KAIVALYA UPANISHAD: “The Homogeneity of Brahman” - 10. Swami Gurubhaktananda.

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Sunday 10, May 2026, 20:10.           
KAIVALYA UPANISHAD: “The Homogeneity of Brahman” 
from the Atharva Veda: 26 Mantras: 
Reflections:  Swami Gurubhaktananda: 
Mantram -14: Why Do the States Change? 
Post: 10.

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Mantram -14: Why Do the States Change? 

9. 

punah cha janma antara = Again, following from endless previous births,   

karma-yogaat = due to the Karmic reactions gathered in them,

10. 

sa eva jeevah = that very same Jiva goes (back and forth)   

swapiti prabuddhah; = between the dream and the waking states.

 11. 

pura-traye kreedati = In these three cities (states), merrily sports   

yah cha Jeeva = the same (helpless) individual soul.

12. 

tatastu jaatam = That from whom verily have sprung up   

sakalam vichitram. = all the diverse varieties of experiences;  

13. 

aadhaaram = That is the support or Substratum,    

aanandam akhanda-bodham = the indivisible Bliss-Consciousness.

14. 

yasmin layam yaati = Into That alone dissolve  

pura-trayam cha. = all the three cities (states) once again. 

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Comments:

This Slogam takes an overview of all the three states, first two standpoints:

A.  From the Standpoint of Jiva:

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9-11.

The Karma that we have accumulated over countless births becomes the cause of birth into human bodies, there to work itself out. This Karma keeps us within any one of  the three states at any one time. It is the Karma that hurls us back and forth through the  three states, tossing us from one to the other, like a tennis ball.  

This tossing may be a “merry sport” from the point of view of the Reality, but from the Jiva’s point of view, it could well be an endless experience of burning torture, an encounter with Pain from which it cannot find any relief except in deep sleep. The Jiva that was enjoying a deep rest during sleep is not left to enjoy this state for too long. It is stirred out of bed by Prarabdha to continue its active participation in life in 

Samsara. It is like the break that a boxer gets at the end of each round. He can go to his  corner and forget all about the match for a paltry two minutes or so until the referee blows his whistle and calls him back into the ring to face his opponent again. For the Jiva, this goes 

one day after day, life after life – a relentless cycle of bondage indeed! 

The Three “Cities”:

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This simile throws light on an important aspect of life in the three states. The states are unique in themselves. Hence, they are described as three different cities. Each city is run by its own government, has its own rules and governing body, which cannot be interfered by the other two. As we have seen in Advaita Makaranda, the “ruling party” in each city does not even have an opposition party to oppose it. It controls every aspect of its own city. 

The differences between the cities have been discussed already in verses 12 and 13.

All three states are tied to ignorance, which is their very cause. There is no escape from them until we end ignorance through knowledge. The cities may be compared to the three places familiar to every person – his home, his workplace and the shopping mall. The person moves from one to another endlessly throughout life. Occasionally, to get some relief, he takes time off to go on a holiday, only to get caught in another triplet – the hotel, the cab and the restaurant – where he has to cough up cash for every service he receives! 

B.  From the Standpoint of the “Witnessing Self”:

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12-14: The Witness or Self is common to all the three states, witnessing them as their substratum. It remains unaffected by the “merry sport”. In fact, it even survives their ultimate dissolution at the time of death, when It absorbs them into Itself. 

If through knowledge and renunciation, the Jiva discovers this Self, it can find permanent rest in Its bosom. It can be the vacation of a lifetime. It will be an “all expenses paid” holiday. The Self is the Jiva’s true home – he does not need to pay a single rupee to live there!  

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5.OUR SPIRITUAL ROOTS: (Mantras 15-19, 5 no.) 
Mantram15: The Material Cause of All 
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Reflections:  Swami Gurubhaktananda:

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