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HUMAN nature is not altogether unchanging but it does remain sufficiently constant to justify the study of ancient classics. The problems of human life and destiny have not been superseded by the striking achievements of science and technology. The solutions offered, though conditioned in their modes of expression by their time and environment, have not been seriously affected by the march of scientific knowledge and criticism. The responsibility laid on man as a rational being, to integrate himself, to relate the present to the past and the future, to live in time as well as in eternity, has become acute and urgent. The Upanisads, though remote in time from us, are not remote in thought. They disclose the working of the primal impulses of the human soul which rise above the differences of race and of geographical position. At the core of all historical religions there are fundamental types of spiritual experience though they are expressed with different degrees of clarity. The Upanisads illustrate and illuminate these primary experiences. 'These are really the thoughts of all men in all ages and lands, they are not original with me. If they are not yours as much as mine, they are nothing or next to nothing,' said Walt Whitman. The Upanisads deal with questions which arise when men begin to reflect seriously and attempt answers to them which are not very different, except in their approach and emphasis from what we are now inclined to accept. This does not mean that the message of the Upanisads, which is as true today as ever, commits us to the different hypotheses about the structure of the world and the physiology of man. We must make a distinction between the message of the Upanisads and their mythology. The latter is liable to correction by advances in science. Even this mythology becomes intelligible if we place ourselves as far as possible at the viewpoint of those who conceived it. Those parts of the Upanisads which seem to us today to be trivial, tedious and almost unmeaning, should have had value and significance at the time they were composed. Anyone who reads the Upanisads in the original Sanskrit will be caught up and carried away by the elevation, the poetry, the compelling fascination of the many utterances through which they lay bare the secret and sacred relations of the human soul and the Ultimate Reality When we read them, we cannot help being impressed by the exceptional ability, earnest- ness and ripeness of mind of those who wrestled with these ultimate questions These souls who tackled these problems remain still and will remain for all time in essential harmony with the highest ideals of civilisation. The Upanisads are the foundations on which the beliefs of millions of human beings, who were not much inferior to our- selves, are based Nothing is more sacred to man than his own history. At least as memorials of the past, the Upanisads are worth our attention A proper knowledge of the texts is an indispensable aid to the understanding of the Upanisads There are parts of the Upanisads which repel us by their repetitiveness and irrelevance to our needs, philosophical and religious But if we are to under- stand their ideas, we must know the atmosphere in which they worked We must not judge ancient writings from our standards We need not condemn our fathers for having been what they were or ourselves for being somewhat different from them It is our task to relate them to their environment, to bridge distances of time and space and separate the transitory from the permanent There is a danger in giving only carefully chosen extracts We are likely to give what is easy to read and omit what is difficult, or give what is agreeable to our views and omit what is disagreeable It is wise to study the Upanisads as a whole, their striking insights as well as their commonplace assumptions Only such a study will be historically valuable I have therefore given in full the classical Upanisads, those commented on or mentioned by Śamkara The other Upanisads are of a later date and are sectarian in character. They represent the popular gods, Śiva, Visnu, Śakti, as manifestations of the Supreme Reality. They are not parts of the original Veda, are of much later origin and are not therefore as authoritative as the classical Upanisads If they are all to be included, it would be difficult to find a Publisher for so immense a work I have therefore selected a few other Upanisads, some of those to which references are made by the great teachers, Śamkara and Rāmānuja In the matter of translation and interpretation, I owe a heavy debt, directly and indirectly, not only to the classical commentators but also to the modern writers who have worked on the subject. I have profited by their tireless labours. The careful reader will find, I hope, that a small advance in a few places at least has been made in this translation towards a better understanding of the texts. Passages in verse are not translated into rhyme as the padding and inversion necessary for observing a metrical pattern take away a great deal from the dignity and conciseness of the original. It is not easy to render Sanskrit religious and philosophical classics into English for each language has its own characteristic genius. Language conveys thought as well as feeling. It falls short of its full power and purpose, if it fails to communicate the emotion as fully as it conveys the idea. Words convey ideas but they do not always express moods. In the Upaniṣads we find harmonies of speech which excite the emotions and stir the soul. I am afraid that it has not been possible for me to produce in the English translation the richness of melody, the warmth of spirit, the power of enchantment that appeals to the ear, heart and mind. I have tried to be faithful to the originals, sometimes even at the cost of elegance. I have given the texts with all their nobility of sound and the feeling of the numinous. For the classical Upaniṣads the text followed is that commented on by Śaṅkara. A multitude of variant readings of the texts exist, some of them to be found in the famous commentaries, others in more out of the way versions. The chief variant readings are mentioned in the notes. As my interest is philosophical rather than linguistic, I have not discussed them. In the translation, words which are omitted or understood in Sanskrit or are essential to complete the grammatical structure are inserted in brackets. We cannot bring to the study of the Upaniṣads virgin minds which are untouched by the views of the many generations of scholars who have gone before us. Their influence may work either directly or indirectly. To be aware of this limitation, to estimate it correctly is of great importance in the study of ancient texts. The classical commentators represent in their works the great oral traditions of interpretation which have been current in their time. Centuries of careful thought lie behind the exegetical traditions as they finally took shape
. The chief variant readings are mentioned in the notes. As my interest is philosophical rather than linguistic, I have not discussed them. In the translation, words which are omitted or understood in Sanskrit or are essential to complete the grammatical structure are inserted in brackets. We cannot bring to the study of the Upaniṣads virgin minds which are untouched by the views of the many generations of scholars who have gone before us. Their influence may work either directly or indirectly. To be aware of this limitation, to estimate it correctly is of great importance in the study of ancient texts. The classical commentators represent in their works the great oral traditions of interpretation which have been current in their time. Centuries of careful thought lie behind the exegetical traditions as they finally took shape. It would be futile to neglect the work of the commentators as there are words and passages in the Upaniṣads of which we could make little sense without the help of the commen- tators We do not have in the Upanisads a single well-articulated system of thought We find in them a number of different strands which could be woven together in a single whole by sympathetic interpretation Such an account involves the ex- pression of opinions which can always be questioned Impar- tiality does not consist in a refusal to form opinions or in a futile attempt to conceal them It consists in rethinking the thoughts of the past, in understanding their environment, and in relating them to the intellectual and spiritual needs of our own time While we should avoid the attempt to read into the terms of the past the meanings of the present, we cannot overlook the fact that certain problems are the same in all ages We must keep in mind the Buddhist saying 'Whatever is not adapted to such and such persons as are to be taught cannot be called a teaching' We must remain sensitive to the prevailing currents of thought and be prepared, as far as we are able, to translate the universal truth into terms intelligible to our audience, without distorting their meaning It would scarcely be possible to exaggerate the difficulty of such a task, but it has to be undertaken If we are able to make the seeming abstractions of the Upanisads flame anew with their ancient colour and depth, if we can make them pulsate with their old meaning, they will not appear to be altogether irrelevant to our needs, intellectual and spiritual The notes are framed in this spirit The Upanisads which base their affirmations on spiritual experience are invaluable for us, as the traditional props of faith, the infallible scripture, miracle and prophecy are no longer available The irreligion of our times is largely the product of the supremacy of religious technique over spiritual life The study of the Upanisads may help to restore to funda- mental things of religion that reality without which they seem to be meaningless Besides, at a time when moral aggression is compelling people to capitulate to queer ways of life, when vast experi- ments in social structure and political organisation are being made at enormous cost of life and suffering, when we stand perple ted and confused before the future with no clear light to guide our way, the power of the human soul is the only refuge If we resolve to be governed by it, our civilisation may enter upon its most glorious epoch. There are many 'dis- satisfied children of the spirit of the west,' to use Romain Rolland's phrase, who are oppressed that the universality of her great thoughts has been defamed for ends of violent action, that they are trapped in a blind alley and are savagely crushing each other out of existence When an old binding culture is being broken, when ethical standards are dissolving, when we are being aroused out of apathy or awakened out of uncon- sciousness, when there is in the air general ferment, inward stirring, cultural crisis, then a high tide of spiritual agitation sweeps over peoples and we sense in the horizon something novel, something unprecedented, the beginnings of a spiritual renaissance We are living in a world of freer cultural inter- course and wider world sympathies. No one can ignore his neighbour who is also groping in this world of sense for the world unseen. The task set to our generation is to reconcile the varying ideals of the converging cultural patterns and help them to sustain and support rather than combat and destroy one another. By this process they are transformed from within and the forms that separate them will lose their exclusivist meaning and signify only that unity with their own origins and inspirations The study of the sacred books of religions other than one's own is essential for speeding up this process. Students of Chris- tian religion and theology, especially those who wish to make Indian Christian thought not merely 'geographically' but 'organically' Indian, should understand their great heritage which is contained in the Upanisads For us Indians, a study of the Upanisads is essential, if we are to preserve our national being and character. To discover the main lines of our traditional life, we must turn to our classics, the Vedas and the Upanisads, the Bhagavad-gītā and the Dhamma-pada They have done more to colour our minds than we generally acknowledge They not only thought many of our thoughts but coined hundreds of the words that we use in daily life. There is much in our past that is degrading and deficient but there is also much that is life-giving and elevating. If the past is to serve as an inspiration for the future, we have to study it with discrimination and sympathy. Again, the highest achievements of the human mind and spirit are not limited to the past The gates of the future are wide open. While the fundamental motives, the governing ideas which constitute the essential spirit of our culture are a part of our very being, they should receive changing expression according to the needs and conditions of our time There is no more inspiring task for the student of Indian thought than to set forth some phases of its spiritual wisdom and bring them to bear on our own life. Let us, in the words of Socrates, 'turn over together the treasures that wise men have left us, glad if in so doing we make friends with one another' The two essays written for the Philosophy of the Upanisads (1924), which is a reprint of chapter IV from my Indian Philosophy, Volume I, by Rabindranath Tagore and Edmond Holmes, are to be found in the Appendices A and B respectively I am greatly indebted to my distinguished and generous friends Professors Suniti Kumar Chatterji, and Siddhesvar Bhattacharya for their great kindness in reading the proofs and making many valuable suggestions
THE Upanisads represent a great chapter in the history of the human spirit and have dominated Indian philosophy, religion and life for three thousand years. Every subsequent religious movement has had to show itself to be in accord with their philosophical statements. Even doubting and denying spirits found in them anticipations of their hesitancies, misgivings and negations. They have survived many changes, religious and secular, and helped many generations of men to formulate their views on the chief problems of life and existence. Their thought by itself and through Buddhism influenced even in ancient times the cultural life of other nations far beyond the boundaries of India, Greater India, Tibet, China, Japan and Korea and in the South, in Ceylon, the Malay Peninsula and far away in the islands of the Indian and the Pacific Oceans. In the West, the tracks of Indian thought may be traced far into Central Asia, where, buried in the sands of the desert, were found Indian texts ¹ The Upanisads have shown an unparalleled variety of appeal during these long centuries and have been admired by different people, for different reasons, at different periods. They are said ¹ 'For the historian, who pursues the history of human thought, the Upanisads have a yet far greater significance. From the mystical doctrines of the Upanisads, one current of thought may be traced to the mysticism of the Persian Sufism, to the mystic, theosophical logos doctrine of the Neo-Platonics and the Alexandrian Christian mystics, Eckhart and Tauler, and finally to the philosophy of the great German mystic of the nineteenth century, Schopenhauer. Winternitz: A History of Indian Literature E T Vol I (1927), p 266. See Eastern Religions and Western Thought Second Edition (1940), Chapters IV, V, VI, VII. It is said that Schopenhauer had the Latin text of the Upanisads on his table and was in the habit, before going to bed, of performing his devotions from its pages.' Bloomfield Religion of the Veda (1908), p. 55. 'From every sentence [of the Upanisads], deep original and sublime thoughts arise, and the whole is pervaded by a high and holy and earnest spirit. In the whole world, there is no study so beneficial and so elevating as that of the Upanisads. They are products of the highest wisdom. They are destined sooner or later to become the faith of the people.' Schopenhauer. to provide us with a complete chart of the unseen Reality, to give us the most immediate, intimate and convincing light on the secret of human existence, to formulate, in Deussen's words, 'philosophical conceptions unequalled in India or perhaps anywhere else in the world,' or to tackle every funda- mental problem of philosophy.¹ All this may be so or may not be so. But of one thing there is no dispute, that those earnest spirits have known the fevers and ardours of religious seeking, they have expressed that pensive mood of the thinking mind which finds no repose except in the Absolute, no rest except in the Divine. The ideal which haunted the thinkers of the Upanisads, the ideal of man's ultimate beatitude, the perfection of knowledge, the vision of the Real in which the religious hunger of the mystic for divine vision and the philosopher's ceaseless quest for truth are both satisfied is still our ideal A N. Whitehead speaks to us of the real which stands behind and beyond and within the passing flux of this world, 'some- thing which is real and yet waiting to be realised, something which is a remote possibility and yet the greatest of present facts, something that gives meaning to all that passes, and yet eludes apprehension, something whose possession is the final good, and yet is beyond all reach, something which is the ultimate ideal and the hopeless quest.'² A metaphysical curiosity for a theoretical explanation of the world as much as a passionate longing for liberation is to be found in the Upanisads. Their ideas do not only enlighten our minds but stretch our souls. If the ideas of the Upanisads help us to rise above the glamour of the fleshly life, it is because their authors, pure of soul, ever striving towards the divine, reveal to us their pictures of the splendours of the unseen. The Upanisads are respected not because they are a part of sruti or -revealed literature and so hold a reserved position but because they have inspired generations of Indians with vision and strength by their in- exhaustible significance and spiritual power. Indian thought ¹ Cp W. B Yeats 'Nothing that has disturbed the schools to controversy escaped their notice' Preface to the Ten Principal Upanisads (1937), p 11 ² Science and the Modern World, (1933), p. 238 has constantly turned to these scriptures for fresh illumination and spiritual recovery or recommencement, and not in vain. The fire still burns bright on their altars. Their light is for the seeing eye and their message is for the seeker after truth ¹
The word 'upanisad' is derived from upa (near), ni (down) and sad (to sit), i.e. sitting down near. Groups of pupils sit near the teacher to learn from him the secret doctrine. In the quietude of forest hermitages the Upanisad thinkers pondered on the problems of the deepest concern and communicated their knowledge to fit pupils near them. The seers adopt a certain reticence in communicating the truth. They wish to be satisfied that their pupils are spiritually and not carnally minded.² To respond to spiritual teaching, we require the spiritual disposition The Upaniṣads contain accounts of the mystic significance of the syllable aum, explanations of mystic words like tajjalān, which are intelligible only to the initiated, and secret texts and esoteric doctrines. Upanisad became a name for a mystery, a secret, rahasyam, communicated only to the tested few ³ When ¹ In an article on Christian Vedāntism, Mr R Gordon Milburn writes, 'Christianity in India needs the Vedānta. We missionaries have not realised this with half the clearness that we should. We cannot move freely and joyfully in our own religion; because we have not sufficient terms and modes of expression wherewith to express the more immanental aspects of Christianity. A very useful step would be the recognition of certain books or passages in the literature of the Vedānta as constituting what might be called an Ethnic Old Testament. The permission of ecclesiastical authorities could then be asked for reading passages found in such a canon of Ethnic Old Testament at divine service along with passages from the New Testament as alternatives to the Old Testament lessons' Indian Interpreter 1913 ² Cp Plato 'To find the Father and Maker of this universe is a hard task, and when you have found him, it is impossible to speak of him before all people' Timaeus ³ guhyā Ᾱdeśāh. C.U III 52 paramam guhyam Katha I. 3. 17. vedānte paramam guhyam S.U VI 22 vedaguhyam, vedaguhyopanisatsu gūdham. S U V 6. the question of man's final destiny was raised, Yājñavalkya took his pupil aside and whispered to him the truth.¹ According to the Chāndogya Upanisad, the doctrine of Brahman may be imparted by a father to his elder son or to a trusted pupil, but not to another, whoever he may be, even if the latter should give him the whole earth surrounded by the waters and filled with treasures.² In many cases it is said that the teacher communicates the secret knowledge only after repeated entreaty and severe testing. Śamkara derives the word upanisad as a substantive from the root sad, ‘to loosen,’ ‘to reach’ or ‘to destroy’ with upa and m as prefixes and kvip as termination.³ If this derivation is accepted, upaniṣad means brahma-knowledge by which ignorance is loosened or destroyed. The treatises that deal with brahma-knowledge are called the Upanisads and so pass for the Vedānta The different derivations together make out that the Upanisads give us both spiritual vision and philosophical argument.⁴ There is a core of certainty which is essentially incommunicable except by a way of life. It is by a strictly personal effort that one can reach the truth.
The Upanisads form a literature which has been growing from early times Their number exceeds two hundred, though guhyalamam Marti VI 29 abhayam var brahma bhavati ya evam veda, iti rahasyam Nrsimhottaratāpani U VIII dharme rahasy upanisat syāt Amarakosa upanisadam rahasyam yac cintyam Š on Kena IV 7 The injunction of secrecy about the mysteries reserved for the initiated is found among the Orphics and the Pythagoreans 1 BŪ III 2 13 2 III 11 5, BŪ III 2 13 ³ Introduction to the Kātha In his commentary on T U, he says, upanisannam vā asyām param śreya iti 4 Oldenberg suggests that the real sense of Upanisad is worship or reverence, which the word upāsana signifies Upāsana brings about oneness with the object worshipped See Keith The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and the Upanisads (1925), p 492. the Indian tradition puts it at one hundred and eight.¹ Prince Muhammad Dara Shikoh's collection translated into Persian (1656–1657) and then into Latin by Anquetil Duperron (1801 and 1802) under the title Oupnckhat, contained about fifty. Colebrooke's collection contained fifty-two, and this was based on Nārāyana's list (c. A.D. 1400). The principal Upaniṣads are said to be ten. Śaṅkara commented on eleven, Īśa, Kena, Katha, Praśna, Mundaka, Māndūkya, Taṭṭīrīya, Aitareya, Chāndogya, Brhad-āranyaka and Svetāśvatara. He also refers to the Kauṣītakī, Jābāla, Mahānārāyana and Paingala Upaniṣads in his commentary on the Brahma Sūtra. These together with the Maṇtrāyaṇīya or Maṇtrī Upanisad constitute the principal Upaniṣads. Rāmānuja uses all these Upaniṣads as also the Subāla and the Cūlīka. He mentions also the Garbha, the Jābāla and the Mahā Upanisads. Vidyāraṇya includes Nṛṣimhottara-tāpanī Upanisad among the twelve he explained in his Sarvopanisad-arthānubhūti-prakāśa. The other Upaniṣads which have come down are more religious than philosophical. They belong more to the Purāna and the Tantra than to the Veda. They glorify Vedānta or Yoga or Saṁnyāsa or extol the worship of Śiva, Śakti or Viṣṇu.² ¹ See the Muktikā U, where it is said that salvation may be attained by a study of the hundred and eight Upaniṣads I 30–39. ² There is, however, considerable argument about the older and more original Upaniṣads Max Muller translated the eleven Upaniṣads quoted by Śaṅkara together with Maṇtrāyanīya Deussen, though he translated no less than sixty, considers that fourteen of them are original and have a connection with Vedic schools. Hume translated the twelve which Max Muller selected and added to them the Māndūkya. Keith in his Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and the Upaniṣads includes the Mahānārāyana. His list of fourteen is the same as that of Deussen. English translations of the Upaniṣads have appeared in the following order. Ram Mohan Roy (1832), Roer (1853), (Bibliotheca Indica) Max Muller (1879–1884) Sacred Books of the East, Mead and Chattopādhyāya (1896, London Theosophical Society), Sītārām Śāstrī and Gangānāth Jhā (1898–1901), (G. A. Natesan, Madras), Sītānāth Tattvabhūsan (1900), S C. Vasu (1911), R Hume (1921) E B Cowell, Hiriyanna, Dvivedi, Mahādeva Śāstrī and Śrī Aurobindo have published translations of a few Upaniṣads. Śaṅkara's commentaries on the principal Upaniṣads are available in English translations also. His interpretations are from the standpoint of advaṇta or non-dualism. Rangarāmānuja has adopted the point of view of Rāmānuja in his commentaries on the Upaniṣads. Madhva's commentaries are from the standpoint of dualism. Extracts from his Modern criticism is generally agreed that the ancient prose Upanisads, Aitareya, Kausītakī, Chāndogya, Kena, Tattiturīya and Brhad-āranyaka, together with Īśa and Katha belong to the eighth and seventh centuries BC. They are all pre-Buddhist. They represent the Vedānta in its pure original form and are the earliest philosophical compositions of the world. These Upanisads belong to what Karl Jaspers calls the Axial Era of the world, 800 to 300 BC, when man for the first time simultaneously and independently in Greece, China and India questioned the traditional pattern of life. As almost all the early literature of India was anonymous, we do not know the names of the authors of the Upanisads. Some of the chief doctrines of the Upanisads are associated with the names of renowned sages as Āruni, Yājñavalkya, Bālākī, Śvetaketu, Sāndilya. They were, perhaps, the early exponents of the doctrines attributed to them. The teachings were developed in parisads or spiritual retreats where teachers and pupils discussed and defined the different views. As a part of the Veda, the Upanisads belong to śrutī or revealed literature. They are immemorial, sanātana, timeless. Their truths are said to be breathed out by God or visioned by the seers. They are the utterances of the sages who speak out of the fullness of their illumined experience. They are not reached by ordinary perception, inference or reflection,¹ but seen by the seers, even as we see and not infer the wealth and riot of colour in the summer sky. The seers have the same sense of assurance and possession of their spiritual vision as we have of our physical perception. The sages are men of 'direct' vision, in the words of Yāska, sāksāt-kṛta-dharmānah, and the records of their experiences are the facts to be considered by any philosophy of religion. The truths revealed to the seers are not mere reports of introspection which are purely subjective. The inspired sages proclaim that the knowledge they communicate is not what they discover for themselves. It is revealed to commentaries are found in the edition of the Upanisads published by the Pāṇuṇu Office, Allahabad ¹ They are relevant in matters which cannot be reached by perception and inference aprāpte śāstram arthavat Mīmāmsā Sūtra I 15 them without their effort.¹ Though the knowledge is an experience of the seer, it is an experience of an independent reality which impinges on his consciousness. There is the impact of the real on the spirit of the experiencer. It is therefore said to be a direct disclosure from the 'wholly other,' a revelation of the Divine Symbolically, the Upaniṣads describe revelation as the breath of God blowing on us 'Of that great being, this is the breath, which is the Rg Veda.'² The divine energy is compared to the breath which quickens It is a seed which fertilises or a flame which kindles the human spirit to its finest issues It is interesting to know that the Brhad-āraṇyaka Upanisad tells us that not only the Vedas but history, sciences and other studies are also 'breathed forth by the great God.'³ The Vedas were composed by the seers when they were in a state of inspiration. He who inspires them is God.⁴ Truth is impersonal, apauruseya and eternal, niya. Inspiration is a joint activity, of which man's contemplation and God's revelation are two sides
.'² The divine energy is compared to the breath which quickens It is a seed which fertilises or a flame which kindles the human spirit to its finest issues It is interesting to know that the Brhad-āraṇyaka Upanisad tells us that not only the Vedas but history, sciences and other studies are also 'breathed forth by the great God.'³ The Vedas were composed by the seers when they were in a state of inspiration. He who inspires them is God.⁴ Truth is impersonal, apauruseya and eternal, niya. Inspiration is a joint activity, of which man's contemplation and God's revelation are two sides. The Svetāśvatara Upaniṣad says that the sage Śvetāśvatara saw the truth owing to his power of contemplation, tapaḥ-prabhāva, and the grace of God, deva-prasāda.⁵ The dual significance of revelation, its subjective and objective character, is suggested here. The Upaniṣads are vehicles more of spiritual illumination than of systematic reflection. They reveal to us a world of rich and varied spiritual experience rather than a world of abstract ¹ puruṣa-prayalnaṁ vinā praśatībhūta Ṣ. ² B U. II 1 10, M U II 1. 6; R.V. X 90 9. ³ II 4 10 The Naiyānyas maintain that the Vedas were composed by God, while the Mīmāmsakas hold that they were not composed at all either by man or by God, but have existed from all eternity in the form of sounds. It is perhaps a way of saying that the timeless truths of eternity exist from everlasting to everlasting. Aristotle regards the fundamental truths of religion as eternal and indestructible. ⁴ With reference to the prophets, Athenagoras says: 'While entranced and deprived of their natural powers of reason by the influence of the Divine Spirit, they uttered that which was wrought in them, the spirit using them as its instrument as a flute-player might blow a flute.' Apol IX. Cp 'Howbeit, when he the spirit of truth is come he shall guide you unto all the truth, for he shall not speak from himself, but whatsoever things he shall hear, these shall he speak.' John XVI 13. philosophical categories Their truths are verified not only by logical reason but by personal experience. Their aim is prac- tical rather than speculative Knowledge is a means to freedom. Philosophy, bıahma-vidyā, is the pursuit of wisdom by a way of life.
The Vedānta meant originally the Upanişads, though the word is now used for the system of philosophy based on the Upanişads Literally, Vcdanta means the end of the Veda, vedasya antah, the conclusion as well as the goal of the Vedas The Upanisads are the concluding portions of the Vedas Chrono- logically they come at the end of the Vedic period As the Upanisads contain abstruse and difficult discussions of ultimate philosophical problems, they were taught to the pupils at about the end of their course When we have Vedic recitations as religious exercises, the end of these recitations is generally from the Upanisads The chief reason why the Upanisads are called the end of the Veda is that they represent the central aim and meaning of the teaching of the Veda ¹ The content of the Upanisads is vedanta vijñānam, the wisdom of the Vedānta ² The Samhitās and the Brāhmanas, which are the hymns and the liturgical books, represent the karma-kānda or the ritual portion, while the Upanisads represent the jñāna-kānda or the knowledge portion The learning of the hymns and the per- formance of the rites are a preparation for true enlightenment ³ The Upanisads describe to us the life of spirit, the same yesterday, to-day and for ever. But our apprehensions of the life of spirit, the symbols by which we express it, change with ¹ tılesu tarlavad vede vedāntah su-pratıṣṭhitah Muktíkā U I 9 Again, vedā brahmātma-vısayā Bhāgavata XI 21 35 ātmarakatva-vıdyā-prati- pataye sarve-vedāntā ārabhyante SB Introduction vedānto nāma upanısat pramānam Vedānta-sāra ² MU III 2 6 S U speaks of the highest mystery in the Vedānta vedānte paramam guhyam VI 22 ³ Much of the material in the C U and B U. belongs properly to the Brāhmanas time. All systems of orthodox Indian thought accept the authoritativeness of the Vedas,¹ but give themselves freedom in their interpretation. This variety of interpretation is made possible by the fact that the Upaniṣads are not the thoughts of a single philosopher or a school of philosophers who follow a single tradition. They are the teachings of thinkers who were interested in different aspects of the philosophical problem, and therefore offer solutions of problems which vary in their interest and emphasis. There is thus a certain amount of fluidity in their thought which has been utilised for the development of different philosophical systems. Out of the wealth of suggestions and speculations contained in them, different thinkers choose elements for the construction of their own systems, not infrequently even through a straining of the texts. Though the Upaniṣads do not work out a logically coherent system of metaphysics, they give us a few fundamental doctrines which stand out as the essential teaching of the early Upaniṣads. These are recapitulated in the Brahma Sūtra. The Brahma Sūtra is an aphoristic summary of the teaching of the Upaniṣads, and the great teachers of the Vedānta develop their distinctive views through their commentaries on this work. By interpreting the sūtras which are laconic in form and hardly intelligible without interpretation, the teachers justify their views to the reasoning intelligence. Different commentators attempt to find in the Upaniṣads and the Brahma Sūtra a single coherent doctrine, a system of thought which is free from contradictions. Bhartṛprapañca, who is anterior to Śaṁkara, maintains that the selves and the physical universe are real, though not altogether different from Brahman. They are both identical with and different from Brahman, the three together constituting a unity in diversity. Ultimate Reality evolves into the universal creation sṛṣṭi and the universe retreats into it at the time of dissolution, pralaya.² The advaita of Śaṁkara insists on the transcendent nature ¹ Even the Buddhists and the Jainas accept the teaching of the Upaniṣads, though they interpret it in their own ways. See Introduction to Dhamma-pada and Vṛśesāvaśyaaka Bhāṣya, Yaśoṇijaya Jaina Granthamālā No 35. of non-dual Brahman and the duality of the world including Īśvara who presides over it. Reality is Brahman or Ātman. No predication is possible of Brahman as predication involves duality and Brahman is free from all duality. The world of duality is empirical or phenomenal. The saving truth which redeems the individual from the stream of births and deaths is the recognition of his own identity with the Supreme 'That thou art' is the fundamental fact of all existence.¹ The multiplicity of the universe, the unending stream of life, is real, but only as a phenomenon. Rāmānuja qualifies the non-dual philosophy so as to make the personal God supreme. While Brahman, souls and the world are all different and eternal, they are at the same time inseparable.² Inseparability is not identity. Brahman is related to the two others as soul to body. They are sustained by Him and subject to His control. Rāmānuja says that while God exists for Himself, matter and souls exist for His sake and serve His purposes. The three together form an organic whole. Brahman is the inspiring principle of the souls and the world. The souls are different from, but not independent of, God. They are said to be one only in the sense that they all belong to the same class. The ideal is the enjoyment of freedom and bliss in the world of Nārāyana, and the means to it is either prapatti or bhakti. The individual souls, even when they are freed through the influence of their devotion and the grace of God, retain their separate individuality. For him and Madhva, God, the author of all grace, saves those who give to Him the worship of love and faith. For Madhva there are five eternal distinctions between (1) God and the individual soul, (2) God and matter, (3) soul and matter, (4) one soul and another, (5) one particle of matter and another. The supreme being endowed with all auspicious qualities is called Visnu, and Laksmi is His power dependent on Him. Mokṣa is release from rebirth and residence in the abode of Nārāyana. Human souls are innumerable, and each of them is separate and eternal. The divine souls are destined for salvation. Those who are neither very good nor very bad ¹ C U VI. 8 7, B.U. I. 4. 10. ² a-pythak-siddha are subject to samsāra, and the bad go to hell. Right knowledge of God and devotion to Him are the means to salvation Without divine grace there can be no salvation ¹ Baladeva adopts the view of acintya-bhedābheda Difference and non-difference are positive facts of experience and yet cannot be reconciled. It is an incomprehensible synthesis of opposites Rāmānuja, Bhāskara, Nimbärka and Baladeva believe that there is change in Brahman, but not of Brahman ²
Even the most inspired writers are the products of their environment. They give voice to the deepest thoughts of their own epoch. A complete abandonment of the existing modes of thought is psychologically impossible. The writers of the Rg Veda speak of the ancient makers of the path ³ When there is an awakening of the mind, the old symbols are interpreted in a new way. In pursuance of the characteristic genius of the Indian mind, not to shake the beliefs of the common men, but to lead them on by stages to the understanding of the deeper philosophical meaning behind their beliefs, the Upanisads develop the Vedic ideas and symbols and give to them, where necessary, new meanings which relieve them of their formalistic character. Texts from the Vedas are often quoted in support of the teachings of the Upanisads. The thought of the Upanisads marks an advance on the ritualistic doctrines of the Brāhmanas, which are themselves different in spirit from the hymns of the Rg Veda A good deal of time should have elapsed for this long development. The mass of the Rg Veda must also have taken time to produce, ¹ moksaś ca visnu-prasādena vinā na labhyate Visnu-tatva-nirnaya ² See I P Vol II, pp 751-765, B G, pp 15-20 ³ idam nama rsibhyah pūrvajebhyah pūrvebhyah pathi-krdbhyah X 14 15 B especially when we remember that what has survived is probably a small part compared to what has been lost.¹ Whatever may be the truth about the racial affinities of the Indian and the European peoples, there is no doubt that Indo- European languages derive from a common source and illustrate a relationship of mind In its vocabulary and inflexions Sanskrit presents a striking similarity to Greek and Latin Sir William Jones explained it by tracing them all to a common source 'The Sanskrit language,' he said in 1786, in an address to the Asiatic Society of Bengal, 'whatever be its antiquity, is of a wonderful structure, more perfect than the Greek, more copious than the Latin, and more exquisitely refined than either, yet bearing to both of them a stronger affinity, both in the roots of verbs, and in the forms of grammar, than could possibly have been produced by accident, so strong, indeed, that no philologer could examine them all without believing them to have sprung from some common source which perhaps no longer exists There is a similar reason, though not quite so forcible, for supposing that both the Gothic and the Celtic, though blended with a different idiom, had the same origin with the Sanskrit, and the old Persian might be added to the same family ' The oldest Indo-European literary monument is the Rg Veda ³ The word ‘Veda,’ from vid, to know, means knowledge ¹ ‘We have no right to suppose that we have even a hundredth part of the religious and popular poetry that existed during the Vedic age’ Max Muller Six Systems of Indian Philosophy (1899), p 41 ² samskrta perfectly constructed speech ³ ‘The Veda has a two-fold interest it belongs to the history of the world and to the history of India In the history of the world, the Veda fills a gap which no literary work in any other language could fill It carries us back to times of which we have no records anywhere, and gives us the very words of a generation of men, of whom otherwise we could form but the vaguest estimate by means of conjectures and inferences As long as man continues to take an interest in the history of his race and as long as we collect in libraries and museums the relics of former ages, the first place in that long row of books which contains the records of the Aryan branch of mankind will belong for ever to the Rg Veda’ Max Muller Ancient History of Sanskrit Literature (1859), p 63 The Rg Veda, according to Ragozin ‘is, without the shadow of a doubt, the oldest book of the Aryan family of nations’ Vedic India (1895), p 114 Winternitz observes ‘If we wish to learn to understand the beginnings of our own culture, if we wish to understand the oldest Indo-European par excellence, sacred wisdom. Science is the knowledge of secondary causes, of the created details; wisdom is the knowledge of primary causes, of the Uncreated Principle. The Veda is not a single literary work like the Bhagavad-gītā or a collection of a number of books compiled at some particular time as the Tri-pitaka of the Buddhists or the Bible of the Christians, but a whole literature which arose in the course of centuries and was handed down from generation to generation through oral transmission. When no books were available memory was strong and tradition exact. To impress on the people the need for preserving this literature, the Veda was declared to be sacred knowledge or divine revelation. Its sanctity arose spontaneously owing to its age and the nature and value of its contents. It has since become the standard of thought and feeling for Indians. The name Veda signifying wisdom suggests a genuine spirit of inquiry. The road by which the Vedic sages travelled was the road of those who seek to inquire and understand. The questions they investigate are of a philosophical character. 'Who, verily, knows and who can here declare it, where it was born and whence comes this creation?' The gods are later than this world's production. Who knows, then, whence it first came into being?'¹ According to Sāyaṇa, Veda is the book which describes the transcendent means for the fulfilment of well-being and the avoidance of evils ² There are four Vedas, the Rg Veda which is mainly composed culture, we must go to India, where the oldest literature of an Indo-European people is preserved. For, whatever view we may adopt on the problem of the antiquity of Indian literature, we can safely say that the oldest monument of the literature of the Indians is at the same time the oldest monument of Indo-European literature which we possess. A History of Indian Literature, E T. Vol. I (1927), p. 6. See also Bloomfield: The Religion of the Veda (1908), p. 17. He says that the Rg Veda is not only 'the most ancient literary monument of India' but also 'the most ancient literary document of the Indo-European peoples.' This literature is earlier than that of either Greece or Israel, and reveals a high level of civilisation among those who found it in the expression of their worship,' according to Dr. Nicol Macnicol. See his Hindu Scriptures (1938), p. XIV. ¹ X. 129 ² Isia-prāpty-anista-parihārayoralaukikam upāyam yo grantho vedayati sa vedah of songs of praise, the Yajur Veda, which deals with sacrificial formulas, the Sāma Veda which refers to melodies, and the Atharva Veda, which has a large number of magic formulas. Each contains four sections consisting of (1) Samhitā or collection of hymns, prayers, benedictions, sacrificial formulas and litanies, (2) Brāhmanas or prose treatises discussing the significance of sacrificial rites and ceremonies, (3) Āranyakas or forest texts, which are partly included in the Brāhmanas and partly reckoned as independent, and (4) Upanisads. Veda denotes the whole literature made up of the two portions called Mantra and Brāhmana. Mantra is derived by Yāska from manana, thinking.² It is that by which the contemplation of God is attempted. Brāhmana deals with the elaboration of worship into ritual. Parts of Brāhmanas are called Āranyakas. Those who continue their studies without marrying are called aranas or aranamānas. They lived in hermitages or forests. The forests where aranas (ascetics) live are aranyas. Their speculations are contained in Āranyakas. Yāska refers to different interpretations of the Vedās by the ritualists (yājñikas), the etymologists (nairuktas) and mythologists (aṇṭhāsikas)
. Mantra is derived by Yāska from manana, thinking.² It is that by which the contemplation of God is attempted. Brāhmana deals with the elaboration of worship into ritual. Parts of Brāhmanas are called Āranyakas. Those who continue their studies without marrying are called aranas or aranamānas. They lived in hermitages or forests. The forests where aranas (ascetics) live are aranyas. Their speculations are contained in Āranyakas. Yāska refers to different interpretations of the Vedās by the ritualists (yājñikas), the etymologists (nairuktas) and mythologists (aṇṭhāsikas). The Brhad-devatā which comes after Yāska’s Nirukta also refers to various schools of thought in regard to Vedic interpretations. It mentions ātma-vādins or those who relate the Vedas to the psychological processes. The Rg Veda, which comprises 1,017 hymns divided into ten books, represents the earliest phase in the evolution of religious consciousness where we have not so much the commandments of priests as the outpourings of poetic minds who were struck by the immensity of the universe and the inexhaustible mystery of life. The reactions of simple yet unsophisticated minds to the wonder of existence are portrayed in these joyous hymns which attribute divinity to the striking aspects of nature. We have worship of devas,³ deities like Sūrya (sun), ¹ mantra-brāhmanayor veda nāmadheyam Āpastamba in Yajña-paribhāsa ² Nirukta VII 3 6 ³ The devas are, according to Amara, the immortals, amarāh, free from old age, nirjarāh, the evershining ones, devāh, heavenly beings, trīdaśāh, the knowing ones, vibudhāh, and gods or deities, surāh. Soma (moon), Agni (fire), Dyaus (sky), Prthivī (earth),¹ Maruts (storm winds), Vāyu (wind), Ap (water), Uṣas (dawn). Even deities whose names are no longer so transparent were originally related to natural phenomena such as Indra, Varuṇa, Mitra, Aditī, Visnu, Pūṣan, the two Aśvīns, Rudra and Parjanya. Qualities which emphasise particular important aspects of natural phenomena attained sometimes to the rank of independent deities.² Savitr, the inspirer or the life-giver, Vivasvat, the shining, were at first attributes and names of the Sun but later became independent Sun-gods. Some of the deities worshipped by the different tribes were admitted into the Vedic pantheon Pūṣan, originally the Sun-god of a small shepherd tribe, becomes the protector of travellers, the god who knows all the paths. Some deities have their basis in abstract qualities such as śraddhā, faith, manyu, anger.³ We also come across Rbhus, or elves, Apsaras or nymphs, Gandharvas or forest or field spirits.⁴ Asuṇas who become the enemies of the gods in the later Vedic works retain in the Rg Veda the old meaning of 'possessors of wonderful power' or 'God' which the corresponding word Ahura has in the Avesta.⁵ ¹ In Greek mythology Zeus as sky-father is in essential relation to earth mother See A B Cook Zeus (1914) I, p 779 ² The ancient Greeks advanced the natural elements into gods by deifying their attributes Apollo shone in the sun Boreas howled in the mountain blasts Zeus threatened in the lightning and struck in the thunderbolt ³ These occur in the latest hymns of the tenth book of the Rg Veda. ⁴ The Vedic Indians were not phallus worshippers Śiśna-devāh (R V. VII 21 5, X 99 3) does not mean phallus-worshippers Yāska says that it refers to non-celibates 'śiśna-devāh a-brahmacaryāh,' IV 9 Sāyana adopts this view śiśnena divyantṛ kṛīdantī, iti śiśna-devāh, a-brahmacaryā ity arthaḥ Though it is a bahuvriḥi compound meaning those whose deity is phallus, the word 'deva' is to be taken in its secondary sense, laksyārtha It means those who are addicted to sex life. The plural number also suggests that it is not a deity that is meant Cp the later Sanskrit śiśnodara-parāyanāh 'Addicted to the gratification of sex and stomach ' ⁵ The Persians call their country Iran, which is the airya of the Avesta and signifies the land of the Aryans Even to-day after centuries of Islam, the influences of Aryan thought are not altogether effaced. The Muslims of Persia tend to emphasise passages of the Qurān which are capable of a mystic interpretation Professor E G. Browne writes. 'When in the seventh century the warlike followers of the Arabian prophet swept across Iran, overwhelming in their tumultuous onslaught Varuna, a god common both to the Indians and the Iranians, regulates the course of the sun and the sequence of the seasons He keeps the world in order and is the embodiment of truth and order which are binding on mankind. He protects moral laws and punishes the sinful. The Vedic Indians approach Varuna in trembling and fear and in humble reverence and ask for forgiveness of sins.¹ Indra, who is a king among the gods, occupying the position of Zeus in the Greek Olympus, is invoked by those who are fighting and struggling. Agni is the mediator between men and gods. The hymns speak of him as a dear friend, the master of the house, grha-pati. He bears the sacrificial offerings to the gods and brings the gods down to an ancient dynasty and a venerable religion, a change, apparently almost unparalleled in history, was in the course of a few years brought over the land. Where for centuries the ancient hymns of the Avesta had been chanted and the sacred fire had burned, the cry of the Mu'ezzīn sum- moning the faithful to prayer rang out from minarets reared on the ruins of the temples of Ahura Mazda. The priests of Zoroaster fell by the sword, the ancient books perished in the flames, and soon none were left to represent a once mighty faith but a handful of exiles flying towards the shores of India and a despised and persecuted remnant in solitary Yezd and remote Kīrman. Yet, after all, the change was but skin deep and soon a host of heterodox sects born on Persian soil— Shi'ites, Sufis, Ismailis and philosophers arose to vindicate the claim of Aryan thought to be free and to transform the religion forced on the nation by Arab steel into something which, though still wearing a semblance of Islam, had a significance widely different from that which one may fairly suppose was intended by the Arabian prophet.¹ A Year amongst the Persians (1927), p. 134. Varuna becomes Ahura Mazda (Ormuzd), the supreme God and Creator of the world. In one of those conversations with Zoroaster which embody the revelation that was made to him, it is recorded, Ahura says, 'I maintain that sky there above, shining and seen afar and encompassing the earth all round. It looks like a palace that stands built of a heavenly substance firmly established with ends that lie afar, shining, in its body of ruby over the three worlds, it is like a garment inlaid with stars made of a heavenly substance that Mazda puts on.' Yasht XIII Like Varuna, who is the lord of rta, Ahura is the lord of aša
.¹ A Year amongst the Persians (1927), p. 134. Varuna becomes Ahura Mazda (Ormuzd), the supreme God and Creator of the world. In one of those conversations with Zoroaster which embody the revelation that was made to him, it is recorded, Ahura says, 'I maintain that sky there above, shining and seen afar and encompassing the earth all round. It looks like a palace that stands built of a heavenly substance firmly established with ends that lie afar, shining, in its body of ruby over the three worlds, it is like a garment inlaid with stars made of a heavenly substance that Mazda puts on.' Yasht XIII Like Varuna, who is the lord of rta, Ahura is the lord of aša. As Varuna is closely allied with Mitra, so is Ahura with Mithra, the sun-god Avesta knows Verethragna who is Vrtrahan, the slayer of Vṛtra. Dyaus, Apāmnapāt (Apām Napāt), Gandharva (Gandarewa), Kṛśānu (Keresāni), Vāyu (Vayu), Yama, son of Vivasvant (Yima, son of Vivanhvant) as well as Yajña (Yasna), Hotr (Zaotar), Atharva priest (Āthravan). These point to the common religion of the undivided Indo-Aryans and Iranians. In the later Avesta, the supreme God is the sole creator but his attributions of the good spirit, righteousness, power, piety, health and immortality become personified as 'the Immortal Holy Ones.' the sacrifice. He is the wise one, the chief priest, purohita. Mitra is the god of light. When the Persians first emerge into history, Mitra is the god of light who drives away darkness. He is the defender of truth and justice, the protector of righteous- ness, the mediator between Ahura Mazda and man ¹ Mitra, Varuna and Agni are the three eyes of the great illuminator Sun.² Aditı is said to be space and air, mother, father and son She is all comprehending ³ Deities presiding over groups of natural phenomena became identified The various Sun-gods, Sūrya, Savitr, Mitra and Vṛṣṇu tended to be looked upon as one. Agni (Fire) is regarded as one deity with three forms, the sun or celestial fire, lightning or atmospheric fire and the earthly fire manifest in the altar and in the homes of men. Again, when worship is accorded to any of the Vedic deities, we tend to make that deity, the supreme one, of whom all others are forms or manifestations He is given all the attributes of a monotheistic deity. As several deities are exalted to this first place, we get what has been called henotheism, as distinct from monotheism. There is, of course, a difference between a psycho- logical monotheism where one god fills the entire life of the worshipper and a metaphysical monotheism. Synthesising processes, classification of gods, simplification of the ideas of divine attributes and powers prepare for a metaphysical unity, the one principle informing all the deities.⁴ The supreme ¹ Mithraism is older than Christianity by centuries. The two faiths were in acute rivalry until the end of the third century A.D. The form of the Christian Eucharist is very like that of the followers of Mithra. ² citram devānam ud agād anīkam cakṣur mitrasya varunasyāgneh āprā dyāvā pythivī antariksam sūrya ātmā jagatas tāsthusaś ca RV I 151 1 ³ adıtır dyaur adıtır antariksam, adıtır mātā, sa pītā, sa putraḥ viśve-devā aditih pañca-janā aditir jātam, aditir janitvam. RV I 89 10. For Anaximander, the boundless and undifferentiated substance which fills the universe and is the matrix in which our world is formed, is theos. ⁴ mahad devānām asuratvam ekam RV III 55 11. 'One fire burns in many ways' one sun illuminates the universe, one divine dispels all darkness He alone has revealed himself in all these forms.' eka evāgnir bahudhā samiddha ekah sūryo viśvam anu prabhūtah ekaivosāḥ sarvam īdam vibhāty ekam varādam vi babhūva sarvam RV VIII 58 2 is one who pervades the whole universe He is gods and men.¹ The Vedic Indians were sufficiently logical to realise that the attributes of creation and rulership of the world could be granted only to one being We have such a being in Prajā-patī, the lord of creatures, Visva-karman, the world-maker Thus the logic of religious faith asserts itself in favour of monotheism This tendency is supported by the conception of rta or order. The universe is an ordered whole; it is not disorderliness (akosmia).² If the endless variety of the world suggests numerous deities, the unity of the world suggests a unitary conception of the Deity If philosophy takes its rise in wonder, if the impulse to it is in scepticism, we find the beginnings of doubt in the Rg Veda It is said of Indra 'Of whom they ask, where is he? Of him indeed they also say, he is not.'³ In another remarkable hymn, the priests are invited to offer a song of praise to Indra, 'a true one, if in truth he is, for many say, "There is no Indra, who has ever seen him? To whom are we to direct the song of praise?"'⁴ When reflection reduced the deities who were once so full of vigour to shadows, we pray for faith 'O Faith, endow us with belief.'⁵ Cosmological thought wonders whether speech and air were not to be regarded as the ultimate essence of all things.⁶ In another hymn Prajā-patī is praised as the creator and preserver of the world and as the one god, but the refrain occurs in verse after verse 'What god shall we honour by means of sacrifice?'⁷ Certainty is the source of inertia in thought, while doubt makes for progress Agnī, kindled in many places, is but one, One the all-pervading Sun, One the Dawn, spreading her light over the earth All that exists is one, whence is produced the whole world See also X 81 3 ¹ yo nah pitā janitā yo vidhātā dhāmāni veda bhuvanāni viśvā yo devānām nāmadhā eka eva tam samprasnam bhuvanā yanty anyā RV X 82 3 ² See Plato Gorgias 507 E ³ II 12 ⁴ VIII 100, 3 ff ⁵ X. 151 5 ⁶ Germ of the world, the deities' vital spirit, This god moves ever as his will inclines him His voice is heard, his shape is ever viewless Let us adore this air with our oblation X 168 4 ⁷ kasma devāya havisā vidhema? X 121 The most remarkable account of a superpersonal monism is to be found in the hymn of Creation ¹ It seeks to explain the universe as evolving out of One. But the One is no longer a god like Indra or Varuṇa, Prajā-pati or Visva-karman. The hymn declares that all these gods are of late or of secondary origin. They know nothing of the beginning of things. The first principle, that one, tad ekam, is uncharacterisable. It is without qualities or attributes, even negative ones To apply to it any description is to limit and bind that which is limitless and boundless. ² That one breathed breathless. There was nothing else It is not a dead abstraction but indescribable perfection of being Before creation all this was darkness shrouded in darkness, an impenetrable void or abyss of waters,³ until through the power of tapas,⁴ or the fervour of austerity, the One evolved into determinate self-conscious being. He becomes a creator by self-limitation. N thing outside himself can limit him. He only can limit himself. He does not depend on anything other than himself for his manifestation
. They know nothing of the beginning of things. The first principle, that one, tad ekam, is uncharacterisable. It is without qualities or attributes, even negative ones To apply to it any description is to limit and bind that which is limitless and boundless. ² That one breathed breathless. There was nothing else It is not a dead abstraction but indescribable perfection of being Before creation all this was darkness shrouded in darkness, an impenetrable void or abyss of waters,³ until through the power of tapas,⁴ or the fervour of austerity, the One evolved into determinate self-conscious being. He becomes a creator by self-limitation. N thing outside himself can limit him. He only can limit himself. He does not depend on anything other than himself for his manifestation. This power of ¹ X 129 ² See B U III 9 26 ³ Cp Genesis I. 2, where the Spirit of God is said to move on the face of the waters, and the Purāṇic description of Visṇu as resting on the Serpent Infinite in the milky ocean. Homer's Iliad speaks of Oceanos as 'the source of all things' including even the gods 14, 246, 302. Many others, North American Indians, Aztecs, etc, have such a belief. According to Aristotle, Thales considered that all things were made of water. The Greeks had a myth of Father-Ocean as the origin of all things. Cp Nysimha-pūrva-tāpanī U. I. 1. āpo vā idam āsan salilam eva, sa prajā-patir ekah puṣkara-parne samabhavat, tasyāntar manasī pāmah samavartata idam srjeyam iti 'All this remained as water along (without any form). Only Prajā-pati came to be in the lotus leaf. In his mind arose the desire, "let me create this (the world of names and forms)." Two explanations are offered for the presence of identical symbols used in an identical manner in different parts of the world W. J. Perry and his friends argue that these myths and symbols were derived originally from Egyptian culture which once spread over the world, leaving behind these vestiges when it receded This theory does not bear close examination and is not widely held The other explanation is that human beings are very much the same the world over, their minds are similarly constituted and their experience of life under primitive conditions does not differ from one part of the world to another and it is not unnatural that identical ideas regarding the origin and nature of the world arise independently. ⁴ tapas literally means heat, creative heat by which the brood hen produces life from the egg B* actualisation is given the name of māyā in later Vedānta, for the manifestation does not disturb the unity and integrity of the One The One becomes manifested by its own intrinsic power, by its tapas. The not-self is not independent of the self It is the avyakta or the unmanifested While it is dependent on the Supreme Self, it appears as external to the individual ego and is the source of its ignorance The waters represent the unformed non-being in which the divine lay concealed in darkness We have now the absolute in itself, the power of self-limitation, the emergence of the determinate self and the not-self, the waters, darkness, parā-prakṛti. The abyss is the not-self, the mere potentiality, the bare abstraction, the receptacle of all developments The self-conscious being gives it existence by impressing his forms or Ideas on it The unmanifested, the indeterminate receives determinations from the self-conscious Lord. It is not absolute nothing, for there is never a state in which it is not in some sense.¹ The whole world is formed by the union of being and not-being and the Supreme Lord has facing him this indetermination, this aspiration to existence ² Rg Veda describes not-being (asat) as lying 'with outstretched ¹ See Paingala U I 3 In the Purāṇas, this idea is variously developed Brahma Purāna makes out that God first created the waters which are called nāra and released his seed into them, therefore he is called Nārāyana The seed grew into a golden egg from which Brahmā was born of his own accord and so is called svayambhū Brahmā divided the egg into two halves, heaven and earth I 1 38 ff The Brahmānda Purāra says that Brahmā, known as Nārāyana, rested on the surface of the waters Vidyāranya on Mahānārāyana U. III. 16 says nara-śarīrānām upādāra-rūpāy annādi-pañca-bhūtāni nara-śabdenocyante, teṣu bhūtesu yā āpo mukhyāh tā ayanam ādhāro yasya visnoh so'yam nārāyanah samvidra-jala-śūyī Cp āpo nārā iti proklā āpo varṇa nara-sūnavah ayaram tasya tāh proklās tena nārāyanas smṛtah The Visnu-dharmottara says that Visnu created the waters and the creation of the egg and Brahmā took place afterwards ³ Speaking of Boehme's mystic philosophy which influenced William Law, Stephen Hobhouse writes that he believes 'in the Ungrund, the fathomless abyss of freedom or indifference, which is at the root, so to speak, of God and of all existences . the idea of the mighty but blind face of Desire that arises out of this abyss and by means of imagination shapes itself into a purposeful will which is the heart of the Divine personality.' Selected Mystical Writings of William Law (1948), p 307 feet' like a woman in the throes of childbirth.³ As the first product of the divine mind, the mind's first fruit, came forth kāma, desire, the cosmic will, which is the primal source of all existence. In this kāma, 'the wise searching in their hearts, have by contemplation (manīṣā), discovered the connection between the existent and the non-existent'.² The world is created by the personal self-conscious God who acts by his intelligence and will This is how the Vedic seers understood in some measure how they and the whole creation arose. The writer of the hymn has the humility to admit that all this is a surmise, for it is not possible for us to be sure of things which lie so far beyond human knowledge.³ This hymn suggests the distinction between the Absolute Reality and Personal God, Brahman and Iśvara, the Absolute beyond being and knowledge, the super-personal, super-essential godhead in its utter transcendence of all created beings and its categories and the Real manifested to man in terms of the highest categories of human experience. Personal Being is treated as a development or manifestation of the Absolute. In another hymn,⁴ the first existent being is called Prajā-pati, facing the chaos of waters. He impregnates the waters and becomes manifest in them in the form of a golden egg or germ, from which the whole universe develops.⁵ He is called the one ¹ I. 10. 72. ² Kāma becomes defined later as icchā, desire and kriyā, action. It is the creative urge Cp with Kāma, the Orphic god, Eros, also called Phanes, who is the principle of generation by whom the whole world is created. ³ See also I 16 4 32, where the writer says that he who made all this does not probably know its real nature 'He, the first origin of this creation, whether he formed it all or did not form it, Whose eye controls this world in highest heaven, He, venly, knows it, or perhaps he knows not.' X 129 7 ET by Max Muller. ⁴ I 10 121 ⁵ hiranya-garbha, literally gold-germ, source of golden light, the world-soul, from which all powers and existences of this world are derived. It comes later to mean Brahmā, the creator of the world. In the Orphic Cosmogony we have similar ideas. Professor F. M
. ³ See also I 16 4 32, where the writer says that he who made all this does not probably know its real nature 'He, the first origin of this creation, whether he formed it all or did not form it, Whose eye controls this world in highest heaven, He, venly, knows it, or perhaps he knows not.' X 129 7 ET by Max Muller. ⁴ I 10 121 ⁵ hiranya-garbha, literally gold-germ, source of golden light, the world-soul, from which all powers and existences of this world are derived. It comes later to mean Brahmā, the creator of the world. In the Orphic Cosmogony we have similar ideas. Professor F. M. Cornford writes, 'In the beginning there was a primal undifferentiated unity, called by the Orphics "Night" Within this unity the world egg was generated, or received as a cosmic person with a thousand heads, eyes and feet, who filled the whole universe and extended beyond it, by the length of ten fingers,¹ the universe being constituted by a fourth of his nature.² The world form is not a complete expression or manifestation of the divine Reality. It is only a fragment of the divine that is manifested in the cosmic process. The World-soul is a partial expression of the Supreme Lord. Creation is interpreted in the Vedas as development rather than the bringing into being something not hitherto existent. The first principle is manifested in the whole world. Purusa by his sacrifice becomes the whole world. This view prepares for the development of the doctrine which is emphasised in the Upanisads that the spirit in man is one with the spirit which is the purna of the world. Within this world we have the one positive principle of being and yet have varying degrees of existence marked by varying degrees of penetration or participation of nonentity by divine being. God as Hiranya-garbha is nothing of the already made. He is not an ineffective God who sums up in himself all that is given. Rg Veda used two different concepts, generation and birth, and something artificially produced to account for creation. Heaven and earth are the parents of the gods; or the Creator of the world is a smith or a carpenter. > Again 'In the beginning was the golden germ > From his birth he was sole lord of creation. > He made firm the earth and this bright sky;'³ In this hymn Prajā-patī, the lord of offspring, assumes the name of Hiranya-garbha, the golden germ, and in the Atharva Veda and later literature Hiranya-garbha himself becomes a supreme deity.⁴ The Rg Veda is familiar with the four-fold distinction of (1) the Absolute, the One, beyond all dualities and ¹ sa bhūmim viśvato vṛtvā aty atisthad daśāngulam ² pādo'sya viśvā bhūtāni tripād asyāmṛtam divi. ³ RV X 121 1 ⁴ In the Atharva Veda he appears as the embryo which is produced in the waters at the beginning of creation. IV. 2 8 bbox distinctions, (ii) the self-conscious Subject confronting the object, (iii) the World-soul, and (iv) the world ¹ The monistic emphasis led the Vedic thinkers to look upon the Vedic deities as different names of the One Universal Godhead, each representing some essential power of the divine being. They call him Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni. He is the heavenly bird Garutmat. To what is one, the poets give many a name. They call it Agni, Yama, Mātariṣva.² The real that lies behind the tide of temporal change is one, though we speak of it in many ways. Agni, Yama, etc., are symbols. They are not gods in themselves. They express different qualities of the object worshipped. The Vedic seers were not conscious of any iconoclastic mission. They did not feel called upon to denounce This list finds a parallel, as we shall see, in the hierarchy of being given in the Mā U with its four grades of consciousness, the waking or the perceptual, the dreaming or the imaginative, the self in deep sleep or the conceptual, the turīya or the transcendent, spiritual consciousness which is not so much a grade of consciousness as the total consciousness. Plato in the Timaeus teaches that the Supreme Deity, the Demi-urge, creates a universal World-Soul, through which the universe becomes an organism. The World-Soul bears the image of the Ideas, and the world-body is fashioned in the same pattern. If the whole world has not been ordered as God would have desired, it is due to the necessity which seems to reside in an intractable material, which was in 'disorderly motion' before the Creator imposed form on it. ² I 164 46 ekam santam bahudhā kalpayantī RV X 114 4 See B G X 41 Zeus is the supreme ruler of gods and men, other gods exist to do his bidding. Cp Cicero 'God being present everywhere in Nature, can be regarded in the field as Ceres; or on the sea as Neptune, and elsewhere in a variety of forms in all of which He may be worshipped. De Nature Deorum For Plutarch and Maximus of Tyre, the different gods worshipped in the third century Roman Empire were symbolic representations of a Supreme God who is unknowable in his inmost nature. 'God himself, the father and fashioner of all is unnameable by any lawgiver, unutterable by any voice, not to be seen by any eye. But if a Greek is stirred to the remembrance of God by the art of Phidias, an Egyptian by paying worship to animals, another man by a river, another by fire, I have no anger for their divergence, only let them know, let them love, let them remember.' In the Tattirīya Samhitā and Śatapatha Brāhmana, it is said that Prajā-patī assumed certain forms of fish (matsya), tortoise (kūrma) and boar (varāha) for the attainment of certain ends. When the doctrine of avalāras, incarnations, becomes established, these three become the incarnations of Visnu. the worship of the various deities as disastrous error or mortal sin. They led the worshippers of the many deities to the worship of the one and only God by a process of reinterpretation and reconciliation. The reaction of the local cults on the Vedic faith is one of the many causes of variety of the Vedic pantheon. People in an early stage of culture are so entirely steeped in the awe and reverence which have descended to them that they cannot easily or heartily adopt a new pattern of worship. Even when militant religions fell the tall trees of the forest, the ancient beliefs remain as an undergrowth. The catholic spirit of Hinduism which we find in the Rg Veda has always been ready to give shelter to foreign beliefs and assimilate them in its own fashion. While preferring their own, the Vedic Indians had the strength to comprehend other peoples' ways. There is no suggestion in the Rg Veda of the illusory character of the empirical world. We find varied accounts of creation. The Supreme is compared to a carpenter or a smith who fashions or smelts the world into being. Sometimes he is said to beget all beings. He pervades all things as air or ether (ākāśa) pervades the universe. He animates the world as the life-breath (prāṇa) animates the human body, a comparison which has been developed with remarkable ingenuity by Rāmānuja. Rg Veda raises the question of the nature of the human self, ko mu ātmā? It is the controller of the body, the unborn part, ajo bhāgah, which survives death. It is distinguished from the jīva or the individual soul.³ The famous verse of the two birds dwelling in one body, which is taken up by the Upaniṣads,⁴ distinguishes the individual soul which enjoys the fruits of actions from the spirit which is merely a passive spectator
. Sometimes he is said to beget all beings. He pervades all things as air or ether (ākāśa) pervades the universe. He animates the world as the life-breath (prāṇa) animates the human body, a comparison which has been developed with remarkable ingenuity by Rāmānuja. Rg Veda raises the question of the nature of the human self, ko mu ātmā? It is the controller of the body, the unborn part, ajo bhāgah, which survives death. It is distinguished from the jīva or the individual soul.³ The famous verse of the two birds dwelling in one body, which is taken up by the Upaniṣads,⁴ distinguishes the individual soul which enjoys the fruits of actions from the spirit which is merely a passive spectator.⁵ This distinction between the individual soul and the supreme self is relevant to the cosmic process and is not applicable to the supreme supra-cosmic transcendence. Those who think that the distinction is to be found in the Supreme Transcendence ¹ I, 164, 4 ² X, 16, 4. ³ I, 113, 161, I, 164, 30. ⁴ See M.U III, I, I, S U. IV 6. ⁵ I, 164, 17 atra laukīka-paksa-dvaya-drsṭāntena jīva-paramātmānau stūyete Sāyana do not know their own origin, pītaram na veda ¹ The individual souls belong to the world of Hiranya-garbha 'Let this mortal clay (self) be the immortal god '² 'Vouchsafe, O Indra, that we may be you '³ One can become a devata, a deity, by one's own deeds ⁴ The aim of the Rg Veda is to become like gods The individual soul can become the Universal Spirit The way to spiritual attainment is through worship⁵ and moral life Vestiges of Yoga discipline are found in a late passage⁶ which describes the kesins or the long-haired ascetics with their yogic powers that enabled them to move at will in space Of a mumu, it is said that his mortal body men see but he himself fares on the path of the faery spirits His hair is long and his soiled garments are of yellow hue Vāmadeva when he felt the unity of all created things with his own self exclaimed 'I am Manu, I am Sūrya '7 So also King Trasadasyu said that he was Indra and the great Varuna ⁸ The cardinal virtues are emphasised 'O Mitra and Varuna, by your pathway of truth may we cross '9 Mere memorising of the hymns is of no avail if we do not know the Supreme which sustains all ¹⁰ Primitive societies are highly complicated structures, ¹ yasmin vykse madhvadah suparnā nivisante suvate cādhi viśve tasyed āhuh pippalam khādv agre tan nonnāśad yah pitaram na veda RV I 164 22 ² RV VIII 19 25 ³ tve indrāpy abhūma viprā dhiyam vanema rtayā sapamtah. RV II 11 12 ⁴ BU IV 3 32, see also IV 1 2 devo bhūtvā devān āpyetri, see also TU II 8 ⁵ The solitary reference to a temple is in RV X 107 10 where the word deva-māna, building of a god, occurs ⁶ RV X 136 See also Aitareya Brāhmana VII 13 ⁷ aham manur abhavam sūryaś cāham RV IV 26 1 ⁸ aham rājā varuno RV IV 42 2 ⁹ rtasya pathā vām taśema VII 65 3 ¹⁰ yco aksare parame vyoman yasmin devā adhi viśve niseduh yas tam na veda kīm karīsyatī ya it tad vidus ta me samāsate RV X 164 39 See S U IV 8 balanced social organisations with their systems of belief and codes of behaviour. The fundamental needs of society are the moral and the spiritual, the military and the economic. In Indo-European society these three functions are assigned to three different groups, the men of learning and virtue, the men of courage and fight, and the men who provide the economic needs,¹ the Brāhmana, the Kṛatriya and the Vaśya. Below them were the Sūdras devoted to service. These distinctions are found in the Rg Veda, though they are not crystallised into castes. Ancient Iranian society was constituted on a similar pattern Even the gods were classified into the Brāhmana, the Kṛatriya and the Vaśya according to the benefits which they provide, moral, military or economic. Our prayers are for righteousness, victory and abundance Sūrya, Savitr are gods who confer spiritual benefits. Indra is a war god and Aśvins give us health and food. In Roman mythology Jupiter provides spiritual benefits, Mars is the god of war and Quirinus is the god of plenty. Pitras or fathers or ancestral spirits receive divine worship. The king of the ancestral spirits who rules in the kingdom of the deceased is Yama, a god who belongs to the Indo-Iranian period He is identical with Yima of the Avesta, who is the first human being, the primeval ancestor of the human race. As the first one to depart from this world and enter the realm of the dead, he became its king. The kingdom of the dead is in heaven, and the dying man is comforted by the belief that after death he will abide with King Yama in the highest heaven. The world of heaven is the place of refuge of the departed.² In the funeral hymn,³ the departing soul is asked to 'go forth along the ancient pathway by which our ancestors have departed.' The Vedic Heaven is described in glowing terms 'where inexhaustible radiance dwells, where dwells the King Vaivasvata.'³ There is no reference to rebirth in the Rg Veda, though its elements are found. The passage of the soul from the body, its dwelling in other forms of existence, its return to human ¹ Luther felt that three classes were ordained by God, the teaching class, the class of defenders and the working class. ² R V. IV 53 2, X 12 1 ³ R V X 14 ³ R.V. IX 113 form, the determination of future existence by the principle of Karma are all mentioned Mitra is born again ¹ The Dawn (Usas) is born again and again ² 'I seek neither release nor return '³ 'The immortal self will be reborn in a new body due to its meritorious deeds '4 Sometimes the departed spirit is asked to go to the plants and 'stay there with bodies '5 There is retribution for good and evil deeds in a life after death Good men go to heaven⁶ and others to the world presided over by Yama 7 Their work (dharma) decided their future 8 In the Rg Veda we find the first adventures of the human mind made by those who sought to discover the meaning of existence and man's place in life, 'the first word spoken by the Aryan man '9
Sacred knowledge is trayi vidyā It is three-fold, being the knowledge of the Rg, the Yajur and the Sāma Vedas The two latter use the hymns of the Rg and the Atharva Vedas and arrange them for purposes of ritual The aim of the Yajur Veda is the correct performance of the sacrifice to which is attributed the whole control of the universe Deities are of less importance than the mechanism of the sacrifice In the Atharva Veda the position of the deities is still less important A certain aversion to the recognition of the Atharva Veda as a part of the sacred canon is to be noticed Even the old Buddhist texts speak of learned Brāhmaṇas versed in the three Vedas 10 ¹ mitro jāyate punah X 85 19 ² punah punar jāyamānā I 92 10 ³ na asyāh ṭasmi vimucaṁ na āvṛtam punah V 46 1 4 jīvo mṛtasya caratī svadhābhir amariyo martyenā sa yonih I 164 30, see also I 164 38 5 RV X 16 3 ⁶ I 154 5 7 X 14 2 ⁸ X 16 3 ⁵ Max Müller For further information on the R V. see I P Vol I, Ch II 10 Sutta Nipāta 1019 Though we meet in the Atharva Veda many of the gods of the Rg Veda, their characters are not so distinct. The sun becomes rohitu, the ruddy one. A few gods are exalted to the position of Prajā-patī, Dhātr (Establisher), Vidhātr (arranger). Parameṣṭhin (he that is in the highest). In a notable passage the Supreme in the form of Varuna is described as the universal, omnipresent witness.¹ There are references to kāla or time as the first cause of all existence, kāma or desire as the force behind the evolution of the universe, skambha or support who is conceived as the principle on which everything rests. Theories tracing the world to water or to air as the most subtle of the physical elements are to be met with. The religion of the Atharva Veda reflects the popular belief in numberless spirits and ghosts credited with functions connected in various ways with the processes of nature and the life of man.² We see in it strong evidence of the vitality of the pre-Vedic animist religion and its fusion with Vedic beliefs. All objects and creatures are either spirits or are animated by spirits. While the gods of the Rg Veda are mostly friendly ones we find in the Atharva Veda dark and demoniacal powers which bring disease and misfortune on mankind. We have to win them by flattering petitions and magical rites. We come across spells and incantations for gaining worldly ends. The Vedic seer was loth to let the oldest elements disappear without trace. Traces of the influence of the Atharva Veda are to be found in the Upaniṣads. There are spells for the healing of diseases, bhaiṣajyāni, for life and healing āyusyāṇi sūktāni. These were the beginnings of the medical science ³ The liberated soul is described as 'free from desire, wise, immortal, self-born ... not deficient in any respect ... wise, unageing, young ⁴ ¹ dvau samnīsīdhya yau mantrayete rājā tad veda varunah tṛtīyah. ² A. V. XIX 53 ³ In B U. VI 4 we read of devices for securing the love of a woman or for the destruction of the lover of a wife. See also K U. ⁴ A. V. X. 8 44.
The elements of the ritualistic cult found in the Vedas are developed in the Brāhmanas into an elaborate system of ceremonies. While in the Rg Veda the sacrifices are a means for the propitiation of the gods, in the Brāhmanas they become ends in themselves. Even the gods are said to owe their position to sacrifices. There are many stories of the conflict between devas and asuras for world power (and of the way in which gods won through the power of the sacrifice). It is not the mechanical performance of a sacrificial rite that brings about the desired result, but the knowledge of its real meaning. Many of the Brāhmana texts are devoted to the exposition of the mystic significance of the various elements of the ritual. By means of the sacrifices we 'set in motion' the cosmic forces dealt with and get from them the desired results. The priests who knew the details of the aim, meaning and performance of the sacrifice came into great prominence. Gods became negligible intermediaries. If we perform a rite with knowledge, the expected benefit will result. Soon the actual performance of the rite becomes unnecessary. Ritualistic religion becomes subordinate to knowledge. The Brāhmanas are convinced that life on earth is, on the whole, a good thing. The ideal for man is to live the full term of his life on earth. As he must die, the sacrifice helps him to get to the world of heaven. While the Vedic poets hoped for a life in heaven after death, there was uneasiness about the interference of death in a future life. The fear of re-death, punar-mrtyu becomes prominent in the Brāhmanas. Along with the fear of re-death arose the belief of the imperishability of the self or the ātman, the ¹ Katha Samhitā XXII. 9, Tattirīya Samhitā V 3 3, Tāndya Brāhmana XVIII 1 2 ² See Franklin Edgerton 'The Upanisads What do they seek and Why?' Journal of the American Oriental Society, June, 1929 essential part of man's being. Death is not the end but only causes new existences which may not be better than the present one Under the influence of popular animism which sees souls similar to the human in all pares of nature, future life was brought down to earth. According to the Satapatha Brāhmana, a man has three births, the first when he gets from his parents, the second through sacrificial ceremonies and the third which he obtains after death and cremation 1
The Āranyakas do not give us rules for the performance of sacrifices and explanations of ceremonies, but provide us with the mystic teaching of the sacrificial religion As a matter of fact, some of the oldest Upanisads are included in the Āranyaka texts,² which are meant for the study of those who are engaged in the vow of forest life, the Vānaprasthas ³ As those who retire to the forests are not like the house- holders bound to the ritual, the Āranyakas deal with the meaning and interpretation of the sacrificial cere- monies It is possible that certain sacred rites were per- formed in the seclusion of the forests where teachers and pupils meditated on the significance of these rites The ¹ trīr ha var puruso jāyate, etan mu eva mātus ca adhi pituś ca agre jāyate, atha yam yajñah upanamati sa yad yajate, tad dvitīyam jāyate; atha yatra mriyate yatrainam agnāv abhyādadhūti sa yat tatas sambhavati, tat triīyam jāyate XI 2 1 1 See I P Vol I, Ch III ² AU is included in the Ātareya Āranyaka which is tacked on to Ātareya Brāhmana KU and TU belong to the Brāhmanas of the same names BU is found at the end of the Satapatha Brāhmana CU of which the first section is an Āranyaka belongs to a Brāhmana of the Sāma Veda Kena (Talavakāra U) belongs to the Jaiminīya Upanisod Brāhmana Iśa belongs to the White Yajur Veda, Katha and SU to the Black Yajur Veda, MU and Praśna belong to the Atharva Veda Maitrī, though attributed to a school of Black Yajur Veda, is perhaps post-Buddhistic, judged by its language, style and contents. ³ Aruneya U 2 distinction of Brāhmaṇa and Āraṇyaka is not an absolute one.
The Āraṇyakas¹ shade off imperceptibly into the Upaniṣads even as the Brāhmaṇas shade off into the Āraṇyakas. While the student (brahmacārin) reads the hymns, the householder (grhastha) attends to the Brāhmaṇas which speak of the daily duties and sacrificial ceremonies, the hermit, the man of the forest (vānaprastha), discusses the Āraṇyakas, the monk who has renounced worldly attachment (saṃnyāsin), studies the Upaniṣads, which specialise in philosophical speculations. The great teachers of the past did not claim any credit for themselves, but maintained that they only transmitted the wisdom of the ancients.² The philosophical tendencies implicit in the Vedic hymns are developed in the Upaniṣads. Hymns to gods and goddesses are replaced by a search for the reality underlying the flux of things. 'What is that which, being known, everything else becomes known?'³ Kena Upaniṣad gives the story of the discomfiture of the gods who found out the truth that it is the power of Brahman which sustains the gods of fire, air, etc.⁴ While the poets of the Veda speak to us of the many into which the radiance of the Supreme has split, the philosophers of the Upaniṣads speak to us of the One Reality behind and beyond the flux of the world. The Vedic deities are the messengers of the One Light which has ¹ Aitareya Aranyaka (III. 1. 1.) begins with the title 'The Upaniṣad of the Samhitā, athātas sanhāyā upariṣat' see also Sānṛphya jana Aranyaka VII. 2. ² Cp. Confucius: 'I am not born endowed with knowledge. I am a man who loves the ancients and has made every effort to acquire their learning.' Upaniṣad VII. 10. ³ M. L. I 1 3; see also T. L. II. 8. ⁴ See also B. L. III. 9 1-10. burst forth into the universal creation. They serve to mediate between pure thought and the intelligence of the dwellers in the world of sense When we pass from the Vedic hymns to the Upanisads we find that the interest shifts from the objective to the subjective, from the brooding on the wonder of the outside world to the meditation on the significance of the self The human self contains the clue to the interpretation of nature. The Real at the heart of the universe is reflected in the infinite depths of the soul. The Upanisads give in some detail the path of the inner ascent, the inward journey by which the individual souls get at the Ultimate Reality. Truth is within us. The different Vedic gods are envisaged subjectively 'Making the Man (purusa) their mortal house the gods indwelt him '1 'All these gods are in me '2 'He is, indeed, initiated, whose gods within him are initiated, mind by Mind, voice by Voice '3 The operation of the gods becomes an epiphany· 'This Brahma, verily, shines when one sees with the eye and likewise dies when one does not see '4 The deities seem to be not different from Plato's Ideas or Eternal Reasons. In the Upanisads we find a criticism of the empty and barren ritualistic religion 5 Sacrifices were relegated to an inferior position They do not lead to final liberation, they take one to the world of the Fathers from which one has to return to earth again in due course 6 When all things are God's, there is no point in offering to him anything, except one's will, one's self The sacrifices are interpreted ethically. The three periods of life supersede the three Soma offerings 7 Sacrifices become self- denying acts like purusa-medha and sarva-medha which enjoin abandonment of all possessions and renunciation of the world. For example, the Byad-āranyaka Upanisad opens with an account of the horse sacrifice (aśva-medha) and interprets it as a meditative act in which the individual offers up the 1 Atharva Veda XI 8 18 2 Jaiminīya Upanisad Brāhmana I 14 2 3 Kausītaki Brāhmana VII 4 4 KU II 12 and 13 5 M U I 2 1, 7-11, B U. III 9 6, 21, C U I 10-12, IV. 1-3. 6 B U I 5, 16, VI 2 16, C U V 10 3, Praśna I 9; M U. I. 2 10. 7 CU III 16 whole universe in place of the horse, and by the renunciation of the world attains spiritual autonomy in place of earthly sovereignty.¹ In every homa the expression svāhā is used which implies the renunciation of the ego, svatva-hanana². There is great stress on the distinction between the ignorant, narrow, selfish way which leads to transitory satisfactions and the way which leads to eternal life Yajña is Karma, work.³ It is work done for the improvement of the soul and the good of the world, ātmonmataye jagaddhitāya Sāmkhyāyana Brāhmana of the Rg Veda says that the self is the sacrifice and the human soul is the sacrificer, puruso var yajñah, ātmā yajamānah. The observance of the Vedic ritual prepares the mind for final release, if it is in the right spirit.⁴ Prayer and sacrifice are means to philosophy and spiritual life. While true sacrifice is the abandonment of one's ego, prayer is the exploration of reality by entering the beyond that is within, by ascension of consciousness. It is not theoretical learning.⁵ We must see the eternal, the celestial, the still. If it is unknowable and incomprehensible, it is yet realisable by self-discipline and integral insight. We can seize the truth not ¹ Devī Bhāgavata says that the Supreme took the form of the Buddha in order to put a stop to wrong sacrifices and prevent injury to animals dusta-yajña-vighātāya pasu-himsā nivrttaye bauddha-rūpam dadhan yo'sau tasmat devāya te namah Animal sacrifices are found in the Vedas (inserted) by the twice-born who are given to pleasures and relishing tastes. Non-injury is, verily, the highest truth. dvyaṁ bhoga-rataṁ vede darśitam himsanam paśoh jīhvā-svāda-paraṁ kāmam ahimsaṁva paraṁ matā ² Yāska explains it thus: su āhā iti vā, svā vāg āheti vā, svam pīhēti vā, svāhutam haviṁ juhuti iti vā. Nirukta VIII 21. ³ Cp BG III 9, 10. Manu says: 'Learning is brahma-yajña, service of elders is pitr-yajña, honouring great and learned people is deva-yajña, performing religious acts and charity is bhūta-yajña and entertaining guests is nara-yajña.' adhyāpanam brahma-yajñāh pitr-yajñas tu tarpanam homo daivo balār bhauṭo nr-yajño atiṭhi-pūyaṇam ⁴ Laugāksi Bhāskara points out at the end of the Artha-samgraha, so'yam dharmah yad uddisya vihitah tad-uddesena kriyamānah tad-hetuh, īsvarārpana-buddhā kriyamānas tu niḥsreyasa-hetuh. ⁵ Cū VII 123 by logical thinking, but by the energy of our whole inner being. Prayer starts with faith, with complete trust in the Being to whom appeal is made, with the feeling of a profound need, and a simple faith that God can grant us benefits and is well disposed towards us. When we attain the blinding experience of the spiritual light, we feel compelled to proclaim a new law for the world. The Upanisad seers are not bound by the rules of caste, but extend the law of spiritual universalism to the utmost bounds of human existence
. ⁵ Cū VII 123 by logical thinking, but by the energy of our whole inner being. Prayer starts with faith, with complete trust in the Being to whom appeal is made, with the feeling of a profound need, and a simple faith that God can grant us benefits and is well disposed towards us. When we attain the blinding experience of the spiritual light, we feel compelled to proclaim a new law for the world. The Upanisad seers are not bound by the rules of caste, but extend the law of spiritual universalism to the utmost bounds of human existence. The story of Satyakāma Jābāla, who, though unable to give his father's name, was yet initiated into spiritual life, shows that the Upanisad writers appeal from the rigid ordinances of custom to those divine and spiritual laws which are not of today or of yesterday, but live for ever and of their origin knoweth no man. The words tat tvam asi are so familiar that they slide off our minds without full comprehension. The goal is not a heavenly state of bliss or rebirth in a better world, but freedom from the objective, cosmic law of karma and identity with the Supreme Consciousness and Freedom. The Vedic paradise, svarga, becomes a stage in the individual's growth 1 The Upanisads generally mention the Vedas with respect and their study is enjoined as an important duty 2. Certain verses from the Vedas such as the gāyatiī form the subject of meditations 3, and sometimes verses from the Vedas are quoted in support of the teaching of the Upanisads 4. While the Upanisads use the Vedas, their teaching is dependent on the personal experience and testimony of teachers like Yājñavalkya, Sāndilya. The authority of the Vedas is, to no small extent, due to the inclusion of the Upanisads in them. It is often stated that Vedic knowledge by itself will not do. In the Chāndogya Upanisad, 5 Svetaketu admits that he has 1 The svarga offered as a reward for ceremonial conformity is only a stage in the onward growth of the human soul, sattva-gunodaya Bhāgavata XI 19 42. Nirālambopanisad defines svarga as sat-samsarga. Heaven and Hell are both in the cosmic process atraiva narakas svargah. Bhāgavata III. 30 29 2 BU IV 4 22, I 9. 3 BU VI. 3 6. 4 BU I 3 10 5 VI 1ff. studied all the Vedas but is lacking in the knowledge 'whereby what has not been heard of becomes heard of, what has not been thought of becomes thought of, what has not been understood becomes understood.' Nārada tells Sanatkumāra that he has not the knowledge of the Self though he has covered the entire range of knowledge, from the Vedas to snake-charming.¹
To the pioneers of the Upaniṣads, the problem to be solved presented itself in the form, what is the world rooted in? What is that by reaching which we grasp the many objects perceived in the world around us? They assume, as many philosophers do, that the world of multiplicity is, in fact, reducible to one single, primary reality which reveals itself to our senses in different forms. This reality is hidden from senses but is discernible to the reason. The Upaniṣads raise the question, what is that reality which remains identical and persists through change? The word used in the Upaniṣads to indicate the supreme reality is brahman. It is derived from the root brh 'to grow, to burst forth.' The derivation suggests gushing forth, bubbling over, ceaseless growth, brhativam. Śamkara derives the word 'brahman' from the root brhat to exceed, atīśayana and means by it eternity, purity. For Madhva, brahman is the person in whom the qualities dwell in fullness, brhanto hy asmin gunāh. The real is not a pale abstraction, but is quickeningly alive, of powerful vitality. In the Rg Veda, brahman is used in the sense of 'sacred knowledge or utterance, a hymn or incantation,' the concrete expression of spiritual wisdom. Sometimes Vāc is personified as the One.² Visva-karman, the All-Maker, is said to be the lord of the holy utterance.³ Brahman is mantra or prayer. Gradually it acquired the meaning of power or potency of prayer, It has a mysterious power and contains within itself the essence of the thing denoted Brhaspati, Brahmanaspati are interpreted as the lord of prayer. ³ RV X 125, Atharva Veda IV 30 ¹ VII 1 ff ² X. 81. 7, X. 71. In the Brāhmanas, brahman denotes the ritual and so is regarded as omnipotent. He who knows brahman knows and controls the universe. Brahman becomes the primal principle and guiding spirit of the universe 'There is nothing more ancient or brighter than this brahman.'¹ In later thought, brahman meant wisdom or Veda. As divine origin was ascribed to the Veda or brahman, the two words were used with the same meaning. Brahman or sacred knowledge came to be called the first created thing, brahma prathamam and even to be treated as the creative principle, the cause of all existence. The word suggests a fundamental kinship between the aspiring spirit of man and the spirit of the universe which it seeks to attain The wish to know the Real implies that we know it to some extent. If we do not know anything about it, we cannot even say that it is and that we wish to know it If we know the Real, it is because the Real knows itself in us The desire for God, the feeling that we are in a state of exile, implies the reality of God in us All spiritual progress is the growth of half-knowledge into clear illumination. Religious experience is the evidence for the Divine In our inspired moments we have the feeling that there is a greater reality within us, though we cannot tell what it is From the movements that stir in us and the utterances that issue from us, we perceive the power, not ourselves, that moves us Religious experience is by no means subjective God cannot be known or experienced except through his own act If we have a knowledge of Brahman, it is due to the working of Brahman in us² Prayer is the witness to the spirit of the transcendent divine immanent in the spirit of man. The thinkers of the Upanisads based the reality of Brahman on the fact of spiritual experience, ranging from simple prayer to illuminated experience The distinctions which they make in the nature of the Supreme Reality are not merely logical. They are facts of spiritual experience ¹ Satapatha Brāhmana X 3 5. 11 ² Cp St Anselm. 'I cannot seek Thee except Thou teach me, nor find Thee except Thou reveal Thyself', Rūmī 'Was it not I who summoned Thee to long service, was it not I who made Thee busy with my name? Thy calling "Allāh" was my "Here am I".' The thinkers of the Upanisads attempt to establish the reality of God from an analysis of the facts of nature and the facts of inner life 'Who knows and who can declare what pathway leads to the gods?' Seen are their lowest dwelling-places only, What pathway leads to the highest, most secret regions?¹ The Upanisads assume that it is a distorted habit of mind which identifies 'the highest, most secret regions' with the 'lowest dwelling-places' The Real is not the actual The Upanisads ask, 'What is the tajjalān from which all things spring, into which they are resolved and in which they live and have their being?² The Brhad-āranyaka Upamsad maintains that the ultimate reality is being, san-mātram hi brahma Since nothing is without reason there must be a reason why something exists rather than nothing There is something, there is not nothing The world is not self-caused, self-dependent, self-maintaining All philo- sophical investigation presupposes the reality of being, asti- tva-nisthā.³ The theologian accepts the first principle of being as an absolute one, the philosopher comes to it by a process of mediation By logically demonstrating the impossibility of not-being in and by itself, he asserts the necessity of being Being denotes pure affirmation to the exclusion of every possible negation It expresses simultaneously God's consciousness of himself and his own absolute self-absorbed being We cannot live a rational life without assuming the reality of being Not- being is sometimes said to be the first principle.⁴ It is not absolute non-being but only relative non-being, as compared with later concrete existence 2 CU III 14 I, see also T U III 1, S U I 1 1 RV III 54 3 Cp 'Then God said to Moses "I am that I Am"' Exodus III 14 There is a familiar distinction between nāstika and āstika. The nāstika thinks that nothing exists except what we see, feel, touch and measure. The āstika is one who holds with RV X 31 8 naitāvad enā paro anyad asti, there is not merely this but there is also a transcendent other. 4 T U II 7, CU III 19 1-3 Even as the nyagrodha tree is made of the subtle essence which we do not perceive, so is this world made of the infinite Brahman¹ 'It is at the command of that Imperishable that the sun and the moon stand bound in their places It is at the command of that Imperishable that the heaven and the earth stand each in its own place It is at the command of that Imperishable that the very moments, the hours, the days, the nights, the half-months, the months, the seasons and the years have their appointed function in the scheme of things It is at the command of that Imperishable that some rivers flow to the east from the snow-clad mountains while others flow to the west'² When Bālāki defines Brahman as the person in the sun (āditya punuṣah) and successively as the person in the moon, in lightning, in ether, in wind, in fire, in the waters, also as the person in the mind, in the shadow, in echo and in the body, King Ajātaśatru asks, 'Is that all?' When Bālāki confesses that he can go no farther, the king says, 'He who is the maker of all these persons, he, verily, should be known' Brahman is satyasya satyam, the Reality of the real, the source of all existing things ³ In some cosmological speculations the mysterious principle of reality is equated with certain naturalistic elements Water is said to be the source of all things whatsoever ⁴ From it came satya, the concrete existent Others like Raikva look upon air as the final absorbent of all things whatsoever, including fire and water ⁵ The Katha Upamsad tells us that fire, having entered the universe, assumes all forms
. ⁶ The Chāndogya Upaniṣad, however, makes out that fire is the first to evolve from the Primaeval Being and from fire came water and from water the earth At the time of dissolution, the earth is dissolved in water, and water in fire and fire in the Primaeval Being ⁷ Ākāśa, ether, space, is sometimes viewed as the first principle In regard to the development of the universe, the Upaniṣads ¹ CU VI 12 For the usage of the world as a tree, see R V I 164 20, VII 40 5, VII 43 1 ² BU III 8 9 Augustine in his Confessions expresses the thought that the things of the world declare through their visible appearance the fact that they are created XI 4 ³ BU II 1 ⁴ B.U V 5 1 ⁵ CU IV 3 1–2 ⁶ II 5 ⁷ VI 8. 4 look upon the earliest state of the material world as one of extension in space, of which the characteristic feature is vibration represented to us by the phenomenon of sound. From ākāśa, vāyu, air arises. Vibration by itself cannot create forms unless it meets with obstruction. The interaction of vibrations is possible in air which is the next modification. To sustain the different forces, a third modification arises, lejas, of which light and heat are the manifestations. We still do not have stable forms and so the denser medium of water is produced. A further state of cohesion is found in earth. The development of the world is a process of steady grossening of the subtle ākāśa or space. All physical objects, even the most subtle, are built up by the combination of these five elements. Our sense experience depends on them. By the action of vibration comes the sense of sound, by the action of things in a world of vibrations the sense of touch, by the action of light the sense of sight, by the action of water the sense of taste, by the action of earth the sense of smell. In the Tattirīya Upanisad¹ the pupil approaches the father and asks him to explain to him the nature of Brahman. He is given the formal definition and is asked to supply the content by his own reflection. 'That from which these beings are born, that in which when born they live, and that into which they enter at their death is Brahman.' What is the reality which conforms to this account? The son is impressed by material phenomena and fixes on matter (anna) as the basic principle. He is not satisfied, for matter cannot account for the forms of life. He looks upon life (prāna) as the basis of the world. Life belongs to a different order from matter Life, again, cannot be the ultimate principle, for conscious phenomena are not commensurate with living forms. There is something more in consciousness than in life. So he is led to believe that consciousness (manas) is the ultimate principle. But consciousness has different grades. The instinctive consciousness of animals is quite different from the intellectual consciousness of human beings. So the son affirms that intellectual consciousness (vijñāna) is Brahman. Man alone, among nature's children III has the capacity to change himself by his own effort and trans- cend his limitations Even this is incomplete because it is subject to discords and dualities Man's intellect aims at the attainment of truth but succeeds only in making guesses about it; there must be a power in man which sees the truth unveiled A deeper principle of consciousness must emerge if the funda- mental intention of nature, which has led to the development of matter, life, mind, and intellectual consciousness, is to be accomplished The son finally arrives at the truth that spiritual freedom or delight (ānanda), the ecstasy of fulfilled existence is the ultimate principle. Here the search ends, not simply because the pupil's doubts are satisfied but because the pupil's doubts are stilled by the vision of Self-evident Reality. He apprehends the Supreme Unity that lies behind all the lower forms The Upanisad suggests that he leaves behind the discursive reason and contemplates the One and is lost in ecstasy.¹ It concludes with the affirmation that absolute Reality is satyam, truth, jñānam, consciousness, anantam, infinity. There are some who affirm that ānanda is the nearest approxi- mation to Absolute Reality, but is not itself the Absolute Reality. For it is a logical representation The experience gives us peace, but unless we are established in it we have not received the highest In this account, the Upanişad assumes that the naturalistic theory of evolution cannot be accepted The world is not to be viewed as an automatic development without any intelligent course or intelligible aim Matter, life, mind, intelligence are different forms of existence with their specific characteristics - ¹ Cp Jalāl-uddīn Rūmī 'I died a mineral and became a plant, I died a plant and rose an animal, I died an animal and I was man Why should I fear? When was I less by dying? Yet once more I shall die as man, to soar With the blessed angels, but even from angelhood I must pass on All except God perishes When I have sacrificed my angel soul, I shall become that which no mind ever conceived. O, let me not exist! for Non-existence proclaims, "To him we shall return"' and modes of action, each acting on the other but not derived from each other The evolution of life in the context of matter is produced not by the material principle but by the working of a new life-principle which uses the conditions of matter for the production of life Life is not the mechanical resultant of the antecedent co-ordination of material forces, but it is what is now called an emergent. We cannot, by a complete knowledge of the previous conditions, anticipate the subsequent result There is an element of the incalculable Life emerges when the material conditions are available, which permit life to organise itself in matter. In this sense, we may say that matter aspires for life, but life is not produced by lifeless particles So also life may be said to be aspiring for or be instinct with mind, which is ready to emerge when conditions enable it to organise itself in living matter Mind cannot be produced from things without mind When the necessary mental conditions are prepared, intelligence qualifies the mental living creature Nature is working according to this fundamental intention, which is being accomplished because it is essentially the instrument of the Supreme Being The world is not the result of meaningless chance There is a purpose working itself out through the ages It is a view which modern science confirms By interpreting the fragmentary relics of far remote times, science tells us how this earth in which we live was gradually adapted to be a place where life could develop, how life came and developed through uncounted centuries until animal consciousness arose and this again gradually developed, until apparently, man with self-conscious reason appeared on the scene. The long record of the develop- ment of the human race and the great gifts of spiritual men like the Buddha, Socrates, Jesus make out that man has to be trans- cended by God-man It cannot be argued that, when material particles are organised in a specific way, life arises The principle of organisation is not matter The explanation of a thing is to be sought in what is above it in the scale of existence and value and not below it Matter cannot raise itself It moves to a higher level by the help of the higher itself It cannot undergo inner development without being acted upon by something above it The lower is the material for the higher. Life is the matter for mind and form for physical material. so also intellect is form for the mind and matter for the spirit. The eternal is the origin of the actual and its nisus to improvement. To think of it as utterly transcendent or as a future possibility is to miss its incidence in the actual. We cannot miss the primordiality of the Supreme. 'Verily, in the beginning this world was Brahman'¹ There is the perpetual activity of the Supreme in the world. The Upanisad affirms that Brahman on which all else depends, to which all existences aspire, Brahman which is sufficient to itself, aspiring to no other, without any need, is the source of all other beings, the intellectual principle, the perceiving mind, life and body. It is the principle which unifies the world of the physicist, the biologist, the psychologist, the logician, the moralist and the artist
. The eternal is the origin of the actual and its nisus to improvement. To think of it as utterly transcendent or as a future possibility is to miss its incidence in the actual. We cannot miss the primordiality of the Supreme. 'Verily, in the beginning this world was Brahman'¹ There is the perpetual activity of the Supreme in the world. The Upanisad affirms that Brahman on which all else depends, to which all existences aspire, Brahman which is sufficient to itself, aspiring to no other, without any need, is the source of all other beings, the intellectual principle, the perceiving mind, life and body. It is the principle which unifies the world of the physicist, the biologist, the psychologist, the logician, the moralist and the artist. The hierarchy of all things and beings from soulless matter to the deity is the cosmos. Plato's world-architect, Aristotle's world-mover belong to the cosmos. If there is ordered development, progressive evolution, it is because there is the divine principle at work in the universe. Cosmic process is one of universal and unceasing change and is patterned on a duality which is perpetually in conflict, the perfect order of heaven and the chaos of the dark waters. Life creates opposites, as it creates sexes, in order to reconcile them. 'In the beginning the woman (Urvaśi) went about in the flood seeking a master.'² Indra, for example, divided the world into earth and sky. He 'produced his father and mother from his own body.' This conflict runs through the whole empirical world, and will end when the aim of the universe is accomplished. Creation moves upward towards the divine. When the union between the controlling spirit and the manifesting matter is completed, the purpose of the world, the end of the evolutionary process, the revelation of spirit on earth is accomplished. The earth is the foothold of God, the mother of all creatures whose father is heaven.³ ¹ BU I 4 10-11, Maṅtrī VI 17. ² icchantī sahile patim Jaiminīya Upamsad Brāhmana I 56 ³ The Chinese believe that Chien (Heaven) is the father and Khun (Earth) is the mother of all terrestrial existence. Zeus as Sky-father is in c The conflict is not final The duality is not a sterile dualism Heaven and earth, God and matter have the same origin As regards the primordial God Hiranya-garbha, a circular process is found The primal being spontaneously produces the primeval water, from this comes the primordial God as the first born of the divine Order, the golden germ of the world 'who was the first seed resting on the navel of the unborn 'i Hnanya-garbha who is the World-soul expresses his spirit through the environ- ment He manifests the forms contained within himself The world is fixed in him as are the spokes in the hub of a wheel He is the thread, sūtṛātman, on which all beings and all worlds are strung like the beads of a necklace He is the first-born, prathama-ja He is also called Bṛahmā and these Bṛahmās are created from world to world ² In the Rg Veda,³ Hnanya-garbha is the golden germ which enters into creation after the first action of the creator In the Sāmkhya, prakrti is treated as unconscious and develops on account of the influence of the multitude of individual subjects, and the first product of development is mahat, the great one, or buddhi, the intellect It is the development of cosmic intelli- essential relation to Earth-mother The two are correlative See A B Cook Zeus (1914), Vol I, p 779 Zoroaster reaches the conception of a single spiritual God, Ormuzd or Ahura Mazda, in whom the principle of good is personified, while the evil principle is embodied in Ahriman, or Angra Mainyu, who limits the omnipotence of Ahura Mazda The whole creation is a combat between the two The two principles strive eternally in life, and in this struggle men take part Man is responsible for his actions, good or bad If he struggles against evil, confesses God and cares for the purity of his body and soul, then after four periods of three thousand years each in the world's history a time shall arrive for the final victory of good over evil, of Ormuzd over Ahriman The general resurrection of the dead and the last judgment will take place then, assuming him of his place among the saved and the righteous The Jews adopted the two principles of good and evil and they were taken over by Christianity When Blake speaks of the marriage of Heaven and Hell, Heaven represents the one clear light over all and Hell the dark world of passion and the senses Divided, both are equally barren, but from their union springs joy 'Oh that man would seek immor- tal moments' Oh that men could converse with God' was Blake's cry ¹ R V X 82, IV 58 5 ² 'God once created Brahmā Hiranya-garbha and delivered the Vedas to him 'S B I 4 1. ³ X 121 I gence or Hñanya-garbha On the subjective side, buddhi is the first element of the lünga or the subtle body. It is the essence of the individual spirit. Buddhi serves as the basis for the development of the principle of individuation, ahamkãra, from which are derived, on the one hand, mind and the ten sense organs, five of perception and five of action and, on the other hand, the subtle elements from which arise in their turn the gross elements. Sattva is buddhi, the innermost of the three circles, the outer being rajas and tamas which are identified with ahamkãra and manas, which are the emanations of rajas and tamas. The sattva or the buddhi is the bïja, the seed of the living individual, since it contains the seeds of karma which develop at each birth into a sense-organism. The sattva or lünga is called the ego, the jïva. As the buddhi is the sutrãtman of the individual, so is Hñanya-garbha the sutrãtman, the thread-controller of the world. In the Katha Upanisad,¹ in the development of principles the great self stands after the undeveloped and the primeval spirit Hñanya-garbha, the World-soul is the first product of the principle of non-being influenced by the Eternal Spirit, Ìsvara. The prin USA of the Sàmkhya is the Eternal Spirit made many Hñanya-garbha is the great self, mahãn âtmã, which arises from the undiscriminated, the avyakta, which corresponds to the primitive material or waters of the Brãhmanas, or the prakrti of the Sàmkhya We have the Supreme Self, the Absolute, the Supreme Self as the eternal subject observing the eternal object, waters or prakrti and the great self which is the first product of this interaction of the eternal subject and the principle of objectivity. The Supreme Lord, Ìsvara, who eternally produces, outlasts the drama of the universe Samkara begins his commentary on the Bhagavad-gîtã with the verse: 'Nàrãyana is beyond the unmanifest. The golden egg is produced from the unmanifest. The earth with its seven islands and all other worlds are in the egg.' The names and forms of the manifested world are latent in the egg as the future tree is in the seed. Hñanya-garbha answers to the Logos, the Word of Western ¹ III 10. II, VI. 7. 8, see also K U. I
. The Supreme Lord, Ìsvara, who eternally produces, outlasts the drama of the universe Samkara begins his commentary on the Bhagavad-gîtã with the verse: 'Nàrãyana is beyond the unmanifest. The golden egg is produced from the unmanifest. The earth with its seven islands and all other worlds are in the egg.' The names and forms of the manifested world are latent in the egg as the future tree is in the seed. Hñanya-garbha answers to the Logos, the Word of Western ¹ III 10. II, VI. 7. 8, see also K U. I. 7 thought For Plato, the Logos was the archetypal idea For the Stoics it is the principle of reason which quickens and informs matter Philo speaks of the Divine Logos as the 'first born son,'¹ 'archetypal man,'² 'image of God,'³ 'through whom the world was created '⁴ Logos, the Reason, 'the Word was in the beginning and the Word became flesh ' The Greek term, Logos, means both Reason and Word The latter indicates an act of divine will Word is the active expression of character The difference between the conception of Divine Intelligence or Reason and the Word of God is that the latter represents the will of the Supreme Vāc is Brahman ⁵ Vāc, word, wisdom, is treated in the Rg Veda as the all-knowing The first-born of Rta is Vāc ⁶ yāvad brahma tṛṣṭhati tāvatī vāk ⁷ The Logos is conceived as personal like Hiranya-garbha 'The Light was the light of men ' 'The Logos became flesh '⁸ The Supreme is generally conceived as light, gyotisām gyotih, the light of lights Light is the principle of communication Hiranya-garbha is organically bound up with the world Himself, a creature, the first-born of creation, he shares the fate of all creation in the end ⁹ But Iśvara is prior to the World-soul ¹⁰ The principle of process applies to God While he is the expres- sion of the non-temporal he is also the temporal Iśvara, the eternal Being functions in the temporal Hiranya-garbha Rāmānuja who looks upon Iśvara as the supreme transcendent Reality above all world events treats Brahmā as the demi-urge 5 RV I 3 21 ¹ I. 414. ³ I 6 ² I 411 ⁴ II 225 ⁶ Atharva Veda II 14 See Nāma-Rūpa and Dharma-Rūpa by Maryla Falk (1943), Ch I 7 RV X 114 8 ⁸ John I 4, 5 See B F Westcott The Gospel According to St John (1886), p xvii ⁹ 'When all things are subjected to him then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things under him, that God may be everything to everyone ' I Cor XV 28 ¹⁰ Cp 'Before the mountains were brought forth, or even the earth and the world were made thou art God from everlasting and world without end' See Hebrews I 10-13 Religio Medici 'Before Abraham was, I am, is the saying of Christ, yet is it true in some sense, if I say it of myself, for I was not only before myself but Adam, that is, in the idea of God, and the decree of that synod held from all eternity And in this sense, I say, the world was before the creation, and at the end, before it had a beginning' of creation who forms the lower world in the name and bidding of God Why is the universe what it is, rather than something else? Why is there this something, rather than another? This is traced to the divine will This world and its controlling spirit are the expressions of the Supreme Lord While the World-soul and the world are organically related and are inter-dependent, there is no such relationship between the Supreme Lord and the world, for that would be to subject the infinite to the finite. The relationship is an 'accident' to use Whitehead's expression. This word 'accident' implies two different considerations, (1) that Divine Creativity is not bound up with this world in such a way that the changes which occur in the world affect the integrity of the Divine, and (2) that the world is an accidental expression of the Divine principle Creativity is not bound to express itself in this particular form If the choice were necessary it would not be free. Creation is the free expression of the Divine mind, icchā-mātram. The world is the manifestation of Hiranya-garbha and the creation of Iśvara. The world is the free self-determination of God The power of self-determination, self-expression, belongs to God. It is not by itself. It belongs to the Absolute which is the abode of all possibilities, and by its creative power one of these possibilities is freely chosen for accomplishment The power of manifestation is not alien to being. It does not enter it from outside. It is in being, inherent in it It may be active or inactive We thus get the conception of an Absolute-God, Brahman—Iśvara, where the first term indicates infinite being and possibility, and the second suggests creative freedom.¹ Why should the Absolute Brahman perfect, infinite, needing nothing, desiring nothing, move out into the world? It is not compelled to do so. It may have this potentiality but it is not bound or compelled by it. It is free to move or not to move, to throw itself into forms or remain formless If it still indulges its power of creativity, it is because of its free choice. ¹ In the Taoist Tao Té Ching, Tao, literally ‘Way,’ stands for the Absolute, the divine ground and Té for ‘power,’ for the unfolding of the divine possibilities Cp also tathatā or suchness and ālaya-vijñāna the all-conserving or receptacle consciousness In Īśvara we have the two elements of wisdom and power, Siva and Sakti. By the latter the Supreme who is unmeasured and immeasurable becomes measured and defined. Immutable being becomes infinite fecundity. Pure being, which is the free basis and support of cosmic existence, is not the whole of our experience. Between the Absolute and the World-soul is the Creative Consciousness. It is prajñāna-ghana or truth-consciousness. If sat denotes the primordial being in its undifferenced unity, satiya is the same being immanent in its differentiations. If the Absolute is pure unity without any extension or variation, God is the creative power by which worlds spring into existence. The Absolute has moved out of its primal poise and become knowledge-will. It is the all-determining principle. It is the Absolute in action as Lord and Creator. While the Absolute is spaceless and timeless potentiality, God is the vast self-awareness comprehending, apprehending every possibility.¹ Brahman is not merely a featureless Absolute. It is all this world Vāyu or air is said to be manifest Brahman, pratyaksam brahma. The Svetāśvataa Upanisad makes out that Brahman is beast, bird and insect, the tottering old man, boy and girl. Brahman sustains the cosmos and is the self of each individual. Supra-cosmic transcendence and cosmic universality are both real phases of the one Supreme. In the former aspect the Spirit is in no way dependent on the cosmic manifold, in the latter the Spirit functions as the principle of the cosmic manifold. The supra-cosmic silence and the cosmic integration are both real. The two, mṛguna and saguna Brahman, Absolute and God, are not different. Jayatīrtha contends that Śamkara is wrong in holding that Brahman is of two kinds—brahmano dvairūpyasya aprāmāṇkatvāt.² It is the same Brahman who is described in different ways. ¹ Eckhart says 'God and Godhead are as different as heaven from earth. God becomes and unbecomes.' 'All in Godhead is one, and of this naught can be said God works, but Godhead works not. There is no work for it to do and no working in it. Never did it contemplate anything of work. God and Godhead differ after the manner of working and not working
. The supra-cosmic silence and the cosmic integration are both real. The two, mṛguna and saguna Brahman, Absolute and God, are not different. Jayatīrtha contends that Śamkara is wrong in holding that Brahman is of two kinds—brahmano dvairūpyasya aprāmāṇkatvāt.² It is the same Brahman who is described in different ways. ¹ Eckhart says 'God and Godhead are as different as heaven from earth. God becomes and unbecomes.' 'All in Godhead is one, and of this naught can be said God works, but Godhead works not. There is no work for it to do and no working in it. Never did it contemplate anything of work. God and Godhead differ after the manner of working and not working. When I come into the Ground, into the depths, into the flow and fount of Godhead, none will ask me whence I have come or whither I go. None will have missed me, God passes away.' Sermon LVI Evans' E T ² Nyāya-sudhā, p 124 The personality of God is not to be conceived on the human lines. He is not to be thought of as a greatly magnified person. We should not attribute to the Divine human qualities as we know them.¹ We have (1) the Absolute, (2) God as Creative power, (3) God immanent in this world. These are not to be regarded as separate entities. They are arranged in this order because there is a logical priority. The Absolute must be there with all its possibilities before the Divine Creativity can choose one. The divine choice must be there before there can be the Divine immanent in this world. This is a logical succession and not a temporal one. The world-spirit must be there before there can be the world. We thus get the four poises or statuses of reality,² the Absolute, Brahman, (2) the Creative Spirit, Isvara, (3) the World-Spirit, Hranya-garbha, and (4) the World. This is the way in which the Hindu thinkers interpret the integral nature of the Supreme Reality. Māndūkya Upaniṣad says that Brahman is catus-pāl, four-footed, and its four principles are Brahman, Isvara, Hranya-garbha and Virāj.³ ¹ Aquinas says 'Things said alike of God and of other beings are not said either in quite the same sense or in a totally different sense but in an analogous sense.' Summa Contra Gentiles XXXIV. God is not good or loving in the human sense. 'For who hath known the mind of the Lord?' Romans XI, 34. God is personal, but, as Karl Barth says, 'personal in an incomprehensible way in so far as the conception of His personality surpasses all our views of personality. This is so, just because He and He alone is a true, real and genuine person. Were we to overlook this and try to conceive God in our own strength according to our conception of personality, we should make an idol out of God.' The Knowledge of God and the Service of God (1938), pp. 31ff. ² In Plotinus we have a similar scheme (1) The One alone, the simple, the unconditioned God beyond being of Basilides, the godhead of Eckhart which can only be indicated by negative terms. We cannot even affirm existence of it, though it is not non-existent. It cannot be thought of as either subject or object of experience, as in it subject and object are identical. It is pure impersonal experience or perhaps the ground of all experience, it is pure consciousness, ineffable supra-existence. It is not the first cause, not the creator god. It is cause only in the sense that it is everywhere, and without it nothing could be (ii) The Nous. The Intelligible world which Plotinus calls One—Many, the world of Platonic forms or archetypes. Not mere Ideas or things thought by the Divine Thinker, not mere passive archetypical pictures. They are active powers within the Divine mind. It is personal God. Unity cannot be separated from diversity. The most perfect form of expressive act is thought or intellection, vijñāna, Divine Intellect, First Thinker and thought, the personal Lord, Universal Intelligence, The The conception of tri-suparna is developed in the fourth section of the Tattirīya Upaniṣad. The Absolute is conceived as a nest from out of which three birds have emerged, viz Virāj, Hiranya-garbha and Īśvara. The Absolute conceived as it is in itself, independent of any creation, is called Brahman. When it is thought of as having manifested itself as the universe, it is called Virāj, when it is thought of as the spirit moving everywhere in the universe, it is called Hiranya-garbha, when it is thought of as a personal God creating, protecting and destroying the universe, it is called Īśvara. Īśvara becomes Brahmā, Visnu and Siva when his three functions are taken separately.¹ The real is not a sum of these. It is an ineffable unity in which these conceptual distinctions are made. These are fourfold to our mental view, separable only in appearance. If we identify the real with any one definable state of being, however pure and perfect, we violate the unity and divide the indivisible. The different standpoints are consistent with each other, complementary to each other and necessary in their unknowable Absolute is mediated to us through the Divine Intelligence. This Intellectual principle of Plotinus is the Īśvara of the Upanisads. This universal intelligence makes possible the multiple universe. For Plotinus this principle is the totality of divine thoughts or Ideas in Plato's sense. These Ideas or Thoughts are real beings, powers. They are the originals, archetypes, intellectual forms of all that exists in the lower spheres. All the phases of existence down to the lowest ultimate of material being or the lowest forms of being in the visible universe are ideally present in this realm of divine thoughts. This divine intellectual principle has both being and non-being. It has, for Plotinus, two acts, the upward contemplation of the One and generation towards the lower (ii) One and Many. The soul of the All is the third, which fashions the material universe on the model of divine thoughts, the Ideas laid up within the Divine Mind. It is the eternal cause of the cosmos, the creator and therefore the vital principle of the world. God is envisaged as something apart from the world, its creator or artificer. Human ideas of God are centred round him. Plotinus does not make the sensible world a direct emanation from the Intelligible World. It is the product or the creation of the World-soul, the third person of the Neo-Platonic trinity, herself an emanation from the Intelligible World, the Nous. Our souls are parts or emanations of the World-soul. The three stages form collectively, for Plotinus, the one transcendent being. The All-Soul is the expression of the energy of the Divine, even as the Intellectual principle is the expression of the thought or vision of the godhead (iv). The many alone. It is the world-body, the world of matter without form. It is the possibility of manifested form. ¹ See also Paingala U. totality for an integral view of life and the world If we are able to hold them together, the conflicting views which are emphasised exclusively by certain schools of Indian Vedanta become reconciled Absolute being is not an existing quality to be found in the things It is not an object of thought or the result of production. It forms an absolute contrast to, and is fundamentally different from, things that are, as is in its way nothingness It can be expressed only negatively or analogically It is that from which our speech turns back along with the mind, being unable to comprehend its fullness
. The many alone. It is the world-body, the world of matter without form. It is the possibility of manifested form. ¹ See also Paingala U. totality for an integral view of life and the world If we are able to hold them together, the conflicting views which are emphasised exclusively by certain schools of Indian Vedanta become reconciled Absolute being is not an existing quality to be found in the things It is not an object of thought or the result of production. It forms an absolute contrast to, and is fundamentally different from, things that are, as is in its way nothingness It can be expressed only negatively or analogically It is that from which our speech turns back along with the mind, being unable to comprehend its fullness.¹ It is that which the tongue of man cannot truly express nor human intelligence conceive Samkara in his commentary on the Brahma Sūtra² refers to an Upanisad text which is not to be found in any of the extant Upanişads Bāhva, asked by Bāşkalı to expound the nature of Brahman, kept silent. He prayed, ‘Teach me, sir’ The teacher was silent, and when addressed a second and a third time he said ‘I am teaching but you do not follow The self is silence.’³ We can only describe the Absolute in negative terms. In the words of Plotinus, 'We say what he is not, We cannot say what he is.' The Absolute is beyond the sphere of predication It is the sūnyatā of the Buddhists It is 'not gross, not subtle, not short, not long, not glowing, not shadowy, not dark, not attached, flavourless, smell-less, eye-less, ear-less, speech-less, mind-less, breath-less, mouth-less, not internal, not external, consuming nothing and consumed by nothing'⁴ It cannot be ¹ T U. II 4, see also Kena I 3, II, 3, Katha I 27. ² S B III 2 17 ³ upaśānto'yam ātmā Cp the Mādhyamika view— paramārthatas tu āryānām tūsnīm-bhāva eva 'Then only will you see it, when you cannot speak of it; for the knowledge of it is deep silence and the suppression of all the senses.' Hermes Trismegistus, Lib X 5 ⁴ See B U II 8 8, see also II 3 6, III. 9 26, IV 2 4, IV 4 22; IV. 5 15. Mā 7. The Buddha, according to Amara, is an advaya-vādin I 1. 14 There was something formless yet complete, That existed before heaven and earth, Without sound, without substance, Dependent on nothing, unchanging, All-pervading, unfailing, O* truly designated Any description makes It into something It is nothing among things It is non-dual, advaita It denies duality. This does not mean, however, that the Absolute is non-being It means only that the Absolute is all-inclusive and nothing exists outside it Negative characters should not mislead us into thinking that Brahman is a nonentity While it is non-empirical, it is also One may think of it as the mother of all things under heaven, Its true name we do not know, Tao is the by-name we give it Tao Té'Ching 25 A Waley's E T The Way and its Power (1934) Plato says that the unfathomable ground of the universe, the absolute, is 'beyond essence and truth' Plotinus describes the utter transcendence of the One thus 'Since the Nature or Hypostasis of The One is the engenderer of the All, it can Itself be none of the things in the All, that is, It is not a thing, It does not possess quality or quantity, It is not an Intellectual Principle, not a soul, It is not in motion and not at rest, not in space, not in time, It is essentially of a unique form or rather of no-form, since it is prior to form, as it is prior to movement and to rest, all these categories hold only in the realm of existence and constitute the multiplicity characteristic of that lower realm' Enneads VI 9 3 'This wonder, this One, to which in verity no name may be given' ibid VI 9 5 'Our way then takes us beyond knowing, there may be no wandering from unity, knowing and knowable must all be left aside Every object of thought, even the highest, we must pass by, for all that is good is later than this No doubt we should not speak of seeing, but we cannot help talking in dualities, seen and seer, instead of boldly, the achievement of unity In this seeing, we neither hold an object nor trace distinction, there is no two The man is changed, no longer himself nor self belonging, he is merged with the supreme, sunken into it, one with it Only in separation is there duality That is why the vision baffles telling We cannot detach the supreme to state it, if we have seen something thus detached, we have failed of the supreme' Enneads VI 9 4 and 10 Pseudo-Dionysius, whose utterances were once accepted as almost apostolic authority, observes 'For it is more fitting to praise God by taking away than by ascription Here we take away all things from Him, going up from particulars to universals, that we may know openly the unknowable which is hidden in and under all things that may be known And we behold that darkness beyond being, concealed under all natural light' Chuang Tzu's vision of the boundless world has this 'You cannot explain the sea to a frog in a well—the creature of a narrow sphere You cannot explain ice to a grasshopper—the creature of a season You cannot explain Tao to a pedant—This view is too limited' Waley inclusive of the whole empirical world The Absolute is described as full both of light and not-light, of desire and not desire, of anger and not-anger, of law and not-law, having verily filled all, both the near and the far off, the this and the that.' Negative and positive characterisations are given to affirm the positivity of being To say that the nature of Brahman cannot be defined does not mean that it has no essential nature of its own We cannot define it by its accidental features, for they do not belong to its essence There is nothing outside it As no inquiry into its nature can be instituted without some description, its svaiśpa or essential nature is said to be sal or being, cit or consciousness and ananda or bliss.² These are different phrases for the same being Self-being, self-consciousness and self-delight are one. It is absolute being in which there is no nothingness It is absolute consciousness in which there is no non-consciousness It is absolute bliss in which there is no suffering or negation of bliss. All suffering is due to a second, an obstacle, all delight Three Ways of Thought in Ancient China (1939), pp 55–6 H A Giles. Chuang-Tzu, Mystic Moralist and Social Reformer (1926) Ch XVIII Ānandagiri begins his commentary on Katha Upanisad with this verse dharmā dharmādyasamsrstam kārya-kārana-varjitam kālādibhir avicchinnam brahma yat tan namāmy aham Paul speaks of a vision which was not to be told and had heard words not to be repeated II Corinthians 12 ff Cp Hymn of Gregory of Nyasa, 'O Thou entirely beyond all being ' 'O Lord, My God, the Helper of them that seek Thee, I behold Thee in the entrance of Paradise, and I know not what I see, for I see naught visible This alone I know, that I know not what I see, and never can know And I know not how to name Thee, because I know not what Thou art, and did anyone say unto me that Thou wert called by this name or that, by the very fact that he named it I should know that it was not Thy name For the wall beyond which I see Thee is the end of all manner of signification in names ' Nicholas of Cusa The Vision of God
. E T Salter's ET (1928) Ch XIII 'No monad or triad can express the all-transcending hiddenness of the all-transcending super-essentially super-existing super-deity ' 'God, because of his excellence, may rightly be called Nothing,' says Scotus Erigena ¹ BU IV 4 5 Iśa 4, 5 Katha I 2 20–21, I 3 15, II 6 17 M.U. I 1 6, 1 7 SUV 8–10 ² They are not so much qualities of Brahman as the very nature of Brahman Commenting on the passage Brahman is truth, wisdom and infinity, satyam jñānam anantam brahma, Ś writes satyādīni hī trīni viśeṣanārthāni padāni viśesyaśya brahmanah arises from the realisation of something withheld, by the over- coming of obstacles, by the surpassing of the limit It is this delight that overflows into creation The self-expression of the Absolute, the creation of numberless universes is also traced to Brahman All things that exist are what they are, because of the nature of Brahman as sat, cit and ānanda All things are forms of one immutable being, variable expressions of the invariable reality To describe Brahman as the cause of the world is to give its tatastha or accidental feature ¹ The defining characteristics are in both cases due to our logical needs ² When the Absolute is regarded as the basis and explanation of the world, he is conceived as the lord of all, the knower of all, the inner controller of all ³ God has moved out everywhere sa paryagāt The Svetāśvatara Upanisad speaks of the one God, beside whom there is no second, who creates all the worlds and rules with His powers, and at the end of time rolls them up again ⁴ He lives in all things ⁵ and yet transcends them The Universal Self is like the sun who is the eye of the whole universe and is untouched by the defects of our vision ⁶ He is said to fill the whole world and yet remain beyond its confines 'Verily motionless like a lone tree does the God stand in the heaven, and yet by Him is this whole world filled '7 The distinction between Brahman in itself and Brahman in the universe, the transcendent beyond manifestation and the transcendent in manifestation, the indeterminate and the determinate, nirguno gunī, is not exclusive.⁸ The two are like two sides of one reality. The Real is at the same time being realised. In the metrical Upanisads, as in the Bhagavad-gītā, the per- ¹ tatasthatvam ca laksya-svarūpa-bahir-bhūtatvam Siddhānta-leśa-sam- graha (Kumbhakonam ed.), p 53 ² They are said to be kalpita or constructed, as the non-dual Brahman is said to possess these qualities on account of its association with antahkarana. They are manifestations through an imperfect medium and therefore limited revelations of Brahman ³ Mā U 6 5 B U I 4 7 S U II 17 ⁴ III 2 3, VI 1-12 ⁶ Katha II 5 11 7 S U III 9 ⁸ Cp Eckhart 'The Godhead gave all things up to God The Godhead is poor, naked and empty as though it were not, it has not, wills not, wants not, works not, gets not It is God who has the treasure and the bride in him, the Godhead is as void as though it were not' sonal is said to be superior to the superpersonal.¹ puruṣān na param kiñcit, there is nothing beyond the person. It is doubtful whether the author of the Brahma Sūtra accepted the distinction of saguna and nirguna in regard to Brahman. Even the nirguna Brahman is not without determinations. The Sūtrakāra makes a distinction between the super-personal (apurusa-vidha) and the personal (purusa-vidha), i.e. between Brahman and Īśvara. The latter is not a human fancy or a concession to the weak in mind. The nirākāra (formless), and the sākāra (with form), are different aspects of the same Reality. The seeker can choose either in his spiritual practices In III. 3 we find that the author maintains that the aksara texts which describe Brahman negatively as 'not this, not this' are 'not useful for meditation '² He holds that Brahman is unaffected by the different states, of waking, dream, sleep. The view that Brahman undergoes changes is refuted on the ground that they relate to the effects due to the self-concealment of Brahman. Bādarāyana denies reality to a second principle. Hiranya-garbha, the World-soul is the divine creator, the supreme lord Īśvara at work in this universe. A definite possibility of the Absolute is being realised in this world In the Upanisads the distinction between Īśvara and Hiranya-garbha, between God and the World-soul is not sharply drawn If the World-soul is ungrounded in Īśvara, if he is exclusively temporal, then we cannot be certain of the end of the cosmic process When the Upanisads assert that the individual ego is rooted in the universal self or ātman, it would be preposterous to imagine that the World-soul is unrelated to Īśvara or Brahman. ¹ Katha I 3 11 MU II 1 1-2. ² ādhyānāya prayojanābhāvāt. III 3 14, see also III 3 33 ³ Valentinus whose activity may be assigned to AD 130-150, teaches a similar view The primordial essence is the Deep (Bythos) With it dwelt a thought called also Grace (for it was not conditioned) and Silence (for it made no sign of its existence) Professor Burkitt writes 'Somehow the immeasurable Deep made its own thought fecund and so Mind (Nous) came into being, although it was called unique, it had a correlative side to it called Truth Nous, Mind is an intelligent understanding, the inevitable counterpart of which is Truth, for, if there be nothing true to understand, there can be no intelligent understanding Cambridge Ancient History, Vol XII (1939), p 470 Eckhart refers to the World-soul and not to the Supreme God in the passage, where he asserts that 'God becomes and disbecomes' Hiranya-garbha who has in him the whole development in germ acts on the waters. As we have seen, the image of waters is an ancient one by which human thought attempts to explain the development of the universe. The waters are initially at rest and so free from waves or forms. The first movement, the first disturbance, creates forms and is the seed of the universe. The play of the two is the life of the universe. When the development is complete, when what is in germ is manifest, we have the world-consummation. Hiranya-garbha creates the world according to the eternal Veda, which has within itself eternally the primary types of all classes of things, even as the God of the mediaeval scholastics creates according to the eternal prototype of Ideas which He as the eternal Word eternally possesses. Brahman is the unity of all that is named ¹ Hiranya-garbha or Brahmā is the World-soul² and is subject to changes of the world. He is kārya Brahmā or effect Brahman as distinct from Ṫsvara who is kārana Brahman or causal Brahman. Hiranya-garbha arises at every world-beginning and is dissolved at every world-ending. Ṫsvara is not subject to these changes. For both Śamkara and Rāmānuja, Hiranya-garbha has the place of a subordinate and created demi-urge. Ṫsvara is the eternal God who is not drawn into but directs the play of the worlds that rise and perish and is Himself existing transcendentally from all eternity
. Brahman is the unity of all that is named ¹ Hiranya-garbha or Brahmā is the World-soul² and is subject to changes of the world. He is kārya Brahmā or effect Brahman as distinct from Ṫsvara who is kārana Brahman or causal Brahman. Hiranya-garbha arises at every world-beginning and is dissolved at every world-ending. Ṫsvara is not subject to these changes. For both Śamkara and Rāmānuja, Hiranya-garbha has the place of a subordinate and created demi-urge. Ṫsvara is the eternal God who is not drawn into but directs the play of the worlds that rise and perish and is Himself existing transcendentally from all eternity. The Vedic deities are subordinate to Ṫsvara and hold a similar position to Him in the formation and control of the world that the angelic powers and directors maintain in the heavenly hierarchy of scholasticism and of Dante. We have thus the four sides of one whole (i) the transcen- dental universal being anterior to any concrete reality, (ii) the causal principle of all differentiation, (iii) the innermost essence of the world, and (iv) the manifest world They are co-existent and not alternating poises where we have either a quiescent Brahman or a creative Lord These are simultaneous sides of the one Reality 1 B U I 5 17 ² For Ātman as the World-soul, see Atharva Veda X. 8 44
The word ‘ātman’ is derived from an ‘to breathe.’ It is the breath of life.¹ Gradually its meaning is extended to cover life, soul, self or essential being of the individual. Samkara derives ātman from the root which means ‘to obtain’ ‘to eat or enjoy or pervade all.’² Ātman is the principle of man’s life, the soul that pervades his being, his breath, prāna, his intellect, prajñā, and transcends them. Ātman is what remains when everything that is not the self is eliminated. The Rg Veda speaks of the unborn part, ajo bhāgah.³ There is an unborn and so immortal element in man,⁴ which is not to be confused with body, life, mind and intellect. These are not the self but its forms, its external expressions. Our true self is a pure existence, self-aware, unconditioned by the forms of mind and intellect. When we cast the self free from all outward events, there arises from the inward depths an experience, secret and wonderful, strange and great. It is the miracle of self-knowledge, ātma-jñāna.⁵ Just as, in relation to the universe, the real is Brahman, while name and form are only a play of manifestation, so also the individual egos are the varied expressions of the One Universal Self. As Brahman is the eternal quiet underneath the drive and activity ¹ ātmā te vātah R.V. VII 87. 2. ² āpnoter atter atater vā Ṡon A.U. I. 1. Cp also yac cāpnoti yad ādatte yac cātti visayān 4ha yac cāsya santato bhāvas tasmād ātmeti pīrtyate. ³ X 16 4 ⁴ Sāyana says ajah janana-rahitah, śarīrendriy abhāgavyatirīktaḥ, antara-purusa-laḥsano-yo'bhāgo'sti. Eckhart quotes with approval an unnamed heathen philosopher as saying 'Discard all this and that and here and there and be thyself what thou art in thine inner not-being', which he adds is mens ⁵ Annapūrnā U. asks us to inquire into the nature of our inward being: Who am I? How came this world? What is it? How came death and birth? Thus inquire Within yourself; great will be the benefit (you will derive from such inquiry). ko'ham, katham idam, kim vā, katham marana-jarmanī vicārayāntare vettham mahat tat phalam esyasi. I. 40 of the universe, so Ātman is the foundational reality under- lying the conscious powers of the individual, the inward ground of the human soul There is an ultimate depth to our life below the plane of thinking and striving The Ātman is the super- reality of the jīva, the individual ego The Chāndogya Upamśad gives us a story, where gods and demons both anxious to learn the true nature of the Self approach Prajā-patī who maintains that the ultimate self is free from sin, free from old age, free from death and grief, free from hunger and thirst, which desires nothing and imagines nothing It is the persisting spirit, that which remains constant in all the vicissitudes of waking, dream and sleep, death, rebirth and deliverance The whole account assumes that there is consciousness even in the apparently unconscious states, when we sleep, when we are drugged or stunned The gods sent Indra and the demons Virocana as their representatives to learn the truth The first suggestion is that the self is the image that we see in the eye, in water or in a mirror The con- ception of the self as the physical body is inadequate To indicate that what we see in another's eye, a pair of water or a mirror is not the true self, Prajā-patī asked them to put on their best clothes and look again Indra saw the difficulty and said to Prajā-patī that as this self (the shadow in the water) is well adorned when the body is well adorned, well dressed when the body is well dressed, well cleaned when the body is well cleaned, so that self will also be blind if the body is blind, lame if the body is lame, crippled if the body is crippled, and will perish in fact as soon as the body perishes Such a view cannot be accepted If the self is not the body, may it be the dreaming self? The second suggestion is that the true self is "he who moves about happy in dreams' Again a difficulty was felt Indra says that, though it is true that this dreaming self is not affected by the changes of the body, yet in dreams we feel that we are struck or chased, we experience pain and shed tears We rage in dreams, storm with indignation, do things perverted, mean and malicious Indra feels that the self is not the same as dream-consciousness The self is not the composite of mental states, however independent they may be of the accidents of the body. Dream states are not self-existent Indra again approaches Prajā-patī who gives him another suggestion that the self is the consciousness in deep sleep Indra feels that, in that state, there is consciousness neither of the self nor of the objective world Indra feels that he does not know himself nor does he know anything that exists He is gone to utter annihilation. But the self exists even in deep sleep Even when the object is not present, the subject is there The final reality is the active universal consciousness, which is not to be confused with either the bodily, or the dreaming consciousness or the consciousness in deep sleep. In the state of deep, dreamless sleep, the self wrapped round by the intellect has no consciousness of objects, but is not unconscious The true self is the absolute self, which is not an abstract metaphysical category but the authentic spiritual self The other forms belong to objectified being. Self is life, not an object It is an experience, in which the self is the knowing subject and is at the same time the known object. Self is open only to self The life of the self is not set over against knowledge of it as an objective thing Self is not the objective reality, nor something purely subjective The subject-object relationship has meaning only in the world of objects, in the sphere of discursive knowledge The Self is the light of lights, and through it alone is there any light in the universe. It is perpetual, abiding light. It is that which neither lives nor dies, which has neither movement nor change and which endures when all else passes away It is that which sees and not the object seen Whatever is an object belongs to the not-self. The self is the constant witness-consciousness ¹ The four states stand on the subjective side for the four kinds of soul, Vaisvānara, the experiencer of gross things, Tayjasa, the experiencer of the subtle, Prājñā, the experiencer of the unmanifested objectivity, and the Turīya, the Supreme Self. The Māndūkya Upanisad, by an analysis of the four modes of consciousness, waking, dream, deep sleep and illumined consciousness, makes out that the last is the basis of the other three. ¹ Through all months, years, seasons and kalpas, through all (divisions of time) past and future the consciousness remains one and self-luminous It neither rises nor sets māsābda-yuga-kalpesu gatāgamyesv anekathā nodei nāstam ety ekā samvid esā svayam-prabhā. Pañca-daśi I 7
. The Māndūkya Upanisad, by an analysis of the four modes of consciousness, waking, dream, deep sleep and illumined consciousness, makes out that the last is the basis of the other three. ¹ Through all months, years, seasons and kalpas, through all (divisions of time) past and future the consciousness remains one and self-luminous It neither rises nor sets māsābda-yuga-kalpesu gatāgamyesv anekathā nodei nāstam ety ekā samvid esā svayam-prabhā. Pañca-daśi I 7. On the objective side we have the cosmos, Virāj, the World-soul Hiranya-garbha, the Supreme God, Īśvara, and the Absolute, Brahman¹ By looking upon Īśvara as prājñā, it is suggested that the supreme intelligence who dwells in the sleeping state holds all things in an unmanifested condition The divine wisdom sees all things, not as human reason does in parts and relations, but in the original reason of their existence, their primal truth and reality It is what the Stoics call spermatikos or the seed Logos which is manifested in conscious beings as a number of seed logos In treatises on Yoga, the potential all-consciousness of the state of sleep is represented in the form of a radiant serpent called Kundalini or Vāg-devi. We come across this representation in earlier treatises also In the Rg Veda, Vāc is said to be the serpent queen, sarpa-rājñī.² The process of Yoga consists in rousing the radiant serpent and lifting it up from the lowest sphere to the heart, where in union with prāna or life-breath its universal nature is realised and from it to the top of the skull It goes out through an opening called brahma-randhra to which corresponds in the cosmic organism the opening formed by the sun on the top of the vault of the sky ¹ Cp William Law 'Though God is everywhere present, yet He is only present to thee in the deepest and most central part of thy soul The natural senses cannot possess God or unite thee to Him, nay, thy inward faculties of understanding, will and memory can only reach after God, but cannot be the place of His habitation in thee But there is a root or depth of thee from whence all these faculties come forth, as lines from a centre, or as branches from the body of the tree This depth is called the centre, the fund or bottom of the soul This depth is the unity, the eternity—I had almost said the infinity of thy soul, for it is so infinite that nothing can satisfy it or give it rest but the infinity of God' Quoted in Perennial Philosophy by Aldous Huxley (1944), p. ² Again, 'My Me is God, nor do I recognise any other Me except my God Himself' St Catherine of Genoa (ibid, p. 11) Eckhart 'To gauge the soul we must gauge it with God, for the Ground of God and the Ground of the soul are one and the same' (ibid, p 12) Again 'The highest part of the soul stands above time and knows nothing of time' 'There is a principle in the soul altogether spiritual I used to call it a spiritual light or a spark But now I say that it is free of all names, void of all forms It is one and simple, as God is one and simple' ¹ 1 X 189, X 125 3 Atharva Veda IV 1
In the early prose Upanisads, ātman is the principle of the individual consciousness and Brahman the superpersonal ground of the cosmos. Soon the distinction diminishes and the two are identified. God is not merely the transcendent numinous other, but is also the universal spirit which is the basis of human personality and its ever-renewing vitalising power Brahman, the first principle of the universe, is known through ātman, the inner self of man. In the Satapatha Brāhmana,¹ and the Chāndogya Upanisad,² it is said, 'Verily this whole world is Brahman,' and also, 'This soul of mine within the heart, this is Brahman.' That person who is seen in the eye, He is ātman, that is Brahman.'³ God is both the wholly other, transcendent and utterly beyond the world and man, and yet he enters into man and lives in him and becomes the inmost content of his very existence.⁴ Nārāyana is the God in man who lives in constant association with nara, the human being. He is the immortal dwelling in the mortals.⁵ The human individual is more than the universe. He lives independently in his own inexpressible infinity as well as in the cosmic harmonies. We can be one with all cosmic existence by entering into the cosmic consciousness. We become superior. ¹ X 6 3 ² III 14 I ³ BU I 4 10 Cp Keith 'It is impossible to deny that the Ātman-Brahman doctrine has a long previous history in the Brāhmaṇas and is a logical development of the idea of unity of the Rg Veda' The Religion and Philosophy of the Veda and the Upanisads, p 494 Herachtus says 'I searched myself' The Logos is to be sought within, for man's nature is a microcosm and represents the nature of the whole Cp Plotinus 'One that seeks to penetrate the nature of the Divine Mind must see deeply into the nature of his own soul, into the Divinest point of himself. He must first make abstraction of the body, then of the lower soul which built up that body, then of all the faculties of sense, of all desires and emotions and every such triviality, of all that leans towards the mortal. What is left after this abstraction is the part which we describe as the image of the Divine Mind, an emanation preserving some of that Divine Light.' Enneads V 3 9 ⁴ CU IV 15 Also ātmaiva devatāh sarvāh sarvam hy ātmany avasthitam ⁵ RV IV 2 I. to all cosmic existence by entering into the world-transcending consciousness Answering to the four grades of consciousness, waking, dream, deep sleep, spiritual consciousness, we have the four states of the individual, sthūla (gross), sūkṣma (subtle), kārana (causal) and the pure self As Īśvara is the cause of the world, so the causal self is the source of the development of the subtle and the gross bodies ¹
The ecstasy of divine union, the bliss of realisation tempts one to disregard the world with its imperfections and look upon it as a troubled and unhappy dream The actual fabric of the world, with its loves and hates, with its wars and battles, with its jealousies and competitions as well as its unasked helpfulness, sustained intellectual effort, intense moral struggle seems to be no more than an unsubstantive dream, a phantas- magoria dancing on the fabric of pure being Throughout the course of human history, men have taken refuge from the world of stresses, vexations and indignities in the apprehension of a spirit beyond The prayer to ‘lead us from unreality to reality, from darkness to light, from death to immortality’ assumes the distinction between reality, light and immortality and unreality, darkness and death The Katha Upanishad warns us not to find reality and certainty in the unrealities and uncertainties of this world ² The Chāndogya Upanishad tells us that a covering of untruth hides from us the ultimate truth even as the surface of the earth hides from us the golden treasure hidden under it ³ The truth is covered by untruth, anrta The Brhad-āranyaka and the Īśa Upanisads speak to us of the veiling of truth by a disc of gold and invoke the grace ¹ The first tattva is the root of manifestation, called mahat or the great principle In ahamkāra we find individual consciousness which proceeds from the intellectual principle by an individualising determination Sometimes, citta is said to be the first product of prakṛti, with its triple character of buddhi or discrimination, ahamkāra or self-sense and manas or mind ³ VIII 3 1-3 ² II 4 2. of God for removing the veil and letting us see the truth.¹ According to the Svetāśvatara Upaniṣad, we can achieve the cessation of the great world-illusion, viśva-māyā-nivṛttih by the worship of God.² If this aspect of spiritual experience were all, the world we live in, that of ignorance, darkness and death would be quite different from the world of underlying reality, the world of truth, light and life. The distinction would become one of utter opposition between God and the world. The latter would be reduced to an evil dream from which we must wake up as soon as possible ³ Indifference to the world is not, however, the main feature of spiritual consciousness Brahman, the completely transcendent, the pure silence has another side. Brahman is apprehended in two ways. Śaṅkara says. dvīrūpaṁ hi brahmā-vagamyate, nāma-rūpa-vikāra-bhedopādhi-viśistam, tad viparītam sarvopādhi-varjitam Both the Absolute and the Personal God are real, only the former is the logical prior of the latter. The soul when it rises to full attention knows itself to be related to the single universal consciousness, but when it turns outward it sees the objective universe as a manifestation of this single consciousness. The withdrawal from the world is not the conclusive end of the spiritual quest. There is a return to the world accompanied by a persistent refusal to take the world as it confronts us as final. The world has to be redeemed and it can be redeemed because it has its source in God and final refuge in God. There are many passages where the world of duality is suggested to be only seeming.⁴ The existence of duality is not admitted to be absolutely real. In the passage of the Chāndogya Upaniṣad regarding the modifications of the three fundamental constituents of being, fire, water and food, it is said that just as all that is made of clay, copper or iron is only a modification, a verbal expression, a simple name, the reality being clay, copper or iron, even so all things can be reduced to three ¹ ² ¹⁵ ² I ¹⁰ ³ Cp Atma-bodha 7 tāvat satyam jagad bhātim śuktrkā-rajatam yathā yāvan na jñāyate brahma sarvadhisṭhānam advayam ⁴ ‘Where there is a duality as it were (iva)’ BU II 4 ¹⁴, see also IV 3. ³¹ primary forms of reality. It is suggested that all things are reducible to reality, being mere modifications. All this is to be understood as meaning that the Absolute stands above becoming and passing away which it transcends. In the Maitrī Upanisad, the Absolute is compared to a spark, which, made to revolve, creates apparently a fiery circle, an idea expanded by Gaudapāda in his Kārikā on the Māndūkya Upanisad. This may suggest that the world is a mere appearance. Even here the intention may well be to contrast the reality of the Absolute with empirical reality without making the latter an illusion. The assertion that with the knowledge of the Self all is known¹ does not exclude the reality of what is derived from the Self. When the Artarchya Upanisad asserts that the universe is founded in consciousness and guided by it, it assumes the reality of the universe and not merely its apparent existence. To seek the one is not to deny the many. The world of name and form has its roots in Brahman, though it does not constitute the nature of Brahman.² The world is neither one with Brahman nor wholly other than Brahman. The world of fact cannot be apart from the world of being. From one being no other being is born. It exists only in another form, samsthānāntarcena ³. Māyā in this view states the fact that Brahman without losing his integrity is the basis of the world. Though devoid of all specifications, Brahman is the root cause of the universe ⁴. 'If a thing cannot subsist apart from something else, the latter is the essence of that thing.' The cause is logically prior to the effect. ⁵ Questions of temporal beginning and growth are subordinate to this relation of ground and consequent. The world does not carry its own meaning. To regard it as final and ultimate is an act of ignorance. So long as the erroneous view ¹ B U I I 4 5.7.9 C U VI 1 2 M U I 1 3 ² ato rūma-rūpe sarīvasthe brahmanavātmavatī, na brahma tad ātmatān Ṣ on I C II 6 1 ³ Ṣ on C U VI 2 2 I ritsrasya jagato brahma-kāryatvāt tad-ananyatvāc ca S B II 1 20 ⁴ sara-īsra-rakṣṭo'pi jagato mūlam Ṣ on Katha II 3 12 5 Ṣ on B U II 4 7 atīl siddhābha prāl I āryotpatteh kārava sadbhāvah Ṣ on B U I 2 1 of the independence of the world does not disappear, our highest good will not be realised The world is the creation of God, the active Lord. The finite is the self-limitation of the infinite. No finite can exist in and by itself It exists by the infinite If we seek the dynamic aspect we are inclined to repudiate the experience of pure consciousness. It is not a question of either pure consciousness or dynamic consciousness These are the different statuses of the one Reality They are present simultaneously in the universal awareness The dependence of the world on God is explained in different ways In the Chāndogya Upanisad, Brahman is defined as tajjalān as that (tat) which gives rise to (ja), absorbs (lī) and sustains (an) the world.¹ The Brhad-āranyaka Upanisad argues that satyam consists of three syllables, sa, ti, yam, the first and the last being real and the second unreal, madhyato anrtam. The fleeting is enclosed on both sides by an eternity which is real.² The world comes from Brahman and returns to Brahman. Whatever exists owes its being to Brahman.³ The different metaphors are used to indicate how the universe rises from its central root, how the emanation takes place while the Brahman remains ever-complete, undiminished
.¹ The Brhad-āranyaka Upanisad argues that satyam consists of three syllables, sa, ti, yam, the first and the last being real and the second unreal, madhyato anrtam. The fleeting is enclosed on both sides by an eternity which is real.² The world comes from Brahman and returns to Brahman. Whatever exists owes its being to Brahman.³ The different metaphors are used to indicate how the universe rises from its central root, how the emanation takes place while the Brahman remains ever-complete, undiminished.⁴ ‘As a spider sends forth and draws in (its thread), as herbs grow on the earth, as the hair (grows) on the head and the body of a living person, so from the Imperishable arises here the universe.’⁵ Again, ‘As from a ¹ III 14 ² V 11 Bede tells of the Anglo-Saxon Council summoned to decide on the question of the acceptance of the Christian faith in 627 One of the dukes compared the life of man on earth with the flight of a sparrow through a banquet hall in winter, ‘a good fire in the midst, whilst the storms of rain and snow prevail abroad, the sparrow, I say, flying in at one door, and immediately out at another, whilst he is within, is safe from the wintry storm, but after a short space of fair weather, he immediately vanishes out of your sight, into the dark winter from which he had emerged So this life of man appears for a short space, but of what went before, or what is to follow we are utterly ignorant’ Bede the Venerable, Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation (1916), pp 91ff see B G III 28 ³ See T U III, B U III 8 ⁴ Cp Plotinus ‘Imagine a spring which has no commencement, giving itself to all the rivers, never exhausted by what they take, ever tranquilly its full self.’ III 8 9 Enneads ⁵ M U I. 1 7 blazing fire sparks of like form issue forth by the thousands even so, many kinds of beings issue forth from the Immutable and they return thither too.¹ The many are parts of Brahman even as waves are parts of the sea All the possibilities of the world are affirmed in the first being, God The whole universe before its manifestation was there The antecedent of the manifested universe is the non-manifested universe, i.e. God God does not create the world but becomes it Creation is expression It is not a making of something out of nothing It is not making so much as becoming It is the self-projection of the Supreme Everything exists in the secret abode of the Supreme.² The primary reality contains within itself the source of its own motion and change The Svetāśvatara Upanisad mentions the different views of creation held at the time of its composition, that it is due to time, to nature, to necessity, to chance, to the elements, to the Person or the combination of these. It repudiates all these views and traces the world to the power of the Supreme.³ The Svetāśvatara Upanisad describes God as māyin, the wonder-working powerful Being, who creates the world by His ¹ II I I ² In the Rg Veda there are suggestions that the Imperishable is the basis of the world and that a personal Lord Brahmanas-pati (X 72 2), Visva-karman (literally the All-maker), Purusa (X 90), Hiranya-garbha (X 121 1) produces the world The Upanisads refer to the early cosmological speculations, but these are not their real interest ³ Gaudapāda mentions different theories of creation Some look upon creation as the manifestation of the superhuman power of God, vibhūti, others look upon it as of the same nature as dream and illusion, svapna-māyā-svarūpā, others trace it to the will of God icchā-mātram prabhoh srstih Still others look upon kāla or time as the source, some look upon creation as intended for the enjoyment of God (bhoga), still others attribute it to mere sport (krīdā), but Gaudapāda's own view is that creation is the expression of the nature of the Supreme, 'for what desire is possible for Him whose desire is always fulfilled?' devasyaīsa svabhāvo'yam āpta-kumasya kā sprhā Kārikā 1 6-9 The world is the revelation of God's nature To the question, why does perfect being instead of remaining eternally concentrated in itself suffer the accident of manifesting this world, the answer is that manifesting is of the very nature of God We need not seek a cause or a motive or a purpose for that which is, in its nature, eternally self-existent and free The sole object of the dance of Śiva is the dance itself powers.¹ Here māyā is used in the sense in which the Rg Veda employs it, the divine art or power by which the divinity makes a likeness of the eternal prototypes or ideas inherent in his nature Indra is declared to have assumed many shapes by his māyā.² Māyā is the power of Īśvara from which the world arises He has made this world, 'formed man out of the dust of the ground and breathed into him a living soul.' All the works of the world are wrought by Him. Every existence contained in time is ontologically present in creative eternity. The Supreme is both transcendent and immanent. It is the one, breathing breathless, tad ekam, anīd avātam. It is the manifest and the unmanifest, vyaktāvyaktāḥ, the silent and the articulate, śabdāśabdāḥ. It is the real and the unreal, sad-asat,³ While the world is treated as an appearance in regard to pure being, which is indivisible and immutable, it is the creation of Īśvara who has the power of manifestation. Māyā is that which measures out, moulds forms in the formless. God has control ¹ III 10 This power or Śakti is contained in the Supreme as oil in oilseeds śvecchayā parā śaktīḥ śiva-tattvaikatām gatā .tatah parisphuratī yādau sarge tailam tilād iva The power is Śakti or Māyā. We speak in inadequate ways when we speak of Śakti as Māyā Nārada tells Rāma in the Devī Bhāgavata, that this power is eternal, primeval, and everlasting śrnu rāma sadā nityā śaktir ādyā sanātanī. Nothing is able to stir without its aid: tasyāh śaktim vinā ko'pi spanditum na kṣamo bhavet. When we distinguish the creation, preservation and dissolution in the form of Brahmā, Visnu and Siva, their power is also this Śakti: visnoh pālana-śaktis sā kartr-śaktih pitur mama rudrasya nāśa-śaktis sā tvanya-śaktih parā śivā. The energy of everyone is a part of the divine śakti The Supreme with its power created the creator Brahmā, pūrvam saṁsrjya brahmādīn In regard to Rāma and Sītā, Sītā becomes Śakti In the Sītā U. she is said to be mūla-prakṛti sīlā bhagavatī jneyā mūla-prakṛti-samjñitā. In the Devī U. Durgā's name is accounted for. 'Beyond whom there is none she is called Durgā. Because she saves from crisis therefore she is called Durgā ' yasyāh parataram nāstri, sa durgā prakīrtitā durgāt samtrāyate yasmād devī durgeti kathyate. ¹ VI 47 18; see B U II. 5 19. ³ R.V X 5 7. M U. II. 2 1 Praśna II 5 6. of māyā, he is not subject to it. If God were subject to māyā he would not be infinite supreme existence. Any being compelled to manifest itself is not free.Īśvara has in him the power of manifestation, non-manifestation and other-manifestation, kartum, a-kartum, anyathā-kartum
. 'Beyond whom there is none she is called Durgā. Because she saves from crisis therefore she is called Durgā ' yasyāh parataram nāstri, sa durgā prakīrtitā durgāt samtrāyate yasmād devī durgeti kathyate. ¹ VI 47 18; see B U II. 5 19. ³ R.V X 5 7. M U. II. 2 1 Praśna II 5 6. of māyā, he is not subject to it. If God were subject to māyā he would not be infinite supreme existence. Any being compelled to manifest itself is not free.Īśvara has in him the power of manifestation, non-manifestation and other-manifestation, kartum, a-kartum, anyathā-kartum. Brahman is logically prior to Īśvara who has the power of manifestation, and takes him over into His transcendental being when He is not manifesting His nature. This dual nature of the Supreme provides the basis for the reality of personality in God and man, and so for authentic religious experience. This world, far from being unreal, is intimately connected with the Divine Reality. This complex evolving universe is a progressive manifestation of the powers of the Supreme Spirit from matter to spiritual freedom, from anna to ānanda. The purpose of the cosmic evolution is to reveal the spirit underlying it. God lives, feels and suffers in every one of us, and in course of time His attributes, knowledge, beauty and love will be revealed in each of us. When the Katha Upamsad says that the Supreme Lord experiences the results of deeds,¹ it suggests that we are the images and likenesses of God, and when we experience the results of our deeds, He does also. There is an intimate connection between God and the world of souls.² Deussen holds that the idealistic monism of Yājñavalkya is the main teaching of the Upanisads and the other doctrines of theism, and cosmogonism are deviations from it caused by the inability of man to remain on the heights of pure speculative thought. The view which regards the universe as actually real, the Atman as the universe which we know, and the theistic developments are said to be departures from the exalted idealism of Yājñavalkya. It is not necessary to look upon the theism emphasised in the Katha and the Svetāśvatara Upanisads. ¹ I. 3. 1 ² Cp Angelus Silesius 'I know that without me God cannot live an instant'. Eckhart 'God needs me as much as I need him.' Lady Julian 'We are God's bliss, for in us He enjoyeth without end.' When Pascal states that Jesus Christ will be in agony till the end of the world, he means that there is a side to God, the temporal, where he suffers in every innocent man who is persecuted and tortured. as a declension from the pure monistic idealism It is in the direct line of development of Upanisad thought The Absolute is not a metaphysical abstraction or a void of silence It is the absolute of this relative world of manifestation What is subject to change and growth in the world of becoming reaches its fulfilment in the world of the Absolute. The Beyond is not an annulling or a cancellation of the world of becoming, but its transfiguration The Absolute is the life of this life, the truth of this truth If the world were altogether unreal, we cannot progress from the unreal to the Real If a passage is possible from the empirical to the Real, the Real is to be found in the empirical also The ignorance of the mind and the senses and the apparent futilities of human life are the material for the self-expression of that Being, for its unfolding. Brahman accepts world existence The Ultimate Reality sustains the play of the world and dwells in it That is why we are able to measure the distance of the things of the world from the Absolute and evaluate their grades of being.¹ There is nothing in this world which is not lit up by God Even the material objects which lack the intelligence to discover the nature of the divine ground of their being are the emanations of the creative energy of God and they are able to reveal to the discerning eye the divine within their material frames What is not possible for inanimate and non-rational beings is open to the rational human being He can attain to a knowledge of the divine ground of his being He is not coerced into it, but has to attain it by the exercise of his choice The unchangeableness of the Supreme does not mean that the universe is a perfectly articulated mechanism in which everything is given from the beginning The world is real as based on Brahman; it is unreal by itself Cosmic existence partakes of the character of the real and the ¹ Cp St Bernard 'God who, in his simple substance, is all everywhere equally, nevertheless, in efficacy, is in rational creatures in another way than in irrational, and in good rational creatures in another way than in the bad He is in irrational creatures in such a way as not to be comprehended by them, by all rational ones, however, he can be comprehended through knowledge, but only by the good is he to be comprehended also through love' unreal It is aspiring to become completely real.¹ The Chāndogya Upanisad rejects the view that the world was originally a-sat or non-being, and from it all existence was produced.² It affirms 'In the beginning this world was just being, one only without a second.'³ The Supreme is described as a kavi, a poet, an artist, a maker or creator, not a mere imitator. Even as art reveals man's wealth of life, so does the world reveal the immensity of God's life. The Brahma Sūtra refers to the creation of the world as an act of līlā, play, the joy of the poet, eternally young. If immutability is the criterion of reality, then the world of manifestation has no claim to reality. Change is the pervading feature of the world. Changing things imply non-existence at the beginning and non-existence at the end.⁴ They are not constantly present. Mortality is imprinted on all beings who are subject to birth, decay, dissolution and death. This very planet will decline and dissolve. While change is the mark of the relative world, this changing world reaches its fulfilment in the Absolute. What is incomplete in the relative world of becoming is completed in the absolute world of being. Māyā is also used for prakrti, the objective principle which the personal God uses for creation. All nature, even in the lowest, is in ceaseless movement, aspiring to the next higher stage, of which it is itself an image or lower manifestation. Prakrti, not-self, matter all but cast out from the sphere of being, is tending feebly to get back to the self, receives form and is thus linked up with Absolute Being. Even matter is Brahman ⁵ Prakrti by itself is more a demand of thought than a fact of existence. Even the lowest existence has received the impress of the Creative Self. It is not utter non-existence. Absol- ¹ Cp Vākya-sudhā asti bhāti priyam rūpam nāma cety amśa-pañcakam ādyam trayam brahma-rūpam jagad-rūpam ato dvayam ³ VI 2 2 sad-āspadam sarvam sarvatra Ṣ ² VI 2 1 ⁴ ādāv ante ca yan nāsti vartamāne 'pi tat tathā Gauḍapāda Kārikā II 6 Milarepa, the Tibetan mystic says 'All worldly pursuits end in dispersion, buildings in destruction, meetings in separation, births in death.' ⁵ annam brahmeti vyajānāt T U. III lute non-being is non-existent. It is impossible in a world which flows freely from the bounty of being Prakrti is called non-being. It is not strictly correct. This description indicates its distance from being. It is the ultimate possibility on the side of descent from the Divine, almost non-being, but not utter non-being. While prakrti is said to be the māyā of God, its forms seem to us individual souls to be external to us. It is the source of our ignorance of its real nature
.' ⁵ annam brahmeti vyajānāt T U. III lute non-being is non-existent. It is impossible in a world which flows freely from the bounty of being Prakrti is called non-being. It is not strictly correct. This description indicates its distance from being. It is the ultimate possibility on the side of descent from the Divine, almost non-being, but not utter non-being. While prakrti is said to be the māyā of God, its forms seem to us individual souls to be external to us. It is the source of our ignorance of its real nature. While the world is created by the power of māyā of Īśvara, the individual soul is bound down by māyā in the sense of avṛdyā or ignorance. The manifestation of Primordial Being is also a concealment of His original nature. The self-luminous moves about clothed in the splendours of the cosmic light which are not His real nature. We must tear the cosmic veil and get behind the golden brightness which Savitr has diffused. The Upanisad says 'Two birds, inseparable friends cling to the same tree. One of them eats the sweet fruit, the other looks on without eating. On the same tree man sits, grieving, immersed, bewildered by his own impotence (an-īśa). But when he sees the other lord (īśa), contented and knows his glory, then his grief passes away.' We mistake the multiplicity for ultimate reality. If we overlook the unity, we are lost in ignorance. When we get to the concept of prakrti we are in the realm of Hranya-garbha. The similes employed by the Upanisads, salt and water, fire and sparks, spider and thread, flute and sound assume the existence of an element different from being. Into the original stillness of prakrti, Hranya-garbha or Brahmā sends sound, nāda-brahma. By his ecstatic dance the world evolves. This is the meaning of the symbol of Naṭa-rāja. His dance is not an illusion. It is a timeless fact of the Divine Reality. The forms are manifestations of the Real, not arbitrary inventions out of nothing. Form, rūpa, is the revelation of the formless a-rūpa. Nāma, name, is not the word by which we describe the object, but it is the power or the character of reality which the form of a thing embodies. The Infinite is nameless for it includes all names. The emphasis right through is on the dependence of ¹ S.U. IV 6 and 7. the world on Brahman The relative rests in the Absolute There can be no echo without a noise The world is not self- explanatory, it is not the cause of itself It is an effect The Iśa Upanisad indicates that the basic reality is the One, and the derivative and dependent reality is the many.¹ When the Kena Upanisad says that Brahman is the mind of mind, the life of life, it does not assert the unreality of mind and life, but affirms the inferiority, the incompleteness of our present existence All that we find in the world is an imperfect representation, a divided expression of what is eternally in the Absolute Being The world depends on Brahman, and not Brahman on the world 'God is the dwelling-place of the universe, but the uni- verse is not the dwelling-place of God' is a well-known Rabbinic dictum The world of experience with its three states of waking, dream and deep sleep is based on the subject-object relation This duality is the principle of all manifestation The objects are perceived in both dream and waking and the distinction of seer and seen is present in both The world of manifestation is dependent on the Absolute The Absolute Spirit which transcends the distinction between the subject and the object is logically prior to the manifested world.² The world is a process of becoming, it is not being The Upanisads make it clear that the waking state and the dream state are quite distinct The objects of the dream state are illusory, not so those of waking experience 'There are no chariots in that state (of dreaming), no horses, no roads He himself creates chariots, horses, roads.³ Imaginary objects exist only during the time we imagine them, kalpana-kāla, but factual objects exist not only when we perceive them but also when we do not perceive them, bāhyās ca dvaya-kālāh.⁴ The spatio-temporal order is a fact, not a state of mind or a phase of consciousness Avidyā is mentioned in the Upanisads as the source of delusion The Katha Upanisad speaks of people living in ignorance and thinking themselves wise, who move about wandering in search of reality, like blind men following the 2 See Gauḍapāda Kārikā on Mā U II 4 and 5 1 4 and 5 4 Š on Māndūkya Kārikā II 14 3 B U IV 3 9 and 10. blind. If they had lodged themselves in vidyā, wisdom, instead of avidyā, ignorance, they would easily have seen the truth.¹ The Chāndogya Upamsad distinguishes between vidyā or knowledge which is power and avidyā or ignorance which is impotence.² While māyā is more cosmic in significance, avidyā is more subjective. We are subject to avidyā when we look upon the multiplicity of objects and egos as final and fundamental. Such a view falsifies the truth. It is the illusion of ignorance. The world of multiplicity is out there, and has its place, but if we look upon it as a self-existing cosmos, we are making an error.³ While the world process reveals certain possibilities of the Real, it also conceals the full nature of the Real. Avidyā breeds selfishness and becomes a knot in the heart which we should untie before we can get possession of the Self in the recesses of our heart.⁴ The Praśna Upanisad tells us that we cannot reach the world of Brahman unless we have shaken off the crookedness in us, the falsehood (anrtam) in us, the illusion (māyā) in us.⁵ The world has the tendency to delude us into thinking that it is all, that it is self-dependent, and this delusive character of the world is also designated māyā in the sense of avidyā. When we are asked to overcome māyā, it is an injunction to avoid worldliness. Let us not put our trust in the things of this world. Māyā is concerned not with the existence of the world but with its meaning, not with the factuality of the world but with the way in which we look upon it. There are passages in the Upaniṣads which make out that the world is an appearance, vācārambhaṇaṁ vikāro nāmadheyam, while Reality is pure being. There are others which grant reality to the world, though they maintain that it has no reality apart from Brahman. Samkara tells us that the former is the true teaching of the Upaniṣads, while the latter view is put forward only tentatively as a first step in the teaching to be later ¹ Katha I 2. 4. 5 ² I. I. 10. ³ Māyā is viewed as the power that makes for delusion māś ca mohārtha-vacanah yāś ca prāpana-vācakah tām prāpayatī yā nityam, sā māyā parikhṛtītā Brahma-vaivaria Purāna XXVII. ⁴ M.U. II. 1. 10 ⁵ I
. There are others which grant reality to the world, though they maintain that it has no reality apart from Brahman. Samkara tells us that the former is the true teaching of the Upaniṣads, while the latter view is put forward only tentatively as a first step in the teaching to be later ¹ Katha I 2. 4. 5 ² I. I. 10. ³ Māyā is viewed as the power that makes for delusion māś ca mohārtha-vacanah yāś ca prāpana-vācakah tām prāpayatī yā nityam, sā māyā parikhṛtītā Brahma-vaivaria Purāna XXVII. ⁴ M.U. II. 1. 10 ⁵ I. 16 withdrawn The reality conceded to the world is not ultimate It is only empirical If we keep in mind the fourfold character of the Supreme, we shall avoid confusion in regard to the status of the world If we concentrate attention on Brahman, the Absolute, we feel that the world is not independent of Brahman but rests in Brahman The relationship between the two cannot be logically articu- lated If we turn to the personal Ishvara, we know that the world is the creation of Brahman and not its organic expression The power of creation is called maya If we turn to the world process which is a perpetual becoming, it is a mixture of being and non-being, sat and asat, the divine principle and prakriti Hiranya-garbha and his world are both subject to time, and should be distinguished from the eternal But the temporal becoming is by no means false As to why the Supreme has this fourfold character, why it is what it is, we can only accept it as the given reality It is the ultimate irrationality in the sense that no logical derivation of the given is possible It is apprehended by us in spiritual con- sciousness, and accounts for the nature of experience in all its aspects It is the only philosophical explanation that is possible or necessary
Jīva is literally, 'that which breathes,' from jīv 'to breathe' It referred originally to the biological aspect of man's nature which goes on throughout life, in waking, dream and sleep It is called purusa in the sense of puri-śaya or 'that which dwells in the citadel of the heart' This means that the biological serves the ends of another, the soul or psyche It is this soul which reaps the fruits of deeds and survives the death of the physical body It is the bhoktr, the enjoyer, kartr, the doer It is the vijñāna-maya ātmā The jīva consists of a material body, the ¹ See Praśna IV 9 Kaṇha I 3 4 principle of breath (prāna), regulating the unconscious activities of the individual, and the principle of conscious activities (manas) which uses the five sensory organs (indriyas) of sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste and the five organs of action, viz speech, hands, feet, excretory and generative organs. All these are organised by vijñāna or buddhi. The basis of the individuality of the ego is vijñāna or intelligence which draws round itself mind, life and body.¹ The ego belongs to the relative world, is a stream of experience, a fluent mass of life, a centre round which our experiences of sense and mind gather. At the back of this whole structure is the Universal Consciousness, Ātman, which is our true being. The human individual is a complex of five elements, anna, prāna, manas, vijñāna and ānanda. The Highest Spirit which is the ground of all being, with which man's whole being should get united at the end of his journey, does not contribute to his self-sense. Life and matter are organised into the gross physical body, sthūla-śarīra, mind and life into the subtle body, sūksma-śarīra, intelligence into the causal body, kāraṇa-śarīra and Ātman, the Universal Self is the supreme being sustaining the others. The ego is the manifestation of the Universal Self using memory and moral being which are changing formations. Purusa is sometimes used for the Ātman which is higher than buddhi. Buddhi belongs to the objective hierarchy of being. Purusa is the subjective light of consciousness that is reflected in all beings. The natural sciences, physics and chemistry, anatomy and physiology, psychology and sociology treat man as an object of inquiry. They show that man is a link in the chain of living beings, one among many. He has a body and a mind which belong to him, but his self is not derived from any of these, though it is at the root of them all. All empirical causes and ¹ Cp 'He who knows more and more clearly the self obtains fuller being In plants and trees sap only is seen, in animals consciousness The self is more and more clear in man for he is most endowed with intelligence. He knows to-morrow, he knows the world and what is not the world By the mortal he desires the immortal, being thus endowed As for animals, hunger and thirst comprise their knowledge But this man is the sea, he is above all the world Whatever he reaches he desires to go beyond it' Artareya Aranyaka II 1 3 D biological processes of development apply to his outer being, but not to his self The physical, the biological, the psychological and the logical aspects are aspects of his nature, his kośas, as the Tattirīya Upanisad calls them There are great possibilities of empirical investigation, but man is more than what he knows about himself The ego is a unity of body, life, mind and intelligence It is not a mere flux, as some early Buddhists and Hindus thought. Intelligence which is the unifying principle gives us the ego- consciousness Memory is one factor which helps to preserve the continuity of the ego which is also influenced by a number of factors which are not present to our memory and are hardly grasped by our surface consciousness The sub-conscious plays a great part in it The nature of the ego depends on the principle of organisation and the experience to be organised As we have an enormous variety of experiences with which we can identify ourselves, an infinite number of objects which we can pursue, fame, career, possessions or power, we have an infinite number of individuals marked out by their past and present experi- ences, their education and environment What we are depends on what we have been The ego is a changing formation on the background of the Eternal Being, the centre round which our mental and vital activities are organised The ego is perpetually changing, moving up and down, up towards union with the divine godhead or down to the fiendish extremes of selfishness, stupidity and sensuality The self-transcending capacity of the jīva is the proof that it is not the limited entity it takes itself to be The hierarchies of existence and value correspond The order of phenomena which has the lowest degree of reality in the existential scale has the lowest degree of value in the ethical or spiritual scale The human individual is higher than the animal, plant or mineral What is the relation of the Universal Self to the individual selves? Different views are held on the matter Śamkara believes that the Universal Self is identical with the individual self The individual self is eternally one with and also different from the Universal Self, says Rāmānuja The individual self is eternally different from the Universal Self according to Madhva.¹ When the soul is said to be an amśa or fragment of the Divine mind, it is to indicate that it is subsequent to the Divine mind, as a recipient of the Divine idea. The souls therefore serve as matter for the Divine Forms. This is the truth indicated in the Sāmkhya theory of the multiplicity of selves. Though the self is one in all, in the manifested world, there is an amśa, fragment, part or ray of the self which presides over the movements of our personal lives through the ages. This persistent divine form is the real individuality which governs the mutations of our being. This is not the limited ego, but the Infinite Spirit reflecting itself in our personal experience. We are not a mere flux of body, life and mind thrown on the screen of a Pure Spirit which does not affect us in any way. Behind this flux there is the stable power of our being through which the Infinite Spirit manifests itself. The Divine has many modes of manifestation, and at many levels, and the fulfilment of the purposes of these modes constitutes the supreme scope of the eternal kingdom. In the world of manifestation the ground of created being is God's idea of it, which, because it is divine, is more real than the creature itself. The soul, therefore, represents an idea of the divine mind, and the different souls are the members of the Supreme. The soul draws its idea of perfection from the Divine Creator who has given it existence. The soul's substantial existence derives from the Divine mind, and its perfection consists in the vision of the Divine mind, in its effectuating the divine pattern for it in its consciousness and character. There does not seem to be any suggestion that the individual egos are unreal. They all exist only through the Self and have no reality apart from It. The insistence on the unity of the Supreme Self as the constitutive reality of the world and of the individual souls does not negate the empirical reality of the ¹ Commenting on the sūtra, amśo nānā-vyapadeśād anyathā cāpı (the individual spirit is a part of the Lord inasmuch as it is not taught that they are different and also the contrary), Ś. indicates that 'the individual and the Lord, are related as sparks to fire, jīva īśvarasyāmśo bhavitum arhati, yathāgner visphulīngāh, in which the heat is the same (notwithstanding that the sparks are distinguishable from fire)' and concludes that 'from these two doctrines of difference and non-difference the meaning of participation, amśatva, follows.' S.B II
. indicates that 'the individual and the Lord, are related as sparks to fire, jīva īśvarasyāmśo bhavitum arhati, yathāgner visphulīngāh, in which the heat is the same (notwithstanding that the sparks are distinguishable from fire)' and concludes that 'from these two doctrines of difference and non-difference the meaning of participation, amśatva, follows.' S.B II. 3 43 latter The plurality of individual souls is admitted by the Upanişads The individuals do not resolve themselves in the Universal Absolute so long as the world of manifestation is functioning The released individuals know themselves as the Self and not as the psycho-physical vehicles which are animated by the Self and so are incarnations of the Self These vehicles are causally determined and are subject to change The individual is, in a sense, created by God after His own image and in His own likeness, but he has his creaturely form We do not know our own possibilities The individual ego is subject to avidyā or ignorance when it believes itself to be separate and different from all other egos The result of this separatist ego-sense, ahamkāra, is failure to enter into harmony and unity with the universe This failure expresses itself in physical suffering and mental discord Selfish desire is the badge of subjection or bondage When the individual shakes off this avidyā, he becomes free from all selfishness, possesses all and enjoys all ¹ The unity of the Self does not make the distinctions of the individual souls irrelevant There is no mixing up of the fruits of action, as the different individual selves are kept distinct by their association with buddhi ² Our lives become meaningful in so far as they partake of the divine logos The logos is seen in close connection with the logical or rational element in us The Divine Reason is immanent in our reason The ego's possession of intelligence gives it the capacity for moral choice It may either turn to the Indwelling Spirit or pursue the separate interests of the ego It may open itself to the Self or shut itself away from It One leads to light and life, the other to darkness and death We have the seeds of both in us We may live a life controlled by flesh and blood and earth-born intellect or we may lay ourselves open to God and let Him work in us As we choose the one or the other, we are led to death or immortality ³ When ¹ Cp Boethius 'In other living creatures, ignorance of self is nature, in man it is vice' ² buddhi-bhedena bhoktr-bhedāt Ṣ S B II 3 49 ³ Cp M B amrtam carva mṛtyuṣ ca dvayam dehe pratiṣṭhitam mṛtyur āpadyate mohāt, satyenāpadyate amrtam 'In each human body the two principles of immortality and death are we forget our true nature and lose ourselves in the things of the world, we have evil and suffering Alienation from our true nature is hell, and union with it is heaven There is a perpetual strain in human life, an effort to reach from the arbitrary into an ideal state of existence. When we divinise our nature, our body, mind and spirit work flawlessly together and attain a rhythm which is rare in life Without the individual there is neither bondage nor liberation. The Eternal in His transcendent form as Brahman or cosmic being as Īśvara does not arrive at immortality. It is the individual who is subject to ignorance and who rises to self-knowledge. The self-expression of the Supreme through the individuals will continue until it is completed. The Divine possesses always its unity, and Its aim in the cosmic process is to possess it in an infinite experience through many conscious selves. So long as we are subject to ignorance, we stand away from God and are immersed in our limited egos. When we rise to self-knowledge, we are taken up into the Divine Being and become aware of the Infinite, Universal Consciousness in which we live.
If buddhi, vijñāna, intelligence, has its being turned towards the Universal Self it develops intuition or true knowledge, Wisdom. But ordinarily, intelligence is engaged in discursive reasoning and reaches a knowledge which is, at best, imperfect, through the processes of doubt, logic and skilful demonstration. It reflects on the data supplied by manas or the sense-mind with its knowledge rooted in sensations and appetites. At the intellectual level we grope with an external vision of things, where objects are extrinsically opposed to one another. We are besieged by error and incapacity. Integral knowledge possesses its object truly and securely. Nothing is external to it. Nothing is other than itself. Nothing is divided or in conflict within its established. By the pursuit of delusion we reach death, by the pursuit of truth we attain immortality.' all-comprehensive self-awareness It is the means of knowledge and knowledge itself Intuitive knowing is immediate as distinct from the discursive and mediate knowledge It is more immediate than sensory intuition, for it overcomes the distinction between the knower and the known which subsists in sense-intuition It is the perfect knowledge, while all other knowledge is incomplete and imperfect in so far as it does not bring about an identification between subject and object All other knowledge is indirect and has only symbolic or representative value The only generally effective knowledge is that which penetrates into the very nature of things But in lower forms of knowledge this penetration of the subject into the object is limited and partial Scientific understanding assumes that an object can be known only if it is broken up into its simpler constituents. If anything organic is handled in this manner, its significance is lost. By employing intuitive consciousness we know the object with less distortion and more actuality We get close to perceiving the thing as it is Knowledge presupposes unity or oneness of thought and being, a unity that transcends the differentiation of subject and object Such knowledge is revealed in man's very existence.¹ It is unveiled rather than acquired. Knowledge is concealed in ignorance and when the latter is removed the former manifests itself. What we are, that we behold, and what we behold, that we are. Our thought, our life and our being are uplifted in simplicity and we are made one with truth. Though we cannot understand or describe, we taste and we possess. We become new.² When the beatific vision of Absolute Being has ¹ Eckhart says 'God in the fullness of His Godhead dwells eternally in His image (the soul itself)' Rudolf Otto Mysticism East and West (1932), p. 12. ² Cp. Plotinus 'And one that shall know this vision—with what passion of love shall he not be seized, with what pang of desire, what longing to be molten into one with this, what wondering delight!' If he that has never seen this Being must hunger for It as for all his welfare, he that has known must love and reverence It as the very Beauty, he will be flooded with awe and gladness stricken by a salutary terror, he loves with a veritable love, with sharp desire, all other loves than this he must despise, and disdain all that once seemed fair.' Enneads E T MacKenna Vol I (1917), p. 86. once dawned on the dazzled beholder, the savour of the phe- nomenal is gone for it is seen to be steeped in the noumenal The report which the mind and the senses give, so long as they are unenlightened by the spirit in us, is a misleading report. Yet that report is the basis from which we have to proceed. What the world and the individual seem to be are a distortion of what they really are, and yet through that distortion we arrive at the reality. Even as the conclusions of common sense are corrected by those of scientific understanding, the conclusions of the latter require to be corrected by the light of the spirit in us The abstractions of the intellect require to be converted into the actuality of spiritual experience and the concrete vision of the soul. If the real is misconceived as an object of knowledge, it cannot be known. Empirical objects may be known by outer observation or inner introspection But the self cannot divide itself into the knower and the known. Logical reasoning is incapable of comprehending the living unity of God and man, the absolute and the relative. Logical incapacity is not evidence of actual impossibility. Reality unites what discursive reason is incapable of holding together. Every atom of life is a witness to the oneness and duality of God and the world. Being can never be objectified or externalised. It is co-inherent and co-existent in man. It is unknowable because we identify existence with objectivity This is true, to a limited extent, of purely external things like tables and chairs. They are not to be reduced to sensations or concepts arising in the knowing mind But spiritual reality is not revealed in the way in which objects of the natural world or principles of logic are appre- hended Yājñavalkya tells us that the self is its own light when the sun has set, when the moon has set, when the fire is put out, ātmavāsya jyotir bhavati. It is our deepest being behind the vestures of body, life, mind and intellect. Objectivity is not the criterion of reality, but the criterion is reality itself revealed in our very being. We ask for a criterion of knowledge on the assumption of a duality between the knowing subject and the known object. If the object appears alien and impenetrable, IV. 3. 2-6. then the question of knowing it becomes a problem. But no object can be set in opposition to the spirit and so the question of criterion does not arise. True knowledge is an integral creative activity of the spirit which does not know anything external at all. For it everything is its own life. Here there is identity, possession, absorption of the object at the deepest level. Truth in spiritual life is neither the reflection nor the expression of any other reality. It is reality itself. Those who know the truth become the truth brahma-vid brahmarva bhavati It is not a question of having an idea or a perception of the real It is just the revelation of the real. It is the illumination of being and of life itself. It is satyam, jñānam. Knowledge and being are the same thing, inseparable aspects of a single reality, being no longer even distinguishable in that sphere where all is without duality. Where there is duality, there one sees another, hears another We have objective knowledge. While vijñāna deals with the world of duality, ānanda implies the fundamental identity of subject and object, non-duality. Objectification is estrange- ment. The objective world is the 'fallen' world, disintegrated and enslaved, in which the subject is alienated from the object of knowledge. It is the world of disruption, disunion, alienation In the 'fallen' condition, man's mind is never free from the compulsion exercised by objective realities. We struggle to overcome disunion, estrangement, to become superior to the objective world with its laws and determinations. We cannot, however, become aware of the true life in its unity and multiplicity, in its absoluteness and relativity, if we do not free ourselves from the world of divided and isolated objects. In the objective world where estrangement and limitations prevail, there are impenetrable entities, but in the knowledge where we have fullness and boundlessness of life nothing is external, but all is known from within. Intellect moves from object to object. Unable to comprehend them all it retains their multiplicity. Intellectual knowledge is a scattered, broken movement of the one undivided infinite life which is all-possessing and ever satisfied. Intuitive knowing is un- 1 B U. II. 4. 14 imprisoned by the divisions of space, successions of time or sequences of cause and effect
. We cannot, however, become aware of the true life in its unity and multiplicity, in its absoluteness and relativity, if we do not free ourselves from the world of divided and isolated objects. In the objective world where estrangement and limitations prevail, there are impenetrable entities, but in the knowledge where we have fullness and boundlessness of life nothing is external, but all is known from within. Intellect moves from object to object. Unable to comprehend them all it retains their multiplicity. Intellectual knowledge is a scattered, broken movement of the one undivided infinite life which is all-possessing and ever satisfied. Intuitive knowing is un- 1 B U. II. 4. 14 imprisoned by the divisions of space, successions of time or sequences of cause and effect. Our intellectual picture is a shadow cast by the integral knowledge which possesses the object truly and securely Reality is a fact, and facts are apprehended by intuition, whether perceptual or non-perceptual The divine primordial reality is not a fact of the empirical world, and yet as the central spiritual fact we must have a direct apprehension of it Our logical knowledge can give us indirect approximation to it but not a direct grasp of it.¹ The seers of the Upanişads not only have deep vision but are able to translate their visions into intelligible and persuasive speech. They can do so only through hints and images, suggestions and symbols, for they are not susceptible of adequate expression. The Upanisads distinguish between a-parā vidyā, lower knowledge and parā vidyā or higher wisdom While the former gives us knowledge of the Vedas and the sciences, the latter helps us to gain the knowledge of the Imperishable.² The first principle disguises itself.³ In the Brhad-āranyaka Upanisad, the self is seen as the reality of reality.⁴ The reality of the world is the empirical; the true reality is the ātman, the self which the empirical reality conceals A distinction is made between the knower of texts and the knower of the self in the Chāndogya Upanisad.⁵ Śvetaketu cannot understand the question of ¹ Cp John Smith, the Platonist. 'Jeune and barren speculations may unfold the plicatures of Truth's garment but they cannot discover her lovely face.' William Law writes 'To find or know God in reality by any outward proofs, or by anything but by God Himself made manifest and self- evident in you, will never be your case either here or hereafter' For neither God, nor heaven, nor hell, nor the devil, nor the flesh, can be any otherwise knowable in you or by you, but by their own existence and manifestation in you. And all pretended knowledge of any of these things, beyond and without this self-evident sensibility of their birth within you, is only such knowledge of them as the blind man hath of the light that hath never entered into him' ² M. U. I. I 4-5. Mere book knowledge is of no use. pustake likhitā vidyā yena sundarī japyate siddhir na jāyate tasya kalpa-kṣṭi-śatārī apṛ Saṭ-karma-dīpṛkā ³ R. V. X 81 I ⁴ I 6 3, II. 1 20, II 4 7-9. 5 VII. I. 2-3. D* rebirth, despite much Vedic learning. The Tattiturīya Upanişad reduces the knowledge of the Vedas to an inferior position by assigning it to mano-maya (mind-made) self which has to be surmounted before final truth is attained.¹ The self is perceived, according to the Katha Upanisad, not by logical reason but by spiritual contemplation, adhyātma-yoga.² The real is not attained by force of intellect or by much learning but is revealed to the aspirant whose will is at rest in Hrim.³ We realise God by the clarity of illumination. jñāna-prasādena ⁴ The Brhad-āranyaka Upanisad teaches that, while those who put their trust in the intellect cannot attain to a knowledge of Brahman, yet there is an apprehension of His being by those who are childlike.⁵ Bālya includes humility, receptivity or teachableness and an earnest search. The writer asks us to give up the pride of learning, pānditya. A self-denial which includes our intellectual pride and power is demanded. Purity of intellect is different from congestion of it. To attain purity of vision, we require a childlike nature which we can get by tranquillising the senses, simplifying the heart and cleaning the mind. It is through quietening the strivings of the will and the empirical intellect that the conditions are realised for the revelation of the Supreme in the individual soul. 'Therefore having become calm, subdued, quiet, patiently enduring and collected, one sees the Self just in the self.'⁶ Even as we have an intellectual discipline for the theoretical understanding of the world, we have a moral and spiritual discipline for the direct apprehension of truth. Even as we cannot understand the art of swimming by talking about it and can learn it only by getting into the water and practising swimming, so also no amount of theoretical knowledge can serve as a substitute for the practice of the life of spirit. We can know God only by becoming godlike. To become godlike is to become aware of the light in us, by returning consciously to the divine centre within us, where we have always been without our knowing it. Detachment (vairāgya) is the essential 1 II 3 ³ Kṛtha II 20 and 23 2 II 12 4 Mū III 1 8 5 III 5 See also Subāla U 13. ⁶ BU IV 4 23 means for the attainment of wisdom (jñāna).¹ Only the pure in heart can see God. We must cultivate a religious disposition. God is revealed only to those who believe that He is.² When in doubt, later tradition asks us to give the benefit of the doubt to the theist. For if there is no God, there is no harm in believing in Him; if there is, the atheist would suffer.³ Faith, as trust in the universe, in its reliability, in its essential soundness and decency, is the starting-point of spiritual development. Spiritual inclination is essential for the pursuit of spiritual life. In the Brhad-āranyaka Upanisad, Yājñavalkya offers to divide all his earthly possessions between his two wives, Kātyāyanī and Maitreyī. The latter asks whether the whole world filled with wealth can give her life eternal. Yājñavalkya says: 'No, your life will be just like that of people who have plenty of things, but there is no hope of life eternal through wealth.' Maitreyī spurns the riches of the world remarking, 'What shall I do with that which will not make me immortal?' Yājñavalkya recognises the spiritual fitness of his wife and teaches her the highest wisdom. Ethical preparation is insisted on. If we do not abstain from wrong-doing, if we are not composed in our minds, we cannot attain to spiritual wisdom.⁴ Our moral being must be purged of all evil. The Svetāśvatara Upanisad tells us that we should cleanse our natures to reach the goal, since even a mirror can reflect an image properly only if it is cleansed of its impurities.⁵ We must renounce selfish desire, surrender material possessions, become bereft of egotism. The path is 'sharp as the edge of a razor and hard to cross, difficult to tread.'⁶ A teacher who has attained the goal may help the aspiring soul.⁷ Truth has not only to be demonstrated but also communicated. It is relatively easy to demonstrate a truth, but it can be communicated only by one who has thought, willed and ¹ Cp Viveka-cūdāmani 376, which compares detachment and knowledge to 'the two wings that are indispensable for the soul, if it should soar unrestricted to its eternal home of freedom and peace
.⁵ We must renounce selfish desire, surrender material possessions, become bereft of egotism. The path is 'sharp as the edge of a razor and hard to cross, difficult to tread.'⁶ A teacher who has attained the goal may help the aspiring soul.⁷ Truth has not only to be demonstrated but also communicated. It is relatively easy to demonstrate a truth, but it can be communicated only by one who has thought, willed and ¹ Cp Viveka-cūdāmani 376, which compares detachment and knowledge to 'the two wings that are indispensable for the soul, if it should soar unrestricted to its eternal home of freedom and peace.' ² Katha II 6 12 and 13 ³ nāsti cet nāsti no hānīh, asti cet nāstiko hatah ⁴ Katha I 2 24. M U III 1. 5 ⁶ II 14-15 ⁵ Katha I 3 14 ⁷ C.U. IV 9 3 Katha I. 2 8-9 - felt the truth Only a teacher can give it with its concrete quality He that has a teacher knows, ācāryavān puruso veda ¹ Only he must be a proper teacher who embodies truth and tradition Only those who have the flame in them can stir the fire in others The individual should develop the habit of introversion, of abstracting from the outside world and looking within himself By a process of abstraction we get behind knowing, feeling and willing to the essential Self, the God within We must silence our speech, mind and will We cannot hear the voice of the still spirit in us, so long as we are lost in vain talk, mental rambling and empty desires The mind must strip away its outer sheaths in complete detachment, return to its inward quiet and fix its attention on the essential Self which is the ground and reality of the whole universe The Mundaka Upanisad brings out the need for concentrated attention and undistracted effort ² An ordered, disciplined training of all our powers, a change of mind, heart and will is demanded Several forms of meditation are advised. Symbols (pratīka) are used as supports for meditation. We are free to use the symbols which are most in conformity with our personal tendencies. Meditation on the pranava is suggested in the Māndūkya Upanisad. It is said that the Self cannot be realised except by those whom the Self chooses ³ Self-realisation is possible through the grace of the Divine God-vision is the fruit of strenuous effort and Divine grace ⁴ Only the Spirit in us can raise us to the spiritual status The Real, which is the basis of this manifold world of things and minds, can be apprehended directly and immediately only by those who fulfil certain conditions and submit to the leadings of the spirit We do not so much hold the idea of the Real as the idea holds us We are possessed by it Vidyā and avdyā are two ways of apprehending Reality 3. Katha I 2 23 M U III 2 3 1. C U VI 14 2 2. III 18 4. Cp St Bernard 'Grace is necessary to salvation, free will equally so, but grace in order to give salvation, free will in order to receive it Therefore we should not attribute part of the good work to grace and part to free will, it is performed in its entirety by the common and inseparable action of both, entirely by grace, entirely by free will, but springing from the first in the second' Both are forms of relative knowledge and belong to the mani- fested universe Knowledge formulated logically is not equiva- lent to a direct and immediate apprehension of the Real. Whatever words we use, whatever concepts we employ, fall short of reality.¹ The anubhava is beyond all manifestation and is complete in itself Vidyā stresses the harmony and interconnections of elements which make up the world; avidyā the separateness, mutual independence and strife. Vidyā helps us to appreciate intellectually the intelligible ideas about the nature of the Divine ground and the nature of the direct experience of it in relation to other experiences. It indicates the means by which we can attain Brahman. Such a system of theological doctrine points out that there is nothing intrinsically self-contradictory about the postulate of religion, viz the divine reality, and that it is also empirically verifiable if only we are willing to submit to a discipline. The theological knowledge or vidyā is different from the experience or anubhava of it The experience is recorded as a pure and direct intellectual intuition in sruti. When we reflect on the experiences or their records and reduce them to a rational order we have smṛti. While the first is the domain of metaphysical principles, the second applies these principles to individual and social conduct Vidyā is nearer the truth than avidyā But vidyā is also understood as jñāna which is of the essential nature of the Divine Reality. It is then eternal wisdom which is not the knowledge possessed by any individual. It is the wisdom hidden beneath the sheaths of ignorance It is one with the Supreme Self, which is self-evident and needs no proof, svatah-siddha, self-valid certainty Though intuitive wisdom is different from knowledge of the senses or anything we can achieve by logical reflection, it is not to be confused with occultism, obscurantism, or extravagant emotion It is not magical insight or heavenly vision, or special revelation obtained through supernatural powers. What we ¹ When Al Ghazzāh or, two centuries later, Thomas Aquinas refused to proceed with the consideration of truths about God, when once they attamed direct apprehension of the Divine Reality, they refer to this inadequacy of verbal or logical expressions. attain by vision, empirical or trans-empirical, belongs to theobjective world It is a distinction within the objective world,between the physical and the super-physical, between what wereach by the five senses and a sixth sense Wisdom is purereason, capacity for fundamental truth It is the possession ofthe soul or it is the soul that penetrates into its own groundand depth and becomes essential being It springs from it ofnecessity when it meditates on itself This wisdom is eternal,universal and necessary for Samkara It cannot be destroyedthough it may be obscured,All the same, the tradition of thought has been strong in the Upanisads We lead up to experience through intellectual knowledge For those who are incapable of integral insight, perception and inference are the only available means.¹ Evenmen of experience do not contradict rational thought, thoughthey go beyond it. The Upanisads insist on the importance of ethical life.² They repudiate the doctrine of the self-sufficiency of the ego and emphasise the practice of moral virtues. Man is responsible for his acts. Evil is the free act of the individual who uses his freedom for his own exaltation. It is fundamentally the choice which affirms the finite, independent self, its lordship and acquisitiveness against the universal will. Evil is the result of our alienation from the Real. If we do not break with evil, we cannot attain freedom."¹ Cp 1.73.2-paḍī.2 'For those who cannot see, the reason which is not in contradiction with the Vedas and the scriptures is the eye'teda-kiṣṭaviroḍhi yas. Man is of the divine race, but he has in him the element of non-being, which exposes him to evil. As a spiritual being he can burst the revolving circle of nature and become a citizen of another world in unity with Absolute Being who is his creative source. Man is the mediator between God and nature and has to complete the work of creation by the in- carnation of wisdom. He must illumine what is dark and strengthen what is weak in him. His entire being should labour to become one with the Divine. Our fallen nature, sunk in sin, is felt as contrary to the Real and yet as existent. The self feels itself to be in contradiction to all that is supremely real. There is the pain of discord between the existent and the Real. In moral life the self feels itself divided against itself. And yet the struggle itself is impossible unless we look upon the desire for the divine and the consciousness of rebellion as belonging to the same self
. Man is the mediator between God and nature and has to complete the work of creation by the in- carnation of wisdom. He must illumine what is dark and strengthen what is weak in him. His entire being should labour to become one with the Divine. Our fallen nature, sunk in sin, is felt as contrary to the Real and yet as existent. The self feels itself to be in contradiction to all that is supremely real. There is the pain of discord between the existent and the Real. In moral life the self feels itself divided against itself. And yet the struggle itself is impossible unless we look upon the desire for the divine and the consciousness of rebellion as belonging to the same self. The felt contradiction is possible only through the reality which is above the discord. The antithesis between what we wish to be and what we are is implicitly their unity. The divine consciousness and will must become our conscious- ness and will. This means that our actual self must cease to be a private self; we must give up our particular will, die to our ego, by surrendering its whole nature, its consciousness and character to the Divine.¹ The freedom of the human individual is assumed, though the limitations of karma are mentioned. 'He fetters himself by himself, as a bird by its nest.'² The freedom of the individual increases to the extent to which he identifies himself with the Absolute in him, the antar-yāmin. If we leave the world after having known the true self, then our life in all worlds is the life of freedom. Some theistic Upanişads say that the inner power, the Divine, caused the man whom He will lead on high from these worlds to do good works and He causes the man whom He will lead downwards to do evil works.³ In theism the stress is on Divine providence. In the Svetāśvatara Upanisad, the Self is the overseer of all actions, who apportions to each person his qualities, who executes justice, who restrains the evil, allots good fortune and brings to maturity the actions of the individual souls ¹ The general impression that the Upanisads require world-denial is not quite correct. They insist on a spirit of detachment, vairāgya, which is not indifference to the world. It is not abandonment of objects but non-attachment to them. We do not raise ourselves above the world by contempt for the world. It is the spirit of equanimity which is insisted on. To be tranquil is to envy no man, to have no possessions that another can take from us, to fear none. When the Hindu thinkers ask us to adopt samnyāsa or relinquishment of home and possessions, to accept the three great renunciations, consecrated in the three vows, evangelical counsels of poverty, obedience and chastity, they point to self-denial as the root of spiritual life. Spirit of renunciation does not mean neglect of social duties. Samnyāsa does not mean that we owe no duties to the world, we free ourselves only from ritualistic duties. Rare fruits is the spirit ripen on the soil of detachment.² There is a popular verse which makes out that one should give up attachment, but one is not capable of it, let him cultivate attachment, only it should be attachment to all.³ We should release ourselves from selfish likes and dislikes. The Divine cannot use our mind and body so long as we wish to use them for our own ends.⁴ Detachment is opposed to attachment, not to enjoyment. ¹ VI 11, 12, 4, V 5ff ² When Ernest Renan described St Francis as 'the one perfect Christian' it was felt to be an exaggeration. Hardly anyone else in the Christian world comes so close to the ideal set forth in the Gospels 'He that renounceth not everything that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.' We feel that these demands are excessive and even fantastic. We excuse ourselves by saying that Jesus did not mean all that he is reported to have said or that his words were not of general application. We make compromises, while St Francis did not allow any compromises. ³ tyaktavyo mama-kārah, tyaktum yadī śakyate nāsau kartavyo mama-kārah kimtu sarvaśra kartavyah ⁴ Cp St John of the Cross 'The soul that is attached to anything, however much good there may be in it, will not arrive at the liberty of divine union. For whether it be a strong wire rope or a slender and delicate thread that holds the bird, it matters not, if it really holds it fast, for until the cord be broken the bird cannot fly. So the soul, held by the bonds of human affections, however slight they may be, cannot, while they last, make its way to God.' Enjoy through renunciation is the advice of the Īśa Upanisad.¹ Good and evil do not depend on the acts one does or does not, but on the frame of mind one has. The good man is he who concurs with the divine purpose, and the bad man is he who resists it. If one's mind is good, one's acts will be good. Our attempt should be not so much external conformity as inward cleansing From goodness of being good will and good works flow.² When the soul is at peace, the greatest sorrows are borne lightly. Life becomes more natural and confident Changes in outer conditions do not disturb We let our life flow of itself as the sea heaves or the flower blooms Work by itself does not give us liberation. It cleanses the mind, purifies the heart and produces the illumination which is the immediate condition of salvation. Śamkara argues that the knowledge of Brahman, as it relates to an existent being, cannot be contingent on what a person does or does not.³ Contemplation is the way to cleanse one's mind and heart. It means rest, suspension of mental activity, withdrawal into the interior solitude in which the soul is absorbed in the fruitful silence of God We cannot stop there; we must overflow with a love that communicates what it knows to others Saints with abundant power and tireless energy work for the transfiguring of men and the changing of the course of secular history. Different methods are suited for different temperaments, and they are all permitted.⁴ ¹ Eckhart tells us 'It is permissible to take life's blessings with both hands, provided thou dost know thyself prepared in the opposite event to leave them just as gladly' ² Cp Eckhart 'Men should not think so much of what they ought to do, as of what they ought to be Think not to lay the foundation of thy holiness upon doing, but rather upon being For works do not sanctify us, but we should sanctify the works Whoever is not great in his essential being will achieve nothing by works, whatever he may do' Rudolf Otto Mysticism East and West, p 126 ³ a-purusa-tantratvād brahma-vijñānasya ⁴ See B G V 5. Vasistha says a-sādhyah kasyacid yogah kasyacit jñāna-nīscayah ittham vicārya mārgau dvau jagāda parameśvarah To some yoga is impossible, to others the ascertainment of truth. Viewing thus God has revealed two paths Cp St Thomas Aquinas 'A thing may belong to the contemplative life in two ways essentially or as a predisposition The moral virtues The ethical virtues we are called upon to adopt are mentioned in several passages. Life is compared to a sacrifice where the fee shall be asceticism, liberality, integrity, non-injury to life and truthfulness.¹ The Tatitṛīya Upanisad gives a list of students' duties. He should not be negligent of truth, virtue, welfare, prosperity, study and teaching. He should perform only those acts which are irreproachable. In case of doubt concerning any act of conduct, the student should follow the practice of those Brāhmanas who are competent to judge, apt, devoted, not harsh lovers of virtue. In one passage all the virtues are brought together under the three da's which are heard in the voice of the thunder, namely, dama, or self-restraint, dāna or self-sacrifice, and dayā or compassion
.¹ The Tatitṛīya Upanisad gives a list of students' duties. He should not be negligent of truth, virtue, welfare, prosperity, study and teaching. He should perform only those acts which are irreproachable. In case of doubt concerning any act of conduct, the student should follow the practice of those Brāhmanas who are competent to judge, apt, devoted, not harsh lovers of virtue. In one passage all the virtues are brought together under the three da's which are heard in the voice of the thunder, namely, dama, or self-restraint, dāna or self-sacrifice, and dayā or compassion. Prajā-patī conveys it to the three classes of his creation, gods (deva), men (manusya) and demons (asura).² Śamkara makes out that gods have desires (kāma), men suffer from greed. belong to the contemplative life as a predisposition. For the act of contemplation, in which the contemplative life essentially consists, is hindered both by the impetuosity of the passions and by the outward disturbances. Now the moral virtues curb the impetuosity of the passions and quell the disturbance of outward occupations. Hence moral virtues belong to the contemplative life as a predisposition.³ St Thomas taught there were three vocations, that to the active life, that to the contemplative and a third to the combination of both and the last is superior to the other two. There are statements to the effect that the contemplative life in itself by its very nature is superior to the active life. Vita contemplativa, he remarks, simplificiter est melior quam actua for the contemplative life directly and immediately occupies itself with the love of God than which there is no act more perfect or more meritorious. The contemplative life establishes man in the very heart of all spiritual security. When St Thomas admits that the active life can be more perfect in certain circumstances, he qualifies it a great deal (i) Action will only be more perfect than the joy and rest of contemplation, if it is undertaken as the result of an overflow of love for God in order to fulfil His will (ii) It is not to be continuous but only an answer to a temporary emergency (iii) It is purely for God's glory, it does not diverge from contemplation. It is an added obligation and we but return as soon as we can to the fruitful silence of recollection that delivers our souls to the Divine Union. I. C. V. III. 17 B. L. V. 2 In the Bhāvamśa the Lord says that anyone who does not care for people who are in need of care and simply takes to the worship of God is aEfficient cause yām sarvam bhikeya sarvam ātmāram īśaram Artiscam kha, ate maudhyād, khaswary eta jukoti sah (lobha) and demons from anger (krodha). By the practice of the three injunctions we free ourselves from the sway of craving, greed and anger. When the Buddha asks us to put out in our hearts the monstrous fires of infatuation, greed and resentment, he is emphasising the three virtues enjoined by the Upanisads. Dama is self-control. We should reduce our wants and be prepared to suffer in the interests of truth.¹ Austerity, chastity, solitude and silence are the ways to attain self-control Tapas is severe self-discipline undertaken for spiritual ends. It is exercised with reference to the natural desires of the body and the distractions of the outer world. It consists of exercises of an inward kind, prayers offered in the heart, self-analysis and outer acts like fasting, self-mortification, sexual abstinence or voluntary poverty. Strength is developed by a resisting force. The power gained by resisting one temptation helps us in overcoming the next. To evade discipline is to empty life of its significance. Nothing is more tranquil than to be unshaken by the troublous motions of the flesh. Renunciation, nyāsa, is superior to tapas or austerity or asceticism. The latter is a means to the former. It is not to be made into an end in itself.² Ethical ¹ 'The wise man overcomes anger through mind-control, lust through the renunciation of desire. He can attain mastery over sleep by developing the quality of sattva. Through steadfastness he should protect the organ of generation and the stomach. With (the help of) the eyes he should protect the hands and the feet. Through (the power of) mind he should protect the eyes and the ears and through conduct he should protect mind and speech. Through constant vigilance he should shed fear and through the service of the wise, he should overcome pride.' krodham samena jayati, kāmam samkalpa-varjanāt sattva-samsevanād dhīro nidrām ucchettum arhati dhyāyā sīsnodaram rakset, pāni-pādam ca cahsuṣā caksuh srotram ca manasā, mano vācam ca karmanā. a-pramādād bhayam jahyād, dambham prājñopasevanāt Brahma Purāṇa 235 40-42. Cp Confucius 'With only coarse rice as meal and only plain water as drink, and only my arm as pillow, I still find joy in the midst of these conditions. Wealth and honour acquired contrary to righteousness are to me like the passing cloud' Lun yu Pt VIII Ch XV See F T. Cheng China Moulded by Confucius (1947), p 92 ² 'Do the frogs, fish and others who live from their birth to death in the waters of the Ganges, do they become yogis?' ā-janma-maranāntam ca gangādī-taśnī-sthitāh mandūka-matsya-pramukhāh yoginās te bhavantī kṛm? life includes moral uprightness though many minds feel only the need for mechanical ritual Brahmacarya is not sex-destruction. There is no gulf between flesh and spirit, but only between the fallen and the transfigured flesh. Ancient Indian thinkers were of the opinion that the seed within man and woman is intended for the purpose of creating a body by which another soul may come into physical embodiment. When thus controlled, brahmacarya helps creative work of every description. When the seed is wasted in sex excesses, the body becomes weak and crippled, the face lined, the eyes dull, hearing impaired and the brain inactive. If brahmacarya is practised, the physical body remains youthful and beautiful, the brain keen and alert, the whole physical expression becomes the image and likeness of the Divine. Mauna or silence is advised as leading the soul forward to contemplation. By the discipline of silence we curb the excesses which flow from the tongue, heresy, backbiting, flattery. We cannot listen to the voice of God when our minds are dissipated, given to restless activity and are filled externally and internally with noise. Progress in silence is progress to the realisation of spirit. When silence descends on the soul, its activities are joined to the silent creative power of God. Dāna enjoins gifts. It is negatively freedom from greed and positively assistance to those in need. 'There is no hope of immortality by wealth.' Possessiveness is condemned. The 1 Cp Isaiah 'The tillage of righteousness is silence' 'In silence and in hope shall be your strength.' 2 'While all things were in quiet silence and the night was in the midst of her course the Word leapt down from heaven' 3 B U II 4 2 Cp Jalāl-Uddin Rūmī Once the noble Ibrahim, as he sat on his throne, Heard a clamour and noise of cries on the roof, Also heavy footsteps on the roof of his palace He said to himself, 'Whose heavy feet are these?' He shouted from the window, 'Who goes there?' The guards, filled with confusion, bowed their heads, saying, 'It is we going the rounds in search of you
.' Possessiveness is condemned. The 1 Cp Isaiah 'The tillage of righteousness is silence' 'In silence and in hope shall be your strength.' 2 'While all things were in quiet silence and the night was in the midst of her course the Word leapt down from heaven' 3 B U II 4 2 Cp Jalāl-Uddin Rūmī Once the noble Ibrahim, as he sat on his throne, Heard a clamour and noise of cries on the roof, Also heavy footsteps on the roof of his palace He said to himself, 'Whose heavy feet are these?' He shouted from the window, 'Who goes there?' The guards, filled with confusion, bowed their heads, saying, 'It is we going the rounds in search of you.' He said, 'What seek ye?' They said 'Our camels.' He said, 'Whoever searched for camels on a housetop?' They said, 'We follow thy example, Who seekest union with God, while sitting on a throne.' Tattvāya Upanisad regulates the art of giving.¹ One should give with faith, one should not give without faith, one should give liberally, with modesty, with fear, with sympathy. Dayā is karunā, compassion. We should try to be at peace with all, abhor all cruelty and ill-will.² Enmity means misunderstanding. A forgiving attitude frees the individual. We should grudge none, forgive all. So long as we remember an injustice, we have not forgiven either the person or the action. If only we know that there is more suffering than wickedness in the world, we would be kindly. It is by compassion, which shrinks from no sacrifice, that we can overcome the ravages of selfishness. We must be patient. God himself is unimaginably patient.³ Tolerance, long suffering, patience are the fruits of spirit. The ethical individual is required to become like a child.⁴ The perfect man is a divine child, accepting the divine play, without fear or reserve, care or grief, in utter purity. A child is not entangled with things that seem important to grown-ups, whose occupations are mainly paltry and whose professions petrified. A child's wise incomprehension is linked with living and is more than defensiveness or disdain. We cannot return to childhood. We have to gain the state which is un-constricted by temporal purpose, but purposeful, a state in which time and eternity coincide. When it is said that the Upanisads adopt a spiritual view of life, it does not mean that they despise body, life and mind. The latter are the conditions or instruments for the life of spirit in man. They are not ends in themselves, but are means ¹ I, II 2 ² Devī Bhāgavata says: There is no virtue like compassion and no vice like the use of violence. dayā-samaṁ nāsti punyam, pāpaṁ kīmśā-samaṁ na hi. ³ 'The Lord God, merciful and gracious, long suffering and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving the guilty transgression and sin.' Exodus XXXIV. 6. 7. 'The long suffering of our Lord is salvation.' 2 Peter III. 15 ⁴ For Heraclitus. 'The Kingdom is of the child.' 'Except ye be converted and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.' Jesus. For Mencius. 'A great man is one who has not lost the child's heart.' Nietzsche says. 'The child is innocence and oblivion, a new beginning, a play, a self-rolling wheel, a primal motion, an holy yea-saying.' Thus Spake Zarathustra I. 2. or opportunities for the expression of the Universal Spirit in us Spirit and life are not to be separated The ritualistic practices are reinterpreted. They are to prepare the mind for spiritual realization, to spur it on to pierce the veil of the finite and to seek deliverance in identification with the Supreme Reality. If rites are performed without the knowledge of their meaning, they are not only useless but dangerous.¹ The presumptuous performer may have his head cut off.² He who knows a particular rite and he who knows it not both perform a rite, but when performed with knowledge the act becomes more effective.³ Meditation on the meaning of the sacrifice sometimes took the place of the actual sacrifice.⁴ 'Suppose,' Janaka asks Yājñavalkya, 'you had no milk or rice or barley to perform the fire-sacrifice, agnihotra, with what would you sacrifice?' 'With the fruits of trees and whatever herbs there were.' 'If there were none?' 'Then with water.' 'If there were no water?' 'Then, indeed, there would be nothing here, yet, this would be offered, the truth in faith.'⁵ When the heart is fully persuaded, there is little sense of sacrifice. Sacrificial life becomes a natural manifestation of the new spirit. Self-conscious sacrifice, with its burden of self-righteousness and expectation of reward, is not of much use.⁵ The caste divisions are mentioned in some of the Upanisads.⁶ They did not, however, harden into a rigid social system. In the Chāndogya Upanisad five learned Brāhmanas who approach Uddālaka Aruni for instruction in regard to Vaisvānara Ātman are taken by him to King Aśvapatī Kaikeya, who gives them instruction after first demonstrating the imperfections of their views. Ajātaśatru of Kāśi teaches Gārgya Bālāki the nature of Brahman, after pointing out the defects of the twelve views. ¹ CU V 24 1 ³ CU I 1–10 ² CU I 8, I 10–11 ⁴ Śatapctha Brāhmana XI 3 1 ⁵ Yāhweh says (Amos V 21) 'I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not dwell in your solemn assemblies. Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them, neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs, for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.' ⁶ Again Yāhweh speaks (Hosea VI 6) 'For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.' ⁷ BU I 4 15 which Gārgya Bālāki sets forth. Ajātaśatru observes that it is not usual for a Brāhmana to approach a Kṣatriya for instruction. The doctrine of rebirth is taught by Pravāhana Jaivali to Āruni with the remark that the Brāhmaṇas had never before had this knowledge.¹ Among the students of the Upaniṣads is Satyakāma, of unknown origin, whose mother Jabālā could not tell who his father was.² The four āśramas or stages of life are recognised. While the usual rule is that one has to pass through successive stages of life, exceptions are permitted. Jābāla Upaniṣad asks us to renounce whenever we feel a call to it. Besides, even in a householder's stage one can attain spiritual freedom.³
Until we negate the ego and get fixed in the Divine Ground we are bound to the endless procession of events called samsāra.⁴ The principle which governs this world of becoming is called karma. There are moral and spiritual laws as well as physical ¹ See also K U I, where the teacher is the King Citra Gāngyāyanu. ² CU IV 4 ³ In the Bhāgavata Purāna it is said that a house is no prison for one who has controlled his senses, delights in spirit and is eager for knowledge * jitendriyas ātmarater budhasya * grhāśramah kīm tu karoty avadyam Abhunavagupta says that śrutis and smṛtis hold that he who has right knowledge attains salvation in all stages of life and quotes. 'He that worships God, has established himself in the knowledge of truth, attends devotedly to his quest, performs rites, offers gifts, he is liberated though a householder.' tattva-jñānīnām sarvesv āśramesu muktṛ iti smārtesu śrutau ca yathoktam devārcana-ratas tattva-jñāna-niṣṭho'tṛthi-priyah śrāddham kṛtvā dadad dravyam grhastho' pī hṛ mucyate ⁴ Cp Boethius' Consolations of Philosophy 'The temporal world seems to emulate in part that which it cannot fully obtain or express, tying itself to whatever presence there is in this exiguous and fleeting moment, a presence which, since it carries a certain image of that abiding presence, gives to whatever may partake of it the quality of seeming to have being. But because it could not stay, it undertook an infinite journey of time; and so it came to pass that, by going, it continued that life, whose plentitude it could not comprehend by staying.' laws If we neglect the laws of health, we injure our health, if we neglect the laws of morality, we wreck our higher life Any rational conception of the universe, any spiritual con- ception of God requires us to recognise the utter and unques- tionable supremacy of law in shaping our conduct and character The law of Karma is not external to the individual. The judge is not without but within. The law by which virtue brings its triumph and ill-doing its retribution is the unfolding of the law of our being.¹ The world order is a reflection of the Divine Mind. The Vedic gods were regarded as the maintainers of the order, rta of the world. They were the guardians of rta God, for the Svetāśvatara Upanisad, is the ordainer of karma, karmādhyakṣah, God is law as well as love.² His love is through law. The working of karma is wholly dispassionate, just, neither cruel nor merciful. Though we cannot escape from the workings of this principle, there is hope, for if man is what he has made himself, he may make himself what he will. Even the soul in the lowest condition need not abandon all hope. If we miss the right path, we are not doomed to an eternity of suffering. There are other existences by which we can grow into the knowledge of the Infinite Spirit with the complete assurance that we will ultimately arrive there. If there is a fundamental difference between Christianity and Hinduism, it is said that it consists in this, that while the Hindu to whatever school he belongs believes in a succession of lives, the Christian believes that 'it is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgment '³ ¹ Cp the words of a fine fragment of the lost Melanippe of Euripides Dream you that men's misdeeds fly up to Heaven And then some hand inscribes the record of them Upon God's tablets, and God, reading them, Deals the world justice? Nay, the vault of Heaven Could not find room to write the crimes of earth, Nor God himself avail to punish them Justice is here on earth, had ye but eyes ² Cp St Paul 'Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God' Romans XI 22 ³ John McKenzie Two Religions (1950), p 112 Some Western philosophers and early Christian theologians accept the principle of rebirth Belief in rebirth has persisted, at any rate, from the time of the Upanisads. It is a natural development from the views of the Vedas and the Brāhmaṇas and receives articulate expression in the Upanisads.¹ After mentioning the dispersal of the members of the human body at death—the eye of man goes to the sun, the breath to the wind, speech to fire, the mind to the moon, the ear to the quarters of heaven, the body to the earth, the soul to the ether, the hair to the plants and trees, the blood and seed to the waters—Yājñavalkya is asked as to what remains of the individual. He takes the questioner apart, discusses with him in secret about the nature of work. In truth, a man becomes good by good works and evil by evil works.² Our lives incarnate our characters. The future of the soul is not finally determined by what it has felt, thought and done in this one earthly life. The soul has chances of acquiring merit and advancing to life eternal. Until the union with the timeless Reality is attained, there will be some form of life or other, which will give scope to the individual soul to acquire enlightenment and attain life eternal. Even as non-being is only an abstract lower limit of the existential order, absolute evil is also such a lower limit. Non-being, if it existed in itself diametrically opposed to being, would be completely destroyed. Such non-being is non-existent. Therefore as every existent thing has the form of the Divine, it has also the promise of good. The Upanisads give us detailed descriptions of the manner in which a man dies and is born again.³ The transition is illustrated by certain examples. As a grass-hopper, when it has come to the end of a blade of grass, finds another place of support, and then draws itself towards it, similarly this self, after reaching the end of this body, finds another place of support and then draws himself towards it. As a goldsmith, after taking a piece of gold, gives it another, newer and more beautiful shape, similarly does this self, after having thrown off this body, and dispelled ignorance, take another, newer and more beautiful form, whether it be of the manes, or demigods or gods or of ¹ See R.V. X 16 3 Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa I. 5 3 4, X 3 3 8 ² B U III 2 13 ³ See B U. IV. 3 37-38, IV 4 1-5 and 9 7. See Katha I 1 5-6. Prajā-pati or Brahmā or of any other beings.¹ These passages bring out several aspects of the theory of rebirth. The soul finds out its future body before it leaves the present one. The soul is creative in the sense that it creates a body. At every change of body, the soul takes a newer form. The state of each existence of the soul is conditioned and determined by its knowledge (vidyā), its conduct (karma)² in the previous existence. From the Brhad-āranyaka Upanisad it appears that all the organs accompany the departing soul, which enters into the samjñāna and becomes possessed of knowledge and consciousness³, vijñāna. The results of learning and conduct cling to the soul.⁴ The ignorant, the unenlightened go after death to sunless demoniac regions.⁵ The good are said to go up to regions which are sorrowless, through the air, sun, and moon.⁶ The Chāndogya Upanisad speaks of two ways open to mortals, the bright and the dark, the way of the gods⁷ and the way of the fathers.⁸ Those who practise penance and faith enter the path of light, and they never return to the cycle of human existence. Those who are only ethical, performing works of public utility, travel by the path of smoke, dwell in the world of the fathers till the time comes for them to fall down, then they are born again according to their deserts
. The results of learning and conduct cling to the soul.⁴ The ignorant, the unenlightened go after death to sunless demoniac regions.⁵ The good are said to go up to regions which are sorrowless, through the air, sun, and moon.⁶ The Chāndogya Upanisad speaks of two ways open to mortals, the bright and the dark, the way of the gods⁷ and the way of the fathers.⁸ Those who practise penance and faith enter the path of light, and they never return to the cycle of human existence. Those who are only ethical, performing works of public utility, travel by the path of smoke, dwell in the world of the fathers till the time comes for them to fall down, then they are born again according to their deserts.⁹ The descriptions may be fictitious, but the principle of the ascent and the descent of the soul is what the Upanisads insist on. Beautiful characters attain covetable births and ugly ones miserable births.¹⁰ Heaven and hell belong to the world of time. ¹ B U IV. 4 3-5 'As a man puts on new clothes in this world, throwing away those which he formerly wore, even so the soul of man puts on new bodies which are in accordance with its acts in a former life.' Visnu Smṛti XX 50 See B G II 13, 22 ² B U IV 4 2 ³ IV 4 3 ⁴ Cp with this the Buddhist view that the 'migrating soul consists of vijñāna and the other four skandhas of vedanā, feeling, samjñā, perception, samskāra or dispositions and rūpa or corporeal form ⁵ Iśa 3 Katha I 1 3 B U IV 4 11 ⁶ B U V. 10 1 ⁷ See R V X 19 1 B G VIII 24-26 ⁸ C U IV 15 5-6 There are minor variations in the accounts of C U and B U. and K. U. I ⁹ C U V 10 1-6 ¹⁰ C U V 10 7 K U I 2. Rebirth is the lot of man until he obtains true knowledge. By virtuous acts he furthers his evolution. The reward of goodness is to grow in goodness. The reward of growing in purity of heart is to gain a clearer vision of reality. Knowledge of Reality leads to salvation. It is sometimes suggested that the soul before undergoing rebirth experiences reward or punishment for its deeds in appropriate places. The original Vedic belief of reward in heaven or punishment gets mixed up with the doctrine of rebirth.¹ The soul is said to be a very minute entity residing in the cavity of the heart and resembling in every respect, except size, the visible man.
The fact that the individual consciousness has for its essential reality the Universal Self implies the possibility that every human being can rend the veil of separateness and gain recognition of his true nature and oneness with all beings. The Upanisads develop this character of life eternal. In the Rg Veda, what is aimed at is length of days on earth and life in the world of heaven in the company of gods. In the Brāhmanas, the performers of various rites are promised the reward of community of being, companionship and fellowship with the gods.² When the Absolute Brahman was recognised, the gods became intermediaries through whose influence the end of unity with the Absolute is obtained. When Brahman and Ātman are identified, the highest goal is declared to be unity with the Self. Deliverance is different from existence in svarga or paradise. The latter is a part of the manifested world. The soul may live there for ages and yet return to earth, a heir to its deeds. Deliverance, on the other hand, is a state of permanent union with the Highest Self. Life in paradise is a prolongation ¹ B U VI, 2 C.U V. 3-10 ² Satapatha Brāhmana II, 6 4 8; XI, 4, 4. 1. 21, VI 1 2. 3 of self-centred life, while life eternal is liberation from it. While the former is time extended, the latter is time transcended. Enlightenment does not mean a departure in space to a new abode. Arrival and departure have no meaning in the context of liberation. The passages where the soul is said to go by the veins to the rays of the sun and to the sun¹ or from the moon through the worlds of fire, wind, Varuṇa, Indra and Prajā-pati, to Brahmman² speak of the soul on the pathway to perfection. The Chāndogya Upanisad states that the soul of the emancipated, at death, goes out by the hundred and first vein through the crown of the head, fire, wind and sun to Brahmman ³. He who knows Brahmman becomes Brahman.⁴ Perfection is a state of mind, not contingent on change of time or place. It is an experience of the present, not a prophecy of the future. Temporal distinctions do not apply to it, but if any temporal terms are to be used, they will be words like 'now,' 'presently, ' 'When all desires that dwell in the human heart are cast away, then a mortal becomes immortal and (even) here he attaineth to Brahman.'⁵ Freedom is not a future state on whose coming we wait in expectation. It is life in the spirit, in God who is the foundation and power of life.⁶ 1. Katha III 11. 8 2. K.U. I. 2. 3. CU VIII 6 6 KU VI 16 Mantrī VI. 21. 4. B.U. IV. 4 9 M U III 2 9 5. Katha VI. 14. ⁶ The Christian scriptures say that 'the Kingdom of God is among you.' It lives and moves secretly here and now as the hidden ground overcoming Satan and the world Cp mokṣasya ra ḫi vāso'sṭi 1 a grāmṛaṇṭaraṇ. eva lā ajñāṇa-ḥṛdaya-graṇṭhṛ-rāso n.oṣṣa iti snṛiḥa Śra-vṛtā XIII 32. Freedom is not in a particular place nor has one to go to some other village in order to obtain it; the destruction of the knot of ignorance round our hearts is known as freedom M.B also tells us that the knower of Brahman has neither movement nor departure sarca-bhūtātma-bhūtasya samyag-bhūtāni pasyatah de.āpi mārga mṛṣṇyanty a-padasya paḍāisīrah 'He who has attained the state of the self of all beings, who has attained the perfect vision of all beings—about the path of such a person the gods themselves are perplexed, seeking to discover the place of one who has no place at all.' Katha VI. 14. Cp Kabīr: O Friend, hope for Him whilst you live, understand whilst you live, for in life deliverance abides Is moksa or liberation life with the Supreme Person whom we love and worship in this life?¹ Is it personal immortality with absolute likeness to God in the world of Brahmā?² Is it an impersonal absorption in the Divine Transcendent?³ All these views are to be found in the Upanisads. There are four aspects of release distinguished as sāmīpya or intimacy with the divine, sārūpya or sādharmya, similarity of nature with the divine, reflecting his glory, sālokya or conscious co-existence with the divine in the same world and sāyujya or communion with the divine bordering on identity. There are certain general characteristics of the state of moksa or freedom. It is conceived as freedom from subjection to time.⁴ As birth and death are the symbols of time, life eternal or moksa is liberation from births and deaths. It is the fourth state of consciousness beyond the three worlds, what the Bhagavad-gītā calls paramam brahma or brahma-nirvāna.⁵ It is freedom from subjection to the law of karma. The deeds, good or bad, of the released cease to have any effect on him.⁶ Even as a horse shakes its mane, the liberated soul shakes off his sin, even as the moon comes out entire after having suffered. > If your bonds be not broken, whilst living, what hope of deliverance in death? > It is but an empty dream that the soul shall have union with Him because it has passed from the body, > If He is found now, He is found then, > If not, we do but go to dwell in the city of Death. ET by Rabindranath Tagore 'What then is our course, what the manner of our flight (to the Fatherland whence we have come?') asks Plotinus and answers. 'This is not a journey for the feet, the feet bring us only from land to land, nor need you think of coach or ship to carry you away, all this order of things you must set aside and refuse to see, you must close the eyes and call instead upon another vision which is to be waked within you, a vision, the birthright of all, which few turn to use.' Enneads I 6 8 ¹ CU III 20 2 ² MU III 1 3, III 2 6-8 ³ Praśna VI 5 ⁴ Atharva Veda X 8 44 ⁵ In Buddhist texts it is nirvāna dhātu beyond the three worlds. In the Atharva Veda IV 14 3, the fourth sphere is svar, the light beyond the triad of prthvī, antariksa and dyaus. The Brāhmanas are concerned only with the sphere of the gods. On the matter of the fourth transcendent sphere they sometimes adopt an agnostic attitude. anadhvā var tad yad imān lokān ati caturtham asti vā na vā Śatapatha Brāhmana I 2 1 12, 4 21 ⁶ BU IV 4 22 an eclipse from Rāhu, so does the liberated individual free himself from mortal bondage.¹ His works consume themselves like a reed stalk in the fire.² As water does not stop on the lotus leaf, works do not cling to him.³ Works have a meaning only for a self-centred individual Liberation is the destruction of bondage, which is the product of ignorance.⁴ Ignorance is destroyed by knowledge and not by works.⁵ Freedom is not a created entity; it is the result of recognition Knowledge takes us to the place where desire is at rest, a-kāma, where all desires are fulfilled, āpta-kāma, where the self is the only desire, ātma-kāma.⁶ He who knows himself to be all can have no desire. When the Supreme is seen, the knots of the heart are cut asunder, the doubts of the intellect are dispelled and the effects of our actions are destroyed.⁷ There can be no sorrow or pain or fear when there is no other
.³ Works have a meaning only for a self-centred individual Liberation is the destruction of bondage, which is the product of ignorance.⁴ Ignorance is destroyed by knowledge and not by works.⁵ Freedom is not a created entity; it is the result of recognition Knowledge takes us to the place where desire is at rest, a-kāma, where all desires are fulfilled, āpta-kāma, where the self is the only desire, ātma-kāma.⁶ He who knows himself to be all can have no desire. When the Supreme is seen, the knots of the heart are cut asunder, the doubts of the intellect are dispelled and the effects of our actions are destroyed.⁷ There can be no sorrow or pain or fear when there is no other. The freed soul is like a blind man who has gained his sight, a sick man made whole. He cannot have any doubt for he is full and abiding knowledge. He attains the highest bliss for which a feeble analogy is married happiness. He can attain any world he may seek.⁸ The law of Karma prevails in the world of samsāra, where our deeds lead us to higher or lower stations in the world of time. If we obtain knowledge of the eternal reality, Brahman or Ātman, deeds have no power over us. The state of life eternal is said to be beyond good and evil The knower of the self ceases to be stained by action.⁹ He goes beyond the ethical, though rooted in it,¹⁰ anyatra dharmāt, anyatrādharmāt The ¹ C U. VIII ² C U V 24 3 ³ C U IV 14 3 ⁴ bandhana-nāsa eva hı moksah na kāryabhūtah Š on B U III 3 1 5 mokṣo na kanna-sādhyah avidyāstamayatvāt Ā on B U III 3 1 ⁶ Śatapatha Brāhmana X 5 4 15 B U III 4 2, IV 4 12 7 M U II 2 8 ⁸ M U III 1 10 9 Tattvārtha Brāhmaṇa III. 12 9 8. ¹⁰ Katha, II 14; see also C U. VIII 4 1, M U III 1 3; K U I 4 Cp The Buddha Majjhima Nikāya I 135 ‘If you understand the parable of the raft, you must discard dharma, and adharma’ John III 9 ‘Whoever is born of God, cannot sin’ Galatians V. 18 ‘If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law’ Eckhart 'There neither vice nor virtue ever entered in' Dr W R Inge, writing on Christian Mystics, pointed out that the illumination of path of virtue and vice is a means, not an end. The end is beyond the law of injunction and prohibition of good and evil.¹ Our activities, being inspired by the divine cannot be wrong'; 'Nous is never wrong,' says Aristotle.² The life of a free spirit is not bound by any formulas. It breaks its bonds and finds its own way to a development of its own which could never have been charted in advance. The liberated spirit conforms spon- taneously to the ethical rules. 'To one who has knowledge of the self, non-hatred and other virtues come off naturally without any effort'.³ Every religion sets before us the goal of liberation, which has a sense of exaltation, a sense of freedom and victory over the world, over evil and death. When we are delivered in life, our condition is that of the jīvan-mukta, who is freed from the bonds of conditioned exist- ence.⁴ His appearance continues without much outer change. His embodied state does not affect the being whom it clothes, as he has complete control over the bodily frame and knows its externality. Though tossed in the welter he retains his vision. While jīvan-mukti is deliverance during life, videha-mukti is the mystic, has 'strictly speaking no moral side, for morality, in the ordinary sense, is left behind. As the anonymous French mystic who wrote The Mirror of Simple Souls puts it "Virtues, I take leave of you Henceforth I shall be more free and more at peace Once I was your servant, now I am delivered from your thraldom!"... What he means is that in the higher stage morality has become autonomous and spon- taneous. God's service has become perfect freedom.' Church Family Newspaper July 6, 1923 ¹ In Majjhima-Nikāya (II. 22 ff) it is said that arrival (patipanna) involves a destruction without residue of good and bad conduct (kusala and akusala sīla). It is an eradication of all ethical values. In the parable of the raft (Majjhima I. 135, 260 and Sutta Nipāta 21) the distinction of right and wrong, the exercise of the discriminatory consciousness are of no more use to one who has crossed to the other shore than a boat would be to one who has reached shore. These values are for crossing over, not for possession, nītharanatthāya, na gahanatthāya. St Augustine points out that one should 'no longer use the law as means of arrival when one has arrived' De Spir et Lit. 16. ² De Anima III. 10 433 A ³ utipannātma-prabodhasya tv advestrtvādayo gunāh, ayatnato bhavanty asya na tu sādhana-rūpīnah Sureśvaracārya's Naiṣkarmya-siddhi IV 69. ⁴ As the slough of a snake might he on an ant-hill dead and cast away, even so does his body lie Being verily bodiless, he becomes immortal, says the Upaniṣad deliverance after death, when out of bodily form In either case the soul is freed from conditioned existence There is the suggestion about krama-mukti or gradual release When the release is only partial and temporary, the individual soul descends again into the egoistic life and the higher con- sciousness is withdrawn from him The memory of that experi- ence, however, will work its way, until the impurities are removed The different emphases we find in the Upanisads, in regard to the state of freedom, can be understood if we bear in mind the integral or fourfold character of Brahman In some passages oneness with Brahman is stressed, in others communion with the Supreme Person and in still others devotion to the Cosmic Spirit and participation in the work of the world Union with God may take many forms When the outer self is hushed, the deeper layers of consciousness are released into activity, the self may enter into the silence of the Absolute Brahman or into communion with the Eternal Person or be transported into the beatific embrace of the Cosmic Spirit The soul may pass through various realms of spirit, bathing in their light and feeding on their bliss Yājñavalkya centres his attention on oneness with the Absolute Brahman, a state where there is no desire, there is no passion, not even any consciousness, pretya samjñā nāsti ¹ When honey is prepared by the collection of various juices, the latter cannot discriminate from which trees they were drawn, even so when the souls are merged in the Real, they cannot discriminate from which bodies they come ² The self rises above the distinction of subject and object which characterises all empirical consciousness It is altogether time-transcending This is impersonal immortality where the soul achieves abso- luteness, unconditioned being ³ It is illumined consciousness ¹ B U II 4 12, IV 5 13 ² C U VI 6 10 B U IV 3 21 ³ Cp Viveka-cūdāmani, ascribed to Ś It also occurs in Gauḍapāda's Kārikā, on Mā U na mrodho na cotpattir na baddho na ca sādhakaḥ na mumukṣuṇr na vai mukta ṛty esā paramārihatā There is no destruction, nor is there origination There is no one bound nor is there one practising discipline There is no seeker of freedom nor is there the freed Such is the highest state and not oblivion of consciousness It is not a void of immobile peace where all is lost and everything is extinct. This is only one aspect of deliverance There is also the account where the self becomes one with the Supreme Person
. This is only one aspect of deliverance There is also the account where the self becomes one with the Supreme Person. He who knows 'I am Brahman,' becomes the universe. Even the gods cannot prevent him from becoming the universe for he is its soul.¹ Man has potential universality which he actualises in the state of liberation. We are one with the indeterminate pure silence in essence and with the personal Lord in the liberty of cosmic manifestation. Out of the peace and poise of Brahman arises the free activity of the liberated individual. Essential unity with God is unity with one another through God. In the sense of heightened awareness we do not forget the world, which seems strangely one piece. We are lifted out of provincialism into perspective, as we become aware of something vaster, profounder, more ultimate than the world.² 'When the mind returns to its natural abode there is neither the path nor anyone who traverses it.' citté tu var parāvṛtte na yānam no ca yāyinah Lankāvatāra Sūtra Sylvain Levi's ed, p 322 Nirvāna is defined as the absence of the distinction of knower and knowable, grāhya-grāhaka-rahutatā. Negative descriptions of nirvāna abound in Mādhyamaka-Vṛtti. aprakīnam asamprāptam anucchinnam aśāśvatam aniruddham anuṇṭannam etat nirvānam ucyate XXV Cp Buddhatvam, na bhāvo nāpṛ cābhāvo buddhatvam tena kathyate tasmād buddha-tathā-praśne avyākṛtamayo matah Mahāyāna Sutrālamkāra. See also 22 and 26 na śuddhā nāśuddhā buddhatā naśkatā na bahutā See also yasmin sarvam idam protam jagat sthāvara jangamam tasminn eva layam yāti budbudāh sāgare yathā. 11 All this universe, movable and immovable is interwoven in him. They all merge in him like bubbles in the sea. Cūlikā U 17 "To be refunded into Brahman as an earthen vessel is refunded into its own causal substance, i.e. clay, means nothing else but complete annihilation." R B I 3 21. 1 B U I 4 10 ² Cp Plotinus 'We see all things, not in process of becoming, but in being and see themselves in the other. Each being contains in itself the whole intelligible world. Therefore All is everywhere. Each is there All, and All is each Man, as he now is, has ceased to be the All. But when he ceases to be an individual, he raises himself again and penetrates the whole world.' E Rule over oneself, svārājya, becomes rule over the world, sāmrājya Salvation is sarvātma-bhāva ¹ When the mind assumes the form of the Supreme through the power of meditation we have samprajñāta-samādhi, when the individual is aware that his consciousness has assumed the nature of Brahman ² But when all consciousness of external objects in the waking state due to the functioning of the senses, of internal objects in the dream state due to the functioning of mind, or of the unmanifested in the state of dreamless sleep is absent, we have a-samprajñāta-samādhi ³ While in the former our awareness is of God, in the latter it is of the Absolute There are passages⁴ which suggest that the released self retains its own form freed from the imperfections of the empirical ego and untouched by worldly pleasure and pain ⁵ Yet other pas- sages affirm the presence of such qualities. They cannot there- fore be incompatible with pure intelligence. Such is the view of Bādarāyana ⁶ The liberated self’s desires are fulfilled by its mere will ⁷ The self is spoken of as sinless and one with the highest Person Non-separation or avībhāga from Brahman is Referring to the desire of Eckhart to be the one, undivided, eternal, imperishable Godhead which is wholly being, wholly spirit, wholly joy, Rudolf Otto observes, 'this differs fundamentally and essentially from the simpler Christian conception of salvation to which it must always seem an extravagance, a Titanic pride and a transgression of the impos- sible limitations of the creature, a Faustian urge as we call it to-day ' Mysticism East and West, p 181 ¹ 'This (universe) is myself who am all this, identity with all is his highest state, the self's own natural, supreme state ' aham evedam sarvo'smīti manyate so yah sarvātma-bhāvah, so'syātmanah paramo lokah, parama ātma-bhāvah svābhāvīkah SB on BU IV 3 20 sarvarakatvam evāsya rūpam IV 3 21 yat svarūpam pūrnatvam para- mātma-bhāvam V I I, ² brahmākāra-mano-vṛti-pravāho'hamkṛtim vinā samprajñāta-samādhis syād dhyānābhyāsa-prakarsatah Muktikā U II 53 ³ prabhā-śūnyam manah-śūnyam buddhī-śūnyam cīd-ātmakam atad-vyāvṛti-rūpo'sau samādhir muni-bhāvītah ibid II 54 ⁴ CU II: 141, see also VII 15, VII 22, VII 31 ⁵ Though endowed with divine qualities, Audulomi contends that the nature of the liberated self is pure intelligence and it cannot have the qualities which are dependent on limiting adjuncts. BS IV 4 6, upādhi-sambandhādhīnatvāt tesām na caitanyavat svarūpatva-sambhavah SB IV 4-6 ⁶ BS IV 47 ⁷ BS IV 48 CU. VIII 21 suggested in many passages.¹ Non-separation is not absolute identity. The liberated self has no other overlord, anyādhipatīh ² There are passages where the self is said to possess adjuncts, which make for individuality and others where these are denied Bādarāyana reconciles the two views by affirming that the assumption or non-assumption of individual form is entirely a matter of option for the released soul.³ It can, if it so chooses, enter into many bodies created by its own will even as the flame of a lamp can convert itself into several flames ⁴ In the Artareya Aranyaka it is said that Vāmadeva ascended from this world and attained immortality in yonder world of heaven ⁵ The Kausītakī Upanisad gives us an account of the world of Brahmā with the Aparājita palace, the tree Ilya, the Sālajya city and the sea Ara. The passages of the Upanisads which make out that the reward of enlightenment is heaven in one form or another have in mind co-residence with Brahmā or Hranya-garbha ⁶ The Brahma Sūtra discusses the question whether those who go by the path of the gods reach the world of Hranya-garbha Brahmā or become one with Īśvara. Bādari holds that they reach the world of Hranya-garbha, for only to his world is going possible. Śaṁkara says, 'The created Brahmā has a specific locality and so can be the goal of a journey but not the Supreme Brahman who is present everywhere and is the inner self of the travelling individual selves '7 When we reach brahma-loka, we continue to function there until the end of the process, when along with Brahmā, we enter the Supreme Brahman 8 Śaṁkara thinks that all this refers to gradual ¹ BS IV 4 4 S B. IV 4-6 ² BS IV 4-9. ³ BS IV. 4-12 yadā saśarīratām samkalpayat tadā saśarīro bhavat, yadā tu a-śarīratām tadā aśarīrah iti bhāvah S B IV 4. 12 ⁴ BS IV 4 15 yathā pradīpah ekah aneka-pradīpa-bhāvam āpadyate vikāra-śakti-yogāt, evam ekah apि san muktātmā arśvarya-yogāt aneka- bhāvam āpadya sarvāni samkalpa-srṣṭāni śarīrāni āviśat S B IV 4 15 ⁵ II 5 ⁶ See B U IV. 3
. IV 4-6 ² BS IV 4-9. ³ BS IV. 4-12 yadā saśarīratām samkalpayat tadā saśarīro bhavat, yadā tu a-śarīratām tadā aśarīrah iti bhāvah S B IV 4. 12 ⁴ BS IV 4 15 yathā pradīpah ekah aneka-pradīpa-bhāvam āpadyate vikāra-śakti-yogāt, evam ekah apि san muktātmā arśvarya-yogāt aneka- bhāvam āpadya sarvāni samkalpa-srṣṭāni śarīrāni āviśat S B IV 4 15 ⁵ II 5 ⁶ See B U IV. 3. 15 C U VIII 12 3 ⁷ kārya-brahmanah eva gantavyatvam upapadyate pradeśavatvāt, na tu parasmin brahman tasya sarva-gatatvāt gantrnām pratyagātmaivāc ca S B IV 3 7 ⁸ See Praśna V 5 Cp also. brahmanā saha te sarve samprāpie pratīsañcare, parasyānte krtātmānah praviśanti param padam When the dissolution of the world takes place the selves with their natures fulfilled enter the highest plane along with Brahmā. release, krama-mukti ¹ Jaimini holds that the liberated souls enter the highest Brahman ² Bādarāyana is of the view that those who meditate on symbols go to the world of the symbols and not to the world of Brahmatā. Even as we have the fourfold nature of the Supreme, the liberated individual has different aspects of utter peace, pure energy, devotion to the Cosmic Spirit and participation in the world. He looks at the world and is lost in it, as it is a perpetual striving to raise itself above itself ³. When we refer to Absolute Brahman, we emphasize the illuminated quiescence, the non-objective consciousness in which there is a total extinction of sorrow and evil, the pure bliss infinitely surpassing all human joys, far exceeding the power of man to conceive. This very insight makes the self one with the Supreme and all existences. Only we are no more bound to them in a false relation. In our transfigured consciousness where our egoistic individuality is absent, we are not divided from others but feel one with them. Our real self is no more the individual, mental being, but is one with the Self behind the mental forms of all other selves. Our body, life, mind are no more binding, but become the transparent vehicle of our divine consciousness. When that end is reached we are a true becoming of the Divine, a free movement of the Universal Spirit. Our body, life and mind, we feel, are one with the cosmic body, life and mind. ⁴ Our spirit fills the whole world. By knowing the eternal we understand the true nature of God, the world and the individual. Spiritual wisdom (vidyā) does not abolish the world, but removes our ignorance (avidyā) of it. When we rise to our true being, the selfish ego falls away from us and the true integral ¹ SB IV 3 11 ² BS IV 3 12-14 ³ Communing in this sort through earth and heaven With every form of creature, as it looked Towards the Uncreated with a countenance Of adoration, with an eye of love
⁴ Cp Traherne 'You never enjoy the world aright till the sea itself floweth in your veins, till you are clothed with the heavens and crowned with the stars, and perceive yourself to be the sole heir of the whole world, and more than so, because men are in it who are everyone sole heirs as well as you.' self takes possession of us We continue to live and act in the world, though with a different outlook The world also continues, though it is no more alien to us. To live permanently in this new consciousness is to live in eternity. Possessing the immortality of non-birth, the redeemed self still assumes, by free volition an individual form in the manifested world. Birth is a becoming of the Supreme in the cosmic being. This becoming is not inconsistent with Being. It becomes a means and not an obstacle to the enjoyment of life eternal. To be released from the chain of birth and death is not to flee from the world of becoming Bondage does not consist in the assumption of birth or individuality, but in the persistence of the ignorant sense of the separate, selfish ego. It is not the embodiment that creates the bondage but the frame of mind To the free spirit life has no terrors He wishes to conquer life for God He uses the world as the mould and condition for the manifestation of his spiritual freedom He may assume birth for the purpose of helping the world ¹ There will be individualisation without an ego-sense The play of the individual consciousness can take many forms, assume many aspects and poises All through, however, he lives in the truth of the cosmic play with no delusion, released from ego, in full control of the manifested being The individual soul is eternal It endures throughout the cosmic process It commences at birth as the inheritor of the previous person and survives physical death in an altered form. For the self that has realised perfection the body ceases to be a burden He lives in the flesh but not after the flesh The individual is an aspect of the Transcendent in the universe and when liberated from all limitations, he acts with his centre in the Supreme The inner peace is manifested in the joyous freedom of outer activity. He will be at work in the world though he cannot wish to do any evil ² He can do any action, for he does it disinterestedly ³ The desires of those whose thoughts are fixed on the Supreme do not bind ⁴ The freed soul ¹ lokānugraha evaikो हेतुस्ते जन्मकर्मानः काल्दासः. Raghु-वम्शa X 31. 'God so loved the world that he gave' John. III 16 ² B U IV 4 23 ³ Iśa 2 ⁴ na mayy āvesita-dhīyām kāmah kāmāya kalpate. does not aim at the improvement of humanity, but his life itself is a service His renunciation has become the natural consequence of his wisdom The Chāndogya Upanisad dis- tinguishes desires that bind from the desires that liberate, and speaks of the Supreme Self as desiring and purposing truth ¹ Śamkara argues that the co-existence of karma or work, in- volving, as it does, the distinction of doer and the thing done, with the knowledge of the identity of the individual self with the Supreme, which negates all such distinctions, is incon- ceivable.² It is only self-centred action that becomes impossible. The liberated individual becomes active in God. God is born in us, i.e. becomes active in us, when all powers of the soul, which hitherto have been bound and imprisoned, become liberated and set free 'For we are his offspring.'³ God becomes the centre of the free man's life so that love is radiated and good works spring forth spontaneously. He is as unconscious of the power of his life as life itself, which springs, blossoms and puts forth its life's work in a free outpouring with no reflection on the why or the wherefore He lives out of his own depths, and life wells up out of itself. In a sense, he is not the doer. He has become one with the Universal Self, possessed by the Trans- cendent, he is udāsīna or unattached. The Universal Self has taken sovereign possession of the individual soul. When the individual soul ascends into the silence it becomes' vast, tran- quil, actionless. It observes the actions of prakriti without taking part in them. There is no personal factor, and therefore there is no bondage. Those who have attained life eternal live and wander about ¹ satyak-āmah, satya-amkalpah VIII 1 5 6 'This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God.' Richard of St Victor says 'The soul utterly puts off itself (i e its self-centred desires) and puts on divine love, and being conformed to that beauty which it has beheld, it utterly passes into that other glory' ² Introduction to Kena ³ 'I do nothing of myself' (John VIII 18). 'Not what I will but what thou wilt' (Mark XIV 36) Bcehme said 'Thou shall do nothing but forsake thy own will, viz that which thou callest "I" or "thyself" By which means all thy evil properties will grow weak, faint and ready to die, and then thou wilt sink down again into that one thing, from which thou art originally sprung' Discourse between Two Souls in the world, to all appearance, like ordinary mortals. They wear no special signs. Only their activities are centred in the highest being and are completely under their control, which is not so for those who live in the world of samsāra. They are tolerant, sympathetic and respectful to the unliberated who are struggling with unsatisfied minds to diminish the evil and imperfection in the world. These are helped by the seers who accept the conventions with the idea of refining them. They live and suffer and rejoice and die as other mortals do, but they have no doubt in their minds, no fear in their hearts. For the liberated soul, samsāra and mokṣa or nirvāna as the Buddhists call it, time and eternity, the phenomenal and the real, are one. Though the liberated soul lives in the world of becoming, he lives with his consciousness centred in the Divine ground of all being. As a matter of fact, his consciousness, because it is centred in God, is intensified, and so his life in the world is more vital. Holy calm, supreme self-mastery and righteous action characterise the lives of saints. They become a light, a power of the Truth to which they have struggled and attained, and help the development of others.¹ They will be engaged in the work of the world,² sustained by their rare vision, until the struggle with evil and imperfection is altogether overcome and the world is restored to spirit. Whether after liberation one takes an active interest in the world or renounces it is a matter of temperament. Yājñavalkya chooses to retire to the forest, while Janaka rules a state. Whatever they do, they help those like us who are lost in the world of sorrow and suffering. Though embodiment or disembodiment makes no difference to the liberated souls, as they are filled with compassion, they take up the burden of the world. According to Viveka-cūdamani, 'Themselves having crossed over, they remain out of compassion for men and in ¹ Āryadeva in his Cittā-viśuddhi-prakarana says that the great souls who have won the fierce battle of life attempt to save others.' mahā-sattvo maho-pāyah sthira-buddhir atantritah jītvā dustara-samgrvāmam tārayed aparān api ² For Kabīr the true saint is one 'who requireth thee not to close the doors, to hold the breath, and to renounce the world.' who teacheth thee to be still amidst all thine activities.' order to help them also to make the crossing.' Until all people are redeemed, the liberated work in the world assuming individual forms which are the vestures of spiritual life. Spirit and material existence, ānanda and anna, are the highest and lowest rungs of a continuous series. There is a link between the two
.' mahā-sattvo maho-pāyah sthira-buddhir atantritah jītvā dustara-samgrvāmam tārayed aparān api ² For Kabīr the true saint is one 'who requireth thee not to close the doors, to hold the breath, and to renounce the world.' who teacheth thee to be still amidst all thine activities.' order to help them also to make the crossing.' Until all people are redeemed, the liberated work in the world assuming individual forms which are the vestures of spiritual life. Spirit and material existence, ānanda and anna, are the highest and lowest rungs of a continuous series. There is a link between the two. Even as the eternal Divine is able to hold the whole universe within itself while remaining pure spirit, the soul that is one with the Eternal possesses the same poise, with reference to the individual setting. It is no more ignorantly immersed in the mutable creation. It exists consciously in its true being while using the psycho-physical apparatus, which it does not any more mistake for its true being. While the liberated retain the consciousness of the transcending, self-existent, timeless, they identify their being with the Infinite God in whom all existences dwell. Again and again, the Upanisads stress that we should see all existences in the Self and the Self in all existences. Even as the Supreme is all these existences, we also should acquire the right relation to the world. Perfect fulfilment of our individuality means the perfect fulfilment of our relations with the world and the other individuals. We are called upon to overcome not only our separate egoistic existence but also our life in a paradise of self-absorbed bliss. The perfected soul cannot look with indifference on the sufferings of the imperfect, for they are also his own self. He would work to lift them into freedom. It is not now a function of altruism but is the life divine, the integral way. He will work until all beings in the manifested world are fulfilled. The liberated individuals are released from their individuality at the close of creation. Brahma-loka is the widest possible integration of cosmic experience, the farthest limit of manifested being. Brahmā is the soul that ensouls this great dwelling. He is the true life of every being. He endures during the whole period of the cosmos. Beyond it there is nothing in the manifested world. It is not ¹ According to Vyāsa’s Yoga Bhāsya (I, 24), God is permanently associated with śuddhāntah-karana. If God who is the eternally free can have an inner organ, the freed men can also have it. Cp Chuang Tzu 'The sages of old first got Tao for themselves, then got it for others' the eternal beyond the empirical It is the farthest limit of manifestation When the world receives its consummation, when it is delivered from time to eternity, then there is the flight of the alone to the Alone The plan of God for the world, which was before creation is carried out, for He is the beginning and the end of the world.¹ The Cosmic Lord has his exteriorised existence and his interior life When he turns outward the cosmos is evolved, when he turns his attention inward, the cosmos retreats into latency and the manifested world terminates When the world is redeemed, the Supreme Lord becomes the Absolute One, alone, and knows nothing else In the Brahma-loka the liberated individuals present to each other as one They are manifold in the cosmic process Their consciousness of the Supreme which is lodged in the buddhi is one and not divided among the bodily forms. This identical consciousness is associated with different bodies This manifoldness does not take away from the unity of the divine being Until the final return of the whole universe into the Absolute, until the purpose of God before the creation is carried out, the individuals, freed from bondage to matter, will retain their distinctiveness without being sundered by boundaries When the two poles of being are reconciled, when all individuals rise above the plane of quality, with its ego sense, struggling aspiration and imperfect love, the world lapses into the Absolute.²
The Upanisads use the inherited forms of religious worship as means for the realisation of the Supreme The Vedic mantras are addressed to various powers, symbolic of important aspects, of the Supreme Reality They teach the religion of śraddhā, ¹ Cp The Cosmic Christ speaking through Jesus, 'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, for what was first comes at last and the last is the first' ² In another place I have said that the universe is not an illusion utterly devoid of reality but the working out of a possibility of the Divine which is infinite possibility This world of ours is not the only possibility and other possibilities will unfold themselves when this is worked out An Idealist View of Life, Fourth Impression, 1951, p. 343. E* faith and upāsana, worship The Brāhmanas deal with rites, and by their performance we are said to gain our ends Both these methods are taken up by the Upanisads and reinterpreted While the Upanisads recognise that deliverance is the supreme end of life, they are aware that many are not ready for the supreme sacrifice, the dying to their ego. They need some preparation for it. They ask for emotional satisfactions, and for their sake devotional and ritualistic practices are tolerated. They are not useless, for they lead us on by the upward path by directing our minds and hearts to the reality of the Eternal Being and gradually take us out of ourselves into the true religion of the spirit.¹ Till the goal is reached, the law of Karma works, and we get the rewards for our worship and piety according to the intensity of our faith and devotion. The different forms of śraddhā or faith, upāsana or worship, and practices of yoga are treated as means to the supreme end of self-knowledge or ātma-darśana, which is at once a union with the one transcendent Being beyond all the worlds and a union with all beings in the world. Again and again the Upanisads speak of the God who is hidden, mhitam guhāyām. God is not easily comprehended. There is a certain element of reserve in God as distinct from His revelation. The reserve is there because man has to put forth effort to know the Divine God does not wish to relieve us of our responsibility. As His purpose is the development of free human personalities, He does not disclose himself to us easily and openly. He remains shrouded in mystery, and yields only when our total self yearns for God.² ¹ A second century Christian apologist said 'Among us you will find uneducated persons and artisans and old women, who, if they are unable in words to prove the benefit of our doctrine, yet by their deeds exhibit the benefit arising from their persuasion of its truth, they do not rehearse speeches but exhibit good works, when struck they do not strike again, when robbed they do not go to law, they give to those that ask of them, and love their neighbours as themselves' Quoted in Cambridge Review February 14, 1948, p 348 ² 'O Rāma, the Supreme is pleased with him who is ever endowed with non-violence, truthfulness, compassion and kindness to all creatures ' ahmsā satya-vacanam dayā bhūtesv anugrahah, yasyaItāni sadā rāma, tasya tusyati keśavah Visnu-dharmottara I 58 Three stages are mentioned as preparatory to God-vision (brahma-sāksātkāra), śravana or hearing, manana or reflection, and mdīdhyāsana or contemplation. The first step is to learn what has been thought and said about the subject from teachers. We should listen to them with śraddhā or faith.¹ Faith is an act of will, a yearning of the heart rather than an intellectual disposition. It is faith in the existence of the beyond, āstikya-buddhī as Samkara calls it.² We should have faith in the integrity of the seers whose selflessness has enabled them to know the nature of Ultimate Reality by direct acquaintance. The propositions they have formulated from out of their personal experience give us knowledge by description, as we do not yet have direct vision of the truth. Yet the knowledge we acquire by hearsay or report is not unverifiable. The truth of the Vedic propositions can be verified by us, if we are prepared to fulfil the necessary conditions. In the second stage of manana or reflection we attempt to form clear ideas by the logical processes of inference, analogy, etc. So long as faith is firm, the need for philosophy is not felt. With the decline of faith, the spirit of inquiry increases. Unquestioning belief in the inherent power of knowledge underlies the whole intellectual fabric of the Upaniṣads. The truth of the Vedic propositions can, however, be inferred by us by logical processes. Hearing of the scriptures is not devoid of intellectual content. He who hears understands up to a point. But when he reflects on what he hears, he adds to faith a knowledge which increases faith. There is great insistence on the need for logical inquiry.³ Without it faith will degenerate into credulity. Without the material supplied by faith, logical reason may become mere speculation. While the scriptures declare the truth by enunciation, philosophy establishes it by argument. Samkara says, 'When the two, scripture and reasoning, ¹ guru-vedānta-vākyesu viśvāsah ² Ś on Katha I 1 2 ³ Wisdom cannot be attained by any means other than inquiry notpadyate vinā jñānam vicārenānyasādhanarh Ś Vasistha says 'The word even of a child, if it is reasonable, should be accepted. All else should be rejected even if it be said by the Creator.' yukti-yuktam upādeyam vacanam bālakād api anyat trnam iva vyājyam apy uktam padma-janmanā demonstrate the unity of the self it is seen clearly as a bael fruit in the palm of one's hand '¹ There are many for whom the Supreme is not an immediately experienced fact, nor are they willing to accept its validity on the authority of the scriptures For them logical arguments are necessary The distinction between śruti, what is heard, and smṛti, what is remembered, between direct experience and traditional interpretation, is based on the distinction between śravana and manana. The deposit of experience is not the same as the conclusions of theology. The primary data are the śruti they are experiential, the formulated conclusions are secondary interpretations. The one represents the evidence, the other records a doctrine. When there is a dispute between the two we get back to the evidence. It is always open to review the evidence afresh. The doctrinal statements are conditioned by the historical situations in which they are produced. We must be able to get behind the propositions to the events they describe, stand in the tension between the data and the interpretations, if we are to understand the significance of the doctrines. The defect of all scholasticism, Indian or European, is that it tends to regard itself as a cold, bloodless logic which moves from one position to another with a remorseless rigour. Life is the master of thought and not thought of life. Logical knowledge acquired by a study of the scriptures and reflection on their teaching is only indirect knowledge It is not a direct grasp of reality Thought must pass into realisa- tion The ideas of the Upanisads should be imaginatively and inwardly apprehended They should be allowed to sink deep and simmer before they are re-created in life Nididhyāsana is the process by which intellectual consciousness is transformed into a vital one We give up the pride of learning and concentrate on the truth ² Faith becomes ¹ āgamopapattī hyātmarkatva-prakāśanāya pravṛtte śaknutah karatala-gata-bīlvam iva darśayitum Š on B U III 1 1. ² vihāya sarva-sāstrāni yat satyam tad upāsyatām Uttara Gītā Even if we study the Vedic texts and all the scriptures we cannot know the truth of reality if we are the victims of intellectual pride adhītya caturo vedān sarva-sāstrāny anekaśah brahma-tattvam na jānantri darpopahata-cetasah
. ² vihāya sarva-sāstrāni yat satyam tad upāsyatām Uttara Gītā Even if we study the Vedic texts and all the scriptures we cannot know the truth of reality if we are the victims of intellectual pride adhītya caturo vedān sarva-sāstrāny anekaśah brahma-tattvam na jānantri darpopahata-cetasah. Muktikā U II 65 reality in us by the steady concentration of mind on the real¹ Nididhyāsana or contemplation is different from upāsana or worship. Worship is an aid to contemplation, though it is not itself contemplation. In worship there is the distinction between the worshipping self and the worshipped object, but in contemplation this distinction is held in suspense. There is a stillness, a calm, in which the soul lays itself open to the Divine Intellect, becomes like a calm sea without a ripple on its surface. Meditation is not argument. It is just holding oneself steadily in front of the truth.² The whole energy of the mind is centred on the object to the exclusion of all else. We let the full flavour of the idea meditated on expand in the mind. Even upāsana is defined as the continued flow of an identical current of thought.³ It is also of the nature of meditation.⁴ We can practise meditation in any direction, place or time in which we can concentrate our mind.⁵ Here the process of abstraction, isolating the self from the objective, is employed. Concentration is the condition of prayer. More than condition it is itself prayer. In prayer we must dismiss all distracting ideas, disturbing influences and retire within oneself. We are asked to retire to a field or a forest where the world and its noise are out of sight and far away, where the sun and the sky, the earth and the water all speak the same language, reminding the seeker that he is here to develop like the things that grow all around him. In all the three stages, a teacher may be found useful. Only V darvī pāka-rasam yathā Cp also Bunyan Seest thou a man wise in his own eyes, There is more hope of a fool than of him ¹ nididhyāsanam sad-ekārtha-vrtti-pravāham ² In ancient Greek thought, theory meant not hypothesis but contemplation, the act not of a speculator but of a spectator. It is not the result of investigation as that of the process of investigating, the beholding itself. Theory provides the necessary basis for effective realisation. The Greek usage brings out that no realisation can be attempted without an adequate theoretical preparation. ³ samāna-pratyaya-pravāha-karanam upāsanam SB IV 17 ⁴ dhyāna-rūpa SB IV 18 ⁵ yatra dīśi deśe kāle vā sādhakasya ekāgratā bhavatī tatra eva upāsīta SB IV 1 II those who act in the right way are the ācāryas.¹ Samkarānanda distinguishes three kinds of disciples. He who understands what is taught along with the proof, when he hears only once, is the good pupil, he who understands it only after hearing many times and after giving himself and his teacher much trouble is the bad pupil. He who understands what the teacher says but cannot control his own mind, he is the muddling. The last are to be led to firm conviction by various means.² The truth can be taught only up to a point. It has to be assimilated by personal effort, by self-discipline. Yoga is a term that signifies the method of concentration³ by which we attain to unity with the Eternal.⁴ The practice of yoga is mentioned in the Upamsads. In the Katha we are asked to suppress speech and mind, merge the latter in the knowledge self, that in the great self, that in the tranquil self, the Absolute. The highest stage is attained when the five senses, mind and intellect are at rest.⁵ The Svetāśvatara Upamsad gives detailed directions on ¹ svayam ācarate yas tu ācāryas so'bhīdhīyate Cp Chaucer's poor parson of a town This noble ensample to his sheep he yaf That first he wroghte, and afterwards he taughte The Bhāgavata says: 'The seeker of the highest truth and supreme good should seek guidance from a teacher who has mastered the Vedic texts and realised the self. tasmād gurum prapadyeta jīñāsuh śreya uttamam śābde pāre ca nisnātam brahmany upaśamāśrayam XI 3 21 ² yah sakrd-uktam sopapattikam grhnāti sa uttamah, yas tu anekaśa ucyamānam ātmānam gurum ca samkleśya grhnāti sa mandah, yas tu gurūktam grhnan sva-cittam nroddhum a-śaktah sa madhyamah, sa tu gurunoktasya vānyasya vā upadesena citta-dhairyam vividhair vaidikair upāyair netavyah. On KU II 1 ³ jñānam yogātmakam viddhi. Know that knowledge has yoga for its essence. ⁴ aikyam jīvātmanor āhur yogam yoga-viśāradāh Devi Bhāgavata ⁵ Cp with this the Confucian fasting of the heart 'May I ask,' said Yen Hui, 'in what consists the fasting of the heart?' 'Cultivate unity,' replied Confucius. 'You do your hearing, not with your ears, but with your mind, not with your mind, but with your very soul. But let the hearing stop with the ears. Let the working of the mind stop with itself. Then the soul will be a negative existence, passively responsive to externals. In such a negative existence, only Tao can abide. And that negative state is the fasting of the heart.' 'Then,' said Yen Hui, 'the reason I could not get the use of this method is my own individuality. If I could get the use of it, my individuality the practice of yoga.¹ When the awakening takes place, scripture ceases to be authoritative,² śruter apy abhāvah prabodhe.³ In the Vedas we have vivid belief in powerful gods who are not mere abstractions. Adoration of personal gods, along with a sense of dependence on and trust in them, which is a marked tendency in the religion of the Veda, becomes prominent in the Katha and the Svetāśvatara Upaniṣads. The Katha Upaniṣad makes out that saving knowledge is not a matter of learning but is revealed to the fortunate man by the highest Reality itself. Even the doctrine of predestination is suggested. Unfortunately different aspects have been exclusively emphasised so as to give rise to the impression that the Upaniṣads do not give us any single coherent view. It is suggested that in the Upaniṣads the true doctrine is that the Real, the thing-in-itself, is empty of content and all positive views are deviations from it caused by the inability of man to remain at the high level of abstract thought, postulated by the distinction between the thing-in-itself and the appearance and the natural tendency to apply empirical categories to the thing-in-itself. The absolute and theistic views of the Upaniṣads are not exclusive of each other. Śaṅkara and Rāmānuja emphasise different aspects of the teaching of the Upaniṣads. Upāsana or worship is the basis of the doctrine of bhakti or devotion. As Brahman is not described in the early Upaniṣads in sufficiently personal terms, the later ones like the Katha and the Svetāśvatara look upon the Supreme as personal God who bestows grace. Devotion to the personal God is recommended as a means for attaining spiritual enlightenment.⁴ would have gone. Is this what you mean by the negative state?' 'Exactly so,' replied the Master. ¹ II See also Maṇtrī VI 18–27. Appaya Dīksita in his Yoga Darpana asks us to concentrate on the self-shining self between the two brows, listen to the text 'That art thou,' conceive oneself as absorbed in it and practise meditation
. As Brahman is not described in the early Upaniṣads in sufficiently personal terms, the later ones like the Katha and the Svetāśvatara look upon the Supreme as personal God who bestows grace. Devotion to the personal God is recommended as a means for attaining spiritual enlightenment.⁴ would have gone. Is this what you mean by the negative state?' 'Exactly so,' replied the Master. ¹ II See also Maṇtrī VI 18–27. Appaya Dīksita in his Yoga Darpana asks us to concentrate on the self-shining self between the two brows, listen to the text 'That art thou,' conceive oneself as absorbed in it and practise meditation. pratyag ātmānam ālokya bhruvor madhye svayam-prabham śrutvā tat-tvam-asīty aikyam matvāsmīti tad abhyaset ² SB IV 13 ³ Ś on B U. VI. 1. ⁴ SU VI 21 and 23 Images, pilgrimages, ceremonies are all acces- sories to devotion The Bhāgavata asks us to love the Supreme with all our being, 'Lord The Upanisads give us different modes of devotional exercises, by which we are trained to fix our minds on a single object. Gradually we get prepared for the contemplation of absolute truth. The prevalent theistic creeds were as imitated to the effecting of the Upanisads. The later section of the Upanisads identify the Supreme with Visnu, Siva or Sakti, which are regarded as different phases of the One Reality. The Supreme is conceived as a person in relation to persons, and symbols taken from social life, lord, father, judge are employed. Sometimes dynamic symbols like the power of life, the spirit of truth, the glowing fire that penetrates and pervades are used. Symbols belong to an order of reality different from that of the Reality which they symbolise. They are used to make the truth intelligible, to make the un perishable audible. They are meant to be used as tangible supports for contemplation. They help us to reach awareness of the symbolised reality. Some of these symbols employed by religions are common Fire and light are usually adopted to signify the Ultimate Reality. It means that the minds of people are formed similarly and experiences of people do not differ much from one part of the world to another. Even conceptions about the origin and nature of the world often agree, though they arise quite independently. The images are all framed to mediate between the Supreme Absolute and the finite intelligence. The individual is free to select for worship any form of the Supreme. This freedom of choice is expressed in the word devatārādhana means that the different forms are all may our speech be engaged in recounting your qualities, our ears in hearing your stories, our hands in doing service for you, our mind in the remembrance of your feet, our head in bowing to the world which is your dwelling-place and our eyes in gazing at the saints who are your living images on earth. vānī gunānukathane āra anau kṛṣṇāyām hastanu ca harmasu manas tara pādayor nāh smyṛtyām āras tava nivāsa-jagat-pranāme dṛṣṭah satām darśane' stu bhaṭat-tanānām X 10 38 ¹ Rābi'a, a woman mystic of the 8th century, says 'Oh my Lord, if I worship Thee from fear of Hell, burn me in hell, and if I worship Thee from hope of paradise, exclude me thence, but if I worship Thee for Thine own sake, then withhold not from me Thine eternal beauty' included in the Supreme The acceptance of one form does not mean the rejection of others The Supreme is to be comprehended only by a supreme effort of consciousness This knowledge cannot be expressed at the level of thought except through symbols The symbols are not entirely subjective The relativity of the symbols does not destroy either our capacity to discover the truth or our faith in the existence of objective reality. It is true that different objects appear differently from different points of view, but the validity of the different points of view need not be denied. Statements about reality are definitions of the relationship between those making them and the reality which they are describing. Symbols have a meaning, and this meaning is objective and shared The bearers of the meaning may be psychological states, separate existences, not even identical in their qualitative content, but meanings can be studied and understood. The Upanisads do not speak to us of limited dogmas. The life of spirit is wider than any particular religious formulation. Religion deals with man's seeking for the eternal, the sources of truth and joy, and particular formulations are but approximations to the Unutterable. Our minds are not detached from the circumstances of time and place. Full truth can be known only by a mind of transcendent rationality. The conception and expression by men of the reality which is universal, can only be partial according to the diversities of race and character. As the Upanisads lay stress on spiritual experience and psychological discipline, they do not insist on any one set of dogmas, rites or codes. They are also aware that we may touch different aspects of the spiritual experience when we attempt to define it. We may use any symbols and methods which help to bring about a change of consciousness, a new birth. The one Supreme who dwells in us is conceived externally. The vulgar look for their gods in water, men of wider know- ¹ Gāndhī included from Guru Govind Singh's writings the following in his public prayers iśvara allā tere nāma mandira masdiya tere dhāma sabko san-matī de bhagavān O God, Iśvara and Allāh are Thy names, temples and mosques are Thy places of abode. Grant to all right understanding (of this). ledge in celestial bodies, the ignorant in (images made of) wood or stone but the wise see the Supreme in their own self '¹ The yogins see the Supreme in the self, not in the images The images are conceived for the sake of contemplation by the ignorant '² The soul of man is the home of God God is in every one of us ready to help us though we generally ignore Him ³ Whatever be the form we start with, we grow to the worship of the one Universal Spirit immanent in all ⁴ The worship of the determinate form is recommended as a preparation for the apprehension of non-determined Reality ⁵ Nārada Bhakti Sūtra ¹ apsu devā manusyānām, divi devā manīsīnām bālānām kāṣṭha-losthesu buddhesu ātmanı devatā ² sivam ātmanı paśyanı pratimāsu na yoginah ajñānām bhāvanārthāya pratimāh parikalpitāh Darśanopanisad, see also Śiva-dharmottara The Bhāgavata says that 'fire is the god of the twice-born, the (innermost) heart is the god of the wise, the image of the ignorant, for the wise God is everywhere agnirdevo dvijātīnām, hrdı devo manīṣinām pratimāsv alpa-buddhīnām, jñānīnām sarvato harih ³ 'Though really companion and co-dweller, man does not understand the friendship of Him who dwells within the same body ' na yasya sakhyam puruṣo'varıṭi sakhyuh sakhā vasan samvasatah pure'smin.
Pingalā, the public woman, got disgusted with her life and said, 'Casting aside this eternal lover who is near (in my own heart), is my beloved, gives me joy, gives me wealth, I foolishly seek another (from outside), who does not fulfil my desires, who gives me only sorrow, fear and blind infatuation and is petty ' saniam samīpe ramanam rati-pradam vitta-pradam nityam imam vihāya a-kāmadam duhkha-bhayādhri-śoka-moha-pradam tuccham aham bhaje'jñā
She resolved 'He is the friend, most beloved Lord and one's own self to all embodied beings I shall earn Him by offering myself to Him and play with Him as Goddess Laksmi does suhri presthatamo nātha, ātmā cāyam saririnām tam vikrīyātmanaivāham rame'nena yathā ramā
4 yasmin sarvam, yatah sarvam, yah sarvam, sarvataś ca yah In whom is everything, from whom is everything, who is everything, who is everywhere 5 Cp Kalpataru I 1 20 nir-viśesam param brahma sāksāt kartum anīśvarāh ye mandās te'nukampyante sa-viśeṣa-nirūpanaś tells us that the true devotee becomes a fulfilled being, immortal and content.¹ Even the released perform image worship by way of sport.² There is a danger that the emotions of awe and reverence are likely to be treated as ends in themselves. They prepare for spirituality.³ Devotion ultimately leads to the knowledge of one's essential nature.⁴ For Rāmānuja bhakti is a type of knowledge.⁵ Spiritual training begins with the external, with word and gesture in order to produce the answering spiritual content, but we should not stop at any stage short of life in God.⁶ There are those who regard the forms they worship as final, though the Upanisads make out that the Real has aspects of both Commenting on Brahma Sūtra III 359, Ś argues that each one is at liberty to choose the form of worship according to his liking and perform it. The direct union with the object of meditation is the result of each of these meditations. ¹ yal labdhvā pumān siddho bhavatī, amrto bhavatī, trypto bhavatī ² muktā apī līlayā vīgrahādīkam krivā bhajante Ś ³ Gopikās become one with the Supreme by fixing their minds on Him, by singing His songs, by doing His deeds tan-manaskāh tad-ālāpāh tad-vicestāh tad-ātmikāh. There is utter abandonment to God or prapatti pati-sutānvaya bhrātr-bāndhavān ati vilamghya te'nty acyutāgatāh. The glory of meditation on the name of God is mentioned after the whole Bhāgavata is related to Parīksit patitah skhalitah ārtaḥ ksutvāvāvīvaśo bruvan haraye nāma ity uccair mucyate sarva-pātakāt. ⁴ sva-sva-rūpānusandhānam bhaktir ity abhidhīyate ātma-lattvānusandhānam bhaktir ity apare jaguh. In Bhakti-mārtānda, bhakti is defined as that form of love in which when the lovers are together they are afraid of being separated and when they are not together they have a painful longing for union a-drste darśanotkanthā, drste viślesa-bhīrutā nādrstena na drstena bhavatā labhyate sukham ⁵ dhruvānusmrti. ⁶ uttamo brahma-sad-bhāvo, dhyāna-bhāvas tu madhyamaḥ stutir japo'dhamo bhāvo, bahīh-pūjā adhamādhamah Mahānirvāna Tantra XIV 122. The highest form of worship is the realisation of the Supreme in all, the meditation of the Supreme is the middling state, prayers to and praises of him with the silent repetition of his name is the lowest and external worship is the lowest of all. Again. bāla-krīdanavat sarvam rūpa-nāmādī-kalpanam ibid XIV. 117. All the imagined names and forms are as playthings for the children. tranquil transcendence and cosmic universality The advocates of bhakti look upon the worship of the personal God as the highest bliss,¹ though those who regard the Absolute as super-personal declare that it is somewhat lower than the highest, that those who do not get beyond the stage of the worship of the Personal God, enter, on death, into a heavenly state of existence This survival in the worlds of the blessed belongs to the process of time or samsāra It is not emancipation from time or timeless union with reality Any form of worship which falls short of complete self-naughting will not take us to the unitive life Faith, devotion, surrender are the means to it Each individual has to achieve insight by his own effort after long and persistent practice ² When the veil of intellectual knowledge, of avidyā, is swept aside, a flood of light breaks upon the awakened soul and a vision of the Universal Self is achieved This self is present, real and concrete even as a physical object is present to the physical eye The Supreme is not so much an immanent God as an experienced God, felt as an inward principle of power and new being in life When we rise in contemplation, when there is the vision of the Supreme which is entirely beyond the power of the soul to prepare for or bring about, we feel that it is wholly the opera- ¹ Cp Vedānta Desika O Lord, if Thou art gracious, if I am (always) by Thy side, if there is in me pure devotion to Thee, if I am in the company of those who are Thy servants, then this samsāra is itself salvation tvam cet prasīdası tavāsmı samīpatas cet tvayy asti bhaktir anaghā karı-śaṇa-nātha samsrjyate yadı ca dāsajanas tvadīyah samsāra eṣa bhagavan apavarga eva ² Cp St Paul 'Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure' Epistle to the Philippians II 12-13 The seventeenth-century Platonist, Norrıs, writes 'The solitary and contemplative man sits as safe in his retirement as one of Homer's heroes in a cloud, and has this only trouble from the follies and extravagances of men, that he pities them I think it advisable for every man that has sense and thoughts enough to be his own companion (for certainly there is more required to qualify a man for his own company than for other men's), to be as frequent in his retirements as he can, and to communicate as little with the world as is consistent with the duty of doing good, and the discharge of the common offices of humanity' tion of God working on the soul by extraordinary grace In a sense all life is from God, all prayer is made by the help of God's grace, but the heights of contemplation which are scaled by few are attributed in a special degree to divine grace. After the vision the light may fade, darkness may afflict the soul, but the soul can never lose altogether what it has once seen Our effort thereafter shall be to renew the experience, make it the constant centre of all our activities until the completely real is completely known There are references to visions and auditions which sometimes accompany the soul's ascent to God They are really an em- barrassment to the aspiring soul They distract its attention and sometimes tempt it to remain on the wayside without pressing forward to the goal These visions and auditions are not an essential part of the religious intuition These are symbols on the natural and historical plane of the mysteries of spiritual life All objects in the natural world are reflections of the happenings in the spiritual world The events of the life of spirit are reflected symbolically in the world of space, time and matter The paradoxes of mystical language are resolved when they are taken over into vital consciousness The mystery-filled figures of the Upanisads are abstractions to those who look upon them from outside The Upanisads speak to us of different forms of genuine religious experience Whether it is contempla- tion of the Absolute, or meditation on the Supreme Person or worship of the Cosmic Spirit, or absorption in the world of nature, they are all genuine forms, as they aim at the same ultimate conclusion of self-transcendence Man must be sur- passed There are different regions in the realm of spirit in which the consciousness of man freed from the finitude of self and enlarged finds fulfilment. In other religions, too, we have these varieties of mystic experience There are some who wish to establish contact with God regarded strictly as a person, and live a life in ever com- plete accord with the divine will and at long last reach the most intimate union with God There are others who wish to go beyond union to unity, a state of consciousness which is above subject-object relationship. Naturally the Upanisads do not adopt an attitude of dogmatism. This attitude of acceptance of all forms of worship has been a persistent character of India's religious life
. In other religions, too, we have these varieties of mystic experience There are some who wish to establish contact with God regarded strictly as a person, and live a life in ever com- plete accord with the divine will and at long last reach the most intimate union with God There are others who wish to go beyond union to unity, a state of consciousness which is above subject-object relationship. Naturally the Upanisads do not adopt an attitude of dogmatism. This attitude of acceptance of all forms of worship has been a persistent character of India's religious life. The word of God is not bound by languages in which it is spoken. It is the one voice that is heard in all religions. We are heirs of a richer heritage than most of us are aware of. The life of the people of spirit, from the beginning until now, has a great deal to offer us. If we cut ourselves away from the rich treasury of wisdom about man's aspirations on this earth which is available to us from our own past, or if we are satisfied 1 St Paul's remarkable words that all nations 'seek the Lord if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he be not far from everyone of us' (Acts of the Apostles XVII 27) indicate the right attitude Eckhart 'He who seeks God under settled forms lays hold of the form, while missing the good concealed in it.' 2 'The Supreme is pleased with him who listens to all discourses on dharmas, who worships all gods, who is free from jealousy and has subdued anger.' śrnute sarva-dharmāmś ca sarvān devān namasyati anasūyur jita-krodhaś tasya tusyati keśavah Visnu-dharmottara I 58 Cp the popular verse At heart a Śakta, outwardly a Śaiva and in gatherings a Vaisnava antah śākto bahīh śaivo, sabhā-madhye ca vaisnavah As we use these symbols, we find that some are more adequate than others Uddhava said (Pāndava Gītā 17) vāsudevam parityajya yo'nyam devam upāsate trstto jāhnavī-tīre kūpam vāñchatṛ durbhagah That unfortunate one, who, rejecting Vāsudeva, worships another god is like a thirsty person searching for a well on the bank of the Ganges. Bardosa writes of Krishnadeva Rāya of Vijayanagar empire 'The King allows such freedom that any man may come and go and live according to his own creed without suffering any annoyance and without enquiring whether he is a Christian, Jew, Moor or Hindu.' An Advanced History of India by R C Majumdar, H C Ray, Chaudhuri and K Datta (1946), p 379 3 Cp Virgil's passionate outburst 'Blessed is he who has won to the heart of the universe, he is beyond good and evil. But that is too much for ordinary humanity to attain, it is a very good second best to know the gods of the country, to live the life of the country.' Georgics II 490 ff 'If any born in barbarous nations, do what lieth in him, God will reveal to him that which is necessary to salvation either by inspiration or by sending him a teacher.' St. Thomas Aquinas 2 Sent Dist 28 q. 1, a4, ad 4 with our own inadequate tradition and fail to seek for ourselves the gifts of other traditions, we will gravely misconceive the spirit of religion Loyalty to our particular tradition means not only concord with the past but also freedom from the past. The living past should serve as a great inspiration and support for the future. Tradition is not a rigid, hidebound framework which cripples the life of spirit and requires us to revert to a period that is now past and beyond recall It is not a memory of the past but a constant abiding of the living Spirit. It is a living stream of spiritual life
The Brhad-āraṇyaka-Upanisad which is generally recognised to be the most important of the Upaniṣads forms part of the Satapatha Brāhmana. It consists of three Kāndas or sections, the Madhu Kānda which expounds the teaching of the basic identity of the individual and the Universal Self, the Yājñavalkya or the Muni Kānda which provides a philosophical justification of the teaching and the Khila Kānda, which deals with certain modes of worship and meditation, upāsana, answering roughly to the three stages of religious life, śravana, hearing the upadeśa or the teaching, manana, logical reflection, upapatti and ndīdhyāsana or contemplative meditation. Of the two rescensions of the Satapatha Brāhmaṇa, the Kānva and the Mādhyandina, Śamkara follows the former, and the text adopted here is the same.
I aum usā vā aśvasya medhyasya śvah, sūryas caksuh, vātaḥ\ńrāṇah, vyāttam agnir vaśvānarah, samvatsara ātmāśvasya medhyasya, dyauh prṣtham, antarīksam udaram, prthivī pājasyam, dīśah pārśve, avāntaradīśaḥ pārśavah, rtavóngāni, māsās cārdhamāsāś ca parvāni, ahorātrāni pratisthāh, naksa- -trāny asthīni, nabho māṁsāni; ūvadhyam sıkatāh, sīndhavo gudāh, yakrc ca klomānaś ca parvatāh, osadhayaś ca vanaspatayaś cā lomāni udyan pūrvārdhah, nīmlocañ jaghanārdhah, yad vijrmbhate tad vidyotate, yad vidhūnute tat stanayat, yan mehati tad varsat, vāg evāsya vāk I Aum, the dawn, verily, is the head of the sacrificial horse, the sun the eye, the wind the breath, the open mouth the Vaśvānara fire; the year is the body of the sacrificial horse, the sky is the back, the atmosphere is the belly, the earth the hoof, the quarters the sides, the intermediate quarters the ribs, the seasons the limbs, the months and the half-months the joints, days and nights the feet, the stars the bones, the clouds the flesh; the food in the stomach is the sand, the rivers are the blood-vessels, the liver and the lungs are the mountains, the herbs and the trees are the hair. The rising (sun) is the forepart, the setting (sun) the hind part, when he yawns then it lightens, when he shakes himself, it thunders, when he urinates then it rains; voice, indeed, is his voice. The first chapter of the Upanisad is the third chapter of the Āranyaka aśvamedha In this sacrifice a horse is let loose and a guard of three hundred follows his track If any one hinders the horses' progress, the guard will have to fight When the horse completes a victorious circuit of the earth and returns to the capital, he is offered as a sacrifice and the king who performs the sacrifice assumes the title of sovereign, emperor The horse sacrifice described at length in Satapatha Brāhmana (XIII, 1-5) is given here a cosmic interpretation. It is used as a vehicle of religious truth. The idea of sacrifice as a means to account for creation goes back to the Purusa Sūkta of the RV (X. 90 129), where from each of the members of the primeval person, Purusa, some part of the world is made aśvasya medhyasya of the sacrificial horse, medhārhasya Ṣ vyāttam open mouth, vivṛtam mukham Ṣ ālmā body, śarīram cālmā Ṣ pājasyam hoof, pādasyam, pādāsana-sthānam Ṣ See M U II 1 4 The earth is his footing. The supra-physical can be reached only when we have a firm hold of the physical. The thinkers of the Upanisads reach their conclusions by a study of the sensible fact, of the concrete realities of the physical world. parvāṇi joints, sandhayah Ṣ nabhaḥ clouds, nabhasthā meghaḥ ūvadhyam half-digested food in the stomach, udarastham ardha- jirnam aśanam Ṣ gudāḥ blood-vessels, nādyah Ṣ vijrmbhate yawns gātrāṇi vināmayatī, vikṣipa tī Ṣ vijrmbhanam mukha-vidāranam vidhūnite shakes, gātrāṇi kampayatī Ṣ mehatī urinates, mūtram karotī Ṣ 2 ahar vā aśvam punastān mahimā nvajāyata tasya pūrve samudre yonih, rātrir enam paścān mahimā nvajāyata, tasyāpare samudre yonih, etau vā aśvam mahimānāv abhṛtah sambabhūvatuh hayo bhūtvā devān avahat, vāgī gandharvān, arvāsurān, aśvo manusyān, samudra evāsya bandhuh, samudro yonih 2 The day, verily, arose for the horse as the vessel called mahiman appeared in front (of the horse) Its source is in the eastern sea The night, verily, arose for the horse as the vessel called mahiman appeared behind (the horse) Its source is in the western sea These two vessels, verily, arose on the two sides of the horse as the two sacrificial vessels Becoming a steed he carried the gods, as a stallion the Gandharvas, as a runner the demons, as a horse men The sea, indeed, is his relative, the sea is his source At the horse sacrifice, aśva-medha, two vessels are placed one in front of and the other behind the horse, made of gold and silver, to hold the sacrificial libations. They are here interpreted cosmically as the eastern (Bay of Bengal) and the western (the Arabian sea) mahimā greatness, mahattvam Ṣ The two vessels are made of gold and silver. The gold vessel is the day because both are bright, dīpti-sāmānyāt, the silver vessel is the night, both the words rājata and rātri begin with the same syllable rā. Silver and night may have a common nature if the night is a moonlit one, candrikā-dhavalatva-sāmyāt The sea is taken by Ś as the Supreme Self paramātmā, samutpadya bhūtāni dravanty asminn iti vyutpattyā parama-gambhīrasy* eśvarasya samudra-śabdatām āha See Ā
I naiveha kimcanāgra āsīt mrtyunaivedam āvriam āsīt, aśanāyayā, aśanāyā hi mrtyuh, tan mano'kuruta, ātmanvī syām iti so'rcann acarat, tasyārcata āpo'jāyanta arcate var me kam abhūd iti, tad evārkasya arkatvam; kam ha vā asmari bhavati, ya evam etad arkasya arkatvam veda. I There was nothing whatsoever here in the beginning. By death indeed was this covered, or by hunger, for hunger is death. He created the mind, thinking 'let me have a self' (mind). Then he moved about, worshipping. From him, thus worshipping, water was produced. 'Verily,' he thought, 'while I was worshipping water appeared, therefore water is called arka (fire). Water surely comes to one who thus knows the reason why water is called arka (fire).' All this was non-being covered by death who is Hiranya-garbha By his thought the universe is produced Death is Hiranya-garbha. It is the matter with which he interacts. It is tamas or darkness which is represented as his body. cp Subāla U yasyāvyaktam śarīram yasyāksaram śarīram, yasya mrtyuś śarīram esa sarva-bhūtāntarātmā apahata-pāpmā divyo devah eko nārāyanah Hiranya-garbha is tamaś śarīraka-paramātmā, the Supreme Self with the body of darkness He thought, 'let me have a self,' i e let me develop a world of conscious and unconscious objects. cetanācetana-prapañca-śarīrakas-syām iti samkalpa manah krtavān R. kam water or happiness kam udakam sukham vā Ś 2. āpo vā arkah tad yad apām śara āsīt, tat samahanyata, sā prthivy abkavat, tasyām aśrāmyat tasya śrāntasya taptasya tejo raso niravartatāgnih. 2 Water, verily, is arka That which was the froth of the water became solidified; that became the earth On it he rested. From him thus rested and heated (from the practice of austerily) his essence of brightness came forth (as) fire. After the production of the earth Prajā-patī rested sarvo hi lokah kāryam kṛtvā śrāmyatī, prajapateś ca tan mahat kāryam yat prthivī-sargah Ś tejo-rasah essence of brightness, lejas-sāra-bhūtah R. 3 sa tredhātmānam vyakuruta, ādityam trtīyam, vāyum trtīyam, sa esa prānas tredhā vihitah. tasya prācī dīk śīrah, asau cāsau cairmau, athā asya pratīcī dīk puccham, asau cāsau ca sakthyau, daksinā codīcī ca pārśvc, dyauh prstham, antariksam udaram, vyam urah, sa eṣo'psu pratīṣṭhitah, yatra kva caitṛ tad eva pratīṣṭhaty evam vidvān 3 He divided himself threefold (fire is one-third), the sun one-third and the air one-third. He also is life divided threefold, the eastern direction is his head and his arms are that and that (the left and the right sides). Likewise the western direction is his tail and his two hip-bones are that and that. The southern and the northern directions are his sides. The sky is the back, the atmosphere the belly. This (earth) is the chest. Thus he stands firm in the waters. He who knows this stands firm wherever he goes. pratītisṭhati stands firm, or obtains a resting-place, sthitim labhate Ś 4 so'kāmayata, dvitīyo ma ātmā jāycteti, sa manasā vācam mithunam samabhavad aśanāyā mṛtyuḥ, tad yad reta āsīt, sa samvatsaro 'bhavat, na ha purā tatah samvatsara āsa tam etāvantam kālam abhribhah yāvān samvatsarah, tam etāvatah, kālasya parastād asrjata, tam jātam abhīvyādādāt sa bhān akarot saiva vāg abhavat 4 He desired, let a second self (body or form) be born of me. He, hunger or death, brought about the union of speech by mind. What was the seed there became the year. Previous to that there was no year. He reared him for as long as a year and after that time he sent him forth. When he was born he (Death) opened his mouth (to devour him). He (the babe) cried, bhān. That, indeed, became speech. Life is the result of previous knowledge and conduct reto bījam jñānā-karma-rūpam janmāntara-kṛtam Ś 5 sa aṅksata yadṛ vā imam abhimamsye, kanīyo'nnam karisya iti sa tayā vācā tenātmanedam sarvam asrjata yad idam kim ca, rco yajumṣi sāmāṇi chandāmsi yajñān prajāh paśūn sa yad yad evāsrjata, tat tad attum adhṛyata, sarvam vā attīlī tad adīter adītītvam, sarvasyaśasyāttā bhavatī, sarvam asyānnam bhavatī, ya evam etad adīter adītītvam veda 5 He thought, 'If I kill him I shall make very little food.' With that speech, with that self he brought forth all this whatsoever exists here, (the hymns of) the Rg Veda, (the formulas of) the Yajur Veda and (the chants of) the Sāma Veda, the metres, the sacrifices, men and cattle. Whatever he brought forth that he resolved to eat. Verily, because he eats everything, therefore the adītī-nature of Adītī (i e Adītī is so called) He who knows thus the adītī-nature of Adītī becomes an eater of everything here, and everything becomes food for him. aḥksaṇṭa thought, aṇḍitayat R In the previous passage, it is said that Death brought forth, by the union of speech and mind, year &c, here it is said that he again brought forth Vedas &c Ś explains that while the previous union was of an unmanifested character, avyakta, the present one is manifested, bāhya Ś quotes R V (I 59 10) 'Aditī is the sky, Aditī is the atmosphere, Aditī is the mother, she is the father.' 6 so'kāmayata, bhūyasā yajñena bhūyo yajeyetṛ; so'srāmyat, sa tapo'tapyata tasya śrāntasya taptasya yaśo vīryam ud- akrāmat prānā var yaśo vīryam, tat prānesūtkrāntesu śarīraṁ śvayitum adhṛyata, tasya śarīra eva mana āsīt 6 He desired 'let me sacrifice again with a greater sacrifice' He rested himself, he practised austerity. While he was thus rested and heated, fame and vigour went forth The vital breaths, verily, are fame and vigour So when the vital breaths departed, his body began to swell, but the mind was set on the body. bhūyah· again, punar apि Ś explains that Prajā-patī had performed a horse sacrifice in his previous life and those thoughts were in his mind now sa tapo'tapyata· He practised austerity tapas is literally 'burning' It is the glow caused by the concentration of mental energy. Through tapas is all creation effected The ardour of mind, restrained and concentrated, has power over things (See R.V X 190) Slowly it is extended to cover the practice of austerities To make ourselves pure metal we have to pass through fierce fires We cannot be made anew unless we first become ashes God strips us of everything that we possess that we may draw near to him 7
. bhūyah· again, punar apि Ś explains that Prajā-patī had performed a horse sacrifice in his previous life and those thoughts were in his mind now sa tapo'tapyata· He practised austerity tapas is literally 'burning' It is the glow caused by the concentration of mental energy. Through tapas is all creation effected The ardour of mind, restrained and concentrated, has power over things (See R.V X 190) Slowly it is extended to cover the practice of austerities To make ourselves pure metal we have to pass through fierce fires We cannot be made anew unless we first become ashes God strips us of everything that we possess that we may draw near to him 7. so'kāmayata, medhyam ma idam syāt, ātmanvy anena syām iti; iato'sṭaḥ samabharat, yad aṣvai, tan medhyam abhūd iti tad erāṣṭra-medhasya aṣṭra-medhatam; eṣa ha tā aṣva-medham veda, ya enam evam veda. iam anavarudhyaiva manyata; iam saṃva- tisarasya parastād ātmana ālabhata: paśūn devatābhyah pratyau- hat. iasmāt sarca-devayam: prokṣitam prājāpatyam ālabhante; eṣa ha tā aṣṭra-medha ya eṣa tapati: tasya saṃvatsara ātmā, ayam agnir arkaḥ, iasya me lokā ātmānah; tāv etāv arkāśvamedhau. so punar ekaicca devatā bharati, mṛiyur eva; apa punar-mṛiyum jayati, nainam mṛiyurm āpnoti, mṛiyur asyātma bhavati, etāsām devatānām eko bharati. 7. He desired, let this (body) of mine be fit for sacrifice and let me have a self (body) through this. Thereupon it became a horse, because it swelled, it has become fit for sacrifice (he thought). Therefore the horse-sacrifice came to be known as aṣṭa-medha. He who knows it thus, verily, knows the aṣva-medha. Letting it remain free, he reflected; and at the end of a year he offered it to himself (sacrificed him for himself). He gave up the (other) animals to the divinities. Therefore (men, priests) offer to Prajā-pati the sanctified (horse) dedicated to all the gods. Verily, that (sun) which gives forth heat is the horse- sacrifice. His body is the year. This (earthly) fire is the arka and these worlds are his bodies. So these are two, the sacrificial fire (arka) and the horse-sacrifice. Yet again they are one divinity, even death. He (who knows this) overcomes repeated death, death cannot get hold of him, death becomes his body, and he becomes one with these divinities. ātmant: becomes embodied, ātmavān, śarīvavān. Ś. ālabhata: offered, sacrificed it to himself, ālambham pravān. proṣṇam: sanctified, mantra-saṃṣṇam. A. He overcomes death, assumes the body of death. He becomes superior to time.
I. devā la prājāpatyāḥ, devāś cāsurāś ca. tadāḥ kānīy asā eva devāḥ, jyā, asā asvṛāḥ, ta eṣu lokeso aspardhanta, te la devā ūcuḥ, kṛṇāsurān; ayā na udgṛi: kenāt; ayāmētī. I. There were two classes of the descendants of Prajā-pati, the gods and the demons Of these, the gods were the younger and the demons the elder ones They were struggling with each other for (the mastery of) these worlds The gods said, come, let us overcome the demons at the sacrifice through the udgītha dvayāh two classes, dvi-prakārāh. The gods and the demons refer to the organs, speech and the rest They are inclined to sacred or worldly objects, to good or evil, then become divine or demoniac, śāstra-jamta-jñāna-karma-bhāvitaḥ dyotanāt devā bhavanti, ta eva svābhāvika-pratyaksānumāna-janita- dṛsta-prayojana-karma-jñāna-bhāvita asurāh Ś They become gods when they shine under the influence of thoughts and actions as taught by the scriptures These very organs become demons when they are influenced by their natural thoughts and actions based (only) on perception and inference and directed to visible (secular) ends It is a distinction of life, not of beings Ś also says that the gods were less numerous and less strong than the demons aspardhanta struggled with each other, vied with each other paraspara-viṅgīsām kṛtavantah Cp Plato's Sophist, where a stranger from southern Italy who has studied the Eleatic logic of Parmenides likens the philosophy of his own and earlier times to the mythical battle of the gods and the giants 'What we shall see is something like a battle of gods and giants going on between them over their quarrel about reality One party is trying to drag everything down to earth, out of heaven and the unseen, literally grasping rocks and trees in their hands, for they lay hold upon every stock and stone and strenuously affirm that real existence belongs only to that which can be handled and offers resistance to the touch They define reality as the same thing as body, and as soon as one of the opposite party asserts that anything without a body is real, they are utterly contemptuous and will not listen to another word Accordingly their adversaries are very wary in defending their position somewhere in the heights of the unseen, maintaining with all their force that true reality consists in certain intelligible and bodiless forms In the clash of argument they shatter and pulverise those bodies which their opponents wield, and what those others allege to be true reality they call, not real being, but a sort of moving process of becoming On this issue an interminable battle is always going on between the two camps' ET by F M Cornford See his Plato's Theory of Knowledge (1935). The dispute between idealists and materialists is still with us See C U VIII 7-12 ² te ha vācam ūcuh, tvam na udgāya iti, tatheti tebhyo vāg udagāyat yo vāci bhogas tam devo bhya āgāyat, yat kalyānam F vadatī tad ātmane, te vidur, anena varī na udgātrātyesya ntītr tam abhīdrutya pāpmanāvidhyan, sa yah sa pāpmā yad evedam apratīrūpam vadatī sa eva sa pāpmā 2 They said to speech, chant (the udgītha) for us, 'So be it,' said speech and chanted for them Whatever enjoyment there is in speech, it secured for the gods by chanting that it spoke well was for itself The demons knew, verily, by this chanter, they will overcome us They rushed upon it and pierced it with evil That evil which consists in speaking what is improper, that is that evil 3 atha ha prānam ūcuh, tvam na udgāya ıtr, tathatṛ tebhyah prāna udagāyat yah prāne bhogas tam devenbhya āgāyat, yat kalyānam jīghratī tad ātmane, te vidur anena varī naudgātr ātye- syantītr tam abhīdrutya pāpmanāvidhyan, sa yah sa pāpmā yad evedam apratīrūpam jīghratī sa eva sa pāpmā. 3 Then they said to the life-breath, chant (the udgītha) for us ‘So be it,’ said the life-breath and chanted for them Whatever enjoyment there is in the life-breath, it secured for the gods by chanting, that it smelt well was for itself The demons knew, ‘verily, by this chanter, they will overcome us’ They rushed upon it and pierced it with evil That evil which consists in smelling what is improper, that is that evil prānam life-breath, here used for ghrānam, the organ of smelling, the nose 4 atha ha cakṣur ūcuh, tvam na udgāya ıtr, tathatṛ tebhyaś cakṣur udagāyat yaś cakṣuṣī bhogas tam devenbhya āgāyat, yat kalyānam paśyatī tad ātmane, te vidur anena varī na udgātrātye-ṣyantītr tam abhīdrutya pāpmanāvidhyan, sa yah sa pāpmā yad evedam apratīrūpam paśyatī, sa eva sa pāpmā 4 Then they said to the eye Chant (the udgītha) for us ‘So be it,’ said the eye and chanted for them Whatever enjoyment there is in the eye it secured for the gods by chanting, that it saw well was for itself The demons knew, ‘verily, by this chanter they will overcome us’ They rushed upon it and pierced it with evil. That evil which consists in seeing what is improper, that is that evil 5 atha ha śrotram ūcuh, tvam na udgāya ıtr, tathatṛ tebhyah śrotram udagāyat yah śrotre bhogas tam devenbhya āgāyat, yat kalyānam śrnotṛ tad ātmane, te vidur anena varī na udgātrātye- syantīti tam abhidrutya pāpmanāvidhyan; sa yaḥ sa pāpmā yad evedam apratirūpaṁ śṛṇoti, sa eva sa pāpmā. 5 Then they said to the ear: Chant (the udgītha) for us. 'So be it,' said the ear and chanted for them Whatever enjoyment there is in the ear, it secured for the gods by chanting; that it heard well was for itself The demons knew, 'verily, by this chanter, they will overcome us' They rushed upon it and pierced it with evil. That evil which consists in hearing what is improper, that is that evil. 6 atha ha mana ūcuḥ, tvam na udgāya iti, tatheti: tebhyo mana udagāyat yo manasī bhogas tam devenbha āgāyat, yat kalyāṇam samkalpayati tad ātmane; te vidur anena vai na udgātrātye- ṣyantīti. tam abhidrutya pāpmanāvidhyan; sa yaḥ sa pāpmā yad evedam apratirūpaṁ samkalpayati, sa eva sa pāpmā; evam u khalv etā devatāḥ pāpmabhir upāsṛjan, evam enāḥ pāpmanā- vidhyan 6. Then they said to the mind: Chant (the udgītha) for us. 'So be it,' said the mind and chanted for them. Whatever enjoyment there is in the mind, it secured for the gods by chanting, that it thought well was for itself. The demons knew, 'verily, by this chanter, they will overcome us.' They rushed upon it and pierced it with evil. That evil which consists in thinking what is improper, that is that evil. Likewise they also affected these (other) divinities with evil, they pierced them with evil
. Then they said to the mind: Chant (the udgītha) for us. 'So be it,' said the mind and chanted for them. Whatever enjoyment there is in the mind, it secured for the gods by chanting, that it thought well was for itself. The demons knew, 'verily, by this chanter, they will overcome us.' They rushed upon it and pierced it with evil. That evil which consists in thinking what is improper, that is that evil. Likewise they also affected these (other) divinities with evil, they pierced them with evil. All these organs were found to be incapable of chanting the udgītha as they had contracted evil on account of their attachment to doing well (seeing well, hearing well or thinking well), for them- selves kalyāna-visaya-viṣeṣātma-sambandha-saṅga-hetoh. Š. 7 atha hemam āsanyam prāṇam ūcuḥ, tvam na udgāya iti, tatheti: tebhya eṣa prāna udagāyat; te vidur anena vai na udgā- trātyesyantīti tam abhidrutya papmanāvitsan; sa yathā aśmānam rtvā losto vidhvaṁseta, evam haiva vidhvaṁsamānā visvañco vineśuḥ, tato devā abhavan, parāsurāḥ; bhavaty ātmanā parāsya dvīsan bhrātrvyo bhavati ya evam veda. 7. Then they said to the vital breath in the mouth: 'Chant (the udgītha) for us.' 'So be it,' said this breath and chanted for them They (the demons) knew, 'verily, by this chanter, they will overcome us.' They rushed upon him and desired to pierce him with evil. But as a clod of earth would be scattered by striking against a rock, even so they were scattered in all directions and perished Therefore the gods became (increased) and the demons were crushed He who knows this becomes his true self and the enemy who hates him is crushed avitsan· desired to pierce him, vedhanam kartum istavantah Ṣ parāh: crushed, parābhūtāh, vinatāh. Ṣ. 8 te hocuh, kva nu so'bhūd yo na ittham asakteti, ayam āsye'ntar iti, so'yāsya āngīrasah, angānāṁ hi rasaḥ 8 Then they said, what, pray, has become of him who struck to us then? Here he is within the mouth He (the vital breath) is called Ayāsya Āngīrasa (rasa) for he is the essence, of the limbs (anga, members of the body) 9 sā vā esā devatā dūr nāma, dūram hy asyā mrtyuh, dūram ha vā asmān mrtyuḥ bhavati ya evam veda 9 That divinity, verily, is dūr by name, because death is far (dūra) from it From him who knows this, death is far off 10. sā vā eṣā devatātāsām devatānām pāpmānam mrtyum apahatya, yatrāsāṁ dśām antaḥ, tad gamayāmcakāra, tad āsām pāpmano vinyadadhāt, tasmān na janam vyāt, nāntam vyāt, net pāpmānam mrtyum anvavāyānīti 10 That divinity, verily, after having struck off the evil of these divinities, even death, made this go to where the end of the quarters is There he set down their evils Therefore one should not go to people (of that region), one should not go to the end (of the quarters), lest he meet there with evil, with death 11. sā vā esā devatātāsāṁ devatānām pāpmānam mrtyum apahatya athainā mrtyum atyavahat. 11. That divinity, verily, having struck off the evil, the death, of those divinities, next carried them beyond death atha: next, tad-anantaram 12 sa var vācam eva prathamām atyavahat, sā yadā mrtyum atyamucyata, so'gnir abhavat, so'yam agmha pareṇa mrtyum ati krānto dīpyate 12 Verily, it carried speech across first When that (speech) was freed from death it became fire This fire, when it crosses beyond death, shines forth 13 atha prānam atyavahat, sa yadā mrtyum atyamucyata, sa vāyur abhavat so'yam vāyuh pareṇa mrtyum ati krāntaḥ pavate 13 Then it carried across (the organ of) smell When that was freed from death, it became air. This air, when it crosses beyond death, blows prāṇo ghrāṇaḥ. Ś 14. atha cakṣur atyavahat, tad yadā mrtyum atyamucyata, sa ādītyo'bhavat, so'sāv ādītyah parena mrtyum atikrāntas tapati. 14 Then it carried across the eye. When that was freed from death, it became the sun. This sun, when it crosses beyond death, glows 15. atha śrotram atyavahat, tad yadā mrtyum atyamucyata, tā dīso'bhavan, tā imā dīśah pareṇa mrtyum atikrāntāḥ 15 Then it carried across the ear. When that was freed from death, it became the quarters These quarters have crossed beyond death. 16 atha mano'tyavahat, tad yadā mrtyum atyamucyata, sa candramā abhavat, so'sau candraḥ pareṇa mrtyum atikrānto bhāti, evam ha vā enam esā devatā mrtyum ativahatī, ya evam veda. 16. Then it carried across the mind When that was freed from death, it became the moon That moon, when it crosses beyond death, shines Thus, verily, that divinity carries beyond death him who knows this Cp Śatapatha Brāhmaṇa X 5 2 20. One becomes what one meditates on tam yathā yathopāsate, tad eva bhavati 17 athātmane'nnādyam āgāyat, yadd hi kīm cānnam adyate, anenaiva tad adyate, iha pratītisthati. 17 Then it (the breath) chanted food for itself (obtained food by chanting). For whatever food is eaten is eaten by him alone. In it (breath) is established. ādyam· eatable, adanārham, bhaksanārham. R. anenaiva by him alone, by the vital breath alone. Ś refers to the meaning of the word ana as vital breath, ana iti prāṇasyākhyā prasiddhā 18 te devā abruvan, etāvad vā idam sarvam yad annam, tad ātmana āgāsīḥ, anu no'sminn anna ābhajasveti, te var mā' bhīsamviśateti; tatheti
. 17 Then it (the breath) chanted food for itself (obtained food by chanting). For whatever food is eaten is eaten by him alone. In it (breath) is established. ādyam· eatable, adanārham, bhaksanārham. R. anenaiva by him alone, by the vital breath alone. Ś refers to the meaning of the word ana as vital breath, ana iti prāṇasyākhyā prasiddhā 18 te devā abruvan, etāvad vā idam sarvam yad annam, tad ātmana āgāsīḥ, anu no'sminn anna ābhajasveti, te var mā' bhīsamviśateti; tatheti. tam samantam parṇyaviśanta, tasmād yad adanenānnam atti, tenaitās trpyanti; evam ha vā enam svā abhisamviśanti, bhartā svānām śresthaḥ, pura etā bhavaty annādo'dhīpatih, ya evam veda, ya u harvamvidam svesu pratī- pratir bubhūsatī, na hawālam bhāryebhyo bhavatī, atha ya evarām anubhavatī, yo varitam anu bhāryān bubhūrṣatī, sa hawālam bhāryebhyo bhavatī 18 These divinities said, 'Verily, just this much is whatever food there is and that you have obtained for yourself by chanting Now let us have a share in this food ' He said, 'then sit around, facing me (or enter into me) 'So be it' They sat around (entered into) him on all sides Therefore, whatever food one eats by this breath, they are satisfied by it So do his relations come to him who knows this, he becomes the supporter of his people, their chief, their foremost leader, an eater of food and their lord Whoever among his people desires to be the equal of him who has this knowledge, he is not able to support his own dependents But whoever follows him and whoever, following him, desires to support his dependents, he, indeed, will be able to support his dependents desires to be the equal or rival pratīkūlo bubhūsatī, pratīspardhī bhavitum icchatī S S desires to support bubhūrsatī, bhartum icchatī Ṣ 19 so'yāsya āngīrasah, angānām hi rasah, prāno vā angānām rasah, prāno hi vā angānām rasah, tasmād yasmāt kasmāc cāngāt prāna utkrāmati, tad eva tat śusyatī, esa hi vā angānām rasah 19 He is (called) Ayāsya Āngīrasa for he is the essence of the limbs. Verily, life-breath is the essence of the limbs, yes, life-breath is the essence of the limbs. Therefore, from whatever limb life-breath departs, that, indeed, dries up, for, it is, verily, the essence of the limbs. 20 eṣa u eva brhaspatih, vāg var brhatī tasyā esa patih, tasmād u brhaspatih 20 And this is also Brhaspati. The brhatī is speech and this is its lord. Therefore this is Brhaspati. brhatī The metre with 36 syllables used in the RV Here it is used for the RV itself 21 esa u eva brahmanas-patih, vāg var brahma, tasyā esa patih, tasmād u brahmanas-patih 21 And this is also Brahmanas-patī. Speech is Brahman, and this is its lord. Therefore, this is Brahmanas-patī. Brahman refers to the Yajur Veda
22 esa u eva sāma, vāg var sāma, esa sā cāmaścetṛ, tat sāmnaḥ sāmatvam; yad veva samah plusinā, samo maśakena, samo nāgena, sama ebhis tribhir lokarḥ, samo'nena sarvena, tasmād veva sāma, aśnute sāmnah sāyujyam salokatām, ya evam etat sāma veda 22 And this is also the Sāma Veda; speech, verily, is the chant It is sā (she) and ama (he). That is why sāman is called sāman or because he is equal to a white ant, equal to a mosquito, equal to an elephant, equal to these three worlds, nay, equal to this universe, therefore indeed is it the Sāma Veda He who knows this Sāma Veda to be such, attains union with it or lives in the same world with it See C U V 2 6 sā is speech, and ama is vital breath. 23. esa u vā udgīthah, prāno vā ut, prānena hīdaṁ sarvam uttabdham, vāg eva gīthā, uc ca gīthā cetṛ, sa udgīthaḥ 23 And this is also the udgītha The vital breath, verily, is ut, for by vital breath is this whole (world) upheld. Song, verily, is speech This is udgītha, for it is ut and gītha. 24. taddhāpī brahmadattaś caiktāneyo rājānam bhaksayann uvāca, ayam tyasya rājā mūrdhānam vipātayatāt, yad ito'yāsya āngiraso'nyenodagāyad iti, vācā ca hy eva sa prāṇena codagāyad iti 24 As to this also, Brahmadatta Caiktāneya, while drinking King (Soma) said Let this King strike off this man's (my) head (if I say) that Ayāsya Āngirasa chanted the udgītha with any other means than this (vital breath and speech), for, said he, only with speech and with vital breath did he chant the udgītha. Caiktāneya the great grandson of Cikitāna rājānam· yajñe somam S' 25 tasya hartasya sāmno yah svam veda, bhavatī hāsya svam; tasya var svara eva svam, tasmād ārtvijyam karisyan vācī svaram iccheta, tayā vācā svara-sampannayārtvijyam kuryāt; tasmād yajñe svaravantam dīdrksanta eva, atho yasya svam bhavatī; bhavatī hāsya svam, ya evam etat sāmnah, svam veda. 25 He who knows the wealth of that Sāman has that wealth Its wealth, indeed, is tone Therefore, one who is about to perform the duties of a Rtvij priest desires to have a rich tone in his voice Being possessed of such a voice, he performs the duties of a Rtvij priest Therefore, people desire to see at a sacrifice a priest with a good voice, as one who has wealth He who knows the wealth of Sāman to be such attains wealth 26 tasya hartasya sāmno yah suvarnam veda, bhavati hāsya suvarnam, tasya var svara eva suvarnam, bhavati hāsya suvarnam, ya evam etat sāmnah suvarnam veda 26 He who knows what is the gold (correct sound) of this Sāman obtains gold The tone, verily, is its gold He who thus knows the gold of that Sāman obtains gold suvarna- correct sound or gold su, varna 27. tasya hartasya sāmno yah pratisthām veda, prati ha tisthati, tasya var vāg eva pratisthā, vāci hi khalv esa etat prānah pratisthito gīyate anna ity u haśka āhuh 27 He who knows the support of this Sāman is, indeed, supported Speech, verily, is its support, for, when supported on such, the vital breath chants But some say it is (supported) on food (body) 28 athātah pavamānānām evābhyārohah, sa var khalu prastotā sāma prastauti, sa yatra prastuyāt, tad etāni japet 'asato mā sad gamaya, tamaso mā jyotir gamaya, mrtyor māmrtam gamaya' iti, sa yad āha, asato mā sad gamaya iti, mrtyur vā asat, sad amrtam, mrtyor māmrtam gamaya, amrtam mā kurv ity evaśtad āha, tamaso mā jyotir gamaya iti, mrtyur var tamah, jyotir amrtam, mrtyor mā amrtam gamaya, amrtam kurv ity evaśtad āha, mrtyor māmrtam gamaya iti, nātra tirohitam vāsti. atha yānītarāni stotrām, tesv ātmane'nnādyam āgāyet; tasmād u tesu varam vrniṭa, yam kāmam kāmayeta, tam, sa esa evam-vid udgātātmane vā yajamānāya vā yam kāmam kāmayate, tam āgāyatī; taddhṛitaral loka-jid eva, na haivā lokyatāyā āśāstri, ya evam etat sāma veda 28 Now next the repetition only of the purificatory hymns, verily, the Prastotr priest recites the chant and while he recites it, let the sacrificer recite these (three yajus verses) 'from the unreal lead me to the real, from darkness lead me to light, from death lead me to immortality' When he says 'from the unreal lead me to the real,' the unreal, verily, is death, the real is immortality 'From death lead me to immortality', 'make me immortal,' that is what he says 'From darkness lead me to light', darkness, verily, is death, the light is immortality. From death lead me to immortality, make me immortal, that is what he says 'From death lead me to immortality,' there is nothing here that is hidden (or obscure and so requires explanation) Now whatever other verses (there are) in the hymns of praise, in them one should secure food by chanting And therefore in them he should choose a boon whatever desire he may desire That udgātr priest who knows this, whatever desire he desires, either for himself or for the sacrificer, that he obtains by chanting This, indeed is (called) world-conquering He who thus knows this chant, for him there is no fear of his being without a world. abhyāroha ascension It is so called because the performer reaches the divinity he worships
I ātmarvedam agra āsīt purusavīdhah, so'nuvīksya nānyad ātmano'paśyat, so'ham asmīty agre vyāharat, tato'ham nāmā-bhavat, tasmād apy etarhy āmantritah; aham ayam ity evāgra uktvā, athānyan nāma prabrūte yad asyabhavatı sa yat pūrvo'smāt sarvasmāt sarvān pāpmana ausat, tasmāt purusah, oṣatı ha var sa tam, yo'smāt pūrvo bubhūsatı, ya evam veda. I In the beginning this (world) was only the self, in the shape of a person Looking around he saw nothing else than the self He first said, 'I am' Therefore arose the name of I Therefore, even to this day when one is addressed he says first 'This is I' and then speaks whatever other name he may have Because before all this, he burnt all evils, therefore he is a person He who knows this, verily, burns up him who wishes to be before him aham derived from the root as 'to be' means the existence of I anuvīksya the person who sees and creates himself (sṛstvā), in the very act of seeing enters into the creation (anuprāvṛśat), into all things, beings and selves 2 so'bībhet, tasmād ekākī bībheti, sa hāyam īksām cakre, yan mad anyan nāstri, kaṣmān nu bībhcmīti, tata evāsya bhayam vīyāya kaṣmād hy abheṣyat, dvitīyād var bhayam bhavatı. I* 2 He was afraid. Therefore one who is alone is afraid. This one then thought to himself, 'since there is nothing else than myself, of what am I afraid?' Thereupon his fear, verily, passed away, for, of what should he have been afraid? Assuredly it is from a second that fear arises 3 sa var naiva reme, tasmād ekākī na ramate, sa dvitīyam aicchat, sa haItāvān āsa yathā strī-pumāmsau sampariṣvaktau, sa ımam evātmānam dvedhāpātayat, tatah patiś ca patnī cābhavatām, tasmāt ıdam ardha-brgalam ıva svah, iti ha smāha yājñavalkyah, tasmād ayam ākāśah striyā pūryata eva tām samabhavat, tato manusyā ajāyanta 3 He, verily, had no delight. Therefore he who is alone has no delight. He desired a second. He became as large as a woman and a man in close embrace. He caused that self to fall into two parts. From that arose husband and wife. Therefore, as Yājñavalkya used to say, this (body) is one half of oneself, like one of the two halves of a split pea. Therefore this space is filled by a wife. He became united with her. From that human beings were produced samabhavat became united, maithunam upagatavān Ṣ Hiranya-garbha or Prajā-patı divided himself into two. Both are his elements. The two are not separate and the theory is not one of final dualism. Cp Visnu Purāna śata-rūpām ca tām nārīm tapo-nirdhūta-kalmasām svāyambhuvo manur devah patnitve jagrhe prabhuh Because the woman was born of Vrāj, she is said to be his daughter also. Prajāpatir manvākhyaś śata-rūpākhyām ātmano duhṛtarami patnītvena kalpitām Ṣ The original being, ātman or self looks around and sees nothing else but himself. When he realises his loneliness, he has two feelings, one of fear and the other of a desire for companionship. His fear is dispelled when he realises that there is nothing else of which he has to be afraid. His desire for companionship is satisfied by his dividing himself into two parts which are then called husband and wife. Compare this with Plato's myth of the androgynous man in Symposium 189c From the union of the two, the race of human beings is produced. A series of transformations of the original human pair into animal forms is mentioned in the next passage. 4 sā heyam īksām cakre, katham nu mātmāna eva janayitvā sambhavati, hanta tiro'sānīti, sā gaur abhavat, rsabha itaras tām sam evābhavat, tato gāvo' jāyanta, vadavetarābhavat, aśva-vṛṣa itarah, gardhabhītarā gardabha itarah, tām sam evābhavat, tata eka-śapham ajāyata, ajetarābhavat, vasta itarah, avir itarā, mesa itarah, tām sam evābhavat, tato'jāvayo' jāyanta; evam eva yad idam kīm ca mithunam, ā-pipīlikābhyaḥ tat sarvam asrjata 4 She thought, 'How can he unite with me after having produced me from himself?' Well, let me hide myself. She became a cow, the other became a bull and was united with her and from that cows were born. The one became a mare, the other a stallion. The one became a she-ass, the other a he-ass and was united with her; and from that one-hoofed animals were born. The one became a she-goat, the other a he-goat, the one became a ewe, the other became a ram and was united with her and from that goats and sheep were born. Thus, indeed, he produced everything whatever exists in pairs, down to the ants. 5 so'vet, aham vāva srstir asmi, aham hīdam sarvam asrkṣīti; tatah srsṭir abhavat, srsīyām hāsyātasyām bhavati ya evam veda. 5 He knew, I indeed am this creation for I produced all this. Therefore he became the creation. He who knows this as such comes to be in that creation of his He who knows this becomes himself a creator like Prajā-pati, etasmin jagati sa prajāpativat srasṭā bhavati In the next verse we have the creation of the gods, Agni, Fire, and Soma, Moon. 6. athety abhyamanthat, sa mukhāc ca yoner hastābhyām cāgnim asrjata, tasmād etad ubhayam alomakam antaratah, alomakā hi yonir antaratah, tad yad idam āhur amum yaja, amum yajety ekaikam devam, etasyaiva sā visrstih, esa u hy eva sarve devāḥ. atha yat kīm cedam ārdram, tad retaso asrjata, tad u somah. etāvad vā idam sarvam annam carvānnādaś ca, soma evānnam, agniḥ annādah saisā brahmano'tiṣrṣṭiḥ, yac chreyaso devān asrjata atha yan martyah sann amṛtān asrjata, tasmād aiṣrṣṭiḥ aiṣrṣṭyām hāsyātasyām bhavati ya evam veda 6 Then he rubbed back and forth and produced fire from its source, the mouth and the hands. Both these (mouth and the hands) are hairless on the inside for the source is hairless on the inside. When they (the people) say 'sacrifice to him,' 'sacrifice to the other one,' all this is his creation indeed and he himself is all the gods. And now whatever is moist, that he produced from semen, and that is Soma. This whole (world) is just food and the eater of food Soma is food and fire is the eater of food This is the highest creation of Brahmā, namely, that he created the gods who are superior to him He, although mortal himself, created the immortals Therefore it is the highest creation
. Both these (mouth and the hands) are hairless on the inside for the source is hairless on the inside. When they (the people) say 'sacrifice to him,' 'sacrifice to the other one,' all this is his creation indeed and he himself is all the gods. And now whatever is moist, that he produced from semen, and that is Soma. This whole (world) is just food and the eater of food Soma is food and fire is the eater of food This is the highest creation of Brahmā, namely, that he created the gods who are superior to him He, although mortal himself, created the immortals Therefore it is the highest creation. Verily, he who knows this becomes (a creator) in this highest creation soma moon, the lord of medicinal plants osadhīpati Cp Deuteronomy XXXIII 14 'The precious fruits brought forth by the sun and the precious things put forth by the moon' Ś refers to two views of Hranya-garbha, that he is the trans- cendent Brahman and that he is the transmigrating 'self,' para eva hranya-garbha ity eke, samsārīty apare Ś accounts for it by the difference of the presence and absence of limitations, upādhī-vaśāt samsārītvam, paramārthatas svato'samsāry eva 7 taddhedam tarhy avyākrtam āsīt, tan nāma-rūpābhyām eva vyākrīyata, asau nāma, ayam idam rūpa iti, tad idam apy etarhī nāma-rūpābhyām eva vyākrīyate, asau nāma, ayam idam rūpa iti sa eṣa iha pravista ānakhāgrebhyah yathā, ksurah ksuradhāne' vahitah syāt, viśvam-bharo vā viśvam-bhara-kulāye, tam na paśyantrī a-krtsno hī sah, prānann eva prāno nāma bhavatī, vadan vāk, paśyamś caksuh, śrnvan śrotram, manvāno manah, tāny asyatāni karma-nāmāny eva sa yo'ta ekaikam upāste, na sa veda, akṛtsno hy eso'ta ekaikena bhavatī, ātmety evopāsīta, atra hī ete sarva ekam bhavantrī tad etat padanīyam asya sarvasya yad ayam ātmā, anena hy etat sarvam veda yathā ha varṇa padenānu-vindet evam kīrtim ślokam vindate ya evam veda 7 At that time this (universe) was undifferentiated. It became differentiated by name and form (so that it is said) he has such a name, such a shape. Therefore even today this (universe) is differentiated by name and shape (so that it is said) he has such a name, such a shape. He (the self) entered in here even to the tips of the nails, as a razor is (hidden) in the razor-case, or as fire in the fire-source. Him they see not for (as seen) he is incomplete, when breathing he is called the vital force, when speaking voice, when seeing the eye, when hearing the ear, when thinking the mind. These are merely the names of his acts. He who meditates on one or another of them (aspects) he does not know for he is incomplete, with one or another of these (characteristics). The self is to be meditated upon for in it all these become one. This self is the foot-trace of all this,for by it one knows all this, just as one can find again by foot- prints (what was lost) He who knows this finds fame and praise nāma-rūpa name and shape which together make the individual. The nāma is not the name but the idea, the archetype, the essential character, and the rūpa is the existential context, the visible em- bodiment of the idea In every object there are these two elements, the principle which is grasped by the intellect and the envelope which is apprehended by the senses While nāma is the inner power, rūpa is its sensible manifestation If we take the world as a whole, we have the one nāma or all-consciousness informing the one rūpa, the concrete universe The different nāma-rūpas are the differentiated conditions of the one nāma, the world consciousness While the world form is mūrta, its soul is a-mūrta The former is shaped corporeal, sa-śarīram, the latter is incorporeal a-śarīram B U II 3, C U VIII 12 1 In B U III 2 12, the part that does not leave the individual soul at death is nāma, which is not accessible to the senses Ākāśa is nāma, and in the human individual the space in the heart hrdy-ākāśa, is the domain of nāma, the principle of consciousness as a razor in a razorcase He is hidden in all things as a razor in its case or as fire in wood The ignorant do not know him who is hidden behind all names and forms See R V I. 164. 5 viśvam-bhara He who sustains the world Vaiśvānara viśvam bibharti vaśvānarāgni-rūpeneti viśvam-bharah. R karma-nāmāni names of his acts These are functional names which conceal his undivided nature We must realise the self not in its several aspects but as these are unified in the self akṛtsnah incomplete, a-pūrna-svarūpah R Sense or intellectual knowledge which does not involve the functioning of the whole self is incomplete knowledge Wholeness is integral insight We trace out lost cattle by following their footsteps, so will we find everything if we know the Self 8 tad etat preyah putrāt, preyo vittāt, preyo'nyasmāt sarvasmāt, antarataram, yad ayam ātmā sa yo'nyam ātmanah priyam bruvānam brīyāt, priyam rotsyatīti, īśvaro ha tathava syāt ātmānam eva priyam upāsīta, sa ya ātmānam eva priyam upāste na hāsya priyam pramāyukam bhavati 8 That self is dearer than a son, is dearer than wealth, is deeper than everything else and is innermost If one were to say to a person who speaks of anything else than the Self as dear, he will lose what he holds dear, he would very likely do so One should meditate on the Self alone as dear. He who meditates on the self alone as dear, what he holds dear, verily, will not perish īśvaraḥ able, capable, samarthah Ś pramāyukam perishable, pramaranasītam Ś 9 tad āhuh, yad brahma-vidyayā sarvam bhaviṣyanto manusyā manyante, kīm u tad brahmāvet, yasmāt tat sarvam abhavad ītrī 9 They say, since men think that, by the knowledge of Brahman, they become all, what, pray, was it that Brahman knew by which he became all? 10 brahma vā īdam agra āsīt, tad ātmānam evāvet, aham brahmāsmītrī tasmāt tat sarvam abhavat, tad yo yo devānām pratyabudhyata, sa eva tad abhavat, tathā rsīnām, tathā manuṣyānām taddhātat paśyan rsīr vāma-devaḥ pratīpede, aham manur abhavam sūryaś cetṛ, tad īdam apṛ etarhṛ ya evam veda, aham brahmāsmītrī sa īdam sarvam bhavatī, tasya ha na devāś ca nābhūtyā īśate, ātmā hy esām sa bhavatī atha yo anyām devatām upāste, anyo'sau anyo' ham asmītrī, na sa veda, yathā paśur, evam sa devānām, yathā ha varṇ bahavah paśavo manusyam bhuñjyuh, evam ekaikah puruṣo devān bhunakti, ekasmīnn eva paśāv ādīyamāne'prīyam bhavatī, kīm u bahusu? tasmād esām tan na prīyam yad etan manusyā vidyuh 10 Brahman, indeed, was this in the beginning. It knew itself only as 'I am Brahman.' Therefore it became all. Whoever among the gods became awakened to this, he, indeed, became that
. It knew itself only as 'I am Brahman.' Therefore it became all. Whoever among the gods became awakened to this, he, indeed, became that. It is the same in the case of seers, same in the case of men Seeing this, indeed, the seer Vāma-deva knew, 'I was Manu and the Sun too.' This is so even now. Whoever knows thus, 'I am Brahman,' becomes this all. Even the gods cannot prevent his becoming thus, for he becomes their self. So whoever worships another divinity (than his self) thinking that he is one and (Brahman) another, he knows not. He is like an animal to the gods. As many animals serve a man so does each man serve the gods. Even if one animal is taken away, it causes displeasure, what should one say of many (animals)? Therefore it is not pleasing to those (gods) that men should know this. See RV IV 26 1 Vāma-deva is the seer of the fourth book of the RV Being is self-knowledge pratyabudhyata became awakened Cp Buddhist bodhı sambodhı, Kena 12 The gods are not pleased that men should know the ultimate truth, for then they would know the subordinate place the gods hold and give up making them offerings II brahma vā ıdam agra āsīt, ekam eva; tad ekam san na vyabhavat tac chreyo rūpam atyasrijata ksatram, yāny etāni devatrā ksatrāni, indro varunah somo rudrah parjanyo yamo mrtyur īśāna iti tasmāt kşatrāt param nāstı, tasmāt brāhmaṇah kşatriyam adhastād upāste rājasūye, kşatra eva tad yaśo dadhāti, saşā kşatrasya yonir yad brahma tasmād yady apī rājā paramatām gacchatı, brahmaivāntata upaniṣrayatı svām yonim ya u enam hınastı, svām sa yonım rcchatı, sa pāpīyān bhavatı, yathā śreyāmsam hımsitvā II. Verily, in the beginning this (world) was Brahman, one only - That, being one, did not flourish. He created further an excellent form, the Ksatra power, even those who are Kşatras (rulers) among the gods, Indra, Varuna, Soma (Moon), Rudra, Parjanya, Yama, Mrtyu (Death), Iśāna. Therefore there is nothing higher than Ksatra. Therefore at the Rājasūya sacrifice the Brāhmana sits below the Ksatrıya. On Ksatrahood alone does he confer this honour. But the Brāhmana is nevertheless the source of the Ksatra. Therefore, even if the king attains supremacy at the end of it, he resorts to the Brahmana as his source. Therefore he who injures the Brāhmana strikes at his own source. He becomes more evil as he injures one who is superior. ekam eva one only At the beginning there was only one caste or class, the Brāhmana. differentiations were not, nāsīt-ksatrādı-bhedah. Ś. Ksatra power or dominion, used to designate the princely or the military class rāja-sūya· the ceremonial anointing of a King. 12. sa naiva vyabhavat sa viśam asrjata, yāny etāni deva- jātāni ganaśa ākhyāyante, vasavo rudrā ādṛtyā viśvedevā maruta iti 12. Yet he did not flourish. He created the viś (the com- monalty), these classes of gods who are designated in groups. the Vasus, Rudras, Ādityas, Visvedevās and Maruts The Brāhmana represents knowledge, the Ksatrıya temporal power. They are not enough. We require a class for increasing pro- duction and acquiring wealth. 13 sa naiva vyabhavat, sa śaudram varnam asrjata pūsanam, vyam var pūsā, vyam hīdam sarvam pusoṭa yad idam kim ca 13 He did not still flourish He created the Śudra order, as Pūsan Verily, this (earth) is Pūsan (the nourisher), for she nourishes everything that is Society requires, in addition to wisdom, power, and wealth, service and work. Wisdom conceives the order, power sanctions and enforces it, wealth and production provide the means for carrying out the order, and work carries out These are the different functions essential for a normal well-ordered society. These distinctions are found among both gods and men 14 sa naiva vyabhavat tac chreyo-rūpam atyasṛjata dharmam tad etat ksatrasya ksatram yad dharmah, tasmād dharmād param nāstri atho abalīyān balīyāmsam āśamsate dharmena, yathā rājñā evam yo var sa dharmah satyam var tat tasmāt satyam vadantam āhuh, dharmam vadatīti, dharmam vā vadantam, satyam vadatīti etad hy evaṭad ubhayam bhavati 14 Yet he did not flourish He created further an excellent form, justice. This is the power of the Ksatriya class, viz: justice. Therefore there is nothing higher than justice. So a weak man hopes (to defeat) a strong man by means of justice as one does through a king. Verily, that which is justice is truth. Therefore they say of a man who speaks the truth, he speaks justice or of a man who speaks justice that he speaks the truth. Verily, both these are the same. dharma law or justice is that which constrains the unruly wills and affections of people Even kings are subordinate to dharma, to the rule of law. Law or justice is not arbitrary. It is the embodiment of truth. 'That which is known and that which is practised are justice,' jñāyamānam anusthīyamānam ca tad dharma eva bhavati. Ś hopes to defeat jetum āśamsate R. From early times kings are said to act out the truth, satyam kṛnvānah RV X 109 6, or take hold of the truth satyam grhnānah Atharva Veda V 17 10, satya and dharma, truth and justice are organically related. 15 tad etad brahma ksatram vit śūdrah tad agninaiva devesu brahmābhavat, brāhmano manusyesu, ksatrīyena ksatrīyah, vaśyena vaśyah, śūdrena śūdrah, tasmād agnāv eva devesu lokam icchante, brāhmane manusyesu, etābhyām hi rūpābhyām brahmābhavat atha yo ha vā asmāl lokāt svam lokam adrśtvā pratı, sa enam avidito na bhunaktı, yathā vedo vānanūktah anyad vā karmākrtam yad Iha vā apy anevamvid mahat-punyam karma karoti, taddhāsyāntatah ksīyata eva, ātmānam eva lokam upāsīta, sa ya ātmānam eva lokam upāste, na hāsya karma ksīyate, asmādd hy eva ātmano yad yat kāmayate tat tat srjate
. 15 So these (four orders were created) the Brāhmana, the Kṣatriya, the Vaiśya and the Śūdra Among the gods that Brahmā existed as Fire, among men as Brāhmana, as a Kṣatriya by means of the (divine) Kṣatriya, as a Vaiśya by means of the (divine) Vaiśya, as a Śūdra by means of the (divine) Śūdra Therefore people desire a place among the gods through fire only, and among men as the Brāhmana, for by these two forms (pre-eminently) Brahmā existed If anyone, however, departs from this world without seeing (knowing) his own world, it being unknown, does not protect him, as the Vedas unrecited or as a deed not done do not (protect him) Even if one performs a great and holy work, but without knowing this, that work of his is exhausted in the end One should meditate only on the Self as his (true) world. The work of him who meditates on the Self alone as his world is not exhausted for, out of that very Self he creates whatsoever he desires. See C U VIII 2 Ś quotes Manu II 87 that a Brāhmana is one who is friendly to all, to justify the aspiration of human beings to attain to the order of Brāhmanahood sarvesu btūtesu abhaya-śradah Ā A Brāhmana grants freedom from fear to all beings "It is a common saying in mediaeval writers that society consists of those who work, those who guard, and those who pray It is worth while to note in passing that these writers mean by the workers those who work on the land, and that the classification omits entirely the merchant and the dweller in the towns" Legacy of the Middle Ages, 1926, p II, C. G. Crump. 16 atho ayam vā ātmā sarvesām bhūtānām lokah sa yaj juhoti yad yajate, tena devānām lokah; atha yad anubrūte, tena rsinām; atha yat pīrbhyo niprnāti yat prajām icchate, tena pītrnām; atha yan manusyān vāsayate, yad ebhyośanam dadāti, tena manu- syānām, atha yat paśubhyas trnōdakam vindati, tena paśūnām, yad asya grhesu svāpadā vayāmsy āpīpīlikābhya upajīvanti, tena teṣām lokah yathā ha varṇa svāya lokāyāristim icchet, evam haivaṁ vide (sarvadā) sarvāṇi bhūtāny aristim icchanti. tad vā etad vidutam mīmāmsitam 16 Now this self, verily, is the world of all beings. In so far as he makes offerings and sacrifices, he becomes the world of the gods. In so far as he learns (the Vedas), he becomes the world of the seers. In so far as he offers libations to the fathers and desires offspring, he becomes the world of the fathers. In so far as he gives shelter and food to men, he becomes the world of men. In so far as he gives grass and water to the animals, he becomes the world of animals. In so far as beasts and birds, even to the ants find a living in his houses he becomes their world. Verily, as one wishes non-injury for his own world, so all beings wish non-injury for him who has this knowledge. This, indeed, is known and well investigated. lokah world, object or enjoyment, loko hi nāma prāṇi-bhaga- sthāna-viśesah R anubrūte learns the Vedas, svādhyāyam adhīte Ś The interdependence of man and the world including deities, seers, fathers, animals, is brought out. The same idea is elaborated in the theory of the five great sacrifices, pañca-mahāyajñāh, bhūta-yajña, manusya-yajña, pitṛ-yajña, deva-yajña and brahma-yajña for animals, men, manes, gods and seers. investigated vicāritam Ś aristam non-injury ristam nāśah, aristam, anāśam R 17 ātmarivedam agra āsīt, ekà eva, so'kāmayata, jāyā me syāt atha prajāyeya, atha vittam me syād, atha karma kurvīyeti etāvān var kāmah necchamś ca na ato bhūyo vindet tasmād apy etarhy ekākī kāmayate, jāyā me syāt, atha prajāyeya, atha vittam me syād atha karma kurvīyeti sa yāvad apy etesām ekaikam na prāpnoti, a-krtsna eva tāvan manyate tasyo krtsnatā mana evāsya ātmā, vāg jāyā, prānah prajā, caksur mānusam vittam, caksusā hi tad vindate, śrotram daivam, śrotrena hi tac chrnot ātmarvāsya karma, ātmanā hi karma karoti sa esa pānkto yajñah, pānktah paśuh, pānktah purusah, pānktam idam sarvam yad idam kim ca tad idam sarvam āpnoti, ya evam veda 17 In the beginning this (world) was just the self, one only. He desired, 'would that I had a wife, then I may have offspring. Would that I had wealth, then I would perform rites.' This much indeed is the (range of) desire. Even if one wishes, one cannot get more than this. Therefore, to this day, a man who is single desires, 'would that I had a wife, then I may have offspring. Would that I had wealth, then I would perform rites.' So long as he does not obtain each one of these, he thinks himself to be incomplete. Now his completeness (is as follows), mind truly is his self, speech his wife, breath is his offspring, the eye is his human wealth, for he finds it with the eye, the ear his divine wealth, for he hears it with his ear The body, indeed, is his work, for with his body he performs work So this sacrifice is fivefold, fivefold is the animal, fivefold is the person, fivefold is all this world, whatever there is He who knows this as such obtains all this The ignorant man thinks that he is incomplete without wife, children and possessions a-kṛtsnah incomplete, a-sampūrṇah. Ś.
I yat saptānnāni medhayā tapasā janayat pitā, ekam asya sādhāranam, dve devān abhājayat; trīny ātmane' kuruta, paśubhya ekam prāyacchat. tasmīn sarvam pratisthitam, yac ca prānītī yac ca na kasmāt tāni na ksīyante adyamānāni sarvadā? yo vaitām aksītim veda, so'nnam atti pratīkena; sa devān apīgacchati, sa ūrjam upajīvati. iti ślokāh I When the Father (of creation) produced by knowledge and austerity seven kinds of food, one of his (foods) was common to all beings, two he assigned to the gods, three he made for himself, one he gave to the animals In it everything rests, whatsoever breathes and what does not Why then do they not decline when they are being eaten all the time? He who knows this imperishableness, he eats food with his mouth. He goes to the gods, he lives on strength Thus the verses. medhayā by knowledge, prajñāyā tapasā by austerity or the performance of rules, karmanā, jñāna-karmanī eva hi medhā-tapaś-śabda-vācye Ś 2 'yat saptānnāni medhayā tapasā janayat pitā' iti medhayā hi tapasājanayat pitā 'ekam asya sādhāraṇam' iti, idam evāsya lat sādhāraṇam annam, yad idam adyate, sa ya etad upāste na sa pāpmano vyāvariate, mīśraṁ hy etat. 'dve devān abhājayat' iti, hutam ca prahutam ca, tasmād devebhyo juhvatī ca pra ca juhvatī, atho āhuh, darśapūrnamāsāv iti, tasmān nesti-yājukah syāt. 'paśubhya ekam prāyacchat' iti tat payah, payo hy evāgre manusyāś ca paśavaś copajīvanti tasmāt kumāram jātam ghrtam var vāgre pratīlehayantr, stanam vānudhāpayantī atha vatsam jātam āhuh, 'atrnāda' iti, 'tasmin sarvam pratisthitam yacca prānitī yac ca na' iti, payasi hīdam sarvam pratisthitam, yacca prānitī yac ca na tad yad idam āhuh samvatsaram payasā juhvad apa punarmrtyum jayatītr, na tathā vidyāt yad ahar eva juhotī, tad ahah punarmrtyum apajayaty evam vidvān, 'sarvam hi devebhyo 'nnādyam prayacchatr 'kasmāt tāni na ksīyante adyamānāni sarvadā 'iti, puruso vā aksitih, sa hīdam annam punah punar janayate 'yo var tām aksitim veda 'iti, puruso vā aksitih, sa hīdam annam dhiyā dhiyā janayate karmabhīh, yaddhartan na kuryāt kṣīyeta ha 'so'nnam atti pratīkena' iti, mukham pratīkam, mukhenety etat sa devān apīgacchatī, sa ūrjam upajīvatī 'iti praśamsā 2 'When the Father produced by knowledge and austerity seven kinds of food' means that the Father produced them by knowledge and austerity 'One of his foods was common to all beings' means that the food of his which is eaten is that which is common to all He who worships (eats) that (common food) is not freed from evil for, verily, that (food) is mixed 'Two he assigned to the gods' means they are the fire sacrifice (huta) and the offering Therefore one sacrifices and offers to the gods But they also say that they are the new-moon and the full-moon sacrifices Therefore one should not offer sacrifice for material ends 'One who gave to the animals' 'that is milk' for, at first, men and animals live on milk alone Therefore they make a newborn babe first lick clarified butter or put it to the breast, likewise they speak of a newborn calf as one that does not eat grass 'In it everything rests whatsoever breathes and what does not' means that on milk everything rests whatsoever breathes and what does not This is said that by making offerings with milk for a year one conquers further death One should not think so For he who knows this conquers further death the very day he makes the offering, for he offers all his food to the gods 'Why then do they not decline when they are being eaten all the time,' means verily, the person is imperishable, for he produces this food again and again 'He who knows this imperishableness' means that the Person is imperishable, for he produces this food as his work by his con- tinuous meditation. Should he not do this, his food would be exhausted. 'He eats food with his mouth.' The pratīka is the mouth, he eats it with his mouth.' He goes to the gods; he lives on strength; this is praise. Ś makes out that desire is possible only when we are ignorant of the truth of things. When we realise the truth, there can be no desire- brahma-vidyā-visaye ca sarvaikatvāt kāmānupapatteḥ. The eater is the subject which is constant, imperishable: the food eaten is the object, it is changing. mukham mouth, pre-eminence, mukhyatvam, prādkānyam: Ś R makes out that the Supreme Person produces food for the needs of creatures paramātmā praty aham annāni punaḥ punaḥ prāṇi-kar-mānusārena janayati. 3. 'trīny ātmane' kuruta' iti, mano vācam prāṇam, tāny ātmane 'kuruta': anyatra manā abhūvam nādarśam, anyatra manā abhūvam nāśrausam' iti, manasā hy eva paśyati, manasā śṛṇoti, kāmaḥ samkalpo vicikitsā, śraddhā 'śraddhā, dhṛtir adhṛtir krīr dhīr bhīr ity etat sarvam mana eva. tasmād api prṣṭhata upasprṣlo manasā vijānāti; yaḥ kaś ca śabdo, vāg eva sā; eṣā hi antam āyattā, esā hi na prāno 'pāno vyāna udānaḥ samāno'na ity etat sarvam prāṇa eva etanmayo vā ayam ātmā, vāṇi-mayaḥ, mano-mayaḥ, prāṇa-mayaḥ. 3 'Three he made for himself.' Mind, speech, breath, these he made for himself '(They say) my mind was elsewhere, I did not see it, my mind was elsewhere, I did not hear.' It is with the mind, truly, that one sees. It is with the mind that one hears. Desire, determination, doubt, faith, lack of faith, steadfastness, lack of steadfastness, shame, intellection, fear, all this is truly mind Therefore even if one is touched on his back, he discerns it with the mind. Whatever sound there is, it is just speech. Venly, it serves to determine an end (object), but is not itself (determined or revealed). The in-breath, the out-breath, the diffused breath, the up-breath, the middle-breath, all that breathes is breath only. Verily, the self consists of speech, mind and breath See Maitri VI. 30. Mere presentation is not enough for perception. Mind must be attentive. We often say that we did not see it or hear it because we were absent-minded It is through the mind that we see and hear. samkalpa- determination, determining the nature of a thing presented to us, whether it is white or blue, etc. pratyupasthita-visaya- vikalpanam sukla-nīlādībhedena Ṣ According to Amara, it is a mental act, mānasam karma Prāna is the general term for breath, in or out Apāna is the downward breath, Vyāna is the bond of union of the two. It is the breath which sustains life when there is neither expiration nor inspiration
. Verily, the self consists of speech, mind and breath See Maitri VI. 30. Mere presentation is not enough for perception. Mind must be attentive. We often say that we did not see it or hear it because we were absent-minded It is through the mind that we see and hear. samkalpa- determination, determining the nature of a thing presented to us, whether it is white or blue, etc. pratyupasthita-visaya- vikalpanam sukla-nīlādībhedena Ṣ According to Amara, it is a mental act, mānasam karma Prāna is the general term for breath, in or out Apāna is the downward breath, Vyāna is the bond of union of the two. It is the breath which sustains life when there is neither expiration nor inspiration. Samāna is common to both expiration and inspiration. Udāna leads the soul into deep sleep to the central Reality or conducts the soul from the body on death. Speech reveals things but is not revealed by others of the same class. 4 trayo lokā eta eva, vāg evāyam lokah, mano'ntariksa lokah, prāno' sau lokah 4 These same are the three worlds. Speech is this world (the earth), Mind is the atmospheric world (the sky), Breath is that world (heaven). 5 trayo vedā eta eva, vāg eva rg vedah, mano yajur vedah, prānah sāma vedah 5 These same are the three Vedas. Speech, verily, is the Rg Veda. Mind is the Yajur Veda. Breath is the Sāma Veda. 6 devāh pitaro manusyā eta eva, vāg eva devāh, manah pitarah, prāno manusyāh 6 These same are the gods, manes and men. Speech, verily, is the gods. Mind is the manes. Breath is the men. 7 pitā mātā prajā eta eva, mana eva pitā, vān mātā, prānah prajā 7 These same are father, mother and offspring, Mind, verily, is the father. Speech is the mother. Breath is the offspring. 8 vijñātam vijñāsyam avijñātam eta eva, yat kīm ca vijñātam, vācas tad rūpam, vāgg hṛ vijñātā, vāg enam tad bhūtvāvati 8 These same are what is known, what is to be known and what is unknown. Whatever is known is a form of speech, for speech is the knower. For speech by becoming that (which is known) protects him (the knower). 9 yat kīm ca vijñāsyam, manasas tad rūpam, mano hṛ vijñāsyam, mana enam tad bhūtvāvati 9 Whatever is to be known is a form of mind for mind is to be known. For mind by becoming that protects him. The mind protects him by becoming that which is to be known. 10. yat kīm cāvijñātam, prāṇasya tad rūpam, prāno hy avijñātah, prāna evam tad bhūtvāvati 10. Whatever is unknown is a form of breath for breath is what is unknown. For breath by becoming that protects him. 11. tasya vācaḥ prthivī śarīram, jyotī-rūpam ayam agnih tad yāvaty eva vāk, tāvatī prthivī, tāvan ayam agnih 11. Of this speech, the earth is the body. Its light-form is this (terrestrial) fire. As far as speech extends, so far extends the earth, so far (extends) this fire. 12. athaitasya manaso dyauḥ śarīram, jyotī-rūpam asāv ādityaḥ, tad yāvad eva manas, tāvatī dyauḥ, tāvān asāv ādityah tau mithunam samaritām tatah prāno ajāyata sa indrah, sa eso'sapa-inah dvitīyo var sapatnaḥ nāsya sapatno bhavati, ya evam veda. 12. Now of this mind, heaven is the body and its light-form is that sun. As far as the mind extends, so far extends the heaven, so far (extends) that sun. These two (the fire and the sun) entered into union and from that was born breath. He is Indra (the supreme lord). He is without a rival. Verily, a second person is a rival. He who knows this has no rival. Indra the supreme lord, parameśvarah Ś 13. athaitasya prānasyāpah śarīram, jyotī-rūpam asau candrah, tad yāvān eva prānah, tāvatya āpah, tāvān asau candrah, ta ete sarva eva samāh, sarve'nantāh sa yo hartān antavata upāste antavantam sa lokam jayati atha yo hartān anantān upāste, anantam sa lokam jayati 13. Next, of this breath, water is the body. Its light-form is that moon. As far as the breath extends so far extends water and so far (extends) that moon. These are all alike, all endless. Verily, he who meditates on them as finite, wins a finite world. But he who meditates on them as infinite wins an infinite world.
14. sa eṣa samvatsarah prajā-patih, sodaśa-kalah; tasya rātraya eva pañcadaśa-kalāh, dhruvarvāsya sodaśi kalā sa rātribhṛv evā ca pūryate, apa ca ksīyate, so'māvāsyām rātrim etayā sodasyā kalayā sarvam idam prāṇabhrd anupravṛṣya, tatah prātar jāyate. tasmād etām rātrim prāna-bhrtah prānaṁ na vicchindyād api krkatā sasya, etasyā eva devatāyā apacītyaḥ 14 That Prajā-patī is the year and has sixteen parts His nights, indeed, have fifteen parts, the fixed point his sixteenth part He is increased and diminished by his nights alone Having on the new-moon night entered with that sixteenth part into everything here that has breath, he is born thence in the (following) morning Therefore on that night let no one cut off the breath of any breathing things, not even of a lizard, in honour of that divinity apacityar in honour of, pūjārtham S 15 yo var sa samvatsarah prajāpatih sodaśa-kalah, ayam eva sa yo'yam evam-vit purusah tasya vittam eva pañcadaśa-kalāh, ātmaivāsya sodaśi kalā, sa vittenaivā ca pūryate apa caksīyate. tad etan nabhyam yad ayam ātmā, pradhṛ vittam tasmād yady api sarvajyānim jīyate, ātmanā cej jīvati, pradhīnāgād ity evāhuh 15 Verily, the person here who knows this is himself that Prajā-patī with the sixteen parts who is the year His wealth is the fifteen parts, the sixteenth part is his self In wealth alone is one increased and diminished That which is the self is a hub, wealth a felly Therefore even if one loses everything but he himself lives, people say that he has lost only his felly (which can be restored again) Wealth is compared to the spokes of a wheel It is something external If one loses wealth he loses only his outer trappings He can regain wealth It is the distinction between being and having, to use Gabriel Marcel's words The superscription at Delphi, 'Know thyself' is, according to Plutarch, an injunction addressed by God to all who approach him Moralia 384 D f In Alcibiades I 130 E f Socrates says that he who orders 'Know thyself' bids us 'Know the soul,' and he who knows only what is of the body 'knows the things that are his but not himself '
16 atha trayo vāva lokāh, manusya-lokah, pītr-lokah deva-loka iti so'yam manusya-lokah putrenaiva jayyah, nānyena karmanā karmanā pītr-lokah, vidyayā deva-lokah, deva-loko var lokānām śresthah tasmād vidyām praśamsantṛ 16 Now, there are, verily, three worlds, the world of men, the world of the fathers, and the world of the gods This world of men is to be obtained through the son alone, not by any other work, the world of the fathers by works (rites), the world of the gods by knowledge The world of gods is, verily, the best of worlds Therefore they praise knowledge vidyā knowledge, vidyā-śabdasya brahma-vidyā-paratvam R.
17 athātah sampratthah yadā praisyan manyate, atha putram āha, tvam brahma tvam yajñah, tvam loka iti. sa putrah praty āha, aham brahma, aham yajñah, aham loka iti yad vai kim cānuktam, tasya sarvasya brahmety ekatā ye vai ke ca yajñāh, tesām sarvesām yajña ity ekatā; ye vai ke ca lokāh, tesām sarvesām loka ity ekatā, etāvad vā idam sarvam, etanmā sarvam sann ayam ito'bhunajad iti, tasmāt putram anuśistam lokyam āhuḥ tasmād enam anuśāsatī, sa yadarvam vid asmāl lokāt pratir. athaibhir eva prānaih saha putram āviśatī sa yady anena kim cid aksnayā krtam bhavatī, tasmād enam sarvasmāt putro muñcati. tasmāt putro nāma sa putrena vāsmimil loke pratitisthati, aihamam ete daivāḥ prānā amrtā āviśantī. 17 Now therefore the transmission When a man thinks that he is about to depart, he says to his son, 'you are Brahman, you are the sacrifice and you are the world ' The son answers, 'I am Brahman, I am the sacrifice, I am the world ' Verily, whatever has been learnt, all that taken as one is knowledge (Brahman) Verily, whatever sacrifices have been made, all those, taken as one are the world All this is indeed, this much. Being thus the all, let him (the son) preserve me from (the ties of) this world, thus, (the father thinks). Therefore they call a son who is instructed 'world-procuring' and therefore they instruct him When one who knows this departs from this world he enters into his son together with his breaths Whatever wrong has been done by him, his son frees him from it all, therefore he is called a son By his son a father stands firm in this world Then into him enter those divine immortal breaths. sampratthah transmission. It is so called because the father in this manner transmits his own duties to his son. putre hi svātma-vyāpāra-sampradānam karoly anena prakārena pitā S putra from pur, 'to fil,' and tra 'to deliver,' a deliverer who fills the holes left by the father yah pituś chidram pūrayitvā trāyati S Others derive it from put 'a hell,' and trā, 'to save' See Manu IX 138 In the RV a son is called rnacyuta, one who removes debts See Tattrīya Samhitā VI 3 10 5 18 prthvyar caṇnam agneś ca daivī vāg āviśatī, sā var daivī vāg, yayā yad yad eva vadatī, tad tad bhavatī. 18 From the earth and from the fire the divine speech enters him. Verily, that is the divine speech by which whatever one says comes to be (is fulfilled) His speech becomes infallible and irresistible amoghā pratibaddhā asya vāg bhavatī S. 19 divas caṇnam ādityāc ca daivam mana āviśatī, tad var daivam mano yenānandy eva bhavatī, atho na socatī 19 From the heaven and the sun the divine mind enters him. Verily, that is the divine mind by which one becomes only joyful and sorrows not He sorrows not because he is not connected with the sources of grief sokādī-nimittāsamyogāt S 20 adbhyas caṇnam candramasas ca daivah prāna āviśatī sa var daivaḥ prāno, yah samcaramś cāsamcaramś ca na vyathate, atho na risyatī sa evam-vit sarvesām bhūtānām ātmā bhavatī yathaisā devatā, evam sah yathaitām devatām sarvāṇi bhūtāny avantī, evam harvam-vidam sarvāṇi bhūtany avantī yad u kīm cemāh prajāh socantī, amaivāsām tad bhavatī, punyam evāmum gacchatī na ha var devān pāpam gacchatī 20 From water and the moon the divine breath enters him. Verily, that is the divine breath, whether moving or not moving, is not perturbed nor injured. He who knows this becomes the self of all beings. As is this divinity (Hiranya-garbha), so is he. As all beings regard that divinity, so do all beings regard him who knows this. Whatever sufferings creatures may undergo, these remain with them. But only merit goes to him. No evil ever goes to the gods. Individuals suffer because one causes suffering to another, but in the Universal Spirit where all individuals are one, the sufferings of the individuals do not affect the whole
21. athāto vrata-mīmāṁsā. prajā-patir ha karmāṇi sasrje, tāni srstāni anyo'nyenāspardhanta. vadīsyāmy evāham iti vāg dadhre, draksyāmy aham iti caksuh; śroṣyāmy aham iti śrotram; evam anyāni karmāṇi yathā karma, tāni mṛtyuḥ śramo bhūtvā upayeme, tāny āpnot; tāny āptvā mṛtyur avārundha; tasmāt śrāmyaty eva vāk, śrāmyatī caksuḥ, śrāmyatī śrotram. athemam eva nāpnot yo'yam madhyamah prānah. tāni jñātum dadhrire. ayaṁ varṇaḥ śrestho yah samcaramś cāsamcaramś ca na vyathate, atho na rīsyatī, hantāsyarva sarve rūpam asāmeti: ta etasyaiva sarve rūpam abhavan, tasmād eta etaṇākhyāyante prānā iti. tena ha vāva tat kulam ācaksate, yasmin kule bhavatī ya evaṁ veda ya u haivam vidā spardhate, anuśuṣyati, anuśuṣya haivāntato mṛvyate, iti adhyātmam. 21 Now next a consideration of the observances Prajā-pati produced the active senses. They, when they were produced, quarrelled with one another. Speech resolved 'I will go on speaking.' The eye 'I will go on seeing.' The ear 'I will go on hearing.' And thus the other organs, each according to its function Death, having become weariness, laid hold of them. It took possession of them; having taken possession of them, death held them back from their work Therefore speech becomes weary (gets tired), the eye becomes weary, the ear becomes weary But death did not take possession of him who was the middle breath They (the senses) sought to know him and said, 'This is, verily, the greatest among us, since (it) whether moving or not moving, is not perturbed, is not injured, let us all assume his form' of him indeed they became a form. Therefore they are called after him 'breath.' In whatever family there is a man who knows this they call that family after him And whoever strives with one who knows this shrivels away and after shrivelling dies in the end. This, with reference to the self. vrata· observance, meditative worship, upāsana Š. karmāṇi active senses, instruments of activity. dadhre resolved, dhṛtavān R 22 athādhidaivatam jvalīsyāmy evāham ity agnir dadhre, tapsyāmy aham ity ādītyah, bhāsyāmy aham iti candramāh, evam anyā devatā yathā-devatam, sa yathaisām prānānām madhyamah prānah, evam etāsām devatānām vāyuh nimlocanti hy anyā devatāh, na vāyuh sarsānastamitā devatā yad vāyuh 22 Now with reference to the gods Fire resolved 'I will go on burning ' The sun 'I will go on warming ' The moon 'I will go on shining' So said the other gods each according to his divine function As breath holds the central position among the vital breaths, so does air among these divinities, for other divinities have their decline but not air Air is the divinity that never sets (never goes to rest) 23 athaīsa śloko bhavatī\yataś codetī sūryah >astam yatra ca gacchatī >iti prānād vā esa udeti, prāne'stam eti, tam devāś cakriro dharmam >sa evādya sa u śvah itr yad vā ete'murhy adhriyanta tad evāpy adya kurvanti tasmād ekam eva vratam caret, prānyāc carva, apānyāc ca, nen mā pāpmā mṛtyur āpnuvad iti, yady u caret samāpīpayīsel teno etasyaṁ devatāyam sāyujyam salokatām jayati 23 On this there is this verse 'From whom the sun rises and in whom it sets, in truth from breath it rises and in breath it sets Him the divinities made the law, he only is today and he tomorrow also (Whatever the divinities observed then they observe till today.)' Verily, what those (functions) undertook of old, even that they accomplish today Therefore let a man perform one observance only He should breathe in and breathe out wishing, 'Let not the evil of death get me' And when he performs it, let him try to complete it Thereby he wins complete union with that divinity and residence in the same world with him.
I trayam vā idam, nāma rūpam karma, tesām nāmnām vāg ity etad esām uktham, ato hı sarvārı nāmāny uttisthantrı, etad esām sāma, etadd hı sarvarı nāmabhıh samam, etad esām brahma, etadd hı sarvārı nāmārı bibhartı. I. Verily, this (world) is a triad of name, shape and work. Of these as regards names, speech is the source, for from it all names arise. It is their common feature for it is common to all names. It is their Brahman, for it sustains all names. Ś distinguishes the world of name, shape, work as non-self from Brahman the self nātmā yat sāksād aparoksād brahma. vāk speech, sound in general, śabda-sāmānyam Ś. sama common samatvāt sāma sāmānyam Ś 2 atha rūpānām caksur ity etad esām uktham, ato hı sarvārı rūpāny uttisthantrı, etad esām sāma, etadd hı sarvarı rūpānḥ samam, etad esām brahma, etadd hı sarvārı rūpārı bibhartı 2. Now, of shapes eye is the source, for from it all shapes arise. It is their common feature for it is common to all shapes. It is their Brahman, for it sustains all shapes. 3 atha karmanām ātmety etad esām uktham, ato hı sarvārı karmāny uttisthantrı, etad esām sāma, etadd hı sarvarıh karmabhıh samam, etad esām brahma, etadd hı sarvārı karmārı bibhartı tad etad trayam sad ekam ayam ātmā, ātmā ekah sann etat trayam. tad etad amrtam satyena channam, prāno vā amrtam, nāma-rūpe satyam, tābhyām ayam prānaś channah 3. Now of works, the body is the source for from it all works arise. It is their common feature for it is common to all works. It is their Brahman, for it sustains all works. These three together are one, this self; the self, though one, is this triad. This is the immortal veiled by the real Breath, verily, is the immortal, name and shape are the real. By them this breath is veiled.
1. drpta-bālākṛ hānūcāno gārgya āsa, sa hovāca ajātaśatruṁ kāśyam, brahma te bravānīti, sa hovāca ajātaśatruh, sahasram etasyām vāci dadmaḥ janakah, janaka iti var janā dhāvantīti. 1. There lived formerly Drpta-bālākū of the Gārgya clan, who was an expositor. He said to Ajātaśatru of Kāśi, 'I will tell you about Brahman, Ajātaśatru said, 'I give you a thousand (cows) for this proposal.' People, indeed, rush, saying Janaka, Janaka. See K U. IV In this dialogue Drpta-bālākū, though a Brāhmana, represents the imperfect knowledge of Brahman, while Ajātaśatru, though a Ksatrīya, represents advanced knowledge of Brahman. While Drpta-bālākū worships Brahman as the sun, the moon, etc., as limited, Ajātaśatru knows Brahman as the self. drptah- proud, garvitah S Kāśi Kāśi is one of the seven sacred places reputed to confer final emancipation ayodhyā mathurā māyā kāśi kāñcī avantikā purī dvāravatī caiva saptatā moksa-dāyikāh. anūcānah expositor, anuvacana-samarthah, vaktā S. Being ex- ceedingly vain, Gārgya accosted Ajātaśatru with boastful speech. In accepting his kind proposal Ajātaśatru offers a reward of a thousand cows. Janaka was a well-known learned king Ajātaśatru feels that he has also some of his qualities. 2. sa hovāca gārgyah, ya cvāsāv ādityc puruṣah, etam cvāham brahṇopāsa iti sa hovāca ajātaśatruh, mā matasmin samva-dīṣṭhāh atiṣṭhāḥ sarveṣām bhūtānām mūrdhā rājecti vā aham etam upāsa iti, sa ya etam upāste, atiṣṭhāḥ sarvesām bhūtānām mūrdhā rājā bhavati. 2 Gārgya said. 'The person who is yonder in the sun, on him, indeed, do I meditate as Brahman' Ajātaśatru said, 'Please do not talk to me about him. I meditate on him as all-surpassing, as the head and king of all beings. He who meditates on him as such becomes all-surpassing, the head and king of all beings.' atıṣṭhāh· all-surpassing, atītya sarvāni bhūtānī tiṣṭhati. Ś. rājā king, resplendent; dīpti-gunopetatvāt Ś The results of meditation correspond to the forms meditated upon according to the view, tam yathā yathopāsate tad eva bhavati. Satapatha Brāhmaṇa X. V. 2. 20. 3. sa hovāca gārgyah; ya evāsau candre puruṣah, etam evāham brahmopāsa iti. sa hovāca ajātaśatruḥ, mā maitasmin saṁva-dīsthāh. brhan pāṇḍara-vāsāḥ somo rājeti vā aham etam upāsa iti. sa ya etam evam upāste, ahar ahar ha sutaḥ prasuto bhavati, nāsyānnam ksīyate. 3. Gārgya said: ‘The person who is yonder in the moon, on him, indeed, do I meditate as Brahman.’ Ajātaśatru said: ‘Please do not talk to me about him. I meditate on him as the great white-robed king Soma. He who meditates on him as such, for him soma is poured out (in the principal) and poured forth (in the subsidiary sacrifices) every day. His food does not get short.’ Soma is the name for the moon and the juice from the creeper which is used in the sacrifices. yajña-sādhana-bhūta-somarāja-śabdita-latā-viśesa R pāṇḍara-vāsah white-robed The white rays of the moon flood the earth R quotes Vyāsārya, pāṇḍarair aṁśubhir jagac-chādakatvāt pāṇḍara-vāsastvam 4 sa hovāca gārgyah; ya evāsau vidyuti puruṣah, etam evāham brahmopāsa iti. sa hovāca ajātaśatruḥ, mā maitasmin saṁva-dīsthāh, tejasvīti vā aham etam upāsa iti. sa ya etam evam upāste, tejasvī ha bhavati, tejasvīnī hāsya prajā bhavati. 4 Gārgya said. ‘The person who is yonder in lightning, on him, indeed, do I meditate as Brahman.’ Ajātaśatru said: ‘Please do not talk to me about him. I meditate on him, verily, as the radiant He who meditates on him as such becomes radiant, and his offspring, too, become radiant.’ 5. sa hovāca gārgyah, ya evāyam ākāṣe puruṣah, etam evāham brahmopāsa iti. sa hovāca ajātaśatruḥ, mā maitasmin saṁva-dīsthāh, pūrṇam apravartiti vā aham etam upāsa iti, sa ya etam evam upāste, pūryate prajayā paśubhṛh nāsyāsmāl lokāt prajo-dvartate. 5 Gārgya said: ‘The person who is here in the ether, on him indeed, do I meditate as Brahman.’ Ajātaśatru said: ‘Please do not speak to me about him. I meditate on him, verily, as the full and the unmoving He who meditates on him as such is filled with offspring and cattle, and his offspring does not depart from this world' The continuity of his line is preserved in this world 6 sa hovāca gārgyah, ya evāyam vāyau purusah, etam evāham brahmopāsa iti sa hovāca ajātaśatruh, mā martasmin samva-ḍīsthāh, indro vaikunthoparājitā senetri vā aham etam upāsa iti, sa ya etam evam upāste, jīsṇur hāparājīsṇur bhavaty anyata-ṣṭya-ḍāyī. 6 Gārgya said 'The person who is here in fire, on him, indeed, do I meditate as Brahman' Ajātaśatru said 'Please do not talk to me about him, I meditate on him, verily, as the lord, as the irresistible and as the unvanquished army He who meditates on him as such becomes, indeed, victorious, unconquerable, and a conqueror of enemies' 7
. 6 Gārgya said 'The person who is here in fire, on him, indeed, do I meditate as Brahman' Ajātaśatru said 'Please do not talk to me about him, I meditate on him, verily, as the lord, as the irresistible and as the unvanquished army He who meditates on him as such becomes, indeed, victorious, unconquerable, and a conqueror of enemies' 7. sa hovāca gārgyah, ya evāyam agnau purusah, etam evāham brahmopāsa iti sa hovāca ajātaśatruh, mā martasmin samva-ḍīsthāh, visāsahir iti vā aham etam upāsa iti, sa ya etam evam upāste visāsahir ha bhavati, visāsahir hāsya prajā bhavati 7 Gārgya said 'The person who is here in fire, on him, indeed, do I meditate as Brahman' Ajātaśatru said 'Please do not talk to me about him, I meditate on him, verily, as the forbearing He who meditates on him as such becomes, indeed, forbearing and his offspring, too, becomes forbearing' visāsahih forbearing, marsayitā paresām S 8 sa hovāca gārgyah, ya evāyam apsu purusah, etam evāham brahmopāsa iti sa hovāca ajātaśatruh, mā martasmin samva-ḍīsthāh, pratirūpa iti vā aham etam upāsa iti, sa ya etam evam upāste, pratirūpam haivarnam upagacchati, nāpratirūpam, atho pratirūpo'smāj jāyate 8 Gārgya said 'The person, who is here in water, on him, indeed, do I meditate as Brahman' Ajātaśatru said 'Please do not talk to me about him, I meditate on him, verily, as the likeness He who meditates on him as such, to him comes what is like (him), not what is unlike (him), also from him is born what is like (him)' pratirūpah likeness, reflection, pratibimbah 9. sa hovāca gārgyah, ya evāyam ādarśe purusah, etam evāham brahmopāsa iti sa hovāca ajātaśatruh, mā martasmin samva- dısthāh rocısnur iti vā aham etam upāsa iti. sa ya etam evam upāste rocısnur ha bhavati, rocısnur hāsya prajā bhavati, atho yaḥ samnigacchatṛ, sarvāṁs tān atirocate 9 Gārgya said. The person who is here in a mirror, on him, indeed, do I meditate as Brahman.' Ajātaśatru said 'Please do not talk to me about him. I meditate on him, verily, as the shining one He who meditates on him as such becomes shining indeed His offspring, too, becomes shining. He also outshines all those with whom he comes in contact.' rocısnuh shining, dīpti-svabhāvaḥ Ṣ 10. sa hovāca gārgyah, ya evāyam yantam paścāt śabdo'nūdeti; etam evāham brahmopāsa iti. sa hovāca ajātaśatruh; mā maitasmīn samvadisthāh, asur iti vā aham etam upāsa iti, sa ya etam evam upāste, sarvam haivāsmiṁl loka āyur eti, naṁnam purā kālāt prāno jahāti. 10 Gārgya said. 'The sound here which follows one as he walks, on that, indeed, do I meditate as Brahman' Ajātaśatru said 'Please do not talk to me about that I meditate on him, verily, as life. He who meditates on him as such attains a full term of life in this world Breath does not depart from him before (the completion of) his time.' 11 sa hovāca gārgyah, ya evāyam dṛkṣu purusah, etam evāham brahmopāsa iti sa hovāca ajātaśatruh, mā maitasmīn samvadisthāh, dvitīyo'napaga iti vā aham etam upāsa iti, sa ya etam evam upāste, dvitīyavān ha bhavati, nāsmād gaṇaś chidyate 11 Gārgya said. 'The person who is here in the quarters (of heaven) on him, indeed, do I meditate as Brahman ' Ajātaśatru said 'Please do not talk to me about him I meditate on him, verily, as the second who never leaves us He who meditates on him as such becomes possessed of a second His company is not cut off from him.' His friends do not desert him He is never lonely 12. sa hovāca gārgyah, ya evāyam chāyāmayah purusaḥ, etam evāham brahmopāsa iti. sa hovāca ajātaśatruḥ, mā maitasmīn samvadisthāh, mrtyur iti vā aham etam upāsa iti, sa ya etam evam upāste, sarvam haivasmiṁl loka āyur eti, naivam purā kālān mrtyur āgacchatṛ 12 Gārgya said. 'The person here who consists of shadow, on him, indeed, do I meditate as Brahman ' Ajātaśatru said: G ‘Please do not talk to me about him. I meditate on him, verily, as death He who meditates on him as such attains a full term of life in this world Death does not come to him before (the completion of) his time’ 13 sa hovāca gārgyah, ya evāyam ātmanı puruşah, etam evāham brahmopāsa ıtr sa hovāca ajātaśatruh, mā marṭasmīn samvadıṣṭhāḥ, ātmanvītr vā aham etam upāsa ıtr, sa ya etam evam upāste, ātmanvī ha bhavatı atmanvīnī hāsya prajā bhavatı sa ha tūsnīm āsa gārgyah 13 Gārgya said, 'The person here who is in the self, on him, indeed, do I meditate as Brahman?' Ajātaśatru said, 'Please do not talk to me about him. I meditate on him, verily, as self-possessed. He who meditates on him as such he becomes self-possessed. His offspring becomes self-possessed.' Gārgya became silent Self-possession is the quality of those who are cultivated ātma-vattvam vaśyātmakatvam Ā 14 sa hovāca ajātaśatruh, etāvan nv ıtr, etāvad-dhītr, naītāvatā vidītam bhavatītr. sa hovāca gārgyah upa tvāyānītr 14 Ajātaśatru said, 'Is that all?' 'That is all' (said Gārgya). (Ajātaśatru said) 'With that much only it is not known.' Gārgya said, 'Let me come to you as a pupil.' 15 sa hovāca ajātaśatruh, pratiloṣam car tad yad brāhmanah kṣatrīyam upeyāt, brahma me vakṣyatītr, vy eva tvājñapayiṣyā-mitī; tam pānāv ādayottasthau ātau ha puruṣam suptam ājagma-tuh, tam etair nāmabhṛr āmantrayām cakre, brhan pāndara-vāsah soma rājann ıtr sa nottasthau, tam pāṇinā peṣam bodhayām cakāra, sa hottasthau 15 Ajātaśatru said, 'Verily, it is contrary to usual practice that a Brāhmana should approach a Kṣatrīya, thinking that he will teach me Brahman. However, I shall make you know him clearly.' Taking him by the hand he rose. The two together came to a person who was asleep. They addressed him with these names: Great, White-robed, Radiant, Soma. The man did not get up. He woke him by rubbing him with his hand. He then got up
. However, I shall make you know him clearly.' Taking him by the hand he rose. The two together came to a person who was asleep. They addressed him with these names: Great, White-robed, Radiant, Soma. The man did not get up. He woke him by rubbing him with his hand. He then got up. pratiloṣam contrary to usual practice, viśaritam S 16 sa hovāca ajātaśatruh, yatraiṣa etat supto'bhūt, ya eṣa vijñānamayah puruṣah, kvarṣa tadābhūt, kuta etad āgād ıtr tad u ha na mene gārgyah. 16. Ajātaśatru said 'When this person who consists of intelligence fell asleep thus, where was it and whence did it come back' And this also Gārgya did not know. The fact that a man recovers his consciousness after deep sleep means that it was present even in sleep, though we are not conscious of it. In deep sleep the self perceives nothing whatever and is of the nature of inactive consciousness. 17 sa hovāca ajātaśatruh, yatraisa etat supto'bhūt esa vijñānamayah purusaḥ, tad esām prānānām vijñānena vijñānam ādāya ya eso'ntar-hṛdaya ākāsah tasmiñ chete, tāni yadā grhnāti atha haitat purusah svapiti nāma tad grhīta eva prāno bhavati, grhītā vāk, grhītam cakṣuh, grhītam śrotram, grhītam manah 17 Ajātaśatru said 'When this being fell asleep thus, then the person who consists of intelligence, having by his intelligence taken to himself the intelligence of these breaths (sense organs) rests in the space within the heart When the person takes in these (senses), he is said to be asleep. When the breath is restrained, speech is restrained, the eye is restrained, the ear is restrained, the mind is restrained ākāśa· space Š identifies it with the Supreme Self ākāśa-śabdena para eva sva ātmocyate prāna breath Š means by it nose, prāna iti ghrānendriyam. When the organs are restrained, the self rests in its own self: tasmād upasamhrtesu vāgādīṣu kriyā-kāraka--phalātmatābhāvāt svāt-mastha evātmā bhavatīty avagamyate Š kāraṇāvastha svaśarīraka paramātmany apīta iti svapiti sabdārtho'bhīpretaḥ R 18. sa yatraitaya svaśnāyācarati, te hāsya lokāḥ: tad uta iva mahārājo bhavati, uta iva mahā-brāhmanaḥ, uta iva uccāvacam nīgacchati: sa yadā mahārājo, jānapadān grhītvā sve janapade yathā-kāmam parivarteta, evam evaśa etat prānān grhītvā sve śarīre yathā-kāmam parivartate 18 'When he moves about in dream these are his worlds. Then he becomes as it were a great king, a great Brāhmana as it were. He enters, as it were, states, high and low. Even as a great king, taking his people, moves about in his country as he pleases, so also here, this one, taking his breaths (senses), moves about in his own body as he pleases. 19. atha yadā susupto bhavati, yadā na kasya cana veda, hṛtā nāma nādyo dvā-saṣṭatīḥ sahasrāni hrdayāt purītatam abhiṣṇatsthante, tābhiḥ pratyavasṛpya purītatī śete, sa yathā kumāro vā mahārājo vā mahā-brāhmano vātighnīm ānandasya gatvā sayīta, evam evaîsa etac chete. 19 'Again, when one falls sound asleep, when he knows nothing whatsoever, having come through the seventy-two thousand channels called hitā which extend from the heart to the pericardium, he rests in the pericardium. Verily, as a youth or a great king or a great Brāhmana might rest when he has reached the summit of bliss, so does he then rest.' Round the heart are the veins 72,000 in number. These are of five colours uniting with the rays of the sun similarly coloured. The sun and the heart are said to be connected with each other. In deep sleep the soul glides into the veins and through them it becomes one with the heart. At death the soul is said to pass out by the veins and the rays of the sun which the wise find open to them while they are closed to the ignorant. See also IV 2 3, IV 3 20 CU VIII 6 1, MU I 2 11. There is another suggestion that only one vein leads to the sun out of 101, the vein in question leading to the head. This refers to the suture, the brahma-randhra (A U I 3 12) through which in the process of creation Brahman is said to enter the body as spirit. The two versions of 72,000 and 101 are mixed up in later accounts. mahā-brāhmanah great Brāhmana, anavarala-brahmānanda-paro- brahma-vit R 20 sa yathornanābhis'tantunoccaret, yathāgñeh ksudrā visphu- lingā vyuccarantī, evam evāsmād ātmanah sarve prānāh, sarve lokāh, sarve devāh sarvāni bhūtāni vyuccarantī tasyopamśat, satyasya satyam iti prānā vai satyam, teṣām csa satyam 20 'As a spider moves along the thread, as small sparks come forth from the fire, even so from this Self come forth all breaths, all worlds, all divinities, all beings. Its secret meaning is the truth of truth. Vital breaths are the truth and their truth is It (Self).' See Maitrī Up VI 32 satyasya satyam the truth of truth. The world is not to be repudiated as false. It is true, but it is true only derivatively. It is sustained by the Ultimate Truth.
I yo ha vai śisum sa-ādhānam sa-praty-ādhānam sasthūnam sa-dāmam veda, sapta ha dvīsato bhrātrvyān avarunaddhi ayam vāva śiśur yo'yam madhyamah prānah, tasyaīdam evādhānam, īdam pratyādhānam, prānah sthūnā, annam dāma. I. Verily, he who knows the new-born babe with his abode, his covering, his post and his rope keeps off his seven hostile kinašmen. Verily, this babe is breath in the middle. His abode is this (body). His covering is this (head). His post is breath, His rope is food. The babe is the subtle body (lingātman) which has entered the body in five ways. madhyamah in the middle, śarīra-madhy-avartī ayam, pañca-vrttir yaḥ prānah R Seven hostile kinašmen are said to be the seven organs, the eyes, ears, nostrils and mouth. They are said to be hostile, because they hinder the perception of the inner self. See Katha. IV. 1. By these man becomes attached to the world. dāma rope, pāśa Even as a calf is bound by the rope, the subtle body is supported by food, yathā vatsaḥ pāśena baddho'vatiṣthate, evam annena pāśena baddho hi prāno'vatiṣthate. Food binds the subtle to the gross body, sthūla-śarīra 2. tam etah saptāksitaya upatīṣṭhante. tad yā imā akṣan lohinyo rājayah, tābhir enam rudro'nvāyattah; atha yā akṣann āpas tābhih parjanyah, yā kanīnakā, tayā ādityah; yat kṛṣnam, tena agniḥ, yat śuklam, tena indrah, adharayanaṁ vartanyā prthivy anvāyattā, dyaur uttarayā; nāsyānnam ksīyate ya evam veda 2. The seven imperishable ones stand near him (to serve). Thus, there are these red streaks in the eye and by them Rudra is united with him. Then there is the water in the eye, by it Parjanya (is united with him). There is the pupil of the eye, by it Aditya (the sun is united with him). By the black (of the eye), fire (is united with him), by the white (of the eye), Indra (is united with him), by the lower eyelash earth is united with him, by the upper eyelash the heaven (is united with him). He who knows this, his food does not diminish The seven imperishable ones are so called because they produce imperishableness by supplying food for the subtle body. 3 tad esa śloko bhavati. arvāg-bilaś camasa ūrdhva-budhnah, tasmin yaśo niḥitaṁ viśva-rūpam: tasyāsata rṣayah sapta-tīre, vāg astamī brahmaṇā saṁvidāna iti. ‘arvāg-bīlaś camasa ūrdhva-budhnah’ itīdam tac chīrah, esa hy arvāgbīlaś camasa ūrdhva-budhnah tasmin yaśo nihitam viśva-rūpam’ iti, prānā var yaśo nihitam viśva-rīpam, prānān etad āha ‘tasyāsata rsayah saṣṭa-tīre’ iti, prānā vā rsayah prānān etad āha ‘vāg astamī brahmanā samvidānā’ iti, vāg astamī brahmanā samvitte 3 On this there is the following verse 'There is a bowl with its mouth below and bottom up In it is placed the glory of manifold forms On its rim sit seven seers, and speech as the eighth communicates with Brahman' What is called 'the bowl with its mouth below and bottom up' is the head, for it is the bowl with its mouth below and bottom up 'In it is placed the glory of manifold forms', breaths, verily, are where the glory of manifold forms is placed thus he says breaths 'On its rim sit seven seers,' verily, the breaths are the seers, thus he says breaths 'Speech as the eighth communicates with Brahman,' for speech as an eighth communicates with Brahman viśva-rūpam- manifold forms, nānā-rūpam. S 4 Imāv eva gotama-bharadvājau, ayam eva gotamah, ayam bharadvājah, Imāv eva viśvāmitra-jamadagnī, ayam eva viśvāmitraḥ, ayam jamadagnih, Imāv eva vasistha-kaśyapau, ayam eva vasistah, ayam kaśyapah, vāg evātrih, vācā hy annam adyate, attir ha var nāmaritad yad atrir iti, sarvasyāttā bhavatī, sarvam asyānnam bhavatī, ya evam veda 4 These two (ears) here are Gotama and Bharadvāja This is Gotama, and this is Bharadvāja These two (eyes) here are Viśvāmitra and Jamadagni This is Viśvāmitra, this is Jamadagni These two (nostrils) here are Vasistha and Kaśyapa This is Vasistha, this is Kaśyapa The tongue is Atrī, for by the tongue food is eaten Verily, eating is the same as the name Atrī He who knows this becomes the eater of everything everything becomes his food.
I dve vāva brahmano rūpe, mūrtam caivāmūrtam ca, martyam cāmrtam ca, sthitam ca, yac ca, sac ca, tyac ca. I Verily, there are two forms of Brahman, the formed and the formless, the mortal and the immortal, the unmoving and the moving, the actual (existent) and the true (being). See Maitrī VI 3 2. tad etan mūrtam yad anyad vāyoś cāntarikṣāc ca, etan martyam, etat sthitam, etat sat, tasyaItasya mūrtasya, etasya martyasya etasya sthitasya, etasya sata esa raso ya esa tapati, sato hy esa rasaḥ 2. This is the formed Brahman, whatever is different from the air and the atmosphere This is mortal This is unmoving, this is actual The essence of this formed, this mortal, this unmoving, this actual is the yonder sun which gives forth warmth, for that is the essence of the actual 3. athāmūrtam vāyuś cāntarikṣam ca, etad amrtam etad yat, etat tyat, tasyaItasya mūrtasya, etasya mṛtasya, etasya yataḥ etasya tasyaIsa raso ya esa etasmṛṇ maṇḍale purusah, tasya hy esa rasaḥ, ity-adhīdaivatam 3 Now the formless is the air and the atmosphere This is immortal, this is the moving and this is the true. The essence of this unformed, this immortal, this moving, this true is this person who is in the region of the sun for he is the essence (of true) This, with reference to the divinities. 4 athādhyātmam īdam eva mūrtam yad anyat prānāc ca yaś cāyam antarātmann ākāśah, etan martyam, etat sthitam, etat sat, tasyaItasya mūrtasya, etasya martyasya, etasya sthitasya, etasya sata esa raso yac caksuh, sato hy esa rasah. 4 Now with reference to the self; just this is the formed, what is different from the breath and from the space which is within the self This is mortal, this is unmoving, this is actual (existent) The essence of this formed, this mortal, this un- moving, this actual is the eye, for it is the essence of the actual. 5 athāmūrtam prānaś ca yas cāyam antar-ātmann ākāśah; etad amrtam, etad yat, etat tyam, tasyaItasya mūrtasya, etasyā- mṛtasya, etasya yataḥ, etasya tyasyaIsa raso yo'yam daksiṇe'kṣan purusah, tyasya hy esa rasah 5 Now the formless is the breath and the space which is within the self This is immortal, this is moving, this is the true The essence of this unformed, immortal, moving, true is this person who is in the right eye, for he is the essence of the true 6. tasya haitasya purusasya rūpam yathā māhārajanam vāsah, yathā pāndv-āvṛkam, yathendragopah, yathāgnyarcṛh, yathā pundarīkam, yathā sakrd-vṛdyuttam, sakrd-vṛdyutteva ha vā asya śrīr bhavatī, ya evam veda athāta ādeśah na iti na iti, na hy etasmād iti, na ity anyat param asti, atha nāma-dheyam satyasya satyam iti prānā var satyam, tesām esa satyam 6 The form of this person is like a saffron-coloured robe, like white wool, like the Indragopa insect, like a flame of fire, like a white lotus, like a sudden flash of lightning. He who knows it thus attains splendour like a sudden flash of lightning. Now therefore there is the teaching, not this, not this for there is nothing higher than this, that he is not this. Now the designa- tion for him is the truth of truth. Verily, the vital breath is truth, and He is the truth of that. See also III 9 26, IV 2 4, IV 4 22, IV 5 15 like a sudden flash of lightning enlightenment is said to be instantaneous. Truth flashes suddenly like lightning not this, not this Mātrceta speaks of the Buddha thus: 'Only you yourself can know yourself who are beyond measure, beyond number, beyond thought, beyond comparison.' aprameyam asamkhyeyam acintyam anidarśanam svayam evātmanātmānam tvam eva jñātum arhasi 151 D R Shackleton Bailey's ed (1951), pp 148, 180 In the Republic, there is the impersonal form of the good and in the Tmaeus there is the self-moving spirit fit to receive the name of God. This section of the Upanisad suggests that the two cannot be left unreconciled but are to be treated as two forms of one Reality. The Fourth Gospel insists that God 'works' in the world, but he works through the Logos who is himself God though not the God- head. Plotinus though he believes in heaven as the rich intelligible or spiritual world in which our individuality is preserved, affirms that on certain rare occasions the human soul may transcend even the realm of spirit, and enter into communion with the one, 'beyond existence,' of whom nothing positive can be affirmed. While there is a realm which consists in the duality of subject and object, which is perceived by the intelligence to be coextensive and reciprocally necessary, there is an absolute unity from which all dualities proceed, which is itself above duality. The pseudo-Dionysius called God 'The absolute No-thing which is above all existence' and declares that 'no monad or triad can express the all-transcending hiddenness of the all-transcending superessentially superexisting superdeity.' Scotus Erigena says 'God because of his excellence may rightly be called Nothing.' Hooker says wisely 'Dangerous it were for the feeble brain of man to wade far into the depths of the Most High, whom although to know be life and joy to make mention of his name, yet our soundest knowledge is to know that we know him not as indeed he is our safest eloquence concerning him is our silence. Many systems of thought distinguish between the absolutely transcendent Godhead 'who dwelleth in the light which no man can approach unto' and the Creator God. In this famous passage, the Upanisad speaks to us of the Absolute transcendent non-empirical Godhead. This is Ś's view. Rāmānuja, however, thinks that since there can be no object without qualities, this passage negates only some attributes and not all of them. For Rāmānuja, knowledge is possible only of a determined or qualified object. He argues that the passage does not mean that Brahman has no qualities at all, but only that there are no evil qualities in Brahman.
I maitreyi, iti hovāca yājñavalkyah, ud yāsyan vā are 'ham asmāt sthānād asmi; hanta, te 'nayā kātyāyanyāntam karavānīti. I 'Maitreyi,' said Yājñavalkya, 'verily, I am about to go forth from this state (of householder). Look, let me make a final settlement between you and that Kātyāyanī.' See IV 5 sthānād from the state 1 to the stage in his life Yājñavalkya wishes to renounce the stage of the householder, grhastha and enter that of the anchorite, vānaprastha. 2. sa hovāca maitreyi, yan nu ma vyam, bhagoh, sarvā prthivī vittena pūrnā syāt, katham tenāmrtā syām iti na, iti hovāca yājñavalkyah yathavopakaranavatām jīvitam, tatharva te jīvitam syād amrtatvasya tu nāśāsti vittenetr. 3. Then said Maitreyi, 'If, indeed, Venerable Sir, this whole earth filled with wealth were mine, would I be immortal through that?' 'No,' said Yājñavalkya, 'Like the life of the rich even so would your life be. Of immortality, however, there is no hope through wealth.' 3 sa hovāca maitreyi, yenāham nāmrtā syām, kim aham tena kuryām, yad eva bhagavān veda tad eva me brūhītr. 3 Then Maitreyi said, 'What should I do with that by which G* I do not become immortal? Tell me that, indeed, Venerable Sir, of what you know (of the way to immortality) ' Venerable Sir Bharata says that gods, sages, monks and saints are to be called bhagavan devāś ca munayaś carva linginah sādhavās ca ye bhagavann iti te vācyāh sarvaḥ stri-pum-napumsakarah the way to immortality kevalam amṛtatva-sādhanam S 4 sa hovāca yājñavalkyah, priyā bata are nah satī priyam bhāsase, ehī, āssva, vyākhyāsyāmi te, vyācaksānasya tu me nridhyāsasva iti 4 Then Yājñavalkya said 'Ah, dear, you have been dear (even before), and you (now) speak dear words Come, sit down, I will explain to you Even as I am explaining reflect (on what I say)' priyā dear You are dear because you wish to learn of that truth which is nearest my heart bata bately anukampyāha It shows tenderness reflect vākyāny arthato nīścayena dhyātum iccheti S Those who recite the Vedas without understanding their meaning are compared by Sāyana to lifeless pillars which bear the weight of the roof sthānur ayam bhāra-hārah kīlābhūd, adhītya vedanavijānāti yo'rtham Cp what Krsna says to Arjuna in the Uttara-gītā ya hā kharaś candana-bhāra-vāhī bhārasya veltā na tu saurabhasya tathā hī viprah śruti-śāstra-pūrnah, jñānena hīnah paśubhīḥ samānah Just as a donkey bearing the weight of sandal-wood knows its weight but not its fragrance, so also is a Brāhmana who knows the texts of the Vedas and scriptures but not their significance There is another version of this verse. yathā kharaś candana-bhāra-vāhī bhārasya veltā na tu candanasya, tathaiva śāstrāni bahūny adhītya, sāram na jānan kharavad vahet sah It is said that some people are clever only at expounding, while others have the ability to practise what they learn The hand carries the food to the mouth but only the tongue knows the flavours vyākhyātum eva kecit kuśatāh, śāstram prayoktum alam anye upanāmayatī karo'nnam rasāms tu jihvaiva jānāti 5 sa hovāca na vā are patyuh kāmāya patih priyo bhavatī, ātmanas tu kāmāya patih priyo bhavatī, na vā are jāyāyar kāmāya jāyā priyā bhavatī, ātmanas tu kāmāya jāyā priyā bhavatī, na vā are putrānām kāmāya putrāh priyā bhavantī, ātmanas tu kāmāya putrāh priyā bhavantr, na vā are vittasya kāmāya vittam priyam bhavatī, ātmanas tu kāmāya vittam priyam bhavatī, na vā are brahmanaḥ kāmāya brahma priyam bhavatī, ātmanas tu kāmāya brahma priyam bhavatı, na vā are ksatrasya kāmāya ksatram priyam bhavatı ātmanas tu kāmāya ksatram priyam bhavatı, na vā are lokānāṁ kāmāya lokāh priyā bhavanti, ātmanastu kāmāya lokāḥ priyā bhavantr; na vā are devānāṁ kāmāya devāh priyā bhavantı, ātmanas tu kāmāya devāḥ priyā bhavantı, na vā are bhūtānāṁ kāmāya bhūtāni priyāṇi bhavanti, ātmanas tu kāmāya bhūtāni priyāṇi bhavantı; na vā are sarvasya kāmāya sarvam priyam bhavatı, ātmanas tu kāmāya sarvam priyam bhavatı; ātmā va are drastavyaḥ śrotavyo mantavyo nididhyāsitavyah. maitreyi ātmano vā are darśanena śravaṇena matyā vijñānenedam sarvam viditam. 5 Then he said. 'Verily, not for the sake of the husband is the husband dear but a husband is dear for the sake of the Self. Verily, not for the sake of the wife is the wife dear but a wife is dear for the sake of the Self. Verily, not for the sake of the sons are the sons dear but the sons are dear for the sake of the Self. Verily, not for the sake of wealth is wealth dear but wealth is dear for the sake of the Self. Verily, not for the sake of brahminhood is brahminhood dear but brahminhood is dear for the sake of the Self. Verily, not for the sake of kṣatriya-hood is kṣatriyahood dear but kṣatriyahood is dear for the sake of the Self. Verily, not for the sake of the worlds are the worlds dear but the worlds are dear for the sake of the Self. Verily, not for the sake of the gods are the gods dear but the gods are dear for the sake of the Self. Verily, not for the sake of the beings are the beings dear but the beings are dear for the sake of the Self. Verily, not for the sake of all is all dear but all is dear for the sake of the Self. Verily, O Maitreyi, it is the Self that should be seen, heard of, reflected on and meditated upon. Verily, by the seeing of, by the hearing of, by the thinking of, by the understanding of the Self, all this is known. All objects of the world, earthly possessions, romantic delights, provide opportunities for the realisation of the Self. the Self should be seen, heard of, reflected on and meditated upon. śrotavyah śruti-vākyebhyah, mantavyaś copapattibhuh matvā ca satatam dhyeya, ete darśana-hetavah Vivaraṇa-prameya-samgraha The Śruti, the text, is the basis for intellectual development, manana It is a means subordinate and necessary to true knowledge; nididhyāsana is the opposite of thoughtless diffusion It prepares for integral purity
. Verily, by the seeing of, by the hearing of, by the thinking of, by the understanding of the Self, all this is known. All objects of the world, earthly possessions, romantic delights, provide opportunities for the realisation of the Self. the Self should be seen, heard of, reflected on and meditated upon. śrotavyah śruti-vākyebhyah, mantavyaś copapattibhuh matvā ca satatam dhyeya, ete darśana-hetavah Vivaraṇa-prameya-samgraha The Śruti, the text, is the basis for intellectual development, manana It is a means subordinate and necessary to true knowledge; nididhyāsana is the opposite of thoughtless diffusion It prepares for integral purity. Contemplation is not mere philosophic thought It is a higher stage of spiritual consciousness It secures the direct conviction of the reality While a teacher can help, personal effort alone can take us to the goal of realisation The Jaina and the Buddhist systems also recognise the three stages of religious development The three jewels of the Jaina, ratna-traya, are right belief, right knowledge and right conduct Mātrceta says in Salapañcāśatka (90) āgamasyartha-cintāya bhāvanopāsanasya ca kāla-traya-vibhāgo'stu nānyatra tava śāsanāt Nowhere except in your teaching is there the threefold division of time into hearing the Scriptures, reflection on their meaning and the practise of meditation - 6 brahma tam parādād yo'nyatrātmano brahma veda kṣatram tam parādād yo 'nyatrātmanah ksatram veda lokās tam parādur yo 'nyatrātmano lokān veda devās tam parādur yo'nyatrātmano devān veda bhūtāni tam parādur yo'nyatrātmano bhūtāni veda sarvam tam parādād yo' nyatrātmano sarvam veda idam brahma, idam ksatram, me lokāh, me devāh, māni bhūtāni, idam sarvam, yad ayam ātmā 6. 'The Brāhmana ignores one who knows him as different from the Self The Ksatriya ignores one who knows him as different from the Self The worlds ignore one who knows them as different from the Self The gods ignore one who knows them as different from the Self The beings ignore one who knows them as different from the Self All ignores one who knows it as different from the Self This Brāhmana, this Ksatriya, these worlds, these gods, these beings and this all are this Self The various particular notes are not heard apart from the whole, but they are heard in the total sound 7 sa yathā dundubher hanyamānasya na bāhyān śabdān śaknyād grahanāya, dundubheś tu grahanena dundubhyāghātasya vā śabdo grhītah 7 'As when a drum is beaten, one is not able to grasp the external sounds, but by grasping the drum or the beater of the drum the sound is grasped āghātasya vā or the beater of the drum tadāhantr-purusasya nirodhena vā R 8. sa yathā śankhasya dhmāyamānasya na bāhyān śabdān śaknuyād grahaṇāya, śankhasya tu grahaṇaṇaḥ śaṅkha-dhmasya vā śabdo grhītah 8 'As when a conch is blown, one is not able to grasp its external sounds, but by grasping the conch or the blower of the conch the sound is grasped. 9 sa yathā vīṇāyai vādyamānāyai na bāhyān śabdān śaknuyād grahanāya, vīṇāyai tu grahaṇena vīnā-vādasya vā śabdo grhītaḥ. 9 'As when a vīnā (lute) is played, one is not able to grasp its external sounds, but by grasping the viṇa or the player of the viṇa the sound is grasped. 10 sa yathārdra-edhāgner abhyāhītāt pṛthag dhūmā viniś- carantī, evam vā are'sya mahato bhūtasya niḥsvasitam, etad yad rgvedo yajurvedaḥ sāmavedo'tharvāngīrasa itīhāsaḥ purāṇam vyāśaḥ ślokāḥ sūtrāny anuṇṇyakhyānāni vyākhyānāni: asyaivaitāni sarvāni niḥśvasitāni. 10 'As from a lighted fire laid with damp fuel, various (clouds of) smoke issue forth, even so, my dear, the Rg Veda, the Yajur Veda, the Sāma Veda, Atharvāngīrasa, history, ancient lore, sciences, Upaniṣads, verses, aphorisms, explanations and commentaries From this, indeed, are all these breathed forth. See Maitrī VI 32 All knowledge and all wisdom are the breath of the eternal Brahman. mahad bhūtam the great reality. It is great because it is greater than everything else and is the source of all else. breathing: As a man breathes without effort, so all these come out of the Supreme without effort: yathā aprayatnenaiva purusa-niśvāso bhavatı Ṣ anuṇṇyakhyānāni explanations, bhāsya-vyākhyānāni vyākhyānāni commentaries, bhāsya-rūpāṇi. 11 sa yathā sarvāsām apām samudra ekāyanam, evam sarvesām sparśānām tvag ekāyanam, evam sarveṣām gandhānām nāsike ekāyanam, evam sarvesām rasānām jihvā ekāyanam, evam sarveṣām rūpānām cakṣur ekāyanam, evam sarvesām śabdānām śrolram ekāyanam, evam sarveṣām saṁkalpānām mana ekāyanam, evam sarvāsām vṛdyānām hṛdayam ekāyanam, evam sarvesām karmanām hastāv ekāyanam, evam sarveṣām ānandānām upastha ekāyanam, evam sarvesām visargāṇām pāyur ekāyanam, evam sarvesām adhvanām pādav ekāyanam, evam sarvesām vedānām vāg ekāyanam 11 'As the ocean is the one goal (uniting place) of all waters, as the skin is the one goal of all kinds of touch, as the nostrils are the one goal of all smells, as the tongue is the one goal of all tastes, as the eye is the one goal of all forms, as the ear is the one goal of all sounds, as the mind is the one goal of all determinations, as the heart is the one goal of all forms of knowledge, as the hands are the one goal of all acts, as the organ of generation is the one goal of all kinds of enjoyment, as the excretory organ is the one goal of all evacuations, as the feet are the one goal of all movements, as speech is the one goal of all Vedas. 12. sa yathā saṁdhava-khīlya udake prāsta udakam evānuvi-līyeta, na hāsya udgīahaṇāyeva syāt, yato yatas tv ādadītalavanam eva, evaṁ vā ara ıdam mahad bhūtam anantam apāraṁvijñāna-ghana eva; etebhyo bhūtebhyah samutthāya, tāny evānu-vinaśyati, na pretya samjñāstı, iti are bravīmi, iti hovācayājñavalkyah. 12 'As a lump of salt thrown in water becomes dissolved in water and there would not be any of it to seize forth as it were, but wherever one may take it is salty indeed, so, verily, this great being, infinite, limitless, consists of nothing but knowledge Arising from out of these elements one vanishes away into them When he has departed there is no more knowledge This is what I say, my dear' so said Yājñavalkyasaṁdhava salt, sṁdhor vikārah saṁdhavah, sṁdhu śabdenodakam abhidhīyate, syandanāt sṁdhir udakam Ṣ.samjñā detailed knowledge, viśesa-samjñā Ṣ
. 12 'As a lump of salt thrown in water becomes dissolved in water and there would not be any of it to seize forth as it were, but wherever one may take it is salty indeed, so, verily, this great being, infinite, limitless, consists of nothing but knowledge Arising from out of these elements one vanishes away into them When he has departed there is no more knowledge This is what I say, my dear' so said Yājñavalkyasaṁdhava salt, sṁdhor vikārah saṁdhavah, sṁdhu śabdenodakam abhidhīyate, syandanāt sṁdhir udakam Ṣ.samjñā detailed knowledge, viśesa-samjñā Ṣ. 13 sā hovāca maitreyī, atraiva mā bhagavān amūmuhat, na pretya samjñāstīti sa hovāca, na va are'ham moham bravīmi, alam vā ara ıdam vijñānāya. 13 Then said Maitreyi: 'In this, indeed, you have bewildered me, Venerable Sir, by saying that, "when he has departed there is no more knowledge" 'Then Yājñavalkya said 'Certainly I am not saying anything bewildering This is enough for knowledge (or understanding)' The confusion is due to the seeming contradiction that the Selfis pure intelligence, and, again, when one has departed there is nomore knowledge The same fire cannot be both hot and cold Š pointsout that Brahman, the pure intelligence, remains unchanged, that itdoes not pass out with the destruction of the elements, but theindividual existence due to avidyā is overcome. katham vijñāna-ghanaeva, katham vā na pretya samjñāstīti, na hy usnaś śītaś cāgnir evaikobhavati. . sa ātmā sarvasya jagatah paramārthato bhūta-nāśān navināśi, vināśi tv avidyā-krta-khilyabhāvah Š. The goal seems to be like the state of dreamless sleep a state of utter annihilation Maitreyi protests against such a bewildering prospect. 14. yatra hṛ dvaitam va bhavati, tad itara itaram jīghrati, tad itara itaram paśyatī, tad itara itaram śrnoti, tad itara itaram abhīvadatī, tad itara itaram manute, tad itara itaram vijānātī yatra tv asya sarvam ātmavābhūt, tat kena kam jīghret, tat kena kam paśyet, tat kena kam śrṇuyāt, tat kena kam abhīvadet, tat kena kam manvīta, tat kena kam vijānīyāt? yenedam sarvam vijānātī, tam kena vijānīyāt, vijñātāram are kena vijānīyād iti. 14 'For where there is duality as it were, there one smells another, there one sees another, there one hears another, there one speaks to another, there one thinks of another, there one understands another. Where, verily, everything has become the Self, then by what and whom should one smell, then by what and whom should one see, then by what and whom should one hear, then by what and to whom should one speak, then by what and on whom should one think, then by what and whom should one understand? By what should one know that by which all this is known? By what, my dear, should one know the knower?' See C U VII 24 1 The reference here is to the Absolute Brahman. Whatever is known is an object As the Self is the subject, it cannot be known. This section indicates that the later subjection of women and their exclusion from Vedic studies do not have the support of the Upanisads
I ryam prthvī sarvesām bhūtānām madhu, asyam prthvyai sarvāni bhūtāni madhu; yaś cāyam asyām prthvyām tejomayo' mṛtamayah purusah, yas cāyam adhyātmam śārīras tejomayo' mṛtamayah purusaḥ, ayam eva sa yo'yam ātmā, idam amṛtam, idam brahma, idam sarvam. I. This earth is (like) honey for all creatures, and all creatures are (like) honey for this earth. This shining, immortal person who is in this earth and with reference to oneself, this shining, immortal person who is in the body, he, indeed, is just this self. This is immortal, this is Brahman, this is all. The earth and all living beings are mutually dependent, even as bees and honey are The bees make the honey and the honey supports the bees parasparam upakāryopakāraka-bhāve phalitam āha A Brahman is the self in each, in the earth and in the individual 2 ṁā āpah sarvesām bhūtānām madhu, āsām apām sarvāni bhūtāni madhu, yaś cāyam āsv apsu tejomayo' mrtamayah purusah, yas cāyam adhyātmam rātasas tejomayo' mrtamayah purusah, ayam eva sa yo' yam ātmā, īdam amṛtam, īdam brahma, īdam sarvam 2 This water is (like) honey for all beings, and all beings are (like) honey for this water This shining, immortal person who is in this water and with reference to oneself, this shining, immortal person existing as the seed (in the body), he is, indeed, just this self, this is immortal, this is Brahman, this is all In the body it exists, specially in the seed adhyātmam retasy apām viśesato 'vasthānam S retaso jala-vikāratvāt R 3 ayam agnih, sarveṣām bhūtānām madhu, asyāgneh sarvāni bhūtāni madhu, yaś cāyam asmīn agnau tejomayo 'mrtamayah purusah, yas cāyam adhyātmam vān-mayas tejomayo 'mrtamayah purusah, ayam eva sa yo' yam ātmā, īdam amṛtam, īdam brahma, īdam sarvam. 3 This fire is (like) honey to all beings, and all beings are (like) honey for this fire This shining, immortal person who is in this fire and with reference to oneself, this shining, immortal person who is made of speech, he is just this self, this is immortal, this is Brahman, this is all 4 ayam vāyuh sarvesām bhūtānām madhu, asya vāyoh sarvāni bhūtāni madhu, yas cāyam asmīn vāyau tejomayo 'mrtamayah purusah, yas cāyam adhyātmam prānas tejomayo 'mrtamayah purusah, ayam eva sa yo'yam ātmā, īdam amṛtam, īdam brahma, īdam sarvam. 4 This air is (like) honey to all beings, and all beings are (like) honey for this air. This shining, immortal person who is in this air and with reference to oneself this shining, immortal person who is breath (in the body), he is just this Self, this is immortal, this is Brahman, this is all See I 5 11 5 ayam ādītyah sarvesām bhūtānām madhu, asyādītyasya sarvāni bhūtāni madhu, yaś cāyam asmīnn ādītye tejomayo' mrtamayah purusah, yaś cāyam adhyātmam cāksuṣas tejomayo' mṛtamayah purusah, ayam eva sa yo' yam ātmā, idam amṛtam, Idam brahma, idam sarvam. 5. This sun is (like) honey for all beings and all beings, are (like) honey for this sun This shining, immortal person who is in this sun and with reference to oneself, this shining, immortal person who is in the eye, he is just this Self, this is immortal, this is Brahman, this is all. 6. īmā dīśah sarvesām bhūtānām madhu; āsām dīśāṁ sarvāṇi bhūtāṇi madhu; yaś cāyam āsu dīksu tejomayo 'mṛtamayah purusah, yaś cāyam adhyātmam śrotraḥ prātrśrutkas tejomayo' mṛtamayah purusah, ayam eva sa yo' yam ātmā, idam amṛtam, idam brahma, idam sarvam. 6. These quarters are (like) honey to all beings, and all beings are (like) honey for these quarters This shining, immortal person who is in these quarters and with reference to oneself, this shining, immortal person who is in the ear and the time of hearing, he is just this Self, this is immortal, this is Brahman, this is all. time of hearing. śaṃda-ṣrati-śravaṇa-velāyām sannhito bhavatīti ṣratiṣrutkah S. 7 ayam candrah sarvesām bhūtānām madhu, asya candrasya sarvāṇi bhūtāṇi madhu; yaś cāyam asmis candre tejomayo' mṛtamayah purusah, yaś cāyam adhyātmam manasas tejomayo' mṛtamayah purusah, ayam eva sa yo' yam ātmā, idam amṛtam, idam brahma, idam sarvam 7. This moon is like (honey) to all beings, and all beings are (like) honey for this moon. This shining, immortal person who is in this moon and with reference to one self, this shining, immortal person who is in the mind, he is just this Self, this is immortal, this is Brahman, this is all. 8 īyam vidyut sarvesām bhūtānām madhu, asyai vidyutaḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāṇi madhu, yaś cāyam asyāṁ vidyuti tejomayo' mṛtamayah puruṣah, yaś cāyam adhyātmam tarjasas tejomayo' mṛtamayah puruṣah, ayam eva sa yo'yam ātmā, idam amṛtam, idam brahma, idam sarvam 8. This lightning is (like) honey to all beings, and all beings are (like) honey for this lightning. This shining, immortal person who is in this lightning and with reference to this self, this shining, immortal person who is in the light, he is just this Self, this is immortal, this is Brahman, this is all. 9 ayam stanayitnuh sarvesām bhūtānām madhu, asya stanayitnoh sarvāṇi bhūtāṇi madhu, yaś cāyam asmīn stanayitnau tejomayo 'mrtamayah purusah, yaś cāyam adhyātmam śābdah sauvaras tejomayo' mrtamayah purusah, ayam eva sa yo'yam ātmā, idam amrtam, idam brahma, idam sarvam 9 This cloud is (like) honey to all beings, and all beings are (like) honey for this cloud. This shining, immortal person who is in this cloud and with reference to one self, this shining, immortal person who is in the sound and in tone, he is just this Self, this is immortal, this is Brahman, this is all stanayitnu cloud, parjanya or thunder megha-garjanam R sound śabde bhāvah śābdah S tone svare viśesato bhavatīti sauvarah S. 10 ayam ākāśah sarvesām bhūtānām madhu; asyākāśasya sarvāṇi bhūtāṇi madhu, yaś cāyam asmīnn ākāśe tejomayo' mrtamayah, purusah, yaś cāyam adhyātmam hrdyākāśah tejomayo' mrtamayah purusah, ayam eva sa yo'yam ātmā, idam amrtam, idam brahma, idam sarvam 10 This space is (like) honey for all beings and all beings are (like) honey for this space
. 10 ayam ākāśah sarvesām bhūtānām madhu; asyākāśasya sarvāṇi bhūtāṇi madhu, yaś cāyam asmīnn ākāśe tejomayo' mrtamayah, purusah, yaś cāyam adhyātmam hrdyākāśah tejomayo' mrtamayah purusah, ayam eva sa yo'yam ātmā, idam amrtam, idam brahma, idam sarvam 10 This space is (like) honey for all beings and all beings are (like) honey for this space. This shining, immortal person who is in this space and with reference to one self, this shining, immortal person who is in the space in the heart, he is just this Self, this is immortal, this is Brahman, this is all. 11. ayam dharmah sarvesām bhūtānām madhu, asya dhar- masya sarvāṇi bhūtāṇi madhu, yaś cāyam asmīn dharme tejo- mayo 'mrtamayah purusah, yaś cāyam adhyātmam dhārmas tejomayo 'mrtamayah purusah, ayam eva sa yo'yam ātmā, idam amrtam, idam brahma, idam sarvam II This law is (like) honey for all beings and all beings are (like) honey for this law. This shining, immortal person who is in this law and with reference to one self, this shining, immortal person who exists as lawabidingness, he is just this Self, this is immortal, this is Brahman, this is all. this law though law is not directly perceived, it is described by the word 'this,' as though it were directly perceived, because the effects produced by it are directly perceived ayam ity apratyakso'pi dharmah kāryena tat-prayukti na pratyaksena, vyapadisyat e, ayam dharma iti pratyaksavat S The self and dharma or righteousness are regarded as equivalent Cp 'Live you (vīharatha) having self as light and refuge and none other, having dharma as light and refuge and none other' Dīgha Nīkāya II 100 The end of the way is to become what we are, to become Brahman or the Buddha The arhats are said to become one with Brahman, brahma-bhūta 12. idam satyam sarvesām bhūtānām madhu; asya satyasya sarvāni bhūtāni madhu; yaś cāyam asmin satye tejomayo' mrtamayah purusah, yaś cāyam adhyātmaṁ sātyas tejomayo' mrtamayah purusah, ayam eva sa yo'yam ātmā, idam amṛtam, idam brahma, idam sarvam 13. This truth is (like) honey for all beings, and all beings are (like) honey for this truth. This shining, immortal person who is in this truth and with reference to oneself, this shining, immortal person who exists as truthfulness, he is just this Self, this is immortal, this is Brahman, this is all. 14. ayam ātmā sarvesām bhūtānām madhu; asyātmanaḥ sarvāni bhūtāni madhu, yaś cāyam asmin mānuṣe tejomayo' mrtamayah purusah, yaś cāyam adhyātmaṁ mānuṣas tejomayo' mrtamayah purusah, ayam eva sa yo'yam ātmā, idam amṛtam, idam brahma, idam sarvam. 15. This self (like) honey for all beings, and all beings are (like) honey for this self. This shining, immortal person who is in this self and with reference to oneself, this shining, immortal person who exists as a human being, he is just this self, this is immortal, this is Brahman, this is all. 16. sa vā ayam ātmā sarvesām bhūtānām adhīpatiḥ; sarvesām bhūtānām rājā; tad yathā ratha-nābhau ca ratha-nemau cārāḥ sarve samarṣitāḥ, evam evāsmiṇṇi ātmani sarvāni bhūtāni sarve devāḥ sarve lokāḥ sarve prānāḥ sarva eta ātmanaḥ samarṣitāḥ. 17. This self, verily, is the lord of all beings, the king of all beings. As all the spokes are held together in the hub and felly of a wheel, just so, in this self, all beings, all gods, all worlds, all breathing creatures, all these selves are held together. The cosmic self and the individual self are referred to. 18. sa vā ayam ātmā sarvesām bhūtānām adhīpatiḥ; sarvesām bhūtānām rājā; tad yathā ratha-nābhau ca ratha-nemau cārāḥ sarve samarṣitāḥ, evam evāsmiṇṇi ātmani sarvāni bhūtāni sarve devāḥ sarve lokāḥ sarve prānāḥ sarva eta ātmanaḥ samarṣitāḥ. 19. This self, verily, is the lord of all beings, the king of all beings. As all the spokes are held together in the hub and felly of a wheel, just so, in this self, all beings, all gods, all worlds, all breathing creatures, all these selves are held together.
16 idām varı tan madhu dadhyann ātharvano 'śvībhyām uvāca tad etad rsīh paśyann avocat: tad vām narā sanaye damsa ugram āvīs krnomi, tanyatur na vrśitim dadhyan ha yan madhv ātharvano vām aśvasya śīrsnā pra yad īm uvāca iti 16 This, verily, is the honey which Dadhyan, versed in the Atharva Veda, declared unto the two Aśvins. Seeing this the seer said, 'O Aśvins in human form, I make known that terrible deed of yours which you did out of greed, even as thunder (makes known) the coming rain, even the honey which Dadhyan, versed in the Atharva Veda, declared to you through the head of a horse.' See RV I 116 12 Satapatha Brāhmana XIV I 1 and 4 The two Aśvins desired instruction from Dadhyan, but he was unwilling to impart it as Indra had threatened Dadhyan that he would cut off his head, if he taught this madhu-vidyā, honey doctrine to any one else So the Aśvins took off Dadhyan's head and sub- stituted for it a horse's head Dadhyan declared the honey doctrine Indra carried out his threat, and the Aśvins restored to Dadhyan his own head This story illustrates the extreme difficulty which even the gods had to secure the knowledge originally possessed by Indra Aśvins in human form, narākārau aśvinau Ś sanaye out of greed, lābhāya lābha-lubdho hı loke'pi krūram karmā- carati S 17 idam varı tan madhu dadhyann ātharvaṇo 'śvībhyām uvāca tad etad rṣih paśyann avocat ātharvanāyāśvinā dadhīce aśvyam sīrah praty airayatam sa vām madhu pra vocad rtāyan, tvāstram yad dasrāv api kaksyam vām iti 17 This, verily, is the honey which Dadhyan, versed in the Atharva Veda, declared unto the two Aśvins. Seeing this, the seer said, 'O Aśvins, you set a horse's head on Dadhyan, versed in the Atharva Veda, ye terrible ones to keep his promise he declared to you the honey of Tvastri which is your secret.' See RV I 117 22 Keeping one's solemn promise is more important than the life itself, jīvitaḍ api hı satya-dharma-paripālanā gurutareti Ṣ kaksyam secret, gopyam, rahasyam paramātma-sambandhi yad vijñānam Ś tvāstram of Tvastṛ, the sun· tvaṣṭā ādīyaḥ tasya sambandhi Ś The head of yajña or sacrifice became the sun; to restore the head the rite called pravargya was started, yajñaś śivas chinnam tvaṣṭā- bhavat, tat pratisandhānārtham pravargyam karma Ś 18 idam var̥tan madhu dadhyann ātharvaṇo 'śvibhyām uvāca, tad etad rsih paśyann avocat· puraś cakre dvipadah, puraś cakre catuspadaḥ purah sa paksī bhūtvā puraḥ puruṣa āviśat iti. sa vā ayam purusaḥ sarvāsu pūrsu puriṣayaḥ, nañena kīm ca nānāvṛtam, nañena kīm ca nāsaṁvṛtam. 18 This, verily, is the honey which Dadhyan, versed in the Atharva Veda, declared unto the two Aśvins. Seeing this the seer said, 'He made bodies with two feet and bodies with four feet. Having first become a bird, he the person entered the bodies.' This, verily, is the person dwelling in all bodies. There is nothing that is not covered by him, nothing that is not pervaded by him purah bodies, purāni, śarīrāṇi Ś paksī· bird, subtle body, liṅga-śarīram Cp pura-samjñe śarīresmin śayanāt puruso harih, quoted by R. There is nothing which is not filled by the Supreme, inside or outside sa eva nāma-rūpātmanāntar-bahir-bhāvena kārya-kāraṇa-rūpena vyavasthitah Ś Cp 'This city (pur) is these worlds, the person (puruṣa) is the spirit (yo'yam pavate, vāyu), who because he inhabits (śete) this city is called the citizen (puru sa)' Śatapatha Brāhmana XIII. 6. 2. 1. See also Atharva Veda X 2 30, where 'he who knoweth Brahma's city, whence the Person (purusa) is so called, him neither sight nor the breath of life desert ere old age' Philo says 'As for lordship, God is the only citizen' Cher 121 19 idam var̥tan madhu dadhyann ātharvano' śvibhyām uvāca, tad etad rsih paśyann avocat· rūpam rūpam pratirūpo babhūva, tad asya rūpam pratīcaksanāya; indro māyābhiḥ puru-rūpa īyate. yuktā hy asya harayah śatā daśa iti. ayam var̥harayah, ayam var̥daśa ca sahasrāni, bahūni cānantāni ca, tad etad brahmāpūrvam, anaparam, anantaram, abāhyam ayam ātmā brahma sarvānubhūh, ity anuśāsanam. 19. This, verily, is the honey which Dadhyan, versed in the Atharva Veda, declared unto the two Aśvins. Seeing this the seer said, 'He transformed himself in accordance with each form. This form of him was meant for making him known Indra (the Lord) goes about in many forms by his māyās* (magical powers), for to him are yoked steeds, hundreds and ten. He, verily, is the steeds He, verily, is tens and thousands, many and countless. This Brahman is without an earlier and without a later, without an inside, without an outside. This Brahman is the self, the all-perceiving. This is the teaching.' pralicaksanāya for making him known. Creation is for the manifestation of the glory of god indrah - lord, parameśvarah māyābhih prajñābhih Ś By his wisdom he manifests himselfsan.kalpa-rūpa-gñānaś R The Lord reveals himself through manyforms by his māyā, to reveal his thoughts Indra assumes one formafter another, makes round himself wonderful appearances. Sāyanasays, yad rūpam kāmayate tad rūpātmako bhavati nānā-vidhāniśarīrāni nirmīmite harayah: steeds, sense-organs, indriyāni
1. atha vaṁśah, pautimāṣyo gaupavanah, pautimāṣyāt, pautimāṣyo gaupavanāt, gaupavanah kauśikāt, kauśikah kaundinyāt, kaundinyah śāndilyāt, śāndilyah kauśikāc ca gautamāc ca, gaudawah — 1. Now the line of tradition (of teachers). Pautimāsya (received the teaching) from Gaupavana, Gaupavana from (another) Pautimāsya (This) Pautimāsya from (another) Gaupavana (This) Gaupavana from Kauśika, Kauśika from Kaundinya, Kaundinya from Śandilya, Śandilya from Kauśika and Gautama Gautama —" 2. *aṇḍrāśyāt, aṇḍrīvesyah śāndīlvāc ca ānabhiṁlātāc ca, ārthaśārlāta ārabhiṁlātāt, ānabhiṁlāta ānabhiṁlātāt, ānabhiṁlātāt, pautimāṣyāt, pautimāṣyā ca sūtava-śrācīnayogyābhyām, bhāradvājāc ca gautamāc ca, gautamo bhāradvājāt, bhāradvājah pārāśaryāt, pārāśaryo baijavāpāyanāt, baijavāpāyanah, kauśi-kāyaneḥ, kauśikāyanīḥ. 2. From Āgnīveśya. Āgniveśya from Śāndilya and Ānabhi- mlāta, Ānabhimlāta from (another) Ānabhimlāta. Ānabhimlāta from (still another) Ānabhimlāta (This) Ānabhimlāta from Gautama Gautama from Saitava and Prācīnayogya, Saitava and Prācīnayogya from Pārāśarya, Pārāśarya from Bhāradvāja. Bhāradvāja from Bhāradvāja and Gautama, Gautama from (another) Bhāradvāja, Bhāradvāja from Pārāśarya, Pārāśarya from Baijavāpāyana, Baijavāpāyana from Kauśikāyanī, Kauśi- kāyanī.— 3. ghrtakauśkāt, ghrtakauśkah pārāśaryāyanāt, pārāśaryā- yanah pārāśaryāt, pārāśaryo jātūkarnyāt, jātūkarnya āsurā- yaṇāc ca yāskāc ca, āsurāyanas travvaṇeh, travvaṇir aupajandha- neḥ, aupajandhanir āsureh, āsurir bhāradvājāt, bhāradvāja ātreyāt, ātreyo mānteh, māntir gautamāt, gautamo gautamāt, gautamo vātsyāt, vātsyah śāndilyāt, śāndilyah kaśoryāt kāpyāt, kaśoryah kāpyah kumārahārītāt, kumārahārīto gālavāt, gālavo vidarbhī-kaundīnyāt, vidarbhī-kaundīnyo vatsanapāto bābhravāt, vatsanapād bābhravah pathaḥ saubharāt, panthāḥ saubharo 'yāsyād āngīrasāt, ayāsya āngīrasa ābhūtes tvāstrāt, ābhūtis tvāstro viśvarūpāt tvāstrāt, viśvarūpas tvāstro 'śvībhyām, aśvinau dadhīca ātharvanāt, dadhyann ātharvaṇo 'tharvaṇo davāt, atharvā davvo mrtyoh prādhvamsanāt, mrtyuh prādhvamsanah pradhvaṁ- sanāt, pradhvamsana ekarseh, ekarsir viśracītteh, viśracīttir vyaṣteh, vyastīh sanāroh, sanāruh sanātanāt, sanātanaḥ sanagāt, sanagah paramesṭhīṇah, paramesthī brahmaṇaḥ, brahma svaya- mbhu, brahmane namah 3 From Ghrtakauśika, Ghrtakauśika from Pārāśaryāyana, Pārāśaryāyana from Pārāśarya, Pārāśarya from Jātūkarnya. Jātūkarnya from Āsurāyana and Yāska. Āsurāyaṇa from Traīvanī Traīvani from Aupajandhanī Aupajandhanī from Āsuri. Āsuri from Bhāradvāja. Bhāradvaja from Ātreya. Ātreya from Mānti Mānti from Gautama Gautama from Vātsya Vātsya from Śāndīlya. Śāndīlya from Kaiśorya Kāpya Kaiśorya Kāpya from Kumārahārīta Kumārahārīta from Gālava Gālava from Vidarbhīkauṇḍīnya. Vidarbhīkaundīnya from Vatsanapāt Bābhrava Vatsanapāt Bābhrava from Pathah Saubharāt. Pathi Saubhara from Ayāsya Āngīrasa, Ayāsya Āngīrasa from Ābhuti Tvāṣtra, Ābhūti Tvāṣṭra from Visvarūpa Tvāstra Visvarūpa Tvāstra from the two Aśvins The two Aśvins from Dadhyañc Ātharvana Dadhyañc Āthar- vana from Atharvan Daiva Atharvan Daiva from Mrtyu Prā- dhvamsana Mrtyu Prādhvamsana from Prādhvamsana Prādhvamsana from Ekarṣi Ekarsi from Vipracitti Vipracitti from Vyastı Vyastı from Sanāru Sanāru from Sanātana, Sanātana from Sanaga Sanaga from Paramesthin Para- meṣthin from Brahmā. Brahmā is self-born Salutation to Brahmā. Paramesthin is Virāj Brahmā is Hiranya-garbha The tradition of the Veda is traced to the Supreme. It is expressed or formulated by individuals but they are not its authors. The tradition belongs to the supra-individual order and is said to be apauruseya or non-personal. It is timeless though its apprehension is possible at any time.
1. janako ha vardeho bahu-daksinena yajñeneje. tatra ha kuru- pāñcālānām brāhmanā abhisametā babhūvuh tasya ha janakasya vardehasya vijñāsā babhūva kaḥ svid esām brāhmanānām anūcānatama iti. sa ha gavām sahasram avarurodha: daśa daśa pādā ekarkasyāh śringayor ābaddhā babhūvuh. I Janaka (King) of Videha performed a sacrifice at which many presents (were offered to the priests) Brahmanas of the Kurus and the Pāñcālas were gathered together there. In this Janaka of Videha arose a desire to know which of these Brahmanas was the most learned in scripture. He enclosed (in a pen) a thousand cows. To the horns (of each cow) were fastened ten coins (of gold). Though this states the same doctrine as the previous madhuvidyā, Ś makes out that while the previous section depended on scripture, āgama-pradhānam, the present one is based on reasoning, upapatti- pradhānam When the two, scripture and reasoning, demonstrate the unity of the Self, it is seen clearly as a bael fruit in the palm of one's hand āgamopapatti hy ātmarkatva-prakāśanāya pravṛtte śaknutah kara-tala-gata-bilvam iva darśayitum. Ś 2. tān hovāca. brāhmanā bhagavantah, yo vo brahmisthah, sa etā gā udajatām iti te ha brāhmanā na dadhrsuh atha ha yājña- valkyah svam eva brahmacārinam uvāca: etāh, saumya, udaja, sāmaśrava iti tā hodācakāra, te ha brāhmanāś cukrudhuh: katham nu no brahmistho bruvīteti atha ha janakasya vardehasya hotāśvalo babhūva: sa harnam papraccha, tvam nu khalu nah, yājñavalkya, brahmistho 'sīti sa hovāca namo vayaṁ brahmist- hāya kurmah, gokāmā eva vayam sma iti. tam ha tata eva prastuṁ dadhre hotāśvalah 2. He said to them 'Venerable Brahmanas, let him of you who is the wisest Brahmana among you, take away these cows ' Those Brahmanas did not dare (to take the cows). Then Yājña- valkya said to his pupil 'Sāmaśravas, my dear, drive them away' He drove them away The Brahmanas were enraged (and said) 'How can he declare himself to be the wisest Brahmana among us?' Now, there was Aśvala, the hotr priest of Janaka of Videha He asked him, 'Yājñavalkya, are you, indeed, the wisest Brahmana among us?' He replied, 'We bow to the wisest Brahmana but we just wish to have these cows.' Therefore, Aśvala, the hotr priest, decided to question him. Yājñavalkya is a teacher of the Yajur Veda but his pupil chants the Sāman which is the Rg Veda set to music, and the Atharva Veda is subsidiary to the other three. So Yājñavalkya is learned in all the four vedas 3. Yājñavalkya, iti hovāca. yad idam sarvam mrtyuṇāptam, sarvam mrtyuṇābhipannam, kena yajamāno mrtyor āptim atimucyata iti: hotrā rtvijā, agnimā, vācā: vāg vai yajñasya hotā, tad yeyam vāk so' yam agnih, sa hotā, sā muktiḥ, sātimuktiḥ 3. 'Yājñavalkya,' said he, 'since everything here is pervaded by death, since everything is overcome by death, by what means does the sacrificer free himself from the reach of death?' (Yājñavalkya said) 'By the hotr priest, by fire, by speech. Verily, speech is the hotr of sacrifice. That which is this speech is this fire. This (fire) is hotr This is freedom, this is complete freedom' āptam· pervaded, vyāptam Ṣ. abhipannam· overcome, swayed, vaśikrtam Ṣ. By the knowledge of the identity of the sacrificer, the fire and the ritual speech one gets beyond death. 4. yājñavalkya, iti hovāca, yad idam sarvam ahorātrābhyām āptam, sarvam ahorātrābhyām abhipannam, kena yajamāno 'horātrayor āptim atimucyata iti adhvaryuṇā rtvijā, caksuṣā, ādityena, caksur vai yajñasya adhvaryuḥ, tad yad idam caksuḥ, so' sāv ādityaḥ; so 'dhvaryuḥ, sā muktiḥ sātimuktiḥ. 4. 'Yājñavalkya,' said he, 'since everything here is pervaded by day and night, since everything is overcome by day and night, by what means does the sacrificer free himself from the reach of day and night?' 'By the adhvaryu priest, by the eye, by the sun Verily, the eye is the adhvaryu of the sacrifice. That which is his eye is the yonder sun. This is the adhvaryu This is freedom. This is complete freedom.' Day and night are symbolic of time, which is the source of all change: vipariṇāma-letuḥ kālah. Ṣ 5. yājñavalkya, iti hovāca, yad idam sarvam pūrva-pakṣa-apara-pakṣābhyām āptam, sarvam pūrvapakṣa-aparapaksābhyām abhipannam. kena yajamānaḥ pūrvapakṣa-aparapakṣayor āptim atimucyata iti. udgātrā rtvijā, vāyunā, prānena, prāno vai yajñasya udgātā, tad yo yam prāṇah sa vāyuḥ, sa udgātā, sā muktih sātīmuktih. 5. 'Yājñavalkya,' said he, 'since everything here is overtaken by the bright and dark fortnights, since everything is overcome by the bright and dark fortnights, by what means does the sacrificer free himself from the reach of the bright and the dark fortnights?' 'By the udgāṭr priest, by the air, by the breath. Verily, the breath is the udgāṭr priest of the sacrifice. That which is this breath is the air. This is the udgāṭr priest. This is freedom. This is complete freedom.' 6. Yājñavalkya, iti hovāca, yad idam antarikṣam anāramba- nam va kenākramena yajamānah svargaṁ lokam ākramata iti brahmanā rtvijā, manasā, candreṇa, mano var yajñasya brahmā, tad yad idam manah, so' sau candraḥ, sa brahmā, sa muktih, sātīmuktih ity atimoksāh, atha sampadah. 6. 'Yājñavalkya,' said he, 'since the sky is, as it were, without a support, by what means of ascent does a sacrificer reach the heavenly world?' By the Brahmā priest, by the mind, by the moon. Verily, mind is the Brahmā of the sacrifice. That which is this mind is the yonder moon. This is the Brahman. This is freedom. This is complete freedom. This is concerning freedom; and now the achievements. sampadah· achievements of results acquired, phala-prāptih 7. yājñavalkya, iti hovāca, katibhṛ ayam adya rgbhṛ hotāsmiṇ yajne karisyatīti tisrbhṛ iti katamās tās tisra iti. puro'nuvākyā ca yājyā ca śasyaṇa trtīyā kim tābhir jayatīti· yat kIm cedam prānabhṛd iti. 7
. Verily, mind is the Brahmā of the sacrifice. That which is this mind is the yonder moon. This is the Brahman. This is freedom. This is complete freedom. This is concerning freedom; and now the achievements. sampadah· achievements of results acquired, phala-prāptih 7. yājñavalkya, iti hovāca, katibhṛ ayam adya rgbhṛ hotāsmiṇ yajne karisyatīti tisrbhṛ iti katamās tās tisra iti. puro'nuvākyā ca yājyā ca śasyaṇa trtīyā kim tābhir jayatīti· yat kIm cedam prānabhṛd iti. 7. 'Yājñavalkya,' said he, 'how many (kinds of) Ṛg. verses will the hotṛ priest use today in this sacrifice?' 'Three.' 'Which are these three?' 'The introductory verse, the verse accompanying the sacrifice and the benedictory as the third.' 'What does one win by these?' 'Whatever that is here that has breath.' 8. yājñavalkya, iti hovāca, katy ayam adyādhvaryuḥ asmin yajña āhutīr hosyatīti: tisra iti: katamās tās tisra iti: yā hutā ujjvalantī, yā hutā atinedante, yā hutā adhṛśerate: kIm tābhir jayatīti yā hutā ujjvalantī deva-lokam eva tābhir jayati, dīpyata va hi dēva-lokaḥ; yā hutā atinedante, pīṭr-lokam eva tābhir jayatiatīva hī pītr-lokah, yā hutā adhīserate, manuṣya-lokam eva tābhir jayatī, adha iva hī manusya-lokah 8. ‘Yājñavalkya,’ said he, ‘how many (kinds of) oblations will the Adhvaryu priest offer today in this sacrifice?’ ‘Three.’ ‘Which are these three.’ ‘Those which, when offered, blaze upward, those which, when offered, make a great noise and those which, when offered, sink downward.’ ‘What does one win by these?’ ‘By those which, when offered, blaze upward, one wins the world of the gods for the world of the gods burns bright, as it were. By those which, when offered, make a great noise one wins the world of the fathers for the world of the fathers is excessively (noisy). By those which, when offered, sink downwards, one wins the world of men for the world of men is down below, as it were.’ The three kinds of oblations are said to be wood and clarified butter, flesh, milk and soma juice. The first flares up, the second makes a hissing noise, the third sinks down into the earth Those who are in the world of the fathers cry to be delivered out of it atinedante make a great noise, atīva śabdam kurvanti S 9 yājñavalkya, iti hovāca, katibhir ayam adya brahmā yajñam daksinato devatābhir gopāyatīrī ekayetī katamā saiketī mana eveti, anantam varu manah anantā viśve-devāh, anantam eva sa tena lokam jayatṛ. 9 ‘Yājñavalkya,’ said he, ‘with how many divinities does the Brahmā priest on the right protect the sacrifice today?’ ‘With one.’ ‘Which is that one?’ ‘The mind alone.’ Verily, the mind is infinite, the Vṛśve-devās are infinite. An infinite world he wins thereby Through mind we meditate and it is said to be infinite on account of its modifications 10 yājñavalkya, iti hovāca, katy ayam adyodgātāsmiṇ yajñe ślotriyāh stosyatīrī tisra iti katamās tās tisra iti puro' nuvākyā ca yājyā ca śasyaiva trtīyā katamās tā yā adhyātmam iti prāna eva puro' nuvākyā, apāno yājyā, vyānah śasyā kṛm tābhir jayatīrī. pṛthivī-lokam eva puro 'nuvākyayā jayatī, antariksa-lokam yājyayā, dyu-lokam śasyayā tato ha hotāśvala upararāma 10 ‘Yājñavalkya,’ said he, ‘how many hymns of praise will the udgātri priest chant today in the sacrifice?’ ‘Three.’ ‘Which are these three?’ ‘The introductory hymn, the hymn accompanying the sacrifice and the benedictory as the third’ ‘Which are these three with reference to the self?' 'The introductory hymn is the inbreath, the hymn accompanying the sacrifice is the outbreath. The benedictory hymn is the diffused breath.' 'What does one win by these?' 'By the introductory hymn one wins the world of the earth, by the accompanying hymn the world of the atmosphere, by the benedictory hymn one wins the world of heaven.' Thereupon the Hoty priest Aśvala kept silent
1. atha harnam jāratkārava ārtabhāgaḥ papraccha· yājñavalkya iti hovāca, kati grahāh katy atigrahā iti. astau grahāḥ aṣṭāv atigrahā iti ye te' stau grahāh, astāv atigrahāḥ, katame ta iti. I Then Jāratkārava Ārtabhāga questioned him, 'Yājñavalkya,' said he, 'how many perceivers are there, how many over-perceivers?' 'Eight perceivers Eight over-perceivers.' 'Those eight perceivers and eight over-perceivers, which are they?' The grahas are the organs of perception, graspers or apprehenders and the atigrahas are the objects of perception 2. prāṇo var grahaḥ, so 'pānenātigrāheṇa grhītaḥ, apānena hi gandhān jīghrati 2 'The nose is the organ of perception. It is seized (controlled) by the outbreath as an over-perceiver, for by the outbreath one smells an odour. prāna iti ghrānam ucyate Š. 3 vāg var grahaḥ, sa nāmnātigrāheṇa grhītah, vācā hi nāmāny abhīvadati 3 'Speech, verily, is the organ of perception It is seized by name as an over-perceiver, for by speech one utters names. 4 jīhvā var grahaḥ, sa rasenātigrāhena grhītaḥ, jīhvayā hi rasān vijānāti. 4 'The tongue, verily, is the organ of perception It is seized by taste as an over-perceiver, for by tongue one knows tastes. 5 caksur var gahah, sa rūpēnātīgrāhena grhītah, caksusā hū rūpāni paśyati 5 'The eye, verily, is the organ of perception. It is seized by form as an over-perceiver, for by the eye one sees forms 6 śiōtram var grahah, sa śabdenātīgrāhena grhītah, śiōtćena hū śabdān śrṇoti 6 'The ear, verily, is the organ of perception. It is seized by sound as an over-perceiver, for by the ear one hears sounds 7 mano var grahah, sa kāmenātīgrāhena grhītah, manasā hū kāmāni kāmayate 7 'The mind, verily, is the organ of perception, it is seized by desire as an over-perceiver, for through the mind one desires 8 hastau var grahah, sa karmanātīgrāhena grhītah, hastābhyām hū karma karoti 8 'The hands, verily, are the organ of perception. They are seized by action as an over-perceiver, for by the hands one performs actions 9 tvag var gahah, sparśenātīgrāhena grhītah, tvacā hū sparśān vcdayate ıty etc'stau grahāh, aṣṭāv atīgrahāh 9 'The skin, verily, is the organ of perception, it is seized by touch as an over-perceiver, for by the skin one feels touch. These are the eight organs of perception, and the eight over-perceivers.' 10 yājñavalkya ıtri hovāca, yad ıdam sarvam mrıyor annam, kā svit sā devatā, yasyā mrıyor annam ıtri agnir var mrıyuh, so'pām annam, apa punar mrıyum jayati 10 'Yājñavalkya,' said he, 'since everything here is food for death, what, pray, is that divinity for whom death is food?' 'Fire, verily, is death? It is the food of water. He (who knows this) overcomes further death.' Everything is the food of death as everything is born and is imperiled by and is subject to death. sarvam jāyate vīpadyate mrıyumā grastam Ṣ 11. yājñavalkya, ıtri hovāca, yatrāyam puruṣo mrıyate, ud asmāt prānāḥ krāmanty āho neti na ıtri hovāca yājñavalkyah, atraiva samavanīyante, sa ucchvayati, ādhmāyatı, ādhmāto mrılah ścete 11. 'Yājñavalkya,' said he, 'when such a person (a liberated sage) dies, do the vital breaths move up from him or do they not?' 'No,' replied Yājñavalkya. 'They are gathered together in him. He (the body) swells up, he is inflated and thus inflated the dead man (body) lies ' The liberated man, when his bondage is destroyed, does not go anywhere· bandhana-nāśe muktasya na kvacīd gamanam Ś 12. yājñavalkya, iti hovāca, yatrāyam puruso mrīyate, kīm enam na jahātīti nāma iti, anantam varṇāma, anantā viśve-devāh, anantam eva sa tena lokam jayati 12 'Yājñavalkya,' said he, 'when such a person dies, what is it that does not leave him?' 'The name The name is in- finite and infinite are the Visve-devās. Thereby he (who knows this) wins an infinite world ' What remains is name, nāma It is the name which does not perish at death Cp with this the Buddhist doctrine that the element which is reborn is nāma-rūpa, nāma and shape Cp Rūmī 'Every shape you see has its archetype in the placeless world and if the shape perished, no matter, since its original is everlasting' Shams-ī- Tabriz: XII, Nicholson's E.T 13. yājñavalkya, iti hovāca, yatrāsya purusasya mṛtasyāgnim vāg aṇyeti, vātam prānaḥ, cakṣur ādītyam, manas candram, dīśaḥ śrotram, prthivīm śarīram, ākāśam ātmā, osadhīr lomāni, vanaspatīn keśāh, apsu lohitaṁ ca retaś ca nīdhīyate, kvāyaṁ tadā puruso bhavatīti āhara, somya, hastam, ārtabhāga; āvām evaItasya vedīsyāvah, na nāv etat sajana iti. tau hotkramya, mantrayām cakrāte tau ha yad ūcatuh, karma harva tad ūcatuh atha yat praśaśaṁsatuh karma harva tat praśaśaṁsatuh· punyo varṇa punyena karmanā bhavati, pāpah pāpeneti tato ha jāratkārava ārtabhāga upararāma 13 'Yājñavalkya,' said he, 'when the speech (voice) of this dead person enters into fire, the breath into air, the eye into the sun, the mind into the moon, hearing into the quarters, the self into the ether, the hairs of the body into the herbs, the hairs on the head into the trees and the blood and the semen are deposited in water, what then becomes of this person?' 'Ārtabhāga, my dear, take my hand We two alone shall know of this, this is not for us two (to speak of) in public ' The two went away and deliberated What they said was karman and what they praised was karman Venly one becomes good by good action, bad by bad action. Therefore, Ārtabhāga of the line of Jaratkāru kept silent. ātman self, ether in the heart, hrdayākāśam Ṣlohītam blood, lohito rohito raktaḥ, Amara-kośa I 5 15 What then becomes of this person? What is the support by which he again takes birth? The results of action, Karma, produce rebirth
. Therefore, Ārtabhāga of the line of Jaratkāru kept silent. ātman self, ether in the heart, hrdayākāśam Ṣlohītam blood, lohito rohito raktaḥ, Amara-kośa I 5 15 What then becomes of this person? What is the support by which he again takes birth? The results of action, Karma, produce rebirth. This view finds a parallel in the Buddhist doctrine, that while, at death, the different parts of the individual are scattered to their different sources, karma remains to cause a new existence. See also RV X 16 3.
I atha hainam bhujyur lāhyāyanīh papraccha· yājñavalkya, iti hovāca, madresu carakāh, paryavrajāma, te patañcalasya kāpyasya grhān ama; tasyāsīd duhitā gandharvagṛhītā; tam aprcchāma ko 'sīti, so'bravīt, sudhanvāngīrasa iti, tam yadā lokānām antān aprcchāma, athainam abrūma, kva pāriksitā abhavann iti, kva pāriksitā abhavan, sa tvā pṛchāmi, yājñavalkya, kva pāriksitā abhavann iti I Then Bhujyu Lāhyāyani asked him: 'Yājñavalkya,' said he, 'we were travelling around as wanderers among the Madra tribe and came to the house of Patañcala Kāpya. He had a daughter who was possessed by a gandharva. We asked him 'Who are you?' He said, 'I am Sudhanvan, a descendant of Angiras.' When we were asking him about the ends of the earth, we said to him, 'What has become of the Pāriksitas? What has become of the Pāriksitas?' And I ask you, Yājñavalkya, what has become of the Pāriksitas?' The questioner who obtained the knowledge of the limits of the earth from a gandharva asks Yājñavalkya about the descendants of Parīksit. The writer believes in the fact of possession. Patañcala's daughter was possessed by a gandharva, an aerial spirit, and so served as a medium. She was asked about the actual extent of the world and the place where the sons of Parīksit were. Modern para-psychology is investigating phenomena of possession and mediumship, as these cannot be explained on principles of psychology which are generally recognised. 2 sa hovāca, uvāca vai sah agacchan vai te tad yatrāśva-me-dha-yājino gacchantīti kva navasva-medha-yājino gacchantīti. dvātrimśatam var deva-ratha-ahnyāny ayam lokah, tam samantam prthivī dvis tāvat paryeti, tām samantam prthivīm dvis tāvat samudrah paryeti, tad yāvatī ksurasya dhārā, yāvad vā maksu- kāyāh pattram, tāvān antarenākāśaḥ, tān indraḥ suparṇo bhūtvā vāyave prāyacchat, tān vāyur ātmanı dhitvā tatrāgamayad, yatrāśva-medha-yājno 'bhavann iti, evam iva var sa vāyum eva praśaśamsa, tasmād vāyur eva vyastih, vāyuḥ samaṣṭih· apa punar mṛtyum jayati, ya evam veda tato ha bhujyur lāhyāyanır upararāma 2 Yājñavalkya said, 'He (the gandharva) evidently told (you) that they went where those who perform horse-sacrifices go.' 'And where do the performers of the horse sacrifices go?' 'Thirty-two times the space covered by the sun's chariot in a day makes this world. Around it covering twice the area is the earth. Around it covering twice the area is the ocean. Now there is just that much interspace as large as the edge of a razor or the wing of a mosquito. Indra, having become a bird, delivered them to the air. Air, placing them in itself led them to the place where the performers of the horse sacrifice were. Thus did he (the gandharva) praise the air. Therefore, air is the separate individuals and air is the totality of all individuals. He who knows it as such, conquers further death.' After that Bhujya Lāhyāyanı kept silent.
I atha hainam usastas cākrāyanah papraccha yājñavalkya, iti hovāca, yat sāksād aparoksād brahma, ya ātmā sarvāntarah, tam me vyācaksveti eṣa ta ātmā sarvāntarah katamah, yājñavalkya, sarvāntarah yah prānena prāṇiti, sa ta ātmā sarvāntarah yo 'pānenāpāṇiti, sa ta ātmā sarvāntarah, yo vyānena vyāṇiti, sa ta ātmā sarvāntarah, ya udānena udāṇiti, sa ta ātmā sarvāntarah, eṣa ta ātmā sarvāntarah. I Then Usasta Cākrāyana asked him 'Yājñavalkya,' said he, 'explain to me the Brahman that is immediately present and directly perceived, who is the self in all things?' 'This is your self That is within all things.' 'Which is within all things, Yājñavalkya?' 'He who breathes in with your breathing in is the self of yours which is in all things. He who breathes out with your breathing out is the self of yours which is in all things. He who breathes about with your breathing about is the self of yours which is in all things. He who breathes up with your breathing up is the self of yours which is in all things. He is your self which is in all things.'2. sa hovāca usastas cākrāyanah yatha vibrīyād, asau gauḥ, asāv aśva iti, evam evaItad vyapadistam bhavati, yad eva sāksād aparoksād brahma ya ātmā sarvāntarah tam me vyācakṣva iti esa ta ātmā sarvāntarah katamah yājñavalkya, sarvāntarah na drstei drastānam paśych, na śruter sīotāram śrnuyāh, na mater mantānam manvīthāh, na vijñāter vijñātāram vijānīyāḥ, esa ta ātmā sarvāntarah, ato'nyad ātam tato ha usastas cākrāyana upararāma. 2. Usasta Cākrāyana said, 'This has been explained by you as one might say, "This is a cow," "this is a horse." Explain to me the Brahman that is immediately present and directly perceived, that is the self in all things.' 'This is your self that is within all things.' 'Which is within all things, Yājñavalkya?' 'You cannot see the seer of seeing, you cannot hear the hearer of hearing, you cannot think the thinker of thinking, you cannot understand the understander of understanding. He is your self which is in all things. Everything else is of evil.' Thereupon Uṣasta Cākrāyana kept silent ārtam everything else perishes
atha hainam kaholah kausītakeyah papraccha yājñavalkya, iti hovāca, yad eva sāksād aparoksād brahma ya ātmā sarvāntarah, tam me vyācakṣva iti esa ta ātmā sarvāntarah-katamah, yājñavalkya, sarvāntarah yo'sanāyā-pīpāse sokam moham jarām mṛtyuṁ atyeti etam var tam ātmānam viditvā, brāhmanāh putraIsanāyās ca vittaisanāyās ca lokaIsanāyās ca vyutthāya, atha bhikṣācaryam carantī yā hy eva putraIsanā sā vittaisanā yā vittaisaṇā sā lokaIsanā, ubhe hy ete csane eva bhavatah; tasmād brāhmanah, pāndityam nṛvṛdya bālyena tisthāset, bālyam cā pāndityam ca nṛvṛdya, atha munih; amaunam ca maunam cā nṛvṛdya, atha brāhmanah sa brāhmanah kena syāt. yena syāt tena īdṛśa eva ato'nyad ārtam tato ha kaholaḥ kausītakeya upararāma I Now Kahola Kausītakeya asked him, ‘Yājñavalkya,’ said he, ‘explain to me the Brahman that is immediately present and directly perceived, that is the self in all things’ ‘This is your self which is in all things.’ ‘Which is within all things, Yājñavalkya.’ ‘It is that which transcends hunger and thirst, sorrow and delusion, old age and death. The Brāhmanas, having known that self, having overcome the desire for sons, the desire for wealth, the desire for worlds, live the life of mendicants. That which is the desire for sons is the desire for wealth; that which is the desire for wealth is the desire for the worlds for both these are but desires. Therefore let a Brāhmana, after he has done with learning, desire to live as a child. When he has done (both) with the state of childhood and with learning, then he becomes silent meditator. Having done with (both) the non-meditative and the meditative states, then he becomes a Brāhmana (a knower of Brahman).’ ‘How does the Brāhmana behave?’ ‘Howsoever he may behave, he is such indeed. Everything else is of evil.’ Thereupon Kahola Kausītakeya kept silent. hunger aśitum icchā aśanāyā Ṣ. thirst pātim icchā pīpāsā Ṣ sorrow desire, śoka iti kāmah Ṣ Desire or hankering after desirable objects is the cause of sorrow delusion mistake or confusion arising from wrong perception viparīta-pratyaya-prabhavo'viveko bhramah Ṣ esanā desire kāmah All desires are of one type, since they are directed towards results, and all means are adopted towards that end sarvaḥ phalārtha-prayukta eva hi sarvam sādhanam upādatte Ṣ The knowers embrace the life of a monk and wander as mendicants. They give up even the signs of a monk's life prescribed by the scriptures, which are sometimes merely the means of livelihood for those who have taken to that life paramahamsa-pārīvrājyam pratīpadya bhīksā-caryam carantī, bhīksārtham caranam, bhīksācaryam carantī lyaktvā smārtam lingam kevalam āśrama-mātra-śaraṇānām jīvana-sādhanam pārīvrājya-vyañjakam. Ṣnirvṛdya having done with, having known all about. nihśeṣam viditvā Ṣbālya: state of the child Deussen and Gough adopt this interpretation Immediacy and lack of reflection as in a child give us the experience of the real See Subāla U 13 It is not a question of remaining as children, but becoming as children. It involves the sacrifice of intellectual conceit, a 'sacrificium intellectus'. We must be able to acquire naïveté. It is what Lao Tzu calls 'returning to the root'. St Paul says 'Thou art beside thyself, much learning doth make thee mad'. Acts xxvi 24 Cp 'St Francis once said that a great scholar when he joined the Order, ought in some sort to resign even his learning, in order that, having stripped himself of such a possession he might offer himself to the arms of the Crucified'. A G Little, Franciscan Papers Lists and Documents (1943), p 55 Certain things are hidden from the learned and revealed to the babes 'In this hour Jesus rejoiced, saying, I thank Thee, Heavenly Father because Thou hast hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them unto babes' 'Except ye become like little children, ye shall not see the Kingdom of God' To become like little children is not easy It takes much effort to acquire the grace and meekness of the child-like, to measure our littleness against the greatness of the Supreme bālya strength which is the total elimination of the perception of objects of self-knowledge jñāna-bala-bhāva. This view is different from what is stated above Mauna is abstinence from speech. It is regarded as helpful for meditation. We must turn away from the world of noise into the inward stillness, the interior silence to become aware of the reality which transcends time and space. Cp Kierkegaard 'The present condition of the world is diseased. If I were a doctor and was asked for my advice, I should answer, Create silence, bring men to silence —the word of God cannot be heard in the world today. And if it is blazoned forth with all the panoply of noise so that it can be heard even in the midst of all other noise, then it is no longer the word of God. Therefore, create silence.' The true knower of Brahman devotes himself exclusively to the contemplation of the self and shuns all other thoughts as distractions.
I atha puram gārgī vācal navī papraccha, yājñavalkya, iti kṛṣṇa, yad idam sarvam apsv olam ca protam ca, kasmin nū 11 ilu āpa otāś ca protāś ceti vāyau, gārgī, iti kasmin nū khalu; iti, otaś ca protāś ceti antarikṣa-lokca, gārgī, iti, kasmin nu khalu antariksa-lokā otāś ca protāś ceti gandharva-lokesu, gārgi, iti kasmin nu khalu gandharva-lokā otāś ca protāś ceti āditya-lokesu, gārgi, iti kasmin nu khalu āditya-lokā otāś ca protāś ceti candra-lokesu, gārgi, iti kasmin nu khalu candra-lokā otāś ca protāś ceti naksatra-lokesu, gārgi, iti kasmin nu khalu naksatra-lokā otāś ca protāś ceti deva-lokesu, gārgi, iti kasmin nu khalu deva-lokā otāś ca protāś ceti. indra-lokesu gārgi, iti. kasmin nu khalu indra-lokā otāś ca protāś ceti prajā-pati-lokesu, gārgi, iti kasmin nu khalu prajā-pati-lokā otāś ca protāś ceti. brahma- lokesu, gārgi, iti kasmin nu khalu brahma-lokā otāś ca protāś ceti sa hovāca, gārgi mātiprāksīh, mā te mūrdhā vyapaptat, anatipraśnyām var devatām atiprechasī, gārgi, mātiprakṣīr iti. tato ha gārgī vācaknavy upararāma I Then Gārgī Vācaknavī asked him 'Yājñavalkya,' said she, 'since all this here is woven, like warp and woof, in water, on what, pray, is water woven, like warp and woof?' 'On air, O Gārgi' 'On what, then is air woven, like warp and woof?' 'On the worlds of the sky, O Gārgi' 'On what then, pray, are the worlds of the sky woven, like warp and woof?' 'On the worlds of the gandharvas, O Gārgi' 'On what then, pray, are the worlds of the gandharvas woven, like warp and woof?' 'On the worlds of the sun, O Gārgi' 'On what then, pray, are the worlds of the sun woven, like warp and woof?' 'On the worlds of the moon, O Gārgi' 'On what then, pray, are the worlds of the moon woven, like warp and woof?' 'On the worlds of the stars, O Gārgi' 'On what then, pray, are the worlds of the stars woven, like warp and woof?' 'On the worlds of the gods, O Gārgi' 'On what then, pray, are the worlds of the gods woven, like warp and woof?' 'On the worlds of Indra, O Gārgi' 'On what then, pray, are the worlds of Indra woven, like warp and woof?' 'On the worlds of Prajā-pati, O Gārgi' 'On what, then, pray, are the worlds of Prajā-pati woven, like warp and woof?' 'On the worlds of Brahmā, O Gārgi' 'On what then, pray, are the worlds of Brahmā woven, like warp and woof?'} He (Yājñavalkya) said, 'Gārgi, do not question too much lest your head fall off. Clearly, you are questioning too much about a divinity about which we are not to ask too much. Do not, O Gārgi, question too much.' Thereupon Gārgī Vācaknavī kept silent The basis of this whole universe is said to be brahma-loka. mā atiprāksīh S argues that the nature of the deity is to be gathered from scriptures and not inferred by logic. svam praśnam nyāya pīkāram atītya āgamena pīṣṭavyām devatām anumāṇena mā prāksīh
I atha hainam uddālaka ārunīh papraccha· yājñavalkya, iti hovāca madicēṣv avasāma, patañcalasya kāpyasya grheṣu, yajñam adhīyānāh tasyāsīd bhāryā, gandharva-gṛhītā, tam aprcchāma, ko'sītī so'bravīt, kabandha ātharvana iti so'bravīt, patañcalam kāpyam yājñikāmis ca, vettha ni tvam, kāpya, tat sūtram yasmīnn (v yena) ayam ca lokah, paraś ca lokah, sarvāni ca bhūtāni samdrbdhāni, bhavantīti so'bravīt patañcalah kāpyah, nāham tad, bhagavan, vedcti so'bravīt patañcalam kāpyam yājñikāmis ca vett- ha ni tvam, kāpya, tam antaryāminam, ya imam ca lokam param ca lokam sarvāni ca bhūtāni yo'ntaro yamayatīti so'bravīt patañ- calah kāpyah, nāham tam, bhagavan, vedcti so'bravīt patañcalam kāpyam yājñikāmis ca, yo vai tat, kāpya, sūtram vidyāt, tam cāntaryāminam ılı, sabrahma-vit, saloka-vit, sa deva-vit, sa veda-vit, sa bhūta-vit, sa ātma-vit, sa sarva-vit, iti tebhyo'bravīt tad aham veda, tac cct tvam, yājñavalkya, sūtram avidvāms tam cāntar- yāminam brahmagavīr udajase, mūrdhā te vipatīsyatīti veda vā aham, gautama, tat sūtram tam cāntaryāminam iti yo vā idam kaś cid bṛīyāt, veda vedcti yathā vettha, tathā brūhīti I Then Uddālaka Āruni asked him, 'Yājñavalkya,' said he, 'we lived in the house of Patañcala Kāpya among the Madras, studying the scriptures on the sacrifices. He had a wife who was possessed by a gandharva We asked him, "Who are you?" He said, "I am Kabandha Atharvana" He said to Patañcala Kāpya and those who studied the scriptures on the sacrifices, "Do you know, O Kāpya, that thread by which this world, the other world and all beings are held together?" Patañcala Kāpya said, "I do not know it, Venerable Sir" He said to Patañcala Kāpya and those who studied the scriptures on the sacrifices, "Do you know, Kāpya, that inner controller from within who controls this world and the next and all things" Patañcala Kāpya said, "I do not know it, Venerable Sir" He said to Patañcala Kāpya and those who studied the scrip- tures on the sacrifices, "He who knows that thread, O Kāpya, and that inner controller, indeed knows Brahman, he knows the worlds, he knows the gods, he knows the Vedas, he knows beings, he knows the self, he knows everything." Thus he explained it to them. I know it. If you, Yājñavalkya, do not know that thread, that inner controller and still take away the cows that belong only to the knowers of Brahman, your head will fall off.' 'I know, O Gautama, that thread and that inner controller.' 'Anyone might say, "I know, I know". Tell us what you know.' Here is a description of the world spirit, brahma-lokānām antara- tamam sūtram Ś It is that which binds together all beings from the highest to the lowest, brahmādī-stamba-paryantāni samdrbdhāni samgrat hitāni, Ś All things are strung like a garland with a thread. Reference here is to the sūtrātman Cp Matrī I 4 Śataśślokī 12, 55 Man is a bead strung on the thread of the conscious self, and just as wooden puppets are worked by strings, so the world is operated by the sūtrātman, the thread spirit 2 sa hovāca vāyur var, Gautama, tat sūtram; vāyunā vai, Gautama, sūtrenāyam ca lokah paraś ca lokah sarvāṇi ca bhūtāni samdrbdhāni bhavantṛ, tasmād var, Gautama, purusam pretam āhuh vyasramsīsatāsyāngānīṭṛ; vāyunā hi, Gautama, sūtrena samdrbdhāni bhavantīti evam etat, yājñavalkya, antaryāminam brūhīti 2 He said, 'Air, verily, O Gautama, is that thread By air, verily, O Gautama, as by a thread this world, the other world and all beings are held together Therefore, verily, O Gautama, they say of a person who dies that his limbs have been loosened, for they are held together, O Gautama, by air as by a thread ' 'Quite so, Yājñavalkya, describe the inner controller ' 3 yah prthivyām tṛṣṇan prthivyā antarah, yam prthivī na veda, yasya prthivī śarīram, yah prthivīm antaro yamayatṛ, eṣa ta ātmāntaryāmy amṛtah 3 (Yājñavalkya said,) 'He who dwells in the earth, yet is within the earth, whom the earth does not know, whose body the earth is, who controls the earth from within, he is your self, the inner controller, the immortal' 'He was in the world and the world was made by him and the world knew him not'—St John I 10 anlarah within; sometimes 'different from' 4 yo'psu tisthann, adbhyo'ntarah, yam āpo na viduh, yasyāpah śarīram, yo'po'ntaro yamayatī, esa ta ātmāntāryāmy amrtah 4 ‘He who dwells in the water, yet is within the water, whom the water does not know, whose body the water is, who controls the water from within, he is your self, the inner controller, the immortal’ 5 yo'gnau tisthann, agner antarah, yam agnir na veda, yasyāgnih śarīram, yo'gnim antaro yamayatī, esa ta ātmāntar- yāmy amrtah 5 ‘He who dwells in the fire, yet is within the fire, whom the fire does not know, whose body the fire is, who controls the fire from within, he is your self, the inner controller, the immortal’ 6. yo'ntarikse tisthann antariksād antarah yam antariksam na veda, yasyāntariksam śarīram, yo'ntariksam antaro yamayatī, esa ta ātmāntāryāmy amrtah 6 ‘He who dwells in the sky, yet is within the sky, whom the sky does not know, whose body the sky is, who controls the sky from within, he is your self, the inner controller, the immortal’ 7
. yo'ntarikse tisthann antariksād antarah yam antariksam na veda, yasyāntariksam śarīram, yo'ntariksam antaro yamayatī, esa ta ātmāntāryāmy amrtah 6 ‘He who dwells in the sky, yet is within the sky, whom the sky does not know, whose body the sky is, who controls the sky from within, he is your self, the inner controller, the immortal’ 7. yo vāyau tisthann vāyor antarah, yam vāyur na veda, yasya vāyuḥ śarīram, yo vāyum antaro yamayatī, esa ta ātmāntāryāmy amrtah 7 ‘He who dwells in the air, yet is within the air, whom the air does not know, whose body the air is, who controls the air from within, he is your self, the inner controller, the immortal’ 8 yo divi tisthan divo'ntarah, yam dyaur na veda, yasya dyauḥ śarīram, yo divam antaro yamayatī, esa ta ātmāntaryāmy amrtah 8 ‘He who dwells in the heaven, yet is within the heaven, whom the heaven does not know, whose body the heaven is, who controls the heaven from within, he is your self, the inner controller, the immortal’ 9 ya ādītye tisthann ādītyād antarah, yam ādītyo na veda, yasyādītyah śarīram, ya ādītyam antaro yamayatī, esa ta ātmān- taryāmy amrtah 9 ‘He who dwells in the sun, yet is within the sun, whom the sun does not know, whose body the sun is, who controls the sun from within, he is your self, the inner controller, the immortal’ It is not the 'sun whom all men see' but that 'whom we know with the mind' Atharva Veda X 8 14. It is the 'light of lights' RV I, 113 1, BG XII 17. 'Whose body is seen by all, whose soul by none' Plato Laws 898 D 'That was the true light of the world' John I. 4, I 9, IX 5 See CU I 66, which speaks of an effulgent person in the solar regions who is free from evil 10 yo dīksu tisthan, dīgbhyo'ntarah, yam dīśo na viduh, yasya dīśah śarīram, yo dīśo antaro yamayati, eṣa ta ātmāntaryāmy amṛtah. 10. 'He who dwells in the quarters (of space), yet is within the quarters, whom the quarters do not know, whose body the quarters are, who controls the quarters from within, he is your self, the inner controller, the immortal' 11 yaś candra-tārake tṛṣṭhaṁś candra-tārakād antarah, yaṁ candra-tārakam na veda, yasya candra-tārakam śarīram, yaś candra-tārakam antaro yamayati, eṣa ta ātmāntaryāmy amṛtah 11 'He who dwells in the moon and the stars, yet is within the moon and the stars, whom the moon and the stars do not know, whose body the moon and the stars are, who controls the moon and the stars from within, he is your self, the inner controller, the immortal' 12. ya ākāśe tṛṣṭhann ākāśād antarah, yam ākāśo na veda, yasyākāśaḥ śarīram, ya ākāśam antaro yamayati, eṣa ta ātmāntaryāmy amṛtah 12 'He who dwells in the ether, yet is within the ether, whom the ether does not know, whose body the ether is, who controls the ether from within, he is your self, the inner controller, the immortal' 13 yas tamasi tisthams tamaso'ntarah, yaṁ tamo na veda yasya tamaḥ śarīram, yas tamo'ntaro yamayati, eṣa ta ātmāntaryāmy amṛtah 13 'He who dwells in the darkness, yet is within the darkness, whom the darkness does not know, whose body the darkness is, who controls the darkness from within, he is your self, the inner controller, the immortal' 14. yas tejasī tisthaṁs tejaso'ntarah, yam tejo na veda, yasya tejah śarīram, yas tejo'ntaro yamayati, eṣa ta ātmāntaryāmy amṛtah ity adhīdaivatam, athādhibhūtam. 14 'He who dwells in the light, yet is within the light, whom the light does not know, whose body the light is, who controls H* the light from within, he is your self, the inner controller, the immortal. Thus far with reference to the divinities Now with reference to beings.' adhibhūtam· pertaining to the different grades of beings from Brahmā down to a clump of grass. brahmādī-stamba-paryanteṣu antaryāmi-darśanam Ṣ 15 yaḥ sarvesu bhūteṣu tṛṣṇan, sarvebhyo bhūtebhyo'ntarah, yam sarvāṇi bhūtāṇi na viduḥ, yasya sarvāṇi bhūtāṇi śarīram, yaḥ sarvāṇi bhūtāṇi antaro yamayatī, esa ta ātmāntaryāmy amṛtah ity adhibhūtam; athādhyātmam. 15. 'He who dwells in all beings, yet is within all beings, whom no beings know, whose body is all beings, who controls all beings from within, he is your self, the inner controller, the immortal Thus far with reference to the beings Now with reference to the self' 16 yaḥ prāne tṛṣṇan prāṇād antarah, yam prāno na veda, yasya prāṇaḥ śarīram, yaḥ prāṇam antaro yamayatī, eṣa ta ātmāntaryāmy amṛtah. 16. 'He who dwells in the breath, yet is within the breath, whom the breath does not know, whose body the breath is, who controls the breath from within, he is your self, the inner controller, the immortal' prāṇa. breath Ṣ means by it the nose prāna-vāyu-sahite ghrāne 17 yo vāci tṛṣṇan vāco'ntarah, yam vāṇi na veda, yasya vāk śarīram, yo vācam antaro yamayatī, eṣa ta ātmāntaryāmy amṛtah 17. 'He who dwells in (the organ of) speech, yet is within speech, whom speech does not know, whose body speech is, who controls speech from within, he is your self, the inner controller, the immortal' 18 yas cakṣusī tṛṣṇams caksuso'ntarah, yam caksur na veda, yasya caksuḥ śarīram, yas caksur antaro yamayatī, esa ta ātmāntaryāmy amṛtah. 18 'He who dwells in the eye, yet is within the eye, whom the eye does not know, whose body the eye is, who controls the eye from within, he is your self, the inner controller, the immortal' 19 yaḥ śrotre tṛṣṇan śrotrād antaraḥ, yaṁ śrotram na veda, yasya śrotram śarīram, yaḥ śrotram antaro yamayatī, esa ta ātmāntaryāmy amṛtah. 19 'He who dwells in the ear, yet is within the ear, whom the ear does not know, whose body the ear is, who controls the ear from within, he is your self, the inner controller, the immortal' 20. yo manasī tisthan manaso'ntarah, yam mano na veda, yasya manah śarīram, yo mano'ntaro yamayati, esa ta ātmāntaryāmy amrtah. 20. 'He who dwells in the mind, yet is within the mind, whom the mind does not know, whose body the mind is, who controls the mind from within, he is your self, the inner controller, the immortal.' 21
. 19 'He who dwells in the ear, yet is within the ear, whom the ear does not know, whose body the ear is, who controls the ear from within, he is your self, the inner controller, the immortal' 20. yo manasī tisthan manaso'ntarah, yam mano na veda, yasya manah śarīram, yo mano'ntaro yamayati, esa ta ātmāntaryāmy amrtah. 20. 'He who dwells in the mind, yet is within the mind, whom the mind does not know, whose body the mind is, who controls the mind from within, he is your self, the inner controller, the immortal.' 21. yas tvacī tisthams tvaco'ntarah, yam tvaṁ na veda, yasya tvak śarīram, yas tvacam antaro yamayati, eṣa ta ātmāntaryāmy amrtah. 21 'He who dwells in the skin, yet is within the skin, whom the skin does not know, whose body the skin is, who controls the skin from within, he is your self, the inner controller, the immortal' 22. yo vijñāne tisthan, vijñānād antarah, yaṁ vijñānaṁ na veda, yasya vijñānaṁ śarīram, yo vijñānam antaro yamayati, esa ta ātmāntaryāmy amrtah. 22 'He who dwells in the understanding, yet is within the understanding, whom the understanding does not know, whose body the understanding is, who controls the understanding from within, he is your self, the inner controller, the immortal.' Ś discusses the text in SB I 2 18-20. Both the Kānva and the Mādhyandina recensions speak of the universal and the individual selves as different from each other, the former being the ruler and the latter the ruled. The Kānva speaks of the embodied self as the understanding and the Mādhyandina speaks of it as the self: yo vijñāne tisthan iti kānvah, atra·vijñāna-śabdena śarīrah ucyate, ya ātmanā tisthan iti mādhyandinah, atra ātma-śabdah śarīrasya vācakah. For Rāmānuja this passage is important as a support for his doctrine of viśistādvāraṇa. Madhva uses this text in support of his theory of the absolute distinction between Brahman and the individual soul. 23 yo rejasī tisthan retaso'ntarah, yaṁ reto na veda, yasya retah śarīram, yo reto'ntaro yamayati, esa ta ātmāntaryāmy amrtah· adrsto drastā, aśrutah śrotā, amato mantā, avijñāto vijñātā nānyo'to'stu drastā, nānyo'to'stu śrotā, nānyo'to'stumantā, nānyo'to'sṭi vijñātā esa ta ātmāntaryāmy amṛtah ato'nyad ārtam tato hoddālaka ārunir upararāma 23 He who dwells in the semen, is other than the semen, whom the semen does not know, whose body the semen is, who controls the semen from within, that is your self, the inner controller, the immortal He is never seen but is the seer, he is never heard but is the hearer He is never perceived, but is the perceiver He is never thought but is the thinker There is no other seer but he, there is no other hearer but he, there is no other perceiver but he, there is no other thinker but he He is your self, the inner controller, the immortal Everything else is of evil After that Uddālaka Āruni kept silent Everything that is not the self perishes Though he is free from all the empirical qualities, he still controls them all Cp Ś sarva-samsāra-dharma-varjitah sarva-samsārinām karma-phala-vibhāga-kartā
1 atha ha vācaknavy uvāca, brāhmanā bhagavantah, hanta, aham imam dvau praśnau praksyāmi, tau cen me vaksyati, na varjitu yusmākam imam kaś cid brahmodyam jeteti prccha, gārgīti I Then Vācaknavī said 'Venerable Brāhmanas, I shall ask him two questions If he answers me these, none of you can defeat him in arguments about Brahman 'Ask, Gārgi' Vācaknavī is also Gārgī but she is not the Gārgī, who is the wife of Yājñavalkya brahmodya discussion about Brahman which often accompanied the sacrifices 2 sā hovāca aham varṇa tvā, yājñavalkya, yathā kāśyo vā vardeho vā ugra-putrah, ujjyam dhanur adhṛjyam kṛtvā, dvau bānavantau saśatna-atṛvyādhinau haste kṛtvā upoṭṭisthe, evam evāham tvā dvābhyām praśnābhyām upodasthām, tau me brūhīti prccha, gārgi, iti 2 She said, 'As a warrior son of the Kāśis or the Videhas might rise up against you, having strung his unstrung bow and having taken in his hand two pointed foe-piercing arrows, even so, O Yājñavalkya, do I face you with two questions. Answer me these.' 'Ask, Gārgi' (said he) 3 sā hovāca yad ūrdhvam, yājñavalkya, divaḥ, yad avāk prthivyāh, yad antarā dyāvāprthivī ime, yad bhūtam ca bhavac ca bhavisyac ceti ācaksate, kasmīms tad otaṁ ca protaṁ ceti. 3 She said 'That, O Yājñavalkya, of which they say, it is above the heaven, it is beneath the earth, that which is between these two, the heaven and the earth, that which the people call the past, the present and the future, across what is that woven, like warp and woof?' avāk below, arvāk. 4 sa hovāca, yad ūrdhvam, gārgi, divah, yad avāk prthivyāh, yad antarā dyāvāprthivī ime, yad bhūtam ca bhavac ca bhavisyac cety ācaksate, ākāṣe tad otaṁ ca protaṁ ceti. 4 He said 'That which is above the heaven, that which is beneath the earth, that which is between these two, heaven and earth, that which the people call the past, the present and the future, across space is that woven, like warp and woof.' 5 sā hovāca, namas te'stu, yājñavalkya, yo ma etaṁ vyavocaḥ: aparasmṛt dhārayasveti prccha, gārgi, iti 5 She said, 'Adoration to you, Yājñavalkya, who have answered this question for me. Prepare yourself for the other ' 'Ask, Gārgi.' 6 sā hovāca, yad ūrdhvam, yājñavalkya, divaḥ, yad avāk prthivyāḥ, yad antarā dyāvā-prthivī ime, yad bhūtam ca bhavac ca bhavisyac cety ācaksate: kasmīms tad otaṁ ca protaṁ ceti. 6 She said. 'That, O Yājñavalkya, of which they say, it is above the heaven, it is beneath the earth, that which is between these two, the heaven and the earth, that which the people call the past, the present and the future, across what is that woven like warp and woof?' 7 sa hovāca, yad ūrdhvam, gārgi, divah, yad avāk prthivyāḥ, yad antarā dyāvāprthivī ime, yad bhūtam ca bhavac ca bhavisyac cety ācaksate ākāṣa eva tad otaṁ ca protaṁ ceti, kasmīn mu khalv ākāṣa otaś ca protaś ceti 7 He said: 'That which is above the sky, that which is beneath the earth, that which is between these two, sky and earth, that which the people call the past, the present and the future, across space is that woven like warp and woof Across what is space woven like warp and woof?' It is a difficult question If Yājñavalkya does not explain it because he thinks it inexplicable, he lays himself open to the charge of non- comprehension, a-pratipatti, if, on the other hand, he attempts to explain what is inexplicable he would be guilty of contradiction, vi-pratipatti 8 sa hovāca, etad var tad aksaram, gārgi, brāhmanā abhiva- dantī, asthūlam, ananu, ahrasvam, adīrgham, alohitam, asneham, acchāyam, atamah, avāyv anākāśam, asangam, arasam, agan- dham, acaksuskam, aśrotram, avāk, amanah, atejaskam, aprānam, amukham, amātram, anantaram, abāhyam, na tad aśnāti kīm cana, na tad aśnāti kaś cana 8 He said 'That, O Gārgi, the knowers of Brahman, call the Imperishable It is neither gross nor fine, neither short nor long, neither glowing red (like fire) nor adhesive (like water) (It is) neither shadow nor darkness, neither air nor space, un- attached, without taste, without smell, without eyes, without ears, without voice, without mind, without radiance, without breath, without a mouth, without measure, having no within and no without It eats nothing and no one eats it This passage brings out that the Imperishable is neither a substance nor a possessor of attributes aksara It is not the letter but the Supreme Self, aksaram paramātmā eva, na varnah SB I 3 10 It is the changeless reality 9 etasya vā aksarasya praśāsane, gārgi, sūryācandramasau vidhrtau tisthatah, etasya vā aksarasya praśāsane, gārgi, dyāvā- prthivyau vidhrte tisthatah, etasya vā aksarasya prasāsane, gārgi, nimesā, muhūrtā, ahorātrany ardhamāsā, māsā, rtavah, samvat- sara iti vidhrtās tisthanti, etasya vā aksarasya praśāsane, gārgi, prācyo' nyā nadyah syandante śvetebhyah parvatebhyah, pratīcyo' nyāh, yām yām cā dśam anu, etasya vā aksarasya praśāsane, gārgi, dadato manusyāh praśamsantī, yajamānam devāh, darvīm pitaro 'nvāyattāh 9 'Verily, at the command of that Imperishable, O Gārgi, the sun and the moon stand in their respective positions At the command of that Imperishable, O Gārgi, heaven and earth stand in their respective positions At the command of that Imperishable, O Gārgi, what are called moments, hours, days and nights, half-months, months, seasons, years stand in their respective positions At the command of that Imperishable, O Gārgi, some rivers flow to the east from the white (snowy) mountains, others to the west in whatever direction each flows. By the command of that Imperishable, O Gārgi, men praise those who give, the gods (are desirous of) the sacrificer and the fathers are desirous of the darvī offering.' Inferential evidence from the orderliness of the world is here given anumānam pramānam upanyasyati Ś The maintenance of the respective positions of heaven and earth is not possible without the guidance of an intelligent transcendent ruler *cetanāvantam praśāsitāram asamsārinam antareṇa naitad yuṇṭam

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