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ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : - Mantram - 5.

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ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : or VAJASANEYI    SAMHITA    UPANISHAD Mantram : 5. Tadejati  tannaijati  tad  dure  tadvantike tadan-tarasya  sarvasya  tadu  sarva-syasya  bahyatah. tat  =  if; ejati  =  moves; tat  =  if; na  =  not; ejati  =  moves; tat  =  if; dure  =  far; tat  =  if; u  =  verily; antike  =  near; tat  =  if; antah  =  inside; asya  =  of  this; sarvasya  =  of  all; asya  =  this; bahyatah  =  outside. "The Atma  'moves'  and  It  'moves  not';  It  is  'far'  and  It  is  'near';  It  is  'inside' ( within) all  this,  and  It  is  also  'outside'  all  this." Discussion-1. The idea  of  the  last mantram-(4)  is  repeated  here  to  make  it  more  elaborately  clear. As  I  said  earlier,  the  attempt  of  the  Master  is  only  to  make  his  students  understand  the  vital  fact  that  the  Supreme  Consciousness  is  'all-pervading.'

ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : - Mantram - 4.

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ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : or VAJASANEYI    SAMHITA    UPANISHAD Mantram-4.  Discussion-8. "Swami Sri Adi-Sankaracharya" : about "Matarisva " .....( last part ) According to Swami Sri Adi Sankaracharya, 'Matarisva' refers  to  the  individuality  ( Jiva /Jivatma ),  and  water  ( apah )  here  means  'Karmam.' Then  it  would  mean  that  all  activities  of  all  individualised  personalities  are  always  within  the  'Self.' Where ever  life  is  sustained,  it  is  because  of  the  will  of  the  organism  to  live  Self-consciously. As  such,  the  Supreme  is  the  very  source  from  which  air  takes  it  potency,  by  which  it  gains  its  miraculous  capacity  to  sustain,  nourish,  and  maintain  life  in  the  forms. The  same  idea  is  much  vividly  brought  out  in  the  following  Mantram (5). Swamiji's explanation ENDS. Next : Mantram : 5. To be continued  ...  

ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : - Mantram - 4.

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ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : or VAJASANEYI    SAMHITA    UPANISHAD Mantram-4.  Discussion-7. "Matarisva" ..... The Self  ( Atma ),   thus, is  not  only  all-pervading,  but  it  is  the  very  substance  and  dynamism  in  all  movements  and  the  very  force  behind  everything  which  causes  the  activity  in  life. Presided  over  by  the  Self  alone,  can  all  the  transactions  of  life  take  place. It  is  Life;  without  It  everything  is  dead  and  non-existent. This  idea  has  never  been  more  vividly  brought  out  as  in  the  closing  line  of  the  mantram,  when  the  Rishi  declares  that  the  'MATARISVA'  ( Lord  of  the  Atmosphere-Air )  supports  the  activities  of  life  because  it  derives  its  Life-force  and  vigour  from  this  great  and  all-pervading  Reality. Consciousness  and  life  is  together  a  whole;  it  is  equally  distributed  everywhere;  it  is  all-pervading. The  element,  water  

ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : - Mantram - 4.

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ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : or VAJASANEYI    SAMHITA    UPANISHAD Mantram-4. Discussion-6. "Sitting,  It  goes  faster  than  those  who  run  after  It"  ....... Here  is  another  epithet  by  which  the  brilliant  word-painters  of  the  Upanishads  have  tried  to  capture  the  ever-eluding  concept  of  the  Self  in  a  network  of  their  irreplacable  words. The  'motionless' is  thus  not  a  dull  inert  entity  which  has  no  activity  at  all. In  fact,  it  is  beyond  both  "activity  and  inactivity." This  idea  is  conveyed  by  stating  that  the  Self,  though  seemingly  inactive  in  its  own  Real  Nature,  seems  to  be  most  active. Example : The  steam  in  the  railway  engine  can  be  described  as  'motionless'   "in  its  own  real  nature." The  water  evaporates  to  create  the  steam,  and  the  steam  moves  the engine ( train ). Of  course,  the  train  is  being  pulled

ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : - Mantram - 4.

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ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : or VAJASANEYI    SAMHITA    UPANISHAD Mantram-4. Discussion-5. "The  Devas  could  not  overtake  It; ..... It  ran  before  them." This  is  a  statement   which  must  necessarily  confuse  even  an  itelligent  reader  of  ordinary  education. It  is  such  statements  which,  when  an  unprepared  student  tries  to  understand  literally,  make  him  despair  at  his  inability  to  understand  the  great  scriptures. The  scriptures  "being  the  science   of  religion,"  there  is  a  method  of  studying  it,  and  its  language  is  extremely  technical. The  word  'Deva,'  in  its  etymological  derivation,  has  risen  from  the  root  "div"   indicating  "illumination." Thus,  the  word  'deva'   indicates  " that  which  illuminates." Therefore,  in  the  context  here,  'devas'  mean  the  "sense-organs." In  the  scriptural  li

ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : - Mantram - 4.

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ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : or VAJASANEYI    SAMHITA    UPANISHAD Mantram-4. Discussion -4. "Self ( Atma ) ..All-pervading ...'Deva-s could  not  overtake  it'... ....In  short,  the  Self  is  now  discussed  here  as  All-pervading,  and  it  is  explained  in  terms  of  two  of  the  ways  in  which  we  understand  a  thing  in  the v world  of  objects. We  understand  motion,  we  understand  speed. By  denying  the  former  and  asserting  the  latter,  the Rishi-s  are  explaining  to  us  that  Consciousness,  or  the  Self ( Atma ),  is  a  factor which  in  itself  is  "motionless  speed." It  is  certainly  a  scientific  fact,  but  it  reads  as  a  contradiction  in  terms. And  it  is  the  only  method  by  which  our  fact-hunting  intellect  and  observation-thirsty  understanding  can  be  shocked  to  realise  the  magnitude  and  implications  of  the  simple  term  "All-Pervading." Since  the  Consciousnes

ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : - Mantram - 4.

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ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : or VAJASANEYI    SAMHITA    UPANISHAD Mantram-4. Discussion-3.  terms   "anejat" (  motionless,  steady,  changeless ) ......"jagat"  ( moving,  running,  changing )  .... The  term  'anejat'  used  here  is  in  perfect  cotrast  with  'jagat,' which  is  our  constant  experience. Sotoo,  the  Upanishad  indicates  Truth  as  one  ( Ekam ) as  a  contrast  with  many  ( Anekam ) that  we  experience. Thus  the  Truth  has  been  here  defined  through  the  indications  contained  in  these  terms  as  something  other  than  our  'known' experinces. It  is  the  One  in  many,  the  constant  factor  that  sustains  in  and  through  all  changes;  as  the  Ocean  does,  in  spite  of  the  calamities  of  the  waves! The  seekers  strive  to  realise  this  Unity  in  the  diversity,  this  unifying  chord  of  love  and  joy,  existence  and  power  that  strings  them  all  together.

ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : - Mantram - 4.

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ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : or VAJASANEYI    SAMHITA    UPANISHAD Mantram-4.  Discussion-2. "The Atma  or  the  Self  is  motionless " .....Says  the  Upanishad. When  it  says  that  it  is  motionless,  it  is  not  to  be  understood  as  explaining  the  inability  or  the  impotency  of  the  Supreme. The  word  'motionless'  is  only  an  indicarion  of  the  all-pervasiveness  of  the  Supreme  Reality. Motion  is  a  change  in  time   and  space. example : If  an  object   'O'  is  at  a  place  'P'  at  a  time  'T,'   and  if  'O'  is  found  at  different  place  'P1' at  different  time 'T1,'  then  the  movement  is  OPT becoming  OP1T1.  This  is  possible  only  when  'O' is  conditioned  by  PT  and  P1T1. I  can  go  from  this  chair  to  another  chair,  the  other  chair  I  am  not  sitting  in. A  thing  can  move  to  another  spot  only  when  it  is  not  alread

ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : - Mantram - 4.

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ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : or VAJASANEYI    SAMHITA    UPANISHAD Mantram-4. Aneja-dekam   manaso  javiyo  nainad-deva   apnuvan-purva-marsat, tad-dhavato-nyana-tyeti   tisthat  tasmin-napo   matarisva   dadhati. anejat  =  unmoving; ekam  =  one; manasah  =  than  the  mind; javiyah  =  swifter; na  =  not; enat  =  this; devah  =  gods ( here meaning senses ); apnuvan  =  reached,  overtake; purvam  =  before; atsat  =  ran; tat  =  it; dhavatah  =  running; anyan  =  others; atyeti  =  overtakes; tisthat  =  staying; tasmin  =  in  it; apah  =  activities  (  literally  meaning  water, -- here  figuratively  used  for  action ); matarisva  =  wind; dadhati  =  supports  or  allots. (4) "The  Self ( Atma ) is  the  motionless  one,  swifter  than  the  mind.  The  devas  ( senses )  could  not  overtake;  it  ( Self )  ran  before  them ( senses ).  Sitting,  ( staying  motionless ) It goes  faster  than  those

ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : - Mantram -3.( Last Part )

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ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : or VAJASANEYI    SAMHITA    UPANISHAD Mantram-3. Discussion-7. People ( Janah )....Atma-hanah .... and  final  summation  .... People ( Janah )  =    Those  who  destroy  their  Self  in  them : - meaning,  "those  who  cloud  Its  brilliancy  by  the  mental  agitations  and  consequent  false  values  of  life,"  are  called -   "Atma-hanah". The  Self ( Atma )  is  immortal,  blissful,  perfect. In  not  identifying  with  this  Divine  Centre  in  us,  we  hug  on  to  the  "body-mind-intellect" vehicles,  and  come  to    experience  ourselves  to  be  mortal,  pain-ridden  and  imperfect. Such  ego-s  ( jiva-s ),  as  a  result  of  their  "Vasanas,"   again  and  again  take  up  forms  and  come  to  be  born  in  different  environments  where  they  seek  satisfaction  through  sense-gratification,  happiness  through   desire   fulfilment,  security  through  wealth,  and  glory  throug

ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : - Mantram -3.

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ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : or VAJASANEYI    SAMHITA    UPANISHAD Mantram-3. Discussion-6. 'theory  of  incarnation'  ...  'ego-centric equipment' ...  at  the  moment  of  death  ... Here,  there  is  a  clear  hint  at  the  theory  of  reincarnation  accepted  by  the  great  religions  of  the  East. Reincarnation  of  the  "Soul"( Atma )  is  unquestionably  recognised  in  the  western  Bibles. Here  the  scripture  clearly  hints  at  the  life  of  the  'Soul' after  the  death  of  its  present  body. The ego-centric  equipment,  that  leaves  the  physical  body  at  the  moment  of  death,  goaded  thereafter,  by  its  own  motive-force,  loaned  out  to  it  by  the  impulses  in  its  own  past  accumulated  impressions,  the  "Vasanas". The  mind  gains  its  direction  to  move  from  its  impressions,  gathered  by  itself,  from  its  own  previous  experiences ( janmam ). Thus,  if  an  entity  w

ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : - Mantram -3.

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ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : or   VAJASANEYI    SAMHITA    UPANISHAD Mantram-3. Discussion-5. "Swami Sankaracharya's interpretations  ..... The  men  of  wisdom,  in  the  scriptures,  forecast  that  such  people  who  are  "Slayers  of  their  Souls",  will  go  to  the  "Sun-less worlds",  'when  they  leave  their  bodies  (  pretya )'. Swami  Sri  Adi  Sankaracharya,  however,  has  his  own  'orthodax'  interpretation. Swamiji  wants  to  point  out  that  mere  rituals  without  knowledge  will  bring  the  individual  only  to  the  Heaven,  the  abode  of  the  'Suras'  ( Gods ). Without  the  knowledge  of  the  Self  ( Atma )  even  these  worlds  of  the  Suras  are  only  the  worlds  of  'Asuras',  full  of  sorrow. When  compared  with  Absolute  Bliss  in  the  Self,  they  are  indeed,  a  "A-Surya  worlds". "Blindening  darkness  (  andhena  tamasa  )"  -  Ag

ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : - Mantram -3.

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ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : or   VAJASANEYI    SAMHITA    UPANISHAD Mantram-3. Discussion -4. "Historical Truth ---- because  of  such  individuals  and  communities "...... A  historical  truth  which  affects  the  individual  must  affect  the  life  of  any  community  constituted  of  such  individuals. If  an  individual,  refusing  to  take  up  the  noble  task  improving  and  maintaining  himself,  always  tuned  up  to  the  higher  values  of  living,  he  is  to  take  up  a  programme  of  endless  and  fatiguing  activity,  pursuing  a  vigilant  and  alert  life  of  duties  performed  and  rights  demanded. If  the  individual  is  fit  and  ready  neither  for  the  former  nor  for  the  latter,  he  should  be  considered  as  dead  and  inert,  dross,  steeped  in  inactivity,  living  in  the  "form  of  a  human  being"  but,  in  fact,  a  disgusting,  limp  man-of-matter  only. In  fact,  the  Great  Rishi-s  consid

ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : - Mantram -3.

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ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : or     VAJASANEYI    SAMHITA    UPANISHAD Mantram-3.  Discussion -3. 'If  a  generation  refuses  to  live  the  higher  values  of  the  Life  Divine,  ......? ....( Continue   reading  from  here )   ... and  plan  out  its  cultural  activities  and  creative  programmes,  it  must,  at  least  necessarily,  work  in  the  world  with  all  enthusiasm  and  zeal  to  produce   sufficiently,  to  distribute  equally,  and  to  enjoy  liberally. In  short,  the  world  can  sustain  itself  only  through  diligent  activity  either  in  its  spiritual  life  or  in  its  planned-out  material  existence. This  particular  mantram  under  discussion  is  opening  out  to  us  a  danger  which  is  well  known  in  our  communal  living. If  a  community  is  neither  willing  to  live  the  higher  values  nor  be  efficient  in  its  constructive  material  programme,  such  a  generation  should  slowly  decay  both  in  its  he

Upanishads : "The cream of Vedas": ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : - Mantram -3.

Upanishads : "The cream of Vedas": ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : - Mantram -3. : ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : or      VAJASANEYI    SAMHITA    UPANISHAD  Mantram-3.  Discussion-2. 'having  been  born  as  ...

ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : - Mantram -3.

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ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : or      VAJASANEYI    SAMHITA    UPANISHAD  Mantram-3.  Discussion-2. 'having  been  born  as  man.  an  individual  or  society  or  community  or  nation  who  refuses    to  live  either  way '..... Now  a  doubt  arises  as  to  what  would  be  the  destiny  of  those  who  are  not  following  either  the  'Path  of  Meditation' or  the  'Path  of  Action? ' What  would  happen  to  them  and  their  pilgrimage,  is  explained  in  this  particular  mantram. The  Upanishad  Master  declare  that,  having  been  born  as  man,  an  individual  ( or  society  or  community  or  nation )  who  refuses  to  live  either  the  'life  of  meditation'  or  'the  life  of  intense  and  continuous  activity,'  is  to  be  considered  as  a  suicide. Such  a  nation  must  necessarily  come  to  fall  into  an  abyss  of  darkness  and  despair. The  individual  ( or  the  community  )  should  the

Upanishads : "The cream of Vedas": ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : - Mantram -3.

Upanishads : "The cream of Vedas": ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : - Mantram -3. : ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : or      VAJASANEYI    SAMHITA    UPANISHAD  Mantram-3.  Asurya   nama  te  lokah  andhena  tamasavrtah, ...

ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : - Mantram -3.

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ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : or      VAJASANEYI    SAMHITA    UPANISHAD  Mantram-3.  Asurya   nama  te  lokah  andhena  tamasavrtah, Tagmste  pretyabhi-gacchanti   ye  ke  catma-hano  janah. asurya   ( asuryah )     =   demonic,  sunless; nama   =   really; te   =   those; lokah   =   people,  worlds; andhena  tamasa  =   by  blindening  darkness  ( gloom ); avrtah   =  covered; tagm    =  to  those; te  =  they; pretya   =  after  death; abhigacchanti  =  go  to ; ye  ka  ca  =   whosever; atma   hanah  =  killers  of  the  Self; janah  =  people.  " Sunless  are  those  worlds,  and  enveloped  in  blindening  gloom  to  which  all  those  people,  who  are  slayers  of  their  own  Souls  go,  departing  from  here." Discussion-1. The  destination  or  the  goal  reached  by  those  who  are  spiritual  suicides  is  mentioned  here. In  the  scheme  of  the   'Upanishad '   the first  mantram  was  relegated  to  ex

Upanishads : "The cream of Vedas": ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : - Mantram -2.

Upanishads : "The cream of Vedas": ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : - Mantram -2. : ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : or   VAJASANEYI    SAMHITA    UPANISHAD  Mantram-2.   Discussion - 11. Last  four  terms   " na  karm...

ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : - Mantram -2.

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ISAVASYA UPANISHAD : or   VAJASANEYI    SAMHITA    UPANISHAD  Mantram-2.   Discussion - 11. Last  four  terms   " na  karma  lipyate  nare"    in  this  second  mantram  ..... 'Action  never  taints  such  a  man'  {  Na  karma  lipyate  nare  }   : Lord  Krishna  also  says  in  the  Gita  ( 4-24)  -  that  work  can  never  contaminate  Him,  as  He  works  with  detachment  and  total  selflessness. This  may  be  true  in  a  Godly  Perfect  One  like  Lord  Krishna. What  about  us? From  the   Mantram ,  "even  in  you  a  mere  man"   ( tvayi  nare ) ,  even  though  at  this  moment  we  are  not  perfect,  even  in  us,  to  the  extent  we  can  bring  the   spirit  of  detachment   and  the  joy  of  dedication  into  our  work,  to  the  extent,  our  actions  cannot  affect  us. Such  actions  contribute  a  purgation  of  the  existing   Vasanas   and  purify  the  instruments  of  meditation  in  the  seeker. A  l