AITAREYA UPANISHAD - 25. Rishi Maheedasa Aitareya.

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Friday, April 21, 2023. 06:40.

PART 2 : The “THREE BIRTHS

Chapter 4 - 

Mantram - 4.5: Breaking Through Iron Fetters

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Mantram - 4.5: Breaking Through Iron Fetters

16. 

tad uktam rishinaa –   =  As to this it has been said by a Rishi:

17.

garbhe nu san anuvedam aham,  = “While yet in the embryo, I knew well

eshaam devaanaam janimaani vishvaa;  =  all the births of these Deities!

18. 

shatam maa purah aayaseeh arakshan  =  A hundred iron citadels confined me down;

adhah, shyenah javasaa niradeeyam, iti.  =  yet, like a hawk in full flight, forth I flew.”

19. 

garbha eva etat shayaanah,   =  Even while lying in the womb,

vaamadevah evam uvaacha.  =  the Rishi Vamadeva had spoken thus!

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Human Evolution :

The evolution of man into a perfect being, a divine being, is the intention of Nature. 

Each cycle of the “three births” aims to make some progress towards fulfilling this intention. 

The ideal is that Human Evolution moves forward incrementally through every such cycle. As 

human evolution proceeds forward, the slumber approaches its terminal point, ending in 

the Awakening of Man into spiritual glory.

This mantram represents the stage when the evolution of one man has reached its 

pinnacle. The name of the man being described is Rishi Vamadev.

The Realisation Experience of Rishi Vamadev

Rishi Maheedasa now springs a sudden surprise on us, with the best of intentions, of 

course. We see in this verse the unique power of the Aitareya Upanishad to jolt us out of 

our comfort zone, back into awareness of the rigorous path of spiritual illumination. The 

Rishi aims to awaken us out of our spiritual Slumber.

The warm, cosy atmosphere of the home together with the comfortable regular 

cycle of the flow of life in the household, is contrasted at the most poignant moment with 

the miserable situation of “imprisonment” in the womb of the mother. A more opportune 

moment to draw the contrast cannot be found. The poet has built up a warm nest around 

our thoughts, only to shatter it with this insight into life in a womb . . .

The Realisation of Rishi Vamdev :

16. 

Tad: “this”. ‘This’ refers to the spiritual awakening gained by the human soul from 

the evolution produced through many cycles of the “three births” which we ended with in 

the last verse. In connection with that is quoted the following experience of Rishi Vamdev,

whose story is told in the Atma Purana:

17. 

We see the theme of Birth being brought to a climax here. We are speaking of a 

birth here that has an amazing circumstance to it. The Rishi explains: 

Rishi Vamdev was a Jeeva having the same experience as Brahman entering the first 

Human Body at the time of Creation (see 3.13). He is about to go through his final birth as a 

human being. He lies in the womb of his mother and is in a spiritually awakened state! That

means that he has barely any Samskaras to be worked out; the few that he has come with 

are all worked out through the pains experienced in the womb. Once worked out, although 

he is poised and ready for birth at any moment, there is no real need for him to be born!

While in the womb, Vamdev recognizes all the Deities, exactly as Brahman had done 

in verse 3.13 when He said, “O, I have seen all this before!” The Deities mean all our subtle 

body equipments – the intellect, mind, senses, etc. He recognizes them for what they are –

just Upadhis or obstructions to the true vision of God.

18. 

Then he further remembers all his numerous previous births - not just once but a 

“hundred times”, meaning many, many, many times, when he had undergone this 

imprisonment in a womb.

As we read this, our own comfort and security suddenly give way to uncertainty and

fear. This is the master-stroke of Rishi Maheedasa. He brings out the truth about how 

illusory our ‘comfort zone’ in life really is. The verse surely has been designed to awaken us 

out of our false, homely pleasures wherein we feel “All is well”, and to compel us to see the 

whole experience of life from the spiritual perspective.

Aayaseeh Arakshan: “iron citadels”. The Rishi fearlessly gives us a jolt whilst we are 

revelling in the mundane pleasures of home life, that we are never going to be free from the 

iron chains that bind us to womb after womb indefinitely!

Vamadeva did the wisest thing. Having realized that he was bound in chains; that 

this life was not so full of joy but mixed intensely with the pains of separation from the Lord 

– no sooner he realized this, he escaped with “hawk-like” speed out of his cage, and 

liberated himself. This he did while in the womb itself! 

When are we going to break out of this vicious circle of imprisonment? Nay, even 

before that, when are we going to realize that we are bound?

19. 

The Rishi Vamadeva was fortunate and blessed indeed. While still in the womb, 

by the Grace of the Lord, he realized what the Truth was. It dawned upon him that it was 

Brahman alone who is in all the organs of the body. He remembered that he had 

experienced all this many times before but never understood it then. Now, he beheld the 

same vision that Brahman had which He had expressed as, “Oh, I have seen this before!”

What a way the Rishi Maheedasa has found to generate in us Vairagya of the highest 

type! This is the amazing beauty of Aitareya Upanishad. It is truly unique among all 

Upanishads, written with rare insight and compassion for man – a stroke of the loftiest 

streak of inspiration for the benefit of all mankind.

*****

Next
Mantram - 4.6: The Jivanmukti and Videhamukti of Vamadeva
To be continued

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