Summary:

Atma Bodha, Verse 45: Due to beginningless ignorance connected to maya's avarana–shakti, one mistakes oneself to be the three bodies. Upon moksha, jiva doesn't disappear – only jivatvam (identification with 5 koshas) ends. Like mistaking a tree-trunk for a thief at night, non-apprehension of self's formless nature leads to attributing mental states onto it. Nothing needs to go away for Atma to emerge, as it's already all-pervasive.

Atma Bodha, Verse 46: Knowledge removes errors through two types of adhyasa. In Sopadhika–adhyasa (based on Ishvara–srsti), perception remains while conclusions change – like understanding earth is round while still seeing it as flat. The empirical I-sense remains as mithya, but wrong conclusions about ego disappear. In Nirupadhika–adhyasa (based on jiva–srsti), both ignorance and perception change – like seeing a tree-trunk instead of imagined thief. 

Verse 45: Delusion causes Brahman to appear as jīva

स्थाणौ पुरुषवत् भ्रान्त्या कृता ब्रह्मणि जीवता ।
जीवस्य तात्त्विके रूपे तस्मिन् दृष्टे निवर्तते ॥
sthāṇau puruṣavat bhrāntyā kṛtā brahmaṇi jīvatā |
jīvasya tāttvike rūpe tasmin dṛṣṭe nivartate ||

Due to delusion, just as a trunk of a tree is taken for a thief [or post appears to be a ghost], so also, Brahman is taken to be an individual, jīva. When thve real nature of the jīva is seen, the ignorance is removed.

Who or what is a jiva?

Due to ignorance, one takes oneself to be physical/subtle/causal body. When did ignorance start? Beginningless, because ignorance (avidya) it’s connected to maya’s beginningless avarana–shakti (covers the truth of universe, thus you don’t recognize all that is here is Ishvara whose essence is Brahman).

Upon moksha, what happens to the jiva?

Jiva doesn’t go away. Because where jiva is, its truth is there. What goes away in moksha is not jiva, but jivatvam (status of being a jiva or as good as the 5 koshas). You also stop giving reality to infinite mithya’s and recognize one underlining satyam. Thereby enjoying a certain detachment (emotional intelligence).

Nothing goes away upon moksha. If something has to go away for Atma to emerge, it means Atma isn’t limitless and all-pervasive, which contradicts logic because we already established space is all pervasive, whose truth is Ishvara, whose truth is Awareness.

Verse:

Due to non-apprehension of the tree-trunk at night, you mistake it for thief, which brings fear. Similarly, non-apprehension of nature of self (formless, always the same) — the  seeker ends up attributing states of mind onto it — like silence or happiness.

Liberated While Living & After Death: Verse 46-53

(Jīvan muktaḥ and videha muktaḥ)

Verse 46: Knowledge destroys the error of ego (giving I-sense absolute reality)

तत्त्वस्वरूपानुभवात् उत्पन्नम् ज्ञानम् अञ्जसा ।
अहम् मम इति च अज्ञानम् बाधते दिग्भ्रमादिवत् ॥
tattva svarūpa anubhavāt utpannam jñānam añjasā |
aham mama iti ca ajñānam bādhate dik bhrama ādivat ||

As a result of the knowledge of the truth, the knowledge which is born, instantly destroys the error of ‘I’ and ‘mine’, just as confusion regarding direction is destroyed (immediately and directly) by right information.

When you have removed avidya [I take self to be good as body-mind] and adhyasa [superimposition of body-mind onto myself which is caused by ignorance]), what do you see? How do you perceive the world?

Two scenarios can happen to your perception when an error is removed:

1. Sopadhika-adhyasa: (Ignorance goes, perception remains, conclusions change)              

   • If conclude the Sun rises in east and sets in West, it’s erroneous conclusion, because earth is moving. When remove ignorance, perception of sun remains same. Also need to be able to explain why sun is rising, and simultaneously why after ignorance removal, appearance is same. Else it’s not knowledge, but intellectual. After cognitive correction, appearance no longer leads to wrong conclusion – and you can even write poetry about the rising sun.
   • Sopadhika–adhyasa is based on Ishvara–srsti (EG: everyone sees flat earth and not round earth, or object and not atoms). So perception isn’t based on personal confusion, but an empirical design due to avarana–shakti. And you’re given opportunity to correct it — after which perception won’t change.
   • Conclusion:
     • Whenever make corrections about Ishvara–srsti, perception doesn’t change. For example, when a scientist knows world is made of atoms, he continues to see/transact with it like before. Similarly, when recognize your empirical I-sense is mithya, it doesn’t change. Only your wrong conclusions about the ego go away (IE: knower/ego/doer/experiencer is mithya).
     • Not knowing about Sopadhika–adhyasa logic, beginner seekers continue to erroneously claim, “World dissappears upon enlightenment!”. This is incorrect because the world/ego/individual is an empirical design. After an error is corrected towards an empirical design, nothing disappears. 
     • The Pramana makes you see two more realities, Ishvara & self-revealing Brahman (which is truth of Ishvara and every form). 

2. Nirupadhika-adhyasa: (Ignorance goes, perception changes)

   • It's based on jiva–srsti (your own subjective error, only belonging to you and nobody else).
   • For example, when a trunk of tree is mistaken for thief (at night), it creates fear in you. Your friend (who sees a tree-trunk) illumines it with torch, and thief-adhyasa goes away for you – because ignorance of tree-trunk goes away. Perception changes.
   • When remove jiva srsti (thief) > your perception goes back to Ishvara srsti (tree). Since there’s no comparison between jiva–srsti and Ishvara–srsti, it’s usually a dramatic experiential change.

PAUSE. Let's Revise…

If Awareness is self-evident & self-revealing, why do I need Pramana?

Because I-sense (I’m knower, doer, experiencer) seems reality, and content (Awareness) is missed out.

How to distinguish I-sense from Awareness?

Shastra says 3 operations needed:

1. Shravana: understand what scriptures are attempting to tell me.
2. Manana: since it’s hard to fathom that I’m truth of universe, objections/doubts/skepticism will arise.
3. Nididhyasana: repetitively bring the knowledge to your mind, because when you open your eyes, you see the world different from you, thus continue to contemplate to remove gap between vision of shastra and your conditioning. Nididhyasana makes you see 3 things: Awareness is truth (content) of [individual] knower that you take yourself to be, objects and means-of-knowledge (mind).

How will you recognize Awareness?

Vrtti–jnanam. One vrtti totally removes ignorance.

What do you get from this knowledge?

All karmas destroyed immediately (sancita disowned, prarabdha continues for one last life, which allows guru to pass the knowledge).

Long as I’m a doer (karta, function of vijnanamaya), I enjoy-suffer results of my actions. Result of knowledge, doer/experiencer is recognized as mithya. Knowledge reveals you as the non-dual reality.

What happens to perception upon knowledge?

When you have removed avidya (“I take self to be good as body-mind”) and adhyasa (superimposition of body-mind onto Self – which is caused by ignorance) — what happens to perception? Sopadhika–adhyasa.

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Recorded 15 Jan, 2025