MUNDAKA UPANISHAD - 53. Swami Advayananda.

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Saturday 01, June 2024. 07:15.
6 Chapters (64 Mantras)
4. PENETRATING BRAHMAN
(Mantras - 33-43, 11 no.)
triteeya mundake, prathamah khandah – 
Here begins the first Section of the Third Canto.
5. THE “TWO BIRDS” METAPHOR #
(Mantras - 44-53, 10 no.)* 
THE SPIRITUAL ACCESSORIES
 Mantram - 5.9: Purification – the Pre-Condition for Illumination 
Post - 53.

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Mantram - 5.9: Purification – the Pre-Condition for Illumination: 

1 

eshah anuh aatmaa = The subtle Truth of the Inner Self  

chetasaa veditavyah, = should be known by the light of the intellect. 

2 

yasmin praanah panchadhaa = In the body, the Pranas (life forces), fivefold    

samvivesha; =  in number, have entered and pervade 

3 

praanaih chittam = throughout the (ten) senses and the mind. 

sarvam otam prajaanaam, = They are interwoven with the entire being of man. 

4 

yasmin vishuddhe = If only these receptacles  can be made pure, then  

vibhavati eshah aatmaa. = the inner Self of man would shine in all splendour! 

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Here is a clear, unambiguous statement of the role played by purification of our 

internal instrument. Vishuddha Sattwa is being expanded upon. It is shown how man can 

give himself the “gift” of a vision of his own true Self by purifying his mind and intellect. 

How is this purification brought about? Swami Chinmayananda explains: “The 

purification of the student’s mind-intellect equipment is gained by the renunciation of false 

values, wrong attachments, delusive vanities and low animal instincts. The more a mind is 

redeemed from its psychological aberrations, the more such a mind becomes subtle and 

pure, i.e. Vishuddha-Sattwa.” 

The Bhashyakara explains it line by line as follows:  

1

 Chetasaa: “by the light of the intellect”, the instrumental case of the word Chetas. 

The ‘gift’ made available to us by our own pure intellect is laid out before us. It is the ‘gift’ 

that is worth striving for. How is it made possible?  

2

 The Prana, in all its five functional forms, enters the body through the life-breath. 

Having entered it, it pervades the entire body. Every department of the body is nourished by 

the energy-giving life-force. However, it can only do an amount of work as restricted by the 

state of the equipment within the body. If there is much impurity in the body’s essential 

components then the life-force is proportionately restricted in its flow, and consequently in 

its manifestation of power. 

3

 The Prana flows through the senses and mind,as well as the intellect of man. At 

each of these points it encounters some resistance due to impurity, just as a coil offers 

resistance to the flow of electricity through it.  

Otam: “interwoven”. The subtle body is the main part of the body. If the subtle body 

is healthy, the gross body stays healthy. The two interact upon each other. This interaction 

is described by the term Otam. The internal functions are all interdependent. If one organ 

mal-functions, then another that dependson it also mal-functions. Equally, if one organ is in 

excellent condition, it provides assistance to other organs depending upon it to also 

function better than normal. In this way, the organs support each other, very much like how 

players in a football team support each other.

4

 The ultimate support that an organ give to other organs is its own purity. Purity 

becomes the great contribution made by each organ to the others. The captain of all the 

organs is the intellect. A strong pure intellect is like a good captain in a team. He inspires all 

the other players to give off their best. When the intellect of our inner equipment becomes 

Vishuddha or totally pure then, of its own accord, by its own self-luminous nature, the 

Atman becomes known.  

Our effort is only to ensure that the intellect is purified. The rest follows naturally; no 

other effort is needed to make us ‘see’ the Self; It reveals Itself under this pre-condition of 

good captaincy from the intellect. 

*****

Next

Mantram 5.10: Adorations to Such a Jnani!

Continued

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