#258 The play of the Atma and intellect – teaching by Sri Dattatreya in Tripura Rahasya
Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi often quoted from the Tripura Rahasya which is considered an important teaching of Advaita Vedanta. In this Shiva taught the highest truth to Vishnu who in turn taught Brahma. Later Vishnu incarnated on Earth as Shri Dattatreya, the Lord of the Avadhutas, (sages who move around without clothes).
Shri Dattatreya also shares what he learnt from 24 gurus, which is in the form of Avadhuta Gita that appears in the Bhagavatam. I had done 3 podcast episodes on this, the link of which is in the description of this episode. Shri Dattatreya taught Parashurama on the condition that it should be communicated to Haritayana who would seek the truth from him
So, who is Dattatreya? Once there was a dutiful couple. The husband had a roving eye, while the wife was extremely devoted to him. The couple unknowingly disturbed Rishi Mandavya who had been placed on a spear by a misguided king. The Rishi or sage was in agony, but was not dying. Since his tapasya was disturbed, the Rishi cursed them, saying that the husband would die at sunrise and the wife would be left a widow. do to her intense loyalty to her husband. She did intense prayers. As a result, the sun did not rise and the devatas powers got reduced.
The devatas resolved to approach Anasuya who was considered to be the epitome of wifehood. They requested Anasuya, the wife of sage Atri to intervene such that the lady give up her Tapasya and that her dead husband was restored to life.
Then the three Devas agreed to be born as sons to Anasuya. Sri Brahma manifested as the Moon; Sri Shiva manifested as the Sage Durvasa and Sri Vishnu manifested as Datta. The word Atreya got added to his name and he came to be called as Dattatreya, as Atreya was derived from his father Atri or the husband of Anasuya.
Shri Dattatreya is one of the most revered sages who incarnated on earth. And he gave teachings which are in the form of Tripura Rahasya.
It is said to consist of 12000 shlokas in 3 sections – the Mahatmya Khanda which is a section on the greatness of Devi, Jnana Khanda which is a section on wisdom and Charya Khanda which is a section on conduct. The last section is not available.
In the wisdom section in the chapter of bondage and release, there is a commentary narrated in the form of a story. It illustrates that bondage and liberation are for the intellect only, and not for Jeevatma, the individualised consciousness.
The story of the Jivatma
Before creation, my mother namely Chaitanya, Consciousness gave me (Jivatma), a companion called Buddhi or the Intellect, decision making function. Now, the origin of the intellect cannot be investigated but it remains as a part of the Sukshma sharira, subtle body, thus enabling the person to partake of experiences of pleasure and pain. The buddhi, intellect is lost at death, but reappears as if from nowhere at the time of rebirth.
The buddhi, intellect is bright and shining by nature and remains untainted. Later, she is associated with a wicked friend called avidya who makes the intellect wander away from me, the Atma and forces her to become externally focused. The subtle intruder remained unnoticed by my mother who just illumined her. Actually, it was the intellect that had forsaken Consciousness as she was so enticed by ignorance and gets entangled in the world of objects.
There is always something to do, somewhere to go, so much to experience. There is no Viveka, the discriminating and discerning ability and the ego identifies itself with all the various activities of the mind.
Relating to the mind is one thing and Identification with the mind is quite another.
Individuality and the intellect go hand in hand as they cannot remain without each other.
The intellect comes more and more under the sway of avidya until her friend of wonderful powers persuades her to seek pleasures. Now the intellect comes under the influence of the son of ignorance called moha, confusion. The intellect has a secret affair with Moha. But even Moha or confusion could not escape me as I as Atma illumine her too. She tried to create a smokescreen for the intellect but I could see through it all. I as the Atma, make the intellect shine. But then my friend Moha got a son called the manas, mind. Manas resembles his father in every respect. The manas or mind had an extraordinary ability and had many flights of passage in wild abandon. However, his activities were only according to the qualities inherited from Avidya.
Thus, the intellect was dragged by dark forces until she became clouded in darkness. She was gradually losing interest in me, the Atma who had always loved her and continued to do so. But due to my constant company with the intellect, Moha tried to overpower me.
I remained pure. The mind which is the function of all feelings and desires became more and more associated with me.
(One thing to note in the Vedic tradition is that we use the word manas, mind as the function of desires and feelings and buddhi, intellect as decisions and definitive knowledge)
The intellect almost totally ignored me and identified herself with Moha, confusion. As the mind grows up in my company, the powers of the mind manifest more and more with the grandmother Avidya ’s permission.
The mind married the five changing forms. They became a couple and five senses are born of this couple. The senses also flourish because of me, the Atma until they are able to stand on their own legs. The senses function in the sensory organs and their father, the mind is able to function through them and they have a great time in life.
More and more desires possess the mind and it keeps increasing until the mind could never be satisfied. Constant association of the mind with iccha, desire gives rise to kama, binding desire and lobha, greed.
The misery of the manas, mind is reflected in the intellect. I as Jivatma am completely hidden behind the dark and active forces which drag the intellect down. Thus, suffering for ages, the mind loses all initiative and is in the clutches of Kama, binding desire.
Then this mind and desire have to deal with the city of 10 gates. They lead the body with 10 outlets (2 eyes, 2 ears, 2 nasal passages, mouth, the urethra, anus and brahmarandhra, an opening in the skull).
The same story of miseries is repeated in the new incarnation. The intellect by now has lost the sattvika quality of brightness. It cannot shine well and has become dull due to tamas.
The mind continued to flourish in the company of Avidya, Moha and Kama.
The intellect could not manage on the one hand nor function in my absence. We all lived there together.
If I had not been there, no one else could have lived in the city.
I as Atma was protecting all of them. On account of my intimacy with the intellect, I became sentient at times, foolish at others, unsteady at other times.
A lot of ignorant people considered me the Atma as the intellect.
But the sages know that I as the atma have never been tainted and cannot be associated with anything, limitless as I am.
My mother Chaitanya is most pure, subtler than space because she’s in and through all of this.
She is Tripura, the Devi of all the 3 cities, waking, dream and deep sleep state at the total level. She is limitless, unaffected by everything. And at the same time, immanent – in and through everything.
She is the prop of all but has no props.
She has no shape, but is the being of all shapes. Being all inclusive, she owns nothing.
Her daughters like me are too numerous. My sisters are infinite in number like the waves of the sea. All of them are too involved like myself in their companion – the intellect’s affairs. We just believe whatever the intellect says. However, I am identical with my mother in every respect.
I get glimpses of her in moments of happiness or when I say that I am free from Tripura, the 3 states of experience or I am Tripura, present in all three states of experience.
So, to return to my life in the city, whenever the mind was fatigued he used to sleep on his mother Intellect’s. Lap. When he slept, none of the sons or others could be awake. The city was then guarded by his intimate friend, the breath.
The intellect with all her family used to be clouded by Ignorance – her mother-in-law and then I as Jivatma used to abide in and remain as fullness. But as soon as the inhabitants of the city of awoke, I was obliged to move in the background.
The mind’s friend – Breath, prana, pervaded the whole city and protected all the citizens in every way. The prana was the link between them and me.
He derived his strength and powers from me. When that city fell to ruin, he would collect them all and pass with them to another city. The mind thus reigned in several places, with the aid of his friend, rebirth.
Though befriended by prana, though born of intellect, and though brought up by me, the mind was always wallowing in misery because he was wedded to his insatiable wives who were associated with the two wicked sons, lobha, greed and krodha, anger.
He would swing to and fro on account of the other five sons, the senses. He could find no rest and was manipulated by them. Whether in forests or in wilderness, in heat or in cold, he found himself in different kinds of hell. His miseries reflected and affected the intellect, and I too being the Atma was involved in their woes.
After all, who can avoid the effects of bad company?
On one occasion, the intellect sought my advice in secret.
I advised living a life of Dharma, by which she gained a good husband, Viveka. And so, the intellect grew stronger, gathered courage to master the mind and master greed, binding desire and anger.
The other five sons of his namely the senses were held in check and reined in nicely soon after she became loyal to me, and finally allowed herself to see who she truly was.
She reached my mother’s abode.
Jivatma had always been one with all pervading Atma that is Chaitanya.
This teaching appeared in Tripura Rahasya by Guru Dattatreya – the combined form of Sri Brahma, Sri Vishnu and Sri Shiva.
We seek his grace for our moksha pursuit. Shree Gurudeva Datta.
