[Advaita-l] Notes on vichara sagaram - 6

[kuntimaddi sadananda]

Hence claiming thought is aham bhramaasmi. Swami paramarthanandaji gives here an example of KraNa in Mahabhaarata – he is in fact Kounteya or son of Kunti- but brough up as Raadheya, son of Radha. KarNa did not know his original status as Kounteya. That knowledge was covered. When he was informed Krishna as well as Kunti that he is kounteya and not Radheya that he thought he was, it was revealing information that need to be assimilated. He has to claim that he is Kounteya and not Radheya in spite of his habitual knowledge that he is later. It is not a new status but discovering his original status. That discovery thought involving claiming my real status as aham brahaasmi is akhandaakaara vritti. It is akhanda since it is pratibodha viditam (Ke. Up.) – can be known in every knowledge that takes place. Bhagavan Ramana says – aham aham taya sphurati hRit swayam – I am – I am – raises spontaneously in the discovery of I am which is paramam
 puurnam sat swaruupam – which is supreme and Brahma swaruupam (puurnam) and of the nature of existence that I am. In the aham brahmaasmi – vRitti – chidaabhaasa is there as reflecting consciousness. This claiming thought is vRitti vyaapti. This claiming thought is uncovering my ignorance of my true nature. When the uncoverning or discovering takes place there is no need for phala vyaapti as in the objective knowledge here since the object that is being discovered is the self that I  am who is doing the discovery. Self is self-conscious or witnessing saaskhii. In the discovery that I am that witnessing saaskhii as the subtrantum of all sakhyam too and even the distinction between saaskhii and saakshyam is only superficial but substantively there is only one that I am. The phala vyaapti is not there as in the case of sun that is revealed when the winds blow away the clouds covering the sun. After the clouds are removed I donot have to illumine the
 sun to see the sun since sun is self-revealing. All I have to do is to remove the clouds covering the sun – that involves a process and proper means is required to accomplish that process. In other words, a qualified student- adhikaari - and appropriate pramANa are required to dis-cover that I am that Brahman – aham brahmaasmi. There is only vRitti vyaapti and phala vyaapti is not required. 

The author illustrates this with an example – In a pitch dark room there are several objects one of it is a candle light but covered completely by pot. I need a torch light which can shed light or illumine the object that I want to see in the dark room. With the torch light only I see the pot but not the lighted candle inside since pot is covering the lighted candle. After seeing the pot I have to remove the pot to see the lighted candle. However to see the lighted candle I donot have to illumine by the torch light since candle light is self shining and therefore self-revealing. Illumination of the pot and removing the pot however are required before I can see the self-revealing lighted candle. This is what the role of shravana, manana and nidhidhyaasana in uncovering the Brahman that I am. 

Hari Om!
Sadananda