Advaita Bhoda Deepika #21

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End of post #20:

 

M.: Unless one has a tongue one cannot say that one has

no tongue to speak with. Similarly unless there is the seer of the

void one cannot say there was nothing left. Otherwise one can

not say anything. On the contrary since the speaker says that

nothing is seen, it is obvious that the Self remains there revealing

nothing besides Itself.

 

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D.: If so, how can it remain unknown?

M.: The Self sees all but is seen by none else.

Being Self-shining It can without any aids know things but

there is nothing which can know It. It knows all; It knows

that there is nothing; It is the inmost core of all; It remains as the

pure, untainted, Ether of Consciousness unseen by anything.

It remains undivided. The knower of all, the Pure

Knowledge, is the Self.

 

36-43. D.: How does the Self remain unknown by

anything, yet knowing all?

M.: The sheaths appear as existing. When they are rejected,

their absence appears as a blank or nothing. The sheaths, the

blank and all else that appears are but insentient and cannot of

their own accord show themselves forth but must be seen by a

seer. In the absence of the seer, nothing can be seen.

 

D.: How so?

M.: Objects like a pot etc., manifest only to a seer; otherwise

they do not exist. In the same manner, the void beyond the five

sheaths manifests because there is the seer. Unless there is the

witness, how can the void appear as though nothing were seen?

Not being conscious but only insentient, it cannot show itself

forth unless the witness sees and recognises it.

 

D.: Though insentient it can manifest itself.

M.: In that case let objects like a pot etc., show themselves

forth, in the absence of their seer. This is impossible. The void

appearing as nothing is also insentient and therefore cannot

shine forth by itself. It must be illumined by a light beyond and

witnessed by it.

 

D.: How?

M.: Just as clouds etc. above or objects like a pot etc. below,

are not self-luminous but must be illumined by the sun which

lies millions of miles beyond and is self-effulgent, so also the

void etc. beyond the intellect and objects fancied by it, are

insentient and non-luminous but must be illumined by the

transcendent, self-shining Consciousness. Beyond the void and

distinct from it, there is the witness seeing the void and all else.

He is the Self unknown by anything, yet knowing all. By your

intellect made subtle, find and realise the Self.

 

44-45. On the nature of the Self being thus made clear by

the Master's words, like an apple in one's hand, the disciple was

able directly to realise the Self. He then expressed his joy thus:

"O Master, I have directly experienced the Self! I have now

known It well!"

 

M.: How do you find the Self to be?

D.: Witness of all objects, void etc., knowledge, aware of

all, very majestic, inestimable, unfathomable, beyond the senses,

mind, intellect etc., unassociated, untainted, formless, not gross,

not subtle, not atomic, not massive, not white nor black nor

otherwise coloured, not dark nor bright but finer and purer

than ether, is the Self. Not the least trace of any change is to be

found there. Owing to the light of Consciousness, all changing

objects and the void appear outside intellect and far from it; the

Self has no modification.

 

M.: How then do the notions "I am fat - I am lean"

appear in the Self?

D.: The veiling factor of Ignorance hides the true nature

of the Self from all; without seeing the Self, all mistake the

sheaths for the Self. This is owing to Ignorance only. In fact

there is no modification in the Self. Though pure and

colourless, the sky seems blue; similarly Ignorance makes the

Self look as if changing whereas It remains only unchanging

and untainted.

 

Here and now It is clearly known; It can never be absent.

O, is it not a wonder that though ever so immediate and real,

there should have been this great illusion that the Self is not

seen! It is like the owl seeing nothing but darkness round it in

the dazzling light of the Sun! O! the Self is effulgent and

manifest! Yet an illusion spread a darkness over us to make us

feel "The Self is not seen!" Really it is a wonder! Can there be

darkness in midday? Before the ever-bright, ever-manifest

Supreme Self, can there remain any veiling? Whence can it

arise? How can one even think of It? Surely veiling is itself an

illusion; it is a mere word; there is no sense in it!

M.: If there is no veiling how did the Self lie hidden so

long?

 

D.: Though unreal, this Ignorance flourished on the nonenquiry

of the individual. Just as one's non-enquiry hides the

rope from view and presents it as a snake, so also non-enquiry

into the Self hides It from being seen and this is called the

veiling aspect of beginningless Ignorance. Now that the Self is

realised, the so-called veiling is nowhere to be seen. Lo, the Self

is here and now found to be the ever-shining witness! Wonder

of Wonders! Like an apple in my hand I have now clearly realised

the Self. Now Lord, Master, fortunately by your grace I am

blessed; my task is finished!

 

46-50. On hearing the happy words of the blessed disciple,

the master is pleased and speaks as follows: "Wise, worthy son,

by God's Grace you have realised what one must realise! By His

Grace your ignorance has ended by which even the learned

unable to realise the Self, remain deluded. Happily you have

got what is denied even to great scholars! Jointly all the merits

of your past births have this day borne fruit! What can be the

excellence of your merits that they have borne this fruit? Blessed

are you! Ended is your task. You are an accomplished man.

 

How wonderful that you have gained that which must be gained

above all! In order to gain this, all the great works, vows,

austerities, worship, yoga and other laborious tasks are

undertaken; and only to know it all the trouble and worry of

these processes is gone through. All your travail is now over. All

the labour of your past births has this day borne fruit. Only in

ignorance of this Supreme Thing all people lie sunk in the

fathomless sea of repeated births and deaths. You have reached

the shore beyond this sea. In ignorance of this all men mistake

the body, senses etc., for the Self. You have found this Self.

Therefore you are really wise, truly intelligent. There can be no

doubt of this.

 

So far you have really quested and realised the significance

of "thou" in the text 'That thou art'. On the same lines pursue

your enquiry and realise the significance of 'That' in the text."

 

51-52. D.: Please tell me, Master, the direct and intended

meanings of 'That', just as for 'thou' they are the sheaths and

the witness respectively.

M.: The whole universe is composed of the five factors -

Being-shining-pleasing-name and form, the five sheaths and the

external objects like a pot etc.

 

D.: Please explain the five factors of the external objects.

M.: That a pot is, is its 'being' aspect; that it appears, is its

'shining' aspect; that is dear to us, is its 'pleasing' aspect; 'pot' is

its 'name' aspect; and its shape, its 'form' aspect. So it is with all

objects. Of the five factors, the first three are characteristic of

Brahman, and the remaining two, of the world.

 

The direct meaning of That is the world factors, i.e. names

and forms; the intended meaning is Brahman - the composite

of Being-shining-pleasing. Just as the beginningless Ignorance

veils the self-evident difference between the sheaths and their

witness, so also it veils the similar difference between the Beingshining-

pleasing and the 'name and form' factors. Again as

enquiry scatters away the veiling power, the Being-Knowledge-

Bliss can be seen distinct from the 'name and form' aspect.

 

53-54. D.: What is the 'fruit' of knowing the direct and

intended meanings of 'That' and 'Thou' in the text, 'That

thou art.'

M.: The text speaks of the sameness of 'thou' the witness

of the five sheaths and of 'That' i.e., Brahman or Being-

Knowledge-Bliss lying beyond the names and forms in the

universe. These are the intended meanings of 'thou' and 'That'.

There can be no identity between the five sheaths of the

individual, the direct meaning of 'thou' and the names and

forms in the universe, the direct meaning of 'That'. Hence it

follows that the five sheaths and the names and forms are only

illusory. To know the witness and Brahman to be one is the

'fruit' of knowledge.

 

D.: How can these be one and the same?

M.: Being only Being-Knowledge-Bliss, both of them must

be the same. Just as the ether in a pot and that in the open have

the same characteristics and are therefore identical, so also the

witness and Brahman having the same characteristics, namely

Being-Knowledge and Bliss, are one and the same. The ether of

the pot is that of the open and vice versa; so also the witness is

Brahman, and Brahman is the witness.

 

55-56. Inasmuch as Brahman is impartite perfect

Wholeness, the witness being Brahman must also be impartite,

perfect Wholeness. Therefore it is established that the Self is

One unbroken Bliss.

 

D.: What is the 'fruit' of this knowledge?

M.: To reject the five sheaths and names and forms of

objects as something inexpressible, only superimposed on the

Reality, illusory to practise that the substratum, i.e., Brahman

of Being-Knowledge-Bliss is the Self and to realise It as 'I am

Brahman' with the resulting Supreme Bliss of being the

Brahman, is the 'fruit' of this knowledge. Here ends the chapter

on Reflection.

 

57. The wise student who carefully reads and practises it

can realise himself as Brahman i.e., Being-Knowledge-Bliss.

 

End of Chapter V.

 

 

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Taken from Advaita Bhoda Deepika

as published by Sri Ramanasramam

Tiruvannamalai 2002.

 

To be continued...

 

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