Concept of Self and its Intelligence

Umapati Shivam proceeds to explain as to what is the self itself? The body or its senses are not the self. The psychic functions following the sensory functions also do not constitute the self. The bio-motor principle of life (Prana ) is also not the self. They are all evolutes of pasa and thereby products of maya. These evolutes assist an intelligent self to “know”. Its knowledge is revealed through the media of these material accessories. Umapati Shivam says that the body as such is senseless though it becomes vitalized and sensitized by getting associated with the self. The senses themselves function only in association with the body wherein the individual self is sheltered. Each sense perceives its own phenomena and it does not know what the other sense knows. The mental faculties acting upon the results of sensation again function in coordination. Each sense remains restricted to its function, but supplements the other. Even though the Prana—bio-motor force—underlies and over-reaches the physical function, it is still non-intelligent and senseless. Hence it is concluded that this “intelligent factor”–the self stands distinct from all the above but is subject to embodiment because of its bound condition.^[1]

The view that the individual self understands anything through its own acumen of understanding or experiences is not acceptable to Shaiva Siddhanta. The thirty six tattvas do not understand or “know” themselves. They “know” in association with the body accommodating the “intelligent self” which does not know itself. The self comes to know of itself and its instruments of phenomena, when it is helped by God to do so. Dr. Anandarajan in his commentary on Shivajnana bodam(5th and 11th sutras ) says that like the light of a lamp helping the power of visibility of the eye to see the object, God’s Grace helps the knowledge of the self to “know” the things. This is known as “kanum upakaram ”[...]In addition, the power of the visibility of the eye helped by the light of the lamp cannot see the object if the object is in darkness. So the lamp’s light should also enlighten the object and show the object to the eye. Accordingly Grace of God shows the things by joining with the knowledge of the self. This is known as kattumupakaram ([...]) by Grace of God.

Umapati Shivam takes up the arguments regarding the intelligence of the self and offers a vivid picture of its consciousness. He says that in case if it is presumed that the self can “know” itself and an entity like God may not be required for the purpose, then he points out the contradiction regarding the very necessity of the accessories like senses. On the other hand, when we presume that the self is non-intelligent, then what is the necessity of the accessories of senses which will be of no avail since non-intelligent ones may not supply intelligence to non-intelligent entities? The presumption that God vouchsafes 56 intelligence to the selves, gives room for the question as to why God should supply “intelligence” to one kind of matter and not to others.^[2]

Therefore, can it be concluded that the self independently knows the world as well as God? Umapati Shivam himself raises this objection and thereby brings out the non-dualistic principle of Shaiva Siddhantha. The self is a knowing agent (knowing whatever is revealed to it). But whatever it knows in the light of its knowledge is unreal and phenomenal—asat—in character. Being–sat - means precisely what is not knowable by mere knowledge i.e., by sense-originated discursive and rambling knowledge as well as by the finite, limited and bound knowledge of the self (The former is known as pasa jnana and the latter is pashu jnana ). Sat or God can be “known” by means of transcendental knowledge only. The infinite can be known only by infinite knowledge that is revealed to the finite self. The native knowledge ofthe finite self is otherwise incapable of knowing the “Sat”. Umapati Shivam herein brings in a vivid explanation of the eye having the retina and its light on one side and also the objects having its light rays on the other side. Even when both are present, the eye cannot “see” the object. But when the all-illuminant sun throws light, the eye with its retina becomes capable of seeing the object. Pati-Jnana (God knowledge) -just like sunlight -showers the Grace so that the self is enabled to understand Him.^[3]

Umapati Shivam further explains that the finite knowledge of the self is contra-distinguished to Pati Jnana . The finite knowledge is limited by (a) space and time, (b) the circumstances under which it gets identified with the subjects it knows and (c) its determining character. Pati Jnana has no such limitations. Hence Umapati Shivam deduces that whatever is understood or pointed out by the self through its pasha jnana or pashu jnana are really “asat ” or “impermanent” whereas the self can understand the “sat ”–permanent Being -through Pati Jnana only.

Umapati Shivam takes up a further argument as to which knowledge helps the self to perceive the ‘asat ’. Is it the knowledge of the self (pashujnana )? No, it is not the knowledge of the self alone. It is combined with the aid of accessories (senses) derived from “asat ”. It cannot be Pati jnana also because Pati , the infinite knows infinitely. He is not aided by sensory knowledge because the sensesare non-intelligent and do not know themselves. In that event, Umapati Shivam carries forward the argument as to whether the combination of pashu jnana and pasha jnana knows asat . He says that it is not so. What cannot know on its own and what by definition cannot know except when activated by intelligent self can neither combine nor have any intuition to do so. Also a combination of pashu and Pati Jnana is also not at all conceivable. The finite knowledge of the self is tainted by pasha and therefore it cannot combine with “Grace”. It is only when the knowledge of the self is purified of the finititude of tainted mala ; it can unite with the untainted light of Pati .^[4].

Then Umapati Shivam raises a doubt as to whether the pashu jnana, pasha jnana and Pati Jnana are in combination to know asat ? It is inconceivable to think of space being in combination with both light and darkness at the same time i.e. to say that finite knowledge can be in combination either with finite knowledge of pasha or with infinite knowledge of Pati but it cannot simultaneously remain with both.^[5]

If none of the species of knowledge, in themselves or in permutation and combination, can know asat , then what is the answer as to which knows asat .Umapati Shivam gives the answer later. He quotes the example of a crystal.^[6] The crystal reflects the colors with which it comes into contact. The native light of the crystal enables the phenomena of reflection. The presence of the sunlight makes it possible for the crystal to reflect and the colors to get reflected. The sunlight enables the crystal to get rid of the surrounding darkness as well as to reflect the colors i.e. the sunlight offers the deliverance to the crystal and colors from the shackles of darkness.^[7]

Umapati Shivam very carefully adds a caution that the sun offers this deliverance by its mere presence and it does not get involved in or bound by what they unveil. In the same way Pati jnana or God’s knowledge is a mere presence making the self to know the objects to be disclosed through the accessories of senses. The Divine Light is not implicated with any of the two.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Arigindrilathana aiyezhum ondrum
Arigindra ennai ariyathirunthen
Arigindrai ni endru arul seithan nanthi
Arigindra nan endru arinthu kondene .—Tirumandiram 2323.

[2]:

Arivenil vayil venda, andrenil avaitham ennai .
Arivathai uthavum ennil asethanam avaitham, yellam
Aribavan aryunthanmai aruluvan ennil anma
Arivila dhagum isan asethanathu alithidane .—Sivaprakasam 54.

[3]:

Irai arulal uyir ariyum .—Sivaprakasam 39.

[4]:

Evvarivu asatthu arinthathu? enil uyir ariyathu, isan
Avvarivu ariyan, allathu asethanam ariyadhu, avi
Sevviya karuvi kudith therivurathu, arulir cheradhu
Uvviru vagaiya dhennil oliyirul orungu urave .—Sivaprakasam 56.
Investigating which intelligence perceives the finite to be such, the self by itself cannot know the finitude of things (in contrast with the infinite which it does not know). God has no need to perceive the finite, and the remaining maya cannot know the finite as it is unintelligent. The self, in combination with the implements of knowledge, cannot distinguish the finite from the infinite (as the implements themselves are finite). In its freed condition, the self does not look at the finite. To know the finite, God’s Grace (or Wisdom) cannot combine with the implements of knowledge, as they are opposed to each other like light and darkness.
—Subramania Pillai. K., Commentary on SP , (Darumapura Adinam, 1945), 55.

[5]:

(i) According to the commentary of Madurai Shivaprakasar, this is the reply totheconcepts of Isvara Vadi .
(ii) Light and darkness both reside in space. At any given time the spacehas init a combination with either of the two and the other one hidesitself.—Madurai Shivaprakasar, Commentary on SP , (Chennai,ShaivaSiddhanta Perumanram, 1994), 917.
(iii)Irulil irulagi ellidathil ellam porulgal ilatho puvi .—Tiruvarutpayan 18.

[6]:

Panniram kavarum thonmaip padiga nidu oliyum panmai
Mannilangu iyalbum thandha valar olipola vaiyam
Thannagam payilum narrchith sadangalin thanmai thava
Nannalam peraniraindha gnaname gnanam enbar .—Sivaprakasam 69.

[7]:

Thanniramum palniramum than amkal thanmaidharum ,
Pon niram pol manniram ippu .—Tiruvarutpayan 55.
The sun enables the crystal to reflect its light as well as other colours. In the same way, Grace of Pati illumines the self as well as the objects surrounding it. -Sivaprakasam 57.