[Advaita-l] Who is Ishvara? Who is jIva? - 4

[Anand Hudli]

चित्रदीपे - "जीव ईशो विशुद्धा चित्" इति त्रैविध्यप्रक्रियां विहाय यथा
घटावच्छिन्नाकाशो घटाकाशः, तदाश्रिते जले प्रतिबिम्बितस्साभ्रनक्षत्रो जलाकाशः,
अनवच्छिन्नो महाकाशः, महाकाशमध्यवर्तिनि मेघमण्डले वृष्टिलक्षणकार्यानुमेयेषु
जलरूपतदवयवेषु तुषाराकारेषु प्रतिबिम्बितो मेघाकाशः इति वस्तुतः
एकस्याप्याकाशस्य चातुर्विध्यम्, तथा स्थूलसूक्ष्मदेहद्वयस्याधिष्ठानतया
वर्तमानं तदवच्छिन्नं चैतन्यं कूटवन्निर्विकारत्वेन स्थितं कूटस्थम्, तत्र
कल्पितेऽन्तःकरणे प्रतिबिम्बितं चैतन्यं संसारयोगी जीवः, अनवच्छिनं चैतन्यं
ब्रह्म, तदाश्रिते मायातमसि स्थितासु सर्वप्राणिनां धीवासनासु प्रतिबिम्बितं
चैतन्यमीश्वरः इति चैतन्यस्य चातुर्विध्यं परिकल्प्यान्तःकरणधीवासनोपाधिभेदेन
जीवेश्वरविभागो दर्शितः ।

The ChitradIpa (of PanchadashI, 6.18) says - leaving aside the three-fold
distinction among jIva, Ishvara, and Pure Consciousness, shows the four-fold
(apparent) distinction of (Pure) Consciousness. This is explained as
follows. The Space delimited by the pot is called GhaTAkAsha or Pot-Space.
The sky containing clouds and stars reflected in the water within the pot is
called JalAkAsha. The Space not delimited by anything is called MahAkAsha.
The sky that is reflected in drops of water in the cloud is called
MeghAkAsha. We can infer the presence of drops of water in the cloud because
of rain. In this way, the One AkAsha appears as four types of AkAsha.
(Proceeding) in similar fashion, Consciousness as the substratum of
the gross and subtle bodies is called kUTastha, since it does not undergo
any change like the anvil (on which metals are shaped by hammering). In that
kUTastha, the internal organ (antaHkaraNa) is supposed. The reflection of
Consciousness in that internal organ is called the jIva who is bound to
saMsAra (cycle of life and death). The Consciousness not delimited by
anything is Brahman. In the ignorance (tamas) called mAyA which has that
Brahman for its substratum, the vAsanAs (mental impressions) of all living
creatures are present. The reflection of Consciousness in those vAsanAs is
called Ishvara. Thus the four-fold distinction of Consciousness is
(apparently) done and the distinction between jIva and Ishvara is shown as
the result of delimitation (of Consciousness) by the internal organ and the
vAsanAs.

The correspondence that is being established is:

kUTastha chaitanya  - ghaTAkAsha
jIva  - jalAkAsha
Brahman -  mahAkAsha
Ishvara - meghAkAsha

(To be continued)

Anand