MUNDAKA UPANISHAD - 40. Swami Advayananda.

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Tuesday, 12 Dec 2023. 06:30.

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. 

40 Mantram - 4.8: The Criteria of Realisetion

Post - 40

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40 Mantram - 4.8: The Criteria of Realisetion.

1 bhidyate hridaya granthih, = The knots of his heart become untied;

2 chhidyante sarva samshayaah; = all doubts are dispelled;

3 ksheeyante cha asya karmaani, = and all his Karmas are consumed;

4 tasmin drishte para-avare. = when He is seen as both Cause and effect.

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We now get into the summarization mode of the entire journey. The four mantras

from here till the end of the Chapter are extremely important, and are considered as among 

the finest in all Upanishadic literature. Having arrived at the Destination with the Rishi’s 

guidance, we are now given a lightning glimpse of the entire journey we have been through.

We begin the overview with a summary of the phases our Sadhana goes through. 

The general order of Vedantic Sadhana is Sadhana Chatushtaya, Sravana, Manana and 

Nididhyasana. The special objectives of each Sadhanas are described in the first three Padas. 

[For some reason which we did not touch upon in class, the order in which they are 

presented is reversed.]

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3 i) Sadhana Chatushtaya & Sravana: 

In this preliminary phase, the bulk of our 

Karma is cleaned out. Purification is needed first and then we listen to the teachings from 

the Guru. This stage of Sadhana rids us of all Abhaavana, or wrong notions about our 

purpose of life and about the Self.

2 ii) Manana: 

In this second phase of Sadhana we are rid of Asambhaavana, or the 

doubts of the intellect regarding whether such a thing as realisation is at all possible. Deep 

and intense Self-enquiry clears away such doubts.

1 iii) Nididhyasana: 

In this third phase of Sadhana, the knots of the heart are

shattered. All the Vasanas or inborn, latent tendencies that we accumulate over many births 

get removed from the psyche through the practice of intense meditation. In this phase, 

Viparita Bhaavana or the bundle of all past tendencies and lurking desires is dispelled.

4 

All these significant processes are achieved in this text by always keeping in view 

the Supreme Purusha, seeing Him alone in the higher and the lower, i.e. seeing Him as the 

cause (higher) and the effects (the lower). “Seeing” here means directly experienced or

cognized by the Self.

The uniqueness of this Upanishad’s methodology is this: Never lose sight of the 

Lord; He is in everything.

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Next

41 Mantram - 4.9: The Knower of Brahman

To be continued

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