One ātmā appears many

saccidātmanyanusyūte nitye viṣṇau prakalpitāḥ |

vyaktayo vividhāḥ sarvā hāṭake kaṭakādivat || 9 ||

All various living beings are superimposed on Viṣṇuḥ who is of the nature of existence and consciousness which is in and through (inherent), and times less. Like bangle, etc are superimposed upon gold.

This verse is telling the similar idea that the inert world is born, sustained and resolved into brahman, but sentient being is presented as the effect here. Really speaking both of them are insentient only, since sentiency is inferred from the body, thus it is called living being. The sentiency doesn’t belong to the gross nor subtle body, but it is the cit-ābhāsa - reflected consciousness which manifests through the subtle body. This division of inert and sentient is not based on the present or absent of consciousness. Consciousness presents in everything, but they are divided into sentient and inert based on the present and absent of reflected consciousness.

vyaktayo vividhāḥ sarvā - all various living beings viṣṇau prakalpitāḥ - are superimposed on Viṣṇuḥ. Viṣṇuḥ here is not the Viṣṇuḥ-devatā who is seen as sustainer of the world, but brahman. The meaning of Viṣṇuḥ is vevesti sarvam iti viṣṇuḥ - that which pervades everything. It is further clarified with the word  saccidātmanyanusyūte - who is of the nature of existence and consciousness which is in and through (inherent) in every being. Since brahman manifests himself into this world, its nature of sat - existence is inherent as the support for every name and form to be manifested and its nature of cit - consciousness is evident through living beings. Therefore all beings are also nitye - timeless because of the nature of ānanta - limitless, where limitation of time is not there. This nature is unexceptionally inherent in all names and forms just like hāṭake kaṭakādivat - gold is inherent in bangle etc. even though all the golden ornaments come with different names, forms and functions, but they are intrinsically gold themselves. The bangle-ness comes and goes, and doesn’t have its own existence apart from gold which is never change. Similarly every name and form comes and goes, (mithyā) doesn’t have its own existence apart from me (satyam) sat-cit-ānanda-ātmā.

Now from verse 10 to verse 15, the topic of discussion is ātmā-anātmā-adhyāsa where qualities of body-mind-sense complex are superimposed upon ātmā, hence ātmā appears to be many folds, changes etc.  This topic also can be said to be the topic of upādhi (remaining near, its qualities are transferred) and upāhita (which appears to receive attributes from upādhi).

yathā’ kāśo hṛṣīkeśo nānopādhigato vibhuḥ |

tadbhedādbhinnavadbhāti tannāśe kevalo bhavet || 10 ||

Just as space, the only all pervasive lord of all senses (brahman), who obtains in various upādhi, appears divided. When there is destruction of upādhi, that brahman becomes non-dual.

yathā’ kāśo - just as space obtaining in various upādhi like pot, bag, room, etc. appears to be divided because of the plurality and division of upādhi, similarly brahman who is vibhuḥ - all pervasive, nānopādhigato -  obtaining in various upādhi, hṛṣīkeśo - the lord of all sense organs (because of which they are functioning) tadbhedādbhinnavadbhāti - appears divided because of the division of upādhi. Plurality of various upādhi transfers to upāhita division-less brahman. Even though the senses of all living beings work because of one consciousness only, but each of us seems to be separated, as I only can sense my own body-mind-senses. This division is caused by transferring the limitation of body-mind-senses to limitless ātmā.

tannāśe - when there is destruction of upādhi, brahman would become kevala - non-dual. But physical destruction is not possible, therefore only cognitive negation is needed, negating the status of being satyam on the part of upādhi, seeing that they are mithyā, because upādhi doesn’t have any independent existence apart from me.

In our tradition of teaching, there are three views explain about how one ātmā appears many, for the purpose of understanding why one ātmā can appear many:

1. Avaccheda-vādaḥ, ātmā appears to be many because of the conditioning factor upādhi. Taking the example of one space appears to be many because it is conditioned by pot, wall, etc. similarly one ātmā appears to be many because of the conditioning factor called upādhi which is in the form of various bodies.

2. Pratibimba-vādaḥ, the view explaining the many-ness of ātmā based on the example of reflection. Even though there is only one sun in the sky, it appears to be many because of the many-ness of reflecting media upādhi. Similarly even though there is only one ātmā appears to be many because of many subtle-bodies as reflecting mediums.

3. Ābhāsa-vādaḥ, which is quite similar to pratibimba-vadaḥ, the only

difference is in the status of the reflection. Here the reflection is considered to be mithyā.

Next verse talks about in which manner ātmā appears to be divided.

nānopādhivaśādeva jātivarṇāśramādayaḥ |

ātmanyāropitāstoye rasavarṇādibhedavat || 11 ||

Various species, classes, stages of life, etc. are superimposed upon ātmā because of various upādhi alone. Just like different tastes, colors, etc. are there in water.

All manifested names and forms have their own places and functions in the world, nānopādhivaśādeva - because of various upādhi alone, they appear different, yet essentially they are one. Just like toye - in water, doesn’t have any specific taste and color by nature, rasavarṇādibhedavat - appears to have different taste, color, etc. Similarly

jātivarṇāśramādayaḥ - various species, class, stage of life, etc. ātmanyāropitāḥ- are supper-imposed upon ātmā, therefore ātmā appears to have many divisions.