[Advaita-l] Saakshii, Jiiva and Iswara Analysis IV

[kuntimaddi sadananda]

Analysis of
Saakshii, Jiiva And Iswara
Based on
Vichaarasaagara of Nischaladaasa - IV
 
Extending this
example further, we can state that every transactional entity (vyaavahaarika
satyam) involves a changing entity or transactable entity and a changeless
entity that is the adhiShTaanam of the entity or that which supports for the
very existence of the transactable entity. Jiiva is also involves two entities;
the transactable or transacting entity which is ahankaara, which like a ring
has a name and attributive content that differs from one ahankaara from other,
and supporting entity or adhiShTaanam or substantive entity which is the aatma
(that is from which it came, by which it is sustained and into which it goes
back – yatova imaani bhuutani jaayante…).  
 
Since this mixture
exists all the time in vyavahaara or during transactions, self-knowledge
requires viveka or discriminative intellect which can differentiate the nitya
and anitya or that which is changeless and that which is changing in this
mixture of jiiva. It is like separating ring from gold without destroying the
ring, while still using the ring as a ring. The separation is therefore not
done physically but intellectually since the order of reality of gold is
different from that of the ring. One can separate ring from a bangle since both
are of the same order of reality; however one cannot physically separate gold
from ring and bangle. The separation of ring from gold has to be done
intellectually using viveka or discriminative intellect. Similarly in the
mixture of aatma and ahankaara (anaatma), viveka or discriminative intellect is
required to separate intellectually and to ascertain one’s identification from
anaatma to aatma or ahankaara to aatma. 
 
Both ajnaani,
ignorant person, and jaani, wise person use the words - I am - while
transacting in the world. When they communicate they have to use the mind,
organ of speech, and their intellect with proper words to communicate and to understand
the communication. However their understanding of what - I am - stands for, is
different, even though it is a mixture of aatma and ahakaara and appears or
transacts as unified one as jiiva or as an individual. Ignorant person, when he
uses I am, he identifies with ahankaara as I am as his intrinsic part. Whereas
a wise person, who has developed the requisite viveka by saadhana, intellectually
separates the mixture of aatma and anaatma or ahankaara using discriminative
intellect, and understands the ahankaara is not an intrinsic part of himself
but only a superimposed part valid only for transactional purposes. Hence he
intellectually separates the aatma from anaatma and claims that I am stands for
aatma which is saakshii and not ahankaara. In communicating even this
knowledge, he still has to use the anaatma that involves mind or ahankaara
needed for communication or transaction. It is similar to a gold-smith looking
at the ring, bangle, etc., does not consider the names and forms as intrinsic
part of gold but values each of them based on the gold-content only. He weighs
ring or bangle to determine how much gold each has. 
 
Hence notion of
jiiva is different for wise vs otherwise or ignorant person. For the former the
ahankaara is excluded other than for transactional purposes, while for the
latter ahankaara forms the intrinsic part. Hence when Jiiva word excludes
(intellectually) the ahankaara, it is called saakshii. Similarly when ajnaani
claims I am, he, due to his lack of understanding, claims the ahankaara as
intrinsic part, and hence gets localized and suffers the consequence of that
misunderstanding and thus becomes a samsaari. The pancha kleshaas belong to
ahankaara and not to saakshii.
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Hari Om!