श्रीः
ॐ नमो भगवते श्रीरमणाय
Who am I – Part 2
We know that
in order to find our true nature, we need to get rid of ahankara. Swami
Chinmayananda says in his Kathopanishad commentary, that there is a divine
presence in every person. Man minus his ego is Ishvara; Ishvara plus ego is
Man. Annihilation of the ego sense in us, is becoming God. When the ego
evaporates away, the Truth alone remains. The mind plays truant and makes us
feel incomplete, inadequate and dissatisfied and this makes the ego rear its
head.
What is the
nature of the mind and what is meant by mano-nasha ?
Nature of the mind
The mind
consists of thoughts. The very first thought that arises is always "I". On
pursuing the question Who am I, all other thoughts perish and finally the I
thought as well, perishes. The pure self is left behind – this illumination is sakshatkara.
The fact
that there is a mind at work, is known by experience. We have thoughts like ‘I
am sleepy’, followed by ‘I would like to sleep’, followed by ‘now I am falling
asleep’. When we sleep there are no thoughts. Now there is no mind. However,
when thoughts were happening, the mind was manifest.
Mano-nasha – when the mind is absorbed in the self by practice of yoga or dhyanam,
the samadhi state is reached temporarily Vs when mithyatva-nishchaya (firm conviction that Brahman alone exists and the world is mithya / illusory) is reached
through knowledge (vichara / enquiry), the veil has been removed once and for all.
Bhagavan Sri Ramana says -
प्राणबन्धनात्
लीनमानसम् । एकचिन्तनात् नाशमेत्यदः ॥ Upadesha Saram (US) 14
प्राणबन्धनात् – by control of prana
लीनमानसम् – mind gets absorbed
एकचिन्तनात् – by contemplation of that one reality
नाशम एति अदः – it (the absorbed mind) gets destroyed
Manas has to get merged with aatma. This is called mano-nasha. The only way to achieve this, is through enquiry. When it is reached by any method other than by knowledge, is will be a temporary state.
Leenamaanasam - When the mind has become absorbed by Pranayama and japa, (in
addition, repetition of names of God, food restrictions) which are aids to make
the mind quiescent (and one-pointed), this is called leenamanas.
This leads to being able to do ekachintanam – focus on the one
reality. Ekachintanam could mean constant meditation on God / Pranava, this one
thought silences all others and takes us to nirvikalpaka samadhi state OR by
meditating on Brahman by shravana-manana-nidhidhyasanam. This is the path of knowledge, aided by techniques of Pranayama / japa, etc.
Ekachintanam leads to mano nasha
Mano-nasha has been explained in various darshanas as:
o Yoga – mind being still / not functioning at all, absorbed in samadhi. It is like turning off the movie (chitta vrutti nirodha). This is a contrived type of control. When the movie is back on, the mind gets to work. A controlled mind bounces back when the practice is stopped. But the falsified mind does not.
o Vedanta – mithyatva-nishchaya / baadha / falsification of the mind. We recognize that this is a movie. Like how the screen is undisturbed by the actions in the movie, we remain undisturbed even while watching it. The mind does not need to shut down, but it can play on. I am not the mind – this is known to me. The mind is not a separate entity but merely an appearance of the aatma. Therefore it does not have to be controlled anymore. The falsity of the mind has not been recognized. The mind has turned completely inward.
Here, the thinking / perceiving ability of the mind remains. This aspect of the mind does not cause problems for us.
The second aspect of the mind which broods over the thoughts / perceived objects and creates likes / dislikes, etc - this is the cause of bondage and sorrow. This aspect is sought to be destroyed. Once destroyed it never comes back.
In Upadesha Saram -
लयविनाशने उभयरोधने । लयगतं पुनर्भवति नो मृतम् ॥ US
लयविनाशने – Laya and nasha = absorption and destruction of the mind
उभयरोधने – by control of prana and mind
लयगतं – the mind that has become laya / absored
पुनर्भवति– comes back
नो मृतम् – but never the destroyed mind
For the
jnani, therefore, न तु अदर्शनं लयः किन्तु मिथ्यात्वनिश्चयः – laya / nasha does
not mean destruction of the mind but falsification of its separate identity.
After mano-nasha,
the person has no duty to perform –
नष्टमानसोत्कृष्टयोगिनः
। कृत्यमस्ति किं स्वस्थितिं यतः ॥ US 15
नष्टमानसः उत्कृष्टयोगिनः – of the exalted Yogi whose mind has been
destroyed
कृत्यमस्ति किं – what duty is there ?
स्वस्थितिं यतः – because he abides in his svarupam
This does not mean that he renounces work. This
Yogi is a sthitaprajna (person of steady intellect) who can now operate around
vishayas without being impacted by them – he is in his natural
state. Duality is perceived only when the mind is active, once it is destroyed,
it is never perceived again.
Bhagavan Sri Krishna says -
नैव तस्य कृतेनार्थः
नाकृतेनेह कश्चन ।
न चास्य सर्वभूतेषु
कश्चिदर्थः व्यपाश्रयः ॥ BG 3.18
The sage who
is thus rejoicing in the Self does not gain anything by doing any action. For
him really no purpose is served by an action. No evil (Pratyavaya Dosha) can
touch him from inaction. He does not lose anything from inaction. He need not
depend upon anybody to gain a particular object. He need not exert himself to
get the favour of anybody.
What is the mind ?
We do a deep dive into thoughts.
वृत्तयस्त्वहं
वृत्तिमाश्रिताः । वृत्तयो मनो विद्ध्यहं मनः ॥ US 18
वृत्तयस्त्वहं वृत्तिमाश्रिताः – all vruttis depend on the aham vrutti
वृत्तयो मनो – vruttis are the mind
विद्ध्यहं मनः – aham vrutti is the mind, know that
Only when turned towards vishayas, it is called the mind. The experience of the mind, is due to non-apprehension of the substratum. If not, it is the same as the self. When the mind dies down (when abhimanam/ego vanishes), a mahashakti enters the body and takes charge. Until then we operate under the illusion that we are the karta. This illusion vanishes when jnanam dawns. We have to surrender to this shakti and experience the grace, and this is called sakshatkara.
The universe exists only as long as the mind is roving. A quiescent mind means the universe ceases to exist as something separate.
Thoughts make up the mind, of all thoughts the I thought is the root. It is this thought which thinks all other thoughts (only after I am has arisen, we can know about any object). It is the primal thought. While other thoughts are jada/insentient, this thought is the conscious subject. So the thought I is the source and foundation of all other thoughts.
What we call mind is in essence just this first thought I. The concept of an "I" distinct from the self, is called the mind. This I thought is a parimiti - it limits us. In deep sleep , we do not have this ego, so we experience bliss. I exist even without the ego. Therefore, this is my svarupam.
All
phenomena arising as names and forms, are of the nature of the mind. All that
appears outside is in reality, inside. निजान्तर्गतम् says the Dakshinamurthy
Stotram. Inner, and outer are both with reference to the body. In truth there
is no inner or outer, says Bhagavan Sri Ramana in Vichara sangraha. (VS)
In Vivekachudamani
# 233, Sri Shankaracharya says नाधिष्ठानात् भिन्नता आरोपितस्य – the substratum and the
object superimposed on it are the same. In reality, the substratum alone
exists.
There is a
perpetual flow of thoughts – the sense organs are strong and powerful – In
Gita, Bhagavan says इन्द्रियाणि प्रमाथीनि हरन्ति प्रसभं मनः (BG 2.60) - the
turbulent sense organs violently snatch away the mind of an intelligent person,
even while he is striving diligently. The sadhaka needs to be able to penetrate
the superimposition and stop equating the “this” with the “I” and see the true
nature of the “I”. In practical terms, merely reducing the stream of thoughts
itself, is a good way to start sadhana.
To prevent an invasion of thoughts we have to find the root of
thoughts. The root is ignorance – the idea that the world is real and different
from me. Bhagavan Sri Ramana says thought is a subtle form of matter.
For the
sadhaka who is in the jnana marga – what is vichara ?
अहमयं कुतो भवति
चिन्वतः । अयि पतत्यहं निजविचारणम् || US 19
अहमयं कुतो भवति – I and this – from where do they arise ?
चिन्वतः – for the one who enquires thus
अयि पतत्यहं – the I thought falls
निजविचारणम् – this is self enquiry
Go to the
source - the I
falls and vanishes when one turns inwards and investigates from where this
thought arises,. And here the search for jnanam has begun by this investigation.
Ahankara / ego,
which is denoted by I am the doer etc – Bhagavan tells us to enquire from
where it arises. It arises due to ignorance. When the ego is destroyed,
the pure self manifests.
As a result
of vichara, what do we experience ?
अहमि नाशभाज्यहमहंतया
। स्फुरति हृत्स्वयं परमपूर्णसत् ॥ US 20
अहमि नाशभाजि - when this aham is destroyed
परमपूर्णसत् हृत्स्वयं अहमहंतया स्फुरति – the supreme self shines forth
as I-I
The self is
where there is no concept of I – no concept of me or mine. The mind has
thoughts and I am the experiencer. This sakshi can only be realized and
experienced.
When the "I +
This" are intrinsically connected, duality arises strongly. When we let go of “This”, only the "I" which is
the substratum remains. This is done by going to the source.
When the
sakshi is connected with the mind, appropriation and adhyasa happen. I am sad,
I am hungry, I am male, I am female, etc, arise. When the connection is cut, the mind is no longer available and the self alone shines. The mind no
longer wanders away from its source, getting lost in the thoughts that it
creates. It is important to note that the I thought itself is destroyed in the
ultimate analysis.
Swami Vivekananda says like how we use a thorn to remove another, and then discard both thorns, the I thought is also destroyed ultimately.
When the
mind becomes subtle and unmoving, self-bliss becomes manifest.
Practically,
what should the sadhaka do ?
Swami Ramanacharana Tirtha explains the practical way to approach this. The mind should fear getting attached to sense objects. But whenever the mind goes outwards, whenever thoughts and passions arise in the mind, we should enquire “To whom do they happen”. When the mind is invaded by thoughts, it is sure to burn the house down.
Ask to whom
is this sensory experience happening. in whom does this desire arise? within
the body there is someone experiencing this – who is it? On deep enquiry the
answer got is I. hold on to that I or me. It is not a thought. It is a
throbbing within / sphuranam. That is where I live. Focusing on the I, one is
led to the hrudayam, where God resides. Krishna says हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति...Ishvara resides in your heart, Arjuna.
ईश्वर: सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति ।
भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया ॥ BG 18.61॥
The Supreme Lord dwells in the hearts of all living beings, O Arjuna. According to their karmas, He directs the wanderings of the souls, who are seated on a machine made of material energy
The lord
resides there in the hrudaya-sthanam and rules from there. Train the mind to
stay there. this is called brahmi sthiti. Otherwise, like a drug addict, the
mind again comes out and chases sense objects.
……And remain
there.....
In BG 18.51
to 55, Bhagavan Sri Krishna says that brahma bhava is obtained by staying there
without outer supports
What is the trigger for vichara ?
Bhagavan Sri Ramana says in Aksharamanamalai (AMM) # 3
O Arunachala! What a wonder this is — that you enter my mind and after rescuing me, hold me captive in the cave of your heart (हृदयगुहा) !
This represents the state of the sadhaka – the grace of Ishvara drives the sadhaka towards satsanga and vichara (यमेवैष वृणुते तेन लभ्यः तस्यैष आत्मा विवृणुते तनूं स्वाम् – Kathopanishad (KU) 1.2.23). The eligible person is chosen by the aatma, to reveal itself. Who is this eligible person? Shankaracharya clarifies in the bhashyam - यमेव स्वात्मानमेष साधको वृणुते प्रार्थयते तेनैवात्मना वरित्रा स्वयमात्मा लभ्यः the one who has selected the aatma and who seeks it, is chosen by the aatma to reveal itself. Again, it comes back to the choices we make.
In Tripura rahasyam, the poet says
राधिता परमा देवी सम्यक् तुष्टा सती तदा ।
विचाररूपतां याति चित्ताकाशे रविर्यथा ॥
When Devi is pleased with the devotee’s worship, she takes the form of vichara – she sets him on the path of knowledge.
The Avadhutagita says
ईश्वरानुग्रहादेव भवति पुंसामद्वैतवासना ।
महाभयकृतत्राणात् द्वित्राणामुपजायते ॥
It is Ishwara’s grace that saves the sadhaka from the greatest fears, and equips him with the propensity (Vasana) for Advaita. It is rare and happens to very few sadhakas.
For the sadhaka who wants only knowledge of the self, and has shed his ego , has complete sharaddha – the aatma chooses such a person. The sadhaka has to make continuous efforts, and the theoretical knowledge takes effect (as experience).
When Ishvara keeps the sadhaka in his heart, he is imprisoned there – no vasanas / pravrutti happen thereafter. This is the importance of the hrudaya-guha.
The sadhaka should undertake sadhana with the bhavana that Ishvara is making him do it / driving the sadhana. Body / actions given to the loka, jeevabhava to be given up to Ishvara.
In practical terms, the jeevabhava (aham-bhava) manifests clearly
when we get angry / sad / emotional – this is the best time for Who am I
vichara.
Who am I vichara specifically –
Trigger for anger / passion / desire ---> Our vasanas manifest ---> they create
aham-vrutti (does not really exist, but it causes misery) in the mind ---> this
aham-vrutti causes parichchinna bhaava (I am this limited person) ---> When we watch
the spandana of abhimanam ---> We follow it and the mind goes back
to its source ---> the I, on
deeper enquiry, disappears in the heart itself. This is the hrudaya sthanam. The self,
which is forever existing, manifests.
This is the right time for doing the vichara.
This fixing of the mind in the self, is parama yoga
सङ्कल्पप्रभवान्कामांस्त्यक्त्वा
सर्वानशेषत: ।
मनसैवेन्द्रियग्रामं
विनियम्य समन्तत: ॥ BG 6.24॥
By totally eschewing all desires
which arise from thoughts, and restraining with the mind itself all the organs
from every side;
शनै:
शनैरुपरमेद्बुद्ध्या धृतिगृहीतया ।
आत्मसंस्थं
मन: कृत्वा न किञ्चिदपि चिन्तयेत् ॥ 6.25॥
One should gradually withdraw
with the intellect endowed with steadiness. Making the mind fixed in the Self,
one should not think of anything whatsoever.
Altogether, one should
- renounce all desires for external objects (created by thoughts)
- restrain the senses
with the mind, and
- gradually withdraw with
the intellect endowed with steadiness.
Making the mind fixed
in the Self, one should not think of anything whatsoever.
Sri Shankaracharya says in his bhashyam एषः योगस्य परमः विधिः – this is yoga
आत्मसंस्थम्
आत्मनि संस्थितम् आत्मैव सर्वं न ततोऽन्यत् किञ्चिदस्ति इत्येवमात्मसंस्थं - fixed
in the Self, with the idea, 'The Self alone is all; there is nothing apart from
It'-thus fixing the mind on the Self; na cintayet, one should not think of;
kincit api, anything whatsoever. This is the highest instruction about Yoga.
This also represents the whole of Bhagavan Sri Ramana’s teaching in one
sentence.
Now that the
place has been reached, what does one do next ? How does the mind become quiescent?
By enquiry,
the thought I destroys all other thoughts. Like the stick used for stirring
burning pyre, it will itself in the end, get destroyed. The mind is quiescent
and there will be self-realisation. It is also described as like the fire which
burns camphor.
This is also
called sannyasa – renunciation of the I thought and not rejection of
external objects. This person remains the same whether he is alone or in
samsara / empirical world.
Making the
mind quiescent - Method of enquiry into “Who am I”
How does one
realise Brahman ? How do we undertake this journey ? यो वेद निहितं गुहायां परमे
व्योमन् – the aatman exists in the cave – system of 5 interlocking caves / 5
sheaths (Panchadashi (PD) III.1)
गुहाहितं ब्रह्म
यत्तत्पञ्चकोशविवेकतः । बोद्धां शक्यं ततः कोशपञ्चकं विविच्यते ॥ PD III.1
In PD III.
30, Vidyaranyapada explains that when all forms are destroyed (by neti neti),
the formless space alone remains – this is the imperishable brahman or the
self.
अपनीतेषु मूर्तेषु
ह्यमूर्ते शिष्यते वियत् । शक्येषु बाधितेष्वन्ते शिष्यते यत्तदेव तत् ॥ PD III.
30
Bhagavan
describes the prakriya in terms of transcending the koshas and explains the
nature of the self.
Who am I not ?
The 5
sheaths of our being, are compared to a cave. Penetrate them and find your true
nature.
विग्रहेन्द्रियप्राणधीतमः
। नाहमेकसत्तज्जडं ह्यसत् ॥ US 22 ॥
विग्रहेन्द्रियप्राणधीतमः - Body, senses, mind, breath, intellect, sleep
न अहम् – I am not
एकसत् – (I am) one reality
तत् जडं असत् हि – that is
insentient and unreal
Body, senses, mind, breath, intellect, sleep – All insentient and unreal
– Cannot be 'I', 'I' who am the Real.
How do we go
about this investigation ?
A good
teacher takes the student from where he is, to where he wants to me (known ---> unknown). Start with the most obvious –
who do you think you are ? this body. This is also how tatasta lakshanam (eg - pointing
out to a bigger neighbouring star in order to zero in on the Arundhati star) works.
I am not
a.
The gross body, the karmendriyas and 5 jnanendriyas
b.
The 5 pranas
c.
Mind (Bhagavan’s view was that the mana, buddhi, ahankara etc are all one
and the same mind - they are various names given to the mind on account of
difference in modes, and not because of any real difference – so, more often
than not in Bhagavan’s works, only the mind is referred to, and it is located
inside the heart)
d.
Ignorance that lies within
Neti neti (Not this, not this) is the method prescribed for negating the koshas
The broad /
general reasons for why the koshas cannot be the aatma are described in PD
III.13-15
o
The aatman cannot be an object of experience. It has no anubhavyataa.
There is no experiencer other than it, hence it is unknoweable (अवेद्यः) – not
due to it being असत् (non-existent) but because it is अज्ञेयः (not knowable as an object). The 5 koshas are, in contrast,
objects of experience.
o
The koshas are subject to change continuously Vs aatman is changeless
o The koshas are jada (insentient) Vs aatman is chetana (sentient)
So who am I
?
After
negating all this, what remains – that I am.
The witness
alone remains at the end.
If the 5
sheaths are experienced, there must be an experiencer.
Who is that
experiencer ?
The aatman
cannot be an object of experience – PD III.13
स्वयमेव अनुभूतित्वात्
विद्यते नानुभाव्यता ।
ज्ञातृज्ञानान्तराभावात्
अज्ञेयो न तु असत्तया ॥ 13
As the self
is of the nature of experience only, it cannot be an object of experience.
Since there is no experience other than it, the self is ajneya – not because it
does not exist but because it not an object of experience.
Like how
sugar adds sweetness to other objects but is naturally sweet, the aatman does
not need an experiencer to prove its existence – it is sat-cit-ananda svarupam
by itself. PD III.14
Summary / उपसंहारः
O Arunachala! You taught thus: ‘Turn the ego within and look constantly with the inner eye, and you will see’ – this is the only way to enable the self to manifest.
What is the nature of the self ? Sat-chit-ananda
Consciousness
illumines the 5 sheaths. It appears as the 5 sheaths. The sheaths have no
existence apart from consciousness. They arise and shine in consciousness.
Names and forms arise in, shine in and subside in consciousness.
When will
realization be gained ?
When the world is removed. Until then, the seer cannot be realized. The world is like the snake Vs seer is the rope. The rope and snake knowledge cannot coexist. Unless the snake knowledge is removed, the rope knowledge will not show up.
Only the
substratum (rope) has to remain. The superimposed object (wrong knowledge - the snake) has to get sublated in the substratum. This is possible only by knowledge - when one shines a light on the rope it becomes apparent. There never was a snake - it was a rope all along. The person showing the light, is the Guru who is Ishwara himself.
When will
world vanish ?
When mind becomes quiet. The path of self-enquiry is the way to withdraw the mind. We must convince the mind that everything we see in the world leads to suffering. So, the mind should fear getting attached to sense objects. The problem is not the object but my attachment to it, assuming that it will make me eternally happy.
The cycle can be summarized as :
Enquiry into Who am I - mind becomes quiescent - world disappears - Self manifests itself. As long as the world appears as an object, the self cannot manifest itself.
Breath control, meditation, mantra japa, food
restrictions etc are all aids to render the mind quiescent.
अहमपेतकं निजविभानकं
महदिदं तपः रमणवागियम् ॥ US 30
This
vichara, devoid of ahankara, is a great penance which reveals the self. This is
the Truth revealed by Sri Ramana.
यत्र योगेश्वरः कृष्णो यत्र पार्थो धनुर्धरः । तत्र
श्रीर्विजयो भूतिर्ध्रुवा नीतिर्मतिर्मम ॥
सर्वं श्रीकृष्णार्पणमस्तु
Books referred to:
AMM - Aksharamana malai (Bhagavan Sri Ramana)
PD - Panchadashi
VS – Vichara Sangraha (Bhagavan Sri Ramana)
US – Upadesha saaram (Bhagavan Sri Ramana)
DMS – Dakshimamurthy Stotram
BG – Bhagavad Gita
KU - Kathopanishad