Advaita Sudha
On Vidyaranya’s note on sixfold transcendental Meditation

āntara-drsya-anuviddha-savikalpaka-samādhi – attention upon the consciousness as the witness of thoughts. Antara Drsya is the subjective witness consciousness which stands dissociated with the nature of ephemerality and is the supreme bliss. Dissociation is with respect to the citta – the mind whose functions are operative in terms of desire, volition etc. Objects that are perceived – the drsya are mithya since they are ‘āgamāpāyi’ as proclaimed by the Lord in the Gita. But the Drk, which is Self, effulgent is ‘anāgāmapāyi’ and is Sathya which is Akhanda the impartite Ultimate. Mithya is Sakhanda. The thoughts, which are insentient, are known and perceived by something other than the thought. These thoughts those are witnessed by the āntara Caitanyam – the inner Consciousness. So thoughts are ‘āgamapāyi’ while Caintanyam is ‘anāgamāpāyi’. Thoughts are mere waves, which is not omni-present. Caitanyam is Sarvajna, the knower of known and is not known to the knowledge of knowable. Thoughts constitute the impressions of finite external empirical objects, the Vasanas which are ‘sa-akāra’ while Caitanyam is ‘nirākāra’ & ‘Nirmala’. Caitanyam is not objectifiable. ‘asango hi Ayam PurusaH says Brhadaranyaka Upanisad. The term ‘purusa’ here refers to the Iswara Saksi which is nothing but the reflective ‘Bimba’ Caitanya. This self-luminous Consciousness that cannot be objectified in āntara-drsya-samādhi, since it is akhandam which is aparoksa – immediate to inner Self – the antarātma. Brhadaranyaka 3.5.2 speaks of this Aparoksa Caitanyam as ‘that cannot see the Seer of the Sight’. Antharyami Brahmana follows the suit to say ‘Adrstam drstr, Srotr..’. This Self is the pure ‘Aham’, which alone is Ultimate – cidānanda rupa. This aham is all-pervading that means my caitanyam is pervaded ‘everywhere’. Ksetram cāpi mām viddhi sarva ksetrēsu bāratah’. ‘akāsavat – like space, ‘sarva ādhara caitanyam asmi’. Vidyāranya points out ‘drsya chittagāh drsyāh – drsya here means (mano) vrtti – modification of thought like kāma, krodha, lobha etc. Is vrtti devoid of Caitanyam ? Vidyaranya says ‘tat vrttitvē cātanam asti’ – cētana is Jiva sāksi – the Aham. Here by Vidyaranya draws attention towards the sarvada ‘Brahmānubhava’ which is ever inherent in āntara. This anubhava is accomplished by saksi-ākara vrttim kuryat which is the savikalpa-drsya-anuviddha-samādhi nidhidyāsana.