Class
78

In versees 87, 88 and 89 Mandukya
upanishad was summarized.  The teaching is that the avasthasthrya sakshi
is none other than Brahman.  The sakshi is thuriyum and knowing the
thuriyum alone gives moksha.

In the 90th verse, Gowdapadha talks
about sadhanas to be followed.  The four factors to be followed before
starting the sadhana.  The four facctors are:

1. Heyam (mithya vasthu):  The prabanja is mithya and
   only atma is sathyam; everything else is mithya and anatma.  Nothing
   wrong dealing with anatma because life is nothing but interacting with
   anatma.  But one should not be totally dependent on anatma and seek
   security, poornatvam and ananda.  Everyone seeks these three, but
   anatma or mithya prabanja can’t give.  Reject (don’t emotionally
   depend on) the anithya  mithay vasthu.
2. Yeyam or vigyeyam: (Sathya vasthu):  What is
   the ultimate thing to be known and relied upon.  Thuriyum. 
   Learn to lean up on the sathya vasthu.
3. Apyam:   To discover and rely upon atma;
   sadhana sadhusta sambadhi; sravanam, mananm and nidhidhtyasanam; acquiring
   a guru
4. Pakyam:  That which has to be rendered
   ineffective.  Roasted seeds do not sprout; they will be tasty to
   consume but they will not germinate.  There are certain tendencies in
   our mind, but we can’t remove them.  We can roast them, so they won’t
   cause problem.  These are the fundamental nature of raga dwesha; we
   all have natural likes and dislikes.  Adharmic raga dweshas should be
   eliminated right away.  Other ragah dweshas reveal my individuality;
   they are not adharmic; example food preferences; you do not need to
   eliminate them.  Make sure those raga dweshas are non-binding;
   binding ragadwesha is one where if it is not available, I become
   miserable; these are obstruction to spiritual growth; non-binding
   ragadweshas are one I accept by choice.  These must also be dharmic.

Practice all these four and come to
the dependence of thuriyum, which is self-dependence or moksha.

Three of these, Heyam Apyam and
Parkya, are vyavakarika sathyam and are useful at the time of sadhana and
should be utilized temporarily. Yeyam or vigyeyam is the ultimate
reality.  Once we attain this reality, we should not depend on the other
three.  Dependent on sasthram, guru, baghawan as an object are all should
be temporary.

Verses 91 to 100 the conclusion of
the entire karika teachings.  What vedanta wants us to communicate is that
every basic need we already have within ourselves.  Struggle for security
and protection last throughout our life and all our actions are triggered by
this sense of insecurity.  Protection from bayam is what we seek but our
very nature is abayam or security.  The real I alone sustain the
world.  The security is not only available within me but it is also not
available anywhere else.

After security, we seek poornatvam
or completeness.  That is why we always we grab on to anything. 
Grabbing and not giving up anything is what most of us do.  Once I know I
have what I want. struggles in life will go away.

Verse 91

Every jiva by very nature is like
akasa.  Common feature of atma and akasa.

1. All pervading,
2. Indestructible
3. Accommodates everything
4. Never polluted by whatever accommodated.

I am anadhi, without a beginning, as
atma.  There is no question of rebirth, because it is valid only when
there is a first birth.  At the level of atma, there is no plurality at
all.  There is only one jivatma which is none other than paramtma. 
We can count bodies etc. but chaithanyam is one and the same which enlivens everybody.

Verse 92

This atma swaroopam, is not only
wonderful, but it is also always evident.  It is never covered at any
time.  It is experienced by everyone all the time. Thuirya atma being
consciousness, consciousnesses being ever evident, everybody is experiencing
thuriyum all the time.  The problem is not the lack of experience of atma
or consciousness; but we have attributed certain limitations to ever evident
consciousness.  Our problem is the misconception of the limitation of the
body that we have attributed to the consciousness.  Remove the limitation
that we have superimposed.  The limitless consciousness I am.  We
don’t require new experience; we only need to drop the super imposition. 
The consciousness is clearly evident; there is no doubt at all.  The
person who realizes this, will be ever free from stress, restlessness; will be
relaxed.  Such a person alone is fit for mosha or immorality.

Verse 93

Similarly shanthi  is not
something we need to acquire; that is my real nature from the beginningless
time.  We are not working for mental removal of thoughts.  If you
define shanthi as thoughtlessness, that will not be possible as you will not be
able to maintain thoughtlessness permanently.  The function of the mind is
to entertain thought; life involves using the mind.  Let the mind
entertain the thought, but the presence and absence of thought has nothing to
do with my real shanthi which belongs to atma. Therefore, ever free from
samsara.  The so-called samsara is a vyavakarika event that can’t disturb
my real nature.  This is true of all jivas and only some jivas have
claimed this nature; All the jivas are really only one.

Chapter
77

From 75th verse, Gowdapadha
discussed samsara karanam which is ignorance of higher nature (thuriyum) and
identification (viswa, taijasa or pragya) with the lower nature Ignorance
is agyanam and mistaken identity is adhyasaha.  So, the problem is agyanam
and adhyasam.  The solution is gyanam and the gyanam should result in me
not conducting the mistake.  When the agyanam and adhyasam ends, that is
moksha.

The palam is twofold. 
Immediate palam is I own my true nature which is ever free from samsra.  I
am the thuriyum which is shantham, shivam advaidam and chathurtham.  I
was, I am, and I ever will be free from problems.

The secondary benefit is at the
level of mind.  This is secondary benefit because it belongs to mind which
is anatma. with which I am not seriously identified with.  But this mind
will get some benefit in the form of refinement.  Mind has vivekam,
vyragyam, samadhi, saktha sambandhi.  These belongs to mind and not to
atma.  Mind has to develop these and moral values.  Once a person
gets gyanam, mind gets further refinement; all the virtues he has gained before
gyanam increase further quantitatively and qualitatively.  Vyragyam,
samah, dhamaha, thithiksha, samadhana etc. acquired before getting gyanam,
increases multi-fold after getting gyaanam.  This happens automatically
after acquiring gyanam.  Virtues that were sadhanam (deliberate) before
becomes lakshanam (natural).  This natural refinement of mind is jivan
mukthi.  A wise person (gyani) is relaxed all the time.

Verse 87

Gowdapadha wants us to remember that
karikas are not independent work of his own.  Karikas are the teaching of
Mandukya upanishad.  If we forget the Upanishad, we may take the karika as
his teaching.  In these three verses he is summarizing the teaching of
Mandukya upanishad.

Mandukya teaching is the I am
avasthasthra shakshi.   Jagradha  avastha, swapnpa avastha,
sushkishi avastha are avastha thrayam.  In each avastha there is a subject
and object.  The three pairs belonging to three avasthas are subject to
constant change and modification.  I am nirvikara sakshi chaithanyam,
which illumines the three savikara pair.  Avasthathraya viveka is the
teaching of Mandukya upanishad.

Lowkikam is jagradha avastha; sudham
lowkikam is swapna avastha; loko tharam is sushukthi.

Jagradha avastha has a pair; the
first one the experiences or cognitions within yourself.  In jagrahda
avastha, for every internal experience, there is a corresponding external
object.  Jagrath is experience plus object.  Jagradha avastha is that
state in which there is a pair of factors, consisting of external object and
internal thought.

in Swapna avastha the experiences
are recollections of our own vasana, but there are no objects external to our
body. Swapna is only thought world, we do not have corresponding object. 
It is object-less thought in swapna. Object-less experience is swapna and
object and experience is jagrath

Verse 88

In sushukthi there is neither an
experience nor a corresponding object.

In all the three avastha the subject
object pair is gyanam and gyayam.  Gyanam and gyayam is also subject to
modifications.  Cognition and object are subject to modifications. 
The changeless principle in all the three pair is consciousness principle,
which is called vigyayam.  Gyanam is hanging experiences, gyayam is
changing objects of experience and vigyayam is changeless witness
consciousness.  All upanishads and all wise people discuss these three
topics in vedanta.

Verse 89

These experiences can be broadly
classified in three category: Jagrath gyanam, Swapna gyanam and Sushukthi
gyanam.  The three gyayams are the external objects in jagrath avastha,
internally projected objects in swapana avastha and in sushukthi agyanam
(ignorance) and sukam.  Only differencce is in sushukthi, we don’t
recognize the gyanaam gyeyam pair at the time of sushukthi.  In sushukthi,
they are in potential form and we recognize them after we wake up.

Once a person goes past the three
padas one comes to know thuriyum.  One has to go through all three
padhas to get to thuriyum.  Once the thuriyum is known, they attain
brahman-hood.  He will claim that I alone am appearing as the entire
creation.  This is similar to dream and waking state.  In this life
itself, a gyani will be able to claim nothing is away from me.

Verse 90

To gain the knowledge successfully
one must know four factors with clarity in the very beginning:

1. Heyam (mithya vasthu):  Those which are to be
   rejected or given up; The entire anatma prabanja or material universe or
   the first three padha (viswa, taijasa, pragya) are all mithya and subject
   to change and destructions.  One must transcend anithya vasthu; some
   of them we can temporarily make use of for our intermediary goal. 
   But ultimately they must be given up.  Similarly pole valuter. 
   Temporaily leaning on antama is allowed.  You can lean on Eeswara,
   guru and sasthra.  But ultimately you should not lean on them but lean
   on yourself.  World dependence to god dependence to self-dependence.
2. Yeyam (Sathya vasthu):  What is the ultimate thing
   to be known and relied upon:  Thuriyum.
3. Apyam: Qualification to be acquired; sadhana sadhusta
   sambadhi; virtues mentioned in Baghawad Geeta
4. Pakyam

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.

Please click on the link below to listen to Swamiji’s Talk for 2020 Sivaratri:

Relationship between bakti and jananam

Gowdapadha first established the
glory of Brahma vidya by refuting sankya, naiyayika, bowdha
philosophers.  Thereafter he presented the example of fire brand, establishing
brahma sathyam jagat mithya; adwaidam sathyam dvaidam mithaym.  Then he
presented, in 75th to 82^nd verses vedanta sara; now he is entering
into the cause of samsara and its remedy.

Our fundamental problem is ignorance
of advaidam or thuirya agyanam.  Thuriya atma is the highest reality or
paramarthika sathyam and it is the ignorance of this advaidam is the cause of
problem.  Ignorance by itself does not cause any problem; it is bliss; in
deep sleep when we are totally ignorant, we don’t feel any problem.  Ignorance
is a problem when it is associated with its product.  Product of ignorance
is erroneous or false perception.  When advaidam is not known, advaida
agyanam is there and then followed by mithya dwaida prabanja error.  This
is aboodha abineshaha.  False duality is adboodham because it is really nonexistent. 
This really nonexistent dwaidam is aboodham.  Because of agyanam there is
mithya dwaidam which is not that much of a problem; but strong attachment to
mithya dwaidam in the form of raga or dwesha it becomes the cause of the
problem.  There are so many dwaida padhartha in the world who are
regularly dying.

This intense attachment is called
abinisheha; this attachment is not towards thuriyum but towards mithya
dwaidam.  Attachment towards a situation or object or person causes
samsara.  If this is samsara karanam; gyanam must come.  through the
gyanam agyanam must go.  Once agyanam goes away, mithya dwaidam will be
understood as mithya.  Once dwaidam is understood as mithya there will not
be raga or dwesha.  When raga and dwesha are absent, there is no cause for
sorrow.  An object of raga causes sorrow because of its departure and
separation; an object of dwesha causes sorrow by its arrival.  Every ragha
dwesha is a potential sorrow by arrival or departure.  Raga dwesha
elimination takes place with mithyatva dharshanam.  Mithyata dharshanam
takes place only when agyanam goes away.  Agyanam goes away only with
gyanam.

But gyanam itself is not sufficient;
it must be converted into gyana nishta; If gyanam must help during crises it
must be converted to gyana nishta which requires long sravanam, longer manam
and longest nidhithyasanam.  Vedanta is not a crash program.  Gyana
nishta is important because even after gaining gyanam a person continues to
live in this world a person lives in this world because of the power of
prarbtha karma.  Prarabtha will frectify only by getting dhukkam and sugam;
Sugam and Dhukkam is not possible without contacting the world.  Therefore,
every gyani will have to experience dwaida prabanja even after gyanam. 
The moment he perceives the world, I come down from thuriyum to viswa.  We
have to put on the vesham or viswa taijasa.  The moment you become viswa
or taijasa the ahangara is inoked bringing thoughts and worries about family
etc. Vishawa vesham brings many attributes and the moment the attributes, the
samsari I is invoked all the knowledge goes away.

Invocation of ahangara is the
easiest event, like the river flowing downwards.  Invocation of thuriyum I
is difficult like uphill task.  A vedantin should think that I am
thuriyam, but putting on the roles of father etc.  But usually we think we
are father and for an hour or so convert the viswa into our nature.  But
the truth is thuriya must be seen as my nature; all other should be seen as a
temporary causing role.  This conversion is gyana nishta.  Constantly
seeing fatherhood is a temporary role you play.  These are the roles you
play because of prarabtham.  Once you understood this, then you will not be
obsessed with  the role, but those roles must roll away.

The real baghawan is thuriyum. 
He is always covered during our transactions.  Forgetting thuriyum is the
most effortless job.  Remembering my real nature is the most difficult
job.   It is remembered with difficulty.  If I have to remember
thuriyum in and through transactions, it is possible only with gyana
nishta.  A causal approach to vedanta will not work.

Verse 83

The problem of thuriyum getting
covered is not just for the ordinary people, but also for the great
philosophers.  The only difference is what covers the thuriyum.  For
the lay people the thuiryum covering happens because of worldly thoughts. 
For philosophers and scientists, it is varieties of philosophical thoughts
cover thuriyum.  they have their own misconception.  Every
misconception regarding thuiryum and atma will become a covering problem. 
Four types of philosophers in this sloka and they all have wrong notion:

1. Naiayika philosophers or nyaya vaishesika:  Asthi
   meaning that there is atma other than body, that atma is kartha and
   boktha; therefore, constantly changing.
2. Yogachara philosophers:  Nasthi:  There is no
   atma other than momentary consciousness.  It doesn’t have
   change.  To talk about change, a thing has to exist in the past and
   in the present. Consciousness exist for just a moment.
3. Jainist philosophers: Asthi, nasthi: Atma exists only
   in living being and does not exist in other places.  Atma is the size
   of the body.  During samsara kala atma is changing.  During
   moksha atma is changeless.
4. Mathyamika philosophers: Nasthi, nasthi: Atma is
   absolutely nonexistent.

Because of these wrong notions,
thuriyum is covered.  These are childish people holding on to wrong
notion.

Beginning from 75th verse to 86th,
Gowdapadha is dealing with the cause of samsara.  Ignorance of the thuriya
atma, the fourth padha, which is our real higher nature is the cause of
samsara.  I am not viswa, taijasa, pragya; I am not kartha bothta or
finite.  Unfortunately, we have the problem of ignorance and we can’t
trace the origination of ignorance; The solution has to be removal of the
ignorance and it can happen only with thuriya gyanam.

Ignorance generates samsara through:

Ignorance produces ahangara or misconception
regarding my nature.  When I forget that I am the waker lying on the bed,
that ignorance becomes the cause for the dreamer.  Self-ignorance is
responsible for self-misconception.  This is in the form of sthurala
sareera abimana, becoming viswa or shukshama sareera abimana becoming taijasa
or karana sareera abimana becoming prgya.  These three put together is
ahangara.  For this ahangara I becomes real.  When paramarthika
sathyam is not known, vyavakariga sathyam becomes real.  When the higher
one is not known the lower one gets elevated.  Therefore, the physical
body becomes my real nature.  My physical personality becomes my
personality.  Old age, death etc. becomes serious issues.  Obsession
with the mithya dwaida prabanaja.  Once I identify with the body as the
ultimate, anything that gives security to the body, that also becomes very
important.  Mithya money, mithya people, mithya power – the entire mithya
jagradh prabanja becomes very important.  The original reality is gone,
and one runs after the mithya prabanja.   Mithya interaction becomes
addiction and no time for thuriya adhistanam.  Every person is trapped in
pravirthi of mithya vasthu.  The solution is to know the higher
nature.  Just like the dream body and dream world is falsified by waking
up, this body and this world should be falsified by knowing higher
nature.  Swapna prabanja and jagradh prabanja are both mithya – as good as
nonexistent.

There is a small different between
waking up from dream world and waking up from this world.  When I wake up
from dream world, dream world disappears.  When the spiritual waking up,
the physical world does not disappear.  Previously I experienced dwaida prabanja
and attributed reality to it but after gyanam I will continue to experience
dwaida prabanja but will not attribute reality to it.  The difference is
at the cognitive level.  This is similar to studying in school, we know
that the sun does not rise at all, but it is the earth that is rotating. 
We know that the sun rise is mithya; we don’t experience the earth rotating but
we experience the stationery earth.  Similarly, vedanta does not remove
dwaida experience but negates the attribute.  Because of this change in
understanding, one will not develop raga dwesha towards a mithya vathu. 
The attachments will be gone.  Once you understand the rope snake, it will
not threaten you.  Mithya prabanja can’t generate attachment. 
Running after mithya security will end and therefore mind withdraws from all
struggles.

Mirage water not only does not
quench the thirst, but because of running the thirst might increase.

Verse 80

The wise person does not seek mithya
vasthu; he also gets security in the form of thuriyum; similar to a person
discovering water right underneath.  He will no more run after mirage
water; he gets real water which removes thirst.  A wise person withdraws
from mithya struggle, but that withdrawal is permanent; there is no
repetition.  He will have peace which is inexplicable.  That peace of
mind is not describable.  That peace of mind is knowable only to wise
people.  It is accessible only for wise people.

In the scriptures, moksha is often
equated to Brahman, even though moksha is only a state of mind.  The
reason is a wise person does not look up on his peaceful mind different than
Brahman.  That moksha enjoyed by a wise person is none other than Brahman,
the never the same the never undisturbed.  The worldly peace of mind is
temporarily available.  The uniqueness of gyanam is that is ever
same.  2 + 2 is always 4; it never changes; gyanam never changes.  Therefore,
gyanam based peace will never change.  It is birthless; changeless and non-dual.

Verse 81

In this verse also Gowdapadha
equates Moksha to Brahman.  Moksha is a state of mind as a result of
gyanam.  That moksha is equated to Brahman because a gyani knows
everything is not different from Brahman.  That moksha is none other than dharma
or atma.  Usually dharma is either noble action or noble result. 
Here it means atma.  Birthless indicates not connected with sthūla
sareeram.  Dreamless means not connected with shukshma sareeram. 
Sleepless indicates not connected with karana saareerram.  Once I cut off
the three-fold relationship, I know that I am viswa taijasa pragya vilakshanam;
therefore moksha is no different than thuriyuam.  Its nature is pure
consciousness.  Viswa is associated with material sthula sareeram; taijasa
is associated with material sukshama sareeram; pragya is associated with
material karana sareeram; Thuriyum is not connected with any material sareeram
but pure consciousness.  Consciousness is:

• Not a part or product of body; not a
  product created by brain
  • Independent, invisible entity that
    pervades body
  • Not limited or confined by
    boundaries of body
  • Survives even after the body dies
  • Surviving consciousness can’t be
    recognized by us and is not available for transactions

Thuriyum is self-effulgent and is
ever effulgent.  it is every evident.  This consciousness’ sentient
not borrowed from anywhere, it is conscious by its very intrinsic nature. 
Sentience of physical body is borrowed from sukshma sareeram.  Atma does not
borrow consciousness, it is conscious by very nature.

Verse 82

The problem faced by every
seeker:  The moment I wake up and know that I am waker, the dream world
disappears and does not create a problem.  In the case of spiritual
knowledge, by sravana manana nidhithyasanam, a seeker recognizes that I am
thuriyum and everything else is mithya.  Even after waking up to this
thuriya knowledge, this mithya prabanja does not disappear because of the power
of prarabtha.  This is similar to fan rotating after being switched
off.  Because of the continuation of vyavakara, you get hungry etc. 
It is the nature of body that there is hunger, thirst, dirt.  Vyavakara
can be reduced but it can’t be totally stopped.  Transactions and ashrama
duties will continue.  Handling the body is common duty of gyani and there
are other duties associated with ashrama.  If one of grahastha gyani,
gragastha duties will continues.  One has to be extremely alert; every
transaction will invoke the viswa and ego personality.  When the child is
in front of me, I the parent is invoked.  Every transaction in sthula
prabanja will invoke a viwsa property.  The invoked viswa may become
prominent and it is possible that thuriya may become less prominent and go to
the background.  When the thuriyum is forgotten, this person starts to
behave as though he is an agyani.

Class
73

Gowdapadha is talking about the
problem and remedy for samsara.  When I happened to be ever free Brahman,
why is it I am caught up in the cycle of samsara?  ­In 75th verse, Gowdapadha says the cause is
ignorance which leads to chain reaction in the form of samsara.  Ignorance
never comes, it is there from anadhi kala.  The only saving grace is we
can put an end to ignorance; it is not ananda.  Ignorance of thuriyum is
the cause for samsara.  This ignorance by itself does not cause samsara;
but it leads to misconception of viswa, taijasa and pragya.  Once I have
come down to viswa plane, the sthula prabanja becomes very real, just as the
dream objects looks real for a dreamer.  Ahangara adhyasa or kama or
desire arises out of this ignorance.  As viswa I am finite that sense
leads to my desire to complete myself with the things in front of me.  Obsession
with the world which is really not there.  Avidhya leads to ahangara;
ahangara leads to kama or desire; kama leads to karma; karma lead to uthama,
madhyama and adhama karma palam in the form of punyam, pavam and misaram. 
This leads to punarabi jananam; you get ahangara etc. again in cycle.  You
can’t remove the cycle without removing the fundamental cause which is
ignorance.  First you remove avidhya, then ahangara goes away; I realize I
am viswa taijasa pragya vilakshanam.  Then kama goes; and then not new
karma.  When knowledge arises the gyani or jivatma never born again. 
When the cause is gone, then the effect is also gone.

Verse 77

When the karmas are destroyed by
knowledge, then one gets moksha.  This means moksha is a result obtained
in a particular time.  Such a misconception can arise in a student’s mind;
we should never think moksha arrives or happen at a particular time.  If
as a result of gyanam, samsara ends and moksha begins on a particular date,
then whatever has a beginning will also have an end.  Therefore, we should
never conclude that moksha should begin at a time.  Beginning of moksha is
a figurative expression for the removal of the notion that I am limited. 
Moksha is my very real nature.  Attainment of moksha is a figurative notion
for dropping the notion that I am bound.  Moksha is not an event happening
at a particular time.

Moon falling into well and being
pulled out by mulla is compared to getting moksha.

Jivatma attains birth lessness,
seemingly come to jivatma.  The jivatma free from all karma, which are
responsible for punar jenma.  Uthama, madhyama and adhama karmas are the
cause for punar jenma.  Really speaking, jivatma is free from all vikara. 
That atma alone appears as a pluralistic world.  That jivatma appears to
obtain moksha, but moksha was there all the time.  It is a freedom
existing all the time.  Dropping the notion that I am not free is
figuratively called moksha.  It is not divisible into past, present or
future.  It is uniform and ever available.  It is an eternal factor
because the bondage we talk about is not a real bondage; it is mithya.

Any object is mithya because it
doesn’t have an independence existence of its own; every object needs a subject
to prove its existences.  This samsara cycle is mithya and therefore we
don’t require a freedom; we only need waking up and realize there is no problem
requiring remedy.  You don’t solve the problem; you dissolve the problem;
you understand there is no problem to solve.  Mukthi is my swaroopam.

Verse 78

Viswa, taijasa alone kartha. 
The more I assimilate the fact that I am akartha the more I will realize I am
free from karma.  I don’t need to exhaust karma.  I am free from
sanjitha, agami and prarabtha karma all the time.  This is my real
nature.  Sanjitha karma is mithya; agami karma is mithya; prababtha karma
is mitha; kartha himself is mithaya.  Nidhithyasanam is not to obtain
moksha but realize moksha is my real nature.  Until this becomes clear
sravanam, mananm and nidhidhtyasanam must continue.  A seeker should know
that I am karma rehitha – free from karma.  I am not only free from karma;
I won’t accumulate fresh karma (agami) either.  I am not a kartha
therefore I can’t accumulate fresh karma.  When you see this fact and
clearly understood, you will attain moksha.  His struggles for moksha will
end.  Moksha is freedom from grief and all selfish desire which are born
out of apoornatvam the notion that I am incomplete.  There is not wants in
life.  If there are any desires, they are desires to contribute to other’s
poornatvam; non-binding desires.  Constant insecurity is the reason most
of human action.  Everything is driven by the fundamental insecurity and
it gets more intense as we get older.  As we grow old, our insecurity
increases.

the word budhwa used by Gowdapadha
.  Puja bakthi etc are glorious but none of them will solve the problem of
samsara.  They all will prepare the mind to come to sravana manana
nidhithyasanam.  All have to come to vedanta sravana, manana
nidhidhtyasanam.

Verse 79

How the persistence of agyanam will
keep the bondage going, is not said blindly.  Light alone destroy darkness
is not a phototropism but a fact.  For removing darkness there is only one
way – light.  Multi path theory is illogical.  We accept many paths
for chitha sudhhi – purifying mind.  As long as you are attached to the
mithya sareeram, the viswa will get strengthened.  From the standpoint of
mithya viswam, jagrath prabanja will not be seen as mithya and it will be seen
as sathyam.  Only from thuriya dhrishty jagarath prabana is mithya. 
From the standpoint of one mithya another mithya appears sathyam.  Viswa
can’t avoid raga dwesha and raga dwesha can’t avoid pravirthi and nivirthi
(going towards and going away).

When we ask is the world is real or
not, we should remember from which standpoint.  From the standpoint of the
body, viswa, karma etc.  world is real and capable of affecting the waker
also.  From vyvakarika dhrishti world is born and is real.  But in Vedanta,
we are trying to look at the world from the standpoint of thuriyum.  From
thuriya dhrishti, or paramarthika dhrishti, we say the world did not
originate.  Exactly like the dream world did not originate from the standpoint
of waker.  This world of duality is very much there from the standpoint of
mithya vyavakaraha.  From the vyvakarika dhrishti we do not naturally wake
up.  Ignorance never end by itself.  Every object in nature have a
natural death.  Other than Brahman, avigyanam will not die
naturally.  We require sastra, guru and students for avidhya or ignorance
to end.  Other systems of philosophy also do not have paramarthika
dhrishti.  Vedanta use logic, but it is subservient; it is sastram. 
For materialistc purposes tharka or logic may be required but not for vedantic
philosophy.  From dwaida philosophy or vyavakarika dhrishti they will
never understand the teaching from paramarthika dhsrishti.  They also
misunderstand us.  When we say world is unreal, it is from the standpoint
of thuriyum.  But from another standpoint, the world is very real. 
They get confused between vyavakarika and paramarthika dhrishti.

Verse 74

Up until now we are saying Brahman
is nondual and kariya karana vilakshanam.  It is beyond time as cause and
effect are subject to time.  Now Gowdapadha says, really speaking Brahman
can’t be called nirvikaram also.  The very name nirikaram is given only
from vyavakarika dhrishti.  Because from vyavakaika dhrishti, speaking talk
about Brahman as karanam or savikaram subject change producing effect. 
Since from vyakarika angle, they are looking up on Brahman, we are forced to
negate that notion by using the word nirivikaram.  From paramarthika
dhrishti, since savikaram itself is not there, we need not use the word
nirvikaram also.  Similarly, from vyavakirka dhrishti, they call Brahman
sagunam; because they use the word sagunam, advaidam uses word nirguranm. 
Every definition of Brahman is given only from the standpoint of vyavakarika
misconception.  Once the misconception is gone, we will withdraw all the definition
of Brahman.  If we have negated vyavakarika prabanja, we will negate all
the words like sathyam, sagunam, vikaram, gyanam.  From paramarthika
dhrishti, silence is the only definition of Brahman.  Amathra is the only
definition of thuriyum.  Thuriyum is also not the correct word, since it
implies the fourth, but when you negate the first three padhas, thuriyum can’t’
be called thuriyum.  From paramarthika dhrishti, it can’t even be called eternal. When
you negate the impermanent world, you can’t call it eternal.  This verse
is similar to 33rd verse of second chapter.  After negating dwaidam, we
won’t use the word advaidam.

Verse 75

With the previous verse, the
summarization of Upanishad is over for now.  In 75 to 86, Gowdapadha talks
about problems of humans.  What is the cause of sorrow when we are all Brahman? 
I can never become a samsari, because becoming is a change.  If this is
true, then why do you suffer.  The reason is avidhya or agyaam  The
unreal ignorance or Maya is alone is the cause of the problem.  Why did we
get this ignorance?  Ignorance never came, it is anadahi.  Because of
this anadhi avidhya, I have fallen without falling.  Because of ignorance,
we have fallen into viswa and taijasa.  From this standpoint, the
individuality, the world becomes very real just like the dream world is real
from the dreamer’s standpoint.  The more I get involved in it, the more
real it becomes, just like a movie.  Obsession with the mithya prabanja is
the cause of samsara.  Beginning with body mind complex, all the
relationships etc.  we get absorbed to such an extent, we do not believe
when vedanta says it is mithya.  It is not easy; one has to soak in
vedanta to get out of this mechanical life.

There is no duality born from
Brahman; There is only a very strong obsessive notion regarding a duality which
is really nonexistent.  In vedanta, dwaidam is samsara.  Duality
means time and space.  In deep sleep, there is not duality; there is no
time.  Once you accept duality, time comes; once time comes, decease, old
age etc. comes.  After knowledge, there is no cause for samsara: 
ignorance and obsession; once knowledge comes, ignorance goes away and then the
ignorance-based obsession goes away.  That gyani is no more reborn because
the word reborn itself is not relevant when there is no birth; therefore he
gets liberated.  Therefore, solution for samsara is gyanam.

Verse 76

Ignorance is the cause of samsara
and knowledge is the only solution.  Ignorance makes me think I am not
thuriyum.  Because this fact was not known, then I mistake myself as viwa
or taijasa or pragya.  From the standpoint of body, I become kartha and boktha;
As a kartha, I produce karma palam.

Agyanam causes dheha abimana; dheha abimana results in karma; karma results in karma palam.  Karma palam  can be uthama (punyam), madhyama (misram) and adhama (pavam).  Higher karma palam will take me to higher lokas and lower karma palam will take me to lower lokas, Madhya karma palam will result in punarabi jananm and punarabi  manam.  Gyani does not have dheha abimana and because of that his actions do not produce karma.  When the cause is not there, how can there be effect?

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Mithyatvam of the world has been
established through several methods.  In these verses, Gowdapadha uses a
special reasoning:  Whatever is an object of an experience has to be
mithya, because its existence can be proved and is dependent on the subject,
the experiencer.  Then he divided the whole universe into three
categories:  Sakshi, chitham and jagat.  First, he established that
the world is mithya because it is an object of mind.  Three is now reduced
into two.  Now sakshi and chitham are the two left.  He applies the
same principle and says that mind is also mithya because it is an object of
sakshi.  Net result is prabanja is also dhrishyam from the standpoint of
mind; mind is also dhrishyam from the standpoint of sakshi.  Both are
dhrishyam and so both are mithya.  Sakshi is never an object, it is never
a dhrishyam; it is always dhrig or sathyam.

In 67th verse, therefore of these
three, two are mithya; consciousness alone is sathyam; mind and world are both
mithya.  He reinforces by giving one more reasoning.  Since mind and
world are both mithya, they do not exist independently and both of them depend
on each other.  You can’t prove world without mind; and you can’t prove
mind without world.  Only if the forms and colors are there, then and then
alone you can prove the existence of eye.  When in a room there is
absolute silence, you may get a doubt whether you have hearing ability or not;
only by making a sound you can prove that the ear is functioning or
existing.  The mind and the world are mutually dependent to prove the
existence of each other and therefore both are mithya.

Verse 68

Since the entire world and the four
jivas being mithya, you can never clearly talk about their arrival and
departure.  They only apparently arrive and apparently depart.  If
this is not convincing, there is the example of jivas seen within dream. 
If you try find out how they arrived, you will have difficulty.  The
moment you go to dream, they instantaneously appear.  On waking up, they
disappear, but you won’t be able to explain where they disappear.  But
during dream they appear real enough to give you experience.  They appear
and disappear without proper logic or reasoning.  In the jagradh prabanja
also, the more you probe into creation and resolution, or whether karma came
first or jiva came first. they will all became more vague and beyond logical
explanation.  We have one-word Maya, representing anything that can’t be
explained or indescribable of mithya.

Verse 69

In this verse second example is
given:  Maya or magical jiva.  Just as a magician able to create a
magical jiva, which is not there, but for you it appears as a jiva is created.

Verse 70

In 68, 69 and 70 the second line is
same.  In this verse third example, nirguna jiva created is by chidhi, a
materialized jiva.  The previous example is an illusion created by
magician pradhibadhika; this example is a thing created by special power by
chithda  in vyavakarika.

Common to all of them – swapna jiva,
maya jiva or nirmidhaka jiva – they are all mithya; either pradhibadhika mithya
or vyavakarika mithya.

Verse 71

If all these jivas (swapna, maya and
nirmidhaka) are not really born or apparently born, then which jiva is really
born?  No jiva or jivatma is really born because of every jivatma is none
other than birthless paramatma.  This verse is repetition of 48th verse of
third chapter.

If jivatma is a product or kariyam,
then we need a karanam.  We think paramatma is the karanam of jivatma, but
up on study we find paramatma is not a karanam but a karana kariya
vilaksham.  For this jivatma to be born there is no cause.  There is
only one highest reality which is paramarthika sathyam or thuriyum which is
greater than prathipadhika sathyam (swapna prabanja) or vyavakarika sathyam
(jagradha prabanja).  Jagradh prabanja is not available for a dream and
swapna prabanja is not available for waker and therefore they both are mithya
or relative reality.  The absolute reality is thuriya chaithanyam. 
It is in all the three and is also beyond the three.

Verse 72

If you say no jiva is born, and
therefore no jagat is not born, but why do I experience all of them?  Just
as your thought motion appears as tangible dream world the apparent motion of
consciousness appear as tangible waker world.  Modern science says
tangible products are made of violently moving intangible atoms, neutrons
etc.  Motion of the universe is indicated by the eternal dance of
Nataraja.

Duality indicates subject and
object.  Dualistic world consisting of subject object duality which is
nothing but consciousness in motion – which is both subject and object. 
The ultimate truth is consciousness does not really contact a world; it does
not have an object to contact; because there is no object separate from
consciousness.  Just as clay can never contact the pot, because there is
no pot separate from clay.  Wave can never contact water because there is
no wave other than water.  The world can never contact the consciousness,
because there is no world separate from consciousness.  In advaidam, there
is no relationship is possible.  Since there is no matter other than
consciousness, it is relation less.  That is why people are afraid of advaidam. 
We think that without relationship life will be miserable.  In advaidm,
there is no fear and a source of moksha.

Verse 73

Once you say that the world is
caused by apparent motion of consciousness, then the world is apparently born,
which means the world is really not born.  From one angle, it is
apparently born; from another angle it is really not born.  It is either
unreally born (vyavakarika sathyam) or really unborn (mithya). 
Vyavakiraka sahtyam and mithya are both same.  From the emperical angle,
relative angle the vyavakariaka prabanja is real.  From the angle of one
who is in dream, the dream world is very real.  This is relative
pereceiver’s angle or vyakariaka dhrishti, the jagradh prabanja or from the
angle of viswa, the world is very very real.  From the standpoint of Thuriyum,
which is paramarthika dhrishti, the world is not real it doesn’t even
exist.  This is similar to dream world nonexistent from the standpoint of
waker.  From the standpoint of other systems of philosophy, they are
looking from the vyvakarika dhrishti as they don’t accept or understand
paramrthika dhrishti.  When they ask the world is real or not, never
say the world is unreal.  Because other people are looking at the world
from viswa angle or from the standpoint of sthula sareeram.  You can say
world is unreal only after introducing thuriyum.  Only when a person
accepts nirguna Thuriyum, you can say the world is unreal.  Until then the
world is real.  You can’t say vyvakarika because it is meaningful only
when you know the paramarthika.  From paramarthika dhrishti, the world is
not real.