ATMA BODHA 24

 

ATMA BODHA  24

“PRAKASA- ARKASYA- TOYASYA SAITYA- MAGNE YATHO-SHNATHA

SWABHAVAH-SAT-CHIT- ANANDANITYA- NIRMALATA- ATMANAH”

“JUST AS LUMINOSITY IS THE NATURE OF THE SUN<, COOLNESS OF WATER,AND HEAT OF FIRE SO TOO THE NATURE OF THE ATMAN IS ETERNITY, PURITY, REALITY, CONSCIOUSNESS AND BLISS>”

Explaining the real nature of the Atman, Sankara points out that it is totally unaffected by the upadhis of the mind or buddhi. The agitations of the mind like desire, attachment, pleasure, pain and other things appear to be of the Atman but it is ignorance to think so. It is silly like thinking that the moon is moving about and unsteady in a bucket of disturbed water. Man, animal and every creature wants to live happily and suffer no pain or misery. There is, on the other hand, a positive effort for acquiring knowledge and enjoy pleasure. There is an honest effort for self preservation of Individuality. The Five Elements are created to operate with their essential nature or Dharma.

There cannot be cool fire or a dark sun! Fire is always hot; never cool . That is its essential nature. In the same manner, the sun is always radiant and bright. There cannot be any darkness with the sun. It is their essential nature or Dharma. Every object in nature must express its own essential nature.

The sun is luminosity itself and it illuminates the whole universe. Can you ever imagine a cold ball of fire? Similarly, how can we define the nature of the Atman and its essential nature? Sankara thus points out that the Dharma or essential nature of the Atman is ETERNAL (Nitya), EVER-PURE (Nirmala), and EXISTENCE- KNOWLEDGE- BLISS (Sat-Chit-Ananda)

“Who is he whom we worship as“Atman?” Which one is Atman? Is it he by whom one sees or by whom one hears or by whom one smells the smell or by whom one speaks the speech, or by whom one knows the sweet and the unsweet?” ( AITAREYOPANISHAD)

“He consists of the mind. He guides the senses and the body. Established in the body He controls the heart. The wise, through their understanding behold the ETERNAL which shines forth full of bliss.” (MUNDAKOPANISHAD)

ATMA BODHA 23

 

ATMA BODHA 23

“RAGE-CHHA-SUKHA- DUKHADI BUDDHOW SATYAM PRAVARTATE

SUSHUPTHOW NASTHI TANNASE TASMAD BUDDHE STHU NA- ATMANAH.”

“Attachment, desire, pleasure, pain etc are seen to exist so long as Buddhi or mind functions.  They are not perceived in deep sleep when the mind ceases to exist. Therefore Attachment, desire, pleasure, pain and other things belong to the mind alone and not to the Atman.”

Sankara once again stresses the blissful existence of the Self which is Omniscient and Omnipresent!  There is no place for ignorance in it. How can the passions and other agitations of the mind come to stay in the ATMAN? We can call it as the Avidya or ignorance of the individual. Attachment to material pleasures and fruits of his actions delude him to the bondage of Samsara or family life.

It is the Pure mind that leads to greater glory and happiness and finally to liberation through the final experience of the true Knowledge. On the other hand, the same mind drags the individual down to lower and meaner births when it groans with Avidya or Ajnana or ignorance. Therefore it is the duty of the individual to deal suitably with the turbulent mind sans of the “ Jeevattwam” in him. One should never forget that attachment, desire, pain and pleasure etc are of the mind and not of the Atman!

When we are functioning through our mind we are subjected to the tyranny of attachment, desire, pleasure, pain etc.  But in deep sleep when our minds are temporarily not effective in ourselves these tyrannies are at an end! When we look through the medium of green glasses the whole world appears green in color. It is the color of glasses that determine our vision. That is not the real state of things. Therefore, all these negative tendencies belong to the mind and perceived only through the mind. These are not of the ATMAN!

“ That which is not thought by the mind, but that by which , they say, the mind is made to think—know that as the Brahman, and not what people worship here.”  (KENOPANISHAD)

 

ATMA BODHA 22

ATMA BODHA 22

“AGYANAT-MANASO-UPADHEH KARTRITVADEENI CHATMANI

KALPYANTE-AMBUGATE-CHANDRE CHALANADI YATHA AMBHASAH”

The waves that belong to the waters are attributed through ignorance to the reflected moon dancing in it. Similarly, agency of action, of enjoyment and other limitations 9which belong to the mind) are delusively understood as the nature of the SELF.(Atman)

It is the intellect that is responsible for ideas like “I am the enjoyer, “ I am the doer.” These ideas arise in the mind when we are involved and immersed in the activities of the work a day world and the dream world. But on the other hand we do not get such ideas when we are in deep sleep. Why is it so?  It is only when the mind is available for perception and cognition that we come to know of the things cognized. As long as we identify ourselves with the mind we can claim to have the dual experiences in these planes of existence. But when we withdraw ourselves from the mental plane and remain in a state of Pure Consciousness ( Samadhi) we realize that all the thoughts and activities of the intellect, mind and the body are not in the Self, nor are they of the Self. The delusory reflection of the Consciousness in the mental plane which agitates with the panting egoistic ideas of “ I am the doer,” I am the enjoyer” cease as there are no thought eruptions there in.

Sankara  gives a beautiful simile to illustrate the point. This is a very common example which everyone knows.. The image of the moon is reflected in a bucket of water. The image is not steady. It shivers when the water surface is disturbed. At the same time when the water in the bucket calms down and becomes steady we do not see the shattered moon reassembling to form one whole. In the same manner, when one has purified one’s mind and has consolidated its strength and has reconstructed it to be firm and steady by narrowing down its many unholy, unhelpful and selfish thoughts, the glory of the Self gets automatically reflected in all its beauty within oneself!! It is now unshaken by the dualities around and the consequent agitations!!

An optical illusion is created and it appears that the moon is shivering and unsteady in water in the bucket. It is only the reflection of the moon disturbed by the movement of the water in the bucket. When the mind and intellect are disturbed by the happenings in the material world it is mistaken as that which affects the SELF!  But the Self is totally unaffected by the happenings that disturb the mind and intellect!