By Sri Ambatipudi Sastry
om śrī gurubhyo namaḥ! hariḥ om!
The most difficult thing for a student of advaita philosophy is to understand and accept
the notion that the phenomenal world we live in is mithya, illusion. All of us readily accept the unreality of our dreams, primarily because it all happens internal to us while we are asleep and nothing remains of it once we wake up, though we may remember the dreams sometimes. On the other hand, it is very difficult to comprehend, much less be convinced, of the illusory nature of our waking experience. Unlike dreams, the world we see during our waking state is full of interactions with others like us, the animal kingdom, and even the inanimate objects. These interactions and mutual dependencies, both pleasant and painful, influence our daily life. After taking birth, we learn about various things and events and we pass them on to other generations in this world. All the wonderful things that we see and use every day, such as household goods, transportation, literature, entertainment, etc., are all the results of daily interactions among society, whether it is technology, medicine, art, or other. How can we then accept that it is all illusory? For an individual, this awareness of the world or universe starts at birth and totally ends at death. We neither bring in anything upon our entry nor will we take with us anything when we exit. We also know that everything in this world keeps changing including ourselves. The mystery about this transient world is at the heart of inquiry of the advaita philosophy. Since our existence and responses to the environment determine our state of mind and experiences, it becomes imperative to understand our awareness of the world around us. In other words, it is about honestly learning about ourselves through introspection and thought about what gives us true happiness. It is a vast subject and needs a spirit of exploration and dedication to understand the world and us. Fortunately, a great number of ṛṣi-s (sages) have gone through this process and gave us their wisdom. While the literature on this subject is enormous, the Upaniṣad –s (or Vedānta, the later part of the veda-s), the Brahma sūtrā –s (codified and summarized version of Upaniṣad –s), and the Bhagavadgīta (as found in the epic Mahābhārata) (which are called ‘Prasthānatraya’ (triumvirate of (metaphysical) journey) are the principal repositories of this wisdom. One such query is succinctly expressed in the kenopaniṣad as
om keneṣitaṁ patati preṣitaṁ manaḥ kena prāṇaḥ prathamaḥ praiti yuktaḥ |
keneṣitāṁ vācamimāṁ vadanti cakṣuḥ śrotraṁ ka u devo yunakti ||
(kenopaniṣad, khaṁḍaḥ I, verse 1)
Om: By whose will is the mind directed towards objects? By whose direction do the primary vital forces function? By whose will do people utter speech? What is the Being that directs the eyes and ears?
Adi Sankaracharya elaborated this inquiry further into the specific questions a seeker
should ask:
ko'haṁ kathamidaṁ jātaṁ ko vai kartasya vidyate |
upādānaṁ kimastīha vicāraḥ soyamīdṛśaḥ ||
(aparokṣānubhūtiḥ, Adi SankarachArya, verse 12)
Who am I? How did this world come about? Who is the Creator? What is the underlying material cause for this creation? This should be the method of inquiry.
The answers to these questions are very complex. However, they are very succinctly
stated in various places in several Upanishads as revelations of the sages. For example, īśa
upaniṣad declares:
oṁ īśāvāsyamidaṁ sarvaṁ yatkiṁca jagatyāṁ jagat |
tena tyaktena bhunjithā mā grudhaḥ kasyasviddhanam ||
(īśa upaniṣad, verse 1)
Om: All this, whatever that moves on this earth, is permeated by the Lord. Protect yourself through that detachment. Do not covet, for, whose wealth is it? Revelations of great sages such as these through Self-realization forms the foundation for the advaita philosophy. Though various commentaries and expositions elaborate and explain the import of these revelations through logic and reason, there are limits to that logic. Thus, the Absolute Truth (Self, ātma) behind these revelations is described in terms of what it is not (notthis, not-this, neti, neti), as it is beyond description by words. Though logic and reason can only take such descriptions up to a point, fortunately, those revelations reconcile with the logic and can be viewed as natural extensions that can only be revealed through Self-realization. Thus, the criptures and commentaries on them show us a path (mārgadarśaka). The interactions between an individual and the world around that person are the subject of in-depth study in various parts of the literature. For example,
draṣṭurdṛśyasya sattā hi bandha ityabhidhīyate |
draṣṭā dṛśyavaśāt baddho dṛśyābhāve vimucyate ||
(yoga vāśiṣṭha sāra saṁgraha, Chapter 3, verse 2)
The existence of the seer and the seen is indeed called bondage, since the seer is bound by the influence of the seen. The seer is liberated by the absence of the seen. The seer that sees can itself become the seen. For example, an eye is the seer for a table that is seen. In turn, eye becomes the seen and mind is the seer. In the ultimate, there is only one Seer that sees everything as a Witness (sarvasākṣi). When we connect/interact with the objects around us, we consider them to be true world and become addicted to them, which is termed as bondage. Bondage is due to ignorance of identifying ourselves falsely with everything that is temporary non-Self instead of with the true nature, the unique Universal Self. Freedom is obtained upon severing this bondage through Self-realization. This is stated in simple terms in aṣṭāvakra saṁhitā by sage aṣṭāvakra when King Janaka asks about how to obtain that freedom:
na pṛdhvī na jalaṁ nāgnirnavāyurdyaurnavā bhavān |
eṣāṁ sākṣiṇamātmānaṁ cidrūpaṁ viddhi muktaye ||
(aṣṭāvakra saṁhitā, Chapter I, verse 3)
You are not any of the five elements, earth, water, fire, air, and space. For liberation, know the Self (ātma) as the Consciousness that is witness to all these.
Further,
sarvaṁ hyetad brahma, ayamātmā brahma, so'yamātmā catuṣpāt |
(mānḍukya upaniṣad, verse 2)
All this is truly Brahman. This Atma is Brahman. This Atma exists in four states.
The mānḍukya upaniṣad then goes on to describe the four states of consciousness as
vaisvānara (waking state), taijasa (dream state), prajña (deep-sleep state), and turīya (the state of Supreme Consciousness). While the first three states are described by their characteristics, the fourth is indescribable in words and thus expressed in terms of what it is not. The upaniṣad also introduces the syllable om in terms of its parts comprising of the three sounds, A, U, and M. The mānḍukya upaniṣad, though the shortest of all upaniṣad-s, with only 12 verses (mantra-s), deals thoroughly with the nature of human existence and the states of consciousness. Adi Sankaracharya’s grand-preceptor (teacher’s teacher) Gaudapada wrote an extensive kārikā (glossary and commentary) on it in 215 verses, that is a classic reference text on advaita philosophy. How and why did this world come about? Gaudapada deals with it extensively in his kārikā throughout. For example,
mano druiśyamidaṁ dvaitaṁ yatkiṁcatsacarācaram |
manaso hyamanībhāve dvaitaṁ naivopalabhyate ||
(gauḍapāda kārikā on māndukyopaniṣad, prakaraṇa 3, verse 31)
Whatever duality is perceived in terms of the moving and non-moving entities is as seen by (a creation of) the mind. Such duality is not perceived when the mind is transcended (ceases to act). This perception of the plurality of moving and non-moving entities (collectively called the second other than Brahma, the Absolute, giving the term dvaita, or duality) is unreal. This perception of unreal entities (mithya) by the mind aided by the body and senses is termed māya (the illusory power that resides with Brahma). Māya itself is not fully describable (yā mā sā māyā, that cannot be seen or described is māya). Ignorance (avidya) acts as a barrier against understanding the Reality behind the illusion crated by māyā. The Absolute (Brahma) is associated with māyā and the being (jīva) is associated with the ignorance (avidya). Without the māyā of Brahma and without the avidya of jīva, they both will be one and the same, which is the essence of advaita, as epitomized by the great phrase (mahāvākya) Thou Art That (tatvamasi).
sthūlaśarīrābhimāni jīvanāmakaṁ brahmapratibiṁbaṁ bhavati |
sa eva jīvaḥ prakṛtyā svasmāt īśvaraṁ bhinnatvena jānāti ||
(Tattvabodha, Adi sankaracharya, verse 9)
The reflection of Brahma in the subtle body, which identifies itself with the gross body is called Jiva. This Jiva, due to ignorance (avidya) considers īśvara to be different from itself.
The phenomenal world is made up of different forms and shapes but their underlying nature is the same Reality. The following verses make this point very eloquently:
sṛṣṭirnāma brahmarūpe saccidānandavastuni |
abdhau phenādivat sarvanāmarūpaprasāraṇā ||
(dṛg dṛśya viveka, Adi sankaracharya, verse 14)
Creation is the manifestation of the Reality which is the Existence-Consciousness-Bliss. All the names and forms are like foam and tide, etc., in the ocean.
asti bhāti priyaṁ rūpaṁ nāma cetyaṁśapañcakam |
ādyatrayaṁ brahmarūpaṁ jagadrūpaṁ tato dvayam ||
(dṛg dṛśya viveka, Adi sankaracharya, verse 20)
Each entity has five aspects – existence, glow, dearness, name, and form. The first three are
nature of the Reality and the latter two of the world.
khavāyvāgnijalorvīṣu devatiryaṅnarādiṣu |
abhinnassaccidānandāḥ bhidyate rūpanāmanī ||
(dṛg dṛśya viveka, Adi sankaracharya, verse 21)
Existence-Consciousness-Bliss is not different in space, air, fire, water, and earth, and in deities, animals, men, etc. Only difference is in their names and shapes.
kalpayatyātmanā''tmānamātmā devaḥ svamāyayā |
sa eva budhyate bhedāniti vedāntaniścayaḥ ||
(gauḍapāda kārikā on māndukyopaniṣad, prakaraṇa 2, verse 12)
ātma, the Self by itself, through the power of delusion (māya) associated with it imagines in
itself all the objects and experiences within and in the world outside. It alone is the knower of the objects so created. This is the conclusion of Vedanta.
Physical world we see is the result of perceptions through our limited senses. Each living
being sees different sets of forms and understands them by assigning different symbols or names to them. For example, birds have different visual capabilities and animals have different hearing capabilities which give their own individual perceptions. An eagle can spot a prey from high above in the sky, unlike man’s limited visual faculties. The locus defined by our limited range gives us our perceived world. Thus, there is no uniqueness to the world various creatures see and hear! If we had the right capabilities of vision, hearing, etc., we should be able to see subatomic or even their underlying energy structure of matter instead of these gross forms. In other words, what we see is a giant optical illusion! Thus, we have this make-believe world of forms and names, which, coupled with our ego, drive us in our waking state. Why not we just accept the world we live in and go through our daily routines and be content? We go through an unending series of joys and sorrows in our lives. We are always engrossed in the search for solutions to our problems that cause us anxiety, fear, or grief. It is interesting to note the following verse in this context:
duḥkhatrayābhighātāt jijñāsā tadapaghātake hetau |
dṛṣṭe sā'pārthā cet naikāntātyantato'bhāvāt ||
(sāṁkhya kārikā, Isvara Krishna, verse 1)
From the grief caused by the three kinds of pain (ādhyātmika, intra-organic of body and mind; ādhibhautika, external influences; ādhidaivika, supernatural effects), springs a desire for inquiry into the means of removing them. If it can be said that such attempts are superfluous since visible means of alleviation exist, it should be kept in mind that it is not the case since such visible means are neither certain to work nor do they provide permanent relief. The visible means refers to the commonly accessible remedies. For example, a medicine for headache lasts only temporarily, if it works at all. For stress or anguish, diversions such as entertainment, smoking, drinking, gambling, alcohol, and drugs, etc., can only temporarily give relief and even they are not certain to work. For physical security of home, we may erect fences or install security alarms and even they are not certain to be enough. We can make plans to protect ourselves during natural disasters but they may not be adequate when the need arises. All such obvious measures for different sources of grief are neither certain to be effective nor provide permanent relief. In addition to these physical measures, one needs to delve into a deep understanding of fundamentally what is grief and why it arises. On close examination, it becomes evident that combination of the perceived worldly objects and their impact on our egotistical personalities create desires and anxiety that are the root causes of grief to all of us. So, how should we conduct ourselves in this world, knowing that it is not what we physically see and that it is transitory? Most humans involve themselves in learning about the physical world they see and hear and in earning a livelihood. The basic preoccupations can be summed up as (i) desiring what we do not have and (ii) being anxious about preserving what we have. Somewhere in this pursuit of the worldly objects is lost the knowledge that all those we hanker after to fulfill our ego driven demands are transitory. Desires beget desires and will never be satisfied as long as our actions are ego-driven and not just limited to our obligations and basic needs. Thus, performing our actions without attachment for the results has been the central message of our scriptures. Lord Krishna says in śrīmadbhagavadgīta:
tasmādasaktaḥ satataṁ kāryaṁ karma samācara |
asakto hyācarankarma paramāpnoti pūruṣaḥ ||
(śrīmadbhagavadgīta, trutīyo’dhyāyaḥ (chapter 3), karmayogaḥ, verse 19)
Therefore, always perform actions without attachment. A man attains the Supreme by working without attachment.
In yogavāśiṣṭha, when Sri Rama becomes despondent after learning about the miseries
that people go through in their lives through his travels after formal education, sage Vaśiṣṭha teaches him philosophy and at the end advises him:
tasmādrājyādikāryāṇi nivartaya yathākramam |
devakāryaṁ yathā kṛtvā tatastyaktvā sukhī bhava ||
(yogavāśiṣṭha sāra saṁgraha, Chapter 7, verse 11)
Therefore, perform the duties of the kingdom in the prescribed order and also carry out in the same way your duties for God. Thereafter, you can renounce (the kingdom) and be happy.
We all have little kingdoms of our own – our immediate family, relatives, friends, and the
community we live in. We are all aware of the feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction before retiring to bed, if we complete the tasks that we planned for the day. When we complete our duties, we are free to focus our minds on other things. Otherwise, mind will be burdened by the tasks that remain to be performed, much like the discomfort of a child who procrastinates doing homework till bed time. The real issue is what are those obligations and how do we set them for ourselves? If we complicate our lives through unnecessary activities driven by our ego and a sense of insecurity, we bind ourselves to the results of those actions and will soon get frustrated if the results are contrary to our expectations. However, if we minimize these activities as strictly those needed by slowly weeding out ego-driven actions, we will be able to perform those actions without getting burdened by attachment to their results. We need to discharge our obligations unattached to the results to gain inner happiness and practice it continuously and improve on it. As our scriptures declare and emphasize, such unattached actions together with acquisition of knowledge (jñānābhyāsam) is the eventual pathway to Self-realization.
om tat sat OM, that Everlasting Truth
(This short article is not meant to be a comprehensive treatment of this vast subject but is a
minimal introduction to motivate the reader to study further).
Please use thislink for this article in its original version: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B_i7e-T16aBJR1pPM3dqRlh2eXc/edit or
