Viveka Chudamani Slokas 404-406:

Stepping back into the learning so far we can say the following;  Because of delusion we fall into the trap of considering non-Self ( such as body ego etc) as Self, and we get lost into the world of chasing mirages ( Samsara). When that delusion is destroyed we see that Unitary truth of Self or Brahman which is without changes, which is without form and which cannot be divided into many. In that Unitary truth we cannot see a second  or difference. So it clear that when the ignorance is destroyed we cannot see non-duality in the unitary thing called Brahman. Guru has been raising questions and answering them on the above lines.

In the following there Slokas  ( 404-406) too - to emphasize non-duality in the Unitary Brahman Guru follows the pattern of raising questions and answering with an appropriate simile.

Sloka 404

ఏకాత్మకే పరే తత్వే  భేదవార్తా కథం వసేత్।
సుషుప్తౌ సుఖమాత్రాయాం భేదః కేనావలోకితః॥

1 ఏకాత్మకే పరే తత్వే  -
in the Supreme Reality which is Unitary;

2 భేదవార్తా కథం వసేత్ -
how can there be talk of difference;

That Suprerme reality is  నిర్వికార, without changes ; It is నిరాకార without a form, It cannot be divided. It is Unitary without a second. So there is no question of a second or difference in that Unitary thing ( Brahman).

Suppose there is a difference, then that shall be seen in all three states of sleep. Leaving the waking and dream states where many variable are there, consider the state of deep sleep or dreamless sleep. Guru takes up that case.

3 సుషుప్తౌ సుఖమాత్రాయాం-
in the state of deep sleep experiencing delight (సుఖ) ;

4 భేదః కేన అవలోకితః -
who has experienced difference?

Guru is asking - "in the state of deep sleep experiencing delight (సుఖ) who has experienced difference?"

If that difference exists, if there is indeed a second thing apart from the Unitary Brahman, that shall be seen in the deep sleep too. The one to see that would be the witness in the body-temple and that witness is none other than Self. Now let us see what happens in that deep sleep.

After deep sleep, when one wakes up, what is said is that "I do not know /remember anything else" in that wonderful deep sleep. That summary of "I do not know /remember anything else" is known to us. When it is said it is known to us, who is knowing that? -  the one who knows is the eternal witness in us; It is none other than the Self. So in that Deep sleep the eternal witness in us is awake and knows, while all other entities like mind, body, ego all are asleep. That the witness is aware in that deep sleep is the first important point to be noted.

 Because the mind, body, ego etc are asleep, they have no power of projection. Power of projection is that power to project unreal as real etc. It follows that there are no projections (of unreal as real) too in that deep sleep, because the agents of projection are all asleep. Then, having ruled out all unreal projections, we come to grand conclusion that if there is any other thing which is real and exists, it must exist in that deep sleep too. If that other thing which is real exists, it must be  seen by the witness.

The witness statement of "I do not remember anything", implies that there is no other thing seen , other than Self itself ;

So there is no other thing or duality (Dvaita or Bhinna). That is the essence of this Sloka.

Sloka Summary 404 :

How can there be any talk of difference in the Supreme Reality which is unitary?. Who has experienced the difference in the state of dreamless sleep characterized by pure bliss? 


Yet another conclusion is once ignorance is destroyed , or the ignorance or  the unreality of this "I and ego"  are destroyed, what is left is the pure Self devoid of "I and Ego" ; if anything is seen it is nothing but the "non-existing Serpent" seen in the  Rope or the non existing water droplet" seen the desert mirage.  This is elaborated in the next Sloka.


Sloka 405

న హ్యస్తి విశ్వం పరతత్త్వబోధాత్
సదాత్మని బ్రహ్మణి నిర్వికల్పే।
కాలత్రయే నాప్యహిరీక్షితో గుణే
న హ్యంబుబిన్దుః  మృగతృష్ణికాయామ్॥

1 న హి అస్తి విశ్వం పరతత్త్వబోధాత్ -
after the realization of the true nature , there is no universe (of different forms); 

2 సదాత్మని బ్రహ్మణి నిర్వికల్పే -
in that unchanging Brahman, which is of the nature of Real (సత్);

After the realization of the true nature of Supreme Self, it is clear that the diversity seen through the universe is not real. The Universe is not real. Substratum of all that projected as different Universe is nothing but Brahman. 

3 కాలత్రయే నాప్యహిరీక్షితో గుణే -
   కాలత్రయే అపి న అహి ఇరీక్షితో గుణే -
   In the three periods of time , the (non existing) snake cannot be seen in the Rope;

 In all three periods of time , that snake was never there in the Rope ; though a perception of snake was there due to false impression ( or delusion). In the presence of true knowledge (light) the delusion got destroyed. 

Similar is another example of presence of (non existing) water droplets seen in a desert mirage

4 న హి అంబుబిన్దుః  మృగతృష్ణికాయామ్  -
   there is no water droplet in a mirage ( seen in a desert)

The second example is that of water which was never there in the desert but for the mirage seen. On realization of the mirage , the absence of water droplet is clear.

Sloka Summary 405 :

After the realization of the Truth about Reality, the world does not exist in the unchanging Brahman which is the nature of Real. In all the three periods of time the wrongly seen Serpent does not exist in the Rope, no do water particles exist in Mirage.


Sloka 406

మాయామాత్రమిం ద్వైతం అద్వైతం పరమార్ధతః।
ఇతి బ్రూతే శ్రుతిః సాక్ష్యాత్ సుషుప్తావనుభూయతే॥

1 మాయామాత్రమిం ద్వైతం  -
the duality seen is only Maya;

2 అద్వైతం పరమార్ధతః -
reality is only non-duality;


The duality seen in the universe is Maya ( illusion) only. Reality is only non-dual  unitary Supreme Self;

3 ఇతి బ్రూతే శ్రుతిః  -
Shruti itself says so;

4 సాక్ష్యాత్ సుషుప్తౌ అనుభూయతే-
 This is experienced in deep sleep;

In that deep sleep we do not experience any duality - all we know after getting up that there is nothing else but good sleep.


Sloka Summary 406:

The Shruti it self says, the duality is only appearance brought by maya; The ultimate truth is non-duality. This is realized in dreamless sleep.


||om tat sat||


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Additional notes on Sleep:

Let us think about sleep.

In the time periods of one being awake or one bing a dream world, there are many things seen . All of them have to be negated as unreal to arrive at unitary nature of Brahman. So there many things to be negated. Negation is done in many ways- that is not the subject here.

Deep sleep or dreamless sleep is different period of time. We see that in the following.

When one asks a man about what happened in that deep sleep, the answer after deep sleep is simple. The definitive answer is that he does not know anything;That he knows he had a good sleep implies that the witness which is his Self is aware of that while all other functions are asleep. With the witness being aware, if there is anything else ( another real world) it would be seen too.  Thus, there is none other than or distinct from Self which the witness (Self) can see. Thus - There is nothing to be negated in a deep sleep . That there is no negation needed - simplifies to that there is nothing else.

The negation of the seen world is a feature of waking world and and

(విక్షేప శక్తి)  Vikshepa Shakkti  is the projecting power of mind

(ఆవరణ శక్తి)  Aavarana Shakti - power of concealment - Maya cancels the true self and projects non-Self

 
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