Atma Bodha - Post 27

Verse 19

व्यापृतेष्विन्द्रियेष्वात्मा व्यापारीवाविवेकिनाम् ।

दृश्यतेऽभ्रेषु धावत्सु धावन्निव यथा शशी ॥ १९॥

VYAAPRITESHU INDRIYESHU AATMAA

VYAAPAAREE IVA AVIVEKINAAM

DRISHYATE ABHRESHU DHAAVATSU

DHAAVAN IVA YATHAA SHASHEE

(The Atman, observed through the active senses   by the non-discriminating people, is as if active in appearance; when the clouds move in the sky, it seems as though the moon were running)

In Verse 18, the Witness-ship was focused on authority, awe and respect; it did not get into contact with the work.

In this verse, the same Witness-ship is seen as if performing the activity, although it is in reality untouched by the activity. We have to consider the example first in this case, to properly grasp the real situation.

 “Dhaavan Iva Yatha Shashee” Simile

Imagine - It is twilight; a group of clouds are flying through the skies. In between them we see the moon. From a scooter the little boy, holding fast to his dad, stares at the moon. He screams to dad, ‘Hey, father, look the moon is chasing us. Will it reach home before us? Quick, go faster, let’s beat it!’ This is how a child would see the moon racing with his scooter!

What does this teach us? How far away is the moon? – Never too far away to avoid taking the blame for our activities on earth!  

The Self is in a similar situation. Although it remains only as a witness of what is going on “under its nose”, yet in the eyes of one who has not learnt to discriminate, the Aviveki, it appears as if the Self is acting.

For an ignorant person who mistakes the mind and the senses as the Self, Self appears to be limited. It is only when there is a false cognition of Self that there arises misery due to thoughts such as “I am sad”, “I am poor”, “I did this” etc. but the Self like the moon is ever blissful and is never the enjoyer or the doer of any actions. 

It is only the ego that creates this illusion. Hence for a wise one who discriminates between the reality and the non-duality, for one who knows the real nature of Self, there can never be any miseries.

In an earlier verse, we learnt clearly as to how consciousness illumines intellect.

Going further, the ego of a human being borrow such reflected consciousness from intellect and it mistakes that it is consciousness and it totally ignores the truth that it has only borrowed the consciousness reflected in the intellect, so that the body, the mind all can be conscious.

Thus, this verse is all about the mistaken notion of the ego that it is consciousness and thus, the ego mistakes all actions done by itself as reality, exactly like the child saw the moon and thought, the moon is moving!!!

It is a little difficult to absorb but those who contemplate in depth can take this part.

Due to the Self’s proximity to the scene of action, it is viewed as if it is performing the actions. There is a complete transference of doership from the Upadhis that are involved in the action, to the Self which is independent of these Upadhis and who is not affected by the actions.

Hence it is very essential for a seeker to know that all the duality and hence the actions are illusions only and are perceived only due to the ego arising due to ignorance of one’s true nature. And that any actions can never be done by the Self and that ‘I am verily bliss alone’and hence all the actions can never affect Self, just like the movement of clouds on moon. This is what Acharya says in Atmashatkam also as “Aham Bhojanam Naiva Bhojyam Na Bhokta; Chidananda Rupa Shivoham Shivoham”

The Self is Asanga (unattached), Kutastha (unaffected) and Chidrupa (pure consciousness). Yet it is seen by the unknowing intellect as being the actor itself of all the numerous actions performed by the body and mind.

Love.