Upanishads : "The cream of Vedas"

Mundaka-Upanishad Chapter-1. Section-2. ( Rituals ) Mantram-7. [Criticism  of  rituals --  devoid  of  knowledge  ( Upasana ) ]. Discussion-2. "Eighteen  supporters  of  Yajnam..........." Eighteen  supporters  of  yajnam  are  constituted  of  the  sixteen  priests  ( ritvik-s )  along  with  the  householder  ( Yajamanan )  and  his  wife. These  eighteen  are  important  limbs  in  some  kind  of  rituals,  which  are  performed  with  some  given  set  of  selfish  desires. Please  note  that  all  'karma-s,'  at  all  times,  in  all  instances  need  not  have  a  householder  with  a  wife  to  preside  over  it. ...

Mundaka-Upanishad Chapter-1. Section-2. ( Rituals ) Mantram-7. [Criticism  of  rituals --  devoid  of  knowledge  ( Upasana ) ]. Discussion-1. " We  Hindus,  the  Bharatheeya  confuse  and  ignorant  about  rituals ...." Rituals   have  certainly  a  place  in  the  technique  of  self-perfection. They  are  means  to  a  greater  end. But,  a  majority  of   Bharatheeya-nivasi-s  (  Hindu-s  )  have  come  to  confuse  the  means  to  be  the  fulfilment  in  themselves. They  refuse  to  rise  higher  than  the  rituals,  and  'Mother  Sruti'  is  here  mercilessly  whipping  such  ignorant  devotees  to  greater  ende...

Mundaka-Upanishad Chapter-1. Section-2. ( Rituals ) Mantram-7. [Criticism  of  rituals --  devoid  of  knowledge  ( Upasana ) ]. Plava  hyete  adrdha  yajna-rupa astadasoktam - avaram  yesu  karma atac - chreyo  ye  bhinandanti  mudha jara - mrtyum  te  punare - vapi  yanti. plavah  =  boats; hi  =  verily; ete  =  these; adrdha  =  undependable,  frail; yajna-rupa  =  form  ( or boat )  of  yajnam; astadasa  uktam  =  is  sais  to  be  manned  by  eighteen  ( supporters )  in  number; avaram  =  the  inferior,  lower; yah  =  he; esu  =  on  whom; karma  =  ceremonial; etat  =  this; sreyah  =  ( as )  the  highest; ye  =  ...

Mundaka-Upanishad Chapter-1. Section-2. ( Rituals ) Mantram-5 & 6.  ( Attainment  of  heaven  by  performing  'Agnihotram'  rirual  properly ) Mantram-6. Ehy-ehiti  tam-ahutayah  suvarcasah suryasya  rasmibhir-yajamanam   vahanti, priyam  vacam-abhivadantyo-rcayantya esa  vah  punyah  sukrto  brahma-lokah. ehi  =  come  hither; ehi  =  come  hither; iti  =  that; tam  =  to  him; ahutayah  =  oblations  ( homa dravyam-s ); suvarcasah  =  brilliant; suryasya  =  of  the  sun; rasmibhih  =  through  the  rays; yajamanam  =  the  sacrificer  ( the  performer  of  homa yajnam ); vahanti  =  carry; priyam  =  pleasant; vacam  =  words; abhivadantyah  =  ...

Mundaka-Upanishad Chapter-1. Section-2. ( Rituals ) Mantram-5 & 6.  ( Attainment  of  heaven  by  performing  'Agnihotram'  rirual  properly ) Mantram-5. Discussion-12. Summation....  "with  the  added  interesting  meanings  on  Devata..." In  the  "Veda  Vani" of  Prof. S.K. Gupta, it  is very  interesting  to  read  the  different  meanings  of  "Devata." We  also  know  that  mind,  in  its  function  of  reception  and  correlation,  is  the  ruling  and  governing  factor  of  all  sense-organs. In  that  sense,  the  scripture  accepts  the  mind  as  the  king  of  the  'Indriya-s'  and  naturally,  its  presiding  d...

Mundaka-Upanishad Chapter-1. Section-2. ( Rituals ) Mantram-5 & 6.  ( Attainment  of  heaven  by  performing  'Agnihotram'  rirual  properly ) Mantram-5. Discussion-11.. "Thus  Deva  means ........." Thus  'Deva' means :- 1. He  who  sines;  gives  light; 2. He  who  bestows  wealth; 3. He  who  causes good  health; 4. He  who  shows  the  path; 5. He  who  makes  others  shine; 6.  He  who  sends  out  music; 7. He  who  imparts  knowledge  and  wisdom. Next : Discussion-12. Summation....  "with  the  added  interesting  meanings  on  Devata..." To be continued  ...

Mundaka-Upanishad Chapter-1. Section-2. ( Rituals ) Mantram-5 & 6.  ( Attainment  of  heaven  by  performing  'Agnihotram'  rirual  properly ) Mantram-5. Discussion-10. "Scientific  fact  that  sound  .........." Similarly,  we  know  the  scietific  fact that  sound  can  be  made  only  in  a  medium  of  'space'. If  there  were  no  space,  we  could  not  make  sound,  and  if  sound  were  not,  we  would  have  no  object  to  be  illuminated  by  the  ear  and  so,  the  organ  of  sound  can  function  only  when  it  is  presided  over  and  blessed  by  the  'element'  (  bhutam ) ...

Mundaka-Upanishad Chapter-1. Section-2. ( Rituals ) Mantram-5 & 6.  ( Attainment  of  heaven  by  performing  'Agnihotram'  rirual  properly ) Mantram-5. Discussion-9.  "Sense organs........" It  is  well  known  that  the  organ  of  vision,  the  eye,  or  the  sense-organ  of  sound,  the  ear,  cannot  function  unless  they  are  brought  into  play  in  a  medium  of  light  or  space. If  the  Light-Principle  were  not  in  the  world,  we  would  not  be  able  to  make  use  of  the  instrument  called  'eyes'  for,  the  'eye'  can  see  forms  only  when  the  forms  are  in  a ...

Mundaka-Upanishad Chapter-1. Section-2. ( Rituals ) Mantram-5 & 6.  ( Attainment  of  heaven  by  performing  'Agnihotram'  rirual  properly ) Mantram-5. Discussion-8. "Similarity  of  example  with  the  mantram  ......" Similarly,  a  very  sacred  act,  performed  with  deep  sincerity,  moulds  the  performer's  mental  structure  and  "Vasana"  contents. This  is  so  beautifully  explained  in  this  Mantram,  when  the  Rishi  says  that  the  very  "ahuti"  in  the  form  of  ' Sun's  ray',  leads him  to  the  Lord  of  the  'Deva's'   ---- this  term  also  needs  a  background  understanding  of  the  "Vedantik ...

Mundaka-Upanishad Chapter-1. Section-2. ( Rituals ) Mantram-5 & 6.  ( Attainment  of  heaven  by  performing  'Agnihotram'  rirual  properly ) Mantram-5. Discussion-7. 'the above  example  on  death  is  ......' Now,  let  us  enter  wherever  we  like  mentally  in  that  market  place  ....  Surely,  all  of  us  could  not  have  gone  mentally  to  one  and  the  same  place  in  the  market. One  of  you  might  have  gone  to  a  book-stall,  another  to  a  shoe  shop,  and  still  another  to  a  cloth shop,  and  myself  to  a  coffee-house,  and  the  ladies,  all  must  have  gone ...

Mundaka-Upanishad Chapter-1. Section-2. ( Rituals ) Mantram-5 & 6.  ( Attainment  of  heaven  by  performing  'Agnihotram'  rirual  properly ) Mantram-5. Discussion-6. "Death is but ........." Death  is  but  a  total  and  permanent  divorce  between   gross  body  and  subtle  content. The  mind  and  the  intellect  equipment  constituting  the  subtle  body,  renounces  once  for  all,  its claim  on  a  given  structure  of  matter  and  with  the  reference  to  that  enert  matter-envelopment, we  say,  it  is  dead. For  example,  friends,  let  us  all  for  a  moment  mentally  go  from  our  discussion  to ...

Mundaka-Upanishad Chapter-1. Section-2. ( Rituals ) Mantram-5 & 6.  ( Attainment  of  heaven  by  performing  'Agnihotram'  rirual  properly ) Mantram-5. Discussion-5. "If  the  Sun  be  thus  .............'RAY OF THE SUN'......"   If  the  Sun  be  thus  "a  bundle  of  our  'Karma  phala-s'  ( fruit  of  actions ),"  then  in  the  greatest  of  all  philosophical  text-books --- the  Upanishad-s  Rishi-s  have  naturally  the  right  to  make  use  of  the  idioms  and  expressions,  as  they  used  in  this  Mantram. In  the  light  of  the  above,  the  'ahuti'   in  the  form  of  the  'sun's  ray,'  ...

Mundaka-Upanishad Chapter-1. Section-2. ( Rituals ) Mantram-5 & 6.  ( Attainment  of  heaven  by  performing  'Agnihotram'  rirual  properly ) Mantram-5. Discussion-4. Law  of  Karma  to  be  continued  .......   Each  one  of  us,  according  to  the   'pregnant 'karma,'  is  here  commissioned  to  live  through  and  exhaust  the  fruits  of  one's  own  actions. In  order  to  live  completely  and  fully  the  reactions  of  all  'Karma-s,'  done  by  everyone  of  us,  we  must  have  a  world,  constituted  and  planned  exactly  as  it  is  now. We  have  already  found  that  the  conditions ...

Mundaka-Upanishad Chapter-1. Section-2. ( Rituals ) Mantram-5 & 6.  ( Attainment  of  heaven  by  performing  'Agnihotram'  rirual  properly ) Mantram-5. Discussion - 3. " Law  of  Karma ......" There  is  nothing  revolting  in  this  idea;  only  we  are  not  accustomed  to  this  novel  definition,  which  is  in  fact,  nothing  but  an  extension  and  an  amplification  of  the  knowledge  we  already  possess. Our  limited  knowledge  on  the  behaviour  of  nature,  climatic  conditions,  etc.,  has  given  us  enough  data  to  believe  that  the  Sun  in  the  heaven  is  the  unquestioned  controller ...

Mundaka-Upanishad Chapter-1. Section-2. ( Rituals ) Mantram-5 & 6.  ( Attainment  of  heaven  by  performing  'Agnihotram'  rirual  properly ) Mantram-5. Discussion-2.  " Sun  in  this  mantram    ......" Philosophically,  the  sun  stands  not  for  the  self-effulgent,  ever-burning,  hot-orb  of  the  heavens  around  which  the  planets  and  stars  make  their  endless  pilgrimage,  but  it  represents  the  total  effects  of  all  'Karma-s  done  by  the  entire  living  generation  in  the  world  in  a  particular  period  of  time. In  a  very  striking  manner,  this  idea  has  been  exhaustively  ...

Mundaka-Upanishad Chapter-1. Section-2. ( Rituals ) Mantram-5 & 6.  ( Attainment  of  heaven  by  performing  'Agnihotram'  rirual  properly ) Mantram-5. Discussion- 1. "Karma kandam of  Veda-s ........." Earlier,  the  Upanishad  pointed  out  the  governing  the  eternal  promises  of  'Karma-Kandam  or  the  ritualistic  portion  of  the  Vedam. Now,  this  mantram  explains  that  when  one  has  strictly  followed,  as  per  all  the  rules,  the  rituals  advocated,  he  will  be  the  arch-angel  to  guide  the  departed  soul  to  the  realms  of  its  experiences,  its  own  fruits  and  actions. The  Scripture  sa...

Mundaka-Upanishad Chapter-1. Section-2. ( Rituals ) Mantram-5 & 6.  ( Attainment  of  heaven  by  performing  'Agnihotram'  rirual  properly ) Mantram-5. Eteshu  yas-carate  bhraja-maneshu  yatha-kalam  cahutayo  hyadadayan, tam  nayantyetah  suryasya  rasmayo  yatra  devanam  patireko-dhivasah. eteshu  =  into  these; yah  =  he  ( who ); carate  =  moves; bhraja-maneshu  =  shining; yatha  kalam  =  in  proper  time; ca  =  and; ahutayah  =  oblations ( homa-drvyams ); hi  =  verily; adadayam  =  offering  (  pouring  into  the  homagni ); tam  =  him; nayanti  =  lead; etah  =  these; suryasya  =  of  the  sun; rasmayah  =  rays; yatr...

Mundaka-Upanishad Chapter-1. Section-2. ( Rituals ) Mantram-4. ( Seven  tongues  of  fire )  Discussion-2. "Summation  ........" Vedik  period  was  a  time  prior  to  the  beauty  embodiments,  as  in  "Rama  or  in  Krishna." A  seeker  who  was  in  the  'workshop  of  Spiritualism'  had  to  learn  his  early  meditations  upon  the  different  kinds  of  flames  that  rose  from  the  sacrificial  fire  ( from  homakundam )  during  'Yajna-s  and  Yaga-s'. The  fire,  you  must  remember,  was  the  idol  of  the  Vedik  period  to  worship  at  and  to  concentrate  upon. It  is  by  concent...

Mundaka-Upanishad Chapter-1. Section-2. ( Rituals ) Mantram-4. ( Seven  tongues  of  fire )  Discussion-1. "the significance  of  various  classifications  and  types  of  flames  ( fire )  in  the  Homa-kundam......." The  real  import  and  the  significance  of  various  classifications  and  types  of  flames  discussed  herein  have  no  parallel  in  modern  science,  since  the  western  world  has  not  taken  fire  as  a  topic  of  enquiry. And  yet,  to  some  extent,  we  know  the  different  areas  in  a  candle-flames  discussed  in  elementary  physics-texts. Whether  there  are  any  special  significance...

Mundaka-Upanishad Chapter-1. Section-2. ( Rituals ) Mantram-4. ( Seven  tongues  of  fire ) "kali  karali  ca  manojava  ca  sulohita  ya  ca  sudhumra-varna, sphulingini  visvaruci  ca  devi  lelaya-mana  iti  sapta  jihvah." kali  =  kali ( the black  one ); karali  =  karali  ( the  terrific  one ); ca  =  and; manojava  =  as  swift  as  mind; ca  =  and; sulohita  =  deep-red-coloured; ya  =  who; ca  =  also; sudhumra  varna  =   the  smoke - coloured; sphulingini  =  the  sparkling; visvaruci  devi  =  the  variegated,  the  bright,  all  shining; ca  =  and; lelaya-mana  =  flickering; iti  =  that; sapta  = ...

Mundaka-Upanishad Chapter-1. Section-2. ( Rituals ) Mantram-3. ( Harmful  results  of  rituals  performed  wrongly )  Discussion-3. "Summation" .... At  the  same  time,  I  must  add  that  to  you  and  to  me  the  'Karma-s' as  they  are  now  available  for  us  are  very  very  important. Selfless  service,  japam,  puja,  Sandya-vandanam,  meditation,  etc.,  are  very  important  to  a  seeker  in  his  early  stages  of  preparation It  is  only  through  these  'Karma-s  that  one  gains  a  well-integrated  personality. It  is  only  then  that  he  comes  to  feel  the  cumbersome  brutalities  of ...

Mundaka-Upanishad Chapter-1. Section-2. ( Rituals ) Mantram-3. ( Harmful  results  of  rituals  performed  wrongly ) Discussion-2. "Seven  worlds"........ The  seven  worlds  can  be  considered  as  the  seven  generations;  three  ancestors  and  three  descendants,  and  himself, Thus,  a  'ritualistic  karmam,' not  done  properly,  would  have  consequences  not  only  upon  oneself  but  upon  one's  own  father  grandfather  and  great-grandfather  and  upon  one's  own  son,  grandson,  and  great  grandson!!! In  short,  the  Upanishad  is  severely  emphasising  the  drudgery  of  rules  in  ritualism  and  is  trying  ...

Mundaka-Upanishad Chapter-1. Section-2. ( Rituals ) Mantram-3. ( Harmful  results  of  rituals  performed  wrongly ) Discussion-1. " do's  and  dont's " .... In  this  mantram,  the  teacher  by  exhaustive  enumeration  of  all  the  minute  "do's " and  "don'ts"  is  aiming  at  the  creation  of b a  desired  effect  upon  the  disciple. No  man  of  discrimination  with  an  awakened  intellect  would  need  a  greater  argument  to  persuade  him  to  give  up  the  "blind-ritualistic-path." The  'Katma-s' are  limited  on  all  sides. If  'Agnihotra' is  not  followed  by  a  strict  adherence  to  all  the  above-mentioned ...

Mundaka-Upanishad Chapter-1. Section-2. ( Rituals ) Mantram-3. ( Harmful  results  of  rituals  performed  wrongly ) Yasyagni-hotram-adarsam-apaurna-masam acatur-masyam-anagrayanam-atithi-varjitam  ca ahutam-avaisva-devam-avidhina  hutam asaptamams-tasya  lokan  hinasti. yasya  -  whose; agnihotram  =  agnihotram  sacrifice; adarsam  =  not  accompanied  by  'Darsa'  : i.e,  rights  and  sacrifices  to  be  performed  on  new  moon  day; apaurna-masam  =  not  accompanied  by  sacrificials  rites  to  be  performed  on  full  moon  day; acatur-masyam  =  not  accompanied  by  sacrificials  rights  to  be  performed  during  the  four  months  of  autumn  se...

Mundaka-Upanishad Chapter-1. Section-2. ( Rituals ) Mantram-2. [ Description  of  the  'Agnihotra'  sacrifice  ( Homam ) ]. Discussion-2. 'Karmam' ........ The  mantram  indicates  that  the  'Karmam,'  itself  limited,  has  its  own  rules  ordering  'where'     and   'when'   it  is  to  be  performed The  aim  of  the  teacher  seems  to  be  when  the  entire  section  is  read  together  as  a  whole,  only  to  point  out  to  the  disciple  that  the  'karmam' is  painful,  complicated  and  difficult. The  laboriousness  of  the  rituals  which  becomes  a  shackle  upon  a  full-grown  seeker,  in  th...