Verses 125-127
- This class was given by Swami Tattwamayananda at Stanford University on November 3, 2019. The lecture was hosted by the Stanford Hindu Students Association.
-This class focuses on answering the following question from the pupil: “What is Atman?”
-One approach of analyzing Atman is to enquire “Who am I?” – this is the approach used by Ramana Maharshi. During this analysis, one reaches different levels of answers, equating it first to body, mind and intellect. Finally, one reaches the Atman, which is beyond all the changing entities. One has to practice spiritual disciplines such as japa, prayer, meditation, and puja to conduct this analysis.
-Atman cannot be the body, which is changing. If one limits his understanding to only the physical body, then even small issues in the empirical world will cause him despair.
-Atman cannot be the mind as it is also a changing entity swinging between pain and pleasure and happiness and unhappiness.
-“I” is the foundation. “I” is interpreted differently depending on the context in which it is used. When we say “I am feeling pain, or I am happy” the association of “I” is to the body or mind. When we say “My mind or My head”, the association of “I” is to a higher entity that is distinct from the body and mind.
-Atman exists without the support of anything beyond itself. It is self-existent and self-revealed.
-Atman is present in all three states of awareness as “Turiya” – waking, dream and deep sleep states. Since it is present in all three states, it is not exclusive to any state, it is distinct from any state and it transcends all three states.
-To be a witness to an activity, two criteria have to be satisfied: (1) One has to be present at the activity (2) One cannot be participant in the activity. Atman when interpreted as witness in the three states is called Sakshi or Turiya.
-In waking state, there is full awareness, senses are active and the consciousness is at a gross level. Dream state exists only at a mental level by projecting memory stored in the chittam. No dream experience is possible without any connection to waking state. The common experiencer between waking and dream sleep state is Turiya.
-Turiya is also present in deep sleep state. When we wake up, we are aware of the absence of intellect and its activity in deep sleep state. The awareness of this absence comes from Turiya.
-Verse 126: That seer, who knows everything in the three states, who knows the intellect and its action, when it is present and when it is absent, is the Atman.
-Another way of explaining Atman is that it is different, distinct, beyond the five sheaths and transcends them all – it is called Pancha-kosha-vilaksanah. The five sheaths are: Annamaya Kosha, Prāṇamaya Kosha, Manomaya Kosha, Vijñānamaya Kosha and ānandamaya Kosha. Aham is present in all five sheaths.
-The story of King Janaka and Sage Yajnavalkya is discussed. King Janaka starts with the question: “Endowed with what light is a human being able to live in this world?”. The first answer is sunlight. As each option provided in previous answers is eliminated, subsequent answers are moonlight, agni, and sound. When all four of these options are eliminated, the final answer is Atma-Jyoti, which is in all of us and that is self-revealing. Without it, all other sources of knowledge are useless. It is this light that enables all other lights, such as sunlight, moonlight, agni to function.
-Our ability to comprehend comes from something within us that is the nature of enlightenment and knowledge. In both an average scientist and advanced scientist, the same light is present – but it manifests itself more brilliantly in the advanced scientist. Swami Vivekananda said: “The difference between a Buddha and an amoeba is one of degrees not of kind”. In the Buddha, the Atma-Jyoti is very visible and revealed; in the amoeba it is very dim.
-Through meditation and spiritual practices, we can make our own buddhi more clear, so Atman reflects with more brilliance. Our ability to cognize gets better when Atman reflects with more brilliance.
-When Atma-Jyoti reflects on the mind, this body is Shiva. Without this Atma-Jyoti, this body is Shava (corpse).
-When people perform Aarti and Puja, or read a spiritual book, they are trying to link themselves to this Atma-Jyoti. Natural light is only used as a concept to take us to the real light.
-Just like when we look beyond the five sheaths, we find the “Real I”. Similarly, when we look beyond the sunlight, moonlight, agni, and sound, we find the real “Atma-Jyoti”.
-Verse 127: One who comprehends everything and who is not comprehended by anything – who illuminates the intellect but whom nothing can illuminate – who is always the subject and never the object – who gives Chaitanya to our intelligence – that is Atman. Atman reveals buddhi, mind – everything.
-Chanting of Vedic mantras, even without full understanding of the meaning, can activate the hidden potential of the mind. It provides divine joy.
-When we close our eyes and disconnect from Annamaya Kosha, we connect with something transcendental. Even when standing in front of a temple image on pilgrimage, people close their eyes, because they attempt to see within themselves what they are seeing in front of them.
-One should get established in yamas and niyamas before undertaking rigorous spiritual practices. This ensures that the energy generated from spiritual practices will not flow through negative channels. Ancient Indian martial arts first taught students to restrain their power. Even Pranayama should not be practiced without moral and ethical disciplines.