Vivekachudanami 152 to 155 ॐ VIVEKACHUDAMANI Talks by Swami Shivaprakashananda Saraswati. सर्ववेदान्तसिद्धान्तगोचरं तमगोचरम् । गोविन्दं परमानन्दं सद्गुरुं प्रणतोऽस्म्यहम् ॥ १ ॥ sarvavedāntasiddhāntagocaraṃ tamagocaram | govindaṃ paramānandaṃ sadguruṃ praṇato'smyaham || 1 || Shloka 152. आत्मानात्मविवेकः कर्तव्यो बन्धमुक्तये विदुषा । तेनैवानन्दी भवति स्वं विज्ञाय सच्चिदानन्दम् ॥ १५२ ॥ ātmānātmavivekaḥ kartavyo bandhamuktaye viduṣā | tenaivānandī bhavati svaṃ vijñāya saccidānandam || 152 || The author is introducing Panch Kosha Viveka, incidentally ! He is reminding the importance of studying Viveka Chudamani. He has already discussed the importance of this text which deals with Atma - Anatma Viveka. Distinguishing the Self. The author feels that we lose commitment to the study of the text. To remain committed to a Sadhana one must be convinced of the importance of the Sadhana. If we are not convinced of the importance of something, we lose commitment. We don’t pay attention, we don’t focus, therefore it is necessary to remind ourselves of the importance of Sadhana and the author is doing it now. He says Atma- Anatma Viveka is very important as this is the only true way to understand Atma and understanding Atma is the only way to moksha .Therefore Atma-Anatma Vikeka should be done! To do Atma -Anatma Viveka what should I do? Attend Viveka Chudamani ! Commit yourself to listening and understanding Viveka Chudamani regularly. आत्मानात्मविवेकः बन्धमुक्तये विदुषा /ātmānātmavivekaḥ bandhamuktaye viduṣā | विदुषा /viduṣā -- by a wise man, by a spiritually wise man. बन्धमुक्तये bandhamuktaye- to be free from Bandha. आत्मानात्मविवेकः कर्तव्यो / ātmānātmavivekaḥ kartavyo –Atma- Anatma Viveka should be done. तेनैवानन्दी भवति स्वं विज्ञाय सच्चिदानन्दम् / tenaivānandī bhavati svaṃ vijñāya saccidānandam --by means of Atma Anatma Viveka alone .There is ‘eva’ –by this only. There is no other means to understand the truth of Atma. By this means alone – स्वं सच्चिदानन्दम् / svaṃ saccidānandam One can know oneself, this is the process of knowing oneself. What is the Oneself? Satchitananda! Sat, Chit, Ananda that is one’s true nature. To know that, Atma-Anatma Viveka is needed. विज्ञाय भवति / vijñāya bhavati . Having understood. Anandi bhavati --Therefore this is the means. Studying Viveka Chudamani is the means to get ‘Ananda’-- Happiness! If we have to pursue something, we should know that it is going to lead to happiness. Happiness is the only motivating factor. Will it get happiness? Will studying Viveka Chudamani give happiness? The author says YES ! If you are sincere and committed you will get happiness. This happiness is not like other happiness. This is eternal and permanent. If you have to discover this happiness then pursue Viveka Chudamani. This is an incidental reminder. From the next verse he is going to talk on Panch Kosha Viveka. Shloka 153. मुञ्जादिषीकामिव दृश्यवर्गात् प्रत्यञ्चमात्मानमसङ्गमक्रियम् । विविच्य तत्र प्रविलाप्य सर्वं तदात्मना तिष्ठति यः स मुक्तः ॥ १५३ ॥ muñjādiṣīkāmiva dṛśyavargāt pratyañcamātmānamasaṅgamakriyam | vivicya tatra pravilāpya sarvaṃ tadātmanā tiṣṭhati yaḥ sa muktaḥ || 153 || Atma and Anatma. These two are mixed up/ Atma is the Drk , the witness, the consciousness and Anatma is ‘drsya’, the object of consciousness. ‘drsya’ and ‘drk’ are mixed up. The process of Atma and Anatma Viveka is to distinguish and segregate the Atma from the drsya, from the objects and this process has to be undertaken with great care. One has to be very careful. How careful one has to be? The author is giving an example. This is not a new example. It is there in Katho Upanishad. There is a grass called ‘Munja’ a variety of grass. In the middle of the grass there is a thin stalk. The stalk which is very thin. The stalk has to be removed and separated from the grass because the stalk is useful for some Vedic ritual. It is precious. The external part of the grass, the blade etc we don’t need. It has to be discarded. The stalk is to be used for rituals therefore it has to be separated. How to separate since it as it is very thin? If we are careless it may break therefore one has to carefully separate it and this is a process that has to be done with great care. If one loses focus he can make a mistake and the stalk may get broken. Likewise, Atma is enclosed in the Panch Koshas (as it were). Mixed up with the Panch Koshas. The Atma is precious. We need the Atma. How to separate the Atma? We have to be very careful. If one has to watchful all the time , there are chances of mistakes, therefore one has to be careful and alert all the time. ‘Munja’ is the grass ‘Ishika’ is the stalk. Like separating the stalk from the grass. Drsy-Varga - the group of drsyas, the five Koshas are the drsya that are mixed up with the Atma. The Atma is ‘Pratyak’— the Innermost. Innermost means it is not Drsya. ‘drsya’ is external and ‘drik’ is inner. Not spatially inside -being the witness it is inside. Anything that is objectified is termed external and anything not objectified is internal The Atma is not objectified -- therefore eternal or inner प्रत्यञ्चमात्मानम/pratyañcamātmānam | The Pratyag Atma is ‘asanga’-- free from attachments. Does not get attached or associated with anything. Does not get attached with anything and does not get associated with anything. Even the five koshas, the Atma does not get attached with them. Then how does the Atma get mixed up with them? It is our ignorance. We think that the Atma is with the five Koshas. In reality the Atma is always unaffected ,unattached and un-associated. Akriyam --Atma does not have kriya— does not have activities. Does not undergo changes. That is the nature of Atma. This Atma has to be separated from the Drsya-varga . दृश्यवर्गात् विविच्य / vivicya . Segregating it, distinguishing from the drsya varga – the five koshas. Then you understand that there is Atma and there is Anatma. Before we segregate there is only Anatma in our vision and the part of Anatma is taken as Atma. We have not arrived at the true Atma. The whole world, in general is not aware of the true Atma .We are aware of only Anatama and a part of the Anatma we take it as Atma. That is the greatness of ignorance. Now Viveka Chudamani is teaching us to understand the Atma. What we think as Atma—is Anatma. Being drsya it is Anatma, the true Atma transcends the Anatma. We understand that there is another Atma distinct from Anatma. Now there are two things. Atma and Anatma ‘drk and drsya’. Two things. The process does not end there. Something else has to be done.The Anatma needs to be resolved the Anatma into the Atma . प्रविलाप्य तदात्मना / pravilāpya tadātmanā Resolution of Anatma. It is not a physical resolution. You cannot physically resolve the Anatma. It is not possible ! It is not needed. You don’t need to do that. How do we do the resolution? It is in the understanding. Let us take the example of pot and clay. There seems to be two things --clay and pot. On analysis we understand that there are no two things. There is only ‘clay’ as the pot doesn’t exist independent of clay. If we touch the pot, we touch the ‘clay’. There is no substance called pot and when we understand this the pot is as good as resolved into the clay. The resolution is the cessation of our perception of the pot as a separate entity. Likewise, we can resolve the Anatma in the Atma. How to resolve? By understanding that the Anatma does not exist independent of the Atma. प्रविलाप्य सर्वं / pravilāpya sarvaṃ In the Atma --- sarvam pravilapyam --resolving everything! Then what remains? Only Atma remains and when only Atma remains where are you? You are the Atma. You remain as the Atma. It is you! It is you that remains as the Atma. तदात्मना तिष्ठति / tadātmanā tiṣṭhati--This person remains as the Atma. In his understanding he is nothing but Atma. स मुक्तः / sa muktaḥ .That person is a ‘muktah’. He has attained moksha. Shloka 154. देहोऽयमन्नभवनोऽन्नमायास्तु कोशः चान्नेन जीवति विनश्यति तद्विहीनः । त्वक्चर्ममांसरुधिरास्थिपुरीषराशिः नायं स्वयं भवितुमर्हति नित्यशुद्धः ॥ १५४ ॥ deho'yamannabhavano'nnaMāyāstu kośaḥ cānnena jīvati vinaśyati tadvihīnaḥ | tvakcarmamāṃsarudhirāsthipurīṣarāśiḥ nāyaṃ svayaṃ bhavitumarhati nityaśuddhaḥ || 154 | Now Panch- Kosha Viveka proper begins. Among the five Koshas the author takes up Annamaya Kosha first, because it is the grossest and being grossest it is easy to understand. The teaching moves from easy to difficult, from gross to subtle. The author defines what is Annamaya Kosha and then he explains Annamaya Kosha. I am the Atma. First, he will define the Kosha and then he will explain how it is not Atma. What is Annamaya Kosha? Then he explains how Annamaya Kosha is not Atma. This is the pattern he will follow for all five Koshas. First, he will define and then he will explain how it is Anatma. How it is not Atma. Now the Author defines what is Annamya Kosha. It is the Kosha which is made of Annam /food. ‘Annamam plus mayyat’ अन्नमय = अन्न + मयट् ‘vikarathe mayyat’--The affix ‘mayyat’ मयट् has the meaning of modification ,therefore Anna means food and mayyat मयट् means modification of food. What is the modification of food? This body! The sthoola sharira. There is no difference in Annamaya kosha and sthoola sharira. Both are same. When we talk of Panch Koshas it is called Annamaya Kosha. Why is it called Annamaya Kosha ? Because it is made of food and it is a product of food. This body is Annamaya Kosha. Why? It is born of food that is why it is called Annamya Kosha. देहोऽयमन्नभवनोऽन्नमायास्तु कोशः / deho'yamannabhavano'nnaMāyāstu kośaḥ This body is Annamaya Kosha? Why? It is BORN of food. ‘annat bhavana utpapati hi yasya saha’ ( बहुव्रीहि समास bahuvrihi samaas ) ( attributive compound) it originates from food. It is made of food and therefore it is Annamya. The author gives a logic to prove that this body of made of food. The logic is called Anavya - Vyatireka Logic. Anavaya -coexistence of the presence of two. Let us say there is an X and another is Y. If X is present then Y is also present—Coexistence of the presence of two. This is called Anvaya. Then there is Vyatireka. If X is absent then Y is absent. Coexistence of the absence of two is called Vyatireka and if both are true if X is present and Y is present is true and if X is absent and Y is absent is also true then we can arrive at a conclusion that X is the cause of Y. Let me give an example. If, there is clay there can be pot--‘mrit ghatve ghata satvam’. This is Anvaya between clay and pot. Then ‘mritabhave ghata abhava’. If clay is not there, pot is not there. There cannot be pot if there is no clay, this is Vyatireka. From these two we can arrive at a conclusion that clay is the ‘cause’ of pot. ‘mrit eva ghatsya karanam’ clay is the cause of pot. That is how the Anvaya -Vyatireka logic works. This logic is used to prove cause-effect relation between two things. Now the author is establishing cause- effect relationship between food and body. ‘anna satve- deha satyam’ ---If there is food there is body. As, long as we eat food the body exists. If there is no food the body collapses. ‘anna abhave sharira abhavaha’--therefore, ‘annam sharira karanam’- food is the cause of the body, therefore this body is the product of food. See the line--- ‘annaeva jiyati—the body lives by food. This is Anvaya. ‘anna satve deha satvam’--The body lives by food ---- this is Anvaya. vinashati – tat deenaha --- This is Vyatireka. If there is no food the body perishes. anna bhava sharira bhava-- This justifies –'anna bhavana’ . देहोऽयमन्नभवनोऽन्नमायास्तु कोशः / deho'yamannabhavano'nnaMāyāstu kośaḥ This body is made up of food therefore it is Annmaya Kosha. This body deserves the name Annamaya Kosha. Now from the second half of the shloka onwards and in the next few shlokas the author is giving reasons to establish that the Annamaya Kosha is not Atma. It has to be told because we think that this body is Atma. We refer to the body as ‘I’--‘Aham’. I am this body. Whenever we say ‘I’ we refer to this body –most often. The identity is very strong that is why the author has to dedicate several shlokas in Viveka Chudamani to make us understand that this body is not the Atma. The second half of the Shloka gives one reason. First reason – This body is impure. Atma is pure. Free from all impurities, therefore, this filthy body does not deserve to be the pure Atma How is it filhy ? It is made up of several tissues that are not pure --there is tvak- membranes, carma--skin . Generally tvak and carma are synonymous. त्वक्चर्ममांसरुधिरास्थिपुरीषराशिः tvakcarmamāṃsarudhirāsthipurīṣarāśiḥ Since they are used here, we have to understand them as having a different meaning. Tvak means membranes. The layers that cover the various organs of our body. It is called membrane. Like the outer cover of the heart, blood vessels etc. Then carma / skin , mamsa/ flesh, rudhira / blood, asthi / bones, urisha /waste products. Filth-- this body is a collection of the various tissues that is why it is disgusting! It does not look disgusting because of the external appearance but if we start looking inside the body it is impure. There are so many filthy substances in the body. People who have seen dissection or surgery they are aware of the filth that is inside this body. The body is ‘ashuddha’ whereas the Atma is ‘nitya shuddha’. नायं स्वयं भवितुमर्हति नित्यशुद्धः / nāyaṃ svayaṃ bhavitumarhati nityaśuddhaḥ . This Annamaya Kosha-- this body-- cannot be the Atma. स्वयं / svayam--It refers to Anatma. The Atma is ‘Nitya Shuddha’. Ever pure and free from all forms of contamination. This body cannot be Atma. Shloka 155. पूर्वं जनेरधिमृतेरपि नायमस्ति जातक्षणः क्षणगुणोऽनियतस्वभावः । नैको जडश्च घटवत्परिदृश्यमानः स्वात्मा कथं भवति भावविकारवेत्ता ॥ १५५ ॥ pūrvaṃ janeradhimṛterapi nāyamasti jātakṣaṇaḥ kṣaṇaguṇo'niyatasvabhāvaḥ | naiko jaḍaśca ghaṭavatparidṛśyamānaḥ svātmā kathaṃ bhavati bhāvavikāravettā || 155 || The author gives further reasons to establish the anatmava of the body , the Annamaya Kosha. Reason no 1 we have heard in the previous shloka. Reason no 2. You can keep listing the reasons. The body has a limited lifespan. It is not eternal. It exists between two points of time. There is a date of birth and date of death (as if). Hence it is limited in terms of time. The Atma is not limited in terms of time. Atma is Nitya. The body is Anitya, therefore the body cannot be Atma . ‘पूर्वं जनेर / pūrvaṃ janer’----means before birth. ‘Atma Ayam na asti’. This Annamaya kosha is absent, it was not there before birth and will not be there after death also. नायमस्ति / nāyamasti-- ‘ayam Annamaya Kosha na asti’. It does not exist. It does not exist before birth and after death it is not there and therefore it is Anitya and being Anitya it cannot be Atma. जातक्षणः क्षणगुणोऽनियतस्वभावः / jātakṣaṇaḥ kṣaṇaguṇo'niyatasvabhāvaḥ | ‘kshana’/ क्षणः with a visarga and in some books the kshana part is separate. In some books it is only one word. Chandrashekhar Bhanu takes that reading as a single word. जातक्षणः क्षणगुणोऽनियतस्वभावः He takes it as a single word. That is the vigraha –vakya. The idea is that it takes new qualities every moment. Every moment the qualities of the body change. It is not stable. It does not have same appearance and it does not have the same qualities. It exists after birth for a limited span of time and even in the limited span of time it does not remain the same and keeps changing. Every moment it keeps changing, every moment so many atoms and molecules exit the body and so many changes happen and therefore the body changes every moment and every moment it is becoming older and older therefore – जातक्षणः क्षणगुणोऽनियतस्वभावः / jātakṣaṇaḥ kṣaṇaguṇo'niyatasvabhāvaḥ | It’s nature is unpredictable. We don’t know what disease will come to the body, whether this body will survive the next moment or not we don’t know. Body is a variable, it is not a constant and it is volatile. ‘aneeyata svabhava अनियतस्वभावः’, therefore we have to be ready to accept the variations in this body. ‘naikha नैकः’—this is another reason. जातक्षणः क्षणगुणोऽनियतस्वभावः / jātakṣaṇaḥ kṣaṇaguṇo'niyatasvabhāvaḥ can be taken as reason no 4 and ‘aneeyat svabhava’ can be taken as another reason. This is reason no 5. It is not one single entity. The body is made up of so many elements, so many components. It is composite. It is not a single entity, therefore it cannot be Atma. One more reason. It is Jada. It is insentient. Atma is consciousness. The insentient cannot be the conscious Atma. The word ‘ghatavat’ can be associated with ‘jadavat ghatavada jada and ghatavat pardrisyamanaha.’ Both ways it can be connected. Like a pot –‘ghatavat’---It is paridrishyamana. It is objectified. Just like the pot is objectified, this body is also objectified and we objectify the changes of the body, we witness the changes and the witness himself cannot have changes. The body has changes, therefore the body cannot be the body the witness of the changes therefore the body cannot be the Atma, the witness of the changes. स्वात्मा कथं भवति भावविकारवेत्ता / svātmā kathaṃ bhavati bhāvavikāravettā ‘svatma’ means Atma , one’s own Atma, it is the witness of all modifications. How can the body be the भावविकारवेत्ता / bhāvavikāravettā ? How can the Annamaya Kosha be the witness of the modifications that means that the Annamaya Kosha is not the witness of the modifications and therefore it is not the Atma. It is the one that undergoes modifications and not the one that witnesses the modifications.

 23 December 2020.                                                                                                                                                                                 ॐ                                                                                          VIVEKACHUDAMANI

Talks by Swami Shivaprakashananda Saraswati

 

सर्ववेदान्तसिद्धान्तगोचरं तमगोचरम् ।
गोविन्दं परमानन्दं सद्गुरुं प्रणतोऽस्म्यहम् ॥ १ ॥

sarvavedāntasiddhāntagocaraṃ tamagocaram |
govindaṃ paramānandaṃ sadguruṃ praṇato'smyaham || 1 ||

 

 

 Shloka 152.

आत्मानात्मविवेकः कर्तव्यो बन्धमुक्तये विदुषा ।
तेनैवानन्दी भवति स्वं विज्ञाय सच्चिदानन्दम् ॥ १५२ ॥

ātmānātmavivekaḥ kartavyo bandhamuktaye viduṣā |
tenaivānandī bhavati svaṃ vijñāya saccidānandam || 152 ||

 

 

The author is introducing Panch Kosha Viveka, incidentally ! He is reminding the importance of studying Viveka Chudamani. He has already discussed the importance of this text which deals with Atma - Anatma Viveka. Distinguishing the Self.

The author feels that we lose commitment to the study of the text. To remain committed to a Sadhana one must be convinced of the importance of the Sadhana. If we are not convinced of the importance of something, we lose commitment.

We don’t pay attention, we don’t focus, therefore it is necessary to remind ourselves of the importance of Sadhana and the author is doing it now.

 He says Atma- Anatma Viveka is very important as this is the only true way to understand Atma and  understanding  Atma is the only way to moksha .Therefore Atma-Anatma Vikeka should be done! To do Atma -Anatma Viveka what should I do? Attend Viveka Chudamani ! Commit yourself to listening and understanding Viveka Chudamani regularly.

आत्मानात्मविवेकः बन्धमुक्तये विदुषा /ātmānātmavivekaḥ  bandhamuktaye viduṣā |

विदुषा /viduṣā -- by a wise man, by a spiritually wise man.

बन्धमुक्तये bandhamuktaye- to be free from Bandha.

आत्मानात्मविवेकः कर्तव्यो / ātmānātmavivekaḥ  kartavyo –Atma- Anatma Viveka  should be done.

तेनैवानन्दी भवति स्वं विज्ञाय सच्चिदानन्दम् / tenaivānandī bhavati svaṃ vijñāya saccidānandam --by means of Atma Anatma Viveka  alone .There is ‘eva’ –by this only. There is no other means to understand the truth of Atma. By this means alone – स्वं  सच्चिदानन्दम् / svaṃ  saccidānandam

One can know oneself, this is the process of knowing oneself. What is the Oneself? Satchitananda!  Sat, Chit, Ananda that is one’s true nature.

To know that, Atma-Anatma Viveka is needed.

 विज्ञाय भवति / vijñāya bhavati . Having understood.

Anandi bhavati  --Therefore this is the means. Studying Viveka Chudamani is the means to get ‘Ananda’-- Happiness!

If we have to pursue something, we should know that it is going to lead to happiness.

Happiness is the only motivating factor. Will it get happiness? Will studying Viveka Chudamani give happiness? The author says YES !

If you are sincere and committed you will get happiness.

This happiness is not like other happiness. This is eternal and permanent. If you have to discover this happiness then pursue Viveka Chudamani.

 This is an incidental reminder.

 From the next verse he is going to talk on Panch Kosha Viveka.

 

Shloka 153.

 

मुञ्जादिषीकामिव दृश्यवर्गात्
प्रत्यञ्चमात्मानमसङ्गमक्रियम् ।
विविच्य तत्र प्रविलाप्य सर्वं
तदात्मना तिष्ठति यः स मुक्तः ॥ १५३ ॥

muñjādiṣīkāmiva dṛśyavargāt
pratyañcamātmānamasaṅgamakriyam |
vivicya tatra pravilāpya sarvaṃ
tadātmanā tiṣṭhati yaḥ sa muktaḥ || 153 ||

Atma and Anatma. These two are mixed up/ Atma is the Drk , the witness, the consciousness and Anatma is ‘drsya’,  the object of consciousness.

‘drsya’ and ‘drk’ are mixed up.

The process of Atma and Anatma Viveka is to distinguish and segregate the Atma from the drsya, from the objects and this process has to be undertaken with great care. One has to be very careful. How careful one has to be? The author is giving an example. This is not a new example. It is there in Katho Upanishad.

There is a grass called ‘Munja’ a variety of grass. In the middle of the grass there is a thin stalk. The stalk which is very thin. The stalk has to be removed and separated from the grass because the stalk is useful for some Vedic ritual. It is precious. The external part of the grass, the blade etc we don’t need. It has to be discarded. The stalk is to be used for rituals therefore it has to be separated. How to separate since it as it is very thin? If we are careless it may break therefore one has to carefully separate it and this is a process that has to be done with great care. If one loses focus he can make a mistake and the stalk may get broken. Likewise, Atma is enclosed in the Panch Koshas (as it were). Mixed up with the Panch Koshas. The Atma is precious. We need the Atma. How to separate the Atma? We have to be very careful. If one has to watchful all the time , there are chances of mistakes, therefore one has to be careful and alert all the time.

‘Munja’ is the grass ‘Ishika’ is the stalk.

Like separating the stalk from the grass. Drsy-Varga - the group of drsyas, the five Koshas are the drsya that are mixed up with the Atma.

The Atma is ‘Pratyak’— the Innermost.

Innermost means it is not Drsya.

‘drsya’ is external and ‘drik’ is inner. Not spatially inside -being the witness it is inside. Anything that is objectified is termed external and anything not objectified is internal The Atma is not objectified -- therefore eternal or inner प्रत्यञ्चमात्मानम/pratyañcamātmānam |

The Pratyag Atma  is ‘asanga’-- free from attachments. Does not get attached or associated with anything. Does not get attached with anything and does not get associated with anything. Even the five koshas, the Atma does not get attached with them. Then how does the Atma get mixed up with them? It is our ignorance. We think that the Atma is with the five Koshas. In reality the Atma is  always unaffected ,unattached and un-associated.

Akriyam --Atma does not have kriya— does not have activities. Does not undergo changes. That is the nature of Atma. This Atma has to be separated from the Drsya-varga .

दृश्यवर्गात् विविच्य / vivicya . Segregating it, distinguishing from the drsya varga – the five koshas. Then you understand that there is Atma and there is Anatma. Before we segregate there is only Anatma in our vision  and  the part of Anatma is taken as Atma. We have not arrived at the true Atma. The whole world, in general is not aware of the  true Atma .We are aware of  only Anatama and  a part of  the Anatma we take it as Atma. That is the greatness of ignorance. Now Viveka Chudamani  is teaching us to understand the Atma. What  we think as  Atma—is Anatma.

Being drsya it is Anatma,  the true Atma transcends the Anatma. We understand that there is another Atma distinct from Anatma.  Now there are two things. Atma and Anatma  ‘drk and drsya’. Two things. The process does not end there.  Something else has to be done.The Anatma needs to be resolved the Anatma into the Atma .

 प्रविलाप्य तदात्मना / pravilāpya tadātmanā 

 Resolution of Anatma. It is not a physical resolution. You cannot physically resolve the Anatma.  It is not possible ! It is not needed. You don’t need to do that. How do we do the resolution? It is in the understanding. Let us take the example of pot and clay. There seems to be two things --clay and pot. On analysis we understand that there are no two things. There is only ‘clay’ as the pot doesn’t exist independent of  clay. If we touch the pot, we touch the ‘clay’. There is no substance called pot and when we understand this the pot is as good as resolved into the clay. The resolution is the cessation of our perception of the pot as a separate entity. Likewise, we can resolve the Anatma in the Atma. How to resolve? By understanding that the Anatma does not exist independent of the Atma.

प्रविलाप्य सर्वं /  pravilāpya sarvaṃ
In the Atma --- sarvam pravilapyam --resolving everything! Then what remains? Only Atma remains and when only Atma remains where are you? You are the Atma. You remain as the Atma. It is you! It is you that remains as the Atma.

तदात्मना तिष्ठति /  tadātmanā tiṣṭhati--This person remains as the Atma. In his understanding he is nothing but  Atma.

स मुक्तः /  sa muktaḥ .That person is a ‘muktah’. He has attained moksha.

 

 

 

Shloka 154.

 

देहोऽयमन्नभवनोऽन्नमायास्तु कोशः
चान्नेन जीवति विनश्यति तद्विहीनः ।
त्वक्चर्ममांसरुधिरास्थिपुरीषराशिः
नायं स्वयं भवितुमर्हति नित्यशुद्धः ॥ १५४ ॥

deho'yamannabhavano'nnaMāyāstu kośaḥ
cānnena jīvati vinaśyati tadvihīnaḥ |
tvakcarmamāṃsarudhirāsthipurīṣarāśiḥ
nāyaṃ svayaṃ bhavitumarhati nityaśuddhaḥ || 154 |

 

 

Now Panch- Kosha Viveka proper begins. Among the five Koshas the author takes up Annamaya Kosha first, because it is the grossest and being grossest it is easy to understand. The teaching moves from easy to difficult, from gross to subtle. The author defines what is Annamaya Kosha and then he explains Annamaya Kosha.

 I am the Atma. First, he will define the Kosha and then he will explain how it is not Atma. What is Annamaya Kosha? Then he explains how Annamaya Kosha is not Atma. This is the pattern he will follow for all five Koshas. First, he will define and then he will explain how it is Anatma. How it is not Atma.

Now the Author defines what is Annamya Kosha. It is the Kosha which is made of Annam /food. ‘Annamam plus mayyat’ अन्नमय = अन्न + मयट्  

‘vikarathe mayyat’--The affix ‘mayyat’ मयट्   has the meaning of modification ,therefore Anna means food and mayyat मयट्   means modification of food. What is the modification of food?  This body! The sthoola sharira. There is no difference in Annamaya kosha and sthoola sharira. Both are same.

 When we talk of Panch Koshas it is called  Annamaya Kosha. Why is it called Annamaya Kosha ? Because it is made of food and it is a product of food.

 This body is Annamaya Kosha. Why? It is born of food that is why it is called Annamya Kosha. देहोऽयमन्नभवनोऽन्नमायास्तु कोशः  / deho'yamannabhavano'nnaMāyāstu kośaḥ

This body is Annamaya Kosha? Why? It is BORN of food.
‘annat bhavana  utpapati hi  yasya saha’  ( बहुव्रीहि समास  bahuvrihi samaas )  ( attributive compound)  it originates from food. It is made of food and therefore it is Annamya. The author gives a logic to prove that this body of made of food. The logic  is called Anavya - Vyatireka Logic.

Anavaya -coexistence of the presence of two. Let us say there is an X and another is Y.

If X is present then Y is also present—Coexistence of the presence of two. This is called Anvaya.

Then there is Vyatireka.  If X is absent then Y is absent. Coexistence of the absence of two  is called Vyatireka and  if both are true if X is present and Y is present is true and if X is absent and Y is absent is also true then we can arrive at a conclusion that X is the cause of Y.

Let me give an example. If, there is clay there can be pot--‘mrit ghatve ghata satvam’. This is  Anvaya between clay and pot.

Then ‘mritabhave ghata abhava’. If clay is not there, pot is not there. There cannot be pot if there is no clay, this is Vyatireka. From these two we can arrive at a conclusion that clay is the ‘cause’ of pot. ‘mrit eva ghatsya karanam’ clay is the cause of pot.

That is how the Anvaya -Vyatireka  logic works. This logic is used to prove cause-effect relation between two things. Now the author is establishing  cause- effect relationship between food and body.  ‘anna satve- deha satyam’ ---If there is food there is body. As, long as we eat food the body exists. If there is no food the body collapses.

‘anna abhave sharira abhavaha’--therefore, ‘annam sharira karanam’- food is the cause of the body, therefore this body is the product of food.

See the line--- ‘annaeva jiyati—the body lives by food. This is Anvaya. ‘anna satve deha satvam’--The body lives by food ---- this is Anvaya.

vinashati – tat deenaha --- This is Vyatireka. If there is no food the body perishes.

anna bhava sharira bhava-- This justifies –'anna bhavana’ . देहोऽयमन्नभवनोऽन्नमायास्तु कोशः / deho'yamannabhavano'nnaMāyāstu kośaḥ
This body is made up of food therefore it is Annmaya Kosha. This body deserves the name Annamaya Kosha.

Now from the second half of the shloka onwards and in the next few shlokas the author is giving reasons to establish that the Annamaya Kosha is not Atma. It has to be told because we think that this body is Atma. We refer to the body as  ‘I’--‘Aham’. I am this body. Whenever we say ‘I’ we refer to this body –most often. The identity is very strong that is why the author has to dedicate several shlokas in Viveka Chudamani  to make us understand that this  body is not the Atma.

The second half of the Shloka gives one reason.
First reason –

This body is impure. Atma is pure.  Free from all impurities, therefore, this filthy body does not deserve to be the pure Atma How is it filhy ? It is made up of several tissues that are not pure --there is tvak- membranes, carma--skin . Generally tvak and carma are synonymous. त्वक्चर्ममांसरुधिरास्थिपुरीषराशिः  tvakcarmamāṃsarudhirāsthipurīṣarāśiḥ

Since they are used here, we have to understand them as having a different meaning.

Tvak means membranes. The layers that cover the various organs of our body. It is called membrane. Like the outer cover of the heart, blood vessels etc.

Then carma / skin , mamsa/ flesh, rudhira / blood, asthi / bones, urisha /waste products. Filth-- this body is a collection of the various tissues that is why it is disgusting! It does not look disgusting because of the external appearance but if we start looking inside the body it is impure. There are so many filthy substances in the body. People who have seen dissection or surgery they are aware of the filth that is inside this body. The body is ‘ashuddha’ whereas the Atma is ‘nitya shuddha’.

नायं स्वयं भवितुमर्हति नित्यशुद्धः  /  nāyaṃ svayaṃ bhavitumarhati nityaśuddhaḥ .

This Annamaya Kosha-- this body-- cannot be the Atma.

स्वयं / svayam--It refers to Anatma. The Atma is ‘Nitya Shuddha’. Ever pure and free from all forms of contamination. This body cannot be Atma.

 

Shloka 155.

पूर्वं जनेरधिमृतेरपि नायमस्ति
जातक्षणः क्षणगुणोऽनियतस्वभावः ।
नैको जडश्च घटवत्परिदृश्यमानः
स्वात्मा कथं भवति भावविकारवेत्ता ॥ १५५ ॥

pūrvaṃ janeradhimṛterapi nāyamasti
jātakṣaṇaḥ kṣaṇaguṇo'niyatasvabhāvaḥ |
naiko jaḍaśca ghaṭavatparidṛśyamānaḥ
svātmā kathaṃ bhavati bhāvavikāravettā || 155 ||

 

 

The author gives further reasons to establish the anatmava of the body , the Annamaya Kosha.

Reason no 1 we have heard in the previous shloka.

Reason no 2.

You can keep listing the reasons. The body has a limited lifespan. It is not eternal. It exists between two points of time. There is a date of birth and date of death (as if). Hence it is limited in terms of time. The Atma is not limited in terms of time. Atma is Nitya. The body is Anitya, therefore the body cannot be Atma .

‘पूर्वं जनेर / pūrvaṃ janer’----means  before birth. ‘Atma Ayam na asti’.

This Annamaya kosha is absent, it was not there before birth and will not be there after death also. नायमस्ति /  nāyamasti--  ‘ayam Annamaya Kosha na asti’. It does not exist.

It does not exist before birth and after death  it is not there and therefore it is Anitya and being Anitya it cannot be Atma.

जातक्षणः क्षणगुणोऽनियतस्वभावः / jātakṣaṇaḥ kṣaṇaguṇo'niyatasvabhāvaḥ |

 ‘kshana’/ क्षणः with a visarga and in some books the kshana part is separate. In some books it is only one word.

Chandrashekhar Bhanu takes that reading as a single word.

जातक्षणः क्षणगुणोऽनियतस्वभावः He takes it as a single word.

That is the vigraha –vakya.

The idea is that it takes new qualities every moment. Every moment the qualities of the body change. It is not stable. It does not have same appearance and it does not have the same qualities. It exists after birth for a limited span of time and even in the limited span of time it does not remain the same and keeps changing. Every moment it  keeps changing, every moment so many atoms and molecules exit  the body and so many changes happen and therefore the body changes every moment and every  moment it is becoming older and older therefore – जातक्षणः क्षणगुणोऽनियतस्वभावः / jātakṣaṇaḥ kṣaṇaguṇo'niyatasvabhāvaḥ |

It’s nature is unpredictable. We don’t know what disease will come to the body, whether this body will survive the next moment or not we don’t know. Body is a variable, it is not a constant and it is volatile. ‘aneeyata svabhava अनियतस्वभावः’, therefore we have to be ready to accept the variations in this body.

‘naikha नैकः’—this is another reason.

जातक्षणः क्षणगुणोऽनियतस्वभावः / jātakṣaṇaḥ kṣaṇaguṇo'niyatasvabhāvaḥ  can be taken as reason no 4 and ‘aneeyat svabhava’ can be taken as  another reason. This is reason no 5. It is not one single entity. The body is made up of so many elements, so many components. It is composite. It is not a single entity, therefore it cannot be Atma.

One more reason. It is Jada. It is insentient. Atma is consciousness. The insentient cannot be the conscious Atma.

 The word ‘ghatavat’ can be associated  with ‘jadavat  ghatavada jada and ghatavat pardrisyamanaha.’  Both ways it can be connected.

Like a pot –‘ghatavat’---It is paridrishyamana. It is objectified. Just like the pot is objectified, this body is also objectified and we objectify the changes of the body, we witness the changes and the witness himself cannot have changes.

The body has changes, therefore the body cannot be the body the witness of the changes therefore the body cannot be the Atma, the witness of the changes.

स्वात्मा कथं भवति भावविकारवेत्ता / svātmā kathaṃ bhavati bhāvavikāravettā

 ‘svatma’ means  Atma , one’s own Atma, it is the witness of all modifications. How can the body be the भावविकारवेत्ता / bhāvavikāravettā ?
How can the Annamaya Kosha be the witness of the modifications that means that the Annamaya Kosha is not the witness of the modifications and therefore it is not the Atma.

It is the one that undergoes modifications and not the one that witnesses the modifications.

Enquiry into Unreality

 (According to Advaitasiddhi of Madhusudana Saraswati. The objections are based on Nyayamrta of Vyasatirtha)

 First Definition of Unreality

Unreality is the coexistence of the absence of existence and absence of non-existence.

Objection: If there is absence of existence, there cannot be absence of non-existence. 

Answer: Existence is the quality of not being subject to negation and non-existence is the incompetence of being perceived as existent in any given locus. They do coexist in silver that is superimposed on a shell.

Objection: Brahman, who is free from all attributes, also has the coexistence of the two, as Brahman does not have existence and non-existence as its attributes. Hence, the definition of unreality has over-coverage with respect to Brahman.

Answer: Brahman is free from the attributes of absence also. Hence the above definition cannot cover Brahman.

Second Definition of Unreality

Being subject to negation in present, past and future - all three times, on a locus where it is perceived.

The definition exists in silver that is superimposed on a shell. The silver that is perceived on the locus of shell is negated in all three times, as it does not exist at any point of time including the moments of its perception.

Objection: IS the negation real or unreal? If it is real, it endangers non-duality as you are forced to admit another reality in addition to Brahman. If it is unreal, the object stays unnegated in real terms. Hence the unreality of the object is not justified.

Answer: Even if the negation is real, it does not endanger non-duality, as negation is not admitted as an entity different from the locus of negation. Even if we assume the negation as unreal, it does not validate your objection. An unreal negation is capable of dismissing an object in real terms. For instance, an unreal tiger experienced in a dream can make the dream vanish.

Objection: What is negated? Is it the object in its very nature or the object as a real one? The first is not acceptable as the object that appears and has its functionality cannot be negated in its very nature. The second is also not correct. The real has to be defined in terms of the unreal, i.e., the one that is negated is unreal and real is the one that is distinct from the unreal. Hence, if you define unreality in terms of real, it leads to a logical flaw of mutual dependence.

Answer: We contend that the very nature of the object is negated. It does not affect the appearance and functionality of the object, as it is accepted even in snake that is superimposed on a rope. Even the superimposed rope is competent to appear and cause fear.

 

The Distorted Self

 Ignorance presents a distorted image of the Self. A funhouse mirror reflects a distorted image. A tall man looks short and a lean person looks fat.

The Self is infinite. Its distorted image is finite. The immutable Self appears changing, and so on.

The ignorance cannot distort the true nature of the self. Hence, the distortion is a mere appearance.

Looking at a funhouse mirror is fun. Yet, when we take the distortion as true, we end up in problem. None wants to loose his original nature. A tall person cannot accept being a dwarf. A slim lady cannot see herself being fat.

The problem does not lie in the distorted image itself. The real problem arises when we attribute reality to the apparent distortions.

The sole purpose of Vedanta is to rediscover the undistorted nature of the self and stop us from attributing reality to the distorted image of the Self. 

Significance of Dvadashi

 A paksha - fortnight is divided into 15 tithis. Two pakshas form a lunar month. Just like the solar calender is divided into days, the lunar month is reckoned in terms of tithis.

Dvadashi is one of the tithis. In Sanskrit, Dvadashi means 'Twelveth'. Every tithi has its own significance accorded by certain puranic events associated with it. Also, a tithi has its own importance on account of the position of moon on the given tithi.

The tithi of Ekasashi is auspicious for Vrata - praying to Bhagavan with fasting. Dvadashi follows Ekasashi. It is the day of Parana - breaking the fast. 

The story of Ambarisha is associated with Dvadashi. As he followed Ekadashi Vrara and did parana on Dvadashi without fail, Bhagavan protected him from the outrage of Durvasas.

There are twenty-four Dvadashis in a year. Sometimes it may be twenty-six. Some of the Dvadashis are very special - like Narasimha Dvadashi, Vamana Dvadashi etc. They are observed to commemorate certain puranic events.

Insight into Hinduism

Hindu Dharma is also called Vaidika Dharma or Sanatana Dharma. Though the word Hindu does not have an indigenous origin, it is a well-known word.

Swami Vivekananda proudly called himself a Hindu. According to him, Hinduism is Vaidika Dharma - philosophy and practices that have their origin in the Vedas. The Vedas are eternal. They are not written by a human author. Hence, the Dharma that is revealed in the Vedas are also eternal. Hence it is called Sanatana Dharma.

Almost all spiritual practices in India can directly or indirectly be traced to the Vedas. Vedas are our primary scriptures. The Hindu scriptures are called shastras. We have a different concept of scriptures. The Abrahamic religions have the concept of ‘book.’ Book is a religious authority. If one does not follow the dictates of the book, he deserves punishment. On the other hand, Hindus do not look upon the scriptures as authorities that dictate terms. Our shastras are pramana – means of Knowledge. They reveal the truth and the way to find it.

We have a vast body of scriptures. The Vedas themselves are very vast. Then there are secondary scriptures likes smrtis and puranas. They are based on the vedas. Bhagavadgita is a beautiful summary of the teachings of the Vedas.

There are various traditions of Hindus – Shaivas, Shaktas, Vaishnavas and so on. All their practices and philosophies can be traced to the Vedas. Lingayats are a group of Shaivas – worshippers of Shiva. Some of their leaders make claim of rejecting the Vedas. Yet, one can note that Shiva is a Vedic deity. Om namah Sivaya – the mantra that every pious Lingayat chants – is a Vedic mantra. Hence, the tradition of Lingayats is Vedic in origin. They may not follow the Vedas as the orthodox people do. But they cannot rule out the Vedic origin of their faith and practices. The founders of Lingayat tradition of Hinduism like Basavanna criticised the practice of blindly following the Vedic rituals. The modern separatists, with their vested interests, misinterpret the words of such great reformers. Rejection of Vedas will mean rejection of Shiva and the worship of Linga.

The western religions are monotheistic in nature. They believe in One God. Every religion believes that its God is the only true God. Such a belief is exclusive in nature. Such a faith is a threat to religious diversity and freedom. According to Islam, Allah is the only true God. Other Gods are not acceptable in Islam. In pre-Islamic Arabia, people worshipped many Gods like al-Lāt, al-'Uzzā etc. Al-lah was one of the many Gods. Mohammad established Al-lah at the cost of all other Gods. Pre-Christian Europe was full of religious diversities. There were many forms of Gods and many ways of prayers. The rise of Christianity destroyed the religious diversity and religious freedom of the west.

Unlike the western religious books, the Hindus do not accept a God who is confined to a given realm or form. Our God is all-pervasive and infinite. He resides in everything. He resides in our hearts as well. The Vedas reveal a unique vision of Brahman. The concept of Brahman is logical as well as inclusive in nature. It does not denounce any form of God. Instead, all forms are included in Brahman. Hence, we can worship the same Brahman in any form.

The Hindu concept of Avatara is different from the Abrahamic idea of prophet. The God is different from prophet. Prophet is a human being sent by the God. On the other hand, Avatara is a manifestation of God Himself on the earth. Texts like Srimad Bhagavadgita explain the principle of Avatara.

According to the western religions, idol worship is blasphemous. They do not understand the beauty of worshipping the God in image. Our all-pervasive God resides in stones, mountains and rivers alike. Hence, we can invoke the God even in a stone image. The experiences of a practicing Hindu bears testimony to the effectiveness of image worship.

Hindu Dharma is inclusive in nature. We do not say, our God is the only God and your God is false. We do not impose a faith on others. We believe in religious diversity and freedom. There is beauty in diversity. There is growth in diversity.

Hinduism is not a threat to humanity. Hindus do not encroach into anybody’s territory. We do not slit the throats of those who disagree with us. We celebrate differences. We respect differences. The greatest sign of maturity is to be able to disagree with others without being intolerant. Hence, Hinduism is a culture of universal acceptance and universal harmony.

Vivekachudamani 148 to 151

 16^h December 2020.

                                                                                                                                                                           ॐ

 

                                                                                        VIVEKACHUDAMANI

                                                         Talks by Swami Shivaprakashananda Saraswati.

 

सर्ववेदान्तसिद्धान्तगोचरं तमगोचरम् ।
गोविन्दं परमानन्दं सद्गुरुं प्रणतोऽस्म्यहम् ॥ १ ॥

sarvavedāntasiddhāntagocaraṃ tamagocaram |
govindaṃ paramānandaṃ sadguruṃ praṇato'smyaham || 1 ||

Shloka 148

श्रुतिप्रमाणैकमतेः स्वधर्म
निष्ठा तयैवात्मविशुद्धिरस्य ।
विशुद्धबुद्धेः परमात्मवेदनं
तेनैव संसारसमूलनाशः ॥ १४८ ॥

śrutipramāṇaikamateḥ svadharma
niṣṭhā tayaivātmaviśuddhirasya |
viśuddhabuddheḥ paramātmavedanaṃ
tenaiva saṃsārasamūlanāśaḥ || 148 ||

 

 

In this verse the author is beautifully summing up the spiritual journey, the journey to moksha. In the first half, the author is explaining how to prepare for Atma Jnana The pursuit for Atma Jnana requires preparation. How to prepare? The preparation is Chit Shuddhi .The purification of Mind. How to purify the mind?  The author says commitment to Svadharma. Performing one’s Svadharma .

The word Svadharma needs some explanations because people have various misconceptions regarding Svadharma. From the standpoint of the shastras, our activities can be classified into three--

Svdharma,  Pardharma and Adharma.

Svadharma is what an individual is supposed at a give instance to do in his life. At any instance of my life what I am supposed to do is my Svadharma. What is right for me to do in a given situation. What is right for me need not be right for another person. What is right for another person is Paradharama.a The Svadharama  of a Householder / Grahastha is different from the Svadharma of a sanyasi. A sanyasi can go for Bhiksha, as  it his Svadharma but it is not right for a Grahastha.

Therefore from a standpoint of a Sanyasi what is  right for a Grahastha to have a house and live with his family is Paradharma for the Sanyasi.

What is right for a Sanyasi is not right for a Grahastha  because what is Svadharma for a Sanyasi will be Parasharma पराश्रम for a Grahastha. In Bhagwad Geeta Bhagwan says—
sva-dharme nidhanam sreyah
para-dharmo bhayavahah

Ch 3 Sh 35.

 

Paradharma is as good as Adharma so Svadharma is specific to a given individual. There is Svadharma and there is Paradharma and then there is Adharma-- what an individual is not supposed to do, that is Adharma. One should commit to Svadharma and give up Paradharma as well as Adharma. This is called  Svadaharma Nishta.  Committing oneself to Svadharama .  Now how to know my Svadharma ?  What I am supposed to do and what I am not supposed to do?  How can I know?  All of us have our norms of rights and wrongs, our own norms of morality and  our own ethics and it is influenced by various factors to a certain extent it is influenced by our education our society and our own thinkings etc. We have our own set of right and wrong.  What we think right is not necessarily our Svadharma because what is Svadharama and what is not Svadharma has to be decided by a proper source of knowledge. And the proper source of knowledge to understand the dharma is the  Shastra The primary Shastra is Shruti or Vedas. Veda or Shruti is the Pramana to understand my dharma.

Therefore I should consult the Shruti and I should allow myself  the understanding of right and wrong in keeping with the Shruti Pramana and then my understanding of right and wrong becomes my Svadharama.  If I don’t consult the Shruti pramana  I may be thinking that something is right but it may wrong from the standpoint of the Shruti. Let me give an example.

 

Nowadays in modern society going to a party and you have to socialise in the party You have to take a social drink, champagne, whisky etc. If you don’t take the social drink you will be tagged anti-social. It is right from the standpoint of the society. But the Shruti says do not drink alcohol. It is adharma to drink alcohol.  Drinking is adharama. What we thought right as per our own conditioning is different from the standpoint of Shastra. This is just an example but there may be many are many other. Therefore the first step in committing to Svadharma is to tune our understanding of right and wrong with Shruti Pramana.  To align our understanding with Shruti  Pramana. Now someone may say I do not have access to Shruti , I cannot read the Shruti , I do not know Samskrita and even if I know  Samskrita, the language of the Shruti is confusing. I don’t know how to interpret the Shrutis. If you don’t know how to understand the Shruti then go to someone who has studied the Shrutis. Go to your Guru and he will tell you what is your dharma and what is your Svadarma and what is not. That is how one has to align oneself with Shruti Pramana. Such a person is called

श्रुतिप्रमाणैकमतेः स्वधर्म  /  śrutipramāṇaikamateḥ svadharma

His understanding of right and wrong is in keeping with what is told in the Shruti Pramana. Then he commits to Svadharma.

श्रुतिप्रमाणैकमतेः स्वधर्म  /  śrutipramāṇaikamateḥ svadharma – He performs Svadharma.  It includes various things. It includes certain rituals.   It includes chanting  of Vishnu Sashranma , Sandhya Vandana or japa etc.  It also includes certain duties. The duty of a husband of a wife of a son and duty of a daughter and duty of a daughter in law and so on.  The duty of a Shisya towards his Guru etc. All these are Svadhramas. They are all individual specific. It includes rituals it includes duties and it includes values like, daan etc. Truthfulness,  ahimsa and so on.

So he becomes a Svadharma Nishta.

It is not easy to become a Svadharma  Nishtha because our likes and dislikes become an obstacle in performing Svadharma.  Our likes and dislike  may contradict the rights and wrongs. Sometimes we may not like to do certain things but it  may be our Svadharma.  It is true in the case of  Arjuna. He did not like to fight but it was his dharma.

To accomplish Svadharama one has to subordinate ones likes and dislikes to the understanding of what is right and wrong and that can of a person  can become Svdharma Nishtha

Svaadharma Nishtha leads to Chit Shudhhi,  the purification of mind, therefore the author says निष्ठा तयैवात्मविशुद्धिरस्य  / niṣṭhā tayaivātmaviśuddhirasya |

Atma Vishuddhi means Chit Shuddhi . asya Purusha – This individual gets Atma Vishuddji . His mind becomes pure,  free from all undesirable impulses like desires and ambitions and hatred,  greed.  All such impulses subside.

The mind becomes pure. A pure mind is ready for Atma Jnana. Then he goes to a Guru and exposes himself to the teachings and in due course of time he gets Atma Jnana. A vishuddha Buddhi --  A person with a pure mind,  vishudhs  bahuvihi smasa

A person with   a pure mind gets Atma Jnana.  Paramatam Vedanam ---Atma Jnana. He gets Atma Jnana.  The Atma Jnana puts an end to Samsara.

By destroying the very root of Samsara .The root of Samsara is Ajnana -ignorance. Atma Jnana destroys ignorance then the root of Samsara  is destroyed then there is no more chance for Samsara to arise again.

तेनैव संसारसमूलनाशः / tenaiva saṃsārasamūlanāśaḥ

The Samasara gets destroyed with its mula / root.  It cannot grow once again.  Thus the author summed  up the spiritual pursuit.

Now the author is introducing another sub topic.  It is called Panch Kosha Viveka.

Our main topic is ATMA - ANATMA VIVEKA. Distinction between Atma and Anatama.

 Atma and Anatma Viveka  can be done through many methodologies. One methodology which we have already seen is  sharira treya viveka. We analyse the three bodies.  The sthoola- sharira and karana sharira  and the sukshma sharira--- and arrived at the Atma. This is one methodology. The methodology is called Prakriya. It is the methodology to arrive at a certain understanding.

 In Vedanta, we employ various Prakriyas. The first Prakriya was Sharira Treya  Viveka Prakriya. Now the author is introducing another  methodology / Prakriya to arrive at the same the Atma Anatma Viveka

The Panch Kosha Viveka.  The five Koshas are analysed. We will see the five koshas in detail later on. They are called Koshas which literally mean a cover, a sheath, just like  a sheath of a sword. It covers a sword.

The cover of the sword covers the sword likewise these five koshas cover the Atma.  They hide the Atma therefore the Atma cannot be noticed though Atma is very much present, it cannot be noticed.

 Here we must understand the difference. The regular Kosha, the kosha of a sword can literally cover the sword but these five Koshas cannot cover the Atma physically because Atma is all-pervasive and it is Self- Effulgent. The Self -effulgent  all-pervasive Atma cannot be physically be covered.

Let me explain this with an example

One Mr Devadutta was supposed to come to me. I got a message that Devdutta is coming and I was waiting and looking forward to Devadutta and when we don’t know someone and we have just heard of him we imagine the person. I had my own idea about Mr Devadutta . Then, Mr Devadutta comes at a distance and when he comes he doesn’t come alone. He comes with five friends. There are totally six people coming. One of them is fat and hefty person and then there is another person who is not as fat as the first person. So, with the five people who are looking big and along with them is an ordinary-looking lean person. So these six people came to me and this big fat person is very dominant.  He keeps smiling and laughing and so and so  Already he is big and very active also

My attention naturally goes to such people. The lean person I don’t even notice him though he is in front of me. I am not aware of his presence. So these people come to me and were speaking to me for a while and yet I don’t know who is Devadutta. Later I come to know that the big fat man is not Devadutta.  I asked the second person. The second person is also not Devadutta. All these five big people are not Devadutta.

They were active chattering, they were relatively big. They were chattering. Then there is the sixth person who is quiet. Finally, I understand that he is the real person. He is the person who wanted to meet me. 

 Until I don’t discover this, till then my attention is diverted by the other five people. That is how these five people have as though hidden the real Devaduta by distracting my attention.  Keeping my attention away from the real Devadutta,

 Likewise, there is Atma and there are five Koshas .

Annamaya Kosha-- This gross body, Then there is Pranamaya Kosha and then there is Vijnanamaya Kosha, Manomaya and there is Anandmaya  Kosha. These five Koshas are gross, they are relatively sthula, The Ananmaya  Kosha is anyway sthula, All the others are also sthula as compared to Atma. The  Atma is ‘ati sukshma / अति सूक्ष्म ‘, very subtle.

Atma doesn’t do any actions.  It is the quiet and lean person –Devadutta . The other five are relatively gross, big, fat and they are active also and that is why our attention goes to the five Koshas and we think that the five koshas are the Atma!

So, our attention is drawn by the five Koshas that is why we don’t notice the presence of Atma though it is very much present, That, is how the five Koshas hide the Atma, cover the Atma.

 

 

 

Shloka 149

कोशैरन्नमयाद्यैः पञ्चभिरात्मा न संवृतो भाति ।
निजशक्तिसमुत्पन्नैः शैवालपटलैरिवाम्बु वापीस्थम् ॥ १४९ ॥

kośairannamayādyaiḥ pañcabhirātmā na saṃvṛto bhāti |
nijaśaktisamutpannaiḥ śaivālapaṭalairivāmbu vāpīstham || 149 ||

.

कोशैरन्नमयाद्यैः पञ्चभिरात्मा  / kośairannamayādyaiḥ --- Atma is covered is hidden by Panch  Koshas पञ्चभिरात्मा  / pañcabhirātmā

Atma is covered. Atma is hidden by the five Koshas. What are the Panch Koshas? Annamaya.Manomaya, Pranamaya, Vignyanmaya and Anandmaya.

Veiled , therefore—‘na bhaati atma’  

Atma does not get noticed The author gives an example--A drishtanta. Not  the Devadutta example as that is my example.

The author has given another example.  There is water in  a tank. The water gets covered by a layer of moss. The word used in  the verse is-

 शैवालपटलैरिवाम्बु वापीस्थम् / śaivālapaṭalairivāmbu

by layers of moss. A plant which has grown on water. It is a tiny plant and a layer of the plant grows on water and then the water gets covered and you don’t see the water directly.  So there is a green layer . This green layer of moss is present on the water. It is supported by water and yet it covers the water Likewise, the Five koshas are dependent on Atma. The five Koshas do not have their own existence. They are dependent on Atma for their existence because Atma is the real SAT, the real Existence.

 There is a Maya Shakti. Maya is a Shakti which is dependent on the Atma and these five koshas are the effects of Maya and being the effects of Maya they are also dependent on Atma.In the second line----

निजशक्तिसमुत्पन्नैः /nijaśaktisamutpannaiḥ .  Born of one’s own Shakti. The Shakti of Atma –MAYA. The five koshas are born  of the Atma they are dependent on the Atma and yet they cover the Atma.

The example-

 शैवालपटलैरिवाम्बु वापीस्थम् / śaivālapaṭalairivāmbu vāpīstham.  The water in a tank.

 ‘vapi’ is a tank .

vapistam वापीस्थम् —present in a tank.

Ambu--- water.

 ‘tata shailahi avaraanam;

It is covered by layers of moss and you cannot see the water,

 

Shola 150.

तच्छैवालापनये सम्यक्सलिलं प्रतीयते शुद्धम् ।
तृष्णासन्तापहरं सद्यः सौख्यप्रदं परं पुंसः ॥ १५0 ॥

tacchaivālāpanaye samyaksalilaṃ pratīyate śuddham |
tṛṣṇāsantāpaharaṃ sadyaḥ saukhyapradaṃ paraṃ puṃsaḥ || 150 ||

 

This is a दृष्टान्त drshtanta. It means example and  दार्ष्टान्त   darshtanta means ‘that’ which  has been explained with an example.

 When the moss is removed the layer of moss is removed then, the water becomes evident. तच्छैवालापनये सम्यक्सलिलं प्रतीयते / tacchaivālāpanaye samyaksalilaṃ.

 ‘jalam’-- Water and there are adjectives to water. The water quenches the pangs of thirst.

 तृष्णासन्तापहरं / tṛṣṇāsantāpaharaṃ

It removes—haram/  हरम्

 It removes the thirst of an individual and it gives quick relief.

 Immediately the person becomes happy. A thirsty person as soon as he sees the water he feels happy. The water quenches the thirst.  ‘Param Shidham’ is yet another adjective.

It is very pure --samyak Prtiyate---It appears clearly when the layer of moss is removed

This much is the दृष्टान्त drshtanta and now the   दार्ष्टान्त   darshtanta is told.

 

Shloka 151.

पञ्चानामपि कोशानामपवादे विभात्ययं शुद्धः ।
नित्यानन्दैकरसः प्रत्यग्रूपः परः स्वयंज्योतिः ॥ १५१ ॥

pañcānāmapi kośānāmapavāde vibhātyayaṃ śuddhaḥ |
nityānandaikarasaḥ pratyagrūpaḥ paraḥ svayaṃjyotiḥ || 151 ||

 

पञ्चानामपि कोशानामपवाद  / pañcānāmapi kośānāmapavāde .  When we remove the five Koshas ,when we negate the five koshas ,the five koshas are understood as the Self.

 We identify with the five Koshas. Now through this analysis, through Panch Kosha Viveka  we discard the  Panch Koshas .

Not the physical discarding. It is in understanding. We understand the five Koshas as Anatama. As Non- Self. पञ्चानामपि कोशानामपवाद  / pañcānāmapi kośānāmapavāde .

Then what happens ? The real Atma becomes evident, becomes noticeable.

 AYAM -paraha Atma. This Paramatma --this Atma is Paramatma.  Its nature is eternal happiness. This can be related to satya so in the दृष्टान्त drshtanta just as the water gives happiness in the drshtanta   दार्ष्टान्त   darshtanta, the Atma also gives happiness.

Pratyak rupaha-- It is innermost. Everything else is external to your nature. the body-mind etc. The Atma is not external to you, therefore praytak rupah  Atma

Swayam Swayamjyotih – That kind of Atma---Self effulgent--- Vibhati ---Becomes noticeable.