Chapter 7
Introduction
In chapter 6, knowledge of supreme Reality as Being is imparted and it is said that all that is perceived and conceived is nothing but Being, i.e., pure existence. It is Sat-vidya. In chapter 7, reality is graded beginning from name and ascending to prAna so as to reach Being designated as Bhuma. All the lesser degrees of reality are only forms of Its manifestation and is a lower order of reality. The higher includes the lower, and the highest is everything and is all-inclusive.
If the lower grades of reality are not described, one may think that there are things other than the Being though unknown. The intermediate realities are graded in a manner value and expanse of a reality is more than those of preceding one until the highest reality Bhuma is ascertained. Bhuma means infinite which is bliss also. The teaching is in the form of a dialogue between NArada and Sanatakumar as student and teacher respectively forming a worthy-duo.
ChAnyadogya Upanishad (Chapters 6 to 8) Part 7(1)
Reply
Narada climbs up the staircase from Name up to Spirit almost hopping and jumping spurred by his own enthusiasm and curiosity. He asks his venerable teacher at each step after meditating, “What’s next?” He, however, falls absolutely silent after meditation at the level of Spirit, the 15th itself. He has another flight of steps to take to reach the Ultimate, the Absolute!
Shankara opens his commentary on the 6th chapter of chAndogya with a very brief intro. bringing out the context of Svetaketu’s story and its relationship (sambandha) to the rest of the Upanishad. He says that the 6th chapter explains two important points, which are: