An Introduction to Vedanta
Part XXXVI
Dr. K. Sadananda

Part XXXVI– Real Self and false self

The individual or jIva arises as a combination of ‘I am’ plus the localized entity of body, mind and intellect with which I identify myself. This false identification of myself (a conscious entity) with ‘this’ or non-self (an inert entity) is called an error of superimposition or adhyAsa. This was discussed earlier with reference to Brahman and the world. This false self is called ‘ego’ or ahaMkAra or localized I.

For the purpose of analysis, Vedanta classifies the body as made up of gross elements in the form of the body (sthUla sharIra) and subtle elements in the form of the mind and intellect. sharIra, body, actually means that which slowly disintegrates. Thus all the bodies are ultimately perishable in time. The subtle body consists of thoughts or more accurately the flow of thoughts, just as a flow of water is called a river.

Based on functions, the subtle body is further classified into four components:

1) mind or manas, the emotional center

2) intellect, buddhi, the discriminative center

3) ego or ahaMkAra and

4) memory, chitta.

We can group all these together and refer to them as mind.

We discussed some aspects of ego before in respect of identification of ‘I am’ with thought patterns or thought-content. In all my worldly transactions at the level of vyavahAra, when I say ‘I am’, it is the ego that I identify with as the individual. Since the ego is centered on the existent-conscious entity that I am, it behaves like a conscious entity, although the consciousness is actually similar to a reflected consciousness. It is similar to moon light, which is nothing but a reflected light from the sun. Hence it has no existence of its own, that is, there is no moon-light other than the sun light. In other words, it has no substantive of its own, other than the sun light.

Similarly, this body-mind-intellect complex acts as a conscious entity in all of the worldly transactions, but that transactability is not of its own but comes from the conscious entity that ‘I am’. Thus because of identification with the BMI complex, a false ‘I’ is created by identification of the true self with a false self.

Are there two selves then – a true self and a false self? No. The false self is false and therefore has no validity of its own. The ‘true self’ is the only reality. But at the transactional level, the false self acts as though it is the true self, since one has no knowledge of the true self that one is. The error is again of the type ‘adhyAsa’ where a false-self ‘I’ is superimposed on the true self, ‘I’. Hence when I ask you, “Are you a conscious entity?” or “Are you an existent entity?”, your immediate response is “Yes I am”. But what you are actually implying is: “I am an existent entity as ‘this’ and ‘this’” or “I am a conscious entity as this individual ‘I’ with the BMI complex”. You do not ask yourself: “How can I be this, where ‘I am’ is the subject and ‘this’ is an object of my perception?”

Thus, the total consciousness that I am (which is all pervading) is ‘as though’ reflected in the local medium of reflection, the subtle body, which then behaves as though it is itself a real conscious entity. This reflected consciousness (chidAbhAsa), is called jIva or the individual self. Some refer to this as ‘soul’, although what exactly this implies is not known. From our analysis, it is the all pervading consciousness, as though reflected in the local medium, subtle body or inner equipment (antaHkaraNa) constituting of the mind, intellect, ego and memory. An individual ‘I’ arises by identification of total consciousness with the reflected consciousness.

Proceed to the next essay.