Atma Bodha - Post 71

Verse 61

यद्भासा भास्यतेऽर्कादि भास्यैर्यत्तु न भास्यते ।

येन सर्वमिदं भाति तद्ब्रह्मेत्यवधारयेत् ॥ ६१॥

YAD BHAASAA BHAASYATE ARKAADI

BHAASYAIH YAH TU NA BHAASYATE

YENA SARVAM IDAM BHAATI

TAT BRAHMA ITI AVA-DHAARAYET

[That by the light of which, the luminous orbs like the sun and the moon are illumined, but that which is not illumined by their light - realize that to be Brahman.]

We are now entering the concluding phase of the text. The nature of the Self is so completely different from anything that we experience in this physical world, that we can hardly reach it through words. Yet that is what we are attempting through various analogies and similes.

Sankara leaves us with a few final glittering similes with which he attempts to express the inexpressible. These analogies, taken from our experience of the world, take us pretty close to the Truth.

1) We know the sun as the source of all illumination in this world. The moon reflects the light of the sun at night, and so also becomes one of the sources of illumination. Their luminosity, however, is only at the physical level.

2) The second Pada switches over to the philosophical meaning of the word ‘Luminous’ or ‘Illuminate’, where it means “being aware” or “to know”, and we use the capital letter to differentiate it from its ordinary use.

These two great external sources of light are of no help in Illuminating the Self. In fact, they can be known to us only by the Light of the Self.

“BY WHICH ALL THIS SHINES”

3(i) As Knowers through Consciousness: Not only the sun and the moon but all other things, even abstract things, are available to us only because of Consciousness. Awareness or the conscious-principle in us enables us to know.

  

3(ii) As vehicles of Consciousness: We contribute to the existence of all things known to us. Were it not for our Consciousness, we would not even know of their existence. An object becomes known only if I shed my light of consciousness on it, through my mind.

The mind serves only as a ‘conduit’ for my consciousness to flow to the object and bring it to my awareness. Viewed this way, what is the sun? It is a modification of the mind. The mind appears and sets in consciousness. It is ‘Me’ the Self that gives existence to my mind, and thus to the sun. In this sense, it is ‘Me’ that makes my whole world alive.

3(iii) As Mirrors of Consciousness:. When we use a mirror to reflect the sunlight to some other place nearby, the sun does not shine there directly, but through the mirror it reached there.

So also, in the realm of Consciousness, we are the mirrors that are reflecting Consciousness to the sun and the moon (or any other object for that matter), and by doing so we become aware of their existence and their nature. Thus, all things become known to us because of Consciousness.  

3(iv) As Flow of Consciousness: The eye sees the sun, but the sun does not know it. The mind sees through the eye, but the eye does not know it. Consciousness flows through the mind, but the ignorant mind does not know it. Consciousness illumines the intellect, intellect illumines  the mind,  mind illumines the eye, which then illumines the sun. In short, this is the sequence of the flow of Consciousness:

CONSCIOUSNESS>>INTELLECT>>MIND>>SENSES (EYE)>>OBJECT

Consciousness Must be All-Pervading: The verse “Na Tatra Sooryo Bhaati Na Chandra Taarakam” means exactly the same as this verse. If any part of the above chain in the flow of consciousness is removed, we will not see the sun. The message is Consciousness is Brahman; It is all-pervading.

That which illumines all others, which cannot be illumined by anything other than itself, is ever the Self Luminuous consciousness.

In the above flow of CONSCIOUSNESS>>INTELLECT>>MIND>>SENSES (EYE)>>OBJECT, even  prior to human species emerging on this earth, even before intellect ever came into existence at cosmic level  or at individual level, that which eternally existed is the SELF LUMINOUS CONSCIOUSNESS!!.

The essence of this verse is dealt in the first verse of Drik Drsya Viveka .

1	Roopam drishyam lochanam drik,	Form is the seen, the eye is the seer;
2	tat drishyam drik tu maanasam;	that eye is the seen, and mind is its seer;
3	Drishyaa dhee-vrittayah saakshee	of the thoughts in the mind, the Inner Witness
4	drik eva na tu drishyate.	alone is the Seer, and is never the seen.

This verse is taken up by the author in detail in spiritual sessions. It is said that one who has absorbed this one verse and takes up this one verse for meditation, can realize Brahman through intense contemplation on this single verse in Vedanta.

To conclude, the Seer, which illumines the intellect, and intellect illumines mind, mind illumines senses and senses experience the objects, (that seer) eternally exists as SEER, THE WITNESS CONSCIOUSNESS BECAUSE THERE IS NO SEER EXISTING PRIOR TO IT WHICH CAN SEE THIS WITNESS CONSCIOUSNESS.

Exactly the same essence is given by Sankara in the above verse-"That which illumines all other things but which has nothing else to illumine it - realize THAT as Brahman".

Love.