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Upadesa Sara

Sloka 28

Self-Realization

 All beings, without exception, strive from morning till night, with a desire to achieve a common goal – freedom from sorrow (dukkha nivrtti) and the gain of happiness (sukha prapti). But even after years of sweat and toil, we are unable to gain true and lasting happiness. The path of Self-enquiry is advised for such struggling souls. How would this inquiry give us happiness? It is explained thus:

kim svarupam-ityatma-darsane,
avyayabhava”purna-cit-sukham.

kim svarupam-iti – ‘what is (my) nature? Thus enquiring’; atma-darsane – on Self-realization; avyayabhava”purna-cit-sukham – undecaying, unborn, all-complete, Consciousness Bliss (am I);

‘What is (my) nature?’ Thus inquiring, one realizes the Self and knows, ‘I am the undecaying, unborn, all-complete Consciousness­ Bliss.’

 We are presently engaged in a mad rush to acquire objects since we feel that by possessing and enjoying them, we will become happy. Each time on gaining a new object, power, or status, we are disappointed that the expected happiness is not achieved. At best, we experience a fleeting thrill that leaves behind more desires and a sour taste of unfulfillment. Let us pause for a moment to inquire if we are destined to be perpetual beggars of happiness – ‘Am I of the nature of happiness or sorrow?’

The nature of a thing is defined as that which it cannot give up. If it gives up its nature it ceases to exist. Heat is the nature of fire. Fire cannot remain fire if it becomes cold. Secondly, one’s own nature is never a burden to oneself. It cannot cause us sorrow. The poison of a venomous snake is not a danger to itself even though it is within its own body. Keeping these two points in mind we shall think over our own nature.

Let us assume for the purpose of analysis that I am, by nature, sorrowful. If this be the truth, we would not struggle to free ourselves from sorrow. We would always want to be miserable. Also, we would never feel the burden and the pain of grief. Our experience is diametrically opposite. We fall over ourselves and hurry to get rid of sorrows and feel weighed down by depression. This proves that my nature cannot be sorrowful. If I am not sorrowful by nature, I must be happiness itself. It is only because of ignorance and lack of thinking that I have taken myself to be an unhappy creature who struggles to gain happiness from objects. Our efforts are as futile as that of the sugar cube which toiled day and night in order to sweeten itself through contact with other sweetmeats!

A thing always remains in its own nature. The Self is, therefore, always of the nature of eternal Happiness. It is said to be:

1. Avyaya – undecaying and
2. Abhava – unborn and
3. Apurna – being free from the limitation of time, space and objects, it is full and complete e., infinite.
4. Cit – the very Knowledge
5. Sukham- A sense of incompleteness causes sorrow. Completeness does not lack anything. Hence the Self is Bliss itself.

Eternal, infinite happiness cannot be gained through impermanent and finite sense objects and enjoyments, but by the Knowledge that arises from Self-enquiry.

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Upadesa Sara

Sloka 27

Self-Knowledge

 Like Self-realization, the word Self-knowledge also needs explanation. Knowledge of any object is gained as a thought with the help of our intellect. In this world, there are a finite number of objects that we know about and innumerable others about which we are ignorant. We generally feel that Self-knowledge is the knowledge of the Self like any other object known by our intellect. But we are told that the Self can never become an object of our intellect; it is beyond the intellect. How then are we to know it? By what means is Self-knowledge gained? Bhagavan answers thus:

jnana–varjita’ jnana-hinacit,
jnanam-asti kim jnatum-antaram.

jnana–varjita’ – (is also) devoid of (thought of) knowledge (and); jnana-hinacit – the Consciousness which is devoid of (thought of) ignorance; jnanam-asti – any knowledge; kim – is there; jnatum – to know (the Self); antaram – other than (the Self).

Consciousness is devoid of the thought of knowledge (of objects) and the thought of ignorance (of objects). Is there a knowledge other than Consciousness to know the Self? (There is none).

Vedanta proves that the inert cannot know. The intellect being inert is incapable of gaining knowledge by itself. In association with Consciousness, it acquires an apparent sentiency because of which it is capable of knowing objects. The intellect knows certain objects and does not know others. We all know what we know and also what we do not know. I know my son and I also know that I do not know what I should do with him! We are aware of both our knowledge and our ignorance.

The Consciousness that illumines both, the thought of knowledge and the ignorance of objects, emotions, and ideas, is different and free from them. The illuminator (knower) is always different from the illumined (known). The Self that lends sentiency to the intellect cannot in turn be illumined by the intellect. Then, is there another Consciousness that illumines the Self? There is none. Also, none is required since the Self is self-illuminating. If there were two Consciousness, say Cl and C2, then one would become inert since it would be illumined by the other. That is meaningless. Also, we cannot point out any difference between Cl and C2. Therefore, it would be pointless to make such a distinction.

Self-knowledge is the realization that ‘I am Consciousness which enables the intellect to know objects’. Being self-evident, I illumine both the thoughts of knowledge and ignorance of objects, but I am free from the thoughts and the objects. Understanding thus, we should give up the notion that the Self too can be known like any other object as a thought in our mind.

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