taTastha-lakshhaNa and sWarUpa-lakshhaNa-may i please share?

[Guest guest]

well, Folks ! Chitta-ji is making us 'think' and think 'harder'

and 'harder ' by introducing so many terms in Adwaitha doctrine !

Professorji just issued a clarification on what

 

1)taTashta and 2) swarupa lakshanas are !

 

Here is what Swami Krishnanda (Divine Life Society) says on

this ....

 

Svarupalakshana and Tatasthalakshana. The Svarupalakshana of a thing

is the definition given of it in terms of the characteristics or

Svabhavas which constitute it as long as it exists, and which are not

different from its Svarupa or essential nature. The qualities which

give the Svarupalakshana of a thing are identical with the essential

existence of a thing itself. Svabhava and Svarupa mean the same

thing, and are not two things related to each other through some kind

of contact. A house, for example, may be defined through its

essential characteristics which last as long as the house itself

endures. Such a definition would be its Svarupalakshana. In the case

of Brahman, its Svarupalakshana should comprise only those

characteristics which are eternal, as Brahman itself is, and not

those which appear for the time being in relation to the Jiva.

Existence or Sat is eternal. There can be no destruction of

Existence. And there can be no Existence without Consciousness of

Existence. Hence Consciousness or Chit, too, is eternal. Since

Existence is unfettered, being undivided, secondless and infinite in

every respect, it is also supreme Freedom or Bliss. Therefore, Bliss

or Ananda is eternal like Existence or Consciousness. Existence-

Consciousness-Bliss or Satchidananda is not tripartite but the One

Eternal Reality. This is the Svarupalakshana or the definition of the

Essential Nature of Brahman. Though, in reality, Sat-Chit-Ananda are

one, they are differently manifested through the Tamasika, the

Rajasika and the Sattvika Vrittis of the Manas, where the Tamasika-

Vritti manifests Existence alone, the Rajasika-Vritti Existence-

Consciousness alone, and the Sattvika-Vritti the whole Existence-

Consciousness-Bliss. Sat-Chit-Ananda are not parts or properties of

Brahman but Brahman's very essence or being itself.

 

The Tatasthalakshana of a thing is the definition given of it in

terms of certain characteristics which are accidental to it and do

not exist at all times. These characteristics are extraneous to the

thing defined and thus do not constitute its essential nature. They

are different from its Svarupa or Svabhava, i.e. different from the

thing defined. There is an external relation between these

characteristics and the thing they define. A house, for example, may

be defined as a building on whose roof a crow is perching. It cannot,

however, mean that a crow is always perching on the roof of every

house. This is only a temporary definition of the house in relation

to an object external to it, where the relation with that object is

merely accidental to it. This definition will not obtain for all

time. It is, rather, an imperfect definition of a house. Such,

however, would be the Tatasthalakshana of a house. In the case of

Brahman, its Tatasthalakshana is the definition given of it in terms

of the apparent and accidental universe of individualistic

experience. Creatorship, preservership and destroyership of the

universe, omnipresence, omniscience and omnipotence, are all

characteristics of Brahman in relation to something external to it.

This definition will hold good only so long as the universe is

experienced. This is a dependent and artificial definition which has

no real relation to what is sought to be defined. The causality of

Brahman is not a fact as such, but an empirical notion of the

Jivas.

 

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The First Sloka of Narayaneeyam (Bhattathri)

 

SAndrAnandAvabhOdAtmakam Anupamitham kAladEshAvadibhyAm

nirmuktam nithyamuktam nigamashathasahasrEnha nirbhAsyamAnam

aspashtam drustamAthrE punaruru purushArthAthmakam

bhrahmathatvam tthathAvadbhAthi sAkshAd gurupavanapurE hantha bhAgyam

janAnam

 

Meaning

 

Brahman which is pure Existence-Consciousness-Bliss, which

is without parallel, which is absolutely free from

the limitations of time and space, which is always

free from the control of Maya, which is very well

explained by innumerable statements in the Upanishads,

but is yet not clearly grasped (by a mere study of

the Upanishads), but the realisation of whose identity

with one's own self is what constitutes the highest

Purushartha, namely, liberation from the cycle of

birth and death; that very Brahman

is present in concrete form in the temple of

Guruvayur (in the form of Lord Krishna) This is

indeed a great good fortune for the people.

 

NOTES :

In this verse the poet describes Brahman in both

Its aspects, namely as the Impersonal Absolute

(Nirguna) and as the Personal God (Saguna), the

latter by implication. This Brahman is then identified

with the image of Lord Krishna in the Guruvayur

temple. This identification runs like a thread

throughout this work. Every verse is addressed directly

to the Lord, who is manifest in the image and the

Lord is said to have given his approval by nodding

His head from time to time. In the last canto

the poet gives a vivid description of the living

presence of the Lord as he saw before him. To

Bhattatiri, the image is not just something composed

of gross matter, nor merely a symbol for God, but

the Lord Himself as a living presence. In other

words the image is an incarnation of the Lord, known

as Archavatara in the Vishvaksena Samhita. It is a

Descent of the Lord out of His boundless compassion

for man and is as much a live incarnation as those

of Sri Rama and Sri Krishna. There are many

temples in India where the image is looked upon by

devotees as a living incarnation of the Lord and

worshipped as such. Great saints

have actually experienced the presence of the Lord in these

images.

 

EXISTENCE-CONSCIOUSNESS-BLISS : Brahman is defined in

the Taittiriya Upanishad as Satyam Jnanam Anantam, --

Existence, Consciousness, Infinite (II.1). Brahman is

also described as Bliss (Ananda) in the same

Upanishad (III.6). Taking these together, Brahman is

described in Vedanta as Sat-Cit-Ananda or

Existence-Consciousness-Bliss. This is how Brahman is

described in this verse also. This is the

Svarupalakshana, the essential characteristic of Brahman

as the Impersonl Absolute (Nirguna).

 

WITHOUT PARALLEL : Brahman is Ekam Eva Advitiyam -

One only, without a second (Ch Up 6.2.1). Three

kinds of difference (bheda) are postulated in Vedanta

namely, sajatiya (difference from others of the same

species), vijatiya (difference from things of another

species) and svagata (internal difference). Since

Brahman is the only Absolute Reality, there is

nothing else, either of the same species or of

another species, with which It can be compared. Since

Brahman is without parts, It is also free from

internal difference. There is therefore nothing with

which it can be compared. It is in this sense that

Brahman is described here as without parallel. In

our normal experience when we say that a particular

thing is "incomparable", what we mean is that it

is far superior to all other things of the same

or a different kind. This is not the sense in

which Brahman is described here as incomparable or

without parallel. It is so described because, being

One only, without a second, there is nothing with

which It can be compared at all.

 

ABSOLUTELY FREE FROM THE LIMITATIONS OF TIME AND

SPACE :

This expression brings out by implication the

secondary or accidental character of Brahman, known as

Tatasthalakshana. The Taittiriya Upanishad defines

Brahman as Satyam Jnanam Anantam. The word Anantam

means that Brahman is infinite, i.e., It is without

limitation with respect to time, space and other

things. Being without limitation with respect to time,

Brahman remains unchanged in all the three periods of

time -- past, present and future. Therefore Brahman

existed before the universe came into existence and

Brahman will exist even when the universe is

dissolved at the time of the Mahapralaya. The

efficient or intelligent cause (nimitta karana) of the

universe cannot therefore

be anything other than Brahman.

 

By saying that Brahman is not limited with respect

to space,

it is shown that Brahman exists everywhere, i.e., It

pervades

the whole universe. Gold pervades all ornaments made

of gold

and clay pervades everything made out of clay, such

as pots

etc. Gold and clay are the material causes of

everything made

out of them. In the same way, since Brahman

pervades everything in the universe, Brahman is the

material cause

(upadana karana) of the universe. The material cause

is that

which is never away from the effect. The gold

ornament

while existing as such, is nothing but gold. When

it is melted,

it is again nothing but gold. The ornaments come

out of gold

and on destruction as ornaments are again nothing but

gold. Similarly, the universe comes out of Brahman,

is sustained

by Brahman and dissolves into Brahman. According to

Advaita Vedanta, there is no real creation of the

universe. The universe

is only an appearance of Brahman.

Just as the rope can be said to

have 'become' a snake

when it is mistaken for a snake due to dim light,

Brahman appears to us as the universe because of

our beginning-less ignorance (Avidya). When the snake

was seen there was in

reality only the rope; when, on examination, the

snake was

found to be non-existent, there was again nothing but

the

rope. Thus the snake appears from the rope, remains

as the

rope and disappears in the rope. The rope is the

sub-stratum

for the appearance of the snake. Similarly, Brahman

is the sub-stratum on which the universe appears, in

which it exists

and into which it merges on dissolution. This is

known as

the Tatasthalakshana of Brahman, or accidental

characteristic,

because Brahman is not in any way affected or

modified

either by the appearance or by the dissolution of

the universe,

just as the rope is not in any way affected by

its appearing

as a snake. At the same time it helps us to

define Brahman

by reference to the universe, which alone is in

our personal experience. The classic example of

Tatasthalakshana is the identification of a particular

house in a street by pointing

out a crow accidentally sitting on it. While the

crow is not

part of the house and its presence there may not

last even

for a short period, it helps one to identify the

house.

 

ALWAYS FREE FROM THE CONTROL OF MAYA :

 

Maya is the power of Brahman and is therefore under

the

control of Brahman. Brahman associated with Maya is

Isvara

who creates, sustains and dissolves the universe.

Isvara is the

ruler and controller of Maya. Everything in the

universe is

under the control of Maya. When an individual

realises his

identity with Brahman he goes beyond Maya, but till

then

he is subject to Maya, whereas Brahman or Isvara is

beyond Maya in all the periods of time.

 

All the Upanishads have Brahman as their subject

and they explain Brahman in different ways. But,

Brahman being beyond the reach of the sense organs

and the mind, the study of the Upanishads alone

will not be sufficient to know Brahman. That

is why it is said here that, inspite of being

explained by innumerable statements in the Upanishads,

Brahman does not become clearly known. Brahman has to

be realised by manana (reflection) and nididhyasana

(contemplation) on the words of the Upanishads. Such

a realisation of Brahman as identical with one's own

self is liberation (moksa), The Br.Up. says the Atma

should be realised; should be heard about, reflected

upon and meditated upon (2.4.5). It is on the basis

of this statement in the Upanishad that the word

†òmaÇe in this verse has been interpreted above

as "immediately on realisation". The poet seems

to have had this Upanishadic statement in mind when

he used this word.

 

Thus, in this opening stanza the poet has

compressed the entire Vedanta.

 

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Sunderji mentioned in a recent post something about the Game of

Chess !!!

 

The Goal in Chess to reach the EIGHTH SQUARE , where the player may

choose to become the Queen.

 

This means a transformation into total freedom, the freedom to move

on the board in any direction.The Goal of Vedanta is the same -to

reach total freedom!

 

We are all pawns , the playthings of GODS. And a pawn we must remain,

advancing step by step until the goal is reached.

 

AT one point, when a forest looks too dark, Alice In wonderland

determines to go on, remarking, "for I certainly won't go back, and

this is the only way to the Eighth Square."

 

(swami vivekananda- Alice in wonderland through the looking glass)

 

Yes, guys!!! do not get lost in the forest of 'words, phrases and

terminology' .... ask questions , clarify doubts and that is the only

way to separate the wood from the trees.

 

HAPPY LEARNING!!!

 

(Another Alice Lost in the Samsaric Maya )