This is a two part blog. The first part was published here – Adhikara Sadhaka. 

The Significance of Antaḥkaraṇa Śuddhi in the Pursuit of Mokṣa.

For a mumukṣu or seeker of Brahman, stabilizing the material body is necessary for success on the path to realization. Without a healthy body, neither the focus nor commitment required to pursue this parā vidya or the highest knowledge is possible. In fact, the Upanishads advocate the physical strength and health of the sharīra as prerequisites for study. But, once the physical body is stabilized, the subtle body must also be made steady. Higher elevation, purpose, and awareness come only through the advancement of the subtle body.

A significant component of the subtle body is the antaḥkaraṇa. Commonly simplified to mean “the mind,” antaḥkaraṇa comes from the Sanskrit compound: “antar,” meaning interior or within, and “karaṇa,” meaning sense organ or cause. Therefore, antaḥkaraṇa is the inner cause or internal organ that controls the entire psychological process, including emotions.

The antaḥkaraṇa is constituted of four psychological faculties:

• Manas – the mind
• Buddhi – the intellect
• Ahaṃkāra – the ego
• Citta – memory

“Shuddhi” translates from Sanskrit to mean purification or freedom from defilement. Therefore, antaḥkaraṇa śuddhi means cleansing the inner organ (by removing unregulated sense desires) and preventing further desecration.

How has the Antaḥkaraṇa become impure?

Yama explains:

“अन्यच्छ्रेयोऽन्यदुतैव प्रेय- स्ते उभे नानार्थे पुरुषँ सिनीतः ।
तयोः श्रेय आददानस्य साधु भवति हीयतेऽर्थाद्य उ प्रेयो वृणीते ॥ 

anyacchreyo anyad utaiva preyaste ubhe nānārthe puruṣam sinītah tayọh śreya ādadānasya sādhu bhavati, hīyate rthad ya u preyovṛnīte

Different is the good, and different indeed is pleasant. These two, with different purposes, bind a man. Of these two, it is well for him who takes hold of the good, but he who chooses the pleasant fails of his aim.”

~ Kathopanishad 1.2.1

The physical body, directed by the subtle body, chases the world of sensual pleasures (the pleasant.) Jīvas, who, through avidya, identify as the śarīra (body,) have become bound by the pursuit of fleeting perceptions of pleasure^[1] associated with the śarira and the jagat. But the enjoyment of the phenomenal is transient, and due to the law of diminishing returns, consumption results in decreased satisfaction. And so, the more we consume, the less “happiness” it brings, resulting in more abundant and intense stimulation being sought. This sullies the antahkaraṇa and further entangles the jīva in a web of sense desires. Consequently, the jīva does not find an apparent escape from saṃsāra to mokṣa.

How does one attain Antaḥkaraṇa Śuddhi?

Descartes said, “I think therefore I am.”  However, vedānta advocates that existence precedes thought. By understanding the four functions of the antaḥkaraṇa, the seeker becomes more conscious of what is happening within his internal organ and what drives his behaviors.

How the Antaḥkaraṇa works

1. The Manas: The mind is the seat of desire which controls will or resolution (saṃkalpa). It interacts with the senses and receives external stimuli. Due to saṃskāras developed and strengthened over many lifetimes, the manas decides whether an experience is desirable (rāga) or displeasing (dveṣa.)  The manas sends the information about the experiences to the buddhi for processing.
2. The Buddhi: The buddhi is the intellect that uses the power of discrimination (viveka) to express rational control over decision-making. A reciprocal relationship exists between viveka and parā-vidya. The ability to differentiate between the real and unreal, permanent, and temporary, self and other-than-self comes from knowledge. Conversely, the greater the knowledge, the stronger the power of viveka.
3. The Ahaṃkāra: “Aham” means I, and “kāra” means to do with. The ahaṃkāra, which results from avidya, causes the Ātma (Self) to identify with the body as “I”—the doer. It builds a unique sense of identity, separating Ātma from Paramātma. Once the ahamkāra takes on an independent individuality (ego) and sense of “I-ness,” the buddhi is subjected to that identity and functions only in that context.
4. The Citta: The citta is the higher mind or consciousness that acts as the storehouse of the jīva’s karmas and samskāras over lifetimes and carries their imprints from birth to birth. This build-up of impressions on the mind prevents the self from perceiving anything in its true state—even its own self. To overcome this ignorance, it is necessary to cleanse the citta.

The buddhi receives the information from the manas and analyzes it using reasoning, allowing a choice to be made rather than simply responding to the experience. The manas and buddhi’s continuous activity is choosing between the right, the good, and the pleasant^[2]. When the buddhi becomes silent, there is no viveka or discrimination.

The sensual desire-driven manas and ahamkāra work together to circumvent the buddhi and guide our actions towards sense-enjoyment that strengthen saṃskāras and reinforce a separate sense of identity.

Reshaping the Antaḥkaraṇa Shuddhi = Untying Knots

We are told that the antaḥkaraṇa resides within the heart. The Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad speaks about the knots we tie within the heart.

We’re all often in the process of tying knots^[3] through saṃskāras. When the sense organs encounter sense objects, an experience is created, and there is a reaction in the manas. This includes likes, dislikes, frustration, sorrow, anger, fear, insecurity, loneliness, etc. The response toward our experiences defines the knots of our hearts, including the rāga-dveṣas, sukha (happiness), and duḥkha (sorrow). Knots become tighter by repeating the experiences and our reactions. The continuous pursuit of rāgas and avoidance of dveṣas keeps the manas preoccupied with the senses, unable to fix its aspirations for higher goals.

The knots of our saṃskāras must be acknowledged and observed before we can deal with them. This happens through meditation and contemplation, removing the mind from the chaos of the external world and going into stillness and silence. It is only then that we can observe the mind and move beyond the mind.

To untie the knots, one must reign in the senses and reduce the repetition of desire-driven karmas, as that is the root of the creation of saṃskāras. The ignorance of the ahaṃkāra must be removed, allowing the seeker to see things the way they are.

Understanding that one has the choice to exercise discrimination due to managing the faculties of the antaḥkaraṇa is the empowerment that the seeker needs to begin his ascent out of saṃsāra. Rather than acting mechanically as though programmed by saṃskāras and unaware of his role in building these samskāras, the vijñānavān^[4] applies his discriminating intellect and holds himself accountable through knowledge of the antaḥkaraṇa. He directs the intellect to move the manas away from pursuing sensual pleasures. This reduces the ego and eventually dissolves the sense of identity through knowledge of the Self. The seeker can understand the cause of undesirable personality traits, rāgas, dweṣas, fears, and compulsions and intercept and influence them. In so doing, he becomes mindful that he is not the body, nor the (functions of the) mind, but rather, the Sākṣi or witness—the one who is aware of them. He becomes a samanaska or one endowed with a controlled mind.

यस्तु विज्ञानवान्भवति समनस्कः सदा शुचिः ।
स तु तत्पदमाप्नोति यस्माद्भूयो न जायते ॥ 

yas tu vijñānavān bhavati samanaskaḥ sadā śuci sa tu tat padam āpnoti yasmāt bhūyo na jāyate

That (master of the chariot), however, who is associated with a discriminating intellect, and being endowed with a controlled mind, is ever pure and attains that goal from which he is not born again.

~ Kathopanishad 1.3.8)

As avidyā is overcome by knowledge of the Self, the antaḥkaraṇa is purified by meditation and contemplation through which the subtle body progresses. This purification prepares the self for the knowledge of Brahman without distraction or deviation. The association of the intellect with the mind and the sense organs is harmonious and self-restrained. The sādhaka, who has a clean, pure, and developed antaḥkaraṇa, and whose mind is unpolluted and concentrated, does not need to go towards sense-gratification from external stimuli but turns inward to his heart for the full experience of Brahman.

[1] Bhagavad Gita 2.14 describes how fleeting perceptions of happiness and distress arise from contact between the sense organs and sense objects.

[2] Kathopanishad 1.2.2

[3] Mundaka Upanishad 2.2.9 references the knots of the heart

[4] Kathopanishad 1.3.6

The post Antahkarana Shuddhi for Moksha – Part II appeared first on Hindu University of America.

Is the Bhagavad Gita solely a manual for spiritual living? Are the Upanishads and other scriptures just esoteric readings? Can we derive leadership principles from Hindu scriptures to teach and guide us in our everyday corporate or professional lives? In an increasingly complex world faced with maniacal “celebrity” superstar promoters at one end of the employment spectrum to “quietly quitting” colleagues/team members at the other end, can we draw upon the sagacious wisdom contained in our ancient scriptures to help us operate and function optimally in the business world? In addition to our carefully developed resources of intelligence quotient (IQ) and emotional quotient (EQ), can we also build upon our “consciousness” quotient (CQ)?

Leadership Principles From Hindu Scriptures

A Personal Dilemma 

As a finance professional working in corporate India, I have personally reflected on methods—empathetic but still effective—to garner the enthusiasm and support of my team members during trying business times. At other moments, I have been anxiously searching for answers to persuade peers in management to align with wider corporate goals that are sustainable in the long run in contrast to narrow short-term departmental goals.

A leader is influenced by the culture he or she is born in; the nuances of his or her culture will shape the leadership role and style. Rather than blindly copying an aggressive Western management style, I constantly wondered if there was an alternative approach to leadership—one that was more rooted in the Hindu culture. 

In my intrepid search, I was delighted to read a scholarly document authored by Shriram Sarvotham from the study material shared by the HUA in the course “Orientation to Hindu Studies.” This enlightening essay is sourced from the book whose title says it succinctly: “Inclusive Leadership – Perspectives from Tradition and Modernity”.

Shriram Sarvotham states that Yogic wisdom from authoritative yoga texts enunciates systematic methods to cultivate fundamental leadership attributes. His specific references to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and the Upanishads inspire wonder at the deep levels of practical wisdom that abound in the Hindu culture.

The author starts with the premise that the fundamental trait of a leader is his or her ability to influence people in their thoughts, words, and actions. The leader’s persuasive power inspires people to take action towards the chosen ideals, goals, and objectives. The art of persuasion has three distinct attributes namely, satyam (appeal to one’s credibility), yukti (appeal to the intellect) and karuna (appeal to the emotions). In the Indian tradition, Yogic wisdom from authoritative yoga texts such as Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras enunciates systematic methods to cultivate these triune attributes of satyam, yukti, and karuna.

Satyam: the inner work

Satyam is the power that comes from personal ethics and the pursuit of excellence. Satyam provides credibility to the leader and creates an aura of powerful presence. The words of one who has cultivated satyam carry enormous weight. They have the power to deeply influence people.

Maharishi Patanjali states:
सत्यप्रतिष्ठायां क्रियाफलाश्रयत्वम् ॥
satya pratiṣṭhāyāṃ kriyā phalāśrayatvam
For one who is established in truth, their vision becomes manifest
(Yoga Sutra, 2.36)

“Speak Truth to Power” is an oft-repeated quote—a maxim that resonated deeply within me. As the financial head of an organization, I internalized this maxim—particularly when reporting financial details and results to shareholders and stakeholders.

The author expands on the meaning of satyam as being much more than speaking truthfully; it refers to the core ethical value of integrity. A leader can claim to be true to their ideals only by integrating them into their own lives and by living them. In addition to gaining the power to manifest a vision as stated by Patanjali, living a life of satyam accrues credibility. Others trust the words and actions of the leader once the credibility is firmly established.

In short, living the highest, most excellent version of oneself builds satyam.

Yukti: clarity of perception and expression

Yukti is the appeal to logic. Yukti builds a cogent, coherent, and clear flow of ideas that convince the intellect. Before articulating these ideas to others, a leader must convince himself or herself first. In the Yoga Sutras, Maharishi Patanjali provides the analogy of a flawless crystal (abhijātasyeva mani [Yoga Sutra, 1.41])—as a metaphor to depict the state of mind of a yogi.

The author states that oftentimes, the intellect is muddied and dulled by laziness or even stupor. One can think of this as a veil of darkness that envelops the brilliance of the intellect, thereby eclipsing it. This darkness, termed tamas in yoga, is like the dark smoke that clouds the inner light from shining forth.

A well-known mantra from the Upanishads states:
तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय ।
tamaso mā jyotirgamaya
Lead me from darkness to light
(Brihadaranyaka Upanishad; Nikhilananda trans.).

Yoga practices provide many methods to clear the tamas and allow the inner light of the intellect to shine forth. Patanjali says:
ततः क्षीयते प्रकाशावरणम् ॥
tataḥ kṣīyate prakāsha avaraṇam
Pranayama removes the dark covering of avaranas [tamas] and allows the inner light to shine forth
(Yoga Sutra, 2.52)

As tamas is lifted and clarity dawns, the leader invokes the tremendous power of the intellect. He is able to use this power to prove the truth of his ideas and convince others of the same.

Karuna: the heart-to-heart connection

Whereas yukti provides a dispassionate appeal to the intellect, karuna ignites passion by connecting with the heart. Unless we touch the other’s heart, we cannot win their full support. A leader provides a space of harmony in which others are made to feel valued and appreciated.

The author states that the first step towards connecting with people at this deeper level is to respect them. According to yoga, respecting another is achieved by acknowledging and honoring the divine presence in them. The Bhagavad Gita states:
ईश्वरः सर्व-भूतानां हृद्-देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति ।
īśvaraḥ sarva bhūtānām hṛd deśe arjuna tiṣṭhati
The divine resides in the heart of all beings
(BG 18.61)

When we acknowledge this divine presence in another, we elevate them in our eyes and see them as the precious beings that they are. We value them. Furthermore, a leader does not see another being as inferior. Each one is a divine being who is respected and appreciated, and whose contribution is valued.

In addition to the three factors related to influencing capabilities of an individual, Patanjali offers the following remarkable wisdom, which reveals a profound method for connecting with others:
मैत्रीकरुणामुदितोपेक्षाणां सुखदुःखपुण्यापुण्यविषयाणां भावनातश्चित्तप्रसादनम् ॥
maitrī karuṇa mudita upekṣāṇāṃ
sukha duḥkha puṇya apuṇya viṣayāṇāṃ
bhāvanātaḥ citta prasādanam
Be friendly to those who are happy; be compassionate to those who are sad, appreciate those who are doing good work, and overlook the mistakes of others
(Yoga Sutra, 1.33)

Using these four bhāvanas (ways to connect) for the four types of people, as enunciated by Patanjali, the leader always remains connected with others and evokes their full potential.

Summary

The three virtues of inspirational leadership—namely, satyam, yukti and karuna—make the leader highly influential. Satyam builds the power of credibility of the leader by using the principles of ethics and excellence. Yukti express the scientific and intellectual side of the leader that helps him or her appeal to other’s intellect. Karuna awakens the artistic and compassionate side of the leader, by which he or she sees beauty in others and values them. As in all powerful combinations, the coming together of satyam, yukti, and karuna creates great synergy: the whole is far greater than the sum of its parts. In other words, the leader who embodies all three virtues has extraordinary power to influence others and potentially transform the world. The wisdom and practices contained in the classic yoga scriptures such as the Patanjali Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita provide valuable tools to cultivate satyam, yukti, and karuna.

This brilliant exposition by Dr. Shriram Sarvotham has provoked active interaction with my immediate team members. We have expanded the dialog by researching further writings on the theme “Leadership Principles from Hindu Scriptures.”

The post Leadership Principles from Hindu Scriptures appeared first on Hindu University of America.

By learning the ‘ought’s’ of life, we can lead a good life, but this does not make us free of suffering. Even a so-called ‘good’ person maybe plagued with troubles such as anger, envy, jealousy, disease and old age and, ultimately, death. Being a good person is not enough; something more is required. It is to teach this ‘something more’ that Vālmīki wrote the Yogavasistha. In fact, one can properly understand the popular Rāmāyaṇa only by reading the Yogavāsiṣṭha.

The sheer volume of the Yogavāsiṣṭha is enough to deter most readers. It is stated in the Yogavasistha itself that it consists of 32,000 verses divided into six books (Prakaraṇams), namely: the Vairāgya Prakaraṇam, the Mumukṣuvyavahāra Prakaraṇam, the Utpatti Prakaraṇam, the Sthiti Prakaraṇam, the Upaśama Prakaraṇam, the Nirvāṇa Prakaraṇam (Pūrvārdha) and the Nirvāņa Prakaraṇam (Uttarārdha). The number of verses is, in fact, much less. In the introduction to Śrimadvālmīkimahaṛṣṭpraṇītaḥ Yogavāsiṣṭhaḥ, G. V. Tagare puts the number at 23,734 verses.¹

The first book, the Vairāgya Prakaraṇam, describes Rāma’s disillusionment with the world. The issue discussed here is whether jñāna (knowledge of the self) or karma (work, effort) is more important in attaining liberation from the misery of the world. The answer is that both are equally important, just as a bird needs both wings to fly.

The Mumukṣuvyavahāra Prakaraṇam is about the qualities of true seekers of liberation and their mental attitude. How the world was created and how it evolved is discussed in the Utpatti Prakaraṇam. The Sthiti Prakaraṇam talks about the preservation of the universe. The world appears to be real, but with the realization of Brahman, the mind is silenced and the world appears as nothing but Brahman. The Upaśama Prakaraṇam is about quieting the mind through proper understanding; the Nirvāņa Prakaraṇam, as the name suggests, is about ultimate freedom. It suggests that knowledge of the self is the best way to break free from the miseries of the world.

It has to be pointed out that the structure of the Yogavasistha is very loose, and apart from the first Prakaraṇam, almost all the major themes are discussed and repeated throughout this mammoth text. As to the division of chapters within each Prakaraṇam, again there seems to be no order. Some chapters have as few as six verses, while others run into hundreds. Often a chapter ends abruptly, and the discussion is continued in the next chapter and the next. Often, while one concept is being discussed, there is a sudden digression and another topic begins. Later the speaker returns to the previous conversation. The Nirvāņa Prakaraṇam is as large as the first five combined. For some reason it is itself divided into two huge sections: the Nirvāņa Prakaraṇam (Pūrvārdha) and the Nirvāņa Prakaraṇam (Uttarārdha).

Interlaced with the dialogue are approximately fifty-five allegorical stories and stories within stories to illustrate the philosophical matters discussed. Here again, certain stories are told in about ten verses, while others, such as that of Cudālā, stretch over several chapters.

All these stories and subplots make it difficult for the modern reader to keep track of who is speaking to whom. For instance, the Yogavasistha begins with a Brahmin named Sutīkṣṇa who goes to the sage Agasti and asks about ways to get out of the misery of the world. To answer his question, Agasti tells him the story of Kāruṇya, a very learned man, well-versed in the scriptures, who has lost interest in life. Noticing this, his father tells him the story of King Ariṣtanemi, who is sent to Vālmīki for the resolution of his sorrows. Vālmīki then tells Ariṣtanemi the story of Rāma’s dialogue with Vasiṣṭha.

Encyclopedic in its scope, the Yogavāsiṣṭha deals with ontology, epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and psychology. The underlying philosophy of the Yogavasistha is predominantly of Advaita Vedānta. There are several verses of the Yogavāsiṣṭha which are also found in other Upanişads and the Bhagavadgītā. B. L. Atreya made an exhaustive comparative chart, and believed that being a voluminous scripture the Yogavāsiṣṭha may not have been freely available in the days when books were written by hand. Anthologists must have picked up some useful verses from it and used them to create new Upanişads.²

Yogavasistha Core philosophy

Although the Yogavāsiṣṭha is voluminous, its central message can be expressed in a few statements: Nothing exists except absolute consciousness (also called universal consciousness or Brahman), and the world is the imagination of this universal consciousness. The universal consciousness is absolute and perfect. All change happens in the phenomenal world, (which has no independent existence, as it is just an imagination of absolute consciousness). All the beings of the world are no different from the universal consciousness, as they emerged out of it. All the misery that is experienced by individual beings happens because they mistakenly identify themselves with their body and forget that they are essentially the same as the universal consciousness, Brahman. Since misery arises out of ignorance of the self, it ends with knowledge of the self. Ajātivāda says that the world was never created (aja) as it is imaginary or illusory. What can we say about the origin of a thing that is imaginary? It was there always as imagination of absolute Brahman, hence we cannot ask the question when it was born. Only Brahman truly exists, and Brahman or the absolute is non-dual.

The scriptures are words of the enlightened to awaken those who are taking their dream to be real. Once we wake from the dream, we realize that nothing has to be gained because nothing was ever lost. No one has to be liberated because there was no bondage in the first place as the absolute can never be bound. 

न बन्धोऽस्ति न मोक्षोऽस्ति देहिनः परमार्थतः।
मिथ्येयमिन्द्रजालश्रि: संसारपरिवर्तिनी।।

^{Ultimately, there is neither bondage nor liberation for the self;
Illusion alone keeps all trapped in the vicious cycle of the world.3}

All that ends after knowledge dawns is the illusory world, not the eternally blissful self. Liberation and bliss are our intrinsic nature (svabhāva), and svabhāva means that which can never be taken away from us. The truth, therefore, is that the mind has no existence other than in the imagination of absolute. That absolute is not nothingness; it is complete and encompasses all, and whatever emerges from it is also absolute. 

पूर्णात्पूर्ण विसरति पूर्णे पूर्णे विराजते। 
पूर्णमेवोदितं पूर्णे पूर्णमेव व्यवस्थितम्।।

^{From the whole emerges the whole, and the whole is situated in the whole;
Thus, whatever is there in the whole exists in its wholeness.4}
Vasişţha relies solely on reason. He does not advocate any kind of blind faith, worship, or rituals. It is for this reason the Yogavasistha could have a tremendous appeal to any modern thinking person, provided they have the patience to listen to the full argument. No other Indian text analyses the human condition as thoroughly as the Yogavāsiṣṭha does. Vasiṣṭha himself says: 

यदिहास्ति तदन्यत्र यन्नेहास्ति न तत् क्वचित्।
इमं समस्तविज्ञानशास्त्रकोशं विदुर्बुधाः।।

^{What is in it is nowhere else, what is not in it is not elsewhere;}

^{Hence the learned have called it a repository of scriptures.5}
People normally think that those who seek self-liberation ought to withdraw from active life and lead the life of a hermit − praying, meditating, and performing rituals. Vedānta does not advocate this type of life. It says that you ought to go on doing whatever you are supposed to, but remember all the time that you are not the doer. Do everything with a sense of detachment and be unaffected by whatever is happening around you, just as a lotus grows in a pond without getting wet.

The Yogavasistha does not advocate worship of any kind, rituals, neither ablutions nor prayer to a deity, not even meditative techniques. It, however, seriously discourages escapism and laziness, and strongly advocates human effort. 

स्वपौरुषप्रयत्नेन  विवेकेन  विकासिना।
स देवो ज्ञायते राम न तप:सनानकर्मभि:।।

Through effort and maturity alone is the self known, Rāma,
Not through penance, holy bath, and other such actions.⁶ 

Rāma’s dialogue with Vasiṣṭha, after which Rāma becomes free of the miseries of the world. The book which narrates this dialogue is called the Yogavāsiṣṭha. It is said that one can become free of worldly miseries merely by reading the Yogavasistha.

After Vālmīki wrote the epic Rāmāyaṇa, called in full, Pūrva Rāmāyaṇa, he was approached by Brahmā, the creator of the world, to write a book that would free humans of worldly misery and make them eternally blissful. Thus was born the scripture known variously as Uttara Rāmāyaṇa, Mahārāmāyaṇa, Ārśa-Rāmāyaṇa, Jñānavāsişţha, Vasiṣṭharāmāyaṇa, more popularly called the Yogavāsiṣṭha.

Liberation for all

One striking feature of the Yogavāsiṣṭha is that its vision is secular. Furthermore, it does not believe in gender, race or caste discrimination. All that is required on the part of a seeker is to be a sincere and determined disciple. In fact, the main character of one of its longest stories is a queen named Cudālā. She not only acquires self-knowledge but also teaches her husband the means of acquiring it. The Yogavāsiṣṭha goes even further by showing that one need not be of high birth to attain self-knowledge: anyone can have it. It names people from lower castes and wild tribes, and gives instances where animals, too, become liberated. Even Śeşanāga, the deadly snake, is liberated, as is Kākabhuşuņda, the crow. This might sound far fetched, but the point being made here is that anyone can become blissful if they really wish to.

1. Pansikar, Vasudeva Laxmana Sharma (Ed.), Srimadvālmīkimahāŗşpraņītaĥ Yogavāsiṣṭhaḥ Vol I, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Delhi, p VII 
2. Atreya B. L., Yogavāsiṣṭha aur Uske Sidhdhant, Shri Krishna Janamsthan Seva Sansthan, Mathura 1986, p4; for comparative charts see pages
45-59, 67-69 of the same book. 
3. Yogavāsiṣṭha V:18:27
4. Yogavāsiṣṭha VIB:53:20
5. Yogavāsiṣṭha III:8:12
6. Yogavāsiṣṭha III:6:9 

The post Yogavasistha: An Encyclopedia of Advaita Vedanta appeared first on Hindu University of America.

From songs to movies, bumper stickers, tattoos, meditation classes, clothing lines, and yoga sessions, Om is chanted and adorned, but is the meaning of Om actually understood?

To Om or Not to Om?

The symbol Om is used across the globe in highly diverse contexts, and to the typical westerner, carries vague associations with spirituality. From songs to movies, bumper stickers, tattoos, meditation classes, clothing lines, and yoga sessions, Om is chanted and adorned, but is the meaning of Om actually understood? Referring to Om, the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad states, “Om is all this. All this is surely Brahman. This Self is Brahman. The Self, such as It is, is possessed of four quarters.”^[1] This expansive definition of Om is explored in detail using catuṣpāṭ, the four quarters model, overlaid on the letters comprising Om: A-U-M.^[2] This offers an analysis of the same person from different perspectives to illuminate the true nature of the Self as identical with Om. In the process of defining Om, another practical prakriyā is delineated. This essay will explain the traditional meaning of Om and the method of exploration of the meaning in the context of Advaita Vedanta.

The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad begins describing the first quarter, called Vaiśvānara, as the waking sphere of activity, including all that is tangible and physical in the universe. The self at this state is the knower of objects and knowledge is directed outward. All beings are confused at this level of experience, thinking ‘I’ refers to the body. This prakriyā is reminiscent of the śārīra and kośas methods previously explored, and again points to the practicality of śruti. Śruti then equates Vaiśvānara with the letter A “because of the (similarity of) pervasiveness or being the first.”^[3] In Sanskrit, the letter A is the basis for all further speech. It is the initial sound generated in the throat by opening the mouth and making a sound. It pervades all speech. Similarly, Vaiśvānara pervades the whole manifest universe, thus identifying it with A.

The second quarter is Taijasa, “whose sphere (of activity) is the dream state, whose consciousness is internal…and who enjoys subtle objects.”^[4] Impressions in the mind from waking experiences are impelled to reappear in the dream state. The self is only aware of internal objects as Taijasa, and witnesses cognition by its own luminosity. This sphere of activity is associated with the letter U. The letter U occurs between A and M just as Taijasa is intermediate to Vaiśvānara and the third quarter, Prājña.

Prājña’s sphere of activity is the sleep state, the dreamless state. This is deep sleep, where the person is not enjoying or experiencing anything. In this state, “everything becomes undifferentiated…a mass of mere consciousness.”^[5] This analogy of a mass is meant to convey the idea that the vṛttis in the mind experienced during the waking and dreaming states are totally absent. It is as if a darkness has fallen, covering everything, becoming an indistinguishable mass.^[6] As we have seen in other prakriyās, this is viewed as a state of joy “caused by the absence of the misery involved in the effort of the mind vibrating as the objects and their experiencer.”^[7] In this state we rest in Īśvara as we exist in the causal body and ānandamaya kośa^[8]. However, this is not the bliss of limitlessness itself, because the joy is transitory, not absolute, as well as absolute, and one is not self-aware enough to register one’s freedom from duality at that time.

The letter M corresponds to this third state being the third letter of Om. At the end of the pronunciation of the syllable Om, the letters A and U seem to merge into M and also at the time of origination of Om. This is made sensible by repeating Om. Doing this, the practitioner will realize how A and U merge into M, but also arise out of M to pronounce the syllable again. In the same way, Vaiśvānara and Taijasa merge into Prājña and arise out again as the self moves into the dream and waking states again.

This analysis then leads beyond the letters, the sound, all duality, and any need for attainment to Turīya, the fourth quarter. “The partless Om is Turīya- beyond all conventional dealings, the limit of the negation of the phenomenal world, the auspicious, and the non-dual. Om is thus the Self to be sure. He who knows thus enters the Self through his self.”^[9] Turīya is recognized as what obtains between 2 utterances, oral or mental, of Om. Here is the phala of this prakriyā. Through understanding the meaning of Om and using it as a prakriyā to be meditated on, we are led from understanding ourselves as limited beings, to ourselves as the all-pervasive consciousness, self-existent in all things, all times, all places. Put another way, Om is an upāsanā on Saguna Brahman to bring us back to our svarūpa as ātman, none other than Nirguna Brahman. The Turiya, the silence after the sound of Om, resolves back into the silence of Brahman. But in the same way silence surrounds and pervades the utterance of Om, the Turīya surrounds and pervades the other three quarters. It is always present everywhere. It is not a supra conscious state as some modern Vedanta teachers propose, but rather the ‘I’ that is present in all states. Another way of understanding Om is that the first three states corresponding to A-U-M are incidental, mithyā, and only Turiya, ātman/Brahman, is intrinsic, inheriting in all of them, the satya of all of them. Ātman is satya. This is reminiscent of the definition of Brahman in the Taittiriya Upaniṣad.

The meaning of Om in the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad offers a very different understanding of the syllable compared to common usage in western cultures. Om is aligned with catuṣpāṭ as a means of revealing the all-pervasive nature of ‘I’. This also serves as an upasana leading the aspirant to the negation of all duality, to an understanding of Om as the very nature of Brahman itself as birthless, undecaying, without cause, and without dimension. Quoting Gauḍapāda’s beautiful closing verses of the kārikā, “One should know Om, to be God seated in the hearts of all. Meditating on the all-pervasive Om, the intelligent man grieves no more.”^[10]

ॐ शक्ति ॐ

[1] Gambhirananda, Tr. Swami. Eight Upaniṣads, Volumes I with Śaṅkara-bhāṣya. Advaita Ashrama, 1996. Pg. 175.

[2] Ibid. Pg. 214.

[3] Ibid. Pg. 215.

[4] Ibid. Pg. 180.

[5] Ibid. Pg. 181.

[6] Ibid. Pg. 183.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Swamini Agamananda Saraswati. 2020. Seminar 18. Lecture Notes. Freedom and Reality: An Introduction to Advaita. Hindu University of America. Delivered December 6th, 2020

[9] Gambhirananda, Tr. Swami. Eight Upaniṣads, Volumes I with Śaṅkara-bhāṣya. Advaita Ashrama, 1996. Pg 221-222.

[10] Ibid. Pg. 225.

Cover Picture License: Creative Commons

The post To Om or Not to Om? appeared first on Hindu University of America.