[Advaita-l] A few Vedantic insights in this chapter of the Mahabharata

[V Subrahmanian]

https://sa.wikisource.org/s/2wo

This chapter is about Brahmavidya. A few selected verses are explained in
the sequel to highlight their Vedantic significance.

नोष्णं न शीतं मृदु नापि तीक्ष्णं
नाम्लं कषायं मधुरं न तिक्तम्।
न शब्दवन्नापि च गन्धवत्त
न्न रूपवत्तत्परमस्वभावम्।।



स्पर्शं तनुर्वेद रसं च जिह्वा
घ्राणं   च गन्धाञ्श्रवणे च शब्दान्।
रूपाणि चक्षुर्नच तत्परं य
द्गृह्णन्त्यनध्यात्मविदो मनुष्याः।।



निवर्तयित्वा रसनां रसेभ्यो
घ्राणं च गन्धाच्छ्रवणे च शब्दात्।
स्पर्शात्तनुं रूपगुणात्तु चक्षु
स्ततः परं पश्यति तत्स्वभावम्।।
Atman is not attributed in any way. Not hot, cold, soft sharp, not of any
taste, no sound, smell, touch. Hence those who do not know the Atman cannot
know it through the senses. But the means to know is: removing taste from
all that is tasty, ridding smell of everything smelly, rendering soundless
everything that is of sound, touch from all that is of touch, render every
form formless - then one succeeds in grasping, perceiving, realizing, the
Atman that is one's 'svabhaava'.

The idea is this: the Kathopanishat 2.2.1 पराञ्चि खानि
तृणत्स्वयम्भूस्तस्मात्पराङ् पश्यति नान्तरात्मन् । कश्चिद्धीरः
प्रत्यगात्मानमैक्षदावृत्तचक्षुरमृतत्वमिच्छन् ॥ १ ॥ While the senses are
designed to naturally perceive their respective objects, that is outward
turned and not conducive to knowing the Atman, the aspirant after
liberating knowledge has to put in great effort to free himself from the
outward pull of the senses and turn inwards and realize the Supreme.

What is noteworthy in the MB verse is the word 'svabhavam' which, when read
with the Kathopanishat mantra, pratyagaatman, is the identity of the
Jneyam, Brahman and the Atman. There is no teaching anywhere in Vedanta
prasthana of the requirement to know two entities, the Atman and Brahman,
separately, for Moksha. In other words, there is nothing other than One
Entity within that alone is required to be realized. There are no two
entities inside. This idea comes out clearly in the above Mahabharata
verse: svabhavam.

Here is another one:

यथा च कश्चित्परशुं गृहीत्वा
धूमं न पश्येज्ज्वलनं च काष्ठे।
तद्वच्छरीरोदरपाणिपादं
छित्त्वा न पश्यन्ति ततो यदन्य।।



तान्येव काष्ठानि यथा विमथ्य
धूमं च पश्येज्ज्वलनं च योगात्।
तद्वत्सुबुद्धिः सममिन्द्रियार्थै
र्बुद्धः परं पश्यति तत्स्वभावम्।।

When a man holds an axe, he experiences neither smoke nor fire in the
wooden handle. Similarly the gross body, hands, legs too do not reveal any
consciousness in them. However, when that wooden piece is appropriately
churned, one sees smoke and fire. In the same way when an aspirant
adequately controls the senses, he experiences Atman, Svabhaavam.

This reminds us, apart from the Kathopanishad mantras cited above, of the
Bh.Gita verse too:
सर्वद्वारेषु देहेऽस्मिन्प्रकाश उपजायते ।
ज्ञानं यदा तदा विद्याद्विवृद्धं सत्त्वमित्युत ॥ ११ ॥  14.11

Bhashyam:  सर्वद्वारेषु, आत्मनः उपलब्धिद्वाराणि श्रोत्रादीनि सर्वाणि
करणानि, तेषु सर्वद्वारेषु अन्तःकरणस्य बुद्धेः वृत्तिः प्रकाशः देहे अस्मिन्
उपजायते । तदेव ज्ञानम् । यदा एवं प्रकाशो ज्ञानाख्यः उपजायते, तदा
ज्ञानप्रकाशेन लिङ्गेन विद्यात् विवृद्धम् उद्भूतं सत्त्वम् इति उत अपि ॥ ११ ॥

14.11 Yada, when; prakasah, the illumination-prakasa, illumination, is a
function of the internal organ, intelligence; that itself is jnanam,
knowledge; when this illumination called knowledge upajayate, radiates;
asmin, in this; dehe, body; sarva-dvaresu, through all the doors-all the
sense organs, (viz) ear etc., are the Self's doors of perception; through
all those doors; tada, then; through this indication, viz the illumination
that is knowledge, vidyat, one should know; iti, that; sattva has
vivrddham, increased; uta, greatly [See A.G.-Tr.].

Om Tat Sat