Chinmaya Mission New York

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I. Identity of microcosm and macrocosm

एवं पिण्डब्रह्माण्डयोरैक्यं सम्भूतम् ।

evaṃ piṇḍabrahmāṇḍayoraikyaṃ sambhūtam

Translation
Thus, there is identity between the microcosm and the macrocosm.

Explanation

1. A tree cannot exist without sunlight, air and water. It is a name and form made up of elements present in the totality of nature. It is not an independent entity.
2. Similarly we too are names and forms, and we too have a oneness with the totality around us. For instance, when we are disconnected from the air around us, we start to choke.
3. Thus there is no difference between totality outside and individuality inside. We cannot exist without air, earth, fire, etc.

 
II. Jīva & Īśvara

स्थूलशरीराभिमानि जीवनामकं ब्रह्मप्रतिबिम्बं भवति ।
स एव जीवः प्रकृत्या स्वस्मात् ईश्वरं भिन्नत्वेन जानाति ।
अविद्योपाधिः सन् आत्मा जीव इत्युच्यते ।
मायोपाधिः सन् ईश्वर इत्युच्यते ।
एवं उपाधिभेदात् जीवेश्वरभेददृष्टिः यावत्पर्यन्तं तिष्ठति
तावत्पर्यन्तं जन्ममरणादिरूपसंसारो न निवर्तते ।
तस्मात्कारणान्न जीवेश्वरयोर्भेदबुद्धिः स्वीकार्या ।

sthūlaśarīrābhimāni jīvanāmakaṃ brahmapratibimbaṃ bhavati .
sa eva jīvaḥ prakṛtyā svasmāt īśvaraṃ bhinnatvena jānāti .
avidyopādhiḥ san ātmā jīva ityucyate .
māyopādhiḥ san īśvara ityucyate .
evaṃ upādhibhedāt jīveśvarabhedadṛṣṭiḥ yāvatparyantaṃ tiṣṭhati
tāvatparyantaṃ janmamaraṇādirūpasaṃsāro na nivartate .
tasmātkāraṇānna jīveśvarayorbhedabuddhiḥ svīkāryā .

Translation
The reflection of Brahman, which identifies Itself with the gross body etc, is called the jīva. This jīva by nature takes Īśvara to be different from itself. The Self conditioned by ignorance is called jīva and when conditioned by māyā is called the Lord. So long as the notion that jīva and Īśvara are different remains, which is due to the difference in the conditioning, till then, there is no redemption from samsāra which is of the form of repeated birth, death etc. Due to that reason, the notion that the jīva is different from Īśvara should not be accepted.

What is jīva?

1. That entity which identifies with the three bodies, the three states and five sheaths is called jīva.
2. This jīva transmigrates and takes up another body after the current body ends.
3. This jīva is also known as the kartā and bhoktā, the doer and the enjoyer.
4. The jīva has the conditioning of avidyā or ignorance, and thinks that it is a limited being. It is under the control of māyā.

 
Who is Īśvara?

1. One who associates with the total three bodies, the total three states and the total five sheaths is called Īśvara. He is not bound or affected by any of these.
2. He is all knowing, all powerful, all pervading.
3. He is associated with māyā, and is controller of māyā, not influenced by it.

 
How are jīva and Īśvara related?

1. Take the example of the sun reflected in a bucket of water. The Sun is pure consciousness, the bucket is the gross body, water is the subtle body, and the sun’s reflection in water is jīva.
2. The same sun when reflected in the vast ocean is Īśvara. It is the same sun that was reflected in the bucket.
3. You and God are essentially one in essence. It is the conditioning that makes it as if we are different.
4. As long as we think He is different from us, we will seek him outside of us, and we will go through samsāra.
5. When we do not entertain the notion of this difference, we will be free of samsāra.

 
III. Inquiry into the statement That Thou Art

ननु साहंकारस्य किंचिज्ज्ञस्य जीवस्य निरहंकारस्य सर्वज्ञस्य
ईश्वरस्य तत्त्वमसीति महावाक्यात् कथमभेदबुद्धिः स्यादुभयोः
विरुद्धधर्माक्रान्तत्वात् ।

nanu sāhaṃkārasya kiṃcijjñasya jīvasya nirahaṃkārasya sarvajñasya
īśvarasya tattvamasīti mahāvākyāt kathamabhedabuddhiḥ syādubhayoḥ
viruddhadharmākrāntatvāt .

Translation
But the jīva is endowed with ego and his knowledge is limited, whereas, Īśvara is without ego and is omniscient. Then how can there be identity, as stated in the mahāvākya, “That thou art’, between these two who are possessed of contradictory characteristics?

Question of the seeker
How can it be that Īśvara who does not have ego, who is all knowing, all capable, all powerful, how can He be the same as a jīva? They have opposing natures.

Importance of mahāvākyas

1. They reveal the identity between jīva and Īśvara which is beyond any apparent conditioning.
2. They are the culmination of all the Upaniṣads.

 
Recap

1. This entire creation is an appearance on Brahman, just like in a huge body of water, waves appear and disappear. The waves cannot exist without water.
2. There are different names and forms appearing, but these are actually just appearances in awareness. There is nothing outside of awareness.
3. With māyā, the power of Brahman, the whole world came about. The whole world is nothing but a play of five elements, which have three aspects, sattva, rajas and tamas.
4. The sāttvic aspect resulted in the mind and our faculties of knowledge. The rājasic aspect resulted in the prānās and our faculties of action. The tāmasic aspect resulted in our bodies and the worlds.
5. There is no difference between individuality and totality since we cannot exist without the total air, fire, water etc. Somehow we are under this notion that we are an individual. This notion is jīva, one who identifies with the three bodies, three sheaths and five states.
6. One who associates with the total three bodies, the total three states and the total five sheaths is called Īśvara. He is not bound or affected by any of these.
7. On the surface level, it looks like jīva and Īśvara are different like the wave and ocean, but the mahāvākyas tell us that in essence, jīva and Īśvara are one. They are both water.