Aparokshanubhuti-21

Verse No 50

Unity Behind Diversity:

All distinctions — nāma, rūpa, karma — are superficial. Their substratum is Brahman alone.

Vivarta (Superimposition):

The world is not a real transformation of Brahman but an illusory appearance — just like a snake seen on a rope.

Role of Ignorance (Avidyā):

The perception of multiplicity arises only due to ignorance of the substratum (adhisthāna), i.e., Brahman.

Upaniṣadic Authority:

The teaching is not speculative but grounded in śruti, particularly in the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad.

Implication of All Sense Objects and Actions:

By mentioning names, forms, and actions, the text implicitly includes all perceptual and functional diversity — but only as appearances in Brahman.

Verse No 51

1. Vivarta (Superimposed Appearance) Doctrine:

• The ornament (like a bracelet or ring) may have a different name and form, but its substance is only gold.
• Similarly, all objects and beings in the world have different names and forms, but their underlying reality is Brahman.

2. No Real Transformation (Aprakṛta Pariṇāma):

• In Advaita, Brahman does not really transform into the world.
• The world is a superimposition (vivarta) on Brahman, just like a bracelet is a form superimposed on gold.

3. Unchanging Reality:

• Gold remains gold in all forms.
• Brahman remains Brahman, even as the world appears to be full of multiplicity.

4. Identity of Cause and Effect:

• The effect (ornament or world) is not separate from its cause (gold or Brahman).
• This reinforces the non-dual (advaita) view — there is no second reality apart from Brahman.

5. Spiritual Insight:

• One who sees the ornament as gold is not deluded by its shape or name.
• Likewise, the wise see Brahman in all beings, not being deluded by superficial differences.

Verse No 52

1. Non-duality of Experience (Advaita):

• The world of experience appears to be populated by agent, action, object, and so on — but all are only appearances (vivarta) upon the one non-dual Brahman.
• There is only one substratum — all else is name and form (nāma-rūpa).

2. Illusion of Difference Breeds Fear:

• Fear (bhaya) arises only when there is a perception of otherness.
• Where there is duality, there is vulnerability, desire, aversion, and ultimately suffering.
• Hence, difference is the root of existential anxiety.

3. Even Subtle Duality is Binding:

• Even a slight conceptual gap, such as imagining “I am the devotee and Brahman is the object of devotion”, perpetuates duality, and thus fear.

4. Upaniṣadic Authority:

• The quote — "Yadā hyevaiṣa etasmin udaraṁ antaraṁ kurute, atha tasya bhayaṁ bhavati" (Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad 1.4.2) — is often cited to illustrate that:
• True fearlessness is only possible in the absolute non-dual state.
• Once there is a perceived “other,” fear naturally arises.

5. Vedāntic Sādhana:

• The goal is not just to negate gross difference, but also the subtlest sense of duality — even that involved in the most refined devotion or worship.
• Ultimately, upāsya (worshipped), upāsaka (worshipper), and upāsanā (worship) are all brahma-svarūpa.

Verse No 53

1. Different Loci Through Different States (Avasthā-bheda):

• Duality and non-duality don’t coexist simultaneously in one experience.
• They appear in different epistemic states:
• Dvaita = state of ignorance
• Advaita = state of knowledge

2. Illusory Nature of Duality (Dṛṣṭi-sṛṣṭi-vāda):

• Duality seems real only as long as ignorance persists.
• Once ignorance is dispelled, the entire appearance of duality collapses — not through destruction, but by dawning of truth.

3. Śruti Pramāṇa as Authority:

• Passages from the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad show a clear transition:
• From "seeing the other" in duality,
• To "there is no other to see" in non-dual realization.

4. No ‘Other’ Remains in Realization:

• The idea of 'other' is itself a product of ignorance.
• When one realizes the Self as all, the very notions of seer, seen, and seeing dissolve.

5. Advaita’s Practical Import:

• This is not just metaphysics. As long as one clings to duality, one remains in fear, limitation, and bondage.
• Realization of non-duality brings fearlessness, freedom, and finality (mokṣa).

Verse No 54

1. No Duality, No Delusion

• Moha and śoka are born of mistaken duality.
• When duality is removed via Self-knowledge, their basis collapses.

2. State of Realization is a State of Freedom

• The "state" (avasthā-viśeṣa) here is not a mental mood or mystical trance, but a stable knowledge that there is only the Self.
• In this, the purified and prepared mind abides effortlessly in oneness (ekatva).

3. Adhikārī: The Qualified One

• The Upaniṣad is speaking not of theory, but of the direct experience (sākṣātkāra) of one who is prepared (adhikārī).
• This means one who has cultivated viveka, vairāgya, śamādi ṣaṭka-sampatti, and mumukṣutva.

4. Ekatvam as Vision, Not Imagination

• The phrase "ekatvam anupaśyataḥ" means: “for one who sees oneness.”
• This is not a belief or intellectual conviction — it is a clear vision (anupaśyana = direct seeing again and again).

5. Why There’s No Loss of Purpose

• The original objection presumes that dualistic striving gives purpose.
• But Advaita reveals that freedom itself is the purpose — and in non-duality, perfect fulfillment arises naturally.

6. Śruti as Ultimate Pramāṇa (Means of Knowledge)

• The quoted mantra from the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad is central:
• “yasmin sarvāṇi bhūtāni ātmaiva abhūt, vijānataḥ…”
• This is not to be symbolically interpreted, but literally realized as the true vision of the liberated person.

Verse No 55

1. Śoka (Grief) Has a Cause: Dvaita (Duality)

• In Advaita, sorrow is not an existential inevitability, but a product of misperceived duality — the sense of “I am separate,” “this is other,” “that is lost,” etc.

2. The Remedy is Jñāna — Not Action or Emotion

• The Upaniṣadic mahāvākya:

"sa vā ayam ātmā brahma vijñānamayaḥ"

asserts the identity of the individual self (ātmā) with Brahman, the one, undivided consciousness.

• This eliminates duality at its root, thereby removing the cause of sorrow.

3. Pramāṇa (Means of Knowledge) is Śruti

• Śruti is not speculative but revelatory — it reveals what cannot be known otherwise (apratyakṣa, alaukika jñāna).
• Hence, this passage serves as decisive authority (pramāṇa) for the non-dual nature of reality.

4. Vijñānamayaḥ ≠ Modificatory "Sheath" Here

• Though “vijñānamaya” can sometimes refer to the intellect sheath (vijñānamaya kośa), here it clearly means:

Brahman is of the nature of pure consciousness — not inert, not partial, but fully self-revealing awareness.

5. "Ayam" Emphasizes Immediate Presence

• The use of “ayam” (“this very one”) indicates the immediacy and availability of the Self as Brahman.
• Brahman is not remote, but your very Self, right here and now.

✨ Final Summary

The cause of sorrow is duality. Its absence is proven by śruti, which declares:

"This very Self is Brahman, composed of consciousness."

This realization — when directly known — is liberation from sorrow.

The rest, as the bhāṣyakāra says, is clear to the prepared mind.