Commentary on the Panchadasi: 19. Swami Krishnananda.

 

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Tuesday 11, November 2025, 20:30.
BOOKS
UPANISHAD 
Discourse - 4
Chapter 1: Tattva Viveka – Discrimination of Reality.
Mantras 28-43
Mantras 37- 40.
SWAMI KRISHNANANDA
Post-19.

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Mantram-41.

Suṣuptya bhāne bhānantu samādhā vātmāno'nvayaḥ, vyatirekas tvātma bhāne suṣuptya nava bhāsanam (41).

 In the state of samadhi, consciousness exists, but the causal body does not exist. Now we have gotten rid of even the causal body. Consciousness is there in samadhi, but the causal body is not there. This is anvaya. The abolition of the causal body, the negation of the causal body while consciousness persists in samadhi, is vyatireka.

What has happened now? We have proven that consciousness, which is our real nature, can exist independently of the physical body, independently of the subtle body, and independently of the causal body. So what is our real nature? It is not the physical body, not the vital body, not the mental body, not the intellectual body, not the causal body.

Foolishly we identify ourselves with all these and cry every day that “this is like this, this is like that”. We are not really connected with any of these bodies. It is a foolishness, a kind of internal adhyasa, a superimposition that has taken place by some internal error. The nature of this error has also to be analysed. How have we got into this muddle, while we have now actually come to the conclusion that we are Pure Consciousness and can exist independently of all the sheaths? Thus, consciousness existing in samadhi, and the causal body not existing there, is anvaya; and the abolition of the causal body in the state of samadhi, while consciousness is there, is the vyatireka aspect. Hence, all the koshas are now eliminated.

Mantram-42.

Yathā muñjā diṣī kaivam ātmā yuktyā samud dhṛtaḥ, śarīra tritayād dhīraiḥ paraṁ brahmaiva jāyate (42). 

The pith of a blade of munja grass is taken out from the stalk in which it is embedded. The stalk of the munja grass has a sheath, and inside there is pith. The grass is used to tie the waistband during the Upanayana ceremony of boys, and it is also used during fasting, especially long fasts. The pinch of hunger is eliminated by eating this pith. The illustration is: as the pith of the munja grass is gradually separated by the elimination of the covering, so too by the method adopted through anvaya and vyatireka, as we have noted just now, the Atman Consciousness has to be gradually eliminated from involvement in the koshas.

Mantram-43

Parā parāt mano revaṁ yuktyā saṁbhā vitai katā, tattva masyā divākyais sā bhāga tyāgena lakṣyate (43). 

The moment this is achieved—when we are successful in dissociating consciousness from all the five koshas—we will realise that our consciousness inside is Universal Existence, Brahman Itself. This will lead us to the realisation of the Absolute Brahman.

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Next
Discourse 5:
Chapter 1: Tattva Viveka – Discrimination of Reality:
Mantras 44-55.
Mantram-44.
Jagato yadu pādānaṁ māyā mādāya tāmasīm, nimittaṁ śuddha sasattvāṁ tāmucyate brahma tadgirā (44).
Continues

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