Mandukya Upanishad, Class 76

Class
76

Beginning from 75th verse to 86th
verse, Gowdapadah is defining samsara karanam and moksha karanam.  Samsara
karanam is my ignorance of my higher nature of Thuriyum and because of that I
identify with the lower nature, viswa or taijasa or pragya.  Disowning
higher nature and owning up lower nature is the reason for samsara.  This
is similar to dream state, when we disown the higher nature and identify with
dream individuality and go through the up and down of the dream.

It is not enough that we know
thuriya swaroopam, gyana nishta is also required because even after gaining
knowledge we will have to transact with the world because of prarabtha. 
When I confront the world, I forget the higher nature and identify with the
viswa the waker, from the standpoint of the waker, jagradh prabanja becomes
very real and sathyam.  The moment I forget thuriya nature, raga dwesha
gets activated and they will overpower.  Even a maha gyani will become a
maha agyani.  One should be extremely alert when raga dwesha takes over
and remember the jagradh prabanja is mithya and I am playing transient roles I
am playing because of prarabtha.  If this is not practiced, we will slip
down very easily.  Not only this slipping happens lay person, this also
happens to philosopher.  Philosophers are lost in concept and lay people
are lost in worldly thing.  Concepts and worldly things are anatma.

1. Asthi conccept
2. Nasthi Concept
3. Asthi nasthi conccept
4. Nasthi nasthi concept

All are anatma and the only absolute
truth is thuriyum or advaidam.  Truth is not a concept, but it is a
witness of all concepts.

Verse 84

If you get carried away and lost in
these four concepts, the concepts alone will be there and I the atma will be
forgotten.  Thuirya is forgotten because of our extroversions.  When
we say atma is nirgunam we try to conceive how that nirgunam will look
like.  We try to make nirguna as another concept or attribute. 
Similarly, we try to experience advaidam; that very try itself or experience is
dwaidam.  We try to make all concept as a concrete objects (outside) or an
abstract object (inside), all the while getting away from the truth. 
Therefore, never conceive the truth or object.  It is I the consciousness
principle.

That is why in vedanta, we use a word
and then negate that word.  First, we define atma as nirguna and negate
the word nirguna.  When a person is in dwaidam we introduce the word
advaidam, then negate the word advaidam.  Similarly, savikaram and
nirvikaram.  Real atma is free from all concepts; all concepts are in the
form of thought.  Atma is chaithanyam and thought is vyavakarika sathyam
and chaithanyam is paramarthika sathyam.  Chaithanyam is not affected by
any thoughts.

Vedanta is not a system of
philosophy.  All philosophies are vyavakarika sathyam; vedanta knocks off
all other system of philosophy and introduces atma which is not affected by any
philosophy.  Vedanta is the negation of all systems of philosophy and
transcend all those systems and abide by my true nature.  Whoever understands
this alone has total vision.

Verse 85

The glories of vedanta:

1. Omniscient status:  Thuriya gyana prabthi is as
   good as omniscient.  Any particular knowledge I gain in other field I
   gain knowledge only that field.  All other knowledge is para vidhya;
   atma gyanam is apara vidhya (mundaka upanishad).  Knower of atma has
   known everything in creation.  Everything in creation is nothing but
   one atma plus different nama roopa.  Therefore, atma gyanam equals to
   sarva gyanam.
2. Brahmin status:  Brahmanyam padham:  The real
   brahmanaha is the one who knows brahman or brahma gyani.  Through
   this knowledge I become real brahmanan.
3. Brahma prabthi:  Advaidam prapa:  I
   accomplish brahman.  I attain brahman itself.  With no
   boundaries; space wise or time wise.
4. Poornatvam:  Free from the desire to become
   someone else.  The desire for change or the struggle to become
   someone else is samsara.

All actions done by a gyani after
getting gyanam is done to fulfil the wishes of others not for his own.

Verse 86

Before gyanam, one struggles to
acquire and retain the qualifications.  After gyanam, all these values
will be there as his natural swaba.  (Vairagyam etc.)

1. Vinayaha or amanitham:  Humility.
2. Samaha:  Mastery over the mind; this is no more
   struggle for him
3. Dhamaha:  Mastery over sense organs because it is
   ingrained in him

When all the values are there in the
mind, they will be expressed in the form of a balanced mind or a stress-free
mind.  He is caring but at the same time carefree.  This mental equanimity
is jiva mukthi; natural values or natural sadhana chathushta sambandhi.