Upadesha Sara Verse 27
Class Notes from Week 26 — March 28, 2019
Class Notes by Bhargavi
In Kenopanishad, when the Devas are celebrating their victory over the Asuras, a strange being (creature) appears and starts chiding the Devas for celebrating such and questions their role in the victory. Devas challenge the being but soon find themselves to be helpless in front of it. This being picks up a blade of grass and prompts Agni and Vayu to burn it and blow it respectively. When Indra comes to know of this, he realizes that this being is none other than Mahadeva, in this case Parvatiji, who represents Brahman in this scenario. This blade of grass represents the position, possession and pleasure. None of these can be equated to peace. What we all want is not the three “p”s but “P”. We have such wonderful access to this Ultimate Knowledge. Independent joy is accessible to all of us through our scriptures, in Samskrit and mostly English.
Recap of Shloka 26: In this shloka, Shri Ramana is exploring the process of “knowing”, and urging us to think about the process of knowing and thinking (think about thinking). We understand this through Jnana. Jnana makes us quieter and internalize that we are awareness. Knowledge makes me quieter and brings me to a state where I don’t need to think so much anymore.
Shloka 27: This knowledge is without Jnana. All of the knowledge we have is the “knowledge of”. Its never just pure “ knowledge”. Just like we know of God, we don’t Know God. This “of” shows separation. The Jnana mentioned here is knowing. This knowing is happening through thinking. The sense organs carry the input to the mind through thoughts. We had discussed in previous shlokas that All that I know is not I!Therefore, even the knowledge that He is imparting is a means and not the ends.
Awareness is also without Ajnana. We are aware of things we know and we also things we don’t know. This shows that Awareness is present even when all else is absent (present in the absence of Jnana). Ajnana can be interpreted as absence. This Chit doesn’t need either knowledge or ignorance. It is Svayambhu (self shining/self evident). Sat is ever present regardless of what is or is not present in front of it. We are that Sat/Awareness.
Vivekji shared a story of Raja Parikshita from Shrimad Bhagvatam. Rishi Suka advises Raja Parikshita that a dying person should meditate on the formless Infinite. The way to do this is to contemplate of Vishwarupa. Rishi Shuka then goes on to describe the gentle smile of his Ishtadevata, Shri Narayana. Bhagwan Vishnu’s smile has been known to delude and also enlighten everyone. Bhagwan Vishnu’s real nature is Arupa, meaning there is no rupa (form), there is no bondage or enlightenment!
Shri Ramana then asks sarcastically if there is another knowledge that will help me know who I am. He then emphasizes that there is no other knowledge that can be Awareness. Knowledge is always in Dvaita, and you are Advaita. If there is any knowing of this knowledge, it is not the Chit’s albeit it is Chidabhasa. Chidabhasa is Chit’s Abhasa (phantom/fallacy). Chidabhasa is phantom awareness. When we begin to question the point of learning the knowledge when it is simply a falsity, Vivekji clarified that there are two types of knowledge or Maya in Ramayana. Avidya Maya and Vidya Maya. Just as their names suggest, Avidya Maya (scriptures/teachers)brings us deep into Maya, whereas Vidya Maya takes me out of the fallacy. Therefore, all that we are exposed to is in fact ,the Chidabhasa that is knowing this knowledge to clue in that there is no Abhasa , there is only Chit. With the knowledge that we are invoking, both the knowledge and the lie go away. Chit is always present, both in presence of knowledge and Lie.
No knowledge is needed to Be the Self! We are not the Illuminator, we are Illumination! We are without a reference! Only an independent person can be happy. We have to work on unlearning our relationship with ALL objects because we have to unlearn that there AREN’T any objects. We have to begin by slowing down our dependency on them and as we become quieter and stiller, then we will realize that there is only Chit, only Awareness…..no knowledge, no ignorance!
