ESSENCE OF TATTVA BODHA

Part 1

Tatva Bodha is a prakarana text given to mankind by Great Sri Adi Sankaracharya sadguru. This is an essence of this text.

This will start with a prayer.

• Vāsudevendrayogīndraṁ natvā jñānapradaṁ gurum

• Mumukṣūṇāṁ hitārthāya tattvabodhobhīdhīyate ॥

• "Having saluted Sri Vasudeva, the King of Yogis,

• the Guru who is the bestower of the knowledge

• of Truth, the Tattva Bodha - the knowledge of

• Truth, is being expounded for the benefit of

• the seekers after liberation."

• Topic 1: Sadhana Chatushtayam (Verse 1-7)

• Topic 2: Vyashti Vichara (Verse 8-16)

• Topic 3: Samasthi Vichara (Verse 17-26)

• Topic 4: Aikya Vichara (Verse 27-34)

• Topic 5: Jnana Phalam (Verse 35- 38)

• Nitya is Paramatma. Everything else is Anitya.

• Impermanent gives Pseudo security. 

• Permanent – Ever secure.  

• Tatva Vivekam: Atma is real, and Mithya is unreal. 

• We need clarity of thinking in every aspect of life. 

• What I should seek or not seek.

FOUR-FOLD QUALIFICATIONS (SADHANA-CHATUSHTAYAM): 

Vivekah: Discriminative understanding to help differentiate between what is permanent and what is not. 

Vairaagya: Dispassion for enjoyment of objects, here and in the hereafter. 

Samaadi-shatga-sampattih: Six-fold qualities of sama, dama, etc 

Mumuksutvam: Desire for moksha alone.

 

VIVEKAH: The discriminative knowledge that only Brahman (Isvara) is permanent and that other than Brahman, everything else is impermanent.

• VAIRAAGYA: 

• Ihamuthra Phala Bhoga viragah. 

• Having dispassion for the enjoyments of this world as well as svarga is viraagah. 

• Suppressing desires is not vairagya. 

• Vairagya is growing out of desires. 

• Objectivity about every object, person and situation – meaning that the person has no binding desires or excessive craving or obsession for anything. 

• When one steps in for a higher pursuit, all other pursuits get dropped. 

• Freedom from addiction to sensory pleasures not freedom from sensory pleasures.

• Dharmic Bhoga: Dispassion – Moderate.

• Adharmic Bhoga: Avoid – Total rejection.

• Ultimate freedom: Sarva Dharman Parityajya – Mamekam Saranam Vraja.

• Avoid bad addictions, Transcend good addictions by Knowledge (jnanam).

• Ichha Rahityam: Freedom from addiction.

SAMAADISATKASAMPATTIH: The six-fold wealth are: 

a. Samah- Mastery of the mind 

b. Damah- Mastery of the sense organs 

c. Uparama- Doing one’s duty 

d. Titiksa- Forbearance 

e. Sraddha- Trust in the words of Guru and Sastra 

f. Samadhana- Single-pointed mind 

• Samah: Mano nigrah. 

• Poise of mind, free from stress, free from anxiety. 

• Lighter mind alone can reach the goal.

•  

• Damah: Cakṣurādibāhyendriyanigrahaḥ: 

• It is mastery over the five organs of perception and the five organs of action. 

• Helps to conserve energy and time wasted on unwanted activities. 

• One can get this virtue with the help of prayer, religious austerities and satsangh. 

• UPARAMAH: 

• It is doing one’s own duties with the attitude of karma yoga. 

• It is the renunciation of all unwanted activities for the single pursuit of gaining atma jnana. Following this virtue will improve one’s self esteem.

• Gradual increase of Nitya + Naimitta Karmas (Svadharma). 

•  General reduction of Kamya / Prayaschitta / Nishiddha Karmas…. Learn to give up. 

•  Tilting Balance is Uparama. 

•  Anushtanam = Performance. Only perform Nitya / Naimitta Karmas.

TITIKSA: 

• It is endurance, forbearance, tolerance and putting up with opposite situations like cold and hot; pleasure and pain; and respect and disrespect. 

• This will help one to focus on the pursuit of moksha without resisting external situations. 

• One can look at every choice-less situation as an opportunity to raise the threshold limit of forbearance. 

• How to handle Pain: Find solution, Tolerate, right understanding and right sadhana. Then what others call pain, is not pain anymore.  

SRADDHA: 

• This refers to the trust in Isvara, oneself, the Sastra and the Guru.

•  Sastra (Pramana for atma jnana) is a jewel box whose key (the sampradaya of teaching) is with the Guru. 

• Prayer helps in gaining sraddha. 

• Disease – Bhava roga; 

• Doctor- Guru; 

• Medicine- Jnanam (removing ignorance).

SAMADHANAM: 

• Focusing capacity of Mind. 

• Concentration span of Mind. 

• Attention Span of Mind.

• This concentration power is required to get a deeper understanding of Vedanta.

• We can get this virtue by getting convinced of its use, practice of asana, pranayama and meditation, that is, by repeated practice of bringing the mind back to the subject on hand.

MUMUKSUTVAM: 

• It is the intense desire for freedom from samsara. 

• This desire keeps one motivated in pursuing Vedanta. 

• When one introspects into his or her life experience, he understands that nothing else other than gaining moksha can liberate.

OM TAT SAT!