Quintessence of 10 Upanishads – 14 (prashna 1)

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[Part – 13 (kaTha 4)]

PRASHNA UPANISHAD

The kaTha Upanishad teaches that only a properly refined and purified mind can serve as the instrument for liberation. The body, the life-principle (prANa), and even the sensory and motor organs are not adequate for this purpose. From this, we may also infer that no action (karma) can directly lead to liberation, since action necessarily involves the organs of activity. Therefore, the path of action, by itself, cannot culminate in liberation.

Though closely associated with the body, the mind is not intrinsically bound to it. It can function either in association with the body or independently of it. When there is conceptualization (savikalpa), the mind appears linked to the body. In a state of non-conceptualization (nirvikalpa), it aligns with brahman and is no longer confined by bodily association. The dream state illustrates this: the mind operates apart from the gross body and even disengages from the external world. In deep sleep, both the world and bodily identification are absent, yet the mind persists in an unmanifest form. Ultimately, in liberation, the mind itself is resolved completely.

At this stage, we must ask: what exactly is the goal to be achieved through disciplining the mind? Can Self-knowledge be regarded as a goal?  Continue reading →

Upadesa Sahasri (Part 14)

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Part 13

14.11 Self alone remains after negating everything. No other effort is needed to know Self. It is self-revealing. The knowledge that Self is Brahman is enlightenment. On enlightenment, the (last) desire for liberation goes away resulting in contentment and peace.

14.12 Shankara advises that a seeker should aspire to think that he is all-pervading Self which is beyond mind and body system (MBS). MBS is the locus of miseries. I, the Self, am beyond miseries. Let the mind and body take action to remove miseries. Nothing can be added or subtracted from Self. How can Self do anything?

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Quintessence of 10 Upanishads – 13 (kaTha 4)

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[Part – 12 (kaTha 3)]

Ignorance is nothing more than the perception of multiplicity — focusing on the “particulars” while overlooking the Universal. While our sensory perception is inherently inert, it is the inner Self that provides the illumination required to experience any object. As the kaTha Upanishad declares:

न तत्र सूर्यो भाति न चन्द्रतारकं नेमा विद्युतो भान्ति कुतोऽयमग्निः ।

तमेव भान्तमनुभाति सर्वं तस्य भासा सर्वमिदं विभाति ॥           –  2.2.15, kaTha.

[Meaning: There the sun does not shine, neither do the moon and the stars; nor do these flashes of lightning shine. How can this fire? He shining, all these shine; through his lustre all these are variously illumined. (Trans: Swami Gambhirananda).]

Because Consciousness is beginningless, the Upanishad reveals that there is, in truth, no death—only the body perishes. While all forms eventually cease, the Formless remains. High-level seekers, like Prahlada or Kuchela, grasp this Truth instantly.

For the seeker of average competency, the method involves a systematic inward withdrawal:

यच्छेद्वाङ्मनसी प्राज्ञस्तद्यच्छेज्ज्ञान आत्मनि ।
ज्ञानमात्मनि महतिनि यच्छेत्तद्यच्छेच्छान्त आत्मनि ॥       —  1.3.13, kaTha.

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Enlightenment and Liberation – AI View

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I interacted with ChatGPT eliciting greater clarity on the two terms, Enlightenment and Liberation in Advaita Vedanta. I copy below the responses I got from Chat GPT.

Prompt (P):  Is there a difference between the two phrases “Knowledge of the Self” and “Knowledge about the Self” in Advaita Vedanta? What are the nearest Sanskrit words for the two phrases?

Do “Enlightenment” and “Liberation” mean the same in Advaita Vedanta?

Please give verified authentic PTB citations for what you say. Continue reading →

Enlightenment and Liberation (Part 2)

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*** Read Part 1 ***

Note that there has been some discussion on Part 1 and there may be some overlap with this new (concluding) part.

Reasoning

The reasoning behind the differentiation (between enlightenment and liberation) is straightforward:

  • The scriptures tell us that we are already Brahman.
  • Since Brahman is eternally free, so must we be.
  • Initially, the jīva does not know this.
  • Consequently, the teaching of a qualified guru is needed.
  • If it were something that is ‘produced’ (i.e. not existing before), it could not be permanent.
  • Mokṣa is ‘nitya siddha’, ever accomplished. It is automatically ‘acknowledged’ when the knowledge triggers akhaṇḍākāra vṛtti.
  • It is not ‘produced’ by the teaching, since mokṣa is already the case and something that is permanent cannot be produced. ‘Liberation’ is a figurative concept in the sense that there is never any real bondage.
  • The notion that we are bound is a mistaken superimposition (adhyāsa) that is sublated (bādha) by the teaching.

There is extensive support for these definitions, from both scriptures and Śaṅkara bhāṣya-s, emphasizing that the realization of our already existing reality as Brahman (liberation) comes only from knowledge. It is the efficacious attainment of that knowledge that is called ‘enlightenment’ as explained by the metaphor of the ‘tenth man’.

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Self-study of The Upanishads

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It is heartening to see a growing number of analytically-minded individuals, trained in the modular rigor of Western education, turning to the Upanishads today. Unfortunately, when approached through isolated self-study, the profound Non-dual “Wisdom” these ancient texts impart often remains elusive, as they were traditionally designed for guided inquiry rather than as graded textbooks developed within a rigid framework of a pre-determined curriculum.

Consequently, there is a distinct danger that an overconfident reader, studying in isolation, may come away with spurious inferences—the very concepts the Upanishads seek to dismantle. Therefore, the scriptures consistently advise an earnest spiritual aspirant to seek out a competent teacher (Guru) with utmost humility ( see: 1.2.12, muNDaka; 4.34, BG; 1.1.5, US (Prose); etc.) to truly attain Non-dual Wisdom.

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Upadesa Sahasri (Part 13)

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Part 12

Chapter 14 Dream and Memory
14.1 to 14.10
Advaita Vedanta is more a teaching than a philosophy. A fundamental Vedantic principle is that a real thing cannot be destroyed, and an unreal thing need not be destroyed. Only a seemingly real thing called mithya in Vedantic terminology can be destroyed. As the aim is to remove human suffering, it analyses human experience with the help of scriptures and reason. It says that though human suffering is experienced, it is mithya and can be removed. What we think about ourselves is not correct and further that experience may be deceptive as it does not necessarily match with the reality.

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Enlightenment and Liberation (Part 1)

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This ‘terms and definitions’ post is in two parts (there are, after all, two terms!). The style is quite different from earlier posts. The earlier ones were derived from my books and earlier writing; I wrote this following a recent discussion. It contains many quotations from Śaṅkara in support, together with carefully constructed reasoning.

Mokṣa is not produced by any action (as argued in depth by Sureśvara in his Naiṣkarmya Siddhi chapter 1); it is nitya-siddha – already accomplished – and the knowledge gained from scriptures and teacher reveals this fact.

There is much confusion amongst seekers regarding these terms, which are often used interchangeably, or even in the wrong manner. This is because the same confusion exists amongst many writers and teachers. I want to clarify the correct usage of them with support from Śaṅkara’s own writing.

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Quintessence of 10 Upanishads – 12 (kaTha 3)

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[Part – 11 (kaTha 2)]

A strong yearning for liberation propels one towards proper utilization of the body. Shankara says in vivekacUDAmaNi:

दुर्लभं त्रयमेवैतद्देवानुग्रहहेतुकम् ।

मनुष्यत्वं मुमुक्षुत्वं महापुरुषसंश्रयः ॥                      — verse 3, vivekacUDAmaNi.

[Meaning:  Very rare indeed are these three things and happen only due to the utmost Grace of God—a human birth, a burning desire for liberation, and the blessed refuge of an illuminated sage.]

[Meaning:  Very rare indeed are these three things and happen only due to the utmost Grace of God—a human birth, a burning desire for liberation, and the blessed refuge of an illuminated sage.]

While a human body is granted without conscious effort, the latter two—aspiration and mentorship—require concerted will. To truly “live,” one must not simply drift toward a natural end dictated by destiny; rather, one must “die” to the ego intentionally before physical death. Shankara thus exhorts us to seek the company of the noble to ignite this internal transformation.

Following this preliminary foundation, the Katha Upanishad imparts the specific methodology for liberation:  Continue reading →

Quintessence of 10 Upanishads – 11 (kaTha 2)

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[Part – 10 (kaTha 1)]

न साम्परायः प्रतिभाति बालं प्रमाद्यन्तं वित्तमोहेन मूढम् । 
अयं लोको नास्ति पर इति मानी पुनः पुनर्वशमापद्यते मे ॥       — mantra 1.2.6, kaTha upa.

[Meaning: The means of attaining the other world does not become revealed to the non-discriminating one who, deluded by wealth, has become negligent. He who thinks, ‘this world alone is and none else’ comes to my thraldom again and again. (Trans: V. Panoli).]

An immature and unreflective person cannot easily avoid the path of the merely pleasurable. The glitter of the world blinds him; fascination replaces discrimination. Captivated by possessions, distracted by sensory allurements, he drifts without awareness of where he is heading. A seeker of the Self, by contrast, must live with vigilance. Spiritual life is not sustained by occasional effort but by sustained alertness. Each moment must be lived with inward attention, for the least lapse gives entry to ignorance. When the light of Consciousness shines unobstructed, ignorance cannot stand; but the instant that light is veiled, even slightly, darkness spreads. Darkness is bondage; light is freedom. Darkness is death; light is life.  Continue reading →