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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Consciousness & Reflection of Consciousness

Drik Drisya Viveka 2

Verse 5

nodeti nastametyesa na vrddhim yati na ksayam ।

svayaṃ vibhatyathananyani bhasayet sadhanam vina ॥ 5॥

This (Sakshi) does not rise, nor does It set; It does not increase, nor does It decrease; It shines by itself and then others does It illumine, without any external aid.

This verse describes the Seer 3, Consciousness or Sakshi.  Consciousness is not limited by time as it does not have origination or destruction i.e. it has no birth or death.  It is also not limited by space as It does not increase in space or decrease in space.  In short, it is eternal and all-pervading being time-wise limitless and space-wise limitless.  Consciousness is ever the Seer and is never illumined by anything because it is self-luminous.  Not only it is self-shining, it illumines all the other things also without requiring any instruments for illumination.  In Kathopanishad (2-2-15) It is described as, “Tameva bhantham anubhathi sarvam tasya bhasa sarvamidam Vibhathi (It shining, all these (sun,moon, stars etc.) shine; through its lustre all these are variously illumined.)”.   It needs nothing else to know It.  It is the very principle of knowing; It is Knowledge Absolute.

Verse 6

Chit chhaayaa aaveshatah buddhau bhanaṃ dhiistu dvidha sthita ।

ekahankrtiranya syadantahkaranarupiṇi ॥ 6॥

The reflection of Consciousness that enters into the Buddhi, makes it conscious. The (thoughts in the) Buddhi (intellect) are of two kinds: One is the Ego thought, and the other is of the nature of the anthakarana (mind).

Consciousness is present everywhere and is illuminating everything that is manifested, gross as well as subtle.  However gross objects cannot reflect it as well as the subtle. This may be compared to light which reflects very well off a surface of water and very poorly off a piece of wood.  The anthakaranam is the most subtle object in creation.  Anthakaranam is referred to here through one of its constituents, intellect (buddhi).  Anthakaranam is divided into four parts, the ego, the intellect, the mind and memory. Here these four have been re-grouped into two parts. They are:

i) Ego - Aham or the “I”-thought.

ii) Mind - The remaining three parts of the Antahkarana, intellect, mind & memory, are clubbed together and referred to as Mind.

Anthakaranam though insentient appears sentient on account of association with Consciousness in the form of its reflection and in turn becomes illuminator like the moon becoming an illuminator of earth through its association with the sunlight reflected on its surface. This anthakaranam being divided into two groups the associated thoughts are also seen in two groups and we now have two groups of thoughts Ego and Mind, for further study.

Verse 7 

chayaahankarayoraikyam taptayahpindavanmatam ।

tadahankaratadatmyaat dehaschetanatamagaat॥ 7॥

The identity of the reflected Consciousness and the Ego is considered to be like that of a heated iron ball (and of fire).  The Ego, due to identification (with the body), lends its consciousness to the body.

In this verse the first part of the two parts of thought is taken up – Ahamkara, the ‘I’ thought or just Ahamkriti, as mentioned in the previous verse and Its relationship with reflected Consciousness is being considered.  The simile employed in Athmabodha (verse 62) to illustrate how the Brahman pervading the world of creation totally, lends life and intelligence to the world of inert and insentient matter is used here. The simile is that of an iron-ball and fire. The cold iron ball coming into contact with red hot fire gets heated up, glows red like fire and heats up others in contact wth it. The insentient ego turns sentient due to its association with reflected consciousness and in turn makes the inert body sentient through its association with the body. The gross body now appears to be sentient as well.  The body includes the golakams of the sense-organs and so the sentient ahamkriti makes the sense-organs sentient as well. All the three components of the individual are thus sentient and so there is a live individual.  At the time of death, the anthakaranam quits the gross body and the reflected consciousness also leaves along with the subtle body housing the anthakaranam and the gross body becomes insentient because the gross body cannot borrow consciousness directly from Athma, though Athma is all-pervading.

Verse 8

ahankarasya tadatmyaṃ cicchayadehasaksibhih ।

sahajam karmajam bhrantijanyam ca trividham kramat ॥ 8॥

The identification of the Ego with the reflection of Consciousness, with body and with the Witness are of three kinds, namely natural, born of karma (past actions), and ignorance (delusion) respectively.

In this verse Ego identifications are grouped in three distinct categories according to the cause of each category.  The identification of the Ego with the reflection of Consciousness, the body and the Witness are of three kinds, namely, natural, due to (past) Karma, and due to ignorance, respectively. The identification of Ego with reflection of Consciousness is natural, permanent and inseparable as any reflecting medium and reflection cannot be physically separated and as long as the reflecting medium is present the reflection will also be present.  The Ego-body identification is temporary and the association is caused by Prarabdha karma and the association will last until the Prarabdha karma lasts.  No identification is possible between the Ego and the Sakshi because Sakshi belongs to a higher order of reality, and the Ego belongs to a lower order of reality. No connection or identification is possible between the higher and the lower orders of reality.  Further Sakshi is like space which is not connected to anything.  But due to ignorance, which is called delusion (branthi) here, one makes the identification of Ego “I” with the Sakshi, the Real ‘I’.

Verse 9

sambandhinohsatornasti nivrttih sahajasya tu ।

karmakshayat prabodhaccha nivartete kramadubhe ॥ 9॥

The connection (of Ego) with reflected Consciousness cannot be annihilated, as it is natural; the other two (connection with body and Sakshi) can be eliminated by exhaustion of Karma, and by enlightenment (knowledge of Sakshi) respectively,

The previous verse outlined the three identifications of the Ego and they are dicussed further here for their better understanding.  We can never separate the bonding between reflection of Consciousness and Ego which is natural. The relationship between them lasts as long as they exist. But the relationship is not eternal because in videhamukti, the ego gets destroyed and the relationship comes to an end.  Since the Ego-body connection is due to prarabhda karma, that relationship will continue as long as the prarabdha karma lasts and only at death. prarabhdha karma will be exhausted.  Even Athma Jnanam cannot extinguish the connection between the body and Ego, if Prarabdha karma is not exhausted. But Athma Jnanam gives a new perspective to such a person’s emotional reaction to the pain and sorrow. Naming such a wise person as Sthitha prajna, Lord Krishna  states in Gita (2-56):

Duhkheshwanudwignamanaah sukheshu vigatasprihah;

Veetaraagabhayakrodhah sthitadheer munir uchyate.

He whose mind is not shaken by adversity, who does not hanker after pleasures, and who is free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a sage of steady wisdom.

But with Athma Jnanam the bond between Ego and Sakshi will cease for with the Jnanam one realises that there had never been a connection and never could be a connection as Sakshi belongs to a higher order of Reality compared to Ego.  Hence Ego can no longer identify itself with the Sakshi after enlightenment.  So the  identification of the Ego with the reflection of Consciousness, which is natural, does not cease so long as they exist and the other  two identifications disappear after the wearing out of the result of Karma and the attainment of the knowledge of Brahman (enlightenment) respectively.

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