vedAnta conversation in one shloka

Can you imagine a thorough but crisp conversation between a guru and shiShya in just one shloka, concluding with shiShya realizing that he is the ultimate? It is called eka-shloki, and said to have been composed by none other than the great Adi SankarAchArya. it goes as follows:

॥ आत्मस्वरुप कथनम् ॥

किं ज्योतिस्तव? भानुमानहनि मे रात्रौ प्रदीपादिकं
स्यादेवं रविदीपदर्शनविधौ किं ज्योतिराख्याहि? मे ।
चक्षुस्तस्य निमिलनादिसमये किं धीर्धियोदर्शने
किं तत्राहमतो भवान्परमकं ज्योतिस्तदस्मि प्रभो ॥

-श्री शङ्कराचार्य कृतम्

This is a beautiful shloka in shaarduula-vikriiDitam ChandaH. Let’s split the sholka into normal conversation and understand how the guru directs the shishya towards self-realization

• guru asks किं ज्योतिः तव? What is your light?
• shishya replies भानुमान् अहनि मे रात्रौ प्रदीपादिकम् For me (मे) Sun (भानुमान्) during the day (अहनि) and during night (रात्रौ) lamps etc. (प्रदीपादिकम्)
• guru continues to ask स्यात् एवं रविदीपदर्शनविधौ If so sun and lamps are showing the objects, किं ज्योतिः which is the light? अख्याहि? Tell me? (If sun and lamps are the sources, then which one is light?
• shishya replies मे चक्षुः my eyes. Even though sun and lamps are the illumination sources, for a blind man both are immaterial. So, it’s our eyes which are conscious to see the object illuminated by the eyes.
• guru continues to ask तस्य निमिलनादिसमये? when they are closed? किं धी:? who is the observer?
• shishya replies धियः दर्शने (intellect in observation.) That is, even when our eyes are closed, we recognize that someone walked in, some dog or cat or some other thing is moving or that something fell off from the table. Hence, vision is not just visual process. It’s the ability to get the required knowledge though any sensory organ.
• guru continues किं तत्र? What is that intellect?
• shishya replies, without doubt, अहम् it’s me, myself. So, the intellect is also in existence only if I am existing. So, who is that aham? It’s the aatmaa.
• guru hence concludes अतः भवान् परमकं ज्योतिः. Hence, You are the ultimate light.
• shishya acknowledges in agreement: तत् अस्मि प्रभो That I am Sir. 

The question of (निमीलनादिसमये?) has emphasis on आदि, i.e. etc, so on. What about when you close your eyes for rest, sleep or even momentary close of eyelids? That is when, the understanding of knowledge acquisition through other and all senses (sources) is realized. Knowledge is gained whether eyes are open or not.

The next question is if intellect is the reason for that acquisition, Who is that intellect? The answer obviously is ‘myself‘; Nyaaya shaastra quotes in layman terms that which knows and thinks who is I am is aatmaa. so, my consciousness called ‘I am Bhoga; I am writing this blog; i understood it etc.’ is Bhoga’s aatmaa.

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