Scripture Gist

The text is attributed to Sri Shankaracharya - most probably not Adi Shankaracharya but some later successor. It is a प्रकरणग्रन्थः (prakaranagranthah) i.e. introductory text for Vedanta; such texts, apart from giving the introduction to the subject-matter, give us the idea of teaching methodology of Upanishads. @ मङ्गलाचरण (mangalacharana) - verse invoking auspiciousness; it was a must for any text originating from ancient Indian culture. It was invoked for the: - Successful completion of the text - Preservation of the text - Success of the purpose of the text - Salutations to God and Guru - Well-being of students of the text     वासुदेवेन्द्र योगीन्द्र (vaasudevendra yogindra) - वासुदेव (vaasudeva) could mean Sri Krishna, the son of vasudeva (वसुदेवस्य आपत्य vasudevasya aapatya) or वासु - वसति अस्मिन् (vaasu-vasati asmin) i.e. Lord who is present in all as Being and Consciousness (Light, Knowledge); योगीन्द्र yogindra - Lord of all yogis.

ज्ञानप्रदं गुरुम् (jnanapradam gurum) - ज्ञानं प्रददाति (jnanam pradadati) Guru who gives Knowledge without holding back anything

मुमुक्षु (mumukshu) - मोक्तुम् इच्छुः (moktum ichchhuh) One who is desirous of liberation from cycle of transmigration; a mumukshu becomes जिज्ञासु (jijnasu) - ज्ञातुम् इच्छुः (jnatum ichchhuh) One who is desirous of Self-Knowledge, since Self-Knowledge alone removes ignorance and liberation ensues

अनुबन्ध-चतुष्टय (anubandha-chatushtaya) - Four important aspects that any text should address:
अधिकारी (adhikari) - Qualified aspirant for the text
विषय (vishaya) - Subject-matter of the text
प्रयोजन (prayojana) - Purpose, benefit of the text
सम्बन्ध (sambandha) - Relation between requirement of the text and subject-matter presented in the text

@ तत्त्‍वविवेकप्रकारम् (tattvavivekaprakaram) - Discriminative enquiry of Reality [the first chapter of पञ्चदशी (Panchadashi) is also called तत्त्‍वविवेकः (tattvavivekah)]

प्रमाणः (pramanah) - means of knowledge:
1) प्रत्यक्ष (pratyaksha) - direct sense perception
2) अनुमान (anumana) - inference based on sense perception e.g. smoke seen indicates that there is fire which is not seen
3) अर्थापत्ति (arthapatti) - more than one step inference e.g. as in medical science, virus causes fever and fever heats body
4) उपमान (upamana) - similarity e.g. a bison looks like cow
5) अनुपलब्धि (anupalabdhi) - absence of a thing, a thing is not available at this time and at this place
6) शब्द (shabda) - words of scriptures, Guru causes Knowledge to arise in heart of an aspirant e.g. तत्त्‍वमसि (tattvamasi)
uttered by Guru results in the Knowledge अहं ब्रह्मास्मि (aham brahmasmi) in disciple

Every living creature has following basic problems:
1) Feeling of limitedness and insignificance
2) Insecurity
3) Unhappiness
The only final and complete solution to above is Self-Knowledge

@ साधनचतुष्टयम् (sadhanachatushtayam) - नित्य-अनित्य वस्तु विवेकः (nitya-anitya vastu vivekah) nitya vastu i.e. the permanent reality is only the Self, all else is anitya i.e. देश काल वस्तु परिछिन्न (desha kala vastu parichchhinna) circumscribed by space, time, and characteristics.
     vivekah - विशेषेण (visheshena) specially, thoroughly, and carefully separate [from the root विच् (vich) i.e. to separate]

The supreme reality of Self i.e. ब्रह्म (brahma) is devoid of:
1) सजातीय भेद (sajatiya bheda) - difference within species e.g. neem tree is different from mango tree
2) विजातीय भेद (vijatiya bheda) - difference between different species e.g. plant species is different from animal species
3) स्वगत भेद (svagata bheda) - difference within the entity e.g. a man's hands are different from legs, eyes etc.

यदृच्छालाभसन्तुष्टः (yadruchchhalabhasantushtah) is the result of विवेकः (vivekah) & विरागः (viragah); गायत्रीमन्‍त्रः (gayatrimantrah) is a prayer for development of vivekah; viragah - विरागस्य भावः (viragasya bhavah) devoid of cravings
कर्मफल (karmaphala) i.e. results of actions are:
1) दुःखमिश्रितत्‍वम् (dukhkhamishritatvam) - mixed with sorrow
2) अतृप्ति (atripti) - unsatisfactory
3) बन्धकत्‍वम् (bandhakatvam) - binding (emotional connection)
स्वाभविक प्रवृत्तिः (svabhavika pravrittih) - natural urges of human birth are to be managed with विवेकः (vivekah) & विरागः (viragah); Gita 2.59, 5.21

@ शमादिषट्कसम्पत्तिः (shamadishatkasampattih) - also known as शमादिसाधनसम्पत्तिः (shamadisadhanasampattih) is the treasure of six-fold spiritual disciplines like शम (shama), दम (dama) etc.:

1) शम (shama) - मनोनिग्रहः (manonigrahah) mastery over old ways of thinking, emotions; understanding our emotional behavior and gaining 'emotional maturity'; staying away from sense-objects; reduction of ego
* Prayer of Alcoholic Anonymous:
"O Lord, grant me the courage to accept that which I can not change; O Lord grant me the strength to change what I can
change; O Lord grant me the wisdom to know the difference between what I can change and what I can not change."
2) दम (dama) - mastery over senses of perception and action; वाक्-तपः (vak-tapah) control over speech is important part of dama
* त्रिपुण्ड्र (tripundra) the three lines drawn with ash on forehead by Shaivaites; the three ash-lines indicate the transitory
nature of three bodies, three periods of times, three guna etc.
3) उपरमः (uparamah) - cessation of all activities, in this sense it could mean संन्यास (sannyasa)

* विविदिषा संन्यास (vividisha sannyasa) - one who desires to know Brahman; विद्वत् संन्यास (vidvat sannyasa) - Brahman is realized
* uparamah could also mean practice of स्वधर्म (svadharma) i.e. आश्रमधर्म (ashramadharma) with कर्मयोग भाव (karmayoga bhava) which gradually leads to sannyasa
* वर्णाश्रम धर्म (varnashrama dharma) was based on गुण (guna) & कर्म (karma) (for varnashrama description please see varnashrama section on page: Bhagawad-Gita Notes)
* संस्कारात् द्विज उच्यते (samskarat dvija uchyate), वेदपाठात् विप्र उच्यते (vedapathat vipra uchyate), ब्रह्मज्ञानात् ब्राह्मण उच्यते (brahmajnanat brahmana uchyate)

4) तितिक्षा (titiksha) - Vivekchudamani verse 24 defines it beautifully
5) श्रद्धा (shraddha) - trust in the words of scriptures and Guru

* आचार्यः (acharyah) - see Sadhana-Panchakama (2.5)
    अध्यक्षः (adhyakshah) - similar to acharyah
    अध्यापकः (adhyapakah) - teacher reciting Veda
    देशिकः (deshikah) - one who shows the direction/path of Vedanta (दिशति इति dishati iti)
    गुरु (guru) - 'गु' (gu) : darkness of ignorance and 'रु' (ru) : remover of darkness;
    'ग्' (g) - सिद्धिदः (siddhidah) giver of सिद्धि (siddhi) i.e. Self-Knowledge, 'र्' (r) - पापनाशनः (papanashanah) destroyer of
      पापः (papah), and 'उ' (u) - अव्यक्तः (avyaktah) Unmanifest, ishvara

* Types of दिक्षा (diksha) initiation:
1) मन्‍त्रदिक्षा (mantradiksha) - by giving mantra;
2) स्पर्शदिक्षा (sparshadiksha) - by touch, कुक्कुटदिक्षा (kukkutadiksha) by कांची कामाक्षी (kanchi kamakshi);
3) नयनदिक्षा (nayanadiksha) - by look, मीनदिक्षा (minadiksha) by मदुराई मीनाक्षी (madurai minakshi);
4) स्मरणदिक्षा (smaranadiksha) - by thought, कमठदिक्षा (kamathadiksha) by काशी विशालाक्षी (kashi vishalakshi);
5) उपदेशदिक्षा (upadeshadiksha) - by उपदेश (upadesha) of वेदान्तवाक्यः (vedantavakyah)

* Shraddha is useful not only for moksha but also for वेदपूर्व (vedapurva) i.e. कर्मकाण्डः (karmakandah) related to स्वर्गप्राप्तिः (svargapraptih), papah, punyah etc. Knowledge in Veda is verifiable and not blind-faith

* Following three characteristics make Veda a separate प्रमाणः (pramanah) means of knowledge:
1) अनधिगत्‍वम् (anadhigatvam) - subject-matter of Veda is not available through any other means of knowledge. Shraddha is to have the आस्तिक्य बुद्धिः (astikya buddhih) that Veda are true as the source of knowledge of God. Scripture is like a mirror given to look at ourselves.
2) अबाधितत्‍वम् (abadhitatvam) - the knowledge in veda can not be disproved. Laws of science (which deals with relative world) can not be used to negate Veda as Veda deal with super-sensuous and super-conscious. E.g. laws of classical physics can not be used to negate the laws of quantum physics
3) अर्थवद् फल बोधकत्‍वम् (arthavad phala bodhakatvam) - the knowledge in Veda has definite benefit. E.g. knowledge of karma, karmaphala, papah, punyah etc. help us in this world and other, while knowledge of Self, God etc. help us in final Liberation

6) समाधान (samadhana) - चितैकाग्रताचितैकाग्रता (chitaikagrata) is different from मनोनिग्रहः (manonigrahah) in the sense that it deals with the memory of the past alone; it is getting rid of past guilt and regrets. Vedantins do not accept the Yoga view of चित्तवृत्तिनिरोधः (chittavrittinirodhah)

@ इच्छा (iccha) for मोक्षः (mokshah) could be very dull (अतिमन्द atimanda), dull (मन्द manda), medium (मध्यम madhyama), or intense (तीव्र tivra)

(वैराग्यशतकम् vairagyashatakam of भर्तृहरी Bhartihari verse 43)

@ Thus one endowed with sadhanachatushtayam becomes अधिकारि (adhikari) for तत्त्‍वविवेकः (tattvavivekah) which is the firm understanding that 'Self alone is real and everything else is unreal'

* Three types of identifications for अहङ्कार ahamkara (ego), due to ignorance, are (दृग्दृश्य-विवेकः DrigDrishya-Vivekah verse 8):
1) ego and जीवः jivah - this is सहज तादत्म्य (sahaja tadatmya) natural association
2) ego and body is कर्मज (karmaja) due to karma-karmaphala
3) ego and witness-consciousness (साक्षी-चैतन्य sakshi-chaitanya) is भ्रान्तिज (bhrantija) born out of ignorance
and is of of the notion that 'ego is permanent reality'
* A jnani performs phenomenal transactions with बाधित अनुवृत्ति (badhita anuvritti) i.e. with the help of identification number 1 in above list

* Apart from Self everything else is मिथ्या (mithya); mithya does not mean तुच्छ (tuchchha), it means अनिर्वचनीय (anirvachaniya) i.e. that which can not be defined as existence or non-existence. Self is पारमार्थिक (paramarthika) ultimate reality while waking state is व्यावहारिक (vyavaharika) transactional reality and dream state is प्रातिभासिक (pratibhasika) subjective reality; tuchchha is like 'flowers of sky' or 'horns of rabbit' or 'son of barren woman'

* Consciousness is the basis of all nature, animals, humans etc. but plants, animals are not self-conscious but at human level the Consciousness becomes self-conscious. This is a blessing in development process but is also a hindrance in ultimate process of Liberation. सत्यम् (satyam) is 'I exist', ज्ञानम् (jnanam) is 'I know' while अनन्तम् (anantam) is given by shastra-pramana as 'I am limitless'
* Self is not under any शब्दप्रवृत्ति (shabdapravritti) i.e. not under जाति (jati) species e.g. humans, animals, plants etc., क्रिया (kriya) action e.g. walking, running, talking etc., गुण (guna) qualities e.g. color, taste, smell etc., or सम्बन्ध (sambandha) relation e.g. parent-child, master-slave, cause-effect, part-whole, symbol-meaning etc.

@ The positive method of pointing out 'Self' is called स्वरुप लक्षणः (svarupa lakshanah) e.g. Self is सत्-चित्-आनन्द स्वरुपः (sat-chit-ananda svarupah) Being-Consciousness-Bliss. The negation method (नेति नेति प्रक्रिया neti neti prakriya) involves negation of perceivable phenomenon - both individual and collective:

1) Negation of three bodies: शरीर-त्रय-प्रक्रिया (sharira-traya-prakriya) छान्दोग्य उपनिषद् (Chhndogya Upanishad)
2) Negation of five sheaths: पञ्चकोश-प्रक्रिया (panchakosha-prakriya) तैतिरीय उपनिषद् (Taitiriya Upanishad)
3) Negation of three states of consciousness: अवस्थात्रय-प्रक्रिया (avasthatraya-prakriya) माण्डूक्य उपनिषद् (Mandukya Upanishad)

* Grades of happiness प्रिय (priya) seeing the object, मोद (moda) possessing the object, प्रमोद (pramoda) enjoying the object

@ स्थूलशरीरम् (sthulashariram) - gross body

* शरीरः (sharirah) - शीर्यमाण स्वभावात् (shiryamana svabhavat)
* सत्कर्मजन्यम् (satkarmajanyam) - human body is more of punyah and less of papah as human beings can enquire 'who am I?'
* पञ्चीकरणम् (panchikaranam) is the method defined by many Vedantic texts for combination of subtle elements to form gross elements of nature but Chhandogya Upanishad has त्रिवृत्तकरणम् (trivrittakaranam), it leaves out space and air elements

@ सूक्ष्मशरीरम् (sukshmashariram) - subtle body

* सांख्य (sankhya) philosophy defines the अष्टधा-प्रकृति (ashtadha-prakriti) eighteen-fold Nature and प्रकृति-विकृति (prakriti-vikriti) sixteen evolutes of Nature, in order to separate the purusha from prakriti
* इन्द्रः (indrah), the deity for पाणिः (panih) hands - which are useful for all Vedic rituals like yajnah - is also called शतक्रतुः (shatakratuh) performer of 100 yajnah
* Problems of feet can be addressed by chanting विष्णु-सहस्रनामः (vishnu-sahasranamah) and propitiating विष्णुः (vishnuh), the deity for पादः (padah)! Similarly for kidney trouble, मृत्यु-देवता (mrityu-devata) deity of death i.e. यमः (yamah) can be propitiated!!

@ कारणशरीरम् (karanashariram) - causal body is the अविद्या (avidya) which blocks Self-Knowledge; it also is beyond shabdapravritti and can not be categorically defined. It is also illumined by the light of Self and remains 'existing' till the dawn of Self-Knowledge. Human 'free-will' is the light of Self percolating through the covering of karanashariram. As avidya gives birth to desires - which in turn produce attachment, hatred, karma etc. - the subtle and gross bodies are products of avidya.

* The analogy of रज्जु-सर्प (rajju-sarpa) i.e. of 'rope in snake' illustrates the unreality of ignorance and fruitless-ness of desires; through it spiritual aspirants are encouraged to bring in the light of Self and dispel the darkness of ignorance
* The analogy of शुक्तिका-रजतः (shuktika-rajatah) i.e. of 'silver in mother-of-pearl' illustrates the deceptive nature of काम पुरुषार्थ (kama purushartha)
* panchadashi states the stages of jiva towards Self-Knowledge as:
1) अज्ञान (ajnana) - ignorance
2) आवृत्ति (avritti) - covering of Self
3) विक्षेप (vikshepa) - projection of phenomenon; sense of 'doer'
4) परोक्षज्ञान (parokshajnana) - Guru's arrival
5) अपरोक्षज्ञान (aparokshajnana) - Direct Knowledge
6) तृप्तिः (triptih) - complete fulfillment
7) शोकापगमः (shokapagamah) - cessation of all misery

* A मुमुक्षु (mumukshu) turns into जिज्ञासु (jijnasu), who in turn becomes ज्ञानी (jnani)
* Scriptures use the अन्वय व्यतिरेक (anvaya vyatireka) 'co-presence & co-absence' method to impress a point on aspirant's mind. E.g. of anvaya is 'in waking state Self is there as it was in dream state' while in vyatireka, the logic would be 'in waking state even though Self is there, dream state is missing'.

@ पञ्चकोशः (panchakoshah) - explanation of five sheaths

* अन्नमयः (annamayah) - अन्नम् (annam) - that which is eaten; this koshah corresponds to sthulashariram; out of षड्-उर्मी (shad-urmi) i.e. six afflications of the soul, जरा (jara) old-age and मृत्यु (mrityu) death belong to annamayah koshah
* प्राणमयः (pranamayah) - consists of five senses of action and five pranas; out of shad-urmi, अशना (ashana) hunger and पिपासा (pipasa) thirst belong to pranamayah koshah
* मनोमयः (manomayah) - consists of mind and five senses of perception; out of shad-urmi, शोक (shoka) grief and मोह (moha) delusion belong to manomayah koshah

* विज्ञानमयः (vijnanamayah) - consists of intellect/heart (buddhi) and five senses of perception
* आनन्दमयः (anandamayah) - is analogous to karanashariram and is in the form of ignorance of Self. Being nearest to Self, the bliss of Self is reflected in this modification; in jiva the satva is of inferior form while in ishvara it is of superior form

koshah is the place where mistake is made like 'I am body', 'I am pranah','I am mind', 'I am buddhi' etc.

@ Waking-self, dream-self, deep-sleep-self belong to 'Me' but is 'not Me'; similarly five koshah and three sharirah belong to 'Me' but are 'not Me'.

@ चतुर्विंशति तत्त्‍वोत्पत्तिप्रकारम् (chaturvishati tattvotpattiprakaram) - This is sankhya system of describing evolution of phenomenon. Vedanta uses this to explain the appearance of observable universe but does not accord it any separate existence or reality from that of the Self; thus maya becomes inseparable power of Brahman (ब्रह्मशक्ति brahmashakti, पराशक्ति parashakti). This power has two aspects: आवृत्ति/आवरण (avritti/avarana) i.e. covering aspect and विक्षेप (vikshepa) i.e. projecting aspect; and it is made of three qualities/properties (त्रिगुणात्मिका trigunatmika) namely सत्‍वः (satvah), रजः (rajah), तमः (tamah). At jiva level i.e. at individual level (व्यष्टि vyashti) it is called अविद्या (avidya) while at ishvara level i.e. at collective level (समष्टि samashti) it is called माया (maya).

* ishvara has to project the universe in order to provide field for jiva to exhaust his/her stock of karma
* In Vedanta terminology, ishvara is अभिन्न-निमित्तोपादान-कारण (abhinna-nimittopadana-karana) i.e. inseparable efficient and material cause of the universe or विवर्तोपादान-कारण (vivartopadana-karana) i.e. material cause which remains unchanged even after appearance of universe; and maya is परिणामी-उपादान-कारण (parinami-upadana-karana) i.e. material cause which changes into universe at the time of its manifestation!

* Mundakopanishad gives following examples to illustrate the appearance of universe from Self:
1) यथा उर्णनाभिः (yatha urnanabhih) - just as spider throws out web out of itself and thus is material as well as
efficient cause of the web
2) यथा पृथिव्याम् औषधयः (yatha prithivyam aushadhayah) - just as plants come out of Earth without depleting the Earth
3) यथा सतः पुरुषात् केशलोमानि (yatha satah purushat keshalomani) - just as hairs which are insentient grow out of sentient
human body (example of hairs is better than nails because nails are part sentient!)

* ishvara has all the powers of action (क्रियाशक्ति kriyashakti), knowledge (ज्ञानशक्ति jnanashakti), and willing (इच्छाशक्ति ichchhashakti)
* The process of manifestation of universe is only a statement of facts (अनुवादमात्र anuvadamatra) and is not meant to be taken as something absolutely real; it's purpose is to point out the Source from which the universe appears and into which it disappears
* The Self is indicated in scriptures by two methods (1) स्वरुप लक्षण svarupa lakshana - defining the direct way like सत्यम् ज्ञानम् अनन्तम् satyam jnanam anantam, सच्चिदनन्द sachchidananda etc. (2) तटस्थ लक्षण tatastha lakshana - defining the indirect way like यतो वा इमानि भूतानि yato va imani bhutani etc.

* मनस् manas is a place where desire (काम kama), thoughts (सङ्कल्प sankalpa), doubt (विचिकित्सा vichikitsa), faith (श्रद्धा shraddha) or lack of faith (अश्रद्धा ashraddha) arise, as also shame (ह्रिः hrih), intelligence (धीः dhih), fear (भीः bhih), determination/commitment (धृतिः dhritih)
* Sense of being a doer (कर्ता karta) and sense of being an enjoyer (भोक्ता bhokta), both are due to ego (अहङ्कार ahamkara), in fact they are ego; the ego in the form of karta, bhokta, and even ज्ञाता jnata (knower) is maya, mithya; after Self-Knowledge, the karta & bhokta aspects are gone completely but the jnata aspect remains a bit
* Ego (अहङ्कार ahamkara) is part of inner psyche/mind (अन्तःकरण antahkarana) and gets resolved during deep-sleep. Hence it can't be the real 'I'
* सविकल्प समाधि savikalpa samadhi - 'I' concentrating on sacred syllable (मन्‍त्र mantra) or deity (देवता devata), OR 'I' am the 'witness' of 'things witnessed'
निर्विकल्प समाधि nirvikalpa samadhi - no separation between 'I' and mantra or devat? OR between 'witness' and 'things witnessed'

* The chaturvimshati tattvotpattiprakaram can be summarized as below:


Further, out of the cosmic satva part मनः (manas), बुद्धिः (buddhih), चित्तम् (chittam), and अहङ्कार (ahamkara) are formed which have deities चन्द्रमाः (chandramah), ब्रह्मा (brahma), रुद्रः (rudrah), and वासुदेवः (vasudevah) respectively; out of cosmic rajas part five vital forces (पञ्चप्राणाः panchapranah) are formed while from cosmic tamas part, the gross visible universe is formed by the process of पञ्चीकरणम् (panchikaranam). The three states of consciousness namely waking, dreaming, and deep-sleep corresponds to three bodies: gross, subtle and causal. Gross body corresponds to अन्नमयकोशः (annamayakoshah); subtle body to combination of प्राणमयकोशः (pranamayakoshah), मनोमयकोशः (manomayakoshah), and विज्ञानमयकोशः (vijnanamayakoshah); while causal body to आनन्दमयकोशः (anandamayakoshah).

* Four types of gross bodies: अण्डज (andaja) from eggs like birds, tortoise; स्वेदज (svedaja) from moisture like lice, mosquitos, bacteria; उद्भिज (udbhija) from ground like plants, trees; and जरायुज (jarayuja) from womb like mammals, humans.
* काम (kama) desire, क्रोध (krodha) anger, मोह (moha) delusion, मद (mada) pride, लोभ (lobha) greed, and मात्सर्य (matsarya) jealousy are the six afflictions of manomayakoshah.

@ जीवेश्वर ऐक्य (jiveshvara aikya) identity between jiva and ishvara is the goal of Vedanta. jiva, the transmigrating soul considers himself/herself as different from ishvara, the cosmic Soul; this is due to spiritual ignorance. The reflection of Absolute Consciousness in pure and clear reflecting media (unlimited mind) is called ishvara while Its reflection in impure and unclear media (limited mind) is called jiva.
Any statement in Veda which expounds the identity between jiva and ishvara is a Great Dictum (महावाक्य mahavakya); so there are more than four mahavakyas in Veda.

@ तत् त्‍वम् असि (tat tvam asi) i.e. 'That Thou Are' is a mahavakya in which
त्‍वम् पद tvam pada ('Thou' Part in 'Thou Art That'):
वाच्यार्थ vachyartha (literal meaning): सूक्ष्म-स्थूल-शरिराभिमानी जीवः sukshma-sthula-sharirabhimani jivaa
(transmigrating soul conditioned by gross and subtle bodies)
लक्ष्यार्थ lakshyartha (indicated meaning): उपाधिविनिर्मुक्तं समाधिदशासम्पन्नं शुद्धं चैतन्यम् upadhivinirmuktam samadhidashasampannam
shuddham chaitanyam (Pure Consciousness free from all limiting adjuncts which is experienced in samadhi)

तत् पद tat pada ('That' Part in 'Thou Art That'):
वाच्यार्थ vachyartha (literal meaning): सर्वज्ञत्‍वादि विशिष्ट ईश्वरः sarvajnatvadi vishishta ishvarah
(the Lord with the powers like omniscient etc.)
लक्ष्यार्थ lakshyartha (indicated meaning): उपाधिशून्यं शुद्धचैतन्यम् upadhishunyam shuddhachaitanyam
(Pure Consciousness devoid of any limiting adjuncts)

विवर्त vivarta - विशेषेण वर्तते visheshena vartate (that which exists specifically, definitely); स्वस्वरुप अपरीत्यागेन svasvarupa aparityagena
(even during phenomenal appearance 'That' which remains without giving up its real nature)

@ In understanding the mahavakya 'tat tvam asi' i.e. 'That Thou Are', the relation between the two terms 'That' and 'Thou' is most important. Scriptures list three types of relationships (सम्बन्ध sambandha) between two words:

1) सामानाधिकरण्य (samanadhikaranya) - words having same locus
2) विशेषण-विशेष्यभाव (visheshana-visheshyabhava) - words qualify each other; this leads to qualified non-dualism
(विशिष्टाद्वैत vishishtadvaita) as the mahavakya is interpreted as तस्य त्‍वम् असि (tasya tvam asi) i.e. you are His attribute,
a part of Him!
3) लक्ष्य-लक्षण (lakshya-lakshana) - both words have equal meaning/status; this leads to Non-dualism (अद्वैत advaita); there are three types of implications (लक्षण lakshana):

a) जहद्-लक्षण (jahad-lakshana) - e.g. गङ्गायां घोषः (gangayam ghoshah) i.e. the sentence 'village of cowherds is on the river' means 'village of cowherds is on the bank of the river'; here old sentence is dropped and new one is taken for correct understanding of the sentence. Another e.g. - 'child is doll' means 'child is cute'.
b) अजहद्-लक्षण (ajahad-lakshana) - e.g. शोणो धावति (shono dhavati) i.e. the sentence 'the red is sunning' means 'the red horse is running'; here old sentence is not dropped but something is added to it for correct understanding of its meaning.
c) जहदजहद्-लक्षण (jahadajahad-lakshana) - e.g. सो अयं देवदत्तः (so ayam devadattah) i.e. in the sentence 'this is that Devadatta', the different characteristics associated with 'this' and 'that' are eliminated and implied common person 'Devadatta' is understood. Similarly in the mahavakya 'tat tvam asi', the meaning of 'Omnipresent, Omniscient etc.' associated with 'That', as also, the meaning of 'limited body, mind, intellect etc.' associated with 'Thou', are eliminated and common implied substratum of Pure Consciousness is taken.

@ षड् लिङ्ग (shad linga) - the six characteristics used for establishing the exact meaning (तात्पर्य tatparya) of any text/scripture:

1) उपक्रम (upakrama-upasamhara) - Introduction and conclusion
2) उपसंहार (abhyasa) - Repetition
3) अभ्यास (apurvata) - Uniqueness
4) अपूर्वता (phalam) - Result
5) फलम् (arthavada) - Praise
6) अर्थवाद (upapatti) - Logic

@ The truth about Self is to be heard from competent Guru, it has be studied through scriptures with the help of shad linga; this is श्रवण (shravana). Next all the doubts in the mind are to be clarified with deep cogitation; this is मनन (manana). Finally, after all factors opposing Self-Knowledge are removed, deep contemplation in solitude is to be pursued; this is निदिध्यासन (nididhyasana). This process results into समाधि (samadhi) i.e. permanent and spontaneous establishment of mind in Absolute. Spiritual aspirant should not be desperate for samadhi but should engage in nididhyasana joyfully.

@ Human beings have certain amount for free-will and hence they have a choice in their mental/physical actions (कर्म karma); this results in accumulation of पुण्यः (punyah) and पापः (papah) i.e. कर्मफल (karmaphala). Due to this every human being has following three types karma/karmaphala:
1) सञ्चित/कारण (sanchita/karana) - Past bank balance of karmaphala accumulated over many lifetimes
(अनन्तकोटिजन्मनां बीजभूतम् anantakotijanmanam bijabhutam); this is the result of spiritual ignorance (अज्ञान ajnana).
2) प्रारब्ध (prarabdha) - that which has 'begun earlier' (प्राक् आरब्ध prak arabdha); this is the amount of karmaphala,
from the total bank balance, which is being 'encash-ed' now! (present life body-form is the result).
3) आगामि (agami) - that which is yet to come

One who has attained Self-knowledge and is permanently established in the Self is जीवनमुक्त (jivanamukta) i.e. Liberated while living. All the above three types of karmaphalas have been destroyed for such a one, though externally we perceive his/her prarabdha completing its course. Scriptural passages describe the state of a jnani like तरति शोकम् आत्मवित् (tarati shokam atmavit) i.e. 'knowers of Self transcend all sorrow/suffering', तनुं त्यजतु वा काश्यां श्वपचस्य गृहेऽथवा ज्ञानसंप्राप्तिसमये मुक्तोऽसौ विगताशय (tanum tyajatu va kashyam shvapachasya gruhe'thava jnanasampraptisamaye mukto'sau vigatashaya) i.e. 'Let him cast off the body at Kashi or at the house of dog-eater. One who is without a preference for any particular place is Liberated even at the time of gaining Knowledge' etc.

---------------------------------------------------------------

(Notes from study of the text at Sri Swami Chidbhavananda Ashramam, Vedapuri, Theni
from 31-12-2014 to 28-01-2015 under Acharya Swami Sarvananda Saraswati)
The pdf for the text can be downloaded from Scripture PDFs

****************************|| ॐ तत् सत् ||****************************