[Advaita-l] Tattvabodha of Adi Sankaracharya - 18

[S Jayanarayanan]

(Continued from previous post)
 
 
2.5.5 The Bliss Sheath - Anandamaya koSa
 
AnandamayaH kaH ? What is the Bliss Sheath ?
 
 evameva kAraNasharIrabhUtAvidyAsthamalinasattvaM
 priyAdivR^ittisahita.n sat AnandamayaH koshaH .
 etatkoshapa~nchakam .
 
The Bliss Sheath is the one established in
ignorance, Of the form Of the Causal Body, and
Of a sullied form with the modifications like
pria etc.
 
The definition given here is understood based
on the experience of deep-sleep. In the Deep-
Sleep State, we have two experiences:
 
1. ahaM kiM api na jAnAmi - I do not know
anything or ignorance is the experience.
 
2. sukhenamayA nidrA anubhUyate - I enjoyed a good
(happy) sleep. This is nothing but AnandaH
- happiness.
 
ie. A) Ignorance of everything including self-
ignorance and B) Happiness or joy.
 
In vedAnta, the mind has been attributed to
have three dispositions or conditions, called
three guNas. Each disposition is responsible
for a particular type of experience :
1. tamas - inertia
2. rajas - activity, sorrow
3. sattva - knowledge and happiness
	tranquility  /  quietitude
 
In Deep-Sleep State (kAraNa Sareeram), the
sleeping person has Ananda- sukham,' so,
sattva guNa should be present. So is with
Knowledge. But in Deep-Sleep State, the sattva
guNa is overpowered by tamas since there is
ignorance and no activity. If sattvam alone is
present, the person is supposed to be in a state
of samaadhi as supposed to sushupti. Since the
sattvam is sullied by tamas, it is described here
as malinasattvam - or impure sattvam. The degree
of impurtity varies and so also the depth or
degree of deep-sleep. So, the degree of
happiness, sukham - should differ based on the
degree of malinasattvam - happy, happier, happiest,
designated by the term priyAdivR^ittisahita.n These
three coditions are a) priyavRRittiH b) modaRRittiH and
c) pramodavRRittiH
 
* iShTadarshanamatreNa sukham.h - is the joy
that one gets by the sheer sight or thought
of the object that one likes
* iShTagrahaNamatreNa sukham.h - is the joy
that one gets by the possesion of the object
that one likes
* iShTaanubhavamatreNa sukham.h - is the
joy that one gets by experiencing the object
that one likes.
 
etatkoshapa~nchakam | - These are the five sheaths.
 
The five sheaths can be understood to
represent the five common universal mistakes
arising out of wrong identification of the Self
with these. That is, each of the five sheaths
apparently (independently) "covers" the Atman
which is not perceived in Its true nature due
to wrongly associating with the attributes of
the corresponding sheaths.
 
 
(Continued in next post)