Vēdānta Darśanam - Part 24

Ātmā Anātmā Vivekaha – Discerning Atma from Anatma – Continued…

In the last session we saw the Mind-Reflected Consciousness connection isnatural , the Mind-Body
connection is due to karma, and the Mind-Sākṣī connection is a product of delusion.

Why should we know the nature of all these three relationships?

We have to learn this nature because that knowledge gives an appropriate attitude towards them. With
the appropriate attitude we can handle these relationships without getting affected. Greater
understanding leads to better handling. Knowledge is power because knowledge gives confidence to
handle things properly.

We can never separate the bonding between cidābhāsa (Reflected consciousness) and the mind, which
is natural. The bonding between them lasts as long as they exist. The relationship is not eternal because
in videhamukti, the mind gets destroyed and the relationship comes to an end. Since the mind-body
connection is due to karma, that relationship will continue as long as the prārabdha karma lasts.
Because of this reason noly a jeevanmukta continues to live even after realization. On videhamukti the
individual sareerams merge with the totality.

Death will not happen as long as the prārabdha lasts. The prārabdha karma controls both the doer
aspect and the experiencer aspect of an individual. Even after a person becomes physically unable to
contribute to life he may still live because there are experiences that he would have to undergo.

Understanding this we can have a proper attitude towards life. Knowledge gives a new perspective to
this truth so that our emotional reaction to the pain, sorrow, comes down.

Pain is caused by prārabdha karma but sorrow is caused by ignorance. Kṛishṇa describes sthitaprajña in
the Bhagavad Gītā thus:

दःु खे वनु नमनाः सुखेषु वगत पृहः ।

वीतरागभय ोधः थतधीमुिन यते ॥ २-५६॥
Translation: The one who is not affected by adversities, who is without yearning for pleasures, and is
free from longing, fear and anger, is said to be a wise person whose knowledge stays (unshaken) (2:56).

The bond between sākṣī and the mind will go with the knowledge that the mind and the sākṣī had never
had any connection. The mind cannot touch the sākṣī. Kṛṣṇa describes the sākṣī in the Bhagavad Gītā:

अ छे ोऽयमदा ोऽयम ले ोऽशो य एव च ।

िन यः सवगतः थाणुरचलोऽयं सनातनः ॥ २-२४॥
Translation: This (self) cannot be slain, burnt, drowned, or dried. It is changeless, all-pervading, stable,
immovable, and eternal. (2:24)
This discrimination between the ātmā and the mind should happen. Whenever light is falling on your
hand the light and the hand are intimately together, whatever the conditions of the hand, those
conditions cannot affect the light. If the hand moves, the light does not move. If the hand gets dirty, the
light does not get dirty. Similarly, whatever happens to the mind cannot touch the sākṣī.

Knowledge consists of two parts: First I have to separate mind and consciousness. Secondly after
separation, I should learn through nididhyāsanam that I am the sākṣī and that the mind is only a
temporary medium, which is enlivened by me the sākṣī

The existence, transactions and even the destruction of the mind cannot disturb me. In sleep, the mind
is resolved and the transactions end, but I know that I exist in sleep. The mind and the transactions may
end but I exist all the time.

This sākṣī-mano-viveka and the identification with the sākṣī is Self-knowledge.

In Dakṣiṇāmūrtistotra, this identification is described:

यः सा ा कु ते बोधसमये वा मानमेवा यं

“yaḥ sākṣātkurute prabodhasamaye svātmānamevādvayaṃ,”

The identity of brahman and ātmā (sākṣī) is apparent after self-illumination.

With this knowledge the relationship between the mind and the sākṣī is removed. Removal of the
relationship is knowing that there is no relationship.

Thought of the Day

“Don’t try to understand! It’s enough if you do not misunderstand.” ― Nisargada a Maharaj

To be continued…

Vēdānta Darśanam - Part 25

Ātmā Anātmā Vivekaha – Discerning Atma from Anatma – Continued

In the initial verses, the author introduced three seers and the three seen entities, known as dṛk and
dṛśya:

1. Sākṣī is the seer, and the mind is the seen.

2. The mind is the seer, and the sense organ is the seen.
3. The sense organ is the seer, and the external world is the seen.

Among these three, Sākṣī, functioning solely as the seer, is referred to as the absolute seer. The mind,
acting as both the seen from the Sākṣī perspective and the seer from the sense organ perspective, is
termed a relative seer. Likewise, the sense organ is seen from the mind's perspective and functions as a
seer when considering the external world, making it another relative seer.

Each individual comprises these three seers – one absolute and two relative seers. The use of the word
'I' by an individual can refer to any one of these three, depending on the context. Lay people typically
refer to the relative seer when using 'I,' while wise individuals declaring "aham brahma asmi" are
referencing the absolute seer.

Thus, the word 'I' can encompass any of the seers. These three seers cannot be physically separated and
necessitate a probing inquiry. Through the guidance of the śāstram, we come to understand these three
seers.

As seen in the previous discussion:

 Sākṣī, the original seer, does not need to be created because it perpetually exists.
 The unique function of Sākṣī does not involve willful action; it operates solely through its
presence.
 Sākṣī blesses the mind with reflected consciousness, known as cidābhāsa.

The process of blessing the mind with cidābhāsa is a function of Sākṣī that occurs without any deliberate
action. In a manner similar to lending a reflection to a mirror by merely standing before it, the Sākṣī
lends consciousness to the mind.

The mind, imbued with reflected consciousness, becomes a seer. This formation of the seer-mind does
not occur as an event in time but rather as a result of the Sākṣī's lending function. Once the seer-mind is
established with borrowed consciousness, the mind further blesses the sense organs, including the
golakam, which is the physical body, with cidābhāsa. With this blessing from the mind, the sense organs
become another relative seer.

These formed seer-sense organs then perceive sound, touch, forms and colors, taste, and smell,
collectively forming our experiences in the waking state, leading to transactions initiated by the three
seers.

We will see the relationship between Saksi (Original Consciousness) and Reflected consciousness (RC),
and the relationship between Mind and Body in the next scission.

Thought of the day

All seeking is based on the insecurity of separation.

The fact of the matter is that the seeker is already what he is seeking.

To be continued..
Vēdānta Darśanam - Part 25.1
Ātmā Anātmā Vivekaha – Discerning Atma from Anatma – Continued…

We will see the relationship between Saksi (OC) and Reflected consciousness (RC),
and the relationship between Mind and Body in this scission.

Sanskrit Verse 9 - Dṛg dṛśya vivekaḥ

स ब धनोः सतोना त िनवृ ः सहज य तु ।

कम यात ् बोधा च िनवतते मादभ
ु े ॥ ९॥

Transliteration:
"Sambandhinoḥ sator nāsti nivṛttiḥ sahajasya tu,
Karmakṣayāt prabodhācca nivartete kramādubhe." Verse 9:

Translation:
The mutual identification of the ego and the reflection of Consciousness, which is natural, does not
cease so long as they are taken to be real. The two other identifications (The identifications of the ego
with the body and the Witness) disappear after the wearing out of the result of Karma and the
attainment of the knowledge of the highest Reality respectively.
The author also briefly discussed the relationship between the mind, the body, cidābhāsa, and the cit or
Sākṣī, highlighting the role of karma, particularly prārabdha karma, in maintaining the mind-body
connection. This relationship ceases when prārabdha karma is exhausted, resulting in the mind no
longer blessing the body with cidābhāsa, leading to the death of the body.

The mind-cidābhāsa relationship persists eternally because wherever the mind goes, the Sākṣī is
present, and Sākṣī, by its mere presence, blesses the mind with reflected consciousness (RC). A mind
devoid of cidābhāsa does not exist. Even during the dissolution of the universe, when the mind exists in
potential form, the cidābhāsa remains present in potential form.

The relationship between the mind and Sākṣī is nonexistent, as they belong to two different orders of
reality: the mind is part of empirical reality or mithyā, while Sākṣī is absolute reality or satyaṃ.

Although no real relationship is possible, confusion or ignorance leads to the creation of a connection
between them. This is adhyāsa. Śaṅkarācārya, in Adhyāsabhāṣya, his introduction to Brahma Sūtra, uses
the example of a rope-snake to illustrate adhyāsa. When someone mistakes a rope for a snake in dim
light, 'this is' refers to the rope, and 'snake' refers to something that does not exist and is thus false. The
real rope and the false snake can never have a connection.

Mixing the real and the unreal is confusion. Similarly, connecting the 'I,' which refers to the real 'I,' the
absolute truth, with the mind and sense organs, representing empirical truth, should not occur.
Nonetheless, this connection is made, resulting in statements like "I am born, I am growing old," and so
on. This connection between the mind and Sākṣī is based on adhyāsa.
 This connection, born of confusion, persists as long as the confusion exists. When the confusion is
dispelled, the absolute seer is identified with, and the lack of connection with the relative seers (mind
and sense organs) is realized.

The jñāni, through this understanding, can assert that they do not possess likes, dislikes, pride, jealousy,
and more, and can claim to be limitless consciousness. Once the mind is 'disconnected' in this manner, it
no longer presents problems. Problems arise only when the connection with the mind is established,
leading to saṃsāra.

This is the foundation. A more detailed discussion on this topic fallows.

Thought of the day

Iswara, the personal God, the supreme creator of the universe really does exist. But this is true only
from the relative standpoint of those who have not realized the truth, those people who believe in the
reality of individual souls. From the absolute point of view, the sage cannot accept any other existence
than the impersonal Self, one and formless. – Ramana Maharshi

To be continued…

Vēdānta Darśanam - Part 26

Ātmā Anātmā Vivekaha – Discerning Atma from Anatma – Continued…

How the different identifications of the Ahamkara come to an end is thus described:

Sanskrit Verse 10 Dṛg dṛśya vivekaḥ (डृ य ववेकः)

अह कारलये सु ौ भवे े होऽ यचेतनः ।
अह कार वकासाधः व नः सव तु जागरः ॥ १०॥

Transliteration:
ahaṅkāralaye suptau bhaveddeho'pyacetanaḥ ।
ahaṅkāravikāsārdhaḥ svapnaḥ sarvastu jāgaraḥ ॥ 10॥

Translation: The mutual identification of the ego and the reflection of Consciousness, which is natural,
does not cease so long as they are taken to be real. The other two identifications (The identifications of
the ego with the body and the Witness) disappear after the wearing out of the result of Karma and the
attainment of the knowledge of the highest Reality respectively.

The mind operates in three distinct states of experience, known as *"avasthā-trayam" अव था यम ्*

 1. सुषिु अव थ Suṣupti-avasthā (Deep Sleep): In this state, the mind is entirely passive and devoid
of any activity.

2. व न अव थ अव थ Svapnaavasthā (Dream State): Here, the mind is partially active, functioning

without the need for sense organs. It projects an inner world of dreams based on past
experiences, without engaging with the external world. The dream world possesses a level of
reality that can affect the mind, yet it remains disconnected from the external environment. This
state involves only the vāsanā aspect of the mind, and the sense organs remain dormant.

3. जा त ् अव थ Jāgrat-avasthā (Waking State): When the mind becomes fully operational and
actively uses the sense organs, it experiences the external world, guided by the support of the first
seer. This state is referred to as the jāgrat-avasthā.

These three states of experience are characteristic of the mind, and they do not apply to the "sākṣī," the
witnessing consciousness. In suṣupti (सुषिु ), the mind is entirely dissolved, while in svapna( व न), it
operates with vāsanās(वासनास ्). The cycle of waking, dream, and deep sleep repeats continually.

Death can be considered an extended form of sleep, where the mind enters a passive state, but it still
exists. However, the mind cannot dream after death because it requires a physical body for the dream
state to occur. Both waking and dreaming are only possible in the presence of a physical body.

During the dissolution of the universe, the mind persists in a deep-sleep-like state, known as the causal
state. In the next cycle of creation, the mind is reborn with all its karmas. This cycle continues until the
time of "videhamukti ( वदे हमु )," when the individual mind merges into the universal mind.

Thought of the day

The world is simply thought; the universe is made up of thought – Ramana Maharshi
To be continued…

Vēdānta Darśanam - Part 27

Ātmā Anātmā Vivekaha – Discerning Atma from Anatma – Continued…

How the different identifications of the ahamkāra (अह कार) – ego - come to an end is thus described:

Sanskrit Verse 10 Dṛg dṛśya vivekaḥ (डृ य ववेकः)

अह कारलये सु ौ भवे े होऽ यचेतनः ।

अह कार वकासाधः व नः सव तु जागरः ॥ १०॥
Transliteration:
ahaṅkāralaye suptau bhaveddeho'pyacetanaḥ ।
ahaṅkāravikāsārdhaḥ svapnaḥ sarvastu jāgaraḥ ॥ 10॥

Translation: The mutual identification of the ego and the reflection of Consciousness, which is natural,
does not cease so long as they are taken to be real. The other two identifications disappear after the
wearing out of the result of Karma and the attainment of the knowledge of the highest Reality
respectively.

_The relationship between the mind and the body is evident in the states of consciousness. When the
mind is present and active, the body is alive. Conversely, when the mind is absent, the body is essentially
lifeless. In a state of passive presence, the body appears as though dead, with no awareness of its
condition_.

In summary, the mind's function involves transitioning through these three states of experience. The role
of the sense organs has also been clarified; they assist the mind during the waking state. The body plays a
supportive role in aiding the mind during this state.

This description encompasses the functions of the sākṣī (witnessing consciousness), the mind, the sense
organs, the body, and the three states of experience, offering a comprehensive explanation of the
mechanism of life.

This paradigm can account for all the experiences an individual undergoes and elucidates the entire
process of life and death. It is a beautifully comprehensive framework for understanding human existence.

The avasthā-trayam (अव था- यम ्), comprising the three states of experience, pertains to the mind and
does not apply to the sākṣī.

In the deep sleep state, the mind is completely passive, registering only the experience of the absence of
experience.

In the dream state, the mind is partially active and projects an inner world based on its stored vāsanās,
without acquiring new external experiences.

The waking state involves the full operation of the mind, in conjunction with the sense organs, to engage
with the external world.

These three states are attributes of the mind, referred to as seer 2. The sense organs serve to support the
mind in the waking state and do not have this role in the dream or deep sleep states. Thus, the functioning
of the mind and the three states of experience has been elucidated.

Thought of the day

If you detach yourself from the identification with the body and remain relaxed in and as Consciousness,
you will, this very moment, be happy, at peace, free from bondage. (4) - Ashtavakra Gita
To be continued…

Vēdānta Darśanam – 28

Ātmā Anātmā Vivekaha – Discerning Atma from Anatma

How the experiences of the waking and dream states are but the modification of mind is described now:

Sanskrit Verse 11 Dṛg dṛśya vivekaḥ (डृ य ववेकः)

अ तःकरणवृ िचित छायै यमागता ।

वासनाः क पयेत ् व ने बोधेऽ ै वषयान ् ब हः ॥ ११॥

Transliteration:
_antaḥkaraṇavṛttiśca citicchāyaikyamāgatā_ ।
_vāsanāḥ kalpayet svapne bodhe'kṣairviṣayān bahiḥ_ ॥ 11॥

Translation: The inner organ (antaḥkaraṇam) which in itself is a modification identifying itself with the
reflection of Consciousness (citicchāya) (िचदाभास) imagines ideas in the dream. And the same inner
organ imagines objects external to itself in the waking state with respect to the sense-organs

First the author points out that the thought part is also inert by itself because thoughts are parts of the
mind and the mind is a product of the five elements, which are inert. The moon does not shine by itself
but it becomes luminous by borrowing the sunlight.

Similarly the thoughts have the power to borrow consciousness from the sākṣī caitanyam OC. This
borrowed consciousness is called cidābhāsa (िचदाभास) (RC). The sākṣī simultaneously illumines the mind
and the thoughts.

The sākṣī simultaneously forms the reflection in the mind and in the thoughts. As even the thought arises,
it arises with cidābhāsa only. Every rising thought is called vṛtti jñānam (वृ ानम ्).

Vriiti jnanam is a technical name given to every thought that is born along with the reflected
consciousness (RC). Every sentient thought is called cognition or an experience.

Experience is not even the name of the pure thought or the pure consciousness but is the name of the
mixture of thought plus the RC. The thought arises, it forms the reflection of consciousness and this
thought along with the RC is the experience.

When you experience anything, the relevant thought arises and the RC is formed in the thought and the
experience is known.
The author now discusses the function of this thought or cognition.

In the deep sleep state, the thoughts are minimal, almost zero, and therefore there are no experiences in
that state. There is total blankness. We say that thoughts are minimal and not zero because there is a very
subtle thought present in deep sleep. The very blankness of the deep sleep state is an experience.

The absence of experience is also an experience. For example, when it is said that there is no book in the
hand, the absence of the book is experienced. This experience can be recollected later which means that
the experience of the absence of the book also required a thought.

The absence of experience in deep sleep has to be registered in the form of an experience and therefore it
requires a vṛtti. That vṛtti is called avidyā vṛtti, kāraṇa-śarīra vṛtti, nidrā vṛtti (अ व ा वृ , कारण-शर र वृ , िन ा
वृ ), etc. In deep sleep, the thoughts are minimal but not totally absent. There is a thought registering the
blankness.

Thought of the Day

“Thoughts come and go. Feelings come and go. Find out what it is that remains.” — Ramana Maharshi

To be continued…

Vēdānta Darśanam - Part 29

Recap from previous session: The absence of experience in deep sleep has to be registered in the form of
an experience and therefore it requires a vṛtti (वृ ) (Thought). That vṛtti is called avidyā vṛtti, kāraṇa-śarīra
vṛtti, nidrā vṛtti, (अ व ा वृ , कारण-शर र वृ , िन ा वृ ) etc. In deep sleep, the thoughts are minimal but not
totally absent. There is a thought registering the blankness.

This is told in Dakṣiṇāmūrtistotra, the waker is able to recollect the experience of the absence of
experiences in deep sleep.

राहु त दवाकरे दस
ु शो मायासमा छादनात ्
स मा ः करणोपसंहरणतो योऽभू सुषु ः पुमान ् ।
ाग वा सिमित बोधसमये यः यिभ ायते
त मै ीगु मूतये नम इदं ीद णामूतये ॥ ६॥

rāhugrastadivākarendusadṛśo māyāsamācchādanāt
sanmātraḥ karaṇopasaṃharaṇato yo'bhūtsuṣuptaḥ pumān ।
prāgasvāpsamiti prabodhasamaye yaḥ pratyabhijñāyate
tasmai śrīgurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrīdakṣiṇāmūrtaye ॥6॥

That vṛtti registering the absence is in the deep sleep state. In the dream state, the thoughts are generated
from our own past experiences registered in memory. Out of the activated vāsanās, (वासनास ्) a subjective
universe is projected. These vāsanās (वासनास ्) are registered in the memory in the waking state, some
more recently, and some in the distant past including previous births or previous creations. Thus the
dream experience is created by the thought part of the mind.
In the waking state, the thoughts go out through the sense-organs like the light beam from a flash light
and illumine the external world. The mind material, dravyam ( यम ्) is the ‘light source’ and the
thought,vṛtti is the ‘light beam’.

Five such vṛttis come out through the sense-organs as noted in Dakṣiṇāmūrtistotra.

नाना छ घटोदर थतमहाद प भाभा वरं ानं

य य तु च रु ा दकरण ारा ब हः प दते ।
जानामीित तमेव भा तमनुभा येत सम तं जगत ्
त मै ीगु मूतये नम इदं ीद णामूतये ॥ ४॥

nānācchidraghaṭodarasthitamahādīpaprabhā bhāsvaraṃ
jñānaṃ yasya tu cakṣurādikaraṇadvārā vahiḥ spandate ।
jānāmīti tameva bhāntamanubhātyetatsamastaṃ jagat
tasmai śrīgurumūrtaye nama idaṃ śrīdakṣiṇāmūrtaye ॥4॥

Whatever is in the field of these vṛttis is registered and experienced by the mind and thus the objective
external world is experienced. The external world is experienced only because of vṛttis. Vṛttis are
responsible for the subjective world in dream and the objective external world in waking. Once the vṛttis
are dissolved the world is not experienced.

When the mind goes blank, the world may be very much present but it is not experienced. Vṛttis are
responsible for the world that we experience.

The three-fold world, i.e., absence world, internal world and external world are experienced because of
vṛttis. The thought part of the mind also functions by its association with cidābhāsa (िचदाभास).

Thought associated with the RC registers the absence of experience in deep sleep, activates the vāsanās in
dream projecting an internal world of experience, and in waking, projects an external world of experience
with the help of the sense organs.

A technical question comes up. One can say that the internal world (dream) is projected by the thought.
But can one say that the external world (wakers world) is also projected by thought? This would mean that
when the thoughts are not present, the world would become non-existent.

Thought of the Day

He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened. - Lao Tzu

To be continued…
vedānta darśanam 29.1
Recapping last secssion: One can say that the internal world (dream) is projected by the thought. But
can one say that the external world (wakers world) is also projected by thought? This would mean that
when the thoughts are not present, the world would become non-existent. Before delving further, let's
explore some key aspects related to creation, laying the groundwork for subsequent development.

In the Advaita tradition, there are three primary perspectives on creation:

 ajāti vāda (अजाित वाद) – positing that creation is not an absolute, real event.
 śṛṣṭi dṛṣṭi vāda (सृ वाद) – suggesting that what has been created is perceived.
 Dṛṣṭi Śṛṣṭi vāda ( सृ वाद) – proposing that creation is simultaneous with perception.

The ajāti vāda perspective is considered in the pāramārthika (पारमािथक) sense, while the other two
views are contemplated in the vyāvahārika ( यावहा रक) sense.Śṛṣṭi Dṛṣṭi Vāda (सृ वाद)
Most post-Sankaran Advaita authors initially assume the existence of the universe. This approach is
sensible for beginners who, identifying themselves with anĀtman rather than Atman, perceive a
universe separate from themselves. In this stage, ignorance persists about the true nature of external
things and oneself. Acknowledging this ignorance, the universe is deemed to be created by Brahman in
His capacity as ISvara. This is the śṛṣṭi-dṛṣṭi vāda, asserting that the observed universe is created by
ISvara, with creation preceding perception. Advaita Vedanta acknowledges that a thing must exist for it
to be perceived.

The śṛṣṭi-dṛṣṭi perspective may help laypeople understand why Advaitins, throughout history, have been
devoutly religious, worshipping their chosen deity without seeing it as conflicting with non-duality.

Ajāti Vāda (अजाित वाद)

This viewpoint posits that māyā has no inherent reality, and Brahman is the only true reality. This allows
the śṛṣṭi-dṛṣṭi adherent to progress to ajāti vāda, asserting that no creation ever truly occurred.
Traditional Advaita Vedantins often address creation provisionally through śṛṣṭi-dṛṣṭi vāda, followed by
an ajāti vāda argument, denying creation as an event in the past. This method aligns with the
adhyāropa-apavāda (sublation of superimposition) approach, closely tied to vyavahāra (conventional
reality) and paramārtha (ultimate reality). So far as the paramārtha is held to be the only Real, ajāti is
upheld. while śṛṣṭi-dṛṣṭi is accepted in the vyāvahāric sense, to be transcended for moksha.

Dṛṣṭi Śṛṣṭi Vāda ( सृ वाद)

This third perspective, dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi vāda, posits that cognition and creation occur simultaneously. Though
seemingly a novel position, Gaudapada's karika hints at a similar view leading up to ajāti vāda. This
perspective aligns with subjective idealism and Buddhist vijñāna vāda, offering intriguing logical
paradoxes reminiscent of interpretations of quantum mechanics. e.g. the act of observation itself
causing a particular collapse of a wave function, thus creating its outcome in some sense, and the
absolute necessity of the observer in any description of an event. Sages like Ramana Maharshi and
Nisargadata Maharaj base their teachings on this vada, and it resonates with some modern scientists
and cosmologists.

In the Advaita philosophy, as with many other issues, the writings of Sankara encompass all these views,
while later scholars may focus on one or another.

Gaudapada, Sankara's paramaguru, particularly elaborates on the ajāti vāda. Panchadasi of Vidyaranya
deals with similar idea. The Yoga-Vāsiṣṭha is one of the source texts for dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda.
Madhusūdana Saraswati's noteworthy intellectual contributions to the philosophical doctrines of eka-
jīva-vāda ("doctrine of one soul") and dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda ("doctrine of creation through perception") in the
Advaitasiddhi are prominently documented from the Yoga-Vāsiṣṭha. He extensively cites this work as an
authoritative source for these doctrines, positioning his articulations as the definitive interpretation of
the treatise.

In the course of our discussions, our aim is to unveil an ultimate Truth, employing various concepts as
tools. Picture these concepts as scaffolding, much like the supportive structures used in constructing
bridges or flyovers. Just as a sturdy foundation of huge iron girders is laid before building a flyover, these
concepts serve as temporary structures upon which the ultimate truth will be revealed.

Once the revelation is strong and clear, akin to the completion of a robust flyover, these temporary
supportive structures, or concepts, will be dismantled. This process of introducing scaffolding is termed
Adhyaropa, and the subsequent removal is known as Apavada. In the śṛṣṭi dṛṣṭi vāda, we adopt the
Adhyaropa Apavada method, recognized for its beginner-friendly approach. It's a step-by-step process,
comparable to understanding the scaffolding before appreciating the final architectural masterpiece.

Given our current focus on the adhyāropa-apavāda method, we will temporarily proceed with śṛṣṭi-dṛṣṭi
vāda. If anybody is interested we will go through other versions also.

Thought of the day

Albert Einstein: - “I like to think the moon is there even if I am not looking at it”.

To be continued…

Vēdānta Darśanam - Part 30

In our present discussion we are using the Isvara sristi and jeeve sriti model.
The external world is not projected by my thought but it is created by the Lord already. Īśvara has
created an external world already but that external world does not create any problem for me. For
example consider that there is a woman unrelated to anyone, representing Isvara-created Jeeva. The
diversity of perspectives like claiming the same person as wife, daughter, mother etc on this woman
exemplifies Jeeva sristi, showcasing subjective interpretations.

When my thoughts perceive the external world and I relate with the external world and develop likes or
dislikes, then that part of the world with which I develop ahaṅkāra and mamakāra is capable of giving
me joy or sadness, which is saṁsāra. The intrinsically non-hurting or non-pleasing objects of the world
are the observed world but the hurting or pleasing objects are the experienced world.

The observed world is the Īśvara-sṛṣṭi and the experienced world is the result of converting Īśvara-sṛṣṭi
into objects of pleasure and pain.

This conversion happens because of ahaṅkāra and mamakāra and that alone is saṁsāra. Therefore
thoughts are responsible for the creation of the experienced world. That experienced world is the
creation of the vṛttis or thoughts of the jīva.

Vidyāranya discusses this elaborately in dvaita viveka prakaraṇam in Pañcadaśī. There, the author is
talking about the jīva’s creation, the experienced world, which is created by thoughts.

Mokṣa is reducing the experienced universe into the observed universe by the elimination of ahaṅkāra
and mamakāra. Then, the relative pleasure and pain will go away.

A jñāni is described by Kṛṣṇa in the Bhagavad Gītā (12:13):

nirmamo nirahaṅkāraḥ samaduḥkhasukhaḥ kṣamī;

who is free from ‘mine’-notion, free from ‘I’-notion, same in comfort as well as discomfort, and
forbearing.

Vedānta, far from being an academic exercise, is presented as an intellectual transformation, urging a
perspective shift to view even personal relations as Īśvara’s property.

Freedom from 'I' and 'mine' is proposed as the sole path to liberation, achieved by recognizing
everything as Īśvara’s property and discarding ahaṅkāra and mamakāra.

To be continued…

Vedanta Darsanam 31
The twelfth verse introduces a significant point:
Sanskrit Verse 12
मनोऽह कृ युपादानं िल गमेकं जडा मकम ् ।
अव था यम वेित जायते ि यते तथा ॥ १२॥

Transliteration
mano'haṅkṛtyupādānaṃ liṅgamekaṃ jaḍātmakam ।
avasthātrayamanveti jāyate mriyate tathā ॥ 12॥

Translation: this verse asserts that the insentient subtle body, constituted of mind and ego (liṅga śarīra),
undergoes the three states and experiences birth and death.

In the twelfth verse, the author further elucidates on the dynamics of the three-fold seers—namely the
sense-organs, the mind, and the sākṣī—integral to the individual. The sākṣī, through its mere presence,
bestows cidābhāsa upon the mind. Subsequently, the mind, imbued with cidābhāsa, becomes the seer,
thereby blessing the sense-organs. The mind, as the seer, undergoes the three states of experience:
deep sleep in a fully passive state, dreaming in a partially active-passive state, and waking in a fully
active state.

In the heightened state of full activity, the sense-organs merge with the mind, and together they
experience the waking state. The author emphasizes the dual nature of the mind, comprising both the
substantial and thought components, both of which undergo cidābhāsa and traverse the three states of
experience.

Life, as described, encapsulates the constant oscillation of the mind through these diverse states.
External world experiences occur in one state, internal world experiences in another, with temporary
rest between these phases.

Notably, it's not just the mind that undergoes these states; the same mind transitions to subsequent
births. As an integral part of the larger parent body, the subtle body (liṅga śarīra), the mind plays a
crucial role in enlivening the gross body. The subtle body comprises seventeen parts, including the mind,
and is denoted as liṅga śarīra.

Instead of attributing the three states directly to the mind, it's more accurate to state that the subtle
body undergoes these states. Thus:
Pancha Jnanaindriyas (5) + Panca Karmendriya (5) + Panca Prana (5) + Manas (1) + Buddhi or Thought
(1) = 17 = 1 = Linga Sharira.

At the juncture of death, the subtle body, including the mind, departs from the physical body,
transmigrates, and undergoes the three states of experience in the new physical body. This continuous
journey involves the first and second seers invariably with cihtabasa—sense-organs and mind, referred
to as jīvātma (liṅga śarīra).
Contrastingly, the third seer, sākṣī, omnipresent and unchanging, neither travels nor needs to, in stark
contrast to the other components. The Bhagavad Gītā is cited to elucidate the indestructible nature of
the self.
न जायते ि यते वा कदािचन ्
नायं भू वा भ वता वा न भूयः ।
अजो िन यः शा तोऽयं पुराणो
न ह यते ह यमाने शर रे ॥ २-२०॥

This (self) is never born; nor does it die. It is not that, having been, it ceases to exist again. It is unborn,
eternal, undergoes no change whatsoever, and is ever new. When the body is destroyed, the self is not
destroyed. (2:20)

Vedānta, the subject under discussion, revolves around shifting from the perspectives of the first and
second seers to identifying oneself as the third seer, sākṣī. This shift is pivotal to breaking the cycle of
birth and death. The mind-sense-organs amalgam, the subtle body, undergoes the three states during
life and transitions between births and deaths.

Death is the separation of the subtle body from the physical, and birth is its association with a new
physical body.

Importantly, the sākṣī remains unaffected, akin to space not vacating a house when its occupants leave.
The endless cycle of birth and death persists unless one attains jñānam (knowledge).

With this, the author concludes the exploration of the formation and function of the three seers, paving
the way for a deeper discussion on the cause of saṃsāra and its remedy.

To be continued…