Chapter 8 Sections 10 (8.10.1 to 8.10.4), 11 (8.11.1 to 8.11.3), and 12 (8.12.1 to 8.12.6)
Impressions are formed on the mind during waking state. These impressions are projected by the mind during dream. The dreamer jiva is different from the waking jiva. For the dreamer, the dream is as real as the world in the waking state is for the waking jiva. Brahmaji says that the one who moves around in the dream is Atma. He is fearless, immortal. He is Brahman. He is referring to consciousness blessed by which the mind functions. However, Indra wrongly takes the dreamer as Atma because he thinks that the dreamer is not affected by the afflictions of the waking state. He leaves satisfied. On his way back, he doubts his understanding. The dreamer too changes and suffers in the dream. It cannot be immortal and fearless Atma. He returns to Brahmaji and expresses his doubt. Brahmaji confirms his doubt and agrees to teach further on the condition that Indra lives in the gurukul for another 32 years. Indra lives for another 32 years.
Brahmaji continues his teaching. He who is fully asleep is Atma. He is fearless, immortal. Indra thinks that during sleep one is free from all afflictions and takes the sleeper as Atma. He is satisfied and leaves. On his way back, he has a doubt. During sleep, mind is resolved and the sleeper is ignorant of his existence. It is annihilation. Such an entity cannot be Atma. He finds fault with his understanding and returns to Brahmaji. Brahmaji confirms his doubt and agrees to teach further on the condition that he spends another five years in the gurukul. It seems that Brahmaji thinks that five years is sufficient to purify Indra’s mind. Indra spends another five years. Indra spends 101 years in gurukul. This is talked about even today.
“In this way, indeed, through great effort and toil extending over a hundred and one years, this knowledge of the Self, more important than the position of Indra, was attained by Indra. Hence there can be no other human objective superior to this. In this way the Upanishad praises the knowledge of the Self” [Chandogya Upanishad with commentary of Shankaracharya, translated by Swami Gambhirananda, published by Advaita Ashrama]
It is noteworthy that at no stage, Indra finds fault with preceptor. He finds fault with his understanding. This attitude is called sraddha, an important quality of a sincere student. Brahmaji continues his teaching.
So far, Brahmaji has tried to teach unchanging Atma with the help of three states of experience, waking, dream and sleep. But in each case, Indra has mistakenly taken the body, mind, and blankness of deep sleep as Atma. Because of his pure mind, Indra realizes the folly in his understanding only without finding fault of teaching and the teacher. His mind is still not pure enough to see that that there is an entity, namely consciousness, which pervades all the three states. The teacher’s job is to somehow make the student ‘see’ the ‘hidden’ consciousness which is Atma.
A person experiences pain and pleasure when he identifies himself with the body and mind and thinks that I am body and mind which are the instruments of experience in the waking and dream states. But he is free from both when he takes himself to be the unchanging consciousness. It means that when ignorance about true nature is removed by knowledge, then a person becomes free from pleasure and pain and other pairs of opposites. The truth always exists but remains unknown due to ignorance. Even during sleep, consciousness exists because one experiences (without having knowledge of) blankness which he remembers on getting up. There can be no memory without an earlier experience and experience presupposes consciousness.
Thus, Brahmaji introduces consciousness as the ‘fourth’ entity which is the common factor across all the three states of experience. Whereas consciousness is unchanging, the states of experience change from one to other. They are mutually exclusive and are mithya. It also means that consciousness is not engaged in action for otherwise it will be subject to modification and will change. The states are of lower order of reality as they borrow their existence from consciousness since without consciousness their existence is not established. In this sense, consciousness is not a fourth entity because the three states are its costumes for operational purpose. Seeing, smelling, etc., are figuratively attributed to Atma. It is like the master of the chariot though not engaged in action operates through factors, namely, chariot, charioteer, reins, horses.
A jiva is a mixture of consciousness and matter (MBS). The constituents of the mixture cannot be physically separated. A jnani cognitively separates them because consciousness is unchanging and matter is changing. Furthermore, he identifies himself with unchanging consciousness and considers it as his true nature and Self. He enjoys the world through the MBS but is not dependent on them. The ups and downs of MBS do not affect him because he does not consider MBS as himself. An ignorant person takes upon himself the pleasures and pains of MBS due to identification with MBS. Whereas his pleasures are limited to his MBS, a jnani enjoys through all MBS.
The Upanishad uses an odd metaphor to show the “separation’ done by a jnani and ‘non-separation’ in the case of an ignorant person. Generally, Brahman is compared to sky. Here sky is taken as material. In non-rainy season, the clouds, thunder, lightning are hidden in sky and not seen. The clouds, thunder and lightning represent non-material consciousness and the sky the body. For an ignorant person, a non-rainy season is the state of ignorance as there is no separation between clouds etc from sky. Rainy season follows summer caused by heat of sun representing knowledge. When knowledge dawns, and rain comes, clouds, thunder, and lightening representing consciousness get separated from the material sky. They roam and enjoy.
The Upanishad glorifies the mind. It is a divine eye because the mind blessed by Atma, can think, i.e., see and enjoy what normal eyes and sense organs cannot perceive. It can roam in all the three periods of time. A jnani can enjoy all the worldly pleasures because in his vision all enjoyments flow from Atma. He enjoys them not through one mind but many minds.
Indira having got the knowledge from Brahmaji has imparted it to other gods. The gods worship Atma. Anyone can get and profit from this knowledge. The condition is that he possesses requisite qualifications and is fortunate to get a true teacher.
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