Tattva-viveka Prakriyas in Vedanta (वेदान्ते तत्वविवेक-प्रक्रियाः)

Vedanta texts are the source of knowledge to understand Brahman and Atman. According to Advaita Vedanta, Brahman and Atman are one and the same and they are termed as Satyam (Real) and everything else is Mithya (unreal). That is tattva-viveka, a discriminative enquiry, viveka, for which the object is tattva, Satyam or the truth. Shruti terms Atman as Satya, thus tattvaviveka involves a discriminative enquiry about the Atman. This enquiry involves a process a procedure, a prakriya. In grammatical terminology we use the term Prakriya (Samskrit: प्रक्रिया) to derive various grammatical forms of words (rupa-siddhi). Here the term prakriya is used in a similar sense as a method of enquiry, an analysis, to help us understand a particular topic in Vedanta. These methods of enquiry are employed in Vedanta to understand Atman and Brahman. The ultimate aim of every human is to attain freedom, happiness, and overcome limitations of the body. However, the inherent problem of every human is the lack of knowledge (avidya) to distinguish between the Ahamkara (I-ness) and the Atman (Consciousness, Self). Ahamkara is when the Atman is wrongly superimposed with the attributes of the Sharira (body) - I am tall, I am angry, I am young etc., by the Buddhi (intellect).

To understand the nature of Ahamkara and Atman, various texts in the Vedanta tradition describe some methods of enquiry to help a sadhaka. A sadhaka engages in a discriminative enquiry to sort out Atma-tattva which is Satyam from everything else i.e., Mithya.

परिचयः ॥ Introduction

According to Advaita Vedanta school of philosophy, the concept of Satyam and Mithya (सत्यं मिथ्या च), is fundamental in the understanding of Brahman. Only when we perform a series of analytical steps of knowing Satyam and differentiate it from Mithya can we realize the Brahman or Atman. One importance for this whole pursuit is that these steps are cognitive in nature. Atman is distinct from everything else, and it is to be realized by a person, no amount of theoretical teaching would help if the sadhana part is not performed.

For example - the entire body can be viewed using different models. In a biological model, it can be reduced to a bunch of cells. But the bunch of cells themselves, as we see in a laboratory, cannot be called a body. But the body is nothing but a definite arrangement of cells and without the cells there is no body. So in this model the body is reduced to cells. From another standpoint, body is just minerals, calcium, carbon etc., - simple minerals, but minerals are not the body. It is very clear that the body, which seems to have its own existence, is reducible to all these minerals. And therefore, this body is mithya (unreal) and this kind of analysis continues until the level of molecules and atoms which cannot be seen with the naked eye as pratyaksha pramana.

Atman, also cannot be seen by the eyes and has to be comprehended by other pramanas (means of knowledge), namely Shabdapramana. In this process of understanding to dispel ignorance (avidya), the Vedanta Darshana, gives us some methods to reason and resolve the differences between what is real and unreal.

Defining Atman

Atman (आत्मन्), in Advaita Vedanta, is the same as Brahman, Pure Consciousness, immanent, transcendent and self-luminous. It transcends the subject-object (कर्त-कर्म) duality and trinity of knower, known and knowledge. Atman is the one who experiences everything, in whose presence alone and for whom all experiences take place. It is the only Reality. The tragedy of human intellect is that it tries to know everything as an object. Whatever can be presented as an object is necessarily relative and changing, for that reason it is Mithya or unreal. To resolve this inherent human problem, our seers have enumerated three ways to identify Atma and overcome ignorance through the process of enquiry (vichara).

In Tattvabodha, written by Shri Adisankaracharya, we find the lakshana vakyas (defining words) of Atman as follows,

स्थूलसूक्ष्मकारणशरीराद्व्यतिरिक्तः पञ्चकोशातीतः सन् अवस्थात्रयसाक्षी सच्चिदानन्दस्वरूपः सन् यस्तिष्ठति स आत्मा ।

That which is distinct from the gross, subtle and causal bodies, beyond the five sheaths, the witness of the three states of experience, that which exists in the form of consciousness and of the nature of existence-consciousness-limitlessness is the Atman.

Shariram is Atman - Confusion is Universal

Every human being is born with an inherent ignorance and confusion that each individual regards himself or herself, the body as such, as a person. If a person say's "I am tall," or "I am thin," it definitely conveys that "I am equal to the body." In saying that "I am tall", it means that "the tallness of the body is my tallness." Therefore the ‘I’, the atman, has the attribute of tallness or shortness, maleness or femaleness, which means that atman is equated to the body.

Such inability to discriminate between the I-principle and the Atman, exists at birth and is always present while we are going about in our activities of the daily life. From ignorance arises the mistake of superimposition (adhyasa) at all times. Now, this is generally a psychological and a basic universal mistake, not one person's private mistake in understanding. It is a universal mistake, because each individual has a physical body, each individual has a set of senses, each individual has a mind. And each individual is conscious of himself or herself as a person, and is born with self-ignorance, Avidya. This universal confusion about Atman is, I am a mortal, I am as good as this body. Attaching the attributes of the physical body, applying its limitations to the Atman is the Avidya or ignorance that each and every person (in the locus of karana-sharira) is born with.

Then again, the body being one and everything else being separate from this body, naturally, there is a conclusion about location also. So with reference to the pervasiveness of the body, every individual finds himself wanting. There is a sense of incompleteness with reference to pervasiveness. And again, there is inadequacy with reference to abilities, skills and so on. Thus we have varieties of limitations centered on the physical body. To overcome this sense of lack, inadequacies and limitedness, one has to go through the process of self-enquiry to recognize Atman, which is satyam.

Tattva-viveka Prakriyas in Vedanta

A viveka, a discriminative enquiry leading to the knowledge of Atma-tattva is called tattva-viveka. And what is tattva - this Atman, being ananta-sat, is the tattva, the reality, of everything. To resolve the confusion about Atman, to perform the tattva-viveka, there are particular analytical processes, which like prakriyas in grammar, when applied in Vedanta lead us to recognizing the Atman. Here the term prakriya is used to represent a method of enquiry, analysis, to help us understand what is what. In the definition of Atman given in the previous section, we can identify three prakriyas to discern the Atman. We can summarily present the processes to identify Atman as follows.

1. शरीर-त्रय-विवेकः ॥ Sharira-traya viveka - The analysis of the three shariras - स्थूलसूक्ष्मकारणशरीरा । Sthula, Sukshma, and Karana shariras. A prakriya wherein the process of the distinguishing of the Atman, or recognizing the Atman, as independent of the three shariras, bodies is elaborated.
2. पंचकोश-विवेकः ॥ Pancha-kosha viveka - The three bodies, as mentioned above, are divided into five layers, Annamaya, Pranamaya, Manomaya, Vijnanamaya and Anandamaya koshas. The layers are from the standpoint of our own experience, and from the panchakoshas we find there are five common levels of experience which we mistake for Atman. Clarifying and excluding each of them is the process of discerning the koshas from Atman.
3. अवस्था-त्रय-विवेकः ॥ Avastha-traya viveka - Every individual has these three states of experience, waking, dream and deep sleep and the proper way to analyze them to find out what is Atman and what is not is discussed here.
4. Karyakarana viveka - The knowledge about cause and effect of this srishti also helps one resolve about what is Atman.

Avidya (अविद्या) or Maya (माया)

Before discussing about ways to inquire about viveka, one should understand the cause and nature of ignorance. Any ignorance, whether it is ignorance of an object or ignorance of oneself, does not exist independently, but depends upon conscious, sacchidananda-atman. Therefore this Atman is the ashraya for Avidya. An ashraya is the basis, that which gives reality to this very ignorance.

And this Avidya is also, without a beginning, (anadi) but we cannot say it is Ananta (endless). It is mithya, because it is dependent on Atman for its existence. It is neither independently existent (Sat), nor is it nonexistent (Asat), but it has some kind of existence, yat kinchit bhavam asti. It is indescribable and indefinable for it is neither real nor unreal nor both (sadasadanirvachaniya). This Avidya is also called Maya (माया) as per some schools of thought and characteristically covers, conceals or projects another thing effectively leaving the true nature of the Self or Atman hidden to the person (maya avarana or maya vikshepa).

शरीर-त्रय-विवेकः ॥ Sharira- traya viveka

Sharira-traya-prakriya is where there is distinguishing of the atman, or recognizing atman, as independent of the three shariras, or bodies. This is one locus of error which can be sorted out to resolve the confusion about Atman.

Atman was defined as स्थूलसूक्ष्मकारणशरीराद्व्यतिरिक्तः । sthūla-sūkṣma-kāraṇa-śarīrād-vyatiriktaḥ; Atman, according to the author, is distinct from the physical, subtle and causal bodies. Sharira means body, and sthūla-śarīra means the physical body, as sthūla means gross, visible. Negation (of locus of error sūkṣma-kāraṇa-śarīram) is required and addressed using the term vyatiriktaḥ. Because the common universal error is that the Atman is referred to as sthūla-śarīra, and the reason for such a misidentity to arise is that Atman is not totally unknown entity. For example - svargaloka is totally unknown to anyone and Shruti's reference to it is believed. But because Atman is self, and whatever one knows about oneself is what atman is taken for granted, while in the vision of the Shruti, atman is other than what is commonly taken for granted, we require such a sentence. Everyone considers atman to be as good as the body (gross body), to be mortal. So is the case of mind and intelligence (subtle body) and ignorance (causal body). Atman is neither ignorance, nor a mental condition nor does it have any physical attributes.

Drshtanta of a Wave and Ocean: Atman is like water in association with a wave. Water is associated with a wave, verily present in a wave. If the wave is self-conscious, and takes itself to be just a wave, being completely ignorant of water, which is the Atman, the truth, satya, of the wave, the wave is the loser. Why? Because if the wave is enlightened in this area, there is no small wave, no big wave, no born wave, no dead wave. There is only water. Moreover, upon further application of the Advaita siddhanta, there is no wave, not even another wave, but there is no wave and ocean (everything is water or Brahman). The satyam in this analogy is water for both the wave and ocean.

पंचकोश-विवेकः ॥ Pancha-kosha viveka

Atman is distinct from the five sheaths (Panchakosha) vested in the Jiva. According to this viveka prakriya, Atman is within covered by five sheaths, and understanding the nature of each sheath uncovers the Atman. Atman is satyam and every kosha is a mithya.

अवस्था-त्रय-विवेकः ॥ Avastha-traya viveka

In the process of enquiring and understanding about the avastha-traya (अवस्था-त्रयम्) we are lead to the knowledge of Atman. One can deduce whether Atman has the attributes of the waking state to assume the status of being a waker, whether it has the attributes of the dream to become the dreamer, or sleep to be the sleeper, or is free from all these attributes. As defined in Tattvabodha, Atman is अवस्थात्रयसाक्षी i.e., it is free from all the attributes of these states, and is a witness to all three states of experience, called as avastha-traya-saakshin. It is distinct from all the shariras, and all three states of experience.

Sharira-traya

It may be noted that the Sthula-sharira being gross, is tangible and visible. The Sukshma-sharira is not visible but cannot be missed. It can be comprehended but is not a tangible object like the sthula-sharira. The sukshma-sharira is that in whose presence the body is alive, and in whose absence the body is dead. Now, third sharira is the Karana-sharira, and is the cause of the other two shariras. This is more of an adjunct than the body itself, it is the karana, the cause, for Sacchidananda-Atman to be a Jiva, an individual who has the sense of doership, and therefore does actions, gathers karmas, and because of that is born again and again.

Are sharira-traya and avastha-traya connected with each other?

Karana-sharira has no beginning, it is anadi, without a beginning, and doesn’t exist by itself. Avidya (also called ajnana) in Karana-sharira is of Reality, Sat-svarupa-ajnana. An object is not known to a person, and therefore, ignorance always resides in a conscious person, and itself is not real. There is no ignorance, as such, independent of the consciousness which is Atman.

Nature of Avidya

Here in the explanation of Avidya, we come across the phrase - yat kinchit bhavam asti (as per Vedantaparibhasha). This Avidya or Maya can be studied from three different standpoints by three kinds of people as described in Panchadasi.

तुच्छानिर्वचनीया च वास्तवी चेत्यसौ त्रिधा । ज्ञेया माया त्रिभिर्बोधैः श्रौतयौक्तिकलौकिकैः ॥ १३०॥ (Panchadashi. 6.130)

Meaning: A learned of the Shruti (Shrouta) regards Maya as unreal (तुच्छ), an intellect (learned in Shastras such as Nyaya, tarka) maintains that it is neither real or unreal (अनिर्वचनीय) and a common man (लौकिक) considers the world of Maya to be real (वास्तवी).

In the context of this article, since the analytical process is intellectual, here we discuss the indescribable nature of Avidya - that it is neither real nor unreal. Yet it is the natural and common practice of people that they wrongly superimpose the object and its attributes upon the subject and viceversa. This co-mingling of the subject and the object, this mixing up of the Satyam (Truth) and Mithya (Error), this coupling of the real and unreal (मिथ्याज्ञाननिमित्तः सत्यानृते मिथुनीकृत्य ) is called superimposition (अध्यासः) error (भ्रमः), illusion (माया), ignorance (अविद्या). All definitions maintain that it is the superimposition of one thing on another, e.g., the superimposition of silver on the shell or the illusion of many moons on a single moon. This transcendental Avidya is the presupposition of all practices in this phenomenal world.