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.

 

Dakshinamurthy Stotram - Post 24

Verse 6 (contd..) 

(That state (i.e. Pure Consciousness) is experienced during Spiritual Awakening whereby one clearly Perceives that "Before I was Sleeping" (by being eclipsed by Maya),

Salutations to Him, the Personification of Our Inner Guru Who Awakens This Knowledge through His Profound Silence; Salutation to Sri Dakshinamurthy.)

“Upon waking up, we remember we have slept well.” In this recollection lies the clue as to who was present when we slept peacefully. 

We remember the moment just before going to sleep. Then we lose all awareness. The next link in our awareness is the moment when we just get up. Pratyabhijna is the technical word which explains this step by step.

When we see someone for the first time, that perception is called ‘Pratyaksha’. 

Then we see the person again some days later. At this second meeting, the ‘Pratyaksha’ is of course there, but in addition there is an instant recollection of the previous meeting. 

That memory together with the Pratyaksha of the second meeting is called by the technical term ‘Pratyabhijna’. It is a Pratyaksha that is bolstered by a memory.

In the case we are analyzing, the two events referred to are the moment of going to sleep and the moment we get up. The recognition that it is the same person who slept and has woken up is ‘Pratyabhijna’. What does that tell us?

It tells us that the Consciousness must have been present throughout the duration of our peaceful sleep without our knowledge of It. That is the Light in us which is eclipsed by Ignorance. Although we did not see the eclipse taking place because we had no awareness, we can deduce it from the fact of the ‘Pratyabhijna’.

This is the answer to the Shunya Vadins – “Yes, there is light behind this darkness”; it is certainly not a Void (or total darkness) behind this universe.

In waking state you are plus body, mind, senses, plus all these experiences in your mind, plus ignorance.

In dream state, you are without body, mind, senses, but with dream experiences in your mind, plus ignorance.

In deep sleep, you are without body, mind, senses, without any experiences in your mind, plus ignorance. But Consciousness remains through all these states.

Vedantins have a ‘living’ proof of this argument – the realized sage. The sage dwells in the Light at all times. He is in touch with the Self at all times, even while he is in deep sleep. 

We must remember that to him the three states of waking, dream and sleep are all in the realm of unreality. He is in the state of consciousness that underlies all three.

Ashtavakra goes beyond what is stated in this verse, transcends all the states and roars,

 

(Where is the dream, where is the deep sleep, where is wakefulness, and where is the fourth state of consciousness, where is even fear for me, who abide in my own grandeur)

Dream and waking state fall under the same category, where there is the waker and dreamer on one side and the events / experiences which are happening to the waker / dreamer in an apparent creation, with apparent jivas, with he himself involved in the events / experiences, whereas, at the highest reality, there is no creation, no jivas at all.

Creation is like the dream world and all that is apparent in creation are like various happening in dream are unreal, all experiences in creation in unreal.

Deep sleep is also not an experience for a seer, as per an earlier verse. It is consciousness just prior to deep sleep and it is consciousness the moment he gets up, with no time space gap between the moment he gets up and he exists as consciousness.

Turiya is with reference to the other 3 states of consciousness. Turiya is upon transcending the three states of consciousness. 

When three states of consciousness are not relevant for a sage, then he is not aware that he has transcended the three states and is in 4th state.

Turiya or the 4th state of consciousness is relevant only with respect to the 3 states of consciousness - Waking, Dream and Deep sleep.

When a sage transcends the three states of consciousness, the relevance of 4th state is also not there for him.

Liberation is relevant only with respect to bondage.

When one has freed himself from all bondage, then there is no one in him to even say, “I am liberated”.

The one who remains as pure Consciousness in deep sleep unto that, this salutation, who is in the form of my guru as well as in the form of Sri Dakshinamurthy.

Love.

 

 

Dakshnamurthy Stotram - Post 23

                                                          Verse 6

 

 

(Just Like the Sun and the Moon are Eclipsed by Rahu, the Pure Consciousness is Eclipsed by Maya (for a spiritually ignorant person),

A Spiritually Elevated Soul can enter that state of Unborn Deep Sleep (i.e. Pure Consciousness) by Withdrawing His Sense Organs to such an extent that Only the Real Essence remains,

That state (i.e. Pure Consciousness) is experienced during Spiritual Awakening whereby one clearly Perceives that "Before I was Sleeping" (by being eclipsed by Maya),

Salutations to Him, the Personification of Our Inner Guru Who Awakens This Knowledge through His Profound Silence; Salutation to Sri Dakshinamurthy.)

This verse describes one of the three states of mind called deep sleep. The verse that follows after this (seventh verse) refers to the remaining two states – dream and waking.

Eighth in the category of beliefs on Reality in the last verse was the Shoonya Vadin. This verse provides the logical grounds for refuting this belief, since it comprises the strongest opponent of Vedanta. They believe that it is not Brahman at the root of Existence but an utter Void.

One may ask: What is the urgent need to disprove this philosophy?

If this philosophy is left unchallenged, it means Void is God! What sort of morals and values would that philosophy engender in our society? It will lead to a complete breakdown of all worthy values which uphold life. Hence this extra effort is considered worth spending in meeting the challenge of the Shoonya Vadins at the philosophical root level.

The state of deep sleep is the battleground or venue for the tournament. Deep sleep brings our minds to focus on the root of the matter. 

We can say that in deep sleep the opposition is in the very goalmouth of the Vedantins, and they are closest to scoring a goal! So the Vedantins have to defend to the utmost.

In deep sleep all the superficial variables are eliminated. The mind is not there, which greatly simplifies the analysis. We are in a state of root ignorance, we are merged into our causal state. The supreme Consciousness is the Truth of our being, but we cannot recognize the Supreme because there is a major obstruction – the veil of Maya – that covers it from our view.

A well-chosen simile is used to explain this veiling. In the very choice of this simile we see the truth that Vedanta stands for. It is the eclipse, of the sun or the moon, it does not matter which. 

These two events occur when the sun, the moon and the earth lie in one straight line. The sun is eclipsed when the moon is in the middle, or the moon is eclipsed when the earth is in the middle. 

This perfectly symbolises the situation where Brahman (Existence) is eclipsed from the Jeeva due to the intervening presence of Maya (Avidya). It tells us that the light is there, but it is just eclipsed. 

The Shoonya Vadins contend that there is no light there at all, and darkness is the basic state of the universe.

An eclipse of the Sun and the Moon is the metaphor used here for the deep sleep.

When you can’t see the Sun or the Moon during an eclipse does it stop shining?

You can’t see it shining, but it still shines. In deep sleep, there is a total eclipse, in the sense that there is absolute darkness on the screen of your mind. Yet the shining continues. The illumination of the mind continues. Consciousness shines unabated, unimpeded, unchanged.

 

Love.