The definition of Dharma is different for different people.
Action-oriented individuals always consider karma as their Dharma.
Religion-biased people always consider their religion as their Dharma.
Veda pundits consider VEDA AND PURANA as their Dharma.
An Army person will consider saving nation as his/her Dharma
A child considers taking care of parents as their Dharma.
In Bhagavad Gita , it is mentioned that Dharma is the side where Krishna stands. Henceforth, it becomes very easy to understand in every situation path which Krishna follows would be the righteous…
"Krishna was in support of Pandavas , so side of pandavas is the righteous path. Dharma is where Krishna is ..!!"
Verse 1.18विकल्पो विनिवर्तेत कल्पितो यदि केनचित् ।
उपदेशादयं वादो ज्ञाते द्वैतं न विद्यते ॥ १८ ॥
vikalpo vinivarteta kalpito yadi kenacit |
upadeśādayaṃ vādo jñāte dvaitaṃ na vidyate || 18 ||
Gaudapadacharya says – all this differences would disappear guru-shishya (Student-Teacher), Knower and known ” I am the illiterate who has now realised turiya” , these differences would disappear
उपदेशादयं वादो ज्ञाते द्वैतं न विद्यते (upadeśādayaṃ vādo jñāte dvaitaṃ na vidyate) – all these distinctions have been set-forth by the Upanishads for purposes of instructions. The reason is because we feel it this way , but once we realise turiya , the feeling of Oneness arises ….satchitdanand roop arises ! sat chit and anand !!
“न मे मृत्युशंका न मे जातिभेदः पिता नैव मे नैव माता न जन्म। न बन्धुर्न मित्रं गुरुर्नैव शिष्यः चिदानंदरूपः शिवोऽहं शिवोऽहम् ॥५॥“
At last Ashtavakra Muni said to King Janaka! I will give you advait Gyan but you give me guru daskhina first , because after the gyan there wont be any guru or shishya … as oneness arises!!
Verse 1.17
प्रपञ्चो यदि विद्येत निवर्तेत न संशयः ।
मायामात्रमिदं द्वैतमद्वैतं परमार्थतः ॥ १७ ॥
prapañco yadi vidyeta nivarteta na saṃśayaḥ |
māyāmātramidaṃ dvaitamadvaitaṃ paramārthataḥ || 17 ||
Will the world go away after i realise “Turiya” , will I be light ? here Gaudapadacharya says – if the world was there then there is question of staying or going arises , but there is no such world at all !!
Will the snake run away after I realise it is a rope ….the correct answer is, there is no snake to run away from …it was a rope only !
प्रपञ्चो यदि विद्येत (prapañco yadi vidyeta) निवर्तेत न संशयः (nivarteta na saṃśayaḥ) – If the world existed !! No doubt it would have gone have away! (But the world does not exists just like snake does not exist)
मायामात्रमिदं ( māyāmātramidaṃ) – It is an error , just like snake is an error !
dvaitamadvaitaṃ paramārthataḥ (द्वैतमद्वैतं परमार्थतः ) – It (Turiya) is an undivided reality i.e. Non-dual reality. There is no world separate from you which has to be driven away!
I ( the viswa “waking state”) am asleep in Ignorance due to Maya since Beginningless!!
When did the Ignorance started??? Gaudapadacharya says ! it is from beginningless ….
Infact , all the ignorance is Beginningless !! How??
If I ask you - "Do You know German?", suppose you don't know German then you will say , "No , I don't Know German". So, You are ignorant about German!
Now again , If I ask you "Since when you are ignorant about German" ??
You say " since my birth I do not know German ! oh so, before your birth you knew German...? NO!! Hence You are ignorant about German from (अनादि) Beginningless..!!
But , Ignorance has an end … When does it end ??When we take up a book and start learning German!.
Similarly, Ignorance is actually Beginningless (अनादि ), but It can end . When knowledge comes it Ends !
अनादिमायया सुप्तो (anādimāyayā supto) – You cannot say since when you are in Ignorance!
यदा जीवः प्रबुध्यते (jīvaḥ prabudhyate) – when the jīvaḥ (जीवः ) awakens (प्रबुध्यते ) {Buddha came from here }
अजमनिद्रमस्वप्नमद्वैतं बुध्यते तदा ( ajamanidramasvapnamadvaitaṃ budhyate tadā ) – Then I realise
I am अजम (Ajam) i.e Unborn
I am anidram (अनिद्रम ) i.e Sleepless (without sleep) —-> referring that I am not prājñaḥ
I am asvapnam ( अस्वप्नम ) i.e. without dream —-> referring that I am not the Taijasa
I am advaitaṃ (अद्वैत) i.e. there is no second reality apart from me , I am the Viswa in waking state , I am the taijasa in the dream state and I am the prājñaḥ in the deep sleep state. Where “Viswa” , “Taijasa” and “prājñaḥ” are all appearances but the reality in all is “Turiya”
Another big questions comes in Mind is after realisation ,will this world disappear ??? will there be body after realisation?? will the body live after realisation ??
Verse 1.13
द्वैतस्याग्रहणं तुल्यमुभयोः प्राज्ञतुर्ययोः ।
बीजनिद्रायुतः प्राज्ञः सा च तुर्ये न विद्यते ॥ १३ ॥
dvaitasyāgrahaṇaṃ tulyamubhayoḥ prājñaturyayoḥ |
bījanidrāyutaḥ prājñaḥ sā ca turye na vidyate || 13 ||
It means , “Dvaitam” a separate reality or Error is not seen by the ” prājñaḥ ” the deep sleeper and “Turiya” the pure consciousness. But, the ” prājñaḥ ” or the one who is in deep sleep is associated to Nidra (i.e Ignorance / blankness), where as, “Turiya” doesnot have ignorance (or deep sleep blankness) .
” prājñaḥ ” donot see dvaita (seperate reality) niether turiya see any seperate reality apart from it . But , ” prājñaḥ ” is covered in darnkness or blankness of deep sleep whereas , Turiya illumines everything!
Verse 1.12
नाऽऽत्मानं न परंश्चैव न सत्यं नापि चानृतम् ।
प्राज्ञः किंचन संवेत्ति तुर्यं तत्सर्वदृक्सदा ॥ १२ ॥
nā''tmānaṃ na paraṃścaiva na satyaṃ nāpi cānṛtam |
prājñaḥ kiṃcana saṃvetti turyaṃ tatsarvadṛksadā || 12 ||
The ‘prājñaḥ’ one who is in deep sleep does not know itself as an Atman..! It doesnot know the world (prapanch) also .. It doesnot know the truth that I am “Turiya”. It doesnot know the false world appearing infront of it (ānṛtam) चानृतम्.
किंचन संवेत्ति / prājñaḥ kiṃcana saṃvetti – The ‘prājñaḥ’ doesnot know anything i.e the state of deep sleeper !!.
and ,
How is Turiya different from It???the answer is – तुर्यं तत्सर्वदृक्सदा /turyaṃ tatsarvadṛksadā
i.e. It (Turiya) always illumines everything ! It is self illumined about itself and about the world . It is like the movie hall where the lights have come on with nothing on the screen …( blank screen) but the lights are on !
Verse 1.11
कार्यकारणबद्धौ ताविष्येते विश्वतैजसौ ।
प्राज्ञः कारणबद्धस्तु द्वौ तौ तुर्ये न सिध्यतः ॥ ११॥
kāryakāraṇabaddhau tāviṣyete viśvataijasau .
prājñaḥ kāraṇabaddhastu dvau tau turye na sidhyataḥ
It means “Viswa” i.e. Waker and “Taijasa” i.e. Dreamer are associated to Karanam (Cause) & Karyam (effect) where Ignorance is the cause and Error is the effect.
In deep sleep there is Ignorance but there is no error. The nature of dream may be different for You and me i.e. every individual has different types of dream and are not same .
The nature of deep sleep is same for all beings whether it is a mosquito or tiger or elephant or monkey or human being or PHD or any successful businessman or an illiterate person, it is same for all beings !!
The reason is in deep sleep there is ignorance i.e. complete darkness , nothing to illumine by Turiya the pure consciousness!
Usually we do not experience any thing in deep sleep but “Advaita Vedanta” says –
Do you experience the lack of experience in “deep sleep”?
When we wake up we always say “I had a sound sleep”.
“How do you know you had a sound sleep ? if you experienced nothing in deep sleep .. who tells you that , you had a sound sleep ?”
The ‘who’ here is ‘Turiya’ .
Since ‘Turiya’ is the witness to all of the deep sleep blankness , hence when we wakeup we say “I had a sound sleep” .
Actually Turiya is witnessing this information updating in our conscious and subconscious mind that we had sound sleep . So ,when we wake up we know we had a sound sleep . This proves that Turiya exists and we are the Pure conscious beyond this body & mind !
It means “Viswa” i.e. Waker and “Taijasa” i.e. Dreamer are associated to Karanam (Cause) & Karyam (effect) where Ignorance is the cause and Error is the effect.
“nivṛtteḥ sarvaduḥkhānām / निवृत्तेः सर्वदुःखानामी” – ‘You’ the Turiya are beyond all the dukkha’s (sadness). Right now we feel that ” I am in Pain” but one who has realized Turiya will say -” I am the witness of the pain in the body or mind”.
e.g. Same sunlight falls on the ditch , it falls on the ganga river and it falls on the Himalayas . But it is not polluted by the ditch or purified by the Ganga river, it illumines . Same way ‘Turiya’ the pure consciousness which we are illumines the sufferings of the waking world , nightmare or good dreams of dream world and nothingness of deep sleep.
īśānaḥ prabhuravyayaḥ / इशानः प्रभुरव्ययः – ‘You’ the ‘Turiya’ is God and it is Unchanging . Turiya is witness to all states
अद्वैतः सर्वभावानां देवस्तुर्यो विभुः स्मृतः– ‘You’ the Consciousness , you are the non dual (Advaita) with all the existing things . There is no second independent reality apart from Turiya (pure consciousness)
