________________
VIVEKACÜDAMANI
213
āśramāḥ: brahmacarya etc., dharma: being a man, being a brāhmaņa etc., karmāņi: secular actions like standing or moving; religious actions like utterances of mantras; guņāḥ: being short or tall, or being of good or evil qualities. In all these there is a sense of 'mine' when the buddhi in which the effulgence of the ātmā is reflected combines with indriyas, the deha etc.; then it super-imposes on itself the functions and qualities of the deha etc.
parātmanah: of the nature of the inner ātman. The buddhi by itself is acetana, jada. Why then is the expression parātmanah used with reference to it? The answer is by the śruti 'cetanaścetananām': the buddhi being like cetana is extremely close to the Paramātman which is of the nature of cit which is alone (without a second), free from impurity and unattached.
In the case of other indriyas there is no direct contact with the caitanya. As there is special direct proximity with the supreme caitanya, this kośa does not depend on anything else for the reflection (of the ātman) ir it. The idea is that in the case of the other organs there is no direct and immediate proximity to the ātman. Hence this vijñānamayakośa which is of the form of buddhi is very effulgent and this upādhi is the cause of the distinction as jīva. It is the primal cause of agency for action and enjoyment which qualities reside in the jīva. Hence, the ātman with the ser.se of the "I" undergoes the afflictions of agency for action etc., and gets involved in samsāra due to delusion.
191 The same itself is further explained. योऽयं विज्ञानमयः प्राणेषु हदि स्फुरत्स्वयंज्योतिः । कूटस्थस्सन्नात्मा कर्ता भोक्ता भवत्युपाधिस्थः॥१९१॥ yo'yam vijñānamayaḥ prāņeșu hydi sphurat svayamjyotih kūtasthah sannātmā kartā bhoktā bhavatyupādhisthaḥ 11
This ātmā which is compacted of vijñāna which is selfeffulgent and shines in the heart near the prānas, being immutable, becomes a doer and enjoyer in the midst of the upādhis.
prāņeșu hȚdi sphurat svayamjyoti”: prāņeşu does not mean 'in the prāņas'. It is 'sāmīpya saptamī', like the pāşāne vrkṣaḥ: tree in a stone, i.e., tree near a stone. prānesu means near the eye etc. As the reference of 'I' is attached to many things, in the context of King Janaka's question to the sage Yājñavalkya: 'Which of these
