7.25.1 and 7.25.2
The infinite alone is below, is above, is behind, is in front. It is in all directions-to the south, to the north. That alone is all this. The empirical world is mithyA. There is no second entity supporting Bhuma. There is nothing else besides Him on which He can be established. It is self-supported, so to say. That the wave supports water is a misstatement. There is no wave other than water. In order to avoid a possible misconception that individual soul is different from the Infinite, the Upanishad gives instructions: “I am indeed below, I am indeed above, I am behind, I am in front, I am in the south, I am in the north, I am indeed all this”. Even then, non-discriminating people might conceive I as representing mind and body. Therefore, further instructions are imparted: The Self indeed is below, the Self is above, the Self is behind, in the front, in the south and in the north, and the Self is indeed all this.
Tag Archives: bhUma
ChAndogya Upanishad (Chapters 6 to 8) Part 8
7.16.1, 7.17.1, 7.18.1, 7.19.1, 7.20.1, 7.21.1, 7.22.1, and 7.23.1
Sanatkumar wants to remove the wrong conclusion of Narada. He remarks that one speaks well who speaks truth implying that Narada’s knowledge is short of truth. He also says that one speaks truth who understands truth. Narada is curious and expresses his desire to understand truth and understanding of truth. And for understanding, one must reflect. Reflection means Vedantic inquiry. In the absence of inquiry, one may say that fire or the three colours in it are the supreme entity. For inquiry one must have faith in scriptures and the teacher. It is not a token faith for name’s sake. It must be sustained and steadfast. Steadfastness stands for earnestness in obediently listening to the preceptor with a view to attaining knowledge of Brahman.
ChAnyadogya Upanishad (Chapters 6 to 8) Part 7(1)
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.
From the Grossest to the Subtlest – 2/2
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!
Swami Krishnananda of the Divine Life Society tells us that the 7th chapter of the Upanishad expounds the magnificent doctrine of the bhuma, the Absolute, the plenum of Being, the fullness of Reality. But also cautions us that “As we go further and further in this chapter, we will find it is more and more difficult to understand the intention of the Upanishad. The instructions are very cryptic in their language. Even the Sanskrit language that is used is very archaic, giving way to various types of interpretations.” Though the words may look familiar, their meaning is significantly different and connote a much deeper sense. Continue reading
From the Grossest to the Subtlest – 1/2
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:
- “How this whole universe proceeds from, subsists in and becomes absorbed (or merged) into brahman because the seeker has been previously ASKED TO MEDITATE, free from all love and hate and being self-controlled, upon that universal brahman to be the source, sustainer and dissolver at 3.14.1 of the Upanishad”; and
- “How when the Knower of the Truth has eaten, the whole universe becomes satiated.”
Appropriately enough, after the completion of the 16 sections, at the end of the chapter, he makes the following concluding remarks: