I
am starting on the Stotras on the Atman, which
again was composed by Aadi Shankara. The theme of this basically follows the
Sri Dakshinamūrti Stotram in a very simple, direct illustration of the
attributeless individual Atman.
We start, as usual, with Shanti chanting, one of the famous Upanishadic
statements— “
Śloka
1
“The
word aham, usually translated as I,
is truly the Atman, the one without a second—attributeless. Truth,
indestructible even when the whole creation is dissolved, and of the nature of
supreme Bliss and Purity. It cannot be referred to as the subtle elements like
earth, water, fire, air or sky. Nor can It be referred to as combination or
modification of these—the gross body and the senses. The Atman is experiences
as persistent consciousness even in deep sleep when the gross body and senses
are not recognized.” —Ślokas on the Atman, Śloka 1
This Śloka defines that I,
philosophically and in truth is the Atman—the eternal Being. What we normally
perceive of ourselves as the physical body and senses is not the reality, since
they keep changing all the time. The Atman, as an Observer, is awake in us even
when we are in deep sleep. That is why on waking up, we are able to recognize
ourselves and relate to previous happenings.
This Atman is the same in all of us and is the One we salute on greeting each
other with “namaste”—“namah:te”.
Śloka
2
“Distinctions
due to color, caste, class, and stations in life, the feeling of 'I' and 'mine'
which pertains to the body—which is not the Atman—do
not dwell in Me who am in reality, the one Atman without a second, the
attributeless Truth, indestructible even when the whole creation is dissolved,
and of the nature of supreme Bliss and Purity. Nor do I stand in need of the
various processes of Yoga like Dharma and Dhyana
enjoined on ordinary Sādhakas, as I have realized my Atmanhood on the cessation
of feeling of 'I' and 'mine' associated with the non-Atman.” — Ślokas on the Atman, Śloka 2
We associate the physical body with our Self and
hence suffer along with the aflictions the body is subject to during its life
cycle. All differentiation between beings originate from this misconceived
association. The horrors of man's cruelty towards other men and beings is a
consequence of this.
For one who knows that Atman is not subject to these differentiations, all
beings are equal as all of them have the same Atman in them. For such a one,
the physical, social differences do not exist. Such a one has no need to go
through the practices of Yoga to attain Realization, as he/she already knows
that the common usage of 'I' and 'mine' do not represent the true Self.
Śloka
3
“I
am not the mother, nor the father; not the world and its people. I do not
aspire for the Lordship of the world through performance of Vedic rites, study
of scriptures, doing sacrifices or bathing in holy
waters. I am in reality the one Atman without
a second, the attributeless Truth, indestructible even when the whole creation
is dissolved, and of the nature of supreme Bliss and Purity. I have realized my
Atmanhood on the cessation of these differentiations as during deep sleep.” —Ślokas
on the Atman, Śloka 3.
The worldly relationships and aspirations do not affect the Atman—the True 'I'.
This is eternal and changeless unlike the former. The physical
body and senses are ephemeral going through the cycle
of life and death and are influenced by the phenomenal world. The Atman
exists in Bliss and Peace always.
In deep sleep, one is not aware of the world around or of one's physical being,
even though the Atman—the Observer, is awake. Realization of the true nature of
one's Self, enables one to exist in a similar state forever.
Śloka
4
“The different types of knowledge and approaches to the Ultimate like Sānkhya, Saiva, Pancharātra, Jaina, or Mimāmsā are not meant for Me, who am in reality the one Atman without a second, the attributeless Truth, indestructible even when the whole universe is dissolved, and of the nature of supreme Bliss and Purity.
I have realized my Atmanhood, realizable only through the special process of
Upanishadic enquiry, when all prejudices cease and the feeling of oneness and
aloofness arises.” —Ślokas on the Atman, Śloka 4.
The texts and practices on various methods of learning about Atman are like the
'road-map'. For one who has already reached the destination, they are no longer
of any use. The Ultimate Truth is within one's
Self and only realization achieved through proper self-enquiry can take you
there. For the realized, there are no distinctions of the paths chosen to reach
there and so they accept all, even though they do not need them.
On realization of the true nature of Self, one feels unified with the whole and
totality and at the same time stands alone as a unique Being, since such a one
no longer requires the support of anyone/anything.
Śloka
5
“There
is neither above nor below, outside or inside, middle or across, east or west
for Me, who am in reality one Atman without a
second—the attributeless Truth, who is indestructible even when the whole
creation is dissolved, and of the nature of Supreme Bliss and Purity. I have
realized my Atmanhood, which in its wholeness and oneness is comparable to the Ākāsha,
which is indivisible and all-pervasive.” —Ślokas on the Atman, Śloka 5.
The physical nature and variations of the world do not affect the Self, which
is pure Consciousness within. So, what is commonly perceived as directions and
space do not bind the Atman. It is all-encompassing and all-pervasive, like the
Viswarūpa of Lord Krishna. The individual Self,
the Jivātmā feels one with the Universal Self, the Paramātma. It exists in
boundless Space.
Śloka
6
“I
am neither white nor black, red nor yellow; I have neither slimness nor
fatness, nor length; I am in reality the one Atman
without a second, the attributeless Truth, indestructible even when the whole
creation is dissolved, of the nature of Supreme Bliss and Purity. I have
realized my Atmanhood which is without a form and is of the nature of Supreme
Effulgence.” —Ślokas on the Atman, Śloka
6.
A Nirguna Atman—the attributeless Self, cannot have form or color. It cannot be
defined through structural attributes like short, long, thin, fat, etc.
When one realizes, all differences cease and only Supreme Bliss and resultant
Effulgence emerges. That is the reason great Souls/Mahatma are shown with a
halo around their head.
Śloka
7
“The
scriptures, the teacher of the scripture, the mode of teaching, the taught, are
not relevant to Me. Nor are worldly words like 'You', 'I' or 'It'. I am the one
Atman without a second, the attributeless Truth,
indestructible even when the whole creation is dissolved, and of the nature of
Supreme Bliss and Purity. I have realized my Atmanhood which is of the nature
of supreme Knowledge bereft of all superimpositions.” —Ślokas on the Atman,
Śloka 7.
Scriptures are learnt from a Guru to show and guide us through the path of
Realization. They are necessary to understand the limitations of the Body-Mind-Intellectual
layers covering the true Self. The Self itself does not require any of these
things, since It is the supreme Knowledge. In common usage words like I, You,
etc. are used to refer to the physical body and
hence the One that transcends all these layers, does not require these
attributes. Also, realization leads to cessation of al differentiation between
one and the other and so these words become meaningless.
The Self or Atman is Knowledge of the highest and the subtlest kind, beyond
which there is nothing. Having attained It, there is nothing else to aspire
for.
Śloka
8
“I
am not the states of waking, dream, or sleep; neither am I their identifiers
Vishwa, Taijaswa and Prajna. I am really the one Atman
without a second, the attributeless Truth, indestructible even when the whole
creation is dissolved, of the nature of Supreme Bliss and Purity. I have
realized my Atmanhood, which is the Turiya state distinct and different from
the states and identifiers listed above—which are essentially
Avidhya/ignorance. — Ślokas on the Atman, Śloka 8.
The commonly known three states of wakefulness, dream, and sleep are at the Body-Mind-Intellectual
levels. Vishwa is when one is awake and aware of the surroundings. Taijaswa
refers to the dream personality and Prajna to the personality in the sleep
state. On realization, one passes beyond the Body-Mind-Intellect confines and
reaches the Turiya state—the one in which there is absolute Bliss and Peace.
After attaining that state of Turiya, one ceases to identify with BMI and all
its misery and suffering. The identification of I with Body-Mind-Intellect is
hence ignorance and the enlightened reach beyond these to the Turiya state.
Śloka
9
“In
short, the Atman is all-pervading. In reality, It
is the only One that is Self-revealed. It does not require any support. The
universe of name and form is insignificant and is separate from Me, who am in
reality the one Atman without a second—the attributeless Truth, indestructible
even when the whole creation is dissolved, of the nature of Supreme Bliss and
Purity.” —Ślokas on the Atman, Śloka
9.
In summation, the Atman/Self is the only Reality, in the sense that it is
invariant in space and time. It is the only One which can reveal Itself. It is
Enlightenment and complete Knowledge in totality. All other things require Its
support, but It does not require any and exists on Its own.
The physical universe is insignificant and
infinitesimal in front of the Atman, since it is constrained by space and time.
Śloka
10
“It
is neither one nor many—for there is none else. It is neither with attributes
nor attributeless. It is neither aught nor naught. I tell you, this Atman, is the essence and goal of Vedanta. This Truth
which is called Advaita in Upanishads, is One
without a second; It defies all empirical descriptions and boundaries.” — Ślokas on the Atman, Śloka 10.
This is the final śloka in the description of Atman, which is at the same time
simple and profound.
In
fact, these ten ślokas are a condensed version of Advaita philosophy as
discussed in the Upanishads.
The Atman is beyond description from our BMI perception and that is why the
great sages insist that It has to be realized within oneself and experienced. All
the paths and practices prescribed in our scriptures are meant to take us to
that unique experience.
Hari Om!
Shanti Pāţhah: Benediction.
”
That refers to the transcendental Brahman, and
This to the Jivātmā. Both are full in themselves, even though Jivātmā/Self is a
part of the Paramātmā/Universal Self. The individual Self evolves out of the
Universal Self, but still on Its own is complete and infinite. So also, the
Brahman of Universal Self is not diminished after the individual Self comes out
of It.
This is one of the most interesting concepts of Hindu
philosophy, coming from the Vedic times. The concept of Infinity in
Mathematics gas been comprehended through this beautiful, but simple couplet.