Vivekachudamani- Post 87

If you have indeed a craving for Liberation, avoid sense objects from  a distance, just as you avoid things known to be poisonous; and with  respectful reverence, daily cultivate the nectarine virtues - contentment, forgiveness, straightforwardness, calmness and self-control. (82)

So far, Sankara (through the Guru) was advising the seekers in Vedanta on what they should do in order to realize the Self, and thus end their misunderstandings and sorrows in life. He has, so far, insisted upon the importance of viveka and vairagya. 

Now he is slowly coming to a discussion to encourage the development of the noble qualities of the head and heart which, as we have earlier discussed, is the third item of adjustments to be  made by a student before a guaranteed success in Self-realization is assured to him. 

Having known a thing to be poisonous, however thirsty you may be, you will not be tempted to drink it: so too, however  tempting the sense objects may look, an individual who seeks  liberation should totally renounce the idea that they contain even  a trace of potency to supply joy. 

By withdrawing the sense organs from their field of activity, we conserve a tremendous amount of energy which would otherwise be wasted. 

If this newfound energy is not immediately harnessed to do special work, the chances are that we will spend this dynamism in mentally dreaming of sense indulgence. This brings about an ugly deformity in our personality. 

To remain physically inert but mentally sensuous develops a distorted personality, drained of all brilliance and beauty through suppressed desires  and unseen mental dissipations. 

It is to avoid such dangerous consequences at the mental plane that we should have the guidance of the Teacher. Fresh fields have been discovered where the energy so conserved  could be used up to raise smiling crops of beauty and profit. 

We are told how an individual who has learnt to shun sense objects must immediately take up the constructive scheme of developing the positive qualities such as, contentment, compassion, forgiveness, straightforwardness, calmness and  self-control. 

These are the six fold inner wealth Sankara gives here. It is not the six alone, many are mentioned in the Gītā 16th chapter.

Abhayaa satva samsuddhi; jnana yoga vyavasthih; etc.; all of them we should acquire. In fact, if you plan to earn them, in fact, it is a life long pursuit. And not only that, you will enjoy acquiring them so much; that you do not consider worldly acquisitions as a very big thing at all.

Therefore, bhaja; bhaja means acquire them; adarat; means diligently, with commitment, with involvement, wholeheartedly.

And when should I work for that. Nityam; nityam means regularly, consistently; start the morning with auto suggestion and end the day with introspection. Auto suggestion-introspection; it is a most beautiful life. 

When we analyze  all the above virtuous qualities,  we find that each one of these qualities is in itself an attitude of the mind which will not suffer even the least disturbance. 

As we diligently practice them, necessarily will we seek and establish our identity with our fellow beings and enjoy the intimate brotherhood of man and the divine fraternity of the soul.

Love

Vivekachudamani-Post 86

Know that mortality soon overtakes a foolish man who walks the dangerous path of sense pleasures. Whereas one who sticks to the path of divinity, according to the instructions of well-meaning and noble Guru, constantly walks the path divine helped by one's own reasoning faculty, one achieves the end; know for certain this is true. (81)

In Vedanta, meditation is the technique for gaining the final experience of self -rediscovery but meditation can be successful only when the mind is not agitated by desires. In a sensuous life, 

One is never without some desire or the other. Thus, an individual cannot have success, both in the life of meditation and in the world of sensuousness. 

The human mind is disintegrated because of its desires, and  it cannot be brought back to its state of healthy integration without its renouncing the very germs of its present disease. 

So, in Vedanta, great stress has been laid upon the necessity of avoiding the mind’s running amok with its uncontrolled appetites. 

This idea is explained again in a very powerful style. Sankara crisply repeats what the rishis have been continuously saying in the  pages of the scriptures that the path of sensuousness leads straight to mortality while the path divine leads to immortality.  

Thus, sensuous activities with motives of pleasure and indulgence harden the animal impressions in our minds and thereafter, thoughts begin to flow in that direction increasingly powerfully. Such a stupid man becomes increasingly daring in his criminalities, until at last he becomes irredeemable and slips down the ladder of evolution to be ultimately destroyed. 

On the other hand, the way up the evolutionary ladder is also open to man by climbing which he can slowly ascend to the very pinnacles of total fulfillment. 

This path has been beautifully described in the third line of the verse which insists that he must follow the instructions given by reliable guides, the Gurus, on the path of spirituality. 

Even if there be a sacred Guru and the disciples surrender unto him, this in itself cannot bear any fruit unless they are ready to actively cooperate with the Teacher and cultivate for themselves the perfection indicated to them by him. 

This verse  contrasts the paths of "preyas" (pleasurable) and "shreyas" (beneficial) and emphasizes the importance of seeking guidance from a guru to attain liberation. It highlights that the path of fleeting pleasures leads to suffering and mortality, while the path of self-knowledge, guided by a wise guru and one's own reasoning, leads to true liberation. 

Here's a more detailed breakdown:

The Path of Pleasure (Preyas):

This path is characterized by attachment to sensory enjoyments and worldly pursuits. It is portrayed as a dangerous and ultimately destructive path that leads to suffering and death. 

The Path of Benefit (Shreyas):

This path involves seeking self-knowledge and liberation through the guidance of a qualified guru and the application of one's own intellect. 

The Role of the Guru:

The verse stresses the importance of a guru who is not only knowledgeable in scriptures but also free from desires and deeply rooted in wisdom. Such a guru can provide the necessary guidance and support to navigate the path of self-discovery. 

The Importance of Discrimination:

The verse implicitly emphasizes the need for viveka (discrimination) between the real and the unreal, the transient and the eternal. This discrimination is essential for choosing the path of shreyas and avoiding the pitfalls of preyas. 

The Goal of Liberation:

The ultimate goal of the path of shreyas is liberation (moksha), which is freedom from the cycle of birth and death and the realization of one's true nature (Atman). 

In essence, this verse serves as a call to action, urging the seeker to renounce the allure of fleeting pleasures and embark on the journey of self-realization with the guidance of a true guru.

Love

Vivekachudamani-Post 85

He who has destroyed the shark called 'sense objects' with the sword of mature dispassion crosses the ocean of samsara unobstructed. (80)

Continuing the idea, it is said here that he alone, who has destroyed the shark of desire lurking in the ocean of samsara, can safely cross to the other shore. In order to kill the enemy we have no other instrument save the sword of discriminative knowledge. 

Suviraktyasina; powerful vairagya

what is the powerful vairagya?  I do not want to hold on to anything in the world for the sake of my security and happiness. If I will be around them; it may be giving security to them; I may give them security; that is different thing; I may love them; that is different thing; but I do not want to take anything from them; the moment I hold on to anything; I am in trouble. 

Either hold on to yourselves or next option is hold on to God; other than God or yourselves, holding on to anything else, is risky. And not taking that risk is called suvirakty. suvirakty asi; asi here means sword or knife.

Visayakhya grahaha ataha; the crocodile of viṣaya. So here visaya should be taken as visaya asa. The crocodile called visa asa should hataha; be destroyed, if you want to be strong; if you want to avoid risk; if you want to be independent psychologically, it should be destroyed. And ena; whoever accomplishes this, whichever person accomplishes this; this means what? 

The destruction of viṣaya asa  by the sword of vairagya; whoever accomplishes, saha param gacchati. He alone can cross over; he alone can reach the shore; param means shore. Of what? bhavambhodheḥ- Bhava means samsara; ambodihi means sāgara; he alone can reach the shore of samsara.

That means he alone can attain moksha . How, pratyuhavarjitaḥ; without any obstacle. pratyuhaha means pratibandah; vignaha is called pratyuḥ varjithah; without any obstacle; he alone can attain mōkṣa.

With viveka alone can we end our desires. Desires can come and sabotage our happiness only when the discriminative faculties in us have, as it were, gone to sleep. So long as the pure intellect is awake, the whims and fancies of the mind cannot emerge to loot and plunder the peace of the inner kingdom. 

Only in the darkness of the bosom, when the illuminating intellect has disappeared behind the cloud of ignorance, can the temptations and desires of the heart walk out of their hideouts to steal the wealth of peace and tranquility which the individual enjoys. 

Once in the grasp of these minions of the moon, the person identifying with desires gets choked and drowned in the stormy sea of plurality. 

To live intelligently with discriminative analysis,  ever conscious of the fallacies in each thought and not getting  victimised by fanciful desires, is to live in viveka. Where viveka is  steady, the desires, however strong they be, will not dare to attack. 

So if we ultimately see all these verses are only commentary upon the word vairāgya; which is one of the sadhana catuṣṭaya sampatti .

Love

Vicvekachudamani- Post 84

Those who have only an apparent dispassion and are trying to cross  the ocean of change are caught by their throats by the shark of desire  which violently dragging them along, drowns them in the middle of  the ocean. (79)

Suppose there is a person; who wants to cross a river or a lake; a water, water pool he wants to cross. And he is a swimmer and somehow he has struggled; and he has almost crossed the river; 75% over; but what happens? there was a crocodile; this crocodile pulls him back, catching hold of his neck; the crocodile pulls him back and again immerses him into the water.

Similarly, a person by the study of scriptures etc. is trying to cross the river of saṁsāra; āśā is a crocodile; which we do not know when it will come; again it will catch without our knowledge; if you are complacent, it will just catch and pull a person down.

And therefore, let a person be alert with regard to āśā or vairāgyaṁ. Therefore he says: mumukṣun, so there are some mumukṣus who are interested in spirituality.

With regard to materialistic people, we need not discuss at all, because they never attempt to cross the river; like the buffalo; they are enjoying the dirty pool of wateritself. So we are only talking about those people who have felt that this water is a dirty pool and I want to cross.

Therefore, mumukṣun, they want to cross over; but what is their problem. Āpātavairāgya vataḥ; so they have got vairāgyaṁ but it is not intense enough.

A spirit of detachment and a craving for dispassion may be generated in us as a result of repeated tragedies. A tragic bereavement, a shocking disappointment, a painful failure, an agonizing physical pain, all these have been found, either individually or collectively, capable of creating a temporary sense of vairagya, termed in Sanskrit as 'smasana vairagya' - an aversion to life and its finitude which is usually generated when one has occasion to visit a cremation ground.  

True dispassion is a wise condition of the ego created from a deep intellectual conviction, which in its turn, has its roots in perfect discrimination. Only in the maturity of an individual's spiritual florescence, can one hope to gather the fruits of wisdom. 

False vairagya has ruined more men than even atheism has ever done. Hundreds and thousands of indiscriminate people, in almost all the religions of the world, reach the sanctuaries of their respective monasteries. 

In the long run, however, they discover that they are not fit for a life of total renunciation and perfect self-  control. Many of them who find sufficient moral courage return to the marketplace and the world of contentions to fight for and acquire and enjoy material wealth. 

But some come to live a choking life of frustrations and sorrows, with neither the capacity to live the life of renunciation nor the daring to return to the world of cut-throat competition. 

Sankara has briefly pointed out these dangers by comparing men of insincere vairagya to those who are ship wrecked on the 'ocean of change' which is infested with ravenous sharks of sensuous desires. 

These desires jump at the throats of the poor victims and drag them down and drown them midway on their pilgrimage to the Beyond.

How, kaṇṭhē nigr ̥ hya; catching hold of this person by his very throat; like some of the sharks which catch their prey by their neck. When the neck is caught; you cannot even think. 

Similarly when the attachment is powerful; then this person's thinking power is also gone and if somebody wants to give an advice; he says who are you to be an advice; I know what I am doing and I am very sure about what I am doing. 

Vinasakale viparitha buddhi; like our Ravaṇa who never listened to anyone; he was very sure what he does is right; nobody can help. Only thing is let him perish and come back again.

Rama could not change Ravaṇa; Krishna could not change Kamsa; we also end up as Ravaṇa and Kamsas; does not mean that we should become raksasas; materialistic itself is raksasatvam.

Love

Vivekachudamani-Post 83

He who has liberated himself from the terrible bonds of desires for sense objects, (indeed), very difficult to renounce , is alone fit for Liberation;  none else , even if he is well versed in all the six schools of philosophy. (78)

Sankara says vishaya asa is maha pashah; attachment to the vishaya and remember Vishaya does not mean objects only; all the physical bodies in the world also come under vishaya. Any pancha baudikam vasthu is vishaya; whether it is an inanimate thing or living physical body which includes my own physical body. From vedantic angle my body is also a vishaya; because it is pancha baudika. Vishaya asa is not an ordinary shackle but it is very very strong bondage.

And yaḥ vimuktaḥ; suppose a person transcends that weakness; he is able to detach from the physical body; that means he gives the physical body the importance that it deserves. Here giving up is not destroying; but he does not want to give up more importance than it deserves; that he puts it in its appropriate place.

We have been told again and again that vairagya is an essential and salient factor in the study of Vedanta. So, without total and  complete vairagya, the energy in us which is being spent in wrong pursuits will not be conserved for greater purposes of self-culture and ultimately of Self rediscovery. 

Indeed, the Masters of Vedanta were not impractical men, being ignorant of the ordinary man's sense attachment. They certainly realized that to control the sense organs and to avoid their gushing forth into their respective sense objects is very difficult for an ordinary man. 

And yet, where viveka has come, vairagya is natural, and he who has gained a certain amount of freedom from the charms of sense objects is fit for Liberation. 

The idea is that so long as the individual thirsts for anything, his entire energy will be consumed in its acquisition and possession and there will be nothing left in him to supply him with the required dynamism for listening, reflecting and meditating upon the contents of the scriptures. 

That such a one alone is fit for Liberation' is a very positive statement denying sensuous people any hope of success in spiritual life. Not even men who are erudite scholars in all the six schools of Indian philosophy are recognized by the sastras as fit for total Liberation from ignorance and ignorance-created misunderstandings in themselves. 

With mere book learning, without the purity of the heart, tranquility of the mind, the application of the intellect and body's self-denial, no progress in spiritual life, which can take us towards complete Liberation from our limitations is ever possible.

Love

Vivekachudamani-Post 82

Sense objects are even more venomous in their tragic effects than cobra poison. Poison is fatal to one who swallows it, but the sense objects  kill him who even looks at them with his eyes. (77)

At this juncture, Sankara discusses how dangerous it is for a seeker to be attached to the enjoyment of sense objects. 

In order to emphasize  the virulence of sense poison, Sankara gives yet another verse,  which is very famous, in as much as, we often hear it being quoted from all pulpits. 

Explaining the dangerous intensity of this poison, the Acharya compares it with the venom of the cobra. 

Vishayaḥ dosena tivraḥa; in terms of his harming capacity; pulling down capacity; the viṣaya is tivrah; more intense; more powerful than vishadapi; even poison. That too what type of poison? 

Krishna sarpa; the black cobra; Krishna here means black or dark ones; the black cobra visham; and the viṣaya is more harmful than that.

How does Sankara say so? To give a logical proof also; he gives the logical proof; what is that; visham boktharam eva hanthi;

Poison will kill only a person who consumes the poison. By hearing about or by seeing, the poison does not kill; only when it enters the system and is absorbed in the system; only then it will kill. 

Therefore boktharam vishaṁ hanti; whereas what about viṣaya; cakṣuṣa drastaram hanti; even that person who sees the viṣayaḥ.

If there is some distance between a cobra and an individual, the poison in  the cobra cannot affect him. Nobody is known to have died of poison because he merely saw a cobra in a zoo. 

The venom can be fatal to a person only when he is bitten by a cobra. Compared with this, sense objects are more virulent because they can annihilate the individual who just looks at them. 

The organ of vision mentioned in the verse, represents all the other four sense organs and indicates a similar end when all other sense  organs, individually or collectively, run after their sense objects, bringing about a total annihilation.

So here what is the idea conveyed? That if a person does not have a discriminative power; then the very sight can cause attachment; and then he goes on thinking about that

In the  second chapter of Bhagwad Gita, Krishna says,

While contemplating on the objects of the senses, one develops attachment to them. Attachment leads to desire, and from desire arises anger.(2-62)

Anger leads to clouding of judgment, which results in bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, the intellect gets destroyed; and when the intellect is destroyed, one is ruined.(63)

Most intelligent and moral personal can drop all the ethics and morality and go to adharma and once dharma goes away, moksha is farther. 

And for that viṣaya dhyānam, what is the cause? Vishaya darsanam is the cause for viṣaya dhyanam. Viṣaya dhyanam is the cause of spiritual death.

A person should be careful with regard to the external world, until he learns to manage his rāga dveshṣa; which is called samaḥ; learning to manage raga-dveṣa is sama.

once the mind is mastered, then whatever the sense organs perceived; no problem; but because he knows what is attachment and what is freedom from that. 

Love

Vivekachudamani-Post 81

The deer, the elephant, the moth, the fish and the honeybee - these five are annihilated because of their slavery to one or the other of the senses such as sound and so on, through their own attachment. What then is the condition of a man who is attached to all these five? (76)

We are now discussing how attachment to the senses bind, enslave and destroy the peace of mind and freedom of true living. At this moment Sankara very appropriately, reminds us of the various examples provided by nature where certain species meet their death due to extreme attachment to one or the other of the five senses. 

The deer is always fascinated by melodious sound and the deer hunter sings to charm the deer. Attracted by the melody of sound, the deer has no awareness of the danger it is in and turns in the direction of the music, the hunter soon makes it his target. Therefore kuranga stands for sabda asa.

The elephants, especially in the mating season, become extremely attached to the sense of touch, rubbing against each other and walking without caution, they fall into the pits got ready to  catch them.  Therefore, elephant stands for sparsa asa, weakness for skin.

The moth is enchanted by form and attracted by the brilliance of the flame. It flutters towards it with an agonizing impatience and gets burnt. What we are taking advantage of is its weakness for bright light/lamp. Therefore rupa asa or rupa ragah.

The fish, ravenously hungry at all times, in its gluttony, swallows the bait, is caught and thus meets  its end in the stomach of fish-eaters. And therefore, minam has got rasa asa, or rasa ragaḥ. 

And then finally bhr̥ngaḥ vandu, the honey bee;  it t is attracted by the smell of the flowers; and because of that it is captured by certain flowers; it closes during the night; when it is attracted, especially in the evening time; goes and sits there; and the flower closes and it gets trapped and the commentator says, 

Again we do not know, we have to verify; that certain strong smell, like the smell of champaka flower that is so strong; that the bee will die because of the intensity of the smell; that the smell itself directly destroys that insect. Again, it has got what? gandha asa or gandah raga.

And therefore, each one of these animals dies because of its bondage caused by one guna; sabda guna; sparsa guna; rupa guna; rasa guna or gandha guna; that is said in the first line. pancha pancatvamapuh; 

Pancha means these five animals; so these above mentioned five animals; pancatvamapuḥ; gets destroyed; they perish; because of what? svagunena baddhaḥ; and bound by their own weakness for one one guna only. 

Now come to the fourth line, panchabhirancitaḥ kim; what to talk of the human being who has got all the five weakness? So ancitaḥ, ancitaḥ means associated with the panja asas. The five-fold attachment.

And this is not his mistake. Remember, this is not his mistake; these are all five natural instinctive weaknesses. So we have this weakness we need not feel guilty about their presence; the arrival is not because of it; it is instinctive. We are to be blamed if we are going to keep that weakness going. So therefore, perpetuation of the weakness is the mistake; the presence of the weakness is not our mistake.

If the weakness is there; we need not feel guilty; but we allow them to continue; we have to feel the guilt. Therefore, the presence is not weakness; perpetuation is the weakness. More in the next class.

When a man of ignorance, having neither discrimination nor detachment, vulgarly runs after sense objects for his temporary nerve tickling, he becomes a sad victim of his delusion and meets a calamitous end for he has allowed himself to be bound by the five strong ropes.

Love

 

Vivekachudamani- Post 80

Having united with parts of one other, they become gross and become the cause for the formation of the gross body. Their subtle essence constitutes the sense objects, five in number such as sound and so on, which contribute to the enjoyment of the experiencer, the individual ego.(74)

Tanmatra/ Panchikarana etc. are adequately described in the posts under the theme Tatwa Bodha. Readers are requested to go through the relevant posts in Tatwa Bodha for better understanding of  these terms.

75. Those thoughtless ones who are bound to these sense objects by the stout ropes of attachment, so very difficult to cut asunder, come and go, carried up and down by the compelling force of the convoy of the reactions of their own past actions. 

A samsarin is under the persecution of sense objects  because of his attachment to them. These attachments are so strong  that they become almost unbreakable. Thus bound to the gross, the ego ekes out its experiences and yearns for more. 

Every moment, it perpetrates endless activities each providing its own reactions to be enjoyed or suffered by the same ego. Thus repeatedly, the same ego visits different fields of activities and in a variety of environments. 

It again and again enters and leaves the arena of existence, reaping its reaction and sowing new seeds through desire prompted activities, which in their turn, compel it to come again to reap the fruits of the new harvest. 

Sankara says mudah; majority of humanity is mudah. So totally deluded; they think their physical body themselves; this is the first attachment. This is to their own physical body; by which they become a physicalized personality. 

Even their emotional and intellectual personality are forgotten; they reduce themselves to a physical personality; and through this physical attachment; it is extended to all other attachments.

Attachment to my body is called ahamkara; attachment to the world is called mamakara. Ahamkara mamakara moha, makes a person mudah; 

ya esu mudha viṣayesu baddha; they have lost their freedom; they are imprisoned by various sense objects.

When the reactions of the past actions tend neither towards  too much enjoyment nor too much suffering, that is, they are  almost equibalanced, then such an egocentre, with its slightly  predominant tendencies to be either good or bad, presents itself  in a human form. 

Thus a chance is given to everyone to consciously move either  up or down, or towards the infinite freedom of pure godhood.  Spiritual endeavour however, is possible neither in the heavenly  planes of experiences indicated by the term 'up' nor in the fields of sorrows covered by the term 'down'. 

Each of us comes to gain the required field, appropriate  and forming a perfectly logical sequence with the motives, thoughts  and desires entertained in the past. Guided by the very instincts  created in us as a result of our past karmas, that is, ordered by our  own karmaduta, we reach our destinations sought by ourselves. They are nothing but frozen past intentions now beginning to thaw.

Love

Vivekachudamani-Post 79

This body, the seat of delusion, expressing in terms of'T and 'mine', is termed by reputed sages as the gross body. Sky, air, fire, water and earth are the subtle elements. (73)

In these  verses, Sankara describes the gross body. In biology, we frequently find that an organ is discussed by describing its anatomy by an explanation of its cross-sections. 

This method does not seem unfamiliar to our ancient tradition, since it is used quite freely and liberally even in the realm of philosophy, when a philosopher  explains such subtle things as the 'layers' of a human being. Sankara  too, makes free use of this technique of explaining through a cross- section examination. In verse 72 we have a beautiful description,  layer by layer, of a cross-section of the physical body. 

Let us examine the contents of the body by studying the  transverse section of, say, the upper arm. Therein, we shall find  at its centre, a pulpy white matter called the marrow (majja), bone  (asthi) and still external, a layer of fat (medah), enveloped by the flesh (pala). 

On the outer layers of the flesh are conspicuously the blood (rakta) vessels and all these are packed beautifully with two layers of skin of which the inner cream coloured tissue is called the dermis (carma) and the outer thicker layer which we see is called the epidermis (tvak). 

These seven items then form the bulk of the  body in a transverse section of any part of it. 

Light which is not seen anywhere, which is experienced upon the hand, because of the reflecting medium; because the hand reflects the light, there is a confusion that the light is located in the hand only; it has got the limitations. 

So the limitless light, is seemingly limited, because of the reflecting medium. Therefore, the reflected medium is the cause of confusion. What confusion? 

The seeming limitation; the imprisonment of the light; the seeming limitations of light is caused by the hand; hand does not do any job. Because the hand reflects the light; what mistake we commit? 

The light is only here; I do not see the light there; I see the light here; etc. Similarly, the all-pervading consciousness which expresses in the body is seemingly confined to the body because of what? The limitations of the body.

Instead of claiming that I am the all- pervading consciousness, now I claim I am an individual human being. And this is called the basic confusion because, once I claim individuality, then there afterwards all other attributes comes; 

We also say that I am so many years old, I am dark, lean, I am male, female etc. and then there afterwards further extension this is my father, my mother, all stories come; and therefore Sankara says moha aspadam; which is the root cause of all delusions. 

I question the very consciousness itself. What a tragedy has happened? Now I question the very consciousness itself. That question is raised because of the body only.

And how does it create delusion? aham mama iti prathitam; by making itself available for two types of notion; by making itself available for two types of notions; ahamkara  and mamakara. Ahamkara  means I-notion; mamakara is my-notion. 

The five great elements are described as first created in their  subtle form and then through a process of combinations among  themselves, they become the gross elements which we are able to perceive with our sense organs. The process by which the subtle elements become the perceivable gross element is described in the next verse. 

Love

Patanjali Yoga Sutra- 2-42

 Dear All,

A talk on yoga sutra. chapter 2-42 is shared below.

The Sutra  is :-

संतोषादनुत्तमसुखलाभः ॥ २.४२ ॥ saṃtoṣādanuttamasukhalābhaḥ || 2.42 || (From contentment unsurpassed happiness is gained.)

Please listen and contemplate

Love

Vivekachudamani Post 78

Composed of the seven ingredients - marrow, bones, fat, flesh, blood, dermis and epidermis - and consisting of the following parts - legs, thighs, chest, arms, back and the head . (72)

Here alone we can say Vivekachudamani  begins from this verse alone. All the previous slōkas are preparatory slōkas. What are the seven questions, do you remember?

ko nama bandhah kathamesa agataḥ katham pratisṭhasya katham vimokṣaḥ |

ko: 'savanatma paramah ka atma tayorvivekaḥ kathametaducyatam

These are the seven questions. Sankara does not answer them in the same order as the student asks.

He rearranges the order for our convenience and of the seven questions, the first question he takes up for answering is kaha anatma; what is anatma? What is matter? And he is going to present the anatma as sarira trayam; the three bodies; the physical body, the subtle body and the causal body.

Whether the physical body I am; whether the physical body also is matter ?, there alone confusion comes.

Similarly, what about mind? For many people, mind is conscious principle. That is why they say: Mind and Matter. They think that mind is something different from matter, mind is conscious entity, they think. Sankara  with the help of Upanishads  wants to shows that mind or Sukshma Sariram is also matter. And finally, karana Sariram, which is nothing but all of them in seed form before big bang. 

Before all of them appeared they must be in potential form; because matter can never be created or destroyed; therefore they must be in the subtle most form; that is called Karanam Sariram. 

These three Sariram  come under anatma. If all these three are called anatma or matter; what about atma? He wants to show that the Atma the conscious principle is distinct from all these.

Now what is the physical body? He says it is a bundle of various parts or various limbs; which is called in ayurveda  sastram; as datavaḥ; or datuḥ; so every ingredient of the body is called datuḥ; and all these ingredients put together is the sariram  

Now what is the division of our traditional śāstra? He says Majjaa asthi, medaha, phala, raktha, charma, tvak; seven dātuhs are there. And that is why in Nirvana shatakam, , He says,  na va sapta dātuḥ; na va pancha koshaḥ; na vaak paani padau, na cha upastha akasahu; 

In meditation he says; I am not these sapta dātus; I am not the epidermis, dermis; endodermis and not this hormone and all those things; they are all matter; I am the consciousness which enlivens all of them. There the word used is sapta dātuḥ; you will be wondering what are the sapta datuhu. 

For that you will get the answer in this sloka; 

majjaa; majja means marrow; bone marrow is called majja. 

asthi means bone; 

medhaha means fat; 

phalam means muscle or flesh; 

raktam you know raktam means blood; 

charma means outer skin; and 

Tvak is inner skin. 

So second type of division, which is a layman's division. What is that; pāda, ooru; vakṣa, bhuja, priṣṭa; mastakaiḥ; the external division, you can understand: pada means feet; uru means thigh; vakṣaḥ means chest; bhujam means the shoulders; prisṭam means back; mustakam means head. 

So anga means various limbs. So various limps consisting of leg, thighs, etc. and various ingredients consisting of bone marrow blood etc. this is a bundle of flesh, bundle of blood, bundle of bones; bundle of chemicals, is the physical body. 

The significance of ecplaining the gross body in such detail  is this: that the scriptures have defined consciousness as division less, which is the atma; whereas we are evidently experiencing the body as full of divisions. Therefore, indirectly Sanakra  is asking the question, how can the body full of divisions be the atma, which is free from all divisions? 

How can the decisioned-body; or the divided-body be the undivided- consciousness? This is indirect question which is kept in the mind. 

Love

Vivekachudamani-Post 77

Now I am going to describe the discrimination between the Self and  the not-Self most elaborately. It is what you ought to know. Listen to it  properly and receive it well in your mind. (71)

Earlier the student had asked the Master about the discrimination between the Self and the not-Self (verse - 49). This verse onwards,  Sankara gives an elaborate description of the various layers of matter envelopments which together constitute the not-Self, identifying with which the Self behaves as though it is limited,  bound and conditioned to suffer as the samsarin. 

A mere repetition that, 'viveka' means 'discrimination' between the Self and the not-Self will not in itself be very helpful to a seeker unless he is able to realize the exact meaning of the Self as contrasted with the  perceived world of plurality. 

Here Sankara introduces the topic which is going to start from the next verse onwards. For that he gives the introduction; atma anatma vivecanam boddhavyam. So, among the seven questions that the student has asked, the main topic is atma- anatma vivecanam. 

So, discriminating between atma and anatma; matter and consciousness; this discrimination is that job. It is required because matter and consciousness are together; we are not able to separate them physically, we are not able to separate them experientially; even science has not succeeded in separating matter and consciousness. 

That is why, what is the nature of consciousness is a mystery for science even now. So many theories are there. 

Therefore, all our conclusions regarding consciousness are not science based; because science has not yet arrived at; it is not perception-based; perceptually we are not able to separate; they are all based on what? The scriptural data based.

And therefore Sankara says based on the upanishad, we are going to deal with the matter-consciousness separation; atma-anatma vivecanam boddhavyam; has to be known; idanim tava; right now that is going to be our task; tava, for you and tat maya samyak ucyate; that is going to be very clearly presented by me for you; 

I am going to very clearly present this division between these two and srutva, may you listen very carefully; and having listened; avadharaya; may you ascertain in your mind; it should not be my knowledge; it should not be scriptural knowledge; it should be your knowledge. So avadharanam means niscayah jnanam. 

The Acharya stresses the importance of this theme of discussion by saying that each student should not just listen but  must come through a process of independent, discriminative self-  analysis, to a firm conviction of the Truth of what is discussed hereunder. 

Love

Talk on bhajan “ Sai Sathya Palana “

 Dear All ,

Here is a talk on a bhajan “ Sai Sathya Palana “

Listen n contemplate 

Love 

Vivekachudamani-Post 76

 

Thereafter comes 'hearing', then reflection on what has been heard  and lastly, long, constant and continuous meditation on the Truth for the Muni. Ultimately, that learned one attains the supreme nirvikalpa  state and realizes the bliss of Nirvana in this very life. (70)

Sankara has already started an enumeration of the various  techniques to be followed by a person on his march towards  realising the eternal freedom of the soul. In this sloka, the Acharya  is outlining the different stages of practices which one must follow,  when one has renounced all pursuits of ego prompted, desire  ridden activities contributing to a life of sensuousness. 

An individual who has enough detachment from the enjoyment of finite objects, who has cultivated the four great  qualities and who has renounced all self-motivated activities, is fit for the process called in Vedanta 'hearing' the scriptures.  

It is imperative, that one must 'listen' to the exposition of  at least one scriptural text from a true Teacher. In this transaction  of wisdom, the Master also uses but finite words to explain the  Absolute, there is no magic formula involved. 

Therefore, the  student must be fully tuned to the Teacher so that the latter's  experiences may, in resonance, be amplified and conveyed to echo  in the heart chambers of the student. 

This 'listening' to the discourses (sravana), is to be followed  by inner arguments and final assimilation by the intellect in a  process called 'reflection' (manana), by which alone the ideas  in the text can become the student's own philosophy. 

Even  this intellectual conviction is not sufficient, for Vedanta seeks  a fulfilment not in merely propounding a theory to explain the  happenings of the world and the destinies of mankind but to lift  man to the highest pinnacle of evolution of cultural purity, so  that he may thereafter revel as a God-man on earth. 

Therefore, a person must attain Truth through a process of rediscovery of his real Self by detaching himself from his wrong and false identifications with the matter. This technique  of detaching oneself from the false, and rediscovering one’s identity with the Self through disciplined currents of constant thought flow is called 'meditation' (dhyana). 

Moksa condition is possible in two stages, just as  before sleep, there is a period of dozing followed by the deep sleep  state. During dozing, we are conscious that we are 'going to sleep' and that our conceptions and perceptions of the outer world are  slowly and steadily becoming obscure. But the deep sleep state  is a period when we are neither conscious of the outer world nor  even of ourselves. 

Similarly, in meditation also there is a hazy period of  awareness, wherein we are conscious of ourselves nearing the Transcendental and that state of samadhi where there is still  a vestige of the ego is called 'savikalpa samadhi'. 

The egoless moment where the subject alone is, revelling in its own glory when the yogi experiences the infinite bliss of pure Existence, that state  is called 'nirvikalpa samadhi'. 

Tataḥ vidvan avikalpam parametya vidvan; 

tatah; thereafter; thereafter means sravana, manana nidhidhyasa anantharam; as a consequence of these three, vidvan etya, that intelligent person, that discriminative person attains jivan mukthi. And what is that jivan muktiḥ? 

Param; param means the ultimate, that is Brahman or Reality; Param means Brahman, param brahma etya. He attains param brahma. And what type of param brahma? Free from division; what type of division? Subject-object instrument division.

How does he attain division-less-ness? He understands that division belongs to the matter. Division belongs to matter. It does not belong to consciousness. Division belongs to matter; division does not belong to consciousness. 

And that division less consciousness I am. Therefore, I am space-like division less consciousness; in which consciousness all the divisions of matter are floating.

This is the experience of godhood  and after this Isvara darsana, there is no falling back into the  values and impulses of the lower, worldly life anymore. 

He insists that a Muni experiences the bliss of Nirvana even here and now. Muni in Sanskrit, in its etymological meaning, has an import equivalent to 'a man of discriminative reflection'. 

Love