Sharing My Knowledge on Vedanta – Cause for Bondage

One has to understand the root cause of the bondage and put an end to it. The root cause of bondage is the individual’s ignorance to the Self. The common example given is Vedas is the Rope-snake analogy. In semi-darkness one might fail to see a rope as a rope leading to a misunderstanding of it as a snake. This non-seeing the rope leads to seeing a snake. In vedantic terms, this non apprehension leads to misapprehension. Similarly when I do not see the real Self, I misunderstand the Self to be the non-self.

In clear light we see the rope AS IS and similarly, when we realize the true nature of the Self, the identification with anatman disappears and we separate ourselves from the body-mind-intellect.

In vedantic terms ‘sat’ is ‘real’ meaning it exists in all times, past, present and future. ‘asat’ is temporary and is limited by time and space. In the rope-snake analogy, the snake is imaginary and cannot be real for it is destroyed when knowing the rope. Asat is never existent – never was, is and never will be. Now the snake though imaginary and seen in the state of ignorance, it is illusory and existed at one point, so cannot be described as Asat’.

It is therefore neither sat or asat, All illusory objects are classified under a special term called ‘anirvacaniya’ or ‘inexplicable’ meaning that which is ‘mithya’ – ‘that which is seemingly real or solid existence’. Here the term ‘seemingly’ is important.

Example: Absence of knowledge is ignorance but ignorance does not exist by itself. It is like darkness. Darkness is nothing but absence of light, darkness does not exist by itself but at the same time we cannot deny the presence of darkness. So too we cannot deny ‘ajana’ or ignorance though an illusory existence and is also anirvacaniya.

The Three Gunas – Personalities – Sattva, Rajas, Tamas

Guna is nothing but the quality/characteristic of ajana/ignorance. Like the sweetness is the characteristic of sugar. Ignorance is of three gunas – Sattva, Rajas, Tamas. In Vedanta, the world simply means ‘all that can be objectified’. The world is everything that is and can be perceived by senses and the organs of senses mind, intellect. These are all objects of perception of the witness ‘Self’

Vedantic masters have analyzed the world as of 5 elements, 5 organs of knowledge, 5 pranas, mind and intellect and the three qualities knowledge, action and inertia pervade the entire world.

* The sense organs, mind and intellect are endowed with the power of knowledge.
* The organs of action the pranas are capable of action
* Much of the cosmos is filled with inert substances like earth & water. (5 elements, mountains & rivers etc)

Since the entire world is the effect of ignorance and is pervaded by the three qualities, we can conclude that the ignorance (cause of this world), have the knowledge producing feature (sattva), activity generating feature (rajas) and inertia creating aspect (tamas). Therefore ajana is also knows as ‘trigunathmakam’ that which is constituted by three gunas.

The significance of ignorance being called ‘sakti’ or ‘power’.

Sakti is power. Ignorance is called as ‘sakti’ meaning the power of the ‘Self’ to make it seem deluded. This sounds absurd but the following example explains it well.

Just as the clouds generated by the power of the Sun covers the very Sun itself, so too the ignorance powered by the ‘Self’ covers the ‘Self’ for its own existence. Therefore the ignorance is called the deluding power of the Self. Truly speaking the clouds can never over the all pervading Sun but when the obstruction appears on the perceiver’s path of vision, he thinks it is covered. Once the cloud moves the Sun is visible. So too, the ‘Self’ can never be covered. It appears to be covered due to our non-apprehension and misapprehension of ‘Self’ and it is up to the individual to remove the veil and realize the presence of (ever present, all pervading, indestructible) ‘Self’, which is not bound by any limitation.

Ignorance is the cause of bondage.

• Ignorance/ajana in vedantic terms means identifying oneself with the anatman (body, mind and intellect) and being attracted to the worldly objects believing them to be real.

• Ignorance also means not recognizing & not realizing the supreme power ‘Self’ in each form. Atman when identified with body, mind and intellect is jivatma.

• We can also define this ignorance as the absence of ‘Self’ knowledge.

The two powers of ignorance/ajana are: avarna-sakti and viksepa sakti – the veiling and projecting powers. They not only veil the truth of the ‘Self’; they also superimpose the ‘Self’ with a false identification.

Ãvarna-sakti veils us from perceiving the ‘Self’ in us AS IS. The ‘Self’ (Sat-Cit-Ananda nature), the substratum is veiled, is clouded very much like a muddy mirror, making IT appear vague.

Viksepa-sakti: This is the consequence of the Ãvarna-śakti veiling the ‘Self’ and projects an illusory object (of the false forms & names in the world) on a non-apprehended substratum, ‘Self’.

My mind creates all sorts of thoughts, desires, and I am attracted towards the objects that I like and stay away from the ones that I dislike. I am caught in the plurality of the worldly life. I become the slave to my thoughts in the mind, causing the takeover of my emotions, directing for actions as an effect of those thoughts.

This results in elation, excitement and/or dissipating and exhausting. This is samsara, bondage. When we identify ourselves with the anatman we’re limiting ourselves & perceive us as the doer & enjoyer. We believe the world is real and assess our worldly possessions as a means for progress and success.

As long as we identify with the anatman, this process of samsara will continue, leading to a vicious cycle of birth & death. Unless and until we realize that we’re not the body, mind & intellect, and that, we’re Atman, a speck of Brahman (one appearing as many in forms, shapes & colors) and interact in this world with detachment, (shedding the doership & enjoyership) we’re bound by the bondage.

Swami Vidyaranya explains the power of ignorance with a simple example. Foam, bubble and a wave are all merely water in different form. There is no actual creation to produce these forms nor is there a destruction of water. Just as foam, bubble and wave are expressions of water in different forms and names so also each Atman is an expression of Brahman (the substratum) in various forms, shapes and names.

There is a colossal difference between playing a parent role (where one is letting the child experience life) than a parent being (where the parent is anxious of every move of the child). We’re all here to play our roles and nothing else.

Just ‘be’!!