Verse
42
एवमात्मारणौ ध्यानमथने सततं कृते ।
उदितावगतिर्ज्वाला सर्वाज्ञानेन्धनं दहेत् ॥ ४२॥
EVAM AATMAA ARANAU
DHYAANAM
ATHANE SATATAM KRITE
UDITAA AVAGATI-JWAALAA
SARVA AJNAANEN-DHANAM
DAHET
[Thus, in the Arani of
the Self, meditation is done constantly as churning in the
Arani; in the fire of knowledge that arises, all the fuel of
ignorance gets burned.]
“Atma Aranau” Nyaya: The Fire-maker Simile
This
is an example from Vedic times. People used to make a fire by using a
contraption made of a wooden rod rotated between two wooden
hemispherical-shaped sockets (called ‘arani’; for two aranis the Samskrit dual
form ‘aranau’ is used), with a piece of cotton in one of them.
The
rotation, similar to the action of churning, would produce heat by friction
until the cotton ball caught alight. The ball would then be used to start the
fire.
The
application of this analogy is as follows: The two hemispherical sockets are
the lower ego and the higher Self. They are ‘churned’ with the Mahavakya rod of
“I am Brahman”. The fire of Knowledge that is generated by this
churning process of meditation ignites the cotton ball of ignorance.
This churning of knowledge is described clearly in
Kaivalyopanishad.
AATMAANAMARANIM
KR^ITVAA PRANAVAM CHOTTARAARANIM
GYAANANIRMATHANAABHYAASAATPAAPAM
DAHATI PANDITAH...
(A sage
thinks of this mind as lower piece of sandalwood, and OM as the upper wood.
Through the practice of constant friction between them, he kindles the fire of
knowledge which burns up the impurities of mind.)
Thus making the Atman as the lower piece of wood and OM
(symbolic representation of Brahman or Supreme Self) as the upper piece of
wood, through repeated friction of knowledge, a wise man burns all the bonds.
Acharya is here thus describing the effect of intense mediation.
Meditation is but unbroken thought towards an object.
Just as how fire can be produced by constant rubbing of two
pieces of wood, knowledge is churned out by constant meditation on reality.
i.e. when the one constantly contemplates on the Brahman as nature of Self, by
this constant contemplation or meditation which is compared to the friction
here, the Self knowledge arises.
It is this knowledge alone that burns all the desires and
bonding and ultimately liberates one from all duality and hence sadness. Hence
a seeker must constantly contemplate on the real nature of Self and only with
such intense sadhana can one acquire the Self knowledge.
Lord also mentions the same in Gita fourth chapter 19th sloka as
“The wise call him learned whose actions are all devoid of all desires and
their thoughts and whose actions have been burnt away from the fire of wisdom”.
Thus Lord Krishna is thus explaining that the actions, and
ignorance that causes them are incinerated by the fire of knowledge and such a
one is called by the wise as the learned one.
Such a wise one whose ignorance is burnt by the intense fire of
knowledge becomes verily Existence-Consciousness-Bliss alone.
Love.
