Vedanta - SELF - Where do I find It ? - எங்கே அவன் ? - Isavaya Upanishad - Sloka 5

In Sloka 4, in the previous Blog, the Upanishad outlined the characteristics of the SELF (ātmā). Let us try and locate it now.

Sanskrit Sloka 5

तदेजति तन्नैजति तद्दूरे तद्वन्तिके ।

तदन्तरस्य सर्वस्य तदु सर्वस्यास्य बाह्यतः ॥ ५ ॥

Meaning in Tamil:

அசைவோடும்  அசைவிலாமலும்

நமைக் கடந்தும் நமதருகிலும்

நமதுள்ளும் நீக்கமறவும் நிறை

ஆன்மாவாம் நமை நாம் அறிவோம்

English Transliteration

tadejati tannaijati taddūre tadvantike |

tadantarasya sarvasya tadu sarvasyāsya bāhyataḥ || 5 ||

Commentary:

This fifth mantra is almost a repetition of the mantra 4. The first part tat ejati tatna ejati says ātmā doesn’t move at all, at the same time it moves ‘as though’.  Upaniṣad uses the paradoxical language of contradictory predicates. This paradox can be resolved by looking at it from two different angles.

ātmā in the form of original consciousness, doesn’t move at all, it is all-pervading. But the very same ātmā, is reflected in the body-mind complex as cidābhāsa , the reflected consciousness; it is available in the body-mind complex, which serves as a mirror. When the body mind complex moves, the consciousness also appears to move. Even though ātmā doesn’t move, it seems to move because of the movement of the reflecting medium. Suppose there is the original sun, up above in the sky, and you have a mirror down below. Now there are two suns. One is the original and the other is reflected in the mirror. The original stays where it is. It doesn’t move. But when the mirror is carried from one place to another, the reflected sun also, seems to travel, along with the mirror. Therefore bimba -sūryaḥ tiṣṭhati , pratibimba -ūryaḥ calati . Similarly bimba -caitanyaṁ na ejati , pratibimba -caitanyaṁ ejati .

Tat dūre tat antike – tat means the ātma -tattvaṁ which is being explained, is very far away. Again, the upaniṣad uses another paradox. The upaniṣad says, really speaking, ātmā is very close. Tat antike means it is very close. Now how do you resolve this paradox or contradiction? Śaṅkarācārya resolves this contradiction by saying, really speaking, ātmā is neither far away from me, nor is it near me. Why? Because ātmā is me. So where is the question of being far or near? Something other than me can be farther or closer but not me myself. For an ignorant person, who is searching for ātmā, and keeps on travelling in search of ātmā , the ātmā will become farther and farther because the very searching will deny the ātmā . Why the searching will deny the ātmā? Because he has concluded ātmā is an object, which is a fundamental mistake. When your search is based on a mistake, the search will never be successful.

Tat antarasya sarvasya tad u sarvasya asya bāhyataḥ . Ātmā is inside everyone.  Asya sarvasya antaraḥ. Antaraḥ means within. So ātmā is within everyone as the consciousness principle which is not a part, product, property of the body, which pervades and enlivens the body, which is not limited by the boundaries of the body, which continues to exist even after the fall of the body. That consciousness inside everyone, is the ātmā . Upaniṣad immediately says, it is not only inside, but it is also outside. Sarvasya bāhyataḥ ca . Like the space which is inside the hall and outside the hall. So the idea of ātmā being sarvagataḥ from the previous mantra is reinforced here.

The messages from this mantra are: ātmā is moving from the standpoint of the reflection; ātmā is non-moving from the standpoint of the original; ātmā is far away for the ignorant; ātmā is close-by for the wise; ātmā is both inside and outside. நம்மைக் கடந்தும், நம் உள் உறைந்தும் இருப்பதனாலேதான், தமிழில் அப்பரம்பொருளைக் கடவுள் என்று கூறுகிறோம்.

திருமூலர் இக்கருத்தினையே

ஆதியுமாய், அரனாய், உடலுள் நின்ற
வேதியுமாய் விரிந்து ஆர்ந்து இருந்தான் அருள்
சோதியுமாய்ச் சுருங்காதது ஓர் தன்மையுள்
நீதியுமாய் நித்தம் ஆகி நின்றானே.

என திருமந்திரத்தில் உரைக்கிறார். அதனை உணராதோர் நோக்கின்,

ஆழ்ஏரி, திகில்வனம், உயர்மலை நுழைந்து

ஆம்பல் மலர் தேடி அலைந்தனரே மதிகெட்ட மக்கள்

அவர்தம் இதயக்கமலம்தனை அறியாமல் !

அடையலாமே பேரின்பம் இவ்விடமே! 

அந்தோ! என் சொல்வேன் உமைநாதா!

என ஆதி சங்கரர் சிவானந்த லகரியில் எழுதியது ஞாபகம் வருகிறது. Here is the link to the Sloka No 9 in Sivananda Lahari by Adi Sankaracharya.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/reeyhis6hc9kf55/Siv%20Lah%209.mp3?dl=0

இருக்கும் இடத்தை விட்டு இல்லாத இடம் தேடி, பிச்சைப் பாத்திரம் ஏந்தி எங்கெங்கோ அலைகிறோம். கீழ்வரும் திரையிசைப் பாடலின் பகுதியைக் கேட்போம்.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ucbk39zsf9gyt2o/irukkum%20idathai%20vittu%20clip.mp3?dl=0

Summary

So, it is for us to stop searching outside just because our sense organs are pointing outwards and start looking inside us to understand who we are. மடமை தவிர்த்து, நம்முள்ளே உறையும் இறையெனும் ஆன்மாவைக் காண்போம் நாம். இதுவே இப் பண்ணின் சாரம்