Vivekachudamani

The means to liberation.

   The first requisite for a spiritual aspirant is intense detachment towards all things that are impermanent, i.e. everything other than the Self. Then come control of the senses, control of the mind, etc. He should give up all actions motivated by desire for his own benefit. That means that all actions should be performed in the spirit of karmayoga. He should hear the teachings of the sruti from a teacher, reflect on the teachings to remove all doubts, and meditate on them. All these should be done continuously over a long period.

Discrimination between the Self and the not-Self

   The seventh question asked by the disciple is now taken up. The Acharya first takes up the physical body which every one knows about and which every one refers to as �I�.

   The physical body is made up of seven substances; marrow, bone, fat, flesh, blood, skin and the cuticle. All these are the products of the food and drinks consumed. This is explained in Chandogyopanishad as follows:--

Ch.up.6.5.1.Sankara Bhashya (S.B) �Food, when eaten, becomes divided in three ways. The grossest portion of the food turns into faeces. The medium constituent becomes flesh. The subtlest part, having reached the heart, enters into the fine nerves named hitaa, becomes transformed into the mind-stuff and nourishes the mind. It therefore follows that the mind is made of matter. It is not considered as eternal and partless as held by the Vaiseshikas. (It is of the size of the body�madhyama parimaana).

Ch.up.6.5.2.S.B---  Water (or any liquid) when drunk becomes divided in three ways. The grossest portion becomes urine. The medium constituent becomes blood. The subtlest part becomes the vital force (praana). Ch.up.6.7.1 says��The vital force is made up of water. It will depart from him who does not drink water�.

Ch.up.6.5.3.S.B�Butter, oil, etc, when consumed, become divided in three ways. The grossest portion becomes bone. The medium constituent becomes marrow, the greasy substance inside the bones. The subtlest part becomes the (subtle) organ of speech (vaak). It is a well -known fact that by the consumption oil, butter and the like, speech becomes clear and powerful.

   The physical body is the basis of the delusion in the form of �I� and �mine�. It is made up of various components as stated above. Just as a house made up of various materials is meant for its owner, so also the body made up of various components is for the atma which is the owner of the body. So the atma is different from the body. Moreover, the body is always undergoing changes and is impermanent and so it cannot be the atma which is changeless and eternal.

   The gross body is made up of the five gross elements. The process by which the five subtle elements, namely, ether, air, fire, water and earth, become gross elements is known as �pancheekaranam� or quintuplication. The process is described by Swami Vidyaranya in Panchadasi as below:-  

Panchadasi.1.26,27�The omnipotent Lord combined the five subtle elements by the process known as �pancheekaranam� (quintuplication) and produced gross elements to provide the jivas (individual souls) with physical bodies and objects of enjoyment. The process of combination of the subtle elements is this. Each subtle element is divided into two equal parts. The second half of each such element is again divided into four equal parts (i.e. to get one-eighth of each element). Then the first half of each element is combined with one-eighth of each of the other four elements to make a gross element. The result is that in a gross element of earth one half is earth itself and the other half is made up of the elements of water, fire, air and space in equal shares. Similarly with the other four gross elements.

   The five essences of the subtle elements, namely, sound which is the essence of ether, touch which is the essence of air, colour which is the essence of fire, taste which is the essence of water, and smell which is the essence of earth, become the objects of sense which are experienced by the respective sense-organs. Human beings who are attached to objects of senses continue to transmigrate. As long as there is attachment to sense-objects there is no hope whatsoever of liberation. A person who attempts to cross the ocean of transmigratory existence without acquiring total detachment is sure to be seized by the crocodile of desire and drowned. One who has killed the crocodile in the form of desire for sense pleasures with the sword of detachment can alone hope to cross the ocean of samsara without obstruction. The aspirant for liberation should follow the teachings of his Guru and cultivate detachment. He should shun worldly pleasures, equating them to poison. He should cultivate with great eagerness the virtues of contentment, compassion, forbearance, honesty, straightforwardness, calmness and self-control. He who aspires to realize the Self while continuing to indulge in sense pleasures is like a man who tries to cross a river on the back of a crocodile, mistaking it for a log of wood. He is sure to be swallowed up by the crocodile midway. For the seeker of liberation attachment to his body, wife, children, etc., is as bad as death. He alone deserves liberation who has completely rid himself of attachment. The importance of detachment has been stressed in a number of verses by the Acharya. In order to create dispassion it is pointed out that the gross body is despicable because it is made up of revolting substances such as skin, flesh, blood, blood-vessels, fat, marrow and bones and contains within it urine and faecal matter. The gross body is produced by one�s own karma in past lives. It is the instrument for all worldly experiences which the jiva has to undergo. In the waking state the gross body experiences gross objects through the sense organs. A person�s entire contact with the external world is through the gross body. The gross body is to the jiva what a house is to its owner. The gross body undergoes birth, old age and death. It is qualified by stoutness, leanness, and the like. The ideas of caste and station (varna and asrama) apply to it. It is afflicted by diseases. It is subjected to worship, honour, dishonour, etc.

   After dealing with the gross body and stressing the need for giving up attachment to it, the subtle body is taken up for examination. This will be dealt with in the next article. 

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