This part contains the most precious teachings of Vivekachudamani.
“Even after you realize the Self, attachment does not leave you that easily. This affliction is known as vāsanā, which means residual impressions in your mind. Vāsanā can be defined as the impression of anything remaining unconsciously in the mind, the present consciousness of past perceptions, knowledge derived from memory, imagination, idea, notion, false notion, etc. The impressions of ‘I am the doer and I am the experiencer’ embed strongly in your mind. Unless you remove these vāsanā-s, your liberation is not guaranteed. These vāsanā-s can be removed only if you stay with the Self within. First understand that the Self alone is the witness to buddhi and its modifications such as mind, etc. Then you should realize that you are that Self. During spiritual realization, you have to detach yourself from everything that is not Brahman (meaning that one should not be attached to the material world). If you want to progress in your spiritual life, there are many things that you have to shed. Important among them are society in which you live, pampering your body, too much of Scriptural studies, following the dictums of śāstra-s, etc. though they are considered as good. This is because, you cannot have any vāsanā-s of the society, śāstra-s and your body. As long these vāsanā-s remain in you, your knowledge about the Self will never be complete and absolute. Saṁsāra is like imprisonment. As long as these three vāsanā-s prevail in you, you will remain bound only. Only if you are able to get rid of these vāsanā-s, you will be able to remain with the Brahman perpetually. Take for example a piece of sandalwood log. If this sandalwood log remains in drainage, it will not give fragrance. If you take this wood, wash it and rub it in a stone, you will realize the pleasant fragrance of sandalwood. Similarly, the Self is ever-fragrant. But its natural fragrance is hidden by the above vāsanā-s. If you remove these vāsanā-s, through knowledge and meditation, you will remain with the Self always. The more and more you look within (at the Self), you get rid of all your attachments towards the material world and vāsanā-s causing these attachments will go away. But you need to practice.
“Next nine verses end with “स्वाध्यासापनयं कुरु svādhyāsāpanayaṁ kuru” (sva adhyāsa apanayaṁ kuru), which means get rid of your superimpositions. A Yogi’s mind is completely dissolved (no-mind stage) when he perpetually remains with the Self within. When the mind is dissolved, there is no question of vāsanā-s. Therefore, get rid of your superimpositions. Tamo guṇa is destroyed by sattva and rajo guṇa-s; rajo guṇa is destroyed by sattva guṇa and finally even that sattva guṇa is destroyed by meditating on pure Brahman. Therefore, get rid of your superimpositions. Your karmic impressions will take care of your physical body. Have firm faith in this and get rid of your superimpositions. Remove all the dualities through meditation. You are not a body and you are Brahman, the eternal one. Have firm faith in this and mediate to remove all the vāsanā-s by getting rid of your superimpositions. Know the Self within, with the help of knowledge, practice and your own experience. Therefore, get rid of your superimpositions caused by vāsanā-s. A jñāni is beyond acceptance and rejection (devoid of dyads), hence he is beyond any actions (not accruing karmas). Therefore meditate deeply and get rid of your superimpositions. Know through mahāvākya-s such as “I am That” and “ahaṁbrahmāsmi”, that your soul is not different Brahman. Strengthen this knowledge by meditating and get rid of your superimpositions. You have to be extremely careful regarding attachment towards your body. There should be no traces of attachment towards the body and you have to keep a constant watch on this and with one-pointed mind, meditate on the Self and get rid of your superimpositions. O! Knowledgeable disciple, understand that body and the universe appear as dreams only and are illusionary in nature. You have to get rid of your superimpositions and realize this Truth.
“Sleep, afflictions of the material world such as sound, sight, etc. are the reasons for forgetting the Self. Do not give credence to these distractions as they hamper your spiritual pursuit. Always meditate on the Self within, without distracting your attention. This body has come from the impurities of our parents and your body too contains these impurities. Thus physical body is untouchable because of the impurities it contains. Hence ignore attachment towards your body and perpetually stay connected with the Self. O! Sage (Guru addresses his disciple as मुने mune, meaning a sage; an ordinary disciple, because of Guru’s teachings became a yogi first and now he has become a sage), the ākāśa in a pot merges with the vast ākāśa (the sky); similarly, you have to merge your individual self with the Supreme Self (we have seen in the previous chapters that there is no difference between the self and the Self). Remain in silence and remain without any actions (causing impressions). Ignore your body and even this universe as mala (dirt, filth, dust, impurity) and remain with self-illuminating Brahman. You become That. Shed that ego which produces “I” and remain only with ever blissful and ever shining Self by ignoring your subtle body (subtle body consists of mind, intellect and ego) and remain as impeccable Self. Brahman is like a mirror and this universe appears as an image in the mirror as a city. Know that you are That reflecting mirror. Once you have reached this stage, you are done with your life. (Kṛṣṇa says in Bhagavad Gītā (XV.20), “Sinless Arjuna, I have imparted the most secret knowledge. Knowing this, a man transforms into a sage, with all his duties fully accomplished”. This Brahman is eternal Truth. This is the beginning of everything. This is in the form of knowledge, without form, without actions (only a witness). This Self superimposes false bodies (pañcakośa-s) and performs like an actor (once the character assumed by an actor is not there when the play/movie ends and the actor becomes his original self). Shed this falsified notion and ever remain with the Self. (Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (IV.iv7) says, “When all the desires that dwell in his mind are gone, he becomes immortal and attains Brahman in this very body.”)
Further reading: GURUJI SPEAKS
June 08, 2016 10:03 AM
What is the cause of the creation of super impositions itself? Meaning if it like sun do you mean that because of light these things are happening - meaning creation is taking place just as a by-product of Brahman shine, but in actuality Brahman is neither shine nor does do anything and is just emptiness?
How can this emptiness come up with life?
So Shiva is pervaded through out the universe as just an empty space and out of this empty space I'm just creating a shell (veil of maya) to differentiate between myself and others, but in actuality I'm that empty space but covered by Shiva shine (Shakthi, which comes out automatically because of Shivas nature?)
The only conflicting question that will arise here is that Brahman is both a shining ball (for the sake easy understanding) when he has attributes and emptiness when he has no attributes, but how can something come up when everything is inert, as the inert consciousness should at-least, should have a will otherwise even shakthi will not come into existence.
If there was a will then Brahman to start of actually shed its inert nature and kick started the process and then with drew back to its original nature just to observe it pulsation?
When I read the Trika article in the website, it speaks about this logic where Paramashiva (nothingness) kick started the process in true it created Shiva (shining ball) and out of which Shakthi came out as a by product because of Shivas brilliance, but Shiva here in this context is a limitation as the existence of Shiva is purely out of Nothingness?
Lastly does this nothingness have intelligence or mind of its own as withing out which the initial shouldn't have happened.
June 08, 2016 11:14 AM
Brahman is both the cause and effect. That is why, we call Brahman as omnipresent. Our mind due to innate ignorance refuse to accept this fact. Mind gets attached to the pleasures of material world and is not willing to see Brahman's omnipresence. Whatever is the effect of Brahman is superimposition on Himself and due to our innate ignorance, we are unable to realize Brahman. In Advaita, everything is Brahman and Advaita should not be confused with Trika Philosophy. In Advaita, we have to go past superimposition caused by It only. It is like a silk worm forming a cocoon around it. Brahman has given us mind and intellect, which we have to use to understand that superimposition is maayaa and we have to go past this veil of maayaa to understand Brahman.
Take the example of sun. Sun is always there shining. We always take notice of sun's light and not the sun. Similarly, we observer and get entangled in the material world and we do not look into the cause of the material world.
June 08, 2016 03:01 PM
Thank you, let us look at this from a different angle, if Brahman is both cause and effect and is present in the emptiness and material word, then it cannot be emptiness as there is existence which is intelligence (satchitananda?)
The material world is due to the intelligence's interest to create something, so of which maya arise from itself. Hence at this point Brahman is the cause (initial cause) and effect is the maya (material world)?
Then our truest nature should be the emptiness where there is existence with intelligence without anything else?
So finally the nature of this intelligence and existence is independent and omnipresent which is present in ourself?
June 08, 2016 03:09 PM
Please read this article. Cause and effect
June 08, 2016 09:59 PM
We all have vasana's that has been passed genetically, is it possible for anyone to get rid of these impressions? Only new impressions that we acquire can be removed but not the ones that has come from birth.
Since I'm that which is unchanging and unattached to the vasana's, the focus should only be on that and hence the vasanas will get ridden automatically.
June 08, 2016 10:04 PM
Vasanas are not genetically transmitted, but it represents karmic imprints. Karma for this birth has to be experienced in this birth, even after attaining liberation. This is discussed in further parts of this series. Karmas of earlier birth will be burnt away though Self-realization.
June 08, 2016 10:37 PM
Thank you, isn't genetically transmitted tendencies like diabetes or intelligence etc form vasana's or is it that Karmic imprints make sure that the body is born in such type host to clear its karmic imprints
June 08, 2016 10:43 PM
DNA is scientific explanation of karma. But let us not confuse. Karma is the imprints of our various births. When we are disdained to undergo illness like diabetes, it will be there in our karmic imprint, which will manifest at a fixed time. Ramana Maharishi's life is a typical example for this.