HASTAMALAKIYAM (Jun )
By Swami Suprajnananda
Summary
The text discusses the distinction between the Atman (Self) and the mind, sense organs, and external objects, emphasizing that the Atman is not limited by these. It clarifies that the Atman is the eternal, unchanging witness, transcending cognition by the mind or senses, as anything cognized becomes finite and limited. Swami Vivekananda explains that the Absolute cannot be fully known, as knowledge implies limitation, making the Absolute unknowable in conventional terms. However, Advaita Vedanta posits that God (Brahman) is beyond both known and unknowable, being the essence of the self and the ultimate reality that enables all knowledge. The text concludes with the profound Vedantic assertion "Thou art That," signifying the identity of the individual self with the universal Self, transcending duality and limitations of perception.
Conclusion
This passage from HASTAMALAKIYAM (Jun 2017) clarifies the non-identification of the Atman with the mind and senses, establishing the Self as the eternal, unknowable essence that transcends empirical cognition. It emphasizes that the Atman, as the eternal Witness and the Self of all, cannot be limited by the mind or understood through sensory organs, as such knowledge would render it finite. Swami Vivekananda’s insights further illuminate this by distinguishing the Absolute as beyond both known and unknowable, positioning it as the ultimate reality—intimately present yet infinitely beyond all objects of knowledge. The text underscores the paradoxical nature of divine reality, asserting that the Atman, as the essence of the self, is both immanent and transcendent, defying conventional categories of understanding while remaining the foundation of all existence and cognition.