யாவையும் சூனியம் சத்தெதிராதலின்,
சத்தேயறியாது, அசத்திலது அறியாது
இருதிறன் அறிவுளது இரண்டலா ஆன்மா.
Sutra. In the presence of Sat, everything else (cosmos-Asat) is Sunyam (is non-apparent) Hence Sat cannot perceive Asat. As Asat does not exist, it cannot perceive Sat. That which perceives both cannot be either of them. This is the Soul (called Satasat).
Note. This treats of the nature of the Soul and consists of three arguments.
First Argument
Churnika. – Hara has no experience of Pasa.
Varthikam. – As, before the Perfect and Eternal Intelligence, the imperfect and acquired intelligence (falsehood) is shorn of its light, it is therefore established that in the presence of Siva Sat, Asat loses its light.
Illustration. – Hara who is not separate (from Pasu and Pasa) cannot know them as objects. So, he cannot know Asat as different even when He knows it. Evil Asat ceases to exist before Him, as does darkness before the Sun.
Second Argument
Churnika. – Pasa cannot know Hara.
Varthikam. – Asat is non – intelligent as it will be found to be so when examined closely.
Illustration. – The ignorant man who follows a mirage as water, will find it to be false when he reaches it. So, the soul whom God’s grace has not reached will find Asat to be Sat. As Asat does not exist, it cannot know (Sat.) Therefore learn that Asat has no understanding.
Third Argument
Churnika. – The soul lives in both.
Varthikam. – it is established that the soul which has such double perception is neither of them; as the soul is that which perceives both, understands on being taught, and exists in either condition eternally.
Illustrations. – O Thou who art engaged in deep studies, The soul has knowledge of both Sat and Asat and hence is neither of them. It does not appear as equivalent to either of them, nor is it nonentity being neither of them. Its nature is like the smell of the flower which at one time was non-apparent, though existing in the plant and at another time became apparently visible.
(2). Thou art not Sat, as thy understanding is changeful and imperfect, becoming deranged in disease and recovering its brightness when medicines are administered. Thou art neither Asat as thou hast to eat the fruits of Karma, knowingly performed by thyself, and which Asat cannot know and enjoy.
(3). Ignorance (Agnanam) will not arise from God who is the true intelligence as it is Asat (like darkness before light). The soul which is ever united to God is co-eternal with Him. The connection of ignorance with the soul is like the connection of Salt with the water of the sea.
NOTES
We have proved to ourselves the existence of the three categories or Padarthas, Pathi, Pasu, and Pasa in the first chapter. We have learned to distinguish them further in the second chapter. And now what is the use of all this knowledge? All knowledge and all philosophy will be utterly useless if it will not lead us to believe that we have a better end to attain to and to action that will bring about this end. The true end or Siddhantha is what is treated off in Chapter IV and this chapter preceding it is appropriately devoted to the treatment of the action or Sadana or means of attaining the True End. Now in proceeding to begin Sadana, if we begin as the author of Vichara Sagar begins, ‘I am God, I worship myself. Why should I worship any other?’ we cannot achieve much. Unless we can distinguish ourselves from God, we cannot attempt to become God. This Sutra therefore enjoins on the person beginning his practice a further caution not to mistake himself for God, thereby distinguishing between Sat, Asat and Satasat and showing also what becomes of the lower planes when we pass on to the Higher. Asat has already been explained to mean other than Sat. This word and Sunyam do not mean non-existent and nonentity but also mean non-apparent or non-luminous or non-distinguishable (விளங்காமை, பிரகாசியாமை). The Ganges pouring from its thousand mouths into the broad sea preserves its taste and reddish colour for miles and miles beyond, but as we proceed down, the water gradually loses its taste and colour and finally, sure as anything, we cannot find it. It is lost completely. No, it is not lost. The great sea which is greater than the great Gauges has completely engulfed and covered it up and in consequence it is the sea and its Salt and not the Ganges and its taste that is apparent to us. Sea is Sat and the Ganges mingling with it is Asat or Sunyam . Again, darkness is as real an experience of our sight as day light. We speak of darkness engulfing the whole world at night; but with the first streak of dawn, darkness has completely fled and vanished. Has it? And if so, where to? No, it has neither gone not fled anywhere nor has it become non-existent. Darkness is present in Light and is completely absorbed in it. The greater Glory and Power of the one subjugates or covers the power of the other.
We have elsewhere referred to the analogy of the sunlight and stars. The author of Sivagnana Siddhi calls this ‘முனைத்திடாமை‘ which is explained to mean, that God cannot distinguish it as apart from Him as we distinguish one object from another. Knowledge and consciousness are only relative; and in the Presence of the Absolute, the All, there could be no relativity and no knowledge or consciousness. Hence Sat cannot perceive Asat. As elsewhere explained, in the subjective state, the object vanishes. That is in pure subjective consciousness, object consciousness merges, becomes indistinguishable, there is no knowledge of object.
2. Asat cannot perceive Sat as it cannot rise above itself in perception and as it is itself the object of the soul. So, it is doubly distant from Sat.
3. This argument brings out the whole subject of Atma Darsan and shows how the soul can be seen or perceived. The soul cannot be perceived directly as this is physically and psychologically impossible. It is by learning to distinguish itself from other things that it can know what it really is. There are two such things from which it has to distinguish itself, namely, Sat and Asat. In the human condition it is one with Asat and the first step in spiritual progress is to distinguish itself and then slowly to separate itself from Asat. But it should not be supposed from the fact of the soul rising to its own plane from Asat that it is a compound or an effect or Asat itself. The soul did exist in Asat even previously though in a latent or unperceived condition and it rises out of Asat as the smell of the flower rises out of the tree or plant in which it was not perceived before. Rising to itself, the soul should not stop 103 there, but must again learn to distinguish itself from Sat and then try its best to lift itself into the plane of Sat, with which also it was connected as the flower and the plant.
“சீவனுக்குள்ளே சிவமணம் புூத்தது”
(In the tree of Life (soul) the sweet blossom of Sivam blossoms out). In the banda(attachment) condition, the soul appeared only as Asat, and when the banda is removed, freedom is obtained and it then appears not itself but as Sivam. So, in neither condition, its own nature is subordinated to the one to which it is connected for the time being, and apart from either, it cannot find a resting place and it lives therefore in both. Though at all times all the three existed together, yet before blossoming; and at another time, Asat disappears and soul is enveloped in Sivam and the brightness and sweetness of the flower alone shines out.
Cf. ‘Thirumanthiram.’
அனாதி சிவருூபமாகிய ஆன்மா
Tirumandiram, St.Tirumular
தனாதிமலத்தாற் றடைப்பட்டு நின்றது
தனாதிமலமும் தடையற்றபாேதே
யனாதிசிவ ருுபமாகிய வாறே.
(The soul which in its real condition is of the form of Sivam is confined and conditioned by its connection with Malam; when this bantham therefore ceases, it assumes the form of Sivam).
(c) The last illustration contains a favourite analogy. God is the sea or the vast space giving room to a vast volume of water and things contained in it, “the all Container” “The Sarva Viyapaka.” The water is the soul which is Vyapti and the salt of the water is the Malam which is Vyappia. The import of the analogy in this place is that though it is the sea which gives room to the water and the salt, yet the salt does not attach itself to the sea (space) but to the water. And the salt though it is always present in sea water, the water in its original or real condition, is not so connected and this connection can be separated.