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Hymn to the Lord

Dakshinamurti

A Commentary by

Shri Yellamraju Srinivasa Rao

Verse 9

भूरम्भांस्यनलोऽनिलोऽम्बरमहर्नाथो हिमांशु पुमान्
इत्याभाति चराचरात्मकमिदं यस्यैव मूर्त्यष्टकम्
नान्यत् किञ्चन विद्यते विमृशतां यस्मात्परस्माद्विभोः
तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥9॥

Therefore, all misapprehensions are due to mAya. But this is only a diagnosis of the disease, not a cure. Every disease has a corresponding cure. If we keep talking about the disease without talking about a cure, it is a waste of time. The problem will remain a problem. We have established so far that samsAra (the cycle of birth and death) is the problem and mAya is the source of the problem.

Shankara is providing a solution to the problem in this verse. The first step in solving a problem is to understand the context in which the problem occurs. The second step is to take the necessary measures to solve the problem. The final step is to solve the problem. The problem will then transform into a solution.

The snake-rope example is a good analogy to explain this situation. On a twilight evening, let us say, we see something that appears like a snake and are frightened. It is actually a rope, not a snake, but we didn’t know that initially. The rope appeared as a snake, and frightened us. That means the cause (rope) itself appeared as the effect (snake). We have to investigate the cause to clearly understand the source of the problem and find solution. If we flash a light and investigate, we will see a rope, not a snake. Seeing the rope is identifying the cause. This is the second stage in solving the problem. Once we have the knowledge of the rope, what we thought was a snake earlier, now appears as a rope. The form of the snake disappears into the rope. This is the third stage – the solution to the problem. The rope appearing as a snake was the problem. The rope appearing as a rope is the solution.

Since it is the rope itself (kAranNa/cause) that appeared as a snake (kriya/manifestation), the moment we perceive the rope, the snake dissolves into the rope. But, not all effects in the world dissolve so smoothly into the cause. For instance, let us take the example of gold and ornaments made of gold. Gold is the cause and the ornaments are the effects. The moment we see the gold, like the snake in the rope analogy, the ornaments must dissolve into the gold. But that is not the case. Even if we perceive the gold, the ornaments continue to appear. We continue to see the forms of necklaces, rings, etc. along with the gold. We need to make the additional effort of melting the ornaments for the forms to disappear into the gold.

It is in such circumstances that Shankara asks us to apply the power of pratyabhigna (recognition). When we look deep into the effect, we will realize that it is the cause or substance itself that is appearing as the effect or form. It is this recognition of the common and constant factor in every form that is called pratyabhigna. Although we call it an ‘effect,’ the truth is, there is no separate entity as such because it is the cause itself that is appearing as the effect. Shankara refers to the effect as samsthAnam or formation. A block of ice floating on water is a formation of water. When we see any formation of water, even without melting it, we will recognize immediately that it is a formation of water. Water itself can appear in a solid or a liquid form. The liquid form is its intrinsic nature. The solid form is its expansion or appearance (vibhUti). An “effect” is the expansion of the source, the core substance.

Therefore, an effect is nothing but the cause itself. It appears as an effect because the cause manifests in a form, instead of remaining in its intrinsic formless nature. The form or the effect veils or hides the original nature of the cause. Not only does the form make it difficult for us to see or recognize the real substance, it also creates the illusion that the form itself is real! As a result, our vision gets trapped in the illusion of the form, and fails to penetrate into the substance that pervades the form. If our vision is capable of penetrating to the substance, we would recognize the truth that the form is not different from the substance. But this is not our experience.

How can we make it our experience? Since the effect (world) has emerged from the cause, which is our very intrinsic nature (Self), the effect is not different from the cause. Whenever we perceive the effect, we must remember the cause. This recollection of our original nature is pratyabhigna. pratyabhigna is the only sAdhana (practice) required in Advaita. There is no other effort required, since there is nothing new to attain. There is also no need to associate the Self with any object in order to see It. It is Self-evident (svatah siddham). Consciousness is its very form. Whatever form we imagine, it is only Consciousness appearing in that form. Hence, no ritualistic actions are necessary for non-dual realization. Such actions are considered useless by Self-realized sages. Knowledge of the Self and a vision of the Absolute Truth are the only things required.

We already have a vision that is capable of seeing the Absolute Truth. But it has become limited to seeing worldly objects, such as wife, children, possessions, etc. It is engaged constantly in seeing one object or the other. Therefore, we feel like we are in bondage. To be free of this feeling of bondage, we must divert our attention/vision to the Consciousness that permeates every object in the world. When our attention is focused on the common substance that permeates all objects, since objects are only an appearance of Consciousness, the objects will lose their separateness and merge into Consciousness. Since Consciousness is the very nature of the Self, cause and effect that appeared as separate entities earlier, are now experienced as a single substance, that is the Self.

The function of pratyabhigna is to engender that experience of the Self. The first step in the process is to perceive the effect objectively. The next step is to use pratyabhigna to recognize the cause that produced the effect. The final step is to see the cause itself as the effect. As Advaita practitioners, we must continue this practice relentlessly, until the object world completely melts away, and what remains is Pure Consciousness alone.

Shankara is elucidating on this practice now –“bhUr ambhAmsyaanalo’nilo ambaram ahrnAtho himAmsuh pumAn.” bhU means earth, ambasI means water, anala means fire, aniIla means wind, and ambara means space. These refer to the five elements. Shankara adds three more to the list – ahranAda himAmsu, and puman. In the conventional sense, aharnAtho refers to the sun, himamsu refers to moon, and pumAn refers to man or the landlord. These are the literal meanings or primary interpretations of the words and the sentence. However, such an interpretation is not appropriate in this context because, conventionally, the sun, moon, and the human body are included in the five elements. So why did Shankara call out the sun, moon, and human body separately?

We must go beyond the primary meaning of this sentence (vAcyArdham) to grasp the real intent of Shankara. Metaphorically, the three entities (sun, moon, man) correspond to the mind, intellect, and ego. This explanation corresponds to the Chapter 7, verse 4 in Bhagavad Gita, where Sage Vyasa describes the six-fold creation (nature) of Ishwara, and explicitly mentions mind, intellect, and ego along with the five elements.

It is this same concept that Shankara describes in verse 9 using symbolic terms.

While the five elements denote the external world, the remaining three entities (mind, intellect, and ego) denote the internal world of the human being. Together these eight entities are called ashta murti-s. This entire creation is only a manifestation of these eight entities. We perceive them inside us as thoughts and feelings and outside us as names and forms, and suffer. This is the crux of the problem we face.

Shankara now provides a solution to the problem. He says, the myriad forms we perceive externally are the manifestations of the formless Consciousness. By saying so, he integrates the not-Self into the Self. When we hear those words, our vision which has been focused on the object world, now expands to focus on Consciousness, the source from which the world manifests. Up until now, our eyes have been perceiving only the effect, and not the cause. By reminding us about the cause that is hidden in the effect, Shankara brings the cause to the forefront. When our attention is drawn to the cause, Supreme Consciousness flashes in our mind along with the world that our senses perceive.

We spent most of our life seeing names and forms, and not the source from which they appear. This is a deluded vision. The more we focus and engage with objects, the more we suffer under their pressure. Instead, we must view the objects in association with the Consciousness in which they appear. Since, in reality, it is Consciousness Itself that is appearing as all these forms, when our attention is on the underlying Consciousness, names and forms have less impact on us. Consciousness is a single Infinite and Formless substance, while the world is a collection of countless forms. When our vision is on the formless substance, forms dissolve into the formless substance. Mind becomes lighter and capable of glossing over names and forms, instead of getting weighed down by them. Free of names and forms, the mind will automatically break free of bondage. This is the second step in the practice – to focus on the cause, and not the effect.

The third and last step in the practice is to merge the effect (world) into the cause. As long as we see duality, we are in bondage. How can we attain liberation? Shankara says, “nanyat kincit vidya te vimursatAm yasmAt parasmAt vibhO” – those who investigate deeply will find no difference between the cause and the effect. They will see everything as the Supreme Self that is present everywhere, which is the spark of Awareness - “I Am” ( sadAtmakam, sphuraNa).

We must investigate deeply (vimarsha) into this Awareness. We must touch and feel it in every animate and inanimate object with our mind, just as we touch and feel an object with our hand. What is the common factor that present in every object? Existence and Consciousness (sattA and sphuraNa). Presence and Awareness (asti and bhAti). Being and Knowing. Every object we perceive in this world has these two common qualities, presence and awareness. The pot “Is” and “I Am Aware” of its presence. The painting “Is” and “I am aware” of its presence. Presence and Awareness is the essence of everything in this world. But, isn’t the world full of opposites, thin-fat, long-short, black-white, good-bad, positive-negative, etc., we wonder. When there are so many differences in objects, how can we say that every object contains only these two common attributes? It is true that objects have many forms, attributes, and differences. But, as Advaita practitioners, if we pay attention to just these two common qualities, which are the essence of every form we perceive, it is as good as paying attention to the rest of the attributes. We don’t have to look at every attribute separately because, whatever attribute we look at, it simply “is” (asti).

When we keenly examine anything in this world, we will see only the commonality (presence-awareness) in everything, and not particulars. When our focus is on the Universal, particulars dissolve into the Universal. Particulars originally manifested from the Universal. Hence, they are not different from the Universal. Therefore, when we perceive objects from the viewpoint of the Universal, they will appear as the Universal. When we view ornaments as gold, they will appear as gold. Similarly, from the viewpoint of the Universal, all moving and unmoving objects of the world are Presence-Awareness. When we investigate deeply into the effect (world) and the cause (Consciousness) and realize that there is only Existence-Consciousness, the effect merges into the cause. We stop seeing them as separate things. Even the very words “cause and effect” become meaningless, since they are both relative and interdependent concepts. If one is absent, the other is absent too. Together they are One in a homogenous vision. A “vision” is not different from the “visionary.” Hence, everything is experienced as the One Universal Self.