MUNDAKA UPANISHAD - 22. Swami Advayananda.

Kumari Devulapalle

🙏🙏🙏

Chinmaya Mission :

The CM members of Mumbai came together to bond together as a Chinmaya family today 5 March 2023 at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya Mumbai. This bonding was nurtured with beautiful games, and inspiring talks by Swami Tejomayananda, Swami Swaroopananda, and Swami Swatmananda. 

The day began with all age groups assembled for a graduation ceremony of the Shishu Vihar to Jr Bala Vihar, Jr Bala Bihar to Sr Bala Vihar, Sr Bala Vihar to CHYK, and CHYK to CSK. 

Swami Swatmananda explained to all of us how each of us belongs to 5 families which we all have to be grateful for ie immediate family, Sanatana Dharma Family, Bharateeya Family, Chinmaya Family, and Universal Family. Pujya Swami Swaroopanandaemphasizedd how our individuality and attachment dissolve when our identification grows with a larger family. He also gave members guidance on how our love should be for a higher cause and the meaning of True Love.

Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda encapsulated the entire Vedanta to study group members and defined the word family as an acronym of the words Father and Mother, I Love You.

After lunch children, youth, and adults were kept engrossed in games like treasure hunts, snakes, and ladders games to teach the progression of life stages from Brahmacharya to Sannyasa and also introduced the various samskaras to children through the game.

The cheers and smiles on all faces were beautiful and fulfilling and all were left with the feeling of ‘We stand as one Family.'

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6 Chapters (64 Mantras)

Chapter-1.

Section-2 : A CLOSE LOOK AT RITUALS : (Mantras 10-22, 13 no.)

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Wednesday, March 08, 2023. 07:15.

Mantram - 2.13: The Role of the Guru

Post - 22.

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22 - Mantram - 2.13 : The Role of the Guru
Institution to teachers on initiating fit students

1 

"tasmai sa vidvaan  =  He, the wise sage, should teach a pupil

upasannaaya samyak,  =  i) who approaches him in a befitting manner,

2

prashaanta-chittaaya  =  ii) whose mind is at rest, and

shamaanvitaaya;  =  iii) whose senses are subdued;

3 

yena aksharam purusham  =  To such a pupil is taught the Immortal Purusha,

veda satyam,  =   the Truth as expounded in the Vedas;

4 

provaacha taam tattvatah  =  To him are taught the princ

brahma-vidyaam.  =  of Brahma Vidya, the science of Self-knowledge."

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Bhashyam (Vyakyanam) :

With this mantram, the Doors of the Divine University are opened. Brahma Vidya can 

now be imparted to the student who has been granted admission, having passed all the 

preliminary examinations. The Course itself begins in the next chapter.

It must not be overlooked that this marks a milestone in the life of a disciple.

1-2 Once the disciple has placed himself of his own choice at the feet of the Guru for 

further instruction on this path, the Guru’s responsibility begins.

Acharyaji said, “The Guru who always praises the disciple is a terrible Guru.” And he 

cited an example from the life of Tapovanji and the young Swami Chinmayanandaji to 

illustrate this point:

THE EXAMPLE OF TAPOVANJI :

The disciple, Chinmaya (as he was called by Sri Tapovaniji), once went out of his way 

to stitch a tear in his Guru’s dhoti. He then ironed it neatly, folded it and gave it to the Guru. 

The response was surprising to him. “You have torn my dhoti”. Chinmaya explained what 

happened. Tapovanji continued, “So, you are a liar, too!” Thereafter, several times in the 

class, Tapovanji would call him a liar. It became too much to bear for the young Chinmaya, 

and one day he packed his things and decided to leave.

When he had left, Tapovanji was very sad, “O my Chinmaya has gone, my Chinmaya 

has gone!” Fortunately, on his way out of Uttarkashi, the young Chinmaya met a wise man. 

Chinmaya answered the wise man’s kind query. The latter then told him, “You are going 

away because of that! Your Guru is a great Mahatma – he does not even wear shoes, what is 

a tear in his dhoti to him! He was only working on your Ego, that is all. Come now, go back 

to him, or you will regret this rashness for life.”

It is very hard to travel this path on one’s own. The disciple needs the help of the 

Guru to weed out the ego. The ego is protected by layers upon layers of age-old “fat” in the 

form of mental fortresses; it is virtually impossible to break up their ramparts on one’s own

– the ego will never allow itself to be destroyed by itself.

Acharyaji threw more light on the great responsibility placed on the Guru. His work is 

the most difficult. Everyone else tries to pamper the ego, but the Guru has the job of 

breaking it down. To do that he may need to reprimand the disciple at times. This is not 

liked by anyone, yet the true disciple voluntarily submits to it. He has faith that the Guru 

only means well for his evolution.

Thus Chinmaya returned to his Guru, a little wiser perhaps for that experience, and, 

in retrospect, the world also has become wiser for that experience!

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3 The teaching henceforth is all about the Aksharam, Purusham and Satyam – all 

three words referring to the same Paramarthic Supreme Brahman, all in 2nd case Samskrit.

In ‘Akshara’ we have a good example of the richness of Samskrit words. The root 

‘kshar’ means three things: “to move or change”; “to destroy”; and “to decay”. Hence 

Akshara, the opposite of ‘Kshara’ is a perfect word for the Supreme who is Unchangeable, 

Indestructible and Undecaying.

4 This Pada is very significant here. Brahma Vidya is to be given to the disciple who 

approaches in this manner. This comes as an instruction to the Guru. But this is really only 

from a Vyavaharika perspective. The scriptures would never instruct a Brahmavid Guru. 

Such an instruction would be superfluous. It is like there being a rule – “Mothers should 

feed their children.” There is no need for such a rule. Mothers would do that whether there 

is a rule or not. In the same way, the Guru would teach the disciple out of spontaneous love 

from his heart. He does not need to do it in obedience to a rule.

This appropriately closes the second chapter of the First Mundaka.

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SUMMARY SO FAR :

Chapter One dealt with the introduction of the existence of two distinct branches of 

knowledge, the lower and the higher. The essential differences between them were 

explained.

Chapter Two has built on the same theme. It has given us enormous amount of 

detail about the Apara Vidya. It has cleared in our minds any doubts we may have of the 

Apara Vidya, which is given so much space in the Vedas. The reason for this is explained.

The discussion on Apara Vidya begins with the Karma Kanda. Those who follow the 

Karma Kanda are desirous of obtaining pleasures through actions. We came to the 

conclusion that this was not a worthwhile goal.

Then the Karma Upasaka entered the scene. He follows the Upasana Kanda. He is an 

improvement on the Karma Kandi in that he is willing to undergo penance and be selfless in 

his actions. But the motive is still to enjoy pleasures in heaven. He is seen to be more 

religiously inclined than the desire-mongering Karma Kandi. Yet, even his is a temporary 

stage. When he realises that even heavenly pleasures come to an end, he begins to prepare 

himself for Brahma Vidya or the Para Vidya. This is when he approaches the Guru.

Up to this point we have completed the discussion. From the next Chapter the actual 

Jnana Kanda comes onto the scene. The spiritual teaching will be taken up in greater depth.

"Iti mundakopanishadi, prathamah mundake, dviteeyah khandah."

Thus in the Mundaka Upanishad, ends the second Section of the first Canto.

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Next

3. THE SUPREME PURUSHA

(Mantras - 23-32, 10 no.
To be continued

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