[Gita Bhashya]38 Fundamentals of Vedanta
Krishnan Iyer
Beginning from the Introduction to our culture we move on to exploring the fundamental of Vedanta
The overall picture …
An integrated mind lives in harmony internally as well as externally – ie. with the totality .
his Harmonious situation is the what drives Dharma . All dictates of Dharma ( Niti ) ensure such a situation ultimately.
Such harmony is achieved by directing the mind inwards – Nivritti , meaning renouncing the external objects and bringing the thoughts back – inwards thus achieving tranquility of mind.
Happiness we seek is thus ensured .
...Let us now see what can the mind contribute and how......
- Antahkarana : Manas / Buddhi / Chitta (Memory)/ Ahampratyaya or Ahamartha (I
notion / ego) – All this together is the Mind.
- The mind is an entity that expresses as thoughts ( Vritti)
- Thoughts are momentary , as they keep changing from moment to moment
- Yet there is an awareness of these changes that is constant – that is the changeless
Consciouness.
- The reflection of this changeless consciouness renders the mind sentient and the mind is able to Cognise the world of objects.
- This reflected consciousness in the mind is called “Chidabhasa”
- The Mind and Chidabhasa together are called “Ahamkara” – the changing ‘I ‘).
- The body, the ahamkara and atma together are called "jiva"- (‘I am the Karta / Bhogta’)
- The Changeless I is invoked as a continuing entity - is the Sakshi , being the witness of the changing mind.
- Hence there are Two consciousness in existence - a knower-consciousness and another consciousness which is the substratum of that consciousness
Prior to detailing these terms Chidabhasa , Jiva , Brahman etc. we shall touch upon the concept of mind.
Nature & Function of the Mind :
In Vedanta, mind is considered as 'flow of thoughts' (Vritti Dhaara) . Just as a flow of water is called ‘river’, a flow of thoughts is the ‘mind’.More correctly it may be described as ‘the basis on which the thoughts flow, rather than the flow itself’. It is the mind which determines the nature of the flow of thoughts. Just as Mumbai’s Mithi river is quantum leaps away from the Ganges , the individual minds differ vastly in being the basis on which each mind operates.
- Mind is a Subtle Matter.
- Is a Dravya ( Substance ) – is one of the nine categories of padarthas
- Mind is a matter since it has Gunaas ( Quality) – Budhi , a component of Mind is a one of
the 24 Gunas ( among 14 that apply to the self )
- Mind is a matter since it has Gunaas
- Mind is not an agent of knowledge but an instrument of knowledge
( The Agent is the Individual Soul – Jiva )
- Is also the locus of valid knowledge
- Is an invariable accompaniment of the self. Knowledge arises in the Self on account of the
mind
To understand this description , let us detail the classification of objects.The entire universe is divided into two sets:
Bhava-padartha Abhava-padartha
Dravya ( 5 elements,time,space,Mind) ---------|--------------
Guna (Visesha,Samanya & others) Samsargabhava Anyonya Abhava
Karman (relational absence) (Mutual Absence)
Samanya Atyantabhava(absolute absence)
Visesha Pragabhava (pre-absence)
Samavaya Pradhvamsabhava (destruction)
Qualities reside in a locus which is different from the qualities ( Gunaas) and that locus is called a substance ( Dravya)
Dravya is a Bhava Padaartha ( Matter).Matter is something that has relative presence but Jada (nescience).
Mind & Brain :
Brain is static,Whereas mind is dynamic. Mind has to move to provide accessibility of the world to the knower by plugging in and plugging off the senses.
If the mind were just a function of the body, then we cannot explain with any clarity the Avasthaas - the waking state, dream, deep sleep, and super consciousness.
For example, if the ego is the primary by-product of the workings of the brain, then what happens to it during deep sleep.
This brings us to the unique method of Vedanta , which explores the deep sleep state :
However , we shall discuss briefly the concept of the Self first and then proceed.
Vedanta had a clear conception of the self , steers itself away from the western dilemmas of Body Vs Mind , Self Vs Ego , Mind Vs Consciousness etc in a single stroke of defining the Self .
The Self alone is the subject. All others are not-self . As Sankaracharya says- ‘It is obvious that the subject and the object — that is, the Self and the Not-Self, which are as different as darkness and light are — cannot be identified with each other.
The Self is different from the body , mind and intellect.
The self alone persists under all circumstances and is beyond Space & Time .
However , the self is conditioned in its manifestation in the empirical world.We shall see the different aspect of the conditioning of the Self later.
Method of Vedanta - Brief Introduction
Recognition of a continuous I without a vritti is possible only if there is a constant consciousness other than the momentary consciousness of the mind, a constant I that exists even when the mind is absorbed in thoughts relating to an external occurrence and is, therefore, not in a position to entertain an ahamartha vritti.
To understand this Unchanging Consciousness as an object is not possible , it being the subject.
‘You cannot know the knower of knowledge’- Br.Up.3-4-2
‘When the false identification of the non-self is removed , the intrinsic nature of Self alone remains. This is what is meant by saying the Atman is known.
Vedanta , hence , reaches out to this understanding through a process of negation. However , there is one positive method - as an ‘relationless relationship’ between the substratum and the superimposition ( Adhishtana and Adhyasa )
The method of negation involves analysis of the Three States (Avasthaa Trayaa) or the Five sheaths (Pancha Kosha ).This analysis stand above all philosophical exercises including Speculative philosophies. Further, the analysis singularly reinforces the Concept of the Self in Indian Philosophical systems.
We shall ,subsequently detail the Anastha Trayaa - the Three states
Hari Om
P.G.KRISHNAN
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