Tag Archives: Liberation

Upadesa Sahasri (Part 35)

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Part 34

18.170–184
In a series of verses, Shankaracharya explains how Tat Tvam Asi (TTA) should be taught and understood. As in the case of any sentence, in order to understand the meaning of TTA, one must understand the meanings of the words Tat, Tvam, and Asi.
The direct or literal meaning of Tat is Isvara, the creator, sustainer, and destroyer of the universe. Tvam means you, the individual (jiva), and Asi signifies that Tat and Tvam are identical, that is, Isvara = Jiva.
An equation is meaningful only when its two sides are apparently different but essentially the same. If the two sides are apparently identical, the equation serves no purpose. Thus, 5 + 4 = 10 – 1 is meaningful, whereas 9 = 9 is not. For one who understands addition and subtraction, both 5 + 4 and 10 – 1 resolve into 9, thereby validating the equation.

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Quintessence of 10 Upanishads – 33 (aita 4)

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[Part – 32 (aita 3)]

The aitareya Upanishad reveals a radical and liberating truth: we are not bound by an endless cycle of rebirth and death. By examining the nature of birth, the essence of the seer, and the illusory nature of creation, the text guides the seeker to the realization that all existence is nothing other than pure Consciousness (prajñAnam).

The aitareya Upanishad clarifies that the “three births” associated with human existence occur entirely within a single lifetime:

  1. We begin as seed within the father’s body. The first birth occurs when he impregnates the mother, depositing the seed.
  2. We exist as a fetus within the mother, nourished as an integral part of her body. When fully developed, she delivers us into the world. This is our second birth.
  3. As we grow, mature, and assume adult responsibilities, the father’s body eventually decays and passes away. By taking over his role and fathering the next generation, the father is reborn through us. This continuation marks the third birth. 

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Knowledge and Experience

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Clearing the Minefield of Modern Advaita

For many modern seekers, the spiritual path feels like a journey from the ‘dry’ realm of intellectual study to the ‘wet’ realm of mystical experience. There is a pervasive belief, often propagated by Neo-Vedantic and Western satsang circles, that acquiring Self-knowledge through the scriptures is a ‘merely intellectual’ achievement—a collection of concepts that must eventually be ‘transformed’ into a direct, non-dual experience through meditation or samādhi.

However, traditional Advaita Vedānta, as systematized by Ādi Śaṅkara, offers a radical correction to this view. In this tradition, the ‘gap’ between knowledge and realization is non-existent for the prepared mind. To understand why, we must carefully define our terms and examine the relative value of knowledge and experience in the pursuit of liberation (mokṣa).

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Upadesa Sahasri (Part 34)

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Part 33

Part 35

18.133–138                                                                                                              Advaita acknowledges six means of knowledge (pramana). They are perception, inference, comparison, postulation, non-cognition and testimony.  Does the Self require a pramana for its substantiation, like the non-Self? According to the opponent, a pramaṇa is required even though the Self is self-evident, and this would be so irrespective of whether ignorance is about the Self or something other than the Self.
Before responding, Sri Shankara analyses the meaning of the word ‘substantiation’ (siddhi). Does it mean ‘coming into existence’, ‘being known’, or something else?

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Quintessence of 10 Upanishads – 32 (aita 3)

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[Part – 31 (aita 2)]

The aitareya Upanishad next presents a teaching story to unfold a profound philosophical truth.

It first describes the creation of the celestial deities, the presiding powers that govern the universe. Having brought forth the worlds, the Creator projected these deities, who then approached Him and said, in effect, “The world is our food, and we are its enjoyers. Where shall we abide to experience it?” The gods here represent the powers that function through the organs of perception and action.

ताभ्यो गामानयत्ता अब्रुवन्न वै नोऽयमलमिति । — mantra 1.2.2, aitareya upa.

[Meaning: For them He (i.e. the Creator God) brought a cow. They said, “This one is not certainly adequate for us.” ]

The Creator first produced the body of a cow and then that of a horse. The gods found neither suitable.  Continue reading →

jīvanmukti

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The Reality of ‘Liberation While Living’

In the journey of Advaita Vedānta, the ultimate objective is often described as mokṣa—liberation from the cycle of birth and death (saṃsāra). For many seekers, however, there is a persistent question regarding the timing of this freedom: must one wait for the death of the physical body to be free, or is liberation possible here and now? Traditional Advaita answers this through the technical term jīvanmukti.

Derived from the Sanskrit roots jīvat (living) and mukti (liberation), jīvanmukti refers to the state of being ‘emancipated while still alive’. It is a concept that bridges the gap between the absolute reality of our nature and our transactional existence in the world. As we navigate the ‘minefield’ of modern spiritual teachings, understanding the nuances of jīvanmukti as defined by Ādi Śaṅkara is essential for clearing misconceptions about what happens to a person upon the dawn of Self-knowledge.

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Quintessence of 10 Upanishads – 31 (aita 2)

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[Part – 30 (aita 1)]

From the two facts that 

(i)   no percept (a perceivable object) can be known unless it is illumined by Knowingness; and, 

(ii)  all percepts are contained within Knowingness;

it follows that the known depends on Knowing and not the other way round. The seen depends upon the seer. The witnessing seer alone is the evidence for the existence of any object. Without a perceiver, there would be no experienced world. This is the meaning behind the Vedāntic statement that the world is mAyA or mithyA. Its appearance is called AbhAsa—a fallacious appearance.

The individual (jIva) too is of the same essential nature as Knowingness. The difference is only that the individual appears limited, whereas Knowingness is unlimited. The knower and the known, the individual and the world, are both appearances within the one Infinite Knowingness.

Why then do we fear the world?

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Quintessence of 10 Upanishads – 30 (aita 1)

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[Part – 29 (taitti 4)]

8.  aitareya Upanishad:

The taittirIya Upanishad concludes with the ecstatic Vedic chant (sung by realized Sages) that “I am food; I am the eater of the food.” Here, “food” is not merely what is eaten from a plate. Whatever is consumed is food. The four elements—earth, water, fire, and air—are served to us on the vast platter of space. We consume them directly or in the countless forms they assume.

Our consumption is not merely through the mouth. The mind also feeds continuously. From birth until death it devours impressions, memories, relationships, possessions, emotions, hopes, fears, and ideas about this world and even other worlds. All these constitute food for the mind.

Thus, “food” in the mantra stands for the entire field of experience. The eater is the individual (jīva); the eaten is the world. In Vedāntic language, the eater is the knower and the food is the known. Everything cognized belongs to the world of names and forms.

The Upaniṣhad therefore ends by bringing together the knower and the known and declaring that both are included in “I.” Hence the sage proclaims, “I am the world and I am the individual.”

When both the individual and the world dissolve into “I,” no boundary remains between them. This naturally raises the crucial question: Who or what is this “I”?

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Quintessence of 10 Upanishads – 29 (taitti 4)

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[Part – 28 (taitti 3)]

Fear occurs when there is an “other”—a second object. Oneness, by contrast, is fearlessness. When the world is taken to be real and external, it appears as a constant source of threat and insecurity. This fear born of the world is sustained only as long as we attribute independent reality to it (saṃsāra). Once its dependent and insubstantial nature is understood, fear naturally subsides.

This is illustrated by the familiar analogy of the rope and the snake. In dim light, a rope is mistaken for a snake, and fear instantly arises. However, when the rope is recognized for what it truly is, the imagined snake vanishes, and with it goes the fear. Under the spell of ignorance, reality appears divided, and this apparent division gives rise to fear. When ignorance is removed through knowledge, the division is recognized as merely apparent, just as darkness vanishes in the presence of light.

The Upanishad concludes this vision with the declaration:  Continue reading →

Quintessence of 10 Upanishads – 28 (taitti 3)

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[Part – 27 (taitti 2)]

Unlike all other living creatures, we as human beings are uniquely blessed with the ‘Knowing principle’ within us. It is this consciousness that distinguishes us from the rest of the natural world. Our ultimate human purpose is to discover this ‘unembodied Knower’ within ourselves (1.2.22, kaTha Upanishad).

In order to help us in this process, the Upanishad starts with a description of how the Self is spoken of as though It has “descended,” step by step, into the condition of the food-body. Having apparently identified with the food-body, It comes to be mistaken for the body itself. Shaṅkara illustrates this through the analogy:

मूषानिषिक्तद्रुतताम्रप्रतिमावत् । — Shaṅkara in his commentary on mantra 2.1.1, taitti. Continue reading →