Vivek Chudamani

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

Page 97

VIVEKACŪDAMANI
quired into Brahman after the study of the Upanisads that can qualify for direct realisation of Brahman.
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avrjinaḥ: one who is sinless. The śruti says: navirato duścaritāt nāśānto nasamahitaḥ, nāśāntamānaso vapi prajñānenainam apnuyat (Katha): "Not by him who has not desisted from evil conduct, who does not possess sama, etc., who is not collected, who does not have a mind at peace with itself can this be attained merely by prajñā alone."
The reason for saying that one should be an avṛjinaḥ sinless, is given by the next quality akāmahataḥ: one who is not subjected to kāma, the promptings of desire for external objects. One who is foiled by kāma (desire) is kāmahataḥ, one to whom his real nature does not shine. One not so foiled is akāmahataḥ He who has no idea of bliss of self-realisation is drawn to external pleasures and may sometimes even commit sin in the process of getting them. The brahmaviduttama, the eminent knower of Brahman on the other hand has direct enjoyment of the bliss of self-realisation. In accordance with the Gītā śloka: viṣaya vinivartante nirahārasya dehinaḥ rasavarjam, raso'pyasya param dṛṣṭvā nivartate || "Sense-objects withdraw from an abstemious person. But the taste for them may remain. Even this is annulled when the Supreme Brahman is seen (realised)." So, such a person has no worldly desires and he is said to be akāmahataḥ, i.e., one who is not hataḥ (struck) by kāma and is sinless. For kāma alone is the inducement to sin. That is declared by the Lord in reply to the query of Arjuna in the Gītā in the following and other slokas: atha kena prayukto'yam papaṁ carati puruṣaḥ anicchannapi vārṣṇeya baladiva niyojitaḥ 11 "Compelled by what, scion of the Vṛṣṇis, does a man indulge in sin though unintentionally, as if constrained to do it by force?" To this the Lord replies: kāma eşa krodha esa rajogunasamudbhavaḥ mahāśano māhāpāpmā viddhyenamiha vairiņam 11 "It is desire, it is anger born of rajoguņa which is all-devouring and all-sinful. Know thou, that is the foe here."
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brahmanyuparataḥ: One whose mind has found its rest in Brahman. Hence, one is at peace like a fire without fuel. A fire not fed by fuel is without flame. It is santa, contained in itself. So, who is withdrawn into Brahman is not attached to any external activity and is established in the nirguņa Brahman. Hence he is spoken of as sāntaḥ i.e. as one who is not affected by kāma etc.
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