Upanishads
Mundaka Upanishad
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Mundaka Upanishad is one of the ten principle Upanishads on which Sri Shankaracharya wrote commentary; it comes under Atharva Veda. The name Mundaka literally means 'head' of body, but it is explained as Pure Self Itself (being 'head' or 'chief' among all bodies) and not 'head' of gross or subtle body; thus, just like other Upanishads, this one too deals with the knowledge of real Self (Atman/Brahman). And similar to other Upanishads, one who assimilates the knowledge imparted by this Upanishad, attains to Moksha.
$ Rig Veda has smallest number of Upanishads in it (21), Yajur Veda has 109 Upanishads,
Sama Veda has the largest (more than 1000), and Atharva Veda has 50 in it including Mundaka, Mandukya, Grabha, Brahma, and Prashna. |
$ Three types of errors in ignorant person's talk (पौरुषेय वाक्य
paurusheya vaakya): भ्रान्ति bhranti - delusional talk due to
sense-attachment; talking as per colouring of mind; विप्रलिप्सा
vipralipsa - deliberate lying for selfish motives; प्रमाद pramaada - slip of
tongue due to inadvertence, haste etc.
We present here the notes derived from audio talks by Swami Vidyananda Giri, Swami Akhandananda Saraswati and Swami Ramananada Saraswati on Mundaka Upanishad. (The original text for
the Upanishad can be downloaded from sanskritdocuments.org)
* Section I: Chapter I
* Section I: Chapter II
* Section II: Chapter I
* Section II: Chapter II
* Section III: Chapter I
* Section III: Chapter II
| Section I: Chapter I (प्रथम मुण्डक प्रथम खण्ड: Prathama Mundaka Prathama Khandah) |  |
In the first mantra, Shruti itself praises the tradition of teachers who expound ब्रह्मविद्या
BrahmaVidya (Knowledge of Self/Brahman). Brahma - the eldest & greatest among devas (gods) and creator-protector of universe - gave
BrahmaVidya to his eldest son Atharva [devas can be taken to mean indriyas i.e. senses and Brahma can be taken as antahkarana
i.e. inner psyche or mind]. Atharva in turn gave it to Angir and Angir gave it to Bharadwaja's son/disciple - Satyavaha; Satyavaha
gave it to his son/disciple - Angirasa. Thus this BrahmaVidya is termed here as paravara, because it is transmitted from Guru
to Disciple [or from Father to Son] i.e. from para [senior/higher] to avara [junior/lower]; paravara could also
mean 'one which covers all types of knowledge' - higher knowledge [transcendent] as well as lower knowledge [related to phenomenon].
A great householder called Shaunaka approached Angirasa with due respect and asked, 'Master! What is that One thing knowing which
everything else gets known?' The question is about the One Substance or Reality, knowing which all this i.e. all the names and forms
of universe including living beings, are known. Just as ornaments made out of gold are nothing but gold in different forms with
different names and the only substance in all ornaments in gold; knowing gold, is thus, knowing all ornaments.
To this Angiras answered: 'Knowers of Brahman say that there are two types of knowledge - Para (higher) and Apara (lower) -
to be known. Apara consists of Vedas (Rigveda, Yajurveda, Atharvaveda, Samaveda) and Vedangas (Shiksha, Kalpa,
Vyakaran, Nirukta, Chhanda, Jyotish); Para is that with which the Imperishable Reality is known.' Apara deals with
knowledge in the phenomenal universe while Para is about transcendental knowledge of Absolute Reality (Brahman/Self/God).
The nature of Absolute Reality is described as, 'awakened seers know the Self to be beyond senses of perception and action, beyond
any specification or indication, eternal (transcending time), all-pervading (transcending space), immanent (in the form of all objects),
subtler than subtlest, inexhaustible, source-less, and Itself source of entire universe including living beings.' How is Self the
cause of universe? It is explained by analogy: 'just as spider weaves web using thread thrown out of itself and then swallows it
back again, just as various herbs, trees come out of Earth, and just as hairs sprout through human body, similarly the universe comes
out of Self.'
$ Self being One Infinite Reality, without the help of any other entity/material,
how can It create universe? This is answered with the example of spider; spider creates web out of itself and takes it back within
itself; no external material or help is needed.
$ If universe comes out of Self then it must be non-different from Self and being
non-different, Self can't be termed as material cause of the universe. This is refuted with the example of trees coming out of Earth;
though trees, herbs etc. are of non-different from Earth, still they all come out of Earth itself and thus Earth is their material cause.
$ But universe is different from Brahman/Self, since it is full of diversity of
names & forms, birth & death, while Brahman is One Name-less, Form-less, Birth-less, Death-less Whole; so how can universe come out
of Brahman? This doubt is answered with the example of hairs coming out of human being; though hairs comes out of human body and
are part of body, cutting them does not produce pain while cutting other body part causes pain. Thus, just as hairs (a dead thing)
comes out of a different entity (a living body) than itself, similarly universe comes out of Brahman.
$ Ignorance (अविद्या avidya): for
deluded person (भ्रान्त पुरुष bhranta purusha) is
directly felt (अपरोक्ष aparoksha), for spiritual aspirant (साधक
sadhaka) it is imaginary (कल्पित kalpita), for scriptural discussions purpose (शास्त्रार्थ
shastrartha) it is indescribable (अनिर्वचनीय anirvachaniya),
and for Self-Realized Being (ज्ञानी jnani) it is never existing!
It was stated that the universe comes out of Brahman, now how does this process happen, what is the sequence of evolution, this is explained as: First, Brahman expands a bit due to austerity in the form of Knowledge (just like a seed expands a bit before it sprouts or just like a father is filled with happiness due to the thought of birth of his child); then from this state is born the 'Unmanifested state'/Maya (अन्नम् annam or अव्याकृत avyakruta - causal state of universe and its beings). From 'Unmanifested state', Cosmic collective (प्राण prana or हिरण्यगर्भ hiranyagarbha) comes out, which in turn gives rise to Cosmic mind/ego (मन: manah). Mind gives rise to five great elements of universe (सत्य satya or पञ्चमहाभूत panchamahabhoota - space, air, fire, water, and earth). Out of these five elements the seven worlds are formed (सप्तलोक: saptalokah); in these worlds, beings perform actions (कर्म karma) as per temperaments and stations of life (वर्णाश्रम varnmashrama) which produce results of actions (कर्मफल karmaphala) also know as immortal (अमृत amruta) as it continues for trillions of years. Thus from the Supreme Brahman - which is the all-knowing (since it is substratum of everything) and is also Omniscient (i.e. inner-controller of all beings) - entire phenomenal universe consisting of names and forms comes out; for this process, Brahman does not need any separate efforts/austerities, the inherent modification of Knowledge itself is 'austerity' (ज्ञानमयं तपः jnanamayam tapah).
$ Absolute Brahman is Pure Consciousness-Bliss infinite and there is no
wave/modification/vibration/motion in It; But when there is wave/modification/vibration of names and forms i.e. of world in It,
that is termed as 'austerity' in the form of Knowledge/Consciousness (jnanamayam tapah).
$ Bhagawan Sri Ramana Maharshi was asked 'what is Mahat?' He replied: 'The projected
light from Absolute Consciousness. Just as a seed swells up before sprouting and then sprouts and grows, so also the Absolute
Consciousness projects light, manifests as the ego and grows up as the body and the universe.
Chit (Absolute) --> Mahat (projected consciousness like swollen seed) --> Ahankara (ego) -->
Manas (mind) --> Aham and Idam (body and world)'
| Section I: Chapter II (प्रथम मुण्डक द्वितीय खण्ड: Prathama Mundaka Dwitiya Khandah) | |
In the previous chapter, two types of knowledge - 'lower' dealing with world and 'higher' dealing with transcendent Reality - were
described with their brief descriptions; how these two are responsible for 'bondage of soul' due to transmigration and 'Liberation of
soul' due to Self-Knowledge respectively, is to be shown here in this second chapter of first section. Out of these two, the
apara-vidya i.e. lower-knowledge, is taken first for investigation so as to impress the transitory and painful nature of
phenomenon upon the mind of spiritual aspirant. The various sacrificial rituals revealed to the Rishis - which they recorded in Vedas -
are true as they give relatively immortal results like heaven, to one who religiously performs them; these ritualistic karmas grew
variously in TretaYuga (or they grew with three types of performer of sacrifice - from Rigveda, Yajurveda, and Samveda). One who
aspires for higher spheres of existence (heaven etc.) should perform these rituals regularly as they are the means to get desired
result; these fire rituals are not easy to perform since all the mantras, layouts of fire-place, actions etc. must be exactly as
per scriptural rules, else instead of desired outcome, adverse effects are to be suffered. One, who considers these rituals and
their result of heaven as the highest, is deluded person and continues his/her transmigration cycle; he/she may attain heaven due
to punya accumulated on account of ritualistic and public welfare karmas here on Earth, but after the exhaustion of punya,
by enjoying heavenly pleasures, he/she returns back to Earth as human being or even as beast! Swami Vivekananda says:
$ For Vedic sacrifice (यज्ञ yajna) eighteen skilled
performers were required; each had a specific name and duty to perform:
Here are two words -- Ishtam and Purtam. Sacrificial and other rituals are called
Ishtam, and Purtam is making roads, building
hospitals and so on. "Fools are they who think that rituals and doing good work are high and
that there is nothing higher."
They get what they desire and go to heaven, but every enjoyment and every sorrow must have an end.
And so that ends, and
they fall back and back and become men again, or still lower.
Some people, who are well versed in scriptures, but still have not realised their true Self - and hence are really body-bound ignorant
souls - consider themselves to be Self-realised and proceed to guide others on spiritual path! Shruti condemns them as blind people
leading other blind people.
(1) यजमान yajamaan - one who is the main organiser of yajna
(2) यजमान-पत्नी yajamaan-patni - wife of yajamaan
The rest of 16 roles were as per following:
(1) होता hota (2) मैत्रावरुण
maitravaruna (3) अच्छावक achchhavaka
(4) ग्रावस्तुत gravastu
(5) अध्वर्यु adhvaryu (6) प्रतिप्रस्थाता
pratiprasthata (7) नेष्टा neshta (8) उन्नेता
unneta
(9) उद्गाता udgata (10) प्रस्तोता
prastota (11) प्रतिहर्ता pratiharta
(12) सुब्रह्मण्य: subrahmanyah
(13) ब्रह्म brahma (14) ब्रह्मणाच्छासी
brahmanchchansi (15) आग्निता aagnita
(16) पोता pota
$ सप्त लोक: sapta lokah - seven
worlds starting from Earth and ending with Satyaloka or seven generations including higher three (पिता
pita father, पितामह pitamaha grandfather, प्रपितामह
prapitamaha great-grandfather) and lower three (पुत्र putra son, पौत्र
pautra grandson, प्रपौत्र prapautra great-grandson)
$ Vedic Religion gives three unique types of knowledge: (1) कर्म-विज्ञान
karma-vijnana : this scripture-based knowledge gives moral and immoral conduct-codes which saves humans from death in the
form of brute existence; (2) उपासना-विज्ञान
upasana-vijnana : this scripture-based knowledge gives technique to raise consciousness above worldly desires by associating
karma with Ishwara, thus saving humans from desire-propelled death; and finally (3) तत्त्व-विज्ञान
tattwa-vijnana : highest knowledge about Brahman which gives Moksha from transmigration cycle.
As opposed to above mentioned people, those who renounce desires and dwell in secluded places or those who take to monastic life,
they control their senses and mind, practice austerities and thus purifying their minds go to highest sphere of existence namely
satyalokah. Thus it is shown that through apara vidya one can achieve even the highest sphere of existence but still all
this is in transient phenomenon and thus is avidya i.e. ignorance.
Para vidya - which is the direct knowledge of the Self and which transcends all duality, all karmas, all spheres of existence -
is of interest to, and applicable for, one who has renounced all desires for phenomenal existence. Such one sees that the entire
phenomenal existence from highest satyalokah to lowest hell is transitory, ever-changing, without any real substance or bliss, and
dreamlike ephemeral; he/she realises that unchanging, uncreated, eternal Self can never be achieved through any amount of
duality-ridden karmas and their results. Hence such a spiritual aspirant should renounce all desires for the world and humbly
approach Guru - who has realised the Self (ब्रह्मनिष्ठ
brahmanishtha) and is well versed in scriptures (श्रोत्रिय shrotriya) -
for Self-knowledge related instructions. The Guru then should instruct the disciple, who is of pure mind and endowed with mastery
over sense, about Self - the absolute imperishable Reality.
$ Four types of karma: (1) उत्पाद्य
utpaadya - that which is produced e.g. grains, rice, pots etc., (2) आप्य aapya - that which
is obtained, received e.g. heaven, Veda-mantras etc., (3) संस्कार्य sanskarya -
that which is rectified/treated or purified e.g. cooking vegetables, sprinkling water on worship-items etc., (4) विकार्य
vikarya - that which is transformed e.g. curd from milk.
$ If Guru is just shrotriya and not brahmanishtha, then he/she will
not be able to fulfil the spiritual need of the disciple; and if Guru is just brahmanishtha and not shrotriya, then
his/her life pattern may not instil confidence and faith in the heart of disciple.
$ Scriptures say that the disciple, who has developed dispassion for the world,
should approach Guru with dried firewood in hand. Why dried firewood? In olden days, Guru's ashrama would generally have daily
Vedic sacrificial fires burning, and it required dried firewood as fuel; hence it was logical offering to be taken to Guru.
Another symbolic reason for this was: dried firewood represented the dried-up desires of the disciple, and Guru was supposed to
burn up those with fire of Self-Knowledge (ज्ञानाग्नि jnanagni).
| Section II: Chapter I (द्वितीय मुण्डक प्रथम खण्ड: Dwitiya Mundaka Prathama Khandah) | |
Apara Vidya was explained in previous chapter, now in order to explain Para Vidya, this first chapter of second section begins; Guru (here Angirasa) instructs the disciple (here Shaunaka) about Self in various ways. In the words of Swami Vivekananda:
'This is the truth, O gentle one, as from a mass of burning flame myriads of sparks come out of the same nature as the fire,
even so from this Unchangeable One all these forms, all these ideas, all this creation, come out; and unto Him it [the creation]
goes back.
But the Eternal One is everlasting, formless, without beginning, inside and outside of every being--beyond all life, beyond all
mind, the Pure One, beyond even the unchangeable, beyond everything.
From Him is born the vital principle. From Him comes the mind. From Him come all organs of the senses. From Him are air, light,
water and this earth which holds all beings. These heavens are, as it were, His head; His eyes, the sun and moon. The cardinal
points are, as it were, His ears. The eternal knowledge of the Vedas is, as it were, His manifested speech. His life is the air.
His heart is this universe; His feet, this world. He is the Eternal Self of every being.
From Him have come the different Vedas. From Him have come the gods of the Sadhyas. The latter are superior men, much higher than
ordinary men and very much like the gods.
From Him are all men. From Him are all animals. From Him is all life; from Him, all the forces in the mind; from Him all truth,
all chastity.
The seven organs are all from Him. The seven objects of perception are from him; the seven actions of perception are from Him.
From Him are the seven worlds in which the life currents flow. From Him are all these seas and oceans. From Him are all rivers
that roll into the sea; from Him are all plants and all liquids. He is the inside. He is the inner Soul of every being. This great
Purusha, this great One--He is this universe, He is the work, He is the sacrifice. He is Brahman, and He is the trinity. He who
knows Him frees his own soul from the bond of ignorance and becomes free.
He is the bright one. He is inside every human soul. From Him are all name and form; all the animals and men are from Him.
He is the one Supreme. He who knows Him becomes free.' (Ref.: 'Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Vol IX, P237-38')
Absolute, attribute-less Self is devoid of mind and prana but due to Maya it 'becomes' mind, prana, and entire phenomenal world with it's beings.
$ The पञ्चाग्नि panchagni
mentioned in Chhandogya Upanishad namely Heaven, Cloud, Earth, Man, and Woman are also referred here, to show their origination
through the Self.
$ From Self comes all Vedas: Rigveda which consists of ऋचा
richas - mantras composed in fixed meters; Yajurveda which consists of mantras in prose style; Samaveda which
consists of mantras set to musical tune with five parts:
(1) हिंकार hinkara,
(2) प्रस्ताव prastaav, (3) उद्गीथ udgitha,
(4) प्रतिहार pratihara, (5) निधन nidhana or
seven parts:
(1) हिंकार hinkara, (2) प्रस्ताव prastaav,
(3) आदि aadi, (4) उद्गीथ udgitha, (5) प्रतिहार
pratihara, (6) उपद्रव upadrava (7) निधन nidhana
$ From Self comes: दीक्षा deeksha - various
initiations and rules for rituals in human life like मौन्ज्य maunjya, लग्न
lagna etc.; यज्ञ yajna - all sacrificial rituals; क्रतुः
kratuh - all sacrificial rituals with यूप: yupah; दक्षिणा
dakshina - from smallest to greatest donations; कालः kaalah - time; यजमान
yajamana - main organiser of yajna; लोकः lokah - various spheres of existence which
are the results of yajna, which are illumined, purified by sun and moon, and which are reached by following the paths of उत्तरायण
uttarayana and दक्षिणायन dakshinayana.
$ From Self comes: देव: devah (all gods), साध्या
saadhya (a special type of god), human beings, animals, birds, vital forces, various grains, तप: tapah (austerity),
श्रद्धा shraddha (dynamic faith), सत्य satya (truth),
ब्रह्मचर्य brahmacharya (celibacy), विधि
vidhi (guidelines for rituals) etc.
$ From Self comes: seven sense organs in head (2 eyes, 2 ears, 2 nasal passages, 1 tongue),
their power of illumination and knowledge of respective sense-objects, and also sense-objects. The seven sense-organs, in each body, merge into
respective heart-cave during deep-sleep state.
$ From Self comes: oceans, mountains, rivers, all grains and plants, various juices,
gross bodies made up from food eaten etc. The Self (i.e. Self circumscribed by subtle body) remains hidden in the body made out of
the food.
Thus everything in phenomenal world of names and forms comes from Self; one who knows this Self in the hearts of all, cuts the knot of ignorance and attains immortal, infinite Self even while alive. The question asked at the beginning of the Upanishad, namely knowing what everything else is known, gets answered here; knowing the all-pervading Self - the one cause of world - everything is known.
| Section II: Chapter II (द्वितीय मुण्डक द्वितीय खण्ड: Dwitiya Mundaka Dwitiya Khandah) | |
Previous chapter concluded with the mention of all-pervasive Self and Self-Realized being's freedom from bondage of ignorance. The
Self being without form how to realize It? To answer this doubt, Angiras continues, 'This Self is luminous, established in the hearts
of all beings, of the name 'guhachar' (because It 'roams' through senses into the 'guha' i.e. cave of buddhi i.e. heart),
and greatest of all (being the substratum of entire universe). In Self are all humans, animals, birds, insects etc. and nothing gross
or subtle, with form or formless, is separate from It; being eternal, It is worthy of worship. Self is the highest and subtlest
(beyond mundane things of sense); It should be known as one's very own inner Self.' Having Self thus described as त्वम् पदार्थ
tvam padartha (Thou in 'Thou Art That'), now It is explained as तत् पदार्थ
tat padarth (That in 'Thou Art That'): 'Light of the Self illumines everything including sun, stars etc. It is subtler than the
subtlest; all spheres of existence and all beings in them are in Self. It Itself is mind, prana, speech etc. It is the immortal Truth.
It should be realized by merging mind into It '
To merge mind into the infinite Self, mind must be withdrawn from sense-world and should be constantly engaged in the remembrance of
Self. This is the Vedantic method of Shravana, Manana, Nididhyasana; those who are incapable of this should practice meditation
or japa (repetition of sacred mantra) or rituals or worshiping images, divinities etc. Sage Angiras now starts explaining
the method of meditation with the help of sacred OM: 'Upanishads i.e. the knowledge of Vedanta is the bow, place the arrow, which
is sharpened by worship, on it, stretch the bow by mind which is withdrawn from sense-objects and fixed on immutable Self, and strike
at the target of Self i.e. be one with It. The sacred Om is the bow, individual soul is the arrow, and infinite Self is the target;
the target should be carefully pierced and be united with i.e. individual soul should meditate steadfastly (by developing detachment
from sense-objects) and become one with true Self.'
$ In Vedanta, Self-Knowledge is attained when the modification (वृत्ति vritti) of buddhi becomes 'undivided-shaped' (अखण्डाकाराकार akhandakarakar) or 'ultimate' (चरम charam). How does it happen? Normal modification of buddhi holds on to non-self entities like body-mind-world; when it gives up these non-self entities, it reverts to simple/pure mode which is nothing but Self. Sri Ramakrishna says, 'That which is Pure Mind is also Pure Buddhi; that again is Pure Atman ...'
The Sage continues, 'That into which the three worlds are existing and in which are functioning the minds and vital forces of all beings, know That Self alone and let go all other vain talks. Just as all the spokes of a wheel are fixed at the axle, similarly in the body all the arteries, flow from and meet at, the heart; the Self in the heart witnesses all the mind perceptions and modifications. Using Om as the means, meditate upon this Self; may you cross the darkness of spiritual ignorance without any obstruction. The Self is all-knowing, omniscient and well-known in world as the controller of earth, heaven, Sun, Moon etc. all objects; in the gross physical body, the Self resides in the cavity of Heart (i.e. It is realized there though being all-pervading) and being associated with mind and prana, It carries individual soul from one gross body to another. Realization of the Self cuts the 'knot in heart' (between gross body and Pure Consciousness Self, of the nature of spiritual ignorance and desires), clears all doubts, and weakens karma. The Self realized by the Jnanis is the light of all lights, part-less, pure, luminous, and situated within the sheath of buddhi; It can't be illumined by sun, moon, stars, lightening etc. what to speak of light from ordinary fire! It shines and hence all phenomenal lights as well as all phenomenon itself gets illumined. This infinite, immortal, self-luminous Brahman is in front, behind, in left and right side, above and below, everywhere; the world is nothing but Brahman.'
$ Realization of Self cuts the 'heart-knot' (भिद्यते हृदयग्रन्थि:
bhidyante hridayagranthih) which is आनन्दगत भ्रान्ति
anandagata bhranti i.e. the delusion that bliss is external to oneself and not one's own nature; it removes all doubts (छिद्यन्ते सर्वसंशया:
chhidyante sarvasamshayah), the ज्ञानगत भ्रान्ति
jnanagata bhranti i.e. Pure Consciousness-Bliss Brahman mistaken as world; and it destroys the bonds of karma (क्षीयन्ते कर्माणि
kshiyante karmaani), the वस्तुगत भ्रान्ति
vastugata bhranti i.e. the wrong notion 'I am the doer of karma and enjoyer its results'.
$ Swami Vivekananda says, 'Liberation or Samadhi -- all this consists in simply
doing away with the obstacles to the manifestation of Brahman. Otherwise the Self is always shining forth like the sun. The cloud
of ignorance has only veiled it. Remove the cloud and the sun will manifest. Then you get into the state of [भिद्यते हृदयग्रन्थि:]
("the knot of the heart is broken") etc.'
$ Even after realization of Self and removal of ignorance, body of Jnani is seen
functioning to others. This is explained to ignorant as: though past balance of karma is destroyed and there is no karma-result
for future, the Prarabdha (the body that is living) has to be exhausted by experiencing it. Scriptures try to explain this
through following examples:
(1) Pure crystal appears red due to red flower kept near it; though 'color-less-ness' of crystal is
recognized,
so long as flower remains near it, the crystal will appear red.
(2) Even after gaining the knowledge that the snake seen in place of rope is non-existing and rope
alone is there,
the frightened heart-beats continue for some time.
(3) The cloth - which is nothing but threads woven together - is destroyed when threads in it are
destroyed;
but logicians (तार्किक tarkika) accept that the
cloth remains for a moment even after threads are destroyed completely.
(4) Sri Ramakrishna says, 'Even after the attainment of Knowledge this 'I-consciousness' comes up,
nobody knows from where.
You dream of a tiger. Then you awake; but your heart keeps on palpitating!'
These examples try to explain the paradox of living Jivanmukata (Jnani who is 'living in a body' and yet is 'Liberated'
because of Self-Knowledge 'I am birth-less, death-less infinite Pure Consciousness-Bliss).
| Section III: Chapter I (तृतीय मुण्डक प्रथम खण्ड: Tritiya Mundaka Prathama Khandah) | |
The higher knowledge which related to infinite Pure-Consciousness-Bliss Brahman was described and also the meditation technique was explained. Now in order to specify the auxiliary spiritual practices like truth, austerity, celibacy etc. following chapter is started. Due to the subtlety of the subject matter, the Absolute Truth along with phenomenal individual self is again illustrated; in the words of Swami Vivekananda:
'The difference between the Hindu mind and the European mind is that whereas in the West truths are arrived at by examining the
particular, the Hindu takes the opposite course. There is no [such] metaphysical sublimity as in the Upanishads.
It [the Mundaka Upanishad] leads you on, beyond the senses--infinitely more sublime than the suns and stars. First Angiras
tried to describe God by sense sublimities--that His feet are the earth, His head the heavens. But that did not express what
he wanted to say. It was in a sense sublime. He first gave that idea to the student and then slowly took him beyond, until he
gave him the highest idea--the negative--too high to describe.
He is immortal, He is before us, He is behind us, He is on the right side, He is on the left, He is above, He is beneath.
Upon the same tree there are two birds with most beautiful wings, and the two birds always go together--always live together.
Of these, one is eating the fruits of the tree; the other, without eating, is looking on.
So in this body are the two birds always going together. Both have the same form and beautiful wings. One is the human soul,
eating the fruits; the other is God Himself, of the same nature. He is also in this body, the Soul of our soul. He eats neither
good nor evil fruits, but stands and looks on.
But the lower bird knows that he is weak and small and humble, and tells all sorts of lies. He says he is a woman, or he is a
man or a boy. He says he will do good or do bad; he will go to heaven and will do a hundred sorts of things. In delirium he
talks and works, and the central idea of his delirium is that he is weak.
Thus he gets all the misery because he thinks he is nobody. He is a created little being. He is a slave to somebody; he is
governed by some god or gods, and so is unhappy.
But when he becomes joined with God, when he becomes a Yogi, he sees that the other bird, the Lord, is his own glory. "Why, it
was my own glory whom I called God, and this little "I", this misery, was all hallucination; it never existed. I was never a
woman, never a man, never any one of these things." Then he gives up all his sorrow.
When this Golden One, who is to be seen, is seen--the Creator, the Lord, the Purusha, the God of this universe--then the sage
has washed off all stains of good and bad deeds. (Good deeds are as much stains as bad deeds.) Then he attains to total
sameness with the Pure One.' (Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Volume IX, P240-241)
Further, this Self, which is the prana of prana, is being reflected in all beings [as consciousness]; the Jnani
realizes that 'I Am That Infinite Self' and due to this realization he/she does not become अतिवादी
atiwaadi (one who speaks or acts overriding others). He/She does not require any external object/person to be happy,
contented, active, fulfilled etc. Self Itself is the source of contentment, joy, action, fulfilment for him/her.
The spiritual disciplines to be followed by spiritual aspirants on the path of Self-discovery are mentioned as, 'constant practice
of truthfulness, celibacy, austerity of body-mind-speech, and understanding the essence of scriptures'; this reduces the impurity,
grossness of mind and Self-luminous Atman is realised in the heart.
$ Four types of Celibacy (ब्रह्मचर्य brahmacharya) - ब्रह्मचारी Brahmachari is धर्मात्मा Dharmatma; he/she is in service of Guru and God and hence his/her mind is dedicated to them. गृहस्थ Grihastha is भक्त Bhakta; his/her mind enjoys sense-pleasures as ordained by scriptures. वानप्रस्थ Vaanprastha is योगी Yogi; his/her mind is in witness mode and hence though difference between sexes is cognised, he/she is not indulging in sense-pleasures. संन्यासी Sannyasi is ज्ञानी Jnani; his/her mind is dissolved in Brahman and difference between sexes is not cognised.
One, who speaks and follows truth, succeeds while follower of untruth perishes; through truth is the way to Immortality where
desire-less sages reach. Brahman is the greatest, largest, supreme divine, unthinkable, subtler than subtlest, and illuminator
of all lights (sun, moon, fire etc.) of phenomenon; It is far away for ignorant people while for seers, it is nearest - within
their own hearts. It is not cognized by eye or any other sense of perception, It is not revealed by speech or any other sense of
action, It is unattainable by austerity or work; the Self is revealed by self-illumined knowledge in the heart of one who has
purified his/her mind and practiced concentration/meditation on It. The Self is known within the body - which is pervaded by five
pranas - by purified mind; the Self pervades mind-senses of all beings but the particular mind which is pure, concentrated and
peaceful, manifests the Self clearly.
Self-realized beings are rare and they are concretised, manifested God on Earth. Whatever appears in their pure mind is immediately
fulfilled, here on this earthly sphere or any other sphere of existence. Those who wish to attain prosperity, wealth should
worship such seers.
| Section III: Chapter II (तृतीय मुण्डक द्वितीय खण्ड: Tritiya Mundaka Dwitiya Khandah) | |
At the end of last chapter it was mentioned that those who wish to attain prosperity, should worship Self-realized seers. Not only such people are benefited by the holy company of Jnanis but all types of people, especially those desire-less spiritual aspirants who long for Moksha. This chapter begins with the mantra describing this: 'Self-realized Jnani knows Brahman which is the substratum of entire phenomenon and which is supreme and self-luminous. Those intelligent people who worship such sages unselfishly become free from transmigration cycle [are not born again].' Thus Jnani should be worshipped by all - those with desires and also by desire-less beings. Since renouncing desires is the precondition for Moksha, next mantra states: 'those who have desires to enjoy different pleasures are born at appropriate places where their desires can be fulfilled. While those who have given up all desires, even while alive, know their real infinite nature and do not transmigrate anywhere.' The Self is not revealed by excessive study of scriptures, or too much listening to religious talk, or by buddhi which is able to store and reproduce vast and complex scriptural knowledge; It is revealed to those who make It as the sole goal of their lives.
$ In Vedantic spiritual practice, shravana, manana, and nididhyasana are the primary means. Manana and Nididhyasana, though mentioned after shravana, are not the primary means for Self-realization. Shravana is अङ्गि angi i.e. main part which involves deliberation of pramana (Vedanta Mahavakya) and this causes Self-Knowledge (doubt-free knowledge is called prama); manana and nididhyasana are अङ्ग angas i.e. secondary supportive parts. Those spiritual aspirants who have pure mind and have had the vision of their chosen deity, can quickly realize the Self by mere shravana while others require manana and nididhyasana for removal of obstacles in mind.
The Self is not revealed to those who haven't gained the strength and purity of mind by practicing unselfishness, austerities etc., neither is It revealed to those who make the blunders of getting attached to sense-objects and other relations of the world. Also the Self is not revealed to one who does not renounce the attachment to sense-world and ego. Thus that pure hearted soul who has gained strength through constant remembrance of Self and who has avoided, getting attached to and distracted by, sense-world by renouncing it along with all egoism, reaches the supreme abode of Self. Self-realized seers are totally fulfilled/completely satisfied and full of knowledge of Brahman; they have full detachment towards mind-body-world and are supremely peaceful as they are merged in Brahman which is supreme, boundless, infinite, unborn, deathless, causeless, changeless, fearless, unique, greatest, non-dual, auspicious, and Peace & Bliss Itself. Unrealized souls travel to other spheres of existence after death but Self-realized souls do not go anywhere; the elements and senses that constituted their body merge back into their sources; as also all the stored karmas and buddhi. Just as rivers merging into ocean loose their names, forms and become one with ocean, similarly Self-realized beings loose their name, form and merge into Supreme Brahman. Knower of Brahman verily become Brahman Itself and no one in his/her lineage remains ignorant of Self; His/Her heart-knot is cut asunder and he/she becomes immortal transcending all grief and sin. This Self-Knowledge is to be imparted only to one who faithfully practices scriptural injunctions, studies Vedanta, and tries to always abide in true Self.
$ शिरोव्रतं shirovratam - In Atharva-Veda, there is a austerity mentioned which involves keeping the yajna-fire on one's head; it can also be taken as sannyasa which involves removal of hairs from head [hairs are considered as sins protruding out of the body! And also they signify the desire to beautify oneself. And hence their removal is mentioned for a renunciate.] Another meaning of the word can be: one's head is filled with all sorts of thoughts (samskaras) which are not conducive towards Self-Knowledge and hence clearing of those thoughts through viveka (spiritual discrimination).
Thus, through this Upanishad, the question of Shaunaka was answered by sage Angiras. The Upanishad concludes by making salutations to all the Self-realized seers mentioned in the beginning [tradition starting from Brahma, Atharva etc.].
| ॐ शान्ति: | ॐ शान्ति: | ॐ शान्ति: |
| Om Peace | Om Peace | Om Peace |
