muNDaka Upanishad
The Self is of the nature of pure sentience. Hence, it can be known only through that which is likewise sentient—namely, an entity belonging to the same genre. By way of illustration, a magnet attracts iron filings but not a piece of wood; for attraction is possible only between entities that share a common nature.
The body, the senses, and even the vital force (prANa), being insentient, are incapable of apprehending the Self. The mind (antaḥkaraNa) alone, being endowed with reflected consciousness and possessing the capacity for cognition, serves as the appropriate instrument for the knowledge of the Self. Therefore, the mind alone is competent to grasp It.
Further, the Self that is sought to be realized is utterly indivisible and without any internal distinctions. It is free from all forms of differentiation — whether internal, external, or relational.
A tree, though seemingly a single entity, is divisible into multiple constituent parts such as roots, trunk, branches, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds. It is thus a “divisible whole.” Space, on the other hand, is not subject to such division and may be regarded as an “indivisible whole.” The Self is akin to the latter.
The individual self (jIva), though not essentially different from the Self, appears to possess internal distinctions. The empirical world, in contrast, is characterized by both internal and mutual distinctions.
In Vedāntic terminology, that which is partless and devoid of internal differentiation is termed akala or niSkala. Such a reality is formless, all-pervading, and complete in itself (pUrNa). The Self is of this nature. Consequently, for the realization of the Self, the mind must be rendered free from internal divisions. The ordinary mind we are familiar with is not of such an undivided character.
The Upaniṣads frequently describe the Supreme Self as residing in the “cave” (guhA) of the heart. Adi Shankaracharya clarifies that, in this context, the term guhA denotes the intellect (buddhi). Thus, when it is said that the Self abides within the human being, the intention is to indicate the subtle correspondence between the Self and the intellect. It is this very correspondence that prompts the human being to engage in inquiry into the nature of the Self.
The purer and sharper the mind, the more it comes to resemble the Self. In other words, the all-pervasive Self can be grokked fully only by a mind that is also all-pervading. Such a mind will be indivisible and steady (akala and nirvikalpa). The Non-dual Knower (jnAni) is one who is fully identified (tAdAtmya) with the Self.
Every place on the earth is occupied by someone or something. The chairs, the human beings sitting in the chairs, the walls, the roof, the floor, the mike etc. are all objects that exist in space. So, space is fundamental and all the objects are ‘the occupants of the space.’ Before an object was brought into here, there was space. After the objects are brought in, the space continues to exist. Even when all the objects are removed, the space itself will not go anywhere and continues to remain as it has always been.
One must be able to see the space as it has been right from the beginning without paying attention to the ‘occupants of the space.’ Instead, we pay attention to the objects which have a transitory appearance (arise in the intermittent time and don’t exist at the beginning and end) and suffer because of that. So one has to be aware of the space-like Self which exists at the beginning and at the end. But we are accustomed to seeing objects only during our entire lifetime – from birth to death.
Unfortunately, at the time of birth and death, our mind and intellect are not functional. Therefore, we miss knowing the Self that is present at the two end-points. As we grow and acquire the skills to observe, objects external to us take over our full attention. Thus it is a double jeopardy – we do not know the substratum at the beginning of ourselves and also as our end comes – due to the lack of a functioning intellect during those times. When we do have the intellectual capacity to know, we hardly pay attention to the substratum and get carried away by the worldly objects. As a result, we fail to see the substratum, the underlying reality on which all names and forms appear, from the beginning to the end of our life period.
When once one understands the substratum (the Self) experientially, as the prashna Upanishad says, one’s name and form dissolve into the Self.
भिद्येते तासां नामरूपे समुद्र इत्येवं प्रोच्यते । — 6.5, prashna upa.
[Meaning: Their names and forms are melted away after reaching the sea.]
How does one attain such a vision where ‘the occupants of the space’ disappear and only the substratum space remains? An answer to this profound question is provided by the muNDaka Upanishad.
The purpose of both the prashna and muNDaka Upanishads is to make the Self-knowledge experiential and not remain as a doctrinal concept.
The muNDaka stipulates that one should be truly baldpated (shaved) to understand its teaching. In fact, it gets the name muNDaka (meaning shaven head) because of that stipulation. The shaving off the head is symbolic. It does not mean just cutting the hair. One should shave off all kinds of thoughts. It is the same thing as saying that one should see the substratum space and not be enticed by the thoughts concerning the occupants of space.
The muNDaka Upanishad is not meant only for the renunciates (who shave their head) as some people tend to opine. The bald-headedness in its title stands for what the gAyatri mantra says:
धियो योनः प्रचोदयात् | — gAyatri mantra.
[Meaning: May the Divine illuminate our intellect.]
Any thought pertaining to form, name, and action is duality and hence has to be dropped. Such thoughts belong to the realm of ignorance. The thought that can be allowed is of Self-knowledge only. muNDaka Upanishad says:
द्वे विद्ये वेदितव्ये इति ह स्म यद्ब्रह्मविदो वदन्ति परा चैवापरा च ॥ — 1.1.4, muNDaka upa.
[Meaning: There are two kinds of knowledge to be acquired – the higher and the lower. This is what, as tradition runs, the knowers of the import of the Vedas say. (Translation: Swami Gambhirananda).]
True “understanding” can come only through Self-knowledge. Self-knowledge is the real vidyA. The Sanskrit root ‘vid’ from which ‘vidyA’ is derived means “experiential (or realizational) understanding.” Only a preceptor who himself has had such an experiential understanding can transmit further the true Knowledge. It can happen only if all thoughts other than the Self-knowledge are eliminated.
The Upanishad then proceeds with a narration of the succession of teachers through whom the transmission of the True Knowledge had taken place.
The Knowledge obtained from listening to the teacher has to become an im-mediated direct experience. Then only it will lead to Self-realization.
ब्रह्मा देवानां प्रथमः सम्बभूव विश्वस्य कर्ता भुवनस्य गोप्ता ।
स ब्रह्मविद्यां सर्वविद्याप्रतिष्ठामथर्वाय ज्येष्ठपुत्राय प्राह ॥ — 1.1.1, muNDaka upa.
[Meaning: Brahma, the creator of the Universe and the protector of the world, was the first among the gods to manifest Himself. To His eldest son, Atharva, He imparted that Knowledge of brahman that is the basis of all knowledge.]
At the head is Brahma, the Creator. His eldest son’s name is Atharva. Brahma imparted the Self-knowledge to Atharva. Further transmission of the Knowledge took place from Atharva to Angiri, from Angiri to Satyavaha, from Satyavaha to Angirasa, from Angirasa to Saunaka, the Mahashala.
(To Continue … Part 19 (muNDaka 2))