The Mundakoupanishad : Post-32. - Swami Krishnananda.

Chinmaya Mission :

Swami Shashvatanandaji conducted a three-day Shloka training program at Chinmaya Upasana, Hosur, on the 7th, 8th, and 12th of June. The program aimed to spread knowledge through classes, focusing on the recitation of sacred verses. Swamiji imparted teachings on the Dhakshinamoorthy Dhyana Shlokam, Gita Dhyanashlokam, Shivamanasa Pooja, and Ganesa Stava, accompanied by their meanings. The training was open to both men and women, enabling participants to learn the Shlokas with precise pronunciation and understand their significance. The emphasis was placed on learning the Shlokas in-depth, pronouncing them correctly, and cultivating inner harmony. The attendees showed great enthusiasm, actively engaging in the training and successfully absorbing the teachings.

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Sunday,  25  Jun,  2023. 07:30.

Chapter-2, Section-2.

Mantram-4 (The analogy of penetration) :

POST-32.

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Mantram-4.

The analogy of penetration 

"Pranavo dhanuh, śaro hy atma, 

brahma tal-lakshyam ucyate, 

apramattena veddhavyam, 

śara-vat tan-mayo bhavet."(2.2.4): 

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Pranava, Omkara is the bow. It was said earlier that Upanishadic knowledge is the bow. Now it is said that Pranava is the bow. The idea is that the Pranava, or Om, is the essence of Upanishadic knowledge. The Mandukya Upanishad is supposed to be the quintessence of all the Upanishads.

Mandukyam ekam evalam mumukshunam vimuktaye (Muktika 1.27): 

For the sake of the liberation of the spirit, the Mandukya Upanishad alone is sufficient. This is a statement made in the Muktika Upanishad. Now, the Mandukya Upanishad is nothing but an exposition of Pranava. So in a sense it means the quintessence of Upanishadic teachings is Omkara, and so there is a pertinence here. It is appropriate that this verse says that Pranava, or Omkara, is the bow, equal to saying that Upanishadic knowledge is the bow.

Atma: The individual soul which seeks liberation is the arrow. Brahman is the target. With great concentration, with unwavering attention, you must aim this arrow on that object. As the arrow merges in the object by striking it directly, the Atman, this individual, this mind, has to get dissolved in that object. The concentration of the archer in respect of a target is well known. He does not know what is happening to him on either side. His ability to concentrate on one point is such that he will not see anything other than the object.

There is an illustration in the Mahabharata. During the tournament in which Drona tested the archery of the Pandavas and the Kauravas, he hung a little wooden bird on a branch of a tree. The image had all the features of a bird, such as eyes, beak, etc. The idea was that the archer should hit only the eye, not any other part of the bird, and he should see only that. The eye of the archer should concentrate itself on only the eye of the bird, and he should not go on thinking varieties of things.

Drona called Yudhishthira. “Come on. What do you see there?”

“I see a bird on the tree,” replied Yudhisththira.

“No. You are no good. Go to that side,” said Drona.

Then he called Bhima. “What do you see?”

“I see a bird tied to a branch of a tree.”

“No good. Go that side.”

Then he tested the other two brothers, and they also failed.

Then Arjuna was called and asked, “What do you see?”

“I see a black spot, and I see nothing else,” he replied.

That is the concentration that is expected in meditation on Brahman. It has already been mentioned that it is very subtle. How can the gross mind, which is accustomed to thinking of objects, succeed in thinking of subtle things? Brahman is subtle because of its universality on one hand and its inwardness on the other hand. The combination of these two aspects is very difficult to consider in the mind. Either we think of an expanse or we think something inside us. It is not merely an expanse outside, and it is also not something sitting inside us. It is a blend of the inwardness of subjectivity together with the expanse of objectivity, the infinity. As these two thoughts cannot combine easily, it is hard for the mind to concentrate on Brahman. It can concentrate on a form—on idols, on concepts, on an image that it places before itself—because it is outside. But Brahman is not outside. How will you concentrate on it? Apramattena veddhavyam: Very cautious you have to be, very careful. Do not be in a hurry. Then your mind will unite itself with the object of your meditation as the arrow merges into the object.

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Next

Mantram-5.

To be continued

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