MUNDAKOUPANISHAD - 62. Swami Advayananda.

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Saturday 05, October 2024, 07:00.
6 Chapters (64 Mantras)
Here begins the second Section of the Third Canto. 
6. QUALITIES SEEN IN A SAGE 
(Mantras -54-64, 11 no.) 
61. Mantram 6.8:  Videhamukti:  As “Rivers into the Ocean”  
Post - 62.

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

1 

yathaa nadyah syandamaanaah  samudre-, = As Rivers flowing towards and into the ocean, 

2 

astam gacchhanti naama-roope vihaaya; = disappear upon entering it, and lose their  identity of name and form; 

3 

tathaa vidvaan naamaroopaat vimuktah, = so also, the wise man, frees himself of his  name and form identity, 

4 

paraatparam purusham upaiti divyam. = upon attaining the divine nature of the Highest of the high, the Supreme Purusha

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1-2. 

A clear simile is given to make us understand the merging of the Kalas into their 

causes. It is the simile of rivers merging into the ocean. All individual characteristics of a 

river is lost forever when it enters the ocean.  

3-4

 So also, all traces of the individuality of the sage are completely gone – except, as already mentioned, his name. 

Destruction of individuality:

This is something which frightens many people. In the state of delusion in which we 

are, all we have is our individual personality. That is everything to us. How is it possible to be 

without it? We are terrified to think what like would be like without individuality. Yet, the 

Truth is that individuality is part of the Unreality. There is no such a thing from the stand

point of Truth. 

The fear of losing personality is itself seen to be a delusion of the mind. 

In the Bhashya a humorous possibility is put forward by an objector: “We are told 

that there are many obstacles on this path to liberation? So is it possible that even after his 

death, the liberated sage, while on his way to Brahman, could get hi-jacked and be taken to 

another place? Is there such a possibility?” 

The answer given is Rivers may have obstacles preventing their flow to the ocean, 

but once they unite with the ocean, how can there be any obstacles? The implication is that 

obstacles occur in the realm of thought, which is in the realm of Duality. When one is 

beyond thought, i.e. beyond Duality, there can be no obstacles. This gives a clear answer to 

the above doubt. 

The same objection is answered in Vedantic terms by Sri Shankaracharyaji by saying 

that on this path there is no hindrance other than ignorance. Once the light of knowledge 

has removed ignorance, where can obstacle arise from? 

Emancipation unites one forever to the Self, which is the term used for Brahman or 

the Reality when speaking in relation to an individual. This is made very clear in the next 

mantram.

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Next - 62. Mantram - 6.9: Knower of Brahman Becomes Brahman 

Continued

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