hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté
Often I admire questions that are posed within our śāstra-s that are so poignant & profound it gives me pause and delight. I thought I would list a few of them out.
I have written them in this folder ( uttara¹) due to their weight. They are not casual conversational questions. Some have answers ( that are digestible) and others do not.
Let me start with one of my favorites…
The student within the vivekacūḍāmaṇi¹ is being instructed on the SELF. The master talks of the 5 sheaths or coverings ( pañcānṁ kośānāṁ) and that the SELF is distinct from these. He informs the student that when all 5 covers have been eliminated by reasoning ( and perhaps by being transcending) what remains is the witness of all, the substratum of all, the Self ( in this case called bodharūpa¹).
So the astute student (śiṣya) says , after these 5 coverings have been eliminated as not real, I am nothing but absolute void; by which entity then should the wise realize their identity with the Self ?
This is a brilliant question … it says all the organs of perception of knowledge have been eliminated as they reside in various 5 covers (this is without getting too specific) ; now what is left then ? What tool remains for me to recognize this Self if all have been eliminated ?
iti śivaṁ
words
- uttara - lofty, excellent; northern; adhikaraṇa within the mīmāṁsā school; this adhikaraṇa is the act of placing at the head or supremacy. It is the fourth member of an adhikaraṇa or case
- vivekacūḍāmaṇi or the Crown jewel of Discrimination ( some say crest jewel) ; the author and master is ādi śaṅkara-ji.
- bodharūpa = bodha+ rūpa = knowledge, intelligence + mark, sign, known absolute
Bookmarks