Hari OM
'Text-days' are for delving into the
words and theory of Advaita Vedanta.
We are now studying Aatmabodha. As
always, with each week, you are encouraged to review the previous teachings and
spend some time in contemplation of the meanings as the affect your life.
Please do consider purchasing the text. Remember, also, to recite the mangala charana before each study and
review the lessons before each new one.
The
thing about philosophy is that it must ensure its concepts are clearly
understood and seen as applicable to daily life - else it risks being ignored
and considered too esoteric. To a large extent, this has occurred in Western
philosophical models; however Eastern philosophies are closely linked with
spiritual pursuit and are therefore generally more accessible, more
'immediate', and have pertinence. This is one of the roles of Aatmaabodha; to
bring to light the major tenets of Vedanta and display them in such a way that
anyone from any walk of life can connect with them. It starts at the top. Big
things cut down to bite-sized pieces. In doing this it also serves as a kind of
'advertisement' - a teaser for what is ahead to encourage new students; but it
also is worth the re-reading by more advanced students, for retaining the
basics is extremely important. … it is perhaps worth reminding readers here
that keeping up the notebook
will pay dividends! Now let us proceed as we explore the concept of Maya, the
great illusion.
Naanaepaixvzadev
jaitnamaïmady>,
AaTmNyaraeiptaStaeye
rsv[aRid_aedvt!.11.
Naanopaadhi-vashaad-eva
jaati-naama-aashrama-adayaH, aatman-yaaro-pitaastoye rasa-varna-adi-bhedavat
||11||
Because of Its association with different
conditionings, the idea of caste, name, position and so on are superimposed
upon the Aatman, just as flavour, colour and so on are superimposed on water.
Having
learned about the substratum of existence which is given several names (here it
is 'Aatman', the Universal Spirit), this shloka furthers the concept of
superimposition, the creation of illusion, which we shall later learn is called
as Maya. Whilst not given here directly,
please take note of the following words as they will be referred to a lot;
raep /ropa
= superimposition, specifically
AXyaraep/adhyaaropa
= application of superimposition, or one might say, 'wrong attribution'.
Mostly
during study of Vedanta, adhyaaropa is the word utilised, for we must remain
constantly aware that we are wrongly attributing what we perceive as being
'real', when in fact it is unreal.
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| ` © Yamini Ali MacLean |
This
is what this shloka is pointing out. The example give is that of water; of
itself, water is colourless, odourless, tasteless. However, it can also absorb and present these qualities according to what it is
filtered through. The filter might be the earth it travels through, which adds
impurities to the basic, pure substance; or it might be that something is added
to it deliberately - tea for instance; or it might be collected and placed in a bowl or a pond which is painted with bright orange patterns, thus to the casual
looker the water appears orange, when in fact it remains pure but merely
reflects its surroundings.
The
environment in which the water finds itself, and the treatment it receives, are
the conditionings with which it is associated to give it its 'character'.
Likewise the jiiva, the individualised Aatman, takes on the appearance of its
individuality due to the body in which it lives, the family, society, country
of residence, the consequences of life experiences, the colouration of earlier
lives, not recognised, but sometimes putting the individual at odds with their
particular society's "norm" - and so it goes on.
The
conditionings - or to use the Sanskrit**, the upaadhis - placed upon the Aatman
are the entire physical world of objects. Within the human creature, such
upaadhis are the body, the mental state, the resultant cultural, societal
conditions etc.
Aashrama
refers to life stages (position); there are four. Brahmachaarya is childhood
and youth and roughly covers ages 0 - 24. GRhastha is 'householder'; that most
active time when marriage, home, children, work are being established and
solidified and, traditionally, covered another 24 years. Vaanaprastha is
'retirement', but not in the fullest sense; rather it is that period where the
gRhastha might expect to hand over the reins of duty and work to the younger
generation, allowing for a withdrawal into artistic and spiritual saadhana;
this again is around 24 years - up to age 70-ish. Finally comes Sannyaasa,
renunciation; assuming sufficient longevity, the individual now completely
withdraws from regular life and focuses entirely upon the spiritual goal of
moksha - traditionally, the person would leave the home and find a forest abode
in which to meditate.
Those
who feel a very strong call in brahmacharya, may, at the agreement of their
parents and approval of their aachaarya/Guru, take the 'shortcut' to sannyaasa
by devoting their entire life to the study of scriptures and the actions of a
renunciate. It is not the same as priesthood - indeed the priests of Hinduism
(the Pundits) tend to be of the high social class and can be very attached to
worldly things. The Pundits come only from the Brahmin caste.
Jati
is a less-used term for the nature of who we are. The 'caste system' of India
as it exists is, in fact, a vile corruption of the original intention of the
shaastra to describe the nature of mankind. The origin of it is the Purusha
Suktam, wherein the Universal Man is described and an explanation is given of
why some folk are better suited to certain tasks in life. The truth of the
matter is that within one family, indeed within any single individual, all four
'varnas' may exist, but one and occasionally two may be dominant. Varna more
accurately is translated as 'colour'; it refers to the 'colour of personality'.
To be Brahmin is to have strong intellectual ability and artistic temperament
(Yeshu might have been considered Brahmin); Kshatriiya-s are more inclined to
strategy and management (Sri Rama would have been considered Kshatriiya);
Vaishya-s are the key workers of the community, carrying out commerce, farming,
manufacture and so on (Mahatma Gandhi was Vaishya); Shudra-s are the labourers
of society, for every community requires its builders, cleaners, garbage
collectors and so forth (an example of a great leader who might be classed as
Shudra is Lech Walesa, who was a mechanic and electrician before taking up
political life).
Naama
is, as it sounds, 'name' and is used in the context also of 'fame'; all too
readily we can fall into ego-brushing according to obtaining recognition.
The
point made in the shloka is that all of these are nothing but 'taints' upon the
purity of Aatman, resulting from the
upaadhis. What is lost sight of is that the Aatman resides in us all; it is a
single thing and not many things. The example which Gurudev (and now many
swamis) use is that of electricity. The power flows through many different
devices - bulbs can be many different colours, fans different shapes, cookers
different sizes - but it is never any of these things. It ever remains
electricity. None of the devices is anything without that power to enliven
them. So it is with the Aatman within us; it is the source of our very
existence.
...what
then are these upaadhis, how did they come about?
**please note again, whilst learning Sanskrit as such
is not at all an imperative for study of Vedantic philosophy, like any
technical subject, there are key words and phrases which are best understood in
their original context and are therefore worth the memorising.