Adhyasa

The superimposition of one entity on another is called 

adhayas. The silver seen on the conch-shell or snake seen on a rope is famous among the learned. Conch-shell appears to be silver; in this phenomenon the silver that we see is artha-adhayas and the knowledge of the cognition of silver is called gyan-adhayas. The Brahman apparently reflects on the mind-stuff and mind-stuff seems to become conscious. In empirical behaviour it is often seen that people use to impose Self on non-Self and vice versa as they say that “I am body”.  Although I am different from this body still in practice we assume ourselves to be body. The Self is sentient and conscious and body is insentient and not conscious. The imposition of subjects on one upon another and vice versa; as well as their qualities makes possible this dual reality in the phenomenal world. Further, people use to say “my body”; where it is the imposition of the qualities. Here the difference between the subjects is easily cognised (“My body”). I am sentient and this body is insentient still we recognise ourselves as “I am body”. How come this became possible? How come the sentient and conscious thing could possibly be regarded as in union with insentient and not-conscious one? Actually when cognition like – “my body” develops then apparently on pure consciousness the mind-stuff is imposed and in mind-stuff the pure consciousness is imposed resulting an “I” like apprehension. But this I is neither purely conscious nor purely a mind-stuff. As for instance when we say- “red hot iron-rod”; we do not mean the iron or the fire instead we mean in between iron and fire like a thing. The semblance of Self. The reflection of Consciousness on the intellect is known as Chidavasa. The intellect is insentient and unable to illumine, again Consciousness itself is one and without any attachment or attribute or company hence inactive. The intellect is very pure and clear hence when it comes in close vicinity with the Consciousness it appears to be conscious itself like an iron rod when heated in fire assumes to take fire. In the same way apparently the intellect and Consciousness assumes to take the character of each other due to superimposition, caused by avidya (delusion). The reflection of consciousness on intellect is known as semblance of Self or Chidavasa.

This superimposition of Self on non-Self is and non-

Self on Self which has commenced this empirical behaviour is annihilated only through the direct and immediate experience of oneness with the Brahman (Self realisation). Only Brahman is truth and this world is falsity. But this falsity or unreality is unreal in what sense? That which is neither real (sat), nor non-real (asat), but indescribable (anirvachaniya). By this indescribable means this dual phenomenon came into existence. By indescribable maya this imposition seems to have happened. Why indescribable? It is because this is neither real nor unreal. And there cannot be anything which is in essence real and unreal altogether. The existence of this world cannot be said unreal because we see this world empirically, also cannot be said real because its very existence vanishes with the Self-Knowledge. Furthermore nothing can be real and unreal altogether. Since in no way this could be ascertained hence it is called as indescribable (anirvachaniya).

“Man is god”. Still we don’t see God in everybody. We see man-woman, good-bad, and friend-foe. By nature we are divine, but due to ignorance we become prey to lust, greed, anger, ego etc. The superimposition of phenomenal world on Brahman is propounded as indescribable in Vedanta. The famous snake on rope instance is well known to the learned community. The snake is imposed on rope due to ignorance. In this same way that attribute less Brahman distinct from the attributes has become this phenomenal world. We ourselves are complete but we crave for other things assuming ourselves to be incomplete, this apparent lost completeness of us is due to avidya or ignorance. The ignorance makes us to believe that we are finite, meek and weak and etc. where as in reality we are divine in nature. Our real nature is thus veiled by the ignorance and we find our existence to be changing apparently at every moment of our life. When we watch an elephant made of clay, we don’t see the clay we see the elephant. An idol of Ganesha carved in stone seen as Ganesha; and when we see the Ganesha then we do not see the stone, then again when we see the stone then we don’t see the Ganesha. We have developed varying perspective with every different individual and see things around us differently by ourselves.  We are human and we are limited this is our strong notion that we have developed. This world that we witness is very true to us, like a child playing with its toys and always assumes those toys are very real! “I feel myself always in everything. The irony however is that I think I am feeling others this is illusion or ignorance. The day you know that no one ever exists other than you, all your mental blocks shall be cleared. And who are you? Search- search by holding your thoughts. And you have to find it because this is the only truth.”~ Bhagavan