Kaivalya Upanishad – 4

 

Mantras 11 to 14

Mantra 11

Athmanamarinam krtva, pranavam chottararinam |

Jnananirmathanabhyasat, pasam dahati panditah || 11 ||

Keeping the mind as the (lower) arani and Omkara as the upper arani, (and) by the practice of churning which is in the form of enquiry, the wise man burns down the bondage.

The central teaching of the Upanishad begins with this Mantra 11 in which Vedanta Vichara is introduced.   Sravanam and Mananam together is called Vichara.  This verse likens the Vedanta Vichara to the arani mathanam process.    The arani mathanam is mentioned in scriptures as a method of raising the sacrificial fire. When two logs of wood are churned in a certain way, the friction creates sparks of fire.  The fire thus created is transferred directly to the homa kunda by catching the sparks with a very dry grass or cotton. This arani mathanam process is quoted in Athmabodha verse 42 when talking about raising the flame of knowledge to burn down Self-ignorance.  This metaphor is used in this verse to explain Self-enquiry through Omkara Upasana, Omkara being the sound symbol of Brahman and one’s Self being no different from Brahman.

Athmanamarinam krtva – Lower arani is compared to the mind of the student.  It should be steady, focussed and prepared with Chitta Suddhi and Chitta Ekagratha

pranavam chottararinam – Pranava, Omkara representing Mahavakhyas is compared to the upper arani

Jnananirmathanabhyasat -  Here nirmathanam means enquiry.  This consists of analyzing the Mahavakhya and arriving at the identity of Self with Brahman on the basis of lakshyartha.  This process of Mahavakhya vichara must be repeated (abhyasah) to create the fire of knowledge that will destroy Self-ignorance.

pasam dahati panditah – Panditah is that sishya who has internalised this knowledge through the repeated vichara.   This enlightened disciple burns as ahuthi in the fire of knowledge all the karmas; agami, sanchita and prarabhdha and other shackles like avidya, ahamkara and mamakara which are together clubbed in this Mantra as bondage since they trap one in samsara.

Thus the enquiry process results in Brahmavidya that burns samsara by revealing the identity of one’s Self with Brahman.

Mantra 12

Sa eva mayaparimohitatma, sariramasthaya karoti sarvam |

Striyannapanadivicitrabhogaih, sa eva jagratparitrptimeti || 12 ||

With the mind deluded by Maya, he himself identifies with the body and performs all actions. In the waking state, he himself attains fulfilment through various sense-objects like woman, food, and drink.

Mantra 13

Svapne sa jivah sukhaduhkhabhokta, svamayaya kalpitajivaloke I

Sushuptikale sakale viline, tamo’bhibhutah sukharupameti II 13 II

During dream, that jiva becomes the experiencer of pleasure and pain in the subjective world projected by his own Maya. When everything is resolved in the state of sleep, he attains the nature of Aananda, overpowered by ignorance.

The experience of Jiva in all the three states of waking, dream and deep-sleep is described in these two verses. The analysis of all the three states reveals the underlying presence of Self as witness of all the three states. Maya is a term used for the macrocosm or Totality and Avidya is termed used in the case of microcosm or individual.   But here as in Advaita Makaranda there is no differentiation made between these two words and the word Maya is used here in the place of Avidya with reference to Jiva.  Jiva is the Self deluded by Maya, who moves from one state to another, creating his own world in the first two states and merging in the bliss of ignorance in the third.  

Mantra 12 describes the experience of Jiva in the waking state. The individual consciousness in the waking state is called Viswa, and all the Upadhis are available in this state to transact with the environment i.e. external world.  Enjoyment to the maximum degree is possible during the waking state of the Jiva through the use of the physical body, mind, intellect, senses and pranic energies and Jiva seeks full gratification in the world of objects making use of this opportunity to the full extent in the waking state. Stree stands for chetana prapancha, sentient universe and anna-pana stands for achetana prapancha, insentient universe.

The first line of Mantra 13 describes the experience of Jiva in the dream state. In this state Jiva is under the spell of Nidra sakthi which is called Maya here.  Jiva through Nidra sakthi creates a dream world with objects and enters the dream world and has experiences, good and bad, which are real to the dreamer. For the dreamer, the dream is not a dream in the dream.  The individual consciousness in the dream state is called Taijasa.

The second line of Mantra 13 describes the experience of Jiva in deep-sleep state.  The deep sleep state is very different from the previous two states. Here everything withdraws into its causal state. There is no mind available for this experience and there is only the Self, merely as a witness.  Due to the temporary absence of all transactions with the world, and the ‘switching off’ of all thoughts of joy or sorrow, there is the experience of Bliss in this state which is not a mental bliss but the Bliss that is the natural state of the Self.  The experience of deep-sleep state is a total non-apprehension of everything; a total ignorance.  Even the experience of the natural state of Bliss is realized only later on waking up.  The individual consciousness in deep sleep state is called Prajna.

Mantra 14

Punasca janmantarakarmayogat, sa eva jivah svapiti prabuddhah I

Puratraye kridati yasca jivah tatsu jatam sakalam vicitram I

Adharamanandamakhandabodham, yasmin layam yati puratrayam ca II 14 II

Once again, that very Jiva dreams or wakes up because of the association with past karma. All this diversity is born out of that (Jiva) alone which Jiva sports in the three worlds of experience. Moreover, the three worlds resolve into that (Jiva) which is indivisible Consciousness and Aananda, the substratum (of all).

This verse takes an overview of all the three states, waking, dream and deep sleep.  The karma that one has accumulated over countless births becomes the cause of  birth into human bodies, there to work itself out. This karma keeps one within any one of the three states at any one time. It is the karma that hurls one back and forth through the three states, tossing one from one to the other, like a tennis ball.  The three states are called three cities as they are unique in themselves. The Self as witness is common to all the three states, witnessing them as their substratum. It remains unaffected by the game of change of states. In fact, It even survives their ultimate dissolution at the time of death absorbing them into Itself.  This Mantra points out at the start that from the bliss of deep sleep the Jiva wakes up to the trouble and turmoil of samsara of the physical world or dream world due to influence of accumulated karma. So the respite one gets from samsara is ordinarily brief.  But when Jiva wakes up to Athma Jnanam to realize its true identity with Brahman, Jiva is relieved of the karmas and then realises in the waking state that he as the Self is the substratum to the physical world as well and disassociating himself from body-mind complex enjoys the permanent bliss of the substratum, the universal pure Consciousness which is Sat-Chit-Aananda.

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