Adhyasa - Superimposition

Rope is seen as snake due to ignorance.The particular aspect of ropeness is not seen due to ignorance, this is avarana. The snakeness is superimposed , this is vikshepa.

Vedanta gives the knowledge of brahman with the knowledge that there is adhyasa or superimposition.

The self I, is the witness of the 3 states of waking dreaming sleeping, and the witness of the body mind self complex. The witness consciousness is what the self is.

The witness consciousness IS, and is consciousness. The existence and consciousness aspect are self evident. The particular aspect of limitlessness is not known.  Hence I is taken to be the body mind, due to this ignorance.

The objects that are witnessed have timewise, spacewise, name form wise limitations that can be ascribed to them.

However sakshi chaitanyam being by nature, consciousness the subject, and not other than the subject ever, the name and form attributes, or location in space and time cannot be ascribed to sakshi chaitanyam. Sakshi chaitanyam is free from limitations, in other words limitless self.

However since we now appear to have the jagat and then sakshi chaitanyam, we appear to have 2 entities. This challenges the previous conclusion that the self is limitless in nature. Despite the conclusion being based on reasonable logic.

This is where the shruti comes in with knowledge being a pramana.
Shruti says that brahman or cosnciousness is satyam jnanam anantam, anantam referring to limtless nature.

The shruti says, that the limitless consciousness is the adhistanam like rope, and due to ignorance appears as the jagat. So this is vikshepa shakti. This aspect is also known as maya shakti.

The avarana shakti, is what causes the confusion at the level of jiva, where the attributes of body mind are superimposed onto the self.

Here shruti also makes it known, that the jagat being well put together, is a deliberate act, the way it is projected, or the vikshepa has an intelligence on how it is put together and also has the same material and intelligent cause. Thereby the vikshepa here is to be seen as a shakti, as a deliberate making use of the power of vikshepa. Ishvara is said to be the person making use of the vikshepa shakti to project the jagat, with himself as the material and intelligent cause.

This ishvara, is none other than consciousness.

Sakshiness, or witnesshood is only a status, like a janitor etc. is a status, with the body mind and karna sharira (ignorance) upadhi or costume, with ignorance being the efficient cause for the particular body mind , as its a product of karma. The reality of the self, of witness consciousness, is just the limitless consciousness, self existent, self evident.

Ishvara is not other than this consciousness.

Ishvara is the being who projects the jagat, has his reality to be this consciousness only. I only. I the meaning taken to be pure consciousness.

The ishvaratvam is a status, like a king, queen etc. is a status , with the vikshepa shakti upadhi, the jagat manifest as the upadhi. Ishvara is pure consiousness.

As pure consciousness alone is satyam, non duality is established.

Matter and Consciousness

The discrimination between matter and consciousness is what is correct knowledge.

Atma is consciousness, while mind, body, and objects of the universe are matter.

Consciousness is independent of matter, and not a part, product , or property of matter.

Matter is a dependent entity, dependent on consciousness for its existence.

Consciousness is changeless, not available for objectification, cannot be objectified, and is the reality of the subject.

Matter is ever changing, attributeful, can be objectified, or is available for objectification, and has no reality of its own.

When we say matter 'is' , the 'is' ness belongs to consciousness, the self.

The matterness is superimposed on consciousness, and due to the superimposition, consciousness itself appears as matter.

This superimposition is due to beginingless avidya or ignorance.

The mahavakya, says atma is ishvara, self is the cause of jagad.

Which means consciousness is the reality of matter.

This consciousness is the truth.

Atma is the truth.

Matter is none other than consciousness itself.

Mithya matter and maker and material and knower etc. being mithya , resolve in satyam, knowing satyam.

That is always the case. Knowing satyam, mithya is resolved in satyam.

Knowing clay, pot resolves in clay.

Same way knowing atma consciousness as satyam, matter resolves in consciousness, knower known knowledge all 3 resolve in atma the consciousness.

The real and different path to bigness

Bigness, is one word which is only understood by us in a relative sense.

The human pursuit as a whole is more or less can be summarised, and said to be a continuous effort to be big.

In terms of material, there is only one bigness , as ishvara, as the omnipotent, omnipresent.

The person identifying with an individual body mind, has no way to relate to becoming the omnipotent omnipresent. Thereby the pursuit of bigness remains largely relative and eternally incomplete.

However with the very fact that there is a desire to be big, totally big, has to be solved for a human who is self conscious.

The shastra gives the knoweldge that the invidividual self, as such is none other than the universal, limitless self.

The conscious being I, it says is the non dual total cosmic being , with the cosmos being an upadhi, or a mithya manifestation, and the non dual consciousness, itself is limitless in terms of space, time and attributless (non limited in terms of being a particular object), and this self , is itself the only being. The cosmic being is none other than this self.

This knowledge is a different route to bigness, yet the only real route to bigness.

The actions that people perform to become big, lose relevance. Hence this person, pursuing this knowledge ends up being different.

However when it comes to worldly activities, he can still be engaged in actions, but with a difference.

Instead of performing actions to become big, the person, who is big, can enjoy the limitations and perform actions, without any need to be big, but purely as a vibhuti or a luxury.

It becomes a shakti, a glory. A pure glory, an addition, which only adds a glory and not bigness.

The actions performed, the desires desired, the things known are to be seen as a glory, as a luxury, as a play or leela, as a creative expression coming from already full fullness, not really adding to fullness.

These creative expressions are the glories of the lord, the power that is present , is in fact the lord itself, is bhagavan. This recognition of bhagavan, as non separate from oneself, and the expression of oneself in the universe, itself as all bhagavan, is the culmination of advaitic knowledge and bhakti. There is no end, or limit to the divine expressions and that is the glory that is to be understood.

There is no limit to oneself the reality, neither is there a limit to divine glories and expression it finds in ones own divine manifestations. This positivity is the contribution that is the svarupa of the jnani, which is nothing other than total surrender to ishvara in terms of knowledge. 

Ekatama Darshana

Brahman is understood with two kinds of lakshanas.

Tatastha lakshana, and svarupa lakshana

Tatastha lakshana defines brahman as jagad kAranam. It is the vivarta upAdana karanam, with maya shakti. Maya is mithya, and trigunatmika. Maya is brahman. Brahman is satyam, triguna rahita, or nirguna.

Svarupa lakshana defines brahman to be satchitananda atma. Chit refers to self evident consciousness. We understand atma as the witness consciousness, that is self evident. Witness the name is with reference to the witnessed, so the witnessing is a nama rupa, and by itself atma is just chit, self evident. Hence atma or brahman need not be known , and need not be a knower also. It exists, is self evident, and self existent. Also it is anantam, as it does not have the limitations belonging to the known universe, such as space time limitation, or attribute wise limitations.

Hence atma is satchitananda, atma is brahman, satchitananda.

So in two fold manner brahman is understood. In terms of its svarupa lakshana, brahman is satyamjnanamanantam. 

In terms of tatastha lakshana, brahman is jagad karanam, wherein the karanam status is mithya. The karyam is non separate from karanam and is also mithya.

This two fold status is important as it establishes non duality as the truth. Advaitam as the truth, and oneself as the advaita satyam.

Oneself need not be known. Oneself need not be proved to be limitless or self existent. Oneself is to be understood to be brahman. Brahman is to be understood as satyam. Jagad or ishvara(bhagavan) being mithya is to be understood as none other than oneself, oneself is the being , the reality.

Tat Tvam Asi

   Tat 

     The vachyartha of tat, is the jagad karanam ishvara, who is bhagavan. Owner of six bhagas.

ऐश्वर्यस्य समग्रस्य वीर्यस्य यशसः श्रियः।

ज्ञान-वैराग्ययोश्चैव षण्णां भग इतीरणा॥

These are: all knowledge, jnana; total dispassion, vairagya; the capacity     to create, sustain, and resolve, virya; absolute fame,yasas; all        wealth, sri; and overlordship, aisvarya.

The lakshyartha, is satyam brahma. The reality of ishvara, which is satchitananda.

What is satchitananda brahman?

Tvam 

Tvam in general refers to jiva. But when we look at oneself atma, considered to be jiva, atma is 
    sakshi chaitanyam, chit, who is witness consciousness, of 3 states of waking dreaming sleeping,
   confused with the panchakoshas, and with the dehatrayam (sthula sukshma karana sharira), but
   sakshi chaitanyam is pure consciousness, and being witness to space and time, is limitless in terms
   of space and time, and self existent.

This sakshi chaitanyam is brahman, the jagad karanam.

This is mahavakya, wherein the bhagavan is equated with jiva as one and the same. That is
   understood by taking the lakshyartha. Lakshyartha refers to the one truth, which is non dual
   satchitananda brahman, who is alone atma.

Doership, ahamkara is sublated by this knowledge. It is a mere ornament for the survival of the
    body mind, which itself is ishvara srishti, wherein the total maya sharira is pervading the individual
    body mind as well.

So let there be no doubt with respect to the fact of atma being brahman, and deha and the
    universe being mithya karyam. The seeing doing is ishvara anugraha, and maya anugraha, whole
   jagad can be appreciated as an effect, and oneself understood to be non separate reality or
   satyam.

Unfolding I as brahman with QnA

Q: What does shastra say

A: Its says I or self am brahman

Q: What is brahman?

A: Brahman is cause of the universe all that is here.

Q: What is meant by all that is here?

A: All that is here means, from perspective of human being, it means all that he or she knows, all that he or she doesnt know, as well as himself the subject or the knower.

Q: So does it mean everything , the whole?

A: Yes it means every thing, the whole

Q: So shastra says the whole has only one cause?

A: Yes the whole has only one cause

Q: How can self be the cause, the self is just the body mind, limited I.

A: This conclusion is due to non examining. You are the sakshi, the knower of your body mind, emotions, and knower of sleep state , dream state, waking state. You are the consciousness.

Q: So I the consciousness is the cause of All?

A: Yes, cause of all, brahman

Q: But I find that I am still here, and I havent become all, I am not a bird, I am not a tree and so on. Also I am limited to being the seer of this mind alone.

A: A bird a tree IS brahman, while brahman is free from names and forms. Seer is with respect to the known, its a name as well. All of this is Brahman or consciousness .

VyavasayAtmika Buddhi

There are 4 goals or purushasrthas

1. Dharma
2. Artha
3. Kama

Moksa is called the 4th purushartha, but really speaking is not the fourth.

This is because when one is pursuing dharma, artha and kama, moksa is being sought invariably.
So moksa is the invariable goal, and dharma artha kama are the variable goals.

Moksa here means fulfilment.

While pursuing following of dharma , one is looking for fulfilment that I am a dharmi.
Same as a kami, and an artharthi, I am seeking a fulfilled self.

A vivekin, or a person of discrimination, will be able to understand that dharma , artha, kama, itself is not generating fulfilment.

Dharma might lead to punya and experience of punya, as well a good name and peace etc. But it is the self that is fulfilled. And inspite of practicing dharma, the person may see other areas where due to papa experiencing some sorrow.

In artha kama, there is always only a temporary experience of fulfilled self.

The objects that one seeks in dharma artha kama, they themself do not contain fulfilment as a property. The fulfilment is experienced in the self alone.

Thereby since the dharma artha kama or preyas if we call them, they are only leading to a highly time bound limited experience of fulfilment, surely they cannot be a means of fulfilment.

However in all my pursuit, what is invariable is that I want to be fulfilled.

This invariable pursuit has to be hence seen as Moksa, a fourth , that is invariable in all pursuits, yet does not seem to be something that can be acquired as a result of other pursuits.

So shastra says the self is the whole, and already fulfilled, limitless consciousness and the reality of ishvara or jagad karana.

This knowledge alone means, one can own up to ones own already fulfilled nature.

But as a human the other desires also becomes a means to the ultimate desire, when the other desires are made a means towards chitta shuddhi via karma yoga. So pursuing dharma artha kama as a karma yogi, we gain jnana yogyatvam, and via jnana yoga we as though gain that purnatvam, in terms of knowledge, freeing oneself from the notion of limitation which is projected upon oneself due to ignorance.