Summary:
Atma Bodha, Verse 35: Like space (ākāśavat), Awareness pervades everything within and without (bahiḥ antargataḥ). While space becomes unmanifest with the universe, Awareness remains all-pervasive (acyutaḥ). Being everywhere, it cannot move (acalaḥ) and remains same everywhere (sarva–samaḥ). Like space accommodating everything without contamination, Awareness remains unattached (niḥsaṅgaḥ). True detachment is recognizing this nature rather than trying to create an unattached mind.
Atma Bodha, Verse 36: As Brahman, you are ever-pure (nitya–śuddha), undivided bliss (akhaṇḍa–ānandam), and non-dual (advayam). The relationship between Awareness and everything else is Satya–mithya – everything depends on Awareness, but Awareness is free from all attributes. True happiness isn't an endless mental state but the recognition that you are the substratum of both seeker and sought, eliminating the fundamental division. This understanding brings cognitive Ananda – the knowledge that you lack nothing.
Verse 35: Pervades everything like space
अहम् आकाशवत् सर्वम् बहिः अन्तर्गतः अच्युतः ।
सदा सर्वसमः शुद्धः निःसङ्गः निर्मलः अचलः ॥
aham ākāśavat sarvam bahiḥ antargataḥ acyutaḥ |
sadā sarvasamaḥ śuddhaḥ niḥsaṅgaḥ nirmalaḥ acalaḥ ||
Like space I pervade everything, both within and without. I never lose my nature, I am always the same in all, free from ignorance, free in relationships, free from impurity and free from all movements.
Verse explains relationship between space and Awareness: Space is all-pervasive. Awareness being truth of space, is also all-pervasive. When universe becomes unmanifest, space is no longer all-pervasive. But Awareness (atma) remains all-pervasive.
Atma, like space, because it’s all-pervasive, it has no ability to move (acalaḥ) because it’s already “over there”. And it’s same everywhere (sarva–samaḥ) because it has no attributes. And allows everything to exist in it without being contaminated.
Atma is unattached (niḥsaṅgaḥ). Most try to live an unattached life, showing their Atma is in the mind.
The verse also highlights the importance of recognizing Self's purity and detachment from worldly relationships and imperfections. Cognitive knowledge of this facilitates more equanimity.
Verse 36: I am the ever-pure Brahman
नित्यशुद्धविमुक्तैकम् अखण्डानन्दम् अद्वयम् ।
सत्यम् ज्ञानम् अनन्तम् यत् परम् ब्रह्म अहम् एव तत् ॥
nitya-śuddha-vimukta-ekam akhaṇḍa-ānandam advayam |
satyam jñānam anantam yat param brahma aham eva tat ||
Ever pure, ever free and ever one, undivided ānanda, non-dual, unchanging. I am verily that absolute Brahman, which is existence, knowledge and infinite.
Ever pure, ever free, undivided (non-dual, advayam):
How to recognize Awareness pervades everything? All objects are accommodated in space (which is all-pervasive), and Ishvara is truth of space. So Ishvara is all-pervasive. Truth of Ishvara is Awareness. And the relationship between Awareness and Ishvara (space, etc) is Satya–mithya. Wherever space, Awareness is there. Space can’t exist without Awareness, and Awareness pervading space, is free of space-attribute.
Awareness (satyam):
Sense of being a person (person-hood) has to go away by recognizing one’s own truth. Knower (pramata/ahamkara/sakshi) understands it is mithya, and its content is Awareness (Satyam). Content of knower is free of being the Knower. When knower understands one’s nature (what it resolves into), the paradigm shifts from “I am mithya” to “I am satya”. Have to use Pramana to take buddhi to satyam.
Below is covered in next video…
Akhaṇḍa-ānandam (Literally means: Uninterrupted or undivided happiness)
Upon knowledge, we think there will be some happiness which will never go away. Where is locus of happiness? Mind. And mind by its nature is limited and changing. Uninterrupted happiness at level of mind is impossible.
Secondly, if give attribute of happiness (Ananda) to Atma (the final reality), then sadness has to have a different cause. And happiness should be experienced everywhere since Atma is truth of everything. Atma is neither happiness/sadness but enables both to take place at level of the koshas.
Then why do scriptures talk about Brahman being “Ananda”?
Because rishies understood you’re looking for happiness (Ananda). We do things only for sake of experiencing happiness, so scriptures have to start from the primary and universal urge.
Let’s see why “ananda” is used, and what “ananda” really means in context of “sat–cit”…
What produces happiness in mind?
Suppose you taste mango and it gives happiness. You conclude source of happiness is mango.
Analysis…
If mango was source of happiness: You’d surround yourself with mangoes. Everyone would get mangoes.
Correction: You won’t enjoy second mango as much as first. Law of diminishing returns. When hear of bad news, mind lost capacity to enjoy mango.
Also can’t attribute happiness to I (seeker), else you wouldn’t need mangoes, and I am constantly searching for happiness. At same time, there is experience of happiness? Where is it coming from if not from mango, nor I (seeker)?
Meaning, can’t attribute happiness to I nor objects, but still must account for experience of happiness.
Reason why happiness occurs…
Mango for time being was sought by me (seeker). When seeker/sought come together, there’s no sense of division of seeker/thought in a moment, which produces happiness. Happiness goes away because seeker comes back or desire changes. So whole life of ignorance is about keeping seeker/sought together for as long as possible, to remain in state of no-division (Advaita).
Therefore union of seeker/sought produces experience of happiness. But can’t hold seeker nor sought constant.
What is the connection between Sat-Cit and Ananda (when it’s used as word “happiness” rather then limitlessness)?
- I am Brahman, all else is mithya, everything depends upon Me, including the mango. Understanding this, there’s no seeker/sought division. There’s no distance between Me and any object in this universe, no matter how beautiful it is. This brings cognitive Ananda (knowledge “I don’t lack anything”). Now, nothing in the world threatens your Ananda. I am truth of seeker (knower/doer) and sought.
- Brahman is defined as “ananda” because it's bliss. It's worded in a positive to motivate the seeker into moksha.
NEXT VIDEO: Will discuss above Akhaṇḍa-ānandam section…
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Recorded 14 Jan, 2025