This article was originally published in the January 2025 edition of Chinmaya Smrithi magazine.
Verses 254 to 263 of Vivekachudamani are pointers to guide us on how to contemplate at the seat of meditation by tuning our mind and intellect towards Brahman, the Pure Consciousness, with the right attitude. Brahman does not indicate a name, form or some characteristic, it just indicates the infinite non-dual Reality.
Neither knowledge of the truth nor feeling the truth can lead us to the truth on our own. Knowing is the function of the intellect and feeling is the function of the mind. Knowing is developed by studying scriptures and feeling is developed through devotion to God. The techniques for realizing our true nature are both knowledge and devotion. When these two merge, there is a special instrument that gets forged; that’s the heart. It’s not the physical heart, it is the spiritual heart. Contemplating and meditating is the function of that heart, just like knowing is the function of the intellect, and feeling is the function of the mind.
These verses reveal the nature of Brahman and urge us to contemplate on it in our own heart by understandingly feeling and feelingfully understanding—understanding fully what we have felt and feeling fully what we have understood—that “I am Brahman”. Brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani.
When Acharya says Brahman is not this or that, it will serve us well to replace Brahman with ‘I am’ to affirm and contemplate on the indicators given by Acharya regarding my own Self.
Vivekachudamani, Verse 254
जातिनीतिकुलगोत्रदूरगं
नामरूपगुणदोषवर्जितम्।
देशकालविषयातिवर्ति यद्
ब्रह्म तत्त्वमसि भावयात्मनि ॥२५४॥
jātinītikulagotradūragaṁ
nāmarūpaguṇadoṣavarjitam,
deśakālaviṣayātivarti yad
brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani. (254)
In verse 254, Acharya states that Brahman is far away or beyond jāti, nīti, kula, gotra (caste, creed, lineage, or family), nāma or rūpa (name or form) and it also is beyond guṇa or doṣa (merit or demerit).
My body perceives objects, my mind feels emotions and my intellect thinks. However, I am none of those. I am the changeless substratum, Brahman, because of which I am conscious of the objects, emotions, and thoughts.
All the qualities—creed, cast, race, color, family, lineage, merits, demerits—are all associated with body and mind, and they are not the real me. While I may associate with these characteristics in fulfilling my duties in the external world, internally I must know that I am not that. I just am. I am the non-dual infinite reality devoid of characteristics or qualifiers.
These identifiers—nāma, rūpa, jāti, nīti, kula, gotra—are all tied to the body. After the death of the body, they cease to exist. Guṇa and doṣa are associated with the mind and are constantly changing based on my thoughts and actions. What is changeless and always existing is the real me who is the witness to all the changes.
When we engage with the world, we fulfill our duties as so and so. We don’t need to go about telling others that we are the nameless, formless reality. Those who are not students of Vedanta may find such a declaration puzzling. However, we must know in our heart our true nature and we should feel that I am not so and so. We can then stand apart unaffected by the external world while fulfilling our duties and responsibilities.
Whether I am an Indian, an American, or a European; a Muslim, a Hindu, or a Christian; a Kshatriya, a Vaishya, a Shūdra or a Brāhman; a male or a female, good or bad; intelligent or foolish— these labels are given to the Body, Mind, ad Intellect (BMI) by the individual ego because of the non-apprehension of I, the true Self. That leads to the misapprehension that I am all these labels. That makes me feel limited and bound.
These various identifiers—name, form, merit, demerit, and so on—are not the Self. We need to reject them through discernment (viveka). It’s like wearing clothes. I am not the clothes I wear. I wear the caste, creed, family, and lineage to fulfill my responsibilities. I am not those. I am conscious of those. I am far away from those.
“I am” has no name or form. The moment I become conscious of form, names are assigned to distinguish it from others. I am not the name or form. I am devoid of merits and demerits. I am neither good nor bad. I am beyond both of them.
Time and space are concepts of my mind and intellect. Both are illumined by consciousness. Time and space are the quantum in which all the pluralities exist and play. Where there is no time and space, plurality cannot exist and there is no world of objects. In deep sleep, where there are no concepts of time or space, the perceived world of plurality is wiped out. I am beyond time, space, and objects because I am infinite. Infinity cannot be conditioned or limited by anything.
Where there is time and space, objects will also be present. Beyond time and space, that which has no qualities—such as jāti, nīti, kula, gotra, nāma, rūpa, guṇa, and doṣa—that is Brahman, and that I am. This I should understandingly feel and feelingfully understand in my heart at the seat of meditation. Brahma tattvamasi bhāvayātmani.
Bluishmuse 