Swarupa Anusandhana Ashtakam

Sw Paramarthananda
Introduction
For any spiritual seeker, life is a (spiritual) journey. But it needs to be conducted as a guided tour with the help of a Guru
who uses the Global Positioning System (GPS) called Shastras. If not, it will only end up being a directionless wandering
or worse, groping in darkness.
Scriptures give four definitions for a spiritual journey, each more evolved than the previous.
It is thus described as a journey from
(i) Samsara to Moksha
In other words, it is freedom from the repeated cycle of births and deaths.
(ii) Mrtyu (mortality) to Amrtam (immortality)
Since samsara is nothing but repeated cycle of births and deaths, it signifies mortality. Spirituality guides us along the path
to discovering our own Immortality.
(iii) Asat (myth) to Sat (Truth)
Logically, immortality can never have a definite time period. Hence it cannot be a time-bound destination for anyone. If
immortality cannot be arrived at, it only implies that it is already our inherent nature. If we are immortal, we should not be
restricted by false notions of growing old and dying. This realization is symbolized as the journey from illusion to Truth.
(iv) Tamas (ignorance) to Jyoti (Knowledge)
Any false notion denotes ignorance. And like darkness, ignorance cannot be forced away. The only way of dispelling the
darkness called ignorance is to light the lamp of knowledge.
The very same essence is captured in the well-known Shloka below where the spiritual seeker seeks guidance in this
spiritual journey.
Lead us from illusion to Truth
Lead us from ignorance to light of Knowledge
Lead us from mortality to immortality
In summary, a spiritual journey is nothing but pursuit of knowledge. This journey has three stages

Jnana Yogyata Prapti: qualification for the study of Atma Vidya

Jnana Prapti: acquisition of Atma Vidya through systematic study
Jnana Nishtha: completion assimilation of Atma Vidya
Each of the above stages has relevant spiritual exercises to help in improving oneself and becoming qualified for the next
stage. During the first stage, practice of Karma Yoga and Upasana Yoga help a seeker to attain Chitta-shuddhi and
reach Jnana Yoga stage. Shravanam (listening) and Mananam (removal of doubts through discussions) are exercises used
in the Jnana Praptistage. And finally, knowledge acquired thus, needs to be imbibed via the exercise
ofNidhidhyasanam (assimilation) to reach Moksha ultimately. By assimilating this Knowledge, we ensure that the Vidya so
obtained is not merely academic, but completely ingrained and every cell of our being throbs with it. That is when one
attains Moksha.
Swarupa Ashtakam (also known as Swarupanusandhanashtakam) is a short work by Sri Adi Shankaracharya that focuses
exclusively on this exercise of Nidhidhyasanam. Anusandhanammeans Dhyanam or meditation, or in other words,
continuously dwelling on a particular thought. Here we do not meditate on some specific deity, instead we meditate on the
true nature of self (Swarupa) via the eight verses (Ashtakam)
Out of the verses in Swarupa Ashtakam, verses 1-2 are brief references to the Jnana Yogyata Prapti and Jnana
Prapti stages respectively. Verse 9 is the Phala Shruti. And through the remaining verses 3-8, Adi Shankaracharya
expounds the qualities of Brahman and repeatedly drives home the point that I, the spiritual seeker, is not anyone else but
indeed the very sameBrahman.
Verse 1


Through the practice of Tapa (austerities), Yajna (regular worship of Isvara) and Dana(charity) one who attains a pure
mind (Shuddha buddhih) and even ends up rejecting (Viraktah) the status of a king (Nrpade pade) as insignificant (Tuchha)
and develops a sense of detachment (Parityajya sarvam) that I am that eternal supreme Brahman.
Yajnam, Danam and Tapas are primary part of Karma Yoga. Here, Yajnam means worship of the Lord. In the beginning
phases, though one might indulges in these activities for self-serving purposes, eventually these very same activities help
attain purity of the mind. To illustrate this point further, Lord Krishna Himself in the Bhagavad Gita talks about an Artha
Bhakta for whom God is the means and world is the end although He does not deride him. But on the other hand, if we
continue to remain Artha Bhakta for long, there will be spiritual stagnation. Similarly, everyone starts as a consumer of
resources, contributing very little to the world in return. But one must outgrow this tendency and start giving more and
more to the world, taking lesser and lesser from it in return. Danam, it is said, is the stepping stone to Tyaga and Tyaga,

to Moksha. Next comesTapas, which in this case, denotes Upasana Yoga. By keeping the Shanta swaroopi Lord in our
minds for ten mins at least every day, the guna will tend to rub off on us as well. By keeping at these, we will gradually
attain Chitta-shuddhi or purity of mind. What are the indications of a pure mind? The presence of Viveka (the realization
that the world is Anitya and only Brahman is Nitya) and Vairagya (the tendency to exist in and serve the world, but not lean
on it) Only by Chitta-shuddhi can one reach a state of mind evolved enough to reject even kingship and develop a sense of
detachment towards the world. This stage is called Jnana Yogyata Prapti which means that the spiritual seeker is now fit
to attain Jnana.
Verse 2


Having approached a Guru who is compassionate and abides in his real nature, revere the liberating wisdom received. The
revelation and wisdom thus attained by meditation on reality, I am that eternal supreme Brahman.
Karma Yoga only converts a person from being impurely ignorant to purely ignorant. It does not give Moksha. After purity
of mind is established through Karma Yoga, the next step would be to systematically study Vedantic scriptures for a length
of time under a competent guru who himself has been a Shishya under another such guru. This exercise is Shravanam.
If Ahamkara andMamakara remain in the mind, the mind is pre-occupied and shallow and not available forShravanam.
Hence it is important to renounce our so-called possessions including the mind and body and offer everything to the Lord
which is achieved through the Karma Yoga stage. OnceAhamkara and Mamakara disappear, mind opens up for Jnana.
One should also note that when materialistic knowledge itself can take up to twenty or thirty years to gather, a profound
subject like Vedanta cannot be grasped through a crash course. It requires time and effort. Following Shravanam,
comes Mananam the conviction that follows the academic knowledge gained. It indicates an earnest dialogue between
the guru and Shishya and clearing of doubts, if any.
Vedanta, in essence, addresses three fundamental questions:
(1) Who am I and what is my purpose?
(2) Why does the world exist and why are there so many problems and suffering?
(3) Does God exist?
And by no means, do these answers reveal themselves instantly. It requires study and tutelage under a compassionate guru
who is kind enough to accept the spiritual seeker as a disciple and who himself abides in his real nature
of Shantam and Anandam.
Verse 3


That which is of the nature of eternal bliss, is the consciousness principle, free from the second thing called world (since
the world is not independent from Brahman), which is the Fourth and can be known only in one way, that is by claim and
not by experience, I am that supreme eternal Brahman.
Beginning with the third verse, the first three lines of every verse in Swaroopashtakam talk about the nature of Brahman as
given in the Upanishads. And the fourth line claims that such a Brahmanhappens to be Me.
Let us delve deeper into this to understand the nature of Brahman and the meaning of the verses.
As a Vedanta student would do in the Shravanam phase, there are two approaches to study the nature of Brahman. They are

1.
Tatastha Lakshanam (from a worldly standpoint)
2.
Swaroopa Lakshanam (from a Brahman standpoint)
Per #1, Brahman is seen as that because of which the universe originates, exists and dissolves. Per #2, Brahman is the
nature of happiness. Therefore, Brahman is Karanam (#1) and Brahman isAnandam (#2)
Tatastha Lakshanam
From this one can draw corollaries
(1) If Brahman is the Karanam, Jagat (world) is the Karyam (product) very much like clay & pot, gold & jewelry, metal
& weapons etc. Out of one lump of gold, many ornaments can be produced. In other
words, Karanam is Ekam but Karyam is Anekam
(2) Karyam do not have their own substantiality or weight. E.g. 20 grams weight of a bangle is simply that of the gold.
Bangle here is merely a word given to the particular circular shape the gold is in for transactional purposes and has no
weight
of
its
own.
Therefore Karyam is
always
non
substantial
or
weightless
(Asara)
Thus Karanam is Sara, Karyam is Asara
(3) Gold exists before creation of ornaments, and continues to do so after their creation and destruction as well. On the
other hand, ornaments have a finite shelf life. So, one can say thatKaranam is Nityam, Karyam is Anityam
(4) An ornament (read Karyam) cannot exist if the raw material (gold) is withdrawn from it. So its existence is dependent
entirely on gold. But gold or Karanam on the other hand is intrinsic, indigenous and independent. Thus we can say
that Karanam is Satyam while Karyam isAsatyam
Chandokya Upanishad summarizes this as

Eka, Sara, Nitya, Satyam Karanam

Aneka, Asara, Anitya, Asatya Karyam
This is beautifully illustrated with the example of moonlight. Moonlight is nothing but brightness borrowed from the sun,
though in general, light on the moon is mistaken as light of the moon. Similarly, one should realize that universe is only
a Karyam owing its existence to Brahman.Brahman is the only Karanam of everything around us.
Swaroopa Lakshanam
If all that we are aware of is Asara, Anitya, Asatya Karyam, how can we depend on such a transient and unstable source for
happiness? Wisdom is relying only on Brahman as a permanent source of Ananda or bliss.
If Brahman is the Karanam the essence of everything in the Universe, and can be found everywhere, then Brahman can
be found in me also. How to do this search for Brahman?
We have learnt that Brahman is Nityam and Nirvikaram (changeless) Therefore it is wise to first ask is there anything in
me that is permanent and non-changing? Is it the body, the senses, the mind, the intellect? No all of these are susceptible
to changes and are temporary. Then what is permanent? If everything is changing, and everything is negated, then what
remains? Blankness! To witness and experience this and declare the same, we need an experiencing entity that
consciousness
principle
is
I,
the Atma.
Therefore
I,
the Sakshi
chaitanyam,
am Ekam, Saram,Nityam, Satyam and Ananda Swaroopam.
Listening to and understanding these concepts is Shravanam and Mananam respectively. Dwelling upon these ideas, we
should meditate every day this is Nidhidhyasanam. Therefore, we should weaken our Jeevabhava and strengthen
our Brahmanubhava by meditating upon these thoughts and reminding ourselves of our Divine nature.
Verse 4

The world appears (as real) because of ignorance of Brahman and disappears as soon asBrahman is realized. That which is
beyond words and mind, pure and free of limitations, I am that supreme, eternal Brahman.
Continuing to analyze the nature of Brahman, let us revisit the example of a bangle made out of gold. Considering that the
bangle borrows its existence from gold, we can say that bangle seems to exist, but is, in fact, non-existent. We can extend
the same concept to the world and Brahman. In the vision of a Jnani, the world does not actually exist, but only has
seeming existence, but forAjnanis, because of lack of awareness of Brahman, the world seems real. In other words,
whenBrahman is known, the world ceases to exist, although it continues to appear (note the difference)
This Brahman is also beyond words and mind. Words are only meant to describe that which is experienced. But in the
case Brahman (being beyond experience) words are not enough. UnlikeSamsara, characterized by limitation, helplessness,
anger and frustration, Brahman is pure and beyond limitation.
Verse 5


When the whole universe is negated as not this, not this, the Poorna Atma that remains as non-dual, one, beyond the
three states, I am that supreme, eternal Brahman.
The Upanishads declare Tat Tvam Asi which means That thou art. But here one should analyze carefully what Thou
means. Even though the student uses body & mind to receive the message of the Maha Vakya, the Tvam or Thou here
implies neither the body nor the mind of the receiver, but the consciousness principle. According to the Brhadaranyaka
Upanishad, by negating everything in the whole Universe as not this, not this (Na Iti) including the body and the mind,
we arrive at and are left only with the consciousness principle. This Brahman is not an object of experience or a destination
to reach. It is only a matter of claiming. In line number two, Samadhi means Atma. One who negates thus, realizes
the Poorna Atma.
Avastha Trayam, mentioned in line 3, refer to the three states of existence being awake (Jagrat), dreaming (Swapna)
and in deep sleep (Shushupti). While being awake and in dream state, all mysamsaric limitations manifest since I still am
associating myself with mind and body. But when deep asleep, I shed my body-mind complex and revert to my intrinsic,
original nature that of pureAnanda. However, this state is shortlived and I am awake and back to Samsara again.
Let us understand this better by studying two associated principles.
Principle 1:
I experience a variety of objects. While they are subject to arrival and departure, I remain. Therefore, I am different from
what I experience.
When I see or experience an object in front of me, I the experiencer, am different from what I am experiencing. Every
experienced object invariably has attributes. These experienced attributes belong to and only to the experienced object and
not to the experiencer. E.g. Shabda, Sparsha, Roopa, Rasa, Gandham are all attributes of the experienced object and the
experiencer is free from them.
Extending this further, body and mind too are merely objects, but experienced more intimately. In deep sleep state, both
body and mind are absent (not experienced) by me, but on waking up they are the first objects I experience. Thus, while I

am the experiencer, they are merely experienced objects instruments of transaction. Realizing the fact that I am the
observer and user of body-mind and not body-mind itself is called Atma-anatma vichara or Drk-drshya
Principle 2:
All attributes belong to the experienced objects the world, the body or the mind. I am attributeless.
The three states of Jagrat, Swapna and Shushupti are experienced by me. Hence, by this principle, they are attributes
belonging to an object in this case that object being the mind. According to Viveka Chudamani, the three states are
comparable to the Rajas, Tamas and Sattva Gunas respectively. When I transfer them onto myself, it is called Tadatmya
Bhava. Only an ignorant person permanently identifies himself with these attributes, while a Jnani is beyond the three
states and also referred to as Turiyam the fourth one (refer back to verse 3, line 3)
Verse 6


That from which the whole world gets bliss, consciousness and existence, Iam that supreme, eternal Brahman.
Brahman is the sole source of Ananda. Nothing else in creation (including the mind and body which are part of Karya
Prapancham) has even a drop of Ananda. Although materialistic objects or events (example, a new possession or a
marriage) seem to provide happiness, for none of themAnanda is an intrinsic property.
What is the proof?
No object can give same amount of happiness to all people and at all times uniformly. A source of joy today can possibly
transform into a source of grief at any moment. This illustrates that an object by itself does not intrinsically contain the
real Ananda. Then why do we experience temporary happiness from objects? That is because the phenomenon of
happiness has been misunderstood. E.g. when a dog bites a bone, the bone blisters its tongue but the dog enjoys the taste of
the blood assuming the bone to be the source of it. Similarly when mind experiences Ananda, however temporary, it is
nothing but the reflected (Pratibimba) Ananda from Atma. Conducive circumstances provided by external factors
temporarily calm the mind and it is able to experience some of this reflected happiness or Atmananda. And we make the
mistake of associating the source of this happiness to the external trigger. How can I experience original Ananda and not
just reflectedAnanda? I cannot experience, I can only realize and claim. Example, I can experience only a reflection of my
own face (in a mirror), I cannot experience my own face. I can only realize and claim it.
Like happiness, the world also borrows its existence (Sat) from Brahman. So when we say the world is existent, it implies
that it is borrowed. Same goes for the body and mind, which are also part of the Karya creation. And like existence,
consciousness is also borrowed by the world fromBrahman. Therefore, the world, body and mind are all Nama-Roopa,
only borrowing existence, consciousness and happiness from Brahman and reflecting these like a mirror.
Therefore Brahmanis not in the world, but I am the Brahman experiencing the world and the reflected Satchitananda. If
the Nama-Roopa mirror dissolves, the reflected Sat-Chit-Ananda dissolves but the originalBrahman, which is Me,
remains.
Verse 7

The Infinite, all-pervading, desire-less, action-less, auspicious, attachment-less, attainable through the Pranava Om,
formless, resplendent, immortal, supreme, eternal Brahman I am that
Some more descriptions of Brahman are given in this verse which can be understood if we remember the previous
descriptions we had namely Brahman is Karana, Eka, Saara, Nitya, Satya,and Ananda.
Anantam infinite, limitless (already explained in verse #2, line #3 as Parccheda Heenam)
Vibhum Any Karanam is called Vibhu:
Karanam alone appears in the form of varieties of Karyam. Vividham bhavati iti vibhu:
Nirvikalpam Without any division. Consciousness is all-pervading like space. According to Vedanta, we cannot
even have the division in the form of consciousness and matter i.e. Atma and Anatma. Even though we make this division
in the initial stages (Adhya Ropa Prakaranam), in the final stages (Apavada prakaranam) of Vedanta, this division is
negated. Actually matter does not exist separate from Consciousness Consciousness and matter is a wrong expression.
Matter is nothing but misunderstood Consciousness. Understood matter is consciousness. In the eyes of a wise person,
there is no world other than Consciousness. Therefore, Nirvikalpam.
Nireeham Iha has got two meanings desire (Kama) and action (Karma), Brahman is free from desire and
action.
Shivam Means Mangala Swaroopam (as per Mandukya Upanishad, Shantam-Shivam-Advaitam) Brahman is
of the nature of auspiciousness.
Sangaheenam free from all contacts or relations. Why Brahman does not have any contact or relationship?
Simple logic is that there is no second thing to Brahman, so there is no question of striking a relationship.
Yat Omkara Gamyam that which is revealed by meditating on Omkara. In Mandukya Upanishad, Om is split
into four components A, U, M and silence. A represents wakeful state, U represents dream state and M represents deep

sleep. The silence that follows represents Turiyam or the Avastha Traya Sakshi. Thus through Omkara
Vichara, Brahman is revealed. Omkara gamyam = Turiyam.
Nirakaram Shapeless or formless, all-pervading like space, Chidakasha Roopa.
Ati Ujjwalam brilliant, revealer of everything. This we can understand in the following manner. Consciousness,
first reveals the mind. When I wake up, I become aware of my mind. Consciousness lends sentiency to the insentient
mind. Then, the mind with borrowed consciousness reveals the sense organs, and sense organs become sentient. Light of
the Atma first goes to the mind, and from there to the sense organs, and from the sense organs to the world. Therefore, I
am aware of the mind first, then I am aware of the sense organs, and then I am aware of the world through the sense
organs. Therefore, consciousness is said to be the light of all lights or Ati Ujjwalam.
Mrtyu heenam immortal-eternal-free from death. By claiming my immortality and accepting the bodys
mortality, I overcome the fear of death.
Verse 8


That ocean of bliss, immersed in which a wise person realizes the existence of the world as a play of ignorance, and the
cause of which is the supreme, eternal Brahman, I am that.
In the first two lines of Verse 4, we saw that like a bangle made out of gold, the world is merely aKaryam that borrows its
existence from the Karanam, Brahman. The first three lines of verse eight are a repetition of the same concept. I will
consider a product to exist only until I discover theKaranam. The moment Karanam is discovered, the product will cease
to exist on its own and one can realize its borrowed existence or in other words, non-existence. So when a wise person
(Puman, going through Shravana-Mana-Nidhidhyasanam) gets absorbed (Nimagna) in the ocean of bliss (Ananda Sindhu)
the Karana Brahman, then (Tada) he understands that the entire world (Samasta Prapancham) even though wonderful
(Adbhutam) is actually an abode of ignorance (Avidya Vilasa) that does not exist by itself (Na Sphurati) but due to
that Brahman alone (Ya Nimittam) which is the same as Me.
Verse 9


The person who reads this hymn of praise named Swaroopanusandhanam with sincerity and devotion or listens to it with
an alert mind becomes Vishnu (Brahman) here itself. The Vedas are the authority for this.
This Stotra (stuti) which is a form of self-meditation on the meditator that person (Yah Manushyah) who studies with
reverence (Bhakti Bhava) or listens to it from someone else (Shrunoti Iha), regularly/every day (Nityam) with total
commitment (Adyukta Chittah), this individual will become Vishnu (Sah Vishnu Bhavet), This is the guarantee of the Vedas.
Thus concludes Svarupanusandhaaaashtakam
(This is the final part of the two-part article based on a series of talks on Swarupa Ashtakam by Swami Paramarthananda)