A prespective - 18

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tat tvam asi – IX

 

We have discussed how the knowledge takes place. Existence-consciousness that I

am, who is all-pervading, (as though) illumines the mind (or more correctly the

mind gets illumined in the presence of all-pervading consciousness) as saakshii.

Since the process is occurring in the platform of muula avidya, which is same as

maayaa, the mind, which is a material product of maayya, appears to gain

sentiency which is otherwise inert. Since saakshii and the mind are

ontologically different, they do not or cannot affect each other in this

process. It means saakshii does not undergo any modification by the apparent

process of illumination. The light of consciousness - as though - gets reflected

by the mind to make the mind a) knowable b) transactable and c) an agent for

subsequent transaction (ego or ahankaara). The relation between the saakshii and

the mind is called reflector and reflected or avabhaasya-avabhaasika sambandha,

which is a relation-less relation.

This is in contrast to the relation between a quality and object (guNa-guNi)

which are inseparable as in a blue-cloth, where blueness is insuperable from

cloth-ness, which Nayyayikaas call as samavaaya sambandha. The light of

consciousness that is getting reflected by the mind and makes it known is called

chidaabhaasa. This is also called aham vRitti, or ‘I- thought’ or ahankaara

(Sureswara calls this as idam vRitti – Naiskaryma Siddhi, III-60) – the

essential point is, it is a vRitti or similar to a thought since mind forms an

object for reflection of consciousness. Reflected light is not really distinct

from the original light other than the fact it makes the object, i.e, the mind,

known. We have discussed the fact that without getting reflected, the

all-pervading light of consciousness cannot be known since it cannot be an

object of knowledge. Hence, even the existence of consciousness cannot be

established without the mind and its

reflection, just as the existence of light cannot be established without an

object reflecting it. The object is not the light but the object makes the light

known. On the other hand the object cannot be known without the light. Whether

the objects exists when they are not known, is an academic question only. The

question is similar to - Are there unknown objects existing in a pitch dark

room? We will never know whether they exist or not unless I perceive them by

turning the light on. Thus mind is essential for knowledge to take place.

 

The reflected light from the mind gets further reflected by the thoughts or

vRitti that arise in the mind, as one perceives the world of objects. The

objects thoughts become idam vRitti or these thoughts. Hence knowledge process

involves a) first mind getting reflected by the light of consciousness and b)

the reflected light from the mind further reflecting the thoughts of objects of

the world that arise due to sense-input. These thoughts of the worldly objects

become - my thoughts- with an associated stamp of ownership – resulting in

mamakaara. Thus ahankaara is chidaabhaasa the original reflection of the mind by

saakshii and the mamakaara is subsequent reflection of the reflected light from

the mind by the worldly thoughts. The relation between the mind-and the objects

thoughts of the world is not only the reflector-reflected relation, but in

addition the thoughts get coated with likes and dislikes due to vaasanaas. Hence

unlike the saakshii and the

mind, the mind and objects are ontologically in par and therefore get mutually

affected by these likes and dislikes. Hence the world of objects can be

perceived as source of happiness or unhappiness depending not on the object, but

based on my likes and dislikes.

 

A better way of looking at this process is that as saakshii using the mind

illumines the thoughts of the world, similar to seeing the microorganisms using

a microscope. In this out-look, I am not giving that much importance to the

intermediary agent, the mind, other than as necessary tool, but giving complete

credence to the source of light, the saakshii, in whose original light of

consciousness alone everything gets illuminated or known. The mind is reduced to

a necessary instrument for saakshii. This shift in understanding is the

self-realization. This is similar to the understanding that the Sun via the moon

making the objects visible during a full-moon night, since moon does not have

light of its own and sun cannot be seen directly during the night. In order for

me to recognize the presence of the sunlight as I see the objects getting

illumined during the full-moon night, I need to understand clearly that it is

the sunlight that is getting reflected,

and I should be able to shift my attention to the original light from

intermediary reflected light from the moon, as I know that moon does not have

light of its own. Hence any knowledge of any object occurs due to the

consciousness getting reflected from the vRitti of the object. Thus in any

perceptual knowledge there are two things that come into contact to make the

knowledge possible – a) the existence of the object in the form of the vRitti

or a thought with attributive content of the object, and b) the light of

consciousness that I am getting reflected by the vRitti. This is expressed as

perceptuality condition by Vedanta paribhaasa as the existence of the object and

consciousness of the subject get united for me to be conscious of the existence

of the object.

This is also the essence of the sloka chanted during Vedic aarati:

na tatra suuryo bhaati na chandra taarakam

nemaa vidhyuto bhaanti koto2yam agniH|

tamevabhaantam anubhaati sarvam

tasya bhaasaa sarvam idam vibhaati|

Nether the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars, nor the electricity illumine you,

how this silly lamp can illumine you. You are the self-existent, self-luminous

entity and in your light only all things get illumined either directly or

indirectly. Thus the existence of every object in the world is known only by the

light of illumination by the consciousness that I am, that includes my mind and

via the mind the other objects in the world.

 

Hence realization is seeing the fact clearly and vividly. I am the

self-conscious and self-existent entity and illumine the mind through the mind

the objects in the world. In the processes of illumining the mind, I lend both

the existence and the consciousness to the mind. Anything is known only because

I am conscious entity and in the light of my consciousness only everything gets

illumined. In the deep sleep state, I exist all by myself as saakshii, since

mind is folded and therefore not available directly for illumination or

indirectly for illumining the objects of the world. As a saakshii illumining the

mind I am unaffected, but as ahankaara where I am using the mind illumine the

world of objects the impurities (raaga and dweSha – likes and dislikes) of the

mind can affect and get affected by the world of objects. It is like the

sunlight is directly illuming the mirror but the reflected light from the mirror

can illumine other objects – but that

intensity and abrasions of the reflected light depends on the quality of the

mirror. Cleaning the mirror helps to improve the reflection of the sunlight.

Similarly cleaning or purifying the mind helps the beam the light of

consciousness to reflect fully with all its glory or vibhuuti.

 

Self-realization is seeing the presence of oneself in every perception and in

ever transaction with the world since without the light of consciousness

illumining the objects the knowledge of the existence of the objects cannot

occur. This is termed as aatma kriiDa or playing with myself in and through

every transaction with the world. This is meditation while transacting with the

world of objects. However, when I withdraw myself from the world of object just

see myself as the witnessing consciousness that is getting reflected in the mind

as chidaabhaasa, I am reveling in myself as myself – called aatma rati. This

is meditation on himself. Thus jiivanmukti involves realization of oneself in

everything as the self of all and realization of everything in oneself as all

pervading existence-consciousness. The continuous modification of the world of

objects including the BMI forms a vibhuuti or glory of that sat-chit-ananda that

I am or that of Iswara. One,

who abides in this knowledge without getting lost in the superficial changing

world of objects that are getting illumined during the transactions, is called

jiivanmukta. That is shifting our attention to the sunlight using its

reflection by the mirror as well that reflected light getting further reflected

in other objects.

 

Jiivan mukta is unique in advaita. Dvaita and vishiShTaadvaita do not

to jiivan mukta. For them liberation is attained only after leaving this body.

One can never be independent of the Lord as they depend on Him for their very

existence and survival. Any notion of independence is due to ignorance due to

maayaa or delusion. Knowledge or jnaana is therefore recognition that one is

eternally dependent on Him and He is the controller, sustainer and annihilator

of the whole universe. By surrendering to Him only, one can overcome the maayaa

which is of divine origin – says Krishna.. Their often quoted sloka is:

daiviima yeshaa guNamayi mama maayaa duratyayaa|

maama evaye prapadyante, maayaam etaam tarantite||

Arjuna, this maayaa of mine is of divine origin. It is indeed difficult to cross

this ocean of samsaara; but it can be crossed over by completely surrendering to

Me; says Krishna. This sloka is often quoted by vishiShTaadvaita to emphasize

that SharaNaagati is the only way for attaining moksha. Moksha is attained by

going to VaikunTa which is called divya vibhuuti where one can enjoy the

infinite happiness along with Narayana and with the other liberated souls, while

serving the Lord. Only thing that the liberated soul cannot have is the power of

creation and power of giving liberation – Narayana alone can do that and not

even other Gods. Therefore for moksha it is useless to go after other Gods. Of

course, in VaikunTa, you will continue to serve Him as you did to gain that

liberation. There the jiiva-jiiva, Jiiva-Iswara, Jiiva-jagat (called divya

vibhuuti) and Iswara-jagat differences in VaikunTa also. Remaining finite in

size one enjoys the

infinite happiness being with the Lord as part of his total virat shariira or

cosmic body. How? That is how.

 

In advaita only liberation can be achieved right now and right here, since it is

the recognition that one is never bound and is ever free and both space and time

are notions in the mind. The bondage as well as liberation both are part of

delusion, since one is eternally free, nitya miktaH. Gurudev Swami

Chinmayanandaji used to tell a story. In Himalayas the pahaaDies, the local

citizens, who are simple and make their living by selling and buying while

transporting their merchandise using mules. One such pahaaDi was travelling with

his mules carrying his merchandise. As he was passing through a Himalayan pass,

it started snowing. He decided to take rest for the night and leave the next day

morning when it becomes clear. He looked around to see if there any shelters

that he and his mules can rest. He found an ashram of a swami. He went to the

swami and having prostrated requested permission to take rest in his ashram. The

Swami happily consented asking

him to tie his mules, feed them, have a bath and have something to eat before

he goes to bed. The pahaaDi was happy and went to tie the mules. To his

surprise he realized that he forgot to bring pegs to nail to the ground and

ropes for tying the mules to the pegs. He was forcing them to lie down on the

ground but they refused to lie down. He rushed to the swami and described the

problem in hand. Swami suggested to him to pretend that he has those pegs and

the rope and pretend to nail the pegs and go through all the motions of tying

them with the imaginary ropes. He could not believe that it would work but with

full faith in the swami’s words he went through the complete motion of tying

them by the imaginary ropes to the imaginary pegs nailed to the ground. To his

surprise the mules lied down without any protest. He thanked the swami and took

rest for the night. Next day morning he took leave from the swami and tried to

make the mules to get up. But

they would not, however much he tried. Again he rushed to swami who asked him

whether he untied the mules. PahaaDi said, maharaj, there were really not tied,

there were no ropes and pegs. They are just lying down. Swami said, that is

your knowledge, but the mules think they have been tied to the pegs and they

have to be untied. You have to untie them removing the imaginary ropes and the

pegs that were used in the night. He did that and mules immediately got up and

recognize that they are free of the ropes that tied them and were now able to

move forward. We are essentially like the mules who feel that we are tied down

life after life and we need to go through the process of getting untied.

Teaching by other philosopher further reinforces that the bondage is real. In

order to overcome this misunderstanding our minds need to be cleaned of wrong

notions. For that we need the four fold qualifications to prepare our mind to

recognize that we are ever-free,

even when we were thinking that we were bound. Thus according to advaita, both

bondage and liberation are only the deep rooted notions in the mind. That they

are notions and not real can only be established only when one knows the reality

behind the notions or have a knowledge that both subject and object or the whole

universe is pervaded by the existence – consciousness that I am. This

knowledge should be firm and abiding irrespective of the changing external world

or the BMI. The only proof of the pudding is that the reactions or relations

between the mind and the world of objects will have no bearing since the

attention of the jiivanmukta is shifted to the saakshii level or to the original

light of consciousness that is never affected by nature of the reflecting media.

The actions at the mind level are not motivated by individual BMI likes and

dislikes but by vibhuuti or glory of the all pervading reality that can spread

all over the world

without any contaminations. This we call as loka kalyaanam.

 

Hari om!

Sadananda