[Chaturamnaya] Tattvabodha of Adi Sankaracharya - 19

[S Jayanarayanan]

(Continued from previous post)
 
 
AvasthAtrayam
 
jAgrat:
Wakeful state - the State of experience when sense objects like sound are perceived
through the sense organs like ear. The objective world is available for experience
using the organs of perception. The experiences of subtle and causal bodies are
also available in this state. Atman is identified with the Sthula Sareera in this
state and is termed as 'viSwa' . (complete with the objective world).
 
svapna:
Dream state; the state of experience projected during sleep from the vAsanAs
(impressions) created from what was perceived during waking state. The
impressions generated from waking state may be mixed to project new object(s)
or new experience(s) in dream state. The dream experience(s) (projections of mind)
may not be real from wakeful standpoint. Atman is identified with the Sukshma
Sareera in this state and is termed as 'taijasa'. (luminous with projections of
thoughts).
 
suShupti:
Deep sleep state - the state of experience which one relates later as, "I do not
know; I had a nice good sleep"; There is no specific experience by the person
who experiences. This is the ignorance part. Also, there is no feeling of gross and
subtle bodies and that gives rise to a state of happiness. After the state of
experience, when the person returns back to the wakeful state, organs of action
and impressions are re-gained. Atman is identified with the causal body in this
state and is termed as 'prAjna' (nearly ignorant).
 
 
Kosha pancakam
 
annamaya sthula Sareera: 
Food sheath - associated with the gross body which is born of food (consumed
by parents), nourishes by food and returns back as food after death as organic
matter, to earth.
 
prANaaya suksha Sareera:
Air sheath - associated with the subtle body components; panca prANas (five
vital air) and karmendriyas (five organs of action). Panca prANas and the
associated functions are - prANa (Respiratory), apAna (Circulatory), vyAna
(Excretory), udAna (Reversing) and samAna (Digestive).
 
mananoaya suksha Sareera:
Mental sheath; associated with the subtle body components; Mind and fiv
organs of perception.
 
vijnAnaaya suksha Sareera:
Intellectual sheath; associated with the subtle body components; Buddhi
(Intellect) and five organs of perception; Mind and Buddhi belong to the
same faculty but when it oscillates, it is called Mind and when it is decisive,
it is called Buddhi. Intellect is also responsible for ahamkAra (aham kartA).
 
Anandaaya kAraNa Sareera:
Bliss sheath; associated with causal body. The happiness experienced by a
person in deep sleep corresponds to Anandamaya sheath. There is ignorance
about the experience and there is no awareness of the gross and subtle bodies;
but the experience is filled with Vrittis (modification of thoughts) such as
priya (darSanamAtram - getting joyful by looking at a thing one likes, moda
getting joyful by possession of a thing one likes) and pramoda
(anubhavamAtram - getting joyful by experiencing a thing one likes).
 
The author has described the anAtmA at-
tributes so far. Atman or the Self is not one of
the three bodies, is not one of the three states
of experience but is present in every one of
those states (avathA traya SaakshI) and is not
any of the five sheaths discussed, but tran-
scends all of them. (panca koSA tltaH) . By iden-
tif ying the Self with one of the sheaths or with
one of the states, It becomes limited by that
nature or attribute. For example, when we try
to identify the Self with sthula Sareeram, It is
limited by the change or modification
(shadvikAra); when we identify the Self with
manomaya koSa, It is limited by the emotions
and feelings of the mind Thus, all the eleven
different anAtmA elements are identified as
originating from a material principle jaDa
vastu - shadvikAra) and they go through a pro-
cess of change. They are different from the
subject (which is Atman or Self) because
Atman is Satyam or remains unchanged dur-
ing the three periods of time (past, present and
future); is nirvikAra, the Cetanam etc. Subse-
quently, author proceeds to explain the quali-
ties or attributes of Atman, which will be dis-
cussed in the next issue.
 
References / Source Material:
1.	Tattvabodha of Sankaracharya, Central
Chinmaya Mission Trust, Bombay. 1995.
2.	Tattvabodha - Lectures by Swami
Paramarthananda, Madras.
 
 
(Continued in next post)