MP - 4-Yā tiryaṅnaradevatā

Notes from Swami Paramarthananda’s talks

With the light of Consciousness, the mind, the senses, the sense objects appear sentient, although, by themselves they are insentient. That onsciousness possessed in all – animals, humans and devatas is also clearly evident within in me as the witness, in and through every experience. The illumined organs covers the illuminator consciousness ‘as though’ just as the solar disk is covered ‘as though’ by the illumined clouds. The Yogi always dwells in the consciousness and is contented. Such a Yogi whether he is a chandala or a dvija is as adorable as my Guru. This is my firm conviction.

In this verse Shankara is bringing out the essence of the Mahavakya, Ayam Atma Brahma. Ayam Atma means the consciousness obtaining in the individual. Ayam indicates intimately,
self-evidently, without requiring any special effort consciousness is evident. Such a consciousness is Brahman. It is the same consciousness which pervades all the Jeeva rashis also.
Spurthihi – means consciousness. Samvid, chit, Spurthihi, Chaitanyam, Jnana, Vijnanam are synonyms all meaning consciousness.
Yad Bhasa Bhanti – Because of this consciousness alone or the sentiency or the light of this consciousness alone all organs are sentient. Bhanti means sentient. Bhas means light.
Hradaya – Mind
Aksha – Sense organs
Deha – Body
Vishaya – Object. All this objects are shining even though
Swata Achetana – they themselves are insentient. This means the body is not innately sentient. IT does not have natural consciousness. IF it had it would never be lost. It would never die. Vedanta extends this to mind and sense organs also. All these are inert in nature. They appear to be sentient because of borrowed consciousness. In the presence of sunlight the non-luminous mirror becomes capable of illuminating other objects. This consciousness is the same consciousness which enlivens all the other beings.
Ya – the same consciousness which is there in the micro world
Thiryad – Animals
Nara – Humans.
Devata – Celestials, God
Sputa Grihyate Antaha – Hidden Grasped in one’s own mind. In everyone, the consciousness is available as the witness of presence or absence of thoughts. Sputa means very evidently and doubtlessly (Pratiboda Viditam Matam – In and through every experience).
But the tragedy is…
Tam Basayi Bhihita Arkamandala Nibvam Spurtim– That consciousness is as though covered by organs. Bhihita means covered / veiled / hidden / concealed, even though the very organs are known / illumined by the consciousness. The illumined organ covers the illuminator consciousness as though.
To convey this Shankara gives a beautiful example. Sometimes on a cloudy day we see that the sunlight is covered by the cloud. How do you know there are clouds? We know because of the sun. The very clouds which are illumined by the sun cover the very sun ungratefully. The atma which is the illuminator is covered by the organs which are illumined.
Nibha means comparable to
Arkamandala is the solar disk.
Bhihita is covered
Basyayi is by the illumined clouds
The consciousness is comparable to the solar disk which is covered by the illumined clouds. What does Shankara mean by this expression? Why do we say the organs cover the atma? Organs are called kosha only because they cover. The pancha koshas are called the sheath since like the sheath covers the blade they cover the organs. How do they cover? They cover ‘as though’. Really speaking no organ can cover consciousness. In fact nothing can cover the consciousness. This is because of two reasons:
1. The very fact that you are talking about the cover is because of the consciousness.
2. Consciousness being all pervading can never be covered by organs.
Sun is thousands of times bigger than the clouds. Thus the clouds ‘as though’ cover the sun.

Similarly the organs ‘as though’ cover the limitless consciousness. How do they cover ‘as though’? Let us discuss the example of Hand. There is hand alright, but there is also the light due to which the hand can be seen. Even though the light is very much there, we usually do not enumerate it. We are so pre-occupied with the hand, that the ever evident light is taken for granted and it is not recognized. We are so occupied with the illumined that we lose sight of the illuminator. Thus the hand does not actually cover the light, but it distracts our attention from the light and makes us lose sight of the ever evident light. Therefore it is said figuratively that the hand is ‘covering’ the light ‘as though’ similarly in a movie the characters ‘cover’ the screen ‘as though’ The unreal covers the real. In the same way when I am looking into my mind, there are two things all the time:
1. Thoughts of fear anger jealousy depression happiness & sadness
2. Consciousness is also there. But this light of consciousness is taken for granted.
We never identify and own up that consciousness since we are always bothered about the thoughts in our mind. During meditation if one sees blankness, the very blankness is made aware by the light of consciousness. If we are not preoccupied by the mind, we are preoccupied by the body. Thus, lifelong I worry about everything else, missing the most important fact which is the chaitanyam. This is the condition of ignorant people.
What does the Yogi do? He does just the opposite. The ordinary people are preoccupied with the organs and lose sight of the consciousness. Yogi is one who owns up the consciousness part and he ignores the kosha part. He submits the koshas to the prarabdha.
Yogi Sada Bhavayan – he always dwells upon and never loses sight of the consciousness. What is the advantage?
Nirvita Manasa – He enjoys the movie but is not frightened by the movie. He is relaxed. For him the whole life is a movie. He is fulfilled and contented. He has an un-frightened mind.
Shankara says, whether such a yogi is a chandala or a dvija he is as adorable as my Guru. This is the essence of ayam atma brahma.

Links
<Manisha Panchakam PDF – Commentary by Swami Paramarthananda