Vivekachudamani – The Self – Its Nature – Verses 124-135   «   »

Vivekachudamani – The Self – Its Nature – Verses 124-135   «   »

अथ ते संप्रवक्ष्यामि स्वरूपं परमात्मनः ।
यद्विज्ञाय नरो बन्धान्मुक्तः कैवल्यमश्नुते ॥ १२४ ॥
atha te saṃpravakṣyāmi svarūpaṃ paramātmanaḥ |
yadvijñāya naro bandhānmuktaḥ kaivalyamaśnute || 124 ||
124. Now I am going to tell thee of the real nature of the supreme Self, realising which man is freed from bondage and attains Liberation.
Notes: Liberation: ‘Kaivalya’ literally means extreme aloofness.
अस्ति कश्चित्स्वयं नित्यमहंप्रत्ययलम्बनः ।
अवस्थात्रयसाक्षी संपञ्चकोशविलक्षणः ॥ १२५ ॥
asti kaścitsvayaṃ nityamahaṃpratyayalambanaḥ |
avasthātrayasākṣī saṃpañcakośavilakṣaṇaḥ || 125 ||
125. There is some Absolute Entity, the eternal substratum of the consciousness of egoism, the witness of the three states, and distinct from the five sheaths or coverings:
Notes: Five sheaths .—Consisting respectively of Anna (matter), Prána (force), Mana (mind),
Vijnâna (knowledge) and Ananda (Bliss). The first two comprise this body of ours, the third and fourth make up the subtle body (Sukshma Sarira) and the last the causal body (Kârana Sarira). The Atman referred to in this Sloka is beyond them all. These Kosas will be dealt with later on in the book.
यो विजानाति सकलं जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषुप्तिषु ।
बुद्धितद्वृत्तिसद्भावमभावमहमित्ययम् ॥ १२६ ॥
yo vijānāti sakalaṃ jāgratsvapnasuṣuptiṣu |
buddhitadvṛttisadbhāvamabhāvamahamityayam || 126 ||
126. Which knows everything that happens in the waking state, in dream and in profound sleep; which is aware of the presence or absence of the mind and its functions; and which is the background of the notion of egoism. – This is That.
Notes: This Sloka gives the purport of such Sruti passages as Kena Upanishad I. 6, and Brihadaranyaka III. iv. 2.
यः पश्यति स्वयं सर्वं यं न पश्यति कश्चन ।
यश्चेतयति बुद्ध्यादि न तद्यं चेतयत्ययम् ॥ १२७ ॥
yaḥ paśyati svayaṃ sarvaṃ yaṃ na paśyati kaścana |
yaścetayati buddhyādi na tadyaṃ cetayatyayam || 127 ||
127. Which Itself sees all, but which no one beholds, which illumines the intellect etc., but which they cannot illumine. – This is That.
येन विश्वमिदं व्याप्तं यं न व्याप्नोति किंचन ।
अभारूपमिदं सर्वं यं भान्त्यमनुभात्ययम् ॥ १२८ ॥
yena viśvamidaṃ vyāptaṃ yaṃ na vyāpnoti kiṃcana |
abhārūpamidaṃ sarvaṃ yaṃ bhāntyamanubhātyayam || 128 ||
128. By which this universe is pervaded, but which nothing pervades, which shining, all this (universe) shines as Its reflection. – This is That.
Notes: By whom etc.—Compare Chhándogya III. xi. 6, and Gita x. 42.
Who shining etc.—A reproduction of the sense of the celebrated verse occurring in Katha Upanishad I I. V. 15, Mundaka II. ii. 10, and Swetaswatara vi. 14.
यस्य सन्निधिमात्रेण देहेन्द्रियमनोधियः ।
विषयेषु स्वकीयेषु वर्तन्ते प्रेरिता इव ॥ १२९ ॥
yasya sannidhimātreṇa dehendriyamanodhiyaḥ |
viṣayeṣu svakīyeṣu vartante preritā iva || 129 ||
129. By whose very presence the body, the organs, mind and intellect keep to their respective spheres of action, like servants!
अहङ्कारादिदेहान्ता विषयाश्च सुखादयः ।
वेद्यन्ते घटवद्येन नित्यबोधस्वरूपिणा ॥ १३0 ॥
ahaṅkārādidehāntā viṣayāśca sukhādayaḥ |
vedyante ghaṭavadyena nityabodhasvarūpiṇā || 130 ||
130. By which everything from egoism down to the body, the sense-objects and pleasure etc., is known as palpably as a jar – for It is the essence of Eternal Knowledge!
Notes: Compare Brihadaranyaka IV. iii. 23.
एषोऽन्तरात्मा पुरुषः पुराणो
निरन्तराखण्डसुखानुभूतिः ।
सदैकरूपः प्रतिबोधमात्रो
येनेषिता वागसवश्चरन्ति ॥ १३१ ॥
eṣo’ntarātmā puruṣaḥ purāṇo
nirantarākhaṇḍasukhānubhūtiḥ |
sadaikarūpaḥ pratibodhamātro
yeneṣitā vāgasavaścaranti || 131 ||
131. This is the innermost Self, the primeval Purusha (Being), whose essence is the constant realisation of infinite Bliss, which is ever the same, yet reflecting through the different mental modifications, and commanded by which the organs and Prāṇas perform their functions.
Notes: Innermost Self—Vide Brihadaranyaka III. 4 and elsewhere.
Reflecting etc.—Compare Kena II. 12.
Commanded by whom .—See the opening Sloka of the same Upanishad and the reply given to it later on.
अत्रैव सत्त्वात्मनि धीगुहायां
अव्याकृताकाश उशत्प्रकाशः ।
आकाश उच्चै रविवत्प्रकाशते
स्वतेजसा विश्वमिदं प्रकाशयन् ॥ १३२ ॥
atraiva sattvātmani dhīguhāyāṃ
avyākṛtākāśa uśatprakāśaḥ |
ākāśa uccai ravivatprakāśate
svatejasā viśvamidaṃ prakāśayan || 132 ||
132. In this very body, in the mind full of Sattva, in the secret chamber of the intellect, in the Akasha known as the Unmanifested, the Ātman, of charming splendour, shines like the sun aloft, manifesting this universe through Its own effulgence.
Notes: This Sloka gives the hint where to look in for the Atman. First of all there is the gross body; within this there is the mind or “inner organ,” of which Buddhi or intelligence, characterised by determination, is the most developed form; within Buddhi again, pervading it, is the causal body known as the Unmanifested. We must seek the Atman inside this. The idea is that
Atman transcends all the three bodies—in fact the whole sphere of duality and materiality. The word ‘Akasa’ often occurs in the Sruti in the sense of Atman or Brahman. The Vedanta Sutras (I. i. 22) discuss this question and decide in favour of this meaning.
ज्ञाता मनोऽहंकृतिविक्रियाणां
देहेन्द्रियप्राणकृतक्रियाणाम् ।
अयोऽग्निवत्ताननुवर्तमानो
न चेष्टते नो विकरोति किंचन ॥ १३३ ॥
jñātā mano’haṃkṛtivikriyāṇāṃ
dehendriyaprāṇakṛtakriyāṇām |
ayo’gnivattānanuvartamāno
na ceṣṭate no vikaroti kiṃcana || 133 ||
133. The Knower of the modifications of mind and egoism, and of the activities of the body, the organs and Prāṇas, apparently taking their forms, like the fire in a ball of iron; It neither acts nor is subject to change in the least.
Notes: Like the fire……iron—Just as fire has no form of its own, but seems to take on the form of the iron ball which it turns red-hot, so the Atman though without form seems to appear as Buddhi and so forth.
Compare Katha II. ii. 9.
न जायते नो म्रियते न वर्धते
न क्षीयते नो विकरोति नित्यः ।
विलीयमानेऽपि वपुष्यमुष्मिन्
न लीयते कुम्भ इवाम्बरं स्वयम् ॥ १३४ ॥
na jāyate no mriyate na vardhate
na kṣīyate no vikaroti nityaḥ |
vilīyamāne’pi vapuṣyamuṣmin
na līyate kumbha ivāmbaraṃ svayam || 134 ||
134. It is neither born nor dies, It neither grows nor decays, nor does It undergo any change, being eternal. It does not cease to exist even when this body is destroyed, like the sky in a jar (after it is broken), for It is independent.
Notes: This Sloka refers to the six states enumerated by Yaska, which overtake every being, such as birth, existence etc. The Atman is above all change.
प्रकृतिविकृतिभिन्नः शुद्धबोधस्वभावः
सदसदिदमशेषं भासयन्निर्विशेषः ।
विलसति परमात्मा जाग्रदादिष्ववस्था
स्वहमहमिति साक्षात्साक्षिरूपेण बुद्धेः ॥ १३५ ॥
prakṛtivikṛtibhinnaḥ śuddhabodhasvabhāvaḥ
sadasadidamaśeṣaṃ bhāsayannirviśeṣaḥ |
vilasati paramātmā jāgradādiṣvavasthā
svahamahamiti sākṣātsākṣirūpeṇa buddheḥ || 135 ||
135. The Supreme Self, different from the Prakriti and its modifications, of the essence of Pure Knowledge, and Absolute, directly manifests this entire gross and subtle universe, in the waking and other states, as the substratum of the persistent sense of egoism, and manifests Itself as the Witness of the Buddhi, the determinative faculty.

Vivekachudamani – Introduction
1: Devoted Dedication
2: Glory of Spiritual Life
3: Unique Graces in Life
4-7: Miseries of The Unspiritual Man
8-13: Means of Wisdom
14-17: The Fit Student
18-30: The Four Qualifications
31: Bhakti – Firm and Deep
32-40: Courtesy of Approach and Questioning
41-47: Loving Advice of the Guru
48-49: Questions of the Disciple
50: Intelligent Disciple – Appreciated
51-55: Glory of Self-Effort
56-61: Knowledge of the Self-Its Beauty
62-66: Direct Experience – Liberation
67-71: Discussion on Questions Raised
72-75: Gross Body
76-82: Sense Objects a Trap – Man Bound
83-86: Fascination for Body Criticised
87-91: Gross Body Condemned
92: Organs of Perception and Action
93-94: Inner Instruments
95: The Five Pranas
96-101: Subtle Body – Effects
102: Functions of Prāna
103-105: Ego Discussed
106-107: Infinite Love – the Self
108-110: Māyā – Pointed Out
111-112: Rajoguņa – Nature and Effects
113-116: Tamoguņa – Nature and Effects
117-119: Sattvaguņa – Nature and Effects
120-121: The Causal Body – Its Nature
122-123: Not-Self – Description
124-135: The Self – Its Nature
136: Advice for Self-control
137-142: What is Bondage – The Reply
143-144: The Powers – Agitation and Veiling
145-146: Bondage in Action
147-153: Ātman and Anātman – Discrimination
Negation of the Kośas
154-164: – Annamaya kośa (Food sheath)
165-166: – Prņamaya kośa (Vital air sheath)
167-183: – Manomaya kosa (Mental sheath)
184-188: – Vijnanamaya kośa (Intellectual sheath)
189-191: Ātman – Unattached
192-193: What is Liberation? – Disciple
194-206: Self-Knowledge gives Liberation
207-210: Anandamaya kośa (Bliss sheath)
211: Ātman – Other than the Five Kośas
212: What is Ātman? – Disciple
213-225: Nature of the Self – Discussion
226-236: All Manifestation Absolute
237-240: Brahman – Its Nature
241-249: That Thou Art – Explanation
250-253: Attitude in Meditation
254-266: Aids to Meditation
267-276: Give up Vāsanās – the Method
277-292: End Superimposition – The Means
293-297: The Perceived I’ Factor – False
298-309: Condemnation of the Ego
310-319: Actions, Thoughts and Vāsanās – Renounce
320-329: Total Vigilance – Its Price
330-338: In the One, No Plurality
339-348: Spiritual Growth – the Secret
349-353: Cause-Effect – False
354-372: Samadhi – Its Nature
373-378: Fully Detached – Samadhi Easy
379-383: Meditation – the Technique
384-397: Continuous Attention to Self
398-406: No Diversity in Reality
407-413: Ātma-vicāra – Contemplation
414-418: Give up Perceptions
419-425: The Science of Reality – Its Benefits
426-445: Signs of a Realised Seer
446-464: Prārabdha for a Saint
465-471: There is No Plurality
472-479: Experience of Selfhood
480-520: Practice of Knowledge – Disciple
521-575: Final Words of Advice
576-578: Blessed Disciple Liberated
579-581: The Glory of the Textbook

Sri Adi Sankaracharya

Links
Sri Adi Sankaracharya’s Vivekachudamani – Commentary by Swami Chinmayananda
Transcript of Swami Paramarthananda’s classes on Vivekachudamani

Vivekachudamani – Verses 124-135 – Vivekachudamani Verses 124-135 – By Adi Sankaracharya – In Sanskrit with English Meaning, Transliteration, Translation, Commenary, Lyrics, Audio – Vivekachudamani-124-135