Page 8
APAROKSHANUBHUTI
aparokShAnubhuti:
Video 8:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks-n8QqvsgM
ये हि वृत्तिं जहत्येनां ब्रह्माख्यां पावनीं पराम् ।
वृथैव ते तु जीवन्ति पशुभिश्च समा नराः ।।
-- 130, aparokShAnbhUti
[Those who give up this
supremely purifying thought of brahman, live in vain and are at the same
level as beasts.]
Shankara
cautioned in the verse # 130 that the life of a seeker who misses the thought
modification in the nature of brahman
would be no different from that of an animal. The Sanskrit word for animal is “pashu.” It is
derived in two ways.
पश्यति इति पशुः
[That which
can see is an animal.]
पाश्यते इति पशुः
[That
which is bound (by a rope) is an animal.]
As human beings we are tied down
by the rope of samsAra, the cycle of
births and deaths. We watch helplessly as we are spun around in cycles. But a
man (including the woman) is said to be puruSha
(a complete organism) endowed with a brain and thinking power, discriminatory
capacity, etc. Shankara says we need to conduct ourselves like a puruSha to deserve to be called as puruSha. Being born as humans, we cannot
afford to behave as animals. Therefore, we cannot afford to forget the supreme
and most purifying vRitti
(thought modification) of brahman,
and limit ourselves to seeing only the illusory world.
We are
habituated to perceive the false self, the “me” and “mine,” and not the real
Self. Our viewpoint is that of an individual or a ‘particular’ and not that of
the Supreme Self. If we are able to grasp the Supreme Self instead, then we are
puruSha, a complete organism.
We get many thoughts. They are
all incomplete and imperfect thought modifications (vRitti-s). We can think of only finite things. We don’t have the ability
to integrate all thoughts into one common thought. At best we may be able to perceive
the gross world. The subtler worlds can never be seen with our partial thought
modifications. They arise and dissolve. The Universal that permeates the
thought modifications remains unknown to us.
There is no
point in seeing a variety of gold ornaments without knowing gold. We may see a
thousand ornaments, but a thousand more will still remain to be seen. In
contrast, if we notice the “gold” common to all the ornaments, the form recedes
into background. Likewise, if we understand the nature of space, we will know
that it is the same space that pervades the Earth, the Moon, and the Sun. Instead,
if we pay attention to the particulars, we miss the common space. Hence, if we grasp at any one place the
formless and complete substance that pervades everything, i.e. the Universal, we
can easily know It everywhere. Such
viewing arises from a complete, perfect ‘thought modification’ (brahmAkAra vRitti). Understanding the nature of brahman is that perfect vRitti.
ये हि वृत्तिं विजानन्ति ज्ञात्वापि वर्धयन्ति ये ।
वै सत्पुरुषा धन्या वन्द्यास्ते भुवनत्रये ।। -- 131, aparokShAnbhUti
[Blessed indeed are those
virtuous men who at first have this Consciousness of brahman and then develop it more and more.
They are respected everywhere.]
One who knows about the brahmAkAra vRitti, the Perfect
thought modification, and develops It into experiential knowledge is a true
noble person. Such a person will be respected in the three worlds because he
who knows brahmAkAra vRitti is
beyond the three worlds. The three worlds refer to the three planes of
consciousness corresponding to the satva, rajas, and tamas qualities.
A world appears when there is a
perception and not otherwise. But brahman
is eternal, and is ever there whether there is perception or not. One need not
perceive brahman. ‘brahman’ is not an object that can be
perceived. As a matter of fact, if anything is perceived, it cannot be brahman. It is ever the subject.
Perceiving “Beingness” everywhere is Itself brahman.
Thoughts such as, “I am brahman” or
“this is brahman” are purifying
thoughts. They free one from the defects of ignorance, desire, and action. We do not view the world from the standpoint
of brahman. So our viewing misses brahman. If we begin
to view the world from the standpoint of brahman,
it would mean that our intellect is mature and we are eligible to be called a puruSha.
One should be able to use one’s
intellect in holding on to the thought modification in the nature of brahman. We have from Gita:
स बुद्धिमान्मनुष्येषु स युक्तः कृत्स्नकर्मकृत् ॥ -- verse 18, Ch 4,
Bhagavad-Gita.
[He
is wise among men, he is devout, he is the performer of all action.]
The Supreme
Self (brahman) is both immanent and transcendent. Yoga speaks about transcending the world (ideas/objects).
But Advaita tells us to enquire into the nature of ideas and objects. It
advises us to perceive all objects from the standpoint of the thought
modification in the nature of brahman.
Seekers practicing
brahmAkAra vRitti often
complain that brahman appears only fleetingly,
and there is no way they can hold on to It for a long time. Trying to see brahman
directly is like trying to look at the Sun directly. Eyes hurt if you look at the Sun
directly. Instead, look at the Sunlight that pervades the entire world. The Sun and the Sunlight are one and the same.
One is its intrinsic nature (swarUpa) and the other is its manifestation (vibhUti).
We perceive ‘Beingness’
everywhere. But ‘Knowingness’ is not recognized. Wherever we perceive Beingness
(asti), Knowingness
(bhAti) is
present, for Knowingness and Beingness always go together.
Man’s
intellect has sharpened over time. We have been able to develop various gadgets
to explore and examine right from very minute things to huge galaxies. All the
knowledge we thus gain relates to the dualistic world. We have not been as smart
in acquiring the Non-dual Self-knowledge.
येषां वृत्तिः समावृद्धा परिपक्वा च सा पुनः ।
ते वै सद्ब्रह्मतां प्राप्ता नेतरे शब्दवादिनः ।। -- 132, aparokShAnubhUti.
[Only those in whom this Consciousness
(of brahman) being ever present grows into maturity, attain to the state of ever-existent brahman; and not other who merely deal with words.]
First,
Shankara advises that we should begin with the correct understanding of the thought
modulation in the form of brahman (brahmAkara vritti), and then view things
from the standpoint of brahman. Next
he urges us to develop that understanding into deep knowledge of brahman.
He asks us to
visualize the expansion of the brahmAkara
vritti by dissolving the particulars within the Universal, viewing only the
commonality like the Beingness and Knowingness in everything. Just as the
Universal thus far appeared as the particular in our view, now the particular
will begin to appear as the Universal. Earlier it was the gold which used to
appear as the necklace, now it is the necklace that will appear as gold.
The reader
should be able to visualize this happening not theoretically but practically. Such
a visualization gives rise to a groundbreaking experience. Even the thought of
the gold appearing as necklace and necklace appearing as gold illustrated above
would prove to be a new and exhilarating revelation.
Although Shankara uses the examples of gold versus ornaments and rope versus snake multiple times in various contexts throughout his commentaries on the canonical texts, the examples continue to look fresh and enlightening every time.
A true teacher is one who is inspired and can inspire others. If the teacher is not inspired, his words will be insipid and fail to inspire. Words must carry the power to inspire.
A mango ripens and sweetens over time. Similarly, as the knowledge of brahman grows and develops, it will attain maturity. The individual dissolves himself into the Supreme Self, identifying himself with all that IS. The mythological story of Prahlada illustrates the great joy of viewing all things as brahman. He had boundless joy all by himself within himself and gets lost in song and dance and even sitting idly in Aloneness.
Unlike other doctrines, Advaita holds that it is not a question of whether action is done or not done. As Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita:
कर्मण्यकर्म यः पश्येदकर्मणि च कर्म यः । -- verse 18, Ch 4, Bhagavad-Gita.
[He who can see inaction in action, who can also see action in inaction, …]
He who perceives action in inaction, and inaction in action is a wise person. Action is the manifestation (vibhUti) and inaction is the intrinsic nature (swarUpam) of the Self.
तद् एजति
तन्
नैजति
तद् दूरे
तद् व्
अन्तिके ।
तद् अन्तर्
अस्य
सर्वस्य
तद् उ सर्वस्यास्य
बाह्यतः --- verse 5 of IsAvAsyOpanishad.
[It moves,
and It moves not; It is far and It is near. It is inside all this; It is also
outside all this.]
In order to
understand the above, let us imagine that the Space represents brahman. Space itself does not move. If
we notice Space, we don’t see movement in it. At the same time, we can see that
the celestial objects are contained in it and depend on it. The light from the
objects travels through the unmoving Space to reach us. The celestial object
depends on the constellation it is in. The constellation is dependent on the
Space. The light from the heavenly body depends on the body. The movement of
the light depends on space. The Space itself does not move, but it apparently
moves through all these which serve as adjuncts.
The above description
illustrates that brahman itself does
not perform any work, and all “actions” are performed through adjuncts.
Coming back to the verse # 132, when one attains maturity in viewing things from the standpoint of brahman (with brahmAkAra vritti), one experientially realizes, “I am brahman (aham brahmAsmi).” Thus he/she is brahman and everything he/she sees is also brahman. He ‘feels’ that he as the seer and the seen are One. He sees and knows himself as the unmoving Space, and all actions also to be himself.
In other words, the Knowingness (jnAanam) and action (karma) are seen to be non-different. When the pervasion of Knowingness in everything is realized, the seeker identifies himself with brahman. It is an indescribable supreme experience to see action also to be permeated by Knowingness. It is important not to separate Knowingness and action into two different categories. We must realize that Knowingness itself manifests as action. Hence, action-oriented approach through rituals, pilgrimages, and so on without the realization of brahman will not be useful for liberation.
कुरुते गङ्गासागरगमनं,
व्रतपरिपालनमथवा
दानम्।
ज्ञानविहिनः
सर्वमतेन,
मुक्तिं न
भजति जन्मशतेन॥ -
verse 17, Bhajagovindam
[One may go to the Ganges River, observe fasts, and
give away riches in charity! Yet, devoid of jnAna nothing can give liberation
even at the end of a hundred births.]
Merely holding on to sounds (words) and forgetting their meaning is of no use. We need to know both the word and its meaning. The spelling c-a-t and the picture of the cat are only symbols. They are not the real thing. But they are necessary because, with their help, we can recognize and experience a real cat when we see one. Likewise, with the help of the teacher and the teaching, we attain the knowledge of the Supreme Self. Mere verbal knowledge is inadequate. So also dependence on the Guru should be minimized.
We have from MahAvAakya RatnAvali:
प्रतिबिम्बितशाखाग्रफलास्वादनमोदवत्
॥
-- vAkya 6, Ch 2, sArdhAntikavidhivAkyAni.
[Like enjoying as though the fruit is eaten by drinking the water from the pond in which the fruit hanging from the branch is reflected.]
Simply mouthing the words without the experiential understanding of brahman reminds one of the story of the short man who could not pluck the fruit from a tree. The branch was too high for him to reach. So he satisfied himself by drinking the water from the pond in which the tree and its fruit were reflected. Therefore, the words describing brahman are not the actual knowing of brahman.
Mere bookish knowledge of brahman is of no value. Many of those who talk expertly on brahman having no experiential realization of brahman are no better than laymen. Very few people realize brahman experientially and fewer still are those who can appreciate them.
श्रवणायापि बहुभिर्यो
न लभ्यः
शृण्वन्तोऽपि बहवो
यं न विद्युः ।
[Many are there
who do not even hear of Atman; though hearing of It, many do not comprehend.
Wonderful is the expounder and rare the hearer; rare indeed is the experiencer of Atman taught by an able preceptor.]
कुशला ब्रह्मवार्तायां वृत्तिहीनाः सुरागिणः ।
तेऽप्यज्ञानतया नूनं पुनरायान्ति यान्ति च ॥ -- 133, aparokShAnubhUti.
[Those people
who are only clever in discussing brahman but have no
realization, and are very much attached to worldly pleasures, are born and die
again and again as a consequence of their ignorance.]
People talk about brahman without firm abidance as brahman. They do not have the thought modification of the nature of brahman (brahmAkAra vRitti). They only see objects, and not the ‘Beingness-Knowingness’ that appears disguised as objects. Unless one is aware that what appears is only a superimposition, one will not look for the real substance.
Those who talk about brahman without realization continue to be attached to worldly objects. It is easy to grasp gross objects. But not so the formless, space-like true substance. Theists and devotees get attached to the names and forms of their favorite gods. All names and forms are finite. Without the direct experience, even the most knowledgeable scholars of brahman will remain ignorant and continue to be born again and again.
पुनरपि जननं पुनरपि मरणं ।
पुनरपि जननीजठरे शयनम् । -- verse 21, bhajagovindam.
[Born again, die again, stay again in the mother's womb]
Shankara chastises thus all those who are distracted by rituals and have lost focus on brahman.
Shankara established four centers (Ashrama) of learning in the four corners
of India. Each center was dedicated to the study of one of the four mahAvAkyA-s (the four great aphorisms of
Advaita). He assigned an eminent disciple of his to each learning center. The focus of these learning centers was to
teach Advaita, the non-dual knowledge of the Self,
and not rituals and worship.
निमेषार्धं न
तिष्ठन्ति
वृत्तिं
ब्रह्ममयीं विना ।
[Those who seek brahman
should not remain even for a moment without the thought of brahman, just like the sages Brahma, Sanaka
and Shuka and others.]
Shankara says that one cannot remain
even for few seconds without the vRitti (thought modification) of brahman. Being in constant touch with brahman is being alive. Losing touch with the omnipresent Self is
death. Physically, we are dying every minute because millions of cells in our body
are dying and getting replaced every minute. Metaphysically also we are dying
every minute because we lose touch with the thought of brahman.
युञ्जन्नेवं सदात्मानं
योगी
विगतकल्मष: |
सुखेन
ब्रह्मसंस्पर्शमत्यन्तं
सुखमश्नुते || -- verse 28, Ch 6,
Bhagavad Gita.
[Thus always keeping the self steadfast, the
Yogi, freed from sins, attains with ease to the infinite bliss of contact with
the Supreme brahman.]
As long as we identify with the senses and the body, there is death. When the body dies, we die. If we think that we are not the body, we raise above the limits of the body. We have from kena Upanishad,
प्रेत्यास्माल्लोकादमृता भवन्ति
– mantra 2, Part I, kenopaniShad.
[The wise, freeing themselves (from the
identity with the senses) and renouncing the world, become immortal.]
Instead of identifying with the body, we should identify with the space that pervades everything inside and outside the body. Even if the body is being cremated and the ashes get thrown away, the space that pervaded the body when it was alive and after it died remains untouched. Because space is formless, it is indestructible.
Body is like the clothes we wear. We wear clothes but we don’t identify with them. We can remove them at any time, and we still remain intact. Similarly, my body might perish, but “I” remain.
If we
identify ourselves completely with the body, we are reduced to name and form. But
what we really are is Awareness. The body is gross, so it has no awareness.
Awareness is formless. As the formless Awareness, we entered this body and wear
it like a robe. “I” is the real substance, and the body is only a form.
In the dream
state, we take on a form that is different from the awake state. In deep-sleep
state, we give up all forms and simply “are.” We are alive and we are the “I” Awareness. We
have the experience of deep sleep that is why when we wake up, we are able to
say, “I had a restful sleep. I don’t remember anything.” Ignorance is also objectified and witnessed by
Awareness. So we have the capacity to separate our Self from the world and be a
mere witness to the world at any time. We must take advantage of this capacity
that is inherent in us.
निमेषार्धं न
तिष्ठन्ति वृत्तिं ब्रह्ममयीं विना ।
Going back
to verse 134, Shankara says, those who have the experiential knowledge of brahman do not spend even single moment without
the thought of brahman. Krishna tells Arjuna that whatever such a
person says is the standard that everyone will follow.
यद्यदाचरति श्रेष्ठस्तत्तदेवेतरो जन: |
स यत्प्रमाणं कुरुते लोकस्तदनुवर्तते ||
-- Verse 21, Ch 3,
Bhagavad-Gita
[Whatever actions
great persons perform, common people follow. Whatever standards they set, the entire
world pursues.]
A true
teacher is he who has the experiential knowledge of brahman, and can enable his disciples to also have the same experience
of brahman. Whether it is direct or
indirect experience, unless a teacher has experienced the Supreme Self, he or
she will not have the courage to teach it to others. Those who teach without
the actual experience have a stubborn courage motivated by the desire to win
the praise of people. It is not the natural courage derived from real
experience. People who speak with courage derived from real experience are
rare.
मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु कश्चिद्यतति सिद्धये |
यततामपि सिद्धानां कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्वत: || --
Verse 3, Ch 7,
Bhagavad-Gita
[Amongst
thousands of persons, hardly one strives for perfection; and amongst those who
have achieved perfection, hardly one knows ‘Me’ in truth.]
Only one in
a million will practice brahmAkAra vRitti.
Amongst those few that practice, only one in thousands will grasp brahman as IT IS. But people boast that
they know brahman!
We should
grasp brahman as IT IS, and not in
the form of our favorite god or some other form. We should grasp that which IS
as IS, and not in the way we imagine it to be. If we grasp it the way we
imagine it to be, then it is called yoga or worship, not brahmAkAra vRitti. If we grasp what IS as IS, it is Knowingness and
Beingness. Our intellect must become formless Awareness. We must be able to see
pure Presence and pure Awareness everywhere. Our entire being must be permeated
with Beingness and Knowingness that is immanent in everything.
We must perceive
all forms as manifestations (vibhUti)
of that pure brahman. “Beingness and
Knowingness” Itself appears taking a form.
Once we grasp the real substance, we realize that it is the same
substance that is masquerading as the forms.
If we become
the substance, it is aparokShAnubhUti,
immediated direct experience of brahman.
If you do not become the substance, it is indirect experience.
Shankara now
describes a few great sages from the ancient Indian mythologies (purANa-s) who have had such direct
experience of brahman so that we can
emulate them.
The
Four-Faced Brahma, the Creator, is depicted as sitting in a lotus posture
inside a lotus in Satya Loka. With a face in every direction, he can see all
the four quarters and hence has perfect vision. Abiding in his own Self, he silently
gazes the creation. He symbolizes the Perfect Being that perceives the entire creation
with the vRitti in the form of brahman.
ब्रह्मणासह ते सर्वे संप्राप्ते प्रतिसञ्चरे |
[When the
material universe is destroyed, they whose hearts are devoted to the Supreme
Lord, enter the supreme abode along with the God Brahma.]
There are
two approaches for seekers to attain liberation (mukti). Those who worship brahman
with attributes (saguNa brahman), progress gradually on the path
to liberation. They reach on the fructification of their devotional worship brahmaloka (apara brahman) and
receive further instructions there to attain liberation. This is called
progressive liberation (krama mukti).
Those who mediate on the formless brahman
(nirguNa brahman) obtain liberation on
a here and now basis. It is called immediate liberation (sadyo mukti).
Creator Brahma
followed the progressive path to liberation (krama mukti). In the beginning, he perceived creation as real. Owing
to his practices and askesis, he reached the satyaloka (the world of Brahma). Later in that world, he developed
the brahmAkAra vRitti and noticed the
creation itself to be brahman. In
order to achieve full liberation, one must achieve the status of the formless brahman. One must be brahman.
A seeker who
meditates on the formless brahman sees
no world, no creator, no forms. He abides in his own intrinsic Self. He does
not go to any other Loka-s (worlds). Space and time do not exist for him to go
anywhere, since everything is brahman
for him.
Gathered
around the creator Brahma in Satya Loka are the other seekers on the path of
liberation. The Sages Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatkumara, and Sanatsujata are the
four mind-born sons of Brahma. Sage Sanatsujata taught eschatology (the science
of death) to King Dritharashtra as per the epic mahAbhArata,. These four sages as well as the Sage Suka are said to
have fully realized brahman.
The hymn
praising the Advaita teachers says:
नारायणं पद्मभुवं वशिष्ठं शक्तिं च तत्पुत्रं पराशरं च व्यासं शुकं गौडपादं महान्तं गोविन्दयोगीन्द्रं अथास्य शिष्यम् ।
[Narayana – Vasishta – Shakti –
Parasara – Vyasa – Suka, Gaudapada – Govinda – Shankara – Padmapada,
Hastamalaka, Totaka, Sureshwara is my guru lineage.]
Vyasa, Suka,
Goudapada, Govinda, Shankara, and Vidyaranya are all from the same lineage of great
teachers. This is the guru lineage that we should aspire to join by completing
the study of the three canonical texts: Upanishads, Brahmasutras, and Bhagavadgita.
This very thought is inspiring. We must aspire for and acquire Self-Knowledge.
No other knowledge is of any value.
कार्ये कारणताऽऽयाता कारणे न हि कार्यता ।
[The nature
of the cause inheres in the effect and not vice versa. So through reasoning it
is found that in the absence of the effect, the cause as such also disappears.]
Shankara so
far explained how to perceive the entire creation as brahman through brahmAkAra
vRitti. Now he explains how to
acquire and retain such a vRitti of brahman.
One can truly
comprehend the message of the verse #
135 only if one experientially understands and realizes the essence of its
meaning.
The entire visible
world is based on cause and effect relationships. The world is an effect.
Because every effect is necessarily preceded by a cause, its reality is only relative
to its cause. Through careful application of our mind and intellect, we can transcend
the vicious cycle of cause and effect, and not be ensnared by it. There is no
escape from the bondage of the world, if we get trapped in it like the fly caught
in a spider’s web. In spite of having wings, the fly cannot move and escape
from the web.
In order to
escape from the relative world, one should practice seeing the cause every time
an effect is seen. If we see the clay that permeates the pot, the form will
recede to the background. When we touch the pot, imagine that we are touching
the clay, and not the pot.
The cause permeates
the effect. But the effect does not permeate the cause. Wherever we see the
effect, we actually see the cause. We cannot find the effect in the cause because
the effect is hidden. For example, if we grasp the clay and try to find the pot
in it, we will not find it. The form of the pot is latent in the clay as a
potential. So it is not visible. Unless the form evolves and expresses itself, one
cannot see it.
One cannot
see electricity. We can only see its effect in a rotating fan or in a glowing
bulb. We cannot see energy. We cannot see physical energy in matter. Nor can we
see the mental energy (thoughts). We cannot find the source of either the
physical or the mental energies.
The source of
mind and matter is the spiritual energy. Spiritual energy is subjective. It is the
“I” Consciousness. Mind and matter have no “I” Consciousness.
If we see
only the cause in the effect (see only the clay in the pot), then there is no
effect (pot) any more. All that is, is only the cause (clay).
When we see particulars,
we actually notice the Universal only. Even in the absence of any particulars, we
see the Universal. Perceive only the Universal, the common substance, brahman, that permeates everything.
For a cause and effect relationship to
exist, there must be at least two things. If one of them disappears, the other will
have to disappear too. This has to be understood very carefully.
The effect is not seen in the cause. When
once we resolutely observe only the cause even in the effect, the effect
becomes transparent. For example, if we focus only on the clay and not on the
form of the pot although it is visible, the form fades away, and we only see the
clay. The form does not obstruct us from seeing the clay. Where there is no effect, the cause alone
shines, and we can easily notice it. In other words, we can see the cause
directly and also indirectly through the effect. Thus when we can see the cause
in both situations, the effect dissolves into the cause. The question then
remains as to what happens to the cause when there is no longer an effect.
Shankara says that a cause without an
effect has no locus.
कारणत्वं
स्वतो
गच्छेत्कार्याभावे
विचारतः
॥ -- verse # 135, aparokShAnubhUti.
In
the absence of an effect, the ‘cause’ can’t be a cause for anything and hence
it automatically loses its “causality” (कार्याभावे
कारण अभावम्|).
For example, when there is a pot, clay (cause)
may be noticed. If the pot itself is absent, for what can the clay be a cause? A
cause can arise only relative to an effect. If one goes, the other goes too.
What remains when both cause and
effect disappear is a subtle point that Shankara discusses in the next verse.
अथ शुद्धं भवेद्वस्तु यद्वै वाचामगोचरम् ।
[Then that pure Reality (brahman) which is beyond speech alone
remains. This should be understood again and again verily through the
illustration of clay and pot.]
There is only one Absolute Reality. It
is the observer (subject), so It cannot be observed. The observer cannot see itself.
It can only see the observed. When the effect merges into the cause, there is
nothing to be observed. When there is nothing to be observed and the observer itself
cannot be seen, then what remains is pure Awareness. We cannot see or grasp this
pure Awareness with the limited mind. We can only grasp it with an unfaltering
intellect that can perceive everything as “Me”.
Shankara tells us to repeatedly
reflect on the pot and clay example. When the pot breaks, the clay remains. Clay
is pure, not contaminated with form. When the ornaments are melted away, the
pure gold remains. brahman is like
the clay in the pot and the gold in the ornament. However, while gold and clay are
objects that can be seen, brahman is
not an object that can be seen.
We must leverage these examples (clay-pot
and gold-ornaments) to understand the concept of the cause and effect
relationship. They illustrate the concept adequately, although not very
precisely. But one prior requirement is for the seeker to have equanimity and a
totally unbiased mind. Otherwise she or he will not be able to grasp the
thought modification in the form of brahman.
अनेनैव प्रकारेण वृत्तिर्ब्रह्मात्मिका भवेत् ।
[In this way alone, there arises in
the pure-minded state of Awareness (of brahman)
which is afterwards merged into brahman.]
Shankara says that one must eventually
develop brahmAkAra vRitti. Our mind has gotten used to modulating itself into
finite thought forms in the day to day transactions in the empirical world. We
have to get rid of
this limiting constrained frame and attain the ‘frame of thought’ that is identical
with the Infinite Self. A purified mind is necessary for this to happen.
The clarity in our understanding depends
on the purity of the mind, the instrument we use for obtaining Self-Knowledge.
The greater the purity, the greater will be the clarity in understanding.
One reaches the Absolute truth in stages.
We realize the first level of truth using common sense. The second or higher level
of truth is revealed by the analytical sense. The spiritual sense reveals the
Perfect Truth that transcends and includes the lower levels of truths. Perfect truth
integrates everything; It does not exclude anything. Advaita tells us to
disregard the lower truths only because they are exclusive and incomplete.
That is why the Sanskrit word brahman is derived as:
बृहत्वात्
ब्रह्मणत्वात्
बर्हणत्वात्
ब्रह्म
|
[brahman is expansive, includes everything, and
dissolves everything into itself.]
Shankara described brahman as that which includes,
integrates, and dissolves everything into Itself.
ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात्पुर्णमुदच्यते
पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ॥
--
prayer
of shukla Yajurveda.
[That is
full; this is full. This fullness has been projected from that fullness.
When this fullness merges in that fullness, all that remains is fullness.]
When cause and effect disappear and when
mind and matter dissolve, what remains is the Supreme Self. One should develop
a mind that has transformed into that which can hold this magnificent experience
of brahman.
In the next verse, Shankara gives us a
step-by-step process to develop such a mind.
कारणं व्यतिरेकेण पुमानादौ विलोकयेत् ।
[One should first look for the cause
by the negative method and then find it by the positive method, as ever
inherent in the effect.]
Shankara advises us to go slow. He
exhorts us to understand each step in the process carefully and completely.
The first requirement is to have a
pure mind. With the help of a pure mind, we will be able to discern the cause from
the effect. We are habituated to seeing the effect (the worldly objects) and
not the cause. We see the pots and pans and forgot about the clay. We see the various gold ornaments and lose sight
of the gold. We must now develop a ‘frame of thought’ (vRitti) that can cognize the cause (the
clay or Gold) from the effect (pots and pans or ornaments).
Shankara provides a technique for us
to follow. He instructs us to travel backwards from the effect (ornament) to find
the cause (Gold). The world could not have been manifested without the material
cause being present. We have to ask ourselves what could be the material cause?
Even time and space are objects. The seer of all these things is the subject.
The seer is the root cause behind all objects, including the space and time.
In our normal perception, we look at
the effects without any attention to the cause. Shankara asks us to reverse our
way of looking. He wants us to find the cause. We should practice looking back and
identifying the substance or the source (cause). It is called the inner Self (pratyagAtma).
kaThopaniShad says:
पराञ्चि
खानि
व्यतृणत्
स्वयंभूस्तस्मात्पराड्
पश्यति
नान्तरात्मन्
।
कश्चिद्धार:
प्रत्यगात्मानमैक्ष
दावृत्तचक्षुरमृतत्वमिच्छन्
॥
--
mantra II-iv-1, kaThopaniShad.
[The self-born
Lord pierced the orifices (senses) outwards. Therefore one looks outwards and
not within oneself. An intelligent individual, however, turned his gaze inward
desirous of immortality and saw the indwelling Self. ]
kaThopanishad uses the terms “outward”(parAk) and “in the opposite direction,” i.e. inward (pratyak) in the same sentence to
illustrate the process of reversing one’s outward object-oriented outlook in
the opposite direction.
(The scriptures are a great source of
Vedantic knowledge. Depending on one’s mental strength and caliber, one can
either swim or drown in their vast knowledge. The study of a scripture is
called pArAyaNam. The word is derived
from two words -- param (ultimate) and
ayanam (path).)
One can extrude an infinite number of
forms (objects) out of the root cause. However, what can be abstracted from the
millions of objects is the one original cause only. While one may derive a
variety of ornaments from gold, the only thing that one derives out of a
variety of ornaments is only gold. And that is Advaita.
The cause or the substratum for the infinite
number of worldly objects (including one’s own relationships) is the universal “Beingness
and Knowingness.” We must learn to see the Universal in the multiplicity. The multitude
of objects must then be viewed from the standpoint of the Universal. The multitude
will then appear as the manifestation (vibhUti)
of the Universal. The Universal is the intrinsic Self (swarUpam).
In that transformed vision, it will be
clear that all objects of the world, the whole samsAra (bondage) is one’s own manifestation only, and that there
is no second thing. Because there is no second thing, there does not exist a
reason to have fear. Thus what IS is “Me,” the Supreme Self. For the one who
has such a transformed vision, the meanings of the Great Sentences of the
Upanishads (mahAvAkyA-s) will reveal themselves.
The identity of cause and effect will be clear from sentences such as:
अयमात्मा ब्रह्म -- mantra 2,
mANDUkya upanishad.
[This
individual is brahman.]
सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म
-- mantra III.xiv.1, chAndogya upa.
[All
this is brahman.]
कार्ये
हि कारणं
पश्येत्पश्चात्कार्यं
विसर्जयेत्
।
[One should verily see the cause in
the effect, and dismiss the effect altogether. The Sage himself then becomes
what remains.]
By following the methodology recommended
by Shankara, we will begin to see the cause in the effect. As the process
continues, seeing the effect will get dropped altogether and all that will be seen
is the cause only. Eventually it will dawn on us that, when there is no effect,
there is no cause too because the relationship between cause and effect is
correlative. Hence, both cause and effect will disappear.
When cause and effect disappear, what
remains is brahman, Pure Awareness.
Note:This Video opens with the discussion continuing on the
exposition of the means suggested by Shankara to experientially realize the
Supreme Self (brahmAnubhava) right in
the empirical world where we are. The percepts in the world are the effects. But
our interest is on the cause which is brahman.
So Shankara advises us to see the cause within the effects.]
The scheme suggested by Shankara
is to decompose the cause and effect relationship wherever it is found; next to
decipher the cause in the effect; then to negate the effect. If our focus ison
the cause,the effectdissolves. In the absence of an effect, causeloses its
“causality.”Once both the cause and effect are thus removed, what remains will
be pure Awareness which is “Me.”
Shankara poetically described the
experience of “Aloneness”, when everything disappears and only Awareness
remains, in the following verse.
नभूमिर्नतोयंनतेजोनवायुः
[I
am not the Earth nor Water. I am neither Fire nor Air. I am not space. Neither
am I any of the Faculties nor am I their aggregate. [I am not any of these] as
they are all uncertain. I am proved, however, in the sole experience of deep
sleep. That One, the Residue, the Auspicious, the Only One, am I]
Shankara urges us to become that
residuum, thepure Awareness, that remains when both the cause andeffect are
dissolved.
भावितंतीव्रवेगेनयद्वस्तुनिश्चयात्मना।
[A person who meditates upon a
thing with great assiduity and firm conviction becomes that very thing. This
may be understood from the illustration of the wasp and the worm.]
To the seeker who may still
entertain a doubt whether what remains after both the cause and effect dissolve
is the pure Self or not, Shankara clarifies as follows.
He says that it is not a question
of whether one will be Self or not, because one is already That. There is no
need to “become” That. What truly we are is not the various organs or the body.
We are That which is ‘knowing’ all the percepts. We are the Knowingness, the
Awareness.
Awareness is formless like space.
We are also formless. There cannot be two formless things, our intrinsic nature
and Awareness.
Therefore, we are ourselves
already Awareness. We don’t have to make an effort to “become” brahman. We have tojust remember the
fact that we already are That and simply “Be.”
For example, we may miss noticing
the watch on our wrist and search for it elsewhere. When we perceive with the
notion that it is not there, it will not be found. But it has been on the wrist
only all this time. When we look for the watch anywhere else, it cannot be
found. If we look back at the wrist with the notion that it is there, the watch
will be found on the wrist.
If we imagine we are the limited
self, then we will become the limited self (body and mind).On the other hand, if
we can resolutely and with full conviction view that we are the all-pervasive,
space-like Awareness and nothing else than that,we are bound to experience the Supreme Self directly (aparokshAnubhuti).Shankara assures us on
this by citingthe doctrine of the worm transforming into a butterfly (the adage
known in Sanskrit as the bhramarakITakanyAya).
There is at least some effort to
transform either cumin or ginger intoan herbal medicine. But there is no effort
required at all tobe asbrahman. The effort
is only in Knowing that we are already brahman.
This is called siddha sAdhana, knowingThat
whichwe already are.
अदृश्यंभावरूपञ्चसर्वमेतत्चिदात्मकम्।
[The wise should always think with
great care of the invisible, the visible, and everything else as his own Self
which is Consciousness itself.]
In such a transformed vision,
there remains no percept to be ‘seen.’ All that is is the Seer only. There is only Knowingness, and nothing to be
known. The inert matter too will be sentientspirit.
Some proponents of other theories
fail to recognize the subtle point that we are already that Knowingness, and
there is no ‘process’ of becoming that. They go in search of such non-existing
processes. It is only Shankara who could realize this uncompromising Advaitic
Truthand announceit boldly.
What is not perceivable cannot be
matter. Staying as the Seer (dRik)is being
as brahman. We do not need to change the material substance. The
trees and roads, the houses and stones will not have to be changed as the
Supreme Self. If one’s outlook changes, everything changes. What exists out
there is not real. It is just an appearance. As appearance, it cannot be
changed. The snake on the rope cannot be converted into the rope. The rope
itself appears as the snake. Likewise, brahman
Itself takes the appearance of the world. The moment the world is conceived as
the Supreme Self, it has become the Supreme Self. There is no new change or
form that has come about. The necklace or bangle was gold even in the
beginning. It is not that we change them into gold by a process like melting.
Like the false appearance of the
snake on the rope, the objective world is a mere superimposition on brahman. The Supreme Self itself appears
as names and forms. The Beingness appears as the family, relationships,
properties etc. The Knowingness itself appears as happiness and sorrow
The Knowingness and Beingness as
One is the Supreme Self. When the illusion of the snake is gone, what is seen
is only the rope.
We are habituated to always strive
to achieve something. We undervalue ourselves and lift the gods onto a high
pedestal. We resort todevotional or yogic practices to control our thoughts. Trying
to get rid of thoughts is like trying to get rid of the waves in the ocean. The
waves are also water after all – the ocean. Shankara avers that understanding
the waves to be water is itself is the way to be rid of the waves. How can
anyone throw away“anything,”when all that is the Supreme Self only?
We must pay total attentionto the
Absolute that is right here and now. It is dispersed asmultiple forms, such asfamily,
possessions, thoughts, and emotions. If we can gather the One substance that
permeates all forms, It will beour greatest treasure. We must ceaselesslyimagine
that we are the Supreme Self that permeates everything, pervades everywhere.
दृश्यंह्यदृश्यतांनीत्वाब्रह्माकारेणचिन्तयेत्।
[Having reduced the visible to the
invisible, the wise should think of the universe as one with brahman. This alone will he abide in
eternal felicity with the mind full of consciousness and bliss.]
Look at all objects as though they
are abstract things. View them with the thought modification in the form of the
Infinite. Consider thatpure Consciousness pervades all. Abiding in that
Knowingness is the eternal Happiness. Be completely immersed in the ocean of Knowingness
and let the mind be saturated with Its essence.
एभिरङ्गैःसमायुक्तोराजयोगउदाहृतः।
[Thus has been described Raja-Yoga,
consisting of these steps (mentioned above). With this is to becombined
hatha-yoga for (the benefit) of those whose worldly desires are partially
attenuated.]
It will be
the Royal Path (Raja Yoga)if the seeker can amalgamate all the steps narrated
so far and follow them diligently. If there is even a little doubt lurking in
the seeker and the mind is not ripe enough, she or hehas to just adopt the Path
with a stronger resolve (haTha in Sanskrit
means pertinacity, resoluteness). Thus
Shankara is giving the opportunity, throwing wide open the possibility, of
following the Royal Path by all without any exclusion.
To be successfulon thepath to
liberation (Raja Yoga), one must develop a clear understanding of the Advaita
teachings and cultivate the ability to integrate and practice the teaching (brahmAkAravRitti) in daily life. A pure
and unwavering mind is essential to develop a mature mind that is capable of
such practices.Once the mind is mature, we will be able to take up the Royal
Path.
परिपक्वंमनोयेषांकेवलोऽयंचसिद्धिदः।
[For those whose mind is
completely purified, this (raja-Yoga) alone is productive of perfection. Purity
of the mind, again, is speedily accessible to those who are devoted to the
teacher and the Deity.]
We are born as humans and are
blessed with a mind that can think and discriminate. To have such a mind itself
is a rare gift as it is said in vivekacUDAmani.
मनुष्यत्वंमुमुक्षुत्वंमहापुरुषसंश्रयः॥ -- verse 3,
vivekacuDAmaNi.
[… a human birth, a burning desire
for liberation, and the blessed refuge of an illuminated sage.]
Therefore, it is our
responsibility to cultivate a mind that is mature.
Shankara says that the Royal Path
alone is adequate for those seekers whose minds are purified and ready for
liberation.
Shankara next, as the last word
here, asksus to be reverential towards the elders, Guru and God.
Unless we have respect for the
teacher, we will not listen attentively to the teaching. If we do not listen
attentively to the teaching, the teaching will not have any effect on us. Once
we listen attentively and understand the teaching, we can reflect and mediate
on the teaching on our own. Wemust feel the divine presence in everything.
Shankara says that, with a pure
mind, respect for the teacher, and love for God, anyone will be able to
understand Advaita philosophy. It is not privy to only a select few.It is a
treasure that belongs to everyone who aspires for liberation.
With these words of blessings,
Shankara ends his instruction on the profound message of Advaita.
aparokShAnubhUti is a concise
monograph with a magnificent message which can be studied for any number of
days. What is important is to imbibe its teaching and implement it.
Peace PeacePeace.