[Advaita-l] chid-aabhaasa

[Pranipata]

Hari Om!  Pranaams!

AbhAsaH means reflection or semblance. citaH AbhAsaH citAbhAsaH.  The 
semblance or reflection of cit is called citAbhAsa.  The terms citAbhAsa, 
citchAya, tejobhAsa, cetana(BG 13.6) are one and the same.

As per vedanta, the cognition of external objects happen owing to mind 
alongwith indriya reaching out to the object, pervading it and taking the 
shape of it as a vritti in mind. This is a pot is the state of this vritti. 
idam ghaTaH.  As a vritti in the form of the object, it shines in the 
antaHkaraNa while it cannot shine as the mind, object both are inert.  The 
shining (bhAsa) cannot be attributed to Atman because it is limited and 
impermanent. So it is said, the reflection of the bhAsa of the Atman(cit), 
I.e. the AbhAsa of cit (citAbhAsa) in association with the vritti shines as 
idam vritti.   In the stage of - I know this is the pot, the shining of 
knowledge is attributed to the Atman(cit).

Hence citAbhAsa is different both from antaHkarana assemblage(mind, 
intellect, memory, ego) and Atman(cit)/caitanya.

It is citAbhAsa in the sense of semblance because like cit it shines. In the 
sense of reflection because the antaHkaraNa, being made of sattvaguna has 
the natural ability to reflect the Atman(cit) owing to its 
proximity(upAdhi - upe samIpe - near).

In Shri Guru Smriti,
Br. Pranipata Chaitanya

--------------------------------------------------
From: "Jaldhar H. Vyas" <jaldhar at braincells.com>
Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2009 8:14 PM
To: "A discussion group for Advaita Vedanta" 
<advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org>
Subject: Re: [Advaita-l] chid-aabhaasa

> As I understand it, chidabhasa refers to the entire buddhi-manas-ahamkara
> conceptual framework. (What I think Sadananda is refering to as BMI.)  It 
> is inert in the sense that it is only a reflection of the atman.
>