ABC of Upanishads

         It is believed that about seven or eight thousand years back, a bright light shone from the East from a small-sized country in southern Asia, with high mountain ranges in its north, and three oceans in its south. This was all the more significant in that, the rest of the world, at that point of time, was enveloped by the darkness of  ignorance among the then primitive men.  In that country, called at that time as ‘Aryaavarta’, on the banks of its northern rivers, there lived sages and seers who, with their super-sharp intellect, contemplated on the problems of life, the interactions of the individual with the world, the nature of the Divine Agency or God that created this universe, the cycles of birth and death, the woes and miseries that pester the humans, the ever-changing phenomena of the world, and, whether there is any process leading to lasting peace and happiness.  They delved deep into the innermost recesses of their intellect, to get at the Truth, and intuitively experienced revelations that came out as hymns or ‘mantra-s’. The sum total of all such hymns from all the sages and seers, was called ‘Veda-s’, a vast treasure of knowledge and wisdom  ( ‘vid’ means to know).  Tens of thousands of such mantra-s emerged thru them as revelations from some unknown Divine Source, and a vast literature piled up.  At that point of time, in the absence of any writing or recording facilities, these thousands of mantra-s came down from generation to generation, orally transmitted from preceptor to disciples, in the Guru-sishya ‘parampara’, with diction and intonation intact. Much later appeared the scripting facilities, like palmyra leaves, and later the copper plates. It is indeed a wonder of wonders that tens of thousands of these Vedic mantra-s survived thru these millinea, and were bequeathed to us.

            ‘What is a mantra ?’.  Sastra says: ‘Mananaat Traayateh  Iti  Mantraha’. That which when reflected upon, affords protection, is called a mantra. Actually, there is said to be a three-fold benefit. The vibrations of these mantra-s:  1. generate a protective etheric shield around the chanter,  2. direct one in the right direction, and  3.  purify and illumine the mind, befitting it to aspire for and progress towards higher ideals of life.

          At a much later stage, Sage Vyaasa is said to have categorized these hymns into four Veda-s, viz  Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Saama Veda,  and  Atharva Veda.  Again, each of these Veda-s were subdivided into four parts, viz  Samhita, Brahmana,  Aranyaka and Vedaanta. ‘Vedaanta’ implies ‘at the end of the Veda’. The Upanishads come under the category of  Vedaanta. There are said to be 108 Upanishads, comprising of 12 major ones, and 96 minor ones. Even from these 12, Sri. Adi Sankaara, the great Savant of Advaita philosophy, selected ten of them for writing his ‘Bhaashya’, a detailed commentary.  These ten are:  Isavaasya, Kena, Katho, Prasna, Mundaka, Maandookya, Taittireeya, Aitareya, Chaandogya  and Brihadaaranyaka*. By the by,  the word ‘Upanishad’ means ‘sitting close by (to the teacher)’.

    (A sloka  as a memory-aid to remember the ten Upanishads:

  *Eesavaasya Kayna Kathoe   Prasnoe Mundaka Maandookyam

   Taitthireeyam  Aitareyam   Chaandoagya Brihadaaranyakam.).

            Now, let us quickly run thru these ten Upanishads.

                             1.  Eesaavaasya   Upanishad 

          This belongs to Yajurveda, and has 18 sloka-s. It begets its name from its very first sloka:  “Eesaavaasya  Midagam  Sarvam”. Meaning:  ‘All (in the world) is filled with Eeswara Chaitanya’. Something akin to ‘Sarvam Vishnu Mayam’. But  is not appearing  so, the mortal may complain. The mortal who sees all ‘visesha-s’ i.e., particularities, discreet entities, qualities and attributes, as real. The solution lies in changing one’s ‘drishti’ (perception), in shifting its focus from visesha-s to ‘Saamaanya’, the unchanging  Substratum of all visesha-s.  Like ‘seeing’ the dissolved sugar in the sugar solution. The mind has to be trained to see the Formless, Nirguna Tattwa which alone appears as the realm of Naama and Roopa, which however are a manifestation of the Tattwa alone.

                               2.   Kenoapanishad  

          This belongs to Saama Veda.  It again reiterates that if the mind, body and the world are becoming evident, it means that some Divine Power is behind all of them. It could be called ‘Brahmam’. What is IT ?  Know that the eye cannot see Brahmam; That which enables the eye to see, is Brahmam.  The ear cannot hear Brahmam; That which enables the ear to hear, is Brahmam. The mind cannot conceive Brahmam; That which enables the mind to conceive anything, is Brahmam. Thus, Brahmam is the eye of the eye, the ear of the ear, and the mind of the mind. However, the only means of ‘seeing’ the Divinity, is the mind, which can ‘see’ the sky, the physical ‘Saamaanya’. Mind is a double-edged sword.  It is the most powerful asset of the human. It is said : “Manasaiva  manushyaanaam  bandha  Moakshaika  saadhanam”.  Whether for bondage or for Liberation, mind is the only means for the humans. At the untrained level it is ‘savikalpa’, the changing entity. The same can be trained to become ‘Nirvikalpa’ the Changeless, and  ‘see’ the Niraakaara  Tattwa in everything. In its attempt to get to the ‘Brahmam’, like the salt-doll which gets into the ocean to measure its depth, but gets dissolved into it, the mind merges with Brahmam.  The message of this Upanishad is, that the Brahmaakaara Vritti (thought) alone, in the mind, is the ‘pramaana’ (means) to lead to the  ‘Prameya’ (Brahmam).

                                  3.   Kathhoapanishad 

           This belongs to Yajurveda.  Its ‘Santi paath’ (primary Sloka at commencement) is the oft-recited ‘Sahanaa Vavatu Sahanou Bhunaktu’. This Upanishad begins with an interesting story. A muni-kumaara by name  Nachiketha was the son of Vajasravasa  who, for securing ‘punya’ (virtue) with an eye on Heaven, begins giving in charity his cattle. But in so doing, he cleverly was distributing  only barren ones, which Nachiketha notices, and being of righteous temperament, feels bitter. He proceeds to his father and asks him to whom he desires to give Nachiketha as gift. On persistent asking, the father being provoked, tells him that he would be given to the God of Death.  Nachiketha goes to Yama,  the Lord of Death who was not available for three days, after which the Brahmin boy was called in by Yama who offers him three boons. The first two that Nachiketha asks were more of a material nature. The third was to know the Secret of life and death,  and Immortality. Though Yama tried to dissuade him from this wish, Nachiketha persisted. Yama explained all about Truth, and told him that death could be escaped by realizing Aatman, which process was explained in detail. Aatman (Brahmam) permeates the entire universe latently.  For visualizing It, one has to indulge in inward withdrawal, and shift one’s ‘drishti’ from ‘visesha-s’ to ‘Saamaanya’, the Universal Awareness into which finally, all the ‘visesha-s’ (particularities), including life and death, merge.  Then, a picturesque process is depicted by comparing the body to be a chariot, intellect as charioteer, and sense-organs as horses. It should be the endeavor of the  charioteer, holding the reins, to direct the horses, not towards mere worldly ambitions, but towards Pure Consciousness, with Liberation as the ultimate goal of life.

                               4.   Prasnoapanishad   

          This is of Atharva Veda. The  saadhaka (aspirant) also needs to get his doubts cleared. In this Upanishad, six sages approach a Brahmarshi by name Pippalaada, and each of them puts one question each to him. Three pertain to Praana (Kriyaa Sakti), and three pertain to Mind (Gnyaana Sakti). They are told that all the visesha-s (un-Aatma) constitute ‘shoadasa kala-s’ (sixteen facets or components of creation) viz., praana, desire, sky, air, fire, water, earth, senses, mind, food, vigor, penance, Veda-s, yagnya-s, all the loaka-s, and naama (names). The Chaitanya, in its manifestation as creation, combined with these kala-s (upaadhi-s) and became ‘Sakala’, resulting in ‘samsaara’ and its woes. For Liberation, this Sakala has to become ‘Nishkala’, i.e., bereft of the kala-s, and again become the whole without parts. This implies that the kala-s merge with the source, as the rivers do with the Ocean.

                              5.   Mundakoapanishad 

        This belongs to Atharva Veda. In this the dictum is: Whatever emerges from any source, it must ultimately merge with the source. Sastra says that from Eeswara emerged the creation. Also that Eeswara entered Jeeva. These two, by themselves, are not real  but fallacious. Like sparks from fire.  The Source (Aatma) alone manifests as these. The intention is said to be that thru these Jeeva and Jagat alone, by intense saadhana, one would decipher the Moola Tattwa (Mukhyaatma). These two (Jeeva and Jagat) before their beginning, and after their end, were verily Aatma Swaroopa, and only in between appeared as different, an illusion. Saadhana should lead one to the realization that Supreme Consciousness alone exists as the Eternal Reality, including all that exists.    This Upanishad describes Omkaara as the bow, mind the arrow, and the Supreme Consciousness as the bulls-eye. From the taut bowstring of Omkaara the arrow of mind be released to hit the target.

                          6.   Maandookya  Upanishad 

          This is from Atharva Veda. This is the shortest among the major Upanishads, having just twelve sloka-s.  But  Gowdapaada, the Guru of  Adi Sankara’s  Guru (Govinda Paada), wrote detailed commentary, called ‘Kaarika-s’.  This Upanishad deals with Omkaara and ‘Avasthhaa Traya’ (the three states of wakefulness, dreams, and deep sleep).  Om is a symbol of sound denoting and pointed towards Paramaatma.  The word  Om  comprises of three letters  A, U and M (called ‘maatra-s’, that which measure) which refer to the three states of Avasthhaa Traya, called ‘paada-s’. Similar to  names or ideas  indicating forms or things. However, the three states of  Avasthhaa Traya are cyclic, and afford no solution. Hence we have to cross these three states, into a fourth one called ‘Tureeya’ state, which, as a witness, passes thru all the three states, or rather, which Itself appears as these. The  Tureeya state is a total absorption into the Divine,  into which all the maatra-s  and paada-s dissolve.  Hence ‘Chaturdham Sivam Advaitam’. This  auspicious, and One without a second, which is the only Reality that exists, has to be realized.

                           7.   Taiththireeya  Upanishad  

          This is of Yajurveda. It also deals with the so-called creation of Jagat, and the formation of Jeeva.  The Supreme Consciousness ‘created’ the Jagat, but ‘entered’ the body of Jeeva, identified Itself with the upaadhi-s  (body, mind and intellect), and got entangled in the ‘samsaara’. Then comes the effort to recognize Itself.

          Regarding the ‘creation, the Supreme projected Himself  as first sky, and then as wind, tejus, water and earth, and then the body and the needs for sustenance. Corresponding to the external ‘pancha bhoota-s’, there are five ‘koasa-s’ (sheaths) in the human body. These are: annamaya, praanamaya, manomaya, vignyaana-maya and aanandamaya  koasa-s, corresponding to earth, water, tejus, vaayu and aakaash. The Supreme assumed the form of each koasa, as molten sugar in molds, and became Jeeva. Then, on reflection, realizing that all these are but upaadhi-s and not Swaroopa, the Jeeva undertakes the return journey, from annamaya to aanandamaya, and thence back to Swaroopa. The saadhana is the ‘Aatma bhaavana’. In the process, all the koasa-s as well as the pancha-bhoota-s, merge into  the Supreme, which is  Liberation.

                            

        

                          8.    Aitareya  Upanishad

           This belongs to Rig Veda.  This Upanishad also deals with the origin of creation, and how the Jeeva came into being. The Self identifying Itself with body, mind and intellect, and experiencing the  avasthhaa traya, got stuck with the visesha-s.  It was as thoughts in the first two states (jaagrat and swapna), and as ‘vaasana-s’ (latencies) in sushupti.  The dwelling place of Self is the eye in jaagrat,  mind in swapna, and ‘hridaya kamala’ (Lotus-heart) in sushupti.  However, the pseudo-self, on contemplation and deep reflection, shook off the visesha gnyaana, and realized that the Saamaanya (Pragnyaana Swaroopa) Itself posed as these visesha-s,  which finally merged back into It.

                        9.   Chhaandoagya   Upanishad  

          This belongs to Saama Veda.  This Upanishad proclaims the famous ‘mahaa vaakya’ of  ‘Tut Twam Asi’, meaning ‘That thou are’. But when doubting to believe it, it further states: ‘Idagam  Sarvam Aitad Aatmya’, i.e., all this world also is Aatma. Actually, if the world is recognized as Aatma, then, Jeeva also follows.

          This world is a ‘kaarya’(effect), which must have a ‘kaarana’ (cause). As per Sastra, the ‘effect’ cannot be anything different from the ‘cause’.  Just as, a pot cannot be anything different from, and independent of  mud, its cause.  Similarly,  Jeeva and Jagat, which are ‘effects’, cannot be basically different from, and independent of Supreme Consciousness i.e., Sut-Chit (Existence-Awareness).  That alone appears as  visesha-s of naama and roopa. Visesha-s cannot exist independent of Awareness, which is the very proof of  Existence. Thus, all that exists is ‘That’ alone.

                    10.   Brihadaaranyaka   Upanishad  

          This is of  Yajur Veda. The two oft-repeated  invocatory  sloka-s: ‘Poorna Madaha Poorna Midam .…’ and ‘Asatoama Sudgamaya ….’, are in this Upanishad, which is the longest of all Upanishads, as its name ‘brihat’ indicates. The ‘Mahaa Vaakya’ (sentence of renown) of this Upanishad, is  ‘Aham  Brahmaasmi’. Meaning, ‘ I am Brahman’.  The ‘I’ indicated here, is the ‘Realized I’, the  True Swaroopa, and not the limited lower ego. The ‘I’ here is the Saamaanya, the Universal Formless All-pervasive Entity, like the  sky, but plus ‘Awareness’ supplied to it. It is the ‘Drik’ (Seer), not the ‘drisya’(seen).  The ‘Subject’, not the ‘object’. The ‘Aatma’ and not the un-Aatma. The Omnipresent, Omniscient and the Omnipotent.  The  Changeless, Eternal and Immortal.  However, know that the  drisya, the object and the un-Aatma, have no independent existence of their own, but are the ‘aabhaasa’ (illusory appearance) of the  Drik, Subject and  Aatma alone!

     (This completes the very brief coverage of the ten Upanishads)

Now, some of my reflections on the above coverage:

OK, all this is well taken. Theoretically it sounds interesting and enlightening. But you may ask: What is the practical use and impact of this Vedanta in actual daily life ?  Good question. Yes, surely it does have practical use. But, only if you sincerely try to understand and imbibe it.  

        1.  It helps you in facing the ever posing problems of life.

        2.  It infuses in you equanimity (which is yoga, as per Geeta) and composure in your dealings with men and matters, and in facing ‘dvandva-s’ i.e., pairs of opposites, like pleasure and pain, or, success and failure, or likes and dislikes etc.

        3.  It imparts a fair measure of peace and tranquility, under all circumstances, favorable or otherwise.

        4.  It indicates an ideal in life,  worth striving for.

        5.  It reveals the basic unity in all this mind-boggling diversity. It directs your vision towards the ‘Saamaanya’, instead of ever dwelling in visesha-s, and get stuck with them.

        Now, what is Saamaanya?  When we close our physical eyes, the world is shut off from our sight.  Similarly, when we close our mind’s  eye, all thoughts are shut off. Still, we exist. Also, imagine we erase from our memory our names and forms. Still, we exist. What are we at that time ?  No world, no thoughts, no name and no form. Bereft of all visesha-s. Answer: we merged with Saamaanya.

      We ignorantly identify ourselves with body, mind and intellect. Know that they are mere empty petrol tanks!  Only when we put petrol (gas) in them, their engines work, and they function.  That Petrol, that Divya Sakti,  is the Saamaanya.

         Here are some illustrative enunciations:

         I, you, and everyone of us, should realize that, we are, for comparison, what the pots, pans and vessels are  in relation to mud, which is their very substance. So are we. Divinity Itself appearing as I, you, everyone, and everything.

         I, you, and everyone of us, should realize that, each of us is like the gold ornament in relation to its substratum gold. So are we. Divinity Itself appearing as I, you, everyone, and everything.

        I, you, and everyone of us, should realize that, we are all like the waves, froth and bubbles of the ocean. All nothing but water. So are we. Divinity appearing as I, you, everyone, and everything.

        This indeed is the quintessence of Upanishads, our ancient scriptures, our eternal Treasure of Wisdom.  These are above and beyond religion, race, creed and cult.  Beyond ‘Desa, Kaala, and Vastu’ i.e., beyond the dimensions of place, time and matter. These are utterly universal and eternally valid, leading mankind towards Wisdom and Liberation.

                        Sarvey  Janaaha  Sukhinoabhavantu. 

                                Om  Santi  Santi  Santihi

                                          Harihi  Om

       [  This is a write-up of  the talk which  Krishna M. Gutala          

             gave at  ICC  Cupertino   on  20^th February 2012 ]

Acknowledgement:  The inspiration and source of the above talk and write-up, are from the teachings and writings of my revered Guru  Brahmasri  Yellamraju  Srinivasa  Rao garu.  My humble  Salutations to him. 

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