Self awareness is a work only

[dattaswami]

Self awareness is a work only

139. Kriyaavaachakam kriyaiva na kartaa shunyamaatmaa chiti.

 

Translation: The verbal noun is verb itself and is not worker. The vacuum becomes the self in awareness

 

Explanation: Knowledge is the process of knowing and it is a verbal noun, which is nothing but the verb itself. Walk is verbal noun, which means that the verb is in the form of a noun and this does not mean that the verbal noun is different from the verb. The Advaita philosophers speak about the knowledge remaining without object and they say that it is knowledge of knowledge or awareness of awareness or self knowledge or self awareness. Knowledge cannot become the work as well as the object. It is work only. There cannot be walk of walking or talk of talking or sight of seeing. In the self awareness, the awareness is the work or process of knowing and that cannot become the object also simultaneously. When you are aware of yourself, you are aware of your physical body. The physical body is the object and awareness is the work. Both are quite different from each other. Similarly in the awareness of awareness or knowledge of knowledge, the object is blank space or vacuum, which is the primordial energy or the inert energy. The basic form of awareness or knowledge is this inert energy only and hence it can be called as the self of awareness or knowledge. This self or inert energy becomes the object and hence in the word ‘Self knowledge’ or ‘self awareness’, the self is inert energy or space. The worker may be the body (kartaa) or may be the inert energy (kaarakam) present in the body. The work is neither the body nor the inert energy. In this sutra the work is denied to be the body and it simultaneously means the inert energy also present in the body.