Mandukya Upanishad, Class 34

Karika
# 4: ghaṭādiṣu pralīneṣu ghaṭākāśādayo yathā | 
ākāśe saṃpralīyante tadvajjīvā ihātmani || 4 ||

4. As
on the destruction of the pot, etc., the ether enclosed in the pot,
etc., merges in the Ākāśa (the great expanse of ether), similarly
the Jīvas merge in the Ātman.

Greetings All,

Recapping his teaching of
Karika # 4, Swami Paramarthananda said, Gaudapada wants to explain the word
Advaitam as described for Turiyam in mantra # 7. Turiyam is Karya Karana
Vilakshanam. Here Karyam means effect while Karanam is cause. Karyam is Dvaitam;
Karanam is potential dvaitam; hence Advaitam must be karya karana Vilakshanam.
Gaudapada wants to establish that Turiyam Brahma is not karanam at all. He
wants to show that no creation has come out of Turiyam.

Here Turiyam means Jiva and
Jagat. So, he wants to show each, Jiva and Jagat, both are not created from
Brahman.

The idea that:

Jiva is born from Pramatma;
and Jagat is born out of Paramatma is negated.

Karikas # 3-#9: Shows Jivatma
is not born.

Karika # 10: Shows Jagat is
not born.

Later scriptural texts also
establish the same.

Of the four steps we are in
step # 1.

To convey the idea that
jivatma is not born, idea of pot space is used. Pot space birth is only a
seeming birth. Similarly, Atma is one and same; when it is all pervading it is called
Paramatma; and same Paramatma enclosed in body is re-named Jivatma. So, Jivatma
is seemingly born and when body is gone, Jivatma is seemingly gone. In this
regard five misconceptions were discussed.

1. Origination of
   Jivatma
2.  Disappearance of jivatma.
3. Various Doshahas.
4. Visheshaha:
   individuality of Jivatma indicated through; I am Brahmana, I am Sanyasi etc;
   all indicating individuality.
5. Relationship between Jivatma and paramatma: Reality is that they are not different.
   Jivatma is Paramatma and Paramatma is Jivatma.

All above
five misconceptions can be understood through pot space analogy. Creation,
destruction, pollution, individuality (I am big pot space) and relationship of
pot space to total space, are all, misconceptions.

Karika # 3
was about misconception of origination of Pot space.

Karika # 4
was about misconception about destruction of pot space. Space can’t be
destroyed, cut, wet etc. Even merger of pot space into total space, no such
event ever occurs. We wrongly call it pot space merger. Reality is that when
pot space was destroyed, I withdrew the word pot. Thus, change is not in space,
it is only in my mouth. Similarly for a Gyani, when we withdraw the word
Jivatma, it is not a merger, another misconception. Sunrise and sun set are all
words that are common misconceptions and yet no one questions them.

Karika # 5:

yathaikasmiṅghāṭākāśe
rajodhūmādibhiryute | 
na sarve saṃprayujyante tadvajjīvāḥ sukhādibhiḥ || 5 ||

5. As any portion of Ākāśa enclosed in a pot
being soiled by dust, smoke, etc., all such other portions of Ākāśa enclosed
in other pots are not soiled, so is the happiness, etc., of the Jīvas, i.e.,
the happiness, misery, etc., of one Jīva do not affect other Jīvas.

Pollution is
misconception # 3. Gaudapada talks of misconception # 3, that leads to other
misconceptions.

When a pot
is dirty, people think pot space is polluted; foul smell of pot belongs to air,
space does not have impurity or foul smell; we transfer the impurity from pot
to space and thus commit a mistake.

Another pot
has fragrance. Here people say fragrance belongs to pot space, while I say it
belongs to the pot. Thus I conclude one pot has foul smell while another has
fragrance.  So, I think pot space has
attributes; thus pot space # 1 has bad attribute and so I think it is bad;
while Pot space # 2 has good attribute; so I think it is good. This analogy extends
to Jivatma; thus some jivatmas are considered good with good attributes; some
are Duratmas with bad attributes; then there are also mahatmas. So, we think
there are different types of atmas.

Sankhya
philosophers say that in Advaita all jivatmas are one and same; hence when one
jivatma has sorrow, all jivatmas also experience sorrow. But in reality when we
see one jivatma in sorrow, others may not be sorrowful. Gaudapada says, the
fact that one jivatma is sorrowful itself is a wrong conception; sorrow is an
attribute of anatma (mind) and not atma. Minds pollution is sorrow. This is a
misconception.

In example
of pot space, when one pot space is polluted it does not mean all pot spaces
are polluted.  Pollution belongs to pot
and air but not of space. So, there is only one all pervading space.

Karika # 5
description: When pot space is polluted with dust, smoke all other pot spaces
are not contaminated, why? Not because spaces are many and are different, but
because the one pot space is not really contaminated. In same way even when one
jivatma is polluted with papa, other jivatmas are not polluted. Reality is that
the one and only atma, present in all bodies, is not polluted. Gaudapada says
Jivatma’s is not polluted by happiness as well. Happiness, a temporary
experience happening in our mind, is seen as pollution by Vedanta; as such it
is considered potential sorrow. Gita chapter # 18 says happiness and pleasure
will lead to sorrow, as everything is cyclic. Vedanta sees worldly pleasures as
pollution.

Until
we see atmananda, we are allowed to enjoy dharmic pleasures, although, even
there, it is still a pollution. Sukha, Dukha and Moha are all pollutions of
mind, not of atma, while Atmananda is nirguna chaitanyam. With this the third
misconception that jivatma is associated with impurity is over.

Karika # 6:

rūpakāryasamākhyāśca
bhidyante tatra tatra vai | 
ākāśasya na bhedo’sti tadvajjīveṣunirṇayaḥ || 6 ||

6. Though
form, function and name are different here and there yet this does
not imply any difference in the Ākāśa (which is one). The same is
the conclusion (truth) with regard to the Jīvas.

Fourth
misconception is that pot space has individuality; that there is difference
between room space, kitchen space and headspace. Individuality has three fold
attributes of:

1. Nama
2. Rupa and
3. Karma.

Nama:
such as pot space, headspace, stomach space etc are different namas.

Rupam:
Shape and volume. Room space is small; I need bigger house space; space is
inside room; inside house etc. Vedanta says, there is no “space within room” or
“ space outside room”; all these are wrong expressions. “All rooms are within
one indivisible space.” Even walls are within space. Adjective small, big etc
are misconceptions. Thus, we give individuality through use of adjectives. Thus
we say, this Jivatma is a papi, while another is gyani. All attributes belong to either Sthula, sukshma and Karana shariras
only. No attribute belongs to Jivatma.

Rupa:
Differences in forms are due to function; such as pot space has a function,
room space has another function etc. Namas: are also different indicating pot
space, small space, large space etc.

All
these differences don’t belong to space at all. There is no difference in
space. It does not do anything; does not function at all. Similarly, the one
paramatma is misconceived as different Jivatmas. How to become paramatma? Someone
said one could remove it by scrubbing the atma. Here the only impurity is the
misconception that I am impure. Accept you are, you were and will always be the
one and only paramatma. The fourth misconception is complete.

Karika # 7:

nā”kāśasya
ghaṭākāśo vikārāvayavau yathā | 
naivā”tmanaḥ sadā jīvo vikārāvayavau tathā || 7 ||

7. As the Ghaṭākāśa (i.e., the ether portioned
off by the pot) is neither the (evolved) effect nor part of the Ākāśa
(ether), so is the Jīva (the embodied being) neither the effect
nor part of the Ātman.

The
fifth misconception: here Gaudapada talks of relationship between jivatma and paramatma,
a very important philosophical relationship. All different philosophies such as
Yoga, and Sankhya raise this question but Gaudapada says all philosophies reach
the wrong conclusion. Some say Paramatma is creator and Jivatma is created,
thus there is a karya karana sambandha. Another concept is jivatma is a part of
paramatma, a part and whole relationship, known as Vishishta advaita. Paramatma
is big consciousness while jivatma is small consciousness. Gaudapada says this
also is wrong just like in pot space and total space relationship. One says pot
space is product of total space. Reality is that there is no pot space created;
only a pot is created. So, here karya karana sambandha is the misconception.

A
second group argues that pot space is a part of total space, or so it seems.
What is definition of pot space? Pot space is space inside pot. Vedanta says space is not within pot rather
pot is obtaining within space. In total space many pots are born and many die
as well.

Another
idea is pot space is a part of total space; this true only if space can have
parts and it can be assembled and dis-assembled. Thus, pillar is a part of a
hall and it can be disassembled. In reality we can’t say this of space, as
total space can’t be assembled or disassembled and hence pot space can’t be cut
out of total space. Space is part-less (without parts); this is reality.

Karika
# 7: Pot space is not a product of total space or a part of total space as
well. In the same way, Jivatma is never born; I am never a product or part of
Paramatma.

Swamiji reiterated that these are all
very important Karikas.

Therefore Jivatma is not born out of
pararmatma.

Therefore, paramatma is not karanam of
Jivatma.

Therefore, paramatma is Turiyam karya
karana Vilakshana Advaitam.

Karika # 8:

yathā
bhavati bālānāṃ gaganaṃ malinaṃ malaiḥ | 
tathā bhavatyabuddhānāmātmā’pi malino malaiḥ || 8 ||

8. As the ether appears to the ignorant children to be soiled
by dirt, similarly, the Ātman also is
regarded by the ignorant as soiled.

This karika can also be read
with the karika # 5 where Gaudapada made a compromising statement. There, he
said, even when one space is polluted, all other pot spaces are not polluted.
Here, he seems to agree that pot space can be polluted.

 This, now, he wants to change. He says this
view is from point of view of an ignorant person, an Agyani. Reality is that
pot space is not really polluted. Foul smell belongs to pot, not space.
Similarly the jivatma is seen as polluted by an Agyani. Truth is, pollution
belongs to container and it is transferred to space wrongly.

Similar example is when train
reaches Madras we say Madras has arrived; movement of train has been falsely
been transferred to the place, Madras. This is called superimposition while
Shankaracharya calls it  Adhyabhasha.

All problems that I claim for
myself are the false transfer of problems belonging to object that I am
transferring to subject. Thus while watching a movie the sorrow of hero is
transferred to me. In the same way, only an Agyani, jivatma appears to be
contaminated with kama, krodha, Raga, Dvesha etc. Reality is that all jivatmas
are shudha paramatma alone, Tat Tvam Asi.

Take Away:

1. Reality is that
   they are not different. Jivatma is Paramatma and Paramatma is Jivatma.
2. All attributes
   belong to either Sthula, sukshma and Karana shariras only. No attribute belongs
   to Jivatma.
3. Vedanta says
   space is not within pot rather pot is obtaining within space. In total space
   many pots are born and many die as well.

With Best Wishes

Ram Ramaswamy