[Advaita-l] Consciousness and cognition - a consonance between the taittirIya upaniShad bhAShya and dakshinAmUrti stotra

[Venkatraghavan S]

Namaste,

A nice consonance between the taittirIya upaniShad bhAShya for satyam
jnAnam anantam brahma (TUB 2.1.1) and the 4th sloka of the dakshinamUrti
stotra.

TUB 2.1.1
स्वरूपाव्यतिरेकेण कार्यत्वोपचारात् । आत्मनः स्वरूपं ज्ञप्तिः न ततो
व्यतिरिच्यते । अतो नित्यैव ।

Free flowing translation -
Because they are non distinct (the self and jnAnam of the upanishadic
sentence, satyam jnAnam anantam brahma) , there is figurative usage of the
term (jnAnam) to denote effects (the word jnAnam in the true sense is
eternal and unchanging, but is figuratively used to denote cognitions,
which being products, are non eternal).

Knowing (jnAnam = jnapti) being the nature of the self,  cannot be
different to it. Therefore it (jnAnam) must be eternal only (in the true
sense).

What then is the basis of the figurative usage of the term jnAnam to denote
thoughts / cognitions? Shankara explains:

TUB 2.1.1 (continued)
तथापि बुद्धेरुपाधिलक्षणायाश्चक्षुरादिद्वारैर्विषयाकारपरिणामिन्याः ये
शब्दाद्याकारावभासाः, ते आत्मविज्ञानस्य विषयभूता उत्पद्यमाना एव
आत्मविज्ञानेन व्याप्ता उत्पद्यन्ते । तस्मादात्मविज्ञानावभास्याश्च ते
विज्ञानशब्दवाच्याश्च धात्वर्थभूता आत्मन एव धर्मा विक्रियारूपा इत्यविवेकिभिः
परिकल्प्यन्ते ।
Despite so, cognitions, which are modifications of the intellect, the
adjunct (of the self), through the doorways of the senses such as the eyes
etc, take on the forms of objects and reveal them to be sounds etc.
(Therefore) they are verily objects of the self, and even as they arise,
they do so, being pervaded by the self. These cognitions, which are
illuminated by the self, are referred to by the word 'knowledge', and the
entity denoted by the root/stem of the word (jna) in Sanskrit. These
constantly transforming cognitions are mistaken to be properties of the
(unchanging) self by those that are unable to distinguish the self from
cognitions.

This passage appears to me to be the basis for pratikarma-vyavasthA
(epistemology according to Vedanta) that was later expanded upon by the
vivaraNakAra, paribhAShAkAra, et al. The idea of cognitions, through the
medium of the senses, taking on the AkAra of the objects (vRtti vyApti)
which are illuminated by the self (phala vyApti) is found here in the
prasthAna bhAShya.

This also appears to be a basis of the famous vivaraNa statement,
अन्तःकरणवृत्तौ ज्ञानत्वोपचारात्।

The fourth verse of the dakshiNamUrti stotra which the above bhAShya
passage mirrors -

नानाच्छिद्रघटोदरस्थितमहादीपप्रभा भास्वरं
ज्ञानं यस्य तु चक्षुरादिकरणद्वारा वहिः स्पन्दते ।
जानामीति तमेव भान्तमनुभात्येतत्समस्तं जगत्
तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥

As the rays of light of a great lamp situated inside a pitcher having many
holes, shine outwards, ....similarly, the knowledge of that alone (i.e.
Atman) bounds outwards, through the media of the eyes and other sense
organs, (manifesting) as "I know". Through His shining, this entire world
shines. To that Self, who is this (my) guru,  and who is verily
Dakshinamurti, I offer my obeisance.

Kind regards,
Venkatraghavan