Vivekachudamani - Crest Jewel of Wisdom

151st verse: “A lake has pure water underneath but is covered by moss, grass and leaves at the top. The pure water is hidden. Similarly, our true nature stays hidden by five sheaths. The five sheaths are: Anamaya Kosha, Pranamaya Kosha, Manomaya Kosha, Vijnanamaya Kosha and Anandamaya Kosha.”153rd verse: “When the five sheaths are taken away, we identify with our true dimension, which is self-effulgent, directly experienced and the source of eternal bliss.”155th verse: “There is a type of grass whose core is covered by leaves. When the outer layers of the leaves degenerate, the core comes out. Similarly, we should be able to separate the five sheaths and identify with our inner divinity.”The 156th verse describes Anamaya Kosha, the outermost layer.156th verse: “The body is the outermost layer and is a result of the food that we eat. It comes into existence by food, lives by food and dies without food. This body is like a skin bag that contains all that we eat. If anything were to come out of this skin bag and touch our hands, we instinctively wash our hands, as we consider the contents of the skin bad as impure. This body is made of skin, flesh, blood and bones. Every cell in the body changes every single moment. Therefore, it cannot be our true identity, Atman, which is unchanging. “While there is nothing remarkable about the physical body physically, it is important as it helps us go beyond body consciousness. Having a healthy body is not the goal of life. It is a means for higher realization.We often define ourselves with our physical body. This is similar to a billionaire behaving like a beggar. People who only identify with their physical body are quickly forgotten. Many great personalities, such as Lincoln, Gandhi and Stephen Hawking, were not physically remarkable but achieved great things by identifying with higher dimensions of their personality.Buddha reflected on the sufferings of the physical body - the miseries of birth, death, sickness and old age. He went to Bodh Gaya, sat under a tree and took a vow to not leave his seat until he realized the spiritual truth.Everyone intellectually knows that the physical body will be gone one day. However, at an emotional level, we live in delusion forgetting this truth. Even a crematorium manager, who sees dead bodies every day, lives under similar delusion. Yaksha posed a question to Yudhishthira – “What is the most mysterious fact of life?” In answer, Yudhishthira said – “Every minute and second, we see so many creatures moving towards the abode of death. Still, we believe that we will not have to join this procession. This is the most mysterious fact of life.”The 157th verse explains the impermanence of the physical body.157th verse: “This body did not exist some time ago, and it will cease to exist some time in the future. It only appears to exist in the present. Every split second, it changes and becomes old. It is like a pot that is insentient. It is not eternal, and therefore, not our true nature, which is Atman.”If we become slightly introspective, we can infer the higher dimensions of our personality. When we say: “I am happy” without being aware of it, we identify with the mind, which is beyond the physical body. The body, which is skin bag, cannot be happy or unhappy. That state belongs to the mind.Our true nature is as the seer or witness, which is aware of all the changes happening to the body. When we observe our anger or anxiety, we objectify them, thereby reducing their effect on us.158th verse; “This body has hands and feet. Even if we lose our hands or feet, we continue to live. This body cannot be our true nature, which is permanent. “These physical parts do not define us. Our true nature can only be experienced. It cannot be verbalized. When we remove all wrong notions, what is left behind is our true nature.

151st verse: “A lake has pure water underneath but is covered by moss, grass and leaves at the top. The pure water is hidden. Similarly, our true nature stays hidden by five sheaths. The five sheaths are: Anamaya Kosha, Pranamaya Kosha, Manomaya Kosha, Vijnanamaya Kosha and Anandamaya Kosha.”Anamaya Kosha is the grossest and represents our physical being. Anandamaya Kosha is the most subtle.We identify ourselves with what we can connect with through our senses and mind. This is akin to weeds growing on the lake.Shankaracharya uses examples from the animal kingdom to explain how one reaches destruction when guided by the senses - Deer (sense of hearing), Elephant (sense of touch). Moth (sense of seeing), Fish (sense of taste), Bee (sense of smell). Each of these creatures reaches death as they are guided by one of their senses. What to speak of humans who have five senses active all the time.We often define ourselves with our physical identity. This is similar to a billionaire behaving like a beggar. Many great personalities, such as Lincoln, Gandhi and Stephen Hawking, were not physically remarkable but achieved great things by identifying with higher dimensions of their personality.155th verse: “There is a type of grass whose core is covered by leaves. When the outer layers of the leaves degenerate, the core comes out. Similarly, we should be able to separate the five sheaths and identify with our inner divinity.”Swami Vivekananda said: “Religion is the manifestation of divinity already in man.” We can manifest this divinity by being good human beings.Vedanta prescribes Sadhana Chatushtaya Sampatti as the disciplines to manifest this divinity. We have to have the right sense of priorities. First, we must use our discerning wisdom to determine what is real and what is unreal. Second, we must hold on to what is real and disregard what is unreal. Third is Śamādi ṣatka Sampatti. It lists six traits: Sama, Dama, Uparati, Titiksa, Shraddha, Samadhana. Fourth is Mumukṣutvam, a strong desire for spiritual liberation.Divine discontent is the feeling of incompleteness or imperfection in life that any cultured, evolved, human being feels. Great personalities such as Buddha felt this discontent and sought higher meaning of life. Shankaracharya emphasizes the importance of restraining the mind in the 326th verse. “Imagine a child playing with a ball at the top of a staircase. If the ball falls, it does not stop until it reaches the bottom. Similarly, in spiritual life, we should be very vigilant not to make mistakes. We should give our mind proper direction.”153rd verse: “When the five sheaths are taken away, we identify with our true dimension, which is self-effulgent, directly experienced and the source of eternal bliss.”Body is not supposed to remain intact for a very long time. We should not be unhappy when we get old or sick. The body is designed by God to become dysfunctional after a while.We spent most of our lifetime confronting the problem of death – we may be able to postpone it, but we cannot avoid it. Yaksha posed a question to Yudhishthira – “What is the most mysterious fact of life?” In answer, Yudhishthira said – “Every minute and second, we see so many creatures moving towards the abode of death. Still, we believe that we will not have to join this procession. This is the most mysterious fact of life.”

Living a life of pleasures in this world is not the ultimate goal of human life. A higher transcendental value should guide us.Divine discontent is the feeling of incompleteness or imperfection in life that any cultured, evolved, human being feels. Great personalities such as Buddha sought higher meaning of life. Without a transcendental outlook, this is not possible.The 147th verse answers the question: “How is this bondage sustained?” with a description of the tree of samsara.147th verse: “Ine the tree of samsara, our ignorance of our true nature is the seed. The idea that we are the body is the shoot, which becomes a tender sprout. Our actions to go after desires are represented by water. The body is represented by the trunk. The senses are the branches. Sense objects are flowers. Suffering from different actions is represented by the fruits. Our experience in the world is represented by the bird.”The 149th verse answers the 4th question from the student: “How do we come out of bondage?”149th verse: “This bondage cannot be destroyed by any means other than Viveka – the discrimination between what is real and what is unreal. This Viveka is compared to a sword that cuts the chains of bondage. Weapons, fire, water, cannot destroy this bondage.”Viveka is higher wisdom that helps us understand that wealth, power and life itself is not eternal. With this wisdom, we can discriminate between the transient and the eternal. The benefit of this wisdom is that we can observe our own life as a witness, as if we are seeing a drama. The ups and downs of life won’t affect us.When we objectify our anger, anxiety and unhappiness, we don’t identify with them and, therefore, they don’t affect us.150th verse: “What comes to our rescue are the teachings of the sages. Our mind should be purified by the thoughts and teachings of the great sages who have laid out the road for us to follow. The proper adherence to our sacred duty comes from dedicated study and adherence of the teachings of these sages, which has been passed down by the Guru-Shishya Parampara.”Without mental purity, we cannot understand the subtle, higher truth. Per Vedanta, the method to purify the mind is Sadhana Chatushtaya Sampatti. We have to have the right sense of priorities.First, we must use our discerning wisdom to determine what is real and what is unreal. Second, we must hold on to what is real and disregard what is unreal. Third is Śamādi ṣatka Sampatti. It lists six traits: Sama, Dama, Uparati, Titiksa, Shraddha, Samadhana. Fourth is Mumukṣutvam, a strong desire for spiritual liberation.Mind should control the senses and not the other way around. Shankaracharya uses examples from the animal kingdom to explain how one reaches destruction when guided by the senses - Deer (sense of hearing), Elephant (sense of touch). Moth (sense of seeing), Fish (sense of taste), Bee (sense of smell). Each of these creatures reaches death as they are guided by one of their senses. What to speak of humans who have five senses active all the time.When we have Viveka, the higher wisdom, we develop the ability to restrain the senses. The difference between a wise and unwise person is the following: suppose both are in the market and the senses develop a desire to buy something. The higher wisdom in the wise person reminds him that he may have no need for the item he is considering buying.151st verse: “A lake has pure water underneath but is covered by moss, grass and leaves at the top. The pure water is hidden. Similarly, our true nature stays hidden by five sheaths. The five sheaths are: Anamaya Kosha, Pranamaya Kosha, Manomaya Kosha, Vijnanamaya Kosha and Anandamaya Kosha.”Anamaya Kosha is the grossest and represents our physical being. Anandamaya Kosha is the most subtle.

The 147th verse answers the question: “How is this bondage sustained?” with a description of the tree of samsara.147th verse: “Ine the tree of samsara, our ignorance of our true nature is the seed. The idea that we are the body is the shoot, which becomes a tender sprout. Our actions to go after desires are represented by water. The body is represented by the trunk. The senses are the branches. Sense objects are flowers. Suffering from different actions is represented by the fruits. Our experience in the world is represented by the bird.”The tree of life is a poisonous tree when we are driven by desires of the material world. Shankaracharya uses examples from the animal kingdom to explain how one reaches destruction when guided by the senses - Deer (sense of hearing), Elephant (sense of touch). Moth (sense of seeing), Fish (sense of taste), Bee (sense of smell). Each of these creatures reaches death as they are guided by one of their senses. What to speak of humans who have five senses active all the time.At the same time, human life is a golden opportunity and human birth is rare. It is the means to spiritual liberation. Even gods have to become human beings to reach the highest spiritual goal.148th verse: “This identification with the body is a result of our ignorance of our true nature. It happens due to our samskaras. These samskaras are without beginning and end. Being born, falling sick, old age, death – this endless stream of suffering continues.”This state of suffering is to be transcended. Great personalities such as Buddha sought higher meaning of life. Without a transcendental outlook, this is not possible.The 149th verse answers the 4th question from the student: “How do we come out of bondage?”149th verse: “This bondage cannot be destroyed by any means other than Viveka – the discrimination between what is real and what is unreal. This Viveka is compared to a sword that cuts the chains of bondage. Weapons, fire, water, cannot destroy this bondage.”In the rope-snake analogy, the rope is correctly perceived when light is brought in. Similarly, when we have a correct understanding of our true nature, bondage is destroyed.Per Vedanta, the method is Sadhana Chatushtaya Sampatti. We have to have the right sense of priorities. First, we must use our discerning wisdom to determine what is real and what is unreal. Second, we must hold on to what is real and disregard what is unreal. Third is Śamādi ṣatka Sampatti. It lists six traits: Sama, Dama, Uparati, Titiksa, Shraddha, Samadhana. Fourth is Mumukṣutvam, a strong desire for spiritual liberation.Per Yoga Sutras, the method is Yamas and Niyamas. Per Buddhism, one should follow the four noble truths and the noble eightfold path.Dukkha is the feeling of incompleteness or imperfection in life that any cultured, evolved, human being feels.150th verse: “What comes to our rescue are the teachings of the sages. Our mind should be purified by the thoughts and teachings of the great sages who have laid out the road for us to follow.”Devotion gives us the ability to discriminate properly. Per Shankaracharya, the highest devotion and highest jnana are the same.

Bondage is the feeling of incompleteness or imperfection in life that any cultured, evolved, human being feels.There are two forces at work that prevent us from understanding our true nature. Avarana shakti conceals our true nature and Vikshepa shakti projects a false identity.143rd verse: “The wrong understanding of our true nature and our resultant desires is compared to a monstrous crocodile who has caught us by the throat in a big ocean of poisonous water. We drone, re-emerge and again drown in this poisonous water. Such a person’s intelligence is deluded, and he is destined to fall from the precipice.”The verse points to our miserable existence when we mistakenly identify ourselves as the physical body. The drowning and re-emergence from poisonous water refer to our identification with pain and pleasure in life.145th verse: “Imagine a stormy, rainy day. There are dark clouds that conceal the sun. These are miserable conditions – not ideal for travel. Similarly, our desires and obsessions for enjoyment make life miserable.”Sri Ramakrishna used to tell the story or a barber. He was given seven jars of gold by a mythological tree. However, the seventh jar was not 100% full. The barber’s entire focus shifted to seeing the seventh jar 100% full. He deprived himself and his family of basic food and clothing.Finally, the wise kind made him come to his senses. In life, we make the same mistake. Wealth can become a trap unless we are guided by a higher ideal.The 147th verse answers the question: “How is this bondage sustained?” with a description of the tree of samsara.147th verse: “Ine the tree of samsara, our ignorance of our true nature is the seed. The idea that we are the body is the shoot, which becomes a tender sprout. Our actions to go after desires are represented by water. The body is represented by the trunk. The senses are the branches. Sense objects are flowers. Suffering from different actions is represented by the fruits. Our experience in the world is represented by the bird.”When we recognize the inherent imperfections of the world, we can live life with more wisdom. The fruit of the tree should not become suffering (dukkha). It should be sukha. To do so, we have to go beyond dukkha and sukha and stop looking for a continuous succession of happiness.The great poet Kālidāsa, in his work Kumāra-saṁbhava, records a dialogue where Lord Śiva advises Umā not to ignore the body while practicing austerities. His words are memorable: śarīram ādyam khalu dharma-sādhanam“The body is indeed the primary instrument for practicing and attaining dharma, the higher spiritual goal.”

Title: Superimpositions on Our True IdentityVerse: 140, 141, 142, 143                140th verse: “Due to the lack of understanding of our true nature, we mistake the physical body to be our true nature. In a reversal of the rope-snake analogy, if we mistake the snake for the rope, it can result in disaster. Similarly, when we take ourselves to be this physical body, there is no end to our troubles.”In the traditional rope-snake analogy, the reality is the rope and it is mistaken to be a snake. In this verse, Shankaracharya reverses the analogy. The real thing is a snake and it is mistaken for being a rope. If we pick up the snake thinking that it is a rope, it can bite us and it can lead to even death. Similarly, there is no end to our troubles when we forget our true identity as the Atman and think we are the physical body. It is like a billionaire who behaves like a pauper.Mind can get scattered like seeds fallen from the hand. A higher ideal is needed to keep the mind from swaying.Shankaracharya emphasizes the importance of tenacity and steadiness in spiritual life in the 326th verse. “Imagine a child playing with a ball at the top of a staircase. If the ball falls, it does not stop until it reaches the bottom. Similarly, in spiritual life, we should be very vigilant and control our thoughts and emotions. A higher ideal helps here.”In the 141st verse, the teacher answers the second question: “How does this bondage come into existence?” Bondage is the feeling of incompleteness or imperfection in life that any cultured, evolved, human being feels.141st verse: “During an eclipse or due to clouds, the sun and its sunlight is veiled. Similarly, our true identity is concealed.”The 142nd verse explains the reasons why we mistake ourselves to be the physical body.142nd verse: “There are two forces at work that prevent us from understanding our true nature. Avarana shakti conceals our true nature and Vikshepa shakti projects a false identity. When we forget our true nature, we become victims of raga, dvesha, kama, krodha and other enemies.”The sun is brilliant. Clouds conceal it. Clouds are formed by vaporization of water. That vaporization happens due to the sun. Thus, the sun is the source of the clouds that conceal its brilliance. The concealing of the Atman takes in the same manner. Absence of Viveka (discerning wisdom) causes the false projection.143rd verse: “The wrong understanding of our true nature is compared to a monstrous crocodile who has caught us by the throat in a big ocean of poisonous water. We drone, re-emerge and again drown in this poisonous water.”The verse points to our miserable existence when we mistakenly identify ourselves as the physical body. The drowning and re-emergence from poisonous water refer to our identification with pain and pleasure in life.There is a practical benefit of this teaching. If we can keep the awareness that our true identity is beyond the body, mind and intellect, we can work with high efficiency but not feel fatigued or worried. Swami Trigunatitananda’s life is an example of this.Reading of scriptures plays an important role. They generate healthy samskaras and refine/purify the mind. However, there is a long road to travel to the actual experience of Advaita. 

135th verse: “Atman, as the witness, knows everything about us – our mind, emotions, senses, pranas and so on. But it cannot be known empirically by anyone. An iron piece, when heated in fire, gets red hot. The heat belongs to the fire, not the iron piece. Similarly, everything is activated by their proximity to Atman.”Normally, we identify with the gross body. At a higher level, we identify with the subtle body – the values we believe in. Our true identity is as the Atman, which is uninvolved and the knower.Atman is beyond verbalization. It is beyond the five methods of verbalization.136th verse: “The Atman is never born, it never dies. It does not grow or change. It is the only eternal Absolute Reality. It survives destruction of the body, similar to space in a broken jar.“We may imagine the space inside a pot to be distinct from the space outside the pot. However, on the pot, the two spaces merge. They are, in fact, the same. Similarly, we may imagine that we are limited to the body, when in fact, we are unlimited as the Atman.137th verse: “This Atman is the witness of everything, of all our experiences in waking, dream and deep sleep states. It is always present in the past, present and future.”The same experiencer is present in all three states. That is why we have memory of dream state in waking state. That is why we feel fully rested in waking state after deep sleep.138th and 139th verses: “We imagine that this body is our true identity. This wrong identification is bondage. It is the result of ignorance. As a result, we get stuck in the ocean of samsara.  This ocean of samsara should be crossed, by attaining the highest spiritual goal.”Sri Ramakrishna gave examples of fishes caught in fisherman’s net. After getting caught, some fishes struggle to get out and success. Some struggle to get out and fail. Some are very happy to just live in the net. Samsara is like the net that we should get out of.A spider (or silkworm) weaves a web from material that comes out of its own body. It lives within that web and finds it difficult to get out of it. Eventually, it dies there. Samsara is like the web – we should cross it.

133rd verse: “There is one indivisible, eternal divine principle in all of us, which regulates everything within us.”134th verse: “This divine spirit that is present everywhere and in everything, is residing in our own inner being, our essence. It is of the  nature of sattva guna. It is self0effulgent and illuminates everything in this world. It is compared to the Sun.”Swami Vivekananda said: “Religion is the manifestation of divinity already within man.”All good qualities that we admire in people and that are listed in the second and 13th chapters of Gita are manifestations of this divinity. When a person becomes spiritual, he manifests this divinity.Shankaracharya says that in spiritual literature, whenever a list of characteristics of a spiritually enlightened person is provided, there is only one purpose. These characteristics constitute the road by which we should travel to reach the goal that the enlightened person has reached.Sun is the most effulgent thing in the world. It reveals everything and does not borrow its light from anything else. Atman is like the sun; it is self-effulgent and it reveals everything.135th verse: “Atman knows everything about us – our mind, emotions, senses, pranas and so on.  But it cannot be known empirically by anyone. An iron piece, when heated in fire, gets red hot. The heat belongs to the fire, not the iron piece. Similarly, everything is activated by their proximity to Atman.”Our physical identity is only an outer shell. Through spiritual practices, when we get rid of the wrong notions of our true identity, our true identity manifests itself.Vedanta accepts the idea of a personal God. However, it says that the highest idea of God is one divine principle present in all of us.136th verse: “The Atman is never born, it never dies. It does not grow or change. It is the only eternal Absolute Reality.“137th verse: “This Atman is the witness of everything, of all our experiences in waking, dream and deep sleep states. It is always present in the past, present and future.”

Vivekachudamani is a text on fundamental tenets of Vedanta and has 584 verses.The entire text is built around answering seven questions from the student in the 51st verse. The seven questions are: (1) What is this bondage? (2) How does it come about? (3) How does it exist and what sustains it? (4) How do we come out of it? (5) What is anatman? (6) What is the supreme Atman? (7) How do we differentiate between atman and anatman?The teacher answers the 5th question first – “What is anatman?” He addresses it from three angles: Sthula sarira (gross body), sukhshma sarira (subtle body, the personality behind the gross body) and karana sarira (lack of understanding of our true nature).The subtle body (Sukshma-Sarira) has eight units (Puri-ashtakam): (1) Five organs of perception (2) Five organs of action (3) Five pranas (4) Five subtle elements (5) Antahkarana – mana, buddhi, chittam, ahamkara (6) Avidya (7) Kama and (8) Karma.Shankaracharya includes avidya, kama and karma in his definition of subtle body. Avidya means ignorance of our true nature. Kama means desire. Karma means action. When we are ignorant of our own real nature (avidya), we have kama, or desire for enjoyments, which compels us to be engaged in all kinds of activities (karma) to satisfy the desire.When referring to the five organs of perception and action, Shankaracharya refers to the subtle dimension of these instruments that leave impressions in the chittam.Starting from the 126th verse, the teacher takes up the 6th question: “What is the supreme Atman?”127th verse: “There is one reality (Atman) that is present in all three states of consciousness as the witness – waking state, dream state and deep sleep state. It is the foundation of the “I” feeling. ThisAtman is distinct and different from the three states of awareness and the five sheaths of consciousness.”132nd verse: “It is the eternal knowledge. It knows all, from our body, mind, intellect to emotions, but whom no one knows. Everything in this world that we experience – it is revealed by the presence of the Atman.”King Janaka asked Sage Yajnavalkya: “Endowed with what light does a person live in this world”.The first answer was sunlight. As each option provided in previous answers was eliminated, subsequent answers were moonlight, agni, and sound.  When all four of these options were eliminated, the final answer was Atma-Jyoti, which is in all of us and that is self-revealing. It is the light of all lights - that enables all other lights, such as sunlight, moonlight, agni to function.133rd verse: “Our senses of perception and senses of action are able to work only due to the presence of the Atman. The human body is compared to a city with nine gates. Within this city resides the Purusha (Atman).”Purusha is eternal and it is of the characteristic of eternal, infinite bliss.Whatever we come to know using tools of perception and understanding or any kind of awareness, they all reveal a spark of the supreme truth within us.

The entire text is built around answering seven questions from the student in the 51st verse. The seven questions are: (1) What is this bondage? (2) How does it come about? (3) How does it exist and what sustains it? (4) How do we come out of it? (5) What is anatman? (6) What is the supreme Atman? (7) How do we differentiate between atman and anatman?126th verse: “Now, I shall teach you about your true nature, the nature of the Absolute Reality, by knowing which, we get spiritual liberation.”Bondage is our sense of attachment to the inherent limitations of empirical experiences. This happens because we identify with the physical body. The moment we identify with our true nature, we become liberated.Illness, bad health, loss of job or money – these are inescapable problems. Problem free life is only a myth. Problems themselves are not a problem. Our worry about problems is the real problem. If we have a health problem, it should not become the cause of a great worry – instead, our focus should be on solving the problem. Such worries go away when we identify ourselves beyond the body.In Vedic literature, there is an evolution of Hindu godhead from Pantheism (God is equated with nature and its grandeur) to Panentheism (God is the spirit within the external world) to Polytheism (God is the divine power regulating nature) to monotheism (there is only one God) to monism (non-duality).Advaita Vedanta accommodates all ideas of God but aspires for the highest idea of God, as one Absolute Reality, that is all-pervading, that exists in everyone and in everything, that is transcendental, that can have a personal aspect but also goes beyond it. As we evolve, our idea of God also evolves. Advaita is a matter of inner experience. There is no end to doubt if we try to understand it as a philosophical system.The 127th verse describes this highest idea of God.127th verse: “There is one reality (Atman) that is present in all three states of consciousness as the witness – waking state, dream state and deep sleep state. It is the foundation of the “I” feeling. This Atman is distinct and different from the three states of awareness and the five sheaths of consciousness.”128th verse: “In the three states of consciousness, there is one witness who is aware of everything that is happening. It is aware of the presence and absence of buddhi and action.”This Atman knows everything.. The very concept of awareness is this reality. Even to say, “I did not know”, there has to be an awareness. “Awareness” minus “what it is aware of” equals “Pure awareness”. It is also known as Prajna. 130th verse: “It is the light by which this whole universe is enveloped and which is never enveloped by anything. It is the supreme effulgent one that gives light to everything in this world.”Light here means knowledge, existence and awareness. Everything that is effulgent, gets its effulgent from this Supreme Reality. Atman does not do anything, but all actions are possible only due to the presence of the Atman.132nd verse: “It is the ternal knowledge. It knows all, from our body, mind, intellect to emotions, but whom  no one knows.Shankaracharya says that this Reality is beyond all verbalization. It is beyond "shabda pravirti nimittani" means it is beyond the five conditions necessary for us to be able to explain anything by words. The first condition is sambandha. Sambandha means relationship. The second condition is dravya. Dravya means something which is obvious. The third condition is jati. Jati means species. The fourth condition is kriya. Kriya means action. The fifth condition is guna. Guna means characteristics. 133rd verse: “Our senses of perception and senses of action are able to work only due to the presence of the Atman.”Atman is everywhere. Inanimate objects do not have Antahkarana, the reflecting medium. Animate beings have an antahkarana – the reflection of the Atman in these beings depends on the purity of the reflecting medium.

The entire text is built around answering seven questions from the student in the 51st verse. The seven questions are: (1) What is this bondage? (2) How does it come about? (3) How does it exist and what sustains it? (4) How do we come out of it? (5) What is anatman? (6) What is the supreme Atman? (7) How do we differentiate between atman and anatman?In response to the student’s questions, the teacher starts by answering the 5th question first: “What is anatman?” This is because the Absolute Reality (question 6) cannot be defined or explained. We can only indirectly indicate it.  The teacher explains the nature of the empirical world, which is non-eternal and non-Atman. Once we understand this, whatever is left out is the Atman.The teacher then takes the 6th question: “What is the Supreme Atman, our true nature?”127th verse: “There is one reality (Atman) that is present in all three states of consciousness as the witness – waking state, dream state and deep sleep state. It is the foundation of the “I” feeling. This Atman is distinct and different from the three states of awareness and the five sheaths of consciousness.”“I” can refer to the physical body, ego sense, emotions and mind. The real “I” is behind and distinct from the ego. It is the real witness.The awareness of the real “I” helps us detach from the problems of life and live life wisely. This “I” goes through a refinement process across several lifecycles. The spiritual practices described in the19th verse (Sadhana Chatushtaya Sampatti) enable this refinement. Two conditions have to be satisfied for anyone to be a witness: (1) You have to be aware of what you are witnessing and (2) You have to be non-involved in what you are witnessing. Atman is present as the witness in waking, dream and deep sleep states.It is a fact that the highest idea of God is one all-pervading reality that is present everywhere and in everything. However, for a beginner, it is just an idea. The scriptures discuss how to convert that idea into an actual experience. The seeker has a long road to travel from idea to experience.Vedanta accommodates all concepts of God. Swami Vivekananda said that all of us are trying to manifest the divinity within, depending on our own temperaments and spiritual progress. According to Vedanta, everyone is moving towards the same spiritual destination. The person who has reached the highest stage is a good human being – he cannot harm anything in creation.128th verse: “In the three states of consciousness, there is one witness who is aware of everything that is happening. It is aware of the presence and absence of buddhi and action.”129th verse: “This Atman knows everything. But that Atman is not known by anything. It cannot be known in the empirical sense of using mind and senses of perception. It is the one who sees everything but the one whom nobody can see, perceive, verbalize or objectify. It is the one who enlightens our emotions and intellect, but which is not enlightened by something else.”This Atman is our true nature and is a matter of our inner experience. The journey towards this Atman is explained by the four Mayavakyas. The first mahavakya comes in Chandogya Upanishad. It is an instruction to the student: “The truth that you are seeking is non-different than yourself.” When we read a scripture or hear a spiritual instruction, we understand and take home only what we are ready for. In Hinduism, there is freedom in spiritual/religious life but less freedom in social life. In the west, there is more freedom in social life, but less freedom in spiritual/religious life.

The entire text is built around answering seven questions from the student in the 51st verse. The seven questions are: (1) What is this bondage? (2) How does it come about? (3) How does it exist and what sustains it? (4) How do we come out of it? (5) What is anatman? (6) What is the supreme Atman? (7) How do we differentiate between atman and anatman?These questions are triggered by “Divine Discontentment” – The realization of the imperfections of worldly enjoyments brings about the pursuit of something higher and transcendental. This divine discontent is called Parinama Dukkha in Patanjali Yoga Sutras, and it is the springboard of spiritual wisdom.Divine discontentment makes us look for a higher meaning of life. We develop divine discontentment when we look at life from a higher perspective. Divine discontentment gives us a kind of blissful satisfaction because our lower motives are gone. The higher desire helps us go beyond lower desires.Without such discontentment, the world would not have produced great musicians, poets, painters and so on.When Buddha had four visions (sick man, old man, dead man, and a sage), he developed this divine discontentment. It triggered his ambition to find the higher meaning of life.In response to the student’s questions, the teacher starts by answering the 5th question first: “What is anatman?” He explains the nature of the empirical world, which is non-eternal and non-Atman.Once we understand this, whatever is left out is the Atman. The teacher then takes the 6th question: “What is the Supreme Atman, our true nature?”126th verse: “Now I will explain to you the nature of Paramatma. Once you understand this, you get liberation from worldly bondages.”127th verse: “There is one reality (Atman) that is present in all three states of consciousness as the witness – waking state, dream state and deep sleep state. This Atman is distinct and different from the three states of awareness and the five sheaths of consciousness.”Two conditions have to be satisfied for anyone to be a witness: (1) You have to be aware of what you are witnessing and (2) You have to be non-involved in what you are witnessing. Atman is present as the witness in waking, dream and deep sleep states.In waking state, mind and senses are active. In dream state, mind is active. In deep sleep state, all the activities of the sense organs, mind and intellect get dissolved - we do not experience any duality. Mind gets complete rest in deep sleep.In deep sleep, we transcend duality without being aware of it. In Samadhi, one transcends duality and reaches the state of witness with full awareness.The farther we go beyond our body awareness, the more we have a feeling of inner blissfulness, because we begin to transcend duality.When we identify ourselves with our true nature as the Atman, we are not fatigued. We feel: “This body is working, not I.” Once reaches this level through experience – a mere philosophical understanding is not good enough.Atman is beyond the five sheaths and transcends them all. The five sheaths are: Anamaya Kosha, Pranamaya Kosha, Manomaya Kosha, Vijnanamaya Kosha and Anandamaya Kosha. These five sheaths don’t actually exist – they are a metaphor to represent the five levels of our spiritual evolution.Vedanta discusses three levels of reality: paramarthika-sat, vyavaharika-sat and pratibhashika-sat. Paramarthika-sat is linked to the highest concept of God. Vyavaharika-sat is linked to monotheistic concepts of God. Vedanta accommodates all concepts of God, from creator God to the highest concept of God as the Absolute Reality. As we progress, we move from plurality to oneness.

The entire text is built around answering seven questions from the student in the 51st verse. The seven questions are: (1) What is this bondage? (2) How does it come about? (3) How does it exist and what sustains it? (4) How do we come out of it? (5) What is anatman? (6) What is the supreme Atman? (7) How do we differentiate between atman and anatman?The teacher starts by answering the 5th question first: “What is anatman?”The teacher addresses this question by discussing different sarira (body). There are three sariras: Sthula sarira (gross body), sukhshma sarira (subtle body, the personality behind the gross body) and karana sarira (avidya or lack of understanding of our true nature). All of these are non-eternal – they come and go.122nd verse: In this karana-sarira, the three gunas stay in as avyaktam in their seed state. It is also called avidya or maya – absence of awareness of our true nature. Sushupti is a distinct aspect of karana-sarira, characterized by dissolution of all mental and physical activities. During Sushupti, all the activities of the sense organs, mind and intellect get dissolved. We do not experience any duality in Sushupti. Dreams cannot be completely disassociated with waking state. The background for dreams gets created in the waking state. However, there is continuity in waking state and no continuity in dream state.Our thoughts and actions in the waking state leave an impression in the mental system which affects our states of sleep. We cannot have deep sleep if our mind is disturbed. We can reduce the intensity of the impressions in the waking state by keeping in mind that all experiences of the waking state are transient – they come and go.123rd verse: “All pramanas – knower, knowledge, process of knowing – disappear in Sushupti. When we come out of Sushupti, we recollect the experience by saying: “I did not know anything.”Mind gets complete rest only in Sushupti, as we withdraw ourselves into ourselves. All aspects of our personality remain in seed form in Sushupti. Even for animals such as lions, their violent tendencies remain in seed form during Sushupti. When they wake up, the causal form comes into effect.Samadhi or Nirvana has a lasting effect. In Sushupti, we don’t. In Sushupti, we just get a taste of the highest spiritual experience. This is the time when we get close to our spiritual home.124th verse: “The body, sense organs, pranas, mind, sense of egoism, sense objects, the entire universe – they all come under the category of anatman.”Anything that can be perceived is not Absolutely Real, from the Vedantic definition of AbsoluteReality. It is only relatively real, not Absolutely Real.125th verse: “Whatever you see in this world is the effect of Maya.”This ends the discussion on the 5th question: “What is anatman?”In the text, the teacher will next address the 6th question: “What is the supreme Atman?”

The 120th verse describes someone whom we consider a cultured human being in the world. Sattva is the dominant guna within him. He has some rajo-guna and very little tamo-guna.The person endowed with highest level of sattva guna is contemplative in nature. A normal cultured human being endowed with sattva guna will have a mix of rajo-guna that helps him be active.The 7th-11th verses of 13th chapter of Gita describe the characteristics of such a person. These characteristics are: (1) Humility – not being too proud of oneself (2) Not pretentious – respects others but does not demand respect from them (3) Non-violence in thoughts, words and deeds, as he instinctively feels spiritual affinity with entire creation (4) Forbearance (5) Uprightness (6) Service mindedness (7) Mental purity (8) Steadiness (9) Self-control – the spiritual energy from his noble actions gives him steadiness and self-control (10) Sense of renunciation towards sense pleasures (11) Absence of egoism (12) Ability to look upon birth, death, sickness and old age as imperfections of this empirical life. (13) Non-attachment (14) Not being obsessively attached to near and dear ones (15) Equanimity of mind in happiness and unhappiness (16) Constant, unwavering devotion to the spiritual ideal (17) Inclination for solitary places (18) Aversion to mundane society (19) Constant reflection of spiritual knowledge (20) Realizing the ultimate purpose of knowledge.The 10th verse of the 13th chapter of Gita expounds the idea that the highest devotion, unwavering dedication to one spiritual ideal, is the same as highest knowledge.Shankaracharya says that in spiritual literature, whenever a list of characteristics of a spiritually enlightened person is provided, there is only one purpose. These characteristics constitute the road by which we should travel to reach the goal that the enlightened person has reached.The 120th verse says that such a person is established in yamas, niyamas, shraddha, bhakti and Sadhana Chatushtaya Sampatti.The 121st verse states that such a person enjoys chitta-prasada, inner serenity. He has successfully turned his mind into a friend.Sattva guna refines our energy, activities, emotions and desires. It gives a higher purpose in life.If we don’t have sattva guna, mind develops non-spiritual qualities. Sattva guna can be developed by practicing yamas and niyamas (yoga philosophy) or navadha bhakti (bhakti tradition). Noble, unselfish deeds also produce spiritual energy.Shankaracharya emphasizes the importance of tenacity and steadiness in spiritual life in the 326th verse. “Imagine a child playing with a ball at the top of a staircase. If the ball falls, it does not stop until it reaches the bottom. Similarly, in spiritual life, we should be very vigilant not to make mistakes.”In the 126th and 127th verses, the teacher begins to answer the sixth question “What is the supreme Atman?” The absolute reality remains as the supreme witness in all three states of awareness – waking state, dream state and deep sleep state.There is a difference between non-mind (amani-bhava) and deep sleep. In amani-bhava, we transcend the mind and all three states of awareness. In deep sleep, the mind is there but benumbed. One does not come out of deep sleep transformed into a saint.

Rajo guna and tamo guna are considered to be levels where we are not aware of our true nature. Tamo guna conceals the truth, Rajo guna projects a false idea.Under the control of rajo guna, we are driven by activity, desire and ambition, which can lead to restlessness. We swing between experiences of success and failure.The 117th verse explains Sattva guna. It implies spiritual level headedness. A person endowed with sattva guna does his actions but is not affected by success or failure.The verse says that sattva  guna is pure like water. It frees us from the cycle of samsara. Rajo-guna and tamo-guna keep us caught in the cycle of samsara. Every action leaves a residual effect (vritti) in our mental system. Many identical vrittis – from similar, repeated actions – solidify a distinct memory block called Samskara. Samskaras express through our determination to act in a certain manner which leads to further actions. This wheel continues across life cycles.Our true nature is beyond the three gunas but it is nearest to sattva-guna. We have to evolve from tamo-guna to rajo-guna to sattva-guna. Sattva-guna can  be developed through karma-yoga. Noble, unselfish actions generate spiritual assets. Bhakti, towards a God of all humanity, also develops sattva-guna.Gunas can be detected through people’s interaction with others. Bhartrhari, a philosopher from India, classifies humans into four types:1.       Those who are endowed with sattva guna. They give up their own interests and try to help others.2.       Those who are somewhat sattvic. They take care of their own interests first and then help others.3.       Those who are like demons in human shape. Every action of theirs is to exploit others.4.       Those who are of the lowest type and always want to harm others.Bhartrhari gives another example from nature. When the sun rises in the east, lotus flowers begin to blossom. Some other flowers blossom when the moon rises. It is the innate nature of clous to bless the world with rain. Similarly, a person endowed with sattva guna, by his innate nature, is engaged in doing good for others.Shankaracharya offers a strong warning in the 116th verse. A theoretical understanding of sattva-guna is not enough. We have to stay alert and vigilant. He says: “Even one who is intellectually advanced, who knows scriptures, who understands the subtle truths and who is convinced of his learning – even such a person is caught by the crocodile of tamo-guna and looks upon the unreal as the real and the real and unreal.”Shankaracharya emphasizes the importance of tenacity and steadiness in spiritual life in the 326th verse. “Imagine a child playing with a ball at the top of a staircase. If the ball falls, it does not stop until it reaches the bottom. Similarly, in spiritual life, we should be very vigilant not to make mistakes.”The mind is constantly dragged by the senses towards sense objects – some good and some toxic. Sattva-guna works as an internal filtering mechanism and filters out toxic materials.In the 78th verse, Shankaracharya uses examples from the animal kingdom to explain how one reaches destruction when guided by the senses - Deer (sense of hearing), Elephant (sense of touch). Moth (sense of seeing), Fish (sense of taste), Bee (sense of smell). Each of these creatures reaches death as they are guided by one of their senses. What to speak of humans who have five senses active all the time. If these senses are left unrestrained, they lead to spiritual death.Only way to live free from the dangers of the world, to live with contentment within and with harmony outside, is to develop sattva-guna.Nirguna, also known as Triguna-atita, is a state where one transcends the three gunas. Sattva-guna is the door to this highest level. Enlightened beings reach this highest level but operate in the world at the level of sattva guna. They can never descend below sattva guna.

Title: Recap of Previous Classes and VersesVivekachudamani is one of the introductory texts on Vedanta – it focuses on the natural urge of any human being in search of the truth. It has 584 verses. Its author is Shankaracharya.The entire text is built around answering seven questions from the student in the 51st verse. The seven questions are: (1) What is this bondage? (2) How does it come about? (3) How does it exist and what sustains it? (4) How do we come out of it? (5) What is anatman? (6) What is the supreme Atman? (7) How do we differentiate between atman and anatman?The teacher starts by answering the 5th question first: “What is anatman?” The Absolute Reality cannot be defined. If we can understand and remove all that is not the Absolute Reality, what remains is the Absolute Reality. This is why the 5th question is addressed first.The teacher addresses this question by discussing different sarira (body). There are three sariras: Sthula sarira (gross body), sukhshma sarira (subtle body, the personality behind the gross body) and karana sarira (lack of understanding of our true nature). All of these are non-eternal – they come and go.Karana-sarira is the actual cause of bondage. We forget our true nature (ignorant) and mistakenly identify ourselves with the physical body. It is called Avidya or Maya.110th verse describes Maya. We feel it to be real when we are within it. We understand that it is not the Absolute Reality, when we go beyond it.In the statement “Brahma Satyam, Jagad Mitha”, the first part (Brahma Satyam ) describes the highest idea of God. The second part describes the world. It is neither absolutely real, nor is it absolutely unreal. It is only relatively real. This world of name and form is the creation of Maya.111th verse:  Maya is not “sat” not “asat” nor a combination of sat and asat. Maya is neither different from Brahman, nor non-different from Brahman, nor a combination of difference and non-difference.Maya is neither endowed with parts nor devoid of parts, nor a combination of the two. All of us experience Maya in our everyday life. It is beyond logical comprehension, cannot be explained in words or cognized with the mind, and is a great wonder.113th verse: Maya functions at the level of three gunas: Sattva guna, Rajo guna and Tamo guna. Tamo guna functions as Avarana or concealment. Rajo guna functions as Vikshepa or false projection. Sattva guna functions in the form of our natural interest to explore higher truth.Sri Ramakrishna describes the three gunas with the story of three thieves. Three thieves ambush a traveler in a forest. The thief representing Tamo guna says: “Let’s kill him and take all his belongings.” The second thief representing Rajo guna says: “Let’s give him some blows and bind him to a tree.” The thief representing Sattva guna takes the traveler to the road and shows him the way to the village.The sattvic aspect of Maya is called Jnana-shakti. It helps us take us beyond Maya.114th and 115th verses: Maya operates with two powers: Avarana-shakti, which conceals the reality and Vikshepa-shakti, which projects something false. Avarana-shakti  is the cause of Vikshepa-shakti . These two together keep us bound to the world. The 115th verse describes concealment and the 114th verse describes false projection.116th verse: “Even one who is intellectually advanced, who knows scriptures, who understands the subtle truths and who is convinced of his learning – even such a person is caught by the crocodile of Maya and looks upon the unreal as the real and the real and unreal.”

116th verse: “Even one who is intellectually advanced, who knows scriptures, who understands the subtle truths and who is convinced of his learning – even such a person, by the power of Tamas, looks upon the unreal as the real and the real and unreal. This is the strength of Maya.”Such a person does not have the power of discretion. What he may know intellectually, he is not able to translate into common sense in real life. He remains a slave to sensory enjoyments. He is like a parrot which is fed food, can speak, but remains imprisoned.Maya is beyond definition and intellectual comprehension. We can feel that Maya is working when we have inner conflict, when we want to do certain things, but the mind does not cooperate.. This happens due to accumulated samskaras over past life cycles.This ignorance of our true nature  is not an absence of knowledge at an intellectual level. It refers to the state in which we live (at an emotional level) without awareness of our true nature.Maya operates with two powers: Avarana-shakti, which conceals the reality. Therefore, we are not aware of our true nature as Atman, the divine spark that is present everywhere and in everything. The second power is Vikshepa-shakti, which projects something false. Due to this projection, we interpret ourselves as something other than our true nature. We superimpose the world and its impermanence on Atman.Knowledge can be of two types: (1) Knowledge from our intellectual conviction, but without full realization of the knowledge (2) Full realization of the knowledge where there are no doubts left. The person mentioned in the 116th verse does not have this absolute spiritual realization, and remains bound to samsara, the cycle of birth and death.One may ask: what is the problem with being reborn again and again. We recognize that this cycle is a problem only when we have spiritually evolved.Despite what is stated in the 116th verse, reading scriptures and associating with higher ideas plays a very important role in spiritual life. The 19th verse describes the four qualities – Sadhana Chatushtaya Sampatti that seekers should practice. There is a practical application of these four disciplines. They give us a higher perspective on life.117th Verse: This verse mentions “abhavana”, which means absence of the right understanding of the truth. It also mentions “viparita-bhavana”, which means presence of a contrary or wrong notion. Due to these two factors, we interpret (wrongly) our body and experiences to be Absolutely Real. He remains engrossed in doubts.Doubts do not disappear at the intellectual level. When we evolve spiritually, our doubts cease to be doubts, our questions cease to be questions.When we spiritually evolve, we are able to transcend the positives and negatives in life and look upon both of them with equanimity of mind.When we start our spiritual life, a secondary personality begins to emerge. Initially, its voice is weak. When we persist in our efforts, it gets stronger in its fight with the previous personality. Finally, the earlier personality disappears and only the new personality remains. Buddha’s Jataka tales are an illustration of this. In each life cycle, previous memories tried to drag him back. But he fought those obstacles and a new Buddha emerged.118th verse: “Such a person remains in deep spiritual slumber (with ignorance, sleep, inertia, laziness and natural tendency to mistake), like a pillar that is dull.”Spiritual awakening refers to the realization that health and wealth will perish and that we need to bring something higher in life to make it more meaningful.Ignorance, laziness, sleep, and inertia are natural characteristics of tamo guna. When we are full of tamo guna, we do not even have the capacity to understand Vedanta. Our emotional system does not co-operate. To enjoy higher spiritual ideas, our emotional system has to evolve. Without this evolution, it is difficult to sustain the interest in higher ideas.

The entire text is built around answering seven questions from the student in the 51st verse. The seven questions are: (1) What is this bondage? (2) How does it come about? (3) How does it exist and what sustains it? (4) How do we come out of it? (5) What is anatman? (6) What is the supreme Atman? (7) How do we differentiate between atman and anatman?The teacher starts by answering the 5th question first: “What is anatman”, by discussing different sarira (body). There are three sariras: Sthula sarira (gross body), sukhshma sarira (subtle body, the personality behind the gross body) and karana sarira (lack of understanding of our true nature).Karana-sarira is the actual cause of bondage. We forget our true nature (ignorant) and mistakenly identify ourselves with the physical body. It is called Avidya, Mithya, or Maya.In the rope-snake analogy, we mistake the rope for a snake, crack on the floor, a stick or a thin stream of water. There is no source of this misunderstanding as the snake, crack, stick or water stream never existed. Similarly, due to our past samskaras, we mistake ourselves for many things which are not our true nature.Maya cannot be defined. We think it is real, as long as we are not spiritually enlightened.111th verse:  Maya is not “sat” not “asat” nor a combination of sat and asat. Maya is neither different from Brahman, nor non-different from Brahman, nor a combination of difference and non-difference. Maya is neither endowed with parts nor devoid of parts, nor a combination of the two. All of us experience Maya in our everyday life. It is beyond logical comprehension, cannot be explained in words or cognized with the mind, and is a great wonder.113th verse: Maya functions at the level of three gunas: Sattva guna, Rajo guna and Tamo guna. Tamo guna functions as Avarana or concealment. Rajo guna functions as Vikshepa or false projection. Sattva guna functions in the form of our natural interest to explore higher truth.Sri Ramakrishna describes the three gunas with the story of three thieves. Three thieves ambush a traveler in a forest. The thief representing Tamo guna says: “Let’s kill him and take all his belongings.” The second thief representing Rajo guna says: “Let’s give him some blows and bind him to a tree.” The thief representing Sattva guna takes the traveler to the road and shows him the way to the village.The sattvic aspect of Maya is called Jnana-shakti. It helps us take us beyond Maya.114th and 115th verses: Maya operates with two powers: Avarana-shakti, which conceals the reality and Vikshepa-shakti, which projects something false. Avarana-shakti  is the cause of Vikshepa-shakti . These two together keep us bound to the world. The 115th verse describes concealment and the 114th verse describes false projection.The 114th verse lists different types of false projections on our true nature: desire for external objects, anger, greed, pride, jealousy, egoism and extreme competition.When we see the sunlight reflect on a mother of pearl, we mistake it for silver. We do not know that it is the outer shell of an insect – its true nature is concealed. We project a false identity (silver).116th verse: “Even one who is intellectually advanced, who knows scriptures, who understands the subtle truths and who is convinced of his learning – even such a person, by the power of Tamas, looks upon the unreal as the real and the real and unreal. This is the strength of Maya.”This ignorance of our true nature  is not an absence of knowledge at an intellectual level. It refers to the state in which we live (at an emotional level) without awareness of our true nature.There is a gap between the truth of Vedanta and our understanding of Vedanta. Vedanta emphasizes Sukta, Yukta, Swanumbhuta (reading/listening, contemplating, experiencing) to evolve spiritually close this gap. When we do deep contemplation on spiritual truths, we can verify that a spiritual idea is as real as things in physical life.When we try to use what we know, then what we know becomes common sense. 

The entire text is built around answering seven questions from the student in the 51st verse. The seven questions are: (1) What is this bondage? (2) How does it come about? (3) How does it exist and what sustains it? (4) How do we come out of it? (5) What is anatman? (6) What is the supreme Atman? (7) How do we differentiate between atman and anatman?The teacher starts by answering the 5th question first: “What is anatman”, by discussing different sarira (body). There are three sariras: Sthula sarira (gross body), sukhshma sarira (subtle body, the personality behind the gross body) and karana sarira (lack of understanding of our true nature).If we analyze the nature of this world, it is subject to change. It does not have permanent existence. It is called anatman in Vedanta.Karana-sarira is the actual cause of bondage. We forget our true nature (ignorant) and mistakenly identify ourselves with the physical body. It is called Avidya or Maya.This ignorance is not absence of knowledge at an intellectual level. It refers to the state in which we live (at an emotional level) without awareness of our true nature.110th verse describes Maya.It is avyakta. It does not have a verifiable dimension, such as name and form. Greed, anger and jealousy exist because of a lack of awareness of our true nature.It is paramesa-sakti. It is God’s power.It is Anadi – it does not have an origin, but it does have an end. It comes to an end when we realize our true nature.When awakening happens, we feel inner serenity and contentment, and we also become a source of serenity to those around us. Christ and Buddha had this contentment at their last moments.It is trigunatmika. It manifests through the three gunas: sattva (serenity), rajas (activity) and tamas (laziness).This world of name and form is a creation of Maya. It is a strange, mysterious reality. We understand it when we get out of it.Maya is composed of two sounds: “Ma”, which negates and “Ya” which is a pronoun and refers to something real. “Ya” refers to something “real”, but “Ma” negates it (not Real). It is only real in a relative sense.The idea of relative cannot be conceived with the idea of Absolute. The Absolute seen through the prism of time, space and causation is the relative.Maya can only be inferred. It does not have a visible form. It can be inferred when we reach a higher level of spiritual evolution. The unevolved only see the relative. The enlightened see both the Absolute and the relative. Ramana Maharshi saw this world as non-distinct from the Absolute.The 111th verse is a very celebrated verse, one that has been translated by Swami Vivekananda in many of his Vedanta lectures.Maya is a great mystery that cannot be defined. It is beyond "shabda pravirti nimittani" means it is beyond the five conditions necessary for us to be able to explain anything by words.

Behind our external appearance (gross body) is our subtle body. It defines our personality. The gross body is just an outer shell of this personality.In the 98th verse, Shankaracharya defines the subtle body (Sukshma-Sarira). It has eight units (Puri-ashtakam): (1) Five organs of perception (2) Five organs of action (3) Five pranas (4) Five subtle elements (5) Antahkarana – mana, buddhi, chittam, ahamkara (6) Avidya (7) Kama and (8) Karma.Sukshma-Sarira is transmitted to next life – however, it is also non-eternal. Atman is eternal and it is the light that enables both the subtle and gross body to function. Atman reveals itself and other things.The 98th verse should be understood in the context of the law of karma and the law of incarnation. At death, even though our senses of perception and action are gone, the tendencies that they created are stored in the Antahkarana (mind, intellect, memory and ego). These stored tendencies in the Antahkarana are never lost. It accompanies the soul when it takes a new body.The law of karma should not be interpreted as fatalism. We can shape our future by purifying the antahkarana. We can purify the antahkarana by doing unselfish, noble activities, reading of scriptures and through holy associations. Through such actions, the existing storehouse of negative samskaras is nullified with a new storehouse of positive samskaras.Verses 101 and 102 discuss the three states of awareness.In the waking state, we identify with the physical (gross) body.In dream sleep state, our experiences are at the subtle/mental level. There are three differences from waking state: (1) kala bheda, difference with respect to time. (2) desa bheda, difference with respect to space (3) sukshma stula bheda, difference with respect to grossness of waking experiences and subtlety of dream experiences.When the mind alone is involved in the experience, it is subtle. When mind and body are involved in the experience, it is gross.Dreams cannot be totally separate or totally identical with waking state experience.The third state is deep sleep state, where we enjoy complete restfulness. It is different from samadhi. In samadhi, we consciously reject duality. In deep sleep state, the tools to reject duality are benumbed.Verse 102: The subtle body is an instrument for the Atman. The Atman itself is a witness and remains unaffected. The Atman manifests in its full glory in Buddha, because the subtle body is fully refined and pure.The gross body is the instrument for the subtle body. The subtle body is the instrument for Atman.In Vedanta, for anything to be a witness, it has to satisfy two criteria: (1) It has to be aware (2) It cannot be involved. Light reveals everything but remains unaffected. Same is the case with the Sun and the air.When a light bulb is dirty, only dim light comes through it. However, if it is clean, it emits light in its full effulgence. Spiritual practices act as the cleaning process for the subtle body.By Shunya, Nagarjuna does not mean nothingness or emptiness. It refers to the inexplicable nature of the highest experience. It cannot be explained. It can only be experienced.  At the highest experience, the demarcation between subject and object disappears. You experience yourself as the awareness.

Behind our external appearance (gross body) is our subtle body. A movie actor or a diplomat may be impressive externally, which is their external appearance. Someone else may not be impressive externally but we may be impressed by their higher ideals and values. That is their subtle personality.A plant or a tree is the gross aspect. The seed is the subtle aspect.In the 98th verse, Shankaracharya defines the subtle body (Sukshma-Sarira). It has eight units (Puri-ashtakam): (1) Five organs of perception (2) Five organs of action (3) Five pranas (4) Five subtle elements (5) Antahkarana – mana, buddhi, chittam, ahamkara (6) Avidya (7) Kama and (8) Karma.Sukshma-Sarira is transmitted to next life – however, it is also non-eternal. Atman is eternal and it is the light that enables both the subtle and gross body to function. Atman reveals itself and other things.The 98th verse and the few verses preceding it should be understood in the context of the law of karma and the law of incarnation. According to the law of karma, our actions produce two types of results – one that is visible and immediate, another that is invisible. For example, if we help a person, the other person benefits (visible result). But we ourselves feel “I did something sensible” – this is the invisible result, which is stored in our Antahkarana as samskara. We collect these tendencies in our Antahkarana through actions involving the senses and the mind.At death, even though our senses of perception and action are gone, the tendencies that they created are stored in the Antahkarana (mind, intellect, memory and ego). These stored tendencies in the Antahkarana are never lost. It accompanies the soul when it takes a new body.The law of karma should not be interpreted as fatalism. We can shape our future by purifying the antahkarana. We can purify the antahkarana by doing unselfish, noble activities, reading of scriptures and through holy associations. Through such actions, the existing storehouse of negative samskaras is nullified with a new storehouse of positive samskaras.Shankaracharya includes avidya, kama and karma in his definition of subtle body. Avidya means ignorance of our true nature. Kama means desire. Karma means action. When we are ignorant of our own real nature (avidya), we have kama, or desire for enjoyments, which compels us to be engaged in all kinds of activities (karma) to satisfy the desire.The 94th to 97th verses describe the components of subtle body discussed in the 98th verse.94th verse: “The five instruments of perception are sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. The five instruments of action are tongue, legs, hands, and organs of secretion and generation.” The verse refers to the subtle dimension of these instruments that leave impressions in the chittam.95th and 96th verse: “The Antahkarana is made up of four compartments: mana, buddhi, chittam, ahamkara.”Suppose you see an object from a distance when there is not enough light. It looks like a pillar but you mistake it for a human form. At that time, your mind is speculating - is it a pillar or a human form or something else? When you come close to it, you come to a decision that it is a pillar. Here the intellect, as the deciding faculty, is functioning. You remember that you had seen such a pillar the previous week. This memory comes from chittam. Finally, you identify yourself with the act of seeing a pillar the previous week. That self-identification comes from Aham. 97th verse: “There are five pranas (vital force).”Breath is only the gross dimension of the vital force. One prana is given different names just like gold is given different names though ornaments.”99th verse: “When we are ignorant of our own real nature (avidya), we have kama, or desire for enjoyments, which compels us to be engaged in all kinds of activities (karma) to satisfy the desire.”

The message of the 85th, 86th and 87th verses is: “The human body is a wonderful instrument for attaining a higher purpose in life. However, if we look upon it as the supreme goal, then we are headed towards spiritual degradation.”One outlook on the body is the following: The body changes every moment. There is nothing remarkable about it. What is inside the skin bag, if it comes out, even crows won’t eat it. We use a sanitizer if we happen to touch anything that comes out of the skin bag.Another outlook on the body is the following: We can use the body to go beyond itself. To achieve any form of excellence, we have to lift our consciousness beyond the bodily level.86th verse: “Anyone who worships the body, is like the man who tries to cross a river on the back of a crocodile, not knowing that he will be killed mid-stream.”87th verse: “Associating our identity with the body is a great delusion. One who gets out of this delusion attains liberation.”Nachiketa’s story and his three boons from Kathopanishad are a good illustration of the evolution towards spiritual enlightenment. The three boons asked by Nachiketa represent three levels of evolution: (1) Good life in this world (2) Living the same good life for a long time in Paradise (3) A sense of everlasting contentment by understanding the reality beyond death, our true identity beyond the body.The 87th verse used the word “Moha”. It means self-delusion, obsession with the body. When we are within Moha, we are not aware of it. When we are out of it, we realize that we were in a trap. Moha is maha-mrityu, the great death.Who are the people that struggle for liberation? Those who realize the imperfection of the world and have an inner feeling and conviction of a higher possibility. Buddha is one of the best examples.88th verse: “We should get out of this Moha towards body, wife, children and others. By getting out of this trap, we get rid of this death in the form of delusion. Only then we can attain spiritual liberation.”When King Chitraketu’s young son died and he was lamenting, Sages Aṅgirā and Nārada helped him understand the temporary nature of the relationship between father and son, that the physical body come and goes, and that the Atman manifests in the body. This put a spark of spiritual wisdom in Chitraketu’s heart.89th verse: “The gross body is despicable. It is a skin bag that contains waste matter and filth.”

81st verse: “People may get momentary wisdom (Apata-vairagya) or renunciation due to setbacks in life. With this momentary wisdom, they try to cross the river of worldly life. Along the way, the crocodile of desire, greed and envy catches them. Renunciation should not be momentary. It should be stable.”Such people are compared to a fool who tries to cross a river sitting on a crocodile. One needs a solid boat or ship to cross the river. Real renunciation constitutes such a boat.The wisdom that comes from times of disappointments may not last long. After some time, strong desires emerge in the mind and can capsize the person, if the sense of renunciation is not very strong.Shankaracharya emphasizes the importance of tenacity and steadiness in spiritual life in the 326th verse. “Imagine a child playing with a ball at the top of a staircase. If the ball falls, it does not stop until it reaches the bottom. Similarly, in spiritual life, we should be very vigilant not to make mistakes.”While the verse emphasizes steadiness, a single mistake is not the end of one’s spiritual journey. Every little spiritual effort bears its result.83rd verse: “Spiritual path is very difficult if the mind is not ready and does not cooperate. Spiritual path is simple for those whose minds are ready, who listen to the teachings of ancient sages and draw inspiration from them. They are bound to reach their destination.”84th verse: If you want to attain Moksha, stay away from the toxic poison of worldly desires. Poison ends our life. Imbibe spiritual values such as contentment. Compassion, forbearance, and self-control. Spiritual values are like nectar that enrich our life.”Vedanta is not world negating. When one travels on a boat, the boat should be on water. Water should not enter the boat. Our life is like the boat and worldliness is like water. One should live in the world but remain unaffected by worldliness. Worldliness should not enter our life.Householders should mentally give up worldly desires.  Sri Ramakrishna said that householders should practice mental renunciation. Monks should practice both internal and external renunciation. Janaka was a king but unattached to worldly possessions.Among the four levels of social structure, high importance was given to householders as they generate the wealth to support the other three ashramas. Householders who do not generate wealth to support their family are considered adharmis.85th verse: “We are bound in mysterious ignorance and a lack of awareness of our true nature. We have the wrong notion (avidya) that we are this body and that this world is meant for enjoyments. We should practice spiritual disciplines to get out of this bondage. One who does not make such attempts and keeps pampering the body, kills himself.”A Sanskrit verse says: “This human body is for someone else.” Upon death, in ancient times, it was eaten by animals and ancients. In modern times, after death, it belongs to the tube in the crematorium, the fire or the earth.The same human body can be a wonderful tool for a higher purpose. We cannot pray, meditate or study scriptures without this body. If we think of this body as the goal, we are lost.Beyond a limit, wealth is only an illusion. It is as good as non-existent. We own only what we make use of.

The student poses seven questions in the 51st verse. The rest of the text answers these seven questions. The seven questions are: (1) What is this bondage? (2) How does it come about? (3)How does it exist and what sustains it? (4) How do we come out of it? (5) What is anatman? (6) What is the supreme Atman? (7) How do we differentiate between atman and anatman?Starting with the 74th verse, the teacher begins to answer the fifth question posed by the student: “What is anatman?” by discussing the gross body. There are three sariras: Sthula sarira (gross body), sukhshma sarira (subtle body, the personality behind the gross body) and karana sarira (lack of understanding of our true nature).In the 74th, 75th and 76th verses, the teacher discusses Sthula Sarira or physical body. It is composed of marrow, bone, fat, flesh, blood, skin and cuticle. It also includes legs, thighs, chest, arms, back and head. These together constitute the physical body. When we identify with this physical body, we are deluded.”While the gross body may seem detestable, it is a great asset, as it is what we use to achieve liberation.A machine is made of parts. If we take one part out, it becomes non-functional. Similarly, the physical body is a machine made of parts. It belongs to the perishable, empirical world. It has borrowed intelligence (from Atman). We delude ourselves into thinking that this machine is our true nature. We refer to this machine when we say “I”. This misunderstanding is rooted in ignorance of our true nature. It is the basis of bondage.When Socrates was sentenced to die by drinking poison, one of his disciples, Crito, approached him and asked him” “How do you want us to bury you?” Socrates replied: “For that, you should first know who is the real “I”.77th verse: Those who are deluded are called Mudha. They are attached to sense objects through an invisible rope that binds them to this world. They are spiritually enslaved by desire of the senses. It is a bondage that makes them move up and down in cyclic existence.”Attachment here refers to obsessive attachment to an extent that it makes us spiritually enslaved.78th verse: Shankaracharya uses examples from the animal kingdom to explain how one reaches destruction when guided by the senses - Deer (sense of hearing), Elephant (sense of touch). Moth (sense of seeing), Fish (sense of taste), Bee (sense of smell). Each of these creatures reaches death as they are guided by one of their senses. What to speak of humans who have five senses active all the time.79th verse: “The poison of a cobra is less poisonous than the poison of sense objects. The cobra has to bite you and the poison has to be consumed. Seeing the cobra does not kill you. But mere sight of a sense object can remain in the mental system for a long time and can be a door to destruction, depending on one’s mental constitution.”

Developing Detachment Towards Non-Eternal

Title: Realization Requires Spiritual EffortVerses: 64, 65, 66, 67The essence of the 60th, 61st and 62nd verses is: “Books are helpful, but by themselves they do not constitute the supreme goal. Books by themselves will not help us with the highest spiritual realization. Long, eloquent scholarly discussions can only confuse oneself and others. As long as one has not realized the spiritual truth, books are useless. Upon realization of the spiritual truth, books are useless. The world of books is like a big jungle that can only create confusion, if we do not understand that the spiritual truth is beyond books.”Scriptures attempt to describe the truth – they do not constitute the supreme truth. Spiritual truth is beyond ideas and books – it is a matter of inner experience. With this understanding, we should read scriptures.The same idea is emphasized in the 63rd verse with an analogy. If someone is bitten by a cobra, he needs medicine to recover. Similarly, our ignorance can only be cured by a medicine - the realization of Brahman, the real experience of spiritual unity.Ajnanam refers to a lack of awareness of our true nature. It does not refer to intellectual ignorance. It refers to ignorance at an emotional level, because our mind does not permit us to do what we may intellectually understand and want to do.We have to remove the levels of dirt/filth in the mind by feeding it good food and directing it towards healthy channels.Upon enlightenment, our mind develops a corrective mechanism. It becomes impossible for us to do anything that is harmful to others.64th and 65th verses continue the analogy: “A sickness is not cured by uttering the word “medicine”. One actually has to take the medicine. Similarly, just by saying “Brahman”, one does not realize Brahman. Without dissolving the world in Brahman, without realizing the Atman, one cannot get liberation.”In Vedanta, this world is only an appearance as illustrated in the rope snake analogy. When light is brought to the room, what we previously thought was a snake, dissolves into the rope. Similarly, the empirical world should be dissolved into Atman.The 66th verse repeats the same idea with another analogy: “To be a king, one should have a kingdom. One should have conquered enemies and acquired wealth. One does not become a king by just claiming that he is a king. Similarly, without undertaking spiritual practices, one cannot become enlightened.67th verse: “Suppose someone tells you that there is a box of treasure hidden somewhere beneath the earth. The treasure is covered by a huge stone in the pit. To get to the treasure, the following has to happen: (1) You should hear about it from someone (2) You should know the exact location (3) You should go there and dig and remove the stone (4) Then, you can take out the treasure.Similarly, to realize the spiritual truth, we should first listen to spiritual ideas expounded by the great sages. We should practice sravanam, mananam, nididhyasanam – listen to spiritual ideas, contemplate on it and deeply internalize it. By doing so, we remove all the wrong ideas about our true nature – this is like digging to remove the stone. “Chandogya Upanishad has the following illustration: “A sage from Gandhara had gone to another town and is returning to his hometown. Along the way, some robbers ambushed him, blindfolded him,  and tied him to a tree in a forest. To escape, what should he do? He should make a loud noise. Then someone passing through that way can hear him, remove his blindfold, and release him. Such a person can bring him back to the road and show him the way to Gandhara.” In this illustration, the traveler is a normal human being, who thinks the world is meant for sensory enjoyment. The robbers represent his own actions. His bitter experience is due to his bad karmas.The blindfold represents Maya. His desire for worldly enjoyment is the rope that binds him. Body is the forest in which he is lost. The person helping him is his teacher, who knows which road to take to reach Gandhara, his own spiritual home.”

Title: Going Beyond BooksVerses:  51, 60, 61, 62The student poses seven questions in the 51st verse. The rest of the text answers these seven questions. The seven questions are: (1) What is this bondage? (2) How does it come about? (3) How does it exist and what sustains it? (4) How do we come out of it? (5) What is anatman? (6) What is the supreme Atman? (7) How do we differentiate between atman and anatman?Buddha refers to bondage as “Dukkha” – a feeling of imperfection with empirical enjoyments. Patanjali uses the term “Parinama Dukkha” – he says that spiritually elevated souls feel a discontentment with the empirical world and pleasures. They have a strong desire to look for something higher.What is wrong with robbing a neighbor? Swami Vivekananda answers his own question by saying that it is nit for fear of law enforcement – rather, by doing so, the person would be harming himself. It is the advaitic foundation of universal ethics. Swamiji also said, “The infinite one of the soul is the eternal sanction of all morality and ethics.”We are all lonely spiritual travelers, traveling from one life to another. Our goal is to realize the supreme spiritual truth, to realize the presence of the divine within ourselves and in everything.The essence of the 60th, 61st and 62nd verses is: “Books are helpful, but by themselves they do not constitute the supreme goal. Books by themselves will not help us with the highest spiritual realization. Long, eloquent scholarly discussions can only confuse oneself and others. As long as one has not realized the spiritual truth, books are useless. Upon realization of the spiritual truth, books are useless. The world of books is like a big jungle that can only create confusion, if we do not understand that the spiritual truth is beyond books.”Scriptures attempt to describe the truth – they do not constitute the supreme truth. Spiritual truth is beyond ideas and books – it is a matter of inner experience. With this understanding, we should read scriptures. After crossing a river with a boat, we leave the boat behind – we don’t carry the boat on our head. Similarly, we transcend books upon realization of the truth.Scriptures get their authenticity because the teachings within them come from the experience of realized sages. By following their path, we can also experience the truth.

Title: Who is an Ideal Teacher?Verses:  33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 43The 33rd verse describes the characteristics of an ideal teacher. He is a friend and guide of any spiritual seeker. He is well versed in the scriptures (vedas), as part of a lineage. He leads a moral and ethical life, free of sinful deeds. He has no selfish desire. He is a knower of Brahman. He is contemplative and immersed in Brahman. He has no selfish aspiration left, just like a fire that has consumed all its fuel. He is an ocean of compassion with no strings attached.”Spiritual ideals should be learnt from a teacher who is part of a lineage. The lineage transmits not just the knowledge but also the ability to make proper use of that knowledge and avoid improper use. For example, Pranayama, if practiced to extremes without the guidance of a teacher, can lead to delusions of grandeur.The 34th verse describes the attitude of the student. He should be pure mentally, verbally and physically (trikarana-shuddhi). With humility, politeness and an attitude of service, he should approach the teacher.We only get from a teacher what our mind is ready for. If we go to an ocean with a glass, we can only bring back a glass of water. An ant going to a mound of sugar can only bring back a grain of sugar. Similarly, we get from a teacher what we are fit for.If we do not have a reverence towards a higher ideal, we will be enslaved by a lower ideal. Reverence should not be equated to slavery.The 35th and 36th verses describe what the student should say to the teacher. He says: “You are a friend and guide to those who come to you. Save me from this ocean of samsara. Just like rain that falls as a blessing, pour your compassion on us. We are being burnt in the fire of samsara. Save us from this death.”In the 37th verse, the student describes the qualities of the teacher. He says: “They are calm, quiet and self-restrained. They are knowers of Brahman. They live in this world like the spring season, bringing joy, happiness, sustenance. They travel from place to place and are a blessing to humanity. They themselves have crossed the ocean of samsara and want to help others do the same.”The student feels that the world is a terrible place. Patanjali refers to it as Parinama Dukkha – it is the feeling of despair despite everything going to expectations. There is a desire to look for something higher. It only happens to highly evolved souls.In the 43rd verse, the teacher addresses the student. The teacher says: “Don’t worry. Don’t be scared. There is a way to get out of samsara. Many sages have gone across this ocean. I will teach you this ancient path now, which has been well established by the great sages.”

So far, in the text, we covered the following topics: (1) Uniqueness of human life (2) Need for a higher spiritual goal (3) Four important qualities for spiritual seekerThe 28th verse describes the three stages of a seeker’s journey. First stage starts with reading of scriptures, doing karma yoga, and developing some conviction about the teachings. In the second stage, that conviction becomes part of the seeker’s emotional system. In the third stage, there is intense desire for spiritual liberation through the grace of a teacher.29th verse: “Without intensifying the sense of renunciation for worldly enjoyments (vairagya) and without an intense desire for liberation (mumukshutvam), spiritual practices such as Sama, Dama, Uparati, Titiksa, Shraddha, Samadhana the do not bear their fruit.”There have been scourges of humanity, who had intense power of concentration, but their efforts resulted in tragedies. This is because they lacked the two qualities mentioned in the 29th verse.Extreme selfish desires lead to self-destruction. Bhasmasura prayed to God to have the power to turn into ashes anyone on whom he placed his hand. He ended up using his power on himself and turned into ashes.There is another verse from one of Shankaracharya’s work that says: “Our attitude towards greed should be similar to our attitude towards something nasty such as the excreta of a crow. We should be able to see the drawbacks of excessive desire for worldly enjoyments.” We should be able to lift our consciousness above the body consciousness.30th verse: “Wherever the intensity of renunciation for worldly pleasures (vairagya) and the desire for liberation (mumukshutvam) are weak, spiritual practices are a mere appearance. They don’t have a lasting effect. They are momentary like a drop of water that quickly evaporates due to the heat in a desert. For lasting effect, intellectual conviction has to translate into our emotional system.”In the 31st and 32nd verses, Shankaracharya defines Bhakti as: “Bhakti is the earnest desire to find out our own true nature, that we are the Atman.” It refers to nidhidhyasanam, which is the spiritual discipline that allows us to deeply internalize what we read and contemplate upon.The 32nd verse also discusses how a spiritual seeker should approach a teacher. In ancient times, teachers did not earn remuneration for their teachings. Also, students came from all walks of life – kings such as Krishna to poor humble people such as Sudama. What the student brings is a strong desire to learn, humility and a sense of sanctity and sacredness towards the subject and the teacher.The teacher should be a true person of renunciation. He should not demand anything for what he teaches except things such as humility, discipline, service and Guru Dakshina (commitment from the student to preserve the shraddha of the tradition and impart the teachings to only deserving people).In the convocation address, the final instruction provided to students in the hermitages was: “You should speak and practice the truth. You should uphold dharma You should show reverence towards parents, teachers and guests.”There are two ways to know whether we are making spiritual progress: (1) We should have inner fulfillment and a sense of sanctity and sacredness (2) our inner experience becomes a blessing to those around us.

Title: Sadhana Chatushtaya SampattiVerses:  16, 18, 19, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26Vivekachudamani is one of the introductory texts on Vedanta.The 18th verse introduces the concept of chatustaya (quadrangle or four steps). To purify the mental system, four qualities are needed in a spiritual seeker. When we attain these qualities, we can understand the spiritual concepts; otherwise, we do not.The 19th verse describes the four qualities – Sadhana Chatushtaya Sampatti.The four qualities in Sadhana Chatushtaya Sampatti are: nitya anitya vastu viveka, Ihāmutra phala bhoga virāga, Śamādi ṣatka Sampatti, and Mumukṣutvam.First, we must use our discerning wisdom to determine what is real and what is unreal. Only the Atman is Absolutely Real (Nitya). The world is not absolutely unreal, but it is not absolutely real either. It is only relatively real (Anitya).Second, we must hold on to what is real and disregard what is unreal. We should develop a sense of aversion towards enjoyments in this life or in heaven.Shankaracharya warns about the danger of going after worldly pleasures through the 325th verse: “Imagine a child playing with a ball at the top of a staircase. If the ball falls, it does not stop until it reaches the bottom. Similarly, when we forget about Nitya and if the mind goes after Anitya, one falls in spiritual life.” A higher goal in life, that is not worldly in nature, restrains the mind and directs it to the right path.Third is Śamādi ṣatka Sampatti. It lists six traits:  Sama, Dama, Uparati, Titiksa, Shraddha, Samadhana. Fourth is Mumukṣutvam, a strong desire for spiritual liberation. When we understand what relay matters (Nitya), we develop a desire to achieve that.The next few verses describe the six qualities for self-control, mentioned in the 19th  verse.22nd verse: “Sama refers to self-restraint and mind control. It is the ability to withdraw the mind from external objects and focus it on the supreme goal of human life. Again and again, we should tell ourselves that the objects of the empirical world are defective, they are transient.”23rd (a) verse: “Dama is the ability to retain the senses of perception and action in their own respective centers.”23rd (b) verse: “Uparati is the ability to keep the mind unaffected by all external things.”24th verse: “Titiksa is the ability to endure all problems and afflictions with a reaction, complaint or lament. We may react but it does not affect the mind.”25th verse: “Shraddha is a strong conviction that the teachings of the scriptures and the Guru are true. Shraddha always carried with it a sense of sanctity, sacredness and seriousness in the teachings.”26th verse: “Samadhana is the ability to keep the intellect always established in Brahman, the supreme, spiritual goal. It is the ability to not pamper the mind when it pleads for various sensory enjoyments.The 16th verse describes who is fit for spiritual enquiry. It says: “He should have proper intelligence. He should be able to listen and understand what he listens to. He should be able to retain in his mind what he studies. He should be an expert in the following two qualities: (1) Uha, the ability to accept what is to be accepted (2) Apoha, the ability to reject what is to be rejected.One is never late to start the spiritual journey and any effort made towards spiritual progress is never lost.

When we pursue spiritual life, our emotional system should be ready to absorb the spiritual ideas.If a follower of Vedanta thinks” “I am Brahman, therefore, I don’t have to do any spiritual practices”, he is mistaken. Through spiritual practices, he has to purify and refine his mental system. Then it becomes like a clean mirror that reflects the divine spark within, and he can understand spiritual ideas.Six enemies within  have to be removed. These six enemies are: ego, competition, jealousy, extreme liking, extreme hatred, and inclination to enjoy sensory objects.To purify the mental system, four qualities are needed in a spiritual seeker. First, we must use our discerning wisdom to determine what is real and what is unreal. Second, we must hold on to what is real and disregard what is unreal. Third is a set of six disciplines for self-restraint Sama, Dama, Uparati, Titiksa, Shraddha, Samadhana.  Fourth is a strong urge for liberation.21st verse: “Renunciation means repulsion towards forms of empirical enjoyments – that are of transitory nature, that is perceived by the mind and five senses of perception. It also means giving up desires for enjoyments both in this world and in heaven.”Only Rahman is Real. A thing is Real in Vedanta if it meets the following criteria: (1) It is beyond the six changes: birth, existence, growth, evolution, degeneration and death. (2) It remains the same in past, present and future. (3) It remains the same in waking, dream and deep sleep states. Towards anything that is not Real, we should have a sense of renunciation.22nd verse: “Sama refers to self-restraint and mind control. It is the ability to withdraw the mind from external objects and focus it on the supreme goal of human life. Again and again, we should tell ourselves that the objects of the empirical world are defective, they are transient.”We can find the quality of sama in great scientists, painters and musicians who can focus their mind on their goal and detach from everything else.We should remind ourselves that too much love for money takes us closer to spiritual death. We need money, but obsessive attachment is dangerous. The verse says: “again and again, we should remind ourselves.”23rd (a) verse: “Dama is the ability to retain the senses of perception and action in their own respective centers.”23rd (b) verse: “Uparati is the ability to keep the mind unaffected by all external things.”When we see an object with our eyes, the eyes and mind come together, and the mind takes the shape of that object. That is how we are able to recollect the object. When we practice Uparati, the mind does not take the form of external objects. It remains free as itself. “The five senses are active, but the mind is withdrawn – this is uparati.”When we practice uparati, the mind can focus on what it is doing without dissipation of energy. Shankaracharya achieved a lot in a short span of 32 years. He was able to do so because his mental system was fully purified and his mind was totally focused on what he was doing.24th verse: “Titiksa is the ability to endure all problems and afflictions with a reaction, complaint or lament. We may react but it does not affect the mind.”25th verse: “Shraddha is a strong conviction that the teachings of the scriptures and the Guru are true. Shraddha always carried with it a sense of sanctity, sacredness and seriousness in the teachings.”Shraddha is most difficult to achieve in modern times because people look upon spirituality as a commodity. They look upon it with a utilitarian approach on how it will benefit them. When we commercialize spirituality, it is no longer spirituality.Without a strong conviction in the truth of the teachings of the Guru and scriptures, one cannot progress in spiritual life. Shraddha is the price one pays to pursue a serious spiritual life.26th verse: “Samadhana is the ability to keep the intellect always established in Brahman, the supreme, spiritual goal. It is the ability to not pamper the mind when it pleads for various sensory enjoyments.”Vivekachudamani is meant for the introspective, spiritual life of the individual spiritual seeker. This is different from the setting of Gita, where Lord Krishna was teaching Arjuna, who was a soldier (not a serious spiritual seeker) shying away from an unpleasant duty towards the society.Vedanta does not reject puranic concepts such as lokas or higher levels of consciousness. It goes beyond them.

Title: Spiritual InquiryVerses:  18, 19, 20, 21The 18th verse says: “Those who want to learn about Advaita, they need to have four important qualities. When we attain these qualities, we can understand the spiritual concepts; otherwise, we do not.” These qualities should be imbibed at an emotional level, not just intellectual level.The 19th verse describes the four qualities – Sadhana Chatushtaya Sampatti.The four qualities in Sadhana Chatushtaya Sampatti are: nitya anitya vastu viveka, Ihāmutra phala bhoga virāga, Śamādi ṣatka Sampatti, and Mumukṣutvam.First, we must use our discerning wisdom to determine what is real and what is unreal. Only the Atman is Absolutely Real. The world is not absolutely unreal, but it is not absolutely real either. It is only relatively real.Second, we must hold on to what is real and disregard what is unreal. We should develop a sense of aversion towards enjoyments in this life or in heaven. Heaven in Vedanta is a temporary place with plenty of empirical enjoyments. True Vedantic inquiry begins when we develop a divine discontent, as Buddha did.Third is Śamādi ṣatka Sampatti. It lists six traits:  Sama, Dama, Uparati, Titiksa, Shraddha, Samadhana. Fourth is Mumukṣutvam, a strong desire for spiritual liberation. Shankaracharya says that if we have an urge for the transcendental, it has a healing effect on our life.The first sutra of Brahma-Sutra says: “Now, after the attainment of requisite spiritual qualities, we will make an inquiry into the nature of the Absolute Reality.” The desire for spiritual liberation does not begin at a definite point. It is part of the ongoing evolution of the jeeva. After innumerable lifecycles, we are born with a strong spiritual aspiration, and we begin our spiritual inquiry.20th verse: “Only Brahman is Real. The empirical world is unreal. A firm conviction of this truth is called discrimination between the Real and unreal.”Mithya does not mean non-existent. It means something that is non-eternal, which is only relatively real. Brahman cannot be verbalized. It is what is left when we have negated everything else as Real.The conviction described in the 20th verse can be at two levels: (12) Intellectual conviction (2) Real, mystical experience of the truth.21st verse: “Renunciation means repulsion towards forms of empirical enjoyments – that are of transitory nature, that is perceived by the mind and five senses of perception. It includes giving up desires for the human body and for higher kind of bodies after death. It also means giving up desires for enjoyments both in this world and in heaven.”Kathopanishad explains the evolution of this quest for the transcendental with Nachiketa’s story. Nachiketa asks Yama for three boons: (1) Let my father not scold me when I return (2) Teach me rituals to get to heaven and (3) Teach me the reality beyond death. Yama then teaches Nachiketa the truth of Brahman as Real, and the world as Mithya.Causal body is avidya. Jeeva is individual soul. Atman is Brahman immanent within the being.There is space both within the pot (ghatakasha) and outside the pot (mahakasha). There seems to be a distinction between the two, but if the pot is broken, there is no distinction. Similarly, Atman is non-different from Brahman.Brahma-satyam, jagad-mithya is a statement at the philosophical level. At the experience level, it is brahma Satyam jagad satyam. At the experience level, the world is seen as non-different from Brahman.In the rope-snake analogy, when light is brought to the room, we realize that it is not a snake, but a piece of rope. Where did the snake go? The snake did not go anywhere, because, to begin with, there was no snake. What we previously thought was a snake was the rope itself. Similarly, at experience level, questions about the empirical world disappear.

Title: Turning away from unreal towards the RealVerses:  16, 17, 18, 19In earlier classes, we discussed the importance of human birth and the three rare gifts from God. (1) Being born as a human being (2) Desire for liberation (3) Coming in contact with a great holy person.We also discussed the 16th verse which describes who is fit for spiritual enquiry. It says: “He should have proper intelligence. He should be able to listen and understand what he listens to. He should be able to retain in his mind what he studies. He should be an expert in the following two qualities: (1) Uha, the ability to accept what is to be accepted (2) Apoha, the ability to reject what is to be rejected.The 17th verse discusses the qualifications for inquiry into higher spiritual ideas. These are: (1) Virakta – discontent and the ability to say no to empirical pleasures. (2) Viveki – endowed with a sense of discerning wisdom (3) Samadi-guna-salinah – this refers top the six qualities of self-control discussed in the 19th verse (4) Mumukshi – endowed with a desire for spiritual enlightenment.Our ability to understand spiritual content is in direct proportion to the intensity of these qualities and our spiritual fitness.The 18th verse introduces the concept of chatustaya (quadrangle or four steps), which is found in several scriptures. For example, spiritual books are written with a four-step approach: (1) Fitness to read (2) Subject matter of the book (3) Connection between what we want to study and the book (4) The result – what we learn from the book.The 18th verse says: “Those who want to learn about Advaita, they need to have four important qualities. When we attain these qualities, we can understand the spiritual concepts; otherwise, we do not.”The 19th verse describes the four qualities – Sadhana Chatushtaya Sampatti.The four qualities in Sadhana Chatushtaya Sampatti are: nitya anitya vastu viveka, Ihāmutra phala bhoga virāga, Śamādi ṣatka Sampatti, and Mumukṣutvam.First, we must use our discerning wisdom to determine what is real and what is unreal. Only the Atman is Absolutely Real. The world is not absolutely unreal, but it is not absolutely real either. It is only relatively real.Second, we must hold on to what is real and disregard what is unreal. We should develop a sense of aversion towards enjoyments in this life or in heaven. Heaven in Vedanta is a temporary place with plenty of empirical enjoyments. True Vedantic inquiry begins when we develop a divine discontent, as Buddha did.Third is Śamādi ṣatka Sampatti. It lists six traits:  Sama, Dama, Uparati, Titiksa, Shraddha, Samadhana. Fourth is Mumukṣutvam, a strong desire for spiritual liberation.Three additional disciplines are implied: sravanam, mananam, nididhyasanam. It means reading and listening to higher, spiritual ideas, contemplating on them and then internalizing them.

Title: Three Rare Gifts from GodVerses: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 11, 12, 16Shankaracharya begins the text in the 1st verse with obeisance to his teacher: Govinda Bhagavatpada. “I bow down to the great teacher who is the embodiment of the supreme truth and knowledge.”2nd verse: “Human birth is a rare gift from God. Ever harder to obtain is an aspiration for spiritual truth. Understanding of scriptures is harder. Hardest of all is discrimination between Atman and non-Atman. Without a huge stockpile of spiritual merits from many life cycles, this cannot happen.”The 3rd verse brings the idea of God. It says: “Only through God’s grace, we get these three rare gifts: (1) Being born as a human being (2) Desire for liberation (3) Coming in contact with a great holy person.”The ability to come out of the empirical pleasures of life with an aspiration for liberation and coming in contact with someone who makes us think of higher ideas is a great gift from God. We find a great example in Buddha who renounced his kingdom and took a strong vow to realize the truth.The 4th and 5th verses continue to emphasize the importance of human birth. They say: “There are those who obtain a human birth and an understanding of the scriptures. Yet, they are deluded and do not aspire for liberation. They cling to the unreal. They are fools and commit spiritual suicide.”Thus, the text continues. In the 51st verse, seven questions are posed by the student and the entire text answers these seven questions. The structure of the text is as follows: (1) Celebration of human life (2) Qualifications of the student and the teacher to make enquiry into spiritual life (3) Seven questions and their answers.The seven questions are: (1) What is bondage? (2) How did it emerge? (3) How does it continue to exist? (4) How do we get out of it? (5) What is Anatman? (6) What is Paramatman? (7) How do we discern Anatman from the Paramatman?6th verse: “One may read scriptures. One may perform rituals. One may perform religious ceremonies. But without understanding the truth of the Atman, there is no liberation for anyone.”The idea continues in the next few verses. In the 11th verse, the means for spiritual liberation is mentioned. It says: “Actions can be a great blessing and give mental purity if done without selfish motives. But actions alone do not take us to the highest truth. They need to be combined with contemplation on what is the meaning of human existence.”The 12th verse refers to the rope-snake analogy. The rope is mistaken for a snake in a semi-dark room. Only light removes the wrong perception that it is a snake. No other activities in the room will help. Similarly, contemplation between the real and unreal is needed to realize the highest truth. Ramana Maharshi realized the highest truth with such contemplation.When we live in the world, we live in semi-darkness. We have aspirations, but they are mostly empirical aspirations, not spiritual. We are in semi-darkness in our understanding of the reality. We need to bring light to remove our wrong notions. This happens when we contemplate on the meaning of human existence.The 16th verse describes who is fit for spiritual enquiry. It says: “He should have proper intelligence. He should be able to listen and understand what he listens to. He should be able to retain in his mind what he studies. He should be an expert in the following two qualities: (1) Uha, the ability to accept what is to be accepted (2) Apoha, the ability to reject what is to be rejected.In the world, the mind is presented with both good and toxic food. The toxic food must be rejected and only the good food should be accepted. The qualities of Uha and Apoha are a must for every spiritual aspirant. They also help us live more intelligently in this world.Spiritual realization, that we are the Atman and not the body/mind, is not a concept. It is a deep, inner experience. When we realize it, there is no more transmigration.Liberation is not new knowledge. It is only the removal of wrong notions. It is like a spiritual homecoming.There are similarities in the approach between Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta. Buddhism emphasizes the awareness and impermanence of everything in this world. It does not talk about the Absolute Reality. Advaita Vedanta emphasizes the Absolute Reality. It can only be understood when we understand the impermanence of everything else.

Title: Introduction to the Text and AuthorVivekachudamani  talks about one supreme reality. The goal of human life is to realize the truth about this supreme reality. It is based on the idea that creation is one spiritual family. Its author is Shankaracharya.Gandhi says about Shankaracharya: “He established such a firm foundation in 32 years that the British empire could not undo in 190 years.Sister Nivedita, a disciple of Swami Vivekananda writes about Shankaracharya in her book “The web of Indian life” as below, when she talks of Avatars:The 7th and 8th verse of the 3rd chapter of Gita say: “Whenever there is a decline of dharma and increase of adharma, then an Avatara takes place to preserve dharma, to protect virtuous people, to remove their obstacles and to punish evil doers.” This verse is vindicated by the appearance of Shankaracharya.He became a monk at the age of six years. He finished all his writings when he was 6 years old. He passed away at the age of 32. He founded 10 monastic orders.India was prosperous during Shankaracharya’s time. The vedas became the genius of Hinduism for Shankaracharya. He was focused on giving a spiritual meaning to Vedic literature. Vedanta, as the highest reach of human spiritual evolution, is a creation of Shankaracharya. He founded a new method to write commentaries on sutra literature.Not only was he a great philosopher, but also a great devotional poet. He wrote 138 devotional classics.He did not reject any method of worship. He accepted all of them. He said that everything is an expression of the same divine reality that is present in everything and that is transcendental.“We contemplate in wonder when we think of various saints from the west. Who could imagine all of this concentrated in one person.”Coming back to the text, Vivekachudamani means “The crest jewel of spiritual wisdom”. The most authentic commentary on this text is written by Chandrasekhara Bharati.Shankaracharya begins the text in the 1st verse with obeisance to his teacher: Govinda Bhagavatpada. “The one who understands the meaning of great vedantic statements, who understands the truth of the vedas, who is a knower of vedantic wisdom, to that Guru, I pay my respects.”2nd verse: “The greatest gift that we have is not money or health but human life itself. It is rare. Rarer than this is a human life with spiritual inclination. Even rarer is the ability to discriminate between the Self and non-Self.” Human beings alone can think about the meaning of human existence and what lies beyond.Everything in the empirical world is transient. Birth/death, poverty/wealth, health/disease are two sides of the same coin. All beings have to go through the six changes. Once we understand the transient nature of everything, we get spiritual wisdom and we can live in this world more intelligently.Being born as a human being is rare. The verse praises human life and spiritual inclination (nara-janma-prasansha).The verse says that ātmānātmavivecanaṃ is a higher quality – the ability to discriminate between the Self and non-Self. Once we realize that our identity is not this physical body, that our true identity is as Atman, we can live in the world in a more intelligent manner. The spiritual common sense based on what is eternal and what is non-eternal is the essential message of Vivekachudamani.How can we judge whether our mind is healthy? The answer is in an ancient ayurvedic verse from Sushruta Samhita: “sama dosha sama agnischa sama dhatu mala kriyaaha| Prasanna atma indriya manaha swastha iti abhidheeyate”. It says that the body and mind are healthy when they do not remind us of their existence. This happens when we identify with Atman, something higher than the body and mind.