||om tat sat||

Sundarakanda
Sarga 8

Tattvadipika
Searching through the layers of Lanka

Hanuman in his search for Sita ,
having moved from the entrance to various buildings,
having jumped across the mansions of many Rakshasas,
reaches the palace complex of the king .

In the center of that complex
Hanuman sees a wonderful aerial vehicle called Pushpaka,
which was decorated with rubies sapphires and diamonds.
Its windows were made of gold.
An incomparable one made by the celestial architect Viswakarma.
It was shining like the blazing path of Sun,
on the way to the world of Gods.

There was nothing in that which did not require a special effort.
There was nothing in that which was not decorated with celestial sapphires.
There was nothing in that which is not special in some way.
Indeed one cannot say firmly that what ever was there,
was indeed there in the world of Gods.
It was so unique.

That aerial car was acquired with great effort of penance and great valor.
That aerial car moves according to the wishes of the mind.
That aerial car was built with many many special parts.
The aerial car is wonderful look at with all special features.
The aerial car moves as if following the dictates of the mind and moves far too.
That aerial car goes with the speeds equal to that of the wind.
That aerial car is like a temple for the great souls, people who acquired many merits and those delighted many fold.

The aerial car decorated with the springtime flowers was looking beautiful.
It was looking more beautiful than the spring itself.
Hanuman saw that aerial car Pushpaka,
in the palace complex of the Rakshasa king.

That is the summary of the eighth Sarga
Thus poet Valmiki described the beautiful aerial car Pushpaka in very beautiful verses.

The search for Sita takes Hanuma through many layers of Lanka.
He moved from the gates of Lanka to the inner palaces.
He is yet to find Sita.

That the search for 'Self' not reached the goal is clear.
Where is 'Self'?

Upanishads talk about how one goes about the search for Self.
Upanishads talk about Self as hidden within five layers or " Pancha Kosa"
These five are Annamaya Kosa, Pranamaya kosa, Manomaya Kosa, Vijnanamaya Kosa, and Anandmaya Kosa.

Annamaya Kosa is the gross physical sheath.
Dependent on food it exists as along as it can assimilate food.
Its existence is transitory not seen prior to birth nor after death.
It is not the Self.

Pranamaya Kosa is the sheath of vital force ( Prana)
This is finer than the physical sheath.
And it impels the physical sheath for action.
This itself is five vital airs.
Enters the body after conception and leaves after death.
Insentient and limited object,
it cannot be Self the all seeing witness.

Manomaya Kosa is a finer sheath than the Prana
It has the feelings of 'I' and 'you'.
Seed bed of desires , impels the senses to act.
Stained by passion it creates bondage.
Subject to change and is characterized by pain and pleasure
It cannot be the Self.

Jnynamaya Kosa , the sheath of intelligence or Buddhi.
Insentient by nature, appears intelligent or conscious.
It reflects chit or pure Intelligence.
This reflection of pure consciousness in buddhi is called Jiva.
Self identifying itself with Buddhi experiences misery and happiness.
Self identifying itself with Jiva is due to ignorance.
It is not Self.

Anandmaya Kosa is the sheath of Bliss.
The chief features of this sheath are pleasure and rest.
The pleasure comes when in contact with agreeable objects.
The full manifestation of Sheath of Bliss is experienced in deep sleep.

These sheaths are not the real coverings of Self.
Self shines through all the layers.
It is the ignorance that makes one identify Self with one or the other sheaths.
That is what is stated in Upanishads.

Appalacharyulu garu says
as Hanuman moves from one complex of palaces to another
in the search for Sita,
the thought that strikes one is about the search for "Self".
Specifically the search for 'Self" through the 'Pancha Kosas".

Valmiki in his description of Hanuman's search says
"अससादाथ लक्ष्मीवान् राक्षसेंद्रनिवेशनम् "
"Hanuman entered the Rakshasa kings palace complex"
This is repeated at three different times.
It appears at 6.2, 6.28 and 9.2
After such entrances Valmiki proceeds with esoteric descriptions .

In all those three places Sita was not there.
So those three complexes represent the three sheaths in the search for Self,
Namely the Annamaya Kosa, Pranamaya Kosa and the Manomaya kosa.

The complex he enters at the end of fifth and beginning of sixth Sarga as Annamaya Kosa,
Then he enters the palace complex having Pushpaka.
The description "दिवं गतं वायुपथ प्रतिष्ठितं" gives the hint to vital airs,
and reminds one of Pranamaya Kosa, the second sheath.
The search in the eighth Sarga is symbolic of search in the Pranamaya Kosa.

We hear that statement again in the beginning of Sarga nine,
That is while entering Ravana's sleeping quarters.
The Ravana sleeping quarters is like "Manomaya Kosa".
Why?
We have already read in the first Sarga about Ravana.
"असत् प्रलापान् रावयति इति रावणः"
Because he makes one think of "ego"use egoistic words, he is called Ravana.
The one that makes us think of those egoistic words is our ever flickering mind.
Ravan is the identification of that "ever flickering mind"
Thus the Ravana's sleeping chamber is the "Manomaya kosa"
The third sheath.

This is what he hear from Appalacharyulu garu in his Tattvadipika.

||om tat sat||
|| This is what we understand from Bhashyam Appalacharyulavari Tattvadipika||||
||om tat sat||