Borrowed existence - Chapter 19

Sadhanacatushtayam (साधनचतुष्टयं) or the fourfold qualification that one needs to possess before commencing the enquiry into the Truth was discussed elaborately in last couple of posts. One needs to have this in adequate measure to be able to commence one’s pursuit, progress comfortably without having to push oneself too hard and to experience a growing sense of clarity and an increasing sense of freedom from the teachings of Vedanta.

Developing the fourfold qualification is not merely addition of some attributes to one’s character but will result in perceivable transformation where one intimately appreciates the inner growth from giving and sheds one’s earlier disposition of grabbing & hoarding. The fourfold qualification takes time to attain and even while one remains sincere to attain one need not be overly anxious. Veda purva bhaga (वेद पूर्व भागा) helps one develop the qualification for pursuit of knowledge of Self and Vedanta (वेदान्ता) provides the knowledge of Self and helps one attain moksha (मोक्ष).

Thus, having obtained sufficient clarity on the fourfold qualification the inquisitive student takes the dialogue forward with a pertinent question and the learned teacher provides a pithy response which shall subsequently be elaborated in great detail.

तत्त्वविवेकः कः ?

आत्मा सत्यं तदन्यत् सर्वं मिथ्येति ।

What is discriminative understanding of the Truth? It is the firm conviction that Self or atman (आत्मन्) is Satyam (सत्यं) and everything other than Self or atman (आत्मन्) is mithya (मिथ्या).

The discriminative enquiry leading to the determinative knowledge that the Self alone is Real and everything other than the Self is unreal is tattvaviveka (तत्त्वविवेक) or enquiry into the Truth.

Satyam (सत्यं) and mithya (मिथ्या) were two technical words used in the above sentence and we shall now look at their meanings in the context of Vedantic philosophy for these would be used recurrently. Satyam (सत्यं) and mithya (मिथ्या) are not used to denote any object per se but are used to reveal the understanding of the status of an object in terms of its existence.

Satyam (सत्यं) is that which has an existence & tuccham (तुच्चम्) is that which does not exist. Rabbit’s horn or flowers grown in the sky are examples of tuccham (तुच्चम्) that are given in shastras (शास्त्र).

Mithya (मिथ्या) on the other hand is used to denote any object that does not have an independent existence and needs to borrow the existence of another object to exist. Ornaments made of gold need to borrow the existence of gold to exist and pottery needs to borrow the existence of clay to exist and therefore pottery and golden ornaments are mithya (मिथ्या). Mithya (मिथ्या) although not having an independent existence has its usefulness and also has empirical reality. Satyam (सत्यं) is that which exists independently or does not depend on anything else for its existence.

The purport of the statement Self alone is Real and everything other than the Self is unreal is that atman (आत्मन्) alone exists independently and everything else exists dependently and therefore is mithya (मिथ्या).