Drg-Drshya-Viveka - 5

"This consciousness does not rise (unborn) and does not set (immortal). It does not increase or decay (immutable). It shines of Itself and It illumines others without any aid." - Verse 5

Excerpt From Commentary:

A pot is non-existent before it is made. This non-existence is beginningless and ends when the pot is made (born). When the pot is broken (dead), it becomes non-existent once again. Its non-existence is endless. The beginning of posterior non-existence is the death of the pot.

Now we enquire, 'Who illumines the birth and death of the pot?' The pot cannot illumine its own birth and death because it is inert and nothing can experience its own absence. Therefore, I, the conscious entity, must witness its birth and death. I must illumine its prior non-existence, existence, and its posterior non-existence. 

Let us suppose that consciousness too is born and dies like a pot. The IT must be non-existent before and after Its birth and death respectively. Who then would know of Its absence? Consciousness cannot know Its own absence. If I, the Self, know of Its non-existence then is my knowing with or without consciousnes? One cannot know anything without consciousness. If I know of the non-existence of consciousness with consciousness, then consciousness already exists. The non-existence of consciousness cannot be proved and hence consciousness is unborn and imperishable.

The Self is, was and will be. There was never a time when It was not in existence. There will never be a time when It will not exist. It exists in all the three periods of time - past, present and future. It is of the nature of Pure Existence. Since it is unborn, it is not subjected to the modifications that all objects undergo in time such as growth and decay. 

There must be a changeless substratum for any change to occur. Like the river which flows over an unchanging bed, the Self is the unchanging substratum that witnesses all the changes.

The witness 'I' is self-shining and illumines others without any aid. There is no requirement nor presence of any other consciousness to illumine it. It is of the nature of consciousness. All objects gain sentiency in Its light. The inert object is that which cannot illumine either itself or anything else but depends on consciousness for its existence. The moon shines by the reflected light of the sun. The sun too shines because our eyes perceive it. The mind illumines the eyes and the mind in turn is illumined by the Self. 

"It shines and all else shines because of It. In Its light alone, all this shines." - Kathopanishad

The witness 'I' is of the nature of existence, consciousness. The mind and body are inert, gaining sentiency when associated with consciousness. The Self is unlimited by time and space. Being eternal and all-pervading, it is always in association with all inert objects, making them appear sentient. This appearance is not reality. 

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From Drg-Drshya-Viveka