Identity: I Am Not Nothing, I Am No-thing
When the boy Shankara came before his guru-to-be for the first time, he was asked usual question: "Who are you?" Ankara responded in an unusual inner. He replied in verse, a short -m of six stanzas, composed explore. This poem is called the Atma taka, or Self Sestet. It is also own as Nirvana Shatakam, or Edom Sestet. It is not known as to wrote it down, but it has survived nearly 13 centuries now. Times have nagged, values have changed, but the vulgarity of this poem has not waned. an well be called the cornerstone of ait, the non-dual philosophy. Almost anyone would respond to query Who-are-you by stating his me, followed by details of gender, nets’ names, residence and other h details. Not Shankara though, was destined to be the Jagatguru Universal Teacher. Who are you? is a question that teases one; and many seekers are unable to answer it even after a lifetime of seeking. To answer this question you need to know who you are notes much as who you are. Shankara understood this. He responded to the query by introducing himself as not the lad from Malady that he was, but rather as the eternal'everyself' that everyone is. The first three lines of the first five stanzas are a negation: what I am not; the last line (refrain) and also the last stanza are an affirmation: what Iam. Iam not the mind, intellect, ego, perception; I am not the ear, tongue, nose or eyes; I am not the sky or the earth or heat or wind; nor am I the thing imbued with life; I am not the fivefold puranas, the seven elements, the fivefold sheaths; nor am I speech. limbs or genitals; neither am I passion, greed or delusion; conceit or animosity, riches or pleasure. I am not the four ends of life; I am neither merit nor transgression; neither comfort nor despair; I am neither the food, not the eating nor the eater; I have no fear of death; nor claim to a caste; I have no father, no mother, nor a birth; I have no kin, friends, guru or disciple. What then am I? As the refrain puts it: 'I am innate bliss: beautiful, ah, beautiful! The last stanza elaborates on this: Immutable am I, of a formless form; suffusing all, I rule the senses; I am equipoise, nor free nor bound: innate bliss, beautiful am I! It is fallacious to identify oneself with one's body. The more refined folk identify themselves with their 'personality'. Kripalu Maharai asks a pertinent question: When you say this is my hand, body, or my nature; you clearly imply that all these are yours but they are not youwho then are you? Shankara's self-introduction answers this query. I am not the 'thing appear to be; I am other than these. I lathe nothing beyond all these things. Yond exactly so. Iam not a nothing; it is just that I am 'no thing'. If I were nothing, I would not be at all. The truth is that I am! Somewhat akin to electricity. Interestingly, among the thousand names of Vishnu, one is vidyut, the name we have given to electricity. It refers to something that I am akin to electricity, yet I am vastly superior to it, for I cannot be switched off. I am a no-thing, eternally on!
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Uma Ram and KS Ram and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Uma Ram and KS Ram and Speaking Tree,Times of India
Identity: I Am Not Nothing, I Am No-thing
When the boy Shankara came before his guru-to-be for the first time, he was asked usual question: "Who are you?" Ankara responded in an unusual inner. He replied in verse, a short -m of six stanzas, composed explore. This poem is called the Atma taka, or Self Sestet. It is also own as Nirvana Shatakam, or Edom Sestet. It is not known as to wrote it down, but it has survived nearly 13 centuries now. Times have nagged, values have changed, but the vulgarity of this poem has not waned. an well be called the cornerstone of ait, the non-dual philosophy. Almost anyone would respond to query Who-are-you by stating his me, followed by details of gender, nets’ names, residence and other h details. Not Shankara though, was destined to be the Jagatguru Universal Teacher. Who are you? is a question that teases one; and many seekers are unable to answer it even after a lifetime of seeking. To answer this question you need to know who you are notes much as who you are. Shankara understood this. He responded to the query by introducing himself as not the lad from Malady that he was, but rather as the eternal'everyself' that everyone is. The first three lines of the first five stanzas are a negation: what I am not; the last line (refrain) and also the last stanza are an affirmation: what Iam. Iam not the mind, intellect, ego, perception; I am not the ear, tongue, nose or eyes; I am not the sky or the earth or heat or wind; nor am I the thing imbued with life; I am not the fivefold puranas, the seven elements, the fivefold sheaths; nor am I speech. limbs or genitals; neither am I passion, greed or delusion; conceit or animosity, riches or pleasure. I am not the four ends of life; I am neither merit nor transgression; neither comfort nor despair; I am neither the food, not the eating nor the eater; I have no fear of death; nor claim to a caste; I have no father, no mother, nor a birth; I have no kin, friends, guru or disciple. What then am I? As the refrain puts it: 'I am innate bliss: beautiful, ah, beautiful! The last stanza elaborates on this: Immutable am I, of a formless form; suffusing all, I rule the senses; I am equipoise, nor free nor bound: innate bliss, beautiful am I! It is fallacious to identify oneself with one's body. The more refined folk identify themselves with their 'personality'. Kripalu Maharai asks a pertinent question: When you say this is my hand, body, or my nature; you clearly imply that all these are yours but they are not youwho then are you? Shankara's self-introduction answers this query. I am not the 'thing appear to be; I am other than these. I lathe nothing beyond all these things. Yond exactly so. Iam not a nothing; it is just that I am 'no thing'. If I were nothing, I would not be at all. The truth is that I am! Somewhat akin to electricity. Interestingly, among the thousand names of Vishnu, one is vidyut, the name we have given to electricity. It refers to something that I am akin to electricity, yet I am vastly superior to it, for I cannot be switched off. I am a no-thing, eternally on!
DISCLAIMER:
The views expressed in the Article above are Uma Ram and KS Ram and kashmiribhatta.in is not in any way responsible for the opinions expressed in the above article. The article belongs to its respective owner or owners and this site does not claim any right over it.
Courtesy: Uma Ram and KS Ram and Speaking Tree,Times of India