ஊனக்கண்பாசம் உண்ராப்பதியை
ஞானக் கண்ணினிற் சிந்தை நாடி
யுராத் துனைத்தேர்த்தனப் பாசம் ஒருவத்
தண்ணிழலாம் பதி விதி
எண்ணும் அஞ்செழுத்தே.
Sutra. – The soul, on perceiving in itself with the eye of Gnanam, the Lord who cannot be perceived by the human intellect or senses, and on giving up the world (Pasa) by knowing it to be false as a mirage, will find its rest in the Lord. Let the soul contemplate Sri Panchatchara according to Law.
Commentary
This treats of the manner of purifying the soul and consists of three arguments.
First Argument
Churnika. – The soul can perceive Hara only with His Gnanam established by the fact that the Lord cannot be perceived by the human senses and faculties and is otherwise perceivable.
Illustrations. – (a) A person after examining the nerves, bones, pus, phlegm of which he is composed of and not finding, what he is, arrives at the knowledge that he must understand with some other intelligence; and unless he then understands his God and his own self with the aid of Hara, how else is he to understand his own self?
(b) The eye, which points out all things, cannot see itself nor can it see the soul which enables it to see. And the soul, which enables the eye to see, cannot see itself nor God who enables it to see. As God is one with the soul when it so understands, so examine the way in which he so exists in thy understanding.
Second Argument
Churnika. – Hara will appear to the soul when it relinquishes the world (Pasa.)
Varthikam. – It should be found by experience when the soul sees the world which is Asat as Asat, it will find its being, where it was, before in Gnana Sorupam; just as when the colors reflected on a mirror are understood to be colors, we can see the mirror itself.
Illustration. – (a.) Will not the Lord who is Nirguna, Nirmala, eternal Happiness, Tastparam (above all things) and beyond comparison, and appears to the soul when it gets rid of the Tatwas such as Akas, &c., will not He appear as a far transcending Wonder and as an inseparable Light of its understanding?
(b.) When thou seest all the world as Asat, then understand what remains is clearly Sat. Yet thou who hither to hadst knowledge of the world art not Sat. If thou unitest thyself to Sat and obtainest its Divine Form, Asat will altogether leave thee.
(c.) When the soul leaves Asat on finding that what he had known is not Sat, and examines the Lord of the universe in itself and perceives Him as itself, it leaves its Pasam by His aid, as the snake bitten man is cured by the Snake charmer contemplating on Garuda.
Third Argument
Churnika. – If the soul contemplates Sri Panchatchara its Vasana Mala will disappear.
Varthikam. – Understand that the contemplation of Sri Panchatchara according to Law is herein enjoined for the purpose of freeing the soul of its hankering after evil, which it does by its long association, even after attaining the knowledge of the Gneya, just like the worm feeding on the bitter margosa bark returns to it even after tasting the sweets of the sugar cane.
Illustrations. – (a) If the soul perceives by pronouncing Sri Panchatchara that it is the servant of Hara and does puja to Him in the region of the heart by means of Sri Panchatchara and performs Homam by the same means in the region of Kundalini (navel) and contemplates Him between the eyebrows, the Lord will appear too the soul and the soul will become His servant.
(b.) If the soul sees the Lord in his heart as the shadow Planets Ragu and Kethu are seen in the Sun and in the Moon, the Lord will appear as the Light of the soul, just as the latent fire appears when pieces of wood are rubbed together. The soul will then become His servant, just as the iron becomes fire when heated. Therefore contemplate on Sri Panchatchara.
(c.) If the real nature of the Heart of the Lotus is examined its stalk will be the 24 Tatwas beginning with earth; its petals will be Vidya Tatwas and Sutta Vidya; its pollen the 64 Kalas of Iswara and Sathasiva; its ovary Sakti, the essence of the Kalas; and the seeds the 51 forms Natham; and the Arul Sakti of the Lord Siva rests on it. Therefore, contemplate on Sri Panchatchara.
NOTES
This Sutra treats of the Sadhana that is required for the Gnana pasha, and during the period after Sarguru Darshan, and before becoming Jivan Mukta, and while in the human body. The necessity for any Sadana at all during this period is because as is indicated in the 3rd argument, the human soul by its long association with Asat,sometimes forgets itself even after it has found out its own nature and though it cannot do evil, there is a hankering after evil. This is what is called Vasana Malam or Thosham, evil of habit or association. The man whose sight is restored in the beginning loves to shut his eyes a little. The worm even tasting sweetness forgets it and delights to eat the bitter bark by its long habit previously contracted.
The reason why it lingers is shown further on by the illustrations of the potter’s wheel which revolves even after the potter’s hand is withdrawn, and the empty asafoetida pot. The Sadana given in this Sutra for removing this Vasana Malam is the contemplation of Sri Panchatchara or say Pranavam, and here we pass into the subject of Aha Dyan as distinguished from Pura Dyan, esoteric worship from exoteric worship. There is, however, a correspondence between these two and the correspondence is that between a reality and a Symbol. The various rituals employed in Temple worship correspond to various real spiritual practices employed in esoteric worship. The subject is too abstruse even for me, especially as I am not yet an initiate, and any elaboration of it is altogether beyond the scope of this work. The object of the original work itself is to lay down and explain the foundations, the basic principles of our Philosophy and Religion and I need not pass beyond this either. The principle of this Sadana is contained in the 2nd argument and brought out more fully in illustration (c). This principle is what is called Soham bavana Soham is from the root ‘Sa’ meaning It (denoting Brahm) and Aham meaning I or Me (denoting soul). The word ‘Sivoham’ is also its equivalent; and the word means Brahm is myself or I and Brahm. This in fact is also the purport of the four Maha Vakyas in the Veda which are 4 Mantras intended for practice or Sadana and to be taught by the Guru to the initiate. Like every other Sadana provided for the first three stages which are mistaken for the end itself by Vedantists and these proclaim that they are themselves God. And the caution is therefore conveyed and repeated several times in the 1st and 2nd arguments and in the illustrations (see especially illustration 2 (b) ) that the soul practicing Soham bavana should not mistake itself for God. This practice of the Gnani therefore is as much a symbolic worship or Bavana as that of the Yogi (illustration 2 (c) Sutra VI.) But the Yogi gains certain Sadhia or Siddhis by his Bavana and the Gnani also gains something and what this is shown in the 3rd argument. The great mistake of Vedantic writers and Vedantic books consists in this that instead of treating of the Maha Vakya in its proper place and confining it within its proper scope, they discuss it, when they speak of proof or in the argumentative or expository stage. And this is what makes many of these books ridiculous. To say to ordinary mortals that he is God and he must believe himself to be God is certainly absurd when as we have seen above, to whom and by whom this instruction (Mantra) has to be imparted and even then, accompanied with proper caution. This then is what constitutes throwing pearls before swine and who is the more blame worthy of the two? I must now proceed to explain the principle of Soham bavana contained in 2 (c).
As the illustration of the Snake charmer points out, this is the under lying principle of all Mantras, by frequent practice of the Mantra, by contemplation of the principle underlying the Mantra, the person contemplating becomes converted into the Mantric idea or principle itself, i.e., the idea becomes the actuality and this also explains the Sidhis acquired by Yogis by Will-power. So, when the Gnani contemplates on Sri Panchatchars and that he is Brahm or Sivam, he becomes Brahm itself. Here notes again the difference. It is not total conversion. What happens is this. What was before non-apparent and in himself becomes apparent as the invisible shadow planets become visible in the Sun and Moon at Eclipse time. With this effect again, however, that the first (soul) goes down and becomes nonapparent and the other (Brahm) becomes apparent and Supreme, as the invisibleoxygen always in contact with a piece of wood, when it chemically combines with the wood, altogether changes its form into its own as a living, shining fire (3rd argument illustration b). Here it is seen, it is the fire or oxygen (Brahm) that it is supreme, and not a piece of wood or iron (soul) which the former subordinates. So even in Mukti, the soul is really the servant of God.