MUNDAKA UPANISHAD - 24. Swami Advayananda.

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6 Chapters (64 Mantras)

Chapter-2.

(Mantras - 23-32, 10 no.

Section-1 : THE SUPREME PURUSHA)

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Thursday, April 20, 2023. 06:30.

 3. THE SUPREME PURUSHA

(Mantras - 23-32, 10 no.)

Thus begins the first Section of the Second Canto.

Post - 24.

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24. Mantram - 3.2: Absolute Nature of Brahman

1 

divyah hi amoortah purushah,   =  The Divine Being is formless, indeed;

2 

sa-baahya abhyantarah hi ajah;   =  both within and without; unborn;

3 

apraanah hi amanaah shubhrah,  =   anterior to both life and mind; pure;

4 

hi aksharaat   =  verily, even from the Indestructible (Causal), 

paratah parah.  =  high though it is, It is still Higher!

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This is a very oft-quoted verse to describe the glory of the Supreme Purusha, which 

stands at the pinnacle of the hierarchy in the process of creation.

One can take two routes to the Origin – either via ‘Tat-Pada’ (the macrocosmic 

aspect) or via ‘Twam-Pada’ (the microcosmic aspect). This Upanishad, like the Isavasya 

Upanishad chooses the former route; the Katha and Chandogya Upanishads are examples 

of the latter route.

1-2 

The Divine Being is being described in a series of ways, each one capturing an 

aspect of its Divine nature:

i) Amurtah: “formless”; this differentiates it from any object, for all objects have a 

form. This means it is not something gross, to start with. It cannot be perceived by the 

senses.

ii) Bahi-Antara: “within and without”; It is all-pervading, indicating that it is 

something not made of matter but of Spirit.

iii) Ajah: “not born”; It does not originate, implying that It is beyond Time, that It has 

no beginning and no end.

Could it then be something subtle like the life force, or even the mind?

3 

No, it is not the life force, nor is it the mind. By a process of elimination, the Rishi 

points to what this Divine Being could be.

iv) Apraano, Amanah: “not life-force, not mind”; these are subtle creations; It is not 

even these. It is beyond all gross and subtle creations.

The subtle plane is not visible to the eye, and hence it often gets described as 

superior to the gross. This does not make it the highest in rank. The subtle creation is made 

up of the subtle elements, just as the gross creation is made of gross elements.

v) Shubhrah: “absolutely pure”; as It is not made up of even the subtle elements, it is 

called Pure. Elements are considered as being in the realm of Matter, and matter can always 

get tainted. This Divine Being is beyond the reach of taint. It is ever-Pure.

Not being gross or subtle, is It the causal state of creation? 

4 

No, It is also beyond the Causal state of creation. In Vedanta, the Causal state is 

called Ishwara, which may be translated as “God” as used in Western religions. The causal 

state is an unmanifest state of creation, but the seed of creation exists in this state. No, says 

the Rishi, It is even beyond this causal state.

Ishwara (God) is undoubtedly at a very high level in the cosmic hierarchy, for from 

Him the entire manifestation – subtle and gross - arises. Yet, the Supreme is higher still. 

Paratah Para: 

This is the key phrase in this mantram, meaning “Highest of the High”, 

“transcending even the transcendent Ishwara”. This places it above every level of creation –

namely, gross, subtle as well as causal. He is the Supreme Purusha or Brahman, the ultimate 

entity in Vedanta philosophy. This is the Goal or Ultimate Reality of Para Vidya.

THE HIERARCHY IN INDIAN PHILOSOPHY :

Beyond Ishwara is Prakriti, the creative Power behind creation. Beyond this power of 

creation is the Supreme Being. The word Akshara is used in some texts to refer to either 

Ishwara or even Prakriti. These are not the Highest. Brahman is even higher than these 

levels.

In the Geeta, 15th Chapter, we have the words Kshara, Akshara and Uttama Akshara. 

The Geeta’s Kshara would coincide with the apex of the subtle creation, Hiranyagarbha. Its 

Akshara would coincide with Ishwara or God. This is the same as Akshara as used in this 

mantra,. The last term, Uttama Akshara of the Geeta is the Supreme Purusha referred to in this 

Upanishad as the “Highest of the high”.

The term ‘Kootastha’ is also used in some scriptures for the Supreme Purusha. 

Derived from the word koota meaning “an anvil”, it refers to that which remains unchanged 

even though everything else beaten upon it changes in shape. This Unchanging Reality is 

another term for the Supreme Brahman used in this text. 

For clarity on Prakriti, other terms used for it are Maya, Avidya, Pradhana, Prakrita, 

Avyakta, Akasha and Akshara, as noted earlier.

The terms used depend on the context. Consider this example of numbers. Consider 

the numbers 1, 2, 3 and 4. If the highest among them needs to be indicated, it would be 1. If 

the lowest is to be indicated, it would be 4. If the relative positions are being considered, 

then 1 would be Akshara compared to 2; 2 would be Akshara compared to 3; and 3 would 

be Akshara compared to 4. This is why the same term is seen applied to different items.

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Next
25. Mantram - 3.3: Brahman as Hiranyagarbha – the Subtle Macrocosm
To be continued

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