Talks by Swami Shivaprakashananda Saraswati.
सर्ववेदान्तसिद्धान्तगोचरं तमगोचरम् ।
गोविन्दं परमानन्दं सद्गुरुं प्रणतोऽस्म्यहम् ॥ १ ॥
sarvavedāntasiddhāntagocaraṃ tamagocaram |
govindaṃ paramānandaṃ sadguruṃ praṇato'smyaham || 1 ||
अहङ्कारादिदेहान्ता विषयाश्च सुखादयः ।
वेद्यन्ते घटवद्येन नित्यबोधस्वरूपिणा ॥ १३0 ॥
ahaṅkārādidehāntā viṣayāśca sukhādayaḥ |
vedyante ghaṭavadyena nityabodhasvarūpiṇā || 130 ||
Shloka 130.
In these verses the author is describing the Atma. The Atma is Chaitanya –Consciousness. Nitya Bodha Svarupi—Bodha means consciousness. Bodha is Nitya, eternal.
Nitya Bodha Svarupa or Nitya Bodha Svarupi is Atma, that means anything that is not Nitya and anything that is not Bodha is NOT Atma!
Generally we identify with the body, the Sthoola Sharira or the Sukshma Sharira. Both Sthoola Sharira and Sukshma Sharira are Anitya, they come and go and they are ABODHA—not Consciousness—‘Jada जड़ा ’ because they are the objects of Knowledge. They are objectified by the Atma.
अहङ्कारादिदेहान्ता -ahaṅkārādidehāntā, Starting from Ahankaara is the mind and mind is the seat of ‘I’ thought and therefore it is called Ahankaara aadi, starting from the Ahankaara upto deha, upto the physical body, up to the Sthoola Sharira, they are Vishaha—they are objects—they are objects of Knowledge.
Sukahdayah and the experiences that happen in the mind and in the body –sukha -pleasure which is an experience. Every experience is the modification in our mind. Sukha as well as Dukha and all other emotions are modifications of our Antah Karana –our Mind and therefore even they are Anatma and being Anatma they are ‘Jada’ जड़ा -insentient--- Ghatvada. just like a pot , as much as Anatma as a pot therefore-- Ghatavada घटवद्य: ghaṭavada
They are all known. घटवद्य: ghaṭavada--they are objects of Knowledge and who knows them? नित्यबोधस्वरूपि - nityabodhasvarūpi. The Atma who is Nitya Bodha Svarupa.
नित्यबोधस्वरूपिणा -- nityabodhasvarūpiṇā अहङ्कारादिदेहान्ता
विषयाश्च सुखादयः ।
ahaṅkārādidehāntā viṣayāśca sukhādayaḥ |
vedyante ghaṭavadyena nityabodhasvarūpiṇā |
SHLOKA 131.
एषोऽन्तरात्मा पुरुषः पुराणो
निरन्तराखण्डसुखानुभूतिः ।
सदैकरूपः प्रतिबोधमात्रो
येनेषिता वागसवश्चरन्ति ॥ १३१ ॥
eṣo'ntarātmā puruṣaḥ purāṇo
nirantarākhaṇḍasukhānubhūtiḥ |
sadaikarūpaḥ pratibodhamātro
yeneṣitā vāgasavaścaranti || 131 ||
Shloka 131.
एषोऽन्तरात्मा -eṣo'ntarātmā . The Atma is the innermost Self. Antaratma or pratyag Atma means the innermost Self. Atma is the innermost Self. It should not be considered as special because as far as space is considered Atma is present inside as well as outside. All pervasive in space and yet Atma is innermost! How innermost? This should be understood properly. Everything that is objectified is outside. That which cannot be objectified is ‘inner’. For example, the table in front of me is an object. I am the Seer the knower of the object, therefore I can say that I am inside and the object is outside me.
Likewise, our body is outside because it is an object. Being object it is outside and so is our mind. Then. there is one thing that cannot be objectified. It is never ‘out’. It is always ‘in’. The consciousness!
The Chaitanya and therefore Chaitanya is referred to as Antaratma or pratyag Atma.
Further descriptions of Atma
Purusha--There are two meanings of the word Purusha.
1.Pursuhu iti eta iti Purusha—he dwells in the body, he resides in the body therefore Purusha
2.Purnatva Purusha. He is complete, therefore Purusha. Both meanings can be taken.
Both meanings are true with reference to Atma. It is purna पूर्णः and it resides in the body because it is available in the body! It is manifest in the body.
Puranaha—It is ‘pura’ पूरा: as well as new ‘nava’ नवाः It is old and new at the same time. It is not possible with anything in the world. Something that is old cannot be new. What is old is old and what is new is new, but Atma is old and new at the same time. In fact, Atma is ever old and ever new! How is this possible? We have to understand the meaning of ‘old and new’.
Old and new is with reference to a given point of time. Let us take the present moment. If something is old at the present moment that means it existed much before this present moment. It existed long back and it is old. It existed ten years back and it is present now then it is old. Atma is ‘old’ at any point in time. This computer is old at this point of time but it was not old five years back. It was new then. But Atma is old at any point of time. If you take any point of time Atma existed before it, therefore, it is ever old and ever new. New means it has not disintegrated and it has not lost its value, then you call it new. Atma is ever new because it doesn’t disintegrate. It doesn’t lose its value at any point of time, whether past or present of future, Therefore, ever old and ever new therefore—puranaha.
Atma is ‘nirantara’निरन्तरा Antara अन्तरा means gap and nirantara means no gap. Between one Viveka Chudamani session and another Viveka Chudamani Session there is a gap because it doesn’t happen 24x7. It will stop after a few minutes and then for the next Viveka Chudamani session you wait for one week. There is gap—there is antara अन्तरा in terms of time. It doesn’t happen with Atma. Now there is Atma and after some time there is no Atma and again there is Atma, it does not happen so. Therefore, in terms of time Atma is nirantara and so also in term of space.
Atma is there everywhere in space. All pervasive in space. Akhanda अख्णड —free from parts, free from divisions. Atma cannot be divided. Sukha—happiness. Atma is happiness in nature. Sukha Svarupa, Ananda Svarupa and Anubhuti, Consciousness, Chaitanya, these are certain descriptions of Atma.
सदैकरूपः sadaikarūpaḥ -always ekarupah. In this world, things don’t remain as they are. They keep changing! There are modifications. It is true with every object in the world. Every object in the world is a variable. Even the relatives are variable, relations are variable they do not remain the same. Wealth is variable. Every minute the value of your property and your money keeps changing. It is variable and so is our body. It keeps changing. So is our mind as it keeps changing. Anything that is subject to change is unpredictable. There is a degree of unpredictability with everything in the world. We cannot rely on unpredictable. It is not wisdom to rely on the unpredictable!
Then, what should one rely on? THAT which does not vary, that which does not change. The constant and there is only one constant and that is Atma! Therefore, our objective is to learn to rely on Atma, to hold on to Atma, that is the only way to be free from problems
Always uniform, सदैकरूपः sadaikarūpaḥ--‘eka’ is one and ‘rupah’ is form –uniform!
It means nirvikaara , it does not change, free from modifications and therefore most reliable.
प्रतिबोधमात्र: pratibodhamātraha --Many people ask the question, how to experience the Atma? The answer is Atma, that Atma can never be experienced because all experiences are illumined by the Atma as Atma is the illuminer of all the experiences and being the illuminer of all the experiences Atma can never be experienced.
The question---how to experience the Atma is like asking how to illumine the light? Light cannot be illumined. You cannot bring one light and illumine another light. It is not possible. Likewise, Atma is the illuminer of every experience and experience is a modification in our mind and Atma is a witness of every experience and so Atma can never become an object of experience. Then, how to know the Atma? When does the Atma become evident? How to make the Atma evident?
The answer is –ATMA is always evident as the very illuminer of every experience. As the illuminer of every experience Atma is evident in every experience! Just like, as the illuminer of every object in the room the ‘light’ is evident in every object. You don’t have to see the light separately you don’t need another light to illumine the light because the light is evident as the illuminer of every object in every object.
Likewise, the Atma is evident as the illuminer of every experience. IN every experience.
प्रतिबोधमात्र: pratibodhamātraha—In this word bodha means an experience. In every experience Atma is evident. Therefore, you don’t need an experience to know the Atma. You don’t need a special experience to make this evident. It is always evident. Ever evident!
येनेषिता वागसवश्चरन्ति -yeneṣitā vāgasavaścaranti . Atma is the impeller of all faculties of our body, vak, indriya -the sense of speech and the pranas and all other senses. They all work as though being impelled by the Atma, येनेषिता yeneṣitā means impelled by the Atma.
वागसवश्चरन्ति- vāgasavaścaranti --vag, pranas etc –all work Nothing can work without the blessings of Atma and Atma itself does not do any work but no action can happen without the blessings of Atma.
अत्रैव सत्त्वात्मनि धीगुहायां
अव्याकृताकाश उशत्प्रकाशः ।
आकाश उच्चै रविवत्प्रकाशते
स्वतेजसा विश्वमिदं प्रकाशयन् ॥ १३२ ॥
atraiva sattvātmani dhīguhāyāṃ
avyākṛtākāśa uśatprakāśaḥ |
ākāśa uccai ravivatprakāśate
svatejasā viśvamidaṃ prakāśayan || 132 ||
Shloka 132.
Where is the Atma located/ Where can we find the Atma? Should we look for the Atma in space or in the other world? The author says you don’t have to look anywhere outside, instead look inside. ‘Atraiva’ अत्रैव —in this body the Atma is available, the Atma is evident in this body though the Atma is present everywhere it doesn’t become available everywhere. It is available in our body as the consciousness that illumines the body.
अत्रैव atraiva sharire—referring to the sthoola sharira and in the sthoola sharira there is dhiguhaya धीगुहायां
Dhi धी means budhhi, the mind, the intellect. It is guha गुहाया. In Vedanta the mind is referred to as Guha as that is where the Atma is hiding. It is the hiding place of Atma. Budhhi Guhayam –it is not hiding anywhere far away. It is hiding within and therefore easy to locate. There is an adjective to –dhīguhāyāṃ धीगुहायां ( sattvātma सत्त्वात्म).
Buddhi is sattvic in nature though buddhi is made up of three gunas, sattva, rajas and tamas. It is predominantly sattva therefore—सत्त्वात्मनि/ sattvātmani , sattvasvarupe/सत्त्वस्वरुपे
In the sukshma sharira in the antah karana, in the buddhi there is the karana sharira, अव्याकृताकाश /avyākṛtākāśa refers to karana sharira.
Maya--These three shariras, the sukshma sharira, the sthoola sharira and the karana sharira . As the illuminer of these three shariras, as the witness of these three shariras ,the Atma shines!
Atma is evident! It is very much effulgent in nature, being Chaitanya. It is effulgent.
आकाश उच्चै रविवत्प्रकाशते / ākāśa uccai ravivatprakāśate
An example for how the Atma shines in the sky. the Sun which has come up in the sky at noon. The Sun is right above our head, most effulgent. आकाश उच्चै आत्मा रविवत्प्रकाशते / ākāśa uccai atma ravivatprakāśate . Atma shines in our body.
स्वतेजसा विश्वमिदं प्रकाशयन् /
svatejasā viśvamidaṃ prakāśayan -- And with its light, with its shine, with its Consciousness, it illumines everything here.
idam visvam इदं विश्वम् all these, all the objects. prakāśayan- प्रकाशयन् --Illumining-- it shines. The Atma is the most effulgent Consciousness which is evident by itself. It is Self -evident and it is responsible for making everything evident.
ज्ञाता मनोऽहंकृतिविक्रियाणां
देहेन्द्रियप्राणकृतक्रियाणाम् ।
अयोऽग्निवत्ताननुवर्तमानो
न चेष्टते नो विकरोति किंचन ॥ १३३ ॥
jñātā mano'haṃkṛtivikriyāṇāṃ
dehendriyaprāṇakṛtakriyāṇām |
ayo'gnivattānanuvartamāno
na ceṣṭate no vikaroti kiṃcana || 133 ||
Atma being Consciouness, being the witness of all the modifications of the body and mind--The Knower, the ज्ञाता / jñātā. The witness of all the modifications of ‘manas’ which is one faculty of the Antah Karana, it is the emotional faculty of the Antah Karana and the identification faculty of the Antah Karana—the Ahamkaara. So, the Ahamkaara, ahamkritti are the faculties of the Antah Karana.
There are two more—the buddhi and the chitta. Buddhi is the intellectual faculty and the chitta is the memory faculty. We can include all four—manas, buddhi, chitta and ahamkara. These four constitute Antah Karana which we generally call the MIND.
The mind has so many modifications. The Mind is everchanging. Every moment there is a new thought. There is a new idea. There is a new feeling. Every thought, every idea, every feeling every emotion is a modification in the mind. Who knows them? Who witnesses them? It is the Atma.
मनोऽहंकृतिविक्रियाणां ज्ञाता / mano'haṃkṛtivikriyāṇāṃ jñāta
dehendriyaprāṇakṛtakriyāṇām jñāta / देहेन्द्रियप्राणकृतक्रियाणाम् ज्ञाता
Also, Atma is the knower of all the activities in our body, in our senses, and in our prana. The witness of the modifications of the mind, the senses and prana. The body, senses and prana they are always changing. Atma is the illuminer of their changes. Changes are illumined and Atma is the illuminer. The relation between the body and Atma is the relation between the illumined and the illuminer. Knower and the Known.
The author gives a beautiful example to explain the relationship between the body and the Atma. The example is ---–red hot iron! The blacksmith, when he has to give a new shape to the iron, he heats up the iron rod and the rod becomes ‘red hot.’ This red hot iron rod has two things -- Iron and Fire.
It is a combination of two things The fire is responsible for the redness and the heat and the iron has the shape. The fire does not have the shape. Likewise, the body and Atma. ( when I say body it includes sthoola sharira and sukshma sharira) The Sharira and Atma are two different things and seem to be one single entity just like the red hot iron. The sentience in the body is because of Atma because the body is ‘jada’. It doesn’t have the ability to know, just like the iron does not have the ability to burn, the ability to burn is from the fire. Likewise, the sentience in the body is because of Chaitanya. When someone touches the iron, he gets his hand burnt and then he says that the iron burnt my hand!
The iron cannot burn! It is the fire that burns, but that is superimposed on the iron. Likewise, the sentience in the Atma, the ability to know Atma is superimposed on the body and mind. Likewise, the shape of the body the modifications in the body are superimposed on the Atma.
Atma does not have shape. Atma does not have limitations. Atma does not have modifications. All the modifications of the body, the shape and size of the body, the movements of the body are superimposed on the Atma, therefore whenever there is an action or modification in the body we say, “I am doing it. I think. I feel. I work. I speak.”
All the activities are in the body and they are superimposed on the Atma and therefore the author says, “Just like the fire in the iron rod the Atma seems to follow the body, mind and senses. Seems to have the properties of body, mind and senses. Seems to undergo modifications when the body, mind and senses are undergoing modifications but in reality, Atma is free from all modifications.
Atma न चेष्टते / na ceṣṭate. It does not do any action.
Why no actions? Because there is no vikaar विकारः in the Atma. There is no modification in the Atma. It is NIrvikaara निर्विकारः and yet seems to undergo modifications because of the modifications of the body, mind and senses.
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