Dakshinamurthy Stotram - Post 20

Verse 4  (..contd.)

The process of how consciousness illumines our thoughts / senses etc was explained in the current verse with the analogy of Light within the pot with 7 holes in the pot.

The process has been further explained in a wonderful manner in Ashtavakra Gita.

The summary learning from that verse is given below

When an object is seen, the reflected consciousness falls on the object and then the image of the object/human reaches our senses through our sight and our sense exactly capture and produce the same replica image of the object within us, in our sense perception.

The result of the knowledge of object is “phalam” as given in this verse.

1)   Sight of objects creates disturbance in mind, called vritti

2)  This vritti glows in the light of consciousness ( reflected consciousness)

3)  With that glow, the vritti culminates into knowledge, and this culmination is expressed as phalam.

Often, at intellectual level, there is a common question that if my Consciousness is the same as your Consciousness, then why don’t I know your thoughts?

First of all, thank God for having this natural law. It is God’s blessings that we do not know other’s thoughts. It is difficult to deal with even one’s own thoughts. What to speak about dealing with other’s thoughts?

It is important to address this question. If my Consciousness and your Consciousness is identical, why don’t I know your thoughts? 

The one who is asking the question is not the Consciousness. The one who is asking this question is mind. And my mind is separate from your mind. 

Everyone’s mind is in their own pot. Therefore, even though it is the same Consciousness that illumines your thoughts and my thoughts, the thoughts belong to the mind. Mind is absolutely distinct. Hence, the thoughts that belong to one mind are not known to the other mind.

Nonetheless, one Consciousness illumines all. Not only the thoughts, but your Consciousness also streams out from your eyes, streams out through your ears, though your nose, through your mouth, through your skin and contact everything around it. This is how we come to know the world around us. This knowledge is known as Consciousness.

Consciousness is the one because of whom one can thus say “I know”. You can’t say “I know” in the absence of Consciousness.

That alone shines and this entire world shines after “That” refers to Consciousness in the form of Sri Dakshinamurti as well as the Guru who imparts this knowledge to the seekers.

The Sun shines and the Moon also shines. But the Moon shines differently. The Sun has its own source of illumination. The Moon does not have its own source of illumination. But it shines after the Sun. It reflects the light received from the Sun.

The Moon is known to you because of the Sun. If there was no Sun, you would not know the Moon.

Similarly, this entire world is known because of the Consciousness. The Consciousness shines upon the entire world. The entire world is illumined by Consciousness. Therefore, the world is available for perception – available to be known.

Shrutis say,

Salutation is unto that Consciousness that alone shines illumining the entire cosmos, who is in the form of Guru as well as in the form of Sri Dakshinamurthy.

Love.