THE VEDIC SHLOKAS

 

                   SHLOKAS 5

                    ESA SARVESVARAH ESA SARVAJNAH, ESO'NTARYAMI, 

                    ESA YONIH SARVASYA PRABHAVAPYAYAU HI BHUTANAM

                   WHERE ONE, BEING FAST ASLEEP,  DOES NOT DESIRE ANY DESIRE 

                   WHATSOEVER AND DOES NOT SEE ANY DREAM, THAT IS DEEP'

                   SLEEP. THE THIRD QUARTER IS PRAGNA, WHOSE SPHERE IS THE

                   STATE OF DEEP SLEEP, WHO HAS BECOME ONE, VARILY A MASS

                   OF COGNITION, WHO IS FULL OF BLISS, WHO ENJOYS BLISS, WHOSE  

                    FACE IS THOUGHT.
                    

           SO, IN THE STATE OF DEEP SLEEP, WHERE THE DIVERSITY OF COGNITION OF OUTSIDE OBJECTS AND INSIDE DREAMS HAVE CEASED AND CONSCIOUSNESS REVERTS TO ITS UNITY, THE SELF, THEN IS IN A STATE OF BLISS, EXPERIENCING BLISS NOT THROUGH INDULGENCE, WHICH DEPENDS ON SENSE OBJECTS, BUT ABSORBED IN ITS OWN INTRINSIC BLISSFULNESS, ALONE AND INDEPENDENT.

                       SHLOKAS 6

                  ANTAH-PRAJNAM, NA BAHIS PRAJNAM, NOBHAYATAH-

                  PRAJNAM

                  NA PRAJNANA-GHANAM, NA PRAJNAM, NAPRAJNAM,

                 ADRSTAM, AVYAVAHARAYAM, AGRAHYAM, ALAKSANAM,

                 ACINTYAM, AVYAPADESYAM, EKATMA-PRATYAYA-

                 SARAM, PRAPANCOPASAMAM, SANTAM, SIVAM, ADVAITAM,

                CATURTHAM MANYANTE, SA ATMA, SA VIJNEYAH

                   THIS IS THE LORD OF ALL, THIS IS THE KNOWER OF ALL, THIS IS THE INNER CONTROLLER, THIS IS THE SOURCE OF ALL, THIS IS THE BEGINNING AND END OF ALL BEINGS.

                      GAUDAPADA IS HIS KARIKA SAYS, "EKA EVA TRIDHA SMRTHA" . IT IS THE ONE ALONE WHO IS KNOWN IN THE THREE STATES.

                   THEREFORE, NOW THE QUESTIONS ARISE:

                  1. SO IF THE SELF IS IN THE BLISSFUL STATE OF DEEP SLEEP, IN THAT STATE ARE WE NOT AWARE OF BLISS, AS WE ARE IN A STATE OF UNCONSCIOUSNESS?

                 2. AND , IS THIS THE END? IN WHICH CASE, WHICH IS THE FOURTH QUARTER? A,U AND M SEEM TO HAVE BEEN EXPLAINED. IS THERE SOMETHING MORE?

                       BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS, WE SHOULD MOVE TO THE NEXT SHLOKA.

        SHLOKAS 7 

 

                          SO YAM ATMADHYAKSARAM

                       AUMKARO' DHIMATRAM PADA MATRA

                       MATRAS CA PADA AKARA UKARA MAKARA ITI

                     TURIYA IS NOT THAT WHICH COGNISES THE INTERNAL OBJECTS NOR THE EXTERNAL OBJECTS, NOR A MASS OF CONGNITION YET NON-COGNITIVE. IT IS UNSEEN, INCAPABLE OF BEING SPOKEN OF, UNPALPABLE, WITHOUT ANY DISTINCTIVE MARKS, UNTHINKABLE, UNNAMABLE, THE ESSENCE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE ONE SELF, THAT INTO WHICH THE WORD IS RESOLVED, THE PEACEFUL, BENIGN, NON-DUAL, SUCH THEY THINK, IS THE FOURTH QUARTER. THAT IS THE SELF: THAT IS TO BE KNOWN.

                       NO WONDER BUDDHA CALLED IT SHUNYA, ZERO, NO - THING AND GAUDAPADA, THE GREAT COMMENTATOR WAS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN A BUDDHIST.

                        NOW TO RETURN TO THE QUESTIONS :

                    1. ONE SEEMS TO BE UNAWARE OF THE BLISS OF THE SELF IN A DEEP SLEEP, BUT SURELY THERE MUST HAVE BEEN SOMEONE WHO WAS AWARE OF THIS BLISS WHEN ONE WAKES UP FROM A DEEP SLEEP, FOR THERE IS ALWAYS A REMEMBRANCE OF THE BLISSFULNESS. THE USUAL EXPRESSION WHEN WE WAKE UP FROM A DEEP, DREAMLESS SLEEP IS, "O! WHAT A BLISSFUL SLEEP". THIS BLISS LINGERS ON, AND ONE IS LIKELY TO TURN AROUND AND GO BACK TO SLEEP IN AN ATTEMPT TO RECAPTURE THE BLISS, EVEN WHEN THE WAKE-UP ALARM HAS RUNG MANY TIMES.

                    SO SUSHUPTI OR DEEP SLEEP, THE STATE IN WHICH ONE REVELS IN THE BLISS OF THE SELF, EVEN IF ONLY TEMPORARILY, AND BECAUSE OF WHICH, ONE IS REJUVENATED AND READY FOR THE DAY, IS NATURE'S INDICATOR OF THE PRESENCE OF THE SUPREME SELF. THIS SELF NUDGES ONE ON TO FIGURE OUT IF ONE CAN EXPERIENCE THE BLISSFUL SELF WHILE BEING FULLY CONSCIOUS, AT A TIME WHEN EVERYTHING ELSE CONFORMS TO THE DEEP SLEEP STATE.

                      IF, AND THE YOGIS SAY IT IS POSSIBLE, SUCH A STATE CAN BE REALISED, THAT WILL BE THE SUPREMELY BLISSFUL AND SUPERCONSCIOUS STATE CALLED TURIYA, THE LAST QUARTER OF THE PRANAVA, WHICH THE YOGA DARSHANA CALLS KAIVALYA.