VIVEKACHUDAMANI
Talks by Swami Shivaprakashananda Saraswati transcribed by Gita.
सर्ववेदान्तसिद्धान्तगोचरं तमगोचरम् ।
गोविन्दं परमानन्दं सद्गुरुं प्रणतोऽस्म्यहम् ॥ १ ॥
sarvavedāntasiddhāntagocaraṃ tamagocaram |
govindaṃ paramānandaṃ sadguruṃ praṇato'smyaham || 1 ||
Shloka 122.
देहेन्द्रियप्राणमनोऽहमादयः
सर्वे विकारा विषयाः सुखादयः ।
व्योमादिभूतान्यखिलं न विश्वं
अव्यक्तपर्यन्तमिदं ह्यनात्मा ॥ १२२ ॥
dehendriyaprāṇamano'hamādayaḥ
sarve vikārā viṣayāḥ sukhādayaḥ |
vyomādibhūtānyakhilaṃ na viśvaṃ
avyaktaparyantamidaṃ hyanātmā || 122 ||
We are in the process of Atma Anatma Viveka. In this process, the author is discussing the Anatma—non-self. while discussing Anatma the author talked about three Shariras---Sthoola, Sukshma and Karana Shariras.
In this verse and in the following verse the author is summing up Anatma. What does the Anatma include?
देहेन्द्रियप्राणमनोऽहमादयः
dehendriyaprāṇamano'hamādayaḥ
Our body -the Sthoola as well as the Sukshma Sharira and also the Karana and Sukshma Sharira are all Anatma.
‘Deha’ refers to Sthoola Sharira. The Indriyas--the Senses.
According to Vedanta, there are ten Indriyas and one Antah Karana which is called Manas or Buddhi.
Prana—There are five Pranas.
Prana, Apana, Udana, Samana and Vyana,
Manah- Manas.
‘Manah’ and ‘Ahamkaar’. These are the two faculties of the Antah Karana. Buddhi-- from the word ‘adyaha’ ( etc) we should understand Buddhi etc.
Vishayaha- all sense objects and all that we perceive through our senses. सुखादयः सर्वे विकारा – sukhādayaḥ sarve vikārā—All the modifications in our Antah Karana— All thoughts, all emotions and all experiences are modifications of our Antah Karana. As the Antah Karana is Antama, all the modifications of the Antah Karana are also Anatma!
सर्वे विकारा विषयाः सुखादयः ।
sarve vikārā viṣayāḥ sukhādayaḥ -- etc includes Sukha etc and includes Dukha. They all belong to the Antah Karana and not to the Atma. This has been discussed earlier.
व्योमादिभूतान्यखिलं न विश्व |
vyomādibhūtānyakhilaṃ na viśvaṃ-- five elements.
Vyoma is Akasha, Space, aadi (etc) indicates Vayu, Agni, Jala and Prithvi. These are five elements- bhūtānyakhilaṃ na viśvaṃ-- including Avyakta अव्यक्त and Avyakta is another word for Maya, the Karana Sharira. This whole Universe is Antama, is Non-Self.
Shloka 123.
माया मायाकार्यं सर्वं महदादिदेहपर्यन्तम् ।
असदिदमनात्मतत्त्वं विद्धि त्वं मरुमरीचिकाकल्पम् ॥ १२३ ॥
māyā māyākāryaṃ sarvaṃ mahadādidehaparyantam |
asadidamanātmatattvaṃ viddhi tvaṃ marumarīcikākalpam || 123 ||
Once again, the author sums up Antama.
Maya and Maya and its effects ( Karya) . This is ‘Anatma’ in brief. All Anatmas are included in these two. Maya and its effects. All that we experience is Maya Karya. Our body, our senses as well as the objects in the world are projected by Maya. They are all Anatma and so is the Maya. What is Maya Karya? The author says that the effects of Maya start from Mahat ( aadi), beginning with Mahat which is the first principle in the scheme of creation. Mahat is ‘Samashti Sukshama Sharira’. All our Sukshma Shariras together is Mahat. It is the Upadhi of Hiranyagarbha and that is why sometimes Mahat is translated as Cosmic Mind or Cosmic Intelligence. It includes all our Minds.
According to the Vedantic idea of creation, it is the first Body, the first thing that came up in Creation. After that Gross Material emerged and Gross bodies are formed, therefore the Shrishti is ---महदादिदेहपर्यन्तम् – mahadādidehaparyantam.
Starting from Mahat up to our Gross body they are Maha Karya. माया मायाकार्यं --māyā māyākāryaṃ.
सर्वं महदादिदेहपर्यन्तम् --sarvaṃ mahadādidehaparyantam |--is the description of Maya Karya. Both Maya and Maya Karya are Antama Tattvam! Now the author makes one more point-- Idam Asat. Both Maya and Maya karya are Asat. They are unreal --- Mithya! Idam asat . Both Maya and Maya Karya are unreal. An example of Maya is the example of mirage- मरुमरीचिकाकल्पम् –marumarīcikākalpam--mirage in the desert. Just like the water that appears in the mirage is unreal, this universe, as well as Maya which is responsible for projecting the Universe, are also unreal!
Shloka 124.
अथ ते संप्रवक्ष्यामि स्वरूपं परमात्मनः ।
यद्विज्ञाय नरो बन्धान्मुक्तः कैवल्यमश्नुते ॥ १२४ ॥
atha te saṃpravakṣyāmi svarūpaṃ paramātmanaḥ |
yadvijñāya naro bandhānmuktaḥ kaivalyamaśnute || 124 ||
So far, the author discussed Anatma. Now it is time to discuss Atma.
Atha-अथ —now on, here on, the Guru says—'te paramtma sampravaksyami’--ते संप्रवक्ष्यामि स्वरूपं परमात्मनः ।
I will explain to you the nature of Parmatma. The Guru is addressing the Shishya. The nature of Paramatma ‘sampravaksyami’—I will tell you, I will explain to you.
What is the purpose? The second line--यद्विज्ञाय --yadvijñāya –having understood which, having understood the nature of Paramatma,
नरो बन्धान्मुक्तः कैवल्यमश्नुते naro bandhānmuktaḥ kaivalyamaśnute
Nara, an individual—बन्धान्मुक्तः-- bandhānmuktaḥ--being free from bondage, being free from Samsara, कैवल्यमश्नुते -kaivalyamaśnute enjoys Kaivalya, enjoys Moksha. Kaivalya is Moksha. In Vedanta, we use several words for Moksha—Nirvana, Kaivalya, Apavarga etc.
Shloka 125.
अस्ति कश्चित्स्वयं नित्यमहंप्रत्ययलम्बनः ।
अवस्थात्रयसाक्षी संपञ्चकोशविलक्षणः ॥ १२५ ॥
asti kaścitsvayaṃ nityamahaṃpratyayalambanaḥ |
avasthātrayasākṣī saṃpañcakośavilakṣaṇaḥ || 125 ||
Now the author is explaining the Atma from this verse. This is a very beautiful description of Atma, especially this verse. Every word is significant! ahaṃpratyayalambanaḥ |--this is what I always keep telling. What is Atma? The one that deserves the reference ‘I’
The one who truly deserves the reference ‘aham’ – the reference ‘I that ‘ is Atma – the Self. What deserves the reference ‘I’?
Generally, we think that the ‘body’ deserves the reference ‘I’ or the ‘mind’ deserves the reference ‘I’. The Vedanta analyses our personality which we generally refer to as ‘I’ and as a result of this analysis we arrive at the five layers of an individual’s personality. They are ‘Koshas’. The five Koshas are the ones that are generally referred as ‘I’. Now the author says that the Pancha Koshas do not really deserve the reference ‘I’ therefore Atma is distinct from Pancha Koshas. Atma transcends Pancha Koshas—it is Pancha Kosha Vilakashana-distinct from Pancha Koshas. The five Koshas are Anatma and being Anatma they do not deserve to be referred to as ‘I’. This point will be elaborated later on, therefore I am leaving it there.
पञ्चकोशविलक्षणः----
How? The Panch Koshas belong to three states of our experience. We experience three states—Jagrat, Svapna and Sushupti, waking, dream and deep sleep. The Panch Koshas belong to these three states. The Atma is the Witness of all the three states. The witness of waking, the witness of dream and even witness of the deep sleep! Being the witness of the three states Atma does not belong to any of the three states. The Pancha Koshas belong to the ‘states’. For example, the Annamaya Kosha belongs to the ‘waking’ it is not there in the other two states. Whereas, Pranamaya Kosha, Manomaya Kosha and Vijnyananmaya Kosha belong to only waking and dream. They are not there in deep sleep. Similarly, Anandmaya Kosha—it belongs to the three states. The Atma is the witness of the three states, being the witness it transcends three states, it transcends three Koshas, therefore— अवस्थात्रयसाक्षी --avasthātrayasākṣī--being the witness of three states—Avasthas-अवस्था, it is Panch Kosha Vilakshana—पञ्चकोशविलक्षणः, it transcends five Koshas. That kind of an Atma—asti—exists! One may doubt ,whether it exists or not and then the Guru says –“It exists!”
kaschit asti- कश्चित् अस्ति If it exists then what is its name and what is its form? Then the Guru says— “kaschit कश्चित्” It means it cannot be described in terms of names and forms. Generally, in Sanskrit when we don’t know the name of a person, or who specifically it is, then we use kaschit कश्चित्. Who has done this work? We say- kaschit कश्चित् - someone did it. Which means that we do not know the specifications. We don’t know the name and we don’t know the form. Likewise, Atma is described as kaschit कश्चित्- that means no name and no form. You cannot specify the Atma in names and forms and therefore- kaschit asti कश्चित् अस्ति
If Atma is asti-अस्ति -- how does Atma exist? Whether the Atma is supported by something or Atma exists by itself? Then, the Guru says, “Atma exists by itself.” Everything in this world exists being supported by something else.
In the mirage the mirage water does not have an independent existence.It exists because of the desert, because of the sand. The water in the mirage has borrowed existence from the sand. Likewise, if you look into the pot--the pot does not have its own existence. It has a dependent existence. The pot depends on clay for its existence. It is so with everything in the Universe but it is not so with one thing and that is the Atma and therefore— स्वयं अस्ति Atma exists independently, by itself, without depending on anything else for its existence. Since Atma is independent in its existence --it is Nityam नित्यम् अस्ति
Anything that has a dependent existence is Anitya, is impermanent, limited in time and being limited in existence.
Atma is nityaha नित्याः —eternal- free from limitation and time.
Shloka 126.
यो विजानाति सकलं जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषुप्तिषु ।
बुद्धितद्वृत्तिसद्भावमभावमहमि
yo vijānāti sakalaṃ jāgratsvapnasuṣuptiṣu |
buddhitadvṛttisadbhāvamabhāvam
In the previous verse the author says-“ अवस्थात्रयसाक्षी -avasthātrayasākṣī”
The Atma witnesses everything in the three states. Jagrat, Svapna and Sushupti.
In these three states the Atma witnesses everything - सकलं विजानाति - sakalaṃ vijānāti.
Further description of what Atma witnesses. बुद्धितद्वृत्तिसद्भावमभावम- buddhitadvṛttisadbhāvama
abhavam -the presence and absence of buddhi and its functions. In the waking and in dreaming the buddhi is present and the functions of the buddhi are also present. In deep sleep, the buddhi, as well as its functions, are absent because the buddhi resolves in deep sleep. The mind ‘resolves’ in deep sleep! Therefore, in deep sleep, there is neither the buddhi nor its vrittis –its functions! The Atma witnesses the presence of buddhi as well as the absence of buddhi therefore Atma is distinct from buddhi, being the witness of the presence buddhi as well as the absence of buddhi –Atma is different from buddhi. That Atma deserves the reference ‘I’ the witness of the three states, the witness of the presence and absence of buddhi is the one that deserves the reference ‘I’.
asao –that Atma –that witness deserves the reference ‘I’. What deserves the reference ‘I’ is not buddhi as buddhi comes and goes. We witness the presence as well as the absence of our buddhi and therefore ‘we’ are different from buddhi! What deserves the reference ‘I’ is not buddhi , but the witness of buddhi.—that is ‘Atma’.
No comments:
Post a Comment