You are the Supreme Light': Life Lessons from Adi Sankara by Nanditha Krishna

Author:Nanditha Krishna [Krishna, Nanditha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aleph Book Company
Published: 2018-07-26T22:00:00+00:00

KNOWLEDGE OF TRUTH

Shankara composed prakaranas (expositions) to help the seeker comprehend the subtle themes of the scriptures. The Tattvabodha is a prakarna (exposition) with definitions to achieve knowledge and unity with the Supreme Being.

The Eternal is only one, and that is

Brahman. Everything else is impermanent.

Detachment is the total lack of interest in the

pleasures of this world and heaven too.

The six spiritual treasures are mind control,

sense control, mental tranquillity, endurance,

concentration and faith.

Intense desire is the desire to be liberated.

True knowledge is comprehension that the

Self is true and everything else is false.

The gross physical body is made up of

the five supreme elements that express the

experience of happiness or misery born of

past good or bad actions.

The gross body is born of five

transfigurations: birth, life, growth, change

and death. The ear, skin, eyes, tongue and

nose are the instruments of knowledge.

The five organs are the medium of actions.

The subtle body consists of the five organs of

knowledge, the five organs of action,

the five vital forces, the mind and the

intellect—the seventeen organs.

The causal body is formed from ignorance, is

ignorant of its own nature

and does not undergo any modification.

The three states of existence are waking,

dreaming and deep sleep.

The Self is identified with the

gross physical body.

All that is heard or seen in the waking state

become mental impressions.

The world that appears in the sleep state is

called the dream state.

Deep sleep is a state when you

do not know anything.

The five sheaths are food, the life-force, the

mind, knowledge and the state of bliss.

Atman or the Self is the nature

of the Supreme Being,

a state of knowledge and absolute bliss.

The three qualities of ignorance are serenity

(sattva), activity (rajas) and inertia (tamas).

The Self is the Supreme Being,

a state of consciousness and bliss.

The living being (jiva) thinks that Ishvara is

different. The ignorant Self is the jiva.

Ishvara is hidden by the falsity of maya.

As long as there is a difference between jiva

and Ishvara, birth and death will not go.

Therefore, never differentiate between jiva

and Ishvara.

Can there be no difference between the living

being with ego and limited knowledge and

the all-knowing Ishvara without ego?

Ishvara and living beings are not different as

there is no difference in Consciousness.

‘Thou art that’ (Tat tvam asi) is pure

Consciousness, free of all attributes.

The unattached all-pervasive Self is the

liberated-in-life (jivanmukti).

Knowing that ‘I am Brahman’, one is freed

from the bondage of action (karma).

There are three types of fruits of action: that

which should yield fruit in the future,

that which is stored, and that which has

begun to yield fruit.

A person can carry out actions that will

impact the future if his self-knowledge—both

good and bad—is awakened.

Sanchita karma is that which remains in the

form of a seed even after multiple births.

Praarabdha karma is that which gives birth to

this body in this world,

and makes us experience happiness

and misery.

Such karmas can only be eliminated by

experience.

Karmas can be destroyed by the

decisive knowledge

‘I am Brahman’ (Aham Brahmasmi).

One who knows the Self has attained

Brahman, having crossed world

lines in this life itself.

The Vedas say that one who knows the Self

transcends sorrow.

The Smritis say that one who attains

knowledge of the Supreme Being

does not care where his body falls, since he

has destroyed all desires.

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