Chapter 6 JnAna and Moksha
6-7 Mundaka Upanishad
6-7-11 Mundaka 3.1.3 to 3.1.6
When a jiva is disillusioned by the world of duality and is restless, he seeks permanent solution. He turns to spirituality. It is a life-turning moment. He discriminates between permanent and temporary and finally recognizes his true nature, namely, consciousness. As consciousness, he is the source of creation. All worldly experiences are like ripples in the vast mirror of consciousness which he is. He has Self-realization. He transcends all actions. Action does not taint him though he is ever-engaged in action. He knows that his true nature is consciousness which enlivens the vital forces running through body. He is not interested in boasting of his luminosity because being established in Self, he delights in it. He sees same Self everywhere. The enlightened one does not ‘see’ anything else because it is mithyA. PrAna gives life to the body. Self gives life to prAna. Hence It is vital force of vital forces.
The Self is realized by practice of spiritual disciplines, namely, truth, concentration, knowledge, continence and the like. Truth is the path of gods and leads to victory.
6-7-12 Mundaka 3.1.7 and 3.1.8 The Self is self-revealing. It is not illumined by any other light because it illumines all objects, subtle or gross. It is formless like space. It is very subtle and resides within the cavity of the heart. A sharp intellect can know It. The locus of Self-knowledge is the mind, and its locus is the heart. For wise men, It is near. For the ignorant It is far. It cannot be seen by eyes,and cannot be heard through speech and other senses. Because all sense organs are designed to see objects. Self is not an object. Karma cannot directly lead to the Self. A sharp intellect can realize it as the ultimate subject by practicing nidhidhyAsana, i.e., meditation on Vedantic teaching. I am Brahman is to be claimed. An unprepared mind cannot claim. Only a prepared mind can claim. Mere saying that I am Brahman is not intended. Self-realization is an unshakable conviction that I am Brahman.
6-7-13 Mundaka 3.1.9 The intellect pervades the mind and organs. It should meditate and realize the Self in the heart where the five vital forces have entered. Reference to vital forces is to indicate the idea of a living being. The realization is possible only if the mind is purified of all the impurities so that the intellect is discriminative and not cluttered. Then it will realize that the unchanging witnessing consciousness is the Self.
6-7-14 Mundaka 3.1.10 and 3.2.1 A jnAni is glorified and by implication knowledge is glorified. His mind is pure. He knows that he is Brahman. Though he lives like a jiva, he is as good as Isvara. Therefore, Upanishad advises everyone to adore a jnAni. He can fulfil one’s desires. A jnAni has no desire for himself. His life is dedicated for the welfare of the world. An aspirant should cultivate company of a jnAni and be devoted to him so that he receives Vedantic teaching from him and gets Self-knowledge. It is the end of all desires meaning thereby that all desires are as good as fulfilled. The aspirant is now a jnAni and is free from the shackles of worldly life.
6-7-15 Mundaka 3.2.2 A person who covets worldly benefits and broods over their virtues is born in same surroundings along with those desires. Contrariwise, a seeker who has no desires except moksha (in other words, he has fulfilled all desires because of having a desire for moksha) will become free in the current life or later births. Having a desire for moksha is one of the qualifications for jnAna Yoga. Desire for moksha will help him earn other qualifications. A spiritual seeker’s sole desire is moksha. The desire determines his state after death. A jnAni has no desires and has no rebirth. He merges with God.
6-7-16 Mundaka 3.2.3 and 3.2.4 One may be led to think that if the attainment of Self is the highest achievement, then one should practice sustained study of the Vedas. This verse clarifies that the Self is not realized by extensive study of Vedas or through power of comprehension of the purport of scripture, or much hearing of scriptures. The Self which is covered by ignorance reveals Itself as the essential nature of an aspirant who seeks It. The idea is that when knowledge dawns and ignorance is removed Self reveals Itself. Therefore, one should focus on knowledge and not on other means. Other means are useful and have supportive roles. An aspirant should prioritize his sAdhanAs and eschew from actions not conducive to spiritual growth. He should be alert and choose wisely. The intensity of choice decides the quality of sAdhanA required for Self-knowledge and liberation. The message is that one must know the value of moksha and seek it sincerely comparable to the burning desire of a person whose hair has got caught fire and is desperately searching water. Self is not realized by one who is weak in mind and body, who is insincere. Self is also not realized by mere austerities. An aspirant should be of sharp intellect. He should have self-confidence and above all he should make efforts. He should remain focused on his goal.
6-7-17 Mundaka 3.2.5 The verse enumerates the fruits of Self-knowledge: A Self-realized person is an erstwhile qualified seeker and possesses four-fold qualifications in full measure. He is contented on account of Self-knowledge and does not crave external objects of bodily pleasure. He is free from attachment. He is composed and does not waver in the face of pairs of opposites. He is established in all-pervasive Brahman while limited by the adjuncts, i.e., mind and body. For he knows that the adjuncts are mithyA. He has no identification with limiting adjuncts at the time of death akin to pot space having no identification with the pot. It is not polluted by the pot. It is same as the total space. Thus, a knower of Brahman enters the abode of Brahman. While living, he is a jivanmukta though he is subject to prArabdha. But prArabdha is defanged because it is mithyA in the vision of a jnAni. On exhaustion of prArabdha at the time of death, he is videha-mukta and enters the abode of Brahman.
6-7-18 Mundaka 3.2.6 A person should take to sanyAs to pursue knowledge after completing karma yoga and upAsanA yoga and getting four-fold qualifications in previous Ashramas. He is an uttam adhikAri and spends time for Self-inquiry in three stages, namely, sravana, manan, and if needed, in nidhidhyasana. In due course, he gains Self-knowledge and is liberated in this life, that is, jivanmukta. He is videhamukta on death. Just as the footprints of birds cannot be traced in space and of aquatics in water, similar is the course of men of knowledge. They do not tread any path. They attain cessation of worldly state like a lamp blown out or like space in a pot when broken. There is no travel in space-time. It is instantaneous.
Sankara is very emphatic that external renunciation is necessary (see introductions to this and Aitareya Upanishads). But Ananda Giri seems to differ. Says he, ‘Why should this be so, since the Vedas mention the attainment of the Self by Indra, Tanaka, Gargi, and others? That is a valid objection. Sannyasa consists in renunciation of everything; and since they had no idea of possession, they had internal renunciation as a matter of fact. The external sign is not the idea intended; for in the Smrti we have, “An outer mark is no source of virtue.”‘
[Swami Gambhirananda. Eight Upanishads, with the Commentary of Sankara, Vol. II: Kindle Edition.]
Contd Part 29