Introduction to the course: We are experiencing a identity crisis. This crisis expresses in a way that even thought we want and need infinity, we have a sense of finitude. We can come out of this crisis by being in the company of someone who has already navigated this crisis. Adi Shankara, our teacher, is giving us the message to change our identity. The infinite cannot become the finite. The fact that you want and need infinity, shows that this is who we are and DDV is the map on how to change our identity.

Verse 1: Articles are seen, body is the seer; Body is the seen, mind is the seer; the mind is the seen, awareness is the seer.

Verse 2: Articles are seen, body is the seer.

Verse 3: Body is seen, mind is the seer.

Verse 4: Mind is seen, awareness is the seer.

From verse 5 onwards, Shravana is not enough, Mananam with this intellectual appreciation is an absolute must to begin to feel this real! And when it filters to your daily life as Nidhi dhyasana, that’s when you live Drig Drishya Viveka!

Verse 5: In this verse, concept of seer and seen are dissolved. The focus shifts to awareness. Awareness has zero definitions and conditions. A word that describes Rishi Shuka is “Alampatah”, his linga is Alaksha, meaning that there are no indicators to point him. Everyone including his father reveres him, he has no clothing yet is most handsome. He never went to school yet is the most knowledgeable. All this describes how we cannot put a condition on him. He is Brahman, awareness is the same. In the Upanishad, a visualization to contemplate on Brahman is given. Just as we would point to the moon to someone by focusing their attention to pointers around us and eventually bringing the moon in their line of sight, rishis use the finite, something that we can see to take our focus on something that is beyond that but cannot be seen. All the descriptions in our texts are used to describe that which is indescribable.

Verse 6: In this verse, Acharya Shankara explains why we don’t feel this awareness. It is because of the ego. Ego is the most wicked. Ego lives in the intellect. This is why Antah Karana Shuddhi, purification of memory, mind, and ego, is very important. A great seeker expresses 25% ego and 75% divinity and awareness expresses 100% divinity. Only when we practice, will the ego comes to separate from awareness.

Verse 7: Even though Acharya Shankara tries to orient us towards awareness, which is not objective in nature. It is subjective. This is difficult for us because we are habituated towards the external and we need to develop the habit to be introvert. The block for doing this was identified as the ego. In this verse, further thoughts on ego are shared.

The first quarter says it is “As if awareness reflects to the ego”. Awareness is Being, reflection of being/awareness is observing and separating. Awareness is like pure light and reflection is like a mirror. The ego is the shine and is thus separating the reflected light from the original light and then dismiss the later altogether and claim to be the original light.

This is given another visualization in the second quarter. As if the relationship between fire and a steel ball. Fire is hot, bright and heavy and steel is cold, light and dark in nature. They are both mutually exclusive and cannot have a relationship. Yet, when the steel ball is put in fire, a hot fire ball. This is called super imposition or identity theft! The steel is stealing the qualities from fire and the ego is stealing the qualities from awareness/existence/joy. Ego is therefore called Anandamaya kosha.

In the third quarter, it is shared that this ego identifies with what’s outside (and not with what’s outside). If it were to identify with the inside (Awareness), it would merge with it and be destroyed. That is why it starts to identify with the external. Once the ego assumes being the doer, it also starts feeling like a deserver. Subtlest form of how deservership plays out in our lives is the feeling of inclusion. If not checked, it manifests as appreciation, thinking that we want to be appreciated and if not checked it devolves into recognition. So the most worldly way we tune into deservership is seeking constant recognition. In the episode of Churning of the milky ocean, this concept is visualized. Bhagavan Narayana is responsible for the idea of the churning, implementation of the churning and the work is all done by Bhagavan Narayana but when it comes to taking benefits of the churning, it is the suras and asuras who expect it. Sw. Tejomayananda shared that 99% goes to the creator and 1% to creation, even that 1% is because of the creator.

In the last quarter, Acharya Shankara describes that when the ego identifies with the inert body, it is enlivened. Ego is described as the causal body and it causes the subtle body (mind, intellect). Subtle body in turn creates the gross body (breath and body). The gross body goes on to project and get attached to articles, beings and circumstances (macro world). The macro world is thus created by the micro world which in turn is created by the observer becoming the separator which in turn becoming the identifier. These details explained by Adi Shankaracharya are extremely refined and therefore requires refined contemplation by us.

The macro and micro worlds are all insentient (un-, less-important). Only awareness is sentient (important). These worlds are the wrong numbers in our lives that we need to hang up on as this is the wrong identification. We just need to observe with extreme vigilance and refinement.