Dakshinamurthy Stotram - Post 25

Verse 7 

 

In all stages such as childhood, etc; in all states such as waking, etc; and in all other conditions also;

Through all these constantly changing manifestations the feeling of “I am” persists,

Remaining ever as the illuminating Presence within, 

To that “Silent Teacher”, the Revered Form of the Guru, do I offer my salutation; He is the Revered Form of Sri Dakshinamurti!

 

This verse focuses attention on the Atman, the Pure Consciousness within the individual, whose Presence is there within us under all the varying conditions through which we pass. It is present within from birth till death, and is there even beyond them.

 

The Different Passing States

Baalya Aadishu: “in childhood, etc”. The states referred to here, occur over the whole life cycle. As we move on in age, we pass certain identifiable stages. 

The Charvakas, specialists as they are on the body, identify these as babyhood (0-3 years), childhood (4-15 years), youth (16-30 years), adulthood (31-45 years), middle age (46-60 years), seniors (61- 75 years) and old age (76+ years). All these modifications are included under this category.

In each of these we feel that we are the same person who has experienced all the stages. It does not change. Through all changes in life, the Atman remains changeless.

Jaagrat Aadishu: “in waking, etc”. The three states mentioned here – waking, dream and deep sleep – occur over a daily time-cycle. There are some other states which we pass through as well. Moorcha (unconsciousness or coma) is one of them.

Then we have sub-states for each of these three states. In the waking state, there are walking, talking, eating, drinking, working, playing, etc. In dream we can include day-dreaming and ruminating. All these states are falsified because they come and go – i.e. they are subject to Vyavrittan. As one state passes, the next one is ushered in automatically.

Vyaavrittan: This is the constant change from one state to another that has just been described so thoroughly above. In the midst of all this change, there is something that remains ever constant. That is now described.

Aham Iti: “I am”. The sense of “I am” was mentioned in the last Pada under deep sleep to prove a point. However, it is there in the other two states as well. This Pada cuts across the trend of the previous verse by introducing the constant element in all our experiences, the “I”-sense in us.

Life gives us a clue as to who we are in reality; the clue is available at every moment in life. If we only pause and ponder over our past we will pick up the clue: No matter what has changed in our life, no matter how old we have grown, no matter whether we are waking, dreaming or fast asleep, it is the same person who is experiencing all this.

And we can safely say that it was the same person even in the previous life and the life before that; and it will be the same person for the rest of this life and in all future lives, too. There is no change in the real “I”; everything else may change, but the sense of “I-ness” never changes at all, birth after birth.

This is the Truth being held out in this verse. The Atman is birthless and deathless.

Here is another aspect of Vyaavrittan. The mind can hold one thing only at a time. As we call the name of one object, all others recede from our conscious mind and only that one object comes forward. 

Similarly, the three states are also mutually exclusive; we can experience them only one at a time. It is the same with childhood, youth, etc; again, we experience them in the right sequence one at a time. So, they all fall into the same category – as temporary states. However, the “I” is the same in them all.

This “I” is not the ego. It is referring to the true self – Consciousness. It refers to the conscious being.

The one who knows your mind, your experiences now and the one who knew when you were one month old is same. However, there seems to be discontinuity in life.

Your picture at the time of one month old and now are quite different. Not just the body, but your mind, emotions are all different. Yet you say that was you at the time of one month old.

Body is not the same. Mind is not the same. But you are the same person. What is it that persists between one month old and who you are today?

The Consciousness by which your one-month-old experience was known and the Consciousness by which today’s experience is known, is the same.

There is experience even in pre-natal state. It is still the same Consciousness due to which you know the experience before and after the birth. Your memory would not recollect your experience. But experience is present and because of Consciousness it is known to you.

Therefore, Sri Sankara says in all these states childhood etc., there is something shining within that is always present thus known as “I”, the true Self (Consciousness). That Consciousness, which is real “you”, persists throughout all the states.

The three states of consciousness and then the turiya, the fourth state or in fact, the one state which illumines all the other three states, is the core subject of Mandukya Upanishad.

A sage makes it crystal clear when He says about the three states of consciousness in simple equation

Waking state = waker + Aham (Turiya)

Dream state  = dreamer + Aham (Turiya)

Deep sleep state = Deep sleeper + Aham (Turiya)

Turiya = Transcendental state upon transcending the earlier 3 states. 

Waker can never be a dreamer or a sleeper at the same time, dreamer can never be a waker and/or a deep sleeper at the same time, Deep sleeper can never be a waker and/or a dreamer at the same time. But the one witness of all the three states exists in all the three states.

Aham or Atman is the eternal witness in all three states of consciousness, the one which is changeless, which is pure Chaitanya even when all the three states of consciousness keep changing in a day/in all days. 

Love.