Upanisad communicates the reality that is brahman, by separating out the maya component and leaving just the essence that is the truth.
This is done by looking at the truth from various angles.
Individual
The individual is looked at in various ways. Here individual refers to the person who says 'I', this person is what we call atma, or self.
This self is commonly identified as
a. Body Mind All the qualities of the body mind are taken to be as good as the self. Therefore the person is forever complex ridden, and looking to improve the body mind, and how he 'feels' about himself or herself.
b. Doer and Enjoyer The self is said to be a doer and enjoyer. Hence the person is attached to karma, and the results of karma.
c. Waker, Dreamer, Sleeper The person identifies himself with the waker dreamer and sleeper. He thinks he is a person with a body mind, who is waking, dreaming and sleeping.
Separating atma from anatma
In order to understand what atma or how atma or self really is some methodologies are adopted.
a. Sharira trayAtitaH
The one who is other than the 3 bodies. 3 bodies includes gross body, subtle body which is mind and the subtle organs of hearing and so on.
Atma is understood as the sAkshi or witness to the 3 bodies. I witness my body changing from young to old, I witness hunger and thirst, I witness my thoughts and so on.
b. AvasthA traya sAkshi
I am witness to the 3 states of waking , dreaming and sleeping.
Here atma is again understood to be a witness, and not the dreamer or waker or sleeper itself.
Witness is what we call as 'chit'
This witness is called as chit, or consciosness. Hence the very same, very well known atma, who I used to think I am as good as this body, vedanta questions this conclusion, and clarifies, that I am not as good as the body, but I am the consciousness principle.
Nature of chit
Vedanta talks a little more about the nature of chit.
a. Chit is self evident, nothing else is needed to make chit evident, it is that in whos presence anything that can ever become evident , becomes evident, but chit itself is that self evident entity
b. Being self evident chit is self existent
c. Chit has no attributes. It is nirgunaH
d. Chit is not limited by space, in fact space is evident to oneself
e. Chit is not limited by time
f.. Any sentient or conscious being reflects chit
g. Chit is the illuminator w.r.t any object that becomes evident, or reflects chit, such as mind reflects chit, and appears to be the 'knower', while objects become evident to chit. However chit itself is like the sun. In presence of suns light things are revealed, however light itself doesnt perform any action to illumine, simply in its presence things are revealed
Ishvara
Second angle in which we look at brahman is as ishvara.
Ishvara is the causal being for this jagad.
Jagad includes all that is here, includes my own body mind also.
Ishvara is the non dual cause.
How? How means, vedanta is the pramAna for this.
Vedanta reveals what is not known to our sense organs and other inferential means of knowledge. It is a revealing instrument, a means of knowledge.
Vedanta says, that this ishvara is a causal being. She is the non dual causal being, with creative potential or power, otherwise known as shakti.
Shakti can be looked at as 'isccha shakti', 'kriya shakti' and 'gnana shakti', the power to desire, to create and to know.
She is also looked at as the one who wields 3 gunas, sattva rajas and tamas.
The upanisad says that this causal being desired and from her arose the different worlds. From her arose the 5 basic elements , which evolved into the numerous lokas and its beings.
Now the question really is what is the nature of this being.
Is she inert , or conscious, or is she a combination of inert and conscious being?
What is her essential nature.
The veda says ishvara is
If her nature is inert, that is not possible since to know the inert being, another conscious being is needed.
Then is ishvara a combination of inert and conscious?
It is, but this combination has to be understood, since there are various types of combinations.
There is a combination where two entities are mixed. This means matter and consciousness are two entities and mix to form ishvara.
Again this is not possible, since if matter were to exist independently, it will not be only revealed to exist in presence of consciousness.
Also even if we assume it to exist, then ishvara becomes limited,then which one is ishvara? is ishvara matter or is it conciousness.
Brahma sutras in detail quash this logic that matter and consciousness are separate entities.
Hence the only valid combination is that of satyam mithya.
This means consciousness is satyam and matter is mithya.
Like a clay pot. Clay is satyam and pot is mithya.
Same way ishvaras 3 gunas of sattva rajas and tamas are her maya component, qualifying to be called as mithya, while her essential nature is consciouness which is satyam.
Therefore ishvara is called as satyam. The cause. Tat.
Tat Tvam Asi
The ishvara and jiva are equated. How can they be equal. They cannot be equal if we look at their attributes. One is limited attributes of body mind, other is limitlessly endlessly splendourous attribute of entire universe including the body mind.
However if you look at the essential being, it is none other than consciousness or chit, which is the cause satyam. Sat.
Chit and Sat are one and the same. This is the one being, the one atma.
That atma alone is I. I alone is atma or brahman which with gunas appears to be two , ishvara and jiva.
This is done by looking at the truth from various angles.
Individual
The individual is looked at in various ways. Here individual refers to the person who says 'I', this person is what we call atma, or self.
This self is commonly identified as
a. Body Mind All the qualities of the body mind are taken to be as good as the self. Therefore the person is forever complex ridden, and looking to improve the body mind, and how he 'feels' about himself or herself.
b. Doer and Enjoyer The self is said to be a doer and enjoyer. Hence the person is attached to karma, and the results of karma.
c. Waker, Dreamer, Sleeper The person identifies himself with the waker dreamer and sleeper. He thinks he is a person with a body mind, who is waking, dreaming and sleeping.
Separating atma from anatma
In order to understand what atma or how atma or self really is some methodologies are adopted.
a. Sharira trayAtitaH
The one who is other than the 3 bodies. 3 bodies includes gross body, subtle body which is mind and the subtle organs of hearing and so on.
Atma is understood as the sAkshi or witness to the 3 bodies. I witness my body changing from young to old, I witness hunger and thirst, I witness my thoughts and so on.
b. AvasthA traya sAkshi
I am witness to the 3 states of waking , dreaming and sleeping.
Here atma is again understood to be a witness, and not the dreamer or waker or sleeper itself.
Witness is what we call as 'chit'
This witness is called as chit, or consciosness. Hence the very same, very well known atma, who I used to think I am as good as this body, vedanta questions this conclusion, and clarifies, that I am not as good as the body, but I am the consciousness principle.
Nature of chit
Vedanta talks a little more about the nature of chit.
a. Chit is self evident, nothing else is needed to make chit evident, it is that in whos presence anything that can ever become evident , becomes evident, but chit itself is that self evident entity
b. Being self evident chit is self existent
c. Chit has no attributes. It is nirgunaH
d. Chit is not limited by space, in fact space is evident to oneself
e. Chit is not limited by time
f.. Any sentient or conscious being reflects chit
g. Chit is the illuminator w.r.t any object that becomes evident, or reflects chit, such as mind reflects chit, and appears to be the 'knower', while objects become evident to chit. However chit itself is like the sun. In presence of suns light things are revealed, however light itself doesnt perform any action to illumine, simply in its presence things are revealed
Ishvara
Second angle in which we look at brahman is as ishvara.
Ishvara is the causal being for this jagad.
Jagad includes all that is here, includes my own body mind also.
Ishvara is the non dual cause.
How? How means, vedanta is the pramAna for this.
Vedanta reveals what is not known to our sense organs and other inferential means of knowledge. It is a revealing instrument, a means of knowledge.
Vedanta says, that this ishvara is a causal being. She is the non dual causal being, with creative potential or power, otherwise known as shakti.
Shakti can be looked at as 'isccha shakti', 'kriya shakti' and 'gnana shakti', the power to desire, to create and to know.
She is also looked at as the one who wields 3 gunas, sattva rajas and tamas.
The upanisad says that this causal being desired and from her arose the different worlds. From her arose the 5 basic elements , which evolved into the numerous lokas and its beings.
Now the question really is what is the nature of this being.
Is she inert , or conscious, or is she a combination of inert and conscious being?
What is her essential nature.
The veda says ishvara is
If her nature is inert, that is not possible since to know the inert being, another conscious being is needed.
Then is ishvara a combination of inert and conscious?
It is, but this combination has to be understood, since there are various types of combinations.
There is a combination where two entities are mixed. This means matter and consciousness are two entities and mix to form ishvara.
Again this is not possible, since if matter were to exist independently, it will not be only revealed to exist in presence of consciousness.
Also even if we assume it to exist, then ishvara becomes limited,then which one is ishvara? is ishvara matter or is it conciousness.
Brahma sutras in detail quash this logic that matter and consciousness are separate entities.
Hence the only valid combination is that of satyam mithya.
This means consciousness is satyam and matter is mithya.
Like a clay pot. Clay is satyam and pot is mithya.
Same way ishvaras 3 gunas of sattva rajas and tamas are her maya component, qualifying to be called as mithya, while her essential nature is consciouness which is satyam.
Therefore ishvara is called as satyam. The cause. Tat.
Tat Tvam Asi
The ishvara and jiva are equated. How can they be equal. They cannot be equal if we look at their attributes. One is limited attributes of body mind, other is limitlessly endlessly splendourous attribute of entire universe including the body mind.
However if you look at the essential being, it is none other than consciousness or chit, which is the cause satyam. Sat.
Chit and Sat are one and the same. This is the one being, the one atma.
That atma alone is I. I alone is atma or brahman which with gunas appears to be two , ishvara and jiva.
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