Chapter 1 of main article Panchadasi Tatvaviveka is the first chapter of the first quintads ''Viveka-panchaka.
Adoration
Obeisance to the lotus feet of Guru Sri Sankarananda who is the remover of the fundamental ignorance about the discrimination of Truth Reality from Unreality. This is only understood by those, whose hearts have been purified by service of the lotus feet of Guru.
Consciousness has been analysed as firstly, distinct from objects of perception; secondly,distinct from the three states; thirdly, infinite in nature. 1. During waking all senses hearing, touch, vision, taste, smell, and mind merely function as the transmitter of the object world. 2. During dream also the perceived object is transient yet not identical with knower. 3. In deep sleep the knower of the suspended senses and its object the ignorance is the Brahman.
b. During the temporal aspect of awareness
The Brahman remain same across the time, months, year, and cycles of ages Yugas.
B. Brahman as Self-Conscious
This is another unique quality of Brahman that it is known by itself.
2. What is Atman">Ātman (Hinduism)">Atman (ātmana">Ātman (Hinduism)">ātmana, आत्मन">Ātman (Hinduism)">आत्मन or the Self within [Jiva])
The individual Self is of the nature of existence, consciousness and bliss as the supreme Brahman.
Love for self and object world is due to unmanifested Brahman within the creation. The bliss of Atman is known yet unknown is explained below.
B. The Dual character of Self (Atman, ātmana,आत्मन)
Example of indistinct voice of son in a chorus of Vedic chant explain how the large noise of the senses and the desires appears to drown the little voice of the Self within. Supreme blissful nature of the Self is indistinctly revealed and not revealed. If it is not revealed, no selflove is possible. If it is revealed, object-love is not possible. Duality of Atman is caused by a. āvarana the concealing the consciousness form our perception as in deep sleep and b. vikṣepa is feeling of body and sense as Self in wake state. This is the cause of delusion and bondage the cause of suffering The cause of the delusion of Reality is due to avidyā.
3. Cosmology
Prakriti (प्रकृति) and Brahman (ब्रह्मन)
Prakriti is that in which there is the reflection of Brahman that is pure consciousness and bliss and is composed of sattva, rajas and tamas in a state of homogeneity, which works in dual way. When a predominance of cosmic sattva, overwhelming rajas and tamas, reflects the Universal Brahman in itself, that reflected consciousness in the universal sattva is Ishvara. a. Maya When the element of sattva is pure, prakṛti is known as māyā. The universal sattva itself is called māyā. The prakṛti operates cosmically and reflects the Universal consciousness in it. Maya is under the control of Ishvara. b. Avidya is impure prakṛti, being mixed up with rajas and tamas. The jīva, which is brahman reflected in avidyā is subjected to impure sattva. The jīva is of different grades due to admixture and tamas with sattva. The avidyā is the causal body. The avidyā controls the jīva, but avidyā is not under the control of the jīva or the individual, while īśvara controls māyā. That is the difference between īśvara and jīva, God and the individual. When the jīva identifies himself with this causal body in deep sleep it is called prājña. During the dream state is called taijasa, and in the waking state is called viśva.
Evolution of sūkṣma (सूक्ष्म) śarīra (शरीर)
At the command of īśvara from the tamas part of prakṛti arose five subtle elements, ether, air, fire, water and earth in sequence. From the sattva part of the five subtle elements of prakṛti arose in turn the five subtle sensory organs of hearing, touch, sight, taste and smell. A combination of them all arose the organ of inner conception called antaḥkaraṇa. Due to difference of function it is divided into two. manas is that aspect whose function is doubting and buddhi is that whose functions are discrimination and determination. From the rajas part of the five subtle elements of prakṛti arose in turn the organs of actions known as the organ of speech, the hands, the feet, and the organs of excretion and generation. From the combination of arajas part of the five subtle elements of prakṛti arose the vital air. Which has five fold functions, Prana, Apana, Samana, Udana and Vyana. The five sensory organs, the five organs of action, the five vital airs, mind and intellect, all the seventeen together from the subtle body, which is called the sūkṣma śarīra.
