Atma Bodha - Post 37

Verse 27

रज्जुसर्पवदात्मानं जीवं ज्ञात्वा भयं वहेत् ।

नाहं जीवः परात्मेति ज्ञातं चेन्निर्भयो भवेत् ॥ २७॥

RAJJU-SARPA-VAT AATMAANAM

JEEVAM JNAATVAA BHAYAM VAHET

NA AHAM JEEVAH PARAATMAA ITI

JNAATAH CHET NIRBHAYAH BHAVET

(As one who regards a rope as a snake, so too one, regarding oneself as an ego, is overcome by fear.  “I am not the ego, but the Supreme Self”, if he realizes this, he becomes fearless.)

An attempt is made in this verse to relieve the intellect of the burden placed upon it by the falsely created sense of “I”. The burden is simply all the fears resulting from the misplaced identity of oneself as an individual. 

These are shown in this verse to be unnecessarily taken upon one’s own shoulders, when in reality they do not even exist.  

“Rajju-Sarpa-Vat Atmanam”: The Rope-Snake Analogy

 

In this simile, a rope is seen and misidentified as being a snake. The resulting fear that grips the person beholding this has no basis as it arises from pure delusion. 

The rope is not even aware of the existence of the ‘snake’, so it cannot be held responsible. It is the individual consciousness or the ego which has to bear the responsibility of the consequences for this deluded perception.

The rope is our true identity, the SELF or the Atman.

The mistaken identity of rope as a snake is our mistaken notion of our ego “I am this jiva”.

The burden of ‘fears’ represent the entire range of deluded perceptions arising from this ego-consciousness.

Removing the venom of snake’s bite is overcoming the notion that “I am this Jiva”.

Freedom / fearlessness is the state of Realization that “I AM THE CHANGELESS, BIRTHLESS, DEATHLESS PURE SELF”.

When a Jiva exists with his mistaken identity as Jiva, he suffers from all the 6 negative qualities, Kama, Krodha etc. The Jiva, under its own delusion and imagined fear, suffers from the consequences of such fear. The real fear of the snake is due to the venom in its bite.

The sage solves the problem by removing the ‘venom’ from the snake’s bite. The venom lies in the sense of egoism that heads this whole web of delusion. Hence, the “ego-sense” in a sage is rendered ‘toothless’.

The snake has been burnt and is there only in appearance, it cannot do any harm. A burnt snake may still look like a snake but it cannot do anything. 

The sage’s egoism is like that. It is just enough to go on functioning in this world; it serves only an operational function. But really there is no ‘venom’ in it. The venom of selfishness has been transformed into the nectar of universal vision.

A burnt rope cannot be used to tie anything; the moment it is touched it crumbles to ashes. Similarly, the sage’s egoism, which is burnt, cannot tie him to this world anymore. The sage is freed from bondage to this world.

An ignorant person’s ego is full of venom. If he is criticized he will seek revenge on the one who criticizes him. He will try to bite back with venom.

But in a Jnani there is no such reaction. He knows he has been criticized, but remains indifferent to it, understanding that it is only a thought current passing through. He has no fear of criticism. 

The fearlessness of the sage tantamount to complete liberation from all bondage. Because the Jnani has risen above egoism, he sees the correct picture of all the facts listed in the previous verse.

He knows that the consciousness expressing through his intellect is a reflection of the Self, i.e. it is Chid-Abhasa. Hence he is not disturbed by any wave produced in it, such as the crest of praise or the trough of criticism.

Love.