The Aatmaa is self-luminous,
unattached, etc. Br.up.4.3.14.S.B.-svayamjyotiH
aatmaa asti iti svapnanidars'anena pradars'itam.By
the illustration of dream it has
been proved that there is the self-luminous
aatmaa and that it transcends the forms
of death (i.e. the body and organs). Br. Up.
4.3.17.S.B.-yathaa asau svapne asa.ngatvaat----------- buddhaantena. Just
as, being unattached in the dream state,
the aatmaa is not affected, on its return
to the waking state, by whatever appeared
to have happened in the dream state, so also,
it is not affected by anything done in
the waking state. (In other words, the aatmaa
is not at all affected by anything
experienced either in the dream state or in
the waking state).
Aatmaa in the three
states Br.up.4.3.19. S.B.-yasmaat jaagarite sasa.ngaH
samr.tyuH-------- It has been shown
that in the waking state the self appears through ignorance as connected
with attachment, death (meaning here action) and the body
and organs. In the dream state
it appears to be connected with desire, but free
from
the forms of death (meaning the
body, mind and organs-See Br.up.4.3.7.S.B.-svatah
kaaryakaraNaani eva asya ruupaaNi).
In the state of deep sleep it is perfectly serene
and unattached. This non-attachment is the
special feature in this state.
Considering all these passages
together, it becomes clear that the self is by
nature eternal, free, self-luminous and
pure. The jiivaatmaa is not a part (ams'a) of Brahman Br.up.2.1.20.S.B.
"kshudraa visphuli.ngaaH"Br.up.2.1.20 "mamaivaams'aH"-
B.G.15.7. -paramaatmaikatva-pratyaya---- The
passages such as `tiny sparks',
'a part of Myself', are
intended to convey the idea of identity. We are aware that
sparks of fire are identical
with fire. Thus a part may be considered as identical with
the whole. Therefore
words such as `part of the Supreme Self', as applied to the
individual self, are
meant only to convey the idea of the identity of the two.
(The supreme Self has no
parts. It is one homogeneous entity).
The individual self appears
as a separate entity because of the
limiting adjuncts (upaadhi) Br.up.2.4.12. S.B.-yathaa adbhyaH suuryachandraadipratibimbaH---
-- Just
as reflections of the sun, moon, etc, arise
in water, or a transparent crystal
appears
red because of the proximity of a red cloth,
so also, because of the limiting adjuncts (upaadhi)
in the form of the body and organs, Brahman appears as a separate
individual entity. On the realization of one's
true nature as being identical with
Brahman, the notion that one is a separate
individual entity comes to an end.
As the reflections of the sun, moon, etc, and the redness of the crystal,
disappear when their causes, namely the limiting adjuncts in the form of
the water and the red cloth are
removed, and the sun, moon and the transparent
crystal alone remain as they are,
so also, the endless, infinite and limpid
Pure Consciousness, or Brahman, alone
remains. Consciousness pervades the whole body, mind, etc.
An illustration-- Br.up.4.3.7
S.B-yathaa vaa marakataadiH maNiH ------ sarvaantaratamatvaat. Just as
an emerald or any other gem, dropped into a vessel of
milk, imparts its lustre to the milk, so does
this luminous self, being subtler than even
the mind and the intellect, impart consciousness
to the whole body, mind and organs.
( When an emerald is dropped into milk, the
latter gets a green hue. Similarly, the self, being pure consciousness,
makes the insentient mind, body and organs sentient.)
Why people identify themselves with the body,
mind, etc. Br.up.4.3.7 S.B
---buddhistaavat svachchhatvaat -------yathaa
vivekam jaayate.
The intellect, being transparent
and next to the self, easily catches the reflection of the consciousness
of the self. Therefore it is that even
wise men identify themselves with the intellect first; next
comes the mind which catches the reflection of the self through the intellect;
then the organs through contact with
the mind; and lastly, the body, through the organs. Thus
the self successively illumines with its own consciousness the entire aggregate
of body and organs. This is the reason why all people identify themselves
with the body, mind
and organs, to a greater or lesser degree, according to the extent
of their discriminating capacity.