ATMA BODHAM “KNOWLEDGE of the SELF” : 32 - Swami Sri Adi Sankaracharya.

 

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Wednesday, February   24, 2021. 05 :30. AM.. 
ATMA BODHAM “KNOWLEDGE of the SELF”
(68 Slokam-s in  9 Chapters)
Chapter 6 - “The Birth of the EGO” - Sloka-s 25-37 (13 no.)
NEXT - C. “NETI – NETI” : THE DOCTRINE OF NEGATION (30-33)
Mantram - 32 : Beyond Body and Sense Objects (Athatvya-Vritti Lakshanam.)
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Mantram : 32.

"Deha anyatvaat na me janma, jaraa akaarshya laya aadayah; 

shabda-aadi vishayaih sangah nir-indriya tayaa na cha."

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Trnslation : 

Deha anyatvaat na me janma   =  I am other than the body, thus not for me is birth,

jaraa akaarshya laya aadayah;  =  wrinkling, senility, death and so on.

shabda-aadi vishayaih sangah  =  With sense objects such as sound, etc, association

nir-indriya tayaa na cha.           =   is nil as I (the Self) am without sense organs.

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Commentary :

This and the next verse are Manana on the Self, wherein we ponder carefully over what we have heard on the Upadhis. We reflect seriously about the body and the mind and negate them, that is, go beyond the limitations imposed by them. In this verse we deal with the gross body – “I am not the body,” nor all the associated transactions it has with this world of names and forms.

Notice that the emphasis is on the changeability of the body. This is true of the entire gross universe of objects, but we see the effect of that changeability more dramatically when we see it in our own body. As we grow we encounter the 6 stages or modifications which the body undergoes. They are: existence, birth, growth, maturity, decay and death. They are the six phases which our body goes through in the course of a life of normal duration.

When the body’s hold on our attention is loosened, then we begin to free ourselves from six changes that it undergoes, and which are inevitable to the body. The real “I” is seen as a constant background, unaffected by the changing foreground. By retreating into the area of constancy in life, our life no longer dances up and down to the tune of the everchanging waves of bodily experiences. We do not live with the body as our centre. The body is not viewed as the essential part of us. It is there, and we have to take care of it; but it is not the centre-stage of my life.

This is how a seeker of Truth begins to reflect and analyse his body and its associated needs. As clearly mentioned in the previous verse, this does not mean that we sneer at the body as some inferior object to be detested. No such attitude is even suggested, even in the straightforward words, “I have nothing to do with these sense objects.”

By negating the gross body, we begin to reduce all identification with it, and finally eliminate it. In this process, our link to the spiritual world within is strengthened. The negation of body includes negation of our senses and all the sense objects that interact with the senses. These would naturally receive the same treatment as the body. They cease to dominate the drama of life.

End.

NEXT -Mantram - 33 : Beyond Mind and Pranas Am I (Athatvya-Vritti Lakshanam)

To be continued ...

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