13.10 The Fourth Step (Paada) Of The Self : Witness Brahman (Saakhi Brahma)

In order to gain knowledge of the rope, it is necessary to negate the illusory misconceptions arising on it. Similarly, for knowledge of the pure form of the self, all illusory misconceptions arising in it need to be negated. The gross-subtle-causal bodies, food sheath and other sheaths, arrogators of vishva etc., the world and its cause Prakriti etc. as well as cause-effect-formed entire adhyaatma, adhibhoota and adhidaiva creation is a mere misconception (vikalpa) in the self. Therefore, the Maandookya shruti describes the fourth (tureeya) step in the form of that aware-alone (chinmaatra) self essence, indicated by negating all these misconceptions. That alone is the witness, that alone is the self, and that alone is the sole entity to be known.
 
Here, it is important to remember that even after negating all misconceptions of the snake in the rope, there is a strong need for light for knowledge of the rope. But in the case of the self, it is not so. The self is self-illumined. For illuminating itself, it does not require another. Therefore, only by negating misconceptions alone is the self experienced in its true nature.
 
If we assume for a moment that there is another way to realize the self besides negation. What can it be? Scripture describes five methods :
1. Relationship (sambandha vritti) Like "Pot of water". Water does not make the pot, but there is a relationship between the pot and the water in it.
2. Convention (roodhi vritti) Like "Pankaja (born of mud)" is a conventional reference to a lotus.
3. Type (jaati saamaanya) Like "This is a man". In this statement, "this" refers to a member of the type "man".
4. Action (kriyaa vritti) Like "Mohan is a driver". A person is referred to by the actions he performs.
5. Attribute (guna vritti) Like "Red Flower".
 
The self is mere reality, awareness, bliss, non-dual entity. How can any of the afore-mentioned methods reveal it? The world is an illusion in the self, there is no world in the inherent nature of the self, then how can we use relationship? Convention does not work here as well. There is no adjunct in the self, how will type reveal it? There is also no action nor attribute in the self, how can they reveal anything?
 
In reality, the self is expressed in the form of vishva, taijasa and praajyna. But, by the notion of disconnectedness being present in them, their brahman-ness remains unknown. That is why the shruti negates self-ness in these three. By this negation, the tureeya self essence, which is separate from then, is attained. Also, in the self, in the transactional state (dashaa) of the three states, the experience of disconnectedness in the form of vishva etc is proven to be illusory.
 
The self is not "internalized knowledge", in other words, it is distinct from taijasa. It is not "externalized knowledge", in other words, it is distinct from vishva. It is not "both knowledge" (ubhaya prajnya), which means it is not in a state between them. It is not a "mass of knowledge" (prajnya ghana), in other words, it is distinct from praajnya. The self is neither praajnya nor apraajnya. In other words, it is not the knower (pramaataa), it is distinct from the knower, and is not non-aware, inert or void also. Vishva, taijasa, praajnya, pramaataa, doer, enjoyer, all these are plays of awareness, whether they are in the microcosm or macrocosm, contain an awareness which alone is called the self. All these are non-different than the self, but the self is distinct from any of these. It is the absolute pure nature of this. In it alone is all of this transactionally misconceived (vikalpita). (Maandookya Upanishad 7)
 
The self cannot be a seen (adrishyam) because it is the seer of all, and is present it seeing and not seeing both. It is not the transactional doer of either microcosm or macrocosm but is present in all aspects of transaction (avyavahaaryam). It cannot be imbibed through organs of action or knowledge but it is present behind all dealings (agraahyam). It is distinct from everything - this alone is its indicator. No other indicator can indicate it, because only disconnected entities can be indicated (alakshanam). The self cannot be conceptualized (avaangasagochara) that is why it is "achintyam". No words or thought flows can describe it that is why it is "avyayapadeshyam". Words or thought flows can only point to the disconnected. The self is not the thought flow but the essence of all thought flows, knowledge. Therefore it is "pratyayasaara". The one non-transgressing I thought flow in waking and other states alone is the place of investigation into the witness self. That is why the self is called "ekaatmapratyayasaara". Or, in the form of the investigation into the causality of the world, that Isvhara thought flow which remains present, the thought flow which is its essence is ekaatmaprayayasaara. Or, the identity-knowledge of the subjects of the afore-mentioned thought flows (witness and Ishvara), which is the great-statement-born brahma-form-vritti (mahaa vaakya vritti), is the means or essence in the topic of the self. That self is called ekaatmaprayayasaara.
 
Also, the absence of the world in the self is called "upashama" (prapanchopashamam). In other words, there is absence of the substances of the waking and other states in the self. In yet other words, the self is the container (adhikarana) of the absence of the world therefore, the world is illusory, appearing in the self. The self is quiet in other words it is the non-transformational (nirvikaara) anvil (koothasta) and is also action-less (nishkreeya). Since the self alone is the supremely dear entity, it is "shiva". It is free of difference and other misconceptions, it is in the form of non-duality. Since it is different than the three steps of waking etc., it is the fourth or tureeya. Such an all-negating-substratum aware-only witness alone is that self, that alone should be known, that alone is brahman, that alone is all. (Maandookya Upanishad 2).

13.9 Synthesis Of Three States Into The Self Witness (Avasthaatrayakaa Samanvaya Aatmaa Saakshi Me)

Vishva, taijasa and praajnya - these are not distinct. It is one element alone that is termed in three ways (Maandooyka Kaarikaa 1). It is like saying that one person is called father in front of the son, son in front of his father, and husband in front of his wife. Similarly, the same brahman element is called vishva due to externalized knowledge, taijasa due to internalized knowledge, and praajnya due to the mass of prajnyaa (prajnyaanaghanataa). There is an entity who takes the refuge of thought flows and experiences external objects. That same entity materializes (moorta) his own pulsations to experience dream. That same entity, due to lack of thought flow in deep sleep, remains established as the witness of happiness and absence in deep sleep.
 
I alone have the three states of waking, dream and deep sleep. By the recollection of this statement, by investigating and analyzing this, "I am different from all these places, I am one, I am pure, I am unattached" - in this manner, the oneness, pureness, unattachedness of the self is proven. This is the intent.
 
Here is the first lesson of tristate discrimination : we are not the body, we are distinct from the body, and the entire vishva is our inherent nature. In other words, we are vishva, not the arrogator individual soul of one body. Second lesson : Our mind is not limited to one body, all the pulsations of the vishva are our own. We are taijasa-hiranyagarbha, we pervade everything. Third lesson : We are not the enjoyer of the happiness of deep sleep in one body. Whatever bliss, rest, samaadhi is present in the macrocosm, is seen by me the praajnya.
 
If I am the vishva, then from whom should I have attraction-aversion? If I am taijasa-hiranyagarbha then how can there be any difference of opinion? If I am praajnya then where is the insistence of the internal organ's state-specific joys and sorrows?
 
If we see the self now, it is in waking state. He who sees, hears and touches is the self, and he who is being seen, heard and touched is also the self. In the dream, he who sees is the self and he who is seen is also the self. In deep sleep also, the self is the witness of happiness and absence of appearance, and happiness and absence are also the self. The states keep changing, but the the self remains firm as the witness of the states. This self alone is the tureeya essence. This tureeya essence alone stays in the waking, dream, deep sleep, vishva, taijasa, praajnya, meditator, meditation, meditated, sattva, tajas, tamas, knowledge-means-proof or in other words, in all of the trifectas. It's name is supreme self. It is in all three, and it is not in all three.
 
The shruti (Brihadaaranyaka Upanishad) gives the illustration of a great fish. There is a big fish in a mighty river. Sometimes it stays in the flow of the river, sometimes in one bank, sometimes in the other. The banks are different, the flow is different, but the fish is one and is distinct from all of then. It is distinct from the water and the banks. Therefore it is unattached to the flow or to the banks. Similarly, when one aware alone stays in waking, dream and deep sleep, then it is distinct than the others, it is one in all the three, and is unattached to the three. [Since there is no other reality other than the self, and everything else which is seen is illusory, the self is unattached to the scene].
 
Upon investigating in this manner, the unattached nature of the self is experienced. There is recollection of the dream and deep sleep in the waking, therefore it is clear that I am distinct from the dream and deep sleep. I leave the waking and go to the dream or deep sleep. Therefore I am distinct from the waking. All three states are recollected by me, therefore I am in those three as their one witness. This is proven by experience.
 
Through the tristate discrimination, it becomes clear that in all these three states, the one who stays, the seer "I" is one, different from these states, pure knowledge, untouched by situations and is pure or unattached. Activities of injunction and prohibition, their cause which is attraction-aversion, their result joy-sorrow, and the arrogation of their doership-enjoyership, all these stay in the waking, become deformed in dreaming, and do not remain in deep sleep. Therefore, I the tristate witness has not connection or relationship with any of these.
 
Here is a secret! All three states of waking, dream and deep sleep are imagined in the self. Their superimposition is done to explain the tureeya nature of the self. Is deep sleep proven by experience? "I slept happily" - to whom did this knowledge happen? To whom it had happened, he did not sleep. Otherwise how could he experience it? And if he slept then the experience of sleep is illusory. He who slept did not experience, and he who experienced did not sleep. In reality, by identifying itself with the waking intellect, we superimpose the deep sleep of the intellect upon ourselves. If we separate intellect from experience, then the intellect slept, it cannot have the experience of its sleep. And the experience did not sleep. Therefore deep sleep is not in the form of a recollection, it is imagined and superimposed upon ourselves. The shruti says that the vision of the seer is never interrupted (Brihadaaranyaka Upanishad 4.3.23).
 
Like deep sleep, even our death is not proven by experience. "I am dead" - this experience or memory cannot happen to anyone. By identifying with the body, "I will die" - this fear-based thought-flow comes to a living person. You see death of another body, and with that, imagine your own death. You did not see yourself die, nor someone else die. You have only seen the death of the body. But does the body really die? It was made of five elements, it continues to be made of five elements. Then what died? Nothing died. Through ignorance of the self alone do we imagine death. The conclusion is this : Deep sleep and death are the release-oriented (agrahana) states of the self. Waking and dream are the other-catch (anyathaa grahana) states of the self. Dream is falsified (baadhita, made illusory) in waking, waking is falsified in dream. Both waking and dream are falsified in deep sleep. Deep sleep is imagined in its inherent nature. Therefore the entire world (prapancha), whether it is visible or invisible, is negated in the self, and the witness is the absolute reality.
 
States are imagined in the self. This is because only in the waking state are vishva, taijasa and praajnya experienced. In the waking state, the right eye is considered the residence of the vishva. In reality, the eye here symbolizes all the senses. The person in the right eye is the Vaishvaanara (Brihadaaranyaka Upanishad 4.2.2). When we experience the external world with our eyes, taking the support of sun, moon, fire and other deities or adhidaivas of the senses, then our name becomes vishva. When we perform compulsive thinking without senses, we see images of Bombay, Delhi, Calcutta and Vrindaavan then we become taijasa. We we become quiet, when we do not see what is inside or outside, we enter into samaadhi, then we become praajnya. That which is distinct from vishva, taisaja and praajnya, but is strung in them, it is the I, the tureeya element.
 
The enjoyed and enjoyer of the waking, dream and deep sleep states seem distinct. In waking, there are gross enjoyments and the enjoyer is vishva. In dream, there are subtle enjoyments and the enjoyer is taijasa. In waking, bliss is enjoyed and the enjoyer is praajnya. But the enjoyment that is divided into gross, subtle and bliss is also one alone. Similarly, the three enjoyers called vishva, taijasa and praajnya area also one alone and it is me. In this manner, the one who knows the oneness of these several enjoyments and enjoyers both, does not get attached even while enjoying, because all enjoyed objects are enjoyments of one enjoyer alone. Fire burns its objects such as sticks etc., but still remains equanimous in its inherent nature. Similarly, the witness also enjoys his enjoyments, but remains equanimous in his inherent nature.
 
What is the enjoyed (bhogya)? Sound, touch, form, taste and smell, these alone are enjoyed. The senses also contain the same five elements as saattvic tanmaatraas, and the enjoyed are also made of these five elements, the taamasic tanmaatraas. Through the senses, mere knowledge (jnyaana maatra) of its enjoyments is going on. The knowledge of sound is its enjoyment, the knowledge of taste is its enjoyment. Being available (upalabdha) alone is enjoyership.
 
In reality, senses do not see matter, they see gunaas. Any substance is known only as sound, touch, form, taste and smell. The substance is inferred from these five. Now there are five substances, they have five tanmaatraas, there are five kinds of atoms, all this is inference. Then we can also infer that matter is one, and due to five senses, we attain it in five forms.
 
There is a difference between the method of elemental analysis in worldly science and that of analyzing the self element. Science accepts vision of machines, but since the senses themselves are defective, vision of machines is also proven defective. Therefore, the senses are more meaningful than machines. The science of the self accepts the immediate senses. The organs of knowledge give us five types of knowledge, therefore five types of elements are accepted. The senses are the means of these elements. The refuge-existence (aashraya sattaa) of taste is called water. That which is created out of merging two gases, hydrogen and oxygen, is not called water. Therefore, the means of the senses reveal gunaas, and in the form of the refuge-existence of the gunaas, matter is revealed.
 
The sensory knowledge is revealed by the mind alone. The mind alone changes into the form of sensory thought flows and imbibes the objects. The awareness which imbibes objects is called the mind. Knowledge that includes objects is called the internal organ (mind), and knowledge devoid of objects is called awareness.
 
The nature of awareness is observation (upalabdhi), knowledge. It is self illumined, therefore, illumination is its nature. Observation of waking, dream and deep sleep states is incorporated into its nature. Space, time, object, their establishment, non-establishment, their presence, absence, illuminating everyone, enabling their cognition (prateeti), is the nature of awareness. By enabling their cognition, it does not receive merit or sin, just like fire that does not get merit on burning butter, and does not get sin on burning waste. Sin or merit is received where there is independence to select whether or not to act. The nature of the sun is to illumine, whether there is merit or sin happening in that light. The sun does not receive merit or sin because of that. Similarly, there is purity-impurity in the enjoyed, merit or sin in the enjoyer. But the illuminator, seer, awareness who is illuminating the enjoyer and the enjoyed, is untainted by their attributes or faults.
 
Merit-sin, pure-impure, accepted-rejected etc. - such distinctions in knowledge is the object of knowledge. It stays in the intellect. Through this alone does life progress. The knowledge of the means and the goal is transactional. Its realm is knowledge of division. But the entire knowledge of division is subservient to the doer. But the reality of existence is not subservient to the doer. The knowledge of the truth is beyond time, is the same everywhere, is non-dual. Since, due to this knowledge of truth, each object is illumined as it really is, merit and sin do not arise.
 
The notion of doership alone alone is the doer which is tainted by action. The desire to transform an object through will or action is the cause of joy and sorrow. But, that in which doership and enjoyership are negated, that illuminator is never tainted.
 
What does being tainted mean? When there is a relationship between the "I" and the "this", then tainting happens. "I know", this means tainting has happened. The arrogator of the intellect is called the knower. This knower establishes a relationship with the "I" (witness). "I know" - this tainting happened. Intellect is different in each body, therefore, the knowers too are many. In each body, the knower is an appearance/reflection of awareness (chidaabhaasa). But the I or the witness of all scenes is one alone. He, through his vision alone, illumines the entire world. Then, this object is mine, this action is mine, this body is mine, I am the doer, I am the enjoyer - all this is being tainted. The witness is never tainted (nirlipta).

13.8 Praajnya Is The Cause Of Everything (Sarva Kaaranatva)

If deep sleep is seen from the viewpoint of the one soul school (eka jeeva vaada) then there is no ignorance there, that also is a mere vision of the seer, and the praajnya is Ishvara. The 6th mantra of the Maandookya Upanishad clearly states that praajnya is Ishvara, omniscient and the cause of all creations (bhootas).
 
In the appearance school (aabhaasa vaada), praajnya is the individual soul self (jeevaatmaa, you-aspect literal meaning), whereas in the one soul school, praajnya is Ishvara. The arrogator of the microcosmic deep sleep is praajnya, and that of the macrocosmic deep sleep is Ishvara. Such a distinction is not made by the one soul school, but is favoured by the Maandookya. To understand the deep sleep nature of the macrocosmic arrogator, understand the deep sleep of the wise person. Through knowledge, his ignorance has been removed. In deep sleep, now where does his intellect get resolved (laya) into? Those who accept that in deep sleep, the intellect resolves into ignorance, the question arises: Where does the intellect of the brahman knower resolve into in deep sleep? The truth is that the deep sleep of the brahman knower is samaadhi, the tureeya state. There is no ignorance for resolution in deep sleep, and there is nothing to be known there, therefore in deep sleep there is only mere knowledge (prajnyaptimaatra). Like the deep sleep of the wise person, the nature of praajnya is also mere knowledge. The vishva and taijasa distinct from praajnya do have particular knowledge of the pot, cloth etc. But praajnya is delighting it its own bliss.
 
The identity of deep sleep and the unmanifest (avyaakrita) is proven. Both are non-particular seed-like states (nirvisheshaka beejaatmaka avasthaa). Difference happens only when there are particulars. The distinction between macrocosm and microcosm is the effect (parinaama) of the waking intellect, it is not the experience of deep sleep. That is why, the distinction between the adjunct-carriers of deep sleep and unmanifest - individual soul and Ishvara respectively - is not proven by experience. It is the produced by the impressions of the waking intellect.
 
The deep-sleep-located praajnya is situated in its inherent nature. It is the ultimate Ishvara. From the viewpoint of the one soul school, the dissolution of the entire creation alone is deep sleep, and the praajnya in it (awareness with the adjunct of unmanifest) is the ultimate Ishvara. There is only one praajnya. It is the Ishvara of all. In the entire gross-subtle world created by distinctions of aadhidaiva (deities), the Ishvara of all that is praajnya.
 
Praajnya is not the arrogator of deep sleep, since there is no other object for the arrogator. In reality, taijasa and vishva also are praajnya alone, and by being Ishvara, praajnya is the tureeya essence as well. In brahman, seed-ness is always absent (nitya nivritta) , therefore, after negating the imagined seed-ness, praajnya alone is brahman.
 
Praajnya is omniscient. Therefore it is not inert, it is the knower. In such time where the creation remains in a seed-form, at that time, that which keeps it in that form is praajnya alone. And, in such time when creation stays in its expanse, praajnya alone stays in the form of the inner controller (antarayaamee) and controls, regulates, and knows all. Therefore praajnya is omniscient.
 
There is order and regulation in creation. If this was not the case then there would be no inventions in science. Whether there is activity or no activity, regulation is always in place. That which is an inner controller from the view of activity, is the ultimate Ishvara from the view of non activity, and both are names of praajnya alone. Accepting inert Prakriti as the regulator of actions is not proper, since the arithmetic involved in regulation suggests some higher intelligence.
 
We alone are praajnya. In waking and dream, we know all the activities of the active thought flows, therefore we are the inner controller. In deep sleep, we know the resolution (laya) and inaction of those thought flows. Therefore we are the ultimate Ishvara. By being the knower of all three states, we are Ishvara.
 
We alone perform the protection of the seed in deep sleep, and the regulation of vital forces etc. We alone control the dream Purusha in the dream, by entering into him (anupravishta) and becoming his inner controller. There is similarity between dream and waking. The microcosm, internal organ and the body are separate from the macrocosm - this is a delusion. If the bread is on a plate, it is "this", but if it is our stomach, it is "I" - this is non analytical thinking. If the bread is "this", then the body made from food is "this" as well. And if the bread is "I", then everything is "I", nothing is separate from "I". In this manner, when the arrogation of the body is removed, then the entire vishva is me, this conviction happens quite easily, The distinction between the microcosm and macrocosm is imagined always. Therefore, the inner controller of the waking state also is me alone. Knowing the inner controller to be distinct from the self is a delusion. That is why the praajna which in the shruti is called the ultimate Ishvara, inner controller, omniscient is I, the self alone.
 
The method of the Panchadashi and the Vichaara Saagar is as follows. Perform discrimination of the macrocosm and the microcosm separately. Discriminate the five sheaths in the microcosm, and the five elements in the microcosm. The awareness which is adjuncted by the adjunct of the cause of the five elements is Ishvara. The awareness which is adjuncted by the adjunct of the effect [in the form] of the five elements is the individual soul. Discriminate between both of them. Now, using the great statements, realize the identity of the individual soul minus ignorance, and the Ishvara minus maayaa.
 
The method of the one soul school is as follows. Merge your microcosmic body with the macrocosmic body. In other words. the entire gross body is my gross body, I am vishva, think in this manner. The basis of this method is : That object which cannot remain without something, is non distinct from that other something. The pot cannot remain without clay, so the pot must be clay. Similarly, our body cannot remain without the macrocosmic food, water, heat, wind and space. Therefore, our body is non distinct from the macrocosmic body. The intellectual power of the microcosm is non distinct from the intellectual power of the macrocosm. Even in worldly science, the form, colour, dimensions and weight is all relative and dependent. Eyes can neither see in pitch darkness nor in intense light. So then, the form and colour of an object is dependent. Similarly, there is a limit to each sense organ, and everything is experienced within that limit. The cognized (praateetika) "I" is also dependent. In reality, it is one with the fullness.
 
Gunaas alone are doing everything (Gita 3.27). Everything is done by one's nature (Gita 5.14). There are five causes alone for all actions (Gita 18.13-16). Ishvara alone is doing everything (Gita 18.61). The bottomline of all these statements of the Gita is that "we have an independent existence, we are an independent doer-enjoyer, we are independently in bliss" - all this is a delusion.
 
In this manner, I am not one subtle body, I am the arrogator hiranyagarbha (taijasa) of the macrocosmic subtle body. This is another discrimination. Then our causal body is non distinct than the causal macrocosm. I am the praajnya-Ishvara, this is the discrimination. Finally, "my self is brahman", the accomplishment of this great statement, happens with the negation of all particulars (sarva vishesha nishedha). This is the method of the one soul school.
 
Due to the identity of the causal macrocosm with deep sleep, praajnya alone is said to be the cause of all beings and wombs. By being the place of awakening of waking and dream creation, it is called womb of all (sarva yoni). Because it is the place of creation and dissolution, it is the cause of all beings. Praajnya is the non-distinct material and intelligent cause of all beings.
 
The material cause of the pot is clay, and the intelligent cause is the potter. In all examples of this world, the material cause is inert and the intelligent cause is awareness. But dream is an example where awareness alone is the material and intelligent cause of all dream persons and all dream objects. Besides the seer of the dream, what else is present there?
 
If the omniscient knowledge-nature awareness, the ultimate Ishvara, will create the world, then he will not depend upon any other for creating forms in himself. In himself, he himself will imagine various forms. Therefore this Ishvara alone is experiencing himself in the form of this name-form world. The entire creation is imagined only, pulsation only, knowledge only. The aware cannot be many. Many-ness happens only when those things that create distinction - space, time, object - are real. But all these are illumined by knowledge alone, they exist due to knowledge, and without knowledge, they will not be experienced. Therefore, space, time and object are not distinct from knowledge. Distinction is illumined by knowledge alone. Without knowledge, there is no separate reality to distinction. Then knowledge will be one, it will be undivided.
 
It is imperative that knowledge is real (sat), since it is impossible to experience one's own self as unreal. This reality-form knowledge cannot be momentary, since there is no time in knowledge, and where there is no time, there is no momentary nature. There is no space in knowledge, therefore there is no notion of subject-object, inert-aware. In this manner, the entity which is non-disconnected from space-time-object, self-proven and mere knowledge is experiencing itself as all these forms.
 
"Let me become many". With this shruti statement, it is proven that Ishvara is aware. By being aware, this afore-mentioned will can become possible. If he were inert, then he would transform from the one into the many, he would become transformed (parinaama). But he is aware, therefore Ishvara is without modifications (nirvikaara). There is not transformation of his into this world, it is just the appearance of a transformation. In this manner, except the one undivided supreme brahman knowledge-nature supreme self, there is nothing else.
 
When there is knowledge of identity of praajnya and the ultimate Ishvara, the entire creation becomes our mere will. This entire creation is in the form of sound, touch, form, taste and smell. These are the thought-flows of the senses. The existence of the senses rests upon the mind. Therefore, this entire name-form-nature world, whether in the form of the gross creation or the subtle creation - is a will alone, it is knowledge alone. "Knowledge alone" is praajnya. Praajnya is the third step of brahman.

13.7 The Third Step (Paada) Of The Self - Ishvara

The absence thought-flow of deep sleep is : In that, there is no experience like that of waking and dream. Furthermore, since there is nothing that is cognized in deep sleep, "the self also does not stay there", is what ignorant people assume. But, when objects are seen as they are not or as absent, in both, there is ignorance of the object. Similarly, in waking and dream state, the self is imbibed incorrectly in the form of subject-object, and in deep sleep state, there is absence of imbibing the self. In all these three states, there is ignorance of the factual nature of the self. Brahman is beyond the known as the unknown (Kena Upanishad 1.3).
 
Waking and dream states are known, deep sleep is unknown. Scene and the absence of the scene are both "seen", and take the refuge of the seer. Therefore, waking-dreaming-deep sleep has an appearance-oriented reality (praatibhaasika sattaa) and the seer has absolute reality (paaramaarthika sattaa). This is a methodology of the soul school (jeeva vaada). From the perspective of the appearance school (aabhaasa vaada), the world is transactional nature (vyaavahaarika sattaa), dream and deep sleep are appearance-oriented reality, and tureeya is absolute reality.
 
The non-knowledge (aprabodha) of the essence alone is deep sleep. The waking and dream appearing (prateeta) in the non-knowledge of the essence is the play of deep sleep alone. Waking means understanding the essence. Therefore waking, dream, deep sleep - in all these three, where there is equal non-knowledge of the essence, in order to point out the specialty of deep sleep, it has been differentiated from waking and dreaming (Maandookya Upanishad 5).
 
That state in which the sleeping person does not desire any enjoyment, nor sees any dream, is called deep sleep. That which is the location of deep sleep, in which prajnyaa becomes coalesced (ekeebhoota) and compacted (ghaneebhaava), that which is filled with bliss, that which is the enjoyer of bliss, whose mouth is consciousness (chetana), that is the third step of the praajnya self.
 
The location of deep sleep in the body is said to be the heart, the throat of ream, and eyes of waking. From a macrocosmic standpoint, that causal object in which, that time in which the entire world attains its seed-form (dissolved form), where there is neither the appearance of a subtle world nor a gross world, that causal state is called deep sleep.
 
This deep sleep alone is indicated by the form of seed-state (beejaavasthaa roopa).
 
Vishva is a brahmachaari, service oriented. Taijasa is a householder, thinks a lot about the past and future. Praajnya is a retiree, there is no enjoyment, but there is the seed of duality. The self god is a sanyaasee, wandering, independent.
 
Waking and dream are the pulsations of the mind, the mind vibrates in these. The entire world of duality is a pulsation of the mind because in samaadhi, when the mind is quietened, the world is not experienced. But in deep sleep, the pulsations of the mind coalesce, different objects do not pulsate, just like in darkness, trees and houses are where they are, but do not appear distinct from each other. Due to the veiling of ignorance in deep sleep, there is no cognition (prateeti) of the world. But the world stays where it is. This state is called the seed-state. In the dream state, it is as though the intellect - the waking and dream pulsations - coalesce, that is why, no object arises and no subject arises which requires these object in there. This is a state of immense ignorance. It's cause is sleep or tamoguna.
 
In deep sleep, even though ignorance stays, it is the state of "bliss-ness". Bliss-ness means that there is an absence of sorrow. Which sorrows? In the waking and dream states, the mind has to keep changing its shape as subject-object-nature again and again, this is sorrow. In deep sleep there is absence of this sorrow, the absence of sorrow is not happiness. That is why the shruti says that in deep sleep, there is "bliss-ness", not bliss. Bliss-ness means there is no pure bliss, since the bliss of deep sleep is possessed with ignorance. Due to ignorance alone do we do not accept the bliss of deep sleep as the bliss of the self. That is why upon waking up, we say that "that bliss is not with us anymore". If we knew the bliss-nature of the self, then "I was, am and will always be bliss", would become our conviction.
 
The happiness of action and enjoyment in waking and dream is perishable, since objects are perishable, senses have limited abilities and the enjoyer is not ever active.
 
Even though the happiness of deep sleep does not require objects or instruments, it is unknown, since at the time of experiencing this happiness, "I am happiness" such a knowledge does not occur. Also, since it is dependent upon a state, it is not stable. The inherent bliss nature of the self is not disconnected due to state, place or time, and is also not unknown. That is why deep sleep is bliss-ness, not bliss.
 
In the world, if someone is having fun without any effort or work, we say that he is in a lot of bliss. Similarly, without any effort or work in deep sleep, the shruti terms the deep-sleep-located praajnya self as eater of bliss or "ananda bhuk". In other words, deep sleep is the effortless-state-nature supreme bliss of the praajnya.
 
Praajnya is aware-mouthed (chetomukha). In other words, that awareness (chitta) by which action and enjoyment get their power, its peak (udgam) is this deep-sleep-stated praajnya. That is why praajnya is aware-mouthed. This alone is the seed of the waking-dream worlds and their arrogators, vishva and taijasa.
 
Why did the self get named as "praajnya"? This needs investigation. "Praajnya" means strong knowledgeable. That which has the knowledge of the dream and waking in the seed-form , that is praajnya. It alone has the knowledge of the past, present and future since praajnya alone becomes the vishva in waking and the taijasa in dream. Therefore, this deep-sleep-stated self is named praajnya. The 6th mantra of the Maandookya clearly calls this omniscient.
 
Question : "I slept happily, I did not know anything". This is the experience of deep sleep. We cannot call the arrogator of this deep sleep state omniscient or praajnya.
 
Answer : The intellect was dormant in deep sleep. Only self happiness alone, indicated by the absence of sorrow, devoid of the trifecta of knower-knowledge-known, remained. Upon waking, the name of praajnya became vishva, and the intellect became active. Now, the vishva identified with the intellect of the waking state, superimposed its dormant state upon himself and said "I did not know anything". Also, the experience of the happiness of deep sleep alone is self happiness, and the self in the form of vishva is also situated in waking state, therefore, it remembers its experience during its praajnya time period and describes it by saying : "I slept happily". In this manner, in the above statement, there is superimposition created out of ignorance. The description of the omniscience of the praajnya is possible only by removing the superimposition.
 
Praajnya is called praajnya also because it is devoid of the trifecta of knower-knowledge-known in the deep sleep state, it is mere knowledge only.

13.6 The Second Step (Paada) Of The Self : Hiranyagarbha

We are not the body, we are not the microcosm, we are the viraata. This was the first step towards attainment of the supreme self. Now let us take the second step : leaving the gross and entering the subtle (Maandookya Upanishad 4).
 
If there is no gross microcosm, then there is subtle microcosm. This point has concluded automatically. The greater possibility of difference exists in the gross alone. The basis of the gross is the subtle. The basis of the gross space is the subtle mind, since space with length and breadth appears only when the internal organ remains. In deep sleep, when the mind is resolved (leena), space does not appear, and in dream, the mind creates a new space altogether. Like in dream, the creation of space happens similarly in the waking state as well. Therefore, space is in the mind, the mind is not in space.
 
In this manner, this gross body is in the mind, the mind is not in the gross body. This is because the gross body resides in one part of space, and when space is in the mind, the gross body is also in the mind. In a dream, we see our entire body and the entire world in our mind. In the same manner, the body of the waking state and the entire world is in the mind. The mind which appears (prateeta) in this body is an appearance (aabhaasa) of the internal organ. The individual soul appearing in this body is an appearance of the individual soul (jeevaabhaasa). The second step needed to go towards the supreme self is this : We should know that the entire macrocosmic subtle world is my subtle body, and its arrogator, the taijasa-hiranyagarbha, is me.
 
The residence of the taijasa is dream, like the residence of the vishva is the waking state. Taijasa is internalized knowledge, just like vishva is externalized knowledge. In the waking state, the intellect (prajnyaa) is seen to create objects out of external substances, whereas in dream, the intellect creates external objects out of internal substances. The waking is gross and appears stable, the dream is subtle and does not appear stable. These are the only differences in their nature, otherwise, from a standpoint of experiences, both are the same.
 
The prajnyaa or intellect of the waking state has many means of experiencing, like senses etc, by which external objects are experienced. But these external objects are not substances (padaartha), they are mere pulsations of the mind. This externalized knowledge alone creates impressions in the mind. And the mind takes the shape of a coloured painting. In the dream, these very mental impressions, without the need for external means, appear as a scene, in the same manner as did those impressions during their time of input (aaharana kaala) in the waking state. The mind does not contain impressions of just this birth. It also contains impressions of prior births. That is why, things are seen in this dream that were not seen in this birth. Also, there is illogical relationship of impressions in a dream, like the head of a horse seen on a man.
 
Followers of the karma kaanda school consider dream to be that state which has the power to dispense results of those actions that were not able to dispense results in the waking state. The followers of the Prakritiguna school accept dream as an effect of rajo guna. The Ayuerveda school can estimate the proportion of vaata-pitta-kafa based on the objects seen in a dream. The Shakuna school analyzes the results of a dream. But in Vedanta, the analysis of dream is nothing like any of these. Vedanta says that the space-time-object available in dream is not available in the waking state. Dream does not require external means. The pot of a dream is not made from the clay of the waking state, and the fire of a dream cannot be extinguished by water of the waking state. Ignorance, desire and action - all three of these are called the wheel of the world, which moves equally in both dream and waking states. Ignorance is sitting at the root of everything.
 
Accepting something other than one's inherent nature as oneself is ignorance. If there is something other than oneself, there will be a thought of accepting and rejecting it, and I want this, I don't want that, such a thought will arise. Action will happen as per the desire, and the impression of that action will be created in the internal organ. Therefore, until there is ignorance, the world cannot be dropped. Prompted by these - ignorance, desire and action - alone does the dream world appear like the waking world.
 
Both waking and dream states are created through impressions, therefore they are the reverse cognition (anyathaa prateeti, vivarta) of praajnya or knowledge. Externalized knowledge is the cause in the waking state, and internalized knowledge in dream. The shruti says that this self lord (aatma deva) experiences his greatness in his inherent nature by inclusion of sound and other objects of the waking state in the senses, and the senses in the mind (Prashna Upanishad 4.5). In other words, even in the absence of space, time, object there, he creates the world and then sees it himself.
 
The containers of the senses (indreeya golaka) do not remain in the dream state. There, only desire (vaasanaa) remains. The seer sees his desires alone. There is a veiling of desire on the vision of the seer. When we contemplate from the view of the one soul school (eka jeeva vaada), the veiling (aavarana) of the world comes in between the "that" (Isvhara) and the "you". This veiling, due to lack of thinking, is present on the vision, not on the seer. There is cognition of the snake on a rope (prateeti). How can we see the snake? We need to remove that cognition of the snake, which is coming between the rope and the eyes, through vichaara or thought. There is no real veiling upon the rope.
 
If we need to see the awareness which is adjuncted by the rope, how can we do so? If it is seen then it will become a scene, inert. The realiztion of the awareness does not happen in the form of some other. It only happens in the form of "I". Therefore, the desire-filled prajnyaa in a dream is my own prajnyaa, hence I am taijasa.
 
That which remains in the form of a subject in its illumined nature (prakaash roopa me vishayee roop se), is called taijasa. In reality, the illumined nature of prajnyaa without any object is called teja. That which stays in it in the form of a subject (vishayee), who stays in the desire-filled prajnyaa in the form of a suject, is called taijasa.
 
Vishva is the enjoyment of prajnyaa, so is taijasa. So long as there is an arrogator of knowledge (knower) and an object of knowledge (known) in knowledge, the name of knowledge is prajnyaa. Prajnyaa is the same in waking and same in dream state. Otherwise there will be no recollection of dream or waking states. Even then, the cause of difference between vishva and taijasa is externalized vs. internalized knowledge. They have the similarity of 7 limbs and 19 mouths. Vishva (in waking) recollects the experience of the taijasa (dream), but the taijasa (in dream) does not recall the experience of the vishva (in waking). Vishva is the arrogator of the effect, taijasa is the arrogator of the subtle cause. The enjoyment of vishva is the gross objects of the waking state, the enjoyment of taijasa are the subtle objects of the dream states. In reality, prajnyaa alone is gross and subtle, not objects. Thought-flow alone is enjoyed because without thought flow, there is no knowledge of the object. The form, colour etc. of an object is not enjoyed, but the form-shaped (roopaakaar), smell-shaped thought-flows alone are enjoyed.
 
When prajnyaa alone is enjoyed, then what is the difference between vishva and taijasa? In dream, desire alone is prajnyaa, there is no gross object. therefore it is distinct from the waking enjoyment. The enjoyer of these distinct enjoyments is me, the taijasa-hiranyagarbha. This enjoyer is a praajnya alone just like vishva. In the same body, even due to differences in state, there cannot be two true enjoyers. And the doer is one alone, at all times.
 
Waking and dream are both perception-thought-flows (darshan vritti) and that self-awareness which is adjuncted by them is respectively called vishva and taijasa. In reality, they are in the form of the macrocosm alone. Due to ignorance, their microcosm-ness is an appearance alone. Therefore vishva is viraata, taijasa is hiranyagarbha.

13.5 The First Step (Paada) Of The Self : Vishva Viraat

To understand the real nature of the witness, we first need to understand its adjuncted natures. These adjuncted natures are : the arrogator of the waking state "vishva", the arrogator of the dream state "taijasa", the arrogator of the deep sleep state "praajnya".
 
You know your self as the arrogator of the waking Purusha. To understand this in the form of the pure witness, you need to take one step forward. The first step is : You need to know yourself as "vishva", the arrogator of the entire waking state, not the arrogator of one body. The second step is to know your self as taijasa, the arrogator of the entire dream state. The third step is to know yourself as praajnya, the arrogator of the entire deep sleep state. And the fourth step is to know yourself as the pure witness that is the same seer of the waking, dream and deep sleep.
 
In dream, there are three clear divisions of the "I" : The dream Purusha, the dream arrogator, and the dream seer. In the dream, the one who is going to take a bath in the Ganga is the dream-Purusha. After waking up, that "I" which thinks that the entire dream was created out of my impressions is the dream arrogator taijasa. The seer of the dream and the seer of the waking state is the same.
 
Similarly, there are three divisions of the "I" in waking : The waking Purusha who is the arrogator of the waking body, the waking arrogator or vishva who is the arrogator of the entire dream state, and the waking seer who is the same in all three states. In dream, there are only two divisions of the "I", the deep sleep arrogator "I" (praajnya) who remembers the ignorance and memory of happiness of deep sleep, and the seer of the deep sleep who is also the seer of the waking and dream states. [There is no deep sleep Purusha].
 
In the dream, the creator and created of the dream was me (taijasa), similarly, I (vishva) am the creator and created of the waking state. Like in the dream, I am not the dream-Purusha in reality, similarly, I am not the waking-Purusha. Also, I alone become the taijasa with the adjunct of the dream, and I alone become the vishva with the adjunct of the waking state, and praajnya with the adjunct of the deep sleep state. In my form as adjunct-less, I am the pure witness.
 
When the witness stays in the waking location, then his name becomes vishva. But, to understand the waking location, we have to remove ourselves from the waking state of one body.
 
Leaving aside the qualities and faults, birth and death and disconnected-ness of the body, we the vishvaatmaa need to become one with the viraata, the arrogator of the gross macrocosm (sthoola samasthi). The discharging of the disconnected "I", is the first step of the self.
 
What is the specialty of the waking state? Externalized knowledge or "bahishprajnyataa". I am aware and this visible world is inert, this knowledge is called externalized knowledge. Our knowledge is converting the inert into sense objects, which means, it is imbibing something other than itself in the form of sense objects (vishaya), this is the specialty of the waking state. In this waking state, only knowledge is becoming externalized. When the aware (chetana) imagines another and illuminates it, then its name becomes prajnyaa or knowledge. But when the aware does illuminate the "chitta" (the world) but does not illuminate other-ness, then it is called brahman. Knowledge with object is called "chitta" and knowledge devoid of object-ness is called brahman.
 
Brahman is self-illumined and infinite. Since it is self-illumned, it cannot remain without seeing. Since it is infinite, it cannot be seen completely. Therefore it imagines itself as another form, disconnected, and illuminates it. This is the secret of externalized knowledge. Neither is there fault in the waking state, nor is there fault in externalized knowledge. But taking both of these as real is a fault, it is ignorance, it is misunderstanding. Vedantic analysis removes this very misunderstanding.
 
Ok, if I am not the waking body, I am the vishvaatmaa, then what are my limbs? Then we say that you think this: I have 7 limbs, 19 mouths, I am the gross eater ("sthoolabhuk") vaishvaanara (Maandookya Upanishad 3).
 
In regards to the 7 limbs, Shree Shankaraachaarya has mentioned the following shruti:
The space between heaven and earth (antariksha) is his head, the sun (soorya) is his eyes, air (vaayu) is his praana, space (aakaasha) is his waist, water (aapa) is his genitals, earth (prithvi) is his feet. (Chhaandogya Upanishad 5.15.2).
 
"We are in the form of this disconnected body" - this delusory notion has to be removed. This self, which you know indirectly, that self alone is the vaishvaanara. That which is vishva (cosmos) as well as the nara (person), is the vishvaanara, and the vishvaanara is the vaishvaanara. You are not a person, you are the cosmic person. The intensely luminous heaven (dyuloka) is your foreheard. The sun which shows the forms of the world is your eyes. The macrocosmic wind is your vital force, and so on.
 
All forms are refractions (vakreebhavana) of solar rays. During rainfall, sunlight is refracted through water particles and is seen as a rainbow. Similarly, knowledge enters the senses, attains refraction, and appear in a variety of forms. Knowledge enters the eyes as form, the nose as smell, the ears as sound etc. - in this manner, the one same knowledge becomes many-formed.
 
Whatever objects are being perceived are all perception only, not different then the process of perception (drishti). This means that the seer and seen, (pot, cloth etc.) both are in one space. We do not have knowledge of the external pot, our thought-flows take the shape of a pot, we know those thought-flows alone. Perception is always independent.
 
If both the pot and the book are cognized at once, then we could say that the book is not the pot. But these are cognized as different entities, therefore perception alone is cognized as the pot or book. The differences between various perceptions also is a perception alone. There are various perceptions in various times [sequentially]. And even time is a perception alone. This creation was made by our perception, and we disconnected perception by placing it into the body. Therefore "we are the body", is what we began to cognize. We have to lift that perception from the body and take it up to the level of the vaishvaanara viraata.
 
Vaishvaanara is also the name of a ritual fire. Therefore, as the imagined form of the eastern fire of the agnihotra, 7 limbs have been described.
 
This vaishvaanara has 19 mouths. 5 organs of knowledge, 5 organs of action, five vital forces and 4 aspects of the internal organ. These are the 19 mouths. In each body, these are the gates of enjoyment, gates of access of the vaishvaanara. External objects are imbibed through the external organs such as the senses, and internal objects are imbibed through the internal organ and so on. In these, the containers of the senses are made from the pancheekrita five great elements. The senses and the four-fold internal organ is made from the apancheekrita five great elements. In the containers of the senses, there is dominance of one great element respectively. The mind has all these five. In reality, the thought-flow of the senses is alone called the mind. When the mind comes to a particular sense container (indreeya golaka), at that time, the mind is called that sense alone. This vaishvaanara enjoys the gross objects of senses (sound, touch, form, taste and smell) through these 19 mouths.
 
If you are the 7 limbed viraata purusha, then what will be the nature of these 19 mouths? Because, how can the senses of the microcosm (vyashti) become the senses of the macrocosm, the viraata? Just like there is adhyaatma, adhibhoota and adhidaiva in each body, they are the same in the macrocosm. The 7 limbed viraata (vaishvaanara) is the adhibhoota, the individual soul with the 19 mouths is the "hiranyagarbha" (taijasa) adhidaiva, and he who is the enjoyer of the gross objects through these mouths is the "Ishvara" who is the (praajnya) adhyaatma.
 
Since there is recollection of the dream and deep sleep states in the waking state, it is clear that taijasa and praajnya become one with the vishva in waking. Therefore the description of adhyaatma, adhidaiva and adhibhoota is consistent. As a result, the vital forces, senses, minds of the entire creation of the universe are my instruments alone! And all gross objects such as dounds etc. are my gross enjoyments.
 
Who is the enjoyer of objects in the waking state? It is the vaishvaanara, this the shruti tells us. But in reality, this arrogator of the deep sleep praajnya alone has become one with the vishva in the waking state, and he alone has become one with the taijasa, and is the enjoyer of the subtle enjoyments in dream (sookshma bhuka). In deep sleep, that alone (praajnya) is the enjoyer of the enjoyment in deep sleep (aananda bhuka). The enjoyed objects of each state change, the enjoyer remains the same.
 
Both vishva and taijasa are 7 limbed, and both have 19 mouths. But the externalized knowledge only resides in the vishva, taijasa is internalized knowledge. In vishva, the objects are gross, and in taijasa, the objects are subtle. Just like vishva is the macrocosm viraata alone, similarly taijasa is the macrocosm hiranyagarbha. In the Maandookya Upanishad, we see the one jeeva theory (eka jeeva vaada) or "drishti srishti vaada prakriyaa". Here, there is only one aware-self soul in the world of creation. The different individual souls which are cognized are appearances of individual souls alone, like the dream Purusha. Also, for that one soul, there is no reality which is unknown to it. Therefore, all that which is an object of experience, it is established in the perception of the seer at all times, neither before it nor after it [Everything is experienced at once, there is no past/present/future]. Therefore vishva, taijasa, praajnya, all have come into being for the macrocosmic deep sleep. Opposed to this, by the method of "appearance opinion" (aabhaasavaada), vishva etc. are the arrogators of the microcosmic body.
 
What are these senses? They are objects of Indra. Indra means the seer, his object means seeing. The instruments of the seer which enable him to see are called the senses. Those instruments which are used to see the external world are called external senses (bahir indreeya) and those which see the internal world are called internal senses! This alone creates the difference between externalized and internalized knowledge. "Prajnyaa" alone is the senses. When you see something different than yourself then it is knowledge (prajnyaa), and when you see something not different than yourself, then aware (chetana)! Knowledge with object (savishayak jnyaana) is called prajnyaa. Prajnyaa devoid of object is called jnyaana (knowledge).
 
Even the wise person (jnyaanee) sees objects, but he sees them as falsified (baadhita), with the resolution of illusoriness. That is why even if differences are seen by the wise person, they are not differences, they are the inherent nature of brahman. But even when the ignorant person is not cognizing anything, that time also there is a seed of all differences lying in his mind. The samaadhi of an ignorant person is also difference-oriented, and the transactions of a wise person are of the nature of non-difference. In the vision of wise person there is no difference of a inner and outer, because he is complete (poorna).
 
Joy-sorrow are not external objects, they are shapes of the mind. The innermost is "I" (aham). "I" is witness-appearance (saakshi bhaasya). The cognition of joy and sorrow happens only to the "I". Merit and demerit are intellectual joys and sorrows alone. This is because joy and sorrow are results of merit and sin respectively. That which is merit and sin from the viewpoint of action, they are joy and sorrow from the viewpoint of result. The result of performing an action is the doership-knowledge that "I am the doer" (aham kartaa). The result of doership is the enjoyership notion that "I am the enjoyer" (aham bhoktaa). Both thought-flows of doership and enjoyership happen in the internal organ alone. They happen in both waking and dream states.
 
Where we take the organs of action to be our own, we become a doer. Where we take the organs of knowledge to be our own, we become a knower. Where we take the internal organ to be our own, we become an enjoyer. Identification with the existence aspect ("sad ansh", disconnected existence) creates doership. Identification with the awareness aspect ("chit ansh", disconnected awareness) creates knowership. Identification with the bliss aspect ("aananda ansh", disconnected bliss) creates enjoyership. In other words, knower with the adjunct of the organs of sense, and enjoyer with the adjunct of internal organ.
 
Another way of looking at it : Doership due to ignorance of the existence aspect, knowership due to ignorance of the awareness aspect, and enjoyership due to ignorance of the bliss aspect. These three types of delusions happen due to ignorance of our existence-awareness-bliss nature. Therefore there is no doer, no knower and no enjoyer in this body. The knowledge of this body is not my knowledge, actions of the body are not my actions, enjoyment of the body is not my enjoyment - we experience this once we know our true nature.
 
All distress is due to ignorance of our inherent nature. Therefore, removing this ignorance is your duty. Ignorance alone is the causal body. Ignorance resides in the causal body. Where there is ignorance, cause-effect nature is imagined there. E.g., ignorance of the stump leads to a delusion that it is a person. This person did not come from the stump, he came from ignorance. That which has been created from ignorance is not truly created, the creation is a delusion (bhrama). Therefore, the body exists due to ignorance, in other words, the body has not been created. We are accepting the gross and subtle body due to ignorance. It is a mere cognition (prateeti maatra), and this cognition is transactional (vyavahaarika). If there is Ganga water in a pot then the pot is pure, and if it contains alcohol then it is impure. This purity-impurity is transactional. Similarly, from the standpoint of reality of the object, the pot is clay only. And in the same way, gross-subtle bodies are only transactional.
 
Running transactions on the basis of non-dual knowledge is sentimental. "There is one supreme self in all, therefore treat everyone the same". This statement is not uttered thoughtfully. When we cannot treat each limb of our own body in the same manner, how can we treat everyone in society in the same manner? The basis of transactional life is difference-oriented knowledge (bheda jnyaana), and the self is non-difference-oriented by nature. Therefore, transactional life should always be carried out using social norms. Transaction happens in the particular, in that which has gunaas or qualities. The self essence is non-particular, with no qualities.
 
How can there be transactions of the specific in the non-specific? There is no quality or fault in any object-person-situation, nor is any action or enjoyment with quality or with fault, this is the meaning of non-particular. For the benefit of the seeker, the scripture organizes particular injunctions and prohibitions based on place, time, age, state, qualification and capability. This transaction of injunctions and prohibitions (dharma adharma) is a scriptural superimposition. The animal-like mechanical transactions of the body are natural. On the one hand, scriptural transaction corrects the faults of the natural transactions, and on the other hand, it gives birth to good thought-flows (sad vritti) in the internal organs, which illumines the path to the absolute by removing imperfections and adding of requisite qualities.
 
Accepting actions as good or bad is a mistake. The influence of the action on the internal organ after its completion should be seen. Action is only a means (saadhana). The "this-shaped" (idam aakaara) thought flow is means-oriented by nature, and the "I-shaped" (idam aakaara) thought flow is result-oriented by nature. "This is a meritorious action" - in this manner, an action becomes a means. After performing the action "I performed a meritorious action, I am a meritorious person" this I-shaped thought-flow became the result. But all of this is witness-perception (saakshi bhaasya).
 
Separating this I-shaped thought flow from the microcosm, from the disconnected, alone is to experience it in its macrocosmic form, in the entire vishva form. We alone are the macrocosmic vaishvaanara (samashti viraat). The separate "I" which are cognized in separate masses are mere cognition, just like the dream Purushas. In those, that self essence which has been strung together, which is pervaded, like the dream seer (svapna drishtaa), that alone is the vasihvaanara viraata. With the adjunct of the entire waking state, the name of the pure witness-brahman is viraata alone.
 
Resolve the speech and other senses into the mind (leena karo). In other words, the senses are not different from the mind, see this. Resolve the mind into the intellect. Which means, decisions and doubts of the mind are nothing but known objects, know it in this manner. Resolving does not mean doing, it means knowing that they were already resolved. Resolve the intellect into knowledge, and knowledge into the Mahat element, the macrocosmic intellect essence. Now resolve the Mahat element also into your self. (Katha Upanishad 1.3.13). Then you will realize - how mighty am I. There is animal-like behaviour in you, which has come by entangling yourself with this body comprising of bones, flesh and skin. You are not the body. You are the viraata Purusha.
 
This entire object-filled world, and the related divine world is pervaded in your body. And even this is imagined in just a quarter of your true nature.
 
Knowing yourself to be the vishva viraata is the first step in knowing your self to be brahman. The second step is to know yourself as the taijasa hiranyagarbha, in the form of the enjoyer of the subtle macrocosm. The third step is to know yourself as the bliss enjoyer (ananda bhuk) praajnya Ishvara, the causal self (kaaranaatmaa) of the gross-subtle-macrocosm. After than, even causality is negated, and the infinite bliss-nature brahman essence, indicated by the removal of all particulars, is experienced as your fourth nature. This is the fourth and final step.
 
If you continue to accept yourself as the microcosmic gross, subtle, causal body or body-owner (shareera vaalaa), the world will remain as it is. But, if you consider the entire universe as your gross body, the entire macrocosmic subtle body as your subtle body, and the entire causal body as your causal body, the world will cease and you will become established in your fourth state, you will attain the non-dual state.
 
In reality, accepting the self as disconnected by the body is a delusion. Even the five elements did not become disconnected from the body, from which this body is made. Then how can the non-attached self become disconnected? Each element of the body is one with the macrocosm. We use a line drawn of charcoal to divide land. Similarly, a line has been drawn in the mind that "this is my body, I am this". But this line is completely imaginary.

13.4 Dream (Svapna) And Deep Sleep (Sushupthi) And Their Arrogators (Abhimanee)

On the conclusion of good and bad actions that are within the waking state, and on the commencement of the good and bad actions of the dream state, the dream state emerges. Dreams are also created by impressions (samskaaraas). Some good or bad actions that do not have the ability to give joy or sorrow by presenting their gross objects, such lighter good or bad actions present their objects in a subtle form and give joy and sorrow.
 
The enjoyment of dream state, which is different from that of the waking state, is the expansion of our own intellect. It is a subtle enjoyment and that enjoyment happens in the light of our own self. The arrogator of the dream-Purusha (body), enjoys them. The arrogator of the entire dream state, in other words the taijasa self, is knowledge only with respect to them. To know alone is his enjoyment.
 
We need to investigate that we are not the dream Purusha, we are the seer of the dream who sees the entire dream.
 
In the waking state, we forget that we create the entire world. This happens because we become the arrogator of just one body. But the dream comes in our life, to remind us of this fact that we have the ability to create a whole new world. In dream, we make a mile-long place and a years-long time period. We are the Ishvara of the dream, this becomes clear.
 
The waking state is our transaction location, dream state our science (vijynaana) location and deep sleep state our resting location. But we are not bound to any of these. When we go into deep sleep, we do not remain in dream. When we go into dream, we do not stay in deep sleep. And when we go into waking state, we do not remain in dream. Therefore, we are never tied or stuck to any of these.
 
In this manner, on a daily basis, we experience our renunciation, our non-attached-nature, our dispassion, towards these.
 
What do we love the most? Our happiness, our self. That is why, after leaving everything, we establish everything in ourselves with such courage that we do not even know it. When everything left us - we do not even know.
 
If dream and deep sleep states did not exist, then this waking state would become real. There would be no way to understand the illusory nature of the waking state. When we think of the truth, our view will become extremely biased if we only analyze our experiences considering only the waking state and not the other two states! In the light of the experience of the dream and deep sleep states, the experience of the waking state is insignificant.
 
In dream, there is no stability of objects. In comparison with the objects of the waking state, the objects of the dream state are falsified, like the rope on a snake, that is why they are appearance only (praatibhaasika). That is the reason why we are not attracted towards objects in dream, but are attracted to objects in waking state. If the dream objects become as stable as the waking ones, our attraction to them will also happen like in waking objects. Therefore, just by the fact that we are attracted to them does not make the objects of the waking state real. Sometimes, there is attraction in dream also, and the memory of that dream remains with us for a lifetime.
 
Through our dreams, we realize the extent of the power of our imagination. Through deep sleep, we realize that the absence of everything is in me alone, while I am. The world is an appearance only (prateetimaatra), a dream. In our inherent nature, there is nothing called the world.

13.3 Waking Purusha (Jaagrat Purusha) And Arrogator Of The Waking State (Jaagrat Avasthaa Abhimaanee)

It is one thing to be the arrogator of the waking Purusha. It is another thing the be the arrogator of the waking state. The first point does not function as a means to liberation (saadhana), but the second one is. The arrogator of the waking Purusha and the arrogator of the waking state - we should differentiate between these two.
 
In a dream, we imagine ourselves going to the Ganga for a bath. In this illustration, first there is a dream-person "I" who is going to the Ganga for a bath. Second, there is a "I" who is watching the entire dream, in other words, the arrogator of the dream (svapaabhimaanee). The dream Purusha is the arrogator of one body in the dream, whereas the dream arrogator is the arrogator of the entire dream state.
 
Similarly, now distinguish between the arrogator of the waking Purusha and the arrogator of the entire waking state. When we sit in the body, we become the arrogator of the waking Purusha. Then my house, my factory, my wife, my son, this mine-yours, quarrels and fights, contact and separation, joy-sorrow etc. happen due to accepting this waking Purusha as the "I". Our name, the names of our hands-legs-nose etc. limbs, Hindu-Muslim etc. differences in religion, Indian-European national origin etc. - all these differences that we have accepted, we have done so by lack of understanding alone. If you investigate, you will realize that you are not the arrogator of this body, you are the arrogator of this entire waking state. In this waking state, I also exist, you also exist, he also exists, this also exists.
 
In a dream, one scholar saw that he lost to another scholar in a debate. On waking up, he become quite sad. But after analysis, he understood that no other person defeated him. In the dream, he thought this : It was my intellectual thought-flow alone that defeated me. I was defeated by myself. In this manner, whatever we think in the waking state that we lost from so-and-so, our wealth went to so-and-so, this is a delusion of the mind. We lose to ourselves. The wealth has gone to another branch of our own shop.
 
This arrogator of the waking Purusha (body) is not us. We are the arrogator of the entire waking state, on other words, the "Vishvaatmaa" or the "Vaishvaanara". Such an analysis is the analysis of the waking state.
 
If you become the arrogator of one body, you get merit or sin. But there is no merit or sin for the vishvaatmaa. He is the knower of all merits and sins, and the knower of their results, the joys and sorrows.
 
All the enjoyments of the waking state are gross enjoyments. They are enjoyments caused by the endeavours of the mind, senses and the body. They arise out of sanctioned, prohibited, and sanctioned-prohibited actions. In reality, the enjoyment of joy and sorrow alone is the result of all enjoyments, the result of all actions.
 
In the viewpoint of Saankhya, joys and sorrows are the result of our merits and sins. But the worldly objects which cause these joys and sorrow come from Prakriti alone. They are the effects of Prakriti, the mahat element, ahankaara and the five elements.
 
In the viewpoint of Nyaaya and Vaisheshika, all objects are created out of atoms, they are cooked. They are created from atoms, not from your actions. Accepting them as your own and becoming happy, and becoming sad when they leave you, it is all a play of the mind.
 
The Poorvameemaamsaa school accepts the entire universe as that which is created from action. There are different types of actions such as praarabhdha, sanchita etc. In their opinion, all objects in the world are created from the consolidated enterprise (samshti praarabdha), and the joy-sorrow of the objects happen due to individual enterprise (vyashti praarabdha). Even in this, there are happiness-form thought flows and sadness-form thought flows that arise in vyashti praarabdha. But the resultant thought-flows of "I am happy, I am sad" and the like are created out of delusion, due to identification with the thought flows. In these, the individual soul is doer-enjoyer, doership and enjoyership are the natural characteristics of the individual soul. Therefore, by performing inauspicious actions, the individual soul attains sorrow and arrogation of sorrow. Through extreme good actions, he gets extreme merits, goes to heaven and becomes extremely happy. Through bad good actions, he gets extreme sins, goes to hell and becomes extremely sad.
 
In the viewpoint of Vedanta, the arrogation of "I am happy, I am sad" is created from delusion.
 
From any viewpoint, the vishva (arrogator of the waking state) cannot be happy or sad. That which is the waking Purusha alone can be doer-enjoyer, happy-sad.

13.2 Fourth Self (Tureeya Aatmaa)

Waking, dream and deep sleep are the 3 states. Due to its need for these 3, the self (witness) is called the fourth or tureeya. But since it is also the substratum for the 3, it is not a completely distinct fourth element, otherwise it will be considered infinite regression (anavasthaa). It is the fourth because it is unlike the 3.
 
We know that at this moment we are awake. We see objects through the senses. Who is seeing? I alone am seeing. Here, by accepting the external adjuncts of the senses, my own name has become "vishva". Leaving the external senses aside, I alone see a dream. There, I the witness am called "taijasa". He is called taijasa because even if there are no tangible objects in a dream, he illuminates (teja) all objects of that realm. After that, deep sleep arrives where there are neither external sense organs nor internal sense organs. We see that deep sleep also. There, I the witness am called "praajnya". We would never know of a state different from waking and dream if we did not see that deep sleep state. These three states can be compared to a white, red and black shirt worn by the same person. There are three shirts, but the wearer is the same one. In the same manner, the self is distinct from all three states. The self is different from, and a witness of these three states. This is ascertained.
 
There is not even a recollection of the waking state in the dream state. During that time, the vishva is completely resolved into the taijasa. In deep sleep, there is no recollection either of waking state or dream state. During that time, both vishva and taijasa are dissolved in praajnya. What does this mean? That which has become the seer of the waking state due to the adjunct of the external organ, upon waking, that very same entity identifies with the same organs and says : "I did not see at that time, but now I see".
 
In reality, the seer never sleeps. "I am presently asleep" - such an experience does not come to anyone. If it does, then actually, you are awake. What happens is as follows. The mind-intellect-senses sleep. We superimpose their sleeping upon the self and say "I slept" or "I woke up".
 
No matter what kinds of experiences occur in the waking state, I am different than them, because I remain even when they do not. Similarly, I am different than the experiences of the dream state. I am also different from the experience of ignorance and happiness in deep sleep because I remain their witness. No matter which experienced object comes in waking, dream or deep sleep, it is "not me and not mine" because I leave it where it is and wake up.
 
When there is nothing in the world which is I or mine, then the arrogation (abhimaana) in the happiness or sorrow of its contact and separation, is absolutely false. In that, the arrogation of doership as "I created this and I destroyed this", is absolutely false. There is neither doership nor enjoyership in the witness.
 
Our mind has created the expanse of the waking state. It also has created the expanse of the dream state. Even deep sleep is a mental state. The experience of these three worlds, all fourteen realms, infinite millions of galaxies, that which has never happened to anyone, is happening to anyone or will happen, all are the imaginations of our mind. We are the witness of the mind and its entire appearance or lack of appearance of the world.
 
The imagination of fourth-ness (tureeyataa) in the self is by maayaa. If waking, dream and deep sleep, these three do not happen, then there would be no imagination of the fourth in the self. To differentiate from these three, the self has been called the fourth. People have mistaken that there is a fourth state called tureeya. They think that tureeya happens when a fourth state called samaadhi is achieved. But the Vedanta theory is not on these lines. We are tureeya in waking, dreaming and deep sleep also (Bhaagavatam 11.25.20). There is no change in our tureeya-ness. In other words, even when the waking, dream and deep sleep states remain, we never had or will have any connection with them. Even if they change, I do not. There is no dream or deep sleep in waking, waking and dream do not remain in deep sleep. Therefore, all these three states are illusory. They are illusory which means that they are being perceived (in the witness) where they are not. When there is absolute non-existence [disappearance] of an object in its substratum, then the perception of that object is illusory.
 
Where are these states being perceived? In the infinite light, the infinite substratum in which the space of the waking state is also superimposed. That infinite light and infinite substratum is the one brahman alone. That which exists alone is called the substratum from the viewpoint of infinite reality. And it is called the light or witness from the viewpoint of infinite knowledge. In that infinite brahman, all these three states are illusory.

13.1 Three States And Their Arrogators (Abhimaanee)

Three states are well known : waking, dream and deep sleep. Daily, they come and go in every body. Every person knows their coming and going, as well as their sport (vilaasa). But he never investigates them or of the knower of these, which is himself. In this investigation lies the seed of self-realization. An examination on the lines of the Maandookya Upanishad is presented.
 
Waking, dream and deep sleep - these are the three states of the mind or chitta, and are the scene-only (drishtimaatra) of the chit, the witness self.
 
When all five sheaths are active in the body, at that time, with the aim of deriving happiness from the ignorance-oriented-thought-flows, the witness identifies with the internal organ. Also, it experiences sounds, touch, form, taste and smell, these five objects of sense - which are the endeavours of the mind, senses and body. It also enjoys the gross objects. The state of this experience is the waking state. We are not asleep, not immersed in compulsive thinking, not engaged in meditation, and know the goings-on of the senses, body and our surrounding environment, then our state is called the waking state. The earth, oceans, rivers, towns, cities, sun, moon, fire, wind, space and our scriptural science, prior births, future births etc., the entire individual soul-Ishvara created world is the play of the waking state.
 
When the body is asleep, the food sheath is inactive. But the the vital force, mental, intellectual and bliss sheaths are active, then without the activity of the bodily sense organs, the witness, like in the waking state, directly sees his body and the play outside his body. He also enjoys the subtle enjoyments in there through the sense organs of his dream body, The state of this experience is called the dream state.
 
The play of the dream state is just like that of the waking state. The only difference is that the enjoyment of the waking state is gross, and that of the dream state is subtle. The impressions of attraction-aversion, acceptance-rejection in the waking state require actions to achieve fruition. But in the dream state, they come to fruition by desire alone. Therefore, the enjoyment in the dream state is purely desire-driven (vaasanaaamaya).
 
In the waking state, when the person gets immersed into compulsive thinking and forgets the sensation of the gross body and his environment, then that state is comparable to the dream state.
 
There is no memory of the waking state in the dream state. But there is memory of the dream state in the waking state. This leads us to conclude that the arrogator (abhimaanee) of the waking and the dream states is not one. Yet, both states appear to one witness alone.
 
The name of the waking state arrogator is "vishva" and that of the dream state is "taijasa". Vishva is the arrogator of the external organ, and taijasa of the internal organ. When the food sheath becomes inactive during the dream time, the external organ arrogator vishva resolves (leena) entirely into taijasa, due to which there is no recollection of the waking state in the dream state. The internal organ is active in the waking state also, that is why taijasa does not entirely resolve into vishva, and there is recollection of dream in the waking state.
 
When, due to the abundance of sleep, the food, mental and intellectual, all 3 sheaths sleep (become action-less) and only the vital force and bliss sheath remain active, at that time, the witness does not experience the gross or subtle play of either the waking or dream states. To such an extent that "I am the same one who sees both the waking and dream states" such a thought-flow does not remain. This is because, when he wakes up after sleeping, he then says "I was happily asleep, I did not know anything". This state of ignorance and happiness is called deep sleep.
 
The arrogator of the deep sleep state is called "praajnya". Vishva and taijasa are completely dissolved (pralaya) into praajnya, due to which there is no recollection of the waking or dream states in deep sleep. But prajnya becomes one with vishva in the waking state, that is why when the person wakes up, the recollects the ignorance and happiness of his sleep.
 
In the waking state, all three gunaas are present. The waking state is sattva-dominant since it alone contains all kinds of knowledge and happiness. This is one view. Another view says that the waking state is rajas-dominant since there is knowledge and happiness in dream also, but the activity of the gross body is the specialty of the waking state. There is tamoguna in the dream and deep sleep states due to the fault of sleep. Deep sleep is a tamas-dominant state.
 
In the waking state, if we reject I-this-notions due to the dominance of sattva guna, then the state of samaadhi will be attained. Samaadhi is a sattva-dominant state of deep sleep. But it is attained through human effort, whereas sleep is attained naturally.

13.0 Trifold State Witness Discrimination (Avasthaa Traya Saakshi Viveka)

12.6 Witness Of Five Sheaths (Panchakosha Saakshi)

The concept of food sheath and other sheaths (the abstraction) is meant for understanding the witness. This is your hand. Its bones, fat, muscle - this is the food sheath. If polio strikes it, the hand will not rise up even if you want it to. The hand which does not rise in that state is the food sheath. In that moment, a force which usually enabled the hand to move has left. This force is the vital force sheath of the hand. The power to move is called the vital force sheath. But, even the power to move does not act all by itself. The hand rises only when there is a desire to raise the hand. This desire is called the mental sheath. The doer of the desire to raise the hand is the intellectual sheath. The happiness created by raising the hand (which goal prompted you to raise the hand), that joy is the bliss sheath. In this manner, the establishment of the five sheaths in the body needs to be understood.
 
The food sheath in this body in the form of bones-fat-skin etc. is not you. It is a scene, it transforms, it is mortal, it is change-oriented, and you are the seer, do not transform, immortal, the singular (anvil-like) witness. You are also not the power of the body to act, the vital force sheath, since it is inert and you are aware. You are also not the desire to act, the mental sheath, because desires are many and you are one. In that which contains desires, you are also not the intellectual sheath, doer of all of those desires because it is not available in deep sleep, whereas you the witness are present there as well. The core prompter of the desire and effort of the doer, the bliss sheath, is also not you because bliss-ness is adjuncted, and you are the non-adjuncted bliss-nature. Then what are you? You are pure perception, observation (upalabdhimaatra) only. This point can be said that whatever objects can be perceived, that you are not.
 
All five sheaths are active in the waking state. The food sheath is not active in dream state, but the others are. Due to the working of the vital force sheath at that time, food is digested, hair grows, blood circulates. The mental sheath is all dream-oriented. Since it enables arrogation of doership (kartritvaabhimaana) and perception of happiness, the presence of the intellectual and bliss sheaths is known at that time. In deep sleep the food, mental and intellectual sheaths are dissolved, and only the vital force and bliss sheaths are active.
 
Do not see all these five sheaths. Do not even see the arrogator of each such as the food Purusha, vital force Purusha and so on. See that non-adjuncted Purusha who appears with each respective adjunct sheath, but is even presiding as the nature of the aware-only witness, untouched by the pros and faults of each sheath.
 
These five sheaths are caves. The self in the form of a lion is hidden in these caves. The witness self "I" of these five sheaths is distinct from them.
 
The method of investigation is : Investigate one sheath at one time. First think, is it right to say "I am the body"? Then, negate it through the means of shruti and logic. Until the negation "I am not the body" does not become firm, continue to investigate. Once that happens, investigate whether "I am the vital forces" is correct. Continue to negate that inappropriate statement until the negation "I am not the vital forces" does not become firm. In this manner, one should continue to take the help of shruti and logic to negate all the sheaths including and up to the bliss sheath.
 
Doubt : There is no self experienced other than the five sheaths. Then how can I experience "I the self am distinct from these"?
 
Resolution : It is correct that the "I" notion is accessible within these five sheaths. But the self is not the I-notion, it is the witness of the I-notion. The witness is beyond the five sheaths and the experience of the sheaths happens only through that. The witness does not live in any of these sheaths. It is just the opposite - the witness is the substratum of all these five sheaths.
 
The witness is neither the object neither the subject, yet both are the erroneous perception of the witness. For instance, the snake is the erroneous perception of the rope. Therefore, the rope is being perceived as a rope during the time of seeing it, even if it is in the form of a snake and not in the form of a rope. But when the darkness-destroying light destroys the delusion of the snake and the rope alone is cognized. Similarly, the witness alone is being perceived in the I-notion which is seemingly perceived in the five sheaths. Yet, in order to perceive the I-ness-like pure nature of the witness, it is necessary to gain knowledge of negating all I-ness notions. Even after this, the witness cannot be perceived as a pot. The experiencer self can never be the object of experience. It is only possible in the form of an erroneous perception which is a delusion.
 
A knower distinct from the self, and knowledge distinct from the knower does not exist. That is why the self is unknown (ajneya), it is said. But the cause of the unknown-ness is not its non-existence (asattaa). The shruti reveals the self as self-illumined. Only after the illumination of the self is the world illumined (Mundaka Upanishad 2.2.10). That by which everything is known, how will you know that witness self? (Brihadaaranyaka Upanishad 4.5.15). You can know everything by the mind, but you cannot know your witness self by the mind (Taittireeya Upanishad 2.3.1).
 
Doubt : Why cannot we accept the void which is beyond the five sheaths?
 
Resolution : You will have to accept the witness of a void otherwise "there is a void" - how will this be proved? How can the witness of a void experience himself to be a void? "He becomes unreal who thinks that the brahman is unreal" (Taittireeya Upanishad 2.6.1). This means that the self alone is brahman.

12.5 Bliss Sheath (Aanandamaya Kosha) And Bliss Purusha (Aanandamaya Purusha)

Bliss Sheath : Inside the intellectual sheath, and pervading it, there is another body which is the self of the intellectual sheath which is called the bliss sheath. The pervasive awareness that understands this sheath as its "I-me" is called the bliss Purusha.
 
The shape of this bliss Purusha is the same as that of the intellectual, in other words, like the food sheath. "Verily, different from this [sheath], which consists of the essence of the intellect, but within it, is another self, which consists of bliss (aananda). By this the former is filled. This too has the shape of a man. Like the human shape of the former is the human shape of the latter. Joy (priyam) is its head, delight (moda) is its right wing, great delight (pramoda) is its left wing, bliss is its trunk, Brahman is its tail, its support." (Taittireeya Upanishad 2.5.1).
 
Due to the command of the impressions (sanskaaraas), we see joy (priya) in some objects. Whose people, objects and situations that were imbibed with happiness in the past are joyous. In the present, the happiness that comes out of seeing dear objects is joy. The happiness on obtaining those objects is delight, and the happiness in consuming those objects is great delight. "Bliss" is the common happiness which pervades all specific (thought-flow-created) happiness. Bliss is the name of brahman. It alone is the centre of all happiness, it is the self. Therefore, the support of this bliss sheath is brahman. This is because the bliss sheath is nothing but a transformation (adjuncted nature) of bliss.
 
What is the access point of this bliss sheath? The manifestation of this sheath is easy and ardent during deep sleep. In that state, this-that-you and the subsequent "I" do not pulsate, only happiness pulsates. But this is happiness which is enveloped by tamas. When there is saatvic understanding in waking and other states, or when there is a state of delight or great delight on attaining joyous (priya) objects due to the fruition of meritorious actions, then there is a manifestation of the bliss sheath. The reflection of the bliss-nature self in the thought-flow of enjoyment of results of meritorious actions generates bliss. The enjoyment (bhogtritva) of the individual soul is the bliss sheath.
 
The bliss sheath also cannot be the self since it is created out of action, it takes refuge in the gross body, it is a transformation of Prakriti, it is endowed with an adjunct, and there is a variation in the proportion of its bliss.
 
By being adjuncted, the bliss in the bliss sheath is falsified (baadhita). The Purusha (witness) is non-falsified. From the food to the bliss sheath, that same Purusha remains in all. That very bliss is the self of the Purusha (enjoyer). That alone is me. Since it has is no other limiter, it is brahman.

12.4 Intellectual Sheath (Vijnyaanamaya Kosha) and Intellectual Purusha (Vijnyaanamaya Purusha)

Intellectual Sheath : Inside the mental sheath, and pervading it, there is another body which is the self of the mental sheath. The organs of knowledge and the intellect are its components (Vivekachoodaamani 186). It is called the intellectual sheath. The pervasive awareness that understands this sheath as its "I-me" is called the intellectual Purusha.
 
"Verily, different from this [sheath], which consists of the essence of the mind, but within it, is another self, which consists of intellect (vijnyaana). By this the former is filled. This too has the shape of a man. Like the human shape of the former is the human shape of the latter. Faith (shraddhaa) is its head, what is right is its right wing, what is truth is its left wing, absorption (yoga) is its trunk, Mahat (Hiranyagarbha) is its tail, its support." (Taittireeya Upanishad 2.4.1). This means that the science (vijnyaana) of worldly and Vedic actions, the conviction of the real nature of worldly and Vedic facts, the resolutions of all doubts pertaining to those facts, and the casting out of all unnecessary arguments - this is the intellectual sheath. In this, the thought-flow-endowed intellect along with the organs of knowledge remains. The arrogation (abhimaana) of doership also stays in this sheath. The cause of the microcosmic (vyashti) intellect is the Mahat element. That is why the support of the intellectual sheath is the Mahat element alone.
 
"I am the knower, the doer, of so-and-so caste, of so-and-so life stage, I am the body or the individual soul distinct/disconnected from the body, I am a sinner, a saint" etc. - whichever arrogations of action, enjoyment or sensory knowledge exist, all those are transformations (vikaaraas) of the intellectual sheath, since it pervades the afore-mentioned three sheaths.
 
This intellectual Purusha is an individual soul with the nature of "I" (aham svabhaava vaalaa). He is the one who accomplishes all worldly and other-worldly transactions. He acts due to past desires (vaasanaas) and enjoys their results, and falls into the trap of arrival and departure. Waking and all other states, joy-sorrow and other enjoyments (bhoga), arrogations of body etc. and the sense of mine (mamataa) reside in this sheath (Vivekachoodaamani 188-190).
 
By being the saatvic modification of the Mahat element, this intellectual sheath is extremely knowledge-filled but is not the knowledge-nature self. Due to delusion, this intellectual sheath alone has been accepted in the form of the self. In reality, it is an adjunct with extreme proximity to the knowledge-nature self, which causes the afore-mentioned delusion. The entire set of transactions of the intellectual sheath is a scene, it is change-oriented. In deep sleep, when the intellect sleeps, this sheath is not available. Therefore it cannot be the "I", the self.

12.3 Mental Sheath (Manomaya Kosha) and Mental Purusha (Manomaya Purusha)

Mental Sheath : Inside the vital force sheath, and pervading the vital force sheath, there is another body which is the self of the vital force sheath. The organs of knowledge and mind are its components (Vivekachoodaamani 169). It is called the mental sheath. The pervasive awareness that understands this sheath as its "I-me" is called the mental Purusha.
 
"This [sheath of the praana] is the embodied soul of the former (the sheath of food). Verily, different from this [sheath], which consists of the essence of the praana, but within it, is another self, which consists of the mind (manomayakosha). By this the former is filled. This too has the shape of a man. Like the human shape of the former is the human shape of the latter. The Yajur-Veda is its head, the Rig-Veda is its right wing, the Sama-Veda is its left wing, the teaching (aadesha) is its trunk the hymns of Atharva and Angiras are its tail, its support." (Taitireeya Upanishad 2.3.1). The meaning is that the mental Purusha is comprised of Vedas. The Vedic non-immediate knowledge of the self resides in the mental sheath.
 
Knowledge of worldly objects, knowledge-actions of past objects [knowledge and actions undertaken to attain those worldly objects or goals], and the fruition of enjoyments which are desires or vaasanaas (in this are included all worldly-otherworldly desires), all these are a part of the mental sheath. The mental sheath also is a component of the subtle body.
 
This mental sheath cannot be the self. It is a scene, it undergoes modification, it undergoes transformation, and it is absent in the deep sleep state.
 
In the mental Purusha, the mental aspect is falsified (baadhita) whereas the Purusha aspect is not. The Purusha is the same one found in the food and the vital force sheaths. The mental sheath is the third covering of the self.
 
"I am knowledgeable, I am filled with desires, I am distracted, I am focused" etc., all these arrogations (abhimaanaas) belong to the mental Purusha.
 
All scripture-sanctioned action, worship and Yoga are meant for the purification of this mental sheath alone. An impure mind is the cause of bondage, and a pure mind is the cause of liberation. But even with all this, the mental sheath is not the self. The refuge of ignorance and science (avidyaa and vidyaa) is the mind alone.

12.2 Vital Force Sheath (Praanamaya Kosha) and Vital Force Purusha (Praanamaya Purusha)

Vital Food Sheath : There is yet another body which is inside of, and which pervades, the food sheath, and which is responsible for the movement, activity and action of the food sheath. This is called the vital force sheath. The vital forces and organs of actions are its components (Vivekachoodaamani 162). The awareness which pervades the vital force sheath is called vital force Purusha.
 
Without the power of activity, the body is dead. Only by the presence of the power of activity does the knowledge of "I am an alive person" happen. Therefore people treat the vital force Purusha alone as the "I" (the self).
 
"Verily, different from this, which consists of the essence of food, but within it, is another self, which consists of the vital breath (praana). By this the former is filled. This too has the shape of a man. Like the human shape of the former (the sheath of food) is the human shape of the latter (the sheath of the vital breath). Praana (the upward breath), indeed, is its head; vyaana (the diffused breath) is its right wing; apaana (the downward breath) is its left wing; aakaasha (samaana) is its trunk; the earth is its tail, its support." (Taittireeya Upanishad 2.2.1).
 
Like the I-ness (the I notion) is imagined in the food sheath through ignorance, so too is it imagined in the vital force sheath. Just like the food sheath, the vital force sheath is designated by a "this", it is a scene. Even though there is lack of sensation of the vital forces in deep sleep, the "I"-ness is never not-sensed. Therefore, the existence or reality of the vital forces is falsified. Also, even when the vital forces continue to function in deep sleep, there is no special functioning of the body or the organs. If someone takes something of, or gives something to a sleeping individual, the vital forces do not interfere in it. That is why the vital forces are inert. How can they be the aware self?
 
In the vital force Purusha, vital forces are falsified and the Purusha is not falsified (baadhita). The Purusha in the food sheath is the same Purusha in the vital force sheath. The very same Purusha (self) has an outer coating of the food sheath and a more inner coating of the vital force sheath. From a pervading-pervader standpoint, we can say that the vital force sheath is the self, and the food sheath is the body.
 
Like the gross body is called the food sheath, the vital force sheath is one part of the subtle body.