18.170–184
In a series of verses, Shankaracharya explains how Tat Tvam Asi (TTA) should be taught and understood. As in the case of any sentence, in order to understand the meaning of TTA, one must understand the meanings of the words Tat, Tvam, and Asi.
The direct or literal meaning of Tat is Isvara, the creator, sustainer, and destroyer of the universe. Tvam means you, the individual (jiva), and Asi signifies that Tat and Tvam are identical, that is, Isvara = Jiva.
An equation is meaningful only when its two sides are apparently different but essentially the same. If the two sides are apparently identical, the equation serves no purpose. Thus, 5 + 4 = 10 – 1 is meaningful, whereas 9 = 9 is not. For one who understands addition and subtraction, both 5 + 4 and 10 – 1 resolve into 9, thereby validating the equation.
Similarly, in the equation Tat = Tvam, Tat means Isvara and Tvam means jiva. An ordinary person knows that the two are different; they are apparently different. The teacher’s task is to show the student that they are essentially identical. To do so, he analyses the words Tat and Tvam and ascertains their implied or suggestive meanings. This is analogous to carrying out the addition and subtraction in the above example. He then shows that their essential natures are identical, just as both sides of the equation ultimately reduce to 9.
What is the essential nature of Tvam, that is, of the jiva? The essential nature of a thing is that which is always present, like the sweetness of sugar. For this purpose, the method of agreement and difference (anvaya-vyatireka) is employed.
The jiva consists of the gross body, the subtle body, and consciousness. In the waking state, all three are experienced. In the dream state, the gross body is not experienced. Therefore, the gross body cannot be the essential nature of the jiva. In deep sleep, the subtle body is also not experienced. Therefore, the subtle body too cannot be the essential nature of the jiva. Consciousness alone is present in all three states. Therefore, pure consciousness (Consciousness) is the true nature of the jiva. It is the Self of the jiva.
Differences among individuals pertain to the gross and subtle bodies; there is no difference in Consciousness itself. The Self is therefore non-dual. What is the essential nature of Isvara? Isvara is Brahman associated with maya. The unmanifest universe is maya, and the manifest universe is its expression. Maya is the variable aspect of Isvara. A changing entity requires an unchanging substratum for its existence. That substratum is pure existence (Existence). Brahman is Existence.
The scriptures teach that Consciousness and Existence are two aspects of the same reality. Since the Self is Brahman, the teacher successfully imparts the teaching of TTA.
It can be seen that, in the process of ascertaining the implied meanings of Tat and Tvam, their essential aspects are retained and their non-essential aspects are discarded.
There is another way of understanding the process. In the equation Tat = Tvam, the two sides mutually qualify one another. As shown above:
Tvam = Mind-Body System (MBS) + Consciousness
Tat = Creation + Existence
By mutual qualification, the contradictory attributes, namely, the MBS and creation, are discarded, leaving Consciousness and Existence respectively on the two sides. Since Consciousness and Existence are identical, the teacher successfully imparts the teaching of TTA.
The next question concerns the fruit of this knowledge. An ignorant jiva looks upon himself as a limited being because the MBS is limited. He regards Isvara as unlimited and remote. Upon gaining knowledge, the student understands that he as Consciousness is none other than Isvara. He gives up the notions of his own limitedness and of the remoteness of Isvara, while retaining and identifying with Isvara’s limitlessness. As a result, he recognizes himself as Consciousness, Existence, and Infinity.
The erroneous identification with the limited MBS is removed. The false notion that the Self is the sufferer comes to an end. Freedom from the notion of suffering is liberation.
However, understanding the full import of TTA requires not only a discriminating intellect but also a mind that is not carried away by worldly desires. A person obsessed with desires is unfit to undertake the necessary inquiry in accordance with the traditional method, just as a person with bandaged eyes cannot see.
When a qualified student grasps the teaching, the knowledge, “I am Brahman,” arises immediately, just as the knowledge of the tenth man arises immediately. The knowledge is as clear as a fruit lying on the palm of one’s hand. Nothing further is required. Knowledge and the realization of liberation are simultaneous.
The significance of the word Asi being in the present tense should also be noted. It means, “Right now, I am Brahman.” Liberation is eternal. I was liberated in the past, I am liberated in the present, and I shall remain liberated in the future.
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18.185–200
Shankaracharya summarizes the teaching in these verses. A common problem faced by a seeker is that right knowledge appears to contradict the experience gained through the sense organs and the mind. An example is cited from Purva Mimamsa. There is an injunction that gold should be cooked before being used in a ritual. In practice, however, it is only purified and not cooked. Naturally, the seeker may doubt the validity of the scriptures.
The phenomenon of dream clarifies this doubt. The pain due to a cut or a burn experienced during a dream is negated upon waking up. It does not assert itself again. In the same way, the notion, “I suffer,” arising from the pain of the body or mind, is negated by the rise of right knowledge: “I am pure consciousness, different from the body and mind.”
The agony caused by the perceived loss of the tenth man is removed as soon as it is pointed out that the tenth man is present. The knowledge and the removal of agony are simultaneous; there is no time gap between them.
Right knowledge arises upon the successful completion of the teaching of TTA, which in turn depends upon understanding the implied meanings of the words in the sentence. These implied meanings are ascertained by the method of agreement and difference (anvaya-vyatireka). The word asi (“art”) is used to show that the two words, “Thou” and “That,” are in the same predicament, thereby establishing the identity of the Self and Brahman.
Shankaracharya cautions that interpretations of the words that differ from those derived in the above manner are unreasonable and undermine the authority of scripture.
As an additional point, it is said that in the sentence Tat Tvam Asi there is no prescribed order with regard to the words Tat and Tvam. It does not matter which is mentioned first and which later.
This teaching tallies with the instruction imparted through the method of “not this, not this” (neti, neti). Both teachings establish that reality, namely the Self or Brahman, is non-dual.
The fruit of Self-knowledge is the immediate realization that liberation is my true nature and that I have always been liberated. The view that some further action, such as repetition or meditation, is required is thus refuted. Actions such as karma yoga and upasana yoga are necessary only for acquiring the qualifications of a pure and focused intellect capable of receiving this knowledge. No action is required at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of the process of gaining Self-knowledge.
Contd