WISDOM OF THE WORLD

SHANKARA AND ADVAITA VEDANTA - THE PHILOSOPHY OF NON-DUALISM 

Shankara (Sankara) is probably the best known and influential philosopher of India. He became an ascetic very early in life and was influenced by Gaudapada who wrote a major piece on Vedanta.
More than 300 written pieces of works are attributed to Shankara; his commentary on the Brahma-sutra is celebrated as his masterpiece and is now school text as an introduction to Vedanta. Vedanta is the philosophy that developed out of Vedic oral traditions and scriptures. It is translated as the 'conclusion' of the Vedas, which includes texts like the Upanishads, the Brahma-sutras and the Bhagavad-Gita. These writings are even older than the Bible and there are scholars who see the origin of all major religions in these 'revelations of Truth'. The Jnana Yogi Ramana Maharishi once said that the whole Vedanta is contained in the two Biblical statements: "I am that I AM" and "Be still and know that I am God."

According to Vedanta philosophy, the human soul is part of All-awareness (Brahman). The human soul got involved with mental activity and is reborn until this circle is broken through remembrance of clear Awareness or Consciousness. It compares with a dream: We are reborn into the dream-state again and again unless we can find a way to stay awake. As all scripture and sages teach, waking up from our mortal dream is indeed possible.

Shankara, in accordance with the philosophy of Vedanta, teaches that there is only one Reality, one God (Brahman). Everything else is subjected to change and is no more than an expression of Reality. When seen as Reality, the world is an illusion (a notion that is now becoming popular with quantum physicists).
Since most folks prefer a simpler belief system, Shankara taught his philosophy mainly to Brahmins and intellectuals, who had no problems understanding Brahman as the omnipresent, eternal, Consciousness. They understood this Awareness as the essential Self within and everything else as a phenomenona mere appearance. His reasoning was resting on logic, the interpretation of the scriptures, but also on direct knowledge.
The philosophy of non-dualism is called Advaita and Shankara's philosophy is sometimes called Atmadvaita.
                                                          Self-Knowledge: Shankara's Treatise 
                                      short summary for advanced seekersSelf-Knowledge, known in India as the Atmabodha, is a short composition of 68 verses attributed to the great Indian philosopher SHANKARA . With this composition Shankara tries to serve all those who are ready to understand the Truth, which means they must be ready to break all ties and desire Liberation.

Below is a quick summary of the content in Shankara's treatise (these paragraphs are not verbatim):
Only direct Knowledge can be the cause for Liberation. Action by itself cannot destroy our illusions and delusions. It is because of our ignorance that we appear to be finite. When ignorance is destroyed by Knowledge, the Self reveals Itself by Itself, like the sun when the clouds are removed. Right practice leads to Knowledge.
The world is like a dream: It appears to be real as long as we are ignorant of the Truth. When we are awake the world has disappeared like a dream. The world is like the illusion of silver in an oyster shell. All forms exist in the imagination of the perceiver. The world is to the all-pervading Awareness of God like the bracelet is to gold. As long as we admire the form, we do not see the gold. If we see the gold we do not admire the form.
All characteristics are superimposed on the all-pervading Awareness. The gross body is formed out of five subtle elements. The subtle body is made of five pranas. The Awareness takes on characteristics in the same way as a crystal may take on the color of something that is red, blue, or green.
Through discrimination, the seeker has to isolate the pure innermost Self from the mental coverings. The Self is only reflected in the clear mind. The Self, as pure Awareness, has to be seen as being distinct from body and mind. Like the moon appears to be moving when clouds are moving, so the Self appears to be active when mind and the senses are active.
The nature of the Self, as pure Awareness, is Eternity, Purity, Reality, Consciousness, and Bliss. When the Self gets confused with body and mind it is overcome by mortal fears. The Self regains fearlessness by realizing the Truth about Itself.
Awareness does not need another instrument, like the mind, to be aware of Itself. The Self is not this or that but Itself. The Self is without attributes and action. The Self is changeless, eternal, pure, and free. The Self is pure Awareness as God is pure Awareness. Pure Awareness is without a second.
He who has attained the Supreme Goal dwells as the embodiment of Infinite Consciousness and Bliss. The practice that destroys ignorance is constant meditation. Because of ignorance the ever-present Awareness is not recognized.
 The seeker who has realized the Self sees the entire universe as the Self.

Ten Stanzas (on Atman)
by sha.nkaraachaarya

 Shankara sums up the essence of Vedanta in dasashlokii . He states that Only Atman Is while the world of names, form and various manifestations are just maya . He goes on to say that Atman is same as the supreme Brahman . Shankara also emphasises, as do upanishhads that the man who realizes aatma ALONE transcends worldly sorrow (tarati shokaMaatmavit).

After writing a wonderful commentary on Gaudapada's karika on maaNDukya upanishhad, and upadesahasri in my humble opinion, the best philosophical work of Shankara, many scholars consider dashashlokii to be the last pronouncement of Shankara on the non-dual nature of Atman . In a very simple way using just 10 verses, Shankara expounds on the nature of Atman -- the attributeless Truth, indestructible, and the very basis of supreme bliss and purity.

This text deals with the nature of Atman in the clearest and simplest language . There is not a single word which is superflous,and the teacher [Shankara] is at this best; the arrow of knowledge is aimed at ignorance and it hits the target directly, destroying the enemy.'

The birth of this Dasasloki is an interesting event. Sri Sankara in imminent danger of death in the jaws of a crocodile in the river Purna in his village Kaladi, takes Sannyasa informally by pronouncing the prescrinebd formula. But when the crocodile immediately frees him from its grip, Sri Sankara is faced with the necessity of seeking a competent teacher who can regularise the Sannyasa and initiate him in the Upanishadic passages. He travelled north and ultimately found such a teacher in Sri Govindapadacharya, who was in deep meditation in a cave on the banks of the Narmada. When fervently implored by Sri Sankara, the Saint woke up and asked Sri Sankara who he was. It was in reponse to this simple question that Sri Sankara burst out in a set of ten pregnant stanzas explaining the real nature of the Self which alone he was. The Saint realising that Sri Sanakara was a realised soul, who had come to him for initiation
only to conform to the normal method of entering the Sannyasa Order, immediately accepted him as a disciple.

May Shrii Shankara leads us from ignorance to Truth by helping us realize the aatman. AUM tat sat.

.. atha dashashlokii ..

na bhuumirna toyaM na tejo na vaayuH
na khaM nendriyaM vaa na teshhaaM samuuhaH .
anekaantikatvaat.h sushhuptyekasiddaH
tadeko.avashishhTaH shivaH kevalo.aham.h .. 1..

"I am not the Earth nor Water, neither Fire nor Air, I
am not space. Neither am I any of the Faculties nor am I their
aggregrate. [I am not any of these] as they are all uncertain. I
am proved however in the sole experience of deep sleep. That
One, the Residue, the Auspicious, the Only One, am I."
na varNaa na varNaashramaachaaradharmaa
na me dhaaraNaadhyaanayogaadayopi .
anaatmaashrayaahaMmamaadhyaasahaanaat.h
tadeko.avashishhTaH shivaH kevalo.aham.h .. 2..

"The castes are not for me, nor the observances and
duties attached to the castes and the stages of life. Even the
steadying of the mind, concentration, self-communion and other
courses are not for me. For the mistaken senses of I and MINE
which rested on the Non-Self have been abondoned. That One, the
Residue, the Auspicious, the Alone, am I."
na maataa pitaa vaa na devaa na lokaa
na vedaa na yaGYA na tiirtha bruvanti .
sushhaptau nirastaatishuunyaatmakatvaat.h
tadeko.avashishhTaH shivaH kevalo.aham.h .. 3..

"There is no mother nor father; no gods nor regions of
experience; no scriptures nor sacrifical sites; and no sacred
place-so say the Sages. For, in the state of deep sleep, all
these are negatived and that state is completely devoid(of any
object of perception) That One, the Residue, the Auspicious, theAlone, am I."
na saakhyaM na shaivaM na tatpaaJNcharaatraM
na jainaM na miimaaMsakaadermataM vaa .
vishishhTaanubhuutyaa vishuddhaatmakatvaat.h
tadeko.avashishhTaH shivaH kevalo.aham.h .. 4..

"There is no Sankhya nor Saiva, nor that Pancharatra
nor Jaina. The conception of the Mimamsaka and others does not
exist. For, through the direct realisation of what is qualified,
the Self is known as of the nature of the Absolutely Pure. That
One, the Residue, the Auspicious, the Alone, am I."

na chordhva na chaadho na chaantarna baahyaM
na madhyaM na tirya.N na puurvaa.aparaa dik.h .
viyad.hvyaapakatvaadakhaNDaikaruupaH
tadeko.avashishhTaH shivaH kevalo.aham.h .. 5..

"There is neither above nor below, neither inside nor
outside, no middle nor crosswise, no direction, east or west.
For it is all-pervasive like space. It is partless andhomogeneous in its nature. That One, the Residue, the
Auspicious, the Alone, am I."
na shuklaM na kR^ishhNaM na raktaM na piitaM
na kubjaM na piinaM na hrasvaM na diirgham.h .
aruupaM tathaa jyotiraakaarakatvaat.h
tadeko.avashishhTaH shivaH kevalo.aham.h .. 6..

"It is neither white nor black, neither red nor yellow,
neither dwarfish nor stout, neither short nor long. As it is of
the nature of light, it is shapeless also. That One, the
Residue, the Auspicious, the Alone, am I."
na shaastaa na shaastraM na shishhyo na shikshaa
na cha tvaM na chaahaM na chaayaM prapaJNchaH .
svaruupaavabodho vikalpaasahishhNuH
tadeko.avashishhTaH shivaH kevalo.aham.h .. 7..

"There is no ruler nor rule, no pupil nor training.
There is no YOU nor I. This universe is not. For the realistionof the true nature of the Self does not tolerate any distincion.
That One, the Residue, the Auspicious, the Alone, am I."
na jaagran.h na me svapnako vaa sushhuptiH
na vishvau na vaa taijasaH praaGYako vaa .
avidyaatmakatvaat.h trayaaNaM turiiyaH
tadeko.avashishhTaH shivaH kevalo.aham.h .. 8..

"There is no waking state for me nor dream or deep
sleep. I am not Visva[the Self identified with the experiencer
of the waking state], nor Taijasa[identified with dream state],
nor Prajna[identified with deep sleep]. I am really the
Fourth(Turiya). That One, the Residue, the Auspicious, the Alone,
am I."
api vyaapakatvaat.h hitatvaprayogaat.h
svataH siddhabhaavaadananyaashrayatvaat.h .
jagat.h tuchchhametat.h samastaM tadanyat.h
tadeko.avashishhTaH shivaH kevalo.aham.h .. 9..
"All this universe which is other than the Self is
worthless(having no existence of its own) for it is well known
that the Self is all pervasive, recognised as the reality and
that its existence is self-proven and does not depend upon
anything else. That One, the Residue, the Auspicious, the Alone,
am I."
na chaikaM tadanyad.h dvitiiyaM kutaH syaat.h
na kevalatvaM na chaa.akevalatvam.h .
na shunyaM na chaashuunyamadvaitakatvaat.h
kathaM sarvavedaantasiddhaM braviimi .. 10..
"It is not one, for how can there be a second distinct
from it? Aloneness cannot be attributed to it nor even
not-aloneness. It is neither a void nor a non-void. When it does
not admit of a second entity, in what manner can I speak about
it though it is established by all the Upanishads.?"
.
=========


kastvaM shisho kasya kuto.asi gantaa
kiM naama te tvaM kuta aagato.asi .
etanmayoktaM vada chaarbhaka tvaM
mat.h prItaye prIti vivardhano.asi .. 1..

hastaamalaka uvaacha

naahaM manushhyo na cha deva yakshau
na braahmaNa kshatriya vaishya shUdraH .
na brahmachaarI na gR^ihI vanastho
bhikshurna chaahaM nijabodha rUpaH .. 2.

nimittaM manashchakshuraadi pravR^ittau
nirastaakhilopaadhiraakaashakalpaH .
ravirlokacheshhTaanimittaM yathaa yaH
sa nityopalabdhisvarUpo.ahamaatmaa .. 3..

yamagnyushhNavannityabodha svarUpaM
manashchakshuraadInyabodhaatmakaani .
pravartanta aashritya nishhkampamekaM
sa nityopalabdhisvarUpo.ahamaatmaa .. 4..

mukhaabhaasako darpaNe dR^ishyamaano
mukhatvaat.h pR^ithaktvena naivaastu vastu .
chidaabhaasako dhIshhu jIvo.api tadvat.h
sa nityopalabdhisvarUpo.ahamaatmaa .. 5..


yathaa darpaNaabhaava aabhaasahaanau
mukhaM vidyate kalpanaahInamekam.h .
tathaa dhI viyoge niraabhasako yaH
sa nityopalabdhisvarUpo.ahamaatmaa .. 6..


manashchakshuraaderviyuktaH svayaM yo
manashchakshuraadermanashchakshuraadiH .
manashchakshuraaderagamyasvarUpaH
sa nityopalabdhisvarUpo.ahamaatmaa .. 7.

ya eko vibhaati svataH shuddhachetaaH
prakaashasvarUp.a opi naaneva dhIshhu
sharaavodakastho yathaa bhaanurekaH
sa nityopalabdhisvarUpo.ahamaatmaa .. 8..

yathaa.anekachakshuH prakaasho ravirna
krameNa prakaashIkaroti prakaashyam.h .
anekaa dhiyo yastathaikaH prabodhaH
sa nityopalabdhisvarUpo.ahamaatmaa .. 9..

vivasvat.h prabhaataM yathaa rUpamakshaM
pragR^ihNaati naabhaatasevaM vivasvaan.h .
yadaabhaata aabhaasayatyakshamekaH
sa nityopalabdhisvarUpo.ahamaatmaa.. 10..

yathaa sUrya eko.apsvanekashchalaasu
sthiraasvapyananyadvibhaavyasvarUpaH
chalaasu prabhinnaH sudhIshhveka eva
sa nityopalabdhisvarUpo.ahamaatmaa .. 11..