Tag Archives: brahman

Quintessence of 10 Upanishads – 6 (kena 1)

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[Part – 5 (Isha)]

kena Upanishad:

The word AtmA points to something that is all-pervasive — present everywhere, without gaps. There can be no “inside” or “outside” to It. Nor can there be anything “other” than Itself. For, if there is a second thing different existing alongside It, AtmA would cease to be all-pervasive. The Sanskrit word AtmA comes from the root ‘at,’ meaning “to move” or “to pervade,” and It naturally carries this sense of omnipresence.

When something exists as itself, in its own true form, we call that its intrinsic nature (svarUpa). When the very same thing appears in some other form, that appearance is called a manifestation (vibhUti). Words like manifestation (vibhUti), special appearance (visheSa), imagination (vikalpa), or fallacious appearance (AbhAsa) all point to the same basic idea. They describe not what a thing really is, but how it seems — like the different roles played by an actor putting on different costumes. Continue reading →

Chandogya Upanishad and Brahma Sutra Bhasya Part – 3

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Part 2

Part 4

BSB 1.3.40                                                                                                                    The light mentioned in Ch 8.12.3 refers to Brahman and not the ordinary light because of the context in which it is used. The subject-matter is Brahman that is free from sin (Ch 8.7.1). It should be sought by an aspirant of liberation. It is also alluded to in, “I shall explain this very one to you over again” (Ch Up 8.9.3). And this Self is declared by way of attainment of this Light for becoming unembodied as mentioned in the statement, namely, happiness and sorrow do not touch one who is unembodied (Ch Up 8.9.1). Supreme Light is used in Ch Up 8.3.4 and transcendental being in Ch Up 8.12.3.

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Manifestation/Appearance – A view

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In Advaita Vedanta, it is said that the world is a manifestation/appearance of Brahman like ornament (world) and gold (Brahman) in gold-ornament metaphor. A hearer is puzzled as to how can the material world be envisaged as a manifestation/appearance of Brahman which is of the nature of pure existence (Existence) and is non-material. Existence is not perceived, world is perceived, whereas both gold and ornament are perceived. In this sense, the hearer argues that there is a disconnect of the gold-ornament from Brahman-world.
The counter argument from a co-hearer is that a metaphor is never similar to the thing illustrated for otherwise it ceases to be a metaphor. The principle is that in a metaphor, similarity is the focus and dis-similarity is ignored. In the instant case, dis-similarity due to material and non-material is ignored. What is the similarity then? Here comes the concept of mithya, i.e., neither nor unreal. Brahman is of the nature of Existence. It lends existence to the world which has no independent existence as it continuously changes. Brahman is real and world is mithya (ब्रह्म सत्यं जगन्मिथ्या). In the gold-ornament metaphor, ornament has no existence separate from that of the gold. Gold is real and ornament is mithya. Thus, there is a similarity (of mithyatatva)  between the illustration and the illustrated.
Agreement: In the gold-ornament metaphor to explain that the world is a manifestation/appearance of Brahman, the focus is on mithyatatva.

Quintessence of 10 Upanishads – 5 (Isha)

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[Part – 4 (Isha)]

Ritual actions prescribed by the scriptures will carry a seeker from one birth to another, perhaps under more favorable conditions. However, they cannot free one from saṃsāra, the endless cycles of birth and death. 

A seeker devoted solely to ritual worship does not attain “immortality”; at best, such practices will confer “longevity.” A combination (samuccaya) of action (karma) and worship (upAsanA) can enable the seeker to dwell in the divine realms of the gods s/he worships for a very long time.  Continue reading →

Chandogya Upanishad and Brahma Sutra Bhasya- Part 2

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 Part 1 is included in Chandogya Upanishad (chapters 6 to 8) Part14

Part 3

BSB 1.3.14 to 1.3.21                                                                                                        Ch 8.1.1 reads: “Om. Now, in this city of Brahman, there is a mansion in the shape of a small Lotus; in it is a small inner Ākāśa. What is within that, that should be sought; that, indeed, one should desire to understand.”                                                                     [Swami Swahananda. Chandogya Upanisad (p. 366). RK Math, Mylapore, Chennai. Kindle Edition.]                                                                                                           There is a doubt whether term ‘Akasa’ (space) refers to material space or Brahman. Another doubt is about the owner of the ‘city’, Brahman or the individual soul. The opponent holds that space denotes material space because the text, “the space inside the heart is of the same magnitude as the space outside” (Ch 8.1.3) is meaningful only for material space. The individual soul is the owner of the city because the body is earned on account of action of the individual soul. The aphorist rejects the views of the opponent on the strength of Ch 8.1.2 and Ch 8.1.3.

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Quintessence of 10 Upanishads – 4 (Isha)

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[Part – 3 (Isha)]

The first step is to notice “the Universal” present in the diversity of the objects. Name, form and action are the particulars of Beingness-Knowingness. Noticing the Beingness-Knowingness is like seeing the all-pervading gold in the ornaments. By this process, we will know the substratum.

The second step is to realize that AtmA modulates Itself in the form of all the objects. That means one sees the diversity as the manifested forms of AtmA. In the first step, the intrinsic nature of all the objects is grasped. In the second step, different objects are perceived to be different appearances of the AtmA. This is akin to realizing that it is Gold itself which appears in different forms as ornaments. 

Such a process helps us understand the play of AtmA in this world. We recognize the world as AtmA. We realize that all that is seen is AtmA and it is AtmA which appears as all the things. The experiential understanding will be that everything in the world is “My form” and all forms are “Me.”   Continue reading →

Chandogya Upanishad (Chapters 6 to 8) (Part 14)

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Part 13

Section 13 (8.13.1), section 14 (8.14.1), and section 15 (8.15.1)
Vedantic teaching is over with section 12 of the chapter 8. Sections 13 to 15, each containing one mantra, are sort of miscellaneous.
A meditator longs for krama-mukti prays. He has practised meditation on space in the heart as Isvara. Space is one of the five elements. But here space is considered as a symbol of Isvara for meditation. It is revealer of name and form. By practice of meditation, he has reduced papas (demerits) like a horse shakes the dust off his body and the moon comes out of the grip of Rahu. Meditation has purified the mind and sense organs. He is desirous of going to the abode of Brahmaji to realize Atma so that he attains freedom from the cycle of life and death.
After enumerating of lineage of teachers, i.e., Brahmaji, Prajapati, Manus and his descendants, the Upanishad concludes with an assurance. He who serves his teacher, lives as prescribed by the Vedas and has control over mind and body, practices non-injury except otherwise ordained by scriptures, reaches the abode of Brahmaji and does not return. Continue reading →

Quintessence of 10 Upanishads – 3 (Isha)

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[Part – 2 (Isha)]

The Upanishad says:

अनेजदेकं मनसो जवीयो नैनद्देवा आप्नुवन्पूर्वमर्षत् । 
तद्धावतोऽन्यानत्येति तिष्ठत्तस्मिन्नपो मातरिश्वा दधाति ॥        —  mantra 4, IshAvAsya upa.

[Meaning: It is unmoving, One, and faster than the mind. The senses could not overtake It, since It ran ahead. Remaining stationary, It outruns all other runners. It being there, MAtarisvA allots (or supports) all activities. (Trans: Swami Gambhirananda).]

We need not look at the Lord and AtmA as mutually contradictory or conflicting. The verbal expression may seem superficially contradictory like an oxymoron, but if one probes deeper, the implied meaning will be clear. Therefore, one may say that AtmA is alone, absolutely steady and unmoving; but also say at the same time that It can move faster than even the mind. 

On one hand AtmA can be described to be formless; on the other hand, one may say that AtmA has manifested as the manifold (in a multiplicity of forms). When It is One with no second, It is the AtmA with no adjuncts and when It appears as the world, It is the Lord (Ishwara) having many forms.  Continue reading →

Quintessence of 10 Upanishads – 2 (Isha)

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 [Part – 1 (Isha)]

असुर्या नाम ते लोका अन्धेन तमसा वृताः । 
तांस्ते प्रेत्याभिगच्छन्ति ये के चात्महनो जनाः ॥   —  mantra 3, IshAvAsya upa.

[Meaning:   Those worlds of devils are covered by blinding darkness. Those people that kill the Self go to them after giving up this body. (Translation: Swami Gambhirananda, 1957).]

The Upanishad counters the argument of the Mimamsakars saying that it is not a worthy stand to take, for it is tantamount to killing one’s Atma. AtmA is none other than what the Upanishad has been describing as the Lord. 

How can the Lord be the same as AtmA?

AtmA is the generic name. It denotes the intrinsic nature as explained by Shankara in his commentary on brahma sUtra-s.  Continue reading →

Quintessence of 10 Upanishads – 1 (Isha)

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bhASyakAra bhagavatpAda Shri Shankara’s exhaustive commentaries on the 10 Major Upanishads constitute the first leg on the journey of imparting the Non-dual Wisdom to an eligible student seeking eternal Freedom (mokSa) from being reborn in the world. They form the Instructional core (upadesha prasthAna) of the Non-dual message. Late Shri Yellamraju Srinivasa Rao (YSR), a well-known Advaitin, gave extensive Talks in Telugu on each of these 10 Upanishads adhering strictly to Shankara’s bhASya (commentary). He also supplemented his discourses on each of the 10 Upanishads with a 90-min Talk summarizing the content of that specific Upanishad (thus a total of about 900 minutes on Summaries).

I rendered into English Shri YSR’s Talks on the Summaries and edited them slightly for brevity etc. I offer them here for the benefit of any interested seeker for his/her personal use only for study, reflection and deep contemplative meditation. They may not be used for any commercial purposes. Continue reading →