Panchadasi 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 (aparoksha
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. End
of chapter 7
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