‘Tat’ pada analysis – Part 2

Vakyavritti – 6

Verse 34

Vijijnaasya-tayaa yat cha vedaanteshu mumukshubhih I

Samarthyate atiyatnena tad brahma iti avadhaaraya. II

Ascertain that to be Brahman which is the object of search on the part of the seekers of Liberation as is very carefully established in the Upanishads.

Guru here points out to the disciple that Upanishads are full of incidents where people seek Brahma Vidya, knowledge of Brahman from qualified acharyas to get liberated from the clutches of samsara and to get permanent peace, happiness and security.  One such incident comes in Tattriya Upanishad, Bhruguvalli, where at the start Bhrugu, son of Varuna, approached his father Varuna with a request to teach him about Brahman.  Varuna while starting the teaching tells Bhrugu to find out through contemplation ‘yato va imani bhutani jayante | yena jatani jivanti | yatprayantyabhisamvisanti | tadvijijnasasva | tadbrahmeti |(that from which all these beings take birth, that by which they live after being born, that towards which they move and into which they merge, you know that. That is Brahman).   With Brahma Vidya, the spiritual seeker comes to know about Its Sachidananda swarupa and Its identity with Athma which is also of Satchidananda swarupa.  When he gets established in Brahma Vidya, this knowledge becomes his second nature giving him total peace and security mentally.  Spiritual seekers may word the question differently as in Mundaka Upanishad where Saunaka, the spiritual seeker asks the Sage Angiras(1-1-3) ‘kasminnu bhagavo vijnate, sarvamidam vijnatam bhavati(What is that, O Bhagavan, by knowing which everything here (in the world) becomes known?)’  The implication of the question is by knowing which all this - the entire phenomena experienced through the mind and the senses - is really understood? And this points out to Brahman only, as we can see from the sage’s reply that runs through the rest of the Upanishad.

Verse 35 

Jeevaatmanaa pravesascha niyantritvam cha taan prati I

Srooyate yasya vedeshu tad brahmethi avadhaaraya II

Ascertain that to be Brahman which is heard of in the Vedas as having entered each creature as the Jiva and is known to be their controller

The creation topic (Srishti sruthi) in upanishads reveal that Brahman as creator is Satyam and world as creation being a product is only name and form.  It is jadam and insentient, being matter.  This creation topic is followed by topic of entry i.e. anupravesa sruthi.   As the inert world cannot have any interaction, Paramathma “enters” everybody as Jivathma.  It is entry without motion as Consciousness being all-pervading principle is present in every body-mind complex.  This availability of Consciousness within everybody is called pravesa or entry. This entry is without motion and it is just as space enclosed within every pot created.  Even as the pot is created the all-pervading space gets enclosed within every pot.  The enclosed Consciousness in the body is now renamed as Jivathma.  This also means Jivathma is none other than Paramathma.  For example in in Brahmandavalli of Taittreya Upanishad (2-6), it is stated “----He created all this, whatever that is here. Having created it, He entered into it.,-----( ------idam sarvamasrijata, yadidam kinca, tatsristva, tadevanupravisat, ----)”.    In Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (1-4-7) we have the anupravesa sruti wherein it is stated “sa esa lha pravistah anakhagrebhyah----- (This Self has entered into these bodies up to the very tips of the nails,---)”.    In Chandogya Upanishad (6-3-2) we have the statement “anena jeevena aathmana anupravisya--- (Let me now enter by means of this living Self---)”.   As regards the controller aspect, we learn from the Taittreya upanishad statement (2-8);” bhisasmadvatah pavate / bhisodeti suryah / bhisasmadagniscendrasca / mrtyurdhavati panchama iti (From fear of It the wind blows; from fear of It the sun rises; from fear of It Agni and Indra and Death, the fifth, run) that Paramathma is the ultimate Controller.  In Brihadaranyaka Upanishad also, Paramathma is described from 3-7-3 to 3-7-23 as inner Controller thus: “--- esa ta atmantaryamyamrtah (He is your Self, the Inner Controller, the Immortal.)”

Verse 36

Karmanaam phala daatritvam yasya eva srooyate srutau I

Jeevaanaam hetu kartritvam tad brahma iti avadhaaraya.II

Ascertain that as Brahman which is declared by the Upanishads as the giver of the fruits of actions (karma-phala-dhata) and as one causing individual jivas to do whatever they do.

Paramathma is the one who gives karmaphalam to every jiva according to the type of karma.  Lord Krisna says in Bhagavad Gita (7-21 & 22):

Yo yo yaam yaam tanum bhaktah shraddhayaarchitum icchati;

Tasya tasyaachalaam shraddhaam taameva vidadhaamyaham. (21).

Whatsoever form any devotee desires to worship with faith—that (same) faith of his I make firm and unflinching.

Sa tayaa shraddhayaa yuktastasyaaraadhanameehate;

Labhate cha tatah kaamaan mayaiva vihitaan hi taan. (22).

Endowed with that faith, he engages in the worship of that (form), and from it he obtains his desire, these being verily ordained by Me (alone).

So whatever Ishtadevata one may worship the ultimate giver of karmaphala is Iswara only.  Further for Jiva to perform karma, Iswara’s blessings is required as pointed out by Lord Krishna in Bhagavad Gita (18 – 14)

Adhishthaanam tathaa kartaa karanam cha prithagvidham;

Vividhaashcha prithakcheshtaa daivam chaivaatra panchamam. (14).

The body, the doer, the various senses, the different functions of various sorts, and the presiding Deity, also, the fifth

So Iswara is called in this verse as not only giver of karmaphala but also as one who makes Jiva do action.

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