Dear All,
One of the Acharyas of Chinmaya ashram has
given a very elaborate commentary on many Vedantic treatises as well as on many
books / works on Bhakti by Sankara and other saints.
In the Atma Bodha blog posts, author has
taken relevant extracts from the commentary on Atma Bodha by that Monk.
Towards the end, that acharya has nicely
summarized the thought flow of Atma Bodha text, which is being given to the
readers as it is, because, it has been sequenced in such a nice manner that it
requires no alternation or addition.
Let us see the same in the next 2 posts from
today’s post.
THE OVERALL THOUGHT-FLOW OF ATMA BODHA
Verse 1
INVOCATION
Verses 2 – 5
KNOWLEDGE OF THE SELF
Verses 6 – 9
THE WORLD
Verses 10 –14 THE UPADHIS
Verses 15– 24 AN ERROR OF
MISAPPREHENSION
15 The Problem Outlined
16-17: What is Discriminative Enquiry?
18-22: Cultivating Witness-ship
23-24: Mind is Responsible
Verses 25 – 37 THE BIRTH OF
THE EGO
25: The Fundamental Error
26-27: How the Ego Thrives
28-29: Supremacy of the Self
30-33: ‘Neti-Neti’: Doctrine of Negation
34-37: Nididhyasana
Verses 38 – 53 TOWARDS REALISATION
38-39: Samadhi: Savikalpa & Nirvikalpa
40-46: Emerging Out of Ignorance
47-50: The Universal Attitude
51-53: Freedom Beyond Limitations
Verses 54 – 67: REVELLING IN FREEDOM
54-55: Merits of the Realised State
56-62: Attributes of Brahman
63-65: Administering the “Medicine”
66: The Toughness of Sadhana
67: Summation
Verse 68 CONCLUSION – The Promise of
Fulfillment
Now, let us list down the essence of each
verse for our contemplation purpose.
1. INVOCATION Verse 1:
“Tapas” is the auspicious word with which the
text begins. This is therefore taken as an invocation. The Anubandha
Chatushtaya is given fully. The characteristics of the person who is ready for
this path are given – peacefulness, desireless-ness and aspiration. This is
tantamount to Sadhana Chatushtaya.
2. KNOWLEDGE OF THE SELF Verses 2-5:
The path of Vedantic enquiry is direct,
taking the route “as the crow flies”. However, its starting point is a well-prepared
mind. Knowledge of the Self is most important. Hence, this is where the text
begins.
Action on its own does not bring liberation.
At some point the seeker has to come to knowledge of the Self, for knowledge is
the only antidote for ignorance.
This means removal of Ignorance through
Self-knowledge is the way forward. When that is achieved, the self-luminous
Self shines forth as it is now unobstructed, just as the clearing of clouds
allows the sun to be seen.
3. THE NATURE OF THE WORLD Verses 6-9:
The text turns its attention now to the
world, with all its attachments and aversions. It is seen as a dream. As soon
as the dream ends, the unreality of the world is experienced.
The dream will only end when Brahman is
realized. The world is also seen as a mental projection upon the Self. The
objects in the universe, the stars and the planets, are like bubbles in water –
they come and go back into their source, the Self. The world is ever-changing,
but the substratum, the Self, is constant.
4. ASSOCIATION WITH THE UPADHIS Verses
10-14:
The idea is now developed of how the Self,
which is ever pure, appears to be tainted. This is traced to its association
with the body, mind and intellect – known collectively as the Upadhis.
This is a major concept in Vedanta and is the
arena for the basic Vedantic Sadhana. By explaining the origin of the gross,
subtle and causal bodies, it is shown that they are not the Self but the Self
dwells in them. The Self gets a colouring from them, in the same way as clear
water gets coloured or flavoured.
Verse 15: Wrong
Identification.
The spiritual problem or predicament of human
beings is stated very precisely in this verse as being identification with the
Upadhis or limiting adjuncts. This identification appears to taint the Self,
that is, gives it attributes which it does not possess. We generally identify
with this tainted self, and not the true Self. Verses
Verses 16-17: Discriminative Enquiry.
The solution lies in using the human
intellect to discriminate between the truth and the untruth, the real and the
unreal, and thereby reprogram the pattern of our thinking.
Verses 18-22:
Cultivating Witness-ship. When discrimination
begins, the seeker is able to develop the ability to be a Witness of all his
actions and thoughts. He separates himself from the Upadhis bit by bit, by
learning how to observe them, to study their ways, and avoid falling into their
clutches.
Verses 23-24:
Mind is Responsible. Clarity is given in
these verses on how the mind is responsible for the delusion.
In the next post, we will sum up the
essence of the remaining posts 25 to 68 under the following theme:
- Birth of Ego
- Towards Realization
- Revelling in freedom
Love.
