Advaita Ratna Rasāyana

The Chemistry of Self-realization as explained in Sankarācārya’s Eka-sloki.

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What is that which is so bright as the Sun, that which is as bright as the light during the night? ‘adithyah aham jyothisam nama Visnu’ says Sankaracarya, ‘illuminaries illumine due to me’ the sutrātma who is Visnu. Such a Vishnu is the resident of all beings the true Self. Acarya equates the term ‘aham’ with all pervading Vishnu who is the pratyagātman. Such pratyagartman that Eka sloki describes – ‘ravi dipa darsanam’ one that is seen as the brilliance of Sun. In Gita bashya too acarya calls the pratyagatman, as Ravi. Acarya raises the question ‘as to who lights up the entire Universe – just as Sun lights up the earth ? he gives the answer saying ‘ravivatsarvaksetresu eka eva ātma’ – the sunlike atma alone illumines the prapanca. Why is acarya so particular about equating atman with the Sun who is Vishnu? He says ‘ravi drstānta; atra ātmana: ubhayor api bhavati’ The analogy of Sun for ātman serves two purposes. One, Sun is only one like ātman beinf advitiya and secondly Like the Sun, atman too is unstained. Sun is tejomaya. Atman is jyothir maya. The atman which is Self effulgent is known by ‘Aham’ which is termed to be known as amsumān – the radiant ‘tvam’. The Sureme Visnu who is not subjected to avidya pariccinnas, limiting adjuncts is the jyothis svarupa – the ‘tat’tva. Both these tat and tvam are pure and pristine. The body and the aggregate organs are dual by nature, which are tainted by attributes such as names and forms. The rays of Sun, as the effulgence of atman spreads all along, permeating all these dualities in terms of names and forms. Kathopanishad conveys the purport of such, ‘ Just as the Sun, which is the eye of the whole Universe, is not tainted by ocular and external defects, similarly the Self that is but one in all beings is not tainted by sorrows of the world. It is transcendental. The matrix of body and mind is transcended by the atman. Acarya says ‘sarva bhutāntarātma lokadukkena na lipyate bāhyah’ Ignorance when superimposed on the Self, causes misery arise from the desire and work. Self though not inhere the attributes of ignorance as the rope does from that of the snake. The lust that gets accrued like that on rope, Shell, a desert and the sky where the defects appears to be so while the substratum remains unchanged. Similarly the Jiva having the superimposed karmas seems to affect the atman but actually not. The false notions of agent, actions and fruit and this is the samsara – the misery of birth and death. Where is that pratyagatman be seen inside? In the aparoksa level? Shruthi says ‘ravi madhye sthithah Soma- Soma madhye hutasanah; tejo madhye sthitham sattvam sattva madhye sthitah achyuta. Achyuta who is Vishnu who is pure sattva svarupa stays in the midst of tejah – fire which is in the midst of moon that which lies in the midst of Sun. Such pratyagatma Vishnu is described as scalam amrtam, Vishnu samjnitam – immovable immortal omniscient Vishnu who is Satyakāma – the abode of all desires.
Will continue…