Commentary on the Panchadasi: 21. Swami Krishnananda.

 

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Monday 22, December 2025, 19:30.
BOOKS
UPANISHAD 
Commentary on the Panchadasi: 21. 
Chapter 1: Tattva Viveka – Discrimination of Reality.
Mantras 44-55
Mantras - 45&46.
SWAMI KRISHNANANDA
Post-21.

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Mantram - 45.

"Yadā malina sattvāṁ tāṁ kāma karmādi dūṣitām, ādatte tatparaṁ brahma tvaṁ padena tadocyate." (45). 

Here is a description of the statement of the Upanishad: tat tvam asi. Tat is that Brahman Himself appearing as Ishvara creating the universe, both as an instrumental cause and as a material cause. The word tat in that statement of the Upanishad refers to Brahman appearing as Ishvara, causing the universe to appear as an instrument as well as material.

Tvam means 'you'. It refers to an individual. The individual is constituted of the very same Brahman Consciousness reflected through malina sattva. Shuddha sattva is pure universal sattva. Because of the purity of that sattva in the original cosmic prakriti, it is universal, it is not limited to any particular place, and so the reflection of Brahman through that is also universal. Thus, Brahman manifesting in that way becomes Ishvara and is omniscient, knowing all things.

But here, in the case of the individual, the sattva guna is contaminated by the overpowering influence of rajas and tamas. We individuals are more rajasic and tamasic than sattvic and, therefore, the universal character of sattva does not manifest in us. Only the discriminative, segregating, individualising character of rajas manifests. This is why we always feel that we are separate persons with no connection to the universality of existence. There is no connection between you and me, or anything whatsoever. That apparent dissociation and disconnectedness of one thing from another, one person from another person, etc., is a very faulty consciousness that has entered into us on account of Brahman Consciousness working through rajas.

It is like sunlight, which is an indivisible whole, manifesting in split parts of water so that it looks like little pieces. Such is the case with this reflection of Brahman in the distracted rajas guna of prakriti which conditions the individual jiva, and so we do not feel that we are universal. We feel that we are particulars. Brahman knows that it is universal when it reflects itself in cosmic universal sattva, whereas it feels that it is individual when it reflects itself through rajas, which is distracting, separating one thing from the other. This rajas and tamas in the jiva is infected with desire and the impulse for action, etc. Avidya, which is the obliteration of the universality of Consciousness, causing distraction and individuality consciousness, is also the cause of desire and action.

So, we can imagine what are the troubles befalling us. Avidya, kama and karma are the terms used to indicate our present predicament. Firstly there is avidya, the total ignorance of the universality of our nature, secondly there is kama, the desire for things external, and then there is karma, the intense effort that we put forth to fulfil our desires in the direction of objects. This is the fate of individual jivas. Yet, unfortunately, we are vitalised by Brahman Consciousness through rajas and tamas, and not through sattva. Ādatte tatparaṁ brahma tvaṁ padena tadocyate: This kind of individuality is the second manifestation of Brahman as any one of us. Now, what has to be done?

Mantram - 46.

"Tritayī mapi tāṁ muktvā paras paraviro dhinīm, akhaṇḍaṁ saccidā nandaṁ mahā vākyena lakṣyate." (46). 

Three kinds of factors are mentioned here. One is that God becomes the material cause of the universe by association with the five tanmatras and the five gross elements. That is the first statement. The next statement is that He becomes the instrumental cause by associating Himself with sattva that is cosmic in nature. Then He becomes the individual by associating Himself with rajas and tamas properties.

Now, ignore these association factors. Do not consider this tamasic pradhan, vishuddha sattva pradhan, or malina sattva pradhan prakriti. Do not consider the reflection aspect at all. Take Brahman as unreflected, not reflected in these three ways as mentioned. Tritayī mapi tāṁ muktvā: All the three factors may be abandoned for the sake of the direct knowledge of what Brahman is by itself. Paras paraviro dhi: This is because tamas, rajas and sattva cannot have any association, one with the other. They are totally different. The function of each one is different from the function of the other two. Therefore, the self-contradictory factors of prakriti, namely sattva, rajas and tamas, should be abandoned while we are considering the nature of Brahman Supreme. When we eliminate the association aspect of Brahman in terms of sattva, rajas and tamas, we will find Brahman is akhanda, eka rasa, Sat-Chit-Ananda; it is undivided. Therefore, it is called akhanda, not khanda. Khanda means divided. Akhanda is undivided. Sat-Chit-Ananda, Existence-Consciousness-Bliss, is Brahman.

This is what is taught to us by the great statement tat tvam asi: Thou art That. 'Thou art That' means this individual which has taken the shape of a particular location in some place, due to the rajas aspect of prakriti preponderating, is the same as that cosmic Brahman manifest through, reflected through, sattva guna prakriti and tamas guna prakriti. If we dissociate rajas from the individual, and free Brahman's reflection from sattva and tamas, we will find that the essence of the jiva is identical with the essence of the Supreme Absolute.

If we break a pot, the space inside the pot merges into the universal ether. Otherwise, the space inside the pot looks very little. In a little tumbler, there is a small space inside. There is a wider space outside the pot. This is something like the jiva, or the individual. Now, do we say that the individual space inside the pot is the same as the universal space, or different? We can say it is different because that space outside is so wide, and this space contained in the pot or tumbler is so small. This smallness is an appearance caused by the pot. If we break the pot, we will find there is the same Brahman universal space that appears as this little pot space.

So our consciousness, which is the Atman, is like the pot space. We seem to be small individuals because our consciousness is tied up within the walls of this body, just as space may look very little when it is inside the pot. We remove this association obtained through the physical, vital, mental, intellectual and causal pots. These are the fivefold pots into which we have cast the Consciousness of Brahman, as if in a mould.

In the previous session we realised how it is possible for us to dissociate this Consciousness from the three states, from the five koshas, and ascertain the true indivisibility of our essential Self. Tvam, which is individuality, or 'thou', is the basic Consciousness appearing to be limited in one place on account of the action of segregating rajas, from which we have to dissociate Consciousness carefully, as we tried to do yesterday. Then we will find that it is the same as the Universal Brahman. Therefore, if we avoid association with sattva, rajas and tamas, we will find that we are identical with cosmic Existence.

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Next
Manram - 47.
"So'ya mityā divākyeṣu virodhāt tadi danta yoḥ, tyāgena bhāgayo reka āśrayo lakṣyate yathā." (47)
Continues

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