Apanbodh

 

The following is a transliteration of the Utsarg (Dedication) and Mukhobondho (Exordium) sections of Apanbodh by Sri Ramen Basu.

 Dedication

 The Reality of the Self-IConsciousness is Eternal Truth in one’s Own Consciousness.  In the divine sport of the Self-IConsciousness, one’s Own Consciousness is totally engrossed. Self-IConsciousness is ever associated with one’s Own Consciousness.  Self-IConsciousness bestows the Self-I in the hands of one’s Own Consciousness.

Exordium

This treatise is called ‘Apanbodh’ i.e., one’s Own Consciousness, Self-Consciousness or the Consciousness of the Atman (the Divine Self I-Reality). The subject matter propounded in Vedanta is profound Saccidananda, the Supreme Reality, the Supreme Truth, One without a second Reality of the Brahman-Atman — the Knowledge of Brahman-Atman (the Divine Self I-Reality). One without a second Knowledge is verily Wisdom Absolute. By the Science and Knowledge of Vedanta/Upanishad is meant the profound Wisdom Absolute Brahman-Atman. One without a second Knowledge is direct Knowledge — the Self-Conscious Awareness (Swanubhuti). That is always only Self-realizable. The non-dual Knowledge of Vedanta is verily the ocean of the essence of Self-Conscious Awareness (Swanubhuti). It is eternally Absolute and ever perfect in one’s Own Consciousness. Hence, one’s Own Consciousness Itself, the embodiment of all-attainment, is non-dual ambrosial shower. The fundamental subject matter of this treatise has been described in two chapters. In each page of this treatise the self-perfect immortal True Nature of the Self-Conscious Divine Self I-Reality has been presented in the essence of Self-Conscious Awareness (Swanubhuti).

The profound Saccidananda, the Absolute Divine Self I-Reality, is Itself attributeless in Self-Consciousness, and is Itself attributeful in Self-nature (Swabhava). In Self-Consciousness It is only Witness Itself — Brahman-Atman (the Divine Self I-Reality) Himself. In Self-nature, He is the playful Lord Himself, the inner Controller, the Subject, the Enjoyer and the Experiencer — the becoming and Being (Shakti and Satta) of all lives. On His own bosom, out of His own Will, He has manifested Himself as the infinite living universe and is Himself engaged in the blissful divine universal Game on His own bosom. From the tiniest to the greatest, all are His manifestations. His Existence is ever present in the heart of all manifestations as the Being, the Atman (the divine Self I-Reality). The universal as well as the individual, both are His identity. As the substratum of all consciousness, experience and sentience, He is never absent.

In life, the evolving expressions of Self-Consciousness are ever perfect; Awareness and experiences are its proof. In His infinite manifestations, the experience of the diversified forms, names, ideas and consciousness, keeps life overwhelmed. At the root of all kinds of experiences, the Saccidananda Itself — Atmaram-Pranaram (the Divine Self I-Reality), is ever present. The power of His Bliss-Consciousness displays His infinite glory on His bosom itself. On the bosom of partless Atman-Existence, even though the expressions of His Bliss-Conscious Self-nature (Cidananda Swabhava) are manifested in the form of infinite diversities, yet in the atoms and sub-atoms of each manifestation dwells the Saccidananda Reality Himself. In the language of the Person perfected in Self-Conscious Awareness (Swanubhuti), the creation bereft of Saccidananda Brahman-Atman can never be imagined. Even the imagination is possible through the medium of Consciousness, by the Consciousness only. That Consciousness is experienced in life either in a positive or in a negative way or in both positive and negative ways. The unified form of all kinds of experiences is the Self I-Reality (Real I) or Ahamdeva I (Lord Self-I). Since Consciousness and Atman (the Divine Self I-Reality) are identical, the True Nature of Atman is Ownness.

All human experiences happen in and through one’s Own Consciousness. At the root of this experience is Atmaram-Pranaram, seated at the heart of every being. That verily is the Real Identity of one and all. Atmaram-Pranaram is comprised of the Saccidananda Reality. His self-effulgent form is Ahamdeva I (Lord Self-I). On His bosom falls the reflection or shadow of His manifestations and that comprises His Self-nature (Swabhava). The Atmaram, in the form of Self-Consciousness, is fully involved in the divine sport of life under the cover or mask of Self-nature. Self-nature conjoined with Self-Consciousness means the Real I conjoined with the idea of mine (the reflected I). In I-Consciousness, ‘I’ is the immutable Consciousness Atman; and in mine-consciousness, ‘I’ is the Self-nature (Swabhava Prakriti). In the manifestation of Self-nature, ‘I’ is full of diversities in the gross as well as in the subtle. These diversities comprise forms, names and ideas. Although these diversities are perceived to be real from the point of view of Self-nature, yet for that perception one needs to accept the substratum of Self-Consciousness, otherwise nothing can be experienced or perceived. It means, without ‘I’ no experience can be admitted. This ‘I’ is the ego when imputed with attributing adjuncts (Upadhijogey), and when devoid of any superimpositions of attributing adjuncts, It is Ahamdeva (Lord Self-I).

Summing up, whatever is perceived in and through the reflection-born idea and consciousness of mine, is nothing but the immutable Consciousness Itself — Ahamdeva I (the Lord Self-I). The sportful play of Ishwara takes place in association with Self-Consciousness, and that of Jiva (theembodied being) takes place in association with Self-nature. But only the Self-Consciousness is pure, enlightened, liberated Atmaram Witness-Consciousness. Hence, it has been said that there is bondage in Self-nature (Swabhava) and liberation in Self-Consciousness. Just as by one’s Own Consciousness is meant the Atman Self-Consciousness, similarly by mine-consciousness is meant energized Self-nature. The essential nature or identity of Self-Consciousness is the immutable Consciousness — Paravidya (the Science and Knowledge of non-duality). The real inherent character of Self-nature is the reflection of Consciousness (Cidabhas), the pure-Sattvic spiritual conscious power (Vidya Maya). The essential nature of Prakriti is the reflection of Cidabhas, the impure-Sattvic nescience conscious power (Avidya Maya). The manifestation of Avidya Maya is the living universe. The manifestation of the spiritual conscious power (Vidya Maya) is Jiva-Ishwara (the individual being and the Universal Being). The essential nature of Paravidya — the Science and Knowledge of non-duality, is Ishwara-Atman and the Brahman-Atman Self-Conscious Reality is the ‘Knowledge of Knowledge’.

The identity of Self-Consciousness associated with Self-nature is as follows — at the center it is Ishwara, in the inner it is Jiva (humans, Gods etc.) and in the outer it is the universe. Ishwara is the predominant ‘I’ associated with mine, Jiva is ‘I’ associated with predominant mine, and the universe is predominant mine associated with mine — here ‘I’ is obscured. The Atmaram Ahamdeva (the Absolute Divine Self-I-Reality) is ‘I’ without mine.

The cover or the mask of Self-nature has two divisions — one is inner and the other is outer. The inner division comprises mind, intellect, ego and mind-stuff; and the outer part comprises the gross body, senses and the vitals. Obscured by these coverings Ahamdeva-Atmaram forgets the True Nature of His Own Being or the Reality. Hence, in the form of an individual, He serves this covering perceiving it to be real.

The subtle part of the sentient manifestation is the cause, and the gross part thereof is the effect. The subtle part controls the gross part. From the subtle-most to the gross-most manifestations of Consciousness various kinds of diversities are created according to the degree of the modifications of the inner sense. The modifications of the inner sense are differently called Gunas or qualities, that again is indicated as the attributing adjuncts. These qualities and the attributing adjuncts are threefold — Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Since that Awareness, which is the Consciousness Itself, is subtle-most, it is unmixed and transparent like crystal. If any flower of red, blue, green, yellow etc. color is put in the proximity of the crystal, it appears to be of red or any other proximate color. Similarly, as the Pure Consciousness Divine Self I-Reality gets associated with various Gunas and ideas, It attains the merits and demerits of the corresponding ideas i.e., It appears as those ideas. In and through the Gunas and ideas of the Self-nature, the three bodies — gross-subtle-causal; five sheaths e.g., material sheath and the rest; three states waking-dream-deep sleep are imagined and inferred. When the Atman — the immutable Consciousness Ahamdeva, is associated with any one of them, then the corresponding grade of experience manifests according to that nature and those ideas. The nature of gross body is — birth, stability, growth, maturity, decay and death. Owing to the body-identity, Atman considers or imagines Himself to be teenager, young, old, thin, fat, Brahmin, Chandal and the rest; when the body is affected, He experiences happiness or sorrow, suffers misery and becomes afraid thinking death of the body to be His death. The character of the vitals — hunger and thirst, decrease and increase, coming and going etc.; the character of the mind — attachment and aversion, happiness and sorrow, fear and worry, grief and delusion etc. The character of the intellect — agency, enjoyership, knowingness, authoritarianism, perseverance etc. Being falsely identified with the nature of the vitals and with the nature of the mind and intellect, Consciousness presiding over the innate nature of life, presumes their character to be His own. As a result, thinks Himself to be happy and sorrowful etc. This happiness, sorrow, fear, grief and the rest are not the nature of the Atman, but they are superimposed or adventitious nature i.e., imagined trait or emotion.

The natural property of water is coolness. When it comes in contact with fire, it becomes warm. This warmth is the adventitious or the superimposed state of water. After the fire is removed, water again regains its natural quality of coolness. Similarly, in and through spiritual discrimination when the adventitious nature of the attributing adjuncts of three Gunas, three bodies, five sheaths and the rest are negated, the immutable Atman is stabilized in His eternal, pure, enlightened and liberated Witness Self. In other words, revelation of I-Consciousness, free from the influence of mine, manifests in life. Through spiritual discrimination it is experienced that I am not the body, mind, vitals, intellect etc.; and do not even have their properties or nature. All these attributing adjuncts are also not mine and I am also not all these attributing adjuncts. I am free from these attributing adjuncts and a mere Witness to all of them. My body, my mind, my intellect — all these attributing adjuncts are used by everybody. ‘I’ — the subject, is always different from ‘mine’ — the object. Still everybody, under illusion, imputes all these attributing adjuncts like the body, mind, vitals and the intellect on the Atman or Ahamdeva. Thus, they consider themselves to be fat, thin, happy, miserable etc.

Special mention must be made here that whatever a human being considers as mine, although its subject or the knower seems to be the ego-self, yet it is not the ego. The subject or the knower is the immutable Consciousness-I (the Divine Self I-Reality). The knower or the subject is always different from the object of knowledge. The knower can never be knowable. The object of knowledge is not self-effulgent, but it is always revealed by the knower. In one word, the object of knowledge is not for the knowable, but for the knower. Again, the knower is also not for the knowable, but for the subject. Ahamdeva, the ‘I’ of the Divine Self I-Reality is the only Knower or Subject, and all manifestations of the Self-nature are the object of knowledge to Him. Since the object of knowledge is different from the subject, it is always imagined, hence the non-self. Even the ignorance of deep sleep state is also revealed by Me — the Real I. ‘I’ is aware of that state also. Since ‘I’ is the subject and ignorance is the object of knowledge, that is why ‘I’ — the Conscious Divine Self I-Reality (Atman),is different from ignorance and is the Revealer of ignorance. Different kinds of manifestations of Self-nature are all objects of knowledge to the Self-Conscious Atman. Simply put, starting from ignorance up to various kinds of knowable or objects of knowledge that I know or see, cannot be experienced or seen without the Knowledge-natured I. The Knowledge-natured I is Ownness-natured, always homogeneous, whereas the creation is heterogeneous and of manifold nature. The Ahamdeva I is calm or equipoise, steady and self-luminous Existence Himself, Shiva— the highest Good. It is the divine sport of Shakti on the bosom of Shiva. From the perspective of the Reality, on the bosom of Self-Conscious Existence, it is the divine sportful play of the power of Self-nature (‘Sportful dramatic sameside game of Self-Consciousness’ is the becoming nature on the Being) i.e., on Ahamdeva — the Absolute Existence of Shiva I, Kali — the embodiment of the active power of Time, is dancing in the divine play of Self-nature assuming the idea of mine-ness.

With the changes in the body, vitals, mind and the intellect etc., Knowledge Self-I (Cidatma Ami) does not get transformed. On the bosom of ‘I’, the substratum of all kinds of transformations of mine-consciousness, is verily the Witness Consciousness I Itself. From childhood up to old age and death, so many kinds of modifications and transformations of mine-ness in the form of Self-nature, occur on the bosom of Self-Conscious Divine Self I-Reality. In spite of all those changes, One Self I-Reality is ever present at all times and in all situations as their substratum. Just as the paintings on canvas are full of diversities and tainted in various colors, forms and lines, yet their substratum or background is one and the only canvas, and the paintings have no separate existence and identity apart from it. Similarly, immutable Cidatma Brahman-Atman Self-Conscious I-Reality Itself, on the bosom of the Lord Self-I (Ahamdeva), is the only background of all kinds of glorious sportful play of Its Self-nature, and the Self-knowing Lord Self-I Atmaram Himself, perfected in Self-Conscious Awareness (Swanubhavsiddha), is the only Eternal Witness and Knower.

With reference to that ‘I’ of Ahamdeva, it is said that on the bosom of ‘mine’ in the play of Self-nature, that ‘I’ of boyhood, ‘I’ of youth and that ‘I’ of old age is the same unchanging Self-I-Reality. Again, that ‘I’ is the ‘I’ of the ignorant, ‘I’ of the wise, ‘I’ of the virtuous and honest, among the wicked and dishonest also it is the same ‘I’, among the rich it is the same ‘I’, among the poor it is the same ‘I’,among the renouncers it is the same ‘I’, among the sensualists it is the same ‘I’, among the ascetics it is the same ‘I’, among the emancipated it is the same ‘I’ and among the perfect Realizers it is the same ‘I’. Among all the Siddhapurushas (perfect Souls), Mahapurusha (supremely perfect Souls), Siddhamahapurusha (Divine Souls), Avatarpurusha (supremely Divine Incarnates), Gods and Ishwara, it is the same One I-Reality only which is the background Existence, the immutable Atman-Brahman. All-Conscious non-dual I-Reality bestows the very Existence to one and all. This creation of names and forms becomes existent by Me (the Divine Self I-Reality), is revealed by Me and all of it culminates in Me at the end. Hence, apart from Me — the Consciousness Itself, this creation is false or dead. In and through such repeated spiritual discrimination, the Knowledge of the dissociated nature of the Divine Self I-Reality is attained. Afterwards, from the verbal testimony of Guru, who is unified and identified with Brahman-Atman, on the topic of our True Nature and Self-Consciousness in and through the spiritual analysis of the great dictums Tattvamasi (thou art That) etc. or in and through the hearing of the ‘Science of all-acceptance and all-embrace’, reveals the Pure I-Consciousness in the heart of the Jiva i.e., I am (is) verily Ishwara-Atman-Brahman—such direct Realization or Self-Conscious Awareness (Swanubhuti) dawns. That is verily the cause of final emancipation.

Not everybody is entitled to the path of Jnanayoga because for that past disposition of highest order is the utmost requirement. But it is possible for everybody to accept all in one’s Own Consciousness and to develop the habit of ‘all-acceptance and all-embrace’. Hence, in course of discussions it has been said that ‘Ownness is one’s very nature and one’s Own is no different from one’s Self-I’. The Self-I is ever perfect and ever accomplished in one’s Own Consciousness. In the deliberations on the subject of one’s Own Consciousness, the intrinsic or original characteristics one’s Own Consciousness, have been expressed through the Science of one’s Own Consciousness in the light of Self-Conscious Awareness. Since the self-perfect Science of Self-Conscious Awareness is easily understandable through one’s Own Consciousness, it is revealed through the words of one’s Own Consciousness. In the beginning, the middle and the end of one’s Own Consciousness, the Self-I Consciousness has been continuously revealing in the hearts of one and all the True Nature of the immutable Consciousness and that of the Reality Itself of Atman-Brahman. The treatise under discussion is the testimony of it. In the subject matter included in this treatise, the sympathetic readers will find their Own Self in their Own Consciousness. This is the uniquely significant characteristic of one’s Own Consciousness.

Akshaya Tritiya, 1410

Kolkata                                                                                                                        Sri Sri Babathakur

 

Submitted at the lotus feet of Sri Sri Babathakur

Transliterated by Ramen Basu and edited by Sri P.C. Lahiri