Chandogya upanishad (Ch.6,7&8)–33

 Chapter 8, Sections13,14,15 (the end)

Mantra 8-13-1

syamacchabalam prapadye sabalacchyamaṃ prapadye'sva iva romani vidhuya papam chandra iva rahormukhatpramuchya dhutva sariramakrtam krtatma brahmalokamabhisambhavamityabhisambhavamiti || 8.13.1|| iti trayodasah khandah ||

From the dark may I attain the diverse; from the diverse may I attain the dark. Shaking off papams as a horse shakes dust from its hair, freeing myself from the body as the moon frees itself from the mouth of Rahu, I fulfil all ends and obtain the eternal Brahmaloka. End of section thirteen

            In this Mantra, we have a prayer uttered by a saguna upasaka who is a seeker of krama mukthi. So he prays that he may shed all the papams, which are the obstacles for krama mukthi, before death, like the horse shaking itself free of all dust from its body and travel to Brahmaloka, attain Nirguna Brahma Jnanam there and get rid of the body like moon freeing itself from the hold of Rahu, at the end of the eclipse, through krama mukthi.  Swami Paramarthananda terms this and next Mantra as obscure Mantras as it is difficult to understand them without the help of Sri Sankara’s commentary.   For instance the Upanishad calls the Daharakasa Brahmaloka, inner Brahmaloka, syamam, dark, and the heavenly Brahmaloka as sabalam, diverse and gives the upasaka’s prayer as “I should get back to sabalam from this syamam” meaning he should travel to Brahmaloka after death to get krama mukthi as he has not got Nirguna Brahma Jnanam and also for him body is real.  With this prayer this section ends.

Mantra 8-14-1

akaso vai nama namarupayornirvahita te yadantara tadbrahma tadamrtam sa athma prajapateh sabham vesma prapadye yaso'ham bhavami brahmananam yaso rajnam yasovisaṃ yaso'hamanuprapatsi sa haham yasasam yasah syetamadatkamadatkam syetam lindu mabhigam lindu mabhigam || 8.14.1 || iti chaturdasah khandah ||

That which is described as Akasa manifests names and forms. These names and forms are within Brahman. Brahman is immortal; it is the Athma. May I attend the court of Prajapati. May I attain the glory of a brahmin, and also of a kshatriya and a vaisya. I wish to attain that glory. I am the glory of glories. May I not be born again and have a body covered with blood and dirt, which is toothless and at the same time wanting to eat.  End of section fourteen.

            Here the definition of Brahman is given for meditation as one who is bodiless, all-pervading like Akasa and that the Athma is Brahman.   The Upanishad also describes Brahman as that in which all the names and forms exist, and which is unattached and unaffected by them.  Brahman manifests them on Creation as Saguna Brahman through the power of Maya. This upasaka meditates on Akasa as Saguna Brahman. The latter part of the Mantra gives his prayer for travel to Brahmaloka after death and attaining krama mukthi there. His prayer for krama mukthi is expressed in two ways.  One as a prayer for all the glories of all the beings to be his in Brahmaloka, as this is possible only if he merges in Brahman, as Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita (10-41);

Yadyad vibhootimat sattwam shreemadoorjitameva vaa;

Tattadevaavagaccha twam mama tejom’shasambhavam.

Whatever being there is that is glorious, prosperous or powerful, that know thou to be a manifestation of a part of My splendour.

Second as the prayer for freedom from re-birth with its attendant freedom from the stay in womb wherein as a foetus one wallows toothless in blood and dirt. With this prayer this section ends.

Mantra 8-15-1

tadhaitadbrahma prajapataya uvacha prajapatirmanave manuh prajabhyaḥ acharyakuladvedamadhitya yathavidhanam guroh karmatiseshenabhisamavrtya kutumbe suchau dese svadhyayamadhiyano dharmikanvidadhadatmani sarvendriyani sampratishthapyahimsansarva bhutanyanyatra tirthebhyah sa khalvevam vartayanyavadayusham brahmalokamabhisampadyate na cha punaravartate na cha punaravartate || 8.15.1 || iti panchadasah khandah ||

Brahma taught this knowledge of the Athma to Prajapati, Prajapati to Manu, Manu to mankind. He who has studied the Vedas at the house of a teacher, according to the prescribed rules, during the time left after the performance of his duties to the teacher; he who, after leaving the teacher’s house, has settled down into a householder’s life and continued the study of the Vedas in an undisturbed place and made others (i.e. his sons and disciples) virtuous; he who has withdrawn all the sense— organs into the Athma; he who has not given pain to any creature except as approved by the scriptures—he who conducts himself thus, all through his life, reaches the World of Brahman after death and does not return.  End of Section fifteen.

            First the Upanishad highlights the importance of this teaching by stating that this teaching has come down from Brahma in the form of an unbroken guru-sishya parampara.  Brahma taught to Prajapathi and Prajapathi to Manu and Manu to his descendants, the mankind.  Then it outlines the conducive life-style to be pursued by one for carrying on the tradition and benefitting by it and to ensure the continuity of the tradition. First step is, stay in a gurukulam as a Brahmachari, serving the guru and learning the Vedas from the guru. Second step is; after completion of the stay in gurukulam, return home, get married and start to live as a Grihastha and in family life, to continue the study of Vedas undisturbed in a secluded place, allotting time for it among one’s other duties as a Grihastha and live a dharmic life as prescribed by the Vedas.  He must also take care to bring up his children virtuous and at an appropriate time after they become mature responsible adults, withdraw from family responsibilities to pursue actively the spiritual sadhanas practising ahimsa among other religious disciplines. This can be done practicing an introvert, withdrawal life-style, even staying with the family or taking to sanyasa as the final step.  One who leads such a life practicing Vedic values, engaged in upasana of Brahman is assured of travel to Brahmaloka after death.  Getting krama mukthi there, he is freed from the return to a womb. With this Mantra, the section, the chapter, as well as the Upanishad end and only the Shanthi Mantra which was given at the beginning of the Upanishad is repeated which we shall see now.

Shanthi Mantra

Om. aapyaayantu mamangaani, vaak praanah chakshuh srotramatho balam indriyaani cha sarvaani. I sarvam Brahmaupanishadam, ma’ham Brahma niraakuryam maa maa Brahma niraakarod  aniraakaranam astu, aniraakaranam me astu I tad aatmani nirate ya upanishatsu dharmah, te mayi santu, te mayi santu. I Om shanti shanti shanti II

May my limbs, speech, Prana, eye, ear and power of all my senses grow vigorous.  All is Brahman of the Upanishads. May I never deny Brahman; may Brahman never spurn me. May there be no denial of Brahman; may there be no spurning by Brahman; may I take delight in that Athma; May the virtues recited in the Upanishads repose in me; may they repose in me I Om Peace, Peace, Peace II

            Through this Shanthi Mantra the sishya seeks a sound sthula, sukshma sareera that will enable him to absorb the teaching and pursue studies without interference of physical and mental problems.   Particular mention is made of speech, Prana, eye and ear among other limbs.  Speech implying communication skill is important in Mananam for conveying the doubts to guru seeking clarification.  Prana is important for general health and vitality for concentration in studies without distraction.   Eye should be problem-free to study the Sastras. The importance of ear in Sravanam needs no emphasis. The essence of Vedanta is stated in the invocation with the affirmation that everything is only the Brahman of Upanishads.  Sishya prays that neither his faith in Brahman nor the grace of Brahman should desert him at any time, and repeats it for emphasis.  He also seeks as a devoted student of AthmaJnanam all the qualification required for BrahmaVidya studies namely sadhana chathushtaya sampathi, i.e. the fourfold discipline of discrimination, dispassion, sixfold discipline, and the intense desire for moksha purushartha.   The invocation ends with the traditional prayer for peace from the three types of obstacles, also called tapatrayam, as given below:

1. Adhyathmikam – Obstacles arising from within oneself like one’s personal ill-health, negative mood etc.  i.e. obstacles arising from oneself.
2. Aadhi bauthikam – Obstacles arising from other known sources or external situations like ill-health of a family member, noisy neighbourhood etc. i.e. obstacles arising from one’s environs.
3. Aadhi daivikam – obstacles arising from unseen sources like floods, storm etc. obstacles arising from nature

Acknowledgement

While concluding the series of blogs on ‘Chandogya upanishad (Ch.6,7&8)’ I wish to record my deep debt of gratitude to the speeches and writings on this subject, of:

1)  Swami Lokeswarananda

2)  Swamini Vimalananda

3)  Swami Paramarthananda 

4)  Swami Guruparananda

5)  Swami  Gurubhakthananda &

6)  Swami  Swahananda

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Chandogya upanishad (Ch.6,7&8)–32

 Chapter 8, Section 12

Mantra 8-12-1

maghavanmartyam va idam sariramattam mṛtyuna tadasyamṛtasyasarirasyatmano'dhishthanamatto vai sasarirah priyapriyabhyam na vai sasarirasya satah priyapriyayorapahatirastyasariram vava santam na priyapriye sprsatah || 8.12.1 ||

(Prajapathi said) “O Indra, this body is mortal. It is always held by death. Yet it is the base of the Athma, which is immortal and formless. The embodied self is subject to both happiness and unhappiness. In fact, there is no end to happiness and unhappiness so long as one is identified with the body. But neither pleasure nor pain touches one who is not identified with the body.

            This is the main section as in this section Athma Jnanam is taught. Athma is formless and has no body, asariri.  It has no relation with the body, though pervading the body and lending sentiency to the body through its reflection.  Athma is in the body but it is not of the body.  It is not a part, product or part of the body.  The body is three-fold, classified as sthula, sukshma, karana i.e. gross, subtle, causal sareeras. The body is mortal with death hanging over its head like a sword all its lifetime. The body is only the abode for the Athma which is the witness Self and is independent of all the three sareeras. It is Brahman and is free from pleasure and pain.  But when manifesting in the three sareeras with its reflection it appears to be embodied and is mistaken for the Self “I”.  This embodied self is subject to pleasure and pain. So until one identifies oneself with the embodied self out of ajnanam, one is subject to pleasure and pain.  When one realises that his real Self is Athma, the Brahman, and gives up identification with body, he becomes free of pain and pleasure.

Mantra 8-12-2

asariro vayurabhraṃ vidyutstanayitnurasariranyetani tadyathaitanyamushmadakasatsamutthaya param jyotirupasampadya svena rupenabhinispadyante || 8.12.2 ||

The air is formless. So also are clouds, lightning, and thunder. All these arise from the sky and assume their respective forms due to the heat of the sun.

            In this Mantra the Upanishad wants to convey that even though we don’t see the Athma, it is always within us.  It conveys this through the examples of clouds, lightning, and thunder. There is no body consisting of feet, hands etc., in the case of cloud and lightning and thunder.  Since they are unembodied, they serve as examples for the unembodied sakshi- Athma.  Prior to the rainy season, these forms are latent in the sky and are not manifested.  At the time of the rainy season, they appear in the sky and at the time of summer they become one with the sun. They were there, but they were not visible all the time. We see them only when the conditions are right; otherwise they are in a latent form, one with the sky.  Similarly, only when the Self-knowledge arises, the sakshi-Athma without the false cognition of identity with the three bodies is known in its natural form of Athma identical with Brahman.

Mantra 8-12-3

evamevaisha samprasado'smacchariratsamutthaya param jyotirupasampadya svena rupenabhinishpadyate sa uttamapurushah sa tatra paryeti jakshatkridanramamanah stribhirva yanairva jnathibhirva nopajanam smarannidam sariram sa yatha prayogya acharane yukta evamevayamasmincharire prano yuktah || 8.12.3 ||

In the same way, this serene Being arises from the body and, attaining the light of the Cosmic Self, appears in His own form. He is the Uttama Purusha, the Cosmic Self. He then freely moves about eating, playing, or enjoying himself with women, carriages, or relatives, not remembering at all the body in which he was born. Just as an animal (horse or bullock) is attached to a, chariot or cart, similarly Prana (life) remains attached to the body (due to karma).

            In this Mantra, Nirguna Brahman is called Uttama Purusha, the real identity of asariri Athma. Lord Krishna uses this expression in Bhagavad Gita (15-17) where he says ‘Uttamah purushastwanyah paramaatmetyudaahritah; (But distinct is the Supreme Purusha called the highest Self)”.  When one realises this identity through Self-knowledge, the illusory knowledge disappears through the power of right knowledge and the attachment to the body based on the former along with the wrong identification of body as one’s real self also vanishes.  He also realises his oneness with the rest of creation, as Athma being Brahman is one without a second, all-pervasive and total bliss only and as Brahman, he is also the Athma of all the beings.  Sri Sankara says that when you know your Self; when you know you are Brahman and that everything you see is nothing but Brahman, then you feel you are one with all. So all the pleasures that anyone enjoys is his also.  In whatever he does and enjoys, he does not have cognition of the body in which he was born.  Avidya, karma and kama tie ‘I’ to the body like a horse to a chariot.  But this is only a vyavaharika connection and a mithya connection too.

Mantra 8-12-4

atha yatraitadakasamanuvishannam chakshuh sa chakshushah purusho darsanaya chakshuratha yo vededaṃ jighranithi sa athma gandhaya ghranamatha yo vededamabhivyaharaniti sa atmabhivyaharaya vagatha yo vededam srnavanithi sa athma sravanaya srotram || 8.12.4 ||

Next, this organ of vision lies inside the space in the eyes. That is where the deity presiding over the eyes (i.e., the Athma) is. The eye is the instrument through which the Athma sees. Next, the one who knows ‘I am smelling this’ is the Athma. The organ of smell is the instrument through which the Athma smells. Next, the one who knows ‘I am speaking this’ is the Athma. The organ of speech is the instrument through which the Athma speaks. Next, the one who knows ‘I hear this’ is the Athma. The organ of hearing is the instrument through which the Athma hears.

            Earlier Prajapati had told Indra and Virochana that the person in the eyes is the Athma. Indra took it to mean that his own reflection was the Athma. But this is not what Prajāpati meant. He meant that there is a being within us who sees through the eyes and hears through the ears. He says that within the eye there is a space, and that is where the Athma is. Prajapati uses the word purusha to refer to the Athma.  The person in the eye uses the eye to see and the organ of smelling to smell. When the Athma, the purusha, wants to speak, it uses the organ of speaking. And when it wants to hear, it uses the organ of hearing. Athma is not spatially away from the three sareeras. It is in and through three sareeras.  It is immanent and transcendental.  The immanent nature is shown here by showing it is the adhishtanam of all organs and the blessing of Athma only makes them sentient. The transcendental nature was revealed earlier when it was described as Uttama Purusha. Athma is the eye of the eye, nose of the nose, ear of the ear, tongue of the tongue is revealed here. It is also the mind of the mind which will be revealed in the next verse.

Mantra 8-12-5

atha yo vededaṃ manvaniti satma mano'sya daivam chakshuh sa va esha etena daivena chakshusha manasaitankamanpasyanramate ya ete brahmaloke || 8.12.5 ||

Then, it is the Athma which knows ‘I am thinking this.’ The mind is its divine eye. The Athma, now free, enjoys seeing everything it wants to see in Brahmaloka through its divine mental eye.

            Next comes the mind. The mind is the principal organ. The Athma works through the mind, and by means of the mind it works through the eyes, ears, and other organs.  The mind is called here the daivam chakshuh, the divine eye, because the Athma sees through the mind.  One who is firmly established in Self-knowledge can enjoy whatever he wants mentally. And for such a person everything is Brahman and every place is Brahmaloka.

Mantra 8-12-6

taṃ va etam deva athmanamupasate tasmatteshaṃ sarve cha loka attah sarve cha kamah sa sarvaṃscha lokanapnoti sarvaṃscha kamanyastamatmanamanuvidya vijanatiti ha prjapatiruvacha prajapatiruvacha || 8.12.6 || iti dvadasah khandah ||

This Athma is also meditated upon by the gods. Therefore, all worlds and all desirable things are within their grasp. One who fully understands and realizes this Athma (with the help of teachers and the scriptures) is able to attain whatever worlds and whatever desirable things he wants. This is what Prajapati taught Indra. End of section twelve.

            In this Mantra Upanishad is praising the Self-knowledge, Athma-Jnanam, in order to tempt one to attain it.  Earlier the Upanishad (7-23) said,”Na alpe sukham asti, Bhumaiva sukham (There is no happiness in the finite, only in Bhuma, the infinite, there is happiness)”.  Athma, the Brahman, is infinite in terms of time and space.  Mundaka Upanishad (3-2-9) says “Sa yo ha vai tat paramam Brahma veda Brahm’aiva bhavathi (Whoever knows the supreme Brahman, becomes the very Brahman)”.  So one who fully understands and realizes the Athma, has all the worlds and all things therein at his command, if he wants but he feels fulfilled and fully satisfied and is desire-free.  With this Mantra, Prajapathi’s teaching ends and also this section.

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Chandogya upanishad (Ch.6,7&8)–28

 Chapter 8, Section 7

Mantra 8-7-1

ya atmapahatapapma vijaro vimrtyurvisoko vijighatso'pipasah satyakamah satyasankalpah so'nvestavyah sa vijijnasitavyah sa sarvamscha lokanapnoti sarvmscha kamanyastamatmanamanuvidya vijanatiti ha prajapatiruvacha || 8.7.1 ||

Prajapati once said: "The Athma is free from sin, free from old age, free from death, free from grief, free from hunger, free from thirst and is one whose desires come true and whose thoughts come true. It is one which should be sought for and It is one which should be understood. He who has known this Athma (from the scriptures and a teacher) and understood It attains all the worlds and all desires."

            From this section we are entering into the topic of Nirguna Brahma Jnanam, called Prajapathi Vidya.  What we had been seeing earlier is Saguna Brahma Upasana that is called Dahara Vidya.  Nirguna Brahman is the lakshyartha of Paramathma while the vachyartha is Saguna Brahman.  This portion opens with the statement, Prajapathi once made.  He declared that the Paramatma who is free from old age, free from sins, free from death, free from sorrow, free from thirst, whose desires come true and whose thoughts come true should be known with the help of the scriptures and guru and should be understood i.e. realised and the one who has realised attains all the worlds and all his desires.  This description of Paramathma is the same as that of Saguna Brahman, we had seen in earlier Mantra (8-1-5). 'Attaining all his desires' means that he will attain Purnathvam, the state of being completely satisfied and happy with no wants and desires. 'Attaining all the worlds' means he attains Sarvatmatvam, feeling one with the all-pervading Brahman.

Mantras 8-7-2&3

taddhobhaye devasura anububudhire te hochurhanta tamatmanamanvecchamo yamatmanamanvishya sarvamscha lokanpnoti sarvamscha kamanitindro haiva devanamabhipravavraja virochano'suranam tau hasamvidanaveva samitpani prajapatisakasamajagmatuh || 8.7.2 ||

tau ha dvatrimsatam varshani brahmacharyamushatustau ha prajapatiruvacha kimicchantavastamiti tau hochaturya athmapahatapapma vijaro vimrtyurvisoko vijighatso'pipasah satyakamah satyasamkalpah so'nveshtavyah sa vijijnasitavyah sa sarvamscha lokanapnoti sarvamscha kamanyastamatmanamanuvidya vijanatiti bhagavato vacho vedayante tamichchantavavastamiti || 8.7.3 ||

Both the gods and the demons heard this and said “Well, let us seek that Athma by knowing which one can attain all the worlds and whatever things one desires.’ With this object in view, Indra among the gods and Virochana among the demons went to Prajapati, carrying fuel in their hands, without communicating with each other. (2) Both of them spent thirty-two years there practicing Brahmacharya. Then Prajapati said to them: ‘For what purpose are you staying here?’. They replied: ‘“Revered Sir, we learnt of your message: ‘The Athma which is free from sin, free from old age, free from death, free from sorrow, and free from hunger and thirst, whose desires come true and whose thoughts come true; has to be sought for and should be understood. The person who has learned about the Athma and understood attains all worlds and all desires.’  Desiring that we have been living here.”

            Indra is the chief of the gods and goddesses, and Virochana is the chief of the demons. Both Indra and Virochana heard from people what Prajapati had said about the Athma, and they wanted to acquire this knowledge and get their desires satisfied and gain control over other worlds not knowing the true meaning of his statement. They decided to go to Prajapati for instructions, and being adversaries, they did not let the other know and kept their movements secret and confidential. But by chance both Indra and Virochana came to Prajapati at the same time.  Though both of them were rulers, yet they put aside their royal robes and regalia and went with great humility carrying fuel in hand as an offering.  As a preparation to make themselves eligible to receive the instructions they practised Brahmacharya for thirty-two years, staying with Prajapati. and serving him with humility, forgetting their royal status. Sri Sankara says that though previously Indra and Virochana were hostile to each other, now they were no longer jealous of each other and became even friendly, as their nature changed by the practise of Brahmacharya, self-control.  After thirty-two years, Prajapati one day asked them: ‘Why are you here? What do you want from me?’ Indra and Virochana replied: ‘We heard from people that you said the Athma is one without sin, without decay and death, without sorrow, without hunger and thirst and whose thoughts and desires come true and the one who knows this Athma and understands the Athma will attain all his desires and all the lokas.’  We want to know that Athma. That is why we have come to you and have been living here the past thirty-two years.’

Mantra 8-7-4

tau ha prajapatiruvacha ya esho'kshini purusho dṛsyata esha atmeti hovachaitadamrtamabhayametadbrahmetyatha yo'yam bhagavo'psu parikhyayate yaschayamadarse katama esha ityesha u evaishu sarveshvanteshu parikhyayata iti hovacha || 8.7.4 || iti saptamah khandah ||

Prajapati said to those two, ‘That which is seen in the eyes is the Athma.’ He also said: ‘This Athma is immortal and fearless. It is Brahman.’ Then they asked: ‘Lord, we see something when we look in water and again when we look in a mirror. Which is it?’ Prajapati replied, ‘The Athma is seen in all these’. End of section seven.

            Prajapathi said to them that what is seen in the eyes is Athma meaning the eye of the eye is Athma.  Eye of the eye is Athma, the Pure Consciousness, as explained in Kenopanishad Mantra 2, that eye being inert by itself, is able to see only through borrowed sentiency from Athma.  But they mistook it as the reflection seen in the eye.  If one stands before another person, he can see his reflection in the eyes of the other person.  They want to confirm the correctness of their conclusion. So they stated that they see their reflections in the water as well as mirror also and which one of them is the Athma.  Prajapathi understood they have misread his statement.  Instead of straightaway contradicting them and saying they are wrong he first affirmed that Athma is perceived in all these.  Prajapathi is also not wrong as Athma is everywhere in everything, only not in the way they have understood.  We will see in the next section how he is trying to correct their thinking, going in their way.  This section ends with Prajapathi’s affirmation.

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Aitareya Upanishad - 5

 

Sec. 3 Mantras 11-14

Mantra – 11

sa ikshata katham nvidam madrite syaditi sa ikshata katarena prapadya iti,

sa ikshata yadi vachabhivyahritamn yadi pranenabhipranitam

yadi chakshusha drishtam yadi srotrena srutam yadi tvacha sprishtam

yadi manasa dhyatam yadyapanenabhyapanitam

yadi sisnena visrshtam atha ko’hamiti.II11II

He bethought Himself: "How could this exist without Me?".  Then He pondered: "Which way shall I enter it?".  He said to Himself further: "If speech is uttered by the organ of speech, if smelling is done by the nose, seeing by the eyes, hearing by the ears, touching by the skin, thinking by the mind, eating by the apana and the emission by the reproductive organ, then who am I?"

 

The Supreme Self found itself in an unusual paradoxical position. It thought that if every other organ of the body does only its assigned job, then who is there to co-ordinate. Only where there is a Knowing principle, there the reports from the various organs like eyes, ears etc. can be unified and synchronised for a total experience.  So it started thinking about playing the role of the master of assemblage to give a purpose or fulfilment to the assembly and pondered over the way through which it should enter the body to assert itself and play that role. The basic idea is to make them all function collectively, in a co-ordinated matter through His proximate presence as the Supreme Self.  Just as a palatial house has no meaning without the existence of the householder to live in it, the beautiful human body has no meaning, without the Supreme Self, the Athma, as its indweller.

Mantra 12

sah etam eva seemaanam vidaarya, etayaa dvara prapadyata;

saeshaa vidritihr naama dvastad, etannaandanam;

tasya traya aavasathaah, traya swapnaah;

 ayam aavasathah, ayam aavasathah, ayam aavasathah. II12II

Then He opened the suture on the skull, and entered by that door. This is the door named “Vidriti”; this is Naandana, the “place of bliss”.  He has three dwelling places, and three conditions of sleep (dream). This is a dwelling place; This is a dwelling place; This is a dwelling place.

So, piercing the skull, He entered through that door. That door is known as the Vidriti, the cleft. This is the place of bliss, Naandana.  Athma, thus embodied, has three abodes, three states of sleep (dream). According to Sri Sankara the three abodes are the right eye in the waking state; the mind in the dream state and the heart in deep sleep state. The three states of dream are waking, dream and deep sleep.  All the states, even the waking, are considered as ‘dream’ because self-ignorance is common to them all. Sri Sankara states of the waking state “There is no consciousness of one’s own supreme Self, and in it are perceived unreal things as in a dream”.  Creator entered the created body and occupied as the experiencer Jivathma.  This entry is called anupravesa.

Mantra 13

sa jato bhutany abhivyaikhyath kimihaanyam vavadishaditi,

sa etameva purusham brahma tatamamapasyath. Idamadarshamiti3 II13II

Having been born as the jiva (i.e. entering the body), He realised the elements (deities) as one with Himself.  “What is there other than Me that needs to be named?”  He saw the all-pervading Brahman.  With wonder He said to Himself, “Oh, I have seen this before!”

The passage tries to describe the experience of the Self (Athma), when having entered the body and gazed out into the world of plurality, through the sense-objects, mind and intellect, and could perceive only His own transcendent nature everywhere.  At the perception of Supreme Brahman over-spreading all, He cried out, “Oh! I have seen this”. The word ‘seen’ here does not mean seeing something separate from oneself.  But it is Athma Sakshatkaram , Self-Realisation.  It is Self, seeing the Self, where seeing has a special connotation.  It is the experience of Self beyond all doubts and as convincing as something one has seen. In short, He recognizes everything around Him as Himself only.  The letter 3 at the end of the last word denotes the elongation of the last word into 3 Matras to express the joy of having attained union with Brahman.

Mantra 14

tasmadidandro namedandro ha vai nama,

tamidandram santamindra ityaachakshate parokshena .

parokshapriya iva hi devah, parokshapriya iva hi devah. II14II 

Therefore, He is called Idandra.  Idandra, indeed is His name. Him who is Idandra, they (the deities) call indirectly as Indra. For the deities appear to be fond of cryptic epithets; the deities appear to be fond of cryptic epithets (Indirect names).

Because He saw the all-pervading Brahman subjectively as ‘this’ (Idam), the Brahman is called as Idandra.  Since deities are fond of being called by indirect names He is called Indra.  Further, it may be out of respect He is called by a shorter appellation, Indra, as we generally out of respect and reverence address certain individuals directly not by their personal name but by a reverential appellation.  The repetition of last line is to indicate the conclusion of chapter 1.

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Bhakthas and Bhakthi

Gita essays – 12

The virtuous people who offer worship to the Lord are termed bhakthas and they are classified into four categories by Lord Krishna (7-16). They are:

1)    Aartha bhaktha – Swami Paramarthananda calls him as 'crisis bhaktha'.  He thinks of the Lord intensely when he faces a crisis and at normal times thinks of God only at his convenience.  For him God is a means to get his problem solved and not the end, end being resolution of the problem be it economical, physical, personal or social. He is a sadhana bhaktha, whose knowledge of Lord is limited to Apara Prakrithi only.

2)    Artharthi bhaktha – He worships Lord for material prosperity, which includes progeny, position etc.  He is a regular worshipper, no doubt, and not crisis-driven like Aartha bhaktha but he has always a demand for fulfillment in his prayers.  For him too, God is not the end but only the means to achieve material gains. He is also a sadhana bhaktha, whose knowledge of Lord is limited to Apara prakrithi only.

3)    Jijnasu bhaktha – He has no personal axe to grind in his prayers and he is interested in acquiring total knowledge of God that will add strength to his worship.  For him Lord is the means as well as the end.  He is a sadhya bhaktha as Lord is not sadhanam, the means but sadhyam, the end as well, but his knowledge also is limited to Apara Prakrithi only and he is seeking the total knowledge of the Lord.

4)    Jnani bhaktha – He has knowledge of both Para prakriti and Apara prakrithi and for him God is neither the means nor the end but his real Self and his worsip is out of fulfillment of all wants, not for fulfillment of any wants. He is a Siddha bhaktha.

Aartha bhakthi and Artharthi Bhakthi are called sakama bhakthi, as both are for personal benefit and material gains. Jijnasu bhakthi and Jnani bhakthi are termed nishkama bhakthi, as the worship is not motivated by personal gains or material benefits.  

After giving the four categories of bhakthas, Lord mentions that all of them are noble, no doubt, but among them all, the Jnani Bhaktha is the best as he has steadfast and single pointed devotion to the Lord and he holds the Lord very dear to him. He also knows the Lord is His own Self and what is dearer to one than his own Self.  As sage Yajnavalkya tells his wife Maitreyi  in Brihadaranyaka Uanishad (2-4-5) “न वा अरे सर्वस्य कामाय सर्वं प्रियं भवति, आत्मनस्तु कामाय सर्वं प्रियं भवति (Na va are sarvasya kamam sarvam priyam bhavati, atmanastu kamaya sarvam priyam bhavati.)” meaning “Verily all is not dear not for the sake of all but it is for one’s own sake that all is dear.”  Lord also reciprocates Jnani’s ananya bhakthi by holding the Jnani bhaktha dear to him and declares he is not different from Him.  Narada Bhakthi Sutra in its sutra 67 echoes Lord’s words:  “भक्ता एकान्तिनो मुख्याः(bhakta ekantino mukhyah)” which means “Devotees, whose single goal is the Lord Himself and whose single-pointed devotion towards the Lord is for its own sake, are the best”   Lord also tells that such Jnani bhakthas having ananya bhakthi for the Lord with the advaitic Jnanam of  Jiva Brahma Ikyam are rare as this maturity of Athma Jnanam is reached only after many Janmas in which one may be passing through several stages of aartha, artharthi, jijnasu bhakthi before his steadfastness is rewarded through Lord’s Grace and he blossoms into a jnani bhaktha with the knowledge of Lord’s Para prakrithi as well.  As a Jnani bhaktha, he becomes Jivan muktha, attaining videha mukthi after death.

After discussing Jnani bhaktha, Lord talks about the sakama bhakthas who have only knowledge of Lord’s Apara prakrithi and worship Him in His various forms to get their wants and desires fulfilled.  In whatever form they worship the Lord with full faith and sincerity, Lord sustains their faith in that form by answering their prayer in that form Itself. They do not know that all forms are only forms of the one Supreme Lord, Brahman, as His Apara prakrithi and all the fruits they seek are only of finite and limited nature, keeping them firmly in samsara.  Only knowledge of Para prakrithi, Brahma Jnanam, is the ultimate reward one should seek as it is totally fulfilling and satisfying and also liberating from samsara and they know not of this knowledge. They are ignorant of the Lord’s superior nature which is changeless and transcendent and in their ignorance they consider Him as the Unmanifest that has assumed manifestation. They mistake the changeless One behind the many as the One among the many in their ignorance. Lord then diagnoses the cause for their ignorance as Avarana sakthi, the veiling power, of Maya, which Lord now calls as Yogamaya ( he earlier referred to it as ‘My Maya’). This power of the Lord that is keeping them ignorant of the eternal, birthless, unsurpassed nature of the Lord as Para prakrithi, can be overpowered only when they curb their extrovert nature and shift their attention from the objects and pleasures of the world to the lotus feet of the Lord and surrender to Him seeking sincerely His Grace.  Lord alone knows fully and completely the past, present and future of everyone and everything and has no problem of ignorance about anything. As Maya is under His control Avarana Sakthi does not affect Him. But Jiva is under Maya’s control and under the spell of Maya does not know of Lord’s Para prakrithi and suffers from samsara.

This ignorance starts from birth itself due to delusion of the pairs of opposites arising from desire and aversion.  Not knowing the source of the unlimited real happiness within themselves due to this delusion they seek it in the outside world and spend their entire lifetime running after it. This Sri Sankara beautifully portrays in Bhaja Govindam (verse 7) thus:

बालस्तावत्क्रीडासक्तः (balastavatkriḍasaktaḥ)

तरुणस्तावत्तरुणीसक्तः ।( taruṇastavattaruṇisaktaḥ)

वृद्धस्तावच्चिन्तासक्तः (vṛiddhastavaccintasaktaḥ)

परे ब्रह्मणि कोऽपि न सक्तः (pare brahmaṇi ko'pi na saktaḥ)  

The childhood is spent in attachment to playfulness. Youth is spent in attachment to women. 

Old age is spent in thoughts (of past events or present helplessness). And there is hardly 

anyone who gets attached to Parabrahman.

Some noble person with enough punyam starts to think of the Lord in crisis and starts as an aartha bhaktha.  When this becomes a habit, with increase in punyam he turns into an artharthi bhaktha. Later in that life itself or in succeeding lives he grows into a jijnasu bhaktha, as his punyam grows. For the fortunate few all this growth can happen even in one or two lives. And then seeking to end samsara and get Liberated, he seeks a Guru and studies sastras with his help and he is well on the road to become a Jnani bhaktha.  When he surrenders to the Lord with Vijnanam, he totally gets rid of his delusion with dualities, with his mind becoming free of raga and dwesha, and his desires changing into preferences.  He becomes jnani bhaktha knowing all about the Para prakrithi and Apara prakrithi of the Lord.   Being established in this knowledge, he does not lose sight of the Lord even at the time of death and enjoys both Jivanmukthi and Videhamukthi.

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