🕉 Adi Shankaracharya ✅ Vivekachudamani

 The inner organ (mind), with the light of reflected consciousness,

has its seat in the outer organs,

such as the eye, and identifies itself with them.

This inner organ is the ego.

The ego is the actor and enjoyer, identifying itself with the body as ‘I’.

Under the influence of the three gunas it

assumes the three states of waking, dream and deep sleep.

When sense objects are to its liking it becomes happy, when not, unhappy.

Thus, pleasure and pain pertain to the ego and are not characteristics of the ever-blissful Self.

Objects appear to be pleasant because of the Self and not because of any inherent bliss that is in them.

The Self has no grief in it.

Its bliss, which is independent of objects, is experienced by everyone in the state of deep sleep and therefore it is dear to

everyone.

This is borne out by the authority of the Upanishads and by direct perception, tradition, and inference.