ATMA BODHA 47

 

ATMA BODHA 46

“TATTVA-SWAROOP-ANUBHAVAT UTPANNAM-GYANAM-ANJASA

AHAM-MAMETI-CHA-AGYANAM BADHATE DIG- BRAHMADIVIT.”

THE IGNORANCE OF PERSONS IS CHARACTERED BY THE NOTIONS OF “I” AND “MINE.” THIS IS DESTROYED BY THE KNOWLEDGE PRODUCED BY THE REALIZATION OF THE TRUE NATURE OF THE SELF.THIS IS SIMILAR TO THE RIGHT INFORMATION WHICH 0REMOVES THE WRONG INFORMATION ABOUT THE DIRECTIONS.

Knowledge and experience of the Reality in an individual instantaneously removes the ignorance or Agyana that has created wrong ideas of a false ego earlier. This wrong conception of a limited, colored, distorted, personality has been the cause for the notion of possession ……..the “ I” and “ mine” in everyone.

When there is a feeling of confusion regarding the directions in a new town it is the sun rise that  helps in  locating the direction correctly. In the same manner, when the Knowledge of the Reality dawns the  limited ego sense till now living, the perceptions, feelings and thoughts it gains an understanding  of the right way of living in and experiencing through the various material equipments.

Sankara seems to foresee here the possibility of a logical doubt in the mind of an intelligent student. Commonly in our intellectual life knowledge of one object cannot remove the ignorance of other objects. But Sankara asserts that knowledge of  the experience of the Self will destroy the ignorance created  concepts of “ I “ ness and  “ MY-ness”  This appears to be  in contradiction to our daily intellectual  experience.

Sankara  llustrates  this idea through a simple example. When a traveler is in a confusion regarding the  direction  he has taken in a new place, a local man indicates to him the West. This indication by the local man   removes his ignorance regarding the South, the East and the North.This is because ,the other quarters have a definite relationship  with the one known  direction. The traveler can know for himself the other three directions.

Similarly with the realization of the Self, we immediately understand our true relationship  with the world of objects around us and our own relationship with our matter envelopments. Ego centric “ I” and the concept of “Mine”  both become meaningless and delusory  as soon as the SELF is realized as One Universal Reality always the same within and without.

The directions are ever present whether we know them or not. Our confusion makes us take the east to be the west and so on. A right understanding gives us the true directions. Similarly, when the Self is known or realized, we can fix our relationship in the world on surer footings with a more balanced vision.

“ As the spider moves along its threads, and as from a fire tiny sparks fly in all directions, even so  from this SELF come forth all organs, all worlds, all deities and all beings. Its mystic name is ‘the TRUTH of truth.’ The senses are the truth and the SELF is the TRUTH of truth.”  (BRHADARANYAKOPANISHAD IV (Up.II. I. 16)