[Advaita-l] The Foundations of Adhyāsa - 9 (Sādhana towards Self-knowledge)

[S Jayanarayanan]

 (Continued from previous post.)
 
 
No series on Adhyāsa or Avidyā would be complete without a hint of a suggestion on its removal, which results in Self-knowledge,
the Goal of Advaita Vedānta as a “Religion”. This is possible only by Spiritual Practice, called Sādhana.
 
There is hardly any doubt that the Upaniṣads accept the Self as the Ground of Perception (e.g. Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 3.4.2):
 
  “It is not possible to see the Seer of Vision; or hear the Hearer of Hearing;
  or think the Thinker of Thought; or know the Knower of Knowledge.
  This is the Self within all.”
 
According to Advaita Vedānta, Perception and Reality eventually converge:
 
  GROUND OF PERCEPTION (Ātman) = ULTIMATE REALITY (Brahman)
 
The following can be proven from Pratyakṣa (experience) and Anumāna (inference):
 
  “The Self/Seer is different from the Body.”
 
What cannot be proven from experience or inference, but requires “Śabda Pramāṇa” or Verbal Cognition/Testimony,
i.e. Scriptural Authority is:
 
  “The Nature of the Self is Infinite Bliss.” (Taittirīya Upaniṣad)
 
Ignorance of the Self that is of the form “I am this Body” is the cause of much misery, and can only be removed by a cognition that
is opposed to it. For example, “The grass is green” is a cognition unopposed to the idea “I am this Body”, hence cannot remove
Ignorance of the Self. However, the Scriptural passage, “I am Brahman” (from the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad), does indeed counter
this Ignorance, and is thus capable of eliminating it. The claim of Advaita Vedānta is that only such Mahāvākyas that contradict
Avidyā can eradicate it, via the process of Śravaṇa-Manana-Nididhyāsana, typically practiced only after taking up Sannyāsa,
under the tutelage of a Traditional Guru.
 
As long as Avidyā lingers, the Body’s actions ought to be in line with the Moral Principles of Dharma. If the same is performed
without desire (niṣkāma), it is termed Karma Yoga. If the same is performed without desire (niṣkāma), it is termed Karma Yoga,
and results in Citta Śuddhi or Purity of the Mind, conferring the ability to grasp the Mahāvākya. Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, etc.,
are valid methods prescribed to the spiritual aspirant for Purification of the Mind. In both the Karma and Bhakti paths, Faith is
an essential element of the Sādhana (vide Gītā 17.28). The peak of Yoga may itself be sufficient to attain the Supreme Knowledge
of the Self, through the Grace of the Lord.
 
The progression of practice culminating in the Goal is:
 
  Yoga → Sādhana Catuṣṭaya → Sannyāsa → Śravaṇa-Manana-Nididhyāsana → Ātma-jñāna (= Mokṣa or Salvation)
 
Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi teaches the direct path to Self-realization called Self-Enquiry. This series will end with a couple of quotes
from his Teachings (both in the book "Day by Day with Bhagavan", 17-10-46 & 23-1-46), giving a brief overview of Adhyāsa, along with
its disappearance:
 
  “There is nothing wrong in seeing anything, this body or the world. The mistake lies in thinking you are the body.
  There is no harm in thinking the body is in you. The body, world, all must be in the Self; or rather, nothing can
  exist apart from the Self, as no pictures can be seen without the screen on which the shadows can be cast.”
 
  “It is said the whole Vedānta can be compressed into the four words, deham, nāham, ko'ham, so'ham. This stanza says
  the same. In the first two lines, it is explained why deham is nāham, i.e., why the body is not ‘I’ or na aham.
  The next two lines say, ‘If one enquires ko' aham, i.e., Who am I, i.e., if one enquires whence this ‘I’ springs
  and realises it, then in the heart of such a one the Omnipresent God Arunachala will shine as ‘I’, as sa' aham or
  so'ham: i.e., he will know ‘That I am,’ i.e., ‘That is "I".’”
 
 
(Concluded)