[Chaturamnaya] Tattvabodha of Adi Sankaracharya - 2

[S Jayanarayanan]

(Continued from previous post)
 
 
Introduction to tattvabodha
 
In the pursuit of life every being searches
for happiness (sukha praapti). Getting education
getting a job acquiring wealth becoming famous
etc.  are all some examples of the limitless
desires of all humans in general. As one desires
to obtain what one wants one also desires not
to get what one does not want! Not getting what
is wanted and/or getting what is not wanted
result(s) in sorrow and so one likes to get rid
of the resulting sorrow (dukha nivrtti). Thus
the happiness that one seeks should be unalloyed
happiness (dukham-free-sukham) eternal
happiness (nitya sukham) and infinite or limitless
happiness (niratiSaya sukham). When one
wonders as to how to acquire such a happiness
a question arises is it at all possible to "acquire"
such a happiness?!
 
When we analyse the nature of beings
we generally observe two types of properties.
The properties/characteristics are explained by
a popular example of the process of heating
water. Water is kept on a vessel and heated with
a flame. The nature of water is "cold" and the
nature of flame is "heat". During the process of
heating, the vessel acquires the heat of the flame
first and then the water in the vessel. Or the
heat of the hot-water is acquired from the flame.
Hot water loses its heat once the flame is
removed. Coldness of the water and the heat of
the flame are natural or intrinsic to them
respectively and are called as intrinsic properties
(svarupa lakshana). The intrinsic property does
not depend on external conditions and is eternal.
The heat of the water is borrowed from the name
and is lost by change of external conditions
namely removal of the name. Thus the heat of
the water is an acquired or borrowed property
and is ephemeral.
 
Given the above analysis the term
"acquisition" of nitya sukham is a misnomer
because it can not depend on any external
conditions. This leads to the answer for the
tempting question of why one should pursue to
the learning of Vedanta! Vedanta teaches that
the true nature of beings is divine and eternal
happiness. That means true happiness is not
something that needs to be "acquired" but is
intrinsic to all beings.
 
The term "Vedanta" literally means that
which is (kept physically at) the end of Vedas
(vedasya anta); logically also it is the ultimate
knowledge that one would seek! As mentioned
earlier tattva Bodha is a primer that helps us to
understand the elements of Vedanta. Vedas have
two logical sections - Karma kanda and jnana
kanda. The Karma kanda sections contain
Samhitas, Brahmanas, and Aranyakas. The jnana
kanda sections deal with Vedanta and contain
the upanishads and brahma sutras. The terms used
in these vedantic sections are not defined but
only statements are made. For example
upanishadic statements such as prajnanam
brahma (Consciousness is Brahman); tat-tvam-asi
(That Thou art); aham-brahma-asmi (I am
brahman); ayam atma brahma (this Self within is
brahman) are given in various upanishads. The
words used in such statements like "atma",
"brahma", "tat" etc. have packed in their
mysterious depths endless suggestions and
imports that an ordinary student in spite of a
complete study of the upanishads may not be
able to handle them properly! Explortion and
understanding of the suggestiveness in these
mystic words are not at all obvious to the
unprepared student and so the student needs a
special orientation. This is gained through the
careful study of the prakriya (or prakarana) texts
such as Tattvabodha!
 
Tattva Bodha deals with several queries
in prose form. Scholars believe from the context
and contents that Adi Shankara had authored it
though the authorship is not explicit from the
text itself. Tattvabodha is presented as a fictitious
dialogue between the teacher and student. For
the purpose of our understanding, the subject
matter can be logically divided into five sections
as follows:
1. Introduction (Upodhgata)
2. Analysis of the individual (Jiva or Atma
vicAra OR Atma vicAra)
3.  Analysis of creation (Srushti vicAra)
4. Analysis of identity between Jiva and Isvara
(Jiva Isvara vicAra) and the
5. Fruit of knowledge of Atman (jnAnaphalam).
 
 
(Continued in next post)