Atma Bodha - Post 42

Verse 32

देहान्यत्वान्न मे जन्मजराकार्श्यलयादयः ।

शब्दादिविषयैः सङ्गो निरिन्द्रियतया न च ॥ ३२॥

DEHA ANYATVAAT NA ME JANMA

JARAA AKAARSHYA LAYA AADAYAH

SHABDA-AADI VISHAYAIH SANGHA

NIR-INDRIYA TAYAA NA CHA

[I am other than the body, thus not for me is birth- wrinkling, senility, death and so on. With sense objects such as sound, etc, association is nil as I (the Self) am without sense organs.]

This and the next verse are Manana on the Self, wherein we ponder carefully over what we have heard on the Upadhis. We reflect seriously about the body and the mind and negate them, that is, go beyond the limitations imposed by them. In this verse we deal with the gross body – “I am not the body,” nor all the associated transactions it has with this world of names and forms.

Notice that the emphasis is on the changeability of the body. This is true of the entire gross universe of objects, but we see the effect of that changeability more dramatically when we see it in our own body. As we grow we encounter the 6 stages or modifications which the body undergoes.

They are: existence, birth, growth, disease, decay and death. They are the six phases which our body goes through in the course of a life of normal duration. When the body’s hold on our attention is loosened, then we begin to free ourselves from six changes that it undergoes, and which are inevitable to the body.

The real “I” is seen as a constant background, unaffected by the changing foreground. By retreating into the area of constancy in life, our life no longer dances up and down to the tune of the ever changing waves of bodily experiences. We do not live with the body as our centre. The body is not viewed as the essential part of us.

It is there, and we have to take care of it; but it is not the centre-stage of my life. This is how a seeker of Truth begins to reflect and analyze his body and its associated needs. As clearly mentioned in the previous verse, this does not mean that we sneer at the body as some inferior object to be detested. No such attitude is even suggested, even in the straightforward words, “I have nothing to do with these sense objects.”

By negating the gross body, we begin to reduce all identification with it, and finally eliminate it. In this process, our link to the spiritual world within is strengthened. The negation of body includes negation of our senses and all the sense objects that interact with the senses. These would naturally receive the same treatment as the body. They cease to dominate the drama of life.

Dear All,

In Puttaparthi, there used to be a devotee in 80s, who used to keep 2 photographs of his mother - one in her 20s and then another in her 90s.

Miracles used to happen at his place and devotees used to visit his place. Author has also visited few times.

That devotee used to show to the people both photographs of his mother and say, “This is how body changes, know this and come out of attachment to Body”.

As it is explained already, one need not and one must not develop any hatred / ill feeling towards his body when he goes through spiritual sadhana.

One has to only know and conclude that this body undergoes 6 changes from existence to death and thus, one must look beyond one’s body to THAT which never is born and therefore never dies. That is Atman, the SELF!!!

It is all about realizing the rope as rope and not snake, water as water and not merely as bubble or waves, Gold as just gold and not the various designs of ornaments made out of Gold. Sankara has filled Atma Bodha with so many examples to explain clearly as to what is REAL and what is UNREAL.

The call is – “Let Body be there. Channelize your mind towards higher SELF, towards God so that the mind stops giving too much importance to your body, its beauty etc. and focuses on God, the ultimate reality!!!!”

Rise beyond Body, mind, intellect and reach to THAT WITNESS CONSCIOUSNESS which has been observing all the changes that have happened to your body, your mind, your intellect, your very existence as human with all your impressions. Who has been watching all these changes and yet remains changeless????

Think!!!!!

Love.

Atma Bodha - Post 41

Verse 31

आविद्यकं शरीरादि दृश्यं बुद्बुदवत्क्षरम् ।

एतद्विलक्षणं विद्यादहं ब्रह्मेति निर्मलम् ॥ ३१॥

AAVIDYAKAM SARIR-AADI

DRISHYAM BUDBUDA-VAT KSHARAM

ETAD VI-LAKSHANAM VIDYAAT

“AHAM BRAHMA” ITI NIRMALAM

(The body, etc, up to the causal body; are perceivable objects, perishable as bubbles.  Realize, “I am different from all these”, “I am the ever pure Brahman”. This step may be compared with Sravana, as it acquaints us with the whole problem.)

This verse clearly identifies what is to be falsified or negated in the process of “NetiNeti”.

That which has to be falsified is everything right up to the causal body. This means the gross body, subtle body and the causal body.

Self & Upadhis - Their Relative Importance

What does it mean to negate the three bodies, viz. gross, subtle and causal? That which arises from ignorance is to be negated or falsified. By implication this means all three bodies as they all arise from Maya or Ignorance in association with Brahman.

It is not intended here to reduce the value of the functions that the three bodies perform, but merely to see their real value in relation to the absolute Truth of our very Being, the Self.

Nothing should presume to take the place of the Self; that is quite clear. However, in the process of establishing the superiority of the Self, these Upadhis are not to be run down; not to be relegated as worthless; not to be sneered upon as inconsequential.

They are simply to be seen for what they are – as instruments of the individual self. It would be against the spirit of Vedanta for the Self to proclaim its greatness by chopping off the worth of the other elements of creation (the Upadhis).

In the hands of the careless student, the verse is open to such incorrect interpretation. Hence, it is cautioned against such a puerile view of the Self’s greatness. Similarly when it is said that the Self is different from all these, again it is not said in a competitive spirit. The Self is not in need of being glorified.

The glorification, if any, is only to highlight to the seeker that he should never give undue importance to these Upadhis, that is, he should never make them so important in his life that he forgets the Self which is his real nature.

The Example: “Budbudavat Ksharam” - Evanescent Bubbles

When it is said that these Upadhis are like objects that are perceived and are therefore like bubbles, once again the above comment applies. It is simply to illustrate that they are not dependable in themselves. They have a function to perform in the plan of Maya, but they do not have the qualities of the Self, that is, being all-knowing, all-pervading and timeless.

Their existence is like the existence of bubbles – evanescent and fleeting. As bubbles they may also be viewed as having little significance in the true purpose of life, in relation to the evolutionary purpose of life. For if not utilized for what they were intended, they have a strong tendency to distract us from that purpose, and even make us recede from that purpose.

If we allow ourselves to be engrossed by the bubbles, we are in danger of further delusion and bondage to this world. Earlier the same simile was used to describe the macrocosmic creation of all the worlds. Now it is being applied to the microcosmic existence of the human body, which is just as fleeting as the mighty worlds out there.

Dear All,

The commentary of the verse ends with the above lines.

Now, about the state after all Neti is dealt by Sankara, which will come after few verses.

In one of the recent sessions, the author dealt with water, wave, bubble, ocean illustration in detail to drive home the essence of “Brahma Sathyam Jagat Mithya”.

While the 3 bodies are being related to bubble in this verse by Sankara in the sense that they are ephemeral, they arise and they disappear and exactly in the same way, Human beings’ 3 bodies - Gross, Subtle and Causal - emerge when a being is born, they exist with his existence and they are gone when the body dies / when the prana leaves the body.

However, a different or to say, the ultimate dimension was given in the illustration of the water, bubble, wave, ocean given by the author to few disciples.

All the “NETI, NETI, NETI in Vedanta, negation of all upadhis, all 3 bodies etc. is gone through, only to arrive at the ONE ITI, the SELF, the PURE CONSCIOUSNESS or the ATMAN.”

Sankara’s Nirvana Shatakam which is all about negating every possible perception of this creation, the human beings and all the 3 bodies of a being, at the end, Sankara does and Sankara must end with the last verse which says,

Aham Nirvikalpo Niraakaara-Ruupo

Vibhu-Tvaacca Sarvatra Sarve[a-I]ndriyaannaam

Na Caa-Sanggatam Naiva Muktirna Meyah

Cid-ananda-rupah Shivoham Shivoham

 I am Without any Variation, and Without any Form, I am Present Everywhere as the underlying Substratum of everything, and behind all Sense Organs, Neither do I get Attached to anything, nor get Freed from anything,

I am the Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness; I am Siva, I am Siva, The Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness.

Now, if the same bubble which signifies 3 bodies of a human being, after reaching the state as per the above verse, then  how the same bubble or our 3 bodies appear / what they mean to a Jivan Mukhta who has realized SELF and exists as SIVOHAM???

The answer was revealed in the session by the author when he said,

 

“The bubble, the wave, the ocean and all bubble, all waves, the entire ocean and all oceans do not have an independent identity when one realizes the SELF.”

To such a seer, all these, in fact, everything in this creation are no more separate from the state in which he exists. All duality ends there, when it says, even there is no mukhtir, na bandah, there is neither bondage nor liberation!!!

At that state, there is nothing separate from His state, His SELF, there are no upadhis for Him, there is no more NETI for Him!!!

Love.

Atma Bodha - Post 40

Verse 30

निषिध्य निखिलोपाधीन्नेति नेतीति वाक्यतः ।

विद्यादैक्यं महावाक्यैर्जीवात्मपरमात्मनोः ॥ ३०॥

NISHIDHYA NIKHILA-UPAADHEEN

NA ITI, NA ITI” ITI VAAKYATAH

VIDYAAT AIKYAM MAHAA-VAAKYAIH

JEEV-AATMA PARAM-AATMANOH

(By the process of negation of all conditionings   as per the scriptural statement “Not this, not this”, know the oneness proclaimed by the Mahavakya, “The individual soul is the Supreme Soul”.)

In this verse the central objective of all our Sadhana is highlighted. “Neti-Neti” refers to the negation of all the Upadhis which keep us separated from our identity with our true Self. This negation process is a Sadhana of discrimination, done within the intellect.

By seeing the defects at each level of existence, the intellect rejects the ‘falseness’ level by level. This is done at two major levels, the individual level and the cosmic level, the microcosm and the macrocosm.

This is the philosophical term given to the human predicament. It means “the Self is veiled by Ignorance”. Another term used is “Ajnana Upahita Chaitanyam” which means “the Self is conditioned by Ignorance.” The word Upahita is connected with Upadhi. Upadhi is that which conditions, whilst Upahita is that which is conditioned.

The perennial problem for us is that Jiva always goes along with both Atma and Anaatma.

We always experience:

(1) Original Consciousness

(2) Reflected Consciousness (Chidhabhasa) and

(3) Gross, Subtle and Causal Bodies simultaneously.

When I experience the ‘I’, there is always a false transference of the limitations and attributes of the Sareera Thrayam to the Original Consciousness.

These limitations and attributes of Anaatma must be clearly understood to be those of the Sareera Thrayam / Anaatma and not those of the Original Consciousness, the real I.

There is no new experience in this but a clarity of understanding. How is this to be done?

This process of negation of the impermanent step by step is eulogized by the great sages as an effective method to arrive at the ultimate Self / ultimate Truth.

We must negate each of the Upaadhis and each of the limitations of these Upaadhis, dis-identifying from them step by step but completely. This process is called “neti, neti, neti..” meaning “not this, not this, not this…”.

I am not this. I am not this. I am not this. I must negate this way, all that is impermanent, and all that is not ‘I’.

By removing all that which conditions the Self and renders it as the conditioned self or Jiva, the latter is restored to its original pristine pure state. This is the realized state or the enlightened state.

As the reader can realize, Adi Sankara is leading us from a detailed analysis of Anaatma and Atma to the difficulties in identifying with Atma and from there, to the effective processes of arriving at the oneness of Jivatma and Paramatma – in other words, towards Nischaya Jnanam.

Love.

PS - Exactly the same essence of negating the Anatma , all that is unreal and thus reaching that which is Atma / Eternal truth, was given by the author through a session to few sadhakas couple of weeks before, taking the famous line of Sankara:

"Brahma Satyam,

Jagath Mithya,

Jivoh Brahmaiva naParah"

Love.