🌹Chapter 6 of Panchadashi has two parts: i) the distinction between Sat & Asat, indicated by the Chitra-pata, the Samkshepa-Prakarana, and ii) the Vistāra-Prakarana, explained by the example of space of four kinds. 🌹The first section took the example of the four stage of a painting, using the principles of the ābhāsa-vastra and ādhāra-vastra, the superimposed and substratum cloths, representing the reflected or localised consciousness and the all-pervasive consciousness, to observe their differences. 🌹The purpose was to tell that we must discriminate between Satya and Mithyā, that the world and the Jīva are false and the consciousness alone is Truth. 🌹From the 18th verse, Swāmi Vidyāranya began expounding the examples of four kinds of space, where two of them were reflected spaces, and the other two were unreflected. They were two pairs of a microcosmic and macrocosmic Ākāsha or space each. 🌹Mahākāsha was the total space, Ghatākāsha was the space bound by a pot. The two reflected spaces were Jalākāsha & Meghākāsha, reflection of space in a pot of water, & in the water droplets if clouds. 🌹Now, Swāmi Vidyāranya will perform the Viveka between Ghatākāsha and Jalākāsha, that is, between the Jīva and Kūtastha. This is effectively, Tvam-padārtha-shodhana, purification of the 'I' aspect. 🌹From the 22nd to the 103rd verse, the Kūtastha-Jīva-viveka is undertaken, and form 104th to 209th is Brahma-Īshvara-viveka. 🌹From 210th to the 246th verse, Kūtastha-Brahma-Aikya or oneness of the two is taken. 🌹And finally from the 247th to 290th verse, the phala or fruit of understanding these aspects and the 'Tattvamasi' Mahāvākya is indicated. अधिष्ठानतया देहद्वयावच्छिन्नचेतनः । कूटवन्निर्विकारेण स्थितः कूटस्थ -उच्यते ॥ 22॥ 🌹Swami Vidyaranya's style is very unique, detailed, logical, and progressive; not abrupt or confusing. 🌹Therefore His work got the place of being such a text that, the study of the Upanishads is said to be incomplete without studying Panchadashi. 🌹The 22nd verse says that, the consciousness known as Kūtastha is that which is conditioned by the gross and subtle bodies. 🌹We normally think that we are the body itself. There are various faults with this - i) Vikāra: our body has undergone various changes in age, shape, size, health etc over time, that is, it has modified. Having been so, it cannot be the 'I' itself as something un-modifying and other than the body alone can experience/know and remember the change of the body over time. 🌹ii) The body cannot be both 'I', and 'my', it can only be either of them, but we contradictorily refer to it as both. 🌹At times we also identify ourselves with the subtle body, mind or emotions. Again however, since there is modification or change in that mind and thoughts, hence an unchanging Self must be the seer of it. The emotions always come and go quickly, but 'I' still am, to witness the coming and going of the next emotions. 🌹While anything else in the world has a fixed and certain definition, it is only rh 'I' which has multiple definitions over time and place. 🌹But if there are so many suffixes to 'I Am' and so many definitions for it, they all must be false. 🌹The word Kūtastha itself refers to the anvil upon which the blacksmith gives shape to the iron or gold, but that anvil bears no change. 🌹Similarly, it is upon the consciousness that the conditionings of the subtle and gross bodies appear. कूटस्थे कल्पिता बुद्धिस्तत्र चित् प्रतिबिम्बकः । प्राणानां धारणाज्जीवः संसारेण स युज्यते ॥ 23॥ 🌹The 23rd verse now says, by 'kalpitā' that is Mithyā, the intellect is superimposed on the Kūtastha or consciousness. 🌹This happens when we associate our Self with the attributes of the intellect like 'I am intelligent' etc. 🌹In that sūkshma-buddhi (tatra), there is a small reflection of the consciousness or Kūtastha. And therefore one uses the expressions that associate the 'I' with the nature of the intellect. 🌹In reality, the Kūtastha itself has no relation with the intellect. But the reflection of that in the intellect gives rise to the practical 'I' or the Jīva, with which we transact. 🌹That Jīva is the holder of the Prānas or the vital energies. It travels from one body to the next, holding the Prāna of each for a certain time, along with its baggage of the subtle and causal bodies and its vāsanās. 🌹We should learn to see our life at a distance, seeing everything as a passing cloud. Our experience of helplessness alone expresses as sorrows, but we have chosen to suffer from them by associating too closely with the non-Self जलव्योम्ना घटाकाशोयथा सर्वस्तिरोहितः । तथा जीवेन कूटस्थः सोऽन्योऽन्याध्यास उच्यते ॥24॥ 🌹The 24th verse now explores the principle behind Jalākāsha. When one see water in the pot, we firstly fail to note the space in the pot. 🌹And when we see our face moving in the water, we feel our face is moving, not realizing that it is only the total real space, superimposed in the water of the pot. 🌹Further, one also does not realise that there is a space in the pot as well, aside from the space reflecting in the water. It is only by that space in the pot, that the water can be placed in it. 🌹And that pot space, as well as the total space, are both unaffected or unchanging by the movement of the water in the pot and the movement in the reflection of the total space in the water of the pot. 🌹Yet, the ordinary would see only the moving water in the pot, and neither the pot-space, or the total space. 🌹Similarly, the Jīva has concealed/obscured the Kūtastha or pure consciousness, as the ornament even conceals the gold. The 'I' that is timeless, spaceless, limitless, is concealed by the limited 'I'. 🌹Different situations create different thoughts in us, but we should ensure to let them be our cloth but not our skin. When we slip into associations with these thoughts and identify with them, they become our skin, playing upon us. Slipping into any matter in this way signifies ignorance. 🌹Between the Kūtastha and the mind thus, there is mutual superimposition. The nature of Kūtastha, consciousness, is superimposed on the inert mind, and the mind has been superimposed on the Kūtastha, together giving an idea of a limited I-ness with a shape, as a notion in us about our self. This is known as mutual superimposition or anyo'nya-adhyāsa. यं जीवो न कूटस्थं विविनक्ति कदाचन । अनादिरविवेकोऽयं मूलाविद्येति गम्यताम् ॥ 25॥ 🌹The next verse now says that, it is by this mutual superimposition and the avidyā or ignorance/delusion arising from it, that the Jīva is unable to discriminate itself as not being the Jīva but the Kūtastha. 🌹This delusion alone is the mūla-avidyā, the primal or original unkowingness, due to which the Jīva fails to recognise the Kūtastha as distinct from it, and itself as nothing but Kūtastha.
Pranam Swamiji sadar Charan sparsh
🌹Chapter 6 of Panchadashi has two parts: i) the distinction between Sat & Asat, indicated by the Chitra-pata, the Samkshepa-Prakarana, and ii) the Vistāra-Prakarana, explained by the example of space of four kinds.
🌹The first section took the example of the four stage of a painting, using the principles of the ābhāsa-vastra and ādhāra-vastra, the superimposed and substratum cloths, representing the reflected or localised consciousness and the all-pervasive consciousness, to observe their differences.
🌹The purpose was to tell that we must discriminate between Satya and Mithyā, that the world and the Jīva are false and the consciousness alone is Truth.
🌹From the 18th verse, Swāmi Vidyāranya began expounding the examples of four kinds of space, where two of them were reflected spaces, and the other two were unreflected. They were two pairs of a microcosmic and macrocosmic Ākāsha or space each.
🌹Mahākāsha was the total space, Ghatākāsha was the space bound by a pot. The two reflected spaces were Jalākāsha & Meghākāsha, reflection of space in a pot of water, & in the water droplets if clouds.
🌹Now, Swāmi Vidyāranya will perform the Viveka between Ghatākāsha and Jalākāsha, that is, between the Jīva and Kūtastha. This is effectively, Tvam-padārtha-shodhana, purification of the 'I' aspect.
🌹From the 22nd to the 103rd verse, the Kūtastha-Jīva-viveka is undertaken, and form 104th to 209th is Brahma-Īshvara-viveka.
🌹From 210th to the 246th verse, Kūtastha-Brahma-Aikya or oneness of the two is taken.
🌹And finally from the 247th to 290th verse, the phala or fruit of understanding these aspects and the 'Tattvamasi' Mahāvākya is indicated.
अधिष्ठानतया देहद्वयावच्छिन्नचेतनः ।
कूटवन्निर्विकारेण स्थितः कूटस्थ -उच्यते ॥ 22॥
🌹Swami Vidyaranya's style is very unique, detailed, logical, and progressive; not abrupt or confusing.
🌹Therefore His work got the place of being such a text that, the study of the Upanishads is said to be incomplete without studying Panchadashi.
🌹The 22nd verse says that, the consciousness known as Kūtastha is that which is conditioned by the gross and subtle bodies.
🌹We normally think that we are the body itself. There are various faults with this - i) Vikāra: our body has undergone various changes in age, shape, size, health etc over time, that is, it has modified. Having been so, it cannot be the 'I' itself as something un-modifying and other than the body alone can experience/know and remember the change of the body over time.
🌹ii) The body cannot be both 'I', and 'my', it can only be either of them, but we contradictorily refer to it as both.
🌹At times we also identify ourselves with the subtle body, mind or emotions. Again however, since there is modification or change in that mind and thoughts, hence an unchanging Self must be the seer of it. The emotions always come and go quickly, but 'I' still am, to witness the coming and going of the next emotions.
🌹While anything else in the world has a fixed and certain definition, it is only rh 'I' which has multiple definitions over time and place.
🌹But if there are so many suffixes to 'I Am' and so many definitions for it, they all must be false.
🌹The word Kūtastha itself refers to the anvil upon which the blacksmith gives shape to the iron or gold, but that anvil bears no change.
🌹Similarly, it is upon the consciousness that the conditionings of the subtle and gross bodies appear.
कूटस्थे कल्पिता बुद्धिस्तत्र चित् प्रतिबिम्बकः ।
प्राणानां धारणाज्जीवः संसारेण स युज्यते ॥ 23॥
🌹The 23rd verse now says, by 'kalpitā' that is Mithyā, the intellect is superimposed on the Kūtastha or consciousness.
🌹This happens when we associate our Self with the attributes of the intellect like 'I am intelligent' etc.
🌹In that sūkshma-buddhi (tatra), there is a small reflection of the consciousness or Kūtastha. And therefore one uses the expressions that associate the 'I' with the nature of the intellect.
🌹In reality, the Kūtastha itself has no relation with the intellect. But the reflection of that in the intellect gives rise to the practical 'I' or the Jīva, with which we transact.
🌹That Jīva is the holder of the Prānas or the vital energies. It travels from one body to the next, holding the Prāna of each for a certain time, along with its baggage of the subtle and causal bodies and its vāsanās.
🌹We should learn to see our life at a distance, seeing everything as a passing cloud. Our experience of helplessness alone expresses as sorrows, but we have chosen to suffer from them by associating too closely with the non-Self
जलव्योम्ना घटाकाशोयथा सर्वस्तिरोहितः ।
तथा जीवेन कूटस्थः सोऽन्योऽन्याध्यास उच्यते ॥24॥
🌹The 24th verse now explores the principle behind Jalākāsha. When one see water in the pot, we firstly fail to note the space in the pot.
🌹And when we see our face moving in the water, we feel our face is moving, not realizing that it is only the total real space, superimposed in the water of the pot.
🌹Further, one also does not realise that there is a space in the pot as well, aside from the space reflecting in the water. It is only by that space in the pot, that the water can be placed in it.
🌹And that pot space, as well as the total space, are both unaffected or unchanging by the movement of the water in the pot and the movement in the reflection of the total space in the water of the pot.
🌹Yet, the ordinary would see only the moving water in the pot, and neither the pot-space, or the total space.
🌹Similarly, the Jīva has concealed/obscured the Kūtastha or pure consciousness, as the ornament even conceals the gold. The 'I' that is timeless, spaceless, limitless, is concealed by the limited 'I'.
🌹Different situations create different thoughts in us, but we should ensure to let them be our cloth but not our skin. When we slip into associations with these thoughts and identify with them, they become our skin, playing upon us. Slipping into any matter in this way signifies ignorance.
🌹Between the Kūtastha and the mind thus, there is mutual superimposition. The nature of Kūtastha, consciousness, is superimposed on the inert mind, and the mind has been superimposed on the Kūtastha, together giving an idea of a limited I-ness with a shape, as a notion in us about our self. This is known as mutual superimposition or anyo'nya-adhyāsa.
यं जीवो न कूटस्थं विविनक्ति कदाचन ।
अनादिरविवेकोऽयं मूलाविद्येति गम्यताम् ॥ 25॥
🌹The next verse now says that, it is by this mutual superimposition and the avidyā or ignorance/delusion arising from it, that the Jīva is unable to discriminate itself as not being the Jīva but the Kūtastha.
🌹This delusion alone is the mūla-avidyā, the primal or original unkowingness, due to which the Jīva fails to recognise the Kūtastha as distinct from it, and itself as nothing but Kūtastha.
Immensely Grateful Swamiji 🙏