||om tat sat ||

Vivekachudamani Slokas 249-251

Analyzing Mahavakya : Guru elaborates on Vedic Mahavakya - तत्वमसि - in eight Slokas from 243- 251.

What we heard so far:

The unity of Jiva and Brhman is proposed. This unity between the two will not be evident from the literal meaning of the words. The literal meanings may imply mutually opposing or contradictory meanings such as in words, Ishvar and Jiva, king and his soldier,  glowworm and Sun , well and a ocean, tiny atom and mount Meru. Identity between such entities with contradictory opposing functions would seem distant.

Though the posible identity may seem distant, first obeservation is that contradictory nature seen is because of the Upadhi or conditioning imposed by the name and functions attached to their names.

Specifically the Upadhi of Ishwar is Maya , creating vast universe of diverse beings. The Upadhi of Jiva is ignorance resulting in the five Sheaths that compose a man. .

If the conditioning of Iswar namely his Maya, and the conditioning of Jiva namey five sheaths are elimated, there is no Iswara or Jiva. Perhaps the more easy example is the King and his soldier. If we remove the Kingdom of the king along with the crown on his head as well as the shield and spear of the soldier, there is neither a king nor a soldier. Can we eliminate the conditioning unilaterally ? This question is answred by Guru in Sloka 247, quoting the authority of Shrutis.
 
’अथात आदेशो नेति नेति’, the statement from Shrutis, prohibits  duality of Brahman. That being so rejection of the superimposition and conditioning can certainly be accepted.
That is what we learnt in Sloka 248.

If the conditiong is rejected what is left is pure consciousness or Brahman. That is known to us from the earlier discussion of the disciple with Master, who led the disciple thorugh a process of rejecting the five sheaths one after the other, and finally the disciple recognises the nothingness that is left, which is the pure consciousness.

However , Guru will take us through the his own process after rejecting the conditioning in Slokas 249-251.

The process of "not this", "not this" , is to eliminate the super impositions/ images seen under delusion as being not real. The examples of rope seen as a snake, or the dream seen in sleep which disappears after waking up , tell us that real or eternal things do not change with time or place. Gurus tells us that intelligent elmination of unreal, seen under delusion, will help us see with clarity, the unity of the two, which are seemingly of opposing qualities.

Now we go through slokas  249/ 250/251: 

Vivekachudamani Slokas 249-250-251

Sloka 249:

ततस्तुतौ लक्षणया सुलक्ष्यौ
तयोः अखंडैक रसत्व सिद्धये|
नालं जहत्या न तथा अजहत्या
किंतूभायार्थैकतयैव भाव्यम॥249॥

ततस्तुतौ लक्षणया सुलक्ष्यौ -
ततः तौ लक्षणया सुलक्ष्यौ-
therefore, the two should be well condsidered through their implied meanings

Here, 'Therefore', is a link to previous thoughts namely that  - to see the identity inspite of the conditioning which make them look irreconcilable, we need to carefully consider the implied meanings. So what for are we to see carefully? Answer follows;

तयोः अखंडैक रसत्व सिद्धये -
inorder that their absolute identity can be established.

We need to carefully consider the implied meanings, in oder to establish their absolute identity.

नालं जहत्या न तथा अजहत्या -
Not through जहत्या complete identity or अजहत्या total rejection;

Identlty cannot be established by either the process of total rejection of literal meaning adopting another meaning consistent with that (जहत्या ) or the process of another meaning without discarding the literal meaning, (अजहत्या). Guru is already telling us it is not possble see the identity through these two processes , without any question.

किंतूभायार्थैकतयैव भाव्यम्-
किंतु उभय अर्ध एकतया एव भाव्यम्।
Only through a process that sees the possible identity of both.

Guru elaborates that process which identifies the unity in the next Sloka.

Sloka summary 249:

Therefore the two should be well condsidered through their implied meanings, inorder that their absolute identity can be established. Identlty cannot be established by the process of total identity or total rejection.  Their absolute identity can be established - only through a process that sees the identity of both.

Here Guru is referring to the three modes of arriving at the right meaning. The three modes are as follows.

- Jahal Lakshana (through agreement)
- Ajahal Lakshana ( through rejection)
- Jahal-Ajahal Lakshana ( through agreement- rejection process) 

In the Sloka , Guru already said , both Jahal Lakshana and Ajahal Lakshana will not help in reaching the unity of objects that have contradictory natures (like King and his soldier etc) So there is nothing more to be added. Though we may not go into details , we may understand the same briefly in the following manner.

In Jahal Lakshana the literal meaning is totally rejected and some other meaning consistent with the statement is understood. In the sentence - Gangayam Ghosah , literal meaning of a village on the Ganges is not possible , a meaning that Village on the banks of Ganges is more appropriate  and is adopted as the true meaning. In "Tat tvam asi", the part of the literal meaning is adopted . So it is not Jahal Lakshana.

On the other hand, that which conveys another meaning without discarding the literal meaning is called Ajahal lakshana As an example consider a sentence - "Red gallops", which  is understood as a Red horse gallops - here the original meaning of Red is not rejected, that is retained, while qualifying  it as a red horse. Guru said Ajahal lakshana also do not convey the unity of Tat and Tvam or Iswara and the Jiva.

When one part of the literal meaning is rejected and other part is conveyed it is mix of jahal and Ajahal Lakshana. This is explained by using an example. That is the example of Devadatta.

That is the example of Devadatta is about the saying - "this is that Devadatta"

One Devadatta was seen after a very long ltime. The gentleman seeing Devadatta after say fifty years concludes that -"This is that Devadatta"-  known fifty years ago. So "that qualifies another place and another time (past) compared to "this" which is now.

Here 'This' Devadatta seen at this present time  and place. Thus the qualifying words "that" and "this" refer to different things namely that 'there' and 'then' as opposed to this 'here' and 'now'.

The purpose of the sentence is to say that & this Devadatta are same, by rejecting the different connnotation of 'there' and 'then' as well as 'here' and 'now'.

Just as in the case of Devadatta the commonality of this and that is accepted as the true, in the sentence "Tat tvam asi' - 'That thou art' - the Upadhi of "tat" namely Maya of creation is rejected and upadhi of "Thou" namely the five sheaths of are to be rejected -

Elaborating a little more; the perceivability of Jiva( thou) with his five sheaths is rejected, and imperceivability of Paramatman ( tat) with his cover of Maya is rejected. When the five sheaths are rejected the remant is only the pure intelligence( Suddha Chaitanya). Paramatman too devoid of Maya is "Suddha chaitanya". Both Jiva and Isvara are apprehended by the pure intelligence. That is the identity that binds "that " and "Thou".  

Here though the text is about one mahavakya , same has been conveyed by hunderd Mahavakyas 
 
Guru uses this process for us to arrive at the underlying unity of Jiva and Iswara. That is what we hear in Sloka 250.

Sloka 250

स देवदत्तोऽयं इतीहचैकता
विरुद्ध धर्मांश अपास्य कथ्यते
यथा तथा तत्वमसीति वाक्ये
विरुद्ध धर्मान् उभयत्र हित्वा

स देवदत्तोऽयं इतीहच -
अयम् स देवदत्तः इति इह च -
'This is that Devadatta' in this sentence stated here
  

विरुद्ध धर्मांश अपास्य एकता कथ्यते-
having rejected contradictory, identity is stated 

यथा तथा -  in the same  way or similarly;

implying that,  the way contradictory qualities have been rejected and identity is established of Devadatta being the same one - similarly

तत्वमसीति वाक्ये -
in the sentence "you are that" - meaning you are the Brahman

विरुद्ध धर्मान् उभयत्र हित्वा-
eliminating contradictory elements on both (thou and that )

Here guru is pushing the process that , just as identity of Devadatta's seen at different place and times is established by rejecting the contradictory elements, similaly contradictory elements of "you" the Jiva namely five sheaths  and "that'of Ishvara , namely the Maya of creation, are to be eliminated. The remaing pure intelligence provides the identity of Iswara ( that) and Jiva (thou) - "That thou art"- "Tat tvam asi{

Summary of Sloka 250:

'This is that Devadatta',  in this sentence stated here, rejecting the contradictory elements, identity is stated ; In the same  way or similarly-  in the sentence "That thou art"  - meaning you are the Brahman - eliminate contradictory elements on both (Thou and that )

The sloka ends with that instruction - eliminate the contradictory elements; what follows obviously is the process of identifying the elements establishing the identity. Essentially rejecting the five sheaths in "you" Jiva, and the Maya of "that" Iswara - we see the identity of both as the remaining consciousness or Chaitanya of Brahman. This conclusion forms the part of Sloka 251.

Sloka 251.

संलक्ष्य चिन्मात्र तया सदात्मनोः
अखंड भावः परिचीयते बुधैः|
एवं महा वाक्यशतेन कथ्यते
ब्रह्मात्मनोः ऐक्यं अखंडभावः||

संलक्ष्य चिन्मात्र तया सदात्मनोः-
चिन्मात्र तया सदात्मनोः संलक्ष्य - 
noting the knowledge absolute as the essence of both;

Here, Guru is saying after shedding the five sheaths what is left is pure consciousness in "you", the Jiva. What is left in "that" Iswara  after rejecting the Maya is the same pure consciousness.

अखंड भावः परिचीयते बुधैः-
the individual essence is recognized by the wise

एवं महा वाक्यशतेन कथ्यते
in this way, hudreds of scriptural declarations express;

In many scriptural declarations, this essentiall unity is stated in the same way.

ब्रह्मात्मनोः ऐक्यं अखंडभावः कथ्यते-
The essence of identity between the Iswara and the Jiva is stated.

251  Summarey :

Noting the knowledge absolute as the essence of both ( Iswara and Jiva), the individual essence is recognized by the wise ; In this way, hudreds of scriptural declarations express, the essence of identity between the Iswara and the Jiva is stated.

Summary of the three Slokas is restated here to capture the essence. 

249  "Therefore, inorder that their absolute identity can be established,  the two (Iswara and Jiva) should be well condsidered through their implied meanings. Identlty cannot be established by the process of total identity or total rejection.  Their absolute identity can be established - only through a process that sees the identity of both inspite of contradictory features..


250 :  'This is that Devadatta',  in this sentence stated here, rejecting the contradictory elements, an identity is stated ; In the same  way or similarly-  in the sentence "that thou art" - meaning you are the Brahman - eliminate contradictory elements on both (you and that ) 

251 :  Noting the knowledge absolute as the essence of both ( Iswara and Jiva), the individual essence is recognized by the wise ; In this way, hudreds of scriptural declarations  express, the essence of identity between the Iswara and the Jiva is stated.

तत् त्वं असि -
You are that Brahman.


||om tata sat||


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