Panchadasi Chapter
6 Chitradeepa-- The Picture on Pure
Consciousness
The titles of chapters 6 to 10 contain the word ‘dipa’ which means
‘lamp’. This word denotes the Consciousness aspect of Brahman which is dealt
with in these chapters.
The supreme Self is explained by comparison with the canvas on which a
picture is drawn. Just as there are four stages in the painting of a picture,
there are four stages in the apparent modification of the supreme Self. In the
painting of a picture the four stages are, a clean white canvas, the canvas
stiffened with starch, the canvas with outlines drawn on it with a black pencil,
and the canvas with colours applied to the picture. The corresponding four
stages with regard to the Self are, pure Consciousness, Consciousness as the
indwelling controller in all beings, Consciousness as associated with the
totality of subtle bodies, and Consciousness as associated with the totality of
gross bodies.
Just as in a picture there are superior and inferior objects, there are
in the universe various grades of beings from Brahma and other gods to human
beings, animals, birds, etc. In a picture human beings are painted as wearing
clothes of different kinds, and the clothes painted appear to be as real as the
canvas on which the pictures are painted. All the forms in the universe are
superimposed on Brahman which is pure consciousness. This consciousness is
reflected in these forms and the forms with the reflection of consciousness in
them are known as Jivas. The Jivas go through the cycle of repeated births and
deaths. Ignorant people would think that the clothes painted in a picture are as
real as the canvas itself. Similarly, ignorant people think that the
transmigrations of the Jivas are undergone by pure consciousness itself. Just as
the inanimate objects in a picture are not painted as dressed in clothes,
inanimate objects in the universe do not have the reflection of consciousness in
them. The wrong notion that transmigration is real and that the Self, which is
pure consciousness, is subject to it is what is called 'Avidya' or nescience.
This nescience is removed by the knowledge of the real nature of the Self.
Transmigration is only for the Jiva, which is a reflection of the Self, and not
for the Self. This understanding is knowledge and it is gained by enquiry.
Therefore one should always enquire into the nature of the Jiva, the universe
and the supreme Self. When the Jiva and the universe are negated, the pure Self
alone remains as the only reality. Negation does not mean that the Jiva and the
universe cease to be perceived, as that happens even in deep sleep or in a
faint. Negation means the conviction that the Jiva and the universe do not have
absolute reality and that they are only 'mithya', i.e., they have only empirical
reality.
The knowledge that Brahman exists is only mediate (paroksha) knowledge.
The knowledge 'I am Brahman' is called realization.
The same Brahman is spoken of in four ways: as 'kutastha' or immutable,
Brahman, Jiva and Isvara, just as the same space is spoken of as pot-space,
all-pervading space, space conditioned by water and space conditioned by a
cloud. The sky with clouds and stars reflected in a pot of water is known as
space conditioned by water. The sky reflected in the water particles in a cloud
is known as space conditioned by a cloud. The Self or pure Consciousness which
is the substratum on which the gross and subtle bodies are superimposed, and
which is not affected by any change in the two bodies, is known as 'kutastha' or
immutable, since it is changeless, like the 'kuta' or anvil on which the
goldsmith fashions his jewellery. The reflection of the Self in the subtle body
is the Jiva or individual who goes from one birth to another (transmigrates). He
is known as the Jiva because he is animated by prana (the vital air). (The
verbal root 'jiva' means 'to be endowed with prana' or vital air). Because of
nescience which is beginningless, the jiva identifies himself with the body and
does not realize that he is in reality the kutastha or Brahman. This nescience
has two powers; the power to conceal Brahman, known as Avarana sakti and the
power to project the universe, known as Vikshepa sakti. The power to conceal
Brahman makes the jiva totally ignorant of the existence of Brahman. Because of
the power of projection, the jiva experiences the subtle and gross bodies and
looks upon them as real. This is what is known as the superimposition of these
bodies on Brahman. It is like a rope being mistaken for a snake in dim light
when the rope is not clearly seen. Because of such superimposition caused by
nescience, the mind, with the reflection of Consciousness in it, is mistakenly
thought to be the pure Self or Consciousness itself. The mind with the
reflection of consciousness in it is known as the 'ego' or 'Ahankara'.
Brahman or pure Consciousness is the substratum on which all animate
beings as well as inanimate objects are projected. The animate beings have life
and are able to function because they have a subtle body which receives the
reflection of pure Consciousness. Because of this reflection of Consciousness
they themselves appear to have consciousness, just as the moon shines because of
the reflection of the light of the sun on it. The inanimate objects do not have
a subtle body to receive the reflection of Consciousness. Death is the
separation of the subtle body from the gross body. When the subtle body departs
from the gross body, the living being becomes lifeless.
It is nescience that conceals the real nature of the Self and makes the
Jiva identify himself with the body. This concealment as well as the wrong
identification cease when nescience is destroyed. But as long as the praarabdha
karma which gave rise to the present body lasts, the mind and body, which are
the effects of nescience continue.
The word ‘karma’ is used in two different senses in Vedanta---(1) the
results of actions performed, in the form of merit and demerit (punya
and paapa), which produce their
effects later on, usually in another birth, and (2) the action itself, whether
secular or religious. Here we are speaking about karma in the first sense. This
karma is of three kinds— known as sanchita, praarabdha and aagaami. The karma
accumulated over innumerable past lives is known as sanchita karma. Out of this,
a portion gives rise to the present birth. This portion is known as praarabdha
karma, meaning ‘what has already started (aarabdha) giving its effect’. The
karma that results from the actions performed during this life is known as
aagaami karma. This gets added to the sanchita karma. On the dawn of
Brahmajnaana the entire sanchita karma as at that time is destroyed. Actions
performed after the dawn of knowledge do not produce any karma because
identification with the body-mind complex, which is the cause of karma, has
ceased to exist. Thus there is no further aagaami karma. But praarabdha karma is
not destroyed by knowledge. It continues to give its results until it is
exhausted. Therefore the present body-mind complex continues to exist till the
exhaustion of the praarabdha karma. But since the jnaani does not identify
himself with his body and mind, he is not affected by whatever happens to them,
but remains established in his real essence as Brahman. This is the state known
as ‘jivanmukti’ or liberation-in-life. (Reference may be made in this
context to Sri Sankara’s Bhashya on the following:- Br.up.1.4.7., Br.up.1.4.10.,Ch.up.6.14.2., Br.up.4.4.22., Bhagavadgita, 4.37).
Various views are held by different schools regarding the Self. One group
of Lokayatas (materialists) consider the physical body to be the Self. Another
group holds the senses to be the Self, another the vital airs, another the mind,
and yet another the intellect. All these are undergoing changes all the time and
so they cannot be the Self which is changeless. The Buddhists say that
perception, as well as the objects of perception are creations of illusion. The
Vedantins reject this view by pointing out that there can be no illusion without
a substratum. There can be no illusion of a snake without a rope as the
substratum. The Buddhists hold that there is only void, but even a void must
have some one to witness it; otherwise it would be impossible to say that there
is a void. We are therefore led to the conclusion that there must be a
changeless substratum for the changing universe. That substratum is Brahman or
the Self. There are also different views about the size of the Self. Some hold
that it is atomic, some that it is all-pervading and some that it is of medium
size.
The Vedantins hold that the Self is pure consciousness, infinite, devoid
of parts and all-pervading. Maya or Prakriti, which is the power of Brahman is
neither real nor unreal; it is indeterminable. Maya can be looked upon in three
ways. For the ordinary people it is real. For the enlightened person (jnaani) it
does not exist at all. For those who try to understand Maya through reasoning it
is indeterminable. Maya projects the universe without in anyway affecting
Brahman. Making the impossible happen is the nature of Maya.
Brahman reflected in Maya is Isvara. Isvara controls Maya, but the jiva
is under the control of Maya. Isvara is the indweller and inner controller (antaryaami)
in every living being. He is omniscient and is the cause of the universe. He
causes the manifestation of the universe and creates beings in accordance with
their past karma. Creation is like the unrolling of a painted canvas. If the
painted canvas is rolled up, the picture is no longer visible. In the same way,
when the karma of living beings is exhausted, Isvara withdraws the universe into
Himself. Then the universe and all beings remain in a latent form till the
commencement of the next cycle of creation. Isvara is the cause of the inanimate
objects through the tamasic aspect of Maya. He is the cause of the jivas through
the reflection of pure consciousness in Maya. Brahman is unconditioned by Maya,
while Isvara is conditioned by Maya and is the creator of the universe. The
Upanishads declare that Brahman is reality, consciousness and infinity. The
sense organs and the mind cannot grasp it.
Hiranyagarbha is the totality of the subtle bodies of all jivas. Virat is
the totality of all gross bodies.
The whole world is a creation of Isvara and jiva. From the determination
of Isvara to create, down to His entrance into the created objects as the inner
controller, is the creation of Isvara. From the waking state to liberation is
the creation of the jiva.
A person who has realized his identity with the changeless Self that is
pure Consciousness is not affected by anything that happens to the body.
Detachment, knowledge of the Reality and giving up desire-prompted
actions mutually assist one another. Detachment arises from the realization that
the happiness arising from objects is impermanent. Knowledge of the Reality is
attained by hearing the scriptures, reflecting on them and meditation. Cessation
of desire-prompted activities results from control of the mind. Of these three,
the knowledge of the Reality is the most important. These three come to a person
who has acquired a vast store of merit (punya) in innumerable past lives. The
summit of detachment is the total absence of desire even for the pleasures of
the world of Brahma (the Creator God). The summit of the knowledge of the
Reality is reached when a person experiences his identity with the supreme Self
as firmly as an ordinary man identifies himself with his physical body. The
height of cessation of desire-prompted activities is the complete forgetfulness
of all worldly affairs even in the waking state as in the state of deep sleep.
Enlightened people may behave in different ways according to their
fructifying karma, but there is no difference in their knowledge of the Reality
or in the nature of their liberation.
The universe is like a picture drawn on the supreme Brahman. When we
ignore the distinctions, which are all caused by Maya, pure Consciousness alone
remains.
This chapter, when regularly studied, frees the intelligent aspirant from
the delusion that the world is real, even though he may continue to see the
world as before. End
of chapter 6 |