Mundaka Upanishad – 5

 Sadhana and Jnana phalam

The second Khanda of second Mundaka opens with the description of Brahman in Mantra 1, which Swami Gurubhakthananda calls as “Lord’s Business Card”.

Aavih san-nihitam guhaacharam  naama mahat  padam atra etat samarpitam I

Ejat praanat nimishat cha yad etat jaanatha sad-asad varenyam, param vijaanaad yad varishtham prajaanaam II

The Luminous Brahman dwells in the cave of the heart and is known to move there. It is the great support of all; for in It is centred everything that moves, breathes, and blinks. O disciples, know that to be your Self-that which is both gross and subtle, which is adorable, supreme, and beyond the understanding of creatures. (2-2-1)

Detais of Brahman Given in this verse are as follows:

Aavih – He is bright and effulgent

Sannihitam – He is very close to us

Guhaacharam – He is in the cave of our heart

Naama Mahat – He is called  ‘The Great’

He is the support of everything in and around Him

He is both gross and subtle

He is the Supreme and beyond the understanding of the intellect

Mantras 2 & 3 lay the foundation for the archery analogy presented in Mantra 4 as follows:

Pranavo dhanuh sharah hi athma, brahma tat lakshyam uchyate I

Apramattena veddhavyam, sharavat tat-mayah bhavet. II 

Pranava is the bow; the Athma is the arrow; Brahman is said to be the mark. It is to be struck by an undistracted mind. Then the Athma becomes one with Brahman, as the arrow with the target. (2–2-4)

The word meaning of the Mantra is that using Omkara as the bow, Jivathma as arrow, the target of Brahman should be hit with a totally focused mind, so that the arrow hits the mark and becomes strongly embedded it or become one with it.

Omkara stands for Omkara Vichara which in turn represents all the Upanishadic Vicharas like Pancha Kosa Vichara, Avastha Thraya Vichara etc.  Through these Upanishadic Vicharas, Jiva Brahma Ikya Jnaanam is to be realized.     Jiva Brahma Ikya Jnanam is picturesquely described as the arrow hitting the mark and becoming one with it.  Here the distance to be travelled is notional only as Jeeva Brahma Ikyam is an accomplished fact.  Due to ignorant identification of Self with anathma instead of Athma, there appears to be a distance which has to be mentally crossed through knowledge and not physically.  For example in Mahabaratha Karna thinks he is Radheya, son of the charioteer, and so not a Kshathriya.  When Kunti reveals to him that he is her son, that he is Kuntiputra and not Radheya, what else should he do to become a Kshathriya.  The Jnanam itself makes him know himself as Kshathriya.  Same way the realization that self shining consciousness that is one’s real Self is same as Brahman, makes one attain the knowledge of Jiva Brahma Ikyam.  This Mantra is also important for a few of the sadhanas, drawn from the requirements for successful shooting of the arrow.

1)   Upanishadic Vichara under the guidance of a proper Guru, indicated by proper bow.

2) One should have a focused mind, Chiththa Ekagratha, achieved through upasana, indicated by the sharpness of the arrow.

3) One should have a purified mind, Chiththa Suddhi, through Karma Yoga as indicated by the straightness of the arrow.

4) One should develop an attitude of withdrawal from all other unconnected affairs, vairagyam, indicated by the bowstring that is required to be drawn backwards.

        5) Intense yearning for this knowledge and through that to Moksha, indicated by one’s sights being fixed on the target alone.

Another important sadhana is stated in the next Mantra, Mantra No.5.  It is avoiding useless talk and empty gossip (anyaa vaacho vimunchatha).  This can be achieved by trying to be in satsang always and where it is not possible, limiting the talk to minimum, preferring silence for gossip.

Mantra No.8 gives three fold Jnana phalam as follows:

Bhidyate hridaya granthih, chhidyante sarva samshayaa I

Ksheeyante cha asya karmaani, tasmin drishte para-avare. II    

The knots of his heart become untied; all doubts are dispelled; and all his Karmas are consumed; when He is seen as both Cause and effect.  (2-2-8)

First benefit is the Samsaranasa achieved by the destruction of the knot in the heart.  The thought that I am this body with athma is the knot in the heart.  When it is cut or destroyed, yielding place to the thought that I am the athma with the body arises in the heart, the hold of samsara is broken and one feels liberated of inner agitations caused by kama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada, matsarya.

The second benefit is Ajnananasa achieved through the removal of all doubts in the jnanam attained.  The doubts can arise due to various reasons, main among them being the experience of the universe contradicting the knowledge gained through study of sastras, and the conflicting arguments from differing faiths etc.  These when resolved through the process of Mananam, that is through discussion with peers in satsang, repeated study and analysis and by going back to the guru with doubts and getting them cleared, the knowledge attained becomes firm and doubt free.  When the ajnana is totally destroyed without any traces of doubt, then one has the vision of Brahman in all, high and low. 

Third benefit is Karmanasa.  The Karmanasa is not total. Only Agami karma phala, the fruit of the karmas done upto that date, is annulled and Sanchitha karma phala, the stored up karma phala from the previous births, is dissolved.  But the Prarabhdha karma phala, that was the cause of present birth, stays till its exhaustion at death.  Because of this phenomenon the Jivan Muktha even though he has attained Jnanam seems to suffer from physical ailments.  It is the Prarabhdha karma that determines one’s Janma, birth as what and in what environs, Aayuhu, length of lifespan and Bhoga, physical experiences and ailments.  The Jivan Mukthas may appear to suffer physically but mentally they distance themselves from the body and its suffering, as we have seen in case of Sri Ramakrishna Pamahamsa and Sri Ramana Maharishi.  They have shown stoic indifference to the ailment treating it as of the body and not of them.  

The self shining nature of Consciousness that is Brahman is illustrated in Mantra 10. 

Na tatra sooryo bhaati  na chandra taarakam  na imaah vidyuto bhaanti  kutah ayam agnih I

Tam eva bhaantam anubhaati sarvam  tasya bhaasaa  sarvam idam vibhaati. II

The sun does not shine there, nor the moon and the stars, nor these lightnings, not to speak of this fire. When He shines, everything shines after Him; by His light everything is lighted. (2-2-10)

For all the known sources of light like sun, moon, stars and lightning and fire, consciousness alone is the ultimate source of light as is stated explicitly by Sri Krishna as well in Gita (15-12).

Yadaadityagatam tejo jagad bhaasayate’khilam  I

Yacchandramasi yacchaagnau tattejo viddhi maamakam. II  (Gita 15-12)

That light which residing in the sun, illumines the whole world, that which is in the moon and in the fire—know that light to be Mine.

That is why consciousness is called Jyothishaam Jyothihi, the light of lights.  This Mantra 10 is chanted at the time of Arathi, when camphor light is shown before the deity.  There it signifies that camphor light is shown not to illuminate Him, the illuminator of all, but to show symbolically the surrender of our ego at His feet.

This Mundaka ends with Mantra 11 which sums up that Brahman is everywhere and He is everything that we see.

Brahma eva idam amritam  purastaad brahma  paschaad brahma  dakshinatah cha uttaren I

Adhah cha  urdhvam cha  prasritam  brahma eva idam vishvam  idam varishtham II.

That immortal Brahman alone is before, that Brahman is behind and that Brahman is to the right and left. Brahman alone pervades everything above and below; this universe is that Supreme Brahman alone.  (He alone) is the Supreme worthy of reverence! (2-2-11)

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