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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The significance of ‘Om Tat Sat’

Gita essays 32

In Chapter 17, Lord Krishna, after answering Arjuna’s question on sraddaha, voluntarily discussed four more subjects, namely aahara, yajna, tapas and daanam classifying them guna-wise.  After the classification of all the four subjects,  Lord Krishna started explaining the significance of the famous mantra ‘Om Tat Sat’, which is used in the beginning or end of their activity by spiritual seekers, as this powerful mantra can by its utterance with sraddaha convert even the rajasic and tamasic activities into satvic activities.  In verse 23 Lord calls it as the ‘three-fold designation of Brahman’.  Swami Chinmayananda calls, Om,Tat and Sat as three apects of Reality; Om representing the transcendental and pure Self, Tat indicating the eternal Goal, changeless and ever-perfect and Sat standing for the principle of Existence functioning through all things.  We shall see three Upanishad vakhyas where in each one of the vakhyas, one of the words of the mantra ‘Om Tat Sat’ figures.

The first and second mantras of Mandukya Upanishad talks about ‘OM’ thus; “Omityetadakṣaraṃ idagṃ sarvaṃ tasyopavyakhyanaṃ bhutaṃ bhavad bhaviṣyaditi sarvamonkara eva । sarvagṃ hyetad Brahma  (Om, the word, is all this [i.e. the whole universe]. A clear explanation of it is as follows: All that is past, present, and future is, indeed, Om. And whatever else there is, beyond the three-fold division of time, that also is truly Om.  All this is indeed Brahman”.)   Chandogya Upanishad in chapter 6 refers to Brahman as ‘Tat’ nine times in Uddalaka Aruni’s teaching to Svetakethu, in the mahavakhya,  ‘Tat tvam asi” (You are that (Brahman)).  The same Upanishad also refers to Brahman as Sat in 6-2-1: “Sadeva soumya Idam agra asit ekameva advidhiyam” (In the beginning, my dear, ‘Sat’ alone was there as one only without a second)  As we can see from the above references the three words Om, Tat and Sat independently and together reveal Brahman. Invoking this mantra purifies not only all activities and the motives behind the activities; it also removes all defects in worship as well.  As it represents Brahman, it is the source of all, including Vedas and Yajnas.

Lord goes on to explain the context in which the words - Om, Tat, Sat - is to be used.  Lord says that when the acts of sacrifice, gift and austerity as enjoined in the scriptures are undertaken by the seekers the mantra OM is to be uttered to cherish in the mind the divine awareness of the supremacy of the Infinite.  This adds purpose and meaning to all acts of sacrifice, charity and austerity by freeing the mind from the egocentric attachments.  Thus liberated from its physical, emotional and intellectual attachments, the liberated mind functions more efficiently in all austerities, more selfless in all yajnas, and more liberal in all charities.

To work in the field of Yajna or Tapas or Daana by tuning the mind to the meaning of the word `Tat' i.e. the spiritual truth of universal oneness of all living creatures, is to work without ego and the resultant freedom from attachments.  With the utterance of `Tat', all acts of sacrifice, penance and gifts are undertaken by the seekers of liberation without expecting any reward.  Liberation means liberation of one's personality from its physical, emotional and intellectual attachments. With the  liberated mind, one can easily realize the Divinity in oneself.  One who endeavours to liberate oneself must perform all one's activities in such a way that the causes that create the attachments -vasanas- are completely eliminated or under control.

The word `Sat' means both Reality and goodness. It is also used for all praiseworthy actions.  It indicates steadfastness in yajna, tapas ans daana.  In our daily contact with the world of objects we more often believe that this world, as physically observed, is the reality although it is only relatively real in comparison to the unchanging substratum, the `Sat', the Absolute Reality. The mantra `Sat' is used to indicate man's faith and devotion in sacrifice, austerity and gift and also remind one that all these are relative realities and have the same substratum, Sat, the Absolute Reality.

Lord Krishna emphasises in the concluding verse of this chapter  that faith makes man and even if anyone performs most glorious acts without faith they are of no use either here or hereafter. Actions create effects depending on the faith behind the actions. The Lord states that whatever sacrifice is made, whatever penance is performed or whatever charity is given it is called `Asat'  only if they are undertaken without faith as they are mere barren actions. Such faithless actions will produce no spiritual results.  Whatever sacrifice, austerity or charity done without being dedicated to the Lord will be of no avail to the doer in this earthly life here or in the life beyond hereafter. The Lord thus indicates that the spirit of faith is very much necessary and that without faith no spiritual progress or evolution can ever take place. This is true in this life and the life after death. Both in the secular activities as well as in the sacred performances of the religion, the factor that determines the quality and quantity of the result is our own goodness and our faith in the field of activity undertaken.

If the activities of Yajna, Tapas and Daana are undertaken with the chanting of OM - the Supreme, TAT - the Universal and SAT - the Real (the Infinite Brahman), with faith and sincerity, the seeker's mind gives up all its selfishness, arrogance and ego. The principle behind this advice is that actions create reactions depending upon the motive and attitude of the performer while undertaking such actions.

 For the transformation from tamas and rajas to satva,  chanting of  Om Tat Sat is important.  This mantra can be chanted in the beginning or it can be chanted at the end as well and so every chapter of Gita is ended with Om Tat Sat.

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Jeeva Iswara Aikyam – A startling equation

Tattva Bodha – 7

Aikyam  is a Sanskrit word meaning identity or sameness.  Jeeva Iswara Ikyam means Jeeva and Iswara are identical.  Expressed as an equation it is Jeeva=Iswara.  The equation will startle any individual who knows from knowledge of oneself  that Jeeva is finite, of limited knowledge (alpajna), having only limited strength (alpasakthiman), occupying even less than a mini micro-dot space in the universe (alpavyapi), a slave of maya (mayadasa),  full of sorrows and problems (samsara); while on the other hand Iswara is known  from the study of scriptures to be infinite, omniscient (sarvajna), all powerful (sarva sakthiman), all-pervading (sarvavyapi), master of maya (mayapathi), and is all bliss untouched by sorrows (asamsari).  But this Ikyam is the central theme of Advaita Vedanta.  So let us see how the seeming difference is reconciled and the identity established, in a simple manner.

An equation is possible between two entities only when they appear to be different but on analysis reveal identity as in the case of “9-4” and “3+2”.  Equating both sides is not possible if they not only appear different but are also really different for then any amount of analysis cannot establish identity as in the case of “9-4” and “4+3”.  And an equation is not necessary between same two entities like”9” and “9”.

On the face of it the omniscient, omnipotent, all-pervading, mayapathi, infinite, asamsari Iswara cannot be the same as alpasakthiman, alpajna, alpavyapi, mayadasa, finite, samsari Jeeva as both appear totally different.   So to explore the identity let us analyse and find the essential nature of each of them.

We had seen earlier in the blog on Avastha thriam that a human being has three states of experience, waking state, dream state and deep sleep state. In waking state all three bodies gross, subtle and causal are active and he is called Viswa. In dream state only subtle and causal bodies are active and he has the name Taijasa. In causal state only causal body is active and he has the name Prajna.  We can say Viswa, Taijasa and Prajna are three dimensions of human personality.  Mandukya Upanishad states that besides these three dimensions, there is a fourth dimension to human personality which it simply calls as fourth and says that is the Athma.   

“चतुर्थं मन्यन्ते स आत्मा स विज्ञेयः॥ (chathurtham manyanthe sa Athma sa vijvijneyaha) - Considered the fourth this is Athma and this is to be realised”.      

In the Mandukya Karika,  Gaudapada calls it Turiya.  This Turiya is not a name for a separate state as this is the Athma only, which is present in all three states blessing Viswa, Taijasa and Prajna.  Jeeva is this Athma but in Self-ignorance, he considers himself as Viswa, Taijasa and Prajna depending upon the state he is in. This Athma is the essential nature of Jeeva. And Athma is the infinite, all-pervading, omniscient, eternal Consciousness principle.  So in a nutshell the essential nature of Jeeva is the Consciousness principle.

Iswara is Brahman with maya sakthi, that functions through prapancha thriam; sthula, sukshma, karana prapanchas which are also matter only.  So the essential nature of Iswara is Brahman which is also the infinite, all-pervading, omniscient eternal Consciousness principle only.  So the essential nature of Jeeva as well as Iswara is Consciousness principle only and on that basis their identity is established.

We can illustrate it with an example. Waves rise and fall in the ocean. Some waves are big, some small, some are short-lived and some comparatively long-lived. Compared to the waves ocean is vast and it is also the srishti, sthithi, laya karanam for waves as they rise in it, are sustained by it and perish in it.  So superficially looking they cannot be equated.  But if you take their essence, wave in essence is water defined by the chemical formula H₂O and essence of ocean is also water with the same chemical formula of H₂O.  So looking from the angle of their essence we can pronounce the wave –ocean-identity.

Now a doubt may arise that if Jeeva’s essential nature is omniscient all-powerful ever-in-bliss Brahman why one is not aware of it anytime during one’s life.  It is because of maya’s powers that one is not only aware of one’s blissful Brahmatvam  but also in Self-ignorance mistakenly considers oneself as a miserable samsari  jeeva.   Maya has two powers; avarana sakthi, the veiling power and vikshepa sakthi, projecting power.  Under the spell of the avarana sakthi Jeeva is ignorant of his true nature as Brahman and under the influence of the vikshepa sakthi  Jeeva mistakenly considers that he is the body-mind complex with a particular name and form.  Because of this mistake of identifying himself with the body-mind complex, he suffers from all the ills and woes that body and mind are prone to. When he realizes through self-knowledge, his own Real nature as Athma, he becomes a Jeevanmuktha, and is unaffected mentally by the ills and woes of the body and mind.

This identity translates into Jeeva-Brahma Ikyam, when we consider jeeva shorn of upadhi, limiting adjunct, of bodies, which is Athma and Athma is the name for Brahman in microcosm.  Brahman and Athma are only two names for the same entity one in the context of macrocosm and the other in the context of microcosm, as one who is referred to as C.E.O in office is called Beta, son, by his father at home.  The statements in the Vedas that spell out this Ikyam are called Mahavakhyas, important statements.  Other Vedic statements that talk about Brahman without referring to Ikyam are called avanthara vakhya, ordinary statement.  One famous Mahavakhya which is often quoted is  “तत् त्वं असि” (Tat tvam asi), - you are That, you standing for jeeva and That for Brahman, which occurs nine times in chapter six of Chandogya Upanishad of Sama Veda. This Mahavakhya is discussed in detail in my earlier blog titled "Mahavakhya"

This knowledge of Ikyam is called Athma Jnanam and is the end goal in the quest for Self-knowledge or the quest for knowledge of “Who am I’.  This is achieved through the sadhanas of Jnana Yoga; Sravanam, Mananam and Nidhidyasanam.  Let us see briefly the benefits that this knowledge confers on one who is firmly established in the knowledge that he is not any of the three bodies but the Pure Consciousness behind them all.   

1)    He enjoys emotional independence as he is not emotionally disturbed by the presence of problems or absence of comforts in the life’s set-up and  accepts with a sense of detachment all that life has to offer in pairs of opposites like loss and gain, pain and pleasure, union and separation, heat and cold etc.   

2)    He develops  emotional strength to face undisturbed  all life’s challenges.

3)    He enjoys a sense of fullness, purnatvam, that gives complete peace and tranquillity as he has no compelling wants  or desires

4)    He attains Videha Mukthi on death, liberated from the cycle of birth and death.

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Mahavakhya

(I received a few queries regarding Mahavakhya, of which I made a reference in my blog "I AM THAT I AM"  So by way of explanation I am publishing here my article that appeared in Medha, the annual magazine of school of Vedic Sciences, Sydney)

A mahavakhya is a Vedic statement that occurs in Upanishad giving the oneness of Jiva with Brahman, which is referred to as Jiva Brahma Ikyam. Swami Chinmayananda calls the mahavakhya an identity revealing statement. Since it reveals the central teaching of the Upanishads, it is called Tatparya Vakhyam. The Vedic statement that refers to Brahman without dealing with Jiva Brahma Ikyam is called avaantara vakhya. Though there are a number of statements giving Jiva Brahma Ikyam, one mahavakhya only from each Veda is chosen, because of its brevity and directness, to represent all mahavakhyas. These four mahavakhyas are:

1)    Prajnanam Brahma –“Consciousness is Brahman”. This occurs in Aitareya Upanishad of Rig Veda

2)    Aham Brahma Asmi – “I am Brahman”.  This occurs in Brihadharanyaka Upanishad of Yajur Veda

3)    Tat Tvam Asi – “That thou Are”.  This occurs in Chandogya Upanishad of Sama Veda.

4)    Ayam Athma Brahma – “This Self is Brahman”.  This occurs in Mandukya Upanishad of Atharvana Veda.

There is a story connecting all these four Mahavakhyas. A sishya went to a guru and told him “Sir, I want to know about Brahman”. Guru asked him to go and meditate on the vakhya “Prajnanam Brahma”. Since this is a vakhya given for meditation practice it is called abhyasa vakhya. The sishya went and meditated on the vakhya. When he meditated on the vakhya, he was startled by the mind-boggling discovery he made and wondered whether the Consciousness that activates him can be the supreme cosmic force, Brahman. So he came to the guru again for confirmation and guru replied affirmatively “Tat Tvam Asi”. Since this is given as a teaching, it is called updesa vakhya. The sishya went and again meditated for a time and then returned to the guru and told him, “Aham Brahmasmi”. Since this vakhya is uttered after realisation it is called anubhuthi vakhya. Guru agreed with him with this statement “Ayam Athma Brahma”. So this is called sammatha vakhya.

Mahavakhya removes the misconception that Self is different from Brahman.  As Brahman is the source of security, peace and happiness, bhedha buddhi makes one run after these searching them elsewhere and Ikya Buddhi i.e. knowledge of identity, makes one realize them within oneself.  Abiding in this knowledge of Jiva Brahma Ikyam at all times, gives one Jivan Mukthi, i.e. Moksha, while living. In that sense mahavakhya gives one, liberating Self Knowledge.  But we should always remember that when Self is equated with Brahman it is like equating water in the ocean with water in a container in the seashore on the basis that both have the same chemical formula H₂O or like equating tiny waves in the ocean with the mighty ocean itself on the basis that both are essentially water only. It is not the individual with the upadhi of sareera triam, equated with the Brahman with the upadhi of prapancha triam. We shall see this briefly taking one of the mahavakhyas for analysis, namely the updesa vakhya.

“Tat Tvam Asi” occurs in Chapter 6 of Chandogya Upanishad, where Guru Uddalaka instructs sishya Svetaketu through examples the nature of Brahman. The importance of this upadesa vakhya can be seen from the fact that it is repeated nine times in the course of the teaching. This statement is in the form of an equation Tat=Tvam.  Equating both sides is not necessary if they are same like, 5 and 5. Again equating both sides is not possible when they are different like, 5 and 8. Equating becomes necessary, only if they appear to be different but, on analysis, they reveal identity like, 5+1 & 8-2. That is what happens in this equation Tat=Tvam, when you take the lakshyartha for Tat and Tvam, instead of the vachyartha.

Vachyartha, which is also called mukhya artha, is the primary meaning and lakshyartha is the secondary meaning. When I say I bought a banana, it means I bought the whole fruit.  But when I say I ate a banana, it refers only to the pulp portion and not to the whole fruit with the skin. In the first instance, we have taken the primary (literal) meaning, vachyartha, for banana i.e. the whole fruit with skin. In the second instance we have taken the secondary (contextual) meaning, lakshyartha, for banana i.e. the edible portion without the inedible skin. For getting the lakshyartha in the place of vachyartha, we employ one of the three following methods:

1)    Jahallakshana – Taking the secondary meaning, excluding the primary meaning. For example when you order takeaway coffee, and you are asked ‘any sugar’ and you reply ‘two spoons’, coffee is given not with two spoons, but with two spoonful sugar mixed.

2)    Ajahallakshana – Taking the secondary meaning, without sacrificing the primary meaning. For example when you order coffee, it is served in a cup which you have not ordered but understood.

3)    Jahadajahallakshana or Bhagatyagalakshana - Retaining certain portion of the primary meaning i.e. primary meaning is partially included and partially excluded as in the case of eating a banana, where only pulp portion is included and the skin portion excluded, while understanding the statement.

We are employing one of the three methods regularly for finding lakshyartha, when the vachyartha does not fit in. Only we are doing it automatically, without our being even aware of it. In the case of the statement, Tat Tvam Asi, when we take the vachyartha of both, we cannot equate the Jiva who is mortal and has all types of limitations and Brahman who is eternal and transcends all limitations. So we go to the lakshyartha of both on the basis of sastras, which is the pramanam for all matters concerning Self and Brahman, that cannot be objectified or conceptualized. Employing bhagatyagalakshana method and taking out the unequal upadhis ie sareera triam in Jiva and prapancha triam in Brahman we are left with Consciousness on both sides of the equation and that is identical. The same is done in anubhuthi vakhya, Aham Brahma Asmi, understanding Aham as standing for the Self , which is consciousness and not as referring to the individual as such with the body mind complex. The other two mahavakhyas, Prajnanam Brahma and Ayam Athma Brahma are much more straightforward as Consciousness is Athma, as per sastras. 

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Silence – the Real Self

Silence can be of body, speech or mind.  As physical silence is called stillness, we generally associate silence with speech or mind.  Of these the popular association is with speech. Silence of speech is practised more as a vrata, mouna vrata.  In mouna vrata also, one keeps the mouth shut but does not stay still and the mind also keeps its chattering and wandering. The silence, I am referring to is the silence of the mind, the inner stillness, which is also referred to as mano-nasa, the destruction of the mind.  Here the mind is not destroyed but only quietened with the thought process of the mind arrested. This state can be achieved only when there is total silence, silence of body, mind and speech.

Our mind being a product of the satva component of the pancha bhuthas i.e. space, air, fire, earth and water, which by themselves are insentient, is also insentient by itself.  It is made sentient by the pure Consciousness, called Chaitanyam that the mind manifests through its reflection in the mind, called Chidabasa. So in every thought experience called Vritti, Chaitanyam is associated.  One Chaitanyam associated with numerous thoughts is symbolically represented as Rasa Krida.  Krida stands for the coming and going of thoughts and Rasa stands for Anandha, that is Chaitanyam, which is Sat, Chit, Anandha. Rasa Krida is the figurative interplay of thoughts with Chaitanyam, which is one and changeless.  Normally we are experiencing Chaitanyam with Vritti in all our thought experiences. When the mind is silent, it is thought free and we are experiencing the Chaitanyam only and so the peace and happiness experienced in the moment of inner stillness is the peace and happiness associated with Chaitanyam. 

In Kenopanishad this is explained beautifully by the fit student first and later the guru explains it to the mediocre student. In the second verse of chapter 2, the student states as a reply to guru’s question, “I do not think, ’I know It well’, Not that I do not know; I know too.”  The student cannot know it well because Chaitanyam cannot be known as an object or as a concept.  But at the same time he cannot also say he does not know because it is part of his thought experiences. Thereafter the teacher explains this to the mediocre student in Mantra 4, with the oft-quoted statement. “प्रतिबोधविदितं मतम्”.

Here the teacher again explains to the mediocre student that Chaitanyam is associated with every thought modification of the mind.  Every experience we have has a variable component, thought and a non-variable component, Chaitanyam, the pure consciousness principle. One registers only the thought and not the Chaitanyam. To see an object one not only needs good eyes but also a source of light to illumine the object.  For even if one has good vision, one cannot see the object if there is no light and it is totally dark. But when we see an object, our mind registers the object only and not the light pervading it which makes it possible for us to see the object.  This you can experiment, while walking in the daytime.  The mind registers the objects only and not the sunlight that makes it possible for us to see the objects.  Even if there is nothing to notice, the emptiness also is revealed by the light only. In the same way not only the thought but also absence of thought is revealed by Chaitanyam. So in the moment of inner stillness, when thought is absent we have the experience of the revealing Chaitanyam and this explains the deep peace and serene happiness enjoyed at the time of inner stillness.

When mind is silent there is total silence i.e. silence of body and speech as well. And the inner stillness experienced then is the experience of Chaitanyam, which is our Real Self. This is conveyed by Mandukya Upanishad as well  through Mantras 7 and 12. Mantra 7 describes Turiyam, which is Athma and Mantra 12 describes Amatra, the state of silence, and both have identical descriptions. For as we have seen earlier, it is Chaitanyam that illuminates the chatter of mind as well as the silence of mind.  So this inner stillness is Athma that is Brahman, the Cosmic Supreme.   So if you meditate on ‘Om Namasivaya’ or on ‘Om Namo Narayana” or some similar Mantra, slowly spelling out the words mentally, concentrating on the silence in between words and lengthening the period of silence as meditation progresses, then you are  meditating  on Silence, your inner Real Self. 

This is the concept Wayne Dyer employs in his Gap Meditation, through which he says one can have conscious contact with God.  This inner stillness, Eckhart Tolle equates with ‘Now’, the container; the events that take place at any time being only the contents. So in his book “Stillness Speaks”, Eckhart Tolle states “When you lose touch with inner stillness, you lose touch with yourself ----- This is the I Am that is deeper than name and form.  Stillness is your essential nature” and goes on to equate the stillness with Awareness which is Chaitanyam. From this we can see that what Lord Dakshinamurthy does, is not teaching in silence but teaching ‘Silence’, that is one’s Real Self.

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Sampradaya and dimensions of Consciousness

In my blog “Dimensions of Consciousness” I had tried to relate the views of Burt Harding and Deepak Chopra, modern advaita philosophers of west, who had defined the dimensions of Consciousness in terms of growth in awareness of one’s true Self, to different stages of purification of mind in the path of discovery of one’s real Self.  I had received comments from well-meaning friends that talking of dimensions in the case of Consciousness is not sampradaya.  Since somebody else may be feeling that way without recording, I thought, I may record my views as a matter of clarification. 

Yes, it is not strictly sampradaya but it is not totally new as well.  We can find instances in Sruthi and Smrithi where waking consciousness, dream consciousness and deep sleep consciousness are defined separately and given particular names.  In Mandukya Upanishad, Athma which is the pure Consciousness is said to have four padas.  First pada is the consciousness associated with the waking state called Viswa, the second pada is consciousness associated with dream state which is called Taijasa, and the third pada is the consciousness associated with deep sleep state which is called Prajna.  In Vedanta Sara , Sri Sadananda Yogindra Saraswathi terms Viswa as Consciousness associated with gross body (Sthula sareera), Taijasa as consciousness associated with subtle body(Sukshma sareera) and Prajna as consciousness associated with causal body(Karana sareera).  What can be associated with one of the three states(avasthas) or one of the three bodies(sareeras)  can only be the individual Consciousness, the Consciousness that manifests in individual mind and makes it sentient.

The fourth pada is the pure Consciousness which is present as unassociated witness in all the three states of waking, dream and deep sleep and is called the Fourth in Mandukya Upanishad and as Turiyam in Vedanta Sara and in Karika.  Turiyam is also not associated with the three bodies being asanga, as per Vedanta Sara.  Turiyam is nothing but Brahman, the cosmic Supreme. One who realizes Turiyam as one’s real Self, and stays in that state of realisation all the time, even while interacting with the external world is aware of the unity of all living beings as Turiyam and in Turiyam, and has attained the highest  state  of realisation. This highest state of realisation was called as the state of Unity Consciousness by Deepak Chopra and this is the seventh and the highest dimension.  For that person who has evolved to the seventh dimension, there is only life of being and not of becoming.  In that state of realisation, one lives and interacts with the external world, with the inner realisation that he is not in the body but the body is in him.

As for the first three dimensions and the final seventh dimension only the name differs and not description of the state as compared to sampradaya.  Further the path to Self Realisation is marked by the following stages sadhana-wise in scriptures:  

1.  achieving purification of mind (chitta suddhi) through karma yoga
2. achieving one pointedness of thoughts ( chitta ekagratha) through upasana yoga
3. getting doubt-free Self-knowledge (Athma jnanam)  through sravanam and mananam

These sadhana-wise stages can be also described as dimension 4,5 &6 of Consciousness.  In my blog I have chosen to define knowledge-wise stages as dimensions as they correspond well with the names used by Deepak Chopra for the different dimensions.   So here only the idiom is different, but import is the same.  Whether it is in defining dimensions of conscience or in describing human being as a mix of mortal human and immortal, infinite Being, substance is not sacrificed , only presentation differs. 

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