Summary:

Atma Bodha, Verse 28: Self illumines intellect and senses like a lamp illumines objects. Awareness is ever-present as “I” in every experience, not to be produced but recognized. Unlike the lamp-object relationship, Awareness and objects have a satya–mithya relationship – Awareness manifests through forms while remaining their true nature.

Atma Bodha, Verse 29: Through Bhati–Anubhati Prakriya (what shines independently vs. dependently), we trace illumination from objects to sun to eyes to mind to Awareness. Awareness needs no other source to reveal itself, as it is self-evident consciousness. After this knowledge, no further action is needed since Awareness is actionless.

Atma Bodha, Verse 30: Through neti–neti (not this, not this) method, one negates all upadhis (body, senses, mind, causal body) as not-Self. However, mere negation leads to shunya–vada (void); therefore, mahavakyas (great statements) reveal positive truth of Atma as Brahman. Mahavakyas remove fundamental ignorance (avidya) while neti–neti removes superimposition (adhyasa).

Verse 28: Atma illumines the intellect and senses

आत्मा अवभासयति एकः बुद्धि आदीनि इन्द्रियाणि अपि ।
दीपः घट आदिवत् स्वात्मा जडैः तैः न अवभास्यते ॥
ātmā avabhāsayati ekaḥ buddhi ādīni indriyāṇi api |
dīpaḥ ghaṭa ādivat svātmā jaḍaiḥ taiḥ na avabhāsyate ||

The self which is one illumines the intellect, etc – and the sense organs, just as a lamp illuminates pots, etc. Because they are inert, they cannot illumine the self.

A lamp (Awareness) illumines many objects (thoughts) in a room (mind). Room can be emptied out (no-thoughts), lamp illumines absence of objects. So Awareness is always present as “I” in every experience (generated by 5 koshas). Meaning Awareness is not to be produced. Just understood to be available throughout every experience.

Limitation of imagery: Light is different from pot. Whereas in reality, it’s a satya–mithya relationship. Don’t imagine there’s one Awareness inside body, shining though your eyes and brain. Awareness isn’t available as Awareness but through forms, and through forms have to figure out it’s true nature.

Verse 29: Atman is self-revealing

स्वबोधे न अन्यबोधेच्छा बोधरूपतया आत्मनः ।
न दीपस्य अन्यदीपेच्छा यथा स्वात्मप्रकाशने ॥
svabodhe na anyabodhecchā bodharūpatayā ātmanaḥ |
na dīpasya anyadīpecchā yathā svātmaprakāśane ||

To know the self there is no need for another knowledge, because ātma itself is in the form of knowledge. A lighted lamp does not need another lamp to reveal itself (as it illumines itself).

A lighted lamp does not need another lamp to reveal itself:

What illumines You (Atma) is erroneous question. Because everything becomes evident because you are there. Your presence is the only thing that’s effortlessly self-evident.

Methodology to show that Awareness doesn’t need any other light, using Bhati-Anubhati Prakriya (What shines independently, and what shines after):

Purpose: To get to final source of “light”.

• Step 1: Pot-object needs sunlight. You think pot-object is shining, but sun is shining. What shines after is pot.
• Step 2: Sun is shining, and your eyes are closed. Then sun is not shining (for you). Thus sun is anubhati (shine after). Your eye are bhati (shining).
• Step 3: If mind is in coma (unavailable), then eye can’t see. Thus eyes are anubhati. And mind is bhati.
• Step 4: Deep sleep/dream/waking are anubhati. And Awareness of 3 becomes bhati because there’s only one presence there shines on them all.

Conclusion:

The final cause ends at Awareness. Thus shastra removes ignorance of self-shining Awareness. It doesn’t produce it.

After knowledge takes place:

Suppose you come to self-shining Atma and understand it completely. Do you need to do anything after that? No. Because Atma is the final. So the question “What now?”, no longer applies because Awareness is actionless.

Unity of Individual Self and Brahman: Verse 30-39

Unity of Individual Self and Brahman – Hearing, Reflection, Meditation 
(Jīva Brahma Aikyam – Śravaṇam, Mananam, Nididhyāsanam)

Verse 30: Negation of upadhis reveals oneness

निषिध्य निखिल उपाधीन् नेति नेति इति वाक्यतः ।
विद्यात् ऐक्यम् महावाक्यैः जीवात्म परमात्मनोः ॥
niṣidhya nikhila upādhīn neti neti iti vākyataḥ |
vidyāt aikyam mahāvākyaiḥ jīvātma paramātmanoḥ ||

By the process of negation of all upādhis (limiting adjuncts), as per the scriptural statement ‘Neti, Neti' (‘Not this, Not this'), may one know the oneness proclaimed by the mahāvākya (great statement) ‘the individual self is the limitless ātman'.

Na it, Na iti (Neti Neti) Prakriya:

Shastra starts with where you put your I.

• Body: Sense of I is in the body. Shastra says I is not in the body.
• Condition of senses: Not in this either.
• Mind: Self is not changes of the mind. So if you’re constantly obsessed over mind/worries/past/future… indicator Self is in the mind.
• Causal Body (karma-account): Which is connecting you to different bodies/mind. Atma is also not in Causal Body (the jiva).

Suppose you negate them all — will Atma surface by itself?

You still have to be told what is Atma. Suppose you negate everything, you’ll come to shunya–vada, meaning there is no final reality, because reality is mithya, thus there’s nothing to hold onto. No final satyam is given). Shastra has to follow up by showing you what Atma is.  

Vedanta says who you are via a mahavakya such as: You are sat–cit, prajnanam brahma (Consciousness is brahman), tat tvam asi (You are that Brahman), etc.

So mahavakya attacks avidya. Everything else (such as 3 bodies, 5 koshas) was attacking adhyasa.

Vedanta, having removed adhyasa (wrong attribution), also has to remove your avidya about nature of what atma is.

Summary: Some sentences of scriptures clear superimpositions. Other sentences (mahavakya) reveal nature of Atma.

What does every mahavakya ultimately communicate?

Awareness is not only truth of body/senses/mind/karma, but also of Ishvara which arranges the body/senses/mind/karma into what you’re experiencing now, and arranging whole universe.

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Recorded 12 Jan, 2025