Upanishads : "The cream of Vedas"

MUNDAKOPANISHAD     CHAPTER-3.     SECTION-2.    Mantram-10. { Instructions  on  transfer  of  this  Supreme  Wisdom}. Discussion -13. "wrong  interpretations  ...   continuity of  discussion -12 " Too  literal  a  translation  has  brought  about  such  fantastic  interpretations,  ridiculous  and  laughable,  not  only  into  'Hinduism' but  into  almost  all  the  religious  literature  of  the  world  today. A  true  and  discriminate  understanding  of  the  expression  could  never  be  that  one  should  learn,  and  of  all  things  the  most  difficult  Science  of  Sciences,  the  Brahma-Vidya,  with  a  pot  of  fire  on  one's  head!! This  prescription  can  be  given  out  only  by  an  illiterate,  who  knows,  not  what  it  is  to  learn  and  master  a  Science. Next : Discussion-14. "an  intellect  that  is  on - fire" .....     To be continued  ...

MUNDAKOPANISHAD     CHAPTER-3.     SECTION-2.    Mantram-10. { Instructions  on  transfer  of  this  Supreme  Wisdom}. Discussion-12. "Sirovrta"..... : He  who  has  performed  the  observance  mentioned  in  the  Atharva  Veda,  the  chief  feature  of  which  is  the  carrying  of  a  bowl-of -fire  on  the  head. A local  pandita  in  one  of  his  endless  anonymous  mails  to  me  during  this  Yajna  has  argued  that  I  have  no  rights  to  teach  this  Upanishad  unless  the  students  are  ready  to  carry  pots  of  fire  on  their  head! Certainly,  the  pandita  who  wrote  the  letter  must  have  had  a  heavy  pot  of  fire  on  his  head  to  write  such  vulgar  stupidity  with  his  dark  ink  of  bottled  wisdom!!! Next : Discussion -13. "wrong  interpretations  ...   continuity of  discussion -12 " To be continued  ...

MUNDAKOPANISHAD     CHAPTER-3.     SECTION-2.    Mantram-10. { Instructions  on  transfer  of  this  Supreme  Wisdom}. Discussion-11. " This  is  modern  convenient  and  comfortable  Hinduism!  ...." And  Quite  modern  and  very  Convenient  too!! But  the  Rishi-s  of  ancient  period  did  not  recognize  this  as  a  part  of  their  term  "Religion." This  is  only  a  creation  of  our  own  'idiocy,  birth-right  of  fools  living  through  an  age  of  Superstition! ( Majority of Bharatiya  are  living  in  this  way  now ) . In  order  to  avoid  such  misunderstandings,  here  the  Mother  Sruti,  quotes  the   Vedik  hymn  which  puts  all  its  emphasis  in  its  declaration  : - *"He  alone  is  a  fit  student  for  spiritualism   who  has  for  some  time  performed  worship  of  a  deity  himself." * "the term 'svayam'{ first term, third line of this mantram ) Next : Discussion-12. "Sirovrta

MUNDAKOPANISHAD     CHAPTER-3.     SECTION-2.    Mantram-10. { Instructions  on  transfer  of  this  Supreme  Wisdom}. Discussion-10. ( Qualification-4. "Who  possess  faith" : ( 'Sraddha-yantah'   last term   third  line  of  this  Mantram. )  and 5. "Who  offer  oblations  himself" :  ( 'Svayam  juhvate'    first  two  terms, third  line  of  this  Mantram ) ...... is  continued Please read connecting the previous  discussion :- You  could  have  at  that  moment  brushed  me  down  with  a  feather! In  utter  despair  I  heard  myself  asking  him,  "Why  ....  how  is  it  Sir?  .....28.  years?  .....????"  Then  came  the  explanation. "Of  course  I  didn't  read  it  nor  do  the  members  of  my  family.  We  have  arranged  it  all  with  a 'Sastri  (  Pandit/ Priest )'   who  comes  to  the  house  everyday  round  the  year,  and  does  the  reading  for  us;  and  we  pay  Fees  per  month

MUNDAKOPANISHAD     CHAPTER-3.     SECTION-2.    Mantram-10. { Instructions  on  transfer  of  this  Supreme  Wisdom}. Discussion-10. ( Qualification-4. "Who  possess  faith" : ( 'Sraddha-yantah'   last term   third  line  of  this  Mantram. )  and 5. "Who  offer  oblations  himself" :  ( 'Svayam  juhvate'    first  two  terms, third  line  of  this  Mantram ) Qualification-4. "Who  possess  faith" : ( 'Sraddha-yantah'   last term   third  line  of   this  Mantram. ) The  power  of  faith  and  necessity  of  faith  for  any  great  achievement  have  already  been  exhaustively  discussed  by  us. Qualification-5. "Who  offer  oblations  himself" :  ( 'Svayam  juhvate'    first  two  terms, third  line  of  this  Mantram ) ' Here  the  emphasis  is  entirely  on  the  word  "himself"  ( 'Svayam' ). There  are  a  lot  of  people  who  claim  themselves  to  be  "Hind

MUNDAKOPANISHAD     CHAPTER-3.     SECTION-2.    Mantram-10. { Instructions  on  transfer  of  this  Supreme  Wisdom}. Discussion-9. Qualification-3. "Who  pursue  the  meditation  on  Brahmam"  ( 'brahma-nishtah' next term ( last ) in the second line of  this  Mantram ) The  word  used  here  is  "Brahma-nishtah." Because  here  we  are  having  a  description  of  the  qualities  necessary  in  a  seeker,  we  must  understand  this  term  not  as   one  established  in  the  "Awareness  of  Brahmam"   but  as  "one  who  is  meditating  upon  that  goal  of  life  pointed  out  by  the  Sruti-literature." In  short,  a  seeker  should  spend  all  his  leisure-time  in  reflecting  upon  the  one  great  Truth  discussed  in  all  the  immortal  "Upanishadik  declarations."   This  alone  is  what  is  meant  by  the  term   "Brahma-nishtah"  here Next : Discussion-10. ( Qualification-4. "

MUNDAKOPANISHAD     CHAPTER-3.     SECTION-2.    Mantram-10. { Instructions  on  transfer  of  this  Supreme  Wisdom}. Discussion-8. Qualification-2. "Well  versed  in  the  Upanishadik  literature"   ( 'Srotriya' next term second  line  of  this  Mantram ) :- When  a  seeker  has  practiced  for  long  the  ritualistic  worship,  he  develops,  by  his  life  of  self-control,  concentration  and  purity,  more  and  more  in  his  capacities  of  the  mind  and  intellect. These  are  to  be  brought  into  full  play  in  the  study  of  the  Jnana-kandam,  meaning  the  Upanishad-s. Mere  spiritual  practices,  without  a  thorough  study  of  the  scriptures,  would  be  as  criminal  a  wastage       as  an  engine  kept  running  all  day  through,  without  harnessing  its  horse-power  to  turn  out  work. Next : Discussion-9. Qualification-3. "Who  pursue  the  meditation  on  Brahmam"  ( 'brahma-nishtah' next term ( last

MUNDAKOPANISHAD     CHAPTER-3.     SECTION-2.    Mantram-10. { Instructions  on  transfer  of  this  Supreme  Wisdom}. Discussion-7. "Qualifications  enumerated  by  the  Rishi-s  in  this  mantram ...." Now  taking  up  each  of  the  qualifications  enumerated  here  by  the  Rishi-s,  we  shall  try  to  understand,  in  the  true  spirit  of  the  Bharatiya  Culture, ( Hindu-s )  the  pregnant  imports  of  the  terms  used  by  the  Masters.  ( This Mantram on  the  whole )    : - 1. "Who  perform  the  rites"  ( Second line first term- "kriyavantah" ) : - Rituals  have  a  place  in  the   'Spiritual  Sadhanas.'  When  performed  with  devotion  and  without  any  desires  for  their  fruits  have  a  Unique  Capacity  of  Integrating  the  Personality  of  the  Seeker.* *The  details   of  its  working  have  been  explained  thoroughly  in  the  introduction  to  previous  blogs  on  "Isavasyopanishad." Ple

MUNDAKOPANISHAD     CHAPTER-3.     SECTION-2.    Mantram-10. { Instructions  on  transfer  of  this  Supreme  Wisdom}. Discussion-6. "the  disintegration  of  the  Vedik  vulture  of  Bharatham  is  because  of  Caste  Brahmin-s,  intellectuals,  over-smart  regionalism,  Muslim  and  Christian  communities  like Kerala,  Dravidian  separatism  like  Tamilnadu  and  political  separatism  namely   secularism  ..." "The  disintegration  of  the  Vedik  culture  has  culminated  in  the  present-day  decay  and  disaster  wherein  the  large  majority  of  Bharatiya ( Hindus )  are  still  seeking  their  Self  through  the  by-lanes  of  Superstition  and  false  beliefs,  through  foreign  ideologies  and  western  religions ( Islam  and  Christianity )  through  putrefied  institutions  and  social  festivals,  while  the  indolent  priest-class,  who  have  the  sanction  to  make  a  thorough  study  of  the  Scriptures  and  practice  them  exclusively

MUNDAKOPANISHAD     CHAPTER-3.     SECTION-2.    Mantram-10. { Instructions  on  transfer  of  this  Supreme  Wisdom}. Discussion-5. "the  haves  ....." The  'haves' ---  the  adhikari-s   (  the  brahmin-s ),  could  alone  have  the  right  to  read,  hear,  understand,  teach  and  practice  this  divine  wealth  of  man,  the  eternal  text  of  the  soul  ---  the  Upanishad-s. The  have-nots,   the  un-adhikari-s  ( Non-brahmins ),  were  not  allowed  even  to  hear  or  even  to  read  for  themselves  the  sacred  books  of  their  religion. Next : Discussion-6. "the  disintegration  of  the  Vedik  vulture  of  Bharatham  is  because  of  Caste  Brahmin-s,  intellectuals,  over-smart  regionalism,  Muslim  and  Christian  communities  like Kerala,  Dravidian  separatism  like  Tamilnadu  and  political  separatism  namely   secularism  ..."     To be continued ....

MUNDAKOPANISHAD     CHAPTER-3.     SECTION-2.    Mantram-10. { Instructions  on  transfer  of  this  Supreme  Wisdom}. Discussion-4. "Qualification for the study of Upanishads ........" continued  ... Kindness  was  the  motive  in  the  heart  of  the  Rishi-s  when  they  in  detail  explain,  "the  necessary  qualifications." It  was  only  in  decadent  era  of  Hinduism  that  a  profit  seeking  community  came  to  read  a  cruel  meaning  in  the  love  statements  of  the  Rishi-s. "The  priest-class,  at  one  time  in  the  History  of  Hinduism,  started  the  heartless  mischief  of  making  use  of  these  similar  statements  in  the  Sruti-s  to  classify  the  Hindu-s  into  two  main  air-tight  compartments   of  'haves' and  'have-nots'   in  the  spiritual  world."  Next : Discussion-5. "the  haves  ....." To be continued ....

MUNDAKOPANISHAD     CHAPTER-3.     SECTION-2.    Mantram-10. { Instructions  on  transfer  of  this  Supreme  Wisdom}. Discussion-3. "Qualifications for the study of Upanishads ........" The  qualifications  necessary  for  a  study  of  this  Upanishad  is  enumerated  here. In  all  such  statements,  explaining  the  fit  'Adhikari,' ( Authority ) the  Bharatiya  ancient  sastras  of  sanatana  Dharma  which  Hindus  followed,   never  imagined  that  a  decadent  and  diseased  brhamanik  class  ( Brahmanas,  which turned into caste later )  would  at  any  time  misinterpret  them  and  make  use  of  them  as  chains  of  slavery  upon  the  Bharatiya  children ( generations ). The  Rishis  only  meant  that  unless  one  has  all  the  qualifications  enumerated  herein,  it  would  not  fully  to  one's  profit  to  come  and  attend  discourses  on  Vedanta  or  to  spend  one's  time  and  energy  in  pursuing  the  practices  advised

MUNDAKOPANISHAD     CHAPTER-3.     SECTION-2.    Mantram-10. { Instructions  on  transfer  of  this  Supreme  Wisdom}. Discussion-2. "detailed  understanding .... Scientifically  no  prescription  is  complete  without  a  detailed  direction  as  to  the  dosage  and  other  details  of  administering  the  medicine  to  the  patient. Similarly,  in  scientific  experiments,  without  a  statement  of  precautions  to  be  taken  no  prescription  is  ever  complete. So  too  in  the  'Science  of  perfection'  which  the  Sruti-s  explain. Thus,  though  'Mundakopanishad  as  a  text-book  dealing  with  the  Science  of  Self-perfection  has  ended  with  the  last  Mantram,  we  have  here  two  more  mantra-s   appended  to  the  main  text-book  as  a  necessary  precaution  or  warning. Next : Discussion-3. "Qualification for the study of Upanishad-s ........" To be continued  .....    

MUNDAKOPANISHAD     CHAPTER-3.     SECTION-2.    Mantram-10. { Instructions  on  transfer  of  this  Supreme  Wisdom}. Discussion-1. "Karma-kandam of Vedam... Though  the  declarations  of  Veda  given  out  in  the  'Karma-kandam'   portion,  have  no  authority  over  the  Upanishadik  declarations,  yet,  when  they  are  not  contradictory  or  even  complementary,  they  are  generally  quoted  in  the  'Vedantam' section  as  a  supporting  reference. Here  we  have  an  instance  where  a   Rca  (  meaning  a  vedik  Hymen  )  is   quoted  in  support  of  a  statement  of  the  Upanishadik  Seer. Next : Discussion-2. "detailed  understanding .... To be continued  ...."

MUNDAKOPANISHAD     CHAPTER-3.     SECTION-2.    Mantram-10. { Instructions  on  transfer  of  this  Supreme  Wisdom}. "Tad-etad-rcabhyuktam- kriyavantah  srotriya  brahma-nishtah svayam  juhvata  ekarsim  sraddha-yantah, tesham-evaitam  brahma-vidyam  vadeta siro-vratam  vidhivad  yaistu  cirnam." tat  =  that; etat  =  this; rca  =  by  one  RK  ( a  vedik  mantram ); abhyuktam  =  explained; kriyavantah  =  who  perform  rituals; srotriyah  =  who  read   and  study  the  Veda-s; brahma-nishtah  =  who  pursue  the  meditation  upon  Brahmam; svayam  =  by  oneself; juhvate  =  offer  oblation  to  the  fire; ekarsim  =  the  sacificial  fire  called  'ekarsi'; sraddha-yantah  =  with  faith; tesham  =  to  them; eva  =  alone; etam  =  this; brahma-vidyam  =  knowledge  of  Brahmam; vedeta  =  should  tell; siro-vratam  =  Sirovrata  ( a vow  of  carrying  fire  on  the  head ); vidhivat  =  according  to  rul

MUNDAKOPANISHAD     CHAPTER-3.     SECTION-2.    Mantram-9. ( Knower  of  Brahmam  becomes  Brahmam. ) Discussion-14. "Amrtattva"  or  immortality ...." This  "Amrtattva" or  immortality   is  never  the  status  of  the  body. There  are  many  deluded  souls  who  run  after  quack  saints  and  quaint  sages  enquiring  for  some  secret  process  by  which  they  can  reach  physical  immortality! This  is  an  absurd  hope  and  a  pleasant  contradiction  in  terms. Body  is  material;  and  matter  is  finite. "Immortalizing  Mortality" is   an  attempt  which  is  literally  a  "Continued  death." But   the  state  of  immortality  is  a  state  which  can  be  reached  and  experienced  vividly,  when  the  knots-of-the-heart  are  bombed  out  of  existence. What  constitutes  the  knots  of  the  heart  and  how  we  can  redeem  ourselves  from  the  bondage  have  been  very  exhaustively  discussed  e

MUNDAKOPANISHAD     CHAPTER-3.     SECTION-2.    Mantram-9. ( Knower  of  Brahmam  becomes  Brahmam. ) Discussion-13. "we call  death....." Such  a  one  knows  no  mortality;  for,  mortality  is  a  necessary  condition  through  which  the  finite  ego  should  pass  in  its  dream  of  continued  separativeness! When  a  man  has  realized  his  spiritual-hood,  that  man  can  know  thereafter  no  death,  since  he  becomes  a  witness  of  the  very  process  of  the  decay  of  the  body,  which  in  terms  of  our  everyday  life  we  call, "death"! Next : Discussion-14. "Amrtattva"  or  immortality ...." To be continued  ....

MUNDAKOPANISHAD     CHAPTER-3.     SECTION-2.    Mantram-9. ( Knower  of  Brahmam  becomes  Brahmam. ) Discussion-12. "He goes  beyond  sin" Thus  it  is  that  a  realized  saint  is  said  to  be  beyond  all  reactions  of  karma. This  state  of  freedom  from  the  past  encumbrances  rising  from  sins,  and  past  heritages  accrued  from  merits,  is  indicated  here  by  the  term,  "tarati  papamanam"  last  two  terms  in  the  third  line  of  the  mantram, { crosses  sin }   " he  goes  beyond  sin." Next : Discussion-13. "we call  death....." To be continued  ..

MUNDAKOPANISHAD     CHAPTER-3.     SECTION-2.    Mantram-9. ( Knower  of  Brahmam  becomes  Brahmam. ) Discussion-11. "A  man's  perfection..... his  self-hood..." " A  man  of  perfection : -  is  he  who  has  ended  his  ego  and  has  come  to  discover  his * Self-hood." "When  the  needle  is  off  from  the  'record'  in  a  gramophone-box,  even  if  it  is  playing  upon  the  disc,  it  cannot  anymore  give  out  even  a  single  note  of  its  song-of-joy  or  cry  of  pain." "Similarly,  whenever  be  the  past  actions  and  their  consequent  reactions  registered  upon  a  given  mental  equipment,  unless  the  mental  instrument  as  such  is  in  contact  with  the  false ego-needle,  it  cannot  act  upon  the  individual."  Next  : Discussion-12. "He goes  beyond  sin"   To be continued  ..

MUNDAKOPANISHAD     CHAPTER-3.     SECTION-2.    Mantram-9. ( Knower  of  Brahmam  becomes  Brahmam. ) Discussion-10. "Ego  is  the  needle  that  plies  through  the  channels  of  thought........" Ego  is  the  needle  that  plies  through  the  channels  of  thought,  stitching  on  the  mental  stuff  during  the  mind's  earlier  thought-reactions  to  its  external  world  happenings. If  those  lines  are  rightly  made,  today  when  the  ego  plays  upon  it,  a  perfect  music  of  joyous  peace  can  be  had. If  the  scratches  were  made  due  to  negative   and  animal  thought-currents,  the  pattern  so  made  on  the  mental  'record'  would  be  such  that  ego  playing  it  can  sing  only  sobs  and  agitations! It  is  in  this  sense  that  the  reactions  of  actions  done  in  the  past  bind  us  in  relentless  enslavement. Next : Discussion-11. "A  man's  perfection..... his  self-hood..." To be continu

MUNDAKOPANISHAD     CHAPTER-3.     SECTION-2.    Mantram-9. ( Knower  of  Brahmam  becomes  Brahmam. ) Discussion-9. 'Sin'..... Sin  is  the  record  etched  on  the  equipment,  left  over  by  the  wrong  actions  committed  in  the  past. Such  ugly  scars  make  a  mind  disabled  and  deficient  in  meeting  efficiently  the  present  challenges  of  life,  and  they  can  yield  for  it  only  a  harvest  of  sorrow Next : Discussion-10. "Ego  is  the  needle  that  plies  through  the  chaanels  of  thought........" To be continued  ....

MUNDAKOPANISHAD     CHAPTER-3.     SECTION-2.    Mantram-9. ( Knower  of  Brahmam  becomes  Brahmam. ) Discussion-8. "Goes  beyond  sorrow  and  sin....." : - One  tired  of  the  sorrows  in  the  finite  world  is  the  seeker  in  spiritualism. Every  seeker  is  a  conscientios  revolt  against  pain  and  death. 'Moksham,' ( moha -kshayam ) ( desirelessness / renunciation )  which  is  the  goal  of  life,  is  a  state  where pain  has  no  entry,  and  joy  is  the  only  experience. Thus,  when  we  are  told  here  that  the  seeker  who  has  come  to  realize  the  spiritual  centre  in  him  goes  beyond  the  frontiers  of  pain,  the  'Sruti' is  indicating  the  domain  of  liberation. Next : Discussion-9. 'Sin'..... To be continued  ....

MUNDAKOPANISHAD     CHAPTER-3.     SECTION-2.    Mantram-9. ( Knower  of  Brahmam  becomes  Brahmam. ) Discussion-7. "Ancient days  Bharatham, ..... Vedantik  tradition.....   Dharma  sastra..." When  in  the  ancient  days,  a  member  of  a  particular  lineage,  had  climbed  the  ladder  of  evolution  and  had  reached  the  roof  of  existence  in  the  realization  of  the  Self,  there  will  certainly  be  in  that  family  a  Vedantik  tradition  and  a  spiritual  civilization  for  generations  on  end. The  preservation  of  this  civilization  of  the  higher  values  of  life  and  the  culture  of  the  soul,  were  facilitated  by  the  guarding  rules  of  ethical  and  moral  living,  which  were  enforced  upon  the  society  by  the  benevolent  Masters  through  their  'dharma  sastra-s' and  social  rules  of  behavior  and  family  orders  of  living. Next : Discussion-8. "Goes  beyond  sorrow  and  sin....." To be co

MUNDAKOPANISHAD     CHAPTER-3.     SECTION-2.    Mantram-9. ( Knower  of  Brahmam  becomes  Brahmam. ) Discussion-6. "In  the  very  family  of  such  a  perfect  Master  there  shall  be  born  no  one  ignorant  of  this  Vedantic  culture." : -  This  is  ( the above  declaration ) the  confidence  of  the  Rishi-s  of  Bharatham  who  provided  for  their  children  to  live  such  a  purely  scientific  and  divine  scheme  of  living  in  the  sacred  "Sanatana Dharma." There  is  no  fantastic  exaggeration  in  this  statement,  since  it  must  be  the  everyday  experience   of  every  one  of  us  in  this  world  of  today  that  a  cultured  man  has  a  cultured  family  and  an  untutored  and  illiterate  man  has  an  equally  uncultured  family. Next : Discussion-7. "Ancient days  Bharatham, ..... Vedantik  tradition.....   Dharma  sastra..." To be continued  ....  

MUNDAKOPANISHAD    CHAPTER-3.    SECTION-2.   Mantram-9. ( Knower  of  Brahmam  becomes  Brahmam. ) Discussion-5.   "More light  on Brahmam ..." The positive  declaration  of  the  Rishi-s  that  "Knower  of  the  Brahmam  becomes  Brahmam"  has  come  to  be  the  very  corner - stone  of  the  advaita  philosophy. The mantram  under  discussion  is  the  very  statement  which  has  raised  the  Mundakopanishad  to  the  dignity  of  being  recognized  as  one  of  the  most  important  ten  Upanishad-s  upon  which  the  great  Acharya-s  in  our  Bharatiya  Sanatana  dharma  namely  Hinduism  have  chosen  to  give  their  serious  thought  and  well-thought  out  and  considered  commentaries. Next : Discussion-6. "In  the  very  family  of  such  a  perfect  Master  there  shall  be  born  no  one  ignorant  of  this  Vedantic  culture."  To be continued  ....