UPANISHAD MANDUKYA : Chapter-1. Agama Prakarana : Upanishad Mantram-8 to 11. : Karika Sloka-s 19 to 23.

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Thursday, August 20, 2020.3:50.AM.
Mandukya Upanishad :
Chapter-1. Agama Prakarana ( The Scriptural Treatise )
Sri Gaudapada's glossary :
Upanishad Mantram-8.
Karika Slokam-s 19 to 23..
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Upanishad Mantram-8.

"So'yam - atma - dhyaksaram - onkaro
 adhimatram pada matra matras - ca pada
 akara ukaro makara iti"
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Translation :

Sah ayam atma = The same Self;
adhyaksaram = from the stand - point of the total syllables;
omkarah = it is the syllable Aum;
adhimatram = from thje stand - point of individual letters;
padah = the quarters are;
matrah = the letters;
ca matrah = and the letters;
padah = the quarters;
akarah = A;
ukarah = U;
makarah =(and)  M;
iti = that.
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The Sum of the mantram :

" The same Atman is again Aum  from the stand - point of the syllables.The Aum with parts is viewed from the stand - point of its sounds or letters. The quarters are the letters ( morae )and the letters are the quarters. The letters here are A,U and M."
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Discourse :

This catuspat (four-quartered) atma, consisting of Visva, Taijasa, Prajna and Turiyaṃ and which was
analyzed in the previous five mantras, can be equated to the sacred Vedic mantra OM in its totality as
the total syllable.

Total atma is equal to total Omkaram. Having equated them in totality, the Upaniṣad says
that the total atma and total Omkaram has got four components. The four components of atma are Visva, Taijasa, Prajna and Turiyaṃ.

What are the four components of Omkaram?

They are a-kara, u-kara, m-akara.

They are the letters a, u, m. For the sake of pronunciation “kara” is added after each letter. ‘kara’
is equivalent to using the inverted commas; “a”, “u”, and “m”.

According to the Sanskrit grammar rules,

a+u = o, the last letter is m. So a+u+m becomes OM.

It is to be noted that the spelling of Omkara is not AUM but OM. After the utterance of Omkaram, it is followed by silence and silence also precedes the utterance of the next Omkaram. That silence is the fourth component. The Upaniṣhad calls that silence amatra.

Thus both Omkaram and atma have four components. The Upaniṣad says that each component of atma can be equated to each component of Omkaram in the same order sequentially.

Thus Visva is equal to ‘a’, Taijasa is equal to ‘u’, Prajna is equal to ‘m’, Turīyaṃ is equal to silence.

Turīyaṃ cannot be talked about. Silence is the best representation of Turīyaṃ.

Then, the Upaniṣad talks about meditating upon ‘a’, ‘u’ and ‘m’ as Visva-Vaisvanara, Taijasa- Hiraṇyagarbha, and Prajna-Isvara respectively.

Practicing this meditation will get one ready for identity with Turiyaṃ.

The matras are equal to quarters and vice versa. The upasana will be introduced.

Next-Mantram - 9.

To be continued ...

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