27 Mar 2011
There are two channels for the meaning of the word Atmajnanam. The first channel is to analyze the composition of self and human body, since the word Atman means the human body also. However, if you confine the meaning only to the self, it means only the analysis of self. The analysis of both the self and human body is done by science already. In fact, science revealed that soul is only nervous energy, which is the specific work form of the general inert energy that is generated by the oxidation reaction of food. The same inert energy is called as awareness, which is a specific work form of it only since the inert energy becomes that specific form due to its function in a specific system called nervous system. It is work form because it is only the work of transportation of information from senses to brain through neurons. Similarly, the same inert energy becomes a specific work form called Respiration since it is work in a specific system called lungs. Similarly, any work is a specific form of work of the inert energy only in specific systems like heart, kidneys etc. A scientist defined life or awareness as the sound generated from the beating of drum by stick. Neither drum, nor the stick nor the inert energy applied through the human hand in beating is the sound. The sound is only the mechanical work form of inert energy that is generated by the transformation of the inert energy in a specific system called drum, stick and beating of the drum. Similarly, neither food, nor oxidation of food, nor the inert energy, nor the nervous system is life. Life is the specific work generated by the transformation of the inert energy in this specific nervous system.
It is good to analyze the life or awareness through science, which is the proven logic developed by practical experiments. The ancient logic [Tarkam] is also analysis of the items of creation without the proof of experimental knowledge. Hence, the ancient logic may be true or not, since it is only theory developed by thinking process of brain. In fact, there is no difference between science and ancient logic in essence since both deal with the analysis of items of creation only. Conservative people think that ancient logic deals with God. It is totally wrong. The ancient logic never agrees to God because God is beyond analysis and logic means only analysis. By that way, science also keeps silent about God. Ignorant people, unaware of the subject of logic, falsely think that logic is related to God and science is related only to the analysis of creation. The reason for this is that the ancient logic is in Sanskrit language.
All That is in Sanskrit, Need Not Be Divine
People think that whatever is in Sanskrit must be divine. It need not be so. Charvaka, the atheist, wrote his concepts in Sanskrit only. The sage Vidyaranya gave a place to Charvaka also in explaining the six principle systems of philosophy. What is the reason for giving such place of dignity to Charvaka? Charvaka told everything wrong about God. But, he is the only person, who told that the soul is only a generated specific work form of inert energy by the oxidation of food. You should collect the Gem from the dustbin also. You did not reject the Gem since it is in the dust bin. All others thought that self is divine. We shall certainly give the highest value to self in the items of the creation since self is the most subtle and valuable item of creation. It does not mean that self is the Creator Himself. It is the greatest item in the creation and hence, self is called as Brahman. The word Brahman need not mean God only. It can mean any greatest item in a particular category. The Gita calls the Veda as Brahman since it is greatest among the scriptures. Brahman also means God because God is greater than the greatest item of the world, which is the soul. The reason is that God controls all the selves (Atmeshwaram… Veda). Hence, the word Brahman is not confined to God only. Hence, there is confusion to mean Brahman as God only. Therefore, a different word ‘Parabrahman’ can be fixed to God, which means that God is greater than Brahman because Brahman stands for every greatest item in a category in the creation. By this, Parabrahman means the greater item than any greatest item of each category of the creation. Since Atman means self and the self means Brahman, the word Atmajnanam means Brahmajnaanam. Beware that the word Brahman here means only the self and not God.
You should not say that the analytical knowledge of self is waste. Shankara gave importance to this analytical knowledge of self since it relieves you from all the worldly tensions. If you know that you are not this body, all the bonds related to the body disappear since such bonds are not your bonds. They are bonds of your body only. If you know that you are the internal awareness, which is the specific work form of inert energy, you will be relieved from all the worldly bonds. If you become sharper in identifying the awareness as the basic inert energy only, you will not be aware of anything and hence, the tension disappears from the root. Unless you are relieved from the worldly tensions, you cannot understand God with stable mind and serve God with full faith and determination. Therefore, before identifying the specific human being possessed by God, you should have the analytical knowledge of yourself to become fit to serve the contemporary human incarnation. This analytical knowledge of self serves like sedative injection to get rid of all the worldly tensions. It forms the basis of your divine service.
Therefore, Shankara stressed on the first channel of the meaning, which is the analytical knowledge of self and to identify yourself as that self separating yourself from the human body. Once you achieve the result of the first channel, you deserve to go for the second channel of the meaning, which is the knowledge of identification of contemporary human incarnation. Shankara trained all His disciples through the first channel through His commentaries and made them fit to serve Himself, the contemporary human incarnation. During this process of training, the disciples slipped in taking the word Brahman as God and feel that self is God and hence, they are God. Shankara corrected them by swallowing the molten lead and declared that He alone is God (Shivah Kevaloham), which is the second channel of the meaning. The disciples, who already became fit for the divine service by the first channel entered the second channel and served Shankara in the rest of the period and were finally blessed by God.
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