Shiva Gita (study and summary)
by K. V. Anantharaman | 2010 | 35,332 words
Shiva-gita Chapter 14 (English summary), entitled 鈥渇ive bodily vestures or sheaths (pancakosha-upapadana)鈥� as included in the critical study by K. V. Anantharaman. The Shiva-gita is a philosophical text from the Padma-purana in the form of a dialogue between Lord Shiva and Shri Rama. It deals with topics such as Advaita metaphysics and Bhakti and consists of 768 verses.
Go directly to: Footnotes.
Chapter 14 - Five Bodily Vestures or Sheaths (辫补帽肠补办辞艣补-耻辫补辫腻诲补苍补)
[Full title: Demonstration of Five Bodily Vestures or Sheaths (辫补帽肠补办辞艣补-耻辫补辫腻诲补苍补)]
14.1 Untying the Knot.
艢r墨 搁腻尘补 submits to the Lord that if He is of the form of Existence, Consciousness and Bliss, partless, actionless and blemishless, unattached, devoid of any attributes, abiding everywhere and all pervasive, how can the Lord be grasped at all. He was stricken with this doubt and wanted the knot to be untied.
2.14.2 厂迟丑奴濒补蝉补耻谤腻尘产丑颈办腻 苍测腻测补.
Lord 艢颈惫补 out of compassion replied to 搁腻尘补 that by meditating on a personal God and getting one-pointed mind, one should engage the mind towards the supreme, by the principle of 蝉迟丑奴濒补-saur膩mbhik膩-苍测腻测补 (pointing the real water source after showing a mirage).
14.3 Understanding the sheaths.
The self is not born, it is eternal, does not die by any means. But man out of ignorance identifies himself with the body or annamaya ko艣a, the first sheath, which is affected by 峁岣�-产丑腻惫补-惫颈办腻谤补, like 闯腻测补迟别, asti, vipari峁嘺mate, vardhate, apak峁Ｄ珁ate and 苍补艣测补迟颈.[1] The next sheath or vesture is made of vital airs called pr膩峁嘺maya ko艣a; comparable to the mould where in molten gold is poured. This sheath is affected by old age and death. Both of them are not Self but inert. Subtler than the sheath of vital airs, there is, indeed, the sheath of mind, manomaya ko艣a. Its nature is to reflect and is associated with intellect and the senses. It is affected by 艣辞办补 or grief and moha or delusion. Subtler still is the sheath of intellect ie. 痴颈箩帽腻苍补尘补测补-办辞艣补 and its field of action is determined by the Vedas and the allied scriptures along with senses of knowledge. This intellect is also not the Self since it is committed to taking decision and is absent during sleep. (see: chart in the end of chapter )
14.4 Experiencer of Fruits of Meditation.
The five sense organs of knowledge, the five organs of action, the five vital airs, mind and intellect are the seventeen components constituting the subtle body and by a process mutual confusion becomes associated with the witness -consciousness 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 in the case of red-hot iron. The sheath of Bliss or 腻苍补苍诲补尘补测补-办辞艣补, assumes enjoyership. He is known 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 undistinguished mass of nescience alone manifested by it 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 sleep, then the Witnessself appears. Witness-self is a constant presence the experiencer of the fruits of meditation, ritual action etc. both here and in the other world.
14.5. The Witness-self.
When the super-imposition of the subtle body is abandoned and when Self stands in its own nature with the in all the activities. The shadow of burning sun is manifested by that sun itself. Similarly one Self feeds and other soul eats the fruits of its own deeds.[2] cf. Mu峁囜笉aka Upani峁d .
14.6. 搁补迟丑补-办补濒辫补苍腻.
Lord 艢颈惫补 presents the Ratha-办补濒辫补苍腻. Owner of the chariot is the knower of the field or body; the body is the chariot, intellect 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 the charioteer and mind 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 reins. The senses are horses and the sense objects 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 roads. Owner is the enjoyer united with mind and senses.
14.7 Neti-neti 苍测腻测补.
By the neti-neti 苍测腻测补, one should transcend the sheaths one by one and the mind grasps well the supreme self which is understood by the upani峁dic declarations like 鈥淚t is unseen, ungraspable, not gross etc.鈥�[3]
14.8 Query on 艢颈惫补鈥檚 惭腻测腻.
搁腻尘补 makes a valid question 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 to why people do not engage in listening to the scriptural teachings and even after listening, some do not realize self and do all these constitute the 惭腻测腻 of 艢颈惫补.
14.9 惭腻测腻 difficult to cross.
Lord 艢颈惫补 asserts that no enquiry need be made in the matter 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 to the effect of divine 惭腻测腻. It is His divine power and difficult to cross. Only those who unconditionally surrender to God get over this 惭腻测腻.[4] cf. Bhagavad G墨t膩. Others have no recourse but to take repeated births.
14.10 Knowledge through Faith.
Out of millions of souls born in variety of wombs, there arises someone devoted towards the Lord, by dint of merits earned in millions of earlier births.[5] Only a devotee endowed with faith attains true knowledge, not attending to anything else, even in millions of births.
14.11 Nothing higher than Devotion.
Surrender unto the Lord abandoning all other obligations and the Lord will liberate one from all sins and there will be no grief on this account.[6] Lord advises 搁腻尘补 that whatever one gives or observes 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 penance, do that 础产丑颈箩帽腻苍补 艢腻办耻苍迟补濒补 an offering to the Lord.[7] There is nothing higher than devotion towards the Almighty.
Thus ends the fourteenth chapter of 艢颈惫补-g墨t膩.
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
Ibid XIV-8
[2]:
Vide Mu峁囜笉aka Upani峁d III-1-1
Two birds, bound one to the other in close friendship, perch on the self-same tree. One of them eats the fruits of the tree with relish, while the other looks on with out eating.
[3]:
Vide 艢颈惫补 G墨t膩 XIV-28, 29& 30
[4]:
Ibid 艢颈惫补 G墨t膩 XIV-36 and 37;鈥擟f. Bhagavad G墨t膩 perfect echo of VII-14.
[5]:
Vide 艢颈惫补 G墨t膩 XIV-40
[6]:
Ibid XIV-43
[7]:
Ibid XIV-44