12.6, 12.7 and 12.10 Consciousness is independent of experience, but experience needs consciousness. There are two factors in experience. Consciousness and the mind. Consciousness is limitless. But it is limited or conditioned by the mind. The conditioned consciousness is like a reflection in the mind. When the mind comes in contact with an object through sense organs, there are modifications in the mind called vrittis. The vrittis are illumined or revealed by the (reflected) consciousness. Illumined vrittis is experience.
A wise person knows that locus of ignorance is the mind and not the Self, his true nature, and further that the mind commits the mistake of false identification. Such a wise person is indeed the best of yogis and not anyone else. Heat of the sun on the body is an object of knowledge. Likewise, pain and pleasure and the mind where they reside are the objects of knowledge. It is wrong to superimpose them on Self. Self is neither sad nor happy. The bottom line is that the condition of the mind belongs to mind and not to Self. Sadness is natural.
A wise man (his mind) is also affected by an unfavourable situation and is sad, but he knows that sadness belongs to the mind and not to (real) him. He experiences the pain in the body and treats the pain, but he does not suffer because he does not identify himself with the (pain of the) body. There is disentanglement and he does not complain about the unfavourable situation or the physical pain. There is difference between sadness and suffering. An ignorant person is sad and suffers also. A wise man is sad but does not suffer.
12.8 A knower of knowledge is one who knows that his true nature is pure consciousness (Consciousness) The word ‘tvam’ in ‘Tat tvam asi’ means real ‘I’ or Self. Self is pure consciousness and is indivisible. Self is not experienced. It is known. Self-realization means the firm understanding that my true nature is consciousness. Anything else is superimposition. Realization does not mean experience. Realization is knowledge.
12.9 An object is unknown and by a process of knowing, it becomes known. Shankara says that unknown and known do not apply to Self. As Self is never non-evident, it never becomes evident. In the expressions, Self-ignorance and Self-knowledge, ignorance and knowledge do not belong to Self. Their locus is intellect. Day and night are on earth and not on the sun. Day and night have no meaning on sun. Knowledge is relevant where there is ignorance. When ignorance is not there, the process of knowledge is meaningless. Therefore, ‘in me’ which is eternal and which is ever evident as Consciousness, how can there be non-perception and perception? The answer is implied in the question.
12.11 Experience has two parts. Consciousness and object of consciousness. Consciousness is chit ansha and object is idam ansha. Experience varies according to the object. Consciousness is the common factor across all that is experienced. On separating idam ansha, Consciousness remains. It is not a physical separation which in any case is impossible because Consciousness is all-pervading. It is a cognitive separation. Space is present inside and outside; so is Consciousness. It is one consciousness. Consciousness is homogeneous and is non-dual. It is unattached, unaffected, and untainted.
12.12 Consciousness is the Witness and is the knowing principle. In its presence, the mind is illumined and the illumined (conscious) mind knows. It is important to note that illumination is not due to any action by the Witness. In the mere presence of sun, the objects are lighted. The sun does not act. The knowing principle enables a particular knowledge to take place Consciousness is figuratively called Knower (capital ‘K’). There is no knower of a Knower for otherwise it results in infinite regress. The Knower is non-dual and is all-pervading. Space is all-pervading. There is only one space. There is no space, so to speak, for another space. Consciousness is not divisible into my consciousness and your consciousness. There is only one consciousness.
12.13 In 12.12 supra, it is said that Consciousness is the Knower. Ego (mind plus reflected consciousness) is another knower. The two knowers are different. Whereas the Knower never ceases to exist, the ego-knower has a beginning and an end. During deep sleep, mind is resolved and as ego-knower does not exist, there is no knowledge. However, Consciousness is present during sleep. It does not disappear. It is so because on waking up, there is memory of sleep. Memory requires past experience and experience requires consciousness. Shankaracharya tells that a (real) knower of Self satisfies three conditions. 1. He knows that the Witness never ceases to exist. 2. Witness is free from action. 3. He is free from the egoism that he is a knower of Brahman. 1 and 2 are explained in 12.12. 3 needs explaining. Ego is a modification of mind, and a knower of Brahman does not identify with mind and its modification. A jnani does not claim jnani status.
12.14 and 12.15 Both an ignorant and a wise have ego. The difference is that whereas the former considers it real, it is mithya for the latter. The wise uses mithya ego for mithya worldly transactions. His true nature (Consciousness) is neither a doer nor an enjoyer and is therefore unaffected. Knowledge arises in mind in the form a vritti, removes ignorance and then the vritti disappears as it is an object. Once ignorance is removed, it is removed for good. It is katha powder which removes the impurity and, in the process, also gets removed. Whereas vritti has a beginning and an end, Self’s consciousness is not produced and does not end. Reflected consciousness (ego) has origination and demise. But it is wrongly thought that Consciousness has a beginning and end. Consciousness is the fabric, the substratum and always exists. Objects are like painting on it. They are external and superimposition.
12.16 to 12.18 Self is not a doer because it is changeless. It is devoid of agency of action. Our experience is that I am a doer. Here ‘I’ is the ego and not the Self. Due to ignorance, agency is transferred to Self. A jnani identifies himself with Self and considers himself a non-doer. Vedic commandments in Karma Kanda to perform rites and rituals are not applicable to a jnani.
12.19 Shankara concludes the chapter by reiterating what truly I am. I am all-pervading, without an interior or exterior like space. I am without motion, without change and never old. I am ever pure. According to scripture, space is the first among the five elements which are created. Space is the cause of the subsequent four elements. And I am the cause of space. All things other than Me are of lower order of reality and are mithya. I am non-dual and substratum of everything
NOTE: The following verses are relevant Ashtavakra Gita 1.3. Ashtavakra: You are neither earth, nor water, nor fire, nor air, nor space. To attain liberation, know yourself as consciousness which is the witness of all these. 1.4 Ashtavakra: If you think yourself distinct from the body and detach yourself from the body (and mind) and abide in consciousness, you will at once become peaceful, content and bondage-free. 15.4 Ashtavakra: You are neither this body, nor is this body yours. You are neither the doer of actions nor you are the reaper of the consequences of actions. You are pure consciousness, eternal witness, desire-free and ever blissful. Bhagavad Gita 3.27 All actions are governed by the gunas (qualities) of the nature. A man under the influence of ego thinks that he is the doer. 3.28 A knower of truth knows that actions are based on the gunas (qualities) of nature. Knowing that the qualities exist in the midst of qualities, he remains unattached.
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