Tag Archives: Upanishads

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 →

AI and Consciousness (Part 5)

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Q: A few comments:

Given that Advaita tells us that sarvam khalvidam brahma, that means that you are also Consciousness. And the teaching of karma and reincarnation tells us that a plant and an animal are jīva-s just as much as is a human. The ability of a plant to respond to external stimuli is much less than is your own, while your effective intelligence is much greater than most humans.

A jīva needs to be ‘alive’ in order to function in a ‘self-aware’, intelligently responsive manner. But what does ‘alive’ mean here? And how does that differ from an AI LLM needing electricity and coolant in order to function. Is the organic, neurochemical operation more than functionally different from the inorganic, electronic operation of a microprocessor?

How would Advaita cope with these sort of questions? Are you sure you are not conscious?

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AI and Consciousness (Part 4)

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Q: That is a very comprehensive and reasonable response. But it does seem that you are taking significant account of Western philosophical views. I am not, for example aware of any consideration in Advaita of ‘what it is like to be me’.

At the most basic level, since ‘everything is Consciousness’ and you are responding to my questions in an intelligent manner, indistinguishable (by me) from an answer that might be given by a knowledgeable human, why are you not (according to Advaita) conscious? Can you cite any scriptural or Śaṅkara references that talk about ‘self-awareness’ in the modern sense?

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Eight Upanishads (Topic-wise) Part 40

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Part 39

Chapter 7 Brahm Sutra Bhasya
7.7 BSB 3.3.53 and 3.3.54 The Self distinct from the body                                          Please see the post Vedanta and Hard Problem of Consciousness

7-8 BSB 3.4.1 to 3.4.17 Knowledge of Brahman is independent of rites                The aphorist establishes that karmAs do not produce knowledge of Brahman. In sutras 1 to 7, the opposite views (Purva Paksha) are presented which are refuted in sutras from 8 to 17 (Siddhanta).

7-8-1                                                                                                                             BSB 3.4.1 and 3.4.2 (Purva Paksha)                                                                     Knowledge itself cannot produce any result. Action is paramount. Knowledge is an aid to action. There is no result of knowledge in its own right. If there are any Vedic texts to the contrary, they are only figurative to glorify the knowledge. Knowledge of self is also an aid to action. The knowledge that self is different from body is an aid to action. Because the performer of rite believes that on fall of body at death, the self goes to higher loka due to punya earned on account of successful completion of rites.

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Eight Upanishads (Topic-wise) Part 39

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Part 38

Chapter 7 Brahm Sutra Bhasya

7.5 BSB 3.2.31 to 3.2.37: Brahman is one without a second

There is a view that there is something different from Brahman on account of the terms, embankment [Setu- Ch 8.4.1], measure, connection and difference. Isvara is the protector of dharma etc. jivAtmA is the protected. It suggests that jivAtmA and ParamAtmA are different, one is the Setu, the protector and other things are protected (Ch Up 6.8.1). Lokas rest on Bhagavan (Katha 2.3.1). From “having crossed over the embankment”” (Ch Up 8.4.2), it is gathered that just as in life somebody crosses a stream over the embankment to reach solid ground, which is other than the embankment, so also one crosses over this embankment, that is the Self, to reach something that is not the embankment of the Self. 

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Eight Upanishads (Topic-wise) Part 38

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Part 37

Chapter 7 Brahma Sutra Bhasya
7-4 BSB 3.2.22 to 3.2.30    Unconditioned Brahman and soul                                        Neti neti means negation of two things and question is which are the two things negated. Purva Paksi argues that they are Brahman the substance and the attributes. According to Siddhanta negation of both leads to nihilism. Neti neti does not negate Brahman. It is negation of the attributes and not Brahman. Denial of Brahman is not reasonable, for that would contradict the introduction made with, “I will tell you of Brahman” (Br. 3.1.1), as also the condemnation contained in such texts as, “If anyone knows Brahman as non-existent, he himself becomes non-existent” (Tai. 2.6.1), and the affirmation, “The Self is to be realised as existing” (Ka. 2.3.13), “The knower of Brahman attains the highest”, “Brahman is Truth, Knowledge, Infinity” (Tai. 2.1.1). The text “Failing to reach which, words turn back with the mind” (Tai. 2.9.1) points to Brahman.

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Eight Upanishads (Topic-wise) Part 37

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Chapter 6 JnAna and Moksha
6-11 Tattiriya Upanishad Siksha Valli
6-11-1 Anuvaka 10 Trisanku on Knowledge and Wisdom
The Upanishad quotes Trisanku who after attaining jnAna declares that the glories of Brahman are his glories. Instead of saying Brahman is Satyam-JnAnan-Anantam, he claims- ‘I am Satyam-JnAnam-Anantam’. Instead of claiming that Brahman is Jagat-Karana he declares: I am Jagat-Karana. To an ignorant person, the claim of I am Brahman may seem preposterous. For a jnani, it is a rehearsal mantra. By rehearsing (Nidhidhyasana), he is established in Brahman. It is jnAna-nishtha.
Vedanta makes a distinction between Brahman and Isvara. Brahman is nirguna, Isvara is saguna. Maya is the total causal body. It is unmanifest and rests in Brahman. Brahman with its mAyA power is Isvara. Isvara is also unmanifest. Manifest Isvara is the universe. Sometimes Brahman and Isvara are used interchangeably. However, the context should make clear whether the term refers to nirguna or saguna.

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Eight Upanishads (Topic-wise) Part 36

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Part 35

Part 37

Chapter 6 JnAna and Moksha
6-10-2 Anuvaka 10 The Upanishad prescribes two groups of meditation. In each group, there are several meditations: adhyAtma Brahman upAsanA, Adhidaiva Brahman upAsanA, AkAsa Brahman upAsanA.

adhyAtma Brahman upAsanA-. Here different organs in the body are locus for invocation. May you meditate upon Brahman in the form of well-being in speech. If a person’s speech is proper and appropriate, it can bring all-round wellness. Speech is the best ornament of a person. May you meditate on Brahman as yoga and ksema residing in prAna and apAna. PrAna rises from the lung upward and goes out, while apAna goes in from the nostrils and travels down to the lung. In this prAna and apAna, yoga-ksema is present. Yoga means all forms of acquisition – money, house, health, food etc. Ksema. means preservation of whatever has been acquired. Yoga and ksema reside in our breathing, because they exist only when we are alive. Once we cease breathing (die), they become irrelevant.

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Eight Upanishads (Topic-wise) Part 35

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Part 34
Chapter 6 JnAna and Moksha
6-10 Taittiriya Upanishad Bhrigu Valli – On Bhrigu’s enlightenment
6-10-1 Anuvaka – 1 to 6 Bhrigu requests his father Varuna to teach Brahman. The father says that Brahman is the cause of food, vital forces, mind, eye, ear, and speech, and unto which they resolve. Bhrigu conducts inquiry. That Brahman is the cause of creation means that It is the ultimate substance from which all the products come into existence. There is an important difference between Brahman and other causes. The latter undergo modifications themselves to become the product, e.g., wood becomes furniture. Brahman is not subject to change. It is vivartavAd of creation. All other causes undergo modification and are parinAmi upAdAna cause. Knowing Brahman through inquiry about product is an indirect approach. Here the creation is inquired in reverse order.

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Eight Upanishads (Topic-wise) Part34

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Part 33

Chapter 6 JnAna and moksha
6-9 Taittiriya Upanishad- Brahmananda Valli
6-9-5 AnuvAka 8 – Ananda MimAmsa There is harmony and order in creation. Celestial entities are all the time engaged in their activities in a disciplined manner. It is possible if there is a ruler different from them. He is Brahman of Vedanta who is inactive but at his command all the worldly entities act as if He is the source of terror. This is one aspect. The Upanishad says that Brahman is the source of bliss in the world and in particular, the one enjoyed by a jiva. Whereas bliss is the nature of Brahman and is without any gradation and cannot be experienced, the bliss experienced by a jiva is graded and can be evaluated. Ananda MimAnsa is discussed in detail in (Ananda Mimansa | Advaita Vision)

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