Hari OM
'Text-days' are for delving into the
words and theory of Advaita Vedanta.
TATTVABODHAH.
[You are reminded that reviewing the
previous week's posts will become essential as the meanings of the Sanskrit
terms may not be repeated. There may come additional or alternative meanings,
but all should be noted. As study progresses, the technical terms must
necessarily become 'second nature' to the student. When the Sanskrit is used,
the translation will fall easily into place - or likewise, if the English is
used, the Sanskrit term must easily come forwards.]
Please revisit THIS post and chant the mangala-charana. Please use the TattvabodaH label to access all
posts relevant to this text.
The enquiry into Truth is now our subject. Last week we saw the
initial query of the student regarding the practice of looking into the matter
of Truth and found it raised a much more profound question, which we shall
read today. The chanting is also supplied for both now, so a repeat of the first
stanza is printed here for your ease.
तत्त्वविवेकःकः
आत्मा सत्यं तदन्यत् सर्वं मिथ्येति।
tattvavivekaHkaH
?
aatmaa
satyaM tadanyat sarvaM mithyeti.
"what is this enquiry into Truth?"
"It is of the firm conviction that the Self is Real and all,
other than That, is unreal."
'Mithyeti' means, that which can be falsified. To arrive at
essential truth, we must peel away all which is covering that truth. Such
covering, in Vedanta, is called as the /aaropitam or /adhyastam, the
superimposition of an appearance of truth, which can be negated. A very
classical example of this is the example of the rope mistaken for being a
snake. In a moment of mistaken identity we can see a snake and we can become so
convinced we even behave as if, in fact, a snake is present. Only when our friend
comes along who has a clearer view and picks up the rope, do we become
convinced that the mistake was ours. It was a rope all along, but our own
misunderstanding gave us grief!
Thus, in the response to the enquiry as to what is the 'Truth' which
Vedanta asks us to research, the Guru tells that it is the process (and
therefore the conviction) of there being something which is a greater Truth
that we have already experienced and it can be discovered through the use of
negation.Constantly holding something up for close inspection and seeing if it
holds up to the primary definition of Truth - that which has no beginning, is
now, and has no end; ever-present and changeless.
In Vedanta it is stated that anything which is perceived is a
superimposition, is therefore deniable. Upon what lies the superimposition of
this world? The Self. Brahman. This is the substratum (/adhishstaana). That
Self alone cannot be denied. It takes some excavation to prove this Truth to
ourselves however. It is this which Vedanta requires of all its adherents to
pursue. It is not that one person in a position of authority tells all and
sundry, "this is IT, now bow down and worship"; although worship is
certainly required it must come from the innate desire of the worshiper and not
because of fear of not doing (or
resulting in the fellow turning his back on any form of worship as being a
'con' and abandoning spiritual practice entirely!) The Vedantin is expected to
take all the learning and work with it, make it his or her own, applying the
formulae within it and carrying out all the practices...essentially, to rerun
the experiment and, if applied correctly, to discover that the results are as
promised.
Therefore, the attentive student now asks further;
आत्मा कः
स्थूल-सूक्श्म-कारण-शरीराद्-व्यतिरिक्तः
पञ्च कोशतीतः सन् अवस्थात्रयसाक्शी
सच्चिदानन्दस्वरूपः सन् यस्तिष्ठति सः आत्मा।
aatmaa
kaH ? "What is The Self?"
sthuula-suukshma-kaaraNa-shariiraad-vyatiriktaH "That which is other than the gross, subtle and causal bodies,
pa~nca
koshatiitaH san avasthaatrayasaakshii beyond the five sheaths, the witness of the three states of consciousness and of the
saccidaanandasvaruupaH
san yastiSThati saH aatmaa. nature of existence-consciousness-bliss is The Self."
When asked to introduce ourselves, we are inclined to define
ourselves by external connections; "I am the son of so and so, my name is
such and such; I am an engineer; I am from that place; I belong to this group;
my weight is this my height is the other; I graduated as..." Always we use
BMI as the frame of reference for who we are.
Not one of us will say "I am Brahman!" Free of all the उपादाः /upaadhis (conditionings) which we have so neatly defined when asked 'who are
you?', what is left? The upaadhi is the superimposition of various qualities
which hold a close proximity, but are not exactly the thing. In a purer, longer
definition, upaadhi is 'that which transfers its property to that which is
near'. When a crystal sits on a coloured cloth, it takes on the appearance of
that colour, but is actually never that colour. The colour is the upaadhi. Therefore, in the response to
the student, the Guru says succinctly what the superimposition is and what the
thing is upon which these properties
appear.
Next week we shall look at this in more detail. Today, listen again
to the chanting and practice the words, making the Sanskrit more familiar for
reading and saying.
