Tattva Bodha - Post 22

Atmaa tarhi Kah?
Sat-Chid-Ananda Swarupah

Then, what is the SELF?

It is the nature of Existence-Consciousness-Bliss

Dear All,

Till now we dealt with the following from Tattva Bodha: 

•    Sadhana Chatushtayam – Fourfold qualification
•    Shareera Trayam – Threefold body
•    Avastha Trayam – Threefold states of experience
•    Pancha Kosha – Fivefold personality layers of an individual

We also saw that Shareera Trayam and Kosha Panchakam both refer to the same personality alone. 

The Shareera Trayam itself looked from another angle is called Kosha Panchakam and are practically one and the same. 

From the previous topics, we come to know that all the three bodies, Shareera Trayam, are made up of matter. 

What we arrive at is that Shareera Trayam is material in nature. In Sanskrit matter is called Jadam.  

To recapitulate, the stages of development are as follows:

Firstly we said Shareera Trayam Bhautikam [made of elements].

Therefore Shareera Trayam Jadam [insentient].

And they appear as though sentient and therefore Shareera Trayam has borrowed consciousness.

If Shareera Trayam has borrowed consciousness, borrowing is possible only when there is a lender. We require a consciousness which has to lend consciousness. 

And this lender of consciousness is the fourth factor in human personality. The other three being: 

     - Sthoola Shareeram

     - Sookshma Shareeram 

     - Kaarana Shareeram

The lender of that consciousness is Atman, which is defined as SAT-CHIT-ANANDA.

SAT – Existence

Sat is the single thought that “I exist, therefore I am”. 

One may describe such a state as existing in the eternal present. To the timeless Self, there is no past and no future. 

Everything that happens is happening NOW. The whole attention is focused on NOW. 

When this state is experienced after a great deal of preparation for it, we come to experience the deep silence of the present, the unshaken stillness of the present. 

And in that stillness, Vedanta leaves us to discover ourselves, the “I am” of our quest. No more words now, words have done their job. It is just for us to experience pure Existence: “I am”. 

CHIT - Consciousness

Maintaining the same sense of receptivity that we captured for the first word, we are led to the second word with great expectation. 

After all, we have come so far and who would not be eager to hear the final definition of our own real Self being spelt out. 

Chit is the thoughtless awareness that, “I KNOW that I am”. 

Combining it with the previous experience of Sat, we can say: “I am, and I know that I am.” 

ANANDA - Bliss

Continuing its description of the state of consciousness wherein I know that “I am the Self”, Vedanta now adds to it another dimension.

It is the awareness that, “I am blissfully aware that I am”. 

How do we understand such a state, when experience tells us the contrary? We feel the opposite of bliss on too many occasions to take this definition seriously. We are used to seeing happiness followed by deep sorrow. 

Continued……

Love.