Vakya Sudha

VAKYA SUDHA
THE ESSENCE OF THE TEACHING

ATTRIBUTED TO SHANKARA ACHARYA
Tnone.
HE power of vision in the eye sees form ; the mind sees the power of
vision in the eye; spiritual consciousness, the Witness, sees the
changing moods of the mind; but spiritual consciousness is seen of
The power of vision in the eye, remaining single, beholds manifold forms,
whether blue or yellow, gross or subtile, short or long.
The mind, remaining single, recognizes differing characteristics of the
eyes, whether blind, or dim, or keen. The same thing is true of the other
powers of perception, like hearing and touch.
In the same way, the spiritual consciousness perceives the differing charac-
teristics of the mind, such as desire, imagination, doubt, faith, disbelief, firm-
ness, indecision, shame, understanding, fear.
Spiritual consciousness neither rises nor sets, neither waxes nor wanes; self-
luminous, it illumines the other powers, without using any instnunent or
means. (5)
When the ray or reflection of spiritual consciousness penetrates and per-
vades the mind, the mind is illumined with consciousness; the mind has two
forms: the personal sense of "I," and the instrument of thinking.
The ray or reflection of spiritual consciousness is infused into the personal
sense of "I" as radiant heat is infused into a lump of red-hot iron. As the
personal sense of "l" is infused into the body, the body acquires sensibility
and consciousness.
The sense of "I" is manifested in the three : in the mental reflection of
spiritual consciousness, in the body, and in the Witness. It is innate in the
mental reflection of spiritual consciousness; in the body, it is the result of
works done with attachment to the body; in the Witness, it arises through
the illusion of separateness.
Since the sense of "I" is inherent in the mental reflection of spiritual con-
sciousness, it remains in it. The attribution of the sense of "I" to the body
ceases when works done with attachment to the body cease. As the sense of
separateness in the Witness, it ceases when illumination is attained.
When the 'sense of "I" dissolves, the man goes to sleep, and the body
becomes unconscious; when the sense of "I " is half awake, the man dreams;
when it is fully manifested, he is awake. (xo)
When the sense ot " I " is manifested in the mental reflection of spiritual
consciousness during dream, it evokes the mind-images of dreams ; when it
28
VAKY A SUDHA : THE ESSENCE OF THE TEACHING 29
is manifested in waking, it evokes attraction toward objects of sense per-

ception.
The body of form is compounded of the sense of "I" and the mind; it is
essentially material; it enters the three fields of consciousness, waking, dream-
ing, dreamlessness; it is subject to birth and death.
Maya, World Glamour, has two modes of activity: expansive dispersion,
and veiling through limitation. The power of expansive dispersion brings all
things into manifestation, from the body of form to the sphere of the Cosmos.
This creative manifestation is the cause of individualized existence, express-
ing itself as name and form, in the Eternal, which is in reality undivided being,
consciousness and bliss; just as in water are manifested individual bubbles and
foam, with their names and forms .
The other power of Glamour, the power which veils through limitation, acts
to hinder the inner discernment between the perceiving spiritual conscious-
ness and the manifold mental states which are perceived, and to hinder the
outer discernment between the Eternal and the manifested worlds. This
P<>wer is the cause of recurring birth an~ death. (15)
When the light of the Witness, entering the body of form as a ray or reflec-
tion of the spiritual consciousness, is united with it, the ordinary self comes
into being.
So long as the Witness, the Spiritual Self, is held by the power of delusion,
it identifies.itselt with the ordinary self; when the power that veils and limits
·is overcome, the distinction is perceived, and the Spiritual Self is revealed.
In the same way, when the power that veils and limits is overcome, the
Eternal i·s revealed as distinct from the appearance of the manifested world,
and it is perceived that change belongs to the manifested world and not to
the Etern~l.
There are these five: being, light, joy, name and form. The first three
are the properties of the Eternal; the last two are the properties of the mani-
fested world.
In the five elements, ether, air, fire, water, earth, and in gods, animals and
men, being, consciousness and bliss are undivided, while name and form only
are divided. (zo)
Therefore, setting aside these two, name and form, and intent upon being,
consciousness and bliss, let the disciple practise spirit,ual contemplation con-
cerning both what is in the heart within, and what is without.
The contemplation in the heart within has two degrees: the lower, where
the sense of separateness is present, and the higher, above the sense of sep-
arateness.
Contemplation with a sense of separateness has again two degrees: the
penetration of the meaning of mind-images or forms, and the penetration of
the meaning of words or names.
The contemplation with a sense of separateness which penetrates the mean-
ing of mind-images is a viewing of the images of desire and fear in the light of
the Witness, the spiritual consciousness.
30 THEOSOPHICAL QUARTERLY
A realization of the truth by affirming that "I am being, consciousness,

bliss, free from attachment, luminous, undivided," is the contemplation which
penetrates the meaning of words. (25)
When the disciple, rising above mind-images and words, enters into the
essence of immediate spiritual experience, this is contemplatio~ without the
sense of separateness, in which the Spirit is quiet as a lamp flame in a wind-
less place.
As there are three degrees of contemplation within the heart, so there are
the same three stages regarding any outward thing. The setting aside of dis-
tinctions of form, and the recognition that it is Being only, is the first, the
contemplation with the sense of separateness, which penetrates t~e meaning
of outward appearances.
The affirmation and recognition that the outward object is in reality
partless essence of Being, whose properties are being, consciousness, bliss,
is the contemplation of outward things which penetrates the meaning of
words.
Contemplation of outward things without the sense of separateness is a
steadfast condition of the Spirit which directly experiences the essence of the
Eternal. Let the disciple give himselt continually to these six degrees of
contemplation.
When the false attribution of selfhood to the body has been completely
destroyed, and the Supreme Self is realized, then, in whatever direction the
mind may turn, these stages ot contemplation will arise. (30)
The knot of the heart is severed, all doubts are solved, the bonds of works
are destroyed, for him who has beheld the Supreme Eternal; thus the Scrip-
ture declares.
Three forms of Life are to be known: first, the Eternal appearing as the
individual, which is the Higher Self; second, the ray or reflection· of spiritual
consciousness in the body of form, which is the personal self; third, the self
built up of dreams. The first is the eternal, transcendent reality.
The limitation of the Eternal as the individual is built up by the iUusion of
unwisdom, through which the Eternal appears to be limited. In the individu-
ality, the limitation is superimposed by the power of unwisdom; in reality, the
individual is the Eternal.
The essential oneness of the individual life with the infinite Eternal is taught
in such Scriptural sayings as, "That thou art." This essential oneness is not
true of the other two forms, namely, the personal self and the self of dreams.
In the Eternal, Maya, World Glamour, exists in two forms: the power of
expansive dispersion, and the power which veils through limitation. By
veiling the partless infinitude of the Eternal, this power builds up the sep-
arate world and the separate life. (35)
The ray or reflection of spiritual consciousness in the body of form is the
experiencer, the doer of works. This whole phenomenal world is the field of
its experiencer.
The immemorial division between the experiencer and the world of experi-
VAKYA SUDHA: THE ESSENCE OF THE TEACHING 31
ence continues until final liberation is attained. Thus the self of habitual
activity confronts the habitual world.
Dream, in which also the two powers of expansive dispersion and veiling
through limitation are active, spreads itself over the ray or reflection of spir-
itual consciousness; veiling the habitual self and the habitual world, it builds
up a new self and a new world.
As these last only so long as dreaming lasts, they are called the apparitional
self and the apparitional world; the same dream self and dream world do not
recur after the man has once awakened from his dream.
The apparitional self believes the apparitional world to be real; but, once
the man is awake, the habitual self knows that the dream self and the dream
world are unreal. (40)
In the same way, the habitual self believes that the habitual world is real;
but the real, transcendental Self knows that it is unreal.
The real, transcendental Self perceives and experiences its real, transcen-
dental oneness with the Eternal, and perceives nothing else except the unreal-
ity of all other things.
As sweetness, fluidity, coldness, and other qualities of water enter into the
wave on its surface, they likewise enter into the foam that forms on the
wave.
In like. manner, the being, consciousness and bliss of the spiritual con-
sciousness, the Witness, are transmitted to the habitual self and to the dream
selt.
When the foam melts away, its properties, like fluidity and coldness, return
to the wave; when the wave sinks to rest, these same properties return again
to the water. (45)
When the dream self melts away, its properties return to the habitual
self; when the habitual self melts away, its being, consciousness and bliss
return to the spiritual consciousness, the Witness, the Universal Spirit.
c. J.
(The End)

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THE ESSENCE OF THE TEACHING

is manifested in waking, it evokes attraction toward objects of sense per-

A realization of the truth by affirming that "I am being, consciousness,

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