(C) Chid Vidyaa (Dakshinaakshipurusha Vidyaa)
Both the sciences of existence and bhooma explain one philosophy clearly. There is no difference or disconnect between existence element, self element and brahman element. The various types of differences ultimately indicate the brahman element. It is fine. But someone with an ordinary intellect can only grasp objects with differences. He is unable to grasp the absolute brahman. In this state, he cannot attain the supreme goal of life, which is liberation. In order to shower such a person with grace, the Lord Veda teaches the investigation of the Lord in the lotus of the heart. Typically, the self element can only be known through proper understanding, since it is without attributes. Yet, someone of limited intellect accepts attributes alone as dear. Therefore, for worship, the teaching of attributes in the case of satyakaama etc. is also dear. Also, typically, the mental thought flow of people that know brahman is always turned away from objects. Even so, due to the repeated impressions of imbibing objects that has happened since time immemorial during several births, the thirst for objects cannot be removed suddenly. Therefore, brahmacharya etc. and other means also have to be performed. In the end, there is absence of coming and going in the self element, yet, for those in which those impressions exist, the absolute truth can be conveyed using their state. With all of these aims, this science of awareness or Chid Vidyaa is commenced.
In this body, there is a tiny lotus. It is called the "hridaya pundareeka" or the lotus heart. It is the place for attaining brahman, just like the Shaalagraam stone is the place of Vishnu. The space in this lotus, and that which is hidden in this space, that has to be investigated and curiosity about this should be generated.
So then, what exactly is hidden in the space of this tiny lotus? Listen. There is so much space outside of us, and there is the same amount of space inside us. Earth, fire, wind, sun, moon, lightning, stars etc. all of them are inside. Any object which a person wants to know in this world in the form of the self, or does not know, that which he possesses or does not, all of those are incorporated in this space of the lotus flower. Even after the body perishes, this space in the tiny lotus flower does not perish. There is no path for old age or death in it. In this, all desires are full. This is the self. There is no entry for merit or sin, old age or death, sorrow, hunger-thirst cannot touch it. This is the true desire or satyakaam, satyasankalpa. The entire world of people enters into the lotus of the heart for fulfilling its desires.
Desires are fulfilled according to actions, be they in this birth or the next. Therefore the fulfillment of desires is subservient. Like the joys of this world, created by action, eventually decay, similarly, the worlds like heaven etc. decay after the merits have been exhausted. Due to ignorance, those people who enter these worlds for fulfillment of desires become bound in them, their independence goes away. But those who enter these worlds having made the nature of the self as self proven based on the scriptural teachings of masters, can roam in these worlds with independence. They become "satya sankalpa". Whatever they want, they can get. They can go to the worlds of father, mother, brother, sister, friend etc., they can meet them if they wish. Honour, enjoyment, friendship, spouse, whatever they want, they can get based on their desire alone.
We perceive objects of desire as real. They are in fact covered by non-truth. The only real true entities are brahman alone, but they do not have any way of being recognized. We superficially roam around the mine of gold, but we never attain gold. It is lamentable that all these people visit brahman daily, but cannot recognize it, since untruth has kidnapped them. It is conclusively stated that the self resides in the heart alone. The supreme self lives in the heart. This knowledge alone is the storehouse of supreme bliss.
By using discrimination, he who separates himself from this heart in the body and the space in the heart, becomes established in his true nature. What is that true nature? It is nectar. The imperishable bhooma alone is nectar, it is fearless since there is no other. The name of this brahman alone is truth.
The self is the bridge as well as the divider. If it were not to take on the world, the entire world would collapse. It is the limit of all objects, actors and action-imaginations. It cannot be made into an object by space, old age, death, grief, good or bad actions. Any effect cannot encroach upon its cause. All afore mentioned objects are effects of existence. An other can attain an other or encroach upon it. The pot does not attain clay, nor encroaches upon it. Whether you take the name or not, all are sinful, and return without attaining existence. This alone is the self. This is the world in the form of brahman. On attaining it, from the viewpoint of the body, even a blind does not remain blind, an injured becomes non-injured, a sad person becomes happy. Upon attaining this, night becomes day. This self is ever illumined, it is brahman.
The means to attain it is brahmacharya. One name of brahmacharya is yajnya. it means - whoever is the knower is the self alone. The most dear one also is brahmacharya alone. Only through it does Ishvara get worshipped. Asking with regards to the subject of the self alone is dear. Sarsanga, the company of wise people, is brahmacharya, silence is brahmacharya since it contains comtemplation. Austerity is brahmacharya since it is indestructible. Going into a forest is also brahmacharya. All these are means to attain the supreme self.
The question is : what are the objects of the world of brahman made of? Are they like objects in this world which are made of clay, water? Or are they only mental signals? Are they true like the objects in waking state or are they dream-like? In this, the imagination of mental forms alone is appropriate. Only the connection of the mental body can be appropriate there. Any woman, child etc. seen in the dream are all mental conceptions. So then, are the objects of brahman illusory like those in dream? The shruti says that there, the enjoyment of desires is true. How to remove this contradiction?
Even mental conceptions have existence. All forms in a dream are shaped as per the desires of the waking state. To say this is a small thing. Even the objects of waking are created out of mental conceptions. By desiring the existence entity, fire, water and food are created, and the whole world is a play of these alone. The root of all worlds is desire. Night and day of the world are imagined. Creation, sustenance and destruction come from the inner self. Fundamentally, there is no difference between inner and outer. The existence or reality of this world and other words is one and the same. Truly, the substratum of the superimposed is only the self. By identifying with the substratum alone does the superimposed pulsate. Therefore, visible objects contain existence. They are illusory from the standpoint of form, true from the standpoint of existence. Therefore, even the coming and going of the brahman world, due to the reality of the substratum, is only "shrauta" or heard. The self of that coming and going is free from merit or sin, old age or death. There is no sorrow, hunger, thirst in it. It is satyakaama, satya-sankalpa. It is that which is to be sought after and that which should be inquired. He who knows it, does not need to attain anything else.
This is the statement of Prajaapati. Both gods and demons heard this and understood it. They said - Yes! We will attain this self since having attained this, all worlds and all desires are attained. The king of the gods was Indra and that of the demons was Virochana. Both went to Prajaapati. They had not discussed anything with each other, but both were jealous with each other in the matter of obtaining the science of brahman. Both left their respective kingdoms, became disciples and took the refuge of the teacher. This makes it clear that the science of brahman is more important than the kingdoms of the gods and the demons.
Indra and Virochana observed brahmacharya for 32 years and served Prajaapati. Then, Prajaapati asked them, desiring what end are both of you serving me? They said, we had heard a statement from you which states that self inquiry and self investigation leads to the attainment of all worlds and all desires. We have come here for that very self science.
Prajaapati said to both of them - "This person who is seen in the eyes is the seer self. He is peeking from inside the eyes. This alone is nectar, this alone is brahman."
Both said - that which is seen in the eyes alone is seen in the water, it is seen in the mirror. Lord, of these, which is the self? Prajaapati said - In all, in the beginning and the end, he alone manifests.
Prajaapati knew that he had indicated brahman with the help of eyes, but these two have taken the meaning incorrectly. He who remains behind the eyes and sees through the eyes, has been taken by them as the shadow in front of the eyes. Even so, he did not remove their delusion immediately, since they had superimposed scholarship, greatness and intelligence upon themselves, and if he had called them stupid or ignorant, then they would have sorrow in their mind, and their inquisitiveness would be interrupted. Therefore, he thought that he would remove their delusion through the process of the inner self.
prajaapati commanded - both of you, see your reflection in a tray of water. If you do not recognize yourself there, then let me know. They did so and after Prajaapati asked, they said - Lord! We are seeing our self as a full form. These are our own forms. On the advice of Prajaapati, they wore ornaments and clothes, and after Prajaapati asked, they said that they could see clearly their forms as the wearers of clothes and ornaments. Prajaapati said - alright, that reflection seen by you, its image is immortal, fearless, brahman.
Both felt that they have come to know the self. Satisfied and fulfilled, they returned. Prajaapati thought that both of them had left without attaining the knowledge of the self and felt fulfilled, They would be vanquished by gods and demons.
Virochana went to the demons with a fulfilled heart and said - I have served Prajaapati and attained this self knowledge. The body is the self, it alone should be praised and only through its service will all the worlds be attained. Even today, this Virochana school is alive. This is the demonic school, in which there is no charity, faith or sacrifice. In this, a corpse is dressed up with clothes and ornaments, and is accepted that through this alone will heaven be conquered.
Indra did not return to the land of gods. In his path, he began to contemplate. This is the reflection of the body. It is seen as the ornaments are seen. The body is blind, deaf, fragmented and therefore, so is the reflection. I had left home, left the joy of kingdom, left enjoyment, for the sake of attaining all the worlds and all desires, but I did not attain anything here! The result of self knowledge is visible, in this soul alone, by taking the reflection as the self, what did I gain? He again, with a lot of faith, become a student and went back to Prajaapati. When Prajaapati asked, he replied that this knowledge did not help him in any way. Prajaapati said - you are correct. Indra! Observe brahmacharya for another 32 years. Indra did exactly that.
Prajaapati explained, the awake body cannot be the self. It alone is called the "chhaayaa" or reflection. It is born, it will die. You are different from that. See! He who, being distinct from this body, expresses his glory in dream, enjoys pleasures in dream, that place of awakening is different than the gross body, it is the dream place self, it alone is immortal, fearless brahman.
Indra did leave from there, satisfied, but on the way back, contemplation arose in him. He began to see some faults in accepting the dream witness as the self. The faults of the waking state purusha do not affect the dream state purusha, nor do the faults of the waking state body affect him. But even so, in a dream, the dream purusha is killed, covered, it is denounced, it cries, so what is the point of becoming a dream self? In this, I did not attain any enjoyable pleasure. I do not want the happiness of other worlds, I want the happiness of this world. Indra again returned to Prajaapati and said - Sir! You had taught me about the immortal, fearless brahman. But in the dream self, I do not experience any sense of immortality or fearlessness. Prajaapati said - observe brahmacharya for another 32 years. Indra did exactly that.
When that time had passed, Prajaapati said - Indra! In reality, he who remains as the witness in the eyes, he alone is different from the eyes. Vaama and dakshina are two sockets of the eyes. The power of sight is only one organ of vision. The external creation is seen through the organ of vision. But, in dream, when there is no organ of vision, the mind spreads its maaya and sees its own creation. But when it completely sleeps, extremely happilly, there is no scene there, no desires, no agitation, no sense of individuality! In dream, the waking is forgotten and in deep sleep, both waking and dream are forgotten. He who, like deep sleep, does not know anything, in other words, does not term anything as me or mine, that is the self, that alone is immortal, fearless brahman.
Indra heard this and left, but again, contemplation arose in him on the way. He began to think, what is this self? How can this be immortal and fearless? In deep sleep, it does not know who it is, neither does it know the things seen in the waking state or dream. It is as if it resolves into destruction at that time. If knowledge were to happen, then the existence-nature of the knower would have been attained! It seems like I have not yet fully imbibed the teaching of Prajaapati. Indra returned, and pleaded with Prajaapati. Seeing the renunciation, dispassion, faith and intense inquiry of Indra, Prajaapati become pleased.
Prajaapti said - Indra, it is true! There is no immortal fearless in the deep sleep state. There is neither happiness nor knowledge there. How can it be the existence-consciousness-bliss self? Observe brahmacharya for 5 more years. Indra did so. Then this is what Prajaapati said to him:
"Indra!, this body is bound to perish, it is decaying, every second it is diminishing and death is eating it. In this alone do the senses and mind reside. You have seen three states - waking, dream and deep sleep. All three are different from each other. One state is different than the other. The space, time and matter of each is different. If you meet a friend in a dream, he cannot say yes to meeting in the waking state. Wealth, house, death, life, our body, all this is different and distinct. Those in waking - earth, water, fire, wind, space, dyuloka, sun, moon are not in the dream, and those of the dream are not in waking. The transformations that came out of these and actions and all the instruments of knowledge are also unique. All this does not exist in deep sleep. There, mother-father, husband-wife, deities, merit-sin, jay-sorrow, attraction-aversion, mine-ness and non-violence do not exist. This means that all these are transformations of states. All these things of the world such as length and width comrpising light years, years, eons, time and diversity of objects really is a play of the mind since they do not exist when the mind does not exist, or when the mind goes to sleep they do so as well. But there is one entity that remains the same in all three bodies and in all three states. When the states change, it does not, where there is lack of knowledge of these states, it is never not known. That alone is our pure self. This is immortal, non-body. The place of its access is this body. It alone, by identifying with the body as the jeeva, ascribes states and their attributes upon itself. When it considers itself in the form of the body holder then it starts accepting what is pleasureable to the body as pleasureable to itself, and what is not pleasureable to the body as not pleasureable to itself. The body is impermanent, prone to death, measuring right and wrong, with likes and dislikes. When the self accepts itself as the body, when it makes an "I" due to lack of discrimination, then it becomes the holder of the body. When I become the body, then the death, foolishness and sorrow of the body becomes my sorrow. In this state, due to like/dislike and meeting/losing, the I-mine, joy-sorrow, all this is never destroyed. When it knows itself as the non-body-form, then the lack of discrimination is removed, and then like-dislike cannot touch it."
The question is this. If liking can also not touch the non-body self, then it will be a deep-sleep like state, the attainment of destruction! But this is not the case. Liking and not-liking arise out of injunctions or their lack, and attach themselves to the body. There is no injunction or its lack in the body, no like-dislike, no meeting and losing. Therefore, they alone have been negated here. There is no negation of our natural form bliss. This is the non-body self alone. "The bhooma is bliss alone" has been said in the seventh chapter.
There is another thoughtful question. Indra did not want an unqualified object. He wanted an object that knows itself as "I am this", and also, knows the other that it is a substance. Indra did not want only the state of destruction, he was looking for an enjoyed witness happiness. He had heard that after knowledge happens, the non-dear cannot touch you and all worlds and all desires are attained. Then why is Prajaapati teaching about the unqualified object?
The answer is : Prajaapati is the supreme teacher, a supreme well-wished of Indra. What Indra understands and wants is not what is right for him. The self is without body like space, it is the self of all beings, all worlds and all desires. Its attainment alone is the attainment of the well-wishing. Due to this aim, he teaches Indra about the unqualified self. The self is not attained as something else, like a king attains a kingdom. The shruti clearly says - who will know it through what? In other words, there is no triad of the knower, known or knowing instrument in the self. Then "these objects and their self, I" how can this teaching happen?
Question: Shruti says that the wise person can be liberated even as he eats, he plays, stays with women, goes on a vehicle, his desires are fulfilled, he can take many forms etc. Such shrutis that extol opulence exist - how can we reconcile them?
Answer: The all-self is connected with all results. Just liek all pots, vessels etc. are always attained by clay, everything is always attained by the self. Then are even all sorrows attained by the self? Let them be! Even they too are our own self, what is the opposition from them? In reality, sorrow is imagined upon the self due to ignorance. Just like the snake, created out of imagination, is seen on the rope, similarly, when ignorance is destroyed, then the cause of sorrow is removed, now where is the connection with sorrow? Sorrow is in the creation of the soul, not that of Ishvara. Through the adjunct of pure sattva, Ishvara alone lives in the bodies of peoples, and enjoys the world of human enjoyments. All imagined objects created out of ignorance are the self, the supreme self alone, there is no one else, this is the philsophy of Vedanta.
Prajaapati wanted to convey the teaching of brahman. But he first gave the teaching of reflection self, dream self and deep sleep self. Why? If he had directly conveyed of the teaching of brahman, for the person who is attached to external objects, would get confused. Therefore, step by step, he revealed the target. It is like someone pointing out a faint moon. First he will point out the top of the mountain, then the tree on its top, then the branch of the tree, then the moon which is two cubits above it. In this manner, Prajaapati reveals the self. In the fourth teaching, the self rises above this disconnected body, and knows itself as the non-body light-form. In this supreme person, eating, sport, roaming, everything happens. This is the supreme person. Also, note that, while describing every state, he has termed the self as immortal and fearless. It is the shruti herself that has taken on the garb of Prajaapati and speaking, it is always truth, it cannot be made delusory by any logic and argument, since there is no superior means than the shruti. If you say that "this is sorrow, this is disliked", then this also known immediately that I am old, I am fair, I am dark etc. similarly joy and sorrow are behaviours of the adjunct and are experienced. The behaviour which is experienced cannot negate the factual behaviour.
Whatever the shruti has said is always truth, even so, its experience here and now is difficult. Indra, not knowing himself, says that there is only destruction in deep sleep. Virochan accepted the body alone as the self and returned. That which Indra saw in the form of the ocean of destruction and fear, Buddha dwelled upon it and considered it as the void alone. In Saankhya, knowing the witness as different than the scene, even so, by casting off the means of the shruti, it remains in the dualist realm of philosophy. Where there is duality, there is death. Vaisheshika, Nyaaya and other schools accept that the matter of the self has nine colours of attributes, it has to be washed and cleaned. Even the heart of action oriented people of karma kaanda has been stolen by external objects, they do accept the means of the Vedas, but consider the truth of identity of self and brahman as equal to death, and fall into the trap of coming and going. In this situation, if other uncultured beings cannot experience the oneness of self and brahman, it is no wonder.
There are so many entities in the world, wind, rain, electricity, thunder etc. that are without body in the beginning, assume a body in the middle and shine, but later, again become established in their true nature. Similarly, when this lord self becomes free from the pride of the body, he becomes one with the supreme self, and becomes established in his true nature. This person alone takes the name of the supreme person. Now, what his body is upto, where it is located, eating and playing, in women, in vehicles, staying with people, his attention does not go towards all these things. Wherever the mind goes, wherever the body goes, that is brahman. It does not have any goal of placing the mind or body anywhere. Just like a horse or bull is yoked to the cart, similarly this five fold vital force has been yoked to the body. The mind, intellect and senses live in the body. There, the power of knowledge and action have become one. Until the results of his prior actions exist, he keeps getting them. That knower has one space called the eyes, from which form is obtained. The black spot in it is a star, its space is non-different than the self. It alone sees, smells, hears, contemplates. The mind alone is the divine vision. Through this, he enjoys all the enjoyments of this and other worlds. The knower in all of these adjuncts is different from them, the non-dual brahman. Without any duality oriented world in it, such a world is being experienced. Prajaapati repeatedly taught Indra that this witness is the immortal, fearless brahman, and summarized his discourse.
Sad Vidyaa is the conversation of the human world, bhooma vidyaa of the sage world, and dakshinaa vidyaa of the world of brahman. The qualified student of the sad vidyaa is afflicted with the defect of arrogance, that of bhooma vidyaa with sorrow and that of chid vidyaa with desire. All three are taught the science of brahman. In sad vidyaa, the intellect is taken from the gross (effect) towards the subtle (cause). In bhooma vidyaa, the intellect is taken from the gross (name) towards the subtle (bhooma). But there is no such discussion of gross or subtle in chid vidyaa. There, through the experiences of the present - waking, dream and deep sleep - the non-dual person incorporated in all three is revealed. The waking creation is the macrocosm, the dream creation is the macrocosm, there is the seed of both in deep sleep, but both are not experienced. The person is the one and only aware, he alone is indicated by the southern eyes, the dakshinaakshi.
If we investigatge, we will realize that since it is never negated, the aware entity alone is the truth. Since it pulsates as all forms, the existence entity alone is aware, and since it is free from all agitations, the existence-aware entity alone is bliss. If these existence awareness bliss entities would not be non-different than the self, then their immediate realization can never happen, it will be only indirect, imagined. If the existence awareness bliss entity would not be non-different than the self, then it would be unreal, inert, and sorrow formed. But, the becoming unreal, inert and sorrow of the self is totally against our experience, also, the supreme love for the self is always experienced. Therefore, the self alone is the existence consciousness bliss brahman. In the form of brahman, the beginning and end of space and time will always remain unknown. The objects that are created and destroyed in their lap, and the beginning, end and number will always remain unknown. Due to the ignorance of its own nature, this creation is appearing as a distinct reality. The self is non-dual, brahman. This alone is immortal, free from death or any notion of death, because there was never any absence of that reality, and never will be any. Some may imagine its absence, but its absence can never be experienced. When there is no other, what is the need of dear? This self alone is brahman. "Etad brahman".
Prajaapati's teaching removed the ignorance of Indra, and he become one with glory-lack of glory, action-inaction, creation-destruction, waking-deep sleep. Now, he could never fall from his true nature in the face of any state, situation, objects coming and going, proper-improper action, result or no result.
Through these three sciences, the most superior and unsurpassed glory of the science of brahman is proven.
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