Tag Archives: kArikA

Mandukya Upanishad and Karika (Part 4)

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Part 3

Chapter I

K-11 to K-15
Gauḍapda analyses the common and distinguishing characteristics of Visva, Taijasa, Prajna, and Turiya. His definitions are only superficially different from those given earlier but are necessary for understanding these verses.
Ignorance gives rise to misconception. Ignorance of Turiya causes the misconception, “I am the waker” or “I am the dreamer.” Although ignorance is also present during deep sleep, there is no misconception because the mind which can entertain misconceptions is dormant. Turiya is free from both ignorance and misconception.
Prajna is ignorant of both himself and other things. He is blissfully ignorant. Turiya, however, is the witness even of ignorance, though It is never associated with it.

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Mandukya Upanishad and Karika (Part 3)

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Part 2

Part 4

Chapter 1
Karika 6
During deep sleep, everything exists in a potential condition. From this potential condition, the waking and dream states emerge. An important Vedantic conclusion is that anything that appears to be created must already exist in a potential form. If it exists in a potential form, creation is a misnomer. There are only two states: the unmanifest and the manifest. A product (effect) is not a new entity; it pre-exists in an unmanifest form in its cause. This is the doctrine of Satkaryavada.

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Mandukya Upanishad and Karika (Part1)

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Part 2

Introduction

The Mandukya  Upanishad belongs to Atharva Veda. Though it has only twelve mantras, its teachings are profound. Gauḍapadacharya wrote the Karika on it. A Karika differs from a commentary. In a commentary, the commentator analyses each mantra and comments on it in detail. A Karika, on the other hand, presents the essential philosophical teachings.

The Karika consists of four chapters comprising a total of 215 verses (Karikas). Chapter I is called Agama Prakaraṇa. It is so called because it is based on the twelve mantras of the Upanishad. This chapter contains 29 Karikas. Chapters II, III, and IV are respectively Vaitathya Prakaraṇa (On the Unreality of the World), comprising 38 Karikas; Advaita Prakaraṇa (On Non-duality), comprising 48 Karikas; and Alatasanti Prakaraṇa (On the Quenching of the Firebrand), comprising 100 Karikas.
The Upaniṣhad and Karika are traditionally studied together along with the commentary of Shankaracharya.

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mANDUkya upaniShad Part 10

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*** Read Part 9 ***

Mantra 9 (and kArikA K1.19)

जागरितस्थानो वैश्वानरोऽकारः प्रथमा मात्रऽऽप्तेरादिमत्त्वाद्वाऽऽप्नोति ह वै सर्वान् कामानादिश्च भवति य एवं वेद ॥ ९ ।

jAgaritasthAno vaishvAnaro.akAraH prathamA mAtra.a.apteraadimattvaadvA.a.apnoti ha vai sarvAn kAmAnAdishcha bhavati ya evaM veda || 9 ||

prathamA mAtra – The first mAtra (of OM)
akAraH – the letter ‘a’
vaishvAnara – is vaishvAnara
jAgarita sthAno – the waking state
ApteH – (because of both having the characteristics of) being all-pervasive
va – or
AdimatvatvAt – being the first.

ya evam veda – Whoever knows this
ha vai Apnoti –  certainly obtains
sarvan kAmAn – all desirable objects
cha – and
AdiH bhavati – becomes the first.

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GK: III-40 and Some (Mis)Conceptions

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During the mid-part of the last century when we were in our adolescence, the most common ambition of an average educated Indian was to go abroad. So we used to have a fancy to learn some foreign language. I tried Chinese but could go hardly beyond two pages of a book I bought from the Higginbotham’s.  Deutche (German) was the next attraction because that was still the Lingua franca for Science in those days. I forgot all of what I learnt but one thing that stuck to me was a charming quote which expresses the German spirit of approach in developing their expertise. It goes something like this:

“Es gibt nichts Praktischeres als eine gute Theorie.“

(My thanks to Sitara who was kind to correct my initial wrong wording and also for letting me know that it was Immanuel Kant who said it).

The quote means that “there is nothing more practical than a good theory.”

IMHO, the statement is a delight to every theoretician and undoubtedly very dear to all those oriented to jnAna mArga (Self-inquiry). Continue reading →