🌹In this chapter, the Chitra-dīpa-prakarana, the analogy of the canvas and paintings on it is used to indicate the distinction between Satya and Mithyā or truth and untruth. 🌹The first conclusion made was that the painting was not baseless, it was based upon the the initial-most plain clean cloth. And similarly, the superimposition of the world too could not be baseless - it would have even an appearing existence only when it is based on the truth. Names and forms are not substantial, so they just dependent on and based on something other than them. 🌹It is just as, the name 'pot' is based on the shape 'pot', but the name and form both are actually an appearance on the real substance which is 'mud'. 🌹But as we go from one form to the next substance that too becomes a form, and as we move further, every thing is a form which is hence dependent on something other than itself. 🌹The last such form is air, which is based on space. Then, space, thought it does not have a gross form, has a subtle form since it is limited only up to the dream world. 🌹And therefore the essence of space just be something else, which is mind. From some gross object in the world we thus arrive finally at the mind, which is the essence of everything so far. 🌹But that mind too has a limited form as it is absent in some states of experience - since there, Consciousness still Is, hence Consciousness must be the essence of the mind and of everything else. 🌹Thus, upon that Consciousness the entire world and all objects have been superimposed, and that Consciousness here is the Ādhāra-chaitanya. 🌹The painting represents our flawed perception that when we see the canvas, our attention goes to all the different beings draped in various colours, and as a result of the variety of shades, each subject appears different from the other. Our attention does not go on the Dhauta-pata, the plain clean cloth behind the painting which alone is appearing as all the colours and different people or objects. 🌹Similarly, in the world around, we interact with other people or objects thinking they are different from us, and our idea of our self is also as a limited part of the world - this is noted here as samsāra and ābhāsa-chaitanya, the reflected consciousness, and the effort is to help us realize that as the ābhāsa-chaitanya we are no different from the ādhāra-chaitanya. 🌹Having known that we are the light`T', the illuminating Self, we cannot be at the same time the lit ' or the one that is a part of the world and known by it. 🌹The lit 'T' itself is a mixture of the reflection and the original consciousness, where the reflection is false since the medium is false and therefore only the original Self is valid. 🌹This is why Swāmi Vidyāranya gave the example of a painting! The example of a house on earth or a brick in the house etc. are all limited by the presence of differentiation, but the example of a painting establishes the pervasiveness of the total into the local and the superimposition of the local upon the total. 🌹The 12th verse now says that, one must contemplate upon 'Jagat' which here means Guna or quality, and upon the Jīva (reflected consciousness) and the Original Consciousness. 🌹One must repeat the understanding of how the ābhāsa-chaitanya must be false, many, and localised, while the ādhāra-chaitanya is true, one, and all-pervasive. 🌹This repetition helps to assert the understanding within, especially when we are lost, anxious, unclear or sorrowful. 🌹By this understanding, the Jīva-bhāva and Jagad-bhāva both are negated, that is their imaginary nature is realised when one contemplates over the gunas or nature of them and the Self. 🌹The ābhāsa-chaitanya is Mithyā because, i) it is only experiential, but not substantial, since it cannot be experienced independently, ii) appears and disappears, iii) is limited by time and space, iv) is seen and not the seer, v) has no existence of its own. 🌹When one tries to ascertain the cause of the Chit-Jada-Granthi or the complex of the inert and consciousness, then no real cause is discovered - implying that the effect must be equally false. 🌹Where there is thus experience but no substantial cause, makes it a false experience. The false anyway cannot be proved by any pramāna or valid means of knowledge. 🌹Thus, that which is the product of ignorance can never be known by any means of knowledge. It is a mere imagined experience. 🌹Now the student begins to proclaim that one should then not have any experience of the false world. In this context, there are two concepts to be understood: i) Satyattva-bādha: something is false but has a real experience, ii) pratīti-bādha: where something is both false and cannot be experienced. 🌹 Jīva and Jagat are of the former, being experientially but not substantially. Therefore, Swāmi Vidyāranya says that one must have 'mithyāttva-nishchaya' or sense of falsehood in that. 🌹Thus it is possible to see/perceive or experience something, yet know that it is insubstantial and non-existent essentially. 🌹One cannot say that inexperience of the Jīva and Jagat should be equal to knowing its falsehood, else even in deep sleep or unconsciousness one should have been liberated or attained freedom. 🌹Therefore, not experiencing the world and reflected consciousness will not be equal to knowing its falsity or being established in the Self. 🌹One need not physically remove the world, reflected consciousness, mind, intellect etc. to know the Self, because the Self has no opposition with them all. Its presence is to be cognitively realised. 🌹Reality is not opposed to ignorance, rather it is the base of and gives support to ignorance. It is only the thought of realisation and of ignorance which may be in conflict with one another. 🌹It is just as, to know the presence of light in the room needs only cognition, not removal of all objects lit by the light in the room. 🌹The 14th verse now says that, we must have the firm assertion within of the Paramātmāvashesha, that the Supreme Self alone remains in absence of all other conditionings or aspects. 🌹Such a Self will therefore be beyond time and space, un-modifying, unchanging. Of the nature of that, one must have Nishchaya or affirmation. 🌹One need not remove the perception of the false in order to know the Truth. 🌹This is indicated in the second line, where Swāmi Vidyāranya says that Jagad-visrmtj or inexperienced of the world, is not a prerequisite for such Self-knowledge, else Jīvanmukti or liberation would be impossible. 🌹 Vedānta is not meant to nor is it bent upon removal of the mind; it is meant for realisaiton of the falsehood of the Asat and truth of the Sat. 🌹Meditation is this context is not for achieving quietude of the mind, nor for attaining the knowledge. 🌹It is only for removal of the obstructions in the mind or knowingness, and is to repeat and affirm the knowledge within oneself. 🌹The 15th verse now mentions two kinds of Vidyā, born of vichāra or thinking between what is Sat and Asat. One Vidyā is called Paroksha, and the second is Aparoksha, direct and indirect knowledge. 🌹This vichāra takes place by the use of shāstra-pranāna, or the words of the scriptures, in order to realise the entire of the Self and the shāstra. 🌹 Shāstra here is aiding our self-enquiry in the form of a mirror - we do not seen the mirror, rather we see into the mirror.
Hari om Swamiji sadar Charan sparsh
Pranam swamiji
🌹In this chapter, the Chitra-dīpa-prakarana, the analogy of the canvas and paintings on it is used to indicate the distinction between Satya and Mithyā or truth and untruth.
🌹The first conclusion made was that the painting was not baseless, it was based upon the the initial-most plain clean cloth. And similarly, the superimposition of the world too could not be baseless - it would have even an appearing existence only when it is based on the truth. Names and forms are not substantial, so they just dependent on and based on something other than them.
🌹It is just as, the name 'pot' is based on the shape 'pot', but the name and form both are actually an appearance on the real substance which is 'mud'.
🌹But as we go from one form to the next substance that too becomes a form, and as we move further, every thing is a form which is hence dependent on something other than itself.
🌹The last such form is air, which is based on space. Then, space, thought it does not have a gross form, has a subtle form since it is limited only up to the dream world.
🌹And therefore the essence of space just be something else, which is mind. From some gross object in the world we thus arrive finally at the mind, which is the essence of everything so far.
🌹But that mind too has a limited form as it is absent in some states of experience - since there, Consciousness still Is, hence Consciousness must be the essence of the mind and of everything else.
🌹Thus, upon that Consciousness the entire world and all objects have been superimposed, and that Consciousness here is the Ādhāra-chaitanya.
🌹The painting represents our flawed perception that when we see the canvas, our attention goes to all the different beings draped in various colours, and as a result of the variety of shades, each subject appears different from the other. Our attention does not go on the Dhauta-pata, the plain clean cloth behind the painting which alone is appearing as all the colours and different people or objects.
🌹Similarly, in the world around, we interact with other people or objects thinking they are different from us, and our idea of our self is also as a limited part of the world - this is noted here as samsāra and ābhāsa-chaitanya, the reflected consciousness, and the effort is to help us realize that as the ābhāsa-chaitanya we are no different from the ādhāra-chaitanya.
🌹Having known that we are the light`T', the illuminating Self, we cannot be at the same time the lit ' or the one that is a part of the world and known by it.
🌹The lit 'T' itself is a mixture of the reflection and the original consciousness, where the reflection is false since the medium is false and therefore only the original Self is valid.
🌹This is why Swāmi Vidyāranya gave the example of a painting! The example of a house on earth or a brick in the house etc. are all limited by the presence of differentiation, but the example of a painting establishes the pervasiveness of the total into the local and the superimposition of the local upon the total.
🌹The 12th verse now says that, one must contemplate upon 'Jagat' which here means Guna or quality, and upon the Jīva (reflected consciousness) and the Original Consciousness.
🌹One must repeat the understanding of how the ābhāsa-chaitanya must be false, many, and localised, while the ādhāra-chaitanya is true, one, and all-pervasive.
🌹This repetition helps to assert the understanding within, especially when we are lost, anxious, unclear or sorrowful.
🌹By this understanding, the Jīva-bhāva and Jagad-bhāva both are negated, that is their imaginary nature is realised when one contemplates over the gunas or nature of them and the Self.
🌹The ābhāsa-chaitanya is Mithyā because, i) it is only experiential, but not substantial, since it cannot be experienced independently, ii) appears and disappears, iii) is limited by time and space, iv) is seen and not the seer, v) has no existence of its own.
🌹When one tries to ascertain the cause of the Chit-Jada-Granthi or the complex of the inert and consciousness, then no real cause is discovered - implying that the effect must be equally false.
🌹Where there is thus experience but no substantial cause, makes it a false experience. The false anyway cannot be proved by any pramāna or valid means of knowledge.
🌹Thus, that which is the product of ignorance can never be known by any means of knowledge. It is a mere imagined experience.
🌹Now the student begins to proclaim that one should then not have any experience of the false world. In this context, there are two concepts to be understood: i) Satyattva-bādha: something is false but has a real experience, ii) pratīti-bādha: where something is both false and cannot be experienced.
🌹 Jīva and Jagat are of the former, being experientially but not substantially. Therefore, Swāmi Vidyāranya says that one must have 'mithyāttva-nishchaya' or sense of falsehood in that.
🌹Thus it is possible to see/perceive or experience something, yet know that it is insubstantial and non-existent essentially.
🌹One cannot say that inexperience of the Jīva and Jagat should be equal to knowing its falsehood, else even in deep sleep or unconsciousness one should have been liberated or attained freedom.
🌹Therefore, not experiencing the world and reflected consciousness will not be equal to knowing its falsity or being established in the Self.
🌹One need not physically remove the world, reflected consciousness, mind, intellect etc. to know the Self, because the Self has no opposition with them all. Its presence is to be cognitively realised.
🌹Reality is not opposed to ignorance, rather it is the base of and gives support to ignorance. It is only the thought of realisation and of ignorance which may be in conflict with one another.
🌹It is just as, to know the presence of light in the room needs only cognition, not removal of all objects lit by the light in the room.
🌹The 14th verse now says that, we must have the firm assertion within of the Paramātmāvashesha, that the Supreme Self alone remains in absence of all other conditionings or aspects.
🌹Such a Self will therefore be beyond time and space, un-modifying, unchanging. Of the nature of that, one must have Nishchaya or affirmation.
🌹One need not remove the perception of the false in order to know the Truth.
🌹This is indicated in the second line, where Swāmi Vidyāranya says that Jagad-visrmtj or inexperienced of the world, is not a prerequisite for such Self-knowledge, else Jīvanmukti or liberation would be impossible.
🌹 Vedānta is not meant to nor is it bent upon removal of the mind; it is meant for realisaiton of the falsehood of the Asat and truth of the Sat.
🌹Meditation is this context is not for achieving quietude of the mind, nor for attaining the knowledge.
🌹It is only for removal of the obstructions in the mind or knowingness, and is to repeat and affirm the knowledge within oneself.
🌹The 15th verse now mentions two kinds of Vidyā, born of vichāra or thinking between what is Sat and Asat. One Vidyā is called Paroksha, and the second is Aparoksha, direct and indirect knowledge.
🌹This vichāra takes place by the use of shāstra-pranāna, or the words of the scriptures, in order to realise the entire of the Self and the shāstra.
🌹 Shāstra here is aiding our self-enquiry in the form of a mirror - we do not seen the mirror, rather we see into the mirror.