Prasna Upanishad – 5

 Gargya’s question

The fourth chapter starts with the question asked by Gargya, the grandson of Surya, in Mantra 1, which is as follows:

Atha ha enam sauryaayanee gaargyah papracchha I Bhagavan, etasmin purushe kaani svapanti  kaani asmin jaagrati  katara eshah devah svapnaan pashyati  kasya etat sukham bhavati  kasmin nu sarve sampratishtitaa bhavanti iti II

Then Gargya, the grandson of Surya, asked the following questions: O Bhagavan! Which are the ones that go to sleep ?  Which keep awake in him?  Which is the Deity who “sees” (experiences) the dream? To whom occurs this happiness? In whom are all established? (4-1)

This question of Gargya has also five parts, the last one dealing with Athma swarupam. So this question marks the transition from Apara Vidya to Para Vidya.  Questions of next two disciples will be dealing in greater detail with the Para Vidya or knowledge of the Supreme Brahman. We can list the five parts of the question as below and treat them as separate questions.

1)   What are the organs that sleep?

2)   What are the ones that keep awake then?

3)   Who is the Deity that experiences the dream?

4)   Who experiences happiness in deep sleep?

5)   In whom everything is established?

The questions relate to swapna avastha, sushupthi avastha and Sakshi, the witness of all the three avasthas, the Athma.  Pippalada rishi starts with answer to first question in Mantra 2 that is as below:

Tasmai sah uvaacha I yathaa gaargya mareechayah arkasya astam gacchhatah sarvaa etasmin tejomandala ekiibhavanti I  taah punah punah udayatah pracharanti; evam ha vai, tat sarvam pare deve manasi ekiibhavati I Tena tarhi eshah purushah na shrinoti,na pashyati,na jighrati,na rasayate, na sprishate, na abhivadate, na adatte, na aanandayate, na visrujate, na iyaayate, swapiti iti aachakshate II

To him he (Pippalada rishi) said: O Gargya, just as all the rays of the sun that is setting return into the Sun, and become unified with it and then once again upon rising, they get dispersed as in a cycle; the same way, all the senses return into their higher deity, the mind and become unified with it (during sleep). Therefore, at that time this person does not hear, does not see, does not smell, does not taste, does not touch; does not speak, does not grasp, does not enjoy, does not evacuate, does not move and  then people say, “He is sleeping”.

Pippalada rishi says that in the state of sleep all the jnanendriyas and karmendriyas get withdrawn into the mind, the controlling organ, called here as higher deity and the powers of cognition and reaction active during the waking state become now dormant. This concept has been explained by the rishi with the example of the rising and setting sun. The rays of the setting sun look as if they are withdrawn and deposited in the sun’s orb for the night which again shoots up when the sun rises in the morning. So also in an individual his sense organs are withdrawn to the controlling organ (mind) temporarily during sleep and come out to the normal state of functioning when he awakes. Thus the period of experience in life when the mind of an individual has withdrawn its contacts from the jnanendriyas and karmendriyas is termed as sleep or we can say that when both karmendriyas and jnanendriyas are inactive the individual is said to be ‘asleep’. 

Sleep can be seen as two states; dream state and deep sleep state. The organs of perception and action are “asleep” in both the states of sleep.  Prana with the Upa-Pranas is awake in both the states of sleep carrying out the involuntary functions of breathing, inhalation and exhalation; circulation; digestion and maintenance of body warmth. But mind is asleep in deep sleep only being awake in dream state projecting and running a dream-world. This is described in Mantra 5 as follows:

atraishha devah svapne mahimaanamanubhavati | yaddrishhtam drishhtamanupashyati shrutam shrutamevaarthamanushrinoti deshadigantaraishcha pratyanubhutam punah punah pratyanubhavati drishhtam chaadrishhtam cha shrutam chaashrutam chaanubhuutam chaananubhuutam cha schchaasachcha sarvam pashyati sarvah pasyati ||

There, in dreams, that god, the mind, experiences glory. Whatever has been seen he sees again; whatever has been heard he hears again; whatever has been experienced in different places and quarters, he experiences again. Whatever has been seen or not seen, heard or not heard and whatever is real or not real - he sees it all. He sees all, himself being all. (4 – 5)

Pippalda rishi answers the third question i.e. ‘what is the Deva who sees the dream?’ in this Mantra. The answer is an exposition about the dream state. In the waking state one get the experiences of the outer world through one’s mind in the waking state. Similarly, the dream can be defined as the experience of its own projection by the mind in the dream state unfettered by the body and upadhis and free from the laws of physical sciences, based on past experiences, real and imaginary.  Mind itself, divides into two and becomes the experiencer, as well as, the experienced. So mind projects the dream world. And mind itself experiences but not the pure mind. Mind pervaded by Chaithanyam, Chaithanya sahitham mind is the ‘god’ that experiences the dream is the answer to the third question.

The fourth question is regarding the enjoyer of happiness in deep sleep, sushupthi sukham.  The very same mind, in dissolved condition, experiences the sushupthi sukham.  Dissolved mind, the karana sareeram with Chaithanyam, is called Prajna. So dissolved mind as Prajna is the enjoyer of sushupthi sukham.

Answer to fifth question is given in Mantra 7, which is as follows:

sa yathaa somya vayamsi vasovriksham sampratishthante | evam ha vai tath sarvam para aatmani sampratishtathe ||  

As a bird goes to a tree to roost, even so, O friend, all this rests in the Supreme Athma. (4-7)

Pippalada rishi starts answering the fifth question, the last and important segment of the main question i.e. “In whom everything is established?” with a simile in this Mantra and in next four Mantras 8 to 11. The answer is that all these organs are established in Athma, the unchanging Consciousness principle. An example from nature is also given to illustrate it.  The organs, like the birds that go back to their nests at nightfall, rest in their adhishtanam, the Athma, in the state of deep sleep, sushupthi.  Athma, the adhishtanam is unchanging and permanent, a constant witness and support of the changing states and is called avastha thraya sakshi.  Though it is support and witness It is by itself free of the three avasthas. 

Pippalada rishi says in Mantra 10 that whoever becomes free from all desires and realizes that the Athma, his true Self, is both immanent and transcendent, beyond mind and Prana, bereft of all qualities, names and forms and as being pure, resplendent and blissful, becomes one with Him and is as omniscient and as all-pervading as the Athma. Finally the teacher quotes a Vedic verse which declares whoever gains this knowledge about Athma becomes the knower of everything, Sarvajnaha and claims “I alone am appearing in the form of everything. I am all with different naama and roopa.”   Thus Athma  swarupam as avstha thraya sakshi is revealed in this fourth chapter.

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Prasna Upanishad - 4

Kaushalya’s question 

The third chapter opens with the question asked by Kaushalya, son of Asvalaya. In fact it is five questions strung into one and this question also relates to Prana thathvam. The question in Mantra 1 runs as:

Bhagavan, kutah eshah praanah jaayate katham aayaati asmin shareere aatmaanam vaa pravibhajya, katham pratishhate kena utkramate katham baahyam abhidhatte katham adhyatmam Iti II

O Bhagavan, i) From whom does this Prana take its birth? ii) How does it come to abide in this body? iii) After dividing itself how does it abide? iv) How does it go out (of its body, at death)? v) How does it support what is outside and what is within?  (3-1) 

Here we have the third question with its five segments which relate to origin of Prana, its entry into the body, stay in the body, how it sustains the body, and how it leaves the body i.e. origin, entry, stay, sustenance and departure. Pippalada rishi first compliments Kaushalya for his genuine interest and seriousness in learning Brahma Vidya as the nature of questions is such that they transcend the comprehension of ordinary persons. He then starts answering the questions from Mantra 3.

Athmana eshah pranah jaayate I Yatha esha purushe chaya, etasmin etat aatatam. Manah kritenaa aayati asmin sareere II

This Prana is born of the Athma (Self). As a man’s shadow is born of him only, so is this (Prana) born of that (the Self).  By the action of the mind, it enters into this body. (3-3)

The first two questions are answered in this verse namely origin of Prana and its entry into the body.   The answer to the first question is that Prana is projected from the Self, Athma. Prana is perceived to exist because of Athma which is its substratum. So Prana is described as a shadow of Self, Athma.  A shadow is totally dependent on the person and has no independent existence.  In the same way Prana is entirely dependent on the Self and it is unreal. It appears to be real because it rests on the reality, the Self. 

One’s present birth and body is the result of one’s thoughts and actions in the previous existence. And mind is responsible for thoughts and consequent actions.  As punya papa karma determines Prana’s entry into the body, Pippalada rishi says that the Prana comes  into the body due to the action of mind as answer to the second question.

The third question relates to the subdivisions of Prana and how they stay in the body.  This is explained in next four verses.  Prana subdivides itself into five Upa-Pranas. They are Apana, Prana, Samana, Vyana and Udhana. They function as follows:

1)   Apana – Excretion is its main function.  It resides in the anus and genitals

2)   Prana – It operates in the eyes, ears mouth and nostrils

3)   Samana – Digestion and distribution of nutrients is its main function.  It resides in the stomach and abdominal region

4)   Vyana – It governs the circulatory system and is centred in the heart.

5)   Udana – It takes away the subtle body or linga sareera with it at the time of death. 

Thus Prana abides in the body as five Upa-Pranas and sustains the body through the five fold systems of excretion, respiration, digestion, circulation and exit of life system from the body.  Incidentally in Mantra 5, while discussing the function of the Upa-Prana Samana, Pippalada rishi points out that through the Vaisvanara fire in the stomach seven flames shoot upwards and light up the seven organs of perception in the head i.e. two eyes, two ears, two nostrils and one mouth and enables the person to have the experience of forms, sounds, smells and flavors. In Mantra 7 Pippalada rishi explains the working of the Upa-Prana Udana at the time of death of the person. It leaves with the linga sareera through the sushumna nadi that goes up to the top of head and moves to higher worlds or the lower worlds or in the human world itself depending on the next bunch of maturing prarabhdha karma.

 

The working of Upa-Pranas answers one part of the question as to how Prana sustains the body from within. Pippalada answers the other part of the question in Mantras 8 and 9. The operation of the Upa-Pranas within the body is repeated on a larger scale outside and throughout the universe. Upa-Pranas and their counterparts in the external universe are as given below:

1)   Prana has its counterpart in the Sun, who is the source of energy to the world

2)   Apana has its counterpart in earth with its gravitational pull downwards

3)   Samana has its counterpart in space, as space or atmospheric air upholds life in all creatures

4)   Vyana has its counterpart as Air in the macrocosm

5)   Udana’s counterpart in macrocosm is Fire

Prana in the form of Surya sakthi. Prithvi sakthi, Akasa sakthi, Vayu sakthi and Agni sakthi sustains the external world also.  So the Prana at the cosmic level expresses in the form of 5 natural forces, and through that sustain the entire creation.

 

The Mantra10 explains who determines the field of next activity when the udana leaves the body along with the linga sareera.

Yat chittah tena eshah pranam aayaati  praanah tejasaa yuktah I  saha aatmanaa yathaa sankalpitam lokam nayati II

Together with whatever thought one had (at the time of death) he enters into the Prana. Prana, in its aspect as Udana, carries away the Jivathma to whatever world has been conceived (in the last thoughts) (3-10)

It says that the last thoughts at the time of death determine the future field for the Prana with jivatma (which is the performer of action and the experiencer of the result) to live out in its next birth because the most prominent thought of one’s life occupies the mind at the time of death. The after-death experience of the Jivathma depends upon the desires it cherishes and thoughts at the time of death as Lord Krishna also points out in Gita 8-6.

Yam yam vaapi smaran bhaavam tyajatyante kalevaram;

Tam tamevaiti kaunteya sadaa tadbhaavabhaavitah..

O son of Kunti, thinking of whatever entity one leaves the body at the time of death that alone one attains being ever absorbed in its thought. (Gita 8-6)

This explanation along with the earlier one in Mantra 7 completes the answer to the remaining question; How does Prana depart?  After Kaushalya’s question is answered fully we have  phala stuthi in Mantra 11 where  Pippalada rishi states that he who meditates on the truth that one’s own microcosmic form with its activity centres is nothing but a miniature universe with its cosmic forces in the macrocosm will find his relationship with others in the world always congenial and he attains relative immortality by merging into Hiranyagarbha thathvam after death. In support of this a Mantra from Rig veda is quoted which while giving a summary of this chapter also confirms the immortality status after death by stating twice the words “vijnaaya amritam ashnute (Knowing (meditating) one achieves immortality)”.  The chapter concludes with this Mantra 12.

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Prasna Upanishad – 3

 Bhargava’s question

The second chapter opens with the question put by Bhargava of Vidharba and it forms part of the first Mantra and runs as:

Bhagavan, kati eva devaah prajaah vidhaayante?I katara etat prakaashayante?I kah punah eshaam varishtha? Iti II

“O Venerable Sir, how many Devas support the living being? Which of them gives life to this (living being)? Again, who among them is the greatest? (2-1)

The second question and answer carry us from the universal to the individual. Here the word Deva refers to the faculty or organ.  So we can interpret the question as “How many faculties or organs sustain the living being? And which of them is most glorious being essentially important".

Guru starts his reply in Mantra 2:

Tasmai sa ha uvaacha: aakaashah ha vaa eshah devah, vaayu agnih aapah prithivee, Vaang manas, chakshuh,shrotram cha I  Te prakaashya abhivadanti, vayam etat baanam avashtabhya vidhaarayaamah II

To him the Master now replied: Indeed Space is the foremost Deva; then come Air, Fire, Water and Earth; then come Speech, Mind, Eye and Ear, too.  Wanting to show their glory, they quarrelled among themselves:   “We hold this body together, and give it the support needed by it.” (2-2)

In this Mantra, the guru lists the five elements which go into the making of body and the various organs that govern the different functions of the body.  They are:

1)   Pancha Bhuthas - Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth

2)   Five karmendriyas, here represented by speech

3)   Five jnanendiyas, here represented by eye and ear

4)   Anthakarana, the four inner faculties, Manas, Buddhi, Ahamkara and Chitta, here represented by mind.

Each one of them laid claim to being the one who is mainly responsible for making the whole body work well and tried to take the credit for itself as the most glorious among them all. This resulted in a quarrel among them, and they could not reach an agreement.

The significant thing about this verse is that no mention is made in this about the important organ of the body, Prana with its five divisions. Guru leaves it for the next Mantra 3, where he makes a special mention of it, and the reason for the special treatment can be seen in Mantra 4.  Let us see the Mantra 3 now. 

Taan varishthah, praana uvaacha I  Maa moham aapadyatha, aham eva

etat , panchadhaa aatmaanam pravibhajya etat baanam

avashtabhya vidhaarayaamiti I   Te ashraddhaanaa babhoovah. II

Prana, the greatest of them, said:  “Be not lost in delusion, it is I alone, dividing myself fivefold, who keeps this body going, and gives the support needed by it.”  They had no faith in Prana’s words. (2-3)

 

Prana the life-force that functions like a “back-room boy” in the background behind all the work that is going-on now asserted itself and pointed out that It is the one mainly responsible for the maintenance of the body as with its five divisions it keeps the body going.  The five divisions of Prana and their function are as below:

Name	Function	Location
Prana	Respiration-inhaling and exhaling	Nose
Apana	Evacuation/Excretion of waste	Anus and Genitals
Vyana	Circulation – pervades the nerves of the body	Entire body
Udana	Pushing upwards-maintains heat in the body	Throat
Samana	Assimilation or digestion of food	Central Region of body.

 

But the other organs did not concede that it is Prana that plays the main role in maintenance of life in the body. Mantra 4 gives Prana’s reaction and its effect.

Sah abhimaanaad, oordhvam utkramata iva, tasmin utkraamati atha itare, sarva eva utkraamante tasmin cha pratishtamaane, sarve eva pratishtante I   Tad yathaa makshikaa madhukara raajaanam utkraamantam, sarvaa eva utkraamante;  tasmin cha pratishtamaane, sarvaa eva praatishtanta;  evam vaang-manas-chakshuh shrotram cha, te preetaa praanam stunvanti II

Prana, from a sense of indignation, got up and made as if it was going to leave. When it got up to go, then the others, all of them, also had to get up to go; and when it (Prana) remained in its place, all of them also remained!  This is just what happens in the case of bees;  when the queen-bee gets up to leave the hive, all of them also have to get up to go; and when she returns to it, all of them also return!   In the same way, the speech, mind, eye and the ear, too, had to (get up and return). They praised Prana being satisfied (that it is the greatest). (2-4)

Prana got offended by the disbelief shown to its words by the other sense organs. In order to teach them a lesson it pretended to leave the body. As soon as Prana made a gesture of leaving the body, all the organs followed it and when Prana settled back they also did the same. The Upanishad compares this incident to that of a queen bee and other bees. When the queen bee leaves the bee-hive, all the other bees follow her. She is their leader and without her they cannot function being dependent on her. In the same way, all other organs are dependent on Prana without whose presence they cannot function. So the organs were humbled and realized Prana’s superiority and began to praise it.  The next six Mantras of this chapter describe the glory of Prana, both vyeshti and samashti, as sung by the organs, and the last two Mantras spell out the prayer of the organs to Prana thathvam.  We shall see these Mantras briefly as ‘The praise of Prana’ and ‘Prayer to Prana’

The praise of Prana 

Prana is behind everything in Nature. all that have “form” like fire, water and earth as well as that which are “formless” like space and air. (Mantra 5) 

All the Vedas are knowledge and the supporter of this knowledge is Prana, the life energy. Whether one is kshatriya or a brahmana, everybody is sustained by Prana.  As spokes attached to the hub of a wheel, everything is fixed in Prana. (Mantra 6) 

Prana is Prajapathi, the universal life.  As a finite principle of life It enters the body and is re-born as child.  This is the play of life of Prana. The senses in the body gather the perceptions of their respective objects and offer them as oblations to Prana that converts them into the resultant action through mind and intellect. (Mantra 7) 

Prana is the carrier and also the deity to whom the offering is carried. Prana is the life working through the organs. Prana makes the organs work correctly and realize the Truth that it is only God we see before us in different forms.  (Mantra 8)

 Prana is praised as Indra, the Supreme Lord, as Rudra, the destroyer and Vishnu, the protector. He is the Sun and Lord of all lights. (Mantra 9)

 Prana is the giver of rain that provides food to all (Mantra 10)

Prana is the first-born for whom no sacramental rites were performed and being pure by nature it was also not necessary.  (Mantra 11) 

Prayer to Prana

The senses appeal to Prana not to depart from them and to be always with them and make them work for the benefit of others (Mantra 12)

The senses pray that Prana protect them just as a mother protects her children. They also pray that Prana may grant them prosperity and wisdom. (Mantra 13)

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Prasna Upanishad – 2

Kabandhi’s Question 

The first question was put by the disciple Kabandhi Kathyayana and it related to the origin of all created beings. As an answer to that question, guru Pippaladha Rishi presents a summary of the entire creation process.  The entire creation process comes from Prajapathi, which is the other name for Brahma.  Prajapathi is created by Iswara or Saguna Brahman who creates Prajapathi and delegates the work of creation to him. So Iswara creates Prajapathi and from Prajapathi the entire creation comes. This is stated briefly in the opening verse of Mundaka upanishad also as “Brahma, the first among the Devas, was the creator of the Universe”.  And here in this Upanishad the creation is presented by sage Pippaladha as coming from Prajapathi in four stages which is unique to this Upanishad.  First he talks about mithuna srishti the creation in the form of complementary pairs, the first pair being energy and matter, called here prana and rayi.  Second is the Kaala srishti, the creation of Time principle.  The third one is Anna srishti, meaning creation of food and fourth is praja srishti meaning creation of living beings.

Let us first see the pair, prana and rayi.  These two words have three different meanings.  The first meaning is at the macro level, prana referring to invisible sukshma prapancha or amurtha prapancha, the invisible world. All the sukshma sareerams and all the subtle elements will come under amurtha prapancha. Rayi refers to visible tangible universe, murtha prapancha.  The second meaning is at the micro level; prana and rayi referring to bhoktha, consumer of food and bhojyam, consumed food i.e. prana corresponding to bhoktha and rayi to bhojyam. The third meaning is sun and the moon corresponding to prana and rayi; prana corresponding to sun and rayi to moon. The third meaning is also explained as follows – The digestive energy and health comes from sun and so it corresponds to prana. Nourishment in the food is drawn from moon as the nutrient power in plant comes from moon according to sastras.

Sun and moon also represent Kaala tatvam, Time principle. Without Time principle creation cannot exist.  Sun indicating day, month, year etc., and moon indicating amavasya, pournami, thithi etc. represent the two principles of Kaala tatvam, the solar calendar and the lunar calendar.  And thereafter the Kaala Tatvam is represented in 3 ways. Samvatsra, maasa, and divasa. Samvatsra means the year; maasa means month; divasa means day. And each one of them has got a complimentary pair- Uttarayana and Dakshinayana for year; Sukla paksha and Krishna paksha for month and Day and Night for the day.  Thus all mithunani, pairs, are born.

The next important stage is anna srishti or food for living beings, because creating the living beings without food is useless. Once food is there then all living beings are created, i.e. praja srishti, the final stage. Both these srishties are described in one Sloka, 1-14.

Annam vai prajaapatih; tatah ha vai tad retas I

Tasmaat imaah prajaah prajaayanta iti.II1-14II

Food is indeed Prajapati. From which proceeds the semen in man. From semen all these creatures are born.

Sage Pippalada had been describing every pair as a manifestation of Prajapathi Himself as they had been created by Prajapathi out of Himself at creation and withdrawn into Himself at pralaya. This description can help one to recognize the presence of the Lord in food and the important part food plays in the quality of one’s life.  One is Satvic, Rajasic or Tamasic depending on the food one takes.  Further the essence of food goes into the make-up of semen produced in the body. Now we can see the stages of manifestation of Prajapathi as follows:

Prajapathi -> Energy and Matter -> Time -> Food ->Semen (Seed) -> Living Beings 

Living beings here refers to all types of physical bodies; manushya sareeram, pasu sareeram, and pakshi sareeram and all of them.  Pippalada while discussing about the origin of all created beings also talks about two important sadhanas for human beings for attaining their goals.  The two important sadhanas are in the form of karma and upasana.  Karma means physical and verbal activities and upasana means meditation or dhyanam.  These two types of sadhanas prescribed in the scriptures, can be practiced in two ways.  One way is performing the sadhanas seeking material results,and being devoted to the legitimate pursuit of material pleasures pursuing two types of work, ishta and purthi – ishta referring to daily obligatory duties and purthi referring to social services for public welfare such as digging of wells. The other way is performing sadhanas for internal and spiritual growth only devoting oneself to spiritual pursuits without seeking worldly gains. Guru says that former sadhakas will go the Swarga loka through Krishna gathi and have rebirth.  The latter sadhakas will go to Brahma loka through sukla gathi, with the possibility of krama mukthi from there. While discussing the ones going to Brahmaloka, guru stresses the importance of moral values and Jnanam namely penance, celibacy, faith and knowledge to get Liberation.  In the final verse of this chapter the value of honesty and transparency in transactions and avoidance of the negative values of deceit, falsehood, pretence and dissimulation is emphasized. 

Teshaam asau virajah brahmalokah I

Na yeshu jihmam-anritam na maayaa cha iti.II1-16II

Belonging only to the pure at heart is the world of Brahma Loka; in whom there is no pretence or falsehood, nor any deception.

This verse read together with the earlier verse no.10 can be seen as giving the  eligibility criterion for the E pass for travel by sukla gathi as the practice of the positive virtues of Sathyam, Tapas, and Brahmacharyam, eschewing the negative qualities of falsehood, deception and dishonesty. Further guru Pippalada by emphasising that Prajapathi has manifested as everything in srishti while describing each srishti was only preparing the disciple, Kabandhi, for acquiring abedha buddhi in creation and for cultivating Sarvathma bhava.

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Prasna Upanishad – 1

Introduction 

Prasna Upanishad belongs to Atharvana Veda like the Mundaka Upanishad which we saw earlier. This also is called a major Upanishad as it is one of the ten Upanishads for which Sri Adi Sankara has written commentary.  The Mundaka Upanishad is called a Mantra Upanishad  occurring in the earlier part of the Veda and the Prasna Upanishad  is called a Brahmana Upanishad  occurring in the later part of the Veda.  Prasna Upanishad discusses more elaborately some topics dealt with briefly in the Mundaka Upanishad and hence it is considered as a commentary on that Upanishad.  In this Upanishad, there are six students who ask a question each to the guru, and the guru answers them.  Since the Upanishad is in the form of prasnas or questions and their answers, it has been named as Prasna Upanishad or Prasnopanishad.  It has 67 Mantras spread over 6 chapters, each chapter dealing with one question.

This Upanishad opens with the peace invocation (shanthi paata), which is unique to all upanishads belonging to Atharva Veda. Through this peace invocation the student prays for 1) sound physical, intellectual and emotional health, 2) A full life of worshipful attitude to all devas and 3) freedom from all types of obstacles that may hinder successful completion of the study and understanding of the Upanishad.  Swami Vivekananda interprets the first two lines of this shanthi mantra as” Let positive strong helpful thoughts enter into our brain from childhood”

The shanthi Mantra, which is self-explanatory, runs as:

“Om bhadram karnebhih shrunuyaama devaah Bhadram pashyemaakshabhiryajatraah I Sthirairangaistushtuvaamsastanoobhih
Vyashema devahitam yadaayuh I Swasti na indro vridhashravaah
Swasti nah pooshaa vishwavedaah I Swasti nastaarkshyo arishtanemih
Swasti no brihaspatir dadhaatu.II  Om shantih, shantih, shantih!  II” 

Om, O Devas, may our ears hear what is good and auspicious! May we see what is auspicious! May we sing your praise, live our allotted span of life in perfect health and strength! May Indra (who is) extolled in the scriptures, Surya, the all-knowing, Garuda, who saves from all harm, and Brihaspati who protects our spiritual lustre, vouchsafe prosperity in our study of the scriptures and the practice of the truths contained therein! Om peace, peace, peace!

The shanti mantra like all shanthi mantras, ends as “Om shantih, shantih, shantih! ”.  Here Om is the sound representation of Brahman.  ‘shantih’ stands for the peace that comes from the removal of obstacles to the successful pursuit of study of upanishd.  The obstacles are classified into three types.  These are:

1.   Adhyathmikam – Obstacles arising from within oneself like one’s personal ill-health, negative mood etc. 

2.   Aadhi bauthikam – Obstacles arising from other known sources or external situations like ill-health of a family member, noisy neighbourhood etc.

    3, Aadhi daivikam – obstacles arising from unseen sources like floods, storm etc. 

The Mantras in this Upanishad are in the prose format unlike the Mundaka Upanishad.  The Upanishad starts with a Mantra that introduces the sishyas and guru. The sishyas are six young men who are devoted to Brahman and know Him only as Saguna Brahman i,e. Brahman with qualities and they want to know about Nirguna Brahman, the supreme Brahman without qualities. They are

1)   Sukesha, the son of Bharadvaja

2)   Satyakama, the son of Shibi

3)   Sauryayani, belonging to the family of Garga

4)   Kausalya, the son of Asvala

5)   Bhargava, the son of Bhrigu of Vidarbha  and

6)   Kabandhi, the son of Katya

With firewood in their hands they approached the teacher, venerable Pippalada rishi. An offering of firewood to a teacher is a symbol of respect, humility and keenness to learn on the part of a student.  Guru Pippalada wanted to test  the students’ keenness and have the students better qualified to receive the Self-knowledge which is the highest and supreme knowledge.  So he asked them to stay in the gurukula for an year duly observing the austerities, self-control and the routine of gurukula, and then come to him with their questions. Without a murmur or word of dissent they stayed in gurukula in obedience to guru’s words.  After one year Kabandhi returned to the guru and asked the first question.

Bhagavan, kutah ha vaa imaah prajaah prajaayanta iti?

O Revered Master, where do all these beings come from? (1-3)

Guru’s answer forms rest of Chapter 1, which we shall see in the next blog.

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Mundaka Upanishad – 7

Conclusion 

At the end of the previous blog, Mundaka Upanishad-6, we saw that the people who have a pure mind free of raga and dwesha and an intellect that is sensitive and refined who realize Brahman is referred to as Jnani. As Jnani’s mind is pure, and intellect subtle, he serves almost as unblocked pipe line for Ishwara’s grace, to all those who serve him devotedly.  If they have dharmic material desires that will be fulfilled with Jnani’s blessings. If they have no worldly desires but seek only spiritual advancement they will cross the samsara cycle of birth and death with his blessings Mantra 1 of sec.6 points out.

Mantra 3 declares that the main criterion for getting athma jnaanam is the intense yearning for the knowledge, not just the academic scholarship. 

Na ayam athma pravachanena labhyah na medhayaa, na bahunaa shrutena I

Yam eva eshah vrinute tena labhyah, tasya eshah athma vivrinute tanum svaam.II

This Self cannot be attained through hearing discourses; or through memorizing scriptural texts, or through much learning.  Only he who aspires for it with his whole heart, by him is this Athma attained.   To such a seeker alone, the Athma reveals Its true nature. (6-3)

Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa also used to stress this point that for realization, one should pine for it as if whole existence depends on it only.  It is also stressed in Mantra 4 that one should have good character, alertness and strong will to persist in the face of adversities and setbacks, to attain realization.  People who practice just harsh physical austerities or who sport external signs of renunciation without true inner renunciation cannot gain Brahma Sakshatkaram.  So intense yearning, strong will, alertness and good character is as much necessary as the scholarship in sastras to gain inner liberation, or freedom from samsara, the fruit of Athma Vidya.  This inner liberation or freedom from samsara is moksha while living, Jivan Mukthi.  

When a Jivan Muktha dies, his death is said to be final.  Because freed from the cycle of birth and death, he has no more birth and no more death as well.  At the time of the death of the one who has not become a jnaani, his  gross body, dissolves and gets back to the elements or  the pancha bhuthas.  The subtle body with the causal body, Chidabasa, vasanas and  karma phalas migrates to another body as dictated by the ripening prarabdha Karma.  In the case of jnaani his sukshma sareera, subtle body, also dissolves and goes back to the elements.  He has no outstanding karma phalas as sanchitha is dissolved, agaami annulled and prarabdha exhausted and also all the vasanas are extinguished.  The karana sareera, causal body, also merges with samashti karana sareera, total causal body.  The dissolution of all the sareeras at death in the jnani’s case is compared to the rivers merging into the ocean and becoming one with the ocean losing their individual identity in Mantra 8.

Yathaa nadyah syandamaanaah samudre  astam gacchhanti naama-roope vihaaya I

Tathaa vidvaan naamaroopaat vimuktah, paraatparam purusham upaiti divyam.II

As flowing rivers disappear in the sea, losing their names and forms, so a wise man, freed from name and form, attains the Purusha, who is greater than the Great. (6-8)

Only one thing for the jnaani does not get dissolved as per Mantra 7.  That is the jnani’s name, that survives him and lives in the hearts of his devotees.  For this jnaani while living had become a living Brahman with the realization that he is only Brahman with the upadhi of this body mind complex.  This knowledge he applies only in his mental reaction to people, events and experiences but not to physical transaction with people.  As mentally he is unattached and unaffected, there is no more sorrow and no more papa and no more mental tie up with Anathma of the body mind complex, as stated in Mantra 9.

Sa yo ha vai tat paramam brahma veda,brahma iva bhavati; na asya abrahmavit kule bhavati I

Tarati shokam, tarati paapmaanam, guhaa-granthibhyah vimuktah amritah bhavati.II

 He who knows the Supreme Brahman verily becomes Brahman. In his family no one is born ignorant of Brahman. He overcomes grief; he overcomes evil; free from the fetters of the heart, he becomes immortal. (6-9)

The Upanishad closes with salutations to the rishi parampara and restatement of requirements for gurukula students of that day for the initiation into the study of this BrahmaVidya.

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