ATMA BODHAM : 10 - (68 verses, 9 Chapters) - “KNOWLEDGE of the SELF”

07/02/2019
Chapter 4 :
Verses 10-14 (4 no.) :
“The UPADHIS or Conditioners”
Verse -10. As Space – One Appears as Many

"Yathaa aakaashah hrisheekeshah  naanaa upaadhi-gatah vibhuh;
tat bhedaat bhinna-vat bhaati tat naashe kevalah bhavet."

1 Yathaa aakaashah hrisheekeshah = As with Space, so with the omnipresent Lord:
2 naanaa upaadhi-gatah vibhuh;    = The All-pervading, associated with various Upadhis,
3 tat bhedaat bhinna-vat bhaati     = due to their distinctness, It appears to be diverse,
4 tat naashe kevalah bhavet.         = but separated from them, It becomes One.

The simile is given at the outset, “Just as space”. Let us first look at the real situation and then come back to consider the simile.

*The Deeper Meaning Behind “Hrsheekesha”

1 This is derived from two words: Hrisheeka + Isha. Hrisheeka means “the senses” (Indriyas); Isha means the “controller”, governor, one who sustains or gives life. The
combined meaning reads as “one who controls the senses”, i.e. the Omnipresent Lord.

The word has an interesting secondary meaning: the root Hr means “to loot or take away”. What do the senses loot? Through the senses the sense objects are looted from the
world and brought to their Indwelling Lord, the Presence within. Why would He want this loot? – He who is the all-pervading Lord, what need is there for Him to tarnish His hands!

A little insight makes us see that there is an imposter in place of the Lord. He is the Ego. Because of his intervention, the actions of the senses take on the appearance of
“looting the world”. The senses appear to be robbers, bringing the sense objects to their ‘boss’ the Ego! The Ego enslaves the senses and makes them perform such a demeaning
service. Instead of serving the Lord, the senses are made to serve the ego and gratify its ever increasing desires. This is the tragedy of sense enslavement.

Although this secondary meaning appears not to relate to the context of the verse, it highlights the tragic consequences of the illusory appearance of the numerous Upadhis.
Identifying with the Upadhis is what stirs up desire after desire, and leads to more and more “looting” of the sense objects.

When these Upadhis are destroyed, says the verse, then only will the diversity end and the unity behind it be seen.

*The Simile of Space :

Space is here directly compared to the all-pervading Omipresent Self. Space has no limits, it cannot be divided. Yet, man delights in breaking it up into different units, by his walls and fences, by seeing differences in the sense objects, which then become possessions of individuals.

Yet, space is pure. In spite of the different Upadhis superimposed upon it by the ignorance of man, space remains united as one all-pervading entity. This is the idea that is
intended to be brought out for the case of the Self. The Self is pure, unaffected by all the numerous items It gets associated with in the world. Upon the destruction of the Upadhis,
the Self is seen to be unaffected. It always was one and shall always remain one.

Next : VERSE 11: As Flavours Superimposed in Water ..

To be continued ..