Author Archives: Bimal Prasad

BrihadArnyAka Upanishad (Part 10)

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Part 9

Chapter 3 Section 5
3.5.1 
Kahola, the next questioner asks Yajnavalkya to explain Brahman which is immediate, direct, and the self within all. Yajnavalkya has already answered this in the previous section. Therefore, he gives more details. The Self is witnessing consciousness beyond worldly dualities. It is not affected by hunger and thirst, grief, delusion, decay and death. Since the Self is infinite and complete, It is free from desires of son, wealth, etc. All desires are essentially same for they arise out of attachment to perishable, which in turn is due to Self-ignorance. A knower of Self meditates on the Self which means he identifies himself with the non-changing Self. He transcends death and is immortal. He treats himself different from the transient MBS even while using MBS for worldly transactions. How does a Self-realized person behave? It is said howsoever he may behave he is such, i.e., he is ever established in the Self. There is internal transformation. The expression, ‘Howsoever he may behave,’ is intended for a tribute to this state of a knower of Brahman and does not mean reckless behaviour. Kahola withdraws.

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Updesa SAhasri-Part 1

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Chapter 1 Upodghatprakaranam
Upadesa sAhasri means A thousand Teachings. Its authorship is attributed to Adi ShankarAchArya. It has two parts- prose and verse with many paragraphs and verses which is a figurative justification of the title. Prose part has 116 paragraphs.  Verse part which has 19 chapters is the focus here. Some of the chapters are small and chapter 18 titled Tat Tvam Asi is the biggest with 233 verses. There are totally 675 verses across all 19 chapters. Upodghat means introduction and prakaranam means chapter. Verse 1 is a prayer and much more. A prayer is generally for successful completion of the objective. Here it contains teachings also. The seeker prays (bows down) to Nirguna Brahman which is of the nature of pure consciousness. It is the Self (essential nature) of a jIva. It resides in the cave (intellect) of everyone and is like a witness of the intellect. It is within and without. It is all-pervading like rope pervading the mithyA snake in rope-snake metaphor. It is omniscient. It is beyond all perceptions and all objects of knowledge.

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ChAndogya Upanishad (Chapters 6 to 8)-Part 9

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Part 8

7.25.1 and 7.25.2
The infinite alone is below, is above, is behind, is in front. It is in all directions-to the south, to the north. That alone is all this. The empirical world is mithyA. There is no second entity supporting Bhuma. There is nothing else besides Him on which He can be established. It is self-supported, so to say. That the wave supports water is a misstatement. There is no wave other than water. In order to avoid a possible misconception that individual soul is different from the Infinite, the Upanishad gives instructions: “I am indeed below, I am indeed above, I am behind, I am in front, I am in the south, I am in the north, I am indeed all this”. Even then, non-discriminating people might conceive I as representing mind and body. Therefore, further instructions are imparted: The Self indeed is below, the Self is above, the Self is behind, in the front, in the south and in the north, and the Self is indeed all this.

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BrihdArnyAka Upanishad (Part 9)

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Part 8

Part 10

Chapter 3 Section 1- Asvala brahman
3.1.1 and 3.1.2 King Janak of Videh performs a sacrifice in which many Vedic scholars are present. The king desires to know the most erudite scholar whom he will reward with 1000 cows with gold covered horns. None of the scholars comes forward except Yajnavalkya (in short Yvk), a Vedic scholar who straight away asks one of his disciples to drive home the cows indicating that he considers himself the best. Naturally, other scholars object.

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ChAndogya Upanishad (Chapters 6 to 8) Part 8

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Part 7(3)

Part 9

7.16.1, 7.17.1, 7.18.1, 7.19.1, 7.20.1, 7.21.1, 7.22.1, and 7.23.1
Sanatkumar wants to remove the wrong conclusion of Narada. He remarks that one speaks well who speaks truth implying that Narada’s knowledge is short of truth. He also says that one speaks truth who understands truth. Narada is curious and expresses his desire to understand truth and understanding of truth. And for understanding, one must reflect. Reflection means Vedantic inquiry. In the absence of inquiry, one may say that fire or the three colours in it are the supreme entity. For inquiry one must have faith in scriptures and the teacher. It is not a token faith for name’s sake. It must be sustained and steadfast. Steadfastness stands for earnestness in obediently listening to the preceptor with a view to attaining knowledge of Brahman.

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BrahmjnAnavalimAlA

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BrahmjnAnavalimAla (BJVM) means Garland of Knowledge of Brahman. It is attributed to ShankarAchArya. It has 21 verses. Brahman is the reality, world is mithyA and jIva is not different from Brahman is in verse 20. The verse adds that it is the correct understanding of shAstra  and that it is the claim of vedAnta.
BJVM summarizes various aspects of vedAntic teaching directly without explanations. As such, it is meant for nidhidhyAsana though verse 1 says that listening it once gives BrahmjnAna and moksha.
Self-knowledge is unfractured (akhandakAra) vritti. In verses 2 and 18, the phrase punah-punah (repetition) occurs. The idea probably is that BJVM should be chanted repeatedly so as to make jnAna vritti firm.                                                                        The verse 18 says: “He who realizes after repeated contemplation (emphasis added) that he is a mere witness; he alone is liberated. He is the enlightened one. This is proclaimed by Vedanta.”                                                                                                      Links to the text and chanting are below.
Brahma Jnanavali Mala | Vedanta Shastras Library
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF8zi90QLEA&list=RDBF8zi90QLEA&start_radio=1

BrihadAranyaka Upanishad (Part 8)

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Part 7

Part 9

Chapter 2 Section 5.                                                                                                    Introduction                                                                                                                     The section is called Madhu Brahman because the word Madhu which means honey or helpful occurs repeatedly in it. The madhu vidya of ChAndogya Upaniṣad is Surya upAsanA. In Br Up it refers to Atma vidya or Brahma vidya. There are different techniques by which the Upanishads teach the knowledge of the Self. One method is creator and creation. Brahman is the creator. and world is the creation. This has been talked about earlier. Madhu Brahman uses the method of inter-dependence among worldly objects. They are mutually dependent and are mithyA. Therefore, there must be some entity outside the world which lends existence to the worldly objects. This entity is Brahman or the Self. The Upanishad also says that Brahman only appears as the world like gold appearing as ornaments. The ornaments are names and forms. Similarly, the world of multiplicity are names and forms. Brahman is all pervading and is present in a jIva as also in all other worldly objects. If a person understands this, he knows all and becomes immortal.

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ChAndogya Upanishad (Chapters 6 to 8) Part 7(3)

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Part 7(2)

Part 8

There is a need to take a pause and listen to what SwAmi KrishnAnada has to say. “As we go further and further in this chapter, we will find it is more and more difficult to understand the intention of the Upanishad. The instructions are very cryptic in their language. Even the Sanskrit language that is used is very archaic, giving way to various types of interpretations. But, the general background of the thought of the teacher here seems to be that there is necessity to rise gradually from the lower level to the higher level of comprehension. Here, by comprehension we mean the capacity of consciousness to include within its being, not merely within its thought or understanding, the reality that is outside. The more the extent of the reality outside that gets absorbed into our own being, the more is the power we can exercise over that realm of reality. This is a point, of course, that will be clear to anyone. Power is not merely imposed on us by any kind of ordinance or mandate. It is an outcome that arises automatically on account of the identity of our Being with that extent of reality with which we have become one.”

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BrihdAranyaka Upanishad (Part 7)

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Part 6

Part 8

2.4.7 to 2.4.10                                                                                                                   If an entity cannot be perceived apart from something else, then the latter is its essence. Yajnavalkya gives many examples to highlight that the Self is unique, one and is the essence of one and all. When a drum or the like is beaten with a stick etc, one cannot distinguish its various particular notes from the general note of the drum, but they are included in or modifications of, the general note. They have no existence apart from the general note of the drum. They are not perceived as distinct notes. When a conch is blown or a veena is played, one cannot distinguish their various particular notes, but they are included in the general notes of the conch or veena. The universe, at the time of its origin as also prior to it, is nothing but Brahman as sparks, smoke, embers and flames are nothing but fire before emerging from the fire. The four Vedas and other scriptures are like breath of the supreme Self.

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BrihdAranyaka Upanishad (Part 6)

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Part 5

Part 7

Chapter 2 Section 4 Maitreyi brAhmana
2.4.1 to 2.4.4                                                                                                            Ygnavalkya is a jnAni householder. He wants to renunciate the householder life to take up sanyAs. He has two wives, Maitreyi and Katyayani. He expresses his intention of sanyAs to Maitreyi, seeking her permission and to divide the assets between the two wives. Maitreyi asks her husband if the wealth will make her immortal. The husband replies in negative. Maitreyi says that she is not interested in wealth. She requests the husband to teach her that which will make her immortal. On hearing this, as Yagnavalkya is very pleased with Maitreyi, he tells her that she has been dear to him and now is dearer. He agrees to teach Maitreyi. Maitreyi, the wife becomes a disciple Maitreyi and Yajnavalkya is the teacher.

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