Mantras 20 to End
Mantra 20
Anoraniyanahameva tadvad, mahanaham
visvamaham vicitram I
Puratano’ham purusho’hamisah, hiranmayo’ham
sivarupamasmi II 20 II
I am subtler than the subtle and also I am big. I am the manifold universe. I am the ancient
one. I am the all-pervasive one. (I am) the ruler. I am the effulgent one. I am
the very auspiciousness.
In this Mantra sishya is
narrating what he learnt about Brahman, ascribing them to his Self i.e. Brahma-lakshanam
as his Self-lakshnam. Through
this he is revealing to guru that he has understood well what he taught
regarding the description of Brahman in Upanishads as well as the fact
of Jiva-Brahma-Ikyam. So
substituting in this Mantra ‘I’ by its lakshyartha ‘Brahman’ the the sishya’s
statement will read as:-“Brahman is subtler than the subtlest while It is also
bigger than biggest. Brahman is verily
this universe with all its diversities. Brahman is the most ancient i.e. without
beginning. It pervades everything
everywhere. Brahman is Supreme, self-shining, and embodiment of Pure Happiness.
That Brahman is “I””. This is also a Nitidyasana
Mantra.
Mantra 21
Apanipado’hamachintyasaktih, pasyamyacaksuh
sa srnomykarnah |
Aham vijanami vivikatrupah, na chasti vetta
mama citsadaham || 21 ||
I am without hands and legs; (yet) I am endowed with
incomprehensible power. I see without eyes. I hear without ears. Endowed with a
distinct nature, I know (everything). But there is no one who is the knower of
me. I am ever the pure consciousness.
Mantra 21 is a continuation of the Self-declaration as Brahman
made in the previous Mantra. This is
also a Nitidyasana Mantra
Apanipado’hamachintyasaktih – ‘I
am without hands and legs’ does not mean Brahman is disabled. Here the
hands and legs represent all the five Karmendriyas. Athma, the Pure
Consciousness, in one has no need to respond to outside world and it is the
source of life in one’s Karmendriyas and its power cannot be
comprehended because Maya is its power as Brahman.
pasyamyacaksuh sa srnomykarnah – “I
see without eyes, I hear without ears”
means Athma, the Pure Consciousness, is the hearing power behind the
ears and the seeing power behind the eyes.
Eyes and ears represent all five Jnanendriyas and Athma,
the Pure Consciousness is the source of intelligence in Jnanendriyas.
Aham vijanami vivikatrupah –
Athma, the Pure Consciousness, is aware of everything as it is Knowledge itself
and as It pervades all living beings as Athma
na chasti vetta mama citsadaham
- Pure Consciousness i.e. Brahman
is always the subject, the knowing principle itself and is not an object of knowledge.
That Pure Consciousness is “I”
Mantra 22
Vedairanekairahameva vedyaḥ, vedantakrdvedavideva
chaham I
Na punyapape mama nasti nasah, na
janmadehendriyabuddhirasti I
Na bhumirapo na cha vahnirasti, na chanilo
me’sti na chambaram cha II 22 II
I alone am to be known through all the Vedas. I am the
initiator of the Vedanta. I alone am the knower of the Vedas. Punya and papa
do not belong to me. There is no death (for me). Birth, body, sense organs, and
intellect do not belong (to me). Earth and water do not belong (to me). Fire also does not belong (to me). Air also
does not belong (to me). Space also does not belong to me.
Continuing with the topic of Nitidyasanam, sishya
says
Vedairanekairahameva vedyah, vedantakrdvedavideva
chaham – this line is almost the same as the second line of
Bhagavad Gita verse 15-15, with the word ‘sarvaih’ in the place of
‘anekaih’. Here also substituting
Brahman, the lakshyartha, for “I”, this can be read as “Through the four Vedas
Brahman is the ultimate truth to be known.
Brahman is the author of all Vedas as Iswara and also the content of all
Vedas.”
Na punyapape mama nasti nasah, na
janmadehendriyabuddhirasti - Brahman does not have the conditionings
of body, mind and intellect, Brahman
is beyond birth and death and the laws of the universe do not apply to It, the
Creator.
Na bhumirapo na cha vahnirasti, na chanilo
me’sti na chambaram cha -
From the angle of one who has woken to Athma Jnanam, the universe
made of Pancha Bhutas is a dream and so the Pancha Bhutas as
dream elements is unreal and non-existent to him, the knower of Self.
With this Mantra, Nitidyasana Mantras that started from Mantra 19
ends. This Nitidyasanam reinforces the mithyatva darsanam of the
universe and the mithyatva darsanam helps one see the choiceless problems
of vyavaharika world as events in a cosmic dream and be untroubled by
them. When there are
choices one can try to solve the problem using the various choices but the choiceless problems like old age,
disease, separation, death etc. have this remedy only: see mithyatvam in
them. Mithyatvam can be seen only when one revises one’s opinion about oneself
that one is not a jiva and one is Brahman i.e. “I am not a Jiva, I am Brahman”
when stated in first person. Nitidyasanam
helps one to make this assertion to oneself.
Mantra 23
Evam viditva paramatmarupam, guhasayam nishkalamadvitiyam I
Samastasakshim sadasadvihinam, prayati suddham
paramatmarupam II 23 II
Thus, having known the nature of the supreme Self which
resides in the heart, (which is) partless, nondual, the witness of all, without
cause and effect, and pure, one attains the nature of the Supreme Self.
Now, Prajapati concludes his Mahavakhya upadesa pointing out how the Mahavakhyam must be absorbed by the sishya through Sravanam, Mananam and Nitidhyasanam. Sravaṇam and Mananam are meant for revising the conclusion about oneself that one is not a Jiva but is Brahman. Nitidhyasanam is meant for internalising the revised conclusion and having Jnananishta. Prajapathi describes Brahman first as:
guhasayam - It is resident in
the mind witnessing one’s thoughts (Sakshi).
nishkalam – It is
division-less and part-less like space. Therefore, It is formless and
all-pervading.
advitiyam – It is one without
a second. There is Consciousness only and there is no Real second thing apart
from it.
Samastasakshim - It
is the witness of everything – all avasthas in case of an individual and
all prapanchas in case of the total universe.
sadasadvihinam – It
is beyond cause and effect. Maya is the
cause, while prapancha is effect. As It is beyond cause and effect, It
is beyond Maya and prapancha.
suddham – It is free from Maya
and prapancha that are mithya and not Real. There is no second thing to contaminate It. Therefore,
It is absolutely pure.
paramatmarupam prayati
– It is of the nature of Paramathma, the Brahman. Becoming Brahman is dropping the notion
that I am Jiva. The knower of Brahman becomes one with Brahman
dropping the notion he is Jiva. This
part of the Mantra is similar to the one in Mundakopanishad (3-2-9) that states
“brahma veda brahmaiva bhavati (one who knows Brahman becomes Brahman
itself)”. So he is said to become a Muktha Purusha, attaining Jivan Mukthi while alive and Videha Mukthi at death.
Mantra 24
Yah satarudriyamadhite so’gniputo bhavati,
surapanatputo bhavati I
Brahmahatyaputo bhavati, krtyākrtyatputo
bhavati, tasmadavimukta-
Masrito bhavati I
atyasrami sarvada sakrdva japet II 24 II
One who recites Sri Rudram becomes purified by (the
sacred) fire (as it were). He becomes free from the sin of drinking. He becomes
free from the sin of killing a brahmin. He becomes free from the sin of
omissions and commissions. Thereafter, he comes under the shelter of Lord Siva.
A sanyasi should recite (Rudram) all the time or (at least) once a day.
The teaching of Brahma
Vidya is over with the previous Mantra. In this Mantra Prajapati recommends Sri Rudra
parayanam for those who find it difficult to understand and assimilate Athma
Vidya, as an additional sadhana for Chitta Suddhi.
Mantra also lists the papams
that Sri Rudra parayanam frees one from as follows:
·
Papams relating to improper
kindling of ritualistic fire
·
Papams relating to
consuming of liquor (and eating meat)
·
Papam arising from killing
a Brahmin (a person with Vedic knowledge)
·
Papams arising from other
acts of commission and omission.
Freed from these papams
he comes under the protection of Lord Siva.
Mantra recommends this parayanam for sanyasis as well for mental
purification.
Mantra 25
Anena jnanamapnoti, samsararnvanasanam I
Tasmadevam viditvainam, kaivalyam phalamasnute,
Kaivalyam phalamasnuta iti II
25 II
By the (Rudra Parayanam), one attains Self-knowledge
which is the destroyer of the ocean of samsara. Therefore, having known this
(Self) thus, one attains the fruit of liberation; one attains the fruit of
liberation (definitely).
This is the last Mantra of the Upanishad. As the mind gets more and more prepared, the Upanishadic study will become more meaningful and more relevant. Such a person will ultimately attain Moksha. Moksha is called Kaivalyam here. Kaivalyam means advaitam – the non-dual truth. Since Moksha is called Kaivalyam, this Upanishad itself is called Kaivalya Upanishad. The line meaning ‘one attains the fruit of liberation” is repeated to mark the end of the Upanishad.
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