With how many ever words one describes water, there is no way a person who has not seen or tasted water can understand it. In the same way, the Vivekachoodamani of Sri Adi Sankaracharya tries to use words to indicate the presence of Brahman. Though we may seem to understand it, it is really only known through inner experience. That supreme nature of the truth is Nirvikalpa, which means there are no thought modifications in it. It is Analpa, meaning not mean or puny. It is the biggest thing ever in this universe. It cannot be destroyed and hence it is Akshara. It is supreme and beyond what is destructible and what is indestructible. It is eternal. How much ever you may use it, its source never gets exhausted. It is blissful in its experience. There is no black mark or taint in the Brahman. That Brahman is you, so you meditate, says the Acharya.
That existence, life, consciousness and truth is just one. However, it seems to exist as many due to the delusory identification with the body. The changes are merely in name, form and activities of each individual being. That Brahman, however, is like gold. It is without any modification at all times. The gold is there in the chain, in the dollar, in the ear ring, in the bangle or in the bracelet. The forms and names of the objects change but the gold is the same. That Brahman, which is the same in one and all, is You—meditate in this way on your own self.
There is nothing beyond this Brahman. It is the most supreme of all things supreme in this universe. Its essence is just one and it is experienced within ourself as I. That is what defines this Brahman, the I that we use many times during the day. That I is existence. That I is consciousness. That I is the source of all joy. That I has no end. That I never depletes in its resources. That I is You, the Brahman. Thus you meditate.
What has been described in so many verses so far is the content of the word I. It is the self and it is in you. This should be meditated upon according to the steps and means provided by the scriptures with the help of a sharp and incisive intellect. When this I is known without any doubt as if it were like a palm full of water by that person, the essence is reached.
The writer is Sevika, Chinmaya Mission, Coimbatore (www.chinmayamission.com); email: sharanya.chaitanya@chinmayamission.com