Vivekachudamani 25 Divine Discontentment - By Swami Tattwamayananda

The entire text is built around answering seven questions from the student in the 51st verse. The seven questions are: (1) What is this bondage? (2) How does it come about? (3) How does it exist and what sustains it? (4) How do we come out of it? (5) What is anatman? (6) What is the supreme Atman? (7) How do we differentiate between atman and anatman?

These questions are triggered by “Divine Discontentment” – The realization of the imperfections of worldly enjoyments brings about the pursuit of something higher and transcendental. This divine discontent is called Parinama Dukkha in Patanjali Yoga Sutras, and it is the springboard of spiritual wisdom.

Divine discontentment makes us look for a higher meaning of life. We develop divine discontentment when we look at life from a higher perspective. Divine discontentment gives us a kind of blissful satisfaction because our lower motives are gone. The higher desire helps us go beyond lower desires.

Without such discontentment, the world would not have produced great musicians, poets, painters and so on.

When Buddha had four visions (sick man, old man, dead man, and a sage), he developed this divine discontentment. It triggered his ambition to find the higher meaning of life.

In response to the student’s questions, the teacher starts by answering the 5th question first: “What is anatman?” He explains the nature of the empirical world, which is non-eternal and non-Atman.

Once we understand this, whatever is left out is the Atman. The teacher then takes the 6th question:
“What is the Supreme Atman, our true nature?”

126th verse: “Now I will explain to you the nature of Paramatma. Once you understand this, you get liberation from worldly bondages.”

127th verse: “There is one reality (Atman) that is present in all three states of consciousness as the witness – waking state, dream state and deep sleep state. This Atman is distinct and different from the three states of awareness and the five sheaths of consciousness.”

Two conditions have to be satisfied for anyone to be a witness: (1) You have to be aware of what you are witnessing and (2) You have to be non-involved in what you are witnessing. Atman is present as the witness in waking, dream and deep sleep states.

In waking state, mind and senses are active. In dream state, mind is active. In deep sleep state, all the activities of the sense organs, mind and intellect get dissolved - we do not experience any duality. Mind gets complete rest in deep sleep.

In deep sleep, we transcend duality without being aware of it. In Samadhi, one transcends duality and reaches the state of witness with full awareness.

The farther we go beyond our body awareness, the more we have a feeling of inner blissfulness, because we begin to transcend duality.

When we identify ourselves with our true nature as the Atman, we are not fatigued. We feel: “This body is working, not I.” Once reaches this level through experience – a mere philosophical understanding is not good enough.

Atman is beyond the five sheaths and transcends them all. The five sheaths are: Anamaya Kosha, Pranamaya Kosha, Manomaya Kosha, Vijnanamaya Kosha and Anandamaya Kosha. These five sheaths don’t actually exist – they are a metaphor to represent the five levels of our spiritual evolution.

Vedanta discusses three levels of reality: paramarthika-sat, vyavaharika-sat and pratibhashika-sat. Paramarthika-sat is linked to the highest concept of God. Vyavaharika-sat is linked to monotheistic concepts of God. Vedanta accommodates all concepts of God, from creator God to the highest concept of God as the Absolute Reality. As we progress, we move from plurality to oneness.