Hari OM
'Text-days' are for delving into the words and theory of Advaita Vedanta.
We took a 'thumbnail' look at schools of philosophy last week. It was established that Advaita Vedanta adheres to the concept of Oneness between the individual and the Truth (God). One of the great statements of the philosophy, the mahaavaakya 'Tattvam Asi' (That thou art) is the best demonstration of this principle. The essence of this is now explored.
kayRkar[vaCya<zaE ijvezaE yaE jhCc taE,
AjhCc tyaelRúyaE icd<zavekêip[aE.26.
Kaarya-kaarana-vaachyaamshau jiveshau yau jahachcha tau,
Ajahachcha tayor-lakshyae chidamshaaveka-ruupinau ||26||
The effect and cause aspects of the literal meaning of the individual and the Truth/Lord are to be discarded and the implied meaning which is the Consciousness aspect and of the same nature are not to be discarded.
When the ocean heaves, it creates waves. The ocean is the cause, the waves the effects. If we take these to be literal we perceive them as separate entities. This, in fact, is how we humans are prone to view the entirety of existence. There is the individual 'me' and there is the Lord who gave life who is separate from 'me'. Lord was the cause of creation but that creation is perceived as separate from Him. This is the aparokshataya vada - "I know I am and I know the world exists; that from which we arose is greater and more powerful and different from me."
However, Vedanta demands that we discard this notion of separateness. The physical individual - the body, mind and intellect - may appear as separate but the essential being which perceives these things is nothing other than consciousness. Investigating consciousness reveals it to be Universal. That Universal level of Consciousness we know immediately to be one and the same thing as ourselves and that we are, in fact, nothing but a wave upon that ocean. Our physical manifestation may appear different but our essence (our 'water') is the exact same substance and part of the whole, not separate at all.
To That Ocean, this wave belongs. We know it not by direct apprehension but by implication.
