[Advaita-l] Tattvabodha of Adi Sankaracharya - 12

[S Jayanarayanan]

(Continued from previous post)
 
 
2.3 Causal Body (kAraNa SarIram)
 
  kAraNasharIra.n kim ? What is Causal Body?
 
  anirvAchyAnAdyavidyArUpa.n sharIradvayasya  kAraNamAtra.n
  satsvarUpa aj~nAna.n nirvikalpakarUpa.n yadasti
  tatkAraNasharIram .
 
The one that is unexplainable, without beginning,
and in the form of ignorance (of Truth), which is
the cause for the other two Sareeras, ignorant of
its own Nature, which is free from any division
(transformation), is the kAraNa SarIram or
Causal Body.
 
The very word - kAraNa SarIram - itself im-
plies that it is a Body, but the question is, for
what is it the kAraNam (cause)?
 
sharIradvayasya  kAraNamAtra.n - it is the cause for the other
two bodies - the sthUla and sUkShma SarIras.
That means that the other two bodies are the
effect (kAryam.h) and the kAraNa SarIram is the
cause. Let us briefly analyze Cause and Effect.
For example, the seed is the cause for the
tree (effect). What is the difference between
them? The seed is the potential, (dormant)
unmanifest form, while tree is the manifest
form. So, both the kAraNam and the kAryam
are essentially the same but different in con-
dition. Similarly, the kAraNa SarIram is only
the sthUla SarIram and sUkshma SarIram, but
in the dormant condition. Then the question
arises, what is dormant? In a seed, the various
branches, leaves, etc. are not differentiated and
so are imperceptible. But we have to infer that,
even though the differences are imperceptible,
they must be there, since from a mango seed
only a mango tree grows and not an orange
tree! In short, kAraNam must contain kAryam.
 
So, in kAryam, differences are perceptible and
is called savikalpaH and in kAraNam they are
not perceptible and so is called nirvikalpaH. So
the kAraNa SarIram is the nirvikalpasvarUpam. The
deep-sleep state is identified with the causal
body, since during this state one does not per-
ceive the differences created by the subtle
body and the gross body. It is also described
as anirvAchyAnAdyavidyArUpa.n . avidyA  means
ignorance - aGYAnam, but in this context it implies
mithyA. Atman alone is satyam. It is anirvAchyaM -
indescribable, since any mithyA vastu is inde-
scribable. It is anAdi, since its beginning can-
not be understood (than calling it
beginningless). The concept of time is perceiv-
able only through buddhi which is part of the
sUkshma SarIram and at the plane of kAraNa
SarIram, all concepts of time fails, since buddhi
itself is in dormant form.
 
satsvarUpa aj~nAna.n - As intellect is in potential (or
dormant) form in kAraNa SarIram, so also is
ignorance! What ignorance? About the true
nature of the Self.
 
yadasti tatkAraNasharIram . It is the kAraNa SarIram
or causal body!
 
 
(Continued in next post)