Consciousness in Gaudapada’s Mandukya-karika

by V. Sujata Raju | 2013 | 126,917 words

This page relates ‘Yoga of non-contact (Asparsha-Yoga)’ of the study on Consciousness as presented by Gaudapada in his Mandukya-karika. Being a commentary on the Mandukya Upanishad, it investigates the nature of consciousness and the three states of experience (i.e., wakeful, dream and deep sleep) which it pervades. This essay shows how the Gaudapadakarika establishes the nature of Consciousness as the ultimate self-luminous principle.

Gauḍapāda in kārikā 39 begins his central philosophical doctrine called the Asparśa Yoga. This doctrine is a culmination of the characteristics that he has ascribed to Brahman/Self which is non-dual in nature. From kārikā 32-38 Gauḍapāda engages in making the nature of Brahman accessible to the reader. He uses many negatives like ajam, anidram, asvapnam, akārpaṇyam etc. to describe the indescribable Supreme Reality. We have already enlisted and explained the negative method of describing the Absolute. A detail study of the term asparśa and its philosophical significance has been undertaken in my research on the alātaśānti prakaraṇa of the Māṇḍūkyakārikā.

Gauḍapāda explains in this kārikā that, ‘this yoga, which is not in touch with anything is hard to attain by Yogis in general. The Yogis are afraid of it, for they fear it where there is really fearlessness’.

Śaṅkara in his commentary of this important kārikā explains the phrase, ‘yogino bibhyati’ (yogis afraid of it or yogis shrink from it, i.e., from asparśa yoga) that this is not an ordinary yogic concentration. According to Gauḍapāda and Śaṅkara this yoga is more likely the opposite which has no contact with anything (asparśa), for nothing has ever come into being (ajāti). This yoga is well known and is described in the various Upaniṣads as asparśa yoga. This yoga being not in touch with anything is free from all relations. It is difficult (durdarśaḥ) to be realized by yogins, as who are not well grounded in the teachings of Vedānta. This yoga can be realised only through the knowledge of ātman as being non-dual. This is absolutely devoid of fear. But ordinary yogins see fear in this yoga as they think that in this yoga there is destruction of ātman (ātma-nāśa). In other words there is disintegration of their own individuality. They lack discrimination i.e. the real Self from its false appearance and therefore they are afraid of losing their individuality in this yoga which is in reality is free from all fear.

In kārikā 40 Gauḍapāda states that, ‘the yogis (who do not follow the method of Jnana-yoga as described in the kārikā) depend on the control of their mind for fearlessness, destruction of misery, the knowledge of Self and eternal peace’.

It seems that Gauḍapāda mentioned the yogis in this kārikāare the same yogis mentioned in kārikā 39, as those yogis for whom asparśa-yoga is difficult to realise and who are afraid of it. The commentator remarks on this point as: Those who regard the mind and sense-organs as illusory like the erroneous appearance of a snake on a rope and therefore regard them as non-different from the nature of Brahman from the absolute point of view-for such men who have become identified with Brahman, fearlessness and eternal peace which is emancipation (mokṣa) is only naturally accomplished and for which they do not depend upon any other disciplinary activity.

But for all other yogis who follow the righteous path possessing a middling or inferior type of intellect and who regard the mind as related to but different from the Self/ ātman and who have no knowledge of ātman being the sole reality, fearlessness is realised only through the control of the mind. To them the destruction of misery (duḥkṣakṣayaḥ) is also dependent upon the control of the mind. For, according to Śaṅkara there can be no removal/extinction of misery for those non-discriminating people as they regard the mind is related to ātman and the mind is always active.

Moreover, for them, the knowledge of the Self and the everlasting peace (akṣayā śāntiḥ), called emancipation, depend on the control of the mind (manonigraha).

Swami Nilkhilananda comments on this commentary[1] : “To see the mind as separate from Brahman is a freak of imagination. The jñānis, knowing this truth do not care for the control of mind, for the mind, as such, does not exist for them”.

Nilkhilananda expands his comments on this theme: “The yogis think that misery is caused by the activities of the mind. Hence they direct all their energy to the suppression of the vṛttis of the mind. But the vṛttis reappear if the attempt is slightly relaxed. The yogis, on account of their ignorance of the real nature of the mind, fight with their own shadows. The jñāni on the other hand, realises the mind as well as all its activities as identical with the non-dual Brahman. Hence, the activities of mind do not stand in the way of his eternal happiness”.

Gauḍapāda continues in kārikā 41: ‘The mind can be brought under control only by an unrelenting effort like that which required to empty an ocean, drop by drop, with the help of a (blade of) Kuśa-grass’.

According to Śaṅkara the control of mind is possible only by determination, perseverance and without discouragement. To control the mind is like draining out an ocean with the help of the tip/point of a blade of kuśa grass that can hold just a drop of water (kuśāgreṇa ekabindunā). This requires utmost patience and sustained/untiring effort.

Gauḍapāda in kārikās 42-45 gives provisional instructions about a certain method (upāya) of mind control which is apparently on the level of relative truth (samvṛti), in contrast with the absolute standpoint which is reflected in his unique doctrine of asparśa yoga.

In kārikā 42 Gauḍapāda says that the control of the mind (manonigraha) is very difficult no doubt, but there are means which enables the sādhaka to achieve his goal. The kārikā reads as: ‘The mind distracted by desires and enjoyments as also the mind enjoying pleasure in oblivion (trance-like condition) should be brought under discipline by the pursuit of proper means for the state of oblivion is as harmful as desires’.

It may be asked whether incessant perseverance is the only way of controlling the mind. To this question Śankara replies that not only with great perseverance, but with the means to be stated (to be explained later on) the mind should be controlled in its activities towards objects of desires and enjoyments. It means that it must be brought back to ātman itself and made to rest there. The word ‘laya’ in this kārikā is interpreted as deep sleep (suṣupti) in which everything gets merged i.e. sleep. One should control the mind from such a state of laya also, although one feels perfect ease in such state. One might, again think if laya is a peaceful state, why should it be controlled? Śaṅkara claims that as desires lead to undesirable effects, so does sleep. So as the mind engaged in objects of desire is to be controlled, mind in sleep is also to be controlled.

Gauḍapāda in kārikā 43 discusses the instruction as: ‘The mind should be turned back from the enjoyment of pleasures, remembering that all this is attained with misery. If it be remembered that everything is the unborn (Brahman), the born (duality) will not be seen’.

According to Śaṅkara all duality that is created by ignorance (avidyā) is full of sorrow permeated with misery. One should withdraw the mind from desires and enjoyments due to the results of the actions induced by the desires. That is to say one should withdraw the mind with the help of idea of complete detachment (vairaga). Again remembering the fact, from the instruction of scriptures and the teacher that everything is unborn Brahman, what appears to be different from it, that is, the mass of duality, is not seen at all because duality does not exist.

In this kārikā Gauḍapāda seems to offer two instructions: the first from the standpoint of relative truth (samvṛti) and second from the standpoint of ultimate truth (paramārthataḥ) which is the primary teaching of Gauḍapāda. The first line of this kārikā states that one should withdraw the mind from enjoyment and desire, being aware that all is suffering (duḥkhaṃ sarvam anusmṛtya kāmabhogān nivartayet). The second line of this kārikā indicates that, ‘by being mindful that all is birthless/unborn, one sees that nothing ever comes into being (ajaṃ sarvam anusmṛtya jātaṃ naiva tu paśyati)’.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Nilkhilananda Swami, The Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad, 202. fn.

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