Svarupanusandhanam: Contemplation on the Self’s Nature — Part 3

Svarupanusandhanam: Contemplation on the Self’s Nature — Part 2

In the next verse, Adi Shankara elucidates the nature of Brahman.

yadānandarūpaṁ prakāśasvarūpaṁ
nirastaprapañcaṁ paricchedahīnam,
ahaṁbrahmavṛttyaikagamyaṁ turīyaṁ
paraṁ brahma nityaṁ tadevāhamasmi. || 3 ||

yadānandarūpam — that which is of the nature of Bliss; prakāśasvarūpam — self-luminous nature; nirastaprapañcam — bereft of the world; paricchedahīnam — free from all limitations; ahaṁbrahmavṛttyā ekagamyam — that is gained only through the mental modification of the form ‘I am Brahman’; turīyam — ‘Fourth’; param — supreme; brahma — Brahman; nityam — eternal; tad eva — that verily; aham asmi — I am

Aham asmi, I am, tad eva, verily that, nityam param brahma, eternal supreme Brahman. What is the nature of this Brahman?

• ānandarūpam, the nature of Bliss
• prakāśasvarūpam, nature of self-luminosity, self-effulgence
• nirastaprapañcam, completely devoid of the world
• paricchedahīnam, devoid of limitations (because Brahman is Infinite and not limited by place, time and object)
• turīyam, the ‘Fourth’ — that which is the substratum of the three worlds of waking, dreaming and deep sleep. The Mandukya Upanishad says explicates this Fourth indicated by the primordial sound Om.

Such state of Brahman is realised only through ahaṁbrahmavṛttyā ekagamyam, one-pointed flow of thought of the form ‘I am Brahman’.

Svarupanusandhanam: Contemplation on the Self’s Nature — Part 4