Cit | Spirit / Consciousness

Chit

Cit (IAST)
Translation: "spirit / consciousness"

A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy
Sanskrit: चित्
Transliteration: Cit

Translation: "spirit; consciousness; the individual self; Reality; Śiva (from he verb root cit = "to perceive, observe, think, be aware, know")"

Definition: "One of the three ultimate realities (Tattva-Traya) according to Viśiṣṭādvaita Vedānta."

The Upanishads: Volume I (Swami Nikhilananda)

"The Chit, or Consciousness, of Brahman, unlike the consciousness of the mind, is not related to an object. That Chit is Absolute Consciousness, which illumines the activities of the senses and mind during their states of waking and dreaming, as well as their inactivity in dreamless sleep."

References:

1. Grimes, John (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press
2. Nikhilananda, Swami (1949). The Upanishads: Volume I—Katha, Iśa, Kena, and Mundaka. New York, New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers. p. 37.

Sākṣin | The Witness Self

Sakshin

Sākṣin (IAST)
Translation: "the witness self"

A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy
Sanskrit: साक्षिन्
Transliteration: Sākṣin
Translation: "the witness self; the intuitive faculty"
Definition:

1. According to Dvaita Vedānta, it is the witness consciousness which is the faculty of direct apprehension or perception. It is the purest sense, without defects, and always produces absolutely valid knowledge. It indirectly perceives the objects presented to all the other senses, through the senses, as well as directly perceiving the Self (Ātman), internal organ (Antaḥ-Karaṇa), and the attributes of the Manas or mind (pleasure and pain), ignorance, time, and unmanifested ether. It has two functions: it helps produce knowledge and validity of knowledge. It is the essential attribute of the Self; the Self's own sense organ.
2. According to Advaita Vedānta, it is the witness self and neutral. It is consciousness marked by the internal organ (Antaḥ-Karaṇa-Upahita-Caitanya). It is always in relation to consciousness and the witness thereof. It is self-luminous and ever present. It corresponds to the Puruṣa of the Sāṅkhya-Yoga—i.e., as the passive observer of the states of the internal organ. It never appears by itself, but always in association with the internal organ.

The Philosophy of the Panchadasi (Swami Krishnananda)

"The Sakshin or the Witnessing Consciousness is comparable to the lamp which illumines all things in the stage. The lamp in the stage illumines all things equally, from all sides, and shines also when there are no things to shine upon. In a similar manner, the Sakshin is a steady existence, unmoving and unaffected, and illumining everything inside and outside."

Reference:

1. Grimes, John (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press
2. Krishnananda, Swami. The Philosophy of the Panchadasi. Rishikesh, India: The Divine Life Society

Sākṣi-Caitanya | The Witness Consciousness

Sakshi-Chaitanya

Sākṣi-Caitanya (IAST)
Translation: "the witness consciousness"

A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy
Sanskrit: साक्षिचैतन्य
Transliteration: Sākṣi-Caitanya
Translation: "the witness consciousness"

Definition: "According to Advaita Vedānta, it is the awareness which underlies and supports all the states of consciousness. It pervades the waking, dreaming, and deep-sleep states. It is not a state like one of these three, but being omnipresent, it is the common denominator that runs throughout them.

Reference:

1. Grimes, John (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press

Samādhi | Complete Absorption

Samadhi

Samādhi (IAST)
Translation: "Complete Absorption"

A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy 
Sanskrit: समाधि
Transliteration: Samādhi

Translation: "one-pointedness; concentration; absorption; union; a calm desire-less fixity; a unifying concentration; “equal mind” (from the verb root dhā – “to hold” + the prefixes ā + sam – “together completely”)"

Definition:

1. It is a deep spiritual meditation or a meditative union with the Absolute.
2. A superconscious state where there is complete absorption of the intellect into the object of meditation.
3. A state beyond expression and above all thought. Here, speech and mind cannot reach. It is a state of utter calmness in which consciousness is unwavering.
4. It is a limb of Patañjali’s Rāja-Yoga.
5. According to Yoga, it has four aspects: Vitarka, Vicāra, Ānanda, and Asmitā. These are called Samādhi with knowledge of objects (Samprajñāta). There is also a Samādhi without any knowledge of objects (Asamprajñāta).
6. According to Buddhism, it is of three types: Upacāra or preliminary; Jhāna or fixed and steady; and Appanā or achieved meditation.
7. It has also been divided into Samādhi with the mind (Savikalpa) and Samādhi without any mental modifications (Nirvikalpa).

The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy
Transliteration: Sāṃādhi

Definition: "Sanskrit term meaning ‘concentration’, ‘absorption’, ‘superconscious state’, ‘altered state of consciousness’. In India’s philosophical tradition, this term was made famous by its use in the Yoga system of Patañjali (second century B.C.). In this system, the goal was to attain the self’s freedom, so that the self, conceived as pure consciousness in its true nature, would not be limited by the material modes of existence. It was believed that through a series of Yogic techniques, the self is freed from its karmic fetters and liberated to its original state of self-luminous consciousness, known as Samādhi. The Indian philosophical systems had raised and debated many epistemological and metaphysical questions regarding the nature of consciousness, the concept of mind, and the idea of the self. They also wondered whether a Yogi who has attained Samādhi is within the confines of the conventional moral realm. This issue is similar to Nietzsche’s idea of the transvaluation of values."

Glossary to the Record of Yoga (Sri Aurobindo)
Transliteration: Samādhi

Definition: "concentration; trance; the last member of the Vijñāna Catuṣṭaya: the placing of the consciousness in particular conditions that give it access to larger fields of experience, so that “one can become aware of things in this world outside our ordinary range or go into other worlds or other planes of existence.” The term Samādhi includes three principal states corresponding to those of waking (Jāgrat), dream (Svapna) and deep sleep (Suṣupti), but it is applied especially to states of consciousness “in which the mind is withdrawn from outward things” and is often equivalent to Svapnasamādhi."

Samādhi in the Yoga-Sūtras of Patañjali

The three stages of meditation leading up to Samādhi

देशबन्धश्चित्तस्यधारणा ॥ १ ॥
Part 3 Sutra 1
Deśa-Bandhaś Cittasya Dhāraṇā
Concentration (Dhāraṇā) is the binding of the mind in one place.

देश – Deśa – place, space location, position; locality
बन्धः – Bandhaḥ – bond, bondage, binding; control; determination; confining; fixing; lock (from the verb root bandh – “to bind”)
चित्तस्य – Cittasya – of the mind
धारणा – Dhāraṇā – concentration; support; single-mindedness; “holding, bearing”; “to keep in remembrance”; steadiness; “holding on to one idea or object in the mind or by the mind”

तत्र प्रत्ययैकतानता ध्यानम् ॥ २ ॥
Part 3 Sutra 2
Tatra Pratyayaika-Tānatā Dhyānam
Contemplation (Dhyāna) is stretching in that one condition.

तत्र – Tatra – in that place, there, in it, thither, to that place, in that, in that case, on that occasion, under those circumstances; then, therefore; of those, of them
प्रत्यय – Pratyaya – condition, perception, thought, intention, representation; content of the mind; suffix (from the verb root i – “to go” + prati – “against, back”)
एक – Eka – one, unique; Reality, the One, the sole Reality
तानता – Tānatā – stretching or streaming unbrokenly; extension
ध्यानम् – Dhyānam – contemplation

तदेवार्थमात्रनिर्भासं स्वरूपशून्यमिव समाधिः ॥ ३ ॥
Part 3 Sutra 3
Tad Evārtha-Mātra-Nirbhāsaṃ Svarūpa-Śūnyam Iva Samādhiḥ
That is complete absorption (Samādhi) when the meaning of the object alone is shining as if empty of its own form.

तद् – Tad – that, its
एव – Eva – thus, therefore, only; in fact; without limitation; even; alone; itself; as if; verily
अर्थ – Artha – meaning; meaning of a word; real meaning; “true knowledge of the object which the Yogi wants”; “the “object” being meditated upon”; object, thing, purpose, aim, approach; wealth (from the verb root arth – “to request the sense, to point out”)
मात्र – Mātra – only
निर्भासं – Nirbhāsaṃ – shining; shining (with); appearing (as); “shining or appearing therein”
स्व – Sva – own
रूप – Rūpa – form, aggregate, body, matter, sight, color, image
शून्यम् – Śūnyam – empty, the void, non-being, non-existence, negation, emptiness, zero (from the verb root śū, śvā, śvi – “to swell”)
इव – Iva – like, thus, as it were, as if
समाधिः – Samādhiḥ – complete absorption, one-pointedness, concentration, absorption, union, oneness, integration; trance, superconscious state, altered state of consciousness; “a calm desireless fixity”, “a unifying concentration”, “equal mind” (from the verb root dhā – “to hold” + the prefixes ā + sam – “together completely”)

त्रयमेकत्र संयमः ॥ ४ ॥
Part 3 Sutra 4
Trayam Ekatra Saṃyamaḥ
These three taken as one constitute combined practice (Saṃyama).

त्रयम् – Trayam – these three; the three; triad, trinity
एकत्र – Ekatra – in one, as one, in one place, jointly
संयमः – Saṃyamaḥ – combined practice, self-control, constraint, perfect discipline; concentration; identification; “a technical word meaning Dhāraṇā, Dhyāna, and Samādhi taken together”

Samprajñāta and Asamprajñāta Samādhi

वितर्कविचारानन्दास्मितारूपानुगमात् सम्प्रज्ञातः ॥ १७ ॥
Part 1 Sutra 17
Vitarka-Vicārānandāsmitā-Rūpānugamāt Samprajñātaḥ
Reasoning (Vitarka), enquiry (Vicāra), bliss (Ānanda), and the sense of ‘I’ (Asmitā) are the accompanying forms of Samprajñāta (“Samādhi with Prajñā”).

वितर्क – Vitarka – reasoning, debate, logical argument, analytical thinking, argumentation; a state of Samādhi
विचार – Vicāra – enquiry, reflection, introspection, investigation, insight, intellectual reflection, judgment, deliberation
आनन्द – Ānanda – bliss, delight, joy, ecstasy, beatitude; “a type of Samādhi in which the mind concentrates on the intellect” (from the verb root nand – “to rejoice”)
अस्मिता – Asmitā – the sense of ‘I’; egoism; I-am-ness; sense of individuality; sense of pure being
रूप – Rūpa – form, aggregate, body, matter, sight, color, image
अनुगमात् – Anugamāt – accompanying, going with, following; by accompaniment; with association
सम्प्रज्ञातः – Samprajñātaḥ – “Samādhi with Prajñā”; “a stage in Samādhi wherein one is conscious of an object”; cognitive; “Conscious Meditation”

विरामप्रत्ययाभ्यासपूर्वः संस्कारशेषोऽन्यः ॥ १८ ॥
Part 1 Sutra 18
Virāma-Pratyayābhyāsa-Pūrvaḥ Saṃskāra-Śeṣo’nyaḥ
On the cessation of the condition from the preceding practice, the residual impression is the other [Asamprajñāta].

विराम – Virāma – cessation, dropping
प्रत्यय – Pratyaya – condition, suffix, perception, thought, intention, representation; content of the mind (from the verb root i – “to go” + prati – “against, back”)
अभ्यास – Abhyāsa – practice, continuous endeavor, constant practice, persistent practice, intense application; repetition; exercise, exertion; action; method, discipline (from the verb root as – “to throw” + abhi – “toward”)
पूर्वः – Pūrvaḥ – preceding, earlier, previous; preceded by
संस्कार – Saṃskāra – impression, latent impression, predisposition, consecration, imprint, innate tendency, innate potency, mold, inborn nature, residual impression, mental formation, “habitual reaction formed by one’s past”, “stamping with a tendency”; purificatory rite, rite of passage (from sam + kṛ – “to fashion or to do together”)
शेषः – Śeṣaḥ – residual, remnant, “part that is left over”; accessory, dependent, the endless, infinite; store; residuum
अन्यः – Anyaḥ – the other, other (i.e., Asamprajñāta – not the Samādhi with Prajñā)

The essential process involved in Sabīja Samādhi

क्षीणवृत्तेरभिजातस्येव मणेर्ग्रहीतृग्रहणग्राह्येषु तत्स्थतदञ्जनता समापत्तिः ॥ ४१ ॥
Part 1 Sutra 41
Kṣīṇa-Vṛtter Abhijātasyeva Maṇer Grahītṛ-Grahaṇa-Grāhyeṣu Tat-Stha-Tad-Añjanatā Samāpattiḥ
Fusion (Samāpatti) [occurs when] modifications decrease; the perceiver, perception, and object of perception are like a transparent jewel that is saturated by that which it rests on.

क्षीण – Kṣīṇa – decreased, dwindled, “have been almost annihilated”
वृत्तेः – Vṛtteḥ – modification, mental mode; “a modification of the mind whose function is to manifest objects”; being, condition, fluctuation, activity, turnings, movements (from the verb root vṛt – “to turn, revolve, roll, move”)
अभिजातस्य – Abhijātasya – transparent; faultless; of transparent; well-polished
इव – Iva – like, thus, as it were
मणेः – Maṇeḥ – jewel or crystal
ग्रहीतृ – Grahītṛ – perceiver, receiver; recipient, cognizer, subject; “one who apprehends or understands”; “one who grasps”
ग्रहण – Grahaṇa – perception, apprehension, cognition; to grasp, grasping, perceiving; “the relation between the subject and object”; power of cognition
ग्राह्येषु – Grāhyeṣu – “object of perception”, cognized objects; grasped
तद् – Tad – that, its
स्थ – Stha – rest, abide
तद् – Tad – that, its
अञ्जनता – Añjanatā – saturation; “taking the form of something else”, “the taking of the form or color”
समापत्तिः – Samāpattiḥ – fusion, coalescence; coincidence; unified contemplation, engrossment, “state of becoming one”; attainment, achievement, consummation; outcome

The different phases of Sabīja Samādhi

तत्र शब्दार्थज्ञानविकल्पैः सङकीर्णा सवितर्का समापत्तिः ॥ ४१ ॥
Part 1 Sutra 42
Tatra Śabdārtha-Jñāna-Vikalpaiḥ Saṅkīrṇā Savitarkā Samāpattiḥ
In that case, when sound (Śabda), meaning (Artha), and knowledge [of facts] (Jñāna) in the imagination are mixed up, fusion (Samāpattiḥ) is with reasoning (Savitarkā).

तत्र – Tatra – in that place, there, in it, thither, to that place, in that, in that case, on that occasion, under those circumstances; then, therefore; of those, of them
शब्द – Śabda – sound, word, verbal, verbal testimony, verbal knowledge, linguistic, scriptural authority (from the verb root śabd – “sound”)
अर्थ – Artha – meaning; meaning of a word; real meaning; “true knowledge of the object which the Yogi wants”; “the “object” being meditated upon”; object, thing, purpose, aim, approach; wealth (from the verb root arth – “to request the sense, to point out”)
ज्ञान – Jñāna – knowledge, wisdom, insight, comprehension, conception (from the verb root jñā– “to know”)
विकल्पैः – Vikalpaiḥ – imagination; mental construct; abstraction; conceptualization; hallucination; distinction; experience; thought; “oscillation of the mind”; variation; variety; distinction (from the verb root klp – “to correspond, in accordance with, suitable to,” + vi – “asunder or away”)
सङकीर्णा – Saṅkīrṇā – intermingled, mixed up; confused; unresolved; involved
सवितर्का – Savitarkā – with reasoning, thought, reasoning; “one of the two types of Vitarka concentration”; “a type of Samādhi in which the mind is withdrawn into itself, but goes on thinking and reasoning”
समापत्तिः – Samāpattiḥ – fusion, coalescence; coincidence; unified contemplation, engrossment, “state of becoming one”; attainment, achievement, consummation; outcome

स्मृतिपरिशुद्धौ स्वरूपशून्येवार्थमात्रनिर्भासा निर्वितर्का ॥ ४३ ॥
Part 1 Sutra 43
Smṛti-Pariśuddhau Svarūpa-Śunyevārtha-Mātra-Nirbhāsā Nirvitarkā
The clarification of memory (Smṛti) is without reasoning (Nirvitarkā) when only the meaning is shining as if empty of its own form.

स्मृति – Smṛti – memory, recollection, remembering, depth memory; mindfulness; “that which is remembered” (from the verb root smṛ – “to remember”)
परिशुद्धौ – Pariśuddhau – clarification, wiping clean, purification
स्वरूप – Svarūpa – own form
शुन्य – Śunya – empty, the void, non-being, non-existence, negation, emptiness, zero (from the verb root śū, śvā, śvi – “to swell”)
इव – Iva – like, thus, as it were, as if
अर्थ – Artha – meaning; meaning of a word; real meaning; “true knowledge of the object which the Yogi wants”; “the “object” being meditated upon”; object, thing, purpose, aim, approach; wealth (from the verb root arth – “to request the sense, to point out”)
मात्र – Mātra – only
निर्भासा – Nirbhāsā – shining; shining (with); appearing (as); “shining or appearing therein”
निर्वितर्का – Nirvitarkā – without reasoning

एतयैव सविचारा निर्विचारा च सूक्ष्मविषया व्याख्याता ॥ ४४ ॥
Part 1 Sutra 44
Etayaiva Savicārā Nirvicārā Ca Sūkṣma-Viṣayā Vyākhyātā
In the same way [as in Part 1, Sutra 41-43], [the process of] Savicārā (with enquiry) and Nirvicārā (without enquiry) on subtle objects are explained.

एतय – Etaya – by this
इव – Iva – like, thus, as it were
सविचारा – Savicārā – with enquiry, reflecting, reflection, with judgment; “a stage in Samādhi wherein the mind (Citta) is identified with some subtle object and assumes its form”; “a type of Samādhi “in which the mind does not reason logically but judges and perceives”
निर्वचारा – Nirvicārā – without enquiry; not reflecting
च – Ca – and
सूक्ष्म – Sūkṣma – subtle; non-material, unmanifest; attenuated; fine; “not belonging to the physical world perceived by the outer mind and senses”; “(relating to) the subliminal parts of our being or the supraphysical planes of existence (Lokas) between the Sthūla and the Kāraṇa”
विषया – Viṣayā – object, object (of experience), subject matter, content; “an object of sensory or other experience”
व्याख्याता – Vyākhyātā – explained, described

सूक्ष्मविषयत्वं चालिङगपर्यवसानम् ॥ ४५ ॥
Part 1 Sutra 45
Sūkṣma-Viṣayatvaṃ Cāliṅga-Paryavasānam
[...] and extends to subtle objects without any characteristic (Aliṅga).

सूक्ष्म – Sūkṣma – subtle; non-material, unmanifest; attenuated; fine; “not belonging to the physical world perceived by the outer mind and senses”; “(relating to) the subliminal parts of our being or the supraphysical planes of existence (Lokas) between the Sthūla and the Kāraṇa”
विषयत्वं – Viṣayatvaṃ – object; “the thing itself”, “thus-ness of an object”
च – Ca – and
अलिङग – Aliṅga – “without any characteristic, mark, or differentiating characteristic”; “the last stage of the Guṇa”; without form
पर्यवसानम् – Paryavasānam – extending, terminating, extending (up to)

ता एव सबीजः समाधिः ॥ ४६ ॥
Part 1 Sutra 46
Tā Eva Sabījaḥ Samādhiḥ
These [Part 1 Sutra 41-45], therefore, constitute complete absorption (Samādhi) with seed (Sabīja).

ताः – Tāḥ – these, those
एव – Eva – thus, therefore, only; in fact; without limitation; even; alone; itself; as if; verily
सबीजः – Sabījaḥ – with seed, with attributes; having an object; objective
समाधि – Samādhi – complete absorption, one-pointedness, concentration, absorption, union, oneness, integration; trance, superconscious state, altered state of consciousness; “a calm desireless fixity”, “a unifying concentration”, “equal mind” (from the verb root dhā – “to hold” + the prefixes ā + sam – “together completely”)

निर्विचारवैशारद्येऽध्यात्मप्रसादः ॥ ४७ ॥
Part 1 Sutra 47
Nirvicāra-Vaiśāradye’dhyātma-Prasādaḥ
In the purity of (the process without enquiry) Nirvicārā, clarification of the supreme Self.

निर्विचार – Nirvicārā – without enquiry; not reflecting
वैशारद्ये – Vaiśāradye – purity, lucidity; “on the refinement”; “on attaining the utmost purity”
अध्यात्म – Adhyātma – of the supreme Self
प्रसादः – Prasādaḥ – clarification, grace (from the verb root sad – “to sit” + the prefix pra – “to settle down, grace, favor”); “a gift from God”; “an offering made to God which is then distributed to devotees with His blessings”; clarity; tranquillity; serenity, calming, tranquilizing, clearness; contentment; “an illumined ease and clarity”, purification; lucidity

ऋतम्भरा तत्र प्रज्ञा ॥ ४८ ॥
Part 1 Sutra 48
Ṛtambharā Tatra Prajñā
In that, the wisdom (Prajñā) is truth-bearing.

ऋतम् – Ṛtam – truth, law, right, order, “the course of things” (from the root ṛ - “to rise, tend upward”)
भरा – Bharā – bearing
तत्र – Tatra – in that place, there, in it, thither, to that place, in that, in that case, on that occasion, under those
circumstances; then, therefore; of those, of them
प्रज्ञा – Prajñā – wisdom; intuitive wisdom; gnosis

श्रुतानुमानप्रज्ञाभ्यामन्यविषया विशेषार्थत्वात् ॥ ४९ ॥
Part 1 Sutra 49
Śrutānumāna-Prajñābhyām Anya-Viṣayā Viśeṣārthatvāt
Revealed scripture (Śruti) and inference (Anumāna) are different from wisdom (Prajñā) because its object has a particular meaning.

श्रुति – Śruti – revealed scripture, Veda, what is heard; direct assertion; teachings; inspiration; “(based on) revelation or testimony”
अनुमान – Anumāna – inference; syllogism; instrument of inference (from the verb root mā – “to measure, prepare, display” + anu – “along, after”)
प्रज्ञाभ्याम् – Prajñābhyām – wisdom
अन्यः – Anyaḥ – other
विषया – Viṣayā – object, object (of experience), subject matter, content; “an object of sensory or other experience”
विशेष – Viśeṣa – particular, particularity, the qualified; propriety, distinction; distinct, gradation; differentiation; special
अर्थत्वात् – Arthatvāt – meaning, function, role

तज्जः संस्कारोऽन्यसंस्कारप्रतिबन्धी ॥ ५० ॥
Part 1 Sutra 50
Taj-jaḥ Saṃskāro’nya-Saṃskāra-Pratibandhī
The impression born of that [wisdom] obstructs other impressions.

तद् – Tad – that, its
जः – Jaḥ – “born of”; “are the result of”
सम्स्कार – Saṃskāra – impression
अन्यः – Anyaḥ – other
सम्स्कार – Saṃskāra – impression, latent impression, predisposition, consecration, imprint, innate tendency, innate potency, mold, inborn nature, residual impression, mental formation, “habitual reaction formed by one’s past”, “stamping with a tendency”; purificatory rite, rite of passage (from sam + kṛ – “to fashion or to do together”)
प्रतिबन्धी – Pratibandhī – obstructs, prevents, preventer; “that which stands in the way of”

The technique of Nirbīja Samādhi

तस्यापि निरोधे सर्वनिरोधान्निर्बीजः समाधिः ॥ ५१ ॥
Part 1 Sutra 51
Tasyāpi Nirodhe Sarva-Nirodhān Nirbījaḥ Samādhiḥ
On its cessation and by the cessation of all, complete absorption (Samādhi) without seed (Nirbīja).

तस्य – Tasya – its, of it, of this, that
अपि – Api – also; even
निरोधे – Nirodhe – on cessation
सर्व – Sarva – all; complete; the All
निरोधात् – Nirodhāt – by cessation
निर्बीजः – Nirbījaḥ – without seed, seedless; attributeless; subjective
समाधिः – Samādhiḥ – complete absorption, one-pointedness, concentration, absorption, union, oneness, integration; trance, superconscious state, altered state of consciousness; “a calm desireless fixity”, “a unifying concentration”, “equal mind” (from the verb root dhā – “to hold” + the prefixes ā + sam – “together completely”)

तदपि बहिरङग निर्बीजस्य ॥ ८ ॥
Part 3 Sutra 8
Tad Api Bahir-Aṅgam Nirbījasya
Even that [Sabīja Samādhi] is external to the seedless (Nirbīja Samādhi).

तद् – Tad – that, its
अपि – Api – also; even
बहिः – Bahiḥ – external, outside; external world
अङगम् – Aṅgam – “limb”; individual part; accessory; member; technique; a scripture (from the verb root ang – “to move”)
निर्बीजस्य – Nirbījasya – to the seedless

तदा विवेकनिम्नं कैवल्यप्राग्भारं चित्तम् ॥ २६ ॥
Part 4 Sutra 26
Tadā Viveka-Nimnaṃ Kaivalya-Prāg-Bhāraṃ Cittam
Then the mind is inclined towards discrimination (Viveka) and gravitating towards isolation (Kaivalya).

तदा – Tadā – then
विवेक – Viveka – discrimination, intuitive discrimination
निम्नं – Nimnaṃ – bent, inclined, inclined toward
कैवल्य – Kaivalya – isolation, aloofness, aloneness; emancipation, “isolation of pure awareness”; “separation from everything”
प्राग् – Prāg – before, towards
भारं – Bhāraṃ – load
चित्तम् – Cittam – mind; consciousness; thought; apperception (from the verb root cit – “to perceive, observe, know”)

तच्छिद्रेषु प्रत्ययान्तराणि संस्कारेभ्यः ॥ २७ ॥
Part 4 Sutra 27
Tac-Chidreṣu Pratyayāntarāṇi Saṃskārebhyaḥ
Thoughts (Pratyaya) [arise] in the intervals from the force of impressions (Saṃskāra).

तद् – Tad – that, its
छिद्रेषु – Chidreṣu – interval, gap
प्रत्यय – Pratyaya – condition, suffix, perception, thought, intention, representation (from the verb root i – “to go” + prati – “against, back”); content of the mind
अन्तराणि – Antarāṇi – other; the other
संस्कारेभ्यः – Saṃskārebhyaḥ – from the force of impressions

हानमेषां क्लेशवदुक्तम् ॥ २८ ॥
Part 4 Sutra 28
Hānaṃ Eṣāṃ Kleśavad Uktam
The removal of these [Saṃskāra], like that of the afflictions (Kleśa), has been described.

हानं – Hānaṃ – relinquishing; liberation; detachment; cessation; avoidance; remedy; abolition; dispersion; removal
एषां – Eṣāṃ – of these
क्लेशवत् – Kleśavat – “like the causes of suffering”; “like that of the Kleśa or afflictions”
उक्तम् – Uktam – described, explained; “has been said, declared, or described”

प्रसङख्यानेऽप्यकुसिदस्य सर्वथा विवेकख्यातेर्धर्ममेघः समाधिः ॥ २९ ॥
Part 4 Sutra 29
Prasaṅkhyāne’pyakusīdasya Sarvathā Viveka-Khyater Dharma-Meghaḥ Samādhiḥ
One who has no interest left even in the knowledge of the highest meditation, maintaining discriminative awareness in all circumstances, enters the final state of one-pointedness (Dharma-Megha-Samādhi).

प्रसङख्याने – Prasaṅkhyāne – continued meditation, elevation, summit, “in the knowledge of the highest meditation”
अपि – Api – also; even
अकुसिदस्य – Akusīdasya – “of one who has no interest left”; “one without greed”
सर्वथा – Sarvathā – “in all circumstances”; past, present, and future; “in all time and space”
विवेक – Viveka – discrimination, intuitive discrimination
ख्यतेः – Khyateḥ – awareness, apprehension, discernment, knowledge, vision, seeing
धर्म – Dharma – property, visible form, constituent substance, attributes; functions; righteousness; merit; religious duty; religion; law (from the verb root dhṛ – “to uphold, to establish, to support”)
मेघः – Meghaḥ – cloud, rain showers, shower
समाधिः – Samādhiḥ – complete absorption, one-pointedness, concentration, absorption, union, oneness, integration; trance, superconscious state, altered state of consciousness; “a calm desireless fixity”, “a unifying concentration”, “equal mind” (from the verb root dhā – “to hold” + the prefixes ā + sam – “together completely”)

The three kinds of transformations involved in Samādhi

Pariṇāma (Transformation)
व्युत्थाननिरोधसंस्कारयोरभिभवप्रादुर्भावौ निरोधक्षणचित्तान्वयो निरोधपरिणामः ॥ ९ ॥
Part 3 Sutra 9
Vyutthāna-Nirodha-Saṃskārayor Abhibhava-Prādur-Bhāvau Nirodha-Kṣaṇa-Cittānvayo Nirodha-Pariṇāmaḥ
The cessation of the impressions (Saṃskāra) that are rising up, the suppression of manifest states of being, and the moments of stillness that permeate the mind [define] Nirodha-Pariṇāmaḥ.

व्युत्थान – Vyutthāna – rising up, emergence, awakening; “the state of out-turned-ness”; a stage in Yoga
निरोध – Nirodha – negation; cessation; restriction; stilling; inhibition; suppression; stoppage; restraint; control (from the verb root rudh – “to obstruct, arrest, avert,” + ni – “down or into”)
संस्कारयोः – Saṃskārayoḥ – of the impressions
अभिभव – Abhibhava – suppression, subjugation; submergence; becoming latent
प्रादुर् – Prādur – outside, manifest
भावौ – Bhāvau – “state of being”; existence; emotion; feeling; attitude; condition; becoming; state (from the verb root bhū – “to become, exist”)
निरोध – Nirodha – negation; cessation; restriction; stilling; inhibition; suppression; stoppage; restraint; control (from the verb root rudh – “to obstruct, arrest, avert,” + ni – “down or into”)
क्षण – Kṣaṇa – moment, “an extremely small portion of time”, movement
चित्त – Citta – mind; consciousness; thought; apperception (from the verb root cit – “to perceive, observe, know”)
अन्वयः – Anvayaḥ – pervasiveness; relation, connected to; permeated; all-pervading (state); all-pervasiveness; permeation; pervasion; positive; affirmative; nexus
निरोध – Nirodha – negation; cessation; restriction; stilling; inhibition; suppression; stoppage; restraint; control (from the verb root rudh – “to obstruct, arrest, avert,” + ni – “down or into”)
परिणामः – Pariṇāmaḥ – transformation, change, modification, evolution, development, ripening, changing

तस्य प्रशान्तवाहिता संस्कारात् ॥ १० ॥
Part 3 Sutra 10
Tasya Praśānta-Vāhitā Saṃskārāt
Its flow becomes tranquil by repeated impression.

तस्य – Tasya – its, of it, of this, that
प्रशान्त – Praśānta – peaceful, tranquil, undisturbed
वाहिता – Vāhitā – flow, progression
संस्कारात् – Saṃskārāt – by (repeated) impression

सर्वर्थतैकाग्रतयोः क्षयोदयौ चित्तस्य समाधिपरिणामः ॥ ११ ॥
Part 3 Sutra 11
Sarvārthataikāgratayoḥ Kṣayodayau Cittasya Samādhi-Pariṇāmaḥ
Complete one-pointedness (Ekāgrata) on the meaning and the destruction of appearances of the mind [define] Samādhi-Pariṇāma.

सर्व – Sarva – all; complete; the All
अर्थत – Arthata – “regarding the meaning of something”
एकाग्रतयोः – Ekāgratayoḥ – one-pointedness, close attention, focus, fixity of attention, concentratedness
क्षय – Kṣaya – disappearance, loss, diminution, destruction; decay; dwelling, residence, habitation; “abode of the Lord of Death”
उदयौ – Udayau – arising, appearance, rise
चित्तस्य – Cittasya – “of the mind”
समाधि – Samādhi – complete absorption, one-pointedness, concentration, absorption, union, oneness, integration; trance, superconscious state, altered state of consciousness; “a calm desire-less fixity”, “a unifying concentration”, “equal mind” (from the verb root dhā – “to hold” + the prefixes ā + sam – “together completely”)
परिणामः – Pariṇāmaḥ – transformation, change, modification, evolution, development, ripening, changing

ततः पुनः शान्तोदितौ तुल्यप्रत्ययौ चित्तस्यैकाग्रतापरिणामः ॥ १२ ॥
Part 3 Sutra 12
Tataḥ Punaḥ Śāntoditau Tulya-Pratyayau Cittasyaikāgratā-Pariṇāmaḥ
Ekāgratā Pariṇāma, then, again, is when the latent and arisen contents of the mind are exactly similar.

ततः – Tataḥ – from that, from these, from it; after that, then, thence, therefore
पुनः – Punaḥ – again
शान्त – Śānta – peaceful, peace, quiescent, calm, subsided, contentment, latent (from the verb root śam – “to be at peace”)
उदितौ – Uditau – arisen, uprisen
तुल्य – Tulya – similar, exactly similar, equal
प्रत्ययौ – Pratyayau – condition, suffix, perception, thought, intention, representation (from the verb root i – “to go” + prati – “against, back”); content of the mind
चित्तस्य – Cittasya – “of the mind”
एकाग्रता – Ekāgratā – one-pointedness, close attention, focus, fixity of attention, concentratedness
परिणामः – Pariṇāmaḥ – transformation, change, modification, evolution, development, ripening, changing

References:

1. Grimes, John (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press
2. Audi, Robert (1999). The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, Second Edition. New York: Cambridge University Press
3. Hartz, Richard. Glossary to the Record of Yoga (Sri Aurobindo). Retrieved from http://wiki.auroville.org.in/wiki/Glossary_to_the_Record_of_Yoga
4. Jhā, Gangānātha (1907). The Yoga Darśana: The Sūtra of Patañjali with the Bhāṣya of Vyasa. Bombay: Rajaram Tukaram Tatya
5. Krishna, Gopi (1972). Kundalini - The Secret of Yoga. Ontario, Canada: F.I.N.D. Research Trust
6. Taimni, I. K. (1975). The Science of Yoga: The Yoga-Sūtras of Patañjali in Sanskrit with Transliteration in Roman, Translation in English and Commentary: Theosophical Publishing House

Turīya | The Fourth

Turiya

Turīya (IAST)
Translation: "The Fourth"
From Mandukya Upanishad (Verse 7, 12)

A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy
Sanskrit: तुरीय
Transliteration: Turīya

Translation: "“the fourth”; the transcendental Self; the supreme Reality; the state of witness consciousness"

Definition:

1. It is the fourth state of consciousness, according to Advaita Vedānta, which is beyond the states of waking, dreaming, and deep sleep and which pervades and transcends all these states. However, it is not really a state but the underlying substratum of the other three states, the waking, dreaming, and deep-sleep states.
2. It is the real Self which is beyond the changing modes of existence. It is indivisible, ungraspable, unthinkable, and unnameable. Each of the other three states have their own names (Vaiśvānara, Taijasa, and Prajñā), but not the Absolute, which is merely referred to as the Fourth. It is Amātrā or modeless.

Sanskrit: तुरीयतीत
Transliteration: Turīyatīta

Translation: "the state of the individual soul in which it is in a totally blissful condition; beyond the fourth; the highest stage according to some Hindu schools"

Definition:

1. The state beyond the “fourth” (Turīya). It is the supremely blissful state of complete freedom from all duality and the awareness of the one Self in all, the final attainment.
2. This is a term used for the individual in Śaiva Siddhānta.

Glossary to the Record of Yoga (Sri Aurobindo)
Transliteration: Turīya
Translation: "fourth"

Definition: “the incommunicable Self or One-Existence... which is the fourth state of the Self” (Ātman), symbolized by the syllable AUM as a whole, “the supreme or absolute self of being” of which the waking self, dream-self and sleep-self (Virāt, Hiraṇyagarbha, and Prajñā) “are derivations for the enjoyment of relative experience in the world;” Brahman in its “pure self-status” about which “neither consciousness nor unconsciousness as we conceive it can be affirmed...; it is a state of super-conscience absorbed in its self-existence, in a self-silence or a self-ecstasy, or else it is the status of a free Superconscient containing or basing everything but involved in nothing.”

The Upanishads: Volume II (Swami Nikhilananda)

Selected from Gauḍapāda's Kārikā, Chapter I: Āgama Prakaraṇa:
"It is one alone that is thus known in the three states. The one Ātman is perceived threefold in the same body. Turīya, the changeless Ruler, is capable of destroying all miseries. All other entities being unreal, the non-dual Turīya alone is known as effulgent and all-pervading. Neither cause nor effect exists in Turīya. Turīya is ever existent and all-seeing. Non-cognition of duality is common to Turīya. But Prajñā is associated with sleep in the form of cause and this sleep does not exist in Turīya. Knowers of Brahman see neither sleep nor dreams in Turīya. Dreaming is the wrong cognition and sleep the non-cognition, of Reality. When the erroneous knowledge in these two is destroyed, Turīya is realized. When the Jīva, asleep under the influence of beginning-less Māyā, is awakened, it then realizes birth-less, sleepless, and dreamless Non-duality. Meditation on the “soundless” brings no attainment."

The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad (Swami Krishnananda)
Sanskrit: तुरीय
Transliteration: Turīya
Translation: "“the fourth”

Commentary: "This Absolute is known as the Turīya, or the fourth state of Consciousness, transcending all relational manifestations – causal, subtle, and gross. While the waking consciousness is external and the dream consciousness is internal, this Consciousness is neither external nor internal, because it is not either waking or dreaming. It is neither internally conscious nor externally conscious, Nāntaḥ-Prajñaṃ, Na Bahiṣ Prajñaṃ – not internal consciousness like dream, nor external consciousness like waking. One may think that it is a consciousness simultaneously of both the states. No; It is something different from a simultaneity of consciousness. It is not external, not internal, not a simultaneity of both, either – Nobhayataḥ-Prajñaṃ. It is not also a mass of consciousness like a homogeneous heap of water in the ocean – Na Prajñā-Ghanaṃ. It is not quantitative in its essence. Quantity is spatial, mathematical and Consciousness is not such. Hence, it cannot be called a mass of consciousness, also, because when you think of mass, you think of a heap, a body, indistinguishable, though. Not so is Consciousness – Na Prajñā-Ghanaṃ. It is not featureless Consciousness without any awareness, Na Prajñaṃ. You may think that it is awareness without an object before it. It is not even that, because the object is contained in that Consciousness. It is not Consciousness bereft of objects. It is Consciousness into which the objects have been absorbed. So, it cannot be regarded as a featureless transparency of an ethereal consciousness. It is not also absence of consciousness – Nāprajñam. It is not a state of inert perfection which the schools of thought like the Nyāya and the Vaiśeṣika describe. It is not unconsciousness; it is not absence of consciousness; it is not bare consciousness; it is not a mass of consciousness; it is not external consciousness; it is not internal consciousness; it is not both-ways consciousness. What is this? Such is God in His essence, the Absolute in its True Being."

Laghu Yoga Vaśiṣṭha (K. Narayanaswami Aiyer)

"This is that Principle which is denominated Void by atheists, Parabrahman by Brahmavadins, Vijñāna by Vijñāna doctrinists, Puruṣa by Sāṅkhya, Īśa by Yogins, Śiva by persons upholding Śaivagama, Kala (Time) by Kala doctrinists, the Madhyama by Mādhyamika and the all-pervading Principle by those who look equally upon all." 

Kundalini: The Secret of Yoga (Gopi Krishna)

“According to the Indian scriptures, Turīya is the state of self-knowledge or illumination in which the identity of the Ātman and Brahman or Jiva or Īśvara is realized. It is the indescribable state of existence experienced in the highest form of Samādhi or the ecstatic "State," as Eliade calls it.... in actual fact, Turīya is the modality of consciousness present in Asamprajñāta, Nirvikalpa, or Nirbīja Samādhi, and also characterizes the consciousness of a Jīvanmukta, or one liberated in life. This is clear on the authority of Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad (7) wherein it is said: "They consider the Fourth (Turīya) to be that which is not conscious of the internal world nor conscious of the external world....That is the Self and that is to be known." Again (in 12) it says: "The partless Om is the Fourth (Caturtha, i.e., Turīya) – beyond all conventional dealings, the limit of the negation of the phenomenal world, the auspicious and the non-dual. Om is thus the Self to be sure. He who knows thus enters the Self through the Self." The position has been clarified beyond doubt by Gauḍapāda in his Kārikā (PI.14 and 15). "The earlier two (Viśva and Taijasa) are endowed with dream and sleep, but Prajñā is endowed with dreamless sleep. People of firm conviction do not see either sleep or dream in Turīya....Dream belongs to one who sees falsely, and sleep to one who does not know Reality. When the two errors of these two are removed, one attains the state that is Turīya.

The point here is whether these four modalities of consciousness are characteristic of the embodied spirit or whether they have an independent existence of their own. The first three, it is hardly necessary to argue, have no independent existence, that is, they do not exist as cosmic planes of wakefulness, dreaming, and dreamless sleep, but represent different states of human consciousness. They are mutually exclusive, that is, as argued by Gauḍapāda, when one is dreaming, he cannot be awake and when in dreamless slumber, he can neither dream nor be awake. Similarly, when one is awake, he cannot dream, in the real sense of the term, nor can he be in dreamless slumber. It is, therefore, obvious that the moment a Yogi enters the dream state with lucidity, that is consciousness, dreaming must cease forthwith, and when one enters the state of dreamless slumber, it too must vanish instantly, for the simple reason that as darkness and light cannot exist together, in the same way the oblivion of the dream state and dreamless slumber cannot co-exist with lucidity for any length of time. It might be contended that the so-called ecstatic "state" (Samādhi), being a transhuman plane of consciousness, can "penetrate" the other three. In reply to this, it is enough to point out that at the very moment when transhuman consciousness penetrates any modality of human consciousness, it must at once transform and illumine it. It can neither assume the modality into which it enters nor co-exist with it."

The Atman Project (Ken Wilber)
SVABHAVIKAKAYA: THE FINAL TRANSFORMATION

"Passing through Nirvikalpa Samādhi, Consciousness totally awakens as its Original Condition and Suchness (Tathatā), which is, at the same time, the condition and suchness of all that is, gross subtle, or causal. That which witnesses, and that which is witnessed, are only one and the same. The entire World Process then arises, moment to moment, as one's own Being, outside of which, and prior to which, nothing exists. That Being is totally beyond and prior to anything that arises, and yet no part of that Being is other than what arises.

And so: as the center of the self was shown to be Archetype; and as the center of Archetype was shown to be final-God; and as the center of final-God was shown to be Formlessness—so the center of Formlessness is shown to be not other than the entire world of Form. "Form is not other than Void, Void is not other than Form," says the most famous Buddhist Sūtra (called the "Heart Sūtra").  At that point, the extraordinary and the ordinary, the supernatural and mundane, are precisely one and the same. This is the tenth Zen oxherding picture, which reads: "The gate of his cottage is closed and even the wisest cannot find him. He goes his own way, making no attempt to follow the steps of earlier sages. Carrying a gourd, he strolls into the market; leaning on his staff, he returns home.

This is also Sahaja Samādhi, the Turiya state, the Svabhāvikakaya—the ultimate Unity, wherein all things and events, while remaining perfectly separate and discrete, are only One. Therefore, this is not itself a state apart from other states; it is not an altered state; it is not a special state—it is rather the suchness of all states, the water that forms itself in each and every wave of experience, as all experience. It cannot be seen, because it is everything which is seen; it cannot be heard, because it is hearing itself; it cannot be remembered because it only is. By the same token, this is the radically perfect integration of all prior levels—gross, subtle, and causal, which, now of themselves so, continue to arise moment to moment in an iridescent play of mutual interpenetration. This is the final differentiation of Consciousness from all forms in Consciousness, "whereupon Consciousness as Such is released in Perfect Transcendence, which is not a transcendence from the world but a final transcendence as the World. Consciousness henceforth operates, not on the world, but only as the entire World Process, integrating and interpenetrating all levels, realms, and planes, high or low, sacred or profane."

References:

1. Grimes, John (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press
2. Hartz, Richard. Glossary to the Record of Yoga (Sri Aurobindo). Retrieved from http://wiki.auroville.org.in/wiki/Glossary_to_the_Record_of_Yoga
3. Nikhilananda, Swami (1952). The Upanishads: Volume II - Śvetāśvatara, Praśna, and Māndukya with Gauḍapāda's Kārikā. New York, New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers
4. Krishnananda, Swami (1996). The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad. Retrieved from https://www.swami-krishnananda.org/mand_0.html. p. 82.
5. Aiyer, K. Narayanaswami (1975). Laghu Yoga Vasishtha: English Translation. Theosophical Publishing House. p. 480.
6. Krishna, Gopi (1972). Kundalini - The Secret of Yoga. Ontario, Canada: F.I.N.D. Research Trust. p. 103-104.
7. Wilber, Ken (1996). The Atman Project: A Transpersonal View of Human Development. Quest Books. p. 67.

Māṇḍūkya | Frog

Mandukya

Māṇḍūkya (IAST)
Translation: "Frog"
From Mandukya Upanishad

A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy
Sanskrit: माण्डूक्य
Transliteration: Māṇḍūkya
Translation: "frog"
Definition:

1. This Upaniṣad is said to contain, in just twelve verses, the gist of all the other Upaniṣad. It belongs to the Atharva Veda. It consists of only twelve verses and is thus the shortest of the Upaniṣad. Brahman (the Absolute) is identified with the sound Oṃ and the entire universe is represented as a manifestation of this Oṃ. The sound Oṃ consists of three parts – A, U, and M, – which are identified with Vaiśvānara, Taijasa, and Prajñā. Unlike the other Upaniṣad, this one does not relate any anecdotes, imaginary dialogues, or stories to illustrate its teachings. Also, unlike the other Upaniṣad, it is silent about rituals and worship and plunges at once into a discussion of Ātman and Brahman.

The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad (Swami Krishnananda)
Sanskrit: माण्डूक्य
Transliteration: Māṇḍūkya

Introduction: "The theme of the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad is an exposition of the Mystic Syllable, Oṃ, with a view to training the mind in meditation, for the purpose of achieving freedom, gradually, so that the individual soul is attuned to the Ultimate Reality.

The basis of this meditation is explained in the Vidyā (meditation), known as the Vaiśvānara Vidyā. This is the secret of the knowledge of the Universal Being, designated as Vaiśvānara. Its simple form of understanding is transference of human attributes to the Divine Existence, and vice versa. In this meditation, one contemplates the Cosmos as one's Body. Just as, for example, when one contemplates one's individual body, one simultaneously becomes conscious of the right eye, the left eye, the right hand, the left hand, the right leg, the left leg, the head, the heart, the stomach, and all the limbs of the body at one and the same time, and one does not regard the different limbs of the body as distinguished from one another in any manner, all limbs being only apparently different but really connected to a single personality, so in this meditation, the consciousness is to be transferred to the Universal Being. Instead of one contemplating oneself as the individual body, one contemplates oneself as the Universal Body. Instead of the right eye, there is the sun. Instead of the left eye, there is the moon. Instead of the feet, there is the earth. Instead of the head, there is the heaven, and so on. The limbs of the Cosmic Person are identified with cosmic elements, and vice versa, so that there is nothing in the cosmos which does not form an organic part of the Body of the Virāt, or Vaiśvānara. When you see the vast world before you, you behold a part of your own Body. When you look at the sun, you behold your own eye. When you look above into the heavens, you are seeing your own head. When you see all people moving about, you behold the various parts of your own personality. The vast wind is your breath. All your actions are cosmic movements. Anything that moves, does so on account of your movement. Your breath is the Cosmic Vital Force. Your intelligence is the Cosmic Intelligence. Your existence is Cosmic Existence. Your happiness is Cosmic Bliss.

The Chāndogya Upaniṣad concludes this Vidyā by saying that one who meditates in this manner on the Universal Personality of Oneself as the Vaiśvānara, becomes the Source of sustenance for all beings. Just as children sit round their mother, hungry, and asking for food, all beings in creation shall sit round this Person, craving for his blessings; and just as food consumed by the body sustains all the limbs of the body at once, this meditator, if he consumes food, shall immediately communicate his blessings to the whole cosmos, for his Being is, verily, All-Being.

We may recall to our memory the famous story of Sri Kṛṣṇa taking a particle of food from the hands of Draupadi, in the Kamyaka forest, when she called to Him for help, and with this little grain that he partook of, the whole universe was filled, and all people were satisfied, because Kṛṣṇa stood there tuned up with the Universal Virāt. So is also the case with any person who is in a position to meditate on the Virāt, and assume the position of the Virāt. The whole universe shall become friendly with this Person; all existence shall ask for sustenance and blessing from this Universal Being. This meditator is no more a human being; he is veritably, God Himself. The meditator on Vaiśvānara is himself Vaiśvānara, the Supreme Virāt."

"Māṇḍūkyam ekam eva alam mumukṣūnām vimuktaye - for the liberation of the mumukṣū or seeker the Māṇḍūkya alone is enough; and if you are able to understand the true meaning of this single Upaniṣad, there may not be a necessity to study any other Upaniṣad, not even the Chāndogya or the Bṛhadāraṇyaka, because the theme of the Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad is a direct approach to the depths of human nature."

References:

1. Grimes, John (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press
2. Krishnananda, Swami (1996). The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad. Retrieved from https://www.swami-krishnananda.org/mand_0.html. p. 5-7, 14.

Ātman | The Self

Atman

Ātman (IAST)
Translation: "The Self"
From Mandukya Upanishad (Verses 2, 7, 8, 12)

A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy
Sanskrit: आत्मन्
Transliteration: Ātman

Translation: “breath” (from the verb root at – “to breath”) or (from the verb root ap – “to pervade, reach up to”); the inner Self

Definition:

1. The Reality which is the substrate of the individual and identical with the Absolute (Brahman), according to Advaita Vedānta. It cannot be doubted, for it is the basis of all experience. It cannot be known by thought, as the knower cannot be the known. Yet there is no experience without it. It is the basis of all proofs, yet cannot be proved itself, though it can be experienced.
2. Nyāya and Vaiśeṣika call it the substratum in which cognition inheres. It is of two kinds: supreme Soul and individual soul. It is a substance which is revealed in one’s inner perceptual experience arising through the inner sense of mind, independently of the external senses.
3. Sāṅkhya and Yoga define it as an unrelated, attribute-less, self-luminous, omnipresent entity which is identical with consciousness.
4. The Upaniṣad say that it denotes the ultimate essence of the universe as well as the vital breath in human beings.
5. It is the unseen basis which is the reality within the five sheaths. It is the spark of the Divine within. It is the reality behind the appearance, and universal and immanent in every entity. It is not born nor does it die. It is imperishable, according to the Upaniṣad.
6. In the Indian philosophical systems, the Self is said to be of one of three sizes: Dvaita Vedānta and Viśiṣṭādvaita Vedānta call it atomic (Aṇu-Parimāṇa); Advaita Vedānta and Sāṅkhya call it all-pervasive (Vibhuparimāṇa); Jainism calls it neither atomic nor all-pervasive but of medium size (Madhyama-Parimāṇa).
7. Buddhism denies any reality to the Self altogether.

The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy
Transliteration: Ātman

Definition: "Ātman, in Hindu thought, the individual, viewed by Advaita Vedānta as numerically identical to, and by other varieties of Vedānta as dependent on and capable of worship of, Brahman. Sometimes in Hinduism conceived as inherently conscious and possessed of intrinsic mental qualities, and sometimes viewed as having mental qualities only in the sense that the composite of Ātman-embodied-in-a-physical-body has this feature, Ātman beginninglessly transmigrates from life to life (or, for Advaita, appears to do so). It is embodied in successive bodies, accumulating Karma and possibly achieving enlightenment with its consequent release from Saṃsāra, the transmigratory wheel."

Glossary to the Record of Yoga (Sri Aurobindo)
Transliteration: Ātman

Translation: self; “a Self that is neither our limited ego [Ahaṅkāra] nor our mind, life or body, world-wide but not outwardly phenomenal, yet to some spirit-sense... more concrete than any form or phenomenon, universal yet not dependent for its being on anything in the universe or on the whole totality of the universe”; Brahman known in its subjective aspect as “the Self or immutable existence of all that is in the universe,” as “the cosmic Self, but also as the Supreme Self transcendent of its own cosmicity and at the same time individual-universal in each being.”

Mundaka and Mandukya Upanishads (Swami Sharvananda)
Sanskrit: आत्मन्
Transliteration: Ātman

Commentary: "Here [Verse 6] Ātman, with its primary condition or Upadhi called Māyā, is referred to. In that state, He is the creator, preserver, and destroyer of the whole Universe. He is immanent in all beings. As He is the origin of the Universe, so also is He its final dissolution after Pralaya. This is the Īśvara aspect of the Ātman. But in its individualistic aspect, He is conditioned by Avidyā or ignorance. From that standpoint, He cannot be called the Lord of the Universe, etc., but the Śruti, by stating that it is the Prajñā spoken of in the previous Mantram, who is also the Lord and origin of the Creation, distinctly asserts the unity of the Jīva or the Individual Soul with the Universal. In fact, Ātman by itself, as will be definitely stated hereafter by the Śruti Herself, is one undivided whole Ekamevādvitīyam. But He appears as macrocosmic (Samāpti) or microcosmic (Vyapti) by producing the phenomena of time, space and causation within Himself by his Māyā-Śakti, so this differentiation in the Ātman is only phenomenal and not real. And for Self-realization, the unity of the Ātman should alone be meditated upon. This is the import of the Śruti."

Mandukya Upanishad (James Swartz)
Definition: "the limitless I"

“If I’m real, I have to exist all the time.” – The answer to “Who am I” is that I am not any of these egos or ego states. If I’m real, I have to exist all the time. I can’t suddenly be one thing one minute and something else the next; I experience life as a simple single complete conscious being. In fact, I exist in the waking, dream, and deep sleep states independent of the waker, dream, and deep sleeper.

As what?

As the limitless I, the Awareness, the common factor and witness to the three states."

The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad (Swami Krishnananda)
Transliteration: Ātman

Definition: "The Ātman is like an oceanic flood without a surface or a limit. The Ātman is the sole Seer, Knower, Beholder, Experiencer, without a counterpart objective to it. It knows itself, not ‘others’, for the ‘others’ is also part of itself. Hence, knowledge of the Ātman is the knowledge of the whole of existence. It is not knowledge of this Ātman, that Ātman, this Self, that self, this person, that person. It is the knowledge of The Ātman, which can only be One. The Ātman is single – Ekātma-Pratyaya-Sāraṃ. The One Ātman is called the Paramātman as distinguished from the multitudinousness of the so-called Ātman, called Jīvātman. It is Paramātman, because it is the Supreme Self. Brahmeti Paramātmeti Bhagavāniti Śabdyat, says the Śrimad Bhāgavata. From the absolute, universal and personal standpoints, it is called Brahman, Paramātman and Bhagavān. In itself it is Brahman, the Absolute; and as the Supreme Creator, Preserver, Destroyer, it is the Paramātman; as the Beloved of devotees, it is Bhagavān. It is all this – Dvaita, Viśiṣṭādvaita and Advaita points of view come together here in this Ātman, and the conclusions of the schools of thought merge into the single truth of a blend of various standpoints. Quarrels cease, arguments come to a stop, philosophies are hushed, and silence prevails. This Ātman is Silence, said a great Master. When a devotee came, and asked the Guru, ‘Tell me the Ātman’, the Guru kept quiet. When the disciple queried again, ‘Master, tell me the Ātman’, the Guru kept quiet, again. A third time the question was raised and the Guru kept quiet, once more. When for the fourth time the disciple put the same question, ‘Tell me the Ātman’; the Guru said, ‘I am telling you, you are not hearing; because Silence is the Ātman’."

The Māndūkyopanishad with Gauḍāpada's Kārikā and Śankara's Commentary (Swami Nikhilananda)

Gauḍapāda Kārikā
Chapter III: Advaita Prakaraṇa, Verse 3-12)

3. Ātman, which is like Ākāśa (infinite space), is said to be manifested in the form of Jīvas, which may be likened to the Ākāśas enclosed in pots. The bodies, also, are said to be manifested from Ātman, just as a pot and the like are created out of Ākāśa. As regards the manifestation of Ātman, this is the illustration.

4. As, on the destruction of the pot etc., the Ākāśa enclosed in them merge in the great Ākāśa, so the Jīvas merge in Ātman.

5. As the dust, smoke, etc., soiling the Ākāśa enclosed in a particular pot do not soil the other Ākāśas enclosed in other pots, so also the happiness, miseries, etc., of one Jīva does not affect the other Jīvas.

6. Though the diversity of forms, functions and names of the Ākāśas associated with different receptacles is admitted, yet this does not imply any real differentiation in Ākāśa itself. The same is the conclusion regarding the Jīvas.

7. As the Ākāśa enclosed in a pot is neither an effect nor a part of the real Ākāśa, so the Jīva is neither an effect nor a part of Ātman.

8. Children regard Ākāśa as being soiled by dirt; likewise, the ignorant regard Ātman as being similarly soiled.

9. Ātman, in regard to Its birth and death, Its going and coming, i.e., rebirth and Its dwelling in different bodies, is not unlike Ākāśa.

10. All aggregates are produced by Ātman’s Māyā, as in a dream. No rational argument can be given to establish their reality, whether they are of equal status or whether some are superior to others.

11. The Supreme Self is the self of the five sheaths, such as the physical and the vital, which have been described in the Taittirīya Upaniṣad. That the Supreme Self is like Ākāśa has already been stated.

12. The same Ākāśa dwells within both the earth and the stomach; likewise, the same Brahman dwells within the pairs described in the Madhu Brahmana.

The Upanishads: Volume I (Swami Nikhilananda)

Katha Upanishad
PART I, CHAPTER II

Verse 7
Many are there who do not even hear of Ātman; though hearing of Him, many do not comprehend. Wonderful is the expounder and rare the hearer; rare indeed is the experiencer of Ātman taught by an able preceptor.

Verse 8
Ātman, when taught by an inferior person, is not easily comprehended, because It is diversely regarded by disputants. But when It is taught by him who has become one with Ātman, there can remain no more doubt about It. Ātman is subtler than the subtlest and not to be known through argument.

Verse 16
This syllable Om is indeed Brahman. This syllable is the Highest. Whosoever knows this syllable obtains all that he desires.

Verse 17
This is the best support; this is the highest support. Whosoever knows this support is adored in the world of Brahmā.

Verse 18
The knowing Self is not born; It does not die. It has not sprung from anything; nothing has sprung from It. Birthless, eternal, everlasting, and ancient, It is not killed when the body is killed.

Verse 19
If the killer thinks he kills and if the killed man thinks he is killed, neither of these apprehends aright. The Self kills not, nor is It killed.

Verse 20
Ātman, smaller than the small, greater than the great, is hidden in the hearts of all living creatures. A man who is free from desires beholds the majesty of the Self through tranquillity of the senses and the mind and becomes free from grief.

Verse 21
Though sitting still, It travels far; though lying down, It goes everywhere. Who but myself can know that luminous Ātman who rejoices and rejoices not?

Verse 22
The wise man, having realized Ātman as dwelling within impermanent bodies but Itself bodiless, vast, and all-pervading, does not grieve.

Verse 23
This Ātman cannot be attained by the study of the Vedas, or by intelligence, or by much hearing of sacred books. It is attained by him alone whom It chooses. To such a one, Ātman reveals Its own form.

CHAPTER III

Verses 10-11
Beyond the senses are the objects; beyond the objects is the mind; beyond the mind, the intellect; beyond the intellect, the Great Ātman; beyond the Great Ātman, the Unmanifest; beyond the Unmanifest, the Puruṣa. Beyond the Puruṣa there is nothing: this is the end, the Supreme Goal.

Verse 12
That Self, hidden in all beings, does not shine forth; but It is seen by subtle seers through their one-pointed and subtle intellects.

Verse 13
The wise man should merge his speech in his mind, and his mind in his intellect. He should merge his intellect in the Cosmic Mind, and the Cosmic Mind in the Tranquil Self.

Verse 15
Having realized Ātman, which is soundless, intangible, formless, undecaying, and likewise tasteless, eternal, and odorless; having realized That which is without beginning and end, beyond the Great, and unchanging—one is freed from the jaws of death.

References:

1. Grimes, John (1996). A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English. Albany: State University of New York Press
2. Audi, Robert (1999). The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, Second Edition. New York: Cambridge University Press
3. Hartz, Richard. Glossary to the Record of Yoga (Sri Aurobindo). Retrieved from http://wiki.auroville.org.in/wiki/Glossary_to_the_Record_of_Yoga
4. Sharvananda, Swami (1920). Mundaka and Mandukya Upanishads: With Sanskrit Text; Paraphrase with Word-For-Word Literal Translation, English, Rendering and Comments. Mylapore, Madras: Sri Ramakrishna Math
5. Swartz, James (1996). Mandukya Upanishad: An ancient Sanskrit text on the nature of Reality. Retrieved from https://www.holybooks.com/mandukya-upanishad-an-ancient-sanskrit-text-on-the-nature-of-reality/
6. Krishnananda, Swami (1996). The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad. Retrieved from https://www.swami-krishnananda.org/mand_0.html. p. 85-86.
7. Nikhilananda, Swami (1949). The Māndūkyopanishad with Gauḍāpada's Kārikā and Śankara's Commentary. Mysore: Sri Ramakrishna Ashrama
8. Nikhilananda, Swami (1949). The Upanishads: Volume I—Katha, Iśa, Kena, and Mundaka. New York, New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers.