Shankara: Knower-knowing-knowable Triad is kshetram, not-self

Shankara: Knower-knowing-knowable Triad (Triputee) is kshetram, not-self

In the Bh.Gita 13th chapter we have the viveka of Kshetra-Kshetrajna.  The observer is the Kshetrajna, consciousness and the observed is the kshetra, the insentient prakriti. The verses 5 and 6 define concisely the kshetra:

महाभूतान्यहङ्कारो बुद्धिरव्यक्तमेव च।
इन्द्रियाणि दशैकं च पञ्च चेन्द्रियगोचराः।।13.6।।

13.6 The great elements, egoism, intellect and the Unmanifest itself; the ten organs and the one, and the five objects of the senses;

इच्छा द्वेषः सुखं दुःखं सङ्घातश्चेतनाधृतिः।
एतत्क्षेत्रं समासेन सविकारमुदाहृतम्।।13.7।।

13.7 Desire, repulsion, happiness, sorrow, the aggregate (of body and organs), sentience, fortitude- this field, together with its modifications, has been spoken of briefly.

In the Bhashya, Shankara brings out the essence of the constituents of the Kshetram:

13.6: The pancha maha bhuta-s, in their subtle state, the ahankara (in its cosmic aspect which is the cause of the five elements), buddhi, again, in its cosmic aspect which is called Mahat (Kathopanishat), which is the cause of the ahankara. Then, avyakta, the primordial Maya Shakti:   तत्कारणम् अव्यक्तमेव च, न व्यक्तम् अव्यक्तम् अव्याकृतम् ईश्वरशक्तिः ‘मम माया दुरत्यया’ (भ. गी. ७ । १४) इत्युक्तम् ।

Here, Shankara says ‘the cause of Mahat, the cosmic Intellect, is Avyakta, which is also called avyaakrtam, unmanifest. This is the Ishvara Shakti and cites the BG 7.14:

दैवी ह्येषा गुणमयी मम माया दुरत्यया।
मामेव ये प्रपद्यन्ते मायामेतां तरन्ति ते।।7.14।।

7.14 Since this divine Maya of Mine which is constituted by the gunas is difficult to cross over, (therefore) those who take refuge in Me alone cross over this Maya.

 

Anandagiri says:  जगतस्तत्त्वप्रतिपत्तिप्रतिबन्धभूता गुणाः सत्त्वादयः। [The three gunas of Maya are Sattva, etc. that obstruct the arising of the correct knowledge about the world. 

 

It is pertinent to note that Maya, the Shakti of Ishwara (Brahman) is also within the category of Kshetram, the insentient, ‘observed’, principle.  Thus, the Atman, Consciousness, is the observer principle and everything other than this is in the field of kshetram, observed, insentient. In the 7th verse, the perceptible objective world is described.  

Anandagiri gives a clarification:

ईश्वरशक्तिः इत्युक्ते चैतन्यमपि शङ्क्येत, तदर्यमाह –  ममेति ।

    The word ‘ Ishvara-shakti’ in the Bhashya could mean ‘Pure Consciousness’ (because Shankara himself has used the term  सर्वप्रत्ययदर्शी चिच्छक्तिस्वरूपमात्रः  (Kena.pada bhashya 2.4), to denote the Pure Consciousness by the word ‘shakti’) Shankara is clarifying citing the BG 7.14 ‘mama maayaa…’.  Thus, Maya Shakti is also of the observed category, kshetram.  

 

In the 7th verse there is the word ‘chetanaa’ for which Shankara has said, with an analogy: सङ्घातः देहेन्द्रियाणां संहतिः ।  तस्यामभिव्यक्तान्तःकरणवृत्तिः, तप्त इव लोहपिण्डे अग्निः आत्मचैतन्याभासरसविद्धा चेतना ; सा च क्षेत्रं ज्ञेयत्वात् ।  [The body-mind-senses complex is called ‘sanghaata’.  In this complex there is the reflection of the Atma Chaitanyam, in the antahkarana vritti.  Just as a red-hot iron has the reflection of fire in it and appears as thought it is itself fire, the mind-vritti, with the Atman reflection in it appears itself to be chaitanyam.  And since this vritti, enlivened by and reflecting consciousness is observable, it is called kshetram. 

 

Anandagiri gives a clarification with an analogy:

विज्ञानवादं प्रत्याह –  तस्यामिति ।

तप्ते लोहपिण्डे वह्रेः अभिव्यक्तिवत् उक्तसंहतौ बुद्धिवृत्तिः अभिव्यज्यते । तत्र च अग्निः अभिव्यक्तः लोहपिण्डमेव अग्निबुद्ध्या ग्राहयति । तथा आत्मचैतन्यं बुद्धिवृत्तौ अभिव्यक्तं तामेव आत्मतया बोधयति । अतः तदाभासानुविद्धा सैव चेतना इत्युच्यते । सा च मुख्यचेतनं प्रति ज्ञेयत्वात् अतद्रूपत्वात् क्षेत्रमेव इत्यर्थः  Anandagiri adds that ‘the fire that manifests in the iron piece makes the onlooker think that the iron piece indeed is fire. So too the Atma chaitanyam that manifests in the buddhi vritti makes the person take it (buddhi vritti itself) as the Atman. This is an observable, vishaya, to the Real Atma chaitanyam and hence kshetram/jneyam.

It is pertinent to recall Shankara’s statement in the Adhyasa Bhashya:  देहेन्द्रियादिषु अहंममाभिमानरहितस्य प्रमातृत्वानुपपत्तौ प्रमाणप्रवृत्त्यनुपपत्तेः । न हीन्द्रियाण्यनुपादाय प्रत्यक्षादिव्यवहारः सम्भवति । नचाधिष्ठानमन्तरेण इन्द्रियाणां व्यापारः सम्भवति । न चानध्यस्तात्मभावेन देहेन कश्चिद्व्याप्रियते । न चैतस्मिन् सर्वस्मिन्नसति असङ्गस्यात्मनः प्रमातृत्वमुपपद्यते । न च प्रमातृत्वमन्तरेणप्रमाणप्रवृत्तिरस्ति ।     It is very rewarding to delve on the purport of these lines.  Pramaatrutvam, knowerhood is a product of having the identification of I and mine in the body and senses. Without taking the senses, perception, etc. activity is impossible. Without the gross body, the senses-activity is impossible. Without the body-adhyasa identification none acts. In the absence of all these – identification with body, senses, perception, etc. the completely detached Atman cannot be endowed with pramaatrtvam, knowerhood.

From the above we can derive:

• Pramaatru, knower, is denoted by the BG Bhashyam giving the red-hot iron analogy, the verse has the term: chetanaa.
• Pramaanam, the knowing, instrument, is clearly enumerated by the BG 6 by the words: ten senses and the eleventh one, the mind-organ.
• Prameya, knowable, is also explicitly stated by the 6th verse  पञ्च चेन्द्रियगोचराः   the five object-groups namely shabda, sparsha, rupa, rasa and gandha, knowable, graspable, by the senses.
• Maya Shakti is also an ‘observable’, a vishaya, and thus mithya.

Thus, we have the BG 13.6 and 7 along with the Bhashyam and the Teekaa, a fine analytical study concluding in the idea:  the triad of pramatru, pramana, prameya belongs to the kshetram, not-self, insentient, knowable group, and therefore mithya:  jneyatvaat (drushyatvaat).

Om Tat Sat