Atma Darshan - Atmananda Atmanandopanishat Atma-Darshan At the Ultimate By Sri Krishna Menon -Atmananda- Atma-Darshan 1. Adwaita I. Jivas, like waves in the sea, come into being, rise and fall, fight against each other and die. II. Striking against the seashore, waves recede, tired and worn out, seeking rest and peace. Likewise, Jivas seek the Supreme in various ways. III. Waves have their birth, life and death in the sea itself, Jivas in the Lord. IV. Waves are nothing but water. So is the sea. Likewise the Jiva and the Lord are nothing other than Sat, Chit and Ananda. V. When waves realize that the sea is their common support, all fight ceases. VI. Much is not gained thereby. This is not the final word. Work lies ahead to remove the sense of separateness. VII. When water is realized, wave and sea vanish. What appeared as two is thus realized as one. VIII. Water can be reached straightway from wave by following the direct path. If the way through the sea is taken, much more time is needed[TJS1] . 2. Quest regarding the cause of the world – meaningless. I. No question can be there regarding the time, place and cause of the origin of this world, for these themselves form parts of the world. II. The question seeks to have an explanation of the whole in terms of its part. This can never be a logical question. III. The question as to who superimposes doership upon oneself is also not a proper question. The very act of superimposition presupposes a doer. Therefore this question also is illogical[TJS2] . 3. Mind and pure Satva I. Consciousness going out towards objects is mind. That which turns toward the Self is pure Sattva. II. It is the opinion of the wise that the mind is avidyâ, and pure sattva, vidyâ. Vidyâ alone is the means of liberation. III. The path of avidyâ leads to bondage. So the aspirant must take to the path of vidyâ for liberation. IV. For eternal peace, persistent striving is necessary till enlightenment[TJS3] . 4. Different stages of illumination I. He whose mind is captivated by the beauty of a figure sculptured in a piece of rock, forgets even the fact of the rock being its background. II. When he rises above this captivation and looks at the figure, he sees the background, rock, which supports the figure. III. When the rock thus receives attention, rock is seen also in the figure, and later on the figure is seen as nothing other than rock. IV. Enlightenment of truth also comes in this manner. Consciousness becomes dimmed chiefly through one’s captivation and abiding interest in external objects. V. When one outgrows this interest and looks at the objects it will be found that they rise and abide in Consciousness alone. VI. When Consciousness thus begins to receive due attention, it becomes revealed in the objects as well, and they themselves will in due course become transformed into Consciousness. VII. It is the realization of oneself and the entire world as one Consciousness that is known as realization of Truth[TJS4] . 5. Deep Sleep, Nirvikalpa Samadhi and Natural State I. It is in Consciousness that objects rise. Therefore when they disappear what remains left over is this consciousness and not nothingness. II. If this truth takes deep root in thought, deep sleep – giving up its character of veiling the Reality – becomes transformed into nirvikalpa samadhi. III. When objects are also realized as nothing other than Consciousness, one comes back to one’s true nature which is changeless and above all states including samadhi[TJS5] . 6. Witness of Jiva I. Only what has been perceived before can come up in memory. The embodied ‘I’ who perceived, did or enjoyed anything, also comes up in memory at times. From this it follows that the embodied ‘I’ was witnessed by another ‘I’ principle at the time of this perception, action, or enjoyment. II. It is this witnesses ‘I’ that is the real ‘I’. Fixing attention there and establishing oneself in it, one becomes freed from bondage. 7. The “I” as the light of Consciousness I. The light in the perceptions of sense objects is the changeless Atma, the One without a second which abides infilling all. II. To see It as It is, the objects must be separated from It or else they must be made to point towards It. III. The ‘I’ must be removed from body to Atma. Freedom from bondage, peace and happiness will flow from it. 8. Pure Consciousness Atma is that changeless, one rasa, into which thoughts and feelings merge. To see it, enter it and establish it as the ‘I’, removes all delusions and brings in lasting peace. 9. The Self I. One does not need to be told, for one knows it clearly that the ‘I’ does not change. II. The ‘I’ that persists in all the states. It is there when there is thought. It is there when there is no thought. III. If so, what other evidence is needed to show that it cannot be doer or enjoyer, which means change? IV. At the time a thing is being done, there is no thought or feeling that one is doing it. This is further proof that one is not a doer. V. Claiming to have done a thing after the doing cannot make one a doer. VI. The intense feeling that one is neither doer nor enjoyer removes all bondage and one’s real nature comes to light thereby. 10. False Identification of the Self and the Means to rise above it. I. Jiva is a combination of body and Atma appearing as one. When they are separated, Jiva as such cannot subsist any longer. II. Are not body, prana, and all mind-modifications, precepts? Consciousness, the Self, is their perceiver. III. Those who forgetting this identify Self with the body, mind, etc. live in bondage. IV. Those who by wise discrimination rise above this wrong identification, become liberated and rest in peace in their true nature. V. The thought that one is the body, gross or subtle, is the cause of all bondage. If the thought is that one is Consciousness, and that thought is deep and strong, one becomes freed from all bondage at once. VI. The seer as such can never be seen, and the seen as such can never be the seer. If this truth goes deep into one’s heart, the mistaken identification with body ceases. VII. It can be seen in life’s activities that eh characteristics of the one are often superimposed upon the other. Special care must be taken to avoid this. VIII. When reality is attributed to things in the objective world, remember that you are then an embodied being, in other words there is then identification of one’s Self with the body. IX. Always bear in mind that such changes as birth, growth, decay and destruction, are the characteristics of matter, an object of Consciousness. X. It must be clearly understood that Consciousness is different from its object and that, while the objects vary, Consciousness remains constant. XI. Consciousness is the light of Atma while objects are directly linked with body. When one’s body-connection is severed, the connection with external objects is severed data. XII. Strictly viewed there can be no connection between Atma and body. How can there be any connection between things wholly different in nature and make? XIII. Atma is the only Reality. Body is quite unreal. From this fact too it follows that there can hardly be any connection between them. XIV. It is clear then that their connection is but fancy. It drops away when Truth is known and kept alive. XV. The desire not to die has a deep root in Atma, which is deathless. XVI. If this desire becomes bound up with the objective it is superimposition of the characteristic of Atma on non-Atma. How can objects that are by definition time-limited, be made to transcend time? XVII. Atma is happiness itself. It is on account of this that in every being there is desire for happiness. When it is supposed to come from objects, there is superimposition of the characteristic of the one upon the other. XVIII. The desire for freedom too has its root in Atma which is the only unconditioned existence. XIX. Attraction, repulsion, dear, sorrow, restlessness, sense of dependence, untruthfulness, laziness, passivity and such-like spring from body-connection. XX. Steadiness, love, happiness, peace, courage, sense of freedom, truthfulness, sense of existence, alertness, knowledge – these belong to the realm of Atma. XXI. Everything that emphasizes personality must be understood to have its origin in body connection. XXII. That which helps one is expand beyond body-limits, must be seen to have emanated from Atma. Characteristics must be distinguished in this manner and seen in their respective domains. XXIII. If this is to be done then and there, it blocks the way to the superimposition of the characteristics of the one upon the other. XXIV. If all possibility of superimposition is thus removed one comes to one’s natural state in which it is realized that the entire objective world is also nothing other than Consciousness. XXV. This latter truth can be realized too by a strict analysis of the objective world itself. This is will also remove all delusion. XXVI. Objects of Consciousness can never be separated from Consciousness itself. They have no independent existence. They are therefore nothing other than Consciousness. XXVII. Approaching the truth in this manner will also remove the mistaken body-Consciousness identity and all delusion. One will then find oneself established as Atma, the one and only Reality. 11. Reality as it is. I. Words such as immutable and formless cannot even by their negative import, show Reality as it is. II. The statement that man is not a beast is no doubt true. But does it show any of his true characteristics? III. It is impossible to show Reality as it is. Words are at best pointers. IV. If, without knowing this, one contemplates what is literally signified by words, one’s experience of Reality will be tainted to that extent. V. If words are taken merely as helps to rise above all thoughts, it is perfectly in order. VI. If Reality is conceived of as beyond all thoughts, and contemplation directed accordingly, words may help to lead one to a stage where all thoughts cease and Reality is experienced. VII. Doubt may arise whether it is possible to contemplate beyond all thoughts. It is possible. The difficulty is only apparent. VIII. It is true that only an object of perception can be directly contemplated. The ‘I’ is always perceiver and never an object of perception. IX. As it is not an object of perception, direct contemplation of the ‘I’ is out of question. None the less, because it is experienced as one’s Being, it is possible to contemplate it indirectly. X. Can it not be contemplated as the residue left after the removal of everything objective from the apparent ‘I’? XI. This contemplative thought itself will automatically come to a standstill in the end, and in that stillness will be seen shining one’s true nature. XII. What is beyond all thoughts may be indirectly contemplated in other ways as well. They will also take one one’s true nature. XIII. Always bear in mind that such words as Consciousness or Knowledge, Being or Happiness, all point to the ‘I’. XIV. Hold on to one thought to dispel other thoughts. Let that thought be such as points to one’s being. XV. Think of one’s being as that into which as thoughts merge, then the one thought taken hold of gives up its form and merges into Being. XVI. Just as we apply the word knowledge to denote also the function of knowing, we use the word happiness to denote the function of enjoying as well. XVII. It is within the experience of all that knowledge and happiness dawn only when the respective functions of knowing and enjoying cease. XVIII. Thus, Knowledge and Happiness are one’s own Being. With this conviction, if thought is directed to either of these, that thought also gives up its form and merges. XIX. Merger will never be into deep sleep, but into one’s own Being. All knots of the heart will be cut asunder by this means. 12. Experience I. In one’s experience – strictly so called – there is neither thought nor external object present. It is the state in which all alone one abides in one’s Self. II. Objects of perception being believed to be the cause of experience, tempt the ignorant. III. If strictly viewed, it can be seen that there is nothing like cause and effect. Even if they are conceded, effect will never exists independently of cause. It is admitted on all hands that the cause will be seen in the effect. IV. But no such cause appears in one’s experience. It follows then that experience has n cause. V. If it has no cause why this hunt for objects? All that is needed is only the merger of thoughts. VI. Always contemplating the nature of experience itself, will bring about this merger. VII. The intense thought that one is neither doer nor enjoyer will also bring about the same result. VIII. If one can see that thought as such is really non-existent or that it is nothing other than Consciousness, this is the best means. 13. Witness of Thought I. Right analysis will show that it is the mind assuming the form of an object that is commonly spoken of as the illumination of the object (its perception or knowledge). II. Atma is the immutable Consciousness that, without effort or any change in Itself, perceives such modifications of the mind. III. A little thinking will show that this is the principle signified by the word ‘I’. IV. Abiding there, one sees nothing else; there is no body, mind world, or sense-organs. V. Nothing came into existence nor is there indeed a thought that anything existed before or is existing now. The non-doer-Consciousness is always ‘enjoying’ Itself. 14. World & Consciousness I. Water, by contact with time and space which are entirely distinct and different from it, can produce a wave. There is no possibility of a world being formed in this way. II. Nothing exists independently of Consciousness. How then is it possible for a different and independent something to come into contact with Consciousness to form a world? III. Water by itself can never form a wave. Likewise Consciousness by itself can never form a world. IV. Therefore, the world is not, has never been and is never going to be. V. What is really existing is Consciousness alone. Consciousness is Happiness itself. The Atma signified by the word ‘I’ is also That. 15. Nothing Changes. I. It is clear that one thing can never change into another without the destruction of its swarupa. II. If its swarupa is destroyed can the thing remain over? Unless it remains over how can it be said that it has changed into another, since its identity is lost, and there is nothing to connect it with the new thing? III. Thus a thing can never undergo a change. There is neither birth nor death – are not both changes? IV. He who in like manner by a searching enquiry into the nature of things discovers this truth and abides in it, is the great soul who has gained his objective, known the one thing that has to be known and remains ever contented. 16. Jnani I. I am that Consciousness that remains over after the removal of everything objective from Me. II. I have no body, vital energy (prana), perceptions, thoughts and desires; I am above attraction and repulsion, pleasure and pain, dear and delusion. III. I am pure Consciousness. Realizing that every object wherever placed is asserting Me, I enjoy Myself everywhere and in everything. 17. The real “I” I. In the deep-sleep state and whenever any desire is accomplished, I alone shine as the undisturbed peace and happiness. I am the inmost principle which is Sat-Cit-Ananda itself. I am That which transcends all. II. Just before and just after every thought and feeling, I shine in my own glory by Myself. It is in Me that thoughts and feelings rise and set. I am their changeless Witness. III. I am the Light of Consciousness in all thoughts and perceptions and the Light of Love in all feelings. I have no birth and death, nor grief and delusion. I transcend bondage and liberation. IV. The world which rises in - and grows by - thought is also thought itself. Thought is nothing but Consciousness and Consciousness is My Being. Therefore the whole world is Consciousness which is Myself. I am perfect and indivisible. V. I have no mine-ness, attachment or egoism. I am eternal, non-doer, all purity, self-dependent and self-luminous. Attributeless, changeless and unconditioned, I am the abode of Love, stainless, the one without second and ever peaceful. 18. Thoughts and Objects I. The attribution of realty to things which rise in thoughts is the cause of all bondage. II. Form can exist only as the object of seeing and never independently of it. This rule applies alike to all sense-objects. III. Objects have themselves no connection with each other – their connection is always with thoughts alone. IV. An object cannot exist even for a moment unless cognized by thought. When thought changes, the object changes also. V. Thus they are inseparable and therefore one. The truth is that One thing is kept divided by mere words. VI. Therefore even to hold that things rise in thought is mere delusion. There is thought only and the content of thought in Consciousness. VII. If this truth is always kept alive thought will soon vanish and Consciousness reign. Then comes liberation from all bondage. 19. Two types of Consciousness I. Samvit (Consciousness) has two aspects: conditioned and non-conditioned. It is the former that illumines objects of Consciousness. The latter is pure consciousness. II. Sense-objects such as sound, touch, smell, etc., are mere thought-forms. Therefore, correctly speaking, thoughts alone are the objects of consciousness. III. He who by careful analysis and discrimination is unable to reach the unconditioned aspect, may well abide in the conditioned. He will reach the unconditioned in due course if he does not remain contented in the conditioned. IV. Observing carefully, one can see every thought rise and set in pure Consciousness alone. V. What is not Consciousness is all thought-form. Pure Consciousness can never bear witness to it. VI. It is no argument to say that memory – itself a thought-form – stands changeless watching all thoughts in succession. VII. It is common experience that when there are other thoughts, memory is not there with them. How then can memory call up past thoughts? VIII. If memory cannot do it, it is no memory at all. Memory is therefore a meaningless word. IX. It cannot but be admitted that it is always memory that calls up past thoughts. X. If memory is non-existent, it follows that other thoughts are non-existent also, there being no witness to prove their existence. XI. Therefore it can be clearly understood that what appeared to be conditioned is also pure unconditioned Consciousness. 20. The Seer and the Seen I. If one looks through the gross organ eye, gross forms alone appear. The same relation exists between other gross organs and their objects. II. Leaving the physical organs, if one looks through the subtle organ called mind, subtle forms appear. III. Looking through the attribute-less pure Consciousness, one sees Consciousness only and nothing else. IV. This experience proves that the objective world will always appear in perfect tune with the stand taken up by the subject. V. Therefore it is not the objective world which presents obstacles to one’s spiritual progress, but the stand one has taken up. VI. If this is given up, spiritual enlightenment follows. To give up the stand, courage and one-pointed attention and heart’s devotion are absolutely necessary. VII. A critical examination of the objective world will also bring about the same result. VIII. To arrive at the conclusion that this solid-seeming world is a mere thought does not solve the whole problem. It cannot give entire satisfaction, for the thought-world remains. IX. The examination did not give satisfaction because it was conducted from the level of the buddhi which was left unexplained. X. Buddhi is also something perceived. Is not oneself (Consciousness) the real perceiver? To examine thoughts one has to take one’s stand in perceiving Consciousness. XI. When it is seen that the content of thought is nothing but Consciousness, thought vanishes and Consciousness remains. XII. Consciousness when mistakenly supposed to be conditioned by time, appears as thought. Really it is not so conditioned. XIII. Is not time itself a thought? How then can the rise of a thought be attributed to the conditioning of Consciousness by time? XIV. Therefore, strictly speaking, there is no thought. There is only Consciousness. The idea of time is a mere superimposition by delusion. XV. Only one who, right through, maintains a disinterested witness’s standpoint and examines things calmly with a critical and never-faltering eye, can realize this absolute Truth. XVI. In the waking state one becomes aware that dream-objects were unreal. XVII. If a man seen in dream was unreal. His mind must be equally unreal. XVIII. In the same manner the subject in the dream-state, who is also a product of the dream, cannot but be unreal. XIX. The body in the dream-state is different from the body in the waking-state. When the former is all-active the latter is lying in a passive state. XX. The thoughts and perceptions of the subject in the dream cannot likewise be the thoughts and perceptions of the waking subject. XXI. The thoughts and perceptions of the former are unreal, being the product of the dream. XXII. The question then arises: Who had the dream? To this, the correct answer is that no one had it and that there has never been a dream-state. XXIII. The world of the waking-state, also, if examined in like manner, will be found to be non-existent. Then one regains one’s true nature and becomes permanently established as pure Consciousness. ॐ Glossary Approximate meaning of Sanskrit terms, arranged in the order in which they appear in the text Atma The real Self Atma Darshan Literally, perception of the Real Self. In the context, it means Self-realization. It may also mean the means of Self-realization. Advaita Non-dualism Jiva Individual soul; or apparent “I”. Sat Life absolute Chit Knowledge absolute Ananda Bliss absolute Satva Thought turning towards Atma (Self) Avidya Wrong knowledge Vidya Right knowledge Nirvakalpa Samadhi The state in which mind becomes merged in Consciousness for a while and there is deep peace Rasa Unbroken peace and harmony Prana Vital energy Swarupa That which establishes the identity of a thing. Samvit Consciousness Buddhi Intellect Atma-Nirvriti (Freedom and Felicity in the Self) by Sri Krishna Menon (Atmananda) CONTENTS 1 Atma 1 2 A Fundamental Doubt about Consciousness removed 2 3 Seeing and Hearing 3 4 Knowledge always unconnected with Objects 4 5 The Background of the Objective World 5 6 The Ignorant Man and the Sage 6 7 The Origin and the Dissolution of the World 8 8 Beyond all Doubt 9 9 Knowledge is not the name of a Function 10 10 Peace and Knowledge 11 11 Thoughts and Myself 12 12 The Non-existence of Objects 13 13 The Non-existence of Thought 14 14 Past being Past, Where is Bondage? 15 15 The Subject and the Object are one in Myself 17 16 The ‘I’ in its Pure State 18 17 Perceptions and Objects 19 18 To the Mind 20 19 The Puja of the Sense-organs and the Mind 22 20 The Natural State 24 21 All is Consciousness 26 22 Atma’s disappointment 27 23 Experience and the Objective World 28 THREE ARTICLES “I” 31 “Witness” 34 “World” 36 A free rendering of the Malayalam Poetical work of the same name by the author himself. Atma-Nirvriti 1. Atma I. It is mind that has thoughts and feelings, not I. Birth, growth, decay and death pertain to the body and not to me. II. I am no body – I have no body. I am no mind – I have no mind. I am no doer. I am no enjoyer. I am pure consciousness which knows no dissolution. III. That which shines just before and after every thought and feeling is the “I”. That is objectless consciousness; that is Atma. IV. It is that Atma again that shines as bliss in deep sleep and also when a desired object is attained. V. The world shines because of My Light: without Me, nothing is. I am the light in my perception of the world. 2. A Fundamental Doubt about Consciousness Removed I. He who says that consciousness is never experienced without its object speaks from a superficial level. II. If he is asked the question, “Are you a conscious being?”, he will spontaneously give the answer “Yes.” This answer springs from the deepest level. III. Here he doesn’t even silently refer to anything as the object of that consciousness. This proves that the consciousness he refers to is objectless consciousness. IV. He who says, “I have consciousness,” or “I am conscious,” is separating consciousness from himself; this is surprising. V. What is not consciousness comes under the category of the known. The ‘I’ is always the knower and can never be the known. Therefore consciousness and the ‘I’ are one and the same. 3. Seeing and Hearing I. Unless there is seeing, there is no form. Form has no independence existence and is therefore the seeing itself. II. If form is itself seeing, how can one see a form? Therefore what is seen is not form but something different. III. Likewise objects of the other senses are also mere sense perceptions. IV. Because hearing is itself sound, no one hears a sound. This truth applies generally to all sense-objects. V. If therefore a searching enquiry is made to know what it is that is really received, it will be found that it is the Absolute Reality itself. VI. If it is the Absolute Reality that is perceived, how can the illusion of a world exists thereafter? 4. Knowledge always unconnected with Objects I. The knowledge of a thing does not prove the thing’s existence. IS there not the knowledge of a serpent in a rope and the knowledge of objects in a dream? II. The knowledge of a thing does not show the thing’s nature, but only shows knowledge. III. He is great who sees light (consciousness) alone in the manifestation of all objects. IV. Whether the objects are present or absent, he who has seen pure consciousness stands in it always. V. This truly is his own abode. It is changeless, carefree, truth, all-harmony, peace, holy and most exalted. 5. The Background of the Objective World I. Sound, form, touch, taste, and smell can never exist by themselves. They always need a background to support them. II. The background cannot be seen by the sense-organs. Names are usually given to it without its nature being known. III. There is the scent and beauty (form) of a flower. But who knows what a flower really is? IV. There is the same ignorance regarding the background of every sense-object. V. The substratum of all is one and the same. Diversity is only of things perceived. VI. The substratum remains unperceived; therefore there is no diversity in it. That is existence, that is one’s self, that is consciousness pure, beauty transcendent and the abode of peace. 6. The Ignorant Man and the Sage I. The stand of an ignorant, worldly man is that he is a body, gross or subtle. There is no necessity for him to think or to do japa (chanting a sacred name or syllable), in order to maintain his stand. II. When he perceives the body, he becomes its possessor and when he doesn’t perceive it, he remains as body. III. Whatever happens to the body is claimed by him to be happening to himself on account of the close identification. IV. As for the sage, his stand is that he is pure consciousness. To maintain that stand he need not think or do japa. V. A sage knows well that consciousness is self-luminous and that it is consciousness that illumines the entire world. VI. He knows also that his real nature is consciousness and experience and cannot as such be known or experienced. VII. Hence he does not desire or make any attempt to know or experience it. VIII. The sage knows from the deepest conviction that he is consciousness and that he has attained what has to be attained. IX. Because consciousness never undergoes any change, he knows also that he is changeless. X. Because of his deep-rooted conviction that he is consciousness, consciousness may sometimes become manifest before a perception. XI. But whether it becomes so manifest or not, because he has this deep-rooted conviction, he is ever contented, free and happy. 7. The Origin and the Dissolution of the World I. Knowledge objectified is thought. Then the ‘I’ remains as the witness of thought. II. Without My being seen as the witness, thought is joined to Me and I am made by the thinker by living beings. III. And subsequently, the thinker is made the physical perceiver and then the corresponding thought becomes a gross object. IV. Thus living being make of Me the world, and ignoring Me, live in bondage. V. The illusion of the world which comes about by these successive superimpositions can be removed only by going back along the same path. 8. Beyond all Doubt To attain the ultimate reality, one must go beyond both the existence and the non-existence of non-Atma. NOTE: -- By non-Atma is meant everything objective, including thoughts, feelings, perceptions and doings. 9. Knowledge is not the name of a Function I. All objects dissolve in knowledge. They are therefore none other than consciousness. II. A pot (when broken) dissolves into earth because it is of earth that it is made. It cannot dissolve into anything else. III. So the statement ‘I know the thing,’ when properly examined, will be found to mean only that the ting has dissolved in knowledge. IV. Conceding that seeing and hearing are functions, it is only after the cessation of these functions that one can say one has known. V. Thus it can be clearly seen that knowledge is not the name given to a function. VI. It is therefore wrong to say “I know it,” because here knowing denotes a function. What ought properly to be said it, “It has become knowledge.” VII. When one’s mind is fully satisfied regarding the truth thus expounded, a complete change of attitude will ensue. 10. Peace and Knowledge I. Since feelings rise and set in peace, their swarupa is peace. II. Since thoughts rise and set in knowledge, their swarupa is knowledge/ III. Deep peace and pure knowledge are one and the same thing. Different names are given to it because it is looked at from different angles. 11. Thoughts and Myself I. how can the thoughts that rise and set in Me, be other than Myself? II. When there is thought, I am seeing Myself; when there is no thought, I am remaining in My own glory. 12. The Non-existence of Objects I. Before the seeing, there is no ‘seen’ (drishyam*) and there is no ‘seen’ after the seeing. There can be no doubt about it. II. When this truth is clearly understood, it will be evident that there is no ‘seen’ even at the time of the seeing. And then ceases all bondage. * DRISHYAM is an object seen, with the accent not on the ting which has no existence by itself, but upon the seeing as a result of which the thing comes into existence. 13. The Non-existence of Thought I. Thought is subtle: it cannot come into contact with a gross object nor can it have any connection with it because they are in different planes. II. This being so, one can never think of a gross object, and to say one can, is wrong. III. The idea that subtle objects can take their rise in thought will also be found on careful examination to be untrue. IV. There is no doubt that a subtle object is itself a thought-form. One thought can never exist in another. V. A thought can therefore never have an object, gross or subtle. It cannot then be called a thought. VI. This objectless thought is one’s real domain, formless and changeless. It is this that is pointed to by the word ‘I’. VII. There was no bondage before, there is none now and there will not be any hereafter, since thought has no existence. 14. Past being Past, Where is Bondage? I. A past action cannot come back again, nor can a past thought. II. There is no thought in an action and no action in a thought; they have no connection with each other. III. Though a thought may occur after an action, that thought cannot be related to it since the action is not present when the thought occurs. IV. Though one thought may follow another, there can be no connection between them either. V. A past thought is one that has ceased to exists; how then can such a thought come into contact with a new one? VI. Two or more thoughts can never occur simultaneously. For hits reason also, thoughts can never have any connection between themselves. VII. This clearly proves that action and thought exist independently of each other. VIII. This being so, how can they be the cause of bondage? To think that bondage is caused by them is clearly an illusion. NOTE: In this Section the word “action” is used to denote only bodily activities. 15. The Subject and the Object are one in Myself I. Experience and knowledge are inside. How can their objects be outside? II. It follows that there is nothing outside: all is within. III. What is within is Myself, and therefore the experiencer and the experience are one and the same, that is Myself. 16. The ‘I’ in its Pure State I. In between thoughts and in the deep-sleep state shines that principle to which the word ‘I’ points. II. There the mind has dissolved and cannot therefore perceive it. III. When the mind is directed to it, it changes into that, losing the characteristics of mind. This is called samadhi. IV. Whether there is thought or not, to be always self-centered is called the natural state (Sahaja-samadhi). 17. Perceptions and Objects I. Seeing goes into the make of form and form into the make of seeing; therefore both are non-existent as such. This is true of the other sense-perceptions also. II. No one sees anything, no one hears anything, because objects and sense-activities have no existence. III. Thus all are in deep-sleep state, a deep-sleep state where there is no ignorance (non-knowingness). 18 To the Mind I. If you are going to live as you please, claiming that you are I, how can you accomplish your desire? II. Don’t believe that by such a claim, your vagaries will be accepted by Me. III. At least hereafter, you must know the truth of the saying, “He who does a thing, alone reaps the fruit of that action, good or bad.” IV. If you can live according to your claim, it is well and good. But, to do so, you must first try to see Me. V. Although I am in front of you, in you and behind you, it is better first to look behind and try to see Me there. VI. I am always standing behind you disinterestedly witnessing your varies activities. You can see Me so without much effort. VII. As soon as you turn behind to see Me, I will take you into the inmost core of your being and there you will see Me. VIII. Later on, you will see Me in your thoughts and feelings. IX. Still later, you will see that the thoughts and feelings are none other than Myself. X. Since all objects are mere thought-forms, they will also be seen in the end as Myself. XI. Then you will not see Me different from yourself. Your claim that you are I, will become true only when you reach that state. 19. The Puja of the Sense-organs and the Mind I. I am pure happiness. All the activities of the sense-organs and the mind aim at happiness. II. Thus all their activities are puja done to Me. III. I am ever in repose, disinterestedly perceiving this puja. IV. Again and again they touch Me unawares and lapse into passivity. V. Coming out of it, they continue their puja again. VI. Once they understand that by their activities they are doing puja to Me, and in passivity they lie in touching Me, all their suffering ceases. VII. Thereafter, action done will be no action, and passivity will be no passivity, because ignorance has been rooted out. NOTE: PUJA is the worship done to an idol. It consists of various acts, such as bathing the idol or washing its feet, placing garlands around its neck, applying sandalwood paste to the forehead and other parts of the body, burning camphor in front of it and throwing flowers at its feet; the final act is the worshipper’s prostration before the idol. All these together constitute Puja. These acts, taken by themselves, have no connection with each other. They get connected through the idol. Likewise the varies activities of the senses and mind get connected with each other thought the “Happiness” aspect of the “I-principle”. 20. The Natural State I. Variety is in the objects (of consciousness). The perceiving consciousness is one and the same throughout. But because consciousness is commonly seen connected with the objects, change is attributed to that also by delusion. II. Objects can never cause any change in consciousness. If consciousness changed, how could it perceive the variety of objects? III. Objects undergo that change called destruction. Consciousness alone is changeless. Body, sense-organs, mind, will and intellect come under the category of objects. IV. On account of the inability to see them simply as objects, one supposes them to be changeless through delusion. V. Being always the knower, one can never come under the category of the known. Even the word knower is wrong, because the changeless knower is knowledge (consciousness) itself; not an embodied being. VI. Nothing hides consciousness. It is present in all mental activities such as thought, grief, pleasure, pain, etc. It is in it (consciousness) that all men are carrying on their life’s activities. VII. A man believes he is bound, becomes miserable, seeks liberation and for that purpose approaches a Guru and listens to his teachings. But all this time he was unknowingly standing in pure consciousness alone which is itself the truth he was seeking. VIII. When once he becomes fully aware of this stand he is freed and thenceforward, all thoughts, feelings and objects of perception will be pointing to himself. 21. All is Consciousness I. Knowledge has nothing to know. The insentient can never know, being insentient. II. Therefore no one knows anything. All beings stand established as pure consciousness. 22. Atma’s Disappointment I. I created thoughts, perceptions and the rest as a means whereby I could make Myself known. II. Yet people don’t look at Me but cling to the objects of their thoughts and feelings. How then is their bondage to end? III. Taking away the objects, I created a deep-sleep state; it was also meant to make Myself known. IV. There being no thought or feeling nor anything else to be seen in that state, they blindly began to see nothingness in it. V. Whether objects are present or absent, I an always there without change. VI. My position is just in front of the eyes. It is in and through Me that all men see, yet they don’t see Me. This is most surprising. VII. If a man always insists on closing his eyes when he faces Me, how can he see Me? 23. Experience* and the Objective World I. It is experience that must prove the existence of anything. An object as such is never experienced. II. It is the knowledge of it that may be said to have been experienced. Even this is not strictly correct. III. If an object is not experienced it must be held to be non-existent. How can there be knowledge of a non-existent thing? Therefore it is not even the knowledge of an object that is experienced but knowledge itself. & Thus experience proves that the entire objective world is knowledge and knowledge alone. IV. That is consciousness and that is ATMA. * EXPERIENCE is deeper than the superficial knowledge or feeling. It is in that sense that the word is used here. The following is the English rendering of three Malayalam articles I published in different periodical at different times. They are incorporated in this book because it is hoped that they will be of help to understand TRUTH better. “I” The ordinary man does not care to know the true significance of the word “I”. Nor is it necessary for his temporal needs. It is only when one begins to lose interest in worldly life and develops a sincere longing to know the Truth that one turns attention to spiritual matters. Those who are purely worldly-minded and do not want to know anything else can never profit by hearing the Truth. There are some who have spiritual samskaras lying hidden in them, which are not allowed to manifest themselves by the opposite ones that have temporal sway. If such people hear the Truth their dormant spiritual samskaras are awakened and they produce a sincere longing for the Truth. This leads them on to the desired goal. The goal is liberated from bondage, which is gained by establishing oneself in the true nature of the “I-Principle”. The word “I” is often indiscriminately used to denote many things. I stand identifies with the body when I say “I am fat, I am lean, I sit, I walk, etc.”; with the senses when I say “I think, I feel, I desire, etc.” I know the activities of the body, the senses and mind and know that they get themselves co-coordinated and subordinated through me. This fact is within the experience of all. It is clear from this that these activities come under the category of the known. The I-Principles is their knower and therefore separate and distinct from body, senses and mind. It simply stands as their witness when they are functioning. It will at last be seen that even this witness-hood is a superimposition. Nevertheless it helps one to rise above the Ego (doer and enjoyer) and get established in the pure “I-Principle”. It can also be proved in a different manner that the “I-Principle” is distinct and separate from the body, senses and the mind. The waking, dream, and deep sleep states are common to all living beings. In the dream state the “I” identifies itself not with the body existing in the waking state, but with an entirely different one. It is evident that the waking body and the dream-body are quite different. The dream body does not exist in the waking state, nor does the waking body exist in the dream state. Neither of these bodies nor the mind functioning, in the dream and waking states, continues in the deep-sleep state. I know that I am present in all those states without a change. The “I” can never be the bodies or the mind which appear in one state and disappear in another. Certainly it transcends all that. Since it knows the coming and going of these three states it is the nature of consciousness. That consciousness never disappears. When there objects, I know the objects. When there are no objects, I stand objectless, in my own nature as pure consciousness. The pain I experience in the dream is confined to the dream state, and does not affect me in the waking state. And the pain I experience in the waking state is likewise confined to that state, and does not affect me in the dream state. Therefore, it is clear that the experiences I am having in particular states do not go into my being. For this reason it stands proved that the “I-Principle,” which is of the nature of consciousness, is also unattached. I love and seek objects because they give me pleasure. Therefore, it is clear that objects are loved not for their own sake. The “I-Principle” is loved more than the objects. But since it stands transcending even the mind it does not come under the realm of objects. Therefore, it cannot be an object which gives me happiness. It is pure happiness itself. Thus we have seen that the real nature of the “I-Principle” is pure consciousness and happiness. That alone is Sat, which cannot even be thought of as non-existent. We can think of anything to be non-existent. But nobody can think that the “I” is non-existent. Therefore, the “I-Principle” is Sat itself. It is this “I-Principle” in its real nature of Sat-Chit-Ananda that the ordinary man mistakes for the body, senses and the mind, and thereby becomes bound and suffers. Man’s duty is to attain liberation from this bondage, and that is gained by knowing his true nature and establishing himself in it. “WITNESS” No object can exist without getting recorded in knowledge. Sense-objects (sound, form, touch, taste, and smell), bodily activities, activities of the senses (seeing, hearing, etc.), and of the mind (thinking and feeling) – all, come under the “object series” (i.e. the known). It is evident that without this knowledge it is not possible to remember the past activities of the body, the senses, and the mind. It is through it that they get connected with each other, and this connection is absolutely necessary for one’s life in this world. There is no denying the fact that this knowledge is not transient like the bodily, sensory and mental activities. Thoughts, feelings and perceptions are getting immediately recorded in knowledge. If this knowledge were not permanent it would never be possible to remember them subsequently. This knowledge must come to show anything. Hence it stands as witness to everything. One cannot help standing as a witness to carry on life’s activities. The ordinary man does not know it and hence his bondage and misery. If one knowingly takes up this stand, that by itself without anything further brings about liberation. We say, “I know this, I know that, etc.” In such statements knowledge is treated as though it is the name of an action and the “I” as a doer. The word knowledge is not understood here in the sense in which it was discussed in the foregoing paragraph. Action needs an instrument. Seeing has its instrument, eye; hearing, ear; thinking and feeling, mind. Knowledge alone has no such instrument. To content that there is action even beyond mind is absurd. In deep sleep and Samadhi where there is no mind there is no action, but there is knowledge. The knowledge which knows thought and feelings must certainly be beyond mind. It cannot therefore be a doer and the knowing cannot be an action for the same reason. Knowing cannot be the function of a knower because here there is not knower other than the knowledge. There is only this knowledge beyond mind. All that is not “I” is its object. All that is not consciousness is its object. As between the “I” and consciousness, neither of them can be the object of the other. Further at no point of time can they remain separate. Therefore the “I” and consciousness (knowledge) are one and the same. In its real nature the “I” is not possessed of body, senses and mind. Mistaking this “I-Principle” as doer or enjoyer is the root of bondage and misery. Even when it is so mistaken, the “I” simply stands as the Witness. To stand there knowingly is all that is needed. It is this that Ashtavarka also says in the following verse: “You are the one knower of everything. Therefore you are not the liberated soul. Seeing the knower differently (or not as such) is your only bondage.” “WORLD” An examination of the world is also helpful to get established in the Real Self. The following verse is seen in ‘Paramarthasaram’ an ancient authoritative work on Vedanta Philosophy. This literally means that what is perceived is not different from perception and perception is not different from the Perceiver and that therefore the world is the Perceiver himself. This needs elaboration to make the sense clear. The world is nothing but sense-objects and they are sound, form, touch, taste and smell. It is not possible to separate these from sense-perceptions. Once cannot even think of a form without allowing the idea of seeing to get into the act of thinking. The same is the case with the objects of the other senses also. It can be seen from this that even an idea, the sense-objects do not admit of separation from the respective sense-perceptions. Therefore objects are not different from, but one with perceptions. These perceptions not being outside, what is called the world cannot also exist outside. Sense-perceptions themselves may be examined now. They never stand separate from consciousness. With eyes open one does not see anything unless consciousness is there. Therefore sense-perceptions are nothing but consciousness. So also are all the activities of the mind. This shows that the entire gross world and the subtle are consciousness itself. In my previous article on “The I,” I showed that the ‘I-Principle’ is consciousness. It follows then that all that is known and the knower ‘I’ are only pure consciousness. Liberation from bondage consists in establishing oneself there. Now we may examine the world in a different way. The world is nothing but objects of perception. They are not experienced by anyone. It is experience that must prove anything. Since objects are not experience they are not existent as such. Sound and form do not come within one’s experience. Only their knowledge may be said to form the content of experience. Therefore relying on experience one can only say that there is knowledge of a world, not that a world exists. Can there be knowledge of a world when there is no world? No. Therefore it is not even the knowledge of a world that is experienced, but only mere knowledge. It is clear from this, that what is called world is only knowledge itself (consciousness). In the first paragraph it was shown that the world is but a perception and perception is consciousness itself. This may be made briefer still. The gross and subtle worlds (physical and mental) cannot be separated from knowledge (consciousness) at any point of time. Therefore they are nothing but consciousness.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Jul 2013 07:03:28 +0000
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