ATMA BODHAM : 11 - (68 verses, 9 Chapters) - “KNOWLEDGE of the SELF”

25/02/2019
Chapter 4 :
Verses 10-14 (4 no.) :
“The UPADHIS or Conditioners”
VERSE 11: As Flavours Superimposed in Water

1 Naanaa upaadhi-vashaat eva   = Because of its association with different Upadhis,
2 jaati-naam-aashram-aadayah; = the idea of caste, colour, position, etc,
3 aatmani aaropitaah toye          = are superimposed upon the Atman; as in water
4 rasa-varna-aadi bheda-vat.      = are (superimposed) differences like flavour, colour, etc.

This verse continues the theme begun in the last verse, expanding on the effect of the different conditionings or Upadhis in appearing to split Reality into pieces. In the last verse the focus was on finding a solution for the removal of the differences raised by the Upadhis. In this verse we are not looking the solution, but we examine the consequences of the appearance of innumerable differences in day-to-day life resulting from these Upadhis.

The Birth of Distinctions in Human Society :

The direct result of differences in the Upadhis combined with distortion in our vision is that humanity itself gets split into so many groups, each claiming to have a unique characteristic. Caste, colour and creed are directly mentioned here, but it does not stop there. “And so on” refers to an endless list of other divisions into which humanity gets broken up or splintered.

If diversity were accepted in a healthy spirit, which is possible if there were no ego
operating in men, then there is no cause for alarm. In many old traditions, people have
successfully lived together in spite of the presence of these differences, because they kept
in check their ego from identifying with those differences.

However, that is more an exception than the rule. In most cases, communities have used these differences to create enmity, hostility and even wars among various groups. The tragic reality is the pain and sorrow that our society is suffering from such divisive thinking. In this context a verse such as this has much to teach us. Sri Shankaracharya is here placing before mankind the bare truth. If we take note of it and correct ourselves at the root of the problem, mankind can save itself from endlessly acting out tragedy after tragedy in the course of its history.

The Example : Water Differentiated by Flavours and Colour :

The simile is again astonishingly appropriate. It is another of the gems pulled out by Shankaracharyaji from his seemingly unlimited imagination.

Water is intrinsically pure. In that state of purity it is colourless – it takes on the colour of that which it is placed in. It is also tasteless in its pure state. It takes on the taste of any flavour that is added to it, such as tea, coffee, chocolate, cocoa, and so on. Pure water has the property of accurately conveying the properties of colour and flavour added to it, while ever remaining pure in itself. Water is not to blame if flavours or colours added to it do not agree and produce a dirty displeasing taste or colour.

This is precisely what this verse is trying to teach us about society and its problems. The Self is unaffected by all the numerous divisions that are ascribed to It by the power of the ignorance in man, for it always remains uniform and unaffected by them. When conflicts arise among men, the blame falls on the ignorant understanding of these differences.

The conclusion we have to come to is that the Upadhis, by being “near” the Self, impart their own characteristics to the Self, even as the flavours and colours impart their qualities to the water into which they are added. This, in fact, is the literal meaning of the word Upadhi! The word conditioning does not do full justice to the meaning of Upadhi. There is much more to it in the philosophical sense.

What exactly are the Upadhis? The next three verses summarize them beautifully into gross, subtle and causal Upadhis…

NEXT- VERSE 12 : The Gross Body

To be continued ...