Vivekachudamani 27 The Nature of the Supreme Reality - 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?

126th verse: “Now, I shall teach you about your true nature, the nature of the Absolute Reality, by knowing which, we get spiritual liberation.”

Bondage is our sense of attachment to the inherent limitations of empirical experiences. This happens because we identify with the physical body. The moment we identify with our true nature, we become liberated.

Illness, bad health, loss of job or money – these are inescapable problems. Problem free life is only a myth. Problems themselves are not a problem. Our worry about problems is the real problem. If we have a health problem, it should not become the cause of a great worry – instead, our focus should be on solving the problem. Such worries go away when we identify ourselves beyond the body.

In Vedic literature, there is an evolution of Hindu godhead from Pantheism (God is equated with nature and its grandeur) to Panentheism (God is the spirit within the external world) to Polytheism (God is the divine power regulating nature) to monotheism (there is only one God) to monism (non-duality).

Advaita Vedanta accommodates all ideas of God but aspires for the highest idea of God, as one Absolute Reality, that is all-pervading, that exists in everyone and in everything, that is transcendental, that can have a personal aspect but also goes beyond it. As we evolve, our idea of God also evolves.

Advaita is a matter of inner experience. There is no end to doubt if we try to understand it as a philosophical system.

The 127th verse describes this highest idea of God.

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. It is the foundation of the “I” feeling. This Atman is distinct and different from the three states of awareness and the five sheaths of consciousness.”

128th verse: “In the three states of consciousness, there is one witness who is aware of everything that is happening. It is aware of the presence and absence of buddhi and action.”

This Atman knows everything.. The very concept of awareness is this reality. Even to say, “I did not know”, there has to be an awareness.

“Awareness” minus “what it is aware of” equals “Pure awareness”. It is also known as Prajna.

130th verse: “It is the light by which this whole universe is enveloped and which is never enveloped by anything. It is the supreme effulgent one that gives light to everything in this world.”
Light here means knowledge, existence and awareness. Everything that is effulgent, gets its effulgent from this Supreme Reality. Atman does not do anything, but all actions are possible only due to the presence of the Atman.

132nd verse: “It is the ternal knowledge. It knows all, from our body, mind, intellect to emotions, but whom no one knows.
Shankaracharya says that this Reality is beyond all verbalization. It is beyond "shabda pravirti nimittani" means it is beyond the five conditions necessary for us to be able to explain anything by words. The first condition is sambandha. Sambandha means relationship. The second condition is dravya. Dravya means something which is obvious. The third condition is jati. Jati means species. The fourth condition is kriya. Kriya means action. The fifth condition is guna. Guna means characteristics.

133rd verse: “Our senses of perception and senses of action are able to work only due to the presence of the Atman.”

Atman is everywhere. Inanimate objects do not have Antahkarana, the reflecting medium. Animate beings have an antahkarana – the reflection of the Atman in these beings depends on the purity of the reflecting medium.