Series on Tattvamasi – Advaitasiddhi perspective

Copying a post of Sri Venkataraghavan on the above topic:

Please see below the first in a series of talks made in connection with the mahAvAkya, tattvamasi, occurring in the sixth chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad. The mahavakya is repeated 9 times across the sixth adhyAya, in khaNDa-s 8 – 16. Associated with each instance of the tattvamasi is an example that conveys a particular idea. 
In the nyAyAmRta, it is argued that the split of the words (padacCheda) in the mantra – स य एषोऽणिमैतदात्म्यमिदं  सर्वं तत्सत्यं स आत्मातत्त्वमसि, should be स आत्मा अतत्त्वमसि, not स आत्मा तत्त्वमसि as argued by the advaitin. In support it is argued that none of the nine examples occurring in this chapter support an advaita interpretation, and therefore the the reading should be अतत्त्वमसि.
Each of these arguments are considered and refuted in the siddhi – I propose to cover some of these arguments in a series of talks, the first of which is here. The example is of the hawk tied to a string occurring in 6.8.2: 
स यथा शकुनिः सूत्रेण प्रबद्धो दिशं दिशं पतित्वान्यत्रायतनमलब्ध्वा बन्धनमेवोपश्रयत एवमेव खलु सोम्य तन्मनो दिशं दिशं पतित्वान्यत्रायतनमलब्ध्वा प्राणमेवोपश्रयते प्राणबन्धनं हि सोम्य मन इति ॥
https://youtu.be/QoiEcJhWlV8

The second talk:

Here, uddAlaka AruNi invokes this example to show how differences seen in the waking state are not seen in the deep sleep state when the jIva has resolved himself into his higher nature as Sat.
The opponent uses this example to argue that the difference in the nectars from different flowers is a real one, and similarly the difference between different jIvas and the jIvas and paramAtma is also real.
The siddhikAra reveals the true import of the example – https://youtu.be/aFJxKYJxZLA
The mantras under discussion – 6.9.1 – 6.9.3

The third talk:

After looking at the examples of the hawk and the string and the the nectar and honey, today we consider the examples of the rivers and ocean and the tree and its branches that are associated with the third and fourth time that the teaching “tattvamasi” occurs in the Chandogya upaniShad.
The siddhikAra argues that these examples are also compatible with a teaching of advaita, and therefore it cannot be argued that the reading of the sentence has to be atattvamasi, conveying difference, as opposed to tattvamasi, conveying identity.
https://youtu.be/CUechxodCZk

Follow the above link in You Tube for further talks in the series.

Regards,Venkatraghavan