ATMA BODHA 25

                   ATMANAH-SATH- CHID- AMSAS-CHA BUDDHEH VRITTI-RITI DWAYAM

SAMYOJYA-CHA AVIVIKENA JANAMITI PRAVARTATE”

The Atman is self effulgent while the mind is inert matter. The mind will be inert and powerless to  feel  without the power of illumination in consciousness. Bereft of this awareness within, we will not be conscious of our own thoughts. At the same time, a combination of these two contradictory things is impossible. Hence an alliance between the two is at best a delusory super imposition.

The mind-intellect -equipment  is ever exposed to the Eternal Self and the light of awareness. When from the sense organs the stimuli from the external world reach the bosom, the mind responds with the knowledge acquired in the past which in turn is expressed in actions. Life is an ‘unbroken chain of experiences’ and hence the individual is expected to respond to it constantly. Self is Absolute Knowledge.  Since  It is Knowledge itself, there is nothing for It to know. Self is considered as the only ONE Subject without any object to be known. Yet we experience the intellectual life of constantly knowing. How is it possible?  Sankara explains the subject in this stanza.

According to the theory in Vedanta knowledge of things is gained not through direct light of Consciousness but through “the beam of Consciousness reflected in the mind.”  The following illustration makes it clear. There is a dark room in your house. Suddenly you observe that it is fully illuminated on a day! How did it happen? A bucket of water in the verandah where the sunlight got reflected threw a pool of light on the dark wall of the room. When the reflecting medium is disturbed the reflected light is splashed about and the room is again in the dark.

Similarly the Self never illumines the objects directly. But the Light of Consciousness reflected on our intellect throws out a beam of reflected Consciousness that illumines the objects. This gives us the experience ‘I Know.’ Feelings and ideas shining in Consciousness are our knowledge of things! Remember that Anger, knowledge are characteristics of the mind. It is lack of discrimination that they are attributed to the ATMAN. In reality the nature of ATMAN is Sat- Chit-Ananda. The Eternal Self does not experience any change even when the individual experiences anger, pleasure pain etc. in his mind