Verse 23
सत्त्वभासिका चित्क्ववेतरा |
सत्तया हि चिच्चित्तया ह्यहम् || २३ ||
sattvabhāsikā citkvavetarā |
sattayā hi ciccittayā hyaham || 23 ||
The
illuminator of Existence is Consciousness. Where is there another?
As
Existence is, indeed, Consciousness, as Consciousness, indeed, is “I”.
We see the
same rhetoric of Ramana Maharshi coming up again as He asks this kind of
question for the third time in the text, begging the answer “NO”.
In Verse 20,
the “Parama Poorna Sat” or Infinite Existence is said to be self-revealed when
the ego is destroyed. In Verse 21 the sense of ‘I’-ness when freed from the ego
is seen to be the unchanging Pure Consciousness itself. The doubt may have
crept into the seeker that Existence is different from Consciousness, due to
the difficulty in accepting that the Self is self-revealing.
To clear
this doubt, the Maharshi has dedicated this verse.
There is
only one Existence-Consciousness, they are not two different entities. If Sat is not Chit, then it has to be Jada
(inert) and therefore Asat. If Chit is not Sat, then it can only be Asat. These are mutually self-contradictory statements.
Therefore, Sat has to be the same as Chit. Existence has to be Consciousness
itself. It is self-revealing. The statement “I am” unifies the two. The
‘am-ness’ represents Sat, and the
self-evident nature of ‘I’ represents Chit.
Now, let us
try and understand “Existence (Sat) and Consciousness (Chit)” in a better
manner.
SAT is Truth, Existence or Pure Being. SAT is what always remains regardless of
time or situation. When we awaken, we constantly recognize Pure Being. We are
consciously aware of Pure Being as our true nature, the core and foundation of
all life.
CHIT or Consciousness is the first manifestation of our true nature. It is streaming from all of creation. When consciousness becomes conscious of itself, it is like looking in the mirror at your own eyes or looking into the eyes of another. There is a simple and deep recognition of the absolute as yourself and in everything else.
Therefore,
Consciousness and Existence are not different things but they are the very
nature of the Self or “I”.
I exist
because I am conscious of my existence.
I am
conscious because I exist.
This is what Maharshi says here
that Consciousness is that which illumines its own existence as well as the
existence of other objects.
Since it is a difficult subject for those who are reading this for the first
time, author shall try and explain this further.
In day
before yesterday’s post, we understood what is pure existence/Sat. Let us revise the same.
Following
aspects of the “REAL I” makes it Real or Truth or SATHYAM:
· The real Self is birth less, it has no
cause. For everything that we can imagine about us and this creation, there is
a cause. SELF alone has no cause and is not an effect of any other cause.
Hence, it is birthless.
· Since it is not created by any cause, it is
independent of any other aspect in this creation.
· Whatever comes and goes, is limited by time. We say
that an object comes and goes, only with reference to a time frame in which it
came and it went. Since SELF is birthless it is also not
limited by time.
· SELF does not change, does not reduce / disappear.
When we have known that the snake appearance is actually a rope, it does
not mean that the rope had changed its real identity. It was and it will be
always a rope.”
So, when we say we are SELF or AHAM, with the above exposition, we are clear that in reality, we, Aham, upon transcending the 5 koshas as per yesterday’s pour, are birthless, deathless, causeless, not limited by time and do not reduce / disappear even when our body reduces and disappears (dies).
Now, what is
in us, which will make us realize / know that we are pure existence, birthless,
causeless, beyond time, beyond space, beyond changes?
Just like a
pot can exist but we have to have our intellect-mind-sense to be aware that the
pot exists, similarly, there has to be something in us, beyond the 5 koshas,
which can make us aware that we are birthless, causeless, beyond time, beyond
space, beyond changes.
THAT SOMETHING IS CONSCIOUSNESS or SELF ILLUMINED PURE AWARENESS.
Hence, we
cannot exist just as pure existence without that awareness that we exist, and we
cannot have just an awareness without any existence. So, this existence and
awareness / consciousness exist together or, they both are juxtaposed to
each other.
The fire which
we contemplated in the fire and iron ball example EXISTS and has AWARENESS of
its existence. If it is not aware, then how can it transfer awareness to the iron
ball which is Jada / inert, for the
iron ball to become a fire-ball?
Author has
tried his best to explain this profound truth of Upanishads in the most simplistic
manner possible.
Readers may revert to him in case they need further clarity on today's post, on SAT and CHIT.
Love.
