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Home , Chidabhasa, Samanadhikaranya, Viparyaya, Vivekachudamani

pMcadXaI ivaVarNya svaamaI

Panchadashi by Swami

Vedanta Panchadashi

Table of Content

I. THE DIFFERENTIATION OF THE REAL PRINCIPLE...... 2

II. THE DIFFERENTIATION OF THE FIVE ELEMENTS ...... 8

III. THE DIFFERENTIATION OF THE FIVE SHEATHS...... 17

IV. THE DIFFERENTIATION OF DUALITY...... 21

V. FIXING THE MEANING OF THE GREAT SAYINGS ...... 27

VI. THE LAMP OF THE PICTURE ...... 28

VII. THE LAMP OF PERFECT SATISFACTION...... 50

VIII. THE LAMP OF KUTASTHA ...... 72

IX. THE LAMP OF ...... 79

X. THE LAMP OF THE THEATRE...... 91

XI. THE BLISS OF ...... 93

XII. THE BLISS OF THE SELF ...... 103

XIII. THE BLISS OF NON-DUALITY ...... 110

XIV. THE BLISS OF KNOWLEDGE ...... 118

XV. THE BLISS OF OBJECTS ...... 123

1 ( by Sri Vidyaranya Swami )

I. THE DIFFERENTIATION OF THE REAL PRINCIPLE

1. Salutation to the lotus feet of my Sri Sankarananda whose only work is to destroy the monster of primal nescience together with its effect, the phenomenal universe. 2. This discussion about the discrimination of Truth () (from untruth) is being initiated for the easy understanding of those whose hearts have been purified by service to the pair of lotus feet of the Teacher. 3. The objects of knowledge, viz., sound, touch, etc., which are perceived in the waking state, are different from each other because of their peculiarities; but the consciousness of these, which is different from them, does not differ because of its homogeneity. 4. Similar is the case in the dream state. Here the perceived objects are transient and in the waking state they seem permanent. So there is difference between them. But the (perceiving) consciousness in both the states does not differ. It is homogeneous. 5. A person awaking from deep sleep consciously remembers his lack of perception during that state. Remembrance consists of objects experienced earlier. It is therefore clear that even in deep sleep ‘want of knowledge’ is perceived. 6. This consciousness (in the deep sleep state) is indeed distinct from the object (here, ignorance), but not from itself, as is the consciousness in the state of dream. Thus in all the three states the consciousness (being homogeneous) is the same. It is so in other days too. 7. Through the many months, years, ages and world cycles, past and future, consciousness is the same; it neither rises nor sets (unlike the sun); it is self-revealing. 8. This consciousness, which is our Self, is of the nature of supreme bliss, for it is the object of greatest love, and love for the Self is seen in every man, who wishes, ‘May I never cease to be’, ‘May I exist forever’. 9. Others are loved for the sake of the Self, but the Self is loved for none other. Therefore the love for the Self is the highest. Hence the Self is of the nature of the highest bliss. 10. In this way, it is established by reasoning that the individual Self is of the nature of existence, consciousness and bliss. Similar is the supreme Brahman. The identity of the two is taught in the . 11. If the supreme bliss of the Self is not known, there cannot be the

2 highest love for it. (But it is there). If it is known, there cannot be attraction for worldly objects. (That too is there). So we say, this blissful nature of the Self, though revealed, is not (strictly speaking) revealed. 12. A father may distinguish the voice of his son chanting (the ) in chorus with a number of pupils but may fail to note its peculiarities, due to an obstruction viz., its having been mingled with other voices. Similar is the case with bliss. Because of observation, it is proper to say that the bliss ‘is known yet unknown’. 13. Our experience of the articles of everyday use is that they ‘exist’, they ‘reveal’. Now an obstruction is that which stultifies this experience of existence and revelation and produces the counter-experience that they are not existing, they are not revealing. 14. In the above illustration the cause of the obstruction to the voice of the son being fully recognised is the chorus of voices of all the boys. Hence the one cause of all contrary experiences is indeed the beginningless . 15. Prakriti (i.e. primordial substance) is that in which there is the reflection of Brahman, that is pure consciousness and bliss and is composed of sattva, and tamas (in a state of homogeneity). It is of two kinds. 16. When the element of sattva is pure, Prakriti is known as ; when impure (being mixed up with rajas and tamas) it is called Avidya. Brahman, reflected in Maya, is known as the omniscient Isvara, who controls Maya. 17. But the other (i.e. the , which is Brahman reflected in Avidya) is subjected to Avidya (impure sattva). The Jiva is of different grades due to (degrees of) admixture (of rajas and tamas with sattva). The Avidya (nescience) is the causal body. When the Jiva identifies himself with this causal body he is called . 18. At the command of Isvara (and) for the experience of Prajna the five subtle elements, ether, air, fire, water and earth, arose from the part of Prakriti in which tamas predominates. 19. From the sattva part of the five subtle elements of Prakriti arose in turn the five subtle sensory organs of hearing, touch, sight, taste and smell. 20. From a combination of them all (i.e. sattva portions of the five subtle elements) arose the organ of inner conception called antahkarana. Due to difference of function it is divided into two. Manas (mind) is that aspect whose function is doubting and (intellect) is that whose functions are discrimination and determination. 21. From the rajas portion of the five elements arose in turn the organs of actions known as the organ of speech, the hands, the feet, and the organs of excretion and generation. 22. From a combination of them all (i.e. the rajas portions of the five subtle elements) arose the vital air (). Again, due to difference of function it is divided into five. They are Prana, Apana, Samana, Udana and Vyana.

3 23. The five sensory organs, the five organs of action, the five vital airs, mind and intellect, all the seventeen together from the subtle body, which is called the Suksma or linga sarira. 24. By identifying himself with the subtle body (and thinking it to be his own), Prajna becomes known as , and Isvara as Hiranyagarbha. Their difference is the one between the individual and the collective (i.e. one is identified with a single subtle body and the other with the totality of subtle bodies). 25. Isvara (as Hiranyagarbha) is called totality because of his sense of identification with all the subtle bodies (of the universe). The other (the Taijasa) is called ‘individual” because it lacks this knowledge (and is conscious only of his self, being identified with his own subtle body). 26. To provide the with objects of enjoyment and make the bodies fit for such enjoyment, the all-powerful Isvara has made each of the (subtle) elements partake of the nature of all others. 27. Dividing each element into two equal halves and one half of each again into four (equal parts) the Lord mixed the subtle elements so that each gross element thus formed should contain one half of its own peculiar nature and one eighth of that of each of the other four. 28. From these composite elements the cosmic egg arose, and from it evolved all the worlds as well as all the objects of experience and the bodies in which the experience take place. When Hiranyagarbha identifies himself with the totality of gross bodies he is known as Vaisvanara; when Taijasas do so with individual gross bodies (e.g.) of the devas, men or lower animals, they are known as Visvas. 29. They see only external things and are devoid of the knowledge of their true inner nature. They perform actions for enjoyment, and again they enjoy for performing action. 30. They go from birth to birth, as worms that have slipped into a river are swept from one whirlpool to another and never attain peace. 31. When the good deeds performed by them in past births bear fruit, the worms enjoy rest being lifted from the river by a compassionate person and placed under the shade of a tree on the bank. 32. Similarly, the Jivas (finding themselves in the whirlpool of samsara), receive the appropriate initiation from a teacher who himself has realised Brahman, and differentiating the Self from its five sheaths attain the supreme bliss of release. 33. The five sheaths of the Self are those of the food, the vital air, the mind, the intellect and bliss. Enveloped in them, it forgets its real nature and becomes subject to transmigration. 34. The gross body which is the product of the quintuplicated elements is known as the food sheath. That portion of the subtle body which is composed

4 of the five vital airs and the five organs of action, and which is the effect of the rajas aspect of Prakriti is called the vital sheath. 35. The doubting mind and the five sensory organs, which are the effect of Sattva, make up the mind sheath. The determining intellect and the sensory organs make up the intellect sheath. 36. The impure Sattva which is in the causal body, along with joy and other Vrittis (mental modifications), is called the bliss sheath. Due to identification with the different sheaths, the Self assumes their respective natures. 37. By differentiating the Self from the five sheaths through the method of distinguishing between the variable and the invariable, one can draw out one’s own Self from the five sheaths and attain the supreme Brahman. 38. The physical body present in one’s consciousness is absent in the dreaming state, but the witnessing element, pure consciousness, persists (in both the waking and dreaming states). This is the invariable presence () of the Self. Though the self is perceived, the physical body is not; so the latter is a variable factor. 39. Similarly, in the state of deep sleep, the subtle body is not perceived, but the Self invariably witnesses that state. While the self persists in all states the subtle body is not perceived in deep sleep and so it is called a variable factor. 40. By discrimination of the subtle body (and recognition of its variable, transient character), the sheaths of the mind, intellect, and vital airs are understood to be different from the Self, for the sheaths are conditions of the three gunas, and differ from each other (qualitatively and quantitatively). 41. Avidya (manifested as the causal body of bliss sheath) is negated in the state of deep meditation (in which neither subject nor object is experienced), but the Self persists in that state; so it is the invariable factor. But the causal body is a variable factor, for though the Self persists, it does not. 42. As the slender, internal pith of munja grass can be detached from its coarse external covering, so the Self can be distinguished through reasoning from the three bodies (or the five sheaths). Then the Self is recognised as the supreme consciousness. 43. In this way the identity of Brahman and Jiva is demonstrated through reasoning. This identity is taught in the sacred texts in sentences such as ‘That thou art’. Their method of explaining the truth is through the elimination of incongruous attributes. 44. Brahman becomes the material and efficient cause of the world when associated with those aspects of Maya in which there is a predominance of tamas and sattva respectively. This Brahman is referred to as ‘That ‘ in the text ‘That thou art’. 45. When the supreme Brahman superimposes on Itself Avidya, that is,

5 sattva mixed with rajas and tamas, creating desires and activities in It, then it is referred to as ‘thou’. 46. When the three mutually contradictory aspects of Maya are rejected, there remains the one individual Brahman whose nature is existence, consciousness and bliss. This is pointed out by the great saying 'That thou art’. 47. In the sentence ‘This is that Devadatta’, ‘this’ and ‘that’ refer to different time, place and circumstances. When the particular connotations of ‘this’ and ‘that’ are rejected, Devadatta remains as their common basis. 48. Similarly, when the adjuncts, Maya and Avidya (the conflicting connotations in the proposition 'That thou art') of Brahman, and Jiva, are negated, there remains the indivisible supreme Brahman, whose nature is existence, consciousness and bliss. 49. (Objection): If the denoted object (of 'That thou art' i.e., Brahman) is with attributes, then it becomes unreal. Secondly, an object without attributes is neither seen nor is possible to conceive. 50. (Reply with a counter question): Does the objection you have raise relate to Brahman without attributes or with attributes ? If the first, you are caught in your own trap; if the second, it involves logical fallacies of infinite regress, resting on oneself, etc. 51. The same logical fallacies may be shown in any object having substance, species, quality, action, or relationship. So accept all these attributes as existing (superimposed on) by the very nature of things. 52. The Self is untouched by doubts about the presence or absence of associates, connotations and other adventitious relationships, because they are superimposed on it phenomenally. 53. The finding out or discovery of the true significance of the identity of the individual self and the Supreme with the aid of the great sayings (like Tattvamasi) is what is known as sravana. And to arrive at the possibility of its validity through logical reasoning is what is called . 54. And, when by sravana and manana the mind develops a firm and undoubted conviction, and dwells constantly on the thus ascertained Self alone, it is called unbroken meditation (). 55. When the mind gradually leaves off the ideas of the meditator and the act of meditation and is merged in the sole object of meditation. (viz., the Self), and is steady like the flame of a lamp in a breezeless spot, it is called the super-conscious state (). 56. Though in samadhi there is no subjective cognition of the mental function having the Self as its object, its continued existence in that state is inferred from the recollection after coming out of samadhi. 57. The mind continues to be fixed in in the state of samadhi as a result of the effort of will made prior to its achievement and helped by

6 the merits of previous births and the strong impression created through constant efforts (at getting into samadhi). 58. The same idea Sri pointed out to Arjuna in various ways e.g., when he compares the steady mind to the flame of a lamp in a breezeless spot. 59. As a result of this (nirvikalpa) samadhi millions of results of actions, accumulated in this beginningless world over past and present births, are destroyed, and pure (helpful to the realisation of Truth) grows. 60. The experts in Yoga call this samadhi ‘a rain cloud of dharma’ because it pours forth countless showers of the bliss of dharma. 61. The entire network of desires is fully destroyed and the accumulated actions known as merits and demerits are fully rooted out by this samadhi. 62. Then the great dictum, freed from the obstacles (of doubt and ambiguity), gives rise to a direct realisation of the Truth, as a fruit in one’s palm – Truth which was earlier comprehended indirectly. 63. The knowledge of Brahman obtained indirectly from the Guru, teaching the meaning of the great dictum, burns up like fire all sins, committed upto that attainment of knowledge. 64. The direct realisation of the knowledge of the Self obtained from the Guru’s teaching of the great dictum, is like the scorching sun, that dispels the very darkness of Avidya, the root of all transmigratory existence. 65. Thus a man distinguishes the Self from the five sheaths, concentrates the mind on It according to the scriptural injunctions, becomes free from the bonds of repeated births and deaths and immediately attains the supreme bliss.

7 II. THE DIFFERENTIATION OF THE FIVE ELEMENTS

1. Brahman, who is, according to Shruti, the non-dual reality, can be known by the process of differentiation from the five elements. So this process is now being discusses in detail. 2. The properties of the five elements are sound, touch, colour, taste and smell. In Akasa (ether), air, fire, water and earth, the number of properties successively are one, two, three, four and five. 3. Echoes arise in the Akasa (ether), and hence we infer that the property of Akasa is sound. Air makes a rustling sound when it moves, and it feels neither hot nor cold to the touch. A fire in flame makes a characteristic crackling sound. 4. A fire feels hot, and its colour is red. Water makes a characteristic rippling sound; it is cold to the touch; its colour is white, and it is sweet in taste. 5. The earth makes a characteristic rattling sound; it is hard to the touch; its variegated colours are blue, red and so forth; it is sweet, sour and so forth in taste. 6. The earth emits smells, both pleasant and unpleasant. Thus the characteristic properties of the five elements are well classified. The five senses (which perceive them) are hearing, touch, sight, taste and smell. 7. The five senses successively function through the external apparatus, the gross organs, the ears, the skin, the eyes, the tongue and the nose. The senses are subtle; their presence is to be inferred from their functions. They often move outwards. 8. But sometimes we hear the sounds made by our in-going and out-going breaths, and we hear buzzing sound when our ears are stopped. We feel an internal sensation of hot and cold when food and water are swallowed. 9. When our eyes are closed, we see inside the absence of light, and in belching we experience taste and odour. Thus the sense organs give rise to experience of things within the physical body. 10. The various actions of man can be classified into five groups; speech, grasping, movement, excretion and enjoyment of sexual intercourse. Action performed in agriculture, commerce, service and so forth may be included into one or other of the groups. 11. The five groups of actions are performed through the five organs of action – the mouth, the hands, the feet, the anus and the genitals. 12. The mind, the ruler of the ten organs of sense and action, is situated within the lotus of the heart. As it depends on the organs of sense and action for its functions in relation to external objects, it is called an internal organ (antahkarana).

8 13. The mind enquires into the merits and defects of the objects which are perceived by the senses. Sattva, rajas and tamas are its three constituents, for through them the mind undergoes various modifications. 14. Non-attachment, forgiveness, generosity, etc., are products of sattva. Desire, anger, avarice, effort, etc., are produced by rajas. 15. Lethargy, confusion, drowsiness, etc., are produced by tamas. When sattva functions in the mind, merit is acquired; when rajas functions, demerit is produced. 16. When tamas functions, neither merit nor demerit is produced, but life is wasted for nothing. Of the modifications of the mind that of I-consciousness is the agent. In the practical world also we do the same. 17. It is quite evident that the objects in which sound, touch etc., are clearly discernible are products of the five elements. With the help of scriptural texts and reasoning it can be conceived that even for the senses and the mind the subtle elements are the basis. 18. Whatever of this world is perceived by the senses, the organs of action, the mind, reasoning and the scriptural texts, is referred to as ‘this’ () in the Shruti text that follows. 19. “Before all this was created there was Being alone, one only, without a second; there was neither name nor form”, so said . 20. Differences are of three kinds: The difference of a tree from its leaves, flowers, fruits etc., is the difference within an object. The difference of one tree from another tree is the difference between objects of the same class. The difference of a tree from a stone is the difference between objects of different classes. 21. Similarly doubt may arise that the one and only reality (Sat or Brahman) may also have differences. So all the three kinds of differences have been negated by the Shruti in three words denoting the oneness of Brahman, Its definiteness and rejection of duality respectively. 22. One cannot doubt that Brahman, the one and only reality, has no parts, for Its parts cannot be conceived of. Names and forms cannot be Its parts, for before creation they did not arise. 23. As creation means the appearances of names and forms, they cannot exist before creation. Therefore like the Akasa, Brahman is partless (and there is no difference with It.) 24. The difference between objects of the same class can have no reference to Sat, for nothing else exists. One object differs from another on account of its name and form, whereas Brahman is absolutely without name and form. 25. And about non-existence: we cannot say that it (is something that) exists. So it cannot serve as a pratiyogin. If so, how can there be vijatiya difference ?

9 26. So it is established that Sat is one only without a second. But there are still some who get confused by texts and say that Asat (nothing) existed before creation. 27. As a man who ha fallen into the sea is bewildered and loses the power of exercising his senses, so they too become afraid and nervous when they hear of the Reality as one only without parts. 28. The teacher speaks of the great fear of some yogins who are devoted to Brahman with form, regarding the objectless super-conscious state. 29. This identification with the ungrasped and ungraspable Reality is difficult to achieve. They are indeed seeing fear in the fearless. 30. The highly respected Bhagavatpada Sankara also refers to the Madhyamikas, experts in dry ratiocination (contradicting the vedic view), as confused regarding the self-existent Brahman who is beyond thought. 31. These Buddhists, merged in darkness, and seeing through the one eye of inference and neglecting the authority of the Vedas, reached only the ‘nothingness’. 32. (We ask the Buddhists): When you said, ‘nothing existed’ did you mean it (nothing) was connected with existence (Sat) or it (nothing) was of the nature of existence ? In either case its nothingness is contradicted. 33. The sun does not have the attribute of darkness; nor is it itself of the nature of darkness. As existence and non-existence are similarly contradictory, (you cannot predicate something about nothing, so) how do you say ‘nothing existed’ ? 34. (The Buddhists retort): (According to you Vedantins) The names and forms of Akasa and other elements are conjured up by Maya in (or on) Sat, the existence or Reality. Similarly (according to us) they (names and forms) are illusively produced by Maya in (or on) non-existence, Asat. (Reply): Our answer is, ‘May you live long’, i.e. you have fallen into a logical trap. 35. If you affirm that name and form attributed to an existing thing: are both creations of Maya (an illusory principle), then tell us what is the substratum upon which Maya creates names and forms; for illusion without a substratum, is never seen. 36. (The opponent says): In the Vedic text ‘Existence was (sat asit)’ if the two words mean differently then two separate things come in. If the words refer to the same thing, then there is tautology. (The Vedantins replies): Not that, i.e., the two terms certainly refer to the same thing, but identical statements like this are seen in usage. 37. We all use the expressions, ‘What has to be done has been done’, ‘speech is spoken’, and ‘A burden is borne’. The Vedic text ‘Existence was’ is meant for those whose minds are accustomed to such expressions. 38. Such text as ‘Before creation’ spoken in reference to Brahman who is

10 timeless, are meant for beginners who are used to the idea of time. They do not imply the existence of duality. 39. Objections are raised and answered from the point of view of duality. From the stand point of pure non-duality neither questions nor answers are possible. 40. What remains after dissolution is an unmoving and ungraspable, unnamed and unnamable, unmanifest, indefinite something, beyond light and darkness, and all-pervading. 41. (Objection): When the molecules of the four elements earth, water, fire and air are dissolved, we may have an idea of the dissolution of those elements; but how can our intellect grasp the dissolution of ak which is not composed of molecules ? Hence Akasa is eternal. 42. (Reply): If your mind can conceive of the existence of Akasa in the total absence of the (atomic) world (of names, forms and motions) why could we not conceive of Sat without Akasa ? 43. If the opponent holds that Akasa can be perceived in the absence of the rest of the world, we may ask: Where can it be seen except as light and darkness ? (i.e. what you seem to perceive is not Akasa but light and darkness). Besides, according to the opponent’s view Akasa cannot be perceived by the senses. 44. Brahman the pure existence (without any reference to the world) can be experienced without an iota of doubt, when all mentations cease. And what we experience is not nothing, for we are not conscious of the perception of nothing. 45. (Objection): The idea of existence is also absent in the state of quiescence. (reply): It does not matter. Brahman is self-revealing and the witness of the tranquil mind. It can be easily perceived by men inasmuch as it is the witness of the cessation of all mentations. 46. When the mind is void of all mentations we experience the witness or obscuring consciousness (in its purity) as calm and unagitated. Similarly prior to the functioning of Maya the existence, Sat, remained (in its purity) as quiescence, calm and unruffled. 47. As the power to burn exists in fire, so the power Maya, which has no existence independent of Brahman and which is inferred by its effect, exists in Brahman. Before the effect appears, the power behind the effect is not directly experienced by anyone anywhere. 48. The power of a substance is not the substance itself, as for instance, the power to burn is not the fire itself. (Similarly, Maya, which is the power of Brahman, is not Brahman). If Power is something other than Brahman, then define its nature. 49. (If you say the nature of) Maya is ‘nothingness’ (then you contradict yourself inasmuch as in verse 34) you said that ‘nothing’ is an effect of Maya

11 (and an effect of a thing cannot be its nature, an effect being poterior to the thing). (So you will have to admit that) Maya is neither sunyam, non- existence nor Sat, existence, but it is as it is (i.e. something undefinable by the two terms). 50. This peculiar nature of Maya is corroborated by the Vedic text which purports, there was neither non-existence nor existence then (i.e., before creation) but there was darkness (by which is meant Maya). This attribution of existence to darkness (or Maya) is due to its association with existence, not by virtue of itself, in as much as it (existence) is denied to it (in the just mentioned Vedic passage). 51. Hence like nothingness, Maya also cannot be a distinct entity in its own right. In the world too, an able man and his ability are not considered two but one. 52. If it is argued that increase in one’s power leads to the prolongation of his life (we counter it by saying that) the prolongation is not the result of power but the effects thereof, such as war, agriculture, etc. 53. Power is now here considered to be independent of its substratum. Before creation no effects of power existed. What grounds are there for assuming a duality ? 54. Power does not operate in the whole of Brahman but only in a part of it. Earth’s power of producing pots is not seen in all earth but in a portion or mode of earth only, viz., in clay, i.e., earth mixed with water. 55. The Shruti says: ‘Creation is only a quarter of Brahman, the other three quarters are self-revealing’ (i.e., not dependent on Maya’s effects for its revelation). Thus does the Shruti say Maya covers but a part of Brahman. 56. In the Gita, Sri Krishna says to Arjuna: ‘The world is sustained by a part of Mine’, indicating that the world is sustained by a part of the Lord. 57. The Shruti supports the same view: ‘The supreme spirit, pervading the world on every side, yet extends ten fingers beyond it’. In the , too, Brahman is declared to transcend the world of differences. 58. Shruti, the well-wisher of the questioner, being asked whether Maya pervades the whole or part of Brahman, speaks of the partless as having parts in order to explain the non-dual nature of Brahman, by giving illustrations. 59. With Brahman as its basis, Maya creates the various objects of the world, just as a variety of pictures are drawn on a wall by the use of different colours. 60. The first modification of Maya is Akasa. Its nature is space i.e., it gives room to things to exist and expand. Akasa derives its existence from Brahman, its substratum. 61. The nature of Brahman is existence only. Brahman is spaceless but Akasa has both space and existence as its nature.

12 62. Akasa also has the property of (conveying or communicating) sound, which Brahman does not have. Thus Akasa has two properties, sound and existence, whereas Brahman has only one existence. 63. The same Sakti (power) i.e. Maya which has conjured up Akasa in the real entity, Sat or Existence has also produced the difference between them, after having shown their identity. 64. It is Sat which appears as Akasa, but ordinary people, and the logicians say that existence is a property of Akasa. This is only to be expected, for Maya is the conjurer. 65. It is common knowledge that correct understanding makes a thing appear as it is in itself and illusion makes it appear differently. 66. A thing appears to be quite different after a thorough discussion of the Vedic passage (concerned) from what it appeared before such a discussion. So let us now discuss the nature of Akasa. 67. Brahman and Akasa are different entities. Their names are different, and the ideas conveyed by their names too are different. Brahman pervades air and other objects. Such is not the case with Akasa. This is what we know to be the difference. 68. The entity, Sat, being more pervading, is the locus or substance; and Akasa (being less pervading) a content or an attribute. When, by the exercise of reason or intellect, Sat is separated from Akasa, tell me what the nature of Akasa is (i.e., it is reduced to nothing). 69. If you hold that (when existence is abstracted from it) Akasa still remains as space, we reply, it should be ragarded as ‘nothing’. If you say: ‘It is different from Asat as well as from Sat’ you shift your position (for you do not admit anything which is different from both, which we, of course, hold. 70. If you argue that Akasa is evident, then we reply: let it be; it is to the credit of the products of Maya. The appearance of an object which is in fact non-existent is an illusion (mithya) just as that of the elephant seen in a dream. 71. As there is a distinction between a class, and a member of a class, a living man and his body, and the possessor of an attribute and the attribute, so there is a distinction between existence (Brahman) and Akasa. What is there to wonder at ? 72. If you say that granting intellectually that there is a distinction between Akasa and Brahman, yet in practice one does not feel convinced of it, we ask, is such an absurd conclusion due to lack of concentration or tenacious doubt ? 73. If the first, be attentive by fixing the mind through meditation. If the other, then study the matter carefully with the help of reasoning and evidence. Then the conviction of the truth of the distinction between Brahman and Akasa will be firm.

13 74. By means of profound meditation, evidence and logical reasoning, Brahman and Akasa can be known to be different from one another. The Akasa will not appear as real nor Brahman as having the property of space- giving. 75. To a knower Akasa shows its illusoriness and Brahman also always shines unassociated with its properties. 76. When one’s impressions (about the true natures of Sat and Akasa) are thus quite deepened (by constant reasoning and meditation) one is amazed to see a person attributing reality to Akasa and suffering from ignorance about reality being pure existence (void of all attributes). 77. Thus when the unreality of Akasa and the reality of Brahman are firmly established in the mind, one should follow the same method and differentiate Brahman, whose nature is pure existence, from air and other elements. 78. The real entity (Brahman) is all-pervasive; the range of Maya is limited, that of Akasa is more limited and that of the air yet more so. 79. The following are the properties air is known to possess: ability to absorb moisture, perceptibility to the same of touch, speed and motion. Existence and the properties of Maya and Akasa are also found in air. 80. When we say, air exists, we mean that it does so by virtue of the universal principle, existence. If the idea of existence is abstracted from air what is left is of the nature of Maya i.e. a non-entity. The property of sound that is found in air is of Akasa. 81. (Objection): It was stated before (in 67) that existence was a natural concomitant of every thing and that Akasa was not. Now you say that Akasa is concomitant of air. Do they not contradict ? 82. (Reply): We implied before that space as an attribute of Akasa was not found in air; we now say that the ability to produce sound, which is also the attribute of Akasa is found in air. Where is the contradiction ? 83. (Objection): If you argue that because air is different from the real entity it is unreal, why do you not infer that air, perceived by the senses being different from Maya, is not unreal like Maya ? 84. (Reply): Air is unreal because its nature partakes of the nature of Maya. Unreality is common to Maya, and its effects, because both differ from reality (existence), although Maya, being power, is not subject to perception whereas its effects are. 85. There may be sub-divisions within non-existence. But what is the use of considering them here ? 86. What is real in air is Brahman, Sat; other portions are unreal as in Akasa. Having made a deep impression (in your mind) about the unreality of air (by reason and meditation) give up (the false notion about the reality of) air. 87. In the same way we can think of fire which has a more limited range

14 than air. A similar consideration will point to the relative extension of the other elements which envelop the universe (e.g. water and earth). 88. Fire is formed from a tenth part of air, and in this way each element is one tenth as extensive as the preceding one. This is the traditional theory described in the . 89. Heat and light are the specific properties of fire in addition to the properties of the entities from which it is derived, namely existence, a pseudo-reality apart from existence and perceptibility to the senses of sound and touch. 90. Endowed with these properties of Brahman, Maya, Akasa and air, respectively, fire has colour as its specific property; apart from existence, all the other properties of fire are unreal. Understand this by discrimination. 91. Since the reality of fire as Brahman and its unreality apart from Brahman has been established, it is easy to understand the unreality of water apart from Brahman since it consists of only one-tenth part of fire. 92. Its existence, its pseudo-reality apart from existence, its perceptibility to the senses of sound, touch and sight are taken from the entities from which it is derived (namely, Brahman, Maya, Akasa, air and fire respectively). Its specific property is perceptibility to the sense of taste. 93. Since the illusory character of water considered apart from existence has thus been established, let us now take the case of earth, which arises from one-tenth part of water. 94. The earth has for its properties existence, a pseudo-reality apart from existence and perceptibility to the senses of sound, touch, sight and taste. Its specific property is perceptibility to the senses of smell. Their difference from Brahman should be understood. 95. The illusory character of earth is realised when it is considered apart from existence. One-tenth part of it forms the cosmos. 96. The cosmos contains the fourteen worlds and all the living beings suited to each world. 97. If we abstract from the cosmos the existence which underlies it, all the worlds and all objects are reduced to a mere illusory appearance. What does it matter even if they still continue to appear ? 98. When a deep impression has been created in the mind about the elements and their derivatives and Maya being of the same category (viz., of non-existence), the understanding of the real entity as non-dual will never be subverted. 99. When the Reality has been comprehended as non-dual and the world of duality has been differentiated, their pragmatic action (however) will continue as before. 100. The followers of Sankhya, Vaisesika, the Buddhist and other schools have established with quite an array of arguments (the real nature of) the

15 multiplicity in the universe. Let them have these. We have no quarrel with them. (In the pragmatic world we too accept them all.) 101. There are philosophers who, holding an opposite view, disregard the real non-dual entity. That does not harm us, who (following the Veda, reason and experience, are convinced of our own unshakable position and therefore) have no regard for their conclusion. 102. When the intellect disregards the notions of duality, it becomes firmly established in the conception of non-duality. The man who is firmly rooted in the conviction of non-duality is called a Jivanmukta (liberated in life). 103. Sri Krishna says in the Gita: ‘This is called having one’s being in Brahman, O Partha. None, attaining to this, becomes deluded. Being established therein, even at the last moment, a man attains to oneness with Brahman’. 104. ‘At the last moment’ means the moment at which the mutual identification of the illusory duality and the one secondless reality is annihilated by differentiating them from each other; nothing else. 105. In common parlance the expression ‘at the last moment’ may mean ‘at the last moment of life’. Even at that time, the illusion that is gone does not return. 106. A realised soul is not affected by delusion and it is the same whether he dies healthy or in illness, sitting in meditation or rolling on the ground, conscious or unconscious. 107. The knowledge of the Veda acquired (during the waking condition) is daily forgotten during dream and deep sleep states, but it returns on the morrow. Similar is the case with the knowledge (of Brahman) – it is never lost. 108. The knowledge of Brahman, based on the evidence of the Vedas, is not destroyed unless proved invalid by some stronger evidence; but in fact there is no stronger evidence than the Vedas. 109. Therefore the knowledge of the non-dual Reality (thus) established by the Vedanta is not falsified even at the last moment (whatever interpretation be taken). So the discrimination of the elements (from the non-dual Reality) surely ensures peace abiding or bliss ineffable.

16 III. THE DIFFERENTIATION OF THE FIVE SHEATHS

1. It is possible to know Brahman which is “hidden in the cave” (i.e., the five sheaths), by differentiating It from them. Hence the five sheaths are now being considered. 2. Within the ‘physical sheath’ is the ‘vital sheath’; within the ‘vital sheath’ is the ‘mental sheath’; still, within is the ‘intellectual sheath’ or the ‘agent sheath’ and still within is the ‘blissful sheath’ or the ‘enjoyer sheath’. This succession (of one within another) is the ‘cave’ (that covers the Atman). 3. The body which is produced from the seed and blood of the parents, which are in turn formed out of the food eaten by them, grows by food only. It is not the Self, for it does not exist either before birth or after death. 4. This body did not exist in the previous birth; then how could it have produced this birth ? (For that would be an effect without a cause). Without existing in the future birth it cannot enjoy the results of action accumulated here (in this birth). (And hence it would be a case of ‘one does and another enjoys the fruits thereof’ – which is unreasonable). 5. The vital airs which pervade the body and give power and motion to the eyes and other senses constitute the vital sheath. It is not the Self because it is devoid of consciousness. 6. That which gives rise to the ideas of ‘I’ and ‘mine’ with regard to one’s body, house and so forth, is the mind sheath. It is not the Self because it has desires and is moved by pleasure and pain, is subject to delusion and is fickle. 7. The intellect which has the reflection of pure consciousness, and which pervades the whole body up to the tips of the fingers in the waking state but disappears in deep sleep, is known as the intellect sheath. It also is not the Self because it too is changeable. 8. The inner organ functions as the agent and also the instrument. Hence though one, it is treated as two, viz., the intellect sheath and the mind sheath. Their fields of operation are the inner world and the outer world respectively. 9. There is a position or function (of the intellect) which, at the time of enjoying the fruits of good actions, goes a little farther inward and catches the reflection of the bliss and at the end of this enjoyment, merges in deep sleep. (This is what is known as the sheath of bliss). 10. This bliss sheath also cannot be the Self because it is temporal and impermanent. That bliss which is the source of this reflection is the Self; for it is eternal and immutable. 11. (Objection): By granting that the sheaths beginning with that of food (body) and ending in that of bliss (joy or sleep) are not the Self, yet (when they are negated), no further object remains to be experienced.

17 12. (Reply): True, bliss sheath etc., are experienced and not anything else. Yet who can deny that by which these are experienced ? 13. As the Self is Itself of the nature of experience only. It cannot be an object of experience. Since there is no experiencer nor any experience other than It, the Self is unknowable – not because It does not exist but because It cannot be an object of experience. 14. Objects of taste like sweet and bitter, impart their tastes to others, that is their nature, they do not stand in need of their being imparted to themselves. Nor are there other things to impart those tastes to themselves. 15. Just as there is nothing to hinder a thing from possessing its natural flavour even without being flavoured by another thing, even so the Self there stands four-square as the experience (viz., the awareness) even when It is not experienced (as an object of experience). 16. The Shruti declares: ‘This Atman is self-revealing’; ‘Before the evolution of the universe, the Self alone was shining’. ‘It shining, all follow (i.e., shine); by Its shine the universe shines (i.e., is revealed).’ 17. How can that, by which the whole universe is known, by known by anything else ? By what can the knower be known ? The mind etc., the instruments of knowledge, can know their own percepts only. 18. The Self knows all that is knowable. There is no one to know It. It is consciousness or knowledge itself and is different from both the known and the unknown (as also of the knowable and the unknowable). 19. How can a man teach scriptures to one who is a man only in form but who is so dull as not to experience what consciousness is in every act of knowing a thing ? 20. As it is shameful for a man to express doubt if he has a tongue or not, so also it is shameful to say, ‘I do not know what consciousness is. I must know it now’. 21. From whatever objects are perceived, dismiss the objects and what remains, viz., the pure consciousness, the awareness only, is Brahman. Such an understanding is called the determination of the nature of Brahman. 22. By dismissing the objective element, i.e., the five sheaths. That is the real nature of the Self (viz., pure consciousness). Non-existence cannot be attributed to it. 23. One’s self is surely existing; there cannot be any opposition to that. Were it not so, who could be the opponent ? 24. Nobody, except through delusion, can entertain the idea that he does not exist. So the Shruti thus exposes the falsity of the position of one who denies the existence of the Self. 25. ‘He who believes Brahman to be non-existent, becomes non-existent himself’. It is true the Self can never be an object of knowledge. But you must accept the existence of the Self (identified with one’s own existence) as a

18 fact. 26. If you ask what sort of thing the Self is, then we reply that the Self cannot be described as being ‘this’ or ‘that’. It cannot be conceived as being ‘like this’ or ‘like that’; so take it as your own real nature. 27. An object which the senses can perceive can be said to be ‘like this’; an object which is beyond the range of sense perception is said to be ‘like that’. That which is the subject cannot be an object of the senses. But as it is the very Self of everyone, it cannot be said to be beyond the ken of perception. 28. Though it cannot be made an object of knowledge, the Self is still felt very directly. So it must be self-revealing. Existence, consciousness and infinity, the indications used for Brahman, are all present here also (in the Self). 29. Existence is what cannot be negated. If the Self which is the witness of the perishable world becomes perishable, then who will be the witness to the fact of its perishability ? For destruction without a witness of it cannot be postulated. 30. When all forms are destroyed, the formless space still remains. So, when all the perishable things are destroyed, what remains is that, (i.e. the imperishable Brahman or Self). 31. In the opponent objects ‘nothing remains’ after everything (name and form) has been destroyed, then we reply that what you describe as ‘nothing’ is the Self. Here the language alone differs. But there surely remains something (viz., the witness) after the destruction of all. 32. It is for this that the Shruti in the passage “That Atman is ‘not this, not this’” negates all objects (having names and forms), but keeps the ‘that’ (i.e. Atman) intact. 33. The entire world (severally and collectively) that can be referred to as ‘this’ can be negated, but the thing which is not ‘this’ can never be negated and this indestructible witness is the Self. 34. Thus has been established (here) the eternal existence of the Self which, according to the Shruti, is Brahman; and Its nature of pure consciousness has already been proved by statements like ‘It is awareness itself’. 35. Being all-pervasive, Brahman is not limited by space; being eternal, It is not limited by time; and being of the nature of everything, It is not limited by any object. Thus Brahman is infinite in all three respects. 36. Space, time and the objects in them being illusions causes by Maya, there is no limitation of Brahman by them. Infinity of Brahman is therefore clear. 37. Brahman who is existence, consciousness and infinity is the Reality. Its being (the Omniscient Lord of the world) and Jiva (the individual soul) are (mere) superimpositions by the two illusory adjuncts (Maya and

19 Avidya, respectively). 38. There is a power (called Maya) of this Ishvara which controls everything. It informs all objects from the bliss sheath (to the physical body and the external world). 39. If the particular attributes of all objects are not determined by this power, there would be chaos in the world, for there would be nothing to distinguish the properties of one object from those of another. 40. This power appears as ‘conscious’ because it is associated with the reflection of Brahman. And because of Its association with this power, Brahman gets Its omniscience. 41. Brahman is called the individual soul (Jiva) when It is viewed in association with the five sheaths, as a man is called a father and a grandfather in relation to his son or his grandson. 42. As a man is neither a father nor a grandfather when considered apart from his son and his grandson, so Brahman is neither Ishvara nor Jiva when considered apart from Maya or the five sheaths. 43. He who knows Brahman thus becomes himself Brahman. Brahman has no birth. So he also is not born again.

20 IV. THE DIFFERENTIATION OF DUALITY

1. In this section we shall discuss the world of duality created by Ishvara and Jiva. By such critical discussion, the limit of duality causing the bondage which the Jiva has to renounce will be clear. 2. The Svetasvatara Upanishad says: ‘Know Maya as Prakriti and Brahman associated with Maya as the great Ishvara’ (who imparts existence and consciousness to it and guides it). It is He who creates the world. 3. The says that before creation there was Atman only, and He thought, ‘Let me create the world’, and then He created the world by His will (to create). 4. The says that from the Self or Brahman alone arose in succession the whole creation including Akasa, (ether), air, fire, water, earth, vegetation, food and bodies. 5. The Taittiriya Upanishad says that desiring ‘I shall be many, so I shall create’, the Lord meditated; and thus created the world. 6. The says that before creation Brahman or the Self alone existed, and that His nature was pure existence. He desired to become manifold and created all things including fire, water, food and beings born of eggs and so forth. 7. The says that just as sparks emanate from a blazing fire, so from immutable Brahman arose different animate and inanimate things. 8. It is also said that before its manifestation the whole world existed in Brahman in a potential form; then, assuming name and form it came into being as Virat. 9. From Virat came into being the ancient law-givers, human beings, cattle, asses, horses, goats, and so on, both male and female, down to the ants. Thus says the . 10. According to these Shrutis Brahman or Atman Himself, assuming manifold forms as the Jivas, entered into these bodies. A Jiva is so called because it upholds vitality (the ) (in a body). 11. The substratum or the pure consciousness, the subtle body and the reflection of pure consciousness on the subtle body – these three together constitute a Jiva. 12. Maya of the great Ishvara has, like its power of creation, another power which deludes all. It is this power which deludes the Jiva. 13. The Jiva, thus deluded to believe himself to be powerless and identified with a body, becomes subject to grief. Thus is described in brief the duality created by Ishvara. 14. In the Saptanna of the Veda there is a description of the

21 duality created by the Jiva. By action and reflection the Jiva creates seven kinds of food (objects on experience). 15. One kind is meant for men, two for the celestial beings, the fourth for the lower animals and the remaining three for the Self. Thus the food is divided. 16. Grains such as wheat (are for men), (the ingredients of) the full-moon and the new-moon sacrifices (are for the Devas), milk (is for the lower animals); and the mind, the speech and the vital airs (are for the Self) – these are the seven kinds of food. 17. Though all these objects are in themselves created by Ishvara, still by action and reflection the Jiva has converted them into his objects of enjoyment, hence they are said to be his creation. 18. As they are created by Ishvara and become objects of experience and enjoyment for the Jiva, so they are related to both, just as a woman is related both to the parents who brought her into being and to the husband who loves her. 19. In the actual creation of the objects the modifications or functions of Maya, the power of the Lord are the cause; whereas for the actual enjoyment of those objects it is the modifications or functions of the inner organs of the Jivas that are responsible. 20. Objects created by Ishvara (e.g., gems) do not alter; they remain the same. But gems may affect different people differently according to their mental states. 21. One man may feel happy on obtaining a gem, whereas another may feel disappointed at failing to obtain it. And a man uninterested in it, may only look on and feel neither happy nor disappointed. 22. The Jiva creates these three feelings of happiness, disappointment or indifference with regard to the gem, but the nature of the gem as created by Ishvara remains the same throughout. 23. Through personal relationships, one and the same woman appears differently as a wife, a daughter-in-law, a sister-in-law, a cousin and a mother; but she herself remains unchanged. 24. (Objection): These different relationships may be seen, but no changes in the woman’s appearance are seen to result from other people’s ideas about her. 25. (Reply): Not so. The woman has a subtle body as well as a physical body composed of flesh etc. Although other people’s ideas about her may not affect her physical body, yet they can change her mental state. 26. (Objection): Though it may affect the objects perceived in the states of delusion, dreaming, remembering and imagining, the mind cannot affect the objects perceived through the senses in the waking state. 27. (Reply): True, Shankara, Sureshvara and others acknowledge

22 the fact that the mind assumes the form of the external object with which it comes into contact and modifies that form to suit its purposes. 28. Sri Shankara says that just as melted copper assumes the form of the mould into which it is cast, so the mind assumes the form of the object perceived by it. 29. Or just as sunlight assumes the forms of the objects which it illumines, so the mind assumes the forms of the objects which it perceives. 30. (Sri Sureshvara holds): Out of the cogniser (i.e. the Jiva) cognition (an appropriate modification of the mind) is produced. Thus born, the modification proceeds towards the object of cognition until it gets into touch with the object, when it assumes the form of the object (which is known as the cognition of the object). 31. So we see there are two kinds of objects, the ‘material’ and the ‘mental’. The ‘material’ is the object cognised by mind being modified, by the form of the material object. And the ‘mental’ is cognised by the witness- consciousness (as the Jiva being affected by the ‘material’ coming in contact with the mind and evoking its latent desire for enjoyment). 32. By the application of the double method of agreement and difference we come to the conclusion that it is the ‘mental’ creation which causes bondage to the Jiva, for when these ‘mental’ objects are there, pleasure and pain are also there; when they are not, there is neither pleasure nor pain. 33. In dream, when external (material) objects are absent, man is bound by the intellect to pleasure and pain, although outer objects are not perceived. In deep sleep, in a faint and in the lower Samadhi (when the mental functions are temporarily suspended), no pleasure or pain is felt inspite of the proximity of outer objects. 34. A liar told a man whose son had gone to a far-off country that the boy was dead, although he was still alive. The father believed him and was aggrieved. 35. If, on the other hand, his son had really died abroad but no news had reached him, he would have felt no grief. This shows that the real cause of a man’s bondage is his own mental world. 36. (Objection): This amounts to pure and it deprives external objects of all significance. (Reply): No, because we accept the fact that external objects give shape to the modifications of the mind (which create the mental world). 37. Or, we may admit that external objects serve little useful purpose, yet we cannot dispense with them altogether. In any case, cognition is concerned with the existence of objects and not with their utility. 38. (Objection): If the mind causes bondage by giving rise to the phenomenal world, the world could be made to disappear by controlling the mind. So only Yoga needs to be practised; what is the necessity of

23 knowledge of Brahman ? 39. (Reply): Though by controlling the mind duality can be made to disappear temporarily the complete and final destruction of the mental creation is not possible without a direct knowledge of Brahman. This is proclaimed by the Vedanta. 40. The duality of Ishvara creation may continue, but the non-dualist, when conceived of its illusoriness, can nonetheless know the secondless Brahman. 41. When all duality disappears at the time of the dissolution of the universe, the secondless Atman still remains unknown, because then, as in deep sleep, there is no teacher and no scripture, though there may be absence of duality. 42. The world of duality created by Ishvara is rather a help than an obstacle to a direct knowledge of the non-duality. Moreover, we cannot destroy the creation, so let it be. Why are you so much opposed to it ? 43. The world of duality created by Jiva is of two kinds: that which conforms and that which does not conform with the scriptural injunctions. The former should be kept in mind until Brahman is realised. 44. Reflection on the nature of the Self as Brahman is the mental world that conforms with the scriptural injunctions. Even this duality in conformity with the scripture is to be renounced after Brahman is realised. This is the direction of the Shruti. 45. ‘An intelligent person, who has studied the scriptures and has repeatedly practised what they enjoin should renounce them after knowing the supreme Brahman, just as a man throws aside a flaming torch at the end of his journey’. [Amritanada Upanishad] 46. ‘An intelligent person, who has studied the scriptures and has practised what they enjoin should discard them after experiencing Brahman as his Self, just as a man discards the husk when he has found the grain’. [Amrita-Bindu Upanishad] 47. ‘A wise man, having experienced Brahman as his Self, should keep his higher intuitive faculty (prajna) united with Brahman. He should not oppress his mind with many words, for they are a mere waste of energy’. [Brihadaranyaka Upanishad] 48. It has been clearly told in the Shruti: ‘Know that One and give up other talks’ [Mundaka Upanishad] and ‘A wise man should restrain his speech and keep it within the mind’. [] 49. The duality of the mental creation of man which is not in conformity with the scripture is of two kinds, violent and dull. That which gives rise to lust, anger and other passions is called violent and that which gives rise to day- dreams is called dull. 50. Before starting the study into the nature of Brahman it is necessary to give up both; for, mental poise and concentration are the two prerequisites

24 for the study of Brahman, so says the Shruti. 51. in order to achieve and to be established in, the state of liberation these two must be given up. One who is subject to the urges of lust and other passions is unfit for liberation in life. 52. You may say: Let there be no liberation in life; I am satisfied if there is no birth anymore. We reply: Then (if the desires remain), you will have births also. So be satisfied with heaven only. 53. If you say that the pleasures of heaven are defective, having waning and gradation, and so are to be renounced, then why don’t you give up this source of all evils, the passions ? 54. If cherishing the false idea that you have attained liberation, you do not completely give up these passions, you transgress the laws of the scriptures and are self-willed. 55. Sri Sureshvara says that one who pretends to be a knower of Brahman and yet lives without moral restraint is like a dog that eats unclean things. [Naiskarmyasiddhi-IV-62] 56. Before knowledge, you suffered only from the pain of your own mental imperfections; but now, you suffer the censure of the world as well. How glorious is the effect of your knowledge ? 57. O ! Knower of Truth, do not sink to the level of pigs in the sty ! Freeing yourself from all the defects arising from your mind, be worshipped by the world like a god. 58. The scriptures dealing with liberation proclaim that these urges of passions can be overcome by (constantly) thinking over the fettering nature of the objects of desire. Adopt these means, conquer the passions and be happy. 59. (Objection): All right, let defects such as the impact of passions be removed, but what is the harm in letting the imagination play on the objects of desire ? (Reply): Such mental preoccupation with the objects of desire is the very seed of all evils, so says Lord Sri Krishna. 60. ‘If a man dwells mentally on any object of desire, he will become attached to it. Attachment gives rise to a longing for it and the frustration of desire leads to anger.’ [Gita-II.62] 60(a). ‘From anger comes delusion and from delusion loss of memory. From loss of memory comes the ruin of discrimination and from the ruin of discrimination the man perishes’. 61. This tendency of thinking on objects may be overcome by meditation on the attributeless Brahman. This can gradually be done at ease by first meditating on Ishvara. 62. One who has understood intellectually the nature of the secondless Brahman and who is free from the defects of intellect, should live in solitude and over a long period practise the of Aum and thus control the

25 vagaries of the mind. 63. When the ‘mental world’ is thus conquered, (other) modifications of the mind (gradually) cease – the mind keeps mum like a dumb person. This method was variously explained by Vasistha to . 64. With the direct knowledge of the unsubstantiality of the phenomenal world arises the profound bliss of . 65. A steady and concentrated study of the scriptures and discussion on the truth with the teacher and other learned persons lead to the conviction that the calm of deep reflection born of the disappearance of the last vestiges of desires and passions is the highest state. 66. If sometimes owing to actions performed in previous births the mind of a reflective man is distracted by desire, then it may be brought back to a peaceful state by the constant practice of spiritual . 67. That man whose mind is not subject to distraction is not merely a knower of Brahman but Brahman Itself – so declare the sages versed in the scriptures of Vedanta. 68. One whose mind does no longer dwell on whether he knows Brahman or not but who remains identified with pure consciousness or knowledge is not merely a knower of Brahman but Brahman Itself. 69. This liberation in life is the final step attained by sublating or removing the mental creations of the Jiva (projected on the world of Ishvara). So in this chapter we have described how the duality created by the Jiva differs from that created by Ishvara.

26 V. FIXING THE MEANING OF THE GREAT SAYINGS

1. That by which a man sees, hears, smells, speaks and distinguishes sweet and bitter tastes etc., is called consciousness. [‘Prajnanam ’ - Aitareya Upanishad III-i-1] 2. The one consciousness which is in Brahma, and other gods, as well as in human beings, horses, cows, etc., is Brahman. So the consciousness in me also is Brahman. 3. The infinite, supreme Self remains manifested in this world as the witness of the functions of the intellect in the body, fit for Self-knowledge and is designated as ‘I’. 4. By nature infinite, the supreme Self is described here by the word Brahman. The word ‘Asmi’ (am) denotes the identity of ‘’ (I) and ‘Brahman’. Therefore ‘I am Brahman’ (is the meaning of the text). [‘Aham Brahmasmi’ - Brihadaranyaka Upanishad I-iv-10] 5. Before the creation there existed the Reality, one only, without a second and without name and form. That is even now (after creation) exists in a similar condition is indicated by the word ‘That’. [‘Tattvamasi’ - Chandogya Upanishad VI-viii-15] 6. The principle of consciousness which transcends the body, senses and mind of the enquirer is here denoted by the word ‘thou’. The word ‘Asi’ (art) shows their identity. That identity has to be experienced. 7. By (pronouncing) the word ‘this’ it is meant that the Atman is self-luminous and directly experienced. That is known as Pratyagatman which is the indwelling principle covering everything between egoity and the body. [‘Ayamatma Brahma’ - Madukya Upanishad 2] 8. The essence of the entire visible universe is denoted by the word Brahman. That Brahman is of the nature of the self-luminous Atman.

27 VI. THE LAMP OF THE PICTURE

1. As there are four stages in the painting of a picture, so there are four stages in the modification of the supreme Self. 2. In a picture we have the clean canvas, stiffening with starch, drawing of the outlines and the application of colour. In the case of the Self there are correspondingly the pure consciousness, the in-dwelling consciousness, the one identified with the totality of all the subtle bodies and that with the totality of all the physical bodies. 3. The naturally white canvas is the basis of the picture; by the application of starch it is stiffened; the outlines are drawn with a black pencil; and when the appropriate colours are applied to it, the picture is complete. 4. Brahman by nature is pure consciousness; with Maya He is called the in- dwelling spirit; in relation to the subtle bodies He is the totality of souls identifying Himself with them, and in relation to the gross bodies He is again the one identifying Himself with their totality. 5. As in a picture on a canvas there are superior and inferior objects, so in the supreme Lord there are grades of beings from Brahma down to the animate and inanimate objects. 6. The men in a picture are painted wearing clothes of different kinds and the clothes are so painted that they appear as real as the canvas of the picture. 7. On consciousness are superimposed various forms. In each of them there is a reflection, i.e., a special function of consciousness. They are known as the Jivas and are subject to the process of birth and death. 8. Ignorant people imagine that the colours representing the clothes of the figures are real clothes, as real as the canvas on which the picture is superimposed. Similarly the ignorant imagine that the transmigrations of the Jivas are undergone by the supreme Spirit, the substratum, on which the Jivas are superimposed. 9. Just as the hills etc., in a picture are not painted as dressed in clothes, so the inert objects like earth, are not endowed with the reflection of consciousness. 10. The confusion of considering this transmigration (with the attendant pain and pleasure) as real and affecting the supreme Self is called nescience. It is removed by the knowledge of Reality. 11. It is the Jiva, a ‘reflection’ of the Self, which is affected by the pain and pleasure of this transmigratory life, but not the real Self. This understanding is called knowledge. It is achieved through discrimination. 12. Therefore one should always enquire into the nature of the world, the individual Self and the supreme Self. When the ideas of Jiva and Jagat (world) are negated, the pure Atman alone remains.

28 13. By negation it does not mean that the world and Jiva cease to be perceptible to the senses, it means the conviction of their illusory character. Otherwise people would be automatically liberated in deep sleep or in a faint. 14. ‘The supreme Self alone remains’ also means a conviction about Its reality and not non-perceiving of the world. Otherwise there would be no such thing as liberation in life. 15. The knowledge arising from discrimination is of two kinds, indirect and direct. This process of discrimination ends in the achievement of the direct knowledge. 16. The knowledge that ‘Brahman is’ is indirect, the knowledge that ‘I am Brahman’ is direct. 17. We now consider the nature of the Self with a view to having its direct experience, through which the Jiva is immediately liberated from all worldly fetters. 18. The Self as consciousness absolute is spoken of as Kutastha, Brahman, Jiva and Ishvara, just as, for instance, Akasa (ether) is called ‘pot-Akasa’, ‘all embracing Akasa, Akasa conditioned by water’ and ‘Akasa conditioned by a cloud’. 19. The sky with clouds and stars reflected in water contained in a pot which encloses space, is known as ‘Akasa in water’. 20. The sky reflected in water particles forming a cloud suspended in space is known as ‘Akasa in a cloud’. 21. As a cloud is composed of a water in a particular state, it is therefore reasonable to assume the existence of the reflection of Akasa in a cloud. 22. The consciousness which is conditioned by the gross and subtle bodies, on which they are superimposed and which knows no change, is known as Kutastha. 23. On the Kutastha is superimposed by imagination in the intellect (buddhi). The reflection of Kutastha in the intellect is animated by vitality and is called the Jiva. It is subject to transmigration. 24. As the Akasa in a pot is concealed by the Akasa reflected in the water with which the pot is filled, so Kutastha is obscured by Jiva. This principle is called mutual obscuring or superimposition. 25. Under the delusion of mutual superimposition the Jiva cannot discriminate and realise that he is not Jiva but Kutastha. This non- discrimination is beginningless and is known as the primal nescience. 26. Nescience or Avidya has two functions: Avarana or the power to conceal and Viksepa or the power to project. The power of Avarana creates such ideas as ‘Kutastha shines not nor exists’ 27. If a wise man asks an ignorant man about Kutastha, he replies: ‘There is no such thing as Kutastha. It does not manifest nor exist’. Thus he feels and says.

29 28. The opponent may raise such questions as: ‘How did the self-luminous Kutastha come to have ignorance; and without it how could there be obscuring ?’ Such arguments are falsified by one’s (direct) experience. 29. If one disbelieves one’s own experience and since logic is not final, how can one know the truth about anything by mere reasoning ? 30. The chief function of reasoning is to explain things clearly. One should employ logic following one’s own experience and not misuse it. 31. That we do have experience of ignorance and its obscuring power has already been shown. So rather argue that Kutastha and nescience are not contradictory. 32. If Kutastha were contradictory to ignorance and its obscuring power then who is the experiencer of this obscuring ? It is the discriminating knowledge which is contradictory to ignorance, as is seen in a knower of truth. 33. On Kutastha, covered over by (the concealing power of) ignorance, are projected or superimposed the subtle and gross bodies, thus producing the Chidabhasas or Jivas. It is like the superimposition of silver on a mother of pearl. This is called projection or Viksepa. 34. In the illusion ‘This is silver’, the pearl oyster shell is the thing perceived and is real, but by an error these notions, viz., ‘this-ness’ and its ‘reality’, are transferred to the imaginary silver. In the same way the ideas of ‘Self’ and ‘existence’ which belong to Kutastha are transferred to the Jiva through the error caused by nescience. 35. As the blue exterior and triangular form of the mother of pearl are lost to the vision, so the non-tactility and blissness of Kutastha are obscured by superimposition. 36. in the illustration that which is superimposed is called silver; so with the power of illusory projection that which is superimposed on Kutastha is called ‘I’, ego, or the sense of individuality. 37. As people think of ‘this’ (something seen) as silver though they really see the mother of pearl, so in self-cognition the Self is mistaken for the ego. 38. In the illustration the idea of ‘this’ and the idea of silver are not identical, similarly, in the human personality the idea of Self and the idea of ego are not identical. In both there is a common element and also a variable element. 39. People use such expression as ‘Devadatta himself is going’, ‘you yourself see this’, and ‘I myself am unable’. 40. The demonstrative pronoun ‘this’ is common to such diverse perceptions as ‘This is silver’, ‘This is cloth’ and so forth. Similarly, the word ‘self’ is applied to all three persons, first, second and third ‘I’, ‘you’ and ‘he’. 41. (Doubt): The concept ‘I’ (egoity) may be different from the concept of the Self (Atman), but what has this to do with Kutastha ? (Reply): The word ‘self’ denotes Kutastha and vice versa. 42. (Doubt): ‘Self’ merely excludes the idea of another and does not say

30 anything about Kutastha. (Reply): This ‘exclusion of others’ is the ‘Self’ of Kutastha. So exclusion is in favour of our idea. 43. People ordinarily use Self and Atman as synonymous terms; and so both terms are never used together. In fact each of these terms excludes the idea of ‘another’. 44. (Doubt): We often use such expressions as ‘The pot itself does not know’. Hence the word ‘Self’ is applied to an inanimate object. (Reply): Such language is used because Atman is the basis of the inanimate objects also. 45. It is not the immutable Kutastha or Atman which makes the difference between the animate and the inanimate; it is the Jiva, the reflection of Kutastha in the intellect, which makes the difference. 46. Just as the conscious Jiva is created by illusion based on Kutastha, even so, on it the inanimate objects are created by Avidya. 47. (Doubt): Like the word ‘Self’ the words ‘this’ and ‘that’ can be applied to all persons, ‘I’ and ‘he’, etc. It is therefore reasonable to conclude that the objects denoted by ‘this’ and ‘that’ are also the Atman. 48. (Reply): ‘This’ and ‘that’ do not refer only to ‘I’ ‘you’ and ‘he’ (as distinct entities), but also to Atman, which is the common element in them all. They are like ‘correctness’, ‘incorrectness’, etc., not synonymous with Atman, (because they are of wider denotation.) 49. Besides, the ideas of ‘this’ and ‘that’ the ‘Self’ and ‘the other’ ‘you’ and ‘I’ are opposite pairs it is well known in society. There is no doubt about that. 50. The opposite of ‘the other’ is the Self, which is the same as the Kutastha. The opposite of ‘you’, however, is ‘I’, which is the egoism, the Jiva, which is superimposed on Kutastha. 51. As the distinction between ‘silver’ and ‘this’ is clear, so also the difference between ‘I’ and ‘Self’. But the people in the grip of delusion identify ‘I’ with the immutable Self. 52. That the superimposition causing the identity of ‘I’ and ‘Self’ is caused by nescience has already been treated. When this nescience is negated, its effect is also terminated. 53. The veiling of the real nature of the Self and the identity superimposition, are caused by nescience, and they are destroyed when nescience is negated. But so long as the fructifying continues, the mind and body, the effects of illusory projection of nescience, continue. 54. The logicians hold that when the material cause of an object has been destroyed its effect continues to appear for the next moment. Similarly why cannot the body of a knower of truth persist for some time when its cause, the nescience, has been destroyed ? 55. According to the logicians the cloth keeps its form for the next second – the threads (its material cause) that last for a few days are destroyed. On the same reasoning, the body may persist for a proportionately long time when

31 its cause, the ignorance of countless ages, is destroyed. 56. (Doubt): The logicians have assumed the truth of this theory without any proof. (Reply): We assume it on the ground of Shruti, experience and reasoning; why should it be improper ? 57. There is no use entering into a controversy with the unreasonable Logicians. The fact is that the difference between Jiva and Kutastha is caused by illusion. 58. People who consider themselves scholars and the hair-splitting logicians overlook the authority of the Veda and wander due to their imperfect reasoning. 59. Some others accept the authority of the Vedas; but owing to their inability to harmonise the meaning of the texts which have gone before with those that follow, they become confused. They take some isolated passages out of context and quote them in support of their own views. 60. The materialists (Lokayatas) and vulgar persons depending on false perceptual evidence, regard the aggregate beginning with the Kutastha and ending in gross body as the Atman. 61. To support their materialist views, they quote some passages from the Shruti to show that the gross body is the Atman, which is the doctrine of Virochana. 62. There are other thinkers who point out that the body dies and decays when life leaves it. They conclude that the Atman is something other than the gross body. 63. There are others who think that in such expressions as ‘I am speaking’, the senses together with the intellect are seen to be distinct from the gross body and that therefore they are the Atman. 64. In the Shruti we hear of the senses, such as speech and so forth, quarrelling among themselves, which implies that they have consciousness. Therefore some thinkers have concluded that the senses are the Atman. 65. The followers of the school of Hiranyagarbha hold the vital airs (Pranas) to be the Atman. They point out that when the eye and other senses are inoperative the vital airs still continue to function, keeping the man alive. 66. The vital airs continue functioning even in sleep. In some Shruti passages the vital sheath is given pre-eminence and dealt with in detail. 67. The people devoted to worship call the mind as the Atman. They argue that the vital airs have no faculty of enjoyment, but that the mind has. 68. The Shruti says that the mind is the cause of the bondage and the release of man and it speaks of the mind-sheath; therefore these people conclude that the mind is the Atman. 69. The Buddhists believe that the Atman consists of the momentary states of the intellect, because the intellect, endowed with the faculty of understanding, is the basis of the mind and through it the mind grasps

32 matter. 70. The internal organ (Antahkarana) has two kinds of vrittis, viz., the ‘I’- consciousness, and ‘this’ consciousness. The first constitutes the intellect, the subject-consciousness and the second the mind, the object- consciousness. 71. Since without the sense of egoity, it is not possible to cognise the outer world, it is clear that the idea of egoity is the cause of the mind and without it the cognisance of the external world is impossible. 72. As ‘I’ - consciousness appears and disappears every moment, the intellect is transitory and it needs no further principle to illumine it. 73. The intellect sheath is the Self. The whole world is cognised by it, and birth and death, pleasure and pain, affect it. So say some Vedic texts. 74. The intellect is momentary like the flashes of lightning in a cloud or the twinkling of an eye, and that because we know of no other Self beyond the intellect, the Self is nothing or void. So say the Madhyamika Buddhists. 75. Quoting the Shruti, ‘In the beginning all this was non-existent (Asat)’, the Buddhists say that perception and the objects of perception are the creations of illusion. 76. The Vedantins refute them by saying that there can be no illusion without a substratum which is not an illusion. The existence of the Atman must be admitted. Even the void has a witness; if not, it would be impossible to say, ‘There is a void’. 77. The Vedic view, say the Naiyayikas, in that beyond the intellect sheath there is yet another sheath, the bliss-sheath. It is existing (not something that does not exist). 78. Other philosophers, recognising the authority of the Shruti, still dispute variously as to whether the Atman is atomic in size or all-pervasive, or something between the two. 79. There are philosophers called Antaralas who hold that Atman must be atomic in size because it is said to pervade capillaries as fine as a thousandth part of a hair. 80. In support of their thesis they quote many Vedic texts, which describe Atman as ‘smaller than the smallest’, ‘minuter than an atom’ and ‘more refined than the most refined’. 81. They produce as an authority the Vedic text which says: Jiva is the hundredth part of the tip of a hair which has already been divided into a hundred parts. 82. The Digambaras hold that Atman is of medium size because it animates the body from head to foot. They too quote the Veda: ‘Atman, the conscious principle, pervades the body from the head to the tips of the nails’. 83. They state that Atman become subtle and enters into the finest capillaries, as the arms of a man slip into the sleeves of a coat.

33 84. They conclude that the Atman is of medium size but that it is capable of adapting itself to any size. It enlarges or diminishes its size to accommodate itself to the parts of the bodies into which it enters. 85. This view is not valid, because if the Atman has parts it must be perishable like a pot. In that case there will arise the two logical fallacies viz., the cause will not produce any effect and an effect will have homogeneous cause. 86. So the Atman is neither atomic nor of medium size, but is infinite, partless and like Akasa all-pervasive. This view accords with the Shruti. 87. Thus about the nature of the Atman there are many differences of opinion, whether it is unconscious, conscious, or a compound of the two. 88. The followers of Prabhakara and the logicians state that Atman is by nature unconscious; it is a substance like Akasa and consciousness is its attribute, as sound is an attribute of Akasa. 89. They state that not only consciousness, but also desire, aversion, effort, virtue, vice, pleasure and pain, and also the impressions are the attributes of the Atman. 90. According to them, Atman and the mind combine together due to the effects of previous actions and this combination produces the different properties. When the past Karma ceases to operate as cause, the Jiva goes into deep sleep and the properties too become latent. 91. The Atman possesses intelligence and is therefore called intelligent; it manifests intelligence in the form of desire, aversion and effort. As a doer it performs good and bad deeds and is, in consequence, the experiencer of pleasure and pain. 92. In this life, subject to action, Atman sometimes experiences happiness; so too, when it takes birth in other bodies, desire, etc., arise due to Karma. 93. They further hold that despite its all-pervasiveness Atman goes from birth to death. The whole ritual part of the Veda (Karma-kanda), they say, supports them. 94. The first of the sheaths, the bliss-sheath which persists in the state of deep sleep and which does not manifest consciousness fully, is taken as Atman by the followers of Prabhakara and some logicians. What they state to be the nature of the Self, is in fact, characteristic of the bliss-sheath. 95. The followers of Bhatta hold that consciousness is hidden in Atman and that its nature is both consciousness and unconsciousness. This is inferred from the fact of the remembrance of sound sleep by the awakened man. 96. ‘I became unconscious and slept’, such feeling expresses the memory of that inert state which he actually experienced. But this remembrance of unconsciousness in deep sleep would not be possible unless there were at the same time a conscious element. 97. The Bhattas say that the Shruti declares; ‘In sleep neither the seer nor

34 seeing is absent’. Therefore the nature of Atman is both luminous and dark, like that of a fire-fly. 98. The Sankhyas, who separate and Prakriti, reject the possibility of both consciousness and unconsciousness being the nature of Atman. According to them the Atman is without parts and must be of the nature of consciousness only. 99. Unconsciousness is the nature of Prakriti (the primordial substance) which is ever-changing and composed of three modes, Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. The Prakriti functions for experience and release of the Atman. 100. Though Purusha is non-contactible and pure, he is said to be subject to bondage and release because of a confusion between the natures of Prakriti and Purusha. The Sankhyas, like the earlier Naiyayikas, postulate a plurality of Selves and explain how different individuals have different destinies to fulfil in this life. The release of the individual Purusha is due to his knowledge of his real nature. 101. They quote the Shruti which says that Prakriti, the undifferentiated matter, which is unmanifested, is not the same as Mahat, the differentiated matter and that the Spirit is unattached and pure. 102. The postulate the existence of Ishvara. Prakriti functions owing to the proximity of consciousness and Ishvara is the controller of Prakriti. He is quite distinct from and superior to the Jivas, says the Shruti. 103. The Shruti declares that Ishvara is the Lord of Jivas and also of Prakriti. He controls the Gunas too. In the part of the Shruti He is respectfully called the Inner Controller. 104. Here too there are many philosophers who by their arguments maintain different views about Ishvara. They quote suitable texts from the Shruti and interpret them according to their light. 105. According to , Ishvara is a Special Purusha free from miseries, actions, birth and death, enjoyment and suffering and the latent impressions; Ishvara, like Jiva, is non-attached and conscious. 106. As person with a special nature, Ishvara rules the universe. Without His rulership there would be no one to regulate bondage and release. 107. The Shruti declares that Nature functions in fear of Ishvara. He is the ruler though unattached. The rulership is appropriately vested in Ishvara, who is not affected by sufferings, works and so forth. 108. It is a fact that the Jivas, too, are not affected by sufferings etc., as they too are unattached; but when they fail to comprehend their real nature, they imagine that they are affected by sufferings, works and so forth. 109. The logicians deny the controlling power to Ishvara, because He is detached. They invest Him with the qualities of eternal knowledge, effort and desire. 110. They say that owing to His possessing these three qualities Ishvara is

35 the Lord of the universe. In support they quote the Shruti verse: ‘He has true desires and resolves’. 111. Ishvara being endowed with eternal knowledge and other cognate attributes must be ever engaged in the creation of the world. He must therefore be Hiranyagarbha who is endowed with a subtle body. 112. The glory of Hiranyagarbha has been given in detail in the Udgitha Brahmana. He, the totality of all subtle bodies, is not to be considered a Jiva because He is free from desires and Karma. 113. The worshippers of Virat hold that no subtle body is seen without a physical body. So Virat, who has a physical body with head and other organs, is the real Ishvara. 114. The Shruti says that the form of Virat is the form of the universe, extending in all directions with an infinite number of heads and eyes. So they meditate on Virat. 115. Then there are worshippers who object to the worship of Virat on the ground that according to this conception of Virat even insects and worms will have to be regarded as Ishvara. So the four-faced Brahma, the creator, is Ishvara and nobody else. 116. So say people who worship the creator Brahma for obtaining children and quote passages which say, ‘Brahma created the people’. 117. The Bhagavatas call the only Ishvara because the lotus-born Brahma issued from the navel of Vishnu. 118. The Saivas on the authority of their Agamas declare alone to be Ishvara, as according to a tradition in the Puranas, Vishnu in spite of all his efforts could not discover the feet of Shiva. 119. The followers of the creed of say that the elephant-faced Lord is the only Ishvara for Shiva in order to conquer the demons of the three cities worshipped Ganesha. 120. There are many other sects which try to declare their own favourite deity to be the supreme. They quote hymns from Shruti and alleged traditions in support of their views. 121. So every entity from the Inner Ruler to inert objects is considered as Ishvara by someone or other, for we find that even the sacred fig tree, the sun-plant and the bomboo etc., are worshipped by the people as family deities. 122. Those who are desirous of ascertaining the real truth study the Shruti and logic. Their conclusion is the same, that Ishvara is one only and this fact we have set forth in this chapter. 123. The Shruti says that Maya is Prakriti, the material cause of the universe, and the Lord of Maya is the great Ishvara who pervades the whole universe, consisting of sentient and insentient objects which are like parts of that Ishvara.

36 124. The correct definition of Ishvara is available from the Shruti text. Then there will be no clash with even the worshippers of trees and so forth as Ishvara. 125. The [Nrisimha-Uttara-]Tapaniya Upanishad declares Maya to be Tamas or darkness. The empirical experience of all is evidence for the existence of Maya, says the Shruti. 126. The Shruti points to the universal experience of the insentient and illusory nature of Maya, as displayed by persons of undeveloped intellect, such as children and dullards. 127. The nature of the poet and other inert objects exhibits insentiency (which is a characteristic of Maya). People say that the intellect feels shy to fathom the depths of Maya. 128. All people admit in their experience existence of Maya. From the logical point of view Maya is inexplicable. Shruti too declares it to be neither existence nor non-existence. 129. Since the effects of Maya are undeniably manifest, its existence cannot be denied. Being stultified by knowledge, it cannot really be said to exist. From the point of view of (absolute) knowledge (of the Atman) it is always inoperative and hence negligible. 130. Maya is looked upon in three ways. From the point of view of knowledge and Shruti it is negligible; for empirical reason it is indefinable and for the ordinary people it is real. 131. Maya exhibits the appearance and disappearance (in waking or sleeping state) of the world, just as by rolling and unrolling a picture on a canvas it is exhibited or withdrawn. 132. Maya is dependent, for in the absence of the cognising faculty the effects of Maya cannot be experienced. Again in one sense it is independent too, for it can make the non-attached Atman appear to be attached. 133. Maya transforms the immutable Kutastha, the ever association-less Atman, phenomenally into the form of the universe. Casting the reflection of Atman on itself, Maya Creates Jiva and Ishvara. 134. Without in any way affecting the real nature of Atman, Maya creates the world. It makes the impossible look possible. How astonishingly powerful Maya is ! 135. As fluidity is the nature of water, heat of fire and hardness of stone, so the making of the impossible possible is the nature of Maya. It is unique in this respect. 136. The magic show looks wonderful and inexplicable as long as the magician is not directly known, but when the magician is so known, the magic show is known as such and is no longer wonderful. 137. Those who believe in the reality of the world regard the effects of Maya as wonderful. But since the nature of Maya itself is astonishing, one need not

37 wonder at its power. 138. By raising objections to the wonderfulness of Maya we do not solve the mystery. Besides, we also can raise serious counter objections. What is essential is that we should eradicate Maya by systematic enquiry. Further arguments are useless, so do not indulge in them. 139. Maya is an embodiment of marvellousness and doubt; the wise must carefully find out means and make effort to remove it. 140. (Doubt): But the nature of Maya must be determined before trying to eradicate it. (Reply): All right, do so ! Apply the popular definition of magic on Maya. 141. People understand that to be Maya which though clearly seen is at the same time beyond all determination, as in the case of magic. 142. The world is clearly seen, but its nature defies definition. Be impartial, and regard the world as nothing but a delusion, the product of Maya. 143. Even if all the learned people of the world try to determine the nature of this world, they will find themselves confronted at some stage or other by ignorance. 144. Tell us, if you can, how the body and senses came out of the seed, or how consciousness was born in the foetus. What answers will you give to these questions ? 145. (The naturalist says): It is the nature of the seed to evolve into the body with the sense-organs and so forth. (Reply): What is the basis of your belief ? You will perhaps say, application of the double method of agreement and difference. But it is not confirmed because in a barren woman seed produces nothing. 146. In the end you will have to say, ‘I do not know’. Therefore the wise declare this world to be like a magic show. 147. What can be more magical than the fact that the seed in the uterus becomes a conscious individual, that it develops head, hands, feet and other organs, that it passes through the states of childhood, youth and old age and that it perceives, eats, smells, hears, comes and goes ? 148. Like the human body carefully consider also a tiny fig seed. How different the tree is from the seed from which it grows ! Therefore know all this to be Maya. 149. The logicians and others, proud of their dialectical ability, may feel satisfied with their logical explanations; but the philosopher Sri Harsha Mishra has exposed the error of their positions in his classic ‘Khandana’ [Khandana-Khandakhadya]. 150. Things that are inconceivable should not be subjected to canons of logic; and this world is one such, for the mind cannot conceive of the very mode of its creation. 151. Be convinced that Maya is the cause of this world, whose

38 comprehension surpasses the imagination. In the state of deep sleep we are partly aware of this Maya, the seed of this world. 152. As the tree is latent in the seed, so the waking and dreaming worlds are implicit in deep sleep. Similarly, the impressions of the entire universe are latent in Maya. 153. On the impressions of the whole world, thus latent in the intellect (during sleep) is reflected the immutable consciousness. Though it is not experienced owing to vagueness it can be inferred to exist, in the same way as the reflection of the sky is inferred to exist in the water-particles of a cloud. 154. This seed, the Maya, in association with the reflection of consciousness, which is not fully grasped, develops into the intellect; and in this intellect, the reflection of consciousness becomes plainly visible as the ego. 155. It is said by the Shruti that Jiva and Ishvara are creations of Maya, being reflections of Atman in it. Ishvara is like the reflection of the sky in the cloud; Jiva is like the reflection of the sky in water. 156. Maya is comparable to a cloud and the mental impressions in the Buddhi are like the water-particles which make up the cloud. The reflected consciousness in Maya is like the sky reflected in the water-particles of the cloud. 157. Shruti says that this (pure universal) consciousness reflected in Maya is Ishvara which controls Maya as well. The great Ishvara is the inner ruler, omniscient and cause of the universe. 158. The Shruti, in the passage beginning with ‘the consciousness in the deep sleep’ and ending in ‘He is the Lord of all’ describes this ‘sheath of bliss’ as the Ishvara. [: 5-6; Brihadaranyaka Upanishad: IV-iv-22] 159. The omniscience and other properties of the bliss sheath are not to be questioned, because the assertions of the Shruti are beyond dispute and because everything is possible in Maya. 160. Since nobody has the power to alter the world of waking and dream states which are projected from the bliss-sheath, it is proper to call it the Lord of all. 161. In the bliss-sheath inhere all the desires and mental impressions of all living beings. In as much as it knows them (impressions) all, it is called omniscient. 162. (Doubt): The omniscience, alleged to be the nature of the bliss-sheath, is not evident because the impressions are not known directly. (Reply): Its knowledge of the impressions (though not directly felt) is inferred from observation of its presence in all mentations. 163. Since Ishvara (the consciousness in the bliss-sheath) abides in and activates and controls all the functions of all other sheaths beginning with that of the intellect and elsewhere also in creation, it is called the inner

39 controller. 164. The Shruti says that the Lord abides in the intellect and has the intellect as His body (instrument); but the intellect does not know Him; it is itself controlled by Him. 165. As threads pervade a piece of cloth and constitute its material cause, so the Inner Ruler, pervading the whole universe, is the material cause of the universe. 166. Just as the threads are subtler than the cloth and the fibres of the threads subtler than the threads themselves, even so, where this progress from the subtle to the subtler stops, there do we confront the Inner Ruler. 167. Being minuter than the minute of the second and third degree, the inmost Being is not subject to perception; but by reasoning and by Shruti His existence is ascertained. 168. As a piece of cloth is said to be the body of the threads which become the cloth, so when He has become the universe it is described as His body. 169. When threads are contracted or expanded, or any motion is imparted to them, the cloth similarly behaves – it has no independence at all. 170. Similarly the worldly objects assume the forms in the manner He transforms them according to their past desires and impressions. There is no doubt about it. 171. In the Gita Sri Krishna says: ‘O Arjuna, the Lord abides in the hearts of all beings and makes them revolve by His Maya as if mounted on a wheel’. [Gita: XVIII-61] 172. ‘All beings’ in the above passage means the Jivas or the sheaths of intellect which abide in the hearts of all beings. Being their material cause, the Lord appears to undergo changes with them. 173. By the word ‘wheel’ is meant the cage of the body with sheaths etc. By saying that all beings are ‘mounted on the wheel’ is meant that they have come to consider the body as the ego. By the word ‘revolve’ is meant the performance of good and bad deeds. 174. The meaning of the expression ‘The Lord makes them revolve by His Maya’, is that the Lord by his power of Maya becomes involved in the intellect-sheath and seems to change with the operations of the intellect. 175. The same meaning is expressed by the Shruti saying that the Lord is called the inner controller. By applying this reason one can come to the same conclusion with regard to the physical elements and all other objects. 176. ‘I know what is virtue, but my inclination is not mine to practise it; I know what is vice, but my desisting from it is not mine but His. I do as I am prompted by some god seated in my heart.’ 177. From the above verse do not think that individual efforts are not necessary, for the Lord transforms Himself as those efforts. 178. This theory does not contradict the idea of the Lord prompting every

40 thing, for one who has known Ishvara to be the controller of things knows his Self as non-attached. 179. Both the Shruti and the tradition declare this knowledge of the non- attachment of the Self to be the cause of release. It is also stated in Varaha- Purana that both the scriptural and the traditional truths are from the Lord. 180. The Shruti declares that in fear of Him the forces of nature operate, showing that His commandments engender fear. So His lordship over all beings is different from His inner Rulership of them. 181. One Shruti passage says that the suns and planets move at the command of the Lord. Another Shruti passage says that the Lord entering the human body controls it from within. 182. The Lord is said to be the source of the universe, for He causes the creation and dissolution of the world. By creation and dissolution are meant the manifestation and demanifestation of the world. 183. The world remains potential as impressions in the Lord and He causes its manifestation in accordance with the past deeds of beings. Creation is like the unrolling of a painted canvas. 184. If the painted canvas is rolled up, the picture is no longer visible. In the same way, when the Karma of beings is exhausted, the Lord withdraws into Himself the universe with all that it contains (i.e., all remain in a latent form). 185. The creation and destruction of the world are comparable to day and night, to the waking and sleeping states, to the opening and closing of the eyes and the activity and quiescense of the mind. 186. Ishvara is endowed with the power of Maya which is the power of manifesting and demanifesting, so the objections to the theory that creation has a beginning or that it is evolutionary or that things are naturally endowed with certain special qualities do not apply to it. 187. Ishvara through the Tamas of Maya is the cause of the inanimate objects and through the reflection of the supreme intelligence Ishvara is the cause of the Jivas. 188. It is objected that the cause of the bodies is that aspect of Paramatman in which Tamas predominates and that of the Jivas is that aspect where intelligence predominates. So Paramatman alone is their cause in accordance with their inner impressions, moral and spiritual actions. 189. Thus Sureshvaracharya, the author of Vartika, has attributed the cause of the animate and inanimate creation to Paramatman and not to Ishvara. 190. Our reply is that Acharya Sureshvara holds Brahman to be the cause of the world, but he has taken for granted the mutual superimposition of Ishvara and Brahman even as that of Jiva and Kutastha. 191. The Shruti explains clearly that from Brahman, who is truth, knowledge and infinity, arose Akasa, air, fire, water, earth, herbs, food, bodies and so forth.

41 192. Superficially it looks as if Brahman were the cause of the world and that Ishvara were a real entity. This cannot be explained except by the mutual superimposition of the true nature of Brahman on Ishvara and the creativity of Ishvara on Brahman. 193. In a piece of cloth stiffened with starch, the starch becomes one with the cloth; so by the process of mutual superimposition the ignorant conceive Ishvara to be one with Paramatman. 194. As the dull-witted imagine that the Akasa reflected in a cloud is the Akasa absolute, so the undiscriminating do not see the distinction between Brahman and Ishvara. 195. By deep enquiry and by the application of the rules of interpretation to the Vedic text we come to know that Brahman is associationless and unconditioned by Maya, whereas Ishvara is the creator conditioned by Maya. 196. The Vedas declare Brahman to be truth, knowledge and infinity and also that speech and the other organs cannot grasp it. Thus it is determined that Brahman is associationless. 197. Another Shruti says that Ishvara, the Lord of Maya, creates the universe, whereas the Jiva is controlled by Maya. So Ishvara, associated with Maya, is the creator. 198. As the deep sleep state passes into dream state, so Ishvara who is known as the sheath of bliss, transforms Himself into Hiranyagarbha, when He, the one, wills to be many. 199. There are two types of Shruti text describing the creation of the world either as a gradual evolution or as instantaneous. There is no contradiction, for the dream world sometimes arises gradually out of deep sleep, but at other times it arises instantaneously. 200. Hiranyagarbha or Sutratman, otherwise called the subtle-body, is the totality of the subtle bodies of all Jivas. He conceives Himself as the totality of all egos or ‘I’ - consciousnesses, like the threads of a piece of cloth; and He is said to be endowed with the powers of volition, conation and cognition. 201. The world in its course of evolution comes to rest in Hiranyagarbha, but at this stage it is indistinct, just as an object seen in partial darkness, at dawn or dusk. 202. As the outlines of a picture are drawn in black pencil on a stiffened piece of canvas, so also the subtle bodies indistinctly appear in Hiranyagarbha. 203. Like a tender offshoot of a germinated corn or like a tender plant sprouting, Hiranyagarbha is the tender bud of the world which is still indistinct. 204. In Virat the world appears distinct and shining, like objects in broad day- light or like the figures of a fully painted picture or the fruit of a fully matured tree. In Virat all the gross bodies are plainly seen.

42 205. In the Vishvarupa chapter and in the Purusha Sukta there is a description of Virat. From the creator Brahma to a blade of grass, all objects in the world form part of Virat. 206. The forms of Virat, such as Ishvara, Hiranyagarbha, Virat, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Indra, , Ganesha, Bhairava, Mairala, Marika, Yakshas, demons. 207. , , , Sudras, cows, horses and other beasts, birds, fig, banyan and mango trees, wheat, rice and other cereals and grasses; 208. Water, stone, earth, chisels, axes and other implements are manifestations of Ishvara. Worshipped as Ishvara they grant fulfilment of desires. 209. In whatever form Ishvara is worshipped, the worshipper obtains the appropriate reward through that form. If the method of worship and the conception of the attributes of the deity worshipped are of a high order, the reward also is of a high order; but if otherwise, it is not. 210. The Liberation, however, can be obtained through the knowledge of reality and not otherwise. The dreaming does not end until the dreamer awakes. 211. In the secondless principle, Brahman, the whole universe, in the form of Ishvara and Jiva and all animate and inanimate objects, appears like a dream. 212. Maya has created Ishvara and Jiva, represented by the sheath of bliss and the sheath of intellect respectively. The whole perceptible world is a creation of Ishvara and Jiva. 213. From the determination of Ishvara to create, down to His entrance into the created objects, is the creation of Ishvara. From the waking state to ultimate release, the cause of all pleasures and pains, is the creation of Jiva. 214. Those who do not know the nature of Brahman, who is secondless and associationless, fruitlessly quarrel over Jiva and Ishvara, which are creations of Maya. 215. We always approve those who appear to us to be devoted to truth and pity others but do not quarrel with those who are deluded. 216. From the worshippers of objects like grass to the followers of Yoga, all have wrong ideas about Ishvara. From the materialist to the followers of Sankhya, all have confused ideas about Jiva. 217. As they do not know the truth of the secondless Brahman, they all are wrong. Where is their liberation or where is their joy in this world ? 218. Some may say that these people represent grades of enjoyment from the lowest to the highest. But of what use is it ? A man when awake derives no good from the dreams in which he may have played the part of a king or a beggar.

43 219. Therefore the aspirants to liberation should never engage themselves in disputations about the nature of Jiva and Ishvara. They ought to practise discrimination and realise the reality of Brahman. 220. (Doubt): Such disputation is a means to the understanding of Brahman. (Reply): It may be so, but be careful to avoid being drowned helplessly in the sea of confusion. 221. (Doubt): All right, but the Vedantins must accept the Sankhya doctrine that Jiva and Ishvara are associationless, pure consciousness and eternal and the Yoga doctrine that Jiva and Ishvara, referred to as ‘thou’ and ‘that’ respectively in the dictum ‘That thou art’, are of a pure nature. 222. (Reply): These two meanings do not accord with the Advaita view. They postulate a difference between Jiva and Ishvara, but in the Advaita doctrine there is no distinction between ‘That’ and ‘Thou’. Statements appearing to make such a distinction are only steps towards understanding of non-duality. 223. Influenced by the beginningless Maya, people think that Jiva and Ishvara are totally different from each other. In order to eliminate this erroneous belief the Vedantin enquires into the meaning of ‘That’ and ‘Thou’. 224. In order to demonstrate the truth of Advaita we have cited the illustration of the Akasa conditioned by a pot, the unlimited Akasa, the Akasa reflected in water and the Akasa reflected in a cloud. 225. In the last two aspects of Akasa the conditioning adjuncts are the water and the cloud, but their basis, the Akasa of the pot and the unlimited Akasa, is pure and unaffected. 226. The sheath of bliss and the sheath of intellect have as their conditioning adjuncts Maya and the modification of Maya called Buddhi respectively, but the basis of both is the one pure Atman, which is immutable. 227. As steps to our doctrine we use as illustrations the doctrines of Sankhya and Yoga. Similarly we accept and make use of the doctrine of the sheath of food, though we do not mean that the food-sheath is really to be identified with the Atman. 228. The Vedantins will accept the doctrines of the followers of Sankhya and Yoga provided they give up the doctrine of the existence of distinction in Atman, the doctrine of the reality of the world and the doctrine of Ishvara being a separate and special Purusha. 229. The Sankhyas hold that, for the Jiva to achieve his object and be liberated, a knowledge of the eternal associationlessness of Atman is enough. We reply that in their view he might just as well think that the pleasures which he obtains from flowers, sandalwood and so forth are also eternal. 230. Just as it is impossible to establish the eternal existence of pleasure derived from flowers and sandalwood, so it is impossible to establish the associationlessness of Atman as long as the world and Ishvara are believed

44 to be realities and ever-existing. 231. If Prakriti is imperishable as the Sankhyas say, she will continue to produce attachment in the Purusha even after the dawn of the knowledge of his complete isolation. If Ishvara is eternal, He will continue to exercise control over the Purusha. In that case the poor Purusha will never have emancipation; his bondage will be real. 232. (Doubt): The idea of attachment to the body and of control is due to ignorance. (Reply): Then you accept the conception of Maya, which is a violation of the shortsighted Sankhya doctrine. 233. (Doubt): To account for the idea of individual bondage and release, the plurality of Selves must be accepted. (Reply): This is unnecessary because Maya is responsible for bondage and release. 234. Don’t you see that Maya can make the impossible appear possible ? In fact, the Shruti can tolerate neither bondage nor release as real. 235. The Shruti declares that in fact there is no destruction and no origination; none in bondage and none engaged in practice for liberation; no aspirant for liberation and none liberated. This is the transcendental truth. 236. Maya is said to be the desire-fulfilling cow. Jiva and Ishvara are its two calves. Drink of its milk of duality as much as you like, but the truth is non- duality. 237. The difference between Kutastha and Brahman is only in name; in reality there is no difference. The Akasa in the pot and the unlimited Akasa are not distinct from one another. 238. The non-dual reality, as declared in the Shruti, existed before creation, exists now and will continue to exist in dissolution; and after liberation Maya deludes the people in vain. 239. (Doubt): Even the knowers, who attribute the world to Maya, are seen to be engaged in worldly pursuits. So what is the use of realisation ? (Reply): No, he is not deluded as before. 240. The ignorant are convinced that the happiness and grief which the world and heaven offer are real; so they do not perceive non-duality, nor think it exists. 241. It is clearly seen that the conviction of the knowers is opposed to the conviction of the ignorant. They are free or fettered according to their conviction. 242. (Doubt): The non-dual reality is not directly perceptible. (Reply): This is not so, for reality is self-evident in the form of consciousness. (Doubt): It is not fully known. (Reply): Is the world fully known to you ? 243. Both duality and non-duality are partially known. If from this partial experience you infer the truth of duality, why should you not from same premises infer the truth of non-duality? 244. (Doubt): Duality contradicts non-duality. So when duality is seen

45 manifest everywhere, how can you infer its opposite principle, non-duality ? Our consciousness does not contradict duality; so our position is stronger than yours. 245. (Reply): Then listen. Duality is unreal and has no independent existence, for it is a product of Maya. So when duality is negated what remains as reality is non-duality. 246. The whole world is a product of the inscrutable Maya; be convinced of this and know that the fundamental real principle is non-duality. 247. (Doubt): If the idea that duality is real occurs again and again in daily life ? (Reply): Repeatedly practise negating this erroneous idea of duality. What is the difficulty in doing so ? 248. (Doubt): How long should one continue this practice ? (Reply): It is a trouble to continue the pursuit of unreal duality, not so is that of non-duality. For by the practice of non-duality all miseries are destroyed. 249. (Doubt): But even after realisation I suffer from hunger and thirst. (Reply): Who denies it? This suffering is in your egoity (a product of duality) expressed in your use of ‘I’. 250. (Doubt): The sufferings may come to the immutable Self, because of identification with the body. (Reply): Do not subject yourself to this identification which is due to mutual superimposition, but practise discrimination for its removal. 251. (Doubt): The superimposition, which is due to the first impressions, suddenly may occur, because of the beginningless association of Jiva and Avidya. (Reply): Then begin new impressions of non-duality by means of repeated discrimination of the truth. 252. Do not say it is reasoning alone which demonstrates the unreality of duality and not our experience, for we daily experience that mysterious is the nature of the world. 253. (Doubt): Consciousness too is mysterious. (Reply): Let it be. We do not say that consciousness is not mysterious, for it is eternal. 254. Consciousness is eternal, for its non-existence can never be experienced. But the non-existence of duality is experienced by consciousness before the duality assumes manifestation. 255. That duality of the phenomenal world is like the pot which is non- existent before it comes into being. Still, its creation is inexplicable. So it is unreal like a product of magic. 256. Now you see that both consciousness and the unreality of the world are immediately experienced, so you cannot still maintain that non-duality is not experienced. 257. (Doubt): Tell me why some who know this truth of Vedanta are still not satisfied with it ? (Reply): First tell me why the materialists, who know logic, still believe the body to be the Self ?

46 258. (Doubt): The materialists cannot properly discriminate owing to some defect in their intellect. (Reply): Similarly all those who are dissatisfied with Vedanta have an inadequate comprehension of the truth. 259. The Shruti says that he who has banished from his heart all indwelling desires attains immortality. This is not merely a statement; a knower’s actual experience proves it. 260. In another passage it is stated that all the knots of the heart are loosened at the rise of true knowledge. The term ‘knots of the heart’ has been explained in the commentary to mean the desires of the heart. 261. Owing to lack of true discrimination a man identifies egoism with the Self, and then thinks: ‘May this object be mine’, and so forth. This is called desire. 262. When a man can disidentify the Self from egoism, and realise that the Self is in no way connected with egoism, then though he may have crores of desires they will not bind him, because he has cut the ‘knot of the conscious with the unconscious’. 263. By the force of the fructifying Karma, a knower may be subject to desires, as in spite of theoretically knowing the truth you are not satisfied. 264. A man who has overcome egoity and realised identity with the changeless consciousness is not distressed by desires or diseases and other changing conditions of body and fortune, just as the growth and death of trees in a forest do not affect him. 265. (Doubt): But it is well known that the immutable Self is ever unaffected by desires even before illumination. (Reply): Do not forget this truth. The realisation that Kutastha is ever dissociated from desires is called the ‘snapping of the knot of ignorance’. It is this knowledge which leads to the attainment of the purpose of life. 266. (Doubt): The dull-witted are ignorant of this truth. (Reply): This is what we mean by the ‘knot of ignorance’, nothing else. The difference between the ignorant and the wise, is the existence of doubt in the former group and its destruction in the latter. 267. From the point of view of the body, senses, mind and intellect, there is no difference between the ignorant and the illumined when they engage themselves in action or abstain from them. 268. The difference between one who has been initiated into the life of Brahmacharya and one who has not is that the former studies the Veda, whereas the latter does not. But as regards food etc., there is no difference. The same applies to the wise and the ignorant. 269. In the Gita it is said that the wise man who has destroyed his desires does not hate what is present nor does he hanker after what he has not. He sits like one who is disinterested. This is called ‘snapping the knot of ignorance’.

47 270. (Doubt): Does the Gita enjoin want of interest ? (Reply): No, if it were so, the word ‘like’ (vat) would be meaningless. (Doubt): He may be disinterested because his bodily organs have lost the power of action. (Reply): Then he is a sick man and not a wise one ! 271. These highly intellectual men who equate the knowledge of truth with the disease of consumption are indeed remarkable for the clarity of their intellect ! There is, verily, no deed too impossible for such people to perform ! 272. (Doubt): Why, the Puranas speak about Jadabharata and others who were completely withdrawn and performed no action. (Reply): But have you not heard also the Vedas speaking of other knowers who ate, played and enjoyed pleasures ? 273. Jadabharata and others never gave up food and sleep nor were like sticks and stones. It was because they were afraid of forming attachments that they behaved as if they were completely disinterested. 274. The man who is attached to objects is troubled by the world; happiness is enjoyed by the unattached. Therefore give up attachment if you desire to be happy. 275. The slow-witted who do not understand the essence of the scriptures, express their opinions in various ways. Let them form any opinion they like. We will express our own, which accord with the Vedantic doctrine. 276. Absence of desires, knowledge of reality and withdrawal from action mutually assist one another. Generally all three of them are found together, but sometimes separately too, without the third. 277. The origin, the nature and the result of these virtues differ. The real distinctions between them will be clear to a keen student of scriptures. 278. The origin of detachment is an understanding that the joys derived from objects are impermanent; its nature is a distaste for the enjoyment of those objects; and its result is the feeling of being independent of them. These three are peculiar to detachment. 279. The origin of the knowledge of reality is hearing, reflecting and meditating on the reality; its nature is discrimination between the real and the unreal; and its result is the restraint of fresh doubts from arising. These three are peculiar to knowledge. 280. The origin of withdrawal from action is the cultivation of inner and outer control and so forth; its nature is the control of the mind; and its result is the cessation of worldly activities. Thus their differences are described. 281. Of all the three virtues the most essential is the knowledge of the Reality as it is the direct cause of liberation. The other two, detachment and withdrawal, are necessary auxiliaries to knowledge. 282. The existence of the three virtues highly developed in a man is the result of vast store of merit acquired in innumerable past lives. The absence of any one of them is the result of some demerit acquired in the past.

48 283. Without the knowledge of Reality even perfect detachment and complete withdrawal from worldly actions cannot lead to liberation. A man endowed with detachment and withdrawal, but failing to obtain illumination, is reborn in the superior worlds because of great merit. 284. On the other hand by the complete knowledge of the Reality a man is sure to have liberation, even though his detachment and withdrawal are wanting. But then his visible sufferings will not come to an end owing to his fructifying Karma. 285. The height of detachment is such a conviction of the futility of all desires that one considers like straw even the highest pleasures of the world of Brahma; and the height of spiritual knowledge is reached when one feels one’s identity with the supreme Self as firmly as an ordinary man instinctively feels his identity with the physical body. 286. The height of withdrawal from action is the complete forgetfulness of all worldly affairs in the waking state as in the state of deep sleep. There are several intermediate grades which can be known by actual observation. 287. Enlightened men may differ in their behaviour because of the nature of their fructifying Karma. This should not make the learned think otherwise about the truth of knowledge resulting in liberation. 288. Let the enlightened people behave in any way according to their fructifying Karma, but their knowledge is the same and their liberation is the same. 289. On the supreme consciousness the world is drawn like a picture on canvas; thus is Maya superimposed on consciousness. When we forget the adventitious distinctions, consciousness alone remains. 290. This chapter called the ‘Lamp of the Picture’, when regularly studied, gives an intelligent aspirant freedom from the delusion due to illusive appearances, even though he may see them as before.

49 VII. THE LAMP OF PERFECT SATISFACTION

1. ‘When a man (Purusha) has realised the identity of his own Self with the Paramatman, desiring what and for whose sake should he allow himself to be afflicted following the body’s affliction ?’ 2. In this chapter we exhaustively analyse the meaning of this Shruti. Thereby the perfect satisfaction of a man liberated in this life will be clearly known. 3. The Shruti says that Maya reflecting Brahman, creates both Jiva and Ishvara. Jiva and Ishvara, in their turn, create the whole of the rest of the universe. 4. From the determination of Ishvara to create, down to his entrance into the created objects, is the creation of Ishvara. From the waking state to ultimate release, the cause of all pleasures and pains, is the creation of Jiva. 5. The substratum of illusion is Brahman, the immutable, associationless, pure consciousness, the Self of all beings. When through mutual superimposition Brahman becomes associated with the intellect, an association which is phenomenal and not real, He is known as Jiva or Purusha. 6. Jiva, with Kutastha as his substratum, becomes an agent and seeks liberation or the pleasures of heaven and earth. , the reflection of pure consciousness alone cannot be so, for superimposition is not possible without a substratum. 7. When Jiva, having the immutable Kutastha as his basis, wrongly identifies himself with the gross and subtle bodies, he comes to think of himself as bound by the pleasures and pains of this world. 8. When Jiva gives up his attachment to his illusory portion, the nature of the substratum becomes predominant and he realises that he is associationless and of the nature of pure consciousness. 9. (Doubt): How can the idea of egoity arise in the detached Kutastha ? You have to attribute egoity to it. (Reply): ‘I’ is used in three senses, of which one is primary and the other two secondary. 10. The immutable Kutastha becomes identified with the reflected intelligence, Chidabhasa, due to mutual superimposition. This is the primary meaning of ‘I’ in which the spiritually dull people use it. 11. ‘I’ in the two secondary senses refer to either Kutastha or Chidabhada but one is differentiated from the other. The wise use the same word ‘I’ either in the worldly or in the philosophical sense, meaning Chidabhasa or Kutastha respectively. 12. From the conventional standpoint, the wise use the expression ‘I am

50 going’, meaning Chidabhasa, differentiating it from Kutastha. 13. From the philosophical standpoint the wise mean by their ‘I’ the pure Kutastha. In this sense they say: ‘I am unattached. I am the Spirit Itself’. 14. (Doubt): Wise or ignorant are terms that can be applied to Chidabhasa and never to Kutastha. Then how can Chidabhasa who is different from Kutastha, say: ‘I am Brahman or Kutastha ?’ 15. (Reply): There is no harm, for Chidabhasa has no real existence independent of Kutastha. An image in a mirror is not distinct from the object of which it is a reflection. When the adventitious factors are negated, only Kutastha remains. 16. (Doubt): The idea ‘I am Kutastha’ is also illusory. (Reply): Who denies it ? Any motion attributed to the snake superimposed on a rope is unreal and cannot be admitted. 17. The idea ‘I am Brahman’ leads to the cessation of pleasure and pain of the world. There is a common saying that a sacrifice offered to a deity must be appropriate to that deity. 18. The Shruti says that Chidabhasa, based on Kutastha and known as Purusha, should differentiate Kutastha from illusion and that he is then justified in saying ‘I am Kutastha (Brahman)’. 19. In speaking of himself the common man seems to be convinced of his identity with the body. A similar conviction about this Self as Brahman is necessary for liberation. This is the meaning of ‘this’ in ‘I am this’. 20. When a man is as firmly convinced of his identity with Brahman as an ordinary man is convinced of his identity with the body, he is liberated even if he does not wish for it. 21. (Doubt): The term ‘this’ in ‘I am this’ refers to something knowable and that it cannot apply to Brahman, who is unknown. (Reply): All right. Brahman as the Self is self-luminous and can always be directly experienced. 22. The Self is ever cognised. We speak of Its being known directly or indirectly, being known or unknown, as in the illustration of the tenth man. 23. The tenth man counts the other nine, each of whom is visible to him, but forgets himself the tenth, though all the time seeing himself. 24. Being himself the tenth, he does not find him. ‘The tenth is not visible, he is absent’, so he says. Intelligent people say that this is due to his presence being obscured by ignorance or Maya. 25. He is grieved and cries, because he believes the tenth to have been drowned in the river. The act of weeping, a result of false superimposition, is due to illusion. 26. When told by a competent person that the tenth is not dead, he believes by indirect knowledge that he is alive, just as one believes in the existence of heaven on the authority of the Shruti. 27. When each man is told: ‘You are the tenth’ and he counts himself along

51 with the others, he stops weeping and grieving owing to the direct knowledge of the tenth, that is, himself. 28. Seven stages can be distinguished in respect of the Self: ignorance, obscuration, superimposition, indirect knowledge, direct knowledge, cessation of grief and the rise of perfect satisfaction. 29. Chidabhasa with his mind devoted to the worldly existence does not know that he is the self-evident Kutastha. 30. ‘Kutastha is not manifest, there is no Kutastha’ are the ideas that characterise the obscuring stage caused by ignorance. The Jiva further says ‘I am the doer and enjoyer’ and experiences pains and pleasures, the result of superimposition. 31. From the teacher he comes to know of the existence of Kutastha indirectly. Then, by means of discrimination, he directly realises ‘I am Kutastha’. 32. Now he is free from the erroneous idea that he is a doer and an enjoyer of the fruit of his actions. With this conviction his grief comes to an end. He feels that he has accomplished all that was to be accomplished and experiences perfect satisfaction. 33. These are the seven stages of Jiva: ignorance, obscuration, superimposition, indirect knowledge, direct knowledge, freedom from grief and unrestricted bliss. 34. The reflected consciousness, Chidabhasa, is affected by these seven stages. They are the cause of bondage and also of release. The first three of them are described as causing bondage. 35. Ignorance is the stage characterised by ‘I do not know’ and is the cause of the indifference about truth, lasting as long as discrimination does not mature. 36. The result of the obscuring of the spiritual truth caused by ignorance is such thoughts as ‘Kutastha does not exist’, ‘Kutastha is not known’, which is contrary to truth. This happens when discrimination is not conducted along scriptural lines. 37. The stage in which Chidabhasa identifies himself with the subtle and gross bodies is called superimposition. In it he is subject to bondage and suffers as a result of the idea of his being the doer and enjoyer. 38. Though ignorance and the obscuring of the Self precede superimposition and Chidabhasa himself is the result of this superimposition, still the first two stages belong not to Kutastha but to Chidabhasa. 39. Before the rise of superimposition the impressions or seeds of superimposition exist. Therefore, it is not inconsistent to say that the first two stages belong to Chidabhasa alone. 40. These two stages do not exist in Brahman, although they are superimposed on Him, as Brahman is the basis on which the superimposition

52 stands. 41. (Doubt): ‘I am worldly’, ‘I am endowed with knowledge’, ‘I am griefless’, ‘I am happy’ and so forth are expressions which refer to states of the Jiva and they have no relation to Brahman. 42. (Reply): Then the two stages prior to superimposition also should be attributed to the Jiva, for he says: ‘I do not know’, ‘I do not see Brahman’, referring to ignorance and obscuring. 43. The ancient teachers said of Brahman as the support of ignorance as a substratum, but ignorance is attributable to Jiva because he identifies himself with it and feels ‘I am ignorant’. 44. By the two kinds of knowledge ignorance is negated and with it, its effects, and the ideas ‘Brahman does not exist’ and ‘Brahman is not manifest’ also perish. 45. By indirect knowledge the misconception that Kutastha does not exist is negated. Direct knowledge destroys the result of the obscuring of reality expressed in the idea that Brahman is not manifest or experienced. 46. When the obscuring principle is destroyed, both the idea of Jiva, a mere superimposition and the grief caused by the worldly idea of agentship are destroyed. 47. When the world of duality is destroyed by the experience of one’s being ever released, there arises, with the annihilation of all grief, an unrestricted and everlasting satisfaction. 48. The Shruti quoted at the beginning of this chapter refers to two of the stages, direct knowledge and the destruction of the grief from which Jiva suffers. 49. The direct knowledge of the reality referred to in the Shruti as ‘this’ (in ‘This is the Self’) is of two kinds: Atman is self-luminous and the intellect perceives it as self-evident. 50. In indirect knowledge this intellect is aware of the fact that Brahman is self-evident and the self-evidence of Brahman is not the least affected in such intellectual comprehension. 51. Indirect knowledge, which is the cognition ‘Brahman exists’ and not the cognition ‘I am Brahman’, is not erroneous; because in the state of direct knowledge this indirect knowledge is not contradicted but confirmed. 52. If it could be proved that Brahman does not exist, this indirect knowledge would be subject to refutation, but it is well known that there is no valid evidence to refute the fact that Brahman exists. 53. The indirect knowledge of Brahman cannot be called false simply because it does not give a definitive idea of Brahman. On that basis the existence of heaven should also be false. 54. Indirect knowledge of Brahman, that is an object of direct knowledge, is not necessarily false. For it does not aver that Brahman is an object of

53 indirect knowledge only. (Why do we then call it indirect knowledge ? For it does not say 'This is Brahman' which is direct knowledge). 55. The argument that indirect knowledge is false because it does not give a full knowledge of Brahman does not hold good. We may know only a part of a pot, but this partial knowledge is not false on that account. Though Brahman has no real parts, It appears to have parts due to false superimposed adjuncts, which indirect knowledge removes. 56. Indirect knowledge removes our doubt that Brahman may not exist. Direct knowledge rebuts our poser that It is not manifest or experienced. 57. The statement ‘The tenth exists, is not lost’ is indirect knowledge and it is not false. Similarly, the indirect knowledge ‘Brahman exists’ is not false. In both cases the obscuring of the truth due to ignorance is the same. 58. By a thorough analysis of ‘Self is Brahman’ the direct knowledge ‘I am Brahman’ is achieved, just as the man after having been told that he is the tenth comes to realise it through reflection. 59. If one of the ten asks who is the tenth, the answer is that it is he himself. As he counts he comes to himself and then realises that he himself is the tenth (which is direct knowledge). 60. His knowledge that he is the tenth is never negated. Whether he comes to himself at the beginning, the middle or the end of his counting, his knowledge that he is the tenth is never in doubt. 61. The Vedic texts, such as ‘Before the creation Brahman alone existed’, give indirect knowledge of Brahman; but the text ‘That thou art’ gives direct knowledge. 62. When a man knows himself to be Brahman, his knowledge does not vary whether in the beginning, middle or end. This is direct knowledge. 63. The sage Bhrigu, in ancient times, acquired indirect knowledge of Brahman by reflecting on Brahman as the cause of the origin, sustenance and dissolution of the universe. He acquired direct knowledge by differentiating the Self from the five sheaths. 64. Though , father of Bhrigu, did not teach him by means of the text ‘That thou art’, he taught him the doctrine of the five sheaths and left him to his discriminative enquiry. 65. Bhrigu considered carefully the nature of the food-sheath, the vital-sheath and so forth. He saw in the bliss-sheath the indications of Brahman and concluded: ‘I am Brahman’. 66. The Shruti first speaks of the nature of Brahman as truth, knowledge and infinity. It then describes the Self hidden in the five sheaths. 67. Indra acquired indirect knowledge of Brahman by studying Its attributes. He then went to his teacher four times with a view to gaining direct knowledge of the Self. 68. In the Aitareya Upanishad an indirect knowledge of Brahman is imparted

54 by such texts as ‘There was only Atman before creation’. The Upanishad then describes the process of superimposition and negating it shows that consciousness is Brahman. 69. An indirect knowledge of Brahman by the intellect can be gained from other Shruti passages also; but direct knowledge is achieved by meditating on the great Sayings of the Shruti. 70. In Vakyavritti it is said that the great Sayings are intended to give direct knowledge of Brahman. There is no doubt about this fact. 71. “In ‘That thou art’ ‘thou’ denotes the consciousness which is limited or circumscribed by the adjunct the inner organ and which is the object of the idea and word ‘I’.” 72. “The (absolute) consciousness conditioned by the primeval ignorance, Maya, which is the cause of the universe, is all-knowing etc., and can be known indirectly and whose nature is truth, knowledge and infinity, is indicated by the word ‘That’.” 73. “The qualities of being mediately and immediately known and those of existence with a second and absolute oneness are incompatible on the part of one and the same substance. An explanation by implication or what is called an indirectly expressed meaning has, therefore, to be resorted to.” 74. “In sentences like ‘That thou art’ only the logical rule of partial elimination is to be applied, as in the terms of ‘that is this, not others’.” (i.e., In ‘This is that Devadatta’ we negate the attributes of time and place, both present and past and take into account only the person himself. Similarly, in the text ‘That thou art’ we negate the conflicting attributes such as the omniscience and the limited knowledge which characterise Ishvara and Jiva respectively and take into account only the immutable consciousness.) 75. The relation between the two substantives (‘thou’ and ‘that’) should not be taken as that of one qualifying the other or of mutual qualification, but of complete identity, of absolute homogeneity. That is, the meaning of the expression, according to competent persons is “what is ‘thou’ is wholly and fully ‘that’ and that which is ‘that’ is wholly and fully ‘thou’” – both the terms indicate absolute homogeneous consciousness. 76. What appears to be the individual conscious Self is of the nature of non- dual bliss; and non-dual bliss is no other than the individual conscious Self (so Brahman is Self and Self is Brahman). 77. When, by mutual identification, it has been irrefutably demonstrated that the consciousness within and Brahman are same, then the notion that Jiva, who is denoted by the word ‘thou’, is different from Brahman, at once disappears. 78. Then the indirectness in the knowledge of Brahman, implied by the word ‘thou’ in the text, also vanishes; and there remains only the consciousness within in the form of absolute bliss.

55 79. Such being the case, those who suppose that the great Sayings can give only an indirect knowledge of Brahman, furnish brilliantly shallow understanding of the scriptural conclusions. 80. (Doubt): Let alone the conclusion of the scriptures, the knowledge which the scriptural statements give of Brahman can only be indirect, like that which they give of heaven and so forth. (Reply): This is not invariably so, for the statement ‘Thou art the tenth’ leads to direct knowledge. 81. Everyman’s knowledge of himself is a direct experience. It is indeed a remarkable argument to suggest that in our attempt at identification of ourselves with Brahman this direct knowledge, already present, will be destroyed ! 82. You are gracious enough to afford us an example of the well-known proverb: In going for the interest the capital is lost. 83. (Doubt): Jiva, who is conditioned by the inner organ, can be an object of direct knowledge with the aid of this conditioning adjunct; but as Brahman has no such real adjunct, a direct knowledge of It is impossible. 84. (Reply): Our knowledge of Brahman is not altogether unconditioned, as long as our own bodies, the conditioning adjuncts, persist. That is, adjuncts that condition us positively condition Brahman negatively. 85. The difference between Jiva and Brahman is due to the presence or absence of the conditioning medium of Antahkarana; otherwise they are identical. There is no other difference. 86. If the presence of something (here the internal organ in Jiva) is a conditioning adjunct, why not its absence (here of internal organ in Brahman) ? Chains whether of gold or iron are equally binding. 87. The teachers affirm that the Upanishads speak of Brahman both by negating what is not Brahman and by affirming positive characteristics. 88. (Doubt): If the idea of ‘I’ is given up, how is the knowledge ‘I am Brahman’ possible ? (Reply): It is the false parts of ‘I’ which are to be given up and the true part retained, following the logical rule of partial elimination. 89. When the internal organ is negatived what remains is the mere inner consciousness, the witness. In it one recognises Brahman in accordance with the text ‘I am Brahman’. 90. The inner consciousness, though self-luminous, can be covered by the modifications of the intellect just as other objects of knowledge are. The teachers of scriptures have denied the perception of Kutastha by Chidabhasa, or consciousness reflected on the intellects. 91. In the perception of a jar the intellect and Chidabhasa are both concerned. There the nescience is negated by the intellect and the pot is revealed by Chidabhasa. 92. In the cognition of Brahman the modification of the intellect is necessary to remove ignorance; but, as Brahman is self-revealing the help of

56 Chidabhasa is not needed to reveal It. 93. To perceive a pot two factors are necessary, the eye and the light of the lamp; but to perceive the light of the lamp only the eye is necessary. 94. When the intellect functions, it does so only in the presence of Chidabhasa, but in the cognition of Brahman Chidabhasa is merged in Brahman. In external perception of a pot, Chidabhasa reveals the pot by its light and yet remains distinct from it. 95. That Brahman cannot be cognised by Chidabhasa is corroborated by the Shruti: ‘Brahman is beginningless and beyond cognition’. But Its cognition by the intellects (in the sense of removing ignorance about It), is admitted by the Shruti ‘Brahman can be cognised by the intellect’. 96. In the first Shruti verse of this chapter, ‘When a man has realised the identity of his own Self with That (Paramatman)…’, it is the direct knowledge of Brahman (i.e., I am Brahman’) that is meant. 97. From the great Sayings a direct knowledge of Brahman is obtained, but it is not firmly established all at once. Therefore Sri Shankaracharya emphasises the importance of repeated hearing, reflection and meditation. 98. “Until the right understanding of the meaning of the sentence ‘I am Brahman’ becomes quite firm, one should go on studying the Shruti and thinking deeply over its meaning as well as practising the inner control and other virtues.” 99. The causes of the lack of firmness in the direct knowledge of Brahman are: the occurrence of apparently contradictory texts, the doubt about the possibility of such a knowledge and radically opposed ways of thinking leading to the idea of doership. 100. Owing to the existence of different systems, dispositions and desires, the Shruti enjoins different kinds of sacrifices etc., in the Karmakanda. But about the knowledge of Brahman preached in the Upanishads there is no scope for doubts; so practise repeated ‘hearing’ etc., about the truth (for firm conviction). 101. ‘Hearing’ is the process by which one becomes convinced that the Vedas in their beginning, middle and end teach the identity of Jiva and Brahman and this is the gist of Vedanta. 102. This subject is well explained by Acharya and Shankara in the Brahma Sutras in the section treating of the correct view of the Vedic texts. The second chapter of the same classic treats of ‘reflecting’ by which one is enabled to establish the doctrine of non-duality by reasoning which satisfies the intellect and refutes all possible objections. 103. The Jiva, as a result of the firm habit of many births repeatedly, moment by moment, thinks that the body is the Self and that the world is real. 104. This is called erroneous thinking. It is removed by the practice of one- pointed meditation. This concentration arises out of worship of Ishvara, even

57 before the initiation regarding attributeless Brahman. 105. Therefore in the books of Vedanta many types of worship of Ishvara have been discussed. Those who have not done worship before the initiation into Brahman will have to acquire this power of concentration by the practice of meditation on Brahman. 106. ‘The practice of meditation on Brahman, the wise consider, means reflection on It, talking about It, mutually producing logical arguments about It – thus to be fully occupied with It alone’. 107. ‘The wise man, having known Brahman beyond doubt, ought to generate a flow of unbroken thought-current on It. He should not engage in much discussion, for that has but one effect – it tires the organ of speech’. 108. The Gita says: ‘Those who one-pointedly concentrate their mind on Me and meditate on Me as their own Self, I give what those ever-devoted ones need and protect what they have’. 109. Thus both Shruti and enjoin constant concentration of the mind on the Self to remove the erroneous conviction concerning the Self and the world. 110. An erroneous conviction is ignorance of the true nature of an object and taking it as the opposite of what it really is. It is like a son treating his father as an enemy. 111. The erroneous conviction consists in thinking the body to be the Self and the world to be real, whereas the truth is that the Self is different from the body and the world is unreal. 112. This conviction is destroyed by meditation on the real entity. An aspirant, therefore, meditates on the Self as different from the body and on the unreality of the world. 113. (Question): Are the ideas of difference of the Self from the body and the unreality of the world to be repeated like the recitation of a holy formula or the meditation on the form of a deity or by some other method ? 114. (Reply): No, there is no injunction, for the result of the process is directly perceived as every morsel of food going down the throat satisfies hunger to that extent. A hungry man cannot be subjected to any rules about the eating of food, as is done in ceremonial repetition. 115. A hungry man when he gets food, may eat it anyway he likes. And in the absence of food he may divert his mind to some absorbing work to allay the pain of hunger by whatever means available. 116. On the other hand Japa should be done according to prescribed rules, otherwise one will acquire demerit. There is a risk of running into distress if it is done irregularly by changing the letter or the pitch of tone. 117. Now the erroneous conviction, like hunger, causes visible pain. It must be conquered by any means available. Here there is no order or rule regarding it.

58 118. The practice of thinking or talking of Brahman, etc., which helps to remove the erroneous conviction has already been described. In one-pointed devotion to the non-dual Brahman there is no fixed rule, as in meditation on a form of God. 119. Meditation means the constant thinking of the form of some deity without the intervention of any other thought. By such meditation the mind which is naturally fickle, must be fully controlled. 120. In the Gita, Arjuna says: ‘O Krishna, the mind is fickle, impetuous, uncurable and strongly attached. I consider it as difficult to control as the wind’. 121. In the Yoga-Vasistha it is said: ‘It is more difficult to curb the mind than to drink up the whole ocean or to dislodge Mount Meru or to eat fire’. 122. The mind cannot be chained like the body, so practise hearing about Brahman. The mind is entertained by many religious stories and other accounts, as by a dramatic performance. 123. The purpose of such account is to realise that the nature of the Self is pure consciousness and that the universe is illusory. So they are not a hindrance to the one-pointedness of meditation. 124. But when one is engaged in agriculture, commerce, service of others, study of unspiritual literature, dialectics and other branches of learning, there is no dwelling of the mind on the real entity. 125. The aspirant, engaged in keeping his mind on truth, however, is not disturbed by taking food and so forth, as there is not much disturbance in continuing the meditation. And even if forgotten for a moment the truth can be easily revived. 126. Merely momentary forgetfulness of the truth is not disastrous; but the erroneous conviction IS. As (in the former case) the recollection immediately returns, there is no time for intensification of the erroneous conviction. 127. A man who is excessively engaged in subjects other than Vedanta ceases to meditate on Brahman. Such an engagement compels him to neglect intense meditation on Brahman and a break in the practice is a great obstacle. 128. The Shruti says ‘Know that One alone and give up all vain talk’ and again ‘Arguments and talks only fatigue the faculty of speech’. 129. If you give up food, you will not live; but will you not be alive if you give up studies (other than scriptures) ? So why so much insistence on pursuing such studies ? 130. (Doubt): How then the ancient knowers like Janaka administered kingdoms ? (Reply): They were able because of their conviction about the truth. If you have that, then by all means engage yourself in logic or agriculture or do whatever you like. 131. Once he is convinced of the unreality of the world, a knower, with mind

59 undisturbed, allows his fructifying Karma to wear out and engages himself in worldly affairs accordingly. 132. Do not fear irregularity when the wise engage themselves in actions according to their Karma. Even if it happens, let it be; who can prevent the Karma ? 133. In the experience of their fructifying Karma the enlightened and the unenlightened alike have no choice; but the knower is patient and undisturbed, whereas an ignorant man is impatient and suffers pain and grief. 134. Two travellers on a journey may be equally fatigued, but the one who knows that his destination is not far off goes on quicker with patience, whereas the ignorant one feels discouraged and stays on longer on the way. 135. He who has properly realised Brahman and is not troubled by erroneous conviction, ‘desiring what and to please whom will he suffer following the afflictions of his body and mind ?’ 136. When the conviction of the unreality of the world has been reached, there is neither desire, nor the desirer. In their absence the pain caused by unfulfilled desires ceases like the flame of a lamp without oil. 137. When the visitor knows the magician’s city of Gandharvas and its objects as unreal, he desires nothing and laughs at its deceptive nature. 138. Similarly a wise man does not seek enjoyment in the pleasing objects. He is convinced of their defects, their impermanence and illusoriness and gives them up. 139. ‘Wealth brings worry in earning, anxiety in maintenance, grief in loss and sorrow in spending. Woe unto this sorrow-producing wealth!’. 140. What real beauty is there in women, who are but a conglomeration of fleshy muscles, bones and glands ? They are a mass of flesh engaged in restless limbs. 141. Such are the defects of worldly pleasures, elaborately pointed out by the scriptures. No wise man, aware of these defects, will allow himself to be drowned in afflictions caused by them. 142. Even a man afflicted with great hunger does not wish to eat poison, much less one who is already satisfied with sweetmeats. 143. If by the force of his fructifying Karma a wise man is compelled to enjoy the fruits of desires, he does so with indifference and great reluctance like a man who is impressed for labour. 144. The wise, having spiritual faith, if forced by their fructifying Karma to live a family life, maintaining many relations, always sorrowfully think ‘Ah, the bonds of Karma are not yet torn off’. 145. This sorrow is not due to the afflictions of the world but a dislike for it, for the worldly afflictions are caused by erroneous conviction about its reality. 146. A man endowed with discrimination sees the defects of enjoyment and

60 is satisfied even with little, whereas he who is subject to illusion is not satisfied even with endless enjoyments. 147. ‘The desires are never quelled by enjoyment but increase more like the flame of a fire fed on clarified butter’. 148. But when the impermanence of pleasure is known, the gratification of desires may bring the idea of ‘enough of it’. It is like a thief, who having been knowingly employed in service does not behave like a thief but like a friend. 149. A man who has conquered his mind is satisfied with even a little enjoyment of pleasure. He knows well that pleasures are impermanent and are followed by grief. To him even a little pleasure is more than enough. 150. A king who has been freed from prison is content with sovereignty over a village, whereas when he had neither been imprisoned nor conquered he did not attach much value even to a kingdom. 151. (Doubt): When discrimination is ever awake regarding the defects of the objects of enjoyment, how can the desire for enjoyment be forced upon him by his fructifying Karma ? 152. (Reply): There is no inconsistency here, for the fructifying Karma expends itself in various ways. There are three kinds of fructifying Karma ‘producing enjoyment with desire’, ‘in the absence of desire’ and ‘through the desire of another’. 153. The sick attached to harmful food, the thieves and those who have illicit relationships with the wives of a king know well the consequence likely to follow their actions, but in spite of this they are driven to do them by their fructifying Karma. 154. Even Ishvara cannot stop such desires. So Sri Krishna said to Arjuna in the Gita: 155. ‘Even wise men follow the dictates of their own nature. Beings are prompted by their own innate tendencies; what can restriction do ?’ 156. If it were possible to avert the consequences of fructifying Karma, Nala, Rama and Yudhisthira would not have suffered the miseries to which they were subjected. 157. Ishvara Himself ordains that the fructifying Karma should be inexorable. So the fact that He is unable to prevent such Karma from fructifying is not inconsistent with His omnipotence. 158. Listen to the questions and answers between Arjuna and Sri Krishna from which we know that a man has to experience his fructifying Karma though he may have no desire to experience it. 159. ‘O Krishna, prompted by what does a man sin against his will, as if some force compels him to do so ?’ 160. ‘It is desire and (its brood) anger, born of the quality of Rajas. It is insatiable, the great source of all sins; know it to be your enemy.’

61 161. ‘O Arjuna, your own Karma, produced by your own nature, compels you to do things, even though you may not want to do them’. 162. When a man is neither willing nor unwilling to do a thing but does it for the feelings of others and experiences pleasure and pain, it is the result of ‘fructifying Karma through the desire of others’. 163. (Doubt): Does it not contradict the text at the beginning of this chapter which describes the enlightened man as desireless ? (Reply): The text does not mean that desires are absent in the enlightened man, but that desires arising in him spontaneously without his will produce no pleasure or pain in him, just as the roasted grain has no potency. 164. Roasted grain though looking the same cannot germinate; similarly the desires of the knower, well aware of the unreality of objects of desire cannot produce merit and demerit. 165. Though it does not germinate, the roasted grain can be used as food. In the same way the desires of the knower yield him only a little experience, but cannot lead to varieties of enjoyment producing sorrow or abiding habits. 166. The fructifying Karma spends its force when its effects are experienced; it is only when, through ignorance, one believes its effects to be real that they cause lasting sorrow. 167. ‘Let not my enjoyment be cut short, let it go on increasing, let not obstacles stop it, I am blessed because of it’ – such is the nature of that delusion. 168. That which is not destined to happen as a result of our past Karma will not happen; that which is to happen must happen. Such knowledge is a sure antidote to the poison of anxiety; it removes the delusion of grief. 169. Both the illumined and the deluded suffer from their fructifying Karma; the deluded are subject to misery, the wise are not. As the deluded are full of desires, of impracticable unreal things, their sorrow is great. 170. The illumined man knows that the enjoyment of desires is unreal. He therefore controls his desires and prevents impossible or new ones from arising. Why should such a man be subject to misery ? 171. The wise man is convinced that worldly desires are like dream objects or magical creations. He knows further that the nature of the world is incomprehensible and that its objects are momentary. How can he then be attached to them ? 172. One should, when awake, first picture to himself vividly what he has seen in a dream and then carefully and constantly think over the conditions of dreaming and wakefulness. 173. An aspirant must observe long and find out the essential similarity of the dream and waking worlds. He should then give up the notion of the reality of worldly objects and cease to be attached to them. 174. This world of duality is like a magical creation, with its cause

62 incomprehensible. What matters it to the wise man who does not forget this, if the past actions produce their results in him ? 175. The function of knowledge is to show the illusory nature of the world and the function of fructifying Karma is to yield pleasure and pain to the Jiva. 176. Knowledge and fructifying Karma are not opposed to one another since they refer to different objects. The sight of a magical performance gives amusement to a spectator in spite of his knowledge of its unreality. 177. The fructification of Karma would be considered to be opposed to the knowledge of truth if it gave rise to the idea of the reality of the transitory world; but the mere enjoyment does not mean that the enjoyed thing is real. 178. Through the imaginary objects seen in a dream there is experience of joy and sorrow to no small extent; therefore you can infer that through the objects of the waking state also there can be the same experience (without making them real). 179. If the knowledge of truth would obliterate the enjoyable world, then it would be a destroyer of the fructifying Karma. But it only teaches its unreality and does not cause its disappearance. 180. People know a magical show to be unreal, but this knowledge does not involve the destruction of the show. So it is possible to know the unreality of external objects without causing their disappearance or the cessation of enjoyment from them. 181. (Doubt): The Shruti passages say that he who perceives his own Self to be all, ‘what can he hear or see, or smell or speak ?’ 182. Therefore knowledge arises with the destruction of duality and in no other way. This being so, how can the knower of truth enjoy the objective world ? 183. (Reply): The Shruti upon which this objection is based applies to the states of deep sleep and final liberation. This has been amply cleared in aphorism 4-4-16 in the Brahma Sutras. 184. If this is not accepted, we cannot account for ’s and other sages’ efforts to teach. Without a recognition of duality they could not teach and with it their knowledge is incomplete. 185. (Doubt): Direct knowledge is achieved in subject-objectless contemplation in which there is no duality. (Reply): Then why not apply the same argument to the state of deep sleep ? 186. (Doubt): In the state of deep sleep there is no knowledge of the Self. (Reply): Then you admit that it is not mere absence of duality but the knowledge of the Self that really matters. 187. (Doubt): True knowledge combines in itself both the knowledge of Self and the absence of knowledge of duality. (Reply): Then inanimate objects like pots in which the knowledge of duality is absent are already half enlightened !

63 188. Then the pots are superior to you, for even the buzzing of mosquitoes often distracts your attention and they have no such awareness of duality ! 189. If, however, you admit, the knowledge of the Self alone constitutes realisation you have accepted our position. Again if you say, to have realisation the troubling mind is to be controlled, we bless you. Be happy, do control the mind. 190. We also like it, for the control of the mind is essential for the realisation of the illusory character of the world. But although the wise man may have desires, they are not binding as are the desires of an ignorant man. This is the drift of the text ‘Desiring what …’. 191. There is therefore no contradiction between the two statements in the scriptures that ‘desires are a sign of ignorance’ and that ‘the wise man may have desires’, because the desires of a wise man are too weak to bind. 192. Since he is convinced of the associationlessness of the Self like the illusoriness of the world, the knower has no idea of himself as a doer and enjoyer. The verse quoted at the beginning of this chapter, ‘For whom should he desire ?’ applies to him. 193. Many Shruti texts declare that a husband loves his wife not for her sake and the wife loves him not for his sake, but for their own sake. 194. Now who is the doer and enjoyer ? Is it the immutable Kutastha or the reflected consciousness, Chidabhasa, or a union of the two ? Kutastha cannot be the enjoyer since it is associationless. 195. Enjoyment signifies the change that results from identification with the sensations of pleasure and pain. If the immutable Kutastha is the enjoyer, it becomes mutable, then would it not be self-contradictory ? 196. Chidabhasa is subject to the changing conditions of the intellect and he undergoes modifications; but Chidabhasa being illusory exists only by virtue of his real substratum and therefore he cannot by himself be the enjoyer. 197. In common parlance, therefore, Chidabhasa in conjunction with Kutastha is considered to be the enjoyer. But the Shruti begins with both the types of Self and concludes that Kutastha alone remains. 198. When King Janaka asked Yajnavalkya about the nature of the Self, the sage first told him of the sheath of intellect and then, pointing out its inadequacy (to be the Self), ended in teaching him of the immutable Kutastha. 199. In fact, Aitareya and other Shruti texts, concerned with the consideration of the Self, begin with an enquiry into the nature of the enjoyer and end in a description of the immutable Kutastha. 200. Owing to ignorance the enjoyer superimposes the reality of Kutastha on to himself. Consequently he considers his enjoyment to be real and does not want to give it up. 201. The enjoyer desires to have a wife and so forth for his own pleasures.

64 This popular notion has been well described in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. 202. The Shruti says that since the enjoyable objects are for the sake of the enjoyer, they should not be loved for their own sake. Since the enjoyer is the central factor, love should be given to him. 203. Prahlada prays in the : ‘Let the unending love which the undiscriminating have for transient objects, be not removed from me, O Lord but directed towards Thee so that I may have incessant flow of Thy remembrance’. 204. Following this method an aspirant should become indifferent to all enjoyable objects in the external realm and direct the love he feels for them towards the Self and desire to know It. 205. As the fallen ones keep their minds ever concentrated on objects of enjoyment, such as garlands, sandal ointment, young women, clothes, gold and so forth, so an aspirant for liberation ought to keep his attention fixed on the Self and never falter. 206. As a man desirous of establishing his superiority over his opponents engages himself in the study of literature, drama, logic and so forth, so an aspirant for liberation should discriminate about the nature of the Self. 207. As a man desirous of heaven repeats the holy formula and performs sacrifices, worship and so forth with great faith, so should an aspirant for liberation put all his faith in the Self. 208. As a devotes himself with perseverance to obtaining concentration of the mind in order to acquire supernatural powers, like making oneself small or great, so should an aspirant for liberation (perseveringly) differentiate the body from the Self. 209. As these people through perseverance increase their efficiency in their fields, so for the aspirant for liberation through continuous practice the idea of separateness of the Self from the body becomes stronger. 210. The real nature of the enjoyer can be understood by applying the method of distinguishing between the variable and the invariable. In this way an aspirant comes to know that the witness of the three states is ever detached. 211. It is common experience that the states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep are distinct from one another, but that the experiencing consciousness is the same. 212. The Shruti trumpets that whatever objects are cognised by the Self in any state, whether meritorious or unmeritorious, producing pleasure or pain, are not carried over from one state to another. 213. ‘When a man realises his identity with that Brahman which illumines the worlds of the waking, dreaming and sleeping states, he is released from all bonds’.

65 214. ‘One should consider the Self to be the same in the waking, dreaming and sleeping states. That Atman which knows itself as beyond the three states is free from rebirth’. 215. ‘That Self which is not subject to experience in any of the three states, which can be called pure consciousness, the witness, the ever blissful and which is neither the enjoyer nor the enjoyment or the object of enjoyment, That I am’. 216. When the Self has been differentiated in this way, what remains as the enjoyer is Chidabhasa or Jiva who is also known as the sheath of the intellect and who is subject to change. 217. This Chidabhasa is a product of Maya. Shruti and experience both demonstrate this. The world is a magical show and Chidabhasa is included in it. 218. In deep sleep the unchanging witness consciousness perceives the absorption of Chidabhasa who is therefore unreal. By continually differentiating the Chidabhasa one comes to understand his unreality and his separateness from Kutastha. 219. When Chidabhasa or Jiva convinces himself that he is liable to destruction, he no longer has a desire for pleasure. Does a man lying on the ground in death-bed, desire to marry ? 220. He is ashamed to speak of himself as an enjoyer as before. He feels ashamed like one whose nose has been cut off and just endures the experience of his fructifying Karma. 221. When Chidabhasa is ashamed to think of himself as the enjoyer, how meaningless it is to say that he will superimpose the idea of being the enjoyer on to Kutastha. 222. Thus the words ‘for whose gratification’ in the first verse, are intended to denote that there is no enjoyer at all and consequently, to the enlightened there are no bodily miseries. 223. Bodies are known to be of three types, viz., gross, subtle and causal. And, of course, there are correspondingly three kinds of afflictions or affections. 224. The physical body, composed of wind, fire and water (the three- humours of the body), is subject to scores of diseases and also to many other troubles such as bad odour, deformity, inflammation and fracture. 225. The subtle body is affected on the one hand by desire, anger and so forth and on the other by inner and outer control, peace of the mind and serenity of the senses. The presence of the former affections and the absence of the latter lead to misery. 226. In deep sleep, the state of the causal body, the Jiva knows neither himself nor others and appears as if dead. The causal body is the seed of future births and their miseries. So saw Indra, as declared in the Chandogya

66 Upanishad. 227. These affections are said to be natural to the three bodies. When the bodies become free from them, they cease to function. 228. As there is no piece of cloth without cotton threads, no blanket without wool and no pot without clay, so the three bodies cannot exist without these affections. 229. Yet, as a matter of fact, these affections are not natural to Chidabhasa. (They belong only to the bodies with which Chidabhasa is identified.) It is to be noted that the reflected consciousness is not different from pure consciousness and both are self-luminous by nature. 230. None of these affections are natural to Chidabhasa. How then can they be attributed to Kutastha ? The fact is that through the force of ignorance (Avidya) Chidabhasa imagines himself to be identified with the three bodies and is affected. 231. Chidabhasa superimposes on the three bodies the reality of the Kutastha and imagines that these three bodies are his real Self. 232. As long as the illusion lasts Chidabhasa continues to take upon himself the states which the bodies undergo and is affected by them, as an infatuated man feels himself affected when something affects his family. 233. An ordinary man is afflicted when his son or wife suffers; similarly Chidabhasa unreasonably thinks that he is afflicted by bodily ailments. 234. By discrimination ridding himself of all illusion and without caring for himself the Chidabhasa always thinks of the Kutastha. How can he still be subject to the afflictions pertaining to the bodies ? 235. When a man takes a rope for a serpent, he runs away from it. When the illusion is negated and the true nature of the rope is known, he realises his error and is ashamed of it. 236. As a man who has injured another through ignorance humbly begs his forgiveness on realising his error, so Chidabhasa submits himself to Kutastha. 237. As a man does repeated penance of bathing etc., for repeated sins, so Chidabhasa too, repeatedly meditates on Kutastha and submits to It as his witness or substratum. 238. As a courtesan suffering from a certain disease is ashamed to demonstrate her charms to a lover who is acquainted with her condition, so Chidabhasa is ashamed to consider himself as the doer and enjoyer. 239. As a Brahmana defiled by contact with a vicious man of low caste undergoes penance and subsequently avoids the risk of touching such a man, so Chidabhasa, having known of his difference from the bodies, no longer identifies himself with them. 240. An heir-apparent imitates the life of his father, the king, in order to fit himself for accession to the throne. So Chidabhasa continually imitates the

67 witness Kutastha with a view to his being one with It. 241. He who has heard the declaration of Shruti: ‘The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman’, fixes his whole mind on Brahman and ultimately knows himself to be Brahman. 242. As people desirous of acquiring the state of the deities immolate themselves in the fire, so Chidabhasa renounces his identity in order to be absorbed in Kutastha. 243. In the course of self-immolation a man retains his manhood until his body is completely consumed. So the idea of Chidabhasa continues as long as the body, the result of fructifying Karma, continues. 244. After a man has realised the nature of the rope, the trembling caused by the erroneous idea of the snake disappears gradually only and the idea of the snake still sometimes haunts him when he sees a rope in darkness. 245. Similarly the fructifying Karma does not end abruptly but dies down slowly. In the course of the enjoyment of its fruits, the knower is occasionally visited by such thoughts as ‘I am a mortal’. 246. Lapses like this do not nullify the realisation of truth. Jivanmukti (liberation in life) is not a vow, but the establishment of the soul in the knowledge of Brahman. 247. In the example already cited, the tenth man, who may have been crying and beating his head in sorrow, stops lamenting on realising that the tenth is not dead; but the wounds caused by beating his head take a month gradually to heal. 248. On realising that the tenth is alive, he rejoices and forgets the pain of his wounds. In the same way liberation in life makes one forget any misery resulting from the fructifying Karma. 249. As it is not a vow and a break does not matter, one should reflect on the truth again and again to remove the delusion whenever it recurs, just as a man who takes mercury to cure a certain disease eats again and again during the day to satisfy the hunger caused by the mercury. 250. As the tenth man cures his wounds by applying medicines, so the knower wears out his fructifying Karma by enjoyment and is ultimately liberated. 251. In the first verse, the expression ‘Desiring what ?’ indicates the release from suffering. This is the sixth state of Chidabhasa. The seventh state, which is now described, is the achievement of perfect satisfaction. 252. The satisfaction by external objects is limited, but the satisfaction of liberation in life is unlimited. The satisfaction of direct knowledge engenders the feeling that all that was to be achieved has been achieved and all that was to be enjoyed has been enjoyed. 253. Before realisation one has many duties to perform in order to acquire worldly and celestial advantages and also as an aid to ultimate release; but

68 with the rise of knowledge of Brahman, they are as good as already done, for nothing further remains to be done. 254. The Jivanmukta always feels supreme self-satisfaction by constantly keeping in view his former state and present state of freedom from wants and duties. 255. Let the ignorant people of the world perform worldly actions and desire to possess wives, children and wealth. I am full of supreme bliss. For what purpose should I engage myself in worldly concerns ? 256. Let those desirous of joy in heaven perform the ordained rituals. I pervade all the worlds. How and wherefore should I undertake such actions? 257. Let those who are entitled to it, explain the scriptures or teach the Vedas. I am not so entitled because all my actions have ceased. 258. I have no desire to sleep or beg for alms, nor do I do so; nor do I perform the acts of bathing or ablution. The onlookers imagine these things in me. What have I to do with their imaginations ? 259. Seeing a bush of red gunja berries from a distance one may suppose that there is a fire, but such as imaginary fire does not affect the bush. So the worldly duties and qualities attributed to me by others do not affect me. 260. Let those ignorant of the nature of Brahman listen to the teachings of the Vedanta philosophy. I have Self-knowledge. Why again should I listen to them ? Those who are in doubt reflect on the nature of Brahman. I have no doubts, so I do not do so. 261. He who is subject to erroneous conviction may practise meditation. I do not confuse the Self for the body. So in the absence of such a delusion why should I meditate ? 262. Even without being subject to this delusion, I behave like a human being through the impressions and habits gathered over a long period. 263. All worldly dealings will come to an end when the fructifying Karma wears out. If it does not wear out, thousands of meditational bouts will not stop the dealings. 264. To bring to an end your worldly dealings, you may practise contemplation as much as you like, but I know the worldly dealings to be perfectly harmless. Why should I then meditate ? 265. There is no distraction for me, so for me there is no need of Samadhi too. Both distraction and absorption are states of the changeable mind. 266. I am the sum of all the experiences in the universe; where is the separate experience for me ? I have obtained all that was to be obtained and have done all that was to be done. This is my unshakable conviction. 267. I am associationless, neither the doer nor the enjoyer. I am not concerned with what the past actions make me do, whether in accordance with or against the social or scriptural codes. 268. Or, there is no harm if I engage myself in doing good to the world

69 following the scriptural injunctions even though I have obtained all that was to be obtained. 269. Let my body worship God, take bath, preserve cleanliness or beg for alms. Let my mind recite ‘Aum’ or study the Upanishads. 270. Let my intellect meditate on Vishnu or be merged in the bliss of Brahman, I am the witness of all. I do nothing nor cause anything to be done. 271. How can there be any conflict between the actor and myself ? Our functions are as apart from each other as the eastern from the western ocean ? 272. An advocate of action is mainly concerned with the body, the organs of speech, the intellect and with Karma; he is not concerned with the witness- consciousness, whereas the illumined one is concerned with the associationless witness, not with other things. 273. If the advocates of Karma and Jnana, without understanding the difference of their topics, enter into a dispute, they are like two deaf persons quarrelling ! The illumined ones only laugh at seeing them. 274. Let the knower of truth know the witness-consciousness whom the Karmi does not recognise, as Brahman. What does the Karmi lose by this ? 275. The illumined man has rejected the body, speech and mind as unreal. What does he lose if a believer in action makes use of them ? 276. (Doubt): The knower of truth has no use for getting engaged in action. (Reply): What use has actionlessness ? (Doubt): Absence of action is a help to the acquisition of knowledge. (Reply): Action too is helpful in the search after knowledge. 277. (Doubt): Once the truth is known, there is no further desire to know it (and so he has no need for action). (Reply): He has not to know again (and so he has no need for inaction). The knowledge of truth remains unobstructed and needs nothing further to revive it. 278. Nescience (Avidya) and its effects (the realm of duality) cannot negate the knowledge of truth. The dawn of truth has already destroyed them for ever in the case of the knower. 279. The realm of duality, destroyed by knowledge, may still be perceived by the senses, but such perception does not affect illumination. A living rat cannot kill a cat; then how can it do so when dead ? 280. When a man is so invulnerable that even the mighty weapon Pasupata cannot kill him, how can you say that he will be killed by an edgeless weapon ? 281. The knowledge of truth has fought and overcome ignorance even when it was at the height of its power being helped by a variety of wrong notions produced by it. How can that knowledge, firmer now, be obstructed ? 282. Let the corpses of ignorance and its effects, destroyed by knowledge, remain; the Emperor, the conqueror, has no fear of them; on the contrary

70 they only proclaim his glory. 283. To one who is not separated from this all-powerful knowledge, neither engagement in action nor actionlessness does any injury. They relate only to the body. 284. He who is without knowledge of truth must always be enthusiastic about action, for it is the duty of men to make efforts for heaven or for liberation. 285. If the knower of truth is among people who are performing actions, he too performs all actions required of him with his body, mind and speech, so as to be in accord with them. 286. If on the other hand he happens to be among people who are aspirants to spiritual knowledge, he should show defects in all actions and himself give them up. 287. It is proper that the wise man when with the ignorant should act in accord with their actions, just as a loving father acts according to the wishes of his little children. 288. When his infant children show him disrespect or beat him, he neither gets angry with them nor feels sorry, but, on the contrary, fondles them with affection. 289. The enlightened man when praised or blamed by the ignorant does not praise or blame them in return. He behaves in such a way as to awaken a knowledge of the real entity in them. 290. With the ignorant a wise man should behave in such a way as will enable them to have realisation. In this world he has no other duty except awakening the ignorant. 291. As he has achieved all that was to be achieved and nothing else remains for him to do, he feels satisfied and always things thus: 292. Blessed am I, blessed, for I have the constant vision of my Self ! Blessed am I, blessed, for the bliss of Brahman shines clearly to me ! 293. Blessed am I, blessed, for I am free from the sufferings of the world. Blessed am I, blessed, for my ignorance has fled away, I know not where. 294. Blessed am I, blessed, for I have no further duty to perform. Blessed am I, blessed, for I have now achieved the highest that one can aspire to. 295. Blessed am I, blessed, for there is nothing to compare with my great bliss ! Blessed am I, blessed, blessed, blessed, again and again blessed! 296. O my merits, my merits, how enduringly they have borne fruit ! Wonderful are we, the possessors of this great merit, wonderful ! 297. O how grand and true are the scriptures, the scriptures, O how grand and great is my teacher, my teacher ! O how grand is this illumination, this illumination, O how grand is this bliss, this bliss ! 298. The wise who study repeatedly this chapter called the ‘Lamp of perfect Satisfaction’ will dive in the bliss of Brahman and remain in perfect bliss.

71 VIII. THE LAMP OF KUTASTHA 1. Just as a wall illumined by the rays of the sun is more illumined when the light of the sun reflected in a mirror falls on it, so the body illumined by Kutastha is more illumined by the light of Kutastha reflected in the intellect (Chidabhasa). 2. When many mirrors reflect the light of the sun on to a wall which is already illumined by the sun, spaces between the various reflections are illumined by the light of the sun alone; and even if the reflections are not there, the wall still remains illumined. 3. Similarly, both in the intervals between the modifications of the intellect (Vrittis), in which Chidabhasa is reflected and during their absence (in deep sleep) Kutastha abides self-illumined; and Kutastha is therefore to be known as different from Chidabhasa. 4. An external object, such as a pot, is cognised through the Vrittis (modifications of the intellect) assuming its form, but the knowledge 'I know the pot’ comes (directly) through pure consciousness, Brahman. 5. Before the rise of the Vritti (i.e., before the intellectual operation) my experience was ‘I do not know that there is a pot over there’; after the rise, the experience is ‘I know that there is a pot over there’. This is the difference the intellectual operation or Vritti brings about. But both the above experiences of knowledge or non-knowledge of the pot are due to Brahman. 6. Cognition or knowledge (of external thing) is the action (thereon) of the intellectual modification tipped with Chidabhasa like the steel-head of a spear. And non-cognition is the (beginningless but not endless) dullness (of an external thing) covering its revelation. Thus an external thing is spoken of in two ways, as a thing (pot) known or unknown as the intellectual modification spear-headed by Chidabhasa pierces its cover of dullness or not. 7. If the cognition of an unknown pot can be had through Brahman why not that of a known pot ? It does produce the cognition, for the Chidabhasa ceases functioning, as soon as the pot is made known. 8. If the intellect is without Chidabhasa, the cognition of an object cannot take place. For how does intellect in such a case differ from a lump of clay which is unconscious and insentient ? 9. Nowhere is a pot said to be known when it is besmeared with clay. Similarly when a pot is besmeared or covered by a Vritti only (not along with Chidabhasa) it cannot be said to be known (for both the clay and the Vritti are themselves unconscious and insentient). 10. Hence cognition (of a pot) is that reflection of consciousness (on the pot) which is produced as a result of the enveloping operation of the Vritti-cum- Chidabhasa. Brahman or pure consciousness cannot be this resultant

72 reflection of consciousness inasmuch as it (being the eternal and immutable existence) exists prior to cognition. 11. (But will it not go against Sureshvaracharya’s opinion expressed in the following Vartika ?) ‘According to the authoritative books on Vedanta an object of cognition, in matters of external objects, is that Samvit or consciousness which is the result of the act of cognition.’ 12. Here by ‘Samvit’ or consciousness what Sureshvaracharya means is the resultant reflected consciousness, for the great Sankaracharya himself (Sureshvara’s guru) in his Upadeshasahasri has made the distinction between Brahman-Chaitanya and the ‘resultant’-Chaitanya amply clear. 13. Therefore the reflection of consciousness produced on the pot is the cause of its cognition; and the knownness or knowledge of this cognition, exactly as its ignorance, is the work of the Brahman-Chaitanya. 14. The Vritti of intellect, the reflection of Chit on the pot and the (object) pot – all three are made known by Brahman-Chaitanya; whereas the (object) pot’s existence (at a particular place) is known by the reflection of Chit on the pot, inasmuch as it is the ‘resultant’ consciousness. 15. So the knowledge of a pot involves a double consciousness, viz., Brahman-consciousness and Vritti-cum-Chidabhasa-consciousness (covering the pot). Brahman-consciousness corresponds to the consciousness which accompanies what the Naiyayikas call ‘knowledge of knowledge’ (), the knowledge which follows the cognition of objects (that I know my knowledge or existence of objects). 16. The cognition ‘This is a pot’ is due to Chidabhasa, but the knowledge ‘I know the pot’ is derived from Brahman-consciousness. 17. Just as in objects outside the body, Chidabhasa has thus been differentiated from Brahman, so within the body too Chidabhasa is to be differentiated from the immutable Kutastha. 18. As fire pervades a red-hot piece of iron, so Chidabhasa pervades I- consciousness as well as lust, anger and other emotions. 19. Even as a red-hot piece of iron manifests itself only and not other objects, similarly the modifications of the intellect (Vrittis), aided by Chidabhasa, manifest themselves only, i.e., the things which they cover and not others. 20. All modifications are produced one after another (i.e., with gaps in between); and they all become latent during deep sleep and in the states of swoon and Samadhi. 21. That consciousness which witnesses the interval between the disappearance and the rise of successive Vrittis and the period when they do not exist and which is itself unmodifiable and immutable, is called Kutastha. 22. As in the (cognition of an) external pot, there is the play of double consciousness, so also in that of all internal Vrittis. This is evident from the fact that there is more consciousness in the Vrittis than in their intervals.

73 23. Unlike a pot, the intellect is neither an object of cognition nor of non- cognition. For it cannot grasp itself – no object can do so – so it cannot be cognised; since, again, it removes ignorance settled on objects it cannot be said to be non-cognised (for if you know what is produced you know what produced it as well). 24. Since Chidabhasa is a double consciousness we see it manifested and unmanifested, therefore, it cannot be called immutable, Kutastha; whereas the other is Kutastha, for it undergoes no such change. 25. The earlier teachers have made it clear that Kutastha is the witness in passages like ‘(It is) the witness of the intellect (Antahkarana) and its operations (Vrittis)’. 26. They have also declared that Kutastha, Chidabhasa and the mind are related in the same way as the face, its reflection and the mirror. This relationship is proved through scriptures and reasoning. Thus Chidabhasa also has been described. 27. (Objection): Kutastha conditioned by the intellect can pass to and return from the other worlds, like the Akasa enclosed in a pot. Then what is the necessity of postulating Chidabhasa ? 28. (Reply): Being merely conditioned by an object (such as the intellect), Kutastha does not become a Jiva. Otherwise, even a wall or a pot which is also pervaded by Kutastha would become a Jiva. 29. (Objection): The intellect is different from the wall, for it is transparent. (Reply): It may be so, but why do you bother about the opaqueness or transparency of the conditioner ? (For your concern is with the condition, not with the conditioner). 30. In measuring out rice and other grains, it makes no difference to their quantity whether the measure be made of wood or metal. 31. If you say, though it makes no difference in measuring, the metallic measure does give reflection, we reply that such is the property of the inner organ (Antahkarana), in that it can reflect consciousness as Chidabhasa. 32. ‘Abhasa’ means slight or partial manifestation, ‘Pratibimba’ is also like that i.e., partial manifestation. It does not have the properties of the real entity but resembles it in having some of them. 33. As the Chidabhasa is associated and variable, it is devoid of the characteristics of Kutastha. But as it renders objects capable of being cognised, it resembles Kutastha. Such is the opinion of the wise. 34. (Objection): Chidabhasa is not different from the intellect because its existence depends on the existence of the intellect. (Reply): You say little, for the intellect itself might also be similarly regarded as not different from the body. 35. (Objection): The scriptures declare the survival of the intellect after the body falls (and therefore the intellect is the same as Chidabhasa). (Reply):

74 According to the Shruti passages which declare the entry of the Atman or the Self into the body, Chidabhasa is distinct from the intellect. 36. (Objection): Chidabhasa and the intellect enter the body together. (Reply): This is not so, for in the Aitareya Upanishad it is said that the Self enters the body by its own will apart from the intellect. 37. The Upanishad says that the Self (Atman) thought: ‘This body with the organs cannot live without me’, and so cleaving the centre of the skull it entered into the body and started experiencing the changeable states (e.g., wakeful, dreaming etc.,). 38. (Objection): How can the associationless Kutastha be said to animate the body by entering it ? (Reply): Then how did It create the universe ? (Objection): Both the acts of creation and entering the body are caused by Maya. (Reply): Then they vanish too when Maya is destroyed. 39. The Self becomes the ego identifying itself with the body composed of the five elements and when the body perishes (once for all) the ego too perishes with it. Thus said Yajnavalkya to Maitreyi. 40. ‘This Self is not perishable’ – thus the Shruti differentiates the Kutastha from everything else. ‘The Self is associationless’ – such statements sing the ever-detached state of Kutastha. 41. The passage which says that the body only dies and not the Jiva does not mean that he is released but only that he transmigrates. 42. (Objection): How can the changeable Jiva say ‘I am Brahman’ since Brahman is immutable ? (Reply): He can, because, in spite of apparent discrepancy between Jiva and Brahman, the identity is established by giving up the false notion about the Jiva. (What appeared, under the influence of Maya, as Jiva is really none other than Brahman). 43. A man may be mistaken for the stump of a tree; but the notion of the stump is destroyed when the man is known to be a man. Similarly, when the Jiva knows ‘I am Brahman’, his notion ‘I am Buddhi (the ego-consciousness in the mind)’ is destroyed. 44. Acharya Sureshvara in his Naishkarmya Siddhi describes clearly how Jiva and Brahman are found to be identical when the false notion about the Jiva (viz., its identity with the Buddhi) is destroyed. Therefore, the text ‘I am Brahman’ is to be understood in this sense. 45. In another Shruti text: ‘Everything is Brahman’, Brahman and the universe are shown to be identical; it also is to be interpreted in the above sense, viz., what appears to be ‘all this’, i.e., the universe, is really Brahman. Similarly, in the text ‘I am Brahman’ the same identity of Jiva and Brahman is indicated. 46. It is true that the author of the Vivarana gloss has denied the Badha- Samanadhikaranya interpretation (and has accepted the Mukhya- Samanadhikaranya interpretation) of ‘I am Brahman’. It is because he has

75 taken the ‘I’ in the sense of Kutastha-Chaitanya and not in the sense of Chidabhasa. 47. In the text ‘That thou art’ the word ‘thou’, freed from all adjuncts, is Kutastha; and in Vivarana and other (advanced) works attempts are made to establish its identity with Brahman. 48. The consciousness, the substratum on which the illusion of Chidabhasa together with the body and the sense organs is superimposed, is known as Kutastha in Vedanta. 49. The substratum, on which stands the illusion of the whole world, is described in the Vedanta by the word Brahman. 50. When the whole world of Maya is recognised as a superimposition on this one consciousness, Brahman, what to speak of Jiva who is only a part of this world. 51. The difference between the entities indicated by ‘that’ and ‘thou’ is due to that of the superposed world and Jiva, which is only a part of it; in reality they are one consciousness. 52. (That it is a genuine case of superposition is proved by the fact that) Chidabhasa, the reflected consciousness, partakes of the characteristics of both, the superposing intellect, such as agentship, enjoyership, etc., and the superposed Atman, which is consciousness. So the whole Chidabhasa is a creation of illusion. 53. ‘What is the intellect ?’ ‘What is the reflected consciousness ?’ ‘And what is the Self ?’ ‘How is the world here ?’ – Because of indecision about these questions ignorance has arisen. This illusion is also called Samsara. 54. He is the knower of truth, the liberated, who knows the true nature of the intellect, etc., mentioned above. Thus the Vedanta has decided. 55. The piece of sophistry advanced by the logicians and others, viz., ‘Whose is the bondage ?’ must be met by adopting the method of Khandana-Khanda- Khadya by Sri Harsa Mishra. 56. It is said in the that pure consciousness (Kutastha) exists as a witness to (the rise and fall of) the mental modifications (Vrittis), their prior (and posterior) non-existence and the state of ignorance prior to inquiry about truth. 57-58. As the support of the unreal world, its nature is existence; as it cognises all insentient objects, its nature is consciousness; and as it is always the object of love, its nature is bliss. It is called Shiva, the infinite, being the means of revelation of all objects and being related to them as their substratum. 59. Thus in the Saiva-Puranas Kutastha has been described as having no particular characteristics of Jiva and Ishvara and as being non-dual, self- luminous and the highest good.

76 60. The Shruti declares that Jiva and Ishvara are both reflections of Brahman in Maya. They are, however, different from material things in that they are transparent (i.e., revealing) just as a glass jar is different from earthen ones. 61. Though both are products of food, the mind is subtler and purer than the body. Similarly, Jiva and Ishvara are more transparent than the grosser products of Maya. 62. Jiva and Ishvara, because they manifest the power of revealing, must be considered to be endowed with consciousness. For, nothing is difficult for Maya, that is endowed with the power to create all things. 63. When we sleep, our dreams create even Jiva and Ishvara. What wonder is there then that the Great Maya creates them in the waking state ? 64. The Maya creates omniscience and other qualities too in Ishvara. When it can create Ishvara, the receptacle of these qualities, is it difficult to conceive that it can also create these qualities in Him ? 65. If you raise the improper doubt about Kutastha, we say: do not imagine that Kutastha is also a creation of Maya. There is no evidence for that assumption. 66. All the classics of Vedanta proclaim the reality of Kutastha and they do not admit the existence of any entity other than It. 67. These verses show the real meaning of the Shruti and do not consider the matter from a logical point of view. The doubts of the logicians are not considered here. 68. The aspirant for release should give up sophistry and should base his conviction on the Shruti, which says that Jiva and Ishvara are creations of Maya. 69. Ishvara’s creation extends from His willing to create the world to His entrance into His creation; Jiva’s creation includes everything from the world of the waking state to his release from ignorance. 70. Kutastha is ever associationless, it does not change. Thus one should always meditate and reflect. 71. ‘(For Kutastha) there is no death and no birth, none in bondage and none engaged in working out release (Sadhaka), no aspirant for release (Mumukshu) and none liberated (Mukta). That is the supreme truth’. 72. The Shruti tries to indicate the reality which is beyond the body and the mind by using the conceptions of Jiva, Ishvara and Jagat. 73. Acharya Sureshvara has said that whatever method helps one to understand clearly the indwelling Atman is approved by the Vedantic classics. 74. The dull-witted, ignorant of the real meaning of the Shruti, wanders here and there, whereas the wise, understanding its purport, ever abides in the ocean of bliss. 75. Like a cloud which pours out streams of rain, Maya creates the world

77 (Jagat). As the ether is not affected by the rain, so pure consciousness (that I am) suffers neither gain nor loss from anything in the phenomenal world. That is the conviction of the wise. 76. He who always reflects on this ‘Lamp of Kutastha’ ever abides as the self-revealing Kutastha.

78 IX. THE LAMP OF MEDITATION

1. One may perchance obtain a thing by following a wrong line by mistake; so also even by worshipping Brahman one may get release, the desired goal. So various ways of worship are described in the Nrisimha-Uttara-Tapaniya Upanishad. 2. A man sees a gleam of light emitted by a gem and another sees a gleam of light coming from a lamp; and both imagining that they are gems run to get them. Though (in both the cases) the notions are wrong, the results are different. 3. There is a lamp inside the house, its light is visible from outside. Similarly elsewhere the light of a gem is seen (from outside). 4. On seeing the two gleams at a distance, both (the men) took them for gems and ran after them. Their notions are equally wrong, in that they took the gleams for gems. 5. The man who ran for the gleam of the lamp did not find the gem, but the man who ran for the gleam of the gem got it. 6. Mistaking the gleam of a lamp for a gem is called a Visamvadi , ‘misleading error’ (or an error that does not lead to the goal). Mistaking the gleam of a gem for a gem is called a 'leading’ or ‘informative’ error, though both are errors (or wrong observations). 7. On seeing a mist and mistaking it for smoke, if a man argues the existence of fire there and goes for getting charcoal and accidentally finds it, his mistake is called a ‘leading’ error, a chance coincidence. 8. Sprinkling on himself the water of the River Godavari thinking it to be that of the River Ganges, if a man is actually purified this is ‘leading’ error (Samvadi Bhrama). 9. A man suffering from a high fever repeats ‘Narayana’ in delirium and dies. He goes to heaven. This is again a ‘leading’ error. 10. In direct perception, in inference and in the application of scriptural authority, there are innumerable instances of such leading errors or chance coincidences. 11. Otherwise, how could images of clay, wood and stone be worshipped as deities or how could a woman be worshipped as fire ? 12. From the knowledge and (or) adoption of a wrong means, sometimes, by accident, as in the sitting of a crow on the branch of a palm tree and in the instantaneous fall of a fruit thereof, a desired result is obtained. This knowledge and (or) adoption of a wrong means is called a Samvadi Bhrama or a ‘leading’ error, or error leading to a right knowledge. 13. The ‘leading’ error though a wrong notion is potent enough to give the correct result. So also the meditation or worship of Brahman leads to

79 liberation. 14. After indirectly knowing the one indivisible homogeneous Brahman from the books on Vedanta, one should meditate on or think repeatedly ‘I am Brahman’. 15. Without realising Brahman to be one’s own Self, the general knowledge of Him derived through the study of the scriptures, viz., ‘Brahman is’, is here called indirect knowledge, just as our knowledge of the forms of Vishnu etc., is called. 16. One may have knowledge of Vishnu from scriptures as having four arms etc., but if one does not have a vision of Him, he is said to have only indirect knowledge, inasmuch as he has not seen Him with his eyes. 17. This knowledge because of its defect of indirectness is not false, for the true form of Vishnu has been revealed by the scriptures which are authoritative. 18. From the scripture a man may have a conception of Brahman as existence, consciousness and bliss but he cannot have a direct knowledge of Brahman unless Brahman is cognised as the inner witness in his own personality. 19. As the knowledge of Sat-Chit-Ananda has been acquired in the scriptural method, it, though an indirect knowledge, is not an illusory one. 20. Though Brahman has been described as being one’s own Self in the scriptures and the great Saying, still, one cannot understand It without the practice of enquiry. 21. As long as the delusion that the body is the Self, is strong in a man of dull intellect, he is not able at once to know Brahman as the Self. 22. As the perception of duality is not opposed to an indirect knowledge of non-duality, a man of faith, expert in the scriptures, can easily have the indirect knowledge of Brahman. 23. The perception of a stone image is not opposed to an indirect knowledge of the deity whom the image represents. Which devotee contradicts the idea of Vishnu in the image ? 24. The disbelief of those who have no faith need not be considered, for the believing alone are authorised to perform the Vedic actions. 25. An indirect knowledge of Brahman can arise even through a single instruction by a competent teacher. It is like the knowledge of the form of Vishnu which does not depend on intellectual enquiry. 26. As there may be doubts about them, ritualistic works and methods of worship have been discussed (in the scriptures). Who otherwise could have synthesised the directions about them, scattered as they are over many branches of the Vedas ? 27. Such rituals and methods of worship have been collected and co- ordinated in the -Sutras. With their help man, who has faith, may

80 practise them without further enquiry. 28. The methods of worship are described in other works by the seers. Those who are dull of ratiocination go to a teacher and learn the methods from him. 29. To determine the correct meaning of the Vedic texts let the learned resort to enquiry, but practical worship can be performed (with benefit) according to the teachings of a competent teacher. 30. The direct realisation of Brahman, however, is never possible only from the instructions of a competent teacher without the practice of inquiry. 31. Want of faith alone obstructs the indirect knowledge; want of enquiry is however the obstacle to the direct knowledge. 32. If even by enquiry one does not get the direct knowledge of Brahman as the Self, one should repeatedly practise enquiry, for enquiry, it is prescribed, should continue until direct knowledge dawns. 33. If a person does not realise the Self even after practising till death, he will surely realise it in a future life when all the obstacles will have been eliminated. 34. Knowledge will arise either in this birth or the next, says the author of the Brahma Sutras. The Shruti also says that there are many who listen to the teachings on non-duality and yet do not realise in this life. 35. By virtue of the practice of spiritual enquiry in a previous birth, Vamadeva had realisation even while in his mother’s womb. Such results are also seen in the case of studies. 36. In spite of reading many times a boy may not be able to memorise something, but sometimes, next morning, without any further study, he remembers all that he has read. 37. As the seed in the field or in the womb matures in time, so in the course of time the practice of self-enquiry gradually ripens and bears fruit. 38. In spite of repeated enquiry a man does not realise the truth because of three kinds of impediments. This has been clearly pointed out in his Vartika by Acharya Sureshvara. 39. If you ask why the realisation (which did not arise before) comes now, we shall reply that knowledge comes only with the total removal of impediments which may be past, present or future. 40. Therefore only by studying the Veda and its meaning a man is not released. This has been shown in the example of hidden gold. 41. There is the popular song saying that a monk could not realise the truth, the impediment being his past attachment to his queen (or a she-buffalo). 42. His teacher instructed him of Brahman knowing his attachment to her (by telling him that Brahman was her substratum). When the impediment was removed, the monk realised the truth properly. 43. The impediments of the present are (i) binding attachment to the objects

81 of the senses, (ii) dullness of the intellect, (iii) indulgence in improper and illogical arguments and (iv) the deep conviction that the Self is an agent and an enjoyer. 44. Through the practice of inner control and other qualifications and through hearing the truth and so forth, suitable for counteracting the impediments, the latter slowly perish and one realises his Self as Brahman. 45. The future impediment has been well illustrated in the case of Vamadeva. He overcame it in one birth and Bharata in three births. 46. In the Gita, it has been told that a Yogi who has not attained illumination in this life may be freed from the impediment after many births. Yet his practice of enquiry is never fruitless. 47. Because of his practice of enquiry such a Yogi enters into the heaven of the meritorious and then if he is not freed from desires, he is born again in a pious and prosperous family. 48. Or, if he has no worldly desires, he is born in a family of Yogis who have pure intellect due to their practice of enquiry into the nature of Brahman, for such a birth is hard to obtain. 49. He regains the Yogic intellect acquired in his previous birth and so strives more vigorously; this birth is indeed hard to achieve. 50. He is borne on by the momentum of his Yogic practices in the previous birth even against his inclination. Thus after many births he achieves perfection and as a result is liberated. 51. A man who has a strong desire for Brahmaloka, but suppresses it and practises enquiry about the Self, will not have realisation. 52. As the scriptures say, the monk, who has well ascertained the meaning of Vedanta, goes to the realm of Brahma and is released at the end of the four Yugas along with Brahma. 53. In some cases the enquiry itself is impeded because of the result of their evil deeds as the Shruti says: ‘Even to hear about Him it is not available to many’. 54. If a man cannot practise enquiry, either due to extreme dullness of intellect or for want of other favourable circumstances, let him always keep the mind on Brahman. 55. As it is possible to continue the thought-current regarding Brahman with attributes, meditation on the attributeless Brahman also is not impossible. 56. (Doubt): Brahman is beyond speech and mind and so cannot be meditated upon. (Reply): Then there can be no knowledge of Brahman too. 57. (Doubt): Brahman is known as beyond speech and mind. (Reply): Then why cannot Brahman be meditated upon as beyond speech and mind ? 58. (Doubt): If Brahman can be meditated upon He becomes invested with attributes. (Reply): That happens if He is taken as knowable. (Doubt): Brahman is knowable by , indirect indication. (Reply): Then

82 meditate upon Brahman that way, i.e., by Lakshana. 59. (Doubt): The Shruti saying, ‘Know that alone to be Brahman which is beyond the range of speech and mind and not that which the people worship’, prohibits meditation on Brahman. 60. (Reply): Equally Brahman cannot be an object of knowledge, for the Shruti says: ‘Brahman is other than that which can be known’. (Doubt): The Shruti also says that Brahman can be known. (Reply): So also it says that He can be meditated upon. So meditate on Him basing upon those Vedic texts. 61. (Doubt): But Brahman as an object of knowledge is unreal. (Reply): Why not as an object of meditation too ? (Doubt): Covering and apprehending by Vrittis is knowledge. (Reply): Similarly, doing that is meditation. 62. (Doubt): Why are you so devoted to meditation on the attributeless Brahman ? (Reply): Why are you so opposed to it ? Say that. As there are many Shruti texts prescribing meditation on the attributeless Brahman, it is not proper to say that there is no authority for it. 63. Meditation on the attributeless Brahman has been prescribed in the Nrisimha-Uttara-Tapaniya, Prasna (Saibya’s fifth question), Katha, Mandukya and other Upanishads. 64. This method of meditation of the attributeless Brahman has been in the Panchikarana Vartika by Sureshvara. (Doubt): This meditation is the means of indirect knowledge of Brahman (but not of liberation). (Reply): We don’t say that it is not so. 65. (Doubt): But most of the people do not practise this type of meditation. (Reply): Let them not do. How can the meditation be blamed for the short- comings of the meditator ? 66. People of spiritually dull intellect repeat sacred formulas to acquire power over others, finding it more immediately fruitful than meditation on Brahman with attributes. There are people still more dull-witted who concentrate only on agriculture. 67. Let the dull-witted do what they like ! Here we speak of meditation on the Absolute. Since it is of one or Upasana, all the qualifications of Brahman described in the various branches of the Veda must be gathered for meditation. 68. The positive qualities of bliss etc., are all to be co-ordinated into meditation on Brahman. This has been told by Vyasa in the ‘Anandadaya..’ . 69. Similarly Vyasa speaks of all the negative indications of Brahman such as ‘not gross’ in the ‘Aksharadhiyam’ Sutra. 70. (Doubt): Combining and thinking of these indications do not fit in with meditation on the attributeless Brahman. (Reply): Then your doubt is directed against Vyasa himself and not against me alone. 71. (Doubt): As (Vyasa) has not asked for the inclusion of the forms such as

83 of the sun with golden beard etc., meditation on the attributeless is not contradicted. (Reply): Be satisfied with that; we also do not ask for that. 72. (Doubt): Qualities are only indirect indications; they cannot enter into the true nature of Brahman. (Reply): Let them be so. Meditate on Brahman thus indicated. 73. The Self is here indirectly indicated by positive qualities like ‘bliss’ etc., and by negative qualities like ‘not gross’ etc. One should meditate on the indivisible, homogeneous Self as ‘That I am’. 74. (Doubt): What is the difference between knowledge and meditation ? (Reply): Listen; knowledge depends on the object, whereas meditation depends on the will of the person meditating. 75. By the practice of enquiry, the knowledge of Brahman arises; then it cannot be prevented whether one likes it or not. Such knowledge, by the mere fact of its arising, destroys all ideas of the reality of the world. 76. On acquiring knowledge the aspirant experiences unbroken satisfaction and a feeling of having accomplished all that was to be accomplished. He becomes liberated in life and awaits the wearing-out of his fructifying Karma. 77. On the other hand, a believing man, putting his faith in the teachings of his teacher and without practising enquiry, should meditate on the object prescribed without being distracted by other thoughts. 78. He should continue the practice of meditation until he realises himself to be identical with his object of meditation and then continue this thought till death. 79. A certain Brahmachari used to go for alms keeping in his mind his identity with the vital air within him. 80. Meditation depends on the will of a man whether he is to do or not to do or to do it in a different way. One should therefore always continue the thought current. 81. A student, diligent in reciting the Vedas, reads or recites them even in his dreams through the force of habit. Similarly, one who practises meditation, continues it even in his dreams. 82. Giving up contrary thoughts, if a man ceaselessly meditates, he meditates even in his dreams because of the deep impression. 83. There is no doubt that while experiencing the results of his fructifying Karma a man, because of his strong impression, is able to meditate without intermission, just as a man attached to worldly objects always thinks of them. 84. A woman devoted to a paramour, though engaged in household duties, will all the time be dwelling in mind on the pleasures with him. 85. While enjoying in mind the pleasure of the company of her lover, her household duties though not much disturbed, are managed indifferently. 86. The woman with attachment to a paramour cannot fully do the work as a woman attached to her domestic duties does, with enthusiasm.

84 87. Similarly, a man who practises meditation one-pointedly, indifferently performs his worldly affairs; but a man who has realised the truth fulfils his worldly duties well, as they do not come in conflict with his knowledge. 88. This world is illusory, Maya and the Self is by nature pure consciousness. How can such knowledge be opposed to his worldly activities ? 89. To perform activities, the world need not be thought real nor Self as insentient matter. To do so the right means only are necessary. 90. These means are the mind, the speech, body and external objects. They do not disappear on enlightenment. So why can’t he engage himself in worldly affairs ? 91. If he controls and concentrates his mind, he is a meditator and not a knower of truth. To know a pot the mind need not be controlled. 92. (Doubt): A pot once known by a modification of intellect, Vritti, remains so always. (Reply): Is not the self-illumined Self also ever manifest ? 93. (Doubt): Does the self-luminous property of the Self give you the knowledge of Brahman ? The Vritti with Brahman as the object is the cognition of truth, but the Vritti perishes in a moment. (Reply): This objection also applies to the cognition of a pot. 94. (Doubt): Once an intellectual conviction of the pot’s existence is established, the cognition (Vritti) of the pot perishes. Afterwards it can be recognised at the will of the cogniser. (Reply): The same applies to the cognition of the Self. 95. Once the nature of the Self has been conclusively determined, the knower can speak of it, think of it or meditate on it at will. 96. (Doubt): The knower too, like a meditator, forgets worldly affairs in his contemplation. (Reply): Let him forget. This forgetfulness is due to his meditation and not because of his knowledge of the Self. 97. Meditation is left to his will, for his release has been achieved through knowledge. From knowledge alone comes release. This the scriptures announce with drum-beats. 98. (Doubt): If a knower does not meditate, he would be drawn to external affairs. (Reply): Let him happily engage himself in them. What is the objection for a knower to be so engaged ? 99. (Doubt): This sort of reasoning is wrong, for there the scriptures will be violated. (Reply): If so, what is right reasoning please ? (Doubt): Right reasoning is to follow the injunctions and prohibitions of the scriptures. (Reply): But they do not apply to the enlightened. 100. All these injunctions and prohibitions are meant for those who believe themselves to belong to a certain caste or station and stage of life. 101. The knower is convinced that caste, station etc., are creations of Maya and that they refer to the body and not to the Self whose nature is pure

85 consciousness. 102. The clear-sighted knower from whose heart all attachment has vanished is a liberated soul whether he performs or not concentration or action. 103. He whose mind is free from all desires or former impressions has nothing to gain from either action or inaction, meditation (Samadhi) or repetitions of holy formulas. 104. The Self is associationless and everything other than the Self is a display of the magic of Maya. When a mind has such a firm conviction, wherefrom will any desire or impression come in it ? 105. Thus when for an illumined sage there is no injunction on prohibition, where is his violating them ? Only for him can violation be possible who is bound by them. 106. As a child is not subject to any injunctions and prohibitions, he cannot be charged with their violation. In their absence, in the case of a man of realisation too, how can there be any violation ? 107. (Doubt): But a boy does not know anything. (Reply): A knower of truth knows everything. The law applies to one who knows a little, not to the other two. 108. (Doubt): He is a knower of truth who can bless or curse with effect. (Reply): Not that, for these powers result from the practice of austerities. 109. (Doubt): Vyasa and others had these powers. (Reply): But these were produced by some austerities. Austerities meant for knowledge are different from them. 110. Those who practise both the types of austerities possess both powers and knowledge. So each type of practice will produce the result appropriate to it. 111. (Doubt): Ascetics and ritualists, despise the saintly monk who has neither such powers nor follow the injunctions. (Reply): Their austerities and rituals are also despised by the votaries of worldly pleasures. 112. (Doubt): Monks too find a pleasure in the acquisition of alms, clothes and shelter. (Reply): Then what wonderful renunciation they must have being unable to move as it were with their dispassion ! 113. (Doubt): It does not matter if the ritualists observing the scriptural rules are abused by the ignorant. (Reply): It also does not matter if a man of realisation is abused by the ritualists who identify themselves with the body and so observe the rules. 114. Therefore as knowledge of truth does not affect the means, such as the mind and so forth, a man of realisation is able to do worldly activities such as ruling a country. 115. (Doubt): He may not have any desire for worldly affairs since he is convinced of the unreality of the empirical world. (Reply): Let it be; let him be engaged in meditation or work according to his fructifying Karma.

86 116. On the other hand, a meditator should always engage himself in meditation, for through meditation his feeling of identity with Brahman arises, as a devotee has it by meditating on Vishnu. 117. The feeling of identity, which is the effect of meditation, ceases when the practice is given up; but the true Brahmanhood does not vanish even in the absence of knowledge. 118. The eternal Brahmanhood is revealed by knowledge and not created by it, for even in the absence of the revealer the real entity does not cease to exist. 119. (Doubt): But the Brahmanhood of a meditator also is real. (Reply): True, is not the Brahmanhood of the ignorant and the lower creatures also real ? 120. Since nescience is common, they do not realise the purpose of their life. But just as begging is better than starving, so also it is better to practise devotion and meditation than to engage in other pursuits. 121. It is better to perform the works ordained in the scriptures than be engrossed in worldly affairs. Better than this is to worship a personal deity and meditation on the attributeless Brahman is still better. 122. That which is nearer to the realisation of Brahman is superior; and meditation on the Absolute gradually becomes like direct realisation of Brahman. 123. A ‘leading’ error leads to the desired goal, when it becomes knowledge. Similarly meditation on Brahman when ripened, leads to release and becomes real knowledge. 124. (Doubt): A man working prompted by a ‘leading’ error gets correct knowledge not by the leading error but by another evidence. (Reply): The meditation on the Absolute may also be taken as the cause of other evidence (Nididhyasana leading to direct realisation). 125. (Doubt): Meditation on the form of a deity and repetition of a sacred formula also lead to the goal. (Reply): Let it be so; but the speciality of meditation on the Absolute is that it is nearest to the goal of Self-realisation. 126. When meditation on the attributeless Brahman is mature it leads to Samadhi. This state of intense concentration at case leads on to the Nirodha state in which the distinction between subject and object is eliminated. 127. When such complete cessation of mental activity is achieved, only the associationless entity (Atman) remains in his heart. By ceaseless meditation on It based on the great Sayings, arises the knowledge ‘I am Brahman’. 128. There is then a perfect realisation of Brahman as the immutable, associationless, eternal, self-revealed, secondless whole, as indicated in the scriptures. 129. The Amritabindu and other Upanishads recommend Yoga for the same object. It is clear therefore that meditation on the attributeless Brahman is superior to other types of worship.

87 130. Those who give up meditation on the attributeless Brahman and undertake pilgrimages, recitations of the holy formulas and other methods, may be compared to ‘those who drop the sweets and lick the hand’. 131. (Doubt): This applies also to those who meditate on the attributeless Brahman giving up enquiry into Its nature. (Reply): True, therefore only those who are not able to practise enquiry have been asked to meditate on the attributeless Brahman. 132. Those who are very fickle-minded and agitated do not have the knowledge of Brahman by the practice of enquiry. Therefore control of the mind is the chief means for them. By it their mind becomes free from distractions. 133. For those whose intellects are no longer distracted nor restless but are merely covered by a veil of ignorance, the analytical system called Sankhya (intellectual enquiry) is prescribed. It will quickly lead them to spiritual illumination. 134. ‘The state of spiritual balance is obtainable by both the Sankhyas (those who follow the path of enquiry) and the Yogis (those who practise meditation). He really knows the meaning of the scriptures who knows that the paths of enquiry and meditation are the same’. 135. The Shruti too declares that with both enquiry and meditation people know the Highest; but whatever in the books of Sankhya and Yoga are against the Shruti are to be rejected. 136. If one fails to perfect the practice of meditation in this life, one does so either at the time of death or in the region of Brahma. Then, obtaining direct knowledge of the reality, one is liberated. 137. The Gita says that a man attains that which he thinks of at the time of death. Wherever his mind is fixed, there he goes, says the Shruti too. 138. So the future life of a man is determined by the nature of his thoughts at the time of death. Then as a devotee of the Personal God is absorbed in Him, so a meditator on the attributeless Brahman is absorbed in It and obtains Liberation. 139. Brahman is called ‘eternal’ and ‘attributeless’ but in fact It is of the nature of liberation itself, just as ‘leading’ error is an error in name only, for it leads to the desired object. 140. As by meditation on the Personal God knowledge of the nature of Ishvara arises, so by meditation on the attributeless Brahman, knowledge of Its nature arises and destroys the ignorance which is the root of rebirth. 141. A meditator becomes Brahman who is ‘unattached, desireless, free from body and organs and fearless’. Thus the Tapaniya Upanishad speaks of liberation as the result of meditation on the attributeless Brahman. 142. By the strength of meditation on the attributeless Brahman knowledge arises. So the scriptural verse, ‘Verily there is no other path to liberation

88 (except knowledge)’ does not conflict with this. 143. So the Tapaniya Upanishad points out that liberation comes from desireless meditation. The Prasna Upanishad also says that by meditation with desire one enters into the region of Brahma. 144. The Prasna Upanishad says that he who meditates with desires on the three-lettered Aum, is taken to the region of Brahma. There he comes to know the attributeless Brahman who is beyond Hiranyagarbha, the sum total of souls and becomes free. 145. The Brahma Sutras in the Apratikadhikarana say that he who desires the region of Brahma and meditates with desires on the attributeless Brahman attains that region. 146. Such a worshipper, by virtue of his meditation on the attributeless Brahman, enters the world of Brahma and there obtains direct knowledge of Brahman. He is not born again, he gets ultimate release at the end of the four Yugas. 147. In the Vedas meditation on the holy syllable Aum in most places means meditation on the attributeless Brahman, though in some places it means meditation on Brahman with attributes. 148. Pippalada being asked by his pupil Satyakama says that Aum means Brahman both with and without attributes. 149. Yama too, questioned by his pupil Nachiketas, replied that he who meditates on Aum knowing it as the attributeless Brahman obtains the fulfilment of his desires. 150. He who meditates properly on the attributeless Brahman gets direct knowledge of Brahman either in this life or at the time of death or in the world of Brahma. 151. The Atma Gita also clearly says that those who cannot practise discrimination should always meditate on the Self. 152. (The Self as if says): ‘Even if direct knowledge of Me does not seem to be possible, a man should still meditate on the Self. In the course of time, he doubtlessly realises the Self and is freed’. 153. ‘To reach treasures deeply hidden in the earth, there is nothing for it but to dig. So to have direct knowledge of Me, the Self, there is no other means than meditation on one’s Self’. 154. ‘A man should remove the stones of body consciousness from the field of the mind and then by repeatedly digging with the pick-axe, the intellect, he can get the hidden treasure of the Self.’ 155. Even if there is no realisation, think ‘I am Brahman’. Through meditation a man achieves even other things (like the Deities), why not Brahman who is ever-achieved ? 156. If a man, who is convinced by his experience that meditation, practised day by day, destroys the idea that the not-Self is the Self, nevertheless

89 becomes idle and neglects meditation, what difference, tell us, is there between him and a brute ? 157. Destroying his idea that the body is the Self, through meditation a man sees the secondless Self, becomes immortal and realises Brahman in this body itself. 158. The meditator who studies this Chapter called the ‘Lamp of Meditation’, is freed from all his doubts and meditates constantly on Brahman.

90 X. THE LAMP OF THE THEATRE

1. Before the projection of the world the Supreme Self, the secondless, all- bliss and ever complete, alone existed. Through His Maya He became the world and entered into it as the Jiva, the individual Self. 2. Entering the superior bodies like that of Vishnu, He became the deities; and remaining in the inferior bodies like that of men He worships the deities. 3. Due to the practice of devotions in many lives the Jiva desires to reflect upon his nature. When by enquiry and reflection Maya is negated, the Self alone remains. 4. The duality and misery of the secondless Self, whose nature is bliss, is called bondage. Abiding in Its own nature is said to be liberation. 5. Bondage is caused by want of discrimination and is negated by discrimination. Hence one should discriminate about the individual and supreme Self. 6. He who thinks ‘I am’ is the agent. Mind is his instrument of action and the actions of the mind are two types of modifications in succession, internal and external. 7. The internal modification of the mind takes the form of ‘I’. It makes him an agent. The external modification assumes the form of ‘this’. It reveals to him the external things. 8. The external things (that are cognised by the mind in a general way, their special qualities having been jumbled up) are cognised by the five sense- organs quite distinctly as sound, touch, colour, taste and smell. 9. That consciousness which reveals at one and the same time the agent, the action and the external objects is called ‘witness’ in the Vedanta. 10. The witness, like the lamp in a dancing hall, reveals all these as ‘I see’, ‘I hear’, ‘I smell’, ‘I taste’, ‘I touch’ as pieces of knowledge. 11. The light in the dancing hall uniformly reveals the patron, the audience and the dancer. Even when they are absent, the light continues to shine. 12. The witness-consciousness lights up the ego, the intellect and the sense- objects. Even when ego etc., are absent, it remains self-luminous as ever. 13. The unchangeable witness is ever present as self-luminous consciousness; the intellect functions under its light and dances in a variety of ways. 14. In this illustration the patron is the ego, the various sense-objects are the audience, the intellect is the dancer, the musicians playing on their instruments are the sense-organs and the light illumining them all is the witness-consciousness. 15. As the light reveals all the objects remaining in its own place, so the witness-consciousness, itself ever motionless, illumines the objects within

91 and without (including the operations of the mind). 16. The distinction between external and internal objects refers to the body and not to the witness-consciousness. Sense-objects are outside the body whereas the ego is within the body. 17. The mind seated within goes out again with the sense organs. In vain, people seek to impose the fickleness of the mind illumined by the witness- consciousness on the latter. 18. The streak of sunlight coming into the room through an opening is motionless; but, if one dances one’s hand in the rays, the light appears to be dancing. 19. Similarly, the witness-consciousness, though really fixed in its own place and neither going out nor returning within, yet appears to move owing to the restless nature of the mind. 20. The witness-consciousness can neither be called external nor internal. Both these terms have reference to the mind. When the mind becomes fully tranquil, the witness exists where it shines. 21. If it be said that (when all mental operations cease) there is no space at all, we reply: let it have no space. It is called all-pervasive, because of the mind’s creation of space. 22. Whatever space, internal or external, the intellect imagines, is pervaded by the witness-consciousness. Similarly will the witness-consciousness be related to all other objects. 23. Whatever form the intellect imagines, the supreme Self illumines it as its witness, remaining Itself beyond the grasp of speech and mind. 24. If you object ‘How such a Self could be grasped by me ?’, our answer is: Let it not be grasped. When the duality of the knower and the known comes to an end, what remains is the Self. 25. Since Atman is self-luminous in its nature, its existence needs no proof. If you need to be convinced that the existence of Atman needs no proof, hear the instruction of the Shruti from a spiritual teacher. 26. If you find the renunciation of all perceptible duality impossible, reflect on the intellect and realise the witness-consciousness as the one witness of all internal and external creations of the intellect.

92 XI. THE BLISS OF YOGA

1. We now describe the bliss of Brahman, knowing which one becomes free from present and future ills and obtains happiness. 2. ‘A knower of Brahman achieves the Supreme’; ‘A knower of the Self goes beyond sorrow’; ‘Brahman is bliss’; ‘One becomes blissful through the attainment of the blissful Brahman’ and in no other way. 3. He who establishes himself in his own Self becomes fearless, but he who perceives any difference from the Self is subject to fear. 4. Even Wind, Sun, Fire, Indra and Death, having performed the religious practices in earlier lives, but failing to realise their identity with Him, carry out their tasks in fear of Him. 5. One who has attained the bliss of Brahman experiences fear from nothing. Anxiety regarding his good and bad actions which consumes others like fire, no longer scorches him. 6. Such a knower through his knowledge takes himself beyond good and evil and is ever engaged in meditation on the Self. He looks upon good and bad actions done as the manifestations of his Self. 7. ‘When a man has seen the Highest the knots of his heart are sundered; all his doubts are dispelled and all his actions perish’. 8. ‘Knowing Him, one crosses death; there is no other path than this’. ‘When a man has known the effulgent Self, all his bonds are cut asunder, his afflictions cease; there is no further birth for him.’ 9. ‘The man of steady wisdom, having known the effulgent Self, leaves behind, even in this life, all joys and sorrows’. ‘He is not scorched by thoughts of the good or bad deeds which he may have done or omitted to do’. 10. Thus many texts in the Shruti, and Puranas declare that the knowledge of Brahman destroys all sorrows and leads to bliss. 11. Bliss is of three kinds: The bliss of Brahman, the bliss which is born of knowledge and the bliss which is produced by contact with outer objects. First the bliss of Brahman is being described. 12. Bhrigu learnt the definition of Brahman from his father Varuna and negating the food-sheath, the vital-sheath, the mind-sheath and the intellect- sheath as not being Brahman, he realised Brahman reflected in the bliss- sheath. 13. All beings are born of bliss and live by It, pass on to It and are finally reabsorbed in it; there is therefore no doubt that Brahman is bliss. 14. Before the creation of beings there was only the infinite and no triad of knower, known and knowing; therefore in dissolution the triad again ceases to exist.

93 15. When created, the intellect-sheath is the knower; the mind-sheath is the field of knowledge; sound etc., are the objects known. Before creation they did not exist. 16. In the absence of this triad, the secondless, indivisible Self alone exists. The Self alone existed before the projection of the world. Similarly It exists in the states of Samadhi, deep sleep and swoon. 17. The infinite Self alone is bliss; there is no bliss in the finite realm of the triad. This Sanatkumara told the grieving Narada. 18. Even though Narada was versed in the Vedas, the Puranas and the various studies, he was full of grief because of not knowing the Self. 19. Before he began the study of the Vedas he was subject to the three usual kinds of misery, but afterwards he was more grieved because of the added afflictions of the practices of the study, the fear of forgetting and slips or defeat and conceit. 20. ‘O Sage’, said Narada to Sanatkumara, ‘learned as I am in the studies, I am subject to grief. Please take me beyond this ocean of misery’. The Rishi told Narada in reply that the farther shore of the ocean of misery is the bliss of Brahman. 21. As the happiness derived from sense-objects is covered by thousands of afflictions, it is misery only. There is therefore no happiness in the limited. 22. (Objection): Granting there is no happiness in duality, there is no happiness in non-duality either. If you maintain that there is, then it must be experienced and then there will be the triad. 23. (Reply): ‘Let there be no experience of happiness in the state of non- duality. But non-duality itself is bliss.’ ‘What is the proof ?’ ‘The self-revealing requires no other proof’. 24. Your objection itself is evidence of the self-revealing nature of the existence of self-conscious non-duality; for you admit the existence of the secondless and merely contend that it is not bliss. 25. (Objection): I do not admit non-duality but only accept it as a hypothesis to be refuted. (Reply): Then tell us what existed before duality emerged. 26. Was it non-duality or duality or something different from both ? It cannot have been the last because it is impossible to conceive so. It cannot have been duality because it had not yet emerged. Hence non-duality alone remains. 27. (Objection): The truth of non-duality is established by argument only and not by experience, it cannot be experienced. (Reply): Then tell whether your argument can or cannot be supported by illustration; it must be the one or the other. 28. You deny (the possibility of) the non-dual experience. (At the same time if you say) there is no illustration (in support of the argument that establishes non-duality) it would be a wonderful logic ! (You cannot say there is no

94 illustration in its favour, for an argument must be supported by an illustration). In case there are examples please give us an acceptable one. 29. (Objection): (Here is the argument with illustration). In dissolution there is non-duality, since duality is not experienced there, as in deep sleep. (Reply): Please give an illustration to support your affirmation of the absence of duality in deep sleep. 30. (Objection): The sleeping state of some other person may be an illustration. (Reply): You are indeed a clever man; you have no knowledge of your own experience in deep sleep, which you are going to prove by giving the illustration of another’s deep sleep and yet you profess to know that of another. 31. (Objection): The other person is in deep sleep since he is inactive as in my case. (Reply): Then from the force of your illustration you admit the self- revealing nature of the non-dual truth in your own sleep. 32. (How ?) There are no sense-organs (for you say you are inactive); there is no illustration (for the illustration adduced by you is inadmissible) and yet there is the non-dual (which you admit); this is what is known as the self- revealing nature of the non-dual. So you are forced to admit it. 33. (Objection)): Admitted that there is the non-dual in deep sleep and that it is self-revealing, what about the bliss you spoke of ? (Reply): When all misery is absent, that which remains is bliss. 34. In deep sleep the blind are not blind, the wounded not wounded and the ill no longer ill, say the scriptures. All people too know this. 35. (Objection): The absence of misery does not necessarily imply bliss, since objects like stone or clay are not seen to experience either misery or happiness. (Reply): This is a false analogy. 36. One infers another’s grief or joy from his face, melancholy or smiling, but in clay this inference of grief etc., from such indications is impossible. 37. Our happiness and misery, however, are not to be known by inference; both their presence and absence are directly experienced. 38. In the same way the absence of all miseries is directly experienced in deep sleep and since they are the opposites to bliss their total absence is unhindered bliss which has to be accepted as our experience. 39. If sleep does not produce an experience of bliss why do people make so much efforts to procure soft beds etc., ? 40. (Objection): It is only to remove pain. (Reply): That is true for the sick alone. But since healthy people do so too, it must be to obtain happiness. 41. (Objection): Then the happiness in sleep is born of objects due to the bed etc. (Reply): It is true that the happiness before going to sleep is due to these accessories. 42. But the happiness experienced in deep sleep is not obtained from any object. A man may go to sleep expecting to be happy, but before long he

95 experiences a happiness of a higher order. 43. A man fatigued in the pursuit of worldly affairs lies down and removes the obstacles to happiness. His mind being calm, he enjoys the pleasure of resting in bed. 44. Directing his thoughts towards the Self, he experiences the bliss of the Self reflected in the intellect. But experiencing this, even here he becomes tired of the pleasures derived of the triad (of experiencer, experience and experienced). 45. To remove that weariness the Jiva rushes towards his real Self and becoming united with it experiences the bliss of Brahman in sleep. 46. The scriptures give the following examples to illustrate the bliss enjoyed in sleep: the falcon, the eagle, the infant, the great king and the knower of Brahman. 47. Tied to a string, the falcon, flying hither and thither but failing to find a resting place, returns to rest on the wrist of its master or on the post to which it is tied. 48. Similarly the mind, which is the instrument of the Jiva, moves on in the dreaming and waking states in order to obtain the fruits of righteous and unrighteous deeds. When the experiencing of these fruits ceases, the mind is absorbed in its cause, undifferentiated ignorance. 49. The eagle rushes only to its nest hoping to find rest there. Similarly the Jiva eager only to experience the bliss of Brahman rushes to sleep. 50. A tiny tot having fed at the breast of its mother, lies smiling in a soft bed. Free from desire and aversion it enjoys the bliss of its nature. 51. A mighty king, sovereign of the world, having obtained all the enjoyments which mark the limits of human happiness to his full contentment, becomes the very personification of bliss. 52. A great Brahmana, a knower of Brahman, has extended the bliss of knowledge to its extreme limit; he has achieved all that was to be achieved and sits established in that state. 53. These examples of the ignorant, infant, the discriminative king and the wise Brahmana are of people considered to be happy. Others are subject to misery and are not very happy. 54. Like the infant and the other two, man passes into deep sleep and enjoys only the bliss of Brahman. In that state he, like a man embraced by his loving wife, is not conscious of anything either internal or external. 55. Just as what happens outside in the street may be called external and what is done inside the house internal, so the experiences of the waking state may be called external and the dreams produced inside the mind and the nervous system may be called internal. 56. The Shruti says: ‘In sleep even a father is no father’. Then in the absence of all worldly ideas the Jivahood is lost and a state of pure consciousness

96 prevails. 57. One having such notions as ‘I am a father’ experiences joy and grief. When such attachment perishes, he rises beyond all sorrow. 58. A text of the Atharva Veda says: ‘In the state of deep sleep, when all the objects of experience have been absorbed and only darkness (Tamas) prevails, the Jiva enjoys bliss’. 59. A man from deep sleep remembers his happiness and ignorance and says: ‘I was sleeping happily; I knew nothing then’. 60. Recollection presupposes experience. So in sleep there was experience. The bliss experienced in dreamless sleep is revealed by consciousness itself which also reveals the undifferentiated ignorance (Ajnana) covering bliss in that state. 61. The Vajasaneyins say: ‘Brahman is of the nature of consciousness and bliss’. Therefore the self-luminous bliss is Brahman itself and nothing else. 62. The mind and the intellect sheaths are latent in the state called ignorance. Deep sleep is the condition in which these sheaths are latent and it is therefore a state of ignorance. 63. Just as melted butter again becomes solid, the two sheaths in the states following deep sleep again become manifest. The state in which the mind and intellect are latent is called the bliss-sheath. 64. The modifications (Vritti) of the intellect in which, just before sleep, bliss is reflected becomes latent in the state of deep sleep along with the reflected bliss and is known as the bliss-sheath. 65. This Vritti thus turned within, which is termed the bliss-sheath, enjoys the bliss reflected on it in association with the modifications of ignorance, catching the reflection of consciousness. 66. The adepts in Vedanta say that the modifications of ignorance are subtle, whereas those of the intellect are gross. 67. This is fully explained in the Mandukya and Tapaniya Upanishads. It is the sheath of bliss which is the enjoyer and it is the bliss of Brahman which is enjoyed. 68. This profusion of bliss (Anandamayah), having become concentrated into one mass of consciousness in the deep sleep, enjoys the (reflected) bliss of Brahman with the help of modifications (Vrittis) reflecting a superabundance of consciousness. 69. The self (Chidabhasa) in the waking and dream states, is connected or associated with various sheaths such as Vijnanamaya and appears as many (i.e., plays various roles). In the deep sleep state, however, they get merged and become latent like a dough of many (powdered) wheat-grains. 70. The modifications of the intellect, which are instruments of cognition, unite and become one in the state of sleep, just as drops of cold water in the Himalayan regions solidify into a mass of ice.

97 71. This witness state of compact consciousness, ordinary people and the logicians say, is characterised by the absence of suffering, because in that state the mental modifications of pain and misery subside. 72. In the enjoyment of the bliss of Brahman in deep sleep, the consciousness reflected in ignorance is the means. Prompted by its Karma, good or bad, the Jiva gives up the enjoyment of bliss and goes out to the waking state. 73. The Kaivalya Upanishad says that a Jiva passes from the sleeping to the waking state owing to the effects of the actions of former births. Reawakening thus is a result of actions. 74. For a short time after the waking up the impression of the bliss of Brahman enjoyed during sleep continues. For he remains for some time calm and happy, without taking any interest in the enjoyment of external objects. 75. Then, impelled by his past actions ready to bear fruits, he begins to think of duties and their implementation entailing sufferings of many kinds and gradually forgets the bliss of Brahman experienced (a few minutes before). 76. Experiencing the bliss of Brahman before and after sleep day after day man develops a predilection for it. How can a man, therefore, doubt it (i.e., the existence of the bliss of Brahman) ? 77. (Objection): Well, if a mere state of quietude were enjoyment of the bliss of Brahman then the lazy and the worldly would achieve the end of their life. What then is the use of the teacher and the scriptures ? 78. (Reply): Your contention would be correct, if he realised that the bliss that he experienced was the bliss of Brahman. But who can know Brahman that is so immensely profound without the help of the teacher and the scripture ? 79. (Objection): I know what Brahman is from what you yourself have said. Why then am I without the bliss of realisation ? (Reply): Listen to the story of a man who like yourself imagined that he was wise. 80. This man, hearing that a large reward was offered to anyone who knew the four Vedas, said, ‘I know from you that there are four Vedas. So give me the reward’. 81. (Objection): He knew the number, not the text, of the Vedas fully. (Reply): You too have not known Brahman fully. 82. (Objection): Brahman is by nature indivisible and is bliss absolute, untouched by Maya and its effects. How can you speak of the knowledge of Brahman as complete or incomplete ? 83. (Reply): Do you simply say the word ‘Brahman’ or do you see its meaning ? If you know only the word, it remains for you to acquire knowledge of its meaning. 84. Even if with the help of grammar and so forth you learn its meaning, still realisation remains. Serve your teacher until you have realised Brahman and known that there is nothing further to be known.

98 85. Leave the vain argument alone and know that whenever happiness is felt in the absence of objects, that happiness is an impression of the bliss of Brahman. 86. Even when on the acquisition of the desired external objects the desire becomes quiescent and the Vritti is directed inward, it reflects the bliss of Brahman. (This is what is known as ‘reflected’ bliss or Vishayananda or bliss derived from the enjoyment of external things.) 87. There are thus only three kinds of bliss experienced in the world: (1) Brahmananda, the bliss of Brahman; (2) Vasanananda, the bliss arising in the quiescent mind out of the impressions of Brahmananda and (3) Vishayananda, the bliss resulting from the fulfilment of the desire to be in contact with external objects. 88. Of these, the self-revealing bliss of Brahman gives rise to the other two kinds of bliss, the Vasanananda and the Vishayananda. 89. The fact that the bliss of Brahman is self-revealing in deep sleep is established by the authority of the scriptures, by reasoning and by one’s experience. Now hear about its experience at other times. 90. The Jiva which is called Anandamaya, enjoying bliss of Brahman during sleep gets identified with the intellect-sheath during the dreaming and waking states, as he changes his seat from one state to another. 91. The Shruti says that in the waking state the Jiva abides in the eye i.e., the gross body; in the dreaming state in the throat and in deep sleep in the lotus of the heart. In the waking state the Jiva pervades the whole gross body from head to foot. 92. In the waking state the Jiva gets identified with the body, as fire with a red-hot ball of iron. As a result of this he comes to feel with certainty: ‘I am a man’. 93. The Jiva experiences the three states of detachment, joy and suffering. Joy and suffering are the results of actions; detachment comes naturally. 94. Pain and pleasure are of two sorts as the experience is limited within the mind or is external to it also. The state of detachment appears in the intervals between pain and pleasure. 95. ‘Now I have no worries, I am happy’, thus do people describe the natural bliss of the Self in the state of detachment. 96. But in this state the natural bliss of the Self is not primary for it is obscured by the idea of egoity and the bliss so experienced is not the bliss of Brahman but only an impression of it. 97. The outside of a pot full of water feels cold. Actually there is no water outside but coldness only. It is from this property of water that the presence of water inside is inferred. 98. Similarly, as one forgets one’s egoity by continued practice, one can comprehend through intuitive perception one’s natural state of bliss.

99 99. By continued practice of all kinds the ego becomes exceedingly refined. This state is not sleep because the ego is not completely absorbed; moreover the body does not, as in sleep, fall to the ground. 100. The bliss in which there is no experience of duality and which is not sleep either, is the bliss of Brahman. So said Lord Krishna to Arjuna. 101. ‘By the steady application of reason and discrimination an aspirant should gradually control his mind. He should keep the mind fixed on the Self and restrain it from thinking of anything else’. 102. ‘Whenever the mind which is restless and fickle, wanders away, the aspirant should restrain it and concentrate it on the Self’. 103. ‘The Yogi whose mind is perfectly tranquil, whose passions are subdued, who is sinless and has become Brahman, attains the supreme bliss’. 104. ‘When by practice of Yoga, his mind is withdrawn and concentrated, the Yogi sees the Self by the Self and finds supreme satisfaction in the Self’. 105. ‘When he obtains that supreme bliss which is beyond the senses, but which can be grasped by the intellect, he becomes firmly rooted in it and is never moved from it’. 106. ‘Attaining it he considers no other gain as superior. Once established in it he is not disturbed even by great sorrow’. 107. ‘This science of separation from the painful association is called Yoga. This Yoga must be practised with faith and a steady and undespairing mind’. 108. ‘A Yogi who is free from imperfections and is ever united with his Self, experiences easily the supreme bliss of identity with Brahman’. 109. ‘The control of the mind can be achieved by untiring practice over a long period, even as the ocean can be dried up by baling its waters out drop by drop with a blade of grass.’ 110. In the Maitrayani Upanishad of the Yajur Veda, sage Sakayanya spoke of the great bliss experienced in Samadhi to the royal sage Brihadratha while discoursing on Samadhi. 111. ‘As fire without fuel dies down and becomes latent in its cause, so the mind, when its modifications have been silenced, merges in its cause’. 112. ‘To the mind fixed on Reality, merged in its cause and impervious to the sensations arising from the sense-objects, the joys and sorrows (together with their occasions and materials) experienced as a result of the fructifying Karma seem unreal’. 113. ‘The mind is indeed the world. It should be purified with great effort. It is an ancient truth that the mind assumes the forms of the objects to which it is applied.’ 114. ‘Through the purification of his mind a man destroys the impressions of his good and evil Karma and the purified mind abiding in Atman enjoys undiminishing bliss’.

100 115. ‘If a man were to focus his mind on Brahman, as he commonly does on the objects of senses, what bondage would he not be free from ?’ 116. ‘Mind has been described as of two types, pure and impure. The impure is that which is tainted by desires, the pure is that which is free from desires’. 117. ‘The mind alone is the cause of bondage and release. Attachment to objects leads to bondage and freedom from attachment to them leads to release’. 118. ‘The bliss arising from absorption in the contemplation of the Self, when all sins and taints are washed off through the practice of Samadhi, cannot be described in words. One must feel it in one’s own heart’. 119. Though it is rare for men to keep their minds long in the state of absorption, still even a glimpse of it confers conviction about the bliss of Brahman. 120. A man who has full faith in the truth of this bliss and is ceaselessly industrious about getting it, is sure to have it even for a short while; but this is enough to convince him of its reality at other times also. 121. Such a man ignores the bliss experienced in the state of mental quiescence and is ever devoted to the supreme bliss and meditates on it. 122. A woman devoted to a paramour, though engaged in household duties, with all the time be dwelling in mind on the pleasures with him. 123. Similarly the wise one who has found peace in the supreme Reality will be ever enjoying within the bliss of Brahman even when engaged in worldly matters. 124. Wisdom consists in subjugating the desires for sense-pleasure, even when the passions are strong and in engaging the mind in meditation on Brahman with the desire to enjoy the bliss. 125. A man carrying a burden on his head feels relief when he removes the load; similarly a man freed from worldly entanglements feels he is in rest. 126. Thus relieved of burden and enjoying rest, he fixes his mind on the contemplation of the bliss of Brahman, whether in the state of detachment or experiencing pain or pleasure according to fructifying Karma. 127. As a Sati about to enter the fire considers the delay in putting on clothes and ornaments to be irritating, so also one devoted to the achievement of the bliss of Brahman, feels about worldly objects that obstruct the practice of meditation on bliss. 128. The sage, looking now at the bliss of Brahman and now at such worldly objects as are not opposed to it, is like a crow that turns its eye from one side to another. 129. The crow has only a single vision which alternates between the right and left eye. Similarly the vision of the knower of Truth alternates between the two types of bliss (of Brahman and the world). 130. Enjoying both the bliss of Brahman taught in the scriptures and the

101 worldly bliss unopposed to it, the knower of truth knows them both in the same way as one who knows two languages. 131. When the knower experiences sufferings, he is not disturbed by them as he would have been before. Just as a man half-immersed in the cool water of the Ganges feels both the heat of the sun and the coolness of the water, so he feels the misery of the world and the bliss of Brahman at the same time. 132. The knower of truth, experiencing the bliss of Brahman in the waking state experiences it also in the dreaming state, because it is the impressions received in the waking state that give rise to dreams. 133. The impressions of ignorance still continue in the dreaming state. So in a dream a wise man will experience sometimes joy and sometimes suffering, without being affected by either. 134. In this Chapter, the first of the five dealing with the bliss of Brahman, is described direct realisation of the Yogi revealing the bliss of Brahman.

102

XII. THE BLISS OF THE SELF

1. (Question): A Yogi can enjoy the natural bliss of the Self which is different from the bliss of mental quiescence and the bliss of deep sleep; but what will happen to the ignorant man ? 2. (Reply): The ignorant are born in innumerable bodies and they die again and again – all owing to their righteous or unrighteous deeds. What is the use of our sympathy for them ? 3. (Doubt): Because of the desire of the teacher to help his ignorant pupils he can do something for them. (Reply): Then you must tell whether they are willing to learn the spiritual truth or are averse to it. 4. If they are still devoted to external objects, some suitable kind of worship or ritual can be prescribed for them. If, on the other hand, they, though spiritually dull, desire to learn the truth, they can be instructed in the knowledge of the bliss of the Self. 5. Yajnavalkya instructed this by pointing out to his beloved wife, Maitreyi, that ‘a wife does not love her husband for his sake’. 6. The husband, wife or son, riches or animals, Brahmanahood or Kshatriyahood, the different worlds, the gods, the Vedas, the elements and all other objects are dear to one for the sake of one’s own Self. 7. A wife shows affection to her husband when she desires his company; the husband too reciprocates but not when he is engaged in worship or afflicted with illness, hunger and so forth. 8. Her love is not for her husband’s sake but for her own. Similarly the husband’s love also is for his own satisfaction and not for hers. 9. Thus even in the mutual love between husband and wife the incentive is one’s own desire for happiness. 10. A child, when kissed by its father, may cry, being pricked by the latter’s bristly beard, still its father goes on kissing the child – it is not for its sake but for his own. 11. Wealth and gems have no likes or dislikes of their own, but their owner looks after them with love and care. It is for his own sake, none doubts it to be for theirs. 12. A merchant forces his bullock, though unwilling, to carry a load. He loves the bullock for his own sake, how can it be for the bullock’s ? 13. A Brahmana knowing that he deserves respect, is satisfied when he receives it. This satisfaction is not felt for his caste, an insentient abstraction, but for the man himself. 14. A king feels exalted that he is a and hence is a ruler, but the feeling is not for the caste. The same applies to men of and other

103 castes also. 15. The desire, ‘May I attain the region of heaven or of Brahma’, is not for the well-being of those regions but only for one’s own enjoyment. 16. People worship Shiva, Vishnu and other deities to destroy sins. It is not for the sake of the deities who are already free from sins, but for their own sake. 17. The Brahmanas study the Rig and other Vedas to avoid falling from their (respectable) Brahminhood; this applies to men only and not to the Vedas. 18. People want the five elements, viz., earth, water, fire, air and Akasa, because of their usefulness to them in giving shelter, quenching their thirst, cooking, drying and space for movement and not for the sake of the elements themselves. 19. People desire to have servants or masters for their own benefit and not for the benefit of (servants or masters) themselves. 20. There are plenty of such examples to enable one to study and come to the same conclusion on all occasions. By these one should convince one’s mind that for every man the Self is the only real object of love. 21-22. (Doubt): What type of love is it that the scriptures say is felt towards the Self ? Is it the passionate attachment which is felt towards wife and other objects, the faith which is experienced in sacrifices and other rituals, the devotion which a man cherishes towards God and his teacher or is it the desire one feels for something one does not possess ? (Reply): The real love of the Self is that which, in the absence of these emotions, manifests itself owing to the preponderance of Sattvika quality in the intellect. This love of the Self is different from desire, for it exists even when desire is present or destroyed. 23. (Doubt): Be it so, but food, drink etc., are liked because of their quality of giving happiness (and not for their own sake). 24. If you say that the Self is also a means to happiness like food and drink, then we ask: who is it that enjoys happiness ? One and the same thing cannot be both the subject and the object of enjoyment. 25. Love for the means to happiness is partial love, but the love for the Self is infinite. The love for the means passes from one object to another, but the love for the Self is steadfast. 26. Love for an object of happiness always passes from one to another; (they are objects that can be accepted or rejected); but the Self cannot be treated like that; so how can love of Self change ? 27. (Doubt): Even though it cannot be accepted or rejected the Self may be regarded as an object of indifference, like a piece of straw. (Reply): No, because it is the very Self of the person who is to regard it with indifference. 28. (Doubt): People begin to hate the Self when they are overpowered by disease or anger and wish to die. (Reply): This is not so.

104 29. When they desire to do away with the body it is an object for rejection, not their Self. The Self is the subject that desires the end of the body and it feels no hatred for itself. What harm is there if they hate the body, an object ? 30. All objects are desired for the sake of the Self and hence of all the objects that are loved the Self is dearest. A man’s son is dearer to him than his son’s friends. 31. ‘May I never perish, may I ever exist’ is the desire seen in all. So love for the Self is quite evident. 32. Though the Self as the object of the highest love is taught by the scriptures and proved both by reasoning and experience, there are some who hold that the Self is merely secondary to son, wife etc., as an object of love. 33. To support this they quote the Shruti: ‘The son indeed is the Self’, which shows the superiority of the son. This has been clearly spoken of in the Upanishad. 34. ‘The (father’s) Self, born in the form of the son, becomes his substitute for the performance of meritorious deeds. The Self of the father, having fulfilled its purpose (by begetting a son) and having reached old age, departs’. 35. A verse in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says that in spite of the existence of the Self a man who has no son does not go to heaven. So the thinkers said that a son who is well trained in the Vedas helps his father to attain heaven. 36. The joys of this world can be attained through the son and not by other things. The dying father therefore should instruct his son the Vedic truth, “You are Brahman”. 37. These Vedic verses are quoted to prove the importance of son, wife and so forth (and one’s own Self as secondary). Ordinary people too admit the greater importance of a son. 38. A father labours hard to acquire wealth for the maintenance of his sons and others after his death. Hence the son is superior to the Self. 39. All right, but these texts do not prove the Self to be less important. It is to be remembered that the word ‘Self’ is used in three senses, figurative, illusory and fundamental. 40. In the expression ‘Devadatta is a lion’, the identification is figurative, for the difference between the two is evident. Similar is the case of the son and others as the Self. 41. Difference exists between the five sheaths and the Witness, though it is not evident and so the sheaths are illusory, like the thief seen in the stump of a tree. 42. The witness-consciousness is without a second and therefore in it there neither appears nor is any difference. As it is the innermost essence it is

105 accepted that the word ‘Self’ in its fundamental sense refers to the Witness itself. 43. As the word ‘Self’ has these three meanings in daily use the suitable one becomes primary, the other two becoming merely secondary. 44. In the case of a dying man, giving charge of the family property and tradition to his son, the figurative meaning of ‘Self’ fits in, not the primary or the illusory meaning. 45. In the sentence ‘the reciter is the fire’ the term ‘reciter’ cannot actually refer to fire, for the latter is incapable of reciting, but must mean a Brahmachari who is able to do so. 46. In such expressions as ‘I am thin and I must get fatter’, the body should be taken as the Self. For the sake of one’s own growing fat nobody engages his son in eating. 47. In such expressions as ‘I shall attain heaven by austerities’ the doer (the intellect-sheath) should be regarded as the Self. So ignoring the physical enjoyment people practise severe austerities. 48. When a man says, ‘I shall be free’, he then acquires knowledge (of the Self) from the teacher and the scripture and desires nothing else. Here the word ‘I’ should be regarded as the witness Self. 49. Just as Brahmanas, Kshatriyas and Vaishyas are entitled to perform the sacrifices called Brihaspati-sava, Rajasuya and Vaishyastoma according to their fitness, so the figurative, illusory and fundamental selves are meant in different contexts. 50. Infinite love is always left for the Self which is primary in any particular context; and for whatever is related to it there is just moderate love and for all other things there is no love whatsoever. 51. Other things are of two kinds, to be ignored or hated. Straws lying on the road are disregarded, whereas tigers and snakes are hated. So things are of four kinds, loved, dearly loved, disregarded or hated. 52. The primary Self, things related to the Self and objects to be disregarded or hated – of these four categories of things there is no sacro-sanctity attached to any one of them that it would always be primary or secondary etc. But it (their being primary or secondary etc.,) depends on the effect they produce under particular circumstances. 53. When a tiger confronts man, it is hated; when it is away, it is disregarded; and when it has been tamed and made friendly, it causes joy; thus it is related to him and is loved. 54. Even though no thing is primary or secondary by itself, there are some characteristics to distinguish them under certain circumstances. These characteristics are: their being favourable, unfavourable, or neither of these. 55. The popular conclusion is that the Self is the dearest, the objects related to it are dear and the rest are either disregarded or hated. This is also the

106 verdict of Yajnavalkya. 56. Elsewhere too the Shruti declares: ‘Know this Self as the dearest which is more intrinsic than son, wealth and so forth’. 57. Through the eye of discrimination following the Shruti it becomes clear that the witness-consciousness is the real Self. Discrimination means separating the five sheaths and seeing the inner substance. 58. That is the self-luminous consciousness, the Self, which is the witness of the presence and absence of the states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep. 59. The various objects of enjoyment, from life down to wealth, are objects of varying degrees of love according to their proximity to the Self. 60. A son is dearer than wealth, the body dearer than the son, the sense- organs dearer than the body, life and mind dearer than the sense organs and the Self is supremely dearer than life and mind. 61. In the Shruti there is a dialogue between a wise and a dull-witted man which illustrates the point that the Self is the dearest of all objects. 62. The wise man holds that the witness-consciousness, is dearer than all objects. The dull-witted man maintains that son and other objects are dearer and that the witness-consciousness enjoys the happiness caused by these objects. 63. The ignorant disciple and the confirmed opponent both assert that something other than the Self (Atman) is the object of greatest love. The reply given will prove to be an instruction to the disciple and a curse to the confirmed opponent. 64. The wise man quotes the scripture in his reply: ‘Your dearest thing will make you weep’. The pupil analyses this reply and finds out his error in considering something other than the Self as the dearest. 65. When a married couple desire to have a son and do not have one, they are disappointed and miserable. After conception, a miscarriage or the pain of labour causes sorrow. 66. When a son is born he may suffer from diseases or from the position of the planets at his birth, or he may be stupid or obstinate, or after the investiture of sacred thread, he may study nothing or if he is learned, he may remain unmarried. 67. Again he may start pursuing the wives of others, or he may have an unwieldy family and remain in poverty, or he may grow wealthy and yet die in his youth. Infinite are the sorrows of parents. 68. Having considered all this, the disciple must abstain from forming an attachment to other things. He should focus his love on the Self and contemplate It day and night. 69. The confirmed opponent, who does not give up his contention due to obstinacy and hostility to the knower of truth, sinks into the depths of darkness and suffers the pains of innumerable births.

107 70. The knower of Brahman is of the nature of Brahman and is described as Ishvara, the all-powerful. Whatever he says will come to pass for the pupil and the opponent. 71. He who contemplates the witness Self as the dearest of all objects will find that this dearest Self never suffers destruction. 72. The Supreme Self, being the object of dearest love, is the source of infinite joy. The Shruti has it that from the sovereignty of this world to position of Hiranyagarbha, everywhere, wherever there is greater love there is greater bliss. 73. (Doubt): If the nature of the Self is bliss as well as consciousness, bliss should be found in all the modifications of the mind, as is consciousness. 74. (Reply): Not so. A lamp burning in a room emits both light and heat, but it is only the light that fills the room and not heat; similarly, it is only consciousness which accomplishes the Vrittis (and not bliss). 75. An object may be characterised by odour, colour, taste and touch, yet each of these properties is cognised by one particular sense-organ and not the others. It is the same with the bliss of the Self. 76. (Doubt): Odours, taste and so forth differ from one another, but in the Self consciousness and bliss are identical. (Reply): Tell whether this identity is in the witness Self or elsewhere ? 77. The odour, colour and other properties of a flower are not separate from one another in the flower. If it be said that the separation of these properties is brought about by the sense-organs, we rejoin that the seeming difference between consciousness and bliss is produced by (the predominance of Rajas or Sattva in) the Vrittis. 78. When there is a predominance of Sattva in the Vrittis, we realise, because of their purity, that bliss and consciousness are one and the same, but when Rajas predominates, because of its impurity, the bliss is obscured. 79. As the intensely sour taste of tamarind when mixed with salt is lessened and taste less sour, so with bliss (when it is obscured by Rajas). 80. (Doubt): By discrimination one can feel that the Self is the dearest, but without the practice of Yoga what good is it (for liberation) ? 81. (Reply): The goal which is reached by Yoga can also be reached by discrimination. Yoga is a means to knowledge; doesn’t knowledge arise from discrimination ? 82. ‘The state achieved by the Sankhyas is also achieved by the Yogis’. Thus it has been said in the Gita about the identity of the fruit of both Yoga and discrimination. 83. Knowing that for some Yoga is difficult and for some others knowledge, the great Lord Sri Krishna speaks of these two paths. 84. What speciality is there in Yoga when knowledge has been declared as common to both ? Both the Yogi and the Viveki (he who practises

108 discrimination) are alike freed from attachment and aversion. 85. One who knows the Self as the dearest has no love for any object of enjoyment. So how can he have attachment ? And how can he who sees no object inimical to himself have any aversion ? 86. Both the Yogi and the Viveki dislike objects unfavourable to the body, mind etc. If it be said that he who has aversion for such objects is not a Yogi, then we rejoin that equally so is he not a Viveki. 87. It may be said that though in the world of relative experience both accept the conception of duality, the Yogi has the advantage that there is no duality for him while in the state of Samadhi. Our reply is that he who practises discrimination about the non-duality does not experience duality at that time. 88. In the next chapter, called the ‘Bliss of Non-duality’ we will enlarge on the theme of the absence of duality. Therefore things told till now are free from defects. 89. (Doubt): He is a true Yogi who in his contemplation is ever-conscious of the bliss of the Self and is unconscious of the external world. (Reply): May the blessings of contentment ever abide with you. (For the point is gained, this is the position of the Vivekin also). 90. In this second chapter of the section in which the bliss of Brahman is discussed we have dealt with the bliss of the Self (Atmananda) for the good of persons of spiritually dull intellect.

109 XIII. THE BLISS OF NON-DUALITY

1. The bliss of Yoga which was described earlier may be said to be the bliss of the Self. (Doubt): How can the bliss of the embodied Self which is in duality be identical with the bliss of Brahman (who is non-dual) ? (Reply): Please listen. 2. As described in the Taittiriya Upanishad, the whole world, from Akasa to the physical body, is not different from bliss. Therefore the bliss of the Self is of the nature of the non-dual Brahman. 3. The world is born of bliss, it abides in bliss and is merged in bliss. How then can it be anything other than this bliss ? 4. The pot made by a potter is different from him, but let this not create any doubt, for like the clay, bliss is the material cause of the universe, not like the potter the efficient cause. 5. The existence and destruction of the pot are never seen to rest in the potter, but its material cause, the clay. Similarly, according to the Shruti passages their (the existence and destruction of the universe) material cause is bliss. 6. The material cause is of three kinds: (1) the Vivarta, which gives rise to a phenomenal appearance, not materially related to the cause; (2) the Parinama which gives rise to an effect which is a modification or change of state of the cause; and (3) the Arambha which consists of effect being different from the causes. The last two (which presuppose parts) have no scope with reference to partless Brahman. 7. The Arambhavadins accept the production of one kind of material from another, as cloth from threads and they consider threads and cloth to be quite different. 8. Parinama is the change of one state of the same substance into another, as milk into curd, clay into a pot and gold into an ear-ring. 9. But Vivarta is mere appearance of change of a thing or its state, not a real change: like a rope appearing as a snake. It is seen even in a partless substance, e.g., the Akasa (which has no shape or colour) appearing as the blue dome. 10. So the illusive appearance of the world in the partless bliss can be explained. Like the power of a magician, the power of Maya may be said to bring the objective world into being. 11. Power does not exist apart from the possessor of power, for it is always seen as inseparable from him. Nor can it be said to be identical with him, for its obstruction is met with. If identical, in the absence of power, of what is the obstruction ? 12. Power is inferred from its effect. When its effects are not seen we

110 conclude that there is some obstruction to it. For instance, if the flames of a fire do not burn, we infer the presence of some obstruction, such as incantation etc. 13. The sages perceived that the power of Brahman called Maya is concealed by its own qualities. Many are the aspects of this divine power, which is manifest as action, knowledge and will. 14. “The supreme Brahman is eternal, perfect, non-dual and omnipotent”, so says the Veda and Vasistha supports this. 15. ‘With whatever power He means to sport, that power becomes manifest. O Rama, the power of Brahman which manifests itself as consciousness is felt in the bodies of all beings’. 16. ‘This power abides as movement in the air, as hardness in stone, as liquidity in water, as the power to burn in fire’. 17. ‘Similarly it abides as emptiness in Akasa and as perishability in the objects which are subject to destruction. As a huge serpent is latent in the egg, so the world is latent in the Self’. 18. ‘Just as a tree with its fruits, leaves, tendrils, flowers, branches, twigs and roots is latent in the seed, so does this world abide in Brahman’. 19. ‘Due to variations in space and time, somewhere, some times, some powers emanate from Brahman, just as varieties of paddy from the earth.’ 20. ‘O Rama, when the all-pervasive, eternal and infinite Self assumes the power of cognition, we call it the mind’ 21. ‘O Prince, first arises the mind, then the notion of bondage and release and then the universe consisting of many worlds. Thus all this manifestation has been fixed or settled (in human minds), like the tales told to amuse children’. 22. ‘To amuse a child, O mighty one, the nurse relates some beautiful story: Once upon a time there were three handsome princes’. 23. ‘Two of them were never born and the third was never even conceived in his mother’s womb. They lived righteously in a city which never existed.’ 24. ‘These holy princes came out of their city of non-existence and while roaming saw trees, laden with fruits, growing in the sky’. 25. ‘Then the three princes, my child, went to a city which was yet to be built and lived there happily, passing their time in games and hunting’. 26. ‘O Rama, the nurse thus narrated the beautiful children’s tale. The child too through want of discrimination believed it to be true. 27. ‘Thus to those who have no discrimination the world appears to be real like the tale repeated to the child’. 28. By such entertaining tales Vasistha described the power of Maya. This power is now being described more fully. 29. This power is different both from its effect and also from its substratum. The blister (which is the effect) and the charcoal (the substratum) are

111 cognised objects; but the power to burn is inferred from the effect (viz., the blister). 30. The pot with its properties of thickness, roundness and so forth, is the product of power acting on the clay with its five properties of sound, touch, form, taste and smell, but the power is different here (from both the pot and the clay). 31. In the power (that creates the pot) there is neither form nor quality; as it is it remains (even when it has produced the effect, it undergoes no change). It is therefore said to be beyond thought and description. 32. Before the creation of the pot, the power (of giving rise to a pot) is implicit in the clay. With the help of the potter and other means the clay is transformed into a pot. 33. People of immature minds confound the properties of the effect with those of the cause, the clay and speak of it as the pot. 34. The clay, before the potter worked on it, cannot be called a pot. But it is proper to call it a pot when it acquires the properties such as thickness, hollowness and so forth. 35. The pot is not different from the clay, as it has no existence apart from the clay; it is neither identical with the clay, as in the unmoulded clay it is not perceived. 36. Therefore the pot (a product of power) can only be called indescribable, like the power which produces it. Hence the product of power when imperceptible is simply called power and when perceptible it is called a pot. 37. A magician’s power is not apparent earlier; it is only when he brings it into operation that it appears as an army of Gandharvas and the like. 38. Thus being illusive, in the scriptures, the products of power are called unreal whereas reality is predicated only of the entity in which the power inheres, e.g., of the clay in which the pot inheres. 39. A pot taken as a product of power is only a name composed of words; it is not a real entity. Only the clay that possesses sound, touch, form, taste and smell, is a real entity. 40. Of the three entities, the manifest (i.e., product of power), the unmanifest (i.e., the power itself), and the substratum in which they both inhere, the first two exist by turns (thus cancelling one another); but the third persists in both (and at all times). 41. A product of power though visible has no real substance, as it is subject to creation and destruction. When it appears, it is given a name by men. 42. When the product perishes, its name continues to be used by men. Since it is indicated only by name, it is said to be of nominal existence. 43. This form of the product (of power, like the pot) is not real like clay, because it is unsubstantial, destructible and a mere name based upon words.

112 44. The substance clay is said to be the real entity because by nature it is unchanged, substantial and indestructible at all times, before the production of the pot, after its destruction and even while it is manifest. 45. (Doubt): If the thing indicated by the three terms i.e., the manifest, the pot and the modified form is unreal, why is it not destroyed when the knowledge of its substratum (clay) dawns ? 46. (Reply): With the knowledge of the substratum the pot is destroyed, for your idea of the reality of the pot is removed. This is what is meant by the destruction of the pot through knowledge; it does not mean that the pot would cease to appear. 47. Though a man appears head downwards when reflected in water, he is not so. No one would ever mistake it for the real person standing on the bank. 48. According to the doctrine of the non-dualists, such knowledge (i.e., the knowledge of the unreality of the superimposed thing, the world), gives liberation, the supreme goal of life. As the substratum clay is not rejected, the appearance of a pot in it is accepted. 49. In an actual modification of the substratum, when milk is turned into curd (for example), the former form, milk, disappears. But in the modification of clay into a pot or gold into an ear-ring, the substratum does not change. 50. (Doubt): When a pot is broken into pieces, they do not resemble the original clay, for broken pieces only are seen. (Reply): It is not so, for when reduced to powder they do. The persistence of gold in the ear-ring is very clear. 51. When milk is turned into curd, actual change of substance takes place. Milk ceases to exist as such and cannot be recovered from the curd. By this, the case of a clay-pot or a gold-ring (as examples of Vivarta) does not suffer. 52. According to the Arambhavadins, clay should have two sets of properties, viz., those of the cause and those of the effect, for they hold, the properties of the effects are different from those of the cause, which is, however, not the case. 53. The sage Aruni mentions the three examples of clay, gold and iron (only to show that all effects are only phenomenal). Therefore one should fix in mind the unreality of all effects. 54. Aruni holds that a knowledge of the cause implies a knowledge of all its effects. But how would a knowledge of the unreal effects arise from a knowledge of their real cause ? 55. According to the common view, an effect, such as a pot, is a modification of its material cause, clay; the clay portion of the pot is the real substance. Therefore when the cause of the pot is known, the real portion of substance of the pot is also known. 56. The unreal portion of the effect need not be known, because its

113 knowledge serves no useful purpose. A knowledge of the real substance is necessary for men, whereas a knowledge of the unreal portion is useless. 57. (Doubt): The statement that through the knowledge of the cause you arrive at a knowledge of the effect amounts to saying that by a knowledge of clay you acquire a knowledge of clay. What is there wonderful about it ? 58. (Reply): The real substance in the effect (pot) is identical with its cause. This may not be surprising to the wise but who can prevent the ignorant being surprised at this ? 59. The followers of Arambhavada and Parinamavada and ordinary men may find it puzzling to hear that a knowledge of the cause should give a knowledge of all its effects. 60. To direct the attention of the pupil to the non-dual truth, the Chandogya Upanishad teaches that by a knowledge of the one cause all its effects are known. It does not speak of the multiplicity of effects. 61. Just by knowing a lump of clay one knows all objects made of clay, so by knowing the one Brahman one knows (the real element of) the whole phenomenal world. 62. The nature of Brahman is existence, consciousness and bliss, whereas the nature of the world is name and form. In the Nrisimha-Uttara-Tapaniya Upanishad existence, consciousness and bliss are said to be the ‘indications’ of Brahman. 63. Aruni described Brahman as of the nature of existence, the Bahvirchas of the Rig-Veda as consciousness and Sanatkumara as bliss. The same is declared in other Upanishads. 64. After creating names and forms Brahman remains established in His nature, i.e., remains as immutable as ever, says the Purusha Sukta. Another Shruti says that Brahman as the Self reveals names and forms. 65. Another Shruti says that before creation the universe was unmanifest and that afterwards it became manifest as name and form. Here Maya, the inexplicable power of Brahman, is referred to as ‘unmanifest’. 66. This Maya, which rests unmanifest in the immutable Brahman, subsequently undergoes numerous modifications. ‘Know Maya as Prakriti (the material cause of the universe), and the supreme Lord as the Ruler (substratum) of Maya’. 67. The first modification of Maya is Akasa; it exists, is manifest and is dear to all. The special form of Akasa is space which is unreal, but its other three properties (derived from its cause, Brahman), are not unreal. 68. The spatial property does not exist before manifestation and ceases also to exist after destruction. That which is non-existent before creation and after dissolution is so even in the present (i.e., during creation). 69. Sri Krishna said to Arjuna: ‘O descendant of Bharata, beings are unmanifest in the beginning, manifest in the present and unmanifest again at

114 the end’. 70. Just as clay exists (in its modifications such as the pot) in all the three divisions of time, so existence, consciousness and bliss ever pervade the Akasa, when the idea of space is negated from Akasa, what remains is one’s own Self-existence, consciousness and bliss (infinity). 71. When the idea of space is negated from Akasa, what remains of it ? If you say, ‘Nothing remains’, we accept it and say that that which is represented by the word ‘nothing’ is revealed. 72. Because it is such that we must attribute existence to the remaining entity. Being productive of no misery, it is bliss, for the absence of both the favourable and the unfavourable is the bliss of the Self. 73. One gets pleasure from a favourable object and grief from an unfavourable one; but in the natural state, free from both, there is the natural bliss of the Self. There is never any experience of misery in that state. 74. The natural bliss of the Self is uniform and steady, but the mind due to its fickle nature, passes in a moment from joy to sorrow. So both are to be looked upon as the creations of the mind. 75. Thus in Akasa also we accept bliss, i.e., it is fundamentally existence, consciousness and bliss and similarly we can establish that the fundamental nature of all objects from air to the physical body is essentially the same. 76. The special properties of air have been determined as motion and touch; of fire, heat and light; of water, liquidity; and of earth, solidity. 77. Similarly the special properties of plants, foods, bodies and other objects can be thought of by the mind. 78. In the manifold objects, different in names and forms, the common element is existence, consciousness and bliss. Nobody can dispute this. 79. Both name and form are without any real existence because they are subject to creation and destruction. So know them as superimposed by the intellect on Brahman, just as waves and foam are on the ocean. 80. With the direct knowledge of Brahman, the eternal existence, consciousness and bliss, names and forms slowly come to be disregarded. 81. The more is duality negated, the clearer does the realisation of Brahman become and as realisation becomes perfect, names and forms come to be disregarded of themselves. 82. When through the continuous practice of meditation a man is established in the knowledge of Brahman, he becomes liberated even while living. Then the fate of his body does not matter. 83. Thinking of Him, speaking of Him and making one another understand Him – this is what the wise call ‘practice of Brahman-realisation’. 84. The longstanding impressions of the world on the mind are loosened if this training of knowledge is constantly practised with earnestness for a long time.

115 85. As the power inherent in the clay brings the pot into existence, so the power of Maya inherent in Brahman creates many unreal things. This is illustrated by sleep and dream conditions of living beings. 86. Just as in the sleeping state a power inherent in the Jiva gives rise to impossible dreams, so the power of Maya inherent in Brahman, projects, maintains and destroys the universe. 87. In dream a man may see himself flying in the sky or being beheaded. In a moment he may live through the experience of many years. Or he may dream of seeing a dead son and so forth. 88. ‘This is proper (possible) and this is not’ such discrimination is not possible then. Whatever one perceives in dreams seems to be in the right place. 89. When such is the glory of the power of sleep and dream, what is there to wonder at the unimaginable glory of the power of Maya ? 90. In a sleeping man various dreams are created; similarly the power of Maya creates diverse appearances in the immutable Brahman. 91. Akasa, air, fire, water, earth, the universe, the different Lokas (worlds) and animate and inanimate objects are appearances produced by Maya. Pure consciousness appears as a reflection in the intellects of living beings. 92. Brahman characterised as existence, consciousness and bliss is the common basis of both the animate and inanimate objects; they differ only in their names and forms. 93. Just as many objects are seen in a picture, so the various names and forms exist in Brahman. By negating both names and forms, one can understand that what remains is existence, consciousness and bliss. 94. Even though a man standing on the bank of a river sees his body reflected upside down in the water, he nevertheless identifies himself with his own body in the shore; similarly an aspirant after realisation of Brahman should know himself as Brahman. 95. Just as in day-dreaming, people see thousands of mental pictures, but in the practical world they disregard them all, so should names and forms be disregarded. 96. Different mental creations are formed every moment, while those which pass are lost for ever. The objects of the practical world should be looked upon similarly. 97. Childhood is lost in youth and youth is lost in old age. The father once dead does not return. The day which is past never comes back. 98. How do the objects of the practical world, which are destroyed every moment, differ from the forms created by the mind in imagination ? Though they appear, the idea of their reality should be given up. 99. When the objects of the world are disregarded, the mind freed from obstacles rests in the contemplation of Brahman. Then like an actor, a wise

116 man is engaged in worldly concerns with assumed faith (and so is not affected by them). 100. As the big rock lying in the bed of a river remains unmoved, though the water flows over it, so also while names and forms constantly change, the unchanging Brahman does not become otherwise. 101. As the sky with all its contents is reflected in a flawless mirror, so the Akasa with all the universe within it is reflected on the one partless Brahman, who is nothing but absolute consciousness and existence. 102. Without seeing the mirror it is impossible to see the objects reflected in it. Similarly wherefrom can there be any knowledge of names and forms without a knowledge of their substratum, which is existence, consciousness and bliss ? 103. Having learnt of Brahman as existence, consciousness and bliss, one should fix the mind firmly on Him and should restrain it from dwelling on names and forms. 104. Thus Brahman is realised as existence, consciousness and bliss and devoid of the phenomenal universe. May all people find rest in this secondless bliss of Brahman. 105. In this third chapter of the section called ‘the Bliss of Brahman’, is described the bliss of Non-duality which is to be obtained by meditating on the unreality of the world.

117 XIV. THE BLISS OF KNOWLEDGE

1. Now is being described the bliss of knowledge experienced by him who has realised the bliss of Brahman through Yoga, discrimination of the Self and thinking of the unreality of duality. 2. Like the bliss arising from the contact of the mind with external objects, the bliss arising from the knowledge of Brahman is a modification of the intellect. It is said to have four aspects, in the forms of absence of sorrow etc. 3. The four aspects of the bliss of knowledge are: absence of sorrow, the fulfilment of all desires, the feeling 'I have done all that was to be done’, and also the feeling ‘I have achieved all that was to be achieved’. 4. Sorrow is twofold, that of this world and that of the next. The cessation of the sorrow of this world has been described in the words of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. 5. ‘When a man (Purusha) has realised the identity of his own Self with That (Paramatman), desiring what and to please whom should he allow his body and mind to be afflicted ?’ 6. The Self is spoken of as of two types: the individual Self and the supreme Self. The consciousness, through identification with the three bodies, thinks itself as the Jiva and becomes an enjoyer. 7. The supreme Self, who is by nature existence, consciousness and bliss, identifying itself with names and forms becomes the objects of enjoyment. When by discrimination it is disidentified from the three bodies and names and forms, there is neither the enjoyer nor anything to be enjoyed. 8. Desiring the objects of enjoyment for the sake of the enjoyer, the Jiva suffers, being identified with the body. The sufferings are in the three bodies, but there are no sufferings for the Self. 9. The diseases due to the disequilibrium of the bodily humours are the suffering of the gross body; desire, anger etc., are the suffering of the subtle body; and the source of the sufferings of both the gross and subtle bodies is the suffering of the causal body. 10. The knower of the supreme Self, while discriminating about it as mentioned in the Chapter on the ‘Bliss of Non-duality’, sees no reality in any object of enjoyment. What then should he desire ? 11. When the individual Self is determined (to be identical with the immutable) through the methods mentioned in Chapter 12 on the ‘Bliss of the Self’, there remains no enjoyer in this body. So how can there be sufferings which are the result of identification with the body ? 12. Anxiety regarding virtue and vice are the sufferings of the future life. It has already been told in Chapter 11 that such anxiety cannot affect the illumined man.

118 13. As water does not stick to the leaves of a lotus so after realisation future actions cannot stick to the knower. 14. Just as the cotton-like flowers of the Ishika reed are burnt by fire in a moment, so the accumulated past actions of the knower are burnt up because of realisation. 15. Sri Krishna says: ‘Just as a blazing fire reduces the fuel to ashes, so, O Arjuna, the fire of knowledge burns up all actions’. 16. ‘He who has no notion of I-ness and whose mind is not tainted by desire for results of action is not really a killer even if he kills people; he is not bound by his actions’. 17. In the Kausitaki Upanishad it is said that killing of parents, stealing, causing abortion and such other sins do not affect his illumination, nor is the colour (serenity) of his countenance marred. 18. It has been said in the Aitareya Upanishad that like the cessation of all sorrows, the knower achieves all the desired objects also: ‘He becomes immortal, achieving all the desired objects’. 19. In the Chandogya Upanishad it is said that the knower of Truth may be seen laughing, playing, rejoicing with women, vehicles and other things but he does not remember the body. The vital breath, impelled by his fructifying actions keeps him alive. 20. ‘The knower of Brahman attains fulfilment of all his desires’. For him unlike others, there are no enjoyments through rebirths and actions. His bliss is unqualified and immediate and devoid of sequence or degree. 21-22. Whatever bliss is attained by a satisfied king who is young, handsome, learned, healthy, strong of mind, who has suitable army and rules over the whole world full of wealth and as such is endowed with the totality of all human enjoyments, even that bliss the knower of Brahman achieves. 23. For both the king and the knower there is no attraction for worldly enjoyment and so their happiness and contentment are comparable. One has desirelessness because of enjoyment, the other because of discrimination. 24. The knower of Brahman knows through his knowledge of the Vedic scriptures the defects of the objects of enjoyment. King Brihadratha gave examples of those defects in some songs. 25. Thus Brihadratha described the defects pertaining to the body, the mind and the objects of enjoyment. As no one has liking for porridge vomited by a dog, likewise the man of discrimination also has no liking for the body etc. 26. Though there is similarity between the king and the knower of Truth in desirelessness, there was misery for the king in accumulating the objects of enjoyment and the fear of losing them in future follows him. 27. Both these miseries are absent for the knower; so his bliss is more than

119 that of the king. Besides, the king may have desire for the bliss of the Gandharvas, but the knower has none. 28. One who has become a Gandharva, because of the particular result of his meritorious actions as a man in the present cycle, is called a ‘human Gandharva’. 29. If one becomes a Gandharva in the very beginning of the cycle, because of his meritorious actions in the earlier cycle, he is called a ‘celestial Gandharva’. 30. The Agnisvattas and others who dwell for a long time in their region are called the Pitris. Those who have achieved the state of deities in the beginning of their cycle are called Ajana-devatas. 31. Those who obtain the glorious position and are fit for worship by the Ajana-devatas by performing the Asvamedha sacrifice and other good actions, are the Karma-devatas. 32. Yama and Agni are foremost among the gods. Indra and Brihaspati are well known (and superior to them). is mentioned as Virat and Brahma is called the Sutratman or Hiranyagarbha. 33. From the king to Brahma each desires the joy of the one higher than himself; but the bliss of the Self which is beyond the grasp of the mind and the senses, is superior to that of all others. 34. As the knower of the Vedas has no desire for all those coveted pleasures, the bliss of all creatures are his. 35. This is described as ‘achieving all the desired objects’. Or it may be explained as the witness-consciousness of the knower experiencing the enjoyments of all the bodies, like those through his own body. 36. (Doubt): Being the witness-consciousness, even the ignorant man has this (universal enjoyment). (Reply): No, being devoid of the knowledge of himself as the witness he does not experience satisfaction. The Shruti says that he who knows the truth achieves all the desired objects. 37. Or he enjoys everything because he becomes all, as that famous passage which expresses his all-pervading selfhood sings: ‘I am the food as well as the eater of the food’. 38. Thus are established the nature of both the absence of misery and the fulfilment of desires (experienced by the knower of the Self). His other experiences, viz., the satisfaction of having done all that was to be done and of having achieved all that was to be achieved may be seen elsewhere. 39. Both the topics have properly been dealt with in Chapter 7 on the ‘Lamp of Perfect Satisfaction’. These verses quoted below should be meditated upon for the purification of the mind. 40. Before realisation one has many duties to perform in order to acquire worldly and celestial advantages and also as an aid to ultimate release; but with the rise of knowledge of Brahman, they are as good as already done, for

120 nothing further remains to be done. 41. The Jivanmukta always feels supreme self-satisfaction by constantly keeping in view his former state and present state of freedom from wants and duties. 42. Let the ignorant people of the world perform worldly actions and desire to possess wives, children and wealth. I am full of supreme bliss. For what purpose should I engage myself in worldly concerns ? 43. Let those desirous of joy in heaven perform the ordained rituals. I pervade all the worlds. How and wherefore should I undertake such actions ? 44. Let those who are entitled to it, explain the scriptures or teach the Vedas. I am not so entitled because all my actions have ceased. 45. I have no desire to sleep or beg for alms, nor do I do so; nor do I perform the acts of bathing or ablution. The onlookers imagine these things in me. What have I to do with their imaginations ? 46. Seeing a bush of red gunja berries from a distance one may suppose that there is a fire, but such as imaginary fire does not affect the bush. So the worldly duties and qualities attributed to me by others do not affect me. 47. Let those ignorant of the nature of Brahman listen to the teachings of the Vedanta philosophy. I have Self-knowledge. Why again should I listen to them ? Those who are in doubt reflect on the nature of Brahman. I have no doubts, so I do not do so. 48. He who is subject to erroneous conviction may practise meditation. I do not confuse the Self for the body. So in the absence of such a delusion why should I meditate ? 49. Even without being subject to this delusion, I behave like a human being through the impressions and habits gathered over a long period. 50. All worldly dealings will come to an end when the fructifying Karma wears out. If it does not wear out, thousands of meditational bouts will not stop the dealings. 51. To bring to an end your worldly dealings, you may practise contemplation as much as you like, but I know the worldly dealings to be perfectly harmless. Why should I then meditate ? 52. There is no distraction for me, so for me there is no need of Samadhi too. Both distraction and absorption are states of the changeable mind. 53. I am the sum of all the experiences in the universe; where is the separate experience for me ? I have obtained all that was to be obtained and have done all that was to be done. This is my unshakeable conviction. 54. I am associationless, neither the doer nor the enjoyer. I am not concerned with what the past actions make me do, whether in accordance with or against the social or scriptural codes. 55. Or, there is no harm if I engage myself in doing good to the world

121 following the scriptural injunctions even though I have obtained all that was to be obtained. 56. Let my body worship God, take bath, preserve cleanliness or beg for alms. Let my mind recite ‘Aum’ or study the Upanishads. 57. Let my intellect meditate on Vishnu or be merged in the bliss of Brahman, I am the witness of all. I do nothing nor cause anything to be done. 58. As he has achieved all that was to be achieved and nothing else remains for him to do, he feels satisfied and always things thus: 59. Blessed am I, blessed, for I have the constant vision of my Self ! Blessed am I, blessed, for the bliss of Brahman shines clearly to me ! 60. Blessed am I, blessed, for I am free from the sufferings of the world. Blessed am I, blessed, for my ignorance has fled away, I know not where. 61. Blessed am I, blessed, for I have no further duty to perform. Blessed am I, blessed, for I have now achieved the highest that one can aspire to. 62. Blessed am I, blessed, for there is nothing to compare with my great bliss ! Blessed am I, blessed, blessed, blessed, again and again blessed ! 63. O my merits, my merits, how enduringly they have borne fruit ! Wonderful are we, the possessors of this great merit, wonderful ! 64. O how grand and true are the scriptures, the scriptures, O how grand and great is my teacher, my teacher ! O how grand is this illumination, this illumination, O how grand is this bliss, this bliss ! 65. This fourth chapter of the section called the ‘Bliss of Brahman’ describes the ‘Bliss of Knowledge’. Until that bliss is attained a man should engage himself in the practice of the contemplation of Brahman.

122 XV. THE BLISS OF OBJECTS

1. Now, in this Chapter is described the bliss which is derived from (the contact of the mind with) external objects, which may be called a door to the bliss of Brahman and an aspect of it. The Shruti has established that it is an aspect of that bliss. 2. The Shruti says that this is the supreme bliss which is indivisible and homogeneous, it is Brahman Himself and that other beings (individuated by Avidya) enjoy only a fraction of it. 3. The mental modifications are of three kinds: serene (Sattvika), agitated (Rajasika) and dull (Tamasika). The Sattvika modifications are detachment, fortitude, liberality and so forth. 4. The Rajasika modifications are thirst and love for objects, attachment (to them as if they were real), greed and so forth. The Tamasika modifications are said to be delusion, fear and so forth. 5. The consciousness aspect of Brahman is reflected in all these modifications, but in the Sattvika modifications alone joy also is reflected. 6. The Shruti says that entering into different bodies the supreme Self assumes different forms. Vyasa, the author of the Brahma-Sutras, wrote the Sutra which illustrates the entry of Brahman into the bodies by the example of the sun (taking different forms) when reflected in different water-vessels. 7. (Another Shruti says): ‘The supreme Self, though one only, exists in every object. Like the moon reflected in water, though one It appears as many’. 8. The moon which is reflected in water is faint in muddy water and clear in pure water. Similarly Brahman is two-fold according to the quality of the Vrittis (modification) of the mind. 9. Because of the preponderance of impurities of the Rajasika and Tamasika Vrittis, the blissfulness of Brahman is obscured; but because of their slight purity the consciousness of Brahman is reflected. 10. Or as in pure water when heated there is the transmission of heat of the fire and not its light, similarly in the Vrittis (in which Rajas and Tamas predominate) there is the manifestation of consciousness only. 11. But as in (a piece of burning) wood both heat and light are manifested, similarly in the Sattvika Vrittis both consciousness and bliss are manifested. 12. These two illustrations make it clear that it is the nature of things which determines what kind of manifestation they may give and it is by experience that these properties are established. 13. Neither in Rajasika nor in Tamasika Vrittis the experience of bliss is seen but in Sattvika Vrittis experience of happiness is seen to a greater or lesser degree. 14. When a man has desires for houses, lands and other objects then

123 because of the agitated quality of this desire which is an effect of Rajas, there is no happiness for him. 15. There is misery in thinking whether it will succeed; in failure this misery increases; when there are obstacles to success, anger arises or if opposed, hatred. 16. If the opposition is too formidable to be overcome, there is despair; that is born of Tamas. In anger etc., there is great misery; indeed even the chance of happiness is remote. 17. With the acquisition of the desired object the pleasing Vritti is calmed and there is great happiness; and in actual enjoyment, the happiness is greater. Even in the prospect of acquiring it, there is some happiness. 18. But the greatest happiness is the outcome of detachment. This subject has been dealt with in the Chapter on the ‘Bliss of Knowledge’. Like this there is happiness in fortitude as well as in liberality, because there are no anger and greed. 19. Whatever happiness is experienced it is Brahman alone because it is a reflection of the bliss of Brahman. When the Vritti is directed inward or is withdrawn, the reflection of bliss is unobstructed. 20. Existence, consciousness and bliss – these are the threefold nature of Brahman. In objects like clay, stone and so forth, only existence is manifest, whereas the other two are not. 21. Both existence and consciousness are manifest in the Rajasika and Tamasika Vrittis of the intellect and all the three are manifest in the Sattvika Vrittis. Brahman associated with the world including the Vrittis is thus described. 22. Brahman not associated with the world is comprehended by knowledge and Yoga. They have been spoken of earlier, the topic of Yoga in Chapter 11 and knowledge in the next two chapters. 23. The two, absence of consciousness and misery, and non-existence – these are the three forms of Maya. Non-existence is illustrated by such expressions as ‘the horns of a man’; absence of consciousness is seen in such objects as wood, stone etc. 24. There is misery in the Rajasika and Tamasika Vrittis. Thus Maya is manifested. Because of His identification with the Vrittis of the intellect, which are Sattvika, Rajasika and Tamasika, Brahman is called ‘associated Brahman’ i.e., Brahman is associated with the world. 25. Such being the nature of Maya and Brahman, the man who wishes to meditate on Brahman should ignore the objects which have no existence (such as the horns of a man) and concentrate properly on other objects. 26. In stone etc., he should reject both name and form and meditate on existence; in Rajasika and Tamasika Vrittis he should reject the misery (which is associated with them) and meditate on existence and

124 consciousness. 27. And in the Sattvika Vrittis he should contemplate on all the three – existence, consciousness and bliss. These three kinds of contemplation are successively called inferior, middling and superior contemplations. 28. Even for a man of dull intellect meditation on the characteristics of Brahman is good. To tell this only ‘the Bliss of Objects’ is described here. 29. After having had enough of enjoyments, when the mental modifications become indifferent to objects and become detached, the contemplation regarding the bliss of impressions arise, which is the highest. Thus are the four kinds of contemplation on Brahman described. 30. As in these four types of meditation there is an admixture of knowledge and Yoga they are not mere meditations; but should be considered as a (direct means of achieving) the knowledge of Brahman itself. The mind being concentrated by meditation, this knowledge of Brahman becomes steady. 31. In steady knowledge, existence, consciousness and bliss shine as a single homogeneous entity and not as separate entities, their difference having disappeared with the disappearance of their Upadhis or adjuncts. 32. It is said that the adjuncts creating difference are the Sattvika, Rajasika and Tamasika Vrittis. Through either Yoga or discrimination these disturbing Vrittis are removed. 33. When the associationless, self-luminous and secondless Brahman is grasped or known, there is then no triad of knower, knowing and known. So it is called infinite bliss. 34. In this, the fifth chapter of the section called ‘the Bliss of Brahman’, ‘the Bliss of Objects’ has been dealt with. Through this door enter (i.e., into the bliss of Brahman). 35. May the Lord who is both Hari and Hara ever be pleased by this ‘Bliss of Brahman’ and may He protect all creatures who take refuge in Him and are pure in heart.

OM TAD SAD

125 Shri S.N.Sastri is a former member of the Indian Revenue Service. He retired as Member, Central Board of Direct Taxes, Government of India. Panchadasi of Sri Vidyaranya Svami Introduction Sri Vidyaranya Swami flourished in the fourteenth century A.D. He was the Guru as well as the Prime Minister of Harihara I and Bukka, the founders of the Vijayanagara Kingdom. He is reputed to the greatest among post-Sankara Advaitins. He was the head of the Sarada Pitha established by Sri Adi Sankara Bhagavatpada from 1377 to 1386 A.D. Panchadasi is one of the works attributed to him. This work is so named because it consists of fifteen chapters. It is a comprehensive manual of . The fundamental teachings of Advaita are presented in this work in a clear and lucid manner. It is therefore the best text for the novice who desires to get acquainted with this philosophy. At the same time the work is very profound and is of interest to advanced students of Advaita as well. The fifteen chapters of this work are divided into three groups of five chapters each. Brahman or the supreme Self, which is the only reality according to Advaita, is described in the Upanishads as Existence-Consciousness-Bliss. The first group of five chapters deals with the Existence aspect of Brahman, the second group with the Consciousness aspect and the third with the Bliss aspect. The core of Advaita is that Brahman is the only reality. 'Reality' is defined as that which does not undergo any change at any time. By this test, Brahman, which is absolutely changeless and eternal, is alone real. The world keeps on changing all the time and so it cannot be considered as real. At the same time, we cannot dismiss it as unreal, because it is actually experienced by us. The example of a rope being mistaken for a snake in dim light is used to explain this. The snake so seen produces the same reaction, such as fear and trembling of the limbs, as a real snake would. It cannot therefore be said to be totally unreal. At the same time, on examination with the help of a lamp it is found that the snake never existed and that the rope alone was there all the time. The snake cannot be described as both real and unreal, because these two contradictory qualities cannot exist in the same substance. It must therefore be said that the snake is neither real nor unreal. Such an object is described as 'mithya'. Just as the snake appears because of ignorance of the fact that there is only a rope, this world appears to exist because of our ignorance of Brahman. Thus the world is also neither real nor unreal; it is also 'mithya'. Just as the snake is superimposed on the rope, the world is superimposed on Brahman. Our ignorance of Brahman is what is called Avidya or Ajnana or Nescience. This ignorance not only covers Brahman, but it projects the world as a reality. The world has no reality apart from Brahman, just as the snake has no reality apart from the rope. When the knowledge of Brahman arises, the world is seen as a mere appearance of Brahman. Another example may be taken to explain this. Ornaments of different sizes and shapes are made out of one gold bar. Their appearance and the use for which they are meant vary, but the fact that they are all really only gold, in spite of the different appearances and uses, cannot be denied. The appearance may change, a bangle may be converted into rings, but the gold always remains as gold. Similarly, on the dawn of the knowledge of Brahman (which is the same as the Self), though the different forms of human beings, animals, etc., continue to be seen by the Jnani, he sees them all only as appearances of the one Brahman. Thus the perception of difference and the consequences of such perception, such as looking upon some as favourable and others as the opposite, and the consequent efforts to retain or get what is favourable and to get rid of or avoid what is not favourable, come to an end. This is the state of liberation even while living, which is known as Jivanmukti. The Jiva, or individual, is Brahman itself, but because of identification with the body, mind and senses he looks upon himself as different from Brahman and as a limited being, subject to joys and sorrows caused by external factors. This identification with the body, mind and senses is what is called bondage. In reality the Jiva is the pure Brahman and is different from the body-mind complex. When this truth is realized as an actual experience, the identification with the body-mind complex ceases. This is liberation. Thus liberation is not the attainment of a state which did not exist previously, but only the realization of what one has always been. The illusory snake never existed. What existed even when the snake was seen was only the rope. Similarly, bondage has no real existence at all. Even when we are ignorant of Brahman and think of ourselves as limited by the body, we are really none but the infinite Brahman. Liberation is thus only the removal of the wrong identification with the body, mind and senses. The attainment of the state of liberation-in- life or Jivanmukti is the goal of human life according to the Upanishads. Maya, which is also known by other names such as Prakriti, Avidya and Nescience, is what conceals Brahman and projects the universe. It is because of this that every one identifies himself with his body-mind complex and is ignorant of the truth that he is none other than Brahman. Sri Vidyaranya points out that Maya may be looked upon from three different standpoints. For the ordinary worldly individual who looks upon the world as real, Maya which is the cause of the appearance of the world is real. For the enlightened person who has realized his identity with Brahman, Maya does not exist at all. For the person who attempts to understand Maya through reasoning, Maya is indeterminable because it cannot be described as either real or unreal or both. There is a wrong notion that according to Advaita the world is a mere illusion. What Advaita says is that the world is not real in the sense in which Brahman is real. Advaita accepts three orders of reality. Brahman, which is eternal and changeless, is the absolute reality, known in Vedanta as paaramaarthika satyam. The world has empirical reality, known as vyaavahaarika satyam, which means that as long as a person has not become free from avidya and has not realized his real nature as Brahman, the world is real for him. It is on this basis that all the rituals, injunctions and prohibitions laid down in the Vedas become applicable to such a person. In other words, until a person realizes that he is not the body or mind or senses but Brahman, the world is real for him. The object of Vedanta is to make man give up his wrong identification with the body and realize his true nature. What is meant here is not mere intellectual knowledge, but actual experience, which is otherwise known as realization. The third order of reality consists of such cases as a rope appearing as a snake, a piece of nacre being mistaken for silver, and the experiences in dream. This order of reality is known as praatibhaasika satyam. Panchadasi is a metrical work in . In the following chapters a summary of this work, chapter by chapter, is given. It is hoped that this will serve as an introduction to the work and will motivate the reader to go on to a detailed study, verse by verse. Panchadasi of Sri Vidyaranya Svami A Summary Chapter 1 Tattvaviveka-- The discriminative knowledge of the ultimate Reality In the first verse of the first chapter Sri Vidyaranya salutes his Guru, Sri Sankarananda, who "dedicated his life to the task of destruction of the monster of primal ignorance together with its manifestation, the phenomenal universe". This verse serves also as a prayer to the Supreme Being for the successful completion of the work, since the name 'Sankarananda' also means the Supreme Brahman who is Bliss itself. In the second verse the author says that the discriminative knowledge of the ultimate Reality () is being presented in this work for the easy understanding of those whose minds have been purified by service to the lotus feet of their Guru. These two verses also bring out, by implication, the four topics that are required by tradition to be indicated at the commencement of any work (-chatushtaya), namely, the vishaya or subject-matter of the work, the prayojana or purpose of the work, the adhikari or person for whom it is intended, and the sambandha or the connection of this work with Vedanta. ‘Sankara’ means Paramatma, and ‘ananda’ stands for the jivatma or individual soul. So the term Sankarananda indicates the identity of the jivatma and Paramatma, which is the subject-matter of this work. The purpose of this work is the destruction of primal ignorance, which leads to the attainment of the supreme bliss of liberation. The person who has attained purity of mind is the adhikari or the person for whom this work is intended. The sambandha is the fact that this work elucidates the teachings of the Upanishads for the easy understanding of the adhikari. The actual subject-matter of the work starts from verse 3. We experience innumerable objects in this world through our sense-organs in the waking state. The objects are different from one another, but the consciousness behind the senses, which is different from the objects experienced, is only one. The consciousness of A is not different from that of B or C. Since consciousness by itself has no distinguishing features, it cannot vary from person to person. The same is the case with the dream state. The objects experienced in dream are transient and disappear when the dreamer wakes up, but the objects experienced in the waking state are relatively permanent. But the consciousness in both the states is the same. When a person wakes up from deep sleep he remembers that he slept happily and did not know anything during his sleep. Remembrance is possible only of objects experienced earlier. It is therefore clear that in deep sleep absence of knowledge and happiness are experienced. The same consciousness is present in all the three states, as is proved by the fact that a person identifies himself as the same in all the states. This consciousness is thus the same in all persons and at all times. It is therefore only one and is eternal, without any beginning or end. It is self-revealing and does not need another consciousness to reveal itself or its objects. This consciousness alone remains unchanged in all the three states. The sense-organs are not present in the dream state and the mind itself is not experienced in deep sleep. Therefore this consciousness is the unchanging essence of every living being and it is therefore called the self. This self, or essence of all living beings, is of the nature of supreme bliss, for it is the object of unconditional love. All other objects and persons are loved only if they are conducive to one's own happiness. Even one's own body may be disliked when it causes suffering. But the self is never disliked; on the other hand it alone is the perennial object of love. Sometimes a person may say that he hates himself and wants to put an end to his life, but that is because he identifies himself with his body which is the cause of suffering due to disease, poverty or other reasons. From the fact that the Self is the object of the highest love it follows that it is of the nature of the highest bliss, since what every human being wants always is happiness. All other things, such as money, house, children and the like are desired only because they are expected to make the person happier; but happiness is desired for its own sake. It has thus been established by reasoning that the individual self is of the nature of existence, consciousness and bliss. The Upanishads declare that the supreme Brahman is also of the same nature and that the individual self and Supreme Brahman are the same. If an object exists at a particular place but is not actually seen, it must be due to some obstruction such as darkness or a wall in between. Similarly there must be some obstruction because of which the self, though existing, is not revealed to us. This obstruction is avidya. This avidya is beginningless in the sense that we cannot know how and when it originated, because it is logically prior to time. Prakriti is composed of the three gunas, namely, sattva, rajas and tamas and has in it the reflection of Brahman which is pure consciousness and bliss. This Prakriti is of two kinds. When the element of sattva is pure, it is known as Maya; when impure, due to the admixture of rajas and tamas, it is called avidya. Brahman reflected in Maya is the omniscient Isvara, who controls Maya. Brahman reflected in avidya (impure Prakriti) is the jiva who is under the control of Maya. Jivas are innumerable in number and are of different grades due to the different degrees of admixture of rajas and tamas. Avidya is the causal body or kaaranasarira of the jiva. The word 'sarira' means, by derivation, 'what is perishable'. Avidya is called sarira or body because it will cease to exist on the dawn of self-realization. It is called 'kaarana' or causal because it is the cause of the subtle and gross bodies. When the jiva identifies himself with the causal body he is called praajna. This happens in the state of deep sleep when the senses as well as the mind cease to function and there is only avidya. At the command of Isvara the five subtle elements, namely, ether, air, fire, water and earth, arose from the part of Prakriti in which tamas predominates, in order that every jiva may have experiences in accordance with its karma. The five subtle organs of sense, namely, those of hearing, touch, sight, taste and smell, respectively arose from the sattva part of the five subtle elements, ether, air, fire, water and earth. From a combination of the sattva parts of all the five subtle elements arose the antahkarana or the mind. Though only one, the mind is given different names according to the different functions performed by it. When the mind cogitates it is known as the manas or mind. When it comes to a decision it is called buddhi or intellect. The function of storing information and experiences is called cittam. The notion of 'I-ness' which is behind all these functions is called ahankara or ego. From the rajas part of the subtle elements arose the subtle organs of action--- the organ of speech arose from the rajas part of ether, the hands from the rajas part of air, the feet from the rajas part of fire, the organ of excretion from the rajas part of water and the genital organ from the rajas part of earth. (Note--These, it should be noted, are not the physical organs bearing those names, but their subtle counterparts in the subtle body. The presiding deities of these organs are, in order, Agni, Indra, Vishnu, Yama and Prajapati.) From a combination of the rajas parts of all the five subtle elements arose prana or the vital air. This prana is given five different names according to the five different functions performed by it-- prana, apana, samana, udana and vyana. [Note-- These functions are described in Sri Sankara's on Prasnopanishad 3.5, thus:--- He (prana) places apana, a division of himself, in the two lower apertures, as engaged in the work of ejecting the excreta. Prana himself, who occupies the position of the sovereign, resides in the eyes and the ears and issues out through the mouth and nostrils. In the navel is samana, which is so called because it assimilates all that is eaten or drunk, distributes them equally in all parts of the body and effects digestion. Udana, another division of prana, moves throughout the body and functions upwards. It leads the soul out of the body at the time of death and takes it to other worlds according to one's and papa. Vyana regulates prana and apana and is the cause of actions requiring strength. According to Sankhya, there are five more subsidiary vital forces known as naaga, koorma, krikara, devadatta and dhananjaya). Their functions are, respectively, causing vomiting, winking, creating hunger, producing yawning and nourishing the body). The five organs of sense, the five organs of action, the five vital airs (prana, apana, samana, udana and vyana), mind and intellect--- all these seventeen together constitute the subtle body, which is known as sukshma sarira or linga sarira. (Though the cittam and ahankara, which are also names of the antahkarana as stated earlier, are not specifically mentioned here, they should also be taken as included in mind and intellect). When the jiva identifies himself with the subtle body, he is known as Taijasa. This happens in the state of dream. Isvara identified with the totality of subtle bodies is known as Hiranyagarbha. The difference between the two is the same as the difference between the individual and the collective. Hiranyagarbha is called 'samashti' or 'totality' because of his identification with all the subtle bodies of the universe. Taijasa identifies himself only with his own subtle body and so he is called 'vyashti' or 'individual'. After the five subtle elements came into existence, a process of combination of the elements took place. This process is known as 'quintuplication' or 'pañcikaranam'. What happened was that each subtle element was first divided into two equal halves. One of the halves of each element was then divided into four equal parts, resulting in four one- eighth parts of each element. The other half of each element then combined with one- eighth part of each of the other elements. Thus, one half of the element 'earth' combined with one-eighth of each of the other four elements, to become the gross element 'earth'. The same thing happened with the other elements. As a result, each gross element has half of itself and one-eighth of each of the other four elements. All the gross objects of experience in the universe and all the gross bodies of all living creatures were created out of these five gross elements. It has been said above that Isvara identified with all the subtle bodies is called Hiranyagarbha. The same Isvara identified with the totality of gross bodies is known as Vaisvanara. When the jiva identifies himself with his own gross body he is known as Visva. The jivas go helplessly from one birth to another, just as worms that have fallen into a river are swept from one whirlpool into another. As a result of good deeds performed in many births, a particular jiva may be fortunate to receive initiation from a Guru who has himself realised Brahman. Then he differentiates the self from the five sheaths which make up his gross and subtle bodies and attains the supreme bliss of liberation. The five sheaths are those of food, vital air, mind, intellect and bliss, known respectively in Vedanta as annamayakosa, pranamayakosa, manomayakosa, vijnanamayakosa and anandamayakosa. The jiva, being enveloped in these five sheaths, identifies himself with them and forgets his real nature. This is the cause of repeated births and deaths, known as transmigration. The five sheaths The gross (or physical) body, which is the product of the gross elements, i.e., the elements after quintuplication, is known as the food sheath or annamayakosa. The five vital airs and the five organs of action, which are the products of the rajas aspect of Prakriti, together constitute the vital sheath or pranamayakosa. The cogitating mind (manas) and the five organs of perception, which are the product of the sattva aspect of Prakriti make up the mind sheath or manomayakosa. The buddhi or deciding intellect, together with the five organs of perception, forms the intellect sheath or vijnanamayakosa. The causal body (avidya or kaaranasarira) is the bliss sheath or anandamayakosa. The self, which is identical with the supreme Brahman, should be realised by distinguishing it from the five sheaths in the following manner. The physical body, which is present in the waking state, is not experienced in the dream state, since the organs of sense and of action do not function then. In the state of deep sleep neither the physical body nor the subtle body is experienced, since the mind is also dormant then. The witnessing self, which is pure consciousness, is however, present in all the three states. Though the causal body, (avidya or nescience) is present in the state of deep sleep, it is negated in the state of deep meditation, but the self is present in that state also. Thus all the five sheaths are seen to be impermanent and only the self is permanent. The self can thus be distinguished from the five sheaths (or the three bodies) through reasoning, just as the slender, internal pith of the munja grass is detached from its coarse external covering. The identity of the individual self and Brahman is taught in sentences such as 'That thou art' in the Upanishads. Brahman associated with the tamasic aspect of Maya is the material cause (upadana- kaaranam) of the universe. Brahman associated with the sattvic aspect of Maya is the efficient cause (nimitta-kaaranam) of the universe. Brahman associated with (or reflected in) Maya, is Isvara and he is thus the material as well as the efficient cause of the universe. It is Isvara that is primarily denoted by the word 'That' in the sentence (mahavakya) 'That thou art'. Brahman reflected in avidya is the jiva. The primary meaning of the term 'thou' in the above sentence is the 'jiva'. The difference between Maya and avidya has already been pointed out earlier. In the sentence 'This is that Devadatta', the word 'that' refers to a person named Devadatta associated with a former time and place, whereas the word 'this' refers to the person seen at the present time and place. The sentence brings out the identity of the person seen at the two different times and places by ignoring the particular connotations of 'this' and 'that'. Similarly, the sentence 'That thou art' brings out the identity of Brahman and the jiva by negating Maya and avidya, which are both ‘mithya’ (i.e, which cannot be characterised as either real or unreal). The truth of both jiva and Isvara is thus the indivisible supreme Brahman, who is pure existence, consciousness and bliss. {This is further elaborated below, based on the Commentary of Sri Jagadguru Chandrasekhara Bharati on verses 243 to 251—of of Sri Sankara. The word tat stands for Brahman as qualified by the functions of creation, sustenance and dissolution (i.e. Isvara). The word tvam stands for the Atma as qualified by the mental states of waking, dream and deep sleep (i.e. jiva). These two are of mutually opposed qualities, like the glow-worm and the sun, like the servant and the king, like the well and the ocean and like the atom and the earth (verse 244). There can be no identity between these two, which are the literal meanings (vacyartha) of the words tat and tvam. The identity is only between their implied meanings (lakshyartha). The opposition between the literal meanings is due to the upadhi, since the literal meaning of tat is Brahman with the upadhi or limiting adjunct of Maya and the literal meaning of tvam is Atma with the limiting adjunct of the five sheaths. When these limiting adjuncts, which are not real from the absolute standpoint, are negated, there is neither Isvara nor jiva. The two terms tat and tvam (That and Thou) are to be understood properly by their implied meanings in order to grasp the import of the absolute identity between them. This is to be done neither by total rejection of their literal meaning nor by total non-rejection, but by a combination of both. Implied meanings are of three kinds:--—jahal-lakshana, ajahal-lakshana and jahadajahal- lakshana. Jahal-lakshana-- The literal meaning is to be rejected and some other meaning consistent with it is to be adopted. An example is—Gangayam ghoshah, the literal meaning of which is—'a hamlet on the river Ganga'. Since there cannot be a hamlet on the river itself, it is the bank of the river that is meant. Here the literal meaning of the word ‘Ganga’ has to be given up completely and the implied meaning 'bank' has to be adopted. Ajahal-lakshana-- Without giving up the literal meaning of the word, what is implied by it is also adopted to get the meaning intended to be conveyed. An example is—the sentence, 'The red is running', which is intended to convey that the red horse is running. Here the literal meaning of the word ‘red’ is retained and the implied word ‘’horse’’ is added to get the correct sense of the sentence. Jahadajahal-lakshana-- Here a part of the literal meaning is retained and the other part discarded. The sentence 'This is that Devadatta' is interpreted by using this lakshana. The meaning intended to be conveyed by this sentence is that Devadatta who is seen at the present time in the present place is the same as the person who was seen earlier in another place. The literal meaning of the word ‘'this'’ is Devadatta associated with the present time and place. The literal meaning of the word ‘'that'’ is Devadatta associated with the past time and some other place. Since this sentence purports to convey the identity of the person seen in different places at different times, we get this meaning by discarding the reference to the place and time conveyed by the words ‘'this' and 'that' and retaining the reference to Devadatta. This is also known as bhagatyaga-lakshana. The meaning of the sentence tat tvam asi is obtained by using this method. Just as in the sentence 'This is that Devadatta'” the identity is stated by rejecting the contradictory qualities, so also in the sentence 'That thou art' the contradictory qualities (namely, the limiting adjuncts) are rejected. Thus it follows that the jiva and Brahman are in essence one when the limiting adjuncts, Maya and the five sheaths, are rejected}. The realization of the identity of the individual self (jivatma) and Brahman (paramatma) is liberation. This is not some state to be attained after death in some other world, but it is what is to be realised during one's lifetime itself. This is known as liberation-in-life or jivanmukti. The means for this realization are three -- hearing (sravana), reflection (manana) and unbroken meditation (nididhyasana). 'Hearing' is not merely listening to the teacher who expounds the upanishads, but arriving at the conviction that the purport of all the upanishads is the identity of the individual self and Brahman. 'Reflection' is churning in the mind what has been heard from the teacher, by making use of arguments in a constructive manner, to arrive at the conviction of its correctness. 'Meditation' is keeping the mind fixed on the thought of Brahman, uninterrupted by any other thought. The result achieved by ‘hearing,’ etc. ‘Hearing’ removes the doubt whether the upanishadic text which is the (source of knowledge) expounds Brahman or some thing else. This doubt is known as pramana asambhavana, or the doubt about the pramana itself. ‘Reflection’ removes the doubt whether Brahman and the jiva are the same or not. This doubt is called prameya asambhavana. ‘Meditation’ is intended to remove wrong notions such as 'The universe is real; the difference between Brahman and jiva is real', which are contrary to the teachings of the upanishads, by developing concentration of the mind. Such wrong notions are known as viparitabhavana. Thus the purpose of hearing, reflection and meditation is the removal of obstacles in the form of doubts and wrong notions that stand in the way of Self-realization. When the mind gradually leaves off the ideas of the meditator and the act of meditation and gets merged in the Self which is the object of meditation, it is called the state of samadhi. In this state the mind is steady like the flame of a lamp kept in a place where there is no breeze at all. This has been mentioned in Bhagavadgita, ch. 6, verse 19. Though in this state there is no subjective cognition of the mental function having the Self as object, its continued existence in this state is inferred from the recollection after emergence from samadhi. This shows that only the modifications of the mind cease in samadhi, but the mind itself is not dissolved. By such a samadhi, known as nirvikalpa samadhi, all the accumulated karma and all desires, which are the seeds of transmigratory existence, are destroyed. Then the mahavakya 'That thou art' gives rise to the direct realization of Brahman. The indirect knowledge of Brahman, received from the Guru, burns up all sins committed upto the attainment of that knowledge. The direct realization of Brahman totally destroys nescience which is the root cause of the cycle of repeated births and deaths. Thus the Self should be distinguished from the five sheaths and the mind should be concentrated on the Self in order to attain liberation from bondage.

Chapter 2 Mahabhutaviveka-- The discriminative knowledge of the five elements Brahman, the non-dual reality, can be known by discriminating it from the five elements. To enable this, the five elements are first described. The element ether has only one quality, sound. The element air has sound and touch as its qualities. The element fire has sound, touch and colour. The element water has sound, touch, colour and taste. The element earth has sound, touch, colour, taste and smell. These elements are perceived by the corresponding five organs of perception. All actions of man can be classified into five groups. These are speech, grasping, movement, excretion and reproduction. These are performed through the corresponding five organs of action, namely, tongue, hands, feet, anus and genitals. The subtle organs of perception and action are known as 'indriyas'. These form part of the subtle body. The corresponding organs in the physical or gross body are known as 'golaka'. The mind is the ruler of the ten organs of perception and action. It is situated within the heart-lotus. It is known as the inner organ (antahkarana). It depends on the ten organs for its functions in relation to external objects. The mind is constituted of the three gunas, sattva, rajas and tamas. The mind undergoes changes which are caused by the gunas. Sattva guna produces non-attachment, forgiveness, generosity and similar virtues in the mind. Rajas gives rise to emotions such as desire, anger, avarice and is the cause of the person undertaking various actions. Tamas is responsible for lethargy, confusion, drowsiness, etc. When sattva is predominant in the mind, merit (punya) is acquired; when rajas predominates, demerit (papa) results. When tamas is predominant, life is merely wasted. All the objects in the world, as well as the senses and the mind are made up of the five elements. There are three kinds of differences. A tree has the trunk, branches, leaves, flowers and fruits. These are all different from one another. These are differences within one object, namely, the tree. Such a difference is known as 'svagatabheda' or internal difference. The difference of one tree from another is known as 'sajatiyabheda' or difference within the same species. The difference of a tree from a stone (or from any object other than a tree) is called 'vijatiyabheda' or difference between objects of different species. Since Brahman is the only reality, and there is nothing else of the same species or of a different species, there can be no difference of the last two kinds in Brahman. Since Brahman is homogeneous and without parts, there can be no internal difference. Brahman is therefore described as 'one only, without a second' (ekam eva advitiyam). The word 'one' negates 'sajatiyabheda'; the word 'only' rejects 'svagatabheda'; and the words 'without a second' negate 'vijatiyabheda'. Brahman can be experienced when the mind becomes absolutely tranquil. Brahman is self-revealing and is the witness of the cessation of all modifications of the mind. Maya is the power of Brahman and has no existence independent of Brahman. Maya cannot be known directly, but can only be inferred from its effect, the universe. Before the manifestation of the universe Maya existed in Brahman in a potential form. Maya is neither existence nor non-existence. It is indefinable. The Sruti says that the created universe forms only a part of Brahman. In the Gita Sri Krishna says to Arjuna, "The universe is sustained by a part of Me". Though Brahman is without parts, the Sruti speaks of it as having parts, using the language familiar to us. With Brahman as the substratum, Maya modifies itself into all the objects in the world, just like various pictures drawn on a wall. The first modification of Maya is space. Space derives its existence from Brahman. That is to say, space appears to exist only because of its substratum, Brahman, which is existence itself. Space has sound as its quality. It is Brahman or Existence which appears as akasa (space), but ordinary people and the logicians consider existence as a property of akasa. This wrong notion is due to Maya. Space has no existence apart from Brahman. Similarly, the other elements, air, fire, water and earth too have no existence apart from Brahman. They are not real in the absolute sense, but appear to be real because of the substratum, Brahman. Brahman is all-pervading, but the range of Maya is limited, that of space is more limited and that of air yet more so. Space has the property of (communicating) sound. Air has the property of perceptibility to the sense of touch. Colour is the specific property of fire, in addition to the properties of space and air. The specific property of water is taste. In addition it has the properties of its predecessors, space, air and fire. Earth has the specific property of smell, in addition to the properties of space, air, fire and water. Brahman alone is the absolute Reality. The universe has only empirical reality. When duality, which is not real, is negated, one becomes established in the non-dual Brahman. Such a person is known as a jivanmukta (liberated-in-life). A jivanmukta is not affected by delusion and it makes no difference whether he dies healthy or in illness, whether while in meditation or rolling on the ground, whether in a conscious state or in an unconscious state, since he has already given up identification with the body. Thus the discrimination of the elements from the non-dual Reality leads to supreme bliss. Chapter 3 Panchakosaviveka -The discrimination of the five sheaths The Taittiriya upanishad describes Brahman or the Self as "hidden in the cave". The 'cave' is the five sheaths known as annamayakosa (physical sheath), pranamayakosa (the sheath of the vital airs), manomayakosa (the mental sheath), vijnanamayakosa (the sheath of the intellect) and anandamayakosa (the sheath of bliss). The outermost is the physical sheath or the gross physical body or sthula sarira. Within it are the vital, mental and intellect sheaths, in that order. These three sheaths together constitute the subtle body or the sukshma sarira. The innermost sheath is the sheath of bliss. This is the causal body or karana sarira. The physical body is produced from the seed and blood of the parents, which are formed out of the food eaten by them. It grows by food. It does not exist either before birth or after death. It comes into existence as the result of past actions. It cannot therefore be the Self which is eternal and has neither birth nor death. The vital sheath consists of the five pranas, namely, prana, apana, samana, udana and vyana. These pervade the physical body and give the power to the sense organs to function. This sheath cannot be the Self, since it is devoid of consciousness. The mental sheath is what gives rise to the notions of 'I' and 'mine' with regard to the body, relations and possessions. It too cannot be the Self because it has desires, is subject to delusion and is always changing. The intellect, on which there is the reflection of pure Consciousness, and which is dormant in the state of deep sleep is the intellect sheath. It cannot be the Self because it undergoes changes. The inner organ, though one, is treated as two, namely, the intellect or buddhi and the mind or manas. The mind collects information through the sense-organs and presents it to the intellect which judges and decides. In deep sleep the inner organ becomes dormant and bliss is experienced. This is the bliss sheath. This too cannot be the Self because it is impermanent. The source of this bliss is the Self. The Self is always the subject and can never be the object of experience. The Self is consciousness itself and imparts consciousness to the mind and body, just as sugar is sweetness itself and imparts sweetens to all dishes which taste sweet. The Self cannot be described because it is not an object. It is self- revealing. This Self is Brahman. Being all-pervasive, Brahman is not limited by space. Being eternal, it is not limited by time. Being the substratum of the whole universe, it is not limited by any object, just as the rope is not limited by the illusory snake. Thus Brahman is infinite in all three respects. Brahman, who is Existence, Consciousness and Infinite is the only Reality. Isvara and jiva are mere superimpositions on Brahman by Maya and avidya respectively. Maya is the power of Isvara, which controls the whole universe, but is itself under the control of Isvara. It appears to have consciousness because of the reflection of Brahman in it. Brahman is pure Consciousness, while Isvara is omniscient because of His power, Maya. Brahman is called jiva when It is looked upon as associated with the five sheaths, just as a man is called a father and a grandfather in relation to his son and grandson. When considered apart from Maya and the five sheaths Brahman is neither Isvara nor jiva. He who realises that he is in essence Brahman (and not the body-mind complex) is not born again, since Brahman has no birth and is eternal. Chapter 4 Dvaitaviveka-- Discrimination of Duality In this chapter the duality created by Isvara and that created by the Jiva are described and differentiated. This will show what is the cause of bondage and what has to be rejected by the aspirant for liberation. The Svetasvatara Upanishad says (4.10) : "Know Maya to be Prakriti and Brahman associated with Maya as Isvara". Isvara is the creator of the universe. The Aitareya Upanishad says that before creation there was Atman (i.e. Brahman ) alone. He willed, "Let me create", and He created the world by His will. The Taittiriya Upanishad says that from the Self or Brahman arose in succession ether, air, fire, water, earth, vegetation, food and bodies. Isvara willed, "Let me become many, let me create", and meditated and thus created the universe. The Chandogya Upanishad says that before creation Brahman alone existed as pure Existence. He desired to become many and created fire, water, earth and all living beings such as those born of eggs, those born from wombs, etc. The Mundaka Upanishad says that from the immutable Brahman arose the various sentient beings and insentient objects, in the same way as sparks emanate from a blazing fire. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says that before it became manifest the universe existed in an unmanifest state. It assumed names and forms and manifested as Virat. From Virat came into being the Manus, human beings, cattle, asses, horses, goats, etc, of both sexes, down to ants. According to these Srutis Isvara entered into all these bodies as the Jiva. The Jiva is so called because it bears Prana, or the vital air. The Jiva is a blend of the substratum or Pure Consciousness, the subtle body and the reflection of Pure Consciousness in the subtle body. Maya, which is the Power of Isvara, has, in addition to the power to create, also the power to delude. The latter deludes the Jiva. The Jiva, thus deluded, identifies himself with the body, considers himself to be a limited, helpless being and thus becomes subject to grief. What has been described so far is the duality created by Isvara. The duality created by the Jiva is described in the section known as Sapta-anna Brahmana of the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. The Jiva creates seven kinds of food (or objects of experience) by his actions and meditations. Of these seven, one kind is meant for human beings in general, two for the gods, one for animals and the remaining three for himself. Grains such as wheat are for human beings. The ingredients of the full-moon and new- moon sacrifices are for the gods. Milk is for animals. The mind, speech and vital airs (Prana) are for the Jiva himself. These are the seven kinds of food created by the Jiva. Though these objects are also created by Isvara, the Jiva converts them into objects of enjoyment for himself and so they are spoken of here as the creations of the Jiva. The idea is that each Jiva creates his own world by his actions and thoughts in previous births and so whatever objects he experiences and whatever joys he enjoys and sorrows he suffers, are all the result of his own actions and thoughts. An object such as a gem, which is a creation of Isvara, always remains the same, but the attitude of each individual human being towards it differs. The man who gets possession of it feels happy, while another man who has not got it is sad. A third man, who is indifferent to such objects, feels neither happy nor sad. The feelings of happiness, sorrow and indifference are created by the respective Jivas towards the gem, but the nature of the gem as created by God does not undergo any change. Similarly the attitudes of different persons towards the same woman differ, depending on whether he is her father or brother or husband or a stranger. Correspondingly the attitude of the same woman towards each of these different persons will be different, depending on her relationship with them. Thus, while the physical body of the woman as well the other men remains the same, the mind of each of them undergoes changes in accordance with their relationships. These changes are created by the Jivas. Thus each human being or Jiva has two aspects, the material and the mental. It is this mental aspect, which is the creation of each Jiva, that is the cause of bondage. Each Jiva develops likes and dislikes towards various objects. depending on his mental attitude which is governed by the impressions (called Vasanas) left by his own past actions. These likes and dislikes are the cause of joy and sorrow. In dream a person experiences joys and sorrows because of objects conjured up by the mind, though there are no external objects. In deep sleep, when the mind does not function, no joy or sorrow is felt by the person, even if there are objects by his side which can cause joy, sorrow, fear, anger, etc. Thus it is clear that it is the mind that is the cause of joys and sorrows and not other persons or objects. A person whose son had gone to a far-off country was wrongly informed by some one that the son had died. Though this information was wrong, the father was plunged in sorrow. At the same time, his neighbour, whose son it was who had died in a foreign country, remained calm, believing that his son was safe. This shows that the real cause of a man's bondage and sorrow is the mind and not any actual event. Unlike the Buddhist Vijnanavadins, Advaita accepts the existence of external objects and holds that, in perception, the mind takes the form of the external object. It may be argued that, since it is the mind that causes bondage by projecting the phenomenal world, the world could be made to disappear by controlling the mind through the practice of yoga. The answer to this is that though duality can be made to disappear temporarily by control of the mind, final elimination of bondage is not possible without the realization of Brahman, which alone will destroy Nescience (avidya). Even after the realization of Brahman, the duality created by Isvara will continue to be perceived by the Jnani, but he will not be affected by it, since he has realized their unreality. Once a person has been convinced that the water that appears in a mirage is illusory, he will no longer go after it, though the water will continue to appear as before when looked at from a distance. The mere disappearance of duality cannot eliminate bondage without realization of Brahman. At the time of the dissolution of the universe all objects cease to exist, but they will come into manifestation again when the next cycle of creation starts. At that time all Jivas who have not realized Brahman in the previous cycle of creation will be born again. Thus total freedom from rebirth can be attained only by the realization of Brahman. The world of objects created by God is a help for the realization of non-duality and not an obstacle. It does not get destroyed even when a person attains knowledge of the non- dual Brahman. It is the duality created by the Jiva that hinders the attainment of Self- knowledge. The duality created by the Jiva is of two kinds-- that which is in conformity with the scriptural teachings and that which is not. The first should be accepted and practised till Self-knowledge is attained. Enquiry about Brahman by hearing the scriptures from a Guru, reflecting on its teachings and meditating on them is the duality which is in conformity with the scriptures. This enquiry necessarily involves the acceptance of different entities such as Guru, disciple and the Sastras, but this duality is necessary to enable the disciple to conduct the enquiry into Brahman and so it is acceptable. But even this difference (or duality) has to be given up after the realization of Brahman, because then there is nothing other than Brahman. The Amritananda Upanishad says: "A wise person, having studied the scriptures and repeatedly practised their teachings, should renounce them after realizing Brahman, just as a traveller throws away a flaming torch after reaching his destination, or as a person throws away the husk after taking the grain". He should thereafter keep his mind fixed on Brahman and should not burden his mind with mere words (Br. Up. 4.4.21). The duality (or multiplicity) that is not in conformity with the scriptures is that resulting from looking upon all living beings and objects as different from one another. It is this mental attitude that gives rise to attachment, aversion, anger, greed and other emotions. The mental attitude that gives rise to craving, anger and similar emotions is called 'violent'. That which gives rise to fanciful thoughts is called 'mild'. Both these should be given up by the spiritual aspirant because calmness of mind and concentration are the essential pre-requisites for an aspirant. One can become fit for liberation only if he gives up the desire for objects of sense. The way to do this is to remember always the adverse consequences of the enjoyment of sense pleasures. Even mental preoccupation with the objects of desire should be given up, because it is the seed of all evils. It is said in the Bhagavadgita that dwelling mentally on objects leads to attachment to them. Attachment gives rise to longing for the object. If the desire is not fulfilled, anger results. Anger makes a person forget all the good lessons that he has learnt, and this in turn results in loss of discrimination. Ultimately he becomes unfit for spiritual progress. (Gita, 2.62- 63). The tendency to think of objects of desire can be overcome by meditating on Isvara, which will lead to meditation on Nirguna Brahman and to liberation. When the mind is thus controlled, it becomes calm and free from all modifications. When one realizes that the phenomenal world has no absolute reality, one experiences the bliss of Nirvana. Such a person is not merely a knower of Brahman; he is Brahman itself. Chapter 5 Mahavakyaviveka— Understanding the import of the ‘Mahavakyas’ In this chapter the meaning of four Mahavakyas from the four Vedas is explained. The first Mahavakya taken for explanation is ‘Prajnanam Brahma’ (Aitareya Upanishad, 3.1.1 in the ). This means that Brahman is pure Consciousness. It is because of this Consciousness that all creatures are able to see, hear, smell, speak and distinguish different tastes. The same consciousness enlivens gods, men and all other creatures. This consciousness is Brahman. The next Mahavakya is ‘Aham Brahma asmi’ (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 1.4.10 in the Sukla ), which means ‘I am Brahman’. The infinite, supreme Brahman, which, as the indwelling Self of all, is the witness of all the functions of the intellect, is known as ‘I’. The person who has acquired the necessary qualifications such as control of the senses, control of the mind, total detachment towards all pleasures and an intense yearning for liberation is fit to realize his identity with this Self. The Mahavakya in Chandogya Upanishad (6.8.15) in the is ‘Tat tvam asi’, which means ‘That thou art’. Before the creation of the universe there existed only one non-dual Existence without name and form. Even now it exists in the same condition (but with the universe of names and forms superimposed on it by Maya). This Existence is indicated by the term ‘That’. The indwelling self in individual beings that transcends the body, mind and senses is indicated by the term ‘thou’. The identity of ‘That’ and ‘thou’ is expressed by the term ‘asi’. The Mahavakya ‘Ayam atma Brahma’ is in the Mandukya Upanishad in the . This means that the indwelling self in every creature is Brahman. The identity declared in the above-mentioned Mahavakyas is not with reference to the primary meanings of the terms, but only with reference to their implied meanings. This has been elaborated in the summary of chapter 1, which may be referred to. How knowledge arises from the Mahaavaakya—two theories. According to one theory, known as the prasankhyaana theory, attributed to Mandana Misra, the knowledge which arises from the Mahavakya is relational and mediate, like any other knowledge arising from a sentence. Such a knowledge cannot apprehend Brahman which is non-relational and immediate. Meditation (prasankhyaana) gives rise to another knowledge which is non-relational and immediate. It is this knowledge that destroys nescience. The view of Suresvara is the opposite of the above. Knowledge of Brahman arises directly from the Mahavakyas. According to him also, meditation is necessary, but it is only for perfecting the hearing. The difference between the two theories is that, while, according to Suresvara, the knowledge which arises from the Mahavakya is immediate and non- relational, according to the other theory this knowledge is only mediate and relational. For an elaborate discussion Suresvara’s Naishkarmyasiddhi may be referred to. Following the view of Mandana, Vachaspati Misra holds that the mind is the instrument for the attainment of Self-knowledge. Following the other view stated above, Prakasatman, the author of Vivarana says that the Mahavakya itself is the instrument, though the knowledge no doubt arises in the mind. The Mahavakya gives rise to Self-knowledge by making the mind take the form of Brahman. The question arises—since Brahman has no form, what is meant by saying that the mind takes the form of Brahman (akhanda-aakaara-vritti)? This is explained by Vidyaranya in Jivanmuktiviveka, chapter 3 by taking an example. 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. The meaning of the Mahavakya ‘aham brahma asmi’ This Mahavakya is explained by Suresvara in Naishkarmyasiddhi, 2.29 thus:--Just as in the sentence, “This post is a man”, the earlier cognition that there is a post is sublated by the subsequent cognition that it is a man (and not a post), the cognition “I am Brahman” removes entirely the cognition as “I”. Sures’vara explains the statement aham brahma asmi, (I am Brahman), through what is known as baadhaayaam saamaanaadhikaranyam. In a sentence in Sanskrit, words which, having the same case-endings, denote one and the same thing are said to be in samaanaadhikaranam. The relation between the words is called saamaanaadhikaranyam. This relation is of two kinds, mukhya saamaanaadhikaranyam and baadhaayaam saamaanaadhikaranyam. In the former, the objects denoted by the words will have the same ontological status (or the same order of reality). For example, in the sentence, the pot-space is but the great (outer) space, the space within the pot and the great space are both empirically real (vyaavahaarika satyam). The difference between them is only due to the upaadhi in the form of the pot. When the upaadhi is removed, they become one, which they really are, even earlier. But if the words of a sentence, having the same case-endings, denote objects which have different ontological status, and if they purport to convey only one idea, they are in baadhaayaam saamaanaadhikaranyam. For example, in the statement “This post is a man”, the words “post” and “man” have different ontological status. Since what exists is a man and not a post, “man” is empirically real (vyaavahaarika) and “post” is only apparently real (praatibhaasika). Thus, just as the idea that what is seen is a post is removed when the person hears the statement ”This post is a man”, the wrong cognition of the form ‘I am a man’, ‘I am happy’ etc, is removed when a person realizes that he is Brahman on hearing the statement aham brahma asmi. The essence of the entire universe is Brahman. The same Brahman is the self-luminous indwelling self or atma. Chapter 6 Chitradeepa-- The Picture on Pure Consciousness The titles of chapters 6 to 10 contain the word ‘dipa’ which means ‘lamp’. This word denotes the Consciousness aspect of Brahman which is dealt with in these chapters. The supreme Self is explained by comparison with the canvas on which a picture is drawn. Just as there are four stages in the painting of a picture, there are four stages in the apparent modification of the supreme Self. In the painting of a picture the four stages are, a clean white canvas, the canvas stiffened with starch, the canvas with outlines drawn on it with a black pencil, and the canvas with colours applied to the picture. The corresponding four stages with regard to the Self are, pure Consciousness, Consciousness as the indwelling controller in all beings, Consciousness as associated with the totality of subtle bodies, and Consciousness as associated with the totality of gross bodies. Just as in a picture there are superior and inferior objects, there are in the universe various grades of beings from Brahma and other gods to human beings, animals, birds, etc. In a picture human beings are painted as wearing clothes of different kinds, and the clothes painted appear to be as real as the canvas on which the pictures are painted. All the forms in the universe are superimposed on Brahman which is pure consciousness. This consciousness is reflected in these forms and the forms with the reflection of consciousness in them are known as Jivas. The Jivas go through the cycle of repeated births and deaths. Ignorant people would think that the clothes painted in a picture are as real as the canvas itself. Similarly, ignorant people think that the transmigrations of the Jivas are undergone by pure consciousness itself. Just as the inanimate objects in a picture are not painted as dressed in clothes, inanimate objects in the universe do not have the reflection of consciousness in them. The wrong notion that transmigration is real and that the Self, which is pure consciousness, is subject to it is what is called 'Avidya' or nescience. This nescience is removed by the knowledge of the real nature of the Self. Transmigration is only for the Jiva, which is a reflection of the Self, and not for the Self. This understanding is knowledge and it is gained by enquiry. Therefore one should always enquire into the nature of the Jiva, the universe and the supreme Self. When the Jiva and the universe are negated, the pure Self alone remains as the only reality. Negation does not mean that the Jiva and the universe cease to be perceived, as that happens even in deep sleep or in a faint. Negation means the conviction that the Jiva and the universe do not have absolute reality and that they are only 'mithya', i.e., they have only empirical reality. The knowledge that Brahman exists is only mediate (paroksha) knowledge. The knowledge 'I am Brahman' is called realization. The same Brahman is spoken of in four ways: as 'kutastha' or immutable, Brahman, Jiva and Isvara, just as the same space is spoken of as pot-space, all-pervading space, space conditioned by water and space conditioned by a cloud. The sky with clouds and stars reflected in a pot of water is known as space conditioned by water. The sky reflected in the water particles in a cloud is known as space conditioned by a cloud. The Self or pure Consciousness which is the substratum on which the gross and subtle bodies are superimposed, and which is not affected by any change in the two bodies, is known as 'kutastha' or immutable, since it is changeless, like the 'kuta' or anvil on which the goldsmith fashions his jewellery. The reflection of the Self in the subtle body is the Jiva or individual who goes from one birth to another (transmigrates). He is known as the Jiva because he is animated by prana (the vital air). (The verbal root 'jiva' means 'to be endowed with prana' or vital air). Because of nescience which is beginningless, the jiva identifies himself with the body and does not realize that he is in reality the kutastha or Brahman. This nescience has two powers; the power to conceal Brahman, known as Avarana sakti and the power to project the universe, known as Vikshepa sakti. The power to conceal Brahman makes the jiva totally ignorant of the existence of Brahman. Because of the power of projection, the jiva experiences the subtle and gross bodies and looks upon them as real. This is what is known as the superimposition of these bodies on Brahman. It is like a rope being mistaken for a snake in dim light when the rope is not clearly seen. Because of such superimposition caused by nescience, the mind, with the reflection of Consciousness in it, is mistakenly thought to be the pure Self or Consciousness itself. The mind with the reflection of consciousness in it is known as the 'ego' or 'Ahankara'. Brahman or pure Consciousness is the substratum on which all animate beings as well as inanimate objects are projected. The animate beings have life and are able to function because they have a subtle body which receives the reflection of pure Consciousness. Because of this reflection of Consciousness they themselves appear to have consciousness, just as the moon shines because of the reflection of the light of the sun on it. The inanimate objects do not have a subtle body to receive the reflection of Consciousness. Death is the separation of the subtle body from the gross body. When the subtle body departs from the gross body, the living being becomes lifeless. It is nescience that conceals the real nature of the Self and makes the Jiva identify himself with the body. This concealment as well as the wrong identification cease when nescience is destroyed. But as long as the praarabdha karma which gave rise to the present body lasts, the mind and body, which are the effects of nescience continue. The word ‘karma’ is used in two different senses in Vedanta---(1) the results of actions performed, in the form of merit and demerit (punya and paapa), which produce their effects later on, usually in another birth, and (2) the action itself, whether secular or religious. Here we are speaking about karma in the first sense. This karma is of three kinds— known as sanchita, praarabdha and aagaami. The karma accumulated over innumerable past lives is known as sanchita karma. Out of this, a portion gives rise to the present birth. This portion is known as praarabdha karma, meaning ‘what has already started (aarabdha) giving its effect’. The karma that results from the actions performed during this life is known as aagaami karma. This gets added to the sanchita karma. On the dawn of Brahmajnaana the entire sanchita karma as at that time is destroyed. Actions performed after the dawn of knowledge do not produce any karma because identification with the body-mind complex, which is the cause of karma, has ceased to exist. Thus there is no further aagaami karma. But praarabdha karma is not destroyed by knowledge. It continues to give its results until it is exhausted. Therefore the present body-mind complex continues to exist till the exhaustion of the praarabdha karma. But since the jnaani does not identify himself with his body and mind, he is not affected by whatever happens to them, but remains established in his real essence as Brahman. This is the state known as ‘jivanmukti’ or liberation-in- life. (Reference may be made in this context to Sri Sankara’s Bhashya on the following:- Br.up.1.4.7., Br.up.1.4.10.,Ch.up.6.14.2., Br.up.4.4.22., Bhagavadgita, 4.37). Various views are held by different schools regarding the Self. One group of Lokayatas (materialists) consider the physical body to be the Self. Another group holds the senses to be the Self, another the vital airs, another the mind, and yet another the intellect. All these are undergoing changes all the time and so they cannot be the Self which is changeless. The Buddhists say that perception, as well as the objects of perception are creations of illusion. The Vedantins reject this view by pointing out that there can be no illusion without a substratum. There can be no illusion of a snake without a rope as the substratum. The Buddhists hold that there is only void, but even a void must have some one to witness it; otherwise it would be impossible to say that there is a void. We are therefore led to the conclusion that there must be a changeless substratum for the changing universe. That substratum is Brahman or the Self. There are also different views about the size of the Self. Some hold that it is atomic, some that it is all-pervading and some that it is of medium size. The Vedantins hold that the Self is pure consciousness, infinite, devoid of parts and all- pervading. Maya or Prakriti, which is the power of Brahman is neither real nor unreal; it is indeterminable. Maya can be looked upon in three ways. For the ordinary people it is real. For the enlightened person (jnaani) it does not exist at all. For those who try to understand Maya through reasoning it is indeterminable. Maya projects the universe without in anyway affecting Brahman. Making the impossible happen is the nature of Maya. Brahman reflected in Maya is Isvara. Isvara controls Maya, but the jiva is under the control of Maya. Isvara is the indweller and inner controller (antaryaami) in every living being. He is omniscient and is the cause of the universe. He causes the manifestation of the universe and creates beings in accordance with their past karma. Creation is like the unrolling of a painted canvas. If the painted canvas is rolled up, the picture is no longer visible. In the same way, when the karma of living beings is exhausted, Isvara withdraws the universe into Himself. Then the universe and all beings remain in a latent form till the commencement of the next cycle of creation. Isvara is the cause of the inanimate objects through the tamasic aspect of Maya. He is the cause of the jivas through the reflection of pure consciousness in Maya. Brahman is unconditioned by Maya, while Isvara is conditioned by Maya and is the creator of the universe. The Upanishads declare that Brahman is reality, consciousness and infinity. The sense organs and the mind cannot grasp it. Hiranyagarbha is the totality of the subtle bodies of all jivas. Virat is the totality of all gross bodies. The whole world is a creation of Isvara and jiva. From the determination of Isvara to create, down to His entrance into the created objects as the inner controller, is the creation of Isvara. From the waking state to liberation is the creation of the jiva. A person who has realized his identity with the changeless Self that is pure Consciousness is not affected by anything that happens to the body. Detachment, knowledge of the Reality and giving up desire-prompted actions mutually assist one another. Detachment arises from the realization that the happiness arising from objects is impermanent. Knowledge of the Reality is attained by hearing the scriptures, reflecting on them and meditation. Cessation of desire-prompted activities results from control of the mind. Of these three, the knowledge of the Reality is the most important. These three come to a person who has acquired a vast store of merit (punya) in innumerable past lives. The summit of detachment is the total absence of desire even for the pleasures of the world of Brahma (the Creator God). The summit of the knowledge of the Reality is reached when a person experiences his identity with the supreme Self as firmly as an ordinary man identifies himself with his physical body. The height of cessation of desire- prompted activities is the complete forgetfulness of all worldly affairs even in the waking state as in the state of deep sleep. Enlightened people may behave in different ways according to their fructifying karma, but there is no difference in their knowledge of the Reality or in the nature of their liberation. The universe is like a picture drawn on the supreme Brahman. When we ignore the distinctions, which are all caused by Maya, pure Consciousness alone remains. This chapter, when regularly studied, frees the intelligent aspirant from the delusion that the world is real, even though he may continue to see the world as before. Chapter 7 Triptidipa-Fulfillment on Realization of Pure Consciousness The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, 4.4.12, says that a person who has realized that he is the pure Self (Brahman) will not afflict his body for the fulfillment of any desire. This statement is analyzed thoroughly in this chapter to enable us to understand the state of perfect bliss of a liberated person. Isvara and the jivas are both reflections of Brahman in Maya. The whole universe is the creation of Isvara and the jivas. From the determination of Isvara to create, down to his entrance into the created objects, is the creation of Isvara. (The term ‘entrance’ means only the presence of Isvara as the Antaryami or inner controller in all jivas). From the waking state up to liberation, which constitutes ‘samsaara’, is the creation of the jiva. The universe appears on the substratum Brahman which is pure consciousness, the Self of all beings and immutable. The reflection of Brahman in the intellect is known as chidaabhaasa. Because of mutual superimposition between Brahman and the intellect, the chidaabhaasa identifies itself with the intellect. The chidaabhaasa identified with the intellect is the jiva. The jiva looks upon himself as an agent and an enjoyer. Because of identification with the gross and subtle bodies, the jiva attributes to himself the joys and sorrows which pertain to the bodies alone. When the jiva gives up his identification with the bodies he realizes that he is the substratum, Brahman, which is pure consciousness and devoid of association with anything. A story is told in Vedantic works to illustrate how knowledge of the reality dawns as a result of hearing from a guru the mahavakya ‘That thou art’. Ten ignorant villagers crossed a river. On reaching the other bank one of them counted their number to see if all of them had reached safely. He counted only nine and felt that one of them must have been drowned in the river. Each of the others then counted and got the same result. When they were grieving about the loss of one of them, a man who was passing by offered to count their number. After counting nine, when he came to the last man he told him, “You are the tenth”. Each one then realized that he had forgotten himself while counting, because of his ignorance. In the same way, every human being has forgotten his real nature and realizes it only when instructed by a competent teacher with the mahavakya ‘That thou art’. There are seven stages in the process of realization of the Self. They are, ignorance, obscuration, super-imposition, indirect or mediate knowledge, direct or immediate knowledge, cessation of sorrow and a sense of supreme fulfillment. The jiva is ignorant of the truth that he is Brahman in essence. Because of this ignorance he says that Brahman is not manifest and does not exist. This is obscuration. He looks upon himself as a doer and an enjoyer because of identification with his body and mind. This is super-imposition. When he is instructed by a competent teacher, he gets the knowledge that Brahman exists. This is mediate or indirect knowledge. Then by acquiring the requisites such as detachment, etc., and reflecting and meditating on the teachings, he realizes that he is Brahman and remains established in that experience. This is direct or immediate knowledge. Now he is free from the wrong notion that he is a doer and an enjoyer. With this all sorrows come to an end. He feels that he has accomplished the ultimate goal of life and has a sense of supreme fulfillment. The statement in the Upanishad that before creation Brahman alone existed (Ch.up. 6.2.1) gives indirect knowledge (paroksha jnana) of Brahman. The statement ‘That thou art’ (Ch.up. 6.8.7) gives direct knowledge ( jnana) of Brahman. The sage Bhrigu acquired indirect knowledge of Brahman from the indicatory statement that Brahman is that from which the universe arises, that by which it is sustained and that into which it merges. He got direct knowledge of Brahman by enquiry into the five sheaths. (Taittiriya Upanishad, Bhrigu valli). In the statement ‘That thou art’, the word ‘thou’ primarily denotes pure Consciousness or Brahman limited by the mind, which is what is denoted by the word ‘I’. Pure Consciousness conditioned by Maya is Isvara who is omniscient and is the cause of the universe. He is primarily denoted by the word ‘That’. The entities denoted by the primary meanings of these two words possess totally contradictory qualities and so there can be no identity between them. The identity is only between the implied meanings. This point has been dealt with in detail in chapter 1. When this identity between the jiva and Brahman is realized, there remains only pure consciousness which is absolute bliss. The view held by some schools that the mahavakya can give only indirect knowledge of Brahman is wrong. The difference between jiva and Brahman consists only in the fact that the former has the upadhi or limiting adjunct in the form of the mind, while the latter does not. But for this adjunct the two are identical. Just as a reflection exists only as long as there is a reflecting medium, jivahood exists only as long as the mind, which is the reflecting medium, exists. In the mahavakya, ‘Aham Brahma asmi’, which means ‘I am Brahman’, the primary meaning of ‘I’ is the blend of the pure self and the mind. The implied meaning of ‘I’ is the pure self alone. The identity is thus between this pure self and Brahman. There is a distinction between the cognition of an external object such as a pot, which is of the form ‘this is a pot’ and the direct knowledge of Brahman, which is of the form ‘I am Brahman’. In the former case, the mind first becomes modified in the form of the pot. This modification is known as vritti. This vritti removes the ignorance covering the pot. Then the reflection of Brahman or pure Consciousness on the vritti produces the knowledge ‘this is a pot’. In the case of the knowledge of Brahman also, there is a vritti in the form of Brahman, known as akhanda-aakaara-vritti. After this, the second step of the reflection of Brahman falling on the vritti is not necessary here, because Brahman is self-luminous, unlike inert objects. This is similar to the difference between perceiving a pot and perceiving a lighted lamp. In the former case both the eye and a light are necessary, but in the latter case another light is not necessary. Therefore, while in the case of external objects the reflection of Brahman in the vritti is necessary, in the case of realization of Brahman it is not necessary. The reflection of Brahman or Consciousness in the vritti is known as ‘phala’. Thus the cognition of an external object is brought about by ’phala’, but the direct knowledge (which is called realization) of Brahman is brought about by the vritti itself, without the aid of any phala. It is therefore said in Vedanta that all objects are ‘phala vyapya’, while Brahman is ‘vritti vyapya’. It has been stated above that the mind takes the form of Brahman. 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 himself in Jivanmuktiviveka, chapter 3, by taking an example. 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 thoughts 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. The mahavakyas such as ‘That thou art’ produce direct knowledge of Brahman, but this knowledge does not become firmly established because of defects in the mind such as doubts and wrong notions. It is therefore necessary to hear the scriptures, reflect on them and meditate on their purport repeatedly and also practise the disciplines such as control of the senses, control of the mind, etc. ‘Hearing’ is the process by which the conviction is attained that the identity of jiva and Brahman is declared throughout in the Vedas. ‘Reflection’ is satisfying oneself of the validity of what has been heard by the test of reasoning. Meditation removes the wrong notion, acquired over innumerable births, that the body is the Self and that the world is real. Concentration of mind is acquired by the worship of God. A person who has realized that he is the self knows that the world is only an appearance on Brahman due to Maya and that it has no absolute reality. He is therefore not affected by the joys and sorrows of the world. But he engages himself in various actions solely for the welfare of the world, according to his karma. The karma which brought about the present birth (praarabdha karma) continues even after enlightenment, but the enlightened person remains undisturbed by whatever happens, while the ignorant persons suffers when anything adverse happens. When the realization that the world has no reality has become firmly established, there are neither desires nor the desirer. Consequently all sorrows cease, just as the flame of a lamp gets extinguished when the oil is exhausted. A spectator in a magic show who knows that the objects produced by the magician are not real merely enjoys the show and does not desire those objects. Similarly the enlightened person is convinced of the unreality of all worldly objects and does not harbour any desire for them. The efforts to earn wealth cause suffering; there is always anxiety about the safety of what has been earned, and there is grief when it is spent or lost. Thus wealth causes sorrow at every stage. All objects in the world which are sought by people hoping to get joy from them have their negative aspects. A wise man should see the defects and give up desire for them. All sorrows are caused by the erroneous notion that the objects and happenings in the world are real. Desires can never be quelled by enjoyment; they only increase, like fire fed by clarified butter. But when the impermanence of worldly pleasures is realized, gratification of desires brings about cessation of desire. One who has controlled his mind is satisfied even with a little enjoyment, because he knows that pleasures are impermanent and are followed by sorrow. A king who had been imprisoned by an enemy and is released will be satisfied by becoming the ruler of even a single village, whereas a king who has never been conquered by any one else is not satisfied even with his kingdom. The praarabdha karma functions in three ways--producing actions motivated by desire, producing actions without desire, and producing actions through the desire of another person. The first type is where the praarabdha karma itself produces desire and makes the person act for its fulfillment. The second is where even without desire a person is compelled by circumstances to undertake a particular action. An example of the third type is that of a realized person teaching his disciples in response to their sincere entreaties. Here it is the karma of the disciples that makes him take up the task of teaching them. Whatever is destined to happen will certainly happen and what is not destined to happen will never happen in spite of all efforts. The realization of this truth will make a person free from anxiety and grief. Praarabdha karma produces its effect for the enlightened person as well as for the ignorant. But while the ignorant person looks upon the results as real and enjoys or suffers, the enlightened person is indifferent to the result and is therefore never affected by sorrow or disappointment. If a person carefully examines his experiences in the waking state and in dream, he will realize that they are very similar. He should then give up the notion that the objects in the world are real and become free from attachment towards them. This world of duality is similar to something created by magic. It cannot be explained logically. The wise man who remembers this will not be affected by the effects of his praarabdha karma. By the realization of Brahman the unreality of the world from the absolute point of view is realized. But this does not destroy the praarabdha karma which continues to give its effect until it is exhausted. Knowledge and the effects of praarabdha karma are not opposed to each other and can co-exist, just as a spectator can enjoy a magic show even when he is fully aware that what he sees is not real. Control of the mind is essential for the realization of the unreality of the world. Even though desires may arise in the mind of an enlightened person, they do not bind him as in the case of an ignorant man, because he is free from all attachment. An enlightened person does not consider himself as a doer or enjoyer. This is what is meant by the statement in the first verse of this chapter that “a person who has realized that he is the pure Self (Brahman) will not afflict his body for the fulfillment of any desire”. The question as to who is the doer and enjoyer, whether it is the immutable Kutastha (Brahman) or the reflected consciousness (Chidaabhaasa) or a blend of the two, is now being examined. Enjoyment implies change as a result of identification with the experience of pleasure and pain. Since Brahman is changeless, it cannot be the enjoyer. The reflection of consciousness has no separate existence apart from pure consciousness and so it too cannot be the enjoyer. So it is generally thought that the blend of the two is the enjoyer. But this too cannot be correct because the Sruti says that Kutatha or pure consciousness alone exists in reality. Because of ignorance the jiva attributes to himself the reality which is the nature of Kutastha alone. Consequently he thinks that his enjoyment is real and does not like to give it up. He wishes to have a wife, son, properties, etc, for his enjoyment. The Br. up. 2.4.5 says that wife, son and all others are loved by the jiva only for his own sake and not for the sake of the wife, son etc. A person loves his wife, son, etc, only as long as they give him happiness. One’s own self is thus the object of unconditional love. Therefore a spiritual aspirant should acquire dispassion towards all objects of enjoyment in the world and direct his love towards the Self, which is his own self. He should keep his attention fixed on the Self at all times and differentiate the body from the Self. It is common experience that the states of waking, dream and deep sleep are distinct from one another. The experiences in each state are totally different from the experiences in the other two states. But the consciousness, which is the experiencer, is the same in all the states. When a person has realized the identity of his self with this pure consciousness, which is Brahman, he is released from the bondage caused by ignorance. This self, which is Brahman, is beyond the three states of waking, dream and deep sleep. It is the witness, ever blissful, and is neither the enjoyer nor the enjoyment, nor the object of enjoyment. When the self has been differentiated in this way, what remains as the enjoyer is the chidaabhaasa or jiva, who is also known as the intellect-sheath and who is ever undergoing change. This world is like a creation of magic and chidaabhaasa is part of it. By repeatedly differentiating the chidaabhaasa from pure consciousness one becomes convinced that the jiva has no existence apart from Kutastha and that the jiva is nothing but Kutastha. Then all desire for enjoyment of external objects ceases. A person harbours desire only for objects thought to be different from himself. When a person has realized that he is Kutastha or Brahman, there is no object different from himself, since everything is Brahman. He then no longer looks upon himself as an enjoyer of happiness or an experiencer of sorrow. The physical body is subject to various diseases. The subtle body is afflicted by desire, anger, greed, etc. On the other hand, it experiences happiness when there is control of the mind and the senses. In deep sleep the jiva knows neither himself nor others. This is the state in which the causal body predominates. The causal body is the seed of sorrow in this birth as well as in future births. These sufferings are natural to these bodies. Chidaabhaasa, which is the reflection of pure consciousness in the mind, is however free from all these sorrows. But due to ignorance the chidaabhaasa identifies himself with the three bodies and considers himself to be suffering. When he realizes that he is not the bodies, but the Kutastha itself, he becomes free from all sorrow. The sruti says: “The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman”. By fixing his mind on Brahman alone, the jiva realizes that he is Brahman. But the jiva continues in the body until the praarabdha karma is exhausted. He is, however, a jivanmukta and remains established in the knowledge that he is Brahman. He enjoys total fulfillment. The satisfaction arising from external objects is limited, but the satisfaction arising from direct realization of Brahman is unlimited and absolute. The realized person has no further duties to be performed, and there is nothing more to be achieved by him. The onlookers may, out of ignorance, attribute worldly actions and qualities to him, but he is not in the least affected by such attribution, just as a bush of red gunja berries may be mistaken for a blazing fire by a person looking at it from a distance, but such an imaginary fire does not affect the bush in the least. Even the scriptures are no longer necessary for him. There is no more any need for meditation or Samadhi. He has attained all that was to be attained and has done all that was to be done. He may still engage himself in action for the good of the world. His senses may still perceive duality, but he knows that it is not real and so he is not affected. When he is in the midst of ordinary people he may behave like them, just as a father plays with his baby, pretending to be like it. When he is praised or blamed by other persons, he does not praise or blame them in turn, but behaves in such a way as to awaken the knowledge of the ultimate reality in them. The enlightened person has no duty other than awakening the ignorant to the reality. The wise who study this chapter repeatedly will realize Brahman and attain the goal of perfect bliss. Chapter 8

Kutasthadipa-- The Immutable Consciousness In this chapter Kutastha or pure consciousness, which is eternal and immutable, is being distinguished from the reflection of pure consciousness in the modifications of the mind (vrittis) with the help of an example. When the rays of the sun fall on a wall, the wall is illumined and looks bright, though by itself the wall has no brightness. When the rays of the sun fall on a mirror and the rays reflected from the mirror fall on the wall, the wall looks even brighter. Similarly, because of the presence of pure consciousness within, the physical body acquires sentiency. When the mind functions through any of the sense organs and becomes modified into the form of an external object, the pure consciousness becomes reflected in this modification (which is known as vritti). Then the sentiency of the body becomes even more manifest because the person sees external objects, hears external sounds, etc. Even when there are no mirrors to reflect the rays of the sun the wall on which the sun’s rays fall directly remains illumined. Similarly even when there are no vrittis of the mind, pure consciousness illumines the body and gives it sentiency. Even in the state of deep sleep, when the mind and the senses are dormant, pure consciousness illumines the body. The process of visual perception, according to Advaita Vedanta, is described in chapter 1 of Vedanta Paribhasha thus: Just as the water in a tank, issuing through a hole, enters, through a channel, a number of fields and assumes the shapes of those fields, so also the luminous mind, stretching out through the eye, goes to the space occupied by an object and becomes modified into the form of that object. Such a modification is called a vritti of the mind. This vritti removes the ignorance covering the object. Then the reflection of pure consciousness falls on the vritti and the person perceives the object. Before the rise of the vritti the object was not known. In other words, there was ignorance of the object. This ignorance becomes known only because of the pure consciousness or Brahman. Later, when the object is perceived, the knowledge of its existence also arises only because of pure consciousness. Thus the ignorance as well as the knowledge of any object arises only because of pure consciousness which is the witness of both. It is therefore said that all things are objects of the witnessing consciousness, either as known or as not known. It is only when the pure consciousness is reflected in the vritti of the mind that an object becomes known. The vritti, the reflection of consciousness in the vritti and the object itself are illumined by Brahman or pure consciousness; whereas only the existence of the object is made known by the reflection of consciousness in the vritti. It is thus seen that the cognition of any object, such as a pot, is brought about by the chidaabhaasa or reflection of consciousness in the vritti, combined with pure consciousness or Brahman which is the substratum of the mind. The Naiyayikas hold that the cognition ‘This is a pot’ becomes known only through another cognition which they call ‘anuvyavasaaya’. This view is not accepted by Vedanta, because it will lead to infinite regress, as the second cognition would need a third cognition to become known, and so on, ad infinitum. In Vedanta pure consciousness or Brahman itself takes the place of this anuvyavasaaya, and since Brahman is self-luminous it does not need another cognition. Therefore, the cognition ‘This is a pot’ is brought about by chidaabhaasa, but the knowledge ‘The pot is known’ is derived from Brahman or pure Consciousness. Thus the distinction between chidaabhaasa and Brahman has been brought out in respect of cognition of objects outside the body. The same distinction applies also in respect of cognitions within the body, because the chidaabhaasa pervades also the inner states such as desire, anger, the ego -consciousness, etc., just as fire pervades a red-hot piece of iron. All vrittis of the mind arise one after another. But vrittis are absent during deep sleep, swoon and Samadhi. The consciousness that witnesses the interval between two successive vrittis as well as the period during which vrittis are absent is called Kutastha. This is immutable. The objects of internal cognition are the states of the mind such as happiness, sorrow, anger, etc. The mental modification (vritti) naturally coincides with them. The mind has not to go out to unite with them as in the case of external perception. So the mental states of happiness, etc., are said to be revealed by the witnessing consciousness itself, as soon as they arise. These cognitions are , or perceptual knowledge. Vedantaparibhasha says: “Being cognized by the witnessing consciousness itself does not mean that the mental states are the objects of the witness self without the presence of corresponding mental modifications, but that they are the objects of the witnessing consciousness without the activity of the means of knowledge such as the sense organs”. Chidaabhaasa, which is the reflection of pure consciousness in the mental modification, has a beginning and an end. But pure consciousness is eternal and immutable. Brahman or pure consciousness, its reflection in the mind and the mind itself are related in the same way as a face, its reflection and the reflecting medium. With regard to the manner in which the appearance of the jiva is to be understood, there is a difference of opinion between the two main post-Sankara Advaita schools---the Vivarana school and the Bhamati school. According to Vivarana, the jiva is reflection (pratibimba) of Brahman in nescience, and Brahman as the prototype reflected is Isvara. This is known as the ‘reflection theory’. The Bhamati view, which is known as the ‘limitation (avaccheda) theory’, is that the jiva is Brahman as delimited by nescience. The analogy for the former view is the reflection of the face in a mirror; for the latter view it is the delimitation of ether by a pot, etc. Swami Vidyaranya rejects the limitation theory by pointing out that if Brahman becomes a jiva by being merely delimited by the intellect, even a pot which is also pervaded by Brahman would become a jiva. He accepts a modified form of the reflection theory, known as aabhaasa-vaada, or ‘semblance theory’. While according to the Vivarana theory the reflection is real and is identical with the prototype, in the semblance theory the reflection is a mere appearance, an illusory manifestation. In the reflection theory the apposition between the jiva and Brahman is through identification, like the identification of the space within a pot with the total space. In the semblance theory the apposition between the jiva and Brahman is by sublation, as in the case of the illusory snake and the rope, where one says: ”What appeared as a snake is really a rope”. The jiva is in reality none other than Brahman, but because he identifies himself with his gross and subtle bodies he wrongly thinks that he is different from Brahman. When the jiva realizes that he is Brahman, the identification with the two bodies ceases. The sruti text, “All this is indeed Brahman” (Ch, up. 3. 14. 1) means that what appears as the universe is in reality Brahman. Similarly, by the text, “I am Brahman” (Br. Up. 1. 4. 10), the identity of jiva and Brahman is declared. Brahman has been described as Existence-Consciousness-Bliss. As the support of the universe Brahman is Existence. As the cognizer of all insentient objects it is Consciousness. As it is always the object of love it is Bliss. Its relationship with the world is only as the substratum, like the relationship of the rope to the illusory snake. In fact, there can be no relationship between Brahman which is the only reality and the universe which is mithya, i.e., neither real nor unreal. Both jiva and Isvara are reflections of Brahman in Maya. They can reflect consciousness, unlike the inert objects in the world. Though both the mind and the body are products of food, the mind is subtler than the body and so it can reflect consciousness. Similarly, jiva and Isvara are subtler than inert matter and so they can reflect consciousness. In dream we ourselves create so many objects. So there is no wonder that Maya creates everything that we experience in our waking state. Brahman is pure consciousness. Brahman reflected in Maya is Isvara, who is omniscient. Omniscience is possible only when there are things to be known. These things are the creation of Maya. So it will be correct to say that Brahman, which is pure consciousness, becomes a knower of everything only because of Maya. Brahman is ever associationless and changeless. Brahman is the only reality. Since Maya is not real from the absolute point of view, bondage which is caused by Maya is also not real. If bondage is not real, release from bondage is also not real. So from the point of view of absolute reality, there can be no such thing as an aspirant for liberation or a liberated person. Bondage, release, aspirant and liberated exist only when we are speaking from the empirical point of view. This distinction between the two standpoints has always to be kept in mind. When what was taken to be a snake is found, with the help of a lamp, to be only a rope, no one would say that a snake was previously there, but has gone away and a rope has come in its place. On the other hand one would say that there never was any snake and there was only a rope all the time. Similarly, when a person becomes liberated, it would be wrong to say that the person was previously in bondage and has now become liberated. The correct position is that he was never in bondage, but was liberated all the time, though he wrongly thought that he was in bondage. When it rains in torrents, the ether is not affected at all by it. Similarly pure consciousness is not affected by the phenomenal world which is the creation of Maya. The enlightened person knows that he is the pure consciousness and so he is not affected by whatever happens in the world. He who studies this chapter and reflects on it ever abides as the self-luminous Kutastha. Chapter 9 Dhyanadeepa—Meditation on pure Consciousness According to the teachings of Vedanta, a person who has acquired the four preliminary requisites, namely, discrimination between the eternal and the ephemeral, total dispassion towards all pleasures in this world and in higher worlds, the spiritual disciplines such as control of the mind, control of the senses, etc., and intense yearning for liberation, attains liberation through hearing of the scriptures from a Guru, and reflecting and meditating on them. For those who, even after the study of the Upanishads, are not able to attain realization due to some obstruction, such as lack of subtlety of mind, meditation on the attributeless (Nirguna) Brahman is prescribed as an alternative means in this chapter. Such meditations are laid down in the Uttaratapaniya Upanishad. Sometimes even by acting on a wrong notion one may by chance attain a desired end. For example, a man sees the gleam of a gem coming from a distance. Mistaking the gleam for a gem itself he runs towards it and gets the gem. Though he was wrong in thinking that the gleam itself was a gem, he succeeded in getting a gem. Such a notion which, though wrong, results in a successful conclusion, is called ‘samvaadi bhrama’. Another person mistakes the gleam of a lamp for a gem and runs towards it, but is disappointed. Such a wrong notion is called ‘visamvaadi bhrama’. If a person mistakes mist for smoke and goes towards it expecting to find fire and accidentally finds fire there, it is called ‘samvaadi bhrama’. A person sprinkles on himself the water of the river Godavari, thinking it to be the water of the river Ganga. He is purified, because the water of Godavari is also a purifier according to the scriptures. Here his mistaking Godavari water for Ganga water is ‘samvaadi bhrama’ because though it is an error, it leads to the desired result. A man in delirium because of high fever unconsciously repeats the name ‘Narayana’ and dies. He goes to heaven because of having uttered the name of the Lord at the time of death. This is another instance of ‘samvaadi bhrama’. (In Srimad Bhagavata it is said; “The name of the illustrious Lord, whether uttered consciously or unconsciously, destroys a person’s sins as surely as fire destroys a heap of wood; just as a powerful medicine has its effect, even if taken by chance by one who does not know its potency, so has the Lord’s name when uttered even by an ignorant person”--Bh. VI. 2. 18-19). In direct perception (pratyaksha), inference (anumana) and scriptural authority there are innumerable instances of samvaadi bhrama. The worship of images made of clay, wood and stone as deities is one such instance. In Chandogya Upanishad (Chapter 5) heaven, rain-god, earth, man and woman are to be meditated on as the sacrificial fire. These are also instances of samvaadi bhrama. Samvaadi bhrama, though it is a bhrama (error), leads to a desirable result. So also, meditation on Brahman leads to liberation. Brahman with attributes which is meditated on, is not a reality (in the absolute sense) and so such meditation is samvaadi bhrama. Any upasana or meditation is based on looking upon one thing as another, such as the linga as Siva, salagrama as Vishnu, or Brahman with attributes (Saguna Brahman) as the ultimate Reality. It is therefore a bhrama. After knowing the one indivisible homogeneous Brahman indirectly from the scriptures (getting paroksha jnanam), one should meditate identifying oneself with Brahman. The knowledge that Brahman exists, derived from the study of the scriptures, without the actual realization that Brahman is one’s own Self, is what is known as indirect knowledge. It is like the knowledge of the forms of Vishnu and other gods. The knowledge of the form of Vishnu as described in the scriptures is not false, though indirect, because the scriptures are authoritative. One can know from the scriptures that Brahman is Existence- Consciousness-Bliss, but he cannot be said to have direct knowledge of Brahman until he has realized Brahman as the inner witness within himself. The indirect knowledge is, however, not illusory. As long as identification with the body continues, one cannot realize one’s identity with Brahman. The indirect knowledge of non-duality gained from the scriptures is not opposed to the perception of duality in the world. The perception that an image of Vishnu is made of stone is not opposed to the idea that the image represents Vishnu and to the worship of the image as Vishnu. Indirect knowledge of Brahman can arise even from a single instruction by a competent preceptor. Like the knowledge of the form of Vishnu, it does not need any enquiry. The methods of worship have been laid down in the Kalpa-sutras by the sages, , Asvalayana, Apastamba, Bodhayana, Katyayana and Vaikhanasa. These form limbs of the Vedas. Worship can be performed by a study of these and with the help of instructions from a knowledgeable person. But, for direct realization of Brahman the instruction of a preceptor, though essential, is not sufficient. In addition, the spiritual aspirant must perform reflection and one-pointed meditation. Want of faith obstructs the rise of indirect knowledge, but want of enquiry (i.e. hearing, reflection and meditation) is what obstructs the rise of direct knowledge. The enquiry should be continued until realization. If one does not get realization in this birth even after practising enquiry till death, he will get it in a future life when all obstacles have been eliminated. By virtue of the practice of spiritual enquiry in a previous birth, Vamadeva attained realization even when he was in his mother’s womb, says Aitareya Upanishad, 2.1.5. If, in spite of the practice of enquiry over a long period realization does not arise, it is due to various impediments. Realization will dawn when the impediments are removed. A person who does not know that one of his ancestors had buried a large quantity of gold under the ground in the compound of his house lives in poverty. When some one who knows the secret informs him about the treasure, he collects it and lives happily. A monk could not attain realization because of his past attachment to a she-buffalo. His teacher instructed him to meditate on Brahman, looking upon it as the substratum of the buffalo. By doing so he was able to attain realization. Some of the impediments are: intense attachment to sense-objects, lack of subtlety of the intellect, indulging in perverse arguments about the truth of the Upanishadic teachings, and the deep-rooted conviction that the Self is a doer and an enjoyer. These should be removed by the practice of disciplines such as control of the mind, control of the senses, dispassion, etc., and enquiry into the nature of the reality. It is said in the Bhagavadgita that the spiritual development attained by a person in one life will not be lost on death, but will be with him in his next birth and will enable him to progress further from the stage reached (B.G.6.41-45). The essential condition for the attainment of realization is complete freedom from all desires, including desire for the pleasures of heaven and even of Brahmaloka. If a person is unable to practice enquiry, he should keep his mind always fixed on the thought of Brahman. Just as it is possible to meditate on Brahman with attributes, it is also possible to meditate on the attributeless Brahman. The latter may be meditated on as being beyond the reach of the senses, speech and the mind. Meditation on Nirguna Brahman has been spoken of in the Nrsimha-uttaratapaniya Upanishad (1.1), Prasna Upanishad (5.5), Katha Upanishad (1.2.15-17), and Mandukya Upanishad (1.12). This meditation has been mentioned also in the Panchikarana Vartika by Suresvaracharya. It is a means towards the indirect knowledge of Brahman. The Self is indicated in the Upanishads by implication by means of positive attributes such as bliss, etc and also negatively as ‘not gross’, etc. One should meditate on the indivisible, homogeneous Self as ‘That I am’. The difference between knowledge (jnana) and meditation (upasana) is that the former depends on the object, while the latter depends on the will of the meditator. To explain, knowledge reveals an object as it actually is, but in meditation an object is looked upon as representing some thing else. Seeing the sun as the sun is knowledge, but thinking of the sun as Brahman is meditation. Knowledge of Brahman arises by the practice of enquiry. Such knowledge puts an end to the notion that the world is real. On the attainment of this knowledge the person enjoys permanent satisfaction and feels that he has accomplished the goal of life. He becomes liberated even while living and merely awaits the exhaustion of the karma which brought about his present birth (praarabdha karma). A person who is not able to practise enquiry should meditate in the manner prescribed by his Guru with complete faith, without allowing his mind to be distracted by other thoughts. He should continue the practice of meditation until he becomes identified with the object of meditation and thereafter also continue it till the last moment of his life. A diligent student of the Vedas recites them even in his dreams. Similarly, one who practises meditation without any distraction continues the meditation even in his dreams, because of the deep impression produced by the meditation in his mind. Such a person can meditate without interruption even while continuing to experience his fructifying karma, just as a worldly person keeps on thinking of the objects to which he is attached even while he is engaged otherwise. A person who has realized that he is the Self (and not the body-mind complex) fulfills his worldly duties also well, because they do not conflict with his knowledge. The knowledge that the world is not real but only Maya and that the Self is pure consciousness is not opposed to worldly activities. In order to perform worldly activities it is not necessary to believe that the world is real. Only the right means are necessary. These means are the mind, speech, body and external objects. They do not disappear on the attainment of enlightenment. The injunctions and prohibitions of the scriptures have no application to the enlightened. They apply only to those who look upon themselves as belonging to a certain caste or station or stage of life. The enlightened person knows that caste, stage of life, etc., are creations of Maya and that they pertain only to the body and not to the Self which is pure consciousness. The enlightened person whose mind is completely free from all desires and vasanas has nothing to gain from action or inaction, meditation or japa. A person who meditates continuously attains identity with the object of meditation, but this identity ceases if the practice of meditation is given up. But the realization of the Self, once attained through knowledge, is never lost. Every living being is in reality Brahman, but is ignorant of this fact. Knowledge only reveals this truth and does not create Brahmanhood. Because of nescience which conceals their real nature, people do not realize the purpose of life. But just as begging is better than starving, it is better to practice devotion and meditation rather than other pursuits. Performance of the rituals laid down in the scriptures is superior to being engrossed in worldly affairs alone. Better than that is worship of a personal deity. Even better than that is meditation on the attributeless Brahman which leads to direct realization. A samvaadi bhrama which leads to the desired result becomes valid knowledge (prama). Similarly, meditation on Brahman, when it ripens, leads to liberation and becomes knowledge of the reality. Though meditation on the form of a deity and chanting of mantras also lead to liberation, meditation on the attributeless Brahman is nearest to the goal of Self-realization. Meditation on the attributeless Brahman matures into savikalpa samadhi in which there is still the distinction of meditator, the act of meditation and the object of meditation. This, when pursued, leads to nirvikalpa Samadhi where such differences vanish. There is then a perfect realization of Brahman as immutable, associationless, eternal, self-luminous, without a second and infinite, as declared in the scriptures. Those who undertake pilgrimages and chanting of mantras instead of meditation on the attributeless Brahman may be compared to a person who licks his hand after dropping the sweets held by him. Enquiry into the nature of the Self by hearing the scriptures from a teacher and then reflecting on them and practicing meditation is the direct means to Self-realization. Meditation on the attributeless Brahman is prescribed only for those who are unable to practise such enquiry. If a person is not able to perfect his meditation in this life, he may attain liberation by acquiring Self-knowledge in Brahmaloka or in another life. The Bhagavadgita says that one attains that which he thinks of at the time of death (8.6). Thus the future life of a person is determined by his thoughts at the time of death. So the worshipper of a Personal God will attain identity with Him, and the meditator on the attributeless Brahman will obtain liberation. One who studies this chapter and reflects on its contents is freed from all doubts and constantly meditates on Brahman. Chapter 10 Natakadipa-- The lamp of the theatre In this chapter the supreme Self is compared to the lamp which lights the stage in a theatre. The lamp illumines the empty stage before the play starts; it illumines the play when it is in progress; and after the play is over and there is no one on the stage, the lamp continues to illumine the empty stage. Similarly, the supreme Self which is self-luminous exists before the origination of the universe, during the period of appearance of the universe, and also after the dissolution of the universe. Before the creation of the universe the supreme Self which is non-dual, infinite bliss, alone existed. Through its Maya it appeared as the universe of names and forms and entered into them as the jiva or the individual self. Entering into divine bodies, the same Self became all the deities such as Vishnu. Entering into the bodies of human beings, it became the worshipper of the deities. As a result of the practice of devotion in many lives, the desire to enquire into his real nature arises in the jiva. When such enquiry and reflection attain perfection, Maya is negated and the Self alone remains. As long as the jiva, who is in reality the Self which is non-dual and of the nature of supreme bliss, perceives duality and looks upon it as real because of ignorance, he experiences misery. This state of ignorance of his real nature and the consequent suffering is what is known as bondage. Realizing his own nature as the supreme Self and remaining established in that realization is liberation. The jiva who is ignorant of his real nature identifies himself with his body and mind and looks upon himself as the performer of action and the enjoyer of the fruit thereof. The mind is his instrument of action. The mind undergoes a twofold modification, namely, internal and external. The internal modification takes the form ‘I’. It makes him the performer of action. The external modification takes the form of objects which are referred to as ‘this’. The external objects are cognized by the five organs of sense distinctively as sound, touch, colour, taste and smell. The consciousness which simultaneously illumines the agent, the action and the external objects is known as the ‘witness’. While revealing all these, the witness remains changeless like the lamp illumining the stage in a theatre. The lamp reveals the patron, the performer on the stage, as well as the audience and continues to shine even when all of them have left. The witness-consciousness illumines the ego, the intellect and the sense-objects. Even when these are absent, as in deep sleep, the witness remains self-luminous. The intellect functions only in the light of the ever- luminous and ever present witness. In the above illustration the patron is the ego, the various sense-objects are the audience, the intellect is the performer on the stage, the musicians playing on their instruments are the sense-organs, and the lamp lighting up all of them is the witness-consciousness. Just as the lamp lights up all these while remaining in its own place, the witness, which is motionless, illumines external objects as well as the states of the internal organ. The distinction as internal and external is only from the point of view of the body and not the witness. The ego is internal while objects are external. The qualities of the mind such as fickleness are wrongly attributed to the witness-consciousness by the ignorant. When the mind becomes absolutely quiet, the witness shines as it is. The Self illumines all the modifications of the mind as the witness, but is itself beyond the grasp of speech and the mind. When the unreality of all duality is realized, the Self alone remains. Since the Self is self-luminous, its existence need not be proved by any pramana (means of knowledge). The Self can be realized as the witness of all the internal and external creations of the intellect if one hears the instruction of the sruti from a Guru and reflects on the teachings. Chapter 11 Yogananda—The Bliss Of Yoga Chapters 11 to 15 expound the various aspects in which Bliss which is Brahman manifests itself. In this chapter it is pointed out that the bliss attained through the practice of Yoga is an aspect of the supreme Bliss that is identical with Brahman. On the attainment of the bliss of Brahman one becomes free from all present and future miseries. He who realizes that he is the supreme Self and remains established in that realization becomes free from all fear; but he who perceives even the slightest difference from the Self is overcome by fear. The Taittiriya Upanishad says that the deities , Surya, Agni, Indra and Yama are in constant fear of Brahman. They attained these positions as a result of very meritorious actions performed in previous lives, but because they have not realized their identity with Brahman they are still subject to fear. One who has attained the bliss of Brahman does not experience any fear at all and is not troubled by thoughts such as whether he had done meritorious deeds or not, because his actions do not taint him. So says Taittiriya Upanishad, 2.9.1. Giving up all actions and going beyond all thoughts of good and evil, he ever remains engaged in meditation on the Self. He looks upon all actions as identical with the Self. All the desires which bind him are destroyed, all his doubts about the Self are dispelled and all his actions perish in the sense that they do not cause any bondage for him. Only by realizing Brahman one goes beyond death and transmigratory existence. There is no other means to attain this end. All bonds are cut when the effulgent Self is known. All afflictions come to an end and he is not born again. One who has realized that he is none other than the supreme Self becomes free from all worldly joys and sorrows even while living in this world. He is not tormented by thoughts about his acts of commission or omission. The srutis, smritis and puranas repeatedly declare that the realization of Brahman puts an end to all sorrows and confers supreme bliss. Bliss is of three kinds: The bliss of Brahman, the bliss born of knowledge, and the bliss derived from external objects. Of these, the bliss of Brahman is being described now. Bhrigu heard the definition of Brahman from his father Varuna. By negating the sheaths of food, vital air. mind and intellect, he realized Brahman reflected in the bliss-sheath. The Taittiriya Upanishad says that all beings are born from bliss, they are sustained by bliss and they finally merge in bliss. (This statement is not elaborated in Panchadasi, but , in his commentary named Padadipika, explains this verse as follows: Procreation is due to the pleasure derived from physical union, sustenance of life is due to the happiness derived from sense-objects, and happiness is experienced in sleep when the individual soul temporarily merges in the supreme Self). Therefore there is no doubt that Brahman is bliss. Before creation of beings there was only the infinite Brahman without the triad of knower, object known and the act of knowing. In dissolution also the triad will cease to exist. When the created world is in existence, the intellect-sheath is the knower, consciousness reflected in the mind-sheath is knowledge and sound, etc., are the objects known. Before creation none of these three existed. Before the creation of the world and in the states of Samadhi, deep sleep and swoon also the Self alone exists. Bhagavan Sanatkumara told sage Narada that the infinite Self alone is bliss. There is no happiness in anything finite. (Ch.Up.7.23.1). Even though Narada had mastered the Vedas, Puranas and various scriptures, he still suffered misery because he had not known the Self. Before he began to study the Vedas he suffered only from the three kinds of afflictions natural to all human beings, namely, adhyatmika, those arising from bodily ills, adhibhautika, those caused by other creatures, and adhidaivika, those caused by calamities such as floods, earthquakes, etc. But after he had mastered the Vedas and other scriptures he was, in addition, burdened by the need to keep on reciting what he had learnt, and beset by the fear of forgetting what he had learnt, the fear of being defeated in argument and the pride of learning. So he approached Bhagavan Sanatkumara and prayed for the knowledge that would lift him out of all sorrow. Sanatkumara told him that the ocean of sorrow could be crossed only by attaining Brahman which is pure Bliss. The happiness derived from external objects is always accompanied by sorrow. There is no real or unmixed happiness in the finite realm. It is true that there is no triad of knower, knowing and known in the non-dual Brahman and so there can be no experience of happiness as from sense- objects, but one who has realized Brahman remains as pure bliss. In deep sleep the bliss of Brahman is experienced though there are no objects and no triad. This bliss is therefore self-revealing. In deep sleep one does not suffer the miseries experienced during the waking state, caused by blindness, wounds and sickness. In deep sleep one is united with Brahman and so becomes bliss itself. The Upanishads give various illustrations to describe the bliss enjoyed in sleep. A falcon, tied to a post by a long string, flies hither and thither and finally, when exhausted and in need of rest, goes back to the post to which it is tied. Similarly, the mind, after experiencing joys and sorrows in the waking and dream states, becomes absorbed in its cause, avidya, in the state of deep sleep. The jiva then becomes one with the supreme Self and enjoys bliss (Ch.Up. 6.8.2 and Br.Up. 4.3.19). A baby, having fed at the breast of its mother, and being free from attachment and aversion, lies in its bed, enjoying its natural bliss. A sovereign emperor, endowed with discrimination and having at his command all the virtuous pleasures within the reach of human beings, and consequently being free from further desire, remains as bliss personified. A great Brahmana who has realized Brahman remains established in the supreme bliss of enlightenment in the state of jivanmukti, having achieved all that was to be achieved. The innocent child, the discriminating emperor and the enlightened Brahmana are examples of supreme bliss. Others are subject to sorrow and not entirely happy. In deep sleep, however, every one enjoys the bliss that is Brahman. In that state he is not conscious of anything internal or external, like a man in the tight embrace of his beloved wife (Br. Up. 4.3.21). The experiences of the waking state are external and those of dream are internal. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says that in the state of deep sleep, a father ceases to be a father, a mother ceases to be a mother, worlds cease to be worlds, and so on (4.3.22). Thus all worldly ideas are absent. Then jivahood ceases and Brahman alone remains. Grief is the consequence of identifying oneself as father, son etc. In deep sleep, when such identification is absent, there is no sorrow. One who has woken up from sleep recollects that he slept happily and knew nothing. Recollection presupposes experience. In deep sleep the Self reveals itself as bliss and it also reveals ignorance. Brahman is self-luminous bliss. In deep sleep the mind and intellect remain latent in their cause, avidya. They become manifest when the person wakes up. The person then remembers his experience of happiness and total ignorance during sleep. The state of deep sleep in which the mind and intellect are latent is called the bliss-sheath. When the person wakes up, the mind and intellect sheaths again become manifest. It is the sheath of bliss that is the enjoyer and it is the bliss of Brahman that is enjoyed. In the waking state the modifications of the intellect, which are the instruments of cognition, cover various objects of knowledge, but in deep sleep they become one undifferentiated mass of consciousness. In deep sleep there are no mental modifications in the form of sorrow. The state of deep sleep, in which bliss is enjoyed, ceases and the person wakes up when prompted by his karma. The impression of the bliss enjoyed in sleep remains for a short time after waking up. Then, impelled by his karma, he sets about performing his duties and gradually forgets the bliss of Brahman. Even though every one enjoys bliss during sleep, he does not realize that bliss to be Brahman itself. Mere intellectual knowledge about Brahman is not enough; Brahman should be realized as one’s own self. Whenever happiness is experienced even without any external object or any event to which it could be attributed, it should be understood to be the impression (vasana) of the bliss of Brahman. The happiness experienced on the fulfillment of any desire is due to the reflection of the bliss of Brahman in the mental modification (vritti). This happiness is called vishayananda, or happiness from the enjoyment of external objects. There are thus only three kinds of happiness: Brahmananda or the bliss of Brahman, Vasanananda or the happiness which is an impression of Brahmananda, and Vishayananda or the reflection of the bliss of Brahman in the mind. Brahmananda is self-revealing and it is what gives rise to the other two kinds of happiness. The fact that the bliss of Brahman is self-revealing in the state of deep sleep is testified by the scriptures, by reasoning and by experience. The jiva is called Anandamaya in the state of deep sleep when he enjoys the bliss of Brahman. In the states of dream and waking the jiva is identified with the intellect-sheath or Vijnanamayakosha. The sruti says that in the waking state the jiva abides in the eye, in the dream state in the throat and in deep sleep in the lotus of the heart. In the waking state the jiva identifies himself with the gross body and looks upon himself as a man, woman, etc. He then experiences joys and sorrows. When at some time he is free from worries and at the same time is not experiencing joy from any external object, his mind is calm. Then he experiences the natural bliss of the Self. But this bliss is not the supreme bliss of Brahman, as the notion of egoity is also present; it is only an impression of the supreme bliss. This is like the outer surface of an earthen pot full of water being cold to the touch, even though there is no water outside. Just as the presence of water inside a pot can be inferred from the coldness of the outer surface, one can comprehend one’s own nature of supreme bliss when one’s egoity becomes extremely attenuated by continued practice. The bliss in which there is no experience of duality and which is not the state of deep sleep is the bliss of Brahman. Lord Krishna tells Arjuna in the Bhagavadgita that one should gradually withdraw the mind from all other thoughts and keep it fixed on Brahman. Whenever the mind, which is by nature restless and fickle, strays away, it should be restrained and again fixed on the Self. The Yogi who has made his mind perfectly tranquil and free from all taint, who is sinless and who has realized his identity with Brahman attains supreme bliss. When by the practice of yoga the mind is withdrawn from other objects and concentrated on the Self, the supreme bliss which is beyond the senses and which can be grasped only by the intellect, is attained. There is nothing higher than this state. The person who has attained this state is not disturbed even by the greatest calamity. Yoga is the state of being totally free from any association with sorrow. This Yoga must be practised with determination and a dispassionate mind. The Yogi who is free from all taint and whose mind is ever fixed on the Self experiences the supreme bliss of identity with Brahman. Control of the mind can be achieved by assiduous practice as pointed out in the story about the bird which set about to dry up the ocean by baling out its waters drop by drop with its beak. The story is that the eggs laid by a bird on the seashore were washed away by the waves. The angry bird decided to get back its eggs by drying up the ocean and began to bale out the water with a blade of grass. Sage Narada who was passing by happened to see the bird and was impressed by its determination. He went to Garuda and asked him to go to the rescue of a member of his own species who was pitched against the mighty ocean. Garuda came and threatened the ocean with severe punishment if it did not restore the eggs to the bird. The ocean then returned the eggs to the bird. The moral of this story is that if one has the necessary determination, divine help will come and enable him to achieve his objective. Just as fire becomes extinguished when the fuel is exhausted, the mind merges in its cause when all modifications cease. When the mind is fixed on Brahman, the ultimate reality, all joys and sorrows resulting from praarabdha karma will be seen to have no reality. It is an ancient truth that the mind assumes the form of the object towards which it is directed. The mind is the cause of transmigratory existence. It should be purified with untiring effort. By the purification of the mind all the impressions left by actions, both good and evil, are destroyed. The purified mind abiding in the Self enjoys infinite bliss. If a person fixes his mind on Brahman with the same intensity with which people fix their mind on sense-objects, all bondage would be definitely eradicated. The mind which is tainted by desires is an impure mind and the mind which is free from desires is a pure mind. The sruti says that the mind alone is the cause of bondage as well as liberation. Attachment to objects of sense leads to bondage and freedom from attachment is the means to liberation. The bliss arising from absorption in the contemplation of the Self, when the mind becomes cleansed of all impurities, cannot be described in words. It can only be felt in the heart. The enlightened person always enjoys this supreme bliss inwardly even when he is outwardly engaged in worldly activities. The wise man gives up all desire for sensual pleasures and concentrates his mind on the Self so that he can enjoy that supreme bliss. A man whose mind is free from worldly concerns and is fixed on Brahman is not affected by any sorrows resulting from the operation of his fructifying karma. When worldly pleasures which are not opposed to Dharma come to him because of his praarabdha karma, without his seeking them, he looks upon them only as aspects of the bliss of Brahman. He experiences the bliss of Brahman in the waking state as well as in dream, because dreams consist only of the impressions left by the experiences in the waking state. In this chapter is described the realization of supreme bliss by the Yogi.

Chapter 12 Atmananda—The Bliss of the Self The Yogi experiences the bliss of Brahman as stated in the previous chapter. In this chapter the bliss experienced by the unenlightened person is examined. In the Brihadaaranyaka Upanishad it is said that every one loves others only for his or her own happiness and not for the happiness of the person loved. The husband, wife, son, wealth, animals and all other things are loved only because they give happiness. This is evident from the fact that when a person’s wife or son acts in a manner contrary to his wishes, he does not like them. Even an inveterate miser is willing to spend all his money to cure himself of a life-threatening disease, showing that his love of himself takes precedence over his love of money. All other things are loved only as long as they contribute to one’s own happiness. So all other persons and things are only means to one’s own happiness, and are not desired for their own sake; but happiness is desired for its own sake and not as a means to some thing else. A child, when kissed by its father feels pain by being pricked by the father’s bristly beard and cries, but the father goes on kissing the child because he feels happy thereby. This is a clear instance to show that all love is only for one’s own happiness. Love of the means to happiness shifts from one object to another, but love of one’s own self ever remains the same. Even when a person desires to end his life because of poverty, disease, humiliation or any other reason, it is the body that he wants to get rid of and not the self. Thus the self is the dearest to every one. The word ‘Self’ is used in three different senses, namely, figurative (gauna), illusory (mithya) and primary (mukhya). In the sentence ‘Devadatta is a lion’, the identification of Devadatta with a lion is figurative. The purport of this sentence is that Devadatta possesses some of the characteristics of a lion such as courage, majesty, etc. At the same time the difference between the two is also clearly understood. In the scriptures sometimes a son is identified as the self of his father. This identification is figurative. When a post is wrongly taken to be a man the identification is illusory. The identification of the self with the body and mind which constitute the five sheaths falls under this category. The primary meaning of the word ‘Self’ is the pure unconditioned witness-consciousness or non-dual Brahman. When a person desirous of attaining heaven performs the prescribed , he knows that it is his subtle body that will go to heaven and not his physical body. He thus looks upon his subtle body as his self. An aspirant for liberation strives for the realization that he is the pure unconditioned Self. Here the word ‘Self’ is used in its primary meaning. Supreme love is felt for the primary Self. One loves everything related to the Self, but the love for them is limited and conditional on their giving happiness. No love is felt for other things. The degree of love towards various objects of enjoyment varies according to their proximity to the Self. A son is dearer than wealth, one’s own body is dearer than one’s son, the sense-organs are dearer than the body, life is dearer than the sense-organs and the Self is dearer than everything else. A married couple intensely desires to have a son and is very unhappy till the wife conceives. After conception there is great worry about safe delivery. When the child is born there are anxieties about its health and whether all its faculties such as eyesight, hearing, etc., would be sound. When the child grows up there is worry about whether he would be intelligent and industrious in studies. Thereafter there is anxiety about whether he would earn well and become rich or suffer from poverty and also whether he would lead a good moral life or not. There is also anxiety about whether he would be healthy and live long or die prematurely. Thus there is no end to the sorrows of parents. The only way to avoid sorrows is to avoid attachment to persons and things and to focus his love on the Self. It should be noted here that attachment is different from love. Attachment puts one at the mercy of the person or thing to which the attachment is directed. But love, which by definition is free from any selfish motive, makes a person independent of the object of love. Love directed equally towards all living beings ennobles. Love for the supreme Self is in effect love for all creatures, since they are not different from the supreme Self. Since the Self is of the nature of bliss as well as consciousness, the question arises as to why bliss is not experienced in all modifications of the mind and only consciousness is experienced. This can be answered by taking the example of a lamp. When a lamp burns it emits both heat and light, but only light fills the room and not heat. When the Self is both bliss and consciousness, how is it that when consciousness is revealed in a mental modification bliss is also not revealed at the same time? This is answered by pointing out that though an object has colour, odour, taste, and touch, only one of these properties is cognized by a particular sense organ. It is not correct to say that colour, odour, and other properties of a flower are different from each other and so the example given is not applicable because bliss and consciousness are not different from each other. The properties of a flower are not different from one another. If it is said that they are different because they are cognized by different sense-organs, then it must be pointed out that there is similarly a seeming difference between bliss and consciousness brought about by difference in the composition of the mental state. When Sattvaguna predominates in the mind, both bliss and consciousness are revealed, while when Rajoguna predominates, only consciousness is revealed and bliss is obscured. The Lord says in the Bhagavadgita that there are two paths to liberation. One is Yoga and the other is the path of knowledge. One who knows that the Self is dearest does not desire any external object of enjoyment. Nor does he have aversion towards any thing because he sees no object inimical to himself. Chapter 13 Advaitananda—The Bliss of Non-Duality The Taittiriya Upanishad says that the world is born from bliss, it abides in bliss and finally merges in bliss. This bliss is the same as Brahman. Brahman is thus the material cause of the world. The relationship between the material cause and the effect is explained in different ways in the different schools. According to Vaiseshika, the effect is something new and absolutely different from the cause. This is known as Arambhavada. The Sankhyas hold the view that the effect is an actual transformation of the cause, like milk changing into curd, clay into pot and gold into ornaments. This is known as Parinamavada. In the case of a rope appearing as a snake, there is no real transformation. The snake is only a Vivarta or apparent modification of the rope. The appearance of the snake is due to ignorance of the rope. Similarly, the world is only a Vivarta of Brahman. Maya conceals Brahman and projects the world. Maya is the power of Brahman. Power does not exist apart from its possessor. At the same time, power is not identical with its possessor, because even when the power is obstructed, its possessor remains the same. Power cannot be directly perceived, but can only be inferred from its effect. Maya, the power of Brahman, manifests as action, knowledge and will. The supreme unconditioned Brahman is eternal, infinite and non-dual. When associated with Maya, Brahman is described as omnipotent. Brahman becomes manifest as consciousness in all living beings. Its power appears as movement in air, hardness in stone, liquidity in water, and heat in fire. Just as a tree with its branches, leaves, flowers, fruits, etc., is latent in the seed, so is this world latent in Brahman (before manifestation). When Brahman assumes the power of cognition it is called the mind. The notions of bondage and liberation arise in the mind. In Yogavasishta it is said that a nurse narrated the following story to amuse a child. Once upon a time there were three handsome princes. Two of them were never born and the third was never even conceived. They lived righteously in a city which never existed. While moving about in the city the princes saw trees laden with fruits growing in the sky. Then they went to another city which had not yet come into existence and lived there happily, spending their time in games and hunting. The child believed all this to be true because of lack of discriminating capacity. In the same way this world is accepted as real by those who have no discrimination. Sage Vasishta described the power of Maya through such stories. Maya is different from its effect as well as from its substratum. It can only be inferred from its effect, just as the burning power of an ember can be inferred only from the blister caused by it. An effect is non-different from its cause. A clay pot is not different from the clay, because it has no existence apart from the clay. At the same time, the pot is not identical with clay, because it is not perceived in the un-moulded clay. Therefore the pot has to be called indescribable, like the power which produced it. Because of this, the Chandogya Upanishad says that the pot is not real, being only a name, reality being attributed only to the clay (Ch.Up. 6.1.4). Of the three entities, namely, the product of power which is perceptible, the power itself which is not perceptible, and the substratum in which they both inhere, only the third persists; the first two exist by turns. So only the third is real. The pot has a beginning and an end. It is therefore not real. Before the pot was made it was only clay. When the pot exists, it is also only clay. After the pot is destroyed there is only clay. Thus clay alone is real. (It should be noted that this reality is only from the empirical point of view). The illusory snake disappears when the substratum, rope, is known. But a pot continues to appear as such even after its substratum, clay, is known. So the question is, how can the pot be said to be illusory? The answer is that though the pot is still seen, it is realized that it has no reality apart from clay. The substitution of the notion that the pot has a reality of its own by the realization that it is nothing but clay with a particular name and form can be described as destruction of the pot. The world is superimposed on Brahman. Even after the realization that Brahman is the only reality the world continues to be perceived by the realized person, but it is not accepted as real by him. He is not affected by the joys and sorrows in the world. It is in this sense that the world is said to have ceased to exist when Brahman is realized. In an actual transformation, as in the case of milk becoming curd, the original substance, milk, disappears. But in the modification of clay into pot, or gold into ornaments, the substratum, clay or gold, remains as such. Chandogya Upanishad says that by knowing a lump of clay, everything made of clay is known. Similarly, by knowing Brahman the whole phenomenal universe is known. Brahman is existence, consciousness and bliss, whereas the world consists of name and form. Before the manifestation of the universe Maya remained unmanifest in Brahman. The Svetasvatara Upanishad says: ”Know Maya to be Prakriti (the material cause of the universe), and the supreme Lord to be the Ruler (or substratum) of Maya”. Name and form are merely superimposed on Brahman. By the continuous practice of meditation on Brahman a person becomes established in the knowledge of Brahman. Then he becomes liberated from Samsara. In dream a man sees impossible things happening, but at that time he does not even realize that they are impossible, but accepts them as correct. When such is the power of dream, what is there to wonder about the power of Maya which projects this universe and makes it appear real? The whole universe is only the projection of names and forms in Brahman by Maya. When one realizes that all names and forms have no reality and rejects them he remains as the pure Brahman. Even if he continues to be engaged in worldly matters he is not affected by the joys and sorrows arising from them. Just as a huge rock lying in the bed of a river remains unaffected even though water continuously flows over it, Brahman remains unchanged while names and forms keep on changing. Realizing that Brahman is existence, consciousness and bliss, one should keep his mind fixed on Brahman and restrain it from dwelling on names and forms. Thus the bliss of non- duality will be realized. Chapter 14 Vidyananda—The Bliss of Knowledge In this chapter the bliss experienced by a person who has attained the knowledge (realization) of Brahman through one of the three paths described in the preceding three chapters, namely, the practice of yoga, discriminative knowledge of the Self, and constant contemplation of the unreality of duality, is described. The happiness arising from external objects is a modification of the intellect. Similarly, the bliss arising from the realization of Brahman is also a modification of the intellect. This bliss has four aspects. These are, absence of sorrow, the fulfillment of all desires, the satisfaction of having done all that had to be done, and the feeling of having attained the goal of life. The jiva identifies himself with the subtle and gross bodies and thinks of himself as an agent (doer) and an enjoyer. The names and forms in the universe are looked upon as objects of enjoyment. When the jiva realizes that he is the supreme Brahman and gives up identification with the bodies, there is neither enjoyer nor objects of enjoyment. It is the identification with the bodies that is the cause of all desires, since all desires are for the comfort of the body. Sorrow results when a desire is not fulfilled. The knower of Brahman realizes that worldly objects have no reality and so he has no desire for them. Just as water does not stick to the leaves of the lotus, actions performed after realization do not attach to the knower, because actions are performed by the body and the knower of Brahman has no identification with the body. The accumulated actions (sanchita karma) are burnt by the fire in the form of the knowledge of Brahman. The injunctions and prohibitions of the Vedas do not have any application to the enlightened person. These are applicable only as long as one identifies oneself with the body and the mind. Any action performed by a realized soul is not action at all, because he has no sense of doership. Whatever action he performs is only for the welfare of the world and not for any benefit for himself, because he is the pure Self which has no desires. He enjoys supreme bliss. The present body continues till the praarabdha karma which brought it into existence is exhausted. On the fall of this body he will not be born again because there will be no karma left to give him another birth. The bliss of the Self is beyond the grasp of the mind and the senses. It is superior even to the happiness enjoyed by Brahma and other gods. Chapter 15 Vishayananda—The happiness from external objects In this chapter the happiness derived by the contact of the sense-organs with external objects is described. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says that this happiness is only a particle of the bliss of Brahman (Br. Up. 4.3.32). Mental modifications (vrittis) are of three kinds—calm (sattvic), agitated (rajasic) and dull (tamasic). The sattvic modifications are detachment, forbearance and generosity. The rajasic modifications are craving, attachment, greed, and the like. The tamasic modifications are delusion, fear, etc. The consciousness aspect of Brahman is reflected in modifications of all kinds, but the bliss aspect is reflected only in sattvic modifications. The same supreme Self dwells in all bodies. Though it is only one, it appears as many, like the reflections of the moon in different vessels of water. The reflection of the moon is clear if the water is pure and faint if the water is muddy. Similarly, Brahman appears differently in different bodies, depending on the nature of the mental modification. Brahman is Existence-Consciousness-Bliss. The existence aspect alone is manifested in inanimate objects, but not consciousness and bliss. This is because inanimate objects have no subtle body which alone can reflect consciousness and bliss. The consciousness aspect is manifested in all animate beings, even when the mind is agitated, for we see that even a person who is unhappy is conscious. But the bliss aspect is manifested only when the mind is calm. A doubt arises as to why, when Brahman has both the aspects of consciousness and bliss, only one of them, consciousness, is reflected in an agitated mind. When you look at the reflection of your face in a mirror, you find that the face in its entirety is reflected and not only some aspects of it. This doubt is answered by giving two examples. When water is in contact with fire, only the heat aspect of fire is absorbed by the water and not the light of fire. But when a log of wood comes into contact with fire, it absorbs both the heat and the light aspects. Similarly, only the consciousness aspect of Brahman is reflected in an agitated mind, but both the consciousness and the bliss aspects are reflected when the mind is calm. When there is some desire in the mind there is anxiety about whether the desired object will be attained or not. In such a condition there can be no happiness. But as soon as the desired object is attained, the mind becomes calm. The bliss of Brahman is then reflected in the mind. The happiness experienced then is wrongly attributed to the attainment of the desired object, while it is really due to the mind becoming calm. This happiness continues only till another desire arises and agitates the mind. When a person has attained complete detachment towards worldly pleasures and is free from desires, his mind is absolutely calm and then supreme bliss is experienced. Brahman is existence, consciousness and bliss. In inanimate objects such as stones, only the existence aspect is manifest, because they have no subtle body which alone can reflect consciousness. In all living beings both existence and consciousness are manifest. All the three aspects of Brahman are manifest in a mind that is predominantly sattvic. Brahman is in reality devoid of all attributes. The multifarious names and forms in the world are superimposed on Brahman by Maya. For those who are incapable of meditating on the attributeless Brahman meditation on Brahman with attributes is prescribed in the scriptures. When the non-dual, self-luminous, attributeless Brahman is known, there is no triad of knower, knowing and known. Then there is infinite bliss. May the Lord who is both Hari and Hara protect all those who, with a pure mind, surrender themselves to Him. End TTHHEE PPHHIILLOOSSOOPPHHYY OOFF TTHHEE PPAANNCCHHAADDAASSII by

Swami Krishnananda

The Sivananda Ashram, Rishikesh, India

(Internet Edition: For free distribution only) Website: www.swami-krishnananda.org CONTENTS

Preface 3 1. Discrimination Of Reality 5 2. Discrimination Of The Elements 15 3. Discrimination Of The Five Sheaths 22 4. Discrimination Of Duality 26 5. Discrimination Of The Mahavakyas 32 6. Light On The Analogy Of A Painted Picture 34 7. Light On Supreme Satisfaction 50 8. Light On The Internal Self 64 9. Light On Meditation 70 10. Light On The Drama Theatre 82 11. The Bliss Of Yoga 85 12. The Bliss Of The Self 94 13. The Bliss Of Non-Duality 101 14. The Bliss Of Knowledge 111 15. The Bliss Of Objects 116

The Philosophy of the PanchaPanchadasidasi byby SwamiSwami Krishnananda Krishnananda 21 PREFACE

The Panchadasi is a standard text on the philosophy of the Vedanta, consisting of fifteen chapters, written by Sage Vidyaranya. Historians and teachers of philosophy sometimes hold that the later portions of this work were written by Bharatitirtha. Whatever be the authorship of this treatise, it stands as an unparalleled compendium expounding the fundamental principles of the Vedanta propounding the non-dual existence of Brahman, the supremacy of the Absolute. In accordance with the accepted definition of the Ultimate Reality as Sat-Chit-Ananda (Existence-Knowledge-Bliss), the fifteen chapters of the Panchadasi are grouped into three sections of five chapters each, which are designated as , or Discrimination, Dipa, or Illumination, and Ananda, or Bliss, corresponding to the Existence, Consciousness and Bliss aspects of Reality, which is the theme of the fifteen chapters. The text purports to point out that the universe finally gravitates to the realization of this great purpose of all life, namely, the experience of Absolute Existence, which is a blend of infinity and eternity, wherein are brought together into the highest fulfilment all the aspirations of the whole of creation. The first five chapters endeavour to discriminate by analysis and understanding (Viveka) the nature of Reality as distinguished from mere appearance, both in the external universe of the five Elements - Ether, Air, Fire, Water and Earth - and the individual consisting of the five sheaths - Annamaya, Pranamaya, Manomaya, Vijnanamaya and Anandamaya - meaning the Physical. Vital, Mental, Intellectual and Causal encasements of the pure Spirit. Incidentally, the sequence of the process of creation is described, in the context of stating the relationship between Brahman and the universe, which involves also an explanation of the specific connection that seems to obtain between the individual percipient and the world of perception. These are highly interesting in-depth analyses and studies which probe into the final structure and substance of all things. The second set of five chapters throw light (Dipa) on the fact that Consciousness is the supreme principle, the only Reality, which is identical with pure Existence. Here, again, a detailed description is entered into regarding the nature of Isvara (God), Jagat (world) and Jiva (individual), with an outstanding exposition of their mutual action and interaction. The theory of perception, which is a very important field of study in all philosophic circles, is discussed in an entire chapter in this section. Simultaneously, there is a picturesque delineation of the gradational process of the ascent of the individual to its supreme goal, liberation in union with Brahman, the Absolute. A very poignant and candid discourse on the meaning and method of meditation leading to contact with Reality is also a stimulating theme discussed in this section. The last five chapters go into great detail in expounding the inner constitutive essence of Brahman as unexcelled Bliss (Ananda). Joy is the essence of life. Happiness is the core of all things. Everything struggles in the end for reaching a state of infinite satisfaction. There does not seem to be any other aim or purpose in life, whatever be the movement or the activity with which persons and things seem to be busy in the complex arrangement of the evolution and involution of the universe. That the cause and the effect are finally non-different, that reality and its manifestations cannot be drastically separated one from the other, that God and the world are not two different realities, that

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 3 the deepest in man is Existence, which is Consciousness and Joy, that all effort at the gaining of knowledge is an adventure in the direction of the union of knowing and being, Consciousness and Existence, that the Self is the source of all happiness, whether the concept of Self is empirically limited to persons, things and relations, or understood in its primary sense of unlimited universality, and that the notion that pleasures come from external objects located in space and time outside as the non-Self is a blatant error, perfection being attainable only in the realization of the Absolute Self, form the enthralling subjects inimitably described by the author in the concluding five chapters. The Panchadasi is usually, and perhaps invariably, prescribed as a pre-condition of study before one takes up the larger initiations into the Upanishads, the Brahmasutras and the Bhagavadgita, inasmuch as this basic text acts as a fitting introduction to the central doctrines of the Vedanta philosophy in general. The present book consists of the lectures delivered on the philosophy and the teachings of this great work to audiences of students at the Headquarters of the Divine Life Society.

Swami Krishnananda

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 4 CHAPTER I DISCRIMINATION OF REALITY

ANALYSIS OF SELF The world consists of objects, and every object is a content of positive or negative perception and cognition. The special feature of each object is that it is distinguished from the other by characteristics that are ingrained in it in a particular manner. This is why we see the world variegated in colours, sounds, tastes, touches, and smells. The difference is in the existence somewhere of some characteristics outside the range of others at other places. Thus, for example, we mark a difference between a cow and a tree, because we do not find in a cow the features of a tree, and those of a cow in a tree. Objects manifest a mutual exclusion of one another. It is this that enables us to know the multitudinousness that the world is. We also conceive such difference as that between God and the individual, God and the world, one individual and another, the individual and the world, in addition to the differences among the various contents of the world. There is a difference of limbs in the body. There is difference among individuals of the same species as also individuals of different species. There is external and internal variety. We may here raise a question as to what it is that knows that there is difference, and how is difference known at all? We have an immediate answer that a kind of consciousness in us is the knower of the different objects outside as also inside, and this difference is also known by consciousness itself. The world can be known by nothing other than consciousness. Though the objects differ in their external features, we do not find any difference among the various types of consciousness. There is distinction of sounds, colours, etc., but there is no distinction between the consciousness of sound and the consciousness of colour, and so on. This, then, means that the knowing consciousness is one and the same, though things are multifarious and possess changing characters. One and the same consciousness sees, hears, tastes, touches and smells, and it is also possible to be conscious of the consciousness of all these. Consciousness is a synthetic unity of apperception, it is all at once. Though the eyes cannot hear and ears cannot see, etc., and each sense has one particular function to perform, consciousness is the unity of them all. It is one and indivisible, and it is responsible for all the experiences in the world. This same predicament is observed in the state of dream, also. The difference of the waking state is only in the permanency of experience which it reveals. While dream experience is short, the waking one is comparatively long. But there is no difference in the constitution, the make-up, or the construction of the two states. Yet, it is seen that the consciousness does not differ. Though there is difference between waking and dreaming, there is no difference between the consciousness of waking and the consciousness of dreaming. This is testified by the experience that one and the same individual wakes and dreams, and asserts: “I dreamt.” While the waking state is due to actual perception through senses, dream is brought about by the memory of waking state on account of the impressions of the latter imbedded in the mind, which manifest themselves on suitable occasions. Consciousness has no forms or shapes. Also, taking into consideration the condition of deep sleep, it is seen that there is, in it,

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 5 for all practical purposes, no consciousness at all. One wakes up from sleep and exclaims: “I knew nothing, but I enjoyed happiness, I had wonderful rest.” Notwithstanding that there was no consciousness or knowing in deep sleep, there is a persistent memory of one’s having slept and experienced joy therein. There is a total absence of experience from the point of view of consciousness, but the effect in the form of memory of having slept is enough evidence that there was some sort of experience even in deep sleep. The continuance of impression is the outcome of a continuity in basic being. When there is no experience, there is no memory, too. But it cannot be denied that we have a memory of sleep. This leads to the conclusion that the condition of deep sleep is one of a conscious experience, though this consciousness is not to be construed in the ordinary sense of the term. When we affirm that there was all darkness in sleep, it means, we knew darkness. Else, we would not be making such an assertion. To know darkness there must be knowledge, and knowledge is identical with the luminous intelligence with which the states of waking and dreaming are also experienced. There is, therefore, an unbroken continuity of consciousness in the states of waking, dreaming and deep sleep. And, as it is different from the objects it knew in waking and dreaming, it is also different from the darkness or ignorance which it knew in deep sleep. But, it never differs from the consciousness of either state. From this it may be concluded that the same consciousness persists for days and nights together, for months and years and centuries and aeons, for ever and ever. It has no beginning, middle or end. It is absolute. One cannot conceive of the cessation of consciousness, since it is impossible to conceive of one’s own destruction. There is the persistence of consciousness even when one imagines that there is total annihilation. Consciousness precedes thought, volition and feeling. There is an immediacy in consciousness and it never becomes an object. The knower, knowledge and the known are one and the same and inseparable. There is not in it the opposition of subject and object, as in the case of the various things of the world. It is not known by itself, nor known by another; the former case is impossible, and the latter leads to infinite regress in argument. It is best defined as That which Is. This consciousness is the Atman, and is the repository of supreme bliss. The bliss of the Atman is unvarying, as different from the pleasure that one feels with any set of objects which are changeful in nature. All things are dear and lovable for the sake of this Self, and hence all things are subservient to the Self. Nothing in this universe is pleasurable for its own sake, but for the sake of the Atman. When the loves in regard to objects change due to changing circumstances in life, one realises at the background of all these that the love of the Atman stands unbroken and persists through change. Even displeasure with oneself is not in regard to the essential Atman within, but with certain painful conditions in life which are repulsive to one’s tastes, inclinations or desires. It is not existence that is hated, but certain forms of existence. None ever condemns or tries to negate oneself. There is an inner prayer from everyone that one may live for ever. ‘May I not cease to be; may I exist always’ is the deepest wish in every living being. This love is ingrained in the bottom of one’s existence. It is never seen that the Self is subservient to objects. On the other hand it is seen that objects are subservient to the Self. On a careful psychological analysis it is observable that the love which people have for things outside is the outcome of a confused mixing up of the bliss of the Atman with the changing names and forms that make up what we

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 6 call the world. Hence, in loving an object, the confused mind attaches itself to the changing names and forms in its ignorance and the false notion that its love is deposited in the objects, while in truth it is in the Atman, and even when we love objects we are unwittingly loving the universal Atman. Hence the Atman is Supreme Bliss, which is the only natural condition of spiritual existence, while all other conditions with which it associates itself are transitory phenomena, and unnatural. From the above it would be clear that the Atman eternally exists as consciousness and is absolute bliss. It is Sat-Chit-Ananda, which fact is demonstrated both by reason and intuition. The identity of the Atman with Brahman or the Absolute Being is declared in the Vedanta texts such as the Upanishads, which is also established by reason. But this Atman is not seen, it is not visible to the eyes, and hence all the misery of individual existence. Nor can it be said that it is entirely invisible, else there would be no love or pleasure. That there is a faint recognition of the existence of the Atman is proved beyond doubt by the unparalleled affection which one has towards one’s own Self. But it is also true that it is not properly seen or known; otherwise, one would not be clinging to objects, the perishable forms of the world, which have neither reality in them nor the happiness which one is seeking. Thus there is a peculiar situation in which we find ourselves where we seem to know it and yet not know it. There is a muddle of intelligence and torpidity of understanding due to which there is a perpetually disturbed feeling and distracted knowledge. It is that which is responsible for our partially evincing love for ourselves and partially clinging to things that perish. The beauty and the joy are not in things but in the Atman. And this is not known. It is falsely imagined to be in objects; hence the attachment that we cherish in regard to them. Just as in a large group of students, who are chanting the Veda in a chorus, and where every kind of voice can be heard, it is possible for the father of one particular student in that group to hear the voice of his own son, due to his familiarity with it, though this voice is mixed up with the voices of others, the Atman with concentration on its nature can recognise itself in the midst of the millions of things of the world, amidst the deafening clamour of the senses, because its presence in them is natural and eternal. Just as the obstruction in the case of the father’s properly hearing the voice his son, is the crowd of the voices of others, so in the case of the Atman, the obstruction to its recognition is Avidya or Nescience, which has the twofold function of veiling and distracting consciousness. The veiling is effected by suppressing the character of existence and revelation in regard to Reality, and then manifesting opposite characters, viz., that it dies not exist and it is not revealed. Hence we all feel that the Atman is not, and it is not known. This conviction which is brought about by Avidya is the deluding factor in the case of every individual. There is not only the veiling of Reality, but also the projection of phenomenality in the form of the universe outside, and the bodily layers inside. (Verses 3-14)

THE EVOLUTION OF THE UNIVERSE Prakriti or the matrix of the universe, animated by a reflection of Consciousness or Brahman, divides itself in the beginning into the cosmic forces called Sattva (equilibrium), Rajas (distraction) and Tamas (inertia). These three properties of Prakriti are really its very constituents, not merely qualifications or adjuncts, and stand to Prakriti in the relation of the three strands of a rope to the rope itself. Cosmic Sattva is

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 7 called Maya. On account of its transparency and the absence of the property of Rajas in it, it is omnipresent and reflects in its essence Brahman in a universal manner. The cosmic reflection of Brahman in the Sattva aspect of Prakriti is called Isvara, the Sovereign of the universe. It is Isvara who is the Creator, Preserver and Destroyer of the universe. In Isvara the universe exists in a seed-form, and all the Jivas who had not the opportunity to attain Self-realisation at the time of Pralaya or cosmic dissolution, lie latent in Isvara prior to the subsequent creation. This condition may be compared to a cosmic sleep (Yoganidra), where everything lies dormant as the tree exists in a seed. When the cosmic seed slightly manifests itself, showing symptoms of creation, the faint outlines of the universe, it goes by the name of Hiranyagarbha. The fully manifested aspect of this universe as informed by the presence of Brahman, is called Virat. Thus, Isvara, Hiranyagarbha and Virat are manifestations in Cosmic Sattva, and are Omnipresent, Omniscient and Omnipotent. The Cosmic Rajas creates variety in form, and manifests the various individuals constituting the universe in the different stages of evolution. Each individual goes by the name of a Jiva, affected and conditioned by Avidya or nescience. Corresponding to the three cosmic states, the Jiva has also three states which are called Prajna, Taijasa and Visva, wherein it sleeps, dreams or wakes into world life. The Jiva stands in the status of an inverted reflection or image of Isvara and the highest in Isvara appears as the lowest in the Jiva, so that though the condition of cosmic sleep is the highest from the point of view of Isvara, the state of sleep is the lowest from the point of view of the Jiva, because in the state of sleep the Jiva is deprived of consciousness and is rendered incapable of any personal effort or understanding; the highest for the Jiva is the waking state in which it becomes possible for it to contemplate Reality in the form of Virat. While Isvara controlling Maya is omniscient, Jiva controlled by Avidya is ignorant and powerless. The Cosmic Tamas, which is called Tamasi, divides itself into two powers called Avarana and Vikshepa, which respectively mean ‘veiling’ and ‘projecting’. This power not only veils the existence and consciousness aspect of Brahman, through Avarana, but also projects the objective universe by Vikshepa. The Vikshepa-Sakti or the projecting power appears in five forms as Sabda, or the principle of sound, Sparsa, or the principle of touch, Rupa, or the principle of sight or colour, Rasa, or the principle of taste, and Gandha or the principle of smell. These principles have in them again the subsidiary qualities of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. The Sattva of Sabda becomes the sense of hearing; the Sattva of Sparsa, the sense of touch; the Sattva of Rupa, the sense of sight; the Sattva of Rasa, the sense of taste; and the Sattva of Gandha, the sense of smell. These Sattva properties taken together constitute the internal organ or the Antahkarana. The Antahkarana has four aspects, viz., Manas, Buddhi, and Chitta. Manas does the function of general indeterminate thinking; Buddhi functions as intellect with the character of determination and will; Ahamkara is the individual or ego which asserts and distinguishes itself from others. Chitta constitutes the , and the subconscious level, and is the seat of memory. The Rajas aspect of the five principles of Sabda, Sparsa, Rupa, Rasa and Gandha become the organs of action. The Rajas of Sabda becomes the organ of speech; of Sparsa the organ of grasping; of Rupa the organ of locomotion; of Rasa the organ of generation, and of Gandha the organ of excretion. These Rajas forms taken together constitute the Prana or the total energy of the system. The Prana as five main functional variations:

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 8 Prana which causes expiration, Apana which causes inspiration, Udana which separates the physical and subtle bodies at death, Samana which digests the food taken in, and Vyana which causes circulation of blood in the body. The Tamas aspects of the these five principles become the gross universe consisting of the five elements, Akasa or ether, Vayu or air, Tejas or fire, Apas or water, and Prithvi or earth, by means of the process of Panchikarana or quintuplication of elements. This process is thus: Half of the Tamas of Sabda mixed with one-eighths of each of the other four principles in their Tamas states becomes ether. Half of the Tamas of Sparsa in combination with one-eighths of the Tamas of each of the other four principles is air. Similar is the way of the formation of the remaining elements. Isvara has mastery over Maya, because the latter is undivided Sattva, with no individualisation while Jiva has no control over Avidya as the Jiva is an effect of the latter. Avidya qualifies and modifies Jiva. The individual thinking principle with a personalistic consciousness is distinct from the object perceived. Avidya being many, Jivas, too, are many. The Jiva goes by the names of Prajna, Taijasa and Visva, when it associates itself with the bodies: causal, subtle and physical. These names are not of the bodies but of the consciousness which knows them and experiences them. The causal body of the Jiva, consisting of nescience, further expresses itself as the subtle body which consists of the five senses of knowledge, five organs of action, five Pranas and the fourfold Antahkarana. This subtle body also called Linga-Sarira, or insignia and symbol, and it is so called because it is the mark or indication of one’s individuality, it being entirely responsible for the multifarious experiences which the Jiva has in the form of a subject isolated from the differing objects. Isvara, Hiranyagarbha and Virat are Samashti-Abhimanis or Cosmic Existences seeped in a simultaneous association with the totality of the universe in all its states, while the Jiva’s states have only a consciousness segregated by individuality. Isvara has the instantaneous knowledge of everything as identical with the knowledge of His own Self. For Him there is no such thing as subject or object - the two are one, and they form His very being. His knowledge is Aparoksha or immediate, while that of the Jiva is Paroksha or mediate. The Jiva has only a relativistic knowledge born out of contact through sense-organs, and there is no such thing as eternal knowledge in a Jiva. It is for the sake of experience by the Jivas that the world is manifested for providing them with various conditions to work out their destiny in accordance with the nature of the groups of unfulfilled desires that are yet to be fulfilled in a practical life or birth. Thus the world is a training ground to the Jivas for their higher evolution. The Jivas are enabled to have the needed types of experience by the order or Will of Isvara towards the quintuplication of the elements. These elements become the sources of the bodies that appear as subjects and objects in relative experience. The worlds thus produced differ in their quality, intensity and constitution in accordance with the nature of the desires of the Jivas for whose experience they are made manifest. The whole cosmos is materialised out of the five elements, and in it are situated the various Lokas or planes of existence. The subtleties of the bodies of Jivas also vary in accordance with the worlds they inhabit. Thus the Devas or celestials have no physical body, and there are those who have only the causal bodies bringing them into great proximity with the Reality. The Universal Consciousness in forming this physical realm is known by the name of Vaisvanara or Virat. When it animates the physical cosmos, all Jivas in all the

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 9 fourteen planes of creation, are characterised by externality of consciousness, due to which they are deprived of insight into their own inner essences. This absence of true knowledge involves all Jivas, notwithstanding that some of them may be endowed with greater degrees of understanding. Being thus bereft of true knowledge the Jivas engage themselves in activity for the fulfilment of their desires. This fulfilment stimulates further activity in the same direction, and there is no end to this process, as desires are endless. The Jivas, thus, drift helplessly like insects caught in the currents of a river and find it impossible to get out of the whirls of the flow. Samsara or world-existence comes to an end only when the Jiva recognises its true identity with the Absolute. The fall of the Jiva takes place in seven stages: Avidya, Aviveka, Ahamkara, Raga- dvesha, Karma, Janma and Duhkha. The first stage is when the Jiva is deprived of its universal consciousness and is made to feel as if it is not there at all. This is Avidya, the negation of Reality and the cause of the manifestation of relative reality. Avidya becomes the source of the erroneous identification of the Self with the limited existence in the form of a personality or a body. The Jiva under its influence begins to honestly feel that there is a real diversity of things and these are all absolutely real. The Jiva in its waking state is really a part of the universal Virat and ought really to know that its existence is impossible apart from Virat, but when, due Aviveka, or non-discrimination given rise to by Avidya, it begins to feel otherwise, and asserts its independence, considering the other parts of Virat as objects of its consciousness, Ahamkara or ego is thereby developed which veils the ultimate Reality and confirms the value of its own personal experiences as set in opposition to those of others. This principle of Ahamkara, while asserting its finitude and imperfection, is automatically made to feel an intrinsic want in itself, and struggles in every way possible, to overcome the limitations by fulfilling the wants. The finitude of the Jiva being ultimately rooted in its erroneous identification with a particular body by forgetting its essential nature, the desires born of it assume infinite forms and it becomes impossible for the Jiva to fulfil them by finite means. Thus, its desires and the actions directed to their fulfilment, exceed the limitations set to it by the short duration of its life, which it can live through any particular body. A succession of births and death is the result, with the false hope of complete satisfaction of the desires born of finite nature. Ahamkara causes likes and dislikes for particulars (Raga-dvesha), which is the incentive for all action (Karma). The binding actions infused with desires bring about birth in a body (Janma), and there comes in the grief (Duhkha) of the Jiva. A proper understanding of this state of affairs is a part of Viveka that should form the equipment of a sincere Sadhaka or spiritual aspirant, endeavouring to attain Brahman through knowledge. It is with this qualification that one should approach a spiritual preceptor or Guru, being dissatisfied with the worlds of desire and action, and with the genuine longing for freedom from Samsara. The Guru should be a Srotriya and a Brahmanishtha, one well-versed in the scriptures and established in Brahman. He instructs the disciple in the true nature of Brahman. The company of a genuinely great preceptor is the result of maturation of one’s past good deeds, and to such a blessed soul, he becomes a veritable shady tree to cool its thirst in the desert of life. (Verses 15-31)

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 10 ENQUIRY INTO THE ATMAN The Atman-consciousness is encased, as it were, in the sheaths called the physical (Anna), vital (Prana), mental (Manas), intellectual (Buddhi) and causal (Ananda) bodies, restricted to which it forgets itself as a universal reality and enters the space- time world of objects. The outermost sheath, which is the physical encasement, is born of the five quintuplicated gross elements. The vital sheath is formed of the five Pranas and the five organs of action. The mental sheath consists of the thinking mind and the Chitta in association with the five senses of knowledge. The intellectual sheath is constituted of the discriminating Buddhi and the Ahamkara working with the same senses. In the causal sheath the presence of a little Sattva becomes the source of the Jiva’s happiness in states like deep sleep, and this happiness reveals itself when the Jiva sees (Priya), possesses (Moda) or enjoys (Pramoda) a desired object. The condition of the Jiva-consciousness is just the condition of the sheath with which it identifies at any given time. The independent character of the Atman is ascertained by a process of Anvaya and Vyatireka, or positive and negative analysis. The existence of the Atman in the state of dream while the physical body is not then existent, is called Anvaya (positive concomitance). The non-existence of the physical body in dream, while the Atman shines as a witnessing consciousness is called Vyatireka (negative concomitance). The existence of the Atman in the state of deep sleep, while the subtle body is not then existent, is Anvaya, and the non-existence of the subtle body in the deep sleep, while the Atman is inferred to exist, is Vyatireka. The existence of the Atman in Samadhi (divine realisation), while the causal body does not then exist, is Anvaya, and the non-existence of the causal body in Samadhi, while the Atman exists, is Vyatireka. By this process, the independence of the Atman over the five sheaths is established. The analysis of the three bodies involves also a clear discrimination of the five sheaths, which are all distinguishable by their quality and state of function, and not in substance. The Atman exists in all the three states, while bodies function only in particular states. Or, the whole of the Anvaya-and-Vyatireka process can be put shortly, thus: The Atman is whatever and wherever the sheaths are, but the sheaths are not whatever and wherever the Atman is. This independent nature of the Atman is to be realised by carefully analysing the material unconscious nature of the sheaths as distinguished from the universal and conscious nature of the Atman which is the Kutastha-Chaitanya or immutable consciousness. Great moral courage is demanded of the spiritual aspirant by way of an unshakeable establishment in Sadhanachatushtaya, which includes intellectual discipline and ethical perfection. The teacher instructs the disciple in the essential nature of the Atman by the Mahavakya (great dictum): Tat-Tvam-Asi (That thou art), which is one of the Siddhartha-bodha-vakyas or affirmations of existent facts, which have to be made the objects of contemplation for the attainment of Atmasakshatkara or Self-realisation. When the Atman is discovered to be different from the sheaths, it is at once realised as Brahman. The meaning of a word or a sentence is usually understood by the power that is inherent in it, called the Sakti-Vritti, and it is this Vritti that manifests the primary apparent meaning of a sentence. Such meaning of a statement is called Vakyartha. But the underlying indicative meaning of the statement is known by another Vritti called

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 11 Lakshana-Vritti, or definitive power, which opens the way to the correct grasp of the intended meaning. This underlying meaning of a sentence is its Lakshyartha. The or definitions are of three kinds called, Jahat-Lakshana, Ajahat-Lakshana, and Jahat-Ajahat-Lakshana. The Jahat-Lakshana is a definition by which we make out the true sense of a statement by abandoning its primary meaning and accepting the indicative one, such as when we say, ‘there is a village on the Ganges’, or, ‘there is noise in the street’, etc. Here the apparent meaning is rejected - for a village cannot be on the Ganges, and the street cannot make noise- and an altogether different one is accepted. In such a statement as “the white is running” we add another word, e.g. ‘horse’, to make the sense clear, and here we do not abandon what is given primarily, but bring something in addition to make the meaning complete. This is Ajahat-Lakshana. But in understanding the true meaning of sentences like ‘Tat-Tvam-Asi’, we follow the process of Jahat-Ajahat-Lakshana, by which a part of the meaning is abandoned and part of it accepted, as, when we say, “This is that Devadatta”, to identify a person at a particular place and time as the same person seen at a different place and time. Here the limiting factors, viz. space and time are abandoned, and the common factor, viz. the identity of the person is taken into consideration. In the statement, Tat-Tvam-Asi, likewise, Jiva and Isvara, seem to have apparently contradictory characters, such as Alpajnata or limited knowledge and Aikadesikatva or limitedness in space and time in the case of the Jiva, and Sarvajnata or Omniscience, Sarvasaktimattva, or Omnipotence and Sarvantaryamitva or Omnipresence in the case of Isvara. Isvara and Jiva are therefore not related as two different subjects or objects, nor as substance and attribute, or indicator and indicated; but constitute one universal being viewed differently on account of the Upadhis (limiting adjuncts) of Prakriti in its various forms, which cause an apparent division of Isvara (God), Jagat (World) and Jiva (individual). In this apparent manifestation, Isvara as Brahman reflected through Suddha-Sattva or Maya becomes the Nimittakarana or instrumental cause, and in relation to the Tamasi Prakriti becomes the Upadanakarana or material cause. It is Brahman itself that appears as Jiva through the medium of Avidya. Thus, there is a simultaneous transcendence of the characters of Isvara, Jagat and Jiva, in the correct apprehension of the meaning of the declaration, “Tat-Tvam-Asi”. Isvara and Jiva become the objects indicated by the two terms, Tat and Tvam in the Mahavakya, ‘Tat-Tvam-Asi’, while their apparent verbal meaning is abandoned and the two are regarded as Brahman itself, associated with Suddha-Sattva (Maya) and Malina- Sattva (Avidya), respectively. Isvara becomes the instrumental cause of the universe when He is considered to be in association with Suddha-Sattva, and He himself becomes its material cause in association with Tamasi Prakriti. Thus Isvara is called Abhinna- Nimitta-Upadana-Karana, or the unified cause of the universe, instrumental as well as material. But the Jiva, being totally conditioned in Malina-Sattva in the form of Avidya, is infected with such defects as selfish desire and action directed to its fulfilment. With these limiting properties, Suddha-Sattva and Malina-Sattva are regarded as being distinct from the Common Substratum which is Brahman. Freed from these accidents the reality shrouded in the two grades of Sattva is one and undivided. Reality, as such, is independent existence, having nothing to do with either Suddha-Sattva, Malina-Sattva or Tamasi Prakriti, all which produce the false appearance of a division among Isvara, Jiva and Jagat. The transcendence of these relative properties is the realisation of Brahman, which is Akhanda-Ekarasa-Satchidananda (one, indivisible, essence of

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 12 Existence-Consciousness-Bliss). Now the question arises: is the ultimate Meaning, Brahman, Nirvikalpa (without attributes) or Savikalpa (with attributes). It cannot be said that the Nirvikalpa has attributes, because it would involve a self-contradictory statement, as when it is said, ‘a lame person is walking’; nor can we decide that attribute is present in the Savikalpa, because such a reasoning would land us in the fallacies of Atmasraya or begging the question, Anyonyasraya or mutual dependence, Chakraka or circular reasoning, and of absence of finality. These fallacies will be present if we are to consider Brahman as associated even with such other properties as action, genus, objectness, relationship, etc. We should therefore regard all these characteristics as present only in perceivable and conceivable things and not in Brahman which cannot be said to be either Savikalpa or Nirvikalpa, as it transcends all concepts. The attributes that are supposed to be present in it are those that are mentally transferred by the Jiva from the world of its experience. (Verses 32-52)

MEDITATION AND SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCE Study of Reality in this manner is called Sravana, and pondering over it for a protracted period is called Manana. When the mind is totally free from all doubts and does not stand in need of even the reasoning process and gets fixed firmly on the object of contemplation, and there is only a single Vritti or mental modification, i.e. Vritti of meditation, it is said to be in the state of Nididhyasana. Samadhi is the superconscious divine realisation wherein the so-called distinction between the knower and known is overcome and the consciousness is itself, and shakes not as a flame in windless space. On rising from Samadhi one often retains a memory of it on account of the persisting Sattva-Samskaras (pure impressions), though in that experience no memory or any mental operation is possible on account of the absence of desire. The subsequent memory is the consequence of the intensity of previous practice, as well as of the unseen resources in the form of antecedent merit of contemplation. In the process of meditation all the Vrittis (modifications) of the mind get subdued. These Vrittis are grouped into two categories: painless and painful. The painless modifications of the mind are Pramana, , Vikalpa, Nidra and Smriti. Pramana is the process of right perception of things with the help of sense-organs, inference, comparison, verbal testimony, etc. Viparyaya is erroneous knowledge born of defects in the perceptive organs or confusion in the mind caused by various factors. Vikalpa is the oscillating condition of the mind as to the true nature of the thing known. Nidra is the negative condition of the Vrittis where the activities of the mind are adjourned for a future time, and all psychological processes are wound up temporarily. Smriti is memory, wherein there is a remembrance of previous experience. These constitute the painless Vrittis of the internal organ. The painful Vrittis are Avidya, Asmita, Raga, Dvesha and Abhinivesa. Avidya is ignorance on account of which one goes wrong in the assessment of values and deeds, and then comes to grief. Asmita is self-consciousness or egoism by which a person appropriates undeserving attributes to himself. Raga is attachment and Dvesha is aversion for desirable and undesirable things, respectively. Abhinivesa is clinging to one’s body due to which there is love of life and fear of death. All these Vrittis are obstructive in their nature, from the point of view of Yoga. In the state of true Yoga there

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 13 is a single modification of the mind called , and here it perceives only its objective or ideal. In Dhyana or meditation there is a twofold consciousness of the meditator and meditated, while in Samadhi or absorption there is the transformation of all Vrittis into the Brahmakara-Vritti which destroys ignorance, desires and actions, and settles down, extinguishing itself like burnt camphor. In the state of Savikalpa-Samadhi there are Sattvika-Vrittis which cause the waking up of the Yogi into normal life. Even these Vrittis get transcended in Nirvikalpa-Samadhi. It is in this highest Samadhi, in which Consciousness rests in its own nature, that there will be a rain of the highest divine qualities, and a flood of virtue; hence this Samadhi goes by the name Dharmamegha (cloud of righteousness). Here comes the liberation of the soul, all having been completely abolished. The liberated ones are grouped in a graduated series in accordance with the degree of Sattva still present in them, and are called Brahmavit, Brahmavidvara, Brahmavidvariya, and Brahmavidvarishtha, when they are in the states of Sattvapatti (where there are flashes of Brahman), Asamsakti (wherein one is spontaneously free from all attachments), Padarthabhavana (in which there is only the perception of Brahman alone in everything), and (where individual consciousness gets permanently transfigured in the experience of Brahman). The virtue that is showered in Dharmamegha-Samadhi is not the ethical quality to which we are accustomed in this world, but the spontaneous expression of the highest Reality itself. As luminosity is the very nature of the sun and does not stand in need of any effort on the part of the agent for its manifestation, this Samadhi puts an end to the entire network of past impressions embedded in the mind even unconsciously, and removes by root the entire conglomeration of the causes of further experience. On account of the direct realisation of the stupendous inter-relatedness of things, the Yogi knows the highest in his knowledge and does not consider himself as an agent of actions which will bear any particularised fruits or results in the future. This is Aparoksha- Jnana or direct knowledge, on having attained which the perception of Reality becomes as clear as the observation of a fruit on one’s palm. This is the maturity of deep meditation practised after the acquisition of Paroksha-Jnana or indirect knowledge in the form of a correct understanding of the meaning of the great Upanishadic sentence, Tat-Tvam-Asi. While indirect knowledge received from a preceptor destroys all palpable sins, direct knowledge burns up the results even of the deeds done prior to such knowledge, and blazes up Brahman-realisation shining like the midday sun thoroughly destroying all darkness. (Verses 53-64)

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 14 CHAPTER II DISCRIMINATION OF THE ELEMENTS

THE PROPERTIES AND FUNCTIONS OF SPATIO-TEMPORAL MANIFESTATIONS The existence of Brahman proclaimed in the scripture, such as the Chhandogya Upanishad, can be inferred even from an analysis of the nature of the physical elements, the Mahabhutas. As Brahman, by itself, is beyond perception, it has to be known by an investigation into its effects. The qualities of the elements beginning from ether downwards, are sound, touch, colour, taste and smell, respectively, as their special features, but each succeeding element in this series has one quality more than the preceding one, so that ether has one quality, air has two, fire three, water four and earth five qualities, the property of each preceding element being carried forward in the succeeding one. It is these qualities that become the objects of perception of the different senses of knowledge. The senses are, again, inferred to exist by their external activities and they really exist in the subtle body, their manifestation being made possible through certain locations in the physical body which we call the Karanas or instruments, while the internal powers are called the Indriyas or senses. The senses cannot see or feel the presence of the substratum of the elements, since it is their substratum, too. They can only come in contact with their manifest qualities. The substratum is to be inferred by way of analysis. The seats of the senses are ear, skin, eyes, palate, nose, tongue, hands, feet, genitals and anus, grasping objects like sound, etc., as stated in the first chapter. They all have a tendency to move outward into the space-time world of objects. The senses of knowledge and the organs of action are situated in the subtle body and their presence is inferred by the effects that we observe externally in the form of perception and action. They themselves are not perceived, as they are constituted of the subtle elements. The senses, though they usually perceive only external things, do occasionally have internal perceptions, as when we hear internal sounds produced by the Pranas or by gastric fire on our closing ears; feel the sense of touch within while drinking liquids, taking food etc.; have inner vision of darkness on closing the eyes; taste and smell internally when there is an ergot or hiccup. These are certain types of internal perception, though, strictly speaking, all bodily sensations are to be regarded as external perceptions, since even the body is an object in the world. The mind is the ruler over the senses of knowledge and action, because it is capable of synthesising their functions into a harmony, while the functions by themselves are discrete. The mind is supposed to have its seat in the heart, though it pervades the entire body, like the light of a lamp that pervades an entire room though the lamp may be at a particular place in it. The mind is called the internal organ as it is incapable of functioning outwardly, independent of the senses. It is as much bound by the conditioning factors of space, time and causation as the senses are. This is its weakness, but its speciality over the senses is that it can remember things even when they are not perceived, and can bring about the needed synthesis in the perceptual and conceptual activities. The mind considers the pros and cons of the reports made by the senses and decides as to what should be done when a particular sensation or perception is brought to its notice. It functions through the three

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 15 qualities of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, and changes itself in accordance with the preponderance of one or more of these properties within. It is called Santa (peaceful), Ghora (terrific), and Mudha (torpid), respectively, in the states of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Virtuous qualities like knowledge and dispassion, forbearance and magnanimity are caused by Sattva. Qualities like desire and anger, greed and activity are the results of Rajas. Lethargy, inertia, confusion and sleep are the modifications of Tamas. Merit accrues in the state of Sattva, sin in Rajas, and nothing at all in a condition of Tamas. The principle within that appropriates and arrogates to itself all these functions and thus gets bound in Samsara is called Ahamkara, the relative agent of all actions in this world. It is clear that physical objects are material in their nature, from an observation of the fact that they are being perceived externally. We have now to understand that even the powers of the senses are of a similar nature, through scripture and reasoning. The scripture says that the mind is formed of the subtlest essence of food, Prana of the subtlest essence of water, and speech of the subtlest essence of heat. It is also known that there is a relation of Anvaya and Vyatireka between the senses and their elemental objects. The senses and the mind are incapable of perceiving non-physical things such as the celestial spheres or the still higher planes. The senses are correlative with the physical universe, the one being impossible without the other. This whole universe, which is capable of being known by the powers with which a human being is endowed, whatever one is capable of knowing by reason or scripture - all this, taken together, is referred to by the term ‘Idam’ (This), in the great statement of the Chhandogya Upanishad: Sadeva somya idam agre asit (This was just Existence alone in the beginning). The Universe is created, and so, prior to creation, there was One alone without a second, all variety and from being absent then. Form is the shape of a concrete manifestation, known to the senses or the mind, while name is to be taken in the sense of that determining force within all things, which marks out a particular individuality apart from the others by means of its special constitution or make-up. It is the name- form nexus that determines an individual, and explains the variety of creation. In Brahman no such thing exists. (Verses 1-18) THE NATURE OF EXISTENCE We have three types of difference: Svagatabheda or difference as between the limbs of one’s own body, Sajatiyabheda or difference of one from another of the same species, and Vijatiyabheda or difference of one from another of a different species. The scripture asserts that Brahman is one without a second, and we cannot conceive of limbs or parts in its universal existence. Existence was prior even to the manifestation of names and forms, and therefore it should be naturally free from names and forms. We cannot conceive of parts within existence, because the differentiation of parts cannot be explained without an assumption of existence. Existence is not different from another existence; as such a reasoning makes no meaning. Nor can we say that existence is different from non-existence, because non-existence has no validity. We cannot think of difference in the Infinite, without limiting it and making it finite. Existence is absolute, and when we say that It is, we have said everything about it, and no adjective or attribute can in any way help us in understanding its real nature. Existence is Brahman. Name and form cannot be considered to be its parts as they subsist on existence.

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 16 The state of Pure Existence appears to some as non-existence, inasmuch as it is a negation of all names and forms and the mind finds it impossible to conceive of a thing which has no names and forms. The mind gets stupefied when it is confronted with an indeterminate Absolute, because it is never used to such an experience. It moves fearlessly when it is presented with familiar objects, and is in a state of fear when it finds nothing to hold on, its activities get stilled and tacts confounded when it is lifted to the status of trans-empirical being. The great teacher, Gaudapada, refers to this supreme Yoga of the Absolute as Asparsa-Yoga, or the Yoga of non-contact, which means, a ‘union without a real union’ where the soul’s realisation is not a ‘coming together’ but mere being. It is difficult to approach because of its uncommonness, and the mind dreads it, as it is not familiar with it, having never seen it or known it before. Like a baby that cries in fear when placed in an unfamiliar atmosphere, the mind turns back from the Absolute, unable to reach it and repelled by its stupendous nature. The schools of thought which consider void as the ultimate Reality arrive at such a curious conclusion because of their extreme dependence on inferential logic without the aid of scripture or intuition. They say that void was or is, not knowing that thereby they posit its existence unwittingly. It is impossible even to think or conceive of anything without the presupposition of existence. Denial of existence would mean a simultaneous denial of even the function of thought. We cannot say that the names and forms of the world are characters superimposed on something else, nor that they may have some sort of reality at least temporarily, because these cannot be super-imposed either on existence which underlies them or on non-existence which itself has no meaning, or on the world which is only another name for a large group of names and forms. In the statement of the Upanishad, ‘Existence alone was’, the words Existence and Was do not denote two different things or even concepts, but convey one and the same meaning, the difference of words being introduced only with a concession to the weakness of human language which consists of sentences with verbs. Thus no kind of duality is intended in the statement, but only the undifferentiated Brahman is asserted. ‘Existence alone was in the beginning’. In this statement the terms ‘in the beginning’ do not imply the non-existence of Brahman at the present time and its presence only prior to creation. The declaration is meant only to make the student understand that prior to the manifestation of names and forms Brahman was undifferentiated. It does not mean that time is existent apart from the Absolute, and we should remember that questions and answers are possible only in the language of duality, and non-dual can never be designated as such-and-such. The teacher has to employ, perforce, the language of the student who finds himself in duality. The truth is that the origin of things, the state of existence, was one which was absolutely changeless, deep and incapable of mental approach in the sense of light or darkness as we know them, impossible to describe, unmanifest to the faculties known to us, something which cannot be said to be either this or that. It is that which remains after every concept is set aside as inadequate, above space, and experienced directly in a state of stillness of mind, rid of all desires. The mind may mistake a sense of voidness for actual realisation of Brahman, but from the fact of its being self-luminous, Brahman should be experienced as a state of doubtless Existence. The student or aspirant should be careful not to get ensnared by the temptations, perturbed by the oppositions, terrified by the states of stagnation, or confused by the various tricks of side-tracking which the mind resorts to at different

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 17 times in the practice of Yoga. The Atman is the witness of even the ideas of there being no meditation, and it stands above even the modes of Sattva in one’s thought. It is known in non-relational experience or Aparokshanubhava. Existence is not a void or nothingness, for it is known and realised in one’s own being, it is not empty like space, but the plenum of Reality revealed in a state of freedom from desire, as that which is prior to the distractive work of Maya. (Verses 19-46) THE NATURE OF MAYA As there is the existence of a consciousness behind the manifestation of all thought, there is a pure existence prior to the rise of names and forms as the universe. There is a power in Brahman which is not independent of it, but which can be inferred from the various effects that it produces, in the form of ether, etc., just as we infer the existence of heat in fire by means of its burning capacity. This power is not the same as Brahman, even as heat is not the same as fire. It is possible by certain methods to inhibit the burning power of fire without destroying the fire itself; yet we know that we cannot separate heat from fire at any time. This power of Brahman which is existence cannot therefore be considered to be different from it; else, it would become non-existence. Also, it is not existence in the sense of Brahman; hence essenceless. It is therefore indeterminable in character - Sad-asad-vilakshana - different from what is existence and non-existence. The Vedanta proclaims that in the beginning of things there was neither being nor non-being, but there was an indescribable something which looked like darkness. Even this darkness should have existence as its basis, because, without it, even darkness would not be possible. Even ignorance is something that we superimpose on what is existence. Thus there is no cause for any duality between Brahman and its power, even as there is no distinction between a man and his strength. This power is the same everywhere, but appears to be different due to the difference in the intensity of the manifesting media. We therefore, do not count Sakti or power by itself, nor do we consider it as the same as Brahman. Hence it is Maya which is Anirvachaniya, that which cannot be described in words, nor thought of by the mind, because language and thought are the expressions of Maya itself. It is impossible therefore to investigate its origin, its why and how, because all our faculties of understanding are only its effects. There is no understanding of the cause by the effect. The effect has first to rise to the state of the cause, so that it may know the latter. The mind has to rise to the condition of Brahman in intuition; only then will there be a knowing of what this power is. It is real to the ignorant, indescribable to the rational and non-existent to the Self-realised. The Sakti of Brahman does not operate in the whole of Brahman. Else there would be no such thing as a possibility of freedom from Samsara. This Maya-Sakti works only in relation to the Jivas who are involved in it, and who regard Brahman as qualified by it in the form of Isvara. For the ordinary understanding, therefore, it is said that this Sakti does not pervade the whole of Brahman, but is only a part of it, as it were. The Vedas and the Smritis assert that creation is as if a mere quarter of the Creator, and three- fourths of Him stand above as the resplendent Immortal Being, transcending creation. It does not mean that Brahman can be divided into parts, for it is indivisible on account of its non-spatial and non-temporal character. What is meant is that this creating power of Brahman is relative to those in bondage, and it is those that are in bondage who seek for an explanation of the cause of this bondage by locating a cosmic causal principle which is unintelligible to them, and which they therefore, call Maya. The explanation of

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 18 the world being impossible without a discovery of the cause behind it, and because such a cause has to be a cosmic principle in order that it may be able to provide a permanent explanation of the cause of the Jivas in bondage, this principle is associated with the creative Intelligence itself. Thus Maya is not eternal as Brahman is, because it has an end, though no beginning. It is this Sakti that introduces change in the changeless, as a wall would appear to be variegated due to the paintings on it. (Verses 47-59)

ON THE UNSUBSTANTIALITY OF THE ELEMENTS The first of these changes is the manifestation of Akasa or ether. Akasa has the property of spatiality in addition to existence. We feel that space is, and it has also the quality of distinguishing things by a peculiar feature in it, which we call emptiness. Minus the quality of spatiality and reverberation of sound, space is nothing but existence, which is the same as Brahman. The Sakti which makes the manifestation of Akasa possible brings about also perversion in one’s understanding of the relation between existence and Akasa. Instead of feeling that Akasa is an after-effect and existence is prior, we are apt to think that Akasa is the primary substance and existence is a property associated with it, as when we say ‘Akasa exists’, thus mixing up the two, and making existence a predicate of the subject Akasa. This reversal of understanding is called Bhrama or delusion, which is carried further down into the various errors that we commit in the hundreds of precepts and concepts that we have or cling to in our life. The perversion of understanding that causes the perception of space as a substance and existence as its property is again reversed into the right knowledge that Existence is the anterior substance and space is incapable of being without existence. It is therefore necessary to undertake a serious enquiry into the nature of space in order that there may not be deluded perception in regard to it. Existence and space differ from each other on account of their different names as well as by the disclosure of their real nature through reasoning. Existence and space are not synonymous terms. Hence they should indicate two different objects. Existence is commonly present even in air and other elements, but not spatiality. Thus the two have to be distinguished. Existence has a greater pervasive capacity than space and hence it should be the substance and space the property. Minus existence, space is nothing. We should not think that spatiality has a value of its own, because it is just another name for emptiness. Space is only an appearance like objects seen in dream, which are contradicted in waking. The differentiated world is contradicted in the experience of Virat, Hiranyagarbha and Ishvara. As genus and the individual, Jiva and its body, qualities and objects are distinguished in ordinary life, existence and space are to be differentiated. It is due to a lack of concentration of mind and certain doubts still lurking in it that one is not able to really feel that existence is the true substance. Concentration is to be practised for a protracted period by the usual methods of Yoga, and doubts have to be removed by right observation and proper reasoning. By meditation, observation and reasoning one comes to realise that existence is not space and space is not existence. To a Jnani or knower, the existence behind space alone is visible, and he does not see any such thing as spatiality or emptiness. In that condition he would rather be surprised to notice that people mistake space for existence. This analysis has to be carried on further in regard to the other elements also, viz., air, fire, water and earth.

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 19 The element of air also is to be analysed in the same manner as space. Air occupies a smaller part than space and inherits the quality of sound from space. The features of air are: (1) drying, (2) touch, (3) motion, and (4) velocity. It is felt to be existent; - this is the property of Brahman. It is unsubstantial when it is divested of existence; - this is the quality of Maya. It produces sound; - this is its inheritance from space. Though it is an effect, it is thus likely to be considered an independently real substance. As it has nothing which is not present in the preceding principles, we should regard air only as an appearance. It is existence alone that follows all the elements as a natural concomitant of everything, and space cannot be said to follow in that way. The quality of sound belonging to space follows the elements, but not spatiality. It should not be thought that air is absolutely real just because it is not directly connected with Maya which is the unmanifest qualifying adjunct of Ishvara. The answer is that unsubstantiality does not depend on being manifest or unmanifest, but on the capacity to vanish when divested of existence. Maya is not to be taken in the sense of any real substance that may create duality, but a name given to our inability to explain the relation of appearance to Reality. The existence-aspect of air is Brahman. The other aspects are unsubstantial. Similar is the case with fire, water and earth. Fire, water and earth have their own qualities, together with those of the preceding principles which are their causes in a sequence, but none of these have any intrinsic value when taken independently of existence. They are all a naught, minus existence. It is the earth-element on which existence is superimposed that the physical cosmos is situated. In the cosmos are located the fourteen worlds in which Jivas are placed differently under different circumstances according to their desires and actions. The Jivas are to recognise by this way of analysis that they are bound back to Brahman in their essential being; it is an erroneous feeling that they are widely separated in a spatial universe, an aberration of consciousness and not a fact. Nothing, really, separates one Jiva from another except the imaginary space. There is a real eternity and infinity here and now. When the unsubstantiality of the elements and their modifications, of Maya and its forms, is properly driven home into one’s mind, the conviction that Brahman-existence is undivided reality gets firmly established. (Verses 60-98) LIBERATION-IN-LIFE When existence is differentiated from the physical cosmos that appears as the object of Jivas, it may still appear to them, but cannot affect the indivisible nature of existence, as the water of a mirage cannot wet the desert. Once knowledge arises to the effect that the background of all the elements and their formations, and even of Maya, is the indivisible Absolute, Brahman, it cannot again be shaken by any other experience. Nevertheless, the liberated souls may, through the medium of the body, continue to perform actions as before on account of the presence of certain Sattvika samskaras, but may not get bound, as the ignorance is destroyed. The divergent truths that are indicated in the different schools of philosophy such as the , Vaiseshika, Sankhya, and so on, are to be regarded as having a partial validity from their own standpoints, though none of them is absolutely complete. When there is a rise of divine wisdom, there is also the realisation that everything has a relative value in its own place, and nothing is absolutely wrong, though not absolutely right. When a person gets rooted in the feeling of the oneness of things, he becomes a Jivanmukta, liberated while living. If one is able to establish oneself in this knowledge even at the end of time, one shall attain to the Bliss of

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 20 Brahman, says the Bhagavadgita. Here, the phrase, ‘at the end of time’ means either the end of ignorance or the end of the body, because it is possible to have divine knowledge even if the body is to linger on due to some past Karmas. It does not matter what the physical condition is of the liberated person at the time of his shuffling of the body. He may be physically healthy or otherwise, may even be temporarily in a state of unconsciousness, but the knowledge which has been once attained will revive itself again when he is placed under different circumstances and regains consciousness, even as what is learnt the previous day is remembered the next day, though it is forgotten in the middle during sleep. The knowledge attained through meditation on the truths of the Vedanta is indestructible. Thus, by a careful analysis of the nature of true existence behind the five elements, and remaining in that state of knowledge at least at the last moment of one’s life, one reaches the state of Divine Bliss. (Verses 99-109)

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 21 CHAPTER III DISCRIMINATION OF THE FIVE SHEATHS

THE SHEATHS AND THEIR CONSTITUTION The Upanishad speaks of the cave in which the Atman is hidden, as it were. This cave is nothing but the series of the five kosas or sheaths, namely, (1) Annamaya, (2) Pranamaya, (3) Manomaya, (4) Vijnanamaya, and (5) Anandamaya Kosas, the succeeding one being internal to the preceding. The physical body is the Annamaya- Kosa, which is born out of the essence of the food consumed by the parents, and it is again sustained by the essence of the food given to it. This body has a beginning and an end, and so does not have the character of eternity found in the Atman. It is unconscious, changeful and external, and hence different from the Atman which is Consciousness, unchanging and universal. If it is supposed that the body is Atman, it would follow that it should come into being without there being a reasonable cause, because as an effect, the body ought to have a cause and the cause should necessarily exist prior to the effect. If the determining cause of the body should rise simultaneously with the body, then, the body would be undergoing experiences which it really does not deserve, there being no logical connection between the cause and the effect. Anyone would be experiencing anything without any rationality behind it. That the body of a particular individual has particular experiences shows that it has a determining cause, and this cause being connected with it inseparably, it is clear that the experiencer in the present life ought to have existed in the previous life also; and as the body could not have existed prior to this birth, the doer of the actions causing present experiences must be someone other than this body and yet connected with this body. If this logical factor is denied, there would be the defect of what is called Akritabhyagama or the coming in of what is not deserved by oneself. Similarly on the death of the body there would be Kritanasa or the destruction of the merits of all actions without their being enjoyed. Thus there would be chaos in the universe and no law determining anything. For all these reasons we should conclude that the body is not the Atman. The Prana is internal to the body, subtler and more pervasive, propels the senses, and gives power to the body. But it cannot be the Atman since it is an effect of Prakriti, changing in nature and also unconscious. It is also characterised by externality. The mind or the Manas has the sense of ‘I-ness’ in regard to the body and ‘mine-ness’ in regard to its possessions, such as house, etc. It is affected by the course of life, by desire, passion, anger and the like and on many occasions gets confused and cannot know the true nature of anything. It gets dissolved in swoon, sleep, etc., and it is also a mode of Prakriti. It is thus not the Atman. The intellect is internal to the mind, more subtle and pervasive, but gets dissolved in sleep and other unconscious states. It pervades the body in waking, from head to foot, in association with the Chidabhasa or the reflection of the Atman in the Sattvika-Prakriti. It has a beginning and an end. It is an effect and is unconscious without the reflection of the Atman in it. The intellect and the mind act as the agent of action and medium of action, respectively, the intellect going by the name of Karta, or doer, and the mind Karana, or instrument. As the doer and the process of doing, the two are distinguished, and hence, though included in the single principle of

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 22 the Antahkarana, they become causes of two different sheaths called Manomaya and Vijnanamaya. The intellect is not the Atman for similar reasons as the mind. The Atman reflected in the Sattvika Buddhi is called Chidabhasa. The Buddhi, by itself, is unconscious because of being an effect of Prakriti, but it assumes intelligence when the Atman is reflected in it. This itself is the Jiva. The Ahamkara or the principle of ego is associated with it, so that the ego and the intellect go together. When they are in an inactive state, there is a passive introversion of their modes which goes by the name of sleep. The Vrittis of the mind, being accustomed to contact with external objects and unfamiliar with any supernormal experience, find nothing positive when there is a forced introversion brought about either by fatigue or by frustration, but there is some sort of a joyous experience when the Anandamaya-kosa or the causal body is in operation on account of its being the medium of the fructification of the meritorious actions which one has performed in previous lives. All happiness that the Jiva has in this world is nothing but a logical consequence of the good things it has done in its past lives. When there is a cessation of conscious experience, there is sleep. This causal body, too, is not the Atman, because it has a beginning and an end, for it is the cumulative effect of the actions of the past and shall cease to be when there dawns spiritual knowledge and realisation. The causal condition cannot be identified with eternal and infinite Being, as the cause is connected with an effect which is obviously other than itself. It cannot have the character of universality. The Atman is that which is the very presupposition of all thinking and experience and so no Jiva has an experience of it for the reason that in the universal Atman there is no distinction between the knower and the known. It is experience itself, and not any objective experience. It cannot be known by another process of knowing different from itself. It appears to be non-existent from the point of view of the Jivas, because the latter have no means of perception of what is universal, they being used to sensory and mental perception alone. They are three types of the unknowable: (1) That which is absolutely non-existent and therefore cannot be known, such as the horns of a hare; (2) that which does not have any contact with the operative Vrittis of the mind for the time being, such as distant objects and unthinkable regions such as heaven; (3) Universal Being in which there is no possibility of the operation of the Vrittis. The latter function only where there is the idea of space, time and cause; not in Brahman, the Absolute, which is prior to all these. The Atman is the Light of all lights. It precedes even the light of thinking and understanding. It is Svayamjyoti, or Self-luminous. Everything shines after it, and everything borrows light from that absolute light. It being the Knower, it cannot be known. This is a clue to the understanding of the nature of ignorance in which the Jivas are shrouded, and also a hint for the Jivas to find their way to rising above their predicament of Jivahood and Samsara. Anandamayakosa is a name given to the latent condition of the Vrittis of the Antahkarana, wherein not only the manifested but also all the unmanifested potencies of future possible experiences are hidden. They are the subtlest impressions of all past thoughts and deeds, ready to germinate when proper conditions are provided. The providing of such conditions is called birth. (Verses 1-10)

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 23 THE ATMAN There is nothing that one can know, other than the sheaths, and the sheaths are not the reality. But the fact of there being an experiencer of the states of sheaths, which are all relative, cannot be denied. This is the Atman. The self-luminous Atman, being the knower of all things, cannot be known by anything else. The Upanishad says: ‘Who can know Him by whom everything else is known? Who can know the knower?’ The mind, which is the means of knowing, is not to make the Atman its object, because in the Atman the opposition between the seer and the seen is abolished. The mind can know only what is knowable as an external object, but it cannot know what cannot be objectified, and the Atman is unknowable as pure experience free from the opposition of the knower and the known. Its unknowability therefore does not indicate its non- existence. Though it is not known, knowledge does not cease. It, the unknown ever, knows everything. The Atman is different from the known and unknown, the known being the whole of visible creation and the unknown, the cause of all things, Prakriti. The Atman is above both. It is not to be touched either by the mind or the senses. The Jiva is apt to complain that it does not know the Atman, even as one may doubt and say whether one has a tongue or not. To recognise the Atman-principle in all things, it is necessary to ignore the objectness involved in the process of knowledge, and whenever there is perception or knowledge, every such factor in the capacity of an object should be abandoned, and only the illuminating light of consciousness should be taken for the purpose of analysis and contemplation. This kind of Self-establishment is Atmasakshatkara or realisation of the Atman. That which remains after the negation of all conditioning factors, such as the five sheaths, is one’s own Self. It is not a void because it knows that it is, and that is Absolute. There is such a thing as self both in worldly parlance and in the universe of philosophy. In ordinary life, by the self one means the personality of the individual, but in the philosophic sense, it is the ultimate metaphysical reality beyond which there is nothing. There cannot be any doubt or dispute about the ultimate Self, for there would be no one to conduct the dispute or argument. No one doubts oneself or denies oneself, and hence the scripture says that one who denies Brahman denies himself, meaning thereby that Brahman cannot be denied. The Atman or Brahman may not be known as an object, but, it being one’s own self, cannot be gainsaid. It is not to be considered as either this or that, because we generally consider what is known by the senses as this, and the Atman is not known by the senses. We consider what is remote as that, and the Atman is not remote, because it is our own self. Hence it cannot be pointed out by any determining article such as this, that, etc. That it is universal, explains everything. Though the Atman is unknown in an objective sense, it is known in the minimum experience or Aparokshanubhava. It is described in the scripture as Satyam, Jnanam, Anantam, truth, knowledge, infinity. Truth is that which is not contradicted by any other experience. The witnessing consciousness can stand apart as the observer of the cessation of all phenomena, as in the cessation of the experiences of waking, dreaming and deep sleep under different circumstances; but there cannot be a negation or cessation of the Atman itself, because there would then be no observer or knower of the cessation of the Atman. Nor can it be said that there is no observing principle at all, because there is no possibility of an experience without even the barest minimum of intelligence, as when all the contents in a house are removed, something viz., space,

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 24 remains within, as that which cannot be removed. So, also, when everything of the nature of an object is set aside as the Anatman (not-self), something remains as that which cannot be further emptied out. That is the ultimate minimum of consciousness. Thus, even the total negation of every experience should land finally in something positive and capable of being experienced. The scripture, therefore, having described the nature of all things, takes us along the path of the realisation of the stupendous spiritual Being, by negating all that which is not. Whatever can be designated as this or not this is transcended, and that which cannot be so designated is taken as Reality. Brahman is thus known to be Sat, or Being, and Chit, or experience and consciousness, unconditioned by space, time, causation or objectness (Desa-kala-vastu-parichheda- rahita). Brahman is unlimited in these three ways. When the ideation of creation is withdrawn, the network of space, time and causation also falls from experience. Isvaratva or the idea of God and or the idea of the individual arise on account of the perception of the difference between the seer and the seen in this world and the consequent experience of the creator of both the Jiva and the world. These concepts are correlative and will come to a naught with the rise of Self-realisation or Atma-Jnana. (Verses 11-37). ISVARA AND JIVA There is a universal determining power, which ordinarily goes by the name of law of nature, hiddenly present in everything in every condition, by which everything is regulated and on account of which things do not overstep their limits and maintain their distinctive features. This law is responsible for the harmony seen in creation: If there were to be no such law, anything could change its nature any time, and one would not be able to determine even the way in which one has to direct one’s actions. There would be catastrophe in the cosmos and chaos created if a governing law were not to exist. It is Brahman reflecting itself through its Sakti or Power that appears as this law and determines the nature of things. Brahman, when it is supposed to be in association with this inscrutable Sakti, is called Isvara, and when it is looked from the point of view of the sheaths, it is called the Jiva. Maya and Avidya are responsible for the designation of Brahman as Isvara and Jiva, as a person may be a father or a grandfather at the same time, to his sons and grandsons. Brahman is called Isvara or Jiva when it is envisaged through Maya or Avidya, and as Maya is pure Sattva, it is universal, and the reflection of Brahman in it is undivided, while Avidya is manifold, and so Jivas are many. When there are no sons or grandsons, there is no father or grandfather and when there is no Maya, or Avidya in the form of sheaths there is no Isvaratva or Jivatva in Brahman. When this truth is meditated upon profoundly with the proper inner qualifications such as the -chatushtaya (fourfold ethical means), there comes about realisation of Brahman. The knower of Brahman becomes Brahman itself. Knowing is the same as being in the case of knowledge of Brahman. There is then no rebirth for such knower, for Brahman is unborn. (Verses 38-43)

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 25 CHAPTER IV DISCRIMINATION OF DUALITY

CREATION BY ISVARA AND JIVA Though truth is unitary and Brahman is absolute, the realisation of it is possible only by stages and by a gradual rise of consciousness from its Jivahood in various degrees of reality which it experiences in the different stages of its evolution. God, world and soul, in their distinctive features, appear to have a reality in the beginning, and this being the fundamental stage, the Sadhana of the Jiva should begin from this level. The creation of the world, which is being taken for granted by the Jiva, is to be first analysed. It is to be shown now that the creation of the world as it is, and as projected by the will of Isvara, is not the difficulty of the Jiva. Towards this end, the two types of creation are being studied here. The Upanishads speak of Isvara’s creation in various ways. Prakriti which also goes, sometimes, by the name of Maya, is the material cause, and the Supreme Lord or the Mayin, the instrumental cause of creation: so says the Svetasvatara Upanishad. The Atman alone was in the beginning, and it willed to create the many by a cosmic ideation; so says the Aitareya Upanishad. Brahman was truth, knowledge and infinity, and from it arose ether, air, fire, water, earth, the different bodies, and so on, and the variety of creation was effected by the primeval contemplation of the Divine Being to appear as the many: so says the Taittiriya Upanishad. In the beginning it was only pure Existence, and in it arose the idea to become manifold, and it created the luminous medium of fire, from which water and earth and other bodies came out as effects: so says the Chhandogya Upanishad. As sparks emanate from fire, all the variety consisting of conscious and unconscious beings came out from the one Imperishable: so says the Mundaka Upanishad. In the beginning it was all unmanifested, and by the will of the unmanifested Absolute the latent became patent, and the one became the many names and forms, down to the gross universe which is animated by the Virat. By subsidiary evolution, after the manifestation of Virat, the celestials, human beings, and animals, etc., even up to the ants, became the variegated expressions of the Universal Purusha: so says the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Isvara entered in the form of the life-principle in all the apparently divided aspects of Himself, and made them appear as Jivas with their own subjective ideations. The substratum of consciousness called the Kutastha, the subtle body called Linga- Sarira, and the reflection of this consciousness through the subtle body, together constitute the Jiva, one being impossible without the other. The Sakti of Isvara which is responsible for the creation of the universe, also acts as a deluding factor when it enters into the constitution of the Jiva as Avidya or ignorance. The Jiva and Isvara are compared to two birds perching on the tree of the body or the universe, of which Jiva, by eating the fruits of the tree, experiences sorrow, while Isvara remains an unattached spectator and enters into no relations whatsoever. The eating of the fruits of the tree is

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 26 the establishing of relations with the manifested world, positively as likes and negatively as dislikes, due to the fact that the Jiva is incapable of having a totality of experience as Isvara has, and is limited to particularised experiences of separated objects with which it has varying relations in the different stages of its evolution. The objects, with which the Jiva thus maintains relations, are, in their own capacity, creations of Isvara, but to the observations of the Jiva they bear differing values at different times so that the Jiva has no permanent and definite information of anything in the world, since, as it evolves, its ideas of things also evolve. In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad we are told of the creation of the seven kinds of food or objects which constitute the support of Jivahood, both on earth and in heaven. Food such as rice and wheat, are considered as the general food. Oblations offered in the new moon and full-moon sacrifices are regarded as foods of the celestials by which they sustain themselves as individuals in a higher plane. Milk is supposed to be the food of animals, which supports the animal nature in others also. The mind, speech and Prana are the internal foods of the Jiva, by which it retains the network of relations in the world, and without which it cannot exist. Though, in essence, all these are the creations of Isvara, they are converted by the Jiva into its foods, for sustaining itself, through its psychological and sensory functions. The psychic activity of the Jiva referred to here is the Vishayachintana or the idea of objects and its sensory activity is the effort it exercises towards reaching the objects either with the idea of possessing them or avoiding them. So far as pure relationship is concerned, it is immaterial whether it is in the form of likes or dislikes, because both are after all, relations by which the Jiva gets bound in the process of Samsara. As one and the same person may be looked at from different points of view due to purely private relations - a woman, for instance, is daughter to her father and wife to her husband - the world is considered by the Jiva in different ways according its own predilections and idea of things. Maya acts as the means in the creation of the universe by Isvara, and the mind becomes the means in the experience of the world by the Jiva. Though the mind of the Jiva does not create the world in itself, it can create its own world and reduce the former to instruments of personal satisfaction; and it is only with this latter that it is concerned - not with the world of Isvara, in its practical dealings. The objects created in the world of Isvara have differing values to the Jivas. Take, for example, a precious stone. It creates pleasure in the mind of one who desired it and has possessed it. It generates displeasure and anger in another who desired it but who could not possess it. It creates an attitude of indifference in a third who is dispassionate and is neither happy nor grieved on its perception. The three types of values, pleasure, unhappiness and impersonal non-attachment are not intrinsic values of the precious stone, which is a creation in the world of Isvara, and which, in itself, has a uniform value at all times, i.e., the value of being an integral part of Isvara’s creation. It exists as any other object does, and this is really its ultimate value. But that it means something to someone is not its essential nature. Objects set up emotions in the Jiva by acting as correlatives of its own internal feelings of a kind of incompleteness within itself. This is the reason why all do not desire the same thing, and even the same person does not desire one thing alone, at all times. Values differ when ideas differ, though objects do not change their nature even when they are looked at by various observers. They are capable of evoking different thoughts and feelings in the Jivas.

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 27 In perception, there is a twofold process. The mind which is inert, and is very subtle, projects itself as a force towards an object, envelops the form of that object, as light would cover a substance which it illumines, and takes the shape of that object. Simultaneously with this enveloping process, which is called Vrittivyapti, there is a lighting up of this process by the Chidabhasa within, which is called Phalavyapti, and by which knowledge the of the form of the object is given to the observing Jiva. When this knowledge is received by the Buddhi, it gives orders, immediately, to the whole system of the Jiva, in accordance with the meaning that it reads in the object perceived. The activity of the Jiva in relation to the object is dependent on the meaning that it finds in the object and is not caused by merely the existence of the object, as such. The bondage of the Jiva, therefore, lies in this, that the world means something to it, merely because it considers the world to be outside it, and sets up a series of reactions in regard to it, throughout its life. The liberation of the Jiva consists, therefore, in the withdrawal of this process of reading meaning in things, and acting in accordingly; in regarding all things as parts of Isvara’s creation, and seeing no other meaning than that their existence is Isvara’s existence. In the perception of an object, such as an earthen pot, there is a twofold activity of the mind going on: (1) The perception of the object, and (2) the conception of it. Perception is brought about by a projection of the mind towards the objects outside, while a concept can arise in the mind even without there being a physical object, really. There is, thus, a physical earthen vessel, and also a mental one, by which the manner in which the vessel is related to the seer is determined. By Anvaya and Vyatireka it can be known that the cause of bondage is Jiva’s creation. When there is Jivasrishti, there is bondage. This is Anvaya. When there is no Jivasrishti, there is no bondage. This is Vyatireka. And this is a matter of experience by everyone. When we are not concerned with anything , we have a peculiar kind of freedom, and a feeling of happiness, which we do not experience when our thoughts get entangled in what we term the business of life. We concern ourselves with things, and hence it is we that have a variety of feelings. The mind of the Jiva acts only in regard to external objects. When no objects are presented before it, it cannot have any definite psychological reaction. Now, these internal reactions can be possible, even if there is no real physical perception; for example, in dream we have various experiences even when there is no actual contact with objects: and on the other hand, in Samadhi, sleep and swoon there is no perception of objects even when they are really present. A person may be grieved on receiving the news of the death of a dear relative, though the news may be false, but he remains happy, even if the dear one is really dead, if only the news would not reach him. The bondage of the Jiva is caused by its own mentations. It is the operation of the Jiva’s mental functions that is the cause of the same person being designated as father, brother, husband, nephew, friend, enemy, and the like. These appellations have their counterparts in the minds of the Jivas. As a molten metal cast in the mould assumes the form of the mould, or as the light of the sun covers the objects it illumines, the mind which envelops forms assumes their respective shapes. There is first the rise of a mental modification in the subject, then the movement of this modification towards the object, and then the transformation of the modification into the shape of the object. The physical object is perceived by the senses, but the imagined form is visualised by the Sakshin or the Witness-consciousness directly.

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 28 There is a difference between Vijnanavada and Vedanta in that while the former denies the physical world altogether, in dependent of the individual’s thinking, the latter accepts the world of Isvara, without which even thinking would not be possible. The objects in the world exist whether or not they are perceived by the Jivas, and their existence does not depend upon the test of utility that may be imposed on them. Utility is not the test of truth. We may not know things as they really are, on account of the psychological cloggings in which we are involved, but it is not difficult to see that there cannot be a perception unless there is something to be perceived, no matter whether its nature can be determined by us or not. The liberation of the Jiva from this self-entanglement is brought about by Brahma- Jnana or realisation of the Absolute, and not merely by a suppression of the activities of the mind negatively, as it is done by several immature minds believing that mere absence of the sensation of pain would do, and that there is nothing higher. The truth is far from it, which is positive realisation of Brahman, wherein one is possessed, as it were, by a feeling of immortality and universal existence. It does not matter if the duality of the world of Isvara is apparently perceived. What is necessary is an insight into the fundamental unity of all things and the realisation that all things in the world of Isvara are divine in nature, being manifestations of Isvara Himself. When this truth is known, the apparent duality does not in any way affect the Jiva. On the other hand, mere absence of the perception of duality does not in any way help one in spiritual evolution, as, for example, in the state of Pralaya. Nothing is seen as a manifested world in the state of final dissolution, but Jivasrishti does not come to an end there. The Jivas rise once again to a world of duality and multiplicity, subsequently, and the state of dissolution does not help them. Thus there is no purpose in merely closing one’s eyes to the duality of the world. What is necessary is the wisdom of truth and realisation of oneness behind the apparent duality. Isvarasrishti is not only non-obstructive to all Jivas in their evolution, but is a positive help, and is instrumental in the rise of true knowledge in the Jiva. The world-experience is an educative process, and we learn lessons in every condition of our existence. The world is the great Guru to the Jiva, and Isvara Himself imparts lessons through His various manifestations, whether the Jiva knows this or not. Hence there should be no cause for complaint on the part of anyone against the world. (Verses 1-42) VARIETY IN THE CREATIONS OF THE JIVA The duality created by the Jiva is twofold: scripturally ordained and scripturally prohibited. The ordained one is to be accepted because it is good and necessary for the spiritual evolution of the Jiva. The ordained duality consists in such things as study, self-analysis, investigation of truth and spiritual contemplation. Even these have to be given up when Brahman is realised. The scriptures say that we should abandon the craze for study when insight dawns within. The Upanishad exhorts that, having known Him, the wise one should resort to the superior Understanding, rejecting verbal controversy and argument which are just weariness of speech; and that the energy of the senses should be conserved in the mind, the mind should be fixed in the intellect, the intellect in the cosmic intellect, Hiranyagarbha, and the latter in Isvara, by the process of meditation.

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 29 The prohibited kind of duality is, again, twofold: the intense and the mild. The intense one consists of such inner forces as passion, anger, etc. The mild one is such useless mental activity as building castles in the air. Both these should be given up early, for the sake of the rise of knowledge, by practice of self-restraint at all times. It is not necessary to reiterate that these are objectionable traits even after the rise of the knowledge. In a Jivanmukta there will not be any trace of these; and by this let it not be thought that only Videhamukti could better be aspired for, for fear that in Jivanmukti desires have to be abandoned. Spiritual insight and desire are contradictions, and there cannot be even an inclination to maintain desire when insight dawns. Desire is the greatest evil, and it is good that one carefully abandons it. The state of Jivanmukti is one in which desires cannot have any place because the Jivanmukta is in a definite condition, wherein established, he practises spontaneously the law of the Absolute. All desire in the world is selfish, because it is always connected with something that is expected to bring personal satisfaction, even if others are to be deprived of their desires in this attempt. Moreover, desire is directed to something, to the exclusion of something else. Hence desire is not universal. But a Jivanmukta is a universal person, inasmuch as his consciousness is attuned to Brahman. For him the law of the world is the law of God, and so it is impossible for him to act wrongly, or cherish personal desires. Goodness, virtue, etc., which are qualities that a seeker aspires to possess by an effort on his part, become spontaneous expressions of a liberated soul, for the simple fact that his soul is the Soul of all beings. Objects of desire have to be relinquished by the perception of the defects that always accompany them. Life is short, and time is fleeting; death does not come with any previous intimation. Youth fades, and the strength of the body diminishes even without one’s being aware of it. All accumulated stuff shall depart one day. Every rise has a fall. All union ends in separation, some time or other. Life must end in death. The meeting of things in this world is as unstable as the meeting of logs of wood in an ocean. Nothing in life is under the control of man. Thus, and along such lines, the defective nature of things has to be analysesd in the mind, by gradually withdrawing oneself from the tantalising things of phenomenal existence. The mild obstacle referred to as building castles in the air (Manorajya) is as bad as such Vrittis as lust, anger, and the like. The contemplation of an objective desire leads to contact with it, and then desire for it arises in the mind; desire begets anger; anger deludes the mind; delusion brings about loss of understanding eventually, and ends in the destruction of all good in man. Manorajya can be conquered by Nirvikalpa-Samadhi, through the practice of Savikalpa-Samadhi as detailed in the Yogasastras. Even if this elaborate technique of Yoga is difficult for many, it is possible for one to bring the mind under control by living in seclusion, by a sincere effort to free the mind from desires, by constantly remembering the transient nature of all things, and by protracted practice of the correct chanting of , until the mind becomes tranquil, and by freedom from Rajas which allows the reflection of the Atman in its placid nature. When the mind is taught the lesson that the universe is the appearance of the Absolute, it shall not think of objects. This itself is the highest attainment. If sometimes the mind gets distracted due to the operation of Prarabhda Karma, it is to be brought back to the source again, by force of effort, as restive horses are controlled by reins. He who has no distraction of mind, and whose mind does not contemplate objects, is not merely a knower of

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 30 Brahman, but Brahman itself. Abandoning all attraction to objects, he who stands firm in his own nature, is, verily, Brahman. That, by the relinquishment of the creation of the Jiva (Jivasrishti), Jivamukti is attained in its full glory, is the opinion of the seers and the knowers of the Vedanta scriptures.(Verses 43-69)

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 31 CHAPTER V DISCRIMINATION OF THE MAHAVAKYAS

‘CONSCIOUSNESS IS BRAHMAN’ There are four Mahavakyas, or great statements in the Upanishads, which have a profound significance as pointers to Reality. They are: (1) Prajnanam Brahma - Consciousness is Brahman; (2) Aham Brahmasmi - I am Brahman: (3) Tat Tvam Asi - That Thou Art; (4) Ayam Atma Brahma - This Self is Brahman. These Mahavakyas convey the essential teaching of the Upanishads, namely, Reality is one, and the individual is essentially identical with it. In the sentence, ‘Prajnanam Brahma’ or Consciousness is Brahman, a definition of Reality is given. The best definition of Brahman would be to give expression to its supra-essential essence, and not to describe it with reference to accidental attributes, such as creatorship etc. That which is ultimately responsible for all our sensory activities, as seeing, hearing, etc., is Consciousness. Though Consciousness does not directly see or hear, it is impossible to have these sensory operations without it. Hence it should be considered as the final meaning of our mental and physical activities. Brahman is that which is Absolute, fills all space, is complete in itself, to which there is no second, and which is continuously present in everything, from the creator down to the lowest of matter. It, being everywhere, is also in each and every individual. This is the meaning of Prajnanam Brahma occurring in the Aitareya Upanishad.

‘I AM BRAHMAN’ In the sentence, ‘Aham Brahmasmi,’ or I am Brahman, the ‘I’ is that which is the One Witnessing Consciousness, standing apart form even the intellect, different from the ego-principle, and shining through every act of thinking, feeling, etc. This Witness- Consciousness, being the same in all, is universal, and cannot be distinguished from Brahman, which is the Absolute. Hence the essential ‘I’ which is full, super-rational and resplendent, should be the same as Brahman. This is not the identification of the limited individual ‘I’ with Brahman, but it is the Universal Substratum of individuality that is asserted to be what it is. The copula ‘am’ does not signify any empirical relation between two entities, but affirms the non-duality of essence. This dictum is from the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. ‘THAT THOU ART’ In the Chhandogya Upanishad occurs the Mahavakya, ‘Tat Tvam Asi’ or ‘That thou art’. Sage Uddalaka mentions this nine times, while instructing his disciple Svetaketu in the nature of Reality. That which is one alone without a second, without name and form, and which existed before creation, as well as after creation, as pure Existence alone, is what is referred to as Tat or That, in this sentence. The term Tvam stands for that which is in the innermost recesses of the student or the aspirant, but which is transcendent to the intellect, mind, senses, etc., and is the real ‘I’ of the student addressed in the teaching. The union of Tat and Tvam is by the term Asi or are. That Reality is remote is a misconception, which is removed by the instruction that it is within one’s own self. The erroneous notion that the Self is limited is dispelled by the instruction that it is the same

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 32 as Reality. ‘THIS SELF IS BRAHMAN’ The Mahavakya, ‘Ayam Atma Brahma’ or ‘This Self is Brahman’, occurs in the Mandukya Upanishad. ‘Ayam’ means ‘this’, and here ‘thisness’ refers to the self- luminous and non-mediate nature of the Self, which is internal to everything, from the Ahamkara or ego down to the physical body. This Self is Brahman, which is the substance out of which all things are really made. That which is everywhere, is also within us, and what is within us is everywhere. This is called ‘Brahman’, because it is plenum, fills all space, expands into all existence, and is vast beyond all measure of perception or knowledge. On account of self-luminosity, non-relativity and universality, Atman and Brahman are the same. This identification of the Self with Absolute is not any act of bringing together two differing natures, but is an affirmation that absoluteness or universality includes everything, and there is nothing outside it.

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 33 CHAPTER VI LIGHT ON THE ANALOGY OF A PAINTED PICTURE

UNIVERSAL SUPERIMPOSITION The process of the manifestation of the universe is fourfold, as there is a fourfold process in the painting of a picture. There is, first, a piece of cloth, pure in its original state. It is then coated with starch, to stiffen it into a canvas suitable for painting. The artist draws on the canvas an outline of the picture that is in his mind. Finally, the outline is filled with the necessary colour, giving it the appearance of the contemplated picture. The universe is a vast picture painted, as it were, on the basis of Brahman. Pure Consciousness, which is the nature of Brahman, is the substratum of all things, and this may be compared to the pure cloth necessary as the background for the painting. The condition in which the projection of the universe is latently conceived and held in a seed-form, unmanifest and invisible, is the state of Isvara, where the universe is in sleep. There is a rousing from this sleep into a dreaming condition of creation in Hiranyagarbha, where faint outlines of the picture of the universe are visible, though a clear perception of it is impossible there. The colourful presentation of creation is brought into high relief in the state of Virat, where is a waking of all things into their own individualities, and where each regards oneself as a distinct entity. All manifested beings, right from the Creator to a blade of grass, animate and inanimate, exist as a graduated series of manifestations, all painted on the substratum of Brahman. Higher consciousness, lower consciousness and unconsciousness are differences introduced in the various items constituting the painted picture of the Cosmos, from the point of view of the degree in which Brahman-Consciousness is manifested in each of them. The difference in the expression of consciousness in different individuals does not mean that the individuals are really possessed of any intelligence of their own, for one and the same Consciousness is manifest in all these, in various ways, in accordance with the subtlety of the medium of expression. The intellect or the Buddhi, being a subtler medium, reflects a greater amount of consciousness than the lower kingdom, in which such a medium is absent. Just as we differentiate, artificially, the painted dresses and the painted human beings from the real cloth on which the picture is painted, we do in this world make a false distinction between the imaginary, reflected intelligence called Chidabhasa, and the real Intelligence, which is Brahman. As these reflections or Chidabhasa are different owing to the difference in the degree of intelligence manifest in them, Jivas are manifold in number, and there are countless ways of drawing a distinction between Jiva and Brahman. As the colour of the painted clothes is unwisely superimposed on the cloth-background by the observers, the individualities and the variegated world-forms are wrongly felt to be in the Brahman. The feeling that Samsara is real, that it is intertwined with the Self, really, is the bondage of the Jiva, and this is called Avidya. The firm conviction that bondage does not belong to the Atman, that it is a phase of Jivahood or Chidabhasa, is true knowledge, and this is acquired by deep reflection. Hence one should constantly engage oneself in a thorough investigation of the nature of Isvara, Jagat, and Jiva (God, World and Soul). When there dawns the awareness that the world and Jiva are correlatives and have no independent

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 34 reality or value of their own, they cancel each other, and there rises the higher knowledge of the Paramatman or the Supreme Self. Mere non-perception of the world should not be mistaken for the liberation of the Jiva. Else, there would be liberation in sleep, swoon, death and cosmic dissolution, where the world is not objectively experienced. Liberation is positive knowledge of the unreality of multiplicity, and the reality of the universal Unity. In the state of the true Knowledge the outward perception of the world need not necessarily be negatived. The appearance of the world may be there, but the feeling of its reality is not there. Such a state is called liberation-while- living (Jivanmukti). Spiritual knowledge is of two kinds: direct and indirect. It is only in direct knowledge that contemplation and meditation reach their culmination. To know that Brahman is, is to have an indirect knowledge of it. To know that one is identical with it in actual experience, is to have a direct knowledge. Towards this end, the nature of Truth is being analysed here. (Verses 1-17) JIVA AND KUTASTHA The One Truth appears to have a fourfold distinction as Kutastha, Brahman, Jiva and Isvara, even as the space contained in a jar, the vast universal space, the space reflected in the water contained in the jar, and the space reflected in the widely spread clouds in space may be distinguished from one another. Kutastha is that which is the changeless substratum of the physical and the subtle bodies which the Jiva experiences. This substratum is called the Kutastha because it is unmoving like an anvil, even while it is beaten severely. The intellect which is superimposed on the Kutastha and through which the latter is reflected, becomes the source of the appearance of the Jiva, which is so called because it infuses life into the individuality and appears to get involved in Samsara. As the space reflected in the water of a jar completely covers the real space in it, Jivahood takes the position of the Kutastha and makes it impossible for one to have a direct knowledge of the Kutastha, by mutual superimposition (Anyonya-Adhyasa) of attributes. The existence, consciousness, freedom and bliss of Kutastha are superimposed on Jivahood, and the Jiva begins to feel thereby that it exists as intelligence, freedom, bliss, and so on. Conversely, the changing characters of the Jiva, such as pain, pleasure, etc., are superimposed on the Kutastha, and one begins to feel that one has really these experiences. Thus the Jiva, getting busy with itself and its activities, forgets its own source, and knows it never in its daily life. This forgotten nature is called Mula-Avidya or the original ignorance. Avidya exists as Avarana and Vikshepa, on account of the operation of which one makes the assertion “I do not know the Atman; and it is not there”. This is the work of the Abhana and Asatta aspects of Avarana. Though the Atman is the Centre of everyone, it is not known, and its existence is practically denied in the daily business of life. That such an Avidya exists is self-evident to everyone, though it will not stand the scrutiny of logic. The existence of Avidya is a mystery which is accepted by everyone in experience, but none can investigate into its nature, as the process of investigation, logical analysis, etc., is a working of the intellect, which itself is an outcome of Avidya. Yukti (reasoning) should be based on Sruti (scripture), logic should ground itself in intuition. Kutastha- Chaitanya or General Consciousness is not opposed to the existence of Avidya; else there would be the negation of Avidya in the state of deep sleep. Avidya has no meaning for

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 35 the Atman, and hence the opposition of Avidya by the Atman has also no meaning. Avidya is dispelled by a Vritti of the mind in its cosmic form, which is called Brahmakara-Vritti, as this supreme Vritti has no other object than Brahman; it subsides after bringing about the requisite elimination and does not continue to proceed as the Vishayakara-Vritti, which has an external object correlative to it. As silverness is superimposed on the mother-of-pearl, the Chidabhasa, together with the bodies, is superimposed on the Kutastha. Here, in this superimposition of silver on nacre, the reality of nacre and its immediacy referred to as ‘thisness’ are transferred to an unreal silver, whose shining character is brought into contact with the nacre in an erroneous perception. Thisness and reality are the common features which are recognised in the silver that is not really there. Selfhood and substantiality are likewise characters of the Kutastha, which are falsely seen in the Chidabhasa. Just as the special features of nacre, such as bluish black, triangularity, etc., are completely overlooked and are not seen in the perception of it as silver, the unattached condition and the blissful nature of the Kutastha are forgotten in the mistaken notion of it as the Jiva, and vice versa. Even as what is superimposed on nacre is called silver, here, in our own case, what is superimposed on the Kutastha goes by the name of ‘Aham’ or ‘I’-ness. By seeing merely the ‘this’-ness of nacre, one wrongly feels that it is silver. And while, in fact, there is only the experience of Kutastha, one mistakes it for ‘I’-ness or ‘Ahamta’. In the observation this silver, ‘thisness’ and silver are two different things. So also, Selfhood and ‘I’-ness are different from each other in the feeling: “I am”. The general and the special features are not to be confused with each other, and the ‘Self’ is an invariable concomitant in such common usages as “Devadatta himself is going”; “you yourself may see”; “I myself will not be able to do this”, etc. The term ‘Self’ that is used here is a general feature in all cases, as in such statements like, “this is silver”, “this is cloth”, etc., where thisness refers to the common feature in things. The Selfhood of things is the Kutastha, and it is their reality; particularities like ‘I’-ness etc. are special features which are different from Selfhood. The Self is other than all sense of objectivity. Though it is a fact that the Self is present, as far as we know, only in what we call a sentient being, we, in our language, use the word ‘Self’ even when referring to insentient objects like a pot. In such statements as ‘a pot by itself has no consciousness’, we unconsciously introduce selfhood into the pot, though the pot has no consciousness and has thus no characteristics of Self. But the Self or the Atman is not only consciousness but also existence. When we say a pot exists, we say the least that can be said about it, viz., that it is. We also mean thereby that it is real, because the unreal is not; but the real is not capable of being seen as an object outside consciousness; yet we affirm that an object is. Here the mistake that we commit is that we combine in perception existence or the reality of the Atman and a special property which we term objectness, but we cannot see that we are making this mistake; and if only we could see it, we would not see the world as it is. We would then begin to see the luminous substratum of things, which cannot be called an object at all. In the perception of an object like a pot, the existence- aspect of Brahman is revealed, and it is this that makes us say that pot is there. It does not matter if the pot has no consciousness. It has existence, and this is enough to give it the character of reality. Reality is not merely consciousness without existence, but consciousness with existence, in such a manner that the one cannot be distinguished from the other. The appearance or the non appearance of Chidabhasa is the cause of our

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 36 bringing in a distinction between the sentient and the non-sentient. As Chidabhasa is superimposed on the Atman, the objectness of the pot is also superimposed on it in a like manner. There is a universal background of things, on which appear the subject as well as the object, both of which are superimposed on it. The term ‘Self’ which we use to indicate the general feature in all things is different from the meanings of such terms as ‘this’ and ‘that’ etc., which are also, apparently, invariable concomitants of substantives. For the former is exclusive of all objective element in experience, while the latter merely indicate the exclusiveness of things or the difference of one thing from another, and do not signify ‘Selfhood’. The Self is not an adjective qualifying itself, and it does not demonstrate anything other than itself, not does it distinguish itself from itself, while such words as ‘this’, ‘that’, etc., do indicate such distinction. This and That, Self and non-Self, I and you, etc. are exclusive of each other, but the Atman is not exclusive, except in the sense that it stands opposed to all attempts at objectivising Reality. The Self is set in opposition to the notion of all objectivity, because it is never objectified in experience. To it, everything objective is outside reality, as the feeling of ‘I’-ness in the individual regards all other things in the world as outside its reality. The sense of ‘I’-ness in the Jiva is falsely taken as a centre of consciousness, and all other things known by it are regarded as objects merely instrumental in bringing about experience in the former. Though ‘I’-ness assumes selfhood so far as its experiences are concerned and considers the world as an object to it, the ‘I’-ness itself is an object from the point of view of the Atman. The ‘I’-ness may falsely regard itself as a conscious principle, but from the standpoint of the Atman it is not consciousness-in-itself. The ego is objective to the Atman. ‘I’-ness and Self are different from each other, as silver and nacre are different in the analogy cited. This intrinsic superimposition, called Tadatmya-Adhyasa, between the Chidabhasa and Kutastha is responsible for the confused form of experience as conscious individuality. Avidya is the cause of all these, and when Vidya dawns Avidya is destroyed. However, the effect of Avidya may persist for sometime, though the cause is removed by Jnana. In the case of the Jnanin the Bhramaja-Adhyasa or the misconception consequent upon false identification of the Kutastha with Chidabhasa, and vice versa, is cut off, due to which he will not have any further birth. But the - Adhyasa or the natural error of identifying the Chidabhasa with Ahamkara (ego), and vice versa, as also the Karmaja-Adhyasa or the identification of the ego with the body, and vice versa, will persist. The Sanchita-Karma or the result of actions done in the past, but not manifested in experience yet, and Agami-Karma or the result of actions performed during the present life, do not, in the case of a Jnanin, bring about any reaction in the form of rebirth, etc. But the Prarabdha-Karma, or that portion of the Sanchita-Karma which has been allotted for experience in a particular span of life, has to be undergone until its momentum is exhausted, whether the Jnanin feels the working of the Prarabdha or not. The Chhandogya Upanishad (Ch.VI.) testifies to the operation of Prarabdha in a Jnanin. It is reasonable, as it is possible, for a momentum to continue even while its cause has ceased to operate. This is also corroborated by the saints who have given expression to such experiences. (Verses 18-56) DIFFERENT VIEWS OF THE SELF The varieties of non-perception of Truth have resulted in various doctrines of the nature of the Self. The Lokayatas or Charvakas, the Indian materialists, consider the visible as real. Inasmuch as the objects and the body alone are visible, nothing above these is

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 37 regarded by them as real. They hold on mainly to perception as the main proof of knowledge, and consider the real to be that which is perceived by the senses. The object which is made up of five elements is held by them to be the true self, and they cannot envisage any other state of liberation than the death of the body. The famous Virochana of the Chhandogya Upanishad is supposed to be the initiator of this doctrine. Another school of Charvakas began to feel that the body without sensations has no life, and hence the senses are the self. As we have a direct, personal awareness of the senses, they are we. The senses are more important than merely the physical elements. Those who have pondered over the activities of the Prana and noted that the senses are directed by it, consider the Prana to be superior, and infer that it functions even if the senses may vanish. The Prana operates even in the state of deep sleep. The supremacy of the Prana over the senses is heard of even in the scriptures. Hence, that Prana is the self is the doctrine of the Upasakas of Prana. The mind considers the functions of even the Prana. The Prana does not enjoy or experience anything. It knows nothing even if it functions in the deep sleep of the Jiva. It is also heard that the mind alone is the cause of the bondage and liberation of the Jiva. The mind knows what the Prana does not. Hence one of the schools hold that mind should be regarded as the self. The Vijnanavadins go higher, and for them the Vijnana or intellect is the self. It has its primary source in the Alayavijnana, the reservoir of consciousness. This Vijnana is Kshanika or momentary, and is made up of bits of process, one different from the other, but having the semblance of continuity due to the Samskaras or impressions generated and left behind by every momentary phase. The Vijnana constitutes the sense of the ‘I’, while the Manas or the mind denotes the sense of ‘this’ in cognition. The Vijnana is the source of the ‘I’-consciousness, and is the origin of the mental Vrittis, which contact objects outside. There is no outward perception without a presupposition of the ‘I’, and this ‘I’ is the Vijnana. There is birth and death of Vijnana every moment, and its unity is similar to the continuity of the flame of a lamp. It is not one mass, but is made up of several parts, though it has the appearance of the whole. This Vijnana is the transmigrating Jiva. As in the case of a pot illumined by sunlight, the light and the pot are indistinguishable to non discriminate persons, and yet the light and the pot are two different things; so, also, the procession of bits of intellectual impressions is different from the basic consciousness that is underlying it, though, to a nondiscriminating Jiva, the two appear to be the same. The intellect is, thus, not the Atman. The scripture refers to the intellect as the charioteer (Sarathi) and not the lord of the chariot (Rathi). Moreover, if the Atman were a momentary consciousness, as the Vijnanavadins hold, one would not remember even one’s having taken food a little before. The theory of or a series of understandings, one preceding the other, is untenable, as it would lead to an unending regression of consciousness behind consciousness. There cannot be a mere series without a substratum. The assumption that Samskaras or impressions of Vijnana can be identified with the Atman would lead to petitio principii (Atmasraya), since Samskaras would depend on Vijnana as their basis, and the latter again on the former for its existence. The Atman, therefore, is above all processes of understanding or intellectual becoming.

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 38 The Madhyamikas urge that Vijnana is momentary like the flash of a lightning or the rending of a cloud, or the winking of the eye. There is no permanency in the Vijnana, and consequently there is no substantiality in what is perceived. The whole universe is a series of phenomena appearing on void, and the world of contact between the seer and the seen is unreal due to the impermanency of the contact and the momentariness of all things. This doctrine of the Madhyamikas, however, is untenable, because one cannot imagine even delusion or phenomena unless there is an underlying basis. Moreover, even void cannot be known if there is no witness of it as a conscious observer. We cannot conceive of an unknown void. The existence of Atman, cannot therefore, be ever doubted. The Naiyayikas and the Prabhakara-Mimamsakas consider that the Anandamaya- Atman is the real self, as it persists even in transmigration, and there is, in its experience, a sense of some existence, though indeterminate. There is also difference of opinion regarding the size of the Atman. Some think that the Atman is atomic in size, because it is said to pervade even the minutest nerve-current (), and one of the Upanishads makes mention of the Jiva to be as subtle as the hundredth part of a hair divided hundredfold. There are also other references in the Upanishads to the effect that the Atman is subtle and minute, and incapable of perception. This makes some opine that the Atman is of the size of an atom. The school of the Jainas, called Digambaras, feels that an atomic Atman cannot pervade the whole body, and so it is of the size of the body. It is seen that consciousness pervades the whole body and the Upanishads also mention this fact. The Digambaras conclude that the Atman is medium in size and it can pervade even the subtle Nadis, as we thrust our hands into the sleeves of a shirt. The Atman can assume a bigger size when it enters a big body and a smaller one when it enters a smaller body by an expansion and contraction of its parts. Now this doctrine is defective, because the Atman cannot be said to have parts, and there can be no contraction or expansion of it to suit the size of the body. That which has parts would be perishable like any other body in the world; and if the Atman is to be perishable, there would be no rule regarding virtue or vice, good or bad, and the world would be a chaos. The conclusive doctrine is that the Atman is universal and absolute, not atomic or medium in size. It is all pervading and partless, indivisible and eternal. With regard to the essential nature of the Atman, there is, again, a difference of opinion. The Naiyayikas and Prabhakara-Mimamsakas think that the Atman is unconscious essentially, is a substance like ether, having the quality of consciousness inherent in it, as sound is the property of ether. They also assume that the Atman has other qualities like desire, hatred, effort, virtue, vice, pleasure, pain, and their impressions. Consciousness, and the other qualities, are, according to them, the result of the contact of the Atman with the mind, which is brought about by the operation of Adrishta or the invisible potency of previous action. When the potency subsides, there is unconsciousness, as in sleep; when the potency is activised, there is consciousness. The Atman is held to be an agent of actions and experiencer of pleasure and pain, which are caused by the effect of past deeds. The Bhatta school of Mimamsa considers that the Atman is both conscious and unconscious, and the above-mentioned qualities inhere in it. It is unconscious because it

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 39 has no experience in sleep. It is conscious because this is inferred after one’s awakening from sleep. They compare the Atman to a firefly which may flash light or withdraw it on different occasions. The Sankhya repudiates this doctrine and holds on to the theory of a universal conscious Purusha or Atman, and posits an opposite principle called Prakriti, which is unconscious in nature. The Sankhya holds that are many in number, each being infinite and intelligent. Prakriti is inert and is an eternal principle like Purusha. The function of Prakriti is to bring about conditions for the experience of Purusha, and create for it a training ground, towards its final liberation. Bondage is the non-discrimination on the part of Purusha as regards its true relation to Prakriti. Liberation is this discrimination. The Purusha, when it rests on it own essential nature, attains . The existence of Purusha and Prakriti is known from the Sruti. (Verses 57-101)

ISVARA OR THE UNIVERSAL GOD The Yoga doctrine feels the necessity for an Isvara, inasmuch as Purusha and Prakriti, alone, cannot, by mutual contact and non-contact, explain the law and justice operating in the world, for there would be none to dispense the deserts of the Purusha if they are let free to themselves. There should be, therefore, an over-all, regulating law, above Purusha and Prakriti. This is the Isvara of the Yoga school. The Sruti (Antaryami-Brahmana) is in support of the Yoga in advancing the doctrine of Isvara, but we have different schools of thought defining Isvara in various ways. The Yoga defines Isvara as a special kind of Purusha who is unaffected by anything, therefore untouched by afflictions, Karma, their fruits and their impressions. He is unattached consciousness. Though He is untouched, He is the ruler of the universe, because on the non-acceptance of such a ruler of all things, there would be confusion, and there would be no arrangement for the liberation of the Jivas from the state of bondage. The Upanishad refers to the existence of Isvara when it states that ‘due to His fear’ everything functions everywhere. Though the Jiva also is untouched and untainted consciousness, essentially, like Isvara, it gets into bondage by a mistaken notion of the identity of itself with Prakriti. The Naiyayikas or the logical schoolmen feel that a completely detached Isvara cannot have rulership over the world. So they attribute to Him qualities like eternal knowledge, eternal effort, and eternal desire. “His desire is truth; His volition is truth,” says the Upanishad. Isvara is a special Purusha, on account of these attributes. The worshippers of Hiranyagarbha think that if Isvara in His original state were to be the Creator, there would be perpetual creation due to His permanent contact with all things. Hence, it should be regarded that He is Creator only in a state of Hiranyagarbha with a Universal Subtle Body, and not otherwise. In the Udgitha Brahmana of the Upanishad the glory of Hiranyagarbha is sung abundantly. Though Hiranyagarbha has a subtle body, he is above Jivahood because of his universality, and so above Karma and its fruits. Some think that without a gross body there cannot be even an idea of the subtle body. Hence the Virat or the Cosmic Body spreading everywhere, alone, is to be considered as the real Creator and not Hiranyagarbha. The Rigveda and other scriptures corroborate this view when they say that the Purusha is thousand-headed, thousand- eyed, all-seeing, etc.

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 40 As it is difficult to conceive of Virat in His essential nature as Creator due to His being inside and outside, equally, Brahma, described in the Puranas, is to be considered as creator, in the opinion of the Upasakas of Brahma. The Vaishnavas regard Vishnu as supreme since even Brahma came out of his navel, according to the Puranas. The Saivas regard Siva as supreme, and quote the instance from the Puranas, where it is said that Vishnu and Brahma could not fathom the depths of Siva. The worshippers of Ganesa think that he is supreme, as even Siva worshipped him while engaged in the destruction of the Tripuras. Thus, there are countless views of Isvara from the points of view of different Jivas in different levels of evolution, looking at Isvara from particular angles. Right from the Upanishad concept of Isvara, down to such deities as trees and stones, there are religious beliefs and worships, covering a wide range. The truth, however, is that Isvara is the Absolute Individual, including even space and time within himself, and operating both as the instrumental and material cause of creation, with His power called Maya. Maya is inseparable from the one who wields it. Everything is strung in the body of Isvara, as beads in a thread, and He exists supreme above all things like a magician who is untouched by the magic he displays. From this standpoint of Isvara, as the all inclusive whole, every special form of worship has a truth in it, and meaning, since Isvara is everywhere, and is everything. The nature of Maya, taken independently, is inscrutable. In the Tapaniya Upanishad it is described as Jada (inert) and Mohatmaka (delusive). Its existence is proved by the personal experience, in everyone, of having a sufficient knowledge in regard to it. The inertness of Maya is that which we see in things like an earthen pot; delusion is that wherein the intellect gets stultified and cannot understand anything. For the ordinary people of the world, Maya is a reality, because it projects this world which is clearly seen by them as a fact; but to the logical mind, or the philosophical intellect, it is a mystery, because it cannot be said to be either non-existent (due to its appearance) or existent (due to its ultimate negation in Brahman). It is real from the point of view of popular common sense, inscrutable from the point of view of logical philosophy, and unreal to the illumined sage. It is seen in three different ways from three levels of evolution. The dependence of Maya is seen from the fact of its being impossible where there is no consciousness. It has also a semblance of independence as it manages somehow to present a world to the untainted consciousness. It manifests a world to the unattached Kutastha, and brings about a distinction between Iswara and jiva by manifesting itself cosmically as well as individually. The wonder is that it does not affect the Kutastha, and yet appears to involve it in world- experience. The world appears to be ‘there’, but is yet inexplicable. The very meaning of Maya is that it can effect marvels and bring about events and occurrences which are usually impossible. The intellect of the Jiva gets divided here, and the only thing open to it is to conclude that mystery is perhaps the stuff of Maya, as liquidity is the nature of water, heat of fire, hardness of stone etc. It intrigues a person, who is involved in it. It is known to be unsubstantial when the light of Brahman reveals itself. No question in regard to Maya will bring a satisfactory answer, because the very nature of Maya is a question as to the origin of things. Maya is a query and a wonder, not a subject for logical scrutiny or empirical observation. The solution lies only in the cessation of the intellect, in the subsiding of all interrogation, and the effacement of individuality in the greatest wonder of Brahman. Sincere seekers,

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 41 therefore, should not worry themselves as to the origin of Maya and its nature, but endeavour hard in finding ways and means of attaining freedom from it. The answer to the question of Maya lies only in the experience of Brahman. There are explanations and statements satisfying the intellect open to a certain limit, but there is a point reaching which the intellect turns back baffled, and where it finds itself confronted by a mighty wall of ignorance. How did life originate? How did consciousness enter the individual? How is a large tree contained in a small seed? These are questions which the intellect cannot answer. It is wrong on the part of anyone to enter into discussions and arguments in regard to transcendental mysteries, knowing well that such arguments reach their fulfilment and obtain their answer only in the utter surrender of one’s individuality in the Absolute. Logical definitions and affirmations are circumscribed by the empirical categories of space, time and causality, and these assertions can be faced with counter-statements in a world of relativity. The wonder of creation is so tremendous to the mind of man, that he cannot even approach it. The wisest position would be to recognise that the true insight lies in real humility before the marvel of Brahman, and a sincere effort to realise it in one’s own experience. The seed of Maya is present in the Jiva as the Anandamaya experienced in sleep, from which rises the tree of dream and waking life. In the condition of sleep are hidden the impressions of all relativistic existence. The Universe is subtly submerged in the state of Isvara. The sumtotal of experiential impressions manifest through the intellects of the Jivas becomes the medium of the reflection of Consciousness as Isvara, like the indistinct appearance of the sky through the widespread clouds. The existence of Isvara is to be inferred in the same manner as we infer a reflection of space through the clouds. The subtle impressions of the intellects (Buddhis) are embedded in the Cosmic Anandamaya or Isvara, as drops of water exist in the clouds. It is the Anandamaya that sprouts as the Buddhi, both cosmically and individually. Jiva and Isvara appear due to the twofold activity of Prakriti as Avidya and Maya, respectively. Maya is like clouds, the psychic impressions like the particles constituting them, Isvara like the ether reflected in them. Isvara is extolled in the Vedas and Vedantas as Mahesvara (Overlord), Antaryami (Inner Controller), Sarvajana (All- knower) and Jagad-Yoni (Seed of the World). Isvara is the Lord of all, by His being the Self of all, and He has control over them, not by the exercise of an external power, but by the regulation of the very substance of them all. His knowledge of all beings is not mediate knowledge (Paroksha Jnana), as it is in the case of the Jivas. His knowledge is immediate realisation (Aparoksha ) of the essence of all things, both in their generality and particularity. What Isvara creates by His Will, Jivas cannot change by their efforts. The activity of the Jiva is regulated by the Will of Isvara and the effort of the former is nothing but its personal notion of the manner in which Isvara’s Will works through it. The seeds of all Jivas exist in the body of Isvara, and so He is, naturally, the sole Creator of the universe, which is the universal psychic impressions objectified for the experiences of the Jivas that are in Him as parts of a whole. The Jiva has no omniscience, due to its knowledge being exteriorised (Paroksha), and so far as the Jiva is concerned, Isvara is a matter of inference and omniscience an article of faith. In the Antaryami Brahmana, Isvara is extolled as the Inner Ruler of all beings. He is called Antaryami or Inner Regulator and Controller, because He exists within all things as an invisible being and yet the indispensable existence. The Upanishad says that Isvara is

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 42 seated in the Buddhi, and is within it. The Buddhi does not know Him. The Buddhi is His body. He controls the Buddhi from within, and He is the material substance of all things, right from the intellect to the physical sheath, as threads are the sole material of cloth. Isvara is, therefore, present everywhere. Internal to the cloth is the thread; internal to the thread is the fibre; and thus, if we go on continuing our analysis of the internal stuff of the substance, until its ultimate limit is reached, we would end in Isvara. We may be aware here of one or two layers that present themselves before our eyes, but His inmost being cannot be seen. This can be known only through the teaching of the scripture and in direct insight. As cloth may be said to be the body of the threads, the universe is the body of Isvara, for He exists as all things. As the contraction, expansion, motion, etc. of the threads would immediately bring about a corresponding change in the cloth, so is the world entirely determined by the Will of Isvara, and nothing is independent of Him. The materialsation of His Will is the Cosmos, and as He directs it, so shall it be. The Bhagavadgita refers to this control of Isvara over all the Jivas, in whom He is seated, and whom He revolves, as if mounted on a machine. Here the Jivas are to be understood in the sense of the Vijnanamaya elements or the principles of intellectual intelligence, which have their roots in the Anandamaya, of which the ultimate substance is Isvara, and any modification in His Will, ought naturally to determine the modifications in all the individual wills of the Jivas. The machine (Yantra) that is referred to in this verse of the Bhagavadgita, is the body on which the Jiva is mounted by means of the Ahamkara or ego. The term, ‘revolving,’ mentioned in this verse, refers to the involvement of the Jivas in good and bad deeds, through the ego. It is Isvara who ultimately directs the course of the actions of the Jivas, and makes them proceed along particular lines, though by a false consciousness of agency in action, the latter get bound to Samsara. The self-development in the constitution of the body of Isvara, due to His own Power, compels the Jivas to change accordingly, and this is what is meant by ‘revolving’ them by their individual egoities. This is also the control that Isvara exercises on everything in creation. People are not wanting in this world, who feel that they know what is right, but cannot do it, and know what is wrong, but cannot desist from it. There is a force above the Jivas, over which they have no control. This does not mean that there is no such thing as free-will in the case of the Jivas, because Isvara Himself appears as free-will, the only difference being that the Jivas do not know that it is Isvara alone who is working from within. Thus free-will does not detract from Isvara’s omnipotence. And by this knowledge the supremacy of Isvara and the unattached nature of the Atman in the Jiva are established, and when this truth is deeply felt by the Jiva, within, its liberation is assured. This is strongly advocated in the Srutis and Smritis, which are the Divine Words of God conveyed through the intuition and inspiration of seers and saints. The Upanishad refers to the overlordship of Isvara when it declares that by fear of Him everything moves and works. He is, thus, the regulating law from without (Sarvesvara) and the controlling power from within (Antaryami). In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, sage Yajnavalkya says that by the command of this Imperishable Being the sun and the moon stand apart, and so on. The Upanishad also mentions that this Being is the Supreme immanent Ruler of everyone. Isvara is the source of all creation, as everything originates from Him and returns to Him. The origin

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 43 of things is nothing but their unfoldment or manifestation, and their return is the involution by the Will of Isvara. The pattern of creation in any particular cycle depends upon the nature of the collective totality of the Karmas of the Jivas to be manifested in that cycle, though the motive force of this creation is Isvara Himself. When there is complete fructification of the Karmas meant for experience in a particular cycle, there is dissolution, and the involvement of the Jivas in the body of Isvara. Creation and dissolution may be compared to day and night, waking and sleeping, opening and closing of eye-lids, thinking and being silent, and the like. In the creation of the world by Isvara, the questions of Arambhavada or creation of a new effect from a different cause, or Parinamavada or transformation of the constitution of the cause into the effect, do not arise. The world is not a new effect that is produced out of a cause different from it, nor is it transformation of the cause with a change undergone in its being. The non-dual and partless nature of Brahman repudiates these possibilities. Creation is an appearance (Vivarta), as silver appears in mother-of-pearl, or a snake appears in a rope in indistinct light. The conscious (Jiva) and unconscious (material) evolutes in creation are on account of the predominance of the Chidabhasa or Prakriti in certain things. Isvara is commonly present in all, though in certain beings, one or two Gunas of Prakriti alone, are revealed, or all are revealed. It is sometimes held that Brahman is the origin of this world, directly, as when the Sruti says that Brahman which is truth, knowledge and infinity, is the source of Akasa, Vayu, Agni, etc. There is a mutual superimposition of attributes when Brahman and Isvara are thus regarded as non-distinct and consequently Brahman is considered to be the Creator of this world. However, on a careful investigation, we understand that Brahman, in its pristine purity, is utterly unattached, and Isvara, endowed with the power of Maya is the direct cause of creation. There is, in fact, no necessity to engage oneself in any argumentation in regard to the relation subsisting between Isvara and Brahman, since from the standpoint of Brahman, there is neither creation nor the world, and the explanation of the process of creation is afforded only to the Jivas who consider the world as real and creation as a fact. The creation-theory is a help to the Jiva in understanding the all-pervading nature of Reality, and the necessity to realise its identity with it. Brahman and Isvara are one, as the pure canvas is one with that stiffened with starch. Referring to the creation theory, the Upanishad tells us that Isvara, in the beginning of things, willed to be many, and this primary Will of Isvara took the form of a subtle manifestation of the cosmos as Hiranyagarbha, as the condition of sleep may give rise to the perception of dream. From one point of view, creation is simultaneous (Yugapat- Srishti), inasmuch as there is a sudden illumination of things by primeval ideation of Isvara, and the Jivas all begin to feel their own individulaised conditions as they were at the time of the conclusion of the previous cycle (Kalpa). There is, then, subsequently evolution of things systematically from the lower to the higher in different levels, and hence, from another point of view, creation is a gradual and successive process of one following another (Krama-Srishti). The scripture supports both these views. Our dreams corroborate this reasoning. Hiranyagarbha, who is an appearance of Isvara, has the feeling of ‘I-ness’ in regard to all the individual subtle bodies, with whom He is one. He is therefore the cosmic subtle body, with omniscience and omnipotence. In Him the universe appears indistinctly, as if in twilight, or in dusk, and in Him slight outlines of the future creation become visible,

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 44 as we can have a faint idea of the picture to be painted from the outlines drawn on the canvas treated with starch. Hiranyagarbha is the sprout of the world, germinating from the seed of Isvara. In Virat, however, creation becomes complete and shines clear and distinct, as the world seen in bright day-light, as a picture beheld when the work of painting is completed, as a plant that has grown into a tree. The Vedas speak of the grandeur and greatness of the Virat Purusha, in the Purusha-Sukta, and in the chapter on Visvarupa. All things, beginning with the creator down to the inanimate matter, constitute the limbs in the body of this Great Being. It is thus possible to visualise and worship Isvara in any thing, for He is everything:- Isvara, Hiranyagarbha, Virat, Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, Indra, Agni, Ganesa, Bhairava, , Yaksha, Rakshasa, Brahmana, Kshatriya, Vaisya, Sudra, cow, horse, beast, bird, the pipal, banyan and mango trees, barley, rice, grass, water, stone, earth, wood, chisel, spade:- all these are names and forms of the One God of creation, and any of these shall bring about the desired result when envisaged and adored in true spirit. The whole universe being, thus, divine in nature, all forms of worship have meaning and validity, provided, of course, the worship is done with the sole unselfish motive of realising Brahman. Different worshippers attain different results due to differences in their motives and endowments, not because there is difference in Isvara, for He is everywhere, and in every shape, at all times. As is the worship, so is the end realised. What one intensely feels, that one definitely obtains, Isvara being the source and consummation of everything. (Verses 102-209)

TOWARDS ULTIMATE FREEDOM The liberation of the Jiva is possible only in the realisation of Brahman, not even when the least difference is felt, such as that between Jiva and Isvara. As dream does not end until waking, Samsara does not end until Brahman is realised. Dream and waking are similar in so far as there is in both a mistaking of the Absolute for the relative and the particular. From the point of view of Brahman, the whole universe is a dream, inclusive of the differences between Isvara and Jiva, the sentient and non-sentient, etc. Isvara and Jiva, being included within the realm of Maya, become the cause of the twofold creation as described in the Upanishads. From the beginning of the original ideation of Isvara to become the many, up to His entry into the manifold as the enlivening force in all individuals, it is Isvara-Srishti (metaphysical existence). From the time when individuals begin to feel the usual waking consciousness involved in externality of perception, and consequently desire, dream, sleep, etc., up to the freedom of the individual from the Samsara, it is Jiva-Srishti (psychological reaction). Not knowing that Brahman is One, and there is no second to it, people unnecessarily enter into argumentation in regard to the nature of Isvara, Jiva and Jagat. Everyone, right from those who worship with faith trees, plants, stones, etc., up to the worshippers of Isvara according to Patanjali’s school, has a confusion in regard to the nature of Reality, and everyone, from the materialist onwards, up to the Sankhya, is confused about the nature of the Self. There may be difference in the degree of truth revealed in these various systems of thought, but it is definite that there is some error in each of them, even as a person is, after all, in a state of dream, whether he is dreaming that he is a king or beggar. Therefore one should not argue too much on the nature of creation, Isvara

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 45 and Jiva, but concentrate one’s mind on Brahman alone, that is non-dual. It may be true that one should study well the nature of experience and its relativity by an understanding of the nature of Isvara, Jiva and Jagat, but the study should not end there, and the investigation not concluded with such knowledge. The finale of philosophy is Brahma-Jnana, not merely a study of the categories of phenomenal experience. The Sankhya thinks that the Atman is manifold and universal, the world is real, and the Yoga feels that Isvara is distinct from both. Though this difference may be tentatively accepted in the course of our observations and studies, we should not regard it as an ultimate fact. It is to make this point clear that we have introduced the analogy of Ghatakasa, Mahakasa, Jalakasa and Meghakasa. The reflection of ether through water or the clouds is not an independent reality, for its basis is the reflecting medium, and the original ether alone is real. So is Brahman ultimately real, and not the reflections as Jiva and Isvara. The Vedanta accepts the element of truth in every system of thought, even the Charvaka or the materialist, as a necessary stage of development, but steps above every such stage as an inadequacy in the higher reaches of reality. The Sankhya, Yoga and Vedanta will come together when the Sankhya and the Yoga abandon their notions that the Atman is manifold, the world is real and Isvara is a distinct personality separate from both. The mere understanding that the Atman is unattached will not be enough for the purpose of the liberation of the soul. The realisation of its Absoluteness is essential. But so long as Isvara is there, controlling all from above, and the world is there outside, limiting all in every way, the Atman cannot be free. Isvara and Jiva would circumscribe Brahman. It is only on the transcendence of these differences that the Atman is experienced as Brahman. It is not necessary that, for the purpose of philosophical explanations, we should accept a plurality of Atmans, or the reality of the world. They may have an empirical utility, but they are transcendentally unreal. The scripture affirms that from the standpoint of Brahman there is neither creation nor destruction, neither bondage nor liberation, neither a seeker after liberation nor the liberated. This is the ultimate truth, though in practical, worldly experience, these processes are seen and accepted. They come under Vyavaharika-satta or relative reality. The Paramarthika-satta or Absolute Reality is Akhanda or indivisible existence. The distinction between Isvara, Jiva and Jagat being relative, it is conclusively proved that Kutastha and Brahman are one, and Brahman exists as non-dual in the three periods of time, whether there is creation or not. In the bondage and liberation of the Jiva, Brahman remains the same, as unaffected Being. The experiences of the Jiva have nothing to do with Brahman’s undividedness. Even those who have an insight into the spiritual nature of things feel the reality of the world, but they are not bound by it as they were before the rise of such knowledge. Bondage is not in the perception of the world, but in the nature of the reaction that is set up from within the mind. There may be, on the other hand, no external perception, but there may be feelings of internal attachment and aversion. The difference between the bound and the liberated soul is that the former considers all its experiences in the present and the future worlds as real in themselves; but the latter knows with certainty that the world-experience is relative, and not ultimate. The realisation of non-duality is not merely a negative state of the abolition of an existent duality. It is the original, real state, of existence prior even to the

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 46 manifestation of duality. The world of duality is relative because here one thing is observed to hang on the other for its subsistence, and nothing can rest independently in itself. The world is a relative mass of interconnected forces where everything determines everything else, and nothing by itself can be considered as real. Let this be known, and the mind be fixed on Brahman alone, as that which remains after everything is set aside as “not it”. If, in meditation, the feeling of duality persists due to force of past mental impressions, self-analysis is to be carried on again, and the notion of duality avoided. Meditation should be continued until the goal is realised, without any anxiety or impatience on one’s part. Forces like hunger, and thirst will attempt to hamper the progress in one’s meditations, but let it be remembered, again and again, that these are forces of Prakriti impinging on its own manifestations in the body of the Jiva, and the real Witness behind all these varieties is unaffected. The feelings of pleasure and pain and body-consciousness will appear persistently, and the only way of overcoming them is in dwelling constantly on the absolute nature of Brahman in which pleasures and pains cannot abide, and there cannot be confinement of consciousness to any particular body. The innermost consciousness of the Jiva is Brahman, which is the unattached witness of all duality, such as the objective and subjective worlds, and it is never involved in them. This truth is to be instilled into the mind for a protracted period with intense vigilance and tenacity. The success achieved in meditation is in proportion to the extent of the honest feeling within ourselves that Brahman is the only reality, and is the one aim of life. The world, being of a presented character, and so necessarily relativistic and transient, its negation in spiritual experience involves also the transcendence of personality and individuality. Consciousness precedes the rise of dualistic perception, because consciousness is necessary even to think that there is duality. The fact that duality cannot be imagined in consciousness, proves that consciousness is indivisible, and the fact that it cannot be known as an object outside oneself shows that it is known in immediate realisation and not in sensory or mental perception. There are people who are capable of understanding things by their rational powers but cannot arrive at truth, because of their attachment to reasoning process alone, which works on the basis of duality, and not resting their arguments on scriptures and intuition. It is necessary that all the desires of the heart should be liberated once and for all, if the highest insight is to be obtained. It is stated in the Upanishads that the mortal becomes immortal when all the desires of the heart are cast off, and the knots of the heart are rent asunder. Verily, it is the desires that are referred to here as the knots to be broken. Avidya, and Karma are the knots of the heart. The feeling, ‘let me have this, and that,’ is the essence of desire, which arises on account of one’s confusing between the Atman and Ahamkara, mistaking the ego for the Atman. If the primary misconception of the identity of the Atman with the ego is gone for good, there would be nothing left to bind the soul to rebirth, though the natural desires common to a human being and consciousness of the body may persist in such a person for some time, due to operation of Prarabdha. However, one who has attained such a wisdom will be unconcerned with what the Prarabdha Karma does, with passing wishes or diseases, as, for example, one is unconcerned with things unconnected with oneself, such as cutting of a tree in a forest. The breaking of the knots of the heart is nothing but awareness that one is Atman essentially and hence desires convey no meaning to it. Not knowing this is confinement

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 47 to the body and personality and the objects related to it. In regard to the outward activities of the body, senses and mind, the Jivanmukta and an ordinary man are similar, but the difference lies in their attitudes towards them. Whether pains come and pleasures go, or otherwise, the Jivanmukta is unaffected, and is indifferent in the highest spiritual sense of the term. The indifference of the liberated one is not to be equated with Tamas or lethargy, for it is the absence of craving for things, though he has the ability to possess and enjoy anything, if he so wills. Sensory activities or mental functions mean nothing of consequence to the Jivanmukta, though, occasionally, even certain wishes may arise within him due to the remnant of a kind of Prarabdha. He is not concerned because he has a deep conviction of having attained everything that he wished to have. Contact is the cause of bondage, and hence the wise always refrain from it. Their aloofness from society as in the case of Jadabharata or enjoyment as with Janaka or Saubhari, mean the same thing to their unaffected being. This achievement is possible for one who is equipped with the necessary means, viz., (renunciation), Bodha (enlightenment), and (withdrawal from world- consciousness). These three great virtues rarely coexist as in sages like Suka and Vamadeva, but mostly one or two of these alone are seen to be present in the aspiring souls. Vairagya is the dispassion which arises on account of the perception of the defects inherent in things, such perception being its cause. The nature of Vairagya is a feeling of ‘enough’ with all things, and a discontent with the satisfaction that is derived from the world. The result of Vairagya is non-dependence on objects and states as previously, and a feeling of higher independence within. The cause of Bodha or knowledge is study and hearing (Sravana), reflection (Manana), and meditation (Nidhidhyasana) on the truths into which one is initiated by the Guru. The nature of knowledge is the ability to distinguish between, the true and the false, and the resting of oneself in the Supreme Reality. The not rising again of any desire is the result of knowledge. The practice of Yoga such as through its eight limbs, Yama, , and the rest, is the cause of one’s Uparati or cessation from worldly activity. Control of the mind in all its five modifications (Vrittis) is the nature of Uparati. The total absence of practical concern with the world of duality is the consequence or result. These three divine qualities adorn a Jivanmukta. In him all these exist together, though in some, one or two may be absent due to obstructions of various kinds. Among these qualifications described, Bodha is primary and the most important of all. Vairagya and Uparati, are, as a matter of fact, auxiliaries to it, accelerating its function. If, at any time, all these three virtues are found in one and the same person, it should be considered as the result of great penance performed prior to their rise. Mostly one or two of them alone will be found in a person due to some impediment or the other, which prevents the manifestation of all the qualities. If a person has attained to full knowledge, but has body-consciousness some times, due to the absence of firm establishment in Vairagya and Uparati, there will be the perception of the world and also the feelings of pain and pleasure on such occasions, though, of course, he will have no rebirth on account of his knowledge. This, however, is meaningful not in the sense that spiritual realisation needs any other additional qualification to complete itself, but that the Jivanmukta will have Prarabdha-Bhoga, or the natural concomitance of space-time- body perception. But if he is a person endowed with Vairagya and Uparati, while not

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 48 with Knowledge, he will not attain Moksha, but will be reborn either in a noble and rich family, where he will have all facilities to continue his Sadhana, or in the family of a Yogi, wherein he will attain quick success in his spiritual pursuits. The height of Vairagya is regarded as that state where one feels distaste even for the joys of Brahmaloka. The height of Bodha is that where one feels that one is Brahman itself, as intensely as one ordinarily would feel the body. The height of Uparati is that condition of mind where the presence of sense-objects is completely forgotten and wiped out from memory, as in sleep. Though these are the highest states, there are stages to their attainment. The first stage of Vairagya is called Yatamana-samjna, or the effort towards freeing oneself from attachment to things. The second stage is Vyatireka-samjna, or the isolation of the thing to be avoided from among the many things in the world. The third stage is Ekendriya-samjna, where one discovers that it is after all the mind from which freedom is to be attained, the one sense which is the cause of all trouble, and not from the world as such. The fourth stage is called Vasikara-samjna, or the complete mastery over all things, by a total absence of desire for everything, whether seen or only heard of. Vairagya reaches its climax when one has no desire even to exist as a personality or individual, and abandons even the primordial properties of Prakriti. The first stage of knowledge is Sattvapatti, or attainment of pure Sattva; the second is Asamasakti or non-attachment to all things; the third is Padarthabhavana or non- perception of materiality and perception of spirituality in things; and the fourth is Turiya, where one rests in one’s own Self. Uparati reaches its summit when one realises that the whole universe is a single family, and there is the total absence of selfishness by a gradual rising from concern with one’s own body to other bodies outside, by extending this feeling to the community, the nation, and the world, till it embraces the whole universe as an undivided unit. Due to the difference in Prarabdha, sages behave in various ways and their actions differ. Sri Krishna, , Vyasa, Suka, Janaka, Jaigishavya, Saubhari, Jadabharata are examples of this strange variety in behaviour of divine personalities. But their knowledge is the same, and their attainment is also one. It is to be concluded, therefore, that this painted picture of the cosmos appears on the screen of Brahman-Consciousness, and wisdom lies in considering oneself as this background of Consciousness, and not the appearance of the picture. Such wise ones do not get deluded even when they see this picturesque representation called the universe. (Verses 210-290)

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 49 CHAPTER VII LIGHT ON SUPREME SATISFACTION

THE PASSAGE TO KNOWLEDGE “If one realises that one’s essential nature is the Atman, then, desiring what, and for what purpose, should one identify oneself with the body?” We shall discuss here the true import of this scriptural statement. The entire creation is a joint action of Isvara and Jiva, one providing the material, and the other the means of experience. It was already noticed that the creation of Isvara extends from His original Will to diversify Himself to the act of His animation of all individualities; and the creation of Jiva commences from the waking consciousness and ends in final liberation from individuality (Vide, Aitareya Upanishad). The Jiva, which is the cause of its own bondage, is in essence the Kutastha-Atman, but, somehow, it begins to assume an independence and importance by mutual transference of attributes between the Atman and the Chidabhasa, and by considering that the intellect is its real form. There is no such thing as Jiva independent of the Kutastha, because the former cannot exist without the latter. The feeling of Jivahood arises when the Chidabhasa, which is an appearance of Kutasthta in the intellect, is identified with the three bodies, and gets used to feel that it is a part of Samsara. When the time comes for the Jiva, in a state of maturity, to discard its personality and individuality, and accept the presence of its own higher Self, then it is that it begins to feel its oneness with the unattached Atman. Though the Atman has no feeling of ‘I’-ness, the feeling ‘I am the Atman’ is possible, as there are two subtle meanings of the term ‘I’, other than the ordinary one that is known in connection with the body by a mixing up of the natures of Kutastha and Chidabhasa. An illumined soul has a deep consciousness whereby there arises an occasional feeling of the body and the world, simultaneously with the constant feeling that he is the Atman. This is possible due to his being in a state of Sattva, where is a clear discernment of the presence of the original universality, though the limitation of the reflection is also felt together. Hence, while referring to bodily actions, the knower refers to the lower ‘I’ or Chidabhasa, and when feeling that he is the Absolute, he makes reference to the higher ‘I’, or Kutastha. It is not easily understandable as to how one and the same person has two feelings at the same time. But it is an uncommon possibility with a sage, due to the Jiva being an appearance and yet rooted in the Atman. The Chidabhasa asserts: ‘I am the Atman’, because its meaning is in the Atman, as a reflection has meaning only in its original. As the Chidabhasa is entirely dependent on the Kutastha, it has no independent reality. Hence its activities, also, have no reality of their own. The efforts of the Chidabhasa are within Samsara, and even its lofty aspirations in the form of the spiritual quest are within phenomena, though this highest work on its part is capable of removing its ignorance and awakening it into a sublime Consciousness. As the movement of a rope- snake is not real, so are the changes of the Chidabhasa, by themselves. From this it would follow that the knowledge which the Chidabhasa is endeavouring to attain would also be unreal; but this is no fault; for, to dispel what is not really there, a knowledge

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 50 which is of the same category of being would suffice. As a certain experience in dream may awaken the dreamer from the dream, though that experience is within the dream, the spiritual endeavour of the Chidabhasa in the form of meditation on the Kutastha- Atman brings about its liberation, though this process is within the realm of appearance in which the Chidabhasa is involved. It is in the culmination of this knowledge that the Chidabhasa begins to feel its identity with the Kutastha, by dissociating itself from the feeling of the body. Its liberation becomes complete when it reaches a certainty of consciousness that it is the Atman, as intensely as it feels that it is the body in the worldly state. It begins to realise: ‘I am this Atman’. (Verses 1-20) THE ANALOGY OF THE TENTH MAN A distinction between direct and indirect knowledge, as well as knowledge and ignorance, in the case of the Atman, is possible, as could be illustrated by the following analogy: One of the ten persons that crossed a river, while counting the number among them that have safely reached the other bank, lost consciousness of one among them, namely himself, by forgetting himself in directing his attention entirely to the others whom he was counting. This state of not finding the tenth person out of the group, though he is really there, is Ajnana or ignorance of truth. The consequent feeling that the tenth person is not there, and is not seen, is Avarana or the veil that casts itself over one’s consciousness. The subsequent grief, due to the feeling that the tenth person is dead, is Vikshepa or the distraction that arises out of it. The faith that the tenth person is alive, which arises when they are told about the fact by a friend who passes by, is the indirect knowledge obtained through a teacher, that the object of quest is, after all, there. When the tenth man is told that he himself is the one whom he has been searching all the while, the knowledge that arises in him, then, in direct knowledge or experience. This leads to the satisfaction that the object sought for has been gained, and all sorrow departs. The Chidabhasa is in a similar position. It is the tenth man struggling in ignorance and its effects. It is engrossed in the perception of the world of objects, and as its attention is completely lost in them, it never realises that there is the eternal Atman, which is itself in truth. This is Ajnana. It further feels that the Atman is not there, and is not seen. This is Avarana. It then feels, again, that it is the doer, enjoyer, and so on. This is Vikshepa. When a competent person instructs it that the Atman exists, it has Paroksha-Jnana, or indirect knowledge. When it is told that it is itself the Atman, and there comes about this realisation due to intense meditation, there is Aparoksha-Jnana or direct knowledge. Then the grief-ridden world, with agency, enjoyment, etc., vanishes, and it arrives at the supreme satisfaction that on the realisation of the Atman, everything necessary has been done, and obtained. Here the goal of life of the Chidabhasa is reached. (Verses 21-32)

THE STAGES OF ENLIGHTENMENT The stages of knowledge mentioned above, are conditions of the Chidabhasa. Of these seven stages, viz., ignorance (Ajnana), veil (Avarana), distraction (Vikshepa), indirect knowledge (Paroksha-Jnana), direct knowledge (Aparoksha-Jnana), freedom from sorrow (Sokamoksha), and satisfaction (Tripti), the first three are the sources of bondage, while the later stages are processes of the liberation of the Chidabhasa. Ajnana

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 51 or ignorance is the condition wherein seated the Jiva has no knowledge, at all, of there being such reality as the Atman. It is the state where there is not even the feeling that one is in a state of ignorance. It is complete obscuration of knowledge, and absence of an awakening into the true state of affairs. On account of restricting oneself entirely to the intellectual ways of approach and not receiving inspiration from the revelations of the scriptures and the words of saints and sages, the Jiva begins to feel, as a consequence of ignorance, that the Atman is not there and is not known. This is the effect of Ajnana. Its further effect is body-consciousness by which there is an intensification of Jivahood and engagement in actions with the notions of agency, or doership and enjoyership. This is the Samsara of the Jiva to which it gets bound. Though Ajnana and Avarana are prior to the active appearance of the Chidabhasa, they are to be regarded as its own conditions, since they cannot be states of the Atman, and, also, they are merely the causal conditions of the Chidabhasa, to sprout later. There is the Samskara or impression of the Vikshepa even before its actual rising into visibility. It is this Samskara that exists in a latent form as Ajnana and Avarana. Nor can it be thought that these are states of Brahman, just because they are superimposed on it, for, in fact, everything in this world is superimposed on Brahman. Hence, the Jiva’s subsequent feeling of being in bondage, having knowledge, getting freed, and attaining joy, as also its conditions of ignorance, and the feeling that there is neither existence nor knowledge of the Atman, are its own relative conditions, whether manifest or unmanifest. The superimposition on Brahman is made by the Jiva. Brahman, by itself, has nothing to do with this superimposition. Brahman it the final substratum of the appearance of Ajnana and its effects, while the Jiva is the experiencer of these, and is involved in their meshes. By the indirect knowledge received through a Teacher, the Jiva knows that the Atman is, and by the direct knowledge attained through realisation, it merges in the Atman. When knowledge of the Atman arises, the idea of Jivahood vanishes, and together with it the feelings of doership and enjoyership, etc., as well as the whole world of bondage and sorrow. On account of the complete removal of Samsara of the Jiva by the illumination of knowledge, there shines forth the experience of eternal freedom, and unfettered bliss which knows no end. Aparoksha-Jnana, and the removal of sorrow by means of it, are the conditions of the Jiva. It is this truth that has been revealed in the verse quoted from the Upanishad, in the beginning of this section. Aparoksha-Jnana is only a continuation and deepening, and not a negation, of Paroksha-Jnana. As the Atman is self-luminous, and thereby its existence is recognised by the purified intellect, it can be said that knowledge of the Atman has two aspects or stages, in one of which there is immediate realisation of its essence, and in the other there is only a mediate knowledge in regard to its existence alone. The characters of reality known are the same both in indirect and direct knowledge. Notwithstanding that there is a difference in the quality of experience in the two stages, Paroksha-Jnana is valid, since it refers to certain facts about Brahman, and not unrealities. It is not that the existence of Brahman as indirectly known in Paroksha-Jnana is contradicted in Aparoksha-Jnana, for what takes place in the latter is an intensification and exaltation of the contents of the former, but not a negation of them, since it is never seen that Brahman’s existence is subject to contradiction. Just as we have a real, though inadequate, knowledge of existence of heavenly regions, etc., from scriptures, there is an

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 52 inadequacy, but not unreality, in Paroksha knowledge of Brahman. The aspect of Brahman that is known in Paroksha-Jnana is its existence, and the aspect that is realised in Aparoksha-Jnana is its essential nature as Consciousness. The veil over the ‘existence’ is removed in Paroksha-Jnana, while the observation of the ‘Consciousness’ is removed in Aparoksha-Jnana. As in the case of the tenth person in the analogy cited, the knowledge of the existence of the tenth person derived by hearing it from a friend is real and not invalid in any way, the knowledge that is derived from the Preceptor as to the existence of Brahman is a fact that is not going to be contradicted, later. As, when true knowledge dawns that the one who is counting is himself the tenth person, he would include himself in counting the members of the group, and would not forget himself as he did before, so the Chidabhasa which, in its state of ignorance, forgot itself while being engrossed in the objects of the world, would always take into consideration its essential universal nature in reckoning the five sheaths and in its dealings with anything in this world, when it awakens to the knowledge that what it sought for in the world of objects has been its own Self, and not anything lying away from it. After the dawn of knowledge, the forgetfulness of the Atman will never recur again, wherever one may find oneself in the world, and in whatever condition, and it would then be immaterial where and how one is, because of the certainty of realisation that the supreme objective of quest has been attained. The mode of the introduction of the mind of the student from Paroksha-Jnana to Aparoksha-Jnana is indicated in the sixth chapter of the Chhandogya Upanishad, while Uddalaka Aruni instructs the student Svetaketu. While the indirect knowledge of Brahman is declared in such statements of the Upanishad as ‘Satyam-Jnanam-Anantam Brahma,’ - Truth-Knowledge-Infinity is Brahman, the direct knowledge of it is the theme of the sixth chapter of the Chhandogya Upanishad, which expatiates upon the great sentence, ‘Tat-Tvam-Asi’ - ‘That Thou Art’. The demonstrative pronouns, ‘That’ and ‘‘Thou’, refer to a remote object and an immediate object respectively, as is well known. In this sentence, ‘That’ indicates Isvara, or God, and the word ‘Thou’ indicates Jiva, or the individual. The separative connotation of these two indicative words may appear to prevent the identification of Isvara and Jiva, since, at least from the point of view of the Jiva, Isvara is a remote object who existed even before creation, and the Jiva is a subsequent manifestation posterior to creation. But the inseparability of the cause and its effect requires the recognition of an identical substance present both in God, the Creator, and the individual, the created embodiment. The usual illustration offered to explain this basic identity of this Supreme Cause with the individual effect is the way in which we recognize the identity of a person here and now with the very same person seen somewhere else at a different time. In the identification of the single person in this manner, the associations of the person with a different place and a different time from the place and the time in which he is recognised now, are ignored, and only the person concerned is taken into consideration, for instance, when we say ‘This is that Devadatta’, indicating thereby that this Devadatta who is in this place at this moment is the same Devadatta who was seen at some other time earlier in some other place. In a similar manner, the identity of the basic Substance in God and the individual is established by a separation of this Substance from the limiting adjuncts of remoteness and immediacy associated with God and the individual - Isvara and the Jiva. It is the appearance of space and time in the creational process that causes this apparent

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 53 distinction between the cosmic and the individual, projecting the appearance of externality in the world and an immediacy of selfhood in the individual perceiver thereof. We say that God is Omniscient, Sarvajna, and the individual is of little knowledge, Alpajna; God is Omnipresent, Sarvantaryami, and the individual is localised, Aikadesika; God is Omnipotent, Sarvasaktiman, and the individual is impotent, Alpasaktiman. These well-known distinctions which appear to be absolutely real, are in fact apparitions caused by the projective activity of the interfering principles of space, time and causality. In this sense, we may say that what we call the world and world- experience is only a space-time complex outwardly cognised by the finite consciousness of the individual. The process of the negation of the space-time attributes and the taking in of the main Substance involved, in the illustration cited, is a local procedure known as Bhagatyaga- Lakshana, or Jahad-Ajahad-Lakshana, in the language of the Vedanta philosophy, meaning thereby, ‘Defining by division and separation’ and ‘Defining by rejecting and taking in’, as detailed. The relationship between the individual and the Absolute, thus, is neither one of contact of two things or of an attribute qualifying a substantive, but one of homogeneous identity. What appears to be the individual is in fact a configuration of Brahman-Consciousness itself deflected through the ramifying media of space and time. When such knowledge arises in the individual, it at once ceases to be the individual that it appeared to be and enters into its essential nature, which is universality of being. Here, the indirect knowledge that Brahman exists, becomes a direct experience as ‘I am the Absolute’, even as the space within a jar may realise that it is the same as the all- pervading space. The immediacy of Jiva-consciousness and the remoteness of the concept of Isvara, vanish at once in such a realisation, and experience becomes a total indivisible whole. What direct experience actually means is to be known by us by the substantiveness of such an experience we have every day in the form of ‘I am’ or ‘I exist’. In the perception of an object, the mind modifies itself into the form of that object, but the modification itself is not self-conscious, or rather, conscious of anything at all. The consciousness of the object arises on account of the modification of the mind being attended by the consciousness of Chidabhasa, or the reflection of the Kutastha- Chaitanya in the Buddhi, or the intellect. But in the case of the knowledge of Brahman by a universalised form of the mental modification known as Brahmakara-Vritti, consciousness need not attend the mental modification, because Brahman is not outside in space, and any movement of consciousness towards it is inapplicable. The modification of the mind into the form of the object is called Vritti-Vyapti, and the illumination of this mental modification by consciousness is called Phala-Vyapti, in the language of the Vedanta. The latter instance is exemplified in the illumination of the mental modifications internally, when a person is aware that he is thinking, wherein the thoughts are the objects, not existing outside but inseparably from themselves, thus not needing the movement of consciousness externally and endowing of mental modifications with a sort of self-luminosity. Thus are distinguished the processes of external perception and internal cognition. Indirect knowledge received by means of instruction from the preceptor requires to be deepened into experience by reflection and deep meditation. Indirect knowledge influences the conscious level of the student, but it has to percolate into the recesses of his being, which is possible only by the absorption of indirect knowledge into the very

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 54 being of the spiritual seeker, because, ultimately, knowledge is inseparable from being. Existence is the same as consciousness, and consciousness is existence. A knowledge or consciousness which has its object external to it is indirect and inadequate, though it has its own value in acting as a secondary means for achieving the primary purpose of direct realisation. This realisation is impossible for those whose minds are not calm through the restraint of the senses and freedom from mortal desires. More than anything else, an intense longing for liberation is to be considered as the supreme qualification of a seeker. Even during meditation one may have to face many difficulties, such as the inability to reconcile apparently contradictory statements occurring in the scriptures, the persistent feeling that the world and the body are real, and, finally a sense of hopelessness and a feeling of impossibility in regard to the achievement of the supreme purpose of life. These three obstacles, known as Samsaya-Bhavana, Viparita-Bhavana, and Asambhavana, are met with and overcome through the processes of Sravana, or listening to the wisdom imparted by the preceptor, Manana, or deep reflection on the truths so received, and Nididhyasana, or profound meditation. The difficulty in understanding the true meaning of the scriptures arises on account of dullness of intellect, doubt regarding the Supreme Reality of Brahman alone, and a feeling of the reality of the world due to impressions of many lives lived wrongly in earlier forms of existence, and a sense of impossibility of achievement due to the heavy operation of clouding (Tamasika), and distracting (Rajasika) Karmas (actions performed with a feeling of the agency of the self) in past lives. Unselfish service (Karma-Yoga), devout worship of God, Isvara (Upasana), and an analytic understanding of the all- comprehensiveness of the Absolute (Jnana) are the ways to Self-realisation. Mala (dirt), Vikshepa (distraction) and Avarana (veiling) are the hindrances to right thinking, which act as impulses arising from the mind contrary to the concentration necessary for fixing oneself in Brahman-Consciousness. The supreme method, of course, is known as Brahma-Abhyasa (practice of the presence of Brahman) which consists in thinking of Brahman alone, talking about That alone, mutually discoursing on That alone, and depending for one’s sole sustenance on That alone in a whole-souled surrender and dedication of one’s being to the Universal Reality. As days pass and one becomes mature in thinking and understanding, too much of study and discussion should be avoided and one must resort to internal analysis and meditation more and more. Herein we are reminded of the great proclamation of the Bhagavadgita that God looks to the welfare and protection of those who undividedly think of Him, feel His Presence everywhere and entirely depend on Him by a surrender of their being to the Supreme Being. Such meditations burn up all the dross of psychological impediments and enable the inner light to shine brighter than ever. Meditation should be conducted with freedom from unnecessary effort and fatigue, for it is the spontaneity of the feeling for God that is to be taken as the final criterion of success in this endeavour. While the sense objects appear outside to the mind, the object enters into the being of the meditator’s consciousness in deep absorption, thereby the distinction between the subject and the object, the knower and the known, becomes narrower as meditation advances, finally to be abolished altogether in a coalescence of the subject with the object, and vice versa. The essential point to be remembered in all meditation is that there should be no thought except that of the chosen object or the ideal of meditation. The hardship involved in the control of the mind is pointed out by ancient masters by such analogies as drinking the ocean,

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 55 shaking the Meru mountain, swallowing blazing fire, and the like, to illustrate the difficulty in the practice of self-restraint. Those who cannot directly carry on meditation in this way are advised to listen to the glories of God through epics () and legends (Puranas) and even by easier means as dramatic presentations of the majesty of God and His Creation. Nididhyasana is profound absorption in the thought that the world and the individual are not outside Isvara, that Isvara, the world and the individual are an apparently triple manifestation of Brahman, and that, thus, there is no distinction between the knower and the known, and there is no such thing as an external world or an extra-cosmic creator. For one who is established in such deep meditation, the world and the individuals around are not any more a hindrance in any way. When the mind is affected by distraction in the midst of meditation, repeated efforts should be put forth by drawing the mind away from relationship to externals and concentrating it on the glorious ideal of meditation. Here, study of sacred scriptures and such other occupations by which the mind is made to wean itself away from things, have to be adopted. Even if the consciousness of the supreme object of meditation is sometimes lost and forgotten during the day, there is no harm since it will return later due to the force of the earlier meditation. Momentary forgetfulness is not so dangerous as an erroneous conviction that the world is external and material in nature or that persons and things are really cut off from one another as they are totally independent in themselves. It is advisable to engage oneself during spare hours in the study of such subjects as are conducive to entertaining the thought of the object of meditation. All engagements, religious or secular, in which one will be occupied should be dexterously transformed into processes of a spiritual movement towards the Absolute. It has to be remembered constantly that engagement in any kind of work or occupation is a resultant of actions performed earlier in previous births and is not to be thought as means of enjoyment in this life, and no sense of doership in any matter whatsoever should be attributed to oneself in such occupations, since, otherwise, there is the possibility of accumulating more impressions of action which may lead to further rebirths. As far as the experience of the fruits of one’s previous actions is concerned, the knower and the non-knower may appear to be alike; only, the former bears it with patience and fortitude till the time of its exhaustion, while the latter worries himself and is excited over his experiences in life. This may be illustrated by the case of two travellers on a journey, equally fatigued, the one knowing that his destination is not far off and thus going on quicker with patience and confidence, and the other who does not know the distance yet to be covered feels discouraged and lingers on longer on the way. The conviction that there is a desirer and there is a desire for objects should be melted down in the greater conviction that Brahman is the all. Thus, the pains caused by unfulfilled desires cease, like the flames of a lamp without oil. When we witness the performance of a magician, we know very well that it is unreal, in spite of our seeing it as if physically real. We rather laugh at the performance and rejoice at the tricks of the performer and do not get emotionally disturbed or intellectually befooled by the performance. Similarly, a knower of Reality does not seek enjoyment even in objects apparently pleasing. He is convinced of their absence in the form in which they appear, their impermanence and unsubstantiality, and gives up attachment to them. Material wealth of any kind is not a source of joy, truly speaking. It is attended with anxiety and worry,

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 56 in earning it, in maintaining it, in losing it, and even in spending it. One cannot expect peace of mind through possession of wealth. So are the longings for name, fame and power and other joys of an emotional nature and egoistic in their essential make-up. Who will drink poison even if hungry for days together? Much less will be the desire of one who is already satisfied with the best of foods. True seekers of liberation are satisfied even with obtaining the minimum needs of life and do not ask for large possessions, for desire is never extinguished by the fulfilment of it. It is only the unenlightened one that is not satisfied even with endless enjoyments in this world. It is the wisdom of the knower to convert the world into a help in his progress towards salvation, instead of imagining that it is an object of enjoyment, because in this creation everything is connected to everything else and nothing is subsidiary to or dependent upon another except as imagination under states of delusion of mind. One undergoes suffering by Prarabdha-Karma, which is accumulated either intentionally or unintentionally, or in the interest of other people and other things. Unintentional suffering is caused by operations of Nature, such as heat and cold, hunger and thirst, and the urges of the natural instincts of the human being. The intentional type consists of the sorrows that come upon oneself in the wake of deliberate misdeeds like theft, deceit and wilful injury caused to others, or by neglecting the laws of one’s own physical and mental health. Suffering caused by taking interest in others, whether willing or unwilling to do the thing, is instanced by such events as receiving a sun-stroke while walking in the hot sun to escort a guest to his destination, and such other actions which may bring a painful reaction even if they are performed with good intentions to help others in any way. The way in which desires attain fulfilment in a knower is a little difficult to understand, since they defy the normal laws of their operation. There is such a thing as unattached enjoyment even of objects indulged in, either for the reduction of the intensity of desire in a harmless manner by giving it its demand in a way not injurious either to oneself or to others, or to exhaust the fruit yielded by the impressions of previous actions. In this case, the enjoyment of the knower is to be attributed not so much to a personal desire as to the impersonal will that operates behind his apparent personality. But these enjoyments cannot bind him, as roasted grains have no potency to shoot up into plants. Likewise, the desires of a knower are no more real desires, as they do not arise from his personality but are volitions directed by a more impersonal purpose and motivation. The world is to be contemplated upon as a kingdom seen in a dream. It is a reality at the time of its experience but vanishes instantaneously on one’s rising to wakefulness. The waking world of space, time, objects and relations is similarly constituted as a manifestation of the Cosmic Mind, thus having no real objectivity in itself. Profound meditation in this way will lessen the intensity of a longing and attachment in respect of persons and things. It is the function of knowledge to demonstrate the unreality of the world and it is the nature of Prarabdha-Karma to yield experiences of the world. Thus, knowledge and fructifying Karma are not opposed to each other, since they are relevant to different aims. The Prarabdha may continue to operate in spite of the knowledge of the unreality of all things, but such knowledge sets at naught the stinging character of these pleasures and pains. Since Prarabdha-Karma does not create an idea of the reality of things, it is not opposed to true knowledge. Things do not disappear in knowledge but only reveal their true nature. Even in dream, objects which do not really exist cause

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 57 pleasure and pain to the experiencer. This would suggest that the reality of objects is not necessarily a criterion for experiencing them as such; the only thing needed for experiencing is a placement of the subject and the object of experience on a par, i.e., in the same degree of reality. In the case of the knower, the experience of pleasure and pain is to some extent like the ones experienced by an audience before a dramatic enactment or a magical performance, the absence of reality in which is known to the experiencer even when experiencing them. For the same reason, the waking world does not establish its reality merely by the fact of its being experienced. This analysis of the nature of desire in an ordinary sense and an extraordinary sense would show that the ethical laws of empirical life do not apply to the realm of transcendent experience.

AN ANALYSIS OF ENJOYMENT Due to ignorance of one’s relation to the object of experience, one mistakes it for an instrument of enjoyment or satisfaction. By erroneously transferring changeful properties on itself, the Jiva regards its enjoyership as real, and never wants to abandon the objects which it considers as real. We know too well that things are not loved for their sake, but with a motive behind, a purpose to be fulfilled, other than the things concerned, this purpose being inner satisfaction, a pleasure felt within. And that becomes an object of abhorrence, which stands in the way of the achievement of this end, the one motive behind all affection and love being the selfish maintenance of a condition of inner delight. The enjoyer of objects is, therefore, a combination of the Kutastha-consciousness and the so-called Chidabhasa, though this is permissible from our practical standards, and has no meaning in itself. One should not attach oneself too much to objects, as the main point behind such attachment is not the love of objects, but the releasing of the inner tension caused by desire for them. Let all love be, therefore, centered in the Atman universal, which is the finale and end of all aspirations. Let our affection for the Supreme Being become as firm as that the ignorant persons have towards sense-objects. By this method, the mind can be gradually weaned away from sense-enjoyments, and all love directed to the Absolute within us. As the foolish one is extremely vigilant about obtaining objects of sense, such as gold and sex, a wise man should be vigilant in his engagement in the Atman. As one who wishes to achieve success in this world studies logic, literature, and so on, let the true aspirant engage himself in the study of the Atman within. As one who wants to attain heaven and superhuman powers (Siddhis), etc., practises recitation of Mantras and performs sacrifices, with great faith, let intense faith in the Supreme Reality be developed by one aspiring for liberation. As Yogins practise concentration of mind, undergoing great hardships, for the sake of attaining higher perfections, let the aspirant engage himself in the liberation of his self. As the powers of the practicants increase by protracted efforts, the intensity of the discrimination of the aspirant after freedom increases by continued endeavour. By knowing the true nature of the enjoyer through the process of reasoning, as detailed above, the detached nature of the Atman in all the states is realised. What is visible in the various states of experience is in that particular state alone, and does not follow the perceiving consciousness in the other states. Experiences of different lives, and of different states even in one life, differ from one another, but the Consciousness is everywhere one and immutable. One should meditate, therefore, that one’s Consciousness is the same as Brahman, which is the illuminator of the different states of experience, and by this knowledge one gets liberated. There

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 58 cannot be rebirth for a person who knows that there is only one Consciousness pervading all things, dissociated from all objective conditions. It should be affirmed always that one is the Witness, different from whatever is regarded as the enjoyer, enjoyment, or the enjoyed, in all the three states of experience. On analysis, it thus becomes clear that what we consider usually as the enjoyer is only the individual self that goes by the name of Chidabhasa, or the Vijnanamaya. Again, it is not real in itself, because it is within the vast world of relativities, which is transcended in Brahman. It has a beginning and an end, and, therefore, it is to be distinguished from the real. Having attained this knowledge, the Chidabhasa never, again, desires enjoyment, because its spiritual insight is a preparation for its own self-annihilation, just as no one who is about to die wishes to get his marriage performed at that time. The Chidabhasa, then, becomes ashamed even to regard itself as enjoyer, as before, and, as a person whose nose is cut off would be unwilling to come before the public, it undergoes the Prarabdha silently, without complaining of suffering, knowing well that it has only to wait till the exhaustion of the Prarabdha. When it does not attribute enjoyership even to itself in that state of knowledge, where comes the doubt that it will attribute it to the Kutastha-Atman? The scripture, therefore, disregards the erroneous concept that there is any such thing as a real enjoyer, and interrogates as to how there can be association of oneself with the conditions of the body when there is such enlightenment. The three bodies have three types of transformation, which may be regarded as their conditions, or fevers. The disbalance of the humours, and the various diseases cropping up as a result of this condition, the foul smell, the ugly nature and subjection to burns, wounds etc., are the sufferings or fevers of the physical body. Desire, anger and such other passions, the pleasure of possession and the displeasure caused by non-possession of what is longed for, are the fevers of the subtle body. The ignorance by which one knows not either oneself or others, in which there is a negation of oneself as it were, and which is the seed of future troubles in the form of various experiences, is the fever of the causal body. These are the natural, intrinsic conditions of the three bodies of the Jiva. They, rather, form the bodies themselves, for the latter do not exist independently of these conditions. These are not the outward qualities, or even inherent attributes, but the essential constituents of the bodies. As there is no cloth when its threads are pulled out, no blanket when its hairs are removed, no earthen vessel when the earth is removed from it, so there is no body when it is divested of its various transformations, or fevers. The Chidabhasa by itself is not subject to these sufferings of the bodies, it being essentially of the nature of intelligence or light, but by false association it regards all these conditions as its own. The reality of the witnessing Atman is transferred to the conditions of the body, and they are all regarded as real by this transference of property. Subsequently, they are considered as part of the Chidabhasa itself. When the body suffers, the Chidabhasa feels that it is itself suffering the conditions, as a family man would suffer the situations of the members of his family by attachment to them. When discrimination dawns, by which the Chidabhasa casts off its delusions, it does not regard even its own personality as anything meaningful, and engages itself in continuous meditation on the Sakshin, or the Witnessing Atman, and does not again subject itself to the various processes of the body. As a person would run away from a piece of rope, mistaking it for a snake, but when he realises that it is only a piece of rope he feels sorry for his act of having run away from it, the Chidabhasa repents for its

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 59 having attributed the Kutastha-Atman falsely with all the undesirable attributes belonging to the world, and, as if begging pardon from the Kutastha for its past misdeeds, it engages itself in profound meditation on the latter. To expiate the sins of the past in the form of wrong thoughts and wrong deeds, it performs meditation on the Absolute. The Chidabhasa does not again make friendship with the changes of the body, as a holy person would not mix with infidels, having performed penance for all the impurities that he might have come in contact with due to association with them previously. As a prince who is about to be enthroned, learns the art of administration from his father, with a desire to become an able king later, the Chidabhasa voluntarily undergoes inner discipline by spiritual meditation, with the intention of becoming Brahman in the end. He who knows Brahman becomes Brahman, because Brahman is universal, and hence its knowledge is the same as its existence. As persons desiring to attain luminous bodies in heaven offer themselves in certain holy fires, the Chidabhasa wishes to abolish its own individuality and shine as the Atman, by practising meditation on IT. As the body is visible in fire for the time being, before one’s attainment of the celestial regions, the Prarabdha of the Chidabhasa continues for a period, till it is exhausted, though, in the end, the attainment of Brahman is ensured. When a person mistakenly sees a snake in a rope, he fears and trembles, but on realising that it is a rope, his confusion is over, though the trembling continues for a few minutes. Not only that; when he comes back and sees the rope, it will, again, look like a snake, though he has now a clear knowledge about it. Likewise, the Prarabdha of a Jnanin ceases gradually, and not abruptly, but during the time of occasional contact with objects, it is likely that he may feel he is a human being, and may see the world, again, as it was before. By this casual perception of the world, the knowledge of the liberated one, the Jivanmukta, is not affected in any way, because Jivanmukti is not like a ritual that is to be performed with minute details of discipline, but is a natural state of being which is known to be there spontaneously without any particular effort or imposed rule. SELF-REALISATION AND ITS EFFECT In the illustration of the ten people crossing the river, it is observed that there is grief due to ignorance, and even striking of the head in sorrow by the ignorant ones, and the sorrow ceases the moment knowledge is gained about the existence of the tenth person. But the wound created on the head heals slowly, by about a month or so, and not immediately, though knowledge has come quickly and removed the grief totally. Just as, on account of the knowledge that the tenth person is alive, there is joy, and this joy supersedes and overcomes the pain of wound in the head, so, in the case of the Jivanmukta, the Prarabdha may continue for a time, even after knowledge, but the delight of Self-realisation overcomes the pain of Prarabdha, because it far surpasses all worldly sorrows. Whenever there is a feeling of superimposition of the Self on the body, let there be further discrimination and meditation for the sake of infinite knowledge, just as alchemists drink elixirs repeatedly to strengthen their bodies and avert hunger. As the wound in the head heals by medication, the Prarabdha is made to cease by undergoing its experience. The six stages viz., Ajnana, Avarana, Vikshepa, Paroksha-jnana, Aparoksha-Jnana and Sokanivritti, have been explained. Now the seventh, Tripti, or supreme spiritual delight is being discussed. All satisfaction derived from sense-objects is restricted (Sankusa), because it is obstructed and conditioned by other desires which are still unfulfilled, but

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 60 spiritual satisfaction is unbounded, for it comes as the result of realisation of the Bhuma, or the Infinite which is everything. There is the joy that all that is to be done has been done, and all that is to be obtained has been obtained. In the past, due to absence of insight into the truth, there was a lot of hardship and activity with the desire for acquiring material prosperity and worldly happiness, as well as the joy of heavens, etc., in the future; but in the state of realisation there is no such fear or sorrow, no activity of that nature, because everything has been accomplished at one stroke. There is, at that time of sudden flash of divine bliss, an immediate contrast brought about between the present state of freedom and the previous one of desire and activity. People who are ignorant suffer in Samsara, with desires for temporal ends, but he who has felt that Supreme Divine Bliss has no such troubles, for, what desire can he have? Those who wish to go to other regions, such as heaven, perform sacrifices of various kinds, but he who has all the worlds within himself has no need to exert for such travelling into distant worlds of light. People study and expound scriptures in this world with different motives, but there is no such duty for a spiritually illumined soul. Even such acts as sleep, taking food, bath, conducting ablutions, etc., are not directed by desires in a Jivanmukta, but are foisted on him by the onlookers outside; and naturally what others impute to him cannot affect him. He is inwardly free. Actions attributed to him by others do not touch him, as the redness of a flower has not the burning capacity of fire, though someone may mistake it for ember. Study, reflection and meditation being only means to an end, serve no useful purpose in his case, because he has reached the end of all striving, and has no misconception in regard to the nature of the world and the Atman. It is likely that, occasionally, he may have the feeling that he is a human being, but this is only a passing phase not to be bothered about, since it shall cease of its own accord some day in the future, and there is no serious trouble to be expected from it, since the original state of consciousness shall regain its position, as a line drawn on water. All activities cease when Prarabdha dies, but while it functions, it cannot be overcome even by the force of meditation. No doubt, those who wish to abstain from activities completely may concentrate their minds with the idea of subjugating all distractions caused by perception of objects, but when true knowledge arises in the mind, there will be no desire even to abstain from activity. There is no modification in his mind, as objects do not form any impression on it, for there can be such impression only when there is desire. In its absence, there is no attempt on his part either to control the mind in meditation or to give it a long rope in activity. Since his essential condition is Selfhood, including all the selves in the universe, he is a Seer par excellence, without an object to be seen; hence the realisation of having done everything, and obtained everything. There are Jivanmuktas who perform certain works as their Prarabdhas permit, and there are others who do so merely out of for others, to set an example to the ignorant, on account of their love for creation. Even this they do spontaneously, without any deliberate will, because their condition is one of absolute freedom, not directed by any restrictive injunctions. They are above mandates, and their works follow the Will of Isvara. Their will is Isvara’s Will, and their being is Brahman. The perception of the Jivanmukta is wide enough to cover all aspects of mental and physical activity, and so no conflict arises in his mind in regard to the various works that he performs, either voluntarily, or as fulfilment of his Prarabdha. Whether he performs

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 61 worship, bathes in waters, does Japa of Mantras, studies scriptures, or contemplates on God, it matters little to him, because all these differences are a variety in the real unity. There is a gradual ascent of the mind from the outward to the inward in the spiritual path. The lowest condition of the mind is where it contemplates sense-objects with a desire to possess them or avoid them, as the case may be. This is what we call Samsara, from the bondage to which the Jivanmuktas are ever free. The ascent of the mind in the spiritual path commences the moment there is an awakening of Consciousness to the existence of the higher life, and there is a discrimination between the real and the unreal in life. This leads further to an aspiration for being good and doing good, for ethical and moral perfection and a development of the yearning for the liberation of the soul. The ascent becomes complete when the mind is wholly engaged in studying and contemplation of the higher truths under the directions of a spiritual preceptor and the mind is concentrated on things spiritual. The culmination is reached when the mind is totally withdrawn from sense-objects and there is a complete introversion of the mind in meditation of the Divine Being. ACTION AND KNOWLEDGE The Jivanmukta-Purusha, the one liberated while living, during this state of spiritual expansion, sees no difference between the different types of activities in the world, because, from his standpoint, all movements are movements within the Absolute. There is no controversy in his mind as to the relative merits of Karma (action) and Jnana (knowledge), because, for him, Karma is only a manifestation of the Jnana aspect, since to his vision, activity loses its usual significance of being directed towards temporal ends. His Karma is all a cosmic movement of Divinity, God working the miracle of creation. The binding Karmas of the ignorant individuals, and even the purificatory Karmas of the aspirants, stand united in his vision, and do not differ from activity as such, because, for him, action is only a form of existence and not a force meant to achieve an ulterior end. Self-realisation is at once God-realisation, and it is a perfection which comprehends within itself everything that is anywhere in creation, whether active or inactive, whether inward or outward. This is why the state of the Jivanmukta is equated with God’s Consciousness and God’s Existence, in a very important sense. There is no dispute between the Karmin (one who engages himself in action) and the Jnanin (the knower of Truth) from the point of view of the Jivanmukta, because, whether the Karmin does actions thinking that they are ends-in-themselves in the state of ignorance forgetting even the Atman, or whether the Jnanin concerns himself with the Atman alone, the root on which these are all finally stabilised is the same. Though Pravritti (extroversion) and Nivritti (introversion) are both meaningless from the point of view of Self-realisation, Nivritti leads to an aspiration for knowledge in the case of those who are still aspirants. The knower, however, has neither to seek knowledge by means of Nivritti, nor has he any concern with Pravritti for its benefits. Knowledge exists not because of the value of any means to it which persons attach to it, but on its own right (Vastu-). It depends on itself and not on anything else. Knowledge of Brahman is Self-existent, because its nature does not depend upon the caprices of the individual attempting to know it (Purusha-tantra). Neither Avidya (ignorance) nor its effects can contradict knowledge, because they are already overcome by knowledge through intense Sadhana (practice) before attaining realisation. While the appearance may still continue, it does not negate knowledge; what binds is not appearance as such,

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 62 but the notion of reality in appearance. If one knows that appearance is after all appearance alone, it cannot affect him. When appearance is mistaken for reality, it becomes the source of all troubles. This error of perception has already been sublated (negated), and, therefore, it cannot rise again in the case of the Jivanmukta. Objects in the world appear to him as mere corpses without life, because of his knowledge that they entirely depend upon Brahman for their existence. It is but natural that, in the state of ignorance, people engage themselves in activity for the fulfilment of desires of various kinds, because no one exists in this world without some activity or other. Activity is the very condition of individuality and it shall persist as long as there is individuality- consciousness. Hence the vidvan, the knower, while living in the midst of ignorant people does not shake their beliefs by contradicting them in any way, but puts on their own conducts in his actions with a view to conducting them rightly, merely out of compassion. If he is in the midst of aspirants, he tries to instruct them by gradually trying to wean their minds away from attachment and faith in perishable things, by slowly diverting their attention from the false to the true, by stages, and not abruptly. He is like a father to children, full of love and pity, and is not affected whether he is insulted or praised by those who do not understand him. Whatever be the attitude of others towards him, his only attitude towards others is one of love for all and service to all by means of precept as well as practice. He, always, looks to the good of others. Whatever others may think about him, he considers how he should conduct himself for others to be benefited by his presence, and he lives accordingly, not for his own sake, because he wants nothing for himself, but for others’ sake, because it is his nature to love all as his own Self. He has no duty to perform except, perhaps, the one he deliberately takes upon himself, viz., the education of the ignorant towards Self-realisation.

THE DELIGHT OF SELF-REALISATION The realised soul is all the while happy, and is highly exhilarated due to the immense realisation that he has, the clarity of perception that he has attained, and the absolute bliss that he is experiencing. He sees with wonder the fancy of Samsara (world- existence) and the play of people around. He is delighted due to the majesty of his experience which is incomparable, and inwardly glorifies the scriptures which had helped him in gaining this knowledge, the Guru who has directed him to this experience, and the knowledge and the bliss which he now realises as his own nature. He has done what is to be done (Kritakritya), obtained what is to be obtained (Praptaprapya) and known what is to be known (Jnatajneya). Thus, does the liberated one rejoice in the indescribable ecstasy and rapture of Universal Experience, when in embrace with the glory of Brahman, the Absolute. (Verses 33-298)

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 63 CHAPTER VIII LIGHT ON THE INTERNAL SELF

THE DEEPEST SELF IN MAN The body is illumined by a twofold consciousness in the same manner as a wall, for example, can be illumined by two types of light. Just as a wall can be lighted up directly by the sun as well as by the reflection of the sun through a mirror, and we can observe the natural sunlight on the wall existing in the middle of the different patches of reflected light, so also we can observe the natural consciousness of the Atman between different thoughts and feelings, in the short span of time when one thought subsides and another thought has not yet arisen. Generally speaking, the human mind gets attached to certain objects, and its perception is always coloured by the nature of the object to such an extent that there is no time left for the mind to contemplate the Consciousness as it is in itself, unconnected with the objects. It is possible by careful and thorough investigation and psychological processes to differentiate between the factors that belong to the object and those that belong to Pure Consciousness. In the waking, the dreaming, as well as in the deep sleep states, it is possible to make this analysis by which we are enabled to dissect consciousness from the object. An object is known by the mind with the assistance of Chidabhasa-chaitanya (consciousness reflected through the intellect, or the psyche), and it is by this that we know there is such a thing as an object or a form, but the Consciousness behind the ‘I’, which is at the background of even the object consciousness is Brahma-chaitanya (Absolute Consciousness), designated here as Kutastha (internal Self). The knowledge, “This is a body” is brought about by the Chidabhasa, and the knowledge, “I know the body” has its reference to Kutastha. Even the knowledge of the absence of an object is based on the Consciousness of the Kutastha, and it is this very Consciousness that enables, later on, the particular form of perception in relation to an object. As an arrow may be sharpened with a pointed steel-head for the sake of hitting objects, the Buddhi, or the intellect, has in itself the projecting form of Consciousness of the Chidabhasa. It is when this Chidabhasa begins to act that we have object-consciousness; otherwise there is ignorance of it, the Consciousness not being particularised. Both the unknown and known conditions of an object are, thus, finally rooted in Brahman-Consciousness, as Kutastha-chaitanya. The intellect by itself cannot know an object, because it is, after all, a modification of Prakriti (cosmic matter). Just as matter cannot know matter, the intellect cannot know an object. What is known is material and what knows is Consciousness. The freedom of the Consciousness lies in its Self-realisation that it is independent and absolute and is not really tainted by the nature of any object at all. (Verses 1-9). THE NATURE OF PERCEPTION The perception of an object is due to the activity of the mind, or the intellect, in regard to it, together with the Chidabhasa attending on it. It is these that become responsible for an active perception of the object. It is not the General Consciousness of Brahman but the reflected consciousness, Chidabhasa, that particularises knowledge. As Brahman is present always, it cannot be said that it is manifesting itself only during the perception of an object. It is the Chidabhasa that rises and falls, but Brahma-Chaitanya is always

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 64 there, and has no beginning or end. There is a verse quoted from Suresvaracharya (a pupil of Sri Sankara) to the effect that Consciousness which manifests itself as an illuminating factor in all external perceptions is really the ultimate object to be known. Here, while Suresvara regards Consciousness as the ultimate end of endeavour, what he means is that the ultimate Consciousness, for all perception, being Brahman itself, it is the Goal of all aspirations, but he does not mean that this Consciousness is the Chidabhasa, because, the latter is absolutely dependent upon the Kutastha. This has been mentioned also by Sankara in his . When there is a manifestation of the Chidabhasa there is external perception, but the Chidabhasa is itself illumined by another Consciousness as even the absence of any particular object is known by it. The mental modifications, the Chidabhasa and the object, all these three, are simultaneously illumined by the General Consciousness, but the Chidabhasa can illumine only the object. Thus, the distinction between the two is clear. In the perception of an object, there is a twofold consciousness, one particular and another general. Some schools of thought regard the General Consciousness as Knowledge of knowledge or Knowledge of perception, calling it Anuvyavasaya. The knowledge, “This is an object” is due to the activity of Chidabhasa, and the knowledge, “I know the object” or “the object is known by me,” is due to the existence of Brahman. This distinction between the particular and the General Consciousness made, thus, in external perception, is also to be made in internal perceptions. The Chidabhasa lights up the modifications of the psychological instruments in the form of the ‘I’, as well as its ramifications such as desire, anger, and so on, as fire can heat up an iron ball. Just as a red hot iron ball can illumine itself, but does not illuminate other objects, so do the psychoses within (Vrittis) illumine themselves, being enlightened by the Chidabhasa, but do not directly illumine other objects. These psychoses within come in a series as bits of a process, with intervals between the different links of the process, and do not flow continuously. Also, they get dissolved in sleep, swoon and Samadhi (Super- Consciousness). The intervals between the various processes of thought as well as the absence of thought itself are illumined by an Unchangeable Consciousness, which is the Kutastha, as in the perception of an external object; the object is known distinctly and the General Consciousness is not so known. The psychoses as thoughts and feelings etc. are known more clearly than the General Consciousness of the Kutastha which is continuously present, whether thoughts come or go. In the case of the psychoses of the Antahkarana (internal organ) there is no question of known-ness and unknown-ness, because they are self-luminous and, hence, there is no chance of their either knowing themselves as objects or not knowing themselves at all. This happens also in the case of inert objects where Consciousness is absolutely absent and in which case there cannot be any such thing as known-ness. The subject does not become an object where either Consciousness is totally absent or where there is self-luminosity. In the two types of awareness mentioned, the particular one which gets itself connected to objects has a beginning and an end, and because of its changeful nature, it is different from the General Consciousness behind it, which is immutable and is, therefore, called Kutastha. There has to be posited a witness of the modifications of the mind; otherwise they cannot be known even to exist, and as it is in the case of the reflection of a face in a mirror, where the mirror is the medium and the face is the original with its reflection, in the case of the Self, too, the Anthahkarana is the medium, the reflection is the Chidabhasa, and the Atma, or Kutastha, is the original.

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 65 It is not that the Atman by its being at the back of even the process of transmigration undergoes any change. The limitation referred to here as the Chidabhasa is not merely like the limitation of the vast space by the walls of a jar for example, because the Atman does not become a Jiva, or the individual, merely by an enclosure. We cannot say that the Atman has become the Jiva, just because we have raised some walls around with material substance. The difference is that in the case of the Jiva, the Buddhi is transparent, but mere transparency is not the sole conditioning factor, because there may not be any difference in certain cases even when there is transparency such as in a glass measure, which, after all, can contain only as much quantity of grain as wooden measure. What makes the essential difference is not merely the limitation but the reduction of quality by quantity by reflection, and it is here that we notice a difference between the original and the reflection. We call that a reflection which appears to be like original, but does not have really the characteristics of the original.

THE INDIVIDUAL NATURE In luminosity the Chidabhasa resembles the Atman, and it is for this reason that the Jivas mistake themselves for reality and mistake the objects of the world also for similar realities. The difference, however, is that the Atman is never attached, because it is universal, while the Chidabhasa is not. The Atman never undergoes transformation, because it is absolute, while the Chidabhasa does. The internal psychological organ conditions the Chidabhasa and the latter cannot exist without it. The former is different from the latter because of its material nature and is distinguished from the latter which has the characteristic of luminosity. In the scriptures, especially the Upanishad, it has been established by various explanations that the Atman is different from the Buddhi, and is not limited by it. The limitation is due to the variety of the constitution of the Antahkarana, not because of the variety in the original which is the Atman. The manifold that we observe can be traced back to the variety in the reflecting media, though what is reflected is one and the same. In the Aitareya Upanishad, it is stated that it is the Atman that enters into the various individuals and gives them the character of a Jiva. The Jiva, thus has a twofold nature, that which limits, namely, the Antahkarana, and that which shines, namely, the Atman. The Upanishad says that the Atman enters into the variety of creation and the latter become the Jivas, on account of their partaking of the Consciousness and Existence aspects of the Atman. Hence, the formation of the Buddhi and the Antahkarana is a subsequent act in creation, not originally connected with the Atman. But how the Absolute, All pervading One manages it is wonderful, indeed. This wonder is similar to the wonder of the whole of creation. Creation, being relative to the Jivas, cannot be regarded as an ultimate truth, and the entry of Brahman into the Jivas, being a part of the process of creation, remains, then, a mystery. Sage Yajnavalkya mentions, as we have it in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, that the Jiva rises by being connected with the various limiting agents, such as the elements, body, mind, etc., and ceases to be when these limiting agents cease to be. The sage says that there is no consciousness after the destruction of individuality, meaning thereby that there cannot be externalised consciousness in the state of salvation of the soul in Brahman, where there is no duality in order that one may perceive another. The Atman is declared as indestructible and is equated with the Kutastha-Atman. While the Atman

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 66 is supposed to operate in the Jiva by an apparent contact with the elements, the Jivahood is destroyed in Moksha, or final liberation, but not the essence of the Jiva, which is the Atman. It is the Jiva that undergoes transmigration in different worlds; the Atman is unaffected. How does one know that one is Brahman when Jivahood is destroyed? It is quite obvious, because, knowledge is not the prerogative of the Jiva, and as a matter of fact, it is only a semblance of knowledge. It shines, in fact, in borrowed feathers, and has no consciousness of its own. The identity of the Jiva with Brahman is established by a method known as Samana-Adhikaranya, which means the identity of one thing with another that can be known only when the obstructing characters of the things identified are removed. In the present case it means the union of the Jiva with Brahman, not literally in its present form, but essentially after the Jiva is divested of its limiting features such as the three bodies; but the identity of the Kutasha-Atman with Brahman is direct and primary, and, hence, it is called Mukhya-Samanadhikaranya, or primary identity, like the identity of space within a vessel with the all-pervading space. Just as one may mistake in the dusk a standing post for a human being, but after going near it and carefully observing it one generally knows that it is a post alone and not a man, so, in the darkness of our ignorance we have mistaken Brahman for the Jiva, but by a careful investigation into the subject, and observing the situation correctly, we will realise that the Jiva is only an appearance and it is really Brahman, after all. When this realisation takes place, there is an immediate destruction of the false notion of doership, enjoyership, etc., which are attributed to the Jiva. The identity of the world with Brahman, or of the Jiva with the Kutastha-Atman, is to be understood in the sense of the Badhasamanadhikaranya, or sublative identity, mentioned above. When the names and forms are separated from the essence, the essence is known to be Brahman. There is the question of the identity of the Jiva with Brahman by negating certain attributes, only if we regard the Jiva from the point of view of its essence, as Consciousness. If we define Jiva as a limited individual with a reflected consciousness, etc., then naturally, in that state, it cannot be identified with Brahman, and to effect identification there should be the abandoning of its limiting characters. If it is regarded as Consciousness in its innermost being, then there is this direct identity of substratum. When the Jiva is investigated into and its true nature is researched, then it will be known that it is the same as what we call Kutastha, and in this condition it is immediately one with Brahman. Kutastha and Brahman mean one and the same thing. That is called Kutastha which is Consciousness acting as the substratum of the appearance of the Jiva with the appendages as body, mind, senses etc. Brahman is the same Consciousness existing as the substratum of the whole cosmos. When the entire cosmos is something super-imposed on Brahman, what to speak of this Chidabhasa, which is only a part of creation? We make a distinction between Isvara (God) and Jiva (individual) by introducing a difference between the whole and the part, namely, the universe and the body. The one Brahman in relation to the universe is called Isvara, and it alone in relation to the body is called Jiva. The substance is one, Consciousness is one, appearances are two. Jivahood, therefore, is ultimately to be sublated, it being an appearance, because it is a false constitution made up of the erroneous notions of doership, enjoyership, etc., and belongs to the world and the semblance of consciousness borrowed from the Atman.

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 67 THE KUTASTHA-ATMAN What is this intellect and what is this Jiva? What is the Self, and what is the world? The inability to arrive at a clear definition regarding this issue, and the consequent activity to which one is driven, is called Samsara (worldly entanglement). He who knows the answer to these questions is a knower of Truth; he is the liberated one; such is the proclamation of the Vedanta texts. In spite of the decisions of the Upanishads, there are perverted intellects who raise false questions of a quibbling nature and involve themselves in tangles of logical arguments which have the appearance of reasonableness, but really are unreasonable. Such questions have been dealt with in detail in such polemical works (argumentative texts) as those of Sriharsha, Chitsukhacharya and Madhusudana Sarasvati. The Kutastha-Atman is the witness not only of the various modifications of the mind, but also of their absence, and also the state of aspiration for knowledge. As it is the basis of the appearance of the transient world which is untrue, it is called Truth; because it is the one light illuminating everything that is inert, it is called the Consciousness; and it is called Bliss because it is the most dear and lovable of all things. It is complete and perfect, because it has relations with everything and knows all things immediately. It is the Power of cosmic Maya that, by its properties of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, creates the distinctions among Isvara (God), Jiva (individual) and Jagat (world). As transparent things can reflect light in different ways, Ishvara and Jiva reflect the Consciousness of the Brahman in different degrees. Isvara and Jiva differ from the world of matter inasmuch as the latter is not open to the expression of Consciousness through it, Tamas (inertia) being predominant in it. As Ishvara and Jiva illumine things by means of the Consciousness present in them, we have to conclude that their essential nature is Consciousness alone. Maya, which is capable of working wonders, has really nothing impossible for it. Even when our own dreams can effect incredible differences, what to speak of Maya which has immense powers! However, it should not be thought that the Kutastha, too, is an effect of Maya, because there is no proof whatsoever to establish that it is included in Maya. It becomes necessary that we should accept the ultimate changeless Substratum, which itself is not involved in change, in order that even change can be known as such. The Vedanta texts proclaim the essential substantiality of the Kutastha-Atman and do not tolerate the idea of anything opposed to it or the acceptance of anything that may be regarded as a second to it. Here, in the text, we expound the true meaning of the scripture and do not engage ourselves merely in dry argumentation. There is no true purpose served in mere sceptic doubts of the professional logician, and hence they are irrelevant to the subject on hand. The aspirant after liberation, therefore, should resort to the true import of the scripture, abandoning perverted arguments. The scripture declares that both Jiva and Isvara are created by the Cosmic Power, called Maya. From the time there was the Primeval Ideation of the Supreme Being, till the animation of every diversified thing in this world by the Consciousness of this Being, it is to be regarded as Isvara-srishti (God’s creation). From the time the waking state commenced till the freedom of the Jiva is achieved finally, it is Jiva-srishti (individual imagination). things as they are in themselves are Isvara-srishti, and things invested with the psychological reactions of the various individuals are Jiva-srishti. Kutastha, however, is unattached, and does not undergo increase or decrease at any time. It has neither birth, nor death, nor decay. Thus should one contemplate Truth in one’s mind. From the point

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 68 of view of the ultimate Truth, there is neither destruction of things nor their origination, neither bondage nor liberation, neither aspiration nor the aspirants, the Atman being one Self-completeness, unchanging and eternal. This Truth is unapproachable by mind and speech, and to awaken one to this Truth the scripture resorts to such means of explanation as the tentative acceptance of the distinctions of Isvara, Jiva and Jagat, and a subsequent transcendence of these concepts. Only that method of instruction should be considered as beneficial which is befitting the nature of the student and by which the student can have real knowledge in regard to the Atman. But the ignorant ones, not being able to grasp the true meaning of the scripture, wander about in ignorance and confusion. The discriminating one, having understood everything correctly, takes his stand on the ocean of Bliss. This Bliss of the Atman and its Consciousness and Existence are unaffected by the activities of Maya and the varieties of the creations of the world, as the sky is not affected when clouds shower rains. The Atman is Brahman, and suffice it to say that it is unaffected by the processes of creation, preservation and destruction associated with the universe and its contents. (Verses 10-76)

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 69 CHAPTER IX LIGHT ON MEDITATION

TOTAL ERROR AND ADVANTAGEOUS ERROR Meditation on Brahman leads to its realisation, as in the case of Samvadi-bhrama, or erroneous notion of a thing leading to a successful result in relation to that thing. Hence in the Upanishads various kinds of Upasanas, or meditations, are described. Take the instance of a person seeing from a distance the ray of a light, situated within the walls of a room. He sees a gleam of light passing through the window of a house and getting reflected outside, and mistakes the ray of the light seen outside for a gem shining. He commits this error in his mind because he has not seen the source of the light, but only its reflection outside. Suppose this person runs after that reflection thinking that it is a gem. We can imagine the mistake that he is making in cherishing that notion. But, suppose, at another place, there is a gem kept inside a room at a distance and the light emanating from it through an aperture is also reflected outside. If this reflection of light outside is mistaken for the gem itself, there is, naturally an erroneous perception, for the light of the gem is not the gem. In the two instances cited, where one person sees the gleam of the lamp and takes it for a gem, and another where one sees the ray of light emanating from a gem and thinks it is the gem itself, though there is similarity in so far as there is a mistaken notion regarding the gem, yet, there is a difference in the results that they would achieve in pursuing the objects of their quests. While the one who has mistaken the light of the lamp for the gem would not acquire the gem by approaching it, the other who has mistaken the light of the gem for the gem itself would, by going near it, obtain it. This is an illusion in perception called Samvadi, because, though initial perception is a mistake, the end reached is the desired one. Where the end reached is something quite different from the desired one, the mistaken perception is called Visamvadi-bhrama. We have also instances of Samvadi error in inference and also acts based on scriptural injunctions. It is likely that by seeing mist at some place we may mistake it for smoke emanating from fire and move towards it in search of fire, and by chance, find fire there, though what was perceived originally was not the smoke emanating from the fire. This is an instance where there is Samvadi in inference. If a person sprinkles some water over himself thinking that it is from the holy Ganga, and gets purified, but it so happens that the water is not of the Ganga but of the Godavari, which is also holy, it is again the mistake known as Samvadi, where the mind thinks something different from the actual fact and yet reaches the desired result. If one is affected by high fever and utters in a delirious mood the holy name of Narayana, and reaches spiritual exaltation in the higher planes of existence thereby, it should be considered as an instance of Samvadi error. And so on, there can be hundreds of instances of such errors in respect of perception, inference and scriptural testimony, which lead to the desired end, nevertheless.

TYPES AND METHODS OF MEDITATION All types of meditation on images, such as those made of earth, or wood or stone, and also meditations on such concepts as prescribed in the of the

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 70 Chhandogya and Brihadaranyaka Upanishads, come under Samvadi ideas, because, here, the desired object is attained even though the means employed is a knowledge which does not really and directly correspond to the whole nature of the object. As in the example of the Samvadi-bhrama cited, an incorrect knowledge leads to a proper realisation of the end; so Upasana, or meditational concepts on the reality of Brahman lead to the final liberation of the soul because of the intense habituation of the mind to the sublime concepts of universal Existence, Consciousness etc., by which the Vedanta texts describe Brahman. By acquiring such indirect knowledge, the aspirant begins to intensely feel within himself the communion of his innermost ‘I’ with Brahman and recognises the presence of Brahman in his innermost being. This is the highest type of meditation, whereby the highest Reality is asserted in each and everything in the universe, including one’s own Self, but as long as there is only an idea of Brahman in the mind, as Existence, and there is no direct inward realisation in one’s own experience, as in the case of indirect knowledge of the deities like Lord Vishnu gathered from scriptures, this general knowledge acquired has to be regarded as conceptual (Paroksha) alone, notwithstanding that by the study of scriptures one has a clear notion of the Divine Being, Vishnu. This is just indirect knowledge, because, here, the Divine Being is not directly seen, but only visualised; but because of this, it cannot be said that indirect knowledge is an illusion, for, what makes knowledge an illusion is not its indirectness but the absence of the object to which it relates. A Divinity like Lord Vishnu is not a non- existent being, because his existence is affirmed in the scriptures which are valid proofs of knowledge, though in the present state of knowledge we have no direct realisation of such a Divine Being. Similarly, though we hear from the scriptures that Brahman is Existence-Consciousness-Bliss, etc., since this has not yet become an actual experience within, it cannot be equated with realisation or direct knowledge of Brahman. Yet, this knowledge of an indirect nature is not illusory, because it has a relevance to reality, though indirectly. Though there are instructions in the Upanishads such as, Tat-Tvam- Asi (That Thou Art), where direct experience of Brahman is indicated, yet, merely on hearing such sentences, no immediate realisation comes to the seekers because of the absence of proper discrimination, reflection and profound meditation subsequent to hearing or studying. So long as there is the strong erroneous feeling that one is only a body or an individual, and there is the consequent relationship with the objects of the world, no amount of force applied on the mind will ever succeed in coming to the realisation of the Oneness of the Atman with Brahman, because here, after all, the impurity of the mind still persists, which accounts for its dullness and incapacity to grasp deeper truths. The faithful disciple and the student who knows the true meaning of the scripture has an adequate indirect knowledge of Brahman, but this indirect knowledge is not opposed to the direct knowledge of the dualistic world which he sees simultaneously. There is no opposition between the indirect feeling of the Divinity in an image and the direct perception of an ordinary object in it; naturally, no one can prevent the mind from visualising Beings like Lord Vishnu in images, though to the ordinary mind the image is only a physical object. Here the instance of the faithless need not be brought in as an argument, because the faithful alone are competent to undertake these arduous processes of practice prescribed in the Vedas and the Upanishads. Once this faith is acquired, there is an immediate rising of devout knowledge of the objective of meditation by means of instruction from the Preceptor, and this instruction in regard to meditation does not need any argumentation. Due to a possible diversity likely to be

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 71 seen in the instructions, and the variety of Karmas and Upasanas mentioned in the scriptures, which are hard to understand for the ordinary minds of mortals, sages have taken the trouble of bringing all these teachings together and collating them in a suitable manner in such works as the Kalpa-Sutras, Brahma-Sutras, etc. With the help of these guides, the faithful aspirant can, even without further rational investigation, undertake the practice directly, with confidence in the words of the teachers. The sages of yore have described the practice of various Upasanas (devout meditations) in their works, and those who have not the capacity to conduct self-enquiry and investigation for themselves can study these and grasp these under the instruction of a preceptor and then directly engage themselves in meditation. No doubt, a thorough investigation and enquiry may be required in the case of those who are aiming at ascertaining the true meaning of the scripture such as the Vedas, but the practice of Upasana does not require such arduous investigations. What is necessary is a mere implicit confidence in the words of the teacher and an immediate resorting to its practice. However, Brahma-Sakshatkara, or the realisation of Brahman, is not a question merely of faith or belief in what others say about it. It is a question of direct experience for oneself in one’s own deepest understanding and conscience. What prevents success in putting into practice all the indirect knowledge acquired through the scripture or the teacher is faithlessness, and the obstacle to direct realisation is non- discrimination. Though it may be that a person has practised self-enquiry for a very long time, if he has not yet realised Brahman, the duty here of the aspirant is not to discontinue meditation and enquiry, but proceed with it again till the attainment of direct experience. Sadhana (practice) concludes only in experience and never before. It is also possible that even though one practises enquiry and meditation till death, yet, the Atman has not been realised. But this should not be the cause for any dissatisfaction, because it only means that the obstructing Karmas have not yet come to an end, but it is certain that on their cessation realisation shall be attained in some future birth. In the Brahmasutras, too, it has been corroborated that one can attain knowledge either in this birth or in a future birth and it shall be attained the moment the obstacles have come to an end. This is also the reason why many people, though they have heard and studied much on the nature of the Atman, have no real knowledge of it. In the case of Sage Vamadeva, the obstacles to knowledge came to an end even while he was in the womb of his mother, and he had illumination then and there due to the force of the previous spiritual practices which he had undergone in past lives. As in the case of studying one may not be able to commit to memory a particular part of a text, for example, even after repeated reading of it, and it may be that on the next day the memory of it comes of its own accord, so in the case of knowledge, it reveals itself as a consequence of intense practice for a very protracted period, when the impediments are over. Knowledge matures gradually and not immediately, as in the case of the harvest. A child in the womb matures gradually, and Nature always goes by stages, and never by leaps and bounds. Yet, it is likely that on account of the threefold obstacles mentioned previously, knowledge may not dawn at all even after continued practice. These obstacles have to be overcome first in order that there may be final success on the path. Though a person is learned, it may not be possible for him to attain to the spiritual ideal immediately on account of ignorance, as a person who may daily walk over a treasure hidden beneath the earth may not know that he is daily walking over it. In fact, Jivas go

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 72 to Brahman daily in the state of deep sleep, but do not know it, being covered by ignorance, and return to external consciousness of the world outside them. As mentioned, the obstacles may be grouped under three heads - past, present and future - due to which the Self-manifestation of knowledge is obstructed and its revelation becomes difficult. Past impressions harass the mind. There was a householder who was attached to a she-buffalo to such an extent that even when he took to renunciation later on, the love for the she-buffalo became an obstacle in his spiritual practice and it is said that he approached his Guru for initiation, and the Guru had to take into consideration his love for the she-buffalo and described to him Brahman as conditioned by the form of a she-buffalo. However, by intense concentration on his beloved object, he was able to feel and realise the unity of himself with the object of his meditation and it is then that the Guru came and gave him the proper initiation into the mysteries of true meditation, admonishing him that the form he was thinking in his mind was only an adjunct outside truth, and that the truth was the Consciousness witnessing the form. The present obstacles are in the form of attachment to sense-objects and dullness of the mind, perverted argumentation and an obsessed wrong notion confirming the reality of the world and its objects. These obstacles are to be gradually eliminated by the practice of such virtues as tranquillity of mind, sense-restraint, etc., and by hearing, reflection and meditation on the great truths of existence, as also by employment, of proper means to suit, then and there, the different circumstances which one may have to encounter on the path. By such gradual elimination of desires, the obstacles decrease by degrees and then the Truth shines by itself. The future obstacles are the part of Prarabdha-Karma which manages to bring about future experience and even rebirth, such as in the case of Sage Vamadeva, whose Prarabdha was just enough to make him enter the womb of a mother, and the moment he entered it he had knowledge and realisation. In the case of Sage Jadabharata, the births were three before he had ultimate Self-realisation; but in the case of most people, the births are many. As mentioned in the Bhagavadgita, these seekers attain to a certain stage in Yoga, but not having had the final consummation of it, take further births until all the Karmas as obstacles are got over; but their honest practices are not a waste, though they have not succeeded in a particular life. Every little bit that is added to the storehouse of spiritual merit is a permanent asset and it shall never be destroyed, though it may be very meagre. Seekers and Yogins who have some desires in their minds unfulfilled, reach, after the dropping of their bodies, higher realms of joy accessible only to highly virtuous persons, and when the momentum of that enjoyment is over, they are born again in the house of pure-minded and wealthy persons. But those who have no desires in their minds are reborn in the homes of great Yogins endowed with spiritual wisdom. Such a birth is very rare to obtain and cannot be had by a mere little merit acquired in the world. Having acquired such birth, the Yogin is pushed forward by the spontaneous impulse which he carries with him and superior intelligence, as a result of his past practices. Consequently, he exerts more on the spiritual path in this birth. Hard indeed is this blessedness to obtain, for, here, one is driven forward by the spiritual current even without one’s personal will and effort. Thus, after several births the Yogin attains the beatitude of Brahman. If there is any desire left in the mind, such as the longing to reach Brahma-loka, the meditation would not be completely successful, because realisation of Brahman will not be possible if there is any desire suppressed within. Those who meditate with a desire to go to Brahma-loka reach that region and attain to Brahman in the end, at the end of the

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 73 age-cycle. In the case of most persons, even spiritual effort is very difficult, and self- enquiry is still more difficult, because of the obstructing Karmas. It is in regard to such persons that it is said that there are many to whom the Atman has not come within the purview of even their hearing, due to dullness of mind and the absence of the proper requisites, such as a proper Guru, a suitable place, conducive circumstances, etc. As in the case of Saguna-Upasana (meditation with attributes), as described, so in Nirguna-Upasana (meditation without attributes), too it is possible to fix the attention of the mind on a series of concepts relating to Brahman. In Saguna meditation the mind is made to think and deeply feel the presence of God in the best conceivable form, called the Ishta-Devata (chosen deity). The fundamental stage here would be to regard the Ishta as the absolute deity, standing or sitting in front of oneself and possessed of sublime qualities, the best that can be ever conceived of. There is then a flow of thought towards the Ishta-Devata, the current of love proceeds from the meditator and envelops the object of meditation with the intention to gain communion with the desired objective. However, this is not so simple as it appears, because the mind has the natural habit of thinking something which is different from the prescribed object, due to the notion that there is some other thing in this world which can also bring the needed satisfaction to it, and an involuntary, rather unconscious, question arises within itself as to why one should not enjoy these pleasures of communion with the other objects of the world when they too have values of their own. Here commences the great difficulty which every seeker has to encounter in his spiritual endeavour, the difficulty of giving a proper education to the mind to the effect that its highest consolation lies not in coming into contact with sense-objects, but in seeking the source of all pleasure, which definitely is not the objects, and the purpose of meditation is after all to seek this ultimate source of perennial bliss, and, so, meditation is not an end in itself, but a means to this realisation. When one succeeds in such an educative attitude in regard to the mind, the mind will come back to the object of meditation. Then the seeker puts forth efforts to give a little relaxation and a wider range of activity to the mind by bringing before its eye the various names, forms and actions of God which he is meditating upon, feeling also simultaneously that what is meditated upon is only a form of God, and God is not only in one place, but everywhere. All the forms of the world are then invested in meditation with the glories of God so that the meditative consciousness begins to rise to the concept of the Virat (Cosmic Form) and the ideas of inside and outside get transcended. Eventually, even this kind of meditation gets surpassed in the resting of the consciousness in itself without an attempt at feeling anything external to itself or even as an adjective to itself. The Nirguna form of meditation should be mostly concerned with the effort to make the mind subside whenever it tries to take some shape or form, even a concept of Brahman, to feel that Brahman is unthinkable, undefinable, unknowable, and to perpetuate this feeling for a protracted period would be to engage oneself in a type of Nirguna meditation. Whatever may be the idea that arises in the mind in regard to Brahman, that should be withdrawn as inadequate and the consequent condition maintained for as long a period as possible, continuously setting aside attributes whenever they arise in the mind and trying to remain a witness of all the ideas that arise. Nirguna meditation may be of two kinds, positive and negative; one associated with direct qualities, and the other with indirect ones.

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 74 The Nirguna form of meditation is laid down in several of the Upanishads. The main type of meditation inculcated is on Pranava, or Omkara. There is the injunction to feel the unity of the component parts of OM with the different states of Consciousness. Macrocosmically as well as microcosmically, A,U, and M, which are the component sounds of OM, are to be gradually identified with the conscious states of Visva (waking consciousness), Taijasa (dream-consciousness) and Prajna (sleep-consciousness), subjectively; and with Virat, Hiranyagarbha and Isvara cosmically. Chanting of OM and the feeling of its vibrations set up a rhythm and harmony in the system, nervous, emotional and intellectual, so that due to this equilibrium brought about in the whole system, the Rajas of the mind is made to subside for the time being and a Sattvika state introduced which is conducive to Upasana, or meditation. The feeling of the union of Omkara with the states of Consciousness should lead ultimately to the feeling of the presence of Brahman as identical with oneself. The procedure is laid down in the Mandukya Upanishad, as well as in the Panchikaranavarttika of Acharya Suresvara. This Upasana is a means to Knowledge. Knowledge is the end, and the Upasana is the means leading to it. Most people do not take to such difficult meditations, as they are hard to practise, but notwithstanding this, it is there and is open to anyone who has a will to undergo the requisite discipline for the practice. Being frightened by the difficulties involved in such stupendous meditations, people resort to lower Upasanas of inferior deities, and do Japa of Mantras for lower ends in view, but it is the duty of every true seeker to endeavour hard to reach that stage where he can summon the requisite capacity from within to commence truly spiritual meditations. All the attributes of Brahman mentioned in the Upanishads, positive as well as negative, may be brought together in a single group as aids to meditation. Different qualities do not indicate different objects. They refer to one and the same being, though various modes of meditation are laid down in different recensions or sections. They are to be gathered together under one group, since it is the uniform teaching of the Vedanta that the Atman is one. It may be looked upon from various points of view. This is to be done both in the case of the positive qualities such as Ananda (Bliss), Vijnana (Knowledge), etc., and the negative attributes such as Asthula (not gross), Ahrasva (not small), etc. It will be found on practice that the numerous attributes may be condensed into a few for the purpose of convenience in meditation, the most fundamental and the highest attributes being Sat (Existence), Chit (Consciousness) and Ananda (Bliss). Though it may be remembered that the Nirguna-Brahman being above qualities cannot be brought under the head of objective meditation, yet, for all practical purposes, we need not regard such attributes as Sat-Chit-Ananda to be limiting qualities, but only indicators of the Supreme Absolute. However, the case is different in such meditations as the Divine Purusha situated within the Sun, who is asked to be meditated upon as a resplendent golden figure. Though qualities do not exist in Brahman, they indicate its presence and give us a hint as to its nature. Let the meditation be carried on thus. We may meditate that the essential being is one with the Akhanda-Ekarasa-Atman (Undivided, single essence of Self), which is faintly indicated by such descriptions as mentioned above. There is a difference between knowledge and meditation. Knowledge is dependent on the nature of the object (Vastu-tantra), while meditation is dependent on the option of the mind of the meditator (Purusha-tantra). While the former cannot be made otherwise than what it is, the latter can be conceived of in any form that one likes. When true

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 75 knowledge dawns, it puts an end to all the ills of life and the feeling of reality in objects to which one is usually attached. Then Jivanmukti is reached and the highest satisfaction attained. But in Upasana, faith is the prime factor, and here the discipline is not to engage in any personal enquiry or critical examination of the nature and meaning of the teaching of the preceptor, but to go on with confidence and devotion, continuously contemplating on the ideal before one with no intrusion of a second thought. Meditation should be continued till there arises the feeling of one’s communion with the object. The spirit of meditation should be retained till the death of the body. One must attain as much union with the ideal of meditation as in the case of the Brahmacharin mentioned in the Chhandogya Upanishad, who practised Prana-Vidya and felt his identity with the Cosmic Prana. Upasana is capable of change, it being subject to option (Purusha-tantra). It is possible, therefore, and it is necessary, to employ different means of practice as and when one advances in the spiritual path, to suit the convenience of the particular state which one has attained on the path of meditation. In different stages of meditation, or Upasana, different levels of consciousness present themselves and different types of obstacles are encountered. Hence, it is essential that different processes of tackling these situations are to be employed by the intelligent seeker in order that he may attain ultimate success in overcoming the opposing forces. Sadhana (practice) is not a set of uniform routines of a fixed nature, for all individuals alike, for all times, but varies in its nature from person to person, and from one condition to another. When there is complete establishment in Dhyana (meditation), it goes on spontaneously by force of habit, just as people do Japa of Mantra, keeping on doing it even in dream due to continuous practice during the waking stage. This is an indication that Upasana, or Dhyana, is to be well-grounded, and this state is achieved when all the external attractions are set aside and there is a continuous flow of thought on the spiritual ideal without any intermittance. As a person engaged in work may do it as a matter of routine without bestowing much thought on it, the thought being fixed on something else, one who is well established in spiritual Sadhana keeps on doing his daily duties perfectly well, yet not bestowing his whole thought on them, the thought being mostly directed to the higher ideals. Thus, an Upasaka (worshipper or meditator) keeps on performing his daily duties as any one else does them, but does not cherish any love, either for objects or for actions, his love being directed to the Divine Being. However, when perfection is attained, no distinction is made between knowledge and action, because the perfected one sees the One Being in the many, and what we call action is to him nothing but an expression of knowledge. Naturally, there cannot be any attachment either to one thing or the other in a person who has the established conviction that the Atman is the Universal Consciousness and everything is included in it. Moreover, activity does not demand the reality of the objects to which it is directed. What is essential for any activity is the availability of the means of activity, such as the mind and the senses, and the feeling of reality in regard to external appearances, called objects. The world of objects does not get annihilated in realisation, but is seen from a different perspective. There is no attempt on the part of the seer to suppress his mind or to control his senses because he just sees a uniform reality perpetually for which there is no necessity to forcibly direct the mind in any particular fashion. Just as we see the world when we open our eyes, spontaneously as it were, and for this purpose we do not have to

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 76 concentrate our mind on the world, so in the case of the seer there is a revelation of Truth, and this revelation is different from concentration of mind, though, in the beginning, there is an endeavour to practise such concentration. We have, no doubt, to direct our minds to an object for our seeing it, but there is no such effort when the perception is complete and the knowledge of the object in question is continuous. Having attained this sublime state, the seer is free to do or think as he likes. He does not attempt either to forget or to remember the world, for he achieves no purpose either by seeing it or by not seeing it. He is a storehouse and an embodiment of all goodness and virtues. Wherever he is, and whatever he is, there is good alone emanating from him, to the good of all, and also for him. What he does is left to his option and free will. There is no particular injunction, even scriptural, that may restrict him in any manner, because he is a liberated one, and has attained liberation by the mere fact of having attained the Self-revealing knowledge. If he sees variety, it does no harm to him, because, for him, variety is nothing but the form of the One. Hence, there is no overstepping of limit either of law or rule, because he has reached the highest law of the Absolute. Rules apply to persons who are situated in the various levels of society on account of their different endowments and capacities etc., but no rule can be applied to one who is cosmic and has everything within himself. Action and inaction, the positive and the negative, have lost their meaning to him who has rid himself of all the Vasanas, or mental impressions, of a binding nature. He has no desire either for this world or the other. How, then, can he have the impulsion to live and to do anything at all? There is no injunction in regard to a seer, just as there is no injunction to a child. A child is not bound by rules because of its ignorance of ethical distinctions and rules of society, while the seer knows everything and, therefore, transcends all things. All rules are pertinent only to a person of little knowledge, who is neither totally ignorant nor knows everything. There is no prohibitory rule to restrict either a child or a sage. A sage of practical wisdom is not necessarily one who deliberately exercises powers, either to bless or to curse. There are types of , or austerity: one intended for acquisition of powers by the conserving of energy, and the other for the sake of insight by the dedication of one’s whole individuality for the sake of Truth. No doubt, there are exceptional persons like Sage Vyasa, who had the highest knowledge and the highest power, but this is because they had performed the Tapas by way of sense-control and mental concentration, through which they had immense strength within them, as also the higher one in the form of contemplation of the Eternal Being, through which they had omniscience. The Tapas which is the cause of powers is quite different from the Tapas which brings wisdom. The former consists in the inhibition of the senses and in concentration of the mind, while the latter is essentially a lifting up of one’s consciousness to wider and wider realms until it reaches universality. Mostly, one sees only masters with one or the other of the mentioned perfections, but very rare are persons like Vyasa, in whom there is perfection in the highest sense. It is, of course, common in this world that people with a little power of Tapas belittle those serene men of wisdom, even as it is not very uncommon that sensualists belittle men of Tapas for their austerities, which the ignorant ones consider as foolish. We should never make the mistake of craving for miracles as the criterion of wisdom. Men of the highest realisation

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 77 may not exercise powers at all, because of their absolute desirelessness, but they are veritable sources of all powers, far beyond the little powers acquired by ordinary persons with meagre austerities. No doubt, when there is the revelation of knowledge, a Jnanin may perform the usual functions of a person in the world on account of the presence in him of such instruments of activity as the mind and the senses. Though he realises the unreality of the world in its manifested form, he lives his life either working as the other people do or meditating on the spiritual truths, in accordance with the nature of his Prarabdha. But the Upasaka should continue his meditation always, and never cease from it till the end of his life, because his final success entirely depends on the success of the meditation. It is imperative that he should maintain his exalted consciousness by way of meditation until the goal is reached. Visions in meditation may come and go, but the meditation should not cease, and no concept or vision should be confused with realisation, because all visions belong to certain planes of existence, still within the realm of relativity. Brahman does not cease to be, just because there is no knower of it, while visions will cease when meditation ceases. Though Brahman is present in all beings without distinction, it is manifested in a greater or lesser degree in different persons and it is this degree of manifestation that explains the distinction between the wise and the ignorant. Though the general existence of Brahman is common to one and all, it is its particular manifestation that determines the degree of enlightenment attained by different persons. There are degrees in approaching the Truth, and naturally one is lower and the other is higher, all these forming a successive series leading to the highest Sakshatkara, or realisation. Better than ignorance are the selfish activities of people immersed in worldliness. The performance of duty and engagement in activities of an unselfish nature with a view to the purification of oneself, is higher. Higher than this is meditation on Saguna-Brahman (Brahman with attributes). Saguna-Brahma-Upasana, again, is of two kinds, in accordance with the nature of the symbol used in meditation. When particular symbols are used, it is called Pratika-Upasana, where the meditator seeks to find the universal in the individual symbols by making them vehicles of the higher concept on which he is meditating. In the other kind of Saguna-Upasana, the whole universe is taken as a symbol for meditation, where one’s feeling is that all, indeed, is Brahman. In Ahamgraha-Upasana, or the meditation by which one strives to grasp the essential inner ‘I’, the symbol is Consciousness, which, in the beginning, appears as personal and later on becomes universal. That which approximates to true knowledge in a greater degree is to be considered better than the others as a means of liberation. In this manner, by stages, Nirguna-Upasana becomes mature and merges into Brahma- Jnana, or Experience of Brahman. As Samvadi-bhrama leads to correct perception later on, so does Upasana lead to real experience by sufficient maturity in the end. Just as Samvadi-bhrama is not the direct cause for the perception of the desired object, since contact is the direct cause, yet the former is responsible for the latter, so, indeed, Upasana may not be the direct cause of Brahman-Experience, but it leads the seeker to the acquisition of that knowledge which is the direct cause of liberation. Here, we have to concede that Japa of Mantras, devout worship of images, and so on, are also means for spiritual perfection in the end, though not the direct means. We consider that as a better means and a higher one which has a greater nearness to Truth. Fully perfected Nirguna-Upasana ends in the absorption of the Universe in

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 78 Consciousness, which is simultaneous with the direct perception that the Atman is Brahman. This is knowledge of Truth, which one acquires by the laborious practices of meditation on the Absolute Brahman, with such attributes as Nirvikara or Changeless; Asanga, or unattached; Nitya, Eternal; Svaprakasa, or Self-luminous; Eka, or One alone; Purna, or Full; Bhuma or the Plenum; etc., which are only ideas in the beginning but become realities in the end, as the embodiment of the Universal Atman itself. It is towards this end that the practice of Yoga has been enjoined on the aspirants. One should not, here, mistake the lower stages for the final end to be reached, and there should be no stagnation at any lower stage with the wrong feeling that it is the goal. Upasana, as a soul-filled approach, is prescribed for those who enter into the more difficult means of directly meditating on the higher realities. It is in the absence of this primary means that Yoga as concentration of mind is prescribed as a secondary means. It is for these latter that concentration on special concepts is prescribed, by which the dross of the mind is removed and it is steadied to enable it to reflect Truth. For the higher minds (knowledge) is prescribed, and for the lower ones Yoga (concentration). Here Samkhya means knowledge of the Absolute and not the special jargon of the school of . Samkhya is to be taken in its liberal sense of knowledge of Truth by discrimination between the Universal Self and the not-Self, and not in the sense of the metaphysical concepts of the school of Kapila, according to which Purushas are many, Prakriti is eternal and the one is different from the other. For the Yoga, Isvara is isolated from both. When Samkhya and Yoga are understood in their true sense, they lead to the same goal, says, the Bhagavadgita. The goal finally reached by the Samkhya and the Yoga is one and the same, inasmuch as the principles involved in both practices are similar. In the Samkhya, there is an acute and penetrating understanding of the different categories of the Universe, and this is achieved by an investigation of every item of experience which presents itself before the consciousness of the individual. This result is achieved also by the Yoga, which is the force of the concentration of the mind on the ideal by deliberate direction of the mind and the will towards it. One whose practice, whether by Samkhya or by Yoga, is not adequately mature in one life, may have its completion at the time of his death, and, if this is not practicable on account of the working of obstructing Karmas, knowledge will dawn in the next life, or a future life. Knowledge usually should dawn at least in Brahma-loka, and there the final liberation is to be attained. Whatever is the last thought of the individual at the time of death shall be the determining factor of one’s rebirth, because the last thought is the quintessence of all the thoughts one has been cherishing throughout one’s life, and it is but natural that at the time of the death of a body the Pranas should stand collected and projected towards the region whose experience shall be the materialisation of one’s last thought. This is equal to saying that what one does in the present life shall fashion the nature of one’s future life. It does not mean that the last thought can be anything other than what one has been thinking throughout life. Moksha is the immediate non- objective experience of Brahman on which one has been meditating all along with intense devotion. By the force of Upasana, the primeval ignorance of the Jiva is dispelled, and Brahman is attained. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad states that in the case of the desireless one, who has no other desire but the desire for the Atman, the Pranas do not depart. They do not get directed to any region or realm like projectiles, as

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 79 they do in the case of ordinary mortals, but they dissolve then and there into the Substance of Brahman. Upasana leads to Jnana, the supreme achievement in life. By the practice of unselfish Upasana, Moksha is attained, is the teaching of the Upanishad, and that by Upasana attended with desire, Brahma-loka is attained. One who meditates on the different constituents of Omkara, identifying them with the Brahman in Saguna form, passes through the region of the Sun, and having then reached the Brahma-loka, is finally liberated by the end of time when there is cosmic dissolution (Pralaya). He who meditates thus, transcends all realms and attains the ultimate liberation gradually, and so it is called Krama-mukti, or Progressive salvation. The Upanishad, in this connection, mentions that at a particular stage the soul of the Upasaka encounters a superhuman being who guides it along the path further until liberation is attained. In the Brahmasutras too, the author makes out in one of the aphorisms that by Upasana on that which is not merely a symbol, the seeking soul becomes fit to receive the guidance of the superhuman being referred to. It is also made clear here that the rule according to which one attains whatever one intensely thinks upon determines the attainment of the ends of Upasana. This rule of fulfilment of wishes is called in the Brahmasutras as Tatkratu-nyaya, after the term used in the Upanishad. There, in Brahma-loka, by the force of the Upasana practised previously, one attains to Truth and returns not to this world again. He is finally liberated. There is only ascent and no reverting to the mortal world, as a result of desireless meditation. Usually, in the Upanishad, the manner in which Pranava-Upasana is described, is Nirguna, but sometimes it is also regarded as Saguna for the purpose of Upasana. It all depends upon the nature of the object with which Pranava is identified as the designator thereof. In the Prasna Upanishad, Pippalada gives his instructions to Satyakama on Omkara which is conceived of as both Para and Apara, i.e., the higher and the lower. Similarly, in the teaching of Lord Yama in the Katha Upanishad, it is said that the Upasana on Omkara leads to the realisation of whatsoever is in one’s mind at the time of the Upasana, depending on the nature of the determination with which one commences the Upasana. Thus, summing up, we may say that liberation may be possible either here immediately, now, or at the time of the dropping of the body, or it may be even after one’s having attained Brahma-loka. Here, what determines the attainment is the nature of the Upasana. This fact is also emphasised in the Atma-Gita, where we are told that one should resort to continuous meditation on the nature of the Atman when discriminatory enquiry and investigation into the truths of things by direct approach is found difficult due to impurity of mind, fickleness of intellect, etc. Nevertheless, one should engage oneself in the practice, without the least trace of doubt in the mind, even though the realisation may not be near at hand. At the proper time the realisation shall come and there should be no impatience in this regard. As in digging out a treasure from the earth the stones etc., from above are removed with the help of instruments, so by setting aside the stone of the body and digging the earth of the mind with the spade of the intellect, one obtains the treasure of the Atman within. Meditation is imperative in the case of every seeker even if there is no immediate experience. Let there be the confidence that what we are seeking for is our essential nature and, therefore, naturally, it should be much easier to realise it than to acquire other things which are extraneous to our nature. There will be felt within in the case of meditation an uncommon tranquillity and peace

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 80 of mind, a joy and a sense of power which cannot be had in this world. By overcoming attachment to the body in this manner, by protracted meditation on the Atman which is the Absolute, the mortal becomes the immortal and there is Sadyo-mukti, or instantaneous experience of the Supreme Being. (Verses 1-158)

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 81 CHAPTER X LIGHT ON THE DRAMA THEATRE

THE BIRTH OF THE INDIVIDUAL The Paramatman, the Supreme Being, who is non-dual in nature, blissful in essence, enters into every part of the Universe and assumes the form of the Jiva, the individual. It is the animation of the Jiva by the Paramatman that makes it pass for a reality in this world. Though Paramatman is universally present, everywhere, without any distinction whatsoever, His presence is felt in a greater or lower degree due to the difference in the subtleties of the media through which He manifests Himself. When there is this manifestation through rarefied media such as those of superphysical beings like the Lord Vishnu, etc., the One Being goes by the name of a deity or celestial. When He manifests Himself through a grosser medium, He becomes the mortal, as it were. The greater the manifestation of Sattva, the subtler and the more rarefied is the medium; and the greater the preponderance of Rajas and Tamas, the grosser is the medium. We find, therefore, in inanimate matter, the grossest form of this manifestation, while in such divinities such as the Lord Vishnu there is the highest possible manifestation. By passing through a series of births or transmigratory lives, the Jiva awakens to the consciousness of there being such a thing as higher life than the one in which it immediately finds itself, and by continuous endeavour on its part to purify itself by means of unselfish activity, worship, and so on, the pure discriminatory faculty dawns in it, by which it is enabled to draw a clear distinction between the true and the false, and consequently to abandon the false and betake itself to the true. As a result of protracted Sadhana, in this manner, performed in various lives, there comes finally the realisation that the Atman alone is real.

THE ILLUSTRATION OF THE LAMP The story of the Jiva may be said to be rooted in its consciousness of duality. This is its bondage, its movement towards the ‘other-than-itself’, and its freedom consists in its resting in the essence behind all empirical consciousness. Bondage which has been caused by non-discrimination can be removed only by correct discrimination. Hence it is the duty of everyone to correctly understand the true relation between the Jiva and the Paramatman. The Jiva is, for all practical purposes, the notion of the ‘I’, the principle of individuality. The Jiva’s instrument of action is manas, the mind, or the Antahkarana, and its activity is in the form of its various transformations, both within and without. Inwardly, there is the notion of the ‘I’, and outwardly there is the apprehension of “this-ness” in regard to an object. This idea in regard to an external object, which is a general activity of the mind, is diversely interpreted by the senses in accordance with the special functions which they perform, such as seeing, hearing etc., but there is a third essentiality illumining both the doer and the deed, the witnessing Consciousness within, the Sakshin, as it is called, which instantaneously illumines the doer or knower, the mind and its modifications (Vrittis) and illumines also the various objects outside. This illumination is made not in succession, but simultaneously. To put it in the style of the eighth chapter, the Sakshin, or the Witness Consciousness illumines the Chidabhasa, the Vrittis of the Antahkarana, and also the objects, at the same time.

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 82 We have variegated sense-perceptions which are different from one another, but these are brought together in a single Consciousness, which knows all these varieties at once and illumines all these, like a lamp fixed in a stage or a drama theatre. The lamp in the stage illumines, equally, the director, the actors, the musicians, as well as the audience, and it shines even if no one exists there. This is its speciality. The Sakshin within, the witnessing Consciousness, illumines the ego, the mind, and the objects, all alike, and it shines even when all these subside, as in the state of deep sleep. It is on account of the shining of the Sakshin, or the Kutastha, that the mind appears to have a light of its own and performs different functions. Here, in the analogy of the theatre, we may compare the ego to the director of the play, the senses to the musicians, and the objects to the witnessing audience. In this enactment, the mind is the actor which dances to the tune of the senses, the musicians. The Sakshin, or the Witnessing Consciousness is comparable to the lamp which illumines all things in the stage. The lamp in the stage illumines all things equally, from all sides, and shines also when there are no things to shine upon. In a similar manner, the Sakshin is a steady existence unmoving and unaffected and illumining everything inside and outside. This idea of an inside and outside arises on account of our judging things from the point of view of the body, and not from the point of view of the Sakshin itself. We say that the objects are outside because they are outside the body, and similarly we say that the ego is within, because it is inside the body. The standard of judgment is the body in all our conceptions, and our statements are involved in this conception of inside and outside. The mind, which is within, moves without through the avenues of the senses, again and again, and this activity of the mind is falsely attributed to the Sakshin, and then it is said, “I see”, “I do”, and so on. Just as a beam of light proceeding from the Sun and passing through an aperture in a house may appear to be moving when a hand is passed or crossed over it rapidly, though there is no such motion in the light, so the Witnessing Consciousness appears to be actually active and undergoing changes etc., while these activities and changes belong to the intellect and the mind alone, due to their juxtaposition with the Witnessing Consciousness and on account of the transparent nature of the intellect and the mind, as there is a preponderance of Sattva here. There is a reflection of the Consciousness in the Antahkarana, and the whole Samsara begins and has its roots in this confusion between the Antahkarana and the Atman, whereby the luminous character of the Atman is superimposed on the Antahkarana, whose character is transformation without self-consciousness, and, conversely, also, takes place a transference of the changes of the Antahkarana to the unchanging Atman. Thus, the Sakshin, which is always at the same place without any movement, appears to move and act when it is falsely associated with the psyche. We cannot even say that the Sakshin is in any place, because it transcends space, time and individuality. We cannot say that it is everywhere, strictly speaking, because of there being no spatial conception in it. The Atman is neither inside, nor outside, nor everywhere. All these are the notions of the Jiva in terms of its spatio-temporal experiences. The Atman is the Witness of even the concepts of space, time and individuality, or objectivity. It is inexplicable by words and unthinkable by the mind, and ununderstandable by the intellect. In one word, it is trans- empirical. There is no way of grasping it by the senses or the mind. It is known only when all attempts of grasping cease. When there is perfect equilibrium of the mind, a stillness born of Sattva, due to the absence of activity born of Rajas, the Atman shines by itself. Self-knowledge is its own proof and does not stand in need of any external proof.

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 83 If, however, it is found difficult to completely cease from all psychic activity, then the other alternative would be to recognize the presence of the Atman as the unaffected Consciousness accompanying all cognitions and perceptions, as the light illumining all these, and yet apart from all these. This will lead, gradually, to a meditation on the real ‘I’ within. (Verses 1-26)

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 84 CHAPTER XI THE BLISS OF YOGA

THE BLISS OF BRAHMAN Now we describe the nature of Absolute Bliss, or Brahmananda, by realising which in actual experience one is totally freed from all sorrow, instantly. One attains to supreme satisfaction, incomparable in nature, and quite apart from the ordinary happiness with which a mortal being is familiar. There are innumerable passages in the various Upanishads which state that Brahman is Bliss, and by attaining it one becomes immortal. The Taittiriya Upanishad says that one who knows Brahman reaches at once the highest state. The Mundaka Upanishad says that one who knows Brahman becomes Brahman itself. The Chhandogya Upanishad declares that the knower of the Atman crosses beyond all sorrow, and one who is established in Brahman attains immortality. the Taittiriya Upanishad, again, compares the Bliss of Brahman to Rasa, or the quintessential essence, the highest taste conceivable, and it is said that having obtained this essence, one enjoys divine bliss. We are also told that one who has gained perfect establishment in that super-sensible Brahman becomes absolutely fearless, and he who tries to see a difference in it, even in the least, has fear from all sides. That the Jiva is an integral part of Brahman, inseparable in nature, and identical with it in essence, is the import behind the whole teaching. The Jiva-consciousness, which is mostly characterised by egoism in some form or other, tries to create a difference between itself and the Reality, not only in its activities, but even in its thoughts and feelings. It is this erroneous notion on the part of the Jiva that explains its Samsara, its suffering. Everything in this creation works in rhythm, and in unison with the perfect and inexorable law of the Absolute, and so pain should be the inevitable consequence of the attempt of the Jiva to break away from this universal law. Even the deities, the celestials, the denizens of heaven, in short, all things, stand in a state of perfect and harmonised relation with the Supreme Being. It is as if for fear of this Being that everyone performs his allotted duty without failure. It is impossible for anyone, at any time, to get away scot-free by violating the universal law, by asserting selfishness, however slight it may be. The Law of Brahman is utterly just and absolutely impartial. Therefore, it is the duty of everyone to maintain a consciousness of harmony with its existence, and it is this maintenance of a perpetual consciousness of harmony with Reality that goes by the name of Yoga. One who knows in experience the Bliss of Brahman fears not from anything and lives the true life of freedom from all grief and of deathless delight. The Taittiriya Upanishad says that one who knows the Atman regards it as the only Reality, and is permanently established in that Consciousness, and then nothing that he has done or not done, viz., no Karma whatsoever, can affect him, or torment him. The results of action no more worry him. They may be there or not there - he is just not concerned with them. Abandoning, thus, both these Karmas, done as well as not done, he considers that everything is a manifestation of the Atman alone. “All this is the Atman alone” to him, says the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Having regarded everything as an appearance of the Absolute Atman, he feels the presence of the Atman even in these Karmas and, naturally, it seems then that they should not be a source of trouble

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 85 any more. In his case the knots of the heart, i.e., the connections apparently established between the Consciousness and the mind, are broken and the Consciousness stands supreme in its own Self without external relations, either with the mind, or the body, or the object outside. All the doubts are rent asunder and there remain no misgivings within in regard to the real nature of the Atman, or the world. The Karmas, too, perish and, excepting that the Prarabdha-Karma seems to linger on for some time notwithstanding that the Jivanmukta has no concern with it consciously, all the Karmas in his case drop off from his consciousness the moment he beholds the Eternal. He transcends death by knowing that resplendent Divine Being, and the scripture is emphatic that there is no other way to attain this state than direct realisation (na anyah pantha vidyate). By knowing and realising that splendid Existence, the Supreme Being, there is a cutting off of all bondage in the form of likes, dislikes, anger, and the like, and all these afflictions of the soul having crossed, there is a cessation of rebirth. Rebirth is due to the remnant of unfulfilled desires. When they are no more, there is no rebirth, too. By an inner vision of the Supreme Atman, one gets rid of pairs of opposites, like exhilaration and grief, etc., caused by events in the world, and that unusual hero who is adorned with a rare moral toughness within, sets aside both merit and demerit, which mean so much to the ordinary individual. One attains to supreme transcendence (Kaivalya Moksha). There are statements in the scriptures which affirm that Brahman is Ananda, or Bliss, and its realisation puts an end to all sorrow and affliction. Happiness may be spiritual, intellectual or sensory. These three types of happiness are being discussed here in detail. In the Taittariya Upanishad we learn that Bhrigu approaches his father for wisdom and hears from his father the nature of Brahman as that which is the cause of all things, the sustenance of all things and also the end of all things. Bhrigu tries to investigate Brahman in his own experience and passes, stage by stage, from the physical to the vital, from the vital to the mental, from the mental to the intellectual, and from the intellectual to the blissful layers of experience. He does not go beyond Bliss, and recognises that Spiritual Bliss is the source of everything, and everything lives on account of this Bliss and returns finally into this Bliss, at the end of time. Brahman should definitely be Eternal Bliss in nature.

THE NATURE OF THE INFINITE Prior to the creation of this world, there was the One, undivided Absolute, unconditioned by the differences of the seer, the seeing and the seen. There was that divine, Infinite Brahman, above the differences of knower, knowledge and known. It was without distinction of space, time and causality. This difference starts only when the Jiva arises as an evolute at the time of creation, wherein are the intellect as the seer, the mind as the process of seeing, and the various external objects as the seen. No such thing ever was before creation. This state of feeling is faintly indicated in such relapses of consciousness as in Samadhi, sleep and swoon. Sage Sanatkumara asserts that Bhuma, or the Plenum (fullness, completeness) alone is Bliss. There is no Bliss in the finite things which are subject to the distinction of knower, knowledge and known. This was the reply given by the Sage to Narada who complained about the dissatisfaction of his mind and the grief that was tormenting him in spite of his vast learning and proficiency in the arts and the sciences. Well, prior to learning there is only the triple affliction from the internal, external and celestial causes, but after it comes there is the pain of committing it to memory, the possibility of forgetting it, the chances of

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 86 humiliation before more learned ones, and also the likelihood of priding oneself in front of learned ones. With all this grief, Narada approaches Sanatkumara requesting to be taken to what is beyond all sorrow. Sanatkumara’s answer is that Bliss is what is beyond sorrow, and it is only in the Absolute; it is not to be found anywhere else. Certainly it is not the happiness that one is accustomed to in this world, because the happiness of the world is entangled in many troubles and afflictions, and often it brings only sorrow as its consequence. Hence it is the opinion of Sanatkumara that all earthly happiness is pain only in another guise and he gradually asserts that wherever there is a perception of a second to oneself, it should be considered as finite and a source of unhappiness, and where there is no second to oneself, it is the Infinite, and it is Bliss. The Non-dual Infinite is not directly experienced by mortals, yet it is the consequential effect of the experience of the relativity of things, and naturally it does not require any proof to establish its existence, because of its Self-luminosity.

THE EXAMPLE OF DEEP SLEEP Prior to the creation of the dualistic world there must have been only the non-dual condition, since there is no other alternative at all. This is known to us as a semblance in the state of deep sleep. One’s own sleep is a valuable proof of it. Sleep does not stand in need of any other proof, though the experiences of others are inferred by us from their behaviour, etc. Our own experiences are not so inferred, but are directly known, as, for example, in deep sleep, where we are sure of our existence though there are no mind and senses functioning. This conviction is what is meant by Self-luminosity. In the state of deep sleep, there is absolutely no grief. Even the blind, the sick and the wounded have no such feelings of deformity, then. Thus, we have to conclude that the absence of sorrow in sleep is felt by us directly and positively, and inasmuch as there is no sorrow at all, we cannot identify it with anything other than happiness. Else, there can be no reason why people should take so much pain in preparing beddings, and so on, to go to sleep, even at the cost of wealth and much inconvenience. There is definitely something positive in deep sleep which is to be investigated. The happiness of deep sleep should be considered as positive and not merely as an attempt to forget the pains of the world. Even healthy persons who have everything that they want and cannot be said to have any pain whatsoever, go to sleep and find there is happiness which is incomparable. Though the arranging of soft bed, etc. at the time of entering into the state of sleep may be regarded as sensory in the sense that it is born of a contact of the tactile sense with an object, viz., soft bed, yet, the happiness of deep sleep is not born of any such contact. Tired by the activities of the world and seeking for a place of rest to remove this fatigue, one tries to go to sleep and prepares several means for this purpose, such as soft bed, etc. The truth, however, is that there is a total dissatisfaction with the business of life, because, the Jiva, though it may not be aware of it, is wandering away from the source of happiness when it moves amongst the objects of the world. Whenever there is a dualistic experience, the mind is naturally in a state of aberration and cannot be satisfied until it reverts to the natural state of unity. Soft bed etc., is only a preparation for this natural rest which it finds when the distinction of the knower, knowledge and known is transcended, and duality is completely negated. All mental activities in a world of space, time and cause should, thus, be regarded as unnatural from the point of view of the Supreme Absolute. It is to forget its miserable plight in the world that the Jiva runs to Brahman constantly in order that it may become

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 87 one with its supernal Bliss. In the Upanishad, the examples of a falcon, a hawk, a child, a king and a wise man are given to illustrate the nature of Divine Bliss which far surpasses the pleasures of the dualistic world of desires. Just as the falcon, which is tethered to a peg or held firmly in the hand by means of a string, may try to fly higher and higher, but cannot find a place of rest till it returns to the source to which it is tied; just as a hawk may soar to lofty heights throughout the day in all directions but must return to its own nest at the end of the day for final rest, it being possible for it to find real satisfaction and true freedom and peace only in its own nest; just as a small child lying happily on a tiny beautiful bed after having drunk deep from the mother’s breast smiles lovingly and appears to be an embodiment of happiness due to the fact that it is completely free from the distinction of ‘mine’ and ‘thine’ and from the afflictions and likes and dislikes; just as an emperor who is the master of a large empire, who has all the conceivable pleasures of the world, and has the joy of having possessed everything and living unopposed and uncontested, may be regarded as an embodiment of the climax of satisfaction among human beings; so does a person who is well-versed in the scriptures and is established in Brahman, having attained the peace that comes by the realisation of having done everything that is necessary to be done and having obtained everything and known everything, having reached the summit of wisdom, have a different kind of happiness altogether, beyond all the happiness of the world, due to a direct communion with Brahman. All these types of happiness are due either to a slight reflection of the Bliss of Brahman or a direct experience of it. The Jiva craves for this unearthly happiness and never rests until it finds it. It is for this reason that there is a regular entering into a state of deep sleep by the Jiva after all its frantic attempts at acquiring happiness in the world of objects. The ignorant condition of a child’s mind, the perfectly satisfied condition of an emperor, and the spiritually poised divine condition of the sage, represent three examples in this world of the state of the absence of likes and dislikes, due to which there is a degree of indication of the approximation of the individual to the Absolute. Everyone else who is entangled in the network of likes and dislikes is unhappy in this world, for the obvious reason that in the latter case there is a forgetfulness of the Atman and a constant contemplation of outside objects. When there is union of oneself with one’s most beloved possession, there is a forgetfulness of both the internal and external world, and there is a merging of oneself, as it were, in the beloved object. The Jiva is busy with the outward world in the waking state and enters the inner world when it is in the state of dream. In deep sleep it loses its individuality and so does not know whether it is human or animal, with desire or without desire, and knows no distinction whatsoever. In this sense, we may say there is, for the time being, an obliteration of Samsara in the state of deep sleep, the Jiva having been there one with Brahman. It is one’s egoism or the personal restricted consciousness relating to its specific qualifications and conditions in life that becomes responsible for one’s pleasures and pains in this world. The Upanishad proclaims that when egoism is removed, one goes beyond all the sorrow that afflicts one’s heart. The Bliss of sleep and the ignorance that characterises sleep are both experienced by a Consciousness, and this fact is confirmed later on by a memory that one has after waking up from sleep. But for this Consciousness which is permanently present, there would have been no remembrance later on of either one’s having had

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 88 happiness in sleep or one’s having known nothing there. This Consciousness is Brahman, says the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, and this Consciousness is Bliss. This ignorance which acts as a covering veil in the state of deep sleep is only a withdrawn condition of the intellectual and mental sheaths which are active in the waking state. This temporary dissolution of the mind is called sleep, and this itself is called ignorance. As ghee can be solidified and melted, the intellect of the Jiva can solidify itself into certain special experiences of the waking state or get merged into the molten condition of complete negativity of experience in sleep. This state is also called Anandamaya-kosa (bliss-sheath). The mind which is inclined towards sleep prior to the state of sleep gets later dissolved into the state of sleep itself, and while, in this introverted inactive condition it had experienced only a slight reflection of the Bliss of Brahman, it now experiences in deep sleep the same Bliss in a completely withdrawn condition of oblivion and forgetfulness of the world. As there is no ego functioning in the state of deep sleep, one does not feel this experience personally. The personal consciousness is possible only when the ego is active as in the waking state. The Mandukya Upanishad mentions that in the condition of the deep sleep the Jiva is unified as it were, and becomes a mass of Consciousness, enjoys the Bliss of Brahman through the inactive psychoses of the mind, and itself becomes the embodiment of Bliss there. All its ramifications as thoughts, feelings, etc. get unified into one, and, as several grains may be unified into a lump of paste made out of them, all the variegated mental modifications of the waking condition become heavy laden when they get reduced to a harmonious state, as different drops of water may gather into one mass forming mist or snow. This is the medium of the manifestation of the -chaitanya, or the Witnessing Consciousness, and it is Bliss itself, as has been explained already, and not merely a state of the absence of pain. It is an experience of positive delight. But with all this experience of Brahmananda in the state of deep sleep, the Jiva hastens back to the waking condition due to certain Karmas working to fulfil their demands in a different state of consciousness. It is on account of these unfulfilled Karmas that one does not continue to exist for long in any particular state of consciousness. There is a constant change of states on account of the change in the manifestation of the Karma forces. When there is waking up due to this reason, the Jiva, for a few minutes, after having experienced sleep, continues to remember the Bliss it experienced there, and retains this conscious condition as a faint recollection of the Bliss of Brahman manifested in sleep. After the experience of deep sleep, there is a return of the mind to the waking world due to the activity of the Karmas not yet worked out. These Karmas direct the mind of the Jiva in certain particularised channels of activity, which is the business of the waking world. The Bliss of the Absolute experienced in sleep is forgotten by the Jiva instantaneously, because of the sudden switching on of the consciousness to something quite different from what was experienced previously. However, there is an inclination of the mind towards this Bliss experienced prior as well as posterior to the state of deep sleep. This is the reason why there is an unequalled happiness immediately just before and after deep sleep. This, however, does not mean that any inert condition of the personality has any spiritual significance because, here, in an ordinary inert state, there is not even a consciousness of the state in which one is at the time. It is essential to have a vigilant consciousness of the condition in which one finds oneself in order that it may

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 89 be converted into a step in the spiritual ascent. If one knows very well that the silent condition of the mind without thoughts of objects is the conscious condition of oneself, then, naturally, it would have spiritual value. It is not enough if one is merely silent and sits quiet without doing anything. It is essential also to maintain a steady consciousness in that silent condition of the mind. This is exactly what differentiates between Nidra (sleep) and Samadhi (Super-consciousness). Mere informative understanding also is not of any significance here. What is essential is experience by an actual living in it, and this cannot be possible unless one lives a dedicated life under an able preceptor and studies the scriptures with faith and devotion. Else, it would be like a person who said that he knew that the Vedas are four, and demanded the present promised to one who knew the four Vedas. Intellectual information is bare featureless description. It does not enter into one’s life and cannot affect one’s position. A mere reading of words is one thing and the understanding of their meaning is another, and even if there is correct understanding, actual realisation is far above and beyond it. Until actual realisation is attained, it is necessary to serve a preceptor who is established in true wisdom.

VARIETY IN HAPPINESS When there is the feeling of the possession of a desired object, there is also a temporary cessation of that desire, and the quality of Rajas in the mind which propelled the desire outwardly comes to a cessation. The Rajas having ceased for the time being, there is a quick introversion of the mind and a revelation of the stability of Sattva brought about as a consequence, which occasions a sudden reflection of the Bliss of the Atman within, which makes one happy at the time. Sensual happiness, therefore, is not something imported from the object outside, but really belongs to the Atman within, though, on account of ignorance, the Jiva does not know that this is the fact. The object merely acts as an outward agent causing a temporary cessation of Rajas in the mind and an accidental manifestation of Sattva, wherein the Atman is reflected perspicaciously. Thus, it becomes clear that every sensory happiness of the world is ultimately a distorted expression of Brahmananda. Yet the mistake here lies in the Jiva’s wrong notion that the pleasure has come from the object, and its consequent clinging to the object. It is this clinging that causes the sorrow of the Jiva, and its transmigratory life is occasioned by its desires due to love for pleasure. In this world there are only sense-pleasures of various kinds, but the true Bliss of Brahman is never felt at any time except during the short duration of the interval lying between the cessation of a thought and the rise of another. Broadly, we can classify happiness into three groups: 1) Bliss of Brahman experienced in direct realisation; 2) Impression or the Vasana, of it, experienced immediately after waking from deep sleep, etc; 3) Sensory happiness which is the reflection of Brahman Bliss through the psychological organs. Other than these three types, there is no happiness anywhere. However, it does not mean that there are three independent kinds of happiness; the latter two are only manifestations of Brahmananda, or Absolute Bliss. The Bliss of Brahman is manifest in the state of deep sleep in the way explained, and the mind and intellect, working in dream and walking, distract it by the operation of Rajas, externally. The same thing, in fact, appears as the cause in sleep and as effect in the other two conditions. These changes in the states of the Jiva are due to the working of the Karmas of the past, lying hidden as latent forces ready to germinate when suitable circumstances are provided. During the waking state, Consciousness

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 90 pervades the whole body and is said to be specially active in the right eye; in dream it operates in the region of the throat, and in deep sleep it resides in the heart. There is a gradual widening of the field of Consciousness as it moves from sleep to waking. It is due to the identification of Consciousness with the objects in the waking state that one begins to feel that one is a human being, and so on. Such feelings are connected with bodies and are not relevant to Consciousness as such. The individual is, accordingly, happy, or unhappy, or indifferent, as and when the forces of the Karmas begin to work differently in the different stages of evolution. When there is a complete cessation of both happiness and sorrow, it means that the Karmas are not actively operating. By contact with physical objects, and also by generating of imaginary ideas, happiness and sorrow are possible, but when there is neither of these experiences there is joy which is not born of sense-contact, and in this condition of silence of the mind true spiritual bliss is revealed. On account of there being a generality of egoism (Ahamkara) in these experiences, the Jiva does not have actual experience of Brahman then, but only the inferential glimpse of it. Egoism is of two kinds, gross and subtle. The gross one is that by which one refers to oneself as “so-and-so”, meaning thereby that oneself is a body. The subtle ego is the simple feeling of “I am”, without any other association, such as the body, etc. The subtle ego-consciousness prevails even when there is an experience of spiritual happiness, when there are no thoughts of anything in particular, and there is silence of mental activity. Just as we can infer that cool water is in a pot by the feeling of coolness outside the wall of the pot, so can we infer that there should be an Absolute due to the very fact that there is cessation of thought and individuality-sense. In proportion to the forgetfulness of the ego by the practice of Yoga does one gain an insight into the spiritual happiness revealed through the development of a subtle vision within. THE ART OF YOGA The Kathopanishad succinctly describes Yoga as a resting of the senses in the mind, the mind in the intellect, the intellect in the Cosmic Intelligence, and the Cosmic Intelligence in the Supreme Purusha. This is the way of what is called Nirodha-Samadhi, or Super-Conscious State achieved by complete annihilation of all psychic functions. The ego, in this condition, having been transcended and absorbed into larger dimensions of being, the Yogin ceases to be a person any more. The Lord Sri Krishna says in the Bhagavadgita that Brahmananda is the state where there is neither the perception of duality nor experience of sleep. The Lord exhorts us that by the intellect endowed with fortitude, the mind should be gradually brought under control, and when it is once subdued well and fixed in the Atman, one should think nothing at all. Whenever the mind moves astray due its fickle nature born of Rajas, then and there should it be brought back as one does horses with reins. The mind should, thus, be fixed in the Atman. That rare, purified soul whose mind has been purged of Rajas, that Yogin who has become veritably Brahman due to freedom from the impurity of desires, reaches the Bliss which is supreme, wherein, having been controlled by the practice of Yoga, one experiences the Atman by the Atman, and is immensely delighted thereby, wherein is found the absolute supersensible happiness to be visualised only by the higher rarefied intelligence, wherein established one does not shake, or oscillate from Truth at any time, by obtaining which one does not think that there is any gain other than that, and having rooted oneself in which one is not affected by even the most

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 91 tormenting of sorrows - that is to be known as Yoga, the dissociation of oneself from union with pain. This is to be achieved by firm conviction in this spiritual ideal, without yielding oneself to despondency on the path. Thus constantly practising the Yoga of the Atman, the Yogin contacts the Bliss of Brahman and exists as Brahman, all his senses having been trained out and absorbed. But such control of mind is hard and may be compared to the difficulty of bailing the ocean with a blade of grass, uprooting the Meru mountain, or drinking fire. In the Maitrayani Upanishad, Sage Sakayanaya instructs that when all the modifications of the mind subside, it reverts to its Source even as fire is extinguished when it is devoid of feeding material. Such a mind which seeks only Truth, which has gone back to its Source and which has turned away from all the objects of sense, sees this world of action as essenceless. The mind alone is Samsara (bondage) and, hence, it is to be enquired into. Whatever one deeply thinks, that one becomes. This is the eternal secret. By gaining tranquillity of mind, the effects of Karmas are overcome and there is the experience of the Atman by the Atman, of Bliss imperishable. If one’s yearning for objects due to confusion of mind were to be directed to Brahman, one would attain liberation at once, opines the Sage. The mind is twofold in nature - pure and impure. The impure one is enmeshed in desires while the pure one is that which is free from desires. The impure mind is the cause of one’s bondage, and the objectless mind is the way to Moksha. The Bliss of Samadhi which comes out of a total rise of the mind from Rajas and Tamas, by the establishment of itself in the Atman, is ineffable in nature. A person of faith recollects the Bliss of Brahman experienced by him during the intervals of thoughts and feelings. There arises also the determination that all the variety of the world is spiritual, too. Once there is an insight of this nature, there can never again be any confusion in the mind in regard to the true nature of things. Nevertheless, this happiness which arises during the cessation of Rajas in the mind, is a manifestation of Brahman’s Bliss through the Sattva mode of the mind, and so it cannot be a perpetual condition of experience. All modes of Prakriti are transient. They change there position constantly like a wheel that is rotating. Knowing this, the seeker ignores even this happiness and tries to enter into the primary Bliss of the Atman, uncontaminated by the changes of Prakriti. A person who is well established in this state lives in the world unconcerned, yet perform his duties like anyone else, in the same manner as one who is serving under a master may do appointed duties as a routine and still be thinking in his mind what is really and inwardly cherished by him. Living in this world, and yet being conscious of the Divine Being, the hero attains internal peace, because of the fact that he is unconnected with what is happening either outside or inside. True heroism is the capability to subdue the senses and concentrate the mind on Brahman alone, even when the senses are impetuous and violent. As a person who throws down a load from his head feels that he has got rid of fatigue, one throws down the load of Samsara by conscious dissociation from it, and attains inner tranquillity. Happiness and misery do not affect him in the least, and it becomes immaterial to him whether there is a positive occasion for exhilaration or a negative one of grief, or whether he is indifferent. He is averse to anything that is an opposing factor to spiritual meditation, as a person is averse to adorning the body and looking beautiful in other’s eyes when there is an imminent chance of being swallowed up in the conflagration of a fire. The consciousness of the seer moves between the happiness of the world and the

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 92 Bliss of the Absolute as and when occasion demands it, just as the power of perception in a crow moves between the two sockets of its eyes. Like a person who knows two languages, the seer experiences world-consciousness and also the spiritual consciousness of Brahman successively. He is not, as before, grieved or upset, due to his present novel perception, and is not annoyed or irritated by the pains of the world. He has a double experience simultaneously of world-life and Godliness, as a person standing waist-deep in the cool waters of the Ganga may experience coolness below and heat above from the Sun. In this manner, the seer recognises the Bliss of Brahman even in the waking state of Consciousness, not merely in the state of deep sleep. When he is established in such a state, he manages to retain this vision even in the dream state, but inasmuch as, together with the power of his spiritual experience, his past Karmas also work parallelly, he may have a twofold experience of spiritual Bliss and worldly pain. There is all this struggle between the inner and the outer, between the present and the past, between the power of Sadhana and the forces of Karma, until Jivanmukti is attained, where the two are reconciled. (Verses 1-134)

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 93 CHAPTER XII THE BLISS OF THE SELF

SELF-LOVE EXPLAINED Though the Yogins who are engaged in meditation and are endowed with an acute discriminative faculty do recognise the Bliss of Brahman in actual experience, as also during occasions of the cessation of Rajas in the mind, and at the time when there is an impression left by the Bliss of Brahman after its experience in the state of sleep; yet, the more ignorant ones cannot discover this Bliss so easily due to their minds being affected with greater amounts of Rajas and Tamas. On account of the performance of Dharma and Adharma, or meritorious deeds and sinful deeds, the cycle of births and deaths is kept on revolving, and the Jiva, thus, takes countless births. It may, therefore, appear that, perhaps, there is no way at all for dull-witted persons to get out of the wheel of Samsara. But, really, the way of Sadhana being vast and all-comprehending, there is to be found a way for everyone placed in any circumstance in life. The moment there is a commencement of the sacrifice of one’s selfishness even in the least degree one is on the right path, though living at a lower level. For those who are of superior understanding the method has already been explained in the eleventh chapter, but to those who are mostly extrovert in nature, unselfish activity and Upasana, or devout contemplation, should be prescribed. By those who are really aspiring and yet are not endowed with a higher understanding, the procedure mentioned below may be adopted. This procedure has actually been followed by Sage Yajnavalkya in his instructions to his consort, Maitreyi. He holds that everything in this world is desirable and lovable for the sake of the Atman, the True Self. The mind is moved gradually inward in this teaching, by taking into consideration the outward aspects of objects and the external nature of the world. The love between husband and wife, for instance, is a conditioned, personal desire made manifest. If there is an absence of desire either by the call of duty or by diminishing of desire, the love, too, gets diminished. The love is indicated to bring satisfaction to one’s own self in the end, whether in the case of the husband or the wife. Even in mutual love, the incentive is a desire for one’s own happiness. The parent’s love for children is of a similar nature. The parents expect the release of an emotional tension within, in many ways, by which they acquire some pleasure, having no real objective love for children, a fact well known. One does not love wealth for the sake of wealth, because wealth has no consciousness of its own, and it is absolutely desireless. One wishes to make use of it as an instrument for one’s own pleasure. People tend cattle because they expect services from them. A bull, for example, is yoked and made to carry weights, not for its pleasure but for the pleasure of the person concerned. The feeling of satisfaction due to one’s being a Brahmana or Kshatriya, on account of the respectability, power, and so on, which one finds invested on oneself thereby, does not belong to those circumstances of caste, etc., because they are unconscious, and are only attributes, but they bring joy to the mind only of that human being who has a desire of that nature. This is the case with persons in any status of life, or social position, that they may be enjoying. People love to rule in heaven, in Brahmaloka, etc., not with the intention of bringing any good to those regions but for their own enjoyment. This, again,

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 94 is very clear. Worships offered to deities are meant for achieving some personal ends, overcoming difficulties, and getting rid of troubles, etc. It is never done for the pleasure of the gods so worshipped, because the gods want nothing from men, and it is futile to think that they can be pleased by human actions. Here, again, it is a question of one’s own satisfaction. People study the scriptures, like the Vedas to overcome the stigma of a false status in life. The study is really not concerned with the Vedas, themselves, but with the mind of man alone. Our regard for earth and the other elements is because they give us place and facility to live, and we cannot live without them. The earth is the abode, water quenches thirst, fire gives warmth and enables us to cook our food, air helps us in drying and makes our life-breath function, and space makes our existence itself possible. They are all held by us in great esteem, not for their own sake, but because they are instruments in bringing happiness to us in some way or other. Psychologically, this is the position, but spiritually it is an indication of an inward calling of the Infinite, without which no individual can exist, and whose love is the real meaning behind all empirical loves. It is, as it were, the Infinite summoning the Infinite, when there is an attraction of one thing towards another, because the Infinite Atman is the Source of all Bliss, and it is this Bliss that is the real explanation and the central aim of all thoughts, feelings and actions in this world. The aim of life is the realisation of Brahman, and it is the love for the Bliss of Brahman that appears in this world distortedly and in a broken form as affections for things. The Atman, or Brahman, is the Goal. It is the existence of that Bliss that makes individuals restless here. All the objects of the world are subsidiary to the love of the Atman, and it is certain that the affection that one has for objects is not entirely for their own sake, but for the satisfaction of one’s own Self, which pulls everything to itself in the different degrees and levels of its expression. Even the good that is done to others is intended to bring the satisfaction to oneself of having done the good act. Even help of various kinds given to others brings about a release of inner tension caused by the feeling of the pain of not being able to see the suffering of others. We can generally say that whatever be the object towards which one cherishes an affection, the object is subsidiary, instrumental, and secondary to the Atman. No doubt, there are differences in the manifestation of love. For example, when it is in relation to an object not yet possessed, it is called Ichha, or longing. If it is towards God, or Guru, it is called , or devotion. If it is towards performance of a Yajna, or sacrifice, etc., it is called Sraddha, or faith. If it is in regard to such objects as wife etc., it is called Raga, or attachment. Nevertheless, it can be said that all these are just ramifications of a primary Sattvika Vritti, whose object is mere pleasure, and which persists whether the object in question is obtained or not obtained, or is removed from oneself. Such things, as food and drink are only external instruments in bringing about happiness to ourselves, and hence lovable on that account; but it cannot be said that the Atman is also merely an agent or instrument in bringing happiness, as food and drink are, because, here, in the case of the Atman, the concept of instrumentality is inapplicable. It cannot be said that the Atman can be both the experiencer and the instrument, at one and the same time, because enjoyership and the object enjoyed cannot be identified with each other and the two cannot be one thing. One never knows enjoying the Atman as an objective pleasure, because the Atman is second to none, and is supreme. In the case of sense-pleasures, our affection is fickle, and is subject to

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 95 conditions, on account of which it changes from time to time, from person to person, or from one thing to another, as the occasion may demand, but the Atman is unconditionally loved, and this love for the Atman can never be restricted to conditions and circumstances or to anything that is in this world. There is no change whatsoever in the love that one has for one’s own Self, though one may take in one object and abandon another at different times, because of the variety in the pleasures that these objects are supposed to be bringing to oneself. The Atman cannot be abandoned or possessed like the objects of the world. Hence, it is impossible to have attitudes of like and dislike in regard to the Atman. Nor is the Atman an object of our indifference, as, for example, a piece of grass or straw, the Atman being the very essence and nature of the person who tries to develop such an attitude of indifference. The essential Atman is not an object of mental attitude and is not conditioned by personal behaviours. No doubt, it is seen, sometimes, that people who are affected with agonising diseases and overcome by great emotions evince a desire to die. and it may appear that they have a real hatred for the Self, but this is not at all the fact. They never hate their own Self really, but are fed up with some particular unpleasant conditions in their lives, due to which they would prefer to put an end to those conditions which are the causes of the sorrow, but not end the Self itself. Suicide is a love to be free from pain, and not a hatred for oneself. The Atman is the essence of even him who tries to commit suicide. The hatred is not towards the Atman. For all these reasons it should be clear that the Atman is the object of one’s deepest and most genuine love. This is also seen from such an instance as the father having some affection for his son’s friend, because of his love for his own son. That, again, is ultimately connected with his affection towards himself, and this love is certainly much more that the one he has for his son. Everyone feels: “Let me not cease to be; let me remain always”. This inner prayerful feeling is always present in everyone, from which it is ostensibly clear that there is immense love for one’s own Self. Yet, there are people in this world who, many a time, regard son, wife, etc., as representatives of one’s own Atman and hold that the love which one has for them is real. From the scriptural allusion that one is reborn as one’s son, it is made out that the son is the real Atman of the father and that the son is the true representative of the father on earth, acquired by his past meritorious deeds. But, there is no end to the series of fathers and sons, and so we have to imagine also a series of those transferred Atmans, whereby it may look that the Atman can really be outside one’s Self and loved as an object. It is seen in this world that people have intense love for their children and regard a son as not only a means of their happiness in the other world, but even of their pleasure in this world. It is seen that people are usually unhappy without children and it is a common feeling of the generality of mankind that children are of great importance, as it is seen especially when people are very eager, even when they are about to die, that their family and children are well fixed in society and their properties well safeguarded. They struggle hard to assure the safety and permanency of their family and children even after their own death, all which may make it appear that one’s Atman is transferred to them and they are themselves one’s Atman. This, however, is not the truth.

DEGREES OF SELF The relation which the father has with the son, for example, is not really the finding of one’s Self in the son, but is something different and is secondary. For the clarification of

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 96 the different types of attitude which people have in regard to things, the concept of the Atman may be grouped under three heads: 1) Gauna, or secondary; 2) Mithya, or false; and 3) Mukhya, or primary. When it is said that a certain person is a lion, one does not really mean that the human being has become a lion. What is intended is that the person concerned has the bravery of a lion. The identification of a human being with a lion is secondary, and not real, because, it is clear that a human being can never become a lion and yet such a comparison is made, only from a particular angle of vision and not in all respects. So is the identification of the father’s Atman with the son. It does not mean that the son is really the Atman of the father, for this can never be, for obvious reasons. The father and the son are two different persons and the connection of the one with the other is mental and not real. There are such secondary relationships established with various other things also in this world, which one regards as dear or lovable. Hence, the secondary self, or the Gauna-Atman, is something lying outside oneself as a personality and not genuinely connected with one’s real Self. But there is another self, the Mithya-Atman, the false self. We know very well that there is a difference between the external sheaths, such as the physical body, and the innermost Consciousness, because Consciousness never becomes an object at any time; yet this distinction is not seen. There is a false superimposition of the Consciousness on the , or the sheath, and so this superimposed self is naturally the Mithya self, or the false self. However, in the real Atman, or the Mukhya-Atman, there is no such distinction as is seen between the Gauna-Atman and the Mithya-Atman. The Mukhya-Atman or the Primary Self has nothing set in opposition to it, because there is nothing second to it and it is the inner Self or the essential Being of everything, including the Gauna-Atman and the Mithya- Atman. Hence, by inordinate attachment to a particular concept of the self, viz., Gauna, Mithya and Mukhya, one regards the former two as secondary, taking one alone as primary, for the fulfilment of a specific purpose under a given set of circumstances. Suppose a person is about to die, and at that time he has a desire that his house etc. should be protected even after his death, who will do it? Not the Universal or the Absolute Atman, because it is changeless and unattached to things. Not also the Mithya- Atman, or the body, because it is about to die. There is only one thing remaining, which will be of use to fulfil this desire, namely, one’s own children, or wife, and the like. Here, again, it should be remembered that we do not regard one’s son really as one’s own self, and this is done only in a secondary sense, just for the purpose of keeping intact one’s property etc., and not for other purposes, just as, when we say that the student is fire, we say so only to indicate that the student is bright like fire, and not that the fire itself is the student, because such a meaning would be unsuited to the context as an unwarranted and extended utilisation of the idea of the Gauna-Atman. But when one says, “I am thin and lean”, “I shall take nutritious diet and put on fat”, etc., naturally, only the body is meant here by the term ‘I’, and not others, such as son, etc. When one expresses a feeling, “I shall perform penance and go to heaven”, one means the individual self, or the Vijnana-Atman, and not the other Atmans, the body, the son, and so on, because even disregarding the comforts of the body one performs for this sake such austerities as Chandrayana, etc. When one says, “I shall attain Moksha, or liberation”, the Atman meant here is not children, or property, or body, or even one’s own individuality, but the Pure Consciousness within, which one comes to know by resorting to a suitable Guru, and study of scripture under him. After knowing that, one does nothing else, having no

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 97 desire for anything other than meditation on Brahman. The scripture enjoins a sacrifice called Barhaspatya-Sava on a Brahamana, Rajasuya on a Kshatriya, Vaisya-stoma on a Vaisya, wherein one person becomes relevant in regard to a particular sacrifice, and the other irrelevant and secondary. The point illustrated is that something is primary for a particular purpose and other things are secondary. The point illustrated is that something is primary for a particular purpose and other things are secondary, and in this manner different things may become primary or secondary from the standpoints of different kinds of utility. Love is supreme in regard to the Primary Self in any particular condition, and the remaining ones do not command such love, but remain Gauna, or secondary. At any given moment, only a particular idea of self is taken as primary and supreme love is evinced in accordance to it, regarding others as non-essential or secondary. The love which we have for ordinary things is not unconditional. It is just nominal, but that which is neither the primary self nor the object befitting one’s pleasure becomes the object of indifference, and in regard to this we have neither supreme love nor even ordinary love. Now those objects for which we have no love at all may be either objects of total indifference or of hatred. The straw, for example, seen on the way is an object of our indifference. A tiger or a cobra is an object of hatred or fear. Thus, there is the Primary Atman for which we have supreme love, the secondary Atman for which we have only ordinary love, the object of indifference, and the object of hatred, and as regards these four types of classification, we cannot lay down a standard and say that certain things are always dear, or always hateful, or always objects of indifference, etc., because as times change and circumstances differ, we have different attitudes and consider different things as desirable and undesirable, etc. Take, for example, the instance of a tiger. If it comes to attack us from the front, it becomes a detestable object. If it runs away in the opposite direction it becomes an object of indifference. But if it has been domesticated and is tended at home, it becomes an object of affection. Though there is no particular determination as to whether something is lovable or otherwise at all times, yet the practical world goes on the assumption and acceptance of there being such a thing as being conducive to our happiness, or opposed to our interests, or sometimes just lying outside our concern itself. The Atman is very dear, the object connected with it is ordinarily dear in a secondary fashion, but other things than these are either disliked or ignored. This is the way how the world regards things. This is also the opinion of the Sage Yajnavalkya, as stated in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. The Atman is dearer than son, dearer than wealth, dearer than everything else, because it is nearer than and interior to everything. Hence, it is the dearest of all things. By careful investigation on the basis of scriptural teachings one comes to know that the Sakshin, or the Witnessing Consciousness, alone, is the true Atman, and nothing else, and this investigation consists in a differentiation of the five external sheaths from the innermost Consciousness, and fixing the vision on Truth. That is the true Consciousness, Self-luminous in nature, by which the appearance and the disappearance of the various states like waking, dreaming and deep sleep are known, and which, therefore, is apart from these different various states. All things, right from the inner Prana, up to outward things as wealth, are secondary to the Atman, and our affection for these various things is in proportion to the nearness of anyone of these. The degree of our nearness determines the degree of our affection for them. So, for instance,

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 98 the son is dearer than wealth, one’s own body is dearer than son, the senses are dearer than body, the Prana is dearer than the senses, and the Supreme Atman is dearer than even the Prana, or life itself. This being the truth, the scripture, nevertheless, delineates the controversy between the wise and the ignorant for the sake of the understanding of the student, so that the student may be aware of the difference between wisdom and ignorance. The truth, however, remains that the Atman is the object of Supreme Love. The knower of Truth holds that the inner Witnessing Consciousness alone is real, while the ignorant persons think that there are other things also in this world, like wife, children, property, etc., which are meant for the pleasure of the Atman; but the Upanishad warns us that this is not the fact. The Sage says that if you hold anything other than the Atman as dear, you shall lose what you hold as dear, and that what you consider as dear shall make you weep one day. This expression of the Sage may act as an instruction to the disciple or as a curse on the person who obstinately opposes the Truth of the Atman. We shall be bereft of what we consider as dear if the dear object is different from the Atman. The disciple endeavours to recognise the defects in the ordinary objects of the world, which are usually considered as dear. For instance, let us take the case of a son. The parents are unhappy when they see no chance of getting a child, and if there is any chance, there is anxiety whether the birth will be safe or not. If the birth becomes all right, there is no knowing whether the child will be affected by some fit or disease. Even supposing that this is averted, the child may turn out a dull-wit, and even when instructed may not be able to acquire any learning. There is the anxiety of finding a match; there is the chance of the youth going astray; there is a possibility of his becoming poor; and even if everything goes well, one cannot know when death will overtake the person. The miser of the parents knows no end, whether they have children, or no children. Such sort of discrimination should be extended to all things in the world which we regard as dear possessions of ours, and abandoning our love for them, the love should be centred in the Supreme Atman alone. When such a spiritual love is developed, we begin to contemplate on the Atman with unshakeable fixity, continuously, without break. Those, however, who cling to perishable things and do not give up their obstinacy in holding that the world is all and that there is nothing above, that the objects are lovable and they are primary - they suffer unending misery in lower births, where there will be contact with undesirable things and separation from desirable ones. There is even the chance of falling into lowest regions, like hell. The Upanishad affirms that everything shall desert a person if the person considers that everything is different from oneself. As a knower of Brahman is veritably Brahman himself, he is like God, Isvara, having Omnipotence, and whatever he says shall become true, whether it is said in regard to a disciple, or an opponent. He who, however, knows the inner Witnessing Atman as Supreme and adores it as an object of the highest love, such a thing which he holds as dear will never be separated from him. The object loved, then, will never be destroyed, because the object, here, is the Supreme Absolute itself. The Atman, being the object of the greatest affection, should be regarded as the Source of the highest Bliss, also. The greater the affection, the greater is the feeling of pleasure in a thing. The degrees of pleasure felt in different degrees of love are explained in the Taittiriya Upanishad, where the gradation of Bliss is described in detail. This Bliss of the

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 99 Atman is not so patent and revealing in ordinary life. Though the modifications of the mind operate equally in waking life and we are mostly conscious, we are not always blissful or happy; as a lamp kept in a room has two properties, heat and light, and it emanates both these qualities simultaneously; yet it is seen that the heat of the lamp is not felt so much as the light of it, which reaches a longer distance than the heat in it. Moreover, we may compare the situation and the revelation of the Consciousness and Bliss of the Atman to the perception of the different qualities in a flower, for example. Though the qualities in a flower are present as a single unit, yet each is grasped independently by a particular sense-organ and not by another sense-organ. So is the case of Consciousness and Bliss in the Atman. The unity of the Consciousness and Bliss are felt in the Atman in the same manner as there is a feeling of the unity of the different qualities in a flower which contains these qualities in itself. But, just as the one compact existence of the qualities of the flower is differently grasped by different senses, so is the one unit of Consciousness and Bliss in the Atman grasped and revealed differently by different Vrittis or modifications of the mind. Bliss can be revealed only by the Sattva- Vritti of the mind, and Consciousness follows it, so that when a Sattva-Vritti operates, Consciousness and Bliss are revealed together, because Sattva is pure and transparent. The Rajas-Vritti is disturbed and impure, and hence, the Bliss of the Atman cannot be revealed through it. As the property of a thing can be suppressed by addition of salt to tamarind to lessen its sourness, the mixing up of the impure element in the form of Rajas suppresses the revelation of the Bliss of the Atman. The clear Vritti of Sattva reveals Existence, Consciousness and Bliss; the Rajas-Vritti reveals Existence and Consciousness alone; while in Tamas, Existence alone is felt and no other quality. THE WAY TO ATTAINMENT To have this realisation, one may practise Yoga or Jnana. Both lead to the same result, because their aim is the same, though their ways are different. The differences in the practice of Yoga and Jnana are due to the differences in the temperaments of the seekers. There is no difference in the path itself. Various ways of spiritual life have been laid down to suit the differing endowments of human beings. The absence of love and hatred, the attainment of knowledge, and the transcendence of dualistic perception, are all the same both in the Yogin and the Jnanin. How can there be likes and dislikes when the Atman is known as the sole Reality and nothing second to it is seen anywhere? Both the Yogin and the Jnanin have the ordinary human consciousness when they are actually not in the state of realisation and behave like ordinary beings in the world, but when they are actually in the state of Super-Consciousness, or Atmanubhava, they do not see the duality of the world. One who is established in Advaita-Consciousness through Jnana, and one who is established in Samadhi through Yoga, will not perceive duality. When there is a recognition of the Atman and an establishment in it, together with a rising of the mind above the diversity of the world, the Jnanin is a Yogin, and the Yogin is a Jnanin, both meaning the same thing. This analysis of the Primary Atman, as different from the secondary and the false concepts of self, has been done for the sake of those whose understanding is not sharp enough to practise the ways described in the previous chapter. (Verses 1-90)

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 100 CHAPTER XIII THE BLISS OF NON-DUALITY

THE CAUSE-EFFECT RELATION What was called the ‘Bliss of Yoga’ previously is the same as the ‘Bliss of the Self’ referred to recently. Because the Bliss of Brahman is directly experienced in Yoga meditation, it is called Yogananda. The essential Bliss unconditioned by anything else is called Nijananda, or essential Bliss, and because this very same Bliss is realised as something different from the Gauna Atman and the Mithya Atman, it is called Atmananda, or Bliss of the Primary Self. Now it may appear that inasmuch as it is told that the Bliss of the Atman is different from such other things as the Gauna Atman and the Mithya Atman, it is perhaps conditioned by these, or limited by their existence. This is precisely not the case, because the Bliss of Brahman is Brahman itself and not some quality attached to it from outside, and the whole world beginning from Space (Akasa) down to the grossest object like the body, is nothing apart from the Bliss of Brahman, as it will be seen from the Brahmananda-Valli Section of the Taittiriya Upanishad. This Upanishad says that everything has come from the Atman, the Omnipresent Self. Hence, the world is not different from Brahman. Brahman is non-dual. The Taittiriya Upanishad says, again, that if all this world is born from Ananda (Bliss), exists in Ananda, and is finally dissolved in Ananda, how can there be then a world different from the Ananda of Brahman? The whole Universe is the manifestation of Ananda. We all live on account of it, and we can never rest satisfied until we fully realise it. Let it not be thought that the world is an effect different from the power of this Ananda, as an earthen pot is different from its cause, the potter. The Ananda is not merely an instrumental cause (Nimitta-karana), as the potter is in relation to the pot; but it is also the material cause (Upadana-karana), as clay is in relation to the pot. The existence and dissolution of the pot do not depend upon the existence of the potter, but they are dependent on the clay out of which the pot is made. For, clay is the substance out of which the pot is made, it is the material cause. Likewise, the existence and the dissolution of the world are dependent on the Supreme Being as Ananda, as it is the Material Cause of the world. Material cause is, again, of three kinds: (1) Arambha, (2) Parinama, and (3) Vivarta. Arambha-Upadana is that material cause which is distinguishable from its effect, as cloth is distinguished from its threads in some respects, though the latter are the material cause of the former. Parinama-Upadana is that kind of material cause which actually renounces its nature as the effect, by undergoing a transformation within itself and remains in another form altogether, as milk becomes curd. Vivarta-Upadana is that kind of material cause which appears as an effect without actually undergoing any change in itself, and yet appearing as something different, as, for example, a rope appearing as a snake. Here, the cause has not become the effect, but merely appears as the effect. This may happen even in the case of partless or shapeless objects, because we see that a thing like Space, which has no shape at all, appears to be blue in colour, inverted like a dome, touching the horizon, etc., and it also appears to be affected by the qualities of the earth on account of which we attribute to it clearness as well as its opposite. In a similar manner, it may be said that this world is a Vivarta (appearance) of

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 101 Brahman, of the Divine Ananda, and this appearance is made possible due to a power, or Sakti, called Maya, indescribably present, as a special kind of power is seen in a magician. This power is actually not different from the substance in which it inheres, nor is it totally identical with it. We find, in ordinary life, that the burning capacity which is the power of fire cannot be said to be either identical with fire or different from it. When the effect of burning in fire is not seen actually, even when it is flaming forth, we infer that the absence of its burning power is due perhaps to the application of some Mantras, or incantations, on fire. If heat is the same as fire, fire itself ought to have ceased to exist when its heat is suppressed; nor is it possible for us to say that there is no such thing as fire apart from mere heat. The Divine Power of Brahman, called Maya, is likewise inscrutable (Anirvachaniya) and its relation to Brahman is difficult to ascertain, or understand. Sages endowed with intuition recognise in meditation that the Divine Power, or Sakti, is hidden by its own properties, that the Supreme Power inherent in Brahman manifests itself in various ways, especially as knowledge (Jnana), action (Kriya), and will or desire (Ichha). There are those who think that there is no cause at all for the world and that it just exists by its own nature. Others think that the world has come out of nothing (Sunya), or void. Some think that the world is a conglomeration of invisible atoms which combine themselves in a peculiar way to form this world. The astronomers and the astrologers opine that it is all Time factor that is operating everywhere and there cannot be any other cause of the world than the movement of Time in various ways creating different conditions and situations. The materialists are of the opinion that matter is everything and there is no such thing as Consciousness, and even if the latter is conceded, it is only an exudation of matter. The Mimamsakas, or ritualists, think that the potency of Karma, called Adrishta, is the real cause of the world-manifestation, and nothing can exist other than Karma, as the operative cause. The hold that the cause of the world is Prakriti in conjunction with Purusha, and the diversity of the world is only the evolution of Prakriti. The Yoga school posits an Isvara in addition to Prakriti and the many Purushas of the Samkhya, because it is impossible to conceive of the dispensation of justice and the proper allocation of the fruits of the Karmas of Jivas if there is no such Being who is independent of Prakriti and the Purushas. The Vedanta school of dualism (Dvaita) accepts the supremacy of God above all things, making the Goal within the aspirations of the Jivas, unlike Samkhya and the Yoga, but never thinks that there is any intrinsic relation among God, the world and the souls. According to them, the relation is only extrinsic. The Visishta-Advaita school of Vedanta accepts the intrinsic relationship existing among God, the world and the souls, making the latter two integral parts of Isvara, in the manner of qualifications, or Viseshanas, of Isvara, who is the Substance. The Advaita-Vedanta does not accept any relationship at all, because it never feels that there are three things as God, world and soul. For it, the Truth is one and whatever appears in this world is only the way of the revelation of this one Truth. Thus, the scripture affirms the existence of a Divine Sakti in Brahman and this is also corroborated in such other texts like the Yogavasishtha, where it is said that Brahman is Omnipotent, full with all powers, eternal, complete and non-dual. As is the revelation of Brahman at a particular time, so is the way in which the Sakti expresses itself as manifestations All these bodies and objects that we see in all the planes of existence are

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 102 the manifestations of this Sakti of Brahman. Movement in air, hardness in stone, liquidity in water, heat in fire, emptiness in space, transience in things - all these are expressions of this Sakti. The world is hidden in the Supreme Being in the same manner as a snake is hidden in an egg, or a huge tree is hidden in a seed, though the tree may have an extended form with trunk, branches, leaves etc., which are bigger than the seed itself. The Saktis of Brahman do not manifest themselves at all times, but only some of them are revealed at certain places and times as the occasions may demand, even as seeds germinate only as conditioned by space, time, circumstance etc., and not always and under all circumstances. This Omnipresent Brahman, the Self-luminous Being, when it reveals itself, becomes the many, and then there is the origin of mentation, or mind, in a cosmic sense. In the beginning, there is the Primeval Will of the Eternal Being, and then commence the individualist notions of the Jivas attended with the feelings of bondage and freedom, and then comes the grossened consciousness of the world outside, which, somehow, assumes reality in the minds of the Jivas by their constant wrong thinking and an inability to discriminate between truth and falsehood, just as a fable may look real when we do not deeply think over its meaning. The Sage Vasishtha continues that this world has assumed a reality in the same manner as a story may assume reality in the mind of a child. For the delight of the child a fable is narrated from one’s imagination, though for the mature mind it is no reality. Take, for example, the following story: There lived three princes, somewhere, in a delightful manner, enjoying themselves, of which two were not born and one never entered the womb of the mother. They lived in a very righteous manner in a city at a non-existent place, and from this void-city they went out hunting through space, and on the way they found in the skies trees filled with fruits, flowers, etc., and these princes even today live in this picturesque city which is yet to be. This fable sounds nice to the mind of a child because his mind has not yet reached maturity and so takes in only the literal meaning of the words. This world, says Vasishtha, has the hardness of reality due to non- discriminatory thinking as in the case of the child, and consequently this Samsara sits tight in the mind of the Jiva due to lack of sufficient knowledge. Like this, and in many other ways, the world-manifestation has been described in detail both in the Sruti (revelation) and Smriti (tradition), which we intend to describe here concisely. This Sakti, or Power, is the cause of what we call causal relation or the connection between the cause and the effect, but it is itself different form the effect which is the world and its cause which is Brahman. For example, the burning capacity of fire is different from itself and its effect. It is felt by us through sensation. Taking a more complete example: an earthen pot with a particular size and shape is an effect, and its cause is clay with the characteristics of sound, touch, form, taste and smell. The power inherent in clay by which it gets fashioned into a pot is itself not identical with either the effect or the cause. It is precisely on account of this reason that we call it indescribable, as no words can denote it or indicate its precise nature. Before the production of the effect the power was inherent in the cause, as clay. It has taken a modified shape after it is interfered with by the potter with his instruments. People without the endowment of proper discrimination confuse between the mere shape of the pot and the characteristics of the clay, viz., sound, touch, etc., and thus remark that there is a pot. The substance and the space-and-time factor by a mutual dependence on each other produce a peculiar effect to which we give a specific name on account of the sensory observation of a

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 103 particular form empirically. Prior to the time the potter touched the clay, it was not called a pot. Later it was called so because of the subsequent sensation of certain characteristics which we are unable to identify with the cause, viz., clay. Though the substance is in the effect, yet we generally make a practical distinction between the two and then say that there is an effect independent of the cause. It is individualistic perception or spatio-temporal sensation that is responsible for the notion that there is an independent effect different from the cause, while the truth is otherwise. The pot is really non-different from the clay, because it is seen that when it is separated from the clay it ceases to be; equally can it be said that the two are not absolutely identical with each other because of the fact that the pot was not seen when there was only a lump of clay prior to the manufacture of the pot. Hence, this manifestation that we call pot is really an indescribable something as a Sakti, or power, inherent in the clay. It is called Sakti when it is unmanifest and it is called a pot when it is manifest. When a magician conjures up a phenomenon with the power that he possesses the observers begin to see the same, say, the marching of an army, etc., but it is not difficult to understand that there is no such phenomenon as an army, etc., really speaking, and it is only the manifestation of the power of the magician. As the unmanifested it was inherent in the magician, as a Sakti, and in the manifested state it becomes observed as a coloured phenomenon. Thus, the unreality of the mere fact of modification and the reality of the basis or the substance behind the modification appears. The Chhandogya Upanishad says that all modification is only a matter of words, a name, the truth being the basic substance alone, as, for example, clay. The name mentioned here is not indicative of anything substantial. The name is just an abstract notion denoting a modification which is conceptual and nothing real. Here, in this instance cited, only the clay possesses the qualities like sound, touch, etc., and not the pot. In the series of the basal substance, the unmanifested power and the manifested effect, the latter two are different only temporarily and, truly speaking, they are synonymous, meaning one and the same, but differing on account of the succession or the distinction of priority and posteriority, one thing existing before and another appearing afterwards. In the movement of time the base, namely clay, is, however, permanent, and persists in the different stages of the modification that we call the effects. The effect is unsubstantial, though it appears there. It has a beginning and an end, and when it comes into being as an effect, it is indicated by a name expressed by word of mouth. The name persists in an abstract manner even after the destruction of the effect, and here, in this condition, the name does not indicate anything existent, but is just a sound connoting nothing. It is contentless and has no existence apart from being only in name, and such effect is called by the Sruti as simply a matter of words, nothing more. It is not real like clay, because of its unsubstantiality, transiency, and because of its being merely a name in the form of a sound, not really existent. As distinguished from this, however, the clay persists at the time of the appearance of the effect, prior to its appearance, and also after its disappearance, in one and the same form without undergoing any change. Hence, it is substantial , real, undestructive. Because of its permanency in the three periods of time, it is called real. IGNORANCE AND ITS EFFECTS When there is a correct insight into the cause, the nature of the effect is also known

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 104 simultaneously. In fact, when there is a concentration of the mind on the real substance of the cause, the shape or the form of the effect will not present itself in perception. When there is an entirely free occupation of Consciousness in the knowledge of the substance, or the cause, there will not be perception of the name and form of it, as these do not exist independently by themselves. Truly speaking, the potness of the pot vanishes when the idea of its reality is sublated. Knowledge is nothing but the vanishing of ignorance, but this need not always be necessarily followed by the vanishing of the name and the form. However, in certain cases even the name and the form vanish, as, for example, in the recognition of the rope on the sublation of the snake. Now, the name and the form of the snake entirely vanish when the rope is seen clearly, but when the clay in the pot is seen, the form of the pot is still visible to the eyes. In the mistaking of a rope for a snake, there is pure ignorance unconditioned by any external factor and hence it is called Nirupadhika-bhrama, i.e., ignorance without any conditioning factor. That is why when this ignorance is removed there is a sudden vanishing of the effect of the ignorance; but in the latter instance, namely, the perception of the pot in clay, what is involved is not pure ignorance alone, but also certain other factors, such as the interference of the potter with the clay by means of instruments etc. As there is an external limiting factor here, in addition to ignorance, it is called Sopadhika-bhrama, i.e., ignorance with a conditioning factor associated with it. This is the reason why the form of the pot continues to be seen even when one begins to see the clay alone in the pot. Nevertheless, the appearance of the effect does not in any way affect one’s knowledge, because what affects one is not the existence of anything outside, but the erroneous notion which one has of that thing. Take, for instance, the case of a person standing in front of a mass of water where the person’s reflection is seen in the water in an inverted position. The reflection is seen by everyone, but no one ever takes this reflection for the real person, and nobody takes an interest in it, though it is visible to the eyes. So, this visibility need not really or necessarily mean reality. Likewise, the visibility of the effect need not obstruct one’s knowledge of its truth, and it is the doctrine of the Vedanta that knowledge alone is the highest aim of human existence, whether or not objects are seen with the eyes, with their usual names and forms. Now, coming to the point, as there is no transformation of the clay when it becomes the pot, it is a case of Vivarta, or appearance, and not Parinama, or transformation as in the case of milk becoming curd. Nothing happens to the clay when it becomes a pot, and nothing happens to gold when it becomes the ornament. However much the pot or the ornament is beaten, the substance out of which it is made will ever remain, though the shapes may change. In Parinama, or transformation, the effect can never become the cause again. In Arambha, or the production of an effect different from the cause, there would be the duplication of the characteristics of the cause present in the effect since these thinkers hold that the characteristics of the cause are carried over to the effect, and yet these characteristics independently exist in the cause and effect differently. In the Chhandogya Upanishad, Sage Uddalaka gives three examples, namely, clay, gold and iron, to show the non-difference of the cause and the effect, and to teach that by the knowledge of the cause, all its modifications or effects are also known at once. The knowledge of the cause means at the same time the knowledge of all its effects also. It may be doubted as to how a knowledge of truth could involve a knowledge of what is false. Inasmuch as it is clear that a separate existence of the effect is not true, it is only

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 105 from the point of view of ordinary sense-perception that the effect is regarded as a modification plus the substance of the cause. Really, there is, in the effect, nothing in addition to the cause, the clay alone being real in the pot and the modification being something independently existent in its own right. Hence, when it is said that the knowledge of the cause is at once a knowledge of the effects, a knowledge of falsity is not implied. What is meant is that there is nothing real in the effect which is apart from the cause. There is no point in trying to know what is false, because it serves no purpose. The aim of human life is knowledge of Truth. Here, again, it may appear that, in the knowledge of the effect, nothing new is known, and we mean nothing different when we say that there is such a thing as knowledge of the cause or knowledge of the effect. We mean the same thing, though we use two different words, viz., cause and effect. Yes, it is true that there is absolutely no difference whether we say that the cause is known or that the effect is known, and from the point of view of the knower, or the Jnanin, there is nothing surprising in this. But it is a great wonder to those who regard the effect to be absolutely different from the cause and those who consider the effect to be a transformation of the cause, or that there is no such thing as a cause at all. In crass material perception, as also in dualistic, logical perception, there is this defect of the apparent isolation of the effect from the cause, or the assertion of the effect alone without any regard for the cause.

THE SUPREME BRAHMAN The Upanishad teaching is different. In this teaching, the unity of all things is intended, and, when it is said that by a knowledge of ‘one thing’, ‘everything’ else is known, what is intended to be conveyed is not that there is any real diversity, such as “all” things, but that there is only one thing which appears as the many things, and when this one thing is known, the many-ness of the many things will vanish. By the knowledge of the One Brahman, the whole Universe is known, not as a multifarious conglomeration of objects, but as an eternal being, one and secondless of the nature of Sat-Chit-Ananda (Existence- Knowledge-Bliss), as different from name and form, which is the nature of the world. Sage Uddalaka states that Reality is Sat, Existence. The Aitareya Upanishad says that it is Prajnana, Consciousness. Sanatkumara says that it is Sukha, Bliss. Thus, Sat-Chit- Ananda is the nature of Brahman. Names and forms are not existent independently of Sat-Chit-Ananda, but are appearances on its basis. It does not mean that there is a name and form of the world apart from Sat-Chit-Ananda. What is meant is that when we divest the Universe of its Sat-Chit-Ananda aspects. there would be no names and forms to be experienced separately, just as when we remove all the clay in the pot, there would be no separate pot to be seen. When the Universe is divested of Sat-Chit-Ananda, it itself is not. Thus, there is no creation apart from Brahman. It is that One Being that has become the many, or, rather, appears as the many. The scripture says that the One Supreme Being diversifies itself, as it were, into the various names and forms. There was, in the beginning, only the unmanifest, or the Avyakrita, the matrix of all things, wherein all the names and forms were hidden as a tree is hidden in the seed, and hence we cannot say that the names and forms are really different from the Avyakrita, just as we cannot say that the tree is different from the seed. The names and forms are potentially present in the Avyakrita, and the two, viz., the Avyakrita and the names and forms of the world, are like the obverse and the reverse of the same coin, the Avyakrita being the cause, and the names and forms being the effect. Yet this Avyakrita is

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 106 indescribable in words. It is a Power that is inscrutable. No mind can think it, because even the mind is an effect. All the Jivas are subsequent to creation. Hence the causal condition of creation cannot be known by the Jivas. This Avyakrita-Sakti is having Brahman as its foundation. This cause of change is based on the Changeless, and it undergoes many modifications such as the subtle and the gross Universe of varieties. This is also called Maya (illusion), Prakriti (matrix), or Karana (cause), all meaning the same thing, denoting finally the unmanifested condition of the Universe. The director of this Sakti is Isvara, God. He is Brahman possessed of unlimited powers, the Eternal appearing as the Immanent Ruler of the temporal. He is the Lord over all things, the Controller of Maya, not affected by it in any way. The first modification of this Avyakrita is Space (Akasa). Space has Existence; it is revealed in Consciousness, and it is the source of Joy to all living beings. These three are the aspects of Brahman in Space, but the special feature of Space is spatiality or extendedness, by which we measure distance and recognise all sorts of difference of one from the other. This latter feature is not real, while the former three characters are real. Extendedness or spatiality was non-existent prior to the manifestation of Space. It will not be there also after the dissolution of the cosmos. Metaphysically, what is not in the beginning and not in the end, is not also in the middle. Sri Krishna mentions this to Arjuna when he says that all beings have the unmanifest as their beginning, and the unmanifest as their end, but they are manifest only in the middle. That which does not persist in the three periods of time cannot be called the eternal or the real. The real is that which is continually present in all the three periods of time. Just as clay is present in the pot and all the modifications which it undergoes, so Sat-Chit-Ananda, the essential nature of Brahman, follows everything and is concomitant with all things. It persists in every form of existence, whatever be the changes that it may undergo. The true existence is revealed in the consciousness of the negation of spatiality. In profound spiritual states of meditation, Space is not felt to be existent. There is no idea even of Time or of objects. There is only a feeling of perennial bliss, because, in the spaceless condition, Sat-Chit-Ananda manifests itself. When spatiality is forgotten altogether, what is it that remains? Not merely a negation or a void. If you contend that it is just void, or nothing, there is no harm, because you are conscious of what you call void or nothingness. As it is revealed in the conscious state, it cannot be equated with non- existence. It is the highest real conceivable, and it is also the highest bliss, because of the absence of likes and dislikes, the desirable and undesirable, friend and foe, etc. As it is an impartial condition unconnected with the objects of the world, that alone is real Bliss, wherein one is above the notions of the desirable and the undesirable. One is exhilarated when one comes in contact with the desirable; one is sunk in sorrow when confronted with the undesirable; but true Bliss is experienced only in the absence of both. There is no such thing as ‘real’ pain because pain is not an essential condition of the Self, it is a passing state. Both exhilaration and grief are psychological conditions, and they come and go. They are not permanent states of experience. The mind is transient and, hence, its conditions, viz., pleasure and pain, also, are transient. The permanent being is the Bliss of Brahman alone. In Space and the other four elements, Sat-Chit-Ananda is present equally, and this can be known by a careful distinction of its presence from names and forms. Special features of things restrict them to their individualities, but in all things there is something which

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 107 is above such restrictions. For example, reverberation of sound is a special feature of Space, motion and touch are of Air, heat and light of Fire, liquidity of Water, and hardness of Earth. These are the qualities special to the elements mentioned, but ‘Existence’ is commonly seen in all these, and this ‘Existence’ is nothing but the revelation of Brahman. All things in the world are existent (Sat), are revealed (Chit), and are objects of endearment (Ananda) to someone or other, at different times. These characteristics of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss are the essence of Brahman, while the special qualities, such as confinement to a locality in space, appearance only at a particular time, etc. belong to the individuality of things. By a careful analysis of the visible world, it is possible to isolate Sat-Chit-Ananda from nama-rupa (name-and- form), the General Existence from particular appearances. An object has five features in it. Existence, Consciousness, Bliss, Name and Form. The first three belong to what is eternal. The latter two pertain to the temporal world. This is how we should endeavour to separate Reality from appearance in all our perceptions. When we look at the waves we are just looking at the Ocean. When our mind is deeply concentrated on the depths of the Ocean, we forget the separate existence of the waves. All these things of which the Universe consists are ripples, bubbles and waves in the Ocean of Sat-Chit-Ananda. When the mind visualises an object, let it recognise in the object the profound depths of Brahman, which is its Reality, and without which it cannot be. The independent existence of names and forms is not true. Names and forms do rise and fall as waves in the Ocean. Thus, with an effort of intelligence one should discover Brahman in this world, and when this discovery is effected to an adequate extent, the mind will never be able to go astray as before, among sense-objects. The more one ignores the external crust of name and form, the more does one go deep into the truth of Brahman and the more is Brahman discovered in this world, and the more also is one detached from names and forms. When, by such a practice, one acquires real knowledge and is established firmly in that knowledge, one becomes a liberated soul, Jivanmukta, whether objects exist or not. This rare experience is had by the practice of Brahmabhyasa, which consists in thinking of Brahman alone always, speaking about That alone, conversing with and awakening each other on That alone, and totally depending on That alone at all times, as one’s ultimate refuge. When this practice is continued for a long time, without remission in the middle, with wholehearted devotion, then all the Vasanas, or mental impressions, of past births recede completely and get destroyed in the end, and the names and forms just appear as expressions of Brahma- Sakti (Power of Brahman). As clay appears as pot, etc., so does this Brahma-Sakti appear as the many things of the world. As the dream of a Jiva projects variegated objects, so does the Cosmic Maya manifest things, sustain them and withdraw them in the end. Just as fantastic things can appear in dream, so do marvellous things appear in this world. One may see oneself flying in dream, or see oneself beheaded, a moment may look like a series of years, dead persons may make their appearance, and so on. These are all the fancied visions which we can have in dream and it is difficult to say what is proper and what is improper, what is consistent and what is not, etc. in a dream. Consistency, method, law, rule, etc. are valid only in a particular plane of existence or state of consciousness, and the logic of one state cannot be transferred to another; one level of experience cannot be judged from the point of view of another. Everything looks all right when it is directly experienced in relation to the law of the particular realm; but when it is judged with the standard of the law of another realm, it may look erroneous

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 108 and even meaningless. Such is the wonder of this creation, whether it is individual or cosmic, whether it is projected by the mind of the Jiva or by the Cosmic Maya. All things, such as the five elements, the different worlds, the individuals, the inanimate things, etc., are manifestations of the one Power of Brahman. They appear to be different from one another, as conscious, unconscious, etc., because of the manifestation or non-manifestation of mind and intellect in them. The degree of intelligence in a particular being is determined by the degree of consciousness of Brahman revealed through the psychological organs in accordance with their varying subtleties. Brahman is commonly present in all things, whether intelligent or non-intelligent. The difference is in name and form and the degree of the rarefied condition of the internal organs. The changing objects of the world are in many respects similar to the changing moods of the mind. Just as the mind takes different forms in the Jiva, the Cosmic Mind also takes various shapes, and these shapes are called the Universe. Though there is a great difference in the degrees of reality manifested by the individual mind and the Cosmic Mind, yet, the manner of the construction of the world is similar in both the cases. Though the creation of the mind of the Jiva is short-lived, and the creation of the Cosmic Mind is more enduring, there is this similarity between the two that both are non-eternal in the end, and are subject to withdrawal into their causes. Therefore, it is essential for a seeker of Truth to abandon the notion of reality in the names and forms of the world, though they appear to one’s perception. When there is an abandonment of interest in names and forms, meditation on Brahman becomes unobstructed in every way. The obstacles being centred in the desire for contact with names and forms, there is no chance of obstacles presenting themselves when such a desire is wiped out from the mind by beholding Sat-Chit-Ananda through the names and forms. Just as a firmly seated rock is not affected by a flood of water flowing over it, so is the immovable Brahman unaffected by the variegated changes in names and forms that appear on its background. Just as, in a mirror, which has really no holes in it to contain anything, the vast space with its contents of solid objects may be reflected, the world of names and forms is reflected, as it were, in Brahman, though the world is not really contained in Brahman, Brahman being unaffected and unattached, even as the mirror does not contain the objects within it. But, just as one cannot see the reflection of objects in a mirror without there being a mirror first and without observing the mirror even before seeing the reflection, it is impossible for one to merely see names and forms without first confronting the Existence of Brahman. When we see, when we open our eyes, really the Existence of Brahman is spread out everywhere, and on this Existence the names and forms are superimposed. One thing is mistaken for another. Brahman is mistaken for a world of objects. When Sat-Chit-Ananda is beheld through the names and forms, let the intellect by fixed on it, and let it not be again diverted to the names and forms. This is the essence of Vairagya and Abhyasa, the withdrawal from sense-perception and practice of concentration on the One Reality. Thus, Brahman is portrayed as an unworldly Existence, in the sense that the world is not contained in it, but only superimposed on it, and its essential Being is Existence-Knowledge-Bliss, and not name and form. It is in this that one should try to fix oneself. To those who have, by the continuous habituation of themselves to this practice, the feeling that there is no world outside of Brahman, the world is Brahman only appearing. (Verses 1-105)

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 109 CHAPTER XIV THE BLISS OF KNOWLEDGE

SENSE-PLEASURE AND THE DELIGHT OF KNOWLEDGE In the eleventh chapter, the Bliss of Brahman as realised through meditation was explained. In the twelfth chapter, the nature of the same Bliss was explained by the discrimination of the Primary Self from the secondary self and the false self. In the thirteenth chapter, the unity of cause and effect was explained, by which the immanence of Brahman in creation was pointed out. In the fourteenth chapter, it is intended to explain the nature of the Bliss born of spiritual knowledge (Vidyananda). In one sense, even the happiness born of knowledge has a kinship with the happiness born of sense- contact, and this is because of the fact that even sense-pleasures are really experienced by the mind within, which needs the assistance of the senses, and, thus, the mental pleasure born of sense-contact is conditioned by the activity of the senses. But the real difference between the happiness born of higher knowledge and mere sense-contact is in that the former is independent of the activities of the senses, while the latter is totally dependent on sense-activity. The happiness of knowledge may be classified under four groups, according to its different features: (1) absence of sorrow; (2) fulfilment of all desires; (3) the sense of having done everything that ought to be done; (4) the feeling of having attained everything that is to be attained. There is a total freedom from all sorrow reached by a person in the state of spiritual insight. We may, for the sake of convenience, differentiate between two types of sorrow: that which pertains to this world and that which is unconditioned by this world. The sorrows of this world can be overcome in the manner pointed out in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. The Upanishad states, “desiring what, and for whose sake should there be entry into a body, when there is the realisation, ‘I am the Atman, all-pervading in nature’?” Desires are valid when there is a body and there is the world which acts as a means in their fulfilment. For that rare being who has gone above this world, whose consciousness inhabits the whole cosmos, where is the object to be enjoyed? How then can there be an action of consciousness with body, in such a state of experience? The Atman referred to here is generally conceived of in two ways, viz., the Jivatman, and the Paramatman, i.e., the individual self and the Supreme Self. When the Absolute Consciousness has an apparent contact with the three bodies - the physical, subtle and the causal - then, it goes by the name of a Jiva, characterised by enjoyership etc., but the Paramatman, or the Supreme Self, is not so affected by the conditions. It is this Universal Self that appears as the subject and the object, and the coming in contact of the two is nothing but the temporal communion of two aspects of the same Divine Consciousness. The so-called conditioning by names and forms is responsible for the appearance of such things as the objects of enjoyment, etc., but really the Supreme Atman is neither an object nor a subject, neither is it the enjoyed nor the enjoyer, and this truth will be revealed only when there is the discrimination between the unadulterated pure Consciousness and the three bodies with which it is apparently associated. The Jiva enters a body for the sake of experience, viz., the enjoyment of the consequence of Punya (merit) and Papa (demerit). The world is provided to the Jiva as a

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 110 field of education for evolving to a higher state of Consciousness. The entry of the Consciousness, therefore, into a body is unnatural to it, inasmuch as, here, its existence itself must be restricted to the conditions of the body which it enters for this purpose. It is, therefore, compared to a morbid state, a condition of ill-health or fever, which affects the three bodies in different ways. Though the Supreme Atman is not at all affected by the processes of the body, there is such a feeling of suffering when there is even the least connection with the body. The different bodies have their different fevers. The physical body is subject to the disturbance of the humours of which it is composed; the subtle body has the morbid subjection to anger, desire, etc.; but the subtle seed-form of both these diseases is in the causal body, from which they arise and out of which they manifest themselves at different times. THE DESTRUCTION OF KARMAS When, by a knowledge of the unity of cause and effect as described in the chapter on the “Bliss of Non-Duality”, the Supreme Paramatman is recognised as the sole Reality as All-Existence, there will not be any meaning in the objective enjoyments of this world. How can there be then a desire for anything in one who has realised the Supreme Self? How can, again, there be a sense of enjoyership in one who has realised the true Primary Self as different from the secondary self and the false self as described in the chapter on the “Bliss of the Self”? How can there be confinement to the body or the undergoing of pains due to entry of Consciousness into the body? The pains of the world are, thus, negated by the abolition of enjoyership by an analysis of the truth as detailed in the previous chapters. The pains that are consequent upon one’s actions of the past and which materialise themselves in this world as merit and demerit, as also pleasure and pain, are the sorrows pertaining to the inner world, as different from the pains of the physical world. In the chapter, the “Bliss of Yoga”, it has been already said that neither pleasure nor pain, neither the idea of what is to be done, nor the idea of what is not to be done, does affect the mind of a Sage. Pains of every kind are mental conditions, and when there is a dissociation from the mind, there is also the dissociation of oneself from pains of every kind. As water does not stick to a lotus-leaf, so do the future actions (Agami-Karmas) of the Sage, performed after the rise of knowledge, fail to touch him; nor is he worried about the accumulated Karmas that have not as yet materialised themselves (Sanchita-Karmas), because there is the assurance of the scripture that such Karmas get burnt up the moment spiritual knowledge dawns in a person, even as the flame of fire would burn up a piece of cotton or straw. The Bhagavadgita affirms that as flaming fire reduces to ashes the faggots that feed it, so does the fire of knowledge reduce to ashes all Karmas of the past. When a person has no idea of agency in action, when he does not feel that he does anything himself, when his intellect is not contaminated by the idea of doership, enjoyership, etc., he shall not be affected by anything that he does, even if he were to destroy the whole world. Such is the opinion of the Bhagavadgita. When there is the feeling of cosmic oneness in oneself, actions lose their ordinary meaning and they do not produce results as they do in the world, on account of their being disconnected from the true relation of causes and effects. The scripture assures that even what are known as heinous sins shall be wiped out totally by the all-consuming fire of wisdom, because whatever is done in the world of causes and effects, in the world bound by the pairs of opposites loses its value in the realisation of eternity and infinity, and the knower remains unaffected by actions of any kind.

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 111 THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SAGE AND GRADES OF HAPPINESS The Sage is not only free from all sorrows as mentioned above, but is also possessed of the highest enjoyment possible. The Upanishad states that a knower, having attained the fulfilment of all his wishes, attains immortality. In such a condition of spiritual ecstasy and universal intuition, the Sage does not pay any attention to his body. In fact, he does not even remember it, though he may eat, speak and laugh, play or enjoy delightful objects in the eyes of others. His body is sustained merely by his presently materialised Karmas (Prarabdha-karma) and not by any positive desire. The happiness of such a Sage is an instantaneous and simultaneous possession in eternity, not a succession of pleasures that come one after another at different times, or in a sequence, or in degrees. There is a sudden upliftment of Consciousness to the status of the Cosmic, taken as a whole, and, therefore, the Bliss of the Sage is unconditioned either by objects or by space. It is Eternal Bliss, not temporary pleasure coming in a series. In the Taittiriya Upanishad there is a visualisation of the highest unit of human happiness. Suppose there is a youth, beautiful to look at, possessed of all learning, unaffected by disease of any kind, powerful in mind and established in will, attended upon by a huge army to meet all oppositions, possessed of the whole earth filled with treasure;- imagine his happiness; and that may be considered as a fundamental unit of human pleasure. This would be the happiness of an ideal emperor imaginable in the mind, who is satisfied with all the pleasures of this world, but this happiness is also experienced by a knower of Brahman, at once. The emperor is perfectly happy because he has no desires. The Sage also is equally happy because he has no desires. But the reasons for the two states are different. The emperor has no desires temporarily on account of the feeling that he has possessed everything, though this may be a false feeling of satisfaction, because his satisfaction is dependent upon various external factors. The Sage has satisfaction because he personally possesses everything existent and so his happiness is perpetual. The Sage’s mastery over the earth is perfect and genuine, because he has entered into the being of everything, while the king’s feeling of mastery over the earth is artificial, because he can be dispossessed of all his goods, wealth and properties at any time. The man with discrimination sees the defects in the objects of sense as the king Brihadratha did in the past, as is recorded in the Maitrayaniya Upanishad. This intelligent king saw the defects of the body, the defects of the mind, and the defects of the world of senses. When there is the height of discrimination attained, one develops distaste for all things as much as one would towards the stuff vomited by the mouth of a dog. Though there is a temporary similarity in the dispassion of a king and a Sage, yet there is a real difference of great consequence. The king had to suffer hard to acquire his position, and even when he has this vantage position, he is afflicted with perpetual avenues of fear that his possessions may be destroyed at any time or taken away by others. There is no such worry with the Sage, as his happiness is not dependent on others and as it cannot be taken away by others and it is superior to the pleasures of the emperor. The emperor, when he has all possessions, will have a desire for higher pleasures such as the pleasures of heaven. His greed and ambition know no end; hence he cannot be really happy. But, nothing of the kind is in the mind of the Sage. His union with Brahman has endowed him with infinite power and eternal joy. Every created being has a desire for the higher happiness immediately above one’s own.

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 112 Though there are degrees of happiness even in this human world, on account of difference in the desires in human beings, as also in the nature of the objects desired, there are types of happiness above human happiness, above even the highest conceivable happiness in the world. According to the Taittiriya Upanishad, the happiness of the Martyagandharvas, or the mortal Gandharvas who have attained that status by performing good deeds in this cycle of existence, is a hundred times more than the happiness of the ideal emperor described. A hundred times more than the happiness of these Gandharvas is that of the Devagandharvas, or gods who are so by birth, due to meritorious deeds performed by them in the previous cycle of existence. The Pitris, who are the inhabitants of the higher planes since the very beginning of this time cycle, are still higher than the Devagandharvas. The gods who are so by birth right from the beginning are called Ajanadevas, enjoying happiness a hundred times more than that of the Pitris. But the Karmadevas, or those celestials who have attained that position of importance due to performance of such sacrifices as Asvamedha, etc., and have become worshipful even to the inhabitants of heaven, have an enjoyment a hundred times more than the happiness of the Ajanadevas. The primary gods who are more important than the ordinary inhabitants of heaven, such as Yama, Agni, etc., are superior still, and their happiness is much more than the happiness of the ordinary celestials. It is a hundred times more than theirs. The happiness of Indra, who is the ruler of the gods, is a hundred times more than the happiness of all the gods mentioned earlier. The happiness of Brihaspati, the preceptor of Indra and the gods, is a hundred times more than the happiness of Indra himself. The Virat, which is Cosmic Being, is the highest, and here the happiness is a hundredfold more, again. Actually, here, the Bliss transcends all calculation. Hiranyagarbha is above Virat, and this is the culmination of the possible computation of happiness from the standpoint of human understanding. Isvara is above Hiranyagarbha, and transcendent to all is the Absolute, Brahman. Every lower level aspires for the higher in the series mentioned. The Bliss of the Atman, or Brahman, is not so computable, because it is not merely a question of multiplication of quantity. it is eternity and infinity itself. The Bliss of the Absolute is ineffable, unthinkable, the highest. This is the goal of all beings. The Knower of Brahman has, at once, without any effort of his own, an experience of the happiness of everyone mentioned above, all at the same time, because of his total desirelessness. Because of his being the Self of everyone, his glory is incomparable, his majesty rises above the thoughts and feelings of the Jivas. The greater the desirelessness, the greater is the happiness experienced within. The highest fulfilment is reached by the highest renunciation, so that when there is a total effacement of personality and a negation of the ego, there is the realisation of Brahman. This is the fulfilment reached in Jivanmukti. By the fact of his being the Self of even the gods, let alone others, no one can stand against him or oppose him; no one can obstruct him, because he is the Self of even those who may try to stand against him in any way; or, it may be said that his happiness reaches its culmination on account of his being a Witness not only of the Sattva modes of his mind, but also on account of his being everyone and everything else, also. Everyone’s experience is his experience. He breathes through all breaths, eats through all mouths, and experiences happiness through all minds. He is, veritably, God Himself. Though Brahman is present even in the ignorant, equally, the ignorant person does not know it, the spiritual eye here being closed to the presence of Brahman. The scripture confirms that he who knows Brahman attains all his desires by

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 113 his conscious identity with Brahman. The Sage in the Taittiriya Upanishad feels his Omnipresence, his being the Self of everyone, and sings his glory in an ecstasy of Consciousness: “O, I am food, I am the eater of food; I am the eater, and the eaten, the enjoyer and the enjoyed, the knower and the known, the seer and the seen.” He has risen above the notion of immortality, and his glory he alone knows; others cannot understand it. Thus, he exclaims how he is free of all sorrows and pains and enjoys all the happiness conceivable, right from the fundamental unit of human happiness up to the Universal Bliss of Virat, Hiranyagarbha, Isvara and Brahman. He feels that he has done all that ought to be done, or has to be done, and that he has obtained everything that is to be obtained, and known all things to be known. This has been explained already in the seventh chapter, which is repeated here, again. This is the Bliss of Knowledge, or Vidyananda, and one’s practice of Sadhana should be continued until this Bliss is attained in the Universal State of Consciousness. (Verses 1-65)

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 114 CHAPTER XV THE BLISS OF OBJECTS

THE GATE TO BRAHMAN-BLISS In the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Sage Yajnavalkya refers to the Supreme Bliss as the goal of all beings, the great treasure covetable by everyone, the incomparable abode, as also the eternal goal of all life. All beings live by partaking of a small jot of this Divine Bliss. Even the totality of the happiness of the whole world is a minute drop or aspect of the Bliss of Brahman. Hence, it is possible for an intelligent seeker of Truth to detect the deeper implications even behind the natural pleasures of the world. There is an intrinsic relation between worldly pleasure and divine happiness, the latter being the original and the former its distorted reflection. The Bliss of Brahman is an undivided essence, absolute in nature and without parts in itself, but when it is revealed through the minds of the Jivas, it becomes manifold and is diminished in quality and quantity. Nevertheless, it arises from Brahman, and if only one is to have the intelligence to see clearly through the pleasures of the world, they would not appear as objects of selfish enjoyment, but several ramified forms of the One Supreme Being. But, unfortunately, due to ignorance, the Jivas are not usually endowed with such a discriminative power, and so they connect the pleasures of the world with sense-objects and seek for more and more of such objects of pleasure. This seeking is Samsara (entanglement) and it cannot easily come to an end. When objects are infinite in number and there is no use imagining that one can ever reach an end of one’s satisfaction by sense-contact with these objects, it is essential to thoroughly investigate this fact of happiness as suggested in human experience. This investigation can commence only with the analysis of the nature of one’s own mind, because the mind is the immediate object through which happiness is revealed. The mind is constituted of a threefold character, namely, the Sattvika (transparent), the Rajasika (distracted), and the Tamasika (turbid) modes of its Vrittis, or modifications. When the Sattvika mode is predominant, there is a feeling of dispassion for objects, and there is a generation within of a series of virtues, such as forbearance, magnanimity, etc. When the Rajasika mode is uppermost, there is affection, grief, attachment, and greed. In the Tamasika mode, there is confusion, delusion, fear, and the like. Though the one Reality is revealed in all the Vrittis, at all times, yet, it is not revealed fully, but only in aspects. In the Tamasika Vrittis, Consciousness, or Intelligence, is not revealed, only the Existence aspect is expressed. In the Rajasika Vrittis, Intelligence also is revealed in addition to Existence. But, only in the Satttvika Vrittis is Bliss revealed, together with Existence and Consciousness. The Divine Bliss, naturally, implies Existence and Consciousness and is, thus, complete. The One has become the many, says the Veda. It is the One Absolute that appears as the many, the Universe. Even as the one Sun may be reflected differently in various pools of water, so does the One Being appear manifoldly through the psychic functions, or internal organs (Antahkarana), of the Jivas. The One Supreme Lord is immanent in all beings. He appears as the one Isvara when his medium of expression is Cosmic Maya, and appears as many when the medium of expression is the psyche of the Jiva. These psychic centers being many in number, there is, naturally,

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 115 a perception of diversity among the Jivas. As turbid and shaky water cannot allow clear reflection of the Sun above, so do the Tamasika and the Rajasika Vrittis not allow a clear reflection of the Bliss of Brahman, due to the dirt of desire and the agitation of Rajas. The Bliss aspect of Brahman is hidden in the Tamasika and Rajasika Vrittis. In the Rajasika Vrittis, however, due to there being some slight transparency, an aspect of intelligence is revealed. It is only in pure Sattva that Ananda, or Bliss, fully manifests itself. These Sattvika Vrittis are, thus, in the position of gateways to the Bliss of Brahman, and are associated with Brahman (Brahmananda-sahodara).

THE ROLE OF PSYCHIC FUNCTIONS On account of the impurity of the Rajasika and Tamasika Vrittis, the Bliss aspect is hidden in them, but on account of a slight transparency therein, the Consciousness aspect is revealed to some extent. Just as clean water, when it comes in contact with fire, absorbs only the heat of fire and not its light, so do the Rajasika and Tamasika Vrittis reveal only the Existence and Consciousness aspects of Reality, but not its Bliss aspect. But, in certain other media through which fire can burn, such as firewood, both the heat and the light aspects of fire are revealed. Likewise, in the Sattvika Vrittis, Consciousness and Bliss are revealed together with Existence. The degree of the manifestation of fire depends to a great extent on the medium of its expression. It is so both in the case of ordinary things in the world, like fire, and happiness, etc., within the mind. This analysis is made on the basis of one’s own experience by actual observation of facts, because it is every one’s experience that there are moments of dulness, understanding, and happiness, differently felt within. The determining factors, therefore, are the means of expression. Neither in the Rajasika nor Tamasika Vrittis, can Bliss be revealed at any time, and even in Sattvika Vrittis, there is sometimes an excess of the manifestation of happiness and sometime less. Not only here in this world do we observe such a difference in the happiness of different beings, and even in the happiness of a single person at different times, due to various reasons, but there is difference of happiness in the inhabitants of the other higher regions, such as Gandharva-loka, Svarga-loka, etc., due to the varying degrees of Sattva revealed in the rarefied minds there. When there is desire for house, property etc., there is Rajas manifest therein. It is a distracting Vritti, and there is no happiness therein, because, here, the Vritti is externalised. In such desires there is always anxiety as to whether one’s wishes would be fulfilled or not, and when they are actually not fulfilled, there is unlimited sorrow. When the desires are obstructed, there is anger, and the obstructing factor becomes the object of hatred; and when there is no capacity to wreak revenge against the obstructing power, there is a sinking down of the mind through despondency. This is Tasmasika Vritti working. When such Vrittis, as anger, arise, ones experience great sorrow, both externally and internally. The question of happiness is far from reach in such circumstances. When the object of desire is obtained, however, there is an exhilarating feeling within. This is the Sattvika Vritti operating, and then the happiness is intense. When the object of desire is actually enjoyed, the happiness is more intense than when it is merely possessed. When there is only a likelihood of obtaining one’s wishes, there is a mild expression of happiness. But the highest reaches of happiness are in renunciation, not in desires. This is seen in such exalted beings as the Jivanmuktas, and their condition has been explained elsewhere. Thus, whenever there is an absence of desire, anger, greed, etc., and there are Vrittis like

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 116 forbearance, magnanimity, etc., there is happiness on account of the cessation of Rajas and Tamas. Whatever happiness there is in this world is a reflection of Brahman in the introverted Vrittis of the mind. It is only when there is a turning back of the Vrittis to their own Source there is an unobstructed revelation of the nature of Brahman. Brahman, not being an object, cannot be seen through the senses. It is the Supreme Subject and hence it can be known only in inward intuition. Of the three aspects, Existence, Consciousness and Bliss. Existence is revealed in such things as stone, etc; Existence and Consciousness are revealed in Rajas; and Existence, Consciousness and Bliss, all in one, in Sattva. Thus, the nature of Brahman has been explained through the media of the senses. Brahman as unconnected with the senses has been explained in the eleventh chapter, treating on Yoga, and in the subsequent two chapters dealing with Jnana. The Maya Sakti of Brahman has qualities opposite to those of Brahman. It is Asat (Unreal), Jada (inert) and Duhkha (pain), as opposed to Sat (reality), Chit (Consciousness), and Ananda (Bliss). The Asat, or non-existence, is seen in such imaginary objects as the horns of a human being, the Jada, or the insentient, in inanimate objects, like wood and stone, Duhkha, or pain or sorrow in Rajasika and Tamasika modes of the mind. This is how Maya has spread itself everywhere in creation, and it is impossible for us to know Brahman in our individualised states except through these modifications of the mind. Under these circumstances it is essential for a seeker to attempt to meditate on Brahman as Reality, separating it by discrimination from what is nonexistent, insentient, and painful, and this meditation should be carried on in different ways and at different times, as and when one confronts the different items of creation. When one sees a stone, for example, its existence-aspect should be separated from its name and form and, thus, its existence should be meditated upon as an aspect of Brahman. When there are Rajasika and Tamasika Vrittis in the mind, one should try to separate these apparent surface forms of the mind from the Existence and Consciousness revealed there. Similarly, when there is a Sattvika Vritti manifest in the mind, it should be isolated from Sat, Chit and Ananda, revealed therein. Contemplation on the Existence- aspect in inanimate objects is a lower form of meditation. Contemplation on the Existence-and-Consciousness aspects in the Rajasika and Tamasika aspects of the mind is a middling type. Contemplation on Existence-Consciousness-Bliss as the whole of Brahman, in Sattva, is the highest form of meditation.

ON MEDITATION BY ANALYSIS The process of meditation prescribed here is for those who are incapable of getting rid of the notion that there is a world outside. The objects of the senses, of which the world consists, are intended to be taken as pointers to perfection, as bodies which show the Divine Existence in their appearance. The world presents itself as a reality to the Jiva, and it is necessary to go beyond its ways, by an understanding of its make in all its aspects. The world is taken here as an indication of the existence of the Transcending Being, and, therefore, capable of acting as a teacher to the Jiva-Consciousness. The Jiva proceeds from the lower to the higher, from the gross world, by degrees, to the highest perfection of the Absolute. Apart from the meditation mentioned, namely, the intelligent analysis of the Existence-aspect separated from the name and form of an inanimate object, the Existence-and-Consciousness-aspect from the Rajasika and Tamasika Vrittis

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 117 of the mind, and the Sat-Chit-Ananda-aspect from the Sattvika Vrittis, there is another mode of meditation on merely the impression left by the previous practice of meditation, as stated before. In this condition of indifference in the mind, the Vrittis get loosened, so that they do not refer to any objects outside. Such an objectless condition is to be regarded as the most conducive state of the mind and this may be considered as a fourth variety of meditation, apart from the three already mentioned. The meditations practised in accordance with the rigid canons of Jnana and Yoga are not mere mental processes, or simple efforts, but are verily divine wisdom itself. They reveal Brahma- Vidya, or Knowledge of the Eternal, due to their being states of highest concentration of the mind in which the Rajas and Tamas are totally obliterated, and there is an exuberance of Sattva, manifesting the wisdom of God. This knowledge gets settled down in a permanent manner when concentration is developed to a maximum degree. It is in this state of Knowledge that the fullness of the perfection of Brahman as a Single, Undivided Essence of Sat-Chit-Ananda reveals itself, without differences of any kind. Hence these attributes do not appear as properties inhering in some other substance, but as identical with Ultimate Substance itself. Sat-Chit-Ananda do not mean ‘qualities’ of Brahman, but ‘Brahman-Itself’. Due to the absence of all limiting adjuncts, such distinctions get abolished in the state of Perfection par excellence. The Vrittis of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas act ordinarily as limiting qualities in the Jiva, but these have been overcome by Jnana and Yoga, and hence they do not any more act as limiting factors in the reality of the Absolute which is free from all empirical or relativistic limitations. Brahman is Self-luminous and Secondless. There is not the three fold difference there, as the seer, seeing and the seen. Hence, it is called the Infinite, or the Bhuma, the Full, which is Bliss. The happiness of the senses in contact with objects should, therefore, be taken as a particular stage in the discovery of the Existence of Brahman. The visible objects of sense act as portals to the Empire of the Almighty Absolute, Brahman. (Verses 1-35)

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi by Swami Krishnananda 118