MUNDAKA UPANISHAD - 39. Swami Advayananda.

Chinmaya International Foundation (CIF):

Day 6 at Vedanta Unveiled Camp: A transformative day filled with enlightening sessions! 

Swamini Vimalananda guided seekers on finding the path to the Atman through everyday actions. Swami Advayananda expounded on the nature of the Self-using 'Omkar' as a subtle guide. Pujya Guruji delved into the significance of Bhagavad Gita Chapter 15. The Bhagavad Gita is the essence of all the Shastras and Chapter 15 is the essence of the Bhagavad Gita – it being a complete Shastra by itself.

Insights on 'Chinmaya Shankaram 2024' – the year-long celebrations on the 108th Jayanti of Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda (jointly organised by Chinmaya Mission Kerala Region & Chinmaya Seva Trust Kerala) – were shared. The day also marked the release of CIF's publication – Gita-vyutpatti-jnana-koshah – Bhagavad-gita Grammatical Lexicon – by Pujya Guruji Swami Tejomayananda which was graciously received by Swamini Vimalananda.

===========================================================

Thursday, 30 Nov 2023. 07:10.

6 Chapters (64 Mantras)

4. PENETRATING BRAHMAN

(Mantras - 33-43, 11 no.)

dviteeya mundake dviteeyah khandah –

Here begins the second Section of the second Canto. 

39 Mantram - 4.7: Meditation: From Circumference to Centre

Post - 39.

================================================================

39 Mantram - 4.7: Meditation: From Circumference to Centre

1 yah sarvajnah sarvavid, = He is all-knowing, both in totality and in detail;

2 yasya esha mahimaa bhuvi; = His is verily this glory manifest in the world.

3 divye brahmapure hi eshah, = He is indeed in the luminous “City of Brahman”,

4 vyomni aatmaa pratishthitah. = He is established in the inner “Sky of Atman”.

5 manomayah, praanashareera-netaa, = He, being one with the mind and intelligence,

 guides the life-forces within the body;

6 pratishthitah anne hridayam sannidhaaya; = He is seated in the food (i.e. the gross body of man), and is to be found “clothed” in one’s heart;

7 tad vijnaanena paripashyanti dheeraa, = By having perfect knowledge of Him,  the wise one realizes Him –

8 aananda-roopam amritam yad vibhaati. = as the form (or nature) of Bliss Absolute, which manifests Itself as Immortality!

==============================================================

The previous mantram has taken us from the Unity of the Hub to the circumference of 

Plurality. Now we are going in the reverse direction in the first part of the verse, i.e, in 1-4. 

We are converging to the Supreme Purusha, beginning with the detail of the totality and 

ending at the Hub, our heart centre, the “Sky of Atman”.

It has to be understood at all stages, however, that it is Para Vidya that is being 

spoken about here. Para Vidya is not only about the Hub, but the whole wheel. The point is 

to see the Supreme in everything. The goal, regardless of the starting point from which the 

seeker begins, is always the same – complete union with the Imperishable, Akshara 

Brahman.

1 Sarvajnah, Sarvavid: 

In mantram 1.9, we have already come across these two terms 

which represent different shades of omniscience. The first term is omniscience from an 

overview perspective; the second term is omniscience from the perspective of every detail. 

Both shades of knowledge are needed for the successful completion of any undertaking.

2 

We now come closer to the hub a little by taking into view only those parts of

creation in which the Lord stands out in all glory. We pick out the Everest among mountains, 

the Ganges among rivers, the Sun among all the stars, and so on. It is a smaller circle, but it 

is more glorious, more spectacular, more dazzling. It is the Supreme as an undiluted 

concentrate! In the Bhagavad Geeta a whole Chapter (Discourse 10) is devoted to these 

glories of the Lord.

In the Bhashya his glory is detailed as: a) the heavens and earth are held in position 

by Him; b) the sun and moon rotate interminably by His command; c) the rivers and seas do 

not overflow their boundaries; d) the living and non-living beings are directed by Him; e) the 

seasons and the years follow each other in order; f) Karmas and their fruits do not violate 

their appointed times – such is His glory in this world.

3 

Brahmapure: 

Among these glories, which would be the most outstanding? A vote 

among sages comes up with the answer – Man; Man is the glory of Creation, owing to his 

superior intellect and ability to realize the Supreme. The “City of Brahman”refers to this 

astonishing creation of the Lord called Man.

We have converged a further step towards the Hub by coming to Man.

Man is the only living being in creation who can acquire the merit to transcend 

Samsara and launch himself into the Absolute, going even past Ishwara the Creator. What a

magnificent instrument is this Man! Yet, sages say, that if he does not strive for this, he is 

worse than an animal!

4 

in this luminous “City of Brahman”, where is the centre in which our Self is felt? 

Where is “Me”? This brings us to the heart centre, the core of our being (Vyomni), where

the Atman is seated. This is described as the ‘throne’ of the Self in the body. 

It is precisely at this centre where we draw together our whole attention during 

meditation. It is here that we can realize our true nature of Divinity. It is here where we can 

experience “Infinity in a grain of sand”! 

Recognising the Supreme Within:

As in the previous mantram, we have a change of meter midway through this verse. The 

change is that from the “external” we have entered within the body. Now within the body 

itself we go through a process of distinguishing where exactly is the Supreme lodged.

5 We note that He is not the Manomaya Kosha and Vijnanamaya Kosha (mind and 

intellect) but is associated and conditioned by them; through them, He controls the flow of 

the life-forces or Pranas within the body. In this way, we are taught that He is not the Pranic 

sheath or Pranamaya Kosha also, but is beyond them and in control of them.

6a 

The most gross of all sheaths is the gross body which is made of food. It is called 

the Annamaya Kosha. The Supreme is also not the Food sheath. Thus four out of the five 

sheaths have been negated. 

6b 

These four sheaths are like garments or clothes worn over the Self. Being clothes, 

they take the same “form” as the Self but are not the Self. It is as though they are 

pretending to be the Self. However, they help us by giving us clues as to where the Self is. 

The “clothed”or sheathed Supreme Purusha is in the Heart-Centre. We can only realize Him 

when we have “unclothed” Him of all these outer sheaths.

7 

Tad Vijnanena – Now we tackle the fifth and final sheath, that is closest to the Self. 

It is the sheath of Ignorance, but it deludes us into thinking that it is the source of our 

happiness or joy. Hence it is called the Bliss sheath or Anandamaya Kosha. This sheath 

cannot simply be negated like the others. As this sheath is Pure Ignorance itself, it can only 

be destroyed by Para Vidya or the special knowledge of the Self, as obtained from the 

scriptures (Shrutih) and the realized teachers (Dheeraah).

8 

When the Anandamaya Kosha is destroyed, true Bliss Absolute is experienced 

within. The Rishi gives us the assurance that the experience of Bliss is equivalent to being in 

a state of Immortality. In other words, the true Self does not partake of the birth and death 

of the five sheaths; It transcends them all. Immortality is equivalent to Infinity.

From 5-8, the second part of the mantram, it is the first time in this text where the 

individual Upadhis are brought into the picture of the Sadhana. It is the first mention of the 

inner process of negating one’s own Upadhis to reach the Supreme Purusha in the heart centre. 

Summary of the Text to this Point

The Upanishd has convincingly led us through the negation of the entire external 

world, and taken us deep within ourselves in order to directly experience the Self, which is 

identical to the ultimate Reality. It has been a painstaking journey of going deeper and 

deeper within, into the subtlest of the subtle. No shortcuts are taken to arrive at the

destination. The entire outer and the entire inner Upadhis have to be negated in order to 

penetrate Brahman. 

Thus, this verse may be said to be the climax of the spiritual 

quest. It bears this huge significance: From a practical point of view it 

can be said to be the most important verse of this text.

Chapter 4 has taken us to the Self first via the macrocosm and at the very end via the 

microcosm, too. In this route, the Upanishad has ensured that it kept our attention at every 

stage on the Supreme Purusha. At no stage could we afford to lose sight of this Truth. Only 

in this most rigorous manner, is it possible to arrive safely and punctually at the Destination.

*****

Next

40 Mantram - 4.8: The Criteria of Realisetion

To be continued

===============================================================