MUNDAKA UPANISHAD - 4. Swami Advayananda.

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6 Chapters (64 Mantras)

Chapter-1.

Section-1.

1. THE ORIGINS OF KNOWLEDGE

(Mantras 1-9, 9 no.)

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Friday, April 29, 2022. 05:15.

Mantram -4 : Angira’s Answer to Shaunaka

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"dve vidye veditavye,  iti ha sma yad; 

brahmavidah vadanti, para cha eva apara cha."

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tasmai sa hovacha – To him (Shaunaka), he (Angira) said:

1 dve vidye veditavye, = There are two kinds of knowledge to be acquired:

2  iti ha sma yad;  = About That (knowledge), it is usually

3 brahmavidah vadanti,  = said by the great seers who know Brahman, there is

4 para cha eva apara cha.  = the Higher and the Lower (Para and Apara).

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1 Both kinds of knowledge will always exist in this world for the very good reason

that both Spirit and matter exist, and each has its own specialized knowledge to know it.

What the Bhashya clarifies is that Brahma Vidya, the Higher knowledge, is

eventually necessary for everyone who desires to be liberated from Samsara or the realm of

Maya. There is no alternate route to liberation. Those who are engaged in Karmas and

Upasanas gain the necessary purity of heart by those experiences and practices and become

qualified to obtain Brahma Vidya which will take them further.

How the Sages View Knowledge :

2-3 The Vedas, whose ultimate aim is to lead people towards the path of liberation,

has to contain both aspects of knowledge in order to cater for every need among human

beings. There are objectors who say that if Brahma Vidya is so specialized it should have

been kept apart from the Vedas and placed in a separate book. This objection is refuted in

the Bhashya on the grounds that Brahma Vidya is the true aim and end of the entire

knowledge contained in the Vedas. The Lower has to lead to the Higher. If it does not, it

would rather leave out the Lower than the Higher. This clarifies why there are voluminous

parts in the Vedas devoted to the Lower knowledge also.

4 The Higher knowledge is about the spiritual path; the Lower about the secular

matters. Both are essential. Someone who wants to meditate a lot (Para Vidya) will also at

some time need to know how to make himself a cup of tea (Apara Vidya)!

Acharyaji cleared the doubt or perception that “lower” could be taken to mean

inferior or distasteful or perhaps even useless. This is not the case.

Even where only the spiritual path is concerned, there are aspects that require the

Lower knowledge (capital used deliberately to show that it is not ‘inferior’) and aspects that

require the Higher knowledge. For instance, the performance of all the rituals and Upasanas

require predominantly the Lower knowledge and some Higher knowledge also. The pure

spiritual path, being independent of rituals or any “actions” to be done, is predominantly

Higher knowledge and a small amount of the Lower is also necessary.

Thus there is intended to project a happy marriage between the two forms of

knowledge, not a spirit of antagonism. This aspect is explained clearly in the next Mantram.

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Next  1.5: Definitions of Lower & Higher Knowledge

To be continued ....

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