[Advaita-l] Conviction that the Atman is distinct from the body

[Ravi Kiran]

On Sat, Oct 1, 2016 at 9:37 AM, V Subrahmanian via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> The Maitreyi upanishad says:
>
> उत्तमा तत्त्वचिन्तैव मध्यमं शास्त्रचिन्तनम् ।
> अधमा मन्त्रचिन्ता च तीर्थभ्रान्त्यधमाधमा ॥ २१॥
>
> [The highest means is contemplating the Tattva. The middling type is
> contemplating the śāstra. The lowly one is engaging in mantra and the
> lowest one is pilgrimage]
>
> In the case of Ramana we find this completely consummating. He never spoke
> about śāstra vākyas to buttress his anubhava but his contemplation was on
> the Tattva the śāstra teach.  The śāstras, on the other hand, spoke of his
> anubhava. That is what he re-cognized, pratyabhijnā, when people started
> reading vedantic texts in his presence: These books are stating my
> experience.
>
> It is a case of the śāstra-s conferring prāmānyam to his anubhava.
>
> It is this tattva chintanam that is glowing in his talks.


From His talks, if one gets the pramA of tattva ( that one has got through
Sruti shravaNa) , there is nothing to refute this, as for as that one is
concerned. For such a one, Bhagavan always shines as an epitome of GYAni.


> When someone
> asked: which is better - avaccheda vāda or pratibimba vāda? Ramana replied:
> ellā vādattaiyum viṭṭāl adu tān sari ['transcending all vāda-s alone is
> best']
>
> He did not engage in any mantra japa.  He never left Tiruvannamalai once he
> came there renouncing hearth and home.  This location was his only
> destination and having found it he remained there forever.
>
> Here are two verses from the Panchadashi (Tṛpti dīpa prakaraṇam) of
> Vidyaranya:
>
> असन्दिग्धाविपर्यस्तबोधो देहात्मनीक्ष्यते ।
> तद्वदत्रेति निर्णेतुमयमित्यभिधीयते ॥७.१९॥
>
> meaning----
> In speaking of himself the common man seems to be convinced of his identity
> with the body.A similar conviction about this self as Brahman is necessary
> for liberation.This is the meaning of 'this' in ' I am this'.
>
> [The context is the Bṛ.up. mantra The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
>
>    teaches: आत्मानं चेद्विजानीयात् अयमस्मीति पूरुषः । किमिच्छन् कस्य कामाय
>    शरीरमनुसञ्ज्वरेत् ॥ (IV.iv.13) [‘If a man knows the Self as ‘I am this’,
>    then desiring what and for whose sake will he suffer in the wake of the
>    body?’]
>
>
> An ignorant man says ,'I am this',showing his body;a wise man says ,'I am
> this'
> referring to his Self. Here knowledge is identified with conviction.
>
> देहात्मज्ञानवज्ज्ञानं देहात्मज्ञनबाधकम् ।
> आत्मन्येव भवेद्यस्य स नेच्छन्नपि मुच्यते ॥ ७.२०॥
>
> meaning----
> When a man is as firmly convinced of his identity with Brahman as an
> ordinary man is convinced of his identity with the body,he is liberated
> even if he does not wish for it.
> [This verse is from the Upadeśasāhasrī of Shankaracharya]
>
> The 'Atman' here is the one that is not kartā-bhoktā.
>
> The above verses reflect the experience and state of Ramana Maharshi.
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