SANKARA'S ATMA BODHA STANZA 2

 

SANKARA’S ATMA BODHA    STANZA 2

Vedanta   can be called as the science of life. It is an explanation of the art of living. It points to the perfect  goal of  existence and offers  various methods by which sincere aspirants can succeed in their pilgrimage. The teacher, therefore, has to descend to the level of the student as the goal transcends the normal levels of experience. He has to use the vocabulary from the everyday  language  and  present  them strangely dressed up  in special  significances. The golden key that unlocks the divine knowledge is to be seen in books like ATMA BODHA that explains thoroughly the categories in Vedanta. In the introductory stanza, the advocate of Adwaita, Sankara, prescribes certain criteria or qualifications for the spiritual aspirant who wish to take up the study of his text.

                                         Bodhonya  Sadhanebhyo  hi  Sakshan- Mokshaikasadhanam

                                         Pakasya Vahnivat-Gyanam  Vina  Moksho  na sidhyati.

Just as the fire is the direct cause for cooking, without Knowledge of the Self no liberation or emancipation is possible. In comparison with various forms of discipline, Knowledge of the Self is the one direct means for liberation.

In the previous stanza, Sankara   prescribes  ATMA BODHA to those who have performed Tapas and those who have warded off their sins through austerities. He wants the aspirant to have  developed  Santam or Peace in his heart.  He must also have eschewed the temptations of the Senses. Finally, he must have an insatiable desire for liberation. All these traits are very rare in mortal men.  It is quite likely that people may mistake and feel that the above mentioned qualities are enough for the attainment of Knowledge of the Self. To remove that misunderstanding,  Sankara  affirms that the Knowledge of the Self  alone is the one direct means for liberation. Austerities, tapas, peace of mind and heart, rituals, absence of sin,  control over the senses, and a burning desire for  liberation  can never bring Knowledge of the Self. They are at best helpful factors for spiritual growth. By themselves , they can never lead  directly to liberation. Liberation takes place when one realizes  the  true Knowledge of our existence.  In other words , one  has to rediscover the glory of  his Self.

 Sankara, in this and in every other stanza, drives home the point through excellent and striking similes. Cooking food is a multiple process. We have to secure vegetables, clean them, cut them according to our need, keep ready rice, pulses, spices and other materials required. These are contributory  factors  but can never  constitute food.  It is FIRE that cooks these ingredients in to palatable food. Hence Fire is the direct cause.  In the same manner austerities, rituals, tapas, charity, calmness, purity, control of senses, discrimination of the Real and the unReal , are the means towards the end, but by themselves do not lead one to Knowledge of the self.  “UPANISHADITI BRAHMA VIDYA- the Upanishad is defined  as BRAHMA VIDYA , the Knowledge of the Self .  Brahman is synonymous to the Atma or the SELF.  SO Sankara’s ATMA BODHA is practically the teachings of the Upsnishads put in very simple words and examples as against the abstruse descriptions of the SELF in the Upanishads.

 Chapter one of  ISAVASYA  UPANISHAD  describes the SELF in these words:  “ The SELF is unmoving, indivisible; It is swifter than thought. The senses never reach it, as it is ever ahead of them.  Though  standing still it out strips those who run. And  in it does the moving spirit support the  activities of man. (4)”

It moves and it moves not; It is far and likewise near. It is inside of all this, and it is outside of all this.” (5)

 

 

                                   ADI SANKARACHARYA’S   ATMA BODHA

                                                   QUALIFICATIONS FOR THE STUDY OF THE TEXT

Tapobhih  Kshina  papanam  Santanam  Vitaraginam

Mumukshunam  Apekshyoyam   Atma bodho vidhiyathe

 

Sankara himself prescribes certain qualifications and criteria for the student who wants to study and attain the KNOWLWDGE OF THE SELF OR ATMA BODHA.  It is not as if anyone can read the text and understand and realize Knowledge. Being the highest Knowledge, those who want to attain it should have very high qualifications to understand. An elementary class student cannot sit in a class of research and feel at home. The syllabus will be different and difficult and the aspirant will feel like a fish out of water. A proper maturity of mind is essential for understanding the Vedantic principles enunciated by the great teacher Sankara. The qualities required to approach ATMA BODHA are very difficult to attain. Unless one has these qualities it is impossible to think of attaining KNOWLEDGE of the self! What are those qualities and who are those blessed individuals that can attain the knowledge of the self? Sankara clearly states in the first stanza of his great work the types of people who are eminently suited to acquire the Knowledge of the self. Sankara says:

                               “I compose the ATMA BODHA, the treatise of the Knowledge  of the SELF for those who have purified themselves by austerities and are peaceful in heart and calm, who are free from cravings and are desirous of liberation.”

There are four types of individuals in society. 1 people in sorrow and difficulties who want relief (Arthi) 2 those who want money and other things ( Artharthi) 3 Jignasu ( Pious and theistic) and 4 Mumukshu  (seeker of liberation or Moksha)  Atma Bodha  is, therefore, intended for one who wants emancipation  of the individuality from all its sense of bondage. Not only this, the four requisites are 1 the discrimination of the Real and the un Real; 2 Detachment from the  unreal ; 3 goodness and calmness; 4  compelling desire for Self re discovery. Evidently, Atma Bodha is not intended for the ordinary common man. He does not know what Tapas is. He is a blend of all the sins committed knowingly or unwittingly. He is devoid of peace or santam  because of worries and difficulties. He is buffeted by waves of desires and other senses. Last of all he is drowned in the sea of samsara and dragged down by the attachments he has developed.  He never thinks of emancipation or moksha or liberation.

Knowledge can be attained through reading books. But knowledge without proper application is useless. Mere book knowledge is utterly useless in the study of philosophy when the man enters the field of activity. An earnest seeker should digest the knowledge  gained  until it grows into convictions fit to be turned into actions.  Living in self control and an attempt to evolve into a diviine being is termed as Tapas. All spiritual activities like pilgrimage, fasting, japa, Dhyana and others  are different types of Tapas. They help in the reduction of sins.  So Atma Bodha, according to Sankara, is for one who has reduced his wrong tendencies through tapas, who has achieved more mental calmness, who has controlled  his desires, and  who is a sincere seeker of liberation from personal bondage.

 As the subject of the Text is ATMA BODHA or KNOWLEDGE OF THE SELF, it requires a standard of personality in the student. It does not disqualify the student from reading the text.  But he has to develop the qualities needed to read the text and understand it. Whoever equips himself with the needed qualities is welcome to the study and understanding of ATMA BODHA.

ADI SANKARA,S ATMA BODHA

 

                                                           ATMA BODHA OF SRI ADI  SANKARA

 

Adi  Sankara  is one of the greatest of ancient philosophers and poets. It is he that established the  Adwaita School of philosophy. He propagated the thought of the Vedas and the Upanishads that there is only the Brahman and nothing else. All other Gods with names and forms are but the manifestations of the Brahman. He is also called “ Shanmata sthapanacharya” ie one who brought the six paths of worship. He showed the people the way to worship the Gods Surya ( Sauram), Ganesha (Ganapatyam), Sakthi ( Saktam),  Vishnu (Vaishnavam), Siva (Saivam) and  Kumaraswami ( Kaumaram). Though he was the champion of Adwaita or non dualism, he composed numerous stotras  on  these deities to inculcate devotion among people. Apart from these, Sankara’s commentaries on our spiritual texts are famous. His ‘Bhajagovindam ‘ ‘Kanaka dhara Stotram,’ are very popular among the common people. His magnum opus “ SOUNDARYA LAHARI” is a classical poetic extravaganza  wherein he pours out his deep devotion to the Universal Mother Kameswari! At a later stage, Sankara embarked on introducing the theme of Vedanta to the young spiritual aspirants. One such attempt is his work on ATMA BODHA!

The thought content of ATMA BODHA is fully drawn from the Upanishads. These Upanishadic  ideas are “strung together  on the chord of his poetry, interspersed with his exquisite similes. This wonderful garland so offered by Sankara to adorn Mother Sruti is ATMA BODHA! Says Swami  Chinmayananda. It is a pity that modern man is totally drowned in the sea of Samsara or family life. His attachment to his wife, children, property and other illusory things drags him  down . He is incapable of thinking  about anything else. Under the influence of Maya he considers the real as unreal and the unreal as real. He is unable to devote any time to contemplate on ATMA or SOUL.  Is it not important for man to know why he is born on this earth and what is expected of him during his mortal existence? Is there no difference between him and the animals that eat, reproduce and die? Should he not, for a while, reflect on the purpose of his life which is temporary and likely to end sooner or later?

 Unfortunately, man thinks that he is the body!  Greatest importance is given to the body and its various activities!  He is unmindful of the ATMA or the Soul that is embedded in the innermost recess of heart. This Atma is responsible for all the actions of the body and its organs! It is the root cause of ‘ chaitanya’ or awareness  of the body. ATMA is the indweller of every creature in the universe and it is a grave mistake not to know its significance in human life.  Sankara offers this Knowledge of the Atma through his ATMA BODHA. When you say “ it is my hand” you are separate and your hand is separate! You are not the hand.  But the hand is yours. This ‘MY’ is the ATMA which is your true nature. Atma is formless, nameless, colorless, and odorless. It is indestructible, eternal.  But the body has a form, name, color, smell .It is temporary and destined to die! The Lord, in the Bhagavadgita, explains to doubting Arjuna, the cardinal difference between the body and the ATMA. After this revelation, Arjuna  readies  himself to fight and kill the Kauravas on the battlefield of Kurukshetra!

ATMA BODHA is the panacea for all the modern ills of society! The sorrows and troubles that man experiences, caught in the inextricable web of birth and death ,  can be mitigated and removed through the Knowledge of the Real Nature of ATMA. But, it is a pity and a tragedy that no real attempt is made by most of the generation. But it is not an easy task. It requires “Scientific  detachment, honest observation, logical conclusion,  and heroic decision  to overcome the trials and tribulations of life.

ATMA BODHA is a blend of sixty eight stanzas full of suggestions!  Every stanza  has a picturesque and striking  simile that tests your thinking. The examples are  like ‘hammer strokes that  nail the elusive  Vedantic  ideals’  on the spiritual student  novices. The examples are pregnant with suggestions and it is no wonder that to contemplate upon them is, in itself,  a profitable meditation for the aspirants!

MOKSHA OR EMANCIPATION

 

Every individual born on earth is expected to achieve Four important things in life. They are called the “PURUSHARTHAS.” They are 1 Dharma or righteousness 2 Artha or earning wealth 3 Kama or Desire and finally 4 Moksha  or Emancipation. In fact that is the basis for the life of man on earthI . it is also the purpose for which man is born. Man is expected to lead a life of Dharma or righteousness laid down by the Vedas and other scriptures. He should do things prescribed by the Vedas and avoid those prohibited. Artha means money. It is impossible to live without Money and one has to earn money for his livelihood. Sikshavalli  of Taittiriya Upanishad ordains, “ Satyam vada, Dharmam chara, swadhyayaan pramadaha,  Achaaryapriyam dhanamahrutya..”---Speak the Truth always; Follow Dharma; Do not neglect reading the Vedas; Lead a Vedic life following the path of Satya and Dharma. In other words, all earnings should be in accordance with Satya and Dharma.  

Kama means Desire or Wish.  For every aspect of life Dharma should be the basis. Money has to be earned in a righteous manner, not in devious ways. Similarly all desires must be satisfied according to the rules laid down in Dharma. In fact desires are too many and man is never satiated when a desire is fulfilled. One desire leads to another and there is no end for it! Man in this world is the victim of multiple unquenched desires! His craving has no end at all He is ready to go to any extent to satisfy his desires! This attitude leads to his ultimate doom. But a desire according to Dharma shall surely satisfy him and  lead  to progress. So man has to follow the path of Dharma, earn his wealth through the principles of righteousness, and at the same time satisfy his desires according to the tenets of Dharma! Any deviation from the path of Dharma is taboo and looked down upon

The last and final aspect of Man’s life on earth is Moksha or emancipation or salvation. Many definitions are prevalent on it. It is believed that Moksha  is a state obtained after death! It is also said that Moksha is a state of supreme bliss unperturbed by any mundane disturbances and troubles. It is all imagination and we do not have any evidence to know what it is! None has come down to earth to explain what Moksha  is after enjoying it! People believe that a good person, pious and religious, devoted to God and one who serves humanity selflessly shall surely attain Moksha or salvation. Bhagawan Sri Sri Satya Saibaba  gives a wonderful definition for the word Moksha! “ Moha kshaya is Moksha, ie  giving up attachment is liberation. When you gradually reduce attachment, that itself leads you to liberation

Most of us are unfit to attain Moksha because we are unable to achieve Moha Kshaya or reduce our attachments! From the child’s birth attachments add on to it. Even as it grows up these attachments increase in leaps and bounds. Involved in his material existence, man increases his burden of attachments and finds it extremely difficult to get rid of it! He is immersed in the inextricable cycle of Samsara or family life. His attachment to his wife, children, kith and kin, property weigh him down  and there is absolutely no chance for him to think of anything else, leave alone Moksha! Under the illusion of Maya he thinks that he is right while it is not so! As long as this “ mamakara” or attachment persists there is no chance of obtaining Moksha  or emancipation. One of the Azwars describes samsara or family life as a great ocean.  Desire is the waters of the ocean!  The wind of love and lust has roused the waves in the ocean! Wife is the moat! Sons are the alligators ready to swallow! Samsara is a great Ocean “ mahati  jaladhau”!  O Lord! Grant me the boat of Bhakthi to cross it”

Does it mean that Man can never attain Moksha because he is drowned in the sea of Samsara?  No! The majority of people in the world are involved in their material existence and are not bothered about moksha or salvation. But here and there, a class of rare men spring up with amazing qualities of non attachment, devotion, piety, determination, and commitment for selfless service to humanity!  A child Dhruva who left everything for the vision of Lord Vishnu, child Prahlada the ardent devotee of Sri Hari and the son of the inveterate enemy of Vishnu are perfect examples of pure non attachment or Vairagya!  There are many more illustrious people like the sage Valmiki who from being a robber,  transformed himself into the Adi Kavi of the Ramayana!  In our own days we have the great Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, the epitome of Non attachment  and a model for selfless service to humanity! Saint Sri Thyagaraja is another example of one with family but who transcended all family responsibilities in his tapas on Sri Rama! There is absolutely no doubt that these eminent personalities have attained MOKSHA because of their Non attachment!!

 

                                                                     YOU YOURSELF ARE GOD

\         “ You yourself are God: There is no need  to search for Him anywhere” declares Bhagawan Sri Sri Sathya Saibaba. We are all very happy to think that we are God Himself. Outwardly it gives us great pleasure to think and imagine that we are equal to that indescribable entity called God. To compare ourselves to God who is formless and without attributes is very difficult. The God we know has many forms and names. God has wonderful powers. He is called the creator, protector and destroyer also. How can these qualities apply to us?  The Upanishads proclaim that Atma or Soul is the Brahman. “ ayamatma  Brahma”—This Atma is Brahman. Again the Upanishad confirms, “ Aham Brahmasmi”—I myself am Brahman. Being mortals as we are it is intriguing to think that we are God Himself! Then why does Swami declare that you yourself are God? In what way can we accept that we are God? We have to go a little deeper to understand the statement of Swami.

The very purpose of man on earth is to realize himself.  In other words he has to realize that he is not the body that is destroyed ultimately but the Atma or Soul that is eternal, indestructible and without attributes. The pity is that man identifies himself with the body rather than the soul. He is always concerned about his body but not the Atma embedded in the innermost recess of his heart. A simple logic establishes that the body and soul are different and separate. When you say” This is my hand”  hand  is separate and you are separate. You are not the hand. You are the owner of the hand. That owner is the Atma  or Soul that is the root cause of all action or ‘chaitanya’.  Arjuna is baffled on the battlefield of Kurukshetra  on  seeing his own kith and kin and mentors .He lays down his Gandiva and arrows and refuses to kill his own brothers and gurus! He does not want to enjoy the bloody meal.  He prefers sanyasa  to such a gory deed. It is then the Lord admonishes Arjuna and explains to him the nature of the Atma or Soul and the body. “ Naim chindantisastrani nainam dahati pavaka….” Atma cannot be wounded by arms or burnt by fire. It cannot be made wet or dried by air . It is indestructible, eternal as opposed to the transient and perishable body. Arjuna’ doubts vanish and he rises to do his Swadharma, the duty of a Kshatriya.

We are under the illusion that we are independent and act accordingly. Not a single act of ours is independent! Everything is dictated by the Atma or Soul that is present in everyone in the universe. Our Indtriyas do their activities egged on by the Atma  or Soul that is equated to the Brahman of the Upanishad. The Upanishad asserts  “ the eyes see not but That by which the eyes are made to see, know that as the Brahman. The ears hear not but That by which the ears are made to hear know that as the Brahman. We are all enveloped by Maya or illusion and it is impossible to get rid of it. Under its influence  we cosider the right as wrong and the wrong as right, The cycle of samsara has led man to a materialistic existence devoid of the thought of God.  He considers life on earth as permanent  forgetting that the frail body has to fall sooner or later. There is no time for him to think of God and the significance of the Atma in the body which is Brahman itself! The understanding should dawn upon man that he is not the body but a chip of the same block namely God Himself!

We must understand that the Atma or God  Or Soul in our body is the same in all the creatures in the universe. God is the cause of chaitanya or any form of activity. “ Ekah Paratma bahudehavarthi” say our sastras. Like the clay that forms into different pots and sizes, gold that forms into different jewels, and milk that is collected from different cows, the original object is the same. Atma is ONE but it resides in different bodies. We attach importance to the forms and bodies but not the Atma within! That is the root cause of all trouble. Atma  or God or Brahman has no form, color, name, or any attachment!  It is immortal, eternal! We are deeply attached to our families, kith and kin and property! That prevents us from realizing the Atma or God. The best way to realize  oneself is to detach yourself from these material bonds! But it is not very easy to achieve. Desires have to be curtailed. The effect of the inner adversaries or Arishadvargas has to be annulled or controlled to the maximum to come near god realization.

The company of sadhus and devotees will go a long way in developing the most important quality of Detachment. Compassion for all and service to the needy and the downtrodden is nothing but service to God who is in their hearts! Service to others helps in removing your ego or Ahankara! Over indulgence in family life should be avoided. Japa or repetition of God’s name or chanting shall help in concentration on God which shall surely lead to realization of God .The story of sage Valmiki, who transformed himself into “Adi Kavi” of the Ramayana is a classical example!  Let us, therefore, try to realize what we are and recognize the Divinity in us and improve it further for our own emancipation!!!!