Introduction to Vedanta -Drig Drisya Viveka - Swami Sarvapriyanandaji's lecture in Vedanta society of southern California part 11

Swami Sarvapriyanandaji's lectures are available on youtube. These are just the my personal interpretations and transcriptions of his explanation of the text of Drig Drisya Viveka. Actual Copyright of the lecture belongs to Vedanta Society of Southern California.

Drig Drisya Viveka is a Vedantic test written by Vidyaranya Swami in 14th century AD. Its an introductory text on Vedanta.

We perceive gross matter through our senses and the gross matter has a name to identify and a form to distinguish it from the rest. These names and forms are superimposed on pure consciousness. We perceive the existence of others as well as that of us - our thoughts, feelings, desires etc. because of the reflected or the borrowed consciousness - chidabhasa. This is the consciousness aspect of Brahman. The sun shines and reflects upon everything but its reflection is more pronounced on shining surfaces like the mirror, not on dull objects. Similarly Brahman as consciousness is everywhere but is reflected clearly as consciousness in our minds. The process of distinction between Brahman and Maya, Absolute and Relative, Permanent and Impermanent is called Vivaka or the distinction. Sri Ramakrishna says in Gospel - Sand and Sugar are mixed, ant will take the sugar only, milk and water are mixed, swan will taste the milk leaving water. Similarly to a realized soul Brahman is the substance behind Maya - the world of names and forms.

Our every experience is not joyous, not blissful, we suffer a lot of miseries - what about that? If Brahman is all bliss why is there suffering? The answer is suffering or misery is in the world, not in Brahman. Misery is absence of bliss, on account of ignorance. Ignorance of our true nature is the cause of our suffering. Also bliss is a state of mind, the sattvic state. It is not there in other states.

Asti or existence is the Sat aspect of Brahman, bhati or shining is the Chit aspect of Brahman, Priya or dear/love/desirable is the bliss aspect of Brahman. Brahman has not been modified into the world as wood is modified into table. It is Brahman alone that exists. The names and forms may get changed but the underlying substance always exists. The wave would exist as water in the ocean even when the wave has subsided.  Brahman alone is Sat.

We are aware of the gross world around us. This awareness, the consciousness is the chit aspect of Brahman. Our consciousness is our own, we are not conscious of the consciousness of others. To us the external world exists. However we to ourselves are consciousness as we can read our own thoughts, emotions, feeling and desires.  

The happiness or joy is a state of mind, the sattva form. As Gita says, from sattva comes happiness or joyful state of mind. Therefore a person who is always in sattvic frame of mind is always joyful.

Only an illumined soul will see the world in its true colour, i.e. pure existence, pure consciousness and pure bliss and devoid of the multiplicity of the names and the forms. He will see God or divine consciousness everywhere and divine energy everywhere and will therefore be a samadarshi - equal unto every being.

As Swami Vivekananda says, Do not seek God, see Him everywhere. Brahman is everywhere and in everything. Since we cannot describe Brahman, we take help of parables and analogies.

Vedanta lessons should be learned through three primary techniques - sravana or listening, manana or reflection and nidhidhyasana or practise.