Author Archives: Ramesam

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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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 →

Quintessence of 10 Upanishads – 10 (kaTha 1)

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[Part – 9 (kena 4)]

kaTha Upanishad

अतिमुच्य धीराः प्रेत्यास्माल्लोकादमृता भवन्ति ॥    —  1.2, kena Upanishad.

[Meaning: The wise, having relinquished all false identifications, become immortal upon departing from this world.] 

The kena Upanishad tells us that “A dead man becomes immortal after death.” 

At first glance, what the kena says appears to be a paradox: it suggests that one must “depart” to become immortal. If we take this literally, it sounds as though a dead man becomes immortal — yet a dead man is no longer there to experience immortality. This apparent contradiction is the gateway to a deeper Vedantic truth.

kena Upanishad is actually pointing to a “solution” for the one thing we all struggle with: Freedom from the constant, grinding cycle of birth, death, and the misery in between — what the shAstra-s (texts) call samsAra.

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Quintessence of 10 Upanishads – 9 (kena 4)

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[Part – 8 (kena 3)]

The Upanishad continues:

यत्प्राणेन न प्राणिति येन प्राणः प्रणीयते । 
तदेव ब्रह्म त्वं विद्धि नेदं यदिदमुपासते ॥                   — mantra 1.9, kena.

[Meaning:  What none can breathe with the breath, but by which the breath is directed, know that alone as brahman, and not this they worship here. (Here the word ’prANa’ may also mean smell. In that case, the translation would be: What one smells not by the organ of smell, but by which the smell is directed towards its objects, know that alone as brahman.)]

The above mantra tells us that brahman is that very Sentience behind everything that “Is” and that “Goes on” in this world and not any idol that we worship. Practices such as worship, mantra repetition, and yoga are efforts to understand brahman without relinquishing name and form. But true Knowing lies in knowing without name and form. Only the formless and featureless can be omnipresent.  Continue reading →

Quintessence of 10 Upanishads – 8 (kena 3)

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[Part – 7 (kena 2)]

The utilities that reach our homes offer a useful way to think about Consciousness (AtmA). Water and electricity come through their supply lines, and we access them using specific outlets — a tap for water, a socket for electricity. But these utilities are not produced by our house, nor can we keep them exclusively to ourselves. They are shared resources, available to all houses.

AtmA — Beingness-Consciousness — can be understood in much the same way. It is not generated by the body or the mind. It is already present: unmanifest, universal, and available everywhere. The body is like a house, while the mind and senses — the eyes, ears, nose, and so on — function like outlet points.

When Consciousness breathes, it appears as the life-principle (prANa). When it sees, it appears as the eye; when it hears, as the ear. In short, the same single power of Consciousness manifests as seeing in the eye, hearing in the ear, breathing in the life-principle, and thinking in the mind.  Continue reading →

Quintessence of 10 Upanishads – 7 (kena 2)

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[Part – 6 (kena 1)]

Thus, the kena Upanishad answers the question about the location of the “AtmA” not by providing a map to the Self, but by challenging us to discover the “sentient source” behind the mind and the senses.

केनेषितं पतति प्रेषितं मनः केन प्राणः प्रथमः प्रैति युक्तः । 
केनेषितां वाचमिमां वदन्ति चक्षुःश्रोत्रं क उ देवो युनक्ति ॥     — mantra 1.1, kena.

[Meaning:  By whom desired and set forth does the mind move towards its subject? At whose bidding does the chief life-principle proceed towards its functions? By whom wished, do the men utter the speech? What effulgent one, indeed, directs the eye or the ear? Translation by Swami Sharvananda, 1920.]

If it is supposed that the body, or any of its parts, forms the locus of the “I AM,” the Upanishad asks whether the body can ever feel the presence of “I Am.” When we say, “I am walking” or “I am sitting,” we only see the body walking or sitting. The body by itself does not have the ability to think or feel “I AM.” It is inert, much like the wall in front of us.  Continue reading →

Quintessence of 10 Upanishads – 6 (kena 1)

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[Part – 5 (Isha)]

kena Upanishad:

The word AtmA points to something that is all-pervasive — present everywhere, without gaps. There can be no “inside” or “outside” to It. Nor can there be anything “other” than Itself. For, if there is a second thing different existing alongside It, AtmA would cease to be all-pervasive. The Sanskrit word AtmA comes from the root ‘at,’ meaning “to move” or “to pervade,” and It naturally carries this sense of omnipresence.

When something exists as itself, in its own true form, we call that its intrinsic nature (svarUpa). When the very same thing appears in some other form, that appearance is called a manifestation (vibhUti). Words like manifestation (vibhUti), special appearance (visheSa), imagination (vikalpa), or fallacious appearance (AbhAsa) all point to the same basic idea. They describe not what a thing really is, but how it seems — like the different roles played by an actor putting on different costumes. Continue reading →

Quintessence of 10 Upanishads – 5 (Isha)

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[Part – 4 (Isha)]

Ritual actions prescribed by the scriptures will carry a seeker from one birth to another, perhaps under more favorable conditions. However, they cannot free one from saṃsāra, the endless cycles of birth and death. 

A seeker devoted solely to ritual worship does not attain “immortality”; at best, such practices will confer “longevity.” A combination (samuccaya) of action (karma) and worship (upAsanA) can enable the seeker to dwell in the divine realms of the gods s/he worships for a very long time.  Continue reading →

Quintessence of 10 Upanishads – 4 (Isha)

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[Part – 3 (Isha)]

The first step is to notice “the Universal” present in the diversity of the objects. Name, form and action are the particulars of Beingness-Knowingness. Noticing the Beingness-Knowingness is like seeing the all-pervading gold in the ornaments. By this process, we will know the substratum.

The second step is to realize that AtmA modulates Itself in the form of all the objects. That means one sees the diversity as the manifested forms of AtmA. In the first step, the intrinsic nature of all the objects is grasped. In the second step, different objects are perceived to be different appearances of the AtmA. This is akin to realizing that it is Gold itself which appears in different forms as ornaments. 

Such a process helps us understand the play of AtmA in this world. We recognize the world as AtmA. We realize that all that is seen is AtmA and it is AtmA which appears as all the things. The experiential understanding will be that everything in the world is “My form” and all forms are “Me.”   Continue reading →