Svāmī Prakāśānandendra Sarasvatī Mahārāja
1. Extracts from the Commentary on the Adhyāsa Bhāṣya Sugama
I hope those of you who understand English must be listening to Prabhuddānanda Swamiji’s talks. His talks are excellent. He is very listening to him is Nididhyasana. Directly he touches and once you listen to his talks you can never listen to anybody’s talks including mine. Mine talks are nothing compared to him. His just one sentence is more than Vedanta. Each sentence is amazingly great because his Manana, his Anubhava Drishti is excellent. So, everybody, those who really want Vedanta and Vedanta Anubhava as you hear, you must hear Prabhuddananda. Luckily, he is giving live talks. If you listen to any one book, one book is enough. That’s all. All other books come into that. One book if you listen to him, maybe few months, three or six months. Now it looks that he is going to give. And you listen to him, they are excellent talks.
Let us proceed. This in the second chapter: what is Adhyasa? Adhyasa lakshana bhashyam. We discussed that. Now, at the end Swamiji takes up a Purvapakshi. This Purvapakshi is among the Advaitins only: somebody who explains Adhyasa differently. Now Ekiyavarnanam Adhyasasya. Twelfth Khanda, Swamiji says. So, Tatra Atra Kechid Varnayanti. Some people explain this Adhyasa differently like this. Jnanasya Vishaya Paksha Patitvat. See they start like this. Any Jnana, a knowledge, knowledge means a thought. Knowledge means a thought, a conception, a notion let us say. A notion, an idea. Any idea, a notion of the mind, a vrtti, a mano vrtti requires an external object. So, Jnanasya Vishaya Paksha Patitvat. So, the Jnana, Jnana Vishaya Paksha Pati. Vishaya Paksha Pati means Jnana necessarily requires an object. This is their thinking. Jnanasya Vishaya Paksha Patitvat that means whenever you have a thought, there should be a corresponding object to that thought. Without an object no thought can take place. This is their view. The Purvapaksha itself will take one to two classes. Then another two to three classes Siddhanti explains.
Siddhanti refutes how this idea is wrong. But if the Purvapaksha goes so long, people get confused. So, I feel personally as we are touching the Purvapaksha, each idea at the beginning stage alone we will try to show the contrast with Siddhanta. We tell the Siddhanta right here alone. We don’t wait until all the Purvapaksha is completed then Siddhanti answers. We don’t wait until the complete Purvapaksha is over because people get confused. People may think that Purvapaksha itself is Vedanta. Therefore, just at each stage alone we immediately contrast with Siddhanta. Therefore, Jnanasya visaya paksha patitvat. Purvapaksha here means a different view among the Advaitins which is partly true, which comes closer to Advaita but in certain minute point it falls short of perfection. Therefore, we call them Purvapaksha within Advaita. And this helps us to see the subtle difference, very very minute subtle difference you will be able to see.
Now they say Jnanasya visaya paksha patitvat. This first sentence is difficult. Jnanam in Sanskrit, the word Jnanam is a common word. It can mean any misunderstanding, it can mean right understanding, it can mean doubt. So, Jnanam is a very general term. Whereas in English, knowledge means only correct knowledge, a knowledge true to the object. So, the error is one and the knowledge is different. But in Sanskrit, knowledge is a mithya-jnanam, samyag-jnanam, samshaya-jnanam: see how we use the word jnanam common to all these three. Misunderstanding also is a kind of knowledge, doubt also is a kind of knowledge and a correct knowledge also, true to the fact also is a kind of knowledge. So, the Jnanam is a common word for all these things. Therefore, keeping this Sanskrit word in view, he is asking. We are discussing in Sanskrit and the people who are discussing are only Indians.
So, Jnanasya visaya paksha patitvat, any jnana requires always an object. This itself is a controversial. So, just a little we say Vedanta and again, essentially it is a purvapaksha talking, but in between we make a small comment on behalf of siddhanti. So, that it becomes clear, you don’t get confused. So, two things are there. One is wrong knowledge, another is a right knowledge. Right means correct knowledge, true to the fact. So, when there is a correct knowledge, samyag-jnanam, samyag-jnanam is always true to a fact. Samyag-jnanam is true to the fact, but when you have a misunderstanding, when you have a doubt or a misunderstanding, misunderstanding doesn’t require an object, because the very misunderstanding itself means understanding a fact differently. The different is only an understanding, the reality is one. Like, take the example of rope. Rope is a real object and when you misunderstand it, when you understand it for a snake, when you mistake for a snake, what happens? The snake without being there, you think that it is a snake. The snake is not really there. So, under misunderstanding, when you have a misunderstanding there, there is no corresponding object to your misunderstanding. The corresponding object is rope, but not the snake. Your understanding is snake. So, corresponding to the snake, what is there is only rope, you don’t have a snake there. This is the Vedantin.
Therefore, this purvapaksha is among the Vedantins, Advaitins purvapaksha. Therefore, this discussion is between Advaitins alone. Non-Advaitins are totally outside us, at least in this particular discussion. So, all non-Advaitins are outside. So, this discussion is among the Advaitins alone. When you have a knowledge of rope, corresponding to the rope-knowledge, there is a rope-object. But when you mistake it for a snake, corresponding to the snake-knowledge – snake-knowledge means wrong knowledg, it is a misunderstanding -, corresponding to a misunderstanding of snake or a wrong knowledge of snake, there is no snake. Because the knowledge, the snake-knowledge, that is a misunderstanding, has no corresponding snake-object, but it is that the snake-knowledge is about the rope. Rope is the fact. About the rope you have a snake-knowledge. Similarly, here, now immediately we apply to Vedanta, directly Atma. We have a Brahman here. We have the Brahman here. Regarding the Brahman you have a Jagat-knowledge, knowledge of Jagat. So, we have a knowledge of the Jagat doesn’t mean there is a Jagat and you have a knowledge about it, there are two things, etc., not like that. Knowledge in the form of Jagat. Jagat is only a form of knowledge, not in the form of object. Jagat-knowledge or the knowledge in the form of the Jagat is only a knowledge without the corresponding object-Jagat, because the corresponding is only Brahman, that is the truth, like rope. Truth is Brahman, when you try to understand the Brahman, unable to understand due to some problem, you misunderstand it. The form of misunderstanding is Jagat. Jagat is not an object, object-Jagat, it is the form of misunderstanding about Brahman. Jagat is only a misunderstanding, a form of misunderstanding about the fact which is Brahman. So, Brahman is the fact and you have an understanding about Brahman, a wrong understanding about Brahman, that is in the form of Jagat. So, the form of the Jagat is a misunderstanding about Brahman. So, a misunderstanding doesn’t have corresponding object. Corresponding object is Satyam, not Mithya.
This is a Siddhanti. Now coming to the Purapaksha. Purapaksha starts, he has got a wrong understanding that Jnanasya Vishaya Paksha Patitvat. Every Jnana requires, Vishaya Paksha Pati means Jnana requires a corresponding object. That means if you have a misunderstanding, he says, there is a corresponding mis-object. I think you can’t use such a word in English. Mithya, in Sanskrit we can put it: corresponding to the mithya-jnanam, there is a mithya-vastu. We have never heard what is this mithya-vastu. Have you ever seen a mithya-snake? Mithya is only a misunderstanding. The form of misunderstanding is a snake. There is no mithya-snake as a padartha. Mithya-snake as a padartha doesn’t exist. But he says, corresponding to the mithyajnanam of the snake, a mithya padartha is required. This is, among the Vidya Advaitins alone, there are some people make like this.
Jnanasya Vishaya Paksha Pati Pvat, Arjatasya Chata Rajatavad Avabhasane, Suktiralambanam Rajatam Avabhasate Iti Vaiyaparitya Pate Arjatasya Rajatavad Avabhasane. So, since an object is indispensable, a corresponding object is indispensable for a knowledge, it cannot exist without its object. Andhra Aajnana Ki Adhanaguna Vagi Vishaya Iruveko. If a non-silver such as sea-shell appears to be silver, then it is only a contradiction that the object is sea-shell and its knowledge is silver. Isn’t it? It is a Vaiparitya, this is called a mistake. A rajata, a non-silver like sea-shell, Rajatavad Avabhasane, a sea-shell appears as silver. Appears means you take it. You take it as silver, you understand it as silver. What the sea-shell? When you understand sea-shell as a silver, Rajatavad Avabhasane, Shukthiralambanam Rajatam. It’s a very strange thing. Alambanam Shukthi and Rajatam to Avabhasate. Alambanam means the object is sea-shell but its understanding is silver. It is a Vaiparityam. It is a contradiction, isn’t it? Object is sea-shell and understanding is a silver. Now apply to the Brahman. Object is Brahman but its understanding is Jagat. So, I understand Brahman as Jagat. It means that Jagat is only a form of understanding, a form of knowledge, not a form of object. It is a form of knowledge about Brahman which is the reality. Brahman is the real object and the form of understanding you have is a Jagat. Now isn’t it contradiction? Contradiction means opposite. Opposite means it is a wrong understanding. The form of understanding about Brahman is Jagat. The real object, what really is lying there, is Brahman. What really exists is Brahman, that is a pure consciousness, Advaitiam Chaitanyam, but what I take it to be is the subject and object duality, i.e. that I am a knower and I am knowing the world, that I am an individual surrounded by the world, connected to the world. I am an individual and connected to the world: this is the form of understanding of Jagat. Form of understanding not about the Jagat: it is an understanding in the form of Jagat, not about the Jagat, because it is about Brahman alone. About Brahman, the form of understanding is Jagat. Now, the form of understanding is generally supposed to be according to the object. The silver, if an understanding of silver, the knowledge of silver is supposed to be according to the object. But here we have a knowledge of silver, knowledge in the form of silver, regarding an object which is not silver. Similarly, we have a knowledge in the form of the Jagat – Jagat means subject, object, all this. The whole avastha, the whole accharavastha is a form of knowledge regarding whom? Regarding Brahman who is Sushupti svarupam, who is free from subject-object duality, who is directly the consciousness.
This topic is a little very tough topic, you have to patiently listen, because the subject is like that we have selected such a book and the book language looks very simple but the idea is very tough. Tough in the sense once you get it, you get it. It is easy. But you have to have a concentrated listening. Arachatasya cha rajatava dhava bhasane shuktir alambanam. When a non-rajata seashell appears as silver, the contradiction is here. One is the object is a sea-shell and its understanding is silver. There is, what you say, discrepancy. Vaiparitya patte hai. Here is a discrepancy. Thing is one, its knowledge, the knowledge about it, is different. It is vaiparitya patte hai, there is a discrepancy. Mithyaiva rajatama bhaviti vivaharanasarena. Mithya rajatam laukika paramartha rajata vilakshanam abhinavameva. Rajata jnanalambanam tatkaale samutpadyate iti kalpaniyam. Since there is a discrepancy, to solve this discrepancy, what should you do? See, he calls it a discrepancy. He calls it a problem. See, the purvapaksha is telling. The thing is seashell and knowledge about the seashell is silver. How can there be a knowledge of silver regarding a thing which is non-silver? Why? In every misunderstanding this is what happens, you may say. You may say this is what happens. In any misunderstanding thing is one, its understanding is different. This is what misunderstanding is, you may say. He replies no. Purvapaksha says, advaita purvapaksha. Every knowledge must have a corresponding object. Hey, we have never heard it. Yes, we are telling you. You listen to us. This is our siddhanta: every knowledge requires a corresponding object. But it is a misunderstanding, you may say. Yes, if it is a wrong understanding, there must be a wrong-object corresponding to it. For wrong knowledge, there must be a wrong object corresponding to it.
It is something like when you speak the truth, there must be a true object, true event. But if you are telling lie, there must be a lie object, that means a false object. This is what they are talking. It is surprising. This is what purvapaksha says. So, when you speak truth, for your true statement, for your statement, there is a corresponding object. When I say this is a pen, it is a true statement. So, the statement has a corresponding object. Now, when I say this is a book, what do I say? So, for that lie, you require a corresponding wrong-object. Do you have a wrong-object? For wrong knowledge, for a wrong statement, do you have a wrong object? This is a very strange philosophy. Among certain advaitins, they create it. Swamiji attacks that. Attacks means criticizes this point. This is the mistake, they make it.
So here he says, there is a discrepancy. The form of knowledge is one, the object is a seashell, the form of knowledge is silver. There is no rapport, there is no correspondence. Therefore, what happens? To solve this problem, he says it is a problem. Why problem? Because he made a rule for himself. Every knowledge, whether good or bad or right or wrong, every knowledge requires a corresponding object. Without object, no knowledge can rise at all. But if it is a wrong knowledge, yes, there must be a wrong object. This is the premise he starts with. Premise means sammuladhara. This is the premise he starts with.
Jnanasya visaya paksha patitvata. That’s why I told. He starts with that way. And this is what Vedanta siddhanta, Satchidananda Swamiji or Shankara don’t accept it. Rajatavada avabhasane, shuktir alambanam rajatam tu avabhasate iti vaiparityapate. This is a discrepancy or a contradiction. To solve this contradictory problem, what should we do? Mithyaiva rajatam abhaat. You say: I saw a false rajatam, false silver. I saw a falsely silver. When you say: oh my god, I misunderstood. I saw a silver wrongly. I saw a silver falsely. So according to your statement, he says, the purvapaksha says, you must accept mithya-rajatam. You must accept a presence of a silver. What silver? For my misunderstanding, there is a wrong-silver, wrong-object silver. In English it is difficult. If you say in Sanskrit, it becomes easy. Because they say, mithya-padartha and mithya-jnanam. It becomes easy if you use Sanskrit words. Shall I continue in Sanskrit words? Mithya jnanam requires mithya padartha. Mithya jnanam requires a corresponding mithya padartha. Instead of struggling hard through English, go by Sanskrit, it becomes easiest. Vedanta becomes easiest through Sanskrit. So mithya-rajatam: for the mithya jnanam, corresponding mithya padartha is required. How is that? laukika paramartha rajata vilakshanam. This silver, this mithya-silver is unlike, different from the real silver in the world, real worldly silver. Unlike the real worldly silver, the worldly silver is different from this silver under misunderstanding.
Now they created another silver. Where is it? Nobody knows. But now they say we must accept it. So mithya rajatam laukika paramartha rajata vilakshanam. It is different from the worldly silver which we commonly see, we all see. But under the illusion, under the mistake, during bhrama, during bhrama of silver, when you mistake it for silver, when you have a mithya jnanam, mithya-silver- jnanam, there is a say, a mithya-padartha-silver, a mithya-rajatam is present, mithya-padartha-rajatam. Vilakshanam it is. Unlike this worldly silver, abhinavam eva rajata jnanalambanam. Abhinavam means it is something new. Abhinavam means which never existed before, it is a totally new. A modern is created. Avalambanam tat kaale samutpadyate iti kalpaniyam. I change the example, I think it becomes easy for you to understand. When I mistake the rope for a snake, during my understanding, during that bhrama, when I take it to be snake, they say, corresponding to my knowledge of snake, there is an object snake. This object-snake is a mithya-snake. For according to mithya-snake-jnanam, there is a mithya-sarpa-padartha. What is this mithya-sarpa? Yes, there is a mithya sarpa padartha, it is different from the real sarpa, real snake, the worldly snake. It is different from real snake. Then where is it? He says, it is newly created during your mistake. This mithya-sarpa is newly created just during your misunderstanding. Similarly silver also, during your wrong perception, during your misunderstanding of seashell into silver, according to mithya rajata jnanam, there is a mithya rajata padartha corresponding to it. And he says, we have never seen it, but when you are misunderstanding, during the misunderstanding alone it is present. It is freshly created. As you misunderstand, immediately a new snake is born with you. When you misunderstand, suppose you misunderstand one person to be another person, during that misunderstanding another person gets created right then. Who said it? This is what they say. Purvapakshi says it.
Tat kaale samutpadyate anirvachaniya rajato tpatti. Those who have heard Vedanta already know it. This is the term they use it. Anirvachaniya rajato ‘tpatti. That will come later. Go to the next point. Naca upadanam vinakinchit samutpattumalam. Now two points we learnt. One is every knowledge requires corresponding object. Even if it is a misunderstanding, you require a wrong object. For wrong knowledge you require a corresponding wrong object. One. Now that when you have a wrong knowledge, as the wrong knowledge arises along with it concurrently, athava concomitantly, concurrent means immediately along with it, side by side, simultaneously, or parallelly, whatever you say, as the knowledge, wrong knowledge arises there is a wrong object simultaneously gets born. Vedanta says, Shankara and Satchidanand Swamiji, there is a wrong knowledge: there is no corresponding wrong object, there is no mithya-padartha. Mithya is always jnanam. There cannot be mithya padartha. Remember, mithya padartha, such a thing never exists. It is only a false, false prakriya. It is only speculation. It confuses more. Such a thing never exists. Mithya jnanam is a mithya jnanam, there is no mithya padartha. This is a pure speculation of some of the Vedantins. Neither Shankara says, Satchidanand Swamiji says, nor anybody’s anubhava says. In anubhava, nobody finds it in anubhava.
They say, for a wrong knowledge, there is a concurrent wrong object. And where is that? He says, it is newly born. As you have a wrong understanding, instantly it is born along with it. These two points are. Then the third point comes. Once you accept that there is a wrong object along with wrong knowledge, why? Because wrong knowledge always has to be with wrong-object: without wrong object, wrong knowledge cannot take place. See, mithya padartha villad iddare mithya jnanahuttalla. Without mithya padartha, mithya jnanam cannot take place; that is their paksha. But we say, mithya jnanam is a mithya jnanam alone, it doesn’t need mithya padartha. There is only real padartha and there is a mithya jnanam about it. That’s all it means simply, straight. This is Swamiji and Shankara and we say. They say, purvapaksha says, that there is a mithya padartha. Once you accept that there is a tentatively snake is born, a false snake tentatively and newly born, freshly created. The false snake tentatively created, instantly as you misunderstand, along with misunderstanding a snake is created, along with your misunderstanding-snake, instantly newly created and this snake is different from the normal worldly snake. There is one more thing. See, it is different from the normal worldly snake.
Now, this snake once it is created, then it requires a material. How is it created? Who created it? Which manufacturer? Find out. There must be a company to create it. There must be a manufacturer. There must be a raw material. Now everything you have to explain. Ah, how do they go? See the purvapaksha, how he goes. Now once you accept that there is a tentatively false snake that is created, according to, corresponding to false knowledge, then once the false snake jumps up as you misunderstand, freshly, temporarily, tentatively created, for that tentative creation you require a material. Nacha upadanam vinakinchit samudpattumalam. Without upadana, a material, that tentative creation of a special snake, only perceived during misunderstanding, cannot rise. It is perceived only during misunderstanding, not outside, not in the worldly sense. It is not a worldly snake. Only that during misunderstanding alone you see that vinakinchit samudpattumalam. Therefore, no snake, nothing can be created without a material cause. There must be material. Ato mithya rajato ‘padana bhutam. For this false silver, for this false snake, I require a false material cause. That is called bhavarupam, something positive substance. It is not a simple negation, it is not a simple absence. It is not simple absence, something positive. Something bhavarupam, kincin mithya bhutameva. It is bhavarupam, it is positive substance, yet it is mithya. It is a mithya, but bhavarupam. It is a false, but it is a positive substance. Bhavarupam itcha. Angi karyam, you must accept it. See, he is logically positing you must accept it. It must be there. Why? It is necessitated logically. It is necessitated by the logic. He is not showing where it is in your anubhava. He is not showing in your anubhava. He says it is necessitated by your argument. You have taken a stand and your stand necessitates assumption of something. First you assume something and that assumption logically necessitates assumption of another. So, this is how they go on. Tadeva ajnana mithya uchyate asma. Accept that material cause, a false material cause for the production of a false snake, tentative produced, instantly produced. When you are under misunderstanding, a false snake is instantly, temporarily produced. For that instant, temporary production you need a material cause. Tadeva ajnana mithya uchyate. That false material cause is called ajnanam.
Now, the ajnanam is not a simple misunderstanding or not-knowing, according to them. We say ajnanam means a simple misunderstanding or just not-knowing. They say ajnanam is not that: it is something special material, a fine special material, manufactured specially in the sky. There is a laboratory in the sky which nobody can go. And they won’t be available to anybody. Only if you have a special permission you can go there. You will see in the sky there is a laboratory. It has got a special raw material available. The special raw material which produces the false snake or false silver or anything false, any false object that is called ajnanam. Oh my God! We have never heard ajnanam is like this. Yes, ajnanam is a substance. Tadeva ajnanam ithyachyate asmabhihi. We call this as an ajnanam. Purvapakshi says this is ajnanam. Taccha ajnanam shukti rajata pratibhasastale shuktyavacchanna chaitanya ashritam.
Now next point is: where is this ajnanam? Okay, you have speculated it. But where is this ajnanam? He says that material, a false material is required to be able to create a false snake or false silver, immediately when you are under misunderstanding. So that false material cause is called ajnanam by them. Nobody accepts: no school of philosophy in eastern and western world, nobody accepts. This is a specially, some section of Advaitins created it. Now where does it exist? There is a rope. Rope ken helthare rajju. Rajju in Sanskrit. Rope avachchinna chaitanyam, the consciousness which is circumscribed by the rope, in that consciousness this material cause remains, and that transforms into snake. Similarly, in every object there is object consciousness, like the shuktika-chaitanyam, shuktikavacchina chaitanyam. You may say, oh it is very difficult, but all Vedanta is like this alone. They made it into highly complicated thing, very difficult to understand. Therefore, Swamiji says Vedanta has entered into the school of tarka. In fact, between (their) Vedanta and tarka there is no difference: they made Vedanta into a dialectical, into another tarka shastra. Therefore, I am going slowly, otherwise you may get confused, because this is how the topic it is. Once you come to Siddhanta, it becomes very interesting. So, you have to bear with it, this purapakshya. Shuktikavacchina chaitanyam: there is a consciousness which is limited by the seashell. And in that seashell-consciousness this moolavidya, this bhavavidya, this material avidya remains there, and that produces this mithya-rajatam. Mithya-rajatam-padartha, mithya silver it produces. Taccha jnanam shukti rajata pasi pratibhasastale shuktyavacchina chaitanya ashritam. Iyam hi pratyaksha prakriya sankshaya patah.
Now we have established three points. One is every jnanam requires corresponding object. And for the mithya jnanam you require a mithya object. When we are seeing a mithya snake we require a mithya knowledge snake. See, when we have a false knowledge of snake we require a false object snake. False snake knowledge you require a false snake object. Now where is it? The false snake object rises instantly as you get false snake knowledge. Instantly there is a false snake object, simultaneously along with it it is born. Now second point this is. Now, third point is that once you accept the rising of a false snake object, you require a material to produce it; that material is called ajnanam. This is the third point. Once you accept the three points, now they tell you what is the process that the false material cause produces into a false snake. How does it produce?
This looks like very interesting story. Mayalapakkiru pranamu. Ramachilkala unnadi in telugu there was a story we used to hear in our childhood. There was a mayalapakkiru, a magician pakir. A muslim fakir was there. That fellow had a magic. And he would kidnap Balanagamma. He would kidnap the heroin, the queen, the princess of the king. There were seven princess, seven rajakumaras and that rajakumari he turns her into a dog and kidnaps her. And that fellow had a power. And then that princess, the mother who was kidnapped has a small boy. That boy comes to know that this fellow has kidnapped his mother. He grows up and he finds out his life. Where is his life? You know that? That mayalapakkiru, the magician fakir had his life in a parrot. His life is in a parrot. The parrot lives in a tree. And the tree is a banyan tree. And that tree lives in far away after seven oceans. When you cross the seven sea, Saptasamudras, seven samudras, there is a tree, in the cave of the tree this parrot lives there. His life is in that parrot. Mulavidya is like this alone. Mayalapakkiru pranamu Ramachalukalo vunnadi. In telugu we say. Therefore, this mulavidya is like this alone. Jagat is here but mulavidya is somewhere there sitting in the parrot. And that parrot is in seven samudras across. Across seven samudras.
Now, how does this material ajnanam, the bhavarupa ajnanam, substantial ajnanam transforms into snake, transforms into silver? Now he gives us a prakriya. Prakriya means a process of production of mithya-padartha. How does the mithya-padartha get produced? What process? The manufacturer should know the manufacturing company. These mulavidyavadins are manufacturing company. They made a raw material and produced adhyasa. I already told you: this is called adhyasa, they make a manufacturing of adhyasa. Now pratyaksha prakriya sankshepata. What is the process of production? Prakriya means process. Process means a procedure, a krama, that is, in what order, in what sequence this false padartha gets produced. Now, antah karana vritti visayate shangatva visayakaram bhajate.
Listen now. Antahkarana vritti: there is a vritti in your mind and it travels outside. Have you ever seen? When you are looking like this through your eyes, your knowledge, your consciousness which is sitting in your eyes goes out of the window of your eyes. This is a very good story. I think it’s a very good kadambari. Mulavidyavadins create a very good kadambari. I think you can produce a film on it. Advaita film. Mulavidya film. Anyway, I am telling you mulavidya harikatha only. You listen to this mulavidya harikatha. Therefore, the consciousness is in your mind and that mind-thought comes to the eyes, gate of the eyes; through the eyes it jumps out of your eyes and travels until the rope, where the rope is lying there. Goes and touches the rope, okay? Be careful. It may touch you. Be careful and sit by the distance and watch what is happening. Therefore, antah karana vritti visayate shangatva visayakaram bhajate. It is there in the Sanskrit ghrantas. Swamiji is not imagining it. It is there in their books. If you study, if you are a Sanskrit scholar, you will study only these harikathas. Gatva visayakaram bhajate. It goes there and visayakara, it assumes the object of a rope. Then what happens? Tadanu tat sa chidabhasena visayavaranam apakriyate. This knowledge, which is in your antahkarana as a vritti, goes out of the eyes and travels to the object where it is lying there. Suppose the rope is lying there, it goes and touches the rope. Not only touches it, it pervades the rope. As it pervades the rope, you get the knowledge of a rope.
This is the process of perception. How does perception take place? Philosophers are struggling hard to explain how does perception, pratyaksha jnanamu hege untaaguttadhe. Pratyaksha jnanamu yala kalugutundi? Idakki process enu? People have been struggling hard to explain. People have come up with their own theories but nobody is convinced about it, nobody is convinced of all these theories. They keep on explaining theories after theories. Nayayikas have got one theory, sankhyas have got one theory, probably madhvas have another theory, among the Advaitins, mulavidyavadins have another theory. All of them have their own theories. How does the process of perception take place?
Regarding Shankara and Satchitanand Swamiji never touch that. They say it is impossible to explain. Like in dream, how do you come to know the external object? You read Paramartha Chintamani1, Swamiji discusses there, perception as a process nobody can understand. Because it is a contradiction. Only after perceiving you talk of it. But before perceiving you can’t tell how does the perception take place. You have a perception, this is what you can say. But anyway, it is their explanation, we leave it to them. And let us try to understand whatever they say. Tatsthitachidabhasena vishajavaranam apakriyate. So, this Jnanam goes and covers the rope. Then what happens? On the rope there is an avarana. Avarana means there is a veil. There is a veil covering up. There is a veil of ajnana which covers up. There is a burka of rope. For every object there is a burka. This is advaitins burka. There is a burka which covers every object. And this Jnanam goes and removes that burka and comes to spot the rope.
Vishayadestbastya chaitanyasya pramatru chaitanyasya ca abhedat vishaya pratyakeata samupajayate. Now the consciousness is present where? Where is the consciousness? Consciousness is all pervasive. Sarvavyapaka consciousness is in three places. Now there is a pramata. Pramata is the knower. Prameya is the rope. Prama is the Jnanam. Therefore, this consciousness which is chaitanyarupa paramatma, when he is in me, that consciousness is appearing as a pramata. When the consciousness is appearing as a rope – because the consciousness is, what you call it, rajju-avacchina-chaitanyam – one is the rajju avacchina chaitanyam, chaitanyam in the form of rope, as the basis of rope; the other is chaitanyam as the form of the seer, that is the person. Manushyanalli pramatr-avacchina-chaitanyam, prameya-avacchina-chaitanyam. When these two chaitanyam come together, there is a prama-avacchina-chaitanyam that is born, then the knowledge takes place. This is what is happening every day when you are seeing. This is their explanation. Don’t take it as siddhanta. This is purvapaksha. There is as pratyaksa jnanam takes place.
Here, when the knowledge in your antahkarana travels outside through your eyes, goes and pervades the rope. So, when there is avarana, the ajnanam which covers the rope gets destroyed: this knowledge goes and burns it out. What? The ajnanam which is covering the rope, the burka which covers the rope, gets burnt out and then you come to see the rope. Sometimes what happens? That ajnanam doesn’t get burned, then you won’t see the rope perfectly. When you don’t see the rope correctly, when the light in your mind travels through your eyes and goes near, near, near, further, further, to the nearest point of the rope, but it fails to cover the rope completely, when it fails to cover the rope, what happens? Just it goes near it. At that time what happens? The ajnanam, that is mulavidya or positive avidya which is covering the rope, instead of being removed it still remains and transforms into a snake. That avidya covering which is existing in the shuktika-avacchina-caitanyam, in the consciousness circumscribed, limited to the seashell or limited to the rope, there that ajnanam, material ajnanam lying there, transforms into snake. Rajata-rupena-parinamate, it transforms into silver or the snake and sits there. This vritti, our antahkarana vritti, should have directly perceived the rope or should have perceived the seashell, but unfortunately it is unable to perceive the seashell or unable to perceive the rope directly, because there is a mulavidya and that mulavidya transforms into a snake; you end up seeing the snake. Instead of seeing the rope, you end up seeing the snake. Instead of seeing the seashell, you start seeing the silver, the silver which is transformed by the avidya which is covering up the seashell.
This is one more thing. The avidya which is lying on the rope, which is covering the rope, when it transforms into snake, at the same time, mithya-vastu-pratibhasa-artham sakshi-caitanyastha-avidya. I have an antahkarana; before antahkarana, in my sakshi there is a mulavidya. Mulavidya two places: it is in sakshi and it is on rope. The same mulavidya is on rope and also it is in sakshi. So, the same mulavidya which is lying in my sakshi transforms into mithyajnanam in my antahkarana. It transforms into mithyajnanam, false knowledge, in my antahkarana, and that mulavidya which is lying on the rope transforms into a mithya-snake corrisponding to the mithyajnanam. Therefore, these two things happen simultaneously. There the mithya-snake is born, here in the mind a mithya-understanding is born: mithya-snake-knowledge and mithya-snake-object, both of them simultaneously arise. What a beautiful kadambari.
Advaitins have created beautiful kadambari. You may feel it is difficult to understand. Then you do lot of punya…You will get a mulavidya guru and then you will be able to understand. You do lot of punya. Mundina janma you will be born as a brahmana and as a samskrita panditam, and then you will get a mulavidya guru and you will never come here to listen Svamiji’upadesha. You will never know that Satchitanand Swamiji exists. Then you will learn, he will teach you all these things. You won’t get it from Satchitanand Swamiji, this kind of thinghs you won’t get it. There you will get it. You have to do lot of punya to be able to understand this, otherwise no moksha. You won’t get moksha, you have to learn all these things. They say all these things. Now, that avidya which is covering the rope transforms into a false snake object. Similarly, mulavidya which is in your sakshi, transforms into a false knowledge of snake. False-snake-knowledge, false-snake-object: both of them simultaneously rise and they get connected to each other; then alone you will see the snake. This is how the bhrama takes place, adhyasa takes place. See how beautifully they have explained adhyasa which Satchitanand Swamiji cannot explain, and Prakashanand Swamiji out of question he cannot.
Now the two things are born. One is the false-snake, false snake object, and false snake knowledge. False snake object and false snake knowledge both are born out of mulavidya. Mulavidya is in two sides. One is on the object, another is in your antahkarana, bottom of antahkarana, in the sakshi. It is in your sakshi, it is there on the object, both of them have got a very knack of contacting. They have got a wireless connection. Therefore, this mulavidya, tula-avidya, mulavidya, anyway, both of them simultaneously produce. So, these two, false snake knowledge and false snake object, simultaneously arise. Then you are in the misunderstanding, you are in adhyasa. This is called avidya and it is called mithya.
But, why do you call mithya? Mithya also there is an interesting story you have to learn. What is mithya? It is called mithya because this mithya snake, mithya snake object and mithya snake knowledge, both of them are not true to the rope. The rope is really lying there. You are seeing different from rope. Therefore, it is called mithya. So, therefore, it is mithya padartha and mithya jnanam. See, this mithya snake, mithya padartha snake and mithya jnanam snake, these two you cannot say they don’t exist because you are seeing them. When you are under misunderstanding, you see them and you can’t say at the same time they are real because once you know the rope, they get destroyed. Once the jnanam arises, once you bring the light, that snake gets destroyed. You don’t know that. Whenever you have a misunderstanding, a new snake arises. Each time you misunderstand, each time new snake arises. And then, once you see the rope, that mithya jnanam snake and mithya padartha snake, both of them get destroyed. Therefore, it is not there, asat. When it is destroyed, it is asat; when you are perceiving it is sat: therefore, you can say neither it is sat nor asat. Therefore, it is sadasadbhyam anirvacaniyam: it is indefinable, inexplicable as neither existing nor non-existing. You can say neither it is there nor you can say it is non-existing. It is existing, non-existing in between. It is partly existing, partly non-existing. Therefore, it is anirvacaniya, partly existing, partly non-existing. You can say neither existing nor non-existing. This is called anirvacaniya. …. If it were really there, it would not go away after jnanam, it can’t be destroyed. If it is non-existent, you would not perceive it, but you are perceiving it. Therefore, this mulavidya and its transformation into snake, both of them are anirvacaniya. Mithyajnanam is anirvacaniya and mithya padartha also is anirvacaniya.
Therefore, that avidya, mulavidya, parinama, it transforms into the snake and it transforms into your snake-knowledge. This is one step. As I told you, it will take another class. It’s not enough. We’ll discuss tomorrow or next class. This is adhyasa production, we have learnt it now. According to these people, mithya production, you have learnt. Then what is the reply of Advaitins? Siddhanti will reply that all this is a speculation, non-existent, confusing alone. Simply you misunderstand, there is a misunderstanding. During misunderstanding, you think there is an object. See, during misunderstanding, like when you are seeing in dream, dream is only a thought, but while experiencing it looks like an object. Isn’t it? Dream looks like an object while experiencing, but once you wake up, you understand it is only a thought, there is no object. Similarly, here, adhyasa is only a mithya-pratyaya-rupaha. Adhyaso mithyajnanam. There is no mithya padartha. Mithya padartha is totally non-existent, it is purely kalpitam, unnecessarily kalpitam. It is a confusing thing. It exists in nobody’s experience. It is purely their own manufacturing to confuse people. Because they are confused and they want to confuse you also. Therefore, this is how the adhyasa production takes place.
Now how do you correct adhyasa? Our way of understanding is simply two sentences I say, misunderstanding is only a wrong thought, wrong standpoint of looking. Correction is only taking a right standpoint and it gets corrected. There is no misunderstanding at all. Now for them adhyasa is a process, a production, an object. Adhyasa is an object, adhyasa is a production. Now, a process is there for a production and there is a material which produces it. Then how does the jnanam remove it? That we shall see in the next class. How does it remove that adhyasa? How does it remove that material cause mulavidya? I think I have repeated sufficiently. We’ll go directly to that. Now they explain how do you remove adhyasa, that’s all. This much is a purvapaksha. Then siddhanti answers that all this is unnecessary: too much of confusion, too much of speculation which is not in keeping with anubhava, which doesn’t require, which is not logical and you don’t find it in bhashya also. They also say it is not found in bhashya but it is found in vyakhyanakaras. We’ll stop with it and we’ll discuss in the next class.
- Śrī Svāmī Satchidānandendra Sarasvatī, Paramārtha Cintāmaṇi, Holenarasipura, Adhyātma Prakāśa Kāryālaya, 1966.[↩]