[Advaita-l] Tattvabodha of Adi Sankaracharya - 8

[S Jayanarayanan]

(Continued from previous post)
 
 
http://svbf.org/wp-content/uploads/tattvabodha/3_Tattvabodha_ShariraTrayam.pdf
 
Tattva Bodha of Adi Sankaracharya  -
A Vedantic Primer: Part 2 (contd.)
 
(Lecture Notes compiled by Venkat Ganesan from the series of
SVBF Lectures given by Dr. S. YEGNASUBRAMANIAN)
 
2. Analysis of the Individual - jlva vicAraH
(continued)
 
In the discussion on the Analysis of the
Individual - jIvavichAraH, in the previous issue, it
was stated that the Atman is different from the
three "bodies" and the five "sheaths", and is the
witness of the three states of Conciousness, the
Author enters into the explanation of each of
the anAtmA aspects, their components and
attributes. The section begins with a discussion
of the SarIra-trayam (three bodies).
 
2.1 Sarira- traya (three bodies) : sthUla -
sUkshma-kAraNa SarIra's
 
2.1.1 The Gross Body: sthUla SarIra
 
sthUlasharIra.n kim ? What is sthUla SarIra ? Gross
- sthUlam - means that it can be known by the
sense organs for direct perception and is visible
to others.
 
  pa~nchIkR^itapa~nchamahAbhUtaiH kR^ita.n satkarmajanya.n
  sukhaduHkhAdibhogAyatana.n sharIram
  asti jAyate vardhate vipariNamate apakShIyate vinashyatIti
  ShaDvikAravadetatsthUlasharIram .
 
It is composed of the five elements (mahAbhUtas),
that have gone through a process of pancIkaraNam;
is born as a result of good deeds; is the abode to
experience pleasure and pain; is subject to six
modifications, is born, it grows, transforms, decays
and dies - is the gross body.
 
a) What is it made of ? pa~nchamahAbhUtaiH kR^ita.n - of the
five great elements - Air (vAyu), fire (agni),
earth (prithvi), water (Apah) and space
(AkASa) - which are matter, and so body
is also matter.
 
b) What is the process? pa~nchIkR^ita - by
grossification (pa~nchIkaraNaM) of these five
elements - volume of the body due to
"space", respiration due to "air "; body heat
due to "agni "; the make up due to water
(fluids) and mineral "earth".
 
c) How is this body acquired? (if all bodies
are made up of the same material, why
there is difference among them - animal
body, human body, plant body and even
variations among them?) - satkarma janyam.h -
the body is acquired out of sat karma - good
deeds in the past).
 
d) What is its function? sukhaduHkhAdibhogAyatana.n -
it is the abode for the experience of pleasure, pain etc.
 
e) What is its naturre? - is subject to six modifications
(ShaDvikAravat.h) as follows:
 
sharIram asti - it exists as potential form in the mother's womb
jAyate - is born
vardhate - it grows
vipariNamate - it transforms
apakShIyate - it decays, declines, and
vinashyati - it perishes.
 
Once we know that the nature of the body is to go
through the shadvikAra, we learn to accept it and
do not "protest" against it including death. The
author declares that this is sthUla SarIram -
etatsthUlasharIram.
 
 
(Continued in next post)