SOME THOUGHTS ON ATMA---44

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SAI RAM Dear Brothers and Sisters,

By oversight the previous two postings on this subject were numbered as sl.no 43. It is requested that the latest posting may be renumbered as 43A. The mistake is regretted.

The Upanishads refer to the Atma as free from any relation to phenomenal elements and also as real, conscious bliss and infinite. The Brihadaranyaka Upanishad first refers to Self as gross and subtle , and states that the gross one consists of earth,water and fire and the subtle one, of air and ether . Having thus described the Atma as consisting of these two forms, the Upanishad proceeds to deny them thus: " Subsequent to the ascription of the two forms to the Atma, since the Self is to be presented as free from any relation to the world, there is an instruction regarding the nature of the Atma as 'Not this,Not this '( neti neti) " . The two negatives deny the existence of of the two forms ascribed to Atma and thereby indicate the latter as free from any relation to the world. The Upanishad states that there is no other and more appropriate description of the Atma than this i.e.'Not this,Not this'. That principle which serves as the substratum of the negation of the two forms is the Atma wherein there is abscence of the world. It is therefore acosmic(nisprapancha) in nature.

 

 

The very fact that the Upanishad negates the existence of the world in Atma wherein it is said to exist shows that the world is not real in the sense that it is not unsublatable at any point of time. In other words, it is merely an appearance. The Self is thereby indicated as non-dual, i.e. free from any duality, as the prescence of the world which is non-real will not contradict the non-dual nature of the Atma. With aview to emphasise the non-dual nature of the Atma, the Upanishad first ascribes the world to the Self and then negates it.

 

(to be continued)

With Loving SAI RAMs,

G.Balasubramanian