9. chAndogya Upanishad
The prefix “pari” contributes significantly to enhancing the dimensionality of a word in the Sanskrit language. For example, prashna means question. By adding the prefix pari to prashna to make it pariprashna (used in Bhagavad-Gita, verse 34, Ch 4), it means questioning from all sides. Other examples are draShTu (view) and paridraShTu (a 3600 view) as used in prashna Upanishad; pasyanti (look) and paripasyanti (all round look) as used in muNDaka Upanishad; pUrNam (perfect) and paripUrNam (perfect from all angles); samApti (complete) and parisamApti (complete in all respects).
How the prefix ‘pari’ modifies a noun is like what the qualifier “spherical” does when we say “spherical symmetry” instead of simply saying ‘symmetry.’ The teaching of Advaita in a sense comes to a parisamApti in the chAndogya Upanishad.
Two of the four famous Great Statements (mahA vAkya-s), namely, “This Self (Atman) is brahman” (from mANDUkya Upanishad) and “bahman is The Absolute Knowingness” (from aitareya Upanishad) have already been introduced. Expanding on those statements, chAndogya comes up with the third Great Statement. From a doctrinal perspective, the third statement completes the instruction on Non-dual Oneness. The Upanishad aims at showing the path to attain the experiential understanding of brahman through the third Great Statement. It is up to the seeker to ingest the message and achieve Self-realization.
The Great Statement being told here is what the Sage Uddalaka taught to Svetaketu. Maharshi Sanatkumara revealed the same to the Sage Narada. Creator Prajapati imparted the same teaching to the Lord of gods (Indra).
स य एषोऽणिमैतदात्म्यमिदं सर्वं तत्सत्यं स आत्मा तत्त्वमसि श्वेतकेतो …| — mantra 6.8.7, chAndogya Upanishad.
[Meaning: That which is the subtlest Essence, in That has all this its Self; That is the Self; That is the Truth; That thou art, O, Shvetaketu. (Translation: Dr. G. Jha, 1942).]
There is one substance alone. It is extremely subtle. It is so subtle that It can never be seen or known. If It can’t be seen or known, how are we to be certain that It exists. For example, we are aware of space. It is very subtle. It has no ID or form. Space is just emptiness. But we are able to know it. Otherwise, how could we say that it is empty? Even if a thing is not perceivable, the human intellect has the capacity to know it. We are able to know it because ‘knowing’ is the intrinsic nature of our intellect. In fact, the intellect ‘knows’ things because knowing is its very characteristic.
We have already seen (in the discourse on muNDaka Upanishad) that an object can capture another object only if they both are of the same genre. Human intellect and the Supreme Self should not have, therefore, any in-group difference between them so that the human being can know the Self through his intellect. Their intrinsic nature should be the same. Otherwise, we can never know the Self. As a matter of fact, the very thought about Self comes to our mind because of the non-difference between our intellect and the Supreme Self. Hence it is said:
मन एव मनुष्याणां कारणं बन्धमोक्षयोः ।
बन्धाय विषयासक्तं मुक्त्यै निर्विषयं स्मृतम् ॥ — mantra 2, amritabindu upa.
[Meaning: The mind that is attached to sense-objects leads to bondage, while dissociated from sense-objects it tends to lead to liberation.]
Both the worldly thoughts and also the thought about the Self arise in our mind. The mind is a powerful tool we are blessed with and we should put it to proper use. Hence the chAndogya nudges us to find out that subtle substance. As a help towards finding It, the Upanishad elaborates on the nature of that substance as follows:
सदेव सोम्येदमग्र आसीदेकमेवाद्वितीयम् । (तद्धैक आहुरसदेवेदमग्र आसीदेकमेवाद्वितीयं तस्मादसतः सज्जायत ॥) — mantra 6.2.1, chAndogya Upanishad.
[Meaning: In the beginning, my dear, this was Being only, one, without a second. (Some say that, in the beginning, this was Non-being, only one, without a second. From that Non-being sprang Being). (Translation: G. Jha).]
तदैक्षत बहु स्यां प्रजायेयेति तत्तेजोऽसृजत तत्तेज ऐक्षत बहु स्यां प्रजायेयेति तदपोऽसृजत । तस्माद्यत्र क्वच शोचति स्वेदते वा पुरुषस्तेजस एव तदध्यापो जायन्ते ॥ — mantra 6.2.3, chAndogya Upanishad.
[Meaning: It conceived ‘May I become many; may I grow forth’; and It created Fire. That Fire conceived’ May I become many; may I grow forth’; and it created Water. Therefore whenever a man is hot and perspires, it is water produced from fire (Translation: G. Jha).]
ता आप ऐक्षन्त बह्व्यः स्याम प्रजायेमहीति ता अन्नमसृजन्त तस्माद्यत्र क्व च वर्षति तदेव भूयिष्ठमन्नं भवत्यद्भ्य एव तदध्यन्नाद्यं जायते ॥ — mantra 6.2.4, chAndogya Upanishad.
[Meaning: The Water conceived ‘May I become many and may I grow forth’; it created Food. Therefore, when it rains there is profuse food produced ; hence, it is from water that edible food is produced.]
Whatever we see as the world was not there in the beginning. It’s all just Beingness only. The subtle substance that the Upanishad has been referring to right from the start is the Beingness only.
That substance “noticed.” Noticing is also Its nature only. Noticing implies that It is Consciousness. Its characteristics are Beingness and Consciousness.
Beingness means presence. Consciousness is knowing that beingness. The important point to be noted is that in actuality Beingness and Consciousness are one only – not two separate things. They are one because the Knowingness is about the Beingness. In other words Knowingness is and that Is-ness is Beingness. The Knowingness of Beingness is present in the beginning, It is present at the end and also in the intermittent period. There is nothing else than “That” (the fine substance).
If there is nothing else than the fine substance, what is all “this” that we see (the world)?
स य एषोऽणिमैतदात्म्यमिदं सर्वं तत्सत्यं स आत्मा तत्त्वमसि श्वेतकेतो इति …| — mantra 6.8.7, chAndogya Upanishad.
[Meaning: That which is the subtlest Essence, in That has all this its Self; That is the Truth; That thou art, O, Shvetaketu.]
“That” Itself is the AtmA to all “this” that we see. So the Beingness and Consciousness is the AtmA for all. AtmA means the “intrinsic nature” (swarUpa). The “intrinsic nature” refers to the “element” from which a substance is derived. AtmA exists pervading the entire substance which is derived from Itself. So AtmA is present not only inside and outside but also in the intermittent space in the substance.
For example, say, there is a wooden door. The AtmA for the door is wood. Why so?
Because firstly, the ‘form’ of the door is derived from the wood. Secondly, wood is the raw material for the door. In the absence of the wood, the door would not have come about. Thirdly, the wood is present pervading the entire door. The outer surface of the door is wood. Its inside is wood. There is nothing else than the wood in the door.
One may say that it is not merely wood, and there is something more because we see a door (shape and functionality). Then we have to ask ourselves, if something more than the wood exists, is it possible to capture it negating all the wood? Obviously, that is not possible, for the door cannot be present in the absence of the wood. But then, there is a door appearing in front of us. What appears to us, strictly speaking, is the wood, but not the door.
(To Continue … Part – 35 (chAn 2))