MUNDAKOUPANISHAD - 61. Swami Advayananda.

Chinmaya Mission: 

In 1991, Pujya Swami Chinmayananda held the first historic Bhagavad Gita Marathon Camp at Chinmaya Krishnalaya, California, covering all 18 chapters. Thirty years later, Swami Swaroopananda revived this tradition, continuing the detailed study of each verse. The multi-year retreat, set to conclude in 2026 to commemorate Chinmaya Mission’s 75th anniversary, has been spiritually enriching.

In 2022, Swamiji covered the first six chapters, followed by chapters 7-9 in 2023, and this year focused on chapters 10-12. Participants explored Bhagavan Sri Krishna’s divine glories, His universal form, and the two paths of devotion. The retreat was a deeply immersive spiritual experience, offering participants a range of activities designed to enhance their understanding and connection to the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita. Each day began with serene guided meditations led by Br. Soham Chaitanya and Swami Ishwarananda, helping participants center themselves and open their minds to Swamiji’s detailed discourses on chapters 10-12. These discourses were followed by lively study group discussions, where attendees engaged with the material and shared insights. Bhajans, or devotional songs, filled the air each evening, fostering a collective spirit of devotion.

One of the key highlights was the vibrant Ganesh Chaturthi celebration, which featured traditional puja ceremonies and joyous dance performances, deepening the festive atmosphere. Another significant moment was the inauguration of Krishna Dham, a newly renovated residence for visiting teachers near Pujya Gurudev’s Kutia, symbolizing the ongoing growth and vitality of Chinmaya Krishnalaya as a spiritual center.

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Sunday 22,  September 2024, 06:50.
6 Chapters (64 Mantras)
Here begins the second Section of the Third Canto. 
6. QUALITIES SEEN IN A SAGE 
(Mantras -54-64, 11 no.) 
60. Mantram- 6.7: Videhamukti: Dissolution of the Body 
Post - 61.

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60. Mantram- 6.7: Videhamukti: Dissolution of the Body:

1 

gataah kalaah pancha dasha pratishthaah, = The fifteen Kalas (parts) return into  the elements from which they originated; 

2 

devaah cha sarve prati-devataasu; = All the senses return   into their corresponding originating Deities; 

3 

karmaani vijnaana mayash-cha aatmaa, = The deeds, the intellect sheath, the ego-centre – 

4.

pare-avyaye  sarva ekee-bhavanti. =  into the highest “imperishable  Brahman” do all these get united. 

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A description of the Shodasha Kalas (16 Rays) is given in the Prashna Upanishad in which they are described in full detail. The 16 Kalas (as in the PrashnaUpanishad) are: 

1. Prana: representing the Total Mind or Hiranyagarbha, one step after Ishwara. This 

represents the Life-force without which nothing can exist in the world. 

2. Shraddha: this is the faith all beings have in the success of their creative efforts. 

Without this faith no one will attempt to achieve anything. 

3 – 7. The Five Elements: Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth.

 

8. Senses: The organs of knowledge and the organs of action. 

9. Mind: the Antahkarana or thought processing system controlling every being.It 

covers all four aspects, namely, Ego, Intellect, Mind and Memory  

10. Food: that which sustains the gross body or the “Food-sheath”. 

11. Veerya: or strength, mental and physical, by which one acts effectively. 

12. Tapas: or austerity, by which one is able to work in the face of all hardships to 

bring Thought to its fruition. 

13. Mantra: the ‘password’ to gain entry into the higher realms, effectively this 

stands for perseverance in one’s effort, the ability to not quit.

 

14. Karma: the performance of actions, after careful intelligent planning. 

15. World: the manifested world which provides the field and the means to fulfil the 

actions undertaken. 

16. Naming: of all the different items in creation. That, too, is a Kala. In particular, 

each Jeeva is given a name. 

The name has a unique quality described below: 

1

 The first 15 Kalas merge into their respective causes. The exception is Kala 16 – the 

name or fame of the sage lives even after him. It is the memory that the sage leaves behind 

in the minds of his devotees and admirers. That lives on after the sage’s Videhamukti. 

2

 The functions of the senses are the essential senses, not their physical location in 

the body. Thus the senses are termed here as Devas or gods. These sense functions go back 

to the Devatas whom they represent. 

3

 The Bhashya explains that from the standpoint of the liberated sage, there are no 

more Karmas and there is no intellect either. Hence, these terms used in this Pada have to 

be taken as meaning the general case for all human beings. They do not exist in a sage. 

4

 All the 15 Kalas, which have a unique identity in the case of the ignorant person, 

become indistinguishable in the case of the sage. This is like the many reflections of the sun 

in water returning to the sun when the water dries up, or the space connected with the pot 

uniting with the total space outside the pot when the pot breaks. 

The Brahman being referred to here is not the Absolute Non-dual Brahman, but 

Brahman in association with Maya, i.e. Ishwara, the Causal state of Consciousness. At the 

time of dissolution, everything dissolves into Ishwara, which is an unmanifest state of 

creation, and therefore also described as “imperishable”. But Ishwara which has the seeds 

of creation still intact to resume the next manifested cycle of creation. 

However, only in the case of the liberated sage, can the word Brahman here also be 

taken to mean Supreme Brahman, as in him there are no remaining ‘seeds’ or Karmas to be 

worked out. The sage’s subtle body completely dissolves into the Supreme.

End

Next

61. Mantram 6.8:  Videhamukti:  As “Rivers into the Ocean”  

Continued

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  Swami Chinmayananda:

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Half-understanding of a scripture is more dangerous than not knowing it at all....A personal study of the Scripture may not be ‘always’ sufficient to help the Sadhaka to go beyond the literary meaning of the language used, and reach the Realms of Truth indicated by the language-texts. To a large extent, a Master of experience (nishta) is needed to complete the study of the Upanishads. Mis-understandings, half-understandings, and non-understandings, can blockade the real fulfilment of a sincere study of the Scriptures. So in-depth study of the scripture is necessary as scriptures can best be understood and fully reacted with only when they are delivered by a man of experience and purity, of sincerity and fire.

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