Sravan is sufficient
In Sravan, the student listens to the teacher about the teaching, namely, TTA. On understanding the full import of TTA, the student has Self-knowledge, i.e., I am Brahman and there is liberation. Self-knowledge and liberation are simultaneous. There is no time-gap. In chapter 18 titled ‘Tat Tvam Asi’ of Upedesha Sahasri (Up Sah), ShankarAchArya introduces a Purva Paksha (PP) in 18.09 who holds that mere Sravan is not sufficient for liberation. It should be followed by repetition of ‘I am Brahman’. PP argues as below.
1 The Vedas enjoin actions for getting results as is seen in Veda Purva Bhaga. To get the result of liberation, action of repetition is necessary.
2 All efforts like, self-control, etc., will be of no use if one can know Brahman by hearing alone. One should do repetition until Brahman is known (Up Sah 18.12). This self was indeed Brahman in the beginning. It knew only Itself as ‘I am Brahman’ (Br Up 1.4.10). Self-knowledge is capable of removing impressions from sense-perceptions. Yet one is attracted to sensory objects due to impurities, like attachment (Up Sah 18.13). Sanyas Ashrama is meant for repetition (Up Sah 18.18) to actualize the knowledge.
3 The knowledge ‘I am Brahman’ is contradicted by experience because very often one feels unhappiness arising out of sense-perceptions (Up Sah 18.185 and 18.186) even though sense-perceptions are considered mithya. That one is an agent and miserable is supported by perceptual evidences and therefore there is required an effort (repetition) to remove them and get freedom (Up Sah 18. 211/212).
4 According to Br Up 2.4.5, Self should be realized by hearing, reflecting and meditating. Thus, Sruti talks about agency and enjoins duties such as reasoning, etc., for gaining Self-knowledge.
5 Direct knowledge of Brahman and bliss of liberation are not produced by ascertaining the meaning of words and the sentence TTA just like knowing a fruit is not sufficient unless it is eaten. Repetition of ‘I am Brahman’ is therefore enjoined (Up Sah 18.201).
ShankarAchArya responds:
1 TTA is taught on the authority of scriptures and reasoning (Up Sah 18.04). The erstwhile ignorant student becomes wise and claims ‘I am Brahman’ (Up Sah 18.05) and the idea of agent-ship is given up (Up Sah 18.06).
2 The Sruti talks only about the method of ‘not this’, ‘not this’, and on such negation, Self is directly cognized as Existence, Consciousness (Up Sah 18.26). Results of action are enshrined in earlier part of Veda and not in the later part (Up Sah 18.19).
3 For a qualified student, hearing completes the teaching and produces right knowledge and liberation. Production of right knowledge and liberation are simultaneous. There is no time gap (Up Sah 18.103 and 18.104). The argument supporting follow up actions is not correct because action is not considered a source of knowledge
4 Indirect knowledge is produced in case the teaching is about non-Self (objects). In such a case, action may be needed to get direct knowledge. TTA is about the inner-most Self and it produces immediate knowledge of Self as is in the case of knowing the tenth man (Up Sah 18.172, 18.176 and 18.202).
5 If ‘I am Brahman’ is not meaningful after Sravan, it will not become meaningful even after the repetition of the same thousand times. During hearing, scriptural text which is a source of knowledge is operated by enquiry of ‘Tat’ pada ‘Tvam’ pada. If hearing once does not produce knowledge, hearing should be repeated until the dawn of knowledge. It may even take one or more births.
6 Up Sah 18.208 is response in two steps. There are two possibilities. Either the listener is different from Brahman or he is Brahman. If there is a difference, then an action (repetition of I am Brahman) is needed to convert the listener into Brahman because an action brings about a change in the listener and makes him Brahman. In case the listener is already Brahman, but he does not know, no action is required. Only listening to gain knowledge is required. In the next step, it is argued that since the listener is different from Brahman and the latter is infinite, no amount of action can convert a finite listener into infinite Brahman. The listener will need infinite births to become Brahman. Therefore, knowing that one is eternally liberated, it is foolishness to perform actions (18.209). There are no duties for a knower of TTA (18.210). 7 As a compassionate teacher, ShankarAcharya acknowledges the problem in the point number 3 above of PP. He reasons out the suffering and solution in verses 20, and 163 to 169. (i) Unhappiness and mental pain due to a cut or burn is in the body and not in the Self which is inner-most and different from the mind and body. However, due to ignorance, Self is identified with the mind and body resulting in wrong notion of I feel pain and I am unhappy. The distress experienced by the son is superimposed by the father on himself who has no distress or the extreme case when a father feels dead on the death of son. In the wake of knowledge, there is no identification and consequently I disown the pain etc and transfer them to where they belong. Owing to there being burns etc., in one man another is not pained. “The Self might be freely imagined having the potentiality of pain in It if It were proved to possess pain at all. One’s identification with the body etc. is the cause of the pain felt and is responsible for the idea of such a potentiality existing in It.” (Up Sah 18.166) “Unhappiness is seen in one when one’s mind roams against one’s will on account of Ignorance. But it is not seen in one when the mind is at rest. It is, therefore, not reasonable that unhappiness is in the innermost Self.” (Up Sah 18.168/169)
(ii) Repetition of ‘I am Brahman’ is not the solution (18.216) because repetition presupposes that I am not Brahman as against the fact that I am Brahman on the authority of scriptures. The experience contrary to the fact should be questioned and not the fact supported by knowledge. Shankara questions the very question: why do I suffer? In other words, one should seek clarification as to why he suffers despite the knowledge, I am Brahman (18.217). The clarification is like this. The suffering belongs to non-Self and not to the Self. Even after gaining knowledge and burning of sanchit karma and there being no possibility of agma, the contrary feelings (viprit bhAvanA) in non-Self is due to prArabdha. (iii) The student has asked for freedom from suffering, and he should be taught freedom. With TTA, the student is taught that ‘I am Brahman and ever free; the objective is achieved, and teaching is completed. TTA is not meant to assure that an entity other than ‘I’ is free from suffering (18.218). (iv) If worldly problems are real, they cannot be removed by any means. VedAnta teaches that Brahman is the only reality; world and worldly problems are mithyA and cannot affect I who is identical to Brahman (Up Sah 18.23). I am ever free. I am unhappy is a wrong notion.
Note: The suffering in non-Self is mithyA which is defanged on the strength of Self-knowledge. The scripture suggests nidhidhyAsana, which is different from repetition, to take care of contrary feelings. In Naiskarmaya Siddhi, SuresvarAchArya says that though TTA removes ajnAna and not ajnAna vAsanA, when ajnAna vAsanA raises its head, jnAna vAsanA also arises to neutralize it.
Contd Part 6