Part 4
6.9.1 to 6.9.4 and 6.10.1 to 6.10.3
During sleep, mind is resolved and jiva’s individuality is suspended and therefore he does not know his merger with Brahman during sleep.  Bees collect juices from different flowers and make honey by mixing the juices. In the honey, there is no trace of individual juice. Eastern and western rivers flowing towards east and west respectively merge in ocean and lose their individuality. Similarly, during sleep, at the time of death, and dissolution of a cycle of creation, all the creatures lose their individuality, and they resolve in Brahman. During sleep, the karmAs are in potential form. On becoming awake, they become live and functional. Hence going to sleep does not mean moksha. There are two types of entry of an individual into pure Being:  involuntary and voluntary. In deep sleep, one’s entry is involuntary.  There is no knowledge of the entry, and it is not permanent, and one comes back from that state.

At death also, one does not get conscious entry into the Being. One is not able to continue in condition of deep sleep or death for long due to potentiality in the form of subtle impressions of unfulfilled desires to rise up into waking consciousness, in this body when one wakes up, or in another body after death. He (ignorant jiva) merges in pure Being without knowing his own nature as pure Being. As such, to whichever class of creatures, such as tiger, etc., they belonged to before merger, they return to the same class. The idea is that tendencies which the transmigrating beings had acquired before merger do not get eliminated even after the lapse many aeons.

The teacher again emphasizes that a jiva is essentially pure existence, the causeless cause. Thou art that, Svetaketu. Those whose attention are fixed on this knowledge merge permanently in pure existence after the fall of the body.

6.11.1 to 6.11.3, 6.12.1 to 6.12.3
The consciousness which is the nature of Brahman pervades a jiva. It is the reflected consciousness. When a tree is struck at the root or in the middle or at the top, it exudes sap. It is as if the tree is enjoying its existence. Sap represents life. Thus, the life pervades the whole tree. If a branch of the tree dries up, it does not exude sap when struck. However, other parts of the tree exude sap if struck which means life continues in other parts. The dry branch does not manifest life. It means that dry branch is not capable of manifesting life. It does not mean life is non-existent as is shown in other parts. In the same manner, Brahman is all pervading.

In gross body, e.g., stone, consciousness aspect of Brahman is not manifested because subtle body, e.g., jiva, alone is capable to manifest consciousness.  Existence aspect is always manifested. Death of a jiva does not mean death of consciousness. What we call death is the departing of life from a particular body. Death is not the death of the life principle itself. It is transferred from one location to another. As a result, consciousness is not manifested in that location or form called body. Then that particular form is said to die. It is deprived of the essence, the life-force. It is the case with everything including us. 

If a fruit is broken, small seeds are seen. If a seed is broken, smaller pieces are seen. If the process is continued, at some stage, eye is incapable to see anything. It does not mean that there is nothing. We say this universe is so large, so big or so unmanageable, so gross, so weighty. This is exactly like saying this tree is so big. But from where has it come? It has come from a very small, atomic, subtle seed. That is the Being, the essence of the vast tree of this universe.

In the same manner, Brahman cannot be perceived by sense organs. It does not mean that Brahman is non-existent. It also shows that how invisible entity can produce visible entity. The teacher advises the disciple to have faith that this gross universe is born of Being and is a product possessed of name and form. Although this is arrived at by reason and through scriptures, faith is required for otherwise it is difficult for a mind which is engrossed in external things and impelled by natural tendencies to comprehend the subtle aspects. Faith in scriptures and the teacher is required. It is called sraddha. The Upanishad concludes sections 11 and 12 by reiterating the Great saying: Thou that art.
Contd Part 6