya and was written approximately 1,400 years ago. It literally means ‘Self Knowledge’ (atma = self, bodha = understanding or knowledge) and it outlines a methodology to lead a seeker from suffering to liberation. Incidentally, bodha is the same root word that forms the word Buddha, which means ‘the one who knows or understands’.It comprises a class of scriptures called prakarana granthas. Prakarana means ‘procedure’ or ‘task’ and grantha means ‘text’. Taken together prakarana grantha means ‘instruction manual’.

Which deity is Atmabodha dedicated to?

Atmabodha is a Sanskrit hymn dedicated to Brahman.

Atmabodha – Lyrics, Meaning & Commentary

तपोभिः क्षीणपापानां शान्तानां वीतरागिणाम्
मुमुक्षूणामपेक्ष्योऽयमात्मबोधो विधीयते ॥१॥

बोधोऽन्यसाधनेभ्यो हि साक्षान्मोक्षैकसाधनम्
पाकस्य वह्निवज्ज्ञानं विना मोक्षो न सिध्यति ॥२॥

बोधः (bodhaḥ)Knowledge अन्यसाधनेभ्यः (anyasādhanebhyaḥ) – in comparison with other means हि (hi) – indeed साक्षात् (sākṣāt) – direct मोक्षैकसाधनम् (mokṣaikasādhanam) – the only means for Liberation पाकस्य (pākasya) – for cooking वह्निवत् (vahnivat) – just as the fire ज्ञानं (jñānaṃ) – knowledge विना (vinā) – without मोक्षः (mokṣaḥ) – Liberation न (na) – not सिध्यति (sidhyati) – is accomplished

note Ajñānaṁ, Jñāna Sādhanaṁ and Prayōjanam Knowledge alone gives moksha (Verse 2) bōdhō'nyasādhanēbhyō hi sākṣātmōkṣaikasādhanaṁ | pākasya vahnivajjñānaṁ vinā mōkṣō na sidhyati || Śaṅkarācārya says that Ātma bōdha is not one of the means to mōkṣaḥ but it is the only means to mōkṣaḥ, which means the mumukṣūs have no choice. So now the question is, if Ātma bōdha alone is the means to mōkṣaḥ, why do the scriptures prescribe so many sādhanās? Scriptures talk about japā, pilgrimage, pūjā, and about millions of sādhanās. So does this mean that the scriptures are talking about vyartha sādhanās – invalid means? For that Śaṅkarācārya says they are also sādhanaṁ to mōkṣā but they are not sākṣāt sādhanaṁ – direct means; they are all pāramparya sādhanaṁ - Only indirect means to mōkṣa. They cannot directly do anything. Bōdhaḥ here means Ātma bōdhaḥ. Sākṣāt sādhanaṁ means avyavahita sādhanaṁ – gapless means; immediate means; direct means. So between other sādhanās and mōkṣaḥ there is no definite vyāpti - there is no definite relationship but between jñānaṁ and mōkṣaḥ the relationship is direct and definite. Anya sādhanaṁ means it can be karmā yōgā, upāsanā, aṣṭāṅga yōgā etc. A person may be an expert in yama, niyama etc. upto samādhi. He may go upto samādhi but as long as Ātma jñānaṁ is not there, mōkṣaḥ cannot be attained. There is a hymn known as Anātmaśrīvigarhaṇa Stōtram of Śaṅkarācārya in which he says: dhāturlōkaḥ sādhitō vā tataḥ kiṁ? viṣṇōrlōkō vīkṣitō vā tataḥ kiṁ ? śambhōrlōkaḥśāsitō vā tataḥ kiṁ ? yēna svātmā naiva sākṣātkṛtō'bhūt He says, “You might have reached Brahma lōkā, you might have peeped into Viṣṇu lōkā, you might have ruled over Śiva lōkā – tataḥ kiṁ? So what? You may undertake all these global visits but as long as you don’t know your own self, all these global visits do not matter. He goes on to say: vahnirjagdhō lājavadvā tataḥ kiṁ So what if you can eat fire? That can be done by some fire eating bird also. So can it get mōkṣā? And abdhiḥ padbhyāṁ laṅghitō vā tataḥ kiṁ You may cross the ocean by walking over the water. So what? You may do all these things. So what? yēna svātmā naiva sākṣātkṛtō'bhūt. As long as you don’t know your own self, all those accomplishments do not matter. There are 19 such ślōkās. In each one he enumerates a number of such feats. And finally he says all these feats do not matter. Only Ātma jñānaṁ can lead to mōkṣā. Now he gives the dṛṣṭānta. Agni is the only means or sādhanaṁ for cooking (pākasya vahnivat). But for this purpose we may need to have a number of other necessary things. We may need a vessel, some water, gas line etc. But eventually the one thing that we require for cooking is heat i.e agniḥ. Normally we give the example of removing darkness and say that light alone is the means of removing darkness. But here Śaṅkarācārya gives the example of agni which alone is the means for cooking. The example of cooking is given because everybody knows it very well. Without knowledge, mōkṣā is never possible.

अविरोधितया कर्म नाविद्यां विनिवर्तयेत्
विद्याऽविद्यां निहन्त्येव तेजस्तिमिरसङ्घवत् ॥३॥

अविरोधितया (avirodhitayā)since it is not opposed to कर्म (karma) – action न (na) – not अविद्यां (avidyāṃ) – ignorance विनिवर्तयेत् (vinivartayet) – destroys विद्या (vidyā) – Knowledge अविद्यां (avidyāṃ) – ignorance निहन्ति (nihanti) – destroys एव (eva) – verily तेजः (tejaḥ) – light तिमिरसङ्घवत् (timirasaṅghavat) – as deep darkness

note All other sadhanas are karma (Verse 3) avirōdhitayākarmā nā'vidyāṁ vinivartayēt | vidyāvidyāṁ nihantyēva tējastimirasaṅghavat || So all Anya sādhanās put together Śaṅkarācārya calls as karmā. All sādhanās other than jñānaṁ come under karmā. That means karmā yōga is karmā, upāsanā is karmā. However, one may ask what karmā is performed in upāsanā? One is just sitting only. We need to remember that there also the mind is thinking of certain particular object and it is called mānasaṁ karmā. In aṣṭāṅga yōga also the physical organs, mind, sense organs etc. do a particular action. And therefore, all of them come under karmā only. And here he says all these karmās cannot give mokshā. That is because karmā cannot remove ignorance. Jñānaṁ can give mōkṣā because jñānaṁ removes ignorance. Ignorance is the virus which has caused the bhava rōgaṁ. So karmā avidyāṁ na nivartayēt - karmā cannot remove ignorance. He gives the reason – avirōdhatayā, because karmā is not opposed to ignorance. One can remove the other one only if the two are virōdhīḥ - enemies. Friends will reinforce each other. Only enemies will cancel each other, negate each other. Because if we analyze we will find that karmā is born out of ignorance. Not directly but indirectly. How? According to Vēdāntā, because of ignorance each one of us doesn’t know that “I am a paripūrṇa ahaṁ”. So “I become a paricchinna ahaṁ”, a limited ‘I’. As paripūrṇa ahaṁ, ‘I’ am akartā. ‘I’ cannot do anything and ‘I’ need not do anything because ‘I’ don’t have kāmās or desires also. Even if ‘I’ want to do karmās ‘I’cannot because ‘I’ am sarvagataḥ, acalaḥ, sthāṇuḥ, avikāraḥ. ‘I’ cannot do any karmā. But when ‘I’ don’t know my original nature, the pūrṇa ahaṁ is mistaken as apūrṇa ahaṁ. Once ‘I’ become apūrṇa ahaṁ ‘I’ end up in desires and as an incomplete ‘I’, ‘I’ want to complete myself, either by getting pravṛtti or nivṛtti. And therefore, ajñānaṁ creates apūrṇatvaṁ – the sense of finitude. Apūrṇatvaṁ creates kāmaḥ - desire. And kāmaḥ creates karmā – action. Therefore, karmā’s father is kāmaḥ and kāmā’s father is apūrṇatvaṁ and apūrṇatvaṁ’s mother is avidyā. So can mother and child be inimical at any time? Both will only reinforce each other. They will never negate each other. Karmā, therefore, reinforces kāma and kāma reinforces ajñānaṁ. Thus more a person is active, the more the ignorance is reinforced. Every action we do is only reinforcing ignorance. That is why they say karmā bandhāya bhavati. And vidyā mōkṣāya bhavati.Therefore, avirōdhatayā – since they are not enemies, avidyāṁ na vinivaryēt. Knowledge alone will remove ignorance.

परिच्छिन्न इवाज्ञानात्तन्नाशे सति केवलः
स्वयं प्रकाशते ह्यात्मा मेघापायेंऽशुमानिव ॥४॥

परिच्छिन्नः (paricchinnaḥ)finite इव (iva) – as if अज्ञानात् (ajñānāt) – because of ignorance तत् (tat) – that नाशे सति (nāśe sati) – when destroyed केवलः (kevalaḥ) – alone स्वयं (svayaṃ) – by Itself प्रकाशते (prakāśate) – reveals हि (hi) – verily आत्मा (ātmā) – the Self मेघापाये (meghāpāye) – when clouds pass away अंशुमान् (aṃśumān) – the sun इव (iva) – like

note Now comes the example: Tējaḥ timira saṅghavat. Just as light alone removes pitch darkness. (Verse 4) paricchinna ivājñānāt tannāśē sati kēvalaḥ | svayaṁ prakāśatē hyātmā mēghāpāyē'ṁśumāniva || So naturally the question will arise as to why should we remove ignorance for getting mokshā? Why can’t we go in for some other pursuit for getting mokshā? Why can’t we try to get mokshā by going to, say Vaikuṇṭha? In that case there will be no question of getting any knowledge. There will be no question of removing any ignorance. We have only to please the Lord and the the pleased Lord will send his emisseries with a golden chariot to transport us to mokshā!!! It must therefore be very clear that ignorance is the cause of saṁsārā which the Ācārya has not said till now. So the idea is that saṁsārā is a sense of limitation. And a sense of limitation cannot be removed by any other method. We may be in front of sākṣāt Viṣṇu bhagavān and he may be infinite but what are we? We are finite only. We have only maraṇa dharmā. We are mortal – subject to asti, jāyatē, vardhatē, vipariṇamatē etc. Therefore, (merely) going to someone who is a muktāḥ will not make us muktāḥ. If another person is rich it does not mean we are rich. Similarly going to Vaikuṇṭha or Kailāsa doesn’t help because the problem is centered on ‘I’ and therefore the solution also must be centered on ‘I’. “I am unhappy” is the problem. “I am limited” is the problem.” I am frustrated” is the problem. “I am mortal” is the problem. All problems are centrered on ‘I’. “I have to complete me, who am now in an incomplete form”. But unfortunately an incomplete ‘I’ cannot be made into a complete ‘I’ by any method because one incomplete thing, by a process of change, cannot become complete. An incomplete thing by a process of change can only become another incomplete thing - probably a ‘better’ incomplete thing! And that is why the Ācārya says that if you are incomplete, there is no hope. You will ever be incomplete. So hope is there in only one condition. And that is that you are already complete and because of ignorance, you have a feeling that you are incomplete. The incompleteness must be a notion; a sense; a feeling caused by ignorance and if that is the cause then there is a solution. The ignorance can be removed and completeness can be achieved. On the other hand, if incompleteness is a fact, that fact can never be changed. Because of ignorance there is a sense of limitation and this alone is the cause of saṁsārā. Saṁsārā means duḥkhaṁ. Therefore, duḥkha nivṛtti is possible by paricchēda nivṛttiḥ and paricchēda nivṛttiḥ is possible by ajñāna nivṛttiḥ only. So the Ācārya is pointing out that saṁsārā or sorrow is nothing but a sense of limitation. He makes a very subtle point. Normally we will define sorrow as a mental pain caused by loss of someone or death of someone or poverty or some physical illness. We generally do not know what sorrow is at all. We feel sorrow, we experience sorrow but we do not exactly know the psychological process of sorrow. When somebody dies we have pain and we say that the pain is caused by the death of that person. But Vedāntā says that sorrow is not caused by the death of that person at all because if the death of a person should cause sorrow, death of everyone should cause sorrow. Now what makes the difference between importance and insignificance? It is because of our relationship. We think that in the presence of that person “I am complete. I don’t miss anything”. So sorrow is not a headache, death or any such thing. Sorrow is a sense of incompleteness caused by a missing thing. It could be any thing - wife or children or house or success or anything and therefore, sorrow is paricchēdaḥ or limitation. Thus the Saṁsārā, therefore, is paricchēdaḥ and that is what we call apūrṇatvaṁ. We should not blame anyone for our sorrow. Our tendency is that whenever we face any problem, we tend to blame someone or the other, something or the other. Only when we realize that the problem is centered on us then it will be clear that the solution also has to be centered on us. Then the second and equally important point is that this sense of limitation which is our disease called sorrow is caused by ignorance. That also must be equally clear. Why do we say ignorance is the cause? We say that because our true nature happens to be pūrṇatvaṁ. Apūrṇatvaṁ is nothing but self-forgetfulness– ignorance – self-loss. And, therefore, he says ajñānāt paricchinnaḥ iva. This alone is the definition of saṁsārā. Saṁsārā will go away when paricchēdaḥ will go away and paricchēdaḥ will go away when ajñānaṁ will go away and ajñānaṁ will go away when jñānaṁ comes. Hence a deliberation on Braḥman is to be undertaken (athātō brahma jijñāsā - Braḥma Sūtra). There is no other way. Moksah & Muktah Therefore, he says ajñānāt paricchinnaḥ iva. We have to carefully note the use of the word iva. It means “I am limited” – ‘as though’. It is a notion; it is not a fact – thank God. A limited one can never become limitless by any process. Surēśvarācārya in one his works says that if limitation is a fact, better stop all your sādhanās, because sādhanās are not going to change a fact. So pūjā, japaṁ, tapaṁ etc. are all useless. Never struggle for moksha. But thank God limitation is a notion and not a fact. There is a lot of difference between a notion and a fact. Mokshā is nothing but getting out of this sense of limitation. So mokshā is not any mysterious state, it is not going to some other lōkā, it is not having some mystical experiences coming as a flash and going away, it is not a change in the physical body or anything. If I have got that condition of fullness, I can say I am muktāḥ”. People think a muktāḥ means some abnormal person. NO. He is a normal person. The only difference is that when he looks at himself, he doesn’t miss anyone. If people are around him, he will enjoy the company. If the people go away, he will not miss anyone. So, “if I can be with things and I can be without things, without missing anything, then I am liberated”. So mokshā is nothing but removal of the notion that one is limited. And any notion is removed by right knowledge. A notion arises because of false knowledge. So mokshā means kēvalatvam – a firm conviction that “ahaṁ pūrṇaḥ. People cannot add to my fullness. People cannot remove anything from my fullness”. Lord Kṛṣṇā says in the Gītā: āpūryamāṇamacalapratiṣṭhaṁ samudramāpaḥ praviśanti yadvat tadvatkāmā yaṁ praviśanti sarvē sa śāntimāpnōti na kāmakāmī - As the waters of different rivers enter the ocean, which, though full on all sides, remains undisturbed; likewise, he in whom all enjoyments merge themselves without causing disturbance attains peace; not he who hankers after such enjoyments. And once ajñānaṁ is gone what happens? svayaṁ prakāśatē hi Ātmā. Ātmā being the svarūpa caitanyaṁ, svayaṁ prakāśa caitanyaṁ – Ātmā shines by itself – it is self evident. Technical explanation Vrtti, vyapti, ajnanam, jnanam So here the idea conveyed is a technical point. Vṛtti jñānaṁ contains two parts. One is vṛtti – thought mode and other is pratibimbita caitanyaṁ - the reflected consciousness. The vṛtti part is supposed to destroy ignorance. So it is said that vṛtti pervades the pot and destroys ignorance. This is called vṛtti vyāptiḥ. Ghaṭākāra vṛttiḥ ghaṭaṁ vyāpya ghaṭa viṣayaka ajñānaṁ nāśayati. What happens to the pratimba caitanyaṁ? The pratibimba caitanyaṁ – the reflected consciousness also pervades the pot and having pervaded the pot it illumines the pot. The pot becomes known. So vṛtti destroys ignorance – vṛtti jñānaṁ illumines the pot. But when it is the case of Ātma jñānaṁ – here also we require a vṛttiḥ known as ahaṁ Brahma asmi. Self knowledge also requires vṛtti jñānaṁ, which we called as Ātma bōdhāḥ. Ātma bōdhāḥ means Ātmā viṣayaka vṛtti jñānaṁ. So here also ahaṁ Brahma asmi vṛttiḥ takes place. When does it take place? When the teacher says tat twaṁ asi. When the teacher says “you are Brahman” and the student says “I am Brahman”. Tat twaṁ asi is the upadēśa vākyaṁ. And ahaṁ Brahma asmi is the jñāna vākyaṁ. The śiṣya owns up and when he says ahaṁ Brahma asmi, it is both Janyaṁ and vṛtti jñānaṁ because only after tat twaṁ asi upadēśa, ahaṁ Brahma asmi is born; whereas svarūpa caitanyaṁ is there even before the upadēśa. So the student also gets vṛtti jñānaṁ. Ahaṁ Brahma asmi thought takes place. And in that thought whether the pratibimba caitanyaṁ is present or not? It is there in all thoughts. So ahaṁ Brahma asmi contains pratibimba caitanyaṁ in itself. Here also vṛtti has got a function. Pratibimba caitanyaṁ has a function. So what does the vṛtti do? yathā ghaṭa vṛttiḥ ghaṭaṁ vyāpya ghaṭa viṣayaka ajñānaṁ nāśayati, tathā ahaṁ Brahmāsmi iti vṛttiḥ ātmānaṁ vyāpya, ātma viṣayaka ajñānaṁ nāśayati So what is left? The second part, the pratibimba caitanyaṁ is left. In the case of ghaṭa jñānaṁ what happened? In ghaṭa jñānaṁ the pratibimba caitanyaṁ illumined the pot because pot is ghaṭa rūpaṁ. But in ahaṁ Brahmāsmi iti vṛtti jñānaṁ, the pratibimba caitanyaṁ tries to illumine the subject – the Ātmā. But Ātmā happens to be the bimba caitanyaṁ - the original caitanyaṁ, the svarūpa caitanyaṁ, whereas vṛtti pratibimbita caitanyaṁ is only a reflection. So this vṛtti jñānaṁ will amount to saying that the reflected consciousness tries to illumine the original consciousness! How foolish it would be to say that. Similarly here also vṛtti is necessary to destroy ignorance. The vṛtti pratibimbita caitanyaṁ is not necessary to illumine the Ātmā because svayaṁ prakāśate Ātmā. So vṛtti jñānaṁ is not necessary to illumine the Ātmā - svayaṁ prakāśamānatvāt. But this creates confusion for people. Many people say Ātmā is svayaṁ prakāśaḥ. So vṛtti jñānaṁ is not necessary to illumine the Ātmā. And therefore, mind is not at all necessary for Ātmā jñānaṁ because mind is necessary for what purpose? – Vṛtti jñānārthaṁ. We require a mind for knowing a pot. So vṛtti jñānārthaṁ we require a mind. But since Ātmā is self- effulgent many people think that mind is not necessary because vṛtti jñānaṁ is not required to illumine the Ātmā. Therefore, they say “transcend your mind”. So one has to go nirvikalpa samādhi, get out of the body, get out of the mind, get out of the intellect and if he has got out of all of them, then Ātmā will svayaṁ prakāśate. So why does one need the mind? Therefore, one has to go beyond the mind. This is the mistake people generally commit. They forget one point. Vṛtti jñānaṁ is not necessary to illumine the Ātmā but we should remember that vṛtti is necessary for destroying ignorance. Role of mind And vṛtti will take place in the Ātmā or in the mind? Vṛtti will take place only in the mind, fortunately or unfortunately. If Ātmā entertains vṛtti, Ātmā will be changing – vṛtti means vikāraḥ. Illumining the Ātmā is called Phala vyāpti. Phala vyāpti is not required in the case of Ātmā because Ātmā is self evident. In the case of pot, vṛtti vyāpti is necessary to remove the ignorance. Phala vyāpti is also necessary to illumine the pot. But in the case of Ātmā, vṛtti vyāpti is necessary to destroy ignorance. But Phala vyāpti is not required because Ātmā is swayaṁ prakāśaḥ. Vṛtti vyāpti requires the mind. Therefore, by going to nirvikalpa samādhi ignorance will not be destroyed. Then what will happen? The mind will continue to be an ignorant mind. As long as one is in nirvikalpa samādhi he will be fine because the sorrowful mind would have been transcended for the time being. There will be no sorrow and all worries would have been forgotten; all limitations would have been forgotten; but the ignorance will still continue in a dormant form. And when he comes out of the samādhi, the ignorance will again rise and ajñānaṁ also will come back. And, therefore, suppose somebody asks whether mind is necessary for Ātma jñānaṁ or not. We should say it is necessary. And suppose someone says that mind cannot illumine the Ātmā. What should be the answer? The answer should be “Yes that is true, mind cannot illumine the Ātmā but we are not retaining the mind to illumine the Ātmā but we are retaining the mind to destroy ignorance and therefore, with mind alone Ātma jñānaṁ has to be gained. Without the mind or by transcending the mind Ātma jñānaṁ cannot be gained at all. And that is why Muṇḍakōpaniṣat says ēṣōnurātmā cētasā vēditavyaḥ. This subtle Ātman is to be known by the mind. Ātma jñānaṁ has to be gained by mind alone. This is required for vṛtti vyāpti siddhyarthaṁ. Whereas, in Kēnōpaniṣat it is said यन्मनसा न मनुते (yanmanasā na manutē -– With the mind the Ātmā cannot be known. There it means that the mind cannot illumine the Ātmā. So mind is required to destroy ignorance but mind cannot illumine the Ātmā. So mind is required from one angle and not required from another angle. Transcending the mind, therefore, doesn’t solve the problem. We have to hold the mind and we have to produce the vṛtti ahaṁ Brahmāsmi - Janya jñānaṁ utpādayitavyaṁ prayatnēna. Aham brahmasmi Vrtti But the question now is how to produce ahaṁ Brahmāsmi vṛttiḥ? Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi vṛttiḥ is प्रमा (pramā). Pramā is born out of प्रमाणम् (pramāṇam) and pramāṇam is गुर ु शास ् त ् र उपदेशं (guru śāstra upadēśaṁ). So guru śāstra upadēśaṁ must be there. And mind also must be there. No use of transcendence. And that mind must be awake. Only in jāgrat avasthā, real jñānaṁ can take place. In svapna and suṣupti, whatever is there will also be lost. Therefore, a student must be very much in jāgrat avasthā. His intellect must be very much alive. At that time when the guru gives the upadēśaṁ tat twaṁ asi, the student must have the vṛtti ahaṁ Brahmāsmi. This vṛtti will destroy ignorance and with that Ātmā will swayaṁ prakāśate. We have to remember that Ātmā is swayaṁ prakāśaḥ all the time. But there was paricchēdaḥ super imposed on us. When we say ‘I am’ – we refer to swayaṁ prakāśaḥ Ātmā. But after saying ‘I am’, we don’t put a full stop. That is where the problem lies. One must put a full stop after ‘I am’. But we add so many things after ‘I am’ – our full bio-data. Each one of them is paricchēdaḥ thrown upon us – upon the swayaṁ prakāśaḥ Ātmā. The ‘I’ should be an unqualified ‘I’ without adding any adjective because the moment any adjective is added it will become a qualified ‘I’. Every qualification is a disqualification in Vedāntā. So if we remove the qualification only ‘I’ will remain and that ‘I’ is called Brahman. Brahman is not another qualification. When all qualifications are gone, ‘I am Brahman’ - ahaṁ Brahmāsmi. All these seem very complicated. So Śaṅkarācārya comes up with an example. Mēghāpāyē aṁśumān iva. What a beautiful example? Aṁśumān means Sūryaḥ, the Sun which is swayaṁ prakāśaḥ. And let us suppose that it is covered by clouds and the Sun appears to be non-shining i.e. the light of the Sun appears dull. Now vāyu or wind or breeze comes, and removes the cloud. Then the non-shining Sun becomes the shining Sun. In making the Sun a shining Sun what is the contribution of the wind? The wind removed only the cloud. Wind never added any shine to the Sun. The wind can never give shining also because Sun is swayaṁ prakāśaḥ. The ahaṁ Brahmāsmi vṛtti is the wind and the cloud is the ajñānaṁ.The ahaṁ Brahmāsmi vṛtti removes ajñānaṁ, the cloud. And Sūryaḥ is ‘I’ the Ātmā which is always shining. Vrtti is not eternal. Vṛtti jñānaṁ removes ajñānaṁ and vṛtti jñānaṁ goes by itself, because every vṛtti is kṣaṇikam lasting for a moment only. No vṛtti is permanent and once ajñānaṁ is destroyed, thereafterwards, the vṛtti jñānaṁ is not again necessary because its job is over. That is why once we have learnt that 2+2 =4, the ignorance is gone. Now when we know that 2+2 = 4, are we continuing to entertain the vṛtti 2+2 =4? No. We don’t retain the thought for ever. Once ignorance is gone, the thought is also gone. Ignorance cannot be born again. And, therefore, once jñānaṁ has done that job, vṛtti jñānaṁ need not come again to destroy.

अज्ञानकलुषं जीवं ज्ञानाभ्यासाद्विनिर्मलम्
कृत्वा ज्ञानं स्वयं नश्येज्जलं कतकरेणुवत् ॥५॥

अज्ञानकलुषं (ajñānakaluṣaṃ)defiled by ignorance जीवं (jīvaṃ) – the egocentric self ज्ञानाभ्यासात् (jñānābhyāsāt) – by constant practice of Self-knowledge विनिर्मलम् (vinirmalam) – pure कृत्वा (kṛtvā) – having made ज्ञानं (jñānaṃ) – Self-knowledge स्वयं (svayaṃ) – itself नश्येत् (naśyet) – disappears जलं (jalaṃ) – water कतकरेणुवत् (katakareṇuvat) – as the powder of the ‘kataka-nut’

note (Verse 5) ajñānakaluṣaṁ jīvaṁ jñānābhyā sādvinirmālāṁ | kṛtvājñānaṁ svayaṁ naśyēt jalaṁ katakarēṇuvat || So jīva the individual is now polluted by ignorance. So the jīvaḥ is ajñāna kaluṣaḥ. Now heis treated with jñānēna - jñāna abhyāsāt - by the constant abhyāsā of jñānaṁ i.e.śravaṇa manana nidhidhyāsanaṁ of Vēdāntā which is called jñānābhyāsaṁ. (tat cintanam tat kathanaṁ anyōnyaṁ tat prabōdhanam yēdatēka paratvañca braḥmābhyāsaṁ vidhurbuddhaḥ). This removes or washes off the ajñāna dust. Then jñānaṁ – here jñānaṁ means vṛtti jñānaṁ – svayaṁ naśyēt – it gets automatically destroyed. And once vṛtti goes away, the pratibimbita caitanyaṁ also has to go away because once the mirror is gone the reflection also has to go away. Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi,once you know that, you don’t need to say (Vrtti) all the time. For this Śaṅkarācārya gives a brilliant example - Jalaṁ katakarēṇuvat. In olden days the kataka powder was used for purifying the water. This nut powder has a peculiar quality. When put in a pot or vessel containing water, the powder would absorb all the dust and having absorbed the dust, it would also settle down in the bottom. So the impurity is gone and the nut powder also does not remain suspended in the water and it goes to the bottom. Summary so far The essence of the five preceding verses is that by my own nature, ahaṁ pūrṇaḥBrahmāsmi. This is an eternal fact. Now I have got the problem of ignorance ajñānaṁ and because of this ajñānaṁ I feel that ahaṁ apūrṇaḥasmi. As apūrṇaḥI am called jīvaḥ. Jivah means saṁsārī. If ahaṁ apūrṇaḥ jīvaḥ has to be reverted back and if I have to attain my original glory, I have to remove the ignorance. jñānēnajñāna nivṛttyā brahmatva prāptiḥ. This is what Vēdāntā is about. And of coursefor gaining this knowledge certain preparations are required -tapōbhiḥ,kṣīṇapāpānāṁ, śāntānām, vītarāgiṇāṁ etc. This jñānaṁ requires the preparation of vivēkaḥ, vairāgyaḥ, ṣaṭka sampattiḥ and mumukṣutvaṁ. This is the essence.

संसारः स्वप्नतुल्यो हि रागद्वेषादिसङ्कुलः
स्वकाले सत्यवद्भाति प्रबोधे सत्यसद्भवेत् ॥६॥

संसारः (saṃsāraḥ)the world स्वप्नतुल्यः (svapnatulyaḥ) – like a dream हि (hi) – verily रागद्वेषादिसङ्कुलः (rāgadveṣādisaṅkulaḥ) – full of attachments, aversions and so on स्वकाले (svakāle) – in its duration सत्यवत् भाति (satyavat bhāti) – appears to be real प्रबोधे सति (prabodhe sati) – when awake असत् (asat) – unreal भवेत् (bhavet) – becomes

note Adhyāsaḥ and Tat Pada Arthaṁ Ajnana; Vikshepa, avarana Shakti (Verse 6) saṁsāraḥ svapnatulyō hi rāgadvēṣādi saṅkulaḥ | svakālē satyavadbhāti prabōdhē satyasadbhavēt || We are going to now analyze in what way ajñānaṁ creates problem for us. This ajñānaṁ itself is known in Vēdāntā by different names. One name is mūlāvidhyā i.e. mūla + avidhyā. And another name for ajñānaṁ is māyā. So thus we have three names, ajñānaṁ, mūla avidhyā and māyā. And this ajñānaṁ or māyā has got two powers known as Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ and āvaraṇa śaktiḥ. • Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ means creative power. Vikṣēpa means to throw out, to expand. Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ is a result of its rajo guna. • And āvaraṇa śaktiḥ means deluding power; literally it means covering power, veiling power. Avaraṇa śaktiḥ is the effect of tamo guna. Thus ajñānaṁ or māyā has both creative power and veiling power. Adhyasa And because of this Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ, the ajñānaṁ creates the vast universe. But not a real universe and that is why we called it māyā. Just as a magician with his indrajal creates an illusion of objects, similarly māyā creates the dvaita prapañcaḥ, the saṁsāraḥ, the world consisting of things and beings including our own body and mind. This false creation or projection alone is technically called adhyāsaḥ. Even though the māyā creates this world, it being unreal or mithyā, in reality it cannot affect us at all because ‘I’ the Ātmā am the pūrṇaṁ Brahma; the satyaṁ; the real. Śaṅkarācārya gives an example. Just as the waker is not affected by the apparent dream world created by the waker’s sleep, similarly, “I am Brahman and I have this māyā and māyā has Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ which has created this wonderful universe including my own body and mind – all bodies including this (my) particular body”. Therefore normally what should ‘I’ be doing? “I should be telling everyone, see my glory, māyā śakti – māyā kalpita-dēśakāla- kalanāvaicitrya-citrīkṛtaṁ – I have created this vast universe”. This is the normal thing. But what happens? Māyā has got the second power – āvaraṇa śaktiḥ – deluding power, covering power, tribhirguṇamayairbhāvairēbhiḥ sarvamidaṁ jagat Mōhitaṁ nābhijānāti māmēbhyaḥ paramavyayam says Lord Kṛṣṇā in the Bhagawad Gītā. The whole of this creation is deluded by these objects evolved from the three modes of prakṛti – sattva, rajas and tamas; that is why the world fails to recognize ME, the Ātmā, the imperishable, who stands apart from these. And then what happens? After the creation of this world including my body, the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ comes into play and therefore, instead of knowing that ‘I’ am the creator, the subject, the adhiṣṭhānaṁ; and the world is something created, false, adhyastaṁ; ‘I’ fail to know that and not knowing this differentiation between Ātmā and Anātmā, Brahman and abrahman, ahaṁ and idam – idaguṁ sarvaṁ asṛjata – that ‘I’ am the sraṣṭā and all these things are created, ‘I’ get confused between myself and my created equipment - Sraṣṭru sṛṣṭā vivēkaḥ nāsti. Thus because of the confusion, instead of saying the body is created, the janma of the body, the limitations of the body, the vikāraṁs of the body, all these, ‘I’ again superimpose upon my true self. This is the second adhyāsaḥ. Thus two adhyāsaṁs take place. • The first adhyāsaṁ is the creation of the world –prapañca Sṛṣṭiḥ. Adhyāsaṁ means superimposition or projection. In Sanskrit we call it prāthamika adhyāsaḥ – primary superimposition. Before primary superimposition, what was there? – Ātmā, ‘I’ alone was there and after primary superimposition takes place an Anātmā prapañcaṁ is created including this śarīraṁ. idaṁ śarīraṁ kauntēya kṣētramityabhidhīyatē says Lord Kṛṣṇā in the Gītā. This body, Arjuna is termed as the field - kṣētra. Therefore, the Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ of māyā brings out the prāthamika adhyāsaḥ of the śarīraṁ. • And then what happens? A relay race takes place. Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ takes rest and āvaraṇa śaktiḥ of māyā takes over. And what is its job? - To create confusion between Ātmā and Anātmā. It takes the Anātmā dharmā and superimposes it upon Ātmā. And this adhyāsaṁ is called secondary adhyāsaṁ, dvitīya adhyāsaḥ. In this process, the body created by the first adhyāsaḥ is taken as me who in fact am not the created but who am the creator. mayyēva sakalaṁ jātaṁ mayi sarvaṁ pratiṣṭhitam Mayi sarvaṁ layaṁ yāti tad brahma advayamasmyaham In ME, the pure infinite consciousness, Ātmā, alone is this entire creation born, this entire creation and everything in it have their being and this entire creation and everything in it ultimately resolve. I am that non-dual, all-inclusive and all-pervasive Brahman, says Kaivalyōpaniṣat. This is called Ātma Anātmā avivēkaḥ. anātmani ātmā dharma adhyāsaḥ, ātmani Anātmā dharma adhyāsaḥ. This is called secondary adhyāsaḥ. Sṛṣṭiḥ is primary adhyāsaḥ. Confusion is secondary adhyāsaḥ. And as long as the ignorance continues, the confusion between Ātmā and Anātmā will continue. Anyonya adhyasa - This confusion is two-fold. Anātmā prapañca is there– it is savikāraṁ – means subject to change - asti, jāyatē, vardhatē etc. That savikāratvam– the changing nature of Anātmā, ‘I’ superimpose on myself and ‘I’ say ahaṁ jātaḥ ahaṁ mariṣyē – ‘I’ am born, ‘I’ am dying, ‘I’ am growing old etc. This is called anātmanaḥ savikāratvam ātmani adhyasya ahaṁ savikārī iti buddhĩ janayati. So what is there in Anātmā has been superimposed on Ātmā. It doesn’t stop there. There is barter involved to do full justice. The Anātmā prapañca is satyaṁ or mithyā? No doubt it is mithyā. And who am ‘I’ - Satyaṁ or mithyā? ‘I’ am satyaṁ. This satyatvaṁ which belongs to me, the Ātmā ahaṁ is superimposed upon the Anātmā, the prapañca, the śarīraṁ. Therefore, ‘I’ have become savikāraḥ and the world has become satyaṁ now because of the transference of the satyatvaṁ of mine on to the world. This is what is known as anyōnya adhyāsaḥ. This is caused by āvaraṇa śaktiḥ. Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ doesn’t create anyōnya adhyāsaḥ because in that two things are not involved. Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ creates a second world in addition to Ātmā. It is āvaraṇa śaktiḥ only which creates the anyōnya adhyāsaḥ.

तावत्सत्यं जगद्भाति शुक्तिकारजतं यथा
यावन्न ज्ञायते ब्रह्म सर्वाधिष्ठानमद्वयम् ॥७॥

तावत् (tāvat)so long as सत्यं (satyaṃ) – real जगत् (jagat) – world भाति (bhāti) – appears शुक्तिकारजतं (śuktikārajataṃ) – silver in the mother-of-pearl यथा (yathā) – like यावत् (yāvat) – as long as न (na) – not ज्ञायते (jñāyate) – is realised ब्रह्म (brahma) – Brahman सर्वाधिष्ठानम् (sarvādhiṣṭhānam) – the substratum for all अद्वयम् (advayam) – one without a second

note (Verse 7) tāvatsatyaṁ jagadbhāti śuktikārajataṁ yathā | yāvanna jñāyatē brahma sarvādhiṣṭhānamadvayam || This anyōnya adhyāsaḥ – mutual confusion arises because of avivēkaḥ, which again is because of ignorance. As long as this avivēkaḥ or this ignorance continues, we will transfer the satyatvaṁ of the adhiṣṭhānaṁ to the jagat only. So, he says, tāvat jagat satyaṁ bhāti. The world will appear to be satyaṁ - yāvat Brahma na jñāyatē – as long as the sarva adhiṣṭhānaṁ Brahman is not known as satyaṁ. Goal of spiritual sadhanaNow, of these two, what is it that we have to destroy? Our attempt in spiritual sādhanā is only taking care of āvaraṇa śaktiḥ. We don’t want to do anything to Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ. This is called tūlāvidyā. Mūlāvidyā is prāthamika adhyāsaḥ. And tūlāvidyā is dvitīya adhyāsaḥ. By Ātmā jñānaṁ, this tūlāvidyā, this confusion between Ātmā and Anātmā is sorted out and once this confusion is sorted out, what belongs to Anātmā, I give to Anātmā and what belongs to Ātmā I give to Ātmā. Now when I say I am changing, the savikāratvaṁ (changes) really does not belong to me but it belongs to the Anātmā. I should know that śarīraṁ pariṇamatē. I should know that as Lord Kṛṣṇā says in the Gītā, ahaṁ na jāyatē mriyatē vā kadācinnāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ ajō nityaḥ śāśvatō'yaṁ purāṇō na hAnyatē hAnyamānē śarīrē. So ahaṁ nirvikāraḥ and Anātmā is savikāraḥ. So we should take the vikāraḥ from here that is Ātmā and give it to Anātmā. And then what do we do? In the Anātmā we have got buddhiḥ. The satyatvaṁ of the Ātmā had been given to Anātmā. We quietly pluck it away and give it back to myself i.e. Ātmā. Ahaṁ satyaṁ, jagan mithyā; ahaṁ brahma, pūrṇaḥ satyaṁ asmi, jagat mithyā asti. And once we have sorted this out āvaraṇa śaktiḥ is no longer there. We have tackled āvaraṇa śaktiḥ. Now the question is, will the world continue or not? The world will stop only when Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ is tackled. Our Ātmā jñānaṁ does not do anything to Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ. Therefore Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ will continue and therefore, the world will continue and therefore, śarīraṁ will continue, I will of course continue, Ātmā will continue and Anātmā will also continue because Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ continues throughout. Continuance of advaita Now the interesting question is, if Ātmā and Anātmā both continue, how can advaitāṁ be there? Even after Ātmā jñānaṁ, ‘I’ the Ātmā continues, the world of Anātmā continues because Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ is not destroyed. If both of them continue won’t there be dvaitaṁ? What can be the answer? One will instictly feel like saying that dvaitaṁ is there. But we have to remember that once āvaraṇa śaktiḥ is gone i.e. ajñānaṁ is sorted out, Anātmā will continue but it will no more continue as satya Anātmā. It will continue only as mithyā Anātmā. And ‘I’ will be satyaṁ. Therefore, let Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ continue, let the Anātmā continue, let the world continue but once ‘I’ know it is mithyā, thereafterwards it is as good as not there. Therefore, we destroy the dvitīya adhyāsaḥ alone. The world will continue but it is falsified as mithyā, whereas dvitīya adhyāsaḥ does not continue. Once the dvitīya adhyāsaḥ is gone, the world will not have satyatvaṁ, ‘I’ will not have vikāritvaṁ. Vikāritvaṁ is given to the world, satyatvaṁ comes to me. In this internal exchange saṁsāra is gone. This is the essence of the teaching. World is like a dream Sankaracarya says saṁsāraḥ svapna tulyaḥ. saṁsāraḥ means prapañcaḥ. saṁsriyatē asmin iti saṁsāraḥ – the place in which we travel from one place to another – not only manuṣya travels during one janma to another – after death the jīva travels from one lōkā to another – the whole universe wherein jīva moves is called saṁsāraḥ. And what is the nature of this saṁsāraḥ? Svapna tulyaḥ – it is similar to a dream. Svapnaḥ here means mithyā. Once it is known as mithyā we should understand that it is the projection of ajñānaṁ or māyā. Whatever is mithyā is born out of our ignorance only. What is wrong with the World?But let the world be there. It is a wonderful creation. It is all full of beauty, where music is available, dance is available, wonderful Sunrise is available. Everything is there. What is wrong with the world? Śaṅkarācārya says that if there is nothing wrong, I would not have written Ātmā bōdhaḥ.There is something wrong because the world seems to be lōkaṁ śōka hataṁ ca samastaṁ because it is rāga dvēṣādi sankulaḥ. Sankulaḥ means riddled with, disturbed by and afflicted with rāga and dvēṣa. Ādi means etc. And as long as rāga dvēṣa is there, we know what the problem is? In the first chapter of the Gītā, Arjuna’s plight is thus described kṛpayā parayāviṣṭō viṣīdannidamabravīt. Arjuna was overcome with deep compassion (on seeing all the relations present there and pitted in the war against him) and he spoke (thus) in sorrow. If raga-dvēṣā is there, we can practice only one yoga viz. viṣāda yōgaḥ. What is mithya?The definition of mithyā is given here as – svakālē satyavat bhāti – svakālē means as long as it is being experienced it appears to be real. That means that once we say satyavat – it means ‘as though’ real but not actually real. So when we say satyavat bhāti, this itself means that it is not satyaṁ. At the same time when we say satyavat bhāti it means it appears to be satyaṁ. And therefore, it is not asatyaṁ also. The word bhāti connotes that it is neither satyaṁ nor asatyaṁ. Then what is it? sat asadbhyāṁ anirvacanīyaṁ mithyā. It is beyond words like svapna (dream). In svapna everything is unreal. For example, suppose someone dreams that he has lost a suitcase. So losing the suitcase is unreal. Yet he dreams that the suitcase is apparently lost. Can we say that it is asatyaṁ? One cannot say that because he is disturbed, because he wakes up with disturbed feeling. So it is capable of disturbing him. So, it must have some kind of existence. Therefore, neither it is totally existent nor it is totally non-existent. Therefore, it is called mithyā. In Pañcadaśi Vidyāraṇya Svāmi says yad asad bhāsamānaṁ tan mithyā svapna gajādivat. Then why can’t we say it is satyaṁ itself? He says we cannot because, prabōdhē sati asadbhavēt. It means on waking it becomes asat – non-existent. And therefore, trikālē api yat tiṣṭati tadēva sat. The definition of sat is trikāla abhādhyaṁ. dhvamsa abhāva apratiyōgī - that which is not an object of future non-existence. Can’t they simply say that which exists in future!!! They use double negative. So yat sat - that which is real; tiṣṭati – exists; trikālē api – all three periods of time. Svapna seems to be satyaṁ because at that time of experiencing it, it disturbs us. But upon waking up it goes away and that is why it is called mithyā. Therefore prabodhe sati asat bhavet – on waking up it becomes unreal. AdhisthanamThe word adhiṣṭhānaṁ is a technical word which means whatever lends satyatvaṁ to another thing. For example, pot nāma rūpa is mithyā because the name and form does not exist independently. The existence or the satyatvaṁ really belongs to the clay.The clay lends its existence i.e. satyatvaṁ to pot nāma rūpa and now we say pot is real. And we further argue also that pot can fetch water and it can even keep the water cool. Therefore, it is artha kriyākārī which means capable of functioning. And this apparent pot seems to have reality which is borrowed from clay. Therefore, clay is called adhiṣṭhānaṁ. Similarly, the world has now got satyatvaṁ borrowed from Brahman. So Brahman is called sarva adhiṣṭhānaṁ. And not only is that, it also advayaṁ. Pots are many. Clay is one. Ornaments are many, gold is one. World contains infinite things but adhiṣṭhānaṁ Brahman is kēvalaṁ advaitāṁ. And as long as this adhiṣṭhānaṁ is not known, we will commit the mistake of giving the reality of Brahman to the jagat and jagat will appear to be satyaṁ and satyaṁ jagat will disturb us. A mithyā jagat cannot disturb us. The mirage water will not tempt us. The real water will tempt us. Even the mirage water will tempt us if we don’t know that it is mithyā. Similarly the world will tempt us if we do not know it as mithyā. Therefore, he says yāvanna jñāyatē Brahma sarvādhiṣṭhānam advayam tāvat jagat satyaṁ bhāti. This is the main idea for which he wants to give an example of śuktikā rajataṁ. Śuktikā is the shell and rajataṁ is silver. The sea shell in a bright sunlight shines and appears like silver. So he says that as long as the shell is not known as the shell the reality, we will take it as silver which is real. And not only that, it will tempt us and we will go towards that silver. Śuktikā rajataṁ is an example for rāgā. For dvēṣā we can supply an example which is rajju sarpaḥ. One is for attraction and another is for aversion.

उपादानेऽखिलाधारे जगन्ति परमेश्वरे
सर्गस्थितिलयान् यान्ति बुद्बुदानीव वारिणि ॥८॥

उपादाने (upādāne)which is the material cause अखिलाधारे (akhilādhāre) – which is the support of everything जगन्ति (jaganti) – the worlds परमेश्वरे (parameśvare) – in the supreme Self सर्गस्थितिलयान् यान्ति (sargasthitilayān yānti) – rise, exist and dissolve at the end बुद्बुदानि (budbudāni) – bubbles इव (iva) – like वारिणि (vāriṇi) – in the water

note Adhyasa – Upadana karanam (Verse 8) upādānē'khilādhārē jaganti paramēśvarē | sargasthitilayānyānti budbudānīva vāriṇi || Now the same adhyāsaḥ Śaṅkarācārya is explaining further from a different perspective. The adhiṣṭhānaṁ, he calls as upādāna kāraṇaṁ. From this angle the world will be called kāryaṁ. When I am adhiṣṭhānaṁ the world will be called adhyāsaḥ. But when I say I am the kāraṇaṁ the world will be called the kāryaṁ - two different names and the same idea. And the law is the same. Adhiṣṭhānaṁ alone lends satyatvaṁ to adhyāsaḥ or to put it in the language of this ślōka, kāraṇaṁ alone lends satyatvaṁ to kāryaṁ. The dependence on the kāraṇaṁ is kārya satyaṁ – the reality of the kāryaṁ. Acetana prapanca adhyasaSimilarly the whole world is the kāryaṁ and who is the kāraṇaṁ? ‘I’. Not self alone but along with māyā - Mūlāvidyā. So with the help of māyā or Mūlāvidyā, ‘I’ has created the universe. The universe is kāryaṁ. Or in other words ‘I’ has superimposed a universe upon me. Viśvaṁ darpaṇa dṛśyamāna nagarītulyaṁ nijāntargataṁ – Dakṣiṇāmūrti stōtram. The universe, even like the city seen in the mirror, is within oneself. Then one will ask how you can say that “the world is within me. I can very well see that world is outside me”. The stōtram clarifies paśyannātmani māyayā bahirivōdbhūtaṁ yathā nidrayā. Just as in sleep ( and as long as we are dreaming), one sees the world as though it is created outside, while all along it remains on the substratum of one’s own Ātman. But when we know ‘I am the caitanyaṁ’, not only the world is within us, this body is also within us. Just as svapna śarīraṁ is also within us. Svapna prapañcaḥ is also within us – the waker. Similarly this world and this śarīraṁ both of them are within us – ahaṁ Brahma the sarvagata caitanyaṁ. But if we don’t look from the angle of the orginal ‘I’ and look from the stand point of this svapna śarīraṁ, this world becomes outside. And therefore, he says upādānē akhilādhārē paramēśvarē mayi. We have to add mayi i.e. in me. In me - who am the upādānē kāraṇaṁ, who am the akhila ādhāraṁ, viśvādhārē, gagana sadṛśē, caitanya rūpē mayi, ahaṁ śuddha caitanya svarupē, paramēśvarē – who am the paramēśvaraḥ. If we look at the body we will not be paramēśvaraḥ ahaṁ īsitaḥ but ‘I, the caitanyaṁ’ am Iśvaraḥ. All these 14 lōkās, that is, kārya prapañcaḥ gains sṛṣṭi, sthiti and layaṁ all because of ‘me’ who is kāraṇa caitanya rūpaḥ. And from ‘my’ standpoint, the creation and destruction of lōkās is like budbudāni iva vāriṇi – here Śaṅkarācārya compares the Ātmā to the ocean. And every lōkā is like a bubble, because compared to the infinite, even galaxies are like bubbles only. Just as by their arrival and departure, the bubbles do not disturb the water in the ocean, the arrival and departure of people – one person dying, one person going away or loss of anything on the earth is of no consequence. The disappearance of the whole world is like the disappearance of a bubble for ‘me’. That is the essence of budbudānīva vāriṇi iva jaganti mayi sarga sthiti layān yānti. So just as bubbles which are nothing but nāma rūpa appear and disappear in water, mayyēva sakalaṁ jātaṁ, mayi sarvaṁ pratiṣṭitam, mayi sarvaṁ layaṁ yānti, tad advayaṁ brahma ahaṁ asmi. So far the adhyāsaḥ of the acētana prapañca was pointed out and by using the word jaganti, the various lōkās were mentioned.

सच्चिदात्मन्यनुस्यूते नित्ये विष्णौ प्रकल्पिताः
व्यक्तयो विविधाः सर्वा हाटके कटकादिवत् ॥९॥

सच्चिदात्मनि (saccidātmani)in the Self whose nature is Existence-Consciousness अनुस्यूते (anusyūte) – in the all-pervading नित्ये (nitye) – in the eternal विष्णौ (viṣṇau) – upon Viṣṇu प्रकल्पिताः (prakalpitāḥ) – projected by imagination व्यक्तयः (vyaktayaḥ) – manifested विविधाः (vividhāḥ) – manifold सर्वाः (sarvāḥ) – all हाटके (hāṭake) – out of gold कटकादिवत् (kaṭakādivat) – just as bracelets and other ornaments

note Vyakti adhyāsaḥ (Verse 9) saccidātmAnyanusyūtē nityē viṣṇau prakalpitāḥ | vyaktayō vividhāssarvā hāṭakē kaṭakādivat || Now Śaṅkarācārya is going to talk about Vyakti adhyāsaḥ. Vyakti means various living beings that is, various physical and subtle bodies. Here Vyakti stands for countless number of jīva śarīraṁ, not only manuṣya but also paśu pakṣī mṛga dēva yakṣa kinnara, all the śarīraṁs both Sthūlaṁ and sūkṣmaṁ and that adhyāsaḥ is pointed out. Sthūla and sūkṣma śarīraṁs are also acētanaṁ only but because of caitanya pratibimba they become cētanaṁ later. Therefore, we divide into two – acētana prapañca and cētana prapañca. Originally both are acētanaṁ only. But the difference is that in acētana prapañca, cidābhāsā or cit pratibimba is not there; whereas in cētana prapañca cit pratibimba will be there. In the previous ślōkā he called the adhiṣṭhānaṁ as upādānaṁ, akhila ādhāraḥ, paramēśavaraḥ but here Śaṅkarācārya uses different words –saccidātmani, nityē, viṣṇau. Here we are not talking about jīvātmā; we are talking about the original Ātmā the paramātmā. Sacchidātmāni; paraṁ ātmāni - Sat means of the nature of eternal existence. Cit means of the nature of eternal awareness–ajanya caitanyaṁ. And what type of Brahman or Ātmā is it? anusyūtē – which is inherent, which is in and through all. And why is it anusyūtaṁ? adhiṣṭānatvāt. yat adhiṣṭhānaṁ tat adhyastha viṣayēṣu anusyūtatvēna vartētā. The adhiṣṭhānaṁ will always be inherent in and through the adhyāsā, just as the rope will be there wherever the snake is. Therefore, adhiṣṭhānaṁ must pervade the adhyāsaṁ because the very sattā of the adhyāsaṁ is borrowed from the adhiṣṭhānaṁ only. In other words, kāraṇaṁ kāryēṣu anusyūtatayā vartatē. kāraṇaṁ mṛd rūpaṁ, kāryēṣu ghaṭēṣu anusyūtatayā vartatē. This is what is known as antaryāmī. Antaryāmī means anusyūtaṁ. (GHV: pervades; has uninterrupted continuity). And not only that, he further says nityē. So this adhiṣṭhānaṁ is nityaṁ. The adhyāsā will come and go but adhiṣṭhānaṁ will continue or to put it in another language kāryaṁ will come and go but kāraṇaṁ will continue. It is always existent. Then he says Viṣṇau. In the previous ślōkā he used the word Paramēśvarē. Paramēśvarā generally stands for Śivā. And here he says Viṣṇau. He says Paramēśvarē and Viṣṇau to point out that Viṣṇu and Paramēśvara are one and the same adhiṣṭhānaṁ Brahma. All the bhēdās are kalpitaṁ for the sake of pūjā. And incidentally through this Śaṅkarācārya is removing our vāsanās also, because the moment the word Viṣṇau is uttered we get a picture in our mind. So Śaṅkarācārya wants to remove that idea which is only temporary. There is a ślōka which says pūjārthaṁ yat kalpitaṁ tad aparādhāya māṁ kṣamasvaṁ. It says “Oh Lord! For the sake of pūjā, I gave you forms and limited you and this is a great sin I have committed. By doing pūjā I have sinned against you. Because everytime I did pūjā, I said ‘come’ and I said ‘go’ making you anityaḥ. In the ślōkā he talks of 3 doshas out of which this is one. So Viṣṇau rāmē saccitānanda svarupē kalpitāḥ, prakalpitāḥ – all these are superimposed. What are superimposed? vividāḥ sarvāḥ vyaktayaḥ. That is all varieties of paśu, pakṣī, mṛga, kīḍā, dēvā, tiryaṅ, manuṣyādi; sarvāḥ vyaktayaḥ. Prakalpitāḥ – nāma rūpa mātraṁ–vācārambhaṇaṁ vikārō nāma dēyaṁ. kiṁvat? Hāṭakē kaṭakādivat. Hāṭakaṁ means gold. Katakaṁ means ornaments. Just as the varieties of ornaments really do not exist because they are nothing but names and forms superimposed upon the adhiṣṭhāna, the anusyūta gold, similarly all these jīva rāśīs are none other than nāma rūpas superimposed on Brahman

यथाकाशो हृषीकेशो नानोपाधिगतो विभुः
तद्भेदाद्भिन्नवद्भाति तन्नाशे केवलो भवेत् ॥१०॥

यथा (yathā)just as आकाशः (ākāśaḥ) – space हृषीकेशः (hṛṣīkeśaḥ) – the omnipresent Truth नाना उपाधिगतः (nānā upādhigataḥ) – associated with various conditionings विभुः (vibhuḥ) – the all-pervading तत् भेदात् (tat bhedāt) – on account of their manifold nature distinct from each other भिन्नवत् भाति (bhinnavat bhāti) – appears to be diverse तत् नाशे (tat nāśe) – on the destruction of these upādhis, केवलः – one भवेत् (bhavet) – becomes

note Upādhi and Upāhitaṁ (Verse 10) yathākāśō hṛṣīkēśō nānōpādhigatō vibhuḥ | tadbhēdādbhinnavadbhāti tannāśē kēvalō bhavēt || Hereafterwards, Śaṅkarācārya is going to talk about the secondary adhyāsā. This is the confusion between the adhyasta Anātmā/the sṛṣṭa Anātmā and the sṛṣṭi kartā ahaṁ Brahma. And this adhyāsā, the secondary adhyāsā, this confusion, is caused by the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ of māyā or ajñānaṁ and because of which ‘I’ take the attributes of Anātmā as mine and ‘I’ take my attributes and give it to Anātmā. We call it anyōnya tādātmyaṁ. And since ‘I’ take the attributes of the Anātmā and superimpose them on my self, since the attributes of Anātmā like jāyatē, vardhatē, kartā, bhōktā etc. is transferred to ‘me’ falsely, this Anātmā is called upādhiḥ technically. And ‘I’ am called upahitaṁ. So ‘I’ am the upahita caitanyaṁ cidābhāsa sahita. That which gives the attributes is called upādhiḥ that which receives the attributes is called upahitaṁ. Śarīraṁ is upādhiḥ, ahaṁ is upahitaṁ. And we have got so many examples. Suppose there is a colourless crystal and there is a red flower nearby. The colour of the flower will appear in the crystal. Therefore, the colour is transferred to the crystal. The flower lends the attributes. Therefore, it is called upādhiḥ. The crystal borrows the attributes and so it is called upahitaṁ. So the definition of upādhiḥ is samīpē sthitvā ādhīyatē sveeyaan dharmaan iti upādhiḥ. Upa means samīpē sthitvā - being nearby - ādhīyatē means transfers, gives, attributes. What does it give? svīyān dharmān – its own attributes. Therefore, it is called upādhiḥ. And for the Ātmā what is the upādhiḥ? It is not just one upādhiḥ but all the Vyakti i.e. individual bodies have become upādhis. And each body has got its own attributes. Now one Ātmā appears to be many Ātmās with many attributes. ahaṁ ēkaḥ paramātmā nānāvidha jīvātmā rūpēṇa bhāmi - ‘I’ the one paramātmā appear as though numerous jivātmā because of various śarīraṁs. The word upādhi has a technical connotation. Not only must it be nearby, it must also transfer the attribute. Three points should be noted in upādhi. • It should be near. • It should transfer the attributes. • And that is not enough. The transfer must be false. Suppose one is sitting on the carpet and there is some dirt or stain. He sits on the stain and his white dress gets soiled. Now is that colour transferred really or apparently? Here the transfer is real. So removal also requires effort. But, taking the example of the flower and crystal, we should remember that when the colour of the flower is transferred to the crystal, we need not take the crystal and wash it because the transfer is apparent and not real. Thus the transfer is two fold. vāstavika tādātmyaṁ and ādhyāsika tādātmyaṁ.. Here the transfer is ādhyāsika saṁsargaḥ. So we have to remember that upādhi means the three conditions should be satisfied. And in that sense only I am going to use the word upādhi. I am not translating the word upādhi because we cannot have a proper translation Comparison with dream In fact this is not the unique thing. Every day in the dream we do that. Just examine the whole dream procedure. Sleep has got Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ. With the Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ, we create the whole svapna prapañcaḥ, the whole svapna śarīraṁs and a special body for us also. And having created all the special bodies, there is a dream body. And even though we are the waker, what do we do? We the waker and the dream body gets confused and we mistake ourselves to be the dream body. We take the attributes of the dream body as our own attributes. That is the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ of nidrā or sleep. Creating the dream body is the Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ of the nidrā. But afterwards taking the dream body to be ourself is āvaraṇa śaktiḥ. So when the dream body moves, we feel we are moving, when dream body sits we feel we are sitting; when the dream body is terrified, we feel we are terrified - this confusion is caused by the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ of the nidrā. (GHV: Dream is the closest example with one exception; our dream objects do not have independent consciousness of their own to realise that they are dream objects of the dreamer. The reason could be that we are ourselves covered in ajnana and hence our dream objects cannot realise their source). Suppose from the dream we remove the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ alone and Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ continues. Can anyone guess how the dream will look like? We won’t wake up because Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ will contine and therefore, the dream will continue but since āvaraṇa śaktiḥ is gone, we will tell everyone ahaṁ ‘waker’asmi. We would be lying down comfortably in our bed. And we would have created with our Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ this whole svapna prapañcaḥ. And we would have created a body for ourself. Not only a body for ourself, we would have created all other bodies also and having divided into two, we would be doing all vyavahārā. In this way here also the upādhi’s attributes are superimposed. (GHV: Like day dreaming?!) Atma & upadhis That is what is said here in the ślōka. Yatha ākāśaḥ hṛṣīkēśaḥ nānōpādhi gatō vibhuḥ, tat bhēdāt bhinnavat bhāti tannāśē kēvalō bhavēt. Hṛṣīkēśaḥ is the name of the Ātmā – he uses all saguṇa names to make clear that saguṇa nirguṇayōḥ bhēdaḥ nāsti. Nirguṇaḥ alone is appearing as saguṇaḥ. Hṛṣīkēśaḥ is the name of the Lord. Hṛṣīkēśaḥ is the name of the Ātmā also because hṛṣīkēśaḥ means hṛṣīkāṇāṁ indriyāṇāṁ īśaḥ hṛṣīkēśaḥ. indriya adhipatiḥ – that is Ātmā. And what is the nature of the Ātmā? – Vibhuḥ, which means all pervading. But now this vibhuḥ Ātmā ahaṁ am associated with nānā upādhi gataḥ – so many śarīraṁs are superimposed. And, therefore, I am available in every śarīraṁ. As Lord Kṛṣṇā says in the Gītā, kṣētrajñaṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarvakṣētrēṣu bhārata. He says “Know Myself to be kṣētrajña (individual soul) in all the kṣētrās”. So ‘I’ am in every upādhi, in every Sthūla, sūkṣma śarīraṁ. ‘I’ am there as the cit, the adhiṣṭhānaṁ of every śarīraṁ including cidābhāsaḥ. Of this, the śarīraṁs are limited. Cidābhāsās are also limited. Śarīraṁ travels. Cidābhāsa also travels. But the ‘I’ the cit, the adhiṣṭhānaṁ does not travel, ‘I’ has no appearance, no disappearance, all these things are not there, but what happens? ‘I’ also seem to travel etc. because ‘I’ take the attributes of the śarīraṁ as though my attributes. Therefore, he says nānā upādhi gataḥ. The moment we say upādhi, it means that the attributes have been transferred. And because of that tat bhēdāt, because of the differences, because of the plurarity in the adhyasta prapañca, the adhiṣṭhānaṁ ‘I’ also seem to be pluralistic. So that means the first superimposition is what? The upādhi has got duality. Similarly here also, ‘I’ become dualistic. That means other than me there are so many people to compare with. And having created the division, ‘I’ go on talking about the differences. The undivided ‘I’ seemingly appears as divided ‘I’. The division is in the form of pramātṛ pramāṇa pramēya bhēdaḥ, kartṛ karma kāraṇa bhēdaḥ etc. And tannāśē sati kēvalō bhavēt. Once the upādhis are gone, i.e upādhi nāśē sati what will ‘I’ become? Kēvalaḥ bhavēt. But here we should carefully understand one point. Tannāśē kēvalō bhavēt, if we take literally, we will get into a problem. We are all divided because of the bodies alone. To remove the division what should we do? Upādhi nāśā and therefore, everyone should be destroyed! So here upādhi nāśaḥ should not be taken literally. We should also remember that it is impossible to do so. Because if we have to destroy everyone, how many jīva rāśīs are there? Fortunately we need not destroy. We only have to remove the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ of māyā which causes the confusion. So, ‘I’ had given reality to the body. That reality ‘I’ will no longer give. Therefore upādhi nāśō nāma upādau satyatva buddhiḥ nāśaḥ. We just have change the vision. In Vēdāntā how do we destroy a pot? Normally we will break the pot and destroy. In Vēdāntā the ghata is vittighātyaḥ – one author uses this word – vittighātyaḥ means jñāna nāśyaḥ. We destroy the pot just by seeing the content. We understand that there is no pot other than the clay – pot is gone. Pot has been reduced to just name and form. This is called the Śivā destroying the three puraṁs – tripuraṁ –upādhi trayaṁ. Śivā destroys the tripuraṁ by the jñāna dṛṣṭi. Similarly if we remove the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ, even though the upādhis will be there they will be mithyā and mithyā upādhi cannot create division. And if at all it does, it will be a mithyā division only. Mithyā division cannot disturb satya advaitāṁ. Therefore, upādhi nāśō nāma jñānaṁ ēva. So understanding this well is what is upādhi nāśaṁ. Therefore, jñānāt satyatva buddhi nivṛttau satyāṁ kēvalaḥ bhavēt. ‘I’ become kēvalaḥ. World will contine, upādhis will continue. Still ‘I’ will say Brahman satyaṁ, jagan mithyā, ahaṁ brahmaiva nā paraḥ. And to explain that upādhis do not divide ‘me’, he gives an example. - yathā ākāśaḥ.– just as all pervading ākāśaḥ cannot be divided by any number of pots or walls.

नानोपाधिवशादेव जातिवर्णाश्रमादयः
आत्मन्यारोपितास्तोये रसवर्णादि भेदवत् ॥११॥

एव (eva)only जातिवर्णाश्रमादयः (jātivarṇāśramādayaḥ) – caste, colour, position and so on आत्मनि (ātmani) – upon the Ᾱtman आरोपिताः (āropitāḥ) – are superimposed तोये (toye) – on water रसवर्णादिभेदवत् (rasavarṇādibhedavat) – differences such as flavour, colour and so on

note Upadhis enumerated (Verse 11) nānōpādhivaśādēva jātivarṇāśramādayaḥ | ātmanyārōpitāstōyē rasavarṇādi bhēdavat || So far it was generally said that the bodily attributes are taken unto ‘me’. Now here Sancaracarya enumerates the many varieties of attributes. They are jāti–for example, ahaṁ brāhmaṇaḥ – abhimānaṁ. jāti abhimānaṁ – jāti means janma. Then, varṇa abhimānaṁ. Varṇa means again brāhmaṇaḥ, kṣatriyaḥ, vaiśyaḥ, śūdraḥ. Since varṇa is mentioned separately, jāti can be taken as birth i.e kula abhimānaṁ. Otherwise it will be a repetition. That is ‘I’ belong to uttama kulaḥ etc. Then āśrama – that is brahmacārī, gṛhasta etc. Then ādayaḥ –education; then dhanaṁ - ahaṁ dhanī, tvam nirdhanaḥ ityādi - all these divisions, the status symbols - all of them come. All these are not in Ātmā at all. Because ‘I’ am jāti nīti kula gōtra dūragaṁ, nāma rūpa guṇa dōṣa varjitaṁ, dēśa kāla viṣayādi vastu yad brahma tattvam asi bhāvayātimani. ‘I’ am atītaṁ (beyond) of all of them but nānā upādhivaśāt, because of the upādhis jāti varṇāśramādayaḥ ātmani ārōpitāḥ. They are all superimposed upon ‘me’ the Ātmā. Now an example is given.tōyē rasavarṇādi bhēdavat. Tōyaṁ means water. What is the colour of the water? It is colourless. Even though water is svabhāvataḥ (by nature) free from all the colours, and not only free from colour, it is also free from taste, but to that water when some rasavarṇam etc. are added, it takes the colour and taste of those added ingredients. Therefore, nānā upādhis are going to be enumerated. The Sthūla śarīra upādhi, sūkṣma śarīra upādhi and kāraṇa śarīra upādhi are the three upādhis which he enumerates in these three ślōkās.

पंचीकृतमहाभूतसंभवं कर्मसंचितम्
शरीरं सुखदुःखानां भोगायतनमुच्यते ॥१२॥

पञ्चीकृतमहाभूतसम्भवं (pañcīkṛtamahābhūtasambhavaṃ)the five elements that have gone through the process of fivefold self division and mutual combination कर्मसञ्चितम् (karmasañcitam) – determined by one’s own past actions शरीरं (śarīraṃ) – the gross body सुखदुःखानां (sukhaduḥkhānāṃ) – for pleasure and pain भोगायतनम् (bhogāyatanam) – medium of experiencing उच्यते (ucyate) – is said

note Sthula sarira upadhi (Verse 12) pañcīkṛtamahābhūta – sambhavaṁ karmasañcitaṁ | śarīraṁ sukhaduḥkhānā̃ bhōgāyatanamucyatē || So Sthūla śarīraṁ is defined here pañcīkṛta mahābhūta sambhavaṁ. The process of pañcī karaṇaṁ has been dealt with in detail in Tattva bōdhaḥ. Pañcīkṛta mahābhūtaṁ means the five grossified elements. As explained in Tattva bōdhaḥ, first the five elements are born in a subtle manner and later they get grossified and therefore, here we are referring to them as pañcīkṛta mahābhūtaṁ. The great five grossified elements are ākāśaḥ, vāyuḥ, agniḥ, āpaḥ and pṛthivī. That is the space, air, fire, water and earth. And out of this five grossified elements is born this Sthūla śarīraṁ which he refers to as mahābhūta sambhavaṁ. Now, if all the bodies are born out of the same five elements, all of them should also be the same. But they are not. Why? The reason is karma sañcitam. Each one has been individually assembled. This difference is because of the past karmās. Here sañcitam means assembled. It qualifies the śarīraṁ and not karma--Karmabhiḥ sañcitaṁ. Sthūla śarīraṁ is sukha duḥkhānāṁ bhōga āyatanaṁ, which is the home, remaining in which the jīvā experiences pleasures and pains. Āyatanaṁ means tenement, house. Because the moment we enter the world, we require a tenement. Therefore, sukha duḥkhānāṁ bhōga āyatanaṁ śarīraṁ iti ucyatē. So this body is said to be bhōga āyatanaṁ. Śarīraṁ is the subject. For example if one says ahaṁ Sthūlaḥ, ‘I am fat’, the Sthūlatvaṁ of the Sthūla śarīraṁ is transferred to Ātmā. Similarly kṛśatvaṁ, rugṇaḥ, arōgaḥ and ahaṁ vayaskaḥ, ahaṁ yuvā, all these are Sthūla śarīra dharmāḥ - Atmāni adhyastāḥ. This is the first upādhi of Ātmā. We should remember that this is an upādhi.

पंचप्राणमनोबुद्धिदशेन्द्रियसमन्वितम्
अपंचीकृतभूतोत्थं सूक्ष्माङ्गं भोगसाधनम् ॥१३॥

पञ्चप्राणमनोबुद्धिदशेन्द्रियसमन्वितम् (pañcaprāṇamanobuddhidaśendriyasamanvitam)the five prāṇas, mind, intellect and the ten organs combined अपञ्चीकृतभूतोत्थं (apañcīkṛtabhūtotthaṃ) – formed from the rudimentary elements सूक्ष्माङ्गं (sūkṣmāṅgaṃ) – the subtle body भोगसाधनम् (bhogasādhanam) – instrument of experience

note Suksma sarira upadhi (Verse 13) pañcaprāṇamanōbuddhi – daśēndriyasamanvitam | apañcīkṛtabhūtōtthaṁ sūkṣmāṅgaṁ bhōgasādhanam || He says sūkṣmāṅgaṁ bhōga sādhanaṁ. Sādhanaṁ means instrument. Sthūla śarīraṁ is bhōga āyatanaṁ. Sūkṣma śarīraṁ is bhōga sādhanam – instrument of experiencing pleasure and pain. And what is the nature of sūkṣma śarīraṁ? It contains seventeen parts pañca prāṇāḥ, manō, buddhiḥ daśēndriya samanvitaṁ. Pañca prāṇāḥ is the five prāṇās - prāṇa, apāna, vyāna, udāna, and samānaḥ. Then manō and buddhiḥ. Then daśēndriyaṁ –pañca jñānēndriyāṇi, pañca karmēndriyāṇi – seven plus ten is equal to seventeen. ēvaṁ saptadaśakalābhiḥ saha yat tiṣṭhati tatsūkṣmaśarīram. These are dealt with in detail in Tattva bōdhaḥ. For example, in sūkṣma śarīraṁ the pañca jñānēndriyās are there and they have the attributes like andhatva, mandatvā, paṭutva dharmāḥ. o When a person says ahaṁ andhaḥ – ‘I am blind’, blindness is not the attribute of the physical body but it is the attribute of sūkṣma śarīraṁ because it belongs to jñānēndriyaṁ. o Similarly when he says ahaṁ paṅguḥ – ‘I am lame’ this is the attribute of karmēndriyaṁ. o Similarly when he says– ‘I am hungry, thirsty etc.’ they are the attributes of the prāṇa and they are taken to Ātmā. o Similarly ‘I am very emotional type, I am very sensitive, I am upset etc.’ these sensitivities are again the characteristic of the mind which belongs to sūkṣma śarīraṁ and o when he says “I am intelligent, the class is very simple for me or I am a slow coach, I am not able to understand this”, this is also paṭutvaṁ or mandatvaṁ - as the case may be of buddhiḥ. Thus all of them ‘I’ superimposes on itself. So pañca prāṇa manō, buddhiḥ daśa indriya samanvitaṁ – samanvitaṁ means consisting of. And it is made up of what? Apañcīkṛta bhūta utthaṁ. Pañcīkṛta is grossified, apañcīkṛta means not grossified. That means subtle. The five subtle elements are, therefore, the upādāna kāraṇaṁ. The five gross elements are upādāna kāraṇaṁ for Sthūla śarīraṁ. The five subtle elements are the upādāna kāraṇaṁ for sūkṣma śarīraṁ. What is the nimitta kāraṇaṁ for these? Number one is Karmā. And number two is Īśvaraḥ. This is dvitīya upādhi.

अनाद्यविद्याऽनिर्वाच्या कारणोपाधिरुच्यते
उपाधित्रितयादन्यमात्मानमवधारयेत् ॥१४॥

अनाद्यविद्या (anādyavidyā)beginningless ignorance अनिर्वाच्या (anirvācyā) – indescribable कारणोपाधिः (kāraṇopādhiḥ) – causal body उच्यते (ucyate) – is said उपाधित्रितयात् अन्यम् (upādhitritayāt anyam) – other than the three conditioning bodies आत्मानम् (ātmānam) – the Ᾱtman अवधारयेत् (avadhārayet) – should understand

note Karana sarira upadhi Avidya, tula avidya, mula avidya (Verse 14) anādhyavidhyānirvācyā kāraṇōpādhirucyatē | upādhitritayādAnyaṁ ātmānamavadhārayēt || Here we have to carefully note that avidyā means mūla avidyā which is otherwise called māyā and which is responsible for the projection of Sthūla śarīraṁ and sūkṣma śarīraṁ. Thus kāraṇa śarīraṁ is mūla avidyā, otherwise called māyā which has got Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ and also āvaraṇa śaktiḥ. This avidyā alone has projected the Sthūla śarīraṁ and sūkṣma śarīraṁ with its Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ. And since it is the cause for the other two bodies, it is the upādāna kāraṇam. Since avidyā is the upādāna kāraṇam for Sthūla and sūkṣma śarīraṁs, this mūla avidyā is called kāraṇa śarīraṁ. So in short, mūla avidyā means Sthūla sūkṣma śarīraṁ in bīja avasthā. This is different from the confusion we have between satyaṁ and mithyā and that is also called avidyā – ignorance. So there is an ignorance which is in the mind and which is caused by āvaraṇa śaktiḥ and the other ignorance is the bīja avasthā of the mind, the very cause of the mind – that is called Mūlāvidyā. • This mind in the wakeful state i.e. jāgrat avasthā has got ignorance. This ignorance is in the form of indiscrimination between satyaṁ and mithyā. This ignorance is called tūlāvidyā. So this ignorance which is the confusion existing in the wakeful mind is called tūla avidyā āvaraṇa śaktiḥ. In Vēdānta, this tūla avidyā alone we are first trying to to resolve. • Even after removing the tūla avidyā, the mind continues and that mind when it goes to sleep resolves in mūla avidyā only. So even in a jñānī the mūla avidyā i.e. the kāraṇa śarīraṁ continues. If the jñānī does not have mūla avidyā, the kāraṇa śarīraṁ, he can never sleep. • Then what has jñānī done? In jñānī’s mind there was the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ which was in the form of tūla avidyā. That āvaraṇa śaktiḥ he has removed and therefore his mind in the wakeful state is now free from the confusion between Ātmā and Anātmā. Once āvaraṇa śaktiḥ is removed mūla avidyā is like a cobra without a fang. Just as Īśvarā is not bound by māyā because āvaraṇa śaktiḥ is not there, similarly for a jīvan muktā also kāraṇa śarīraṁ does not contain āvaraṇa śaktiḥ. Therefore, it is harmless. He will sleep during the sleeping time but during sleep the kāraṇa śarīraṁ identification is not there. He will never say ‘I slept’. ‘I’ neither sleeps, nor dream nor wakes up. They belong to kāraṇa, sūkṣma and Sthūla śarīraṁs. And therefore, we say mūla avidya is bādihtaṁ. Sthūla śarīraṁ is bādhitaṁ. Sūkṣma śarīraṁ is bādhitaṁ. Bhāditaṁ means falsified. When does the mūla avidyā also go for a jñānī? It will continue as long as prārabdhaṁ is there. So during jīvan mukti they are all falsified. During vidēha mukti they are destroyed. So even for a jñānī the mūla avidyā continues but it is falsified. Even for a jñānī prakṛti continues, the mind also continues, the Sthūla śarīraṁ also continues. They all continue because of mūla avidyā or māyā but even though they continue, he does not have tūla avidyā which is in the form of indiscrimination. And therefore, the third upādhi is avidyā, otherwise called māyā, otherwise called prakṛti, otherwise called ajñānaṁ. But when did this start? anādiḥ from beginningless times, whereas Sthūla and sūkṣma śarīraṁ have got a beginning. During sṛṣṭi, Sthūla and sūkṣma śarīraṁs begin and during pralaya, Sthūla and sūkṣma śarīraṁs resolve. Therefore, Sthūla and sūkṣma śarīraṁs fall within creation. Kāraṇa śarīraṁ doesn’t fall within creation. Kāraṇa śarīraṁ is the very cause of creation, which means that kāraṇa śarīraṁ will be there even during pralayaṁ. It is only because of that reason the next sṛṣṭi comes. If kāraṇa śarīraṁ also goes away no creation can come again. The only thing is that we generally use the word kāraṇa śarīraṁ with respect to an individual and we use the word māyā with respect to total śarīraṁ. Kāraṇa śarīraṁ is vyaṣṭi dṛṣṭyā. Māyā is the word used from samaṣṭi dṛṣṭyā. But both are one and same prakṛti alone. And this kāraṇa śarīraṁ also is an upādhi for the Ātmā. Why is it called upādhi? It is so called because again the attributes of the kāraṇa śarīraṁ are taken by ‘me’. Since kāraṇa śarīraṁ happens to be in a passive state and when in suṣupti a person is in the kāraṇa avasthā, what do we say? We should have said kāraṇa śarīraṁ was passive there during prayalaṁ. Instead of that what do we say? “I slept well, I was totally inactive”. So when ‘I’ say ‘I am inactive’, the inactivity of the kāraṇa śarīraṁ is superimposed upon me. The inactivity of the kāraṇa śarīraṁ is transferred to the Ātmā and so the kāraṇa śarīraṁ is also called upādhi. Differences between jnana & a jnani: A jñānī may also say “I am inactive”. But when a jñānī says “I am inactive”, he says paśyan śṛṇvan spṛśan jighrann aśnan gacchan. These are words from Aṣṭāvakra Gītā. Therefore, jñānī’s inactivity is not borrowed from kāraṇa śarīraṁ. It is his svarūpaṁ. So when jñānī says he is akartā it is his svarūpaṁ. When ajñānī says he is akartā it is borrowed from kāraṇa śarīraṁ. Now how does one know the difference between a jñānī and ajñānī? When the ajñānī says ‘I am akartā’, it is borrowed from the kāraṇa śarīraṁ. His akrutvaṁ, therefore, is only temporary i.e. only during the time of his sleep. The moment he wakes up his akrutvaṁ also goes away and he once again becomes the kartā. So, when the akrutvaṁ is temporary, it is borrowed from kāraṇa śarīraṁ. When the akrutvaṁ is permanent, it is not from upādhi dharmaḥ, but it is one’s own svarūpaṁ. And that is why in the 4th chapter of the Gītā Lord Kṛṣṇā said karmaṇi akarma yaḥ paśyēt akarmaṇi ca karma yaḥ. It is a complicated ślōkā. Anyway kāraṇa śarīraṁ is also another upādhi. With kāraṇa śarīraṁ, Ātmā becomes bhōktā. Sthūla shariam is called bhōga āyatanaṁ. Sūkṣma śarīraṁ is called bhōga sādhanaṁ and kāraṇa śarīraṁ is called ānandabhuk cētō mukhaḥ prājñastṛtīyaḥ pādaḥ-- Māṇḍūkyōpaniṣat. Therefore, in kāraṇa śarīraṁ avasthā one becomes a bhoktā. And what is Ātmā? It is different from all the three. Therefore for removal of the confusion āvaraṇa śaktiḥ is required to be destroyed. We don’t need to do anything with Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ. Let it be there and let kāraṇa śarīraṁ be there. We need to sleep every day. There is no harm. And when we wake up from kāraṇa śarīraṁ, let sūkṣma śarīraṁ come, let there be thoughts, no harm. And let there be Sthūla śarīraṁ, no harm. So let māyā project the world, let there be Sthūla śarīraṁ and sūkṣma śarīraṁ, and let there be activities at the level of Sthūla and sūkṣma śarīraṁs. Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ is not a damaging one. The real damaging one is āvaraṇa śaktiḥ because of which we attribute the reality to the upādhi. Once āvaraṇa śaktiḥ is removed we will know that the three śarīraṁs are mithyā and we are the satyaṁ, different from all the three śarīraṁs. In the case of crystal and a dirty object, even when the dirty object is intimately associated with the crystal at the given time, the crystal is clear, unlike the stain formed on clean clothe by a hard stain on the seat. Similarly Ātmā and the body are intimately associated ahaṁ śuddha svarūpaḥ ēva. So we just need to understand that we need not separate the Ātmā. Separation must be in the antahkāraṇam alone.

पंचकोशादियोगेन तत्तन्मय इव स्थितः
शुद्धात्मा नीलवस्त्रादियोगेन स्फटिको यथा ॥१५॥

पञ्चकोशादियोगेन (pañcakośādiyogena)by identification with the five sheaths and so on तत् (tat) – that तन्मय (tanmaya) – identical with that इव (iva) – like स्थितः (sthitaḥ) – appears शुद्धात्मा (śuddhātmā) – the pure Self नीलवस्त्रादियोगेन (nīlavastrādiyogena) – association with blue garment and so on स्फटिकः (sphaṭikaḥ) – crystal यथा (yathā) – just as

note Panca kosas as upadhi (Verse 15) pañcakōśādiyōgēna tattanmāyā iva sthitaḥ | śuddhātmā nīlavastrādi – yōgēna sphaṭikō yathā || Things are the same but the division is from another angle. The previous division was according to their grossness and subtlety. Sthūla śarīraṁ is very gross. Sūkṣma śarīraṁ is comparatively subtle. Kāraṇa śarīraṁ is subtlest. So gross upādhi, subtle upādhi and subtlest upādhi. Now the division is not based on the grossness or subtlety but it is based on the functions. Śaṅkarācārya doesn’t enumerate the five kōśas i.e. annamaya, prāṇamaya, manōmaya, vijñānamaya and ānandamaya kōśāḥ. • What is the job of annamaya kōśaḥ? Eat, eat and eat. To recall from Tattva bōdhaḥ - annarasēnnaiva bhūtvā annarasēnnaiva vṛddhiṁ prāpya annarūpapṛthivyāṁ yadvilīyatē tadannamayaḥ kōśaḥ. It has to absorb the annaṁ and keep the Sthūla and sūkṣma śarīraṁ in tact. In English it is expressed as keeping the body and the soul together. • Prāṇamaya kōśaḥ’s function is the physiological system. And that is prāṇa, apāna, vyāna, udāna and samāna – the fivefold physiological function like respiration, excretion, circulation, and digestion and finally the reversal system, that which also causes death. So this becomes the second kōśaḥ. • The third function is manōmaya kōśaḥ – the emotional function. • And vijñānamaya kōśaḥ, judging, thinking, logic – all of them. • And lastly, the ānandamaya kōśaḥ – to sleep happily. Even though the five kōśās are stated, we have already seen that annamaya kōśaḥ corresponds to Sthūla śarīraṁ; prāṇa, manō and vijñānamaya correspond to sūkṣma śarīraṁ and ānandamaya kōśaḥ corresponds to kāraṇa śarīraṁ. Previously the upādhis were divided into three – Sthūla, sūkṣma and kāraṇa śarīraṁ. So previously it was śarīra traya upādhi but now it is kōśa pañcaka upādhi. And here also the pañca kōśas are called upādhis because their function is taken as though it is ‘my’ function i.e. functions of Ātmā. Śaṅkarācārya says pañca kōśādi yōgēna – here yōga means tādātmyēna; ajñāna kṛta tādātmyēna. Yōgaṁ means sambandhaḥ; saṁsargaḥ. Why do I say it is ajñāna kṛta sambandhaḥ? It is because Ātmā being asaṅgōhi ayaṁ puruṣaḥ, cannot have yōga or sambandhaḥ with anyone. yathā ākāśaḥ is asaṅgaḥ, ēvaṁ Ātmā asaṅga svarūpaḥ. Many types of sambandhās are stated. None of these associations is possible in the case of Ātmā. And if the impossible is made possible, it is the job of ajñānaṁ. Even in the case of a rope and snake, it is the job of ajñānaṁ or ignorance. Similarly ‘I’ the Ātmā cannot have pañca kōśa yōgaḥ. But now the yōgā has taken place because of anyōnya tādātmya sambandhēna. ‘I’ am satyaṁ. Śarīraṁ upādhi is mithyā. Satyaṁ and mithyā cannot have any sambandha but still out of ignorance, ‘I’ get associated. And, therefore, what happens? He says tattanmayaḥ –tat tat upādhi mayaḥ. Tanmayatvaṁ means when we see someone struggling in a movie or in a drama we feel we are also struggling – this is called tanmayatvaṁ. Now he comes to the dṛṣṭāntā. He says nīla vastrādi yōgēna sphaṭikaḥ yathā tattanmayō bhavati. Nīla vastra yōgēna nīlamaya sphaṭikaḥ, pītavastra yōgēna pītamaya sphaṭikaḥ – naivyaṁ bhavati. Ātma Anātmā Vivekaḥ - Tvam Pada Vicāraḥ Till now anyōnya avivēka, between Ātmā and Anātmā, kṣētra kṣētrajña, śarīra śarīrī, dēha dēhī, satyaṁ mithyā and subject object etc. has been talked about, which is saṁsāra kāraṇam. Hereafterwards this sorting out is going to be discussed elaborately which has been hinted earlier as upādhitritayād Anyaṁ ātmānam.

वपुस्तुषादिभिः कोशैर्युक्तं युक्त्यवघाततः
आत्मानमन्तरं शुद्धं विविच्यात्तण्डुलं यथा ॥१६॥

वपुस्तुषादिभिः (vapustuṣādibhiḥ)the form with husk and so on कोशैः (kośaiḥ) – with sheaths युक्तं (yuktaṃ) – covered युक्त्या (yuktyā) – by logical thinking अवघाततः (avaghātataḥ) – by thrashing rice in a mortar आत्मानम् (ātmānam) – the Self अन्तरं (antaraṃ) – within शुद्धम् (śuddham) – pure विविच्यात् (vivicyāt) – should separate तण्डुलं (taṇḍulaṃ) – rice यथा (yathā) – just as

note Pounding with yukti, vicarah (Verse 16) vapustuṣādibhiḥ kōśaiḥ yuktaṁ yuktyāvaghātataḥ | ātmānamantaraṁ śuddhaṁ vivicyāttaṇḍulaṁ yathā || That is being said here with an example. He says vapuḥ tuṣādibhiḥ kōśaiḥ yuktaṁ – taṇḍulaṁ yathā. Vapuḥ here refers to śarīraṁ but for the present we should leave vapuḥ and take tuṣādibhiḥ yuktaṁ taṇḍulaṁ iva for consideration. Taṇḍulaṁ means rice. And tuṣaḥ means the cover, the husk etc. with which it becomes paddy. Now the taṇḍulaṁ is useful to us but the external covering is not useful to us. If we put it in the mouth, it will only prick us. It is duḥkha hētuḥ but inside it is sukha hētuḥ. But we cannot throw away the paddy completely like throwing the baby with the bath water. So what we do is, we remove the external covering and take out the taṇḍulaṁ by pounding – avaghātaḥ. And the rice is taken and the husk is thrown away. One is upādēyaṁ – to be taken. Another is hēyaṁ – to be thrown away. Taṇḍulaṁ is antaḥ, tuṣādibhiḥ is bahiḥ. We are all like paddy. We all have got a covering which is useless – asti, jāyatē vardhatē, vipariṇamatē – all the covers create problem only. And it is not one layer of husk. We have got pañca kōśaḥ – five layers – which is bahiḥ. Are they hēyaṁ or upādēyaṁ? No doubt, hēyaṁ, to be rejected. Their identification which has been taken as real should be given up. And the Ātmā, within that, is compared to rice; Anātmā is compared to the husk. And here also what is required is pounding. That is what Śaṅkarācārya is doing –mōha mudgaraḥ – mudgaraḥ is a type of long hammer like implement made of wood and which is used for pounding rice to separate the rice from the husk. The pounding has to be done very carefully. If too much pressure is used the rice will get powdered. Here even though Śaṅkarācārya is doing the pouding job, the pounding is of a different nature. In the case of paddy, the taṇḍula tuṣa saṁyōgaḥ is vāstavaṁ – both have the same order of reality. And therefore, we require actual separation by karma, vāstavika yōgatvāt karmā apēkṣyatē. But here the saṁyōgaḥ between Ātmā and Anātmā is not actual saṁyōgaḥ because Ātmā ākāśavat asaṅgaḥ. So here the saṁyōgaṁ is ajñāna kṛta saṁyōgaḥ. Kṣētrakṣētrajñasaṁyōgāttadviddhi bharatarṣabha says Lord Kṛṣṇā in the Gītā. He says that whatever is born has emanated through the union of matter and spirit that is kṣētra and kṣētrajña. Since it is ajñāna kṛta saṁyōgaḥ. the pounding is in the form of vicāraḥ i.e. in the form of inquiry. Anvaya – Vyatireka methodTherefore, Śaṅkarācārya says yukti āvaghātataḥ.By the āvaghātaḥ of yukti – yukti here means Ātmā vivēkaḥ. “Is Sthūla śarīraṁ myself? Is sūkṣma śarīraṁ myself?” And this method of inquiry is called Anvaya vyatirēkā method. And what is that? • During jāgrat avasthā – Sthūla śarīraṁ is there – ‘I’ am there. • During svapna avasthā Sthūla śarīraṁ is separated. A new vāsanāmaya śarīraṁ i.e. sūkṣma śarīraṁ comes. • The body has changed but ‘I’ has not changed. ‘I’ exist in svapna śarīraṁ. ‘I’ exist even when jāgrat śarīraṁ is there. Jāgrat śarīraṁ goes – ‘I am’. Svapna śarīraṁ comes – ‘I am’. Svapna śarīraṁ goes away – ‘I am’. • And in suṣupti, kāraṇa śarīraṁ comes – ‘I am’. • So when they are there – ‘I am’. When they are not – ‘I am’. Therefore, ‘I’ must be different from them. They come and go. ‘I’ always ‘AM’. So when they are–‘I am’ is called anvayaḥ and when they are not-‘I am’ is called vyatirēkā. Another term also is used. The śarīraṁ comes and goes. This is called vyāvṛttiḥ. Ātmā is always there and it is called anuvṛttiḥ. So we can call it either Anvaya vyatirēkā nyāyaḥ or logic or anuvṛtti vyāvṛtti nyāyaḥ or logic. And these two nyāyās are called here yukti. With this yukti we have to do the pounding job. And everytime we say “I am not the body” – one bang. “I am not the sūkṣma shariraṁ”– another bang. “I am not the kāraṇa śarīraṁ” – another bang. The banging must continue till all the kōśās are removed. So we have to separate Ātmā and Anātmā. That is what he said ātmānamantaraṁ śuddhaṁ vivicyāt. Vivicyāt means vivēkaṁ kuryāt. And incidentally he used the word antaraṁ and to remove the confusion with regard to that word, he gives the following ślōkā.

सदा सर्वगतोऽप्यात्मा न सर्वत्रावभासते
बुद्धावेवावभासेत स्वच्छेषु प्रतिबिम्बवत् ॥१७॥

सदा (sadā)always सर्वगतः (sarvagataḥ) – all-pervading अपि (api) – although आत्मा (ātmā) – the Self न (na) – not सर्वत्र (sarvatra) – everywhere अवभासते (avabhāsate) – shines बुद्धौ (buddhau) – in the intellect एव (eva) – only अवभासेत (avabhāseta) – manifests स्वच्छेषु (svaccheṣu) – in the transparent surface प्रतिबिम्बवत् (pratibimbavat) – just as the reflection

note There is no internal or exernal (Verse 17) sadā sarvagatō'pyātmā na sarvatrāvabhāsatē | buddhāvēvāvabhāsēta svēcchēṣu pratibimbavat || In the previous ślōkā Ātmā was compared to rice and Anātmā was compared to the husk. Ātmā is within, Anātmā is without. We have to remove the external kōśās and discover the internal Ātmā. These words “internal and external” can create havoc. The word internal can be understood as deep within, deep in the hṛdaya, in the hṛdayaṁ ākāśa guhyāṁ. Thus one may try to see the Ātmā deep within and he may try to meditate upon and nothing may come. This could lead to all kinds of problems. And therefore, here the word antaraṁ does not literally mean internal. Here this word means adhiṣṭhāna Ātmakaṁ. Antaraṁ means adhiṣṭhāna rūpaṁ. Bahiḥ means adhyasthaṁ. yat adhyasthaṁ tat bahiḥ iva, yat adhiṣṭhānaṁ tat antaḥ iva. If I say water is within the wave, what does it mean? Or if I say water is the content of the wave, it would mean that the wave is the container and water is within that container called wave. This would be a wrong understanding. So when I say wave is the container and water is the content it means water is adhyasthaṁ and wave is the adhiṣṭhāna nāma rūpaṁ. Always remember this idea throughout Vēdantik literature that antaḥ means adhiṣṭhānaṁ. And that is why often Ātmā is described as sarvāntaraḥ. For the pot clay is adhiṣṭhānaṁ. So if one is asked what is the adhiṣṭhānaṁ for the jagat, it is Ātmā. With respect to pot clay is adhiṣṭhānaṁ. With respect to clay something else is adhiṣṭhānaṁ. Thus we can go further and further interior and the final adhiṣṭhānaṁ is yat sākṣāta aparōkṣāt Brahma yaḥ ātmā sarvāntaraḥ - Bṛhadāraṇyaka vākyaṁ. Sarvāntaraḥ means the innermost self and innermost means final adhiṣṭhānaṁ. Manifestation of AtmaThat is Ātmā is. We have said it is vibhuḥ, nityaḥ etc. But even though Ātmā is sarvagataḥ, the manifestation of Ātmā is not everywhere. The Ātmā caitanyaṁ does not manifest everywhere; for example, in the wall, the caitanyaṁ is not manifest. In the wall Ātmā is there or not? Ātmā is there. Caitanyaṁ is there or not? Our tendency is to say caitanyaṁ is not there. But technically speaking we should say caitanyaṁ is there because once Ātmā is there, caitanyaṁ has to be there. Because what is Ātmā’s nature? It is caitanyaṁ. So yadi ātmā asti tatra caitanyaṁ api asti. Yadyapi asti tathāpi asmābhiḥ na jñāyatē. Anabhivyakta rūpēṇa vartatē. Na abhivyakta rūpēṇa. And the abhivyakti alone, the manifestation alone, we call cidābhāsaḥ. And therefore, Śaṅkarācārya says sarvagataḥ Ātmā api. Yadyapi Ātmā sarvagataḥ – all pervading. When? Sadā – all the time. Sarvatra na avabhāsatē – Why? - Because it requires a medium for manifestation. Ātmā does not require anything for its existence – Ātmānah sattā is svatantraṁ. But Ātmānah pūrtiḥ – manifestation – is paratantraṁ. It depends upon some medium. And therefore, what is that medium? We have to find out. Buddhau ēva avabhāsēta – only in buddhi the Ātmā caitanyaṁ will shine, manifest, which alone we call ahaṁ. Ahaṁ is the manifest Ātmā only. Why Ātmā is called inner self? Two meanings can be given. One meaning is that which I gave you. That is adhiṣṭhānaṁ is called antaraṁ. That is one way of explaining the word ‘inner’. And there is a second explanation also given by Śaṅkarācārya as to why we use the word ‘innerself’. What is wrong with this word? If you use the word inner, it will denote limitedness – it would mean that it is not outer. Therefore Śaṅkarācārya explains, even though Ātmā is antarbahiśca yat sarvaṁ vyāpya nārāyaṇa sthitaḥ; sabāhya ābhyantarō śyajaḥ, even though Ātmā is both inner and outer, in the outer the caitanyaṁ is not manifest. Inside alone i.e in the buddhiḥ alone the caitanyaṁ is manifest. Therefore, antaḥ abhivyājyamānatvāt or abhivyaktatvāta antaḥ ityucyatē. So buddhau ēva avabhāsēta. And why it is manifest only in the buddhiḥ? Because svaccatvāt. Buddhiḥ is made up of sattva guṇa. So, sattva guṇa pradhānatvāt svaccatvaṁ; svaccatvāt pratibimbatvaṁ. Whereas, Sthūla śarīraṁ is tamo guṇa pradhāna. That is why the body does not co-operate very well. Buddhiḥ co-operates. And ‘I’ am continuing everywhere in avyakta rūpēṇa. So ‘I’ am all pervading in avyakta rūpa. ‘I’ am in the buddhi in vyakta rūpa. The manifestation is within the body. Ātmā is not just within the body, it is all over. But the manifestation is within the body. Therefore, we use the word antaraṁ. That is why he says buddhau ēva avabhāsatē. And buddhi is within Sthūla śarīraṁ. If it is outside, it is very convenient. One can leave the buddhi in the class and can be sleeping at home. But unfortunately for attending the class buddhi is needed. And if buddhi is needed, the śarīraṁ has to come to the class. Thus, the manifestation is within. Like what? Svacchēṣu pratibimbavat. Yathā pratibimbaḥ svacchaḥ talē bhavati. Svachchaṁ means śuddhaṁ; clear. Pratibimbaṁ means reflection. Just as reflection comes in a clear surface, Ātmā also manifests in the clear upādhi called sūkṣma śarīraṁ or buddhi. And therefore, we use the word antaraṁ. We do not literally mean it.

देहेन्द्रियमनोबुद्धिप्रकृतिभ्यो विलक्षणम्
तद्वृत्तिसाक्षिणं विद्यादात्मानं राजवत्सदा ॥१८॥

देहेन्द्रियमनोबुद्धिप्रकृतिभ्यः (dehendriyamanobuddhiprakṛtibhyaḥ)from the body, senses, mind and intellect constituting the matter (prakṛti) विलक्षणम् (vilakṣaṇam) – distinct तद्वृित्तसाक्षिणं (tadvṛittasākṣiṇaṃ) – witness of their functions विद्यात् (vidyāt) – know आत्मानं (ātmānaṃ) – the Self राजवत् (rājavat) – like a king सदा (sadā) – always

note Drk Drsya viveka (Verse 18) dēhēndriyamanōbuddhi – prakṛtibhyō vilakṣaṇam | tad - vṛttisākṣiṇaṁ vidyā ātmānaṁ rājavatsadā || In the following ślōkās we get the method of discriminating between the self and the not-self; Ātmā and Anātmā. And the main method used here is called dṛk dṛśya vivēkaḥ which is nothing but a sub-division of Anvaya vyatirēkā. Anvaya vyatirēkā method alone is applied here in this particular form. Dṛśyaṁ means object. Dṛk means subject. Literally Dṛśyaṁ means seen. Dṛk means the seer. How do we apply Anvaya vyatirēkā? • Dṛśyaṁ is present dṛk is present. Dṛśyaṁ is gone, dṛk is present. When Dṛśyaṁ is there dṛk is there – this is called anvayaḥ. • When Dṛśyaṁ is gone, dṛk is there – this is called vyatirēkā - co-presence and co- absence. • For example, when śabda is there, we know there is śabda and when śabda is gone, we are there to say there is no śabdaṁ. Similarly sparśa’s presence we know and sparśa’s absence also we know. • Why? During jāgrat and svapna avasthā, all Dṛśyaṁs are there, ‘I am’ there. During suṣupti all Dṛśyaṁs are gone. Still ‘I’, the dṛk, am there. How do we know that during suṣupti the seer is there? Because the Puruṣā had withdrawn all the senses and had gone into deep sleep. He wakes up again and remembers: “I slept all this while”. • A person says that “in suṣupti I did not experience any thing”. That means the absence of experiences itself is known to us, witnessed by us, illumined by us. • Therefore, jāgrat and svapna are anvaya, suṣupti is vyatirēkā. • So dṛk the seer is different from the scenes, because even when the scenes come and go, the seer continues to be there throughout. Therefore, the seer must be different from seen. This is the nyāyaṁ. • Yat anuvṛttaṁ - That which exists all the time; tat vyāvṛttēbhyaḥ bhinnaṁ – that is different from those which come and go. Yathā sūtraṁ puṣpēbhyaḥ – just as the sūtraṁ - the thread in a garland, is different from the flowers, which come and go. • Now instead of using the word dṛk, we use another word sākṣī. Both are the same. Dṛk is otherwise called sākṣī; Dṛśyaṁ is otherwise called sākṣyaṁ. Śaṅkarācārya says in the ślōkā that all the pañca kōśās and their functions are Dṛśyaṁs. So dēha which stands for annamaya and prāṇamaya kōśāḥ, indriyā stands for manōmaya kōśaḥ, buddhiḥ stands for vijñānamaya kōśaḥ. Prakṛtiḥ stands for ānandamaya kōśaḥ. Because we have said prakṛtiḥ is māyā, māyā is mūla avidyā, mūla avidyā is kāraṇa śarīraṁ and kāraṇa śarīraṁ is ānandamaya kōśaḥ. Here prakṛtiḥ refers to ānandamaya kōśaḥ. Vilakṣaṇam means distinct or different. Tad vṛtti sākṣiṇaṁ – here the word vṛttiḥ means function. In fact vṛttiḥ is the general word used for the function of anything. So any function of anything can be called vṛttiḥ. Sthūla śarīra function can be called Sthūla śarīra vṛttiḥ like walking, talking etc. Similarly the function of the mind is called manō vṛttiḥ. And what is the function of the mind – thoughts. But after some time, we started using the word vṛttiḥ only for the mental function. We gave it a sankucita arthaṁ. So ‘I’ the Ātmā am the sākṣi for all the functions of the pañca kōśās. Vidyāt– thus one should understand. That is, one should understand oneself to be the sākṣi of the pañca kōśās. So what if ‘I’ am the sākṣi of the pañca kōśās? The sākṣi is different from sākṣyam. That which is the sākṣi of something is different from that something. Similarly, if ‘I am the dṛk’, I am different from the Dṛśyaṁ. So the conclusion is that ahaṁ pañca kōśa vilakṣaṇaḥ. Now an example: Rājavat. Just as the Rājā the King is only the sākṣi of the all the functions of his people and he doesn’t do any one of those karmās. Here there is an alternative interpretation also. The word prakṛti has got a second meaning. Prakṛti means any instrument or a helper - assistant, instrument, help etc. So Rājaprakṛti means those people who are around the Rājā to do whatever he wants, the retinue of King who are there to assist him is called rājaprakṛti. And the King does not do any function. They all do the function around King. If we take that meaning in the previous line i.e. dēhēndriya manō buddhi for prakṛti, here also we should take the meaning of the word prakṛti as instrument and take dēha, indriya, manaḥ and buddhiḥ as prakṛtis, assistants, helpers. So jñānēndriyaṁ’s job, karmēndriyaṁ’s job, the job of the mind, the job of the buddhi is all prakṛti. Here the Rājā is Ātmā and his retinue is the śarīra prakṛtis. But in this context kāraṇa śarīraṁ will not come into the picture because prakṛti is not taken as kāraṇa śarīraṁ. Also kāraṇa śarīraṁ need not be taken here as prakṛti because it does not do any function. On the contrary it suppresses the other functions. So both meanings can be taken. Anyway the essence of the ślōkā is that ‘I’ am the essence of the three bodies.

व्यापृतेष्विन्द्रियेष्वात्मा व्यापारीवाविवेकिनाम्
दृश्यतेऽभ्रेषु धावत्सु धावन्निव यथा शशी ॥१९॥

व्यापृतेषु (vyāpṛteṣu)while functioning इन्द्रियेषु (indriyeṣu) – the sense organs आत्मा (ātmā) – the Self व्यापारी (vyāpārī) – active इव (iva) – like अविवेकिनाम् (avivekinām) – for non-discriminating person दृश्यते (dṛśyate) – appears अभ्रेषु (abhreṣu) – the clouds धावत्सु (dhāvatsu) – that are moving धावन् इव (dhāvan iva) – as though running यथा (yathā) – just as शशी (śaśī) – the moon

note Vyaparams – Transactions superimposed (Verse 19) vyāpṛtēṣvindriyēṣvātmā vyāpārivāvivēkinām | dṛśyatē'bhrēṣu dhāvatsu dhāvanniva yathā śaśī || What he referred to as vṛttis in the previous ślōkā, here he refers to them as vyāpāraṁs. He says that all the vyāpāraṁs or functions or transactions or activities belong to the indriyās alone. Indriyās means jñānēndriyaṁ, karmēndriyaṁ and antaḥkāraṇam. So we have to take all the daśa bāhya indriyāṇi and chatvāri antaḥ indriyāṇi. And Ātmā is avyāpṛtaḥ sākṣī – caitanya mātraḥ. Even though this is the fact, what happens? When the indriyaṁs are moving and when ‘I’ am observing it, gradually ‘I’ get identified with that and after sometime ‘I’ feel as though ‘I’ am moving. Therefore, he says, indriyēṣu vyāpṛtēṣu satsu – When all the sense organs are functioning – Ātmā vyāpārī iva – Ātmā appears to be functioning for the avivēkīnāṁ. For that an example is also given. He says abhrēṣu dhāvatsu satsu yathā śaśī dhāvan iva. Even though the moon, being avyāpṛtaḥ, does not move, but when the clouds are moving it appears as though the moon is moving in the opposite direction. That means mēghasthaḥ vyāpāraḥ avyāpṛtē candrē adhyasyatē. The activity of the cloud is superimposed on the actionless moon. In the same way the transactions of the indriyās get superimposed on the actionless Ātmā. (Verse 20) ātmacaitanyamāśritya dēhēndriyamanōdhiyaḥ | svakriyārthēṣu vartantē sūryālōkaṁ yathā janāḥ || If Ātmā is avyāpṛtaḥ, if it is actionless, then one may think that Ātmā has no contribution at all. One may be led to think that the prakṛti, the Anātmā is capable of doing everything by itself. And it will become Sāṅkhya philosophy. In Sāṅkhya philosophy, matter can function by itself. There, consciousness is a separate principle, matter is a separate principle and matter is capable of evolving itself into the creation. Consciousness is not at all necessary. But here in Vēdāntā we don’t agree with that. We say that even though the caitanyaṁ does not do anything, in the presence of caitanyaṁ alone and because of the blessings of caitanyaṁ alone, prakṛti or matter or the pañca kōśās will be capable of functioning. Ātmā doesn’t do anything but its sānnidhyaṁ - presence - is necessary. This is because for all activities two basic things are necessary. • First the pañca kōśās must have sattā – existence. The question of activity comes only if they are existent. • And the second thing that is necessary is that they must be cētanaṁ to do all the things. We should remember that the inert buddhi or, the inert mind cannot do that, and the inert legs cannot do that. Therefore, all vyāpārās require sat and cit. And the pañca kōśās do not have sat and cit of their own. Therefore, the Ātmā alone has to lend sat and cit to the pañca kōśās. That is why he says Ātma caitanyaṁ āśritya – depending upon the cit (and we have to add sat which he does not mention specifically). So dēha indriya manaḥ dhiyaḥ svakriyārtēṣu vartantē. They remain in their respective functions. The function is not determined by the Ātmā. The function depends upon the nature of the instrument. Electricity does not determine the function. Electricity blesses all the instruments, whether they rotate, whether they get heated or whether they light up, it all depends upon the type of the instruments i.e. fan, heater or bulb, respectively. Just because the electricity is the same, the function will not be the same. Similarly sat and cit is given to all the organs. Eyes will do their function of seeing; ears will do their function of hearing etc. Ātmā is śrōtrasya śrōtraṁ, manasō manō, yad vācō ha vācaṁ, sa u prāṇasya prāṇaḥ - Kēnōpaniṣat. It is the ear of the ear, the mind of the mind, tongue of the tongue (the speech of speech) and also life of the life. Next is the example. Yathā sūrya ālōkaṁ āśritya janāḥ svakriyārthēṣu vartantē. Sunrise is common to all. Ālōkaṁ means prakāśaṁ. If the text says sūrya lōkaṁ it is a secondary reading. Sūryālōkaṁ is a better reading. Sūryalōkaṁ means the world of Sūrya. But a better reading is Sūrya ālōkaḥ which is Sūrya prakāśaḥ. So when the Sunrise comes, it gives life to all people, all sleeping people are given life. The job of the Sun is to energise all people. And that much alone is the Sun’s job. What all activities are done depends upon the type of people. The essence of all is that Sūryaḥ is ekaḥ. It activates all organs, all people. Similarly Ātmā is ekaḥ. Organs are bahūni. All of them are enlivened by Ātmā. Even though the Ātmā is - kēvala adhyakṣaḥ - only the presiding principle, because of ignorance, the activities of the Anātmā are superimposed on the adhyakṣaḥ – the presiding Ātmā.

आत्मचैतन्यमाश्रित्य देहेन्द्रियमनोधियः।
स्वकीयार्थेषु वर्तन्ते सूर्यालोकं यथा जनाः ॥२०॥

आत्मचैतन्यम् (ātmacaitanyam)Self which is of the nature of Consciousness आश्रित्य (āśritya) – depending upon देहेन्द्रियमनोधियः (dehendriyamanodhiyaḥ) – body, senses, mind and intellect स्वक्रियार्थेषु (svakriyārtheṣu) – in their respective activities वर्तन्ते (vartante) – engage सूर्यालोकं (sūryālokaṃ) – light of the sun यथा (yathā) – just as जनाः (janāḥ) – people

note (Verse 20) ātmacaitanyamāśritya dēhēndriyamanōdhiyaḥ | svakriyārthēṣu vartantē sūryālōkaṁ yathā janāḥ || If Ātmā is avyāpṛtaḥ, if it is actionless, then one may think that Ātmā has no contribution at all. One may be led to think that the prakṛti, the Anātmā is capable of doing everything by itself. And it will become Sāṅkhya philosophy. In Sāṅkhya philosophy, matter can function by itself. There, consciousness is a separate principle, matter is a separate principle and matter is capable of evolving itself into the creation. Consciousness is not at all necessary. But here in Vēdāntā we don’t agree with that. We say that even though the caitanyaṁ does not do anything, in the presence of caitanyaṁ alone and because of the blessings of caitanyaṁ alone, prakṛti or matter or the pañca kōśās will be capable of functioning. Ātmā doesn’t do anything but its sānnidhyaṁ - presence - is necessary. This is because for all activities two basic things are necessary. • First the pañca kōśās must have sattā – existence. The question of activity comes only if they are existent. • And the second thing that is necessary is that they must be cētanaṁ to do all the things. We should remember that the inert buddhi or, the inert mind cannot do that, and the inert legs cannot do that. Therefore, all vyāpārās require sat and cit. And the pañca kōśās do not have sat and cit of their own. Therefore, the Ātmā alone has to lend sat and cit to the pañca kōśās. That is why he says Ātma caitanyaṁ āśritya – depending upon the cit (and we have to add sat which he does not mention specifically). So dēha indriya manaḥ dhiyaḥ svakriyārtēṣu vartantē. They remain in their respective functions. The function is not determined by the Ātmā. The function depends upon the nature of the instrument. Electricity does not determine the function. Electricity blesses all the instruments, whether they rotate, whether they get heated or whether they light up, it all depends upon the type of the instruments i.e. fan, heater or bulb, respectively. Just because the electricity is the same, the function will not be the same. Similarly sat and cit is given to all the organs. Eyes will do their function of seeing; ears will do their function of hearing etc. Ātmā is śrōtrasya śrōtraṁ, manasō manō, yad vācō ha vācaṁ, sa u prāṇasya prāṇaḥ - Kēnōpaniṣat. It is the ear of the ear, the mind of the mind, tongue of the tongue (the speech of speech) and also life of the life. Next is the example. Yathā sūrya ālōkaṁ āśritya janāḥ svakriyārthēṣu vartantē. Sunrise is common to all. Ālōkaṁ means prakāśaṁ. If the text says sūrya lōkaṁ it is a secondary reading. Sūryālōkaṁ is a better reading. Sūryalōkaṁ means the world of Sūrya. But a better reading is Sūrya ālōkaḥ which is Sūrya prakāśaḥ. So when the Sunrise comes, it gives life to all people, all sleeping people are given life. The job of the Sun is to energise all people. And that much alone is the Sun’s job. What all activities are done depends upon the type of people. The essence of all is that Sūryaḥ is ekaḥ. It activates all organs, all people. Similarly Ātmā is ekaḥ. Organs are bahūni. All of them are enlivened by Ātmā. Even though the Ātmā is - kēvala adhyakṣaḥ - only the presiding principle, because of ignorance, the activities of the Anātmā are superimposed on the adhyakṣaḥ – the presiding Ātmā.

देहेन्द्रियगुणान्कर्माण्यमले सच्चिदात्मनि
अध्यस्यन्त्यविवेकेन गगने नीलतादिवत् ॥२१॥

देहेन्द्रियगुणान्कर्माणि (dehendriyaguṇānkarmāṇi)qualities and functions of the body and senses अमले (amale) – pure सत् चित् आत्मनि (sat cit ātmani) – on the Self of the nature of Existence-Knowledge अध्यस्यन्ति (adhyasyanti) – superimpose अविवेकेन (avivekena) – by lack of discrimination गगने (gagane) – in the sky नीलतादिवत् (nīlatādivat) – blue colour and the like

note Adhyasa of each kosa (Verse 21) dēhēndriyaguṇānkarmāṇi amalē saccidātmani | adhyasyantya vivēkēna gaganē nīlatādivat || So kōśa by kōśa he is explaining the adhyāsā. So dēha indriya stands for annamaya and prāṇamaya. Guṇān – their attributes means Sthūlatvaṁ, kṛśatvaṁ, brāhmaṇatvaṁ, puruṣatvaṁ, vṛddhatvaṁ – all belong to Sthūla śarīraṁ. Similarly prāṇamaya kōśa’s attributes are aśanāyāvān, vipāsāvān – hunger, thirst etc. And not only guṇān but karmāṇi – their functions also. What is the difference between guṇā and karmā? • Guṇā is relatively permanent. For example, Sthūlatvaṁ remains relatively permanent. • Whereas functions are anityaṁ – they are impermanent. For example talking and walking, are only for a short while, or say, for a couple of hours. Thus karmās are relatively for a short duration. But both of them are dravya āśritaṁ; they depend upon some dravyaṁ. Here it is annamaya and prāṇamaya. So dēhēndriya guṇān karmāṇi adhyasyanti ātmani. People superimpose upon Ātmā the caitanyaṁ. We know this because nobody says body is fat. Everybody says ‘I am fat’. That sentence indicates superimposition. So nobody openly superimposes but their very vyavahārā indicates the superimposition. Simillarly people say ‘I am hungry, I am thirsty’ etc. And what is the nature of Ātmā? He says saccida Ātmani – the Ātmā is sat cit svarūpaḥ. The Ātmā is not Sthūlaṁ, hrasvaṁ,kṛśaṁ,aSthūlaṁ,anāṇu,dīrghaṁ etc. But one can take another line of argument. It is agreed that Ātmā does not have these attributes by itself. But because of sanga dōṣa it could come. Like for example, if we say our cloth was very clean. But after sitting on a dirty patch in the carpet i.e because of sanga dōṣa it became dirty. He says we cannot that say that because it is amalē – amalē means it is ever pure – asanga svarūpē. So amalē means nitya śuddha svarūpaṁ. Therefore, he says ākāśavat śuddhē svacchē amalē adhyasyanti. But then why do we do that? Avivēkēna – because of avivēkaḥ, because of indiscrimination we do this superimpostition. And here also he gives dṛṣṭāntā – the example - gaganē nīlatādivat. We talk about blue skies. Factually there is no blue sky at all. The sky is nitya śuddha svarūpaṁ only – it is pure only till avivēkinaḥ, nīlatāṁ gaganē or ākāśē adhyasanti. But because of ignorance we superimpose blueness.

अज्ञानान्मानसोपाधेः कर्तृत्वादीनि चात्मनि।
कल्प्यन्तेऽम्बुगते चन्द्रे चलनादि यथाम्भसः ॥२२॥

अज्ञानात् (ajñānāt)due to ignorance मानसोपाधेः (mānasopādheḥ) – of the mind which is a upādhi कर्तृत्वादीनि (kartṛtvādīni) – agency of actions and so on च (ca) – and आत्मनि (ātmani) – on the Self कल्प्यन्ते (kalpyante) – attributed अम्बुगते (ambugate) – which is reflected in the water चन्द्रे (candre) – in the moon चलनादि (calanādi) – tremblings and so on यथा (yathā) – just as अम्भसः (ambhasaḥ) – of the water

note (Verse 22) ajñānānmānasōpādhēḥ kartṛtvādīni cātmani | kalpyantē'mbugatē candrē calanādi yathāmbhasaḥ || Next adhyāsaḥ of guṇa and karmā – the superimposition of the properties and functions of manōmaya kōśa upon Ātmā is discussed. So he says mānasa upādhēḥ kartṛtvādīni. These are kartṛtvaṁ, bhōktṛtvaṁ and various other functions. So kartṛtvādī stands for functions. And we have to add guṇāḥ – the attributes also – which are rāga dvēṣa, kāma, krōdha etc. or sankalpa vikalpa also we can add. However, Śaṅkarācārya peculiarly puts rāga dvēṣa in vijñānamaya kōśaḥ. So we will reserve that for that ślōkā. Here we will take sankalpa vikalpa. This is an abnormality seen in Ātmā bōdhāḥ. Normally we would put rāga dvēṣa in manōmaya kōśaḥ and kartṛtvādī we would put in vijñānamaya kōśaḥ. But here it is reversed. We don’t know the reason. So kartṛtvādīni ātmani kalpyantē. They are all superimposed upon the Ātmā. And here also he gives an example. Like ambugatē candrē calanādi kalpyantē. Ambu means water; Calanaṁ means movement. The moon is there up in the sky and that moon is reflected in the water. The water is flowing or moving – calanādi but it appears in the reflection that the moon is moving. So the calanādi karmā belongs to water – and that calanādi karmā is superimposed upon the candraḥ the moon which does not have any movement. Just as the movement of the water is superimposed on the motionless moon, similarly the movements of the Anātmā are superimposed on the Ātmā. And what is the cause for the superimposition? Here also Ātmā pratibimbaṁ is there and therefore confusion comes.

रागेच्छासुखदुःखादि बुद्धौ सत्यां प्रवर्तते
सुषुप्तौ नास्ति तन्नाशे तस्माद्बुद्धेस्तु नात्मनः ॥२३॥

रागेच्छासुखदुःखादि (rāgecchāsukhaduḥkhādi)attachment, desire, pleasure, pain and so on बुद्धौ सत्यां (buddhau satyāṃ) – when mind or intellect functions प्रवर्तते (pravartate) – are perceived सुषुप्तौै (suṣuptauai) – in deep sleep न (na) – not अस्ति (asti) – is तत् नाशे (tat nāśe) – upon its destruction तस्मात् (tasmāt) – therefore बुद्धेः (buddheḥ) – of the mind तु (tu) – only न (na) – not आत्मनः (ātmanaḥ) – of the Ᾱtman

note (Verse 23) rāgēcchāsukhaduḥkhādi buddhau satyāṁ pravartatē | suṣuptau nāsti tannāśē tasmād buddhēstu nātmanaḥ || As I said earlier, rāga dvēṣa etc. are supposed to be manōmaya dharmās but here the Ācārya takes the rāga dvēṣas as buddhi dharmās or vijñānamaya dharmās. And these attributes are also superimposed upon the Ātmā. Rāgā means attachment; icchā or kāmā or desire. The difference between rāgā and icchā is that rāgā is attachment to thing which is already ours –prāpta viṣayē rāgaḥ, whereas icchā is a desire for a thing not yet acquired by us i.e. aprāpta viṣayē icchā or kāmaḥ.. Similarly sukhaṁ means pleasure. Duḥkhaṁ means pain. Here we should carefully note that the Ācārya gives sukhaṁ as the Anātmā karmā which is superimposed upon Ātmā. Rāgā does not belong to Ātmā and therefore, it is superimposed. Icchā does not belong to Ātmā and therefore, it is superimposed. Duḥkhaṁ does not belong to Ātmā and therefore, it is superimposed. All these are clear. But if we say sukhaṁ is superimposed on Ātmā, what would that mean? Ātmā doesn’t have sukhaṁ, whereas we say Ātmā is ānanda svarūpaḥ. So, therefore, we should understand that the sukhaṁ that is talked about here is the Janya sukhaṁ or vṛtti sukhaṁ. Janya sukhaṁ means the sukhaṁ which comes and goes, which is dependent on priya vṛtti, mōda vṛtti, and pramōda vṛtti. So, therefore, these three sukhaṁs belong to Anātmā and this Janya sukhaṁ we see superimposed on the Ātmā. “I was happy yesterday but I am not happy today”. The happiness that ‘I’ enjoyed was temporary happiness and that temporary happiness belonged to manas and not the Ātmā. Now Ācārya is answering a question of a naiyyāyikā – a nyāyā philosopher. And according to nyāyā philosophy, rāga, icchā, sukhaṁ, duḥkhaṁ etc. are Ātmā dharmāḥ, the properties of Ātmā and he says Ātmā is saguṇaḥ, dravyaṁ etc. In this ślōkā Śaṅkarācārya refutes the nyāyā philosopher by Anvaya vyatirēkā method. And what is that method? When buddhi is wakeful in jāgrata svapna avasthā– then rāga, icchā sukhaṁ, duḥkhaṁ etc. are there. buddhau satyāṁ rāgadvēśādayaḥ vartantē. This is what is called anvayaḥ. Whereas in suṣuptau when the buddhi is resolved, we find rāga, dvēśā etc. are not there. So both rāga and dvēśā are possible only when he is awake i.e when buddhi is awake. Buddhau satyāṁ rāga dvēśaḥ; buddhau asatyāṁ rāga dvēśaḥ na. The first one is called anvayaḥ. The second one is called vyatirēkā. And from this what do we know? Rāga dvēśa belong to buddhi alone. When buddhi is, rāga dvēśa is. When buddhi is not, rāga dvēśa is not. So, buddhi alone is the cause of rāga dvēśa. Even though they do not belong to me, what does everybody say, “I am rāgi, I am dvēśi etc.” Ātmā doesn’t have rāga dvēśa but still they say ahaṁ rāgi etc. This, therefore, can happen only in one method and that is adhyāsēna ēva rāgadvēśādayaḥ āgacchanti svarūpataḥ abhāvāt adhyāsēna āgatāḥ iti niścitaṁ. Always mukta

प्रकाशोऽर्कस्य तोयस्य शैत्यमग्नेर्यथोष्णता
स्वभावः सच्चिदानन्दनित्यनिर्मलतात्मनः ॥२४॥

प्रकाशः (prakāśaḥ)luminosity अर्कस्य (arkasya) – of the sun तोयस्य (toyasya) – for water शैत्यम् (śaityam) – coolness अग्नेः (agneḥ) – for fire यथा (yathā) – just as उष्णता (uṣṇatā) – heat स्वभावः (svabhāvaḥ) – nature सच्चिदानन्दनित्यनिर्मलतात्मनः (saccidānandanityanirmalatātmanaḥ) – Existence-Consciousness-Bliss, Eternity, Purity of the Ᾱtman

note (Verse 24) prakāśō'rkasya tōyasya śaityamagnēryathōṣṇatā | svabhāvaḥ saccidānanda – nityanirmālātātmanaḥ || Here Śaṅkarācārya says that before the adhyāsaḥ, Ātmā is śuddhaṁ. After the adhyāsaḥ is over Ātmā is śuddhaṁ. During the adhyāsaḥ also Ātmā is śuddhaṁ only. Taking the rajju sarpaḥ example, before superimposition there was rope. After superimposition is negated there is rope alone. But during superimposition, what is there? Our tendency will be to say snake. But Vedāntā says sarpa darśana kālē api tatra rajjuḥ ēva. Similarly it is not that ajñāna kālē ahaṁ baddhaḥ, jñānāntaraṁ ahaṁ muktāḥ. Ajñāna kālē api Ātmā muktāḥ ēva. So, even at the time of saṁsārā, he is muktāḥ only. Ātmanaḥ svabhāvaḥ saccidānanda nitya nirmālātā. The svabhāvaḥ of the Ātmā, of both jñānī and ajñānī, is śuddhaḥ. We can understand sat, cit, ānanda and nirmālātā. We have to add nitya to all. Nitya sat, nitya cit, nitya ānandaḥ, nitya nirmālāḥ. That which is not given up is called svabhāvaḥ. Whatever is temporary in nature cannot be called svabhāvaḥ. Saccidānanda is not temporary and that is why he uses the word svabhāvaḥ. Now to illustrate the point he gives an example. Arkasya prakāśaḥ – just as prakāśaḥ, that is light, is the very nature of Sūryaḥ – Arkaḥ means Sūryaḥ. Tōyasya śaityaṁ – the svabhāvaḥ of water is coolness; then agnēḥ uṣṇatā –heat of the agni; all these are svabhāvaḥ – it is never absent in them. Similarly śuddhi is there always in the Ātmā. Then why do we talk about purification? Why do the scritptures say do karmāyoga and purify your self? Whose purification are we talking about? We don’t say Ātmā śuddhi. We say only antaḥkāraṇa śuddhi. But then in the 5th chapter of the Gītā, it is said Ātmā viśuddhayē? We need to understand that here the reference to Ātmā is to antaḥkāraṇam. There is no question of purifying the Ātmā. There is only purifying of the mind. Why should mind be purified? - To know that “I am śuddhā”. To be pure we don’t need any sādhana. But to know that we are pure, we require sādhana. Therefore, sādhana is for knowledge. Sādhana is not for the sake of becoming muktāḥ.

आत्मनः सच्चिदंशश्च बुद्धेर्वृत्तिरिति द्वयम्
संयोज्य चाविवेकेन जानामीति प्रवर्तते ॥२५॥

आत्मनः (ātmanaḥ)of the Self सच्चिदंशः (saccidaṃśaḥ) – the Existence-Consciousness aspect च (ca) – and बुद्धेः (buddheḥ) – of the intellect वृत्तिः (vṛttiḥ) – the thought wave इति (iti) – thus द्वयम् (dvayam) – the two संयोज्य (saṃyojya) – blending च (ca) – and अविवेकेन (avivekena) – through indiscrimination जानामि (jānāmi) – I know इति (iti) – thus प्रवर्तते (pravartate) – functions

note How is Atma changeless? (Verse 25) ātmanaḥ saccidaṁśaśca buddhērvṛttiriti dvayam | saṁyōjya cāvivēkēna jānāmīti pravartatē || So now the question comes, how do you say Ātmā is nityaḥ, sadrūpaḥ, nirmālā rūpaḥetc? Satyaḥ means changeless. How do you say Ātmā is changeless? Ātmā seems to be changing all the time, because every time a person says jānāmi meaning “I know” something, the very knowledge is some kind of activity. • Knowing requires a vikāraḥ. Jñānaṁ is a kriyā. Because jānāmi is a verb that is born out of ‘jña’ dhātu and every verb indicates an action. And action must always belong to the subject of the sentence. • When you say ahaṁ gacchāmi, gacchāmi is a verb which indicates gamana kriyā. • And kriyā cannot independently exist. It always requires an āśraya. And what is the āśraya, the support for the kriyā? It is ahaṁ iti kartā. So kartā, the subject of the sentence, is always the āśrayaṁ for the kriyā. So grammatically speaking the subject of a sentence is the locus of the action indicated by the verb of the sentence. And according to grammer rules, whenever a kriyā (action) takes place, it always brings out a change in its locus. So, if Rāmā does some action, Rāmā cannot be same. He will have to undergo changes. He gets tired. He moves from one place to another. There is gasping. All these changes are happening in Rāmā because Rāmā is the locus of the action. Kriyā always brings out a vikārā in its āśrayā. So, when we say ahaṁ jānāmi, jānāmi is a kriya – a jñāna kriyā and this jñānakriyāyāḥ āśrayaḥ, kartāḥ kaḥ? Ahaṁ. And who is ahaṁ? Ātmā. And therefore, Ātmā must undergo some change. Otherwise jñānakriyāyāḥ āśrayaḥ na bhavati. This is the pūrva pakṣaḥ. Śaṅkarācārya says that jñānakriyā is also a superimposition. Ātmā does not have jñāna kriyā, Ātmā is jñāna svarūpaḥ. Then how do you say ahaṁ jānāmi? How do you say “I know?” Śaṅkarācārya says the kriyā is taking place in the mind. In the word jānāmi, the ‘mi’ i.e. the termination represents kriyā – lat. • When you say jānāmi, the actual kriyā is taking place in the mind and that kriyā is nothing but vṛtti vikāraḥ. So the kriyā or the action is nothing but the thought that is taking place in the mind. • And what is happening in Ātmā? Nothing is happening. Ātmā is jñāna svarūpaḥ. And in the mind which is undergoing modificiation, caitanyaṁ is not there. But what happens? The caitanyaṁ of the Ātmā or the Ātmā caitanyaṁ is reflected in the vṛtti vikāraḥ. Vrtti vikāraḥ means the thought modification of the mind. • And therefore, what do I do? The caitanyaṁ is transferred to the mind – the modification. And the modification is transferred to the Ātmā. • Thus joining the manō vikāraḥ and Ātmā caitanyaṁ we make a statement “ahaṁ jānāmi”. Therefore, he says Ātmanaḥ saccidaṁśaśca – Ātmā has got sat aṁśaṁ and cit aṁśaṁ and buddhi has got vṛttiḥ – buddhi has got the modification, ghaṭākāra vṛtti, paṭākāra vṛtti, vṛkṣākāra vṛtti etc. and these modifications belong to the mind. (GHV: How does Vrtti begin in buddhi, an acetana vastu?!). Then what happens is that the moment the vṛtti comes, the caitanyaṁ pervades the vṛtti, and because of the caitanyaṁ, the vṛtti gets sat and cit. This sat and cit which the vṛtti gets is borrowed from the Ātmā alone and the vikāraṁ is borrowed from vṛtti. Therefore, vṛtti gives vikāraṁ and Ātmā gives sat and cit. So joining both - ātmanaḥ saccidaṁśaśca buddhērvṛttiriti dvayam saṁyōjya – so confusing them together, an ignorant person says jānāmi iti pravartatē. What is the cause? He says avivēkēna– because of confusion. Then what will jñānī say? A jñānī will never say “ahaṁ jānāmi”. He will say “ahaṁ jñāna svarūpaḥ asmi” and “I am the sākṣī of those vṛttis and I am not subject to change at all”. Śaṅkarācārya does not give an example in the ślōkā and so it is a unique ślōkā. But normally the example quoted is aya agni piṇḍaḥ – the red hot iron ball. Normally we use the expression the iron ball burns. Really speaking the iron ball does not burn. Fire is pervading the iron ball. The fire is the one which is burning. So we take the burning nature from the fire and we take the iron ball and combining both of them, we say iron ball burns. It is a wrong statement. Pure bulb cannot illumine. Pure electricity cannot illumine. Then what illumines. Is there a third entity which illumines? There is no third entity also. So, there is a peculiar mixture, the electricity and the bulb together alone do the job of illumining. Similarly Ātmā cannot know because of nirvikāratvāt. Buddhi cannot know because of acētanatvāt. Ātmanaḥ saccidaṁśaśca buddhērvṛttiriti dvayaṁ. So the answer is cidābhāsa viśiṣṭa antaḥkaraṇaṁ jānāti, na tu ātmā, na antaḥkaraṇaṁ. That is why it is said sābhāsa antaḥkaraṇaṁ -- ābhāsēna saḥ vartatē iti sābhāsaḥ. So what does this mean? The moment one says jānāmī, it means the confusion has started. So when a person says “I know”, generally everybody thinks he is a wise man. But in Vēdāntā alone, if you say “I know”, it means you don’t know because to say “I know”, adhyāsaṁ is necessary, ahankārā is necessary. This sābhāsa antahkāraṇam is what we refer to as ahankāraḥ. ahaṁ na jānāti, buddhiḥ na jānāti. Ahaṁ buddhi miśraṁ known as ahaṅkāraḥ jānāti.

आत्मनो विक्रिया नास्ति बुद्धेर्बोधो न जात्विति
जीवः सर्वमलं ज्ञात्वा ज्ञाता द्रष्टेति मुह्यति ॥२६॥

आत्मनः (ātmanaḥ)of the Self विक्रिया (vikriyā) – action न (na) – not अस्ति (asti) – is बुद्धेः (buddheḥ) – for the intellect बोधः (bodhaḥ) – capacity to experience न (na) – not जातु (jātu) – at all इति (iti) – thus जीवः (jīvaḥ) – the individuality सर्वमलं (sarvamalaṃ) – everything ज्ञात्वा (jñātvā) – knowing ज्ञाता (jñātā) – the knower द्रष्टा (draṣṭā) – the seer इति (iti) – thus मुह्यति (muhyati) – deludes

note Who am I really? (Verse 26) ātmānō vikriyā nāsti buddhērbōdhō na jātviti | jīvaḥ sarvamālāṁ jñātvā jñātā draṣṭēti muhyati || Next he says that neither the Ātmā is a knower, nor the Anātmā is a knower. Ātmā cannot be a knower because if Ātmā has to be a knower, it has to do the kriyā of knowing. If Ātmā is a knower it will mean Ātmā has knowing action, it will mean Ātmā is the locus of an action, it will mean Ātmā is savikārī. And since Ātmā is nirvikārī, Ātmā cannot be a knower. He says Ātmānaḥ vikriyā nāsti – Ātmā does not have any modification. Therefore, Ātmā cannot be a jñātā. (In these places only the grammer based discussion will be useful). Then why can’t we say buddhiḥ jñātā bhavati? That is also not possible -- buddhēḥ bōdhaḥ na jātu api. Jātu means kadācit – kadācit api – means at any time. Buddhi does not have caitanyaṁ at any time. Bōdhaḥ here means caitanyaṁ or cit. Buddhiḥ cannot know. So consciousness cannot know because it is changeless. Matter cannot know because it is inert. And still everyone says “I know”. That is called aghatita ghaṭanā paṭīyasi māyā (making the impossible possible). That is why he says, jīvaḥ sarvaṁ alaṁ jñātvā. This jīvaḥ, not knowing all these, i.e. Ātmanaḥ avikriyatvaṁ, buddhēḥ jaḍatvaṁ ca ajñātvā, jñātā draṣṭā iti muhyati. Jīva adds all kinds of ‘tṛ’ pratyayās. He says ahaṁ jñātā (hence jnatr), ahaṁ manta (thinker), ahaṁ kartā, ahaṁ bhōktā etc. Iti muhyati – thus he is deluded. And at that time only he gets viśva, taijasa, prājña etc. antaḥ prajñaḥ, bahiḥ prajñaḥ, ghana prajñaḥ – all these are jñātṛtvaṁ only. Then who am I? Na antaprajñaṁ, na bahiprajñaṁ, caitanya svarūpaṁ ēva.

रज्जुसर्पवदात्मानं जीवं ज्ञात्वा भयं वहेत्
नाहं जीवः परात्मेति ज्ञातं चेन्निर्भयो भवेत् ॥२७॥

रज्जुसर्पवत् (rajjusarpavat)like a serpent in a rope आत्मानं (ātmānaṃ) – oneself जीवं (jīvaṃ) – as the ego ज्ञात्वा (jñātvā) – considering भयं (bhayaṃ) – fear वहेत् (vahet) – is overcome by न (na) – not अहं (ahaṃ) – I जीवः (jīvaḥ) – the individuality or the ego परात्मा (parātmā) – the supreme Self इति (iti) – thus ज्ञातः (jñātaḥ) – having understood चेत् (cet) – if निर्भयः (nirbhayaḥ) – fearless भवेत् (bhavet) – becomes

note (Verse 27) rajjusarpavadātmānaṁ jīvaṁ jñātvā bhayaṁ vahēt | nāhaṁ jīvaḥ parātmēti jñātaśacēnnirbhayō bhavēt || The original nature of Ātmā is that it is not a jñātā and therefore not a kartā and therefore not a bhoktā – no ‘ta’ should come. jñāna svarūpaḥ ahaṁ. jñāna svarūpē mayi jñātṛtvaṁ adhyārōpitaṁ tasmādēva saṁsāraḥ bhayaṁ. So jñāna svarūpē jñātṛtva adhyārōpaṇaṁ ēva saṁsāraḥ. Because when I am jñāna svarūpaḥ, I am paraṁ Ātmā. But when I am jñātṛ svarūpaḥ, I am jīva Ātmā. I have straightway descended from the higher pedestal of being a paraṁ Ātmā to a lower pedestal of being a jīva Ātmā – all because of one wrong pratyayaṁ (suffix) – instead of jñānaṁ I use jñātā. That is all. Śaṅkarācārya says now bhayaṁ vahēt – the moment you become jñātā there will be bhayaṁ because the moment the jñātā comes, the other two will come – triputi – jñātā, jñānaṁ, jñēyaṁ; pramātā, pramāṇaṁ, pramēyaṁ; kartā, kāraṇam and kāryaṁ. That means as jñāna svarūpaḥ ahaṁ advaitāḥ; as jñātṛ svarūpah I have come down to dvaitaṁ. And once I have come down to dvaitaṁ, • first of all limitations will come, paricchinnatvaṁ will come, because the jñātā is limited by jñānaṁ and jñēyaṁ. This is the fundamental problem. And not only limitation will come in the jñēyaṁ; rāga and dvēṣā, hēyaṁ and upādēyaṁwill also come. These are to be procured, these are to be rejected – the list will come. • And once the list has been made with respect to upādēya vastu, that is, what all is to be procured, pravṛtti or pursuits will begin and with respect hēya vastu – that is, which all are to be rejected – nivṛtti will begin – pravṛtti nivṛtti cha. • And once pravṛtti and nivṛtti start, puṇya pāpaṁ will automatically start. • And when puṇya pāpaṁ comes, it will automatically be followed by sañcitaṁ, āgāmi,and prārabdhaṁ and thereafterwards punarapi jananaṁ punarapi maraṇaṁ. That is what is called bhayaṁ – saṁsārā bhayaṁ bhavēt. And therefore what is our job? The whole process has to be reversed: Ahaṁ jñātā na asmi. Jīvaḥ na asmi. Param Ātmā jñāna svarūpaḥ asmi. That is what he says. Na ahaṁ jīvaḥ that is na ahaṁ jñātā. Then” who am I?” Parātmēti – paraḥ Ātmā or paramaḥ Ātmā – iti jñātascēt. If “I know myself as myself; as paramātmā” then Nirbhayaḥ bhavēt. na bibhēti kutaścanēti – abhayaṁ pratiṣṭā̃ vindatē. Like what? He cites the well known dṛṣṭāntaḥ - Rajju sarpavat –rajjuṁ, rajjutvēna jānāti cēt nirbhayaḥ, rajjuṁ sarpatvēna jānāti cēt sabhayaḥ. If rope is known as snake there is bhayaṁ, if rope is known as rope there is nirbhayaṁ. Similarly I need not acquire any thing new. I have to know myself as myself. Then I am nirbhayaḥ. Knowing me as a jñātā – jānāti icchati yadatē bhuṅktē ca. This is the series of saṁsārā. Who, then, comes to know the Atma?

आत्मावभासयत्येको बुद्ध्यादीनीन्द्रियाण्यपि
दीपो घटादिवत्स्वात्मा जडैस्तैर्नावभास्यते ॥२८॥

आत्मा (ātmā)the Self अवभासयति (avabhāsayati) – illumines एकः (ekaḥ) – single बुद्ध्यादीनि (buddhyādīni) – intellect and so on इन्द्रियाणि (indriyāṇi) – sense organs अपि (api) – also दीपः (dīpaḥ) – lamp घटादिवत् (ghaṭādivat) – like the pots and so on स्वात्मा (svātmā) – itself जडैः (jaḍaiḥ) – inert तैः (taiḥ) – by themselves न (na) – not अवभास्यते (avabhāsyate) – illumined

note (Verse 28) ātmāvabhāsayatyēkō buddhyādīnīndriyāṇyapi | dīpō ghaṭādivatsvātmā jaḍaistairnāvabhāsyatē || Now the question comes, if I negate all the pañca kōśās as Anātmā, who is there to know the Ātmā or myself as the paramātmā because all knowledge is gained by the instruments and all instruments belong to the kōśās. Jñānēndriyaṁ belongs to the manōmaya and vijñānamaya kōśā, the mind belongs to manōmaya kōśā, buddhi belongs to vijñānamaya kōśā. If kōśās are negated, sense organs are gone, mind is gone, intellect gone, and then who will know the left out Ātmā? But Śaṅkarācārya says you negate all of them and know yourself at paramātmā. Once they are negated, who will illumine the Ātmā is the question? For that the answer is given. None of the kōśās are necessary to illumine the Ātmā. And none of the kōśās can illumine the Ātmā also because every kōśā is jaḍaṁ. If the three śarīraṁs are jaḍaṁs, the pañca kōśās are also jaḍaṁ. They cannot illumine. Then the question comes, if you say they cannot illumine because they are jaḍaṁ, how is that we are knowing every object in the world with the help of mind, sense organs etc? If the sense organs are jaḍaṁ, sense organs should not be able to see śabda sparṣādi. But our personal experience is that the mind and sense organs illumine the world. For that the answer is that if mind and sense organs are illumining the world, it is not because they are cētanaṁ, it is only because the mind and sense organs have borrowed caitanyaṁ from the Ātmā and taking the borrowed illumination they are illumining the external world. Now the next question is that with the borrowed illumination, let them illumine the external world, but with that borrowed illumination can they illumine the Ātmā itself? But where did they borrow – from the Ātmā. It is just like I am asking you to lend me 100 rupees. And then I offer you a loan of Rs. 10! Is that possible! I can borrow money from you and loan to someone else. So three things are there - Ātmā, pramāṇaṁ and pramēyaṁ. Pramāṇaṁ borrows prakāśaṁ from the Ātmā. With the borrowed prakāśaṁ, pramāṇaṁ is illumining the pramēyaṁ but the pramāṇaṁ itself cannot illumine the Ātmā because Ātmā is the original illumination. The best example is that we imagine there is a mirror. In the mirror there is a reflected sunlight and because of that the mirror has become a dīpaḥ –a lamp. Mirror by itself cannot become dīpaḥ but because of the borrowed sunlight it has become a mini dīpaḥ. Sūryaḥ is the original maxi dīpaḥ.. And with that reflected sunlight, suppose it is illumining this hall or a room. That is fine because the mirror can illumine the room as the room happens to be darker. But suppose that same reflected light tries to illumine the Sūrya itself, how foolish it would be! Similarly buddhi īndriyāṇi themselves borrow illumination from the Ātmā. They cannot lend illumination to the Ātmā and therefore, Ātmā is not known by any one of them. If Ātmā is not illumined by all the pañca kōśās then who illumines? Nobody illumines. If nobody illumines how can Ātmā shine? See we have got a fixation. We feel that a thing can shine only if it is illumined by something. But Ātmā is not illumined by anyone at the same time Ātmā shines. This is because Ātmā is svayaṁ prakāśaḥ. Therefore he says, Ātmā ēkaḥ, buddhyādīni indriyāṇi avabhāsyati. So ēkaḥ Ātmā, this one non-dual Ātmā, avabhāsyati – illumines; buddhyādīni – all the four antaḥkāraṇam, i.e. buddhi, manas, cittaṁ and ahankāraṇāni; and not only that indriyāṇyapi – also the bāhya kāraṇāni – the external organs. So the illuimined objects are many, the illuminator is one. kṣētraṁ kṣētrī tathā kṛtsnaṁ prakāśayati bhārata. says Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Gītā. As one Sun illumines this entire universe, so the one Ātmā illumines the whole kṣētra i.e field or in this context the entire universe. Or kṣētrajñaḥ is ēkaḥ, kṣētraṁ is anēkaṁ. And what is the rule? The illuminator is never illumined by the illumined. The illumined objects are ever illumined objects and they can never become illuminators. And illuminator can ever be only illuminator, it can never become illumined. Seer is ever seer, seen is ever seen. Seen cannot become seer and seer cannot become seen. Therefore, “I am ever the subject”. Organs are ever the objects. Object cannot become subject and subject cannot become object. But then how to know ‘me’? That question itself is wrong because ‘I’ am all the time known as ahaṁ ahaṁ iti. Self knowledge is never an event. We have to note this point very carefully. Pot knowledge is an event, because pot was not known before. After operating the sense organs, pot becomes known. So there is an unknown condition and after sometime a known condition comes. The transfer from unknown condition to known condition is called the knowing event but Ātmā is never an unknown condition because all the time Ātmā is available as ahaṁ, ahaṁ, ahaṁ caitanyaṁ. We may add some attributes to it i.e. Anātmā dharmā we may add but at that time also whether Ātmā is known or not? When we say “I am fat”, that “I am” refers to what? It refers to the Ātmā. So therefore, when one says “I am”, the Ātmā is shining. And because of the Ātmā caitanyaṁ, śarīraṁ is also shining. So two things are shining: ‘I’ the Ātmā shining self effulgently and sarīraṁ shining with borrowed light. And body is different from Ātmā. So every time we know two things: • The first is ‘I’ the self effulgent one and • second is the śarīraṁ with the borrowed light. When we see the fatness, we should say “I am the body which is fat”. But we have no patience. We remove “the body which is” and say “I am fat”. Therefore ‘I’ am the self effulgent ‘I’ and fat is the object of my knowledge. ‘I’ am not an object. ‘I’ am the self effulgent subject and body is the object. We are correct when we say ‘I’ am but we wrongly add body to this. So the self need not be known because even now when we say ‘I am’, we know we mean the self only. Then instead of adding the fat to the self, we should give it to the body. Then what will be left is self only. So when we say ‘I am’ is it a new knowledge? No. Previously also we said ‘I am’. Now also we say ‘I am’. So the difference between the previous condition and the new condition is not a new knowledge but only elimination of the superimposition of some attributes. Therefore, ‘I’ was known before, ‘I am’ known now and ’I’ will be known later because self effulgent ‘I’ can never become unknown. Na kaścit nāhaṁ asmīti pratyēti says Śaṅkarācārya in Adhyāsa bhāṣyaṁ. Nobody says “I don’t know myself”. And therefore, there is no event called self knowledge. If this is not known, we will try to sit in meditation, we will try for nirvikalpaka samādhi and we will wait for that flashy event in which the self will come in front of us, give darśanaṁ for two minutes. We can put some kuṁkuṁ or some such thing and come away. So remember self knowledge is not an event –pratibōdha viditaṁ mataṁ. Every time we say ‘I’, we refer to the self only. And is this jīvātmā or paramātmā? It is paramātmā only. Who makes it jīvātmā? When we say ‘I am fat’, we make it jīvātmā. In our mind we are making it jīvātmā and even at that time ‘I am paramātmā’ only. Therefore Ātmā avabhāsayati buddhyādīnī indriyāṇi. And taiḥ jaḍaiḥ ātmā na avabhāsyatē. Ātmā is not illuimined by those inert kōśās. So, Ātmā avabhāsayati; Ātmā na avabhāsyatē. Ātmā is the illuminator. Ātmā is never the illumined. So jaḍaiḥ taiḥ na avabhāsyatē. This is the definition of svayaṁ prakāśatvaṁ. The illuminator of all, that which is never illumined by any, is called self effulgent. Now what is the example? The example is dīpaḥ. So any dīpaḥ, light is the example - Dīpaḥ ghaṭādivat. The light illumines the pot and light is never illumined by the pot. Light is the illuminator and pot is illumined. This can never be interchanged. Always subject and object cannot be interchanged. But someone may raise a question. Suppose I am seeing you, who am I? No doubt, I am the subject. And what are you? The object. Now when I am seeing you, at the same time you are also seeing me. Now what are you? The subject. And who am I? The object. So subject and object are getting interchanged! So how can the scriptures say that the subject and object cannot be interchanged? This is where the problem lies. We should remember that when I say “I am seeing you; I am the caitanyaṁ and not the body seeing you”. So “I am the caitanyaṁ seeing your body through my body”. ‘I’ can never see your caitanyaṁ. So now caitanyaṁ is the subject and body is the object. And when you are seeing me, who are you? – The caitanyaṁ and I am the body. So you the caitanyaṁ are the subject and I, the body is the object. Therefore, always remember that caitanyaṁ alone is the subject and body or matter alone can be object. It can never be interchanged at any time. dṛgēva na tu dṛśyatē. So dīpaḥ ghaṭādivat svātmā jaḍaiḥ na avabhāsyatē.How is Ātmā known?

स्वबोधे नान्यबोधेच्छा बोधरूपतयात्मनः
न दीपस्यान्यदीपेच्छा यथा स्वात्मप्रकाशने ॥२९॥

स्वबोधे (svabodhe)with reference to Self-knowledge न (na) – not अन्यबोधेच्छा (anyabodhecchā) – need for other knowledge बोधरूपतया (bodharūpatayā) – because Its form is Knowledge itself आत्मनः (ātmanaḥ) – one’s own न (na) – not दीपस्य (dīpasya) – for a lamp अन्यदीपेच्छा (anyadīpecchā) – need for another lamp यथा (yathā) – just as स्वात्मप्रकाशने (svātmaprakāśane) – to illumine itself

note (Verse 29) svabōdhō nānyabōdhēcchā bōdharūpatayātmanaḥ | na dīpasyānyadīpēcchā yathā svātmaprakāśanē || That answer the Ācārya is giving in this ślōkā. So if Ātmā is not illumined by anyone, then how is Ātmā known? For that he answers svabōdhē Anya bōdha icchā nāsti. In gaining the knowledge of oneself, sva here refers to Ātmā; svabōdhē means Ātmā bodhē –Ātmā viṣaya bodhē. Anya bōdha icchā nāsti – another bōdha or vṛtti jñānaṁ is not necessary. For ghaṭa knowledge ghaṭa vṛtti jñānaṁ is necessary. For paṭa knowledge paṭa vṛtti jñānaṁ is necessary. In fact every object in the world is known by a corresponding vṛtti jñānaṁ. That vṛtti jñānaṁ is referred to here as bōdhaḥ. So Anya bōdhaḥ means any particular vṛtti jñānaṁ. Why? Because, in the vṛtti jñānaṁ the very caitanyaṁ comes from the Ātmā only. For pot, vṛtti jñānaṁ is necessary because pot is jaḍaṁ. And therefore, the vṛtti jñānaṁ must come and the vṛtti jñānaṁ must be illumined from outside. Vṛtti jñānaṁ is not necessary for Ātmā because Ātmā is svarūpa jñānaṁ and therefore it need not borrow light from vṛtti jñānaṁ. Whereas ghaṭāḥ is tamō rūpaḥ, jaḍa rūpaḥ, ajñāna rūpaḥ and therefore vṛtti jñānaṁ is necessary. So for illumining the Ātmā vṛtti jñāna icchā nāsti. Here icchā means requirement or necessity and not desire. So vṛtti jñānaṁ is not necessary to illumine oneself. Why? Ātmānah bōdha rūtpatayā - because Ātmā itself happens to be svarūpa caitanyaṁ, svarūpa jñānaṁ. So reflected consciousness is not necessary to illumine the orginal consciousness. Reflected sunlight is not necessary to illumine the orginal sunlight. Cidābhāsa is not necessary to illumine cit. And an example is given. Na dīpasya anya dīpā icchā asti. The light illumines every object in the room but how to do you know light is there in the room? No object can illumine the light because they themselves do not have any light of their own. No other illuminator is necessary for the light. So another light is not necessary to illumine one light. If you say another light is necessary what will happen? It will lead to anavasthā dōṣaḥ. That light will have to be illumined by another light which will have to be illumined by another light and this will go on. There will be endless regress and this is called infinite regress which is a dōṣaḥ. In Sanskrit this is called anavasthā dōṣaḥ. So the dīpaṁ or a lighted lamp, in order to reveal itself does not need another dīpaṁ or lighted lamp. Ātmā jñānaṁ doesn’t require vṛtti jñānaṁ. What, then, is role of Vrtti jnana?In the beginning we said for Ātmā bōdhaḥ, we need vṛtti jñānaṁ and so we need the mind and the intellect etc. and now we are saying that vṛtti jñānaṁ is not necessary. How will we resolve the contradiction? Vṛtti jñānaṁ is not required to illumine the Ātmā. But vṛtti jñānaṁ is required to remove ignorance. ajñāna nivṛtyarthaṁ. That there is no other entity called Brahman. It is this svayaṁ prakāśaa Ātmā alone is Brahman. Thus ātmānah brahmatva viṣaya ajñāna nivṛtyarthaṁ vṛtti jñānaṁ. Let us take an example. Suppose the Sun is there. And we are able to see the Sun clearly. But we don’t know that this is the Sun. Now the experience of the Sun is not lacking in us because we are seeing the Sun. But what is lacking is the knowledge that this is the Sun. Therefore, that ignorance alone is the problem. So what we have to do is to gain the knowledge that this particular luminous body which we are experiencing all the time is the Sun. So the moment someone says this is the Sun, it is enough. Thereafterwards, we don’t require the Sun experience as an event because Sun experience has always been there. Similarly, Ātmā is always anubhūta viṣayaṁ, Ātmā anubhūti is not required, sa nityōpalabdha svarūpōham Ātmā. But it is this Ātmā that is Brahman is not known. Therefore, first the introduction is done that the Brahman you are looking for is this self- effulgent Ātmā. For this we require vṛtti jñānaṁ. So vṛtti jñānaṁ doesn’t illumine the Ātmā. Ahaṁ Brahmāsmi is not for illumining Brahman because it is all the time illumined. But ahaṁ Brahmāsmi removes the ignorance. So now tell me whether vṛtti jñānaṁ is necessary or not? It is necessary for ajñāna nivṛtti but it is not necessary for Ātmā prakāśanē. And therefore, mind is necessary, pramāṇaṁ is necessary, guru is necessary; sādhana catuṣṭaya sampatti is necessary, sarvaṁ ajñāna nivṛtyarthaṁ, kiñcidapi na Ātmā prakāśanārthaṁ. Ātmā prakāśaṁ sarvada vartate.

निषिध्य निखिलोपाधीन्नेति नेतीति वाक्यतः
विद्यादैक्यं महावाक्यैर्जीवात्मपरमात्मनोः ॥३०॥

निषिध्य (niṣidhya)after negating निखिलोपाधीन् (nikhilopādhīn) – all conditionings न इति (na iti) – as not this न इति (na iti) – as not this इति (iti) – thus वाक्यतः (vākyataḥ) – from the scriptural statements (commandments) विद्यात् (vidyāt) – know ऐक्यं (aikyaṃ) – oneness महावाक्यैः (mahāvākyaiḥ) – by the great mahāvākyas जीवात्मपरमात्मनः (jīvātmaparamātmanaḥ) – of the individual soul and the supreme soul

note Jīva Brahma Aikyaṁ Śravaṇaṁ, Mananaṁ, Nidhidhyāsanaṁ Second phase of enquiry – tat pada vicara (Verse 30) niṣidhya nikhilōpādhīn nēti nētīti vākyataḥ | vidhyādaikyaṁ mahāvākyaiḥ jīvātmaparamātmanōḥ || So from the 16th ślōkā onwards, upto the last ślōkā i.e. the 29th ślōkā, Ātmā Anātmā vivēkaṁ was the topic. This alone we technically call as tvaṁ pada vicāraḥ - analysis of twaṁ in the tattvamasi mahāvākyaṁ. Sthūla, sūkṣma kāraṇa śarīraṁs are Anātmā. These Anātmās are saguṇaṁ. ‘I’ am nirguṇaṁ. Anātmās are savikāraṁ. ‘I’ am nirvikāraḥ. Anātmās are savikalpaṁ. ‘I’ am nirvikalpaḥ. Anātmās are jaḍaṁ. ‘I’ am svayaṁ prakāśa cētana rūpaḥ. But is this enough? Vēdāntā says this is not enough. This is only the first phase of Vēdāntik enquiry. Tvaṁ pada vicāraḥ alone is over. What still has to come is tat pada aikyaṁ. So the second phase is necessary. Why should there be a second phase? Is it not enough that I have known that I am different from the body and that I am caitanyaṁ? Vēdāntā says “No. It is not enough”. Why? Because now that I have done Ātmā Anātmā vivēkaṁ, I know that I am a subject and different from the object. I am the consciousness and everything else is inert matter. I am the illuminator and everything else is the illumined. But still how many things are there? Dvaitaṁ is still persisting. Ātmā is No. 1 and everything else is Anātmā that is No.2. I am kṣētrajñaḥ - No. 1 and everything else is kṣētraṁ - No. 2. In fact kṣētraṁ seems to be vast. And therefore, we should carefully know that this entire anātma prapañca is a superimposition, is a kāryaṁ and ‘I’ the Ātmā am the kāraṇaṁ. So we have to go to prāthamika adhyāsaṁ. Till now we have sorted out only the secondary adhyāsā. Now we have to know the primary adhyāsā. That is the knowledge that through māyā, ‘I’, the Ātmā alone, has created the whole universe. But because of the āvaraṇa śaktiḥ ‘I’ got confused. That confusion is gone now. But that is not enough. We should also know that this Anātmā prapañca is born out of the Vikṣēpa śaktiḥ of my māyā. There ‘I’ the Ātmā am kāraṇam.We should know that with the help of the māyā ‘I’ alone have created the universe. Viśvaṁ darpaṇa dṛśyamāna nagarī tulyaṁ nijāntargataṁ. The universe, like even the city being seen in the mirror, is within oneself. So knowing that ‘I’ am kāraṇaṁ is called Brahma aikyaṁ. Knowing that ‘I’ am the caitanyaṁ, the kāraṇa caitanyaṁ, is called ahaṁ Brahma asmi. Then one may ask what the advantage of that is? Previously I said ‘I’ am Ātmā and this is Anātmā. Now I am saying that ‘I’ am kāraṇaṁ and this is kāryaṁ. What big difference is there? In fact there is a very big difference. When I say ‘I’ am Ātmā and this is Anātmā, dvaitaṁ is there. But when I say ‘I’ am kāraṇaṁ and this is kāryaṁ, dvaitaṁ goes because kāryaṁ does not exist different from kāraṇaṁ. There is a big sūtra in Brahma sūtra which is very brilliantly analyzed by Śaṅkarācārya. It is called ārambhaṇādi karaṇaṁ. tadanAnyatvaṁ ārambhaṇaśabdādibhyaḥ vācārambhaṇaṁ vikārō nāmadhēyam mṛttikā ēva satyaṁ. Consciousness and matter So once we know that the clay is the kāraṇaṁ and the pots are the kāryaṁ, what is the conclusion that we will arrive at? Pots do not exist different from (independent of) clay. Clay alone is. What we call as pot is nothing but vācārambhaṇaṁ vikārō nāmadhēyam. Similarly once ‘I’ know that caitanyaṁ is kāraṇaṁ and matter is kāryaṁ, the conclusion will be that there is no matter at all. Scientists talk about consciousness, matter etc. According to Vēdāntā there is no matter different from consciousness. Then what is matter? Vācārambhaṇaṁ vikārō nāmadhēyam – matter is nothing but nāma rūpa. So now how many things are there? Only one that is caitanyaṁ - ēkaṁ ēva. And what we call matter doesn’t exist different from caitanyaṁ: • Brahmārpaṇaṁ, Brahma haviḥ, Brahmāgnau Brahmaṇā hutaṁ; • sarvaṁ khalu idaṁ Brahmā; • nēha nānāsti kiñcana; • Ātmaiva idaguṁ sarvaṁ; • tat satyaṁ sa Ātmā all the śruti vākyaṁs indicate that caitanyaṁ alone is everywhere, matter is an aberration, matter is illusion, matter is mithyā. And if we know that matter is mithyā how does it matter? The advantage of this knowledge is that matter will no more matter to us. We will not be attracted by or we will not be frightened by the material universe. • Brahma satyaṁ, jagan mithyā; • Ahaṁ caitanyaṁ satyaṁMatter jagat is mithyā and the material universe cannot touch us. Nahi adhyastasya guṇēna dōṣēṇa vā anumātrēṇāpi sa na sambadhyatē. So adhyasta guṇa dōṣās will not affect us even a wee bit. So the second phase of this inquiry which is • caitanya rūpeṇa ahaṁ Brahma asmi, jagat kāraṇaṁ asti; • ahaṁ satyaṁ asmi, kārya rūpaṁ jagat mithyā asti– that is the essence of this ślōkā which we will now examine. Neti, neti approach Nikhilōpādhīn niṣidhya – one should negate all the upādhis, we may call it pañca kōśā or śarīra trayaṁ. Niṣidhya means negating. Negation does not mean destruction. Negation means – ātmā buddhiṁ tyaktvā – “this is not me, this is not me” so saying is what is negation. It is purely an intellectual job because the confusion is in the intellect, not in the body or Ātmā. And how is this negation to be done? Nēti nētīti vākyataḥ. The Upaniṣad itself helps by saying na Sthūlaṁ, na aṇu, na hrasvam, na dīrghaṁ and not only that, sa ēṣa Ātmā nēti nēti – this very expression nēti nēti itself is there in Bṛhadāraṇyakōpaniśat. And it is stated twice. In the Bṛhadāraṇyaka commentary it is given that once it is said to remove the samaṣṭi prapañca (srsti) and the second neti is to remove vyaṣṭi prapañca (srsti). Just before this portion in Bṛhadāraṇyaka, the topic discussed is mūrta amūrta brāhmaṇā. Therefore, mūrta prapacha negation, amūrta prapañca negation is discussed that is the negation of both the manifest universe and the unmanifest universe. Once Anātmā is negated what is left is ‘I’ the Ātmā. That is tvaṁ pada vācyaṁ is gone. Now we have come to tvaṁ pada lakṣyaṁ. Saguṇa caitanyaṁ is tvaṁ pada vācyārthaḥ. Nirguṇa caitanyaṁ is tvaṁ pada lakṣyārthaḥ. Oneness of Atma and paramatmaAnd similarly what is Brahman, paramātmā? Paraṁ Ātmā also is nirguṇa caitanyaṁ, ‘I’ am also is nirguṇa caitanyaṁ. Therefore, both ‘I’ and paraṁ Ātmā are one and the same. So jīvātma paraṁ ātmanōḥ aikyaṁ vidyāt – one should know the identity between jīvātmā and paraṁ Ātmā by the mahāvākya upadēśā of the teacher. Like tattvamasi, ahaṁ Brahmāsmi or prajñānaṁ Brahmā so many mahāvākyaṁs are there. Through them the identity has to be known. And only after this identity is known advaitāṁ will come. Till then Ātmā and Anātmā will stand separate. Only after knowing that ‘I’ am the jagat kāraṇam Brahma and the whole Anātmā is kāryaṁ – tannāśē sati kēvalaḥ – that kēvalatvaṁ will come – kaivalyaṁ will come.

आविद्यकं शरीरादि दृश्यं बुद्बुदवत्क्षरम्
एतद्विलक्षणं विद्यादहं ब्रह्मेति निर्मलम् ॥३१॥

आविद्यकं (āvidyakaṃ)upto the causal body शरीरादि (śarīrādi) – body and so on दृश्यं (dṛśyaṃ) – perceived objects बुद्बुदवत् (budbudavat) – as bubbles क्षरम् (kṣaram) – perishable एतद्विलक्षणं (etadvilakṣaṇaṃ) – different from all these विद्यात् (vidyāt) – realise अहं (ahaṃ) – I ब्रह्म (brahma) – Brahman इति (iti) – thus निर्मलम् (nirmalam) – pure

note Another way: Negate objects (Verse 31) āvidyakaṁ śarīrādi Dṛśyaṁ budbudavatkṣaram | ētadvilakṣaṇaṁ vidyāt ahaṁ brahmēti nirmālām || In the previous ślōkā he said nikhilōpādhīn niṣidhya. Here the same thing is said as Dṛśyaṁ niṣidhya. There it is upādhi here it is Dṛśyaṁ. Dṛśyaṁ means object of experience. And every Dṛśyaṁ is āvidyakaṁ means avidyā Janyaṁ. Avidyā means mūla avidyā, prakṛtiḥ or māyā. So Sthūla prapañcaṁ is māyā Janyaṁ, sūkṣma prapañcaṁ is māyā Janyaṁ, Sthūla śarīraṁ is māyā Janyaṁ, sūkṣma śarīraṁ is māyā Janyaṁ. In fact, yad yad Dṛśyaṁ tat sarvamapi māyā Janyaṁ ēva. That is what he says - śarīrādi Dṛśyaṁ - which will include śarīraḥ, indriyaḥ, manaḥ, buddhiḥ – all of them are dṛśyaṁ and not only dṛśyaṁ they are āvidyakaṁ – born out of māyā and not only that budbudavat kṣaraṁ – they are also perishable like budbudaṁ – bubble. Whereas who am ‘I’? yētad vilakṣaṇaṁ ahaṁ asmi. • ‘I’ am not māyā janyaṁ; ‘I’ am māyā adhiṣṭhānaṁ. • ‘I’ am not avidyā janyam; ‘I’ am avidyāyām adhiṣṭhānaṁ. • ‘I’ am not kṣaraṁ; ‘I’ am akṣaraṁ. • ‘I’ am not dṛśyaṁ;’ I’ am dṛk. • ‘I’ am not the śarīraṁ which is avidyā janyaṁ. And what is my nature? Ahaṁ nirmālām Brahma iti vidyāt – this, dṛk rūpaḥ ahaṁ, am Brahman. And what is the meaning of the word Brahman? That is tat pada arthaṁ (discussed earlier in the 8th and 9th ślōkās). Ksara, aksara, uttama purushaAnd what type of Brahman is it? It is nirmālāṁ Brahma, which is free from all impurities. And what is the fundamental impurity? It is avidhyā or māyā. So ‘I’ am free from not only māyā kāryaṁ, ‘I’ am free from māyā also. In Vivēka Cūḍāmaṇi Śaṅkarācārya says, neither ‘I’ am māyā kāryaṁ nor am ‘I’ māyā itself, ‘I’ am the adhiṣṭhānaṁ, uttama puruṣaḥ. Māyā is akṣara puruṣaḥ. Māyā kāryaṁ is kṣara puruṣaḥ. ‘I’ am neither kṣara puruṣaḥ, nor akṣara puruṣaḥ. ‘I’ am uttama puruṣaḥ. Ahaṁ in Sanskrit is uttama puruṣaḥ. (GHV: See Essays on Gita of Sri Aurobindo for a detailed discussion on this).

देहान्यत्वान्न मे जन्मजराकार्श्यलयादयः
शब्दादिविषयैः सङ्गो निरिन्द्रियतया न च ॥३२॥

देहान्यत्वात् (dehānyatvāt)because I am other than the body न (na) – not मे (me) – for me जन्मजराकार्श्यलयादयः (janmajarākārśyalayādayaḥ) – birth, wrinkling, senility, death and so on शब्दादिविषयैः (śabdādiviṣayaiḥ) – with sense objects such as sound and so on सङ्गः (saṅgaḥ) – association निरिन्द्रियतया (nirindriyatayā) – because I am without the sense organs न (na) – not च (ca) – and

note Sravanam (Verse 32) dēhānyatvānna mē janma – jarākārśyalayādayaḥ | śabdādiviṣayaiḥ saṅgō nirindriyatayā na ca || In the two ślōkās 30 and 31, the jīva Brahma aikyaṁ was revealed which has to be known through mahāvākya śravaṇaṁ. Śravaṇaṁ means analysis of the mahāvākya and recognising the identity between ahaṁ and Brahman. Mananam Mananaṁ is saṁśaya nivṛtyarthaṁ (for removal of doubts) because whenever ‘I’ say ahaṁ Brahmāsmi, suddenly a doubt will come. Brahman is nirvikāraṁ, is birthless and deathless and when ‘I’ say ahaṁ Brahmāsmi, it will mean that ‘I’ am birthless and deathless. How can ‘I’ say ‘I’ am nirvikāraḥ, janma maraṇa rahitaḥ, because all the time ‘I’ am frightened of janma maraṇa only? As Pūjya Svāmījī says, all the time we are security conscious. What will happen to us in our old age? Therefore, when this fear is constantly there, how can ‘I’ say ahaṁ Brahmāsmi? Insecurity of body: For that purpose only mananaṁ is recommended. Whenever we get the thought that “how can I be Brahman” we must immediately ask the question, “What do I mean by the word I”? All problems lie with this word ‘I’, because whenever a doubt comes, or whenever the thought of insecurity comes, the ‘I’ refers to the body. The body can never say ahaṁ Brahmāsmi. From body point of view, I can never have security. As dēha ‘I’ am insecure but dēha Anyatvāt, as the sākṣī of the body, as dēha dṛk, dēha sākṣī rūpēṇa, janma nāsti. And, if janma nāsti, then jarā, kārśya, layādayaḥ nāsti. Therefore, old age, to state in Tattva bōdhaḥ language, is apakṣaya. Jarā technically is apakṣayaḥ – declension (Process of changing to an inferior state). Kārśya means becoming thin; kṛśasya bhāvaḥ kārśyaṁ. So in old age, the the body becomes weaker and weaker. Then layaḥ, which refers to maraṇaṁ (death). Ādayaḥ – ādi padāt – punarapi jananaṁ etc. All these are not there for me. Body has got all modifications but ‘I’ do not have them. So, therefore, whenever fear of insecurity comes, we have to tell the mind that the body is ever insecure. It is foolish to worry too much about the body. You can take an insurance policy and do all that is necessary to secure yourself. But if you have to suffer and die, all of them will go away in a moment. So we must remember that when the security issue comes, body has a prārabdhā and if the body has to undergo the prārabdha Phalaṁ, no one on earth can stop it. I don’t say one should not make any provision, but when the time comes, all the provisions may not be of any issue. Therefore, whenever worry comes, we should understand that body is ever insecure. If that thought is there worry will not be there at all. Asangah: Similarly ahaṁ asaṅgaḥ – Brahman is asaṅgaḥ and ahaṁ Brahmāsmi. Therefore, ‘I’ am asaṅgaḥ. Now immediately the question will arise. How do you say I am asaṅgaḥ? I have got saṅgaḥ with all the people -- wife, children, so many vishayās i.e. śabdādi viṣayaḥ; śabda, sparśa, rūpa, rasa, gandha etc. which stand for all the objects of the world and objects includes people also. And here Śaṅkarācārya says that all these connections are not there for ‘me’. They are indriyāṇāṁ ēva, indriyārthēṣu indriyāṇī indriyārthēṣu vartantē. Therefore, indriyaṁ and viṣayās have got saṅga. Ātmā doesn’t have saṅga with any one. Because indriyaṁ also is prakṛti janyaṁ, viṣayās are also prakṛti janyam. Prakṛti and prakṛti can have connection. But puruṣaḥ is ever asaṅgaḥ. asaṅgōhi ayaṁ puruṣaḥ. asaṅgō nahi sajyatē - Bṛhadāraṇyaka vākyaṁ. So for ‘me’ there is no connection with śabda, sparśa etc. because of nirindriyatayā; ‘I’ have no indriyaṁs at all -- Ātmānah nirindriyatvāt; niravayatvāt. So nirindriyatayā is the hētu for asaṅgatvē. We have to remember that indriyaṁs are māyā janyaṁ - mithyā and ‘I’ am satyaṁ. Satyaṁ cannot have connection with mithyā. Just as the waker and the dream objects cannot have any connection, ‘I’ and the śarīraṁ also cannot have any connection.

अमनस्त्वान्न मे दुःखरागद्वेषभयादयः
अप्राणो ह्यमनाः शुभ्र इत्यादि श्रुतिशासनात् ॥३३॥

अमनस्त्वात् (amanastvāt)because of not being the mind न (na) – not मे (me) – for me दुःखरागद्वेषभयादयः (duḥkharāgadveṣabhayādayaḥ) – sorrow, attachment, malice, fear and so on अप्राणः (aprāṇaḥ) – without prāṇa हि (hi) – verily अमनाः (amanāḥ) – without mind शुभ्रः (śubhraḥ) – pure इत्यादिश्रुतिशासनात् (ityādiśrutiśāsanāt) – and so on, for the scriptures declare

note Agitated Vs Peaceful state (Verse 33) amanastvānna mē duḥkharāgadvēṣabhayādayaḥ | aprāṇō hyamanāḥ śubhraḥ ityādi śrutiśāsanāt || When we say ahaṁ Brahma asmi, another doubt that will come is that I have so many worries, all the time I am agitated and tense, whereas, Brahman is said to be śāntaṁ śivaṁ niṣkalaṁ etc. How can Brahman the embodiment of peace and I, the embodiment of agitation, be identical? For that Śaṅkarācārya gives the answer. Whenever we say agitiation, again it refers to manō vṛtti which belongs to Anātmā. And ‘I’ the Ātmā has no connection to the mind at all. Because mind is mithyā and ahaṁ is satyaṁ. And therefore amanastvāt – since ‘I’ am totally free from the mind - duḥkha rāga dvēṣa bhayādayaḥ na mē santi. Na mē santi – for ‘me’ they are not there. ‘They’ refers to duḥkha – sorrow; rāga – attachment; dvēṣa – hatred; bhaya – fear – ādi padāt kāma, krōdha, lōbha mōha, mada, mātsaryaṁ etc. – all of them. How do we know that Ātmā is free from mind, body etc? He gives the Śruti quotation here also; Aprāṇō hyamanāḥ śubhraḥ ityādi śrutiśāsanāt. Divyō hyamūrtaḥ puruṣaḥ sa bāhyābhyantarō hyajaḥ. Aprāṇō hyamanāḥ śubhrō hyakṣarātparataḥ parah: Muṇḍakōpaniṣat. So since Ātmā is free from prāṇaḥ, is free from manaḥ and is śubhraḥ, meaning Ātmā is free from ignorance also, Ātmā is sūkṣma śarīra rahitaṁ, kāraṇa śarīra rahitaṁ. Śubhraṁ refers to kāraṇa śarīra rahitaṁ. Aprāṇō hyamanāḥ refers to sūkṣma śarīra rahitaṁ. And divyō hyamūrtaḥ – here amūrtaḥ refers to Sthūla śarīra rahitaṁ. Thus Ātmā is Sthūla, sūkṣma, kāraṇa śarīra rahitaṁ. Here we should note a subtle difference. First we say Ātmā is different from three śarīraṁs. Next we say Ātmā is free from three śarīraṁs. Can you see the difference? • When we say Ātmā is different from three śarīraṁs, we don’t negate the three śarīraṁs. The three śarīraṁs are there, Ātmā is different from them. Here there is dvaitaṁ. If I say I am different from you, it would mean that I am there and you are also there. Similarly first I say Ātmā is Sthūla sūkṣma kāraṇa śarīrāt vyatiriktaḥ. This is only the first stage. • Later I should say that the Sthūla sūkṣma kāraṇa śarīraṁs are not at all there. First we accept that they are existent. Later we say that the three śarīraṁs are not at all there. They are adhyāsā. They are kāryaṁ, māyikaṁ, nāma rūpaṁ. Therefore, prapañcāḥ naasti. Ityādi śruti śāsanāt. Śāsanāt means vākyāt. And therefore, whenever we say ahaṁ Brahma asmi, we should be clear about the meaning of ahaṁ. When saying ahaṁ if we are referring to the śarīraṁs, it would mean we remember only our relative status like brother, sister etc. So when I say “you are Brahman” – you should have got out of your body, mind, intellect etc. and as caitanyaṁ, ahaṁ Brahma asmi, is correct. So this is how sandēha nivṛtti has to be done.

निर्गुणो निष्क्रियो नित्यो निर्विकल्पो निरंजनः
निर्विकारो निराकारो नित्यमुक्तोऽस्मि निर्मलः ॥३४॥

निर्गुणः (nirguṇaḥ)without attributes निष्क्रियः (niṣkriyaḥ) – without actions नित्यः (nityaḥ) – eternal निर्विकल्पः (nirvikalpaḥ) – without any desire and thought निरञ्जनः (nirañjanaḥ) – without any dirt निर्विकारः (nirvikāraḥ) – without any change निराकारः (nirākāraḥ) – without form नित्यमुक्तः (nityamuktaḥ) – ever liberated अस्मि (asmi) – I am निर्मलः (nirmalaḥ) – ever pure

note Nididhyasanam (Verse 34) nirguṇō niṣkriyō nityō nirvikalpō nirañjanaḥ | nirvikārō nirākārō nityamuktō'smi nirmālāḥ || So by śravaṇaṁ, jñānaṁ has been acquired. By mananaṁ doubts have been removed. So the seeker has now got doubtless knowledge, niḥsaṁśaya jñānaṁ. And once niḥsaṁśaya jñānaṁ has come, what type of sādhanā is necessary? Why should there be nidhidhyāsanaṁ? Meditation Vs Atma anubhavam Often people misunderstand nidhidhyāsanaṁ for experiencing Brahman. We have already learnt that there is no event as Ātmā anubhavaṁ because Ātmā being chaitanya svarūpaṁ, we are experiencing Ātmā all the time. Pratibōdha viditaṁ mataṁ – everytime caitanyaṁ is experienced by us. It is like experiencing the sunlight in and through all the experiences. When we are experiencing the table, are we not experiencing the sunlight? We are very much experiencing it. In fact without the sunlight the table will not be experienced. Similarly in ghaṭa jñānaṁ, Ātma anubhavaṁ is there. In paṭa jñānaṁ Ātma anubhavaṁ is there. In every type of knowledge, caitanyaṁ is experienced. So meditation is not meant for caitanya anubhavaḥ. Then one should not say meditation is for removing duality because that we are removing every day at the time of sleep. And one cannot say that in suṣupti caitanyaṁ is not there and only in nirvikalpaka samādhi caitanyaṁ is there. In suṣupti also caitanyaṁ is very much there. So meditation is not for Ātmā anubhava. Meditation is to remove habitual identifications, habitual worries, and habitual fears of insecurity which is always there deep inside. Purpose of nididhyasanamCraving for love, craving for security, craving for moral support, these are all innately there and all of them have to completely go. Whether people support me or not, love me or not, I don’t require love from anyone, I am pūrṇa love svarūpaṁ asmi. I can give love to everyone whether they give me love or not. This must be discovered inside and this discovery alone is nidhidhyāsanaṁ. All expectations should stop - from wife, from children, from husband, from parents, from Government, from neighbours, from everyone, from Guru also. And the nidhidhyāsanaṁ should be according to the type of problem. • If saṅga (attachment) is creating the problem, meditation should be ahaṁ asaṅgaḥ. • If desire is creating the problem, the meditation should be ahaṁ tṛptaḥ. • If anger is creating a problem, ahaṁ śāntaḥ or kṣāntaḥ (patient, enduring). • Similarly, if apūrṇatvaṁ is creating a problem, I am missing someone meditation should be on ahaṁ pūrṇaḥ. So according to the type of problem the opposite meditation should be practiced. That is why Śaṅkarācārya gives a lot of samples and we have to choose according to our necessity. Let us study them. NirgunahWhen there is a jealousy with regard to guṇās, a feeling that “that person is superior”; “I don’t have certain guṇās” etc. i.e. when comparison of guṇās is troubling, at that time meditation should be on nirguṇātvaṁ. NiṣkriyaḥFree from action. When there are too many activites, responsibilities etc; never ending work; big family with lots of guests; a feeling that “I have no retirement” - many ladies feel this way. We must note that retirement is not physical but retirement is an inner state of mind. Once inner peace is discovered, we will be ever retired. Otherwise physically getting away is again getting tired. Nityaḥ: This means eternal. Whenever fear of mortality comes, meditate on “I am nityaḥ”. Body came and body will go. Dēhi nityamavadhyō'yaṁ. Nirvikalpaḥ: Free from divisions - pramātṛ, pramāṇaṁ, pramēyaṁ; kartā, kāraṇam kāryaṁ – the triputi divisions. So the meditation should be on ahaṁ nirvikalpaḥ. Others • Then nirañjanaḥ – añjanaṁ means dirt – so nirañjanaḥ means nirmālāḥ. • Nirmālāḥ asmi. Free from all kinds of impurities. Niranjanaḥ and Nirmālāḥ seem to be repetition. So we can make a subtle difference. Niranjanaḥ means it does not have any borrowed impurities, which comes because of saṅga. And nirmālāḥ stands for its own innate purity. Then nirvikāraḥ – free from modification. • Nirākāraḥ – free from forms. • Nityamuktāḥ – ever free, because in meditation also we will think, if we meditate, gradually we will become liberated. Therefore, there will be a feeling “will not that day come when I will be liberated”? So, we always look forward to liberation and we think that meditation should culminate in liberation. NO. Meditation is not to culminate in liberation. Liberation is an ever existing fact to be owned up. If you stop looking forward to liberation, you are liberated now. But if you are looking forward to it, you will be going on and on, like trying to meet the horizon. The nearer you go, the farther it will move. It will keep on receding as long as you look forward to that L-Day - Liberation day. So nityamuktāḥ ahaṁ asmi.

अहमाकाशवत्सर्वं बहिरन्तर्गतोऽच्युतः
सदा सर्वसमः सिद्धो निःसङ्गो निर्मलोऽचलः ॥३५॥

अहम् (aham)I आकाशवत् (ākāśavat) – like space सर्वम् (sarvam) – all things बहिः (bahiḥ) – without अन्तर्गतः (antargataḥ) – within अच्युतः (acyutaḥ) – changeless सदा (sadā) – always सर्वसमः (sarvasamaḥ) – same in all शुद्धः (śuddhaḥ) – pure निस्सङ्गो (nissaṅgo) – unattached निर्मलः (nirmalaḥ) – stainless अचलः (acalaḥ) – motionless

note (Verse 35) ahaṁ ākāśavatsarvaṁ bahirantargatō'cyutaḥ | sadā sarvasamaśśuddhō nissaṅgō nirmalō'calaḥ || • Ahaṁ ākāśavat sarvaṁ gataḥ. Gataḥ means pervade, vyāptaḥ. So ‘I’ pervade everything –antaḥ bahiḥ – both within and without. Ākāśavat – like the space. • Acyutaḥ – ‘I’ never have a fall means ‘I’ never lose my nature – my pūrṇatvaṁ will not become apūrṇatvaṁ. So that is unlike the svargādi – when I go to svargādi, Phalaṁ is there and cyuti is also there. Cyuti means fall. I will have the svarga sukhaṁ but afterwards again kṣīṇē puṇyē martya lōkaṁ. Mōkshaḥ is my svarūpaṁ and therefore, svarūpaṁ can never be lost. In fact svarūpaṁ can never be lost. I should not say so because what cannot be lost is called svarūpaṁ. That is why he said earlier prakāśō'rkasya tōyasya śaityamagnēryathōṣṇatā svabhāvaḥ saccidānanda nityanirmālātātmanaḥ. Just as water never loses its coolness, fire its heat, the Sun its light, similarly, ‘I’ can never lose my mōksha svarūpaḥ. Then one may ask how did ‘I’ lose till now? Till now also you never lost but you thought that you had lost it. You can never lose your nature. Therefore, Bhagawān is called acyutaḥ. In fact really speaking, acyutaḥ is the name of paraṁ Brahman – the one who never falls from his own nature. Says Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Gītā, ajō'pi sannavyayātmā bhūtānāmīśvarō'pi san. prakṛtĩ svāmadhiṣṭhāya sambhavāmyātmamāyayā. Though birthless and immortal and the Lord of all beings, I manifest through my own Yōgamāyā, keeping my nature (prakṛti) under control. • Then sadā sarva samaḥ. (We have to add sadā to everything here. Sadā bahirantargataḥ, sadā acyutaḥ, sadā sarvasamaḥ, sadā śuddhaḥ, sadā nissaṅgaḥ etc.) Sarva samaḥ means the same in all – vidyā vinaya sampannē brāhmaṇē gavi hastini; samaṁ sarvēṣu bhūtēṣu tiṣṭantaṁ paramēśvaram etc. What is the nature in all? It is sacchit svarūpaḥ in all. The differences belong to nāma rūpa. In sat there is no difference at all, in cit there is no difference at all. This sacchida Ātmā is the same in all. • Then nissaṅgaḥ – free from all relationships. So this also we should remember, especially by gṛhastās that most of the problems are caused by relationships. It is a constant struggle amongst varities of relationships. So everyone has to do lot of tight rope walking. In fact they say life is like the job of a tongue. The tongue is between 32 sharp teeth. But see how it moves around and avoids getting caught in the two rows of sharp teeth. So we should know how to live within relationships and manage them. Like Pūjya Svāmi Dayānanda Sarasvatī says all relationships are like playing a role. In vyavahārā we cannot avoid these relationships. In relationship perfect satisfaction of everyone is not possible. As somebody said “I don’t know the formula for success but I know the formula for failure and that is trying to please everyone”. Therefore, relationship means we take the best course of action possible. Some people will be happy some will be unhappy. In vyavahārika situation perfection is not expected. If this meditation is practiced, relationships will not affect us. We should learn to see every relationship as vyavahārika, mithyā, and temporary, inevitable because in pūrva janma some other relationship was there ad infinitum. Relationships will constantly come and go and they cannot be avoided. If this is understood then the problems will be less when we try to say ahaṁ Brahma asmi. Ahaṁ Brahma asmi alone is not enough. At the body level (it brings relationships) these problems will be there, to which we have to say consciously, “I accept”. Therefore, as Ātmā, as asaṅgaḥ we have to accept all these consciously. Forgetting the problem is not the solution. Accepting the problem alone is the solution. Therefore, as Brahman we should accommodate all people, all characters, all misbehaviours, all problems and all situations. Therefore, he says ‘I’ am nissaṅgaḥ. • Nirmālāḥ – we have seen before. Here we can take the meaning as free from ignorance. Ajñāna mālā rahitaḥ. So three times ‘pure’ has come. Nirmālāḥ twice and nirañjanaḥ once. We can interpret them in different ways. One can be Sthūla śarīra mālā rahitaḥ. Another is sūkṣma śarīra mālā rahitaḥ. Another is kāraṇa śarīra mālā rahitaḥ. Then finally acalaḥ means free from all movements.

नित्यशुद्धविमुक्तैकमखण्डानन्दमद्वयम्
सत्यं ज्ञानमनन्तं यत्परं ब्रह्माहमेव तत् ॥३६॥

नित्यशुद्धविमुक्तैकम् (nityaśuddhavimuktaikam)eternal, pure, ever liberated, one अखण्डानन्दम् (akhaṇḍānandam) – indivisible homogeneous bliss अद्वयम् (advayam) – non-dual सत्यं (satyaṃ) – Existence ज्ञानम् (jñānam) – Knowledge अनन्तं (anantaṃ) – Infinite, यत् परं ब्रह्म – that supreme Brahman अहम् एव (aham eva) – I alone तत् (tat) – that

note Brahman; Advaitam and Visistadvaitam (Verse 36) nityaśuddhavimuktāikam akhaṇḍānandamadvayam | satyaṁ jñānamanantaṁ yatparaṁ brahmāhamēva tat || He says nitya śuddha vimuktā ēkaṁ. Nityaṁ should be added to each word; nitya śuddhaṁ, nitya vimuktāṁ, nitya ēkaṁ. So ‘I’ am ever pure, ‘I’ am ever free and ‘I’ am ever non-dual. This is the difference between Viśiṣṭādvaitaṁ and Advaitāṁ. They also talk about advaitāṁ. They say before sṛṣṭi Iśvarā was one. After pralayaṁ Iśvarā will be one. But in between Iśvarā becomes many. Thus advaitāṁ, dvaitaṁ and again back to advaitāṁ. Whereas in advaitāṁ we say that there is no question of advaitāṁ to dvaitaṁ and then back to advaitāṁ. There was advaitāṁ. There is advaitāṁ. There will be advaitāṁ. This is the difference. We say nityaṁ advaitāṁ. For them advaitāṁ itself is a phase. Then how do I see plurality? That is what is called an error. So dvaitaṁ is kalpitaṁ. Previously rope was, now rope is, later also rope will be. Snake In between is an error and a hallucination. Therefore, nityaṁ ēkaṁ. Akhanda AnandaAnd then akhaṇḍa ānandaṁ advayaṁ. I am undivided happiness–ānanda. Why does he use the word akhaṇḍa ānandaṁ? Because we know another word which is khaṇḍa ānandaṁ means happiness for some time – it is a temporary happiness which comes and goes. That happiness is priya, mōda, pramōda vṛtti. It is pratibimba ānandaṁ that we enjoy. A pratibimba ānandaṁ, a reflected ānandaṁ is a mental state that will go away. That is why in advaitaṁ we always say, never try to experience ānandā, you will come to division or dvaitaṁ because experiences are always khaṇḍaṁ. There is no permanent experience at all. We have experienced it in doing japā also. We try to keep one particular vṛtti constantly. It will never be possible. So if at all in nirvikalpaka samādhi ānandaṁ is experienced, it will be khaṇḍa ānandaṁ because before samādhi ānandā was not, after samādhi ānandā is gone, during samādhi ānandā came. So it is khaṇḍa ānandā. Whereas once we know ahaṁ ānanda svarūpaḥ asmi, then there is no division at all because svarūpaṁ is always there. And therefore, he says ahaṁ akhaṇḍa ānandaḥ asmi. And my ānandā sometimes comes to manifestation. Sometimes it does not manifest. Whether it manifests or does not manifest, I am ānanda svarūpaḥ. When I hear a joke, then in my mind my ānandaḥ is manifest. When the joke is over when we all become serious, that ānandaḥ is no longer manifest but even when we are serious our nature is Ānandaḥ. When we are laughing it is ānandaḥ. What type of ānandaḥ? Manifest ānandaḥ. What is the medium? The medium is priya mōda pramōda vṛttēḥ. This is called knowledge. So akhaṇḍa ānandaṁ advayaṁ – advayaṁ means non–dual. Satyam jnanam anantamThen, satyaṁ jñānaṁ anantaṁ yat paraṁ Brahma–that paraṁ Brahma which is defined in the Upaniṣad as satyaṁ jñānaṁ anantaṁ Brahma. • Satyaṁ is which is trikālē api tiṣṭati, which is ever existent. • Jñānaṁ means the pure consciousness – not vṛtti jñānaṁ but svarūpa jñānaṁ. • And anantaṁ means limitless. So ‘I’ am limitless existence, limitless awareness and therefore ‘I’ am paraṁ Brahma. This is the sample of nidhidhyāsanaṁ and like this we can add any more number of Brahma svarūpaṁ and this has to be practiced till the habitual reactions go away. Therefore, he will say in the next ślōkā ēvaṁ nirantara abhyasthā. Nididhyasanam clarifiedWhenever there is a worry about anything, immediately our tendency is to exhaust that by scolding someone. At that time we should quietly go to the room and we should not try to remove the worry. When you try to remove the problem it means you are accepting the problem. We should sit quietly and tell ourselves, there is no problem at all. If the son is misbehaving, we want to change the son’s attitude immediately, while the son is trying to change the father’s attitude because the son is sure that the father doesn’t know anything! That is what it seems. Therefore, we should learn to be happy with whatever character the son or the husband or the wife etc has. This acceptance is called nidhidhyāsanaṁ. So, nidhidhyāsanaṁ is dropping the habitual reactions to the situations; dropping habitual expectations; changes in people etc. because our ānandā should not be dependent on any of these conditions. As long as our ānandā depends upon our family members, their actions, their inactions, as long as they determine our ānandā, we will continue to be in saṁsārā inspite of the Vēdāntā study. One may ask, “Should I not change the people if they commit mistakes?” The change can be attempted but the motive of the change will make the difference. • A saṁsārī wants to change others so that he will be happy. For example, a saṁsārī wants to change the attitudes of the son or wife or brother because unless they behave the way he wants, he cannot be peaceful. And therefore, he wants them to change. This is saṁsārā. • Whereas a jñānī may also advice others to change but whether they change or not, the jñānī’s ānandā is not disturbed. If they change, it is for their own good. Even if they continue to behave the same way he won’t be upset. No more expectations. If this is not the case, he will also become another saṁsārī. Expectation is saṁsārā whether it is from śiṣya, or from son, or wife or husband or father or mother. Therefore, ānandā is a state of no expectation. If at all changes are advised for other’s good, it is for them to follow or not. And if we know already that the others won’t listen, next time that advice also will not be given. Words are very precious. How long to practice? Now the next question is how long is this required to be practiced? Till the reactions completely go. Just as reaction is natural to us, the reactionlessness should become natural. Peace should be natural. Till then continue doing nirantara abhyasā. Niranrataṁ means without any gaps which means continuously, constantly, as often as possible.

एवं निरन्तराभ्यस्ता ब्रह्मैवास्मीति वासना
हरत्यविद्याविक्षेपान् रोगानिव रसायनम् ॥३७॥

एवम् (evam)thus निरन्तराभ्यस्ता (nirantarābhyastā) – practised constantly ब्रह्म एव अस्मि (brahma eva asmi) – I am Brahman इति (iti) – thus वासना (vāsanā) – impression हरति (harati) – destroys अविद्याविक्षेपान् (avidyāvikṣepān) – ignorance and agitations रोगान् (rogān) – diseases इव (iva) – like रसायनम् (rasāyanam) – medicine

note (verse 37) ēvaṁ nirantarābhyasthā brahmaivāsmīti vāsanā | haratyavidhyāvikṣēpān rōgāniva rasāyanam || Do not ask how we gṛhastās can do it. We should remember that for gṛhastās alone nidhidhyāsanaṁ is more important. • For sanyāsīs nidhidhyāsanaṁ is not at all that much important because whatever he has heard in śravaṇaṁ, there is no vṛtti to contradict that. Ahaṁ bhartā, ahaṁ putraḥ, ahaṁ bhāryaḥ ityādi sangaḥ na santi. So he need not say ahaṁ asangaḥ because his very sanyāsa āśrama is asangaḥ. • Therefore, more than a sanyāsī, for the gṛhastā alone it is important because for one hour he will say ahaṁ Brahma asmi and for the rest of the time, for each person he comes across the opposite vṛtti will come. In front of children he is going to become a parent. In front of the spouse he will become the spouse – husband or wife. Therefore, the ahaṅkāra vṛtti is often there in gṛhastā. So the ahaṅkāra cancellation has to be constantly practiced. So, when we cannot change others and if we feel that it would have been nice if they were different but we are not able to change them, then we have to take it as prārabdhaṁ. Prarabdham tu iha bhujyatam atha parabrahma sthiyataam. Take it as prarabdham and go through it while anchored in Parabrahma. This body has come to this life because of some prārabdhā and it has to go through it. We have to accept it as our prārabdhaṁ or Īśvara prasādaṁ. Normally we use the word Īśvara prasādaṁ for a karmāyōgi and we do not normally use it for a jñāna yōgi. For a jñānī he should say asangaḥ ahaṁ asmi, ahaṁ akartā, ahaṁ abhoktā, karmāmahyaṁ na asti. Therefore, acceptance and accommodation alone is the solution in choiceless situations. This is the abhyāsaṁ. So nirantara abhyasthā – continuous practice needs to be done. Nidhidhyāsanaṁ should be done on Brahmaivāsmī, that is not just ahaṁ Brahma asmi but ahaṁ Brahma ēva asmi – there is no doubt at all. And just saying Brahma will be a meaningless word. It should be followed by ahaṁ pūrṇōsmi; ahaṁ śāntōsmi because when there is anger instead of saying Brahmaivāsmī, one should say ahaṁ śāntōsmi - Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ. In all circumstances say ahaṁ tṛptōsmi. So Brahmaivāsmī is a general term. According to situation we have to convert it. Iti vāsanā. In some books it is said ‘vāsanā’ but bhāvanā is a better word than vāsanā. Bhāvanā means nidhidhyāsanaṁ. Nāsti buddhirayuktasya na cāyuktasya bhāvanā. Na cābhāvayataḥ śāntiraśāntasya kutaḥ sukham says Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Gītā. So iti bhāvana nidhidhyāsanaṁ. What will it do? harati avidyā vikṣēpān. So this nidhidhyāsanaṁ removes the avidyā. Avidyā is removed by śravaṇaṁ. Nidhidhyāsanaṁ is not to remove avidyā but avidyā vikṣēpa which means habitual reaction. It means viparīta bhāvanā. So it is for removing avidyā vikṣēpān, avidyā janya mōhān, avidyā janya viparīta pratyayān. We should also include the pratyayā that “I will become liberated – when will I become liberated?” “Will I get at least krama muktī?” All these are avidyā vikṣēpaṁ (extension) only. Now an example -- Rōgāniva Rasāyanaṁ. Rasāyanaṁ means auṣadhaṁ i.e. medicine. So yathā rōgān Rasāyanaṁ iva harati, ēvaṁ. Rasāyanaṁ is to remove the śarīra rōgaṁ. Nidhidhyāsanaṁ is to remove manō rōgaṁ. Rasāyanaṁ is meant to remove vyādhi, nidhidhyāsanaṁ is meant to remove ādhi. And here also time is involved. Even after the medicine is taken and even after the illness is cured, it takes sometime like convalescence. Similarly this fellow is also in an intermediary stage. He has understood Vēdāntā but still he has not become a niṣṭāvān – established in that. That duration is called nidhidhyāsana duration because even during the convalenscence period he cannot afford to be careless. Because jāyatō viṣayān puṁsā – he could get struck again. So rasavarjaṁ rasō'pyasya paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartatē. The persisting taste for the sense objects also disappears in the case of the man of stable mind when he realizes the Supreme says Lord Kṛṣṇa in the Gītā. During that period also some of the disciplines should be followed. And then jñāna niṣṭāḥ means sarvathā vartamānō'pi sayōgī mayi vartatē – after that there will be no problem. He will be completely healthy. So rōgāniva Rasāyanaṁ is an example which we should remember. We should note all the examples given in the ślōkās because it is very good for meditation. Pūjya Svāmi Dayānanda Sarasvatī always says that Ātmā bōdhā is good for meditation because we can take one ślōkā and with the example and if we meditate on that, it will be very very easily assimilated.

विविक्तदेश आसीनो विरागो विजितेन्द्रियः
भावयेदेकमात्मानं तमनन्तमनन्यधीः ॥३८॥

विविक्तदेश (viviktadeśa)in a solitary place आसीनः (āsīnaḥ) – seated विरागः (virāgaḥ) – free from desires विजितेन्द्रियः (vijitendriyaḥ) – controlling the senses भावयेत् (bhāvayet) – meditate upon एकम् (ekam) – one आत्मानं (ātmānaṃ) – the Self तम् (tam) – that अनन्तम् (anantam) – boundless अनन्यधीः (ananyadhīḥ) – with unswerving attention

note Instructions for nidhidhyasana (Verse 38) viviktadēśa āsīnō virāgō vijitēndriyaḥ | bhāvayēdēkamātmānaṁ tamanantamanAnyadhīḥ || Here he gives some instructions for nidhidhyāsanaṁ. Vivikta dēśa āsīnaḥ. We have seen that in the Gītā and in Kaivalyōpaniṣat - viviktadēśē ca sukhāsanasthaḥ śuciḥ samagrīvaśiraḥ śarīraḥ. Also in Chapter 13 of Gītā, Vivikta-desa-sevitvam aratir jana-samsadi. Vivikta dēśē means vijana pradēśē–in a secluded place, in a quiet place; āsīnaḥ – one cannot do meditation standing and therefore sitting in a comfortable posture. And all other details we have to take from the Gītā and Kaivalyōpaniṣat - how to sit, how to control the breathing etc. And thereafterwards, vijita indriyaḥ –restrain all the sense organs; both Jñānēndriyaṁ and karmēndriyaṁ –vijitāni daśa indriyāṇi yēna saḥ – so body discipline, indriya discipline etc must be followed. Next is virāgaḥMental discipline; without any rāga – attachment, because once rāga comes, krōdha and bhayaṁ will always follow. Rāga, bhaya and krōdha always go together. Once there is a rāga we will find that there will be a worry and it will be directly proportional to our attachment. So the bhayaṁ will always be there where there is rāga, if not forever, at least temporarily. Then, Ananya dhīḥ iti buddhiḥWithout fixing the buddhiḥ on anything else. Anya dhīḥ means thinking of others. Ananya dhīḥ means not thinking of anything else. And then Ēkaṁ anantaṁ taṁ ātmānaṁ bhāvayēt. That is why earlier I said that bhāvanā was a better word. So the verb bhāvayēt means nididhyāsēt. One should meditate upon that Ātmā – paraṁ Ātmānaṁ, nirguṇaṁ, niścalaṁ, nityaṁ nirmalāmādi jagat adhiṣṭhāna bhūtaṁ bhāvayēt. Ahaṁ pūrṇaḥ, ahaṁ tṛptaḥ. “I don’t worry about anything. Let things happen according to prārabdhā. I will accept everything. I don’t know the future. But I will welcome and accept whatever the future is. Wherever I can change I will try to change but whether things change or not either way it is OK. Brahman accommodates all. I am also ready to accommodate all.” So ēkaṁ is non-dual. Anantaṁ is limitless. Ātmānaṁ is the self - bhāvayēt. Next, Dṛśyaṁ jagat falsified

आत्मन्येवाखिलं दृश्यं प्रविलाप्य धिया सुधीः
भावयेदेकमात्मानं निर्मलाकाशवत्सदा ॥३९॥

आत्मनि एव (ātmani eva)in the Ᾱtman alone अखिलं (akhilaṃ) – entire दृश्यं (dṛśyaṃ) – world of objects प्रविलाप्य (pravilāpya) – merging धिया (dhiyā) – by the intellect सुधीः (sudhīḥ) – wise man भावयेत् (bhāvayet) – should think एकम् (ekam) – one आत्मानं (ātmānaṃ) – the Self निर्मलाकाशवत् (nirmalākāśavat) – like the stainless or pure space सदा (sadā) – constantly

note (Verse 39) ātmanyēvākhilaṁ Dṛśyaṁ pravilāpya dhiyā sudhīḥ | bhāvayēdēkamātmānaṁ nirmalākāśavatsadā || Previously ahaṁ satyaṁ, ahaṁ brahma, dṛk svarūpaḥ ahaṁ was emphasized. Now the Dṛśyaṁ jagat is being falsified. As long as reality is attributed to the universe, strong reactions cannot be avoided. Reaction is directly proportional to one’s satyatva buddhi. Reaction means both rāga as well as dvēṣa reactions. On the other hand if the whole dṛśya prapañca is understood as nāma rūpa superimposed on me, the acceptance will be easy. In fact we are all nothing but nāma rūpa bundles only. As long as we understand this, it is OK, but once the nāma rūpa is given more and more reality then it becomes difficult to accept the disappearance of our own body or another body. If we are absorbed in the wave nāma rūpa, the destruction of the wave will disturb us but if we know that wave is mithyā, water is satyaṁ, that the arrival and departure of the wave is a natural phenomenon – in fact it is a beauty to the ocean – we will not be disturbed when a wave goes away. But imagine if we get attached to one particular wave. Then we will find that when that wave goes, we will be upset. Similarly any nāma rūpa we give reality to, i.e we have satyatva buddhi, that particular nāma rūpa will create a hell. We don’t require many nāma rūpas to create sorrow. Even one will do. Even for a sanyāsī kamaṇḍalu is enough to disturb. Why kamaṇḍalu – a kaupīnaṁ is enough – a loin-cloth is enough to disturb. Therefore, sarvaṁ jagat dṛśyaṁ ātmani ēva pravilāpya. The whole creation should be resolved in ‘me’, the world does not exist different from ‘me’. This understanding is called resolution. As I said the other day, what is the destruction of pot in Vēdāntā? In the case of other people the destruction of pot means breaking it. But a Vēdāntin destroys the pot with his eyes - darśana mātrēṇa and what is that darśanaṁ? There is no pot other than clay. Thus the pot is resolved into clay. And this itself if we put in another language, it becomes mithyātva buddhi. Just like in a hall fitted fully with mirrors we see our reflections all over. But we very well know that except our own self, all others are mere reflections - mithyā ēva. And when we come out all reflections have resolved into us - pravilāpanaṁ. So he says akhilaṁ dṛśyaṁ ātmani ēva pravilāpya. One should resolve the whole dṛśya prapañca into one’s own self. And in this the most important word is dhīyāḥ. It means wisdom. It all rests in one’s understanding only. There is no mysticism. In ghaṭa pravilāpanaṁ what is the mysticism? There is no mysticism. It is only a clear understanding. Wisdom alone is involved. Sudhīḥ – means a vivēki, a jñānī. So a jñānī should resolve the entire objective universe into him by seeing that there is no objective universe other than him. Thus, ātmānam bhāvayēt. Thus he should mediate upon himself. Once we know dṛśya prapañca does not exist separate from us, there is only one thing now - Ēkaṁ– because the whole thing has been resolved into ‘me’. Previously when we saw the waves, there was plurality but when the waves have resolved into water, there is only water. Similarly the whole prapañca is nāma rūpa and the content of the whole prapañca is ahaṁ – mayyēva sakalaṁ jātaṁ. Therefore, in that ślōkā he said tad brahma advayaṁ asmi. The world doesn’t exist separate from me. Therefore, he says ēkaṁ ātmānam bhāvayēt. And now, the example--Nirmalākāśavat. Like the ākāśā which is ever nirmālāṁ. Nirmālāṁ means it is free from everything. Even though clouds are there, they do not belong to the ākāśā – ākāśasya asaṅgatvāt. Similarly ‘I’ dṛk am the satyaṁ and ‘I’ am not connected to the dṛśya prapañca because it is mithyā. And when should one meditate? He says sadā always. With this nidhidhyāsanaṁ topic is over (ślōkās 34 to 39).

रूपवर्णादिकं सर्वं विहाय परमार्थवित्
परिपूर्णचिदानन्दस्वरूपेणावतिष्ठते ॥४०॥

रूपवर्णादिकं (rūpavarṇādikaṃ)form, colour and so on सर्वं (sarvaṃ) – everything विहाय (vihāya) – discarding परमार्थवित् (paramārthavit) – one who has realised the Supreme परिपूर्णचिदानन्दस्वरूपेण अवतिष्ठते (paripūrṇacidānandasvarūpeṇa avatiṣṭhate) – remains as an embodiment of the infinite Consciousness and bliss

note Jñāna Phalaṁ (Verse 40) rūpavarṇādikaṁ sarvaṁ vihāya paramārthavit | paripūrṇacidānanda – svarūpēṇāva tiṣṭhatē || Now from ślōkā 40 onwards we are told about the Phalaṁ, that is, śravaṇa manana nidhidhyāsana Phalaṁ or jñāna Phalaṁ. And what is the Phalaṁ? Ātmani niṣṭā, Brahmaṇi niṣṭā. We can even call it sthitha prajña as in 2nd chapter of the Gītā, or parā bhakti as in 12th chapter, or guṇātītā as in 14th chapter or jīvan muktāḥ. This word is not used in Gītā. So from ślōkā 40 onwards till the end of Ātma bōdha we are told about jīvana mukti mainly, and here and there vidēha mukti is also talked about. Jivan mukta or Brahma vit What does this jīvan muktāḥ do? He says rūpa varṇādikaṁ sarvaṁ vihāya paramārthavit. So the subject of the ślōkā is paramārthavit which means Brahma vit. Paramārthaḥ means paramaḥ arthaḥ – here arthaḥ means vastu, reality. (In some places paramārthaḥ would refer to parama purushārthaḥ – because arthaḥ can also denote purushārthaḥ). And paramaḥ arthaḥ means the absolute reality. Vit means vētti iti vit – Brahma vit ityarthaḥ. So paramārthavit, Brahma vit, jñānī sarvaṁ rūpa varṇādikaṁ vihāya (vihāya means tyaktvā). Giving up the mithyātva buddhi is the sacrifice (Mithyātvat buddhyā tyaktvā). Otherwise we cannot give up the body. If we give up the body, it will mean death. And not only that we cannot give up anything. Because once we know ahaṁ Brahma – everything exists in Brahman only. Therefore ‘I’ the Brahman cannot give up anything. Sannyāsā is impossible. In fact the one who takes up sannyāsā is an ajñānī really speaking. This is a secret. Just think about it. What can one really give up? Everything is in Brahman. Then what is giving up? tatra mithyātva buddhiḥ ēva sannyāsaḥ. Brahma vyatiriktatayā yat kiñcit vastu nāsti iti dṛṣṭiḥ ēva yathārtha sannyāsaḥ. Therefore, a true sanyāsī, a vidvat sanyāsī can never try to escape from the problems. And therefore, sarvaṁ vihāya – sarvaṁ means rūpa varṇādikaṁ. So form, colour or varnaṁ can be taken or varṇāśramaṁs like brahmaṇā, kṣatriya etc. also can be taken, because it is very difficult to give up the abhimānaṁ. Even among sanyāsīs, people ask whether you are brahmaṇā sanyāsī!!! The very purpose to taking up sanyāsā is to get rid of these problems and then where is the question of special treatment for a brahmaṇā sanyāsī, a kṣatriya sanyāsī etc. It is not at all according to śāstrā. So, varṇaṁ, and then jāti kulaṁ etc., vihāya. Then what does he do? Paripūrṇa cidānanda svarūpēṇa – paripūrṇa cit and paripūrṇa ānandaḥ– avatiṣṭhatē means abides. This should not be understood as sitting in one corner in nirvikalpaka samādhi abiding in Brahman. There is no question of that because everybody is always abiding in Brahman only. And Brahman is not confined to a corner!! So abiding (niṣṭā) in Brahman means not forgetting the knowledge that ‘I am Brahman’ –jñāna avismṛtiḥ ēva niṣṭā. We should not forget, especially, when there are problems – any kind of problem. We get the word niṣṭā from the word avatiṣṭhatē. Lord Kṛṣṇā expounds this in the 2nd chapter – ēṣā brāhmī sthitaḥ pārtha naināṁ prāpya vimuhyati. He says to Arjuna, such is the state of the God-realized soul, that is, a person who has given up all desires, and moves free from attachment, egoism and thirst for enjoyment; having reached this state, he overcomes delusion. This na vimuhyati is what connotes jñāna avismṛti–he never forgets Vēdāntā.

ज्ञातृज्ञानज्ञेयभेदः परे नात्मनि विद्यते
चिदानन्दैकरूपत्वाद्दीप्यते स्वयमेव तत् ॥४१॥

ज्ञातृज्ञानज्ञेयभेदः (jñātṛjñānajñeyabhedaḥ)distinctions like knower, knowledge and the object of knowledge परे (pare) – supreme न (na) – not आत्मनि (ātmani) – in the Self विद्यते (vidyate) – is चिदानन्दैकरूपत्वात् (cidānandaikarūpatvāt) – because It is of the nature of Consciousness and Bliss दीप्यते (dīpyate) – shines स्वयम् एव (svayam eva) – by Itself हि (hi) – verily

note (Verse 41) jñātṛjñānajñēyabhēdaḥ parē nātmani vidhyatē | cidānandaikarūpatvāt dīpyatē svayamēva hi || The moment Ācāryā uses the expression that the jñānī knows Brahman it would mean that Brahman is the object and jñānī is the subject, knowing is the instrument pramātṛ, pramāṇa, pramēya tripuṭī āgatāḥ. Immediately dvaitaṁ will rush in. Therefore, here Śaṅkarācāryā says knowledge is only a word used because we want to say that he does not have ignorance. It does not mean that he ‘knows’ Brahman as an object. If we ask a jñānī, “whether you know Brahman?” He will not say “I know Brahman”. But if we ask him “do you want to know Brahman”. He will say “I don’t want to”. Why? Because he will say “I am Brahman”. Therefore, the jñānī doesn’t say “I know Brahman”. Jñānī doesn’t say “I don’t know Brahman”. His struggles stop. Here there is no question of knower, known, knowledge plurality. So pramātṛ (knower), pramāṇa (Jñānaṁ, instrument), pramēya (known object or knowable object) bhēdaḥ, parē ātmani na vidyatē – these are not there in the paraṁ Ātmā. If the tripuṭī is not there how can knowledge take place? I have already told you that Ātmā jñānaṁ is not an event. It is not a happening. So there is no question of Ātmā jñānaṁ taking place because Ātmā is sarvadā prakāśamānaḥ vartatē. Therefore, he says cidānanda ēka rūpatvāt. Since it is in the form advaya – non-dual cit and non-dual ānandaḥ, he uses the word ēkaḥ because here the vṛtti jñānaṁ is not involved. Vṛtti is necessary to illumine an object. Vriiti is not necessary to illumine Ātmā, the awareness itself. Therefore, when vṛtti is, Ātmā shines and illumines the vṛtti and when vṛtti is not, still Ātmā shines illumining the absence of vṛtti also. It is svayaṁ sphurati – shines on its own; self effulgent. That is what he says cidānanda ēka rūpatvāt svayamēva tat sphurati.

एवमात्मारणौ ध्यानमथने सततं कृते
उदितावगतिर्ज्वाला सर्वाज्ञानेन्धनं दहेत् ॥४२॥

एवम् (evam)thus आत्मा (ātmā) – of the Self अरणौ (araṇau) – in the araṇi (wooden piece) ध्यानमथने (dhyānamathane) – churning in the form of contemplation सततं (satataṃ) – constantly कृते (kṛte) – when done उदिताअवगतिर्ज्वाला (uditāavagatirjvālā) – fire of Knowledge that is born सर्व अज्ञानेन्धनम् (sarva ajñānendhanam) – all the fuel of ignorance दहेत् (dahet) – shall burn

note Example of arani manthana (Verse 42) ēvamātmāraṇau dhyāna – mathanē satataṁ kṛtē | uditāvagatirjvālā sarvājñānēndhanaṁ dahēt || Now here nidhidhyāsanaṁ and Phalaṁ are mentioned with an example. He quotes the famous example of araṇi mathanaṁ which comes in one of the upaniṣads. In the olden days the fire was produced by the churning of araṇi wood. There would be a lower araṇi with a scoop and an upper araṇi which fits into that. By churning both the fire was produced. This is the example. Ātmā araṇau. Ātmā here means the nididhyāsaka’s antahkāraṇaṁ and not sacchidānanda Ātmā. The upper araṇi is not mentioned here but we should understand it as the Vēdānta vākyās. So Vēdānta vākyās should be fixed in the mind, and the churning is nothing but śravaṇa manana nidhidhyāsanāni, because each of them is centered on mahāvākyaṁs only. We listen to mahāvākyaṁ, we analyse mahāvākyaṁ and we mediate also on the same mahāvākyaṁ and śravaṇa manana nidhidhyāsanaṁ is mathanaṁ. Mahāvākyaṁ is the upper rod. Ēvam ātmāraṇau dhyāna mathanē satataṁ kṛtē sati- when is this to be done? Satataṁ means constantly. How long? - Till the fire comes. By this churning udita avagatiḥ jvālā – here the fire is compared to the knowledge. Jñānaṁ is the agniḥ. And as Svāmiji said agniḥ has got two jobs. It illumines and it destroys. Similarly Ātmā jñānaṁ illumines Brahman and also it destroys karmā. pāśaṁ dahati. So it destroys all the karmās - sarvāṇi karmāṇi. Jñānaṁ destroys all karmās also. And when we say all karmās, sañcita karmā is destroyed, āgāmi karmā is destroyed, and prārabdha karmā is falsified. Prārabdha karmā is not destroyed but he doesn’t have satyatva buddhi in prārabdha karmā. Then avagatiḥ means this saṁśaya viparīta bhāvanā rahita jñānaṁ. Habitual reaction should have gone. Udita means born. So the flames of Ātmā jñānaṁ will burn down all the fuels called ajñānaṁ – ajñāna indhanaṁ dahēt. Just as agni burns the indhanaṁ, jñānaṁ burns ajñānaṁ. And once ajñānaṁ is gone, bhidyatē hṛdaya granthiḥ chidyantē sarva saṁśayāḥ, etc.

अरुणेनेव बोधेन पूर्वं सन्तमसे हृते
तत आविर्भवेदात्मा स्वयमेवांशुमानिव ॥४३॥

अरुणेन (aruṇena)by the Lord of the early dawn (aruṇa) इव (iva) – like बोधेन (bodhena) – by the knowledge पूर्वं सन्तमसे (pūrvaṃ santamase) – the universal darkness that existed before हृते (hṛte) – when dispelled ततः (tataḥ) – then, आविर्भवेत् – rises आत्मा (ātmā) – the Self स्वयम् एव (svayam eva) – of Its own accord अंशुमान् (aṃśumān) – the sun इव (iva) – like

note Idea further clarified (Verse 43) aruṇēnēva bōdhēna pūrvaṁ santamasē hṛtē | tata āvirbhavēdātmā svayamēvāṁśumāniva || The Ātma jñānaṁ has got only one job which is destroying ajñānaṁ and for that vṛtti vyāpti alone is necessary. Ātmā jñānaṁ need not illumine the Ātmā because Ātmā is svayaṁ prakāśa rūpaḥ. Phala vyāpti is not necessary. But in the case of ghaṭa jñānaṁ, it has got both the jobs. • Ghaṭa jñānaṁ destroys ignorance, it is called vṛtti vyāpti. • Ghaṭa jñānaṁ illumines the pot. It is called Phala vyāpti. Thus destruction and illumination – two jobs are there in Anātmā jñānaṁ. In Ātmā jñānaṁ there is only one job i.e. destruction of ignorance. Mēghā apāyē aṁśumān iva. Once the cloud is gone Sūrya shines by itself. That is what he says here. Pūrvaṁ santamasē hṛtē sati – once the tamas or the ajñānaṁ is removed by vṛtti jñānaṁ – bōdhēna – ahaṁ Brahma asmi iti vṛtti jñānēna; Brahmākāra vṛtti jñānēna; santamasē – means dense darkness or pitch darkness, as it is said; hṛtē means removed. Tataḥ – thereafterwards, the vṛtti jñānaṁ is no more necessary to illumine the Ātmā because Ātmā is svayamēva āvirbhavēt – Ātmā comes to light by itself. So āviḥ means prakāśaḥ. So āvirbhavēt means prakāśē bhavēt – sphurēt. Ātmā svayamēva sphurēt. Ātmā svayamēva prakāśēta. We don’t require any further effort on our part. And for this, an example is given of the Sun rise. Aruṇēna santamasē hṛtē sati - the word santamas is common for both the contexts. So aruṇa is the light of the Sun even before the Sunrise i.e. the light of dawn. So this aruṇa removes the darkness of the night. And soon thereafter svayamēva aṁśumān āvirbhavati – the Sun comes to manifestation by itself. Similarly, he says bōdhēna ajñānē nāśitē sati Ātmā svayamēva āvirbhavati. So the idea is that all the effort involved on our part is only in removing the covering, the veil of āvaraṇa śaktiḥ. In Pañcadasi another example is given. In a dark room there is a candle which is lit and another which is not lit. And imagine both of them are covered by a pot. • Now when we want to know the lighted candle we have to remove the pot, and even as we remove, the lighted candle is recognized. We have only one job to do. That is āvaraṇa nivṛtti mātraṁ. The candle need not be illumined because it is svayaṁ prakāśatē. • But there is another candle and covered by the pot. To recognize that we have two jobs. One we have to remove the pot. Even then we cannot see it because the room is dark. Thereafter, either we have to light a candle or we have to have a torch light. Removing the pot is vṛtti vyāpti. Lighting the candle is Phala vyāpti. In the case of a lighted candle, vṛtti vyāpti alone will do. The torch light or Phala vyāpti is not necessary. Similarly Ātmā is like the lighted candle. Ajñānaṁ is like a pot. Bōdhāṁ is like removing the pot. And once the pot is removed Ātmā svayaṁ prakāśatē.

आत्मा तु सततं प्राप्तोऽप्यप्राप्तवदविद्यया
तन्नाशे प्राप्तवद्भाति स्वकण्ठाभरणं यथा ॥४४॥

आत्मा (ātmā)the Self तु (tu) – verily सततं (satataṃ) – always प्राप्तः (prāptaḥ) – ever existing अपि (api) – yet अप्राप्तवत् (aprāptavat) – as though not realised अविद्यया (avidyayā) – because of ignorance तत् नाशे (tat nāśe) – when that (ignorance) is dispelled प्राप्तवत् (prāptavat) – like an object gained भाति (bhāti) – appears स्वकण्ठाभरणं (svakaṇṭhābharaṇaṃ) – the ornament of one’s neck यथा (yathā) – just as

note Atma exists all the time (Verse 44) ātmā tu satataṁ prāptō apyaprāptavadavidhyāyā | tannāśē prāptavadbhāti svakaṇṭhābharaṇaṁ yathā || Some times examples can create problems. In the last verse the sūrya udayaḥ example was given. And in that example, there was a time when the Sun was not visible and there is a time when the Sun arrives. pūrvaṁ aprāptaḥ, paścāt prāptaḥ. This may lead one to think that Ātmā also is an aprāpta vastu before sādhanā. That is, like the Sun, Ātmā also is hiding behind pañca kōśās. And then he may think that by doing sādhanās, he has to remove kōśās one by one and slowly Ātmā will come up and at last the flash of the Ātmā will come like the Sun. One is bound to make this imagery, if the example is taken literally. And that is why here Śaṅkarācārya says that there is no such thing called Ātmā prāptiḥ. There is no question of Ātmā prāptiḥ i.e. attaining the Ātmā, merging into Ātmā etc because Ātmā tu satataṁ prāptaḥ. And that is why we call Ātmā is siddha vastu, meaning ever available as ahaṁ. Ahaṁ ahaṁ iti rūpēṇa sarvēṣāṁ, sarvadā, sarvatra siddhaḥ ēva Ātmā; whereas the Anātmā is always sādhyaḥ i.e. to be attained in time. Even though that is the fact, aprāptavat bhāti – it appears as though Ātmā is not attained. Sādhyavat bhāti – looks like something to be attained. Ātmā can become sādhyaṁ only if people go in search of Ātmā. Remember when we say Ātmā is siddhaḥ, Ātmā svarūpaṁ is Ānandaḥ. So ānandaḥ is siddhaḥ. Ātmā siddhaḥ means ānandaḥ siddhaḥ – already attained. And therefore, whenever one goes in search of ānandaḥ he is actually going in search of Ātmā only. So one need not specifically go in search of Ātmā. Whenever one goes in search of peace, or security, he is seeking Ātmā alone. And Śaṅkarācārya says that the very seeking is born out of avidyā. It is because of mūḍha matiḥ (ignorant, foolish mind). Similarly avidyayā aprāpti iva mūḍha matiḥ cintayati. And therefore, the distance between mōkṣā and me is purely ignorance. There is no distance in terms of space or time. And therefore, there is no question of “when will I get mōkṣā?” – The question itself is wrong. And “where will I get mōkṣā?” – That is also wrong. Mōkṣā is here and now if only we are ready to own it up. Therefore, he says tannāśē – means avidyā nāśē sati – prāptavat bhāti – Ātmā is attained, mōkṣā is attained. (GHV: avidya nase is still the ‘event’ to which atma praapti is linked!) Remember Ātmā prāpti and mōkṣā prapti are synonymous. Ātmā prāptiḥ ēva mōkṣā prāptiḥ. Mōkṣā prāptiḥ ēva ānanda prāptiḥ, pūrṇatva prāptiḥ, tṛpti prāptiḥ. And here also Śaṅkarācārya is very careful, he uses the word prāptavadbhāti. After knowledge, Ātmā seems to be attained by me; mōkṣā seems to be attained by me. At that time mōkṣā is not really ‘attained’ because what is away from me alone can be attained. What is always my nature can never be attained. Then why do we use the word prāptiḥ? The sense of loss is gone. So here the attainment is the sense of loss of the feeling that “I don’t have peace, I don’t have ānanda”. So now after knowledge, “I don’t miss ānanda anymore” – this bhrānti nivṛttiḥ alone is prāptiḥ. Like what? Famous example is given–svakaṇṭhābharaṇaṁ yathā - like getting back the ornament which was all the time in one’s own neck. He or she would run around all the places to search for the ornament without realizing that it was always in the neck only. Only after some running and searching, he or she will realize the fact that it was always there in the neck. So now the question is whether the running was necessary? Till he or she found it (realised it was in the neck), there was this struggle for searching. Was this running around or search necessary? It can be said that it was not necessary because the ornament was always in the neck. So what do we say? Running was necessary to know that running was not necessary. Similarly sādhanā is necessary to know that sādhanā is not at all necessary. Ātmā siddhaḥ. So, siddhatva jñānārthaṁ sādhanāni na tu sādhyarthaṁ sādhanāni. So how long will the teacher ask the student to do sādhanā? So as long as the student asks “is sādhanā necessary”, the teacher will say “it is necessary”. But if the student asks “why it is necessary because I am nitya muktā svarūpā” then the teacher will say “it is not necessary”.

स्थाणौ पुरुषवद्भ्रान्त्या कृता ब्रह्मणि जीवता
जीवस्य तात्त्विके रूपे तस्मिन्दृष्टे निवर्तते ॥४५॥

स्थाणौ (sthāṇau)in the post पुरुषवत् (puruṣavat) – like the man भ्रान्त्या (bhrāntyā) – because of delusion कृता (kṛtā) – is made ब्रह्मणि (brahmaṇi) – in the Brahman जीवता (jīvatā) – individuality जीवस्य (jīvasya) – of the jīva तात्त्विके रूपे (tāttvike rūpe) – in the real nature तस्मिन् (tasmin) – in the Self दृष्टे (dṛṣṭe) – when seen निवर्तते (nivartate) – is destroyed

note Jñāna Phalaṁ, Jīvan Muktaḥ and Vidēha Muktaḥ (Verse 46) tattvasvarūpānubhavāt utpannaṁ jñānamañjasā | ahaṁ mamēti cājñānaṁ bādhatē digbhramādivat || Further Phalaṁ of ajñāna nivṛtti is given. For example, taking the rope snake example, rajju jñānaṁ destroys rajju ajñānaṁ directly. It destroys some other things also. Whatever is born out of ajñānaṁ is also destroyed. And what is born out of rajju ajñānaaṁ? Sarpa adhyāsaḥ, sarpa bhrantiḥ. All these are products of ignorance. And once the ajñānaṁ is gone – ajñānaṁ being kāraṇam and sarpa bhrama being kāryaṁ – kāraṇa nāśē kārya nāśaḥ, adhyāsā also goes away. So therefore, jñānaṁ does not directly destroy adhyāsā the snake. Jñānaṁ only directly destroys ignorance. And once ignorance is gone, the by-products are also gone which are the adhyāsa nivṛttiḥ or sarpa nivṛttiḥ. Similarly Brahma jñānaṁ destroys Brahma ajñānaṁ.That alone is the direct result. Jñānaṁ cannot do anything else. But jñānaṁ need not do because Brahma ajñānaṁ alone is the kāraṇam for all our saṁsārā. So ajñānaṁ is the kāraṇam and jīvatvā or saṁsāritva adhyāsaḥ is the kāryaṁ. Ajñānaṁ is the carpet over which all the saṁsārā are there – jīvatvaṁ, saṁsāraḥ, sukhaṁ, duḥkhaṁ, kāma, krōdhaḥ– all are on the ajñānaṁ carpet. The Brahma jñānaṁ just removes the kāraṇam i.e. the carpet and thus the kāryaṁ naśyati. That is what he says. But instead of using the word jīvatvaṁ and saṁsāraḥ, Śaṅkarācārya uses the word ahaṁkāraḥ and mamakāraḥ. So therefore he says, tattva svarūpa anubhavāt utpannaṁ jñānaṁ – the knowledge that is born out of tattva svarūpa anubhavaḥ – anubhavaḥ is a word often used in Vēdāntā and this word should not be translated as experience. If we use the word experience without proper understanding, one may be led to think that it is some mystical peculiar experience. So it is better to translate as aparōkṣa jñānaṁ. Anubhavaḥ means aparōkṣa jñānaṁ i.e. knowing myself as Brahman and not coming through any new experience but ‘I’ who am all the time experienced, that ever available experience is Brahman. If one says that aparōkṣa jñānaṁ alone he calls as experience, then there is no harm. But generally whenever we use the word experience, our vāsanā is to imagine an unknown new experience. So since there is a wrong connotation for the word experience, we should be careful. Otherwise if we give a technical connotation, the word experience is OK. But we should understand, it is not a new experience because Ātmā anubhava is not an event. Ātmā anubhava is available to everyone even now, pratibōdhā vidhitam matam. Therefore, tattva svarūpa anubhavāt utpannaṁ jñānaṁ – the knowledge that is born, añjasā – immediately, without any gap; that is between jñāna utpatti and ajñāna nivṛttiḥ there is no gap. It is like eating and vanishing hunger. It is not that we have our lunch at 12 noon and slowly the hunger goes away and by 1:30 all the hunger is completely gone. It doesn’t happen like that. The moment we eat the hunger vanishes. Whereas in certain cases the Phalaṁ is slow. If we sow a seed, it will become a tree only much later. Thus there are two types of kāraṇa kāryaṁ. In certain kāraṇa kāryaṁ there is a big gap, whereas in certain kāraṇa kāryaṁ there is no gap at all. All these Śaṅkarācārya discusses in Kēnōpaniṣat bhāṣyaṁ. Samanantara Phala –that which gives immediate result. Similarly jñāna prāpti mātrādēva Phalaṁ ajñāna nivṛttiḥ. That is why the use of the word añjasā, sākshāt, sadyaḥ. It removes Ahaṁ, mama iti ca ajñānaṁ - the error, the adhyāsā in the form of ahaṁ, mama etc. (Words like sakshatkara, sadyomukti etc?!). Ahaṁ mamēti adhyāsaṁ is kāryaṁ and ajñānaṁ is kāraṇam. Jñānaṁ destroys both; one directly and another indirectly. Ajñānaṁ is destroyed directly and the adhyāsaṁ is destroyed indirectly. And for this he gives an example. Bādhatē digbhramādivat. Digbhrama means confusion regarding direction. Bādhatē means destroys. For example, if a person doesn’t know which is East. It is a cloudy day. So he cannot spot the Sun. But this person wants to know the East direction for some purpose. So he has got Eastern ajñānaṁ – ajñānaṁ of the East. And he asks somebody which is the Eastern direction? That person points to a direction and tells, “This is east”. And the moment this statement is given, it destroys the ignorance of the seeker of the direction. This is the direct and immediate result. The indirect result is, once he has removed the ignorance of the East, the ignorance of the West is gone. Therefore, when one ignorance goes, it automatically destroys all other ignorance also which is the by-product of the first knowledge. Similarly Brahma jñānaṁ removes only Ātmā ajñānaṁ and as a by-product all other errors also go away. Therefore, the example is by the destruction of one error, other errors are also destroyed. So he says bādhatē digbhramādivat. We can give any number of examples. Recap • Jñāna Phalaṁ has been pointed out in all these ślōkās. • It means the Phalaṁ of the knowledge which has been made free from saṁśayā and viparyayā through mananaṁ and nidhidhyāsanaṁ. Jñānaṁ is jñānaṁ only when it is free from all types of doubts- Niḥsaṁśaya jñānaṁēva jñānaṁ ityuchyatē, because as long as saṁśayaṁ (doubts) is there, jñānaṁ will not be allowed to give liberation or fructify into mōkṣā. Jñānaṁ will be stultified by the doubt. And that is why saṁśayaṁ is called pratibandhaḥ (obstacle). And as long as obstacles are there, jñānaṁ will be there inside but the shānti will not be there because at crucial moments we will begin to doubt Vēdāntā itself; in one corner of his intellect he would be questioning the whole thing. Saṁśaya sahita jñānaṁ is called sappratibhādhaka jñānaṁ – jñānaṁ with obstacles. • Like saṁśayaṁ there is another obstacle also and that is our old habits which we call as viparyayaḥ. And as long as this obstacle is there, jñānaṁ will remain in one corner of our intellect and our behaviour like kāma, krōdha, irritation, depression etc. will continue. It will be a peculiar combination, where Vēdāntā has been understood but still anger, desire, jealousy, depression, sorrow, fear, anxiety etc. all continue. And this is called the obstacle. And then also the jñānaṁ is called sappratibhādhaka jñānaṁ. • Mananaṁ is to remove the pratibandhaṁ called saṁśayā and nidhidhyāsanaṁ is to remove the pratibandhaṁ called habitual reaction. Consciously we have to remove the pratibandhaṁs. And once these two pratibandhaṁs are gone then alone the knowledge becomes complete. Sappratibandhaka jñānam becomes appratibandhaka jñānaṁ. Jñānaṁ deserves to be called jñānaṁ only when it is appritibandhaka jñānaṁ. Jñānaṁ will light up into mōkṣā only when there is appratibandhaḥ. And therefore, whenever I say jñāna phalaṁ, it should be understandand that I am referring to appratibandhaka jñāna Phalaṁ. • What is the Phalaṁ? He has got advaitā dṛṣṭi. He has got pūrṇa dṛṣṭi. He has got jagan mithyātva dṛṣṭi etc.

तत्त्वस्वरूपानुभवादुत्पन्नं ज्ञानमंजसा
अहं ममेति चाज्ञानं बाधते दिग्भ्रमादिवत् ॥४६॥

सम्यग्विज्ञानवान् योगी स्वात्मन्येवाखिलं जगत्
एकं च सर्वमात्मानमीक्षते ज्ञानचक्षुषा ॥४७॥

सम्यक् (samyak)very well विज्ञानवान् (vijñānavān) – Man of Realisation योगी (yogī) – the yogī स्वात्मनि एव (svātmani eva) – in his own Self अखिलं (akhilaṃ) – entire जगत् (jagat) – universe एकं (ekaṃ) – one च (ca) – and सर्वम् (sarvam) – everything आत्मानम् (ātmānam) – his own Self ईक्षते (īkṣate) – sees ज्ञानचक्षुषा (jñānacakṣuṣā) – through his eye of wisdom

note Jnani’s vision (Verse 47) samyak Vijñānavān yōgī svātmanyēvākhilaṁ jagat | ēkaṁ ca sarvamātmānam īkṣatē jñānacakṣuṣā || How does a jnani look at the world? He says samyak Vijñānavān yōgī. Vijñānavān means a jñānī who has got vijñānaṁ that means aparōkṣa jñānaṁ. Vi stands for viśēṣēṇa. Bhēda rahitaṁ jñānaṁ is called vijñānaṁ. And the word samyak indicates that it is free from saṁśayaḥ–dṛḍhaṁ. So Vijñānavān has completed śravaṇaṁ. From the word, we can know that he has no more doubts left. So mananaṁ is also over. And then yōgī indicates that he has done nidhidhyāsanaṁ also. Yōgaḥ means nidhidhyāsanaṁ. Therefore, he doesn’t have viparīta bhāvanā (habitual reaction) also. So samyak Vijñānavān yōgī is saṁśaya viparyaya rahita jñānī. Akhilaṁ jagat sva ātmani ēva īkṣatē – he sees the whole universe as resting in himself. This is not a new idea. He has said that in one of the previous ślōkās - ātmanyēvākhilaṁ Dṛśyaṁ pravilāpya. There he used the word dṛśyaṁ and here he uses the word jagat that is the whole Anātmā prapañca is a kāryaṁ of ‘me’, the Ātmā, and since it is kāryaṁ it doesn’t have an existence separate from ‘me’ the kāraṇam. Therefore, it is nāma rūpa mātraṁ – vācārambhaṇaṁ. Since the jagat is nāma rūpa, since the jagat is mithyā, it does not have an independent existence. Viśvaṁ darpaṇa dṛśyamāna nagaritulyaṁ nijāntargathaṁ. The universe, like even the city being seen in the mirror, is within oneself. So sva ātmāni ēva akhilaṁ.In the 6th chapter of Gītā, Lord Kṛṣṇā says sarvabhūtasthamātmānaṁ sarvabhūtāni cātmani. That is what he says here sarvabhūtāni jagat svātmāni. Now the question is whether he is referring to jīvātmā or paramātmā? As long as he remains as jīvātmā he will not say “the world is in me”, he will say “I am in the world”. As long as “I am wave, I will say I am born in the ocean, I am existing in the ocean, I will resolve into the ocean as a wave”. But once “I know I am the water, the very content, I can say the very ocean is existing in me” only. There is no wave or ocean without me. Therefore, whether “I am in the ocean” or “whether ocean is in me” depends upon my own vision only. As a wave “I am created but as water I am the creator. As Anātmā I am created. As Ātmā I am the creator. As object I am created but as subject I am the creator. As śarīraṁ I am created and as śarīrī I am the creator”. Whether we want to be śarīraṁ or śarīrī is our choice. There is no distance between the two. Only we have to have a small shift in the vision to say ahaṁ Brahma asmi. What is the distance between wave and water? There is no distance. Therefore, with a small shift in the vision, one can become a jñānī. So simple it is.. Then why do some people say that it is very difficult? The fact is that it is neither difficult nor easy. If one is prepared it is easy but if one is unprepared it is difficult. Kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā durgaṁ pathaḥ - the path is difficult to cross like the sharpened edge of the razor. Kaṭhōpaniṣat itself says it is very difficult. And when there is no bhayaṁ, it will say susukhaṁ kartuṁ avyayaṁ – very easy to practise and imperishable. Not only that, now all the Anātmās been resolved into Ātmā. So there is no difference between Anātmā and Ātmā – vijātīya bheda has gone. But now, one may think that there are so many Ātmās, so sajātīya bheda still exists. One may think, here is one Ātmā, there is one Ātmā etc. That bheda also must go away. Because once the body is resolved then there is no difference between Ātmā in this body and Ātmā in the other body. Kṣētrajñāṁ cāpi māṁ viddhi sarvakṣētrēṣu bhārata says Lord Kṛṣṇā in the Gītā. Therefore, what is the next job? ēkañca sarvaṁ ātmānaṁ. So every jīvātmā is none other than one paramātmā only. So first Ātmā Anātmā bheda is negated. Then Ātmā Ātmā bheda is negated. Then what is left – ēkaṁ ēva - advitīyaṁ - sajātīya vijātīya svagata bhēda rahitaṁ - Brahma. Does that mean he will no more see the world, because īkṣatē is said? It means he sees everything in himself. Does it literally mean that everything exists in his mind? NO. The sense organs will continue to see the world externally only. But his intelligence and his wisdom tells him that everything is in himself only. Therefore, ēkatva darśanaṁ is not with the physical eyes, it is with the wisdom eye –jñāna cakṣuḥ īkṣatē. Comparison with Visistadvaita & Dvaita Like what? “I continue to see the waves and even as I see the waves, I say there is no wave”. This is the greatness of advaitāṁ and that is why advaitāṁ is difficult also. Because seeing the plurality, the advaitin says there is no plurality. That is why viśiṣṭa advaitāṁ is appealing because we see the plurality and they say there is plurality – no problem. Dvaitin also agrees with this perception and there is no problem. Whereas advaitāin says even when you see plurality there is no plurality. How? It is because of the wisdom eye. That is what we call the third eye of wisdom – divya cakṣuḥ – jñāna cakṣuḥ paśyatē dṛśyatē. Advaitin knows that differences are superficial but the identity is a fact. So he says jñāna cakṣuḥ īkṣatē.

आत्मैवेदं जगत्सर्वमात्मनोऽन्यन्न विद्यते
मृदो यद्वद्घटादीनि स्वात्मानं सर्वमीक्षते ॥४८॥

आत्मा (ātmā)the Ᾱtman एव (eva) – verily इदं (idaṃ) – this जगत् (jagat) – universe सर्वम् (sarvam) – entire आत्मनः अन्यत् (ātmanaḥ anyat) – other than the Ᾱtman न (na) – not विद्यते (vidyate) – exists मृदः (mṛdaḥ) – from clay यद्वत् (yadvat) – in that manner घटादीनि (ghaṭādīni) – pots and so on स्वात्मानं (svātmānaṃ) – one’s own Self सर्वम् (sarvam) – everything ईक्षते (īkṣate) – sees

note Seeing Oneness everywhere (Verse 48) ātmaivēdaṁ jagatsarvam ātmanō'nyanna vidyatē | mṛdō yadvadghaṭādīni svātmānaṁ sarvamekṣatē || Idaṁ sarvaṁ jagat Ātmā ēva; sarvaṁ khalu idaṁ Brahma; Brahmaivēdaṁ viśvaṁ idaṁ variṣṭaṁ – the whole world is nothing but Ātmā. What does it mean? It is exactly like, in the rajju sarpaḥ example, telling that the snake is nothing but rope. Will any one accept such a statement? A snake is a snake and a rope is a rope. How can one say snake is a rope? But how should you translate it? What you are falsely seeing as snake is really nothing but rope. So one must be mithyā and the other should be satyaṁ. Similarly śāstraṁ says jagat Brahma. How can that be? • Jagat is savikalpaṁ, Brahman is nirvikalpaṁ. • Jagat is jaḍaṁ, Brahman is cetanaṁ. • Jagat is anityaṁ, Brahman is nityaṁ – so many viruddhaṁs are there. So how can śruti say jagat is Brahma? The idea is that what one is falsely seeing as jagat is nothing but factually Brahman, which means, jagat is an error, a superimposition, a kalpanā, a svapnaḥ. So, sarvaṁ idaṁ jagat Ātmā ēva, Anātmā nāsti. If jagat is not there, then how do we see jagat, the world? And that is why we do not say the jagat is not there, because, that will also be wrong. If a person says the world is not there, then the question comes how come we see it then? But at the same time we cannot say the world is there also. If the world is there, śruti cannot negate it. Take the sarpaṁ itself. We are negating the sarpaḥ the snake. The question is whether the snake is sat or asat? The Snake is there or not? If we say snake is there, one cannot negate, if we say snake is not there, one cannot experience it. If it is there, it cannot be negated. If it is not there it cannot be seen. But we are seeing the world and also negating. It is neither sat nor asat. It is called mithyā. So world is neither non-existent because we experience it, nor is it existent because it is negatable and therefore it is mithyā, an error, a bhramā. Every error is a mithyā whether it is prātibhātika error or vyāvahārika. Sarvāḥ bhrāntayaḥ mithyā rūpāḥ ēva api. Then Ātmanaḥ Anyat kiñcana na vidyatē – there is nothing other than Ātmā. That means there is no Anātmā at all. Then why should we talk about Ātma anātma vivēkaḥ? We do so because people are seeing Anātmā and from the standpoint of the people, śruti uses the word Anātmā. From śruti’s standpoint there is no such thing called Anātmā at all. Suppose a person is seeing a snake upon the rope and there is another person, the guru, who sees the rope as a rope. Now guru is telling the śiṣya that the snake is nothing but rope. Now when the guru uses the word snake, it does not mean that the guru accepts the snake. He does so because the śiṣya is seeing a snake and so he temporarily accepts that there is a snake. In guru’s dṛṣṭi there is no snake at all. Even the word snake doesn’t exist for him. But since the śiṣya has got a false perception, temporarily accepting the false perception, he says that the snake that you are seeing is nothing but rope. Similarly in śruti’s vision there is no scope for Ātma anātma vivēka at all. But since saṁsārā is mistaking the Anātmā as Ātmā, Anya dṛṣṭyā Anātmā asti. Śruti dṛṣṭyā Anātmā na asti. So he says Ātmanaḥ Anyanna kiñcana – therefore Anātmā is called anuvādaḥ which means temporary acceptance. Śruti never accepts Anātmā really. All these are stated in the Māṇḍūkyōpaniṣat. These are all upāyaṁs, tricks, just to accept the śiṣya’s contention and later negate it. And therefore, the jñānī has raised his vision to the level of śruti. Once there is same vision as the śruti, Sva Ātmānaṁ sarvaṁ īkṣatē – he sees everything as himself. yasminsarvāṇi bhūtāni ātmaivābhūdvijānataḥ tatra kō mōhaḥ kaḥ śōka ēkatvamanupaśyataḥsays Īśāvāsyōpaniśat. When, to the knower, all beings become one with his own Ātman, how shall he be deluded, what grief is there when he sees oneness everwhere? Like what? Yadvat ghaṭādīni mṛdaḥ. Just as a wise man who has sarvatra clay darśanaṁ, a mṛd vijñānī – sees only clay in all the pots, a jñānī sees nothing other than Ātmā.

जीवन्मुक्तस्तु तद्विद्वान्पूर्वोपाधिगुणांस्त्यजेत्
सच्चिदानन्दरूपत्वात् भवेद्भ्रमरकीटवत् ॥४९॥

जीवन्मुक्तः (jīvanmuktaḥ)liberated one तु (tu) – verily तत् विद्वान् (tat vidvān) – endowed with Self-knowledge पूर्वोपाधिगुणान् (pūrvopādhiguṇān) – traits of the previous equipments त्यजेत् (tyajet) – would give up सच्चिदानन्दरूपत्वात् (saccidānandarūpatvāt) – because of nature of Existence-Consciousness-Bliss भवेत् (bhavet) – will be भ्रमरकीटवत् (bhramarakīṭavat) – like a wasp

note Jivan muktah (Verse 49) jīvanmuktāstu tadvidvān pūrvōpādhiguṇāṁstyajēt I saccidānandarūpatvāt bhavēd bhramarakīṭavat IIHere Śaṅkarācārya uses a new term - jīvan muktaḥ. The very same jñānī is now known by the name jīvan muktāḥ. Why is he called jīvan muktaḥ? Because jīvan means he is still alive because of prārabdha. Whose prārabdhaṁ? Śiṣya’s prārabdhaṁ! Because remember that from the guru’s dṛṣṭi there is no prārabdhaṁ at all. That is why he is compared to the Lord. Otherwise the guru- śiṣya paraṁparā itself will not come. That is why this concept of jīvan muktaḥ is a very beautiful thing unique to advaitā. In viśiṣṭa advaitā or dvaita there cannot be jīvan muktaḥ. In those systems a person is liberated only after dropping the body, after going to Vaikuntā. So here jīvan means he is still having the body. And muktaḥ means he is free from the bonds of Anātmā because he has got mithyātva budhdhi in Anātmā and so it does not disturb him. Just as our reflection in the mirror does not disturb us, just as our shadow does not disturb us, the whole world does not disturb him. In Bhāgavataṁ the world is compared to the shadow of the Lord or Brahman. He says tad vidvān – so tad brahma vidvān, pūrva upādhi guṇān tyajēt – upādhi here means Sthūla, sūkṣma, kāraṇa śarīrāṇi. And guṇān means their properties – Sthūla śarīraṁ properties in the form of Sthūlatvaṁ, kṛśatvaṁ, vṛddhatvaṁ, brāhmaṇatvaṁ, puruṣatvaṁ, strītvaṁ etc. Similarly sūkṣma śarīra properties like rāga dvēṣa ityādi, similarly kāraṇa śarīra property like ajñānaṁ – all these upādhi guṇān tyajēt – he gives up. And here Śaṅkarācāryā uses the word pūrva upādhi because they are upādhi only as long as their attributes are taken by one. Once he has done Ātmā Anātmā vivēka, thereafterwards he will not take their attributes as his attributes. He will see fatness as śarīra dharmā, rāga dvēṣa as śarīra dharmā and therefore, they no longer will become upādhi for him. Remember taking the upādhi dharmā is notional, like in the red crystal example (there is no red crystal at all). Previously when we said red crystal, crystal never became red, the viśēṣaṇaṁ was only our mental confusion. And therefore, giving up the attributes means we only have to drop the notion that one is attributed. Therefore, if one says he is limited, he will be limited. If he knows that he is limitless, he will be limitless. So the whole change is not external. The change is only a correction in the thought. And that is why he says pūrva upādhi guṇān tyajēt. But how? He says vivēkēna. And once he gives up the upādhi attributes, what happens to him? Saccidānanda rūpatvāt – his original nature is saccidānanda; till now he had superimposed asat - mortality, acit – jaḍatvaṁ and anānandā – duḥkhaṁ. Then asatō mā sad gamaya, tamasō mā cit gamaya – jyōtir gamaya, mṛtyōramā amṛtaṁ gamaya – once these things are dropped the original nature is attained – Saccidānanda rūpatvāt bhavēt – Brahma bhavēt. How? Here’s the dṛṣṭāntā - Bhramara kīṭavat. In this example, what he implies is that this dropping of Anātmā abhimāna and owning of Ātmā svarūpa is a gradual process. Knowing is not a gradual process. But dropping the abhimānaṁ which is a viparīta bhāvanā goes only gradually because abhimānaṁ has been there for anādi āvidyā vāsanayā. The abhimānaṁ has been there not for years but for million of janmās. As they say habits die hard. And for this purpose Śaṅkarācārya gives the example of a bhramara kīṭa. This is known as bhramara kīṭa nyāya which is widely used in the scriptures. The bhramara kīṭa nyāya is like this; bhramaraṁ – a wasp or a bee or any such stinging insect - let us take it as wasp. What it does it seems is it takes a worm and puts it inside its hive. And that this particular worm does not have any other darshanaṁ other than the wasp because that hive has got only one opening and in that opening the wasp sits not allowing the worm to do anything. And the worm, whenever it opens its eyes, sees only the wasp. And therefore, constantly seeing the wasp, the worm has got only one darshanaṁ, one buddhi that is wasp buddhi. And thus this worm constantly looking at the wasp and thinking of the wasp, sooner or later becomes a wasp. This is the concept of bhramara kīṭa nyāya. The worm may not be any other worm. The worm may be one of the stages of the wasp itself. But it has the potentiality to become a flying wasp. As a worm it has got a wormy existence- saṁsārā. It was not free like a bird that it could fly anywhere. Similarly we are all in wormly saṁsārā. And bird means a free bird – muktāḥ. Therefore, yathābhramara kīṭa by satata dhyānēna bhramaraḥ bhavēt, ēvaṁ jīvaḥ api satata brahma nidhidhyāsēna brahma niṣṭō bhavēt. That niṣṭha is indicated by the bhramara kīṭa nyāya.

तीर्त्वा मोहार्णवं हत्वा रागद्वेषादिराक्षसान्
योगी शान्तिसमायुक्त आत्मारामो विराजते ॥५०॥

तीर्त्वा (tīrtvā)after crossing मोहार्णवं (mohārṇavaṃ) – the ocean of delusion हत्वा (hatvā) – killing रागद्वेषादिराक्षसान् (rāgadveṣādirākṣasān) – the monsters of likes and dislikes योगी (yogī) – the yogī शान्तिसमायुक्तः (śāntisamāyuktaḥ) – united with peace आत्मारामः (ātmārāmaḥ) – one who revels within himself विराजते (virājate) – shines

note (Verse 50) tīrtvā mōhārṇavaṁ hatvā rāgadvēṣādirākṣasān yōgī śāntisamāyuktaḥ ātmārāmō virājatē So here he beautifully illustrates how the jīva attains mōkṣā through the well known Ramāyanā story. And in this story Rāmā is originally the paramātmā and when Sītā asked for the golden deer and Rāmā went after it, this action on the part of Rāmā is supposed to be the fall of Rāmā from paramātma avasthā to jīvātma avasthā. The golden deer stands for the Anātmā abhimānaṁ because gold is material, matter. So thus when Rāmā the paramātmā goes in pursuit of matter he loses Sītā the śānti. Those who have knowledge of music will recall these lines from the popular song composed by Sadāśiva Braḥmēndrā “Khēlati mama hṛdayē” - śānti vidēha suta sahacarī khēlati mama hṛdayē Rāma – śānti is Sītā. And the śānti is so far away separated by mōha arṇavaṁ – mōha mahārṇava tāraka kārī. So there is a very big arṇavaṁ – samudraṁ called mōhaḥ. And therefore, what is the first job – mōha mahārṇavaṁ tīrtvā – tīrtvā means having crossed. So as Rāmā crossed the ārṇava through the sētu, similarly the jīvātmā has to cross the mōha ārṇava through vivēka – vivēka sētu. And thereafterwards, rāga dvēṣādi rākṣasān hatvā – hatvā mean having killed. So many rākṣasās came. All the rākṣasās are in the form of rāga, dvēṣa, kāma, krōdha, lōbha mōha etc. all of them were killed and then Sītā samētaḥ śānti was regained. Similarly the jīvātmā should get associated with śānti. The word yōgi means the seeker who does all these jobs and becomes united with the śānti- the śānti which was originally belonging to the jīvātmā itself. So Sītā originally belonged to Rāmā but because of Rāmā’s own foolishness, Sītā was lost and once that foolishness was destroyed, Sītā was got back. Similarly every jīva is Ātmā Rāmāḥ and once he crosses the mōha ārṇava and destroys rāga dvēṣa, he gets associated with śānti. And for this purpose a guru is necessary. Remember Rāmā also gets united with Sītā only with the help of a guru. Āñjanēyaḥ is the one who unites these two together. So here in the place of Añjanēyaḥ is the guru. Every guru conducts this ‘wedding’. His job is to conduct the vivāhā between jīvātmā and śānti-mōkṣāḥ. And this wedding will never have a divorce because mōkṣāḥ once got will never be lost. And that is why there is a ślōkā also. satyaṁ mātā, pitā jñānaṁ, dharmō bhrātā, dayā sakhā, śāntiḥ patnī, kṣamā putraḥ, ṣaḍētē mama bāndhavāḥ – these are the real bandhūs. These are the liberating bandhūs. So Śaṅkarācārya says Ātmā Rāmaḥ virājatē.

बाह्यानित्यसुखासक्तिं हित्वात्मसुखनिर्वृतः
घटस्थदीपवत्स्वस्थः स्वान्तरेव प्रकाशते ॥५१॥

बाह्यानित्यसुखासक्तिं (bāhyānityasukhāsaktiṃ)attachment for fleeting joys of the outer world हित्वा (hitvā) – after having relinquished आत्मसुखनिर्वृतः (ātmasukhanirvṛtaḥ) – contented with the bliss derived from the Self घटस्थदीपवत् (ghaṭasthadīpavat) – like a lamp placed inside a jar स्वस्थः (svasthaḥ) – comfortably placed स्वान्तः (svāntaḥ) – within himself एव (eva) – alone प्रकाशते (prakāśate) – shines

note (Verse 51) The previous ślōkā he concluded with Ātmā Rāmaḥ virājatē. So Ātmā ēva Rāmāḥ. Rāmā is called Rāmāḥ because rāmāntē sarvē asmin iti Rāmāḥ. Ātmā is called Rāmā because everyone revels in Ātmā alone. So every jñānī is called Ātmā Rāmaḥ. Every ajñānī is called Anātmā Rāmaḥ. Virājatē means he shines. This very thought is clarified here. He gives up all his Anātmā rati. So bāhya anitya sukha sati means Anātmā ratiḥ– revelry in Anātmā. And he always revels in Ātmā. One should recall ślōkāms fom the Gītā here: bāhyasparśēṣvasaktātmā vindatyātmani yatsukhaṁ. – He whose mind remains unattached to sense objects, derives through meditation, the Sāttvika joy which dwells in the mind.Then, yastvātma ratirēva syādātma tṛptaśca mānavaḥ. Ātmanyēva ca santuṣṭastasya kāryaṁ na vidyatē – He who takes delight in the Self alone and is gratified with the Self, and is contented in the Self, has no duty. So the essence is that he no longer revels in Anātmā, therefore he no longer depends on Anātmā and therefore their arrival and departure never makes any difference for him. Since Ātmā is ever available his ānandā is also there all the time. He is happy whether things are there or not there. In so saying, he is pointing out the difference between a saṁsārī and jīvan muktāḥ. Saṁsārī is one who is bāhya viṣaya āsaktaḥ. Parāñci khāni vyatṛṇāt svayambhūs-tasmāt-parāṅ-paśyati nāntarātman – Kaṭhōpaniṣat. The Lord created the senses with outgoing tendencies; therefore man beholds the external universe and not the internal Self (Ātman). In the ślōkā bāhyaṁ refers to Anātmā. And he says bāhya anitya sukha āsaktĩḥ. Āsaktĩḥ means attachment. Sukhaṁ means pleasures. What pleasures? - Anitya sukhaṁ - impermanent happiness - coming from bāhya viṣayaḥ- external objects. Bāhya viṣaya janya anitya sukha āsaktĩḥ. Why the external pleasure is anityaṁ? Once again recalling the ślōkāms from the Gītā: yēhi saṁsparśajā bhōgā duḥkhayōnaya ēva tē. Ādhyantavantaḥ kauntēya na tēṣu ramatē budhaḥ The pleasures which are born of sense-contacts are verily a source of suffering only (though appearing as enjoyable to worldly-minded people). They have a beginning and an end (they come and go); Arjuna, it is for this reason that a wise man does not indulge in them. mātrāsparśāstu kauntēya śītōṣṇasukhaduḥkhadāḥ | āgamāpāyinō'nityāstāṁstitikṣasva O son of Kuntī, the contacts between senses and their objects, which give rise to the feelings of heat and cold, pleasure and pain etc., are transitory and fleeting; therefore, Arjuna, endure them. This is the definition of a saṁsārā. The more he is turned extrovert he misses Ātmānanda because a person cannot be interested in both Anātmā and Ātmā, because, again quoting from Kaṭhōpaniṣat, dūramētē viparītē viṣūcī āvidyā yā ca vidyēti jñātā. These two, ignorance and knowledge, are wide apart, and lead to different points or goals. Jīvan muktāḥ is one who has sacrificed the anātma sukhaṁ for the sake of Ātma sukhaṁ. So, bāhya anitya sukha āsaktĩṁ hitvā; Hitvā means tyaktvā– having given up, having sacrificed, not a painful sacrifice but a happy sacrifice. For what purpose? Ātmā sukha nirvṛtaḥ - for getting the nivṛtti – contentment, fulfilment, tṛpti, tuṣṭi. In what? Ātmā sukhē. So, Anātmā sukhē āsaktĩṁ tyaktvā, ātmā sukhe niṣṭaḥ, nirvṛtaḥ. That is why in Lalitā Sahasranāma ślōkā we chant antarmukha samārādhyā, bahirmukha sudurlabhā. For the bahirmukha people – for the extrovert people - Dēvi who is sacchidānanda rūpiṇī – suptā prājñātmikā turyā sarvāvasthā-vivarjitā – so sarva avasthā-vivarjitā – turīya rūpa – sacchidānanda rūpiṇī – Ātmā – she is sudurlabhā. So, jīvan muktā is one who has renounced anātma sukhaṁ. Then one may wonder, so both are equal now. Saṁsārī gets anātma sukhaṁ and he misses Ātma sukhaṁ. And a jīvan muktā gets Ātma sukhaṁ and misses anātma sukhaṁ. yāvānartha udapānē sarvataḥ samplutōdakē. Tāvānsarvēṣu vēdēṣu brāhmaṇasya vijānataḥ – A brāhmaṇa, who has obtained enlightenment, has as much use for all the Vēdās as one who stands at the brink of a sheet of water overflowing on all sides has for a small reservoir of water says Lord Kṛṣṇā in the Gītā. Anātma sukhaṁ does not include Ātma sukhaṁ whereas Ātmā sukhaṁ includes anātma sukhaṁ. Because Anātmā sukhaṁ is finite and Ātmā sukhaṁ is infinite. Infinite is not included in the finite where as finite is included in the infinite. Therefore jīvan muktā does not miss any ānandaḥ. yatsaukhyāmbudhilēśalēśata imē śakrādayō nirvṛtāḥ - Manīṣāpañcakaṁ. All the ānandā like indrānandāḥ, bṛhaspatērānandāḥ, prajāpatērānandāḥ – all the ānandāḥ are Ātma ānandā’s lava lēsa mātraṁ. And therefore, jīvan muktā enjoys pūrṇa ānandaṁ. And an example is given here. Ghaṭastha dīpavat svasthaḥ. Svasthaḥ means svasmin svarūpē sthitaḥ. His mind is ever established in his svarūpaṁ. yathā dīpō nivātasthō nēngatē sōpamāsmṛtā. Even for a second he doesn’t lose sight of his inner self. svāntarēva prakāśatē – sva antarēva. yō antaḥsukhaḥ antarā rāmaḥ tathā antarjyōtirēva yaḥ. Antarā here means antar Ātmā. Antaratmāni sthitaḥ san. So antarēva sthitaḥ san prakāśatē. Like ghaṭastha dīpavat. Just as a dīpa which is within the pot, shines within alone. It doesn’t go outside. Similarly a jñānī’s mind also doesn’t go extrovert. It ever abides in the self. Now this may create a doubt. If a jñānī’s mind doesn’t go outside and it is always shining within only, that could mean that a jñānī is always sitting in samādhi with eyes closed. Pūjya Svāmīji, in a light vein used to say in Hindi hilnā nahi - ‘don’t move’. Like one has to sit absolutely motionless. The moment a small motion takes place, he will become an extrovert!!! NO. Remember jñānī sees the outside world very much but there also in the Gītā it is said - vidyā vinaya sampannē brāhmaṇē gavi hastini. Śuni ca ēva śvapākēca paṇḍitāḥ samadarśinaḥ. Even in the external world he sees that the very adhiṣṭhānaṁ is his own self. That antaratmā he doesn’t lose sight of. They are all nothing but nāma rūpā. The sat in the external world is ‘I’ the cit alone. Therefore, it is not that the jñānī doesn’t see the outside world, but he always remembers sarva bhūtasthaṁ Ātmānaṁ. Not that he closes the eyes all the time. Therefore, antarēva prakāśatē means antar Ātmā dṛṣṭĩ kadāpi na tyajati – never gives up the vision of the innerself, Ātmā.

उपाधिस्थोऽपि तद्धर्मैरलिप्तो व्योमवन्मुनिः
सर्वविन्मूढवत्तिष्ठेदसक्तो वायुवच्चरेत् ॥५२॥

उपाधिस्थः अपि (upādhisthaḥ api)though associated with conditionings तद्धर्मैः (taddharmaiḥ) – by their attributes अलिप्तः (aliptaḥ) – untainted व्योमवत् (vyomavat) – like the space मुनिः (muniḥ) – the contemplative one सर्ववित् (sarvavit) – one who knows everything मूढवत् (mūḍhavat) – like a fool तिष्ठेत् (tiṣṭhet) – may remain असक्तः (asaktaḥ) – unattached वायुवत् (vāyuvat) – like the wind चरेत् (caret) – may move about

note Can body and liberation co-exist? (Verse 52) upādhisthō'pi taddharmaiḥ aliptō vyōmavanmuniḥ I sarvavinmūḍhavattiṣṭhēt asaktō vāyuvaccarēt II We had said earlier that even after jñānam, a jñānī has got prārabdhā because jñānam can destroy only sancita and āgāmi karmās. And as long as prārabdhā is there, śarīraṁ will also continue. And as long as śarīraṁ continues, sukha duḥkha anubhavaḥ, dvanda anubhavaḥ like mānam, apamānam, sukhaṁ duḥkham, ārōgyaṁ, anārōgyaṁ - all these oppsites will continue. Therefore, jñānī has got śarīraṁ. He has got opposite experiences. Naturally the question will be how can a person be liberated as long as he has śarīraṁ and sukha duḥkha anubhavaḥ? This is the question which Viśiṣṭa advaitins and Dvaitins always ask. Their contention is yāvat kālaṁ śarīra sambandhaḥ vartatē, tāvat kālaṁ duḥkha sambandhē api bhavēt ēva. And that is why they say only if you drop the body, you are free from all pleasures and pain. And therefore, they say jīvan muktiḥ is impossible, because as long as you have body, hunger and thirst will be there. Food may be available or may not be available. Especially if you are a sanyāsī you may not always get the food you like. And you may not even get food always. So these experiences you cannot avoid. For this the answer is given in this ślōkā. (GHV: But dvaita & visista advaita came after Sri Sankaracharya?! So were these anticipated?) Jñānī will have the upādhi sambandhaḥ. Jñānī will continue to be in the upādhi but at the same time he knows that these upādhis are mithyā and therefore, sambandhaḥ is also falsified. Upādhisthaḥ api – even though the jñānī continues to hold the upādhis that is Sthūla, sūkṣma, kāraṇa śarīraṁ because of prārabdha – tat dharmaiḥ – Upādhi dharmaiḥ – aliptaḥ– he is not affected. So even though jñānī continues to be in the upādhi he is not affected by that. Does it mean that if he is pricked with a needle he will not feel the pain? If so, it will be very easy to detect a jñānī!! So what do we mean by painlessness? Remember there are two types of pain. • One is biological pain which is common to all jīva rāsis. Animals have got biological pain. Humans have got biological pain, which is purely prārabdhā janyaṁ. And nobody can stop it. • But human beings have got an additional pain, and that is sorrow caused by the biological pain – our reaction towards the biological pain. Often when we are sick, more than the physical pain our worry is, “if I fall sick, other people will have difficulty, or who will do this particular job, or how much will be the expenditure etc.” – so all these things are not biological but psychological pain. Biological pain is also felt in the mind. Psychological pain is also felt in the mind. The animals also have biological pain but animals do not have sorrow. They don’t worry. Or children have got biological pain and they will also cry but they do not know that the mother is suffering because of that and she doesn’t get sleep at all etc. This psychological pain is called saṁsārā. Biological pain is not called saṁsārā. Our psychological reaction to the biological pain is called saṁsārā. And the psychological sorrow which we call worry, anxiety, concern for others is born of ignorance which we can take care through Vēdāntā.These are all caused by judgement, looking into the future, looking at the bank balance etc. - all those things we take into account and react and this reaction is caused by ajñānaṁ. But a jñānī will not have this reaction. He will also have biological pain and in extreme pain he may also scream but that is the end of it. There will be no question of worrying over it. This is the śarīra dharmā. Pain will come and go. Even death may come. But he won’t worry about what will happen when he dies, who will take care of the next generation, what will happen to this, what will happen to that etc. All these worries are called saṁsārā. Therefore, remember tat dharmaiḥ aliptaḥ – he doesn’t worry about upādhi’s problem. Muniḥ – means jñānī. (GHV: But not out of careless attitude or thick-skin or insensitivity, but because of jnana of mithya and satya!) And the example is vyōmavat – ākāśā. Just as ākāśā is unaffected by anything that happens; because of the Sun ākāśā doesn’t get heated up; because of the rain ākāśā does not get wet; similarly pleasure and pain does not give rise to any worry in the mind of a jñānī. So, if because of disease some people have to suffer, let them suffer. If that happens, so be it. If trouble is given, so be it. It is their prārabdhā. On the contrary if they don’t take care, then a different kind of worry. If so, what can be done about it? It is our prārabdhā. So if they take care, we worry. If they don’t take care, we worry. So remember, if they have to undergo difficulty because of us it is paraspara prārabdhaṁ only. Worry is saṁsārā. Therefore, he gives the example of vyōmavat aliptaḥ. Then sarvavit mūḍhavat tiṣṭhēt. Even though the jñānī is admidst the people, how does he behave? Amidst ajñānīs he also will be exactly like them. So, if there are bhaktās very much interested in pūjās, punaskāraṁs and all, he will join them also and do pūja punaskāraṁ. And if there are people interested in knowledge, he will discuss knowledge. If there are people interested in karmā, he will join them. Amongst Viṣṇu bhaktās he will be be a Viṣṇu bhaktā and happily eat puli hora (puliogarai). And amongst Śiva bhaktās he will be be a Śiva bhaktā. Śaṅkarācāryā has written about 28 ślōkās called Jīvan muktānanda lahari. It is wonderful. A jñānī joins everyone because he does not have a personality of his own. So sarva vit – sarvajñaḥ mūḍhavat tiṣṭhēt – because everybody is mūḍhavat – amidst mūḍhas. Why? na buddhi bhēdaṁ janayēt ajñānāṁ karma sanghināṁ (Gita 3:26) – if one wants to do pūja – let him do a lot of it. If he wants to study Vēdāntā – let him do it. But when some student comes – adhīhi bhagavō brahma vidyāṁ variṣṭāṁ, then comes out the real knowledge that he has got within. As Lord Kṛṣṇā taught the whole Gītā the moment Arjuna asked the question. And let him move amidst people, but when he moves amidst people, he doesn’t get attached to anyone, which is our weakness. We immediately form pairs. If there is a group with whom we have moved with and are friendly, immediately, we develop an attachment. We want to share our room only with those people. So we have got sakti. Jñānī moves asaktaḥ vāyuvat carēt. Just as vāyu moves from place to place without getting attached to anyone similarly sah carati. (GHV: Willful attachment & non-attachment is driven by raga-dvesha or judgment or essentially due to sense of 'differentiation'! In a jnani there is no differentiation. Everything is seen as being non-different from Brahman!).

उपाधिविलयाद्विष्णौ निर्विशेषं विशेन्मुनिः
जले जलं वियद्व्योम्नि तेजस्तेजसि वा यथा ॥५३॥

उपाधिविलयात् (upādhivilayāt)on the dissolution of the upādhis or conditionings विष्णौ (viṣṇau) – in the all-pervading Spirit निर्विशेषं (nirviśeṣaṃ) – attributeless विशेत् (viśet) – is absorbed मुनिः (muniḥ) – the contemplative one जले (jale) – into water जलं (jalaṃ) – water वियत् (viyat) – space व्योम्नि (vyomni) – into space तेजः (tejaḥ) – light तेजसि (tejasi) – into light वा (vā) – or यथा (yathā) – just as

note Videha mukti – Nature of Brahma nirvana (Verse 53) upādhivilayādviṣṇau nirviśēṣaṁ viśēnmuniḥ | jalē jalaṁ viyadvyōmni tējastējasi vā yathā || This is a vidēha mukti ślōkah. We know what vidēha muktih is. As long as prārabdhā is there Sthūla śarīraṁ, sūkṣma śarīraṁ and kāraṇa śarīraṁ also continues –because mūla avidyā is not destroyed, it is only falsified. Because if mūla avidyā i.e. kāraṇa śarīraṁ is not there, the jñānī cannot sleep. So kāraṇa śarīraṁ also continues, till the prārabdhā is exhausted. But when the prārabdhā is exhausted Sthūla śarīraṁ is gone, sūkṣma śarīraṁ is gone and kāraṇa śarīraṁ also gets destroyed for a jñānī. Previously it was bādhitaṁ now it is naṣṭaṁ. Bādhitaṁ means it continues but it doesn’t have reality. Naṣṭaṁ means it does not even appear. Therefore, maraṇa kālē Sthūla sūkṣma kāraṇa śarīrāṇi sarvāṇyapi naśyanti. This is what is stated in a Muṇḍakōpaniṣat ślōkā as parāntakālē. For the rest of the people, it is antakālaṁ because in antakālaṁ only Sthūla śarīraṁ is destroyed. During pralaya kālaṁ sūkṣma śarīraṁ also gets resolved. But in pralayaṁ kāraṇa śarīraṁ continues. But in jñānam – mahā pralayaṁ – even kāraṇa śarīraṁ is destroyed. Then what happens? The caitanyaṁ which was till now confined to the three śarīraṁs that is śarīra avacchinna caitanyaṁ gets merged into anavacchinna caitanyaṁ Brahma. Avicchinnaṁ means contained within, circumscribed, conditioned. That is what is said here. Upādhi vilayāt – when? prārabdha avasāna kālē; upādhi vilayāt – Sthūla, sūkṣma, kāraṇa upādhi traya vilayāt; muniḥ viṣṇau viṣēt; Viṣṇuḥ means not śaṅka cakra gadādhārī viṣṇuḥ but it refers to the all pervading Ātmā or Brahman; viṣēt means merges, enters, becomes one. This is what is called Brahma nirvāṇaṁ ṛcchati in the Gītā – nirvāṇa means merger, resolution. And how does he merge? Nirviśēṣaṁ means indistinguishably that means totally, completely. So nirviśēṣaṁ viṣēt. So here also we should remember that merging is only a verb used but there is no question of any activity or process involved. That is why we give the example of ghaṭākāśa merging into mahākāśa when pot is broken. I use the the word ghaṭākāśa merges but what happens to ghaṭākāśa? Does it gradually move and merge? No. So merging means the word ghaṭākāśa is taken away, it is no more there. Similarly here also the word jñānī is taken away, the word Brahma vit is taken away and instead of the word Brahma vit the word Brahman is replaced. Brahmaiva na brahmavit as it appears in the following ślōkām from Manīṣāpañcakaṁ. yatsaukhyāmbudhilēśalēśata imē śakrādayō nirvṛtāḥ yaccittē nitarā̃ praśāntakalanē labdvā munirnirvṛtaḥ I yasminnityasukhāmbudhau galitadhīrbrahmaiva na brahmavit yaḥ kaścitsa surēndravanditapadō nūnaṁ manīṣā mama || is free from all kinds of desires. Such a person need not worry about anyone and anything in life. Such a person is full of love, kindness and joy. Such a person responds to everyone and everything happening around him, but will not react to anyone or anything. Such a person is always in that eternal self effulgent bliss. Such a person is completely fulfilled and self-contented. Even if a minutest portion of that bliss is tasted, then it will satisfy king of gods, Indra himself. That means that joy is far more than billions of billions of happiness experienced together. Such a person who is always in that ocean of eternal bliss. Brahman itself. Now the example. Jalē jalaṁ. Here we have to imagine that there is a pot submerged in a well or a pond or in any water body. When the pot is submerged in water, water is there both inside the pot and outside the pot. We can give special name say ‘pot water’ for the water inside the pot. The outside water let us assume is called ‘well water’ because in a well only we can have this experience. When we tie a rope to a pot and put it in the well – antaḥ pūrṇō bahiḥ pūrṇaḥ pūrṇa kumbhaivāmbarē – there is beautiful ślōkā. Now imagine suppose the pot is broken. We use the expression the pot water merges into well water. But we know that there is no question of merger because there is only well water all over. What has happened is that the word pot water is removed and we use the word well water only. This is the Jalē jalaṁ. This is what is said in Kaṭhōpaniṣat yathōdakaṁ śuddhē śuddhaṁ āsiktaṁ tādṛgēva bhavati. The same example he uses here. Then viyat vyōmni. Viyat means ākāśaḥ. The first ākāśa refers to ghaṭākāśa. Vyōmni refers to the second ākāśaḥ i.e mahākāśa. Similarly earlier also the first jalaṁ refers to ghaṭa jalam, the second jalam to kūpa jalam or taṭāka jalam. So ghaṭākāśaḥ yathā mahākāśē we have to supply the verb viṣēt. Similarly tējaḥ tējasī - just as the light merges into the light. Therefore, yathā ēka dīpa tējaḥ Anya dīpa tējasī viśēt, tathā jīvana muktāḥ brahma nirvāṇaṁ prāpnōti. Which means once the kāraṇa śarīraṁ is gone it cannot have re-appearance. Once Sthūla śarīraṁ goes another Sthūla śarīraṁ can come because the kāraṇa śarīraṁ is there. Similarly one sūkṣma śarīraṁ is destroyed another sūkṣma śarīraṁ can be produced because kāraṇa śarīraṁ is existing. But once kāraṇa śarīraṁ is destroyed there cannot be another kāraṇa śarīraṁ. Therefore, there cannot be another Sthūla śarīraṁ or another sūkṣma śarīraṁ. That means, as said in Dakṣiṇāmūrti stōtram yatsākṣātkaraṇādbhavēnna punarāvṛttirbhavāmbhōnidha. The meaning of this part of the verse is that whosoever realizes this truth (that Brahman is indeed you) will not return to the ocean of repeated births and deaths. There is no question of punarjanma for him. He is ever one with Brahman who is in all bodies. He is not in any particular body. He is in all bodies and if he is in all bodies we can give him what name? Caitanyaṁ associated with all bodies is Īśvaraḥ and therefore jñānī is no more associated with an individual body. He is Īśvaraḥ who is associated with all bodies. Brahma svarūpaṁIn the following four ślōkās, 54, 55, 56 and 57 Brahma svarūpaṁ is mentioned. Why is it mentioned? Because if we say that jīvan muktā attains oneness with Brahman the student will ask so what? A person gets a house, another person has got land, and another person gets some money. This person has got Brahman. So what? So he may take that gain like one of the other gains in the world. So Brahma prāpti can be compared to putra prāpti, vitta prāpti, vṛṣṭi prāpti etc. Because when Sage Viśmāmitra goes to Rāmā’s palace, Rāmā gives various examples how happy he was. Yathā vṛṣṭiḥ – if rain comes or a person who did not have a child for a long time has a child or a person who did not have a house buys one – there are so many such prāptīs. So is Brahma prāpti also one of such prāptīs? Or is it something else? Here the Ācārya wants to say that Brahma prāpti cannot be compared to any other prāpti, because in every other gain the satisfaction is momentary. Happiness on getting a new house will last for a few days. And thereafter, one will start looking what all are missing in the house. That means they all give a false sense of satisfaction, only a fake fulfilment. When the child sucks the thumb, it does not get real milk but gets some sense of false satisfaction. It sucks it and goes too sleep. What type of satisfaction it has got? It is never equal to the real one. Similarly they do not know what the real one is; these people are getting false satisfaction. Whereas, Brahman gives real satisfaction. That is what he says.

यल्लाभान्नापरो लाभो यत्सुखान्नापरं सुखम्
यज्ज्ञानान्नापरं ज्ञानं तद्ब्रह्मेत्यवधारयेत् ॥५४॥

यत् लाभात् (yat lābhāt)apart from the attainment of which न (na) – no अपरः (aparaḥ) – other लाभः (lābhaḥ) – attainment यत् सुखात् (yat sukhāt) – apart from the blessedness of which न (na) – no अपरं (aparaṃ) – other सुखम् (sukham) – blessedness यत् ज्ञानात् (yat jñānāt) – apart from the knowledge of which न (na) – not अपरं (aparaṃ) – other ज्ञानं (jñānaṃ) – knowledge तत् ब्रह्म (tat brahma) – that Brahman इति (iti) – thus अवधारयेत् (avadhārayet) – realise

note (Verse 54) yallābhānnāparō lābhō yatsukhānnāparaṁ sukhaṁ | yajjñānānnāparaṁ jñānaṁ tadbrahmētyavadhārayēt || Yallābhāt na aparaḥ lābhaḥ– gaining which there is no further gain in life; there is nothing else to be gained; means total satisfaction; utter satisfaction. Even though thereafter he may go after something, but they are all pursuits with satisfaction. Like a jñānī setting up a āśrama. There is a lot of difference between a saṁsārī gṛhastā setting up a family and a jñānī setting up a āśrama. Both are pursuits. Perhaps the jñānī has a bigger budget. Then what is the difference? In one, that is gṛhastā, seeks satisfaction through his pursuit. In the other i.e. the jñānī engages in the pursuit with satisfaction out of satisfaction. Life becomes a game. Sampūrṇa jagadēva nandavanaṁ--a play, a līlā. Then yat sukhāt na aparaṁ sukham. After gaining which ānandā there is no greater ānandā? Then yat jñānāt na aparaṁ jñānaṁ. After gaining which knowledge there is no further craving for more knowledge. Because remember craving for knowledge is as much a greed as a craving for money or land or anything else. There are people who want to study a lot of books. They want to see the end of a particular field before they die. And when they are not able to solve that particular thing, they are utterly dissatisfied. Therefore, by attaining this one can get physical, emotional and intellectual satisfaction. Tat Brahma. So by attaining which Brahma all these satisfactions will be obtained, that Brahma is the one which is attained by the jīvan muktaḥ. So Brahman is niratiśaya lābhaḥ, niratiśaya sukhaṁ and niratiśaya jñāna viṣayaṁ. Iti avadhārayēt– iti nirṇayaṁ kuryāt.

यद्दृष्ट्वा नापरं दृश्यं यद्भूत्वा न पुनर्भवः
यज्ज्ञात्वा नापरं ज्ञेयं तद्ब्रह्मेत्यवधारयेत् ॥५५॥

यद् दृष्ट्वा (yad dṛṣṭvā)having seen which न (na) – no अपरं (aparaṃ) – other thing दृश्यं (dṛśyaṃ) – to be seen यत् भूत्वा (yat bhūtvā) – having become which न (na) – not पुनर्भवः (punarbhavaḥ) – to be born again यत् ज्ञात्वा (yat jñātvā) – having known which न (na) – no अपरं (aparaṃ) – other thing ज्ञेयं (jñeyaṃ) – to be known तत् ब्रह्म (tat brahma) – that Brahman इति (iti) – thus अवधारयेत् (avadhārayet) – realise

note (Verse 55) yaddṛṣṭvā nāparaṁ Dṛśyaṁ yadbhūtvā na punarbhavaḥ | yajjñātvā nāparaṁ jñēyaṁ tadbrahmētyavadhārayēt || This is a continuation of the thought process from the previous ślōkā. Yat dṛṣṭvā na aparaṁ dṛśyaṁ asti. Having seen which – it is almost similar to yat jñānāt – the only difference is the previous ślōkā is in terms of jñānaṁ i.e. the pursuit itself. In this ślōkā it is in terms of the end of pursuit. Jñānaṁ was uttamaṁ in the previous ślōkā. In this ślōkā jñēyaṁ is uttamaṁ. That is the subtle difference. Yat dṛṣṭvā na aparaṁ dṛśyaṁ vartatē. There is no superior jñēya vastu. Then again, yat bhūtvā, having become which (Brahman), na punarbhavaḥ – there is no further becoming, because in every other becoming it is only an intermediary stage. Man first becomes dēvah, then prajāpati, then bṛhaspati and afterwards again becomes sthāṇu manyē anusaṁyyanti yathā karmā yathā śrutaṁ. This process goes on. That is why it is said saṁsarati iti saṁsāraḥ. That is why saṁsāra is called bhāvaḥ. Bhāvaḥ means we become so many things. In fact in every other pursuit, our aim is that we want to become someone else. It is a very very subtle thing to be noted. We are never satisfied. We want to convert the bachelor ‘I’ into a husband ‘I’. So superficially putting, we want a wife but Vēdāntically putting the bachelor ‘I’ is not satisfied, so wants to become husband ‘I’. After that the married ‘I’ wants to become father ‘I’. After that the father ‘I’ wants to become householder ‘I’ – buy a house and thereafter this ‘I’ wants to become a father-in- law ‘I’ and therafter wants to become a grand father ‘I’. Thus remember in and through all the pursuits ‘I’ am converting the ‘I’ into so many things and every ‘I’ is not satisfied. This is called bhāvaḥ – constantly transforming the ‘I’ into varieties of things. And this transformation will culminate where? Any relative ‘I’ will not be satisfied. The relative ‘I’ should be converted into Brahman. That is why it is said kṛtātmānaḥ - kṛt ātmānaḥ - pūrṇatvēna kṛtaḥ Ātmā – yatanto yoginaśh chainaṁ paśhyanty ātmany avasthitam yatanto ‘py akṛitātmāno nainaṁ paśhyanty achetasaḥ says Bhagawān Kṛṣṇā in the Gītā (15- 11). The striving yogīs too are able to realize this Self enshrined in their heart. The ignorant, however, whose heart has not been purified, know not this Self in spite of their best endeavours. So kṛt ātmanaḥ means the one who has converted the relative ‘I’ into Brahman ‘I’ – it is only after that, this journey of bhāvaḥ will stop. Otherwise, there will be constant struggle.Therefore, the culmination is becoming the absolute ‘I’. And this becoming happens not by any process but by jñānaṁ. So jñānēna yat brahma bhūtvā, na punar bhavaḥ. Then yat jñātvā na aparaṁ jñēyaṁ. Having known which, there is no further thing to be known. One can give many reasons. One reason is ‘I’ become pūrṇa – that is ‘I’ has got fulfilment. Second reason is everything else is mithyā. So what is the use of knowing mithyā vastu? So, tat brahma. It is fulfilment giver, it is stopper of the journey, that which puts an end to the struggle. Tat pūrṇatvaṁ ēva iti avadhārayēt. It is this Brahman which the jīvan muktaḥ becomes. Recap Before we proceed further, it would be useful to recapitulate the essence of the last two ślōkās. In the 53rd ślōkā Ācārya talked about vidēha mukti which is nothing but the merger of the jīvātmā into Brahman or the seeming merger of jīvātmā into Brahman, when the conditioning equipment i.e. the upādhis are gone because of prārabdha kṣaya. So, prārabdha kṣayē sati, upādhi vilayē sati jīvātmanaḥ brahmaṇā ēkī bhāvaḥ vidēha muktiḥ. And having talked about merger into Brahman in the 53rd ślōkā, from the 54th ślōkā onwards Brahma svarūpaṁ is being pointed out in the 4 ślōkās i.e. from 54 to 57. Of them, we have seen 2 ślōkās, the essence of which is that Brahman is niratiśayaṁ, Brahman is superlative in everything. So in bigness it is superlative, in happiness it is superlative, in beauty it is superlative, and in love it is superlative. Whatever we know as superlative – the greatest is Brahman. Whatever we know as superlative – the greatest is Brahman. Sarva niratiśayaṁ - nirgataḥ atiśayaḥ yasmāt saḥ be it physically or emotionally or intellectually - in any field. That is why Brahman is capable of giving tṛpti at all levels. Mathematics may give intellectual tṛpti but a mathematician can be emotionally dissatisfied, if there is a problem with his wife or children. He could be a great but unhappy mathematician. There are people who are emotionally fine and secure but they may have intellectual problem or physical problem. But Vēdāntā is a unique field where a person finds fullness emotionally and intellectually at all levels.

तिर्यगूर्ध्वमधः पूर्णं सच्चिदानन्दमद्वयम्
अनन्तं नित्यमेकं यत्तद्ब्रह्मेत्यवधारयेत् ॥५६॥

तिर्यक् (tiryak)all sides ऊर्ध्वम् (ūrdhvam) – above अधः (adhaḥ) – below पूर्णं (pūrṇaṃ) – all-pervading सच्चिदानन्दम् (saccidānandam) – which is Existence-Consciousness-Bliss absolute अद्वयम् (advayam) – non-dual अनन्तं (anantaṃ) – infinite नित्यम् (nityam) – eternal एकं (ekaṃ) – one यत् (yat) – which तत् ब्रह्म (tat brahma) – that Brahman इति (iti) – thus अवधारयेत् (avadhārayet) – realise

note Brahma svarupam - Continued (Verse 56) tiryagūrdhvamadhaḥ pūrṇaṁ saccidānandamadvayam | anantaṁ nityamēkaṁ yat tadbrahmētyavadhārayēt || So the 4th line is similar to that of the previous two ślōkās. Tat brahma iti avadhārayēt – that is Brahman. What is Brahman? – Tiryag ūrdhvaṁ adhaḥ pūrṇaṁ – that is which is full at all levels. Tiryag means at our level, middle level or horizontal level. Ūrdhvaṁ means upper level. Adhaḥ means lower level. In short, the idea is that at all levels Brahman is pūrṇaṁ. And sacchidānandaṁ and advayaṁ – we have already seen these words and therefore no explanation is necessary. It is of the nature of existence, awareness and ānandaḥ. At the level of Brahman, we call the pūrṇatvaṁ as anantaḥ. But when we discover that pūrṇatvaṁ in our mind, it expresses as ānandaḥ. So anantaḥ ēva antaḥkaraṇa parē– at the level of antaḥ karaṇaṁ is the expression of ānandaḥ. Pūrṇatvaṁ in mind is ānandaḥ. Minus mind the same ānandaḥ is anantaḥ- Satyam jñānaṁ anantaṁ. They correspond to sat, cit and ānanda at the individual level. And therefore, advayaṁ – non dual – sajātīya vijātīya svagata bhēda rahitaṁ – free from all types of differences (differentiations). This can be understood only if we know jagat is mithyā. If jagat also is satyaṁ there will be vijātīya bhēdaṁ because one is cētanaṁ and the other is jaḍaṁ. That is why in all other philosophies, vijātīya bhēdaṁ cannot be negated. In Viśiṣṭa advaitāṁ they say sajātīya bhēdaṁ is not there because there are no two Īśvaraḥ. But vijātīya bhēdaṁ they will have to accept because one is cētanaṁ and other is jaḍaṁ. But in advaitā alone vijātīya bhēdaṁ is negated. Now if one says world is visible, we say that we don’t negate the visibility–pratitiṁ na niṣēdāmaḥ parantu satyatvaṁ ēva niṣēdāmaḥ. We are not negating the experience of the world. We are only negating the existence of the world. We are not negating the experience of blue sky. We are only negating the existence of the blue sky. Then anantaṁ – means antaḥ rahitaṁ – all these words we have already seen. Anantaṁ indicates dēśataḥ aparicchinnaṁ. Nityaṁ indicates kālataḥ aparicchinnaṁ. In English anantaṁ can be taken to mean all pervading; nityaṁ is eternal. Ēkaṁ vastutaḥ aparicchinnaṁ. There is no second thing at all. We can take this as explanation for advayaṁ which means anantaṁ, nityaṁ, ēkaṁ, dēśataḥ, kālataḥ, vastutaḥ paricchēda śūnyaṁ yat. The thing which is like this, that is Brahman. It is this Brahman that jīvan muktaḥ merges with.

अतद्व्यावृत्तिरूपेण वेदान्तैर्लक्ष्यतेऽद्वयम्
अखण्डानन्दमेकं यत्तद्ब्रह्मेत्यवधारयेत् ॥५७॥

अतद्व्यावृत्तिरूपेण (atadvyāvṛttirūpeṇa)by the process of negation of what it is not वेदान्तैः (vedāntaiḥ) – by Vedānta लक्ष्यते (lakṣyate) – indicated अद्वयम् (advayam) – non-dual अखण्डानन्दम् (akhaṇḍānandam) – indivisible and blissful एकं (ekaṃ) – one यत् (yat) – which तत् ब्रह्म (tat brahma) – that Brahman इति (iti) – thus अवधारयेत् (avadhārayet) – realise

note (Verse 57) atadvyāvṛttirūpēṇa vēdāntairlakṣyatē'dvayaṁ | akhaṇḍānandamēkaṁ yat tadbrahmētyavadhārayēt || Now one may wonder how can there be such a Brahman at all. That is anantaṁ, nityaṁ, ēkaṁ, sacchidānandaṁ, advayaṁ – because whatever we experience happens to be paricchinnaṁ – antavat, anityaṁ, anēkaṁ, asat, acit, duḥkhaṁ and all these are opposites. So how can such a Brahman be there? What is the pramāṇaṁ for such a Brahman? For that we say say Vēdāntāiḥ – Vēdāntā reveals that Brahman. Vēdāntā alone is the pramāṇaṁ. If we use pratyakṣaṁ or tarkaṁ or science – they all function in the objective field – they can never reveal Brahman. Then the next question will be how even Vēdāntā can reveal Brahman because if Vēdāntā reveals Brahman there also limitation will be there. Vēdāntā will be the revealer and Brahman will be the revealed and we would be sitting here looking at that Brahman. So pramātṛ, pramāṇa, pramēya division will come. Therefore, Śaṅkarācārya says, Vēdāntā does not reveal Brahman directly. What does Vēdāntā do? It uses a negative method in which it negates everything. Because everything we know is anityaṁ, paricchinnaṁ, and dvaitaṁ. Therefore, the upaniṣad keeps on negating. Once everything else is negated, only one will remain unnegated. That is the negator alone will remain unnegated because if the negator is to be negated, we will require another negator and for him another negator. And therefore ‘I’ alone will remain and that ‘I’ is never a limited thing because whatever is experienced is limited and we can never say ‘I’ am limited at all because to say so, ‘I’ should be an object of experience. yat yat Dṛśyaṁ, tat paricchinnaṁ. And therefore, Vēdāntā does not reveal positively, it makes Brahman remain as ‘I’ after negating everything else. That is what Śaṅkarācārya says, atad vyāvṛtti rūpēṇa – here tad means Brahman. So atad vyavṛtti rupena means by negating everying which is other than Brahman. And what is that? – Sarva Dṛśyaṁ. So by negating all dṛśya vastus – whatever is left out i.e. ‘I’ is indirectly revealed as Brahman. So, Vēdāntaiḥ advayaṁ Brahma, pramāṇa aviṣayaṁ Brahma lakṣyatē. Because we should remember, once Vēdāntā negates everything that is required to be negated, Vēdāntā also gets negated because that is also a viṣayaṁ. So once Vēdāntā negates everything that is Dṛśyaṁ, finally Vēdāntā itself gets negated, pramēyaṁ gone, pramāṇaṁ gone and what is left is only pramātā. And once pramātā is left out, that is ‘I, ‘I’ cannot be called even pramātā because ‘I’ can be pramātā only as long as pramēyaṁ or pramāṇaṁ are there. Once Vēdāntā negates pramēyaṁ, objects of knowledge, and itself the pramāṇaṁ – ‘I’, the pramātā will be left out without pramātṛtvaṁ. Just as I am the teacher here and you are all the students. Suppose you all go away and I am left alone. So I am here without my teacher-hood because my teacher status depends upon your grace and by your anugrahā alone I am a teacher. Similarly, once Vēdāntā negates pramēyaṁ and pramāṇaṁ, ‘I’, the pramātā, without pramātṛtvaṁ, am left out. And this is what is known as pramātṛtva nivṛttiḥ. What Vēdāntā does is, it leaves me as the balance, the only remaining entity minus the knower- hood. ‘I’ am pure knowledge, awareness, apramātṛ Brahma ahaṁ asmi. This is what is called lakṣaṇa vākyaṁ. So atad vyāvṛtti rūpēṇa and the famous vākyaṁ for that is ‘neti neti’ –athāta ādēśō 'nēti nēti' na hyētasmāditi nēti, Anyat paramasti. - Bṛhadāraṇyakōpaniṣat. This is a very famous Bṛhadāraṇyaka vākyaṁ. So here atad vyavṛtti means nēti nēti iti vākya pramāṇēna, Vēdāntāih advayaṁ lakṣyatē. Advayaṁ means pramātṛ, pramāṇa, pramēya rahitaṁ, turīyaṁ lakṣyatē. And what is the nature of that turīyaṁ? It is akhaṇḍa ānandaṁ ēkaṁ– which is the non-dual and undivided ānandā– pūrṇa ānandā. It is not pratibimba ānandā obtaining in ānandamaya kōśā but it is bimbānandā the original ‘I’ – ānanda ātmā I brahma pucchaṁ pratiṣṭhā. And tat – this paripūrṇa ānandā, nirvikalpaka svarūpaṁ alone is called Brahman and it is this Brahman which the jīvan muktā merges into

अखण्डानन्दरूपस्य तस्यानन्दलवाश्रिताः
ब्रह्माद्यास्तारतम्येन भवन्त्यानन्दिनोऽखिलाः ॥५८॥

अखण्डानन्दरूपस्य (akhaṇḍānandarūpasya)whose nature is unbroken Bliss तस्य (tasya) – His आनन्दलवाश्रिताः (ānandalavāśritāḥ) – depending upon just a particle of this bliss ब्रह्माद्याः (brahmādyāḥ) – the Creator and other deities तारतम्येन (tāratamyena) – in proportion भवन्ति आनन्दिनः (bhavanti ānandinaḥ) – become blissful अखिलाः (akhilāḥ) – all

note (Verse 58) akhaṇḍānandarūpasya tasyānandalavāśritāḥ | brahmādyāstāratamyēna bhavantyānandinō'khilāḥ || In the previous ślōkā he said Brahman is akhaṇḍaṁ ēkaṁ ānandaṁ. So naturally we would like to know how ‘big’ is Brahmānandā? We cannot conceive that ānandā and therefore, the upaniṣad wants to give a comparison which has already been given in Taittirīya Upaniṣad in Ānanda mīmāṁsā. What is that one unit of ānandā? Suppose there is perfect human being – even this is highly doubtful – but let us assume so – who is young, who is very learned and who is very moral and who possesess the whole world including the diamond fields of Africa. What would be his ānandā? It is equated to one unit that is ēkaḥ mānuṣa ānandaḥ. And 100 units of this mānuṣa ānandaḥ amounts of one manuṣya gandharva ānandā and 100 units of manuṣya gandharva ānandā adds up to one dēva gandharva and so it goes on to pitṛṇāṁ, ājānajānāṁ dēvānāṁ, karma dēvānāṁ, dēvānāṁ, indrasya, bṛhastēḥ, prajāpatēḥ, brahmaṇa each succeeding one, a multiple of 100 of the previous one. Just imagine how many zeros will be there. Each level is multiplied by 100 of the previous level. So all these ānandā are included in this brahmānandā. Now if we say all these ānandās are included in the brahmānandā then one will start to add all of them! So the Upaniṣad says – tasya ānandasya lēśa lēśataḥ – a small fraction of the fraction of that infinite ānandā alone is the total sum of all the ānandās mentioned earlier. That means that this ānandā doesn’t have even a trace of duḥkhaṁ. That is the difference. Even the person who is maximum happy, if you interview him, after talking for a long time, he will say “but there is just one small thing”. He will come up with some problem or issue. So everybody irrespective of how happy he is, will have a trace of duḥkhaṁ but this ānandā doesn’t have even a dot of duḥkhaṁ. That is the essence. So lavāśritāḥ tasya ānandasya lava āśritāḥ brahmādyāḥ – brahmādyāḥ means Brahma which is hiraṇyagarbhaḥ who has got the highest ānandā in the relative world. Ādi padāt is used and so we should include all from prajāpatēḥ ānandaḥ etc. upto mānuṣa ānandaḥ. In short all varieties of jīva rāśis are depending on tasya ānandasya lava āśritāḥ. Tasya means brahmaṇaḥ – ānanda lava āśritāḥ. So one drop of Brahmānandā is taken and that is divided and given to all these people – lava āśritāḥ. And what type of ānandā it is? It is akhaṇḍānanda rūpasya brahmaṇaḥ. So it is the drop of that Brahman which is of the nature of akhaṇḍa ānanda rūpa. Then he says akhilāḥ– all those people. So what happens to them? – Tāratamyēna ānandinaḥ bhavanti. – So all these people become happy, not uniformly, but in gradation, because even here for the same joke, everyone does not laugh in the same vein. So we have got all graded ānandaḥ and all these are nothing but brahmānandasya lavaḥ ēva. What is the purpose here? If all these are only lavaḥ of Brahman, you can imagine what the level of Brahma ānandā would be? But when I say can you imagine what the level of Brahmānandā it would be, one should be extremely careful. One should not think that Brahmānandā is going to be another extremely happy experience because if so, it will have to be limited. The moment we say experience it would means limited only. It is a mental state. It may come in samādhi, it may come in bhāva samādhi or it may come in some other state. So here the infinite ānandā is not in the form of an experience, but is in the form of understanding that this ānandā or pūrṇatvaṁ is my svarūpaṁ. Than how do we call it ānandā? Once we know this, we will understand that any ānandā we experience is our svarūpaṁ only. It is like a mirror. Any ānandā is like a mirror. It is ‘our ānandā’ that is experienced there. Therefore, we need not go after any ānandā. That is what we should remember. This is jñānī’s ānandā. Understanding this is pūrṇatvaṁ. So, ānandinaḥ akhilāḥ brahmādyāḥ brahma ānandēna ēva ānandinaḥ bhavanti.

तद्युक्तमखिलं वस्तु व्यवहारस्तदन्वितः
तस्मात्सर्वगतं ब्रह्म क्षीरे सर्पिरिवाखिले ॥५९॥

तद्युक्तम् (tadyuktam)pervaded by that (Brahman) अखिलं (akhilaṃ) – all वस्तु (vastu) – object व्यवहारः (vyavahāraḥ) – actions तदन्वितः (tadanvitaḥ) – are possible because of That तस्मात् (tasmāt) – therefore सर्वगतं (sarvagataṃ) – all permeating ब्रह्म (brahma) – Brahman क्षीरे (kṣīre) – in the milk सर्पिः (sarpiḥ) – butter इव (iva) – like अखिले (akhile) – in everything

note (Verse 59) tadhyuktamakhilaṁ vastu vyavahārastadanvitaḥ | tasmātsarvagataṁ brahma kṣīrē sarpirivākhilē || Here Śaṅkarācārya says that all the people, jñānīs or ajñānīs, are all the time in Brahman alone and they are all the time seeing Brahman alone and they are all the time handling Brahman alone. Therefore, they are in Brahman, they are experiencing Brahman, they are transacting with Brahman alone. Then what is the difference between a jñānī and an ajñānī? Ajñānī doesn’t know this. Jñānī knows this. Imagine when a person is handling a pot, seeing a pot and if he is asked what he was handling he would say that he was handling a pot. But the wise man will tell him that “you are calling it a pot and you say that you are handling a pot. There is no such thing called pot at all. Pot is a word you are using, pot is a form that is there. What you are actually seeing and handling is only clay”. So he was all the time handling clay, thinking that it was a pot. Now suppose this person closes his eyes for realising the clay. He says “I have experienced the pot plenty of times. What I have not experienced is only clay. And they say clay is the satyaṁ, clay is the pot kāraṇaṁ, etc.” and he goes into nirvikalpa samādhi. What for? - For clay realization. He is looking for clay in his mind but will he get it? So why should one go at all in search of clay by closing the eyes, when all time he was handling clay only. Similarly people are trying to realize Brahman somewhere all the time. The sat of the pot is clay. The very sattā of the pot is clay. Similarly whatever is there in the world is that very sattā. It is nothing but Brahman. Nāma rūpa belongs to the world. nāma rūpasya adhiṣṭhāna bhūt sattā. It is nothing but Brahman alone. A verse in Dakṣiṇāmūrti stōtram says, yasyaiva sphuraṇaṁ sadātmakamasatkalpārthagaṁ bhāsatē The Brahman, which is Existence-Awareness Absolute, alone pervades all the objects of the world making them shine (making them evident), and imparting its own reality to them, which are themselves unreal. In every nāma rūpa, when we say ‘IS’, that is nothing but Brahman. And when we say ‘I AM’ that is nothing but the sat Brahman and it includes cit also. Outside we experience sat Brahman and inside, that is, in our antaḥkāraṇa we experience sat as well as cit. And whenever we are happy we are experiencing sat, cit and ānandā. Therefore, the world has sad aṁśaṁ of Brahman, ajñānīs have sad aṁśaṁ and cid aṁśaṁ and jñānī has sad aṁśaṁ, cid aṁśaṁ and ānandā aṁśaṁ. That is why he is called so and so ānandā. Sat, cit and ānandā are there all the time in the world. Therefore, he says akhilaṁ vastu tad yuktaṁ – every object in the creation is associated with tad, means, tad Brahman – associated here refers to adhiṣṭhāna rūpēṇa vartamānaṁ and not saṁyōga sambandhā. Tad yuktaṁ is associated with Brahman as if adhiṣṭhānaṁ, just as pot is tad yuktaṁ with clay. If we remember the example it will be easy to understand. Just as every pot is associated with clay, everything is associated with Brahman. Similarly vyavahāraḥ tadanvitaḥ – all our transactions are with Brahman only. Just as whether we handle the plate or jug or a pot, all are vyavahāraḥ with clay alone. That is why we say Brahma arpaṇaṁ, Brahma haviḥ, Brahma agnau Brahmaṇā hutaṁ. Brahmaṇi ēva sarvē vyavāhārāḥ adhyastāḥ, na tu vāstavikāḥ. So where is Brahman? After all this teaching, one will, by force of habit say, īśvaraḥ sarva bhūtānāṁ hṛddēśē Arjuna tiṣṭati – but this is all LKG stuff. One has to start like that only. But thereafterwards, as Pūjya Svāmijī said, yatra yatra manō yāti tatra tatra samādhayaḥ – dṛk dṛśya vivēkaḥ. He says that for a jñānī wherever the mind goes, there he sees Brahman. Therefore, tasmāt sarvagataṁ Brahma. Now the example - kṣīrēḥ sarpiḥ iva. Sarpiḥ means ghee. Just as ghee is in the milk; where, in which part? - Everywhere, sarvagataṁ. Can you see it? – No. So can you say it is not there? No. So even though you don’t see it, it is very much there. Similarly, here also it is very much there. But by proper operation, we can take the kaivalya navanītaṁ. Similarly, here also by proper sādhanā, through recognition, Brahman can be realized. How? We have already seen in ślōkā 42 –araṇi mathanaṁ - ātmāraṇau dhyāna mathanē satataṁ kṛtē. There it is original mathanaṁ for kaivalya grahaṇaṁ. Here it is jñāna mathanaṁ. That is the only difference. So akhilē kṣīrēḥ sarpiḥ iva. Now the question is should these verses be taken as the Brahma svarūpaṁ or the jīvan muktā vision? We can take it in both ways. It is this Brahman that jīvan muktā merges into. Or, jīvan muktā is aware all the time in and through all of them that Brahman alone ‘IS’. So jīvan muktā is aware that akhilaṁ vastu Brahma yuktaṁ or you can say that jīvan muktā merges into such a Brahman at the time of vidēha mukti.

अनण्वस्थूलमह्रस्वमदीर्घमजमव्ययम्
अरूपगुणवर्णाख्यं तद्ब्रह्मेत्यवधारयेत् ॥६०॥

अनणु (anaṇu)neither subtle अस्थूलम् (asthūlam) – nor gross अह्रस्वम् (ahrasvam) – neither short अदीर्घम् (adīrgham) – nor long अजम् (ajam) – without birth अव्ययम् (avyayam) – without change अरूपगुणवर्णाख्यं (arūpaguṇavarṇākhyaṃ) – without form, attributes, colour and name तत् ब्रह्म (tat brahma) – that Brahman इति (iti) – thus अवधारयेत् (avadhārayet) – realise

note (Verse 60) anaṇvaSthūlamahṛsvaṁ- adīrghamajamavyayam | arūpaguṇavarṇākhyam tadbrahmētyavadhārayēt || Again Brahma svarūpaṁ is being talking about, into which Brahman the jīvan muktā will merge. The meaning is simple.The essence of this ślōkā is that Brahman is free from all attributes. anaṇuḥ, aSthūlaṁ, ahrasvaṁ, adīrghaṁ, ajaṁ, avyayaṁ. So Brahman is devoid of these attributes. Aṇuḥ means small. So anaṇuḥ means not a small thing. So Brahman is not a small thing. Now one will immediately think that it is big. Immediately he says aSthūlaṁ – Sthūlaṁ means big. So aSthūlaṁ means it is not big also. What is the corresponding mantra? aṇōraṇīyān mahatō mahīyān Mahānārāyaṇōpaniṣat. It is said that Brahman is both small and big. Which means it is neither small nor big. Then he says ahrasvaṁ. It is not short. Immediately one will think that it is long. So he says adīrghaṁ. It is not long. So what is the purpose of these contradictions? Our intellect must stop the search because intellectual search is in a relative field. Intellectual functioning, intellectual seeking are in the relative field, where everything is either this way īdṛk or that way tādṛk. So it is neither this nor that. Now if the intellect stops its seeking, what will happen to the intellect? It will abide in the seeker. So the sought is not outside but it is the very seeker himself. That is the whole purpose of the negation. The seeker is the sought. Then ajaṁ – unborn; avyayaṁ – inexhaustible, jarā rahitaṁ, nāśa rahitaṁ etc. So ajaṁ avyayaṁ means, na jāyatē mriyatē vā kadāci-nnāyaṁ bhūtvā bhavitā vā na bhūyaḥ. ajō nityaḥ śāśvatō'yaṁ purāṇō na hAnyatē hAnyamānē śarīrē This is how Gītā describes it. So sarva vikāra niṣēdhaḥ. Then arūpaṁ – free from forms or a better meaning is colourless; aguṇa – nirguṇaṁ, free from all attributes – both good and bad attributes. So viśiṣṭa advaitins say Brahman is free from only bad attributes. It has got good attributes. We say it is not true because even good attributes make Brahman relative. Because Brahman is Anyatra dharmāt Anyatra adharmāt – it is beyond adharmā and beyond dharmā also. So when we say aguṇaṁ it means it is free from saguṇaṁ and durguṇaṁ. Then avarṇa – varṇa can be taken as jāti or any varṇa classification. We can take the cāturvarṇyaṁ itself. For varṇa we don’t take the meaning of colour here because generally in Sanskrit and especially in Vēdāntā the word rūpaṁ is taken to mean colour and not form. For form they use the word ākāraḥ and the word rūpaṁ is used for colour. So arūpaṁ means colourless. And so when we say avarṇaṁ, it refers to brāhmaṇa, kṣatriya etc. varṇas. Then anākhyaṁ –ākhyaṁ means nāma i.e. name. So anākhyaṁ means it does not have a name also. amātraścaturthaḥ, avyavahāryaḥ, prapancōpaśimaḥ, śāntaḥ, śivaḥ, advaitāḥ amātraḥ. So name is silence. It is nāma rahitaṁ. Then why do we call it Brahman? It is also adhyāsaṁ. So Brahma api nāma iti adhyāsaḥ ēva. Remember Brahman the name itself is mithyā. Brahman is not mithyā. Then is it adhiṣṭhānaṁ? Adhiṣṭhānaṁ the name itself also is mithyā. Then what is satyaṁ? maunavyākhyā prakaṭita parabrahmatattvaṁ yuvānaṁ, a verse from Dakṣiṇāmūrti stōtram, which means that the essential nature of Para Brahman is explained by silent exposition. And it is this Brahman in which the jīvan muktā merges into.

यद्भासा भास्यतेऽर्कादि भास्यैर्यत्तु न भास्यते
येन सर्वमिदं भाति तद्ब्रह्मेत्यवधारयेत् ॥६१॥

यद्भासा (yadbhāsā)by the light of which भास्यते (bhāsyate) – are illuminated अर्कादि (arkādi) – sun and others भास्यैः (bhāsyaiḥ) – by the luminous orbs यः (yaḥ) – that तु (tu) – indeed न (na) – not भास्यते (bhāsyate) – is illuminated येन (yena) – by which सर्वम् (sarvam) – all इदं (idaṃ) – this, भाति – shines, तत् ब्रह्म – that Brahman, इति – thus, अवधारयेत् – realise

note (Verse 61) yadbhāsā bhāsyatē'rkādi bhāsyairyattu na bhāsyatē | yēna sarvamidaṁ bhāti tadbrahmētyavadhārayēt || So the topic of Brahma svarūpaṁ itself is continuing. Earlier I had said 4 ślōkās. But now after two verses, the same topic continues. All these are Brahma svarūpaṁ or Brahma lakṣaṇaṁ. And here Brahma is defined as svayaṁ prakāśa rūpaḥ. And what is the definition of svayaṁ prakāśa? It is that because of which everything shines, and that which does not shine because of anything else. Because of Brahman the world shines and Brahman shines not because of anything else. That which makes everything shine but that which does not shine because of anything else. Kaṭhōpaniṣat & Mundakopanisat say na tatra sūryō bhāti na candratārakaṁ nēmā vidhyutō bhānti kutō yamagniḥ. tamēva bhātamanubhāti sarvaṁ tasya bhāsā sarvamidaṁ vibhāti. The Sun does not shine there, nor do the moon and the stars, nor do lightnings shine and much less the fire. When He shines, everything shines after Him; by His light, all these shine. This is the essence of this ślōkā. So yad bhāsā – yad Brahma bhāsā – because of whose light; arkādi – means sūryaḥ, candraḥ, nakṣatrāṇi, vidyuta, agniḥ ādi padāt; jyōtiṣāṁ api tat jyōtiḥ; yat caitanya jyōtiṣa arkādi jyōtīṣ̃i vāsantē ityarthaḥ. Here also one should be careful. When we say because of the light of Brahman everything shines, we should not think that Brahman has got a peculiar light and all. It means that because of which awareness everything is known. Light means awareness. Shines means known. It is because of the awareness only the Sun itself is known. And bhāsyaiḥ yat na bhāsyatē. So by these illumined objects – bhāsyaṁ – the illuminator Ātmā is not illumined. This is the beauty of Sanskrit. Bhāsyaiḥ na bhāsyatē. Kasmāt? bhāsyatvāt, abhāsakatvāt. So by these illumined objects Ātmā is never illumined. That means they are ever the object. Ātmā is ever the subject. The do not become subject and Ātmā never becomes object. And yēna sarvaṁ idaṁ bhāti – yēna means Brahma prakāśēna, Brahma caitanyēna; idaṁ sarvaṁ bhāti – all these are illumined. So the idea is this. The caitanyaṁ illumines the sense organs. So we can say that caitanyaṁ is the illuminator of sense organs. Now the sense organs illumine the world because through the sense organs only the world is illumined. But Śaṅkarācārya says, in fact the world is also illumined by caitanyaṁ only because caitanyaṁ gives light to the sense organs and the sense organs illumine the world and therefore, in the final analysis the ultimate illuminator of the world is caitanyaṁ only. The difference is that caitanyaṁ illumines sense organs directly but it illumines the world indirectly, that is through the sense organs. That is why it is repeated twice – arkādi bhāsyatē and yēna sarvaṁ idaṁ bhāti – so one should be taken as direct illumination and another indirect illumination. So ultimately everything is illumined by caitanyaṁ only. This svayaṁ prakāśa caitanyaṁ is Brahma which the jīvan muktāḥ merges into.

स्वयमन्तर्बहिर्व्याप्य भासयन्नखिलं जगत्
ब्रह्म प्रकाशते वह्निप्रतप्तायसपिण्डवत् ॥६२॥

स्वयम् (svayam)Itself अन्तः (antaḥ) – inside बहिः (bahiḥ) – outside व्याप्य (vyāpya) – pervading भासयन् (bhāsayan) – illumining अखिलम् (akhilam) – entire जगत् (jagat) – universe ब्रह्म (brahma) – Brahman प्रकाशते (prakāśate) – shines वह्निप्रतप्तायसपिण्डवत् (vahniprataptāyasapiṇḍavat) – like the fire permeating a red-hot iron ball

note (Verse 62) svayamantarbahirvyāpya bhāsayannakhilaṁ jagat | brahma prakāśatē vahni – prataptāyasapiṇḍavat || So the idea he stated in the previous ślōkā, is being put here in a different form. That is, caitanyaṁ alone illumines everything, either directly or indirectly. And how do we know that caitanyaṁ pervades? Whenever we say that something is known, it indicates the pervasion of caitanyaṁ. Whenever we say the wall is seen, it means that it is pervaded by light. Do we need to say it in so many words, because if it is not pervaded by light, wall would not have been seen? Similarly the moment we say we know an object, it indicates the pervasion of consciousness. But the consciousness pervades in two ways. In the case of mind and sense organs, it pervades directly. That is why mind is always known, whereas the external world is sākṣī caitanyēna sākṣāta vyāptaṁ. The sākṣī caitanyaṁ becomes antaḥkāraṇa caitanyaṁ and that which is called cidābhāsā. Again quoting from Dakṣiṇāmūrti stōtram, jñānaṁ yasya tu cakṣurādikaraṇadvārā bahiḥ spandatē When the mind goes to that object – through the mind the caitanyaṁ pervades the world. And therefore, caitanyaṁ pervades the world indirectly. Thus everything is pervaded by sākṣī caitanyaṁ or pramātṛ caitanyaṁ. Sākṣī caitanyaṁ is direct. When we say pramātṛ caitanyaṁ, it is indirect. So, svayaṁ antaḥ bahiḥ ca vyāpnōti. Antaḥ refers to the mind and the vṛttis of the mind. And the caitanyaṁ illumines the mind and the vṛttis directly and this caitanyaṁ is called sākṣī caitanyaṁ which illumines the mind which illumines the vṛttis of the mind, which illumines even the resolution of the mind during the suṣupti avasthā. sākṣī caitanya rūpēṇa, brahma ātma antaḥkaraṇaṁ vyāpnōti. And once the antaḥkaraṇaṁ gets the caitanyaṁ, this particular caitanyaṁ is capable of going out through the sense organs and capable of illumining the external world. And when the caitanyaṁ in the antaḥkaraṇaṁ goes out through the pramāṇaṁs and illumines the external world, the very same caitanyaṁ gets the name pramātṛ caitanyaṁ. So sākṣī caitanyaṁ directly illumines the antaḥkaraṇaṁ and that is why it is ever illumined in all the three avasthās. So sākṣī caitanyaṁ pervades the mind directly and through the mind it pervades the external world indirectly, and therefore, he says antarbahirvyāpya – pervading both within and without; akhilaṁ jagat bhāsayan – it illumines the whole universe – the internal subjective universe as well as the external objective universe. Brahma prakāśatē – thus Brahman shines both within and without. And how do we know Brahman shines? The very fact that the mind is known indicates pervasion of caitanyaṁ. Remember the example, whenever we say the world is seen, it indicates the pervasion of light. And therefore, Brahma prakāśatē antaḥ bahiḥ ca. He gives an example pratapta ayasa piṇḍavat - like the red hot iron ball. Suppose in a dark room there is a red hot iron ball. Normally in a dark room one cannot see an ordinary iron ball. When agniḥ pervades the iron or when the fire principle pervades the iron ball, the invisible iron ball becomes the visible iron ball. It not only becomes visible because of agni vyāpti but if we touch the iron ball, the heat will burn us. So the existence of dāhaka śakti is also because of the pervasion of the Agni. But do we see the agni separately? No. Agni seems to be the instrisic nature of the iron ball. But even though it appears to be the intrinsic nature, that is, the light and heat seems to belong to the iron ball, it is only because of the agni tattwaṁ. Similarly the mind is known because of the pervasion of the caitanyaṁ, the world is also known because of the caitanyaṁ alone. asti bhāti priyaṁ rūpaṁ nāma cētyaṁśa pañcakam. Everywhere Brahman is there.

जगद्विलक्षणं ब्रह्म ब्रह्मणोऽन्यन्न किंचन
ब्रह्मान्यद्भाति चेन्मिथ्या यथा मरुमरीचिका ॥६३॥

जगद्विलक्षणं (jagadvilakṣaṇaṃ)which is other than the universe ब्रह्म (brahma) – Brahman ब्रह्मणः अन्यत् (brahmaṇaḥ anyat) – other than Brahman न (na) – not किञ्चन (kiñcana) – a little ब्रह्मान्यत् (brahmānyat) – other than Brahman भाति (bhāti) – shines चेत् (cet) – if मिथ्या (mithyā) – unreal यथा (yathā) – just as मरुमरीचिका (marumarīcikā) – the mirage

note Jñāna Phalaṁ and Jñāna Dṛṣṭi (Verse 63) jagadvilakṣṇaṁ brahma brahmaṇō'nyanna kiñcana | brahmānyadbhāti cēnmithyā yathā marūmarīcikā || Here Śaṅkarācārya points out the peculiar relationship between satyaṁ and mithyā, for example, the relationship between the rope and the snake. And what is the peculiar relationship? • When we want to reveal the rope, we say rope the satyaṁ is different from snake, the mithyā. That is, the snake is temporary, rope is permanent, snake is kāryaṁ, and rope is kāraṇam. • But once the rope has been revealed, we say rope is different from snake alright whereas snake, the mithyā vastu is non-different from the rope the satyaṁ. Why do we say so? Snake is not different from rope because snake does not have an existence different from rope, bhinna sattā abhāvāt. • Whereas rope is different from snake. Why? Because rope has got a separate existence. Even without the snake the rope will exist and so we say rope is different from snake whereas snake is not different from rope. This is a peculiar relationship possible between rope and snake only; Satyaṁ and mithyā only. • Between two satya vastus, this will not hold good. Book is different from the tape recorder. Tape recorder is different from book or not? Is there any doubt? No, because both have same degree of reality; samāna sattākayōḥ madhyē. • Whereas when one is satyaṁ and other is mithyā, we should say satyaṁ is different from mithyā whereas mithyā is not different from satyaṁ because mithyā doesn’t have a separate existence. The same is true between kāraṇaṁ and kāryaṁ because kāraṇaṁ is satyaṁ and kāryaṁ is mithyā. Therefore, we say kāraṇaṁ is different from kāryaṁ but kāryaṁ is not different from kāraṇam. • That means what? Clay is different from pot because even after the destruction of pot, clay continues. But pot is not different from clay. That is what he says here, jagat vilakṣṇaṁ Brahma – Brahman is different from the world. Whereas brahmaṇaḥ Anyat kiñcana na asti– whereas there is no world existing different from Brahman. Even in the resolution of the world, Brahman continues but there is no world existing different from Brahman. How do we say so? I am seeing the world which is different from Brahman. He says Brahma Anyat bhāti cēt. If we experience something different from Brahman, it is mithyā. So the idea is that other than rope there is no snake at all. But if we experience a snake, it is only a mithyā snake. Like yathā maru marīcikā – in place of mirage water in a desert there is only dry land or dry sand. There is not even a drop of water. And if we see some water, it is indrajālaṁ, it is māyājālaṁ, it is maru marīcikā mithyā.

दृश्यते श्रूयते यद्यद्ब्रह्मणोऽन्यन्न तद्भवेत्
तत्त्वज्ञानाच्च तद्ब्रह्म सच्चिदानन्दमद्वयम् ॥६४॥

दृश्यते (dṛśyate)which is perceived श्रूयते (śrūyate) – which is heard यत् यत् (yat yat) – all that ब्रह्मणः अन्यत् (brahmaṇaḥ anyat) – apart from Brahman न (na) – not तत् (tat) – that भवेत् (bhavet) – can be तत्त्वज्ञानात् (tattvajñānāt) – from the knowledge of the Reality च (ca) – and तत् ब्रह्म (tat brahma) – that Brahman सच्चिदानन्दम् (saccidānandam) – which is Existence-Consciousness-Bliss absolute अद्वयम् (advayam) – non-dual

note (Verse 64) dṛśyatē śrūyatē yadyad brahmaṇō'nyanna tadbhavēt | tattvajñānācca tadbrahmā saccidānandamadvayam || In the previous ślōkā he said anything experienced different from Brahman is mithyā. That mithyātvaṁ he is clarifying here. Yad yad dṛśyatē – whatever is seen, yad yad śrūyatē – whatever is heard; he has referred to two and we have to supply whatever is smelt, whatever is tasted and whatever is touched, in short whatever is experienced– all of them tat Brahmaṇaḥ Anyat na bhavēt – it does not exist separate from Brahman. Why? - Because the existence in every one of them belongs to Brahman. Like what? yathā mṛd sattayā ghaṭa sattāvān. So the ghaṭasya sattā – the existence of the pot is borrowed from the existence of the clay. Similarly whatever we see doesn’t have an existence of its own. Why can’t we say they have the existence of their own? Why can’t we say pot has got existence of its own? If pot has an existence of its own, if it has got svatassattā, then we have to rely on the verse of Gītā, nāsatō vidhyatē bhāvāḥ na abhāvō vidhyatē sataḥ – if the pot had its own existence, it will never lose its existence. It will be eternally existent. The very fact that the pot appears and disappears itself shows that it doesn’t have existence of its own. And therefore, Brahmaṇaḥ Anyat na bhavēt. One may say that “But I see them as though different from Brahman”. The Ācāryā says that “if you see so, it is your ajñānaṁ”. yatra ajñānaṁ tatra ghaṭa dṛṣṭiḥ yatra jñānaṁ tatra mṛd dṛṣṭiḥ. Yatrahit dvaitaṁ iva bhavati tatra itara itara itaraṁ paśyati, itara itara śṛṇōti. Similarly yatra ajñānaṁ tatra jagat dṛṣṭiḥ, yatra jñānaṁ tatra Brahma dṛṣṭiḥ. That is what he says. Tattva jñānāt – so once the tattva jñānaṁ comes, yasmin sarvāṇi bhūtāni ātmaiva abhūt vijānataḥ; Brahmaivēdaṁ viśvaṁ idaṁ variṣṭaṁ; Puruṣa ēva idagũṁ sarvaṁ; brahmārpaṇaṁ brahma haviḥ - all of them. mayi tadātmiyaṁ idaṁ sarvaṁ. All these indicate that for a jñānī, Ātmā ēva asti. So tattva jñānāt tat Brahma – tat is emphasized – tat means yat pūrvaṁ jagat āsīt – what was earlier in the form of the world – the same world is now Brahman. Yat pūrvaṁ sarpaḥ āsīt, tadēva vastuḥ idānīṁ rajjuḥ; yat pūrvaṁ dṛṣṭiṁ jñānamayīṁ kṛtvā paśyēt Brahma mayaṁ jagat. Then one should not ask, did the world change into Brahman? The counter question is did the snake change into rope? The change was not outside. The sarpa buddhi, bhramā buddhi was replaced by pramā buddhi. Similarly jagat buddhi has been replaced by Brahma buddhi. The effect of bhrānti is gone. What is the nature of this Brahman? Saccidānandamadvayaṁ – that which is sachchidānanda advaya svarūpaṁ.

सर्वगं सच्चिदात्मानं ज्ञानचक्षुर्निरीक्षते
अज्ञानचक्षुर्नेक्षेत भास्वन्तं भानुमन्धवत् ॥६५॥

सर्वगं (sarvagaṃ)which is present everywhere सच्चिदात्मानं (saccidātmānaṃ) – Ᾱtman which is pure Existence and Consciousness ज्ञानचक्षुः (jñānacakṣuḥ) – eye of wisdom निरीक्षते (nirīkṣate) – perceives अज्ञानचक्षुः (ajñānacakṣuḥ) – one whose vision is obscured by ignorance न (na) – not र्इक्षेत (rikṣeta) – sees भास्वन्तं (bhāsvantaṃ) – which is shining भानुम् (bhānum) – the sun अन्धवत् (andhavat) – like a blind man

note (Verse 65) sarvagaṁ saccidātmānaṁ jñānacakṣurnirīkṣatē | ajñānacakṣurnēkṣēta bhāsvantaṁ bhānumandhavat || So here Śaṅkarācārya clarifies the idea that the difference is not in the external world. The difference is only in the outlook. There is a correction in the antaḥkāraṇam, exactly as in any error. From sarpaṁ to rajju, the change is not external but it is internal. And what type of change? - The change from wrong vision to right vision. But the change can also be from a wrong vision to another wrong vision. First he saw a sarpaḥ but later he may say “no no it is not sarpaḥ but it is a mālā”. Similarly previously we said prapañcaḥ and now we say pañca bhūtaṁ –another error. Then we say world is atoms – another error. Then we say world is energy – another error. Thus we may shift from one error to another but here what is emphasized is the shift is from error to knowledge. So Śaṅkarācārya says that the world remaining the same, two people have two different visions. That is why we have in Taittirīya Upaniṣad adṛśyē'nātmyē'niruktē'nilayanē'bhayaṁ pratiṣṭhāṁ vindatē. Tattvēva bhayaṁ viduṣō'manvānasya. So world is sukhaṁ for jñānī, world is duḥkhaṁ for ajñānī. For a jñānī, Brahma rūpēṇa world is ānanda svarūpaḥ, world rūpēṇa world is duḥkha svarūpaḥ; Jagat rūpēṇa dukḥam, Brahma rūpēṇa ānandaḥ; Sarpa rūpēṇa duḥkham, rajju rūpēṇa ānandaḥ. Therefore, he says there are two varieties of people. Ajñānacakṣuḥ - ajñāna mayaṁ cakṣuḥ yasya and jñānacakṣuḥ –jñāna mayaṁ cakṣuḥ yasya – bahuvrīhi. Ajñāna mayaṁ cakṣuḥ means an eye which is backed by ajñānī mind or ignorant mind. Jñāna cakṣuḥ means an eye which is backed by a wise mind. So jñāna cakṣuḥ sarvagaṁ saccidātmānaṁ īkṣatē. The wise person sees the all pervading sacchidātmā. So jñāna cakshuh is the name of jñānī. Sacchid ātmānam– sarvagaṁ means all pervading; īkṣatē – nirīkṣatē –niścayēna, saṁśaya viparyaya rahitaṁ īkṣatē, samyak; whereas ajñānacakṣuḥ – the ignorant person keeps the eyes open very much –paśyannapi na paśyati. So even though his eyes are open, na īkṣēta- he will not see. He will say there is only pot. So “when solidly pot is available, how dare you say there is no pot at all?” That is called ajñānacakṣuḥ. He doesn’t understand what we are trying to say. Na īkṣēta – he does not see. He gives an example. Bhāsvantaṁ bhānuṁ andhavat. Just as andhaḥ- a blind man never sees the Sun during day time. Or we can take another meaning also for andhaḥ – owl. niśācaraḥ. yā niśā sarvabhūtānā̃ tasyā̃ jāgarti saṁyamī I yasyā̃ jāgrati bhūtāni sā niśā paśyatō munēḥ. That which is night to all beings, the jñānī keeps awake, and that in which all beings keep awake, is night to the seer says Lord Kṛṣṇā in the Gītā. Similarly for this person also Ātmā is always niśā iva only. It is not known to him. So andhavat, we have to complete the sentence – na īkṣēta.

श्रवणादिभिरुद्दीप्तज्ञानाग्निपरितापितः
जीवः सर्वमलान्मुक्तः स्वर्णवद्द्योतते स्वयम् ॥६६॥

श्रवणादिभिः (śravaṇādibhiḥ)by listening and so on उद्दीप्त (uddīpta) – kindled ज्ञानाग्निपरितापितः (jñānāgniparitāpitaḥ) – heated in the fire of Knowledge जीवः (jīvaḥ) – the individuality सर्वमलात् (sarvamalāt) – from all impurities मुक्तः (muktaḥ) – freed स्वर्णवत् (svarṇavat) – like gold द्योतते (dyotate) – shines स्वयम् (svayam) – by itself

note (Verse 66) śravaṇādibhiruddīpta jñānāgniparitāpitaḥ | jīvassarvamalānmuktvā svarṇaviddyōtatē svayam || So in all these ślōkās we can take them in two ways. It is all a description of Brahman in which the jīvan muktā merges. Or we can say this is the vision of the jīvan muktā. What is the vision? When everybody sees asat, jīvan muktā sees sat, when everybody seems duḥkhaṁ, jīvan muktā sees sukhaṁ - nandati, nandati, nandati ēva. For an ajñānī it is rōdati, rōdati, rōdati ēva. Both are seeing the same thing. Both have got body. Both have got the world. But their reactions are different. They are dignonally opposite living in the same world. And that is why Lord Kṛṣṇā said in the Gītā yā niśā sarvabhūtānāṁ..... We can also say that this is the jīvan muktā’s vision. And in this ślōkā also jīvan muktā’s nature is being pointed out. He is effulgent like gold. He shines like gold. What about saṁsārīs? They are also gold but dull. Dull gold because there are lot of impurities, encrustations etc., and therefore, they don’t shine that much. Similarly every jīva is none other than Brahman – ānanda svarūpaḥ. But everybody has got a dull look because there is an encrustation. The fundamental excrustation is ajñānaṁ. Then on that is rāga dvēṣaṁ. On that is puṇya pāpaṁ. And on that is sukha duḥkhaṁ. Now what we have to do to get to the original gold? We have to remove all these rāga dvēṣa impurities and finally the ajñānaṁ impurity should also go. Karmāyōga is to remove rāga dvēṣa impurities. Upāsana is to remove the vikṣēpa impurities. Just like gold processing which involves lot of steps. So to get 1 Kg of gold, how much of mineral has to be mined. Then the external rocks have to be removed along with mud etc. and thereafter there are so many processes. And then the pure gold is taken out by the electrolytic method. After all this they get 99.9999% purity only. But suppose if we take the big mine ore and straight away use the electrolytic process, nothing will come. It is like taking our duster cloth which has become very dirty. If we want to clean it, it is a very tedious process. First we will have to dip it in ordinary water a number of times to remove the outer dirt. And thereafter we have to use soap, washing soda or some powder etc. to clean it. If we use soap and washing soda right in the beginning, it will not get cleaned at all. In fact the the dirt will absorb the powder and remain there. So therefore, here also straight away jñāna method cannot be used straight away. First karmayōga, then upāsanā and thereafter cleansing process should take place. They call it sphuṭīkaraṇaṁ of gold. Similarly here also the impure jīva is sphuṭī kṛtaṁ. How? He says śravaṇādibhiḥ uddīpta jñāna agni paritāpitaḥ. Paritāpitaḥ means paritaḥ tapitaḥ – totally heated. Through what – jñāna agni. And this agni has to be kindled and constantly fanned which is śravaṇādibhiḥ – ādi padāt – śravaṇaṁ, mananaṁ, nidhidhyāsanaṁ. So by this fanning the jñāna fire is kindled and in that jñāna fire the impure jīva is roasted and then he melts, the impurities come out and they are removed. And after that the very same jīva shines – jīvaḥ sarvamalān muktvā –having dropped all the impurities, ajñānaṁ, śaṁśaya, viparyaya, rāga dvēṣā, all of them; svarṇavat svayaṁ dyōtatē – he shines like a svarṇa – gold. The beauty of the example is that we don’t add shining to svarṇa because shining is svarṇasya svabhāvā. All these processes are not to brighten the svarṇa, even though we use the word brighten but these are all to remove the pratibandhās for shining. We never add anything. Similaly by śravaṇaṁ, mananaṁ, nidhidhyāsanaṁ the teacher does not give ānandā to the student. But the teacher only removes the ānanda pratibandhās and so the shining bright face of the student is revealed. Bright face is joy – nandati nandati sampūrṇa jagadēva nandanaṁ. So svarṇavat svayaṁ dyōtatē.

हृदाकाशोदितो ह्यात्मा बोधभानुस्तमोऽपहृत्
सर्वव्यापी सर्वधारी भाति भासयतेऽखिलम् ॥६७॥

हृदाकाशोदितः (hṛdākāśoditaḥ)which rises in the heart space हि (hi) – verily आत्मा (ātmā) – the Ᾱtman बोधभानुः (bodhabhānuḥ) – the sun of Knowledge तमोऽपहृत् (tamo'pahṛt) – destroyer of darkness सर्वव्यापी (sarvavyāpī) – which pervades everything सर्वधारी (sarvadhārī) – sustains all भाति (bhāti) – shines भासयते अखिलम् (bhāsayate akhilam) – makes everything shine

note (Verse 67) hṛdākāśōditō hyātmā bōdhabhānustamō'pahṛt | sarvavyāpi sarvadhārī bhāti bhāsayatē'khilam || Here he says that the Ātmā sūryaḥ has risen in the heart of jīvan muktā, The Ātmā bhānuḥ – Sūryaḥ; not that till now the Sūrya was absent, but Ātmā Sūryaḥ was there but still we missed it. Like during night the Sun is still there but for us it is obstructed by our own earth only. Then what is Sūrya udayaṁ. It is not that Sūrya is rising but the obstruction is gone and therefore, we recognize the Sūrya. Similarly in the hṛdaya ākāśā, Ātmā was very much there till now but because of the night of ignorance, the Sūryaḥ was not available. But once the night of ignorance is gone, it is the sign of Sūryōdayaṁ. Therefore he says hṛdākāśa uditaḥ Ātmā - Ātmā has risen in the hṛdaya ākāśaḥ. Of whom? - The jñānī, because in him only, the night of ignorance is gone. Night is also dark and ignorance also is dark. Therefore, only in him the Sūryōdayaṁ has come. And what type of Sūryaḥ it is? Bōdha bhānuḥ– it is the Sun of awareness, svarūpa caitanyaṁ - bōdha ēva bhānuḥ or bōdhā rūpaḥ bhānuḥ. That is why a jñānī says that in his antaḥkaraṇam the Sūrya has risen and it is Sūrya which never sets and therefore he does not have udaya astamanaṁ after jñānaṁ. Therefore, kathaṁ sandhyāṁ upāsmahē? - He asks. Therefore, he takes sanyāsā. He wants to give up sandhyā vandanā because the Ātmā Sūryaḥ has permanently come into his heart and therefore he doesn’t have udayāstamanaṁ. What type of Sūryaḥ is it? Tamō apahṛt – the destroyer of all darkeness. But we have to carefully note that Ātmā does not directly destroy ignorance. Tamaḥ here means darkness and darkness stands for ignorance. So here he says Ātmā is the destroyer of ignorance but logically speaking Ātmā cannot destroy ignorance. Because if Ātmā can destroy ignorance, everybody has got Ātmā and therefore nobody will have ignorance. So when he says Ātmā destroys ignorance, it means that Ātmā reflected in akhaṇḍākāra vṛtti, destroys ignorance. So vṛtti pratibimbitaṁ sat. So not directly but indirectly, mahāvākya janita vṛtti dvārā nāśayati na tu sākṣāt. svarūpa jñānaṁ vṛtti jñāna rūpēṇa ajñānaṁ nāśayati. How is it possible? It is like the Sun does not directly burn a piece of cotton, but when the same Sunlight comes through a lens, it can burn a piece of cotton. Similarly svarūpa caitanyaṁ does not directly burn ignorance but svarūpa caitanyaṁ coming through the lens – vṛtti lens- destroys ignorance. What a wonderful example? The credit goes to Vidyāraṇya Svāmi. So tamō apahṛt and what is the nature of the bōdhah –sarva vyāpi – all pervasive; sarva dhārī – means viśvā dhāraṁ – sustaniner of all, sattā, pradātā, adhiṣṭhānaṁ. And this Ātmā, bhāti – shines by itself and not only it shines by itself – akhilam bhāsayatē ca. It illumines everything else also. As Lord Kṛṣṇā says in the Gītā - yathā prakāśayatyēkaḥ kṛtsnaṁ lōkamimaṁ raviḥ. kṣētraṁ kṣētrī tathā kṛtsnaṁ prakāśayati bhārata. As one Sun illumines this entire universe, so the one Ātmā illumines the whole kṣētra i.e field or in this context the entire universe. There also sūrya dṛṣṭāntaṁ only. So with this the jīvan muktāḥ’s vision is also completed. Vidēha mukti has also been talked about and with this jñāna Phalaṁ topic is also over. So jīva Brahma aikyaṁ has been pointed out. Śravaṇaṁ, mananaṁ and nidhidhyāsanaṁ have been pointed out. Jñāna Phalaṁ has also been pointed out. Now what is left out is only Phalaśruti.

दिग्देशकालाद्यनपेक्ष्य सर्वगं
शीतादिहृन्नित्यसुखं निरंजनम्
यः स्वात्मतीर्थं भजते विनिष्क्रियः
स सर्ववित्सर्वगतोऽमृतो भवेत् ॥६८॥

दिग्देशकालाद्यनपेक्ष्य (digdeśakālādyanapekṣya) - not depending upon direction, space and time सर्वगं (sarvagaṃ) - all-pervading शीतादिहृत् (śītādihṛt) - destroyer of cold and the like नित्यसुखम् (nityasukham) - eternal Bliss निरञ्जनम् (nirañjanam) - stainless य: (ya:)who स्वात्मतीर्थम् (svātmatīrtham) - the holy place of his own ātman भजते (bhajate) - worships विनिष्क्रियः (viniṣkriyaḥ) - free from all activities स: (sa:) - He सर्ववित् (sarvavit) - all-knowing सर्वगतः (sarvagataḥ) - all-pervading अमृत: (amṛta:) - immortal भवेत् (bhavet) - becomes

note Phalaśruti (Verse 68) dēgdēśakālādhyanapēkṣya sarvagaṁ śītādihṛnnityasukhaṁ nirañjanam | yassvātmatīrthaṁ bhajatē viniṣkriyaḥ sa sarvavitsarvagatō'mṛtō bhavēt || So here Ātmā is compared to a tīrthaṁ. Tīrthaṁ means tīrthayati punāti sarvān iti tīrthaṁ – that, which purifies, sanctifies, cleanses. We take dip in holy tīrthaṁ like Ganges or various tīrthaṁs like Prayāg, Saṅgaṁ etc.. When we merge or dip into those tīrthaṁs – our puṇya pāpaṁ etc. will go away. Here Śaṅkarācārya says that Ātmā is the greatest tīrthaṁ. And if we dip into that Ātmā tīrthaṁ – dipping means merging – it is the final dip. Once we dip we should not come out and all impurities will go away because this Ātmā tīrthaṁ is superior to all other tīrthaṁs in so many respects. All other tīrthaṁs can remove our puṇya pāpaṁ etc. but they cannot remove our ajñānaṁ. And thererfore, even though we get purified, again we become impure and again we will have to go to the same tīrthaṁ or another tīrthaṁ. They cleanse only temporarily. This is the second limitation. Going to other tīrthaṁs involves travel, overcoming lot of troubles, and if it is on a festival day, there will be lakhs and lakhs of people and we may not get an opportunity to there as there will be a lot of competiton. But in Ātmā tīrthaṁ, what are the advantages? • First of all it is individually with us only. It is sarvagataṁ and we need not go anywhere. • The second advantage is that it removes pāpaṁ, it removes puṇyaṁ and it removes ajñānaṁ also. • And final advantage is that once the impurities are gone thereafter we need not take any further dip. That will be the last dip. So what type of Ātmā it is? Sarvagaṁ – all pervading; digdēśakālādi anapēkṣyā – which is unrelated to, untouched by space, time and direction; śītādihṛt – it is a destroyer of śītaṁ, uṣṇaṁ; dvanda nivṛtti karaḥ – destroys pairs; nitya sukhaṁ– it is eternal happiness; nirañjanam – ever pure; it will not get polluted like Ganges – sva Ātma tīrthaṁ – the holy place called Ātmā – yaḥ bhajatē – the one who resorts to or dips. And what is his qualification? Viniṣkriyaḥ – literally means sanyāsī, sarvakarma tyāgī but we will dilute it for our purpose and take it as a seeker who has got internal detachment, vairāgī, sādhana catuṣṭaya sampannaḥ; saḥ sarvavit bhavēt – he will become sarvajñaḥ –yasmin vijñātē sarvaṁ idaṁ vijñātaṁ bhavati. He does not know all the details but he knows that the essence of everything is Brahman – sarvavit, sarvagataḥ – he is all pervading and amṛtaḥ bhavēt– he will become immortal, he will become muktaḥ, muktō bhavati. And therefore, he is indirectly advising all of us that instead of running after from tīrthaṁ to tīrthaṁ, from temple to temple, from places to places, the best and the last dip is Ātmā prāptiḥ. And therefore, all of us have to take this dip and be liberated. So with this the Ātmā bōdhā text also is over. Pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṁ pūrṇāt pūrṇamudacyatē | Pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamēvāvaśiṣyatē || Oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ Hariḥ Oṃ Sri Gurubhyō Namaḥ Hari Oṃ

इति श्रीमत्परमहंसपरिव्राजकाचार्यस्य श्रीगोविन्दभगव़
त्पूज्यपादशिष्यस्य श्रीमच्छङ्करभगवतः कृतौ
आत्मबोधः संपूर्णः।।

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