Mystic and non-mystic Advaitin

 (Adapted from Swami Paramarthananda’s talk)

Among the Advaitins i.e. those who follow “Advaita darsanam”, there are two major groups.  We can call the one group as ‘mystic Advaitins’ and the other group as ‘non-mystic Advaitins’.  Both the groups are essentially Advaitins only and between them there is no difference of opinion regarding the basic teaching and the central message of ““Brahma Sathyam; Jagan mithya; Jivo Brahmaiva na para (Brahman is Absolute truth. The Universe is apparent/transactional truth; Jiva is none other than Brahman”.  Both, mystic Advaitins and non-mystic Advaitins also agree that karma yoga is for ‘Chitta Suddhi’, upasana yoga is for ‘Chitta Ekagratha’ and “jnanat eva Kaivalyam (through knowledge only Liberation) and that too Advaita jnanam which is free from subject-object duality, only gives liberation. Now this Advaita jnanam must be Aparoksha jnanam, direct knowledge and not Paroksha jnanam. Both agree on this as well i.e. Aparoksha Advaita jnanat eva muktihi. But in defining what constitutes Aparoksha Advaita jnanam difference arises as detailed below.

Paroksha jnanam means knowledge of something which is away from you or which is not directly accessible to you; which is remote.  When we say knowledge of something which is away or remote the distance can be caused by either space or time also.  Aparoksha jnanam means the knowledge of something which is not away from you or which is not remote.  Reading about Mount Kailas one gains Paroksha jnanam of Mount Kailas.  Going on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailas, his knowledge becomes Aparoksha jnanam, as he has now gained firsthand knowledge of Mount Kailas, being there itself. But if he had learnt from a sadhu staying in Mount Kailas itself, how it will look in winter enveloped in a blanket of snow everywhere, then his knowledge of Mount Kailas in winter is only Paroksha jnanam because his visit to Mount Kailas was in summer only.

Mystic Advaitin points out that when one receives Advaita jnanam from the guru, he is in a state of duality as both the guru and sishya are present as also the awareness of the external world.  So he argues that the Advaita jnanam gained in a state of duality should be considered as Paroksha jnanam only like the knowledge of Mount Kailas in winter gained in Mount Kailas in summer.  Therefore the student after gaining Advaita jnanam in the state of duality should enter into Advaita avastha and in that state Advaita jnanam coexisting with Advaita avastha will convert Paroksha jnanam into Aparoksha jnanam.  One can enter into Advaitha avastha when the objective universe is negated and one abides in oneself as objectless subject.   This is attained in Nirvikalpa Samadhi like state when the mind settles in self-absorption in Brahman and becomes lost in the Reality of Brahman. This self-absorption in Brahman oblivious to the objective universe completes the conversion of Paroksham into Aparoksham.

Non-mystic Advaitin also agrees with the mystic Advaitin that with the awareness of the external world, drusya prapancha, Advaitam cannot be reached.  But he argues that the negation of the objective world can never be attained by going to any other state of experience.  Because any state of experience one goes into, whether it is mystic or non-mystic, in that state also the drusya prapancha, the external world will continue either in a non-perceived form or in a non-perceivable form. Therefore, non-mystic Advaitin claims drushya nisheda, the negation of the objective universe, is not by entering into any other state.  He asserts that drushya nisheda, has to take place only with the help of sruti pramanams, the Vedic statements i.e. the scriptural teaching, and that alone can negate this world.  Scriptures through nisheda vakhyams, statements negating the drusya prapancha, accomplish this.  We should remember that sruthi statements only negate the material world, they do not and cannot eliminate the material world.  What is negated is the satyathvam of the material world.  That means what sruthi negates is not the experience of the world but its satyatvam, the reality which one’s intellect has imposed because of ignorance and error.  The attribution of the reality to drusya prapancha is an intellectual confusion problem, and this attributed satyatvam the scriptures negate.   The non-mystic Advaitin says that by appropriate study of the Upanishads and especially the nisheda vakyams under the guidance of a proper guru, the very teaching will eliminate the satyatvam that one has attributed to the world. That means he will learn to look at the universe as ‘mithya prapancha’.

Anything that is mithya cannot be counted.  Just as one does not count his mirror image as the second person, even though he continues to see it.  And therefore non-mystic Advaitin says the moment the world is understood clearly as mithya, counting the world as a second thing is gone.  So according to non-mystic Advaitin even when he is receiving Advaita jnanam he is not in Dvaita avasta but in Advaita avasta only, in spite of the perception of the universe.  And therefore the Advaita jnanam when it is properly taught and properly absorbed is at the time of listening itself,  Advaita jnanam received in Advaita avasta and so it is Aparoksha Advaita jnanam itself. Therefore according to non-mystic Advaitin a separate mystic Advaita avasta, one need not enter into to convert the absorbed jnanam into Aparoksham.  No doubt he engages in Vedantic meditation, Nitidyasanam, after receiving doubt-free knowledge through Sravanam and Mananam but that is only for internalizing the knowledge ridding it of viparitha bhavanas arising out of past habits.

So, Karma yoga for chitta Suddhi -->  Upasana yoga for chitta Ekagratha --> Guru Sastra Upadesa --> special meditation for going into advaita avastha;  is the path prescribed by mystic Advaitin for Aparoksha Advaita jnanam and Karma yoga for chitta Suddhi  --> Upasana yoga for chitta Ekagratha --> Guru Sastra Upadesa itself will give Aparoksha Advaita jnanam for non-mystic Advaitin who internalises this jnanam through Vedantic Meditation called Nitidyasanam. 

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Spiritual Enlightenment

 

(Adapted from Swami Paramarthananda’s talk)

Spiritual knowledge is the knowledge revealed by the scriptures and when one imbibes and personalises this knowledge, he is said to be spiritually enlightened.   In the case of advaita Vedanta, the central message is “Brahma Sathyam; Jagan mithya; Jivo Brahmaiva na para (Brahman is Absolute truth. The Universe is apparent/transactional truth; Jiva is none other than Brahman ”.  Knowing this message as such is spiritual knowledge.  But understanding this as ”Brahma  Sathyam; Jagan mithya: Aham Brahmaiva na para (Brahman is absolute truth; Universe is apparent/transactional truth; I am none other than Brahman ” where the message is personalised to oneself having absorbed it, is “spiritual enlightenment”.  While clear understanding and absorption of this three part message is spiritual enlightenment,  clear doubt-free knowledge of the first two parts, ‘Brahma Sathyam; Jagan mithya’ is called Paroksha jnanam, indirect knowledge and clear doubt-free knowledge of the third part ‘Jivo Brahmaiva na para’ relating it to oneself  is Aparoksha jnanam.  We can translate Paroksha jnanam as spiritual knowledge and Aproksha jnanam as realisation which also means spiritual enlightenment.

The difference between Paroksha jnanam and Aparoksha jnanam is the involvement of “I”.  We can see it from an example.  One reads a lot about Mount Kailas, sees pictures of Mount Kailas and also hears ardently the account of pilgrims who have undertaken pilgrimage to Mount Kailas.  His knowledge of Mount Kailas is only Paroksha jnanam as these are all third party accounts and he has no direct first-hand experience.  One day he visits Mount Kailas, does parikrama and then with his personal, first person experience, his knowledge of Mount Kailas becomes Aparoksha jnanam.  So the nature of spiritual enlightenment can be stated as the combination of Paroksha and Aparoksha jnanam of the vedantic teaching: “Brahma Sathyam; Jagan mithya; Jivo Brahmaiva na para”

Now let us explore the process of this knowledge.   Any knowledge, prama, involves three factors- pramatha, knower; prameyam, the object to be known and pramanam, the instrument of knowledge.  Knowledge takes place when the pramatha, prameyam and pramanam come together.  When pramata, pramanam and prameyam come together, a relevant thought modification takes place in the mind which is called prama.   So we can say process of any knowledge is: pramata + pramanam + prameyam that generates prama which is a thought modification.  Sastras declare that depending upon what one wants to know, one should use the appropriate or relevant pramanam.  Thus, we have to use a relevant pramanam. Therefore, the process of knowledge is nothing but a thought modification which rises when pramata, relevant pramanam and prameyam come together. 

In the spiritual field the spiritual seeker is the pramatha, Brahman or Athma is the prameyam and the teaching of sastras by Guru, called Guru-sastra-upadesa is the pramanam.  Mundaka Upanishad verses, 2 – 12 &13 nicely reveal as below:

Pareekshya lokaan karma-chitaan brahmanah,

nirvedam aayaan na asti akritah kritena I

Tad vijnanaartham sah gurum eva abhigacchet,

samitpanih srotriyam brahma-nishtham II

After thoroughly examining the worlds gained by Karma, let a seeker free himself from all desires by reflecting that things Eternal cannot be had by (temporal) actions, In order to obtain the knowledge of the Eternal (Brahman), let him approach a Guru, who is well-versed in the scriptures, and who is always established in the Brahman, in the prescribed manner with fuel in hand. (2-12)

Tasmai sa vidvan upasannaya samyak,

 prashanta-chittaaya shamanvitaya I

 Yena aksharam purusham veda satyam,

 provaacha taam tattvatah brahma-vidyam II

To that person who has duly approached him, whose mind is completely serene, and whose senses are controlled, the wise teacher should indeed rightly impart the knowledge of Brahman, as expounded in the Vedas (2-13)

The verbal communication coming from the Guru as the systematic teaching of Vedas constitutes the pramanam.  In Kathopanishad (1-2-9) Lord Yama also points out to Nachiketas “Na eshaa tarkena matih aapaneyaa proktaa anyena eva sujnaanaaya preshtha (Not through reasoning can this knowledge on the Self be attained. But when taught by the one who knows Non-duality, it leads to sound, thorough knowledge)".  The Guru-sastra-upadesa is a pramanam applies to both Paroksha and Aparoksha jnanam. That is Guru-sastra-upadesa is a pramanam for the liberating knowledge “Brahma  Sathyam; Jagan mithya: Aham Brahmaiva na para”.  If one then wonders what is role of meditation, one should remember that meditation is not a pramanam for knowledge. Before coming to Vedantic teaching, meditation is practiced as upasana for refining the mind and making it subtle to receive the teaching.  After receiving the teaching and making it doubt-free through mananam, meditation is practiced as Nitidyasanam to remove one’s entrenched habitual body-mind identification as Self and replacing it with identification with Brahman as his true Self at all times through internalising the teaching and ridding the mind of residual vasanas.  So a spiritually enlightened person is feeling ever liberated with a clear understanding of “Brahma  Sathyam; Jagan mithya: Aham Brahmaiva na para”.   To such an enlightened person Moksha is not something to be sought, a sadhya vasthu, but it is something always acquired, a siddha vasthu.

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Bhakthi & Jnanam

(Adapted from Swami Paramarthananda’s Sivarathri talk}

We have got a vast religious literature which highlights the importance of bhakti or devotion to God, called hereafter Bhagavan and also on jnanam or spiritual knowledge.  And our tradition says that both bhakti and jnanam are equally important and they complement and reinforce each other.  Both bhakti and jnanam have got two levels. One is general and the other is special called Samanya and Visesha i.e Samanya bhakthi and Visesha bhakthi; Samanya Jnanam and Visesha  jnanam.  Let us see each one of them briefly and how they in sequence lead an ordinary person to Moksha.

Samanya jnanam – General knowledge of Bhagavan.

In our tradition Bhagavan is creator of the entire universe and is Omniscient, Omnipresent and Omnipotent.  Through His Grace one can have his desires fulfilled and his problems solved.  One seeks His Grace through devotional worship of Him.  This devotional worship called bhakthi is through prayer and puja.  At the end of every sthuthi there is a phala-sruthi giving a list of what one can get through that sthuthi.  One will find in the phala-sruthi that almost everything is promised; name, fame, money, position, possession, children, grandchildren and even moksha. For example one verse in the phala- sruthi of Vishnu Sahasranamam states:

dharmarthi prapnuyad dharmam artharthi chartham apnuyat |
kamanavapnuyat kami prajarthi prapnuyat prajam ‖ 4 II

He who seeks Dharma, will get Dharma; He who seeks wealth, will get wealth; He who seeks pleasures, will get pleasure; He who seeks children, will get chidren.

These assurances inspire a person to worship Bhagavan with love and reverence.

Samanya bhakthi – General devotion to Bhagavan

In Bhavad Gita this is classified as artha bakthi and artharthi bakthi.  In artha bhakthi devotion is seasonal, the bhaktha engaging in devotional activities like puja, parayanam etc, only when he is in distress or want and not otherwise.  In artharthi bakthi, the devotee is steadfast in his bhakthi and remembers Bhagavan regularly with puja and parayanam but his devotional activities are always accompanied  by an application for material help for himself and/or his relatives.  Even though Bhagavan cannot be limited to any particular form, for the sake of puja our scriptures offer varieties of forms. Thus we have got several deities, several forms in which one can worship that Bhagavan and some of the Samanya bhakthas choose a particular form for their regular worship called ishtadevata.  Such keen devotees after a time are not satisfied with Samanya jnanam and start seeking Visesha jnanam, special knowledge of Bhagavan.

Visesha jnanam - Special knowledge of Bhagavan

This can be gained only through the study of scriptures under the guidance of a Guru.  Guru’s guidance helps one to get at the correct intended meaning.  Scriptures like Bhagavad gita and Upanishads give the special knowledge of Bhagvan.  One learns that before creation Bhagavan alone was there and He created the world out of Himself like the spider that has the material for the web as part of itself and creates the web out of itself.  Bhagavan has got two portions called Purusha and prakrithi.   The word prakrithi is defined as ‘prakarsena karoti yogadvat prakṛti’; that which can be shaped into anything.  The entire creation including time, space (akasa), vayu, agni. apah and prithvi are only modification of the prakrithi part of Bhagavan.  Since the entire creation is a modification of these elements, the entire material universe one experiences is Bhagavan only.  As prakrithi becomes the inert material universe  Purusha becomes the Consciousness principle that makes experience of universe possible.  At the level of human being the body-mind complex is the inert prakrithi and the sentient Consciousness principle behind them is Purusha. So that experiencer, ‘I am’, is none other than the Purusha part of Bhagavan.  So the subject experiencer is Purusha part of Bhagavan and object experienced is prakrithi part of Bhagavan and all living beings are prakrithi Purusha rupa Bhagavan alone.  Lord Krishna describes prakrithi and Purusha in Gita chapter 13 thus:

Prakritim purusham chaiva viddhyaanaadee ubhaavapi I

Vikaaraamshcha gunaamshchaiva viddhi prakritisambhavaan II

Know thou that prakrithi and Purusha are beginningless; and know also that all modifications (such as likes and dislikes etc.) and all objects constituted of the three gunas (sathvam, rajas and tamas) are born of prakrithi. (13-20)

Upadrashtaanumantaa cha bhartaa bhoktaa maheshwarah I

Paramaatmeti chaapyukto dehe’smin purushah parah II

Purusha dwelling in this body is really the same as Supreme (Bhagavan).  He is also called the witness, the true guide, the sustainer, the experiencer (with the upadhi), the Overlord and Absolute as well. (13-23)

So when one attains Visesha jnanam. he realises that his real self, Athma is none other than Paramathma and that this is true of all other human beings as well and also he sees Bhagavan everywhere and in everything, living and non-living. And this Visesha jnanam leads to Visesha bhakthi.

Visesha bhakti- Special devotion to Bhagavan

Visesha jnanam with the realisation of Bhagavan everywhere and in everything  leads to Para bhakthi which is described by Lord Krishna in chapter 12 of Gita as the attributes of a Para bhaktha referred to as a 'bhaktha dear to Him'. This Para bhakthi is the special bhakthi.   This bhaktha’s reverence is not towards a particular form of Bhagavan or to a particular symbol like Saligramam and Sivalingam but his reverential attitude is to everything in creation and is free from raga and dvesha. This Visesha bhakthi is that of a Jivan Muktha, a liberated person while living.

So  an ordinary person with Samnya jnanam takes to Samanya bhakthi to achieve his material goals.  As his bhakthi becomes deeper and more intense he seeks Visesha jnanam adopting spiritual goals. Attaining Visesha jnanam, his bhakthi matures into Visesha bhakthi that takes him to Jivan mukthi.

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Six Principles of Tolerance

 

(Adapted from the New Year talk of Swami Paramarthananda)

Tolerance is a very important virtue which is universally required.  The scriptures mainly use the word ‘titiksha’, for tolerance and also the words ‘ksanthi’ and ‘ksama’  as well in some places. The six principles of tolerance as presented by the scriptures can be stated as:

1)    Dis-empower the world to influence your attitude by removing ‘unwelcome’ mental label.

2)    Empower yourself by developing faith in yourself and God.

3)    Avoid magnification of problems by thinking about solutions and not on problems themselves.

4)    Adopt Self-restraint avoiding impulsive responses.

5)    Be objective and fair when judging others.

6)    Always postpone aggressive measures.

The first three of the above six principles are applicable as bhoktha and the other three as kartha of actions and experiences. Now we shall see them one by one in detail.  

Let us remember always that God has created the world with pairs of opposites and also with the law of karma that operates on the principle of  punyam and papam pair.  These pairs of opposites are Iswara Srishti, God’s creation.  Apart from these we also create a pair of opposites, mentally labelling people and experiences as ‘welcome’ and  ‘unwelcome’, which we can call as ‘Jiva srishti’.   And once we put the label it colours our attitude and reaction.  Through the ‘unwelcome’ label we empower the world to hurt us through those experiences.  Let us remember the advice of Lord Krishna in Gita (2-14) and bear with unpleasant events and experiences calmly without labelling them.

Matraasparsaastu kaunteya seetoshnasukhaduhkhadah I

Aagamaapaayino’nityaas taamstitikshaswa bharata.II

The contacts of the senses with the objects (and persons), which cause heat and cold and pleasure and pain, have a beginning and an end; they are impermanent; endure them bravely, O Arjuna! (2-14)

So whatever unpleasant experience comes your way, accept it without mentally labelling it as unwelcome, with the understanding that it is a product of your karma happening with the will of God and it is temporary only. 

Secondly we must strengthen ourselves to meet such contingencies by tapping our inner resources.  And in your effort at self-strengthening have God as your aid by having strong, unshakeable faith in Him.  Steadfast, sincere bhakthi gives the skill of tapping the resources from God like charging one’s cell phone.  Let us remember always Lord Krishna’s reassuring words in Gita (18-61): “Ishwarah sarvabhootanaam hriddeshe’rjuna tishthati; (The Lord dwells in the hearts of all beings, O Arjuna, )”.  So Lord is never away from one.  So build up your faith in yourself with faith in God who is within you, all resourceful and all powerful.

Third principle of tolerance is non-magnification of problems.  In the case of an unpleasant solution, we not only label it as unwelcome but also brood over it. The more we brood over it, the greater it gets magnified in the mind, generating harmful emotions of worry, anxiety and fear.  Instead of thinking about the problem engage your mind in thinking about the solution employing the first two principles i.e. with the attitude - ‘Whatever happens is our karma and we will get over it with God’s help’.  When we let the problem linger in our mind, not only it gets magnified but we look for a scapegoat to transfer the responsibility for the problem from ourselves, which will give rise to negative emotions of vengeance and hatred, which are the antithesis of tolerance.  To prevent this, practice self-suggestion regularly that “World does not give me problems.  It is only God delivering me the karma phalam using world as medium and let me not blame people or objects for my unwelcome experiences”   

The most important principle of tolerance is self-restraint. By self-restraint is meant the avoidance of all impulsive actions which is called ‘Athma Vinigraha’ by Lord Krishna in Bhagavad Gita.  This self-restraint should be practiced both at speech level and action level.  In impulsive response, control cannot be exercised as the response is spontaneous.  There can be no thinking of the consequences, long-term and short-term; at the individual level, at the family level, at the professional level etc. We cannot take into account also all the people who have a stake

The next principle is objectivity, fairness.  We should not judge a person in a hurry though our tendency is to take steps in a hurry, when we are going through a difficult and painful situation. At such times we tend to blame others without proper enquiry, without proper data and even without hearing them. This is a prejudiced approach as prejudice is only pre-judgement without complete data.  Just as we do not want to become a victim of other’s prejudice, we should take care to see others do not become a victim of our prejudice

Last principle is avoiding aggressive measures until other options are exhausted. Scriptures point out that when aggressive and peaceful measures present themselves, tolerance is postponing aggressive actions, physical and verbal, giving a chance for peaceful measures to work.  In our anxiety to give back the pain we suffered, let us not make it the first measure. Though aggression is appealing let us not forget that the aggression can provoke counter aggression and in turn counter- counter aggression, thus escalating the problem.  What is advised is only postponement  and not  abandonment as we can see from Lord Krishna’s exhortation to Arjuna in Gita (2-37) – “Tasmaad uttishtha kaunteya yuddhaaya kritanishchayah (therefore, stand up, O son of Kunti, resolved to fight!).

Life’s Journey is a rugged journey full of ups and downs.  To withstand and survive successfully the mental jolts, the human mind must be equipped with appropriate shock absorber and the value of tolerance lies in that it serves as a psychological shock observer that helps one to preserve the poise and grace, peace and serenity in the challenging journey of life.

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Prasna Upanishad – 7

Sukesa’s question

Sukesa, son of Bharadwaja started the question with an anecdote. Hiranyabha, the prince of Kosala, once came to Sukesa and asked him about the Cosmic Person, Purusha, with sixteen kalas (parts). Sukesa replied that he does not know and Hiranyabha went away.  Now Sukesa wanted to know about this Purusha with sixteen kalas from Pippalada rishi.  Pippalada started his answer in Mantra 2 as follows:

ihaiivaantahsariire somya sa purusho yasminnetaah shodashakalah prabhavantiiti ||

That Person - He from whom these sixteen kalas arise - is verily here within the body. (6-2)

Pippalada rishi answered that that Purusha is the inner Self, the pratyagatma, of the living being.  Athma dwells in the space, akasa, within the heart, which is shaped like a lotus bud. It is to be sought as the first principle within the man himself and not elsewhere. The sixteen kalas called  ‘Shodasa kala’ stand for the world and shodasa kala purusha for Viswarupa Iswara as we can see in the later Mantras.

Purusha, though without any parts, appears to have parts, which are called upadhis, adjuncts, when conditioned through avidya. Through ignorance alone the kalas are seen to arise from, exist in and disappear into the Purusha, the undifferentiated, pure, non-dual, formless, partless Brahman who is in this body also as Athma. The parts are described in Mantra 4 quoted below.

sa pranamasrijata pranaat shraddhaam kham vaayurjyotiraapah prithiviindriyam manah | annamannadviiryam tapo mantrah karma loka lokeshu cha nama cha || 

He created Prana; from Prana faith, space, air, fire, water, earth, the organs, mind, food; from food virility, austerity, the Vedic hymns, sacrifice, the worlds; and in the worlds He created names. (6-4)

This Mantra gives the sixteen kalas, They are:  

1. Prana, representing the Total Mind or Hiranyagarbha. This represents the Life-force without which nothing can exist in the world.

2. Shraddha, the faith in Brahman, the Asthikya Buddhi

3 to 7. The Five Elements: Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth

8.Indriyas: Karmendriyas and Jnanendriyas

9. Mind: the antahkaranas of manas, buddhi, ahamkara and chiththa

10. Food: to sustain life in the body

11.Veerya or vigour: vitality or power to act effectively

12. Tapas or austerity: self-control or the laws of self-discipline

13. Mantras; all the four Vedas

14. Karma; all the rites and rituals

15. Worlds: the rewards of the rites and rituals

16. Names: for the different things in creation

These sixteen parts are unreal, like the objects seen in a dream and are created through avidya.  When avidya is destroyed they again merge in the Purusha losing their names and forms.  This is illustrated in the next Mantra 5.

sa yathema nadhyah syandamaanaah samudraayanaah samudram praapyaastam gachchanti bhidhyete taasaam naamarupe samudra ityevam prochyate | evamevaasya paridrashhturimaah shhodashakalaah purushaayanaah purusham praapyaastam gachchhanti bhidhyete chaasaam naamarupe purusha ityevam prochyate sa eshho.akalo.amrito bhavati tadeshha slokah ||

As these flowing rivers, bound for the ocean, disappear into the ocean after having reached it, their names and forms being destroyed and are called simply the ocean - even so, these sixteen parts of the seeker, whose goal is the Purusha, disappear into the Purusha after having reached Him, their names and forms get merged and are called simply the Purusha. He becomes free of parts and immortal. On this there is the following verse: (6-5)

The sixteen kalas originate from the Unmanifest Absolute i.e. Brahman and eventually they all dissolve into the Unmanifest Absolute.  This is illustrated in the Mantra with the analogy of rivers reaching their destination in the ocean and losing their individual identity of names and forms. The import of this Mantra is that the universe and all the beings are projected, through avidya, from Brahman. Through avidya again, names and forms are superimposed upon them and when the names and forms are destroyed by Jnanam, everything is realized to be Brahman alone. The one who attains this knowledge of Brahman goes beyond the pale of death. For such an illumined person there is no more birth after the present one. Pippalada rishi then quotes a Vedic hymn to support this statement that appears as Mantra 6.

araa iva rathanaabhau kalaa yasminpratishhtitaah | tam vedhyam purusham veda yatha maa vo mrityuh parivyathaa iti ||

Know Him, the Purusha, who alone is to be known and in whom the parts rest firm, like the spokes in the nave of a wheel, that death may not affect you. (6-6)

The simile of the spokes and the hub is appropriate as:

i) Every kala is linked to the Purusha directly like every spoke of the wheel to the hub.

ii) Like the hub in the wheel that carries all the weight, Purusha bears all the responsibility for all creation.

iii) In a wheel, if a person clutches the rim he will get crushed at each turn.  But if he gets hold of the hub he is safe. So also, one should seek refuge in the Purusha and not in objects of creation.

iv) Further Purusha is the support of all His manifestations just as the spokes are being supported by the hub of a wheel.

When a person knows the Purusha as his innermost Self, he does not face death any longer or he has crossed over the cycle of births and deaths.

In the next Mantra 7 Pippalada concludes in humility with the words “This is the limit of my knowledge; I do not know anything more. I have told you all that I know.” after emphasising again that there is nothing superior to Brahman. Concluding Mantra 8 states that the grateful disciples organized a puja and glorified the guru by declaring that through his teaching he has helped them to cross the ocean of samsara. The Upanishad ends with the disciples’ salutations to the entire Acharya parampara including their own Acharya.

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Prasna Upanishad – 6

Sathyakama’s question 

Fifth chapter opens with the question of Sathyakama to Guru Pippalada.  The question as stated in Mantra 1 is as follows:

sa yo ha vai tadbhdagavanmanushyeshhu prayanantamonkaramabhidhyayiita | katamam vaava sa tena lokam jayatiiti ||

O Bhagavan, if a person goes on meditating on the syllable OM throughout his life, which world, verily, does he win by such meditation? (5-1)

OM is the symbol of both Lower Brahman (Saguna Brahman) and the Higher Brahman (Nirguna Brahman) and a seeker can worship Brahman in any of its aspects. Pippalada rishi starts explaining this from Mantra 2, as given below: 

etadvai satyakaama param chaaparam cha brahma yadonkarah | tasmaadvidvaanetenaivaayatanenaikataramanveti ||

O Satyakama, the syllable OM is the higher (Nirguna) Brahman and also the lower (Saguna) Brahman. Therefore the learned one (Upasaka) who knows it attains, with its support (Omkara upasana), the one or the other.

Brahman, being transcendental in nature and attributeless, cannot be directly comprehended by our mind. Hence an indirect method is prescribed in the scriptures to meditate on Brahman and one such method is through a symbol or pratika. Such a symbol can be thought of in two ways - 1. One as associated with the original or 2. as equivalent to the original. Just as saligrama is considered as a symbol of Lord Vishnu, the syllable OM is considered as a symbol of Brahman. Lord Krishna emphasises the importance of OM in Gita through the words:

Om iti ekaksharam Brahma vyaaharan maamanusmaran I

yah prayaati tyajan deham sa yaati paramaam gatim II 8.13 II

Uttering the monosyllable OM-the Brahman-and remembering Me, he who departs, leaving the body, attains the supreme goal. (8-13)

Mandukya Upanishad in Mantra 1 also gives the importance of OM with these words

bhootam bhavat bhavishyat iti, sarvam omkaarah eva;

yat cha anyat trikaala ateetam, tat api omkaarah eva.

That which is past, present and future (the immanent), it is all verily the syllable OM. And That which is beyond the three periods of time, (the transcendent) – even That is also OM.

Though God is beyond vibration, vibration, being the subtlest form of His creation, it is the nearest we can get to Him in the physical world. So by contemplating the Supreme Brahman through OM, one realizes the highest plane and by contemplating on OM itself as a symbol one attains the lower plane.  Though OM is only one syllable which is to be meditated upon by uttering it as one unit, it can be uttered and meditated upon by using the sounds produced by pronouncing its three constituent syllables(matras) viz. akaarah, ukaarah, makaarah (A,U,M).  Pippalada rishi discusses in next Mantra akaarah pradhana Omkara upasana.

sa yadhyekamaatramabhidhyayiita sa tenaiva samveditasturnameva jagatyamabhisampadhyate | tamricho manushhyalokamupanayante sa tatra tapasaa brahmacharyena shraddhayaa sampanno mahimaanamanubhavati ||

If he meditates on one letter (matra), then, being enlightened by that alone, he quickly comes back to earth after death. The Rig Mantras lead him to the world of men, where by practising austerity, chastity and faith he enjoys greatness. (5-3) 

The person who meditates on the first matra ‘akaarah’ is born again in the mortal world without staying in higher worlds and here endowed with austerity, chastity and faith enjoys the glory and power of spiritual life. Of course we should note that the upasaka will not chant only one matra.  The chanting will be of the entire Omkara. But the emphasis is on akaarah. The matra of AUM indicated by ‘A’ (akaarah) constitutes in essence the hymns of the Rig Veda which alone has the power to bestow human body in the next birth. Thus even those who are ignorant of the meaning of the whole syllable AUM and meditate only on akaarah are not deprived of a spiritual reward but reap the fruit of good spiritual life back on earth and no calamity befalls them. Such is the greatness of AUM.  Pippalada then talks about meditating on akaarah and ukaarah, the first two matras in next Mantra. 

atha yadi dvimaatrena manasi sampadhyate soantariksham yajurbhirunniyate somalokam | sa somaloke vibhutimanubhuya punaravartate || 

Again, if he meditates on the two syllables, he becomes identified with  the mind (Moon) and is led up by the Yajur Mantras to the intermediate space, to the world of the Moon (swarga loka). Having enjoyed its greatness (pleasures), he returns again (to earth). (5-4)

The upasana on two syllables (sound produced by akaara and ukaara) is more subtle, and the reward is also greater. The upasaka here travels by krishna gathi after death led by the Yajur Mantras and is led to the world of Moon, the swarga loka.  He also returns to the earth but he is not whisked away from swarga loka immediately and brought back to the earth as in the first stage, but he spends time and enjoys the swarga loka until his time is up when he is guided back to this world to continue his evolution as in earlier upasana. The next Mantra is the main Mantra that answers the question of Satyakama and these two Mantras are leading up to it and to emphasise the importance of meditating on all the three syllables 

yah punaretam trimaatrenomityetenaivaaksharena param purushhamabhidhyaayiita sa tejasi surye sampannah | yathaa paadodarastvachaa vinirbhuchyata evam ha vai sa paapmanaa vinirbhuktah sa saamabhirunniiyate brahmalokam sa etasmaajjiivaganath paratparam purisayam purushamikshate | tadetau shlokau bhavatah ||  

Again, he who meditates on the Highest Person through this syllable AUM consisting of three letters, becomes united with the effulgent Sun. As a snake is freed from its skin, even so he is freed from all sins. By the Sama Veda Mantras, he is taken to Brahmaloka, the world of Brahmaji. There He out of the total mass of beings, goes to the One higher than even Brahmaji, the Supreme Purusha, who has entered all the bodies, and has His Vision (Jnanam)! Bearing on this, there occur two verses. (5-5)

One who meditates on all three syllables together as AUM, after death travels through the path of sun, sukla gathi, to Brahma loka led by the Sama Veda Mantras, absolved of all his sins.   There acquiring Brahma Jnanam under the guidance of Brahman he gets krama mukthi, merging with ParaBrahman in the next pralaya. For him no more birth or death as he does not return to the mortal world like the other two upasakas. ParaBrahman is the Nirguna Brahman who is described in this Mantra as the Supreme Purusha who resides in all.  Sun represents Brahmaloka, the highest heavenly world, from which one does not return to Earth, as one does from the lesser heavenly worlds, such as the Moon. Pippalada rishi then quotes two Rig Veda Mantras which serve as a summary of his teaching.  These two Mantras can be summarized as follows. 

The first of the two Rig Mantras, Mantra 6 of this Chapter says that when each of the three matras is medtated upon separately, the meditator has to be born again and again in this world and is not free from the cycle of birth and death.  But when the three matras are blended together in sound and significance and meditated upon as representing Brahman continuously in all states, he is unshakeably established in Brahman.  

The second of the two Rig Mantras, the concluding Mantra of this chapter, Mantra 7, speaks of the different lokas to which the upasaka travels when he meditates on matras alone and not on the full Omkara. In addition it also states that the wise one who does the Omkara upasana with all the three matras together, having the knowledge of Supreme Brahman and using Om only as an aid to reach the Supreme Brahman realises Him in this life itself and describes the Supreme Brahman through the following words:

1.   Shaantam: total peace meaning total bliss

2.   Ajaram: beyond old age meaning changeless

3.   Amritam: immortal meaning eternal.

4.   Abhayam: fearless meaning one without a second.

5.   Param: the Highest meaning Supreme.

Thus concludes Chapter 5, with the assertion that the upasana upon the three syllables of AUM in their totality as One Brahman takes one to the realisation of that Supreme Brahman who is total bliss, changeless, eternal, one without a second and Supreme.

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