[Advaita-l] My notes on the vicAra sAgara 1

[Kuntimaddi Sadananda]

The following write-upis based on the Notes taken during Swami Paramarthanandaji’s class onVicharasagara of Nischaladaasa – I used to attend Swamiji’s class whenever I was in India. These notes are based on my understanding. I am posting this in parts due to its length. With PraNAms toSwamiji. -----------------------------------------------------------------------
Aatma is adhiShTaanam orsubstratum for everything. It is the seer, experiencer, but it cannot be seenor experienced.  Bri. Up statement says –na dRiShTeH draShTaaram pasyeH,na shruteH shrotaaram shRiNuyaat, na manteH mantaaram manveethaaH, na vijnaateHvijaataaram vijaaneeyaaH| Esha ta aatma sarvantarH. III-4-2.  That whichsees but that which cannot be seen, that which hears but that which cannot beheard, that which thinks but that which cannot be an object of thought, thatwhich knows but that which cannot be known. That is your own self, whichpervades everything as the substantive of all.  

It is adhiShTaanam forthe universe – the universe is adhyaasa or superimposition on the adhiShTaanamaatma that you are. It is like snake is adhyaasa on rope. Snake is mithyaa. Itis like the mirage waters on the dry-sand. 

The world is mithyaa. Thatis, it is only apparently existing but not really existing. That which changesis only experientially real or transactionally real but not really real. Henceit comes under neither real nor unreal, sat asat vilakshaNam. Since it isneither sat nor asat it is called mithyaa. Every mithyaa vastu or object musthave an adhiShTaanam or aadharam or support for its existence. I am, as pureexistence-consciousness, is the very substratum for everything and I am theprojector, sustainer, and experiencer (PSE) of the whole universe. The aboveBri. Up. mantras, for example, provides scriptural support. 

The world is mithyaa,and samsara, therefore, is also mithyaa. That which appears and experienced isnot really real but apparently real since it is ever-changing. When there issomething changing, then there must be a changeless entity with a reference to whichthe changes can be noticed. Thus there are two realities one changing entityand the other the changeless substratum that supports the changing entity. Theorder of reality, therefore, must differ between these two. For example, at therelative level, Gold is the changeless substratum in all changing ornaments,such as rings, bangles, etc. A ring can become a bangle, and a bangle canbecome a bracelet. However, as Gold, there is no change in these changes. Theorder of reality of ring, bangle, bracelet, etc., must be different from the Goldfrom which they came, by which they are sustained and into which they go back.Hence Gold is adhiShTaanam or substratum for all gold ornaments. Gold is morereal than the rings, bangles, etc, the forms that Gold appears. Names and formsof Gold are not gold as they are only appearances. The functions or utilitiesof these names and forms also do not belong to Gold.  The gunas orattributes of a ring, bangle, etc that differentiate one form from the other donot belong Gold. The same principle applies to the world that involves namesand forms of all objects. These names and forms or attributes or gunas whichdifferentiate one from the other do not belong to the adhiShTaanam orsubstantive of these names and forms of objects of the world.  

>From the scriptures, welearn that the adhiShTaanam or substratum for the entire universe is sat alone,which is really real as it is changeless. Any finite can undergo a change sinceit is finite. Only infinite cannot undergo a change. Hence sat is infinite.Infinite cannot exclude anything, therefore sat is the essence of everything.Infinite cannot be perceived.  Therefore sat because of which the wholeworld exits is imperceptible. 
Elimination of mithyaais not possible. Samsaara is mithyaa, and therefore its elimination is notpossible. Then the very seeking for moksha is futile since it involves the eliminationof the limitations and thus samasaara. Hence the elimination of samsaara ornegation of the perceptual world is not possible since it is mithyaa. Seekingto eliminate samsaara is, therefore is wrong and illogical. In fact this notionthat I want to eliminate all my problems forms one of the biggest obstacles formoksha. Hence any pursuit to eliminate the samsaara, which is mithyaa is boundto fail since one is trying to eliminate that which has no reality of itsown. 


The very seeking toeliminate samsaara or the world of appearance by a process itself will resultin two problems. 

1. Seeking will not besuccessful since one is trying to eliminate samsaara or limitations which arenot real.
2. More importantly, thevery effort to eliminate the mithyaa object or vastu gives more reality to themithyaa object. By the very process to eliminate that which is not real ormithyaa will only give more reality to it but also makes the problem moredifficult. It is similar to trying to kill the rope-snake that is perceived.Rope-snake cannot be killed by any means. And the very pursuit of killing therope-snake gives more reality to the snake than it deserves. Hence any pursuitto eliminate the rope-snake will bound to be a failure. What needs to beunderstood is that it is really rope, and there is no snake at the place andtime where the rope is.  

-----To be continued.
Hari Om!
Sadananda
----------------------------- 

    On Sunday, 7 June, 2020, 09:45:28 am IST, Binod Singh via Advaita-l <advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:  
 
 PraNAma,

First of all, this group has done a wonderful job of explaining and
propagating Advaita Vedanta and I really appreciate the passion and
hardwork of all the members here. I hope for higher spiritual progression
for everyone.. Gurprasaad.

I am currently living in Canada and was supposed to go to India in April as
my family is in Delhi. But due to this Corona, I don't see travelling for
at least a year.
I was planning to get the CDs on "vicAra Sagaram" by Swami ParamArthananda
Saraswati ji from Sastraprakasika Trust in Chennai which runs
vedantavidyarthisangha.org or yogamalika.org

Unfortunately, they only deliver and transact in India only. I was hoping
if someone has the MP3s and can forward it to me. I can pay the due amount
as well by whatever means convenient . I have been waiting for a couple of
years to get the pravachanam and I don't want to delay studying
this grantha.

Please let me know if you need any details from me.

Regards,
Binod Singh
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