||om tat sat ||

Viveka Chudamani 236- 237

In the earlier Sloka ...

Master stated that Brahman is real , and the universe does not exist independent of Brahman , and is not real. That Brahman is real is stated in Adharvana Veda ( mundakopanaishad). Master went ahead and presented the alternative scenario. Suppposing Universe is real, he established the the three unacceptable contradictions that arise. He brought Krishna's statements in Gita to reinforce the argument that Universe is unreal except as a form of Brahman.

The Master now tries to establish the truth through logic in the next two Slokas.

Now Slokas  236 and  237. 

यदि सत्यं भवेत् विश्वं
सुषुप्तावुपलभ्यताम् ।
यन्नोपलभ्यते किंचित्
अतोऽसत् स्वप्नवत् मृषा॥236||

अतः पृथक् नास्ति जगत् परात्मनः
पृथक् प्रतीतिस्तु मृषा गुणाहिवत्
अरोपितस्यास्ति किमर्थवत्ता
अधिष्ठानमाभाति तथा भ्रमेण॥237||

Sloka 236

यदि सत्यं भवेत् विश्वं
सुषुप्तावुपलभ्यताम् ।
यन्नोपलभ्यते किंचित्
अतोऽसत् स्वप्नवत् मृषा॥236||


यदि सत्यं भवेत् विश्वं
If thw universe is true ( real)

सुषुप्तावुपलभ्यताम्
It should be seen in deep sleep too


यन्नोपलभ्यते किंचित्
as it is not perceived so ( in deep sleep)


अतोऽसत् स्वप्नवत् मृषा
अतः - hence
स्वप्नवत् असत् - like a dream it is unreal
मृषा - false 

Summary :

If Universe is real, even in deep sleep it must be seen as such .Since it is not seen in deep sleep, like a dream , it must also be unreal and hence false.
( this is the summary of Masters statement) )

Here, the logic of -  if universe is real , it must be seen to be so in deep sleep,  is not easily apparent.

Let us step back into the world of Self and how did we perceive the same to be real. Real here is taken to mean that whcih does not change and seen to be same in all the three states of the body.

We know that Self is present in the waking and sleep states as a witness of all things that heppen. Even in deep sleep, while  intellect and all associated parts move into deep sleep, as soon as you are awake, you know, " I had a wonderful sleep". How did we know this?

We understand this because, while intellect and all associated complex went into deep sleep, the Self stays as a witness in its true state of inaction, and ssoon as one is awake we realize that we had a good sleep. 

Thus in deep sleep too the Self exists.

So the self exists in all the three states of the body, in the unchanging form of a witness. Thus that Self is real.

Now let us try seein Universe through this prism.

In sleep we get a happy dream. As soon as we wake up the happy dream disappears, and we face a different reality. That which changed from the sleep state to waking state is cannot be said to be unchanging . So the dream which is changing is not an unchanging reality. So dream is not real.

So is the universe.

In our waking state , we area aware of teh Universe of our being, our surroundings, our friends , our associations. In dream state of sleep , we see a universe of many other things, speaking to others and performing many things which may be even impossible.  The universe we see is different. That universe is dependent on the state of our body. That universe is not unchanging. By our definition, any thing that changes is not real. Hence Universe is not real, and is dependent on the state of our body etc.

That which is not unchanging or eternal , cannot be real. Hence Universe is unreal , only Brahman is real.

Sloka 327

अतः पृथक् नास्ति जगत् परात्मनः
पृथक् प्रतीतिस्तु मृषा गुणाहिवत्
अरोपितस्यास्ति किमर्थवत्ता
अधिष्ठानमाभाति तथा भ्रमेण॥237||

अतः - hence

Hence, by the logic of previous atetments Universe is unreal.

Now Matser wants to add more.

पृथक् नास्ति जगत् परात्मनः - अंटे-
जगत् परात्मनः पृथक् नास्ति
Universe is not different fro
m Brahman.

Universe is a from of Brahmanजगत्तु

Just as all pots of different colors and shapes   look different, though in reality they are nothing but clay, this uinverse too made by Brhamn is nothing but Brahman.

पृथक् प्रतीतिस्तु मृषा गुणादिवत्
पृथक् प्रतीतिस्तु - being seen as seperate
मृषागुणादिवत् - false like rope mistaken for a snake.

अरोपितस्यास्ति किमर्थवत्ता-
can a superpostion be real
Can the super imposed snake be real ? 

अधिष्ठानमाभाति तथा भ्रमेण -
the substratum only shines once delusion is removed .

The substratum of rope is clear, once the delusion that it is snake disappears under the harsh light of reality. It is simply a rope.


Rope ( the substratum) was seen as a snake ( the superimposed form) from far away in delusion. Once we come near, the delusion is removed. What is left to be seen is the rope ( the substratum)

Form of Brahman ( substratum) seen in different forms and shapes is thought to be Universe. ( the superimposition on the Brahman).  Once the delusion that what is being seen is different from Brahman goes away , what is left is Brahman only.

That is the summary of this Sloka.

||ओम् तत् सत्॥