It Is Within

Hari OM

Story-day is for cultural exploration, puraanas and parables and finding out about leading lights in spiritual philosophy.

We are following the text "Beyond Sorrow" in which we explore the nature of suffering and how to manage and move through difficulties. Now for the final words, provided by HH Pujya Paramagurudev Swami Tapovan Saraswati Maharaj - the Sat Guru of Sw. Chinmayananda. (Again, this essay has been summarised for presentation here and you encouraged to purchase your own copy of the publication if you can.)

SEEK HAPPINESS WITHIN

Of all the objects of veneration, the Self is the most venerable. It is of the nature of Sat (Existence), Chit (Consciousness) and Aananda (Bliss). It is sought by everybody. It shines by itself, like the sun, in every heart and at all times; why rush here and there looking for this light? If there is a hive of honey in the corner of the room why fly all over the world in search of sweetness? The Self itself is the world. Realising this, how can one say one is ever away in a foreign land? One can only ever be present, here, now, in this place. Whether the body is engaged in action or whether it sits rock-still in meditation, it is all the same for the Realised one, who finds everlasting joy in the Self. Within.

In that Ultimate Truth there is no room for plurality. It is an enormity beyond capability of most to comprehend, therefore is designated as an object with such appellations as "God", "Ishvara" and such like. That One Self, being conditioned into various bodies as a jiiva (individualised segment), falls into the delusion of "I", the ego-self. When did this mighty illusion that "I am the limited body" originate? A question impossible to answer...if the Self, which is beyond space and time, originated at any time, be sure the great illusion had its origin at that very same moment. If with the help of the scriptures or logic we realise that this soul has no beginning, how can we conceive of a beginning of illusion?

The way to destroy this illusion is sought after by the wise. On its destruction, jiivaatmaa becomes one with Aatman, Brahman… That One. The very universe, all its elements and the things composed of them, are in a constant state of change. How can they be permanent and real? Billions of billions of universes with their movables and immovables once existed; if they were all real, where have they gone now?

Let the universe be what it is, what is the use of investigating its nature? On the contrary, we ought to think of that Supreme Self - Man should give up other thoughts and concentrate upon the meditation of Brahman. Everything unreal and dependent is of the nature of sorrow. For the unwise, untruth appears as truth. True Bliss is Real and Eternal and not inert. The one who desires happiness ought to seek solace and comfort in the Supreme Self. As worldly existence is of the nature of sorrow, everyone in the world should try their utmost to escape it. Spiritual life is the sole remedy.

This does not mean that sorrow ought not to be faced. Simply by refusing to engage oneself in worldly activity, one cannot get rid of sorrow. What would be the state of the world if everyone became a renunciate of action? We have to achieve happiness and peace not by running away, but by remaining fixed in the thought of the Supreme and facing the sorrows. It is everyone's duty to do their most to make this sorrowful world a place of joy and happiness.

Give up the delusion this body is the Self. This body is only inert matter like stone and earth. It cannot function by itself; it is worked by an independent spirit of the nature of Consciousness. Remember this always.

It is the vision of God that brings all worldly sorrow to its end. Work towards knowing "God". Sooner or later all creatures will reach that goal. It may take ages and ages, but it is bound to happen. Even as all water ultimately reaches the ocean, the jiivaatmaa must reach the Aatman. It is the final resting place.

Glow

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 three shlokas last week added mere droplets of description to that which is indescribable. S61 spoke of the Self-Illuminator. Now a shloka which expands on this.

SvymNtdRihVyaRPy _aasyÚiol< jgt!,

äü àkazte viûàtPtaysip{fvt!.62.

Svayam-antar-bahirvyaapya bhaasayanna-khilam jagat,

Brahma prakaashate vihna-prataptaayasa-pindavat ||62||

Pervading the entire universe wihtin and without, the Supreme Brahman shines by Itself, like the fire that permeates a red-hot iron ball, and glows by Itself.

Brahman is transcendental Truth; it shines of its own accord and penetrates all of creation. It is not something separate from that creation. It is the material and the efficient cause, as clay and the potter are to the pot. Matter without spirit (Consciousness) is inert. The Supreme is the vital content in every particle of this world and, just as butter can be brought out of the milk through churning, so it is that we can Realise the Supreme through meditation.

An iron ball which has been in contact with fire for a long time comes to glow red as the fire itself. Similarly, though matter be inert, when it plays in the vitality of Brahman, there is the manifestation of life.

The Infinite is unborn therefore is also deathless; It is omnipotent and all-pervading. The created world is subject to change, to birth, to death… it thus has limitation. It is finite and thus is opposite to the Infinite. How to perceive the Infinite within the finite? Just as the iron ball, which by nature is black, heavy, lifeless in appearance, can appear to dance like the flames around it, so the very nature of life demonstrates the presence of that which gives the life.

Meditate upon this example.

No Comparison

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.

There are only ten shlokas remaining in this text. Nine of them make further attempts to describe the indescribable. Today, we will take three together, as their explanation requires little more than is given in the verses themselves. These are verses for deep contemplation.

t*u´miol< vStu Vyvhariídinvt>,

tSmaTsvRgt< äü úaIre sipRirvaiole.59.

Tadyuktamakhilam vastu vyavahaarashchidanvitaH,

Tasmaatsavagatam brahma kshire sarparivaakhile ||59||

All objects are pervaded by Brahman. Also, all actions are possible because of Brahman Alone. Therefore, Brahman permeates everything as butter permeates milk.

When you look at a pint of milk, do you necessarily see the butter it contains? Rarely! You simply perceive it as it presents itself to you. Butter is most definitely there, though; it just takes some work to bring it out. This is what we are to understand - the Pure Consciousness is to be found in every possible thing upon which you rest your thoughts and eyes; it just takes some work to bring it out… and that work itself is only possible because of that Consciousness.

AnPvSwUlmùSvmdI"RmjmVyym!,

Aêpgu[v[aROy< td!äüeTyvxaryet!.60.

Ananvasthuulam-hRsvam-diirgham-ajam-avyayam,

Aruupaguna-varnaakhyam tad-brahmetya-vadhaarayet ||60||

Realise that to be Brahman which is neither subtle nor gross, neither short nor long, without birth or change, without form, attributes, colour and name.

This is the subtlety of Pure Consciousness; it is beyond all physical description - split open a neutron and It will still be present beyond (as indicated in previous shloka). This demonstrates also the vastness… which in our finite selves, we cannot imagine.

yÑasa _aaSyte=kaRid _asyEyRÅau n _aasyte,

Yaen svRimd< _ait td!äüeTyvxaryet!.61.

Yadbhaasaa bhaasyater-kaadi bhaasyairyattu na bhaasyate,

Yena sarvamidam bhaati tad-brahmetya-vadhaarayet ||61||

That, by the light of which, the luminous orbs like the sun and the moon are illumined, but that which is not illumined by their light; realise that to be Brahman.

When you are standing out in full sunlight, do you light up a torch to see better? No - and even if you did, the torchlight would be 'drowned' by the luminance of the sun. Now, physicists even of the novice kind will say, "but the sun is self-luminous" - which is true in terms of our relative world of perception. This is the point to be taken, however. That which illumines all else cannot be, itself, illumined. Our very perception of the sun can only take place due to the illumination of Consciousness within us.

HH-YY-UUU-JJJ...

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.

To help us understand the scale of the subject under discussion - Totality of Bliss - the Guru now explains that how much one experiences of that bliss is dependent upon the capacity of the individual.

Ao{fanNdêpSy tSyanNdlvaiïta>,

äüa*aStartMyen _avNTyaniNdnae=iola>.58.

Akhandaanandaruupasya tasyaanandalavaashritaaH,

Brahmaadyaastaaratamyena bhavantyaanandino-khilaaH ||58||

Deities like Brahma and others taste only a particle of the unlimited bliss of Brahman, and proportionately enjoy their share of that particle.

The Truth is so vast even the deities cannot experience its Totality! Clearly stated here is that each will, according to his or her suitability and standing (from 'The Creator Form (Brahma)' all the way down to the tiniest living cell) in the scheme of the 'reality' we currently know, only experience as much Bliss as we can handle.

Once the Rsis decided upon there being a need to express creation as having a Creator, the name given was as close to the name given the formless, tasteless, odourless, silent, immutable Totality as possible. That Totality, when being referred to as separate from us, is called Brahmaananda, thus the Creator became Brahma. This is the concession of the great masters to those who had lesser intellectual capacity to their own. Such condescension is not to be considered 'snooty or high-handed'; rather, we must understand it as the type which a parent will offer a child who is not quite keeping up with things. Adaptations to teaching and formation of character must be made so that the individual can keep moving forward in their understanding and perception of the world.

Adi Shankara takes up this same adaptation when seeking to tempt the seeker further up the path of knowledge and to feed the desire for more. If we are presented at a party with a tiny square of cake, we may eat it and enjoy it and that's that. If, then, the host comes out and asks if anyone would like more, would we not put up our hands?!

More than this though, we must begin to understand that any happiness which we fell in our current condition is but the palest fraction of the joy which awaits once we can embrace the concept that we are the Totality. If we were to add together all the joys of all living beings, all the joy in the universe, all the joy experienced since the moment of creation itself up till the present moment… still the joy would be but the merest and most miniscule fraction of the Total Bliss.

This is what this shloka attempts to convey. It's BIG. 

Ghost In The Post

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.

This next shloka gives one of the great and classic analogies used to explain adhyaropa-vada, the erroneous perception of something by superimposition something else.

Swa[aE pué;vd-æaNTya k&ta äüi[ jIvta,

jIvSy taiÅcke êpe tiSmNd&:qe invtRte.45.

Sthaanau purushavad-bhraantyaa kRtaa brahmani jiivataa,

Jiivasya taattvike ruupe tasmin-dRshte nivartate ||45||

Just as a post appears to be a ghost, Brahman appears to be a jiiva because of ignorance. The egocentric individuality is destroyed when the real nature of the jiiva is realised as the Self.

The analogy itself is not so difficult to comprehend, perhaps; the concept it represents is still a slippery customer though! If you have been keeping up with the reading and the required level of contemplation after each teaching, then it will not seem quite such a stretch.

In our current era of 'rationality', the concept of ghost may not be the most adequate description here. However, it is not so difficult to think about those moments we get caught out thinking there is someone standing before us in the dark when walking round a corner to get to the bus stop or the parked car… only to find it was a signpost or a shrub! 

Really? That hasn't happened to you? What about those nights in winter when you are putting out the garbage cans and, thinking about other things are distracted, then you turn round and jump from fright at the 'body' behind you. For a split second you forget that you had pulled the recycling bin out too. In that briefest of moments, you truly thought there was someone lurking and all your defences came alive. Are you catching the drift of this? Just about everybody, at one time or more, experiences this phenomena of thinking there is a person before them and it turns out to be a hunk of metal or a small tree.

In delusion alone can we imagine and recognise that item (the 'post') to be another being (the 'ghost'). Philosophically, the important thing to note now is that it is the NON-apprehension of the post-item which, however briefly, causes the MIS-apprehension of there being a person-ghost.

Moving this concept along we are then asked to understand that Aatman (here called Brahman), the Single True Self, is the substratum item which we do not apprehend and therefore, through erroneous projection and ignorance of that Truth of Existence, apprehend nothing but false existences. As splinters of that True Self we are aware of other 'selves' and spin and wind them around our own version of reality, become ever more attached to our bodies and, indeed, those other 'bodies'. This shloka, then, is describing to us that what we think of as 'the world' is entirely of our own creation because as the True Self, we have somehow become distracted and lost sight of our truth.

However, if we do the work advised to us in philosophy, just as the person-ghost will drop away as our knowledge of the actual post-item reasserts itself, so too the world will drift away from our deluded selves and the Truth of our Solitary Self will at last be revealed. It will be akin to waking from a dream. Whilst in the dream, we are inclined to take it for real. Only on waking do we know it to be false. Only by recognising the truth of the post can the deluded one recover from the angst of seeing the ghost. Only by working to see the Self Alone can we remove the delusion of plurality. The way to do this is to end the ego. 

Negate, Negate

Zu_a! jnmaZtim SHUBH JANMAASHTAMI!

Happy Birthday Sri Krishna!!!

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.

There's a slight shift in the teaching now, as the next shloka advises one method of reaching to the Higher.

ini;Xy iniolaepaxIÚeit netIit vaKyt>,

iv*adEKy< mhavaKyEjIRvaTmprmaTmnae>.30.

Nishidhya nikhilopadhiin-neti netiiti vaakyataH,

Vidhaadaikyam mahaavaakyair-jiivatma-paramatmanoH ||30||

By the process of negation of the conditionings (upaadhis) as per the scriptural statement 'it is not this, it is not this', the Oneness of the individual soul and the Supreme Soul, as indicated by the mahaavaakyas, has to be realised.

A reminder that the mahaavakyas (the great statements) of the upanishads as whittled down from many to four, key 'essence' statements according to the Veda from which they arise. To review;

à}an< æü/prajnaanam brahma - Consciousness is Brahman (from Rg Veda)

Ay< AaTma æü/ayam aatmaa brahma - That Self is Brahman (from Atharva Veda)

tTv< Ais/tattvam asi - That Thou Art (from Saama Veda)

Ah< æüaiSm/aham brahmaasmi - I Am Brahman (from Yajur Veda)

The pinnacle of Vedantic thought is contained within these. There are a number of mahaavaakyas which form a 'stairway' to them, but these are given out in the same way that the World Cup of soccer, or any other coveted sports prize are put on display; so that those who are 'in the sport' know exactly what it is they are working towards.

Thus, in this shloka, Shankaraachaarya-ji tell us that by thinking on the unity indicated by these four Master Statements, but even more specifically on the statement of 'neti-neti', it is possible to attain to the Ultimate - aham brahmaasmi. This is known as the process of negation.

Fine. Intellectually that seems a fairly clear-cut teaching and something we can take on board. Meditate on the fact that everything which is perceived, even our very thoughts, are not The Self, they are not The Self. However, we cannot expect this to be a magic switch and carry ourselves to Realisation with this alone. The very placement of the mahaavaakyas indicates this. First we must fully grasp the concept of Universal Consciousness and that this is what is called as 'God' (Brahman, Aatman…) by all who seek their spiritual dimension. In our every day, if we are alert and sensitive, we can already sigh deeply at the wonder of Nature, the Cosmos, the uniqueness of being born a human being within that. This must go one stage further, however. We must start to 'see' the powering factor behind all which can be seen without such effort. The essence of existence, here called Consciousness.

That pure Consciousness is the Absolute Reality. That Self Is Brahman. This must be our next step in spiritual evolution. Until we are firmly established in the understanding and acceptance of this fact, we can then grasp what the teacher means when he points at us and says "That Thou Art!" That which we have now come to understand as the Universal Consciousness, a single Self Presence, is nothing but our own self. Is it so? We must work hard in our meditations and studies to determine this fact and make it come alive to our own intellect and then move beyond even the intellect into the knowledge the teacher already has of us… yes, yes, yes indeed, aham brahmaasmi! Realisation dawns. One of the best ways for attaining this understanding is, as stated here in shloka thirty, 'It is not this'… Self is none of this plurality, none of this nonsense we currently call 'life'.

We shall have a discussion around the vaakya 'tattvam asi' at a later stage; as a short foray into the sort of thinking which is required to resolve arguments and debates can be indicated here though, let it be known that there are differences of opinion regarding this statement in particular. Those who wish to support the idea of 'all is one except for God, who remains separate from us' argument (Dvaitic -duality- thinking) like to argue dualism is inherent in the use of 'that', indicating an other, further compounded by saying 'it is not this'. Advaitic (non-duality) thinking, however, moves beyond the semantics to the lakshana, the intended meaning. To stick only at what the words say is to limit the spirit and a limited spirit becomes a painful thing. An example of this can be worked out from the sentence 'this is that Gupta'. A friend you are talking with spots a fellow he thinks he recognises but is not certain. You can confirm, 'yes, this is that Gupta!' The friend is astounded. The fullness of this picture is the better understood by the history that Gupta was known once in the local town of their birth as nothing more than a pretty cloth-store keeper. Now, here in the capital city, he is spotted and it is discovered he is a multi-millionaire fabric designer. Gupta, however, is  still Gupta. He was that, he is now this, but is still one and the same person. If we took dvaitic thinking, the argument would be that there are two Guptas existing in same body.

Likewise, the jiiva, the lowly self we think we are now, is at the same time That Self, the 'multi-millionaire' spirit! We just have to rediscover our riches of bliss and existence. All sense of duality dissolves.

The Light Is Not The Lamp

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.

Having brought things down to a more immediate level with the rope as snake example, the Guru now returns to slightly more abstract analogies.

AaTma-v_aasyTyekae buÏ(adInI-iNÔya{yaip,

dIpae "qaidvTSvaTma jfEStEnaR-v_aaSyte.28.

Aatmaa-vabhaasayatyeko buddhyaadiin-iindriyaanyaapi,

Diipo ghataadivat-svaatmaa jadaistairna-avabhaasyate ||28||

Just as a lamp illumines a jar or a pot, so also the Aatman illumines the mind, the sense organs and so on. These material objects cannot illumine themselves by themselves, because they are inert.

This shloka as a stand alone seems straightforward enough; we know that a bulb cannot glow without the electricity contact being turned on. It's just glass and metal until that juice runs through it. Easy-peasy?

Well it's a start to understanding. However, the alert and attentive student who has been following the flow of the text - and this is implied in all forms of study, that we know and understand fully what has preceded the portion of text currently under study - it will have become apparent that Sanskrit formations have lakshana (inner meanings) to be cracked open from the language. Hence the English translation fails us somewhat, for there is a tendency in this language to take the words at face value.

The previous shloka gives us a clue of how to gain more from this one. We learned of the illusion of the snake appearing upon the substratum of the rope and that this illusion occurred only within our own limited physical equipment of mind. We are inclined to always accept that the mind and intellect are our highest nature and thus become deeply involved in all that goes on around us. If we pull back to the substratum within us, the aatman, we become the observer… and the observer does not get involved. The electricity in the bulb, or the lamplight in the pot, have no engagement with the activity which can occur because of the light's presence. The light is never actually part of the bulb or pot, which is why when the juice is removed, the material parts we call as bulb or lamp do not continue to glow. They cannot shed light without the presence of the powering juice. 

Equally, as wonderful as our mind and intellect are, they are still of the material world (albeit very, very subtle), thus are nothing without the illumining 'juice' of the aatman, the life principle. In the Keno Upanishad we find the shloka,

यन्मनसा न मनुते येनाहुर्मनो मतम् ।

तदेव ब्रह्म त्वं विद्धि नेदं यदिदमुपासते ॥ ६ ॥

yanmanasā na manute yenāhurmano matam |

tadeva brahma tvaṃ viddhi nedaṃ yadidamupāsate || 6 ||

What mind does not comprehend, but what comprehends the mind, know thou That alone as Brahman, and not this that people worship here.

The 'not this' referred to is the physical being, the body, mind and intellect and all the senses which operate within them. The material combinations may vary in multifarious ways, but the One Spirit which is changeless is the one glory which gives the glitter to this whole show!

Observation

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 text under study is a discussion of aatmaa (soul) and Aatman (Divine Soul) and how the two are one, yet appear dual. Many examples and analogies are being used to try and convey the exquisitely Supreme quality of Aatman. The next shloka makes this very point quite directly;

deheiNÔymnaebuiÏàk&it_yae ivl][m!,

Tadv&iÄsai][< iv*adaTman< rajvTsda.18.

Dehendriya-manobuddhi-prakRtibhyo vilakshanam,

tadvRttisaakshinam vidyaadaatmaanam raajavatsadaa ||18||

One should understand that the Aatman is always like the king, distinct from the body, senses, mind and intellect, which constitute the matter; and It is the witness of their functions.

Here an important term is brought into full use; sai][/saakshinam. The saakshi is the observer self and saakshinam is the verbal form. Saakshi is the inner place where we can withdraw from our senses in vairagya, the better to serve viveka and gain a better understanding of the 'way of things'.

The pure and All-pervading Intelligence called as Brahman (Aatman) is that very observer. It is able to sit apart from all the encumbrances of matter (prakRti) and, although not specifically called out in this shloka, it is also separate from the jiivaatman - the ego self, which is part of the antaH karana (mind, intellect, ego, 'chitta').

Another term used here is ivl][m!/vilakshanam; lakshana has several variations of expression, but essentially it points to relationship/connection; by use of the prefix 'vi-' it is being made clear that there is no actual bond between Aatman and jiivaatman other than the observational quality. By being present within us as the observer, it is the very life-essence, for, without that enlivening factor, this whole discussion would be nullified! It could be said that in Its observation, It is also the Illuminator. The example of the king held more weight in earlier times, one supposes, but think of anyone in power. They will sit back and watch as the world dances around them; this is the inference here.

This also points to the 'aloofness' of "God". Subjectively analysed, Self is witness to the play of life, all the good and bad of it, the knowledge of right and wrong, sorrows and joys… all the aspects of our subjective living are watched by It. All our experiences and knowledge (that which we can verify) as well as Knowledge (Mystery, that which we do not know or can verify) - bhaava and abhaava - are all illumined by that one Awareness; it does not identify with events on any level and is never a sharer in experience. It is purely observer, unpartisan, disinterested - yet, like the king/director, holds all the power.

Here is the crux of all faith structures. A knowing that there is a certain power behind all creation but never truly being able to describe It and certainly being unable to set up proper dialogue with It. A few determined and blessed souls have persevered and even fewer have broken through the barriers between the physical self and the True Self; and whilst there are variances in reportage of such experiences, the common thread is that there is something beyond us which we will forever attempt to describe and hold to ourselves.

For the vast majority, however, we can only determine the nature of Aatman based upon our worldly experiences - this can lead to confusions and misconceptions… as will be taken up in the next shloka.

The Life In Us

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.

` © 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.

Breaking Divisions

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 use of analogy for illustrating high philosophical concepts is well under way in our current text. We have seen that Maya's deception has us believing there is silver, where only shell is. Likewise, gold is gold is gold, regardless of the form into which it is worked, therefore we must understand that we and our neighbour and his dog and the wolf at the edge of our town, the ocean around our country and the earth which makes the country itself… all these are but the same matter, formed variously. This is now explored further.

Yawakaazae ù;Ikezae nanaपeaixgtae ivÉu>,

tÑedaiÑÚvÑait tÚaze kevlae Évet!.10.

Yathaakaasho hRshiikesho naanopaadhigato vibhuH, 

tad-bhedad-bhinnavad-bhaati kevalo bhavet ||10||

The All-pervading space appears to be diverse on account of its association with various conditionings which are different from each other. However, upon the destruction of these limiting adjuncts, the space becomes one. So also, the omnipresent Truth appears to be diverse on account of Its association with various conditionings and becomes one on the destruction of those conditionings.

The name for our 'conditionings' is उपाधाः/upaadhi-s. In Sanskrit conjunctions, when a word ends with 'a' and the next begins with 'u', they are replaced with a single 'o' sound, hence read 'naanopaadhigato. This breaks down as - naanaa (various/separately/differently), upaadhi (conditionings), gataH ('gone out'). Thus we are told that Brahman has 'gone out' into various conditionings and only on the destruction of those conditionings does the separated parts of Brahman return to Fullness of Being once more.

Let us think of this another way. Space. When said as a word like that we are most inclined to think of the basic part of the universe in which objects sit. Fine. Now bring it closer. We build buildings and delineate 'space' as rooms, naming it as dining space, sleeping space and so on. We can very easily see only the objects and walls and not consider the space itself - that is to say the air which occupies each room. That air, having been separated from the air of the room next door, is not at all different from it, but can appear so due to the 'upadhi' of 'roomness'. When, eventually, the building is demolished, the air is undamaged and rejoins its molecules with the air of the other rooms from the building, returning to the fullness of the atmosphere. It was, in fact, never separate. There was only appearance of difference.

The thing is that, as humans and possessed of intellect, we are able to question the nature of our existence and enquire into such things as this. What is it that enables this? A clue is in the use of the term 'hRshiikesh'; as always with Sanskrit, it can be broken down in different ways to extract full meaning, but essentially for the purpose here, we will consider the use as 'hRshiika - Iisha'. The first part pertaining to the senses - the indriiyas through which we interact with the world of plurality and by which we are currently inclined to define ourselves as individuals - and the second part is a name of God. Thus we can extrapolate that it is the presence of That Originating Source (which we isolate as 'god') working within the upaadhis through our senses which is the substratum that never actually changes as a result of being conditioned. Once the body shrivels from us, we lose all sense of individual identity and return to Iisha.  The Aatman is one and the same in all conditions - due to distortions and presence of ego, we create all sorts of divisions and limitations for 'life'. A few of us are fortunate enough to have gone through enough cycles of incarnation to begin the final search which will enable the ultimate freedom - a complete reunion with Self… 

Gold is Gold is Gold...

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.

We are seeing the use of familiar examples to draw analogy with advanced Advaitic concepts. Using this technique the masters of the philosophy are acknowledging the intelligence of their students whilst also taking into account the need to take 'baby' steps so as to lift the seeker gently. It is a teaching methodology used for centuries and in all arenas of study, whereby the tutor aids the student's learning by using something familiar which illustrates key points. Last shloka we learned that there is a substratum upon which all of creation appears and one of the names for That is Brahman; changeless, beginningless and endless. The hint is that what sits atop the substratum emerges from That and does not stand separate at all. This is taken a stage further now in shloka nine.

siCcdaTmNynuSyUte inTye iv:[aE àkiLpta>,

Vy´yae ivivxa> svaR haqke kqkaidvt!.9.

Sacchidaatmanyanusyuute nitye vishnau prakalpitaaH, vyaktayo vividhaaH sarvaa haatake katakaadivat ||9||

The entire world of things and beings is only a mental projection upon the substratum which is the Eternal All-pervading Vishnu, whose nature is Existence-Consciousness-Bliss; just as all the different ornaments are made out of the same gold.

The other thing with examples, is that all students can be addressed and brought along with the theories and principles. Never for a moment get impatient with apparent repetition, for even if you think you 'got it', other's may not - and there is always the opportunity to deepen what it is you 'got'. This is particularly pertinent with the subtleties of Vedanta.

Bearing in mind that this is a variation on the theme of the preceding shloka, let us again understand that in any creative process there are three parts. The material cause - being the substance which changes its form and name; the instrumental cause - that which facilitates the alteration; and the efficient cause - the origin of the idea, the intelligence which sparks the process of creation. In all creations from our current perspective, these appear to be entirely separate from each other. We need a potter, we need a wheel and, most of all, we need the base material which is to be transformed. We then say we have a pot. We acknowledge a potter and we acknowledge the process, the potting.'

However, this shloka tell us that when it comes to the entire Universe which we refer to as Creation, all three are one thing. Brahman, is the material, the instrumental and the efficient cause. Likened to gold, we are informed that all objects, including ourselves, are derived from that base because the base itself generated it.

In another example, we see the waves of the ocean rise from the energy of the ocean itself and dropping back into that very same ocean. At no time do the waves have a separate existence from the water which is the ocean and the water which is them; it is appearance only. So it is with the external world we perceive; the physical, mental and intellectual experiences arise from, exist in and return to that substratum of Brahman - the supreme Awareness. It is this Awareness which is the commonality we find in everything and everyone, provided we open ourselves to it. We are all gold.

To demonstrate gold here, the verse uses the term 'of Vishnu'. Not to be taken as the four-armed god personality, but as the Universal Architect which manifests its designs in the way we manifest dreams. When those dreams disappear back into our mental recesses, we remain. In the same way, the Architect is unchanged and is ever the source of all Creation. The natural state is given a quality here; it is Existence-Consciousness-Bliss.

SAADHANA

Ponder on the common thread of life, look beyond differences.