Vakya Vritti (वाक्य वृत्ति) by Adi Shankaracharya

Bhagawan Adi Shankaracharya, possibly the greatest philosopher our world has seen,  had written many commentaries on almost all of the Upanishads, Brahma Sutras, Bhagavad Gita etc. HE also wrote introductory text books (Praakarana Granthas) on the fundamentals of the Advaita Vedanta for the benefit of beginners and students of Vedanta. One such valuable commentary HE wrote is on the famous and very popular Mahavaakya from Chandogya Upanishad 'Tatvamasi'   (तत्वमसि).  This Mahavaakya is one of the four eminent Vaakyas from the Upanishad texts  quoted widely in the Hindu philosophical texts as well as used as a statement of detailed contemplation and meditation as advised by our Rishis.

The four Mahavaakyas are as below.

1. Prajnanaam Brahma (प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म): Consciousness is BRAHMAN; Aitreya Upanishad, Rig Veda

2. Tat Tvam Asi (तत्वमसि) : That Thou Art (Are):  THAT You ARE;  Chandogya Upanishad, Sama Veda

3. Ayam Atma Brahma (अयं आत्म ब्रह्म): This Self is BRAHMAN; Mandukya Upanishad, Atharva Veda.

4. Aham Brahma Asmi (अहं ब्रह्म अस्मि): I AM BRAHMAN;  Brhadaranyaka Upanishad, Yajur Veda

It is said that the first Mahavaakya (statement) above, gives a definition of BRAHMAN (Lakshana vaakya); the second one is a statement of advice to the student by the Guru (Upadesha vaakya),  the third statement is the direct experience of the student in his/her seat of meditation (Anubhava vaakya) and the fourth one is the roar of realization echoed by the student after his/her enlightenment (Prasthaava vaakya). 

In the commentary text Vaakya Vritti consisting of 53 verses, Bhagavan Shankaracharya very lucidly  and vividly explains the lakshyartha (logical meaning) of each of the terms in the Mahavaakya 'Tat Tvam Asi'.  As Swami Chinmayananda explains in his 'Vaartikam' (Translation with explanations) of this text on Vaakya Vritti, every statement in our Upanishads can have two meanings - one a direct meaning of the word or statement (Vaakyartha) that a casual reader may understand and second the deeper indicative meaning (lakshyartha) that only a knowledgeable person with sufficient contemplation(mananam) will understand.  The eminent philosopher that Shankara is,  it can only be expected that these Mahavaakyas derive a special and unique glow through HIS suggestive meanings that a normal person can't comprehend easily.  It takes the calibre of Bhagwan Shankaracharya with HIS commentaries and the ability of Gurudev Chinmayananda  with his translation to dive deeper into this  statement and bring out the pearls of wisdom for our world to appreciate.

As I continue reading this great text and try to dive deeper into its richness, I will try to reflect my understanding of that text in this blog in the coming weeks/months.

A side note:  In my recent trip to India, I visited Kalady (in Kerala state), the birthplace of Bhagawan Adi Shankaracharya.  There is a nice temple dedicated to Bhagavan Shankara and Goddess Shardamba built by the Shringeri Madom.  However, I was sad to see the town of Kalady, (which should ideally be kept like the Vatican City  in terms of its historical importance, richness, neatness, respect etc.,) is now totally commercialized, crowded and kept unclean with no signs and trace of the historical importance and greatness of Shankaracharya anywhere except for the temple and hopefully in the minds of the residents there. 

Watch this wonderful authentic documentary (1 hr 20 mins) on the birth and childhood of  Bhagvan Adi Shankara and the fascinating story of the rediscovery of his  birthplace , Kalady, by the 33rd Jagadguru of Sringeri. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaYfoghV-n8&feature=uploademail

Hari Om.

Destruction of the mind to attain the state of ‘Nirvikalpa Samadhi’.

In the March 2012 issue of Tapovan Prasad, there is a chapter on Swami Tapovanam answering the questions on how vikshepa vritti (mental agitations) can be controlled and the mind eliminated in order to enter the state of Nirvikalpa Samadhi and thereby attain the Supreme Brahman-hood.  Nirvikalpa Samadhi is the state of meditative living where the person has no traces of any EGO within him/her and the individualism has completely merged with the Infinite Consciousness.  To reach that state of samadhi, the Body-Mind-Intellect (BMI) layers have to be transcended and all vasanas eliminated.

As Swami Tapovanam explains, the mind is the product of the ‘satvik’ elements of the ‘pancha mahabhootas’ or the five basic elements (space, air, fire, water & earth) in their nascent form (apachikaranam). Mind is the flow of thoughts, so it is always in a state of change.  The mind has to be controlled and brought to a stillness by directing it to an higher inspiring IDEAL.  This is done through the various methods of Bhakthi Yoga.  Depending on the vasanas in the individual, the character of the person will be of different gunas – Tamasic, Rajasic and Satvik.    The person has to put in the effort to uplift themselves step by step from lower gunas to the higher ones. Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita has said the following in Chapter 6, verse 5.

“Let a man elevate himself by his own Self alone, and let him not lower himself; for this self alone is the friend of oneself, and this self is the enemy of oneself”.

 Once they reach the Satvik guna, the mind has to be oriented to higher levels by constant thought and understanding of the principle of ‘Aham Brahmosmi’ (I am Brahman).  Then through constant practice of meditation (Nidhidyasanam), the person has to stop this single thought of ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ to end all thoughts.  By that time, the person will have his/her personality layers totally tuned to the state of Supreme Consciousness all the time, and merges into ‘Nirvikalpa Samadhi’  - Objectless awareness.  In this state of objectless awareness, the  vasanas are weakened and mind gets annihilated. In that Samadhi state, the glory of Brahman with its attributes of ‘Sat Chit and Aananda’ is realized.

Hari Om.

Four Stages of Spiritual Growth

The latest issue of Tapavon Prasad magazine has a wonderful article on the Four Stages of Spiritual growth in an individual as explained by Gurudev Chinmayananda in his speech in Chennai (Madras) way back in 1963.   I am capturing below the brief definitions of the four stages, though I would suggest all to read through the entire article in Tapovan Prasad which has detailed explanations with examples on each.

1.     Tad buddhayah (तद बुद्धयः) - Intellectual Comprehension:   This is the first stage where the individual hears (Sravanam) or reads (Swadhyaya) about the preliminary concepts of the Vedanta and other Higher ideals explained in our Srutis (Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita). and tries to understand the philosophies intellectually. Even to get interested and read/hear on these the great goals of existence and the possibility of a perfect living needs a certain level of growth and maturity that comes only after the evolution of many lives.

2.   Tad Atmanah (तद आत्मनः) – Assmiliation : The concepts understood intellectually should then be assimilated intellectually to know the deeper meaning and appreciate their significance.  This is done through regular contemplation (mananam) and meditation (dhayanam). Once it is assimilated, it becomes part of the individual’s thought process and that’s called Tad Atmanah.

3.    Tannishthah (तन्निष्टः) – Trying to live the values:  The ideals understood and assimilated in the first two stages are then put to practice as much as possible, whenever it is conducive and where the environment is not too much against it.  However it is still a stage of compromise.  The individual has the interest and vasanas to practice them as much as possible, but cannot enforce them into practice in an environment of opposition.

4.     Tat Parayanah (तत् परायणः) -  Integration of Values in the Personality:  This is the final stage where the highest ideals as espoused by the scriptures are deeply ingrained into the personality of the individual to such an extent that it reflects in all their activities. Such a person is constantly dedicated to the ideal and live it in spite of the opposition around them.

Though the above stages are enumerated in terms of the Vedantic knowledge, this is applicable for all knowledge, principles and theories.  There are many examples of Mahatmas (Great personalities) in the history who have achieved the fourth stage and beyond, such as Buddha, Jesus Christ, Adi Shankara etc. all the way to Mahatma Gandhi and our Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda.

Hari Om.

In the latest CM West Newsletter, there is a reproduction of commentary on Ashtavakra Gita by Gurudev Chinamayananda where in he wonderfully explains the purpose of disciplining the BMI layers so as to step into the hallowed halls of meditation. This is necessary for an average person who is training to experience that divine state. For a man of perfection - a Jnani who has established himself/herself into that supreme Brahman, continuation of the meditation may not be necessary. For such people who have 'transcended' even their mind, the purpose of meditation is no more valid. Gurudev declares the meditation for such Jeevanmuktas as "To give up meditation, through meditation, is the highest meditation!" Read below, understand, THINK! and contemplate.

"To one who has slept, there can be no more any attempt to sleep. To the sleeper, there is no more any anxiety to sleep. Similarly, once you have realized that You are indeed the Self, ever free, thereafter, to think, to contemplate, or to meditate on the nature of the Self, would be to re-crystallize your ego and disturb your Experience divine with the fluttering of your mind.

In short, to give up meditation through meditation is the highest meditation! There is no greater meditation than meditationless-meditation. It is infinite Fulfillment. It is the end of the way, the last leap into the Goal. Here, yoga ends. The dream of the ego has rolled away. The Self, as the Self, revels in the Self. The meditator has become the meditated.

Man has stepped onto the throne of God! This is no poetic exaggeration of Ashtavakra. "

Hari Om.

After a break… - 29th Nov 2011

Pranams. Of late, I have not been consistent in my blogging due to changes in my work and family life and the resulting interruptions. However I did continue with my ‘Svadyaya’ (स्वाध्याय -study) as well as ‘Sravanam’ (श्रवणं - hearing) of the scriptures, ‘Mananam’ (मननं) or contemplation of the knowledge gained as well as ‘Dhyanam’ (ध्यानं)or Meditation on the principles of the scriptures as regularly as possible. Every reading, especially by Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda has been a revealing knowledge for me on various aspects. Hindus all over the world have been attending and celebrating many festivals the past few months and one of them is the Dussehra or the Navarathri festival celebrated in a large scale in Bharat (India). I read a wonderful commentary by Gurudev on the significance of this festival which has been frankly an eye-opener for me. Dussehra comes from the Sanksrit word ‘Dasa papa hara’ or ending of the 10 sins. The 10 sins signify the 10 senses (5 Jnana-indriyas and 5 Karma-indriyas) that humans depend on to receive the various stimuli from the external world and to react to those stimuli. These are the BMI layers in a human being. An average person is engrossed on these BMI layers most of the time that he is pulled into the materialistic comfort zones thereby forgetting the divinity within himself. The celebration of Dussehra or Navarathri (9 nights) is an opportunity for many such people to return to their roots of spirituality. The first three days are for invoking Durga to help in annihilating the negative tendencies within a person, so as to create a channel for absorbing all good and positive knowledge. The next three days are for invoking Goddess Lakshmi so as to get the necessary resources needed to start on a spiritual journey and avoid any interruptions. The last three days are surrendering to the Goddess Saraswati to gain the knowledge of the Ultimate Supreme Power (USP) – the Brahman as advised in the Upanishads. The final 10th day is the Vijayadasami – the day of Vijaya or success wherein the person has returned back to his roots of being a divine in a human form on the 10th day. The celebration of Dussehra, therefore, is giving up the negative materialistic way of life and return to the spiritual way of life through Karma, Bhakthi or Jnana margas (ways) and selfless activities in this birth as a human being. Only humans have this amazing blessing of self introspection, knowledge, contemplation and ability to evolve into a higher living being. This is also the Thanksgiving season in the US and let us all be thankful to that Almighty to have been blessed with the physical, mental and intellectual capabilities that we need to discover the divinity within ourselves and evolve into a supreme being in this planet.
Hari Om.

‘Be Still’ to attain Self realization

A few weeks ago, I took my car to the Christian Brothers automotive workshop for a minor repair. In their shop, they have a board with a quote from the Bible as follows:

“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

The above statement is very similar to the declarations from the Vedanta on the paths to attain the realization of the supreme. It took me by pleasant surprise on the uniformity in the proclamation of the Ultimate Truths in all the religions.
The meaning for the words ‘Be Still’ does not mean stillness of the individual in terms of the outwardly activities. No living creature in this planet can be physically still as long as there is life in it. Nor is it meant to remain in a coma like mental state without any reaction to the environment.

The words ‘Be Still’ is meant to indicate the stillness of our minds to the stimuli from outside. What is mind ? Mind is nothing but the flow of thoughts. The stimuli received from our five sense organs (pancha-kosas) cause reactions and thought flow in our mind which results in formation of the desires. The desires in turn create more thought flows and this cycle continues till it saps all the energy in the individual and wastes it through unproductive activities. This is the cause of inefficiency in every individual.

On the other hand, by controlling the mind, a person can control his entire personality layers and direct it towards efficient productive work. Controlling the flow of unnecessary and wasteful thoughts conserves the energy in an individual which can be utilized for productive work. The feeling of tiredness in a person is not always due to exhaustive physical work. In today’s world where most of the jobs are white-collar professions to be done at home (telecommute!) or in an air-conditioned office space with all facilities at the press of a button(!), we still find people tired and not able to do anything else at the end of a day’s work. This situation is not the physical tiredness (as was the case in farming era), it is mental tiredness due to un-necessary stress and tension caused due to wasteful thoughts.

Our Srutis (Vedanta) extort us to overcome the pulls of our BMI layers (Body, Mind and Intellect), so that we can exhaust our vasanas (desires). Vasanas are like the fog which covers our view of the Supreme Divinity within us. Clearing the vasanas through the control of the BMI, through the “Swadhyaya, Sravanam, Mananam and Dhyanam” of the Vedantic scriptures (please refer to my previous posting) and the knowledge gained through them helps us see and understand the Divinity within and attain the realization.

Control of mind brings less agitation and more peace within. As this is continued, mind becomes less agitated and more peaceful, pure and serene. A pure and serene individual can hear the stillness within – it is the calm humming sound of the soul within which is like the ‘Sruthi’ (or under-tones) in a music performance. Aligning our worldly activities to this stillness orients our life to the natural wavelength of this universe and gives us a productive and peaceful life. An individual who has stilled his mind and heard his inner soul realizes the oneness of that soul across the entire universe and merges into that One Supreme Being – the Supreme Brahman. Thereafter such a ‘Mahatma’ (great soul), though walking and acting in this world in flesh and blood, is mentally and intellectually merged into the Divine and is not affected by the worldly limitations.

Adi Shankaracharya, Buddha, Jesus Christ, Gandhi, Ramana Maharishi are fine examples of such individuals, though cast in human form, are verily GOD in themselves.

Hari Om.