November 5
. ॐ
VIVEKACHUDAMANI 127 to 129
Talks by Swami Shivaprakashananda Saraswati November 5 transcribed by Gita
सर्ववेदान्तसिद्धान्तगोचरं तमगोचरम् ।
गोविन्दं परमानन्दं सद्गुरुं प्रणतोऽस्म्यहम् ॥ १ ॥
sarvavedāntasiddhāntagocaraṃ tamagocaram |
govindaṃ paramānandaṃ sadguruṃ praṇato'smyaham || 1 ||
Shloka 127.
यः पश्यति स्वयं सर्वं यं न पश्यति कश्चन ।
यश्चेतयति बुद्ध्यादि न तद्यं चेतयत्ययम् ॥ १२७ ॥
yaḥ paśyati svayaṃ sarvaṃ yaṃ na paśyati kaścana |
yaścetayati buddhyādi na tadyaṃ cetayatyayam || 127 ||
The author is describing the nature of Atma.
Atma is Chaitanya—consciousness. What is Consciousness?
The author is describing.
In Vedanta we use two words Drk and Drsya.
Drk means Knower and Drsya means ‘Known’- the object of Knowledge. Based on this there is a text called ‘Drk Drsya Viveka’.
There is a verse in this text.
रुपं दृश्यं लोचनं दृक्
तद्दश्यं दृक्तुं मानसम्
rupam drshyam lochanam drk
tad drshyam drk tu manasam
drshya dhi-vrittayah sakshi
drk eva na tu drshyate || 1 ||
रुपं दृश्यं --rupam drsyam --The outside objects—the forms –they are Drsya—objects. They are Drsya दृश्य---the objects of Knowledge.
लोचनं दृक्—lochanam drk---The eyes are Drk-- the ‘Knowers’ with respect to the forms outside but the eyes also become Drsya with respect to our Mind. लोचनं दृक्-तद्दश्यं---लोचनं दृक
दृक्तुं मानसम्--the mind is the Knower. This is another level. With respect to mind the eye is Knower and with respect to the objects outside the eyes are the Knower --Drk . Now we should go further. Even the mind becomes Known. दृश्या धीवृत्तयः -- drishya dhi-vrittayah
Even the thoughts of the mind, become objects of Knowledge. Then what is the Knower --the Drk? साक्षी—the witness --the Consciousness, the Atma--the Sakshi. It is the Drk compared to our mind also. The seer –the Knower-- the mind, the witness of the mind. दृगेव न तु दृश्यते-- drk eva na tu drshyate---The Sakshi-- Chaitanya is the ultimate Drk. The ultimate Knower ! The eyes become Drk with respect to the objects.
In the meantime, they ( the eyes ) become Drsya as compared to the mind and compared to the Atma it ( the mind ) is Drsya.
The Sakshi-- the Chaitanya is always Drk. It is the ultimate Drk!
न दृश्यते-- na drshyate--- It does not become Drsya. It does not become the object of knowledge. It is the Knower. The Knower does not become the object of knowledge.
दृगेव न तु दृश्यते--Same idea is conveyed here--यः—yaha( Which?) –Atma .
Which? चैतन्य स्वयं---Chaitanya Svayam-- By itself. The eyes become Drk with the help of Chaitanya. Without the help of Chaitanya the eyes cannot become the ‘seer’. It is not so with Chaitanya. Chaitanya is capable of knowing by itself because it is awareness in nature, therefore – स्वयं swayam --- by itself, independent of any external help. सर्वं पश्यति --sarvam pashyati--knows everything---'apshyat --iti drk’-- the Drk of everything -- the knower of everything.
Generally, ‘pashyati’ पश्यति is translated as SEES.
In this context it should be understood as KNOWS as the दृश् धातु ‘drsh dhatu’ in Sanskrit is generally used in the sense of –‘Seeing’ – visual perception, but sometimes the same root, the same दृश् धातु- drsh dhatu is used in the sense of knowledge. That meaning ( knowledge ) is relevant here.
When we say Drk or Drsya the proper translation is –‘Knower’. The object of Knowledge.
pashyati -पश्यति—Knows --- सर्वं पश्यति -sarvam pashyat-- Sees everything.
Everything that is ‘known’ is known by the Chaitanya, even if the object is known by the eyes, ultimately, it is known by the Chaitanya. Eyes are just the intermediary. Therefore-- sarvam pashyati-- सर्वं पश्यति –knows everything, implying it is the Drk -the Knower.
The next part says that it is not Drsya. यं न पश्यति --yam na pashayti--nothing can ‘Know’ the Atma. The Consciousness ( Atma ) does not become the object of knowledge. न तु दृश्यते-- Doesn’t become दृश्या- drsya.
One who is always Drk and one who does not become दृश्या -Drshya is the ATMA.
The second half of the Shloka:-
बुद्ध्यादि न तद्यं चेतयत्ययम् buddhyādi na tadyaṃ cetayatyayam
Our body is made of five elements and since it is made of five elements it is insentient – जड़ ‘jada’ means insentient, which means that it cannot KNOW anything. It cannot sense anything, just like any object outside. Even our body is जड़ -jada.
Similarly, our senses and mind are also made of five elements. Even the mind is made of five elements Therefore, they are जड़ -jada -insentient, YET they appear to be sentient.
They seem to have the ability to KNOW, the eyes have the ability to see, the ears to hear and the skin the ability to perceive touch and so on and similarly the MIND has the ability to know various things. That is, they appear to be sentient. There is sentience in the senses and mind. Where do they get the sentience from? The author says that they borrow sentience from the Atma, from the Chaitanya.
The Chaitanya is originally sentient. It lends sentience to the senses and mind and that is how the mind and senses appear to be sentient, though they are basically जड़ -jada.
यः चेतयत्यति बुद्ध्यादि yah cetayati buddhyādi --One who lends sentience to Buddhi etc Buddhi is the intellect --the mind.
आदि --aadi etc includes the senses-- panch indryani. य: बुद्ध्यादि चेतयत्यति yah buddhi aadi cetayati -- One who makes buddhi etc sentient.
तद्यं चेतयत्यति- the Anvaya is – ‘yam tad buddhiaadi na cetayati’
yam—which? The Atma.
tata- refers to Budhhi— आदि aadi-- Buddhi etc, do not illumine the Atma. The buddhi and the senses can know the objects ‘outside’. They cannot objectify the Atma and therefore they cannot illumine the Atma, therefore –‘yam atmanam ‘--which ATMA ? tad buddhaadi बुद्ध्यादि ---Buddhi aadi- etc. ‘na cetayati’ do not illumine. Do not objectify.
‘Ayam’ Atma –it is the ATMA. The second line implies that Atma is the illuminer of buddhi and senses.
Atma objectifies budhhi and the senses, illumines buddhi and the senses.
The buddhi and senses cannot objectify the Atma!
Shloka 128.
येन विश्वमिदं व्याप्तं यं न व्याप्नोति किंचन ।
अभारूपमिदं सर्वं यं भान्त्यमनुभात्ययम् ॥ १२८ ॥
yena viśvamidaṃ vyāptaṃ yaṃ na vyāpnoti kiṃcana |
abhārūpamidaṃ sarvaṃ yaṃ bhāntyamanubhātyayam || 128 ||
In Shloka 128 there are two versions in the second half.
One is आभारूपम् aabhārūpam with a long aa आ and the other is abharupam-- अभारूपम्
I prefer the one with the short aa अ
Let us look into the first half.
किंचन -kimcana- -Atma is VYAPAKA.-व्यापक
‘vyapaka’ means –pervasive, Atma pervades everything. Sarva Vyapaka- all pervasive. Let us consider clay and pot. Clay pervades the pot therefore wherever there is pot there is clay. The pot does not exist without clay although the clay might exist without pot, but the pot does not exist without clay and then we say ---clay pervades the pot.
Why does the clay pervade the pot? Because, the clay is the substance of the pot and being the substance of the pot, the clay pervades the pot. Likewise, the Atma is the substance of everything in the Universe, being the existence, being the Sat, it is the substance of every object and that is why Atma pervades everything. Nothing ‘pervades’ the Atma because the Atma does not depend on another substance for its existence! Everything depends on Atma for existence. Atma does not depend on anything else for its existence and therefore nothing pervades the Atma and therefore ATMA is the ‘pervader’ and NOT the ‘pervaded!’
In Sanskrit it is VYAPAKA व्यापक and not VYAPA --not pervaded. In the clay- pot example the pot is Vyapta or Vyapa and clay is Vyapaka.
Likewise, in the whole Universe everything is Vyapata and Atma is Vyapaka. Atma does not become Vyapta, therefore nothing becomes 'Vyapaka’ of Atma.
Something can become Vyapak of something else but nothing can become Vyapak of Atma.
By which--- idam vishvam-this whole Universe -idam sarvam.
All the objects, all the aanatma---vyaptam is pervaded. यं न व्याप्नोति किंचन - yaṃ na vyāpnoti kiṃcana - Nothing pervades the Atma.
Atma is Sarva Vyapak or Sarva Vyapi ----ALL PERVASIVE.
Second half of the Shloka— अभारूपमिदं सर्वं यं भान्त्यमनुभात्ययम्
abhārūpamidaṃ sarvaṃ yaṃ bhāntyamanubhātyayam
bha rupam and abha rupa भारूप and अभारूप
bha भा means ‘Deepti दीप्ति – shine.
bha rupa भारूप —shining in nature.
In this context shining should be understood from Vedantic point of view.
Shining means it has the ability to ‘Know’. The table in front of me does not ‘shine’. It is ‘abharupa’ not ‘bharupa’. It is not shining in nature therefore it is called ‘abharupam’ -- that means that the table does not have the ability to ‘know’. It neither has the ability to know other things.
It doesn’t know that there is a computer above it and the table doesn’t become ‘known’ by itself.
lf the table should become known by itself even if I close my eyes the table should become known, therefore, neither the table can make other things known nor the table becomes evident by itself.
Such a thing is called ‘abharupa’— neither it becomes evident by itself and neither it makes other things evident, this is ‘abha rupa ‘--implying ‘jada’ -insentience.
The table is ‘abharupa’. Similarly, all objects in the universe are
‘abharupa’ they are ‘jada’ and so is our body, our senses and our mind. All are ‘abharupa’. There is only one ‘BHA RUPA’ , that is CHAITANYA because CHAITANYA makes the other things evident.
The other things become evident because of the Chaitanya. If the Chaitanya makes the other things evident even before that the Chaitanya should become evident by itself because only after being evident you can make other things evident. Therefore, Chaitanya becomes evident by itself and makes the other things evident, therefore Chaitanya is ‘bha rupa’ shining in nature.
It is because of the ‘bha’ –the shine in the Atma, because of the effulgence of the Atma everything becomes evident. Everything becomes illuminated.
‘abharupam idam sarvam’ --This whole universe is ABHARUPA it doesn’t shine! ‘yam bhantam’ यं भान्त्यम
The Atma is ‘bhanta’--- is always shining!
Yam bhantam –यं भान्त्यम --the whole Universe becomes evident following the shine of the Atma, because of the effulgence of the Atma the Universe becomes evident following the shine of the Atma.
Anubhaati -- shines following the shine of the Atma, becomes evident following the shine of the Atma.
Ayam Atma—it is the Atma-- the self- effulgent, the self -evident consciousness is the Atma.
SHLOKA 129.
यस्य सन्निधिमात्रेण देहेन्द्रियमनोधियः ।
विषयेषु स्वकीयेषु वर्तन्ते प्रेरिता इव ॥ १२९ ॥
yasya sannidhimātreṇa dehendriyamanodhiyaḥ |
viṣayeṣu svakīyeṣu vartante preritā iva || 129 ||
In Vedanta we have a concept –‘Sanghaata’-means an assemblage. When you make a unit putting together so many components it is called a ‘Sanghaata’. Your house is a ‘sanghaata’ an assemblage because it is made up of so many components which were previously separate and then they are put together in an orderly way to serve a certain purpose.
Bricks, cement were brought together and assembled. Likewise, your car is an assembly. Tyres, gears, nuts, bolts, engine so many things. It is an assemblage of various components. A ‘sanghaata’ an assemblage is insentient ‘jada’ because it is made of components which are ‘jada’. Combination of JADA is also ‘jada’ therefore an assemblage has to be JADA- insentient. This assemblage is not meant for itself.
No assemblage in the world is meant ‘for itself’. It is meant for serving the purpose of something else. For example the car is not meant for its own going. The car cannot say that it wants to go to Delhi! The car is meant for serving your purpose. You need the car, the car does not need itself !
It does not serve it’s own purpose. It serves your purpose. So a sanghaata is ‘parartha’ it is meant for someone else who is sentient.
A sentient being like you or me.
Also a sanghaata संघाता cannot work by itself. A car does not decide where it has to go and it does not go by itself.
It has to be impelled by a sentient being -- a driver. Therefore, a ‘sanghaata’ संघाता is neither meant for itself , nor it works by itself. It is meant for somebody else and it is driven by somebody else.
Therefore, ‘sangha parartha’ and ‘para prerita’.
It is meant for a PARA ---somebody other than a ‘sanghaata’ and it is driven, impelled to work by somebody else and the somebody else has to be Chaitanya, a sentient being.
It is true with the car and same thing is true with the body also. The body includes mind etc. It is a sanghaata, it is an assemblage-- a sanghaata. Generally, in Vedanta we call it KARYA KARANA SANGHAATA. कार्य-कारण संघाता
The assemblage of ‘Karya’ and ‘Karana’. The Karya कार्य refers to the sthoola sharira-- gross body and Karana-कारण refers to sukshma sharira which includes mind, senses, prana etc.
So the body and mind, the senses, the pranas all constitute the ‘sanghaata’—an assemblage, known as ‘karya karana sanghaata’.
It is also like a machine, like an instrument, like the car and therefore, this ‘sanghaata’ serves the purpose for somebody else and it is impelled by somebody else. Who is that? It is the Atma, the consciousness. The consciousness -the Atma is responsible for the functioning of this SANGHAATA.
This sanghaata is ATMA ‘prerita’ प्रेरिता, it is impelled by the Atma. It is driven by the Atma.
Now the question arises. The car is driven by a driver and the driver has to do some actions while he has to drive. He has to handle the stick. There are some actions but the Atma is free from actions and free from modifications.
How can the ATMA drive this body? So how can the Atma impel this body? Then the author says the Atma does not have to do any action to impel this body, instead by mere presence it makes the body work. It makes the ‘karya karana sanghaata’ work, by mere presence . Therefore, Atma is –
सन्निधिमात्रेण अनुग्राहका sannidhimātreṇa anugraahaka.
It facilitates the working of the body by mere presence.
An example is the SUN. By mere presence the SUN makes so many things happen in the world without really being involved in the activities, just by illumining the world. Just as the Chaitanya without being involved in any activity makes everything happen in this body-mind complex.
By whose mere presence – yasya sannindhi matrena-- यस्य सन्निधिमात्रेण
dehendriyamanodhiyaḥ- देहेन्द्रियमनोधियः —the ‘deha’, the physical body, sthoola sharira, the indriyas, the senses, manas and buddhi. The two faculties of the antah karana—dhi and manas.
स्वकीयेषु विषयेषु svakīyeṣu viṣayeṣu
‘prerita iva’ as though they are impelled, as though there are driven ‘as though’ driven. The author adds ‘iva’ as though, because the Atma does not really impel. There is no action involved in making the body etc work.
Therefore, as though impels -- ‘prerita iva’- As though they are impelled. They work on their respective domains, स्वकीयेषु विषयेषु svakīyeṣu viṣayeṣu .
In their respective activities वर्तन्ते vartante– they function, they engage, therefore Atma is सन्निधिमात्रेण अनुग्राहका sannidhimātreṇa anugraahaka.
The body, mind, senses they all function because of the presence of the Atma.
It is beautifully illustrated in Kena Upanishad.
श्रोत्रस्य श्रोत्रं मनसो मनो यद्वाचो ह वाचं स उ प्राणस्य प्राणश्चक्षुषश्चक्षुः ।
śrotrasya śrotraṃ manaso mano yadvāco ha vācaṃ sa u prāṇasya prāṇaścakṣuṣaścakṣuḥ |
The ‘Atma’ is the eye of the eye, mind of mind etc. That means that it is the one that makes the senses and our mind function.
No comments:
Post a Comment