Tag Archives: brahman

Quintessence of 10 Upanishads – 7 (kena 2)

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[Part – 6 (kena 1)]

Thus, the kena Upanishad answers the question about the location of the “AtmA” not by providing a map to the Self, but by challenging us to discover the “sentient source” behind the mind and the senses.

केनेषितं पतति प्रेषितं मनः केन प्राणः प्रथमः प्रैति युक्तः । 
केनेषितां वाचमिमां वदन्ति चक्षुःश्रोत्रं क उ देवो युनक्ति ॥     — mantra 1.1, kena.

[Meaning:  By whom desired and set forth does the mind move towards its subject? At whose bidding does the chief life-principle proceed towards its functions? By whom wished, do the men utter the speech? What effulgent one, indeed, directs the eye or the ear? Translation by Swami Sharvananda, 1920.]

If it is supposed that the body, or any of its parts, forms the locus of the “I AM,” the Upanishad asks whether the body can ever feel the presence of “I Am.” When we say, “I am walking” or “I am sitting,” we only see the body walking or sitting. The body by itself does not have the ability to think or feel “I AM.” It is inert, much like the wall in front of us.  Continue reading →

Chandogya Upanishad and Brahm Sutra Bhasya (Part 4)

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Part 3

Part 5

BSB 2.1.21 to 2.1.23                                                                                                      The opponent argues that texts like “Thou art that” (Ch Up 6.8.7) declaring identity of Brahman and jiva and “Let me manifest name and form by Myself entering the individual soul” (Ch Up 6.3.2) lead to absurdity. The argument is in four parts. Brahman creates the world. Jiva has sufferings in the world. Brahman and jiva are identical. Therefore, Brahman creates sufferings for Himself which is ridiculous. The Vedantin accepts the first two parts with a rider that suffering faced by a jiva is at transactional level. As regards the third part, the identity of Brahman and jiva is from the Absolute standpoint. That is to say, when the limiting adjuncts of a jiva are removed, there is identity.

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Brihadarankya Upanishad (Part 17)

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Part 16

4.4.9 to 4.4.15                                                                                                                 The seekers of Brahman talk about many paths of knowledge. It is not correct. There is only one path of knowledge. A person should practice karma yoga and upasana yoga to become qualified for the path of knowledge. The Upanishad criticises those who perform different rites and rituals for material benefits. They are unwise and ignorant, live in darkness, and go from death to death.  Sooner or later, a person should do a course correction and set knowledge of Brahman as the highest goal. All other goals should be subservient to it and finally, the only goal should be Brahman- knowledge.         

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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 →