Guest guest Posted January 1, 2009 Report Share Posted January 1, 2009 The mind, according to advaita Vedanta-2 The mahAvAkya gives rise to Self-knowledge by making the mind take the 'form' of brahman. This is known as akhaNDAkAra vRitti. The question arises-- since brahman has no form, what is meant by saying that the mind takes the form of brahman? This is explained by SvAmi VidyAraNya in Jivanmuktiviveka, chapter 3 by taking an example. (In the first place, the word 'AkAra' in these contexts should be taken as meaning 'nature'. Otherwise the terms 'the form of pleasure, pain', etc., will also be illogical). A pot made of clay is full of the all-pervading space as soon as it is made. Filling it afterwards with water, rice or any other substance is due to human effort. Though the water, etc, in the pot can be removed, the space inside can never be removed. It continues to be there even if the mouth of the pot is hermetically sealed. In the same manner, the mind, in the act of being born, comes into existence full of the consciousness of the Self. It takes on, after its birth, due to the influence of virtue and vice, the form of pots, cloths, colour, taste, pleasure, pain, and other transformations, just like melted copper cast into moulds. Of these, the transformations such as colour, taste and the like, which are not-Self, can be removed from the mind, but the form of the Self, which does not depend on any external cause, cannot be removed at all. Thus, when all other ideas are removed from the mind, the Self is realized without any impediment. It has been said-"One should cause the mind which, by its very nature, is ever prone to assume either of the two forms of the Self and the not-Self, to throw into the background the perception of the not-Self, by taking on the form of the Self alone". And also—"The mind takes on the form of pleasure, pain and the like, because of the influence of virtue and vice, whereas the form of the mind, in its native aspect, is not conditioned by any extraneous cause. To the mind devoid of all transformations is revealed the supreme Bliss". Thus, when the mind is emptied of all other thoughts Self-knowledge arises. In mANdUkya kArika, III. 35 it is said:-- The mind loses itself in sleep, but does not lose itself when under control. That very mind becomes the fearless brahman, possessed of the light of consciousness all around. In his bhAshya on mANDUkya kArika, III. 46 Sri Sankara says:-- When the mind becomes motionless, like a lamp in a windless place, it does not appear in the form of any object imagined outside; when the mind assumes such characteristics, then it becomes brahman; or in other words, the mind then becomes identified with brahman. In his bhAshya on gItA, 6.19, Shri Shankara says: A lamp does not flicker when it is in a windless place. Such a lamp is compared to the mind of a yogi whose mind is under control when he is engaged in concentration on the Self. From the above three quotations it is seen that the mind remains dormant in deep sleep, but in concentration on the Self the mind becomes identified with brahman. The mind, being made of extremely subtle and transparent substance, receives the reflection of the consciousness of the Self. Because of this, it appears to be sentient, though it is really inert. All knowledge arises only through an appropriate modification of the mind, corresponding to the object of knowledge. Panchadashi, 2.13 says that it is the mind that examines the merits and defects of the objects perceived through the senses. The conclusion which the mind comes to will depend on the proportion of the three guNas in it at the time. Mind is the cause of bondage, as well as of liberation. AmRitabindu upanishad, mantra 2, says that the mind is, verily, the cause of bondage as well as of liberation; engrossed in objects of sense, it leads to bondage; free from attachment to objects, the same mind leads to liberation. bRihadAraNyaka upanishad, 1.5.3 says: "Desire, resolution, doubt, faith, lack of faith, steadiness, unsteadiness, modesty, knowledge, fear—all these are only (forms of) the mind. The meaning of this statement is that all these arise in the mind. The mind takes an appropriate vRitti when any of these arises. These are known by the witness- consciousness as soon as they arise, without the help of the external sense-organs. They are therefore called 'sAkShi pratyakSha' or perceived by the witness-consciousness directly. The mind is the cause of happiness and unhappiness. A person is happy when other living beings or inanimate objects are favourable to him, and unhappy when they are unfavourable. A thing or person is considered favourable when that thing or person responds in the way desired. If a son obeys his father, the father is happy; if he does not, the father is unhappy. A person is happy with his car or any other object as long as it functions well; if it does not, he is unhappy and wants to get rid of it. It is thus clear that happiness and unhappiness are only states of the mind, but are wrongly thought to be caused by external objects. Happiness is the result of the mind becoming calm. The mind becomes calm temporarily when a particular desire is fulfilled, and then happiness is experienced. But soon another desire crops up and agitates the mind, causing unhappiness. Thus it is clear that lasting happiness cannot be attained by the fulfillment of desires. The br. up, says "etasyaiva Anandasya anyAni bhUtAni mAtrAm upajIvanti"—All creatures enjoy only a particle of this bliss (the Bliss that is the very nature of brahman). We wrongly think that happiness comes from external objects. All the happiness that we enjoy is only a reflection of brahmAnanda in the mind when the mind is calm. (To be concluded) S.N.Sastri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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