The aitareya Upanishad reveals a radical and liberating truth: we are not bound by an endless cycle of rebirth and death. By examining the nature of birth, the essence of the seer, and the illusory nature of creation, the text guides the seeker to the realization that all existence is nothing other than pure Consciousness (prajñAnam).
The aitareya Upanishad clarifies that the “three births” associated with human existence occur entirely within a single lifetime:
- We begin as seed within the father’s body. The first birth occurs when he impregnates the mother, depositing the seed.
- We exist as a fetus within the mother, nourished as an integral part of her body. When fully developed, she delivers us into the world. This is our second birth.
- As we grow, mature, and assume adult responsibilities, the father’s body eventually decays and passes away. By taking over his role and fathering the next generation, the father is reborn through us. This continuation marks the third birth.
Because all three births take place right here in this life, there was no birth before this, nor will there be another hereafter. Realizing this frees us from the fear of repeated physical rebirth (*saMsAra*). Therefore, Self-knowledge must be attained in this very life—we have only this present existence to realize our true nature.
Maharshi Vāmadeva realized the Self while still in his mother’s womb. Absorbing all births into a single life, he understood his eternal existence: having been present at the beginning, existing now, and continuing forever, there is no past, present, or future for him. He is timeless.
Then a question may arise. Is the Self the physical body, the inner organs, or something beyond both? When properly understood, both the external world (the body) and the internal observer are AtmA (the Self). The body represents the manifested world, while the inner observer represents the Supreme Self.
We often doubt this non-dual identity because the external world appears heterogeneous — belonging to a different category than our inner Awareness. Shankara addresses this misconception in his commentary:
द्वे वस्तुनी अस्मिन्पिण्डे उपलभ्येते — अनेकभेदभिन्नेन करणेन येनोपलभते, करणान्तरोपलब्धिविषयस्मृतिप्रतिसन्धानात् । तत्र न तावत् येनोपलभते, स आत्मा भवितुमर्हति । केन पुनरुपलभत इति, उच्यते — येन वा चक्षुर्भूतेन रूपं पश्यति, येन वा शृणोति श्रोत्रभूतेन शब्दम् , येन वा घ्राणभूतेन गन्धानाजिघ्रति, येन वा वाक्करणभूतेन वाचं नामात्मिकां व्याकरोति गौरश्व इत्येवमाद्याम् , साध्वसाध्विति च, येन वा जिह्वाभूतेन स्वादु च अस्वादु च विजानातीति ॥
[Meaning: Two entities are known to exist in this body. One, by whom, with the aid of various senses, differing in many ways, anything is perceived; and another who is known as one who remembers the impressions of objects perceived by the aid of other senses. Here, that by which one knows cannot be the Ātmā. By whom is it then known? We reply: that by which being the eye, one sees form, that by which being the nose, one smells the smell, that by which being the organ of speech, one utters speech, consisting of names such as cow, horse, good, bad, etc., or that which being the tongue, one discerns what is sweet and what is not. (Translation: S. Sitarama Sastri, 1923)] — Shankara’s commentary on aitareya Upanishad, Mantra 3.5.1
Consider a person watching a procession through a window. Is the window seeing the procession, or the person behind it? Clearly, the observer watches *through* the window; the window itself does not see.
Similarly, we perceive the world through the eyes, ears, and other senses. The body, motor organs, vital force (prANa), and mind are merely doors or adjuncts (upAdhis). The mind is simply a collection of thoughts. Pure Knowingness is the true observer looking through the mind.
Unlike an earthly owner who remains separate from his/her property, the Self pervades everything completely—like water pervading every wave in an ocean. The ocean is not merely an “owner” separate from its waves; the waves are the ocean itself. In Vedānta, specific manifestations (vibhUti) are understood to be non-different from the underlying substance. When particulars (visheSa) are realized as the Universal (sAmAnya), pure Advaita (non-duality) is established.
The individual (the subjective end) and the world (the objective end) form a continuous spectrum, unified by prajñAnam (Consciousness).
The core message of the aitareya Upanishad is encapsulated in its final mahAvAkya: prajñAnam brahma (Consciousness is brahman).
एष ब्रह्मैष इन्द्र एष प्रजापतिरेते सर्वे देवा इमानि च पञ्च महाभूतानि पृथिवी वायुराकाश आपो ज्योतींषीत्येतानीमानि च क्षुद्रमिश्राणीव । बीजानीतराणि चेतराणि चाण्डजानि च जारुजानि च स्वेदजानि चोद्भिज्जानि चाश्वा गावः पुरुषा हस्तिनो यत्किञ्चेदं प्राणि जङ्गमं च पतत्रि च यच्च स्थावरम् । सर्वं तत्प्रज्ञानेत्रं प्रज्ञाने प्रतिष्ठितं प्रज्ञानेत्रो लोकः प्रज्ञा प्रतिष्ठा प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म ॥
[Meaning: This One is brahman; this is Indra, this is Prajapati; this is all these gods; and this is these five elements, viz. earth, air, space, water, fire; and this is all these (big creatures), together with the small ones, that are the procreators of others and referable in pairs – to wit, those that are born of eggs, of wombs, of moisture of the earth, viz. horses, cattle, men, elephants, and all the creatures that there are which move or fly and those which do not move. All these have Consciousness as the giver of their reality; all these are impelled by Consciousness; the universe has Consciousness as its eye and Consciousness is its end. Consciousness is brahman. (Translation: Swami Gambhirananda)] – aitareya Upanishad, Mantra 3.5.3.
Shankara explains further as follows:
स एषः प्रज्ञानरूप आत्मा ब्रह्म अपरं सर्वशरीरस्थः प्राणः प्रज्ञात्मा अन्तःकरणोपाधिष्वनुप्रविष्टो जलभेदगतसूर्यप्रतिबिम्बवत् हिरण्यगर्भः प्राणः प्रज्ञात्मा ।
[Meaning: This AtmA in the form of Consciousness is lower brahman, or the vital-force (prANa), the living principle of all bodies, that has entered into the conditions of the mind like the image of the Sun reflected on various waters. (Translation: S. Sitarama Sastri)]
Shankara’s commentary on aitareya Upanishad, Mantra 3.5.3:
The Self as Consciousness is identical to brahman. It is the creator (BrahmA), Indra, the five fundamental elements, and every sentient and insentient entity—whether mobile or immobile. All objects are like reflections appearing on the surface of a mirror: they appear diverse, yet they are nothing other than the mirror itself.
The Pedagogical Role of Creation Stories (adhyAropa-apavAda):
The Upanishad opens and closes with the declaration that everything is Consciousness:
आत्मा वा इदमेक एवाग्र आसीत् । नान्यत्किञ्चन मिषत् ।
[Meaning: In the beginning this was but the absolute Self alone. There was nothing else active (whatsoever that winked). (Translation: Swami Gambhirananda)] – aitareya Upanishad, Mantra 1.1.1
If only the absolute Self existed in the beginning, why does the text describe an elaborate process of creation—forming the worlds, bodies (cow, horse, human), and the entrance of the Self into the individual (jIva)?
In Advaita Vedānta, creation narratives are deliberate pedagogical devices (adhyAropa-apavAda—superimposition and deliberate negation) used to guide the seeker:
The Reality: Nothing was ever created, nor does an independent world exist. The ultimate Truth is that what-IS is pure Knowingness (prajñAnam).
The Method: Because we cannot immediately grasp pure non-duality and instead mistake the world for an independent reality (like mistaking a rope for a snake), the Upanishad temporarily adopts a provisional untruth. It attributes the world’s origin, sustenance, and dissolution to God.
The Shift in Perspective: By attributing creation to the Supreme, our attention shifts from the material object to the Creator. Once we realize that the Creator shines *as* the world, the external object dissolves into Knowingness.
Similarly, stating that the Self “entered” the body is a teaching tool. By presenting the inner observer as a reflection of the Self within the mind’s mirror, our limited individual awareness is recognized as infinite Consciousness.
Through this process, both matter (the objective world) and mind (the subjective observer) are resolved into their source: brahman.
The Conclusion:
The aitareya Upanishad resolves the apparent contradiction between two seemingly opposed statements:
“I am not the body” (distinguishing the true Self from limited adjuncts).
“The body is also the Self” (recognizing that all manifestations are nothing but the underlying non-dual Reality).
By deeply reflecting (manana) and assimilating (nididhyAsana) these teachings, we move beyond the illusion of separateness. Both the seer and the seen merge into indivisible Oneness—the eternal prajñAnam brahma.
Thus ends the message of the aitareya Upanishad.
To Continue … Part 34 (chAnd 1))