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THE SVETASVATARA
UPANISHAD
Swami Bhaskareshwarananda’s Elucidation of
Shankaracharya’s Commentary on the Upanishad
By Swami Vedananda
Foreword By Swami Prabuddhananda
Scars Publications
America
$15.00
Swami Vedananda
first edition
printed in the United States of America
FOREWORD
Swami Prabuddhananda
Vedanta Society of Northern California
San Francisco, June 3, 2001
PREFACE
Swami Vedananda.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Swami Vedananda
SVETASVATARA UPANISHAD
List of Abbreviations
Asvamedhika-Parva
30) Mbh. Ud. Mahabharata,
Udyoga-Parva
31) Mu. Mundaka Upanisad
Mu. Up. Mundaka Upanisad
32) N. Narayana’s Dipika
33) Nr. Pu. Narasimha-Purva-Tapani
Upanisad
34) Pa. Su. Panini-Sutras
35) Par. Paramahamsa Upanisad
36) Pr. Prasna Upanisad
37) R. Rg-Veda
38) S. Sankaranand’s Dipika
39) S. Br. Satapatha Brahmana
40) S. Y. Sukla Yajur-Veda
41) Sa. Sandilya Upanisad
42) Su. Subala Upanisad
43) Sve. Svetasvatara Upanisad
Svet. Up. Svetasvatara Upanisad
44) Tai. Taittriya Upanisad
45) Tai. A. Taittriya Aranyaka
46) Tai. Br. Taittriya Brahmana
47) Tai. S. Taittriya Samhita
48) V. P. Visnu Purana
49) Yaj. Yati. Yajnavalkya Yati- Dharmastra
50) Yoga. Yoga-Sikha Upanisad
51) Yoga. Vas. Yoga Vasishtha
SANKARACHARYA’S
INTRODUCTION
way.
At this important juncture Sankaracharya quotes from
authoritative scriptures (Shrutis and Smritis) to convince the
sadhaka and generate faith in him about the necessity of jnana
which alone can bestow immortality. The quotations drawn
from various scriptural sources are a sermon on jnana,
depicting its various phases. For the sake of brevity out of
about thirty-two quotations only the first five of them have
been mentioned below.
“By knowing Brahman one attains immortality here. There is
no other way to its attainment.” (Taittiriya Aranyaka VI.i.6)
“If he does not know it (Atman), a great destruction (indeed)
awaits him.” (Ke. Up.II.5.)
“Those who know it (Brahman) become Immortal.” (Ka. Up
II.3.2)
“Desiring what, and for whose sake, are you exhausting out
the body.” (Br.Up.IV.iv.12)
“After knowing It (Brahman) one is not stained by sinful
action.”
“The knower of Atman transcends grief.” (Chh. Up. VII.i.3.)
“Having realized atman ... one is freed from the jaws of
death.” (Ka. Up.I.3.15.)
All these quotations are for creating faith and enthusiasm in
sadhana and to show the efficacy of knowledge to dispel
ignorance, so that the sadhaka may get lost in Brahman
through sadhana, without the least doubt about its efficacy to
dispel darkness. Further, understanding the thought in these
quotations, will transform the personality of the sadhaka,
raising him from the level of the individual to the universal.
Such knowledge, already dwells in all and just as the Rishis of
the past unveiled this knowledge, so also through sadhana all
can do the same. Thus observing the wise man who has
attained to the vision of Brahman in all, all others will be
inspired to achieve the same.
VISHUDDHIH PARAMA MATA Ñ This is the supreme purity
that dawns by realizing Brahman. Not only is a life based on
sex differences impure in this context, but also all other
pursuits in the world, except the supreme pursuit of
Brahmajnana (the knowledge of Brahman) are within
ignorance or impurity. Therefore Brahmajnana is the greatest
purifier. This has been revealed by the above scriptural
quotations. Advaita Bhakti (which is same as Advaita
knowledge) is the way as depicted by all the above quotations
and therefore it is in the fitness of things that the teachings of
the Upanishad whose purpose is to show the way of knowledge
should begin.
Advaita bhakti or jnana as the only means of sadhana for
answer is, that the said passage applies only to those who are
fit for action and not to those knowers of Brahman who have
transcended the (duality) consciousness inevitable in karma.
In support of this is the following quotation from the Gita. “But
verily, the man who rejoices in the Self and is satisfied in the
Self and is content in the Self alone-he has nothing for which
he should work. He has no object to gain by what he does in
this world, nor any to lose by what he has not done; nor is
there anyone, among all beings, on whom he need depend for
any object.” (B.G.III 17-18). Therefore in the state of
realization no longer karma consciousness remains. This does
not however imply that the realized soul will not do any karma,
but what is being implied is that karma consciousness
involving “doership” is no longer seen in his life. That the
realized souls work after realization is well known. A jnani is
never deprived of his knowledge as a result of action and
never gets entangled in this world due to action because of his
transformed or illumined nondual consciousness.
In support of the above discussion, regarding the position of
karma and jnana the following passages from Swami
Vivekananda will throw further light on the same. “Mark
therefore, the ordinary theory of practical religion, what it
leads to. Charity is great but the moment you say it is all, you
run the risk of running into materialism. It is not religion. It is
no better than atheism- a little less.———have you found
nothing else in the Bible than working for fellow creatures,
building—-hospitals? ——That sort of practical religion is good,
not bad; but it is just kindergarten religion. It leads nowhere.
———-What is the ideal of religion, then, if this cannot be
practical (religion)? And it certainly cannot be. What are we
here for? We are here for freedom, for knowledge. We want to
know in order to make ourselves free. “— —” The infinite
human soul can never be satisfied but by the infinite itself
—-Infinite desire can only be satisfied by infinite knowledge
—nothing short of that.”
“—-What is practical religion then? To get to that state—
freedom, the attainment of freedom.”(C/W vol IV pp. 239 to
241, 10th Edn. June 1972)—— “This is practical religion.
What else? Cleaning streets and building hospitals? Their
value consists only in this renunciation.” (ibid pp. 243 Vol IV,
The practice of religion, 10th Edn. June 1972).
Here, by “renunciation” Swami Vivekananda means the
purity attained by work (by charity and building hospitals)
resulting in renunciation which makes one fit for merging in
the transcendental reality. “Knowledge or freedom” stands for
jnana, the merging in the transcendental Reality. Here is
another quotation from Swami Vivekananda. “DISCIPLE. Ñ
CHAPTER 1
mantra deals with this. When the nature of the origin, the
Brahman, is known then the nature of its products (I and
World) will flash. Therefore the question about the nature of
Brahman. BRAHMA VADINAH VADANTI- KIM KARANAM
BRAHMA Ñ Those accustomed to deliberate on Brahman, ask,
what is the nature of that Brahman who is the cause of this
world? The sadhaka must know his position in relation to the
origin, by knowing this, he will be convinced that he and the
world are zeros and that only Brahman is. This will lead to
absolute surrender and ultimately the realization of Brahman
through the Brahma-lila consciousness, which will dawn on
him. Brahma-lila means the appearance of Brahman as the
world without really becoming that, just as the rope appears
as the snake without really becoming the snake. So the snake
is the lila of the rope and in this very sense every thing is held
to be the lila of Brahman. Is Brahman the source and what is
its nature? An inquiry into the nature of Brahman will reveal
there is no I or world in it. The first question, is about TAT
(the reality) the Brahman? Next it pertains to IDAM, the
phenomenal world about its birth, continuance and
dissolution. Both these questions when properly addressed
and enquired into will bring us to the truth, that really there
is no birth, no continuance nor dissolution and only Brahman
alone exists. Sankaracharya specifically points out that in
every such spiritual question the answer lies hidden in the
question itself. This is further clarified in the explanations to
the questions below. KUTAH ASMA JATAH Ñ Where from are
we born? “Where have I & the world come from”? Ñ A critical
study of this question will show that in Brahman, which is the
origin there is no I or world. So the knowledge will flash that
world and I are mere appearances and are zeros. Later it will
be seen that the origin, the absolute, being one without a
second (EKAM EVA ADVITIYAM), the second and third
observed to exist in It are all MITHYA (illusions) and can be
viewed only as Brahman in lila. Thus the nature of I and the
world is revealed by questioning their origin. Similarly in the
question KUTAH ASMA JATAH “from where are we born?” the
position of “born” is questioned. This will lead to the answer
that no one is ever born as there can be no second and third in
the Absolute that could come out of It. Thus Brahman is not
only the origin of the sadhaka but also of all the other phases
of the world (SRUSHTI STHITI PRALAYA Ñ Creation
sustenance & dissolution) that are questioned and shown to
have no existence. The queries “How are I and the world
maintained” and “where do we go at the time of PRALAYA
(dissolution)” will be answered as the lila of His. Your STHITI
(Existence) is in Him. So ‘I’ and the world at once cease to
THEY SAW HIM AS THE ONE RIM (OF THE WHEEL), WITH
THREEE TIERS, SIXTEEN ENDS, FIFTY SPOKES, TWENTY
FASTENERS, HAVING SIX VARIATIONS OF EIGHT
EXTENSIONS, ONE BONDAGE OF INFINITE FORMS, THREE
DIFFERENT PATHS AND THE TWO (VIRTUE AND VICE)
WHICH CAUSE DELUSION. (M 4)
YONI = The senses and their objects are made of the five
elements. So all constituents of perception are made of
elements and since they are constitutionally so, they can never
reach or even allow one to see Brahman but on the contrary
will always drag one away from Brahman the Unity. If one
thinks let me just taste a little of this world (and has worldly
perception) he will be dragged into it. So change of perception
means seeing everything as the lila of Brahman. This is the
only way. (d) PANCHA BUDHYADI MOOLAM = The nature of
perceptions depends on the mind which is their source. The
organs receive sensations from the world. But that receiving
depends on the nature of one’s mind. If there is God in the
mind then the perceptions will be Godly. If the mind is
demonic then perceptions will be demonic. So spiritualize the
mind, then the perceptions through the organs will also be
spiritualized. The whole world is based on mind. “Whatever
one sees is nothing but the states of his own mind, because
when the mind ceases to function, duality is no longer
perceived.” (Mandukya karika 3-31) (e) PANCHA AVARTAM =
The five whirlpools. The river of life has five whirlpools, the
five objects such as sound, touch etc are comparable to
whirlpools, since creatures get drowned in those objects being
fascinated (as has been explained under b). (f) PANCHA
DUKHA OGHA VEGAM = The speeding rush of five sorrows.
This is observed towards the end of life. From birth to death
life is not only moving, but is moving through these five
painful states of being in the womb, birth, old age, disease and
death. The flow of the river, its waves, its whirlpools and its
rapidity is symbolic of the sorrowful life of creatures, whose
pain rapidly increases as it proceeds. As Buddha said, life is
full of sorrow (sarvam dukham). Really in life all momentary
happiness is tinged with pain. (g) PANCHA PARVAM = The
five stages of pain bearing obstructions. The five pain bearing
obstructions add to the intensity of the painful states
described in (f) above. For e.g. AVIDYA or cloudiness of mind
is one such obstruction. A person becomes egoistic and that is
another obstruction. Attachment and repulsion, jealousy and
clinging to life are the other obstructions. These reinforce the
flow of life in the form of birth and death. Tremendous
attachment to life itself is another form of obstruction. The
Root cause of all these is the mind, “MANAH EVA BANDHA
MOKSHA KARANAM” (mind alone is the cause of bondage and
liberation). PANCHASHAD BHEDAM = Fifty different flow
patterns. Shankara has omitted this. It means in these fifty
different ways the life flows. In the text only the prominent
ones, PANCA SROTA etc have been enumerated, but these
other fifty represent their reactions. Even SUKHA (Happiness)
CHAPTER 2
We have seen that in the last few mantras the idea about
Savita was expanding and in this mantra by Savita is implied
Brahman itself. The blessings of Savita (SAVITA PRASAVENA)
= The idea is one should become aware of the truth that the
manifested world of doer, doing, and deed is He himself, and
this consciousness should pervade all Karma and perceptions
of the sadhaka. However Maya can produce a false attitude
whereby a sadhaka thinks: “Well, there is no need of worrying
about right consciousness etc, just go on doing work and that
is all that is needed”. When the right consciousness is not
there, its opposite, the delusive perception of man, woman, as
such, and I and mine will be the basis of the sadhaka’s
perceptions and actions. The sadhaka will then always seek for
bodily comforts, and a life of enjoyment and becomes self
centered and thus fall into Samsara. This is a psychological
truth and it will and must take place when the imperfect
consciousness or attitude remains. This position will lead the
sadhaka gradually deeper into samsara or bondage. So the
Shruti shows the right attitude by which he will not get bound
by the karmas enjoined by the scriptures. SAVITRA
PRASAVENA = The right consciousness of Savitra, as the
producer of ANNA the world phenomenon. This indicates that
right consciousness or perception is to be gained and karma
performed accordingly. That right consciousness being the
YONI (source) of Samadhi or Mukti, the sadhaka is exhorted
by the Shruti to concentrate on that consciousness and
become one with it as below. “TATRA YONIM KRINAVASE” =
Concentrate and get absorbed in that Brahman. NA HI TE
PURTAM AKSHIPAT = Those works enjoined by the scriptures
will not create bondage or attachment and lead to Samsara.
The Shruti is showing the effect of right consciousness, which
is to burn all actions along with their seeds to ashes by
knowledge (see Gita Chap 4-37 echoing the same thought). So
as a corollary it follows that where the right consciousness
does not exist, the opposite namely bondage, attachment,
enjoyment etc will follow as a matter of course even though
one may do holy works ordained by the scriptures. Thus the
mantra is emphasizing the importance of performing work with
the right consciousness as opposed to merely performing work
taking the world and the work to be true as such. Right
consciousness also means right perceptions. e.g. if you
perceive a woman as a woman the reactions are different than
when you perceive her as manifestation of the Divine; the one
leads to bondage and the other to Moksha. (End m7)
HORSE. (M. 9)
from Brahman at any time. Just as the lamp and its luminosity
were never different, so also Brahman and the sadhaka (jiva)
were never different and there was never a sadhaka really.
This is what Sri Ramakrishna meant by Shuddha (pure) mind
and Shuddha Atma is one and the same, the obverse and
reverse of the same coin. In mantra 14, Shuddha mind is
shown and in mantra 15, Sudha Atma is depicted. In the last
two lines of the mantra the real nature of the sadhaka as
birthless, unchanging and untouched by anything is shown
and when he realizes this, his real nature, he becomes free of
all sorrow and bondage. Samadhi means transformation or
change of the sadhaka’s consciousness, leading to identity of
the sadhaka and Brahman. This identity is not achieved or
attained, but was always there and only becomes revealed to
the sadhaka. (end m 15)
CHAPTER 3
THE ONE DEITY HAS HIS EYES, HIS FACE , HIS ARMS
AND FEET EVERYWHERE. IT IS HE WHO INSTILLS FLIGHT
IN BIRDS AND MOVEMENT IN HUMANS WHILE
PROJECTING HEAVEN AND EARTH. (M 3)
How does the perfect man see this very world after coming
down from the plane of samadhi is the topic being delineated.
SARVAM KHALVIDAM BRAHMA = The One without a second
reality experienced in samadhi is the very reality of all things,
happenings and laws etc of this world in all its phases, in lila.
This is the experience of the perfect man. He sees the Relative
as the Absolute. In this mantra it is shown that the will, the
urge in the sense organs, to see, to hear, to smell and to touch
is also the lila of Brahman. The will and the urge in the organs
to see, hear and touch do not belong to the organs or to the
individual but to Brahman; this is the idea. So also the urge
terrible reactions in its wake and is the cause of all misery. The
moment one sees oneself as separate from another and
different from him that very moment misery has already
commenced because the Truth of Oneness or unity is violated.
This is the subject-object consciousness or ignorance in which
ordinary men live and pass their whole lives. But that through
which Moksha or Liberation is attained is the subject-
object-less consciousness. In that lies all freedom, all
auspiciousness, all fearlessness and peace. But in the other are
fear, bondage, misery and suffering. So the sadhaka prays for
the revelation of the subject-object-less form of the Lord. He
prays for that form of the Lord beyond name and form, because
the empirical vision of name and form is creating many fears,
miseries and sufferings. The prayer is for Advaita knowledge in
the language of Bhakti. The theme of the Upanishad, it must
be remembered is Advaita Bhakti. ABHICAKASIHI = Look at
me, wearing your real form. ‘Until I experience your Absolute
subject-object-less nature I will not be able to see God in
everything or everything as the lila of God’. The idea is that
first one has to realize that Advaita Brahma Consciousness
beyond name and form and only after that one can perceive
the real immanence of God in the world. For this, Vairagya for
the world as such is the first step. The sadhaka’s desire to
perceive the reality beyond the phenomenal world shows his
intense vairagya for the world. Sri Ramakrishna’s teaching
“First tie the knot of Advaita in your cloth and then do
whatever you like”, is echoing the above truth of this
Upanishad. Such simple sayings of Sri Ramakrishna establish
the deep and profound truths of the Vedas and since he
arrived at the truth without reference to the Vedas, it is said
that he came as almost illiterate in order to establish the truth
of the Vedas in this age. (End m 5)
has to become completely ‘I’ less and ‘my’ less and that is the
subject-object-less purity. Mere knowledge without purity has
no value in the spiritual realm. ANORANIYAN MAHATO
MAHIYAN = He is the smallest and also the greatest, such is
the Atman who resides in all. The goal, the nature of Brahman
is again described to make the sadhaka aware of the need to
become absolutely ‘I’ less. Since He has become the smallest
and also the greatest there is no other to Him and hence He is
all; this is the idea. DHATU PRASADAT = By the grace of the
Supreme Lord. When the Supreme Lord becomes favourable
there arises the knowledge of His true nature which is One
without a Second. The dawning of this knowledge in the
sadhaka is called God’s grace, as it is not the outcome of the
individuals effort. This knowledge however dawns only when
the individual’s consciousness corresponds to the nature of the
One without a Second Reality, in whom there are no such ideas
as man opposite to woman, but only He appearing everywhere
as man and woman. Such purity of perception, being the
outcome of knowledge of His nature is called His grace. Thus
‘I’-less effort and purity based on spiritual consciousness
precedes divine grace. In this manner he realizes his own
Glory as God and becomes free from grief. An alternative
interpretation of Dhatu Prasad is as follows. Divine Grace or
Dhatu Prasad means the tranquillity that comes after control
of mind and senses based on knowledge. Since Dhatu also
means organs and only when they come under control is
realization possible, here Dhatu prasad means by the
tranquillity of the mind and senses (by their grace). (End m
20.)
CHAPTER 4
THOU ART THE WOMAN, THOU ART THE MAN, AND THOU
ART THE BOY AND THE GIRL TOO. THOU ART THE OLD
MAN TOTTERING ON A STAFF. THOU ART BORN WITH
FACES EVERYWHERE. (M 3)
rajas, and tamas, the gunas of Nature, which bind the soul.
JUSHAMANO ANUSHETE = Enjoys along with attachment and
identification. This category of Jiva will never realize the truth,
as he is deeply immersed in worldliness. Who then realizes?
JAHATI ENAM BHUKTA BHOGAM = He who gives up
everything and becomes transcendent over the world after
experiencing the futility of enjoyment, is the other category of
Jiva who will realize the truth. Thus the need for tremendous
vairagya for the world is stressed. (End M 5)
(M 10)
11)
these worlds have come, and who rules the worlds, the offering
is made with the consciousness that every thing is He; the
doer is He, the karma and its result are also He. So every thing
is offered to Him with that consciousness. So the prayer is, let
my karma, performed as an offering, produce the right
intuition through attainment of purity. (End m 13)
CHAPTER 5
aware of that.
PRANA ADHIPAH = Master of Prana (is the Jiva).Within the
vital, physical, organic and psychological aspects of
personality (which are vibrant) a reality or being is felt to exist
as their master and this is the Jiva or individual consciousness.
Very few are able to feel even this Jiva consciousness. Rather
they feel ‘I am John’ or ‘I am Sheela’ which is only a superficial
aspect of the Jiva consciousness. So one has to feel himself as a
Jiva, an empirical being with eyes, ears, mind and their
functions and reactions, existing in the gross, subtle and
causal planes successively.
VISHWARUPA = The jiva assumes many forms. Further such
a Jiva led by his thoughts, engages in actions like, eating,
enjoying, creating, accumulating and other worldly actions life
after life. This produces fresh seeds of karma for further
enjoyment. This results in transmigration from one form of life
into another, such as human to human, or human to animal
and vice versa, and to innumerable other forms of life, denoted
by the term Vishwa Rupa.
GUNAN ANVAYAH = He is under the control of the gunas
(sattva, rajas & tamas) which stimulate his past tendencies
compelling him to commit actions even against his will. The
thoughts and actions which are the outcome of past samskaras
or tendencies (which lie dormant), are activated by the
qualities Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. It is for this reason that the
Jiva feels, sometimes calm, active, or inert, according to the
prevailing quality. The idea is that the sadhaka is completely
under the control of the gunas and is helpless against them
and falls a prey to his samskaras against his will. He is only
safe after realization. Even the wisest person is overwhelmed
by the gunas; therefore extreme care and caution is to be
exercised till realization and one should never be complacent
or confident, about one’s self-control in matters of behavior
while dealing with sense objects like men, women, wealth etc.
If the sadhaka becomes aware of these effects of ignorance,
which overwhelm him and knows them to be antagonistic to
the nature of the Absolute, then the consciousness of the
Absolute will gradually dawn in him. To make further progress
in the spiritual realm, the sadhaka thus has to cognize his
present position of jivahood as described above, and compare
it with the Absolute State which he has to reach. (End m 7)
blindness etc are all reflections and as such are false notions of
the Atman, but are taken as real. Accordingly whatever
happens to the body is thought of as happening to the Atman.
Thus the Atman which is not the body and its qualities, is
taken to be the body. Therefore, being mere reflections, the
body and qualities have to be transcended.
ARAGRAMATRA = Like the tip of a goad. This refers to the
subtle (personality) body of the jiva (the sukshmasharira). For
example it functions like the dream subject-object
consciousness, which is subtler than the gross waking
experience. The Jiva considers himself to be the totality of the
gross, the subtle and the causal experiences and that totality
as the Atman. The ignorant one takes these states as the
Atman even though they are mere reflections of the Atman in
subject-object forms. So all these which comprise the jiva
personality and which the jiva takes to be real have to be
transcended; this is the idea. Thus the subtle subject-object
perceptions of the subtle body delude the jiva to believe that
he and those perceptions are true and are the Atman.
APARA APIDRISHTAH = All these being reflections of
Brahman appear to be conscious and real, just like the
reflection of the Sun on a globule of water which appears like
the real Sun. Due to this conscious element in them they are
taken as the real existence or the Atman itself. This confusion
is true of all physical, psychological, and biological
modifications of mind. Therefore the Jiva takes himself to be
the aggregate of physical, psychological and biological
vibrations and as a real entity separate from Brahman.
Therefore, transcending all these as mere reflections, the
identity of Jiva with Brahman has to be realized. (End m 8)
to correspond to that.
BHAVA GRAHYAM = He is grasped by the pure heart.
Transcendent or subject-object-less consciousness is purity
and subject-object consciousness is impurity. The heart in
which the consciousness of One without a Second resides, can
have no place for the world in it. An intuition in which there is
no trace of the world is implied. A psychic condition in which
the world as such, is felt to be totally false is the background
of that intuition.
ANIDAKHYAM BHAVA ABHAVA KARAM SHIVAM KALA
SARGA KARAM = that pure one called the bodiless, since he
ever remains transcendent over the body, over creation and
destruction, over the physical, the psychological and
intellectual phases of ‘I’ and the world. It is He who creates
and again withdraws, who projects the sixteen elements like
prana etc and who is the pure one.
This transcendence of His over every thing is in virtue of His
being the One without a Second. When one’s consciousness
corresponds to this absolutely transcendental nature of His,
then only is His vision possible. Accordingly the text says,
those who know Him thus become identical with Him and
therefore are freed from the idea of being a body. The
principle here is that the goal and the means to the goal (the
consciousness in the psyche during sadhana), should
correspond to each other if realization is to take place. Sri
Ramakrishna said in this context, “As is your consciousness so
is your gain” meaning to the extent ones consciousness
corresponds to Brahman’s nature to that extent one advances
in spiritual life or gains spiritual life. Therefore sadhana means
the effort to transform one’s consciousness to correspond with
the subject-objectless nature of Brahman and not merely
performing some actions. (End m 14 and Chapter5)
CHAPTER 6
air, water, fire and space and also as Time and inherent
nature. The whole world phenomenon (the Vivarta of
Brahman) is here called His Karma.
JNAH KALAKARO GUNI SARVAVID YAH = He is the knower
everywhere, is the Creator of Time, is sinless and all Knowing,
being the transcendent and immanent One without a second
consciousness He is all these; this is the idea. Wherever there
is a knower knowing any thing, He appears as that.
GUNI = Sinless. Being subject-object-less by nature He is
sinless, as sin is possible only in the domain of subject-object.
This sinlessness does not refer to empirical morality; but His
very nature being subject-objectless, is sinless.
TENA ISHITAM KARMA VIVARTATE HA PRITHVI AP TEJAH
ANILA KHANI = At His direction the karma in the form
(creation) of earth, water, fire etc. appears. As regards Karma
there are two views, transformation and Vivarta. What is done
actually, that is karma, involving a doer and a deed
(transformation). However, if the karma or movements that are
taking place all over the world are viewed as the lila of the
Lord, then there is no actual doing or deed, but all is only an
appearance of His. This is the second view about Karma (called
Vivarta). Karma Vivartate in the text is to be understood in
this light. The mantra is concluded by “CHINTYAM”,
indicating the need for abandoning thinking on all other
things and exclusively devoting oneself to meditation on this
Truth. (End m 2)
and their very lives are the Vivarta of the One Brahman. This
is the vision of the wise ones which has to be brought by
sadhana into practical life by all others.
EKO VASI NISHKRIYANAM BAHUNAM = The One
Independent Existence brings about the many Jivas into being,
who are actionless fundamentally. The Jivas are called
actionless (unchangeable), even though they are changeable,
because they are the Vivarta of Brahman, and hence in reality
they are the actionless Brahman itself.
The superimposition of the jiva on Brahman, consists in his
belief as an agent, as an enjoyer, happy, sorrowful, lean, stout,
a human being, the son of such and such a one, and a doer of
actions. The idea is that from the most subtle to the most gross
aspects of the Jiva, his material and conscious aspects, are all
fundamentally the Vivarta of Brahman. The Jivas are also
called Nishkriya (actionless), a term used for indicating
Brahman, to emphasize Brahman as their Existence, since all
Jivas, their bodies, their thoughts and actions are only
apparent and Brahman is their only reality.
TAM ATMASTHAM YAH ANUPSHAYANTI DHIRAH TESHAM
SUKHAM SHAASHVATAM NA ITARESAM = He who realizes
that One Existence within himself, such a wise one alone
attains to infinite bliss and not others. The joy of that infinite
bliss (sukham shaasvatam) is mentioned to make the sadhaka
extremely eager to realize that bliss himself. In this mantra the
stress is on the blissful aspect of Brahman. Earlier the stress
was on the consciousness aspect of Brahaman. (End m 12)
objects like pots, walls, moon, sun etc convey particular ideas
(Prakash or Bhati) to us when we perceive them. For instance
we say this is a pot, this is a wall, this is a sun etc. That One
Brahman appears as these various relative conceptions
(Prakash or Bhati). Therefore it is said: He shining all these
shine after Him. For this reason it was said in the previous
mantra that He is CHETANAH CHETANANAM. The emphasis
is on Him the Supreme consciousness, whose forms are the
relative consciousness of sun, moon, etc. in the world. The
whole world is nothing but forms of consciousness and He is
the Consciousness whose forms all these are. This relative
consciousness being within the realm of subject-object, they
cannot illumine Him who is subject-object-less. (M 14)
WHEN MEN WILL (BE ABLE TO) ROLL UP THE SKY, LIKE
HIDE, THEN WILL THERE BE THE END OF SORROW,
WITHOUT KNOWING THE DEITY. (M 20)
disciple for his Guru. He must have as much love to the Guru
as to the Supreme Lord. He must see God Himself in the guru
and love him. A sadhaka may have fitness, but if he lacks love
for the ideal (God) and Guru, then realization is hard to
achieve. So the tremendous importance of a loving relation
with the Guru is stressed. It is only then the knowledge of
Brahman will flash in the sadhaka. Shankara illustrates the
type of intense love required. Just as a man whose head is on
fire runs straight to the nearest source of water without any
side glances to the right or left, so also does the sadhaka run
to the Guru to quench the fire of ignorance, that has been
tormenting him. Tremendous Vairagya for the world realizing
its utter voidness and intense desire to know the Truth from
the Guru is implied. It is then only that realization flashes.
This of course, is characteristic of the ideal sadhaka, but all
others also have to struggle to approach this ideal gradually.
(End m23)
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