Aparoksha-Anubhooti

For Sanskrit-To-English Translation of the Slokas you can go here

Here I review the AparOksha Anubhooti by Adi Sankara based on the pravachanams of Sri. Yellamraju Sreenivasa Rao Garu. aparOksha anubhooti (Self-Knowledge Experience) is a prakaraNa grantham (monograph) enunciated by Adi Sankara. It is a very elementary book with about 150 slokas that explain the path to salvation. It starts with analyzing aatma which is formless having jnaana (knowledge). He says body is anaatma or jadam (inert) because it has a form and no jnaana. And the world is anaatma. We are jeevaatma, our relatives and friends are midhyaatma, and the objects we see are gounaatma made of gunas or qualities. There is pratyagaatma that means Brahman seated in our bodies. The midhyaatma also includes the feeling of “I” restricted to one's body which Adi Sankara says is a false notion. In the end Sankara talks about panch-dasa (15) yoga as saadhana (practice) to attain mOksha (liberation).

Before we go on to the details, let us note that many of Adi Sankara's teachings seem like arguments with the religious Guru's of those days (circa 800 A.D.) who were splintered and preached whatever philosophy suited them for their selfish ends, sometimes reinterpreting vEdic scripture and not adhering to it strictly. Adi Sankara traveled the length and breadth of India to argue with them and prove that his teachings based on vEdas is the real truth. He was credited with banishing Budhism from India. He had not only written prakarana grandthas (monographs) and baashyams (commentaries), but also several strotras (poems used in worship) of Hindu deities. Essentially he left no stone unturned.

His analysis is based on a system of logic that is called apavaadam-adhyaarOpam-pravilaapanam. The first one is rejecting a wrong notion that is firmly entrenched in our thinking. For example the belief that the world is real is often refuted by the Gurus who call it midhya (illusion). But before one can refute, there has to be adhyaarOpam which means projecting one thing over the other so that we don't lose everything in the world to anchor ourselves. The non-existing thing (kalpana) is superimposed on an existing thing. If we can conceive the world as midhya, then what is real? The answer is Brahman alone is real. It is called adhishThanam (root support). Thus we are ruling out the world using Brahman who is primordial. The last one pravilaapanam is a variation of apavaadam. When we reject say world as midhya (illusion), does it mean the world will disappear? It won't. To take another example, A golden ornament's aatma is gold not its shape or form because when we melt the ornament, its form will disappear but the gold remains the same. Such a dissolution of names and forms is pravilaapanam. To extend to the world which is naama-rupa (name and form) manifestation, one has to use pravilaapanam for its dissolution in one's gnaanam (knowledge).

To show that the world is midhya (illusion), let us start with the assumption that Brahman is the Producer (kaaranam) and the world is the Product (kaaryam). For the sake of elucidation, there are several theories about how the world actually came about, viz. Aarambha (created from scratch), Parinaama (evolution of pre-existing world), Vivartam (Maaya), Sat Kaarya (manifestation from avyaktam to vyaktam), etc. Advaitins believe in vivartam which supposes Maaya, that is dependent on Brahman for its existence but without sentience, created the world. Whatever may be the origin of the world, the Brahman and the world are different in qualities and form. The world is made of naama-roopa (name and form), whereas Brahman is nirgunam (attribute less). The world is jadam (inert without qualities) and Brahman is chaitanyam (resplendent). And so on. Therefore, one can conclude that the world is different from Brahman. On the other hand, when one looks at a pot that is made by a potter (sentient cause or nimitta kaaranam) with clay (material cause or upaadanam), the pot is nothing but a form given to clay. When the pot breaks what is left is clay. Every bit of the pot is clay. Similarly when we accept that Brahman is the sentient and material cause of the world, the world is nothing but a manifestation of Brahman. Thus we arrive at a profound conclusion that in the end there is no world but Brahman's chaitanyam (resplendence) alone. This logic can also be used to show that the mahaavaakyas tattvamasi (I am that) and aham-brahmOsmi (I am Brahman) bring to experience the identical nature of Brahman and jeeva.

Collectively jeeva, samsaara and the world are anaatma (complement of aatma). They are called aabhaasa (projection) by Adi Sankara. There is another interpretation of aabhaasa which is called visEsha (lowest particular). Guru's say a pot is visEha of clay, a wave is a visEsha of ocean etc. The clay, ocean, etc. are called saamaanya (highest general). Ornaments are visEsha of the metal, say gold, which is saamaanya. Even idols we worship are visEsha! This is because we are restricting the God to an image. Adi Sankara's synthesis at the end is, they all are “aabhaasa” (impermanent projections) of aatma. Therefore, he says they all are aatma. Isn't this contradictory? To resolve the contradiction, we interpret the analysis part as the extant knowledge propagated by the Gurus of that time. Adi Sankara was reviewing the prevailing concepts and putting forth his synthetic view.

There is also another reason. Our scriptures first assume unity. They then go on to create pairs of opposites (dwanda) like: hot vs. cold, happiness vs. sorrow, good vs. evil etc. And then they unify all the dwandas. Why do that? Because most of us only see such pairs in the world which are entrenched in our minds. The scripture says one has to rise above those pairs and see unity. What for? At the end we want to avoid sorrow and enjoy a life of happiness. That should be the objective of all mumukshus (people aspiring for mOksha or liberation).

It is interesting that Adi Sankara used the rajju-sarpa (rope and snake) metaphor to support his claim hundreds of times. A rope can be mistaken for a snake in darkness and vice-versa. Why the mistaking? Is the rope transforming into a snake and vice-versa? Since both rope and snake cannot co-exist at the same place and time (superimposition), one has to resolve the dilemma. It is all in the mind. If you view a rope as a snake it is you who is believing in it. The way to disambiguate is to bring a lamp and find the truth under its light. In terms of vEdaanta, the light is the gnaanam (knowledge).

Sankara says there are 3 stages in a mumukshu's saadhana. In the first stage he views visEsha (particular) and saamaanya (general). For example he sees waves and water as separate entities. In the next stage he sees waves as made of water which is the saamaanya. Advaitains call such a view as aabhaasa. The implication is all waves are water but water is not just a wave. Similarly all bodies are aatma but aatma is not restricted to a body. It is omni-present. One has to make it a habit to see visEsha as saamaanya. In the third stage he sees wave as water, and also identifies himself with water. This is called sidhi. A sidha sees the world as a vibhooti or meta-level of abhaasa.

Sankara gives several examples of fools who see the body as the aatma like: one who sees the clouds moving relative to the moon, a person on boat thinking the world is moving, mistaking the mirage for water and a pillar for a person, and the most widely used drishtaanta (metaphor) mistaking rope for a snake in poor light.

He then refutes praarabdha karma (being an intermediary between sanchita karma or karma accumulated from previous births and aagami karma which is karma that matures in the future) and rebirth. According to him they don't exist when one views them as visEsha. Once again we see this contradiction. He supports his claims by explaining the points of view as: a sidha purusha might be seeking alms. One sees his actions and thinks that he is suffering from praarabhda karma. But in the Sidha Purusha's perspective he is only thinking of Brahman. It suits Sankara well who toured the country by seeking alms at every place. It is not practical for all because without a farmer to produce food and a house-wife to cook it, there are no alms to give! So it is in the best interest of the Brahman, the creator, and Adi Sankara alike that people perform karmas ordained by the vEda.

Then he gives pancha dasa (15), seven more saadhanaas on top of Yogi Patanjali's ashtaanga (8 fold) yOga (marked as P within parenthesis below). They don't involve any physical exercises but mental preparation for mOksham. One has to note that these two are opposites. If one is becoming, the other is being. If one is practice, the other is experience.

Sankara says Yogi Patanjali's 8-fold (ashtaanga) path is “loukikam” (teaches morals) but not “jnaana” (knowledge). The visEsha's (particulars) like ahimsa (non-violence), satyam (truth), punya(good karma) etc. come with their opposites like himsa (violence), asatyam (lie), paapa (bad karma), etc. By themselves they don't stand independently. One cannot speak of satyam without being aware of asatyam. Also Yogi Patanjali proposed purusha (loosely translated as Brahmam), Prakriti (nature) and Jeeva (man) as the srushti (creation) without inter-relationships among them. He also didn't believe in aatma.

Now to the Adi Sankara's pancha-dasa:

1.yama (P): control of senses; think sarvam (everything) as Brahman; look at opposites as samam (equal); stay away from both satyam (truth) and asatyam (lie), paapa (bad karma) and punyam (good karma), dharma and adharmam (duties) etc.; they are all the same because such opposites are all Brahman;

2.niyama (P): control of mind; one should consider all as sajaateeya(same class of people) but not vijaateeya (different class of people); one should look at all as forms of aatma and consider them as sajaateeya; name and form are vijaateeya that wane in the presence of sajaateeya

3 tyaaga: the generally known meaning is sacrifice that paves way for mOksha. ; viewing the world as chit+aatma is tyAgam; for example when someone steals your wealth, you are equanimous because the wealth is with someone and not completely lost.

4. mounam: thoughts and spoken words are visEsha (particulars) ; when one practices mounam (silence), not just on particular days as a vratam (ritual), one realizes the Brahman

5. dEsha: There is no unvierse at the beginning and at the end nor in the middle; one has to view the world as bereft of men or view everyone as oneself when in a crowd; no need to go to forests or remote places for meditation;

6. kaala: literal meaning time; when one includes all the objects, both inanimate or animate, in one's gnaanam; hence unlimited bliss

7. aasanam (P): aasanam, according to Yogi Patanjili, means body posture; Sankara says it causes discomfort; when one obtains comfort by thinking about Brahman at all positions (standing or sitting) is the view point of Adi Sankara; for example sidhaasanam is thinking about adhishThanam (root support) for all beings and meditating on Brahman.

8.moola bhanda(P): literal meaning control of moolaadhaara chakra; the root of all beings; root of all thoughts; etc.think about at all times; this is the path of Raaja yOga or gnaanam.

9. dEha saamyam: sitting erect with body, head, neck is samam (balanced); thinking about Brahman with body being samam; one has to adopt jnaana as the vision and think of all the world as Brahman

10. dhruk sthitihi: literally firmness of vision; the place where the drushti (seeing), dhruk (seen), drashta(seer) merge; there is no point in focusing on the tip of nose as Patanjali recommends

11.praana yaamam (P): breathing exercises, as taught by Yogi Patanjali, are not the best way to lead life; breathing has to be done in such a way that all the thoughts are about Brahman; rEchaka: when one exhales one has to throw away bad thoughts; pooraka: when one inhales by thinking about Brahman as all pervasive; kumbham: the fixation of mind on Brahman.

12.pratyaahaara (P): As per Yogi Patanjali it means withdrawal of manassu (mind); there are two concepts in Yoga called aavaraNam and vikshEpam; aavaraNam means to cover up; vikshEpam means that which is turbulent; the mind has both of these aspects when it is covered by tamO gunam and rajO gunam; sattva is useful if not associated with tamO and rajO gunas; so one has to take both saatvik food into the body and good thoughts into the mind;

13. dhaarana (P): focusing mind on one thing according to Yogi Patanjali; according to Sankara the mind is focused on visEshas (particulars); one has to focus on the saamaanya (general) and visualize Brahman at every place mind goes;

14. dhyaanam (P): meditation of mind on self as Brahman that is omni-present; if one sees visEshas the mind is anchored on a support; one has to give up the support of visEshas and think about saamaanya (general)

15. samaadhi (P): everything merges within oneself; one has to even dissolve sadguna (with attributes) Brahman; one has to view Brahman as nirvikaaram (not morphed) and nirguna (attributeless); saadhana (becoming) ends here and the mumukshu becomes a sidha (being).

Such a philosphy can also be found in Gita where Lord Krishna says:

sarva-dharmaan parityajya maam ekam sharanam vraja aham tvaam sarva-paapebhyo mokshayishyaami maa shuchah

BG 18.66: Abandon all varieties of dharmas and simply surrender unto me alone. I shall liberate you from all sinful reactions; do not fear.

Sankara manipulates words and grammar to make his points quite often. Take for example ahimsa (non-violence) proposed by Yogi Patanjali. Sankara says ahimsa implies there is its opposite called himsa (violence). He called both of them aatma. Since all jeevas are pervaded by the same aatma, he asks, would you perform himsa on yourself? This is an example of Sankara's unmatched play of words. Gita says do unto others what you want others do unto you. That means, when you deal with others you perform good actions if you decide to involve with them, which is always optional. On the other hand you can also stay away from doing harm. Thus, the saadhaka should act in the world.

In another place he justifies his claim about praarabdham by quoting a khatOpanishad slOka where the rishi (sage) says for a vidEha aatma (one who is liberated from his physical body) “karmaani” (with elongated vowel) don't exist. Sankara's claim is karmaani refers to plural, with karmani (shorter vowel) meaning dwi-vachanam (a couple) and karma being singular case.

There are obstacles for saadhana of the 15-fold path. The faith called anusandhaana in Brahman wanes after some time; the next one is disinterest also known as aalasyam; indulge in luxuries or bhOga laalasam; the rest is layam, tamas, vikshEpa, rasaa svaadam, soonyata, etc. A mumuksha focused on Brahman must be aware of them.

Vrutti means ideas that visualize objects (bhaava vrutti or anulOma). An object not present at its usual place gives an idea that it is absent (soonya vrutti or pratilOma). Other examples are relations, wealth, etc. Therefore, one has to adopt Brahman vrutti or poorna (infinite) vrutti. Regardless of the existence or absence of an object poornam remains.

According to him a saadhaka has to concentrate his mind on saamaanyam (general) that is all pervasive in all visEshas. He has to practice Brahmaakaara vrutti (thinking about Brahman). He reminds us that even animals lead lives. Men have to do much better by practicing Brahmaakaara vrutti. And in the end has to give it up as well.

He urges his followers to transcend jeevaatma, gounatmaa, etc. and focus on mukhya aatma. He advises them to enhance their Brahmaakaara vrutti by serving enlightened people. Such persons will be respected in the 3-lOkas (martya-paataala-swarga which stand for earth, below earth and above in heaven. They stand for rajas-tamO-sattva gunas respectively). He then extolls advaitins who follow his teachings as Parama Purusha (most exalted beings). He disparages all gurus who don't follow his teachings and aspire for hundreds of followers to serve them with abhishEka (ablution), gajaarOhaNa (placement on top of an elephant as a sign of reverance), etc.

He concludes his teaching by talking about kaarya-kaaranam (cause-effect). One has to discern the kaaryam from kaaranam. For example, a pot is kaaryam and its kaaranam is clay. There is no kaaryam in kaaranam but vice-versa is true. In other words, kaaranam is the saamaanya (general) and kaaryam is a visEsha or particular. So the kaaryam dissolves in kaaranam. A kaaryam can be multifarious from a kaaranam like a variety of ornaments that can be made from a single source, for example gold. Further he says without a pure mind, one can't capture the essence of pure consciousness or Brahman. Brahman = Bruhat (very big) + Bruhmana (all inclusive) + Barhana (merges all in its form). The root of all causes is asthi-bhaati (that which exists and visible) or sat-chit. One realizing this metamorphoses into chidaatmakam that is omni-present and views unity among all beings.

To conclude this review, we have to understand sruti as it was preached centuries ago. At the end of the day, it depends on the Sanskrit grammar that was prevalent in those days. The grammar has evolved subsequently and in modern era it was relegated to Gurus preaching sruti. No one uses this grammar nowadays, even though some computer scientists tried to instruct computers using the Sanskrit grammar. Compared to Boolean's logic that is widely used in computer programming, they found that this is like fitting a square peg in a round hole.

Regardless of what Guru's say, we have to admit that there is chaitanyam or aatma that makes us sentient. Like DNA all things are bound by aatma. It can even extend beyond living beings into inanimate things. The chaitanyam exists for as long as we live or praarabdha karma runs out. The scripture says the aatma leaves the body at the time of death and enters another body and the process repeats for eternity (actually until pralaya when the kaarana sareera or causal body sows the seed for next srishti or creation). This is also called rebirth. Only a gnaani can avoid rebirth.

That is the take home message of analysis-synthesis in Adi Sankara's apOraksha anubhooti that has about 150 slokas delineating the path to mOksha for a mumukshu.