Jyothi (the true Light)
Ambatipudi Sastry
क िं ज्योतिस्िव भानुमानहतन मॆ रात्रौ प्रदीऩादद िं
स्यादॆ विं रववदीऩदर्शनववधौ क िं ज्योतिराख्यादह मॆ
चऺुस्िस्य तनमीऱनाददसमयॆ क िं धॆर्धशयॊ दर्शनॆ क
िं ित्राहमिॊ भवान्ऩरम िं ज्यॊतिस्िदस्स्म प्रभॊ
Eka Sloki, by Adi Sankaracharya
Kim Jyothisthava bhanumaanahani me ratrau pradeepaadikam.
Syaadevam ravi deepa darsana vidhau kim jyothiraakhyaahi me
Chakshustasya nimeelanaadi samaye kim dheeh dhiyo darsane
Kim tatrahamatho bhavaan paramakam jyothisthadasmi prabho.
The sloka takes the form of questions by the teacher (in italics below) and answers by a student to give the student a glimpse of the true nature of perceptions by all creatures enabled by the universal Light. It goes like this - “By what light do you see?” “Sun in the day and a lamp in the night” “Let it be. By what light do you see the sun and lamp?” “Eyes” “When you close your eyes (as in sleep), what is the light?” “ My intellect” “What light helps the intellect to see?” “ I (Atma, Self).” “So, you are the ultimate source of light (self-luminous universal Self)” “Yes, I now understand so, my Lord”.
The sloka makes the point that it is the Self that is the ultimate entity behind all our perceptions (though the sloka takes eye sight as an example, it applies to other sensors as well). The external sensory organs and the mind are merely transporters of information. Adi Sankara elaborates further on this in his work, Drikdrusya Vivekam. He analyzes drik (who sees) and drusya (object being seen). As we see an object, say a table, the eye transports it to mind, which categorizes it, and the Self is the enabler of the mind. It is also interesting that the information flows only in one direction – table cannot see the eye, eye cannot see the mind, and mind cannot see Self!
It is this Self that is the source of light in all beings, a Universal presence. We are all driven by the different things we see around us and interpret them. All of us are like identical computers with the same operating system but gathering different data based on circumstances and environment in which we were born and raised. These databases together with the six enemies, (षट्छत्र्, shatchatruhu - ाम, kama, क्रॊध, krodha, ऱॊभ, ु lobha, मॊह, moha, मद, mada, मात्सयश, matsarya) desire, anger, miserliness, attachment, arrogance, and jealousy respectively, play on our mind and make us interpret the gathered data in our own way creating all the different viewpoints even though we are in the same environment. This process makes us feel as though we are different from each other and gives us an egotistical existence. The ego in us makes us feel we are different from all the others and drives us through all our perceived needs; need to be loved and admired, need to feel important over others, pursuit of endless desires, etc. It looks ridiculous if a water bubble in ocean thinks it is different from the rest of the ocean. In the same way, we are all bubbles in this ocean of life and creation, though our egos make us act as though we are different!
It is our ego that makes us ignore the universality underlying all objects and beings. The ego drives us to acquire and keep things around us just to prop up our perceived uniqueness. It is only through the complete cessation of ego that we will be able to see the Oneness among us leading us to universal love (भूिदय, bhoothadaya). The cessation of ego takes us beyond the daily afflictions of life, which is the gateway to true Happiness (आनिंद, Ananda). Thus, let us remember the Universality of that Light that is guiding all of us as we go about in our daily lives. To continually work towards reducing our ego, we need to think of everything we do each day in the name of the Lord, instead of thinking about us. Adi Sankaracharya describes this approach eloquently in the following sloka:
आत्मा त्विं र्िररजा मति् सहचरा् प्राणा् र्रीरिं िहिं
ृ ऩुजािॆ ववर्योऩभोिरचना तनद्रा समार्धस्स्िति्
सिंचार् ऩदयॊ् प्रदक्षऺणववर्ध् स्िोत्राणण सवाश र्िरॊ रॊमम ित्तदणिऱिं र्िंभॊ िवाराधनिं
Siva Manasa Puja, by Adi Sankaracharya
Atmaa thvam girijaa mathihi sahacharah praanaah sareeram gruham
pujaathe vishayopabhogarachanaa nidraa samaadhisthithihi
sanchaarah padayoh pradakshinavidhihi stotraani sarvaa giro
yadyatkarma karomi thattadakhilam sambho thavaaraadhanam
(my) Self is You, Parvathi is my intellect, my five life-forces are Your attendants, my
body is Your abode, all my sensory perceptions are Your worship, my sleep is deep
meditation on You, all my walk is walking around You, whatever I speak is in praise of
You, O Giver of divine joy, whatever I do is in devotion to you!
ऒ िं िमसॊ मा ज्योतििशमय, Om tamaso maa jyotirgamaya
From darkness, lead me to Light
