Vivek Chudamani

Author(s): Chandrashekhar Bharti Swami, P Sankaranarayan
Publisher: Bharatiya Vidyabhavan

Page 67

VIVEKACUDAMANI
19
(man). The atman is unattached (asanga) and of the form of existence, intelligence and bliss (saccidānandarupa). By non-realisation of its true nature, it is mistaken as the kāraṇa (causal), sūkṣma (subtle), and sthula (gross) bodies. Hence, the delusion as ajña, kartā, and manuṣya. Such condition itself is being immersed in the ocean of saṁsāra.
It is to be noted that one has no awareness of saṁsāra in deep dreamless sleep (sușupti) even though susupti is characterised by ajñāna. The reason for this is that in deep sleep though there is ajñāna, the mind (manas) is not operative. The cause of samsara is to be traced to the combination of ajñāna and the mind. For it is said: "Mind alone is the cause for the bondage and the liberation of men. Attachment to objects of sense through the mind makes for bondage, while withdrawal from them leads to liberation."
mana eva manuṣyāṇām kāranam bandhamokṣayoḥ bandhāya viṣayāsaktam muktyai nirviṣayam smṛtam 11
-Manu.
Hence, the attachment of an undiscriminating mind to the body itself is immersion of the atman (here, mind) in the ocean of samsāra. When it is cleansed and perfected by the processes of listening (śravana), reflection (manana), etc., then, it attains its true state devoid of delusion. This means that the non-discriminating (deluded) mind must be raised up (salvaged) or drawn away from whatever is non-atman, by the mind which has acquired discrimination from the study of the sastras. Even thus, the process of salvaging (uddharana) is only metaphorical. It is an 'as if'. For, the atman is in reality always non-attached. But, by its habit of looking outward, it appears to be attached even as a crystal appears to be red by its proximity to a red object. When the red object which is the limiting adjunct (upadhi) is removed, the crystal is seen to be white as ever. Similarly, in respect of the atman, when it is turned inward freed from its connection with whatever is nonatman, the ātman remains in its isolation and is said to be salvaged (uddhṛta). The 'sequence is that one should raise (salvage) the atman immersed in the ocean of samsara after attaining yogārūḍhatva by the atman established in samyagdarśana.
To clearly explain the condition of being a yogārūḍha, Śrī Bhagavatpāda deals in the next śloka with the means to attain the state of samyagdarśananiṣṭhā namely śravana, manana and nididhyāsana which must be practised after one has adopted the saṁnyāsa-āśrama.