The Secret Doctrine of Goddess Lalita
(Sri LalitaAṣṭottara Rahasyārthamu)
22.vimarṣarūpiṇī
She who is in the form of vimarṣa.
A disciple must reflect deeply on the Guru’s teaching. Deep enquiry into the nature of a thing is vimarṣa. It also means repeated contemplation. The Divine Mother is of the nature of vimarṣa. A question may arise at this point. If Knowledge is the only means of realizing the Self, and no action, such as yoga, worship, rituals, etc. can help, what is the use of vimarṣa? Isn’t vimarṣa also action? How can it help?
It is true that Knowledge itself is enough to realize the Self. Knowledge of the Self is the Experience of the Self. However, such experiential Knowledge does not arise suddenly on its own. Some effort is certainly necessary. vimarṣa is such effort. Deep enquiry and contemplation on the mahāvākya, tat tvam asi, is vimarṣa. That is the effort required. Simply hearing the two words tat and tvam is not enough to understand the deeper significance of the mahāvākya. Several questions and doubts will continue to remain. All questions and doubts can be resolved through manana, contemplation on the deeper meaning of the mahāvākya.
Going beyond the primary meaning of a word to its essential meaning is manana. The sentence tat tvam asi (that thou art) states the correlation or congruence between the two words tat (that) and tvam (thou). It states that the two are one. Not just the words but their meanings must also correlate. How is this possible? It is hard for us to visualize the union of jīvā with brahman because the body-mind adjuncts obstruct our vision. Similarly, we cannot visualize the union of brahman with jīvā because the adjuncts of brahman (earth, water, space. etc.) obstruct our vision. To understand the essential meaning of the statement, tat tvam asi, we must disregard the adjuncts and simply contemplate on jīvā as brahman. We will then be able to transcend the limitations of the jīvā, and realize the Infinite brahman. However, this is only one aspect of the correlation between the two. Even if the jīvā realizes the infinite nature of Self, it would only be an indirect or mediated experience (parokṣa). Brahman will still appear as separate from him. To get rid of this feeling of separateness, the jīvā must now contemplate on brahman as his own intrinsic Self. He will then experience brahman directly (aparokṣa). When he contemplates in this manner from all angles that he is brahman and brahman is he, the jīvā will transcend duality and experience his Self as the Supreme Self.
Hence, an earnest seeker must practice not only śravaṇa (listening), but also manana (contemplation) continuously. After he has done enough manana, cleared all his doubts and has a crystal clear understanding of the teaching, he must practice nididhyāsana. He must meditate on the teaching until it becomes an experiential realization. This is necessary for the seeker to stabilize his Knowledge and abide firmly in the Self. Without such relentless meditation, Knowledge of the Self will appear and disappear like a flash of lightening. Instead of abiding as ātmā, the seeker will find himself once again in duality, suffering the pains and pleasures of anātmā. To ensure he does not relapse once again into duality, the seeker must have one-pointed focus on the common substance (Consciousness) that pervades all particulars and not on the particulars. This process is called nididhyāsana.
When śravaṇa, manana, and nididhyāsana are practiced together, it is vimarṣa. It is through vimarṣa that we find the Self shining everywhere in all Its splendor. This practice is like pounding the paddy. The paddy is pounded until the rice separates from the chaff. śravaṇa is like pounding the paddy ten times. manana is like pounding the paddy fifty times. nididhyāsana is like pounding the paddy a hundred times or until the rice separates from the chaff and becomes visible. This practice of śravaṇa, manana, and nididhyāsana is vimarṣa. It must continue until the seeker and the act of seeking dissolve into the Self, and the Self alone remains.