Jiva Brahman Identity – 1
Continuing with His series on vedanta, His Holiness the Jagadguru Shankaracharya of Sringeri spoke about the identity of Ishwara and jIva in this talk which is available on Youtube in Tamil.
The sole cause of mokSha, liberation, is brahma j~nAna, knowledge of identity of the individual soul and the Supreme soul. So what exactly is this brahma j~nAna? How does one think about it? How does one practice this?
ahameva param brahma…
I am indeed the Supreme brahman…
Contemplating thus is the form of brahma j~nAna said the Acharya.
The student gets a doubt in his mind: How can I accept that I am indeed the Supreme brahman? How can things that have viruddha dharma-s, mutually opposing qualities, be one? Can one say that light & darkness are one? brahman is said to be pure. There is neither kartrutvam, doership, nor bhoktrutvam, enjoyer-ship. There are no opposing qualities…in fact, it is bereft of qualities. Whereas the jIva is impure being riddled with a multitude of opposing qualities.
The student also gets another doubt: When you say that the jIva and the Ishwara are only one, once this knowledge dawns, only one of the two will survive! After all when jIva is the brahman how can there be two? But the question creeps in the mind: If the jIva is indeed the brahman then for whom is the scriptures, sadhana, spiritual practices, liberation etc? Who is bound and who attains liberation? It cannot definitely be for Ishwara. If you say that jIva survives the dawn of this knowledge of the identity, then who created this universe? All along you have said that it is the Ishwara who created the world. Suddenly you say that jIva and Ishwara are one and the same. Then who creates and dissolves the universe?
Thus the disciple says that he is unable to understand brahma j~nAna.
Bhagavadpada compassionately reminds the students – us – of an important sishya lakShaNa – quality of a disciple:
Importance of faith in Scriptures:
shastra vishwAsashAli...one with tremendous faith in the words of the scriptures.
The shastra is the shruti or the veda-s. The veda-s clearly establish the abhinnatvam (non difference) between Ishwara and the jIva through the mahavAkya-s like tat tvam asi. Why then do you doubt the veracity of the scriptures?
The student says, ‘Sire, my intention is not to doubt the scriptures. It is just that I am unable to grasp properly what is being taught…’
The Acharya goes on to explain:
If the mutually opposing qualities are real, then, the two objects cannot be one and the same. However, if they were mithyA, then why not? Take the classic example of the rope-snake. A snake is perceived by mistake where there is actually a rope. Now, the snake is a creature that is considered to be dangerous. It can bite. It causes fear in people. You cannot use it to tie things etc. On the other hand a rope is not dangerous. It cannot bite. It cannot cause fear. You can use it to tie things etc. Now the qualities of a rope are diametrically opposite to that of the snake. So how does one say that the snake is indeed the rope?
We are able to say that because the snake is mithyA. It is only an illusion. It doesn’t exist in reality. Its qualities are also only kalpitam, imagined, superimposed!
Imagined/Superimposed qualities, kalpita dharma-s, cannot bring an iota of change in the vastu, object on which they are superimposed!
The Acharya also quoted from the Jaabala upaniShad:
tvam va aham asmi bhagavodevathe
aham vai tvamasi bhagavodevathe
You are me and I am you is the essence of this upaniShadic statement! Such shruti vakya-s, vedic statements, openly state the identity between the jIva and Ishwara. When such is the case, where is the need to doubt?
He also gives the example of a person with a nethra doshah, a defective vision. When a person with a defective eye looks up at the sky he may see two moons. Or he may perceive two men in front of him on account of his poor eyes and double vision. That doesn’t mean that there are two moons up in the sky or that there are two people in front of him.
Since the shruti open declares that jIva is indeed the brahman and the defective vision (or wrong understand here) cannot negate that identity, the first doubt is taken care of.
Who remains? jIva or Ishwara?
In so far as the second question is concerned – who will be left over? – the Acharya continues…
Bondage, liberation etc are only in the dvaitaavastha – at the level of duality. They are mithyA. Gaudapadacharya in His mANDUkya kArika says
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? ??????????? ?? ????? ??????? ????????? ?
na nirodho na chotpattirna baddho na cha saadhakaH
na mumukShurna vai mukta ityeShA paramArthatA ||
There is no dissolution, no birth, none in bondage, none aspiring for wisdom, so seeker of liberation and none liberated. This is the absolute truth!
From the highest standpoint such is the case. However from the standpoint of vyavaharika, Ishwara does exist, He does create, jIvas are indeed in bondage and they do try and get liberated. So we don’t say that Ishwara doesn’t exist. We only say that the jIvatvam – the jIvahood – and his saMsAritvam – is kalpitam or superimposed.
If so who has the aj~nAna or ignorance? If it be asked, he who asks thus has ignorance says Bhagavdpadacharya!
In His brahmanuchintanam, he says
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brahmaivAhaM na saMsAri muktoham iti bhAvayet…
One must contemplate that one is indeed the Supreme brahman, not a jIva in bondage and that one is indeed liberated…
