||om tat sat ||

Viveka chudamani Slokas 221- 222 - 223

In Sloka 220, we hear about a deluded fool looking at Sun reflected in pot with water, thinking that it is the Sun.  The delusion of the fool who sees the reflection of Sun and thinks it is real, and the delusion of the individual who is blinded by the ego centric self, mistaking it be real Self, both are same. 

The delusion is because of seeing unreal and mistaking it to be real.

Looking away from the pot, the water in the pot and the reflection of Sun in that water, a normal person can see the sun directly. That is straight forward and simple.  

So, if one leaves aside the unreal and looks at the real, the delusion disappears. Master brings out this point in Sloka 221 and builds on that.

Sloka 221

घटं जलम् तद्गतम् अर्कबिंबम् 

विहाय सर्वं दिवि वीक्ष्यते अर्कः।

तटस्थितस्तत्रितयावभासकः

स्वयं प्रकाशोविदुषो यथा तथा॥

घटं जलम् तद्गतम् अर्कबिंबम् -

jar, water, and the reflection of Sun 

विहाय सर्वं - leaving aside all of them 

तटस्थितः  एतत् त्रितयावभासकः  

तटस्थितः - the one independent of these three ( jar, water and the reflects image of Sun) 

एतत्रितयावभासकः  - that which illuminates all three of them 

दिवि   स्वयं प्रकाशः  अर्कः वीक्ष्यते  

sees the self-luminous Sun in the sky. 

तथा - similarly !

Similarly, what is intelligent one to do? Master left the thought to be completed, though Idea is clear. We will come to that separately. 

Summary of the Sloka 221 

Just as the wiseman leaves aside the jar, the water in the jar and the reflection of Sun in the water filled jar and sees the Self luminous sun which illuminates all the three and is independent of them. 

The first part of the Sloka, leaving aside jar, water, and the reflection of Sun in the jar filled with water, is easy to understand.

 

Saying, यथा तथा, implying similarly, just as etc, Guru left out key part of comparison.

Just as jar, water and the reflected image of Sun are to be set aside, what are to be set aside in seeing the self-luminous Self.

The unsaid part of the Sloka is that just as the wise man sees the Sun leaving aside the jar etc, leaving aside the body and the ego centric false I, wiseman shall also see the self-luminous Self,

The answer comes as part of the Sloka 222.

Sloka 222

देहं धियं चित् प्रतिबिम्बमेतं 

विसृज्य बुद्धौ निहितं गुहायाम्।

द्रष्टारमात्मानं अखंडबोधम्

सर्वप्रकाशं सदसद्विलक्षणम्॥

देहं धियं चित् प्रतिबिम्बमेतं -

body, the intellect and the reflection of the consciousness.

विसृज्य - leaving aside 

बुद्धौ निहितं गुहायाम् - 

in the caves of intellect 

द्रष्टारमात्मानं -(see)  the Self in the form of witness 

What is the form of that Self?

अखंडबोधम् सर्वप्रकाशं - 

knowledge absolute, illuminating all. 

सदसद्विलक्षणम् - different from the real and unreal 

Summary of Sloka 222:

Leaving aside body, the intellect, and the reflection of the consciousness, - in the caves of intellect see the Self, which is in the form of witness, which is knowledge absolute, different from the real and unreal and illuminating all.

This is not complete. 

The nature of Self has more to it, and the Master is also to tell us what the benefit is of pursuing this Self. This comes in Sloka 223.

It is a norm to tell the benefits of an action (seeing Self) when it is being recommended. 

In Gita, before introducing Karma Yoga Krishna delivers the punch lines of Karma Yoga – saying:  

नेहाभिक्रमनाशोऽस्ति प्रत्यवायो नविद्यते | स्वल्पमप्यस्य धर्मस्य त्रायतो महतो भयात्॥

This lays down with crystal clear clarity the benefits of Nishkama Karma, that it drives the fear away, there are no obstacle for Nishkama Karma etc. We hear a similar benefit here. 

.

Sloka 223

नित्यं विभुं सर्वगतम् सुसूक्ष्मम्

अन्तर्बहिः  शून्यं अनन्यमात्मनः।

विज्ञाय सम्यक्  निजरूपमेतत् 

पुमान् विपाप्मा विरजा विमृत्युः॥

Reading the last two lines first, we instantly get the gist. 

विज्ञाय सम्यक्  निजरूपमेतत् 

पुमान् विपाप्मा विरजा विमृत्युः॥

विज्ञाय सम्यक्  निजरूपमेतत् -

having known its (Self) true form 

पुमान् विपाप्मा विरजा विमृत्युः -

man will be free of sin, free from blemish, free from death.

Having understood Self, there are no distortions of hate and want which are the seeds of Sin. Thus, he will be free from Sin.

For the one who sees same Self in others as it is within, there is no blemish.

 

For the one free from all attachments, fear of the loss of attachments, fear of the inevitable separation disappears. So, fear of death disappears. Thus, he becomes free from death.

So the main import of the Sloka is that:

Having known its (Self) true form, man will be free of sin, free from blemish, free from death.

The true from of Self is flashed in the first two lines of the Sloka.

नित्यं विभुं सर्वगतम् सुसूक्ष्मम्

अन्तर्बहिः  शून्यं अनन्यमात्मनः।

नित्यं विभुं सर्वगतम्- that which is eternal, all pervading , omnipresent, 

सुसूक्ष्मम् - extremely subtle

अन्तर्बहिः  शून्यं - that which is without exterior or interior

अनन्यमात्मनः -  not different from Self ,  

The Self - that which is eternal, all pervading, omnipresent, extremely subtle, that which is without exterior or interior, and is not different from Self. 

Combining the two parts, the Sloka can be summarized as follows.

Summary of Sloka 223:

Having known true form of that Self, which is eternal, all pervading, omnipresent, extremely subtle, that which is without exterior or interior, and is not different from Self, man will be free of sin, free from blemish, free from death.

||ओम् तत् सत्॥