Aparokshanubhoothi by Adi Sankaracharya

Aparokshanubhoothi by Adi Sankara is composed of 144 stanzas in which the the absolute truth Brahman cannot be realized until the seeker the difference between Brahman/Atman/purusha and the things that are apparent in this world. Sankara uses logic to prove that the body is an illusion and that Brahman or the absolute truth is that which is beyond all bodies. He then examines the reason for this illusion and concludes that ignorance is the cause of such illusion. Next, he provides a fifteen step process through which truth can be attained and describes eight common obstructions that are encountered on this path

Opening prayer to Hari
Sri Harim paramananda mupadeshtameeswaram,
Vyapakam sarva lokaanam karanam tham namamyaham 1
I salute that Sri Hari[4],
Who is the pure immortal bliss,
Who is the first teacher,
Who is God himself,
Who pervades everywhere,
And who is the cause of this world.
Objective of Aparokshanubhoothi
Shankara uses Aparoksha Anubhuthi (Non indirect experience) instead of Prathyaksha Anubhuthi (Direct experience) since most seekers prefer indirect experience and he is trying to motivate the reader to have the non-indirect experience.
Aaparokshanu bhoothirvai prochyathe Moksha sidhaye,
Sadbhireva prayathnena veekshaneeya muhur muhu., 2
The method of direct experience[5],
Which leads to salvation,
Is expounded here, so that,
The good people with little effort,
Can meditate on this truth
Which is taught here for all times.
The three paths of attaining the absolute truth
Swa varnashrama dharmena, thapasa hari thoshanath,
Sadhanam prabhaveth pumsam vairagyadhi chathushtayam., 3
People practicing the prescribed Dharma of their class,
Can propitiate through meditation, that Lord Hari.
And also attain their desired aim of reaching.
The four aspects of renunciation, wisdom, loss of desires and salvation.
An effort is made to clearly define renunciation as against absence of desire.
Qualities of a true seeker of Brahman
Brahmadhi sthavarantheshu vairagyam vishayeshvanu,
Yadhaiva kakavishtayam vairagyam thadhi nirmalam., 4
Not having desire on things.
From to Brahma to immobile things is renunciation,
But Indifference similar to that towards crow shit.
To everything is rightly called the purest renunciation.
The sense of true spiritual discrimination is defined.
Nithyam athma swaroopam hi drusyam thad viparree thagam,
Yevam yo nischaya samyag viveko vasthuna sa vai., 5
Only nature of the soul is perennial,
All others are impermanent,
Arriving at such a conviction,
Is truly the capacity for discrimination.
The difference between two types of abandoning of desires (Sama and Dhama) is brought out
Sadaiva vasana thyaga samoyam ithi sabditha,
Nigraho bahya vrutheenam Dhama ithyabhidheeyathe., 6
Abandoning desires[6] for ever is called “Shama”,
Controlling external functions of all organs,
Is indicated by the word “Dhama.”
Renunciation of desires and endurance of sorrows is defined.
Vishanyebhya para vruthiparamoparatheerhi sa,
Sahanam sarva dukhanam thithiksha saa shubhaa mathaa., 7
Turning away from sensual needs is called “Uparathi”,
Endurance of all sorrow is called “thithiksha.
Faith in teachers and mind concentrated search is defined.
Nigamacharya vakyeshu bhakthi sradhethi vishrutha,
Chithai kagryam sa lakshye samadhanamithismrutham., 8
Implicit faith in teachers and Vedas is Sradha,
And concentration only on Brahman is Samadhana
Burning desire to get rid of bonds of the world is the sign of a Mumukshu.
Samsara bandha nirmukthi kadham may syath kadha vidhe,
Ithi ya su druda budhir vakthavya saa mumukshutha., 9
Concentrated wish to know about when and how,
One gets rid of bonds of this world, Is Mumukshutha.
Uktha sadhana yukthena vichara purushena hi,
Karthavyo jnana sidhyardhamathmana shubhamam ichatha., 10
Only a person who has the above mentioned traits,
Should involve himself in such constant reflection,
So that he desires and attains his own good.
Nothu padyandhe vina jnanam vicharena anya sadhanai,
Yada padartha bhanam hi prakasena vina kkachid., 11
Knowledge is never attained without reflection,
Like an object is never seen without a bright light.
How to seek the Brahman/Athma
Koham kadhamidham, jatham ko vai katha asya vidhyathe,
Upadhaanm kimastheeha vichara soyameedrusa., 12
The enquiries that needs to be done are,
Who am I? how was the word created?
Who is its creator? and with what has it been made?
Naham bhootha gano deho naham chaksha ganasthadha,
Ethadwi lakshana kaschid vichara soyam eedrusa., 13
The hall mark of enquiries is thoughts like
I am not the body made out of the five elements,
Nor am I a mixture of the different senses.
Ajnana prabhavam sarva jnanena pravileeyathe,
Sankalpo vividha kartha vichara soyam eedrusa., 14
The real thought process within us should be,
I see differences between things because of ignorance,
All these differences would vanish when I get wisdom,
And the various thoughts in me are the reason for what I see.
Yethayor upadhanamekam sookshmam, sad avyayam,
Yadhaiva mudhataadheenam vichara soyam eedrusa., 15
The cause for this ignorance and the thought process,
Is subtle and one without second and unchanging existence,
Similar to the clay being the cause of inanimate things like a mud pot.
The various thoughts in me are the reason for what I see.
Aham yekapi sookshmascha jnatha sakshi sadavyaya,
Thadaham nathra sandeho vichara soyam eedreusa., 16
I am the only one, micro existence beyond all thoughts,
I am the knower, the witness, the truth, the indivisible,
And there is no doubt whatsoever that,
The various thoughts in me are the reason for what I see.
The body and the Atma
Aathma vinishkalo hyoko deho bahubhir avrutha,
Thayair ikyam prapasyanthi kim ajnana matha param., 17
Athma is one and does not have any parts,
And the body is divisible in to various organs,
What can be the worst act of ignorance,
Than thinking that these two are one.
Aathma niyaamanga schaandardeho bahyo niyamyaka,
Thyair ikyam prapasyanthi kim ajnana matha param., 18
Athma is the ruler and exists within,
The body is the ruled and is outside,
What can be the worst act of ignorance,
Than thinking that these two are one.
Athma jnanamaya punyo deho mamsa mayo asuchi,
Thyair ikyam prapasyanthi kim ajnana matha param., 19
Athma is the holy consciousness
And the body is made of flesh and impure,
What can be the worst act of ignorance,
Than thinking that these two are one.
Athma prakasaka swacho, dehas thamasa uchyathe,
Thyair ikyam prapasyanthi kim ajnana matha param., 20
Athma is pure and supreme,
Body is base and dark,
What can be the worst act of ignorance,
Than thinking that these two are one.
Athma nithyohi sadrupo, deho anithya hyasanmaya,
Thyair ikyam prapasyanthi kim ajnana matha param., 21
Athma is eternal and ever existent,
Body is transient and non existent,
What can be the worst act of ignorance,
Than thinking that these two are one.
Athma na sthath prakasathvam, padarthaa yathrthavabhasanam,
Nagnayaadhee deepthi va dheepthir bhathayandhyam yatho nisi., 22
The light of Athma makes us see everything,
But light of Athma is not like that of fire,
For without fire in darkness we cannot see,
But Athma makes us see everything at all times.
Deho aham ithyayam moodo dhruthwa thishtathyaho jana,
Mamaya mithyapi jnathwa ghata dhrushtena sarvadha., 23
The foolish think that they are the body,
Though it is something belonging to them,
This sort of illusion is like a man,
Thinking that the pot always belongs to him.
Real knowledge and real wisdom
Brahmaivaham sama santhi sachidananda lakshanam,
Naham deho hyasadroopo jnana mithyuchyuthe budhai., 24
The wise say that the true knowledge is that,
“I am definitely not the body which is an illusion
But I am Brahman, I am peace, I am equanimity,
I am the existence, bliss and knowledge,
.”
Nirvikaro nirakaro niravadhyo aham avyaya
Naham deho hyasadroopo jnana mithyuchyuthe budhai., 25
The wise say that the true knowledge is that,
“I am definitely not the body which is an illusion
But I am without change, without any form,
Without any blemish and without any decay.”
Niramayo nirabhaso nirvikalpo ahamathatha,
Naham deho hyasadroopo jnana mithyuchyuthe budhai., 26
The wise say that the true knowledge is that,
“I am definitely not the body which is an illusion
But I am without disease, beyond all comprehension,
Beyond any change and I am all pervading.”
Nirguno nishkriyo nithyo nithya muktho aham achyutha,
Naham deho hyasadroopo jnana mithyuchyuthe budhai., 27
The wise say that the true knowledge is that,
“I am definitely not the body which is an illusion
But I am without properties and without any activity,
I am permanent, for ever free and imperishable.”
Nirmalo nischalo anantha sudhohamajaro amara,
Naham deho hyasadroopo jnana mithyuchyuthe budhai., 28
The wise say that the true knowledge is that,
“I am definitely not the body which is an illusion,
But I am without stains, without movement and limits,
I am pure, I never age and I never die.”
The above argument does not mean that Brahman/Athma does not exist.
Swadehe shobhanam santham purushakhyam cha sam matham,
Kim moorkhe soonyamathmanam dehatheetham karoshi bho., 29
Oh ignorant one, do not conclude because of these that,
Athma does not exist, for it exists in your body,
As something different, blissful and perennial.,
And is agreed to be same as the Purusha by the wise.
Sankara requests the novice seeker to reason and understand this Purusha[7]
Swathmanam srunu moorkha thwam sruthwa yukthya cha purusham,
Dehath atheetham sadakaram sudurdarsa bhava drusai., 30
Oh ignorant one, using the sruthis and your own reasoning,
Try to understand this Purusha, which is beyond the body,
And which is the very form of existence,
Though you would find it difficult to understand.
Again, Sankara brings out the difference between the body and Purusha (Brahman/Athma)
Aham sabdhena vikhyata yeka yeva sthitha para,
Sthoola sthava anekatham prapth kadham syaddehaka puman., 31
This supreme Purusha, which is beyond the body,
Is well known as “I”, but it is only one,
But the body is in many forms,
And so how can “I” be the body.
Difference between Brahman and Body
Aham drusthru thaya sidho deho drusyathaya sthitha,
Mamaya mithi nirdhesath kadham syadhesaka puman., 32
“I” is well known as, he who perceives,
And the body is something that is perceived,
And so how can both these be same,
Also the body is claimed as mine by the “I”,
And so how can it be the same as “I”.
Aham vikara heenasthu deho nithyam vikaravan,
Ithi prathiyathe sakshath kadha syadhesaka puman., 33
I am never subject to any change by any cause,
But the body is subject to change by age or sickness,
And when this is experienced by every one,
How can both these be same?
Yasmath param ithi sruthwa thaya purusha lakshanam,
Vineernitham vimoodena kadam syadheshaka puman., 34
Having learned about the real properties of Purusha,
From the very holy books of Vedas,
And having understood that there is nothing greater than it,
How can we conclude that both these are same.
Sarva purusha yevethi sookthe purusha samgnithe,
Apyuchyathe yatha sruthwa kadam syadheshaka puman., 35
In Purusha Sooktha it has been clearly told,
That everything that we see is Purusha,
And having read and understood it,
How can we conclude that both these are same?
Asanga purusha proktho brahadharanykepi cha,
Anantha mala samslishta, kadam syadheshaka puman., 36
It is also been told in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad,
That the Purusha is completely unattached,
And knowing that body is having innumerable impurities,
How can we conclude that both these are same?
Tharaiva cha samakhyatha swayam jyothirhi Purusha,
Jada para prakasyoyam kadam syadheshaka puman., 37
It is also told in the same place that,
Purusha is shining and self luminescent,
And knowing the body as inert and
Can be illuminated only from outside,
How can we conclude that both these are same?
Prokthopi Karma kandena hyathma dehad dwilakshana,
Nithyascha thath phalam deha pathad anatharam., 38
Even that part of Veda emphasizing on rituals,
Tells us that Athma and the body are different,
And says that the results of rituals,
Exist along with the soul, even after the death of the body.
Lingam cha aneka samyuktham chalam drusyam vikari cha,
Avyapakama sadroopam thath kadham syath pumanayam., 39
The body is divided as the subtle and the gross,
And even this subtle body has many properties,
Is unstable, limited and non existent by nature,
And how can this body be that Purusha.
Conclusion: The Soul/Atma/Purusha/Brahman is distinct from the body
Yevam deha dwayad anya athma purusha easwara,
Sarvathma sarva roopascha sarvatheetha aham avyaya., 40
Thus, different from the type of bodies,
There exists the soul, which is Purusha,
The lord of everything and soul of everything,
And though present in everything,
Is different and transcends all of them.
Logic or Tharka Vada asserts that Prakrithi (prapancha/body ) has different existence from that of Athma/Brahman/Purusha. Since they are different and cannot become one, there is no salvation.
Ithyathma deha bhagena prapanchayaiva sathyatha,
Yadoktha tharka sasthrena Thatha kim purusharthatha., 41
Logic, asserts that the body and Purusha,
Are indeed very different,
And emphasizes in the reality of this world,
And that both of them act separately,
And if this so, how can there be salvation?
Ithyathma deha bhedena deha athmathwam nivaritham,
Idhaneem deha bedhasya hyasathwam sphutamuchyathe., 42
Thus thinking over the difference between body and Purusha,
It is concluded that there are indeed different,
But does the difference between them,
Indicate that the body is in truth without Purusha,
Argument to say that the body does not have a separate existence
Chaithanya asyaika roopathwad bhadho yuktho na karhichith,
Jeewathwam cha mrusha jneam rajjou sarpa graham yadha., 43
Consciousness being always the same.
Differentiation does not suit it,
And so like seeing a snake in a rope,
It is not proper to identify it as Purusha,
The body/world is only an illusion and is really the Brahman itself.
Rajjwa jnanath kshanenaiva yadwad drajjurhi sarpini,
Bhathi thadwachithi sakshad viswakarena kevala., 44
In some moments the rope appears as a snake,
Due to the ignorance of its real nature,
And without the rope changing its nature,
Similarly pure consciousness also appears,
To be the whole universe at such times.
Brahman/Purusha/athma is the cause of the body/world/Prapancha
Upadhanam prapanchasya brahmano anyathra vidhyathe,
Thasmath sarva prapanchoyam brahmai vasthi na chetharath., 45
There is no cause for this universe except Brahman,
(similar to the clay being the cause of a pot)[8]
So the entire Universe is Brahman and nothing else.
Cause and Effect of Brahman and the body
Vyapya vyapakatha mithya sarvamathmethi sasanath,
Ithi jnathe pare thathwe bedhasyavara kutha? 46
The Vedas declare that “everything that we see is Athman”,
And the difference between Athma which pervades,
And the universe in which it is said to be pervading,
In non existent and the difference is a result of an illusion.
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad says that there are no qualities/properties to Brahman.
Sruthya nivaritham noonam nanathwam swamukhena hi,
Kadham bhaso bhavedanya sthithe chadwaya karana., 47
The Vedas by itself has denied different forms of Brahman,
And once there is nothing else except the Brahman,
How can there be difference between Brahman and the world.
Brihadaranya Upanishad says that the individual travels from death to death.
Doshopi vihitha shruthya mruthyor mruthyum sa gachathi,
Iha pasyathi nanathwam mayaya vanchitho nara., 48
The Veda has found fault with those,
Who see manifoldness in Brahman,
And has clearly brought out that,
That these differences are seen,
By those men who are cheated by illusion.
Brahmana sarva bhoothani jayanthe paramathmana,
Thasmad yethani brahmaiva bhavathethya avatharayeth., 49
All beings are born from the great soul called Brahman,
And so they all should be considered as Brahman.
Bramaiva sarva namani roopani vividhani cha,
Karmanyapi samagrani vibharthathi sruthir jagai., 50
All those having differing names,
Or different shapes are only Brahman,
And the Vedas tell that it alone is the base,
Of all the actions that we see.
Like an ornament made from gold is Gold, That which is born out of Brahman is Brahman (emphasis of Sloka 49)
Suvarnath jaya manasya suvarnathwam cha saswatham,
Brahmano jayamanasya brahmathwam cha thadha bhaveth., 51
Like gold is the permanent thing, in things made of gold,
Because all things were born out of Brahman,
Brahman is the nature of everything.
When you see God is different from you, you fear him similar to a Lion fearing its shadow in the well.
Swalpa mapyanthram kruthwa jeewathma paramathmano,
Ya santhishtathi moodathma bhayam thasya abhibashitham., 52
It is said in the Vedas that the ignorant soul,
Who finds even slight differences,
Between Jiwathma[9] and Paramathma[10],
Lands in a sense of fear
Yathra jnanth bhaveth dwaitham itharasthara pasyathi,
Athmathvena yada sarvam netharasthathra chanvapi., 53
Due to ignorance when duality appears,
One sees the another, but when,
Everything is realized as Brahman,
One does not see another except himself.
Yasmin sarvani bhoothani hyathmathvena vijanatha,
Na vai thasya bhaven moho na cha sokadwitheeyatha., 54
In that state of oneness, everything is identified,
As Brahman and when this is done,
There is no desire, no sorrow and no duality.
Ayamathma hi brahmaiya sarvathmakathaya sthitha,
Ithi nirdharitham srutya brahadaranya samsthaya., 55
Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, which is a part of Vedas,
Declares that Brahman is the form of the Athma,
And it is indeed Athma itself.
When you are asleep, dreams are true and when you do not have enlightenment, the world appears to be true.
Anubhootho apyayam loko vyavahara kshomopi san,
Asadropo yadha swapna uthara kshana badhatha., 56
Though we seem to experience the world,
For all practical purposes of perception,
It is an illusion, like what we see in the dream,
Which becomes a lie as soon as we wake up.
Swapno jagarane aloka swapnepi jagaro na hi,
Dwayameva laye nasthi layopi hya ubhayorna cha., 57
The dream becomes unreal on wakening,
And wakening does not exist in a dream,
And both these states are absent in a deep sleep.
Thrayamvam bhaven mithya guna thraya vinirmitham,
Asya drushti gunatheetha nithyo hyeka schidathmaka., 58
These three states are due to the triad of Characters,
Which are Sathva, Rajas and Thamas,
But the witness behind them is beyond these three gunas,
It is eternal, is only one and is the consciousness.
Several examples are given to show that once we are spiritually awake, we do not see body as a separate entity.
Yadwan mrudhi ghata branthim sukthou va rajatha sthithim,
Thadwath brahmani jeewathwam veekshmano na pasyathi., 59
Like an intelligent one sees clay in a pot and sliver in the in a shell[11],
When one realizes Brahman, he does not see a soul separately.
Yadha mrudhi ghato nama kanake kundalibhidha,
Sukthou hi rajata kyathir jeeva sabdha sthadha pare., 60
Like one calls the clay as a pot,
The gold as the ear stud,
And the shell as silver,
We call the Brahman as the individual soul.
Yadyaiva vyomni neelathwam yadha neeram marusthale,
Purushathwam yadha sthanou, thdwad viswam chidathmani., 61
Like one sees blue colour in the sky,
Sees water in the distant mirage,
And sees in dark,a man in a pillar,
One imagines that he is seeing,
The unreal universe in the real Brahman.
Yadiva soonyai Vetalo, gandarwanam puram yadha,
Yadakaso dwichandrathwam, thdwath sathye jagath sthithi., 62
Like we see in an empty space, the so called Ghost,
Like we imagine a city of Gandharwas on the sky,
And like we imagine seeing two moons in the sky,
We seem to see the universe in the real Brahman.
Yadha Taranga kallolair jalameva sphurathyalam,
Pathra roopena thamram hi brahmandougai thadmatha., 63
Like the ripples and tides, that we see are only water,
And like the pitcher we see is really a piece of copper,
The universe that we see is really nothing but Brahman.
Ghatathmana yada prithwi, patathmana hi thanthawa,
Jagna namna chidabhathi jneyam thathad bhavatha., 64
Like we call a thing made of mud,as a pot,
And like we call a thing made of thread as a cloth,
If we see beyond these names that we attach,
We would really see only mud and the thread,
And similarly if we see beyond the name of universe,
We would really see as universe is really Brahman.
People do not really understand the meaning of the words they use.
Sarvopi vyavaharasthu brahmana kriyathe janai,
Ajnananna vijanathi mrudheva hi ghatadhikam., 65
In the normal practice people use word “Brahman”,
Without realizing what is the real meaning of the word,
Similar to the fact that they use a “pot or a jar”,
Without realizing that it is “clay” that they are using.
The cause effect relation ship between Brahman and the world.
Karya karanatha nithyamasthe ghata mrudhor yadha,
Thadaiva sruthi yukthabhayam prapancha brahmanoriha., 66
Like the, pot is the effect and the clay is the cause,
Is a perennial and ever lasting truth,
The Vedas say that Brahman is the cause,
And the universe that we see is the effect.
Grahyamane ghate yadwan mruthika abhathi vai bhalath,
Veekshamane prapanchepi brahmaivabhathi bhasuram., 67
Similar to earth coming to our mind,
When we think or see a pot,
The ever shining Brahman,
Should appear before us,
When we see the world.
The point of view of the Ignorant and the Wise
Sadaivathma vishuddhosthi hyashudho bhathi vai sada,
Yadaiva dwividha rajjur jnanino ajnanino anisam., 68
The Athma appears as pure to the wise,
And impure to those who are not,
Similar to the rope appearing,
In two different forms[12],
To the wise and non wise.
Yadaiva mrunmaya kumbhathadwad deho abhi chinmaya,
Athma anathma vibhago ayam mudhaiva kriyathe budhai., 69
Like the Pot is all clay, the body is all consciousness,
The division of self and non self,
Is only created by the ignorant to no purpose.
Sarpathwena Yada Rajju rajathatwena sukthika,
Vinirnitha vimoodena dehatwena thadathmana., 70
Similar to the ignorant one,
Seeing a snake in the rope,
And silver in a shell,
The foolish one sees,
The Athma in the body.
Ghatathwena yadha pruthwi, patathwenaiva thanthawa,
Vinirnitha vimoodena dehatwena thadathmana., 71
Similar to the ignorant one,
Seeing a pot in clay,
And cloth in threads,
The foolish one sees,
The Athma in the body.
Kanakam kundalathwena tharangathwena vai jalam,
Vinirnitha vimoodena dehatwena thadathmana., 72
Similar to the ignorant one,
Seeing ear studs in gold,
And waves in water,
The foolish one sees,
The Athma in the body
Purushatwena vai sthanur jalathwena mareechika,
Vinirnitha vimoodena dehatwena thadathmana., 73
Similar to the ignorant one
Seeing a man in a tree,
And water in a mirage,
The foolish one sees,
The Athma in the body
Grahatwenaiva kashtani, gadgthwenaiva lohatha,
Vinirnitha vimoodena dehatwena thadathmana., 74
Similar to the ignorant one,
Seeing house in pieces of wood,
Seeing a sword in a piece of metal,
The foolish one sees,
The Athma in the body
Yadha vruksha vipryaso jalad bhavadhi kasyachith,
Thadvathmani dehathwam pasyathyajnanayogatha., 75
Due to sheer ignorance one sees,
The Athma as the body,
Similar to one seeing the reflection,
Of a tree in water and assuming it as the real tree.
Pothena gachatha pumsa sarva bhatheeva chanchalam,
Thadvathmani dehathwam pasyathyajnanayogatha., 76
Due to sheer ignorance one sees,
The Athma as the body,
Similar to one assuming everything,
On the shore as moving,
While he is travelling on a boat.
Peethathwam hi yadha shubre doshad bhavathi kasyachith,
Thadvathmani dehathwam pasyathyajnanayogatha., 77
Due to sheer ignorance one sees,
The Athma as the body,
Similar to white appearing as yellow,
To the one having an eye defect.[13]
Chakshubhyam brahma seelabhyam sarva bhathi bhramathmakam,
Thadvathmani dehathwam pasyathyajnanayogatha., 78
Due to sheer ignorance one sees,
The Athma as the body,
Similar to the one finding,
Everything as defective,
Due to the defect in his eye.
Aalatham bhramanenaiva varthulam bhathi sooryavath,
Thadvathmani dehathwam pasyathyajnanayogatha., 79
Due to sheer ignorance one sees,
The Athma as the body,
Similar to the one seeing,
A rotating fire brand and,
Assuming it as the Sun.
Mahathwe sarva vasthoonam anuthwam hyathi dhoorayath,
Thadvathmani dehathwam pasyathyajnanayogatha., 80
Due to sheer ignorance one sees,
The Athma as the body,
Similar to the one,
Seeing things from a very long distance,
And assuming that, they are small.
Sookshmathwe sarva bhavaanaam sthoolathwam chopanethratha,
Thadvathmani dehathwam pasyathyajnanayogatha., 81
Due to sheer ignorance one sees,
The Athma as the body,
Similar to the one,
Seeing things through magnifying glass,
And assuming that things are very big.
Kacha bhoomou jalathwam va jalabhoomou hi kachatha,
Thadvathmani dehathwam pasyathyajnanayogatha., 82
Due to sheer ignorance one sees,
The Athma as the body,
Similar to the one,
Assuming body of water as glass,
And glass as the body of water.
Yadwad agnou manithwam hi manou va vahnitha puman,
Thadvathmani dehathwam pasyathyajnanayogatha., 83
Due to sheer ignorance one sees,
The Athma as the body,
Similar to the one,
Assuming that a flame is a gem,
And a gem is a flame.
Abreshu sathsu dhavathsu somo dhavathi bhathi vai,
Thadvathmani dehathwam pasyathyajnanayogatha., 84
Due to sheer ignorance one sees,
The Athma as the body,
Similar to the one,
Assuming movement of the moon,
When really the clouds are that which are moving.
Yadaiva dig viparayaso mohad bhavadhi kasyachith,
Thadvathmani dehathwam pasyathyajnanayogatha., 85
Due to sheer ignorance one sees,
The Athma as the body,
Similar to the one,
Who looses his sense of direction,
Due to confusion in his mind.
Yada sasi jale bhathi chanchalathwena kasyachith,
Thadvathmani dehathwam pasyathyajnanayogatha., 86
Due to sheer ignorance one sees,
The Athma as the body,
Similar to the one,
Assuming the moon as unsteady,
Seeing its reflection in water.
Evam athmani na jnathe dehadhyaso hi jayathe,
Sa yevathma parijnath leeyathe cha parathmani., 87
Due to ignorance, athma has the delusion about the body,
But this vanishes once there is realization of the supreme Athma.
Sarvamathma thaya jnatham jagath sthavara jangamam,
Aabhavath sarva bhavanaam dehasya chathmatha kutha., 88
When one realizes that the movable, the immovable,
And the universe is all Athman and nothing else,
Everything except the Athman disappears from his thought,
And there is no room there to think that the body is Athman.
Prarabdha, Sanchitha, and Agami
Fate is divided in to three parts:
Prarabdha
That which has to be undergone in this life
Sanchitha
That which comes from previous life
Agami
a portion in this life which will be transferred to next life.
Athmanam sathatham janan kalam na mahamathe,
Prarabhdham akhilam bunjaanodwegam karthumarhasi., 89
Oh greatly wise one, always try to understand the Athma,
While you are undergoing the results of Prarabdha[14],
For it is not proper to feel distressed about it.
Prarabdha is not carried from one birth to another, if Brahman is realized.
Uthpanne apyathma vignane prabhdham naiva munchadhi,
Ithi yath chruyathe sasthre than nirakriyathe adhunaa., 90
The theory that Prarabhdha does not vanish,
Even after the realization of the Athman,
Is being denied based on principles of sasthra.
Thathwa jnano udhayad oordhwa prarabdham na vidhyathe,
Dehadee nama sathyathwad yadha swapna prabodhatha., 91
With the realization of the Athman,
The thing called Prarabdha disappears,
Similar to things seen in a dream,
Disappearing as soon as one wakes up.
Karma janmanthara krutham prarabdham ithi keerthitham,
Thathu janmanthara bhavath pumso naivasthi karhichith., 92
The effect of action done in previous births,
Is being referred to as Prarabdha in this birth,
But for the realized one does not have any more births,
And so he cannot carry the effects with him any more.
Swapnadeho yadadhyastha asthadhywayam hi dehaka,
Adhyasthasya kutho janma janma bhave sthithi kutha., 93
Just as the body in the dream,
Is an imagination imposed up on us,
For the realized one, this body,
Is something which is imposed on him,
These beings so, how can Prarabdha,
Come along with birth,
When birth itself is being questioned.
Upadhanam is the causal fact and Brahman is Updhanam of this world. Ignorance prevents is from seeing this. Examples are given.
Upadhanam prapanchasya mruth bhandasya yeva kadhyathe,
Ajnanam chaiva vedanthai sthasmin nashte kwa viswatha., 94
The Vedanthas have told that,
Similar to clay being the cause of pot,
Ignorance is the cause of this world,
So if ignorance is really lost,
Where can be the world be?
Yadha rajjum parithyajya sarpa grunathi vai bhramath,
Thadwath sathyamavijnaya jagath pasyadhi moodathi., 95
Similar to the ignorant one,
Seeing snake instead of rope,
Due to utter confusion,
He only sees this world,
Without realizing the reality.
Rajju roope parignathe sarpa brhanthir na thishtathi,
Adhishtena thadha jnathe prapancha soonyatham gatha., 96
Once the real nature of rope is realized,
The snake will not be seen instead of it,
And similarly once the nature of Brahman,
Is known, this world cannot be seen.
The theory of fate (Prarabdha) is for the ignorant one.
Dehasyapi prapanchathwath prarabhdawa sthithi kutha,
Ajnani jana bodhartha prarabdham vakthi vai sthuthi., 97
The body being in this world,
Does not also exist and due to this,
Prarabdha also does not exist,
Though the Vedas speak of Prarabdha,
For the understanding of the ignorant.
The Mundaka Upanishad tells that:
Ksheeyanthe thasya karmani thasmin drushte cha paravare,
Bahuthwam than nishedartha sruthya geetham cha yath sphutam., 98
“All actions of man including Prarabdha,
Perishes when one is able to see,
Brahman which is in the higher and also lower[15],”
Thus tell the Vedas with clarity,
If fate does not get destroyed, ignorance gets never destroyed and spiritual realization never comes.
Uchyathe agnai balath chaithaththadaanatha thad vayagama,
Vedantha matha hanam cha yadho jnanam ithi sruthi., 99
If the ignorant adamantly refuse to know this,
Not only will they get involved in two absurdities[16],
But also forsake the conclusions of Vedantha,
Which proceed from Veda, the true knowledge.
Fifteen steps to attain true knowledge
The fifteen steps of Yoga which are mentioned in the next slokas are same as the steps mentioned by Sage Patanjali in his Yogs Suthra. But they take an entirely different spiritual meaning. This yoga, following the new meaning, is termed as Raja Yoga and Pathanjali’s steps lead to Hata Yoga.
Tri panchanga anyadho vakshye poorvokthasya hi labdhaye,
Thaischa sarve sada karya nidha dhyasana meva thu., 100
The fifteen steps for the attainment of knowledge,
Is being expounded from now on,
So that profound meditation can be practiced.
Nithyabhyasadruthe prapthirna bhaveth sachid athmana,
Thasamad brahma nidhidhyase jijnasu sreyase chiram., 101
Without daily and constant attempts[17],
We would not understand Athma,
And so, he who is intent upon it,
Should deeply meditate on Brahman,
For attainment of desired goal.
Yamo hi niyamasthyago mounam desascha kalatha,
Aasanam moolabandascha deha samyam cha druk sthithi., 102
Prana samyamanam chaiva prathyaharscha dharana,
Athmadhyanam samadhischa prakthaa anyangani vai kramath., 103
The fifteen steps in their order are,
Control of senses, control of mind,
Renunciation, silence, space, time,
Posture, control of mooladhara[18],
Equal posture of one’s body,
Firmness and stability of vision,
Control of vital breath,
Withdrawal of the mind,
Concentration of thought,
Contemplation on the soul,
And the very deep meditation called Samadhi.
Yama[19]
Sarva brahmethi vijnana adhi indriya grama samyama,
Yamo ayamithi sapraktho abhyasaneeyo muhur muhu., 104
With the help of knowledge of the Brahman,
Restraining all senses completely,
Is termed as Yama,
And should be practiced again and again.
Niyama[20]
Sajatheeya pravahascha vijatheeya thiraskrithi,
Niyamo hi paramanando niyamath kriyathe budhai., 105
Thinking continuously about Brahman,
And discarding any other thoughts,
Is termed as Niyama,
And would give immeasurable joy,
To the wise who practice it.
Thyaga[21]
Thyaga prapancha roopaya chid athmath avalokanath,
Thyago hi mahatham poojya, sadhyo mokshamayo yatha., 106
The abandoning of the universe we see,
After realizing it as the conscious Athman,
Is “sacrifice” and is honoured by great people,
And would lead one to salvation.
Mouna[22]
Yasmad vacho nivarthanthe aprapya manasa saha,
Yan mounam yogibhir gamyam thad bhaveth sarvadha budha., 107
When mind realizes Brahman and,
Does not have words to describe it,
And this is the philosophical silence,
And is attainable by wise sages.
Vacho yasman nivarthanthe thaduktham kena sakyathe,
Prapancho yadi vakthavya, sopi shabdha vivarjitha., 108
Ithi vaa thad bhaveth mounam sadam sahaja samjnitham,
Gira mounam thu balanam prayuktham brahma vadhibhi., 109
How can we talk about that Brahman,
Seeing which the words rebound?
Even the world we see and feel,
Is due to sheer and total illusion,
And is really indescribable.
So silence is but the hall mark.
Of the wise who know everything,
And such wise and great people,
Ordain it to those novices,
Who try to learn about the Brahman.
Desa[23]
Adhavanthe cha madhye cha jano yasmin na vidhyathe,
Yenedham sathatham vyaptham sa deso vijana smrutha., 110
That place which is full of solitude,
Is the place where universe does not,
Exist in the beginning, middle and end,
For there is Brahman which is spread everywhere.
Kala[24]
Kalanath sarva bhoothanaam brahmadheenam nimeshatha,
Kala sabdhena nirdhishto hyakanda anandhako advaya., 111
The Brahman which is one and does not have two,
Brings in to existence, in a twinkling of an eye,
All things including Brahman, and is known as time
Which determines and defines,
The boundaries of past, present and future.
Asana[25]
Sukhenaiva bhavedhyasmin ajasram Brahma chinthanam,
Asanam thath vijaneeyath netharath sukhasanam., 112
That posture which facilitates the thought of Brahman,
Flowing within, without interruption is the good posture,
Not any other one which destroys one’s happiness.
Sidhasana[26]
Sidham yath sarva bhoothadhi viswadishtanam avyayam,
Yasmin sidha samavishtasthadhwai sidhasanam vidhu., 113
That which is always ready and is the support.
Of the universe which never changes,
That from which everything known has originated,
And in which enlightened permanently reside,
Is known as the posture of eternal Brahman.
Moola Bhanda[27]
Yan moolam sarva bhoothanam yan moolam chitha bandhanam,
Moola Bhandha sada sevyo yogyo asou raja yoginam., 114
Brahman is the root of all beings, which restrains the mind,
And this root which controls, should be always be adopted,
And is even fit for the experts of Raja Yoga.
Deha Samyam[28]
Anganam samatham vidhyath same brahmani leenatham,
No cheth naiva samanathwam rujuthwam sushkavath., 115
Keeping the body in an equal state,
Would mean merger with the stable Brahman,
For any other type of equal state,
Would be like a dried up tree.
Drik Sthitha[29]
Drushtim jnanamayim kruthwa pasyed brahma mayam jagad,
Sa drushti parmodara na nasagravalokinee., 116
Mixing wisdom with sight and,
Seeing the whole world as Brahman,
Is the noblest vision possible,
And not directing it to the tip of the nose.
Drushtru darshana drushyanam viramo yathra va bhaved,
Drushti sthathraiva karthavyaana nasagravalokini., 117
That sight which is directed to that place,
Where there is no difference at all,
Between one who sees, the sight and what is being seen,
Is the noblest vision possible,
And not directing it to the tip of the nose.
Pranayama[30]
Chiuthadhi sarva bhaveshu brahmathwe naiva bhavanath,
Nirodha sarva vrutheenam pranayama sa uchyathe., 118
Controlling the waves of thought in the mind,
And making them as Brahman and nothing else,
And not refraining from any action,
Is called Pranayama.(Control of the soul)
Yoga Suthra defines Pranayama as consisting of the three steps of Rechaka (inhalation), Pooraka(holding the breath) and Khumbaka (exhalation.)
Nishedhanam prapanchasya rechakakhya sameerana,
Brahmaivasmeethi ya vruthi poorako vayureeritha., 119
Ththasthad vruthi naischalyam kumbhaka prana samyama,
Ayam chapi prabudhaanaam ajnanam graana peedanam., 120
Rechaka is driving out thoughts and passions of the world,
And fixing the thought in our mind, “ I am Brahman” is Pooraka.
Afterwards, keeping this state still and steadfast is Kumbhaka,
And this is the real Pranayama for the wise,
And not catching hold of the nose as done by the ignorant.
Prathyahara[31]
Vishayethwa athmatham drushtwa manasa schithi majjanam,
Prathyahara sa vigneya abhyasaneeyo mumukkshubhi., 121
Seeing Athma in all aspects of life,
And absorption of it in the supreme consciousness,
Is Prathyahara and should be practiced by the seekers of truth.
Dharana[32]
Yathra yathra mano yathi brahmana sthathra darshanath,
Manaso dharanm chaiva dharana sa paraa mathaa., 122
Where ever the mind goes, it should see Brahman alone,
And keeping mind steadily in this frame,
Is known as the supreme Dharana.
Dhyama[33]
Brahmai va asmithi sad vruthya niralambathaya sthithi,
Dhyana shabdhena vikhyatha paramananda dhayinee., 123
Keeping ourselves independent of everything,
And concentrating on the thought,
“That I am Brahman”,
Is denoted by word Dhyana (meditation),
And gives rise to immeasurable joy.
Samadhi[34]
Nirvikarathaya vruthya brahma karathaya puna,
Vrutha vismaranam samyak samadhir jnana samjnaka., 124
Making thoughts disappear, by first making them stable,
And seeing only Brahman and nothing else,
Is the state of Samadhi and is also the real wisdom.
Imam chakruthri manandam thvath sadhu samabyaseth,
Vasyo yavath kshanath pumsa prayuktha sa bhaveth swayam., 125
By practicing this till it takes you to natural bliss,
And becoming fully under its control by further practice,
This state can be attained in an instant by just a wish.
Sidha Purusha
Thatha sadhana nirmuktha sidho bhavathi yogirat,
Thath swaroopam na chaithasya vishayo manaso girm., 126
The king of Yogis, who has attained perfection,
Gets free from the need of all practices,
And his form would then go beyond,
The thought and mind of everyone.
Eight Road Blocks and their Removal
Samadhou kriyamano thu vignani ayanthi vai bhalath,
Anusandhana rahithyam aalasyam bhoga lalasam., 127
Layasthamscha vikshepo rasasvadascha soonyatha,
Yevam yad vigna bahulyam thyajyam brahavida sanai., 128
Strong roadblocks come naturally to put an end to Samadhi,
And they are, absence of constant attention, laziness,
Desire for sensual pleasures, sleep, dark dull periods,
Distraction of thoughts, enjoyment of pleasures,
Emptiness of thought and all these and others should,
Be kept away by, one desiring the knowledge of Brahman.
The complete man needs to fill his thought with Brahman.
Bhava vruthya hi bhavathwam, soonya vruthyahi soonyatha,
Brahma vruthya hi poornathwam, thadha poornathwam abhyaseth., 129
We become what is in our mind,
And an empty mind leads us to emptiness,
So the mind should be full of thought of Brahman,
And this leads one to perfection in what we practice.
Those who do not think of Brahman are as good as animals.
Ye hi vruthim jahathyenam brahmakhyam pavanim paraam,
Vrudhaiva they thu jeevanthi pasubhischa sama nara., 130
Those who give up this ennobling thought of Brahman,
Live in vain and are men who are same as beasts.
Those who think and search for Brahman are extremely noble.
Ye hi vruthim vijananthi jnathwapi vardhayanthi ye,
They vai sath purusha, dhanya vandhyasthe bhuvana thraye., 131
Those who at first have this enobling thought of Brahman,
And grow with it are good people and,
Are fit to be worshipped by the three worlds.
Brahman should be directly experience and not quibbled about.
Yesham vruthi sama vrudha paripakwa cha saa puna,
They vai sad brahmatham praptha nethare shabdha vadhina., 132
Those in whom the consciousness of Brahman attains its maturity,
Easily attain the state of ever existent Brahman,
And not those who argue with words indicating Brahman.
Those who not realize Brahman but talk as if they are experts are detestable.
Kusala brahma varthayam vruthiheena suragina,
They apya jnana thya noonam punarayanthi yanthi cha., 133
Those who are experts in the discussions of Brahman,
With no realization and are interested in pleasures,
Are born to die again, due to their ignorance.
Those savants in search of Brahman will always think of Brahman.
Nimeshardha na thishtanthi vruthim brahma mayim vinaa,
Yada thishtanthi brahmadhya sanakadhya shukadhaya., 134
Those who seek Brahman, should not.
Be without thought of Brahman,
Even for a moment and would be like,
Sages like Brahma, Sanaka and Shukha.
If there is an effect, there should be a cause and not vice versa.
Karya karanatha aayatha karane nahi karyatha,
Karanathwam thatho gacheth karya bhava vicharatha., 135
If there is an effect there is a cause for it,
But if there is a cause, there need not be an effect,
And so logical thinking leads to the conclusion,
That if there is no effect, there is no cause either.
The only truth in the world is Brahman and nothing else.
Adha shudham bhaved vasthu yadvai vachamagocharam,
Drushtavyam muudh ghatenaiva drushtanthena puna puna., 136
Then the pure reality, which is beyond,
Speech alone remains, similar to the clay,
Being the cause for many things like pot,
And we can realize that Brahman,
Is beyond words and thought.
The seekers of Brahman become one with Brahman.
Anenaiva prakarena vruthir brahmathmika bhaveth,
Udhethi shuddha chithanam, vruthi jnanam ththa param., 137
Thinking like this, those pure in thought,
Would be aware of the state of Brahman,
And they would eventually,
Get merged in Brahman itself.
The negative argument to prove the existence of Brahman.
Karnam vyathi rekena puman aadhou vilokayeth,
Anvayena punasthadhi karyo nithyam prapasyathi., 138
By the negative logical thought,
First conclude that, if there is no effect called the world,
There is no cause called Brahman,
But the world is seen to exist,
And so by positive thought,
Brahman also should exist.
First see the effect, search for the cause and leave out the effect but do not conclude nothing exists.
Karye hi karanam payeth, pachath karya visarjayeth,
Karanathwam ththo gached avasishtam bhaveth muni., 139
One should first see, cause in the effect,
And then dismiss the effect all together,
And such a sage becomes that which is remaining.
Absolute concentrated meditation on anything makes us to become that thing.
Bhavitham theevra vegena yadvasthu nischayathmana,
Puman sthadvi bhaved seegram jneyam brhamara keeta vath., 140
Like a wasp,over time and with effort becomes a worm,
That man who steadfastly and with conviction,
Thinks about anything, Will become that thing itself.
See the visible, derive the invisible and realize Brahman.(next two slokas)
Adrusyam bhava roopancha sarvameva chidathmakam,
Savadhana thaya nithyam swathmanam bhavayed budha., 141
The wise one with great care should think.
Of the visible, invisible and everything else,
As his own self, which is the real Athman.
Drusyam hyadrusyatham brahmakarena chinthayeth,
Vidwan nithya sukhe thishted vidhya chidhra sapoornaya., 142
The wise one should think of the World that is visible,
As the principle of Brahman which is not visible,
Then his mind would be full of the everlasting joy,
And he would exist in the pleasurable state of joy.
Yebhir aangai samayuktho raja yoga udhahrutha,
Kinchid pakwa kashayaanaam hata yogena samyutha., 143
This knowledge with above aspects is Raja Yoga,
Is fit only for those the stable minded wise,
And should learn this mixed with hata yoga,
Which is for those who have not attained maturity.
The devotion to God and teacher is essential sine qua non.
Paripakwam mano yesham kevaloyam cha sidhidha,
Guru daiwatha bhakthanam sarvesham sulabho bhaved., 144
For those with a pure mind, only this method,
Would lead them to perfection and those,
Who are devoted to their teacher and the God,
This can be achieved without much effort.

Atma Bodha By Adi Sankaracharya,

Atma Bodha
By Adi Sankaracharya,  Translated by Swami Chinmayananda
Published by Chinmaya Mission, Mumbai 

from http://www.sankaracharya.org

1. I am composing the ATMA-BODHA, this treatise of the Knowledge of the Self, for those who have purified themselves by austerities and are peaceful in heart and calm, who are free from cravings and are desirous of liberation.
2. Just as the fire is the direct cause for cooking, so without Knowledge no emancipation can be had. Compared with all other forms of discipline Knowledge of the Self is the one direct means for liberation.
3. Action cannot destroy ignorance, for it is not in conflict with or opposed to ignorance. Knowledge does verily destroy ignorance as light destroys deep darkness.
4. The Soul appears to be finite because of ignorance. When ignorance is destroyed the Self which does not admit of any multiplicity truly reveals itself by itself: like the Sun when the clouds pass away.
5. Constant practice of knowledge purifies the Self (‘Jivatman’), stained by ignorance and then disappears itself – as the powder of the ‘Kataka-nut’ settles down after it has cleansed the muddy water.
6. The world which is full of attachments, aversions, etc., is like a dream. It appears to be real, as long as it continues but appears to be unreal when one is awake (i.e., when true wisdom dawns).
7. The Jagat appears to be true (Satyam) so long as Brahman, the substratum, the basis of all this creation, is not realised. It is like the illusion of silver in the mother-of pearl.
8. Like bubbles in the water, the worlds rise, exist and dissolve in the Supreme Self, which is the material cause and the prop of everything.
9. All the manifested world of things and beings are projected by imagination upon the substratum which is the Eternal All-pervading Vishnu, whose nature is Existence-Intelligence; just as the different ornaments are all made out of the same gold.
10. The All-pervading Akasa appears to be diverse on account of its association with various conditionings (Upadhis) which are different from each other. Space becomes one on the destruction of these limiting adjuncts: So also the Omnipresent Truth appears to be diverse on account of Its association with the various Upadhis and becomes one on the destruction of these Upadhis.
11. Because of Its association with different conditionings (Upadhis) such ideas as caste, colour and position are super-imposed upon the Atman, as flavour, colour, etc., are super-imposed on water.
12. Determined for each individual by his own past actions and made up of the Five elements – that have gone through the process of “five-fold self-division and mutual combination” (Pancheekarana) – are born the gross-body, the medium through which pleasure and pain are experienced, the tent-of-experiences.
13. The five Pranas, the ten organs and the Manas and the Buddhi, formed from the rudimentary elements (Tanmatras) before their “five-fold division and mutual combination with one another” (Pancheekarana) and this is the subtle body, the instruments-of-experience (of the individual).
14. Avidya which is indescribable and beginningless is the Causal Body. Know for certain that the Atman is other than these three conditioning bodies (Upadhis).
15. In its identification with the five-sheaths the Immaculate Atman appears to have borrowed their qualities upon Itself; as in the case of a crystal which appears to gather unto itself colour of its vicinity (blue cloth, etc.,).
16. Through discriminative self-analysis and logical thinking one should separate the Pure self within from the sheaths as one separates the rice from the husk, bran, etc., that are covering it.
17. The Atman does not shine in everything although He is All-pervading. He is manifest only in the inner equipment, the intellect (Buddhi): just as the reflection in a clean mirror.
18. One should understand that the Atman is always like the King, distinct from the body, senses, mind and intellect, all of which constitute the matter (Prakriti); and is the witness of their functions.
19. The moon appears to be running when the clouds move in the sky. Likewise to the non-discriminating person the Atman appears to be active when It is observed through the functions of the sense-organs.
20. Depending upon the energy of vitality of Consciousness (Atma Chaitanya) the body, senses, mind and intellect engage themselves in their respective activities, just as men work depending upon the light of the Sun.
21. Fools, because they lack in their powers of discrimination superimpose on the Atman, the Absolute-Existence-Knowledge (Sat-Chit), all the varied functions of the body and the senses, just as they attribute blue colour and the like to the sky.
22. The tremblings that belong to the waters are attributed through ignorance to the reflected moon dancing on it: likewise agency of action, of enjoyment and of other limitations (which really belong to the mind) are delusively understood as the nature of the Self (Atman).
23. Attachment, desire, pleasure, pain, etc., are perceived to exist so long as Buddhi or mind functions. They are not perceived in deep sleep when the mind ceases to exist. Therefore they belong to the mind alone and not to the Atman.
24. Just as luminosity is the nature of the Sun, coolness of water and heat of fire, so too the nature of the Atman is Eternity, Purity, Reality, Consciousness and Bliss.
25. By the indiscriminate blending of the two – the Existence-Knowledge-aspect of the Self and the thought-wave of the intellect – there arises the notion of “I know”.
26. Atman never does anything and the intellect of its own accord has no capacity to experience ‘I know’. But the individuality in us delusorily thinks he is himself the seer and the knower.
27. Just as the person who regards a rope as a snake is overcome by fear, so also one considering oneself as the ego (Jiva) is overcome by fear. The ego-centric individuality in us regains fearlessness by realising that It is not a Jiva but is Itself the Supreme Soul.
28. Just as a lamp illumines a jar or a pot, so also the Atman illumines the mind and the sense organs, etc. These material-objects by themselves cannot illumine themselves because they are inert.
29. A lighted-lamp does not need another lamp to illumine its light. So too, Atman which is Knowledge itself needs no other knowledge to know it.
30. By a process of negation of the conditionings (Upadhis) through the help of the scriptural statement ‘It is not this, It is not this’, the oneness of the individual soul and the Supreme Soul, as indicated by the great Mahavakyas, has to be realised.
31. The body, etc., up to the “Causal Body” – Ignorance – which are objects perceived, are as perishable as bubbles. Realise through discrimination that I am the ‘Pure Brahman’ ever completely separate from all these.
32. I am other than the body and so I am free from changes such as birth, wrinkling, senility, death, etc. I have nothing to do with the sense objects such as sound and taste, for I am without the sense-organs.
33. I am other than the mind and hence, I am free from sorrow, attachment, malice and fear, for “HE is without breath and without mind, Pure, etc.”, is the Commandment of the great scripture, the Upanishads.
34. I am without attributes and actions; Eternal (Nitya) without any desire and thought (Nirvikalpa), without any dirt (Niranjana), without any change (Nirvikara), without form (Nirakara), ever-liberated (Nitya Mukta) ever-pure (Nirmala).
35. Like the space I fill all things within and without. Changeless and the same in all, at all times I am pure, unattached, stainless and motionless.
36. I am verily that Supreme Brahman alone which is Eternal, Pure and Free, One, indivisible and non-dual and of the nature of Changeless-Knowledge-Infinite.
37. The impression “I am Brahman” thus created by constant practice destroys ignorance and the agitation caused by it, just as medicine or Rasayana destroys disease.
38. Sitting in a solitary place, freeing the mind from desires and controlling the senses, meditate with unswerving attention on the Atman which is One without-a-second.
39. The wise one should intelligently merge the entire world-of-objects in the Atman alone and constantly think of the Self ever as contaminated by anything as the sky.
40. He who has realised the Supreme, discards all his identification with the objects of names and forms. (Thereafter) he dwells as an embodiment of the Infinite Consciousness and Bliss. He becomes the Self.
41. There are no distinctions such as “Knower”, the “Knowledge” and the “Object of Knowledge” in the Supreme Self. On account of Its being of the nature of endless Bliss, It does not admit of such distinctions within Itself. It alone shines by Itself.
42. When this the lower and the higher aspects of the Self are well churned together, the fire of knowledge is born from it, which in its mighty conflagration shall burn down all the fuel of ignorance in us.
43. The Lord of the early dawn (Aruna) himself has already looted away the thick darkness, when soon the sun rises. The Divine Consciousness of the Self rises when the right knowledge has already killed the darkness in the bosom.
44. Atman is an ever-present Reality. Yet, because of ignorance it is not realised. On the destruction of ignorance Atman is realised. It is like the missing ornament of one’s neck.
45. Brahman appears to be a ‘Jiva’ because of ignorance, just as a post appears to be a ghost. The ego-centric-individuality is destroyed when the real nature of the ‘Jiva’ is realised as the Self.
46. The ignorance characterised by the notions ‘I’ and ‘Mine’ is destroyed by the knowledge produced by the realisation of the true nature of the Self, just as right information removes the wrong notion about the directions.
47. The Yogi of perfect realisation and enlightenment sees through his “eye of wisdom” (Gyana Chakshush) the entire universe in his own Self and regards everything else as his own Self and nothing else.
48. Nothing whatever exists other than the Atman: the tangible universe is verily Atman. As pots and jars are verily made of clay and cannot be said to be anything but clay, so too, to the enlightened soul and that is perceived is the Self.
49. A liberated one, endowed with Self-knowledge, gives up the traits of his previously explained equipments (Upadhis) and because of his nature of Sat-chit-ananda, he verily becomes Brahman like (the worm that grows to be) a wasp.
50. After crossing the ocean of delusion and killing the monsters of likes and dislikes, the Yogi who is united with peace dwells in the glory of his own realised Self – as an Atmaram.
51. The self-abiding Jivan Mukta, relinquishing all his attachments to the illusory external happiness and satisfied with the bliss derived from the Atman, shines inwardly like a lamp placed inside a jar.
52. Though he lives in the conditionings (Upadhis), he, the contemplative one, remains ever unconcerned with anything or he may move about like the wind, perfectly unattached.
53. On the destruction of the Upadhis, the contemplative one is totally absorbed in ‘Vishnu’, the All-pervading Spirit, like water into water, space into space and light into light.
54. Realise That to be Brahman, the attainment of which leaves nothing more to be attained, the blessedness of which leaves no other blessing to be desired and the knowledge of which leaves nothing more to be known.
55. Realise that to be Brahman which, when seen, leaves nothing more to be seen, which having become one is not born again in this world and which, when knowing leaves nothing else to be known.
56. Realise that to be Brahman which is Existence-Knowledge-Bliss-Absolute, which is Non-dual, Infinite, Eternal and One and which fills all the quarters – above and below and all that exists between.
57. Realise that to be Brahman which is Non-dual, Indivisible, One and Blissful and which is indicated in Vedanta as the Immutable Substratum, realised after the negation of all tangible objects.
58. Deities like Brahma and others taste only a particle, of the unlimited Bliss of Brahman and enjoy in proportion their share of that particle.
59. All objects are pervaded by Brahman. All actions are possible because of Brahman: therefore Brahman permeates everything as butter permeates milk.
60. Realise that to be Brahman which is neither subtle nor gross: neither short nor long: without birth or change: without form, qualities, colour and name.
61. That by the light of which the luminous, orbs like the Sun and the Moon are illuminated, but which is not illumined by their light, realise that to be Brahman.
62. Pervading the entire universe outwardly and inwardly the Supreme Brahman shines of Itself like the fire that permeates a red-hot iron-ball and glows by itself.
63. Brahman is other than this, the universe. There exists nothing that is not Brahman. If any object other than Brahman appears to exist, it is unreal like the mirage.
64. All that is perceived, or heard, is Brahman and nothing else. Attaining the knowledge of the Reality, one sees the Universe as the non-dual Brahman, Existence-Knowledge-Bliss-Absolute.
65. Though Atman is Pure Consciousness and ever present everywhere, yet It is perceived by the eye-of-wisdom alone: but one whose vision is obscured by ignorance he does not see It; as the blind do not see the resplendent Sun.
66. The ‘Jiva’ free from impurities, being heated in the fire of knowledge kindled by hearing and so on, shines of itself like gold.
67. The Atman, the Sun of Knowledge that rises in the sky of the heart, destroys the darkness of the ignorance, pervades and sustains all and shines and makes everything to shine.
68. He who renouncing all activities, who is free of all the limitations of time, space and direction, worships his own Atman which is present everywhere, which is the destroyer of heat and cold, which is Bliss-Eternal and stainless, becomes All-knowing and All-pervading and attains thereafter Immortality.

Thus concludes Atma-Bodha. 

Nirman Manjari- By Adi Shankaracharya

By Adi Shankara Bhagawat Pada

Aham na amaro naiva marthyo na daithyo,
Na Gandharva Yaksha, pisacha prabhedha,
Pumanniva na sthree naiva shanda,
Prakrushta prakasa swaroopa Shivoham., 1

I am neither god nor man nor Asura,
I am neither Gandarwa nor Yaksha nor ghost nor omens,
I am neither man, nor woman nor eunuch,
I am by nature, Shiva the effulgent entity.

Aham naiva balo, yuva naïva vrudho,
Na varni, na brahmachari na Grahastha,
Vansdhobhi naham sanyasa dharma,
Jaga jjanma nasaika hethu Shivoham., 2

I am neither a child nor youth nor old man,
I do not belong to a class nor I am bachelor or family man,
I do not sit in the forest nor do I follow the rules of Sanyasa,
For I am that Shiva who causes destruction of the world.

Aham naïvameyasthiro bhoota maya,
Thadaivekshithum maam pradhangaasthupaya,
Samaslishta kayo thryo apyaadhwitheeya,
Sada athindriya sarva roopa shivoham., 3

I am not measurable and am past the concept of illusion,
Even though seen by all as different, I am that which brings things together,
Even though attached to the trinity, I am that which has no second,
For I am that Shiva which is all pervading and beyond senses.

Aham naiva mantha na gantha na vaktha,
Na kartha, na bhoktha, na muktha asramastha,
Yadaaham mano vruthi bheda swaroopa,
Sthadha sarva vuthi pradheepa, shivoham., 4

I am neither the thinker nor the one who goes nor the one who speaks,
I am neither the doer, nor the one who consumes nor the one free from abodes,
I am one with different roles according to the thought of the mind,
For I am that Shiva, who is the cause of everything.

Na mey loka yathra pravaha pravruthy,
Rna mey bandhabhuddha dureeha nivurthy,
Pravuthy nivurthasya chithasya vruthy,
Ryathasthanvaham thathswaroopa shivoham., 5

Neither I am that action which flows between worlds,
Nor I am the wrong selfish thoughts which are attached,
I am that thought of the mind which is at the end of action,
For I am that Shiva, which is thought personified after the end of the body.

Nidhanam yada jnana karyasya karya,
Vina yasya sathvam swatho naiva bhathi,
Yadhyantha madhya antharalantharala,
Prakasathmakam syatha devaham asmi., 6

Those who need to be cleaned of ignorant deeds and ignorance,
Those who are without truth, those who do not shine,
And those who are trapped between end, middle and middle of middle,
Are given lustrous mind by some god, and I am that Shiva.

Yathoham na budhir na mey karya sidhi,
Yatho nahamangam na mey linga bhangam,
Hrudhakasa varthi, gathanga thrayarthi,
Sada Sachidananda murthy Shivoham., 7

I am not wisdom nor completion of tasks,
I am not organs nor the procreative seed,
I live in the sky of heart and am beyond the pain of senses,
I am that Shiva who is the personification of ever blissful true joy.

Yadaaseedvilasad vikaram jagadha,
Dwikarasrayam naa dwithyathwath syath,
Mano budhi chithahamakara murthy,
Pravruthiryatha syatha devaham asmi., 8

I am that Shiva, who creates the differences in the world,
Who is the abode of these different forms ‘
Who is perhaps the one who cannot be seen as two,
Who is personification of mind, wisdom, senses and intelligence,
And is the one from whom every thing came.

Yadantharbahirvyapakam nithya shudham,
Yadekam sada sachidananda kandam,
Yatha sthoola sukshma prapanchasya bhanam,
Yathasthat prasoothistha devahamasmi., 9

I am that Shiva, who is crystal clear and pervades inside and outside,
Who is for ever the cloud of the joy of eternal bliss,
Who is the creator of the big and minute parts of the universe,
And who is the mother source of all these parts.

Yadarkendu vidhwat prabha jala maala,
Vilasapadam yathswa bhedhadhi soonyam,
Samastham jagdyasya padathmakam sya,
Dhyatha shakthi bhanam thadevahamasmi., 10

I am that Shiva, who gives power to those who remember him,
Who is like the waves of lightning and shine of Sun and Moon,
Who playfully creates the difference between self and others,
And who has the whole world at his lotus feet.

Yatha kala moorthir bhibhethi prakamam,
Yathaschitha budhindriyanam vilasa,
Hari brahma rudrendra chandradheenaam,
Prakaso yatha syatha devahamasmi., 11

I am that Shiva, who is the source of existence to the God of death,
Who is the reason for the glory of mind, knowledge and senses,
And who is the reason for the shine of Gods like,
Brahma, Shiva, Indra, Chandra and others.

Yad akasavad sarvagam, Shantha roopam,
Parama jyothiraakara soonyam varenyam,
Yadad antha soonyam param, Shankarakhyam,
Yadanthar vibhavyam, tadhevaha masmi., 12

I am that Shiva, who cannot be classified within himself,
Who is infinite like the expanse of the sky,
Who has form which is peaceful,
Who is extremely effulgent,
Who chooses to be nothing,
Who does not have end nor beginning,
And who is called Shankara.

Translated by P. R. Ramachander

SOURCE

Charpata Panjarika Stotra Bhaj Govindam

Charpata Panjarika Stotra Bhaj Govindam in 18 verses

Bhaja Govindam, Bhaja Govindam,
Govindam Bhaja Mooda Mathe,
Samprapthe sannihithe kale,
Nahi nahi rakshathi dookrunj karane.

Pray Govinda, Pray Govinda,
Pray Govinda, You fool,
For all the ken with you,
Will not be there,
When your end is near.

Dhinamapi rajani, sayam pratha,
Sisira vasanthou punarayatha,
Kala kreedathi gachat yayu,
Sthadapi na munjathyasa vayu

Daily comes the night, eve and morn.
The autumn and spring,
Comes again and again every year.
Time forever plays with life,
But desire does not desert this body forever.

Agre Vahni , prashte bhanu,
Rathrou chibuka samirpitha janu,
Karathala biksha taru thala vasa
Sthadhapi na munjathyasapasa.

The sun in the back,
And the fire behind,
Prevents biting cold during the day,
Knees meet the chin during the night,
To keep one warm.
And food comes by the daily begging,
Life is spent below a tree,
But desire does not desert this body forever.

Yavadvitho parjana saktha,
Sthavannija parivaro raktha
Paschat jeevathi jarajjara dehe,
Varthaam prucchathi ko apina gehe.
Till you are able to earn,
The wealth that everybody yearns,
All the family you love,
Will love and care.
But when the cage of your body gets old,
They would not even ask you,
“How are you?”

Jatilo mundee lunchitha kesa,
Kaashayambara bahu krutha vesha,
Pasyannapi cha na pasyathi lokaa
Hyudhara nimittam bahu krutha soka.
Men with hairs overgrown,
Men with a shaved head,
Men with a well-cut hair,
Men with ochre robes,
See the world,
But pretend they don’t,
And suffer all the way,
To fill their belly forever.

Bagavat geetha kinchid adheetha,
Gangaajalalava kanikaa peetha,
Sukrudhapi yasya murari samarcha,
Tasya yama kim kuruthe charchaam.

Read and imbibe Bhagavat Gita,
Drink a drop of the holy Ganga,
At least once salute the Lord,
Then the God of death,
Will not bother you forever.

Angam galitham palitham mundam,
Dasanaviheenam jatham thundam,
Vruddho yathi gruheetha dhandam,
Tadapi na munjathyaasa pindam.

The limbs have become weak,
The head has become fully bald,
There are no teeth in the mouth,
And the old man totters with an aid of a stick,
But desire does not desert this body ever.

Balasthavat kreedasaktha,
Stharunasthavath tharunee saktha,
Vrudha staavath chintha magna,
Parame brahmani kopi na lagna.

The child’s mind is engaged in play,
The youths mind is engaged in his lasses charms,
The old man’s mind is full of worries,
But no one thinks of the Ultimate Truth.

Punarapi jananam punarapi maranam,
Punarapi janani jatare sayanam,
Iha samsaare khalu dusthare,
Krupayaa pare pahi murare.

Again and again one is born,
And again and again one dies,
And again and again one sleeps in the mother’s womb,
Help me to cross,
This limitless sea of Life,
Which is uncrossable, my Lord

Punarapi Rajani, punarai divasa,
Punaraip paksha, punarapi maasa,
Punarapyayanam, punarapi varsham,
Tadapi na munjityasaamarsham.

Again and again this dark nights,
Again and again this luster full days,
Again and again these months and years,
But pride and desire never leaves you forever

Vayasi gathe ka kama vikara,
Shushke neere ka kaasaara,
Nashte dravye ka parivaara,
Gnathe tathwe ka samasaara.

Why this passion, when one totters with age,
Why the search for water in the dried up lake,
Why search for relations, when wealth dries,
There is no desire for life,
When you get real knowledge. Of truth

Naree sthana bhara nabhi nivesam,
Mithyaa mayaa mohaavesam,
Ethan mamsavasaadhi vikaram,
Manasi vichinthaya vaaram vaaram.

Seeing the seductive female form, do not fall prey to maddening delusion. That (female form) is (but) a modification of flesh and fat. Think well thus in your mind again and again.

Kasthwam Ko aham kutha ayatha?
Kaa me janani ko me thatha.
Ithi paribhavaaya sarvamasaaram,
Viswam tyakthwa swapna vichaaram.

Who am I?
Where from did I come?
Who is my mother ?
Who is my father?
Think of these,
Realize that this world,
Is but a meaningless mirage,
And Leave this dream like world

Geyam Githa , Nama sahasram,
Dhyeyam sri pathi roopamajasram,
Neyam sajjana sange chittam,
Dheyam deenajanaaya cha vitham.
Sing the Geetha,
And His thousand names,
Meditate on the Lord of Lakshmi,
Spend time with good souls,
Give all the wealth to the poor.

Yavajjevo nivasathi dehe,
Kusalam thaavath prucchathi gehe,
Gathavathi vaayou dehaapaaye,
Baryaa bhibyasthi tasmin kaye.
Till the breath is in the body,
All friends ask your welfare,
When it leaves your frame,
Even your darling wife,
Is full of fear of you , Hey fool

Sukhadha kriyathe ramaa bhoga,
Paschatdandha sarere roga,
Yadyapi loke maranam saranam,
Tadapi na munchathi papacharanam.
It is but for pleasure,
That a lady is sought,
Slowly the body gets sick,
The only path leads you,
To your death for sure,
Still no one leaves the sinful ways.

Radhyaa charpata virachita kkandha,
Punyaapunya vivarjitha padha.
Naaham nathwa naayam loka,
Stadhapi kimartham kriyathe soka.
Like collecting strewn rags all the way,
In life one collects sin and good deeds.
Realize that me or you,
Is not the truth.
In your newly chartered path
Still why are you sad?

Kuruthe Gangaa sagara gamanam,
Vrutha paripaalana madhava dhaanam,
Gnana viheena sarvamathena,
Mukthin na bhavathi janma sathena.

Take bath in Ganga,
Take a dip in the ocean,
Observe penance,
Give money to charity.
All faiths tell you without fail,
And if you do not realize this truth,
Even in hundred lives,
You will not attain the Lord.

Yoga ratho vaa bhogaratho vaa,
Sanga ratho vaa sanga viheena,
Yasya brahmani ramathe chittam,
Nandathi nandathi nandathyeva.

You get joy,
Of meditation or passion,
Or you get joy,
In solitude or in company,
But All these are but impermanent.
Try to make your mind one,
With Para Brahmam,
That is the only permanent joy.

Dwadasha Panjarika Stotra
(The twelve pearls of wisdom)

Bhaja Govindam, Bhaja Govindam,
Govindam Bhaja Mooda Mathe,
Samprapthe sannihithe kale,
Nahi nahi rakshathi dookrunj karane.

Pray Govinda, Pray Govinda,
Pray Govinda, You fool,
For all the ken with you,
Will not be there,
When your end is near.

Arthamanartham Bhavaya nithyam,
Naasthi thatha sukalesa sathyam,
Puthraadhapi dhana bhaajam bheethi,
Sarvathraisha vihithaareethi.
Wealth that you earn,
Has no meaning in life,
The real truth in it, is,
That it gives no pleasure,
The wealthy are but scared,
Even of him whom they beget,

Kaa thee kanthaa kasthe puthra,
Samsoroya matheeva vichitram,
Kasya twam ka kutha aayatha,
Sthathwam chinthya yadhidham braatha.
Who is your darling wife?
And who is the son whom you love,
This world is but strange,
Who are you, where from you came?
Think of these, Think of these

Maa kuru dhana jana yowana garwam,
Harathi nimishoth kaala sarvam,
Maamaya midhamakilam hithwa,
Brahmapadam twam pravisa vidhitwa.

Proud as peacock are you,
Of all the millions that you have,
And of all those who are with you,
Day in and day out,
And of the strength of youth in you.
Time, the thief is doing its job,
Of stealing them by and by,
All these are yes today and no tomorrow.

Kaamam krodham lobham moham,
Tyakthwaathmanam bhavaya koham,
Atma jnana viheenaa mooda,
Sthepachyanthe naraka nigooda.

Leave out your passion,
Leave out your anger,
Leave out your love for money,
Leave out your yearning in life,
Think and think, who you are?
Those who find it not, are but fools,
And are always happy in hell.

Sura mandhira tharu moola nivaasa,
Sayya bhoothala majinam vaasa,
Sarvapariguha bhoga thyaaga,
Kasya sukham na karothi viraaga.

He lives in the deep dark forest,
Or below a big banyan,
Sleep he does on the bare floor,
He has given up his all,
Who in this entire world, so big,
Is as happy as he is.

Shatrou mithre puthre bandhou,
Maa kuru yathnam vigraha sandhou,
Bhava sama chitta sarvathra twam,
Vaanchasya chiraadhyadhi Vishnu twam.

You would be one with Him
If but you can see them as one,
Your enemy whom you hate,
Your friends whom you love,
Your sons whom you adore,
And all other friends who are so close.
And if this entire world.
Is to you all and the same.

Twayi mayo chaanya traiko vishnur
Vyartham kupyasi sarva sahishnu,
Sarwasaminnapi pasyaathmaanam,
Sarvathrothsyuja bhedaajnananm.

In you and in me is Govinda,
So on whom will you show your ire?
See all as one and one as all,
Leave this difference between one and one.

Praanayamam prathyaaharam,
Nithyaa nithya viveka vichaaram,
Jaapyasametha samadhi vidhaanam,
Kurvavadhaanam mahadhava dhaanam.
Control your senses, you fool,
Withdraw from all your wants,
Try to find the difference.
Between that which is perennial,
And that which is not ,
Live and think in that He,
This is what will make you,
Decision maker supreme.

Nalinee dhalagatha jalamathi thralam,
Tadwadjjevtha mathisaya chapalam,
Viddhi vyaadhibhimaana grastham,
Lokam sokahatham cha samastham.

Like the tiny drop of water,
Floating on a lotus leaf,
The life today is here,
And tomorrow there,
This world full of aches ,
And bloated ego,
(Which is like an air filled up ball)
Is a place of sorrow.

Kaa the ashtaadasa dese chinthaa,
Vaathula thava kim naasthi niyanthaa.
Yasthaam hasthe sudhrude nibaddham,
Bhodayathi prabhavadhi viruddham.

Why this thought ,
Of eighteen countries, Hey Lunatic,
Fold your hands tight,
Think of Him,
Who controls ,
All that in you.

Satsangathwe nissamgathwam,
Nissamgathwe nirmohathwam,
Nirmohathwe nischala thatwam,
Nischala tathwe jeevan mukthi.

With good pals in this world,
You loose desire for things,
With loss of this terrible desire,
You loose passion for life,
With loss for this passion,
You realize the truth,

Gurucharanaambuja nirbhara bhaktha,
Samsarada chirabhava mukthaa,
Sendriya maanasa niyamaadevam,
Drakshyasi nija hrudayastham devam.

With your mind trained,
By your spiritual guide,
You can cross the sea of life,
And once you cross the sea,
You can see the Govinda in your heart.

Dwadasa pancharikaamaya esha.
Sishyaanaam kadhithohyuapadesha,
Yeshaam chithe naiva viveka.
Sthe pachyanthe narakamanekam.

Twelve pearls of wisdom these,
Are taught to those,
Hungry souls,
Suffering all the life

source-source

Consciousness by Advait Vedanta

Consciousness by Advait Vedanta

By Pravrajika Brahmaprana

Wandering mendicants greet each other: ‘Om. Is your vision clear?’ ‘Om’ is a salutation to the indwelling divinity, or Atman, within all beings. ‘Is your vision clear?’ is a sober reminder: Are we seeing the world as it truly is or, rather, as it appears to be? The vision that comes from spiritual insight completely transforms the perception of who we are, what this world is, and what our relationship to it is. A person who has such insight is known in Sanskrit as a rishi, or ‘seer’.
The Upanishads say that Brahman, the ultimate reality, is pure consciousness (prajñānam brahma).[1] But, so long as this empirical world of multiplicity exists for us, consciousness remains a mere philosophical concept with different categories.

Categories of Consciousness

According to Advaita Vedanta, these different categories of consciousness are classified as absolute consciousness (brahma-caitanya), cosmic consciousness (īśvara-caitanya), individual consciousness (jīva-caitanya), and indwelling consciousness (sāksi-caitanya). However, all these distinctions are due to limiting adjuncts (upādhis) and are not intrinsic to the true nature of consciousness, which is by itself one and non-dual. Advaita Vedanta says that there is a substratum of this universe, even finer than energy (prāna), called brahma-caitanya. The very nature of this substratum is sat-cit-ānanda: absolute existence (sat), pure consciousness (cit), and bliss (ānanda). In other words, pure being is Self-aware and is of the nature of pure conscious-ness and bliss, or ‘loving consciousnesses.
The natural question that arises is: How did absolute consciousness—undivided, unmoved, and unchanging—become this world of multiplicity and change? The great seer and philosopher Shankaracharya resolved this paradox with his theory of superimposition, vivartavāda. From the ultimate standpoint, absolute consciousness did not become this world; it only appears to have done so. Shankara gave the classic example of the snake and the rope:
We see a snake on the road at night, but as we approach the snake and flash a torch on it, we realize that it is actually a rope.
This snake-universe is a superimposition upon the rope-Brahman. There is no more causal relationship between this world-appearance and Brahman than there is between the snake and the rope. However, the universe has no existence apart from Brahman, just as the snake has no existence apart from the rope.
Since it is possible for a rope to be mistaken for a snake, it is also possible for something to apparently exist without being real. Advaita Vedanta states that this world is and is not. By is not, it is not suggested that the world is an illusion without a basis, a shadow without substance, or a void. It means that the world as it appears to us is unreal because this world-appearance has no absolute existence. But for a rsi whose vision is clear, the world is ever real because it is, essentially, nothing less than Brahman mistaken as a world of matter. This cosmic superimposition of the unreal on the real is due to maya, which literally means ‘that which measures the immeasurable’. To show its twin faculty of concealing the reality and projecting the apparent, maya is often compared to a veil, a cloud, or a screen, as well as a magician’s trick.
Advaita Vedanta is not mere philosophical speculation or theory; it has direct experience as its basis as well as ultimate proof. To lift the veil of maya, Advaita Vedanta exhorts the spiritual seeker to take the testimony of the scriptures (Vedas) and illumined souls, use reason, reflection, and meditation, and attain direct experience. These are the compasses, maps, and sails needed to steer successfully to the highest union with Brahman. One must transcend the effects of maya in order to know the nature of its cause.
How does a knower of Brahman perceive this world-appearance which is and is not? Swami Shivananda, a disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, one day disclosed the answer to his attendant, who noticed how the swami reverently saluted all who entered his room, regardless of their social position or spiritual stature. ‘When somebody approaches me,’ the swami conceded, ‘first of all I see that particular effulgent form of God through which He reveals Himself in that particular personality. The persons themselves appear indistinctly like shadowy beings, while the divine aspect itself appears vivid and living. That’s why I make my obeisance. The divine forms disappear after my salutation, and then only can I see the human figures distinctly and recognize them as well.’[2] One day, Swami Shivananda even saluted a cat, explaining afterwards to his attendant that he first saw Brahman as pure consciousness at play in all forms, including the cat’s, and then recognized the difference as only in name [3].
This level of realization stems from a great Upanishadic truth: ‘From pure consciousness, which is of the nature of absolute bliss, all beings arise, by it are they sustained, and it they reenter at death.’[4] For those of us who possess ordinary human consciousness, however, only the world-appearance of name and form is manifest to the mind and senses. In our ignorance, we see the cat, not Brahman.
The second type of consciousness in Advaita Vedanta is called īśvara-caitanya, or Brahman united with maya as the Creator, Preserver, and Destroyer of this universe. With the purpose of explaining what īśvara-caitanya is, Brahman may be called the ultimate cause of the universe because, due to maya, the world-appearance is superimposed upon it. But Brahman can neither transform itself into the world nor create it, since that which is absolute reality, by definition, must transcend action and change. Therefore, Vedanta introduces the creative principle of Ishvara—Brahman united with maya—to explain the process of this universe’s creation, preservation, and dissolution, which is without beginning and without end. Ishvara is God with attributes. The personal God, according to Swami Vivekananda, is the highest reading of the Absolute by the human mind.
‘Are there two Gods then,’ we may ask, ‘one absolute and one personal?’ ‘No,’ Vedanta says, ‘Brahman appears as Ishvara when viewed through maya.’ ‘But,’ we persist, ‘what then is the difference between Ishvara and an ordinary human being?’ According to Vedanta, Ishvara is the wielder of maya—all-free, all-powerful, and all-knowing—whereas human beings are subject to maya because their freedom, power, and knowledge are limited. Human beings can become one with Ishvara, but they can never be individually the same as Ishvara.
This brings us to the third type of consciousness in Vedanta: human consciousness, or jīva-caitanya. The superimposition of the ego-idea upon pure consciousness is the individual’s first plunge into the whirlpool of maya. Vedanta says that the lie of separateness—the claim that ‘I am I (the lower I)’—is the initial act that produces the chain reaction of further superimposition and entanglement. Considering ourselves ‘individuals’ implies considering everything as ‘individual’. This attitude inexorably superimposes a world of multiplicity upon the one, undivided reality.
Initially, the ego-idea identifies itself with the body and mind, and with their attributes and actions. Instinctively we say: ‘I am young’, ‘I am short’, or ‘I am talking’. As the ego-idea reaches further out to claim external objects and conditions as its own, we find ourselves thinking and saying such things as: ‘I am an American’, or This property is mine’. As our superimpositions multiply, so do our extraordinary personal claims, such as ‘We are sending troops to the Balkans’, or ‘I carry health insurance’. Thus, the human ego continues to enlarge itself until it becomes identified with every known object in its universe, while the higher Self remains the detached witness to all these foolish shenanigans. At the same time, the Self makes them all possible by providing the mind with the light of consciousness, without which maya could not exist. In short, it is due to maya that we become identified with a psychophysical being—the shadow of our real Self.
‘Who am I?’ we may then ask. ‘What is my real nature? Like the world around me, am I a mixture of Brahman and maya—the real and the apparent, divine and human consciousness, Atman and jīva-caitanya?’ A passage in the Mundaka Upanishad describes the relationship of our true Self with the empirical self (jīva-caitanya):
Like two birds of golden plumage, inseparable companions, the individual self and the immortal Self are perched on the branches of the self-same tree. The former tastes of the sweet and bitter fruits of the tree; the latter, tasting of neither, calmly observes.
The individual self, deluded by forgetfulness of his identity with the divine Self, bewildered by his ego, grieves and is sad. But when he recognizes the worshipful Lord as his own true Self, and beholds His glory, he grieves no more.[5] The state of one’s spiritual development does not matter; Vedanta upholds the real nature of every human being as the luminous Self, which is associated with the mind as the onlooker, or witness (sāksi-caitanya).
This brings us to the fourth type of consciousness in Advaita Vedanta, sāksi-caitanya. The witness-self transcends the changing states of the mind, neither suffering nor enjoying the mental and physical conditions of human existence. After realizing the witness-self, an aspirant returns to normal consciousness with a transformed mind. Such a soul perceives itself and the universe through a mind composed of finer matter. Like a sheet of glass, through which sunlight can pass unobstructed, the mind in this state allows the light of consciousness to reach the body and its organs unimpeded. As the witness, one perceives one’s Self to be distinct from the body and mind, which are clearly recognized as objects of perception. One knows, beyond doubt, that it is the self-luminous Atman that governs one’s entire psycho-physical being. In the mystical language of the Kena Upanishad, the Self is realized as ‘the Ear of the ear, Mind of the mind, Speech of the speech … [as] also Breath of the breath, and Eye of the eye.’[6] This witness-self is known as the ‘inner controller’ (antaryāmin), and is beautifully described in the Katha Upanishad as the rider within a chariot-body. The charioteer is the intellect (buddhi), and the reins are the mind—endowed with volition and emotion. The senses, say the wise, are the horses; the roads they travel are the mazes of desire. The wise call the Self the enjoyer, when he is united with the body, the senses, and the mind[7].
Once the jiva identifies its real nature, the next step is to locate it. How and where does pure consciousness dwell within the body? The ancient Upanishads show us the precise location. ‘Within the city of Brahman, which is the body,’ the Chhandogya Upanishad discloses,
There is the heart, and within the heart, there is a little house. This house has the shape of a lotus, and within it dwells that which is to be sought after, inquired about, and realized. … Though old age comes to the body, the lotus of the heart does not grow old. At the death of the body, it does not die. The lotus of the heart, where Brahman exists in all his glory—that, and not the body, is the true city of Brahman.

Consciousness and the Psycho-physical System

Also in the Upanishads, we find the classic Vedantic model of the threefold body, or fivefold sheath, which elucidates the nature of the gross and subtle layers of consciousness that exist within our psycho-physical being. Vedanta explains that every human being is comprised of three bodies: the gross, the subtle, and the causal, which are the respective mediums of experience for our waking, dream, and dreamless sleep states. The gross body (annamaya kośa or ‘sheath of food’ is born; it grows, transforms, decays, and dies. The subtle and causal bodies are what reincarnate from birth to birth.
The subtle body is composed of the vital sheath (prānamaya kośa), mental sheath (manomaya kośa), and sheath of the intellect (vijñānamaya kośa). The vital sheath is the life force that operates the autonomic nervous system, thus controlling respiration (prāna), excretion (apāna), and digestion (samāna), and also various functions of the cerebro-spinal system such as exertion (vyāna) and growth. The vital sheath, moreover, mediates the soul’s departure from the body at the time of death (udāna). The manomaya kośa comprises the volitional, or deliberative mind, as well as the five organs of perception; whereas the vijñānamaya kośa (buddhi) is the cognitive or determinative mind, along with the five organs of perception.
Through the buddhi, or cognitive mind, all other faculties of the mind, whether volitional or emotional, receive their light. However, as already mentioned, the buddhi simply permits the passage of the light of the witness-self (sāksin) and thus appears to be self-luminous. Vedanta claims that though the buddhi is located in the heart within a tiny space (ākāśa) ‘about the size of a thumb’, the witness-self dwells even deeper within our being, within the buddhi itself. Therefore, the buddhi—only one step away from the witness-self—is still identified with the non-Self and asserts itself as the knower and the doer within the mental and vital sheaths, and functions as the empirical self that reincarnates.[10]
Human cognition exemplifies how the various mental faculties function together within the mental and intelligence sheaths. According to Vedanta, cognition is a fourfold operation. First, the deliberative faculty of the mind (manas) asks: ‘What is this object?’ The memory (citta) attempts to recall similar objects. Then, the determinative faculty (buddhi) is able to ascertain: ‘It is a desk.’ Finally, the sense of egoism (ahamkāra) makes the association: ‘I am sitting at the desk.’ Throughout the cognitive process, however—whether we know it or not—the light of the Self, shining through the buddhi to the organs of perception, reveals everything that we experience. William M Indich, in his book Consciousness in Advaita Vedanta, explains: ‘In visual perception, then, Brahman intelligence reflected in mind is extended out along the medium of the organ of vision, which Advaitins claim is the nature of light (tejas) … contacts an object, assumes its form, and reveals it as known.’[11]
This Upanishadic model of the fivefold sheath maintains that consciousness does not originate in the brain—nor even in the mind, for that matter, because the mind merely passes on the light of consciousness. The brain, the mind, and the body are merely physical mediums for the expression of consciousness. Moreover, the Yoga-Vedanta system of psychology asserts that thought, which is a specific type of consciousness, is a function of the mind, not the brain.[12] ‘In the Vedantic view the mind is not a process;’ Swami Satprakashananda summarizes, ‘nor is it a function, or a state, or an attribute of something else. It is a positive substance, though not ultimately real. It has definite functions and states. It is one of the products of primordial nature, the potential cause of the universe, called prakrti or māyā, which has no consciousness inherent in it’ .
Yoga-Vedanta uphold the premise that one’s own consciousness—disciplined and refined through the path of yoga—is the clearest and most reliable lens for perceiving and grasping the nature of human and transcendental consciousness. For thousands of years mind and consciousness have been primary subjects of introspective investigation. Consequently, the rsis were able to develop sophisticated techniques for tracing the origin and nature of consciousness, which have been handed down from guru to disciple to the present day.

Approaches to Consciousness
How, then, can we attain pure consciousness, the light of the Atman, by which we obtain the clearest perception of reality? Shankara, the Advaita Vedantin, prescribes the four traditional methods (sādhana catustaya) that, when perfected, mark the qualifications of a rsi:
discrimination between the eternal and non-eternal;
renunciation of the tendency towards sensual enjoyment;
cultivation of the six treasures (tranquility, self-control, mental poise, forbearance, faith, and self-surrender); and
desire for liberation. Though all four qualifications work together as methods for refining, stabilizing, and elevating one’s mind, for the sake of brevity, we will focus only on the first two.
Vedanta scriptures exhort aspirants to first hear the truth, then contemplate it, and finally meditate upon it (śravana, manana, and nididhyāsana). To incorporate this technique into spiritual practice, Swami Turiyananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna, once taught a young monastic how to study the Bhagavad-Gita: ‘Take one verse at a time, meditate on its meaning, and live the verse for a week before going on to the next verse.’[13] By studying an entire scripture in this way, an aspirant refines and deepens the faculty of introspection, imbibes the spiritual truth of the passage, and thus activates and sustains a spiritual current of thought throughout the day. By developing subtlety of mind, one unleashes the powers of the mind.
To strengthen and unsheathe the buddhi from its weakening and covering delusions forged through many lives, the aspirant, under the guidance of a qualified teacher, also practices the method of negating all impermanent, unreal phenomena superimposed on the supreme reality (neti neti ātmā). Beginning with gross phenomena and gradually proceeding to more subtle elements, the aspirant, through logic and willpower, peels back the several layers of superimposition (adhyāropa) veiling the underlying reality of Atman-Brahman, and gradually renounces them all, both physically and mentally. This is a process that involves two steps: by negating the attributes of the non-Self, one unfolds the essential nature of the Self, or Atman; and by negating the conditions and qualities of the relative world, one discovers the nature of Brahman. Sri Ramakrishna demonstrated in his life the unconscious effects of this practice when steadfastly performed in a conscious and uncompromising way. ‘When I meditated under the bel-tree,’ Sri Ramakrishna confided to his disciple M, ‘I used to see various visions clearly. One day I saw in front of me money, a shawl, a tray of sandesh, and two women. I asked my mind, “Mind, do you want any of these?” I saw the sandesh to be mere filth. One of the women had a big ring in her nose. I could see their inside and outside—entrails, filth, bone, fresh, and blood. The mind did not want any of these—money, shawl, sweets or women. It remained fixed … [on] God.’[14]
Self-inquiry (ātma vicāra) is the technique of probing into the nature of the seer and the seen to end the identification between the subject and the object (drg-drśya-viveka); of rigorously analyzing the three states of consciousness (waking, dream, and dreamless sleep) in order to gain insight into that which is common to them, the witness-self; and of methodically examining the threefold body and fivefold sheath in order to renounce one’s outer coverings and trace one’s ‘I-consciousness’ back to its source, the Self. These spiritual disciplines demand the utmost clarity of intellect and willpower—the sword of discrimination being ever unsheathed to pierce the subtle delusions of the conscious, subconscious, and even unconscious mind. ‘The discipline of negation must be practiced without intermission’, stipulates Swami Nikhilananda in his comprehensive ‘Introduction’ to Shankara’s Self-Knowledge (Ātmabodha), ‘as long as even a dreamlike perception of the universe and the finite soul remains, and as long as identification with the body is not totally wiped out. Neither sleep nor concern about secular matters nor attachment to sense-objects should be given the slightest opportunity to let one forget the nature of the real Self.’[15]
Ramprasad, the Bengali poet-saint, wrote a song which Sri Ramakrishna used to sing, demonstrating how discrimination, when properly performed, enables the aspirant to retain the witness consciousness throughout the three states of consciousness:
Once for all, this time, I have thoroughly understood;
From One who knows it well, I have learnt the secret of bhāva.
A man has come to me from a country where there is no night,
And now I cannot distinguish day from night any longer;
Rituals and devotions have all grown profitless for me.
My sleep is broken; how can I slumber any more?
For now I am wide awake in the sleeplessness of yoga.
O Divine Mother, made one with thee in yoga-sleep[16] at last,
My slumber I have lulled to sleep for evermore[17].
The discrimination and renunciation of a spiritual aspirant is tested through the practice of karma yoga. In the field of selfless action one attempts to drive home the non-dual Vedanta perception of reality through dedicated action and, in doing so, learns how much the Advaita Vedanta ideal is actually instilled and reflected in one’s unconscious habits and reactions. Seclusion can be a safe haven for a practitioner of Vedanta—in it one feels comfortable with one’s own spiritual prowess—but in the field of action, shortcomings and weaknesses quickly manifest and are, therefore, easier to detect and eradicate. For this reason, including the practice of karma yoga in one’s daily life is more beneficial than limiting one’s spiritual disciplines to only study and meditation. At the same time, the practice of karma yoga unaccompanied by regular meditation quickly deteriorates into mere meritorious acts of karma.
Advaitic meditations vary according to the temperament and capacity of the aspirant. With repeated practice, Self-inquiry (ātma-vicāra) advances to a meditative state. The practice of constant self-awareness—witnessing each state of consciousness—is the pratibodha technique of mindfulness, known also as vipaśyana.[1] Its roots can be found in the Kena Upanishad: ‘Brahman is known when It is realized in every state of the mind; for by such Knowledge one attains Immortality’ (pratibodha viditam matam).[2] Behind all thought and action is the witness-self, which also becomes manifest to the aspirant who, when sufficiently advanced, can at will sustain the interval between two thoughts.
In the Upanishads, there are symbolic Advaitic meditations known as vidyās, which train the mind of the aspirant to search beneath the coverings of various external objects—such as honey (madhu), the sun (āditya), and fire (pañcāgni)—their common spiritual core. In these meditation techniques, which focus on the relationship between the macrocosm and the microcosm, the practitioners attempt to identify their own centre of consciousness with Saguna Brahman (Brahman with attributes). For example, the madhu vidyā—meditation on honey, or sweetness, or bliss—begins: This earth is honey for all beings, and all beings are honey for this earth. The intelligent, immortal being, the soul of this earth, and the intelligent, immortal being, the soul of the individual being—each is honey to the other. Brahman is the soul in each; he indeed is the Self in all. He is all.’[3]
Each successive step of the madhu vidyā meditation on water, fire, air, sun, space, moon, lightning, thunder, ether, law, truth, the human race, and the Self as madhu—focuses on the correlation between these respective elements, expanded to their universal aspects, and the Self within every being and the whole of creation. The intrinsic thread running through all is Atman-Brahman, the culmination of the vidyā or meditation. Sri Ramakrishna disclosed some of the meditations he had learned from his teacher of Vedanta, Tota Puri:
Nangtā [Tota Puri] used to tell me how a jnāni meditates: Everywhere there is water; all the regions above and below are filled with water; man, like a fish, is swimming joyously in that water. In real meditation you will actually see all this. Take the case of the infinite ocean. There is no limit to its water. Suppose a pot is immersed in it: there is water both inside and outside the pot. The jnāni sees that both inside and outside there is nothing but Paramātman. Then what is this pot? It is ‘I-consciousness. Because of the pot the water appears to be divided into two parts; because of the pot you seem to perceive an inside and an outside. One feels that way as long as this pot of ‘I’ exists. When the ‘I’ disappears, what is remains. That cannot be described in words. Do you know another way a jnāni meditates? Think of infinite ākāśa and a bird flying there, joyfully spreading its wings. Tree is the Cidākāśa and Ātman is the bird. The bird is not imprisoned in a cage; it flies in the Cidākāśa. Its joy is limitless.[4]
Self-inquiry culminates in the intuitive knowledge revealed by the four Vedic aphorisms (mahāvākyas) stated in the Upanishads: ‘That thou art’ (tat-tvam-asi); ‘I am Brahman’ (aham brahmāsmi); ‘Pure Consciousness is Brahman’ (prajñānam brahma); and This Self is Brahman’ (ayam-ātmā brahma). Each of the ten Vedantic monastic orders founded by Shankaracharya is associated with one of these Vedic dictums, which is transmitted from guru to disciple at the time of sannyasa. Before that, the novice undergoes years of rigorous spiritual training to purify the mind, in order that it may be receptive to these higher truths. At the time of sannyasa, when the guru utters one of the mahāvākyas, the disciple is then better able to receive the realization of truth that the mantra imparts. ‘The Self … is to be known,’ Yajnavalkya exhorts his wife Maitreyi in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, ‘Hear about it, reflect upon it, meditate upon it. By knowing the Self, my beloved, through hearing, refection, and meditation, one comes to know all things.’[5]By uninterrupted meditation on these great Vedic dictums, desires are obliterated, and we receive the highest realization of pure consciousness, known as nirvikalpa samādhi. The mind’s refection of pure consciousness reverts back to its source of light, the Self-luminous Brahman, just as our face, when reflected in a broken mirror, reverts back to our face itself. Subject and object—pure consciousness and perceived consciousness—become one. At last we discover that the ocean of pure consciousness that we had thought was outside ourselves is, in reality, within. We are by nature Brahman—eternal, free, ever-blissful—the One-without-a-second.

Comparison between Mind and Consciousness in Western Psychology and Advaita Vedanta
The fundamental difference between Western and Eastern psychology is that the former does not, and the latter does differentiate Mind from Consciousness. On the contrary Western psychology interprets Mind in terms of Consciousness, that is Consciousness is the distinctive character of Mind. Where Mind and Consciousness are used as equivalents the one of the other, ordinary experience is of course meant and not pure Cit or supreme unconditioned Consciousness. The Western ‘Mind’ is something for which there is no adequate Sanskrit equivalent since the notions are different. When I speak of Mind in Vedanta I refer to what is explained later as the ‘Inner Instrument’ (Antahkarana) as distinguished from the ‘outer instruments’ (Bāhyakarana) or senses on the one hand, and on the other hand from Consciousness of which both mind and senses are instruments.
The term Mind bears a narrower as well as a wider meaning in the sāstras. Thus in the saying ‘from where speech together with mind (Manas) withdraws failing to reach’ (referring to Brahman) the word Manas (mind) is evidently used for the whole ‘Inner Instrument’. In strictly philosophical literature however, the term Manas is almost always used in a defined sense so that it cannot be translated into ‘Mind’ as understood by Western psychologists. It is only then one function of the inner instrument. Indian ‘Mind’ is distinguished from Western Mind in this that the former as such is not Consciousness but a material force enveloping Consciousness, the two in association producing the Consciousness-unconsciousness of Western Mind. Pure Consciousness (Cit) is not an attribute of Mind. It is beyond Mind being independent of it. It is immanent in Mind and is the source of its illumination and apparent Consciousness. …
According to the Vedanta … Cit is pure consciousness Itself. Mind is a real or apparent negation or limitation or determination of that. Mind in fact, in itself, that is considered as apart from Cit (from which in fact it is never separate) is an unconscious force which in varying degree obscures and limits consciousness, such limitation being the condition of all finite experience. Cit is thus Consciousness. Mind is Consciousness plus Unconsciousness, the intermingled Consciousness- unconsciousness which we see in all finite being.